Latest Offenders Cumbria

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A WEST Cumbrian man who secretly downloaded hundreds of child abuse images was told his offending warrants a jail sentence.

But a Carlisle Crown Court judge drew back from that option for 30-year-old Steven Hannay after being told that he was 'brutally frank' about his sexual interests when he was interviewed by a probation officers.

The defendant, now living in Workington but formerly of Cockermouth, admitted downloading more than 300 illegal images: 73 Category A pictures (the most serious kind); 46 Category B images, and 216 Category C images.

Police discovered the offending when, acting on intelligence received, they visited the defendant’s then home in Cockermouth. They found the illegal images on devices owned by Hannay.

A further two Category C images were also found.

Judge Andrew Jefferies said offending such as that committed by the defendant 'screamed out' for a prison sentence.

But his frankness suggested that he could be worked with to 'control his paedophilic interests.'

Though the offences deserved jail, a three year community order would allow the defendant to undergo 'intensive' rehabilitation work which would ultimately better protect the public, said the judge.

Judge Jefferies told the defendant, whose address was given as Devonshire Street, Workington: “Without doubt, your interest in this material means you should be in prison.

“That’s a given. But my duty is not just punishment for offending; it’s protection of the public going forward.

“Though some people may think you have made your position worse by your frankness with the author of the pre-sentence report, I think the opposite.”

A three-year community order focused on rehabilitation would not be a soft sentence, warned the judge.

Judge Jefferies imposed that order, specifying that it will include 15 rehabilitation activity days and 'accredited programme' of work to address the defendant’s interest in children. The sentence will also include a 120 day tagged alcohol monitoring requirement.

Hannay will have to be on the Sex Offender Register for the next five years and a sexual harm prevention order, controlling his use of the internet, will be in place for the same period, said the judge.

Ultimately, said the judge, people who commit such crimes either accept the available professional help that will stop them reoffending, or they have to be locked up.

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A WEST Cumbrian man who was convicted of raping a schoolgirl when he was a 16-year-old has been jailed.

Josh Atkinson, who is now 22, had pleaded not guilty to the offence but he was convicted by a jury after a trial at Carlisle Crown Court. Prosecutor Tim Evans outlined how the defendant committed the offence in 2017.

The girl was of primary school age at the time. “She told him no and tried to push him away but he was older and stronger than she was,” said Mr Evans. The girl’s ordeal lasted for about 15 minutes in total.

It was at a later stage, when the girl was having a sex education lesson at school, that she became upset and realised the enormity of what had happened and disclosed it to her mother, said Mr Evans.

The barrister went on to outline the impact of the rape on both the girl and her mother, who said it had been hard watching her daughter “go into herself and struggle with her emotions”, becoming upset and angry.

Speaking of the victim, Mr Evans said: “Being raped made her feel more insecure about herself; it plays on her mind. She can’t trust boys and she is scared of all matters sexual.”

The girl had also isolated herself and did not leave her home for a long time.

She also self-harmed on a couple of occasions, said Mr Evans.

The barrister explained that because the defendant, of Cockfield Drive, Workington, was 16 when he committed the offence, just a few months away from his 17th birthday, he would have to be sentenced as though he were still a youth.

Peter Wilson, defending, said maturity issues which affected the defendant’s consequential thinking and impulsivity were factors in the offending.  There were also other issues which arose from his childhood.

“There was significant instability in his young life,” said Mr Wilson.

The defendant had suffered violence in his family home and this led to illicit substances being used there. “He describes his father as a career criminal who has his own drug dependency issues,” said Mr Wilson.

As a result of childhood trauma, Atkinson had suffered depressive symptoms from the age of 12 and had experienced suicidal thoughts throughout his life. But he was now taking medication and using his time in prison positively.

Judge Guy Mathieson said the defendant, who still denies his offence, was convicted by the jury on “compelling evidence.”

He jailed Atkinson for four years  - half the sentence he would have been given had he been an adult when he committed the offence.

The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for life and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years. A restraining order forbids any contact with his victim for the same period.  

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A PERVERTED west Cumbrian man who fled the country after trying to rape a sleeping woman has been given a nine year jail term.

The dock of Carlisle Crown Court was empty as Judge David Potter passed sentence on 38-year-old fugitive Alan Adam, who had denied sexually assaulting the victim and attempting to rape her.

Still on the run, the defendant, formerly of Harrington Road, Workington, failed to turn up for his own trial last week and was convicted in his absence.

The jury heard that the victim reluctantly agreed to have a drink with Adam, during which he plied her with drinks.

She recalled suddenly feeling unwell, something which made her suspect that her drink had been spiked, though there was no medical evidence of that. The woman had made it abundantly clear that she had no sexual interest in Adam.

She had retired to a bedroom to sleep – and then to her horror awoke to find that Adam was sexually assaulting her.

As he summed up the case, Judge David Potter said: “She wasn’t used to drinking that quantity, but none of that was her fault.  I am sure that the defendant took full advantage of the obvious incapacity her condition presented.”

The woman had fallen asleep on a bed, and it was as she slept there that she was woken by Adam as he first assaulted her and then tried to rape her.

“She immediately protested... and told him no,” continued the judge.

Despite this, said Judge Potter, Adam forcefully pushed the woman on to the bed and made a “concerted effort” to rape her, his attempt frustrated only by the woman’s determined physical resistance.

Adam later told police that the sexual contact was consensual.

But a medical examination of the woman revealed she had suffered intimate injuries which supported her account of what happened, and showed that Adam had indeed used force as he tried to rape the woman. Prosecutor Robert Smith then read a detailed victim impact statement from the woman.

“When I think of what happened, I find myself having flashbacks to the moment in time when I was taken advantage of,” she wrote.

“I continue to have nightmares, crying. I am a broken person because of that man; I can’t even say his name and never will. He has broken me and I don’t think I will ever trust a man again. This will cause me issues for the rest of my life.

“He took advantage of me while I was asleep and intoxicated; he tried to rape me and that will live with me forever.”

She said she was no longer able to leave her home without fear and she doubted whether she could ever be truly happy again. She said she was pleased that the jury had returned guilty verdicts on Adam.

She hoped that he will eventually face justice should he return to the UK. But the legacy of his crime continued, she suggested, given that she had been humiliated and hurt but she now hopes to rebuild her life.

Judge Potter noted that the woman had been 'particularly vulnerable', and while he rejected the notion that her drink was spiked, the defendant had encouraged her to drink in the hope that she would be incapacitated.

He jailed Adam for nine years, pointing out that when he does serve that term he will not be eligible for released until he has served at least two thirds of the full term. The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Adam’s current whereabouts are unknown, but police have confirmed that he boarded a ferry for France in July of last year.

It took the jury just 90 minutes to convict him of the two allegations he faced. 

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A predator who told a woman he met online to sexually assault two young children has his sentence increased by more than two years.

Alan Nicholson, from High Harrington, Cumbria, had his case referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

In September 2021, Alan Nicholson (53) spoke to a woman online, called Louise, who he believed had two daughters, aged five years-old and a baby of four-months.

Their conversations revolved around serious acts of sexual abuse that Nicholson intended to carry out on Louise’s children.

However, Louise was an undercover police officer supporting Cumbria Constabulary’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit.

Nicholson was found guilty on two counts of attempting to arrange/facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and received a three-year prison sentence.

He was also placed on the Sex Offender’s Register and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Following the sentencing at the Crown Court at Carlisle on 16 December 2022, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Nicholson’s original sentence was found to be unduly lenient by the Court of Appeal on 9 March 2023 and was increased to 5 years 9 months.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP, said:

Alan Nicholson believed he was successfully arranging to carry out vile acts on very young children. Thankfully the person he was talking to was an undercover police officer, whose diligent and commendable work led to his imprisonment.

I would like to praise all of those involved for catching Alan Nicholson and helping prevent anyone else come to harm. A longer prison sentence for this despicable crime shows such behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated.

Detective Sergeant James Bailey of Cumbria Constabulary’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit said:

We welcome the increased sentence given out to Nicholson.

Our specialist officers work hard behind-the-scenes all-year-round to deter offending, catch criminals and safeguard victims.

We will not tolerate those carrying out such crimes and will continue to do what we can to target those offending in this way and bring them to justice.

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A FORMER soldier who volunteered to support the Ukraine war effort has been prosecuted after police discovered he had a collection of extreme pornography and indecent cartoons of children.

Michael Lee, 27, who was one of the first former British servicemen to volunteer to fight in the war, has been put on the Sex Offender Register after he pleaded guilty to several indecent image offences.

All involved cartoons, Carlisle Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said that the offences - which were committed over a six year period - came to light when police searched the defendant’s address in Workington and seized two digital devices.

Both contained illegal indecent child images. Lee, whose address is now Westminster Street, Gateshead, admitted the following offences:

• Possessing 317 extreme pornographic images, involving bestiality.
• Downloading indecent child images – all of them cartoons, including 12 which were the worst Category, A; 7 which were Category B; and 32 which were Category C.
• And possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Kim Whittlestone, defending, handed the court a character reference from the Ukrainian platoon commander who served with Lee.

One of the first foreigners to volunteer for the war effort, Lee had uses his own military experience to help train other recruits to “Nato standard” and had taken part in operations. He was well-liked by his comrades.

“He’s been an industrious young man," said Miss Whittlestone.

“This defendant had a very difficult upbringing. He had alcoholic parents and there was [Social Services] intervention.” Lee had begun consuming alcohol when he was 13. Drinking heavily, he had described himself as a “functioning alcoholic.”

The barrister said: “Since July of last year, he’s been totally alcohol free. He volunteered in Ukraine and, in essence, says that saved him.”

Volunteering had given him focus, helping him to stop drinking.

Miss Whittlestone said Lee, like many such offenders when first confronted by such offending, had denied having a sexual interest in children. “He understands that is unrealistic,” said the barrister.

He was resolved to apply himself to the proposed sexual offender treatment programme.

Judge Nicholas Barker noted the prolonged period of the offending, which happened between November 2015, and March, 2021. But it was right to take into account the defendant’s challenging upbringing and his volunteering in Ukraine.

Lee was the “very example” of a defendant suitable for an alternative sentence to custody, focused on rehabilitation, said the judge. 

Judge Barker imposed a three-year community order, with 25 rehabilitation activity days. Lee must take part in the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.

Lee will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years. As punishment, he must complete 120 hours of unpaid work.

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A CARLISLE man who sexually assaulted a woman while she and he were drunk has been put on the Sex Offender Register.

James Greenwood, 39, with neither preamble nor warning, began removing the shocked woman’s clothing as she lay on the floor in her pyjamas. As she resisted, he apologised, telling her: “You need to understand you’re a beautiful woman.”

At the city’s crown court, a barrister outlined how the late-night incident had caused the woman severe psychological harm.

The experience left her suffering panic attacks and an “enormous sense of dread” while also damaging her self-confidence and her sense of self-worth. Greenwood, of Sybil Street, Carlisle, admitted a sexual assault.

Brendan Burke, prosecuting, outlined the facts.

He said the defendant and the woman had spent an evening together, both drinking heavily. “They were both very drunk,” said Mr Burke. During the evening, Greenwood told the woman he wanted their relationship to develop.

Mr Burke said: “She repeatedly told him that she wasn’t interested; and ultimately, in frank terms, told him: ‘I don’t fancy you.’”

By 11pm, said Mr Burke, both the woman and the defendant were “very drunk” and there came a point when she was lying on the floor in the property’s living room, in her pyjamas.

Initially, she was unaware of what happened next but then realised that Greenwood had started to remove her clothing. She immediately resisted, flailing around and demanding to know what he was doing.

“I can’t believe that you’ve done that,” she told Greenwood, who said he was sorry. The woman then started recording what happened on her phone.

“She asked him why he did it,” said Mr Burke. “He said: ‘I just cracked. Sorry. I love you.” Mr Burke continued: “She was asking him leave.

“He initially didn’t want to; he was asking her not to call the police.” He then did leave, telling his victim as he did so: 'I think you have a problem. I hope things are okay between us.'”

The prosecutor went on to read from the woman’s victim impact statement, in which she described the lasting effects of the sexual assault. She had been left feeling socially isolated and panic-stricken.

She needed counselling as a result of what happened. She added: “I don’t want to be seen as a victim… but I don’t want anybody else to be a victim of [the defendant] or hurt by what he is capable of.”

Jeff Smith, for Greenwood, said the defendant was immediately “overwhelmed with guilt” when the woman reacted to the assault. He was apologetic "in the extreme,” said the lawyer.

“There was a huge mistake made after both parties had consumed significant amounts of alcohol and were lying on the floor together.” Now supported by an alcohol charity, the defendant had been alcohol free for 30 days.

Mr Smith added: “He knows now that she didn’t appreciate his attentions and very much regrets the distress and harm caused to this lady and hopes that she can recover and move on.”

Judge Nicholas Barker accepted that Greenwood had not gone to the woman’s property with the intention of assaulting her. But what happened caused “severe psychological harm” to the victim, said the judge.

Judge Barker added: “She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested… You knew even in your drunken state that you were doing something you shouldn't have done. That's why you were so apologetic to her.

“You had absolutely no justification for doing what you did.”

The court heard that Greenwood’s only previous conviction was for a drink driving offence in 2013, prompting the judge to remark that the defendant clearly had an inappropriate relationship with alcohol.

But, given the absence of previous offending, Judge Barker said he could suspend the two year jail term he imposed for two years. Greenwood must complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours unpaid work.

As well as putting the defendant on the Sex Offender Register for a decade, the judge imposed an indefinite restraining order which bans the defendant from having any contact with the victim.

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A PERVERTED west Cumbrian man is facing a jail sentence after he admitted a catalogue of sickening online child sex offences.

The crimes committed by 32-year-old Cleator Moor man Martin Cole included him 'plying' a girl aged 11 or 12 with gifts and money and asking her to perform sex acts on herself and also to send him a video of her doing a striptease.

A prosecuting barrister at Carlisle Crown Court said the behaviour was part of an attempt by Cole to sexually groom his victim.

When he appeared in the dock, the defendant, of Greystone Place, Cleator Moor, entered guilty pleas to eight allegations relating to his behaviour in 2020. Those offences were:

• Downloading 1,809 indecent child images class as Category A, the most serious. He did this between January of 2020 and November of that year.
• A similar offence, involving 1,493 Category B indecent child images.
• A similar offence involving 2,489 Category C indecent child images.
• Possessing three extreme and grossly offensive pornographic images involving bestiality.
• Inciting a child – aged 11 or 12 - to engage in sexual activity, which he did between dates in March 2020 and December of that year.
• A like offence, when he asked the same female child to video herself doing a striptease.
• A like offence, when he asked the child to take sexualised pictures of herself.
• And causing a child to watch images of sexual activity.

Prosecutor Peter Barr told the court that police initially began investigating Cole for the indecent images offences but as they examined his online activity the investigation took on a more serious aspect because of what was found.

Defence lawyer Sean Harkin requested that pre-sentence background reports are prepared before sentence is passed and he asked the judge to grant Cole bail so that he can put his financial affairs in order before the inevitable jail term.

Judge Guy Mathieson told the defendant: “You have pleaded guilty to a series of offences, which attract an immediate custodial sentence. Having a relationship with an 11 or 12-year-old girl in which you plied her with gifts and money – whether in exchange for or in order to acquire – sexual images of her quite appalling behaviour.

“You will serve a custodial sentence.”

The judge went on to direct that the Crown Prosecution Service provide an explanation of why the case has taken two years to get before the court.

The judge agreed to grant Cole bail but told the defendant, who has no previous convictions: “I take the view that this is extremely serious offending.”

He put Cole on the Sex Offender Register, saying the period he will be on it will be determined by the length of his sentence. 

The defendant will be sentenced on March 3. On that day, the court will hear victim impact statements from the child involved and her mother.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed for using two mobile phones that could access the internet.

Gary Crandley, of Carlisle, admitted using the devices without notifying Cumbria Police despite being banned in 2017 from using them.

The 44-year-old was subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order after previously possessing indecent pictures of children in 2009.

He appeared at Carlisle Crown Court and was jailed for four years.

Crandley, of Huntington Place, had been found to have breached the order in November and December after an investigation by the force's Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders team.

The order had been put in place so officers could monitor the man's browsing history.

"Crandley was fully aware of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order imposed against him when he used a phone belonging to a friend," Det Con Jessica Myers said after sentencing.

"He had not informed [the force] of his access to this and another phone, therefore he was arrested and our investigation has brought him to justice.

"We work hard to monitor and manage people who are subject to such orders."

Ms Myers added the force would do "all we can" to ensure offenders are accountable if they breach the terms of an orders.

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A SEX offender who failed to declare email addresses to police has been spared jail – after his defence solicitor said he would be at risk of "considerable harm" in prison.

Ian Jackson, 37, of Main Street, Egremont, is required to notify police of any names or aliases he uses, as part of a sexual harm prevention order that was put in place in 2016.

But a number of usernames were found after police inspected his laptop in November last year, Workington Magistrates’ Court was told.

Prosecutor Pamela Fee told the court that Jackson was a registered sex offender, who was currently being managed in the community.

During police interview, Jackson stated he had not used some of the email addresses for some time. He said he had recently used one of the usernames for his betting account.

Jackson agreed his sexual harm prevention order had been in place since 2016 and he was fully aware of this.

He agreed his offender manager had explained the terms of this order and had gone through them on a number of occasions.

Jackson was asked about any email addresses he used and he said he needed a separate email address for Universal Credit. 

The defendant had also used his father’s email address and was asked why he had done this. Jackson said he couldn’t remember as it was a long time ago.

He was asked if he had a betting account and said he had a Coral account but wasn’t sure what the login was.

Jackson said a lot of the accounts hadn’t been used in years.

He was told he had an obligation to notify police of any accounts used. He said he didn’t mean to keep the information from police.

Ms Fee said Jackson had left his previous employment at David Wood Baking Ltd at Lillyhall and hadn’t informed police for a month. He had then sent a text to inform police he was on Universal Credit.

She said police also had concerns as he had refused to take part in a polygraph test.

Ms Fee described the offence as a 'deliberate refusal' to comply with the order.

She said: “It isn’t a minor breach. There are a number of email accounts not provided to police. Clearly, the defendant has kept these for a period of time.

“It’s a substantial period where contact could have been made or offending behaviour could have taken place.”

Chris Toms, defending, said: “When interviewed by police, there were no denials. He handed over his device when requested.”

Mr Toms said one of the email addresses was for The Outward Bound Trust, which he had not worked for since his conviction in 2016. Another was for the betting site, Coral.

He said Jackson had used his father’s account and didn’t realise this constituted using an identity.

Mr Toms said: “This is a man who is vulnerable. He will be vulnerable in prison. Considerable harm could be done to him if he is sent to prison.

“These orders pull you out of society. He is by trade a chef. Many establishments employ young people. He can no longer carry out his trade.

“If he goes to custody, he will come out a complete mess and will be more at risk of offending than he is now.”

Jackson pleaded to failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register between March 2016 and November 2022, at a hearing earlier this month.

Passing sentence on Monday, magistrates said there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

Jackson was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

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A WORKINGTON man who badgered a person he believed was a 12-year-old girl for naked photos has been put on the Sex Offender Register.

Thirty-four-year-old Marc Moore was communicating with the “girl” online and completely unaware that he was actually sending messages to an under-cover police officer, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

He admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke said the offending happened  over three weeks in April last year after the under cover officer, posing as a child online, received a friend request from Moore, and this led to a series of messages between the two.

“The main theme was that he was trying to harass her into sending him naked pictures of herself,” said Mr Burke. “He tried to encourage her by sending what he pretended was a picture of himself, fully clothed on the street.

“It was certainly not [a picture] of the defendant. It was a much younger looking man.”

Mr Burke said Moore “persistently” asked the girl for naked pictures and he also asked her for Snapchat contacts for her friends so that he could communicate with them also. He repeatedly “solicited” the girl for images.

Judith McCullough, for Moore, said he had been a hard-working family man, living in his one home and enjoying a varied and active life.

“But he has through his own actions brought that world crashing down; these proceedings have been a salutary lesson. But these offences are out of character, and he has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”

Miss McCullough said the offending happened over a “relatively short period.” She said Moore had not actively sought out a child’s profile and there was no indication in his internet browsing history that caused concern.

Moore, of Cavendish Court, Workington, lost his job as a result of his arrest but his old employer had indicated that his employment would be open to him once the case was concluded.

The prosecution had also placed his marriage under considerable strain.  Miss McCullough added: “He is deeply ashamed of his actions and very sorry for the hurt and upset that he has caused.”

Judge Nicholas Barker said he had read the messages and the under cover officer, in the messages sent to Moore, had made it plain she was a 12-year-old girl. “You knew that to be the case,” said the judge. “You said you were 32; she said she was 12. You said: “Really?” She said: “Yes. Why?

“The communication continued and it’s right when the prosecution say that you were persistent in the way in which you engaged with her, asking for ‘cheeky picture;’ asking her to send pictures to you with no clothes on.”

The judge accepted that Moore had shown remorse but said he suspected it was for having found himself in this position before the court. But Judge Barker said he was satisfied there is a prospect of rehabilitation.

He imposed a three year community order, which will include a sex offender treatment programme  and 15 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work. Moore will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

The prosecution offered no evidence on two further allegation that Moore downloaded six Category C indecent child images and a charge that he possessed four extreme pornographic images. He was declared not guilty of those two offences.

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A JUDGE had demanded a written explanation after a legal slip-up prevented him from putting a Carlisle paedophile on the Sex Offender Register for life.

In December of 2021, 50-year-old Frederick O'Brien was given a 28-month jail term for using a secret mobile phone to communicate with a person he has mistakenly believed was a 14-year-old girl.

His offence came to light when he was snared by a volunteer paedophile hunter group. He committed the offence just months after being prosecuted for downloading indecent images of children.

But when O’Brien was sentenced, Carlisle Crown Court was unaware that he had committed a further breach of his sexual harm prevention order in May, 2021, several months before he given the 28 months jail term.

It involved him having a Samsung Galaxy phone which he kept secret from the police and deleting his internet browsing history.

O’Brien, from Glendale Rise, Morton, admitted that  he had been using the undisclosed phone to communicate with other paedophiles.

During a hearing before Judge Nicholas Barker this week, it was confirmed that in December 2021 the judge was legally unable to put the defendant on the Sex Offender Register for life.

That power is available to the court only when the jail term is 30 months or more. Thus the judge was allowed to put him on the Register for only a decade.

If the additional breach of the sexual harm prevention order had been dealt with a the same time, O’Brien’s sentence may well have exceeded 30 months, thus allowing the judge to put him on the Register for life.

“This matter should have been included in that sentencing exercise [in December],” said Judge Barker. “It was available to the police and the prosecution. It was a simple matter and [the defendant] made plain admissions.

“For some reason, this wasn’t included; and I have not been provided with a proper reason… It is hard to understand what proper reason there could have been.” The judge pointed out that such failures have “real consequences.”

O’Brien had been due for imminent release from his 28-month sentence, but the judge said this would now be delayed as Judge Barker jailed him for an additional eight months.

“I will need an explanation in writing,” said the judge, pointing out that the issue should be tackled at a level that ensures such an error is not repeated.

He said he needed to know whether the error was systemic, or a failure that was the fault of an individual. As the case concluded, O'Brien began weeping and said: “I’m so sorry for what I have done.”

At the hearing in December 2021, the court heard that O’Brien realised his mistake only after the vigilante group confronted him at a local hotel. The group – The Fleetwood Enforcers - then handed him and a dossier of evidence to the police.

The defendant went to admit three offences: attempting to cause or incite a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity; attempting to sexually communicate with a child; and breach of a previously imposed sexual harm prevention order, failing to register with police his ownership of a mobile phone.

As he passed sentence, the judge in December described the defendant as a “determined paedophile.”

This defendant's name has been spelt in official records as both Obrien and O'Brien.

Description

A WHITEHAVEN man has been jailed for nine years and put on the Sex Offender Register for life after a jury convicted him child rape. 

Gary Griffiths, 51, had previously admitted two sex offences against the same vicitm but denied three further allegations: raping the schoolgirl, attempting to rape her, and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

After a trial at Carlisle Crown Court, a jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts for all three of the charges he denied.

Sentencing the defendant today, Recorder Neil Usher told Griffiths that he will be eligible for release after serving six years. The defendant, of Rudds Court, Whitehaven, showed no emotion as he was taken away to begin serving his sentence.  

Before the trial got underway, the defendant had already pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and a count of sexual activity with a child. The victim was of primary school age.

After the case concluded, Detective Constable Gail Penman said “I would urge anyone who has been subject to offences of this nature to come forward.

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A PERVERTED west Cumbrian man "lured" two 13-year-old girls to secret late-night meetings with gifts of alcohol and cigarettes because he wanted to sexually abuse them. 

The Carlisle Crown Court judge who sentenced 37-year-old Frizington man Graham Green branded him a “danger” to young girls.

The defendant had earlier pleaded guilty to an allegation of meeting the girls in August last year following online sexual grooming; and two counts of sexual activity with a child, with one charge for each victim.

Tim Evans, prosecuting, described how Green, who was 36 at the time he committed the offences, contacted the two girls over the social media platform Snapchat.

In June and July of last year, the court heard, Green exchanged numerous Snapchat messages with one of the girls, whose age he knew was 13. Despite this, Green made it clear he was sexually interested in her and her friend, also 13.

Mr Evans said Green had later suggested to Probation staff and a psychiatrist that he had no sexual interest in the two children.

But the messages he sent over a period of weeks painted the real picture, showing that Green was indeed sexually motivated in his communication with the girls and during their two meetings, said Mr Evans.

The Snapchat communication began on June 18 and Green’s messages included some that were “plainly sexual”, with Green spelling out in graphic detail what he wanted to do sexually with one of the girls.

“Other conversations were about whether he would provide them with drinks – cans of Fosters and Stella lager - and fags,” said Mr Evans, who described those items as Green’s “lure,” designed to buy him an opportunity to spend time with the girls for his sexual purposes.

He and the girls met after they sneaked out of their homes in the early hours on August 13, when he invited them to sit his van with him. He gave them roll-your-own cigarettes and cans of lager.

Messages that he sent suggested they went home just before 3am. Green then met the two girls the next night, he having sent messages that made it clear he would give them more booze and cigarettes.

The girls thought it was all a “bit of a joke,” said Mr Evans. “They were certainly not intending to swap sex for cigarettes or drink.”

Green then drove them to Hen Back, a remote area on the outskirts of Cleator Moor. It was during this late-night meeting, on August 14, said Mr Evans, that he sexually touched the girls over their clothing.

The girls rebuffed him but he reacted angrily, according to the account given by one of the girls. She had got out of the van, and he called her, asking why her friend was “not doing anything.”

Both girls were at one point out of the van and in tears, the court heard. Green sent another message, saying: “I guess it’s a no, then.” The girls asked Green to drive them home at this point.

Green accused them of “leading him on.”

Judith McCullough, mitigating, said Green, of High Stowbank, Frizington, committed the offences while under the influence of alcohol, but his offending was more complicated, given that he had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.

This was borderline personality disorder but he also had a mild to moderate depressive disorder, with thoughts of suicide.

The barrister said Green would benefit from intensive support and treatment in the community to reduce his risk of future offending. “He was living a sad and somewhat isolated existence,” said Miss McCullough.

“He has difficulty forming and keeping adult relationships. The only constant in his life other than his pets are his parents; and his parents are literally worrying themselves sick about this defendant.

“These proceedings have been a salutary lesson for him and he wishes to deal with the demons of his past and to understand his own behaviour and move forward in a more positive way.”

The barrister said a long community order with appropriate treatment would in the long term be better for society.

But Judge Nicholas Barker said that, despite the defendant’s denials to probation and psychiatric staff, he was quite satisfied Green’s actions were motivated by a sexual attraction to the children.

“There can be no other explanation for it,” said the judge.

Green wanted sex with the girl he was most attracted to, said the judge. The girls were interested, as some teenagers are, in pushing boundaries to obtain the alcohol and cigarettes. “You exploited those desires to promote and advance your own sexual interests,” said Judge Barker.

Green deliberately took the girls to a remote area, hoping for sexual contact with them. “It’s a case which is a study, in my judgement, in grooming behaviour,” continued the judge.

After the girls rebuffed Green, became upset, and they told him he should not have acted as he did, Green tried to blame them. “That just demonstrates, Graham Green, your warped sense of them.

“You are 37; they were 13.”

Jailing Green for 21 months and refusing to suspend the prison term, Judge Barker added: “I am far from satisfied that you are a genuine prospect for rehabilitation.

“You are in denial about these offences.”…

“The sentence must be served. You are described as a high risk to children of this age so in my judgement there must be a custodial sentence.”

Green will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade and he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order, designed to ensure he does not have opportunities to reoffend. He was caught after the girls told somebody about what happened, and it was reported to their parents, who contacted the police. 

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 A PERVERTED Penrith man who sexually assaulted two schoolgirls was prosecuted after one of his victims secretly recorded his offending. 

When police began to investigate 56-year-old John Lawrence Kernan because of his most recent abuse, another victim came forward and disclosed that the defendant also sexually assaulted her when she was a child.

Kernan was himself 16-years-old when he committed that earlier offence. 

The defendant, of Scaws Drive, Penrith, pleaded guilty to four offences: one historical count of gross indecency with a child; and three more recent sexual assaults on a different schoolgirl. Both victims were under 13.  

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined the background to the case.

He said that the offences came to light when the victim of the most recent sexual abuse told her mother that she had recorded an incident involving Kernan, when he claimed that what did was just 'playfighting'.

But the girl was deeply 'uncomfortable' with what happened and so decided to gather evidence by covertly recording her next encounter with Kernan, using her iPad.

She then asked her mother to look at the video she had recorded. “I showed my mum and said look at this video,” the girl told police. When her mother saw the video, what it showed left her feeling “sick to the stomach.”

The girl said she had previously spoken to only one other person about what happened – a friend at school. The victim said she had not known how to tell Kernan to stop the abuse but said: “I knew what was going on.”

The prosecutor then read to the court from a victim impact statement which was made by the child's mother.

The woman said that both she and her daughter had suffered 'significant emotional and psychological impacts' as a result of Kernan's abuse.

"She describes her daughter has having gone through a roller coaster of emotions and trauma," said Mr Rogerson.  The woman said he was heart-breaking to see her child - formerly happy-go-lucky - change so much.

The girl now suffered regular breakdowns, and her sleep was haunted by nightmares.

The woman and her daughter felt vulnerable when they went to Carlisle, fearful that they might see Kernan.

They avoided certain areas because of their fear of seeing him. "He took advantage of an innocent child for his own needs," the woman said.

She added that the abuse had a devastating impact and that the images she had seen on her daughter’s video recording played over and over in her head, leaving her unable to sleep and causing her mental health to spiral.

When he was interviewed by the police, Kernan claimed he had done nothing wrong, but conceded that it 'looked bad.' The court heard that in conversations with members of his family, the defendant had made incriminating admissions.

He told a relative that he had ruined his life. Mr Rogerson added that Kernan was a man of previous good character.

Mark Shepherd, mitigating, said the defendant had himself been exposed as a child to inappropriate sexual material in the form of pornography. “He regrets clearly what he has done and is remorseful,” said the lawyer.

Mr Shepherd said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

But Judge Richard Archer noted that the defendant appeared to have learned little during the intervening years between his first offence – which involved inappropriate sexual contact on three occasions with the victim - and the more recent offences.

While it would be possible to suspend the sentence he would impose, said the judge, there should be an element of deterrence in sentences for such sexual offending against children who are aged under 13.

Referring to that deterrent element, the judge said this means sending a message to future offenders and to the public at large that those who commit such offences against young children will be appropriately punished.

Addressing Kernan directly, the judge said: “For that reason, I regret to say to you that I have concluded that appropriate punishment in your case can only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence.”

Judge Archer jailed the defendant for 16 months.

Kernan will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade, and he will also be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order which will bar him from having unsupervised contact with any child or staying at any home where a child is resident.

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A woman who was found with thousands of 'harrowing' child abuse images pretended to be mute when she appeared in court. However, despite claiming she suffers from a medical condition that renders her incapable of speaking, Lydia Chadwick later went on to talk in order to defend herself before a jury.

The 36-year-old, who has links to Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, had been found to possess more than 2,000 indecent images of children after police executed a warrant at her home address in Ulverston, Cumbria. Officers seized mobile phones and a laptop.

Over 700 of the images found were considered to be in the most serious category. Chadwick had already been found guilty at an earlier hearing but was sentenced last week (Tuesday, October 25) at Preston Crown Court, reports LancsLive.

She was jailed for three years for three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, possessing an extreme pornographic image and possessing a prohibited image of a child. Officers revealed that she would talk about child sexual abuse online with other people and even sell indecent images of children.

Detective Constable Ryan Parker, Cyber and Digital Crime Unit, said: "Lydia Chadwick stored images on devices belonging to her depicting harrowing images of child sexual abuse. She would communicate online with other people to talk about child sexual abuse as well as selling indecent images of children.

"At the beginning of her trial Chadwick claimed to be mute, due to a medical condition which rendered her unable to speak - but later on she spoke to defend herself. Indecent images of children offences are far from a victimless crime.

"Not only do the images show children being abused, but demand for such images also then leads to further abuse occurring," he added. "We will continue to do what we can to target those who commit online child sexual abuse offences and bring offenders to justice."