Latest Offenders Doncaster

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A 51-year-old man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after being caught sending sexually explicit messages to a teenager.

Paul Singleton was arrested on 25 July this year, after officers working in our specialist Internet Sexual Offences Team (ISOT) received reports that he was sending messages of a sexual nature to a child on social media.

He started to speak to the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, online and quickly, the messages became sexually explicit.

Detective Constable Michelle Jameson, who led the investigation into Singleton, said: “Despite establishing early on in his communication that his victim was 13-years-old, Singleton continued to engage in highly inappropriate and sexualised conversation, including sending explicit images to the victim.”

Singleton, formerly Bessacarr, Doncaster, was charged and pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause/incite a girl to engage in sexual activity. On Thursday 24 August, at Sheffield Crown Court, he was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Inspector Lee Wilson, who leads the ISOT said: “Within a month, this dangerous and predatory offender was identified, arrested, charged and convicted, which I hope demonstrates to the public of South Yorkshire how robust our response to this crime is, and how seriously we take reports of this type of offending.

“We know that there are others out there engaging in similar horrific crimes, targeting vulnerable children and young people, and our work will not stop to identify those individuals and bring them before the courts.”

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A 72-year-old man has been jailed after being found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing a child.

Michael Peter Wilson, from the Kirk Sandall area of Doncaster, attacked the girl on a number of occasions while she was under the age of 13.

She eventually reported the abuse to police.

Wilson was convicted of rape, sexual assault of a child, sexual activity with a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced to 21 years in prison following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Det Con Rachael Ellis, South Yorkshire Police, praised the victim's "courage".

She said: "She has been so incredibly brave over the course of our investigation, sharing with us and the court the shocking and horrific details of Wilsons abuse.

"She recalled how he would groom her with treats in a bid to further his manipulation and control over her, a young child, as well as telling her how to behave in order to keep his sick crimes hidden from others.

"Wilson has shown absolutely no remorse for the harm he has caused, refusing to acknowledge his exploitative sexual offending. While I am pleased he has received a significant custodial sentence for his crimes and will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, it does not diminish the damage he caused to an innocent child.

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A paedophile who sent his victims Valentine's Day cards and chocolates has been jailed for 10 years.

Peter Horsfield, 82, of Meadow Rise, Barnby Dun, was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court of seven counts of sexual assault against children under 13 between 2004 and 2021.

His offending came to light when one of his victims confided in her mother.

After sentencing on Friday, Det Sgt Lucy Garside praised the victims' "exceptional courage and strength".

Ms Garside said Horsfield had "sought opportunities" to get the children alone before "taking advantage of their innocence".

"He subjected his victims to awful sexual abuse, which has had a devastating impact on their lives and wellbeing," she added.

In addition to imprisonment, Horsfield was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and will be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order on his release.

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A CONVICTED sex offender was jailed for 18 months for breaching multiple sexual harm prevention orders and possessing extreme pornographic images of sex with animals.

In Bradford Crown Court, Philip Robst, 40, of HMP and YOI Moorland, Bawtry Road, Lindholme, Doncaster, was sent to prison for 18 months after pleading guilty to five offences, including possessing extreme pornographic images depicting sex with animals, an offence committed in Bradford on September 24, 2021.

On May 19, 2021, he was charged with breaching sexual harm prevention orders including subscribing to Snapchat which includes file-based storage, refusing to allow access to inspect any device or electronic data and deleting history from hardware or a device.

On May 19, 2021, he was also charged with failing to comply with requirements in relation to the sex offender's register.

Prosecutor David Ward said Robst was previously convicted of offences of sexual activity with a child.

Mr Ward said: "This is clearly a deliberate breach and it's all aggravated by his previous conviction."

Robst's defence solicitor said: "Mr Robst found himself isolated because of Covid and found solace in pornography."

But he added that the defendant had admitted his "stupidity" and "accepted his behaviour at the earliest opportunity".

In sentencing Robst to 18 months, Recorder Alex Menary, said: "The police found eight extreme images of sex with animals, seven still and one moving, on your device and there were many other images deleted." 

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A predatory sex offender has been branded a "monster" after he targeted a young girl and did "horrendous" things to her that would cause lasting harm to her in the future.

James Andrew brazenly took advantage of the youngster and then tried to blame TikTok, the internet and her new mobile phone for any knowledge that she might have about sexual matters, Hull Crown Court heard. Andrew, 39, formerly of Goole, denied four offences, including three of sexual assault and another of assault by penetration, in October 2019 but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

Judge Mark Bury said that, on two occasions, Andrew intimately touched and kissed the girl. Andrew exposed himself and made her touch him before he intimately touched her again. "You told her as you were leaving that you were sorry and shouldn't have done it," said Judge Bury. "She said nothing about what you had done for a year. You denied doing anything wrong and you deflected blame."

Andrew had claimed that the girl gained any knowledge of sexual matters from TikTok and the internet after she had recently been given a mobile phone. "The fact that you were searching for other people to blame does you no credit," said Judge Bury.

"It's impossible to tell what harm this is going to do to her. What you did has long-lasting and very real implications. You told her to keep it a secret."

A woman who knew the girl said in a statement that the offences had "broken" the girl and those who knew her. Andrew was a "monster" who had done "these horrendous things to her". She added that she had not regarded Andrew as a monster at the time.

"You never truly know what someone is capable of until it's too late," she said. The girl now struggled to trust people.

"He has taken her innocence and that's something you can never change," said the woman. "It's so hard to see the pain in her eyes every day." The girl faced a daily "trauma" because of her ordeal.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that there were two separate incidents of sexual behaviour towards the girl. Andrew had suffered problems while remanded in custody after being convicted of the offences.

Andrew, recently of King Street, Thorne, near Doncaster, was jailed for six years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

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A sex offender who abused two children has been jailed for 31 years, in a case a detective described as of the most disturbing he has ever dealt with.

Michael France, aged 42, of Sandyfields View, Skellow, was jailed after being found guilty of 14 charges against two victims.

He was accused of two charges of sexual assault of a child under 13 against the first victim, and one charge of indecent assault, five counts of rape of a child under 13 and six counts of rape against the second victim.

The paedophile was ordered to serve a minimum of of 31 years in custody, with an extended five years on licence upon his release.

He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and has been made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The paedophile was ordered to serve a minimum of of 31 years in custody, with an extended five years on licence upon his release.

He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and has been made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

MORE: Concern over police taking four months to reveal known sex offender in Sheffield was missing

The sex offender has been branded a predatory and depraved man by the police.

The offences took place across both North and South Yorkshire and the Humberside area.

A joint investigation by South Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Police was mounted in 2019 when the first victim came forward and reported the abuse they had been subjected to by France.

As the investigation developed a second victim was discovered.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Melissa Green, of South Yorkshire Police, praised the bravery of the victims for coming forward.

She said: Throughout the trial Michael France maintained his innocence, denying the allegations and stating they had never happened. Ultimately, he was implying his victims were lying.

The complainants in this case were children at the time of the offences, one of them now being an adult, who had come forward to police to report historical abuse against them by Michael France between the ages of five and 18 years of age. Their bravery in doing so has led to him now finally facing time behind bars.

We commend these victims for coming forward, and helping bring him to justice before a court. We hope that this helps them find some closure, and we urge all victims to come to us with their cases so that we may be able to help them too.

Speaking about the sentence handed to France, Detective Sergeant David Adams, of North Yorkshire Police, said: As the very lengthy prison sentence reflects Michael France is a predatory and depraved man.

He has shown no remorse for his behaviour at any point through the process. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges, meaning his victims had to sit through a lengthy and painful trial where they had to give evidence against their abuser. I just hope that now he has been put behind bars for a very long time, the victims have the space to find closure on an awful period in their lives and move forward to more positive times.

This case has been one of the most impactive and disturbing cases of sexual abuse that I have ever encountered.

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A child rapist from Yorkshire has been jailed after police found thousand of indecent images - including some involving animals.

Officers found more than 30,000 images which linked Quintin Cocu to the abuse of a young girl.

Sheffield Crown Court was told Cocu, of Sandall Stones Road, in Kirk Sandall, Doncaster, was caught by police with the images who were abe to link them to a youngster who he had molested for many years when she was a child.

When officers visited her, she broke down in tears.

The court was told the 50-year-old Cocu had 37,270 indecent images of children and 2,623 prohibited images as well as 281 extreme pornographic images involving mainly animals.

Prosecuting barrister Richard Sheldon said some of the images had faces posted onto indecent activities and the police were able to link Cocu to his victim.

Mr Sheldon added: She broke down in tears and she had been molested for many years.

Cocu, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to raping a child aged under 13, assault by penetration of a child, sexual assault of a child aged under 13, sexual activity with a child, and causing a child to watch a sexual act.

Mr Sheldon said that during Cocus four-year reign of abuse he got the complainant to perform oral sex upon him which constituted rape and he molested her body, made her touch him sexually and he showed her pornographic images.

Police originally visited the defendants address after they became aware he had indecent images.

Mr Sheldon said: "On October 5, 2019, the police were aware the defendant had indecent images in his possession at an address in Doncaster.

Police raided Cocus address in January 2020 and seized his mobile phone, a computer tower and an external hard drive and found a massive catalogue of indecent images of youngsters, according to Mr Sheldon.

Mr Sheldon said these included 5,287 category A images, 6,460 category B images and 25,523 category C images with category A being the most serious as well as 2,623 prohibited images and 281 extreme pornographic images.

He added that following a closer examination of some of the images officers were able to link Cocu to the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Abdul Latif Shakoor, defending, said Cocu is full of remorse and regret and he has referred himself to a group to address the issues that may have led to his offending.

Mr Shakoor added: He is ashamed of himself and he badly regrets what has happened and he wishes to apologise to her and to all concerned and the court.

Judge Graham Reeds QC sentenced Cocu during a second hearing on April 11.

Cocu was sentenced to a total of a 12-year custodial term made up of one year for making indecent images consecutively to 10 years for the sex offences against a child and a one-year extension to his custodial licence on the grounds that the defendant is deemed to be a person of concern.

Judge Richardson stressed Cocu will not be entitled to an early release and he can only be freed when the parole board believes it is safe to do so.

Cocu was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register for life and to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same term.

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A South Yorkshire sex offender who deliberately breached a court order designed to prevent him from committing more sexual offences has been put behind bars.

As she jailed defendant Daniel Bartlett for 26 months, Judge Rachael Harrison told him his offending amounted to a deliberate and concerted, planned decision to breach his court order.

Sheffield Crown Court heard during a March 9 hearing how Bartlett, 41, from Doncaster, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, in August 2020 for sexually communicating with a 12-year-old child.

Bartlett was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), the purpose of which is to protect the public from sexual harm.

As part of the order, Bartlett was required to adhere to a number of conditions including one which stipulated he must hand over any device he owns with access to the internet, when requested to do so by the police.

Prosecuting barrister, Stuart Bell, said Bartlett was visited by a police officer on May 11 last year, who asked him to provide her with his internet-enabled devices.

Bartlett said he only had one such device, a mobile telephone, which promptly turned itself off immediately after he gave it to the officer, the court heard.

He was visited by the police again on September 16 last year, handed over one mobile phone and said he did not have any others.

Bartlett was arrested just over two months later on November 17 on suspicion of breaching the SHPO, and was found to own five internet-enabled mobile phones.

Judge Harrison said Bartlett had been using the devices to connect with others for sexual activity, and continued by saying she found it particularly concerning that he had been communicating with two women with children, one of whom had a 15-month-old baby.

Bartlett, of Bainbridge Road in Balby, Doncaster pleaded guilty to charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with notification requirements at an earlier hearing.

In mitigation, Edward Moss said Bartletts life as he knew it has just basically come to an end as a result of his offending.

Judge Harrison reactivated four months of his suspended sentence from August 2020, and handed him another 22 months for his other offences, bringing his total sentence to 26 months.

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A man jailed by a Sheffield judge after raping a woman on her way home after a night out has had his prison sentence increased.

Selfo Myrtaj, aged 28, of Scot Lane, Doncaster, attacked the woman on August 8 last year as she made her way home after an evening out in the town with her boyfriend.

Mrytaj passed his 22-year-old victim on foot, before returning to his car which was parked nearby and driving around the town centre at speed looking for her.

Once he located her at the Frenchgate Centre, Mrytaj left his vehicle to catch up with the victim, then dragged her back to his car before driving to a secluded location and raping her.

Following a police investigation, Myrtaj was identified as the man responsible and he was arrested the following day.

Investigating officer PC Rob Zarchi said: This was clearly a pre-meditated attack and that is reflected in the sentence that was handed to Mrytaj.

This incident has had a profound effect on the victim and I would like to praise her for the tremendous courage and dignity she has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings.

I hope this sentencing allows the victim to attempt to move forward with her life.

South Yorkshire Police takes all reports of rape extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

Mrytaj appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on December 17, 2021, where he pleaded guilty to rape.

He was initially sentenced to four years in prison but the sentence was escalated to the Court of Appeal, which found the original sentence unduly lenient and it was increased to six years.

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"This was a particularly sinister case and the strong sentence reflects the severity of his offending," said Police Constable Kevin Sibley

A 'depraved' Doncaster man performed sex acts in front of an undercover cop he believed was a 12-year-old girl.

Mark Harrigan, 35, of Halifax Crescent, Doncaster pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was jailed for four years on Friday, November 19.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how he communicated online with someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl and performed sexual acts in front of her.

Unbeknown to the offender, he was communicating with a police officer, as part of an investigation by South Yorkshire Police and the South Wales Regional Organised Crime Unit.

South Yorkshire Police have confirmed there was never a real-life victim.

Police Constable Kevin Sibley from the Sheffield Reactive CID team, said: This was a particularly sinister case and the strong sentence reflects the severity of his offending.

"This was a successful operation between South Yorkshire Police and the South Wales Organised Crime Unit that ensured Harrigan was brought to justice. It also shows the lengths of depravity that he would go to.

Detective Constable Russell Jones, from the South Wales Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: This forms part of our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation from those who seek to do them harm.

"Law enforcement operates across the internet, and we will relentlessly seek to bring to justice individuals who use the web to facilitate the abuse of children.

If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I would urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.

If you have concerns about your use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children, or if you are worried about how someone you know behaves around children or are worried about their use of the internet, then the Lucy Faithfull Foundation provide a free, anonymous and confidential Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900 for advice, support and information.

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A sex offender exposed himself to an underage girl, then claimed he did it because he suffered from erectile dysfunction.

Ian Maiden, 48, groomed and sent sexual messages to the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi told how Maiden exposed himself: “He had his trousers down around his knees and was playing with his genitals.”

She described the sexual messages sent by Maiden to the schoolgirl.

She said: “He has called her beautiful and said he was jealous when she mentioned other boys.

“He told her in one message that she had the best bum she had ever seen and wouldn’t mind being pinned down by her.”

The girl’s mother found the messages on her daughter’s phone, including a photograph of Maiden’s private parts.

The mum took screenshots and reported the matter to the police back in December 2017.

In police interview, Maiden denied he was performing a sex act in front of the girl, and claimed he was fondling touching his genitals because as he had erectile disfunction.

“He said he didn’t do it for sexual reasons, he did it because he was bored,” said Miss Wadoodi at Teesside Crown Court

Maiden, formerly of Hartlepool, now of Blenheim Road, Doncaster, later admitted sexual activity in the presence of a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child, his first conviction.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said: “He is somewhat at a loss to explain why he behaved as he did.

“There is grooming-type behaviour.

“Clearly you’re dealing with a man of good character, married with children himself.

“There have been consequences as far as his family are concerned. They are no longer a family because of Mr Maiden’s behaviour.

“He’s obtained any help he could to reduce any risk of this ever happening again.

“There is work that can be done and he has expressed the willingness and desire to engage with it.”

He added there had been a delay of more than two years in the case as Maiden was interviewed two days after the offence but not charged until two years later.

Judge Paul Watson QC told Maiden: “You, and the victim’s family, have had to wait a considerable period of time - far too long - for this matter to end up here today.

“You did all you could, and so I take into account very much the delay in this case.”

Sexual activity in the presence of a child carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

But under sentencing guidelines, unemployed Maiden’s offence would see him jailed for just four months, of which he would serve two.

“That clearly wouldn’t provide any time whatsoever for any sexual offender treatment programme of any sort,” added the judge.

“You’d be released fairly soon from that sentence.

“You are not considered a danger to the public.

“It seems to me to be better for the public that you receive the benefit of a sex offender treatment programme.”

A one-to-one programme was part of a four-month jail term suspended for two years given to Maiden, with 25 days’ rehabilitation activity.

He was given a sexual harm prevention order banning unsupervised contact or communication with under-16s and governing his use of the internet, devices and social media, and will be on the sex offenders’ register, all for 10 years.

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A MAN from Doncaster who had sex with a 14 year old girl in the late 1980s and early 1990s has been placed under supervision for one year.

Neil Bolton, of Norfolk Avenue, Bircotes, was also given 150 hours of unpaid work and was placed on the sex offenders register for one year when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

He previously pleaded guilty to using lewd, indecent and libidinous practises and behaviour towards the girl at a Lerwick address on various occasions or between 14 March 1989 and 13 March 1990, and repeatedly sexually penetrating her.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie previously told Lerwick Sheriff Court that the complainer was 14 when she began a relationship with the man, who was aged 21-22 when the offences were committed, and is now 50.

They were aware of each others ages, he said, adding that the relationship developed a sexual element.

It ended a couple of months after the man was caught with the girl by his own mother, who expressed concern about the age difference.

The offences came to light in 2015 when Bolton initially denied knowing her at all.

At the court on Wednesday, defence agent Tommy Allan said a social work report prepared after his clients plea noted that there had been nearly 30 years since the offence.

The solicitor said the report recommended that a period of supervision could be a suitable sentence.

Sheriff Philip Mann said it was not an isolated incident as Bolton had a conviction for a similar offence committed not long after.

But this was a consensual activity, so there was no element of coercion, he said.

The sheriff said after taking into account the time since the incident and Boltons lack of offending since, he was persuaded that jail wasnt the only option.