Latest Offenders Gateshead

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Jack Bolton, of Dunston, is a former Boys' Brigade officer who has dozens of convictions for indecently assaulting young boys

Serial paedophile Jack Bolton is back behind bars for ruining the life of another young boy by sexually abusing him.

The depraved former Boys' Brigade officer has a sickening history of sex attacks on male children going back as far as the 1970s and was jailed for nine years in 2011 for 33 offences of indecent assault. Now the 79-year-old pervert, of Yetholm Road, Dunston, Gateshead, has admitted abusing a boy he groomed by offering to let him drive his car and sitting him on his knee around 30 years ago.

The victim, now an adult, bravely came forward after keeping the abuse to himself and said it has had a devastating impact on his life. Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim recalled how Bolton used to sell eggs and would take him out in his car.

Lee Fish, prosecuting, said: "He would ask the complainant if he wished to drive his car and would sit him on his knee to facilitate this. The prosecution say at this time he had a clear sexual interest in young boys. This was classic grooming behaviour. The defendant then sexually abused (him)."

Bolton pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting the victim on the basis it happened no more than five times. He also admitted indecency with a child on the basis it happened no more than ten times. He was jailed for three years and four months.

In a victim impact statement, he said: "Looking back I can see this has affected my entire life. The effect of telling people what happened to me has seeped into every aspect of my life.

"I feel unclean and there's a stain that can't be washed off. Hopefully by letting him know how I feel I can start to get over this and leave him where he belongs, in the past, not affecting my future."

Judge Tim Gittins said he was bound to follow the sentencing regime in place at the time of the offences, which is much lower than the modern day equivalent. He told Bolton: "(The victim) is now a survivor of your depraved behaviour. He has shown considerable courage coming forward in these circumstances when almost every aspect of his life has been subject to substantial damage because of what you did to him when he was a young boy."

As well as the prison sentence, lifelong sex offender registration continues, as does a sexual offences prevention order.

The court heard Bolton has 52 previous convictions, mainly for abusing young boys. In 1970 he was convicted of two counts of indecently assaulting boys.

In 1992 he was convicted of eight counts of indecent assault and gross indecency. In 1995 he was sentenced for indecently assaulting a 12-year-old. In 1997 he was convicted of four indecent assaults on boys aged 12 and 14. In March 2011 he was jailed for nine years for 33 indecent assaults on boys.

Annelise Haugstad, defending, said Bolton pleaded guilty and added that the offences happened over a short duration.

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Reece Senior, of Gateshead, left the student and child petrified and has been branded dangerous as he was jailed

A predator stalked a student through city centre streets and tried to drag her down a dark alley to carry out a sex attack then violently molested a schoolgirl.

Dangerous Reece Senior left the woman petrified after striking in Newcastle after following her in an "ominous" way. A court heard he took hold of her and tried to manhandle her down an alley at 4am as she screamed for him to stop.

She was pushed violently to the ground and even her desperately calling her boyfriend to say she was about to be raped didn't put him off, although she eventually got away. Having been bailed for that, he then subjected an 11-year-old girl to an equally shocking attack on her way to school. He pushed her against a wall before sexually assaulting her.

Now the 28-year-old pervert, of Wallace Gardens, Springwell, Gateshead has been jailed after he was convicted of false imprisonment, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and sexual assault, at Newcastle Crown Court. Locking him up for seven years, Judge Edward Bindloss said: "(The student) was a lone female at 4am walking the streets of this city and she was followed by you. You acted in a predatory, ominous way."

Senior took a "strong, aggressive grip" on the woman and demanded she go down an alleyway. The judge said: "She told the jury she was on the phone to her boyfriend saying 'hurry up, he is trying trying to rape me'.

"Even that didn't put you off. You repeated an angry demand that she should get in the alley with you. She struggled against your physical attempts to take her there. I'm satisfied you intended to commit rape or assault by penetration and that's how the case was put before the jury. She gave evidence she was certain you intended to rape her."

A woman was woken by the screams of the victim and heard her shouting "please" and "don't" over and over again. She suffered bruising and soreness to her hand, arm, back and buttock and was still in pain eight months later.

The court heard the psychological effects on the victim have been more long-lasting than the physical ones. She was left feeling unable to leave her house, had to move and now fears men.

It's also affected her university studies, her job, her relationship with her family, her sleeping, her appetite and she has had panic attacks, including once when she saw someone in a beany hat in Newcastle who she thought was Senior.

She said: "It was terrifying. I was followed by him for some time before he approached me. I was aware he was behind me, which made me feel uncomfortable." Prosecutor Dan Cordey added: "She was petrified about what might happen as she was followed on the streets of Newcastle."

He was released on bail and went on to commit arson when he set fire to a bin. Senior then went on to commit sex attack on the 11-year-old, who was on her way to meet a friend to go to school. Judge Bindloss said: "Given her age, she was vulnerable.

"CCTV shows you changing course, going down an alley near her and she said you whistled to attract her attention. You were in the alley alone and she was cornered.

"She was an 11-year-old schoolgirl. You used violence against her, pushed her against a wall, put your hand on her arm and squeezed her breast very hard then touched her vagina over her school clothing.

"You tried to drag her by her sleeve but lost grip and she ran off." The girl later told police she was "shocked and scared".

The court heard Senior has previous convictions, including a sexual assault against a child in 2011. Pre-sentence reports said he poses a high risk of harm to children and adults

Judge Bindloss said he had demonstrated "predatory sexual behaviour in relation to both offences" and had shown no remorse or understanding for his victims. He must serve two-thirds of the seven year sentence and will be on licence for an additional five years. He must also register as a sex offender for life and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life.

The court heard he maintains his innocence and says he had no sexual motive. Chris Knox, defending, said: "He clearly doesn't accept that for which he is convicted." He has ADHD and learning difficulties and was using heroin at the time.

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A double amputee pensioner spared prison for sex chats with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl has been jailed for having a secret phone.

As we reported in 2019, Raymond Straughan invited the "child", who turned out to be a decoy Facebook profile set up by vigilantes, to his home to meet his cats and said he wanted her to move in so they could have sex every night. He was given a suspended sentence for that and a sexual harm prevention order which meant he had to declare any internet enabled devices to police.

On March 11 last year, risk management officers attended 70-year-old Straughan's home and he was asked to provide all devices capable of being used to go online. Matthew Hopkins, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "The defendant gave officers a Samsung mobile phone and he confirmed it was his only internet enabled device. Officers became suspicious because the phone appeared to be in factory default state.

"He was asked if he was sure that was his only internet enabled device and he again confirmed it was." Police went back a few days later and noticed a different mobile phone on a coffee table near Straughan. He initially lied that it was his wife's phone and she backed him up at first but then admitted it was his.

While there was no illegal material found on the phone he had failed to declare, in breach of the sexual harm prevention order, there was some "sexualised conversation" with adults. Mr Hopkins said: "He said he couldn't offer an explanation for what he had done."

Straughan, of Barford Court, Harlow Green, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to breaching the sexual harm prevention order and breaching the suspended sentence. Jailing him for eight months, Judge Christopher Prince said: "You were trying to conceal your online behaviour and the pre-sentence report says this clearly raises concerns about your motivations."

The judge said it was "concerning" he had lied about the second phone and added: "This was a quite deliberate breach of the sexual harm prevention order."

Kelly Sharif, defending, said: "He has seen the error of his ways with regard to not notifying the police about the phone. He tells me he is sorry for this. He has since had police out three times to check his devices and there have been no issues."

It was in late 2018 and early 2019 that Straughan made contact with a girl called Lucy on social media and, despite her apparently tender age, quickly turned the conversation sexual. In the first contact, he asked if she was a virgin and if she wished to explore her body before telling her he wanted to make love to her and that it was allowed because she was classed as an adult from the age of 12.

Fortunately, Lucy was a fake profile set up by an online paedophile hunting group called Stop, rather than a real child. When Straughan was told she wanted to be a vet, he suggested she visit his home to see his pets, before saying he would take her swimming and that they could go to a hotel.

He arranged to meet up with her but pulled out two days beforehand. However, vigilantes turned up at his address and he was driven out, with damage being caused to his home and neighbours being told he was a paedophile.

He was sentenced to nine months suspended for two years and told he must sign the sex offenders register for ten years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

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Gary Ridler, of Whickham, left the mum terrified during a campaign of stalking after she ended their brief relationship

Obsessed stalker Gary Ridler threatened to cut up his ex's dog and chop her head off after she dumped him when she found out he was a sex offender.

Ridler had been involved in a brief relationship with the mum, which she ended after finding out he was on the sex offenders register.

That sparked a prolonged campaign of stalking which left the woman living in fear.

He twice gained entry to her home and on one occasion turned up with a machete and told her he had a bottle of petrol.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he tried to get her to retract an earlier statement to police by saying he would petrol bomb the houses of those closest to her while making the vile threats about the dog and saying he would behead the woman.

Now Ridler, 39, of Graham Avenue, Whickham, Gateshead, has been jailed for 28 months after admitting stalking and having the machete.

The court heard they had met while she was working in a pub in 2020 and they embarked on brief relationship.

But when she found out he was a registered sex offender, she ended the relationship as she was concerned for her children.

Ridler took the rejection badly and started causing issues with male customers in the pub and sent her unwanted calls and texts.

She blocked him but he continued to contact her from a withheld number and from a fake social media account.

The manager at the pub barred him and the police banned him from other pubs in the area last summer.

The court heard he responded by saying he would hurt 14 people because she had him barred from 14 pubs.

Matters escalated and in August last year she got a number of texts calling her names and threatening to harm her and her friends and colleagues.

Jessica Slaughter, prosecuting, said: "There was a phone call in which he said he would give her a good hiding and she said she would take a black eye if it meant he would leave her alone.

"He said it would be more than a black eye and threatened to stab her, which she found particularly frightening."

On September 5 she finished work at the pub and saw his dog outside and was concerned he was there.

He texted asking to go for a drink and she refused and left with a friend.

Ridler had been watching her and sent a message asking where she was going.

Several hours later she was having a cigarette outside a pub in Newcastle city centre when she saw him and was concerned he had followed her.

Then, in the early hours of the morning, she was woken by him banging on her window demanding to be let in. He kicked the door and managed to get in.

Miss Slaughter said: "He held his fist to her face as she was curled up on the sofa and smashed her phone.

"Her teenage daughter was woken by the disturbance and came downstairs to see him leaving and her mother hysterical. She described her mother breathing heavily.

"He had threatened to kill her if she told anyone about him being on the sex offenders register."

A few days later, on September 10, the victim was at home when Ridler suddenly appeared in her living room.

He became aggressive, demanded her phone and the friend she had been talking to on it heard her burst into tears.

He searched through her phone, looking for communication with other men then pulled a machete out of his bag.

Miss Slaughter said: "In the bag was also a plastic bottle with liquid, which he said was petrol.

"He knew the police had been contacted about the earlier incident on September 5 and threatened to chop her head off and cut up her dog if she didn't retract her statement.

"He threatened to petrol bomb the houses of her friends and family and said he hated her and would hurt anyone she cared about."

He used the machete to destroy her phone, cutting her sofa in the process.

He then pushed the broken glass side of the phone into her hand then put the phone in his bag.

Ridler also used the machete, in its case, to hit her foot.

Miss Slaughter said: "The incident lasted 30 minutes and she was terrified.

"At times she closed her eyes but he insisted on her looking at him in his eyes."

In order to bring the incident to a close, she said she would retract her statement.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "When I was told he was a registered sex offender I decided to end things because of my children and this led to him turning very frightening and terrifying me for months.

"He became obsessive. He would come to work and watch me and I felt like there was no escape from him.

"I didn't know what to do, I was terrified.

"He caused me to change from being an outgoing person to feeling distressed and on edge and terrified he would harm me and my family.

"He is really unpredictable and even got in my house and my daughters were there the first time."

The victim said she had to leave her place of work and has moved house but still fears what will happen when he is released from prison."

Ridler pleaded guilty to stalking involving fear of violence between July 1 and September 13 last year and having a bladed article and was jailed for 28 months. He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order.

The court heard he has 12 previous convictions, including three counts of sexual assault, for which he was jailed for 43 months in 2016. He also has previous for carrying weapons.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said Ridler "couldn't take the rejection" despite the woman initially saying they could remain friends.

He added that the machete had remained in its sheath and said "his problems appears to be alcohol".

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A paedophile who kept his past a filthy secret from his new partner found himself "tempted" when left alone with her grandchildren.

Phillip Johnson was jailed in 2007 for ten counts of indecent assault on a girl aged under 14 and was subject to strict restrictions as part of his sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

But after starting a relationship with a woman he met on a computer course, he failed to tell her about his background, despite coming into contact with her three grandchildren, aged seven, 12 and 14.

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On one occasion, he ended up home alone with the older children and admitted his attraction to young girls left him tempted, although he didn't offend against them.

Now Johnson, 52, of Leuchars Close, Low Fell, Gateshead, has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court for failing to comply with his notification requirements and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Thomas Parsons-Munn, prosecuting, said Johnson was jailed for two years at Preston Crown Court in 2007 for the sex attacks.

He was required to register any address at which he was resident for more than seven days and not to have contact with a child under 16 unless supervised by a person approved by social services.

Last year he met a woman doing a course at a job centre and in September he began staying over at her home, where her grandchildren would regularly visit.

Mr Parsons-Munn told Newcastle Crown Court: "The defendant regularly came into contact with the children.

"At no point did he make (the gran or the mum of the children) aware of his previous offending or the requirements imposed on him."

In November last year he ended up home alone with the 12 and 14-year-old for around 90 minutes.

As well as the convictions for indecent assault, Johnson has nine previous convictions for breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Judge Julie Clemitson jailed him for two years and eight months and told him: "This was a persistent breach.

"You were in the company of children on multiple occasions and this risked very serious harm or distress.

"You found yourself on your own and you were tempted, as you candidly admitted, given your attraction to girls of that age.

"You remain a high risk of committing further sexual offences."

Andrew Findlay, defending, said: "The principle mitigation is the guilty plea he entered.

"Those who were undoubtedly harmed and distressed about finding out about his convictions will have been relieved there was no need for them to attend court.

"It's obvious he prioritised his own needs and put his relationship ahead of informing those who should have known about his convictions.

"He wanted a firmer foundation in the relationship before he revealed his convictions. It's dogged his efforts to form relationships in the past.

"It was a need for a relationship rather than a desire to have unsupervised contact with the children that drove him."

Mr Findlay said on the day he ended up having unsupervised contact it was because his partner was running late.

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Race hate sex offender Billy Charlton has been jailed for distributing an indecent image of a child to 47 people.

Charlton was under investigation for stirring up racial hatred when he forwarded an indecent image of a young boy and an animal to contacts on WhatsApp.

A court heard it is not suggested he is a paedophile but rather than he has a "sick sense of humour".

When Charlton was jailed for 21 months for the race hate offences in 2019, he shouted at jurors: "I hope your daughters don't get raped".

He was locked up for spreading toxic lies in a series of public speeches in which he hid behind the cloak of wanting to protect women and children from sexual assault while disseminating hate-filled falsehoods about immigrants, Asians, black people and the police.

He was convicted of five counts of stirring up racial hatred after using allegations of rape, kidnap and drugging by a female to spread racist lies.

The judge who sentenced him on that occasion said he had "conflated all immigrants with rapes and sexual offending, thus peddling racist hatred based around falsehoods" and branded him a bully.

Now Charlton, 57, formerly of Seaham, County Durham, but latterly of Sidmouth Road, Bensham, Gateshead, has been jailed for three years for sending the video of a young boy aged between 10 and 14 in the summer of 2018.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Prosecutor Ian West told the court: "It's not suggested he is a a paedophile or gained sexual gratification from watching it or forwarding it.

"He just has, it seems, a sick sense of humour."

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Jamie Teasdale, of Gateshead, wanted to meet a child for sexual activity and had downloaded indecent images online

A self-confessed paedophile who tried to groom a 13-year-old girl for sexual activity and was twice caught with indecent images of children has been locked up.

Pervert Jamie Teasdale made persistent attempts to groom and meet a child called Chloe - not realising it was a decoy profile online being run by vigilantes.

He admitted he would have engaged in sexual activity with the youngster if she had been real.

Police also found child abuse images on his phone and then later found he had downloaded more after his initial arrest.

Now the 28-year-old, of Sheriffs Highway, Gateshead, has been jailed for three years at Newcastle Crown Court.

Recorder Keir Monteith QC told him: "You have shown you are capable of harming a child, sexually and psychologically."

Paedophile hunters Guardians of the North had set up the Chloe profile online and when Teasdale began communicating with her, he was told she was 13.

He went on to groom her for sex, telling her she was attractive and asking for images of her.

The communication went on for weeks, with Teasdale telling her he wanted to meet her to have sexual activity.

He asked her about whether she had any sexual experience and when told no, he suggested it would be fun to start off with "little things".

Recorder Monteith said: "You later said it was an added bonus she was a child who was willing to discuss sex."

He tried to entice her to go to his home and made an arrangement to meet her but was detained by the vigilantes and arrested.

His laptop was seized and more than 200 indecent images were found, some of the most serious type, including a girl aged between eight and ten being raped.

Teasdale was subsequently arrested again around two years later and had a further 12 indecent images.

And in September 2018 he had distributed one category B indecent image to a woman he was talking to on Kik.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, six counts of making indecent images and one of distributing an indecent image.

As well as the prison sentence, he will have to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Jennifer Coxon, defending, said: "He has not shied away from the fact he has a sexual interest in young children."

Miss Coxon said Teasdale's first job was as a bartender and he ended up having a "difficult relationship with alcohol" and had "dabbled with cannabis".

She added that he had engaged in casual relationships with adults, one of whom he was in bed with watching TV when he first communicated with Chloe.

The court heard he struggled with caring for his mum and his death and has been depressed recently.

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Aiden Nicholson, of Gateshead, claimed he possessed the indecent images accidentally and denied having a sexual attraction to children

A computer specialist caught with indecent images of children as young as three has walked free from court.

Software engineer Aiden Nicholson had downloaded hundreds of indecent images, some depicting youngsters who were in pain and distress.

A court heard he claimed to have possessed them accidentally while downloading legal pornography but he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images. He also admitted having an extreme pornography image depicting someone having sex with a dog.

Now Nicholson, 25, of Hamsterley Crescent, Wrekenton, Gateshead, whose partner and family are standing by him, has been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.

Police went to his home with a warrant in July last year and found the illegal material on a memory card.

There were 193 pictures and videos of the most serious type, category A, 93 category B and 801 category C.

When he was arrested he said he downloaded a large amount of adult pornography which he then found contained indecent images of children.

Nicholson, also known as Mynard, denied having a sexual attraction to children.

The children featured in the videos were aged between three and 17.

Penny Hall, prosecuting, said: "There was pain and distress suffered by children in some of the images."

Recorder Keir Monteith QC sentenced Nicholson to 16 months, suspended for two years, with 300 hours unpaid work, a 500 fine. He must also do a sex offenders treatment programme and sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Joe Culley, defending, said Nicholson had written a letter expressing remorse and demonstrating insight into the impact of his offending.

He added that he has taken steps to ensure there is no repeat.

Mr Culley said: "He has a good job which provides him with a reasonably good level of income, he works as an IT specialist.

"He's in a long term relationship and plans to move in with his long-term girlfriend. She knows of what he has pleaded guilty to.

"There are character references from people who say they find this type of offending to be out of his character. There are two sides to his character.

"He is a blood donor and gives blood as often as he can."

Mr Culley said Nicholson's employer was not aware of the nature of the proceedings but that he expected to be able to keep his job.

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A predatory paedophile who subjected three children to sexual abuse has been jailed.

Paul Berry's crimes date back to the 1980s when he indecently assaulted a young girl.

Then, in the mid 2000s, Berry, from Gateshead, began abusing two young boys when he would make sexual advances towards them and sexually assault them.

The victims all bravely came forward in 2019 to report the abuse and an investigation was launched by Northumbria Police's Safeguarding unit.

Berry , 60, was arrested and denied all the allegations but a jury found him guilty of 12 counts of sexual assault at Newcastle Crown Court in March.

On Friday, May 14, at the same court, he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

Detective Constable Stefan Noakes, leading the investigation, welcomed the sentence and praised the bravery of the victims throughout this case.

Det Con Noakes said: "This has been such a long process for these victims but now thankfully they are getting the justice they deserve.

"Berry thought he was able to get away with his crimes by lying his way throughout this investigation but the jury saw through his deceit and he now faces the consequences of his actions.

"He made the victims endure further trauma by taking the case to trial but their strength and determination has been incredible and I hope now they can close off this awful chapter of their lives and move forward knowing Berry is behind bars where he belongs."

Berry, of Pattinson Gardens, Felling, has also been handed an indefinite Serious Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which places restrictions on him when he is released from prison and he will have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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A Good Samaritan was subjected to a terrifying sex attack after offering to put her attacker up for the night when he got locked out.

Andrew Kerr repaid the woman's kindness in offering him shelter after he lost his key by trying to rape her in her own home.

The victim said her traumatic ordeal changed her from a "happy person" to someone who is constantly on edge and has flashbacks about what happened to her.

Bravely reading her impact statement to Newcastle Crown Court herself, the woman said: "I suffer recurring nightmares.

"I still sometimes wake up and feel he's in bed, which can be terrifying.

"It's hard to get the image out of my head.

"I've become untrusting about people around me.

"I am worried people have ulterior motives for befriending me."

Kerr, 26, of Wallace Gardens, Gateshead, denied attempted rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault during a trial in which the victim gave evidence against him, but was found guilty of all charges

Jailing him for seven years, Judge Tim Gittins said the victim was "acting as a Good Samaritan" when she took him in and had made it clear she was offering shelter but nothing else.

Judge Gittins said Kerr made a "determined attempt" to rape the woman and added: "She was distressed and understandably fearful of causing you to lose your temper."

The court heard Kerr claimed he had "misread signals" and claimed the woman had consented to what happened.

But the judge told him: "What you did that night was so wrong and so against her wishes from the very outset."

Annelise Haugstad, defending, said Kerr's behaviour was "impulsive" and added: "He makes an apology in the clearest terms for making her feel the way that she felt.

"He will never find himself before the courts again."

Detective Constable Sean Leavey led the investigation for Northumbria Police and praised the bravery of the victim following the sentence.

He said: "The victim's strength has been unwavering throughout and despite the further trauma of a trial, she has stood strong and today she is able to walk away with justice on her side.

"Kerr clearly didn't see anything wrong with his actions but the courts have sent a clear message today that everything he did that night was wrong and now he is behind bars where he belongs.

"Sadly, we do hear of victims being assaulted in this way but so many don't come forward and report it. No one should suffer in silence and I'd urge anyone who has felt this way or has experienced this behaviour to please come forward and report it to police."

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Joseph Lennard, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Low Fell, was snared by paedophile hunters Dark Justice engaging in 'disgusting' chats.

Perverted pensioner Joseph Lennard sent "stomach churning" messages to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl - including claiming he had abused a six-year-old.

Lennard, 82, set up a profile online initially purporting to be a female called "Wendy13F" and made contact with a profile he believed was that of a child called Amy.

In fact, paedophile hunters Dark Justice were behind the decoy profile, a court heard.

But Lennard, who eventually revealed himself to be a man but lied about his age, believed he was talking to a girl who was 13 or had just turned 14 and sent hundreds of messages over a three week period.

While many were innocuous, he spoke to her about sex acts and sent a picture of male genitals.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he also claimed that when he worked as a lorry driver, he had been responsible for importing illegal immigrants and had been "responsible for a child sex offence with a child as young as six in India" and implied he had engaged in sexual activity with other children in the past.

Lennard, of Low Fell, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality.

Judge Julie Clemitson said the Wendy13F profile created by Lennard suggested it was that of a 13-year-old girl, although the biography was that of an adult female aged 31.

The judge told Lennard: "Quite why you chose to present yourself in that way is unclear. It suggests you were interested in meeting other young girls and hiding your true identity."

The chat moved from Meet4u to WhatsApp and there were many pages of messages.

Judge Clemitson said while a lot of the conversation was innocuous: "There were some fairly stomach-churning passages.

"You tried to impress her with tales of exploiting children abroad.

"You described having a sexual experience with a six-year-old girl. Whether it's true or not, the fact you fantasised about it and discussed it with what you thought was a child is disgusting.

"You also discussed fantasies about nurses touching you up in hospital."

The judge said the bestiality video found on his computer was "depraved to say the least" and said he had "disturbing appetites".

Lennard was sentenced to a three year community order and must sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

The court heard the shame of the conviction is such that Lennard feels he may have to move from the sheltered accommodation he lives in.

Vic Laffey, defending, said: "He acknowledges he has acted foolishly and completely inappropriately and he acknowledges also the court will be rightly concerned about the way he has acted.

"He lives an isolated existence, has no contact with his children, his estranged wife died last year and this children did not even let him know this happened.

"His isolation has led to him exploring social media and the situation deteriorated to the point this offence took place.

"He is ashamed he has lost his good character at 82. He has been very foolish.

"He has significant health problems."

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A SEX offender who hid his past from a single mum of two is spending Christmas in prison.

Richard Robert Arthur, 34, from the Felling area of Gateshead, was convicted in July 2010 of meeting a child under the age of 16 years following sexual grooming.

Last month the police learnt that Arthur was breaching the conditions of his sentence by repeatedly failing to declare his whereabouts and striking up a relationship with a woman who he had met online.

The unsuspecting mum was unaware of his past until she was contacted by someone who knew of Arthurs sex offender status.

The mum has now praised Northumbria Police for their swift action and support.

She said: A man like him has no place in my, or anyones, family home.

When I ended things, he wouldnt take no for an answer and then began harassing me. Luckily, I had the support and protection of Northumbria Police, who not only helped keep my family safe but supported me through the process and I know they are only a phone call away.

After learning about his past, she finished the relationship and banned all contact but Arthur started a campaign of harassment against her.

He was arrested for breaching his sex offender notification requirements and for domestic abuse harassment and was given a seven-month suspended sentence.

But after continuing to contact the woman, he was rearrested and has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to breaching a harassment order when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on December 13. He is awaiting sentencing.

Sgt Elliot Richardson, the investigating officer, is appealing for other women who may have come into contact with Arthur to come forward.

He said: I would like to thank the victim in this case, who was clearly very concerned when she learned of Richard Arthurs past.

She has shown a great deal of resilience throughout and I am pleased that we have been able to secure a conviction.

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Convicted paedophile snared by TWO vigilante groups after trying to groom both their decoy 'teenage girls' online is sent back to jail for seven years

This is the moment a pervert tells two paedophile hunting groups he is already a convicted sex offender as they snare him for grooming teen girls online.

Charles David Wigham has been sent back to prison after chatting to decoy profiles from both vigilante groups Dark Justice and Guardians of the North.

They turned up at his house where they filmed their confrontation with the 30-year-old before he was arrested by police.

At Newcastle Crown Court he was handed a seven year extended prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and breach of a sexual offences prevention order.

In chat logs revealed by the vigilante groups, Wigham, who thought he was speaking to three girls aged 13 and 14, sent graphic pictures as well as links to an explicit porn website.

He also asked the girls 'do you watch porn?' and called them 'baby'.

However, Wigham, of Winlaton, Blaydon on Tyne, was shocked when he realised that he was actually speaking to paedophile hunters.

When he was confronted he admitted to the two groups he was already a convicted sex offender.

He told them he had spent around 20 months in prison after having sex with a 14 year-old girl who he groomed over Facebook.

He also told them that he had to sign the sex offenders register for life.

A member of Dark Justice said: 'We didn't know that he had been convicted before.

'It wasn't until he told us when we got there that we found out that he was a convicted sex offender.

'It just shows that even if these people have been convicted they may go back online again. They can not always be rehabilitated.

'The day after we caught him he was supposed to be going to sign the sex offenders register. How long had he had that phone for?

'Changes need to be made - it wouldn't take long for his phone to be checked and for probation officers to realise something was going on.

'It is too relaxed and easy for these offenders.'

On the footage which captures the moment Wigham was snared, he admits that last time he was snared when the child's mother read the messages and reported him to the police.

The Dark Justice member added: 'He was speaking to decoys from both teams so we decided to go after him together.

'His parents were there and they were completely mortified by their son's actions.

'They were saying that he usually has to go to the library to use the internet - but they didn't know that he had a secret phone.'