Latest Offenders Cheshire

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A 37-year-old man has been jailed for 16 years after being found guilty of raping and assaulting  a woman.

John Dawson from Ernest Street in Crewe appeared at Chester Crown Court on 16 October to be sentenced after being found guilty of two rapes, intentional strangulation and assault, two counts of threatening to send an intimate photo or video, and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

The investigation began following an allegation of rape at a hotel in Crewe.

Further investigation led to officers uncovering Dawson controlling the woman financially by taking money from her account, having access to her social media accounts and messaging apps, and isolating her from friends and family.

He would also call her derogatory names and had assaulted her. Dawson was charged with the offences, which he denied, but was found guilty following a trial in July 2025.

A second man was found not guilty of rape during the trial.

DC Katherine Isherwood-Smith said:

“Dawson’s behaviour towards this woman was criminal and abhorrent. Dawson was deemed so dangerous to women that the courts jailed him for a substantial period.

“No one should ever be subjected to such degrading, manipulative and arrogant behaviour, and I hope seeing this man behind bars for a considerable time encourages others to come forward who may be suffering abuse. And I hope it goes as a warning to those who inflict such horrific acts that society does not tolerate violence or abuse against anyone.”

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A child rapist has been jailed for 21 years for subjecting a young girl to years of sexual abuse in Warrington.

Graham Jones, previously known as Graham Peacock, of Clonners Field, Stapeley, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 10 October where he was handed the custodial sentence. He will also need to serve an extra five years on extended licence.

The 64-year-old had previously denied the charges, which consisted of four counts of rape, 14 counts of indecent assault, and four counts of gross indecency with a child, but was subsequently found guilty following a trial.

The court heard how Jones had abused the victim over many years in the Warrington area. The abuse began when she was aged nine and continued for several years.

The offences were reported in May 2022, and the victim bravely spoke about what had happened to her. Following enquiries, Jones was arrested and ultimately charged with multiple offences in June 2024.

On top of his 21-year sentence, Jones was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, plus restraining orders to protect the victim in this case.

Detective Constable Caroline Wharmby said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case for speaking about what happened to her.

“No-one should have to go through what she has been through, and I hope the conclusion of this court process will help to bring her some sense of closure. Although nothing will make her forget what this despicable man did, her evidence and courage has meant he is now behind bars for a significant length of time, where he can’t do this to anyone else.

“Jones is clearly a sexual predator, taking advantage of an innocent young girl for his own twisted gratification.

“The fact that he committed such dreadful crimes over a number of years shows that he had absolutely no regard for how his crimes would impact the victim.

“Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies, and he now has many years in custody to contemplate his actions.”

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Dennis Kiwia appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 29 September, where he was jailed for four years.

The custodial sentence comes after Kiwia was found guilty of the rape of a woman over 16 at the conclusion of a five-day trial on Friday 15 August 2025.

The court heard that on Saturday 23 December 2023, the victim, a 19-year-old woman, was on a Christmas night out with friends in Widnes. The group had been drinking at a pub in the town centre, with the victims’ friends later going home for the night, leaving her sitting alone as the venue began to close.

However, Kiwia was also in the premises with her.

CCTV footage taken from the night of the incident showed the 39-year-old calling the victim over and to sit with him and, after doing so, the pair struck up a conversation and Kiwia taking ‘selfie’ photographs with her on his phone before leaving the venue.

Further footage would show the victim appearing unsteady on her feet as she got up to leave the venue, with Kiwia seen walking arm-in-arm with her as they walked across the outside car park to his car.

The victim would later tell police that she awoke on Christmas Eve morning in Kiwia’s address, in the Albert Road area of Widnes, without any clothes on, unsure as to how she got there.

Quickly leaving Kiwia’s is address, she returned home to speak to a parent regarding how she believed she was raped, as she could not have been able to consent to any sexual intercourse.

The incident was then reported to Cheshire Police and Kiwia was promptly arrested by CID officers and brought into custody.

During interview, he told investigating officers that he had been drinking at the same venue as the victim and had spoken to her on the night in question. He went on to say that he helped her into his car following the closing of the venue and offered her a lift to her home, but claimed that she told him to take her to his home.

He then told officers that the pair engaged in consensual sex before falling asleep in the early hours, with the victim then waking up later that day and deciding to go home alone – despite him offering a number of times to take her there himself.

Despite his claims, Kiwia was subsequently charged.

Throughout the entire investigation, we would maintain he was innocent.

Detective Constable Gemma Nicolson, of CID Reactive North, said:

"Dennis Kiwia's inability to accept any accountability for his actions not only prolonged justice being served, but it forced also the victim to relive the entire ordeal all over again during his five-day subsequent trial.

"Kiwia maintained he was the innocent party in this case, where, in fact, he took advantage of a vulnerable young woman nearly 20 years his junior who had simply been out enjoying the Christmas festivities with her friends for his own pleasure.

"We treat all reports of rape and sexual assault with the utmost seriousness and place the needs of the victim at the very heart of our investigations, ensuring they are supported throughout every step of enquiries and any following court proceedings."

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A prolific offender who physically and sexually assaulted several women, threatened another with a firearm and engaged in sexual communications with a child has been jailed.

Lewis Gleave appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 5 September, where he was jailed for a total of four years plus a further 3 years on prison licence, in relation to three separate investigations.

The sentencing comes after the 21-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of assault by beating, two counts of sexual assault, possession of an imitation firearm with intent, possession of an imitation firearm whilst committing a schedule one offence and inflicting actual bodily harm.

Gleave was also found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and engaging in sexual communication with a child at an earlier hearing.

The first incident occurred on Monday 12 August 2024, when Gleave had been out at Sandbach Park with four others, when he began making inappropriate and sexualised comments towards a 17-year-old girl who was with them.

His behaviour toward the girl further escalated when he tried to hug her without her consent and went on to slap her bottom.

The girl, and a 19-year-old man who was amongst the group, called out his behaviour, to which Gleave kicked the man to the floor and began punching him, accusing him of making up that he had inappropriately touched the girl.

Later that week, on Friday 17 August, the same group were in the park again, when Gleave was described as coming out of nowhere and approaching the group. He, again, slapped the bottom of the same girl he had touched earlier in the week. He also grabbed her head whilst she was sat on a bench and pushed it toward his crotch against her consent.

Gleave targeted the same 19-year-old man as he did previously, kicking him to the floor and demanding he fight him.

The man refused and Gleave left the area. He was arrested a short time later after he was reported to Cheshire Police.

A few weeks later, on Sunday 1 September, Gleave had been speaking to a 13-year-old girl via Snapchat and FaceTime. Whilst talking to the girl, Gleave began asking her questions of a sexual nature, telling her about sexual acts. Some of the conversation was overheard by a nearby adult.

When interviewed by police about this, he admitted to speaking to the girl as he had known her when he was younger, but denied the conversation being sexual.

On the evening of Friday 27 September, whilst still under investigation for the other offences, Gleave approached a 27-year-old near to the Victoria Centre in Crewe and demanded to know if they had been threatening a friend of his.

During this exchange, the victim noticed that Gleave had what appeared to be a gun in a holster under the hi-vis jacket he was wearing and even made stated that he was “carrying”, a reference to being armed with a gun. It was, in fact, a BB gun.

Enquiries in the area revealed that this exchange had been captured on CCTV footage, with an officer identifying Gleave from a tattoo on his neck.

Three days later, Cheshire Police were contacted by a worker at a supported accommodation centre for young people in Crewe, who reported that Gleave had entered the property and physically and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman.

Gleave had dragged one of them across their room and strangled the other, with this only stopping when the boyfriend of one of the victims arrived at the address.

Following these disclosures, Gleave was arrested the same day and interviewed at Middlewich Custody by officers.

He denied any wrongdoing for all of the aforementioned offences until he went to court, eventually entering guilty pleas relating to the three counts of assault by beating, two of the sexual assaults, causing actual bodily harm and being in possession of an imitation firearm.

On top of his custodial sentence, Gleave has been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, five restraining orders and will have to sign the sex offenders register.

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Lydia Thompson, of the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said:

“Lewis Gleave is a prolific and dangerous offender, who continued to offend despite being under investigation for numerous serious offences, without any care or thought for the impact this would have on his victims.

“Gleave has shown himself to be a risk to society, targeting a number of vulnerable people during his near three-month rampage, in which he failed to take no for an answer and attacked those who stood up to him.

“I am glad to see that the courts found Gleave guilty of the offences he refused to hold any accountability for, and I hope that the multiple victims his behaviour has affected can breathe a sigh of relief and begin to move on with their lives.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victims in this case, all of whom have been affected by Gleave’s abhorrent actions in different ways, it was their bravery in disclosing what had happened to them that proved so vital in securing this conviction.

“They can rest assured in the knowledge that even when he does face release, he will be continually monitored by specialist officers to ensure he causes no harm or distress to them again.”

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A man has been jailed for eight years for rape.

William Kyaruhanga was handed the sentence at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 11 September.

The 58-year-old, of Belgrave Road, Macclesfield, had been found guilty of one count of rape.

On Saturday 30 December 2023, the adult female victim had been with friends at an address in Congleton. They had been drinking alcohol so she asked if anyone could give her a lift home. Her friend contacted Kyaruhanga, who she knew, to ask if he could take the victim back home.

Kyaruhanga arrived and stayed at the address for a while, and the victim fell asleep next to him on the sofa while her friends went upstairs to sleep.

The victim woke up to Kyaruhanga raping her. She pushed him away before going upstairs to tell her friend what had happened. Kyaruhanga was confronted and left the address. The victim then called police the following day to report the incident and Kyaruhanga was subsequently arrested.

Following an investigation, he was charged and was found guilty after a trial.

Detective Constable Doug Whitfield said:

“I welcome the substantial custodial sentence handed to Kyaruhanga, who tried to deny the offences, but the jury ultimately found him guilty of this despicable crime.

“Kyaruhanga chose to take advantage of a woman who was unable to consent while she was asleep. He clearly had no regard for her welfare or the impact this would have on her going forwards – I hope the conclusion of this case will provide her with some sense of closure.

“I also hope this serves as an example of how seriously we take offences of this nature. We will investigate all reports of sexual offences, with the needs and wishes of the victim as our main priority.”

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A man has been jailed after he admitted raping and sexually abusing a child in Northwich.

Steven Hargreaves appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 12 September where he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison.

The 36-year-old from Northwich, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

During the hearing, the court was told that the case began in June 2025 when the victims’ mother discovered a number of concerning messages from Hargreaves on the victims’ mobile phone.

After speaking to the victim, she revealed that Hargreaves had been sexually abusing and repeatedly raping her over a number of years.

The allegations were reported to detectives from the Public Protection Unit at Northwich and an investigation was launched.

Hargreaves was quickly arrested in relation to the incidents and during questioning he denied sexually abusing or raping the victim.

Despite his denial, he was later charged in relation to the offences, and as a result of the strength of the evidence against him, he pleaded guilty to the charges.

In addition to his prison sentence, Hargreaves was also handed a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Felicity Gregory, who led the investigation said:

“Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the bravery and courage that she has shown throughout this investigation.

“Nobody should have to experience what she has been through, and I hope that the sentence handed to Hargreaves today will provide her with some closure.

“I also hope that the sentence encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

“We treat all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation we receive will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”

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He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The 34-year-old of Rigby Avenue was previously convicted of one count of attempt rape of a girl under 13 following a 6-day trial at Chester Crown Court.

He was also found not guilty of two counts of rape.

Cheshire Police launched an investigation into the abuse in 2021, following a disclosure made by the victim.

The jury heard how McPhee had attempted to rape the victim on a number of occasions, when she was between the age of 9 and 11 years old.

McPhee was investigated and subsequently charged.

Detective Constable Lindsay Wooffitt said:

"Firstly, I would like to commend the victim for the strength and courage she has shown throughout this case, and I hope the sentence handed to McPhee will provide her closure and a chance to move on with her life.

"McPhee is a dangerous individual, who sexually abused a little girl. He showed no remorse throughout the entire investigation, and even made his victim relive the experiences in court.

“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence gathered and the bravery of the victim, the jury were able to see through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions."

DC Wooffitt added:

“As this case shows, Cheshire Constabulary takes any allegation of sexual offences extremely seriously, no matter how long ago they relate to.

“Any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority. Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to.

“They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity for life.”

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A former ordained Church of England priest has been found guilty of multiple counts of indecent assaults on nine women in Sheffield in the 1980s and 1990s.

Chris Brain, 68, has been found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault at Inner London Crown Court on 20 August 2025. He was cleared of a further 15 counts of the same offence. 

Brain became involved in a religious community in the 1980s of which he was considered a leader.

It was at this time that Brain used his position to assault females associated with the religious group.

Brain’s role evolved into leading religious services in a local church which was famously known as the Nine O Clock Service (NOS) due to the fact they were held at 9pm on Sundays.  These services were different from the usual Church of England services due to the musical and media visual aspect of the service which was particularly successful in attracting younger people to them.

International and national attention was drawn to these services to such an extent that Brain was fast tracked to become an ordained priest within the Church of England in 1991.

However, at the same time Brain was using his position and status to indecently assault other women who were recruited into NOS.

South Yorkshire Police first arrested the defendant in April 2021 after the force started to receive allegations about Brain in the previous year and was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in January 2024. 

The police investigation gathered evidence from interviews from victims and statements from witnesses in relation to allegations of non-consensual sexual acts with the defendant.

Julie Moss, Senior Crown Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“Chris Brain abused the trust and power he gained as a religious leader to sexually exploit and abuse young women. He instilled a culture of fear to subjugate and control NOS members into submission and to do his bidding.

“Brain discouraged members of the Nine O Clock service (NOS) from having any contact with family or friends outside of the NOS community to isolate members them and make them susceptible to his control.

“Brain set up a home base team in which he required female members of NOS to assist his household. This assistance included attending upon him in his bedroom before he went to sleep which is when many of the offences occurred. The victims were too scared of being excluded from the religious group to refuse. This became known as the ‘putting to bed ROTA’.

“Brain clearly engaged in controlling behaviour and is a narcissist who subjected his victims to awful and horrendous act of sexual violence. 

“We hope that these convictions help in some part to see justice delivered for the victims.

“We note that the jury could not reach a verdict on some counts, and we will carefully consider a retrial.”

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on four further counts of indecent assault and one count of rape. On 21 August 2025, the jury was discharged. 

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A man has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two children in Cheshire.

Paul Bishop, 43, of the Winsford area, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 21 July, where he admitted eight sexual offences in relation to two victims.

The offences include six offences in relation to one victim and two offences in relation to the second victim. Bishop pleaded guilty to multiple counts of rape, including that of a child under 13, controlling and coercive behaviour and other sexual offences against children.

The abuse took place in the 2000’s and continued for a period of 15 years.

Bishop has since been remanded in custody until Monday 15 September, when he will appear at Chester Crown Court to be sentenced.

Detective Constable Leah Bird, who has been leading on the case, said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the two victims in this case, who have shown an immeasurable amount of bravery and resilience throughout this whole process, despite being faced with the prospect of having to relive their trauma by way of a trial.

"Bishop denied his guilt from the date of his arrest and remained uncooperative to the Police investigation for a number of months. When faced with the evidence in this case, Bishop changed his plea to guilty on the first morning of trial for the horrific crimes that he has committed.

“Nobody should have to experience what Bishop’s victims have been though, although I do hope that they can now start to rebuild their lives, knowing that he is finally being held accountable for his actions, and due to be put behind bars where he belongs.”

Detective Constable Bird added:

“If anything can be achieved from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

“We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

“Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity.”

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A man has been sentenced to more than seven years after sexually abusing a child in Runcorn.

Shaun Ashley, of Cotton Lane, Runcorn, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 17 July.

The 37-year-old was previously found guilty of two counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and one count of engaging in sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15.

The case began in 2021, when the victim reported incidents of sexual assault committed by Ashely on at least three occasions. The incidents took place in the Runcorn area of Cheshire between 2014 and 2021.

Ashley was subsequently arrested and interviewed in relation to the incidents. Following a thorough investigation, he was later charged with multiple offences but denied them. He was found guilty following a trial.

On top of his custodial sentence, Ashely is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must comply with a restraining order protecting the victim in this case. He must also sign the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

A Cheshire Police spokesperson said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the victim in this case for reporting what happened to her and for her subsequent bravery throughout the trial after Ashley refused to admit his heinous crimes.

“But the jury saw through his lies and I hope the fact that he is now subject to a lengthy spell behind bars will give her some sense of closure.

“I also hope it encourages anyone who has been a victim of sexual offences to please contact us. We will investigate all reports thoroughly with the needs and wishes of the victim as our main priority.”

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An "extremely dangerous" predator is facing a long prison sentence after being convicted of raping a child. Daniel Carter was also found guilty of a string of other sexual offences against the victim.

Chester Crown Court was told Carter abused the girl - who was under 13 - over three years. He had denied all the allegations but was found guilty after a four-day trial.

Carter was found guilty by unanimous verdict of 10 counts of child sexual offences, including rape of a child under 13, exposure, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Police began an investigation in November 2022 following a disclosure made by the victim. Carter, aged 28, of no fixed abode but from the Macclesfield area, has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced on September 12.

Following the verdict, Detective Constable Steph Darbyshire said: “Firstly, I want to commend the victim for her bravery and courage shown throughout this investigation and trial. Sadly, there are no winners in this case, however I truly hope this result will provide her closure.

"I would like to thank the victim’s family who have whole-heartedly supported her and the investigation throughout. I would also like to thank my team and all those involved in securing this verdict – an immense amount of work has gone into ensuring the victim and other innocent children are safeguarded from what is an extremely dangerous sexual predator.

“Carter has shown no remorse for the horrific acts of abuse he subjected his victim to, and denied everything throughout the investigation, traumatising his victim further by putting her through a trial.

“Thankfully, the jury were able to see through his lies, and he will finally be held accountable for what he’s done.

“I hope this result will enable the victim to move past this part of her life, with the comfort of knowing Carter will never be able to hurt her again.”

As well as his sentence, Carter has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

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A RAPIST ‘laughed wickedly’ before throwing scalding tea at a woman, leaving her with burns that required hospital treatment.

Kyle Hazeley only stopped with his ‘appalling and cruel’ serious sexual assault as the woman’s tears were ‘putting him off’.

The 34-year-old dad was later convicted of charges of rape, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Having initially denied the charges and other offences, he pleaded guilty to the aforementioned counts on the day of his trial.

These were accepted by the crown, with remaining charges to lie on his file, and his sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court was adjourned to Monday for reports to be prepared.

The offences were all committed in Warrington last year, the court heard from David Birrell, prosecuting.

Hazeley was in the kitchen of an address in the town with the victim. The pair were arguing and the defendant was told to leave, but he refused.

Instead, he asked her for sex a number of times, but she refused and made it clear that she was not interested.

However, Hazeley refused to take no for an answer, grabbing her by the hair, removing her jeans and underwear, and pushing her head down on the cooker, preventing her from moving away.

“She told him to stop and that she did not want to have sex, but this was to no avail,” Mr Birrell said.

It was said that she was crying during the incident and repeatedly told Hazeley to stop, but he ‘laughed wickedly and carried on’.

The court heard that he became rougher each time she told him to stop, that the victim felt that the incident ‘carried on for ages’, and that the defendant only stopped when he said that he ‘couldn’t carry on as her crying was putting him off’.

The assault occasioning actual bodily harm involved him pushing her into the kitchen units and kicking her, causing scratches and bruising.

Kyle Hazeley was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court

In terms of grievous bodily harm, this was caused by Hazeley after he threatened to ‘teach her a lesson’.

He ‘smashed’ her head on kitchen units a number of times, stood over her after she fell to the floor, and said: “Stay on the floor like the dog you are.”

The defendant then boiled the kettle, made himself a cup of tea with sugar in it, did another ‘wicked laugh’ and threw the scalding tea over her.

This caused scalding and burning through her jacket, which she instantly tried to remove, but he stopped her from doing so and ‘pushed the jacket down to make it stick to her skin’.

“He said that she deserved it and that it was not his fault, but hers,” Mr Birrell said, adding that Hazeley stopped her from seeking immediate medical attention.

When she did later attend A&E at Warrington Hospital, a doctor observed her 2” by 3” burn and referred her to the plastic surgery burn clinic at Whiston Hospital.

Here, her wound was cleaned and treated, and she was prescribed antibiotics.

In an impact statement, the victim said that she could not move her arm to brush her hair or have a shower after the tea incident, and that she did not want to go out in case anyone saw her injuries from the assault – or the defendant again.

She said that she was left fearful and anxious, has trouble sleeping still and has flashbacks, and is still uncomfortable when she hears the kettle.

“I feel like my life will not be the same again,” she said.

When Hazeley was arrested by Cheshire Police, he was interviewed twice and answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

Mr Birrell revealed to the court that the defendant has nine previous convictions for 13 offences, with his most recent being for battery in 2009.

The court heard that the offences caused ‘severe psychological harm’ and permanent injury or scarring through the use of a weapon in the boiling tea.

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A PREDATOR sexually abused an underage girl before storing indecent images of her for his 'perverse pleasure', a court has heard.

William Booth, of Northwich, sexually abused the young girl under the age of 10 over a period of around three years up until 2020.

Chester Crown Court has heard how she told no-one what had happened until she told a therapist in the summer of last year. 

Prosecuting, Ember-Jade Wong read a statement by the now teenager about the psychological impact of the sexual abuse and of the trial process.

The statement said: "From the time of the abuse until recently I did not realise what he was doing was abuse."

The statement added: "I had a month off school because I could not cope. I started self-harming to try to cope."

At the time of the arrest, police seized a phone on which there were indecent images of the young girl, including images from a concealed camera of her getting dressed, getting undressed and going to the toilet.

There were also indecent images of another young girl as well as of an adult woman with a dog.

Booth pleaded guilty to voyeurism as well as making and possessing indecent images, but denied charges of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching.

However it took a jury of 12 men and women no longer than an hour to find him guilty following a trial for all of the other offences this year.

Mitigating, Mark Le Brocq said he has no previous convictions and he is no longer a high risk after stopping the sexual abuse several years ago.

Mr Le Brocq said: "There came a time when he asked 'do you like what I am doing?' and she said no.

"He is able to control himself and he has demonstrated this for around five years after the last one."

On Wednesday, July 9, at Chester Crown Court, the 29-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a three-year extended licence period.

Recorder Philip Grundy said he is to be subject to a restraining order, a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders register for life.

Recorder Grundy said: "I considered your manner in court to have sinister undertones."

He added: "You have a preoccupation with sex and you were seeking thrills."

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A RAPIST who attacked a young woman trying to help him on a bridge in Warrington has been jailed.

Rhys Fowler, of Grangemoor in Runcorn, hung his head as he sat in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.

Wearing a grey t-shirt and glasses, the 26-year-old only occasionally looked up to glance at proceedings and the public gallery.

Prosecuting, Frances Willmott told the court that Fowler was found guilty of two counts of rape following his trial in June.

It was heard that in 2017, the then 17-year-old was drunk when he committed the first rape.

His victim told him that she didn’t want to perform an intimate act with him when he told her ‘tough s**t’ and raped her.

The court heard how his victim was pinned down by him as she tried to push him away before he stopped.

Then, on October 15, 2018, Fowler was on a bridge in Warrington when he threatened to commit suicide.

A woman tried to assist Fowler, who had climbed over the bridge and told her not to touch him.

After 10 minutes, the then 19-year-old climbed back before he demanded she give him her hoodie.

Fowler told the young woman she could only have it back if she performed oral sex on him, which she refused.

The victim, who was also a teenager, gave him the hoodie but wasn’t wearing a t-shirt, so was left standing half naked on the bridge before he then proceeded to rape her.

Fowler was later arrested in 2023 after he distributed an indecent image of a child and was found with further indecent images and extreme pornography on his mobile phone.

This included one category A video, 18 category C images and one video, three extreme pornographic images and evidence of 17 prohibited images. These images included children aged between five to 15 years old.

Some images were not accessible to police upon investigation, as Fowler has been attempting to delete them and wipe his phone shortly before his arrest.

Fowler pleaded guilty to distributing, making and possessing indecent images of children, but denied the two counts of rape.

At his trial, Fowler continued to deny the charges but was later found guilty by a jury.

On Friday, the 26-year-old appeared before Liverpool Crown Court once again for his sentencing.

Bravely, an impact statement was read to the court by a victim.

“For a long time, I was angry at myself and felt like I’d let myself down,” she told the court.

“I felt who I had been was stolen from me. I constantly felt dirty and unclean.

“It’s been hard to build a life as normal girls my age have done. I now, as a woman, feel as if that has been taken from me.

“It happened to me, it will never go away.”

Defending, Philip Clemo began by speaking openly to the court that he did not seek to dimmish what a victim had bravely told the court.

He told the court that Fowler displays a level of immaturity, even aged 26, and so his immaturity as a teenager when he committed these offences should be taken into account.

It was also heard that Fowler has been seeking therapy and employment while on remand in custody.

“He is using what is about to happen to him as an opportunity to better himself and come out a better man than when he went in,” said Mr Clemo.

Judge Gary Woodhall spoke of the ‘degradation’ of Fowler’s victim on the bridge in Warrington, and the fact that the victim of the first rape ‘didn’t have time to react’.

It was also noted by Judge Woodhall that Fowler was deemed ‘immature’ at 26, and that therefore he would have been even more so when he committed the offences.

Fowler glanced at the floor as he stood in the dock and was sentenced to a total of six years and five months immediate imprisonment.

The 26-year-old must abide by a sexual harm prevention order until further notice and sign the sex offenders register for life.

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A man has been convicted of raping a woman at a home in Chester.

Paul Rowlands was found guilty of rape and assault by penetration following a trial at Chester Crown Court which concluded on Wednesday 2 July.

The 55-year-old of York Street, Chester, has since been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 24 July where he will be sentenced.

During the trial, the court heard how the victim met Rowlands while she was at a friend’s house in Chester on Wednesday 3 May 2023.

Later that evening, the victim and a friend attended Rowland’s then address, on Saint Anne Street, Chester. The victim later fell asleep on the sofa.

She was woken by Rowlands who had grabbed the collar of her coat to drag her onto the floor.

He then raped and sexually assaulted her multiple times over the course of an hour. He also threatened to kill her unless she was quiet.

The victim managed to free herself from the address and eventually made her way to Chester Railway Station. There, she told two on duty officers what had happened to her.

Rowlands was later arrested on Friday 5 May 2023. During his interview, he stated he couldn’t remember any sexual activity and specifically denied having anal sex with the victim.

However, forensic enquiries later proved otherwise.

Rowlands was subsequently charged with the offences. Despite pleading not guilty, the overwhelming amount of evidence meant he was found guilty on all counts by a jury following a 7-day trial.

Following the verdict, Detective Sergeant Chester Ward said:

“Firstly, I would like to commend the victim for the courage and bravery that she has shown throughout this investigation.

“Rowlands is a sexual predator who took advantage of the victim while she was in a vulnerable and disoriented state, and what he subjected her to was nothing short of sickening.

“While the victim will never be able to forget what happened that night, I hope that the verdict reached will provide her with some reassurance and help her to move forward.”

DS Ward added:

“Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been through and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

“Cheshire Constabulary takes any allegation of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority."