Latest Offenders Cambridge

Description

A man has been jailed after grooming a 13-year-old girl online and taking her on car journeys.

Philip Thurston, 34, of Laburnum Close, Cambridge, first contacted the child on Instagram in June 2023, asking for her Snapchat details.

Despite knowing her age, Thurston arranged to pick her up near her home. On the first occasion, the girl declined to get into his car, but days later he returned and drove her to Cambourne and then to a McDonald’s, in Caxton, where he paid for food.

During their conversations online, which spanned two weeks, Thurston sent sexualised messages - telling the victim that if she were older, he would “get with her” and describing what he wanted to do to her. But in person, the victim noted, he appeared quiet and reserved.

At about 7.50pm on 28 June, the victim told her parents she was going out for a drive with a 17-year-old boy named Fabio.

Her stepdad became suspicious so followed her to a nearby bus stop, where Thurston was waiting in his car. He managed to take a photo of the vehicle and drove behind it through Cambridge, before losing sight.

While driving, Thurston admitted to the victim he was 32, not in his late teens. He became angry when he noticed they were being followed by the victim’s stepdad and asked if she was “setting him up”.

He added: “Your stepdad is lucky he didn’t catch me” before taking her home.

Thurston was arrested and in police interview, he admitted meeting the victim and said he thought she was 14.

He insisted he was “not a bad person” and said he didn’t realise picking up a child was illegal, claiming he just wanted to “help people” as she wanted to be taken out.

Thurston pleaded guilty to taking a child as to remove him/her from a person having lawful control, at a hearing in January this year.

On Monday (17 November), at Cambridge Crown Court, he was sentenced to two years and three months in prison and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Constable Daniel Knight, who investigated, said:

“Thurston is clearly a danger to children, and I’m pleased he is now behind bars. Protecting children from abuse is a force priority and we will do everything we can to protect them from harm.”

Description

A shop owner who sexually assaulted a volunteer and a customer at his premises has been jailed for two years.

Michael Bell, 68, owned a shop in Hardwick, South Cambridgeshire, and used his position to inappropriately touch a female volunteer several times between March and July 2021. 

During the four-month period he would make regular sexual remarks and assaulted her several times, touching her body over clothing.

These incidents came to light on 6 August the following year, after he touched a customer inappropriately and she reported the assault to police.

Bell, of High Street, Yelling, St Neots, denied all the allegations but was found guilty of seven counts of sexual assault following a trial at Peterborough Crown Court last month.

He was sentenced at the same court on Friday (14 November) to two years in prison for each of the offences, to run concurrently.

In addition, he was issued with an indefinite restraining order and a requirement to register with the police under the Sexual Offences Act for ten years.

DC Andy Watters said:

“This type of behaviour should never be tolerated. Women should be able to go to work and go into shops without fear of sexual predators.

“I hope the sentence will reassure both the victims, and women everywhere, that this type of behaviour will never be accepted by police, and should always be challenged and reported.”

Description

A man who repeatedly raped a child over an eight year period has been jailed for 20 years.

Christopher Rudd, aged 34, of Wisbech was sentenced at King's Lynn Crown Court today (Monday 17 November) following a week-long trial in August where a jury found guilty unanimously of 12 counts of raping a child, 2 counts of assault (ABH) and one of causing fear of violence.

The court heard how the offences took place in the King's Lynn area and came to light in January 2025 when the girl told her family what had been happening. The court heard that in addition to the sexual assaults the child had been choked, kicked and punched by Rudd and one occasion her fingers were fractured.

At today's hearing Rudd was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and a further four years on licence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and indefinite retraining order.

As Recorder Rouse KC handed down the sentence in court he described Rudd as a "manipulative predator void of empathy" whose offending was "exceptional in its gravity".

In a statement read in court the victim said:

"I have been hurting everyday, for as long as I can remember, and there's no way to stop the hurting, or to feel anything else.

"(Rudd) abused me in so many ways. No amount of healing will ever change that, and I'll never get my childhood back even if I tried.

"Despite all this, despite everything I've gone through and endured, I am in a better place now.

"I finally don't have to live in fear, and I finally have the freedom to truly be myself and figure out who I really am behind all the trauma. I'm finally free, and I have my whole future ahead of me".

In her statement the victim's mother referred to Rudd as a 'monster' and said "Since finding out what happened, I have asked myself over and over how to help my daughter recover from something no child should ever endure. 

"I am doing everything I can to help my daughter heal. But healing is a long road - and I know I will be walking it with her for years to come".

Following sentencing Detective Constable Stuart Sansbury praised the victim for her bravery.

"From the outset of this investigation, the victim has demonstrated steadfast courage and it is testament to her that justice has been served.

"She has experienced a terrible amount of trauma and I truly hope today's result helps her begin a new chapter in her life, where she can be safe and thrive.

"I also hope that today’s sentence sends a clear message to others who harm, or seek to harm children and vulnerable people.

"Norfolk Constabulary takes reports of abuse extremely seriously and if this has happened to you or someone you know, then please come forward and report it to us, no matter when it happened. You will be given help and support by our dedicated teams."

Description

A paedophile who drove into the path of oncoming traffic on the morning of a first court appearance has been jailed for more than three years.

Luke Jarrett, 26, was spotted by officers driving a green Jeep Cherokee on the A47, from Thorney Toll towards Wisbech, at about 9am on 22 September.

Concerns had been raised for his welfare that morning after he had been due to attend Cambridge Magistrates’ Court to face charges relating to illicit images of children.

Jarrett approached the South Brink roundabout and joined the A47 where he failed to stop and accelerated aggressively, moving into the middle of the road.

He reached speeds of 64 mph in a 50-mph limit and recklessly overtook vehicles by moving into the path of oncoming traffic.

As Jarrett approached the Elme Hall roundabout, he swerved into the path of a police car to stop it overtaking but the officers made tactical contact with the Jeep to stop it.

Jarrett was on bail at the time after being charged with illicit images of children offences following an investigation which began in July 2024, after he had uploaded an indecent photograph of a child to the internet.

When officers arrested him for this in September 2024, they seized his electronic devices and found:

• 703 indecent images of children and 771 videos 
• 638 extreme pornographic images
• 288 indecent photographs of a child that had been distributed

On Wednesday (5 November), at Peterborough Crown Court, Jarrett, of Lords Lane, Wisbech, was jailed for three years and four months, having pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and one count of distribute an indecent image of a child.

He also admitted three counts of make an indecent image of a child, two further counts of distribute an indecent photograph of a child and possess an extreme pornographic image, all for which he received no separate penalty. 

Jarrett was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and banned from driving for five years and four months.

DC Simon Law, who investigated, said:

“Creating indecent images and then sharing them may not be a physical offence, but it still harms the child victims.

“Jarrett clearly did not want to face justice for these crimes, which may lie behind his reckless and dangerous driving that endangered innocent members of the public on the day of his first court appearance.”

Description

A man who distributed sexual images of children has been jailed for two years and four months.

Mark Barnes, 43, was found with various mobile phones when police visited his home in of Wallers Close, Great Chishill, near Royston, on January 11, 2024.  

This breached a court order from January 2014 when he was registered as a sex offender.

The phones and tablets revealed he had distributed 14 category A (the most severe), five category B and 25 category C, indecent photographs of children between July 2022 and March 2023.

He had also made more than 2,000 indecent photographs of children: 628 category A images, 496 category B and 1163 category C.

He claimed he was borrowing one phone from his neighbour, but police found another phone containing sexual images in a suitcase under a bed.

Barnes appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday (4 November) and admitted making and distributing indecent photographs of children, failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

He was jailed and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), banning him from owning any device on which he can access the internet.

He was also barred from using any remote storage devices, including cloud storage and will have mandatory notification requirements indefinitely.

All the devices recovered by the police have been destroyed.

DC Andrew McKeane said:

“Barnes was fully aware his actions were in breach of his SHPO but he chose to ignore it.

“He showed a blatant disregard for the law and lied about owning the phones and tablets to protect himself.”

Description

A convicted rapist threatened to kill a man just hours after being released from prison.

Jason O’Dell, who had just served a nine-year sentence for rape, turned up at a family member’s home in Longstanton at about 5.30pm on 17 February this year.

After the victim showed him into the kitchen, O’Dell asked for money to help him “get back on his feet”.

The victim refused, citing abusive letters he had received from O’Dell while he was in prison.

This enraged O’Dell, who shouted, “you are disrespecting me, who do you think you are?”.

He then grabbed a six-inch knife from a block and pinned the victim against the worktop, threatening to “end him.”

The victim, fearing for his life, pleaded with O’Dell to put the knife down and offered to talk about money.

O’Dell refused and pressed the knife harder into the victim’s side, repeating his threats.

A struggle between the two ensued, during which the victim managed to wrestle the knife from O’Dell’s grip.

The victim managed to shout out to another household member to call the police and managed to get O’Dell out of this home.

O’Dell was arrested a few hours later in Cambridge and was recalled to prison.

He initially denied the charges but later pleaded guilty to threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a private place and making threats to kill.

O’Dell was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday (30 October) to three years and ten months in prison.

DC Samuel Andrews, who investigated, said:

“O’Dell’s actions caused considerable fear and distress for the victim, in his own home.

“O’Dell is clearly a dangerous individual who has a history of offending and I hope the fact he’s back behind bars provides reassurance to those affected by crimes.”

Description

A judge described a paedophile making sexual advances to what he thought was a 14-year-old boy as “gratuitous self-indulgence”. 

James Brooking, 30, was actually speaking to an undercover officer on the social media platform Fabguys on 3 July when he asked the decoy for their mobile phone number.

Once they had exchanged numbers, Brooking began asking the ‘boy’ for inappropriate photos of himself and turned the conversation sexual.

Brooking also said he wanted to see the ‘boy’ in his school uniform, to meet up and also sent inappropriate photos of himself. 

The contact between Brooking and the undercover officer ended on 10 July and Brooking was arrested on 14 July at an address with a child he had failed to tell police about. 

Brooking was convicted in 2014 of child sex offences and given specific requirements to alert police of new online usernames and to notify police if he was staying at an address for 12 hours or more where a child lived.

Brooking had failed to notify officers of any of this.  

On Friday (24 October), at Cambridge Crown Court, Brooking, of Upwood Road, Ramsey, was jailed for eight years having pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, arrange facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and four counts of failing to comply with sex offender register notification requirements.

Judge Andrew Hurst described Brooking’s offending as “highly sexualised” and “gratuitous self-indulgence”.

He also said Brooking was “out of control” with his urges, had “learnt nothing” from his previous conviction and did not have “the courage or conviction to acknowledge” he had an interest in children.” 

PC Emily Heriot, who investigated, said:

"Brooking displayed a disguised compliance to his requirements but the truth has caught up with him. 

“We will do everything we can do to put those who intend to harm children in front of the courts so they can face justice.”

Description

A man who raped a vulnerable woman in Cambridge has been jailed for nine years.

Jason Smith, 34, forced himself on the victim at a house in Kings Hedges, while his partner and children slept upstairs, on 11 June 2023.

The victim repeatedly told Smith to stop, but he refused to listen. He was arrested the same day and claimed in interview nothing sexual had happened.

However, DNA evidence helped prove his actions to a jury and he was unanimously found guilty of three counts of rape following a trial in July.

Smith, of Main Street, Hardwick, near Cambridge, was sentenced yesterday (29 September) at Peterborough Crown Court.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and handed a ten-year restraining order.

Det Sgt Jodie Bolton, who investigated, said:

“I would like to praise the courage of the victim for not only coming forward but for the strength and bravery she has shown during the investigation and trial.  Without her bravery to keep supporting this investigation, we wouldn't have been able to receive this result.

“This sentencing is a reminder that consent matters, no means no, and being intoxicated is no defence. We will always strive to bring offenders before the courts.

“We have a dedicated team of detectives and specially trained officers ready to investigate allegations promptly, fully and professionally, and a network of partnership agencies and support services to offer assistance and support."

Description

A registered sex offender flouted a court order by having software on his phone which wiped his internet history.

Adrian Miles, 58, was visited by officers at his home in Cherry Court, Cambourne, on 1 February 2024.

The officers found he had installed a data cleaning app and deleted monitoring software on his phone.

He had also not informed officers about an Amazon cloud storage account.

All of this put Miles in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order handed down by Exeter Crown Court in May 2022 following a conviction for making indecent images of children. 

On Tuesday (2 September) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Miles was jailed for 20 months, having pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Paul Evans, from the force’s management of sexual and violent offenders department, said:

“Miles was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which imposed clear restrictions designed to safeguard the public. His breaches demonstrated a disregard for the legal boundaries set by the court.

“The fact he’s been jailed reflects the gravity of the offences and the importance of upholding protective measures for the safety of others." 

Description

A man who harassed a woman after their relationship ended has been sent to prison.

Damien Asplen, 33, already had an injunction against him preventing him contacting his ex-partner after they split up last year.

However, he repeatedly breached it by sending her messages via text, WhatsApp, and Facebook, asking for money and help between January and March this year.

The woman from Cambridge managed to capture the messages and share them with police in a bid to stop the harassment escalating.

Asplen, of no fixed abode, admitted three counts of harassment and was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday (4 August) to 10 months for each offence, to run concurrently.

He also admitted failing to comply with Sex Offenders Register requirements for him to update where he was staying and was sentenced to six months imprisonment, to run consecutively.

He was also handed an additional 12 weeks, to run consecutively, for committing an offence during the qualifying time on a previous suspended sentence.

Detective Sergeant Beccy Steel said:

I hope this case serves as a reminder to anyone who believes it is ok to abuse or harass someone, whether they are in a relationship with them or not.

No means no and when a relationship ends and it is clearly over, its time to leave and move on. There is absolutely no excuse for this type of behaviour and the sentencing clearly reflects that.

I hope the victim can now move forward with her life knowing that justice has been done.

Description

A sex offender who abused two boys and persuaded a third to send him an indecent image has been jailed for 18 years.

Billy Ingram, 31, befriended families in Cambridge before having unsupervised access to their children.

In August 2022, Ingram, who was already a registered sex offender, saw a woman he knew walking with her children. He began talking to her and followed her home.

The woman let him into her property and they continued talking until the early hours of the morning when she fell asleep.

The next morning, Ingram sat next to the woman’s young son and let the boy play on his mobile phone, before sexually assaulting him.

A few weeks later the child told his mother what had happened, and Ingram was arrested.

The subsequent investigation established Ingram had befriended several other families in Cambridge and had had unsupervised access to their children.

This unsupervised access represented a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order he was given in 2017 as part of a separate investigation.

Officers also analysed two mobile phones belonging to Ingram and found hundreds of indecent images and videos of children, as well as additional prohibited content suggesting a sexual interest in minors.

Included in the content was video footage of Ingram sexually abusing a boy. Officers managed to identify the child and visited his home in the Greater Manchester area, where it was confirmed Ingram had stayed at the address at the time the videos were recorded.

Officers visited the home of another boy in West Mercia who was also identified from the content.

The boy described how Ingram had contacted him online via a computer game in 2020, when he was ten years old, and persuaded him to send an indecent image of himself.

Ingram, of Ongar Court, Cambridge, admitted two counts of sexual assault of a boy under 13 by touching, four of possessing indecent images of a children, one of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity and four breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Yesterday (22 July) at Cambridge Crown Court he was jailed for 18 years, with an additional eight years on licence. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

DC Paul Evans said:

“Ingram is a devious sex offender who befriended families and manipulated his way into their homes specifically so he could prey on their children.

“I’d like to commend all the children involved who assisted us with the investigation and their families. Their bravery in talking about what happened to them has resulted in Ingram being brought to justice.”

Description

A sex offender breached a strict court order by speaking to three young girls - while performing an indecent act in his car.

Max Simpkins pulled up alongside them in his blue Mini Cooper and tried to engage the youngsters, aged eight and nine, in conversation. A court heard the incident in Paynes Lane, Feltwell, Norfolk, at about 5.20pm on October 23, was caught on CCTV.

The scared girls carried on walking home and told their parents, who contacted police.

The 29-year-old of Eastwood End, Wimblington, near March, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) by having unsupervised contact with a child under 18.

He was jailed for two years and six months at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (July 4).

Children 'did all the right things'

DC Sonia Kauser said: "Thankfully the CCTV footage not only showed us what Simpkins was doing, it recorded his voice and the words he used when trying to engage the girls.

"The children did all the right things and continued walking together, ignoring him, and returning home, telling their parents immediately what had happened.

"Simpkins offended out of county assuming he wouldn’t be apprehended but it shows how committed we are in managing sex offenders regardless of where the offence took place. I am pleased that he is now behind bars."

Description

A sex offender was arrested by police after he attempted to meet and abuse a six-year-old girl.

Michael Clarey, 59, went online specifically to try to find a child to abuse on 6 February and used a false name to cover his tracks.

He admitted to being a paedophile who had previously abused children and began exchanging messages with someone who sent him a photo of a six-year-old girl, taken at random from a blog post.

Clarey believed he was talking to the girl’s parent – although police believe it was an online activist group.

He asked if he could sexually abuse the girl and said he would take her for a meal and shopping first in Cambridge or Norwich.

However, here the conversation ended, and it was not discovered until police officers paid Clarey an unannounced visit on 25 February.

Clarey was living under restrictions placed on him by a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed by a court in 2021, but officers discovered he had flouted this by hiding devices, including one behind a TV. It was this device which contained the incriminating messages.

Clarey, of New Close Road, Little Thetford, near Ely, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday, 27 June, and was jailed for five years and three months after admitting attempting to arrange / facilitate commission of a child sex offence.

He must serve a further five years extended sentence upon release under the management of the Probation Service. Any breaches could result in him being recalled to prison.

Clarey also admitted five counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child and 14 breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), for which he received no separate penalty.

DC Andrew McKeane said: “Clarey was never going to meet the girl whose photo was sent to him online but the intent to commit despicable sexual offences was clear.

“The girl in the photos, which were taken some years ago, had no link to anyone involved and is a victim in this case. We have spoken to her parents in Berkshire and they were understandably shocked and upset.

“Clarey has a complete disregard for the law and is a danger to children. He was aware what his SHPO restricted him from doing, but he chose to ignore it.”

Description

A man with more than 1,000 indecent images of children on his phone told a court an unnamed drug dealer had uploaded them.

Finlay Moorcroft, 23, of High Street, Sawston, Cambridgeshire, was arrested last year after the pictures were linked to his email address.

Det Sgt Julia Boon, of Cambridgeshire Police, described the material as "abhorrent examples of child abuse".

Moorcroft admitted six counts of making indecent images of children and was jailed for two years and two months at Peterborough Crown Court.

The hearing was told how when officers searched Moorcroft's home they seized two mobile phones.

One had 1,179 indecent images of children and one video.

More than 100 of the images and the video were classed as category A – the most severe.

The second phone was too damaged to retrieve any information.

Moorcroft claimed a drug dealer had taken his phone on several occasions and said the dealer must have uploaded the images.

He refused to name the person and further investigation found the phone had been near Moorcroft's home when some of the images were downloaded.

Moorcroft was arrested again after police received further information relating to another device which contained a further 50 indecent images of children.

He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years.

Det Sgt Julia Boon added: "Moorcroft is a persistent offender who clearly didn't change his behaviour after he was arrested on the first occasion.

"The images and video found on his devices were abhorrent examples of child abuse.

"I'm pleased he has now been brought to justice.

"Protecting children is one of our top priorities. We will continue to work tirelessly to do all we can to prosecute those who prey on them."

Description

A rapist who subjected his wife to decades of abuse before trying to murder her has been jailed for 27 years.

Trevor Smith, 61, of South Brink, Wisbech, habitually raped, beat and controlled the victim throughout their 40-year relationship.

Officers were called to their home in the early hours of 22 January last year.

They discovered the victim had up to 20 puncture wounds to her neck and arms after being stabbed by Smith in an unprovoked attack.

Smith had approached her from behind in the kitchen, grabbed her by her T-shirt and attacked her with a knife.

The victim had managed to block Smith trying to slash her throat and three family members, who had heard her screams, managed to pull him off.

As they pinned him to the ground waiting for police to arrive, Smith could be heard saying he was “trying to finish her off”.

While the victim was being treated for her injuries, she said Smith had been raping her, usually weekly, for years.

When their now adult children were young, he would order her into a caravan where he would sexually assault her.

He would say, “you know it won’t take long, just get it done then you can get back to them.”

Due to Smith’s controlling behaviour, the victim never sought medical help for her injuries and was sometimes in pain for weeks.

In a bid to stop the victim and their children leaving the home, he would bolt the door closed and if they went out, he followed them.

Smith controlled all the finances, barred the victim from owning her own phone and any money they had was spent on him, leaving the victim sometimes relying on food parcels.

Following a trial last September, Smith was found guilty of attempted murder, six counts of rape, attempted rape, three counts of assault by penetration, two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault by beating and two counts of child cruelty.

He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on 12 June where he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said:

“Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the woman at the heart of this case who was subjected to the most appalling abuse for so many years, yet she has shown incredible strength in supporting the investigation all the way through.

“Smith arrogantly thought he would always get away with carrying out this cruel, monstrous behaviour for so long. I welcome this sentence, and I hope this case sends a clear message to those who commit violent and sexual offences - we will do all we can to bring them before the courts.

“It can be hard for victims to know what to do when incidents happen behind closed doors, but I must stress there is help and support available.

“I would encourage anyone who thinks they might’ve been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us on 101 or via web chat on the force website. We take all reports of sexual offences very seriously.

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers ready to investigate allegations promptly, fully and professionally, and a network of partnership agencies and support services to offer assistance and support.”