Latest Offenders Cornwall

Description

A sex offender who "ruined" a girl's life after trying to rape her in Devon has been jailed.

Friday Uguru, of no fixed abode, attempted to sexually abuse a 12-year-old in Axminster in November 2017.

The 50-year-old, who previously lived in Pinhoe Road, Exeter, was arrested over the attack but fled the county after being released while under investigation.

Uguru was jailed for nine years and six months at Exeter Crown Court.

He was also given a one-year extended licence.

At the end of his sentence, Uguru will be deported as he was in the UK illegally from Nigeria after arriving on a visitor's visa and overstaying.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Uguru was rearrested in London in February 2023.

He denied a charge of attempted rape but was found guilty by the jury at his trial earlier this year.

'Messed up my world'
His victim read out a statement in which she said Uguru's attempted rape had blighted her adolescence and led her to drug abuse, self-harm and suicide attempts.

She told the court: "It was like a bomb that went off in my life. It messed up my whole world.

"I did not think I would make it past 14. You have ruined my life."

The court was told Uguru travelled to Axminster by train on the night of the attack and assaulted the girl in an upstairs bedroom while her mother was cooking downstairs.

The girl got away from him before he completed the rape and ran down to raise the alarm, a jury heard.

'Courage and resilience'
Uguru had claimed DNA evidence found in the victim's underwear was part of a plot to frame him, but this was described as ludicrous and preposterous by the judge.

Det Con Jonathan Stephens, from Devon and Cornwall Police's local safeguarding investigation team, said after sentencing: "I welcome the result and I am grateful for the courage and resilience shown by the victim and witnesses in this case, and for supporting this investigation over a protracted period of time.

"I hope this case reassures the community how seriously the police take reports of child sexual offences and gives people the courage to come forward in future."

Description

A convicted sex offender in Cornwall is back in jail after being sentenced to a further two and a half years in prison for breaching a court order made previously to try and stop him offending.

Kevin Davis, aged 60, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court on Tuesday (April 2) after entering a guilty plea to a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) last year. 

His guilty plea came as he was about to start a two-day trial over the offence. 

Davis was residing at a bail hostel in Camborne after being released from HMP Channings Wood on August 17, 2023, where he had been serving a previous sentence.

After his release, monitoring software was installed on Davis’ laptop and on October 3, 2023 police were notified that the laptop linked to Davis had been operated in a concerning manner.

Police examination of the laptop found that Davis had viewed a small number of Category C indecent images of children.

Davis, contrary to the terms of his previously issued SHPO, had also deleted search history from the device.

At the sentencing hearing Davis was reminded of the terms of his SHPO - designed to limit his access to children and stringently monitor his internet usage - and sentenced to a new term of imprisonment, for two and a half years.

He must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and his laptop will be destroyed. 

PC Mark Kutler-Pearce from the Public Protection Unit based in Bodmin said: “Davis has a long history of offending behaviour and upon his release in August 2023 was being stringently monitored by the police Public Protection Unit.

“The further sentence given to Davis at court on April 2 has kept a dangerous individual from committing further offences towards members of the public and we feel the sentencing is just for the crime.”

Description

A paedophile who was jailed for grooming an "extremely vulnerable" child before having sex with her reoffended "almost immediately" after he was released from prison. Jason Thomas, 42, was jailed in 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

He was given a five-year prison sentence, of which he served half, and when he was released in 2023 he had to abide by a sexual harm prevention order which banned him from downloading certain apps, using certain websites and trying to conceal his identity online, among other things.

But Thomas, of Pendeen, breached the order 12 times and found himself back before Judge Simon Carr at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty before magistrates.

Prosecuting, Katie Churcher said: "The background to that order being that it was imposed for a period of ten years following his conviction in 2021 with two counts of sexual interaction with a child. Following his release from custody, after he served what had been half of what was a five-year sentence, he was visited in Bridgewater by DC Allen and given another copy of the prevention order and handed over his phone.

"At that time they saw that the application Snapchat was on there. He was told the main feature of Snapchat is auto-deletion so was told he couldn't have that on the phone and it was deleted and he was reminded he needed permission to set up social media accounts.

"He was visited again unannounced on Jan 15 and handed over his phone again. He volunteered he had been using Whatsapp and said he'd been using Snapchat but had deleted it.

"My Google Activity was looked at to check internet history, there were searches for pornography and pornographic videos, it looked as though he had been deleting his internet history, and he had been using social media accounts that had been deleted including Tinder, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, various other live streaming apps, and private browsing applications.

"There was also an uninstalled VPN which conceals online IP addresses. It had been installed and deinstalled. Lastly they found his email account had been accessed, used and deleted. He was arrested for those breaches and interviewed on Jan 15. In essence, he made admission and when he was spoken to he said he had been doing things he shouldn't do."

Robin Smith, for Thomas' defence, said: "This man is very realistic about his position and his fate, perhaps the best mitigating factor is that he was extremely frank and candid with the police from the moment of arrest. Having spoken to him face to face he remains realistic and he appreciates he has some big problems to deal with.

"He is now in a state where he can accept the help given to him."

Sentencing, Judge Carr acknowledged Thomas' early plea and gave him full credit and added that the defendant's remorse seemed genuine. He said: "The circumstances of your offending is extremely troubling. Inevitably a sexual harm prevention order was made for a substantial period of time.

"After serving your sentence you were released on licence. It was clear you started offending almost immediately after you were released. What was found on the phone... is that you had set up a number of accounts and done everything possible to hide your identity. You put on devices to clear your history. You accessed sites that you would immediately delete like Snapchat.

"This is a serious breach of a sexual harm prevention order and you must have known so at the time. You have expressed remorse but you still present a high risk to children and I suspect you will do for a very long time."

Judge Carr sentenced Thomas to two 2.5-year sentences, which will run concurrently, giving him a total sentence of 2.5 years imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after serving half the term.

Previously, we reported how Thomas groomed a vulnerable child before having sex with her. He later told the girl that hed be going to prison but the feeling of the encounter was the best feeling hed ever had.

Description

A convicted paedophile claimed that his internet searches for 'tiny' and 'tiny teens' did not relate to seeking out indecent images of children. Bryan Hammonde, 74, had installed Duck Duck Go, software that allows someone to browse the web without storing history.

Hammonde, from Lansdowne Road in Penzance, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to breach of a sexual harm prevention order and four charges relating to him failing to adhere to notification requirements as a sex offender.

Prosecuting the case, Ed Bailey told the court how in 2020 Hammonde was given a non-custodial sentence for looking at sickening child abuse images showing young victims grimacing with pain. Hammonde had nearly 40 indecent images spanning all three categories of seriousness and was made to sign the sex offenders' register and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Mr Bailey told the court how PC Waite and DS Bradley attended Hammonde's address last month for an unannounced interview. Hammonde had had the terms of his order and registration requirements spelled out to him several times since his conviction.

Hammonde's laptop was found to have searched 'tiny' and 'tiny teens'. An inspection revealed that Hammonde had been using Duck Duck Go on his phone, which puts him in breach of his order which prevents him from removing browsing history.

When searched at the police station, Hammonde was found in possession of a number of bank cards that he hadn't told police about, going against his legal requirements as a registered sex offender.

Representing Hammonde, Ramsay Quaife said the breaches were not deliberate and that his client doesn't accept the searches were looking for child pornography. He added that the devices seized were still being looked at to see if there was indecent images on them, which may or may not lead to further charges depending on what is or isn't found.

Sentencing Hammonde, Recorder Richard Stead said that as an ex-IT manager, Hammonde would have fully understood the terms of his order, yet he still proceeded to use software capable of hiding internet history.

Description

A woman told police she was ‘appalled’ after intimate videos of her taken 18 years ago without her permission were found in the possession of a serial child sex offender.

The videos were found in the possession of 87-year-old Alan Barclay of Fenwick Road, Falmouth who had recently been released from prison following a conviction for the possession of hundreds of vile child rape and bestiality pictures and videos 

He appeared for trial at Truro Magistrates Court in handcuffs from Exeter Prison on Wednesday, where he’d been recalled following the discovery. He pleaded not guilty to one charge of voyeurism relating to 2006.

As previously reported by the Packet, Barclay was sentenced to 21 months in prison at the crown court in 2022, after the judge heard discs were found at his home with a large quantity of pictures and videos of children being abused, including 285 videos and 64 images of Category A - the most severe category of child abuse.

He had previously been convicted of a similar offence in 2019 but had escaped prison after he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which prevented him from using a computer or devices capable of connecting to the internet.

The court heard in March last year police went to Mr Barclay’s address in Falmouth as part of a routine visit after he was released from prison for his original offence as part of his bail conditions.

They carried out a search of his home and found CDs in racks in his “office” upstairs. When police looked at them they found six intimate videos of a woman that appeared to have been taken secretly. They also found many more child sex pictures and videos.

They identified the woman who told them she’d been totally unaware they had been taken.

One of the officers involved in the prosecution told the court that when they told the woman what they’d found she was horrified and devastated.

“She had no idea she’d been filmed,” she said. “Because of the type of lady she was, she was a classy lady, I think she would have been horrified that I’d seen that video.”

In a statement given to the police the woman said she was appalled by what had happened. She said had never sent any intimate videos of herself to Barclay or anyone.

Barclay took to the stand in court, without any representation from a solicitor.

He told the magistrates: “I’d like to say that I have been totally honest right from the first time I was arrested.

“I do not tell lies. I was brought up under the influence of my grandfather, who was a sergeant major in the army. He instilled in me to allows tell the truth.”

Barclay claimed the videos had been transferred from the camera onto a disc in bulk, along with a lot of other pictures that he had taken on holiday.

He also claimed to the court that he was impotent and “had no feeling whatsoever”, so had been unable to gain sexual gratification for “probably 17 years now”.

He concluded his evidence by saying: “If I go back to prison it would be a life sentence. I’ve been in the prison hospital for a month and I’m very poorly, and I’m not getting better.”

He denied to the prosecutor that the real reason he had downloaded the images onto a disc was so they wouldn’t be found.

“I have never been a voyeur of anybody,” he added.

However, the panel of three magistrates found him guilty of the charge, saying they found Barclay “to be deceitful” and his evidence not credible.

It was agreed to transfer Barclay to the crown court for sentencing next week.

Description

A takeaway chef faces the prospect of time behind bars after being found guilty by a jury of chatting up young girls on social media before going on to touch them inappropriately. Rajon Ahmed, 40, also sent pictures of himself naked and suggested he meet one of the girls for sex.

Ahmed, from St Ives, has been on trial this week at Truro Crown Court and was after a short period of jury deliberation found guilty of sexual communications with a child, two sexual activity with a child charges and sexual assault. He was found not guilty of a second sexual assault charge.

Ahmed was bailed ahead of sentencing in February under the condition that he surrender his passport. Judge David Evans warned him that custody is the most likely outcome.

By convicting Ahmed the jury rubbished his account that he chatted to the girls thinking they were 18 and that no sexual activity took place. Judge Evans commented on how Ahmed took the matter to trial despite the overwhelming evidence again him.Prosecuting the case, Brian Fitzherbert said that Ahmed was well aware of the ages of the two girls, who were 16 and 13 at the time.

Mr Fitzherbert opened the case by outlining the now proven allegations made by the first victim. He said that at first conversation was friendly and normal before Ahmed asked the girl how old she was. She replied that she was 13, to which Ahmed replied "you don't look 13".

Ahmed followed her on Instagram and they began to message before the conversation moved to Snapchat. Mr Fitzherbert said: "He began to offer her cigarettes and cannabis and asked if she wanted to see his penis. She said no but he sent a picture anyway and did this three or four times. The images were of him naked saying he wished she was with him."

Ahmed asked to meet the girl and have sex with him. They met twice and on the second occasion Ahmed hugged her and as she pulled away he kissed her on the mouth and grabbed and squeezed her breast.

The second, older, victim says that Ahmed was "lovely and friendly" at first. He connected with her on Snapchat and began to comment on her Instagram posts saying "sexy" and "gorgeous". He offered her cigarettes and on one occasion, hugged her and as she moved away touched and squeezed her breast.

The jury heard how a third young girl says Ahmed also communicated with her, although no sexual offending took place.

Description

A convicted paedophile made friends with a series of unknowing parents under false names and spent time with their children. Gareth Hill, 43, was previously jailed for the possession and distribution of child abuse images and on release formed a series of friendships without telling the parents about his convictions.

Hill, from St Austell, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of a sexual harm prevention order between 2019 and 2021.

Prosecuting the case, Heather Hope told the court how Hill formed a new relationship in Callington under the name Thomas Smallcroft. This relationship brought him into new social groups and one woman he came to know would leave her child with the defendant. She said after discovering Hill's history that, had she known about his past, she'd have never let her child anywhere near him.

In 2019, Hill and his partner struck up a friendship with a mother in a pub. They would spend time together with a child present. On a number of occasions Hill and his partner would babysit the child and even took the child to Plymouth for a day out.

Further offences included Hill being invited to a child's birthday party and other social visits to mothers, and one father - with children. One woman said she felt "sick to the stomach" when Hill's past came to light.

The final charge related to Hill lying to police about being in possession of a phone. Two mobile phones were later found at his parents' house during a visit.

Representing Hill, Rupert Taylor said: "He wanted to rebuild his life and there is no suggestion of any inappropriate behaviour with children. He was afraid to tell anyone and his past caught up with him.

"He has been gardening for elderly people and his plan is to reattend college for a landscaping course."

Sentencing Hill, Judge Simon Carr said the offending was "a long-term systematic breach of a sexual harm prevention order". Judge Carr went over Hill's offending history before saying: "Over a period of years you befriended predominately women with young children. The pattern is consistent and not a single one had a child over 10.

"You were seen as so trustworthy you were allowed to be with their children, were invited to birthday parties and on limited occasions spent time with children alone.

"You gave a false name and lied about the reason you had been sent to prison, saying it was for violence. Each and every parent was horrified when they found out about your entrenched sexual interest in children.

"You told a probation officer it was unfair you were subject to such an order and it was a breach of your human rights - it is not. You are someone prepared to manipulate the system and after all these years you will purport not to have a sexual interest in children. Your sexual interest in children is entrenched and it will never go away."

Hill was jailed for five years. 

Description

A man has been jailed for nine years after raping a woman who was on a night out with friends in Cornwall.

Frankie Mann, 27, of Bridge Road, St Austell, was riding his moped on 28 May when he spotted the mother looking for her lost house keys and mobile phone in the town.

Mann offered to help before he later pulled her to the ground and raped her.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison, with three years on licence, after admitting the offence at Truro Crown Court in September.

The court heard how Mann had offered to help the woman find her keys and put his jacket around her to keep her warm.

He then carried on riding up and down the road while staying close to where the victim was.

CCTV footage showed Mann waiting for the victim who was walking along Alexandra Road.

Prosecutor Heather Hope told the court he "pounced on her" and raped her as she lay "frozen with fear" with his hand over her mouth.

The court heard the next day Mann went up to a police cordon at the scene and told police he had heard a woman screaming - and gave details of an older man with grey hair to throw officers off the scent.

But Mann had been seen riding his bike earlier on the night of the rape on a pavement weaving around pedestrians - and a woman reported him to police and gave his registration plate.

'Dirty and humiliated'

A specialist police dog found his semen on the pavement where he raped the woman.

After his arrest, Mann changed his story, and said when he went to the police cordon he asked an officer what was going on and told her he had consensual sex with a woman there.

The victim told the court she felt "numb, repulsed, dirty and humiliated".

"That night killed me inside," she said.

Ms Hope said Mann posed as a "Good Samaritan" who gave the victim a false sense of security.

Judge Simon Carr said the effect on the victim had been "catastrophic".

"You targeted and stalked this individual," he said.

"You pretended to assist her."

Mann will be placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Description

A prolific paedophile had so many images of children being raped and abused he created a sophisticated filing system so that he could access what he wanted on any given day. Andrew Mullen, 68, was back in the dock eight years after being sentenced for near identical offences.

Mullen, of New Road, Liskeard, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of children.

Prosecuting the case, Ryan Murray told the court how in April 2020 the National Crime Agency received a referral from their counterparts in New England alerting them to accounts being used on an encrypted cloud platform. The accounts were created using an email linked to Mullen.

Local police raided Mullen's address and when they arrived he said, "not again, I haven't done anything". During interview Mullen said that the accounts weren't his and suggested he may have been hacked.

Eventually police gained access and found that the account was being used for storage of child abuse images. They found a file system with the indecent images and videos categorised under different titles.

In total officers found 875 Category A images and videos, 483 Category B and 5,465 Category C. Some of the material showed children as young as two or three being raped and abused, many of whom were in severe pain or distress. There was also evidence that Mullen had been involved in chat with other paedophiles, asking if they "had anything for him".

Representing Mullen, Piers Norsworthy told the court that his client had been in the Navy for 32 years before leaving and working in charity and theatre. Mr Norsworthy went on to say that Mullen has a 38-year-old son who suffers from cerebral palsy and is in residential care. Mr Norsworthy added that Mullen has ongoing health problems which "will make prison extremely uncomfortable for him".

Sentencing Mullen, Judge Simon Carr noted Mullen's previous offending and said that the treatment he attended and engaged with "failed to stop his entrenched sexual interest in children".

Judge Carr said that the folders of child abuse material were created so that he could access what he wanted without having to scroll through his vast collection of filth. Judge Carr added: "You had 875 Category A images showing children as young as two or three being raped for your entertainment. When confronted your reaction was to lie and pretend it was nothing to do with you and you put forward the fanciful suggestion you'd been hacked."

Judge Carr noted Mullen mitigation, mainly his caring responsibilities and his health, but said nothing other than an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate. Mullen was jailed for 15 months.

Description

Two disgusting paedophiles from Cornwall shared child abuse images and discussed their warped fantasies. David Podmore, 44, and Mitchell Franklin, 76, even discussed having sex with each other.

Podmore, of Austin Close in Liskeard, and Franklin, of Dobell Road in St Austell, both appeared for sentence at Truro Crown Court having each pleaded guilty to three making indecent images of children charges, distributing indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography. Podmore also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Prosecuting the case, Hollie Gilbery, told the court how in December 2019 police received intelligence than Franklin had uploaded an indecent image of a child exposing their genitals to Facebook. Police went to his house and seized a number of devices which were found to contain indecent images of children.

A second warrant was executed in 2021 and police took away two USB devices found to contain more filth. Also on the devices were a number of chat logs between Franklin and other perverts including Podmore. Franklin was found to have sent sexual videos and images.

Chat logs revealed that Franklin and Podmore discussed their sexual interest in children and even the possibility of having sex with each other. Ms Gilbery described how Podmore was also found to have shared child abuse images.

The attempted sexual communications with a child charge relates to Podmore engaging in a chat with someone believed to be a young girl in which he sent pictures of his penis and suggested they meet for sex. In mitigation it was heard that both defendants were of good character and remorseful. Judge Simon Carr said that the case had "all the hallmarks of a serious epidemic of people consuming legal pornography and then moving into other areas".

He added: "The courts view these offences as extremely serious. What you did was abhorrent. This business exists because of people like you who view images of children being raped and abused. Around the world tens of thousands of children are being raped. They are raped because of people like you who feed the industry."

Judge Carr noted the mitigation of both defendants and said society is best served by them being treated and their perversions addressed. Both defendants were given 18-month sentences, suspended for two years. They must both complete a rehabilitation activity requirements and be subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

Two disgusting paedophiles from Cornwall shared child abuse images and discussed their warped fantasies. David Podmore, 44, and Mitchell Franklin, 76, even discussed having sex with each other.

Podmore, of Austin Close in Liskeard, and Franklin, of Dobell Road in St Austell, both appeared for sentence at Truro Crown Court having each pleaded guilty to three making indecent images of children charges, distributing indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography. Podmore also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Prosecuting the case, Hollie Gilbery, told the court how in December 2019 police received intelligence than Franklin had uploaded an indecent image of a child exposing their genitals to Facebook. Police went to his house and seized a number of devices which were found to contain indecent images of children.

A second warrant was executed in 2021 and police took away two USB devices found to contain more filth. Also on the devices were a number of chat logs between Franklin and other perverts including Podmore. Franklin was found to have sent sexual videos and images.

Chat logs revealed that Franklin and Podmore discussed their sexual interest in children and even the possibility of having sex with each other. Ms Gilbery described how Podmore was also found to have shared child abuse images.

The attempted sexual communications with a child charge relates to Podmore engaging in a chat with someone believed to be a young girl in which he sent pictures of his penis and suggested they meet for sex. In mitigation it was heard that both defendants were of good character and remorseful. Judge Simon Carr said that the case had "all the hallmarks of a serious epidemic of people consuming legal pornography and then moving into other areas".

He added: "The courts view these offences as extremely serious. What you did was abhorrent. This business exists because of people like you who view images of children being raped and abused. Around the world tens of thousands of children are being raped. They are raped because of people like you who feed the industry."

Judge Carr noted the mitigation of both defendants and said society is best served by them being treated and their perversions addressed. Both defendants were given 18-month sentences, suspended for two years. They must both complete a rehabilitation activity requirements and be subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A Cornish sex pest who cannot help but flash his penis in public has now brought his perverted ways to London. Stephen Jory, 42, of no fixed abode, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court where he admitted grabbing a woman's boob and telling her 'I want to f*** you' in on May 12, 2022.

He also admitted making lewd comments to a woman on March 28 this year, breaching his notification requirements as a sex offender, a breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which was imposed at Portsmouth Crown Court in Hampshire in August 2013, and causing £77 worth of damage to a Devon and Cornwall Police prisoner cell in Newquay on March 21 2023.

Jory, who is currently jailed in Exeter prison, had his case transferred to London from Truro Crown Court in Cornwall after committing offences against a woman on his release from HMP Pentonville in Islington. Addressing Judge Noel Lucas KC, Jory said the offences 'happen when I'm drunk' as he asked for access to more help from the probation service.

Pest flashed female doctor at surgery

Jory first wound up in court for a sexual offence in 2013 when he was ordered not to expose himself in public again. But, he broke the terms of the SHPO by flashing his penis at a female doctor in a Cornish surgery less than a year later, landing him in prison for 18 months. The menace asked for a penis examination then walked around with his trousers down, the court heard.

Then in 2017 he appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for exposing himself and making indecent comments to a woman in the Devonshire city. At the time Judge Ian Lawrie said Jory had a 'compulsion' to expose his penis, but gave him a chance to rehabilitate by sparing him jail, according to CornwallLive.

In 2020, Jory was back in the dock again for making disgusting comments to a group of teenage girls. He boasted about his 'big penis' and told one of the terrified girls he was ‘going to sh*g her’ and he did not care how old she was, Cornwall Live reports.

Jory will appear at Wood Green Crown Court for sentence on November 9.

Description

A paedophile dad sent sexual messages and pictures of himself to what he thought were girls as young as 13 - and asked them to send stuff back. Stephen Burden, 61, later found out that four were undercover police officers - but two others were likely real children.

Postal worker Burden, of Bethan Drive in Wadebridge, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to 13 total counts including attempted sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs of children and possessing extreme pornographic images.

The court heard how police decoys were posing as underage girls throughout the duration of time when the offences were committed in 2020. Burden, who asked an officer he thought was 12 to perform sex acts on herself, cited the pandemic as having led him to the internet and extreme websites.

In his late 50s at the time, Burden, who has children of his own, was caught communicating with four police officers who he believed were girls as young as 13. It later transpired he had been talking to two others not part of the sting. Who they were is still unknown.

"The conversations were described as "highly sexualised", "graphic in nature" and Judge Simon Carr said had there been real children at the end of the conversations, it would have been "extraordinarily damaging" for them.

Burden also asked for explicit photos and sent indecent photographs of himself to the 'children'. He also had in his possession category A, B and C indecent images of children. They included extreme pornography.

The court heard in mitigation that Burden was previously a man of good character and Judge Carr accepted that the offences had a "devastating affect" on Burden's life and his personal relationships including with his own children.

"Your relationships have been irreparably damaged," he said. "I've seen the other side to you, a side of more than 50-odd years of good character."

The court also heard that Burden's mother is extremely ill and he is the sole responsible person for her care. "The courts take careful regard for the effects upon others," Judge Carr continued, but said the seriousness of the offences take the sentence outside of any suspended range.

Burden was sentenced to four years imprisonment. He is also subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for ten years and will be a member of the sex offenders register (SOR) for life.

Description

A sex offender who abused a young boy in Sheffield in the 1980s/1990s has been jailed for over 16 years.

Michael Copeland, aged 74,  groomed the victim over a number of years when he was aged between eight and 12 years old.

The victim, who is now an adult, bravely reported what had happened to him in November 2022. Copeland, who lived in Sheffield at the time of his offending but later moved to Cornwall, was arrested at his home in Truro. Following a thorough investigation, he pleaded guilty to 15 charges of non-recent sexual abuse.  

At Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday (26 September), Copeland was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer Wendy Howe, who led the investigation, said: “The victim in this case showed tremendous courage in coming forward to tell us what happened to him when he was a child. I am pleased Copeland has been handed a significant prison sentence for his vile actions and hope it may help the victim to begin to find closure and move on with the rest of his life.

“As this case demonstrates, it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, even if it happened many years ago. If you have suffered sexual abuse in the past, please tell us. We will investigate and we will pursue justice on your behalf.”

Description

Nigel Dickens, 69, had images of children as young as four being raped and abused.

Dickens, of New Road in Camborne, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography. Prosecuting barrister Ramsay Quaife told the court how in August 2021, acting on information, police executed a search warrant at Dickens' home. They took away with them a laptop and memory stick which were both examined and indecent images found.

The collection assembled between 2017 and 2021 included, on the laptop, 20 Category A images - the most serious kind -, 12 Category B images and nearly 1,400 Category C. Also found were 52 extreme pornography images and on the memory stick a further 175 Category C images. There was also evidence of searches indicative of those seeking child abuse images.

Mr Quaife told the court the images including some featuring "very young children being raped". The youngest victim in the images was four years old. Dickens answered no comment in interview.

Representing Dickens, Robin Smith said that his client pleaded guilty from the beginning and that his arrest was more than two years ago and there was no suggestion of any further offending.

Sitting as judge, Recorder Andrew Oldland, KC, ruled that Dickens' perversions would be best treated in the community rather than in prison where he would receive no intervention during a short sentence. He said: "You are very fortunate not to have gone to prison." Dickens was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for two years. He must also complete a rehabilitation activity requirement and be subject of a 15 year sexual harm prevention order. Dickens must also pay £500 court costs.