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A married father who shared dozens of pictures of children being sexually abused has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Mark Hodgson, 57, of Carlisle, was arrested at work last September after police became aware of images of children uploaded on a social media platform.

Carlisle Crown Court heard Hodgson claimed to have no sexual interest in children, but the sentencing judge concluded that assertion was "fanciful".

Having admitted making and distributing indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images, Hodgson was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. He must also complete rehabilitation sessions and 150 hours of unpaid work.

'Grotesque' abuse

Two mobile phones seized from him contained illegal still and moving images showing children aged between seven and 15 being sexually abused.

Investigators found a total of 56 images, with 38 logged in the most serious class of category A.

When interviewed, Hodgson admitted he was sent the images which he copied, posted and forwarded on during a period of offending between February 2023 and August last year.

Recorder William Beardmore told Hodgson: "Those children, somewhere in the world, were being abused by individuals in the most grotesque way.

"Notwithstanding the fact you did not take these photographs, you were part of the reason there is a demand for this material.

Hodgson is now subject to sex offender notification requirements and must also adhere to the strict terms of a prevention order, both for 10 years.

He was also barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

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A SUSPENDED jail term has been handed to a Carlisle pensioner after he admitted sexually assaulting four female hospital workers.

John O'Neill, 78, committed the offences over five days last year, Carlisle's Rickergate court heard.

He was sentenced at the city’s Rickergate court.

The first three offences were committed on consecutive days, prosecutor Diane Jackson told the court. 

He entered guilty pleas to all four allegations. All four victims were working at The Cumberland Infirmary when the offences happened.

The defendant, of Lazonby Terrace, Carlisle, was sentenced after the Probation Service prepared a pre-sentence report, providing relevant background for the hearing.

Magistrates imposed an eight-week jail term, but they suspended this for a year. O’Neill was told he will be on the Sex Offender Register for the next seven years.

They said that the offending merited custody because the victims were performing a public service at the time when they were sexually assaulted.

They dismissed the suggestion of compensation.

This was because of the “limited means” of the defendant, and any sums would be derisory and could cause further distress, they ruled. The defendant’s guilty pleas were taken into account.

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A SEX offender who was challenged by a woman after he walked into a house he was banned from reacted angrily, spitting into her face. 

The violent behaviour on January 9 of 32-year-old Carlisle man Leighton Lewis and his decision to flout his sexual harm prevention order led to his arrest and a remand in custody, the city’s crown court heard.

The defendant, of Lediard Avenue, Carlisle, admitted two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order, a common assault, and the theft of a mobile phone.

Prosecutor Matthew Hopkins outlined the offending.

He explained that Lewis was given the sexual harm prevention order in June of 2024 after he was convicted of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

The defendant was charged after he fell for an online sting, sending lewd sexual images to a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. She was actually an adult decoy, working for a paedophile hunter group.

Lewis later blamed his sordid behaviour on being “off his head” on cocaine.

Mr Hopkins described how Lewis agreed to meet a woman for a meal in Workington on January 8, and at the end of the evening he was drunk. Going into the property from which he was banned, he challenged a woman who was there.

He verbally abused her, prompting the woman to tell him to leave and point out that his presence at the property was a breach of his sexual harm prevention order because there were children in the house.

“The defendant ignored this and said he would hit her,” said Mr Hopkins. Lewis then pinned the woman on to the sofa, straddled her with his knees, and spat in her face.

When she then tried to call the police, he grabbed her mobile phone, and asked her: “Do you think I’m scared?” As he left the property, Lewis took another phone that was in the property and left with it.

He returned to the address at 2am, banging on the door and again being verbally abusive.

When police arrested the defendant at his home in Carlisle, they found he had a tablet device which he had not declared to the police, as required by his court order.

Marion Weir, defending, said Lewis had felt as though the woman had interfered with his personal life, though he accepted this did not give him the right to behave as he had.

He had spent the equivalent of a 12-month sentence on remand.

Referring to the undeclared tablet, Miss Weir said it was given to Lewis by his father and not declaring it was an “oversight.”

“There was nothing untoward found on the tablet,” she added.

Judge Michael Fanning pointed out that the failure to declare the tablet was a serious offence because it meant police were unable to fit it with monitoring software and keep track of what it was being used for.

The judge then referred to the assault: “You straddled her and spat in her face, one of the worst forms of common assault,” said Judge Fanning, adding that this was the "most gross form of common assault.

The offending had to be marked be marked by custody. He jailed the defendant for 18 months.

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A REGISTERED sex offender breached a court order by removing monitoring software which allows police to track online use on electronic devices.

Matthew Ferguson, 42, was handed a 45-month prison sentence in 2021 after he was caught sending messages to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl.

Ferguson had written explicit text messages, made graphic suggestions and sent a crude image of himself. He was actually communicating with members of a vigilante group.

He admitted charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempted sexual communication.

Ferguson, previously of Workington and now of London Road, Carlisle, was jailed by a judge who heard the defendant had a low IQ which was deemed to be on the cusp of a learning disability.

As part of his punishment, Ferguson was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO); and further ordered to comply with sex offender notification requirements. These were imposed in a bid to prevent further online reoffending and keep police informed of his personal information.

But Ferguson was sentenced again, at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court today (tues). He had previously admitted three SHPO breaches, and failing to comply with the notification requirements.

These came to light when an offender manager conducted a home visit on May 16 this year.

Analysis of a mobile phone showed police online monitoring software which had previously been installed was not present. An expert concluded this absence was caused by the actions of the device user. “It cannot be done accidentally or remotely,” said prosecutor Diane Jackson.

The court was also given details of three other offences.

During the course of several days in early May, Ferguson had deleted WhatsApp messages which formed part of his online history; failed to declare a YouTube user name to police; and used a Dropbox cloud storage facility.

“I would submit they are deliberate breaches,” said Mrs Jackson of Ferguson’s latest offending.

Defence solicitor Katie Scattergood, mitigating, said Ferguson had entered his guilty pleas at the earliest possible opportunity. “Alongside that he did make full admissions during his police interview,” she said.

Ferguson’s offending was committed because he did not have a physical copy of the SHPO, against a background of limited intellectual functioning.

Miss Scattergood said he now had a copy, adding: “He is aware of the obligations upon him. He doesn’t seek to minimise his offending. He knows he has breached his order, hence his guilty pleas.”

Magistrates heard he had not committed any other offences since those for which he was punished at the crown court.

He had previously been recalled to serve the balance of that sentence, and as a result had not completed any work offered by the probation service.

“He wants the opportunity to engage fully with the (SHPO) order and the police, and hopes to remain in the community,” said Miss Scattergood.

Magistrates suspended an eight-month sentence for two years.

Ferguson must complete a sexual offending course under probation service direction, and additional rehabilitation work.

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A CONVICTED sex offender living in Carlisle continued to download indecent images of children – despite being under a suspended 12-month jail term.

Johnny Bijou, 49, lost his job and his home because of past offending and was aware that he faced an inevitable jail term if he returned to viewing indecent child images.

Yet he did precisely that within months of being given a suspended jail term for his earlier offending, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The defendant, formerly of Scotch Street, Carlisle, admitted several new offences.

The first set of crimes related to him downloading indecent child images, including eight of Category A, the most serious kind. He also admitted accessing 10 Category B images, and two Category C images.

The defendant further admitted possessing four extreme pornography images as well as a prohibited image of child. Yet more new offences related to Category B and C indecent child images.

The defendant also breaches his sexual harm prevention order by using a WhatsApp feature that deleted messages by not notifying the police of his email address.

His earlier offences, the court heard, related to earlier occasions when he downloaded dozens of child abuse images. Some 65 of those were Category A.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith told the court: “He is aware that he has breached his suspended sentence and that a custodial sentence will now follow.

“He has lost this home and his job, but he is optimistic that he can turn things around and that this will be his last appearance before a court.”

Referring to Bijou’s previous offending, which came before the court in July 2023, Judge Michael Fanning told the defendant: “You received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.

“But having been released from that sentence, you have gone on to further offending shortly after that sentence was imposed.”

Bijou had done exactly what his sexual harm prevention order was imposed to prevent him doing, downloading yet more indecent child images.

Judge Fanning jailed the defendant for three years and six months. The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

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A NORTH Cumbrian man sexually pursued young girls via social media platforms, sending some of them indecent images of himself.

Adam Liddell, 40, was identified partly thanks to online detective work by one of his victims, a 12-year-old girl who was left traumatised by his attempt to sexually groom her in the hope of a meeting, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He reported himself to the police after one of the girl’s friends messaged him to say he was a paedophile and should go away.

The defendant, of Low Moorlands, Dalston, near Carlisle, admitted five charges: two counts of sexually communicating with a child; inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch sexual activity, and possessing extreme pornography, featuring bestiality.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson summarised the facts.

He said the offending happened in February and March of 2022, with Liddell initially focusing his attention on a 12-year-old Cumbrian girl, though her Shapchat profile suggested she was 13.

Liddell contacted her, claiming he was 27, a decade younger than he actually was at the time. His inappropriate messages included asking whether she had ever had sex, and asking to meet.

“He repeatedly asked for her location,” said the prosecutor.

Some of his messages, the court heard, asked the victim for pictures of herself undressed, or in underwear.

The sexual content of Liddell’s messages escalated as he sent a picture of his private parts while he was aroused, asking: “Are you ready for an older man.” The girl was so concerned she showed the message to a friend.

On June 10, 2022, he also sent her a video that showed him touching himself inappropriately. The issue came to a head after the victim investigated the defendant online and identified him.

The girl's friend sent him a blunt message, calling him a paedophile and telling him to go away. 

Mr Rogerson said: “Mr Liddell then went to the police after he'd been blocked [from the 12-year-old’s account] and told them he had been having inappropriate conversations with a girl he thought was 15.”

The police investigation revealed Liddell had conducted 14 Snapchat conversations with various female children, asking for photographs and making sexual comments or suggesting meetings.

He asked one 14-year-old girl to let him take her out for dinner.

He also asked her for naked photos, or pictures of her in the shower. Liddell sent another girl five pictures of his private parts, while his internet search terms also revealed his sexual preoccupation with children.

Mr Rogerson noted that Liddell claimed to not know his first victim was aged 12, despite her posts – including ones relating to her 12th birthday – making that fact perfectly obvious.

The court then heard about the impact of his crime on the girl. 

After it happened, she struggled to sleep and would wake up after 3am thinking about what could have happened. Fearful Liddell may know where she lived, her family moved house and she started a new school.

“She felt unsafe for months afterwards, even on her own home,” said Mr Rogerson. The 14-year-old girl who also complained said she still thinks of how dangerous it could have been and what could have happened.

Jeff Smith, defending, said Liddell had lived with the consequences of his actions for three years, having lost his job, his marriage and his liberty.

The defendant now has no contact with friends or workmates and his only family relationship to survive was with his mother.

“He is learning his lesson and hopes he can pick up the pieces of his shattered life, which he created himself,” said Mr Smith. He added that it “loneliness, stupidity, and alcohol” brought Liddell to where he is today.   

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Fanning said it was clear the defendant – assessed as posing a high-risk to children – had wanted “direct physical” contact with the girls he was contacting.

Of his online activities, the judge said: “It’s grooming, in effect.”

Judge Fanning doubted there was much Liddell could do about his sexual attraction to children other than to recognise it and so prevent further offences.

He said: “It is so serious that only immediate custody can be justified: it was deliberately targeting young girls with a view, I have no doubt, to sexual activity.”

He jailed the defendant for two years and one month. Liddell must remain on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely while there will also be a 15-year sexual harm prevention order to manage the risk he poses.

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A man has today (April 16) been sentenced for a number of sexual offences at Carlisle Crown Court.

Jacob Corrie, 31, was sentenced to six years four months after pleading guilty to the following offences:

• Nine counts of sexual activity with a child
• Eight counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• Two counts of sexual communication with a child

The offences took place in the Carlisle area in 2013 and 2014 against two victims under 16.

Detective Constable Rebecca Lynch from Cumberland CID said “Corrie initially denied the offences in interview, before pleading guilty and was aware of his victims ages when he committed the offences.

“We hope that this sentencing sends a clear message to survivors of sexual abuse.

“As a force we are committed to thoroughly and compassionately investigating all reports of rape and serious sexual offences, no matter how much time has passed.

“We continue to urge anyone who has been victim of a sexual offence to contact police so that our officers can investigate. You will be supported throughout our investigation which is tailored to an individual’s circumstances.”

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A CARLISLE man who stalked and sexually assaulted a woman he hardly knew greeted her with the words “Hello Sexy,” a court heard.

The defence lawyer representing 46-year-old John Mooney at the city’s Rickergate court suggested the defendant's worrying behaviour may have been linked to the breakup of his marriage.

Mooney admitted sexual assault and stalking, as well as failing to surrender to the court on three occasions.

The trouble began in June last year after Mooney moved to a new area of Carlisle, prosecutor George Shelley.

“He then undertook a persistent course of conduct – personal advances towards the victim,” said the prosecutor, who described how the stalking behaviour continued for a month or so.

Mooney first introduced himself to the woman, who is in her thirties. “As the weeks went by, he began talking about his personal situation, which made [the woman] feel uncomfortable,” said the prosecutor. 

Mooney began asking the woman to go drinking with him and, despite her repeatedly refusing, he kept asking her. He also began asking her questions about her personal life.

“She made it clear that she didn’t wish to discuss this with Mr Mooney,” continued Mr Shelley. “She told him it was none of his business and that she wanted him to stop asking such personal questions.”

It was during this encounter that the defendant put his arm around the woman and touched her inappropriately.

The woman immediately moved away and asked him what he thought he was doing. He later sent her a letter apologising, attempting to explain his behaviour. 

The following day, he appeared outside her home, but she remained inside, hiding. Even after these events, when Mooney saw the woman, he would greet her with: “Hello Sexy.”

Mooney, now of Margaret Creighton Gardens, Carlisle, had no previous convictions, the court heard.

Sean Harkin, defending, told magistrates: “It appears to have been an isolated incident at a time when the defendant had broken up with his wife; and he was going through a bit of tough period.

“That doesn’t excuse his behaviour but it provides some context.  He wants to apologise to the victim.” Mr Harkin added that Mooney posed a low risk of reoffending.   

Concluding there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, magistrates imposed a 16-week jail term but suspended it for a year.

The sentence includes a restraining order banning any contact with the victim and Mooney was told his name will be on the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

He must pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

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POLICE discovered that a convicted sex offender was using a secret phone after a probation worker spotted him with a couple and their young child in Carlisle.

Gary Davies, 68, had made friends with the family, who were unaware of his past history of committing child sex offences.

At the city’s crown court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined how police became aware of Davies' most recent offending.

The defendant, of London Road, Carlisle, had earlier admitted breaching his sexual harm prevention order and two counts of failing to comply with being on the Sex Offender Register.

Davies was given a sexual harm prevention order in 2021, after he was prosecuted for outraging public decency.

He did this by performing a sex act in his van, just wards away from an outdoor children’s birthday party. His criminal history also included “contact” sex offences against children and possessing indecent child images, the court heard.

Describing the latest offences, Mr Rogerson said the defendant’s court order means he can only own an internet device if it is fitted with police monitoring software.

He is also legally obliged to notify police of any online accounts he uses and his username and he is banned from having unsupervised contact with any child.

In December last year, a probation worker contacted the police confirming that Davies was seen in the city centre with a couple, who were with their three-year-old child.

They said they had formed a “friendship” with Davies.

But investigations showed they were unaware of the defendant’s sexual offending history. They gave police a mobile phone number that they had used to contact the defendant.

When police visited Davies at the Carlisle hotel where he was then living, he admitted having that Nokia phone, which he had failed to disclose, as he is required to under the terms of the sexual harm prevention order. 

He had also set up undisclosed accounts on YouTube and TikTok. Mr Rogerson said: “He said he was aware of [his order’s] prohibition, but he got tired of waiting for the probation service to return his mobile, which did have the monitoring software.

“So he purchased the Nokia."

After hearing the details, Judge Michael Fanning jailed the defendant for two years. The defendant committed the offences between mid-October and mid-December last year.

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A REGISTERED sex offender hastily deleted illegal Instagram chat from his phone as police conducted a home visit.

Benjamin Michael Perry Grant, 29, was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court for what a judge called a “series of offences” linked to past crimes.

Grant had previously been in a relationship with a woman from March to November, 2023. He was convicted of stalking her in February, 2024, and slapped with a restraining order as part of a punishment he received last April.

He had also previously been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and the terms of sex offender notification requirements for other past offences. These were imposed both to restrict his online use and keep police aware of up to date personal information.

Yet Grant was back in trouble on 5th October, 2024, when officers conducted a home visit at his address.

“His phone was checked and it transpired that four applications which were previously disclosed as being on the device were not longer present,” Estelle Chambers, prosecuting, told the court.

“Forensic analysis also shows that an Instagram conversation had been deleted from the device. The date and time of the deleted messages corresponds with the date and time of the police home visit, suggesting that the defendant deleted the messages as police arrived.”

These messages had been sent by Grant to his ex-partner, one reading: “Do not reply. Police checks.”

Ms Chambers also said: “The victim states she has been contacted by the defendant several times since the restraining order was imposed.”

Although she had told Grant to stop getting in touch, he sent her a number of voice notes. In October, Grant was seen standing within 50 metres of her address — in breach of the restraining order.

In addition, Grant had set up a new Instagram account which was not disclosed to police. After officers visited his home, Grant asked his former partner to consider withdrawing the restraining order.

Summarising the impact on the woman, the prosecutor said: “She describes the situation as deeply affecting her mental health, leading to feelings of depression and distress.”

Grant, previously of Kirkby Thore but now of no fixed address, admitted five SHPO breaches, and flouting both the restraining order and notification requirements.

Mark Shepherd, mitigating, said no threatening messages had been sent by Grant who, he added, wanted to get back into work and live a law-abiding life.

Judge Nicholas Barker imposed an immediate 15-month prison sentence. Grant was also banned from contacting his ex-partner for three years. “You wished to assert control over her, and continued to do so,” the judge observed.

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A CONVICTED child sex offender has been jailed again for viewing illegal images of youngsters being abused — and expressing depraved fantasies during online chat.

Kenneth Burgess, now 56, was dubbed a “danger to children” by a judge who heard disturbing details of perverted pictures which had been found in his possession.

The prosecution (Brendan Burke, prosecuting,) told Carlisle Crown Court: “The police, acting on intelligence, attended at his address first of all, on August 1, and seized a Samsung mobile phone.

“On that were found indecent images of children.”

Thirteen of these — showing the serious penetrative sexual abuse of youngsters — were classed in category A, the most serious. Three were category B photographs and 75 category C.

“There were also 894 extreme images involving bestiality between human adults, animals, and young children and animals,” said the prosecutor (Mr Burke).

“In addition to that, on Facebook Messenger, were obscene chats in which the defendant was describing fantasies involving children; of rape and torture.

“Within these messages was a further offence of having an indecent (category C) image of a child. That was distributed to another person, using the platform, with similar interests.”

Burgess, of Bannisdale Way, Carlisle, had admitted six offences during a previous magistrates’ court hearing: three of making indecent photographs of children; possessing extreme pornographic imagery; distributing an indecent photograph of a child; and publishing an obscene article.

The court heard his previous convictions included robbery, grievous bodily harm and, in 2011, he was jailed for sexually abusing a child. He was later brought back to court and punished again for failing to comply with strict court orders made by the judge who locked him up.

During a sentencing hearing for the latest crimes on Monday, defence lawyer Jeff Smith said Burgess accepted a prison sentence would be imposed.

A probation officer had concluded there was no stable pathway for Burgess in the community at present.

“It is quite clear from his appearance (remotely, over a video link from custody) that he is not a healthy man, with breathing and mobility issues,” said Mr Smith.

Jailing Burgess for 16 months, Judge Michael Fanning told him: “You are a contact sex offender. With that in mind, and reading the contents of the (background) report, you have an obsessive sexual fascination with young females.

“Given an opportunity to reoffend, I don’t doubt you would take that opportunity.”

Judge Fanning concluded: “You are a danger to children. I bear all that in mind when fixing sentence in this case.”

Burgess remains subject to sex offender notification requirements.

His case will be mentioned again later this month by a judge who is due to consider an application by the prosecution for further restrictions on his liberty to be imposed in the form of a sexual harm prevention order.

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A CARLISLE man convicted of a sexual assault and accused of stealing women’s underwear from a washing line has been banned from approaching “lone females.”

Damien Christopher Smith, 34, who blamed his sexual offence on the victim's choice of clothing and her makeup, was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

A district judge approved the order after hearing an application from Cumbria Constabulary, presented by lawyer Gemma Rogerson.

She outlined how Smith, of Shadygrove Road, Raffles, was convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in June of last year by inappropriately touching her over her clothing while making sexual comments.

During a police interview about the offence, said Miss Rogerson, he sought to blame the victim because of what she was wearing and her red lipstick.

“What does she expect?” he asked the officer.

Police were also aware of a further incident on June 8, when Smith allegedly went into a person’s garden and stole female underwear from the washing line, said Miss Rogerson.

There was concern about Smith’s understanding of the severity of his offending.

Miss Rogerson asked the court to impose a five-year order which will prohibit him from approaching any lone female in a public place, or initiating conversation with lone females in a public place, unless he is obtaining goods or services.

This would only be acceptable if such an incident was “inadvertent”. District Judge John Temperley said he was satisfied the legal test for him to make the sexual harm prevention order was satisfied.

Not only was there a relevant conviction - the sexual assault conviction - said the judge, there were relevant alleged incidents demonstrating "similar behaviour" from 2021 and from early 2023, though they did not lead to convictions.

“I am satisfied that the order is necessary,” said the District Judge.

He told the defendant: “You are prohibited from physically approaching, or initiating conversation with, or seeking to physically approach, or seeking to initiate, conversation with any lone female."

Breaching the conditions of the order would be a criminal offence, punishable by a potential prison term of up to five years.

Smith will also continue to be on the Sex Offender Register for the full five years while the order is in place, said the judge. For the sexual assault last year, the defendant was given a one-year community order.

The sentence included 100 hours of unpaid work and an order to pay compensation of £200 to the victim.

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A CARLISLE sex offender previously described as “dangerous” is back behind bars after he set up secret online accounts.

Registered sex offender Joshua Watson, 26, has already served a jail term for failing to comply with a sexual harm prevention order that means he has to notify the police of his online accounts.

At Carlisle Crown Court, he admitted four new offences. The defendant, of Beaumont Road, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to:

• Breaching his sexual harm prevention order in July by possessing an internet enabled device with a WhatsApp application which featured an “auto delete” function for messages.
• And three counts of failing to comply with his obligation under the Sex Offender Register by failing to disclose to the police his usernames online accounts he had set up. All three breaches - one for each of the social media accounts involved - were committed on dates between June 30 and July 24.

His defence barrister said Watson’s primary mitigation was his prompt guilty pleas to the four offences.

In January last year, Watson was recalled to prison for illegally acquiring a mobile phone and setting up a Snapchat account without telling the police.

He committed that offence a year after he was sentenced for downloading dozens of indecent child images and at the time he was awaiting sentence for buying alcohol for teenage girls and making sexual suggestions to them.

Watson was put on the Sex Offender Register for a decade. This requires that he must inform the police of any online accounts he opens or uses, and reveal the relevant username.

He must also register with the police all his internet enabled devices with the police within three days of acquiring them.

All his devices must be fitted with police monitoring software and be capable of displaying internet history.

In the January offending last year, police found a mobile phone he had failed to register with them after visiting Watson at his home. He claimed a relative gave it to him the day before and he planned to inform the police the next day.

But when police examined the phone, it was immediately apparent that Watson acquired the phone much earlier than he said. Watson then claimed he had simply forgotten to tell police about the phone.

He then blamed his failure to tell the police about the phone on “stress” linked to his parents’ splitting up and the death of his dog.

The prosecutor in that case told the court:  “The police take the view that he’s a dangerous offender and obviously these are serious offences, committed very shortly after he was released."

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A CARLISLE sex offender who preyed on vulnerable young males has been found guilty of raping a second victim and sexually assaulting a third.

A judge told 48-year-old convicted child rapist Barrie O’Keefe that experts will now assess how dangerous he is following his conviction for raping a 20-year-old man and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

The new offences against the teenager and the older victim bore chilling similarities to O’Keefe’s earlier rape of a 15-year-old boy, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He plied all three victims with alcohol and drugs to render them helpless before sexually abusing them. Both teenagers were attacked after being lured away by O’Keefe for overnight fishing trips which involved spending the night in a tent.

Formerly of Denton Holme, Carlisle, O’Keefe denied all the offences, committed 18 years ago, but he was convicted after a four-day trial.

Judge Michael Fanning ruled that O’Keefe will be sentenced on a date which has yet to be fixed following the preparation of background reports and the dangerousness assessment. The judge also requested victim person statements.

He told O’Keefe: “I require victim personal statements so that I understand the real impact these awful offences have had on your victims.

“There is the complicating factor that you were sent to prison for offences committed at the same time, offending that was virtually identical. I am concerned about your conduct towards young boys, and young men.

“Whether you are dangerous is something I have to give consideration to and I require reports to assist that.”

After remanding O’Keefe in custody, the judge thanked the jury, pointing out that the offences before the court changed the lives of the two victims and he needed more information about the impact of O’Keefe’s “hideous offending.”

“He is going to receive an inevitably lengthy sentence of imprisonment,” added the judge.

The older victim told the trial that O’Keefe had “ruined his life.”

He recalled how on the day when England were playing Portugal in the World Cup in 2006, the defendant plied him with drink and cannabis, leaving him “wasted.”

O’Keefe then sneaked into the room of the house where the man was living and rendered him helpless with drugs known as “poppers” before raping him.

“It just ruined my life," said the man. "I couldn't cope with it; I was angry, drinking too much. I wasn’t able to make rational decisions or deal with things. It got to the point where it was ruining my life.”

O'Keefe was also convicted of sexually touching a second teenager.

In April, police persuaded a court to impose a “sexual risk order” on O’Keefe which bans him from being in the company of any lone male.

Cumbria Constabulary applied for the order after revealing that O’Keefe had been a suspect in multiple rape investigations.

Granting the order, the district judge said:  “This defendant has demonstrated a propensity to target and sexually abuse vulnerable males for many years.”

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A REGISTERED sex offender was snared by artificial intelligence as he flouted a strict court order by viewing perverted internet images of children.

Thomas Young, 34, had appeared at Carlisle Crown Court a decade ago when he was sentenced for inciting a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

As part of the punishment, Young was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). This imposed tough curbs on his online use for an indefinite period.

Young was twice brought back to court for breaching the SOPO, once in 2023 and then again in early February when he received a suspended prison sentence.

But within days of being spared jail, Young flouted the order once more.

“Police were first alerted on March 15 of this year by e-safe global software installed on the defendant’s phone,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told the city’s crown court.

“That software captures and screenshots any activity which the artificial intelligence detects to be of a suspicious or concerning nature.”

On that date, two indecent category C images were logged. Three days later, a further four were detected along with one image classed in category A — the most serious — involving a girl aged 12 to 14 years.

All images had been accessed via the Telegram platform. And Mr Burke said analysis showed that from February 11 — just days after his last crown court appearance — and March 18, Young had installed and then uninstalled the Telegram application a dozen times.

This was a flagrant breach of the SOPO, which was designed to make all such data available for scrutiny, and display internet history.

In addition, Young was found to have flouted sex offender notification requirements by failing to disclose two online usernames which had been active around the turn of this year.

When brought to court Young admitted making indecent photographs of a child, breaching the SOPO and twice flouting the notification requirements.

The category A image, said Mr Burke, had been captured by Young from a video of two hours, 31 minutes’ duration.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith, mitigating, said of Young: “He can provide no real explanation as to why he finds himself in the position that he does.”

Young had been “lonely” and taken cocaine which, he suggested, may have altered his judgement and failed to impress upon him the consequences of his actions.

Judge Nicholas Barker jailed Young, latterly of Warwick Square, Carlisle, for 18 months. New strict court orders placing restrictions on him, and an obligation to regularly provide police with personal information, were imposed for 10 years.

“You knew that by doing those actions you were likely putting yourself, not just at risk, but of receiving an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Barker told Young.