Latest Offenders Chester

Description

A paedophile travelled from Greater Manchester to Wales after arranging to sexually abuse a young child - but was met by police officers instead.

Michael Crossley spent months chatting to someone he believed to be the girl's mother online and over the phone before making the trip from his home on Bury New Road, Radcliffe, Bury, to carry out his sick fantasies.

In fact he had been communicating with an undercover policewoman and officers were waiting for him when he arrived at the meeting point in Cardiff, WalesOnlines reports.

Crossley would later claim that he was actually a paedophile hunter and had been trying to expose what he thought was a mother who was selling her daughter for sex.

But the 34-year-old failed to turn up for his trial to put that version of events before a jury last year and jurors convicted him in his absence.

The defendant returned to the dock of Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court for sentencing for facilitating sexual activity with a child and also for being involved in a 110mph police chase in a stolen car an incident which took place in Bolton while he should have been on trial in Wales.

The court heard that in the August of 2019 Crossley was on an adult sex website where he contacted the profile of a woman who had a daughter.

The defendant began messaging the woman on the site and then talking to her on the phone and he made it clear he was interested in 'playing' with her and her child.

He then began asking for indecent pictures of the girl, talked about the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child, including full penetrative sex, and discussed money changing hands.

The court heard that the profile on the adult site was actually being run by an undercover policewoman.

Crossley made arrangements to meet the woman and her daughter in Cardiff and travelled from his home in Bolton to the rendezvous point where he was met by police officers. He was found to be in possession of condoms, sex toys, lubricant, and a doll as a present for the child.

In his subsequent interview the defendant claimed to be part of a paedophile hunter group and said he believe the woman he had been chatting to was a paedophile who had been trying to sell her daughter for sex.

Crossley maintained his not guilty plea and the matter went to trial last August but the defendant failed to turn up at court.

The trial went ahead without him and he was duly convicted by the jury but in the meantime he had been involved in a high-speed police pursuit in Bolton.

This offence had seen him hitting speeds of 110mph as he raced through residential streets in a stolen Audi car, speeding through red lights, and taking bends on the wrong side of the road.

Eventually he abandoned the car and fled on foot but the combination of a police helicopter and a police dog tracked him down to his hiding place.

When arrested he was found to be in possession of cannabis.

The court heard the Audi had previously been stolen during a robbery and it was showing number plates that had been stolen from a different car which was being serviced in a garage.

Crossley had already been convicted of arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child and had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle-taking, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, possession of cannabis, and failing to surrender to bail when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has six previous convictions for six offences including producing cannabis, assisting an offender, and taking a vehicle without consent.

Barrister Isobel Thomas, for Crossley, said the defendant still denied his guilt as far as the sexual offence was concerned but acknowledged he was facing a custodial sentence of some length.

She said that in 2019 he was going through a 'difficult time' with his business being closed down and his relationship of 16 years breaking down.

As a result she said he turned first to cannabis, then cocaine, and then crack cocaine and his mental health began to suffer.

Recorder Lucy Crowther told Crossley a jury had rejected his claims to be a paedophile hunter trying to trap an offender and the conversations he had with the undercover officer showed he, in fact, was the paedophile.

She said the dangerous driving he then engaged in had been 'appalling' and it was remarkable nobody had been injured or killed.

Crossley was sentenced to a total of 54 months in prison comprising 42 months for the sexual offence, 10 months for the dangerous driving, and two months for failing to surrender to court all to run consecutively with each other.

He was sentenced to six months for aggravated vehicle-taking and to one month for possession of cannabis with these sentences running concurrently to the 54 months.

No separate penalty was imposed for driving without insurance.

Due to the nature of the sex offence Crossley can apply for release at the halfway point of his sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to decide if or when he is released during his sentence.

When he is released he will be on an extended one-year licence and he will be on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life, as well as being made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He was also disqualified from driving and must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back.

Description

A police officer who was caught trying to arrange the abuse of an eight-year-old girl and accessed indecent images of a vulnerable teen has been jailed. Det Con Lee Cunliffe admitted seven offences including arranging the commission of a child sex offence. The 40-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer has been suspended from duty since his arrest in 2020. Cunliffe, of Wigan, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for eight years and four months. The court heard Cunliffe had been a serving officer for 17 years when, in September 2020, he began messaging a woman whom he believed was the mother of the eight-year-old girl on instant messaging app Kik. Prosecutor Arthur Gibson said Cunliffe told the woman, who was actually an undercover Met Police officer, that he would visit London to sexually abuse her daughter. Police investigations revealed Cunliffe had sent the messages from several devices, including a police-owned computer at Swinton police station, and he was arrested in October 2020.

Perverted desires

A subsequent search of the married father's home revealed a laptop he had used to access indecent images of children, including of a "plainly vulnerable" teenage girl who made a complaint to GMP in 2018. Mr Gibson said the girl had alleged her boyfriend had taken indecent images of her and distributed them without her knowledge. Cunliffe, then a trainee detective, was allocated to the case and the suspect's computer and phone were seized after his arrest. Mr Gibson said he later wrote an entry on the crime log stating there was nothing on either device relating to the offence, when "in fact, both devices contained both still and moving indecent images of children, a total of 227 being accessible". The computer was returned to the suspect with the indecent images still on and no further action was taken. Evidence of files from between 2014 and 2018 which were indicative of child abuse were also found on Cunliffe's laptop. Julian King, defending, said Cunliffe had been going to see a psychotherapist, who said he had compulsive sexual behaviour disorder. Cunliffe, of Hindley Green, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to arranging the commission of a child sex offence, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in a public office, distributing indecent photos of a child, and three counts of making indecent photos. Sentencing him, Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary QC, said the actions Cunliffe was "contemplating with this very young child could hardly have been more serious". "What you did in relation to this girl and this case is shocking and strikes at the very heart of that foundation of trust that the public have invested in the police service," he added. Speaking after sentencing, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods of GMP, said Cunliffe's "deplorable behaviour" was "absolutely inexcusable" and had "undermined the very essence of policing's core value of protecting the public and helping those in need". Det Insp Suzanne Keenaghan, from GMP's online child abuse investigation team, described his offending as "depraved". "Cunliffe deliberately created an online profile with the perverted intention of arranging to commit a child sex offence and having indecent images in his possession for his own sexual gratification," she said. He will now face disciplinary action under the Police Conduct Regulations, GMP added. Child protection charity, the NSPCC, said: "Cunliffe's actions were an appalling abuse of his position of trust. "Through his police training and employment, Cunliffe would have been very aware of the devastation sexual abuse has on children's lives. "Despite this, he chose to pursue his own perverted desires."

Description

Naveed Ishaq had downloaded a sickening amount of indecent images between March 2017 and August 2020, Bolton Crown Court heard on Monday.

The 48-year-old, from Bolton, had scoured the internet for vile images - as well as animal porn - and used chat rooms where he would ask: "Do you have any child porn about?"

He was eventually rumbled as part of a nationwide investigation - before telling police he was shocked at how easy it was to find the horrific material and insisting he was going to 'hand it to the police or a newspaper' as evidence.

The court heard that Ishaq was caught following an operation carried out by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which was investigating the sharing of indecent images of children on a New Zealand-based file sharing website called Mega.NZ.

The NCA found six email addresses registered on Mega.NZ which were believed to have been used by Ishaq to receive indecent material from the website, and five of the accounts were traced back to Ishaq's address.

Mr Connick told the court that the NCA passed its evidence to Greater Manchester Police, which carried out a search at Ishaq's home on Langthorne Walk, Bolton.

He said: "When officers informed the defendant why they were there, he said that he had been wanting to contact the police for some time to talk about the fact that you could get such things on the internet.

"He said he was simply a concerned citizen who had been downloading such images to show how easy it was."

Ishaq was arrested by police, who seized an iPad, two iPhones, a desktop computer, another phone and a laptop.

The court heard he told officers that further devices could be found at his home inside a washbag, which was hidden in a sofabed.

Police carried out another raid on Ishaq's address and found the bag, which contained more devices including external hard drives and a memory card.

Officers analysed the devices and found a shocking amount of indecent images of children - both still images and video.

There were 31,307 category A images, 29,256 category B images, and 327,531 category C images - a total of 388,094.

Mr Connick said the images included children aged from just one-year-old to 17, adding: "Many of the victims appeared to be distressed and in severe pain."

Police found 47 images of extreme pornography involving animals - including a video which also featured a child - as well as a vile 120-page paedophile manual on 'how to practice child love'.

Officers also found evidence of web visits, bookmarks and downloads which indicated the various files Ishaq had accessed and the disgusting search terms he had used - including 'pre-teen hardcore' and 'rape' - as well as online chat logs to ask for more files.

Ishaq had used 'secretive internet browsers' in an attempt to cover his tracks, Mr Connick added.

Defending, John Harrison said his client was a man of previous good character who pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and told the court his wife was 'entirely dependent on him'.

He said that Ishaq claims that the 'desperate' excuse he first gave to police - that he intended to hand over the material as a 'concerned citizen' - was one he made 'out of fear' following the raid at his home.

Mr Harrison added: "It's quite clear that the thought processes of [Ishaq] need to be tackled."

Judge Martin Walsh, honorary recorder of Bolton, handed Ishaq a two-year prison sentence but told him he would serve half of it before being released on licence.

Ishaq also must sign a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

"The amount of material here is grotesque," Judge Walsh said.

"This was a systematic and committed searching for prohibited material over an extended period of time.

"Having regard to the aggravating features here, only an immediate sentence of custody can be justified."

All items seized from Ishaq which contained the material will be destroyed.

Description

Calculating predator Robin Elms, 23, of Hunston, Chichester, was sentenced to 20 years and six months at Portsmouth Crown Court after inflicting sexual assaults on nine children who were also spied on and video recorded.

The 20 offences between 2018 and 2020 were carried out on children aged two to 14 in five households after he secured employment via 'reputable' online childcare agencies.

Seven of the children, in three households, were from West Sussex and two of the children, in two households, were from east Kent.

Elms, of previous good character, had worked in other non-residential child care settings, but there was no evidence of offences against other children.

In sentencing Elms, judge Lance Ashworth said: 'You groomed the families, moving from home to home, beguiling them and making them feel sorry for you.'

Detective Constable Chris Smith of Sussex Police said: 'Elms used his access, and the trust placed in him by the parents, to systematically abuse children in their own homes.

'His offences were horrendous breaches of trust, which are every parent's greatest concern. He had no previous convictions or any other DBS-related record, and the parents all had found him through reputable child care agencies.'

The child abuser pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault, five counts of taking indecent videos of children, and four counts of voyeurism and one count of sexually assaulting an adult man - not related to his work as a nanny or babysitter.

Elms will spend 15 and a half years of the sentence in prison and five years on extended prison licence supervision.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court notice.

The prosecution followed an investigation by detectives from the Complex Abuse Unit of Sussex Police which began when one of the families in West Sussex contacted police in November 2020 reporting sexual abuse.

Description

During swimming lessons George Holden, 88, offered to dry boys in the changing rooms after lessons - performing sex acts on them.

Derby Crown Court heard sick Holden even sexually abused one of the boys while holding him in the water inside the pool.

He encouraged two young victims - pupils at a school where his wife worked - to visit his home over a period between 1973 and 1978.

Once there he had both boys perform oral sex on him and had penetrative sex with one of them.

The court heard Holden forced one of the boys to watch pornography and there was a “sex toy” present on another occasion.

Holden gave both boys – aged between 7 and 11 years old – sweets to “keep their mouths shut” and threatened one that if he told anyone he would “hurt his parents” and his friends would “find out he was gay”.

Prosecutor Julia King described how the pensioner “groomed" and "charmed” both boys' parents.

On one occasion one of the young boys was on holiday in Skegness with his parents at the same time that Holden was performing at a nearby caravan site.

Ms King said Holden “abused (the victim) in his own caravan in the same way that he had at his home address”.

The prosecutor said the young boy had spent time with Holden with his parents “blessing”, adding that they “looked up to him as a celebrity”.

Both victims – ashamed of what had happened – remained silent about Holden’s abuse until one of them plucked up the courage to approach police in 2018.

However the court heard today entertainer and “clown” Holden had been prosecuted previously for abusing other young boys

In 1961 Holden was convicted for three counts of indecent assault against children at a residential school for the partially-sighted – where he would climb into bed with his victims.

And in 1983, aged 50, Holden was handed a community order with 240 hours’ unpaid work after being convicted of attempted buggery and two indecent assaults against children while working at Queen’s Park Swimming Pool.

“Predatory paedophile” Holden asked at the time for seven other offences to be taken into consideration – however he kept silent about two of his victims.

Judge Robert Egbuna told him: “The sentence reflects the approach to sentencing for sexual offences in the sixties and eighties.

"I have no doubt that when you were sentenced and you asked for the offences to be taken into consideration it was not lost upon you that you had abused two other young boys in the manner that you did.

"The most serious offending that you did not bring to the court’s attention – and no doubt for very good reason.”

Judge Egbuna told Holden he “clearly knew” the offences were wrong.

He added: “These offences were committed while your wife was not in the house and teaching.”

Telling Holden “despite your age it is clear to me you are a manipulative individual,” the judge noted while giving evidence Holden had sought to portray himself as “someone who had difficulties with your memory”.

However he added: “It was palpably clear to me you had a very good memory.”

In statements read out to the court Holden’s victims described feeling “ashamed” of what had happened and struggling with “flashbacks”.

One wrote: “Throughout my childhood I suffered with nightmares and night terrors after George Holden started abusing me.

"I’ve had flashbacks throughout my life and these have escalated since I’ve spoken about what happened to me.

"I found it difficult to make friends at school because of a lack of confidence – all this affected my academic achievement.”

He described how Holden “groomed and manipulated” the adults around him.

"Because of this I felt I was unable to trust them and disclose what had happened to me,” he said.

The other victim described having to leave the room when TV programmes addressing sexual abuse were on.

He said: “I’ve never really forgotten or overcome those days while in the changing rooms or at his house.”

Stuart Lody, mitigating for Holden, described how the defendant attended boarding school as a young boy – where he was “introduced to this sort of behaviour.”

Mr Lody said Holden had “said goodbye to his wife”, adding: “He fully expects he will die in prison – probably sooner rather than later.”

Holden, of Ashgate Road, Chesterfield, admitted 17 offences – including 12 counts of indecent assault, two counts of gross indecency with a child and three counts of buggery.

He was jailed for 14 years – meaning 13 years in jail and one year on licence.

Holden was sentenced according to the “sentencing regime” at the time his offences were committed, said Judge Egbuna.

He was ordered to serve at least three-quarters of his sentence and placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Description

A woman sent child abuse images to her boyfriend - because she wanted to keep their 'relationship alive'.

Perverted couple Rachael Larkman, 38, and Steven Kearsley, 35, started dating in 2013 after meeting on the website Flirtomatic.

They were described as friends with benefits.

But their relationship took a sinister twist when Kearsley began asking her for indecent images of children.

Kearsley later became quite obsessed with the idea of chatting online to children, and officers later found he had been sending messages to a child.

Larkman pleaded guilty to distributing indecent photos of a child, the M.E.N reports.

Kearsley was convicted of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence believing it would be committed, namely requesting indecent images of children; and engaging in sexual communication with a child following a trial.

At an earlier hearing at Minshull Crown Court, prosecutor Robert Smith said: "He asked Rachael Larkman for topless photos of herself, which she did but then asked her whether she was interested in pornography.

"Rachel accepted that she had sent him eight to ten photographs."

The pair were arrested after police were made aware of the images and explicit messages.

Their phones were examined and revealed a number of sinister message exchanges.

In one exchange, Kearsley said: You got any pervy pics?

In another he said: You can send any - even nudes I wouldnt run.

She later said: Lol having fun?

Kearsley replied: Child abuse is always fun x.

The prosecutor said Kearsleys requests for the images were constant and arose from his sexual interest in children.

Following an investigation launched by the police, Kearsley also was found to be sending inappropriate messages to a child.

Both were said to have no previous convictions.

Mitigating for Larkman, Richard Simons said: She is considered to be a vulnerable adult and partner in the context of intimate relationships.

The psychiatric report concludes that she suffers from Battered Wife Syndrome and PTSD.

This offending behaviour happened over three years ago and she made immediate admissions.

She is deeply remorseful.

In mitigation for Kearsley, Vanessa Thomson said: His pre-sentence report doesnt make for positive reading on his behalf.

He still denies the offences.

The pre-sentence report suggests a community alternative, where he will be challenged face-to-face on a weekly basis about what he thinks is right and not right.

It will be intensely challenging to him.

That will not be available to him in a prison environment.

She added that her client suffered from ongoing complications from a broken back, which affected his work as an actor in the acting industry.

Sentencing Larkman, Recorder Anna Vigars QC said: These offences took place... to keep your own sexual relationship alive.

But, you have a difficult and traumatic background, and you have demonstrated very significant remorse.

Sentencing Kearsley, she said: Your request was made in the context of a perverted sexual fantasy.

I have read the pre-sentence report, and it is a troubling report.

I see no recognition you had done anything wrong and you sought rather to pass blame to Larkman.

Larkman, of Oldham, was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years; 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements; and a three-month electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 6am.

Kearsley, also of Oldham, was jailed for a year.

Both were ordered to sign the sex offender register for a decade. Kearsley was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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Manipulative Farzad Shabani's despicable behaviour exposed in powerful court speech by the student he left devastated A rapist continued his attack through the tears of a student before waging a campaign of manipulation to prevent her from seeking justice. Farzad Shabani fought through her efforts to push him away then shamelessly became angry at her devastation following the assault. He then tried to convince her the assault was her fault before putting her through the ordeal of hearing him lie through a trial. Shabani carried out his attack in the early hours of the morning at a university halls of residence in Liverpool. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: "He had sexual intercourse with her at a time that she was not consenting... even when she was telling him to stop and pushed him away with her arms he carried on regardless." Ms Daley added: "She described how the defendant didn't even seem to notice when she was crying when the sexual intercourse was continuing. She indicated how the defendant appeared to get cross with her for being upset afterwards." In a brave statement to Liverpool Crown Court, the student told how she pushed her family away because she was too ashamed to tell them, while she said Shabani "gaslighted and manipulated" her, adding: "He convinced me that I deserved it, that it was my fault." The 30-year-old's crime had a severe impact psychologically and physically, with the court hearing she initially existed solely in "survival mode". She said: "I considered dropping out of university and I think a lot of people expected me to. "There were days I could not get out of bed because I did not want to face anyone." In the aftermath, Shabani launched a vindictive social media campaign that included the creation of a fake Instagram profile through which he sought to provoke the student in an attempt to make her write responses he could use to undermine her. Meanwhile she became paranoid and scared, fearing he would have her followed. Her powerful speech told of the strength she had mustered to report her attacker to police and reach the realisation she was not to blame: "I still felt almost guilty for telling my truth... It took a while for me to come to terms with the fact he had put himself in this position and what had happened to me was his fault despite what he had conditioned my mind to believe." Peter Killen, defending, told the court: "Any offence of this type always inflicts serious harm on any victim... The sole mitigating factor is the defendant is a man of previous good character." Passing sentence, Judge Brian Cummings, QC, described Shabani's attack and following behaviour as "appalling". He told the court : "I make it clear that I sentence you on the basis of [the student's] evidence. The jury plainly accepted it. So do I. "The factual basis on which I sentence you is one of which I am sure." The judge continued: "You have shown an utter disregard for anyone but yourself. "You have presented as manipulative and controlling and for having an inflated regard for your own personal dignity yet none for anyone else's." Shabani, of Rectory Road, in the Crumpsall area of Manchester, was sentenced to six and a half years in jail and made the subject of a restraining order for life.

Description

A CONVICTED paedophile who admitted to repeatedly visiting a house while children were present - breaching a court order - has avoided a jail sentence.

Robert Nutbeam was jailed in July 2018 after he was caught by 'paedophile hunters' attempting to meet a boy under the age of 16 for sexual purposes. He admitted the offence and was jailed at Southampton Crown Court.

A sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) was put in place, but earlier this year police were told that Nutbeam, of Andover Road, Winchester, had broken a requirement. The order prevents him from entering and remaining in a household where a male under the age of 16 is present.

The 36-year-old appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO on three occasions - July 8, July 27 and August 3, this year.

The court was told that Nutbeam had been helping a woman with DIY, but her son and his friend – both aged under 16 – were present.

Prosecutor William Saunders said: "The communication was normal and didn't cause any concern".

Mr Saunders said the offending came to light after concerns were raised by another child. He added: "It was one of the parents of other children that contacted the police."

The woman told police that she was "aware that Robert was a registered sex offender" and that she never left him alone with the children.

She added: "If I would have known about the court order or restrictions placed on Robert I would never have let him in my home."

Mr Saunders argued that it was "a deliberate breach", adding that there were "questions as to where this was leading".

In mitigation, Russell Pyne said that Nutbeam self-referred to the Winchester Wellbeing Centre for support, but his case was closed last year due to Covid.

He continued: "Certainly it shows he was keen to have support for the various difficulties that he has."

Mr Pyne said that Nutbeam was briefly remanded into custody which gave him an "opportunity to reflect on what he has done".

In sentencing, Mr Recorder Malcolm Gibney said that he believed that the breaches were "deliberate" but said there was "a level of naivety" from Nutbeam.

He added: "You know what you are doing, you are intelligent and perfectly capable of understanding the contents of the order."

Nutbeam was handed an 18-month community order, 100 hours unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation days.

Description

Police praise victim for her bravery as family speak of their harrowing ordeal

Relatives of the victim of a child sex abuser have spoken of the harrowing impact of his actions as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Richard Hall, 36, is behind bars after being given a five years’ jail term with an Indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order also imposed.

Hall, 36, whose address was given as Stockport Road, Ashton, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court last week.

A former student at Egerton Park in Denton before going on to serve in the army, he was found guilty following a trial of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

The judge said Hall had groomed his victim and had displayed no remorse, stating he was a dangerous man to society.

This week relatives of his victim, who remain anonymous to protect their identity, said they welcomed the sentence and justice had been done, but the victim and family members will have to face the lifetime impact of his actions.

They spoke out following the trial in the hope it will encourage other victims of child sexual abuse, sexual assault or rape to have the courage to come forward.

In a statement they said: “Paedophiles purposely take the child mentally, emotionally and physically despite knowing that it is wrong. They lure them and lie and prey on the most vulnerable children in our society. They are calculated and manipulative.

“They adopt a personality that we often find charming, trustworthy and likeable. They search out children like a predator stalking prey and they hurt everyone in their path.

“We want people to realise and be aware of how a predator can so easily infiltrate a family; Richard Hall didn’t just groom his victim but an entire family who are all his victims.

“People need to learn how to recognise grooming behaviour, it really is the absolute unthinkable and the ultimate betrayal.”

The victim and family members have been left with a range of mental health difficulties as a result of their ordeal, being diagnosed with social anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with difficulties forming relationships, ultimately with one of the victims even threatening to take their own life.

In a victim impact statement Hall’s victim said: “Sexual abuse isn’t murder but it is like killing someone inside... they are alive to feel that pain forever and watch what the abuser has done to the surrounding people - that applies to all of my family because they were mentally abused... we all have to live with this.”

The relative continued: “We have very special thanks and gratitude to Norfolk Constabulary, especially the investigating officer, CPS with our outstanding barrister and of course the Judge himself. We do feel as though we have justice despite the ongoing, lifetime impact that this has had.

“We hope our story might give victims courage to speak out and we send a clear message that child sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape is and will continue to be tackled and stamped out.”

The case against Hall was brought following an investigation by Norfolk and Suffolk Police.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Natalie Riseborough said: “First and foremost I would like to commend the courage of the victim in this case. I can only imagine the ordeal she has been through and the enormous impact that this has had on her life.

“She has been incredibly brave in speaking out and breaking the cycle of abuse and preventing it from happening to others. I hope this court result will bring some kind of closure for both her and her family and allow them to start to heal from what has happened.”

Description

Paedophile Simon Hammerton was caught with a bag of booze and condoms as he went to meet an '11-year-old girl'.

The 33-year-old was apprehended by paedophile hunters - adults posing as young girls online - after he attempted to meet what he thought was a child in Greater Manchester in July.

Detectives seized Hammerton's laptop and found he was also chatting to 'girls' from Southampton and Leicestershire - believing both were 12 years old.

He would regularly tell them he wanted to kiss them and one one occasion asked a girl for a picture in her school uniform or underwear.

Hammerton was also in contact with two other girls he believed were 11 and 13.

During both conversations, Hammerton would speak sexually and sent them images and videos of him naked, including one video he sent to the 11-year-old girl of him masturbating and ejaculating.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard Hammerton's undoing came in July, when he arranged to meet a 'girl' he had been speaking to online.

However when he arrived at Ashton-under-Lyme bus station, he was met by a group of adults and placed under citizen's arrest.

He was then handed over to Greater Manchester Police who discovered his bag contained condoms and alcohol.

It was then his laptop was seized and the full extent of his offending came to light.

Hammerton, of Hyde, has now been jailed for five years and four months and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He admitted five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

Detective Constable Sue Masheter from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Child Sexual Exploitation takes place in many forms and in this case Hammerton engaged in online communications with what he believed were very young children, not sparing any thought for the lasting damage his actions could have.

"Unknown to Hammerton, the 'children' he thought he was communicating with were actually adults and thankfully we have now been able to remove a dangerous individual from our community and ensure that he is not able to inflict any further abuse.

"I would like to thank the members of the online safety group, namely STOP for their cooperation throughout this investigation."

Description

A MARRIED British Army instructor who raped a teenage recruit at a Hampshire base has been jailed for eight and a half years.

Corporal Thomas Biggs 'pressurised' the 18-year-old trainee into performing oral sex on him after getting her out of bed at 3am when he was drunk, a court martial heard.

The instructor's victim said she felt she had 'no other option' after the 30-year-old kept saying to her 'you'll lose your job' unless she complied.

And the attack was only interrupted when Cpl Biggs took a call from his wife which distracted him, the hearing was told.

His 'degrading' behaviour may put off potential recruits joining the Army, he was told.

Sentencing Cpl Biggs, Judge Advocate Jane England said: "You owe all of the recruits a duty of care but instead you abused your position and helped yourself to what you wanted.

"(Your actions) may also deter those with the qualities armies are seeking from joining the armed forced thinking they may be subject to similar degrading behaviour by one of the instructors."

Bulford Military Court, Wilts, heard that the rape took place at the Army Training Regiment in Winchester.

Wing Commander Michael Saunders, prosecuting, said: "[Cpl Biggs] had got [the recruit] who was 18 years of age out of bed in the early hours when he was drunk and ended up leading her to an isolated location and pressurised her in to performing oral sex.

"He told her she would lose her job. He was a Corporal instructor, she was a young recruit, he was drunk, she submitted to him but she did not consent."

The court heard that Cpl Biggs went to the recruit's room in the early hours and woke her up by calling her name.

A video of the victim's interview with military police was shown in court.

She told officers she could smell alcohol on the breath of Cpl Biggs after he woke her up and she followed him into the corridor.

She said: "I don't know what was going on, I thought I was receiving some bad news.

"He was really close to me... he just kept looking around and asking 'do you know why you are here?'.

"He was saying 'I saw you in your grey tight pyjamas, you're trying to impress all the Corporals, trying to impress me'.

She explained that a girl from her room came out and went to the toilet, prompting Cpl Biggs to open a fire door and take the recruit through the door.

She said: "I said 'this is stupid', I kept repeating you will lose your job, you will lose your job but he kept saying 'no you'll lose yours'."

The victim told police she complied because he told her she could lose her job.

She said: "That's the reason why I did it because at that point I was scared he would use that against me.

"If he didn't threaten me with the fact I could lose my job... that really got to me I just thought I'm not risking anything where I am now.

"He's a Corporal, he has power against me, I'm just a recruit, I have nothing.

"It would never have got to this point if he wasn't saying the things he was saying, bringing work in to it.

"It was like, this is what's going to happen to you if you don't just get on with it."

Wg Cdr Saunders told the court martial that Cpl Biggs received a call from his wife which distracted him and the recruit managed to get away and returned to her room crying.

In a statement read to the court on the impact the rape had, the victim said: "I constantly think about what I could have done differently to have stopped Corporal Biggs from raping me but I know that I was so confused at the time.

"I know that I did the right thing by reporting this because Corporal Biggs' actions and behaviour cannot be tolerated."

Cpl Biggs, of the 3 Armoured Close Support Battalion of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was found guilty of one charge of rape.

He was dismissed from the army and sentenced to 8 and a half years in prison

Description

A PERVERT who described himself as a nice paedo in messages to young girls, continued attempting to contact children even after he was caught by paedophile hunters. But his second attempt ended in further arrest as the 12-year-old girl he thought he was grooming was really a decoy police officer. Bolton Crown Court heard how, on October 26, 2019 paedophile hunter Kirsti Trott, posing as 13-year-old Missi was contacted by Nathan Kennedy on via the childrens section of the website Chat-Avenue. Kennedy, aged 34, did not hide his intentions, giving himself the user name UK Predator. Rachel White, prosecuting, said: The conversation immediately became sexualised and he asked if she had ever been with an older man. Conversations continued on WhatsApp with him using sexualised language, sending photographs of his private parts, inviting her to meet in a hotel, wanting to know where she lived so he could book a train ticket and even offering to obtain the morning after pill for her. He also acknowledged what he was doing was grooming and that he could go to prison because his activities were unlawful, said Miss White. Missi introduced Kennedy to a fictitious 13-year-old cousin, called Sophie. He asked if he could fool around with all three of them, said Miss White. Kennedy also contacted Sophie via WhatsApp, discussing sex and offering to buy her clothes and shoes. Pretending to be someone called Marcus, Kennedy contacted Missi again. The conversations were mostly short-lived and mostly concentrated on checking that Missi had not told anyone about her chats with Nathan, said Miss White. He asked about Missis mother and asked whether he could drive to her address to have sex with her and her mother. On December 6, 2019, paedophile hunters from the Keep Kids Safe organisation visited Kennedy at his then home in Wythenshawe and confronted him after phoning and making arrangements for the delivery of a fictitious parcel. They filmed the encounter, live streaming it on Facebook.

Description

Joshua Etchells (26/5/01) of Lowton Road, Sale has been jailed for 14 months after pleading guilty to 20 counts of sexual assault by touching. Following his release he will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The charges against Etchells relate to a series of sexual assaults that occurred between 1 March 2021 and 7 March 2021 on canal tow paths along the Bridgewater Canal, the River Mersey and along the Trans Pennine Trail.

Etchells assaulted 19 women and a teenage girl across the seven day period, including nine women on one day alone.

His offending followed a similar pattern for all of his victims in that they were all either walking or running, often alone, down the tow path when Etchells would approach them from behind on a bicycle.

As he approached and began to pass the women, he would then either grab or slap their bottom and quickly flee the scene on his bike. On two occasions, Etchells approached the victim head on and cycled past them before turning around and cycling back towards them from behind. As he passed, he sexually assaulted them.

Following an assault on the Trans Pennine Trail, one of Etchell's victims along with a family member decided to drive around the local area to locate him. As they drove around they spotted a male she was confident was Etchells and she shouted out the window at him.

Ignoring her shouts, she managed to take photographs of him, which she then passed over to police.

A full investigation was launched by GMP and on Saturday 13 March, plain clothed officers were on patrol in an unmarked vehicle in Sale and noticed Etchells on his bike and identified him as the male wanted for multiple sexual assaults.

He was subsequently arrested and his bike - that matched the description of the bicycle reported to police - was seized.

Following interview Etchells was subsequently charged.

Detective Inspector Helen Bagnall of GMP's Trafford district said: "Firstly I want to extend my thanks and gratitude to all the women who came forward to report the assault. Reporting such incidents is never easy but thanks to their support during the investigation and initial detailed descriptions of Etchells we have been able to secure a conviction today.

"Etchells' twisted behaviour was nothing short of deplorable and he felt he was untouchable and would be able to flee each assault with little consequence. I'm glad we've now been able to place him behind bars where he will have plenty of time to reflect on his actions.

"I hope today also serves as a reminder that GMP will do all in its power to ensure those responsible for such disgusting behaviour are identified and face the appropriate justice. No woman should be made to feel unsafe when she walks the street and I'm glad that today we have been able to remove another dangerous individual from our community."

Description

A paedophile ex-vicar once caught with a shoebox full of kid's clothes is back in jail for the third time after watching children as young as five being raped.

Paul Battersby, 72, formerly of Liverpool, scoured the internet for the sick material and downloaded more than 800 indecent images, all while he was under a court order designed to curb his online activity.

The twice-married former Church of England clergyman, who worked for the church for 31 years, built up a sordid collection of 832 images, some of which included the rape of children aged between five and 10, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Lucy Brown said some of the images featured children as young as two.

Battersby, who was a chemistry teacher in Liverpool before he took the cloth and once worked with Amnesty International, also viewed images of bestiality and tried to hide his crimes using special software.

But he was caught out for the fourth time in 13 years when police searched his new home in Skipton, North Yorkshire, in October last year.

Officers seized his computer equipment including a laptop, on which they found the offending material.

Battersby - formerly of Birkenhead, and Liverpool City Centre - was arrested and charged with three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing extreme pornography including videos, breaching a sexual-harm prevention order and a further count of possessing 205 prohibited or cartoon images of children.

He admitted all charges and appeared for sentence via video link on Tuesday after being remanded in custody.

In 2008, Battersby - a former national youth officer with the Church of England who at the time was vicar of St Ambrose Church in Leyland - received a suspended prison sentence at Preston Crown Court for possessing very disturbing images of children after being turned in by his wife.

In 2010, he was jailed again after police found 160 obscene images of children on his laptop which had been used to organise missions for the Church of England.

Battersby - said to have "fantasies about pre-pubescent girls"- was to serve more jail time for similar offences including in 2017 when he was jailed for 20 months at Liverpool Crown Court for downloading 1,730 indecent images of children and extreme animal pornography.

At the time of those offences, Battersby was living in a luxury flat, funded by the Church of England, in Liverpools Beetham Tower, where police also found a shoebox full of childrens clothing.

Among the sick files found on his computer equipment was a horrifying movie of a girl being bound and raped.

Battersby had also written a twisted child-sex-abuse fantasy starring himself.

After being released from that prison sentence, Battersby - who was already estranged from his two ex-wives and ostracised by his family and the Church of England - moved to Skipton where he lived alone.

The father-of-two, described as highly intelligent, was on the sex offenders register and subject to a court order designed to limit his internet activity but could not stop himself re-offending.

The protection officers who were monitoring his online activity made an impromptu visit to his home and found hundreds of vile images on his laptop, as well as cleaning software and a special browser.

Helen Chapman, defending Battersby, said the ex-ministers complicated and deeply embedded behaviour had cost him two marriages and he had no contact whatsoever with his second family.

Judge Simon Hickey told Battersby that his deliberate and calculated use of the wiping and browsing software and the vast number of images shed light on the ex-vicars determination to pursue your perversion in looking up these images.

Judge Hickey said: You say you want to change I find that difficult to accept given your deeply embedded behaviour and your deliberate flouting of court orders."

The judge said he regarded Battersby as a danger to children who presented a significant risk of committing similar crimes in the future.

Battersby was jailed for four years with an extended three year licence period upon his eventual release from custody.

He was also ordered to sign on the sex-offenders register for life and made subject to a new sexual-harm prevention order, which will also run for an indefinite period.

Description

A man who sexually assaulted young children and was actively seeking opportunities to offend again has been convicted of 14 counts of child sexual abuse after a National Crime Agency investigation.

Keats Harvey, a 24-year-old American national, groomed and sexually assaulted four children, the youngest of whom was a toddler.

He was arrested by NCA officers at his home in West Wittering, Chichester, in May 2020.

Harvey had a catalogue of almost 9,000 indecent images of children and 630 prohibited images on his electronic devices, which he had collated between 2015-2020. Of those were 860 category A images (the most severe), 1,290 category B and 6,984 category C.

The NCA uncovered a large number of chat logs and emails in which he had sent and received these images from other likeminded individuals, as well as admitting to having molested three young children.

Investigators subsequently identified four children who had been abused by Harvey, all of whom were under ten-years-old and have since been safeguarded.

He met his victims through other adults he knew and assaulted one of the children whilst at a party.

Harvey made multiple further attempts to meet and abuse children by befriending vulnerable adults with kids and applying for jobs at places where we knew he would have access to children, including hospitals and nurseries.

Through their investigation into Harvey, NCA officers identified another American national they suspected had sexually abused an eleven-year-old boy.

Intelligence was shared with US authorities based in Seattle and the man, a teacher, was arrested and the child safeguarded.

Yesterday (29/07/2021) at Hove Crown Court Harvey was found guilty of six counts of possessing indecent images of children (categories A-C), two counts of possessing prohibited images, two counts of taking and one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, two counts of assaulting a child under 13 by touching, and meeting a girl under 16 following grooming.

He will be sentenced at the same court on 8 October 2021.

Peter Stevens, Branch Commander at the NCA, said: "Keats Harvey was conducting very serious offending, not just online but by physically abusing young children.

"On top of this, he was actively trying to befriend adults who had children and had researched jobs on the internet, at hospitals and nurseries, all with the aim of gaining access to children.

"In my view he is an offender whose behaviour was escalating in terms of the severity of the offending he was trying to commit.

"Prosecuting individuals like Harvey who pose a sexual risk to children is a priority for the NCA. My team worked tirelessly, with support from the Crown Prosecution Service, analysing reams of particularly disturbing material to build the case against him and ensure he would face justice.

"We also worked closely with policing partners to identify offenders and safeguard victims. In this case, Sussex and Hampshire Police provided significant support to the investigation."