Latest Offenders Cumbria

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Officers are urging people to look out for a wanted sex offender with links to Cumbria, Hampshire, Edinburgh and Glasgow

Michal Rygielski is wanted by Cumbria Police.

The 38-year-old is wanted after failing to comply with a sex offenders notification order as well as failing to appear at court.

Rygielski is around 5ft 10ins tall, of medium build with blue eyes and receding hair. He is believed to be in the Edinburgh or Glasgow areas.

Anyone with information on Rygielski’s whereabouts is urged to contact police.

People can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/reportit quoting CRI10062105.

You can also phone on 101.

Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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Convicted rapist sentenced in absence to 5½ years.

Navjot Singh, 25, last known at The Oval, Whitehaven, is a fugitive after failing to attend both his trial and sentencing at Carlisle Crown Court. A jury convicted him in July of raping an 18-year-old woman in a Workington churchyard on 20 August 2023. In his absence he was jailed for five and a half years, placed on the Sex Offender Register for life, and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order. A warrant for his arrest remains outstanding.

Singh had denied the offence. He also cut contact with his legal team. Police later checked his workplace without success. Court was told he had been working in the Carlisle area but his employer said he had been absent since November last year. “His brother hasn’t seen him for six months,” prosecutor Tim Evans told the court.

The victim had been at Padua’s nightclub on Washington Street, Workington — now closed — on the same night Singh had been drinking after work. He met her there, kissed her, and took her outside. Judge David Pugh said: “She did not wish to go with the defendant and told him so.” Despite her protests he dragged her into a nearby churchyard. “Once there, notwithstanding her protests and notwithstanding that by this time she was crying, he began to assault her.” He then raped her.

CCTV showed Singh running from the scene and hiding behind cars. He was “plainly aware of precisely what he had done,” Mr Evans said. Singh had no previous convictions.

The victim and her mother sat in the public gallery for the sentencing. Mr Evans summarised her impact statement: “She talks about suffering emotionally since the attack.” The court heard she has post-traumatic stress and nightmares, struggles to sleep and sometimes wakes in tears, and is now afraid to go out, preferring to stay at home. “When she does go out, she’s constantly looking around to check if anybody is there,” Mr Evans said. The judge also recorded her loss of independence, sleep problems and self-harming.

Singh remains at large. Anyone with information should contact Cumbria Police.

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A man from Penrith was jailed on Friday (29 May) for attempting to sexually communicate with a child online.

David Winkley-Balmer, 30, of Mill Street, Penrith was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Carlisle Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and one count of attempting to cause a child watch sexual activity. This sentence was added onto a burglary offences to make the total prison sentence 2 years and 4 months.

He was also made subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and has been placed on the sex offenders register.

Detective Constable Alice Wood, from Westmorland and Furness CID said: “Winkley-Balmer was fully aware the two ‘children’ he was speaking to were 14 years old when he engaged in conversations of a sexual nature.

“Fortunately, there were no actual children involved in this case, but it is clear Winkley-Balmer poses risk to young people.

“We are committed to ensuring children are safe from those seeking to commit them harm and we will do all we can to ensure those who commit offences are brought before the courts.

“I would urge people to familiarise themselves what their children are doing online – ask them questions and support them in using the internet safely.”

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A man from Barrow has been jailed today (8 May) for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Michael Creighton, 51, of Vernon Street, Barrow in Furness was sentenced to three years for the following offences:

Five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Courts heard that on the 21 May 2024, the police were informed that Creighton had been in contact with five decoy accounts, that he believed to be children.

Whilst on bail for further enquiries, Creighton was granted a Sexual Risk Order, which he breached numerous times.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Charlie Colwell said:

“While the children involved were part of a decoy operation, Creighton clearly poses a significant risk to young people.

“Our priority remains protecting children and ensuring they are safe from online predators.

“This case should serve as a warning to anyone who engages in, or is considering engaging in, sexual communication with children. We have specialist teams and a wide range of tactics to identify individuals who present a risk and bring them to justice.

“I would strongly encourage parents and carers to take an active interest in what their children are doing online - talk to them, ask questions, and support them to use the internet safely.

“If you have any concerns that a child may be at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation, please report it to the police immediately using any of our available reporting channels.”

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A man was yesterday (April 20) jailed for engaging in controlling coercive behaviour and failing to comply with sex offender requirements.

Thomas Davidson, 57, of no fixed address was sentenced to one year nine month at Carlisle Crown Court.

The offences are against one woman.

The court heard that Davidson wouldn’t let the woman leave the house on her own, would drop her off and pick her up from work and would buy cars and sell them with her money and in her name breaching his notification requirements.

Following a disclosure, he was arrested and given conditions not to contact the victim. Despite this he sent letters, rang her doorbell and loitered around the property for significant amounts of time.

Detective Constable Callum Rushton from Cumberland CID said “Coercive and controlling behaviour can be difficult for victims to come forward and talk about.

“In this case Davidson controlled his victims life, ensuring she never left the house alone or went out with friends.

“I would encourage anyone who has been subject to offences of this nature to come forward so that our officers can investigate. You will be supported throughout our investigation.

“We work closely with partner agencies to provide appropriate support which is tailored to an individual’s circumstances.

“These offences will not be tolerated by Cumbria Constabulary, and we will do everything within our power to hold them accountable for their actions and bring them to justice.”

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A man has been jailed today for 14 years after he was found guilty of five child sex offences.

Craig Raeburn, aged 61, of no fixed address, was sentenced today (9 April) at Preston Crown Court after a jury found him guilty following a trial at the end of January.

Raeburn was made subject of a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. He was also given an indefinite restraining order against the victim.

The offences occurred in Barrow between 2014 and 2016 and involve one victim.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Ash Elliot, said:

“The victim in this case has been incredibly brave in coming forward and reporting these traumatic events and I hope this result can provide some closure.

“Raeburn is a predator and was fully aware of the victim’s age when he committed the offences.

“Despite the case being reported some time after it took place, we hope the result achieved at court shows that it is never too late to report instances of sexual abuse.

“Cumbria Police will investigate all reports of sexual abuse and do everything in our power to hold offenders accountable for their actions.”

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A rapist who held a woman captive over a weekend and subjected her to “pure hell” has been jailed for 14 years.

Noah Hetherington, 22, of Maryport Road, Dearham, Cumbria, was found guilty at Carlisle Crown Court of rape, false imprisonment, assault and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The court heard he held what appeared to be a real shotgun to the woman’s head, threatened to shoot her, raped her multiple times, beat her with an axe handle and removed her phone SIM card while under the influence of cannabis, cocaine and alcohol.

Judge Nicholas Barker told him he had “entrenched criminal tendencies”.

The victim told the court she believed she would be killed and said: “He needs to be stopped. And that’s the only reason I’m trying to be strong and get through it – for other people, for other girls.”

In her impact statement she described the ordeal as “pure hell”, adding: “I was almost dead and killed, dead and buried. I’ve never been the same person since.”

She has since been in and out of hospital, lost hair, been unable to eat or sleep and now lives with daily trauma. “I’ve been traumatised,” she said. “And I’ll live with the trauma every single day.”

Hetherington, a father of two, had previous convictions for possessing an offensive weapon (a sharpened stick taken into school), battery, criminal damage, drugs and driving offences.

He must sign the sex offenders register for life and comply with a sexual harm prevention order.

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A former teacher, who was previously jailed for seven years in 2022, has been given another seven-year sentence after he was found guilty of five sexual offences involving children, committed in the 1980s and 1990s.

Paul Adams, aged 78, of Workington, was sentenced today (6 Feb) at Carlisle Crown court after a trial in January.

Adams was convicted of three counts of indecent assault of a child, one count of paying for the sexual services of a child and one sexual assault. The offences relate to four victims, who were boys at the time.

Four of the offences were committed while Adams was a teacher at a school in West Cumbria.

Adam’s further offending came to light after victims saw media coverage in 2022 of his other convictions.

Detective Inspector Calvin Greaves, Cumberland CID, said:

“I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and I hope today’s sentencing can bring some form of closure after all these years.

“Adams abused his position and should have been someone his victims were able to trust.

“I hope that this case shows that it is never too late to report sexual abuse – no matter how long ago it was, we will listen to you.

“Cumbria Police will do everything we can to investigate reports, support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.”

2022

A COURT heard moving statements from two young men who were sexually abused as teenagers by a former Workington teacher.

Paul Stuart Adams, 74, who was once responsible for pastoral pupil care at the school where he worked, was widely known throughout west Cumbria for his knowledge of theatre, music and the arts.

But he abused the trust people had for him by sexually exploiting two teenage boys who turned to him for advice and guidance.

Adams, of Banklands, Workington, denied more than a dozen charges relating to two teenage boys. The jury convicted of nine counts, including indecent assaults and paying for the sexual services of a child.

During this trial, the jury heard that Adams regarded as a 'pillar' of his local community was so trusted that parents were happy for their children to go to him for advice on theatre and acting.

The prosecution had outlined how one victim visited Adams at his home, where the pensioner ran his own recording studio. Adams gave the teenager whiskey before asking him to strip naked.

He told the boy that this would be a good way to prepare for being on stage.

After the abuse began, the boy turned to using drugs and alcohol to blank out what had happened to him; and Adams then took further advantage of the teenager, offering him cash in return for sexual favours.

He paid the boy between 100 and 200 in exchange for being touched sexually or he got the teenager to strip naked, the court heard. Described by one of the victims as a 'master manipulator,' Adams was particularly interested in spanking, The victim told Carlisle Crown Court.

As Adams watched from his prison video booth, the now adult victim courageously stood in court and read aloud his account of how the sexual abuse had ruined his life, robbing him of precious years of childhood.

He said that he had turned to drink and drugs cocaine and Ecstasy to blank out the pain of what Adams had done to him. At its height, his addiction involved him using those drugs every day.

The man told the court: In 2021, I received a diagnosis of PTSD as a result of this crime. I was suffering with nightmares and flashbacks particularly if I saw someone who matched the height and build of Paul.

I would wake up numerous times in the night in cold sweats. I would get flashbacks of the recording studio and what Paul did to me.

"I ended up taking time off work as a result of this as I couldnt cope.

The trauma reached a crisis point which saw the man have to walk out of work half way through his shift, he said.

He was off work for two months.

Since then, he had been given professional help that has included medications and therapy. Although I am much better, he said, what happened never leaves me. It is always a niggle in the back of my mind.

There is always something that triggers a memory or a thought bringing it to the forefront. Its still something that enters my mind daily.

The man spoke also of having self-harmed and how his trauma had left him struggling to hold down relationships. His drugs use had been a coping mechanism, he said.

Recalling how the abuse changed his life, the man said: My friends and I were always out together; we would be at the skate park, camping, doing the things that teenagers do.

When this started happening with Paul, these things stopped and by the time I came out of the emotional stress of what was happening I was in my early 20s and feel like I had the better years of my childhood taken from me.

The court also heard from the second victim, who came forward after reading in the News & Star about how Adams had been charged with child sex offences. He spoke of the profound effect.

This included feelings of self-hatred and sadness.

Now a young man, he suffered panic attacks and depression and returning to west Cumbria triggered painful memories of the abuse.

Richard Dawson, for Adams, said the defendants parents had died in their mid 70s and he feared that the jail term he faced would effectively be a life sentence. His time on remand has been particularly difficult for him, said the barrister.

He added that the risk posed by Adams was 'negligible.'

Judge Richard Archer said the defendant abused young men who turned to him for support and, from the evidence of the trial, he was satisfied that he had also abused a third boy and acted inappropriately towards another.

Noting that Adams was assessed as representing a significant risk of harm, the judge said the defendant continued to deny wrongdoing. Until he accepted his guilt, that risk would remain high, said the judge.

He told the defendant: You were a pillar of the Workington community.

Involved with local theatres for many years, Adams had been considered a worldly man, with experience of life beyond west Cumbria and knowledge of the stage and the arts.

It was that reputation and experience that led to both your victims visiting you at your home," said the judge. Adams paid for sexual services from one boy at least six times and one of the victims was just 15 when Adams first abused him.

Adams was jailed for seven years.

He will remain on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further order. This prevents him from having access to any child unless the parent or guardian is aware of his offending history and unless he has the express permission of Social Services.

Nor can he live in any household where there is also a child resident. Adams will be released on licence when he reaches the half-way point in his sentence.

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A South Cumbrian sex offender who moved to Carlisle is back behind bars after failing to notify police about an online account he created on an adult dating website.

Peter Raymond Davies, 47, formerly of Cobden Street, Dalton-in-Furness, admitted breaching his sex offender registration terms at Carlisle's Rickergate court.

He was placed on the register in July last year after convictions for attempting to incite a female child to engage in sexual activity and attempting sexual communication with a child.

When confronted by police about the account, Davies claimed he thought the site was merely a social media platform.

A probation officer informed District Judge Philip Holden that Davies has been recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his 20-month jail term, with release not due until November next year.

The judge imposed a two-week jail sentence but noted that law prevents it from running consecutively to the recall term, so Davies serves no additional time.

He warned that future breaches would lead to escalating prison terms: “You will be going to prison for longer and longer if you continue to breach these orders.”

In March last year, police were alerted by an online child abuse activist group, leading to an investigation that revealed Davies communicating sexually with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

Davies admitted the offenses in police interviews, receiving a two-year-and-four-month jail sentence and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Stewart Glendinning said at the time: “Peter Davies engaged in online conversations with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

"Despite the decoy profile informing Davies of her age, he continued to engage in sexually explicit conversation. Fortunately, there was no actual 14-year-old girl but that does not dilute the seriousness of his offending."

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A SEX offender has been jailed after failing to inform police of a YouTube account he claimed was ‘auto-generated’ by the video sharing platform.

Michael Holliday, 52, was put behind bars for 24 weeks after Workington Magistrates’ Court heard police discovered a YouTube username on his phone which had not been disclosed.

Prosecutor Pamela Fee said Holliday is a registered sex offender who is subject to notification requirements. He is managed by officers from the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders team who ensure that such offenders are complying with orders.

Ms Fee said Holliday is required to undertake polygraph tests after being convicted of sexual communication with a child on the social media and video sharing platform, TikTok.

In 2022, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and made subject to Sex Offender notification requirements for seven years. He must notify police of any online usernames within three days, the court was told.

Ms Fee said Holliday had been assessed as ‘high risk’ for reoffending after previously breaching the SHPO.

The court heard that Holliday attended the polygraph appointment in Cockermouth on September 3 and during a pre-interview discussion, he admitted deleting the internet history from his phone, stating it was ‘normal pornography’.

Ms Fee said this was ‘a huge concern’. The defendant also said he had lost that phone on the beach in the days prior.

Officers attended Cockermouth Police Station and Holliday was arrested. His phone was seized and a search was carried out on the device. There was a username on YouTube that had been used on August 31. Holliday had not notified police of the username.

Ms Fee said there had been two previous breaches of the SHPO and within five and a half weeks, the defendant had committed further breaches. Holliday was ‘fully aware’ of the requirements, the prosecutor said.

Mike Woolaghan, defending, said Holliday’s use of YouTube was known to police and had been authorised by them.

“When it was set up, a username was set up,” Mr Woolaghan said. “What has happened, I think when YouTube was purchased by Elon Musk, there was a migration of data.

“It auto-generated a username. It wasn’t creating a new account. It was being auto-generated on the system.

“That is a username he was obliged to provide to the police. There is no suggestion there are two accounts being run side by side and one is being hidden.”

Mr Woolaghan said the defendant had some issues that were ‘unaddressed’ and he had experienced childhood trauma that he continues to struggle with.

“He would benefit from some ongoing support to address those underlying trauma issues,” the solicitor said. “Avoidance strategy is not the most appropriate strategy.”

Holliday pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to failing to comply with notification requirements.

Jailing the defendant for 24 weeks, presiding magistrate Mark Gear said only a custodial sentence could be justified.

Holliday, of Moss Bay Road, Workington, must also pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.

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A Keswick man who sexually abused two school-age boys in the 1970s has been jailed for six years following a police investigation.

Keith Taylor, aged 66, of Crow Park Road, was sentenced today (5 November) at Carlisle Crown Court for two indecent assaults on a boy, an act of gross indecency with a boy and a serious sexual offence against a boy.

An investigation was launched after two people spoke with police about what had occurred to them between 1974 and 1979.

Taylor had initially denied all charges against him, however in April 2025 he pleaded guilty to offences committed against one of the victims.

Following a trial in August, a jury found him guilty of the offences committed against the second individual.

Detective Constable Kerry Moynan said:

“Firstly I would like to praise the bravery of both people who came forward and told us what had happened to them.

“Keith Taylor initially denied all offences and continued his denial of the offences committed against the younger of the two victims, leading to a trial where a jury has found him guilty.

“Taylor’s actions were despicable, he knew what he had done was wrong and he has now been brought to justice.

“I hope the case demonstrates to the public how seriously such offending is taken and that any accusations of sexual offending against children in Cumbria will be investigated thoroughly and those responsible held accountable.

“Finally, I would like to urge anyone who has been the victim of abuse – whether recent or non-recent to come forward today. You will be listened to, supported and offences will be investigated with sensitivity and professionalism.”

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A man who raped a girl almost thirty years ago has been jailed for six years.

Steven Monk-Dalton, aged 56, who used to reside in Barrow but more recently lived in Ibiza, Spain, was jailed on 10 October after a jury found him guilty of a rape committed in the nineties.

After a four-day trial it took the jury just two hours to come to a unanimous decision.

A judge at Preston Crown Court sentenced him to six years in prison. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

The incident took place in August 1996 in Barrow and involved one girl.

Investigating Officer DC Kate Edkins said:

“I’d like to commend the victim in this case, now a woman, for her resilience during the entire investigation. Her bravery has shown that offenders of crimes as serious as this can still be brought to justice, no matter how much time has passed.

“Cumbria Police are committed to bringing perpetrators to justice and we will do everything in our power to hold them accountable for their crimes.

“I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or child sexual abuse to contact police so our officers can investigate. You can speak with specialist officers with confidence and will be supported throughout any investigation.”

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An Eden Valley sex offender has received a suspended jail term for breaching a court order stemming from US offenses.

Brian Richardson, 61, admitted violating his sex offender registration at Carlisle’s Rickergate magistrates' court.

Prosecutor Diane Jackson detailed the case: The Kirkby Stephen resident was convicted in Texas in 2019 for possessing indecent images and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

“He was sentenced in 2019 and deported back to the UK following the end of his prison sentence and in 2021 he was made the subject of indefinite notification,” she explained.

Due to the US conviction, Richardson is on the UK Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

During a visit from his Cumbrian offender manager, he was found to have failed to notify police within three days of various online usernames on Snapchat, Kik, Twitter (now X), and Gmail, plus two bank accounts.

There were no prior breaches.

Defending, Duncan Campbell said Richardson knew he must report bank accounts but didn't realize the three-day deadline. “There was no question of his trying to hide the accounts,” the lawyer stated.

The online and Gmail accounts were old, and Richardson had been open with police, offering his devices for inspection.

Over three years, Richardson cared for his father with Alzheimer’s and terminal cancer. “He [the defendant] was effectively a prisoner in his own home,” Mr. Campbell added, noting the breach was “unwittingly done.”

The lead magistrate cited a “realistic possibility of rehabilitation” while suspending a one-year jail term for two years.

This includes 10 rehabilitation activity days, a 26-session Building Better Choices program, and 40 hours of unpaid work. Richardson, of Quarry Close, Kirkby Stephen, must pay £85 costs and a £187 victim surcharge.

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A Brampton man whose dog bit a police officer during an arrest attempt has been jailed for that and related offenses.

Henry Taroni, 31, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including being in charge of a dog that caused injury while dangerously out of control in a private place.

He also admitted affray—threatening violence that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety—two common assaults, and breaching his sex offender registration terms.

The breach occurred between March 13 and May 6, when he failed to report to "suitable accommodation" after prison release and did not inform police of his living arrangements.

All offenses stemmed from a May 6 incident at Moatside in Brampton, where police responded to reports of an altercation involving a man—believed to be Taroni—yelling from a window.

A lone female constable arrived and encountered Taroni with his partner. As the officer approached to handcuff him, the partner intervened by pushing Taroni behind her, creating a brief standoff.

During this, the couple's greyhound attacked, biting the constable twice, including on her leg.

Prosecutors alleged Taroni used the dog as a "weapon," while defense counsel argued at an earlier hearing that the greyhound was nervous and acted to defend its owner in a stressful situation.

The attack had a "profound and lasting effect" on the officer, both personally and professionally. In her statement, she said she is trained for challenging situations but did not expect to be physically assaulted or placed in fear on duty.

Nor did she expect to be "confronted with an aggressive and volatile individual" and obstructed by another, then attacked "not only by an individual but also by a dog, being 'used as a weapon.'"

"I genuinely feared for my safety," she added. The suspect had repeatedly lunged at her in a "frightening situation." She left the flat after the injury and required antibiotics to prevent infection.

Psychologically, the incident replayed in her mind, eroding her confidence with volatile individuals, especially alone. "I have always taken great pride in my role serving the public… this has left me feeling vulnerable."

Taroni received a 34-month jail term and a 10-year dog ownership ban. His partner, sentenced earlier, got four months in jail. The dog received a control order, requiring it to be leashed and muzzled in public.

Description

A driver who targeted 10 teenage girls as they walked to school has been jailed. Adnan Khan had originally been accused of attempting to kidnap the schoolgirls as they headed back to classes following a Covid lockdown in 2021.

However those charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to harassment and two charges of sexual communication with a child. Newcastle Crown Court heard he made sexual comments to some of the girls and left all of those he approached frightened.

Now Khan, 35, has been jailed for 15 months and was made subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for the next 20 years.

Michael Bunch, prosecuting, told the court: "The offences themselves date back to March 2021 and occurred over the course of half an hour that morning as the defendant targeted female pupils making their way to school in Newcastle."

The first pupil approached by the defendant was 18 years old at the time. It was her first day back after Covid-related closures and she decided to walk to school rather than her usual pattern of catching the bus. As she waited to cross a road, the defendant stopped his car alongside her and repeatedly asked her for her name.

Mr Bunch said: "She responded by pointing out that she was still in school. She moved around the corner to get away from the defendant, who responded by reversing back alongside her and again asking her name. By now, she was worried by the defendant’s behaviour.

"Despite her lack of engagement, the defendant said he would take her to school. When she told him no, he then drove off, leaving her really shaken.

"She contacted her mother by phone to tell her what had happened and later commented that she had been put off from walking to school in the future by the defendant’s conduct."

The next incident happened about half a mile away, where two 16-year-old girls were walking to school together, along with a third female pupil. Khan pulled alongside and was heard to shout, “Girl in the middle, come here, come here”. The three girls ignored him and carried on their way to school, reporting the incident when they arrived there.

The third incident occurred shortly afterwards. Three girls, aged 13,15 and 16, were making their way to school when the defendant pulled alongside. Mr Bunch said: "He shouted across to the two to ‘get in the car’, repeating this a number of times in an aggressive manner.

"When they ignored him and hurried towards school, the defendant drove off. All three girls contacted a parent immediately after the defendant left. All three were left feeling scared and uncomfortable by the defendant’s behaviour."

Around a mile from that incident, Khan came across two girls aged 16 as they headed to school. He pulled alongside and, again, shouted to get their attention.

Mr Bunch said: "Thinking he was needing directions, (one of the girls) moved towards the car, but the defendant then asked her how long she had had braces. Realising that the defendant was not seeking assistance, the two girls walked off, but the defendant continued to follow them in his car, repeatedly shouting towards them. In an attempt to deter him, (one of the girls) produced her phone and said that she was calling police, telling the defendant this three times.

"He was not dissuaded by this threat and continued to behave in the same way for a period before driving off. Both girls spoke to a parent immediately after the incident."

The last incident involved two girls aged 14 and 13 who were walking to school with some male pupils. Khan pulled alongside them in his car and spoke to the girls, referring to them as ‘gorgeous’ and ‘beautiful’.

Mr Bunch said: "At one point, (one of the girls) noticed him leaning out of his window, as though trying to reach out to them. When one of the boys approached and asked him to leave, the defendant responded by saying he was going to ‘s**g’ the mothers of all the boys.

"He turned his attentions back to the two girls, initially referring to them in similar terms to his initial approach, before changing tack and saying that he was going to ‘s**g’ them and make the two girls perform (a sex act) on the boys."

One of the girls suggested she was going to contact the police and Khan left the street. The police were contacted, with the registration plate of the Khan's car also being passed on. It was noted that the vehicle was linked to an address in Cumbria.

An image of the Khan was also available from a video clip recorded during the course of the last incident. The result was that the defendant was arrested the same day.

When interviewed, the defendant said he had spoken to some girls, but only because they had thrown a drink over his car. He denied that he had approached them, that he had invited any of them to get into his car, or that there had been any sexual content to his conversation. He suggested that the complaints were racially motivated.

One of the girls, who is now an adult, read a victim impact statement in court saying she was left worried after the offending and "no longer felt safe or comfortable while visiting the area". She added: "This made me worried about what his intentions may have been to me and my friend.

"We were school friends in school uniform who were clearly walking to school. I was worried to think what might have happened if anyone had got in the car. I believe men who target schoolgirls are dangerous and should be in prison."

Another girl said: "I was taken aback by the man's actions. I was surprised a stranger had stopped their car and spoken to me. Later, at school, I learned the same man had been stopping other girls as well."

She added that she was left worried about what might have happened if she had been on her own and got lifts to and from school in the days that followed. She said the incident made her aware "there are men out there who pose a danger to me".

Another girl said: "When the incident occurred I felt absolutely terrified. I was 14 and wearing a school uniform and it must have been obvious we were two girls walking to school.

"The fact he was calling me gorgeous and beautiful and would not go away made me afraid he wanted to get sexual enjoyment out of kids. The face he had a car and leaned out of the car made me additionally fearful of what might happen.

"There were boys there as well who were older than me and this didn't seem to deter him from targeting us. I felt a nervousness that I had not felt before. I had always felt safe After the incident I no longer wanted to walk to school.

"I became afraid of the idea there might be more men out there who might have similar bad intentions and I would not know who they were." She added that she believes men who make such remarks to passing schoolgirls "should be put in prison and should not be allowed near children."

Khan, 35 now and 30 at the time, of Bridge Street, Appleby, Cumbria, has 30 previous convictions, including for supplying drugs in 2010, fraud in 2016 and drink driving and threatening behaviour in 2020.

Recorder Mark Giuliani said Khan didn't live in the North East and "had no business being here" during what was a Covid lockdown. He added that he had taken a circuitous route to come across the children, who were heading to school for the first time after the lockdown.

Recorder Giuliani said: "You went out of your way to target children who were on their way to school."

Sue Hirst, defending, said it had taken four-and-a-half years for the authorities to "get round to bothering to charge him", with the delay causing him stress. Miss Hirst said the case had then been "significantly over-charged", adding: "These offences were never attempted kidnap. The height of it was he was inviting them to get in his car. He never got out of the car, he never touched them.

"It was a man behaving foolishly and inappropriately in a public place with lots of people around. He struggles to explain his behaviour. He knows he should not have made the comments to the girls.

"They were stupid and inappropriate but absolutely nothing was going to come of the comments and no one was at risk. He was making ill-advised compliments, if that's what they can be called, and asking if they wanted to go in his car.

"He asks me to convey tot he court and the girls that he is very sorry." Miss Hirst said Khan has since got married and he now has a baby.