Latest Offenders Cumbria

Description

A WEST Cumbrian man who worked in museum management has been jailed after he admitted sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl.

The child suffered nightmares and lost her innocence because of the abuse committed by 53-year-old Stephen Jones, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The defendant, who worked as a duty manager at Workington’s Helena Thompson Museum, admitted eight allegations, most relating to his sexual contact with the teenager.

One arose out of his creation of an indecent child image. Prosecutor Steven Swift outlined the facts.

He said that the first indication that the defendant had taken advantage of the girl came when the child’s mother noticed messages which Jones had sent to her daughter on her mobile.

They seemed inappropriate.

When the girl’s mother confronted her daughter, the teenager confirmed that Jones abused her sexually six times. She had recorded some of what happened between her and the defendant in her journal.

Part of the contact between the girl and Jones involved him sending her an indecent image of himself and asking for photos of her.

In some of her writings, the girl had spoken of Jones as being “creepy” and she also said that she had hated the sexual contact.

“The defendant is 53 and a man of previous good character,” said the prosecutor.

Brendan Burke, mitigating, said: “The only serious mitigation in this case is the defendant’s indication of guilty pleas.”

Judge Michael Fanning said that the offending happened over a relatively short period of time. “But she was a vulnerable girl and you knew that,” the judge told Jones, of Brierydale, Salterbeck, Workington.

The impact on the victim had been heart-breaking. She had now “retreated into herself” and suffers nightmares. The judge added: “Her childhood innocence has been stolen and there is no replacing it.”

He jailed the defendant for four years and eight months and put Jones on the Sex Offender Register for life.

He will be subjected to a 15-year sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order forbids him from having any contact with the victim.

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender has been brought back before a court after he failed to notify police he had been using an online dating app.

William Kirkbride, 59, is required to notify police of any names or aliases he uses within three days under the terms of a 10-year sex offender notification requirement.

He was jailed for 21 months in June 2022 for facilitating a child sex offence and was released on licence on August 10 last year.

Kirkbride had used the gay dating site, Grindr, between August 28 and September 11 and had not notified police, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the defendant was spoken to by the police officer who had examined his mobile phone.

He admitted using Grindr and accepted he hadn’t told his offender manager the username.

Ms Fee said it was a deliberate failure to comply with the requirement.

Kirkbride, of Queen Street, Whitehaven, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.

John Cooper, defending, said: “On release, there is no restriction on him being allowed to use the app. He is allowed to use it but has to tell police all his details – his passwords and usernames.

“He has been in conversation with a probation officer and said he was using that app. There has been no attempt to hide it.

“There is monitoring software on his phone so it would have been discovered.”

The court heard a decision had been made not to recall Kirkbride to prison. He remains on licence until October 9 this year.

A probation officer said Kirkbride had been compliant and had engaged with several partnership agencies including a GP and mental health services. Citizens Advice were also involved to assist with the sale of Kirkbride’s property.

Magistrates imposed a nine-week curfew, to run daily from 6pm until 6am. Kirkbride was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE distributed explicit images of children being sexually abused to other online users, and engaged in illegal chat with what he thought was a teenage girl.

Simon Tiller, 57, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday (Monday) for what a judge described as a pattern of continued sexual offending which was wired into his DNA.

It was following chat between Tiller and an undercover police officer that he was unmasked as the person using a number of different online aliases. Discussions, through a messaging application, related to the sexual abuse of minors.

Michael Scholes, prosecuting, said of the communication method: This is a platform often favoured by those with an interest in the sexual abuse of children owing to the high level of anonymity it offers.

Tiller was arrested in May 2022, at a motorhome in which he was living within the grounds of a private north Cumbria property.

Several phones were recovered including a Samsung Galaxy in Tillers shorts that he had tried to hide. This was found to contain many hundreds of accessible indecent images of children including 317 stills and videos classed in category A, the most serious.

Over several months, Tiller was found to have discussed with others the sexual abuse of children and distributed indecent images.

The court heard Tiller had also covertly taken indecent photos of a child which he said he was prepared to pass on.

Tiller admitted nine charges involving the possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images and attempted sexual communication with a 14-year-old girl who was actually a police officer. He was convicted by a jury of one voyeurism offence.

Kim Whittlestone, mitigating, said Tiller had expressed remorse, despite conclusions to the contrary which had been drawn by a probation officer.

He will use his time in custody as well as he can, said Miss Whittlestone.

He is realistic that the court will keep him within a custodial environment for some time hence.

Tiller was jailed for a total of 39 months by Judge Michael Fanning, who concluded that he had sought to minimise his offending and shown a degree of self-pity.

You are a paedophile, said the judge. The (pre-sentence) report shows you are a risk to children. This offending was into your DNA, and until you accept and address that you remain a risk to children.

Tiller, latterly of Blackford, near Carlisle, must sign the sex offender register, and comply with the strict terms of a prevention order, for 10 years.

Description

A sex offender has been jailed after lying about an illegally-held phone to access indecent images of children.

North Cumbria-based Bruce Chandler, 57, was previously given a two-year suspended prison term in 2021, and was also required to curb his online use after making sexual advances online to whom he believed were young girls.

Earlier this year however, he was found to have viewed several indecent images.

The judge said Chandler had made "no attempt" to mend his ways.

Chandler of St Martin's Close, Brampton, was originally handed a suspended prison term by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court in 2021 after making sexual advances online.

He believed he was approaching young girls and requested topless photos and attempted to meet one female.

'Deceitful'

Earlier this year, police visited Chandler who told them he was not in possession of any prohibited devices capable of connecting to the internet.

During a further, unannounced home risk assessment visit a fortnight later however, Chandler was seen trying to hide a smartphone.

"I've had it for over a year," he confessed to police. "I know I shouldn't have it. I thought I could get away with it. I lied about it the last time you were here."

It emerged Chandler had used the phone from December 2022, 14 months into the two-year suspended prison sentence term, to access nine indecent images of children.

Chandler was also found to have accessed one extreme pornographic image featuring a dog and logged into Instagram using an undeclared online alias.

In addition, the court heard he had deleted almost 4,500 web browser searches.

On Monday, Chandler admitted seven offences including four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), possession of nine category C indecent images of children, possessing an extreme pornographic image and breaching sex offender notification requirements.

Defence lawyer Andrew Gurney, mitigating, said: "He wishes to apologise to the court for what he has done."

But Judge Michael Fanning observed that Chandler had been guilty of "deceitful" and "dishonest" conduct.

The judge imposed a new SHPO which will run indefinitely.

Description

A registered sex offender who broke the terms of a court order and attempted to communicate sexually with what he thought was a child has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Iain Stavert, 60, was brought before a court following work by police after he communicated online with a law enforcement employee who he believed to be a child.

He admitted a range of charges, covering:

• Breaching and attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order.
• Failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.
• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Stavert, of Low White Close, Barrow, appeared before Preston Crown Court for sentencing.

Detective Constable Ashlynne Elliott oversaw the case.

Speaking after the sentencing, she said: “We work hard to monitor and manage people who are subject to such orders.

“As in this case, we will find out if they breach the terms of these preventative orders and we will do all we can to ensure they are held accountable for their offending.”

Stavert was sentenced on Thursday.

Description

A SCHOOLGIRL subjected to grooming behaviour and unwanted sexual touching by a 55-year-old west Cumbrian man bravely told a court how the offending changed her life.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Paul Henderson listened in silence as the teenager described the devastating impact of his crime. 

At an earlier hearing before magistrates, the defendant, of Firth View Walk, Workington, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually touching the girl over her clothing.

Prosecutor Paul Brookwell outlined the facts.

On the day of the sexual assault, said the barrister, Henderson initially began “joking around” with the girl but the teenager later reported that his facial expression suddenly changed, and he began touching her sexually.

He suggested the girl she liked what he was doing - but the teenager ran away and immediately reported what happened to a friend.

A short time later, there was then a confrontation between people who were made aware of the offence and the defendant, with Henderson telling them: “I don’t know what came over me; I am so sorry.”

He then drove into the Lake District, feeling suicidal and guilty after admitting what he had done, said Mr Brookwell. Henderson’s family reported him missing.

Twelve hours later, when police found him, he told the officers: “I’ve done something I should not have done.”

At the police station, he made full admissions and accepted the teenager’s account of what he had done. Before touching the girl, the defendant told her that he wished he too was a teenager so he could spend a day with her.

Everybody in the court, including the girl's family, listened as the teenager stood in the witness stand and read her victim impact statement, outlining the impact of the offending. She wanted Henderson to hear her account as she faced him across the courtoom. 

“Since this incident,” she began, “I have been anxious about everything – even leaving the house." Whenever she sees a bald white man – a reference to the defendant – her stomach jumps and she begins to feel sick and shakes, she said.

She was unable to shut what happened from her mind. “I just don’t feel safe,” the teenager told the court, recalling how the memory of defendant’s face - which became "serious and creepy' as he committed the offence - kept replaying in her mind.

“It can happen any time but is normally worse at night,” she continued. “I feel scared and get a knot in my stomach."

Daniel Bramhall, defending, said the defendant had never before been before a court and he felt ashamed of his behaviour and disgusted with himself.

“This behaviour is completely out of character,” said the barrister.

“He simply does not have an explanation for what happened. He accepts it was a foolish and stupid mistake but can’t give any explanation for why the offence took place. He has suffered from issues with his mental health.

“He is supported by his family, who remain supportive of him with the full knowledge of what took place.”

Character references painted a different picture of Henderson to the man who committed the offence.

Though his family did not condone what Henderson had done, they spoke of his reliability and how he continues to be there for them.

Mr Bramhall added that the defendant had been assessed as posing a low risk of reoffending and he presented a realistic prospect for rehabilitation. “He is absolutely terrified of going to prison,” added the barrister.

Recorder Eric Lamb told the defendant: “You have been in court to hear the consequences of your selfish sexual act.” The victim was vulnerable and the impact on her was abundantly clear from the statement.

The judge accepted Henderson felt remorse but noted the "element of grooming" in his behaviour before he committed the sexual assault. Recorder Lamb imposed a six-month jail term, suspended 18 months, saying that rehabilitation work with the Probation Service would provide wider protection for society.

The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for seven years and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Description

A SILLOTH man has been jailed after he admitted sexually assaulting a child.

Peter Wood, 53, of Green Row, Silloth, who declared himself "disgusted" with his own behaviour towards the child, was handed a two-year jail term at Carlisle Crown Court after he admitted his guilt.

He committed the offence in June, with Wood's defence barrister saying the underlying issue for him was alcohol.

Judge Richard Archer also put the defendant on the Sex Offender Register for a decade; and imposed a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. Temporary Detective Constable Georgia Skelton, Carlisle & Wigton CID, said: “We are pleased that we have been able to secure a conviction in this case.

“Peter Wood held no regard for the impact his actions would have on the victim in this case when he committed this offence.

“I would like to thank the victim for their bravery in reporting what happened to them and assisting our investigation.

“We are committed to bringing offenders to justice and will do all we can to ensure they are held to account.

“If you have been victim to a sexual offence, please do not suffer in silence. We work with trusted partner agencies who can provide appropriate support.”

Description

A PERVERTED west Cumbrian pensioner tried to meet up with a 14-year-old boy so he could sexually abuse him.

But unbeknown to 75-year-old Whitehaven man Geoffrey Restrick, the “child” was an under-cover police officer.

The pensioner admitted attempting to sexually communicate with a child and arranging to meet him so he could commit a child sex offence. At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Kim Whittlestone outlined the facts of the defendant’s offending.  

The attempted sexual communication happened online over a ten-day period, between June 19 and 29, the court heard. It involved Restrick exchanging messages with a person who identified himself as a 14-year-old boy.

“There were numerous discussions about meeting up and about the sexual acts they would engage in,” said Miss Whittlestone. The communication initially happened on the Grindr social networking site.

Restrick was using the online name “Discreet Fun.”

But at the defendant’s suggestion, the conversations were quickly transferred to a private WhatsApp platform. The barrister said: “The conversation therefore continued about and there were discussions about sexual acts.”

Restrick also asked the “boy” for sexually explicit pictures.

Miss Whittlestone continued: “The defendant was repeatedly told during the conversations that the male was 14. He asked for a photograph of the young boy. A photograph was sent on one occasion.

 “The image indicated a 14-year-old boy and the defendant’s response was to say: ‘You are very attractive.’” Restrick then asked for photos of the boy in his school uniform. At one stage, the court heard, the pensioner arranged to meet the boy in a named local store, which Restrick attended.

But he kept his distance, watching to see if the boy turned up. “He repeatedly made requests to meet,” said Miss Whittlestone, adding that this was accompanied by conversation about the sexual things they would do.

Andrew Gurney, defending, told Judge Nicholas Barker: “This [defendant] is a man of previous good character and he wants the court to know that he is truly appalled by his actions and he is remorseful.”

Restrick,  of Calder Avenue, Whitehaven, was also concerned about the impact of what he had done on his family. Mr Gurney added: “He’s effectively lost everything due to his actions and he deserves what’s going to happen to him today.”

Judge Nicholas Barker told the pensioner: “You came into contact with what you genuinely believed was a 14-year-old male child.” 

The judge dismissed a claim that Restrick made with probation staff that he was not sexually interested in the child, saying that his sexual discussions and attempt to meet the “child” were not fanciful.

He had acted on his plan to meet the boy and his intention was to “engage in sexual activity”, said the judge.

Judge Barker said the defendant’s claim to not be attracted sexually to children roused suspicion in the probation officer’s mind and in his mind, given that Restrick had described the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the “boy.”

Accepting that the defendant was remorseful, and that had faced difficult challenges in his life, the judge jailed Restrick for 29 months. The pensioner will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade.

He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. He is likely to be released on licence at the half way point in his sentence. 

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender has appeared in court accused of installing a private web browser and deleting the internet history from a device.

Christopher Topliss, 35, faces four charges of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and one charge of failing to comply with notification requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Topliss is accused of installing a private browser on three occasions between February and March 2022 and deleting the internet history from a device in his possession by installing and uninstalling numerous applications and their contents on or before June 15, 2023.

It is also alleged that he failed to declare numerous aliases to police within three days, which he is required to do as a registered sex offender.

Topliss, of Ennerdale Road, Cleator Moor, did not enter any pleas when he appeared at Workington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

The case was sent to Carlisle Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing on August 25.

Description

A WEST Cumbrian pensioner has admitted possessing illegal extreme pornography and prohibited 'cartoon' images of children being sexually abused.

Cockermouth man Ian Willis, 74, admitted the two offences during a hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, though he denied a third charge of downloading an indecent child image. The prosecution accepted that denial.

Outlining the two admitted offences, prosecutor Sarah Griffin said they were committed between July 1, 2020 and December 20 of that year. Police found the illegal images after seizing and analysing the defendant’s Samsung phone.

“There were 407 extreme pornographic images and seven prohibited images of children, which are described as being cartoon type images,” said Ms Griffin.

The barrister went on to outline the kind of images that police found. The extreme images depicted adults involved in sexual activity with animals and two of those were moving images, the court heard.

The prohibited child images were cartoons depicting sexual activity between adults and children, including children as young as eight. Marion Weir, defending, handed two character references to the court.

Ms Griffin said the defendant accepted the phone containing the illegal images was his but he denied searching for indecent child images. “He claimed that they must have been there by accident,” said the barrister.

The defendant did, however, accept searching for extreme pornographic images but claimed he did not know this was illegal.

“He said he was driven by curiosity and that he did not have an exciting life,” added the barrister.

Judge Richard Archer told Willis: “You are 74 and you have no previous convictions, and these offences are now of some age. They represent behaviour and offending committed up to and during the pandemic period of 2020, when life changed markedly for many people.

“That does not give you an excuse for behaving as you did because many people were able to bide their time as responsible adults without resorting to criminality.”

But the defendant’s blameworthiness was 'relatively low', said the judge, concluding that a custodial sentence was not necessary. Nor did the judge think it necessary to put the pensioner on the Sex Offender Register or impose a sexual harm prevention order.

Willis, of St Leonard’s Close, Cockermouth, was given an 18-month community order which includes 20 rehabilitation activity days.

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender failed to turn up to court to be sentenced for attempting to engage in a sexual activity with a child. 

Phillip Allen, from Ross-on-Wye, was due to be sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on June after being convicted at Hereford Magistrates Court on April 12. 

A bench warrant has been issued, which is not backed for bail.

Allen has connections with Cumbria, and police believe he has been in the Carlisle area within the last few days. 

Anyone who sees Allen or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call 999 immediately.

Description

A FORTY-year-old man from Carlisle has been jailed for an assault on a schoolgirl which involved him grabbing her by the throat.

The teenage victim was so upset by the violence of Jacek Kuliga that she suffered nightmares and her trust in adults was destroyed, the city’s crown court heard. The defendant had denied wrongdoing.

But he was convicted after a trial. The court heard that he denied a second offence of voyeurism but was found guilty of that also. This involved the use of a hidden camera with a motion sensor.

The camera captured "intimate" images of a woman.

The court heard that the actual bodily harm assault happened on January 25, 2021, and it was the first time Kuliga had ever been in trouble with the police. The background was an argument between the defendant and the girl.

The defendant then began a “prolonged attack” on the teenager, during which he grabbed her by the throat with sufficient force to cause bruising. She had eventually managed to get away.

“She must have been terrified,” observed Recorder Tony Hawks.

The judge commented on the negative effect of the offending on the two victims – the girl, and a woman who was the victim of the defendant’s voyeurism. The woman had developed mental health problems.

The girl who was assaulted had also suffered significantly. “Since this offence, she has suffered nightmares,” said the judge. The girl also felt uncomfortable going out and had been unable to sleep.

Her schooling was also impacted.

In an earlier hearing, another judge said of the voyeurism offence that such behaviour represented a “total and utter objectification” of women. Recorder Samantha Presland said it was exasperating that people have access to “amazing technology” but then used it for such “base things.”

Recorder Hawks jailed the defendant, of Broadoaks Grange, Carlisle, for a total of three and a half years. Kuliga will be on the Sex Offender Register for seven years as a result of the voyeurism offence.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith told the court that Kuliga had been in the UK for eight years and that he wanted to return to work but background reports made it clear that he continues to deny the two offences.

He claimed he was assaulted - a version of events rejected by the jury. 

Description

A WHITEHAVEN man serving a community sentence for possessing child abuse images committed a similar offence within a year.

But for unexplained reasons it took police two years to charge 34-year-old Liam Rothery, who this week entered a guilty plea the downloading 23 indecent child images of Category C.

These are considered the least serious category of child abuse imagery. At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined the facts.

He said the Rothery, of Ceda Park, Whitehaven, was sentenced for his previous offending in August 2020, with his three-year community order including rehabilitation and a sex offender treatment programme.

But in April 2021, police made an unannounced visit to his home because of suspicions over the delivery of 'equipment' to his address.

Though there was no issue with that equipment, police did ask Rothery to hand over his Apple iPhone while they were at his home so they could check it.

On the device they found a bookmark that linked to a website which was being used by people wishing to share illegal child images.

“It appeared to be Eastern European or Russian in origin,” said Mr Rogerson.

A forensic examination of the phone revealed that the defendant had downloaded 23 child abuse images. When interviewed, Rothery gave no comment replies to the questions put to him by the police.

Mr Rogerson added that the police found evidence on the phone that Rothery had made 'deliberate or systematic searches' for images of young children and that he had saved some of those illegal images.

Judge Nicholas Barker said that if the case had been dealt with in a timely manner the sentencing judge may have concluded that Rothery was not minded to change his ways and dealt with him accordingly.

“For a reason I am struggling to understand the police did not charge you for this offence until two years later,” the judge told the defendant.

But in the last two years, said the judge, the sex offender treatment programme that Rother had now completed and his work with the Probation Service had rehabilitated him.

His pre-sentence report was positive and there had been no repeat offending, observed the judge. In view of this, Judge Barker imposed an 18-month community order, with 20 rehabilitation activity days and an eight week 6pm to 6am curfew.

Rothery will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years.

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 years for multiple offences including rape and sexual assault.

John Crawford, 35, of St Vincent Street, Barrow, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court for:

• Rape of a female
• Sexual assault by penetration on a female
• Committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence
• Sexual assault
• Common assault

The offences relate to incidents against two women which occurred between February 2015 and February 2020.

Crawford will serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for release on licence. He is considered a dangerous offender and will be subject to the sex offenders register for life.

Investigating officer Sergeant Kerry-Anne Travis said: “I would like to thank the two victims for their bravery in reporting these offences.

“Sexual violence can have a devastating impact on victims and their families.  We would encourage any person who may have experienced such incidents to report the matter to police. We have specially trained officers to investigate and support you throughout.

“I would like to give special thanks to the Bridgeway Sexual Assault Referral Clinic (SARC). They provide an invaluable service to victims of sexual offences who may not wish to report sexual offences directly to police. Victims can self-refer to the SARC and will be supported by a specialist team.”

Description

A REPEAT sex offender from Kendal downloaded dozens of sickening child abuse images, including ones featuring victims as young as three.

Kendal man Robert Lewthwaite, 29, who committed the offences despite having the benefit of professional help through the Probation Service, was jailed after a judge ruled that he poses a continuing risk to children.

He admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order and downloading almost 300 indecent images of children, including 58 which were classified as Category A, the most serious kind of abuse images.

At Carlisle Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Barker told the defendant: These are not victimless crimes: these images depict real children, as young as three or four and five or six, who were subjected to the most horrendous, gratuitous sexual abuse.

The demand for such images by people like Lewthwaite supported the activities of the abusers who created those images.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said the background was that Lewthwaite was given a seven-year sexual harm prevention order in February 2019, which was designed to curb his internet use and prevent reoffending.

It was part of his sentence for similar offending, when he downloaded hundreds of child abuse images, the court heard. Lewthwaite was specifically warned not to use cloud storage facilities, said Mr Burke.

But on January 14 police visited the defendant and discovered that he had done this, accessing three cloud storage sites. There was evidence that he had deleted content from his internet history and devices.

Police eventually recovered the images he had been viewing: 58 of Category A, 96 of Category B, and 128 of Category C.

Jeff Smith, defending, said the defendant, of Low Kirkbarrow Lane, Kendal, suffered autism and consequently was isolated and struggled to make relationships. He is isolated from the vast majority of his family, other than his grandfather, said Mr Smith.

He clings desperately to those who are close to him. Lewthwaite needed professional support to turn his life around, said the lawyer. The defendant recognised his failings and did not want to minimise them.

The lawyer said that group therapy would help Lewthwaite, who did not want to sink yet again to the depths of depravity.

Jailing Lewthwaite for 18 months, Judge Barker concluded that the defendant had returned to his former offending behaviour, which probation staff had described as being a highly established pattern of offending.

While accepting that Lewthwaite suffered difficulties linked to his autism, the judge said there was a pattern of offending, and he was not satisfied that at present there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Lewthwaite will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade and his sexual harm prevention order will last for the same period.