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A MAN filmed an underage girl having sex during one of his "idiot moments".

Kyle McGhee filmed a 15-year-old girl having sex, a court heard.

He went on to show the video to four people and was said to be proud of what he had done.

Prosecution barrister, Michael Forster told how the girl later asked for him to delete the footage.

During a police interview, McGhee of Bull Lane in Minstead admitted filming the video.

Mr Forster said that he even claimed: "She was loving it and it was just a laugh. It was one of my idiot moments."

Aged 17 at the time of the incident, the hospitality worker was initially arrested on suspicion of rape but not charged.

Instead McGhee, now 20, was charged with taking an indecent photograph of a child - to which he pleaded guilty.

Defending, John Dyer cited his client's background mentioning he born with foetal drug syndrome - impacting his cognitive abilities - and was adopted.

He emphasised McGhee's immaturity at the time and how long the offence - which happened in Romsey on July 1, 2018 - took to reach the courts.

His previous convictions include three counts of assault by beating and one count of using threatening and abusive language.

He also has drug and driving convictions.

At Southampton Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Rowland jailed him for 15-months, suspended for 18-months.

He will have to complete 40 days of rehabilitation activities and 150 hours of unpaid work.

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A young girl was repeatedly raped after her family pressured her to drop earlier allegations against her abuser.

When the vulnerable child finally plucked up the courage to report that she had been abused by Craig Wight, it seemed her nightmare would be over.

But in an "appalling" development, members of her family persuaded her it would be best if she withdrew the complaint.

The youngster did as she was asked but months later Wight subjected her to a series of even more serious sex attacks, including multiple painful rapes.

Now the 43-year-old paedophile, who groomed the victim by telling her he loved her, has been jailed for 15 years at Newcastle Crown Court.

Sentencing Wight, Judge Stephen Earl said it was "appalling" that the victim had been pressured into dropping the earlier allegations, which were of a less serious type than what went on to happen.

The judge outlined a series of despicable acts which he labelled "abhorrent abuse".

Judge Earl said: "He repeatedly told her he loved her and he spoke about how the relationship could develop more when she got to 16.

"He took advantage of her vulnerability.

"This is not love, this is a form of control.

"You don't love someone when you are 40-odd and they are (a child) and you are ... raping them."

The judge paid tribute to the victim for reporting what had happened to her.

He said: "It's an amazing testament that she's got the courage to report these matters.

"She has been failed by the adults in her life.

"She has felt isolated, out of place, vulnerable, emotional, a child unable to cope.

"These are phrases that burn themselves into your consciousness when you read them."

Wight, of Hadrian Court, Killingworth, North Tyneside, admitted 18 sex offences including three of rape, although he raped her "at least four or five times", the court heard.

Judge Earl told Wight he would have to serve two-thirds of the 15 year sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for life and subject to a sexual harm prevention order

The judge told him: "You had a clear warning when she made and retracted, through pressure, her first complaint.

"I can only express horror for the way you have callously acted towards her."

Judge Earl said there was "very little mitigation" in Wight's favour.

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Pervert Andrew Parsons was snared by paedophile hunters after turning up to a "secret" meeting with an underage boy.

The 51-year-old chatted to a "boy" called James on gay dating app Grindr, not realising it was a decoy profile set up by Dark Justice.

Despite being told James was only 15 and a virgin, Parsons asked if he was "discreet" after describing in detail the sexual acts they could do together.

When a meeting was arranged Parsons said it should be "kept a secret".

Prosecutor Lee Fish told Newcastle Crown Court: "The defendant asked if anyone knew that James was coming to his house and he said no.

"What then happened was members of Dark Justice and the police went to the agreed meeting point and the defendant was arrested."

Parsons admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, in April 2017.

The court heard he has a previous conviction for sexual activity in a public lavatory.

Judge Robert Adams sentenced Parsons to 18 months behind bars. and imposed a sexual harm prevention order and told him he must sign the sex offenders register, both for ten years.

The judge told him: "James said he was a virgin and had never done this before.

"This did not deter you.

"You gave him your contact details, where you lived, well aware what you were doing was wrong.

"You asked if he was discreet and could keep a secret."

The court heard Parsons claimed he had "turned a blind eye" to the boy's age and was "disgusted" by child sex abuse.

Judge Adams added: "No sexual activity with a child did occur or in fact could have occurred. No child existed, it was a decoy.

"This is a sentence which cannot be appropriately suspended, although non-custodial options are available, it seems to me there has to be some form of deterrent in cases like this, where people take risks, not expecting to be caught.

"Had this person been a child, significant harm could have been caused."

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A PEADOPHILE was caught with images of young children as young as two being tied up and abused.

Andrew Burtt claimed he was not sexually aroused by children, a court heard.

The 51-year-old had a stash of 4,778 images involving children between the two and seven-years-old being abused.

Prosecution barrister, Lucie Taylor, said how Burtt sent images and forwarded them on to other users via a social media app called Kik.

However, police eventually arrested the master mariner at a property in Fern Road, Hythe on September 10, 2018.

They searched the address and seized his electronic devices including a Samsung phone and memory card he had been using to store the photos and films.

Miss Taylor told how in a police interview on January 24 this year Burtt accepted responsibility for downloading the images.

However, he said he was not sexually aroused by children.

Furthermore, he could not offer any excuses for his behaviour.

With no criminal record, Burtt of Marram Close, Lymington appeared before Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.

He had previously pleaded guilty to the offences which took place between January 2011and September 2018.

Defending, Chris Gaiger argued his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had made admissions in a police interview.

Mr Gaiger said, Burtt will be dismissed from his position as master mariner operating ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth.

Despite his “addiction”, he has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, Mr Gaiger added.

Judge Gary Burrell QC said: “How on earth you ended up in this situation I do not understand and I think a lot of people have failed to understand it as well.

He slammed his offences as abhorrent and perverted.

"It looks like your life is ruined all because you wanted gratification", Judge Burrell added.

During sentencing he said how Burtt had taken steps to address his problem and that there was a prospect of rehabilitation.

He have him a 30 month community order.

Burtt must register as a sex offender and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He must also pay £450 in costs.

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A MAN has been jailed after raping and assaulting a woman in the perimeter of West Quay shopping centre.

Krystian Kwarta, aged 20 of Keyhaven Road, Milford-on-Sea, has been jailed for eight years with an additional four years on licence following the assault on the 21-year-old victim as she walked to work in Southampton city centre on Saturday, February 15.

Police launched an investigation after a woman reported that a man unknown to her grabbed her from behind and raped her in the perimeter of West Quay shopping centre.

Officers from Southampton’s Operation Amberstone team immediately analysed extensive CCTV that covered the area of West Quay retail park and identified a man in the area where the rape happened.

CCTV showed that shortly before 8am, the man, now known as Kwarta, started following the woman towards the shopping centre. Moments later she was violently attacked and raped by him.

Having identified the potential suspect, extensive CCTV analysis was carried out which led officers to a home in Milford-on-Sea. Kwarta was arrested and taken to Southampton Central police station for questioning and it was confirmed that his DNA matched the DNA left at the scene.

Officers charged Kwarta on 18 February with two counts of rape and one count of assault. He pleaded guilty to the charges at Southampton Crown Court on March 20 and today he was setenced to eight years in prison with an additional four years on licence.

Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Claire Ratcliffe said: "This was a premeditated, violent attack on a young woman who was on her way to work.

"It was clear that Kwarta had been waiting in the area before seeing his victim and following her to carry out his brutal attack. Following a fast paced investigation by Southampton’s Operation Amberstone team, which shows our determination to find a dangerous offender in the community and ensure justice for the victim, Kwarta was arrested and charged within days of him carrying out his brutal crime.

"The forensic evidence along with the CCTV footage gave Kwarta little option but to enter guilty pleas and I am pleased that we have been able to bring him to justice and avoid this woman having to relive her ordeal in court.

"This has understandably been a traumatic time for the victim and I would like to commend her for her bravery and courage in coming forward and reporting what happened. I hope that today’s sentence will give her some closure and help her to begin moving forward in her life.

"In cases such as these, we work in partnership with the Independent Sexual Violence Advocate Service, Yellow Door to ensure adequate support is available victims throughout investigations. We hope that the strength of this partnership working alongside convictions like this, encourage victims to come forward and report their experiences to us.”

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A PAEDOPHILE who searched the internet for “pre-teen boys” and “very, very young porn” has been given a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Christopher Wagstaff appeared before Southampton Crown Court facing charges of creating indecent images of children.

He initially pleaded not guilty at Southampton Magistrate’s Court however changed this to guilty at a Crown Court plea and trial preparation hearing.

The court heard how police raided the 50-year-old’s home in Foldsgate Close, Lyndhurst based on “intelligence”.

They seized a tower computer and a Toshiba laptop on October 17, 2017.

During his first police interview Wagstaff did not comment.

But when officers went on to scan his PC they found three Category B indecent images of children.

Meanwhile, his laptop had four category C images.

Further police investigations found how Wagstaff had searched the internet for terms including “pre-teen boys” and “very, very young porn”.

He was interviewed again and did not comment.

Defence barrister, Jonathan Underhill told the court how no moving images were found on Wagstaff’s computers. He argued there were a small amount images on the devices when compared to other cases.

And, that Wagstaff was the subject of some degree of abuse as a child.

The court heard that Wagstaff has mild learning difficulties.

Based on a doctors report, 99 per cent of people the same age as him have a higher IQ.

Judge Henry gave Wagstaff a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and a 30-month community order.

He will have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, rehab of up to 15 days and a 90 day scheme for men convicted of sexual offences.

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A pervert calling himself a “sugar daddy of alcohol” during sleazy communications with what he thought was a child was snared in a police sting.

Nathan Glover began chatting to a profile on dating app Badoo, with the other person initially advertising themselves as being 18.

However, when he was told they were 14, that didn’t put him off as it should have done.

The chat moved onto chat app Kik and became sexual, with Glover sending images of his genitals to the decoy profile, which was being run by police.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 27-year-old made sexual suggestions and asked for swimwear pictures of her.

He also offered to buy the “child” alcohol and asked what he would get in return.

Glover, of Talbot Road, South Shields, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to have sexual communication with a child.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lane said a police employee had set up a profile on adult site Badoo in July last year and Glover made contact the same day.

Mr Lane said: "There was some general chatting and the undercover operator made it known they were a 14-year-old child, though had signed up to the account as an 18-year-old.

"The defendant replied 'thought you looked very young to be 18'.

"The conversation continued, during which the defendant offered to buy alcohol for the person he believed was 14.

"He referred to himself as a sugar daddy of alcohol."

The court heard Glover asked what he would get in return for alcohol and the conversation was then transferred onto the Kik app and "quickly turned sexual".

Mr Lane said: "He asked for pictures of her wearing a swimsuit. The officer disclosed that the person was a virgin and he replied he thought it was sexy he could teach them."

Mr Lane said Glover sent a graphic picture with sexual suggestions before he was confronted by the police.

He told officers the conversation had "turned flirty and sexual" and confessed he knew it was wrong.

Glenn Gatland, defending, said Glover was a "socially isolated man" with a depressive illness who was mostly on his own except for the company of his cat.

Mr Gatland said: "He didn't go in there to look for an underage person."

Mr Gatland said Glover had talked about "cats and dogs" with the teen before the conversation turned sexual.

Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced Glover to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation and programme requirements.

Glover must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for seven years.

The judge told him: "You were told the officer was 14 and you continued in conversation with that person, no doubt you believed that person was 14."

She added: "You did think you were inviting a 14-year-old girl to have sex with you."

Judge Rippon said Glover has never been in trouble before, has been assessed as a "low risk" of committing contact offences, is genuinely remorseful and that his significant depression was linked to the commission of the offences.

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A convicted child rapist caught with a hoard of indecent images said he had them as a "coping mechanism" to stop him abusing more youngsters.

Jordan Chambers was a youth himself when he was jailed for 57 months for raping a younger boy and molesting a girl.

A court heard he received no help or courses while in a young offenders institution to deal with his sexual interest in children, which remained after he was released on licence.

He was caught with hundreds of indecent images of children, some aged under 10, when police examined his phone.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he said looking at the illegal material helped prevent him from carrying out further contact offences.

It was in November that Northumbria Police's paedophile online investigation team went to his house after receiving information about his behaviour.

He initially denied having a phone but when officers found an iPhone charger plugged into the wall, he told them the device was under his bed.

An examination uncovered 157 of the most serious, category A images, 176 category B and 699 category C. There were also two videos, one of category A and one category B.

The court heard he had posted one of the images on Facebook, although he was not charged with distributing images, just three counts of making them between July and November, which he admitted.

He said he had stored the indecent material on a cloud storage app.

Nick Lane, prosecuting, said: "By way of explanation, he said he had a sexual interest in children and he used the images he downloaded via the Tor browser as a coping mechanism to make sure he didn't commit any further contact offences.

"He said following his previous conviction and since his release from custody he had received little or no help with regard to his sexual preference for children and had been unable to prevent himself looking at the images."

Chambers, of Elton Street West, Wallsend, had been jailed at Preston Crown Court in 2016 for raping a boy under the age of 13 and sexually assaulting a girl aged between 13 and 15.

He was 15 or 16 at the time he carried out those attacks, for which he was sent to a young offenders institution for 57 months, placed on the sex offenders register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

He has been recalled on licence for that sentence, with his release date being October 31 this year.

For the latest, indecent images offences, he was jailed for 12 months, of which he will serve up to half.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said: "While he was serving his last sentence he asked on numerous occasions to go on the Horizon (sex offences) course. He has never been given a single sexual prevention course, despite getting 57 months.

"He said he didn't get on the course and other people did. The course was not available.

"It's the first thing he said to the police when he was arrested. He needs help.

"He is young and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity."

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A convicted paedophile who dressed up as Santa and offered to pose for pictures with children in exchange for money has been sent back to jail.

Stephen Brown, 40, stood near the popular Fenwick’s festive window display in Newcastle city centre, where he offered to have his picture taken with youngsters while dressed in a red Father Christmas suit and fake white beard.

Police believe two people posed for a picture with Brown, who had a sign saying “get ya picture taken and leave Santa Claus a donation”, without realising he was a convicted sex offender.

Security staff at the department store raised the alarm with police after becoming concerned by the stranger hanging around outside.

It was then that police discovered he had been handed a lifetime sexual offences protection order in 2012 after he was jailed for five years for possession of indecent images and inciting a child to engage in a sex act.

Brown was immediately arrested by police on a packed Northumberland Street on Saturday.

He was later charged with breaching the order for the second time since being released from prison in January 2017.

Brown will now be spending Christmas behind bars after being jailed for six weeks at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Brown, of Fawdon, Newcastle, was jailed for five years in July 2012 after admitting a string of child sex offences.

A court was told how a teenage girl contacted police after an anonymous social media account befriended her and sent a string of sexual messages.

The user, later identified as Brown, encouraged her to perform sex acts and even threatened the schoolgirl when she refused to carry out his demands.

Brown was arrested at his home, where police discovered a number of indecent images of children during a search.

He was arrested and convicted of 14 offences including possession of indecent images, making an indecent image and inciting a child to perform a sex act.

Chief Inspector Steve Wykes, of Northumbria Police, praised the teamwork of Fenwick’s security staff and officers on patrol in the city at the weekend.

He said: “Stephen Brown would not have looked out of place on Northumberland Street this weekend dressed as Santa Claus.

“There has been a fantastic atmosphere in the city in the lead up to Christmas and thousands of people were in the area doing their shopping.

“Many people would have walked by Brown and thought that it was perfectly normal for him to be offering people the chance to pose for a picture.

“But security staff at Fenwick knew something wasn’t quite right and have contacted our officers who have checked his details and taken decisive action.

“Brown’s SOPO stated that he was not allowed any contact with children unless he had the consent of a parent or guardian who was aware of his convictions.”

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A man has admitted 49 charges including sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl and possessing nearly 250,000 indecent images of children.

Konstantinos Hrisos, 63, admitted the raft of charges when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court.

National Crime Agency (NCA) officers arrested Hrisos, of Fenham, Newcastle upon Tyne, in September last year after discovering he had been downloading indecent images of children (IIOC).

Officers searched his home and recovered electronic devices which contained 246,829 abuse images – including 1,040 Category A (the most severe) images and videos, and a further 23,527 prohibited images.

Among Hrisos’s sick collection of images were ‘upskirt’ pictures he had taken in a park of two girls aged approximately five and 12.

During the investigation, NCA officers learnt Hrisos had also been abusing a seven-year-old girl for at least 12 months.

He had taken more than 2,000 images and videos of the victim as he abused her and admitted sexually assaulting her on nearly 30 occasions.

He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on 6 September.

Graham Ellis, NCA operations manager, said: “Konstantinos Hrisos is a danger to children.

“He’s gone from downloading images online, to photographing children in a park to eventually abusing a child. Hrisos’s offending has escalated in a way that the NCA is seeing in many other cases.

“The NCA knows that the scale and severity of this offending against children is worsening.

“We and UK police arrest around 450 child sex offenders a month and safeguard about 680 children a month.

“UK referrals from the tech industry of child sexual abuse material have jumped in recent years - from 43,072 in 2016 to 82,109 in 2017 and 113,948 in 2018.

“Behind every image is a child whose life has been utterly devastated by their abuse and men like Hrisos are perpetuating that suffering.”

Child Protection Charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation runs the Stop It Now! helpline which offers confidential advice to anyone concerned about their own or someone else’s behaviour towards children.

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A FORMER Andover athletics coach who manipulated, abused and violated schoolgirls, one as young as 11 years old, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Philip Banning, 68, pursued a horrific reign of abuse in Andover during the 1970s and 1980s.

Today he mouthed "sorry" to his victims after pleading guilty to 18 counts of indecent assault relating to four girls who were under the age of 16 at the time of the offences.

Prosecutor Tim Moores told Winchester Crown Court that Banning, who now lives in Penhow, Wales, had been an Olympic hopeful in his younger years.

He ran at an international level for Team GB before returning to Andover Athletics Club as a qualified coach where he met the four girls.

It is in this context that he came into contact with the four complainants, and in due course began to sexually abuse them to a greater or lesser degree, Mr Moores said.

Under the guise of acting as coach and mentor, he was pursuing a regime of abuse against certain members of the club.

The court heard that Banning would assault the girls during car rides home after training, as well as during sports massages.

One of the girls was aged just 11 years-old when she was assaulted in Bannings car, before he asked her, is this something youve done before?

Two of the girls were assaulted in a room under Bannings stairs at his home address, during a party where the children were allowed to drink alcohol, the court heard.

One of the girls bumped into Banning in Andover town centre, before he led her to a school field and abused her.

Three of the survivors in this case, now adult women, defiantly hit back at their abuser when reading their victim personal statements to the court.

You were my coach, and you were my teacher, and you held a position of trust, one of the women told the defendant as he sat in the dock.

You were meant to nurture a childs development, you were trained to safeguard children, but instead you chose to slowly manipulate, violate and sexually abuse me. I was left abused, violated and confused, still too young to understand the significance of this. I did not have the understanding of how sinister and insidious your motives were.

You took my childhood, my trust, my voice, my worth, and nearly my life.

The woman told the court that Banning had also given her a Valentines card when she was just 12 years old.

She continued: You said to me that this was your way of showing me your special love. But this was like a septic wound that was never allowed to heal. Even if it did scab over briefly, it was picked open by my own self-hatred.

Another survivor told the court that her first kiss as a child which was brutal and forceful was with Banning, which left her feeling shattered.

Banning mouthed sorry to the women in court as he was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for the offences. He must also sign on the sex offenders register for life.

Sentencing Banning, Judge Keith Cutler CBE said: You are responsible for what everyone agrees was a grave abuse of trust.

What you were doing was grooming [the girls], abusing your position, and seeking them as your sexual relief, not caring really how that was to affect them, as clearly you can see it has.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Toby Elcock, said of the case: After initially denying the offences, Banning has now taken responsibility for his horrific reign of abuse, which has spared the victims having to go through a difficult trial process.

For these girls, this should have been an important time in their young lives. They were schoolchildren exploring their passion for sport, and this was ruined by Bannings appalling sexual appetite.

I hope they can now rest assured that justice has been served and Banning will not be able to harm another child.

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A Catholic priest who sexually abused two teenage boys at a seminary where he taught has been jailed for 18 years.

Michael Higginbottom, 76, was found guilty by a jury of five counts of serious sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault following a re-trial.

The boys were abused as they boarded at St Joseph's College, a Catholic seminary in Upholland, Lancashire, which has now closed, in the 1970s and 80s.

During a two-week trial, jurors heard he 'regularly, systematically and horrifically' abused the boys.

Prosecutor David Temkin said: "They were both threatened with violence and both were struck with a strap or a belt."

The Crown Prosecution Service said he breached his position of trust 'in the most horrific way'.

Judge Andrew Woolman, sentencing Higginbottom on Tuesday, told him: "You were in the highest position of trust in relation to these boys, who you abused in a quite appalling way.

"I have no doubt that you specifically targeted these boys.

"These acts were accompanied, time after time, by threats or actual violence under the guise of a normal school punishment.

"The way you acted left them with a sense of shame and of guilt, as well as the sense that no-one would believe them if they complained."

The first victim came forward to police in 2016 to report he had suffered mental, physical and sexual abuse by Higginbottom between 1978 and 1979.

The second victim saw a TV news report on the initial trial in 2017 and recognised the priest because he sexually abused him too in the mid-1980s, the CPS said.

The boys did not attend the college at the same time and do not know each other.

But the CPS said they gave evidence of having suffered similar experiences when they were around the same age in Higginbottom's private quarters.

Wendy Chappell, a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "Michael Higginbottom carried out a series of violent sexual assaults, often using a belt to threaten or hit them if the boys were not compliant.

"He carried out the offences whilst in a position of trust within the school and the community as a priest and a teacher, which he breached in the most horrific way.

"Through the case Higginbottom described the allegations as 'total lies' and claimed he did not remember either of the boys.

"However, after we presented the overwhelming evidence against him before the court, the jury found him unanimously guilty of all the charges he faced.

"I would like to pay tribute to the two victims for their immense courage in coming forward and re-living their traumatic experiences by giving evidence against their abuser, with the first victim having to re-live it a second time at the re-trial.

"I hope that following todays sentence that they will be able to find some closure.

Higginbottom, from Newcastle, denied all the charges he faced.

But after the re-trial at Burnley Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault in relation to the first victim, and one count of sexual assault in relation to the second victim.

Both victims can't be named for legal reasons.

The CPS said Higginbottom had originally been convicted at Liverpool Crown Court in 2017 of the offences in relation to the first victim, but faced a re-trial after they were quashed on appeal.

The re-trial included an additional charge in relation to the second victim.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Ollerton, of Lancashire Police, said: "This abuse has had a devastating effect on these boys throughout their now-adult lives and for many years."

The court heard Higginbottom would serve half his sentence in prison and half out on licence.

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A serial sex pest is facing jail after being caught perving in the women's toilets in a supermarket.

Brian Melucci startled a woman as she went to flush by leering at her from underneath the cubicle in Tesco Extra on Norham Road in North Shields.

The shocked victim tried to confront the pervert, but the 24-year-old repeatedly ignored her and quickly scuttled to the store's exit.

Melucci denied charges of observing a person doing a private act and breaching a sexual harm prevention order following the unsavoury episode on April 11.

However, he was found guilty on both counts following a trial at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court on Thursday and has been warned he will likely be sentenced to at least a year behind bars.

The court heard evidence from the victim who confirmed she entered the supermarket toilets at about 7.15am, and noticed the middle cubicle was occupied.

She said: "I knew there was someone in there because the door shut and I could hear shuffling.

"My phone pinged so I got that out and turned to the left to flush the string. As I turned I saw there was a head on the cubicle floor.

“His head was right under, it looked like he was on the floor. He had something in his hand but I could not see what it was.

"I thought it could be a child because you don’t expect to see a man in there."

The woman instinctively kicked her foot out and demand answers from Melucci. She quickly pulled her trousers up and opened her cubicle door to see him making for the exit.

She added: "As he walked past I thought good God, it’s a man."

CCTV footage was played to the court of the woman following Melucci through the supermarket, repeatedly trying to grab his attention.

She finished: "I followed him out and said excuse me, he totally blanked me. He was smug and sauntered out."

The woman insisted she was "100%" sure the face she saw beneath the cubicle was Melucci.

Giving evidence, the 24-year-old admitted he entered the women's toilets but insisted it was by mistake.

Melucci, of Norfolk Gardens, Wallsend, who has previous convictions for exposure, assault and criminal damage, claimed he had not been home that night following a party and was "extremely drunk".

He said: “I had not been home, I was extremely drunk. I didn't realise I had been in [the women's toilets] until I was arrested.

"I know I didn't do it, I was not absolutely mortal."

Jonathan Stirland, defending, insisted his client had been falsely identified as the man spotted peeping underneath the cubicle.

He said: "It's not the defence's case that somebody didn't look, it's the defence's case it was not the defendant.

On the charge of observing a private act for sexual gratification, Mr Stirland added: "You are making a quantum leap to conclude there could be no other reason why a person could find themselves in that situation."

But David Ward, prosecuting, insisted there was no-one else present in the women's toilets and there was only one possible purpose for Melucci to be spotted in the compromising position.

He said: “We have clear CCTV showing he is the person she's following, he accepts that.

"That's the person that had his head underneath the cubicle, that's absolutely clear unless the defence are suggesting there's a mystical person who can disappeared from the cubicle.

"It had to be for sexual gratification, there's no other reason for it.

"To suggest this lady is making it all up and lying, and there's someone else in there, is a flight of fantasy."

Chair of the bench David Dawson found Melucci guilty on both counts, and sent the case to Newcastle Crown Court for sentencing on July 11.

Delivering the verdict, he said: “We're satisfied with all the evidence that only the complainant and the defendant in the toilets.

"We're satisfied it was the defendant peering under the cubicle, and we're also satisfied it was for his personal sexual gratification.

"There's no other reasonable explanation for these actions."

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A pervert who thought he was meeting a 15-year-old girl was snared by so-called paedophile hunters after residents of a housing estate helped chase him down.

Mark Turnbull, 51, had been engaging in explicit chat with who he thought was a schoolgirl on the social media app Scout but was actually talking to vigilante group who call themselves Dark Justice.

Members of the group confronted him when he turned up meet the 'girl' at St Anthony's Park in Walker, Newcastle. He sped away in his car to the nearby Daisy Hill housing estate where he left his vehicle but with the help of locals he was captured.

A Dark Justice spokesperson said: 'We followed him at a safe distance until he abandoned his car and we continued on foot.

'We told locals what we were doing and they helped us find him. He had been hiding in an alleyway.

'There were about 20 people helping. He'd also hidden a mobile phone and one of the residents found that for us under a bin close to the alley.

'Without that we wouldn't have been able to secure a conviction. We can't thank them enough. We phoned the police and he was arrested.'

On the video Turnbull is seen hiding his face beneath a coat while he cowers in the back alley. A Dark Justice member tells him: 'You knew exactly how old the girl was.

'You are lucky you did not destroy some girl's life. You would have if you had got your hands on the girl.'

At Newcastle Crown Court this week Turnbull, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.

He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, made the subject of a rehabilitation activity requirement for two years and slapped with a 140 victim surcharge.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten tears and attend a sexual offenders programme for a minimum of 54 days.

The Dark Justice spokesperson said: 'The sentences that judges pass these days are never harsh enough. Next time this man might target a real child. There is no deterrent and no real punishment.'

Description

A popular Cardiff bar has defended its decision to allow a convicted sex offender to perform as a drag act during Pride weekend in Cardiff.

Darren Sewell, who performs under the stage name Crystal Couture, was included in a bill of acts at Wow Bar's Pride Without Prejudice free event on Sunday.

One person who was in the audience at the Churchill Way bar said he complained to staff and that several people walked out in disgust at the act, which he said included jokes about prolific child abuser Jimmy Saville.

In 1999, Sewell was convicted of four counts of rape of a boy under 16 and was sentenced to three years in a young offenders' institution.

On his release, he was banned from having contact with children. He was convicted in 2011 of breaching that order by working as a gymnastics and dance tutor with children in Cardiff.

Crystal Couture's official website describes the act as "for audiences large and small and of all ages" and "available for wedding, christening, birthdays, and celebrations if (sic) all types".

The event at Wow Bar referred to Pride on its flyer but had no affiliation with the official Pride Cymru Big Weekend.

The man, who preferred not to be named, said: "I never realised it was him initially. So when he came on stage someone else in the audience said do you know who that is?"

He said he found articles reporting criminal proceedings against Sewell on his phone, and made complaints to staff at the venue.

"Myself and the other people who I spoke to about it feel it's just giving such a bad message."

He added: "No laws (have been) broken but it's the morals towards the community. They are allowing sex offenders to promote us during Pride."

In 2011, Cardiff Crown Court heard Sewell, who was performing as a drag queen at Cardiff nightclub Minsky's at the time, had spent three years teaching gymnastics to children as young as nine.

None of the gymnastics clubs knew of his previous conviction.

Sewell was a teenager when he was convicted of rape and was 27 when he breached the order banning him from having contact with children.

For breaching the order, he was sentenced to a three-year sex offender's treatment programme, a 24-month supervision order, 300 hours unpaid work and a six-month curfew on electronic tag.

In a statement, representatives of Wow Bar confirmed that Darren Sewell performed at the club on Sunday, August 26, under the stage name Crystal Couture.

The statement read: "Mr Sewell, an established drag artist and singer, has preformed at many venues within Cardiff and around the country and is in demand due to his high polished performance.

"The managers of all these venues have, like us, been made well aware that Mr Sewell was placed on the sex offenders list for a crime he committed in 1999.

"We know this as Mr Sewell has a legal obligation to inform any employer of this fact. Like most, and we would hope all venues do; we researched, we also talked to other venues that employed Mr Sewell.

"Aware Mr Sewell is on the sex offenders list we have always been cautious when booking Mr Sewell: He will always arrive late and preform (sic) late to ensure no risk of children present, we inform the police that he will be preforming at the venue and his act is carefully monitored by management.

"With these measures in place and open communication to the police, we feel there to be no warranted risk to our customers; which will always be our top priority.

"Mr Sewell is a popular entertainer booked by hundreds of venues a year, all in full knowledge of his past crime and Sewell himself shamed on public media ever since but rightly or wrongly that is his on-going sentence.

"A customer on Sunday made his feelings known showing us an article from Argus (sic). He left but for us, if not most, it is such a conversation to hold in a noisy nightclub at that time of night, the debate never being the crime but what an individual feels the punishment should be.

"Mr Sewell's crime from 1999 is well known to the Cardiff scene but the demand to see his show is still supported heavily.

"All venues in Cardiff or outside have had to sit down and make a choice, what we have all decided maybe judged wrong but our venue, no venue, would ever put anyone at risk."

Wales Online contacted Darren Sewell for a comment on this story but none has been provided.