Latest Offenders Durham

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Michael Dent and Jack Dent-Bradley left their victim "living a life of hell" and suffering depression as the pair were sentenced for their crimes at Durham Crown Court

A father and son have been jailed for carrying out horrendous sexual abuse of a vulnerable child.

Michael Dent, 37, and Jack Dent-Bradley, 19, have both been put behind bars following their trial at Durham Crown Court.

The relatives separately sexually abused the child and their crimes left the victim battling PTSD and depression in later life.

Sentencing the pair, Judge James Adkin handed Michael Dent an extended prison sentence of 14 years, 13 of which will be custodial.

An indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order were also imposed and he will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Sentencing Dent-Bradley, who carried out his offences when he was a child himself, Judge Adkin said his offences were "extremely cruel, persistent and damaging", and jailed him for 66 months.

He was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Dent-Bradley carried out his offences when he was between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old, the court heard.

The court was told the father and son, both of Witton Gilbert, County Durham, carried out sexual offences against the same child, but separately.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "Each defendant took advantage by abusing [the child] sexually, albeit separately from one another."

An impact statement was read out to the court by the now-adult victim, and explained how they had "suffered for so long" and will "never forgive you both".

The victim added: "You took advantage of me and made my life hell."

Tony Davis, defending Dent-Bradley, said he suffers from ADHD and was a child himself when he carried out the offences, saying he suffered "significant neglect" as a child himself and had a "lack of care in early development".

He added: "He is still an immature 19-year-old, which must be the result of early abuse he suffered...he has had an exceptional amount of trauma in his own existence."

Lewis Kerr, defending Michael Dent, said he has mental health issues, ADHD and a low IQ. He added: "He doesn't have anything in way of mitigation in the credible sense.

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A violent sexual predator pretended he was homeless before trying to drag a woman off a street late at night.

Joseph Holmes has been locked up for 10 years, as a court heard that his latest attack was the second time he has targeted a lone woman, walking through a city centre.

Holmes, 51, sat with a sleeping bag draped over him on Darlington's Duke Street in the early hours of December 18, last year. Police later found CCTV footage showing him following one woman - who managed to get away.

Holmes then sat and waited for another woman to walk past on her own. When he spotted a lone female - he followed her.

Prosecutor Sam Faulks has told Teesside Crown Court that when the woman crossed the street to get away, Holmes crossed the street too.

The woman then crossed back to the other side, and Holmes did too. He then got hold of his victim "and tried to drag her onto Raby Terrace where it is more secluded". 

A judge found that Holmes had intended to sexually assault the woman, but that his attack was stopped after a man saw him trying to drag her into a back alley and intervened.

Holmes, of Finkle Street in Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and assault on the day his trial was due to start - having previously denied the charges. The court heard that he has 111 previous convictions for 205 offences, including a similar attack where he dragged a woman to the floor in Durham city centre in 2017.

Holmes put his hand up the woman's skirt and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for four years.

In an emotional statement, Holmes' latest victim - who is in her 30's - said she had problems with sleep and nightmares since the attack.

She said: "I wake up screaming due to the incident. I feel sad all of the time. I have severe panic attacks and I have been binge drinking to block out the memories of that night. I feel scared to be alone or go out in the dark. At times I have contemplated suicide."

Robert Mochrie, defending, said his client had not planned the attack, but that it was "opportunistic, whilst he was drunk.

"This is a man with significant problems himself," Mr Mochrie continued. "He is an alcoholic. He has related dementia caused by lack of vitamin B1."

Judge Benjamin Nolan told Holmes that he was "entirely satisfied, with your previous record, that you intended to sexually assault her. In your case, you pose a high risk for sexual assault and violence."

The judge categorised Holmes as a "dangerous offender" and jailed him for 10 years. He will sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed after he started a relationship with a woman in York and failed to tell her about his previous convictions.

Michael Harris went under the radar for more than ten months after he hooked up with the unsuspecting woman, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 48-year-old, formerly known as Michael Eddy, was found to have also failed to register two aliases, a bank account and a credit card with the police.

Jonathan Gittins, prosecuting, said the defendant used the online aliases Mikey J 1974 and Michael John between January 1 and November 2 this year to strike up his relationship before spending all of his time in York.

He said: “He didn’t reveal his conviction to her and she was shocked when she was contacted by the police. She had taken him to the homes of friends and family.”

Michael Harris, formerly known as Michael Eddy (Image: Cleveland Police)

Harris, of Fincham Close, Stockton, was a registered sex offender since his conviction for sexual activity with an underage girl in 2011.

He was jailed in 2013 and 2018 for previous breaches of his notification requirements.

The defendant pleaded guilty to all five breaches of his notification requirement order between January 1 and November 2 this year.

Andrew Turton, mitigating, said his client wanted to settle down with the woman and told the judge that no children were living at the house.

He added: “The meeting with other family happened on one occasion and he was never unsupervised at any time. There were no issues raised as a result of that happening.

“He did change his name by deed poll and that was registered with the police.”

Locking Harris up for 32-months, Judge Jonathan Carroll said: “The purpose of the notification requirements is to allow the appropriate authorities to manage the risk that you continue to pose and its quite clear, both by the original offence and continuing breaches and past convictions for breaches and this group of offences, that you are a continuing risk.

“You went under the radar again for a significant amount of time for these offences. The police attempted to visit you trying to carry out periodic checks and there were 12 failed visits.”

Harris was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the woman.

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A County Durham sex offender has been hauled back to court after police found out he'd been deleting his internet history.

Trent Jason Johnson was given a suspended sentence in March last year after being convicted of sex offences and was made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and was put on the sex offenders register. As part of his punishment, the 22-year-old must abide by certain conditions and he is banned from deleting his internet history.

But on November 8 this year, police went to Johnson's Bishop Auckland home and seized his iPhone where examinations found he'd deleted his internet history and had created aliases on chat apps but failed to notify the authorities about them. He was then arrested over the breach.

Johnson, of South View, Bishop Auckland, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for breaching a sexual harm prevention order and breaching notification requirements. He had pleaded guilty to the charges.

David Robinson-Young, prosecuting, said Johnson is a registered sex offender and on November 8, police went to his home. He said: "On entering his bedroom the defendant was in bed and they saw a lead going under the pillow. They pulled the lead and retrieved an iPhone and the Yubo app was displaying as live. The phone was seized and he was arrested."

Johnson's phone was examined and it became "clear" to police that he had been accessing sites, despite the device's internet having no history. Johnson is prohibited from using a device capable of accessing the internet unless it can show the history, the court heard.

Mr Robinson-Young told the court that Johnson admitted deleting his internet search history, saying: "He said he felt embarrassed about his porn searches." Johnson also admitted creating usernames on the Yubo chat app, including Memphis21, but failed to disclose them to police.

The court heard that the incident was Johnson's second breach of his order, with 18 months of his suspended sentence being activated in September last year after a breach last August. He appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said: "The only mitigation are his guilty pleas entered in the magistrates'. In police interview he was assisted by an appropriate adult and at the age of 14 he was diagnosed with learning difficulties." Mr Constantine added that Johnson was engaging with mental health organisations and shows "some degree of immaturity".

Sentencing Johnson, Recorder Ian Mullarkey said it was "serious offending" and handed him an 18 month prison sentence.

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Described as a "predatory paedophile", David Spence indecently assaulted three children in the 1980s and 1990s in the Spennymoor area.

His sickening crimes left his victims - who are now adults - battling mental health issues and Spence managed to avoid the consequences of his offences for decades.

After the 67-year-old's crimes were brought to the attention of the police for a second time, he continued to deny the allegations until he finally pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to take place.

In a victim impact statement, one victim told the court that they have suffered with "low self-esteem" and "night-terrors" throughout their adult life as a result of what Spence did to them.

They regularly have "full blown panic attacks" and "struggle with paranoia", they said in the statement.

Spence, was jailed for 10 and a half years with a 12-month extended licence and he was also made subject of a restraining order, which will run until further order.

He was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order, which will remain in place until further order and he was put on the sex offenders' register.

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Ashley Reeves was found to be using a number of names on games platform Steam - but his solicitor said it was just 'stupidity'

A high risk sex offender was found to be using a number of aliases on a games platform, a court heard.

Ashley Reeves was using the false usernames, including 'lesbian w**** house and 'eat my gas', when police inspected his computer during a routine check.

The Stockton man pleaded guilty to breaching a requirement of the sex offenders register when he appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court.

Anne Mitchell, prosecuting, said the 27-year-old, who has 28 previous convictions, 13 of which are for sexual offences, is on the high risk sex offenders register and as part of his conditions he is not allowed to use aliases online and officers can regularly assess the situation.

Ms Mitchell said in April this year when carrying out an assessment officers found a number of aliases associated with Reeves' Steam account, which is a gaming platform. She said: "There were a number of alias names attached to the account."

The prosecutor said Reeves lives with his partner and she told police that she didn't use the computer and didn't have a Steam account.

Defending, Brett Wildridge, said his client has autism and conduct disorder and used the Steam account to purchase games. He said the account itself is registered with the police and his client didn't believe anyone else could see the profile names.

Mr Wildridge said Reeves, of Consett Close, wasn't trying to conceal his identity, it was just 'stupidity'. He said: "It was stupid using them. It is a child's mind in an adult body."

The case was adjourned until November 30 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

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A man who agreed to give a schoolgirl a lift home from a party, pulled over into a dark side street and sexually assaulted her before raping her twice.

Mark Alderson then messaged the girl's mum to say that she was refusing to leave his car because she was so upset after other school children had called her "fat." But Teesside Crown Court has heard that when the 37-year-old dropped the victim off at home, she ran in crying and told her family what had happened.

Her dad called the police, and Alderson was arrested a few hours later. Alderson told police that the girl had instigated what had happened and that they had consensual sex.

On Friday, prosecutor Christine Egerton told the court that Alderson had previously given the schoolgirl cigarettes, a necklace and a bracelet. When she had become upset about being taunted, he told her she was, "pretty".

But after asking, "to see her belly" when she said she had been called fat, Alderson sexually assaulted her. He then pulled her clothes off whilst she sat in the passenger seat of his car, and raped her.

Ms Egerton said that the girl told police that she was "drunk" that night and that Alderson warned her not to tell anyone what had happened. In a statement, the victim said that her mental health had suffered as a result of what happened to her: "I have bad dreams and flash backs.

"I can't sleep or concentrate on my school work and I'm worried about my grades slipping. I feel angry and upset." Alderson, of Davidson Road in Darlington, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and to two charges of rape.

Nicholas Askins, defending, said that his client had pleaded guilty, "which is very unusual in these types of offences. He has also expressed significant remorse."

Mr Askins said that his client had lost his partner of 17 years, and his two children and " is not coping well in prison." Judge Howard Crowson jailed Askins for nine years and nine months and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which prohibits him from having contact with any child under 16, for the rest of his life.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the victim for the rest of his life.

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The prolific offender has repeatedly breached sex offender notification requirements since 2004.

A sex offender told police he was staying at a youth hostel due to his pigeon allergy flaring up at his address.

Robert Jeffrey, previously of Darlington, has repeatedly appeared before the courts for failing to comply with sex offender requirements. He was handed a lengthy jail sentence on Tuesday after entering guilty pleas to five charges of failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements, failing to comply with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and forging a vehicle registration mark.

At a sentencing hearing, Teesside Crown Court heard his crimes came to light in June when police raised concerns about Jeffrey's whereabouts and made several visits to his registered address.

Christopher Bevan prosecuting said: "The place appeared deserted and police carried out further investigations and were able to ascertain he was staying in a youth hostel in Richmond. Later, the police located the defendant staying in a tent in a secluded part of the grounds at another youth hostel in Northallerton where they arrested him."

The court heard the defendant had used black tape to make an 'E' on his car registration to avoid being tracked. Officers also seized a Samsung tablet which had several non-registered email accounts and a picture of a girl believed to be under 18. Mr Bevan said the image appeared to have been taken from a covert angle.

Asked why he was not at his registered address, Mr Bevan said: "He stated he is allergic to pigeons and could no longer stay at his address. He said he chose to stay at youth hostels because they are cheap."

The court heard the defendant payed for the stays with two bank accounts which were not registered with police.

However in mitigation, Jamie Adams stressed Jeffrey's sexual offending has been non contact and claimed he was forced to leave his address due to allergies, Mr Adams said: "He tells me the reason he left the premises was the reason he gave to the police he became ill because of the faeces of pigeons in the area. He complained about it to the landlord on numerous occasions and nothing was done about it. He headed out of the area to try and recuperate.

"He hopes in the future he can become a normal member of society and can engage with society."

During the hearing, Mr Bevan listed Jeffrey's previous crimes, they are as follows:

• The defendant was first convicted in Stroud in February 2004 for 10 offences of possessing indecent photographs of children. In the December of that year he was convicted again of failing to adhere to sex offender requirements.
• In January 2006, he failed to comply with requirements and was convicted in 2007 after attempting to meet or communicate with a child following sexual grooming.
• In June 2011, he was convicted at Shrewsbury for failing to comply with requirements, possession of an indecent image and breach of a SHPO.
• In October 2013, he was convicted of failing to comply with notification requirements and breaching a SHPO.
• In 2015, Jeffrey was sentenced in Shropshire for failing to comply with notification requirements and again in August 2018.
• In December 2019, he was sentenced before magistrates in Newton Aycliffe for failing to comply with notification requirements and in 2020 he was committed to Teesside Crown Court for further failings and was sentenced to two-years imprisonment.

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Jonathan Carroll said: "You have significant previous convictions. There are multiple and repeated failures to comply with notification requirements. You have persistently and relentlessly refused to cooperate with the orders that are in place that are primarily for public protection."

Jeffrey, 54, of no fixed address, was handed a 40-month prison sentence and banned from driving for 38 months. He must also pay a victim surcharge.

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Robert Johnson, 40, was jailed for 27 months and has now been prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school in England.

A Durham schoolteacher who distributed indecent videos and was snared during an FBI investigation has been banned from teaching indefinitely.

Robert Johnson, 40, was caught after FBI agents identified links between his home computer IP address and a file sharing site being used to distribute indecent images. It was then referred to the National Crime Agency in the UK who picked up the investigation alongside local police. In 2020, Johnson was jailed for 27 months at Durham Crown Court after being found guilty of two charges relating to the distribution of indecent videos of children.

The court heard Johnson, who worked as a history teacher, undertook steps to protect his identity while using a cloud storage site to share indecent videos. He used sophisticated privacy software, including the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide his IP address to avoid detection. 

Two years on from his prison sentence, in September this year, a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) remotely convened to consider the case of Johnson before prohibiting him from teaching indefinitely. Before his conviction, Johnson was employed as a teacher and was the head of humanities at a County Durham school and was arrested in March 2019. He was then suspended from his role at the school before being dismissed on the same day he received his prison sentence on the grounds of "frustration of contract".

The panel meeting heard Johnson signed a statement of agreed facts and admitted his conviction after he requested the allegation be considered without a hearing. Because of the request, the meeting took place in private and in his absence.

A report of the meeting, which has now been published, said: "The panel noted that Johnson’s actions were relevant to teaching, working with children and working in an education setting due to the nature of his conviction. Similarly, the panel also noted that the behaviour involved in committing the offence could have had an impact on the safety or security of pupils and/or members of the public.

"The panel also took account of the way the teaching profession is viewed by others. The panel considered that Johnson’s behaviour in committing the offences could affect public confidence in the teaching profession, given the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community."

The panel also took into account that Johnson "acknowledged the sexual nature of his misconduct (and) is likely to be considered as permanently incompatible with the teaching profession …” The report added: "The lack of any apparent insight or remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils."

The panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Johnson should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period. The panel also made a recommendation that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect. This means that Johnson is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegation found proved against him, it was decided that Johnson shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

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A sick teacher who groomed a teenage girl after sending a video of himself carrying out a sex act and asking her if he could whip her with his tie has been locked up.

David Amos was tasked with contacting the County Durham student during the early days of the Covid pandemic but instead used his time to engage in sexual conversations with the girl.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the sexualised talk between the pair started on Snapchat before moving onto other social media platforms.

Richard Bennett, prosecuting, said the 30-year-old coerced the teenager to send a photograph of her naked bottom after he had sent her a number of images of his penis.

He said Amos sent more than 700 messages to the teenager including ones where he offered to whip her with his tie and tried to persuade her to go to a wooded area so that he could photograph her.

Mr Bennett added: “The conversation turned sexual with the defendant asking her if she had done anything sexual with anyone else. It then progressed to the male defendant sending selfies with his penis out standing in front of the mirror.”

The court heard how the online conversation continued in a sexual manner over a number of weeks after it moved to Skype.

He said: “She sent him a picture of her bare bottom and he sent her a picture of him masturbating.”

Mr Bennett said there was a break in communication before Amos renewed contact in the August and the defendant asked her if she would do sexual things with him but she replied - ‘it would be weird because he was a teacher’.

He added: “There was grooming behaviour, to a degree, because this was a long conversation that has taken place over a number of weeks.”

Amos, of Lumley Road, Durham, pleaded guilty to causing a child to watch sexual activity and a charge of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Amrit Jandoo, in mitigation, said his client had struggled during lockdown after his relationship collapsed but understood his behaviour would result in the end of his promising teaching career.

He added: “There are extensive messages during that period of time and not all of those messages were of that nature. There were messages where he tried to help the girl and he was carrying out his duties properly.”

Judge Chris Smith sentenced the former teacher to a total of 30 months in custody.

“Over the course of several months you engaged in sexualised conversation with her, that sexualised contact started quite quickly after you contacted her on Snapchat.

“In the course of that conversation, you sent her a video of you masturbating,” he said.

“I have read some of the messages, there is a degree of cajoling or pressurising her to engage in sexual activity within the context of what is a gross breach of trust.”

Amos was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life and was made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A pervert who sexually abused and raped a young girl when he was just a teenager has finally been locked up as justice caught up with him.

Stuart Jackson carried out a number of sickening sexual assaults on the young girl when she was under ten-years-old.

The 43-year-old’s offending took place more than two decades ago when he aged around 17, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Jackson, of Richmond Place, Thornaby, was found guilty of a catalogue of offences, including rape and serious sexual assault, following a trial earlier this year.

The father-of-two appeared in court via a videolink from Durham Prison to be sentenced for his horrific abuse of the young girl.

Judge Chris Smith said: “You subjected your victim to sexual assault in a variety of different ways. The first episode involved multiple assaults and you second attack her was similarly multifaceted - both amounts to sustained sexual assaults.”

Dealing with the attacks, he added: “On that day she was subjected to a degrading and humiliating, sustained series of sexual assaults. The second incident is no less serious, this was of course a second attack on the same victim.”

The judge said Jackson used sex toys on the victim before raping her.

He added: “The physical pain you caused her left her struggling to walk. As a nine-year-old child she felt the need to destroy her bedsheets which were stained with her blood.

“Those physical injuries may have resolved in a relatively short time but the psychological harm cause to her has been long-lasting and profound.”

Jackson was locked up for a total of 16 years and six months and was issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect his victim and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Judge Smith said: “With great dignity and real clarity, this victim outlined to the court the effect your offending had on her. How psychologically she was affected immediately as a young girl; how as she grew older, she suffered flashbacks; and how medication and counselling had brought only limited relief from the depression and anxiety caused by your offending.”

Speaking after the sentence was passed, officer in the case Detective Constable Francesca Siebrits, of Cleveland Police, said: “Despite the passage of many years, justice has caught up with Jackson and he now faces a prison sentence.

"While this cannot compensate the victim for the trauma she suffered, I hope it will go some way to helping her begin to move forward with her life and I wish her the very best.”

And Safeguarding Chief Inspector Deb Fenny added: “Anyone who has suffered abuse of this kind - no matter how long ago it may have taken place - can rest assured that we will do all we can to bring offenders before the courts.

"Those who believe they can prey on vulnerable children should realise that they will be dealt with.”

People can report any form of abuse, whether recent or non-recent to Cleveland Police at any time of day, via the 101 number.

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A vile rapist who attacked a teenager in a remote location after riding away with her on the back of his motorbike has been locked up for almost 13 years.

Lee Mason let the teenager sit on his motorbike for some photographs following a night out in Middlesbrough before speeding away from her friends and safety.

The 27-year-old took the terrified teenager to a remote location where he carried out two sexual assaults before riding off to an even more remote location where he subjected his young victim to a traumatic rape.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the victims mother had been alerted to what happened and rushed to Middlesbrough in a desperate attempt to find her daughter.

Aisha Wadoodi, prosecuting, said the teenagers horrific physical ordeal only came to an end when Mason dropped her off near one of her friends homes and she managed to call the police.

The judge heard how the attack had a devastating impact on the teenager and she had been given a sexually transmitted infection from her attacker.

In a heart-breaking victim impact statement, the woman said the mere sound of a motorbike leaves her terrified and her life has been destroyed by the lasting psychological damage caused by her rape.

Ever since you raped me, I have never been able to feel the same again. I now have trouble closing my eyes because all that I see is your face and have been prescribed sleeping tablets.

I now have panic attacks when I hear noises in the night, I worry that it is you, she said.

What you did is constantly replayed over and over in my mind. Whenever I hear or see a motorbike, I think it is you and I panic.

The victims mother also made a personal impact statement to relay to the court the horrendous suffering her daughter had endured.

She said: I was sent a photograph of my daughter on the back of your motorbike that I was able to show the police, the photograph horrified me and to this day fills me with anger about what you have done.

Saddens me that she looked so happy in the picture not knowing what was to come. Its the last picture of my daughter before you, a grown man, a predator, destroyed our lives and put us through hell.

Miss Wadoodi said the quick thinking of the investigating officer resulted in vital CCTV and photographic evidence being seized, resulting in Masons speedy arrest.

Mason, of Hartington Road, Stockton, pleaded guilty to rape, assault by penetration, and sexual assault, following the attack on April 24 this year.

Victoria Lamballe, in mitigation, said her client now fully accepts being responsible for everything that his teenage victim told police.

She added: He recognises, as he must, that this was a truly terrifying attack on this young woman.

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced the father-of-two to a total of 12 years and nine months in prison.

The effect on her continues, it was dreadful at the time and it continues now. For periods she has been unable to eat or sleep properly or go to work, he said.

These offences represent a series of sexual assaults on a young woman by a stranger. It has left her with the all too common feeling of self-loathing, while she has no reason to feel anything bad about herself.

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Andrew Hardy, 54, was jailed for grooming two girls and sexually assaulting them.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted two children and caused "ongoing terror" to one and made another look at indecent images has been caged.

Andrew Hardy groomed the two girls and sexually assaulted them. The 54-year-old made one child look at indecent images and terrified another by telling her the world was "filled with ginger-haired paedophiles".

Hardy, of Finchale Avenue, Brasside, Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for the sexual offences after being found guilty following a trial.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Hardy carried out "grooming behaviour" which involved a "significant degree of planning" and breach of trust. She said he "deliberately isolated" the victims in order to "facilitate the offences". She added: "One girl was made to watch indecent images of children." The court heard that Hardy also had a conviction for possession of 133,000 indecent images and had been given a prison sentence.

Paul Cross, defending, said Hardy suffers from incurable ulcerative colitis and said he would be serving his prison sentence in "a state of discomfort and pain". He added that Hardy's prison sentence would also have an impact upon his family.

Sentencing Hardy, Judge Jo Kidd, said: "You used the opportunity to gratify your own personal, sexual interest in children. You groomed a girl against the backdrop of terrifying her by talking about inappropriate subject matter. To make her dependant on you and scare her in a way to prevent her from disclosing what was happening, you caused her ongoing terror, saying that the world was filled with ginger-haired paedophiles. You were the paedophile."

Speaking of the second victim, Judge Kidd added: "You persistently groomed her, which involved showing her indecent images of children. You encouraged her to go on websites herself to look at images of that nature. It was a highly cynical decision on your part. She can now never forget seeing those images as a child."

Hardy was jailed for five years and was made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was imposed and Hardy will be on the sex offender's register for an indefinite period. An indefinite restraining order was also imposed.

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A former senior Anglican clergyman in the North-East is facing a potential third prison sentence in six years after his latest conviction for indecent assault.

The retired Archdeacon of Auckland, George Granville Gibson, received sentences of 12-months and ten months, following convictions after trials at Durham Crown Court and Teesside Crown Court, in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

After a subsequent report and review into the Church’s handling of complaints against Gibson, dating from the 1970s and 80s, the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverent Paul Butler, expressed, “deep shame and regret”, at his, “terrible crimes.” 

 The incidents involved young men, some classed as, “vulnerable”, who Gibson came across in his role in parishes across the Durham diocese, including St Clare’s at Newton Aycliffe, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The now 86-year-old former churchman, of Worsley Park, Darlington, was back before Durham Crown Court this week, to face trial for three further counts of indecent assault dating from the late 1970s.

In this case the complainant was a man, then in his late teens, who was recruited from a local drama group to perform in a Christmas pantomime at the church.

He described how Gibson would be present for rehearsals in the church hall and, while often in a group situation, he would massage the complainant’s shoulders and move his hand further down his back.

It culminated in Gibson allegedly pulling the complainant towards his midriff and rubbing against him.

The victim said there were other similar incidents, in either the church kitchen or office, and at the home of another cast member at an after-show party.

He told the court he did not consent to any of the unwanted touching and was “shocked” but did not consider reporting it at the time as he felt he would never be believed.

The victim told the court it all came back to him when he read of Gibson’s 2016 conviction in a newspaper, and later, after he read of the allegations being brought that resulted in the second trial, in 2019.

He finally broke his silence and told his wife in 2018, after which he reported it to police.

When arrested Gibson said he could not recall the victim and denied the allegations, claiming he had no sexual interest in men at the time.

He said there came a period, in about the mid-1980s, when he was, “all mixed up” as to his sexuality, but he denied having behaved, as, “a predatory sex offender”. 

 Gibson, who maintained his denials when cross-examined, pointed out that he had been acquitted of some other allegations at his two past trials, and continued to protest his innocence to all the offences he has been convicted of in recent years.

He denied the latest three allegations of indecent assault, and, after three-hours’ deliberation was convicted of two of the offences on unanimous jury verdicts.

Addressing Gibson’s counsel, Robert Mochrie, Judge James Adkin said: “To an extent there’s an inevitability about the sentence.

“The only thing to make me hesitate is to the state of the defendant’s (medical) treatment, at the moment, and how that may be affected by the verdicts.”

Mr Mochrie said the defendant, “a man in his mid-80s in poor health”, begins a specific bout of three-rounds of chemotherapy treatment next week, but said he does understand he faces another immediate custodial sentence.

But Mr Mochrie said he would make submissions as to whether it should be immediate, given the prison terms Gibson served after the 2016 and 2019 convictions.

Judge Adkin said the defendant could have admitted the full extent of his offending after his trial in 2019.

“He didn’t and he could have done,” added Judge Adkin.

Bailing Gibson to return for sentence on November 24, the judge said he would hear submissions from prosecution and defence counsel before deciding if the latest sentence is to be an immediate one. 

Description

A serving soldier’s career is over after he took part in sexual communication online with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Steven Lancaster’s downfall was making contact with what, in reality, was a non-existent girl, ‘Megan’, via the Kik app, in October 2020.

Durham Crown Court was told the profile of ‘Megan’ was posted on the site Young Girls and Older Men by a member of the online child protection group Innocent Voices.

Christopher Bevan, prosecuting, said it was made clear to Lancaster, who was 34 at the time, that ‘Megan’ was purporting to be aged 14. 

 Mr Bevan said over a period of more than a month, it was, “prolonged and consistent communication”, where the subject matter was, “of a nature inappropriate for a person who he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.”

The defendant sent her pictures of naked women and of a couple having “graphic” sexual relations.

Innocent Voices reported his conduct to police and when he was arrested officers seized his phone, on which they found indecent videos of children in the ten to 14-year bracket, two each in the most serious categories, A and B, and one in C, along with an indecent image of a child, also in the C bracket.

Mr Bevan said the videos were of between 30 seconds and one minute 59 seconds in duration.

Lancaster was interviewed and fully admitted the offending, but he denied having any sexual interest in children or that he gained any sexual gratification from the images.

The defendant, now 36 and of previous good character, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, plus three counts of making (possessing) indecent images of children.

Amrit Jandoo, representing the defendant, pointed out that it was, “an attempt” as the child he believed he was communicating with did not exist.

Mr Jandoo conceded the images found on Lancaster’s phone were “abhorrent”

He said the background was the deep depression Lancaster suffered due to injuries suffered as a serving soldier.

“Despite him serving his country well, as seen by the references before the court, his career is at an end because of the offending behaviour.

“It’s very disappointing for him.

“His motivation is to recognise these are serious offences and probation can work with him.” 

 Judge James Adkin told Mr Jandoo: “He thought he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl.”

Mr Jandoo replied: “A Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) may assist with him behaving in that way.”

Judge Adkin said given that the risk thought to be posed to the public by Lancaster was “moderate”, and given the, “strong character references I have read, plus his medical problems and depression”, he could suspend the eight-month prison sentence for two years.

But the defendant, of Warner Avenue, St Helen Auckland, must complete 50-hours’ unpaid work, attend 30 probation-led rehabilitation activity days and a sex offenders’ group work programme.

He was also made subject of notification as a sex offender and a SHPO, both for ten years.