Latest Offenders London

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A man who raped a teenage girl in a Hove park has been jailed for 11 years.

David Berbers, 21, of Byatt Walk in Richmond upon Thames, attacked his victim – a girl under the age of 16 – in St Ann’s Well Gardens on the evening of Sunday, 25 July, 2021.

He had arranged to meet her after the pair had been communicating on social media.

After suggesting they walk through the park, he raped her before fleeing the scene, leaving her to seek help from members of the public nearby.

She was supported by medical professionals and specialist police officers, while an urgent investigation was launched.

Berbers was identified through his Instagram account and the phone number he used to contact the victim, as well as a detailed description she provided.

Urgent enquiries were carried out and he was arrested in London three days later on 28 July, 2021.

He was subsequently charged with the rape of a girl under 16 in relation to the Hove incident.

Berbers was also charged with two counts of rape and attempted rape as part of separate Metropolitan Police investigations, and possession of extreme pornography.

At Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 4 December, a jury found him guilty of three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. He pleaded guilty to possession of extreme pornography.

At the same court on Friday (16 February), Berbers was jailed for 11 years and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A predatory offender who targeted a sleeping woman on the London underground has been jailed. The defendant led the victim-survivor off a tube before sexually assaulting her on a street in West Ham.

The sentence comes as the Met reaffirms its commitment to tackling violence against women and girls in the capital and bringing predatory offenders to justice.

Salman Yousaf, 43 (10.03.80), of Woodgrange Road, E7, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years, after a week-long trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court found he was guilty of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.

On 29 April 2023 the woman was alone in the early hours on the London Underground after a night out with friends. Yousaf found her asleep in an empty carriage and sexually assaulted her in nearby Durban Road, E15.

The victim-survivor of this ordeal has pleaded for people to speak to police if they have suffered sexual assault. She said: “If anything like this happens to you do not be afraid to come forward, you will start your healing process once you see justice has been served. I am happy to know that he will be off the streets for a long time and unable to hurt anyone else.”

Dedicated Met officers found Yousaf by tracking him by CCTV from the night of the attack and pieced together his previous movements. Police found out Yousaf frequently used Forest Gate Railway Station. Using an image of Yousaf from the CCTV officers went to the station and spoke with staff and identified him leading to his arrest.

Description

TWO "predatory" sex offenders who filmed the vile rape of a woman in a car have been jailed.

Bujar Jashari, of Victoria Road, Southend, has been jailed for seven years for his role in the attack in Hornchurch town centre, in east London, last June.

Jashari, 34, and his co-defendant Rinor Korqa, 25, approached the 34-year-old victim when she became separated from her friends during a night out.

She was alone in a bar when two men approached her, took her to a car and drove away.

The victim, who has been praised by police for her bravery in speaking out and contacting the force, recalled being raped inside the car by one of the defendants while the other recorded the attack on his phone.

Staff who worked at a nearby bar told police officers during their enquires that both Jashari and Korqa had been spotted approaching several women before leaving with the victim.

Following the conviction, both men were branded “predatory offenders” who “would likely” still be offending if they had not been caught.

The pair were eventually traced and charged.

During a sentencing hearing on January 24, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Jashari, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for rape.

Korqa, of Romford, east London, was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment for rape and failing to disclose his mobile phone PIN.

Both men had been convicted of rape two days earlier at the same court.

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Detectives have secured justice for a woman who was sexually abused as a child more than 40 years ago.

She came forward in March 2021 to report that she had been raped and sexually assaulting by an older man at a primary school in Islington in the mid-1980s.

The abuse lasted around two years and was carried out by a man who she identified to be Robert MacLennan.

He was working as the school's groundskeeper during the time of the abuse and lived on the site.

Officers began an investigation and MacLennan was arrested in April 2021. He admitted sexually assaulting the victim, however he denied raping her.

Detectives work to build a case against him by identifying further witnesses and gathering their accounts.

This evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2022 and he was later charged with a number of offences.

He went on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and was found guilty on 28 September 2023. He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 24 January to 15 years' imprisonment.

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A man will now spend 4.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a teenage girl.

Andrii Melnyk, of Harvard Road, Chiswick, and born on 15/12/1993, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court today (17 January) for sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching. He will also be on the sexual offenders register for life.

The assault took place on 2 April at around 6am on Short Lane in Staines and involved Melnyk following the victim after they got off the same bus, grabbing her by the arm and attempting to pull her trousers down. The victim then fell over and Melynk fell on top of her, after which he sexually assaulted her.

The victim, who was only 18-years-old at the time, managed to fight him off and shout for help, before seeking assistance from a nearby taxi driver who rang the police. Melynk then fled the scene.

Melynk was identified as the perpetrator after officers trawled through the CCTV on the bus and matched him to the suspect description. By cross-referencing the oyster card used on the bus, Melynk was successfully identified as the user.

Upon searching his home address, officers found clothing matching the ones in the CCTV, as well as a pair of distinctive jeans with mud stains on the knees. He was subsequently picked out as the perpetrator in an ID parade by the victim, before being charged with the offences and remanded in custody.

Investigating Officer DC Katherine Peters, said; “This was a complex investigation that involved many different lines of enquiries including forensics, intel, witness testimonies and CCTV.

Description

A South London man who sexually abused a child has been jailed after the victim bravely came forward many years later. Darren Barrett, 40, of Coventry Road, Croydon, was charged with two counts of indecent assault on July 22, 2022 after a Metropolitan Police investigation which began when his victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons - broke their silence in August 2021.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Detectives began an investigation in August 2021 after a [person] contacted the Met to report that [they] had been sexually assaulted when [they were] a child."

Barrett was convicted on both counts at Croydon Crown Court and was jailed for 18 months on one count and nine months on another, to run concurrently. Detective Constable Chamberlain, who carried out the investigation, said: "It must have been incredibly difficult for the victim to come forward and speak about what [they] went through after so many years. I hope [they] will finally have some closure.

"This investigation and conviction demonstrates that the Met will take all allegations of sexual abuse seriously and we will follow the evidence to bring offenders to justice, no matter how long ago the offences occurred." Barrett was also put on the Sex Offender's Register for 10 years.

Description

A manipulative rapist has been jailed after raping a woman twice in the toilets of Kings Cross railway station following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Abdifatah Mohamud, 35, of Bingfield Street, Islington, was sentenced today (12 January) at Inner London Crown Court to 11 years after he was found guilty by a jury for two counts of rape. He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a life-long signature on the Sex Offenders Register.

The court heard how, on 12th October 2022, at around 5pm, the victim was at a local park with a group which included Mohamud. He proceeded to claim he knew the victim, giving her his nickname and began talking to her.

Later, at around 10pm, the victim returned to Kings Cross railway station and joined the same group from earlier in the day. She was approached again by Mohamud where he proceeded to coerce her into the toilets where he raped her. 

Following this, Mohamud took the victim for food to manipulate her into believing he meant no harm. However, he later proceeded to coerce her once again into the toilets, forcing her to take drugs and raping her again. After the victim began getting upset and becoming vocal, Mohamud left the scene.

The victim was found in the toilets by a cleaner who in turn informed security and a report was made to British Transport Police.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Adrienne Curzon, said: “Mohamud is a calculating offender who used coercion and manipulation in order to rape the victim. This has been an extremely frightening experience for her, and I hope this outcome goes some way to help her move on from the traumatising ordeal she was subjected to.

“We take all reports of sexual offences seriously and I hope this sends a strong message to offenders that we will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served.”

Description

A British Transport Police (BTP) investigation has seen a man jailed for nine months after being found guilty masturbating on board a train in front of a lone woman.  

Mukesh Shah, 43, of Primrose Way, Wembley, was sentenced to nine months in prison for indecent exposure at London Inner Crown Court on 18 December 2023. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and subjected to a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. 

The court heard how, on 4 November 2022 at around 11.40pm, the victim was travelling alone in an empty Piccadilly Line carriage between Sudbury Town and Acton Town when Shah boarded the train.  

Despite the empty carriage, Shah sat diagonally opposite the victim and she noticed him staring at her, making her feel uncomfortable. It was then that she noticed he was exposing himself and masturbating.  

Bravely, the victim captured Shah on camera hoping it would deter him, when he didn’t, she confronted him and told him to stop and move away from her. He protested he hadn’t done anything wrong but moved along the carriage.  

The victim reported the incident to BTP along with the video, which was circulated within the police and lead to the identification of Shah.  

Investigating officer Detective Constable Mark Luker said: “This was a frightening and upsetting experience for the victim and I commend her bravery in confronting the offender, managing to capture an image of Shah and reporting this.  

“Shah’s disgusting actions have not only secured him time behind bars, but restrictions following his release to prevent him from repeating his actions in the future. 

Description

A doctor who watched a five-year-old girl drugged and raped was spared jail. James Burrow was initially 'perplexed' when his 10-year-old son opened the door to police executing a search warrant on their 1.25million semi-detached home in gated Sayers Court, Ealing, on November 15 2022, Isleworth Crown Court heard on Thursday (December 21).

The 46-year-old consultant anaesthetist at Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith alerted detectives to his IP address after downloading illegal child abuse images. When police seized his devices, including a computer tower from under his desk in the study of his West London newbuild, they discovered the illegal content.

The stash included 20 Category A images, the worst kind, 10 Category B, 112 Category C, 97 prohibited images, and 1,781 extreme porn images, which were mostly of humans having sex with horses, court documents show.

Prosecutor Phillip Allman said: "In particular in one video the child is approximately five-years-old and appeared to be drugged, struggling to keep her eyes open and sit up, before she is anally raped."

When Dr Burrow was arrested, he made no comment in his interview but later pleaded guilty to all the charges at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on October 1 this year. A social services investigation issued no further action, but the dad-of-one has been only allowed supervised contact with his son to date, Mr Allman told the court.

Defence barrister Jose Olivares-Chandler said: "After this case he was allowed to continue working. As long as he did not care for children... but he chose to resign anyway to save embarrassment for his hospital."

The GMC has said this is not the case. As is normal procedure after any criminal case, the GMC referred the doctor to an Interim Orders Tribunal in 2022 due to the seriousness of the allegations against him. He was put on an interim suspension during the investigation. Now that he has been found guilty, the case has been referred to an independent Medical Practitioners Tribunal. It is at this point that the doctor would have likely been sacked, had he not quit already.

In mitigation, Mr Olivares-Chandler explained his client's struggling 11-year marriage had driven him to access the 'porn', but his wife was now supporting him. He said the offence was 'out of character' for Burrow, and that it will 'stay with him for the rest of his life'.

A suited Burrow smiled as judge Richard Inyundo sentenced him to 40 weeks for the Cat A images, and 20 weeks, 11 weeks, 11 weeks, and 28 weeks, all concurrent, for the remaining charges of Cat B, Cat C, prohibited images, and extreme pornography respectively, suspended for 18 months.

Judge Inyundo warned: "If you commit any criminal offence within the next 18 months for which you are convicted you also stand to go to prison for 40 weeks for this order itself."

Burrow, who left court peering over a surgical mask, was also handed a 10 year sexual harm prevention order and is subject to notification requirements for the same period. He was also ordered to complete 40 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and do 125 hours of unpaid work. He must pay 330 in costs in 28 days.

Description

A pervert who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl on a train has walked out of court a free man. 

Ilie Preda, 56, was travelling on a train between Wimbledon and Waterloo at around 4pm on April 24, 2021. 

Three girls, aged between 16 and 18, were also travelling on the train and said they noticed Preda dancing around while calling himself Captain Morgan, prosecutor Gregor McKinley said.  

“The defendant then became bothersome and tried to talk to the three girls. He told one of the girls ‘I love you’ and tried to move forward in an attempt to kiss her,” Mr McKinley said.

The girls told Preda to back off and then when the train arrived at Wimbledon they tried to get off.  

But Preda then moved towards the 16-year-old girl, tried to hug her and moved his hands towards her thighs in an attempt to lift her skirt.  

He then tried to touch the 18-year-old girl on the bottom.  

The incident was reported to British Transport Police and Preda was arrested when he got off the train in Waterloo. 

This sexual attack took place just week after Preda had left left members of the public terrified when he walked around the Kingsbury area with a plastic imitation gun.  

At around 4pm on April 8, 2021, police received two calls saying they had a real gun pointed at them.  

One woman, who was sitting in a car on Brampton Road, said: “He locked eyes at me, took the gun from his waist area and raised it at me. He then walked towards me while imitating the fire action.”  

Another man said: “I thought he would kill me or someone else. He was pointing the gun at other people who seemed to be ducking out of the way.”  

Whilst the man was on the phone to police Preda walked towards him and pretended to pull the trigger.  

He said that at the time he thought a bullet had got stuck in the barrell of the gun, which was why it was not firing.  

Preda was arrested near the scene and it was only then that police discovered it was not a real gun.  

Preda said he had been at a children’s party and was carrying toy gun for his son in a carrier bag.  

He said he saw a man standing outside his home so he took the plastic gun out the bag and pretended to shoot as a joke.  

Preda said he was walking round making a “tat tat” shooting noise and didn’t believe people would think it was real.  

Preda “poor joke” and said the incident may have stemmed from cultural difference – as he had only moved to the UK from Romania in 2018.  

Think this line is missing words before "poor joke"

Judge Usha Karu, Recorder of Southwark, said: “It’s not a cultural difference to think it’s ok to go around in public pretending to fire an imitation gun. I’m sure that’s not what they do in Romania.” 

On Tuesday (December 12) Preda appeared in court to be sentenced for sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, possessing an imitation firearm, failing to surrender and a Section 4 public order offence. 

Judge Karu sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year.  

He will be required to register with police for seven years under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. 

Description

A depraved sex offender who masturbated in front of two women before going onto rape another while she was unconscious on the Piccadilly Line has been jailed for rape and sexual assault, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Ryan Johnston, 37, and of HMP Thameside, Greenwich, was sentenced today (8 December) at Inner London Crown Court for nine years imprisonment. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a life-long signature on the Sex Offenders Register.

His sentencing followed a jury finding him guilty of: one count of rape, one count of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of outraging public decency at Inner London Crown Court on 2 August.

On Sunday 23 February 2020 at around 4.45am, two women left the Piccadilly Line at Bounds Green Underground station.

They noticed a man stood outside a house with his trousers round his ankles, looking through the window and masturbating.

Feeling scared, the women ran away, and Johnston then began shouting and chased them down the street to their home.

Thankfully, they managed to safely get inside and hide under a stairwell while Johnston banged on their door and put his hand through the letterbox before eventually leaving.

Three hours later, Johnston boarded a Piccadilly Line train at Heathrow Terminal Five.

He walked confidently through the carriage and approached a young woman who was asleep.

He sexually assaulted her and then raped her as she sat unconscious.

The horrific attack was witnessed by a tourist and his young son, who reported what they had seen to police later that morning.

The incident was not captured on CCTV and despite extensive enquiries, officers were unable to identify the victim or any other report made to police.

Two years later, following a BTP review of historic rape cases, Johnston was identified, and he was arrested at HMP Brixton in December 2022 where he was serving time for burglary.

Further enquiries led to detectives identifying the victim in the same month, who hadn’t realised the extent of what had happened to her. She was just 20-years-old at the time.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Kathrine Spencer said: "The offences committed by Ryan Johnston show him to be a dangerous individual who viewed women with contempt.

“He was simply concerned with his own sexual gratification at any cost. I hope this sends out a strong message to survivors of these offences that we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice to make society a safer place." 

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Paul Attwell of BTP’s Major, Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said:

“Johnston’s brazen attack in front of witnesses highlights his lack of shame or remorse for his actions, something which continued throughout his trial. I am thankful his violence and despicable actions have been recognised by the guilty verdicts and significant sentence.

“His depraved actions will have a life-long impact on the victim and those who witnessed this. I am thankful for their bravery throughout this investigation. I hope they can now find some comfort in the fact justice has been served.”

Description

A pervert has been jailed for three sex attacks on women in 30 minutes. Dylan Makepeace, 24, from Mile End, was arrested after a group of boys followed him from the second attack, and was detained by them at the scene of the third, allowing police to swoop.

On November 27 last year, two women saw Makepeace acting strangely near their home in Bethnal Green. They then realised he was following them into their complex and onto their floor despite earlier asking them how to get to a different level.

One of the women began filming Makepeace out of fear, who then attacked them. They both fought back and hit out at him. After a struggle which saw him push the women to the floor and pin them to the ground, he ran off after one of the women hit him with a mobile phone.

They both suffered cuts and scratches. The women then called police to report the attack. Around 30 minutes later - at 6pm - he approached a third woman going home from the gym and entered the communal entrance of her complex, in Mile End. She became aware that Makepeace was following her.

Once inside the complex she tried to stand to the side in the hope that he would walk past rather than follow behind her. But instead of passing her, he grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.

She tried to scream but Makepeace told her to "shut up". She tried to hit him with her key, and during the struggle they both fell over and he put his fingers down her throat as she tried to scream.

He also hit her head hard onto the ground. Makepeace then called her nasty names before sexually assaulting her by touching her over her clothes.

The woman bravely continued to fight back and managed to hit him with her keys. But Makepeace escaped when some boys on bikes appeared outside the apartment block. A resident heard the woman’s screams and came out to help. They took her into their flat and called the police.

Police arrived and were flagged down by the young men on bikes who had followed Makepeace and detained him until police arrived. Officers arrested Makepeace and carried out an ID parade which linked him to the first attack.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court, Makepeace pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating, sexual assault on a female, intentional strangulation, and section 20 grievous bodily harm.

He was sentenced to five years with an additional three years on licence. He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Sergeant Michael Dixon, who led the investigation for the Met’s Central East Safeguarding team, said: "Dylan Makepeace is very clearly a danger to the public and especially lone women. He was opportunistic and violent in his approach. He specifically targeted women as they returned home and entered private residential areas to carry out his attacks.

"I want to pay tribute to the bravery of these three women. They all showed incredible fortitude as they supported our investigation. I am in no doubt that London is a safer place with Dylan Makepeace behind bars."

Description

A paedophile who was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for raping a child is now behind bars again for failing to sign the sex offenders register. 

James Bodenham was 26 when he raped an 11-year-old girl he had befriended in Addiscombe in March 2014. 

The victim's parents contacted police on March 1 when she was late returning from visiting a relative.  

She arrived home distressed soon after and told officers she had been sexually assaulted by a man she met earlier that day. 

Detectives identified on CCTV footage a man matching the description given by the girl and circulated the image around local officers, one of whom recognised Bodenham as a cyclist he had stopped weeks earlier. 

Bodenham was arrested on March 19 at this home, where police seized clothes matching those worn by the girl's attacker. 

Following DNA sample analysis, he was charged with two counts of rape. 

He pleaded guilty to one, with the other to lie on file, and was jailed for eight-and-a-half years at the Old Bailey. 

Bodenham, now 36, was released from prison on March 1, 2023 after serving the full sentence. 

But he failed to attend a police station to sign the sex offenders register within three days of his release. 

Then on November 8 he was caught with cannabis in Lambeth. 

On November 9 he appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sex offenders register requirements and possession of a Class B drug. 

Bodenham was due to be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday (November 28). 

But a HMP Thameside officer said he could not attend court because he “swallowed a suspect drug parcel”. 

The sentencing was adjourned until mid-December. 

Description

A FORMER soldier who works in the movie industry has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of child sex offences with a girl he thought was just 14.

Paedophile Michael O’Mahoney, 38, was convicted following a trial of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The offences were committed in Newport and London between November 22, 2022, and March 28 this year.

O’Mahoney had denied the charges against him.

His barrister Peter Donnison told Cardiff Crown Court: “He does have previous convictions but none for offences such as this nature and they are of a particular age and it is some length of time since them.

“The most serious offence was of a completely different context as well and it was committed whilst he was serving in the army.

“Having been released from that previous sentence he has worked for a number of companies in different areas and in particular has been working on movie sets for Movie Guard in terms of providing security in that industry.”

The judge, Recorder John Hardy KC, told O’Mahoney: “It's wholly unnecessary for me to lecture you about these offences.

“You know what it is you've been convicted of doing by the jury whose verdicts were returned, if I may say so, with some considerable degree of promptitude.”

He jailed the defendant, of High Street, Stratford, London, for 18 months and told him he would serve half of that sentence before being released on licence.

O’Mahoney will have to register as a sex offender and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

He will also have to pay a statutory victim surcharge following his release from custody.

The attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act offence happened in Newport and the attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child charge occurred in London.

Description

A London Underground worker was snared by paedophile hunters as he tried to groom a 13-year-old girl for sex and promised to “deflower” her, a court has heard.

Garret Kelly, 62, exchanged hundreds of messages with the girl called Saskia on Facebook and WhatsApp over the course of six weeks before setting a meeting up at Paddington Station.

Kelly had cleaned his house in preparation for her stay, urged the schoolgirl to start taking the contraceptive pill, and promised “to make you a woman, sexually”.

However, Kelly was confronted at the train station by a so-called paedophile hunter who had created Saskia online using a digitally de-aged photo of her own face.

At Southwark crown court on Wednesday, Judge Martin Griffith sentenced Kelly to 21 months in prison and agreed to suspended the term for the next two years.

The court heard Kelly, a London Underground worker for more than 20 years, has lost his job since his arrest in December last year.

Prosecutor Carol Summers said Kelly, a father of two, starting communicating with Saskia on Facebook last October, where she had a profile clearly indicating she was 13-year-old.

He gave out his mobile phone number and messaging switched to WhatsApp, where repeated references were made to the girl’s school, mother, and homework.

“Slowly and methodically he made reference more and more to sexual contact, her clothing, being in the bath”, said Ms Summers, adding that he asked “how good were her sex education lessons”.

“He was putting himself forward as a confidante, a helper, and an instructor.”

The prosecutor said Kelly started making references to “deflowering” the girl, before discussing their upcoming meeting when he suggested she wear stockings and a suspender belt.

When Saskia messaged saying she did not “know how I’m supposed to feel”, Kelly replied: “That’s OK, you are open to the idea, not opposed or repulsed by me”.

Ms Summers added: “He was encouraging her to go to the doctor to obtain contraception.”

Kelly travelled from his home in Tooting to the meeting on December 2, when he was met by the paedophile hunter, caught on camera, and evidence was handed over to police.

On police bodyworn video Kelly is visibly angry and upset, and complained: “They have tried and sentenced me”, and suggested it had been “sold” to him that the girl’s mother was away.

Lee Sergent, for Kelly, urged the judge not to send him to prison to allow for rehabilitation in the community.

“The fallout and impact of being caught has been already punitive – he has lost his long-standing work, and his relationship with his two daughters at the moment is non-existent.

“This is a man who, as a result of facing up to these charges, is on the point of giving up.”

Kelly was ordered to carry out 125 hours of community service and 45 days of rehab as part of his suspended prison sentence. He will be added to the sex offender’s register and under a sexual harm prevention order.

He pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and attempted grooming.