Latest Offenders Lincolnshire

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A Lincoln man has been jailed for 21 years after being found guilty of several sexual offences including rape. Shaun Otter, 52, of Shakespeare Street, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing today, July 18.

He had already been found guilty in relation to a total of 11 offences which took place on June 8. In addition to his custodial sentence, Otter was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, meaning he will have to keep to sex offender notification requirements for life.

Detective Inspector Lee Nixon, of Lincolnshire Police's Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit said: "I would like to pay tribute to the victim and her bravery in coming to us. We know it's an incredibly daunting thing to do and therefore we owe it to every victim to treat them with sensitivity and respect, and to do everything we can to make sure that perpetrators, like Otter, are brought before the court to face justice.

"This sentence is not only a punishment for Otter, but a message to perpetrators of the consequences of their actions. We hope it gives confidence to survivors that we will relentlessly pursue anyone responsible for such abhorrent acts, regardless of if it happened recently or decades ago.

"If you have been a victim of sexual assault, please know that you will be taken seriously if you come forward. Whether or not you decide to come to us, there is support available, and we would like to take the opportunity to highlight that."

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A 51-year-old paedophile was lured to an address in Hull as part of a sting operation and found with condoms and Haribo sweets.

Chef Darren Johnstone, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with teenage girls and pretended to be a 20-year-old. He was interviewed by Humberside Police for offences in 2018 and while under investigation he repeatedly tried to engage in sexual communication with more girls in 2020.

Grimsby Crown Court heard Johnstone who has "learning difficulties and low-level intelligence" did not realise the girls were decoys used by a paedophile hunter group called Elite Team. Michele Stuart-Lofthouse said the defendant was still under investigation for the 2018 offences when he was again arrested in 2020.

Johnstone also admitted possessing indecent images of children on his phone after it was seized on his initial arrest. She said a "decoy teenager" was set up by the paedophile hunter group who created a dating app.

Despite being told by the decoy teenager she was 14 years old, Johnstone sent a total of 605 messages, mostly of a sexual nature. He also sent images of his private area.

Ms Stuart-Lofthouse said: "The images were extremely sexual." The decoy agreed to meet him in Brisbane Street, Hull, where the paedophile gang waited for him.

He was arrested by police, who seized a quantity of condoms, Haribo sweets and 300 cash. The prosecutor said he could not offer an explanation for his behaviour, but admitted sending images.

"He said he had never had sexual relations or a girlfriend and had never spoken to a girl the way he did. He admitted talking to the 14-year-old girl and asking for sex," the prosecutor said.

While committing the second set of offences in 2020, Johnstone, of Cleethorpes, had described himself to a 13 year old girl, as a 20-year-old man. There were four separate occasions in which he sent images to the girls, which were in fact, decoys, used by the child protection group.

For Johnstone, Gordon Stables said: "The court is not dealing with a fully-functioning adult. The level of understanding is not there."

He said his client had attended a special school and when he was 16 years old took up a work placement at the St James' Hotel in Grimsby. He said: "They knew his limitations and he remained there for nearly 30 years."

He submitted psychiatric doctors reports which highlighted the defendant's "borderline understanding." Mr Stables said: "He could not understand that these decoys did not exist." He added the client thought he had been discharged following the first offences.

Recorder Alex Menary said it was "an exceptional case" and he was guided by the psychiatric reports on the level of Johnstone's intelligence. He said three years in prison would not provide adequate safety from the risk he posed.

He imposed a two-year community order in which he will attend 43 days of sex offender management and 55 rehabilitation days. He imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order to limit his access to the internet and ban any contact with children.

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Officers have charged a man under new legislation which was introduced last month to protect victims of domestic abuse.

Benjamin Flatters, aged 31, of Dorchester Road, Spalding was charged with non-fatal strangulation following an alleged assault, reported on June 23.

Flatters appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court on July 1 where he pleaded not guilty to the strangulation charge.

Flatters pleaded guilty to three other charges of criminal damage to property, threats to damage property and failure to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

He was remanded into custody and will face trial for the strangulation charge at a later date.

The charge of non-fatal strangulation comes as a result of the creation of a new offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 which was introduced nationally on June 7 2022.

Crucially, the new offence carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.

Victims of strangulation may be left with little or no physical marks meaning previously, a charge of actual bodily harm or common assault may have been applied, which did not reflect the serious nature of the act.

DI Richard Nethercott said: The new legislation is potentially life changing and lifesaving. If found guilty of non-fatal strangulation, a perpetrator will face up to five years in prison.

Along with non-fatal suffocation, its a form of abuse that we sadly sometimes see in a domestic setting, where a perpetrator will use it to intimidate and control their victim. Its terrifying to endure and incredibly dangerous.

We are committed to using our powers to tackle abuse, including non-fatal strangulation and non-fatal suffocation.

The new legislation is an important step forwards in tackling violence against women and girls.

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AN "EXTREMELY dangerous" sex offender who escaped from prison has been captured following a frantic manhunt.

Cops had urged anyone who spotted predator Gary Butcher, 55, to call them immediately after he absconded from HMP North Sea Camp in Boston, Lincolnshire on Tuesday.

The thug had been sentenced to life behind bars for aggravated burglary.

He also has a number of convictions for sex attacks on women.

Detectives spent three days tracking him down, and he was finally arrested by an officer from Derbyshire Constabulary shortly after 11.30am on Friday.

Butcher was found in the Swadlincote area of Derbyshire after approaching the officer to hand himself in.

He remains in police custody tonight.

A 56-year-old man was arrested on Thursday night on suspicion of assisting an offender. He too remains in police custody.

Butcher will be returned to closed prison conditions while the investigation continues.

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Rachael Cox said: "Following a round-the-clock investigation to bring Butcher into custody, I'm pleased to be able to say that we have now apprehended this man.

"At this stage, we don't believe he's committed further offences.

"Our appeal has had huge support from the public, and we're very grateful for that, and would like to say thank you to everyone who shared our appeal or provided information.

"This was very much a collaborative effort with our officers and staff working tirelessly with neighbouring forces and partner agencies to apprehend Butcher."

Officers had warned earlier this week that Butcher may try to "charm his way into homes".

Speaking on Wednesday, Chief Superintendent Kate Anderson said she believes he is "extremely dangerous".

Butcher's prison dash came just three months after fellow sex offender Paul Robson escaped from the same jail.

Robson was jailed in 2000 after breaking into a woman's home and sexually assaulting her.

He was eventually found in Skegness following a four-day search.

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A Bourne man who admitted a string of sexual offences after being caught by a "decoy" at a church has been jailed for four years and eight months. Anthony Fiddler, 38, of Recreation Road, Bourne, was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years after he pleaded guilty to eight sexual charges.

Fiddler admitted having sexual communications with a 15-year-old boy between 17 May 2021 and 24 May 2021. In a second charge relating to the same child Fiddler pleaded guilty to causing him to watch a sexual act on 24 May 2021.

Fiddler also admitted two charges of attempted sexual communication with girls aged 12 and 14 between 24 May 2021 and 25 May 2021. He also pleaded guilty to a fifth charge of attempting to incite a 14-year-old girl to engage in a sexual act between the same dates.

Lincoln Crown Court heard the girls aged 12 and 14 were in fact decoys. Fiddler also admitted three further charges of making indecent photographs of children between August 2000 and November 2020.

The charges related to 124 images in the most serious category of A, 86 category B images and 630 category C images. Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, said the offences arose out of online contacts made by Fiddler with one teenage boy and two decoys pretending to be girls aged under-16.

Miss Bradley told the court Fiddler made contact with a 15-year-old boy after seeing an advert for gardening services. The court heard Fiddler requested pictures from the two decoys and sent one a sexual image of himself.

Miss Bradley said Fiddler was caught after he arranged to meet one of the decoys at a church in Bourne. The civilian decoy was present along with the police when Fiddler arrived.

Police found indecent images of children when they analysed Fiddler's mobile phone. Karen Walton, defending Fiddler, had asked for sentence to be adjourned for the preparation of a probation report and to consider if Fiddler was suitable for treatment in the community.

The court heard Fiddler had just one previous conviction for exposure in 2005. But Miss Walton said Fiddler had come to court prepared for prison.

"He is struggling come to terms with what he has done," Miss Walton added. Passing sentence Judge John Pini QC told Fiddler the really concerning aspect of his offending was that he was going to meet the decoy at a church in Bourne.

"Of great concern is that you arranged to meet one of the girls at Bourne Abbey Church," Judge Pini said. "I do not at this stage assess you as dangerous, but that is the direction in which you are travelling."

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A Pinchbeck man who attempted to engage in sexual conversations with three people he thought were under-age girls was today jailed for 16 months.

Jason Hildred (48) of Walpole Close in Pinchbeck, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Hildred began swapping messages with someone he believed was a 12-year-old girl called Dani on the Chat Avenue site in November 2020.

Noel Philo, prosecuting, said Dani was in reality a member of an organisation which seeks to protect children.

During the social media messages, which also occurred on WhatsApp, Hildred tried to instigate sexual conversations, Mr Philo told the court.

Hildred also got in contact with another social media user who he thought was an 11-year-old girl called Izzy.

Mr Philo said that person in fact belonged to the same organisation and Hildred again tried to engage in sexual conversations with them.

The court heard Hildred had previously been sentenced to a three year community order in 2013 for attempting to meet a girl aged under-16 following sexual grooming.

Hildred was arrested in June 2021 and admitted being "totally stupid" when he interviewed about the more recent offences

Mr Philo said Hildred was granted bail but was caught again later in 2021, this time by a police decoy who was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl.

Hildred was remanded into custody and pleaded guilty to three offences of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Nicholas Bleaney, mitigating, told the court all three offences were "attempts" where no physical contact took place and Hildred was entitled to maximum credit for his guilty pleas.

Mr Bleaney added: "His supervision for the previous offence ended in 2015 and it was five years before the first of this contact in November 2020.

"The genesis of this behaviour was lockdown. He was working on the railways, he has since lost his job, but found himself all alone with no distractions.

"At the same time his girlfriend was dying of cancer, she has since died. She was a lady from Thailand."

Mr Bleaney told the court Hildred also fell victim to a con artist to whom he handed over his life savings of 70,000.

Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst told Hildred he had to take into consideration that none of his victims were real children.

But Judge Hirst said he could not pass a suspended jail sentence because of Hildred's previous conviction and his offending while on bail.

The judge told Hildred: "What you did was exactly the same thing with someone you thought was a 14-year-old girl."

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A sex offender branded a "menace to females" has been recaptured after fleeing from an open prison.

Paul Robson, 56 was given a life sentence in 2000 after he sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint.

He walked out of HMP North Sea Camp, in Lincolnshire, on Sunday and spent four days on the run.

Robson was arrested in Skegness at about 09:30 GMT on Thursday after a call from a member of the public who recognised him, police said.

Announcing his capture, Ch Supt Kate Anderson, from Lincolnshire Police, thanked members of the public who had shared the force's appeals to find Robson and reported potential sightings.

"At this stage, we don't believe he had any accomplices or believe that he's committed further offences," she said.

Officers had worked "tirelessly" in their search for Robson, she added.

Police had issued several appeals to locate Robson since he absconded.

Further images of him were released on Wednesday, with the force suggesting he may have changed his appearance.

It is understood Robson was returned to a closed prison and will not be eligible to apply for parole for at least a further two years.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said Robson would "face an uphill struggle proving he can ever be trusted to move to an open prison again".

Robson, originally from Newcastle, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court for the attempted rape and indecent assault of his victim.

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A man has been jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty of a string of sexual offences against children.

Alan Robert Henneberry, of Grantham, committed the offences in 2019 and 2020 against two victims aged under 13.

He had been found guilty on 16 September after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

Lincolnshire Police said the 34-year-old had committed "some of the most grave" offences and caused serious harm to children.

Henneberry, of Shaw Road, Grantham, was charged with two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and one count of sexual assault of a child by sexual touching.

He also previously pleaded guilty to charges of possession of, making and taking indecent images of children.

Det Con Helen Morris, of Lincolnshire Police's protecting vulnerable persons unit, said: "There is no length of sentence that could make up for the actions of this man.

"He is guilty of some of the most grave offences, causing the most serious harm to children."

She also paid tribute to victims and witnesses in the case whose "strength... helped to put this dangerous man behind bars".

Henneberry was also added to the sex offenders register for life and is to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A Stamford man who downloaded indecent images of children has escaped an immediate jail sentence at Lincoln Crown Court.

Tyler Curtis downloaded hundreds of images including one of a baby being raped which he then stored in a cloud system.

Abigail Hill, prosecuting, said that police received information which led to officers raiding his then home in Dickens Drive, Stamford and his work place.

A total of 320 indecent images of children were found on three different devices together with 26 prohibited images of children.

Mrs Hill said: The images were downloaded over an eight year period between May 5, 2012 and March 17, 2020.

When the defendant was interviewed he admitted he had been storing images in his Google Drive account. He said he hadnt realised they were illegal.

He denied any sexual interest in children. He said he uploaded the images to a cloud system so that his wife didnt see them.

Curtis, 34, now of Milner Court, Wharf Road, Stamford, admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of possessing prohibited images of children. He asked for a further matter of making indecent images of children to be taken into consideration.

Steven Gosnell, in mitigation, said Curtis had no previous convictions and is working.

He has engaged in counselling. That is something that he has paid for privately.

Mr Gosnell said that as a result of the offences Curtis has separated from his wife.

He has been through a great deal of pain but he accepts it is because of his actions that he is in this position.

Mr Gosnell said Curtis was focussing on rehabilitation and has faced up to his issues as well as now admitting he is sexually attracted to girls.

Curtis was given a 14 month jail sentence suspended for 18 months with a 35 day rehabilitation activity requirement. He was ordered to complete a sexual offending treatment programme and has to pay 425 prosecution costs.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and given a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

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Vile sex offender Gary Neal is beginning a 16-year prison sentence after raping girls and abusing five victims over a period of 18 years in Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

At Grimsby Crown Court, Judge Ahmed Nadim said Neal, 54, was a danger to the public and added a further four years to the sentence which will be served on licence.

He also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Neal will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

It followed a trial in which Neal denied 14 sex offences against girls.

Neal, married and living at Mill Lane, Kirton Lindsey, was found guilty of the offences against five girls.

Neal was convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14, gross indecency with a child under the age of 14, two counts of rape of a female child under the age of 16, sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13, three counts of inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13.

Judge Nadim said the trial had not spared the victims reliving "the most unpleasant experiences of their lives".

He added the 46 incidents of sex against young girls, some just four years old at the time, were committed while he was aged between 31 and 49 years old.

He said the victims, some who sat in court in tears, had been left "emotionally scarred and confidence damaged and unable to form trusting relationships".

"They have been unable to realise the full potential of their lives. They may never fully recover from the damage you have caused. No sentence can give them back their childhood," the judge said.

He accepted the defendant had a mild learning difficulty but said he had listened carefully to the evidence he gave at trial which he described as "calculated with mendacity".

The judge said Neal had a lack of appreciation for the damage caused to his victims. He said the parole board would only consider if he was fit for release on licence after serving two thirds of the sentence. A further four years will be served on licence.

Prosecuting, Michael Greenhalgh told of how one of the girls had confided in a school teacher. Police began an investigation in 2017 when Neal was arrested. At the same time, another victim came forward to give her account of how Neal raped her.

He read statements detailing the shocking impact the rape and sex assaults had taken on the girls.

One told of how it had ruined the relationships she had with men including those in her own family. Seeing men who look like Neal sets her into a panic, he recounted.

One said: "My life has been hell. I now want to take my life back. He ruined my life but I am not letting him ruin my life anymore."

For Neal, Rodney Ferm said his client had "limited mental function" and was "akin to a child" with a mental age of nine years old. He has an IQ of between 54 and 62, which placed him in the category of a learning disability.

His client had claimed he was sexually abused as a child himself.

Mr Ferm said: "Although he had adult drives, he had the function of a nine-year-old and those are the people he associated with. He has no adult acquaintances, except members of his family who deal with bills and the more complex matters of daily life."

He added : "He is a very isolated man and had more company in prison, on remand, than at any stage of his life for many years. His learning difficulties have been taken on board."

After sentencing Neal, Judge Nadim recognised the courage of the complainants.

He said: "It is the hope of this court that with the closure of these proceedings they will be better able to move on with their lives. They each leave with the gratitude of the court. They have made an important contribution to the court system. I thank each and every one of them."

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A sick badminton coach who abused more than a dozen teenage boys in unusually vile acts has been jailed for 20 years.

Timothy Mawer was a master of manipulation who groomed the teens with kindness and fancy cars before systematically abusing them.

The 52-year-old from Cleethorpes carried out more than 60 attacks on 13 separate boys, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Mawer often met his victims through badminton coaching at schools and youth clubs, and mutual interests in trainspotting.

His attacks destroyed the lives of many of his victims, with some considering committing suicide, while others suffered mental health problems, and drink or drug addictions.

One man said in a victim impact statement: He befriended me and my family. He portrayed himself as a near perfect character.

The court heard how Mawer befriended his victims and invited them to his home. They were then persuaded to play cards with him, with sexual forfeits for the loser.

Sam Skinner, prosecuting, told the court: The defendants offending was systematic, persistent, planned and gradually increased in severity and degradation.

This was a campaign of offending that corrupted the lives of more than a dozen boys.

Some of the acts he carried out were unusually vile.

In total there are 62 incidents. The period of offending is approximately 18 years. It began in 1985-1986 and ended in April 2003.

Some were as young as 13. The rest were about 14 years old when this defendant offended against them.

This defendant was working as a self-employed sports coach teaching badminton. He taught adults and children. When he was working with children, he was in a position of trust. He was a successful coach who was well-known locally and abroad.

He coached in schools and youth clubs. He made friends with lots of boys aged between 12 and 16. He also visited Lincoln Railway Station where he befriended boys who were trainspotting.

He selected those whom he could influence and groom. This grooming took weeks and months depending on the boy. He gave these boys his time, his attention and his money. They were impressed by his fast cars and his clothes.

The police investigation began in January 2016 after one of the victims came forward, and other victims were later identified.

Mawer was originally due to be sentenced in 2019, but a further six victims came forward as a result of media reports around the trial.

He was scheduled to stand trial for the additional charges this week, but changed to his pleas to guilty.

Michael Cranmer-Brown, defending Mawer, said he was of previous good character and is remorseful and ashamed for what he did.

He said: This offending started when he was himself young. The most recent offending took place 18 years ago.

In that time Mr Mawer has been a badminton coach of some considerable repute and success. He has taught many thousands of pupils both here and abroad.

Mawer, formerly of Long Beach, Haventhorpe Park Holiday Centre in Cleethorpes, admitted a total of 27 charges of indecent assault on a male person between 1985 and 2003.

He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and banned for life from working with children and vulnerable people. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: You were a successful coach who was well-known. Over a period of 18 years, you misused that position and the ostentatious lifestyle you had to abuse 13 children between the ages of 13 and 15 in a sexual manner.

It is plain that in their different ways, all of the complainants have been profoundly affected by your abuse of them. You caused each and every one of them real and lasting damage.

You caused harm to each of them for no other reason than to gain sexual gratification for yourself. A striking aspect of what you did involved the humiliation of some of these boys.

You won them over through kindness, apparent generosity and flash cars. You persistently and systematically abused young boys over a period of almost two decades.

Detective Inspector David McKean from Lincolnshire Polices Protecting Vulnerable People unit, said after the sentencing: This man used and abhorrently abused the trust that young people, their parents and the community including schools and youth clubs placed in him as a badminton coach.

He coerced young boys into shockingly depraved sexual acts which they have had to live with. The victims have shown incredible bravery to come forward and support our investigation and I hope this sentence provides them with some closure.

We have officers who are specifically trained to help and support victims of sexual offences. We treat every report sensitively and respectfully, so please do contact us if you have been keeping something to yourself."

Description

A former Lincolnshire councillor who was jailed for downloading images of child abuse has appeared in court again after breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Ian Dolby, of North Road Sleaford, had been jailed for two years in August 2017 after admitting to downloading images of children.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to 23 charges of making an indecent image of a child on the second day of his trial after police found 700 computer discs at his home in Sleaford.

Dolby was placed on the sex register for 10 years and given a sexual harm prevention order to control his behaviour when released.

Now he has appeared in court again after breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

The former Sleaford Town Councillor refused to hand over a device capable of accessing the internet for inspection when he was asked to by the authorities on August 29, last year.

The former councillor appeared at Lincoln Magistrates' Court on December 12, last year, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Dolby was fined 150 and ordered to pay a 32 surcharge to fund victim's services and 85 in costs by magistrates.

At his original trial in 2017, the court was told police found a stash of more than 700 computer disks containing pornography in Dolby's bedroom as part of their inquiries after officers arrested his lodger for an unrelated matter.

Of these, 45 disks contained child pornography, including more than 500 movies lasting 184 hours. These had been downloaded between 2010 and 2013.

Mark Knowles, mitigating for Dolby, said 90 per cent of the material found in his home had been adult pornography and that he had an obsessive personality.

"He understands that he has a problem," he said. "He is desperate to get to the bottom of his difficulties.

"He is very much a loner who spends the majority of his free time in his room on his computer."

Sending Dolby to prison, Judge Simon Hirst had said: "You have done everything you possibly could to avoid facing up to your wrong doing.

"This type of offending is not victimless in any way. Every still photograph and every frame of a film has the face of a child who has been sexually abused in the most cruel way imaginable.

"In behaving as you did, you perpetuated the market and distribution of such images and encouraged the making of more images."

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A man who raped a child was only caught years later because he kept a carefully catalogued library of films showing his abuse, a court has heard.

Matthew Beattie, 47, of Main Road, Langworth, Lincolnshire, filmed himself raping and sexually abusing a young girl between 2007 and 2010.

Police found the films along with more than 2,000 indecent images of children.

He was jailed for 16 years after admitting three counts of rape of a child under 13, among other charges.

Beattie also pleaded guilty to two charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and a further charge of sexual assault.

He also admitted two charges of making indecent images of a child, and five charges of possession of indecent images of a child.

Beattie was placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Mark Watson, prosecuting, said: "The footage was kept by the defendant for a number of years.

"They were not just filmed and kept. He labelled them as to precisely what it was that was captured in the footage."

Laura Pitman, in mitigation, told the court: "He knows he is going to receive a lengthy custodial sentence.

"He recognises that what he did all those years ago was so wrong and he needs to address what caused him to behave in that way."

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A convicted sex offender travelled 140 miles in the hope of having sex with a 14-year-old girl, only to find out he was being played by a paedophile hunter, a court has heard.

John Armitage travelled from Gainsborough to Newcastle upon Tyne believing he would be meeting a school girl called Ellie who he had been talking to on a dating app.

Armitage, who had previously served a jail sentence for offences against two young girls, had arranged to meet the schoolgirl despite knowing she was underage.

But instead when he arrived at Newcastle railway station he discovered he was the victim of a sting.

He was confronted and then arrested after police were called to the station.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said Armitage had initially contacting "Ellie" on a dating app for over 18s.

In a series of messages he was told she was only 14 but persisted and said he wanted to meet her for sex telling her he would "be gentle".

Armitage suggested he contact her school pretending to be her father and arrange for her to have a week off so that they could be together.

But the court was told that "Ellie" was actually a member of the Net Justice Group using a fake profile to trap paedophiles.

John Armitage, 40, of Warren Close, Gainsborough, admitted a charge of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming together with a further offence of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity with a child. Both charges relate to the period between 12 March and 14 April last year.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of making a total of 958 indecent photographs of a child between September 2015 and April 2018. The images include 164 assessed as being in the most serious category. He further admitted further charges of possession of a prohibited image of a child and possession of cannabis.

The court was told that he had a previous conviction in 2008 when he was given a four year sentence at Leeds Crown Court for sexual assault charges relating to two girls under the age of 13.

He also has two convictions for failing to comply with the sex offender registration notification requirements and a further conviction for outraging public decency.

Judge Hirst told him "Ellie told you she was 14 and her mum was very strict. She said she was from Newcastle and you suggested you meet up for a kiss and a cuddle.

"There was discussion about how you liked having sex and Ellie told you that she didn't know girls of her age did that.

"Over the next days the conversation continued about what sexual things you wanted to do with her.

"This case is aggravated by the persistent nature of the communications including you suggesting that you pretend to be Ellie's father and ring her school. You told her to have a week off school.

"You travelled to Newcastle intent on having sex with a 14 year old girl.

"Plainly your offending is so serious that only immediate custody can be imposed."

Armitage was sentenced to five years and nine months which includes three years and nine months custody plus an extra two years licence during which he will be at risk of being returned to prison.

Judge Simon Hirst imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders' register for life.

Christopher Dickins, in mitigation, said "He accepts that he wanted a full sexual relationship. He is deeply sorry.

"He instructs me that at the time he was self-medicating for depression and anxiety but he has now got that on an even keel."

Description

Released from prison on March 7th 2022.

Thomas Sanders was found guilty of the following charges:

1 - Sexual Assault Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 7(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003.

2 - Assault Of A Child Under 13 By Penetration, Contrary To Section 6(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003.

3 - Rape Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 5(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003

4 - Rape Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 5(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003

Thomas Sanders was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.

He will be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

He will also have to sign on the sex offenders register indefinitely upon release.