Latest Offenders Chester

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A man who raped and sexually abused a child has been jailed for 18 years.

Martyn Garland carried out a catalogue of horrific abuse against the girl who hadnt even reached her teens.

His crimes came to light when she reported the matter to police years later.

In a victim impact statement, she said: I have spent many years crying for the little girl that got trapped inside of me after he destroyed my innocence and my childhood.

The trauma has hung over me like a shadow that has crept into every part of my existence leaving me feeling like a lost cause, like Ive been damaged beyond repair.

I havent been able to put my trust into anybody for almost 20 years and I dont believe that there is anybody that I will ever fully trust.

There have been times where I have felt suicidal because the pain has been too much where I have turned to alcohol to stop me from feeling for a moment. But I know that deep down I dont want to die. I have too much to live for.

I just so desperately want, need, the pain to stop.

I am trying so hard to be stronger. This has honestly impacted everything that I do. Each day I wake up and I have to force myself to get out of bed when all I want to do is just lay there.

I live it every day. Its because I dont feel like any of these words are enough. They dont truly convey exactly how much hes destroyed and how much of my life hes truly taken away. I know I would be an entirely different person and had an entirely different life had this not happened and that is a difficult thing to comprehend.

Garland, 50, of Mercaston Close, Holme Hall, Chesterfield, was arrested and subsequently charged with a number of offences including rape, sexual assault, cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and assault by penetration.

He denied the offences, forcing the woman to go through a trial but a jury saw through his lies and he was convicted after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He appeared at the same court for sentencing on Friday 19 April where he was jailed for 18 years with an extended licence period of a year. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

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A 34-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman on a train between Birmingham and Manchester

Kristaps Berzins, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court

The court heard that despite  the woman wearing headphones, he attempted to engage her in conversation making personal and inappropriate comments.

Berzins remarks became increasingly aggressive eventually escalating to him sexually assaulting the woman.

When Berzins went to the toilet the woman quickly moved to another seat and reported what had happened to a member of train staff who alerted British Transport Police.

He was jailed for seven months and issued with a five year Sexual Harm Prevention order which forbids him from sitting next to or across from, approaching, touching or communicating with any lone female on public transport.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for seven years and pay compensation of £300.

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A SUPERMARKET worker downloaded hundreds of sick images including videos of child sex abuse, a court has heard.

James Baines appeared in court for sentencing on Thursday after admitting five counts of possessing indecent images.

Police raided Baines’s address in King Stephen Road last year and seized a Samsung mobile phone which was found to have 255 category A images, 138 category B images, and 63 category C images.

Further searches found a Google Drive folder on Baines’s laptop contained three category A videos and two category C images.

Category A images are classified as being the most serious as they depict penetration of a child whilst they are in pain or distress.

Baines first appeared at the magistrates' court where he admitted three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child and two charges of possessing an indecent photograph of a child.

The case was then transferred to the crown court so a greater sentenced could be passed.

Lucy Sweetland, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court that Baines said to officers he was “not shocked” when they had turned up at his address to execute a search warrant.

Baines had said the images were initially sent to him by other internet users in an online chat group but he “willingly accepted the images and continued to access the chatroom”, Miss Sweetland said.

The court heard how most of the images were of children around the age of six, with one image depicting a child as young as four months.

Miss Sweetland continued: “Another image shows a child distressed and crying during the abuse.”

Frank O’Toole, mitigating, said Baines, 24, had no previous convictions and was working full-time in a supermarket.

He added: “He is not trying to blame anyone else and he is not saying he was bamboozled or taken advantage of because of his age – he doesn’t know why he did it.

“The difficulty he has had from early adulthood was that he lost his hair and became very, very self-conscious because of that – he had decided to go to university but abandoned that idea because he felt his peer group wouldn’t relate to him.

“He self-imposed a personality that removed him from the normal exchanges he would have had with that group - to an extent, he was isolated."

Judge David Pugh sentenced Baines to an eight-month prison term suspended for two years, ordered him to complete 30 days of rehab activity requirements, and imposed a £340 payment for costs.

Baines has also been placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

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A 75-year-old man from Eccles has been jailed for eight years after abusing a boy for more than a decade. 

Raymond Willan pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child aged 13-16 and possession of extreme pornography.

Willan, who has been described as the “worst kind of predator”, was jailed for eight years at Manchester Crown Court on March 12 2024.

The abuse came to light after the victim disclosed it had been happening for several years.

Specialist GMP investigators praised the young victim for his bravery in reporting the abuse.

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A woman was subjected to a ‘humiliating’ sexual assault by a stranger in the Gay Village on New Year’s Eve. Abuzahra Rabea, 27, attacked the young woman without warning as she walked along the street with friends.

Rabea, a total stranger, approached her before he ‘shoved’ his hand up her skirt and forcefully groped her. After the ‘shocking’ attack, Rabea allegedly said he ‘could do what he wants’ and that he can ‘touch who he wants’.

Rabea, an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK on a small boat from France, was on ‘immigration bail’ while his application remained outstanding. He has now been jailed for 18 months.

“Your victim was going about her lawful business, on a night out with friends,” Judge Hilary Manley told him during the sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court. “You deliberately approached her in the street, and with no preamble you forcibly shoved your hand up her dress and then groped her genital area with force.

“You were aggressive during and after the incident. This was frightening, humiliating, shocking and violating.

“Like many women and girls, your victim already had experienced sexual violence and assault in her life. What you did exacerbates those previous experiences.

“Women and girls must be able to go about their business, whether they are on their way to school or work or college, whether they are out walking in public or on a night out, without being targeted, assaulted and humiliated, and without fearing it might happen.”

Prosecuting, Phil Barnes told how the victim had been out celebrating the New Year when Rabea approached them, at about 2.20am in the early hours of January 1 last year. Rabea, who was said to be ‘extremely drunk’, was pushed away by the woman who shouted at him. He began to run away but her friends gave chase in a bid to stop him.

At one point they stopped him and Rabea was heard to say ‘sorry miss’ in ‘broken English’. A friend claimed they heard him say he ‘could do what he wants’ and ‘touch who he wants’.

He broke free but was detained a short distance away after the woman’s friends alerted police nearby. In an interview with officers, he denied sexually assaulting anyone and falsely claimed that the victim’s friends had tried to rob him at knifepoint.

“When you were apprehended, you added insult to injury by falsely claiming your victim had in some way committed a crime against you, that was a lie,” Judge Manley added.

“What you did has had a profound effect on many aspects of her life, and there is of course always the fear of something like this happening again. Having read the pre-sentence report I note you have shown little remorse or insight.”

The victim made a powerful statement in court in front of Rabea before he was sent down to begin his sentence. She said: “The night of January 1, 2023 was supposed to mark a new beginning for me. It was my New Year too. Another year where I dared to hope that the nightmares would fade.

“But instead it became another chapter in a story of pain and violation at the hands of another predator.” She said Rabea had seen her as a ‘mere object to satisfy your depraved desires’. She continued: “You didn’t see the years I spent wearing a mask, trying to cover my fear and pain from the world. You don’t see the courage it takes to step outside each day.

“It was my own perseverance that ultimately led to your arrest. The crime you committed against me is no small matter.

“You have added to the memories I struggle to suppress every waking moment. I doubt you care about the lasting impact your actions have had on my life.

“Until we can walk the streets without fear, until we can hold our heads high without the threat of sexual assault looming over us, none of us are truly safe.” The court heard that Rabea was first known to the authorities in the UK in 2017 when he entered the country in a ‘clandestine’ manner on a small boat from France.

He applied for asylum in the UK in 2022 and was on ‘immigration bail’ while his application remained undecided. He had no previous convictions on his record in this country.

Defending, Neil Ronan said that Rabea, who is originally from Egypt, had fled his native country after suffering a ‘vicious and violent attack’. He appealed to the judge to spare Rabea jail, noting that the probation service had deemed him to present a ‘low risk of reoffending’.

But Judge Manley said the offence was too serious for a suspended sentence. “Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody in a case like this,” she added.

Rabea, of Cable Street, Manchester, pleaded guilty to sexual assault. He will serve half of the 18 month jail term in prison, and was ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

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Christopher Kofi Taylor (26/12/1975) of Dorothy Street, Salford on Tuesday 5 March 2024 was sentenced to life imprisonment at Manchester Crown Court for four counts of rape of a female under 16, trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, and section 47 assault after pleading guilty.

He will serve a minimum of 11 years and four months.

Officers were called to an address in Trafford just after 6am on Monday 23 August 2021, to reports a 15-year-old had been attacked in an isolated incident.

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A 66-year-old man from Winchester has been jailed for 15 years for child sex offences.

Following a ten-day trial, Terence Peter Price, of Romsey Road was convicted of 13 counts at Southampton Crown Court on Friday 26 January.

He was sentenced yesterday (Thursday 15 February) and will serve at least ten years behind bars.

Price will also be subject to a restraining order and must serve an extended year on licence upon his eventual release from prison

The 13 offences, for which he has been imprisoned, took place in Hedge End between April 2016 and April 2021.

At the time of the first incident, the victim was just ten years of age.

Price’s crimes came to light when they were first reported to police in June 2021.

Detective Constable Mark Gallagher, of the Criminal Investigation Department said: “It took a lot of courage and bravery for the victim to come forward and make these disclosures to us.

“I have nothing but the greatest admiration for her. She fully supported our investigation and with the strength of the evidence against him Price’s account was rejected by the jury.

“I am so pleased for her that justice has now been served in this case.

“Price abused her for his own sexual gratification, without a moment’s thought for the child and the long-lasting effects his crimes would have on her.

“While I know this result won’t rid her of the memories of what he did to her, I truly hope it allows her to move forward with her life, safe in the knowledge that because of her coming forward he can no longer harm any other children.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.

“I would also like to thank everyone who assisted in getting this conviction, including the jury who ensured a dangerous offender is no longer free to harm anyone else.”

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A paedophile 'systematically' groomed a young girl for years. Dale Pendleton-Briers, 32, 'pretended it was just a game' when the abuse first started, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The abuse was non-recent and involved a victim who Pendleton-Briers targeted from a young age. She 'knew what was happening was wrong and asked Pendleton Briers to stop repeatedly', but the abuse continued.

When the victim was a teenager, she accessed counselling due to her declining mental health and eventually challenged Pendleton-Briers.

Several years after, she reported the abuse to her family and the police, who launched an investigation. When Pendleton-Briers was interviewed, he denied the allegations and said his victim had made them up. He said she had told him she 'intended to ruin him.'

A review of his mobile phone by police revealed he'd searched for extreme pornography and the sexual abuse of children. Last September, Dale Pendleton-Briers, of Latham Road, Manchester, was charged with 28 offences of sexual abuse of a child; and possession of indecent images. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault of a child under 13; one of assault by penetration of a child under 13; four counts of sexual assault; two of sexual assault by penetration; and one offence of possession of extreme pornography.

He was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Thursday (January 25) to 12 years in prison. He was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order; an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order; barred from working with children; and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

DC Herminder Hira of Cheshire Constabulary said: “The victim was supported from the moment they made the call to us right through to the court process. As well as our specially trained officers, we have a network of support services which we can direct the victim to, to get professional help and advice.

“I hope seeing justice done today will help the victim with their ongoing journey to recovery. I would like to acknowledge the bravery they have shown and their belief in the Criminal Justice System. Trauma no matter how long ago is still very raw and the toll it takes should never be underestimated.

"I hope others are encouraged by this victim's bravery to come forward, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. It doesn't always have to end in a court case, just telling someone and being believed is a vital step for anyone who has suffered in this way."

Senior Crown Prosecutor Lydia Durkin, a specially trained lawyer in the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit of CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: "Dale Pendleton Briers used his victim almost as some sort of experimental toy for him to do whatever he wanted with. What he systematically failed to acknowledge was that his victim was a human being who did not want any of this to happen.

"She has had many years of counselling that has helped her see this as the dreadful destruction of her youth. She gained the skills to end what was happening to her and finally told the police and he has been brought to justice for his crimes.

"The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank her for her persistence and courage in supporting this prosecution. We hope all the efforts she is making to rebuild her life."

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A teenager who tied up and 'bound' a boy on vile YouTube videos was caught out by a school after the headteacher recognised the victim as one of their pupils.

Romeo Smalley has been jailed after sexually assaulting the boy having posted two videos of him online while he was restrained, Manchester Evening News reports.

The 20-year-old's barrister tried to claim that it was a 'game that young people play', but Smalley, who was 18 at the time of the offence, admitted his actions were sexually motivated, at Manchester Crown Court.

The two videos lasted a little over six minutes and just over five minutes. In one the boy was tied up with tape and was seen trying to escape. Officers also found 'other videos of concern', which he was not prosecuted for.

Smalley can be heard asking viewers to 'like and subscribe' in one video. A judge said it was clear that he was 'sexually aroused' in one of the clips.

Prosecutor Peter Wilson said Smalley had an interest in 'restraint' and 'bondage'. The 20-year-old from Oldham said he was 'aroused by the thought of people being tied up', rather than being interested in children sexually.

The abuse happened after he gave the boy a mobile phone so they could message each other on Snapchat. In one video he said he would be paid money if he completed the 'activity'. The boy said he 'didn't like' being tied up.

The court heard how the boy was told not to tell his parents. Smalley was arrested and denied sexually assaulting him. He claimed it was the boy's idea to film the videos and that the child had suggested posting them on YouTube 'for a laugh'.The boy said Smalley 'never did anything funny'.

"What you did was very serious," Smalley was told by Judge Tom Gilbart. "You have taken advantage of a much younger person.

"You sexually assaulted him on two occasions. There was evidence of grooming and manipulation in what you did."

The boy's mother said the crime had affected him 'hugely'. "Romeo was devious in how he did this," she said. "He [the victim] thought it was him that had done something wrong." Defending, Howard Bernstein claimed it was part of a 'game'.

"This was a game that young people play," he said. He said Smalley's sexual motivation 'raised it from an innocuous game to a sexual offence'.

Mr Bernstein said Smalley, who has no previous convictions, has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is 'lacking in maturity'. He said Smalley has been in custody for the past eight months.

"He has been bullied in prison, he is finding prison extremely difficult," he said. Smalley, of Longfellow Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

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A convicted sex offender who pretended to be a teenager and sent sexually explicit messages to children on social media has been jailed.

Tom Brown created two accounts on Snapchat, including one he used to pose as his ‘older brother’ and messaged what he thought were girls aged 12 and 13. However he was actually speaking to undercover police officers.

The 34-year-old committed the offences while subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from using any messaging service to contact anyone under the age of 16.

Brown, who has a number of previous convictions for similar offences, set up an account on Snapchat and began messaging an account he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl in June 2023. He claimed to be a 14-year-old boy from Sheffield who had an older brother and asked the girl if she would travel to meet them both for sexual activity.

On the same date, Brown also started messaging another account, which he believed to belong to a 12-year-old girl. He initially said he was a 14-year-old from Sheffield but then later claimed to be a 12-year-old from Derby. 

Brown continued messaging this account for several days, asking the girl to send pictures of herself. He also sent pictures and videos to her showing him performing a sex act.

Investigations found the Snapchat account was being accessed via an IP address linked to registered sex offender Brown’s home in Lower Grove Road, Chesterfield.

He was arrested on 19 June 2023 and subsequently charged with:

• attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity,
• arrange/facilitate commission of child sex offence – sexual activity – no penetration
• attempt to cause/incite a female child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity – no penetration
• attempt to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in sexual activity – no penetration
• five counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He admitted the charges and appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 8 January when he was jailed for three years and eight months with an extended licence period of three years. He must also sign the sex offender’s register and was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A man raped a woman after spraying her with his aftershave, telling her: "I want you to smell like me." Abdul Qadir, 21, met the woman on a social media dating site.

After exchanging details, he invited her to his flat. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told her friends and family where she was going, before getting a taxi to the property in Stockport.

Qadir and the woman chatted and kissed on the sofa, before he sprayed her with his aftershave. She said it was 'weird behaviour'. He then took her to his bedroom, before touching her intimately.

The woman said he was rushing and that it was 'too much', Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Qadir pulled off her leggings and underwear before raping her.

"You said no, I should have listened," he told her after the attack. After the woman reported Qadir to the police, he told them: "I met the girl on social media, I asked her to take her leggings off, she said 'no', I had sex with her... I got carried away."

Qadir, of Buxton Road, Great Moor, was jailed for three years and two months. He earlier pleaded guilty to rape.

Daniel Calder, prosecuting, told the court Qadir met the woman online last year. They exchanged numbers and chatted on WhatsApp. They then arranged to meet at his flat.

"They kissed and then the defendant sprayed her with aftershave, telling her 'I want you to smell like me'," Mr Calder said.

"He then gave her a tour before they sat on his bed and kissed again. He then attempted to remove her clothes before she told him it was too much and that he was rushing."

Qadir asked the woman if she was on the pill before taking his clothes on and getting a condom. "She told him they were not going to have sex," the prosecutor continued.

He told her he was 'horny' and climbed on top of her. After being raped, the woman went to the bathroom and told her family what had happened.

The woman recorded Qadir on her phone admitting he had raped her and apologised. He later sent her messages asking if she was okay.

Qadir was arrested that afternoon. He told police what he had done, saying he got 'carried away'.

'What happened to me will always be with me'

In a statement, the woman said the incident is always on her mind, adding: "I keep thinking about how I could have stopped it. I just want to forget about it and move on with my life.

"I was looking forward to the date. Now it takes me back to what happened and I relive the trauma all over again. My sleeping pattern is all over the place, for a while I struggled to eat and I worry about strangers.

"Something so private and personal was taken from me and I will never get it back. What happened to me will always be with me - it feels like a physical scar."

David Bruce, for Qadir, said the fact his client pleaded guilty showed 'courage rarely seen in cases such as this'. "This is a relatively young man with no previous convictions," he said.

"He made a mistake, a bad mistake... an unlawful mistake. He acted out of character and he does show remorse."

Mr Bruce said Qadir came to the UK Kingdom from Iraq when he was 16, before going into the care system. His application for asylum was turned down and he was planning to rea-appeal before he was remanded into custody.

Judge Angela Nield told him: "She did not wish to engage in intimate sexual relations with you. She told you 'no' on a number of occasions. She was a stranger and vulnerable. It's clear that you fully understood what she was saying because you subsequently, and very quickly, apologised to her.

"There is no doubt what happened to her. You told the police you would tell them the truth - that you had raped her."

Qadir was jailed for three years and two months; ordered to sign to the sex offender register for life and banned from contacting the woman. The case will be referred to the Home Secretary who will decide if and when he is deported.

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A Chesterfield rapist who left a woman suffering nightmares and anxiety has been jailed.

Rys Turner’s vile actions were uncovered after the woman came forward and told officers of the rape after he assaulted her in March 2023.

In a statement read out at court, she explained the devastating impact that the crimes had on her. She said: ”I’ve been taking sleeping tablets because my thoughts keep me awake at night and I don’t want to fall to sleep and have anymore nightmares about everything.

“I don’t think my life will ever be the same after this.

“I just want to be left alone, I don’t want to see anyone and I don’t want to speak to anyone either.

“I’m so closed off from the outside world it’s affecting my anxiety even more.

“Sleeping is still a massive struggle, the nightmares put me right back in those traumatic moments, they feel so real I’m waking up in a panic.”

The 26-year-old, of Littlemoor, Newbold, appeared at Derby Crown Court on 15 December when he was jailed for six years after admitting rape.

He was also handed a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the victim for 16 years and was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

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A man who poured boiling water over a fellow inmate before beating and raping him has been sentenced.

Robert Reynolds, 29, had denied grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of rape and a sexual assault.

A jury at Salisbury Crown Court found him guilty of all offences following a five-day trial.

The court heard that Reynolds attacked the victim, a man who was in his 20s at the time, in July 2021, when they were prisoners at HMP Winchester, in Romsey Road.

Reynolds threw boiling water from a kettle at the victim, causing burns to his back and face.

He then punched and kicked the victim before raping and sexually assaulting him, the jury was told.

The victim was initially treated at the prison before being taken for treatment at a specialist burns unit in hospital. He later disclosed the sexual offences.

On Wednesday 13 December, Reynolds, currently of HMP Bullingdon, was jailed for 12 years following a hearing at Winchester Crown Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Harry Wilson said: This was a horrific attack on a vulnerable man in a prison.

While the victim has since left prison, he continues to deal with the physical and mental impact of what happened to him.

This was a difficult and long investigation and I hope this shows that we will work closely with the prison to investigate any criminal offences that occur there.

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A PAEDOPHILE teacher who was jailed after molesting children at a Wirral school has been banned from returning to the classroom for good.

Charles Ellis was jailed for three years in December 2019 after being found guilty of 10 sexual assaults on girls aged eight to nine over a period of 17 years. This led to four more victims coming forward two of whom Ellis abused while working at a Liverpool primary school.

A Teacher Regulation Hearing (TRA) has now banned Ellis a former Chester Zoo keeper from the classroom permanently.

A report from a hearing held by the TRA in September, said Ellis chose not to attend and said in writing: My position is that following my three convictions, I do not plan to return to teaching and so do not understand what else there is to discuss? Continuing in his absence, the panel were told how Ellis began his stint in the Wirral in 2002.

In June 2017, the school became aware of a serious allegation in respect of his conduct, which was being investigated by the police. He was dismissed for gross misconduct a year later.

He was subsequently jailed in 2019 for three years, prompting new victims to come forward. Having pleaded not guilty to his first offences, forcing the victims and their families through the ordeal of a trial, Ellis admitted to six counts of indecent assault and five counts of sexual assault.

Judge Thomas Teague, QC, said Ellis, targeted one victim in Liverpool under the guise of helping her with her work. He rubbed the childs legs and bottom and sometimes touched her bottom under clothing.

Ellis behaved in a similar way to a second girl in Liverpool, but didnt touch her under clothing. He touched one girl at the Wirral school on her legs, lower back and bottom, again after she sought help.

He must sign on the Sex Offenders Register and obey a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The TRA panel found that the seriousness of the offending behaviour that led to the conviction was clearly relevant to Ellis ongoing suitability to teach given the nature of the conviction and the fact that the victims were pupils. The panel considered that a finding that these convictions were relevant offences was necessary to reaffirm clear standards of conduct and maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.

In deciding to ban Ellis from the classroom for life, officials said they had considered the very serious nature of his offences, including the sexual assault of children that he taught, and the absence of any evidence that he had demonstrated any insight into his behaviour and its impact on his victims.

This means Ellis is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or childrens home in England.

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A man has been sentenced to more than nine years for multiple counts of sexual offences against underage girls, including rape and sexual assault.

Harry Dobson, of Village Road, Waverton, Chester, was given a sentence of nine years and six months at Chester Crown Court on Friday 8 December.

The 19-year-old was previously found guilty of nine counts of sexual offences against children, including rape, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Dobson was 18 when he committed the offences, which span from November 2022 – April 2023.

The first victim was 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted by Dobson at the Mercure Hotel, Chester, on 20 November 2022. Dobson had pressured her into a sexual act. This was reported to police on 29 November after the victim disclosed what had happened to her teacher.

The second victim was a 14-year-old girl who was pressured into sexual activity with Dobson, despite him knowing her age, after they started speaking to each other on SnapChat.

This was documented on text messages where Dobson used emotional blackmail to manipulate her into complying with his demands. On two occasions Dobson raped the victim. This was reported to police in May 2023 after occurring earlier in the year.

Dobson was charged and remanded in May 2023.

He was found guilty following a two-week trial which took place in October 2023.

On top of his sentence, Dobson must sign onto the Sex Offender Register for life and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Dobson was also handed a restraining order in relation to both victims in the case.