Latest Offenders Canterbury

Description

The devastated father of a 10-year-old girl groomed on Snapchat and WhatsApp by a paedophile posing as a teenage boy told a court he feels he has failed as a parent.

In a moving statement read out at the sentencing hearing of Chartham resident Jacob Bean, the dad described the damaging impact on his daughter of having been "exposed to one of the world's greatest evils".

He wrote: "As a father you never want anything bad to happen to your children. You do what you can to protect them and right now I feel like I have failed.

"My 10-year-old daughter has been exposed to one of the world's greatest evils. We have lost our daughter, the way we knew her to be.

"What can a parent possibly do to make this better? She has been stripped of her innocence. She is angry and has tried to stab herself.

"I cannot explain how hard that is to see and not be able to take her pain away.

"She has so much of her childhood left but it has now been tarnished by this person who thought it was OK to talk to her like this and send her such obscene things."

But he added that although the conclusion of legal proceedings would not bring the family's suffering to an end, he vowed to "do my best to be there for my daughter and help her however I can".

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Bean's twisted behaviour with the girl included sending her child abuse videos and photos of his penis, as well as encouraging her to perform sex acts on herself.

The 23-year-old also talked about rape, saying he would carry on even if told 'No' or to stop, and asked her to try to recruit her friends into watching him having sex and masturbating.

She later told police she had deleted some of their messages because she thought she would be in trouble.

At the time, Bean was already under investigation for the grooming of three other underage girls - one said to be living in Germany - on Snapchat, as well as making indecent images.

Prosecutor Paul Valder said Bean also asked a victim - one of whom was later identified by police through her school uniform - to call him "a pervert" and told another aged 13 that he wanted to make her pregnant.

Following his initial arrest in August last year, the sex offender, of Highland Road, had claimed that his accounts had been hacked and accessed by others.

He also said a friend had regular use of his phone and denied any knowledge of the 24 child abuse images found, one depicting a victim as young as 12 months old.

However, after the abuse of the 10-year-old came to light in July this year, he later pleaded guilty to four offences of sexual communication with a child, four of making indecent images, two of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

Shanda McAteer, defending, told the court Bean did not offer any excuse for his offending and had shown genuine remorse.

But telling the court the defendant "struggles" to explain why he did what he did, Ms McAteer added: "He was suffering from very low mood and social isolation, was having difficulty opening up to his family and how he was feeling, and turned to the internet to communicate with others and then these offences have occurred.

"He doesn't attempt to excuse what he did in any way at all, and has now heard the impact of his actions."

Bean, who has no previous convictions, was jailed for a total of five-and-a-half years.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Simon James told the convicted paedophile he had used the internet to "actively pursue" his sexual interest in children.

But although he accepted Bean was suffering from poor mental health at the time which may have contributed to making “poor and reckless” choices, he said he "struggled to comprehend" how it could be argued that there was a “direct causative link” between his depression and “seeking to incite children to engage in sexual activity”.

Speaking of the "obvious, wholly understandable, and profound" impact on the 10-year-old victim and her family, Judge James added: "Children, and indeed parents, are entitled to look to the courts for protection from adults seeking to sexually exploit, abuse and corrupt children over the internet."

He also remarked that the disparity in age between Bean and his victims’, together with his pretence of being a child in order to gain their “trust and response”, were both significant aggravating features.

On release, Bean will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

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A traumatised teen revealed how she washes in bleach after a convicted sexual predator raped and sexually assaulted her.

Eliot Dobkin's depravity had the "most horrendous" impact on his victim’s life, robbing her of her "innocence and childhood" and leaving her with PTSD, a court heard.

The 35-year-old was in Canterbury in the early hours of February 14 this year when he met up with the teen and twice forced himself on her.

As she desperately tried to fight him off, he ignored her tears as well as her repeated pleas to "get off".

The attack was later reported to police and Dobkin was arrested at his home on the Guinness Trust estate in Stamford Hill, north London.

He denied any wrongdoing but was unanimously convicted by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court in September of two charges of rape, one of sexual activity with a child and one of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sentencing was adjourned for reports, and today (Tuesday) Judge Mark Weekes jailed Dobkin for more than 10 years at the same court having concluded he was "an entrenched paedophile with a dangerous attraction to young teenage girls".

He also praised the “courage and dignity” of the young victim for not only reporting the rapes but also giving "clear and compelling" evidence at the trial.

In her heartbreaking victim impact statement read to the court, she detailed the depths of her suffering both physically and psychologically, but how she maintained hopes for her future.

She wrote: "He has taken my innocence and taken my childhood from me. I will never get that back. My world fell apart. I felt sick and I felt weak. I kept thinking about what had happened. I blamed myself but I don't know why.

"I have been washing myself in bleach to try and remove the feeling of him on me. I self-harm, have anxiety and been diagnosed with PTSD.

"I feel that no matter what happens to him, nothing changes for me. I'm still left with all these emotions and dealing with the aftermath of what he did to me. He took what he wanted that night to the detriment of me.

"This has impacted my life in the most horrendous way. I will never forget what he has done to me. I hope this sentence will enable me to begin to repair myself and enable me to be the best I can be."

Jurors were told at Dobkin's trial that he had been convicted in 2018 of three offences of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes said this related to three teenage girls, one who he followed in his van while she was on her paper round in June that year.

He was staring at her through his window and although she could not see into his vehicle, he later admitted to police he had his trousers and pants pulled down at the time and was masturbating.

Two weeks later Bodkin was again cruising in his vehicle when he pulled up alongside two other teenagers. They saw he was naked from the waist down and was pleasuring himself while holding a cup over his genitals.

Mr Forbes said these previous convictions, for which he was jailed for two years, "demonstrated Bodkin's propensity to commit sexual offences towards young girls".

However, the teenage rape victim did not know of his deviant past and she later told police that when she met him he "looked out of his face" as if he had taken drugs or was drunk.

Of the moment she was attacked, Mr Forbes said: "She told him to get off her. She tried to fight him off but said her body 'didn't function properly' and wasn't strong enough.

"She again told him to get off. But he wasn't responding and wasn't even looking at her. He was on top of her. She tried to push his shoulders to push him off her but he pinned her down so she couldn't move.

"She said she was frightened, scared, and felt helpless. She wondered if she got violent, what he would do. She described herself as being frozen."

The court heard the victim cried as her attacker kissed her on the mouth and then her neck. During her ordeal, he also grabbed her hand and tried to make her touch his private parts as she repeated her pleas for him to stop.

Dobkin eventually stopped and fled, leaving his victim in such a distressed state that she collapsed.

After his arrest Dobkin gave a "no comment" interview, denied at trial that any sexual activity with the girl had occurred and, the court was told, still maintains his innocence.

Several references were handed to the judge for the sentencing hearing, with members of his family sitting in court in support.

But Judge Weekes said while many "thought highly" of him and must be "bewildered" by his behaviour, he had "unhesitatingly" concluded he was a "manipulative, deceitful and dangerous” offender.

He therefore imposed an extended sentence for public protection comprising 10-and-a-half years' imprisonment, of which he must serve at least two-thirds, with a further three-and-a-half years added to any licence period.

As the young victim looked on from across the courtroom, the judge told Dobkin: “I have heard the victim impact statement with concern and sympathy. It is clear your actions have had profound consequences for her and her life has been utterly changed by the appalling attack on her by you that night.

“And yet, for all that, it was her courage and resolve that enabled her to make the complaint in the first place. It was that which enabled her to give the clear and compelling evidence to the jury and to have her account vindicated by the jury who saw through your cowardly attempt to deceive them rather than face up to the consequences of what you have done.

“She can forever have the satisfaction of knowing she was believed. Your abuse did not break her. You could not and did not remove her dignity. She is not simply a victim; she is a survivor. No sentence I can impose can undo the harm you did to her. I commend her bravery.

“All rape is horrific and scars forever, but I consider the psychological harm she speaks of is properly described as severe. She was particularly vulnerable...and the evidence showed you were intoxicated, which would have made her ordeal more frightening as it would have made your behaviour less predictable.

"You are an entrenched paedophile with a dangerous attraction to young teenage girls. These convictions mark an alarming escalation in your offending, you have no insight nor remorse, and you have demonstrated most distasteful victim-blaming and shaming."

Dobkin simply glanced at his family before leaving the dock for the court cells. On his eventual release from prison he will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

In a heartbreaking victim personal statement, the youngster said Dobkin's depravity had the "most horrendous" impact on her life, robbing her of her "innocence and childhood" and leaving her with PTSD.

Callous Dobkin abused the girl less than five years after he had been locked up for preying on other young girls while masturbating in his van.

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A sex offender has been jailed for 11 years for non-recent sex offences against a child.

Ben Quinton-Taylor was sentenced after admitting assault by penetration on 6 October 2023 at Canterbury Crown Court.

The charge was brought after a woman reported that between 2009 and 2011 he had sexually assaulted her as a child inside a property in Gillingham. The victim was of primary school age at the time.

Kent Police started the investigation in September 2019 after the allegations were made and he was arrested in February 2020 and following a thorough investigation he was charged in June 2022.

Quinton-Taylor, 47, of High Street, Canterbury, also admitted criminal damage and two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour. These charges were brought following allegations by two further victims relating to separate offences.

As well as being jailed he was handed restraining orders preventing him from contacting all three victims. He was also added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed, which seeks to prevent him from reoffending.

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A sex offender from Canterbury has been jailed for sending sexually explicit messages to a child he thought was just 14 years old.

Nigel Stewart targeted his victim over several weeks, during which he also sent graphic images and requests for the child to perform sex acts.

Stewart, of Gordon Road, commenced conversations with his victim on 13 September 2022, and was made aware of her age on numerous occasions. An investigation by Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team secured evidence demonstrating he had intentionally sent indecent messages to an underage girl.

Unbeknown to Stewart, he had been interacting with a fictitious profile and on 18 October, officers carried out a search at his home address. He was arrested and a mobile phone was seized from the scene.

Following a lengthy and complex investigation, the suspect was charged and appeared before Canterbury Crown Court on 8 August 2023, where he pleaded guilty to attempting sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sentenced

Stewart, aged 55, was sentenced to two years and 11 months’ imprisonment at the same court on Tuesday 10 October. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next 10 years.

Detective Inspector Robert Grieve said:

'Stewart aggressively pursued what he thought was a 14-year-old girl, bombarding them with indecent messages.

'Had Stewart successfully made contact with a real child, his actions would have had a long-lasting emotional and psychological impact on them.

'Custodial sentences like this are necessary to prevent people like him from potentially inflicting serious harm on children.'

Description

Two rape victims whose ordeal was filmed after their drinks were spiked had to wait more than five years to see their attacker brought to justice.

Delays in the legal system mean Bradley Carman has only now been jailed for the 2016 attack, in which he humiliated and degraded two unconscious women.

He had spiked their drinks before a friend filmed the attack, with the footage later being circulated.

Judge Mark Weekes jailed the 22-year-old for seven-and-a-half years at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

He told Carman he slipped chemicals or made drinks as strong as possible to render them unconscious.

They were given drinks that made them very unwell, he continued.

There was evidence from both (during your trial) that it was recorded by your friend, and while you might not be responsible for that, you were a willing and enthusiastic participant.

You chose to fight this trial on what I deemed to be the clearest and compelling evidence.

Carman argued during his trial in December that sexual contact with both women was consensual.

His lawyers argued the women falsely accused Carman after becoming shameful once a video of the ordeal began circulating.

Carmans barrister Kieran Brand told jurors the victims evidence was inconsistent and the pair behaved in a reckless, impulsive manner.

But jurors unanimously convicted Carman, who was 17 at the time of the attacks, of three counts of rape.

One victim told jurors she dipped in and out of consciousness while being attacked, as Carmans friend filmed and laughed.

We had one-and-a-half drinks and after that I dont remember what happened, she continued.

I remember coming to and Bradley was on top of me, I dont remember what (happened) in between.

I was really, really out of it. I wasnt in the right position, I didnt say no, I didnt say yes either. I couldnt do anything to stop it, I wasnt in the right position to say no.

Someone was filming it, I remember someone filming it, it was dark and he had his flash on, laughing.

Carmans second victim told how she was then attacked after falling unwell once shed finished her drink.

"I couldnt do anything to stop it, I wasnt in the right position to say no..."

(It started) getting really weird, we started to feel not necessarily paralytic, but it wasnt right, she said.

The court heard both girls reported the attacks months afterwards, claiming they may have been spiked.

But it would take more than five years before they would see justice owing to delays in the justice system, the court heard.

At the sentencing hearing, one of the victims told how she attempted to take her own life in her battle with the aftermath, often experiencing feelings of being alone and helpless.

I thought death was my only way out, she said.

Sometimes I get flashbacks and night terrors and wake up crying.

The other victim told how the attack stripped away her confidence, replacing it instead with anxiety and trust issues.

Carman, of Ince Road, was sentenced as a juvenile given his age at the time of the attacks.

He will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

No charges have been brought against his friend.

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A Kent sex offender caught with indecent images of children and film has been jailed.

Christian Tuck-Brown, of High Street in Canterbury, was found to have 41 films and 15 indecent images of children.

The 39-year-old has previously been convicted of possessing indecent photos of children and voyeurism.

Tuck-Brown has been handed a sentence of three years and four months.

He was subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which meant he had to receive regular visits from police and declare if children would be present at his address.

However, Kent Police officers made an unannounced visit to Tuck-Brown's address on Saturday, March 13 2021 when police were led to believe that a child was at the address.

He was arrested on March 26 after the force confirmed their suspicions and for keeping an undeclared tablet.

It's here that they found a memory stick with a stash of 41 films and 15 stills showing indecent images of children.

Mr Tuck-Brown appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday, January 18 2022 after admitting three offences of making indecent images, 10 breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and failing to notify police that a child had been staying at his address.

Dan Webley, an investigator for Kent Polices team that manages convicted people on the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register (ViSOR), said: "Christian Tuck-Brown has previously been convicted for offences which means he has to adhere to very specific rules, aimed at keeping the public safe from him.

"He was aware of what was required of him yet chose to breach those rules.

"Due to the vigilance of the ViSOR team, Tuck-Browns offending was found out and he is now in prison, unable to pose any further risk to the public".

Description

A rapist who repeatedly attacked a victim he met at a nightclub then plied with drink has been jailed.

Kieran Champion, 28, of Canterbury, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court last month.

The predator has now been jailed for six years at the same court today for the sustained terror he subjected her to.

Devious Champion lured the woman from a Margate venue to a property in Canterbury, leaving her isolated and lost.

After plying her with whisky and coke, he raped and sexually assaulted his terrified victim.

When she desperately cried out for him to stop, Champion made lurid and derisory remarks.

She was able to escape when a police officer appeared outside the crime scene by chance, jurors heard.

Champion was arrested the same day and gave a no comment police interview.

Forensic evidence undermined Champion's claims he had not raped the woman and he was charged with rape and a sexual assault.

Later, a jury saw through his lies and convicted him unanimously.

The rapist, supported by his mother and friends in the public gallery, slumped and wept in the dock after the verdict was delivered.

Sharmila Salvi, defending, told the court Champion suffered anxiety and depression at the time of his arrest.

He is off work with severe anxiety and depression, she said at an earlier hearing.

He reported having anxiety and depression and the time of arrest.

He was meant to start therapy before he was convicted and he had been off sick, she added today.

Champion preyed on the girl in 2018 as she searched for a safe place to stay, tricking her into thinking he was being kind.

When they were alone she rejected Champions advances, he then sexually assaulted, raped and goaded her, prosecutor Dominic Connolly told jurors.

The Judge, Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC, told Champion: Custody must be the result - custody must be the result.

She was looking for a safe place to spend the night, she didnt know your address or the area, she was drinking and had little avenue of escape.

Now, Champion of Merchants Way will face six years in prison, a life-time of notification requirements and 10-year restraining order.

Mitigating, Ms Salvi said Champion had "worked all his life", supported his unwell mother and planned starting a business studies course.

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A Bradford man who sexually abused two boys has been jailed for six years.

Graham Learoyd, 67, of Little Horton Lane, Canterbury, abused the two boys in the 1980s and 1990s, and pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how Learoyd would carefully plan his abuse.

Richard Woolfall, prosecuting, explained to the court how, in the first offence, Learoyd masturbated one of the boys for his own sexual gratification and was careful not to get caught.

In the second offence, he straddled the same boy, putting his genitals on the boys chest, until the boy shouted stop and get off.

Mr Woolfall said the third offence was for touching the second boys genitalia outside his clothing in a sexual manner.

Learoyds catalogue of offending only came to light some years later when one of the victims approached police.

Mr Woolfall read out victim impact statements from both victims which explained how they had struggled in life as a result of their experiences.

He said the first victim described his statement as a survivors letter and was withdrawn as a young man and struggled to make friends.

He said: As a child didnt know when someone was using him for their own benefit.

He said in romantic relationships he struggled to trust his partners, which he put down to his experiences as a child.

For a number of years, he said he could not come to terms with the fact he had been a victim of abuse.

The second victim said he developed anxiety and depression as a result of his experiences.

Sentencing, Judge Tom Little said: You regularly offended many years ago.

The impact of your offending was significant.

You admitted one count to police voluntarily but denied the other offences, and then pleaded guilty at trial.

Learoyd was jailed for six years and four months for the first offence, handed a three-year term for the second offence, and five months in jail for the third offence, which will be served concurrently.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.

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This 49-year-old Kent man has been jailed for rape and the sexual abuse of young girls dating back to the 1980s.

Abraham Lee, of South Street, Canterbury, was said to have sexually indulged himself with little girls who had been left traumatised by his behaviour.

He appeared for sentence at Canterbury Crown Court having been convicted of eight offences of indecent assault, one offence of indecency with a child and rape.

Judge Adele Williams said Lee had been convicted on clear and compelling evidence and jailed him for 14 years.

She had been told by Lee’s barrister, Christopher Sutton-Mattocks, that Lee still maintained his denials despite being convicted after trial in May, and Judge Williams said it was to be hoped that during his sentence, Lee would recognise his offending and seek help available to him in prison and on his release.

"There is no doubt you like to sexually indulge yourself with little girls, the evidence could not be clearer."

Mr Sutton-Mattocks said Lee did not attempt to put forward any mitigation because he always maintained his denials. Because of Lee’s stance, no remorse could be expressed on his behalf, said Mr Sutton-Mattocks.

He said Lee had led a pretty blameless life and his lack of education and ability to read and write had not prevented him working. He had a supportive family.

Lee will be subject of a sexual offences prevention order barring him from living in a household with a child under 16 or having such a child at his premises without a parent or guardian present, and on the sex offenders’ register for life. He was also banned from working with children.

At the end of the sentencing Judge Williams commended the investigating officers for their thorough and painstaking inquiry.