Latest Offenders Isle of Wight

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An Isle of Wight paedophile who left one of his child victims unable to sleep has walked free from court after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Serbas Mohammed, 31, abused two young girls in 2022 when they were aged just 15 and ten.

During a single incident, Mohammed kissed one girl on the cheek and neck, moving closer to her every time she edged away from him.

Then he began massaging the thigh of his other victim, asking her to give him a massage.

He was brought to court when one of the two girls reported the incident to a friend and later the school that she attends.

In a statement read out in court, one of the victims said: “This incident has had a big impact on me. I felt a lot of anger.

“I have also been unable to go to school properly. I have been struggling with my mental health. Struggling to sleep.”

Mohammed continues to deny the offence until this day but in June, he was convicted by a jury of two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Following concerns being raised during the proceedings, a psychiatric report was carried out on him, leading him to be sectioned and diagnosed with schizophrenia.

He now requires injections to control his condition.

His barrister, Thomas Evans told the sentencing judge that this would not be monitored properly in prison.

Mohammed, of Market Place, Newport, Isle of Wight, was sentenced to 15 months suspended for two years on Friday.

He must complete up to 40 rehabilitation days and is subject to a mental health treatment requirement for 12 months.

The court also ordered that he register as a sex offender and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order for the next ten years.

Judge Brian Forster KC said: “What took place has had a considerable impact. I have no doubt that the case crosses the custody threshold.

“The reality of the case is that you suffer from Schizophrenia. That is a challenging mental health condition.

“You have served earlier this year a period in hospital. You have been compliant with the treatment programme.

“If you are sent to prison today that will be a major step back in your rehabilitation which will affect not only you but also the public.”

Prosecutor Ellie Fargin added that Mohammed has two previous convictions for a public order offence and making threats to kill.

But Mr Evans said: “This is one of those rare examples where an offender comes before the court and radically improves his situation as a result of the criminal proceedings that he has faced.

“When he first came to court his presentation was concerning. His presentation before and after that is like night and say in my submission.

“He has radically improved his situation. He is someone who came to this country as a youth with preexisting trauma which is going to have an impact on his mental health.”

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A "creep" child sex abuse offender from the Isle of Wight used video games on his phone to "lure" a young girl before abusing her, a court has heard.

Paedophile Adrian Colvin, of Pennycress Drive, Newport, was jailed at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Friday, May 31.

Court heard of the "profound and lasting" effect his offending has had on the girl.

On April 24, Colvin was convicted by jury trial of three counts of sexual activity with a child under 13, and two further charges of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration.

The offences, which he denied, happened on the Isle of Wight, between June 13, 2018, and December 1, 2021, when the girl was aged between nine and 12.

Court heard how Colvin's crimes were brought to the attention of police in 2022.

The girl explained how video games on Colvin's phone were used to lure her and then she was invited round, prosecutor, Tim Devlin, said.

During those visits, Colvin would touch her inappropriately and sexually assault her, court heard.

Mr Devlin said the victim thought he was a "creep" and tried to stop him by kicking.

A victim impact statement read to the court heard how, since the abuse, the girl suffers with mental health issues.

She has missed a lot of school as she struggles going anywhere on her own.

"I'm no longer myself. It is always there in my mind", the statement said.

For Colvin, Thomas Acworth said the 27-year-old is an "isolated" figure who was neurologically under developed, in comparison to others his age.

With no previous convictions, Colvin is a young man who had never been in trouble before, Mr Acworth said.

He feels the convictions have brought his life to an end but Mr Acworth said hope is not lost for him and he can become an effective member of society again.

Recorder Elisabeth Bussey-Jones said Colvin's offending showed elements of grooming and has had a "profound and lasting effect on a vulnerable person."

"These offences are so serious", she said. "Whether you will offend again, only time will tell."

Colvin was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge.

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A sexual predator has been jailed for 15 years for coercive controlling behaviour and raping a woman in Gosport.

Connor Richard Barnes, of no fixed address on the Isle of Wight, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Thursday, January 18, where a jury found him guilty of two charges of rape and coercive controlling behaviour.

The offences took place between January 2020 and March 2022.

Following the verdict, the 28-year-old was remanded in custody until appearing again at the court on Tuesday, March 12, where he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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A former Isle of Wight youth football coach has been handed a suspended prison sentence and forced to register as a sex offender after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

Reece Simon Anderson, 23, of Vectis Road in East Cowes, appeared before Southampton Crown Court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty to 3 counts of possession of an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child, namely 25 Category A, 117 Category B and 16 Category C images, as well as 13 Category A videos.

In October 2021, Police moved in and arrested the then Solent University student – thought to be at his accommodation in the city of Southampton. An examination of his devices revealed a stash of more than 170 indecent images or videos of varying severity.

According to Anderson’s social accounts, the paedophile had been involved in football as a youth coach since September 2018, qualifying as an FA Level 1 coach in January 2020.

At university, the 23-year-old had been studying Football Studies (BA) with an interest in youth development and an aspiration to become an academy manager for a professional football team.

Anderson has now been barred from working with children following his sentencing.

Recorder Gordon Bebb KC handed Reece Anderson a 6-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and placed him on the sex offenders register for a period of 7 years. Anderson has also been made subject to a 7-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to complete a Horizon programme with 25 rehabilitation days.

His devices are to be destroyed

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AN ISLE of Wight man has been jailed after belatedly admitting sexual assaults against a woman during “a prolonged and sustained campaign of trying to elicit sex from her”.

Christopher Peach, of Queens Court, East Cowes, appeared before a judge at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on Thursday, October 26.

The 61-year-old had initially denied the charges but went on to change his plea in August – admitting two counts of sexual assault against a woman.

The court heard the first offence happened on November 22, 2019, and the second between May 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020.

A statement, read out in court, revealed how the victim’s behaviours around men had drastically changed since the incidents.

She said she relived them daily, and had awful dreams about being attacked, causing her to become socially withdrawn and scared to leave the house.

The victim said it was a prolonged and sustained campaign of trying to elicit sex from her, using her fragile mental state against her, and the mental and emotional scars were still raw.

The court heard on the first occasion, Peach grabbed the victim’s breast, and on the second, he pinned her to the floor and forcibly kissed her.

Peach was handed an 18-month prison term and made subject of a ten-year restraining order.

He was ordered to pay £149 surcharge and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years.

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A man from Jersey who was found working in a Newport convenience store before being arrested by local Police has been handed 5-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of 8 sexual offences on his home Island.

As exclusively reported by Island Echo, 57-year-old Vincent Charles Roberts was found guilty at trial back in February of 8 counts of committing a prohibited act with someone suffering from a mental disorder.

Roberts, who was working as a healthcare assistant at a psychiatric facility on the island of Jersey, had begun communicating with a female patient via text message in June 2020. He soon switched to Snapchat to talk to the woman, knowing that messages would disappear. Over time the communications became more inappropriate and things then became physical, with the 57-year-old kissing the mentally unwell patient on more than 1 occasion.

Later on, in 2020, Roberts began more communications with a 2nd female patient through TikTok, before again moving the conversation to Snapchat. Over the following weeks and months Roberts then engaged in sexual activity with this female.

The offences were initially disclosed to a member of staff, who raised a Safeguarding Adult Alert to the Adult Safeguarding Team. Roberts was then arrested in January 2021.

Throughout the investigation Roberts refused to engage with the process and left Jersey, fleeing to the Isle of Wight. He was located by Hampshire Constabulary in August 2022 before being arrested and handed over to States of Jersey Police officers in Southampton, who took him back to Jersey where he appeared in court the next day.

Roberts was working as the store manager at Central’s convenience store on Hunnyhill in Newport.

Detective Constable Carla Garnier said:

“This was a long and complex investigation into how Roberts abused his position of trust with vulnerable people for his own gratification. He tried to evade justice by leaving the Island, and I am thankful that he was apprehended, brought back to Jersey and was found guilty.”

“Roberts’ actions have had a hugely negative impact on both victims in this case. They have both been and continue to be supported by Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (IDSVAs) and Adult Mental Health.

“We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are in a position to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process.”

In addition to the jail sentence, Roberts was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years and handed a restraining order for an indeterminate amount of time.

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35-year-old Joshua Pelling, a highly predatory paedophile turned drug dealer from Sandown, has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for over 20 sexual offences and possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply.

Pelling, previously of Avenue Road, admitted the 21 sexual charges – which included inciting a 10-year-old girl to engage in penetrative sexual activity and indecent images of children – back on 31st October last year.

The court heard back then graphic details of Pelling’s paedophilic offending, which dated between April 2015 and March 2019. It was detailed how some of the girls were asked to complete sexual tasks and send sexual images or videos of themselves. The victims included real girls in Dorset, Lancashire, Humberside and across the pond in America.

The 35-year-old was given bail but soon found himself back before the courts. On 20th December, Pelling admitted possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply and to a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after officers raided his Sandown home and found a large quantity of cannabis worth around £3,100. They also found a phone logged into Discord that held a username not registered with the Police.

Pelling was remanded in custody at HMP Lewes to appear at the Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing today (Thursday) – well aware that he would most likely receive a lengthy prison sentence.

Standing before the court in an all grey tracksuit earlier this afternoon, Pelling uttered practically inaudible remarks of ‘yes’ to all of the 23 charges put to him.

Prosecutor, Barry McElduff, told the court that the offences were committed on Omegle, LiveMe and TikTok and that Pelling had tried his best to evade the authorities by connecting to his neighbour’s internet routers instead of his own. Police wrongly arrested 1 person after an email trail led back to their address rather than Pelling’s – that individual was subsequently released from custody.

He was finally caught by Hampshire Constabulary’s Internet Child Abuse Team (ICAT) after they received information from a number of agencies – including the FBI in America.

Pelling posed under numerous aliases on all 3 sites in attempts to conceal his identity including ‘Kitty Rain’, ‘Unicorn Strikeforce’ and ‘Unsub’, to name just a few. He would pretend to be a young girl – like those he was talking with. He would then blackmail the victims by threatening to expose the explicit content he had secured if the children didn’t give in to his continued demands.

Mr McElduff added that it was ‘serious, targeted and strategic offending’ and that Pelling took advantage of children.

Defending, Jim Osborne said that his client fully sympathised with the children that his actions had affected.

Recorder Malcolm Gibney said that the children were persuaded by Pelling to engage in a games-like dare and that the offences were of a nature that any right-thinking person would find disgusting and wholly unacceptable.

Joshua Pelling received a sentence of 8 years in prison with a further 2 years to be served thereafter on extended licence.

Detective Constable Martin Timmis, who led the investigation, said:

“The level of depravity that Pelling reached to torment these poor children for his own sick gratification is utterly despicable.

“The tasks that these girls were forced to perform were shocking and degrading, and has understandably traumatised them.

“Pelling is evil and twisted and belongs in prison. The lives of children have been shattered by his actions, and an innocent man was brought into custody as a result of Pelling’s warped deflection tactics.

“These young girls have shown immense bravery by reporting this abuse to the authorities, and I am grateful to our partners including our overseas counterparts in America who have pulled together to safeguard these children, and put a stop to vile Pelling’s horrific cycle of offending.”

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Isle of Wight councillor, Daryll Pitcher, has been found guilty of historic child rapes.

It follows a six-day trial at the Isle of Wight Crown Court, which concluded today (Monday).

Five hours to make decision
The jury retired for its deliberations this morning and after nearly five hours had made its decision.

Pitcher, 46, has been found guilty of two counts of rape between June 1990 and March 1992.

11-1 found Pitcher guilty
The jury reached a majority verdict on the counts, as members could not all agree, with 11 to one finding Pitcher, of Norman Way, Wootton, guilty.

Earlier in the trial, Pitcher had been found not guilty of indecent assault of a girl under 14 years as the prosecution presented no evidence.

Sentencing in April
A pre-sentence report was requested by Recorder Richard Onslow before, sentencing on 12th April.

Mr Onslow told Pitcher all sentencing options were open to the court and thanked the jury for listening to the case with care, as he noted at it had not been an easy one.

Sex Offenders Register
Pitcher will now be placed on the Sex Offenders Register and was bailed to appear at the sentencing, with the condition he did not contact the victim.

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A man has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for non-recent child sex offences on the Isle of Wight.

David Gower, now aged 70, would visit the victims at their home in Ryde on a regular basis between January 2000 and December 2001 where he would indecently assault them.

The girls, aged 8 and 12 respectively at the time of the offences, reported the incidents to police in September last year.

Gower, of Warwick Street in Ryde, was arrested and charged with five counts of indecent assault.

During Gower’s arrest, officers located a number of indecent hand drawn images of children within a pile of magazines at his home, and he was subsequently charged with the further offence of possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Appearing at Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court on 27 September this year, Gower admitted all the offences and was ordered to sign on to the Sex Offender’s Register within 72 hours.

He failed to do so and was subsequently charged with failing to comply with Sex Offender Register notification requirements, and a further offence of possession of a knife in a public place after police found a knife in Gower’s car on 1 October.

Gower appeared at the Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 30 November) where he was jailed for 15 years, with a two year extended licence period.

Investigating officer PC Mark Thomas said: “Gower completely shattered the trust of these two girls, manipulating them into situations where he could abuse them.

“His actions were utterly appalling and he is now rightfully where he belongs – in prison.

“I want to commend the bravery of these two women, who were just children at the time of these awful offences. Because of their courage, a dangerous man is now off the streets.”

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A DEPRAVED Isle of Wight man who served in the RAF and as a firefighter and special police constable, has been put behind bars after he set up hidden cameras and filmed females in states of undress.

Andrew Taylor, of Woodside Close, Northwood, appeared before an Isle of Wight Crown Court judge today (Tuesday) to learn his fate, having already admitted six counts of voyeurism and one count of taking indecent images of a child.

The charges relate to incidents between December 31, 2018, and January 23 last year.

Taylor was arrested, after an operation he set up came to light, in which he covertly installed cameras in places to film females in various states of undress, said James Kellen, prosecuting.

The 59-year-old, learning police had been informed, retrieved all his electronic filming devices prior to his arrest.

In interview, Taylor was candid about his activities exceeding what was known to detectives.

He secretly filmed females, who included a teenager, and said he viewed the footage for his own sexual gratification.

A great bulk of the 75 Category C moving images, of three victims, and a still image, were stored on one memory card, Mr Kellen said.

"He never showed the images to anyone. He said that would be weird," Mr Kellen added.

One of the female victims, a teenager, described how the thought of being filmed over a protracted time period had made her paranoid, isolated and prone to panic attacks, for which she has sought therapy.

"I want him locked up. I want his reputation demolished," she said in her victim statement.

In another victim statement, a woman described Taylor's actions as depraved, diabolical and despicable, and branded him a paedophile and a monster.

She said knowing what Taylor did left her broken and in a dark place.

She suffered a nervous breakdown and had wanted to take her own life eventually moving off the Island.

The victim concluded her statement with a plea to the judge: "Please don't let him harm anyone else."

Taylor, with no previous convictions, had served 12 years in the RAF, together with service as a firefighter and special police constable.

For Taylor, Berenice Mulvanny said her client showed remorse and said his shame and guilt "would live with him forever".

Miss Mulvanny said Taylor could not understand the cause of his offending behaviour, but added being caught was a relief to him.

Taylor was imprisoned for 40 months and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the rest of his life.

When sentencing Taylor, the judge, Recorder Malcolm Gibney, told him: "Your conduct was nothing short of despicable. It was calculated and deliberate.

"The nature of the offending is so grave, and the impact so severe, it will live with the victims for years."

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Update 2022-10-04

A man has been jailed after admitting a number of non-recent sexual offences on the Isle of Wight.

Graham Medway, aged 64 and formerly of the Freshwater area, appeared at Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 30 August this year where he pleaded guilty to:

• Assault a girl under 13 by touching relating to an incident in Yarmouth, on 6 September 2014.
• Assault a girl under 13 by touching relating to an incident in Shanklin between 20 June 2013 and 22 June 2013.
• 2 counts of indecent exposure relating to incidents in Freshwater between 1 January 2017 and 24 September 2020.

This follows an investigation by the Operation Marmion team, who specialise in investigating non-recent child sex offences.

Appearing at Isle of Wight Crown Court today (4 October), Medway was given an 8 year extended sentence in prison. His Honour Judge Shepherd jailed him for 6 years but added a further two years on in acknowledgement of Medways dangerousness as an offender.

Detective Inspector Damian Glendenning said: We are grateful to all of the victims who have shown such bravery throughout this investigation. It is because of their courage that we have secured these convictions against Medway.

I want the public to be reassured that we take all sexual offence and child sex abuse allegations incredibly seriously. We encourage people to continue reporting information to the police about this type of offending so we can target perpetrators and safeguard vulnerable people.

If you have been affected by child sexual abuse you can contact police on 101 and speak to a police officer in confidence.

2021/01/08

A "loitering" stranger raped a three-year-old girl in broad daylight in a wooded area at a country park after she had run ahead of her family on a day out.

Graham Medway approached and attacked the young girl on August 31, 2020, a bank holiday Monday, at Fort Victoria Country Park on the Isle of Wight.

She had run ahead from her family, which she often did when playing, as they walked down a path after visiting the beach. The family would have a system that the girl would respond to when she could not be seen, but she did not on this occasion sparking concern.

Isle of Wight Crown Court heard on Friday (January 8) that the girl's mother lost track of her daughter as they went down the undulating footpath, during which time Medway abducted and attacked the child by orally raping her after taking her into a "secluded" part of the woodland.

Over a period of about eight minutes, the anxious mother searched frantically for her daughter, only locating her after dog walkers directed her back to the fort area as they had seen a girl matching her description going towards there.

The dog walkers had also seen Medway with the little girl emerging from some bushes, with the attacker appearing to be bending down and telling her off.

The young girl was found by the fort, with prosecutor David Richards noting that the mother noticed her daughter had wet herself.

She then told her mother: "That man put his willy in my mouth."

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That statement was then repeated to other family members, and to police officers when they were called to the popular Yarmouth park that day.

Medway was located by Hampshire Constabulary later that night, and he was arrested and later charged.

The 62-year-old paedophile was jailed for nine years, with an extended licence period of five years, at the court in Newport on Friday.

Mr Richards told the court that people who knew Medway saw him near the toilet block at the country park at around 1.40pm on the bank holiday Monday, which was a very sunny day.

The family of the young girl had been on a day out on that same day, initially going to the beach at Yarmouth before heading for a walk at the country park, where they had arrived at around 2.30pm.

In court, the child, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was described as an "energetic" and "confident little girl" who would approach people to talk to.

The incident took place in woodland at Fort Victoria Country Park.

Medway abducted her and put his erect penis into her mouth - an act that in police interview he would repeatedly deny having committed, forcing officers to gather further evidence including forensic evidence and getting the child to give an interview and recall what had happened.

DNA matching that of the young girl was found on the inside of Medway's boxer waistband. Only when presented with that evidence did Medway admit to what he had done, entering a guilty plea in October.

While passing sentence, Judge Roger Hetherington said that Medway had been "hanging around in the area" after apparently deciding not to go fishing on his boat.

He added: "I have little doubt that you were loitering in the park area waiting for just this sort of opportunity."

During the hearing, Mr Richards read out two victim impact statements from the girl's mother, within which she mentioned the trauma and devastation the incident had caused on her daughter and the family.

She said in part that she "simply cannot describe the full impact this had had on each and every one of us".

The mother said how initially after the attack there was a "noticeable change" in how the child acted, with her becoming more aggressive towards her family and at pre-school. She would often bite and punch people.

Another, more recent statement said that this behaviour had settled down since and become more consistent, but the girl still had "ups and downs".

The mother said that herself and the child's father were concerned about how the incident would affect her in the future, once she gets older.

In one section, she said: "It absolutely breaks our hearts to think about the time we are going to have to tell our daughter about this horrendous thing that had happened to her."

She added that what the family had experienced should "never happen to another child ever again".

The mother described how taking their three-year-old daughter to a sexual health clinic to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases is "something no family should have to deal with."

Within her statements, the mother said that the incident had also had a lasting impact on herself and the girl's father, who were now anxious in their daily life.

Among other things, they have reinforced security at their home, become wary of lone men around their family, and struggeld to eat and sleep since the incident happened.

Also noted was how the ordeal had changed their perception of the island itself, which they had previously viewed as a safe place.

She also said: "As a result of this man's actions in the few seconds she was out of our sight, we have to carry overwhelming guilt that we failed to protect her. This will be with us for the rest of our lives."

Medway, from Freshwater, pleaded guilty to one count of raping a child under the age of 13 when he previously appeared in court on October 26.

During mitigation, defence counsel Elizabeth Bussey-Jones said that her client, a married man, had no previous convictions aside from a conditional discharge for theft when he was 15.

She added that he wanted to apologise to the victim and her family, but knew it would provide no comfort.

Ms Bussey-Jones said of the defendant: "He literally does not know how to put his appalling behaviour into words."

The defence barrister also said that Medway wanted to apologise to his own family and the "shame" that had been brought to them simply by being related to him.

He was handed an extended sentence of 14 years, nine of which will be custodial and the rest on licence. He will have to serve two thirds of his custodial sentence before he can be considered for parole. A sexual harm prevention order was also made.

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Police on the Isle of Wight have jailed two child sex offenders. Paul Allen, 38, of Hinton Road in Newport was jailed today (May 31) for 16 years following an investigation led by the Isle of Wight Investigations Team, with support from officers of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

Allen was arrested by police on September 27, 2021 on suspicion of arranging the commission of a child sex offence. He had been speaking on a number of online platforms with a person who he believed to be a child, and agreed to meet this person at Newport Recreation Ground.

The individual he had been speaking with was in fact a police officer, and Allen was met by police at the recreation ground where he was arrested. He was subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence, and possession of cannabis, both of which he pleaded guilty to during a hearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court the following morning.

A few days later, on October 3, police received a report that Allen had sexually abused a teenage boy over the summer. Police were told that the 14-year-old child had met Allen over the dating app Grindr in March 2021, and the pair communicated over Whatsapp where Allen shared explicit images of himself.

The pair met in person and the boy was abused by Allen, including an incident in June where Allen seriously sexually assaulted the boy in woodland in the Carisbrooke area. Allen was arrested again, before he was charged with further offences and remanded in custody.

During this time, police continued to examine data on Allens phone while he was on remand, where they discovered he had previously messaged other children via WhatsApp, Snapchat, Grindr and Kik. He had also sent indecent images of children, and enquiries established he had also abused another teenage boy between 2014 and 2016.

Other messages on the phone indicated that Allen had tried to sell cannabis to people around the Newport area. Allen was again charged with further offences.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 25 April 2022, Allen admitted the following:

- 2 counts of meeting a boy under 16 following grooming

- 6 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child

- 4 counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy aged 13-15

- 3 counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child

- 2 counts of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence

- Causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity

- Offering to supply cannabis

Appearing at the same court today (Tuesday 31 May), he was sentenced to 16 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years. In a similar operation to target child sex abusers, and running concurrent to the investigation into Allen, officers arrested 46-year-old Paul Elvins, formerly of St Johns Road in Sandown.

Elvins, like Allen, struck up a conversation online with someone he believed to be a child. On November 2, 2021, Elvins was arrested and subsequently charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

He was remanded in custody whilst Isle of Wight officers conducted further enquiries and continued to interrogate his digital devices. Elvins was charged in January this year with 19 further offences:

- 16 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child

- One count of attempting to cause/incite the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13-17

- 2 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child

He admitted all of the offences in court and on 6 May this year he was jailed for four years and eight months.

Chief Inspector Alex Charge: These investigations uncovered an appalling catalogue of child sex offences. I am grateful to all of the detectives and officers who worked incredibly hard to establish the full extent of the offending by these men, both in the lead up to and following their arrests.

Allen and Elvins are dangerous men who pose a risk to children, and I hope the public remain reassured that officers on the Island are making every effort, and utilising every tactic available to them to identify perpetrators of this type of abuse, bring them to justice, and safeguard the children who have been harmed. We will continue to target these offenders as a priority, and we encourage anyone who has been impacted by this kind of abuse to please get in touch with police so that our specially trained officers can listen to you, protect you, and provide you with the support you need.

Not everyone has the confidence to speak to police. We recognise this and want those who arent comfortable talking to police to know that there are other support agencies out there that can help you.

Detective Inspector James Oxley, of SEROCU, said: These convictions send out a clear message to those who use the internet to attempt to abuse children - every effort will be made to ensure you face the consequences of your actions. The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit worked closely in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary on these cases as part of our commitment to make our communities safer, to ensure Allen and Elvins were no longer able to pose a danger to children and were brought to court to face justice.

Tracy Kent, Deputy CEO of Hampton Trust, said: Hampton Trust Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) play an important role in providing specialist tailored support to victims and survivors of sexual violence, irrespective of whether they have reported to the police. ISVAs provide impartial information to the victim/survivor about all their options, such as reporting to the police, accessing Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services, and specialist support such as pre-trial therapy and sexual violence counselling.

This service is free to all IOW residents of any age, gender and sexuality.

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47-year-old David Michael Wells will spend 18 years behind bars and another 4 years on licence after being found guilty of raping a child on no less than 6 occasions.

Wells, of Chale Street in Chale Green, was charged with 6 counts of rape following a lengthy police investigation which began in January 2020. Hampshire Constabulary launched the investigation after the victim reported she had been abused by Wells between 2017 and 2018 when she was under the age of 16.

Wells denied the offences and the case went to trial on 25th April this year at Newport Crown Court. On 28th April, after 4-and-a-half hours of deliberation, the jury convicted him of the charges.

Appearing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court this morning, Wells was jailed for 18 years, with 4 additional years on extended license. A lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and restraining order were also granted.

DC Daniel Hayward, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, has said:

Wells is a danger to children who is now behind bars where he belongs.

The child in this case should be commended for her bravery in standing up to her abuser and finding the courage to talk to police.

It is because of this that Wells is now in a place where he cannot harm another child. I hope this case, and the bravery of the girl involved, encourage others who have been harmed by this kind of awful abuse to speak out and seek support.

An NSPCC spokesperson has today said:

Wells not only repeatedly abused a child, he then forced her to re-live that abuse in trial by denying his offences.

Childhood abuse can have devastating effects which can last a lifetime, but we hope this victim is now receiving all the support she needs and can take some solace knowing her bravery in speaking out has helped ensure Wells faces justice. We would urge anyone who has experienced abuse and is suffering, no matter when it happened or who the perpetrator is, to speak out and seek support.

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46-year-old Paul Elvins has been jailed for more than 4 years after pleading guilty to attempting to meet an underage boy for sex and sending sexual communications to 21 other children on social media platforms.

Elvins, formally of St Johns Road in Sandown, was sentenced on Friday after admitting to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, 2 counts of sexual communication with a child, 17 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, and attempting to pay 40 for the sexual services of a child.

The disgraced care worker, who worked with disabled adults, thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old boy and arranged to meet with him for sex, but it was actually an undercover police officer.

When Elvins was arrested at his place of work, the police checked his phone and found evidence of other communications he had sent to 21 different children all of whom were under 16 years of age.

Judge Barry McElduff sentenced Elvins to 4 years and 8 months behind bars and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Emma Lile, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said:

We worked with Hampshire police officers from a very early stage in the investigation of this case to ensure we had all the evidence we needed to prove Elvins was guilty.

As a result of this early engagement and our strong partnership working, Elvins admitted his guilt to all offences at the first opportunity.

Thankfully, Elvins was caught by an undercover officer rather than meeting with a real 13-year-old boy, but thats not to say that the other children Elvins contacted on social media will not have been deeply affected by his behaviour.

We are committed to keeping children safe from those who seek to prey on them using the internet and social media platforms. Perpetrators should know that we will prosecute you whenever our legal test is met.

With time on remand taken into account and an automatic early release, Paul Elvins could be back on the streets by June 2024.

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A man who lured children into his Sandown home by allowing them to play computer games has been jailed for sexually abusing a child in the 1990s and early 2000s.

58-year-old Michael Norman Smith sexually assaulted the boy between 1997 and 2003, beginning when the child was under the age of 10.

During a trial at Isle of Wight Crown Court, jurors heard how Smith, who lived at Willow Way in Sandown at the time of the offences, would often have children over to his address and would allow them to play computer games. Smith would also take them to do activities such as swimming or going to the cinema.

In 2019, Police were contacted by a man who stated that Smith had sexually abused him at the Willow Way address during this period when he was a child. After the abuse, the boy would then be given money, sweets or other food and drink items by Smith.

Following an investigation, Smith was charged with 2 counts of indecent assault and 3 counts of indecency with a child. He initially denied the offences and the case went to trial on 7th February this year.

On 9th February, part way through the trial, Smith changed his plea and admitted all of the abuse. Smith was subsequently remanded in custody to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 8th April where he was jailed for 6-and-a-half years.

Detective Sergeant Katy Lee of Hampshire Constabulary, who led the investigation, said:

Smith is a danger to children, and he groomed and manipulated the child in this case for his own perverse gratification.

The boy has had to deal with the impact of this abuse for the remainder of his childhood and into adult life. I want to commend him for now finding the courage to come forward and face his abuser.

His courage has ensured that a predator is now behind bars where he belongs, and Smith will pay the price for these awful crimes.