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A seedy online sexual predator sent "absolutely vile" explicit messages to what he thought was a 13-year-old schoolgirl – but who was really an undercover police officer.

Lewis Broughton got a nasty shock when he realised to his horror that he had been duped all along and that the girl did not even exist. He was now "disgusted with himself" and felt a "sense of shame" at what he had done, Hull Crown Court heard.

Broughton, 35, of Inglemire Lane, Hull, admitted attempting to communicate sexually with a child between June 3 and July 15, 2021 and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Claire Holmes, prosecuting, said that undercover police arranged to have a profile of a decoy 13-year-old girl on the social media app Kik and Broughton started to send messages to it.

The fake girl said that she lived in Cheltenham, was at school in Year Eight and was just about to go to netball training. Broughton pretended to be 18 and he sent her explicit messages, including complimenting her on her looks and asking what sort of underwear she had.

He asked her what her bra size was and he talked about different types of sexual activity. "He clarified that he meant sex," said Miss Holmes.

Broughton asked intimate questions. "There was then talking about sex and whether it would hurt and the defendant indicated that he would be gentle," said Miss Holmes.

Broughton said that he would be prepared to meet the decoy girl and he sent a series of messages asking for more revealing pictures. He gave her instructions on how to touch herself intimately.

He was arrested on September 24, 2021. Communications between him and the girl were still on his phone as well as search terms suggesting a sexual interest in children.

Broughton claimed to police that he had been drinking at the time of the chats. The offences were charged as attempts because there was no real actual girl. He had convictions for fraud in 2016 and 2018.

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Broughton had no convictions for similar offending and he made frank admissions during police interview.

"He acknowledges responsibility for the offending and there is a level of insight demonstrated in the letter that he has written, emblematic of sincere remorse," said Mr Hammersley.

"He is disgusted in himself, quite rightly. The messages are absolutely vile. He would never dream of doing anything like this again. He says that he has completely changed his frame of mind."

Broughton had a "sense of shame" and difficulty coming to terms with what he had done. "He does fully accept responsibility for what he did," said Mr Hammersley.

"Waiting for two years to know his fate has been no easy thing." Broughton had been working as a delivery driver for takeaway food.

Recorder David Kelly told Broughton: "You were communicating online with what you believed was a 13-year-old girl but was, in fact, an undercover police officer. You pretended that you were 18.

"You were holding explicit sexual conversations with a person you believed to be a 13-year-old girl. These are attempted offences. You were attempting the impossible."

Broughton was jailed for three years and four months. He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A "dangerous" and "manipulative" convicted sex offender brazenly targeted an impressionable 11-year-old girl for highly sexualised messages on Snapchat – just a few weeks after he had been released from prison.

Sexual "predator" Steven Bennett took advantage of the girl's naive belief that he could be trusted as a friend and his seedy behaviour cynically "stole her innocence".

He callously preyed upon the vulnerable girl and caused her horrified mother to endure a "nightmare" ordeal after she discovered, only by pure chance, what had been secretly going on, Hull Crown Court heard.

Bennett, 42, who had been living in a Hull bail hostel before later being remanded in custody, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child between November 21 and 28, 2022, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Patrick Palmer, prosecuting, said that Bennett was released from prison on October 31, 2022 after serving a previous six-year sentence for sexual offences and he went to live in a bail hostel in Queens Road, Hull.

But on December 10 of that year, police were alerted that Bennett had been sending sexualised messages to an 11-year-old girl on Snapchat. The girl's mother had been keeping tabs on her daughter's messages.

She became concerned about messages that she saw, involving her daughter, that had been sent from a man at the location address of the bail hostel. "It was, of course, this defendant," said Mr Palmer.

Bennett had tried to get the girl to tell her friends to "add him" on Snapchat. The mother took screenshots of the messages before they disappeared. The girl had sent an intimate video of herself to him.

Bennett was arrested at the hostel on December 11, 2022. He denied any contact with the girl and claimed that he had no recollection of any chat with her.

"He claimed that he had no sexual interest in children and he denied that he was guilty of those matters on his record," said Mr Palmer.

The girl's mother said that she believed that Bennett was a "predator" who had quickly identified her daughter's insecurities and had taken advantage of her. She felt "utter disgust, panic and regret" and she believed that Bennett's contact with the girl "stole her innocence" through the messages.

"This would not have happened if this disgusting paedophile had not been released from prison early," she said. She would not want the "nightmare" that they had endured for 18 months to happen to anyone else and she wanted to thank the police involved in the case.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said: "Sadly, there is nothing positive that can be said on this defendant's behalf. It's inevitably a significant custodial sentence.

"Risk reduction work is necessary and he knows that only he can do that in the long term. The circumstances make for difficult reading. He has had the good will to plead guilty at the first opportunity."

Bennett had previously been branded a dangerous offender and, after his release from prison, there had been further offending. He had limited previous convictions but they were "highly relevant and deeply concerning" because of their nature.

"There is clearly work that needs to be done for rehabilitation," said Mr Shipley.

Recorder David Kelly said that Bennett used Snapchat to communicate with the girl. "Fortunately, her mother became aware of it," said Recorder Kelly. "She was able to screenshot some of your conversation before they disappeared and was able to identify both you and the place where you were located.

"It turned out that you were a registered sex offender who, at the time, was living at the Queens Road bail hostel. Your victim had sent you photographs and videos.

"She naively thought that you were a friend who she could trust. You were extremely manipulative in your behaviour. You also tried to get her to get her friends to join in these conversations.

"You had been released from that previous sentence only three or four weeks before you were committing these offences and you were on licence. The prison sentence from which you had been so recently released was for very similar offences."

Bennett had also been jailed for two years in July 2006 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13. He had been released from prison after the six-year sentence on October 31, 2022.

"Here you were, while in the bail hostel, almost immediately doing it again," said Recorder Kelly. "I am satisfied that you are dangerous. You pose a significant risk of committing further offences."

Bennett was jailed for four years and eight months. He will be on extended licence of three years after his release. The indefinite sexual harm prevention order will continue.

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A couple who believed they were meeting a naive 14-year-old girl for sex at a railway station were caught out when they were instead confronted by paedophile hunters.

Neil Tranmer and his then girlfriend Kerry Burdall, who had hoped to engage in unprotected sex sessions with the young girl and even wanted her to fall pregnant, were met instead by seven members of an online paedophile hunters group, Hull Crown Court heard.

The 'teenage girl' they had connected with on Facebook did not exist, but the couple were unaware of this and fully intended to "follow it through" after making a "deliberate decision" to meet and take advantage of her sexually, reports Hull Live.

Tranmer, 35, formerly of Clarence Road, Bridlington, but recently living in Hornsea, and Burdall, 39, of Limedane, Orchard Park estate, Hull, both admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child in Bridlington between April 13 and 19, 2021.

Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that an online protection group set up profiles of fake girls aged between 10 and 14 in a bid to catch online sexual offenders.

A fake 14 year old girl received a friend request on Facebook from Burdall and was asked, "Hi. How old are you? " The decoy character responded: "I'm 14. How old are you? " To which Burdall replied, revealing herself to be "36" accompanying her message with a photograph and sentence stating: "That's my boyfriend."

She followed with another message, questioning: "Do you want to share him? He be your boyfriend too."

When probed by the decoy about how they could share him, Burdall responded boldly: "Have sex with him."

The decoy accountholder then posted: "I am a virgin. Can I have sex at 14? " Burdall gave her approval assuring: "Yes. Would you want him to use a condom? " She told the girl they resided in Bridlington, suggesting she could tell her mother that she was visiting a friend.

The decoy girl asked if she could get pregnant and Burdall replied: "Yes." The girl asked: "Are you ok with your boyfriend having sex with me?" Burdall replied "Yes" and, when the girl asked what his name was, she replied: "Neil. You can add him on Facebook if you want to."

Further interaction ensued between the decoy and Tranmer following a friend request sent to her. Upon asking Tranmer: "Are you Kerry's boyfriend? " He confirmed: "Yes. Do you want me as your boyfriend? ".

After the decoy's prompt: "Did Kerry tell you I am 14? I have never had a boyfriend before." Messages were exchanged at the same time between Tranmer and Burdall.

The girl asked Tranmer: "Do you want me to get pregnant?" He replied: "Yes." Tranmer asked her if she wanted to see explicit pictures of him and he sent two photographs. He asked her if he could see intimate pictures of her and he asked her what colour her underwear was.

He asked explicit sexual questions. Arrangements were made for the girl to meet Tranmer and Burdall at Bridlington railway station at 1.10pm.

Tranmer and Burdall continued to send messages about sexual activity. Seven members of the paedophile hunters group went to Bridlington railway station and saw Tranmer and Burdall.

They were confronted during a live streaming encounter and the police were alerted. Burdall said: "I should not have done it. I feel guilty for what I have done."

Tranmer claimed during police interview that Burdall had made him go to the railway station to meet a 14-year-old. He claimed that he did not mean to send the decoy girl messages about sex and that they were meant for Burdall and not the girl.

Burdall denied sending any of the messages apart from giving her age and claimed that her account had been hacked and that she did not send any pictures. They both had no previous convictions.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said that Tranmer pleaded guilty. He had suffered a difficult upbringing and had problems.

Dale Brook, representing Burdall, said that she had, at the time, moved in with Tranmer and thought that the relationship was a "mutually loving" one but the nature of the offences had made her look again at it.

She thought that Tranmer wanted another girlfriend. "It may seem a naive and tall story," said Mr Brook. "Since this offending, she has settled down. She is in a relationship with a new fiancé. They have accommodation together. There has been no further offending.

"These offences were not actually carried out because it was a decoy. There is no actual victim."

Judge Richard Woolfall said: "They did actually go to the railway station to meet this child. Their intention was to follow it through. The pair of you thought at the time that it was a real child."

They arranged to have unprotected sex with the girl and this could have led to pregnancy. "She was a decoy but the pair of you believed that it was a real 14-year-old girl," said Judge Woolfall. "She said that she was a virgin but that didn't put you off."

Judge Woolfall told Burdall: "There was talk about not wearing a condom and that your boyfriend would want her to get pregnant and that, if that happened, she was to tell her mother that it was a mate's brother.

"All she had to tell her mum was that she was going to see a mate. You sent her pictures. The pair of you were texting her at this point about having sex with her. You sent photos and told her not to tell anyone or show them to anyone.

"You told her that she must not report him to the police. You arranged to meet the next day at the Bridlington train station. There was talk about what sexual positions she would want.

"The next day, you travelled and went to the train station, expecting to meet her, but you were apprehended by the group of people who had effectively set all this up and the police were called.

"This was a deliberate decision made by the pair of you. The harm is less because no actual victim existed. It still makes it a serious offence, however.

"You did both go to the railway station with the intention of meeting this child and it was obvious what was intended because you so graphically described it in those texts.

"She was encouraged and told not to report the behaviour. Pregnancy was a possibility. You each preyed on a vulnerable member of society, a child who you believed was a genuine child.

"Both of you attended at the train station expecting her to attend so that physical acts could take place."

Tranmer was jailed for two-and-a-half years and Burdall was locked up for two years and three months. They were each given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order.

Tranmer must register as a sex offender for life and Burdall must notify her details to the police for 10 years.

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An obsessed pervert exchanged "disgusting" sexual messages and pictures with two decoy young girls during what he confessed was a "moment of madness" – but he later went on to do exactly the same thing with a third non-existent girl.

Shane Gorman was already under police investigation after he was confronted by paedophile hunters in 2021 but he ignored the warning and ended up being caught again, this time by a decoy girl set up by the police, Hull Crown Court heard.

Gorman, 35, of Welshpool Close, Hull, admitted two offences of attempting to communicate sexually with a child on September 7, 2021 and a third similar offence on June 22 last year.

Holly Thompson, prosecuting, said that an online paedophile hunters group set up profiles for two decoy girls, one supposedly aged 14 and the other 12. Gorman made sexualised comments to the fake 14-year-old girl and asked for "sexy" pictures in her underwear.

He asked her if she wanted an intimate picture of him and asked what colour her underwear was. Gorman also sent messages to the second decoy girl and made "Wow, sexy!" comments about her.

He asked for more photographs and asked intimate questions. The paedophile hunters went to his home one evening and three of them detained him and alerted the police.

Gorman made significant admissions to police and he said that it was a "moment of madness". He claimed that he did it purely through boredom at work and denied any sexual interest or excitement about children and that he knew that it was disgusting and wrong.

Gorman was released under investigation but he went on to commit the third offence involving a decoy girl, supposedly aged 13, that had been set up by the police.

He asked the fake girl if she wanted to see intimate pictures of him on Snapchat and he told her that she had a nice body. He asked her to send naked pictures of herself.

He was arrested but made no comment during police interview and said that it was a mistake and that he had no sexual interest in children. He had no previous convictions but had a caution.

Tonicha Allen, mitigating, said that unemployed Gorman was a low risk of being reconvicted. "He remains extremely remorseful and regretful of his actions," said Miss Allen.

"He says that are born entirely out of boredom. It's not a situation that he will find himself in again. He hasn't been in any further trouble with the police.

"His main focus now is accepting that he has done wrong. To say that he has learned his lesson would be an understatement."

Judge Richard Woolfall told Gorman: "These three young children were decoys. At the time, you believed they were real children. Clearly, you were sexually interested in children.

"You did it for excitement, the thrill of talking to underage children. You knew it was wrong when you were interviewed for the first time and you were released under investigation.

"You went on to do it again and, even though you knew it was wrong and you knew it was inappropriate, you went on to do it again.

"The fact that you went and did it again makes it so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate. It's not possible to suspend the least possible sentence that I can impose."

Gorman was jailed for 16 months. He was given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A fish restaurant manager sent a series of "disgusting and repugnant" pictures and videos to a fake 12-year-old girl after they exchanged intimate and explicit messages on social media platforms Kick and Snapchat.

Mark Collinson used the false name "Fandango" and he jokingly admitted to the decoy girl that he was a "bad man" for talking to her and that he "could get in loads of trouble" for it. He asked her to keep quiet about their X-rated conversations because it was "our secret" and he later sent her a message with a Valentine's Day heart on it, Hull Crown Court heard.

Collinson, 41, of North Cave, admitted attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity during communication between January 25 and February 22, 2022.

Annabelle Coakley, prosecuting, said that Collinson used the false name "Fandango" and he sent a message on the Kick social media site to an undercover decoy, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl. She accepted Collinson's invitation to chat and he also added her on Snapchat.

They began communicating and Collinson sent a number of explicit images of himself, including committing a sex act. "The communication from the defendant was sexual in nature," said Miss Coakley.

The fake girl told Collinson that she was aged 12 and he laughingly replied: "12?!!" before making references to watching pornography and asked her explicit questions. On a couple of occasions, he asked the girl if she was still in school.

He sent a revealing video of himself and asked her if he should "lose" the boxer shorts that he was wearing. He sent a video of himself committing a sex act. "You need a spanking," he said.

Collinson sent intimate images of himself and he told the decoy girl that she was as "cute as f***". He told her: "I'm a bad man for talking to you lol. Could get in loads of trouble. It's our secret."

Collinson sent a further explicit video of himself, filmed while he was watching pornography. He later sent further images of himself and explicit messages. He asked her a picture and asked her what underwear she had on.

On February 14, 2022, Collinson sent her an image of a heart and the message "Happy Valentine's Day". The conversations continued until February 22, 2022. He was arrested on May 7 of that year at his home.

He claimed during police interview that he believed that the decoy was an adult and that he had done nothing wrong. He had no previous convictions.

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Collinson had shown regret and shame and he had difficulty expressing what had happened. He pleaded guilty, acted out of character and struggled to accept what he had done.

"There has been no police involvement in the two-and-a-half years since then," said Mr Hammersley. "He is quite rightly disgusted by his behaviour.

"There is no other word for it. It's disgusting and repugnant." Collinson had worked all his life and he was a restaurant manager in Hull.

Recorder Paul Reid told Collinson: "For some time, you have an unnatural and unlawful sexual interest in children. Kick is well known to be used by children as a social media platform.

"The decoy was posing as a 12-year-old. You invited her to chat and you did so over a period of about a month. This was both on Kick and Snapchat. You went on in the conversation to talk about pornography and sex."

Collinson was given a 14-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work and 30 days' rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years. He was ordered to pay £425 costs.

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A "sneaky" sexual "predator" set up a hidden camera to film women inside a toilet cubicle.

The "obnoxious" and "distasteful" filming was discovered when a woman discovered to her horror and shock that there was a camera hidden inside a bin. Thomas Day, 25, of Grafton Street, Hull, admitted voyeurism involving three women and other offences of making indecent images of children.

"It caused her to panic," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. Police were alerted and CCTV showed that it was Day who had put the camera there.

Day was arrested. Two other women who had been filmed were also identified. There were also images of "upskirting" of one of them. During police interview, he made no comment to questions.

The woman who discovered the camera later said that she regarded Day as a "predator" because of what he had done and what he could potentially do to others. "What he did to me really hurt and has changed the way I view things and people," she said.

"My sleep has been affected and I wake up. I dream of cameras being on my walls. I should not have been made to experience this. Anyone should feel safe using the toilet and should not have to look out for cameras."

Another of the women said that she felt "violated" by what happened and it had left her "anxious and paranoid" about possible cameras in public buildings. She felt "uncomfortable" and "very angry" about what Day had done and it had affected her day-to-day behaviour.

"I am now constantly looking out for cameras, regardless of where I am," she said. She felt as if she was being watched in toilets "despite this being unlikely".

The third woman said that the filming made her feel "so angry and anxious" and it made her "shake from the inside" because she felt that her private space had been invaded. She was shocked and found the behaviour disgusting and hurtful," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

Day's electronic devices were searched and 935 images of children in the most serious Category A were found, as well as 987 in Category B and 12,789 in Category C. There were 471 prohibited images of children and three extreme pornography images. The images had been downloaded over a number of years.

Nigel Clive, mitigating, said of the voyeurism: "This is reprehensible, sneaky behaviour. This offending is indicative of a man with extremely damaged thought processes. The defendant would wish to apologise to the victims of his offending."

Day had "poor emotional regulation" of his sexual needs and he had been very open about his motivation for his "terrible" behaviour. "He knows what he has done and it's worthy of prison," said Mr Clive.

It was a "sexually predatory course of conduct" and Day's sexual preoccupation showed "distorted thinking" over the "distasteful" offences. "There has been no offending since," added Mr Clive. Day had no previous convictions.

Recorder Paul Reid told Day: "You have led a solitary existence, which you have misspent over a number of years." Of the women who were secretly filmed, the recorder said: "What they are left with is a feeling of complete insecurity because nobody expects this sort of thing to happen to them in a private place and, rightly, they don't expect this because they are entitled to assume that a private place like this is private and they are not going to be looked at like this by anyone.

"They have been very badly affected by this. You didn't at any stage attempt to minimise what you did." Day had later "given thought" to his "obnoxious activity" and had sought help. The images of children that were found were "appalling".

Day was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work, a 90-day sex offenders' treatment programme and 20 days' rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay 750 compensation 250 to each woman and he was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A convicted sex offender who used to be a chef cooked up a whole load of trouble for himself when he failed to tell police where he was living as part of his annual registration requirements.

Mark Sheffield was five days over the strict time limit for registering his details every year but he cheerily claimed in court that everything was now "all good" with the police and that it had all been sorted out. He had even already put an all-important reminder note on his calendar for next time to make sure there were no more blunders, Hull Crown Court heard.

Sheffield, 29, who lives off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted failing to register his details as a sex offender under his obligations to do so after a previous sexual offences conviction in 2015.

Hannah Turner, prosecuting, said that, because of his previous conviction, Sheffield had to register his details under the sex offenders' register every 12 months. He was required to attend Clough Road police station, Hull, on August 3 last year but he failed to do so.

Sheffield was telephoned and was reminded about what he should have done. He apologised and went there the same day to complete his annual notification. He was five days outside the time limit for complying.

He admitted during police interview that he was aware of the requirements but he claimed that it simply slipped his mind.

Sheffield had convictions for 14 previous offences, including two offences of sexual activity with a girl under 15 in November 2015 and breaching a sexual harm prevention order in October 2016.

Sheffield told the court: "I completely forgot. Now I have put it on my calendar when I have to register. I have a good relationship with the police.

"I speak to my officer every week, which is a good thing for me. I have no problem with him. I have had a decent person ever since I moved to Hull.

"He has no problems with me. It's all good with the police officer that I have got. I have no problems with him at all."

Sheffield said that he had previously been homeless and he had worked in the past as a chef and doing agency work. He was now working in a kitchen but he hoped to become a chef again. "I used to be a chef," he said.

Judge Alexander Menary said: "After five days, you were outside the time limit of notifying the police of your whereabouts but, when you were told about it, you came in the same day and notified the police."

It was an oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to evade the police but Sheffield was warned that he could he jailed if he breached the order again. "It could be immediate custody," said Judge Menary.

Sheffield was given 20 days' rehabilitation and he was ordered to pay £100 costs.

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A convicted flasher who thought that he was sending explicit messages and videos to a 14-year-old girl got a nasty shock when it turned out that her account was being run by a paedophile hunters group.

Tristan Bradshaw had already been specifically warned not to message children, but he brazenly attempted to do so after drinking spirits heavily, Hull Crown Court heard. Bradshaw, 23, of the New Bridge Road area of east Hull, admitted attempting to communicate sexually with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to invite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order.

Ayman Khokhar, prosecuting, said that a five-year sexual harm prevention order was made against Bradshaw in November 2019 following a conviction for an offence of exposure. However, on December 30, Bradshaw sent a friend request on Facebook to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

He followed it up with two messages saying "Hey!" The girl did not exist and had been set up by an online protection group.

Bradshaw sent sexually explicit messages to "the girl" and, on three separate occasions, he sent her a six-second video of him committing a sex act. He attempted to get the fake girl to video call him while he was doing this.

Further sexual messages were sent and Bradshaw suggested that they could have sex at his home. He ended the conversations on January 3. The online protection group contacted the police and Bradshaw was arrested. He made no comment during police interview.

"It's a very serious breach of the order," said Mr Khokhar. "The harm and the risk was very serious."

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Bradshaw had suffered problems and this led to him seeking out inappropriate relationships. He used alcohol to cope with his difficulties.

"That's why he doesn't remember this offending," said Miss Scott. "He simply doesn't remember. He confirmed that the messages were from his account. He accepts that it must have been him who sent them. It appears that he has stopped this conduct rather than the other way round."

Bradshaw, a former supermarket worker, had been in custody on remand for two months. "He accepts that he is looking down the barrel of a significant custodial sentence," added Miss Scott.

Judge Alexander Menary told Bradshaw: "You were in sexual communication with a profile that was an adult posing as a 14-year-old child. You knew that this person was purporting to be 14 because they said so at the outset and you engaged in sexual communication with them throughout that time. You very quickly engaged in sexual communication with them."

Bradshaw was jailed for two years and three months. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A convicted sex offender who deliberately went to ground instead of telling the police where he was living has been jailed after being told that he had finally "come to the end of the road" for being given chances.

Drug user David Schofield had previously been spared prison for committing "precisely the same offence" but he did not learn his lesson and he brazenly ignored his "duty" to register with the police every seven days, Hull Crown Court heard.

Schofield, 47, from Hull but recently remanded in custody, admitted breaching his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender and breaching a 24-week suspended prison sentence imposed for earlier failures to notify his details.

Chloe Pinches, prosecuting, said that Schofield was convicted on January 17, 2020 of sexual assault and he was ordered that day to register as a sex offender for seven years.

He was back in court on July 20 last year for failing to comply with notification requirements and, after he was released from custody, he told police that he would be living in Hardy Street, Hull.

On November 16, Schofield was seen by a police community support officer in Hull city centre and he said that he was of no fixed address. He was told to go to the police station and notify his details and he was reminded that he needed to do so every seven days.

"The defendant failed to do so," said Miss Pinches. Schofield was arrested on December 30 for that and other offences.

He pleaded guilty at Hull Magistrates' Court on January 4 to offences of assault and criminal damage, committed on December 12, and he was jailed for 12 weeks.

During police interview, Schofield said that he could not provide details of where he was living because of problems that he had suffered. When he was asked if he understood his conditions and whether he had made any attempt to tell police of any change in his living status, he replied "No comment."

He said that he would probably be in and out of prison for the remainder of his notification period because he would never be able to tell police of his address.

"There was a long period of non-compliance," said Miss Pinches. "The last recorded notification by the defendant was July 20. He had multiple opportunities to attend the police station to notify them of his change in circumstances but he chose not to, despite accessing agencies that support rough sleepers and advising them that he was homeless.

"This resulted in his whereabouts being unknown to the police for a long period of time." Schofield had been assessed as posing a medium risk of committing further offences of a sexual nature.

It was his fifth appearance in court for failing to comply with his notification requirements, said Miss Pinches.

Marc Luxford, mitigating, said that Schofield had suffered from drug-related problems, made worse by not having a home and living on the streets. "He accepts that the duty was on him and he ought to be registering every seven days," said Mr Luxford.

"He accepts that it was his duty and that he ought to have attended at the police station." Schofield had been in Lincoln Prison most recently after earlier being in Hull Prison, where services had been easier to access.

Recorder David Brooke KC said that Schofield showed a "deliberate failure to comply" with his sex offender registration responsibilities.

"It's a repeat offence," said Recorder Brooke. "You were in breach of a suspended sentence for precisely the same offence. The probation service has obviously tried very hard to help you and has come to the conclusion that it can't really offer anything else in the community.

"It's a deliberate failure to comply with the requirements rather than a determined attempt to avoid detection. You have been doing this not just on one occasion but two.

"I am afraid that you have come to the end of the road in terms of other alternatives."

Schofield was jailed for a total of 54 weeks.

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A serial flasher who exposed himself to women and girls while riding around on a bicycle was later found to have dozens of sickening indecent images of children on his phone.

Ammar Chaudhry was only stopped in his "troubling course of sexually deviant behaviour" when an off-duty policeman, who was in his car with his wife and children, spotted in his rear-view mirror what was happening and went to investigate, Hull Crown Court heard.

Chaudhry, 26, of Elmtree Avenue, North Ferriby, admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and another of possessing indecent images of children.

Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that Chaudhry was arrested on March 4, 2021 for exposure and he was interviewed by the police. "He indicated that there would be indecent images of children on his phone, engaged in lewd acts," said Mr Masson.

Chaudhry claimed that he had downloaded all the images out of "curiosity" and that he had no sexual interest in children. He claimed that no children were harmed in the images.

His phone was searched and 311 files relating to indecent images of children were found, 31 of them on a child abuse database. There were 41 images, including duplicates, in the most serious Category A and 42 videos in that category. Prohibited images, showing indecent cartoons or similar images, were found on his laptop and computer.

During police interview, Chaudhry gave mainly "no comment" replies to questions but when he was asked whether he shared the images with other people, he replied: "No." There was no evidence of any distribution by him of images.

Chaudhry had convictions for four previous offences of exposure, one of those committed near a school, and he had been given a 30-week suspended prison sentence, 20 days' rehabilitation and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Hull Crown Court in July 2021. He had been ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

The court heard at that time that, on four occasions, Chaudhry rode his bicycle towards vulnerable women and young girls while exposing himself. On one occasion, he stood in the middle of a street just yards from schoolchildren, dropped his tracksuit bottoms and committed a sex act.

He also pursued a 16-year-old schoolgirl in North Ferriby and smiled at her as he exposed himself. She was left "disgusted and uncomfortable" but he continued to follow her.

There was another incident in Anlaby where he stared at a woman while riding his bicycle, with one hand down his trousers. She could see his bare groin area and she felt disgusted.

Chaudhry's offences, described by a judge as a "troubling course of sexually deviant behaviour", came to a halt when an off-duty police officer in Hull Road, Hessle, spotted in his rear-view mirror what Chaudhry was doing. Young children were nearby.

When he was arrested, Chaudhry asked if he could just be cautioned, the court heard that day.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that the offending was serious but Chaudhry had made admissions about the images when first arrested.

"He never sought to diminish or minimise responsibility in respect of those actions," said Miss Baines. It took 10 months for a forensic report on the images to be prepared and there had been further delays before the other charges involving the indecent images came to court.

Chaudhry was given an eight-week suspended prison sentence. The previous sexual harm prevention order will continue. He will have to continue to register as a sex offender for seven years.

Record details

A convicted sex offender who was banned from contacting any girl who was under the age of 16 brazenly ignored the court order by repeatedly trying to have sexualised chats with girls on Snapchat.

Nathan Mulvana told one 15-year-old girl that she had an "amazing figure" and asked another girl of the same age if she had ever sent nude photos online. But he was now in a "last chance saloon" and faced being jailed if he committed any more sexual offences, Hull Crown Court heard.

Mulvana, 23, of the Inglemire Lane area of Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order on August 9, 2022.

Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that the original sexual harm prevention order was made at Beverley Magistrates' Court on December 6, 2018. It was designed to ban him from contacting any girl under the age of 16 but, through his actions, he was in breach of the order.

Mulvana was arrested and interviewed for separate, but similar, offences on September 7, 2022 and, as a result of that investigation, his phone was seized and examined. A Snapchat account was seen and, as part of his conversations on the social media network, it was discovered that some of the accounts that police identified involved children aged under 16.

The chats seemed to be short, but Mulvana tried to engage in sexual conversations with the girls. They did not, however, appear to have engaged with him for long. He asked one of the girls if she had been sexually active but he did not receive a response.

"He also stated that she had an amazing figure," said Miss Lee. "The account clearly stated in that conversation that she was 15 years old and he claims to be 16.

"Further, he asked another account if she had ever sent nudes and she replies that she has not. The conversation ends. She, too, clearly states in that conversation that she is 15."

There was another conversation with a girl said to be aged 14, but it ended before the chat turned sexual. During police interview, Mulvana claimed that he logged out of his Snapchat account in the May of 2022, so the conversations could not have been him.

He confirmed, however, that all the Snapchat accounts investigated by police belonged to him. He claimed that he did not recall the conversations.

Mulvana had convictions for four previous offences. They included sexual assault of a child and exposure. He had been sent to a young offenders' institution for two years and four months and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He also had convictions for harassment and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. He was in breach of a one-year community order imposed for those offences.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that Mulvana pleaded guilty and made admissions. He realised that he had issues that needed to be tackled with the help of the probation service. He was still young and needed to mature.

Mulvana was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 33-day sex offenders' treatment programme. He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Bryan Cox KC said that Mulvana would be given help to try to steer him away from further sexual offences. "If you do commit any further sexual offences, there is a very high likelihood that you will be going to prison," said Recorder Cox. "This is a last chance saloon for you."

Record details

A heavy-drinking pervert who was caught by online paedophile hunters on two separate occasions was suddenly confronted at Hull railway station after he arrived there to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Lee Whitelam, who had regularly been drinking two or three litres of cider a day, thought that the non-existent girl was travelling up from Gloucester to meet him for sex. But he got a nasty shock when he was detained by the online safety group and the encounter was live-streamed on Facebook.

He pleaded with the paedophile hunters not to alert the police, having already been duped with a fake 13-year-old girl during a previous incident, Hull Crown Court heard. Whitelam, 40, of Harley Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

Eleanor Mitten, prosecuting, said that the earlier incident happened after an online child protection group set up the profile of a fake 13-year-old girl. She was contacted by Whitelam in May 2022 and the messages quickly became sexual.

The non-existent girl sent a clothed picture supposedly of herself and Whitelam replied: "Nice body you have – and assets." He asked her for more pictures and he told her: "Shame you're 13 because would love to get naughty with you."

Whitelam repeatedly suggested meeting and asked whether she was willing to have sex. "The defendant spoke about what he would do if she came round," said Miss Mitten. Whitelam continued to make references to sexual activity.

The second set of offences happened from January 27 this year when Whitelam sent a friend request to a decoy profile of a 14-year-old girl, which was also set up by an online vigilante group. She accepted and messages were exchanged.

She said that she was 14 and he at first sent non-sexual pictures, but he later sent an explicit picture of himself and asked her: "Can I join you and keep you warm, babe?" Whitelam joked about "naughty pics lol".

Arrangements were made for her to visit him in Hull from where she was supposedly living in Gloucester. "He told her that she could stay with him," said Miss Mitten. He said that he would buy beer or cider for her visit and he made references to them having sex. He told her: "A couple of ciders may help you, lol."

Arrangements for her to travel to Hull were made on February 3 and Whitelam told the fake girl: "Just don't say nothing because I don't want to go to jail, lol."

They were due to meet at Hull railway station at 1.45pm and Whitelam sent pictures of himself to the girl so that she would know what he looked like. The online protection team detained him at a Costa Coffee shop in the station and they walked him out of the area.

Whitelam claimed that he was just going to take the girl shopping. "The incident was live-streamed on Facebook," said Miss Mitten. Whitelam denied having any sexual interest in children and he pleaded with the four members of the online group not to telephone the police as he had a suspended prison sentence.

His backpack was removed and two bags of cannabis were found inside it. During police interview, he made no comment to all questions.

Whitelam was in breach of three suspended sentences, including one of 14 months suspended and another of four months suspended. They had been imposed in November 2021 for possessing a knife and threatening behaviour. He also breached a 10-month suspended sentence made in 2020 for arson.

Record details

A convicted sex offender who lived in a tent in woods got himself in hot water after he repeatedly failed to register his details with the police – because it was too far to walk.

Daniel Waddington was desperate to "remove" himself from society completely and lived "four miles from anywhere else". But he often could not be bothered "to tell the police where he was actually living".

He claimed that the reason that he sometimes did not go to the police station was because it was an hour to walk there and an hour to walk back, Hull Crown Court heard. Waddington, 29, of Lansdowne Road, Bridlington, admitted failing to comply with his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender and breaching a community order.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said that Waddington had been convicted in March 2021 of three offences of making indecent images of children and he had been given a three-year community order, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 90-day sex offender treatment programme.

Waddington had been given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and had been ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. The offences involved him searching for "jailbait teens" and "school girls", as well as "young teen porn".

Waddington was homeless at the time of his conviction, but he had to tell police every seven days where he was living and where he could be found. He failed to do so on February 15 and 22 last year and, after that, his compliance was "sporadic" and he failed to notify his details on March 21 and 28 last year.

Waddington again failed to do so on April 10. He later told police that he understood the requirements but he had been homeless and this made it difficult to attend because he did not have transport and it was a long way for him to walk from where he was living, especially as he had a bad knee at the time.

Waddington admitted that he had received text messages from the police, but he had ignored them. He had breached the community order three times, missing appointments on August 22 and on September 12 and 18. "He has failed to attend since," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

His overall compliance was "poor" and he had shown a lack of motivation, despite attempts by the probation service to be flexible. Waddington had attended only 86 of 140 appointments.

Harry Bradford, mitigating, said that the breaches were accepted by Waddington and they had been like a "Damocles sword" hanging over him. At the time, Waddington was homeless and suffering problems.

"He had removed himself from society as far as he could to get away," said Mr Bradford. "He lived in a wooded area in a tent four miles from anywhere else.

"To walk to the police station was an hour there and an hour back. Essentially, he buried his head in the sand. He was turning down support from professionals and he had removed himself as far as he could from society.

"Inch by inch, he has clawed his way back into society as best he can. He has stable accommodation for the first time in a long time. The person who did those breaches is not the same person who sits at the back of court.

"He had terrible compliance previously. He is trying to get his life back together. He is in a position to be engaging more with the probation service."

Waddington was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and 15 days' rehabilitation. The sexual harm prevention order and the notification requirements will continue. Judge Tahir Khan KC told Waddington: "You haven't knuckled down and done the work you should have done."

Record details

Three men who raped a woman who thought she had got into a registered taxi will be sentenced in April.

The woman got into a car after a night out with friends in Hull city centre on 30 July.

Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai, both 18 and of Wellsted Street, Hull were found guilty of rape at Hull Crown Court.

Kehan Safi, 26, of Wellington Lane, Hull, pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing.

CCTV footage showed the woman walking along Ferensway when she entered the car and travelled off in the direction of Hull Royal Infirmary.

During the course of the journey, Ahmadzai, Bakhtullah Safi and Kehan Safi, carried out their attack before requesting a 20 taxi fare.

The woman refused to pay and fled to safety.

Sexual predators

Det Con Ashley Webster from Humberside Police said the defendants had shown "no remorse" for their actions.

They are what I can only describe as sexual predators who subjected a lone woman who had just been on a night out with friends, to a horrific and utterly traumatising ordeal.

"This was a truly disturbing case and Im pleased these men are now behind bars and are being punished for this horrific attack."

The gang will be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 2 April.

Record details

A convicted sex offender who left the United Kingdom and went abroad later returned illegally to this country in an inflatable boat along with 50 other people, including his wife and children.

The boat was intercepted as it entered UK territorial waters and he ended up being brought from Kent to Hull to live in a hotel. Fingerprint checks revealed his previous conviction, Hull Crown Court heard.

Talib Rasul, 47, of Beverley Road, Hull, admitted attempting to enter the United Kingdom without a valid entry clearance on May 17.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Rasul, an Iraqi national, was arrested after trying to enter the UK along with 50 others on an inflatable boat that set off from the French coast.

It was intercepted by the UK authorities before it reached this country's territorial waters. He was taken to a holding facility in Kent and was transferred to a hotel in Hull.

During interview on July 4, he made no comment to questions. Checks on him revealed that he had previously entered the UK before October 2003. He had been convicted of a sexual offence, indecent assault, in February 2005. The offence was committed in October 2003.

"It was suspected that the defendant must have left the UK of his own volition some time after his conviction," said Mr Hammersley.

"During this time, he was not known to the Home Office and there was no record of entry clearance so the defendant must have been here illegally."

The 50 others on the boat included members of Rasul's family. "He wasn't driving the boat," said Mr Hammersley.

"There is no evidence of him engaging in criminal activity or attempting to do so. He was clearly making a genuine asylum claim."

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that, at the time, Rasul immediately raised an asylum claim and that was still ongoing. "He is an asylum seeker," said Mr Shipley.

"A trial was listed. I made it clear that it would never have been a trial. Bail was granted, with a reporting condition, on August 14. He has been reporting to Clough Road police station every day since then.

"He isn't a flight risk. He is here with his wife of 17 years. He lives here with his four children."

Judge Megan Rhys told Rasul: "You were on an inflatable boat which contained 51 people. That boat was intercepted as it entered United Kingdom territorial waters. You were one of the 51 people who were on board.

"Fingerprint checks showed that you had previously entered the United Kingdom without clearance. It's of note that you were the only person on that boat who has been prosecuted.

"You came here with your wife and children. An asylum application was made shortly after you arrived and, as a result of that application, arrangements have been made leading to you and your family being housed in temporary accommodation in Hull."

Rasul spent six weeks in custody on remand before he was given bail. "An immediate custodial sentence would have a harmful impact on your wife and children," said Judge Rhys.

Rasul was given a six-month suspended prison sentence but with no requirements.