Latest Offenders Hertfordshire

Description

A sex offender has been jailed after bragging to a friend on WhatsApp about an encounter he told police had not happened.

Chiziem Omisa, now aged 25, sexually assaulted a young woman in May 2019 after meeting her online and showering her with flirtatious and flattering messages.

The woman, who repeatedly asked him to stop, initially decided against calling the police but was identified by officers during a forensic examination of Omisa’s mobile phone.

The device had been seized when Omisa was arrested in connection with another alleged offence, and revealed a torrent of messages to her.

When detectives tracked the woman down, she recalled how Omisa – using an assumed name – had met up with and assaulted her at his student accommodation in Nottingham after finding her profile on Instagram.

She explained how Omisa had then pressured her to keep silent – even suggesting that she could be kicked out of her university if she took the matter further.

Damning evidence

Omisa was arrested again and denied any sexual contact with the woman.

However he was undone be a series of crude WhatsApp messages – sent to a friend on the day of the incident from his phone – boasting of an encounter with the victim.

Because Omisa had already admitted to being with the woman at the time, this single social media exchange proved to be a crucial bit of evidence,

Omisa later pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault by penetration.

He also pleaded guilty to stalking two other young women he met while on bail for the Nottingham offence, and to perverting the course of justice.

Appearing at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday 27 June, Omisa, of Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, was jailed for four years and four months.

Restraining order and restrictions

He was also handed a restraining order forbidding any future contact with his victims, and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order that will closely restrict his behaviour once he is released.

Specifically, Omisa will have to make all his electronic devices available for inspection by police, register all social media accounts with officers, and refrain from sending any unsolicited friend requests to women via social media.

Description

A male predator who dressed as a woman to sexually abuse a 20-year-old man in Bishop’s Stortford was jailed for 10 years on Tuesday (May 28).

Wayne Rogers, now 48, was wearing a wig and fake breasts when he picked up the victim, who was “absolutely hammered” having spent the evening in the town centre.

Rogers, a bald hairdresser, led him to his car and drove him a short distance before stopping to carry out the attack, part of which he videoed.

He appeared for sentence at St Albans Crown Court having been convicted by a jury last September of assault by penetration, two offences of sexual assault and two offences of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

Judge Francis Sheridan told Rogers: “He was chosen by you because he was intoxicated and you could see he was intoxicated. You could see he was vulnerable.

“You sexually abused him for your own sexual excitement and satisfaction.”

In 2022, Rogers, of Plaw Hatch Close, Bishop’s Stortford, had appeared at the same court before a different judge for three separate trials in which he was accused of offences against other men.

While dressed as a woman he was said to have performed oral sex on a drunken worker who had been to his firm’s Christmas party in December 2019.

The man had left a pub and was guided into an alleyway by a person with long fingernails, who was wearing perfume. He was spun around before being attacked. Rogers, who said the activity was consensual, was found not guilty of sexual assault.

At the end of a second trial, Rogers was found not guilty of causing a second man, who thought he was a woman, to engage in sexual activity without consent. That was between May 2018 and April 2020.

Rogers said he met the man every couple of weeks on a Friday or Saturday in a field or a car park. The complainant believed he was having sexual activity with a woman.

A third jury cleared him of coercive control in an intimate or family relationship with another man between January and July 2016.

Three months after his third acquittal, Rogers preyed on the 20-year-old in the early hours of Sunday September 11, 2022.

At the trial which followed, prosecutor Mark Trafford KC said: “He goes out for all intents and purposes dressed as, and looking like, a woman, with a wig and with breast replacements.

“He finds his drunk young man and goes to an out-of-the-way place where he engages in abuse – sexual contact with the young man, away from prying eyes.

“He is a sexual predator that picks on drunken men and deceives them by being dressed as a woman.

“The complainant in this case was very drunk. He [Rogers] picked on him because he was absolutely hammered.”

Mr Trafford said the victim had drunkwine, gin, Prosecco and vodka over five hours. He had been to JD Wetherspoon’s Port Jackson pub before moving on to Bacchus nightclub.

He had escorted a woman friend to a car, where she was picked up and taken home. He had fallen over a couple of times in the town centre when Rogers, dressed as a woman, spotted him and led him to his car.

The prosecutor went on: “He got into the car, was driven a short distance away and was sexually assaulted. Through the fog of alcohol, he recalls being sexually assaulted in the car park and then somewhere else out of the way.

“It was without any consent whatsoever. It was degrading and he was left at 5am in the morning somewhere. He woke up on a patch of grass.”

He told his father, when they drove into the town the next day to look for his phone, he had been assaulted. He was taken to a sexual assault referral centre.

Mr Trafford said the man told the nurse that he remembered the person who assaulted him had a deep and distinctive voice.

In a personal statement, the victim said: “When I am not distracted and am alone with my thoughts, I feel sad or numb.”

Rogers was arrested on November 4, 2022. At his home, police found two blonde wigs and a pair of fake breasts under his bed.

A police dog alerted its handler to the headboard of Rogers’ bed. Inside there was a mobile phone.

When it was examined, officers found an image of the victim sitting motionless, wearing just white socks, while the defendant fondled him.

Internet search history on Rogers’ phone included search terms such as: “Drunk friend f…….”, “F…… drunk sleeping friend,” “Drunk guy getting f……” and “Sleeping drunk gay friend f…..”

Defending Alexander Wright, said: “He had a hairdresser shop and then [worked] as a mobile hairdresser.”

Mr Wright said that in his previous trials, Rogers had described himself as being “like a woman trapped in a man’s body”.

Judge Sheridan told Rogers: “This young man was a complete and utter innocent and a complete stranger.

“He was an easy prey for you. There was a degree of planning. You went out dressed with your fake breasts and wig.”

Rogers must register as a sex offender for life and must abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A man from Stevenage has been sentenced to eight years in prison for multiple non-recent child sexual offences.

Michael Aggabao, aged 51, of Lister Close, was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault, one count of digital penetration and one count of attempted digital penetration following a 10-day trial at St Albans Crown Court in October 2023.

All charges relate to two victims who were under the age of 13 at the time, and occurred between May 2009 and May 2014, and during March 2019.

He was cleared of one count of sexual assault and one count of digital penetration.

For charges against the first victim, Aggabao was jailed for a total of five years with a year on an extended licence, as well as a further nine years to be served concurrently.

For charges against the second victim, Aggabao was sentenced to three years in prison, with a further nine years to be served concurrently.

The sentences against both victims will run consecutively, taking his total prison term to eight years plus one year on an extended licence.

He was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be placed on the sex offenders register.

Detective Constable Sam Dutton, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Non-Recent Sexual Offences Team, said: “The predatory and harmful behaviours of Aggabao have had a long-lasting impact on the lives of both the victims and their families.

“I hope this conviction and lengthy sentence shows that we will continue to take proactive action against anyone who targets young people.”

Becoming a victim of sexual assault is never your fault. If you’ve been a victim, no matter how long ago the offence occurred, please report it. We have specialist officers on hand to provide advice and support throughout an investigation. The constabulary also has several officers who are specially trained to provide support to members of the LGBT+ community.

Description

A police officer who exposed his erect penis to a Tinder date stalked another woman he met online whilst working in a Met Police safeguarding unit. Thomas Hartill, a former detective constable attached to the North West Command Unit, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking at Highbury Magistrates' Court on Thursday, March 14, two months after he was found guilty of sexual misconduct at a Met Police tribunal.

The 37-year-old, of Station Road, Harpenden, previously worked as an actor and director, starring in West End productions, including As You Like It, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Intruder. After joining the Met Police, the thespian worked directly with female victims of stalking and abuse in a safeguarding unit.

On Thursday, prosecutor Martin Edwards told the court how Hartill met a female teacher on a dating app in July last year, while he was still a serving officer. After dating the woman - nine years his junior - for some weeks, she dumped him.

But rather than accept the relationship was over, Hartill repeatedly messaged her and even swapped phones after she blocked his number, the court heard. Hartill then stalked her, appearing at a bus stop on her way home from work on July 30 last year, and then again on September 7, Mr Edwards said.

"I'm incredibly anxious and nervous about him. Especially as there was a six week break away," the victim wrote in her impact statement. "His behaviour is making me feel nervous. The persistent messaging is distracting and concerning... I am on edge and nervous all the time. It makes me feel incredibly unsafe."

Defence counsel James O'Donnell said Hartill had expressed remorse as he called for an all options report from the probation service. Chair Amanda Gibbons gave Hartill bail on the condition he makes no contact with his victim. Hartill stammered 'I have no reason to' as Ms Gibbons warned him any breach of the condition could land him in prison.

Hartill's criminal conviction comes after he resigned from the Met Police in January 2024, ahead of a misconduct hearing the same month. The tribunal heard how his victim appeared upset and told a friend 'I think I was sexually assaulted last night' after her date with Hartill.

Like with Hartill's stalking victim, the pair met on a dating app, in this case Tinder, then agreed to meet up. The victim said they kissed on a bench, but she refused to engage in sexual activity when Hartill placed her hand on his penis. Despite her objections, he did it again. Later when they went for a drive in her car, she said Hartill exposed his erect penis and said 'Go on' without her consent.

She also told the panel 'Hartill kept bringing the conversation around to the sexual side of a relationship while she wanted a long-term relationship'. In his defence, Hartill accused the victim of sending bikini photos and a nude. However, the panel said Hartill 'probably' accessed the bikini photos from Facebook, and he could not prove the identity of the naked woman as her face was cropped.

The panel was satisfied with the victim's evidence that Hartill placed her hand on his penis twice, without consent, and exposed himself in the car. They also heard evidence of the impact on the victim, who said she would now 'freeze' if she heard a police siren and had started therapy to help her cope with Hartill's behaviour.

In its ruling, the panel concluded Hartill's behaviour was repeated, deliberate, and he was seeking sexual gratification. Had Hartill not already resigned, the panel found he was guilty of gross misconduct and would have been sacked anyway.

On Friday, March 15, a Met Police spokesperson confirmed 'former DC Hartill did work in a safeguarding unit, therefore would have come into contact with victims of stalking offences'.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, leading the Met’s North West Policing Command, said: "There is no excuse for the actions of this officer. In his former role as a police officer he would have been aware of the devastating consequences of stalking, therefore this makes his offending all the more disappointing.

"PC Hartill has been dismissed from the Met and he has been added to a barred list, held by the College of Policing, which means he cannot be employed by a police force again." After his conviction on Thursday, Hartill will be sentenced at the same court in April.

Description

A convicted sex offender has been jailed after Hertfordshire police discovered an Amazon Fire tablet at his home.

Sean Keane has sentenced to two years in prison today (Thursday, December 14) for breaching a court order for the second time.

Following a previous conviction, the 61-year-old was supposed to inform the police if he had a new phone or internet device, and of any online aliases that he has used online.

When officers visited his home in London Colney on May 4, he admitted he had bought a new phone a few days earlier from a neighbour. 

He claimed that he had attempted to call the officer assigned to him, but no longer had his number.

Having denied being in possession of any other devices that could connect to the internet, an Amazon Fire tablet was found after police searched his home.

In addition, the officers discovered that he had been using his mother’s maiden name on Facebook Messenger, without informing them of the alias.

The man from Birchway, London Colney appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, and for failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

In October 2019, he had been jailed for 33 months for breaking a court order within a week of being sentenced for attempting to communicate with a child, and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

When the police raided his then-home in Hemel Hempstead they found two phones that he had not registered with the police.

Defending, Alexandra Monaghan said Keane was in ill health and had let himself down.

She said that he had suffered from loneliness and had a traumatic childhood, during which he had been abused.

Upon sentencing Keane, Judge Michael Roques said: “You were previously sentenced to prison for breaching a court order and you wilfully chose to breach it again.

“I am concerned you will commit further offences.”

Description

A "vile" rapist has been jailed for more than six years after an "horrific" attack in Hatfield.

Stefan Keleman, of Campion Road in Hatfield, was sentenced to six years and nine months for raping and assaulting a women, after appearing at St Albans Crown Court on Monday (November 13).

In addition to the custodial sentence, the 46-year-old was handed a restraining order, placed on the sex offenders register for life, and will be deported to Romania when he completes his sentence.

At around 11.30pm on Sunday, June 18, Keleman was involved in a brief conversation with a woman in Asda car park. 

He then followed the woman into the town centre and he punched her in the back of the head before pinning her to the ground.

He then raped the victim while continuing his attack by hitting, punching and biting her.

Keleman only stopped when a police officer arrived.

"Keleman is a vile individual who thought nothing of raping a stranger he had just briefly met. During the attack he continued assaulting the victim by hitting, punching and biting her," said Detective Constable Jarl Thomason, from the constabulary’s Sexual Offences Investigation Team.

"This was a horrific ordeal for the victim and I want to pay tribute to her resilience throughout the court case. I hope the result provides some sense of justice.

"I would also like to thank a local resident who saw what was happening and immediately called the police.

"Thankfully incidents like this are rare in Hertfordshire but that does not detract from the trauma that the victim will now have to live with for the rest of her life.

"We are determined to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls and I hope the news of this prison sentence provides reassurance to the public that we are committed to that pledge."

Description

A member of staff at a Bishop’s Stortford restaurant who raped a customer on her work Christmas party has been jailed for eight years and four months.

Erdal Eryimaz, 40, followed the victim into a toilet cubicle at Skew, the Turkish eatery and cocktail bar in Adderley Road, where he grabbed and assaulted her.

The woman, who is in her 30s, told a 999 call handler: “I just got thrown into the toilet by guy who works in Skew and he had sex with me and I didn’t want him to.”

She told St Albans Crown Court that she was pinned against the wall in an attack that left her feeling “dirty and filthy”.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecution barrister Matthew Walsh, the woman said: “I was raped by a person in a position of trust in the restaurant. A staff member assaulted me while I was intoxicated and vulnerable. I will never be the person I used to be.”

She said that the day of the Christmas party, on the evening of Saturday December 10 last year, had “rapidly turned into the worst day of my life”.

It had left her with an “overwhelming feeling of shock, disbelief and numbness”.

Referring to the examination by police medical staff, she said: “I felt disgusted by every inch of my body.”

Eryimaz, of Archers Place, South Street, in Bishop’s Stortford had denied rape but was convicted by the jury. He claimed she had consented.

Police arrested him on Station Road that evening carrying a large suitcase and two bags.

He told the officers: “I have pictures [of us] together. We like each other. We did it.”

At Stevenage police station he told officers: “She was drunk. I was drunk. She had sex with me.”

In a prepared statement he said: “We had consensual sex. We both liked one another. She flirted with me in the restaurant. When I told her she was hot she became excited. She put her arm around me.”

Defence barrister Jennifer Dannhauser said that Eryimaz, who was aided in court by a Turkish interpreter, was of previous good character.

He had worked in the catering industry in Sweden and Norway for 20 years before coming to England in 2022.

At the time of the rape he was seeking sponsorship to remain in the UK. She said that he may now face deportation.

Recorder Sean O’Sullivan KC told Eryimaz: “You either behaved like a predator or perhaps you are an egoist that the limited interaction you had with her persuaded you she wanted to have sex with you.”

He must register as a sex offender for life and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.

Description

A 48-year-old man from Bushey is facing more than three years in jail after he was snared in a paedophile sting.

Peter McCann, of Pinfold Road, Bushey, was arrested in Watford on November 5 after attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.

He was jailed for three years and nine months on Monday (June 19) when he appeared at St Albans Crown Court.

Volunteer group Innocent Voices had carried out a sting after another team sent them an evidence file with messages he had exchanged with an adult “decoy”.

He was then detained by the group and arrested by Hertfordshire police, in Park Avenue, Bushey.

McCann pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child into sexual activity on December 19, 2022.

He was also sentenced over making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child for an overall sentence of 45 months imprisonment.

A sexual harm prevention order was made and he was added to the sex offenders register, both indefinitely.

The indecent images fell under categories B and C, meaning images involving non-penetrative sexual activity and not involving sexual activity respectively.

Izzy Hunter, from Innocent Voices, said her team were “really happy” to see a prison sentence in the case.

The Hertfordshire resident said: “I’m glad it was dealt with relatively quickly but also that it was a prison sentence.

“Only with that is there really a deterrent. The sentences are getting more serious, more prison sentences and less suspended sentences, which are not really a deterrence as they carry on their lives as normal.

“I’m also really happy that he is indefinitely on the register as that will always be around with him.”

She added that it is often a “postcode lottery” whether people caught in similar stings are bailed or remanded, as well as whether the cases are dealt with quickly or drag on for years without sentences or restrictions.

Hertfordshire police is usually one of the more proactive forces, she added.

Mrs Hunter is involved in dealing with an offender once a week, on average, and said the amount of people attempting these crimes online is “non-stop”.

Description

A former Met police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman and abusing his powers to access a restricted report about his victim on police systems.

Ireland Murdock, 26, has been convicted for raping a woman in September 2021, after yesterday's trial at Inner London Crown Court.

In January 2022, four months after the rape occurred, Murdock's victim reported the crime to the police.

After the crime was reported, Murdock ran his victim's name through the police system without authorisation and was subsequently dismissed from the force for what was found to be gross misconduct in July 2022.

Chief Supt Andy Carter, the head of the unit Murdock worked in, said: "Murdock committed an absolutely atrocious offence, and caused his victim a lot of pain and fear. He betrayed everything we stand for and I am disgusted by his actions.

"We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

"I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty."

The news of his conviction follows the sentencing of former Met Officer David Carrick for 42 counts of rape in February, as well as the publication of the Casey report in March, wherein one officer said the findings showed rape is 'basically legalised' in the Metropolitan police.

A suspended Met officer is also being sentenced in Westminster today after being convicted for repeatedly stalking a woman he met while on duty.

Chief Supt Carter added of the conviction: "We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation."

Murdock will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on May 23.

Description

A registered sex offender who ‘stole a huge chunk’ of his victim’s life has been sentenced at Luton Crown Court to more than six years in prison.

Malcom Graham, 75, of Skegness Road, Stevenage, took advantage of his friendship with a woman, sexually assaulting her in her own home while she slept in 2018. The victim disclosed the offence to Bedfordshire Police in 2019, and an investigation was launched.

Graham was already on the Sex Offender’s Register after a sexual assault conviction in the 1980s. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Thursday February 9.

He was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison, with an extended three years and six months on license. In an impact statement from the victim shared in court, she said: "The flashbacks I had about the night it happened were unbearable.

"I would regularly have night terrors which would result in me screaming out in my sleep... That man ruined and stole a huge chunk of our lives. Although we can never forget what that monster put us through, we are working on a better life without him in it."

Detective Sergeant Amy Hawkes from Bedfordshire Police said: "This was a predatory attack by a man who posed as a friend to prey on a woman in her own home. During the investigation, Graham denied the incident was non-consensual stating, ‘she did not say no’.

"However, consent means agreeing to what's happening by choice and having the freedom and ability to make or change that choice. During the incident, some people may feel pressured, scared and they may even freeze, which makes them unable to make a free choice, and that is still a crime.

"I want to thank the victim for finding the courage to come forward and for remaining supportive of the investigation over several years. I would also like to extend my thanks to her husband for the unwavering support he has shown her.

"This case demonstrates convictions are possible for sexual assaults, no matter who the offender is, when they took place or when they were reported." Reports of sexual assault, even if non-recent, can be made to the police by calling 101 or online. Always call 999 in an emergency.

Description

A man has been jailed having pleaded guilty to sexual offences against children, including rape.

Colin Phillips, aged 56, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, has been jailed for 10 years for the crimes.

Mr Phillips appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, February 9, where he was given a total custody sentence of 14 years (10 years custodial and four years licence).

Additionally, he was added to the sex offenders’ register and placed under a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Sergeant Dan Osborne, of the Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “A dangerous offender has been removed from the community and put behind bars for despicable behaviour towards children.

“I’d like to highlight the bravery of the victims and families who have supported the investigation to help bring Phillips to justice.”

Mr Phillips was arrested on Thursday, November 3, 2022, and charged with rape of a child under 13 and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

He was also charged with four counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of making indecent images of a child.

The offences took place between February 2022 and July 2022.

Description

This is the first picture of a man who subjected a woman to a terrifying sex attack after pushing his way into her home. Before she escaped the victim was threatened with being stabbed in the throat by Mohammed Ismail.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Ismail had gone to the victim's address in the early hours of July 22 this year where he 'hugged and pestered her'. He returned some hours later and after forcing his way in told her to sit on the bed and produced £100 and offered it to her saying she was "his girl," said Harinderpal Dhami, prosecuting.

He then pushed her down on the bed and tried to kiss her neck, face and lips but she managed to struggle free and tried to flee from the room but the defendant pulled her back by her hair, at which point he picked up a lock knife and threatened to stab her. "He tried to pull her on top of him and then he got on top of her. He threatened her again, threatening to stab her in the throat," said Mr Dhami.

The victim did, though, eventually manage to run out of the room and sought help from a friend. In a statement she said that she suffered flashbacks and that she had had to move as a result of what happened. In passing sentence, Judge Andrew Smith KC said: "I am sure it was clear to you from the early hours that she did not want your attentions. Despite that several hours later you pushed your way into her bedroom.

"I am entirely satisfied you would not have stopped had she not escaped." He said it had been a "sustained and plainly terrifying" attack for which there was no justification. Ismail, 35, of Aston Lane, Aston, who had previously admitted a charge of sexual assault, was jailed for two years and three months. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Robert Tolhurst, defending, said Ismail had come to the UK from Somalia without a father figure as a refugee from civil war and that he suffered from PTSD, depression and anxiety.

Description

Brave victim's evidence means the 'predatory sex offender' will now serve a long sentence.

A serving police officer is facing a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty of raping a girl under the age of 13 and of wiping his phone to try to pervert the course of justice. James Ford, 31, of Hertfordshire Police, was found guilty of 10 counts of sexual abuse against the same child following less than a day of deliberation by jurors at Cambridge Crown Court.

The bearded defendant, formerly of Bishop’s Stortford, was found guilty of four counts of rape, four of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity. He was also found guilty of carrying out an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, in that he “deliberately wiped his phone by factory resetting his Samsung Mobile phone”.

The offences, which had been denied by the defendant, who served as an intervention officer, happened between 2019 and 2021. Hertfordshire Police said Ford was suspended from duties in November last year.

The judge in the case, Mr Justice Simon Bryan, remanded Ford in custody ahead of sentencing on Friday. Releasing jurors, he told them that Ford was “obviously going to have a lengthy custodial sentence – the sentence will be determined by me on Friday”.

Hertfordshire Police said that when allegations emerged, the case was independently investigated by specialist officers based within the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU) at Cambridgeshire Police. The matter was also referred to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the force’s Professional Standards Department.

Ford, a serving officer, joined the force in December 2019 and was originally based in East Hertfordshire as a uniformed response officer, Hertfordshire Police said. Detective Inspector Susie Hine, who heads the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU) at Cambridgeshire Police, paid tribute to the “courage and bravery” of the child.

“Through the victim’s powerful testimony, the jury were left in no doubt and now a predatory sex offender is behind bars,” she said. “Cases of this nature are both disturbing and upsetting and I want to reassure the public, there is no place for an offender to hide no matter who they are.In this case it was a serving police officer who now faces the custodial consequences of his appalling actions.”

Detective Constable Mark Williamson, the officer in the case, said: “Ford has shown no remorse for his actions and it’s a credit to the victim that the jury saw beyond his lies. I would encourage victims of child abuse to reach out to police or support agencies to get the help and support they need, no matter when the offence occurred.

“Ford faces a significant prison sentence for his crimes which I hope gives a sense of justice to the victim and their family.”

Hertfordshire Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: “James Ford took advantage of a vulnerable victim in the most appalling way and his behaviour will have devastated those involved. Thankfully, due to the bravery of the victim and the due diligence of the officers investigating, he will now serve time in prison which is where he belongs. I am disgusted by his actions and he will face a fast track hearing for dismissal.”

Description

A man faces 16 months behind bars after he was caught masturbating in front of a woman on the London Underground, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Terence Emberson, 55, and of Church Road, Hertford, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 July, where he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent exposure and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which he was given for another exposure offence in 2020.

On Monday 15 August Emberson was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

At around 7pm on Wednesday 1 June, Emberson boarded a Victoria Line train at Tottenham Hale station and the victim noticed him staring in the direction of two other women on the carriage.

He then turned towards her and exposed his genitals, staring at her while he masturbated in front of her.

Officers quickly matched the victims account and description of the offender to Emberson, evidencing a breach of his SHPO which prohibited him from lowering or unzipping his trousers in any public place. He was later arrested at his home.

BTP Detective Constable Emma Martin, said: Im pleased to see Emberson behind bars for his sickening actions which left the victim horrified.

Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are given to protect the public, and Embersons blatant disregard of this proves his predatory mindset.

No one should be subjected to this behaviour as they travel, and we are absolutely committed to stamping it out.

Description

"He attempted to arrange for the most horrific abuse of vulnerable children thousands of miles away from him for his own gratification"

A Northern Ireland born comedian who paid criminals to sexually abuse children has been jailed.

Eamon Goodfellow, originally from Lurgan, Co Armagh, was sentenced to four years and nine months after he was convicted of paying for and directing the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines and Romania.

The 50-year-old, who had been living in St Albans in Hertfordshire, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers on June 14, 2018 and all of his electronic devices seized for analysis.

The NCA says a number of chat logs were recovered which showed Goodfellow discussing the abuse of children with facilitators, one of whom was based in the Philippines and the other in Romania.

In a statement issued on Thursday, they added: In the chats, Goodfellow was shown to be actively seeking children under 13-years-old. When a child at the right age was identified, he would direct the facilitators to perform certain sexual acts on the children with a view to live-streaming the offending.

Evidence showed that he sent payment to the facilitators to carry out the abuse. He was found guilty of two counts of attempting to cause the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 at St Albans Crown Court on 12 April following a six day trial.

He was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison. Goodfellow is also subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

The Daily Mirror reported previously how video clips of the the sex offenders comedy showed him joking about another young comedian being too ugly for child-molesting Moors murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.

The reported added that he was a runner-up in the 2019 New Act of the Year Final and had performed at the Edinburgh fringe.

Speaking today, Martin Ludlow from the National Crime Agency said: Goodfellow made it very clear that he has sexual interest in young children in these chat logs.

He attempted to arrange for the most horrific abuse of vulnerable children thousands of miles away from him for his own gratification.

He was helped by facilitators whose motive is to make money. This kind of financially-driven offending is a key threat to the UK.

The NCA works with international law enforcement partners to safeguard children, as well as to identify and disrupt those willing to fund and carry out this abuse. The NCA has an excellent relationship with agencies in the Philippines and actively supports the work of the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC).