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Description

A “dangerous” sex offender has been sentenced to a total of 14 years after arranging a meeting in Bedford so he could sexually abuse a child.

Alec Parkin, 49, a registered sex offender from Nottinghamshire, bragged he had been convicted of previous child sex offences and was being monitored by police – but that he was able to communicate via another device so he could cover his tracks.

Parkin arranged the meeting and was arrested by Bedfordshire Police officers in Bedford.

Devices were seized from his home address and the conversations he had participated in were uncovered.

Parkin, of Baptist Lane, Collingham, Newark, pleaded guilty to arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and yesterday (Tuesday) was handed a nine-year custodial sentence at Luton Crown Court, with a five-year extended licence, due to his dangerousness and the significant risk of harm he poses.

Emma Shipton, an investigation officer within Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation team, said: “As the judge rightly said at sentencing, Parkin is a dangerous sex offender who would have carried out these heinous acts on an innocent child had he got the chance to.

“He was caught red-handed in the process of arranging a meeting and is now going to be spending a good chunk of time in prison.

“People such as Parkin should know that they will not get away with carrying out such an atrocious crime – we will find you and we will do all we can to lock you up and keep our communities safe from sex offenders.”

Description

A man from South Wales who travelled to Swindon to meet with a child has been jailed for multiple sexual offences.

Matthew Pritchard, from Bettws in Newport, was arrested in January 2024 after travelling to Swindon to meet what he believed was a girl aged under 13.

Instead, Pritchard was met by police officers who had been working with the undercover Online Investigations Team at the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Appearing before Swindon Crown Court on May 13, 34-year-old Pritchard pleaded guilty to five sexual offences and one charge of animal cruelty.

These include arranging a child sex offence, two counts of causing a child under 16 to look at an image of sexual activity, attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The sex offender was sentenced to four years in prison and concurrent sentences.

“Pritchard set out in January with the intention of meeting a young girl to sexually abuse. He clearly poses a high risk to children," said Detective Inspector David Wells, who led the team.

“Law enforcement agencies are constantly across the internet working to identify anyone looking to abuse or exploit children. Pritchard’s arrest was part of this ongoing work.”

Pritchard’s dog that he abused has now been happily rehomed.

Description

A man who engaged in sex chat with who he thought was a teenage boy has narrowly kept his freedom.

Christopher Seymour, now 51, downloaded the social media site Kick and began communicating with a 14-year-old over the course of one afternoon in June last year.

However, Newcastle Crown Court heard that Seymour was actually talking to a member of an undercover child safety team who went by the username 'UK bi couple.'

Prosecutor Sophie Johnstone said the decoy clearly stated in his profile he was 14 but Seymour twice lied about his own age, stating he was 36, then 38, when in fact he was 50 at the time.

The court heard the defendant sent "graphic" messages and images and also tried to incite his victim into performing a sexual act. Ms Johnstone said: "The decoy confirmed to the defendant he was still at school and he could message at lunchtime." She told the court that enquiries were made to find out the identity of the person behind the defendant's account via the Kick site.

Seymour, of Millais Gardens, South Shields, was then arrested in November. He later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child of ages 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of a sexual nature.

He also admitted attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Vic Laffey, defending, said: "He got involved in this wholly inappropriate conversation and started and ended on the same day when he recognised the position he had got himself in. "What is significant while accepting the seriousness of the offences, is the offence took place in one day in the space of five hours." Mr Recorder Cox KC told Seymour that an immediate prison sentence would have been inevitable had the conversation have lasted longer than a single day.

The recorder said: "I'm just persuaded I don't need to do that in your case today in part because you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and in part because you have no previous offending for this sort of matter and in part because it's plain that thus were conversations over a relatively short period in a single day." He sentenced Seymour to 18 months suspended or two years with rehabilitation requirements, and ordered him to sign the sex offender's register for ten years.

Description

Stomach-churning indecent images showing babies being sexually abused were among a vile collection found in the possession of a perverted loner.

Police officers from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team went to Forhad Faruque's home and executed a search warrant on December 29 2021, seizing electronic devices and he provided them with login details for a cloud account.

Faruque, 41, of Henry Nelson Street, South Shields, was found to have 866 of the most serious, category A images, including 648 videos, 423 category B images, including 145 videos and 470 category C images, including 24 videos.

Four videos showed babies aged between one month and three months "in a state of distress" being sexually abused. Nick Lane, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "The children were a matter of weeks old in some cases and some of the children are clearly in discernible pain and distress."

The court heard one of the images showed a naked boy while another showed a young girl, and there was also extreme pornography involving a dog.

Faruque pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images, possessing a prohibited image and possessing extreme pornography. He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years with £400 costs. He will also be subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Judge Gavin Doig told him they were "gross" offences and added: "I've read in your letter you are thoroughly ashamed of yourself and frankly so you should be.

"The details of the images you chose to view are stomach-churning and anyone listening would think anyone who views such material deserves only one thing and that is custody." The judge said he initially intended to lock him up before reading more about him but said: "You could have no complaints if I imposed an immediate custodial sentence."

Ian Hudson, defending, said: "He is a loner and single. He is willing to engage and is ashamed by his behaviour.

"He has got on his bike to do something about it to stop this behaviour." Mr Hudson explained that Faruque has completed a programme aimed at stopping any repeat of the offending in the future and has also paid for counselling sessions.

He said he had suffered trauma as a child and added that if he was locked up: "The vultures at Durham would be waiting for him and he would be vulnerable."

Description

A man who raped a teenage girl has been locked up for more than a decade for his crimes.

Mark Fairman, 24, targeted his victim during a gathering in the early hours of December 27, 2018.

Things took a sinister turn when Fairman, who had remained at the address afterwards, attempted to ply the girl with alcohol over a number of hours.

The pair had been sat on the sofa together before Fairman pinned her down and raped her.

The victim was so traumatised by what had happened that she didn’t tell anyone straight away.

However, three months later, the terrified teenager confided in friends and family and an investigation was launched by Northumbria Police.

Fairman, of Rowanberry Road, Longbenton, North Tyneside, was subsequently arrested and charged with one count of rape.

He denied the charges but was found guilty during a trial at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year.

And on Friday (April 19), at that same court, he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars.

He was also made to sign to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, given a restraining order preventing contact with this victim and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Description

A man who followed a woman through York city centre as she walked home at night before sexually assaulting her on her doorstep has been jailed.

Samtex Wangchuck, 21, did not know the victim, said Martin Butterworth, prosecuting at York Magistrates' Court.

She was on the phone to her partner when Wangchuck grabbed her between the legs from behind.

The cleaner had decided “it would be a good opportunity to commit an offence” when he spotted her on her own in the city centre at about 3.30am and thought she had been drinking, said Mr Butterworth.

She didn't realise Wangchuck was following her on his bike through the city centre, past the City Walls and towards the suburbs as she walked home after completing her late-night shift at a hospitality venue.

She had phoned her partner when she started her journey home and was talking to him as she walked.

Wangchuck gradually got closer to her and when she was nearly home, she saw him. By then he was off his bike and about 15 to 20 feet away.

She put her key in her front door and Wangchuck sexually assaulted her. She was still on the phone to her partner.

In a personal statement, she said she now ensures that she always has company on the way home.

“I have lived in York my entire life and never been afraid of walking home alone at night until now,” she said. “I am extremely worried now that he may have done this before.”

Mr Butterworth said Wangchuck told police he had sexually assaulted the woman for his own sexual gratification.

Wangchuck, of Park Crescent, The Groves, pleaded guilty to sexual assault committed in February. He had no previous convictions.

A probation report before the court said that Wangchuck was a “risk to women” and that he didn’t appear to understand the effect of his crime on the victim.

York magistrates jailed him for 12 weeks.

“You targeted a lone vulnerable woman at night, believing her to be in drink. You followed her home,” they told him.

They also made him subject to a lifetime restraining order banning him from contacting the victim in any way or going to her home and banned him from following any woman on her own under a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Wangchuck will be on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

For him, Colin Byrne said it was a very “odd” incident for which Wangchuck was remorseful. He handed in references from Wangchuck’s family about his remorse and his efforts to reform himself since the offence.

The public would be better protected if Wangchuck could be given a suspended sentence under which he could work with probation officers to tackle the cause of his offending, said Mr Byrne.

He had already had a taste of custody as he had been remanded in custody following his arrest and then released on bail without conditions after pleading guilty.

He worked nights as a cleaner and had finished work early that night.

Description

Pervert Martin Rhodes has been jailed after he tried to encourage a 14-year-old 'girl' to perform a sex act. The 52-year-old, who was jailed for similar matters in 2017, was in fact communicating with a paedophile hunter.

But Rhodes asked the 'girl' to send pictures of herself and he sent intimate pictures to her. The police were called in and he had deleted the conversation on his phone, which he was banned from doing under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed seven years ago.

Now Rhodes has been jailed for four-and-a-half years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor Jonathan Dickinson said the police were contacted by a member of a paedophile hunter group in February who said he was speaking to the defendant online.

Mr Dickinson said: "He was posing as a 14-year-old girl. The decoy was using an app which made it appear she looked like a 14-year-old child.

"The defendant initiated the communication by sending a Facebook friend request. The decoy made clear her age was 14.

"The conversation quickly turned sexual. The defendant asked to send pictures of herself. He explained how to perform a sex act on herself.

"He also sent her videos of pornography. He sent pictures of his private area and the private area of an adult woman. He encouraged her to buy a sex toy.

"He sent her his phone number, images of his car and himself. A police officer was able to identify him. There was a conversation about meeting up but it did not go far enough.

"The communication stopped on February 18. Police attended his address three days later. He was arrested. A number of devices were seized for examination. His phone did not have the conversation with the decoy on it. He must have deleted it. That placed him in breach of a SHPO he received in July 2017 when he was jailed for four years for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity."

Rhodes, of Knights Croft, Keele, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child; two charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity; attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and two charges of breaching a SHPO.

Martin Bloor, mitigating, said Rhodes, a dad-of-four, knew he would receive a significant sentence. He added the defendant has a number of health issues.

Judge Graeme Smith said: "You have convictions in 2017 for offences which followed a very similar pattern where you contacted someone online through Facebook and WhatsApp who you believed to be a child. In that case the child was 11, in this case a 14-year-old. In both cases there was no actual child.

"You sent a number of sexual photos and videos. You also tried to get the same from the person you were communicating with. You also discussed sexual matters and encouraged her to perform a sex act.

"There was no real child. It was people who deliberately set up profiles to ensnare people like yourself who look for young girls on the internet."

Rhodes remains subject to the SHPO and is on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Description

A South Tyneside paedophile offered a young boy ice cream before committing a sexual offence against him.

Andrew Snook asked a young boy to come to his home and remove his clothes. The 56-year-old was caught later when the young boy told his mother what had happened. Snook, who has a history of sexual offending against boys, has now been caged for the offence.

On Wednesday, Snook, of Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He had pleaded guilty the offence.

David Povall, prosecuting, said Snook had previous convictions for sexual offending.

Snook was caught for this offence after the child told his mum he had been to Snook's flat where he was asked to remove clothing. Mr Povall said: "There had been a discussion as to whether he would get an ice cream."

The court was told that Snook has a "predilection for sexual activity with young boys" and had committed offences in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1996, he committed common assault against a young boy by putting his hand over his mouth and dragging him into a house before the boy escaped.

Geoff Knowles, defending, said Snook had been to prison twice before but had lived a "law abiding life" since then. He said: "He is a lonely man and suffered abuse when he was much younger.

"Clearly, some issues in his past contributed to this state of affairs. He knows now he will face a custodial sentence for these matters. He is sorry, and sorry for the upset he has caused."

Judge Stephen Earl jailed Snook for four years and 11 months. He was also put on the sex offender register for life and made subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order. He was also made subject to a restraining order.

Description

A man who was raped in a classroom by a history teacher as a schoolboy said the abuse he suffered "broke him". He said he attempted to kill himself by smoking 20 cigarettes a day and "craved for cancer".

Gareth Rogers 77, was a teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School in Newport during the 1970s, and in his 20s, when he performed oral sex on one of the boys in his classroom before raping him behind a cupboard door. He also touched another boy's penis and masturbated him, while tutoring the victim in his bedroom.

The first victim came forward and notified the police in 2018 after disclosing the abuse to his mother and his sister. The second victim came forward in 2019 after he was told Rogers had been arrested. The defendant denied five counts of indecent assault and one count of buggery, and claimed the allegations have been "made up" by the complainants. But he was found guilty of all six counts by a jury, following a trial a Newport Crown Court.

The defendant has a number of previous convictions involving the sexual abuse of children. In 1997, he was convicted of indecently assaulting two girls under 14 years old. In February 2014, Rogers was convicted of indecently assaulting two boys in the 1980s and in March 2014, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

During a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Rogers' first victim said: "At the time (of the abuse), I fully trusted people in a position of trust and responsibility. I knew nothing of paedophelia or of it even existing, it was the 1970s and we were not aware. I was a happy child who became an unhappy adult, the effect on me emotionally was devastating and I no longer trusted anyone. I thought this must be what adults do and I was terrified of adult males for years until I was old and strong enough to repel occurrences.

"I was untrusting of males and males in authority. My initial thought is not to trust people and keep a low profile... That level of distrust stayed with me all my life post attack and I had feelings of self disgust, low self esteem, low self confidence and ashamed of what happened...

"After being 20, I decided I could not cope with the shame, I resolved to kill myself by the time I was 50. I planned to do this naturally and craved for cancer. I smoked 20 Marlboro a day as a documentary said this would lead to an early death.... I am not the person I was meant to be and I don't like the person I have become. When I got to 50 and I wasn't dead, I couldn't cope with life anymore. I was on medication every day and went to see the doctor and opened up to him. I was stressed, anxious and depressed and have been on prescribed antidepressants....

"I struggled to see a future, all I can see is the past and the devastating effect it's had on my life. It's too late for therapy as the damage has already been done.... I would have loved to have been happily married and have kids but for reasons mentioned this hasn't happened. It's a major source of regret and I blame the attack for any inadequacies in this area, and made relationships feel sordid to me. He broke me."

Rogers' second victim also wrote a statement, read out to the court by prosecutor Ieuan Bennett. He said: "As this was a historic crime I have suffered differing amounts of emotional problems over the years. I packed the memory deep inside my mind but of course it would come back in varying degrees of time. It affected my personal life and trust of people and affected relationships with people close to me.

"I couldn't be totally honest with them, keeping what happened to me a secret. I believe it was a significant cause of me becoming alcoholic, drinking to deal with emotions and memory of abuse I suffered. My addiction slowly affected the way I lived and worked and as a result I was sent to rehab. I have been sober for seven years. Along with the guilty verdict, it allowed me to lay to rest many demons. It affected the way I trust and interact with people over the years and led to many breakdowns."

In mitigation, Ruth Smith said her client had served a number of sentences in relation to his previous convictions, but these were the most serious and the first committed in time. She said the defendant's risk has diminished because of the courses he had carried out while incarcerated, and due to his age he is no longer in positions where he is able to exploit his access to children.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "It's clear from your convictions you have a long standing sexual interest in children over the years. You have severely damaged the lives of a number of people. The two victims in this case, you left their lives severely damaged. Your actions and consequences for them have destroyed the lives they could have led had you not done what you did."

The judge said the defendant was at "significant risk" of committing further sexual offences against children. She said she was "satisfied" he still has an sexual interest in children, and is at risk of causing "severe physical and psychological harm".

Rogers, of Commercial Street, Newport, was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, and an extended licence period of three years. He must serve two thirds of the custodial term before he is considered eligible for release, and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A stalker had a mould of his penis delivered to his victim, a court has heard. The unsavoury delivery was part of campaign of behaviour by Bobby Williams which saw him repeatedly turning up at the woman's house and even harassing her on a beach - all in breach of a restraining order.

The 39-year-old's barrister told Swansea Crown Court the father-of-three was ashamed of his behaviour. A judge said it was clear the defendant had a "fixation" with his victim and told him if he continued to offend in a similar way he would be facing ever increasing prison sentences.

Caitlin Brazel, prosecuting, said in July last year Williams was made the subject of a 24-month community order and a 12-month restraining order after being convicted of stalking a woman. However, within weeks of the restraining order being imposed he began breaching it. The court heard the defendant started messaging the woman on Snapchat, and then began turning up at her house. The prosecutor said on one occasion the defendant had a "gift" delivered to the woman's home which contained "a mould of his erect penis" and on another occasion he shouted verbal abuse at the woman and followed her after encountering her on a beach. He also approached a neighbour of the woman and talked about seeing her abroad as the restraining order would not apply outside the UK.

The defendant was arrested on January 3 this year and taken to Haverfordwest police station. The court heard he answered "no comment" to most questions asked in interview but when questioned about the "gift" of the penis he "simply smiled and said 'it is hers'". In a statement from the victim that was read to the court by the prosecutor the woman said the defendant's "relentless behaviour" had been "exhausting and draining" and left her feeling like a prisoner in her own home.

Bobby Williams, of Parrog Road, Newport, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to stalking and to five counts of breaching a restraining order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has nine previous convictions for 22 offences between 2002 and 2023. Freddie Lewendon, for Williams, said the defendant was ashamed of his actions and wished to apologise to his victim. He said the defendant had struggled with alcohol since his teenage years and the "drinking culture" associated with his work in the scaffolding trade had been to his detriment. He added that bereavement in his teens had left the father-of-three with "abandonment issues" for which he was now receiving counselling.

Judge Huw Rees said it was clear the defendant had a "fixation" in regard to the woman and said it seemed he had little hesitancy in breaching court orders. He told the defendant if he continued to offend in a similar way he would find himself being sent to prison for incrementally longer periods of time. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Williams was sentenced to 16 months in prison comprising 16 months for breaching the restraining order offences and 10 months for the stalking offence to run concurrently. The community order imposed in 2023 was revoked and the defendant was resentenced to 12 months in prison for that matter to run concurrently with the new sentence. Williams will serve up to half the 16-month sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Description

A sadistic thug viciously raped one woman in a horrific attack and tied up another woman with tape before threatening to kill her. He left one of his victims unconscious after he stamped on her head and neck.

John Harding, 30, of Newport, committed brutal attacks upon his two victims which left them fearing for their lives. The defendant has a long history of violence committed against women.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the first victim was attacked by Harding who threw her to the ground and stood on her head, which caused her to scream in pain. He then dragged her along the floor and kicked and punched her to the side of her head. The defendant then grabbed her throat and put his fist to her head.

Recounting the facts of the assault Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "In an act bordering on sadistic you bent down close to her face and told her she was not scared enough. She must have been scared out of her wits."

Harding later twice raped the victim and ignored the victim's shouts for him to stop. He also used his fingers to penetrate her, which caused her "extreme pain". He then performed a sex act in a "final act of degradation", the court heard.

The second victim was just a teenager when she was assaulted by Harding who was said to have treated her with "disdain and cruelty". During the first attack he threw her to the ground, kicked and stood on her head, and strangled her until she lost consciousness.

When she came round she saw the defendant on top of her and he was hitting her chest to get her to breathe again. He then threw her to the floor a second time and kicked her. Over the next few days the victim suffered increasing swelling and bruising to her head and discovered she had broken ribs.

During the second attack upon the victim Harding took tape from a rucksack and used it to tie her up. The more she struggled the tighter the tape became. Two men passed nearby and the defendant threatened to kill the victim and the men if she screamed out. He then produced a pair of scissors and held the blade to her throat in what was described by Judge Jenkins as a "terrifying incident".

Following his arrests Harding, of Corporation Road, denied the offences but was found guilty of two counts of rape, assault by penetration, two counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of false imprisonment, and making threats to kill. After the trial the defendant wrote a letter to the first victim from prison, which caused her great distress.

The court heard he has seven previous convictions including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery, and witness intimidation committed against women. One of these occasions he put his foot on the victim's neck and threatened to "smash her head in" with a weight.

Reading out her victim personal statement via videolink the first victim said: "Every day I have to battle demons in my head which tell me to stay in bed. I have to go back to PTSD attacks. I not only see events, I feel the same emotions of being in fear for my life and feeling completely helpless."

The victim said she was suffering from flashbacks and when she leaves the house she feels overwhelmed by anxiety. She added: "I feel as though I have the word 'victim' written on my face and when I leave the house or when someone looks at me I feel they know what has happened to me. It's dehumanising....

"If you could imagine going through the worst moment of your life and having no input in how it's dealt with. That's what I go through every day... I can't put into words how this has made me feel, I don't know myself. [It has] torn scars in my soul that will last forever and even God can't heal. I have to be the final girl. If me doing this can save someone's life I'll do it 10 times over."

In mitigation Kevin Seal said his client "needs help" in custody in order to change his attitude towards women and the way he manages his problems and his life in general. He said the defendant will "need to become a completely different person" if he wished to have contact with his child.

Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "These two brave young complainants have given evidence of a most frightening experience in which each suffered at your hands with a degree of violent and sexual degradation. This is deeply concerning the more so when one considers your antecedent history...

"This simply cannot be ignored. You are a danger to young women. I will go further and say with confidence that in your company no young lady is truly safe. You pose a significant risk of harm to members of the public."

Harding was sentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of five years. He will serve at least two-thirds of the custodial sentence before he will be considered for parole. The defendant was also made subject to two restraining orders and sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A man carried out a campaign of rapes and sexual abuse of girls and women spanning more than two decades, a court has heard. Nicholas Lloyd began his reign of sexual violence when he was a teenager and carried on into his 40s.

The defendant has been handed an extended 28-year sentence for public protection and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Sending him down a judge told him in was clear he had caused huge harm to his victims.

Swansea Crown Court heard statements from the three victims in which they set out the devastating impact of the abuse they suffered at Lloyd's hands not just on them but on their families. The women detailed how they had been left feeling worthless and suffering with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and trust issues and how they had been left living with trauma and fear for years or even decades. One described how Lloyd had "taken her childhood and innocence" while another said she had been left questioning everything and feeling like she did not deserve happiness. The women also described the stress and pain of going through the legal process and of having to relive the abuse in court.

Nicholas Lloyd, aged 51, of Sandpiper Way, Duffryn, Newport, had previously been convicted at trial of 20 counts including rape of a woman, rape of a girl under 13, rape of a girl under 16, indecent assault, gross indecency with a child, sexual assault, and engaging in sexual activity with a child when he returned to the dock for sentencing.

Judge Catherine Richards said it was clear the defendant had caused huge harm to his victims and she said she had no doubt an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. Lloyd was made the subject of a 28-year extended sentence comprising 23 years in custody followed by a five-year licence period. The defendant can apply to be released after serving two-thirds of the custodial element but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

Description

A successful businessman caught with more than 1,700 child abuse images today avoided jail after a judge heard he needs to care for his cancer-stricken wife.

Steven Bowden claimed he viewed the explicit photos while he was under a lot of 'distress' at the time due to his spouse Heather's diagnosis with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

While being investigated by police and in a moment of 'pure panic' the businessman - who owns a bespoke joinery company - destroyed a computer hard drive and dumped it in a river, a court was told.

But the 60 year old avoided jail after a judge highlighted how his wife - who has 'stood by him' - 'needs' him due to her health condition.

Prosecutor Rod Blain told Southampton Crown Court that Bowden's £900,000 home in Hythe in the New Forest was searched by police in July 2022.

But after officers visited his office in Salisbury, he removed a hard drive, smashed it and threw it in a nearby river.

James Bull, mitigating, described the destruction of the hard drive as an 'impulsive' moment.

He added: "It was a state of pure panic - it was not done as calculated as one might expect."

Bowden claimed to have gained access to the child porn after he was sorting the 'estate' of a deceased family member.

Mr Bull said: "The desktop tower that was in his possession - he received from a family member.

"He received the computer and also the content on the computer.

"He accepts at the time he should have informed the police about the content.

"Instead, he viewed the content and did not take that course of action."

Bowden was found with 1,734 indecent images of children - 145 of which were Category A, the most serious kind.

Mr Bull told the court he is a 'successful businessman' who co-owns a 'bespoke joinery company' with his son but that in 2022 his wife had received her diagnosis.

"Mr Bowden was experiencing a significant amount of emotional and psychological distress at the time," he said.

He added: "[This is] something that he did once and he accepts that it's the biggest mistake he has ever made."

Bowden pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and one charge of perverting the court of justice.

Judge Christopher Parker said 'the destruction of the hard drive is a very serious matter' but highlighted the case's mitigating features - in particular in 'regard' to his wife'.

He said: "She has stood by you - notwithstanding the nature of your offending - but she needs you because of her health condition."

The judge handed Bowden an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He will also have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 in prosecution costs, and complete rehabilitation activity requirements.

Bowden was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order to last for the next 10 years.

Description

A SERIAL paedophile was told by a judge to throw his laptop away in order to prevent him committing further crimes.

Andrew Davidson, 63, from Belmore Gardens, Lymington, has a history of downloading child abuse images and breaching sexual harm prevention orders.

He was jailed for ten months in 2018 in Nottingham, where he was living at the time, for possessing thousands of indecent photos of children including Category A – the most severe.

At that time Davidson was under a SHPO imposed for a similar offence in 2006, for which he was given a suspended sentence and ordered to take part in an internet sex offenders treatment programme.

In 2021 he again breached an SHPO order and was given a suspended prison sentence. Another order was also imposed.

But a jury a Southampton Crown Court heard in November he breached it again.

An offender monitoring firm were alerted in October last year that he had downloaded software on a laptop which enabled him to browse sites undetected.

It meant, said prosecutor Harvey Keely, the company could not see what Davidson was looking at on the internet. There was also no search history.

Police were alerted and went to Davidson’s home, where they seized all his internet capable devices including a Samsung mobile phone on which there were five child abuse images including three within category A.

The defendant pleaded guilty to breaching the order but denied making an indecent image of a child between 25th February 2018 and 1st June 2021. However, he was found guilty by the jury at the city’s crown court and sent to Portsmouth for sentencing.

In defence, barrister Nicholas Gammon said his client had claimed he had used the software to look for old emails and did not know how the indecent images “got there.”

The defendant cares for his partner, added Mr Gammon, who is “seriously ill” and “would not be able to cope” if he was jailed.

Mr Gammon continued: “The police are not going to leave him alone; they will monitor him very closely and he is not someone who can escape the net. My advice to him was to throw his computer away.”

Sentencing the defendant, Judge Newton-Price KC said he agreed with the barrister, adding: “You are extremely lucky to escape an immediate custodial sentence and might want to consider Mr Gammon’s suggestion to get of rid all internet devices.”

Davidson was sentenced to a total of 14 months in prison suspended for two years. He was given a 10-year SHPO and ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

Description

The suspect in an alkali attack in south London was convicted of a sex offence in 2018 and was later granted asylum after three attempts.

Police are looking for Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, 35, who was last seen in north London on Wednesday evening.

A mother and her three-year-old daughter hurt by the corrosive substance could have suffered "life-changing" injuries in the attack.

Police have warned people not to approach Ezedi and to instead call 999.

The 31-year-old woman and her daughter remain in hospital, along with her older daughter, eight.

Five police officers were injured as they responded, as were four members of the public who tried to help.

The attack took place near Clapham Common at about 19:25 on Wednesday.

The suspect attempted to escape the scene in a car but crashed into a stationary vehicle, then ran.

One witness described seeing the suspect lift a young child over his head and throw her onto the ground like a "ragdoll", telling the BBC the incident was like a "horror movie".

A community worker who knows Ezedi has appealed for him to give himself up, and to get medical help for his injuries.

Azad, who helps refugees in Newcastle where Ezedi lives, described the 35-year-old as polite and respectful.

In 2018, Ezedi was convicted of one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure, before being granted asylum in 2020.

He received a nine-week jail term suspended for two years for the sexual assault and, for the exposure, 36 weeks' imprisonment to be served consecutively, also suspended for two years.