Latest Offenders Hull

Description

An ‘extremely dangerous’ and ‘controlling’ man has been sentenced to a total of 15 years behind bars with an extension of five years on license, and will be on the sex offenders register for life, after he was found guilty at Hull Crown Court on Friday, 23 May.

Deven Huteson, 26-years-old, of Greylees Avenue, Hull pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating, three counts of criminal damage and malicious communications.

 Having refused to admit further offences, Huteson was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault by penetration, assault causing actual bodily harm, assault by beating, and coercive and controlling behaviour, following a five-day trial.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Melissa Bell said: “Huteson is an extremely dangerous offender, who over a four-week period, subjected a woman to extreme levels of violent abuse and controlling behaviours and continues to show no remorse for his crimes.

“I am reassured that he is now off our streets and in prison for a substantial number of years, unable to inflict such incomprehensible emotional and physical harm to anyone else.

“I’d like to praise the woman for her sheer bravery for coming forward and reporting the horrific crimes she was subjected to; I cannot begin to comprehend how she has felt throughout the entirety of this investigation and court proceedings, especially after Huteson denied offences, making her relive the trauma she endured throughout the trial.

“I hope the result today will also encourage others to come forward if they have experienced something similar, and I’d like to offer my reassurance that we take all allegations like this seriously, and will do our upmost for our victims, as well as safeguard our wider communities against people like Huteson.”

Description

A couple who pinned a woman to the floor and raped her have been jailed.

Anthony Preston, 22, and Nicole Rickatson, 27, "took advantage" of the woman's trust when they assaulted her in December 2023 for "their own sexual gratification", Humberside Police said.

The pair, of Allendale, Hull, were convicted of rape at Hull Crown Court in February following a 10-day trial. Preston was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

During a sentencing hearing earlier, Preston was sent to prison for seven years and six months, while Rickatson was given a six-year term.

Following the attack, Preston tried "to cover up their sexual deviancy" by removing evidence from a bedroom, but it was later recovered by officers, the force said.

Following their convictions, Det Con Thomas Birkenhead said the pair had "refused to admit their crimes" and instead made the woman "relive the ordeal all over again by subjecting her to a trial".

He commended the woman's "bravery and strength in coming forward" and said the verdict did not "take away the continued trauma she must endure".

Description

A seedy pervert drove around east Hull looking opportunities to approach and attack unsuspecting women – and filmed himself grabbing and intimately touching one woman as she walked home alone.

Dylan Templeman made random attacks on women – two of them within an hour of each other – and he was part of a social media group who filmed themselves performing lewd acts in public, a court heard. Templeman, 22, of Severn Street, off Holderness Road, east Hull, admitted two offences of sexual assault on women on September 21 last year.

He also admitted exposing himself to a mother and her stepdaughter in Hull on September 14 and a further offence of having indecent images of children. Julia Baggs, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that a mother and stepdaughter were walking through Sutton village at 8.40pm on September 14 when the stepdaughter became aware of a man walking closely behind them in a suspicious manner.

When they turned around in Burlington Road, he had exposed himself and was playing with himself. When he was challenged by the women, he ran off. Police were called and, through an identification procedure, they were able to identify the culprit.

On September 21, a woman was walking home alone at 12.20am in Hull, when she was suddenly grabbed on her bottom by a man. She shouted at him and he fled. The woman heard the engine of a car start up nearby and she spotted a small black car.

About 40 minutes later, another woman was walking home after her night shift at 1am on a road in east Hull, about a mile away from where the first sexual assault incident happened.

A man suddenly appeared and grabbed the woman between her legs and touched her intimately. The shocked woman broke free and ran off, pursued by the man. He ran into Bedale Avenue and got into his car.

The victims of both sexual assaults were able to give descriptions of the attacker. Police traced the car the following evening and Templeman was arrested. Analysis of his phone showed footage, which he had taken himself, of him grabbing the woman in the second assault.

Details were given in court of some of the footage shown on a social media platform in which people carried out disgusting acts in public. Templeman had three cautions for sex offences and battery in 2022.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Templeman had expressed a degree of shame and embarrassment and he said that he was deeply sorry for his actions. He was working in the information technology sector and lived at home with his mother.

Judge Gurdial Singh said that Templeman joined an online group in which "like-minded members boasted about what they did and encouraged people to do the same". The women were vulnerable because they were walking home at night.

Templeman was jailed for two years and seven months. He was given a sexual harm prevention order for life and he must register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A serial sex offender has been jailed for 19 years after being found guilty of 23 sexual offences - including 11 of rape.

Leigh Nicholson, 52, of Bransholme, Hull, denied them all, but he was convicted after a trial.

Hull Crown Court heard he had convictions for two previous offences, allowing himself to be carried in a vehicle taken without consent in October 1990 and a public disorder offence in September 2000.

Frances Pencheon, mitigating after the guilty verdicts, said that they were serious offences and, because of the level of psychological harm caused, they attracted long prison sentences for a reason.

"He has never faced a custodial sentence before. He has worked at times during his life. He has been an active member of society. He is aware that he faces a very lengthy sentence as a result of these convictions."

Nicholson, who had been on bail during the trial, was jailed for 19 years and he will be on extended licence of one year after his release from prison. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he might be considered for possible release.

Nicholson showed no emotion as he was led out of the secure dock to be taken down to the cells.

Description

An online pervert who was caught with sickening indecent images of children realised that he could be in big trouble and made an internet search: "What do HM Prison cells look like?"

Shane Silby found himself in hot water after police discovered that he had been been downloading images of children as young as three years old, Hull Crown Court heard.

Silby, 51, of Bransholme, Hull, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children on March 30, 2023.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that police were given information that indecent images of children had been downloaded from the internet from an identified IP address and postal address. A search warrant was issued.

Police found that the regular occupant of that property was on holiday and that Silby was looking after it. He was arrested from his home on March 30, 2023.

A laptop was found to have indecent images of children, including 30 in the most serious Category A, 26 in Category B and two in Category C. They featured children as young as three years old.

Silby had made an internet search for "What do HM Prison cells look like?" During police interview, he made no comment to all questions. He had convictions for 11 previous offences, most recently in 1996 but none of a similar type.

Holly Thompson, mitigating, said that Silby had worked for most of his life but he had recently not been able to work because of illness. He pleaded guilty to the offences.

Judge Tahir Khan KC told Silby: "You downloaded indecent images of children and you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity."

Silby was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence and 25 days' rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

"If you don't do what's required of you by the probation service, that will bring you back before the court and you may have to serve out the 16 months," said Judge Khan.

Description

A depraved serial sex offender who repeatedly defied court orders designed to protect the public and brazenly failed to learn his lesson from his many previous prison sentences has been jailed again.

Seedy pervert Robert Wynn seemed to be "addicted" to sick sexual images involving animals and he persisted in going to great lengths to try to outfox the police and continue to look at the vile pictures, Hull Crown Court heard.

Wynn, 38, of Brecon Avenue, east Hull, admitted three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and two offences of possessing extreme images of bestiality.

Blaise Morris, prosecuting, said that a five-year sexual harm prevention order was made by Hull magistrates in November 2022. Wynn was later released from prison. A spot check monitoring visit was made on January 1, 2023 at the bail hostel where he lived and an unregistered phone was found.

Its internet history had been deleted between December 27 and 28, 2022 but 13 extreme images were found. Wynn's phone was examined on March 28 last year and eight extreme images were found.

On April 14 last year, police were unable to make contact with Wynn and his father said that he did not know where he was. The next day, it was discovered that Wynn had failed to charge the battery of his electronic tag and it had stopped sending signals. This was a breach of the sexual harm prevention order.

Wynn had convictions for 15 previous offences, including five of possessing indecent or extreme images. He had been jailed for two years in November 2011 for making indecent images of children and possessing extreme images offences.

Wynn breached a sexual harm prevention order and was jailed in 2014. He had been jailed for four months in 2016 for possessing indecent images of children and he was jailed in 2017 for 16 months at Hull Crown Court for possessing indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He was jailed at the same court in May 2018 for two years and four months for breaching a sexual harm prevention order and breaching his notification requirements as a sex offender. Wynn was jailed for two years and eight months in 2021 for offences including failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender.

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Wynn had an unenviable record for sexual offences. "He would like to apologise for his actions," said Mr Hammersley.

"He is deeply, deeply sorry for his persistent breaching of his notification requirements. He has been doing well. There has been no further offending.

"He realises that there are issues that need to be seriously addressed if he is to be prevented from offending in the future. He has not been in work for a long period."

Judge Mark Bury said: "He appears to be addicted to images of bestiality and he persists in looking at them."

He told Wynn: "You are not learning your lessons. Sexual harm prevention orders are there for a purpose. They are to try to prevent you from looking at images which are prohibited.

"You seem to be addicted, or certainly were, to those types of images. You went to quite a number of lengths to disguise that.

"The time has come when you have to be punished and deterred because, at the moment, you are just not learning lessons. Time and again, you take no notice of court orders, which are meant to protect society at large, and the reason you don't is that you have your own sexual gratification at the forefront of your thoughts."

Wynn, who had been on bail, was jailed for three years.

Description

A serial sex offender who targeted a young girl left the victim struggling with "trauma" and the "immense" impact of her ordeal.

The girl had since "faced many obstacles" because of what she had suffered and this had taken its "toll over the years" on her, Hull Crown Court heard.

John Hill, 58, of Malm Street, off Anlaby Road, west Hull, denied five offences of indecent assault but he was convicted by a jury after a trial. He also denied six offences of indecency with a child but he was convicted of four of them.

Dale Brook, mitigating, told the trial that Hill intimately touched the girl. "He told her she was a good girl," said Mr Brook.

"She thinks that he was grooming her and building up to wider sexual activity. It did progress." More serious sexual behaviour took place. The victim eventually contacted the police.

Hill was arrested but he denied any sexual abuse of the girl. "He said that he didn't know her and had no recollection of her," said Mr Brook.

The victim told the court: "I now struggle with trauma. It impacts me more than I ever thought it would. I know I have faced many obstacles because of it. It takes its toll over the years.

"He was the man who groomed and abused me. He has no remorse. He is a paedophile and a child molester and nothing he does will change that.

"This whole ordeal has been immense. I know I will be dealing with this for the rest of my life. He is the face of my abuser. I am no longer afraid."

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said: "There is really very little that can be said, given that the defendant was convicted after a trial by the jury.

Judge Richard Woolfall told Hill: "These are very serious offences. The guidelines make it plain that a significant sentence will be required."

Hill was jailed for 15 years and he will be on extended licence of one year after his release from prison. He was branded an offender of particular concern.

Hill had been on bail during the trial but he was remanded in custody on December 6 after the jury returned its verdicts.

Description

An online child activity group lured a serial sex offender into sending illicit images to who he thought was a 12-year-old girl but was in fact a decoy.

Having been convicted six years ago of sexual offences, Patrick Wallis was again tricked into thinking he was communicating with teenagers.

The group Predator Exposure set up a decoy in 2018. Another group, Guardian Angels also had a successful sting which led to a further conviction of the sex offender.

Wallis, now 30, was handed a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, intended to restrict his internet access for his sickening online activity.

But at Grimsby Crown Court, he again admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a girl aged 12 years. He also admitted attempting to incite a girl aged 12 into sexual activity.

Wallis, now of Osborne Street, off Ferensway, Hull, admitted sexual activity with a child under 13 years and breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He had formerly lived in Grimsby and Immingham. Miss Holmes said a total of seven offences were admitted.

At Grimsby Crown Court, prosecutor, Claire Holmes told how a third online vigilante group set up a decoy between February and April 2021. The group streamed their attendance at Wallis' address live on Facebook during which he was confronted with the allegations.

He was arrested by Humberside Police on April 6, 2021, who had received details of his online conversations.

Miss Holmes said: "They were strikingly similar offences as before in which he was speaking to a decoy. He told police he thought she was 18."

The prosecutor said he asked her if she would perform sex acts. He sent images of his privates. He also wanted to arrange a meeting in Newcastle.

For Wallis, John Dunning said his client had learning difficulties and mental health problems.

He told the court the offences were over three years old and there was no evidence of further offending. The defendant leaned with his head in his hands on the front of the dock in court.

Judge Gurdial Singh said the Wallis had twice breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and "had not learned his lesson." The judge said: "He is contacting young girls with a view to having sexual contact with them."

He said the paedophile hunters had made it clear that she was "a 12-year-old girl". He said Wallis had also deleted his internet history which is a breach of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Judge Singh jailed Wallis for a total of five-and-a-half years. He extended the Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A man made "unwanted sexual advances" to a vulnerable teenage girl, leaving her crying and in shock.

Father-of-five Shabajul Haque brazenly kissed and touched the girl during unpleasant encounters with her but he later tried to talk his way out of trouble and deny that it happened, Hull Crown Court heard.

Haque, 46, of Pendrill Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted two offences of sexually assaulting the girl on March 29, 2022.

The court heard that the teenage girl had mild learning difficulties. Haque kissed her on her cheek and, on another occasion, followed her, kissed her and ran his hand along her thigh while they were out of sight from any other people.

She told her mother and another person what had happened and the matter was reported to the police. The girl had been left crying and shaking afterwards.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that Haque had five children, aged between 17 and two years old. He worked late afternoons and evenings. He had no previous convictions. Haque was helped during the court hearing by a Bengali interpreter.

Judge Alexander Menary told Haque: "You made unwanted sexual advances towards her. You admitted your offending at an earlier hearing." Haque later tried, however, in a probation service interview, to dispute the offences.

"You maintain these offences did not take place," said Judge Menary.

This was due to an unwillingness to face up to what he had done and was "from a position of shame rather than a blanket denial", said Judge Menary.

Haque was given 60 hours' unpaid work and 25 days' rehabilitation. He must register as a sex offender for five years.

Description

An unsuspecting woman was left shocked and terrified when a creepy sex pest targeted her during a "totally random" and "offensive" encounter in her car after she innocently went to an all-night petrol station.

Kevin Pexton sexually touched her before getting into the back of her car and asking her: "Can we go back to your house, babes?" He stroked her leg and boasted to her: "I'm viral. All of the girls want me."

He made an obscene suggestion to the woman and started behaving in an unpleasant sexualised way before a man who arrived on the scene quickly saw what was happening and pulled him out of the car, Hull Crown Court heard. Pexton, 37, of Kinloss Garth, Bransholme, Hull, admitted offences of sexual assault, exposure and assault on September 8.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Pexton went to a 24-hour petrol station in the Hull area, in the early hours and walked up to the service hatch. He asked to borrow a mobile phone and used it to send a message to a woman. She did not reply.

A few minutes later, a car pulled up on the forecourt, with two women inside. The driver saw Pexton and thought that he was "just acting silly" and she went to the service hatch.

When she returned, Pexton was standing at the driver-side rear door. When she got into the car, he touched her on the bottom. She got in the car but Pexton opened the rear passenger door and got in.

He asked: "Can we go back to your house, babes?" The woman was scared and told him to get out. Her friend went to the service hatch to seek help. Pexton was sitting directly behind the driver.

She stared straight ahead, rather than look at him, as he pressed himself up behind the seat. He stroked her leg and made a lewd suggestion to her. He started committing a sex act. The woman texted her friend, who had gone to the hatch for help.

Pexton told the woman: "Turn around and look at me. I'm viral. All of the girls want me." A second car pulled up and the woman's friend told the driver of that car what was going on.

"He pulled the defendant out of the vehicle," said Mr Hammersley. Pexton shouted: "It's consensual."

There was a scuffle and the man tried to restrain him. "The defendant was swinging his fists at him," said Mr Hammersley. "They ended up on the floor and the defendant bit his leg, drawing blood. Shortly afterwards, the police arrived."

The woman later said that the incident put her "on edge" and made her worried about being in her car. She kept having dreams and the incident from that night kept coming back to her.

She did not like going out and she had been left feeling vulnerable. "I suffer from anxiety anyway and this has made me feel on edge," she said.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that the "disgraceful acts" were out of character for Pexton. He had no previous convictions. "This is an aberration," said Mr Godfrey.

"This is plainly troubling and disgraceful behaviour, really troubling. This was disgraceful but utterly out of character.

"It's prolonged. He acknowledges that his behaviour that night was unforgivable. He has made one awful set of mistakes."

Father-of-three Pexton had lost a good job and had suffered a family bereavement in the recent past. He had been in custody on remand for about 11 weeks.

Judge Mark Bury told Pexton: "This behaviour is extremely serious. It was a random female. This is behaviour which isn't just against a person you knew.

"It's totally random and it's offensive and it's caused her significant trauma. Hardly surprising, she wants to sell her car. She can't bear to sit in it any more. The incident keeps coming back to her and she is on edge, not constantly, but more than she should be.

"All she was doing was going to an all-night garage to get some drink or something. This was in public, late at night. There was a person in the passenger seat who must have felt extremely intimidated by what was going on."

Pexton had "no business" going and sitting in the woman's car. "She must have been terrified sitting in there," said Judge Bury.

Pexton was jailed for 21 months and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

Mark Regan took advantage of the victim's 'quite drunk' state in an 'appalling' incident that took away her 'joy, energy and sparkle' in life, Hull Crown Court heard

A woman's New Year's Eve celebrations turned into a "nightmare" when another reveller cynically spotted a good opportunity to assault her sexually because of the large amount of alcohol that she had drunk.

Crafty and brazen Mark Regan took advantage of the "quite drunk" state that she was in and he made the "appalling" decision to touch her intimately when she was later drifting in and out of sleep at a flat.

 The shocking incident had "shattered" the woman and it had taken away her "joy, energy and sparkle" in life so that she no longer even recognised herself in the mirror, Hull Crown Court heard.

Regan, 55, of Holderness Road, east Hull, admitted an offence of assault by penetration on December 31, 2022.

Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that Regan and others were celebrating New Year's Eve with drinks at bars in Newland Avenue, west Hull. "They got there at approximately 7.30pm and went to a bar where they all consumed alcohol," said Miss Turner.

"At around 9 to 9.30pm, they went to Vox Box, another bar located on Newland Avenue."

A woman in her 30s, who was at the bar, described herself as being "merry" when she and others arrived at Vox Box but she said that she was not "drunk". The people there were having a "normal" night and were laughing, joking and drinking.

She later became nauseous after drinking shots of Tequila and she was sick in a toilet. "As a result of this, she was asked to leave the premises by security staff," said Miss Turner.

She got into a taxi outside the venue and the defendant got into the taxi with her." The woman later fell asleep after she arrived at a flat and lay on a bed.

She heard Regan tell her: "You're a silly girl. Do you need an ambulance?" He touched her chest and told her: "Oh, you're breathing but you're really shallow breathing. I can't leave you."

She felt Regan kiss her. He then intimately touched her for about 30 seconds. He took his hand away but began kissing her and intimately touching her again. She became more alert and he stopped what he was doing. "She describes feeling that she was present in the room but that she wasn't there and wasn't able to move or say anything to the defendant," said Miss Turner.

Regan left the flat and the woman contacted the police. About 45 seconds later, Regan let himself back in to the flat and he asked the woman if she was okay. "She asked him to leave her alone and he left the flat again," said Miss Turner.

Police attended and the woman was seen to be severely shaken up, distraught and crying a lot. She was taken to the home of friends, where she stayed the night.

Regan claimed during police interview that he and the woman started kissing when they arrived at the flat and one thing led to another. He confirmed that the woman was falling in and out of sleep.

"He stated that he realised that what he was doing was wrong so he didn't go any further and left," said Miss Turner. Regan had convictions for four previous unrelated offences between 1999 and 2022.

The woman later said in a statement that she had been celebrating an exciting new chapter in her life at the time and she had been hopeful for the future while at the New Year's Eve event.

"My life, so full of promise, is now a blur," she said. "It turned into a nightmare. It has shattered me and left me broken.

"I used to be a bubbly, outgoing person and I loved meeting people but now I do not recognise myself. My joy, energy and sparkle feels lost. My world has shrunk."

The woman said that the incident had caused an impact on her career. "I have lost the ability to trust people and suffer from anxiety and depression," she added.

"When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't recognise myself but see a stranger whose life has been turned upside down."

Michael Masson, mitigating, said that the offence happened nearly two years ago. "There has been no hint of this behaviour since or before," said Mr Masson.

"He has made appalling choices. He offers his sincere remorse for the impact on the complainant. It was a relatively short-lived incident."

Regan had not been to prison before and sending him there now would have an immediate impact on his elderly parents, for whom he cared. There was a positive pre-sentence report on him.

Judge John Thackray KC told Regan: "She was socialising and drinking alcohol and got quite drunk, as she is entitled to do. You saw that as an opportunity to sexually abuse her."

The incident lasted about 30 seconds. "It is the violation that is significant, not the length of time," said Judge Thackray." The woman had shown tremendous courage in contacting the police but she might never recover from the offence.

Regan, who had been on bail, was jailed for three years and nine months. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Description

A convicted sex offender landed himself in trouble with the police when checks revealed that he was not complying with the strict monitoring restrictions that had been placed on him over registering his details.

Craig Bronzo was repeatedly late in complying with his annual sex offender registration obligations despite a court order. During a routine monitoring visit by the police, he was asked to provide the PIN code for his mobile phone so that his internet activity could be analysed but he did not do so, Hull Crown Court heard.

Bronzo, 28, of Calvert Road, off County Road North, Hull, admitted failing to comply with his annual registration requirements as a sex offender within the required time frame on November 26, 2022 and again on October 2 last year.

He also admitted failing to provide the PIN for a mobile phone at Clough Road police station, Hull, on January 16 last year. The phone had been seized on October 2, 2020.

Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that Bronzo had previously been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order because of his earlier convictions as a youth and he had to register as a sex offender.

The previous convictions included, in 2012, offences of raping a girl under 13, inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity and assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration. Bronzo had been given a youth rehabilitation order for two-and-a-half years.

He also had a conviction in 2014 for assaulting a boy under 13 by penetration. He had also been given a youth rehabilitation order for two-and-a-half years.

Under the terms of the sexual harm prevention order, Bronzo had to comply with registration conditions as a sex offender, including the annual notification of his details to the police, but he repeatedly did not do this and he was later arrested. He did eventually comply with the requirements.

In January last year, officers responsible for sex offender management called at his home to check his devices for internet use to ensure that there were no breaches of the conditions relating to what he was not allowed to do. He failed to provide the personal identification number for his mobile phone and he was arrested.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that the breaches were technical in their nature but Bronzo accepted that he needed to take the notification requirements that had been placed on him through the court order more seriously.

He was late for his annual registration of his details and he did not provide the PIN for a phone. He had pleaded guilty to the offences and he would comply with the orders of the sex offenders' register in future.

Bronzo was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence and 20 days' rehabilitation. The indefinite sexual harm prevention order will continue.

Bronzo was warned that he needed to take the sex offender registration requirements more seriously or he would face being jailed.

The court heard that Bronzo was originally accused of two offences of possessing indecent images or videos of girls on October 2, 2020 but these charges were dropped by the prosecution. No evidence was offered.

Description

A pig farm worker who "hunted out" hundreds of "sordid" and "obscene" images of children for more than 14 years hurriedly tried to "scuttle" upstairs and shut down his laptop after police arrived at his home.

John Floater told officers that he did not want them to follow him upstairs but his panicked plan "didn't succeed" and his laptop screen was seen showing an open "pre-teen" website page. He was still involved in "serial, perverted activity" that had lasted for an "inordinate and sustained" period of time, Hull Crown Court heard.

John Floater, 57, of White Horse Lane, Ottringham, near Withernsea, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between July 12, 2008 and October 4, 2022.

Curtis Dunkley, prosecuting, said that all the images had been accessed online and the website data was retained on Floater's laptop. The images were not immediately accessible to Floater or saved to his laptop.

Police received information on May 30, 2022 about an online account linked to Floater that was suspected of uploading indecent images of children. They visited Floater's home on October 4, 2022 to execute a search warrant.

He said that he "wasn't any good" with computers and police told him that a search of his entire home would be made. "The defendant stated that he needed to go upstairs to his laptop," said Mr Dunkley.

"When he was told that officers would need to go with him, he stated that he didn't want to be followed. He was followed upstairs into his bedroom and officers saw that his laptop was open on the bed.

"The defendant attempted to close the screen on his laptop. The laptop was inspected by police at the scene – and the screen was illuminated with a 'pre-teen' web page open."

Indecent images of children, prohibited images of children and extreme pornography images were found on all four devices seized.

There were 788 images but they were not accessible. They included 135 still images and 26 videos in the most serious Category A, 155 still images and 19 videos in Category B and 395 still images and one video in Category C.

There was search activity for young models and bestiality. The images included girls aged between three and six months old and between three and six years old.

During police interview, Floater claimed that he was not very technically able and he denied having a sexual interest in children. He claimed that he did not know that the images were illegal.

Marc Luxford, mitigating, said that it was serious offending but Floater had no previous convictions. He had recently been doing a part-time job working three hours a day at a pig farm. He had worked nearly all his life.

Recorder Sam Green KC said: "He had been at this serial, perverted activity for well over a decade. This is a long-standing habit. Rather than recoiling the first time he went online and treated himself to these images in 2008, he kept at it until he was caught."

Recorder Green told Floater: "You tried to scuttle upstairs and shut down your laptop so you could conceal what you had been doing. You told the police that you thought there was nothing illegal about it. You attempted to cover your perverted tracks.

"You didn't succeed and multiple images were found of various degrees of criminality, many involving children, some involving bestiality, some involving bestiality and children."

The images were "sordid" and involved deliberate hunting out of "obscene" images of young children of the most serious kind over an "inordinate and sustained" period of time of more than 14 years.

Floater, who had been on bail, was jailed for 20 months. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

A convicted sex offender was found with dozens of "disgusting" images of children after he continued his obsession with them and failed to learn his lesson from being jailed for previous similar offences.

His "despicable" behaviour helped to fuel the abuse of children that caused "lifelong harm" to them. He now understood the serious damage to children that was caused by the vile trade, Hull Crown Court heard.

Scott Lister, 53, of Ferndale Terrace, Bridlington, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children between July 7, 2021 and March 18, 2022 and another of breaching a sexual harm prevention order on March 17, 2022.

Amber Hobson, prosecuting, said that police were given information about indecent images of children being downloaded and seized a memory stick and a phone belonging to Lister.

There were 66 images and 71 videos on the memory stick. They included 10 images in the most serious Category A, nine in Category B and 47 in Category C. The videos included 28 in Category A, 21 in Category B and 22 in Category C.

On the phone, there were eight images in Category A, five in Category B and one in Category C. There were 17 videos, including six in Category A, six in Category B and five in Category C.

During police interview, Lister denied having a sexual interest in children. He claimed that he did not specifically seek out images of children but that he did look at areas of the internet where such material was. He claimed that he might have been intoxicated at the time.

Lister had convictions for 21 previous offences, including similar offences in 2016, when he had been given a sexual harm prevention order for life. He was in breach of that order by committing the latest offences.

Holly Thompson, mitigating, said that Lister had taken a long time to come to terms with the fact that he had a sexual interest in children but he realised the "disgusting and despicable nature of the offending" and that it affected the most vulnerable people in society.

He was "under absolutely no illusion" about the prison sentence that he faced and the offences were a "form of self-medication for him" but he knew, with hindsight, that it was not acceptable. He had been jailed previously.

Lister had been working self-employed, building models for war games that he provided to the public and to museums. "After his release from custody, he did battle public perception of the offence," said Miss Thompson.

Lister had struggled with isolation and alcohol misuse. "His alcohol usage is now zero," said Miss Thompson. "He understands what the difficulties are in his head.

"He is understanding of the harm to children who are depicted in the pornography, which is something that he has struggled with previously. He is now aware of the impact on others."

Judge John Thackray KC told Lister: "This is not a victimless crime – far from it. It's people like you, viewing this disgusting material, your actions, which fuels the abuse of children, causing lifelong damage to them.

"You have proved that your risk cannot be managed in the community. You have gone on to commit serious offences. Only appropriate punishment can be achieved by way of an immediate custodial sentence."

Lister, who had been on bail, was jailed for 14 months.

Description

A vulnerable teenage girl was left suffering nightmares and flashbacks after a man sent her explicit pictures of himself that left her feeling shocked and "like a broken piece of glass".

The traumatised girl kept "replaying" what happened "over and over again" and she later said: "It's like a wrecking ball through my heart." She felt disgusted and ashamed at his "absolutely vile" behaviour and "cried for hours on end" because of her ordeal, Hull Crown Court heard.

David Hartley, 29, of Sandfield Close, Market Weighton, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child between June 14 and August 22, 2022.

Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that Hartley sent messages to a young girl, including intimate pictures of himself via Snapchat. The girl was "shocked and distressed" after she saw the X-rated pictures and she told her mother.

"The matter was ultimately reported to the police," said Mr Masson. The girl was interviewed and she revealed to police that Hartley told her: "This could be mine and your secret. This could live in your head rent-free."

There had been a number of incidents in which Hartley would make joking comments about the girl's body and he seemed to be inappropriately close to her. "They were constantly messaging each other," said Mr Masson.

During police interview, Hartley initially denied that he ever sent intimate pictures of himself to the girl but he later admitted that messages were sent as well as the pictures. He had no previous convictions.

The girl later said in a statement addressed directly to Hartley: "My life has changed since I reported you. I have been mentally struggling. I felt like a broken piece of glass. I shouted for it not to be real.

"I never realised the impact that it has caused. I cried for hours on end. I was not able to emotionally understand or process what was going on."

The girl was scared about seeing Hartley as she was walking to school and she suffered flashbacks. "I didn't go out much as I felt safe at home," she said. She was "replaying" what happened "over and over again" and she felt ashamed of herself.

"I would have nightmares of you being angry because you wanted it to be kept a secret," she said. The girl felt "disgusted and uncomfortable" with what Hartley did and she struggled when she was around men.

"These past two years have changed a lot for me," she said. "I struggle to make new friends again because I can't trust anyone. You broke that trust. It's like a wrecking ball through my heart.

"I was just a child. I will never be the same girl I used to be. I will try to fix myself but I will always ask what I did to deserve this."

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Hartley denied that he deliberately targeted the girl for the purposes of sending the messages. "She clearly is, or was at the time, a vulnerable young person," said Mr Hammersley.

"This was absolutely vile behaviour. He expresses deep regret and shame at what happened. It was clearly inappropriate and it's shameful on his part. He should have been the adult that was expected, rather than doing what he did.

"He did show a level of shame and disgust. Burying his head in the sand was illustrative of that shame and something that the court sees regularly in these type of cases. That rightful sense of shame and disgust is, in some cases, something of a protective factor."

Hartley had been in well-paid employment most of his adult life. He had been involved in the scouting movement, the court heard. His partner was expecting their first child in February next year. He was a low risk of reconviction.

Judge Tahir Khan KC said: "For a short period of time, he was in denial." The judge told Hartley: "She was a child and you knew that. You carried on being inappropriate to her.

"You would be inappropriate around her." Judge Khan said of the explicit pictures that Hartley sent to the girl: "That was wholly inappropriate. She was distraught and not expecting you to behave in that way.

"Her life has been turned upside down since she reported the matter to the police. She feared seeing you on the street. She had flashbacks. She isolated herself at home and had flashbacks.

"She was devastated by your behaviour towards her. Her mother did the decent thing, the right thing, and reported the matter to the police. It's clear that your behaviour towards this vulnerable young lady had a significant impact on her mental health."

Hartley was given a 14-month suspended prison sentence, 250 hours' unpaid work, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years and he was given a 10-year restraining order.