Latest Offenders Manchester

Description

A doctor who groped a student nurse has been allowed to return to work even though he is still on the sex offenders register.

Dr Imran Qureshi, 46, a married father of two, had been barred from working after being convicted of sexual assault.

He had groped the 21-year-olds breast while seeking a romantic friendship with her.

But he was given the green light to practise again after complaining he was finding it hard on benefits.

At his 2016 trial, hospital locum Dr Qureshi blamed his actions on cultural norms in his native Pakistan and offered the nurse a deep-hearted apology.

He was given a years community order and told to complete 20 days of rehab.

His name will remain on the sex offenders register for another two years. In 2017, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service barred Dr Qureshi for a year for the assault at Trafford General Hospital in Davyhulme, Gtr Manchester.

They said the locum Senior House Officer had ignored signs the nurse did not welcome his behaviour, adding: Given the length of time youd been in the UK, you should have recognised [her] reluctance in light of your shared cultural understanding.

Dr Qureshi has now re-registered with a locum agency.

After a hearing in November that has only just come to light, the MPTS said: The offence was a single incident some 3 years ago.

There is no evidence to suggest Dr Qureshi offended prior to his conviction, or since.

They said their position was consistent with remarks by the 2016 trial judge that there was no risk for the future.

In its reasons, the MPTS said: The Tribunal consider that the imposition of conditions will allow Dr Qureshi time to further develop his insight into his criminal offence and conviction.

It considered that conditions would permit Dr Qureshi to return to clinical practice and to further remediate while, at the same time, protect patients, and maintain public confidence in the profession.

In the circumstances as they stand today, the Tribunal did not consider that it would be appropriate or proportionate to impose a further period of suspension on Dr Qureshis registration.

MedEcho did not respond to a request for comment.

Description

A paedophile who groomed a 14-year-old girl told police 'I love being a sex offender', a court heard.

Damien Read, 21, from Didsbury, was already known to the courts after being convicted of trying to meet up with a girl after grooming her last year.

Police visited his home to check whether he was complying with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) previously imposed.

Read, who has learning disabilities, denied having a phone when police asked during the visit in January.

But while they were in the house, officers heard a vibrating sound coming from a cupboard, prosecutor Andrea Lock told Manchester Crown Court.

They found a Nokia phone, which was later found not to be able to connect to the internet.

As part of the SHPO, Read was banned from having any device which could access the internet, unless it could retain its browsing history.

Officers also found a small red box which contained a telephone number.

They called it and a 14-year-old girl answered, who said she was Read's girlfriend.

Police found Read had been having sexualised chats with the girl, and that she had performed a sexual act on herself after he had asked her to.

The girl, who was said to be 'vulnerable', had received a friend request from Read on Facebook. She told Read her true age, while he lied and said he was also 14.

She sent him a picture of herself, which he described as 'really hot and sexy'.

The girl told Read that 'she wanted children with him', the court heard.

When he was arrested, Read said 'I love being above the law', 'I love being a sex offender' and 'I love speaking to schoolgirls'.

Officers found that Read had a card for Withington Library.

Read had visited the library almost daily before being arrested in January, and officers investigating CCTV footage found him performing a sex act upon himself while using a computer.

He could have been charged with an offence of indecent exposure, Ms Lock said, but there were no other members of the public in the area of the library at the time.

Read has previous convictions for sexual offences, including in 2015 for sexual activity with a boy, and he also previously breached a court order.

But he was spared jail for his latest offences, after a judge said there was 'exceptional circumstances' and that Read had 'strong personal mitigation'.

Defending, Andrew Evans said that due to his learning disabilities, Read has a habit of saying 'inappropriate' things, as well as having an 'inbuilt propensity to lie'.

'He lies about innocuous things for no good reason,' Mr Evans added.

But while in prison on remand, where he has spent the last seven months, Read made 'full disclosures' to other prisoners about why he was in custody, the court heard.

As a result he was 'repeatedly assaulted', the court heard.

Reports submitted to the court described Read as 'immature bordering on childlike', while another said he 'struggles to learn lessons and apply what he has been told.

Apparently referring to the terms of his SHPO, Read told a probation officer: 'I am sick of being told what I can and can't do.'

Sentencing, Judge David Stockdale QC told Read: 'You were well aware of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order.

Apparently referring to the terms of his sexual harm prevention order, Read told a probation officer: 'I am sick of being told what I can and can't do.'

'You were able to recite the terms of it, so familiar were you with those terms.

'You have demonstrated a defiance for court orders and court process.

'You were to tell the police on your arrest 'I love being a sex offender' and 'I love being above the law'.'

'In other words you think that you are above the law, and when the law steps in to prevent you from committing sexual offences, as soon as you physically can do so, you re-offend.

'You are well aware of the criminal nature of your offences. You know what you are doing is wrong.'

But judge said Read's offences were 'significantly mitigated' by his learning difficulties.

He said there was 'exceptional circumstances' in the case, which would allow him to pass a suspended sentence.

The judge said there was strong personal mitigation and the chance of rehabilitation, after being told that Read would receive one to one support in secure accommodation.

Read admitted offences of communicating with a child under 16 for the purpose of sexual gratification, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and intentionally causing or inciting a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.

He received a 20 month jail term, suspended for two years.

As part of a new sexual harm prevention order which will run indefinitely, Read cannot enter a public library unless he gives prior notice and the visit is approved by the authorities.

Description

A Salford man has been jailed after an investigation into non-recent child sexual abuse.

Andrew Austin (03/11/1967), of Sumner Road, Irlam o’th Heights , has yesterday (Monday 29 July 2019) been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 26 years in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to-

• Four counts of rape
• Six counts of indecent assault
• Two counts of indecency with a child
• One count of sexual assault

He will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Between 1998 and 2004, at a number of properties in Salford, Austin sexually abused four victims who were aged between eight and 16 at the time.

In August 2018, relatives of one of the victims – along with a charity worker – came forward to police and a full investigation was launched with Austin arrested.

During police interview Austin denied all offences but admitted his crimes before the case went to trial.

Description

A man who cloned a bodybuilder's Facebook profile so he could target and sexually abuse a boy has been jailed.

Brandon Cooper, 24, cloned the account of a well-known local bodybuilder and sent messages of a sexual nature to the boy, who was under the age of 13.

The victim's father became aware of the messages and alerted police in August.

Cooper, of Brook House Avenue, Eccles, pleaded guilty to inciting a child to commit a sexual act and was jailed for 16 months at Manchester Crown Court.

Cooper used a fake name and Facebook profile "to gain the trust of the young victim", Greater Manchester Police said.

'Veil his identity'

The victim's father became concerned about messages of a sexual nature, which his son had received on social media.

The court heard how the man Cooper had impersonated was initially arrested but was quickly eliminated by detectives.

Det Con Tina Jackson said the "resilience" of the boy was "remarkable" but "Cooper's actions could easily have robbed a young person of his childhood".

"In impersonating an innocent man in an attempt to veil his identity and sadistically lure the young victim in, Cooper spared no thought for the consequences of his actions and the damage he could have done to another, innocent person's life.

Cooper was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

Description

A former police officer abused his position by collecting thousands of images of female officers and police cadets as young as 12, before posting manipulated sexualised pictures on sick paedophile websites, a court heard.

Christopher Dunn, 33, was told his actions had 'undermined public confidence in Greater Manchester Police', as he was jailed for four years and four months.

While working as a cadet leader Dunn led a 'double life', taking pictures of young and often 'vulnerable' cadets for his own sexual pleasure.

On some occasions he even manipulated pictures of young girls to make them sexualised, before posting them to online networks for the pleasure of other paedophiles.

He also did the same with adult female police officers, either taking pictures or collecting them from social media and sometimes manipulating them before uploading them to sick porn websites.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Dunn, from Salford, had been amassing thousands of images of women since he started full time at GMP in January 2014, storing them in 'organised' folders on his computer.He had done the same before he joined GMP, when he worked at the Trafford Centre.

In total Dunn collected images of 46 women aged between 12 and 44.

His offending was uncovered after an alert was triggered because he uploaded indecent images of children.

When his computers and mobile phones were examined, he was also found to have more than 100,000 indecent images of children in his possession.

After being arrested, Dunn said: "I'm not like one of those paedophiles who touch children. They make me sick.

He added: "My life is effectively over. It's over, there is no way back from all of this."

A judge said that Dunn's crimes had 'undermined the fabric of the police service' and damaged the credibility of GMP.

Sentencing, Mr Justice Bryan told him: "You were in a position of trust and responsibility in relation to young, and often vulnerable police cadets.

"You betrayed that trust in harvesting pictures of them for your own personal gratification, and posting them on paedophile websites for the sexual gratification of others who shared your unhealthy interest in young females.

"Those young cadets will have to live with what you have done for the rest of their lives."

The judge added: "Your behaviour has caused long lasting damage to your fellow officers and their families.

"It is almost beyond belief that someone could have distributed pseudo-images of their colleagues and their children on pornographic websites, but that is exactly what you have done."

The judge said statements he had read from victims were 'painful reading', saying they told how they feel 'humiliated and violated'.

The court heard that Dunn, who has no previous convictions, graduated with a computing degree in 2007.

Later that year he found work at the Trafford Centre, where he collected 998 pictures from social media of an adult woman who he knew through his job.

Prosecuting, Rob Hall said that was not a criminal offence but it 'foreshadowed' what was to come.

In February 2009, Dunn became a special constable at GMP. He is said to have performed well and was nominated for Special Constabulary Annual Gala Award.

Meanwhile he collected 1,800 images of three other adult women, who he knew from his old job at the Trafford Centre.

In May 2012 he tried and failed to join GMP as a full time officer, a process which put him in the company of female police officers.

From the following year, he started to collect images of women and girls who he knew through the Trafford Centre, GMP or through the cadets.

As he became a full time student police officer in January 2014 he was continuing to collect images of colleagues, as well as download indecent images of children.

He first started collecting pictures of police cadets in November 2015. Many of the cadets were said to have come from 'troubled homes' and were 'vulnerable'.

In May 2017 Dunn started a relationship with a fellow police officer. She was unaware of his double life, and he continued his offending during their relationship.

After becoming a cadet leader, Dunn was given a GMP award in recognition of the 'commitment and dedication' to his role, with the force unaware of his crimes.

He continued to abuse his position, collecting hundreds of images of his victims.

In October last year, Dunn uploaded an indecent image of a child which led to an online alert to the authorities.

But he still continued his sick behaviour.

In February police executed a warrant at Dunn's home, where he is said to have 'appeared nervous'. He was formally sacked from GMP in May.

In interviews he told officers that he had been addicted to legal pornography since the age of 16, and that he became interested in illegal pornography by 2013.

He said he had developed a split personality, one that was seen by the public and the other that was private to himself online.

Dunn also admitted having recorded videos of girls at his local supermarket.

Saying he was remorseful and that he needed help, Dunn added: "I regret what's happened and I am going to use this situation to turn things around."

In total Dunn collected more than 3,600 images of police cadets, and more than 7,500 images of colleagues.

He had also downloaded more than 20,000 indecent images of children, with a further 100,000 indecent images which prosecutors said had not been classified because it wasn't in the public interest to pursue them.

Defending, Colin Buckle said Dunn was 'socially awkward' as a young person and that he found it difficult to maintain 'age appropriate' relationships with women.

At university he lived at home and didn't engage with fellow students, Mr Buckle said, with Dunn instead turning to illegal pornography.

Mr Buckle said that Dunn's parents were not in court to see him being sentenced as they 'simply cannot face the enormity of his position'.

Police Inspector Natasha Evans told the court that the 'most heartbreaking' result of Dunn's offending was that a young cadet said if they ever got into trouble 'I will not call the police as I don't trust them'.

Dunn, of Moss Lane, Swinton, pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children, two counts of misconduct in a public office and two counts of possessing indecent images for distribution.

He will have to sign the sex offender's register for life, and is also banned from working with vulnerable children or adults for life.

After the hearing, Amanda Rowe, regional director of the Independent Office of Police Conduct which managed the investigation, said: "Swift action has been taken by the court in jailing Christopher Dunn for these most shocking and serious of crimes. 

"In overseeing this investigation by Greater Manchester Police, our joint work has ensured this former officer, who had no place in public office, is no longer a danger to the local community. 

"Christopher Dunn’s actions do not reflect the integrity of hard-working, honest police, and the public can be confident that there is no place for his behaviour in any police force."

Description

A 'hard-working' grandad of previous 'impeccable character' who said he downloaded sick images of children being sexually abused because he was 'curious' has avoided jail.

Alan Crabtree, 72, was found to have saved 85 indecent images of children onto his two mobile phones - 13 of these were classed as category A, the worst serverity.

The retired miner, who has lived in Salford all his life, said looking at the disturbing images became a 'compulsion'.

He said he initially used social media to find the pictures out of curiosity.

His family, who described him as a 'loving and supportive father', knew nothing of his shameful secret until cops came knocking at the door of the family home and seized his personal devices.

At Manchester Crown Court, Crabtree admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children.

But he walked free with a 12-month community order after a judge said he was 'astonished' to see a man of his character commit this type of crime.

The offences - which took place between April 2015 and December 2017 - came to light when police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency.

Prosecutor Juliet Berry said: "After receiving the information, police attended at his address on 8 December 2017 and executed a warrant.

"They seized two laptops and two mobile phones - one Acer phone and one Samsung phone.

"He was interviewed and admitted that the images could be found on the phones."

Crabtree's lawyer, Suzanne Hargreaves, told the sentence hearing how her client was 'deeply ashamed' of what he had done.

She said he made full admissions to his family and has already taken steps towards rehabilitation.

"He was born and bred in Salford and is a hard-working man dedicated to his family", Ms Hargraves added.

"He worked in the mines. He then took up any work that was available and worked his whole life until retirement.

"He and his wife are now retired. He is a carer for her."

Crabtree avoided a custodial sentence with the judge saying his hitherto impeccable character meant he could be rehabilitated in the community.

Passing sentence, Recorder Geoffrey Lowe, said: "It's astonishing to see a man of your background in this situation.

"These are not victimless offences. The children whose photos are taken are abused.

"Some of these images reflect the most serious sexual abuse of these children.

"You regarded this as something that started out as a curiosity then became a compulsion.

"You have shown remorse and sought to seek assistance. This is a blemish on an otherwise exemplary record.

"If these matters are addressed there is no reason why you cannot go back to being the hard-working and respectful man you was."

Crabtree was handed a 12-month community order made up of 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which will limit his access to the internet.

Description

Reportedly living in Blackpool

A pervert unwittingly sent footage of himself performing a sex act to an undercover police officer, wrongly thinking he was talking to a 13-year-old girl.

Jack Burton, 24, from Rochdale, chatted on Kik messenger and Skype asking the 'teenager' what she does at sleepovers and if she sleeps naked, a court heard.

He later sent a video of himself performing a sex act.

Burton believed he was in conversation with a young teenager, but it was in fact an undercover police officer.

Burton, of Hanover Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to look at images of sexual activity.

The prosecution argued that the case exhibited grooming behaviour. Burton's defence team said he has since been on a rehabilitation course and no longer uses Kik or Skype.

Manchester Magistrates' Court heard on Tuesday how the defendant contacted the 'girl' in January last year and asked if she had 'ever been drunk, what she does at sleepovers and if she sleeps naked'.

This then spiralled and he sent a video of himself performing a sex act on February 2.

Burton's defence lawyer, Andrew Davidson, in mitigation argued that the defendant has no previous convictions. 

He said: "He has been on a rehabilitation course to analyse the issues which led to this event. He has completed that successfully. He hasn't accessed these messaging services subsequently."

Mr Davidson added: "It is important to emphasise that those (guideline) sentences are for an actual victim. There was no actual victim."

The probation team were granted a week's adjournment to prepare a full pre-sentence report. 

Burton, who was released on unconditional bail, will appear again before magistrates on Tuesday, February 19.

Description

A boastful sex offender who masturbated in front of a 12-year-old girl and filmed her as she wore a body stocking has been jailed today.

Carl Hodgson, 28, spent the night with the victim, whom he thought was 19, after they met on a dating app, but the pair did not have sex.

A court heard he shared indecent photos of her on social media and bragged to friends he "nailed" her.

In other sick messages, Hodgson also described the girl as "filth".

The former office worker was today sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, distributing an indecent photograph of a child and making indecent photographs of a child.

Sentencing the sex offender today, Judge David Stockdale QC, the Recorder of Manchester, told him: "(The victim) was by reason of her age highly vulnerable to exploitation and she was no doubt impressed by you.

"This is most serious offending as you now fully appreciate. The effects on a child of such a young age of offending of this sort are really well too known and well too documented. These effects, in many cases, last for the rest of the child's life.

"I take into account that while (the victim) was 12 years of age at the time of these offences you did not believe that to be the case. You thought, and on reasonable grounds, that she was over 16."

Manchester Crown Court heard the victim used a different name on her dating app profile and falsely stated she was 19.

Hodgson made one moving image of the girl and also captured three still images of her on his phone while at his flat in Castlefield, Manchester.

He also messaged a friend, saying "Mine was decent. Nailed that bird, unreal bod" and also described her as "filth".

But the prosecution offered no evidence of rape and Judge Stockdale ordered a formal not guilty verdict be returned.

No evidence was also offered against single counts of grooming and child abduction.

Alexander Leach, defending, said Hodgson's comments were "simply male bravado and bragging" and he had not had sexual intercourse with the girl.

"Effectively Carl Hodgson was not aware he was engaging in any sexual activity with a child. He did not intend to engage in sexual activity with a child and could not have appreciated the particular vulnerability of the child, nor the disparity in age to its criminal extent.

"He must have known she was significantly younger than him but he believed her to be older than 16 years old," he added.

"He is genuinely ashamed and remorseful for the circumstances he finds himself in but does not seek to minimise his behaviour.

"The defendant is regarded by those who know him as honest, trustworthy, industrious, loyal and charitable. Those who know him better say these proceedings have had a profound effect on him. He has lost his employment, his home and has suffered the inevitable stigma brought with offending of this sort."

The victim has been seen by a consultant psychologist and a social worker and was shown to be in a "withdrawn state" and unable or unwilling to communicate.

He added though there were no significant signs she had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, serious anxiety or depression but it was "inevitable she will suffer in the long term as a consequence of the offending".

Hodgson was also banned from contacting the victim and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.

Description

A man sleeping rough in the woods punched and kicked a woman before dragging her into his tent and raping her.

Homeless Daniel Woolf, 36, was described by police as a predatory offender after he was handed a 19-year jail sentence.

The woman was held in the tent by Woolf for hours.

A court heard Woolf, who has a previous conviction for sexual assault, approached the woman at 1am at Altrincham train station on October 15 last year.

He had been living in a tent in woods off South Downs Drive in Hale at the time.

Police said Woolf led the woman away from the station before dragging her into the tent.

Screaming, she tried to run away but he threw her into a bush before punching and kicking her until she went back inside the tent.

Woolf then pushed the terrified woman to the ground and raped her.

After an ordeal lasting hours, the woman, aged in her 30s, managed to escape to a nearby shop where the alarm was raised.

Police were called and Woolf was arrested.

At Minshull Street Crown Court he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

He was found guilty of rape, false imprisonment and assault and was locked up for 19 years.

Det Con Helen Bagnall praised the womans bravery and said Woolf preyed on the fact she didnt know the area.

She said: The woman was obviously terrified when Woolf dragged her into a tent and raped her. What she has been through is horrendous.

She was extremely brave managing to alert a shop worker and I want to thank them in turn for contacting us so we could apprehend Woolf.

He preyed on the fact the woman didnt really know the area and used that to his advantage to inflict his horrific assault where not only did he rape her, but he held her in a tent for hours.

Description

A VILE paedophile who threatened a teenager into sending sexual videos of her and her brother has been jailed for 12 years.

Daniel Norton, 26, told the Hampshire girl that his father was a police officer and if she did not send pictures and videos of herself he would "take her away from her family".

Southampton Crown Court heard that he also made threats to distribute pictures and videos of the victim on the internet if she did not send more.

Eventually when the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said she did not want to send them, the images were put on the internet and went viral.

It forced Hampshire Constabulary to issue a warning to parents, urging them to tell their children not to pass on the disturbing video.

Norton, of Cheadle, Stockport, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, with three years on extended licence.

Norton admitted three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity between October 1 and December 1, 2017.

He also pleaded guilty to making dozens of indecent moving images of children - across all three categories of severity - and possessing extreme pornographic images - which depicted children involved in sexual activity with animals.

Description

A "depraved sexual predator" who subjected a woman to a "terrifying rape" has been jailed, police said.

Samaun Shah, of Hornby Road, Stretford dragged her into a car park in Trafford at about 03:15 BST on 4 April and raped her, said Greater Manchester Police.

Det Con Paul Walls said Shah targeted his victim, who was in her 40s, after she asked him for a cigarette while walking to Tesco on Chester Road.

Shah, 44, was sentenced to eight years after his trial at Bolton Crown Court.

After giving her a cigarette, police said Shah insisted that she walk with him to Old Trafford Metrolink station.

He then dragged her into a deserted car park and assaulted her.

Shah denied any involvement when he was arrested, claiming he had been in bed at the time.

He carried on denying the offence even when he was shown CCTV footage of him and the woman walking together.

'Sexual predator'

Det Con Walls said a dangerous man had been taken off the streets.

He added: "Samaun Shah is a depraved sexual predator who preyed on a vulnerable woman who had merely asked him if she could have a cigarette.

"He took her to a spot where he thought nobody would see him and subjected her to a terrifying rape, the memory of which will stay with her for the rest of her life."

He said Shah's repeated denials, even when faced with CCTV evidence, highlighted "the arrogance of a man who thought he could get away with his despicable crime".

Description

A man who threatened, slapped and strangled a woman during a horrific sex attack has been jailed.

Nyasha Malvern Makunike, 26, of no fixed address, subjected his victim to the brutal attack in August 2016.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard his victim walked into a shop in Bury with her two young children in a distressed state.

She asked the shopkeeper to call police after she was violently raped by an attacker in the early hours of the previous day.

During a police interview the woman said she was strangled during the sickening attack.

Makunike also threatened the woman and slapped her.

He was found guilty of two counts of rape, actual bodily harm, sexual assault and nine other counts of assault and harassment.

Makunike will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Con Dave Looby, of GMP’s Bury borough, said: “Makunike subjected his victim to what can only be described as a brutal attack which left her terrified and fearing for her life.

“The courage that she has shown in coming forward and helping police take this dangerous man off the streets of Bury is nothing short of tremendous.

“I hope the sentence passed here today will bring her some comfort knowing that her attacker has been brought to justice.”

Description

A paedophile who got his schoolgirl victim pregnant has been jailed for eight years.

Police discovered the harrowing case while they were investigating Stephen John for child-abuse images offences.

The 29-year-old pervert first met his victim online when she was 12, and by the time she was 15 had persuaded her to meet him in Manchester .

He then abused her at his family home, causing her to become pregnant. Then, while she was pregnant, John boasted to her of having committed a sex crime against a very young child.

Sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Tony Cross QC said that in those conversations with the victim he had displayed his ‘true intent’.

The judge added of the victim: “That child suffered a miscarriage at a home, as a result of your unprotected sex.”

John, of Marshfield Street, Longsight , was jailed after admitting a string of sex crimes including distributing and making indecent images of children. He first came to the attention of police in August 2014, after sharing indecent videos of very young children with other perverts online.

Officers learnt that as well as posting the videos using Skype, John was discussing child abuse with other perpetrators. Questioned by police, John claimed he had left his laptop open at home and that others could have downloaded and distributed the images.

But, while he was on bail for those offences, John carried on downloading images of child abuse. In June last year, police found scores more images on another of his computers. And, while investigating those offences, police uncovered his offences against the schoolgirl.

Judge Cross told him: “The most serious images, some of which you distributed to other like-minded individuals, were of extremely young children, and in the estimation of the police some of these children were little more than babies.

“On June 19 you were arrested again, this time you were in possession of a different device, that demonstrates that you set out, deliberately set out, to accumulate images of the sort which were then found, at a time when were on trust, when you full well, despite your learning difficulties, that the possession of these images was considered to be a serious matter.

“Your offending does not end there, because police discovered by interrogating your computer that you had been in an unlawful liaison with a 15-year-old girl. You knew what her age was because the first tine you met her in a car park she was wearing her school uniform.”

Description

A married man who committed a sex attack on a five-year-girl in a toilet has been jailed for six years.

Stephen Manley, who denied the offence but was found guilty by a jury after a trial, will also be on licence for 12 months after his release from prison.

Manchesters Minshull Street Crown Court heard his young victim had been affected psychologically and doesnt now shut toilet doors.

Manley, 34, of Well Meadow, Hyde, was convicted of a single count of sex assault and was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period of time.

The attack took place in Dukinfield , Tameside .

Manley, who has no previous convictions, had been painting at a house when he carried out the attack.

Huw Edwards, prosecuting, said the girl was playing in the garden with another girl and went to the toilet.

Manley went into the toilet to ask if she needed help, Mr Edwards said.

Judge Jonathan Foster QC said he took advantage of her presence.

He added: There was no direct corroboration of her evidence but she made a complaint of sorts to her friend that something had happened and complained to her mother when she got home.

The court heard the girl gave accurate descriptions of Manleys tattoos and paint on his body. She gave evidence at the trial.

Paul McDonald, defending Manley, said: The defendant does not accept the circumstances of the offence. He is a man of good character.

He has been a happily married man for some years and he has retained the support of his family and friends. They do not recognise his behaviour, but he must accept the verdict of the jury. He knows and accepts that the court has a duty to perform.

Judge Foster QC added: She described distinctive features of the man who had done this. You had tattoos and had been painting.

At the end of the day the jury convicted you and that is what I have to follow. She was a very young child of five years of age and it has affected her psychologically.

Manley was also made the subject of a list of stringent conditions over future contact with children as part of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

Depraved Christopher Knight, 35, was part of vile grooming gang branded 'beyond human instinct and evil' who have been jailed for a total of 107 years A gang of paedophiles who raped babies, toddlers and pre-school children and streamed the abuse over the internet to other sex abusers across the world have been branded 'beyond human instinct and evil' by a judge. The men preyed on the families of youngsters to gain access to them and, in one case, groomed a mother and father before their baby was born. Members travelled hundreds of miles to carry out sickening attacks together or used internet streaming to provide real-time encouragement and directions to those abusing victims. The seven - aged between 31 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders - were convicted of 29 child sex abuse offences, including conspiracy to rape and the multiple rape of a child aged under 13. They are John Denham, 50, from Wiltshire, Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire, Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset, Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester, Robin Hollyson, 31, from Bedfordshire, David Harsley, 51, from Yorkshire, and Matthew Lisk, 33, from Sussex. Passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Julian Lambert said: In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit. What you contemplated and what you did involved the most horrific abuse of a baby and very young children. Your thoughts and deeds are beyond human instinct and reason, and are evil beyond rational understanding. You men indulged yourselves in some of the most depraved and grossly deviant behaviour imaginable. The depth to which you sank is astounding and highly shocking to all decent people. What you did is contrary to all nature and humanity and you each appear to have a chilling tendency to centre the world on yourselves and your depraved desires without regard for the innocent and vulnerable. Your conduct is of deep concern to the public and people are outraged at what you have done. What you did provokes tears in many and makes others feel physically sick. Given the strength of public feeling I consider that retribution has a very large part to play in the sentencing exercise. This is no case for treatment and rehabilitation outside prison. The judge continued: You each made choices. Those choices have proved catastrophic for you personally but that is of slight concern when compared with the devastating impact of your actions on the victims and their families. The material you viewed and the urges you excited in each other were matters of choice for you. You sought out the darkest materials on the internet and met in cyberspace to discuss your perverted sexual desires. You then planned the most shockingly sordid exploitation of the very young for sexual purposes. Targeting innocent children in that way is utterly abhorrent and is bound to receive condign punishment. The degraded and deplorable state into which you have rendered yourselves is pitiful but there is no room for mercy here. All sympathy and compassion must be extended to the victims of crime and their families, and not you. Hollyson received a 24-year prison sentence plus an extension of eight years on licence while Toms was jailed for 12 years plus an extension of four years on licence. Knight was jailed for 18 years plus an extension of six years on licence and Stansfield received a 10-year prison sentence plus an extension of four years on licence. Denham was jailed for eight years plus an extension of four years on licence. Lisk was jailed for four years plus an extension of three years on licence and Harsley was jailed for two years They were all placed on the sex offenders register for life, except for Harsley whose length is still to be determined by the judge.