Latest Offenders Middlesbrough

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A university graduate who stalked, chased and stabbed a schoolgirl has been locked up for 38 years.

Recluse Ellis Dismore, 24, posted intimate photos of his online partner to social media, after the teen blocked him to end any further contact between them. Despite being in a relationship, which was mainly conducted over Snapchat, the two had had never met.

On Thursday, June 22, 2023, after days of sending his victim, and her family, voice notes threatening to stab the pupil in the heart - Dismore bought two steak knives from Wilko and waited for the teen in Middlesbrough.

The pupil thought she had been in a relationship with a teenage boy called "James Wilson" but in fact Dismore had set up fake profiles online and used other people's photos. But she recognised Dismore's voice as that of James - as he began shouting at her and chasing her on Premier Road.

Dismore approached his victim from behind. The girl ran, but Dismore stabbed her five times in the back and in the chest.

He continued to try and stab her when a passing motorist heard her screams, and told the teen to get in their car. The victim suffered horrific injuries - three puncture wounds to her left breast and a slash wound to her hand.

Teesside Crown Court has hard that Dismore's attack would "likely have been fatal" if the passing motorist hadn't stopped. Dismore was found guilty of the attempted murder after standing trial in December 2023.

He pleaded guilty to the possession of a bladed article, after CCTV showed him buying knives and using one of them to stab his victim.

He was also found guilty of:

• the possession of a knife in public
• inciting a child into sexual activity
• three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child
• five charges of distributing an indecent photograph of a child

Sentencing for the attempted murder was delayed, after police found evidence that Dismore had blackmailed and demanded intimate photos from other underage pupils. Forensic examination of his computer and phone, showed that the gaming-obsessed masters student had downloaded indecent images of children and that he had contacted eight other girls.

He messaged them - often using fake profiles - and groomed them, until they sent him naked photos of themselves. Dismore was under 16 himself, when he contacted his first two child victims.

He targeted school pupils who were young teens and as his offences continued over several years, he used fake photos to pretend he was a teenage boy himself. Dismore used social media profiles to bombard some of his victims with hateful messages and threats - whilst he played the good guy, and pretended to be concerned.

Dismore stood trial for a second time last year, over the charges relating to the eight more victims. He was found guilty of:

• Six charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• two charges of stalking causing fear of violence or serious harm/distress
• making indecent photographs of a child
• four counts of arranging the commission of a child sexual offence
• sending an indecent electronic communication with intent to cause stress or anxiety
• causing a child to watch a sexual act

He pleaded guilty to a second count of making indecent images of children. On Wednesday, the court heard statement from some of the victims.

The schoolgirl that Dismore tried to kill, said she had been "a normal, happy teenager" until she met 'James Wilson'. Dismore was jealous and controlling over the pupil, telling her she couldn't see friends and pressuring her to send indecent photographs of herself.

"I was so frightened of Dismore, or 'James,' I told a friend of mine what had been going on, and she told me to block him," she told the court. "I heard that he had sent indecent photos of me, that I had sent him. I was so embarrassed that people I know and strangers would see pictures of me."

The victim said: "Ellis Dismore tried to kill me. I replay that attack over and over again in my head. I'm scared to go out now."

Another victim said she felt that Dismore was "obsessed with me" and it had been "too awkward" to tell her parents that he kept sending her sexualised images. One girl said that Dismore put her "under so much pressure" she sent him naked photos of herself that he was demanding.

She never heard from him again, once she sent the photos. Another victim, who was 14 when she met Dismore online, talked about the threats he made to rape one of her friends.

In mitigation, Paul Abrahams told the court that a pre-sentence report by the probation service, found that Dismore presents a "very high risk of causing serious harm to the public." The defence barrister said that he could only make the points that Dismore has never received a prison sentence before; and that he has no previous convictions; and that he was a youth himself, when he targeted his first two victims.

'You turned nasty'

Judge Timothy Stead told Dismore: "Your offences spanned several years and culminated in the most serious offence of attempted murder. Starting when you were a teenager - you had few, if any, friends at all, but you had knowledge and skills with regard to the use of the internet.

"You used that knowledge with cunning to create identities. You posed as a young teenager and you indicated to victims that you were a friendly teenage boy of the same age. Your initial communications were friendly and innocuous.

"But you turned nasty. Very nasty indeed. You demanded indecent images were sent to you. You asked for sex with them. You disclosed images."

Speaking about the attack on June 22, he stated that Dismore approached his victim from behind. He continued: "You stabbed her repeatedly in the back. The victim can count herself very fortunate she wasn't murdered.

"It is to enormous credit that a stranger shouted at you, and gave time for your victim to get into her car. If it hadn't been for the actions of this woman, this would very likely be an offence of murder." The judge classified Dismore as a "dangerous offender."

Dismore, of Stoneyhurst Avenue, Acklam, in Middlesbrough, was handed an extended 43-year sentence - comprising of 38-years in prison and five years on licence. He was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order; and a restraining order prohibits him from contacting his nine victims indefinitely.

He will sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life. After the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Andrew Hamilton from Cleveland Police, gave a statement outside court describing Dismore as a "violent predator." Watch DS Hamilton here:

Debbie Breen from the Crime Prosecution Service, said: “Ellis Dismore is a dangerous and violent sexual predator who manipulated his young victims into sexual activity through fear and intimidation. It is clear that these were not idle threats, as Dismore went on to carry out a terrifying knife attack against one of his victims.

“Despite the horrific nature of his actions toward them, the evidence provided by the brave young victims in this case has been instrumental in helping the Crown Prosecution Service to build such a robust case against Dismore.

“We sincerely hope that the part they have each played in jailing such a dangerous man will bring them some measure of comfort.”

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A lying child rapist claims that a sex offender order ‘takes away his human rights’.

Chris Leyburn also says that the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) is “an inconvenience”. The 34-year-old told cops that he wasn’t aware that he had to declare his alias on Snapchat when he was caught with two phones in his mum’s car.

But his claims were dismissed after his sex offender history was resurfaced at Teesside Crown Court - outlining multiple breaches of the strict guidelines he must follow.

The Acklam man appeared at the Middlesbrough court, via video link from HMP Durham, for sentencing on Wednesday. He previously admitted two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with notification requirements.

The court heard that in 2006, Leyburn was convicted of raping two children. He also began relationships with women who had children so a sexual harm prevention order was imposed, prosecutor Dan Wilberforce said.

On September 12 at around 10am, two police officers went to arrest Leyburn after “information was passed” to the force regarding Leyburn’s use of Snapchat. At the time, he was travelling in his mum’s car.

After removing Leyburn from the vehicle, he was asked if he had any mobile phones. He replied no, lying to police. However a search of the car uncovered two mobile phones - a Motorola and a Samsung - stashed in the glove box.

WhatsApp messages between Leyburn and his girlfriend confirmed that the phone was his, Mr Wilberforce explained. Analysis of one of the phones showed that Leyburn had used the username ‘Lizardman1990’ on Snapchat and had been using the app since January.

Mr Wilberforce stated that failing to provide his mobile phone when requested was a breach of his sex offender prevention order. The use of a Snapchat alias - which had not been released to police - was a breach of his notification requirements. Mr Wilberforce told the judge that Leyburn has eight convictions for 23 offences, with 14 offences being of a sexual nature.

Judge Richard Bennett described the Snapchat usage as a “persistent breach”. He told the court that Leyburn has received a number of “length custodial sentences” for breaches of sexual harm prevention order breaches - but they appear to not to have “discouraged him”.

Leyburn, of Aylton Drive, Acklam, Middlesbrough, has eight breaches for not complying with notification requirements and six breaches of his sexual harm prevention order. Judge Bennett told the Middlesbrough court that Leyburn “claims the sexual harm prevention order takes away your human rights and is too restrictive”. Leyburn was jailed for two years.

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A sex offender, who parked up near a Middlesbrough school, performed a sex act on himself - and filmed it.

Kurtis Randall stayed in the car and turned his camera to film the reaction of two schoolgirls, who saw what he was doing as they walked home at the end of the day. The 29-year-old then threw a £10 note towards one of them.

When police arrived at Randall's home, they found the sick video he had recorded, stored on an encrypted cloud app; and another video showing a live video of a child watching him online, as he lay on his bed performing a sex act to the camera.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Randall parked close to a footpath, near the school, in 2023 and 2024. Each time he arrived as school was finishing, and began performing a sex act on himself, while he sat in a borrowed white Audi.

One girl later told police: "He was proper w****** himself and then he threw a tenner at us." Randall returned the next day, and exposed his private parts as he carried out the sex act. The girl said: "He laughed and threw us a tenner."

Robin Patton, prosecuting, told the court that one of the schoolgirls had told a relative what she had seen, but she was not believed. When Randall returned again the day after, he performed the sex act with his car window down, but sped off when the same schoolgirl shouted: "That's him!" to her pal.

Randall was already under a strict court order whilst living in the community, after serving a jail term for paying a 15-year-old girl £60 for a sex act in a car, in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough. He also blackmailed another underage girl, to send him naked photos of herself, in 2016. He later posted the explicit pictures online.

Mr Patton said that police turned up at Randall's home to discuss him wearing a location tag, as part of the sexual harm prevention order imposed on him. When offender managers checked his mobile phone, they found the videos Randall had filmed near the school, titled "d*** flashing".

Another saved file showed a video of girls, aged 12 to 14, looking into a camera as Randall perform a sex act on his bed. It was filmed as a live video on social media and Randall had used an alias name as his profile, which breached the terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

A further file showed 50 images of children, aged two to eight-years-old, being raped and sexually abused. Randall had saved the videos to the encrypted cloud storage app 'Mega.' Mr Patton said: "He is determined to have as sexual encounter or experience with children - he is a danger. He is quite resourceful."

Schoolgirl 'shocked and scared'

In statements read out to the court, the schoolgirls who had walked past Randall in the Audi, said: "I felt shocked and scared. I do not want to leave the house if this man is released."

The other girl, who is in her early teens, said: "When I seen the man doing that in his car I was disgusted. Since it happened I only leave the house to go to school."

Randall, of Enfield Street in central Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child; to possessing indecent photos of a child; two counts of making indecent photos of a child; to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order; and to failing to comply with notification requirements.

In mitigation, Shaun Routledge said that Randall was remorseful and "took full responsibility" for what he had done. Randall's mum watched from the public gallery as Judge Chris Smith said he would be passing an extended prison sentence - because of the high risk Randall poses.

The judge said: "In 2022, police received complaints about a man m*********** in his car. When they came to your house to discuss wearing a location tag to manage the risk you pose in the community, they discovered videos of what you did in the car and videos relating to further sexual offending by you.

"The videos showed that you parked close to a school. You deliberately set about removing your clothes, so you could be seen m***********. Mr Routledge says there's remorse, but I find very little evidence of that in your pre-sentence report."

10 year sentence

Randall was handed a 10-year extended sentence - made up of four-years-six-months in prison and five-years-six-months on an extended licence, in the community. He will be eligible to be considered for release after serving three-years of his prison term.

Randall was made the subject of a new sexual harm prevention order, meaning he has to wear a location tag for 10-years. "You must ensure the device is charged and you prohibited from tampering with it or removing it," the judge told him.

A restraining order banned Randall from the area where the schoolgirls live; and he must comply by sex offender notification requirements for the rest of his life.

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The detective who led a harrowing rape investigation in Whitby has praised a teenage girl whose courage ensured her attacker has been jailed for 12 years.

Dwayne Anthony Rhoden (pictured below), 34, from Union Street, Middlesbrough, was sentenced at York Crown Court today (Wednesday 17 April 2024).

Following a trial in January, Rhoden was found guilty of nine offences including:

• Five counts of rape
• Two counts of sexual assault by penetration
• Sexual assault
• False imprisonment

He pleaded guilty to a 10th offence of failing to comply with change of address notifications as a Registered Sex Offender.

As well as the prison sentence which includes an extended three years on licence, Rhoden was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Background to the investigation

The incident happened at an address in Whitby from around 11pm on Sunday 13 August 2023 to just after midnight on Monday 14 August 2023.

At 12.53am, a 999 call was made to North Yorkshire Police by a friend of the victim.

The girl was then put on the phone and she gave the first account of her terrifying ordeal to the Force Control Room.

An investigation was launched led by Detective Constable Matthew Edwards from the Scarborough and Ryedale Safeguarding Investigation Team.

He was able to establish that Rhoden had lured the teenager to a bedsit he was staying in after meeting her in town around 30 minutes before.

The teenager was eventually able to leave the address after about an hour. She contacted friends who helped her to alert the police.

Rhoden was arrested at the bedsit at 2.42am and was taken into custody for questioning.

He was subsequently charged with the 10 offences.

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A warehouse worker has been jailed after being found guilty of rape.

Russell Beatty, 28, appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced following a trial by jury. The court heard the Middlesbrough man subjected the woman to "domination and violence" and left her feeling frightened to leave her home.

In a victim impact statement, the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - said the stress of the investigation has impacted her health. She said: "I feel nervous all the time. I feel trapped due to what he's put me through. The incident has had a dramatic impact on my life - I feel frightened and scared to leave my address.

"I have been suffering medical problems in relation to my heart and chest pains. I have been told that the issue I have had is due to stress and anxiety."

The court heard the defendant, who still denies the offences, is previously of good character and Beatty's barrister asked Judge Howard Crowson to take into account the defendant's youth. It was also claimed the defendant has not had any difficulties with his fellow inmates, has a mortgage and works in a warehouse.

Sentencing, Judge Howard Crowson said: "There was an act of sexual intercourse which you forced upon her. It was a selfish act committed for your pleasure alone."

Judge Crowson jailed the defendant, of Hills View Road, Eston, for eight years. He was also banned from contacting the victim.

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David Spencer, 45, was originally jailed for 10 months in 2019 after he was convicted of trying to meet a teenage girl in a car park following grooming.

He was found with a mattress in the back of his van.

Spencer was also slapped with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to allow police to closely monitor his movements, contact with youngsters and use of the internet.

He has now been jailed again for breaching the prevention order seven times.

It included not telling a woman, who he was seeing and who had a daughter, of his conviction.

Cainan Lonsdale, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court, said: “He attended her home four or five times when her daughter was present.”

The woman found out about Spencer’s sick past after trying to Google his address and found press reports of his conviction.

When police checked his phone, they found he had deleted hundreds of text messages relating to another woman he had previously been seeing.

It was also discovered he had used alias names on a porn website and had been chatting to various women in a sexual manner on the app Kik.

Spencer, formerly of Hartlepool, and most recently of The Crescent, Middlesbrough, had also used Snapchat in breach of the harm prevention order.

Sentencing him to 43 months’ jail, Recorder Paul Reid said: “This is a series of serious breaches of the sexual harm prevention order.”

Paul Green, mitigating, said Spencer had started to show signs of progress.

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A paedophile, who exposed himself to a girl whilst in the bath, told her mum there was "nothing wrong with being friends" with a child, a court heard.

Dad-of-one Paul Evans "pressured" the teen into sending intimate pictures and would tell her she was "beautiful" after meeting on a mobile app in December 2021. Teesside Crown Court heard the child told him she was a teenager straight away and on their first video call was even wearing a school uniform.

Outlining the case, prosecutor Rachel Butt, said the pair would chat on WhatsApp and call each other almost every day. The timings would range from between 7pm and 4am.

"She said he was very nice to her at first and would compliment her on her appearance and tell her she was beautiful and amazing," Ms Butt said. "In their first video call he told her 'if you keep speaking to me you'll get money'."

After several weeks of grooming the 55-year-old began to ask for pictures of the girl's cleavage and private parts. Ms Butt said these requests would make the young girl feel "pressured" because he would "beg" repeatedly and say things such as "I've had a really bad day, you don't care about me".

The court heard the young girl sent pictures on multiple occasions and during some of the video calls the Middlesbrough defendant would take his top off. Ms Butt said on one video call he was in the bath and exposed his erect penis to her.

However, in February 2022, the girl's mother became suspicious after she saw a message from her child to the defendant asking for money. The mum recalled that the youngster had been dropping hints that she had entered competitions to win money. Ms Butt said this was to ensure the family would have not known where the funds had come from if Evans ever sent her any.

The court heard the mother questioned her child but she denied sending pictures. The mum then phoned Evans and asked why he was chatting with the child. Ms Butt said in response he said he was "just talking to her" before ending the call.

The prosecutor said the following day the mum phoned the defendant again and said she was going to contact the police. Evans told her 'there was nothing wrong with being friends with a teenager'.

The court heard the mum destroyed her daughter's sim card to prevent her from contacting him and the matters weren't reported until months later. Evan's crimes came to light when social services contacted the police over concerns.

Evans was arrested in June 2022 and data from his phone showed multiple video calls to and from the victim. There was also an image of the youngster in her school uniform on his phone and also one of her cleavage.

In a victim impact statement the youngster said: "The case with Paul has had a huge impact on me and my family. Firstly it really hurt my relationship with my mum. After she found out what happened she didn't trust me and it's taken a long time to try and repair our relationship.

"Paul's actions and the hurt he caused me resulted in my being hospitalised after I tried to kill myself. My parents felt unable to keep me safe and I was put in care for four months. While I know this was trying to keep me safe it removed me from my family and I wasn't able to see my sister which really upset me."

The court heard Evans has 16 convictions for 75 offences and pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing the same child to look at a sexual act and engaging in sexual communications with a child.

In mitigation, barrister Kelleigh Lodge said the defendant has used his time in custody wisely and is remorseful. She said: "He is genuinely sorry for his behaviour and the impact that it has had on the victim and her family.

"He has been in custody for a short while now and has used it well. He has been working with the DART team to address his alcohol issues and his mental health issues."

She said Evans is working with the probation service and has been approved for the Horizon programme for medium risk sex offenders. The defendant, previously of Forest Drive, Ormesby, was handed a 32-month consecutive prison sentence.

He is already serving a two-years-and-six-months prison sentence after he performed a grotesque dance which involved exposing himself to two 15-year-old girls live on a webcam. Teesside Live previously reported he promised the girls thousands of pounds each if they showed him their bodies.

He offered them more money to touch each other, but they refused. The two girls were online together in a bedroom when Evans performed the sick dance.

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A Teesside sex offender has been jailed after he was caught using a dating site and aliases online.

Aaron Hughes, 27, was under a strict sex offender court order which limits his internet use when he was caught using the aliases "deathstorm" and "electro_darkness" on TikTok and Kik messenger. He had also set up accounts on the dating site Tinder, as well as Snapchat and Instagram.

Hughes appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday, after his sex offender manager turned up at his home to carry out a risk assessment, on July 28. His phone showed that he had downloaded the apps and deleted them.

Hughes, of King Street in South Bank in Redcar, admitted four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and the breach of a suspended sentence. The order was imposed in November, last year, when he was convicted of making indecent images of children.

In 2021, he received a suspended prison sentence for making indecent images. Michele Turner, mitigating, said that her client has "mild learning disabilities" and that he had endured a difficult upbringing.

Judge Paul Watson jailed Hughes for 19-months.

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A pervert is starting his third prison sentence after he was caught with an illegal image of a baby girl on his mobile phone.

Matthew Laidler "appeared nervous and was tapping away on his mobile" when his offender manager made an unannounced visit to his Middlesbrough home, on October 8. Laidler had been released from a 29-month prison sentence five days earlier.

Teesside Crown Court heard that the 33-year-old claimed he was "texting his grandma" but police found that he had been sent an indecent image of a baby. He replied to the sender: "Hi bud. Beautiful. I've nothing to send back to you at the moment" before making an explicit sexual comment about the baby.

Laidler had downloaded the Wickr and Mega apps, where users can send end-to-end encrypted messages.

Laidler, who gives his address as HMP Durham but is from Linthorpe in Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the possession of an indecent image and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He was convicted of the sexual assault of a child in 2006; and he was jailed for the first time in 2015 for the possession of indecent images of children.

In April 2022, he was handed another the 29-month prison term after it emerged he'd been babysitting young girls, sleeping over and giving one of them baths. The terms of his licence prohibited from having any contact with children.

The court heard that after his latest offence, Laidler was recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his 2022 sentence, which finishes in December 2024. He listened on video link from HMP Durham as Judge Paul Watson told him that the apps he had downloaded were capable of "removing any trace of messages."

Laidler was handed a 26-month prison sentence.

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A sick monster has continued to deny his horrifying sex crimes as he is jailed for 18 years.

Ashif Nashaat is starting the lengthy stint behind bars after he was found guilty of two counts of attempted rape. In one of the sickening incidents, the now 41-year-old tried to rape a child under the age of 13.

Years later, he attempted to rape his victim, who was then over the age of 16. But the cruel Middlesbrough sex offender has continued to deny the charges forcing his victim to give evidence during a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

In an impact statement, read out by prosecutor Johnny Walker, the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said: "I feel it's very difficult to put into words how this case and this man Ashif Nashaat has made me feel.

"I feel so numb, I have lost my trust in everything."

"It ruined me as a person," they added.

"I honestly feel ashamed about what has happened to me - I know I shouldn't but I do.

"I'm never going to have a normal life ever. This will always be in my life, I just hope I have the strength to move forward."

Nashaat, who was represented by Alex Menary, spoke only to confirm his name and that he could hear the proceedings as he attended via a video link from HMP Durham. The 41-year-old had no previous convictions for sexual offences but had previously been convicted of harassing a former partner.

Mr Menary said the defendant continues to deny the two offences.

During sentencing, Judge Howard Crowson outlined that the sentences for both offences must be served consecutively. Speaking of the second offence, he added: "I cannot regard you as a man with no similar offending - you were simply a man who by then had not been discovered to be a sexual offender."

Nashaat, of Diamond Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 11 years - one year of which will be served on extended licence - for the attempted rape of a child and an additional eight years for the attempted rape on a person over the age of 16.

He will be subject to a notification requirement - the Sex Offenders' Register - indefinitely and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order.

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A man given a lengthy prison sentence today (Tuesday July 25) after being convicted of sexual assaults and voyeurism offences against a child remains in denial.

Alan Lee Pearson was arrested after a third-party contacted Cleveland Police with concerns for a teenage victim, in April 2021.

The victim disclosed that Pearson had carried out physical and sexual assaults over a number of years.

Specialist support was offered to the complainant while inquiries were undertaken.

Extensive allegations were made against Pearson, following recovery and examination of various electronic devices, revealing indecent images and videos.

It resulted in 12 charges being brought against Pearson in March last year and he subsequently denied all of them at initial court appearances.

Despite his continued denials, even trying to shift the blame for some of the offences onto his accuser, he was found guilty of all charges, two of rape of a child under 13, seven counts of sexual assault, six in the most serious bracket, plus three of voyeurism, after a trial at Teesside Crown Court, concluding on May 2.

The 42-year-old defendant, of no fixed abode, appeared back before the court at his sentencing hearing, via video link from HMP Durham, where he has been on remand,

Asked by trial judge, Recorder Andrew Smith, if his “position” remains the same regarding his denials, Paul Abrahams, for Pearson, said: “No, he maintains his position as to what he said in evidence.”

Recorder Pearson told Pearson he would sentence him as an offender, “of particular concern.,” meaning he will have to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he can be considered eligible for releasee.

Referring to a background report prepared for the sentencing hearing, Recorder Smith said: “The Probation Service takes the view you pose a high risk of causing serious harm to children.

“Inevitable the only sentence that can be passed today is a lengthy sentence of imprisonment”, for what he described as, “behaving in this disgraceful way to a young child.”

Recorder Smith imposed a 16-year custodial element, to be followed by an extended 12-month period of licence supervision.

He told Pearson that unless his current attitude to his offending changes he may have to serve longer than the two-thirds custodial element of the sentence behind bars.

Agreed restrictions under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order will be confirmed in coming days, but Pearson must also now register as a sex offender, for life.

Speaking after the hearing, the officer who oversaw the case, Detective Sergeant Gemma Leeming, of Cleveland Police’s  CAVA (Child Abuse and Vulnerable Adult) department, said: “This was a horrific case of long-term systematic sexual and physical abuse until the victim bravely told someone what happened.

“As soon as police received the report about his offences, we took all possible steps to preserve evidence and build a strong case against Pearson who consistently denied any wrongdoing. 

“The victim was courageous and determined throughout, and the investigation team shared a determination to bring Pearson to justice.

“I welcome the sentence passed today and hope that the victim and family can now move on with their lives.

“I wish the victim well for the future.”

Safeguarding CAVA Chief Inspector Matt Murphy-King said: “I hope this sentence brings comfort to the victim and their family.

"It should reassure anyone with concerns for the safety of a child or young person that they can report to Cleveland Police in complete confidence. 

“My specially trained officers will investigate all allegations thoroughly and sensitively and support is always available to victims and their family during the investigation and court process.”

He added: “You can report concerns to Cleveland Police at any time via the 101 number, or online via our website.”

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A crack cocaine addict is beginning a 20-year jail sentence for the double rape of a woman which only came to light after a police officer noticed bruising on her forehead.

Lee Murphy, 49, was found guilty of attacking his victim and raping her by a jury after a trial at Teesside Crown Court. He was arrested after an officer was speaking to the victim, who can't be identified for legal reasons, about an unrelated incident.

On Monday, prosecutor Robert Mochrie said that "the officer noticed bruising to the woman's forehead and asked her questions." The victim told police that she had been attacked and forced her to have sex twice. She had been too scared to report what had happened to the police.

Mr Mochrie said that when officers went to arrest Murphy, he initially tried to jump out of a window before hiding in a storage cupboard. Murphy has 39 previous convictions for 85 offences, which include violent offending but he has never committed a sex offence before. The court heard that he has a crack cocaine addiction.

Sentencing Murphy, Judge Jonathan Carroll told him: "You are a man who has an entrenched dysfunctional attitude towards women. This sexual violence was as much driven by your need to have power and control over your victim, as the need to have sexual power."

The judge handed Murphy, from Middlesbrough, a 20-year extended prison term. The sentence is made up of 16-years in prison and an extended licence period of four-years, which Murphy will serve out in the community.

He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements for the rest of his life and and an indefinite restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his victim, ever again.

After the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Simone Bennett, of the Domestic Abuse Unit, said: “No one should have to succumb to such violent and despicable crimes that Murphy committed against his victim. His actions towards the victim in this case were nothing less than inhumane and cruel, which I have no doubt will have a lasting impact on the victim’s life.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the victim in this case for her bravery. She has not only took that unimaginable critical step to come forward to report these incidents to police, she has also lived through this distressing time all over again throughout the trial. Without the victim demonstrating such courage Murphy would not have been convicted of these heinous crimes.”

“I would also like to thank the team for their hard work and tenacity and the jury in this case, which has resulted in Murphy receiving a lengthy sentence in prison where he belongs.”

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A 'friendless' paedophile, who was originally caught by the mother of a young girl he was sexting online, has appeared back in court after failing to comply with strict rules about his internet usage.

Raymond Attwood, 40, was jailed a decade ago after the mother pretended to be her daughter online, uncovered Attwood's identity and reported him to the police. He served a two-year-sentence for sending the 12-year-old explicit sexual messages detailing what he wanted to do.

Previously, the court heard how Attwood lived an isolate life and had "no actual friends and no actual social life".

On Friday, his new barrister Victoria Lamballe, told Teesside Crown Court that every time Attwood tried to make friends, "he's bullied and ridiculed and this causes him to retreat further into himself. The only contact he has is with his elderly mother."

When police made a surprise visit to Attwood's Middlesbrough home on May 25, and told him they were going to check that he had not been using any internet-enabled devices that he hadn't declared to them - Attwood immediately handed them a mobile phone stuffed down the side of his settee.

Under the terms of his sexual harm prevention order - imposed in 2013 - Attwood must keep to strict rules about his online use, which is monitored by police. He must also declare any new devices and bank cards he has.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, told the court that he hadn't declared the mobile phone and checks made on it showed that he had been using it for a year. "He had downloaded Snapchat, which automatically deletes messages, so this is a further breach" Mr Soppitt said, "and his username "Ray38" had nine female names in his contacts."

Attwood, previously of Saltburn but now of Wicklow Street in central Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He has broken his court order twice before - in 2013 and 2022.

Judge Paul Watson KC said that a report on Attwood from the probation service, "suggests he still presents a risk to young girls." Attwood was jailed for 16-months. He will be eligible for release after he has served half of his sentence.

Description

A violent rapist who forced his way into a woman's home when she opened the door has been handed a 25-year prison term.

Brute James Walton, 32, dragged his victim into her living room, before attacking her and strangling her.

In an ordeal lasting 14-hours, he raped her three times and later tried to intimidate her into stopping the police case against him. Walton had only been out of prison for a matter of months when he attacked his third female victim.

Teesside Crown Court heard the woman, who broke down in tears as she read out her victim statement on Monday, thought she was going to die in the attack.

After standing trial, Walton was convicted of:

• three rapes,
• assault occasioning actual bodily harm,
• false imprisonment,
• harassment
• witness intimidation.

'Choke hold'

The court heard that after getting into the woman's home, he put her in a "choke hold" which left her limp.

After dragging her into her living room, he slapped her across her face so hard that she "could only see black," as she fell to the floor and blood poured from her busted lip.

The woman thought Walton would kill her before he raped her three times, the court heard. Jurors also heard how he wouldn't let the woman leave her home for over 12 hours during the ordeal.

Giving evidence at the trial, the victim recalled: "I saw black and stars. There was blood all over my floor when I opened my eyes again. I had a pain in my skull like someone was rattling my brain around in my head."

But Walton made her clean up the blood and force-fed her pasta, when he was eating and she didn't want anything. He later tried to pressure her into dropping the case against him.

During the trial, he claimed the woman had wanted to have sex with him, and that she "begged him to stay".

The court heard that Walton has previously been violent towards two other women; and that he was released from a five-and-a-half year sentence last year. He then went onto attack his latest victim.

Walton, who appeared in court on video link from prison, shook his head as the judge told him: "You have a history of violence and dominating behaviour towards women. You put your hands around her neck. You slapped her around her face. You made her clean up the blood saying: 'That's it, I'm going to jail. I might as well just slit your face up.'

"She wasn't allowed to leave her house. You raped her three times.

"It's necessary to protect women from serious harm by you. I have concluded that you are a dangerous man, and I shall impose an extended sentence."

The judge handed Walton, of Ashling Way in Middlesbrough, a 19-year prison term, with an extended licence period of six-years. He is eligible for release after serving two-thirds of his jail term, but can be called back to prison to serve the full 25-years, if he breaches the terms of his licence after he is released.

He will be subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A pervert targeted an underage girl for his own "sexual gratification" before plying her with cannabis to facilitate sex abuse, a judge has said.

"Despicable" Sami Brek, who was over 10 years older than his victim, tried to claim in court that the underage teenager was "throwing herself" at him. The 33-year-old is now starting a five year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl age 13 to 15.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the sex act was the "culmination of a pattern of grooming behaviour", with Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC telling Brek he had "no doubt" the pervert targeted the girl for his "own sexual gratification".

He said: "The suggestion that she was in some way throwing herself at you - as said in the pre-sentence report - I'm afraid I'm wholly unimpressed by it.

"Children can behave in an inappropriate way sometimes but more reason for you to treat them as what they are, which is a child. You knew that you were developing a sexual attraction for her."

David Ward, mitigating, says Brek, of Southfield Road, Middlesbrough, has now admitted his guilt. "He did maintain his innocence initially, he has now accepted his offending," he said.

His victim, however, still had to give evidence and go through the ordeal of a trial as his admission comes only after he was found guilty.

Mr Ward says Brek presents as a "pleasant and polite" man but is immature and had a very poor upbringing. Brek appeared at court via video link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for the two sex offences as well as supplying a controlled drug, cannabis.

Recorder Enoch KC added: "However she was behaving towards you whether she was apparently consenting or not what you should have had upmost in your mind at all times was that she was a child.

"This is not a case of fumbling teenagers, you were an adult."

"You facilitated your sexual abuse of her by plying her with cannabis that made her less able to resist you when you decided to make your advances towards her."

Brek was jailed for five years and a sexual harm prevention order was made for a period of 10 years. He will be placed on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Cleveland Police Detective Constable Pulman said: “Sami Brek preyed on a teenage girl and groomed her, supplied her with drugs and engaged in sexual activity with her. He went on to deny the offences, which then put the victim through the ordeal of a full trial. The jury convicted him of all offences.

“I’d like to thank the victim in this case for her courage in reporting these crimes and being determined in continuing through the judicial process, resulting in today’s outcome.

“Thankfully, Brek can now no longer harm any other children and he will now spend a lengthy period behind bars for the horrendous offences he committed.”