Latest Offenders Cheshire

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A 27-YEAR-OLD man from Cheshire West has been sent to prison for more than eight months after not telling police he was staying at a house with a child.

Stephen Bonnett, of Mayfield Road, Northwich, appeared in Chester Magistrates Court on June 16 after pleading guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements.

Between May 6 and 10, 2022, Bonnett failed to notify police within three days of staying in a household for at least 12 hours where a child lives.

He was also charged with the same offence between May 11 and 14.

Although magistrates took Bonnetts guilty plea into account, he was handed a custodial sentence because of his previous convictions of a similar nature.

Bonnett was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison.

He must pay court costs of 85 and a 156 surcharge.

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A paedophile left his young victim suffering night terrors of a man at the end of her bed after she was sexually assaulted twice.

Stephen Jennings, 39, of The Glen, Runcorn, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday for sentence after three guilty pleas to possessing indecent images and conviction at trial over the two assaults.

Philip Clemo, prosecuting, said Jennings initially groped his victim over clothes.

When she asked him to stop, he refused and assaulted her again. The abuse came to light when the childs mother heard her using inappropriate language, and she then said what had happened.

It was reported to the victims school. In voluntary interview with Cheshire Police, Jennings denied what took place and any sexual interest in children.

That lie was left in tatters when a search of his two phones revealed 10 Category A abuse images - the most serious type and including one of a girl of about 10 years of age in distress being raped, 10 Category B and 178 Category C.

The court heard that at trial an adult witness gave evidence that while having sex with Jennings, he had called her my good little 12-year-old girl and she told him dont say that.

An impact statement from his young victims mother said the little girl suffered psychological symptoms of abuse including night terrors worrying about a man being at the end of the bed.

Mr Clemo said features of the case showing higher levels of harm included the girls extreme youth and her vulnerability.

Jennings had no previous convictions and most recently lived with his parents on The Glen, Runcorn..

Gareth Bellis, defending, pleaded mitigation for the indecent image guilty pleas and urged the judge to consider the principle of totality when considering the overall sentence, with some aggravating features subsumed by others to avoid double counting.

He added a probation report assessed Jennings as a low risk of reoffending and was not suitable for the dangerousness provisions such as an extended sentence.

Mr Bellis said Jennings was hitherto a man of good character who had worked for 20 years.

Recorder Mark Ford sentenced Jennings to four years in prison, and placed him on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the sex offenders register, both for life or until further notice.

Sending Jennings down, Recorder Ford said: It was clear to me from her evidence that she didnt want you to touch her in this way and that her complaints to you didnt prevent you from continuing.

Despite the clarity with which (your victim) expressed herself, despite her young age, you maintained your denial of the conduct as was your right but the explanations you set out to provide rather unravelled during cross examination and the jury duly convicted you.

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A MAN from Middlewich who sexually assaulted a disabled woman on a train has been hauled back to court after breaching requirements of the sex offenders register.

David Baden Kemp, of Manor Fields, failed to comply with notification requirements which make it necessary for him, by law, to sign the register.

The 60-year-old appeared in Crewe Magistrates Court on Tuesday, June 7, to be sentenced for the offence.

He was originally jailed for six months on September 7, 2016, after sexually assaulting a disabled woman on a train near Sandbach.

The Guardian previously reported how Kemp and his victim boarded the same train at Sandbach Station on June 12, 2015.

He then approached the victim in an empty carriage and asked her to move so he could sit next to her.

When she refused, he tried to engage her in conversation. Again, she refused.

Kemp then dropped to his knees in front of her and began running his hand up her leg.

She immediately reported the incident to the train guard, and Kemp was met and arrested by British Transport Police at the next station.

As well as the six-month prison sentence for this offence, Kemp was placed on the register for six years - expiring in September 2022.

Crewe Magistrates Court has now fined him 120 for failing to sign on.

He must also pay 85 in court costs and a 34 victim surcharge.

His guilty plea was taken into account.

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A pervert who downloaded more than 9,000 images of children being abused was spared prison because he has Aspergers.

Kevin Cornes, 35, of Ascot Avenue, Runcorn, reportedly shook with anxiety in the dock for much of the hearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday as he appeared to learn his fate. Paedophile Cornes spoke to confirm he had pleaded guilty at magistrates court on May 6 to three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing an indecent image of a child, the latter charge covering all 9,177 images.

According to Simon Mintz, prosecuting, the making part of the charge refers to the act of downloading. He said police executed a warrant at Corness home on March 30 last year and seized digital devices.

Three devices were significant, showing Cornes had downloaded 1,259 Category A images - the worst type, 1,234 in Category B, and 6,694 Category C, totalling 9,177 images. File names suggested the ages of the children ranged between three and 13 years old.

Mr Mintz said the vast majority were still images and 103 were videos. They were believed to have been downloaded between August 2019 and March 6 last year.

Cornes answered no comment when police interviewed him in January 2022. Mr Mintz said Cornes had a similar conviction from 2015 for making indecent images when he received a three-year community order, which expired in 2018, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to run until 2025.

He said the sentencing range for making Category A images was six months to three years.

Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, approved the revocation of the previous SHPO and replaced it with an updated order covering Corness use of the internet and police access to his devices.

Katy Laverty, defending, said Cornes was a young man who suffers autism and Aspergers, which she said explained part of the offending behaviour, which was of a repetitive nature.

She argued her client should be spared an immediate prison sentence.

Ms Laverty said: He doesnt seek to minimise his actions or place blame elsewhere.

Hes ashamed of what hes done and wants to change.

She said Cornes said he had been traumatised by personal experiences during his life and now felt he had opened up about these, and was fully motivated to comply with whatever probation asked of him because he understands this is a last opportunity.

Ms Laverty added Cornes had abstained from alcohol, had a number of difficulties including depression and anxiety and had attempted to take his own life.

He was also absolutely terrified of prison.

Recorder Everett said the court faced a difficult sentencing exercise.

He branded abuse images a terrible thing, but said a short prison sentence wouldnt mitigate any longer term risk posed to the public by Cornes.

With reference to a probation report and the guidelines for custodial and community sentences, he concluded there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

He said he accepted Cornes had a very troubling history both by you and against you, and that to an extent due to his Asperger's, Cornes did not have the same kind of control as people who dont suffer it.

The judge sentenced Cornes to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He also ordered the 35-year-old to complete up to 60 days of rehabilitation, the maximum available, including the Horizon sex offender programme, alongside a 10-year SHPO and 10 years on the sex offender register.

Recorder Everett said: The pre-sentence report shows a very troubling history, both by you and against you, but most particularly the fact that you suffer with Aspergers and Im well aware of what that means and Im well aware of the issues that causes.

Commenting on the charges, Recorder Everett said abuse victims in the images, if they lived, will have been scarred for life.

He said some perpetrators resort to killing their child victims to get rid of the evidence.

He said: These images are images of children who have been sexually abused, nothing more nothing less, God knows when or where, anywhere in the world, placed on the internet for people like you, sadly, to access them.

No-one can pretend that the people committed these terrible offences wont go on and commit them anyway because sadly people who do these things have distorted views of what a normal person should do.

But when people like you download (them), what you do is provide ready access for people to see this terrible abuse and unfortunately you give encouragement to people who do these things.

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A serial sex offender who recorded himself sexually assaulting a toddler was caught out by police who recognised his tattoos.

Peter Neilds attacks on the little girl came to light after police found a phone hidden in the headrest of a chair in his Little Sutton home and matched his tattoos to those captured in the video. Officers had gone to arrest him on suspicion of downloading indecent images from the internet but were faced with vile footage of Neild himself carrying out abuse.

The 50-year-old, who told police "I need help, I cannot continue like this", was labelled a danger to children as a judge jailed him at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this week. At a hearing earlier in May, Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said police raided his home on January 27 this year because they believed he had downloaded indecent images of children from the internet.

Yet when they searched his home and found the phone hidden in the headrest they discovered horrific images of Neild carrying out abuse himself. Mr Dillon said: His device was reviewed and two video clips were identified showing a male offender committing a contact sexual offence with a small toddler. All that could be seen of the offender was his hand and wrist but there were tattoos visible that were identical to those of the defendant.

Officers have since been able to identify the child and she and her family are being supported by social services. Neild was also sentenced for an earlier set of offences committed when he was living in Southport.

In 2018, Neild messaged a member of UK Justice, a paedophile vigilante group, who was posing as a young girl online. Neild messaged the account numerous times, becoming increasingly sexual and aggressive in the way he spoke to her, asking her to send him pictures of herself masturbating.

Describing the messages sent by Neild, Judge Gary Woodhall said: They are graphic, they are aggressive and they are bullying. Eventually, Neild invited the girl to Southport, where he was living at the time, where he said he would meet her off the train.

Rebecca Smith, defending, said Neild, who has previously received jail terms for sexual offences including rape, unlawful sexual contact with a child and sexual assault of a child, realised he had committed yet more extremely disturbing sexual offences. She said: In his own words, the ones he spoke to the officer during his interview, I need to get help, I cannot continue like this. He knows this is criminal behaviour and it will not be tolerated.

Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Gary Woodhall judged Neild to be a dangerous offender and handed him an extended sentence. Neild, of Chester Road, Little Sutton, was jailed for 10 years and 10 months, with a further five years on extended licence.

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A MAN from Alderley Edge described as 'a dangerous predator' has been found guilty of rape following a trial at Chester Crown Court.

Daniel Exley, of Beech Close, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years by Recorder Simon Killeen on Friday, May 6.

The 37-year-old had been found guilty of two counts the previous day.

He had taken advantage of a 26-year-old woman who, at the time of the offences, was described as being in a state of vulnerability.

However, rather than admit to his crimes, Exley denied assaulting the woman and raping her.

The victim has been praised by the police officer who led the investigation for her courage in providing evidence that led to Exley's downfall.

As well as being handed a 90-month prison sentence, Exley must also sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

The horrific incidents happened between June 26 and 29, 2020.

The court also imposed an indefinite restraining order, barring Exley from contacting the woman in any way whatsoever.

Detective constable Catherine Hudson, who led the investigation, said: "Exley is a dangerous predator who took advantage of the woman at a time of vulnerability.

"The fact that he made his victim endure a trial and recount what he did to her was extremely distressing, but thanks to the bravery and courage that she has shown, Exley is now behind bars.

"The sentence handed to him reflects the severity of his crimes and I hope that this conviction sends a clear message that Cheshire Police takes all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and will do all that we can to bring offenders to justice."

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Louise Smith, 42, formally of Cheshire, was jailed for 11 years after pleading guilty to 12 counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to commit a sexual act.

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A paedophile from Runcorn who took pictures of himself raping a baby received a life sentence at Chester Crown Court yesterday for his "despicable" crimes. Gareth Andrew Davis, 43, of Ashridge Street, Runcorn, was caught after 512 child abuse images were discovered in a Google account in his name by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The judge handed down the sentence described it as the most serious case he had dealt with in 40 years. Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, told the court that NCA investigators suspected that Davis himself featured among the images, which lead to a warrant being executed at Davis' home. Following his arrest, it was established that some of the images showed Davis abusing a baby.

A photograph Davis had covertly taken of a naked child on a beach in North Wales was also found amongst the images. Some images had been shared with a male in the North East, and Davis had also discussed abuse in an online chat room.

Davis had also taken over 600 images of himself simulating sexual abuse with a child's baby doll, including some images of Davis with his hand round the neck simulating strangulation. These pictures were referred to as evidence of an additional "violent" risk posed by Davis.

In December, Davis pled guilty to to rape of a child under 13, sexual assault by penetration of a child under 13, and three counts of making indecent images: 36 of the most heinous type, Category A, 382 Category B and 94 Category C images. A further five counts were ordered to lie on file.

Judge Steven Everett, Recorder of Chester, compared the case with that of former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins, who was convicted of abuse in 2014. Watkins was handed a 35-year sentence, 29 years in prison plus six on extended licence.

Davis had no previous convictions, but Judge Everett said this could not be used as mitigation as he had used his supposed good character as means to have access to commit abuse. He said that Daviss troubling images of himself simulating strangulation meant alarm bells are truly ringing.

He told the court: They cause me real concern, not just of a sexual nature, a sexual nature is bad enough, but real concern that hes a double danger in that regard.

He opted not to impose a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) because of the long time Davis would inevitably serve in prison and on life licence. The judge told the court that psychiatric and probation reports found Davis had no mental illness as medically defined.

Instead, Davis had sought to minimise his vile acts and claimed Covid-19 lockdown isolation left feeling lonely and keen to comply with requests from other sick individuals. Judge Everett dismissed that as arrant nonsense", reminding the court that the crimes began prior to the pandemic.

Paul Becker, appearing on behalf of the defence, said he did not want the public gallery to think Im in any way condoning what occurred which are disgraceful and wicked offences to a very young baby, and said it would be ludicrous to argue Davis should not be classed as dangerous following his horrendous crimes.

He argued mitigation for Davis's early guilty pleas, lack of previous convictions, work history and feelings of humiliation, worthlessness and some remorse.

Mr Becker said the risk posed to the public by David would reduce while he was in custody.

He said: The defendant in custody has gained some education, maths and English.

He holds a trusted position as a mentor, hes working as a wing cleaner, hes gone on a mental health course to address emotions and anxiety.

The judge said a life sentence was wholly inevitable.

Judge Everett passed a life sentence, comprising a 27-year prison term with life licence - which enables Davis' recall to prison if he breaches his release conditions.

Sentencing Davis, he said: What youve pleaded guilty to is the most serious case Ive had to deal with concerning serious sexual offences.

Its the most serious case Ive dealt with in 40 years or more as a solicitor, barrister and then judge.

Ive not come across a case as serious as this. Its of the extremist seriousness. Its depraved, disgusting, despicable. I could go on.

Its difficult in fact to describe just how bad this case is and what a terrible effect its had on so many people.

He added: You got caught fortunately because Ive no doubt had you not been caught you would have continued to be an extreme danger to children, (a victim) and others.

You should understand that some of the matters you put forward to the psychiatrist and probation officer, I utterly reject.

Commenting on Daviss potential for violence, Judge Everett said: You harboured those terrible views towards young children and Im satisfied you harbour not just views of a sexual nature but of an extremely violent nature including murder.

Im quite satisfied you harbour those views.

These views came out in an awful way.

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Richard Young was 'actively involved in supervising children' when he shouldn't have been

A chef with a dark secret befriended families and supervised their children despite being a convicted sex offender. Richard Young even failed to tell his new partner about his perverted past and moved to Wrexham without informing the police.

The 42-year-old of Stoneley Road in Crewe appeared before Judge Rhys Rowlands at Mold Crown Court after being handed a suspended sentence in July 2018 for committing an act of voyeurism against a young girl. Prosecutor, Anna Price said he had filmed the youngster showering with the use of a small camera hidden in a toothpaste packet.

A 10-year sexual harm prevention order was also imposed with conditions to inform police if he changed his address. It was only last October when concerns about his safefy were reported to officers that it came to light he was no longer living in Cheshire as they believed.

Instead, he had set up a new home in Wrexham. The court heard how he had signed a tenancy agreement on a property back in March 2020 and had been living with a new partner and her young son.

Ms Price said that his partner wasn't aware of his past, believing he was on a court order for domestic violence. The judge said he was a man "who has people believe what he wants them to".

His new home was on an estate which was described as being a "very close-knit community." People would socialise together at birthdays and barbeques and the local children would play.

The court heard young girls would play at Young's house despite him being banned from having unsupervised contact with any girl under the age of 16. Young even had a pool set up in the garden during the summer months and was "actively involved in supervising the children", Ms Price said.

None of the parents on the estate knew about Young's past and said they wouldn't have let their children "anywhere near him" if they had. One of the mums she was "furious" he felt able to integrate himself into their lives and felt "physically sick" having allowed him to have contact with her young daughter.

When Young was arrested at his workplace on November 2 last year, the police found that he had two mobile phones and a laptop that he hadn't declared to them.

Defending Young, Henry Hills, said his client was "under no illusion" that his offences will land him in custody. He said that, in his desire to "live a different life", Young got "too deep" and felt unable to tell anyone the truth the longer his lies went on.

However, Mr Hills wanted the court to acknowledge that no direct harm was caused to any young child. He said that his client has "learned a valuable lesson" and "will not repeat this behaviour".

Jailing Young for 14 months, judge Rowlands said prison was the only option as Young showed he was "quite prepared" to ignore court orders. He added: "Neither your partner at the time, nor the parents knew anything of your past.

"Your behaviour overall was a calculated and deliberate attempt to evade the terms of the court orders that imposed restrictions you weren't prepared to accept."

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Joshua Corless, who has been caged for 13 years, offered to take the 19-year-old woman home before carrying out a sickening attack.

A predator who took an unwell woman home after a night out went on to subject her to a horrendous sexual assault.

Joshua Corless met up with the group on a night out in 2020 and then raped the defenceless 19-year-old in her own home. The brute offered to take his victim back to her house after she had become extremely unwell.

Corless, offered to walk with the victim, going to her home address before carrying out his despicable attack. The victim reported the incident to police and Corless was arrested and charged with rape.

He initially denied the charge, only changing his plea after the woman went through the trauma of giving evidence in court, according to Lancashire Live.

Corless, from Widnes, has now been jailed for 13 years for the rape and other offences committed in Cheshire.

He has also been made subject of notification requirements - informally known as the sex offenders register - for life.

Det Sgt Diane Higham, of Lancashire Police, said: Joshua Corless is a sexual predator who targeted his victim, exploiting her vulnerable nature for his own depraved ends.

He pursued her, playing on the fact she was unwell to commit a horrendous sex attack.

I must thank the victim for her bravery in reporting the offences and facing her abuser through the court process.

I also wish to place on record my thanks to the investigating officer Det Con Kieran Helps, who fully supported the victim throughout.

This investigation highlights our commitment to preventing and detecting offences of rape and serious sexual assault.

We want victims to feel confident that they will be treated with compassion and that we will do everything possible to trace those responsible and take action against them.

Id like to offer reassurance that any reports of sexual offences, new or old, will be dealt with sensitively, thoroughly and professionally, with the interests of the victims and their families being our priority.

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A disgraceful child abuser preyed on a sleeping boy in a tent.

Michael Cullen, now 36, of Catherine Street, Widnes, faced justice on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court after jurors convicted him at trial on March 10 of one count of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one of incitement.

Henry Riding, prosecuting, said Cullen had displayed elements of planning and grooming behaviour before abusing the young teenager.

Judge David Swinnerton said that during the day before the offences, Cullen had indulged in behaviour of a type that were it to have happened between two people of the same age one might describe as flirtation.

This was namely spraying water at the boys groin, drawing a dog on his thigh, and stroking his leg with his foot.

He said Cullen had woken his victim while he was sleeping in a tent, touched him under clothes and coaxed the boy to do the same to him.

Cullens victim felt like he was having an anxiety attack and zipped his sleeping bag back up.

Mr Riding said the boy had provided two impact statements but did not want them to be read out in court.

Judge Swinnerton confirmed he had read them and the victim said the abuse had a significant impact on him, and the boy had struggled to sleep and his relationships had been affected.

Carmel Wilde, defending, said there had been no long-term grooming and no drink, drugs or luring, and although there was a disparity in age, she called it not a gross disparity - a claim later rejected by the judge.

She urged the judge to consider that Cullen had no previous convictions and showed willing to engage in the Horizon sex offender programme, adding he remained in denial.

Ms Wilde said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and said references had been submitted to the court describing positives in Cullens character, suggesting a suspended sentence with rehabilitation could serve the public interest.

She said there had been threats in connection with the case, including that Cullen would be killed if he was imprisoned.

Judge Swinnerton sentenced Cullen to three years in prison and placed him on the sex offenders register for life alongside a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order.

Branding the abuse disgraceful, he said: There was undoubtedly a significant disparity in your ages and there are elements of planning and grooming.

Cullen must also pay a statutory victim surcharge.

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A CONVICTED rapist from Chester tried to contact his victim weeks after being released from prison.

Neil James Shaw, 37, previously of Blacon, was jailed for eight years and told to sign the sex offenders' register for life after being found guilty of rape in June 2018.

He was released from prison in December 2021, to serve the remainder of his sentence out on licence, but within weeks he had tried to contact his victim by sending her a friend request on Facebook on February 4, Chester Crown Court heard on Thursday, April 14.

That put Shaw, who had been staying in London Road, Sandbach, in breach of an indefinite restraining order which prevented him from contacting his victim.

Judge Patrick Thompson jailed Shaw for 18 months, after Shaw admitted the breach.

Shaw had previously been convicted by a Chester Crown Court jury of rape, common assault, putting a person in fear of violence and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour. He had also breached a restraining order then.

Shaw raped his victim by refusing to stop during consensual sex despite the victim becoming upset and telling him no and to stop. After the rape he allegedly told her: Its not rape if its your bird.

After the 2018 conviction, the victim said: If people read this article and are going through what I went through, I hope it gives them the strength to come forward. People will believe you.

Nobody should make you feel that low about yourself when they are in the wrong. If I have saved one person by them reading this then thats more than enough for me.

At Chester Crown Court this month, a statement from the victim told of the impact at receiving the friend request on Facebook, and how she feared Shaw would subsequently visit her home.

Detective Constable Kelly Birch from Chester CID said: I welcome the sentence handed to Shaw and I hope that it acts as a warning to others.

Shaw was well aware of the restrictions against him yet despite this he still tried to contact his victim via Facebook, causing her further unnecessary distress and anxiety.

Thankfully the victim had the courage to come forward and report the breach to police, and as a result Shaw is now back behind bars.

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A MAN from Cheshire who sexually assaulted a sleeping child and shared indecent images he had taken online has been jailed for four years and four months.

Craig Crowther, 31, was identified by National Crime Agency investigators as username craggy2014 who, on numerous occasions, discussed his sexual interest in children with who he believed were other paedophiles online.

In May 2020, Crowther, of Tilstone Close, Northwich, told an undercover police officer posing as another user that he likes to get involved with children, and had access to a child who he had sexually abused.

Frances Willmott, prosecuting in Chester Crown Court today, April 14, said he even shared indecent images of the child in order to get accepted into an online paedophile group.

The court heard how on July 15, 2020, he had conversations with an undercover FBI officer and shared 10 images of children, even encouraging the officer, who he believed was another user, to take pictures of a child and send them to him.

Crowther bragged he had taken a sexually explicit photo of a sleeping child who he had sexually assaulted and also admitted to videoing the child but then deleting it immediately, knowing it was wrong.

Crowther was arrested in July 2021 where 56 indecent images of children were found on his phone between categories A and C, including some of him sexually assaulting a child.

When NCA officers arrested Crowther, he made a number of comments including, my life is over, nobody knows, Ive been expecting you, I know what Ive done and what Ive been on and I got no sexual gratification from it.

He was charged with three counts of assault of a child under 13 by touching, three counts of making indecent images of a child (ranging from category A-C), two counts of taking indecent images (category B and C) and two counts of distributing category C indecent images.

Crowther pleaded guilty to all the charges on February 11 this year at Chester Magistrates Court.

Defending, Brian Treadwell, told the court his client did express remorse for his actions and accepted full responsibility.

Crowther was sentenced to four years and four months in prison at Chester Crown Court today, April 14.

Once released, he will remain on licence for four years, as well as being subject to a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Sentencing, Judge Patrick Thompson said: You made it clear in conversations that you have an unhealthy interest in young children.

He added that his explanations for his behaviour in his pre-sentence report were full of denial, one of those being that he only shared images online to catch out other paedophiles - a claim which the judge dismissed.

It seems to me that you are not prepared to accept the reality that you are a paedophile, Judge Thompson told him.

I am afraid children must be protected from men like you.

NCA investigations manager Hazel Stewart said: Craig Crowthers crimes were despicable, and our intervention helped safeguard children.

He was prepared to share explicit images of his victim to like-minded individuals online, bragging about his abuse to gain their respect.

His actions were callous beyond belief and by his own admission, he knew exactly what he was doing.

The NCA works to protect those affected by child sexual abuse and disrupt offenders who pose a sexual threat to children, ensuring they face justice.

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A man has been jailed after he was found guilty of a serious sexual offence against a child under five years old

At his trial on 31st January 2022, David Shaw formerly of Winsford but more recently Crewe was found guilty of committing a serious sexual offence against a young person known to him.

At Chester Crown Court he was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment

A sexual harm prevention order was put in place to prevent him from engaging in a particular activity which includes:

- Having any unsupervised access to any child aged under 16

- Must not live in the same household as a child aged under 16 without written approval from childrens social services

- Conditions not to have any contact with the victim

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A 25-YEAR-OLD man from Ellesmere Port has been jailed after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order by possessing indecent images of children.

Neil Webb, of Bruera Road, Ellesmere Port, was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, March 8.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to two sexual harm breaches and breaching his suspended sentence.

Webb was previously convicted of possessing and making indecent images of children at Cheshire Magistrates Court on February 12, 2021 and sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

He was also subjected to the notification requirements of the Sex Offender Register and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DS Keith Campbell said: As a registered sex offender Webb was required to adhere to a number of conditions to deter him from reoffending. An officer allocated to monitoring him visited his home address on June 25 to ensure he was keeping to his conditions.

"Following a check of his mobile phone, she discovered it was on private browsing mode which masked his internet history - a breach of his prevention order.

The officer then checked the device, and no indecent images of children were found. But on further scrutiny of the phone, the officer discovered there were in excess of 350 bookmarked URLs (or web addresses). These related to category C indecent images of children.

On February 2, a warrant was executed at Webbs home address and a further phone, which was not registered with the police, was seized from him. This was found to contain 198 images indicative of indecent images of children.

DS Keith Campbell said: This shows the effectiveness of monitoring offenders who are subject to Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and highlights the consequences of not adhering to the conditions.

I hope it reassures people that we do carefully monitor registered sex offenders in the community and take action when a breach is discovered.