Latest Offenders Lancashire

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A "dangerous and predatory" paedophile who raped a woman while on bail awaiting trial for sexual assaulting two children has been jailed.

Michael Levy, 39, sexually abused a nine-year-old and a 13-year-old on a number of occasions between 2019 and 2021, Lancashire Police said.

He then pressured a woman into letting him into her home before raping her.

Levy has been jailed for 18 years at Preston Crown Court after being convicted in two separate trials.

He was found guilty of 13 sexual offences against children under 13 in March before being convicted of rape in July.

Warning: This article contains distressing content

Police said Levy, of no fixed address but formerly of Bamber Bridge, bombarded his first and youngest victim with WhatsApp messages telling her he loved her.

He sexually abused his second victim several times including when she was in her school uniform, police added.

After being charged with the offences, Levy was bailed ahead of his trial.

By this time, Levy had began bombarding his third victim with messages.

He then pressured the woman into agreeing to meet him for a coffee in January and then to let him come over to her house while her friend was there, police said.

After the victim's friend had left, Levy bit her, sexually assaulted her and raped her, the force said.

Levy was smirking at the victim throughout, police added.

'Sense of entitlement'

The mother of the teenage victim wrote in a victim personal statement to the court that her "very bubbly" daughter's moods had changed and she had vivid nightmares and would wake up in tears.

The woman said in her victim personal statement: "I feel scared all the time.

"I struggle to sleep and when I do it's only a couple of hours, then I am stressed at the children, it's just awful."

Det Con Jo Billington said the offences had a "profound impact" on all three of his victims.

"Levy is a dangerous and predatory offender with a sordid sexual view and sense of entitlement towards both women and girls," she said.

"He planned these offences and continued to sexually assault his victims even when they pleaded with him to stop."

Levy was handed a further five years on licence, made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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The devastation felt by a traumatised rape victim was graphically spelled out in court as a 32-year-old Leyland man was jailed for 10 years for attacking a woman in her own home.

Adam Stock was told by a judge he was close to getting a life sentence for the offence, which was the second time he had been convicted of rape.

Preston Crown Court heard Stock had been released in 2021 - halfway through an eight-year prison sentence for a series of 10 sex offences.

This time Judge Andrew Jefferies told him he would have to serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence before he could apply to the Parole Board for release and warned: “If you have not changed your attitude to women after that period then the Parole Board will not release you and you would have to serve the full 10 years.”

Stock, of Cumberland Avenue, Leyland, pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one of sexual assault on the woman. Both offences happened despite the victim refusing to have sex with him at her home – once in her bedroom and the other in the lounge. The sexual assault was witnessed by the woman’s young son who heard the pair arguing and came downstairs.

Both the victim and her child were left traumatised by what had happened, prosecuting counsel Tim Evans told Judge Jefferies. In the woman’s case she had suffered “severe psychological harm” as a result of what had happened.

In a victim impact statement, read out by Mr Evans, the woman said she had been left “completely and utterly broken” by the ordeal and had suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Since it happened it had affected her day-to-day life, she suffered from vivid flashbacks and struggled to get to sleep at night. When she did sleep she suffered from nightmares and regularly woke up crying and screaming.

“She says she will never trust anyone again, or believe anyone,” said Mr Evans. The woman, he said, had had suicidal thoughts and felt she had lost her identity and that her body had been stolen from her. She had since felt physically sick when near men.

“I don’t even recognise myself anymore,” she wrote in her statement. “I will never know what I did so wrong to him for him to abuse me and destroy me. I will forever be damaged and never be the same person again. My son witnessed something no son should ever have to go through. He is terrified. He has struggled at school.”

Mr Evans said the house where the offences happened no longer felt like home to the victim. He added that she kept seeing Stock’s face everywhere and she felt “a complete mess.” He was, said Mr Evans, “plainly a highly dangerous individual.”

Christian Cavanagh, defending, asked Judge Jefferies to take a “cautious approach” to sentencing and not impose a life term despite his previous record of sex crimes. He said in mitigation that Stock had pleaded guilty to the two offences, which spared the mother and son the ordeal of having to give evidence in a trial. Mr Cavanagh said Stock recognised the emotional effect the offences had had on the victim.

Judge Jefferies told Stock that he had refused to take “no” for an answer and raped the woman. Later he had again refused to take “no” for an answer and sexually assaulted her before her son came downstairs and intervened. “What is troubling me is it mirrors what I have read about your previous convictions.”

The judge ordered that Stock should serve an extended three-year licence period after he is eventually released from prison. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

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Lancashire Police say they could not have predicted violent sex offender Anthony Stinson would go on to kill.

Stinson, 31, was jailed for life and must serve a minimum term of 24 years and two months before he can apply for parole, after killing Charlotte Wilcock on her doorstep in Blackburn.

No motive has been given for the attack on Charlotte, who was a complete stranger to Stinson. She suffered almost 100 separate injuries and was left to die behind her front door while her baby daughter was alone upstairs.

Det Ch Insp Mark Haworth-Oates, of Lancashire Police's Force Major Investigation Team, said: "The nature of the offence was so random. We saw him in a shop 20 minutes before the murder, acting reasonably normally. He was with his friends rapping on a video half an hour earlier, acting reasonably normally."

Although Stinson was unknown to Charlotte he was no stranger to the police. As a registered sex offender he was monitored in the community by the police and Probation Service. At his sentence hearing, the court heard he has 11 previous convictions for 25 offences including rape, ABH and criminal damage. Many of those crimes were against women.

In 2010, Stinson assaulted an ex partner at her home by pushing, grabbing and spitting at her, after entering her flat through a window.

In 2013, he raped a teenager at a house party in Clitheroe. He admitted abusing the girl while she slept and was jailed for five years. In April 2019 he was handed a suspended sentence for two attacks on his ex partner within days of each other. On both occasions he strangled the woman, and during the second attack, Stinson put a pillow over her face, saying: "I swear to God, I could happily bury you." The victim said she thought she was going to die.

Stinson admitted he had been drinking and taking drugs when he attacked his partner in 2019 and was ordered to take part in rehabilitation to address his offending. He remained under supervision until his arrest for Charlotte's murder in March 2023.

Det Ch Insp Haworth-Oates said: "He was managed like any registered sex offender because of his rape conviction. He had served his prison sentence (for rape) and like numerous other people, unfortunately, he was managed in the community.

"Clearly, that doesn't lend itself to us following someone round or being with them 24 hours a day, or being able to predict a change in mood or a change in circumstances on that night that caused him to go and do what he did.

"He made a decision on that night to take an awful lot of drugs, all day - drugs he knew and he admitted caused him issues mentally and caused him anger issues."

Stinson claimed he was suffering psychosis and had seen the devil when he attacked Charlotte, but psychiatrists concluded he was acting rationally at the time he claimed to be impaired. However Stinson also admitted he had been taking drugs and drinking and had argued with his dad, before taking a Stanley knife onto the street to 'rob a drug dealer'.

"It could have been anybody sat on that doorstep that night", DCI Haworth-Oates said. "It is so sad it was Charlotte this has happened to. One person is responsible for that and that is Anthony Stinson."

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A depraved nurse who ran a respiratory ward during the Covid crisis turned to online sex offences for 'comfort' - keeping a hoard of sick images and sharing obscene stories about children.

Rebecca Ruler, 32, kept a hoard of sadistic child abuse images and published sick sexual articles about children and babies for a group of paedophiles, a court heard.

Preston Crown Court heard that Ruler had been on the frontline of the Covid crisis, working as a ward manager at Royal Bolton Hospital. Kim Obrusik, defending, said: "It was the worst time in recent history that someone could be working on those wards."

But, prosecuting, Peter Barr said: "It was she who initiated the discussions by expressing her sexual interest in children. There was no evidence of coercion."

Ruler has now been handed a suspended prison sentence, reports LancsLive. Mr Barr told Preston Crown Court that between April 2021 and April 2022, Ruler downloaded 151 category A child abuse pictures, along with a further 101 at category B and 134 category C images.

She also created five obscene articles into an internet chat with five paedophiles. When questioned, she claimed the conversation was instigated by a man she was in an online relationship with and she was using the chat to impress him.

Ms Obrusik said Ruler had mild depression which was aggravated by her work, as she saw patients she had cared for dying alone, without their family or friends, on a daily basis. "As we come out of the pandemic it is easy to forget the horrors of what was occurring. The demands, both physically and emotionally, can not be quantified."

Ruler's relationship broke down, she began struggling with her body image and she found it difficult to confide in people close to her.

"She encouraged the contact from males in respect of these types of discussions as she realised this was a way to receive male attention", Ms Obrusik said. "She was feeling that she would never gain any sexual interest from males and this is how she got that interest."

Judge Richard Gioserano said: "Seeking comfort from strangers is one thing but she knew these were paedophiles."

A pre-sentence report stated Ruler, who now works in a supermarket, has "significant remorse for her actions". "Prior to this she was a woman of exemplary character, working in a job that is known to be very giving through what was and remains to be the most difficult period for the NHS in living memory", Ms Obrusik said.

Ruler, of Springfield Road, Coppull, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and five counts of publishing an obscene article.

Sentencing, Judge Gioserano said: "I have asked myself how it is that your thinking became not just distorted but so depraved that you committed these eight offences. I will start by stating the obvious: distorted thinking, no matter how depraved, does not in itself attract a criminal sanction.

"It may of course attract moral outrage but moral outrage is no basis for sentence. You are not being sentenced for distorted thinking or depraved thinking in itself. You are being sentenced for acting on that thinking by downloading indecent images and engaging in messaging about sadistic and sexual abuse of very young children.

"I have assessed the risk that your messages could have depraved and corrupted others that might have read it. It is possible that the recipients could have shared your messages with other paedophiles but that was not your intention. There was no intention that your messaging, as depraved as it was, should go beyond the five people in the chat.

"I am asked to consider whether your work as a nurse on a respiratory ward during Covid played a part. I do not wish to underestimate the emotional and physical impact upon you. It clearly did take its toll, not only on you but on your relationship with your partner. It might have been that that was what led you to seeking comfort from strangers but that is not necessarily uncommon. People in difficult emotional circumstances may take value from anonymous online contact with strangers.

"This is not a court of morals. I am not here to judge that. But you moved from that sort of contact to active criminal contact with paedophiles. Even if the distortion in your thinking could somehow be explained by the emotional toll of your work at the time, I can not see how that can mitigate for your offending."

He handed Ruler a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered her to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. She must also complete 35 days of rehabilitation activities including a one-to-one sex offenders course, and has been made subject to a five year sexual harm prevention order and 10 years on the sex offenders' register.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council confirmed they are aware of the sentencing.

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A man who raped three young girls and sexually abused a boy has been found guilty of committing his depraved crimes by a jury.

Stephen Anderton, 53, has been on trial at Burnley Crown Court, and on Friday, August 4, was found guilty of five rapes and 15 other sexual offences committed against children.

Anderton’s abuse started in the 1980s and spanned four decades.

The youngest victims were aged just four when 53-year-old Anderton began abusing them.

The mother of one of the victims first contacted the police to report Anderton’s crime against a child in 2018.

 
Enquiries from detectives then led to further victims being identified.

Anderton, of Bank Street, Padiham, denied his disgraceful crimes but after trial a jury convicted him of the prolonged child abuse.

He was remanded into custody to be sentenced at the same court on September 22.

DS Alex Rawsthorn, of the Blackburn Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “Anderton was found guilty of the most depraved offences imaginable.

"I would like to express my thanks to the officer in case whose tenacity and dedication has been unwavering.

"Most importantly, I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude and admiration for the victims who have endured an agonising wait for justice.

"They have shown remarkable courage throughout this case.”

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A disgraced former police officer who sexually assaulted a lone teenager as she walked home alone at midnight has been jailed for two and a half years.

James White, a former officer for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), admitted he had drunk four bottles of wine before getting in his car for a drive on 25 June, before carrying out an attack that was "the stuff of nightmares".The 39-year-old said he had not gone out to prowl for a lone female but when he spotted the teenager in a remote location in Darwen, Lancashire, he stopped the car and assaulted her.

Eve Salter, prosecuting, told the court the girl heard footsteps running up behind her. When White caught up he put his hands over her eyes, saying: "I don't want to hurt you".

He dragged her to the ground, causing grazes and bruises to her arm, torso and hip, before removing one of his hands from her eyes and putting it on her leg.The brave teenager took out her mobile phone and called her mum on Facetime. She tried to strike her attacker with the phone as the call connected, but White tried to knock it out of her hand.

She was able to take a photo of her attacker, who was wearing a distinctive t-shirt, before White ran away into the darkness, spooked by the girl's call for help.

The youngster was collected by her step-dad and reported the attack to the police.She said: "I don't know how to feel about the attack. I am just glad to be alive as I feared the worst was about to happen."The court heard White was dismissed from his role with GMP, serving the Bolton area, after he was convicted of four offences relating to the sexual harassment of female colleagues.

Tom Worsfold, defending, said his client recognised the court would have little sympathy for him and deserved to feel the shame he feels.

His step father, who has visited him in HMP Durham, said White told him he felt "he was torn between two different people - one good, one bad - and the bad one was winning"."There is a sense of tragedy that this person who was once a police officer in a position of responsibility could fall so low", Mr Worsfold said.

Sentencing, Judge Altham said: "What must have made this attack so frightening is that a 16-year-old who was on her own was targeted on the street.

"It is the stuff of nightmares for a stranger to wrestle you to the ground with the intention of sexual assault.

"If this was a planned attack where he has prowled for a victim before attacking her in this way, it is troubling, but it is equally troubling if all it takes is the sight of a lone female for him to run up behind her and assault her in this way.

"This young woman had to fight him off in the course of a violent attack. A man who can attack a young woman in this way - particularly with his background, is dangerous."

He sentenced White, of Suddellside Road, Darwen, to two years and six months for sexual assault with 10 months to run concurrently for ABH.

The judge also placed White on the Sex Offenders Register for 15 years, saying: "He will remain a danger to women for a significant period of time."

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A ‘DANGEROUS’ sex offender from Ingleton has been jailed for four years after he was trapped by a paedophile hunter group for the second time.

Robert Twaites was given a community order in 2018 that included a condition that he took part in a specialist sex offender programme.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday (Monday) that he had been caught by a paedophile hunter group sending sexually explicit messages to decoys posing as girls aged 13 and 14 and trying to meet up with them.

Despite completing the Horizon Programme, he was back online in January this year trying to meet up for sexual activity with what he believed was a girl aged 13, the court heard.

Prosecutor Philip Standfast told the court that Twaites engaged in conversations with the decoy saying he liked to go on dates and offering to buy her presents.

He suggested they could ‘meet in the woods’ but after he failed to turn up, members of the paedophile hunter group confronted him at his home and contacted the police.

When officers examined his phone, they found prohibited images of children.

Twaites, 33, of New Village, Ingleton, admitted charges relating to his attempts to cause or incite a child to engage sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Julian White, for Twaites, described his behaviour as self-destructive and said it was mind-boggling that he would continue to behave in the way he had.

“He went through the necessary rehabilitative process, but notwithstanding that, he continued to offend in an identical manner,” Mr White said.

He described Twaites as an isolated and lonely individual.

Judge Sophie McKone said that despite his denials, he had a sexual interest in children and posed a high risk of serious harm to them.

Although no real child was involved, if there had been he would have gone through with the intended abuse.

Judge McKone jailed Twaites for four years and added an extra two years’ licence because he was a dangerous offender.

He will only be released by the Parole Board after serving two-thirds of his jail term if they decide it is safe to do so.

Twaites will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he must comply with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A man who breached a sexual harm prevention order by assisting families with young children at a fairground ride has been jailed for nine months.

Richard Mason, 35, pleaded guilty to the breach and to obstructing a police officer at a hearing on May 9.

Mason, of Church Terrace, Darwen, was not to have any contact with children under the age of 18 per the terms of his order, which was amended to include that restriction in 2019.

This was the sixth time Mason had breached the order, originally imposed following a conviction for sexual offences in 2005.

Prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, Beth Pilling said: “Police received an anonymous phone call on April 8 this year informing them the defendant was working at Witton Park in Blackburn.

“They attended at around 4.15pm and observed him working on one of the rides for around 13 minutes, seating families and locking the overhead equipment into place.

“On speaking to him, he informed the police he was going home. He collected his items from by the ticket stall and walked off.”

The police decided to take Mason to one side to speak to him, but he pushed an officer’s arm away and ran off. He was located an hour later on a nearby street.

He informed officers he was only there to go on the rides and that he had not been working there, just assisting a friend who was working.

Mitigating, Holly Nelson said Mason maintains he was not paid to be there and he attended the fairground to meet a friend working there who had asked for help.

“He should not have been doing it and he accepts that,” Ms Nelson added.

Sentencing, Recorder David Temkin said: “On April 8 this year police were anonymously called to say you were working at a funfair in Witton Park.

“You were observed for a little under a quarter of an hour assisting your friend. You certainly assisted and operated machinery.

“What you did brought you into contact with families, including children, in direct contradiction to your Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and you knew it.

“Police officers viewed some families had young children appearing to be under 13. One police officer saw you lifting a seven-year-old child into a carriage.

“You told the police officers you were only there to go on some rides. That was patently untrue.”

Passing sentence, Recorder Temkin said Mason presented a risk and a danger to the public and an appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.

Mason was sentenced to nine months in prison, with no separate penalty for the obstruction of an officer.

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A “predatory” former religious education teacher sexually assaulted a teenage boy in the 1980s after keeping him back after school.

Donald Hunt was an RE teacher who worked at Rhyddings High School in Oswaldtwistle between 1983 and 1989.

Preston Crown Court heard that between 1987 and 1989 he sexually assaulted a 15 or 16-year-old boy on three occasions after keeping him back to “discuss his work”.

Amanda Johnson, prosecuting, said: “The defendant would keep him back after lessons to ‘discuss his work’ and on one occasion, when in close proximity to his victim, he rubbed himself up against him.

“On another occasion he was standing next to the child and undid the teenager’s flies and began to rub him over his boxer shorts.

“The victim said he recalled feeling scared.

“On the third occasion the defendant told the boy to get a chair and come and sit next to him.

"He unzipped his own flies and said to the victim ‘you know what to do’, before placing the boy’s hand on his groin area.

“The boy pulled away and went home and told his father, but his father refused to believe him.”

Ms Johnson said the offending ended when the teenager told a friend and made him wait outside the classroom the next time he was kept back, and when the defendant went to initiate further contact the victim called out to his friend.

Ms Johnson told the court: “The boy’s friend ran into the classroom and the defendant panicked and stormed out with the boys following him into the car park.

"The defendant could not get away quick enough.”

It was heard the incidents were reported to the headteacher at the time, but they were not acted upon.

Ms Johnson went on: “The victim was told ‘Mr Hunt has a family, are you trying to break the family up?’.

“He also got into trouble for ‘making the whole thing up’ and ‘trying to ruin the teacher’s career’.”

The offences eventually came to light when the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attended a police station in 2019, as the incidents had been niggling at him for years and had affected his personal life, his relationships, and had resulted in him abusing drugs and alcohol.

He said he had even attempted suicide on a few occasions.

Hunt attended the police station for a voluntary interview and said he could not remember the victim.

He said he experienced difficulty with his memory due to a car accident in 2007, although no medical evidence was provided to the courts to support this.

Mitigating, Mark Shanks said: “The man before you today is a different man to who committed the offences in the late 80s.

“He is a religious man who gives to the community, his friends and his church. He was shocked and disappointed when he heard about the effect his offending had had on his victim.

“He is petrified of going to prison again and so he should be.”

Married father-of-three, Hunt, now 69, was jailed for nine months in 2006 for indecently assaulting a boy in a storeroom at the same school in 1984.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order at the time, which he later breached in 2012 when work he was doing meant he had contact with schoolchildren.

He was handed a community order for this breach.

Hunt, of Fairfield Street, Accrington, initially pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault with a view of taking the case to trial, but pleaded guilty on the first day of the hearing in May.

Judge Heather Lloyd, sentencing, said: “In the 80s you were a respected RE teacher and with that came the responsibility of not only the education of your students but the safety and wellbeing of your students.

“You used your position to behave in a criminal and predatory way to two boys in your care.

“In 2006 you were sentenced for indecent assault on a student at the same school.

“You said the student lied about what had happened. You told probation you pleaded guilty to that but you were found guilty after trial.

“You must have known when you went to prison for that there was another victim, but you kept quiet, and sure enough, your past has crept up on you.

“When this victim reported what had happened to him he was told he was telling lies. You got away with what you did to him for many years.

“You told him to stay behind for detention and you indecently assaulted him.

“You said you couldn’t remember this pupil but you were able to give a full account of your own life history.

“Even now you do not admit guilt, you simply dispute your guilt.”

Hunt was jailed for 11 months, handed a 10 year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

Upon release he will be under post sentence supervision for 12 months.

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A pervert who thought he was talking to a 14-year-old boy via Facebook Messenger arranged to meet him at Blackburn train station so he could have sex with him and ‘make him a man’.

Peter Cumberland, of Bonsall Street, Blackburn, created a profile on Facebook in July 2021 and struck up a conversation with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy, when in reality it was a decoy.

Prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, Lisa Worsley said: “The ’14-year-old boy’ was an adult decoy from a group called ‘Travelling from Nottingham’ or ‘TFN’, who engages in conversation with suspected paedophiles and uses language that a 14-year-old would use as well as making reference to his parents.

“On July 22 2021, the decoy received a message from Cumberland asking for his school shoes, his trainers and his d***.

“The decoy said he was 14 and was still in school, to which Cumberland replied, ‘show me your trainers’ and asked for some photos.

“The decoy commented that he thought what he was saying was strange and asked Cumberland ‘do I know you?’.

“The defendant replied ‘no why?’, with the decoy saying ‘no reason, you could be anyone, and I’m not sending pictures to someone I haven’t seen’.”

Ms Worsley said the defendant then asked if he could buy the decoy’s trainers and asked if he would meet him at Blackburn train station and gave him his home address, of Bonsall Street.

The decoy then told him he couldn’t as his mother wouldn’t let him out, and asked how would he know Cumberland wasn’t a killer.

Ms Worsley said: “The defendant said he wasn’t a killer but was gay, and would prove it by kissing his feet and then making him gay. He said he would like to play with his penis and asked if the decoy was a virgin.”

The court then heard how Cumberland told the decoy he would like to have sex with him, and then asked if he wanted a photo of his private parts, before sending him one of him sitting on the toilet.

The conversation continued the following day and they arranged to meet at Blackburn station on July 25.

Ms Worsley added: “Cumberland said he would ‘make him a man’ and sent him photos of his house to reassure him he was telling the truth about where he lived.”

The decoy and a colleague arrived at Blackburn station and saw the defendant, approached him and asked him about his online activity.

They ushered him to an alleyway away from public view and called the police, before handing over documents to officers which detailed the conversations had online.

Cumberland was arrested and his mobile phone analysed, with officers able to download the conversations had with the decoy.

The 31-year-old, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to look at a sexual image, attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Defending, Clare Thomas said her client was vulnerable, had lived a life of social isolation, had a learning disability, and had difficulty with speech and language and would find a prison sentence “traumatic”.

Sentencing, Recorder Daniel Prowse said: “I am satisfied you would have engaged in sexual activity with him if it had actually been a 14-year-old boy, but I can’t suspend this sentence as it’s so serious that it can only be dealt with by way of a custodial sentence.”

Cumberland was jailed for 28 months, will have to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years and was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

DC Sarah Fyans, of East CID, said: “Peter Cumberland’s behaviour in 2021 was clearly very concerning and something we take extremely seriously.

“He clearly has a troubling sexual interest in children and attended Blackburn Train Station fully expecting to meet a 14-year-old boy.

“I welcome the custodial sentence handed down by the courts to a man with no previous history of offending. I hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on his actions and get the help he clearly needs.”

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Dylan Tattersall, 28, attempted to sexually assault the victim twice while threatening her with a metal bar in the early hours of June 19, 2022.

The victim managed to secretly take photographs of Tattersall on her phone in order to raise the alarm.

Tattersall, of Gloucester Avenue, Accrington, was arrested later the same day.

He was charged with two rapes and a number of breaches of a non-molestation order following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service.

During a trial in December 2022, a jury found Tattersall guilty of breaching the non-molestation order but were unable to reach a verdict in relation to the charges of rape.

Tattersall later pleaded guilty to two alternative counts of attempted rapes, with the victim ready to give evidence for a second time.

He was sentenced on Tuesday (July 4) for those offences and breaches of the non-molestation order he had previously pleaded guilty to.

Tattersall was subsequently jailed for 11 years and eight months.

Sitting at Preston Crown Court, Judge Heather Lloyd deemed Tattersall to be a dangerous offender and sentenced him to a three-year extended licence period.

Tattersall was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and a restraining order was put in place.

Det Sgt Lee Harris, of East CID, said: “'I would like to commend the victim of this case for her bravery in reporting this serious incident to the police and for her continued resilience, which saw her having to give her full evidence in a previous trial and who was prepared to endure it again if needs be.

“Both the victim and I welcome the sentence and other sanctions that have been placed upon Tattersall today, which reflects the seriousness of the case and sends a clear message that offenders like Tattersall will be brought to justice.

“I hope the outcome of this case encourages other victims of sexual violence to come forward, knowing they will be listened to and believed.”

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A drunk undressed himself and sexually assaulted a woman after he’d been drinking with her and her sister.

Anthony Brocklesby told the woman, “all she needed was the right man” and when her sister fell asleep in the front room he grabbed her and pinned her down on the settee.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Brocklesby began groping the woman, and Francis McEntee, prosecuting, said she described a struggle, before the defendant grabbed her by the neck.

Mr McEntee said: “He slipped his hands into her knickers before moving them up her body, underneath her top and into her bra.

“She managed to get him off her and went to bed, but the defendant came into the bedroom wearing no top, with his pants round his ankles.

“He tried to grope her again and touched her breasts.

“Her sister, who had woken up, then came into the room and asked what was going on to which he replied, ‘what does it look like’?”

Brocklesby also broke a glass top on the cooker in the kitchen of the house.

Mr McEntee said he was confronted by what he did the following morning but said he couldn’t remember anything, and the matter was reported to the police.

Three days later on April 29, he made threats to the woman and her sister telling them, “you shouldn’t have made the report”, he also said, “if you don’t retract you won’t see your family again and you will pay”.

Paul Cummings, in mitigation, said it was “wholly out of character” for his client and all of this was borne out of alcohol dependency.

Brocklesby, 31, of Mitre Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault by touching, witness intimidation and criminal damage.

He was jailed for 12 months, given a five year restraining order and placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

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A convicted rapist described by a judge as a 'prolific sex offender' died from heart disease in jail after a cancelled hospital cardiac appointment wasn't re-booked, an inquest heard.

Mel Orme - who was jailed for life in 1997 - was 57 and found dead in his cell at HMP Wymott near Leyland by prison officers conducting their morning rounds.

Orme, from Eccles, Salford, was returned to prison in 2020 for attacking a string of women at the Trafford Centre shopping centre after being freed early from jail. A court heard he prowled the mall looking for new victims just five months after parole officers deemed him fit to be released.

Orme already had a string of sex offences on his record when he was transferred to the prison last November. He underwent an initial health screening, telling prison staff he had been experiencing dizzy spells, and a hospital appointment was made for him after an ECG indicated some abnormalities in his heart function, the inquest in Preston heard, reports Lancs Live.

However, the appointment was then cancelled by the hospital, and there was nothing in Orme's records to suggest it was ever re-booked.

On the morning of December 12 last year Orme was found dead in his cell when prison officers conducted their morning rounds.

An inquest at Preston Coroner's Court heard that Orme, who was born in Manchester, had a history of diabetes and hypertension. A post mortem CT scan concluded the cause of his death was coronary artery disease with aortic valve disease and left ventricular hypertrophy listed as contributory factors.

Orme already had a string of sex offences on his record when he was transferred to the prison last November. He underwent an initial health screening, telling prison staff he had been experiencing dizzy spells, and a hospital appointment was made for him after an ECG indicated some abnormalities in his heart function, the inquest in Preston heard, reports Lancs Live.

However, the appointment was then cancelled by the hospital, and there was nothing in Orme's records to suggest it was ever re-booked.

On the morning of December 12 last year Orme was found dead in his cell when prison officers conducted their morning rounds.

An inquest at Preston Coroner's Court heard that Orme, who was born in Manchester, had a history of diabetes and hypertension. A post mortem CT scan concluded the cause of his death was coronary artery disease with aortic valve disease and left ventricular hypertrophy listed as contributory factors.

Following Orme's death a series of recommendations were made to Wymott Prison. These are in the process of being implemented with the prison's head of healthcare revealing new systems had been put in place to ensure the kitchen staff are aware of diabetic prisoners and others on specific diets.

Returning a conclusion of natural causes, Assistant Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said: "Mel Orme had a known heart condition and suffered from diabetes. He was found dead in his cell at HMP Wymott at around 8am on December 12, 2022. He died as a result of naturally-occurring heart disease."

In 2020 Orme, then aged 55, was jailed for 32 months at Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

He was released from jail five months earlier despite being locked up for life for the attempted rape of a girl aged 16.

The court in 2020 heard how, in October 2019, Orme prowled the Trafford Centre looking for new victims. He followed one woman to the car park where he groped her bottom before grinning at her and walking away.

Hours later he followed another woman around the complex and attempted to grab her. A third woman out enjoying the afternoon with her daughter and friends had sat down on a bench when she spotted Orme watching her from behind a plant pot.

As she walked away he grabbed her by the arm and bottom, before pushing himself against her. She quickly moved away but has said the incident has caused her to have heart palpitations and she has not returned to the Trafford Centre since.

Orme, who remained emotionless during the sentencing hearing in 2020, was unrepresented at the hearing. He declined to give an explanation to the court when asked to by the sentencing judge. He had 30 convictions dating back to 1979 when he was convicted of indecent assault on a female under 16.

He also had convictions for attempted rape, rape and indecent assault and his last conviction was in 1998 for two offences of attempted rape, to which he was handed life imprisonment. He was described by the judge as a 'prolific sex offender'.

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A dangerous sexual predator who drugged and raped a teenager in Accrington has been given a further prison sentence.

44 (pictured), 44, was jailed for 11 years in 2020 after being found guilty of raping a woman whilst threatening her with a knife.
 
Having seen media coverage of that case, the Accrington victim contacted our officers to say that Shafiq had drugged and raped her when she was 17.
 
Shafiq initially denied the offence, falsely claiming that he had been in a relationship with his victim and he had ended it when she became possessive of him.
 
He encouraged a family member from prison to repeat that lie to police.
 
Shafiq, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to rape and perverting the course of justice. He was jailed for eight years at Preston Crown Court today (June 29) with a further eight on extended licence after a Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender.
 
He was previously ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DS David Tait, who led the investigation, said:

“Shafiq is a sexual predator who presents a very real danger to women by his perverted and warped views towards them.

“I am pleased by the sentence handed down to him by the court, which reflects the seriousness of his offending.

“I want to praise the bravery of the victim. She has had to live with the impact of what the Shafiq did to her for many years and I am pleased we have now been able to achieve some form of justice for her.

“I hope the outcome of this case will encourage other victims to come forward, knowing they will be believed, listened to and that we will do everything in our power to put them before the courts.”

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A man who breached the conditions of a previous sentence by hiding an internet-enabled phone from the police has been given further jail time.

Gary Sheridan, 36, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for breaching the terms of his notification requirements and for breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

In 2017, Sheridan was sentenced to more than six years in prison for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, when he was 27.

As well, he was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison in 2020 when he pleaded guilty to a sexual harm prevention order by having contact with two boys under the age of 16, as well as four charges of failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offender register.

With regard to these proceedings, Sheridan, of Church Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his notification requirements and breaching terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecuting at Burnley Crown Court, Stephen Parker said in January 2023 officers visited Sheridan at his home and there were no issues as he handed over a phone which could not access the internet.

At the next visit on March 28, he informed them he had lost the phone previously given to the police, who then on May 4, were contacted by a witness to say she had been communicating with Sheridan through Facebook and Snapchat since February.

For a while she was unaware of Sheridan’s surname, as the Facebook profile was in the name of ‘Gary Gary’ and the Snapchat account did not display his full name either.

When she learned his real name, she searched it online and found out about his previous convictions, leading to her contacting the police.

A further search was conducted at Sheridan’s flat and a police dog found a phone hidden away in a communal area of the property.

Mr Parker said Sheridan had panicked when he was informed the police were looking for him and he had admitted “it was a stupid thing to do.”

Mitigating, James Heyworth said: “This is the second time Sheridan has disobeyed the court’s order and he understands there is a public interest in making it clear that breaching court orders are inevitably going to face sentences of immediate custody.

“He had not committed these offences through any inappropriate contact with children. He was trying to engage in a relationship with an adult female and he was worried she might find out (about his past).

“He understands he has nobody to blame but himself.”

Sentencing, Recorder David Temkin said: “You were convicted of serious sexual offending in March 2017. It was against a 13-year-old girl. I note you struck up a relationship in that case with her through Facebook.

“You were made subject of an order which prevents you from possessing any device with access to the internet unless you made the device available on request. You breached those orders in a serious way.

“On March 28 this year you misled the officer and told them you had no phone which was internet enabled.

“On May 5 you were visited by police and you tried to mislead them again by producing a non-internet enabled phone and telling them you did not have another device. Hidden behind an air vent was a phone you had kept from the police.

“It was said you have learnt from your mistakes. You clearly have not. These offences were committed fairly soon after your release from those offences. You have something of a history with disobedience towards court orders.”

Recorder Temkin sentenced Sheridan to 10 months for the breach of notification requirements and four months for the breach of the sexual harm prevention order, to run consecutively, giving a total sentence of 14 months.