Search results for Blackburn

Description

A registered sex offender has been jailed for breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

When police visited Mark Klein’s home in Blackburn in April last year, his phone was checked and found to have the Snapchat app on it.

That was in breach of one of the conditions of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which was imposed on him in 2013 and remained in place.

While on court bail for that breach, Klein (pictured) was seen again by officers in March this year.

He refused to show them his phone, saying that he didn’t have it in his flat.

When the flat was searched, Klein’s phone was found on a bedside table and had been used shortly before the officers arrived.

This again breached his Sexual Offences Prevention Order. 

Klein, 59, formerly of St Michael’s Court, Blackburn, appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence last week.

He had pleaded guilty to two breaches of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

The judge jailed him for 21 months.

PC Adam Knowles of our East Division Management of Sex Offenders and Violent Offenders unit, said:

“Mark Klein disregarded the conditions which the courts had imposed on him – orders which are designed to keep children and vulnerable people safe from him."
“The immediate custodial sentence which the judge passed shows the seriousness of the breaches.”

Description

A Registered Sex Offender has been jailed for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. 

Anthony Kirkbright, 58, (pictured) began a friendship with a vulnerable woman after his release from prison in 2025.

She was unaware of his past until officers made an urgent disclosure to her last October.

Despite her telling Kirkbright that she no longer wanted him to visit he continued to attend at her address and sent numerous unwanted text messages.

Kirkbright also contacted social services, attempting to cancel a care package she had in relation to her health which caused considerable disruption to her.

The unwanted contact put him in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which had been imposed on him following convictions for previous offences, including sexual assault.

One of the conditions of the SHPO was ‘not to continue to associate or seek association with any female after being told by her that the association is unwelcome to her’.

Kirkbright was arrested on 5th November on suspicion of breaching the SHPO. He was then charged and remanded.

At Preston Crown Court last Thursday (26th March), Kirkbright, formerly of Great Bolton Street, Blackburn, appeared for sentence after pleading guilty to breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order at an earlier hearing.

He was jailed for 30 months and made subject of a further Sexual Harm Prevention Order until 2036 – Kirkbright also remains subject to Sex Offender Notification Requirements.

Lisa Parrington, Offender Manager for the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team, said: “

Kirkbright is a dangerous offender who uses persistence and lies to gain access to women. He continues to pose a very high risk to women, and I welcome the prison sentence imposed on him by the court.

“Lancashire Police take reports of violence against women and girls extremely seriously, it is a priority of the force.

“We will investigate thoroughly all reports made to us in order to try and bring offenders to justice and provide support to victims.”

Description

The man pictured below is Robert Court, he is 33 years old, and he is a paedophile.

Between 2011 and 2013 he committed sexual offences against two boys inside a caravan in Earby. On a separate occasion, Court took one of his victims home and abused him.

Court was in his early 20s at the time, and his victims were between the ages of 12 and 14. He went by the name Gyles at the time.

The first victim bravely came forward and reported what Court had done in March 2021. Our officers then made contact with the second victim, who outlined the offences Court had committed against him.

Court, now of no fixed address but formerly of Newton Street in Darwen, was arrested and initially denied knowing either victim. In a subsequent police interview, he admitted knowing both victims but denied any wrongdoing.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Court was charged with a number of offences including rape; causing / inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity; sexual assault; engaging in sexual activity with child.

After a trial at Preston Crown Court earlier this year, he was found guilty of seven counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Court appeared back in the dock yesterday (10th December 2025) where he was jailed for six years. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In an impact statement to the court, the first victim wrote:

“I finally gathered the strength to report this to the police in 2021. I reported it then because I finally realised that this was abuse, and not what I had been led to believe all along that it was experimental. It wasn’t experimental, I was a child, it was child abuse.

“I didn’t report it at the time, because I was a child, I couldn’t process what had happened to me, I didn’t know the words to verbalise it, and I didn’t want to give people another reason to bully me. I didn’t want people thinking I had been a victim, and I felt ashamed. I tried to mask it as much as I could, even minimising what I told my parents because I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.”

He continued:

“From the last incident in his bedroom, the effects on me were slow burning. I felt emotions hard to show and struggle to trust people. I felt a burden on people so would always do things to try to make people happy and I think Court played on that. When the penny finally dropped in adulthood about what had happened, it felt like I was being abused again.”

The second victim wrote in his statement: “Following the abuse I felt shame and embarrassment:

“It played on my mind every single hour of every day and contributed hugely to the significant mental health problems that I have suffered my whole life.”

DS Keziah Harrison, from our East Child Protection Team, said:

“Court is a manipulative individual who targeted two vulnerable and impressionable boys for his warped sexual interests.

“His offending has had a significant impact on his victims which continues to impact on their daily lives. In a final act of control over his victims, Court forced them to re-live their ordeals while giving evidence during the trial. He did this despite knowing exactly what he had done to them.

“I want to place on record my admiration for the victims and the bravery they have shown throughout the judicial process, and for trusting us to diligently investigate this case and bring their abuser to justice.”

Description

Blackburn man jailed for raping woman after following her home from Darwen night out

On 13th May 2023 he met his victim during a night out in Darwen. During the night out, Hartley asked the victim if he should come to her, and she declined saying she just wanted to go to sleep. However, in the early hours of 14th May he made his way into the victim’s house along with one of her friends.

When the victim’s friend went to leave, Hartley pretended to be asleep.

It was while the victim was alone that Hartley raped and sexually assaulted her.

Hartley then used her mobile phone to call a taxi.

Hartley, formerly of Minnie Terrace, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was arrested two days later. He was subsequently charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

Hartley was found guilty of all offences following a trial at Preston Crown Court in September of this year.

He returned to the same court on Monday where he was jailed for five years. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim said:

“I never expected to be raped on that night in May 2023. I was enjoying a child free weekend with friends and was out with group of lads who I thought I could trust and feel safe with. I felt able to have a drink and a good time and wanted to be looked after, little did I know that the night would end so very badly and change my life forever.

“I was unsure about contacting the police at all in the first instance. I feared that I would not be believed and that the police would not take me seriously. Perhaps they would think it was my own fault for being out with a gang of lads but I was distressed and after several hours of worry and upset I had to do the right thing and tell them what had happened. I was surprised by the response from the police, they listened, took me seriously and offered me support.

“I did not cope well with being in my own home after I was raped. It should have been a safe and happy place for me and my children and it was until that night. I delayed the children coming back and even took them on a last minute holiday to avoid having to be at the house with them. I moved to a new house in the end and that is not something I should have had to do because of the actions of one person but I felt that I had no choice. I threw the sofa out onto the front garden as I could not bear to have it in the house knowing what had happened on it.

“I did not see my children at all for a week after that night. I was not in any fit state to care for them and I did not want them in the house. I spent a week trying to get back to being the old me and convincing myself that I would be able to put a brave face on. It was not easy.

“I do not think that people realise how much I have struggled. That is partially my fault for not being able to open up but it has been nothing short of terrible. I have had countless sleepless nights and have worried endlessly about what I did wrong to deserve what had happened to me. I have spent hours going through the night in my head, asking myself if I gave him any indication at all that it was ok to behave in the way that he did. I have wondered what I could have done differently and then spent hours worrying that Hartley knew where I lived and people would come after me for going to the police and seeing it through to the trial at court.

“I was suddenly unable to do the normal things that a young person of my age would do. I immediately became cautious of everyone around me and avoided nights out for a long time. I worry about having too much to drink and question how safe I am, even with people that I have known and trusted for years. I do not know how to fix this and hope that in time I will find a way through it.”

DC Claire Scott, from our East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Investigation Team, said:

“Hartley took advantage of a vulnerable woman for his own sexual gratification. His offending has had a profound impact on her daily life as she describes so honestly in her victim impact statement.

“I want to praise the victim in this case for her bravery, and for having trust in the police to put her offender before the courts.”

Description

33-year-old Aqueel Hussain is a dangerous child rapist.

Yesterday he was given a sentence totalling 16 years.

Last year he groomed a 12-year-old girl on Snapchat and told her he was 19.

Eventually they arranged to meet at a Asda in Colne on 28th November.

The victim went to the shopping centre with a friend, but that friend had to leave. Having never met the victim or her friend, Hussain agreed to book and pay for the victim’s friends’ taxi on an online booking platform.

CCTV footage captured Hussain accompanying the victim, who was dressed in her school uniform, into Asda where he bought her a phone charger.

After they left the store, Hussain invited her into his white BMW car. After driving to a secluded spot in the carpark, Hussain got into the back of his vehicle sand said he would give his victim £100 if she joined in. It was while the victim was in the back of the BMW that Hussain raped her.

The matter was reported to police after the victim began to get bullied at school as a direct result of the incident.

Our officers managed to identify Hussain from the mobile number he used to book the taxi.

We visited a property in Blackburn and although Hussain wasn’t there at the time, the same distinctive trousers he was wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape were found in a locked bedroom.

While our officers were on their way to a second property linked to Hussain in Blackburn, they spotted his white BMW.

After briefly following Hussain, the BMW was stopped and he was arrested on suspicion of rape. He was wearing the same jumper and jacket he had been wearing in the CCTV footage the day he committed the rape.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Hussain, formerly of Irene Place, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was charged with rape and meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming.

Hussain was found guilty following a trial at Preston Crown Court earlier this year. He returned to the same court yesterday where he was jailed for 15 years and given an extended licence period of 12 months after a Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender. Hussain was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In an impact statement to the court, the victim’s mum said:

“Being a parent doesn’t come with instructions. I was prepared for tantrums, arguments, and a bit of sass when my daughter started high school, but no phone call from her Head of Year or Parenting Book could ever of prepared me for the police standing in my kitchen putting my daughter’s school uniform into evidence bags.
“Everything unfolded in slow motion. Wondering how did this happen? How did we get here?
“My daughter’s social life quickly deteriorated, and at school she became a target once more as students had found out. We decided it was best to pull her from public education temporarily.
“As the months went by and the Exploitation Team helped her, she regained some confidence to go out and see friends. We were all so proud of her for making what would be small steps in the average person’s day to day life but a massive step in my daughter’s life.
“It felt like we were getting our vibrant, chatty, wild, full of life daughter back. Until we got to June and my daughter spent five days in hospital recovering from an overdose.
“Since June, my daughter has made positive baby steps towards a brighter future, returning to education part time.
“The impact that has had on our family has been tremendous. But my daughter is the strongest, bravest person I know. Thanks to her courage, nobody else will hopefully have to suffer because of this man’s actions. I could not be any more proud of her.”

DC Kiren Shah, of our East Child Protection Team, said: 

“Hussain is a dangerous pervert with an depraved sexual interest in female children. I welcome the significant sentence he has received which reflects the seriousness of his offending.
“I want to praise the victim for the immense bravery she has shown throughout this process. The significant impact this offending has had and continues to have on her life – and that of her family – is profound. I hope the punishment handed down to Hussain will assist her in continuing to rebuild her life.
“I would also like to appeal to the public to be vigilant and if they see something that doesn’t seem right, to please report it to us. In this case for instance, there was a vulnerable child in school uniform walking around a busy supermarket with a much older man.
“Finally, I was to thank my colleagues, particularly those in the East Child Protection Team, for their tenacity in identifying Hussain and bringing him to justice. He made deliberate attempts to evade justice, including falsely claiming he was handing himself in, but it was thanks to the determination of Child Protection Team patrols and our Immediate Response colleagues, that he was located and arrested. They have played a crucial role in taking a dangerous man off the streets of East Lancashire.”

Description

A man from Blackburn has been convicted of sharing incident images of children on social media.

Earlier this year, police were tipped off about 23-year-old Jake McMahon-Bates, and an incident which involved uploading two indecent videos of children to Snapchat.

Officers attended McMahon-Bates’ address in Witton Parade, Blackburn, on 1st May of this year and arrested him on suspicion of possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Amongst the items seized from inside the property were McMahon-Bates’ electronic devices.

On two of the devices seized were a total of 59 indecent images of children, with the youngest being four years old. Some of these indecent images had been sent on to other Snapchat users.

There was also evidence that McMahon-Bates had been communicating with a 15-year-old girl and asking her if she wanted to have sex with him.

McMahon-Bates had also deleted his internet history, which he was banned from doing so by a Sexual harm Prevention Order that was imposed in 2020 and lasted for five years.

McMahon-Bates was later charged with making and distributing indecent images of children sexual communication with a child under 15, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and improper importation of indecent/obscene articles.

He admitted all the offences when he appeared in the dock at Preston Crown Court last month where he pleaded guilty to all the offences. He returned to the same court on Monday where he was jailed for two years and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Beth Turner, from the East Internet Child Exploitation Team, said:

“McMahon-Bates is a dangerous individual who has a worrying sexual interest in children and seeks out similar individuals. I welcome the fact he is now in prison.”

Description

A transgender woman who exposed himself to children in a Lancaster park has been jailed for 28 months.

Laura Mart, 35, of Game Street, Great Harwood, appeared at Preston Sessions House, where she was charged with one count of indecent exposure and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

The incident took place on July 18 while Mart was walking in Williamson Park on Wyresdale Road. A child playing on the monkey bars spotted Mart holding his penis and wiggling it toward her. The child immediately informed her friends and father.

At the time, Mart was under a lifelong sexual harm prevention order, which prohibited him from being within 10 meters of any public place where children were likely to be present.

Mart has a prior history of similar offenses, including four convictions for exposure and an indecency charge from 2017.

During the hearing, Judge Andrew Jeffries noted the repetitive nature of his offending and considered imposing an extended license period, but explained that this was not possible under the guidelines for these specific offenses.

He stated: “There is a real risk posed here to the public.

"If I had the power for an extended licence, I would have taken it, but it is not such an offence.”

In mitigation, Rebecca Holmes argued that Mart had not visited the park with the intent to offend but "couldn’t control the urge she had there."

Ms. Holmes added that while being transgender provided no excuse for the crime, it presented significant personal challenges.

She said: “She is transgender and identifies as a woman.

"There is no excuse for this offence, and it is a complex thing to deal with, and they have to wake up feeling they are in the wrong body.

“There is a clear path of offending, and since her last offence she has suppressed her libido, and it is to her credit she takes this and makes efforts to improve her behaviour.

“It demonstrates she is willing to comply with any intervention whilst in custody, which I do submit is a positive for her, and there can be improvements in her offending.”

In sentencing, Judge Jeffries described Mart's frankness with the probation service as a double-edged sword: while it was refreshing that she acknowledged his issues, it also highlighted the ongoing danger he posed.

Mart received a 28-month prison sentence and a lifelong notification requirement.

Description

The man pictured is 53-year-old David Shorrock and he is a sex offender. 

He used to work as a care worker at a residential home in Hyndburn.

That was until he sexually assaulted a vulnerable resident, who was mute and had advanced dementia.

The incident happened on 7th July 2023 and Shorrock was caught in the act by a colleague. CCTV from outside the room captured 11 seconds of the incident.

The incident was reported to police and Shorrock was arrested the same day.

He was later charged with an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, namely a care worker engaging in sexual activity with a mentally disordered female.

Shorrock, formerly of Ballantrae Road, Blackburn, but now of no fixed address, was found guilty after a trial at Preston Crown Court in January.

He returned to the same court today (12th May) where he was jailed for nine months.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A 44-year-old man who groomed a schoolgirl on Snapchat before drugging and then engaging her in sexual activity has been jailed for 17 years. 

Gregg Riley (pictured) took naked photographs of his 15-year-old victim while she lay dipping in and out of consciousness in his Blackburn home.

Riley also targeted other girls who attended the same high school in East Lancashire as the victim by paying for their Snapchat Premium subscriptions and asking some for naked photographs or telling them about his sexual fantasies.

On 5th July 2024 our officers were contacted by the safeguarding lead at the school who reported concerns for a number of students in year 8 and year 10 regarding a man the students had been in contact with via Snapchat.

The victim was spoken to and outlined how Riley had picked her up, gave her ketamine and while kissing her said: “I only want you. I want you forever.”

While driving her to Blackpool and knowing she was 15-years-old Riley told her: “We are going to move away to Scotland so that we can get married, because you can get married at 16.”

Riley later took her back to his Blackburn home but such was the impact of the ketamine, the victim lost consciousness several times on the journey and to be carried into the house.

It was then that Riley engaged her in sexual activity and took naked images without her knowledge.

The victim later blocked Riley on Snapchat.

Further enquiries found that after buying another victim Snapchat Premium, Riley turned the conversation with her sexual and made comments about her hair and her school uniform.

Riley later asked to meet up with her, said he wanted to have sex with her and that he wanted to hurt her as this was his fantasy. He then went on to talk about necrophilia and doing sexual stuff when she was passed out.

Riley also said that he loved the girl and sent her between £200 and £260 via PayPal.

The victim had sent Riley sexualised images and a video of herself.

Riley bought another girl Snapchat Premium for her 15th birthday and later told her that he had a dream about her which involved chains and whips.

After his arrest, Riley’s phone was seized and we found 294 indecent images of children and four prohibited images.

Within this download there was a large number of photographs, these included children who Riley did not know and appear to be screenshots taken from social media. Some of the images of children which initially were clothed and everyday images have been doctored using a nudify programme. This uses the initial image taken, taking the face of the person putting this onto a nude body, therefore making the image indecent if the person is under 18.

Riley, previously from Blackburn but now of no fixed address, was charged with causing/ inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs / pseudo-photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He pleaded guilty to all the offences when he appeared at Preston Crown Court at a hearing last year.

Riley returned to the same court today (23rd April) where he was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment and given an extended seven-year licence period after being deemed as a dangerous offender by the judge.

He was made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. A lifetime restraining order was also put in place in relation to Riley contacting his victims.

Description

A man who approached young children in Blackburn town centre, kissed a painting, and racially abused a security officer who intervened has been jailed for six months.

Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard Yves Tempels' bizarre behaviour caused great distress to the parents of children, one of them thinking he was trying to snatch her four-year-old son.

Tempels, 40, of Hermitage Street, Rishton, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour and racially aggravated threatening behaviour towards Mubeen Khalifa.

He was jailed for 26 weeks and ordered to pay £80 compensation to each of the three victims.

Nicola Mills, prosecuting, said the incidents occurred in the early afternoon of Sunday, August 4.

A mother with her two children, aged seven and four, was outside Holland and Barrett in The Mall when Tempels approached.

He spoke to the four-year-old child and said “come on” before crouching down and reaching out for the boy’s arm.

“She was deeply  concerned about what he was trying to do,” said Miss Mills.

“Her initial thought was that he was trying to take her child away from her.”

Shortly after a man in McDonalds with his two children noticed the defendant, who was clearly intoxicated, talking to himself.

He took a painting that had been done by children down from the wall and started kissing it.

“He was using foul language and the man asked him to stop swearing before moving away,” said Miss Mills.

“The defendant followed and the man saw him touch his daughter's hair and then he appeared to be sniffing her hair.

"He then touched the foot of a baby who was in a pram nearby.”

Miss Mills said when Mr Khalifa, a security guard, intervened Tempels racially abused him by calling him a “monkey.”

“There is a worrying undertone to the offences, made more concerning because he has previously been convicted of sexual offences and is on the sex offender register,” said Miss Mills.

“He has appeared by video link from prison because he is serving a sentence for breaching sex offender registration requirements."

Richard Prew, by way of mitigation, said his client had suffered a fall and sustained head injuries which required hospital treatment.

“When he was discharged he went for a drink which probably exasperated his concussion,” said Mr Prew.

“He already has mental health issues and its concerning that he doesn’t remember what he did that day.”

Description

Former Northwich man sentenced for sexually assaulting a child in Cheshire.

Daniel Peters appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 21 June where he was sentenced to 24 months in prison suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 180 hours community service.

The 35-year-old, formally from Northwich, but now of Hermitage Street, Rishton, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching.

During the hearing the court was told that Peter was a friend of the victim’s family and the group often use to socialise together.

Peters also had a young child himself and regularly offered to look after the victim, allowing her to sleep over at his house and taking them out on family day trips.

However, unbeknown to the victim’s family he also had a sexual interest in the child.

The first offence occurred in May 2020, when Peters was transporting the victim back to his home in Northwich for a sleepover.

As the pair were travelling in his van he pulled over into a layby and inappropriately touched her a number of times.

Later the same month, both Peters and the victim’s family went on a day trip to Gulliver’s World. While at the theme park the child described how they were on a ride when Peters grabbed her from behind and inappropriately touched her.

Peter’s offences came to light in March 2023 when the victim’s mum discovered a number of messages on her mobile phone.

Following the discovery, the victim spoke out about what had taken place. Peters was arrested and made a full admission to the offences.

Description

In November 2021 he sexually assaulted a young woman at a house in Blackburn.

The victim woke up to find 40-year-old Rashid was in the same bed as her. He then engaged in sexual activity with her without her consent.

The victim was so traumatised that she ran from the scene.

Rashid, formerly of Cheetham Street, Blackburn, and now of no fixed address, was arrested later the same day and charged with rape.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration when he appeared in the dock at Preston Crown Court on Monday (15th April) .

Rashid, who has previous convictions for sexual offences and is a Registered Sex Offender, was remanded into custody to be sentenced on 3rd June.

Description

A drug addict who used to spend 200 a day on cocaine looked at sexual images of children.

Ryan Parker, 39, of Whalley Road, Blackburn, said that his offence of looking at indecent images of children was "one million per cent" down to his alcohol and drug addiction.

Burnley Crown Court heard that on March 29 last year, Lancashire Police attended Parker's home address as they had evidence he had been looking at child pornography.

Prosecutor Stephen Parker told the court that the defendant had allowed the police into the address, and admitted to looking at the images under the influence of drugs.

When the police searched the house, they found empty snap bags believed to have contained drugs.

Parker handed over his laptop, mobile phone, and passwords to the devices including to the iCloud database.

The court heard that when the police investigated the devices, they found 506 images of children aged between five to 12 years old were viewed by Parker over a period of three years.

In mitigation, Shirlie Duckworth told the court that Parker had gone on to attend rehabilitation services for drug addiction and child pornography before he had been charged with the offence, a rare occurrence for the courts.

She said: "He is a man of previous good character in his late 30s with a lack of convictions.

"He has accepted and shown remorse for his offences, and there are many people who appear before this court who do not accept their crimes until they are forced to by the justice system."

Parker pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent photographs of children.

Judge Daniel Prowse sentenced Parker to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, ordered him to take 25 days rehabilitation and 150 hours unpaid work.

He said: "You had 296 of some of the most serious images for this offence.

"You admitted at the scene and provided the police with the devices and passwords you used to look at these images.

"You also engaged with members in groups such as Twitter, Gmail and Kick who then shared these images to you.

"I have read your psychiatric report and I believe you are genuinely remorseful and have taken steps to see why you accessed these images.

"I accept you were on drugs at the time of the offending, and believe your rehabilitation with the Probation Service will work better out of immediate custody.

"But if you do commit any offence again, you will immediately go to jail and you will only have yourself to blame."

Parker was also placed on the sex offender's register for 10 years and handed a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Description

A 56-year-old cannabis addict who was high on cocaine and alcohol lured a 16-year-old girl back to his campervan after plying her with drink and drugs, before sexually assaulting her.

Neville Chapman, now 60, committed the terrifying crimes in Darwen in September 2019.

He was finally found guilty of assault by penetration following a trial in June 2023, which had been delayed multiple times, and was granted conditional bail by Judge Graham Knowles KC to appear for his sentence hearing in August.

However, Chapman, previously of Bridgefield Close, Rishton, failed to appear for his sentence hearing, which placed him in breach of bail, and instead, went on the run for almost four weeks.

Preston Crown Court heard his disappearance sparked a major manhunt by Lancashire Police, in which underwater search and rescue teams were deployed, and thousands of pounds spent on a campaign to find him.

When he was eventually apprehended in September 2023, he was charged with breach of bail, and a further charge of breaching his sex offender notification requirements imposed upon him by Judge Knowles at the completion of his trial and was remanded into custody.

The notification breach related to Chapman failing to tell the police he was no longer residing at Bridgefield Close, following an argument with his sister, whose home he was staying at.

On Thursday, January 11, Chapman was finally brought back before Judge Knowles to be sentenced for the crime he committed in September 2019.

The court was told that on September 16 that year, Chapman and others had been out drinking and taking drugs in Darwen.

At some time during the course of the evening, a 16-year-old girl joined him and his party, with Chapman plying her with double vodkas, and even cocaine, to the point where, as she described in her victim personal statement, she was “wasted”.

As the teenager became even more intoxicated, to the extent where she vomited in the toilets of a pub they were in, Chapman and his friends decided to leave so Chapman could “get more cocaine”.

They then went back to his campervan, with the girl being taken along with them.

The court heard the teenager was under the assumption Chapman would “give her a lift home”, but this never happened.

As the night wore on, and Chapman’s friends departed, he and his victim were left alone in his campervan.

Judge Knowles said: “You asked her, ‘do you want to go home or stay here with me’?

“Unsurprisingly, she said she wanted to go home but you drove your campervan, and then parked up and clambered into the back with her, where you tried to kiss her, pulled her top down and pulled her pants down.”

Judge Knowles told the court that the girl, “felt disgusted and tried to push him away before vomiting again”.

Undeterred, Chapman continued to try and undress her and then sexual assaulted her.

He continued: “She said she felt a tightness in her chest and couldn’t breathe.

“She eventually managed to push you off and got out and started walking away.”

At this point Chapman tried to follow the girl in his van, despite being intoxicated himself, until she turned down an alley and ran home.

The teenager told her mother what had happened, and the police were called, but when he was arrested, Chapman told officers: “Look at the size of her, if I wanted to rape her there would have been nothing she could do about it.”

Judge Knowles went on: “You are 60 now, and you have been a cannabis user for most of your life.

“You struck when she was isolated and alone with you in your van in the early hours, with little likelihood of anyone coming to her aid.

“You blamed her in your interview and blamed her outright for what happened.

“You pose a risk to young girls, and the sentence I give you must be an extended one.”

Chapman, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a bail act offence and breach of the sex offender notification requirements.

He was found guilty after trial of two counts of sexual assault - one by penetration, and was jailed for 10 years and eight months, with a three year extended licence period, giving a total extended sentence of 13 years and eight months.

He was also told to sign the sex offender’s register for life.

DS Mark Parrington, of the East Child Protection Team, said: “This was a particularly nasty offence committed against a 16-year-old girl while she was clearly in a vulnerable state.

“This offence has very much had an impact on her, made all the worse by Chapman forcing her to re-live her ordeal during a trial.

“We take all offences of this nature extremely seriously and do everything in our power to put the perpetrators before the courts.

"I would ask anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to contact the police, knowing they will be believed and listened to.”

Description

A paedophile thought he was talking to a 13-year-old girl when he started sexual conversations with her over the internet.

Alan Burton, 69, was in fact talking to a decoy from an online child protection unit, but he did not know this when he messaged the Facebook profile for the decoy, a girl called Ellie May, starting the chat by saying ‘Hiya baby.’

The girl instantly informed Burton she was a 13-year-old from Belfast but the chat soon became sexualised, and Burton reiterated ‘it was a pity she was only 13’.

Mercedah Jabbari, prosecuting, said Burton sent two images and a sexual video and the conversation continued over the course of a month.

Burton warned the girl “against bad men who groomed children online” but continually pointed out to her that he was not a paedophile.

As a result of the conversations, the decoy alerted their supervisor and a sting operation was set up to catch Burton at Burnley bus station.

When caught, he said he was teaching children to be comfortable with themselves and only sent the videos to be educational.

Burton’s house was searched by police and they found more than 15 devices in his house – two of which contained 128 extreme images and 135 prohibited images of children across them.

There was also evidence of browsing activity for websites related to pornography involving children and extreme images involving animals.

In interview, Burton said he did not watch child pornography but did watch other pornography on his phone.

He also conceded to searching for those terms but said he did it as he was ‘lonely and fed up’.

Burton, of Bridgewater Court, Blackburn, has 19 convictions for 33 previous offences, including a prison sentence in 2005 for sexual activity with a female child and a suspended sentence in 2009 for breaching notification requirements.

Mitigating for Burton, Graham Rishton said: “Burton asks me to say how sorry he is for his actions and for appearing here today, and asks me to really stress his circumstances at the time.

“He had feelings of loneliness and isolation. Those may be factors which led to him to conduct himself in such fashion.”

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Prowse said: “On June 25, 2022, using the internet you contacted who you believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

“She made it clear she was 13. That did not deter your contact with her.

“You told her it was a shame she wasn’t from Thailand or China, where the age of consent is younger.

“You were inciting a child to undertake sexual activity. You did so because you are sexually attracted to children and for your own sexual gratification.

“You present a very clear risk of sexual harm to children.”

Judge Prowse sentenced Burton to three years and nine months in prison.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and will be subject to sex offender notification requirements for life.