Latest Offenders Cheshire

Description

A 58-year-old who indecently exposed himself in front of children playing in woods has been jailed.

On Saturday (March 9), Alan Mercer asked girls to stand guard while he went to urinate.

Having then told the victims he had finished, they turned around to find Mercer with his trousers around his ankles in the area close to Lockeyer Park in Burnley.

Following CCTV enquiries, police arrested Mercer a day later.

He was charged with exposure on Monday this week and appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Mercer, formerly of Astley Street, Dukinfield, was jailed for 26 weeks and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We do not tolerate behaviour of this nature and we will do everything in our power to identify the offender and put them before the courts.”

Description

An Ellesmere Port paedophile who continued to download indecent images of children while on police bail has been jailed.

Mark Donaghey, 58, of Elaine Close, Great Sutton, pleaded guilty to two sets of downloading and possessing indecent images, which Chester Crown Court heard included children as young as 18 months.

Appearing at the court, sitting at Chester Magistrates Court, for sentencing on Tuesday, March 13, Donaghey received an extended prison sentence as Judge Patrick Thompson said he posed a "very high risk" to members of the public, particularly children.

Prosecuting, Nadeem Nemat said Donaghey had originally been arrested in February 2023 on suspicion of downloading indecent images, putting him in breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He gave a 'no comment' police interview and was bailed.

While on bail, Donaghey continued to acquire indecent images and was rearrested and charged.

The court heard it was accepted there was some time overlap between the two sets of indecent images cases, and they had been obtained between March 2018 and October 2023.

Computers and laptops were seized, and among them were several hard drives.

Analysis of the devices after the first arrest showed 944 indecent images of children assessed as the most serious category, category A, plus six category A videos. There were also 840 category B images and 4,907 category C images, as well as 142 prohibited images of a child. One category B image was of an 18-month-old child.

There was also evidence Donaghey had used internet search terms to seek the indecent images online.

Analysis of a second set of devices after Donaghey was rearrested showed 583 indecent images and 22 videos assessed as category A, 459 images assessed as category B, plus 914 images and two videos assessed as category C. There were also eight prohibited images of children.

Donaghey had previously been jailed for 18 months in 2002 for attempted gross indecency with a child. In 2005, he was handed an extended sentence of five years plus five years for engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child aged 13 or under, as well as outraging public decency.

A report from probation said Donaghey was a "very high risk" of serious sexual harm.

Defending, Peter Barnett said the best mitigation that could be put forward for Donaghey were his prompt guilty pleas, for which he was entitled to full credit from his sentence.

The defendant showed "self-inflicted destruction" with his behaviour.

Judge Thompson told the defendant: "It is clear to me you have a very unhealthy sexual interest in children."

Donaghey was sentenced to three years in prison for which he must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible for parole plus two years extended licence.

He was handed a new life-long SHPO and he was deprived of all the seized devices.

Description

An abstract artist who molested a schoolgirl after inviting her to his studio to see his work and plying her with cider has been jailed. 

Ralph McGaul, then 36, admitted to sexually abusing the 14-year-old on four occasions over a three-month period in 2020.

The artist took advantage of the teenager, who said she 'sometimes doesn't recognise herself anymore' after the abuse, on a picnic and at his arts studio in Bollington, near Macclesfield.

The sex offender also spoke to her about them eloping to Cornwall where he said they would go surfing and then have 'hot steamy sex' in his tent.  

After McGaul got back together with his long-term partner, he declined to see the girl anymore and when she asked why, he messaged her: 'I'm sorry for what happened and the things I have done and how I treated you. I'm ashamed of myself.'

McGaul was eventually reported to police and was arrested in February 2022.

The girl, now 18, told police how she gets 'intrusive thoughts' about McGaul which leave her feeling 'upset and disgust'. 

In a statement to police, the victim said: 'I try really hard not to think about what happened and the man who did it to me, but I often get intrusive thoughts about him and when I do, I get an overriding feeling of upset and disgust.

'It is these same feelings that leave me unable to behave normally or carry on. I am left completely deflated, experiencing feelings of dread and I withdraw into myself, away from those that I love.

'I often don't seem to have the energy for anything else, I struggle to engage with others to maintain conversations with family, friends, I can't concentrate on work, or school. 

'Because of this, I have had to take time out from school and work, unable to dictate my own routine and schedule because of what happened.'

She added: 'These events have completely changed my ability to be around people.  

'I'm normally an outgoing, bubbly, conversational person, yet often I have found myself wanting to be alone, withdraw and push people away. I sometimes don't even recognise myself anymore

'There is an overwhelming sense of disassociation from myself as an individual and everything going on around me. 

'I feel as though I have been transformed into a new person, someone who I do not always recognise, sometimes a complete stranger from the girl I once was before this all happened.

'I used to be confident and independent when out alone in public, but now I find myself thinking twice about everything I do and how people behave around me.

'Even in broad daylight I am anxious and hypervigilant of everyone. I find myself attempting to anticipate what their intentions are, predicting the worst in some cases.

'I feel estranged from the idea of safety in some cases, a feeling I never had prior to all that happened. 

'I have had multiple nightmares about the event and what he did and what he might have done if I had never spoken up.'

At Chester Crown Court, McGaul now 40, who studied art in Brighton and Barcelona was locked up for five years and four months after he was convicted of sexual assault. 

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely and was banned from contacting the girl under the terms of a restraining order.

He admitted four charges of sexual activity with a child but denied having sexual intercourse with her. He was cleared of rape and a sexual grooming offence.

The pair became close after originally meeting in December 2018, by chance whilst cycling.

Prosecutor Mr Matthew Dunford said. 'She described an occasion when the two of them had been out for a picnic and were laying down outside.

'She described that he began to spoon her and she asked him what he was doing. He said he could not help it and tried to ignore him and she felt she could not just get up and leave as she was, as she put it, "in the middle of nowhere".

'She described other occasions where the defendant had spoken to her about moving with her to Cornwall. 

'He said that after surfing they could go into their tent and have hot steamy sex. The defendant went on to say to her that he saw her as more than just a friend.

'For her part, she told him that she saw him as a really good friend. She told him that she was 14.'

The prosecutor added: 'There was an occasion in June 2020 when she had gone to his shed where he was living at the time. During the day, he had shown her how to carry out screen printing and she ended up staying for tea.

'But he gave her some cider to drink and she described how it made her feel quite dizzy. Afterwards, she describes being sat on the bed when he started to touch her and she says she did not know how to tell him to stop.

'He began taking his clothes off and not knowing how to leave the situation, she went along with it. She describes feeling like she was frozen and described that she did not know how to say no.'

'Some time after this, she describes becoming aware that the defendant had got back with his partner and she says that that made her feel confused. She messaged the defendant setting out how she felt.

'She said to start with she had blamed herself for what happened, but as time had gone by, she realised it had not been her fault. 

'The defendant replied saying he was sorry for what had happened - for the things he had done and how he had treated her. He said he was ashamed of himself.'

Police arrested McGaul in February 2022 but he gave no comment in the police interview.

His counsel Mark Ford KC, said: 'In the months leading up to when the offences took place, his relationship with his partner had broken down and the defendant was effectively disconnected from the services that previously provided stability in his life.

'Their chance meeting had profound consequences for them both. As the evidence of messages on social media make clear, the complainant was keen to accompany the defendant and without having any preconceived notion as to where the meeting was likely to lead, he found himself falling in love with the victim.

'She was an intelligent and articulate young woman.

'She was interested in all the things that the defendant was interested in, the outdoor life, music and art. 

'The defendant became utterly smitten with her as is often the case when someone's emotions are caught up in the delirium of romantic love.

'Illogical or hopeless as it may seem, people in this situation may believe their feelings are reciprocated. Mr McGaul certainly did.'

At the sentencing, the judge Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told said: 'It has been put forward on your behalf that your actions were illogical and foolish and ultimately damaging but it was based on the self delusion that there was or could be a relationship between yourself and the victim.

'She was 14 and you were 36 and as you rightly acknowledge in your course of self analysis and demonstration of remorse you were the adult and you should have known better.'

Description

A man from Crewe has been jailed after he admitted engaging in sexual activity with children.

Andrew Cork appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 1 March where he was sentenced to 11-years in prison.

The 53-year-old, of Verdin Court, Leighton, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity (no penetration) and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted one count of possession of indecent images of children and three counts of making indecent images of children.

The case against Cork began in May 2022 when officers from Norfolk Police contacted Cheshire Police to report that a man had been engaging in sexual communications with a 9-year-old child in Norfolk.

The man had been using a mobile telephone number which placed him in the Crewe area.

The investigation was undertaken by the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Cheshire Police and following further enquiries officers identified Cork as the suspect.

A warrant was conducted at his home on Thursday 14 July and Cork was arrested. Several electronic devices were also seized, including a laptop and two mobile phones.

During questioning Cork admitted that he had been engaging in sexually explicit communications with the child in Norfolk, he also told officers that there were indecent images of children on his devices although he denied being sexually attracted to children.

Cork was subsequently released on bail while further enquiries were undertaken, including analysis of all his electronic devices.

During the analyses officers discovered over 300 indecent images of children and more than 60 sexually explicit videos of children. Officers also discovered that he had also been engaging in sexual communications with an 11-year-old child in Birmingham.

Cork was later charged in relation to all the offences.

Description

A man found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Crewe has been jailed for eight years.

Brandon Bentley appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February where he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register and handed an indefinite restraining order against the victim.

The 26-year-old, who at the time lived at an address in Crewe, had previously been found guilty two counts of sexual assault, attempt rape, and digital penetration.

During the trial the court heard how Bentley had asked the victim if she wanted to go out with him on the evening of Sunday 14 November 2021.

They sat in his car until the early hours of the morning before the victim became tired and asked to go home.

She got out of the car and headed towards her front door but Bentley followed her. She tried to close the door, but he pushed his way through, grabbed her and tried to kiss her.

Bentley then pushed the victim onto the bed, and as she pleaded with him to stop, he sexually assaulted her.

Before leaving the address, Bentley pushed the victim against the wall and sexually assaulted her again.

Following questioning, he was charged with attempt rape, two counts of sexual assault, and causing a female to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

Description

A man has been jailed after secretly filming women and children for his own gratification.

Ryan Beaumont appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February where he was sentenced to three years in prison for 21 offences, including upskirting, voyeurism, and taking and possessing indecent images of children. 

The 38-year-old, from Hartford, previously pleaded guilty to all charges, which involved nine child victims and 10 adult victims.

Cheshire Police were first contacted in June 2021 after Beaumont was reported for upskirting a woman while at an address working as a mobile mechanic.

He was subsequently arrested, and his electronic devices were seized and sent off for forensic examination.

During subsequent interviews, Beaumont made a full admission to his offending, even stating he would hide cameras in the bathroom and spare room at his home address to try and capture people getting changed and using the toilet.

Beaumont stated he got an adrenaline rush from obtaining footage without the victims’ knowledge. He told officers his offending had progressed to the point where he would keep his phone on record at all times and film whenever he saw an opportunity.

He was later charged with seven counts of taking category C images, one count of possessing category C images, one count of possessing category B images, eight counts of voyeurism, and four counts of upskirting.

On top of his custodial sentence, Beaumont is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

He is also banned from working with children and banned from owning a mobile phone with a camera.

Description

A PREDATOR has been hauled back to court for offences relating to his obligation to sign the sex offender register.

Harjit Singh was ordered to abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements after being jailed for more than six years back in October 2016.

The attempted rapist who also sexually assaulted other victims, now aged 53 and of Runcorn, appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court recently to be sentenced.

This came after he admitted at an earlier hearing to failing to comply with his notification requirements.

Details of the failure to comply were outlined to the court by Michael O’Kane, representing the prosecution, who said that the offence was committed in Runcorn in August last year.

The defendant failed without reasonable excuse to complete his annual registration.

This was mandatory after he was convicted in September 2016 of a sole count of attempted rape and two charges each of sexual assault and failure to surrender to bail.

In July 2016, Singh followed a woman with Down’s Syndrome to her home in Hounslow, London, before attempting to rape her.

After a day out, she boarded a bus in Hounslow, on which the defendant was also a passenger.

When the victim got off the bus, Singh followed her into a block of flats, and while she took the lift, he took the stairs and ambushed her as she opened her front door.

Singh forcefully pushed her inside, forced her into a bedroom and attempted to rape her.

Unable to carry out the attack, he fell asleep, which gave the victim a chance to escape and alert her neighbours to what had happened.

The police were called and Singh was arrested at the scene and charged two days later.

In October 2016, he was sentenced to six years behind bars, on top of a three-month prison sentence in relation to two counts of sexual assault on two women following an incident in April 2015 at Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London.

Singh had previously pleaded guilty to these offences but failed to appear for sentencing.

For his sex offender register offence, magistrates referenced that this is a serious offence that can only appropriately receive a custodial sentence.

They highlighted that he demonstrated a ‘wilful neglect’.

However, they took his guilty plea into account and concluded that because he was deemed to be a ‘real prospect for rehabilitation’, they could suspend the sentence.

Singh, of Allen Road in Runcorn, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £154, with his sex offender register requirements continuing.

Speaking after he was jailed for the attempted rape, DC David Fall, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “I am pleased with the sentence that has been handed down, and even more satisfied that Singh will no longer be on the streets of London, where he clearly poses a risk to the public.

“Singh is a predator who targeted a lone and vulnerable woman in broad daylight, and he displayed a sense of arrogance as he carried out his attack without fear of being caught.

“The victim has been supported throughout the investigation by specialist officers and she has shown an immense level of bravery.

“I would like to place on record the courage she has shown throughout the investigation.”

Description

A mechanic from Cheshire who created and moderated sites dedicated to child sexual abuse on the dark web has been jailed for 16 years.

Nathan Bake, 28, is one of three UK-based moderators of a site called ‘The Annex’ who were identified by the National Crime Agency, as part of an investigation targeting those behind the site.

The Annex, which is no longer active, had around 90,000 global members who used it to share and discuss some of the most extreme kinds of abuse material, involving ‘hurtcore’ and the sexual abuse of babies and toddlers.

As the head moderator, Bake was second in command of the entire site, which was run by an American man, who was sentenced to life in prison in the US in January.

Bake was responsible for managing around 30 staff members, and worked with them to enforce the site’s rules and ensure it continued to run smoothly.

Two such staff members were Kabir Garg, a psychiatrist from London, and a 48-year-old man from Eastbourne, who will be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court next week. The pair were also moderators and sat just below Bake in the site’s hierarchy. Garg was jailed for six years last year.

New users of The Annex would first be held in the ‘gateway’ where they would have to impress and gain the trust of the site’s administrators by posting a certain amount of abuse material, before being granted access to the wider site.

Bake and the other moderators would advise members on techniques to evade law enforcement detection, and encourage them to keep the site busy by sharing links to child abuse content.

In one post recovered by the NCA, Bake said: ‘Come on people, Show us what you’ve got for HAPPY HOUR. Show us the boys and girls that turn you on the most’.

NCA officers arrested Bake at his home in Runcorn in November 2022 and seized a number of devices, including laptops, phones, USBs and external hard drives. One laptop was running, with the TOR dark web browser in use and indecent images of children on the screen.

Officers gathered evidence from his devices which proved Bake was co-creator of a second child abuse site, and was also the head moderator of a directory-style page, which contained links to further abuse forums on the dark web.

Hundreds of thousands of indecent images and videos of children were also recovered from his storage devices, as was 576 page paedophile manual.

Bake pleaded guilty to 12 counts in November 2023, including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, participating in an organised crime group, possession of a paedophile manual, and distributing and making indecent images of children.

He was sentenced today at Chester Crown Court to 16 years imprisonment, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A man who filmed himself raping a sleeping girl has been jailed.

William Studley, 19, from Huxley near Chester, was sentenced to five years six months.

Studley, of Huxley Lane, was 17 when he attacked the girl at his home, where she and a friend had gone after a party.

He was cleared of one count of rape and found guilty of another at Chester Crown Court on 6 December.

Cheshire Police said the victim and a friend had arranged to stay at Studley's home after a party in April 2022.

The victim fell asleep alone in an upstairs bedroom after starting to feel unwell. She woke up to find Studley raping her, the jury was told.

The victim told him to stop and he ran out of the room, but returned and sexually assaulted her.

She reported him to the police the next day.

Officers found video footage on Studley's phone which showed him sexually assaulting the victim as she slept.

Studley admitted sexual assault after he was shown the footage, and also admitted making indecent images of children.

But he denied rape.

DS Courtney Day said: "Studley initially denied all offences put to him, claiming that the victim had consented, but was left with no option but to plead guilty when footage of the assault was recovered from his phone.

"Despite the evidence, he continued to deny the full extent of what he subjected the victim to that night.

"What Studley put the victim through is truly horrifying, but thanks to courage the victim has shown, he is now facing the consequences of his actions."

Studley was also handed a 15-year restraining order and put on the sex offenders register for life at his sentencing hearing on Friday.

Description

A paedophile admitted that he "got carried away on the internet" after being ensnared by an undercover police sting.

Aidan Cowman was also caught with a vile stash of pictures showing toddlers being raped when officers came knocking at his door. A judge today described him as being "in denial" over his offending, but allowed him to walk free from court.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the 66-year-old first contacted an account which had been set up by covert police officers, who were posing as a 13-year-old boy, on "gay chatroom" Chat Avenue on January 11 last year. Cowman, of Penkett Road in Liscard, Wirral, said in his opening message: "Hi, want to phone daddy while we both w***?"

He then added: "I'm 64, married. Irish, but living near Liverpool."

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how Cowman was told that the teenager was at school at the time of the chat. However, he continued the perverted conversation by saying: "Are you playing with your c**k now?"

Then, on January 16, the pensioner added the supposed youngster on Snapchat. Officers asked him whether he was the "man from Chat Avenue", which Cowman confirmed before stating that he was "sat at home playing with his c**k".

He added that it was "quite an age difference", but said he "loved to swap pictures and video clips" and asked "are you interested in doing some?". A search warrant was later executed at the defendant's address on April 14.

When arrested, Cowman replied "I just got carried away on the internet". A small bag of cannabis and electronic devices were recovered from the property during the raid.

Under interview, he confessed to having been responsible for the messages and that he had indecent images stored on his phones. A total of 52 category A pictures, those depicting the most serious forms of abuse, were subsequently found on two seized mobiles.

Cowman was also found to have collected 12 photographs in category B and 101 category C images. Mr Hopkins said that some had shown children as young as two being subjected to sexual assaults.

Kyra Badman, defending, told the court that her client's relationship with his partner had been "strained" since his online activities had come to light, and that while they remain together they are currently living in separate homes. She added: "He is extremely grateful for her support.

"Upon hearing the facts of this case, anybody could reach the conclusion that only immediate custody would be appropriate in this case because of the nature of the offences. It may be that the court is able to draw back from an immediate sentence."

Cowman pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communications with a child, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and possession of cannabis. He was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

Sentencing, Recorder Peter Wright KC said: "You brought a bag with you, appreciating that the likelihood was that you would lose your liberty. You are a realist in that regard.

"You are a man who has previous convictions, but they are from a long time ago. The offences for which you appear before this court are offences of the most serious gravity."

Recorder Wright said that the indecent images contained the "abuse and defilement of children", and added: "It is almost incomprehensible how anybody could commit any such act, but equally it is incomprehensible how anybody could gain any form of sexual gratification from viewing such material. But it is clear that you did.

"You knew precisely what you were up to. You pursued your own sexual fantasies with that boy.

"You went so far as seeking to solicit images of the boy. This is conduct of the most despicable type.

"You were seeking to corrupt him to your own perversions. You have, in your own words, struggled to understand your motivation for your offending - you are in denial.

"But you are now committed to gaining access to help. You do not want to reoffend or cause further harm."

Cowman was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and complete a programme requirement, as well as a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 35 days.

Description

A paedophile branded a 'danger to children' by police sexually assaulted three young girls at a family event - months after being released early from prison. Stuart Eyles set upon the children while mingling with hundreds of locals at the event in Stockport.

The 47-year-old targeted the victims after getting drunk. When the girls complained to their parents and Eyles was pointed out as the culprit, he denied wrongdoing but admitted drinking seven pints of beer at the event last summer.

At the time, he was on licence after being locked up for 30 months in April 2021 after pleading guilty to 57 offences involving online grooming and possessing child pornography.

He was also on the Sex Offender Register; had been made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) banning him from having any contact with children under 16; and had completed a Home Office 'Horizon' programme aimed at rehabilitating sex offenders.

It is thought Eyles was freed early from jail in July 2022 under government rules allowing the automatic release of prisoners halfway through their sentences. He had three months left on his parole when he struck again.

In a statement to police, the father of one of the girls said the incident had 'rocked' his daughter's confidence.

''As for me I feel terrible too as I feel I have let my daughter down, I've hardly slept since," he added. The mum of another victim said her daughter had become 'socially withdrawn' and had undergone counselling 'to cope with the trauma'.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Eyles, of Buckley Drive, Romiley, Stockport, was jailed for 15 months after being convicted of three charges of sexual assault. The SHPO order will be renewed for another 10 years.

Sentencing, Recorder Alexandra Simmonds told Eyles his behaviour had been 'predatory and opportunistic'. "You took advantage of the crowds to try and disguise your behaviour and it was the deliberate target of young girls on your part," she added.

''It is clear you were seeking out opportunities to touch young girls in the way you did and the impact of your offending has been significant. You have previous convictions for internet based child-related sexual offending and were on licence at the times of these offences. You completed the Horizon programme and yet have gone on to commit these offences despite that intervention.

"You have of course shown no remorse because you don't accept responsibility for these offences and are you are assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to children."

Eyles was originally reported to Greater Manchester Police by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit back in 2018 after he began unwittingly swapping messages with one of their undercover detectives over the KIK social media platform, which they had been using to trap online predators.

The undercover operative informed Eyles, whose username was 'Squid Thing', that the profile was that of a 14-year-old child and offered to cease the conversation, but he stated he did not want that to happen and began to sexualise the conversation and asked for indecent images to be sent.

In March 2019, a warrant was carried out at Eyles' home where various devices were seized, including a laptop, a camera, a mobile phone and a USB stick. Following this warrant, officers met Eyles outside his workplace and his mobile phone was seized.

Detectives conducted a forensic examination of all his electronic devices and discovered further criminal activity, including online sexual activity with a girl who he had sent sexually explicit pictures of himself and asked to meet for oral sex. She was the only person known to have existed as the others were police officers masquerading as young girls.

They also found various indecent images of children stored on the devices. Eyles, who also used other platforms, told police he committed the offences whilst ''bored' working nights. He claimed he was aware some of the profiles were fake and insisted his actions were 'hypothetical and fantasy to push things'.

He later admitted one count of sexual communication with a child; five counts of attempted sexual communication with a child; one count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity; one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity; 21 counts of making indecent images of a child; and 30 counts of distributing indecent images of a child.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE has been locked away by the courts after he was found to be in possession of a sickening stash of photos.

The photos found on a laptop belonging to Keith Secker involved children being sexually abused.

The 46-year-old was later charged with three counts of making indecent images of children (IIOC), one of possessing IIOC and one of breaching a suspended sentence order.

He indicated guilty pleas to all charges before the magistrates’ court, with the case committed to Chester Crown Court for sentence.

The court heard from Karl Scholz, prosecuting the case, how the matters came to a head in February last year.

Police seized Secker’s laptop in Runcorn and submitted it for a forensic examination, with the results confirming the presence of child sex abuse images.

In total, 83 IIOC were discovered, with examples from each of the three categories such images are graded.

Of the 83, 37 were classified as category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 29 were category B and 17 were category C.

Before sentencing, judge Simon Berkson remarked that the only appropriate sentence he could impose was one of immediate custody.

This was due to the severity of the offences and due to the defendant already being made subject to a suspended sentence order at the time the offences were committed.

Secker, of East Lane in Runcorn, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offender register for the next 10 years.

It was also ordered that he pay a statutory surcharge to fund victim services of £187, while a further order was approved to deprive the defendant of his laptop seized during the police investigation.

Description

A man who 'claimed to be shy and private' secretly filmed himself having sex with a woman at his home.

Alistair Chase used a hidden camera to film the intimate encounter in his lounge at his home in Hartford, near Northwich in Cheshire. The devastated victim only found out after spotting the footage of the pair having sex on his phone, Chester Magistrates' Court heard.

She said was left feeling 'so violated' as she condemned his 'selfish sense of entitlement'. Chase, who works as a director for his parents' property management company, claimed he had 'difficulties' establishing relationships with women and said he recorded the intimate moments for himself.

The 43-year-old was ordered to pay £500 in damages at court and was handed a community order. In a statement, the victim said she had to take months off work following the ordeal and was left feeling like she 'wanted to die'.

She said she has been left struggling to sleep and now 'doesn't feel safe in her own home'. The victim said: "He told me he was a shy and private person who was fortunate to have a privileged lifestyle due to his parents.

"He does not have a mortgage himself and clearly has a selfish sense of entitlement. This has been incredibly traumatic and has been the worst experience of my life.

"Finding out that Alistair had taken an intimate video of us without my consent left me feeling so violated. It was traumatic to be watching those intimate private moments.

"My whole world just fell apart and I did not trust my own judgement anymore after this abuse of trust. I felt completely manipulated by him.

"I did not feel even safe in my own home and I have installed a new alarm and camera. I was stressed about my job and I did not feel the same person anymore.

"I just lost myself. Myself and my confidence has gone. My mental health is very bad due to anxiety. I receive weekly calls from my GP.

"I feel so powerless and humiliated. I had a breakdown and completely withdrew. I did not leave my bed for a month. I wanted to die.

"I had to take antidepressants as I was feeling suicidal. I took four months off work from a job that I love.

''I lost so much self-esteem and on my return to work, I was anxious and had lost confidence and did not want to be around people.

"It was problematic having to travel. I would not be comfortable to stay in hotels rooms feeling that I would be recorded again.

"Prior to this I had a great career path, great relationships, and no mental health issues. He's taken so much away from me.

"I have been told I will need to take medication for a few years to keep things as normal as possible. My life has become very small.

"I continue to pay for trauma and therapy sessions and will need to continue with them for some time to come. I feel ashamed for allowing this manipulative man into my lives.

"I'm told the hidden camera was in situ at the time of his arrest. This has been the most difficult and harrowing experience for me."

Lucy McGowan, prosecuting, said: "The complainant contacted police to report that the defendant had filmed her without her consent having sexual intercourse with him. The two videos were of them engaging in oral and penetrative sex in the living room at his home and the complainant handed the mobile phone to the police."

In police interview, Chase gave no comment other than provide a pre-prepared statement. This read: 'I accept I filmed myself and (the victim) engaging in sexual activity without her consent.

'They were kept solely for my own enjoyment. I regret doing this and I apologise for doing so.'

In mitigation, Chase's lawyer Martha Whitehead said: "He is someone who has had difficulties during his 20s and 30s in establishing healthy relationships with others. He said this was a way of recording intimate moments for himself and there is no suggestion of any distribution.

"He accepted his actions and apologised. He wishes to make it clear that he apologises again to the victim.

"He has no wish or no intention to contact her and he understands that a restraining order will be made by the court. He wishes to apologise in public to her for his actions which he can now see have deeply affected her.

"He does not wish to excuse or avoid responsibility for his actions. We accept that the impact on this complainant is significant but you must also look in detail at the background of this defendant."

Chase, of Grosvenor Avenue, Hartford, pleaded guilty to one charge of voyeurism. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order including 250 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days.

He was ordered to pay £500 in damages and to sign the sex offenders' register for five years. A two-year restraining order was also imposed and Chase's mobile phone and two laptops were confiscated.

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A violent and manipulative man who subjected two women to horrific abuse has been jailed.

Laurence Patrick Leavy, of Cledford Lane, Middlewich, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 19 December where he was sentenced to 18 years, plus six years extended licence, for multiple counts of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour.

The 43-year-old was found guilty following a trial, which concluded on Wednesday 13 December.

The case first came to the attention of Cheshire Police when it was reported in May 2021.

The woman reported Leavy being charming when they first met, but he then dramatically changed and started to become abusive.

The victim was regularly verbally belittled and physically assaulted. On one occasion she described him losing his temper in the car. He pulled over and dragged her from the vehicle, throwing her into a field and driving away, leaving her there.

She was forced to partake in sexual acts which she did not consent to and was raped on a number of occasions.

When this victim reported what had happened to police, officers sought another potential witness to Leavy’s abuse, who then also decided to make a formal complaint.

The second victim also reported being abused by Leavy. She was verbally abused, making her feel very insecure. Leavy also refused to work and caused her immense financial pressure.

The victim reported Leavy would force her to have sex on demand. He had also assaulted and raped her multiple times, including while she was pregnant.

Leavy was subsequently charged in December 2022.

In addition to his prison sentence, Leavy was also handed lifetime restraining orders against the victims and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

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A Wirral man has been jailed today, Tuesday 5 December, for kidnapping and breaching an order.

Robert Byrne, 56 years, of Fountain Street, Birkenhead was sentenced to five years and four months in prison with five years on extended licence after he pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was also issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order with three further conditions added.

A deprivation order has been issued in relation to clothing and radio seized by Merseyside Police.

The court heard that in February a 13-year-old boy was upset and had entered a Liverpool city centre shop in the early of hours of the morning, asking the shopkeeper to contact police as he was reported missing.

While reporting it to police via phone the shopkeeper saw Byrne walk past the shop and asked for his assistance, as Byrne had previously identified himself as an undercover police officer.

Wearing clothes similar to a police uniform, Byrne took the teenage victim to a nearby fast-food place where police officers tracked him down and arrested him.

Police took the young victim safely home.

After Byrne’s arrest, several items consistent with a police uniform were seized.

The investigation was led by Detective Inspector Victoria Tinsley from the Sex Offender Unit who ensure that sex offenders living in the community are closely monitored.

She said: “This was very disturbing incident where Byrne preyed up on the young victim’s circumstances of being vulnerable and upset.

“What was also alarming was that Byrne had previously told retailers that he was a police officer working undercover. This showed the lengths his predatory behaviour would go to in order to win the trust members of the public by impersonating a police officer. 

“Thankfully genuine police officers quickly tracked Byrne down, and the young victim was taken safely home before any potential harm came to him.