Latest Offenders Manchester

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Daniel O'Brien, 38, had almost 40,000 indecent images of children

A Wigan dad has been jailed for downloading almost 40,000 indecent images of children after he was caught out by a paedophile sting operation.

Daniel O'Brien, 38, appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Friday morning, February 25, to face sentence for his crimes after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Timothy Ashmole, prosecuting, told the court that O'Brien had been caught out for his crimes after starting a conversation with an undercover National Crime Agency officer on Wickr, a secure instant messaging service owned by Amazon Web Services, in March 2020.

The officer was posing as a young single mother called Holly, claiming to have two daughters aged six and eight.

O'Brien, who went by the username Monkeystew24, quickly turned the conversation sexual, telling "Holly" that when his young daughter, aged two at the time, was old enough he wanted her to "play" with his genitals.

He then told the undercover officer, whom he understood to be a single mother, that he would like to perform sexual acts on her daughters, saying he would enjoy sexual activity with both her and her daughters.

The pair's contact then moved to KiK instant messenger on April 11 2020, where O'Brien set out sexual desires towards "Holly"'s two children, asking for photographs of them for his own sexual pleasure.

However, when interviewed, O'Brien told police this was all part of a roleplay, as he believed "Holly" may be an adult man also engaging in fantasy, and he had no intent to actually commit sexual offenses with a child.

Mr Ashmole went on to say O'Brien had sent 21 sexual images of children to "Holly", starting with pictures showing young children in lingerie, before moving on to more sexually explicit images that showed sexual offenses being committed against youngsters.

Officers were able to link the username to a BT account at a home in Standish, that O'Brien shared with his wife and two children.

When police raided the house, O'Brien retrieved a phone from a pillowcase and handed it to officers, telling them: "I think you might want to see this, there's things on there you'll want to see."

A total of 18 digital devices were retrieved from the house, including phones, laptops, and hard drives.

Four of them contained sexually explicit pictures of children and images showing bestiality, although O'Brien noted that none of these images were stored on devices that were used by his wife or children.

Officers found around 40,000 indecent pictures and videos of children, including almost 1,900 category A images showing the most severe sexual abuse against children.

O'Brien admitted a sexual interest in teenage girls aged 14-15 had developed years earlier, around 2010, and he had been accessing indecent images for a large portion of time.

Paul Treble, defending, told the court O'Brien had lost his relationship, access to his children, and his job as an adult social carer as a result of legal proceedings.

He also said his client had been engaging with organisations including Stop It Now and Safer Lives, groups that work with people to prevent them from partaking in child sexual offences.

His Honour Judge Tom Gilbart, presiding, sentenced O'Brien to two years imprisonment for the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

Addressing O'Brien, Judge Gilbart said: "The number of images you distributed was small but you were responsible for the further dissemination of this material.

"The number of images you downloaded was significant and the offending was spread over a substantial period of time.

"You developed an attraction towards teenage girls and began to discuss sexual fantasies towards children in chatrooms.

"Appropriate punishment can only be achieved through an immediate custodial sentence."

O'Brien was jailed for two years.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for ten years, barred from working with children and vulnerable adults, and will have a sexual prevention order placed against him for ten years.

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"This man preyed on their vulnerabilities as young girls and exploited them for his own sickening pleasure"

A taxi driver plied two girls with alcohol and drugs then raped them in a terrifying campaign of abuse.

Mohammed Saleem, 42, groomed the two girls who were aged 14 and 15 when he targeted them in the 1990s.

Both victims were extremely vulnerable and "abused in the worst ways possible".

Taxi driver Saleem, of Rochdale, met them both at a house of an older associate, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

He gave them lifts in his taxi and plied them with booze and cannabis before raping them, prosecutor Mark Kellet told the court.

Despite being married and having children, he went onto continue sexually, physically and mentally abuse one of the girls for more than 17 years.

He even installed spyware on their computers to track their internet activity.

Saleem was today jailed for 33 years after being found guilty of 31 offences.

The victim was vulnerable due to the use of alcohol and drugs to facilitate the offences, Mr Kellet said.

There were 16 offences of rape over an 18-year period.

There was systematic abuse of the victim, who was targeted and exploited as an extremely vulnerable young child."

In a victim personal statement read to the court, the first woman said: I often reflect on how my childhood was full of abuse instead of love and protection.

I feel ashamed by what happened.

Coming to the stand in the court was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

The other woman said: Its impossible to put into words how I have been personally affected by the last 32 years.

'I became an empty shell'

My whole life was destroyed - I lost my identity when I was just a child.

I became an empty shell.

I really struggle to make choices for myself as I was always made to believe I was incapable of making my own decisions.

No doubt as a result of what I have suffered, I have been left unable to trust, which has left me very lonely and isolated.

I still dont know how to move forward.

Following a six week trial, Saleem was found guilty by a jury of 31 offences including:-

Six counts of indecent assault against a 14-year-old female

Rape of a 14-year-old female

Three counts of rape of a 14/15-year-old female

Indecent assault against a 15-year-old female

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm

Nine counts of rape of a female

Assault by penetration

Three counts of rape of a female under 16 years

Two counts of voyeurism

Sexual assault

Securing unauthorised access to computer material

Two counts of making indecent images of a child

Saleem was said to have no previous convictions.

In mitigation, his barrister David Langwallner said: There is an element of acceptance of a degree of responsibility.

Looking at the issue of dangerousness in the context of intimate relationships, there is no doubt he was a danger to young girls 20 years ago, but there has not been any displays of that danger recently.

Mr Saleem is going to face an awful shock quite soon.

Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale said: She was almost half your age when you spotted her and targeted her for a sexual relationship in which you exploited and manipulated her.

You took away her freedom.

It was your distorted belief that Islam entitled you to rape her on many occasions.

You saw her as your possession.

There was a significant degree of planning, you targeted her with false compliments, alcohol and drugs to wheedle your way into her life and exploit her.

'You have no remorse'

Your other victim, you manipulated her with drugs and alcohol using the advantage of a premises to enable the rape to take place.

You have no remorse, and your report identifies that you find you have done nothing wrong.

Finding him to be a dangerous offender, Judge Landale added: You are capable of deceiving those closest to you.

You have no empathy at all or insight into the damage you have caused.

You believe you are entitled to sex whenever you want.

Saleem, of Cannon Street, was jailed for 30 years with an extended licence period of three years, of which he will serve two thirds (20 years) in prison before being considered for release by the parole board.

He was also made subject of the Sex Offenders Register for life and Sexual harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Detective Constable Sarah Hayfield of GMP's Rochdale district, said: "The victims in this case were abused in the worst ways possible.

"This man preyed on their vulnerabilities as young girls and exploited them for his own sickening pleasure.

"He then went onto control and abuse one of the victims for 17 years.

"This was a horrific ordeal that has no doubt left a damaging and haunting impact on those lives affected.

"I want to extend my thanks and gratitude to these two brave women and their families for their support and strength throughout this investigation.

"Their resilience has been instrumental in ensuring we could secure this custodial sentence and, although I have no doubt this will stay with them for the rest of their lives, I hope today will help bring some form of closure.

"I also extend my thanks to our partners at Rochdale Borough Council, particularly their adult care recovery and re-enablement team, who have both supported the investigation and been instrumental in providing the victims with the care and support they need whilst we investigated Saleem.

"I hope this sentencing sends a clear message that child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse is abhorrent and will never be acceptable and through our joint working with the council on child sexual abuse we will ensure anyone who engages in this type of vile behaviour will be brought to justice, as we have seen today."

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Four men who subjected an extremely vulnerable teenager to a "campaign of rape" have been jailed.

The gang plied the girl, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, with drugs and alcohol and "systematically and repeatedly" abused her, prosecutors said.

Her ordeal, which occurred between 2009 and 2010, left her with long-standing psychological problems including PTSD.

A fifth member of the group was found guilty of three rapes and will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Katherine Robinson told Bradford Crown Court the woman was 20 years old when she came forward to report the abuse to police.

Officers found that the older men could see she was "plainly extremely vulnerable" and had drink problems when they targeted her.

In a victim statement read to the court the woman said she had been left "unable to look after myself due to my mental health" in the aftermath of the abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Hatton said: "The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you is a significant factor in her current mental health."

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, said the victim had been "robbed her of her childhood"

"I hope seeing all of these men sent to prison today for these horrendous offences she was subjected to will allow her to start to look forward to the future," he said.

Ed Hulbert, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the men had "cynically manipulated and ruthlessly exploited a young and vulnerable girl".

Omar Safdar, 30, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

Imran Sabir, 42, of Spencer Street, Keighley, received 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

Hassan Basharat, 32, of Highfield Road, Keighley, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape. He will also serve an additional 16 months for two counts of dangerous driving.

Barber Hussain, 36, of Thorn Lane, Bradford, was jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

Amjad Hussain convicted of three rapes, will be sentenced later.

All five men were found guilty at a trial in October.

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A paedophile who thought he was having sick chats with teenage girls claimed they were actually adults engaging in 'roleplay'.

Adam Ali, 35, believed he was chatting with 13-year-old girls called 'Becky' and 'Noemi'.

But he was actually having sexualised conversations with undercover police officers, who used his messages to prosecute him.

Ali, who admitted being a man in his 30s, did not stop when the 'girls' told him how old they were.

"If anything you were encouraged," a judge said.

After being arrested, Ali claimed he believed the 'girls' were actually adults taking part in 'roleplay', Manchester Crown Court heard.

But he pleaded guilty to trying to have sexual communications with two 'children', and avoided jail after a judge heard he had become isolated.

Ali began to send messages to the first 'girl' after telling her he was 'horny', in February 2019.

He sent her a video and a picture of his penis, and asked for images of her.

He continued to send sexualised messages, before the undercover officer stopped replying and contact ended a few weeks later.

Ali was snared by a second undercover officer, who also posed online as a 13-year-old girl.

His messages to this 'girl' were sexual 'from the outset', prosecutor Justin Hayhoe said.

Ali sent her a picture of his penis and told her she was 'sexy'.

The messages lasted for a few days in April 2019, and he was arrested in August that year.

He accepted he was responsible for the messages, but said he often used chat rooms where adults over the age of 18 engage in roleplay.

Defending, Sebastian Gardiner said unemployed Ali suffers from physical and mental health issues, and had become socially isolated and sought refuge online.

Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC told Ali: "I have particular regard to the personal mitigation advanced on your behalf, in particular the element of personal isolation that you have experienced, that might well have led you into this rather dark corner of social media.

"You had said that you are ashamed of that which you did, and so you should be.

Ali, of Doric Close, Beswick, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

He received an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must sign the sex offender's register for 10 years.

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VILE paedophile Colin Blanchard is set to spend "two more years behind bars", insiders say.

The sex monster went before a Parole Board meeting last month to beg for his freedom - telling bosses hed wear an electronic tag and undergo regular lie detector tests to curb his movements.

But the hearing overran because of the weight of information on the disturbing case and was adjourned to a date to be set over the next few weeks.

Now we can reveal that sources believe Blanchard, 51, will not be granted freedom once the reconvened hearing is concluded.

Offenders can only appear before a Parole Board every two years.

Our source claimed: Blanchard has got no chance of freedom. And of debate. He will spend two more years banged up before his next shot at freedom.

This is first Parole Board hearing but hes likely to have to appear at a couple more before hes deemed ready for release.

The bottom line is that his offences are just too serious for him to be granted parole at the first attempt.

His release into the community would be managed by dozens of limitations like lie detector tests and a tag but even so, Blanchard would remain a danger to the community.

A spokesman for the Parole Board confirmed that a date for the adjourned hearing would be set in due course.

Blanchard - the ringleader of a paedophile gang who convinced a nursery worker to abuse tots in her care was referred to the Parole Board for potential release in 2020 after serving his minimum nine years in prison for running one of the most sickening paedophile rings this country has seen.

But parole chiefs deemed him not ready for freedom without even holding a hearing and instead they ordered that Blanchard must complete another course in jail designed to prevent re-offending and then he must be reviewed by a psychologist before they could set a date to consider his status.

The Ministry of Justice referred his case to the Parole Board after he had completed his minimum sentence.

His co-accused - nursery worker Vanessa George - is back on the streets after serving just ten years in prison for abusing 64 babies and sharing the sickening videos with Blanchard.

Her release sparked fury after it emerged she has been given a cushy flat in the Midlands at the expense of the taxpayer.

George earned the grisly title of Britains worst female paedo in 2009 after she was caged for taking the sick pictures of herself harming babies and toddlers.

The fiend cruelly refused to tell police the names of all of her victims leading to a decade of hell for families who still arent sure whether their child was abused.

Special needs coordinator George took pictures on her phone of her abusing babies and toddlers at a nursery in Plymouth.

Her trial heard she sent pictures to paedophile Blanchard after meeting him on Facebook.

Blanchard, of Rochdale, was said to be the hub of the paedophile wheel.

He traded the photos to members of a paedophile ring, including prostitute Angela Allen, of Nottingham, who was jailed for at least five years.

Mum-of-two George, whose two daughters have publicly disowned her, described herself to lover Blanchard as a paedo whore mum in vile exchanges between the two.

Tracey Lyons, who was jailed in 2011 for sending sickening child abuse pictures to Blanchard, has now been released from prison.

Tracy Dawber, who was in a year-long relationship with him, was caged for four years for abusing a two-year-old boy and letting Blanchard film it.

The Sun has approached the Parole Board for comment.

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A former sergeant in the Spanish army was jailed for 44 months for storing and distributing the worst child sex abuse videos and images.

Gabriel Gonzalez, 43, had one 17-minute long video called Daisys Destruction, which showed the abuse of an 18-month old girl.

The police officer who viewed it said it was the worst he had ever seen and said other police should not look at it, Luton Crown Court heard yesterday (February 3).

The sentencing follows that of Bedford couple Nicholas Harris and Clare Buttrice, who were jailed for a combined 35 years for sexually and mentally abusing children last week.

Prosecutor Alex Kettle-Williams said that acting on information, the police raided a multi-occupancy house in Campbell Road, Bedford, on the morning of 18 October, 2018.

The officers seized one laptop and three hard drives from Gonzalezs room. He was not there at the time, but handed himself in later. He made no comment to the police questions.

Ms Kettle-Williams said 404 images were found on the devices, along with 182 videos. The total length of the videos was 20 hours, with the longest single film lasting 3 hours and 19 minutes.

Gonzalez had distributed nine moving images at Category A, the most serious level, and three Category B moving images to other paedophiles.

He had downloaded 85 still and moving images at Category A, 65 at Category B and 379 Category C images and 57 images of extreme pornography.

The images were stored under the names of music albums in an attempt to disguise them.

Ms Kettle-Williams said: He had a personal video library of indecent images. They showed pre-pubescent girls, with the victims in pain and crying. There was also bestiality and torture.

He said Gonzalez had used computer search terms such as 'sadistic', 'torture' and 'snuff'.

Gonzalez, now of Pine Road, Didsbury, Manchester, had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of distributing indecent images of children, three of making (downloading) and one of possessing extreme pornography. He had no previous convictions in England and Wales or Spain.

Defending, Richard Saynor said he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said: He served successfully in the Spanish armed forces and worked his way up to the rank of sergeant.

He gained a psychology qualification. He moved to the UK and gained employment using his psychology qualification by assisting people with autism. At all times he was working with adults.

After his arrest he moved to Manchester, where he had been working in a car wash.

In a letter of apology to the judge, Gonzalez said: Serving as a sergeant taught me strong standards of protecting community and having personal integrity.

I realise in the position I am in today I have fallen far from those high standards. I wanted to apologise to all the victims in this case.

Referring to the Destructing Daisy video, Recorder Bal Dhaliwal said: This was the horrific, sadistic and tortured abuse of a completely vulnerable child of 18 months.

The investigating officer stated it was the worst he had seen in his five years in this role. He said other officers should not have sight of it. The abuse was beyond words.

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the laptop and the hard drives.

Gonzalez must abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, is barred from working with children or vulnerable people, and register as a sex offender indefinitely.

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A paedophile travelled from Greater Manchester to Wales after arranging to sexually abuse a young child - but was met by police officers instead.

Michael Crossley spent months chatting to someone he believed to be the girl's mother online and over the phone before making the trip from his home on Bury New Road, Radcliffe, Bury, to carry out his sick fantasies.

In fact he had been communicating with an undercover policewoman and officers were waiting for him when he arrived at the meeting point in Cardiff, WalesOnlines reports.

Crossley would later claim that he was actually a paedophile hunter and had been trying to expose what he thought was a mother who was selling her daughter for sex.

But the 34-year-old failed to turn up for his trial to put that version of events before a jury last year and jurors convicted him in his absence.

The defendant returned to the dock of Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court for sentencing for facilitating sexual activity with a child and also for being involved in a 110mph police chase in a stolen car an incident which took place in Bolton while he should have been on trial in Wales.

The court heard that in the August of 2019 Crossley was on an adult sex website where he contacted the profile of a woman who had a daughter.

The defendant began messaging the woman on the site and then talking to her on the phone and he made it clear he was interested in 'playing' with her and her child.

He then began asking for indecent pictures of the girl, talked about the sex acts he wanted to perform on the child, including full penetrative sex, and discussed money changing hands.

The court heard that the profile on the adult site was actually being run by an undercover policewoman.

Crossley made arrangements to meet the woman and her daughter in Cardiff and travelled from his home in Bolton to the rendezvous point where he was met by police officers. He was found to be in possession of condoms, sex toys, lubricant, and a doll as a present for the child.

In his subsequent interview the defendant claimed to be part of a paedophile hunter group and said he believe the woman he had been chatting to was a paedophile who had been trying to sell her daughter for sex.

Crossley maintained his not guilty plea and the matter went to trial last August but the defendant failed to turn up at court.

The trial went ahead without him and he was duly convicted by the jury but in the meantime he had been involved in a high-speed police pursuit in Bolton.

This offence had seen him hitting speeds of 110mph as he raced through residential streets in a stolen Audi car, speeding through red lights, and taking bends on the wrong side of the road.

Eventually he abandoned the car and fled on foot but the combination of a police helicopter and a police dog tracked him down to his hiding place.

When arrested he was found to be in possession of cannabis.

The court heard the Audi had previously been stolen during a robbery and it was showing number plates that had been stolen from a different car which was being serviced in a garage.

Crossley had already been convicted of arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child and had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle-taking, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, possession of cannabis, and failing to surrender to bail when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has six previous convictions for six offences including producing cannabis, assisting an offender, and taking a vehicle without consent.

Barrister Isobel Thomas, for Crossley, said the defendant still denied his guilt as far as the sexual offence was concerned but acknowledged he was facing a custodial sentence of some length.

She said that in 2019 he was going through a 'difficult time' with his business being closed down and his relationship of 16 years breaking down.

As a result she said he turned first to cannabis, then cocaine, and then crack cocaine and his mental health began to suffer.

Recorder Lucy Crowther told Crossley a jury had rejected his claims to be a paedophile hunter trying to trap an offender and the conversations he had with the undercover officer showed he, in fact, was the paedophile.

She said the dangerous driving he then engaged in had been 'appalling' and it was remarkable nobody had been injured or killed.

Crossley was sentenced to a total of 54 months in prison comprising 42 months for the sexual offence, 10 months for the dangerous driving, and two months for failing to surrender to court all to run consecutively with each other.

He was sentenced to six months for aggravated vehicle-taking and to one month for possession of cannabis with these sentences running concurrently to the 54 months.

No separate penalty was imposed for driving without insurance.

Due to the nature of the sex offence Crossley can apply for release at the halfway point of his sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to decide if or when he is released during his sentence.

When he is released he will be on an extended one-year licence and he will be on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life, as well as being made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He was also disqualified from driving and must pass an extended test before he can get his licence back.

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A police officer who was caught trying to arrange the abuse of an eight-year-old girl and accessed indecent images of a vulnerable teen has been jailed.

Det Con Lee Cunliffe admitted seven offences including arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

The 40-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer has been suspended from duty since his arrest in 2020.

Cunliffe, of Wigan, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for eight years and four months.

The court heard Cunliffe had been a serving officer for 17 years when, in September 2020, he began messaging a woman whom he believed was the mother of the eight-year-old girl on instant messaging app Kik.

Prosecutor Arthur Gibson said Cunliffe told the woman, who was actually an undercover Met Police officer, that he would visit London to sexually abuse her daughter.

Police investigations revealed Cunliffe had sent the messages from several devices, including a police-owned computer at Swinton police station, and he was arrested in October 2020.

Perverted desires

A subsequent search of the married father's home revealed a laptop he had used to access indecent images of children, including of a "plainly vulnerable" teenage girl who made a complaint to GMP in 2018.

Mr Gibson said the girl had alleged her boyfriend had taken indecent images of her and distributed them without her knowledge.

Cunliffe, then a trainee detective, was allocated to the case and the suspect's computer and phone were seized after his arrest.

Mr Gibson said he later wrote an entry on the crime log stating there was nothing on either device relating to the offence, when "in fact, both devices contained both still and moving indecent images of children, a total of 227 being accessible".

The computer was returned to the suspect with the indecent images still on and no further action was taken.

Evidence of files from between 2014 and 2018 which were indicative of child abuse were also found on Cunliffe's laptop.

Julian King, defending, said Cunliffe had been going to see a psychotherapist, who said he had compulsive sexual behaviour disorder.

Cunliffe, of Hindley Green, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to arranging the commission of a child sex offence, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in a public office, distributing indecent photos of a child, and three counts of making indecent photos.

Sentencing him, Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary QC, said the actions Cunliffe was "contemplating with this very young child could hardly have been more serious".

"What you did in relation to this girl and this case is shocking and strikes at the very heart of that foundation of trust that the public have invested in the police service," he added.

Speaking after sentencing, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods of GMP, said Cunliffe's "deplorable behaviour" was "absolutely inexcusable" and had "undermined the very essence of policing's core value of protecting the public and helping those in need".

Det Insp Suzanne Keenaghan, from GMP's online child abuse investigation team, described his offending as "depraved".

"Cunliffe deliberately created an online profile with the perverted intention of arranging to commit a child sex offence and having indecent images in his possession for his own sexual gratification," she said.

He will now face disciplinary action under the Police Conduct Regulations, GMP added.

Child protection charity, the NSPCC, said: "Cunliffe's actions were an appalling abuse of his position of trust.

"Through his police training and employment, Cunliffe would have been very aware of the devastation sexual abuse has on children's lives.

"Despite this, he chose to pursue his own perverted desires."

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Naveed Ishaq had downloaded a sickening amount of indecent images between March 2017 and August 2020, Bolton Crown Court heard on Monday.

The 48-year-old, from Bolton, had scoured the internet for vile images - as well as animal porn - and used chat rooms where he would ask: "Do you have any child porn about?"

He was eventually rumbled as part of a nationwide investigation - before telling police he was shocked at how easy it was to find the horrific material and insisting he was going to 'hand it to the police or a newspaper' as evidence.

The court heard that Ishaq was caught following an operation carried out by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which was investigating the sharing of indecent images of children on a New Zealand-based file sharing website called Mega.NZ.

The NCA found six email addresses registered on Mega.NZ which were believed to have been used by Ishaq to receive indecent material from the website, and five of the accounts were traced back to Ishaq's address.

Mr Connick told the court that the NCA passed its evidence to Greater Manchester Police, which carried out a search at Ishaq's home on Langthorne Walk, Bolton.

He said: "When officers informed the defendant why they were there, he said that he had been wanting to contact the police for some time to talk about the fact that you could get such things on the internet.

"He said he was simply a concerned citizen who had been downloading such images to show how easy it was."

Ishaq was arrested by police, who seized an iPad, two iPhones, a desktop computer, another phone and a laptop.

The court heard he told officers that further devices could be found at his home inside a washbag, which was hidden in a sofabed.

Police carried out another raid on Ishaq's address and found the bag, which contained more devices including external hard drives and a memory card.

Officers analysed the devices and found a shocking amount of indecent images of children - both still images and video.

There were 31,307 category A images, 29,256 category B images, and 327,531 category C images - a total of 388,094.

Mr Connick said the images included children aged from just one-year-old to 17, adding: "Many of the victims appeared to be distressed and in severe pain."

Police found 47 images of extreme pornography involving animals - including a video which also featured a child - as well as a vile 120-page paedophile manual on 'how to practice child love'.

Officers also found evidence of web visits, bookmarks and downloads which indicated the various files Ishaq had accessed and the disgusting search terms he had used - including 'pre-teen hardcore' and 'rape' - as well as online chat logs to ask for more files.

Ishaq had used 'secretive internet browsers' in an attempt to cover his tracks, Mr Connick added.

Defending, John Harrison said his client was a man of previous good character who pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, and told the court his wife was 'entirely dependent on him'.

He said that Ishaq claims that the 'desperate' excuse he first gave to police - that he intended to hand over the material as a 'concerned citizen' - was one he made 'out of fear' following the raid at his home.

Mr Harrison added: "It's quite clear that the thought processes of [Ishaq] need to be tackled."

Judge Martin Walsh, honorary recorder of Bolton, handed Ishaq a two-year prison sentence but told him he would serve half of it before being released on licence.

Ishaq also must sign a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

"The amount of material here is grotesque," Judge Walsh said.

"This was a systematic and committed searching for prohibited material over an extended period of time.

"Having regard to the aggravating features here, only an immediate sentence of custody can be justified."

All items seized from Ishaq which contained the material will be destroyed.

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A woman sent child abuse images to her boyfriend - because she wanted to keep their 'relationship alive'.

Perverted couple Rachael Larkman, 38, and Steven Kearsley, 35, started dating in 2013 after meeting on the website Flirtomatic.

They were described as friends with benefits.

But their relationship took a sinister twist when Kearsley began asking her for indecent images of children.

Kearsley later became quite obsessed with the idea of chatting online to children, and officers later found he had been sending messages to a child.

Larkman pleaded guilty to distributing indecent photos of a child, the M.E.N reports.

Kearsley was convicted of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence believing it would be committed, namely requesting indecent images of children; and engaging in sexual communication with a child following a trial.

At an earlier hearing at Minshull Crown Court, prosecutor Robert Smith said: "He asked Rachael Larkman for topless photos of herself, which she did but then asked her whether she was interested in pornography.

"Rachel accepted that she had sent him eight to ten photographs."

The pair were arrested after police were made aware of the images and explicit messages.

Their phones were examined and revealed a number of sinister message exchanges.

In one exchange, Kearsley said: You got any pervy pics?

In another he said: You can send any - even nudes I wouldnt run.

She later said: Lol having fun?

Kearsley replied: Child abuse is always fun x.

The prosecutor said Kearsleys requests for the images were constant and arose from his sexual interest in children.

Following an investigation launched by the police, Kearsley also was found to be sending inappropriate messages to a child.

Both were said to have no previous convictions.

Mitigating for Larkman, Richard Simons said: She is considered to be a vulnerable adult and partner in the context of intimate relationships.

The psychiatric report concludes that she suffers from Battered Wife Syndrome and PTSD.

This offending behaviour happened over three years ago and she made immediate admissions.

She is deeply remorseful.

In mitigation for Kearsley, Vanessa Thomson said: His pre-sentence report doesnt make for positive reading on his behalf.

He still denies the offences.

The pre-sentence report suggests a community alternative, where he will be challenged face-to-face on a weekly basis about what he thinks is right and not right.

It will be intensely challenging to him.

That will not be available to him in a prison environment.

She added that her client suffered from ongoing complications from a broken back, which affected his work as an actor in the acting industry.

Sentencing Larkman, Recorder Anna Vigars QC said: These offences took place... to keep your own sexual relationship alive.

But, you have a difficult and traumatic background, and you have demonstrated very significant remorse.

Sentencing Kearsley, she said: Your request was made in the context of a perverted sexual fantasy.

I have read the pre-sentence report, and it is a troubling report.

I see no recognition you had done anything wrong and you sought rather to pass blame to Larkman.

Larkman, of Oldham, was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years; 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements; and a three-month electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 6am.

Kearsley, also of Oldham, was jailed for a year.

Both were ordered to sign the sex offender register for a decade. Kearsley was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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Manipulative Farzad Shabani's despicable behaviour exposed in powerful court speech by the student he left devastated

A rapist continued his attack through the tears of a student before waging a campaign of manipulation to prevent her from seeking justice.

Farzad Shabani fought through her efforts to push him away then shamelessly became angry at her devastation following the assault.

He then tried to convince her the assault was her fault before putting her through the ordeal of hearing him lie through a trial.

Shabani carried out his attack in the early hours of the morning at a university halls of residence in Liverpool.

Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: "He had sexual intercourse with her at a time that she was not consenting... even when she was telling him to stop and pushed him away with her arms he carried on regardless."

Ms Daley added: "She described how the defendant didn't even seem to notice when she was crying when the sexual intercourse was continuing. She indicated how the defendant appeared to get cross with her for being upset afterwards."

In a brave statement to Liverpool Crown Court, the student told how she pushed her family away because she was too ashamed to tell them, while she said Shabani "gaslighted and manipulated" her, adding: "He convinced me that I deserved it, that it was my fault."

The 30-year-old's crime had a severe impact psychologically and physically, with the court hearing she initially existed solely in "survival mode".

She said: "I considered dropping out of university and I think a lot of people expected me to.

"There were days I could not get out of bed because I did not want to face anyone."

In the aftermath, Shabani launched a vindictive social media campaign that included the creation of a fake Instagram profile through which he sought to provoke the student in an attempt to make her write responses he could use to undermine her.

Meanwhile she became paranoid and scared, fearing he would have her followed.

Her powerful speech told of the strength she had mustered to report her attacker to police and reach the realisation she was not to blame: "I still felt almost guilty for telling my truth... It took a while for me to come to terms with the fact he had put himself in this position and what had happened to me was his fault despite what he had conditioned my mind to believe."

Peter Killen, defending, told the court: "Any offence of this type always inflicts serious harm on any victim... The sole mitigating factor is the defendant is a man of previous good character."

Passing sentence, Judge Brian Cummings, QC, described Shabani's attack and following behaviour as "appalling".

He told the court : "I make it clear that I sentence you on the basis of [the student's] evidence. The jury plainly accepted it. So do I.

"The factual basis on which I sentence you is one of which I am sure."

The judge continued: "You have shown an utter disregard for anyone but yourself.

"You have presented as manipulative and controlling and for having an inflated regard for your own personal dignity yet none for anyone else's."

Shabani, of Rectory Road, in the Crumpsall area of Manchester, was sentenced to six and a half years in jail and made the subject of a restraining order for life.

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Police praise victim for her bravery as family speak of their harrowing ordeal

Relatives of the victim of a child sex abuser have spoken of the harrowing impact of his actions as they attempt to rebuild their lives.

Richard Hall, 36, is behind bars after being given a five years’ jail term with an Indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order also imposed.

Hall, 36, whose address was given as Stockport Road, Ashton, was sentenced at Norwich Crown Court last week.

A former student at Egerton Park in Denton before going on to serve in the army, he was found guilty following a trial of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four counts of sexual activity with a child.

The judge said Hall had groomed his victim and had displayed no remorse, stating he was a dangerous man to society.

This week relatives of his victim, who remain anonymous to protect their identity, said they welcomed the sentence and justice had been done, but the victim and family members will have to face the lifetime impact of his actions.

They spoke out following the trial in the hope it will encourage other victims of child sexual abuse, sexual assault or rape to have the courage to come forward.

In a statement they said: “Paedophiles purposely take the child mentally, emotionally and physically despite knowing that it is wrong. They lure them and lie and prey on the most vulnerable children in our society. They are calculated and manipulative.

“They adopt a personality that we often find charming, trustworthy and likeable. They search out children like a predator stalking prey and they hurt everyone in their path.

“We want people to realise and be aware of how a predator can so easily infiltrate a family; Richard Hall didn’t just groom his victim but an entire family who are all his victims.

“People need to learn how to recognise grooming behaviour, it really is the absolute unthinkable and the ultimate betrayal.”

The victim and family members have been left with a range of mental health difficulties as a result of their ordeal, being diagnosed with social anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with difficulties forming relationships, ultimately with one of the victims even threatening to take their own life.

In a victim impact statement Hall’s victim said: “Sexual abuse isn’t murder but it is like killing someone inside... they are alive to feel that pain forever and watch what the abuser has done to the surrounding people - that applies to all of my family because they were mentally abused... we all have to live with this.”

The relative continued: “We have very special thanks and gratitude to Norfolk Constabulary, especially the investigating officer, CPS with our outstanding barrister and of course the Judge himself. We do feel as though we have justice despite the ongoing, lifetime impact that this has had.

“We hope our story might give victims courage to speak out and we send a clear message that child sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape is and will continue to be tackled and stamped out.”

The case against Hall was brought following an investigation by Norfolk and Suffolk Police.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Natalie Riseborough said: “First and foremost I would like to commend the courage of the victim in this case. I can only imagine the ordeal she has been through and the enormous impact that this has had on her life.

“She has been incredibly brave in speaking out and breaking the cycle of abuse and preventing it from happening to others. I hope this court result will bring some kind of closure for both her and her family and allow them to start to heal from what has happened.”

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Paedophile Simon Hammerton was caught with a bag of booze and condoms as he went to meet an '11-year-old girl'.

The 33-year-old was apprehended by paedophile hunters - adults posing as young girls online - after he attempted to meet what he thought was a child in Greater Manchester in July.

Detectives seized Hammerton's laptop and found he was also chatting to 'girls' from Southampton and Leicestershire - believing both were 12 years old.

He would regularly tell them he wanted to kiss them and one one occasion asked a girl for a picture in her school uniform or underwear.

Hammerton was also in contact with two other girls he believed were 11 and 13.

During both conversations, Hammerton would speak sexually and sent them images and videos of him naked, including one video he sent to the 11-year-old girl of him masturbating and ejaculating.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard Hammerton's undoing came in July, when he arranged to meet a 'girl' he had been speaking to online.

However when he arrived at Ashton-under-Lyme bus station, he was met by a group of adults and placed under citizen's arrest.

He was then handed over to Greater Manchester Police who discovered his bag contained condoms and alcohol.

It was then his laptop was seized and the full extent of his offending came to light.

Hammerton, of Hyde, has now been jailed for five years and four months and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He admitted five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

Detective Constable Sue Masheter from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Child Sexual Exploitation takes place in many forms and in this case Hammerton engaged in online communications with what he believed were very young children, not sparing any thought for the lasting damage his actions could have.

"Unknown to Hammerton, the 'children' he thought he was communicating with were actually adults and thankfully we have now been able to remove a dangerous individual from our community and ensure that he is not able to inflict any further abuse.

"I would like to thank the members of the online safety group, namely STOP for their cooperation throughout this investigation."

Description

A PERVERT who described himself as a nice paedo in messages to young girls, continued attempting to contact children even after he was caught by paedophile hunters.

But his second attempt ended in further arrest as the 12-year-old girl he thought he was grooming was really a decoy police officer.

Bolton Crown Court heard how, on October 26, 2019 paedophile hunter Kirsti Trott, posing as 13-year-old Missi was contacted by Nathan Kennedy on via the childrens section of the website Chat-Avenue.

Kennedy, aged 34, did not hide his intentions, giving himself the user name UK Predator.

Rachel White, prosecuting, said: The conversation immediately became sexualised and he asked if she had ever been with an older man.

Conversations continued on WhatsApp with him using sexualised language, sending photographs of his private parts, inviting her to meet in a hotel, wanting to know where she lived so he could book a train ticket and even offering to obtain the morning after pill for her. He also acknowledged what he was doing was grooming and that he could go to prison because his activities were unlawful, said Miss White.

Missi introduced Kennedy to a fictitious 13-year-old cousin, called Sophie.

He asked if he could fool around with all three of them, said Miss White.

Kennedy also contacted Sophie via WhatsApp, discussing sex and offering to buy her clothes and shoes.

Pretending to be someone called Marcus, Kennedy contacted Missi again.

The conversations were mostly short-lived and mostly concentrated on checking that Missi had not told anyone about her chats with Nathan, said Miss White.

He asked about Missis mother and asked whether he could drive to her address to have sex with her and her mother.

On December 6, 2019, paedophile hunters from the Keep Kids Safe organisation visited Kennedy at his then home in Wythenshawe and confronted him after phoning and making arrangements for the delivery of a fictitious parcel. They filmed the encounter, live streaming it on Facebook.

Description

Joshua Etchells (26/5/01) of Lowton Road, Sale has been jailed for 14 months after pleading guilty to 20 counts of sexual assault by touching. Following his release he will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The charges against Etchells relate to a series of sexual assaults that occurred between 1 March 2021 and 7 March 2021 on canal tow paths along the Bridgewater Canal, the River Mersey and along the Trans Pennine Trail.

Etchells assaulted 19 women and a teenage girl across the seven day period, including nine women on one day alone.

His offending followed a similar pattern for all of his victims in that they were all either walking or running, often alone, down the tow path when Etchells would approach them from behind on a bicycle.

As he approached and began to pass the women, he would then either grab or slap their bottom and quickly flee the scene on his bike. On two occasions, Etchells approached the victim head on and cycled past them before turning around and cycling back towards them from behind. As he passed, he sexually assaulted them.

Following an assault on the Trans Pennine Trail, one of Etchell's victims along with a family member decided to drive around the local area to locate him. As they drove around they spotted a male she was confident was Etchells and she shouted out the window at him.

Ignoring her shouts, she managed to take photographs of him, which she then passed over to police.

A full investigation was launched by GMP and on Saturday 13 March, plain clothed officers were on patrol in an unmarked vehicle in Sale and noticed Etchells on his bike and identified him as the male wanted for multiple sexual assaults.

He was subsequently arrested and his bike - that matched the description of the bicycle reported to police - was seized.

Following interview Etchells was subsequently charged.

Detective Inspector Helen Bagnall of GMP's Trafford district said: "Firstly I want to extend my thanks and gratitude to all the women who came forward to report the assault. Reporting such incidents is never easy but thanks to their support during the investigation and initial detailed descriptions of Etchells we have been able to secure a conviction today.

"Etchells' twisted behaviour was nothing short of deplorable and he felt he was untouchable and would be able to flee each assault with little consequence. I'm glad we've now been able to place him behind bars where he will have plenty of time to reflect on his actions.

"I hope today also serves as a reminder that GMP will do all in its power to ensure those responsible for such disgusting behaviour are identified and face the appropriate justice. No woman should be made to feel unsafe when she walks the street and I'm glad that today we have been able to remove another dangerous individual from our community."