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Description

For more than 30 years evil Ronald Castree thought he'd got away with murder. He'd stood by as Stefan Kiszko, an innocent and vulnerable man, was jailed for a crime he didn't commit.

And when even that horrendous miscarriage of justice was eventually overturned, arrogant Castree sat back and carried on living a lie. But advances in DNA technology would eventually mean his terrible past would catch up with him.

Lesley Molseed was just 11-years-old when, on October 5, 1975, wearing a a blue coat, pleated skirt and stripey Bay City Rollers socks, she was sent to the shop close to her home in Turf Hill, Rochdale to buy a loaf of bread for her mum. Known as 'Lel' to her family, Lesley had learning difficulties and attended a nearby special school, while a congenital heart condition meant she was small for her age.

Tragically she never made it home. Castree, thought to have been on the way to visit his wife and new born son in hospital, snatched her off street in his taxi. Her body was found three days later face down on moorland between Oldham and Ripponden, around 40 yards off the A672.

She had been stabbed 12 times and sexually assaulted. Her death sent shockwaves through the community and sparked a huge manhunt, led by West Yorkshire Police.

Soon, the finger of suspicion fell on Stefan Kiszko, a 23-year-old man with learning difficulties. He lived near Lesley and, in the minds of detectives, was the kind of man who might fit the profile of the killer.

A timid and teetotal tax clerk and church-goer, Mr Kiszko was arrested after three girls told police he had indecently exposed himself to them just days before Lesley was found dead. It was the start of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK history.

Mr Kiszko had never been in trouble with police before. But his unusual hobby of noting down number plates - he had jotted down the number of one car which had been seen near the crime scene - roused further suspicion of this 'odd' man.

After two days of relentless questioning by West Yorkshire detectives with no solicitor present to help him, Mr Kiszko, who had the mental age of a 12-year-old, 'confessed' to Lesley's murder. He had been told he could go home if he did.

He later claimed he had been bullied into making the confession. On Christmas Eve 1975 he was charged with Lesley's murder.

He was convicted after a trial at Leeds Crown Court in which his defence team, led by David Waddington QC, who would later become Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher, made a string of mistakes. Mr Waddington pursued a diminished responsibility defence which wasn't authorised by Mr Kiszko, who maintained his innocence throughout and said he had never even met Lesley.

The defence also failed to call key witnesses and failed to call for an adjournment when thousands of pages of additional material were submitted on the first morning of the trial. Meanwhile evidence was also suppressed by police and not disclosed to the defence or the jury.

On July 21, 1976, after five hours and 32 minutes deliberation, the jury found Mr Kiszko guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two. He was given a life sentence and went on to serve 16 years in prison, during which time he was repeatedly attacked by other inmates who saw him as a convicted sex offender.

On one occasion he needed 17 stitches for a head wound and he went on to develop schizophrenia. But throughout his incarceration, Mr Kiszko's remarkable mother Charlotte protested his innocence and fought for his release.

Her campaign was to be successful, although it took 16 long and lonely years before her son walked free. It was, according to Tory MP Anthony Beaumont-Dark, 'the worst miscarriage of all time'.

In March 1991, a police investigation into the original trial began, which discovered errors in the case. Evidence which might have established Mr Kiszko's innocence at the outset was uncovered.

It was established that Mr Kiszko could not have been the killer as he was infertile. Semen discovered on Lesley's clothing had contained heads of sperm. The girls who had told the trial that Mr Kiszko had exposed himself to them finally admitted they had lied.

In February 1992 Mr Kiszko was cleared and released from prison. Speaking after his release, he said he was enjoying 'sleeping in in the mornings' and catching up with friends.

He was told he would receive 500,000 in compensation for the time he had spent in prison and revealed he wanted to visit Australia and America and 'have a good time'. In an interview with theManchester Evening News at the time Mrs Kiszko spoke of her unstinting belief in her son's innocence.

"When you are 100 per cent sure your son is innocent you fight to the very end," she said. "It is the only thing that has kept me going.

Looking back on the years she said: "There was prejudice against us because we were foreign. Ever since Stefan was taken away I have felt sick when I have seen children murdered.

"There have been many since he went away, but some murderers have been walking the streets again, while my Stefan has been held in jail. Where is the justice in that?"

But tragically none of Mr Kiszko's dreams came to pass. He died the following year of a massive heart attack aged just 41.

He had received an interim compensation payment but not the full sum. Four months later his mother died and the pair are buried together in Rochdale Cemetery.

In 1994, a surviving senior West Yorkshire officer, who worked on the original investigation, along with a retired forensic scientist, were charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly suppressing evidence relating to the results of tests on semen taken from the victim's body and from the accused. The case did not reach a jury after it was challenged by defence barristers who argued that the passage of time had made a fair trial impossible.

And it was to be another 12 years before justice finally caught up with the real killer, Ronald Castree. The father-of-three, who by this time ran a comic book shop on the outskirts of Rochdale town centre, was said to be a vain, abusive and arrogant bully, a serial philanderer.

In spite of the many mistakes made by police in the original investigation, the one thing they did do right was preserve evidence from the murder scene. A forensic scientist had used Sellotape on Lesley's underwear and acquired enough material for a DNA profile to eventually be done. It was to prove of little use at the time, but would be crucial more than 30 years later.

In October 2005 Castree was arrested after a sex worker, who said she met him in a hotel room, made a complaint of sexual assault. Even no though charges were ever brought against him, Castree's DNA was taken and placed in a national database.

It turned out to be a direct match to the DNA taken from Lesley's underwear. Police then knew they'd finally found the killer.

On Bonfire Night 2006, Castree was arrested at his home in Brandon Crescent, in Shaw, Oldham, on suspicion of murdering Lesley Molseed. As he was taken into police custody he was alleged to have told one police officer 'I've been expecting this for years,' something he later denied saying.

At the trial it emerged that Lesley was not the only vulnerable, young schoolgirl that Castree attacked in the mid-1970s. He also sexually assaulted a nine-year-old who he abducted in his taxi in Rochdale, the court heard.

Castree was convicted of the offence and fined, but not sent to jail. It was less than a year after Lesley's death, but detectives never questioned Castree because, by that point, Stefan Kiszko was already in jail.

Alongside the DNA match it was to prove to be a crucial part of the evidence that finally brought Castree to justice. On November 12, 2007 a jury at Bradford Crown Court convicted Castree of murder by a majority of 10 to two, coincidentally exactly the same majority as in Stefan's case.

In tears in the dock, Castree claimed he was the victim of a second miscarriage of justice. But the judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, cut him off telling him: "No, you have had your say; your past has now caught up with you."

Castree was sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr Justice Openshaw recommended that he serve at least 30 years before being considered for parole. By that time he would be 84-years-old.

As he was taken from the dock Castree called out, 'I did not do it'. Mr Kiszko's aunt Anne, the last surviving member of the family, said: "God knows how many other lives Castree has ruined. You are not telling me he's only done one murder in 32 years. If you are capable of doing such a despicable act then you just don't stop."

In a statement outside court Lesley's mother April said: "We are relieved that after so long our quest for justice for Lesley is now over."

Description

A Royton man used his knowledge as a computer repair technician to download images of children being sexually abused, a court has heard. Kevin Lane of Wendlebury Green pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of a child and downloading images of children over several years. The 53-year-old appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (August 4), where he was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months, placed on the sex offender register for 10 years and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for 10 years. Lane was also given a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement. An internal inquiry by Lanes employers is meanwhile set for next week and will result in his dismissal. In mitigation, defence barrister Richard Orme said Lane had no previous convictions and had taken full responsibility for his actions and expressed genuine remorse. Mr Orme also called on Judge Hilary Manley to consider the effect of Lanes incarceration on his son who has severe medical issues. Judge Manley acknowledged Mr Ormes points in mitigation and discussed the sentencing guidelines with prosecutor John Kennerly. Turning to Lane, Judge Manley said: Over several years you downloaded images of children being sexually abused. Some of those images were of very young children. As a result of your work as a computer repair man you knew exactly what you were doing and the steps to take to cover your tracks. She added: Having been caught you lied and lied again. You couldnt bring yourself to own up to what you did and then finally pleaded guilty at trial before being convicted by a jury. Judge Manley however said she accepted Lane had expressed remorse, all be it late in the day and acknowledged he had no previous convictions. Addressing Lane while passing sentence, Judge Manley said: If you fail in any way to adhere to what the probation service set out for you to do over the next two years you will be back before me and regardless of the effect on your son, I will have no choice but to act on the suspended sentence.

Description

This is the face of a predator who has been locked up for 17 years for child sex offences.

Kieron Jackson, from Salford, was put behind bars on at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday (August 2), police said. The 33-year-old was first reported to officers by a 'concerned party' who alleged that he had had sexual contact with a child.

An investigation was launched and a judge has now jailed Jackson for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Police said the child now has the 'justice they deserve'.

Officers posted about Jackson, of Holm Court, on the Greater Manchester Police Salford Facebook page. In full, the post said: "#LOCKEDUP | A Salford man has been jailed for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Kieron Jackson, 33, of Holm Court, Salford was jailed at Bolton Crown Court on 2 August 2022, for sexual offences against children.

"Jackson was reported to GMP on 8 June 2020 by a concerned party who alleged hed had sexual contact with a child."

Investigating SIO, DC Paula Birchby, said: "I am extremely pleased for the child and her family, who now have the justice they deserve. The hard work of everyone involved in the case meant that Jackson was convicted and that a lengthy sentence has been issued.

"The police and courts have shown that this terrible abuse will not be tolerated."

Description

A pervert shared vile images of children on WhatsApp and Kik and had fantasy chats with other paedophiles about abusing children - months after molesting a girl. Nigel Gardiner, 42, was found with 239 indecent images of children on his phone after police executed a search warrant.

Some of the horrendous images depicted children as young as three-months-old being sexually abused, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Further analysis of his phone showed he had shared some of the images with contacts on messaging apps and had fantasy discussions about what he wanted to do to the children.

Following the discovery of the images, he was found to have sexually assaulted a young girl.

Gardiner initially pleaded guilty to eight offences of possessing and distributing indecent images and further offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his former partner. He later pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child after they had already been cross examined during a Section 28 hearing.

Today (July 29) he was jailed for eight-and-a-half years and put onto the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Prosecuting, Geoff Whelan said police received information that Gardiner possessed indecent images and carried out a search warrant at his house in Heywood. He wasnt present at the time, but they later found him at his place of work where they seized his phone and analysed it, and he subsequently admitted possession of the images.

Police recovered 83 category A images - said to be the worst type, 51 category B images and 70 category C images, as well as extreme pornographic images and prohibited images of children.

The age of the children depicted in the images ranged from six to 17-years-old, Mr Whelan said. Some of the images were sent to 41 contacts on Kik and three contacts on WhatsApp.

After discovery of the images, it came to light that he had sexually abused a girl. The court also heard that he had headbutted his ex-partner and bitten her following two separate arguments.

Gardiner was said to have previous convictions, including for an offence of battery. Mitigating, Betsy Hindle said that her client struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and said he previously couldnt remember a time when he was clean.

He believes drugs led him to do what he did, she said. There is sincere remorse and he takes full responsibility. The presentence report indicates a lack of ability to deal with personal circumstances.

Sentencing, Recorder Mark Rhind QC said: Some time after the sexual assault, you engaged in discussions which have been described as fantasy with other perverted men relating to the sexual abuse of children.

You sent a picture of a child to them and discussed what they might do and what you might do. The sexual assault was not some sort of drunk incident which you do not remember, this was you acting on your sexual attraction to children.

If you had any remorse for what you did, you would have admitted it far sooner.

Gardiner, of Tonge Street, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years, made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Description

A mum has spoken of her pain after her young daughter was groomed and sexually assaulted.

Gary Cook, 37, from Oldham, was sentenced to five years at Minshull Street Crown Court after being convicted of sexual assault - following the incident in March last year.

The girl informed her father of Cook's behaviour after he removed part of her clothing and sexually assaulted her. He also installed an app on a device used by the girl so he could monitor her.

Following sentence, the victim's mother told the Manchester Evening News that Cook had 'taken her daughter's innocence away' as she said her family had been left with a lifetime of trauma.

"My daughter is completely changed, it's absolutely devastating," she said. "The whole time he was on bail was unbearable. Now everything has changed for her.

"The whole thing has been incredibly upsetting for her. I just have total anger. I can’t believe it. He has taken my daughter’s innocence away from her. She is getting a bit older now and it is becoming more obvious what he did to her."

Cook, of no fixed abode, was given a five-year sentence and will serve half in custody before being released on licence. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

The victim's mother added: "I don’t think any sentence would have been enough. I feel like five years would have been adequate if it was the full amount but we found out he will only serve half of the sentence which is a kick in the teeth for us.

"We are concerned that he will only serve about half his sentence. It is such a serious offence. It has been a life-changing experience. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives."

Cook was also made subject of a restraining order not to contact the victim for ten years, and will also be required to sign the sex offender's register.

He is also banned from contacting any children under the age of 16 for 10 years or use any device capable of using the internet to contact children.

Description

A predator raped two 12-year-old girls after meeting them on Snapchat and plying them with booze and drugs. Solomon Asemota, 30, initially began by grooming the girls online.

He raped one girl during a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, then raped both girls in his car on another occasion, Manchester Crown Court heard. When they asked how old he was, and if he was 18 or 19, he told them: “I can be”. The rapist, who was 27 time at the time, admitted that he never told them his age.

Asemota, of Longsight, pleaded guilty to seven offences of rape and was jailed today for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year. 

Prosecuting, Simon Blakebrough said police were called on January 9, 2020 when one of the girls was reported missing. After further calls they tracked down one of the girls to a house in Cheetham Hill, and she was told to come home.

One of the girls did, and told police that the other girl was at ‘Prince’s house’. The officers asked her where the house was, and escorted her there. They found the other victim in bed with a man, who was later arrested.

There was no scientific evidence linking him to the sexual acts with the girls and no further action was taken, the prosecutor said. Though forensic evidence later linked Asemota to the girls.

The girls were spoken to and ‘Prince’ was identified as Asemota. He was arrested and after arriving at the police station he was told of the allegation and responded: “I’m shocked at the ages, I didn’t know they were that young.”

“He was interviewed and admitted meeting [them] on Snapchat,” Mr Blakeborough said. “He said he was sent some pictures of them and thought they were 16 or 17 but ‘looked young’. He added that they 'couldn't be as young as 12'.

“He said they asked him how old he was and whether he was 18 or 19, and he answered: “I could be”. He accepts he never told them his real age, which was 27.”

He met the first victim and had sex with her after playing a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, the prosecutor said. He also admitted having sex with the girls in the back of his car, and admitted engaging in sexual acts on one in front of the other.

Asemota admitted to the police that one of the girls was drunk and said he ‘always kept vodka in his car’. He also said after one encounter he dropped a girl off at her friend’s house, and was approached by the friend's mum who banged on the car window and 'forcefully informed him he had a child in the car.

When asked why he thought she said that, he said: “Maybe she was not 18 or she was just angry”.

On January 9, he said one of the girls had been kicked out and so he took them both to his aunt's house where they smoked cannabis. He said he then took them to friends house in Cheetham Hill and had sex with one of them after suggesting his friend to have sex with the other. He admitted not wearing a condom.

Analysis of his mobile phone also showed he had taken intimate videos of the girls.

In victim impact statements, one of the girls, now 15, outlined her troubled home life at the time and said she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone what was happening as she was scared. She said she didn’t know what to do and didn’t want to report it due to the fear of repercussions.

The other girl, now 14, said she cries herself to sleep, has flashbacks and has trouble trusting people - especially men. “I feel like I’m to blame, but I know I am not,” she said.

A specialist nurse who supports children who are sexually exploited said both girls had experienced ‘significant trauma’ and said they felt a sense of ‘guilt and shame’. “The impact upon them will be sustained and life long,” they added.

Mitigating, Michael Johnson said Asemota was candid in his police interview and made ‘significant admissions’. “This is a man who’s never been to prison before, it will inevitably be painful. He is entirely the author of his own misfortune,” he said.

Jailing him for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year, Judge Rachel Smith said: “Both victims were highly vulnerable and highly susceptible to exploitation. Your relationship with each of the girls was predatory and opportunistic.

“You exploited each of them for your own gratification. You spent sufficient time with them to know what they were like, and there is evidence of grooming, providing them with company, transport, food, and later alcohol and drugs.”

She added that a pre-sentence report concluded that he was a high risk of causing serious harm to children and that he had adjusted his behaviour to appear younger in an effort to ‘indulge’ the grooming.

Asemota, of Queens Grove, Longsight, was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A paedophile turned up at a crematorium to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex. Nicholas Tarbard was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys, and a condom as he waited for the child.

A court was told he thought he had been talking to three girls aged 11, 12, and 13 on social media. Tarbard had several conversations with each of them, many of a sexual nature, and he had requested inappropriate images of them. He had even sent indecent images of himself during the conversations.

But he had actually been snared by paedophile hunters. On Sunday July 18th 2021, Tarbard had arranged to meet up with who he thought to be the youngest girl, aged 11, at Macclesfield Crematorium. However, unbeknown to Tarbard, he had actually been speaking online to three adults acting as decoys.

As he was was waiting at the Crematorium he was confronted by the decoys who then called police. Tarbard, 35, of no fixed address, appeared at Chester Crown Court where he was sentenced to four years imprisonment and four years on licence after pleading guilty to four counts of attempting to engage sexual communication with child, attempt to arrange to facilitate child sex offence at an earlier hearing.

In a statement Cheshire Constabulary said: "When officers arrived at scene, they searched Tarbard who was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys and a condom. During questioning, he answered no comment to everything posed to him by officers, even when shown messages that he had sent to the three different decoys.

"He was arrested and subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possession of a bladed article in a public place. As well as being sentenced, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order also for an indefinite period."

Detective Constable Jamie Roberts, who led the investigation, said: Tarbard is an extremely dangerous individual who was intent on sexually assaulting young girls. Thanks to the work of the decoys, we were able to arrest and question Tarbard. Although he answered no comment to all of our questions, the evidence against him was damning.

I would like to thank the courts who have helped keep Tarbard off our streets with the sentence that was handed down to him today. Tarbard was talking to decoys but these could have easily been innocent children. I hope this case acts as a reminder for all parents and guardians to warn their children about the dangers of communicating with people online and to ensure that they are using the internet safely.

Description

A paedophile brought to justice four decades after his sick abuse was accused of robbing his victim of her childhood.

Jeffrey Phillips was given five-and-a-half years imprisonment at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, as reported by the Oxford Mail at the weekend.

Sending him down, Judge Nigel Daly told the now 71-year-old: You indecently assaulted this child, you did it repeatedly.

Welcoming the lengthy sentence, DC Nicola Fullerton of Thames Valleys child abuse investigation unit said of Phillips: His offending has had a huge impact on the victims life.

"He robbed her of her childhood innocence, causing significant emotional and psychological distress, and it is testament to her courage that he is now facing time in prison.

I hope that this case demonstrates to other people who may have been the victim of such offending that it is never too late to come forward and talk to the police.

We will listen to you, investigate and do everything that we can to ensure criminals like Phillips are brought to justice.

Now living in Greater Manchester, the assaults took place when Phillips lived in Abingdon in the 1970s. His abuse began when his victim was still a young girl and, after a few years, resumed briefly when she was in her early teens.

Phillips will be on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

Description

A police dog handler who throttled and punched a woman while trying to rape her in her home has been jailed. Greater Manchester Police officer Ernesto Ceraldi attacked the woman after meeting her in a Rossendale pub in April, Preston Crown Court heard. She tried to escape but he chased her while naked and continued attacking her until a neighbour intervened. Admitting attempted rape and assault, the 44-year-old was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. The court heard Ceraldi, who has since resigned from the force, met the woman on 1 April and was invited back to her home, where they drank wine and he showed her photographs of his police dog. 'Who can I trust?' Prosecuting, David Traynor QC said the woman described how Ceraldi's attitude "changed all of a sudden" and he demanded she perform a sex act and grabbed her hair. He said Ceraldi, of no fixed address, pushed her against a wall, causing a picture to fall and smash, and put his hand around her throat, adding: "The pressure was horrific, she nearly stopped breathing." He said the naked officer repeatedly punched the woman and then pursued her as she tried to escape, but a neighbour heard her screaming and came to help her. Ceraldi then went back inside, where police found him sleeping naked on the sofa, with his leg through the arm of a jacket. In a statement, the woman said as Ceraldi had been a police officer, she "should have been able to trust him without a shadow of a doubt". "If I cannot trust a police officer with 21 years of service, who can I trust?" she said. She added that while her injuries had healed, she did not know "if the mental effects ever will". "I can no longer go out and return home after dark on my own," she said. "Someone must come into the house with me to put me at ease." 'Genuine fear' Julian King, defending, said Ceraldi, who had a wife and two adult children, had been commended for his work at the 2008 Uefa Cup final and in the Salford riots in 2011. He said the dog handler's "isolated" actions were "out of character" and had been aggravated by "the substantial consumption of alcohol". Sentencing Ceraldi, Judge Simon Medland QC said the former officer's actions had been "aggressive and coercive and violent" and he had used his job to "fill the victim with confidence". "It terrified the victim and she was in genuine fear for her life," he said. However, he added that he believed Ceraldi had shown genuine remorse and said a "very significant" feature of the case was that he pleaded guilty at a plea and trial preparation hearing, having previously denied the offences. Ceraldi was also told he would be subject to sexual offence notification requirements for the rest of his life and handed a restraining order.

Description

Later sexual abuse by notorious Rochdale grooming gang leader and paedophile Shabir Ahmed could have been prevented if earlier offending behaviour and the threat he posed to children had been properly addressed, a damning report has found.

Almost three years after being commissioned, a review into allegations of historic child sexual exploitation has found that children in Oldham were being exploited and let down by services which tried and failed to protect them.

The review, commissioned by Oldham Council in 2019 and written by experts Malcolm Newsam and Gary Ridgway, looked at the way authorities have dealt with child sexual exploitation in Oldham between 2011 and 2014, and one specific case dating back to 2005.

Among its damning findings, the review has uncovered that Shabir Ahmed worked as a welfare officer in Oldham unchecked for a year despite being accused of serious child sexual abuse.

Ahmeds links to Oldham and the council had been investigated as part of the review, which has uncovered serious failures in how authorities dealt with the predator.

The report has found that there was a significant allegation of child sexual abuse made to police in 2005 against Ahmed whilst he was working at Oldham Council.

This occurred three years before he was arrested in relation to the widespread grooming and gang rape in Rochdale, which also saw abused girls let down by police and social services.

Known as Daddy by his victims, he was found guilty of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment.

In June 2012 he was found guilty of a further 30 rape charges and was jailed for an additional 22 years, adding three years to his overall prison term.

Ahmed, now 69, worked at Oldham Council between 1988 and 2006, and was employed as a welfare rights officer seconded to the Oldham Pakistani Community Centre.

This role would have meant he would potentially have had contact with a range of vulnerable adults and their children.

The review team state they believe there were serious failings in how both the council and Greater Manchester Police investigated concerns in respect of Ahmed while allegations of child sexual assault were being levelled at him during his employment as a welfare officer.

The full details of his case have not been made public due to concerns about jigsaw identification of his victims.

However a summary of the case included within the report finds that as early as 2005, GMP was notified of a serious allegation of child sexual abuse perpetrated by Ahmed.

The victim, now an adult, also alerted police that Ahmed had also potentially had contact with a young child who lived outside of Oldham.

A crime report was not submitted on the back of this information which GMP said was in line with its working practices at the time. However, the review team says the National Crime Recording Standard in place at the time required a crime to be recorded.

GMP also failed to inform the local authority responsible for the child, and also did not notify Oldham Council which was then Ahmeds employer.

As a result of the disclosure that he potentially presented a serious risk to children, Newsam and Ridgway say a full assessment should have been undertaken to assess the risks he posed to any other children he may have come into contact with.

But instead insufficient enquiries were made into whether his role gave him access to vulnerable adults and children.

If this had happened it may have potentially avoided the tragic abuse of other children, the report states.

In February 2008, Ahmed was arrested for sexual assault on a child, and that July was also arrested on suspicion of abducting two other children.

However the review states that neither of the two children made a complaint, and consequently no crime was recorded and no further action taken.

When queried by the review team, Oldham Council was unable to find any record of being notified of these allegations by Greater Manchester Police.

And there is no evidence that GMP had notified the council about the allegations, so that it could investigate the risks he may have posed to children he could have been involved with through his job.

Oldham Council were also not involved in subsequent strategy discussions between GMP and Rochdale Council about Ahmed, and both the 2008 and 2005 allegations.

Even after Ahmed was charged with sexual assault at the end of September 2008, no action was taken by Oldham council to undertake a safeguarding assessment, or liaise with the police force.

He would not be jailed for his prolific sexual offending until 2012.

In 2011 he was charged with the rape of the child in 2005, and remanded in custody.

Oldham Council was notified by the probation service, and given the profound child sexual abuse, this shouldve been a further opportunity to initiate a full assessment of [Ahmeds] circumstances but there is no evidence of this having occurred.

GMP requested copies of files about Ahmed and his family, which informed Oldham Council about the child that lived outside of the borough that could have potentially been put at risk.

This significant information should have prompted the authority to begin a multi-agency strategy discussion to assess the threats presented to any other children. However the review states that the council has never been able to locate any record to explain why this never occurred.

The following year another young woman bravely revealed she had also been abused by Ahmed, and GMP notified Oldham Council of the allegations.

The abuse occurred while he was employed as a welfare rights officer, but it is not known whether he had been involved with her family in a professional capacity.

However the report states that childrens social care inexplicably closed the case within a few days without undertaking any assessment.

The authority has been unable to locate anything further on this child and the review finds there is no evidence of an assessment of her allegations or her vulnerability.

The review team have been informed that the case was discontinued by Greater Manchester Police on the basis that there was no realistic prospect of conviction, the report states.

Neither Greater Manchester Police nor Oldham council was able to provide the review team with any assurance that the childs allegations and vulnerability were appropriately dealt with.

The review team conclude that there were serious multiple failures by both Greater Manchester Police and Oldham council to follow the procedures in place to investigate the threat [Ahmed] presented to children.

If these procedures had been followed, his offending behaviour could have been addressed at an earlier stage and potentially the abuse of his subsequent victims may have been prevented.

Further findings

The review also finds that a number of working Oldham taxi drivers had been accused of rape or sexual offences against children but kept their licences.

Two drivers who were alleged to have assaulted girls should have had their licences revoked by the council, and several known offenders had been granted or had their taxi licences renewed by councillors.

Following the Rotherham scandal, in 2014 Oldham council reviewed all the cases where licence holders had been accused of sexual offences.

There were originally five drivers identified who had serious criminal convictions, but only one of these was taken to the licensing panel and had his licence revoked.

One of the remaining four went on to commit a sexual assault on a young female passenger in 2015. He had been convicted of an indecent assault on a woman in a shopping centre, and received a conditional discharge.

He was convicted in 2017 of the later assault, and the judge in the case queried why a licence had been granted given his previous conviction, which triggered a formal complaint to the council.

Following this the councils chief executive Carolyn Wilkins ordered officers to undertake a review of all licensed drivers, which were around 1,300 people.

The report listed nine drivers, where one had been convicted of offences against children.

Of these nine, six licences were revoked or ended.

One driver had been questioned by police in relation to two separate alleged sexual assaults, three years apart, on two young female passengers.

There were also concerning details of the offence by another driver. It was alleged that a victim was a customer who had been sexually assaulted in his taxi and subsequently raped.

The Crown Prosecution Service had taken no further action, but this was the only detail that was supplied to the licensing panel.

He raised the matter formally with the-then chief constable of GMP, Ian Hopkins, in 2018 but did not get a response.

GMP has now confirmed it has commissioned a review of the content, application, and senior ownership of the forces policies on disclosure around taxi drivers.

Cover up?

Large portions of the report are dedicated to establishing whether authorities, the police, council and political leaders, covered up the activity of grooming gangs in the borough.

The review team conclude they find no evidence of a widespread cover up of sexual exploitation, and the review finds no evidence that senior managers or councillors sought to cover up the potential exploitation of children by local taxi services.

And the team were provided with no evidence, either through interviews or documentary review, to suggest that there was widespread exploitation of children in residential settings in Oldham.

An official statement released by GMP stated that they only had two pieces of intelligence about potential CSE, and neither of these were substantiated.

This was based on the response of a police sergeant who was asked to provide information in relation to the media enquiry.

The review team says that there was no doubt that during this same period there were legitimate concerns by the council and police that high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders could be capitalised on by a far-right agenda and lead to the victimisation of the Pakistani community.

However it is clear from all the evidence we have seen that the council and its partners in no way avoided addressing this, and in fact saw successful disruption and prosecution as the route to winning the confidence of all communities in Oldham, they write.

There is significant evidence that the council did everything possible to publicise the threat of child sexual exploitation.

Reports went to council committees, bi-annual meetings were held with the leader, chief executive, cabinet members and the opposition leader to discuss safeguarding issues, and the council introduced a training module on CSE for councillors to attend.

This included the roll-out of performances of a play, Somebodys Sister, Somebodys Daughter, about sexual exploitation which was shown to more than 3,000 Oldham pupils across all the boroughs schools.

Then-council leader Jim McMahon wrote on his blog in 2014 that anyone who shies away from accepting that in Rotherham, Oxford, Rochdale, and here in Oldham and that this particular form of abuse is predominantly Pakistani men targeting white girls is not helping the victims and nor is it helping the Asian community at large.

He said that despite court cases being jumped on by far-right campaigners that was in fact more of a reason to act.

If we dont tackle wrongdoing, we give more oxygen to those who seek to gain politically by accusing those in authority of cover-ups and failures, he wrote.

The review team say they believe this clearly refutes suggestion that Mr McMahon was intending to protect perpetrators from the Pakistani community, but rather wanted to tackle it head on.

What the authorities say

In response to the report, Greater Manchester leaders have apologised for the failings by both police and child protection services.

Oldham council leader Amanda Chadderton said: We fully accept the findings of this independent report.

It highlights clear failings, where our services at the time were not good enough to protect vulnerable young people suffering the most awful abuse. For that I am deeply sorry.

I can never fully understand what those girls went through, and I also know that an apology now will never make up for what has happened in the past.

I do hope, however, to offer some reassurance that, as a council, we havent stood still since the time period the review refers to.

We have learned from reports carried out in other towns and cities across the country, and from changes in national guidance, and have changed the way we do things as a result.

The way we work has already moved on immeasurably.

That said, we are not complacent. We can and will improve further, wherever we need to.

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Stephen Watson said: The safeguarding arrangements that were in place in GMP during the time period covered by the review were not good enough to protect children from sexual abuse.

I want to offer my sincere apologies to everyone affected by the events considered in the report. Our actions fell far short of the help that they had every right to expect and were unacceptable.

I am sorry for the hurt and on-going trauma they have suffered because of what happened to them.

Description

A paedophile has been deemed dangerous by a judge after befriending a teenage girl online and persuading her to perform sexual acts for him. Dante Ingham-Marsters also made the victim watch as he performed an act himself.

Ingham-Marsers, who was already the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) when he committed the offences, has now been jailed after a jury convicted him of two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, the 27-year-old was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years. He will also spend an additional two years on extended licence following his eventual release.

Ingham-Marsters, of Bollin Avenue, Bowdon, originally made contact with the girl - who was under 16 - on social media app TikTok and used other social media sites to speak to her, the court was told. She watched him perform a sexual act on at least two occasions and incited her to engage in two separate sexual acts, on at least three occasions each.

After being arrested, Ingham-Marsters admitted speaking with the girl, but said that the conversations were not sexual in nature.

In a victim statement, the girl said the incidents made her feel 'emotionally abused' and that she can no longer trust anyone. She also said that she suffers with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as a result.

Defending, Max Saffman described the case as 'very difficult to mitigate after a trial'. He made reference to Ingham-Marsters 'immaturity' and said that he has' difficulties forming relationships with those his own age'. Mr Saffman added that Ingham-Marsters 'gravitates towards' teenage girl, but stressed that there was 'no physical contact' between him and the victim.

Judge Bernadette Baxter deemed Ingham-Marsters as a dangerous offender and passed an extended sentence. She said: The jury rejected your denials and clearly accepted [the victims] evidence, as do I.

Her victim personal statement makes it clear that your offending has had a detrimental impact on her; affecting her self-confidence and her trust in people. Luckily she has the support of her loving family.

Ingham-Marsters will spend at least two-thirds of his seven-and-a-half year sentence in jail, before being considered for parole. Upon his release, he will spend the rest of his sentence, as well as an extra two years on extended licence.

The judge added: Sadly, you have a history of this type of offending. In 2015, you were jailed for 33 months for two offences of sexual activity with a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. You also have eight convictions for breaching a SHPO.

In my judgement, these offences demonstrate that you are a predatory sex offender. You have previous convictions and are repeatedly breaking the terms of the SHPO you are subject to.

You are always on the lookout for a sexual opportunity. You identify young or vulnerable victims online, you pre-plan and have little or no internal controls to check your sexual impulses.

In my judgement, these factors clearly demonstrate that you meet the test for a dangerous offender and there is a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public from you.

Following his sentence, Ingham-Marsters will be subject to a SHPO and will have to sign the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period of time.

Description

A man raped a woman in her home after meeting her on a dating site. Michael Collins has been locked up for eight years following the attack on his victim, who he met on Plenty of Fish.

The incident happened in 2016. Collins, now 28, went to the woman's house after making contact with her online. Minshull Street Crown Court heard the victim thought he was picking her up to go on a date.

They stayed at the woman's house. After watching TV, they kissed, which was consensual, the court heard.

Collins then attempted to put his hand under the woman's breast. She said no - and told him she didn't want to have sex. He continued to touch her, despite her protests. He sexually assaulted and raped her.

The court heard Collins said: "For f**k sake, that took me an hour to get that out of you." He repeatedly told her she was 'p*****g him off' and that she was 'lazy'.

The victim, the court heard, has suffered psychologically, has left the home and now suffers from anxiety. Defending, Richard Orme told the court Collins, originally from Ireland, comes from a 'family-focused' community. He followed his parents to Manchester to 'make a life in the UK'.

Recorder Abigail sentenced Collin to eight years. She said: "It was your intention to have sex, the consent was entirely irrelevant."

She said that while Collins 'may have matured', the fact he has 'persisted on the delusion that what he did was acceptable' meant he was still a 'risk' and must be kept behind bars.

Collins, of Craig Road, Gorton was found guilty of two counts of rape; sexual assault; and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.

Following the case, DC Martyn Bateman, of GMP's City of Manchester C.I.D, said: "Despite being told no, Collins forced himself upon this woman to satisfy his sexual desires. Sexual offences often have a lifelong impact on victims but, hopefully, today's result will provide her with a level of closure.

"It is also my hope that this case builds public trust and confidence that, though these cases can take some time, GMP is committed to bringing offenders to face justice by launching thorough investigations which gather all evidence to secure the best possible outcome."

Description

A predatory paedophile who admitted a litany of child sex offences has been jailed for 14 years after an unprecedented sting on a dark-web site saw our Online Child Abuse Investigation Team uncover his prolific offending, which included blackmailing his victims who were as young as 14.

Kyle Lees (21) was sentenced today (Friday 13 May) at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after admitting a total of 35 offences – including making indecent images of a child, possessing extreme pornography, blackmail and causing child pornography.

The court heard how Lees’ depraved and sickening campaign of abuse was exposed by an international operation that was undertaken by law enforcement agencies across Europe that aimed to takedown an online chatroom on the dark-web that was used by suspected paedophiles to exchange extreme images and plot how to contact children to try to engage them in sexual acts.

A co-ordinated global strike was executed in a number of countries to target suspects, which included Lees who we arrested at his home in Tameside in June 2021 after he was believed to be behind one of the user accounts on the site – prompting one of the operation’s most significant investigations.

Detectives from our Online Child Abuse Investigation Team questioned Lees, of Ann Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, and embarked on a comprehensive 10-month-long investigation to collate and analyse the full-scale of his offending.

We found that he had created several fake online male and female personas when contacting his victims – who were all girls aged between 14 and 16 at the time – with analysis of his online accounts revealing he had attempted contact around 3,500 profiles on several social media and chat room sites.

Lees would prey on vulnerabilities by obtaining material from victims and use it as blackmail to get more; threatening them by saying he would release the pictures to his family or on the internet.

Some victims were even subjected to the extremity of being coerced into sexual activity with animals, which Lees would ask for content of for his own sexual gratification.

We’ve identified a number of the most vulnerable victims for safeguarding alongside international law enforcement partners – largely from the United States which Lees would target due to the time zone difference meaning his victims would be awake while he was online during the night in the UK.

The victims also included one teenage girl from Greater Manchester who we have worked with local specialist partners to ensure she has the necessary safeguarding to support her and her family.

After being arrested, Lees made admissions when presented with a wealth of evidence over the course of a three-day period of questioning before he was charged and admitted 35 offences.

Lees pleaded guilty to the following: nine counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity; three counts of causing child pornography; three counts of making indecent images of a child; one count of possession of extreme pornography; three counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity; 11 counts of attempting to cause sexual exploitation of a child; five counts of blackmail.

He has been ordered to serve 14 years behind bars and a further five years on licence and indefinitely been signed to the sex offenders’ register. He was also given a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Keenaghan, of our Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said:

“Kyle Lees is an abhorrent, calculated and manipulative sexual predator who was a significant danger to teenage girls online and it’s of great satisfaction that he will now begin a significant spell behind bars for his sickening crimes.

“Lees would hunt out vulnerability and blackmail his victims into doing unthinkable acts purely for his own sexual pleasure, and it is clear he got braver over time when he was sat behind his computer screen embarking on this depraved campaign which ruined the lives of innocent children.

“I must pay tribute to the survivors of this abuse and their families for their bravery and support during this investigation and I hope that seeing Lees put behind bars brings some element of closure.

“This has been a gruelling but highly-rewarding investigation and has demonstrated the strength of our collaboration with partners around the world in working together to identify suspects and do all we can to bring them to justice, while protecting victims and ensuring we can do all we can to help them and their families move on with their lives.

“Today Lees has been starkly reminded – in case he needed it – that his actions in the digital world have real world consequences, and for too long he thought he was able to commit such grave acts of criminality without punishment; let this serve as a warning for any offenders out there that police and partners worldwide continue to work tirelessly to target suspects and ultimately bring them to justice.”

Description

A judge had to stop sentencing a paedophile after he realised he knew him and did not want to prejudice the case. Christopher Jeacock, 37, of Bowdon, had earlier pleaded guilty to the making of indecent images of children, possession of a prohibited image of a child and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Judge Mark Savill stopped the proceedings at Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday and claimed the name had rung a bell. After confirming that Jeacock worked for Hale United FC, he stated he could not continue sentencing him.

Judge Savill said: I cant do this case. Its not your fault - very unfortunate but its one of the prices we pay for local justice. Bottom line is there cannot appear to be any kind of prejudice or advantage to you by virtue of any connection you or I may have.

The case was then adjourned to be dealt with by another judge. Katherine Wright, prosecuting, said that officers from Greater Manchester Police became aware that a social media account linked to Jeacock had been used to post indecent images online.

A warrant was executed at his home, which he shared with his parents, and he was arrested and his devices were searched. Whilst the police were searching his bedroom, he told them that his parents had nothing to do with this' and he knew nothing about the images of children.

Officers seized an iPad and two iPhones. He was interviewed that same day on March 25 of last year and admitted it was likely that he had viewed the images.

He said he had used the Kik messenger site to enter chat groups where images were shared and he had clicked on Dropbox links which automatically downloaded into his personal Dropbox, Ms Wright said.

He stated he knew they were illegal material and should have done something about them. He accepted the devices were his and he was solely responsible for its contents.

A search of the iPad revealed 16 category A images, 10 category B images and 15 category C images, which were all inaccessible. On one iPhone there were seven inaccessible category C images, and on the other there were two accessible category C images and five inaccessible category C images.

The police also analysed Jeacocks Dropbox account, which revealed 113 category A images, 75 category C images and 1,044 category C images. In total, 1,900 images were recovered.

The court heard that the videos depicted children as young as three being sexually abused by adults and one of the extreme pornographic videos showed a man having sex with a dog. Folders in the Dropbox were named indicating that they contained the indecent images.

In a further police interview, he gave a prepared statement in which he accepted the devices belonged to him. He said that since his arrest in 2021 he has made a conscious effort to address his offending and ensure it does not recur.

I have received support from my GP, the Greater Manchester Mental Health team, and I have discussed my mental health with my family and friends who have both been very supportive, he said in the statement. He added that he had undertaken worked with the Safer Lives programme, which is designed to assist sex offenders.

From March 2020 my mental health deteriorated, my business shut down and created financial issues and the loss of social involvement led me to feeling alone, the statement read.

I was worried about my partner's problems and I became isolated. This led me to sit on the computer where I became involved in group chats. I am truly devastated by my behaviour and genuinely remorseful for my actions.

Jeacock was said to have one unrelated previous conviction. His barrister, James Heyworth said his client does not have face-to-face contact with children and said it was possible for the devices to be wiped.

Sentencing, Recorder Ciaran Rankin said he had read a letter from Jeacock, his mother, the Safer Lives Programme note of attendance and his presentence report. You have accepted that you are responsible, he said.

Jeacock, of Royal Gardens, Bowdon, was handed a three year community order, 200 hours unpaid work, 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and an Accreddited Sex Offender Programme. He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the Sex Offenders Register, both for five years.

Description

Rachel Fenton, previously known as Richard Fenton, was jailed yesterday for 10 years after admitting 21 child sex offences and a drug offence, including seven counts of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity. A court heard a number of indecent images of children, including a large amount of child sexual abuse photos, were found on Fenton's devices.

The 45-year-old pervert was arrested but, even on police bail, Fenton continued to try and get indecent images from children.

They were snagged both times as the profiles alleging to be children were actually run either a vigilante group and a police operative respectively, whom Fenton tried to incite to meet and perform sexual activities.

After the first occasion, in November 2020, Fenton was arrested at an address in Wythenshawe, Manchester, on suspicion of arranging a child sexual offence, and suspicion of possession of a class A controlled drug and possession of cannabis.

Fenton was arrested for a second time in January 2021 on suspicion of a number of sex offences, reports Manchester Evening News.

Detective Constable Ceri Martin, of Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) Sexual Crime Unit, called Fentons crimes "deplorable and completely unacceptable".

He added: "Fenton is a paedophile who knowingly attempted to exploit children for his own sexual gratification.

"This behaviour is deplorable and completely unacceptable. The safety of our children is a top priority in Greater Manchester and I hope today's sentencing spreads the message to anyone thinking of engaging in this type of behaviour that it will not be tolerated.

"GMP will do their absolute utmost to thoroughly investigate all reports of this type of crime and bring the perpetrators to justice."

The defendant, of Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to 21 child sex offences at Manchester Crown Court, including seven counts of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, five counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

Fenton also been issued with a sexual harm prevention order and been made to sign the sex offenders register for life.