Latest Offenders Croydon

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A “dangerous offender” has been jailed for 16 years for a series of “depraved and sickening” sex offences and rapes against children as young as four-years-old.

Grant Venamore was sentenced after he raped and abused two victims in Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood in incidents which began in the 1990s, when one of the victims was only four.

Sentencing Venamore yesterday (June 18) at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Philip Statman branded him “a dangerous offender, who had been responsible for “persistent, violent sexual abuse”.

The 48-year-old was told he will have to serve at least two thirds of his prison sentence before he can be considered for parole.

Upon his eventual release from custody he will be the subject of an extended licence period of three years and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Venamore was arrested in August 2020, when reports of abuse were first made to Kent Police.

A subsequent investigation revealed he was responsible for a catalogue of offences spanning more than 15 years.

Venamore, of London Road, Croydon, denied any wrongdoing and the case went to trial at Maidstone Crown Court where he was found guilty, by a unanimous verdict, of 11 counts relating to the sexual abuse of children, including multiple rapes.

Detective Constable Tania Muller, of the West Kent Child Protection Team, said: “Venamore repeatedly subjected his young victims to depraved and sickening abuse, causing incalculable damage upon their young lives.

“His actions have not only had a destructive effect upon their childhoods but will have sadly left a damaging and lasting impact on their adult lives.

“It has taken enormous strength and courage for these victims to come forward and provide the evidence and testimony needed to ensure Venamore has now faced justice for these abhorrent crimes.

“his sentence will ensure Venamore serves a long time in prison and importantly no longer poses a threat to any other children.

“I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to remember that it is never too late to report this to the police.

“We have a team of specialist officers who work relentlessly to ensure that offenders like Venamore do not evade justice, just because a crime may have happened a long time ago. We will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity.”

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A Met cop has spoken out about her role in the investigation into a “horrific” case of child exploitation by a repeated sex offender.

Tyler Charter, of Windsor House, Croydon, is due to be sentenced today at Croydon Crown Court for arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and possession of images of children. 

Detective Constable Nikki Jones led the investigation into Charter after intelligence from the National Crime Agency (NCA) identified the 35-year-old as a key suspect in grooming young children in June 2022.  

Charter had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison in July 2018, but had been released on parole in May 2022.

DC Jones said: “We were flagged intelligence about Charter, who was known to police as a registered sex offender, which showed him discussing sexual offences and sharing videos with like-minded individuals on his Telegram account.”

Telegram is a messaging app you can access from multiple devices.

DC Jones arrested Charter at his address in Croydon in September 2022. During the arrest he was seen trying to dispose of evidence on his devices before officers stepped in and seized them. 

DC Jones said: “He resisted arrest and was restrained.

“When he was interviewed he became violent and answered “no comment” to all the questions we put to him.”

Charter’s phone was sent for analysis which revealed conversations between him and other Telegram users, detailing a desire to commit horrific acts, including rape towards minors in South London.

DC Jones said: “On his account we found 4,233 images and videos of children – many of which included Category A videos of young boys and babies.”

Category A defines images or videos involving penetrative sexual activity.

Officers also uncovered conversations discussing the abuse of young children, some as young as three years old, as well as exchanges of Charter arranging assaults on underage victims.  

DC Jones said: “Charter is a very dangerous man. Our work is crucial in preventing high-risk predators like him from targeting, grooming and sexually abusing vulnerable children in our society.” 

Charter was found guilty at Croydon Magistrates Court on February 29, 2024. 

Detective Inspector Peter Harvey, from the Met’s online child exploitation and specialist crime team, works alongside 70 staff members on 400 investigations at one time.

He said: “We have a proactive system that reacts to intelligence and victim reports as well as officers who engage with schools to educate teachers, parents and families about the warning signs for child exploitation.

“Warning signs include children becoming suddenly withdrawn, personality changes or unexplained gifts.

“It is important to have open conversations with your child so they are comfortable sharing any concerns. After these conversations it is important that concerns are reported to the police.”

In Feburary, a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) – reviewed investigations by the Met into child exploitation.

Of the 244 cases it examined, 121 were rated inadequate, 80 as needing improvement and 43 were graded as good.

The Inspectorate said the Met had to fix these failings before it can get out of special measures. The inspectorate placed the force in special measures in June 2022.

Since the report, the Met said it has put more resources into the area and is retraining officers to have a better understanding of child exploitation.

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Michael Lai aged 61 collected vile pornography which showed children as young as nine being subjected to horrific abuse. 

He appeared at the Old Bailey Friday 4th August and pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing indecent images of children. 

When National Crime Agency officers raided Michael’s home on Castlemaine Avenue, Croydon, in November 2019 he confessed that he’d been downloading indecent images. 

He also told officers that a computer tower and three hard drives in his home belonged to his brother William, prosecutor Alice Holloway said.

An inspection of the devices revealed that they contained indecent images of children dating back to January 2015. 

A total of 35,101 images were attributed to Michael.

He added: “You must understand that those are images of real children being abused, children who will have to live knowing that those images are out there for the rest of their lives.” 

Judge Medland explained that the brothers had not been charged until March 2023 and that he was obliged to take that three-year delay into consideration when sentencing them. 

He said: “In coming to that decision I want nobody to think that this court doesn’t take this offence very seriously. It is disgusting and offensive and it must stop.

Michael will be on the sex offenders register for ten years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.  He was fined £2,500.

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Moore, who was 21-year-old at the time of the offence had used Snapchat to contact the girl from the New Forest area who cannot be named for legal reasons.

He then drove across the country from his home in Station Road, Croydon to meet his victim who was accompanied by a friend.

The officer in the case, Detective Sergeant, Claire Ratcliffe told the Daily Echo how at first the girls thought Moore, 24, was “kind and funny”.

However, at some point his victim “ended up on her own” and he sexually assaulted her.

The girls reported the rape which he denied to the police straight away.

On Tuesday, a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict and convicted Moore on one count of rape following a seven day trial at Southampton Crown Court.

Prosecution barrister, Tim Moores, read out a victim impact statement which said how the girl's life had been ruined and how the event will be with her forever.

Extracts from the statement said: "During the time he had locked me in the back of the car I was terrified he was going to kill me."

"I have to live the rest of my life knowing what he did to me. I will never escape it."

She has suffered sleepless nights and has cried herself to sleep, the court heard.

Defending, Len Furlong, argued Moore has no relevant previous convictions.

He added that the fact the case had taken since 2018 to be dealt with was also a mitigating factor.

During sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: “She repeatedly said stop and you did not do so.”

Moore wept as he was jailed for six years and six months.

He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

DS Claire Ratcliffe said: “I am absolutely delighted with the result.

"I just can’t commend the victim enough for the strength she has shown over the last two years.

"I hope that it can be of some closure for her."

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 An Addiscombe man who sexually assaulted a 61-year-old with learning difficulties has been sentenced to a 36-month supervision order.

Colin Ford, a painter and decorator from Fernhurst Road, was sentenced to the order at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday after pleading guilty to the three counts of sexual assault at an earlier hearing.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register.

The court heard how Ford had duped the victim into getting into his work van after offering her a lift to Croydon in 2005.

Magistrates were told Ford had driven the victim to a remote car park in Shirley Hills and masturbated over her. Ford was caught after his DNA was taken in an unrelated matter and linked to the assault through the police’s national DNA database.

He was arrested in April 2008 and admitted the offences during interview.

Detective Constable Rob Buckell of Croydon’s Sapphire Unit said: “Ford targeted a vulnerable woman, a pensioner who was suffering from significant learning difficulties at the time of the offence.

"He committed grossly unpleasant sexual acts on her, knowing she wasn’t capable of understanding fully what was going on.

"DNA evidence taken at the time of his arrest for an unrelated matter was crucial to solving this case, and without it Ford might never have been traced and brought to justice."

Yvonne Traynor, chief executive of Croydon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre condemned the sentence saying it was too light.

“It is not even a rap on the knuckles. This sends a message out to sex offenders that they can do what ever they like and walk away with a supervision order as long as they admit their crime.”