Latest Offenders Chester

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AN ex-BBC producer condemned as a dangerous paedophile tried to con a private schools headteacher into allowing him to film schoolgirls at a Christmas concert.

Serial sex offender Peter Croasdale attempted to hoodwink Monmouths Haberdashers to allow him to record a carol service.

The 58-year-old gave the school a bogus name and tried to charge the then head Jennifer Phillips 450 to film a performance.

Croasdale was jailed for more than four years in 2009 for sexually abusing a young girl, taking an indecent photograph of a child, voyeurism and possessing indecent photographs of children.

When police arrested the ex-Radio 4 producer for his recent crimes in Monmouthshire, they caught him with disturbing child abuse images on his computer.

Prosecutor Claire Pickthall told Cardiff Crown Court how Croasdale had been negotiating a business deal with the school after posing as a Peter Alan.

She said: They were hoodwinked by this man who is intelligent. He deliberately hid his identity.

But his deception was soon uncovered and the police were called.

He pleaded guilty to fraud, possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality.

There were 15 category A indecent images of a child, which portray rape, 28 at category B and 63 at category C on his computer.

The offences were committed between January 16, 2016 and January 15, 2021.

Tom Roberts, mitigating, said there was a prospect his client could be rehabilitated.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Croasdale: You simply dont want to face up to the risks you pose to children.

She classed him as a dangerous offender and sentenced him to an extended sentence of four years.

Croasdale, now of Woodgate Street, Bolton, will have to serve two years in jail and an extended licence period of two years following his release.

He was handed a suspended prison sentence in March after he was caught leading a secret life in Gwent.

A court heard previously he had left his home in the North of England to move in with teacher Lesley Bagshaw in Monmouth.

As a result of his 2009 conviction, Croasdale must register as a sex offender and be the subject of a sexual offences prevention order for life.

Mr Fryer said he was in breach of both and started living with Ms Bagshaw last year although he had first began staying with her in 2017.

He told the court: It was a calculated and deliberate breach. He was living a double life unknown to the police.

On January 15 this year, officers went to an address in Monmouth where they found the defendant living under the alias of Peter Alan.

Lesley Bagshaws home was searched. She had known the defendant since sixth form.

Croasdale pleaded guilty to being in breach of both orders.

The judge then, Recorder Simon Mills, jailed the defendant for 18 months, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and made the subject of a three-month curfew.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke demanded an explanation from the prosecution as to why the matters were not dealt with together.

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Hashim Hussain who targeted vulnerable teenage girls in order to sexually abuse them has been jailed.

Hashim Hussain, 24, has been convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury.

Hashim Hussain was sentenced to four years behind bars after he filmed a group of men engaging in sexual activity with two other girls, aged 16 and 17, on two separate occasions.

The offending took place between August 2016 and August 2017.

The court heard how Hussain would regularly meet up with a group of teenage girls in Openshaw Park, in Bury, and buy vodka for them before heading to the home of one of the girls.

Hashim's phone was seized by police after he was arrested in relation to driving offences in October 2017.

Detectives found a video showing 'a young, intoxicated female' being sexually contacted by a man, while he was cheered on by others people in a park.

The court heard a girl could be heard on the footage asking whether she was being recorded but was told “it's just a torch”.

Another video showed a young female holding onto a kitchen counter with both hands while an older male had sex with her from behind.

number of other males can be seen gathered around them, the court heard.

Hashim was identified as the cameraman due to a 'distinctive watch' he was wearing which was caught in the footage.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2019 after getting off a flight from Pakistan and replied 'no comment' to all questions asked by police.

Hashim, also of South Cross Street, Bury, was also convicted of two counts of taking an indecent image of a child, and two counts of possessing an indecent image of a child, after the four-week trial.

You were playing your part in this abuse by filming.” said the judge.

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Remorseless Muhammad Hussain who targeted vulnerable teenage girls in order to sexually abuse them has been jailed.

Muhammad Hussain, 20, has been convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury.

Muhammad Hussain was sentenced to six years and two months in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting another girl, also aged 14.

The offending took place between August 2016 and August 2017.

The court heard how Hussain would regularly meet up with a group of teenage girls in Openshaw Park, in Bury, and buy vodka for them before heading to the home of one of the girls.

Muhammad was just 16 himself when he raped his 'extremely vulnerable' victim in August 2016.

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said the girl, who was known to social services and deemed at 'high risk of child sexual exploitation', invited Muhammad to a house party at her friend's house.

Alcohol was being consumed and the pair kissed before they were encouraged to go upstairs together.

Once in an upstairs bedroom, the girl initially engaged in consensual sexual intercourse with Muhammad.

But the court heard she then repeatedly asked him to slow down as it was 'hurting her'.

However, Muhammad pushed her head down into the pillow and carried on having sex with her.

The girl then started crying and told him to get off her, said Mr Blackshaw.

When she managed to move away from him and started to get dressed, the court heard Muhammad called the girl a f****** bitch and told her finish me off.

She left the room but, feeling under pressure, returned and asked Muhammad what she had to do.

He threatened to tell her on-off boyfriend that they had had sex if she did not comply.

Muhammad later contacted the victim to apologise and 'begged her to send pictures of her bottom', which she refused to do.

On another occasion, between March and May 2017, Muhammad filmed the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him.

The court heard the victim wanted 'to shut the incident out' and it was eight months before she told a social worker she had been raped.

She was interviewed by police in February 2018 as part of an operation - codenamed Burgos - into child sexual exploitation in Bury.

On another occasion, in August 2017, the girl and a friend - aged 14 - were in Openshaw Park with Muhammad Hashim and another man when Muhammad approached the friend and put his hand down her leggings.

The court heard he then 'yanked up her underwear' and grabbed her bottom with such force it caused pain and left 'a number of fingernail shaped impressions'.

When interviewed by police, Muhammad admitted having sex with the first victim, but claimed it had been 'consensual'.

He denied using his phone to record the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him, or sexually assaulting the girl in Openshaw Park.

Hashim's phone was seized by police after he was arrested in relation to driving offences in October 2017.

Detectives found a video showing 'a young, intoxicated female' being sexually contacted by a man, while he was cheered on by others people in a park.

The court heard a girl could be heard on the footage asking whether she was being recorded but was told it's just a torch.

Another video showed a young female holding onto a kitchen counter with both hands while an older male had sex with her from behind.

number of other males can be seen gathered around them, the court heard.

Hashim was identified as the cameraman due to a 'distinctive watch' he was wearing which was caught in the footage.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2019 after getting off a flight from Pakistan and replied 'no comment' to all questions asked by police.

Following a trial, Muhammad, of South Cross Street, Bury, was found guilty of two counts of rape, as well as one count of taking an indecent image and another count of sexual assault.

Sentencing Muhammad, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said he had taken advantage of the extremely vulnerable victim and given no indication of regret of remorse.

He added: What started as consensual sexual activity between the two of you became something very different.

She may have initially consented to penetration but when she asked you to stop because it was hurting her, you simply ignored her and carried on regardless.

It was a clear example of you putting your own sexual gratification before giving and real or genuine consideration to the feelings of others.

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A BOLTON man has been jailed for three years after he admitted sexually abusing a young girl.

Andrew Walsh, 55, who was known to his victims family, sneaked into the girls bedroom and touched her while he thought she was asleep.

Bolton Crown Court heard similar abuse occurred over a two-year period.

David Toal, prosecuting, said Walshs crimes were uncovered when his 11-year-old victim told a friend what had been happening in June 2019.

Phone messages describing the abuse were then shown to the victims mother, who confronted Walsh about the allegations, he told the court.

He said he didnt remember doing it but that he was sorry.

A day later she confronted him again and secretly recorded their conversation in which he admitted the offences and blamed them on his heavy drinking.

He also asked her not to get the police involved but Walsh, of Hughes Street, Bolton, was arrested on June 8.

The girl told police that Walsh came into her room and touched her over her pyjamas while performing a sex act on himself.

When she woke up he offered to get her some biscuits with the victim telling officers the same thing had happened every month for two years.

She also said he had taken the girls mobile phone, put it in the waistband of his shorts and asked her to grab it.

Mr Toal added that Walsh, who pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, had no previous convictions.

Michael Goldwater, defending, said Walsh had lost his job as a breakdown recovery driver after the allegations became public.

He now lived at home with his elderly parents. Mr Goldwater told the court.

Above all he is very sorry for this, added Mr Goldwater. He can barely understand it but accepts it is a result of his excessive consumption of alcohol.

The drink caused him to behave in ways that he did not otherwise imagine he was capable.

Sentencing Walsh, Judge John Edwards, said: You were drinking heavily which doubtless numbed your inhibitions to indulge yourself in this dreadful way.

It has left your victim anxious and confused at a pivotal time of her life and any child should be completely safe in their bedroom

"It should be a place of happiness.

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A FORMER scoutmaster jailed for abusing young boys is back behind bars after attempting to hide computer equipment from police.

In March 2016 Ian Beeby, formerly of Edditch Grove, Bolton, was jailed for five years after admitting abusing four boys in the 1980s, including one occasion on a Lake District camping trip.

Beeby, who admitted sexually assaulting the cub scouts and downloading indecent images of children, told one child: Its the sort of thing that scouts do.

In 2017 he had an extra two years and eight months added to his sentence after another victim, who he groomed and befriended as he walked past his home on the way to school, read about the previous conviction in the Bolton News and came forward.

Beeby had abused him, from the age of 10, up to three times a week, for two years.

Beeby was released on licence from prison and in March last year came back to the Bolton area, living in a flat in Black Horse Street, Blackrod.

Victoria Lewis, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court how Beeby, was allocated an offender manager and, under the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, had to register any device capable of accessing the internet and make it available for inspection when required.

On April 3 last year he presented the officer with a Google phone which he claimed was in only device and in June he revealed he also had a laptop. These then had eSafe software added to monitor his access to the internet.

But on September 22 the software identified a Scandisk USB being connected to the phone. It was found to contain 10 indecent images which Beeby claimed had been on a laptop he had stored prior to his prison sentence and had deleted them as soon as he saw them.

On October 21 a check on the internet router at Beebys home revealed a Raspberry Pi mini computer, which the defendant had not declared, had been connected to it. When handing it over Beeby slipped an SD card out of the device, secreted it in his pocket and disposed of it.

In relation to the Pi device the defendant stated that he knew he shouldnt have had the device and that he had been stupid to have purchased it, said Miss Lewis.

Beeby was also found to have accessed Facebook in breach of his SHPO although he denied creating asocial media account for himself.

Appearing via a video link from Whatton prison in Nottinghamshire, Beeby pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Joshua Bowker, defending, said Beeby, a former electronic engineer, had not been open with his offender manager due to a combination of complacency and fear of being recalled to prison.

If he had his time again he would have been much more open, he added.

But, sentencing Beeby to 21 months in prison, Judge John Edwards told him: I am afraid I take the view that you have an entrenched and unhealthy interest for pre-pubescent boys and, as a computer programmer, you knew exactly what you were doing here.

In committing these breaches you are seriously culpable and you display, in my judgement, flagrant contempt for the court order made five years ago.

It is not only contemptuous of the court but it risks harm to the particular section of the public who the order was intended to protect.

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A man caught with sick images of children as young as one 'can't explain' why he had them, a court heard.

Such images 'revolt' and sicken' Christopher Nolan, his barrister said.

But Nolan, 26, was found to have downloaded 63 indecent images, with more than 20 being of the most serious category.

Nolan, from Wythenshawe, admitted he'd 'brought shame' on himself and his family.

He had 'time on his hands' and had been drinking as well as using cocaine and cannabis, Manchester Crown Court heard.

"There is some issue as to what motivated the defendant," his barrister Richard Vardon said.

"I cannot explain satisfactorily how these offences occurred, nor perhaps can the defendant.

"All I can point to is there is nothing in his history which suggests he has a predilection as far as children are concerned."

Mr Vardon said there 'may be other reasons which are not sexual which perhaps explain his motivation'.

Nolan, who has previous convictions including for domestic violence, denies that he had any interest in 'child pornography' and said it 'revolts and sickens him'.

Police went to his home after receiving information that he had been accessing indecent images.

A Samsung phone was seized after a warrant was executed, on March 24 last year.

Officers found 22 category A images, the most serious type, as well as 13 category B and 28 category C images.

"The majority of the images related to five to 10-year-old children, however the ages of the children ranged from between one and 12-years-old," prosecutor Neil Fryman said.

He said 'virtually all' of the images had been deleted, except one.

Nolan made no comment to all questions during his police interview, except confirming a mobile phone number was his.

Mr Vardon said Nolan's actions were at the 'lower end of offences of this nature', while saying the defendant recognised it is 'not a victimless crime'.

He pleaded guilty at first opportunity and no longer drinks, uses drugs or goes on the internet, the barrister said.

Sentencing, Judge Hilary Manley told Nolan: "You rightly described to me in your letter you have submitted to me, that you have brought shame on yourself, your friends and your family for the offences you have committed.

"Such images are of victims of sexual abuse.

"You have observed and watched children who are being sexually abused.

"There can be no excuse ever for viewing and accessing such images."

The judge said she could avoid sending Nolan to prison, given he has a prospect of rehabilitation and because of his remorse.

He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete the Horizon programme.

Nolan, of Farden Drive, must sign the sex offender's register for ten years.

He admitted three counts of making indecent images of children.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked up after being caught with more than 1,000 indecent images of children.

Dominic Osborne Robinson was caught with more than 1,000 images of children being abused.

Police raided the 34-year-old's home after getting a tip-off he had been uploading indecent images and talking about abusing youngsters online.

Officers seized three phones, a laptop and a tablet and a number of cameras.

They contained a mix of category A, B and C images as well as sexualised communications with children.

He was arrested the same day at his workplace in Portsmouth on January 28, 2019.

Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday he was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of children, two counts of attempting sexual communication with a child and one count of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence believing it would be committed.

He previously pleaded guilty.

Robinson, of Midway Road, Colchester, was jailed for 20 months in prison after being found in possession of indecent images of children.

He must register as a sex offender for ten years and will also be given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

DC Stephen Hill of Hampshire Constabulary’s Internet Child Abuse Team said “Behind every indecent image of a child is a vulnerable victim and these crimes are among the most appalling that we investigate.

“Robinson is a habitual collector of indecent images that include category A, the most serious kind, for his own sexual gratification.

“He was found to not only have been in possession of such images but also actively sought to communicate with children.

“Tackling online viewing of indecent images and safeguarding children online is a priority for police and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

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A TEENAGER sexually assaulted a girl in a Little Lever park and raped a 12-year-old who had befriended him.

Ellis Critchley, aged 18, was described in court as "immature and egotistical" and has shown no remorse for the crimes he committed.

"You have only admitted as much or as little as you thought you could get away with," Recorder Jeremy Lasker told him.

Rachel Faux, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court how Critchley, who had been brought up in care, committed his first offences in the spring of 2018.

He was among a group of youths in the park behind the Food and Tipple store when he targeted a 15 year-old girl, touching her private parts, grabbing her and putting his hand inside her jeans.

"You were told, not only by her, but others in the group, to stop it, but you just laughed it off and you told her 'you know you want it'", Recorder Lasker told him.

On another occasion he slapped her backside so hard it made her cry.

The offences came to light when police began investigating a rape Critchley committed in June of that year.

Critchley, then aged 15, befriended a 12-year-old girl and one night contacted her at 1am saying he was feeling "down" so, unknown to her family, she slipped out to meet him and brought him back to her house.

But after sitting on her bed talking and playing computer games, he pinned her down and raped her.

Afterwards he got dressed and let himself out of the house, but the girl was so concerned about his state of mind that she went after him.

The next day the girl told a friend at school, her family became aware and police were contacted.

When confronted by police about his behaviour he denied the allegations before trying to claim the incidents had been consensual.

Critchley, of Goldfinch Drive, Bury, only pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault and rape on the day of a trial, but admitted burgling a Lidl store in Standish on January 9 last year.

At his sentence hearing both victims read out statements outlining the devastating impact his crimes have had.

Mark Shanks said that Critchley now feels "shame" for what he put them through.

He added: "Since that time he has matured significantly into a young man who does know right from wrong."

Sentencing Critchley to four years in a young offenders' institution Recorder Lasker told him: "I accept you had a difficult background. I know that you have been in care and, as has been described to me, you have been brought up by the system.

"But that is no excuse for acting in this way towards these two girls.

"You exhibited a belief, at the time, that young girls were only there for your own sexual enjoyment and you showed absolutely no understanding in what a proper relationship between two young people means.

"You didn't seem to understand that girls are entitled to say no to a boy and also, when a girl does say no, it actually does mean no. I hope you realise that today."

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A man found with more than 4,000 indecent images of children told police he knew it was wrong but that it was 'part of the thrill' and that he had an 'addiction'.

Daniel Cartwright, 24, immediately admitted downloading the images after officers searched his home in June 2019.

He said he watched live streams of children and admitted using an app on his iPad.

Cartwright, from Stretford, Trafford, said he 'knew it was wrong and knew he would be caught', Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Officers seized five devices - including his phone, iPad, laptop and two computers - all of which contained indecent images of children.

In total, 912 category A images were discovered - the worst kind - as well as 422 category B and 3,472 category C.

Police also found evidence Cartwright had been sharing an eight-minute video recording of a live stream, which he had taken on his iPad, to a number of websites.

Cartwright pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images; and one offence of possessing an indecent image with a view to distributing to others.

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VILE paedophile who was convicted of abusing a child in a public swimming pool 37 years ago is finally behind bars after sexually assaulting another young girl.

Bolton Crown Court heard how, in 1984, Patrick Kelly was at a swimming pool when he touched a girls private parts inside her costume.

He was fined for the offence.

I dont wish to comment unduly on sentencing regimes 30-odd years ago, but they were very different times, said Judge Timothy Stead.

If it arose today I am fairly confident it wouldnt be a fine.

Kellys sexual interest in children continued and he has now been jailed for three years after he sexually assaulted a nine-year-old girl on three occasions.

Daniel Calder, prosecuting, told how Kelly knew the childs family and the offences occurred while she was watching television with him.

They were unaware of his previous conviction.

The court heard that they were in a living room together one evening, both sat on the couch, when 65-year-old Kelly told her: You can put your legs up on me.

The little girl obeyed but then he put his hand inside her clothing and underwear and touched her private parts.

Kelly kept his hand there for up to 40 minutes as he watched television.

Mr Calder said there were then two further occasions when Kelly repeated the offence in a similar way.

Kelly was arrested after the little girl told her mother what had happened.

He denied the offence initially, claiming that any contact he may have made would have been accidental and not sexually motivated, said Mr Calder.

Kelly, of Tabley Road, Bolton, eventually pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting a child.

In a victim statement the girls mother told the court how the little girl was quiet, shy and very sensitive.

I believe Patrick Kelly has taken advantage of her young age and her personality, said the mum, who added that, as a result of the abuse, her daughter has become emotional, clingy and scared to leave the house.

Helena Williams, defending Kelly, told the court: He does express regret and remorse for this offending, particularly the impact this has had on the girl.

He still cant explain why he did what he did.

She added that he had a heart condition and, earlier this year, was seriously ill with Covid-19 and is still suffering from the after-effects.

Kelly continues to maintain that he does not have a sexual interest in children which Judge Timothy Stead described as untenable.

The defendant, in my view cannot sensible claim he has no sexual attraction to children, he said.

Miss Williams told Judge Stead, that, after Kellys swimming pool conviction he was not given any help to deal with his behaviour.

They were less enlightened times, said Judge Stead.

In addition to the jail sentence, Kelly was placed on the sex offenders register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.

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A WINCHESTER man who was snared by a paedophile hunter after he asked for nude photographs of a child, he believed was 12-years-old, has been spared prison.

Just three months after he was convicted of a raft of sexual offences, Dean Mould used the internet to ask a “12-year-old girl” to send pictures of herself naked.

But Mould, of Christchurch Road, was actually talking to “self-styled paedophile hunter”, who sent the images but later informed police. The 35-year-old was arrested.

He was charged with intentionally causing or inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. He previously pleaded guilty.

On Wednesday, Winchester Crown Court was told that Mould breached the order as he had not informed police of a phone, he was using to access the internet.

In July last year Mould was found guilty of four offences of sexual communication with a child, eight counts of being in possession of indecent and extreme images and one of distribution. He offended again on October 27, but his criminality was not discovered until December 27.

During that sentencing a sexual harm prevention order and a supervision order was imposed. Mould, who is said to be “marred by learning difficulties”, was also given a care plan with a psychiatric team on his release from custody.

The court heard that Mould “did not want to engage” and the plan was not carried out.

In mitigation, Richard Martin said that there were several reasons set out in an updated psychiatric report why Mould should not be sent to prison.

He continued: “For somebody in his position it is very understandable that they maintain a position that they do not want help. Mr Mould knows that he has to obey people and that he has to go on courses."

Mr Martin said that here has been a “realisation from Mr Mould that he doesn’t want to go back to prison and that if he reverts to this sort of behaviour again it will get him locked up”.

“All, I submit, we can do is try again. Nothing is going to help if he is sent to prison.”

In sentencing, Judge Miller said: “I hoped when I sentenced you in July of last year that I would not be seeing you again. In fact, survived only about three months before you are committing offences again.”

Mould was given a three-year community order, with 40 rehabilitation days and must attend a sexual offending treatment programme.

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A paedophile 'lied' to a judge about wanting to change, while having sexualised chats with a child online.

Aaron Sutton, 22, was originally spared jail after being found with indecent images of children.

But after being given a chance and having his progress reviewed by a judge, Sutton was in contact with a child on the internet.

Their online messages included 'highly sexualised conversation'.

Now Sutton, from Northenden, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after Judge Anthony Cross QC said he had been 'fooling' the probation service and had lied to him.

"I was assured by the probation service and by you that you were responding to the terms of the order," the judge said.

"That was just a lie. You were given the opportunity to change, you didn't.

"You were lying to yourself, lying to the probation service, lying to your father and lying to me.

"Because during the course of the suspended sentence order, you struck up a relationship with a 12-year-old child in foster care.

"She was vulnerable, and you committed offences against her.

"She had a terrible personal history, and you have made her condition worse, much worse."

Manchester Crown Court heard that in October 2019, Sutton received a six month suspended sentence for making indecent images of children.

A sexual harm prevention order was passed banning any unsupervised contact with female children, and prohibiting him from having devices capable of accessing the internet unless he registered them with police.

Sutton attended hearings before a judge at court, where his progress with the order was reviewed.

But it was discovered that Sutton had been in contact with the girl online during that time.

"Each time he appeared in front of me, I asked him if he was complying with the conditions," the judge said.

"He assured me, at the same time he was committing these offences."

The 'vulnerable' girl had described Sutton as a friend from a previous school but he was 11 years older than her, prosecutor Rachel Faux said.

She regarded Sutton as her 'boyfriend' and sent photos of herself to him without him asking, the court heard.

The police were alerted, and Sutton was found to be in breach of the sexual harm prevention order by contacting the girl and having a laptop he hadn't registered.

Sutton was arrested and released on bail, but attempted to contact the girl on Snapchat. The pair never met in person.

Defending, Bob Elias said the girl had 'embraced' the conversation with Sutton.

"She has to be protected from herself, because she is a child," he said.

"He thought he had entered into an enthusiastic relationship with a young girl."

Sutton, of Greenpark Road, Northenden, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

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A CONVICTED paedophile has been jailed after he kept his sordid past secret from a new partner.

In 2010 Bernard Brookes was jailed for six years for having sex with a girl aged under 13 and made subject to a sexual offences prevention order for the rest of his life.

He was supervised in the community, but Bolton Crown Court heard how he lied to his sex offender manager, claiming he was single.

In reality he had started a relationship with a woman who had children and failed to inform her about his background for months.

Amanda Johnson, prosecuting, told the court how, under the terms of the sexual offences prevention order, 48-year-old Brookes is banned from approaching or communicating with children and prohibited from allowing children into his home.

In March last year, when visited by his offender manager, he said he was single and did not want a relationship.

But in September 2020 it came to the attention of social services and then police that the defendant has been conducting a relationship with a woman who had children, said Miss Johnson.

The woman told police that she had been involved with Brookes for just over a year but had ended it when she discovered his past.

She said she had never been told of that by him during the course of the relationship, said Miss Johnson.

The court heard that the woman had occasionally visited Brookes flat with the children and he had visited her home, sometimes staying overnight, but he had never been alone with the youngsters.

She said that when she ended the relationship, the defendant said that he hadnt disclosed his past to her because he was ashamed of it, said Miss Johnson.

She has described feeling betrayed and deceived by him.

Brookes claimed he had very little to do with, or interest in, the children but police found a calendar in his flat where he has circled the school holidays and the childrens birthdays.

When arrested, Brookes lied and claimed he had not been in a relationship with the woman and had only visited her when the children were not there.

Brookes, of Rishton Lane, Bolton, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching his sexual offences prevention order but Kate Roxburgh, defending, stressed: There is no suggestion that these breaches were, in any way, a precursor to a sexual offence on children.

Jailing him for 12 months Judge Graeme Smith told Brookes, who is categorised as posing a high risk of harm to children, that he had had contact with children when he should not have had.

And he added that the offending was made worse because their mother was unaware of his previous convictions and the ban on being with children.

You can understand why she feels upset, betrayed and deceived as a result, said Judge Smith. You tried to hide the relationship from your offender manager.

The judge added that breaching the order had been persistent as it had occurred over a long period of time.

However, it was not one which involved any actual harm or any threat of harm to the children concerned, he said.

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A man convicted of 159 sex offences, including 136 rapes, will "never be safe to be released", a judge has said.

Reynhard Sinaga was found guilty of luring 48 men from outside Manchester clubs to his flat, where he drugged and assaulted them - filming the attacks.

Police say they have evidence Sinaga, 36, who is being named for the first time, targeted at least 190 victims.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Sinaga was "the most prolific rapist in British legal history".

The judge ruled his life sentence must include a minimum of 30 years in jail.

Reporting restrictions were also lifted at a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, meaning Sinaga could be identified for the first time.

The post-graduate student was already serving life, with a minimum term of 20 years, for the offences he was convicted of in two earlier trials, which took place in summer 2018 and last spring.

Across four separate trials, the Indonesian national was found guilty of 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 14 counts of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration, against a total of 48 victims.

Detectives say they have been unable to identify a further 70 victims and are now appealing for anyone who believes they may have been abused by Sinaga to come forward.

At the hearing, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC said Sinaga was "an evil serial sexual predator who has preyed upon young men" who wanted "nothing more than a good night out with their friends".

"In my judgment you are a highly dangerous, cunning and deceitful individual who will never be safe to be released," she said - adding that the decision to release prisoners is made by the Parole Board.

Sinaga would wait for men leaving nightclubs and bars before leading them to his flat in Montana House, Princess Street, often with the offer of somewhere to have a drink or call a taxi.

He drugged his victims before assaulting them while they were unconscious. When the victims woke up many of them had no memory of what had happened.

The student, who denied the charges, had claimed all the sexual activity was consensual and that each man had agreed to being filmed while pretending to be asleep - a defence described by the judge as "ludicrous".

At an earlier sentencing, the judge said she was sure that Sinaga had used a form of date rape drug such as GHB.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "deeply concerned" by the use of such a drug.

In victim impact statements read out in court, one victim said Sinaga had "destroyed a part of my life", while another said: "I hope he never comes out of prison and he rots in hell."

"I have periods where I can't get up and face the day," another added.

Many of the victims were unaware they had been raped until they were contacted by police.

Lisa Waters, of the St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, where victims received support, said some men found this "very difficult to process", with some experiencing mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.

Sinaga, who was studying for a PHD at the University of Leeds, carried out his attacks over several years.

The rapist was caught in June 2017 when one victim, who regained consciousness while being assaulted, fought Sinaga off and called the police.

When officers seized Sinaga's phone they found he had filmed each of his attacks - amounting to hundreds of hours of footage.

The discovery led to the launch of the largest rape inquiry in British history.

Assistant Chief Constable Mabbs Hussain said the true extent of Sinaga's offending would probably never be known.

"We suspect he's offended over a period of 10 years," he said. "The information and evidence we are going from is largely from trophies that he's collected from the victims of his crimes."

Investigators traced dozens of victims from the videos using clues found in Sinaga's Manchester flat, such as stolen phones, ID cards and watches.

The University of Manchester, where Sinaga was previously a student, said some members of its community had been "directly affected" by the case and it had set up a dedicated confidential phone line to offer support.

A statement from Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said the news was "profoundly distressing" and her thoughts were with all those affected.

Staggering tally

Judge Goddard said the "scale and enormity" of Sinaga's offending meant it was "accurate" for one of his victims to have described him as a monster.

She added that Sinaga had shown "not a jot of remorse" and at times appeared to be "actually enjoying the trial process".

Following the sentencing, Ian Rushton, from the CPS, said Sinaga was "the most prolific rapist in British legal history" and possibly "in the world".

"His extreme sense of sexual entitlement almost defies belief and he would no doubt still be adding to his staggering tally had he not been caught," he said.

He added that he thought Sinaga took "a particular pleasure in preying on heterosexual men".

Home Secretary Priti Patel said in response to Sinaga's "truly sickening crimes" she had asked an independent council to prioritise a review into whether controls for drugs like GHB were "tough enough".

GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) is a class C drug. Anyone found in possession of it can be imprisoned for up to two years.

Sinaga's trials took place across 18 months at Manchester Crown Court, resulting in unanimous guilty verdicts on all charges.

His convictions relate to crimes he committed from January 2015 to June 2017, but police believe he began offending years earlier.

Description

James Sharrock, 55, was given a community order in 2011 for possession of indecent images of children.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Surrey Police, the Met Police and Hampshire Constabulary had been investigating Sharrock when officers attend his address in Spicers Court on July 24, last year.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said that 4,333 images were found on several of his devices, 2,069 of them were described as category A, said to be the worst type of indecent images.

The officer in the case PC Kristin McMahon said these “were some of the worst images of child abuse I’ve seen”, adding that they were “sadistic” showing “children tied up, degraded and suffering physical as well as sexual abuse”.

Some of the images also showed children that were drugged, with the age of those in the videos and pictures ranging from two months to 12-years-old.

Sharrock previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, possessing nine prohibited images of children and 638 extreme pornographic images.

Sharrock was jailed for two years and must be on the sex offender’s register for 10 years.