Latest Offenders Leeds

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A tearful repeat sex-offender has been caged after he was caught for a third time by police with indecent images of children.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on January 18 how 26-year-old sex-offender Charles Bonde, who has two previous convictions for making indecent images of children, was found by police officers to have further indecent images of youngsters on a mobile phone and his laptop.

Prosecuting barrister Emily Jenkins said a probation officer reported Bonde to police for using a mobile phone that was not registered under the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order while he was resident at Doncaster College.

Ms Jenkins added: “Police attended the college on May 26, last year, and spoke to the defendant. He was escorted to his locker and he surrendered a mobile phone and a laptop and neither had been registered.”

Police also found a bank card and a passport and these had also not been logged under his registration requirements as a convicted sex-offender, according to Ms Jenkins.

Ms Jenkins said that when Bonde was arrested he said, ‘I f**ked up again,’ and he started crying.

Bonde, now of Whitestone Crescent, Leeds, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children relating to categories A, B and C on his electronic devices with category A images being regarded as the most serious. He also admitted distributing category A, B and C indecent images of children.

In addition, Bonde also admitted breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order by failing to register the new mobile phone and laptop and he admitted failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register by failing to notify the authorities about his new bank card and passport.

Rebecca Tanner, defending, said Bonde has been bullied, lacks confidence and he has lived a socially isolated existence which is sadly when he poses more of a risk.

Ms Tanner added that Bonde has been remanded in custody, had some ‘shocking experiences’ and has found his time behind bars ‘extremely difficult’.

She said: “The moment he attended HMP Doncaster everything changed and it has made him realise he cannot behave in this manner.”

Ms Tanner added: “Because of his difficulties and difficulties in social circumstances and making new friends he has found it extremely difficult and more difficult than others might. He has had some shocking experiences in custody.”

She also said: “He spent time in a cell with an individual who was extremely volatile and menacing and such were the concerns he was moved to another cell.”

Judge Rachael Harrison told Bonde he failed to notify police of his internet devices so he could view indecent images because his ‘perverted sexual desires took precedence’.

She added: “Every person who looks at indecent images of children contributes to children being abused so that more images can be made. Those who distribute images are more culpable still.

“I have no doubt you are at a high risk of causing serious harm to children either by way of looking at indecent images of them being abused and therefore causing that abuse or by committing qualifying offences.”

Judge Harrison sentenced Bonde to 62 months of custody and he was made subject to the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

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A paedophile who repeatedly raped a young boy over a number of years has been given a life sentence following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Mark Hutchinson-Schofield, aged 55, of Lovell Park Hill, Leeds, was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Crown Court this week.

The offences came to light in July last year when the victim told a teacher who alerted the police.

Hutchinson-Schofield was arrested but denied the offences in his police interview and called the victim a liar.

Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit liaised with Crown Prosecution Service and were able to have him charged and remanded in custody immediately on the basis of the initial evidence, prior to the victim be able to give a full account.

He was also charged with offences related to breaching sex offender conditions, which he pleaded guilty to at the start of the trial.

Today at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.

Detective Inspector Mark Tester, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Hutchinson-Schofield was responsible for an appalling and sustained catalogue of abuse against this vulnerable child that has had a devastating traumatic effect on the victim’s young life.

“He systematically sexually exploited the victim for his own gratification in circumstances that were a complete betrayal of trust.

“This was a challenging investigation where the officer in the case, Detective Constable Nicki Vincent, supported the victim at every stage to comprehensively capture all the evidence that has helped to secure these convictions against Hutchinson-Schofield.

“The victim was able to give his evidence to the court under special measures that allowed his account to be video recorded in advance of the trial to reduce the impact of the court process on him.

“We hope the significant sentence that Hutchinson-Schofield has now received will provide some reassurance to the victim and his family as well as to the wider community.

“Our specialist safeguarding officers will continue to do everything they can to secure convictions against predatory offenders like this to get justice for victims and protect others from harm.”

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A paedophile found guilty of raping his victim at least 28 times and subjecting her to sexual abuse has been jailed.

Carl Purdy, 58, from Leeds, repeatedly raped the young girl when she was aged between seven and 13, often after driving her to lay-bys, police said.

Following his trial at Leeds Crown Court in October, he was also found guilty of indecently assaulting two other young girls.

On Monday, Purdy, of Ring Road, Beeston, was jailed for 25 years.

He was convicted on multiple counts of rape, sexual activity with a child, indecent assault and unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.

Purdy was charged in April 2021 after the first victim disclosed the abuse she had suffered to a health practitioner before contacting police herself.

Officers then identified the two further victims.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Supt Lee Berry, head of crime and safeguarding for the Leeds district, said: "Purdy is a predatory paedophile who offended at the worst possible level against vulnerable young children and caused significant harm and trauma to those victims.

"It is important we recognise and commend the considerable courage the victims have shown in giving evidence at court after Purdy insisted on making them endure a trial despite the weight of evidence that saw him eventually convicted," he added.

Purdy was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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Alexandra Muresan, 15, was walking to school in Leeds, West Yorkshire, when she was attacked by Nathan Rawson, who threatened her with a knife.

Now 19, Alexandra has spoken out about what happened publicly for the first time.

The kidnapper grabbed her by her waist, showed her a knife and forced her to walk with him into a woodland area.

‘When he came towards me, I saw the handle of his knife and I just grabbed it and started pulling,’ Alexandra said.

‘There was just so much adrenaline – my whole body was shaking. I don’t know why – it’s what came to mind straight away and I just did it.

‘I did rugby for two years, so I managed to get it off him eventually.’

The knife did cut her hand but she managed to quickly take photos of Rawson before he ran away.

She said she feared she would be ‘killed or raped’, and called an ambulance for her hand immediately afterwards.

The images of him standing in a field were published in an appeal by West Yorkshire Police, and Rawson was later arrested.

At Leeds Crown Court last May he admitted kidnapping, wounding, possession of an offensive weapon and two unrelated counts of burglary, and was jailed for 13 years and eight months.

He has a previous conviction for sexually assaulting a woman after stalking her through the streets in a similar offence committed in February 2016.

Alexandra said although she was a ‘little bit scared’ to go out alone after what happened, it has now ‘boosted her confidence’.

‘I don’t even know how to describe how I felt after it happened,’ she said. ‘It’s not really something you experience every day.

‘My mum and dad were obviously really worried about me, but they did everything they could to help.

‘They wanted to take me to therapy, but I’m not the kind of person to talk a lot and go to therapy.

‘At first, I was a little bit scared to go out by myself, but at the same time, as I grew older, it kind of boosted my confidence.’

The police have now given Alexandra a bravery award for her actions.

‘It was a nice night – but it was nerve-wracking, because you had to go onstage and collect your award in front of everyone,’ she said.

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The founder of an Army veterans' charity who groped a woman's bottom to check if she was wearing underwear has been spared jail.

Timothy Evers, 54, sexually assaulted the woman when she posed for a picture with him at an awards night at a Westminster hotel.

The former Royal Engineer founded Sapper Support in 2014 and had won the prize for Best New Charity on October 5, 2017.

Evers, a father-of-two, now serving in South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, denied sexual assault and told Westminster Magistrates' Court it 'did not happen'.

But District Judge Neeta Minhas convicted Evers of sexual assault following a trial last month.

Judge Minhas referred to a Twitter exchange between Evers and the victim, where he blamed 'fizz and exuberance' and said: 'No malice, but also no excuse.'

The judge added: 'I interpret the tweet as him apologising for his actions.'

Wearing a grey suit, blue shirt and red striped tie, Evers was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work.

He must also attend a 15-day rehabilitation program and register as a sex offender for the next five years.

The woman had told the court how Evers approached her and asked for a photograph with her.

'His charity had won. I did recognize him as one of the winners,' the woman said.

Evers told her to 'come over this way' for the picture.

'I didn't like that. I thought that was weird,' she said.

She said they then went to another part of the building, where she saw a large group of men on the stairs.

'I thought they wanted a group picture. They were all giggling and watching him take a photo of me.

'One of them took the photo.

'He put his arm around me like that [indicating her waist], and then put his hand on my bum.

'He put his hand all the way around my bottom and squeezed it.'

'He said "I just wanted to check if you've got knickers on". He then pointed to his colleagues and said "sorry lover, they dared me to do that".

The victim said that she shouted at Evers as she tried not to cry, before running away.

She said she then went and told someone at the event what had happened.

'I was crying and saying "that bloke just touched my a*se".

The woman added: 'At an event like that at that time of night I assume everyone's a bit squiffy. He wasn't staggering.

'I went home and sat in my room. I was furious I was crying. I was really upset. It occurred to me to call the police. But I didn't.

'I felt very humiliated. I don't like to use the word triggered, but I was very triggered at being touched on an intimate part of myself.

'I felt very angry with myself because I kept thinking what I could have done to avoid that. I was cross with myself for walking with him and not staying where I was.'

The woman said she wrote a tweet to charity Sapper Support, which replied saying 'exuberance and fizz were to blame.'

'I assumed it was him. I felt it was very dismissive, and not connecting with the fact that I was hurt,' the woman said.

The victim reported the incident in 2020.

'It happened just before the #MeToo movement which was significant to me,' she explained.

Evers, who has been a firefighter for 26 years, said he founded the charity after hearing about the death of a fellow 'Sapper' from PTSD.

He told the court he had a single glass of champagne at the event that evening.

'This was a big deal for me. We were a very junior charity. I wanted to be able to remember it,' he said.

He said he asked the woman for a picture for his social media and she agreed.

'I put my arm around her waist. I had my trophy in my hand,' said Evers.

'The pictures were blurred, it was dark. I deleted them. I said I wasn't going to bother her again.'

His barrister asked: 'She says you lowered your hand and squeezed her buttocks.'

Evers replied: 'That did not happen.'

He said when he saw her tweet 'I felt sick to my stomach if I'm honest. I was astounded that she thought we did it. So I wrote a clumsy reply at four in the morning.'

In the tweet, Evers said 'too much alcohol and exuberance were probably to blame. No malice, but also no excuse.'

He told the court: 'It wasn't an admission of guilt. It was a badly worded, early morning tweet.

'I asked if any volunteers had had any interaction with her.'

Evers said he deleted the tweet because he got a 'torrent of abuse.'

'It was quite vile. I was called a paedophile,' he said.

Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland asked Evers and asked him why he used the words 'sincere apologies'.

'I wasn't apologizing for anything I've done. I didn't know who had done it... I thought one of my volunteers might have done it,' he replied.

Ms Gatland asked: 'Did you delete it because you realized you were admitting to touching her?'

'No, not at all,' said Evers.

Evers, of Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, denied the charge but was convicted of sexual assault.

The judge had said of the victim: 'I found her a compelling witness. The incident left a lasting impression on her.'

According to the Sapper Support website, Evers joined the Royal Engineers in 1992. 

After an operational tour he moved to 33 Engineer Regiment EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Wimbish, later serving in Bosnia. He became a fireman after leaving the military.

He founded the charity in 2014 after a close friend of his committed suicide after suffering from PTSD, a court heard.

Evers' colleague and close friend Mike Jenkins described him as 'the driving force behind a charity that quite literally saved lives.'

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The brother of Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt sent explicit images to a child and arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Edward Mordaunt, 44, chatted with who he believed was a 14-year-old girl called Elle on social media app KIK. Elle was in fact a decoy managed by a police officer attempting to snare sex offenders.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Thursday Mordaunt - a chartered surveyor - messaged Elle privately on May 4 this year after being in a group chat named A-Levels in Leeds with her.

Prosecutor Katherine Robinson told the court Mordaunt had already messaged another decoy said to be a girl aged 12-years-old and told her she was gorgeous.

However, his chat turned sexual when he spoke to Elle.

Ms Robinson said: [the decoy] used the group and put a message saying about school and one person she engaged with was Eddie F. The user sent a private message and the officer accepted the defendants chat request.

The court heard the picture used on the decoys account showed her wearing a white shirt and dark tie. It told Mordaunt she was 14-years-old that day.

Ms Robinson said: He said he was an adult male. Up to 27th May the officer engaged with him on a number of occasions on KIK and Snapchat.

The court heard that during the conversations Mordaunt asked the decoy if she had ever had full sex with someone, and sent images of a mans penis to her. Ms Robinson said Mordaunt also made comments about how he shouldnt be speaking to her and they had discussions about how it was wrong for him to be speaking to people her age. She added that Mordaunt even mentioned setting up a "sugar baby" fund for Elle before requesting images from her.

Ms Robinson said that during the conversations Mordaunt, of Ford Avenue, Beeston, had referred to himself as Teddy Eddie and said he was like a bear and sexy" and told the decoy she was also "sexy."

It was said that plans had been made for Mordaunt to meet the decoy, but he cancelled, and they had discussed him visiting her in Sunderland.

After May 27th, there was no further contact between the pair and Mordaunt was arrested. Mitigating Catherine Silverton said he was arrested, interviewed and kept in custody for 26 hours before his first magistrates appearance.

Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl QC said he dismissed the suggestion that as a result of the job performed by Mordaunts sister, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, his case had been different.

He said: I take into account that suggestion that as a result of the job performed by your sibling which is an MP your case is somewhat different to other offenders. I sit here in this court daily and view many of these cases and as far as I can see your case has not been dealt with in anyway inappropriate or different to other cases.

Ms Silverton said highly educated Mordaunt had attempted to get help following his guilty plea at a plea, trial and preparation hearing to attempting to engage a child in sexual communication. She added he had no previous convictions.

She added that he had indicated his guilty plea to the Crown in advance of the plea, trial and preparation hearing. Ms Silverton said: He accepts full responsibility and is understanding of the harm of these types of offences on victims. He is of exemplary character. He has tried to see a doctor and has tried to engage with him and is on a waiting list. He has done his own research into other psychiatrists which may be able to help him.

Ms Silverton added that Mordaunt cares for his elderly father and stepmother and references from his wife, brother and former employer had been given to the court.

The court heard Mordaunt has also taken part in the rehabilitation course.

Judge Kearl sentenced Mordaunt to six months in prison suspended for two years. He told him: I take into account you used chat rooms to escape but you didnt need to engage with a female child in order to achieve thatIf you breach that order you will be sent to prison.

Mordaunt was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement says. He was also made the subject of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A Leeds man has been jailed for two years after he was caught grooming what he thought to be a 13-year-old girl - which was actually a decoy set up by Predator Exposure. Predator Exposure seeks to expose sex offenders who target children online. Group members set up 'decoy' social media profiles pretending to be of a child and then engage in online conversations. Bilal Ahmed, 25, contacted an account set up by a member of the group in March 2020, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (June 7). "One of their group uploaded a profile of a child named Melanie aged 13 years", the prosecutor said. "The defendant contacted Melanie through her Facebook account on March 22. "There were a series of conversations. "Ultimately the defendant blocked Melanie because he wasn't getting answers." The chat that did take place was "sexually explicit on occasions", the prosecutor said. He added: "The defendant displayed grooming type behaviour wanting to meet Melanie. "He said: 'Would you let me hold your neck and kiss your lips slowly." Police officers seized Ahmed's mobile phone and the chat was uncovered. He was arrested in February 2021 and answered no comment to questions, before being released under investigation. In December 2021, Ahmed was also arrested after turning up at the place of work of a woman who he had previously been warned about harassing. On December 21, he turned up at her place of work. At the end of her shift, wary Ahmed was "lurking", the woman asked a colleague to accompany her to leave the building, Leeds Crown Court was told. Ahmed "wanted to speak" to the woman and "would not take no for an answer". The victim was worried for her safety as Ahmed attempted to grab her handbag, the court heard. CCTV footage showed Ahmed pushing the woman and punching the man, the court was told. This caused an injury to the male victim's face. Ahmed refused to leave the area until police arrived. Ahmed, of Norwood Terrace, Leeds, pleaded guilty to one count of affray, one count of attempting to communicate sexually with a child and offences of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. In mitigation, Khadim Al Hassan said Ahmed had long standing psychological issues and was bullied at school. He began to use cannabis and alcohol from the age of 11 or 12, the court was told. Ahmed has depression and anxiety and his "head was all over the place", the court heard. "This was a very difficult time for him", Mr Al Hassan said. "Custody has been very difficult for him. "He is somebody the probation service could help. "He has shown genuine remorse." Sentencing Ahmed, Judge Tom Bayliss QC told Ahmed he was "grooming" who he thought to be the girl. "The aim on your part was to meet her, but you were caught", the Judge continued. "There was a degree of planning on your part, grooming behaviour for some time. "There has to be an immediate custodial sentence." Ahmed was jailed for two years. He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 10 years and must sign a sex offender notification for 10 years. Ahmed was also given a restraining order against the female victim of the affray.

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A sex offender accused his three victims of being liars when he was arrested almost two decades after subjecting them to abuse. Sirfraz Ahmed preyed on the girls in the early 2000s when they were aged between three and seven years old. Leeds Crown Court heard how the abuse took place in different areas of the city. Ahmed, 32, was aged in his early teens at the time of the offences. The court heard how one of the victims was abused in front of other children. Another victim was abused after Ahmed took the child into a garden shed. Leeds Crown Court heard Ahmed was finally arrested in 2020 after his victim found the courage to report the offences to the police. Ahmed, now of Albion Street, Dewsbury, initially denied any wrongdoing and accused the victims of making up false reports about him. He later pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault. One of the victims read a statement to the court describing how she found the strength to report Ahmed to the police after she saw him years later and he taunted her about the abuse. She told the court: "This decision was not just to get justice for ourselves but to prevent there from being any more victims." Ahmed has previous convictions for robbery, burglary, theft and driving offences. In 2015 he was given a 78-month prison sentence for robbery. Taryn Turner, mitigating, said Ahmed pleaded guilty to the offences at an early stage. Ms Turner said the defendant was himself a child when he committed the offences. The barrister added Ahmed had been assessed by the probation service as being a low risk of reoffending. Ahmed was jailed for 28 months and told he must go on the sex offender for ten years. Judge Timothy Clayson told Ahmed that he had caused psychological and emotional harm to all three of his victims.

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A rapist who strangled a woman and kept her prisoner has been handed an 18-year extended sentence.

Lee Jones, who is from Leeds, attacked the victim twice in Knutsford, Cheshire and used a knife to make threats against her family.

On the first occasion, he strangled her before motioning to a knife on the floor and making threats to her family.

Jones was arrested on February 26 last year after she managed to message family members and ask them to call the police for her.

During his police interviews, he claimed the sex he had with the victim was consensual and strangulation marks on her neck were a result of that consensual sex, but he later pleaded guilty to two counts of rape.

On March 1 this year at Chester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, as well as sexual assault by penetration, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm in relation to the strangulation.

On Tuesday, April 19, the 46-year-old, of Cross Flatts Street, Beeston, was jailed for 12 years and handed an extended licence of six years.

The judge also made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register, which he must remain on for the rest of his life.

Det Cons Andrew Cole, of Macclesfield CID, said: "Lee Jones subjected his victim to a horrendous level of sexual and physical abuse. Thanks to the bravery of the victim in disclosing what Jones had subjected her to, he has been brought to justice for his heinous actions.

"I am delighted that he is now behind bars, where he cannot pose a threat to society.

"Whilst the victim will never be able to forget what Jones subjected her to, I hope that the culmination of this case and the sentence that has been handed out by Chester Crown Court gives her some closure and enables her to move forward with her life."

Ch Insp Matt Lager, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, added: "Sexual offences, particularly rape, are horrendous crimes and this is a particularly distressing case.

"I would like to thank all the officers involved in the investigation for their hard work in gathering the required level of evidence to ensure that Lee Jones is made to face the consequences of his actions in the form of a substantial prison sentence.

"I hope that this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

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Andre Morton was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child, decades after the offending A twisted paedophile who sexually abused a nine-year-old boy when he was a teenager leaving him with lifelong damage has finally been jailed some 35 years later. Andre Morton, now 49, groomed the young boy from the age of five, before beginning to sexually abuse him years later. Morton, of Beckhill Walk, Meanwood in Leeds, was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. Camile Morland, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday that Morton began abusing the boy in the 1980s. The abuse spanned a period of two years, when the boy was between the ages of nine and 11, and Morton himself was 14 or 15, Leeds Live reports. She said: "He [the victim] was to say there was sexualised behaviour, and grooming behaviour that took place before the defendant was 14. It is right to say that the behaviour began when he was around the age of five, and the defendant was around the age of 11...He was frightened of him." Ms Morland said the abuse then turned sexual, and on one occasion Morton was almost caught out by a young girl as he stroked himself against the boy. She said: "She [the girl] asked what was happening and the defendant said they were getting changed. The prosecutor added that some of the counts Morton was found guilty of related to multiple incidents, of which there were at least two. She added: "The complainant didn't tell his family but a disclosure was made to his best friend at the time when they were 14. There was a period of time when nothing was said but on various occasions from 2016 onwards the complainant would... be distressed and say he had been abused." Ms Morland said the man has, since the abuse, suffered from nightmares, flashbacks and physical ailments including bleeding. She said: "He had a violent temper. He would wet himself at school and would avoid other children, staying inside at playtimes. [Later] he struggled with intimacy and authority, and would react badly and lose jobs." The court heard the victim reported Morton to police in 2016. He was arrested and interviewed in 2016 and 2018 but denied the allegations. Morton had been jailed in 1999 for six and a half years after being convicted of four offences of indecent assault against a young girl. Ms Morland told the court he also has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two of which happened when he was a teenager, burglary, dishonesty and driving offences. Joanne Sheperd, mitigating, said Morton still denies the offences despite being convicted by a jury in February this year. She said he suffered in his own childhood with neglect and had attended a special school during his adolescence. Deputy Circuit Judge Clayson jailed Morton for seven-and-a-half-years in total - 35 years after he committed the offences. He told him: "The consequences of what you did to him [the victim] was immense. He has experienced frequent psychological trauma, he has suffered some fits of anger and he has nightmares and flashbacks as well as physical problems. "It really is no exaggeration to describe the harm you caused as profound and lifelong. He was clearly frightened of you and speaks of you having a violent temper. It is clear the level of harm he suffered is very severe." Morton will have to serve five years in custody before being able to apply to go before the Parole Board, who will assess if he is safe for release. If he is released before the seven-and-a-half-years is at an end, he will serve the rest of the sentence on licence. He has also been made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will have to continue to notify police of his whereabouts for the rest of his life.

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A "depraved" paedophile downloaded disturbing images of babies being abused just three weeks after signing the sex offender register. Andrew Smith was jailed for three years after a court heard how continued to access sickening images from his home in Leeds despite twice being arrested and warned about his behaviour as he awaited sentence. Leeds Crown Court heard Smith sent illegal child images to a paedophile in the Philippines. The 36-year-old also engaged in online conversations with other offenders describing how he was going to gain qualifications to allow him to work with children. Jeremy Barton, prosecuting, said police officers first went to Smith's home in May 2019 after receiving information that three Tumblr accounts linked to the defendant had been used to access illegal child images. While waiting for the results of an investigation into the accounts police received further information about illegal activity on an social media account linked to Smith. Officers returned to his home in June 2020 and seized electronic devices. An investigation revealed he had accessed illegal images of children. He had also made internet search terms including: "I am attracted to children." The was evidence that he had accessed the dark web and engaged in online conversations with other paedophiles dating back to 2011. Smith was interviewed and accepted that the devices were his and that he was responsible for the images recovered but refused to comment further. Smith was placed on the sex offender on October 8 last year and ordered to abide by a number of requirements while awaiting sentence. On October 24 two public protection officers went to his home to check that he was complying with the orders. Smith was asked to hand over his mobile phone. The device contained images of very young children in a state of undress. Smith then the told officers about another mobile device in his bedroom and gave them the password for it. The device contained over 1,500 illegal images. A total of 175 still and moving images were at category A - the most serious level of offending. They included sadistic images of babies who were in distress. There was also evidence that he had sent images to someone in the Philippines. Smith, of Stone Brig Green, Rothwell, pleaded guilty to nine counts of making indecent images of children, possession of a prohibited image of a child, possessing prohibited images, possessing an extreme pronographic image and distributing indecent images of children. Graham Parkin, mitigating, said Smith's offending developed as a result of him being bullied and isolated from the age of 13. He said: "He has had a long-term addiction to this sort of imagery. It became an obsession." Mr Parkin said Smith had tried to access support to address his offending during the pandemic but it could only be done remotely and he was unable to access one-to-one help. Sentencing, Judge Robin Mairs told Smith the images he had downloaded were "of the most grave and damaging kind." He said: "You had conversations with other paedophiles. You used the dark web to search material. "There wasn't contact with children but you admitted that you were studying to qualify to work with children "The reasonable fear must be that you were taking steps to take viewing offences into actual contact offences." Describing the images accessed by Smith, Judge Mairs said: "It is clear from some of the images that the children were in distress. "Their fear and pain is evident. "These are not victimless offences. "Behind these images there are real children. "Real children who suffer abuse, who suffer pain, and the reason that happens is to satisfy the depraved demands of people like you."

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A FORMER music teacher has been jailed for 17 years after he was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing a young boy nearly four decades ago. David Hope, 74, now faces spending the rest of his life in prison after a judge said his victim who cannot be identified for legal reasons had had to relive his horrific experience at the former Malsis School, Glusburn, during a trial. Judge Ahmed Nadim said the complainant was still bearing the scars of the damage done to him by Hope, who had exploited the boys vulnerability by repeatedly engaging in serious offending against him. You are a man who admits to having a sexual interest in young boys, a perversion that appears to be deep-rooted, Judge Nadim told Hope over a video link to HMP Leeds. Bradford Crown Court heard that Hope, of Granby Close, Headingley, had previously served a 20-month prison sentence in the 1990s for offending against other boys. In December last year, a jury found him guilty of three charges of buggery, three offences of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child. Barrister Nicholas Worsley, for Hope, said his client was now of an age where it was highly likely he would never see outside the prison walls. He said his client was not a well man and had to use a crutch to get around the prison. Judge Nadim said Hope had to be dealt with as an offender of particular concern, which meant he had to add an extra year of licence on top of his 17-year custodial sentence. He said the boys parents had sent their child to the boarding school with the expectation that he would receive a first class education, his character would be developed and the education he received would improve his life opportunities. They also expected that he would be properly cared for and safe at Malsis, added Judge Nadim. By committing the offences you committed you breached every one of those expectations Ive referred to, said the judge. It was no exaggeration to say that Hope had robbed the complainant of his childhood and undermined his lifes potential, he added. I have no doubt you have inflicted severe psychological harm upon your victim, said Judge Nadim. Hope will now also be subject to registration as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

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A rapist who carried his victim to a secluded spot before attacking her and telling her he was HIV positive has been jailed for life. The woman - then aged 24 - was walking to get a taxi home in Leeds city centre when she was targeted by Austin Osayande in August 2015. Police released CCTV footage after the attack, but he was not caught until he assaulted another woman last year. He was jailed for life at Leeds Crown Court with a minimum term of 16 years. Osayande, who is now 40, of Sissons Road, Leeds, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and one count of rape. Sentencing him, the judge said he was a "sexual predator" and a danger to women. The rape victim, who spoke directly to Osayande during his appearance at court, said the attack had led her to "drinking, self-harm and suicide attempts". She added that what Osayande had told her after the rape, when he "laughed and said he was HIV positive was mentally and physically harrowing". She continued: "I have endured so much pain over the years that I will never overcome the torture you put me through. No matter how much therapy I have, it will never fully take it away. "You had intentions that night to ruin someone's life and that life was mine." Prosecuting, Christine Egerton said the woman recalled just wanting "to get home to her own bed" when Osayande approached her as she walked for a taxi along Kirkgate in the early hours of 14 August 2015. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to a secluded doorway in nearby Mark Lane where he put her into a "physical lock" and raped her, the court heard. She screamed for him to "get off", but he replied it "wouldn't take long". Afterwards, he let go of her and "laughed and told her he was HIV positive", the court was told. DNA was recovered as part of the investigation, but the rape remained unsolved for more than six years until Osayande sexually assaulted another woman in her own home. On that occasion, he was working as a Hermes driver and knew the woman because of deliveries he had made to her house. Ms Egerton said on the day of the attack, 10 September 2021, Osayande had delivered a parcel to her and said he was going to "come and knock on her door for a coffee later".

'Emotional wreck'

He did return and the pair chatted for a while before he sexually assaulted her, the court was told. Ms Egerton said the victim tried to push Osayande off, "but he was bigger than her and it was not possible". Police later linked him to the 2015 attack through his DNA. A statement from the second victim said she had been left an "emotional wreck" by the ordeal. She said: "I am not sure I will be able to be emotional or physical with anyone ever again, and most of all I hate myself for making a stupid choice." Mitigating, Robert Mochrie said Osayande "does wish to express his genuine remorse for both sets of offending". He told the court: "There is no explanation for what he has done, but he accepts that what he has done is very, very wrong indeed." Sentencing him, Judge Guy Kearl QC, Recorder of Leeds, told Osayande: "You are a danger to women, whether known to you or strangers in situations where you can get them alone and then force yourself on them. "This danger has continued for at least six years. There is no reason to think it will not continue." The judge said Osayande would serve at least nine years and six months before he was eligible for parole and would be on licence for the rest of his life. Speaking afterwards, Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Pat Twiggs said Osayande was "the absolute embodiment of a dangerous sexual predator". He said his "appalling actions" had caused trauma to his victims and it was "likely" there were other victims who he urged to contact police.

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A PERSISTENT paedophile has been jailed for three years for hoarding thousands upon thousands of vile indecent images of little boys being raped and sexually abused and sharing some of them with like-minded perverts. James Pearson went on to delve deeper into the darkness to access the deplorable filth after being arrested in possession of more than 15,000 still and moving images at categories A, B and C, Bradford Crown Court heard today. Judge Jonathan Rose told him that it was dreadful, persistent and prolonged offending, and it was almost impossible to imagine the suffering the abused children went through. Prosecutor Marte Alnaes said Pearson, 32, of Recreation Crescent, Holbeck, Leeds, was first arrested after the police searched his home in March, 2017. He refused to co-operate with the investigation and because of the level of encryption it took a long while to break into his computer equipment to access the images. While under police investigation, Pearson again began hoarding indecent images and was caught in December, 2019, with his new collection. Miss Alnaes said he had distributed images from the first stash with like-minded paedophiles. More than 80, including 22 at category A had been shared. Sean Smith, Pearsons barrister, conceded that the very young age of some of the children and the sheer volume of images were aggravating factors in the case. Smith had experienced difficulties in his upbringing and found relationships difficult. His mother and grandmother were reliant on him and they would be impacted were he to go straight to prison. His probation officer said he was at a low risk of reoffending and capable of rehabilitation. But Judge Rose said Pearson had contributed to the suffering of 15,000 children who were abused because of men like him who provided a market for this deplorable filth. Some of the images showed small boys being raped and sexually abused by adult males while they were bound. Pearson, an educated man with responsibilities, had also distributed the utterly, utterly vile material. While under police investigation he had gone on to collect more of it. He pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornographic images. He was jailed for two years for the 2017 offences and 12 months to run consecutively for the later offences, totalling three years. He must sign on the sex offender register for life and Judge Rose made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order without limit of time.

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A paedophile former West Yorkshire Police officer has been given a ten-year prison sentence for arranging to meet an eight-year-old girl for sex.

A judge told Michael Conlon he poses a serious danger to children as he was handed the extended jail term.

Conlon was arrested in November last year after he travelled to Liverpool from his home in Leeds to meet an undercover police officer posing a fellow paedophile.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the officer had met Conlon in an internet chatroom pretending to be a father of two children.

Former West Yorkshire Police officer Michael Conlon was given an extended ten-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

Ben Campbell, prosecuting, said the officer told Conlon he had an eight-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

Conlon sent the officer a message saying that he was looking for "dads who share" along with sickening messages expressing his sexual interest in children.

The 46-year-old defendant then exchanged further messages on an encrypted app.

Conlon told the officer he had previously had sex with a 12-year-old girl but was no longer able to get access to children.

Michael Conlon pictured outside Leeds Crown Court in 2009 when he was jailed for for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child.

The prosecutor said Conlon arranged to meet the officer so they could arrange for him to have sex with the 'girl'.

Conlon bought a toy unicorn and sent the officer a video of it.
  
Michael Conlon pictured outside Leeds Crown Court in 2009.

The defendant travelled to Liverpool on November 20 last year and they met in a Costa coffee shop.
The officer recorded his conversion with Conlon during the 25-minute meeting.

Conlon was arrested the next day at his home.

The arresting officers knocked on the door for five minutes and suspected that he was clearing incriminating evidence from his electronic devices.

Chat logs on the devices were later found to have been scrambled.

A toy unicorn matching the one in the video he had sent was recovered from the living room.

Conlon, of Newton Grove, Chapeltown, made no comment when interviewed by officers.

He pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

Conlon lost his career in the police when he was jailed in 2009 for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, attempting to meet a girl under 16 after sexual grooming and making and possessing indecent photographs of children.

A probation service report assessed him as posing a serious risk to children.

Andrew Coleman, mitigating, said Conlon pleaded guilty to his latest offence at an early stage.
Mr Coleman said his client also has mental health problems which required medication.

Conlon was told he must serve a six-year custodial term, of which two-thirds must be spent in cudosty.
He will then spend a further four-year period on licence.
 
Sentencing, Judge Tom Bayliss QC said: "The prison sentence which was imposed on the last occasion did not deter you, nor did the sexual harm prevention order.
"You were prepared to abuse an eight-year-old child for you own sexual needs.

"You were prepared to take risks. You were prepared to act upon your own sexual impulses to sexually abuse a very young child".

The YEP reported in 2009 how Conlon was jailed for two and a half years for trying to groom a teenage girl over the internet.

He was a serving policeman when he was exposed as a paedophile by a colleague masquerading as a 14-year-old girl in an internet chat room.
Conlon, then aged 33, believed he was grooming a schoolgirl for sex.

But the Killingbeck-based constable was actually sending sick messages and sexual webcam footage of himself to a female officer from the Metropolitan Police.
Conlon contacted her ‘Shelley 14’ profile on chat website FaceParty numerous times over a six-month period.

He called himself ‘Wingnut79’ and ‘Man in uniform69.’

Conlon asked if she was a virgin and said he wanted her phone number and naked pictures after she told him she was aged 14.

He also arranged to meet a genuine 15-year-old girl he wanted to have sex with.
Conlon, an officer for five years before his arrest, turned up for the meeting in Knaresborough but she did not.
 
When police raided his then home in Primrose Hill Drive, Swillington, in August 2008 they found 370 depraved pictures and videos.
The images of girls as young as five being abused had been downloaded to his computer over a three-year period.