Latest Offenders Merseyside

Description

A paedophile’s cover story was busted when police officers heard the ringtone of the mobile he pretended he had sold.

Leon Clark claimed he no longer owned the phone that investigators had linked to his home.

But his lie was quickly exposed and the recovery of the device led to the discovery of horrific images of children being sexually abused.

Police raided Clark’s Wirral home in June of last year after his email address and phone number were linked to the property.

The 46-year-old denied downloading indecent images of children and claimed he had sold his mobile.

But when the officers called his number they heard it ringing and found it hidden behind a radiator.

Ken Grant, prosecuting, said dozens of indecent images of children were recovered when it was examined, the most serious involving the abuse of a little girl of around three-years-old.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Clark had 39 convictions for 88 offences - including being jailed for two years in 2010 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13, and for downloading indecent images of children.

His convictions also include repeatedly failing to comply with the requirements of the Sexual Offences Register.

Clark, of Lingdale Road North, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to possessing a total of 58 indecent images on the day of the raid and three offences of making indecent images of children in the previous three months.

Jason Smith, defending, said his client’s previous offences of non-compliance with the Sex Offenders Register related to homelessness but that he now had a more settled lifestyle and the ability to comply with court orders.

He added that Clark wanted to co-operate and: “do something to deal with what he accepts is a problem. He wishes to address the problem and show maturity.”

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, pointed out: “All he needs to do is stop looking at pictures of children.”

The judge jailed Clark for a total of 18 months, including activating a 16-week suspended sentence imposed in April last year for again breaching requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

The judge said he accepted the number of indecent images of children found on Clark’s phone was not particularly large but he said: “You have an extensive record for other forms of criminality.”

He pointed out that a probation officer said Clark “holds a negative attitude and poses a high risk of re-offending and a medium risk of serious harm to children”.

In an earlier pre-sentence report another officer said the defendant had little motivation to engage with the probation service and Judge Flewitt said he had not seen anything to show a change.

The judge ordered Clark to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same length of time.

He said he imposed the latter order “in the hope that over that period you mature and change your attitudes and no longer pose a risk to children. If it is considered you do, an application can be made to extend the order.”

Description

A primary school deputy head teacher and her partner have been jailed for dozens of child sexual abuse offences, including nine counts of rape.

Julie Morris, 44, the safeguarding lead at a school in Wigan, and David Morris filmed themselves abusing and raping a girl under the age of 13.

The teacher was jailed for 13 years and four months.

Her 52-year-old partner, of St Helens, admitted 34 offences at a previous hearing and was jailed for 16 years.

Julie Morris, of Hindley, worked at St George's Central C of E Primary School in Wigan but the charges are not related to her employment.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the videos showed Julie Morris giggling as the abuse took place.

Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary, said: "Every now and again you see cases, the circumstances of which are almost beyond belief. This is one of those cases.

"It demonstrates that human depravity really knows no depths."

'Disgusting and depraved'

The Crown Prosecution Service said it was one of the most horrific cases they have had to deal with.

"It truly appears like both of them were equally involved," district crown prosecutor Damion Lloyd said.

"They've formed this horrendous sexual interest in children and they've acted out their most unpleasant fantasies on the victim.

"It feels like the relationship between them is just a self-feeding cycle where they have effectively driven each other on to worse and worse acts."

In his 20 years of prosecuting, he said it was the "pinnacle" of the most "disgusting and depraved types of acts that people can discuss and do".

Prosecutor John Wyn Williams said the couple met on dating app Plenty of Fish in 2016 after both had separated from their partners and the relationship "quickly became intensely sexual".

"The communication between them became graphic and depraved which led to some of their sexual fantasies becoming a reality," he said.

Mr Wyn Williams said the couple's "sordid secret" was revealed when police found a conversation about sexual abuse of children involving David Morris in a phone seized during a search warrant.

He was arrested but cautioned and released and a number of devices were seized, which showed the recordings of rape and sexual abuse, the court heard.

Mr Wyn Williams said both defendants were arrested the following day as they appeared to be trying to evade police.

"They were on their way to the Lake District in a camper van with £10,000 in their possession," he said.

As well as videos and images on David Morris's phone, officers trawled through 175,000 pages of messages between the couple, revealing sexually explicit communications, which spanned three years.

The pair also set up a group chat with the victim in which they would talk about how they would abuse her, the court heard.

In a statement, Wigan Council said it had sought reassurances from police that there was no evidence any children at the school were harmed.

"We fully understand the school community will be appalled.

"These are despicable offences and behaviour, especially from someone in a position of trust."

Det Ch Insp Bev Hyland of Merseyside Police said the "deplorable" offences had had a "devastating impact on the victims and their families", adding that the couple were "fully aware of their actions" when committing them.

The pair were both given indefinite sexual harm prevention orders and must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

The charges:

Julie Morris admitted two counts of rape, nine of inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

She also admitted three counts of taking indecent images of a child, one of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child.

David Morris admitted seven counts of rape, 13 counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He also pleaded guilty to taking indecent images, of categories A, B and C, possessing and distributing indecent images and two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child.

He also admitted three counts of voyeurism, possession of an extreme pornographic image and possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Description

A man from Southport has been jailed for 17 years for raping a toddler and sexually assaulting another child.

Ryan Hawkins, 29, was identified by NCA investigators as username ‘bigladuk6’ who had been discussing the sexual abuse of children with other paedophiles online.

In September 2021 he shared a graphic sexual image of a baby and told another user about his plans to abuse a young girl the following week.

Hawkins was arrested by NCA officers eight days later and his phone was seized.

Two identical videos of Hawkins raping a female toddler were recovered from the device, along with four graphic sexual images of baby.

When interviewed, he admitted to sexually abusing the toddler on two separate occasions and to sexually assaulting a young boy.

He was charged with the rape and assault of a girl under 13, sexual assault of a male under 13, two counts of making indecent images of a child (IIOC) and one of distributing IIOC.

Hawkins pleaded guilty to all the charges on 16 November 2021 at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was sentenced today [17/12/2021] at the same court to 17 years in prison.

NCA operations manager Phil Eccles said: “Ryan Hawkins’ crimes are absolutely horrific.

“The fact he openly discussed the abuse with strangers on the internet shows his callous nature and the fact he had no regard for the profound impact this would have on his victims.

“He is an example of the highest risk and most dangerous sexual offenders targeted by the NCA and it is only right he is behind bars where no longer poses a threat to children.”

Description

Sex obsessed Matthew Bushell groped women and sucked their fingers in his home

A sex attacker placed adverts for topless women to clean his home.

Matthew Bushell, 48, is banned from advertising for women to contact him as a result of past sex attacks.

The pervert lured two female victims to his home under false pretences then molested them in 2013.

Courts have heard about his "unhealthy obsession" with sex and history of using sex workers and escorts.

But last December he flouted the ban by placing 32 ads for what he called "consensual sexual entertainment".

Bushell was convicted of two sexual assaults in May 2014 after putting adverts on Gumtree for female cleaners.

Explaining the "context" to his latest offence, Simon Duncan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court one woman met him at Southport train station in June 2013.

Mr Duncan said Bushell took her to his home in Cobden Road, Southport, where "he grabbed her, kissed her and sucked her fingers", so she left and called police.

Officers went to his house the next day and found another woman, there "under the pretence of a job interview".

She didn't make any criminal allegations, but then a second female victim came forward, who had also responded to a Gumtree advert.

She went to Bushell's house that April, but when she arrived, he asked her if she would clean topless for cash.

Mr Duncan said he "put his hand down her pants and touched her breasts and offered her money to stay the night".

Bushell was sentenced to a hospital order and hit with an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

He was released from hospital in February 2015 and then monitored by Merseyside Police's sex offender unit.

Mr Duncan said "suspicions were building" for officers in October 2020, when they examined his electronic devices and found search terms "of concern", but no evidence of any offences.

However, in February this year, police discovered he had placed ads on the website Viva Street under the username "CoolBoy47" asking women if they wanted "horny fun".

Mr Duncan said: "He was inviting females to call, text or WhatsApp at any time."

He said Bushell placed 32 adverts for women on Viva Street between December 10 and 16 "inviting them to engage in sex work, some advertising for topless cleaning services, and others offered payment for sexual services".

Mr Duncan said: "He has a history of using sex workers and strangely on occasions reporting his dissatisfaction with their services to the police."

He added: "He was interviewed on March 29, 2021. He admitted that he created the Viva Street account with a view to some 'consensual sexual entertainment'."

Bushell admitted placing the adverts and said he received "a fair few responses" but only chatted to them on the phone and then stopped because he feared it would be discovered.

He admitted breaching his SOPO.

Bushell was previously convicted of breaching the order in February 2018, when he was spared jail after placing ads for female house cleaners.

Mr Duncan said he was later convicted of harassment against a female doctor, who had once treated him, by sending her "abusive and insulting messages" and calls.

The prosecutor said his last conviction was for criminal damage offences, adding: "They relate to motor vehicles. The defendant apparently was drunk and went on a bit of a spree, damaging cars."

Mark Phillips, defending, said "remorseful" Bushell had been "very open" in a detailed pre-sentence report.

He said: "The report is very critical of him in many ways, but it addresses the way he perceives right and wrong in many instances.

"It's clear he has a drink problem, he's on the autistic spectrum and he has a low IQ, that is approximately 71.

"He knows what he was doing was wrong. He's a lonely individual, very isolated. His best friend is his father who provides him with a home."

Mr Phillips added: "His father said to me he 'fires from the hip' quite often. That is evident in his pre-sentence report.

"He has not done himself any favours - he has essentially stated to probation he does not wish to cooperate with them."

The lawyer said he had told Bushell he was facing jail, which had "woken him up", and he was now willing to do "whatever he's told, anything to avoid prison".

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said Bushell's culpability was high because "it was a persistent and deliberate breach" and the harm involved was high because "there was a risk of very serious harm or distress".

He said: "You intended to get women inside your house and the probation officer in the report concludes that you represent a high risk of harm to women."

Noting his "strong mitigation", Judge Driver said: "You have mental health problems that are entrenched, you have been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder, and you're functioning at a low level of intelligence."

However, the judge said he wasn't willing to suspend the prison sentence, stating: "You represent a risk and a danger to the public."

He jailed Bushell for two years, who shook his head, then gave a thumbs up and waved to a man sitting in the public gallery as he was sent down.

Description

A man who raped a sleeping woman tried to deny the crime by saying he was also asleep when he sexually assaulted her.

Alan Tyson said he had sexsomnia, a type of sleep disorder and recognised medical condition, which causes people to engage in sexual activity while asleep.

Tyson argued in court earlier this year that this meant he could not have the intent required to commit rape but a jury found him guilty.

His victim did not know Tyson but was a friend of another resident of the house in Wirral where the attack took place in August 2019.

She had been invited there for drinks and, after a few hours of drinking, became unwell and went to sleep on a camp bed in the living room of the house.

She then told him to stop and went upstairs to one of the bedrooms to get away from him and tried to sleep in a bed with her friend.

Tyson then followed her and also tried to get in the bed next to her despite her protests. Hours later she awoke in the morning to find Tyson raping her.

Tyson denied having any sexual contact with the victim in interviews with police and it was only when DNA swabs linked him that he admitted he had sex with her.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, said Tyson then said he suffered from sexsomnia and pleaded not guilty to rape on that basis but a jury found him guilty earlier this year.

In a statement to the court yesterday morning, the victim said the attack continued to have a profound impact on her, derailing her career, causing her serious mental health problems and straining her relationships with her close family.

She also criticised Tyson for continuing to plead not guilty.

She said: "If he had just pleaded guilty originally then I wouldn't have had to go through all this for two years."

David Birrell, defending, said Tyson had no previous convictions and, despite a difficult upbringing, had previously been contributing to society and had shown no signs of this type of offending.

However, he acknowledged that the guilty verdict delivered by jurors earlier this year undermined Tyson's claim the assault was caused by sexsomnia.

Birrell said: "It may well be that your honour has doubts about whether he has the condition.

"The jury's verdict could be interpreted that he does not have that condition."

However, Mr Birrell said Tyson had taken numerous steps to address what he believed had been an assault caused by sexsomnia, including switching jobs so he didn't work at night and eliminating his alcohol intake.

Judge David Potter said Tyson's conviction meant the idea that he was asleep when he raped his victim had been roundly rejected.

The judge said: "That a condition called sexsomnia exists is well documented.

"Yet in convicting you a jury rejected the notion that you were asleep when you penetrated her."

He continued: "I conclude you were conscious of what you were doing at the time of the rape."

Tyson, of Ladyfield, Prenton, was jailed for seven years for rape and will have to serve at least two thirds of that before being released on licence.

He will be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and an indefinite restraining order to stop him contacting the victim.

Description

A dad-of-two sexually assaulted a girl after sending her a vile threat.

"Depraved" Anthony Cubitt bombarded the 15-year-old victim with sexually explicit texts and molested her.

The 36-year-old kissed the child and put his hand down her pants - and a court was told she later attempted suicide.

While on bail, he then tried to groom a 12-year-old girl online, only to realise he had been stung by paedophile hunters.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Cubitt, of Grange Road West, Birkenhead, first sent the 15-year-old sick messages.

Frances Willmott, prosecuting, said one night Cubitt told her he wanted to perform a sex act on her, called her beautiful and sexy ,and said if he was her age "he would be f***ing her tonight".

He told the child to keep their conversation secret, before he asked if she was 16 and called her his girlfriend, when she replied she was 15.

Ms Willmott said: "Anthony Cubitt's response was he couldn't believe that she was that sexy at 15."

He asked questions trying to find out what the girl thought of him, but when she didn't reply, warned: "Answer me sexy before I f*** ya brain out."

Ms Willmott added: "He then sent a message telling her to leave her window open because he was going to climb up to see her and when she got back he would be waiting naked in her bed."

The victim confided in an adult, who advised her to block Cubitt, before the adult told him to "back off".

However, after a time he sent the victim another message, again saying she was "sexy".

Cubitt next messaged the girl after meeting her at a party.

While there he text to say she was "sexy" and commented on what she was wearing.

When the victim left, he accompanied her home, grabbed her around the waist and started kissing her.

Ms Willmott said the girl described "freezing and didn't know what to do with a grown man in her words 'manhandling' her".

Cubitt tried to kiss her again, so she went back to the party, only for Cubitt to do the same.

Ms Willmott said: "She tried to leave to walk home but was followed by Anthony Cubitt, who again kissed her and this time also put his hands down her pants and touched her bottom."

He tried to do this again on her doorstep but she shut the door in his face, before he sent texts saying she was a good kisser and he loved her.

The prosecutor said the girl informed the same adult she previously confided in, "but it is clear she was not believed, and as a result, took an overdose".

The girl went to the police in September 2020, but when Cubitt was interviewed, he denied sending sexual messages, touching or kissing her.

He was released on bail and on August 25 started talking on Facebook to a paedophile hunter posing as a 12-year-old girl called "Rosie".

Cubitt called Rosie "beautiful, a sweetheart, cute, stunning and good looking", then asked her out and told her she was his girlfriend and not to tell her mum.

Ms Willmott said in one chat "he claims that he is not a paedophile and then sends topless pictures of himself".

She added: "He then says he would have sex with her, make her moan and get her pregnant."

Rosie repeatedly reminded him she was 12, but he offered to take her to the cinema, to buy her gifts and to meet her at Southampton train station on September 3 and "teach her everything".

He was confronted by the paedophile hunters on August 30, before police arrested him on September 18.

Ms Willmott said: "He initially blamed his brother for the offences and when interviewed later that day accepted sending messages and knowing Rosie's age, but denied sending the most explicit messages, again suggesting that his brother could have sent them."

Cubitt admitted three counts of sexual communication with a child, one of inciting child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child and one of attempted sexual communication with a child.

The victim said Cubitt's abuse left her afraid to walk around Birkenhead and scared and wary of older men.

The girl, who attended court, said she was even anxious around friends' dads.

In a victim statement she said what the "predator" did was "disgusting" and he "made her life a misery", but she wanted to stop it happening to someone else.

Cubitt has eight previous convictions for 16 offences, mainly for dishonesty.

Rebecca Smith, defending, said the dad, who has limited contact with his children under supervision, knew he would be jailed.

She said: "The defendant himself has had a very disruptive childhood and upbringing."

Ms Smith said her client had been addicted to alcohol after he began drinking at 12, and while this was "no excuse", alcohol was perhaps a "disinhibitor" for him.

Recorder Ian Harris, described Cubitt's behaviour towards the girl as "depraved" and said he sent her "crude and inappropriate" texts.

The judge said Cubitt might not have realised, but he was a "catalyst" for his victim's suicide attempt.

Recorder Harris said Cubitt exchanged more than 100 messages with the decoy, who he tried to groom.

He said Cubitt was assessed in a pre-sentence report as "a high risk of serious harm to children", based on factors including "the predatory sexual nature of these offences" and "the fact that you minimise the seriousness of your offending and express no victim awareness or empathy".

The judge said he only accepted limited responsibility and "often blamed" the girl for his behaviour.

He labelled Cubitt's offending "determined, unpleasant, predatory and persistent" as he jailed him for three years.

Recorder Harris told Cubitt to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

He then commended the bravery of the victim, who cried as she was consoled by a friend.

Description

A depraved pervert blackmailed teenage girls from all over the world into performing humiliating sex acts by threatening to kill himself if they refused.

Elliot Nicklin used a web of online personas to lure his victims into his sadistic world and then abused them online, on one occasion making a girl carve his name into her breast.

Detectives believe he abused more than 70 teenage girls and have traced more than two dozen of them. Many have been left psychologically scarred by Nicklin's twisted actions and, in some cases, suicidal.

Nicklin appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, where his sentencing hearing was initially delayed after paramedics were called when he suffered a panic attack and complained of chest pains.

He was later ruled fit for the proceedings to continue after being examined at the court complex.

The 22-year-old had admitted 27 offences, including the possession of hundreds of indecent images of children.

Of those, 85 were classed as Category A, the most serious category and one that can include images of child rape.

He also sent eight pictures and videos of his victims to other contacts.

Nicklin pleaded guilty to further counts of inciting child pornography, blackmail, sexual communication with a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The offences took place between 2014 and the day he was arrested - May 21, 2020.

Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said: "The arrest took place due to two referrals that came from the United States of America. After that arrest had taken place the police seized a series of mobile telephones which included three Samsungs and one iPhone, together with a laptop and tablet.

"When those various devices were examined it was established that at least from 2014 onwards the defendant appeared to have been communicating with more than 70 potential victims."

The devices seized from Nicklin contained more than 1,500 indecent images of children and Ms Daley said it became clear "that a significant number of the videos and images had been sent following threats or coercion".

She added: "In terms of the scale and nature of the images, they were particularly degrading and humiliating."

An extensive 12-month Merseyside Police investigation revealed how sinister Nicklin had preyed on vulnerable children, typically befriending them online before encouraging them to perform for him.

In some cases he used multiple fake personas to develop relationships with a victim then told them either himself or one of those other bogus profiles would self harm or commit suicide unless they complied with his demands.

In other cases, once he had received sexual images and videos from a victim he then requested more - telling them the footage he already had would otherwise be sent to their family, friends, school or local police.

Nicklin therefore created a vicious circle for his victims where many felt the only way they could prevent their private images from being released was to cave into his ever-increasingly sadistic requests.

The court heard Nicklin ordered some victims to choke themselves on camera. Other demands included for one girl to hold her head in the water of her toilet bowl, one to strip in her school toilets and another carve his name into her breast.

Terrified, the victims complied.

Ms Daley said one of the images retrieved in Merseyside Police's Operation Greenband, a year-long investigation that was led by Detective Constable Wayne McGuffie and which established the true extent of Nicklin's crimes, showed the victim told to carve her breast performing the act while crying into the camera.

Among Nicklin's various personas was a female character that he pretended to be while he sent images to other people online.

In one case he even sent a photograph of a victim naked from the waist up, though with her breasts covered, to her sister along with the comment: "Go and talk to your sister and see whats going on."

Victim personal statements revealed the torment, anguish and lasting consequences of Nicklin's abuse, which started when he was a youth but continued into adulthood.

In one heartbreaking statement, read to the court on Friday, one of his victims said: "It was six years of hell... you spun a story of abuse and sick threats to kill yourself and release your pictures to my family to gain sympathy. It worked. You had me falling for you."

In reference to that victim's comments in his sentencing remarks, Judge David Aubrey, QC, simply told Nicklin: "You broke her."

John Weate, defending, started his mitigation by stressing that nothing he would say sought to diminish the severity of the impact of Nicklin's crimes on his victims.

He said his client had no previous convictions, the majority of his offences took place when he was aged between 16 and 20 and that he co-operated with police following his arrest.

Mr Weate said Nicklin, of Bebington Road in Rock Ferry, had suffered "extensive bullying", depression and anxiety and had complied with his bail conditions.

He added: "He was a young man who, with the problems associated with him, lacked the maturity to deal with aspects of his life in a proper way."

Mr Weate said a lengthy custodial sentence and the following conditions of his release may provide an opportunity for the defendant to "mature".

Judge Aubrey accepted Nicklin had indicated guilty pleas from an early stage and that some of the offending took place while he was a youth.

But, highlighting the number of victims and offences, persistence of the offending, psychological harm caused and the "sadistic element" to many of the crimes, he concluded Nicklin was so dangerous to the public he should be subject to additional sentencing conditions.

He said Nicklin "left a trail of psychological destruction" upon vulnerable girls, adding: "You were invading your way into the lives, the homes, the phones of teenagers by your charm, guile, skill and, on many occasions, subterfuge.

"In respect of some of the girls you became their knight in shining armour. At least one, if not more, fell in love with you.

"But you would coerce and encourage them into doing sexual acts upon themselves and much more.

"The coercion involved threats by many a means and if they did not comply their whole persona would be posted online, in effect for all to see across the globe."

He added: "They were unable to stand up to you and chose the humiliation and degradation and performed your demands rather than suffering public humiliation."

Judge Aubrey today jailed Nicklin for 10 years.

That sentence will consist of an initial 12 month sentence for his possession of indecent images that will run consecutive to an additional nine year sentence for his other crimes. That nine year term includes an extended licence period of five years.

This means Nicklin can only be considered for parole after serving two thirds of that sentence.

When he is released he will be under strict conditions for the remainder of that nine year period plus a further five years.

Nicklin was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Concluding, Judge Aubrey said of Nicklin's crimes: "In my judgement it became an obsession to you but an obsession that had devastating consequences to so many of your victims."

Description

A paedophile who called himself 'Papa Bear' on the app he used to distribute child rape images was found with kids' underwear in his home.

Anthony Contento, from Birkdale, admitted to distributing the worst kind of child abuse images of children as young as four across the Randochat app earlier this year.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that despite avoiding jail for similar offences in 2019, and being offered support to improve his behaviour, he went on to offend again.

Police raided his house on Welbeck Road in September this year and found children's underwear and more than 130 disturbing pictures and videos on his phone.

They also discovered Contento had been using the RandoChat app to distribute images of child rape.

The court heard the 54-year-old was using the name 'Papa Bear' and conversing with another account, sending a range of child abuse images including the most serious Category A images.

Prosecuting, Mark Stephenson said that Contento denied to police that anything incriminating would be found at his house after officers forced the door in.

Mr Stephenson said: "He said he did not think anything would be found and said that he had learned his lesson previously.

"Some items of children's underwear were recovered in the house as well but the charges are really built on the contents of the phone."

Mr Stephenson said police found a range of indecent pictures and videos, ranging from Category C to the most serious Category A, and that they involved "some very young children, four to six years old".

It was while searching his phone that officers also found Contento was using the RandoChat app to distribute images of child rape.

Despite the evidence against him, Mr Stephenson said Contento continued to deny that he had a sexual interest in children.

To that assertion, Judge Stuart Driver, QC, replied: "The defendant says in the pre-sentencing report that he has no sexual interest in children.

"I do not know if he actually believes that but no one else does."

Kate Morley, defending, said it was "extremely disappointing and alarming" that Contento had not followed a programme aimed at deterring reoffending after his 2019 conviction, which saw him handed a suspended sentence.

Ms Morley said: "He was given an opportunity on the last occasion.

"Had he completed the Horizon programme perhaps he would not be here today."

She said the only substantial mitigation for Contento was that he had pleaded guilty to the crime early but that he realised a jail term was likely to be the only outcome of today's hearing.

Contento was sentenced for ten counts, including possession of 135 images of child abuse.

Judge Driver said Contento was in denial about his sexual interest in young children and had reoffended shortly after a previous sexual harm prevention order placed upon him had lapsed.

He said: "Within a few months of the order coming to an end you committed these offences.

"It shows you to be a determined and persistent offender who enjoys making, watching and distributing images of young children being raped."

Contento was sentenced to three years in prison for the charge of distributing the Category A child abuse images.

He was sentenced to two years for making and possessing Category A, B and C child abuse images and distributing Category B and C images.

He was sentenced to 18 months for possession of extreme pornography and breach of a separate sexual harm prevention order.

He will serve his sentences concurrently, meaning he will be eligible for release on licence after 18 months.

He was also made the subject of another sexual harm prevention order which can only be lifted if a judge orders it.

Contento must also pay a statutory surcharge.

Description

A dad-of-five arranged to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex after grooming her online.

However unknown to Peter Bancroft the girl did not actually exist and a fictitious profile had been set up for her by the paedophile hunting group, Stop UK.

65-year-old Bancroft - who was later found to have child sex abuse images on his mobile phone - began chatting to Sally Smith on Facebook on June 17 this year after describing her profile picture as "lovely".

Robert Wyn Jones, prosecuting said: "The decoy made it clear she was eleven years old and repeated this during conversations."

Bancroft quickly brought the conversations around to sexual matters and "asked if she wanted to know about sex. He described penetrative sex. He said he had had sex with three virgins".

Mr Wyn Jones said the granddad sent her a picture of himself and his car and asked her to send him a postcode so they could meet.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today (Monday, November 1) that he arranged to meet her at 11am on July 11 but when he arrived at the destination in Oldham members of Stop UK were waiting for him.

He told them: I have only been chatting with her."

They contacted the police who arrested him and in interview he said "his intention was to meet her and take her for a walk and claimed he did not intend to the sex.

"He said the messages were intended to warn her about sex with boys."

Bancroft, of Eccleston Avenue, Bromborough, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He also had seven offences involving possessing indecent images of children in all three categories of seriousness and extreme pornography.

Jailing him for three years and nine months Judge Andrew Menary, QC, the Recorder of Liverpool, said: "You asked her if she wanted to know about sex.

"You went on to describe sex acts, including penetrative sex, to what you believed was an 11-year-old girl."

Judge Menary told Bancroft that he drove to Oldham for the purpose of having sex with the child though he pretended he just wanted to go for a walk with her.

He added: "It is clear from the nature of the messages that your sole intention was to groom what you believed was a young girl and corrupt her into having sexual intercourse with you."

Judge Menary described the age difference as enormous and said that it was clear from the author of a pre-sentence report the defendant "was struggling to recognise the significance of what you had done".

Judge Menary said: "I hope as a consequence of work done with you in prison when you will realise the very serious nature of this intended activity.

"The seriousness of it cannot be overstated."

He ordered Bancroft, who was described by a probation officer as being "a high risk to children", to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

John Weate, defending, said: "His major mitigation is his guilty plea, although it was not entered at the first opportunity at the magistrates court."

He said that Bancroft, who has no similar convictions, recognises he will have to undertake work while in prison to address his offending behaviour.

Mr Weate also told the court that the defendant has health problems and added: "He has a large number of children and grandchildren but has no contact with them."

He said that after Bancrofts arrest "some people made it public knowledge and his property was ransacked and all his belongings have gone".

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A pervert sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman.

Nicholas Gillinder appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today for sentencing after pleading guilty to three offences which involved sexual activity with a vulnerable woman.

The court heard that Gillinder, 51, exchanged a series of sexually explicit messages with the victim, who was in her twenties but who had a mental age of just 13 because of her autism and learning difficulties.

He also touched her inappropriately on a number of occasions.

Gillinder, of Hart Street, Southport, worked in the care sector.

Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, said: "The victim in this case is classed as a vulnerable adult, who doesn't leave home unless accompanied by an appropriate adult, and has little or no comprehension of sexual matters.

"He [Gillinder] would send her messages saying how much he liked her and asking if she would go to bed with him.

"At the time his marriage wasn't good, which made the victim feel sorry for him.

"He would kiss and cuddle her and in the messages would say things like 'you've got nice boobs' and 'can I feel your bum'."

Mr Rogers said Gillinder reportedly said he "just foolishly fell for her" while he was in the police van after his arrest.

The victim was assessed as having suffered "substantial psychological harm" as a result of Gillinder's actions. This included gaining a significant amount of weight and having "vivid nightmares" about the defendant.

Mr Rogers added: "The victim felt betrayed by what the defendant had done. His offences compounded the complexity of her day to day life."

Arthur Gibson, defending, said: "At the time these offences were committed, his marriage was dying, if not dead.

"He did get too close to this young lady, was not thinking straight and formed an attraction to her, and the rest is history.

"She did not appreciate the underlying significance of flirtatious banter. He thought irrationally that she was responding to his overtures in the same way he was making them."

Judge David Potter told Gillinder: "You well knew she functioned at a much younger age cognitively.

"You ignored your common sense and became infatuated. You began texting her and sending her Snapchat messages which were sexual in nature.

"Her responses were not well-informed but you took them, childish as they were, as encouragement.

"It was not right for a man of your age to engage with a female of limited capacity. You were a trusted person and you abused the trust that she had in you."

Judge Potter sentenced Gillinder to 21 months in jail, of which he will serve half before being released on licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, and given a restraining order for the same amount of time.

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A child rapist is 'likely to die in jail' after his victim found justice 35-years after he raped and abused her.

Barry Lake, 70, from Newton-le-Willows was charged with 10 counts of rape of a child and two charges of gross indecency with a child last month.

The charges related to the historical abuse of his victim over a four year period in the 1980s.

Originally from Pembroke Dock in Wales, Lake had denied all 12 charges relating to the offences between January 1986 and January 1989.

Lake was first questioned by Dyfed-Powys Police in April 2020 in what would become an intensive and complex investigation.

Investigating officer DC Claire Lewis said: Lake denied all charges, putting his victim through the ordeal of a trial.

As they have done throughout the investigation, they [the victim] showed great courage and dignity in the face of adversity to help us convict their abuser.

This was a long and intensive investigation with a lot of work to achieve this outcome today.

This sentence shows that it doesnt matter how long ago a victim has suffered sexual abuse, we as police are here to listen and take seriously any person who has suffered any form of sexual abuse albeit a day or 35 years after.

Please do not be scared to come forward, we are here to listen to you.

Once again, I would like to commend the victim for their bravery for coming forward and achieving this outcome today.

The pensioner, who after being found guilty of all 12 charges, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, October 22.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for historical rape and abuse of a child and will also serve another year on licence upon his release.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A convicted paedophile repeatedly met up with three little girls in a Wirral cemetery despite being banned from such contact with any child.

Michael Mooney, 52, was jailed for nine years in 2005 for child sex abuse and an order made to keep him away from youngsters was renewed in April 2012 - but a court has heard he has now persistently breached it by meeting up with the girls.

The devastated mum of one of the girls told a judge about the impact Mooney had on her daughter and their family.

While Mooney did not molest the children Judge David Potter said: As to your ultimate intent I cannot exclude it was for sexual gratification. There is clearly evidence of grooming behaviour.

Mooney, of Old Chester Road, Rock Ferry, who admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, was jailed for three years and four months and ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on Friday that his breach of the order came to light after a 10 year old girl told her social worker about a man she had regularly encountered in Bebington cemetery.

She told of occasions when she, along with another 10 year old girl and an eight year old friend, were playing in the cemetery, which is attached to a park, and had encounters with Mooney in May and June this year.

It began when he asked if he could stroke the dog which two of them had with them and he then followed them and stared at them.

A few days later they made a den and Mooney, who told them he was 26, approached asking about it and within days they met him again.

He was exercising doing press-ups and the girls asked if he could spin them around by their legs while they held onto a branch which he did.

On a later occasion two of them took a small tent to the cemetery and Mooney asked if he could join them in the tent.

When asked if he had a girlfriend he said he had one who was 14 years old and they had touched body parts. He spent five to 10 minutes in the tent with them, said Miss Smith.

On another occasion they met him by some local shops and they asked him for some money which he gave them and was spent on sweets.

About five days later they met him again and after asking for money he said the cash was stashed on him and told them to search him and to "pat him down".

They asked if it was in his boxer shorts and he flicked the waistband and gave them 5, which was not the first time he had given them money, said Miss Smith.

After this encounter, a social worker told the 10-year-olds mum what she had been told by her daughter.

The mum and other members of the community confronted him and detained him until the police arrived.

The mum told the judge the incidents had a massive impact on my whole family. I feel I have failed my daughter although I know that is not the case.

She said: She has changed from being a happy child to being angry, she was never like this before.

Staring at Mooney she said he had been waiting in the cemetery preying on my daughter and other children. He is a child predator.

The court heard that when interviewed Mooney said he went to the park to exercise and the children had approached him and it was an unavoidable situation.

John Weate, defending, said Mooney had taken the decision not to challenge anything the children had said, although there were discrepancies, as he did to want to put them at risk of having to give evidence. He accepts his involvement with these children.

He had complied with the terms of his licence and SHPO for a considerable time. He had lived an isolated life since his release and suffered from anxiety and depression.

He used to go to a gym to keep fit but the pandemic brought that to an end and so we went to the park to keep exercising which is where he came into contact with the children.

Mr Weate said that Mooney has already been punished by having his home vandalised since his arrest and when he is eventually released he will have to find new accommodation.

Mr Weate said: He has passed on his apologies for what has happened and understands he has to be punished."

In sentencing Judge Potter said: "I have heard you are sorry. I consider you are more sorry for about your own position than the impact your offending has caused.

Description

A sex offender was today jailed for historic sex offences spanning over a period of 30 years.

Anthony Duckers, of Black Horse Close in Newton, Wirral, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The 64-year-old committed the offences between the 1970s and early 2000s.

He was jailed today for 16 years and handed a restraining order for life.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Detective Constable Kevin Thomas said: I am pleased that Duckers will now spend a number of years behind bars as a consequence of his actions.

I hope that todays proceedings will allow his victims to now move on with their lives and encourage anyone who has been subjected to a sexual offence to come forward and report it.

Time should never be a barrier to obtaining justice.

"Merseyside Police takes every report of sexual offences extremely seriously, whether or not they are recent, and has dedicated officers within the forces Unity Team who are specially trained to both thoroughly investigate allegations and make sure that those reporting them are properly supported.

"I would like to take this opportunity to reassure anyone who has suffered a sexual offence that if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us, we will deal with you sensitively and make sure that reports are properly and thoroughly investigated."

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A trainee solicitor sexually assaulted a sleeping law student at a colleague's party and molested another woman as she slept at the same event.

Tom Hagyard had just started working at one of the worlds largest law firms when he molested a drunken woman as she slept in the party hosts bed.

Minutes later Hagyard groped another woman, who was asleep on the living-room couch.

The 29-year-old told the jury the sexual activity was consensual.

Earlier that same night Hagyard treated his parents and two sisters to a celebratory three-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant with his first pay check in the legal profession before making his way to the 700,000 Fulham Road flat party venue in west London.

Hagyard, of Fylde Road, Southport was convicted of two counts of assault by penetration in relation to the first woman and two counts of sexual assault in relation to the second woman.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on one count of raping the first woman.

Jailing Hagyard for eight years, Recorder Simon Russell Flint QC told him: Nobody thought it was going to be anything other than a normal party for young people to get to know each other with drinking and dancing and having fun until your actions brought to an end how that night would be remembered.

The first victim had a lot to drink and was put into bed and out of kindness and regard for your comfort you also were invited to sleep in the bed.

You almost immediately started to touch her. This young lady was sound asleep when you began to touch her sexually and she did not kiss you or give you any encouragement.

She had no idea what was happening to her and could not identify who it was. You were a stranger to her and she did not consent to what you were doing and neither did you believe she was consenting.

You went ahead and did what you wanted to do to this woman and, getting little or no satisfaction, went looking for another victim.

You went into the living-room, where the second woman was asleep.

In her victim impact statement the first woman said the night left her with chronic stress, anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks, adding: The nightmares I have in relation to the assaults are impossible to shake off.

The defendants actions have destroyed my trust and personal faith in other people. I have felt ashamed that I did not fight back and still berate myself about it.

The second woman, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, said: Tom Hagyard, I dont hate you. You are a stranger to me.

I hope you can explore why you are the way you are and seek resolution so you do not harm anyone else. I am grieving for the loss of my old self, I miss her deeply.

The last four years have been torture with the anticipation of being in court, she told the court.

Isleworth Crown Court heard that Hagyard arrived at the party, on October 15, 2017, with a bottle of wine and in the early hours the first victim woke with Hagyard on top of her.

We got very drunk and I dont remember a lot. I took myself to bed and I woke up and there was a boy sort of on top of me, she told the trial.

The woman added: I was going in and out of consciousness and did not think I could move. I froze a bit, I didnt fight him off or anything.

I remember trying to push him away. I was staring at the wall for a while.

I felt very drunk, nine or ten out of ten drunk. I kept my eyes closed for a bit and I remember feeling confused.

He was on top of me and I was in pain. I felt like I could not move or fight him off and my memory goes in and out, I have flashes.

Hagyard claimed the second woman invited him onto the sofa, where he began massaging her chest.

However, prosecutor Richard Job said: She had also had a bit to drink and was sleeping in her clothes. She was woken at 5.30am by someone touching her chest.

She was scared and she got up and went quickly to the hosts bedroom.

Hagyard complained about how his potentially distinguished career was destroyed before it even started.

It has been difficult. I lost my job at the law firm, he told the court.

Hagyards lawyer Karina Arden told the court: This is a terrible tragedy not just for the complainants, but for the defendant and his family, who have accompanied him throughout the trial.

His professional life that he worked so hard for is over. He has changed from being a confident young trainee solicitor who was ambitious and dreamed of a career in commercial law.

He has suffered every day for the last four years and regrets the incident that night in that flat and it will remain with him for the rest of his life.

Hagyard will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely and must serve two thirds of the sentence before he can be considered for parole.

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A judge today told a paedophile he had no doubt a jury was right to convict him of sexually abusing a young boy.

Ryan Kitchen, 26, repeatedly molested his vulnerable victim by sexually assaulting him on 20 separate occasions.

Kitchen, of Strafford Drive, Bootle, denied any wrongdoing and claimed the child was lying in a trial last month.

But after jurors heard evidence from both him and the boy, they unanimously found Kitchen guilty of six counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child, while acquitting him of one further count of sexual assault.

Judge Garrett Byrne today told Kitchen: "You continue to deny the offences and seek to blame others for the situation you find yourself in.

"Having seen the evidence of the boy during the trial, I have no doubt the jury's verdicts were correct."

He jailed Kitchen for eight years, prompting one of Kitchen's supporters sitting in a public gallery to question: "Seriously?"

The woman then moaned: "F***ing lies. Send an innocent man to jail, all for lies."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Kitchen repeatedly performed sex acts on the boy, both over and under his clothing, tried to get the boy to touch his penis, and performed sex acts in front of the child.

Seven supporters of the victim, including his mum, sat in one public gallery, with 10 supporters of the defendant sitting in another public gallery.

The boy's mum told the court that when her son confided in her about Kitchen's sexual abuse "my whole body went cold with shock".

David Polglase, prosecuting, read out her statement in which she described how she holds "a lot of anger and resentment" towards Kitchen.

She said: "I hope in the future I will be able to channel this more productively, but at the moment it cripples me."

The mum said the ordeal of giving evidence impacted on her son and before the verdicts were returned he kept repeating that if they were not guilty, "it meant people thought he was lying".

She said her son had spent days crying in his room, his mental health was affected and along with thoughts of suicide, she had found him threatening to kill himself.

The mum said: "I'm in constant fear that he will actually follow through with his threats."

The boy's father told the court in a second victim statement that he also felt suicidal about what had happened to his son.

He said: "I hope that Ryan Kitchen realises he's destroyed my son's life. He's totally obliterated his trust in people."

The victim's mum cried as the statements were read and was comforted by members of her family.

Nick Cockrell, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and nearly 30 character references submitted to the court, which "paint a very positive picture of Mr Kitchen".

He said: "That of course has to be set against the offences for which he has been convicted by the jury, but in total it seems there were almost 30 people who had taken the time to write letters or emails of support for Mr Kitchen."

Mr Cockrell said there was also a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service, but added: "Where there have been convictions after trial, convictions which it's clear from the report are still denied and disputed by Mr Kitchen, it does make such a document difficult in the circumstances.

"Your honour has no option but to sentence Mr Kitchen to a lengthy custodial sentence and it will be hoped that some of the concerns that are raised in that report can be addressed as part of that sentence."

Mr Cockrell added that Kitchen was still relatively young and it would be his first prison sentence, and asked the judge to take into account conditions in jail during the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge Byrne said the jury had found Kitchen guilty of eight counts of sexual abuse against the victim, "representing a total of 20 separate occasions when you sexually abused the boy".

The judge told Kitchen he took advantage of a situation "by sexually assaulting the boy for your own pleasure".

The judge said Kitchen had "deliberately and cynically" abused a situation to molest his victim.

He said the offences had a detrimental impact on the "vulnerable" child's mental health.

Judge Byrne said: "During the course of his evidence, he said this, he would ask himself 'why, why is he doing this?'

"It would make him feel angry and sick. He said 'I thought it would never end'."

The judge said weighing in Kitchen's favour was his previous good character.

He said: "I've read all the references. Very many people have spoken very highly of you, describing your positive influence, that you're a good friend, that you're a caring person and you're a hard worker.

"I've also read the moving letter from your parents and I will of course take into account the impact the sentence is going to have upon them and your family."

Kitchen showed no emotion when he was jailed, which prompted the outburst from a female supporter.

A male supporter started sobbing and was consoled by others, before the woman continued to swear and complain as she walked out of the courtroom.

Kitchen must comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Judge Byrne also made a 10-year restraining order, preventing Kitchen from contacting the boy or his parents.