Latest Offenders Halifax

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A DANGEROUS paedophile who has already spent the last 12 years behind bars has today been jailed for a further nine years for more “wicked” child abuse.

Back in 2010 child rapist Selby Wardle, now 71, was given a “life” sentence, with a minimum of six years, under the imprisonment for public protection legislation, but Bradford Crown Court heard today that he had been refused parole on a number of occasions and had subsequently spent double that time in custody.

Prosecutor Andrew Petterson explained that in 2017 when Wardle was applying for parole again, further allegations were made against him.

A police investigation was launched and Wardle, who is currently in HMP Hull, initially branded the new allegations as “all lies”, but he eventually pleaded guilty to three further sexual abuse charges involving young children, who must not be identified for legal reasons.

Mr Petterson outlined details of the historic abuse and Judge Colin Burn described one particular offence as one of the most wicked forms of the offence that he could think of.

In victim impact statements the complainants described how Wardle’s abuse had ruined their lives and left them suffering nightmares.

One complainant said: ”This man has made my life hell and even locked away he still is.”

Judge Burn said the effects of the abuse had been “profound and appallingly destructive” on the quality of life of the complainants.

Judge Burn said Parole Board reports indicated that right up until the beginning of this year Wardle still represented a high risk of harm to children.

He said the nine-year jail term for the sexual offences would start from today and Wardle would have to serve at least two-thirds of that sentence.

Detective Superintendent Stuart Bainbridge, who led the investigation, praised the "incredible courage and bravery" of the victims and added: "I would encourage anyone who has suffered any sort of abuse either recent or historic to come forward and speak to police. You will be listened to and given the help and support you need.

"We have specially trained officers who will work tirelessly to bring any perpetrators to justice.” 

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A PERSISTENT online paedophile snared in a sting by a decoy posing as a 12-year-old girl has been jailed for 32 months. Christopher Watts, 39, flouted a community order for attempting to communicate sexually with a child by repeatedly doing the same thing, Bradford Crown Court heard today. Watts, of Range Lane, Halifax, pleaded guilty to making three attempts to communicate with under-age girls online and to twice breaching a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Prosecutor Joe Culley said he committed offences between September and October, 2018, and again while under police investigation between December last year and March. He was netted in 2018 by a woman working as a decoy for an online child protection group. She told him she was 12 but Watts messaged her for 11 days making vile suggestions, including saying he wanted her to have his baby. He gave her his address when she said she wanted to send him a friendship bracelet. Watts was confronted by members of the group who called the police. In the second set of offences, he believed he was talking to two girls aged 14 when he engaged in sexualised online chat. His barrister, Lydia Pearce, said he was lonely and alcohol had played a role in his offending. He suffered with anxiety, had a low IQ and would be vulnerable in prison. Judge Andrew Hatton told Watts: You were determined to communicate with young children for your own sexual gratification. He ordered that the Sexual Harm Prevention stay in force and said that Watts must sign on the sex offender register for life.

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A MAN aged 63 has been jailed for two years after he was snared by online paedophile hunters for sending naked pictures of himself to what he believed was a girl aged 13. Gordon Hunter was confronted by members of the group and then arrested by the police, Bradford Crown Court heard today. Recorder Alex Menary, told Hunter, a retired supermarket security guard, he would be failing in his public duty not to jail him. Hunter, of Range Bank, Halifax, pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate with a child for sexual purposes by sending her pictures of his exposed penis. He also admitted inciting a child aged 13 to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent photographs of children and possession of extreme pornographic images of a person performing a sexual act with an animal. All the offences took place between April 13 and June 9, 2019. Hunter told interviewing officers he was aware that he was speaking to a young adult woman. It was just role playing. Ken Green said in mitigation that he was deeply ashamed. He had worked hard all his life as a supermarket security guard and had caused his wife and family great distress. Recorder Menary ordered Hunter to sign on the sex offender register for ten years.

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A DETERMINED paedophile who embarked on the relentless pursuit of vile and disgusting indecent images of children has been jailed for four years and four months.

Alexander Allport possessed and distributed hundreds of images at category A, B and C, including movies of babies being raped, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Allport, 37, of Canterbury Crescent, Halifax, shared the “disgusting and horrific” pictures with like-minded perverts on internet chat sites.

He was told by Judge Jonathan Rose: “Your behaviour is incomprehensible to any decent member of society.”

Allport was first arrested in May, 2017, when police officers acting on information went to his home and seized a memory stick and computers, prosecutor Ayesha Smart said.

Investigators found 114 category A movies and 300 category A images; 130 category B movies and 295 category B images; and 8 category C movies and 1,035 category C images.

They featured children aged between one and 14, the court was told.

Allport was distributing the images in a chatroom with 43 members. He shared 21 of them, some at category A, among 18 people, Miss Smart said.

He told the police he began downloading the images in 2016. He was then released under investigation.

On February 3 this year, the police returned to his home and seized three phones and a computer hard drive containing 10 category B images, 83 category C images and 752 prohibited images of children, comprising cartoons and 3D images.

Allport told the police that following his first arrest he had paid an American company for therapy to tackle his sexual attraction to children.

He was again released and he appeared in court in April.

On May 5, he was caught with 39 category A indecent images; 33 at category B and 60 at category C.

He was using a website to chat to boys and girls and taking to other paedophiles.

Allport was then remanded in custody and sentenced on a video link to Leeds Prison.

He pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children in 2017 and two further sets of offences of making indecent images of children.

Allport’s barrister, Charles Blatchford, said he had been frank with the police from the outset.

The group therapy sessions had stopped him offending for 18 months but then he ran out of money to pay for them.

Mr Blatchford conceded that immediate custody was inevitable and pointed to Allport’s lack of any offending until 2016.

Judge Rose said that Allport “embarked on the relentless pursuit of paedophilic images of children being debased and violated.”

He was a determined paedophile who engaged with like-minded perverts to share “disgusting and horrific images.”

Allport was jailed for a total of four years and four months. He must register as a sex offender indefinitely and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made, also for an indefinite period.

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A forklift driver who mocked transgender friends before masturbating in front of them doesn't believe his vile behaviour caused them any distress.

The two women were left shocked and disgusted when perverted Graham Beevers pulled out his penis in full view of them at a remote beauty spot above Marsden Moor.

He laughed at them because he thought they looked funny before pleasuring himself and telling them: I would have f*****d you both.

The 52-year-old was found guilty of exposure at Kirklees Magistrates' Court earlier this month.

Magistrates described his behaviour as demonstrating hostility towards the women based on their transgender identity.

Yet it was revealed at Beevers' sentencing hearing that he still doesn't believe that he did anything wrong.

His solicitor Jonathan Slawinski said: His behaviour shows entrenched, underlying issues with people with different gender characteristics.

He struggles to identify the hurt he's caused and that needs to be looked at and challenged.

Beevers claimed that he'd gone to the Buckstones car park, described as a known 'dogging site', to watch hang gliders after finishing his shift at Manchester Airport.

But the court heard that he pulled up alongside the women's convertible in his Honda Civic before sitting on a fence and fondling himself as he stared fixedly at them.

The victims had gone to the New Hey Road site at 2.30pm on July 27 last year to have a picnic and take some pictures.

They were described as friends having bonded over their transgender identities and love of cars.

After pulling up in his car Beevers looked at them for a while before reversing back into a parking spot.

He exited to sit on the fence where he pulled out his penis and began masturbating for several minutes.

Beevers, of Lytton Street in Halifax, then jumped down and walked towards the women's car, staring at them and saying: 'Alright?' before heading back to his vehicle.

He then left the car with nothing on his bottom half, sat in front of the victims' car and played with himself again.

One of the victims said: Being transgender you pay the price.

Whenever you're out in public you have lots of derogatory words aimed at you.

The second victim said how what she saw turned her stomach.

Prosecutor Alex Bozman said: She felt uneasy and scared.

Mr Beevers is a large man and they were frightened that something else could have happened.

She said: 'We now feel fearful when we go to these places which is so sad because we just want to enjoy ourselves.

Mr Bozman told magistrates that Beevers demonstrated hostility towards the victims based on their transgender identity.

He said: He accepted in interview that he said: 'I would have f****d the both of you'.

He admitted he would have never said this if it had been two females so there's clearly an element of transphobia in terms of the offence.

Beevers said in court that he laughed at the victims because he thought they were funny and were 'dressed up men' as they didn't look very convincing as women.

His solicitor argued that they couldn't have seen him naked because they failed to notice distinctive tattoos on his legs and a 'Prince Albert' ring piercing through the top of his penis.

Beevers denied going to the area to engage in consensual sex even though he told police that he believed there was a dogging site close by.

But magistrates found him guilty of intentionally exposing his genitals to cause alarm or distress.

Mr Slawinski said that his client maintains his innocence and his family have stood by him, although he faces an investigation at work.

He told magistrates: The offence must have been very unpleasant for the complainants.

His behaviour and his commentary shows entrenched, underlying issues with people with different gender characteristics.

He doesn't seem to acknowledge a problem exists. He doesn't acknowledge that he would have caused them harassment, alarm or distress.

He has some rigid, entrenched views and that needs to be looked at, challenged and worked with.

If you send Mr Beevers to custody none of this work will be undertaken. He will go into isolation and remain there.

These areas can be worked upon to prevent, more importantly, a repetition of this incident.

Magistrates sentenced Beevers to a community order with 20 rehabilitation activity days, including the Maps for Change programme focusing on sexual offending, and 300 hours of unpaid work

The order was made as a direct alternative to custody.

Beevers will have to pay 620 court costs and 90 victim surcharge.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for five years and will have to give his personal details to police within three days.