Search results for Leicestershire

Description

A man has been jailed for 16 years for grooming and raping a child – after investigators from the Metropolitan Police Service tracked him down using only phone data and CCTV footage.

Richard Bosworth, 41 (13.07.1983), from Coalville in Leicestershire, was sentenced on Tuesday, 4 March, at Kingston Crown Court. He previously pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 23 October, 2024 to two counts of rape as well as seven other sexual offences, including sexual assault on a child under 13, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and assault by digital penetration.

Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who led the investigation, said:

“I commend the young survivor in this case for her courage. She found the strength to confide in officers, and her account of this appalling assault proved crucial in securing Bosworth’s conviction. Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars.

“Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim in Twickenham. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue.

“It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction.”

On Monday, 23 September, 2024, police were contacted by the victim's mother. She said her 12-year-old daughter had spoken to friends at school about being abused by a man who had reached out to her on the BeFriend social media platform, presenting himself as a young teenager.

Investigators spoke to the girl, who said the man picked her up in his car in the early hours of Thursday, 19 September, 2024. He used a fake profile when communicating with the victim, grooming her for a month prior to the meeting. He left little evidence of his true identity.

Officers in the case reached out to the Met’s Operation Atlas team, which specialises in digital manhunts. Having obtained the number associated with the fake BeFriend profile, investigators were able to trace the movement of a phone through London to the victim’s home, as it citied off various telecom masts. They then paired this with CCTV footage from the areas in question.

Through these enquiries, investigators were able to single out a car. This was found to belong to Bosworth. On Tuesday, 1 October, officers arrested him at his home in Coalville. On the same day, he was charged with 10 counts of rape, all relating to the same incident on Thursday, 19 September.

As well as serving 16 years in prison, Bosworth will be made to register for life as a sex offender.

Description

A "predatory" cheerleading coach repeatedly abused a 13-year-old girl. Rosanna Awan inappropriately touched the youngster and abused her position of trust with the child.

The offences by Awan, now 34, took place when she was in her 20s. Awan repeatedly inappropriately touched the girl. The abuse emerged when the victim reported it to Leicestershire Police in 2019.

Awan stood trial at Leicester Crown Court in October 2024, where she was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child and a single charge of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. She returned to court yesterday (Wednesday, December 4) where she was handed a 10-year jail sentence.

Detective Constable Catherine Anderson, who led the investigation, said after sentencing: "This case involved a person in a position of trust taking advantage of a person in their care, and Awan's behaviour towards her young victim was predatory.

"I'm so pleased the victim came forward to report her behaviour, recognising it for what it was many years later. I'd urge anyone in the same position to come forward. We will take your reports seriously and investigate thoroughly."

Alongside the jail sentence, Awan was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. She will be a registered sex offender for life.

Description

A man who performed online sex acts in front of children has been jailed.

James Dyson was also found to have downloaded thousands of child sexual abuse images over a seven-and-a-half year period.

The 26-year-old, of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, was caught in January 2023 when evidence of his crimes was found on his work mobile phone.

He was jailed for five years and given a sexual harm prevention order at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

During an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police, forensic analysis of several other electronic devices found thousands of indecent images of children - many of which Dyson had tried and failed to delete.

Nearly 6,000 of the images were found to be Category A - depicting the most serious sexual abuse that can be committed against children.

Dyson pleaded guilty at a hearing in December, to four charges of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of a child and three charges of distributing indecent photographs of a child.

Detectives also uncovered evidence of four occasions in which Dyson used a social media platform to engage children in online sexual activity, the force said.

Work is currently ongoing to identify the four children involved.

Det Con Tom Nuttall said: "The physical and emotional impact of that kind of abuse cannot be understated, and people like Dyson are contributing directly to that harm.

"It is very clear that he knew what he was doing was wrong and also that he went to great lengths to try and delete evidence of his crimes."

Description

A 62-year-old man has been jailed for non-recent child sex offences that took place in Daventry.

Kevin Marriott, previously of Coalville, Leicestershire, sexually assaulted a girl under six at an address in Daventry a number of years ago.

Following the offence, he told her not to tell anyone.

However in 2021, the woman in question bravely contacted police to tell them what had happened to her as a child.

An investigation was launched and Marriott was charged with one count of indecent assault on a girl under 16, and one count of assaulting a girl under 16 by penetration.   

After pleading not guilty to the offences and taking the case to a three-day trial at Northampton Crown Court last November, Marriott was found unanimously guilty by the jury.

He returned to the same court last week (January 15) where he was sentenced to seven years - six years to serve in prison and one on licence. He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Description

A former Leicestershire teacher has been jailed for more than six years after admitting committing sex offences against children online.

Officers began an investigation in April 2022 when Leicestershire Police received a report that John Ewan Myles had been engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl he had met online.

At the time Myles was working as a teacher at Ashby School.

Myles was arrested from his home in North West Leicestershire that month and a number of devices were recovered from the address including a phone, which was hidden under his bed.

As the investigation progressed, the girl was identified and later interviewed by officers where she disclosed Myles first contacted her online giving her a fake name and saying he was 18-years-old.

They chatted online for a few months before Myles began sending sexual images of himself.

Examination of the devices found that Myles pursued an online sexual relationship with her and numerous recorded videos calls where sexual activity was carried out between the two.

A video call between the two was also found whereby the girl could he heard saying she is 15-years-old and on some of the videos, she was wearing her school uniform.

The 36-year-old was charged with numerous offences and pleaded guilty however awaiting sentencing, he made a disclosure regarding further offences involving another girl.

These disclosures were investigated and evidence was found that Myles had contacted a further teenage girl online under the same previously used alias name of Jamie Reid, stating on this occasion he was 17-years-old.

As before, during conversations with her in which she disclosed her age, Myles turned the talk sexual and requested sexual images and videos from her and in return, he would send sexual images and videos of himself.

Myles pleaded guilty to the below offences involving the first victim:

• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child aged 13 to 15
• Two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity
• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child 13 to 15
• One count of engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Three counts of making indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child
• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration

He pleaded guilty to the below offences in relation to the further victim:

• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration
• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - penetration
• Two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity

He also pleaded guilty to a separate offence of possessing extreme pornographic image/images portraying an act of intercourse/oral sex with a dead/alive animal.

Myles was sentenced to six years and six months in prison at Leicester Crown Court today (Tuesday 12 December).

He has also been places on the sex offender register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.

Description

A man who subjected a young girl to a three-year "campaign of rape" has been jailed for over 19 years.

Anthony Reynolds, 42, from Melton Mowbray, pleaded guilty to charges of raping a girl aged 13 and two charges of raping a girl under 13.

He was sentenced to 231 months in prison at Gloucester Crown Court.

Judge Ian Lawrie told the girl: "You should be proud of your courage. You didn't budge an inch."

In a victim-impact statement the girl, who is from Gloucester, said: "I was wondering why this was happening to me and what I had done to deserve it?"

Prosecutor Ellen McAnaw told the court that the victim was about 10 years old when the offending started and was 13 when she told a school friend in January of this year.

Ms McAnaw said it was "effectively a campaign of rape".

Police were alerted and the girl told them how Reynolds had been raping her about once a fortnight for three years or more.

She said: "After he did it to me I would just sit there crying and terrified. At school, I couldn't concentrate and it was all I could think about.

'I lost confidence'

"Now I have told someone about it, I know I will never see him again and I feel safe."

"I lost confidence in myself," she said. "I thought I was fat and ugly. I just wanted to be someone else. I didn't like who I was."

The girl's mother said in a statement: "My daughter will, without doubt, carry this with her for the rest of her life.

"What this man has done to my daughter has completely broken me."

Reynolds initially denied the offences and pleaded not guilty to charges of raping a girl aged 13 on 21 January and two charges of raping of a girl under 13 between 21 December 2019 and 20 December 2022.

But he changed his pleas to guilty when the girl attended court, ready to give evidence against him to a jury.

Emotional pain

Shenaiya Kharegat, defending, said that although Reynolds had not admitted the offences from the start he now "accepts full responsibility and has made no attempt to minimise his behaviour...

"He has reflected on his actions and fully understands the effect of his offending on the victim and her family."

Judge Ian Lawrie told Reynolds that the statements he had heard had made clear the "pain, emotionally and psychologically, that your abuse has caused".

He imposed jail terms totalling 231 months as well as a lifelong sexual-harm-prevention order and a restraining order.

The judge said he had allowed a discount of 12.5% on the sentence to reflect that Reynolds had belatedly pleaded guilty, sparing the girl the "torture" of giving evidence.

Judge Lawrie added that Reynolds will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.

"It takes courage to come forward about things like this," the judge told the girl. "I know the appalling strain it puts on everyone.

"You should be proud of your courage. You didn't budge an inch and that made him feel he didn't have room for manoeuvre."

Description

A Detective has described the behaviour of a convicted sex offender as dangerous and disturbing after he carried out attacks on two lone women in Loughborough last year.

Detective Sergeant Amanda Boswell, who oversaw the investigation, has spoken how the defendant – Grzegorz Luczak - showed predatory behaviour, targeting women who were both under the influence of alcohol as he was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday (30 March).

The 45-year-old formerly of Holmfield Avenue, Loughborough, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

During an evening in March last year, Luczak admitting spending a number of hours driving and frequently stopping around Loughborough town centre around the time that the bars was closing. The prosecution believed his intention was to voluntarily seek out a vulnerable woman to assault that night.

Hours later, an intoxicated woman got into his car believing it to be a taxi and asked to be taken home. He did not ask her to leave and instead he drove off with her in his vehicle.

A brave member of the public tried to intervene and assist the victim to get out after she felt uneasy about the situation. She took images of his car and warned the driver against doing anything to the victim.

These are words of warning he clearly ignored as when he continued his journey, he sexually assaulted the victim despite her protests.

She was thoroughly scared and the incident only ended when she escaped out of the moving car and fled to a nearby house, alerting the occupants shouting for help.

Luczak was arrested but without sufficient evidence to charge him at that stage, he was released under investigation to allow officers to complete further enquiries.

In August some months later, Luczak was once again driving around Loughborough town late at night, for what he later claimed was to collect scrap items discarded by residents that he could mend and sell.

He spotted another vulnerable woman walking home from an evening out, alone, in a quiet residential street and immediately turned his car around, travelling the wrong way down a one-way street, to approach her.

CCTV captured the moment he got out of his vehicle, instantly attacking the woman and wrestling her to the floor. She was then subjected to a serious sexual assault.

Luczak was later arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of digital penetration of a female over 13 and he was found guilty of all counts at a trial in February.

Detective Sergeant Amanda Boswell, from the force’s SIGNAL team, said: “This man subjected both women to degrading and humiliating attacks causing a level of emotional trauma that is unforgivable. He deliberately sought them out and targeted them as lone women, late at night; this is disturbing and worrying behaviour which thankfully the jury recognised in their guilty verdicts against him.”

“Women are entitled to go on a night out and drink alcohol if they so choose. Doing so, should not make them vulnerable to men like Luczak. Women should be able to walk home safely and not be targeted.”

“This investigation has shown how important it is to work as a team with the victims and their wishes at the centre. Victims should feel listened to, supported, respected and understand how important they are to cases like this. We are unable to achieve results like this without them.

“Both victims and witnesses in these cases have demonstrated immense courage and strength throughout the investigation and in providing evidence at the trial. It shows bravery and commitment and I want to thank each of them for the part they played in securing the conviction of a clearly dangerous man.”

DS Boswell added: “Given the obvious repeat offending of Luczak, there could be other women who have been assaulted by him in similar circumstances and didn’t feel that they could report the incident at the time. If you are a victim, I would urge you to come forward and contact my team. We have specialist officers who can support and guide out through that process and we also work closely with a number of other agencies and can refer you for ongoing support.”

Description

Ian Featherstone, who lives in Bushby, groomed the teenage girl for sex while working at a boarding school and was given only a suspended sentence at court

The schoolgirl victim of a sex offender teacher from Leicester has revealed how he stole her innocence in a heartbreaking statement describing the impact of his crimes. Ian Featherstone groomed the teenager for sex while working at a private boarding school, a court heard.

She was a pupil at Abbotsholme School, near Ashbourne, in the Derbyshire Dales, when the 44-year-old struck up an inappropriate relationship with her. Starting with text messages, the exchanges turned to sexualised chat before escalating further to sharing intimate photographs and eventually sex.

Featherstone pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust when he appeared before a judge at Derby Crown Court. He was a married father-of-two when the offences took place, but has since lost his job and is now living with his parents in Pulford Drive, Bushby, reports Derbyshire Live.

The teenager revealed to the court how the sexual abuse she suffered at Featherstone's hands had affected her life. "I didn’t realise what was happening, what he was doing, until someone told me that what he did was not normal," she said.

"It felt right because I finally thought I had found someone who wanted me. However, this never explained why I felt on edge and scared around him.

"I tried ignoring the sexual comments he made, but he always said more. This increased my fear, and I was always questioning if I could trust him. However, I did trust him, and that cost me everything."

The court heard how the Featherstone told the girl not to save his contact details. Instead, she had them on a piece of paper she kept with her phone, so his wife of 14 years did not find out about the relationship. He would also only communicate with her on a social media platform to avoid detection.

"I lost my innocence," added the girl. "I never understood this concept until he did what he did. I have had to grieve that I have lost what it meant to be a teenager. I have had to leave school behind as the weight of pain was too heavy for me to carry on anyone.

"I was always crying, breaking down and having to get picked up every day from school. He pushed my mental health to the limits. This completely destroyed me.

“I self-harmed to cope and even wrote suicide notes. I didn’t want to carry on anymore. The guilt, pain, sadness, and the constant abuse became too much."

The girl turned to Featherstone during the hearing and addressed him directly. "No amount of tears could explain the pain," she told him. "You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my confidence, and my own voice.

"You have no idea how worthless you made me feel. Always being too scared to say no, or not to do as you wanted. This always scared me." She added: "I knew in the end you would always have your way, no matter if I said no. This lives with me, it will never leave."

Featherstone was sentenced to 12 months in prison, but suspended for two years. An electronically monitored curfew will confine him to his home address between 7pm and 5am.

The defendant was ordered to attend a 45-day sex offender awareness programme, as well as 55 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and was placed on the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.

Speaking at the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Sarah Parkin commended the victim's bravery in speaking out against her abuser and helping to bring him to justice.

"Mitigation in court tried to explain away Featherstone's offending, and even tried to paint him as the victim, but he is clearly a sexual predator who preyed on someone who should have been safe in his care," she said.

"I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward and reporting this matter to the police," she added. "Anyone who is reading this and may have been the victim of sexual assault or abuse, please do speak to someone. There is help available. If you do feel able to contact the police we will always listen, investigate, and support you through the process."

Description

A trans woman who groomed and had sex with a 14-year-old girl, making her pregnant, has been jailed.

The defendant - named by police as "David Orton, also known as Danielle Rose Gemini" - was found guilty of penetrative sexual activity with a child following a trial.

Officers said the victim had been vulnerable and initially refused to believe she was being sexually abused.

However, she later changed her mind and told police what had happened.

The offender, whose name was recorded as Danielle-Rose Gemini by Leicester Crown Court, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years.

Leicestershire Police - who said the 25-year-old identified as a woman at the time of the offences - were not able to give a current gender identity.

The defendant was also charged with raping the girl, but was found not guilty of this following the trial.

Det Con Sarah Le Boutillier, the investigating officer, said: "Throughout our interviews, Orton refused to accept that there was any wrongdoing and [claimed] that they were in fact the victim," she said.

"The claims were unfounded."

The victim was 14 when her parents originally raised suspicions in October 2020.

Police said the offender was a family friend who often stayed over at the victim's house. The girl's parents became suspicious of a sexual relationship, police said, but the girl refuted those concerns.

"Orton used the victim's vulnerability for their own gain and not only groomed the victim, but also her parents who believed Orton was a genuine friend," said Det Con Le Boutillier.

"This was a complex and lengthy investigation; the initial report was made to the police more than two years ago. The victim's parents refused to accept her initial explanations and persevered with their concerns.

"We are pleased the victim found the courage to eventually talk about what she had been through and recognised that she was a victim and that Orton's actions were not that of a friend."

'Not easy to speak out'

The girl provided information to police in June 2021.

The defendant, of Willowbank Road in Hinckley, was interviewed and subsequently charged with four counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child, and two counts of raping a girl aged 13 to 15.

A jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child, but not guilty verdicts on the other counts.

Det Con Le Boutillier said: "We hope the verdict and sentence now helps the victim to come to terms with what happened and try and put that time behind her, and also reassures her parents that they did the right thing by coming forward.

"We would like to reassure anyone else who may be in a similar situation to report their concerns, as they will be heard and we will help them through the process.

"We know it's not always easy to speak out; we have specialist officers who can help you every step of the way and also put you in touch with agencies who can advise and support you moving forward."

Description

A man from Loughborough who admitted being “sexually attracted to babies and toddlers” has been jailed for 25 years, after he paid for the abuse of young children in Asia.

National Crime Agency investigators identified that Ian Wynter, 59, targeted financially vulnerable individuals in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia. He would give them explicit direction and pay them to live stream themselves carrying out the abuse.

Wynter was arrested by the NCA in January 2020 after flying into Gatwick Airport from Shanghai, China, where he had been living and working.

Officers seized a number of electronic devices, including phones, a laptop and an external hard drive from him at the airport, as well as from his UK home in Loughborough.

They recovered thousands of online chat logs which showed Wynter speaking with offenders based all over the world.

In the chats, Wynter describes himself as a “paedophile” who is “sexually attracted to babies and toddlers”. As well as discussing raping them among other horrific ‘fantasies’, he also advised others on how to carry out abuse without getting caught.

While on a trip to Thailand in 2020, he engaged in an online conversation with another paedophile about potentially finding a local child to abuse.

The chat logs and financial records showed that Wynter had paid a man in the Philippines to abuse a two-year-old boy for him via video call, on multiple occasions in 2019. Video recordings of these calls made by Wynter show him directing the abuse throughout, as well as requesting specific sexual acts in the chat box.

Additional messages show the man telling Wynter he is in financial difficulty and needs money for “milk and diapers”. Wynter later passed on the contact details of the Filipino facilitator to another online user, who he said was willing to pay “$125 up front for a show”.

The facilitator has since been sentenced to 15 years in prison in the Philippines and local authorities safeguarded the child.

Wynter also paid another male facilitator in Indonesia for several video calls of him abusing two-year-old boy in 2018. In this case, the man said the money would help pay for his diploma.

17,000 indecent images of children (6,000 in category A) were stored across Wynter’s devices, many of which he had also shared online. Within these was a naked image of a child that he had taken himself.

In June this year, Wynter pleaded guilty to 13 charges including multiple counts of encouraging the sexual assault & rape of a child under 13 and the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

He was sentenced today (09/11/2022) at Leicester Crown Court to 25 years in prison.

He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register.

Tony Smith from the National Crime Agency said:

“Ian Wynter is a prolific sexual offender who caused very young children to suffer the most horrendous abuse at the hands of willing facilitators, giving them specific direction and financial reward.

“Wynter spoke with thousands of other predators online with whom he openly discussed his horrific sexual fantasies, and offered advice on carrying out abuse while avoiding detection.

“This case is a key example of how predatory sexual offenders are using online platforms to target vulnerable children overseas, as well as to connect with other like-minded individuals. Wynter’s sentence reflects the gravity of his worldwide offending and our commitment to bring him to justice.

“The NCA works with law enforcement partners across the globe to ensure we are identifying and disrupting offenders, and safeguarding children, wherever they are.”

Bethany Raine, CPS Specialist Prosecutor, said:

“Wynter demonstrated sickening depravity by paying adults to sexually abuse children in video calls and exploiting innocent children in other parts of the world.

“This conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the NCA and international partners, will work to bring to justice those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.

“Working with our international partners we have also been able to help the Filipino courts jail one of the abusers Wynter encouraged in his appalling search for sexual gratification.”

Description

TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari's accomplice Raees Jamal had already been convicted of rape long before being convicted of murder. On Friday, four people, including Jamal, were found guilty of murder by a jury at Leicester Crown Court after a trial lasting 50 days.

Now it can be reported that Jamal had been convicted last year of raping a 17-year-old girl at his home in Loughborough. The trial for that crime took place before the TikTok trial and to ensure fair verdicts in the murder trial the jury was not told of the rape case and the press were not allowed to report it.

Jamal was sentenced for the rape at Leicester Crown Court in August 2022 and was given 10 years behind bars. During that hearing, the judge urged Jamal's young rape victim not to blame herself. The jury heard how Jamal had invited his victim to his home to watch a film just a few days after she had turned 17. Jamal pinned his victim on his bed and had unprotected sex with her, despite her trying to push him off and repeatedly telling him 'no'.

Judge Robert Brown told Jamal's victim's family members, who were in court for the sentencing: "She is a victim. She must not think she did anything to cause this rape. She did not. Tell her that from me. I hope it helps her come to terms with this."

The rape took place in June 2020 when the girl agreed to go out in Loughborough town centre with Jamal and later went back to his home in Lingdale Road in the town. His parents, who were at the house when she arrived, went off to work a night shift and Jamal took the girl upstairs to watch a film and he was "pestering" her for some time before trapping her under him and attacking her.

Daren Samat, prosecuting, said the girl had been 16 when Jamal started chatting to her on social media. Describing the day of the rape he said: "They went upstairs to watch a film and within minutes the defendant began to pester her. She said she didn't want that. She said no several times and tried to persuade him physically."

In a letter to police about how the crime had affected her, the victim said she had tried to kill herself and she remained "haunted" by what had happened, as well as being left with the scars of her suicide attempt. She said in the letter: "It's been two years since the rape happened and I still, to this day, get haunted. I've never felt so isolated and most nights I cry myself to sleep. I haven't learned how to live with this." Mr Samat said: "There is psychological harm here and grooming, via social media, over the course of about six months."

Ayoub Khan, representing Jamal, tried to argue there had not been any grooming and that the attack had not been sustained but the judge rejected both those statements. Mr Khan added: "He had only just turned 20. He is a young man who had a fairly turbulent upbringing."

The judge told Jamal: "When she met you she did not have sex in mind and did not want intimacy in that early stage of your relationship. I think it is justified to describe it as sustained. She was trapped. She was pinned on the bed and you overpowered her. She was not egging you on - she repeatedly said 'no' and 'stop it' and tried to push you off.

"She has undergone severe psychological harm." His sentence for the rape is likely to be eclipsed by whatever minimum term the judge decides in the murder case. As well as being jailed for the rape, Jamal was given a lifetime restraining order to keep him from contacting his victim and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A disgraced Leicestershire teacher who was jailed for grooming and abusing one of his students has been given a lifetime ban. Tony Fraine has been barred from the profession over future fears for students' safety.

Fraine, who taught at Hinckley Academy and John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre in Hinckley, was jailed in 2020 for the predatory behaviour which he committed against a 17-year-old pupil. The vile head of department had manipulated the teenager into the inappropriate relationship and coerced her into sending explicit images and messages.

He was jailed for two years. Now, the 39-year-old has been banned from ever teaching again in the UK after a disciplinary hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) took place.

The hearing was told how Fraine had become a newly-appointed teacher at the school in 2005, later rising to head of the science department in 2010. It was in 2019 when the first allegations of his predatory behaviour were made.

From here, he was suspended from the school and put on trial at Leicester Crown Court. It was here where it was heard how Fraine had begun the abuse by sending his victim flattering messages which then became sexualised. He also gave her a gift of underwear, while she later sent naked images after going along with his repeated requests.

After pleading guilty to two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, he was jailed for two years. Fraine is also currently subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and is on the sex offenders register for the same period.

For the TRA panel, they felt letting Fraine return to the classroom would put children at risk and harm public confidence. There was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the protection of pupils and other children given the very serious findings relating to sexual activity with a pupil and conduct associated with grooming, they said.

The panel considered that Mr Fraines behaviour in committing the offence would be likely to affect public confidence in the teaching profession if Mr Fraine was allowed to continue teaching, given the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community.

Saying the need to issue the ban was in the public interest, the TRA said they had to treat the case with the utmost seriousness, believing that a lifetime ban was both proportionate and appropriate.

The seriousness of the offences including the grooming behaviour which took place over a substantial period of time was a significant factor, they said.

Concluding the report, Sarah Buxcey, from the TRA, believed Fraines actions meant he could not teach again.

The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Fraine fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession, she said. Mr Fraines offending behaviour was serious, concerning sexual activity with a pupil, which ultimately led to a sentence of imprisonment, which I agree with the panel is relevant to his ongoing suitability to teach.

I have concluded that a prohibition order is proportionate and in the public interest in order to achieve the intended aims of a prohibition order.

Fraine has 28 days to appeal the ban at the High Court.

Description

A man who sexually abused three children two decades ago has been jailed for 11 years.

Stuart Newbold was sentenced for nine crimes against his victims between 1997 and 2000.

All three, who are now adults, were said to have "suffered immensely" by his actions, Leicester Crown Court heard.

They contacted the police in 2018 to report the abuse that took place in North West Leicestershire.

Newbold, of Mary Close, Ibstock, near Coalville, was told he will have to serve two-thirds of his 11 year jail term.

He was also placed on a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and his details will be held on a sex offender register for life.

Sentencing, Judge Ebrahim Mooncey said: "Three victims were all abused by you when they were very young.

"Correspondingly, you were younger too: teens, possibly just into your 20's.

"You're 39 now. The sentencing has to reflect those factors.

"The victims have been severely affected adversely by what they experienced from you."

Judge Mooncey said the female victim was aged between nine and 10. The two boys were both under 14 when they were abused.

He said he accepted the defendant suffered from mild autism as well as "certain mental issues" and experienced a difficult upbringing.

He added: "Although you had developmental difficulties, I've no doubt you knew at the time that what you'd done to these three children was wrong.

"You had the assistance of an intermediary throughout the trial. We heard from a psychologist that you may not now recall these matters.

"There is no suggestion of any new offending and I can treat you as being effectively of good character."

Newbold denied the charges against him, but was convicted at a recent trial at Leicester Crown Court of the following offences:

Four counts of inciting a boy under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency

Three counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 years

Two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 years

Andreas O'Shea, mitigating, said: "We're dealing with offences that happened 20-plus years ago and there's no indication of anything inappropriate since this and there's no evidence of anything else coming to light.

"He went on to live an exemplary life."

Mr O'Shea said a psychologist assessed the defendant as having "the emotional age of a 16-year-old."

He said the defendant's wife, also diagnosed with autism, was "an innocent party" who would suffer if he was incarcerated.

The barrister said he accepted the "unsavory nature" of the offences should be marked but 20 years of "unblemished conduct since" should also be taken into account.

The defendant's mother-in-law told the judge Newbold was "an absolute gentleman" who was protective, supportive and caring towards her daughter, despite the couple both having combined learning difficulties.

Afterwards, officer in the case, Detective Constable Andy Day, said: I hope the fact that Newbold is now serving a custodial sentence will provide a degree of closure to the three victims and allow them to move on their lives.

I hope todays sentencing will also encourage anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse to come forward and report matters to police.

"It is never too late to speak out.

Description

Both men were found guilty by a jury of two counts each of raping the 13-year-old A pair of depraved paedophiles have been found guilty of raping a boy aged 13. Sick duo John Cox and Jamie Cross twice raped the teenager in 2005 before being arrested years later. The victim went through years of torment and eventually found evidence to convict the pair, one of whom admitted to the sexual activity in a Facebook message, LeicestershireLive reports . Both men were found guilty by a jury of two counts each of raping the 13-year-old. In a personal impact statement, the victim admitted: "I felt angry at what they'd done to me and my body." He described the abuse as affecting his education and sending him off the rails for several years, and said he suffered recurring nightmares with the defendants' "faces coming out of the walls and shouting at me." When messaging them on Facebook, years later, he said he felt "fear and disgust." Although both defendants denied the rapes, Cross had referred to sexual activity having taken place when the victim later engaged him in text conversations - which was evidence used in court. Sentencing the pair to substantial terms in jail, Judge Robert Brown said: "You were both in your mid-20's at the time and the complainant was 13. "The circumstances in which you abused him were a gross breach of trust by you." Judge Brown told Cox, 38, and Cross, 37, both of Simons Close, Wigston Harcourt, near Leicester: "You took advantage of him and you raped him twice." Cox raped the boy during two incidents - including when Cross also took turns and twice raped the victim. Judge Brown said: "I can't and don't attempt to begin to describe the pain and suffering he's gone through ... the pain is real, it's lasting and will never leave him." The judge said the victim was accused of lying during the trial and added: "For him it was like going through it all again. "You're both still in denial and still maintain you didn't abuse him. "The jury by their verdicts have found you guilty - and guilty you are in the way described. "It was a clear abuse of trust, you planned these encounters and took advantage of this young boy." The court heard both defendants had previous convictions relating to child pornography and were given suspended sentences in 2017. Judge Brown told the defendants: "There's no remorse, there's no previous good character, there's no mitigation apart from what I've already referred to in your character references." He said both defendants would receive "sex offenders' treatment" whilst in custody. During the trial, Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said the boy had got to know them when they were running a first aid service, providing medical care at public events. Mr Thatcher said that when the victim became an adult: "He entrapped Cross in a conversation on Facebook. "He wanted to get them to admit what they'd done." Giving evidence in the trial caused the victim's fear and pain to resurface that he described afterwards "felt like a tornado." The complainant said the court process had proved successful and added: "I hope if anything similar happened to anyone else, I suggest they come forward." James Varley, mitigating for Cross said: "For the most part he's lived a hard working and respectable life." He said: "It was one incident. "There was a break and then a resumption; not an ongoing course of conduct as the two offences were within the same episode." He said the offences happened 14 years ago and added: "He knows he's going to spend a period of time in custody. Paul Fleming, for Cox, said that references spoke well of the defendant regarding many positive aspects of his life. He added: "The references speak of how he has been well regarded by others who know him." Cox and Cross were each jailed for 12 years. They were placed on life-time sexual harm prevention orders and will have to record all future addresses on the police sexual offenders' register. Both were "automatically barred" from ever working with children, the judge said. The defendants were also on trial accused of less serious sexual assaults upon the same victim, during the same period, but both Cox and Cross were acquitted by the jury on those counts.

Description

A man who claimed he had sex with a woman while he was asleep has been jailed for five years for rape.

Karl Gammon had met the victim and her friend at a bar in Loughborough in March 2016 before attacking her.

The 24-year-old, of Albert Street in Loughborough, told a trial he suffered from "sexsomnia", a form of non-insane automatism that meant he had sex with her without his knowledge or memory.

He was found guilty on 8 August after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Gammon, who was sentenced on Friday, has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Leicestershire Police said DNA evidence proved he had had sex with the woman.

Det Sgt Tom Brenton, who led Leicestershire Police's investigation into the case, said the victim was still "living with the trauma" of the attack more than two years later.

"Gammon's victim has shown tremendous courage throughout the judicial process," he said.

"Not only did Gammon prey on his victim when she was vulnerable, he claimed not to have knowledge of the rape when questioned by officers and as such she was forced to relive her ordeal in court."