Latest Offenders Denbighshire

Description

A man who tried to contact girls he thought were aged 12 and 13 for sex was today jailed for six years. Neil Doherty was in fact communicating online with undercover police officers.

The defendant, of Lothians Park, St Asaph, had denied seven offences but was convicted after a trial. Caernarfon Crown Court heard the offences happened between January 17, 2021 and May 28, 2021.

Prosecutor Nicolas Williams said the crimes relate to Doherty communicating with police decoys whom he believed were 12 and 13-year-old girls and arranging to meet two of them for sex. Specific details of the offences were not outlined in court today.

The court heard he has a criminal record including a conviction for robbery in 1985 for which he was jailed for five years. Anna Price, defending, said it was a sad case in that although her client has previous convictions there are none for sexual offences until now.

She said: "Fortunately there were no children - these were attempts rather than the full offence. It's not a case where the defendant has been apprehended en route to meeting a child."

She added that Doherty has alcohol issues and heart and back problems. The judge Mr Recorder Wyn Lloyd Jones told the defendant: "It saddens me to have to sentence someone of your age for so many offences of a serious nature."

He said Doherty claimed he believed he was messaging an adult in "role play". But the judge said: "I am entirely satisfied that you committed these offences for your own selfish sexual gratification.

"You believed you were communicating with young girls. (But) the people you were actually communicating with were police undercover operatives.

"If there had been real children you would have been grooming real children - and really vulnerable children." The judge noted Doherty's relationship with his partner had broken down.

He had been feeling low at the time of the offences and was drinking nine to ten pints a day. He lives with his elderly mother, 87, and is a father and grandfather.

His family probably think a great deal of him and the proceedings must be hard for them. He jailed Doherty for six years for two counts of attempting to incite a female under 13 to engage in sexual activity which was penetrative.

 He faced three counts of attempting to cause a female under 16 to engage in sexual communication and was given four, nine and four month concurrent sentences respectively. And he was sentenced to four years imprisonment for two counts of arranging to meet a child for a child sex offence, also to run concurrently to the main sentence.

The judge also gave the defendant a sexual harm prevention order to last indefinitely. His phone which was used for the offences will be forfeited and destroyed.

Description

A 73-year-old former youth leader has today been jailed for more than ten years for historic sexual offences against two young boys. Paul James Vaughan's crimes go back over 45 years.

Vaughan, of Emlyn Grove, Rhyl, was sentenced at Mold Crown Court after being charged with a number of offences dating from 1977 to 1984, during his time as a youth leader in Rhyl. He admitted five counts of indecent assault against two boys and two counts of indecency with a child.

Vaughan was sentenced to a total of ten years and six months imprisonment and must register as a sex offender for life. He was also indefinitely banned from working with children and adults.

Detective Constable Gemma Smith, investigating officer, said: “Paul Vaughan is a dangerous sexual predator, who used his position of trust to abuse young boys left in his care. Child sexual abuse is extremely damaging and has a devastating effect on those children involved whose suffering continues throughout their adult lives.

“I commend the bravery of the victims who have spoken out after almost 40 years. They have showed courage and strength.

"I hope they can now focus on moving forward with their lives with the knowledge that their abuser is now being held accountable for his crimes." She urged others to come forward.

She said: "I would encourage any other victims of historical sexual abuse to come forward safe in the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to pursue offenders and protect the most vulnerable in our society.”

Description

A paedophile tried to groom a 12-year-old boy - but it was actually an undercover police officer. Steven Mellor, of Morfa View, Bodelwyddan, Rhyl, also had a "collection" of indecent images of children.

Mellor, 67, appeared at Mold Crown Court today charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a boy under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity. He was also charged with making indecent photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, possessing extreme pornographic images and distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

He was arrested after engaging in conversation with an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old boy called Charlie. The court heard how during the conversations, which took place between July and August last year, Mellor would encourage 'Charlie' to perform a sexual act.

Following his arrest, it was discovered that Mellor had also been collecting indecent images of children, aged around nine and ten. Mellor, 67, has no previous convictions and was described by Simon Killeen, defending, as being a "low risk" offender.

He suggested that Mellor be given a suspended sentence due to the fact that he is a 24-hour carer for his elderly mother who is housebound. Mr Killeen described Mellor as leading a "very lonely existence" since moving back into his parents' house in 2002 to care for them.

However, Judge Timothy Petts described Mellor's behaviour as "disgusting" and handed him a prison sentence. Judge Petts said: "You were making considerable contact online with a 12-year-old boy called Charlie. What you didn't know was that Charlie didn't exist and was a police decoy.

"You proceeded to engage in disgusting behaviour and conversation towards him. This led to your arrest and it was discovered that you had multiple images of child sexual abuse and other illegal images in your possession and had on one occasion distributed an image of child sexual abuse.

"The lead offence here is the intent to incite non-penetrative sexual activity with a 12-year-old boy. Your intended conduct was grooming behaviour given the length of time and the nature of the conversation and I also find it particularly unpleasant that you adopted in a way the role of an authority figure when carrying out your abuse.

"It's made worse by the fact that there was a significant disparity in age between you and your intended victim. The images are made more serious by the fact that there are different levels of severity, the period of time in which you were collecting them and one image involves the rape of a child, apparently four years old.

"Decreasing the seriousness you are 67 years old and have no previous convictions, also there is no real child in the communication offence - the children in the images are all too real." Mellor was given a 34-month prison sentence and was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

Umair Farooq made up an excuse that he was ''checking on her'' after he had watched the victim and her friend from the hotel bar.

A vulnerable woman says she has lost her ''smile and happiness'' after she was sexually assaulted by a stranger after he let himself into her hotel room. Umair Farooq, 42 is said to have watched two women who were staying in the room earlier that night at the hotel bar and made them both feel ''uncomfortable'' before the victim left her friend go to bed herself.

Farooq found a way into to the room and made up an excuse that he was ''just checking on her'' and that the key was in the door when challenged by the victim's friend, Wales Online reports. In an emotional impact statement, the victim said that her attacker had robbed her of her ''smile and happiness'' and that she ''can't get his face out of my head or his hands off my body'' after the terrifying assault.

She had travelled to North Wales with her friend earlier this year and they stayed at the hotel where the assault took place in Denbighshire on October 13. They noticed Farooq, from Rangpura in Sialkot, Pakistan whose behaviour was disturbing them as he appeared to watch them sitting outside having a drink from a distance.

The court heard that they left shortly after for another pub and returned to the hotel at around 10pm. The complainant, who felt unwell, was put to bed by her friend. Prosecutor Simon Rogers told the court that the woman was woken up a short while later to find Farooq, who had got his hands on a key and entered the room, in the middle of assaulting her.

The woman pushed him away and ran to her friend, and the matter was reported to the police. When confronted at the reception desk, Farooq told the victim's friend he was “just checking on her” and that the key was in the door. He then told the woman: "I’m Muslim, I wouldn’t do that."

After his arrest, the defendant told an officer at St Asaph's custody suite that he “did not know what was allowed here in Britain" and claimed to have thought it was OK to open the door and go into the victim’s room. He later admitted to an assault by penetration and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

In a victim impact statement, the complainant branded Farooq a "monster". Looking towards him in the dock, she said that "no sentence will ever be enough" and that she "didn’t deserve this". The mum added: "I don’t get how this happens in a quiet hotel in Wales.

''I can’t get his face out of my head or his hands off my body. No matter how many baths I have, he’s still on me.

''I feel like I’ve lost myself to a man and I don’t even know who he is or his name. He took my smile and happiness."

Simon Mintz, defending, told the court that there was little he could say to minimise the "wholly uncharacteristic" actions of his client. He told the judge that Farooq is a respected businessman with a wife and four children who rely on him in Pakistan.

Mr Mintz added that there would be "extra difficulties" for the 42-year-old in a UK prison, including language barriers and being kept "a world apart” from his family for some years. Judge Rhys Rowlands said it had been an "utterly terrifying experience" for the woman and that he could not ignore the trauma Farooq caused when he assaulted his victim.

He was jailed for four and a half years and was listed on the sex offender register for life. The judge said: "Understandably the effect on the victim has been quite profound, both on the night as described in the victim personal statement and it is plain for the court to see on this day some five months later.

"Many aspects of her everyday life remain affected. She was vulnerable but that didn’t stop you for one moment when trying to take advantage of her."

Following the sentencing Detective Inspector Emma Gardner said it "sends a clear message that we as a force, and society in north Wales will not tolerate any acts of this nature. I would like to pay tribute to the victim for their bravery throughout this legal process and encourage anyone who is subject to any similar type of incident to report it to us at the earliest opportunity.

"Your complaint will be dealt with in confidence, investigated thoroughly and you will be offered the necessary support. We remain committed to making north Wales the safest place in the UK."

Description

An online paedophile who exchanged sexual images with a vulnerable girl of twelve and two boys was jailed for eight years after Twitter alerted police about him. John Stuart Jones, 49, of Ruthin, had no previous convictions.

But Judge Nicola Saffman at Caernarfon crown court said police discovered he had sexual conversations with the girl of twelve.

Appallingly, you joined her in groups and shared her details, allowing her address to be identified and exposing her name, the judge said.

Jones had traded images of the victim with another web pervert. His behaviour had been relentless to an extent and there was grooming, Judge Saffman remarked.

The defendant must register as a sex offender indefinitely and a sexual harm prevention order was also made.

Jones had pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offences including distributing child porn in the worst category and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecuting barrister Simon Rogers said that, in May 2020, North Wales Police had been alerted by Twitter about his illegal online behaviour. Then there was a further referral by Twitter and it was discovered that Jones had previously been messaging a girl, who was traced by police.

Mr Rogers said the girl had assumed Jones was the same age but she had been scared when he contacted her. Jones had placed her in group chats. There were numerous examples of the victim displaying her vulnerability within the messages, counsel said.

Mr Rogers added that the defendant had also exchanged lewd images with a US boy and one who said he was from the Philippines.

Defence barrister Simon Killeen said Jones started on a dark path eight years ago. He wanted help.

Description

A man who raped a young girl in the woods when he was a teenager was sentenced for his crimes today.

Steven Booker was 15 when he raped the 13-year-old in Rhyl in the summer of 1990.

The horrific offence only came to light after the victim became a grown woman and reported the incident.

Today Steven Booker, now 46, of Rhydwen Drive, Rhyl, was jailed at Mold Crown Court for two years and six months for the rape.

His co-accused Nicholas Roberts, also 46, of Cheltenham Avenue, Rhyl, was also jailed for six months for indecently assaulting the girl.

Their victim has lifelong anonymity to protect her identity.

The judge His Honour Judge David Hale, told the defendants in the dock: “I’m going to sentence you for something that you did many years ago, something you hoped would never ever see the light of day, and certainly something you hoped you would never see as a conviction.”

The judge added: "You must have remembered it. You must have been ashamed for what you did to that girl then, when she was 13 and a half.

"You, Mr Booker, would have been 15 and a quarter. You, Mr Roberts, 15 and a half, playing in the woods on a summer's day."

The judge said Booker "took it upon yourself to have a sexual experience with her".

The judge said an aggravating feature was what he said to Roberts, which the court heard was "Wanna go, Nick?"

Jailing Booker for the rape, he also gave him two concurrent sentences of six months each for two indecent assaults.

As for Nicholas Roberts, the judge said the rape and indecent assaults happened "in front of him"

But Roberts was cleared of raping the 13-year-old girl.

Mold Crown Court also heard that about a year after the incident in the woods, Roberts raped a different girl in a house in Rhyl.

"It was a deliberate act on your part", said the judge.

One victim said the crimes have affected her ability to trust people and to be intimate. The convictions by the jury were a "great weight off her shoulders".

The other victim said she suffers flashbacks and feels unsafe in Rhyl.

Simon Rogers, defending Booker, said his client's offences stemmed from a "single incident of sexual experimentation".

And Simon Killeen, defending, urged the judge to be lenient and said Roberts has learning difficulties. His mother, who has severe arthritis, relies on him to drive.

Overall, he jailed Booker for two and a half years for the rape in the woods, plus two six-month terms for indecent assaults, both to run concurrently.

Roberts was jailed for two and a half years for the rape in the house, plus six months for the indecent assault and six months for sexual assault of a child aged under 13, making a total of three and a half years' imprisonment.

He was further given six months in jail for inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, to run concurrently.

Both men also received lifelong restraining orders not to contact their victims.

Description

A paedophile posed as a girl on social media to trick a boy into sending naked photos and sexual videos before blackmailing him.

Corey Hycz, who admitted he was sexually attracted to children, told the victim he would send the explicit photos to his friends if he did not send him further images.

In a statement read out at Mold Crown Court the victim said: I could never have imagined someone would do this to me.

Ffion Tomos, prosecuting, said the victim who cannot be named for legal reasons was in year seven when he first received a message from a profile called Molly.

The court heard it was the defendant pretending to be a girl from another school. She told the victim he was attractive and asked him if he had reached puberty.

Prosecutors said the boy replied he was not sure and Molly asked him to send naked photos so she could give him advice.

The boy sent 20 pictures of his genitals and three explicit videos of himself. Ms Tomos said: The defendant continued to look for further material from [him]. When he did not comply with those requests he blackmailed him.

Hycz told the victim if he failed to send him any more images Molly would show his friends the images he had already sent.

The boy was left feeling nervous and worried and he tried to block the account but the defendant created another fake profile called Sammy and used that to contact him again. He told the victim he would share the images with everyone if he did not unblock Molly.

Initially the boy did not tell anyone but eventually confided in a close friend and later a family member.

Describing the moment he was first contacted he said: I thought they just wanted to be friends. When they asked for photos I was confused I felt pressured.

He added: When the person became threatening I was much more stressed and frightened. I was worried what might happen if it got out in school.

I was worried people would make fun of me and my friends would stop speaking to me. I began to isolate myself.

He said he felt stressed at school and could not concentrate on his work. He felt worried when he thought he might have to give evidence at court.

Hycz was arrested at home in Ruthin on June 4 last year and replied to the caution: I havent done anything.

His phone and laptop were seized and found to contain 39 of the most serious Category A indecent images of children, 20 at Category B, and 31 at Category C.

Prosecutors said there was also one Category C film and his search terms included school uniform porn. He had also searched for local schools.

The defendant had two police interviews and denied committing any offences. The court heard he had no previous convictions, cautions, reprimands, or warnings.

Hycz, 21, from Min Yr Afon, Ruthin, admitted two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity as well as blackmail and making indecent images of children.

Simon Killeen, defending, said his client was under 18 when the offending started and described him as naive. He told the court he was socially isolated and diagnosed with autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

Judge Niclas Parry noted a pre-sentence report found him to present a high risk of sexual re-offending and told him: By your own admissions you are sexually attracted to children.

Hycz was jailed for 27 months. A 10-year sexual harm prevention order was imposed and he must register as a sex offender for that time.

Detective Constable Natalie Horgan-Jones, of North Wales Police, said: This sentence reflects the serious nature of his offending and hopefully it will provide reassurance to both the victim and community of how the criminal justice system will deal with this type of offender.

This investigation was only possible with the courage and resolve of the victim in reporting these crimes. Hopefully it will bring closure to a prolonged period of stress and anxiety the victim has suffered at the hands of the defendant and I hope it provides some level of comfort to the whole family."

Description

A woman convicted of having sex with a schoolboy, aged just 13, on a kitchen floor, has avoided a jail term.

But Jordan Lightfoot, 21, was warned by Judge David Hale: “No teenage lads around for parties or anything like that.”

Lightfoot, of Edith Parc Rhyl, had denied three charges of - having sexual activity with the 13-year-old boy, and also sexual activity by touching with a boy of 15 and causing or inciting the elder boy to engage in sexual activity, but was found guilty earlier this month.

Lightfoot, who was 19 at the time of the offences, had sex with the younger boy - who was a virgin - at her home in the summer of 2016, a jury heard.

The offences came to light when the boy’s mother found text messages on his mobile phone.

After considering a pre-sentence report Judge Hale imposed an 18 month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 50 days of rehabilitation activity.

A five-year sexual harm prevention order was made which bans Lightfoot from contact with boys aged between 11 and 16 unless inadvertent or with consent of parents who know about the conviction.

Lightfoot, who is the mother of a baby whose father is unconnected with the case, was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and must pay £140 costs.

Jo Maxwell, prosecuting, said text messages between Lightfoot and the 13 -year-old “made it obvious she was in control of the relationship”.

Simon Killeen, defending, said the offences happened in a short period of time “when she was an immature teenager.”

Passing sentence Judge Hale said it happened during a troubled period of her life, living on her own. “You became involved with a group of lads, people who were prepared to befriend you, and you were prepared to befriend them. On these two occasions you engaged in a brief sexual relationship with both of them.”

The 15-year-old had become obsessed with her – “and that’s always the risk”.

“There is a disparity of age, they were vulnerable because they were even less equipped than you to deal with the emotional relationships involved. I accept you were immature.”

The sexual harm order was to avoid the risk of her “forming a relationship with a lad of 14 or 15”, the court heard.

Speaking after sentencing, an NSPCC Cymru spokesperson said: “Child sexual abuse can have devastating effects on victims and it’s important that the two boys in this case get the support they require.

“Letting the Future In is an NSPCC service, based in Prestatyn, which frequently helps young survivors of this crime to move forward with their lives.”

Description

Jack Williams, 19, of Mount Road admitted kidnapping the woman, holding her against her will on the beach and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent

A woman in her 60s was beaten and brutally raped on a beach by a teenager who was high on drink and drugs.

The victim, who suffered serious injuries, believed she was about to be killed, Mold Crown Court heard.

Jack Williams, 19, of Mount Road in Rhyl , admitted kidnapping the woman, holding her against her will on the beach, and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of rape during the attack on August 27.

The teenager was sentenced to 12 years detention, of which he must serve two-thirds, with an additional two years on licence.

Williams was also ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for life.

A 10-year restraining order was made not to approach the victim or enter the town where she lives.

Before sentence was passed a victim impact statement the woman was read out to the court.

She said: My life has changed and I honestly feel it will never be the same for me or my family again. This horrendous experience will only end when I am in the grave.

The woman said she was scared of going out alone, felt vulnerable and in a panic, did not feel safe and was not sure if she would ever feel safe again.

The victim said she was tearful most days, it had affected her and her family, and she had vivid flashbacks and could see his face.

I remember the feeling of being powerless. I thought I was going to die that day, she said.

I did survive but I feel a life sentence has been imposed upon me because of the changes in my life.

The scars would never go away, she said.

Andrew Green, prosecuting, said the victim left her home at about 4.40am to walk her dog.

Near a railway station she noticed Williams who was drinking out of a bottle or can.

He asked her the time before following and attacked her.

Mr Green said: The defendant put his arm across her neck and face and she felt that he had a vice-like grip on her.

She said that she could hardly breathe and was not able to shout or scream.

Williams started raising his voice. She was petrified and did not struggle because he was so strong and she knew that she would not be able to run away from him.

At this point she honestly believed that he was going to strangle her, Mr Green said.

Williams pushed her to the ground causing a head injury.

He then pulled her to her feet and she remembers seeing blood down the front of her clothing, he said.

It was difficult for her to see her attackers face because he had his hood up but from time to time he pulled it down and told her not to look at him.

The victim was pulled up a concrete slope onto the pebbled side of the beach and he told her: When I have finished with you, you are going to end up in the sea.

The woman asked him what his mother would have thought of what he was doing but he ignored her and began the sex attack.

He kicked her dog and told her to let it go, which she did.

Throughout the ordeal she believed she might be killed at any point, said Mr Green.

Fortunately she saw a passer-by and told her attacker, who ran off as she screamed for help.

She was assisted by the passer-by who described how she was completely distraught.

The woman was left feeling dirty, filthy and drained.

She was left with serious injuries including a fractured eye socket, lacerations, bruising and scratches.

Williams was arrested nearby at 6.30am.

He said he had been drinking and taking drugs at a friends house, and was dropped off at the station intending to go to Manchester but was told to get off at the next station because he did not have a ticket.

Williams denied being responsible for the attack.

Matthew Curtis, defending, said it was a terrible crime by an immature and emotionally damaged young man who had been neglected as a child.

He could not believe what he had done, was outraged by his actions and the distress he had caused the victim.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said anyone who saw photographs taken of the woman after her ordeal would be "incensed and extremely angry" that anyone could inflict such serious injuries on a woman of that age.