Latest Offenders Newcastle

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A convicted sex offender who set up fake profiles on chat sites was snared by paedophile hunters posing as underage girls.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that Phillip Browne even pretended to be his own sister to try to persuade one 14-year-old to become his boyfriend.

He sent her a photo of his penis and provided an address in Fenton.

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire headlines

But 41-year-old Browne was rumbled when the vigilantes turned up at his bail hostel in Newcastle.

Nick Tatlow, prosecuting, said they were trying to stage a confrontation. Police were called and his accommodation was searched.

Now the defendant, of Albert Street, Newcastle, has been jailed for 36 months.

He admitted three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), four counts of attempting to breach the order, and two counts of failing to comply with notification requirements.

The court was told Browne had been sentenced to two years in prison in March last year for similar breaches. He was released on licence on October 29.

A risk assessor visited him to talk through the requirements of the SHPO, which had been imposed for an indefinite period. He provided details of his mobile phone, SIM card and an Xbox console, said Mr Tatlow.

The assessor made several further visits. One of them was prompted by Browne saying he want to chat to females. The SHPO was explained to him again.

But by January, he had secretly bought a smartphone and was using it to set up the fake profiles online. The profile names he used included Phil Bro and Sarah.

The first person he contacted on the chat site was Scarlet, a decoy profile set up by vigilantes. She purported to be aged 14.

Mr Tatlow said: The conversations with Scarlet were not overtly sexual. He said he liked her and wanted her to be his girlfriend.

The conversation moved to WhatsApp. Browne claimed to have a 14-year-old sister who passed as a 20-year-old. He then posed as Sarah, who was supposedly his sister, to contact the girl.

Other females targeted included Amber and Lexi-Mae, who both claimed to be aged 13. He asked one of the girls: What do you think of me as a BF (boyfriend) type of thing?

He then switched between two fake profiles - Phil Bro and Sarah to strike up a conversation with a girl who claimed to be 14. It was this person who received a photograph of Brownes private parts.

During the police search of Brownes address, a smartphone was recovered.

The WhatsApp chat log on that Huawei phone showed a deleted conversation with Scarlet, added Mr Tatlow.

In interview, Browne said he committed the offences so he could go back to prison.

Brian Williams, mitigating, described him as disarmingly honest and said the defendant was desperate to get onto a course to address his behaviour.

He wants some help, his barrister added.

Sentencing him, Record Anthony Warner said the offences were part of a pattern of behaviour.

He told Browne: "Youve been identified as someone of high risk of serious harm against exactly the sort of people identified in this case, namely young girls to whom you are attracted.

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Ian Chapel, of South Shields, who was angry at not being able to see his children after the end of his relationship, posted private sexual footage of the woman on Snapchat

A mum was horrified to be told by her son that his dad had posted a private sexual video of her online.

Ian Chapel was devastated at being unable to see his children after the breakdown of his long term relationship when he sought to humiliate his former partner.

A court heard he posted the footage, which the woman had sent him years earlier while they were together and told him to delete it afterwards, on Snapchat.

A friend of one of their son's saw it and told his pal, who told his mother.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the couple had been together for around 18 years until they split up and they have four children.

Initially, Chapel had contact with the youngsters but this was stopped after arguments.

In July last year, the woman got a text from a friend saying Chapel had posted things about her on Instagram.

On a page open to the public, he had called her a s**g and a s**t and accused her of having affairs, said she was not letting him see the children and said he wanted to kill himself.

He also posted a court letter with the woman's name and her mother's name on it.

Then on July 10 she was told by her teenage son about the intimate video being posted by Chapel on Snapchat.

The woman had blocked Chapel but asked her friend to check and she confirmed the video was there.

There was also a video of him saying he hoped she got attacked with acid at work and he threatened to print leaflets if he didn't get to see his children.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "I feel degraded, harassed, alarmed, distressed and violated because that video was private to me.

"I didn't think he would still have it, it's from years ago.

"This has left me feeling like a broken woman, I feel deflated.

"I've been made to feel dirty, knowing my two eldest sons are aware of this.

"I'm quite anxious about what's going to happen. He threatened me on Snapchat and said he will not stop. I'm constantly watching my back. I've had cameras put up because I fear for my safety."

Chapel, 39, of Winskell Road, South Shields, who has 34 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to disclosing a private sexual picture and harassment.

He was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months with 150 hours unpaid work, 200 compensation and a five year restraining order.

Recorder Geraldine Kelly told him: "You were so angry about not seeing your children you chose to intimidate, manipulate and humiliate her.

"Your son was told by his friend about an intimate sexual video you posted. Your teenage son. What an awful experience for him to have to go through."

Referring to the comment about acid, the judge said: "The venom in your delivery is palpable."

She added: "It's clear the end of this relationship has broken you but it's not an excuse.

"Your distress is evident but it's something you are going to have to get over."

Fiona Lamb, defending, said Chapel has been left "heartbroken" at not being able to see his children after his contact with them broke down.

She told the court: "The complainant may have her own reasons for that and I don't seek to blame her but the effect on the defendant has been he has been extremely depressed for the past few years and he has tried to commit suicide on a number of occasions.

"He is angry, no doubt, but very, very upset.

"I'm not saying that excuses, in any way, shape or form what he did but I hope your honour will take it into account.

"It appears he was utterly desperate and didn't know what else to do."

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Jacob Smith, of Whickham, engaged in sexual communication with a '14-year-old' who bizarrely turned out to be a decoy profile being run by a woman who cuts his wife's hair.

A pervert who thought he was having a sex chat with a child was actually talking to his wife's hairdresser working as an undercover paedophile hunter.

Jacob Smith made contact with a 14-year-old girl's profile on the Grindr app in September 2019 and discussed sex in "explicit" detail.

The married dad, 39, who used the moniker "4trans" said he wanted to take the child's virginity and encouraged her to truant from school.

A court heard the fake teen profile had been set up by vigilantes Guardians of the North.

He was told he was talking to a confused teen who was a girl but wanted to be a boy.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the adult behind the account had set it up and waited for contact, which Smith started with the massage "hi beautiful".

By a bizarre coincidence, the decoy who was behind the fake teen profile was Smith's wife's hairdresser, who knew the family and recognised him instantly when he sent his photograph.

Smith, of Front Street, Whickham, Gateshead, denied attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, claimed he knew who was behind the fake profile and had sent the messages for "amusement" at a time when he was not thinking straight.

But after a trial by jury, he was found guilty of the charge and has now been jailed for eight months.

Smith has to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Recorder Alex Menary said he accepted Smith was suffering from depression as a result of stress, brought on by a promotion at work and personal problems, but said only a custodial sentence could provide sufficient punishment.

The judge said: "By a twist of fate the decoy was your wife's hairdresser.

"When you sent pictures of yourself she recognised you.

"On learning you were in London on business she contacted the police.

"You made no comment when arrested."

The court heard Smith later claimed he knew it was the hairdresser all along as he was "aware of her work" so went along as entertainment and distraction.

He also claimed he wasn't thinking straight, knew word of what he had done would get back to his wife and continued with it as a "cry for help".

The court heard Smith was "ill" at the time of the offences and has since received treatment.

He and his family had to sell their home once word of his offending got out and he now lives away from them.

Philip Gibbs, defending, said: "He was ill, to quite a considerable degree. It wasn't a short lived or trivial illness, it was a gathering storm.

"He accepts the process and the verdict of the jury because that is justice."

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Nathan Ali, who believed she was older, took the child to the student house where his ex lived and she found them in bed

A rapist said he had sex with a 12-year-old girl he met in McDonald's to make his girlfriend jealous.

Nathan Ali took his victim from a Newcastle branch of the fast food outlet to a student house, where his ex girlfriend lived.

He then had sex with her while the occupants were out.

A court heard his former partner and her flatmate returned home, saw them in bed and contacted the police after realising she was a child.

Stephen Littlewood, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "They discovered the defendant, naked in bed, along with the victim, who was wearing a top but no underwear.

"They formed the opinion she was a child aged around 14 or 15.

"He had no right to be in the property."

The court heard Ali and the schoolgirl had got into a conversation about Snapchat in McDonald's, which led to them going to what she thought was his home.

Mr Littlewood said Ali had gone into the student house, in Newcastle, about three to four times, without permission, after the breakdown of his relationship with one of the residents.

Ali, 22, of Bridant Road, London, admitted rape of a child under 13 on the basis the victim had told him she was 17 when they started chatting.

Judge Robert Adams sentenced him to four-and-a-half years behind bars with a one year extended licence period.

The judge said although Ali may have been told the girl was 17, the two women at the student house believed her to be 14 or 15 and said although exact age is difficult to determine from sight alone, she looked "young".

Judge Adams told Ali: "You say your intention was to make your ex partner jealous.

"She was one of the people who found you in her flat."

The judge added: "The two females appear to have immediately formed the view she was a child."

Ali must sign the sex offenders register for life, abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and was given a restraining order to keep him away from his ex for five years.

The court heard Ali, who was 21 at the time, has never been in trouble before and is an "intelligent man".

Paul Cross, defending, said: "This was a young man thinking he was having sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old, who was willing to have sexual intercourse with him."

Mr Cross said the victim did not look as young as her true age.

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Colin Christensen, of North Shields, who worked in Tynemouth, admitted two offences of attempted sexual communication with a child

A chef who tried to prey on underage girls on Facebook has been spared prison.

Colin Christensen befriended what he thought were two girls aged 14 and sent illegal messages to them and a picture of his genitals.

A court heard the profiles were being run by a vigilante group called the Child Online Safety Team.

Christensen, a grandfather who lives with his mother, made contacted with the profile of a girl in January this year.

Despite being told she was 14, the 55-year-old, who lied that he was 36, asked for a photograph of her in her school uniform, which was refused.

Kate Barnes, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "He asked what she wore to bed and if she thought about sex. She said no, she was too young.

"The conversation continued and he went on to ask for pictures and asked what kind of underwear she wore."

Christensen sent a picture of his penis then later asked if she was offended or aroused by it.

He also asked her to take a camera in the shower with her and made reference to her genitals.

Around the same time, Christensen made contact with the Facebook profile of someone purporting to be a 14-year-old.

It was a profile being run by the same vigilante group.

He again asked for a photograph of her in school uniform, asked what she was wearing then asked her sexual questions.

The court heard he said he couldn't have sex with her unless she agreed and told her the first time might hurt.

Christensen, of Murton Lane, North Shields, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Judge Robert Adams sentenced him to nine months suspended for two years with sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

The court heard he lost his job of 36 years as a chef at a pub in Tynemouth and is pessimistic about finding employment, given his conviction.

Mark Harrison, defending, said Christensen had an "appropriate level of shame".

He added: "He has had to have a difficult conversation with his mother, -who relies on him for her day-to day care.

"His only ambition is to be allowed to carry on with that care."

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A "predatory paedophile" who raped and abused primary school aged children has been jailed for 26 years.

Barry Rossiter attacked the five victims, one of whom was just three years old, over a period of three decades, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The 67-year-old, of Evistones Gardens, Walker, Newcastle, was convicted of 23 offences after a trial last year.

Judge Sarah Mallett told Rossiter the harm he caused was "profound and permanent" as she sentenced him.

She described him as a "predatory paedophile" and told him: "You are going to spend the rest of your life in prison, that is my intention."

Rossiter was convicted of historical offences including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, indecency with a child, sexual assault and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

'Lifelong pain and trauma'

One victim read her impact statement at the sentencing hearing, telling Rossiter: "I didn't deserve what you did to me, absolutely nobody does.

"I despise your every living cell."

She told the court she had suffered flashbacks and lived in "survival mode" due to Rossiter's abuse of her as a child.

"I know the trauma will exist for the rest of my life so it's only fair for him to live the rest of his days in prison.

"He has caused so much unnecessary lifelong pain and trauma to myself and others."

Other victims spoke of the devastating impact the attacks have had on their lives and relationships.

Rossiter was also given a two-year extension to his licence period and told he must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Paul Cross, defending, said Rossiter was in poor health and the prison sentence is one he will "probably not complete".

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Matthew Jack, formerly Huckle, had been jailed twice previously for similar offending and is back behind bars for doing it four more times

An online predator caught time and again trying to have sex chats with children complained to a judge when told he wasn't allowed to serve his full prison sentence behind bars.

Matthew Jack, formerly known as Huckle, has repeatedly been caught by paedophile hunters posing as young girls online.

Jack, jailed twice before for attempted sexual communication with a child, was back in court after being caught four more times by various groups.

But when told he will be released at the half way point of his ten month sentence, he complained that he didn't want to be released early because he didn't want to work with probation.

When told that is the law, the 26-year-old sat with his head in his hands.

Newcastle Crown Court heard all of the new offences happened on an app called Whisper while he was using the name troutyellow.

In September 2019 he contacted the profile of a girl purporting to be 13, which was in fact a decoy set up by Geordie Chasers.

He asked for a picture and responded that it would be better without the leggings and that he "loved legs and wanted to see it all".

When asked for a picture of himself he replied "I would rather meet".

The second profile, also purporting to be 13 and on the same app, was contacted by Jack, who said he wanted to "meet and do what girlfriends and boyfriends do - kiss, cuddle, strip, touch each other".

He repeatedly asked for naked pictures and photos of her in a bikini, despite being told she didn't think her mother would allow it.

The third profile was being run by vigilantes Guardians of the North, posing as a 14-year-old called Hannah Young.

Jack said he wanted to meet and wanted her to wear a dress and that he wanted her to be his girlfriend and to have sex with her.

He asked for naked photos and said he would have sex with her the following day.

Another profile, a 14-year-old called Amy, was being run by Dark Justice, and they recognised him from catching him previously.

Jack asked to meet Amy in Elswick Park and said he would strip her.

The court heard he has eight previous convictions, including for sexual activity with a child in 2017.

He was jailed in November 2019 for two counts of attempting to engage a child in sexual activity and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Then in August 2020 he was locked up again after being caught again within weeks of his release from prison.

Now he has admitted four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Recorder Nicholas Lumley QC sentenced him to ten months in prison and imposed a new ten year sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration.

The judge said Jack, formerly of Gateshead but of no fixed address, is a "troubled individual" with limited mental capacity but added: "You have chosen to ignore the rules and the order to stop you doing this.

"The pre-sentence report makes for worrying reading. You pose a risk, not least because you don't have insight.

"The public can only be protected in the short term by a prison sentence and that is what I must do."

Jack asked "can I do the full amount, I don't want to be released at half way" but was told it is the law that he is likely to be eligible for release after serving five months.

He replied: "The full point of me saying in the pre-sentence report I don't want to be under a community order is I don't want to deal with probation."

Alec Burns, defending, said the latest offences pre-date the last offences for which he was sentenced due to delays in bringing the case to court.

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Reece Wigglesworth, 16, also robbed a woman of her car at knifepoint

Out-of-control teenager Reece Wigglesworth sexually assaulted a 79-year-old Newcastle woman in her home.

The 16-year-old, who received a caution as an 11-year-old for sexually assaulting a child, was wearing a hoodie when he tried doors to of homes.

His victim thought it was her son so unlocked the chain and the defendant barged in her home and asked if she had any money. She said she did not and she could see him playing with his private parts. He pushed her against a worktop and sexually assaulted her.

The pensioner felt sore and screamed. He hit her across the head and told her to, 'shut the f*** up', before running off.

The defendant was arrested three days later after an appeal on StokeonTrent Live and in The Sentinel.

The incident happened seven months after Wigglesworth and an accomplice robbed a disabled woman of her car at knifepoint outside her Basford home. She was so distressed she moved house.

Now Wigglesworth has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years detention at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

StokeonTrentLive and The Sentinel successfully applied for reporting restrictions to be lifted with Judge Paul Glenn saying it was appropriate and in the interests of justice for the case to be reported.

Prosecutor Neil Ahuja said the first offence involved the defendant and another committing a car-jacking at 12.50am on February 18.

The 48-year-old victim pulled up outside her home in Clare Street, Basford, at 12.50am when the defendant and another approached her Vauxhall Corsa and demanded the keys.

Mr Ahuja said: "The second man produced a knife.

"The defendant took 50 pence from her purse.

"She felt petrified by the knife. The demand to give her keys was very aggressive the second time and she did hand them over. She felt the knife catch her hand.

"One got in the driver's seat and one in the passenger seat. It was driven off.

"The car was spotted by police in Trentham. Both men were chased and detained. The knife was in the defendant's pocket."

The victim has been left frightened and anxious by her ordeal. She is scared to go out at night. She is not eating or sleeping properly and has flashbacks. She has moved house because she did not feel safe.

The defendant was released under investigation.

He entered the pensioner's home in Newcastle at 7.30pm on October 9.

Mr Ahuja said: "He had tried to gain entry to the front door and went to the rear door.

"Mistakenly thinking it was her son she opened the door. He pushed his way in. He had his hood pulled tight around his face. He asked, 'Have you got money'? She replied, 'No, do I look like I have got any'?

"He pushed her against a kitchen worktop and grabbed her hard. He stopped because of a loud scream. He hit her over the head and shouted, 'Shut the f*** up', before running away."

In a victim statement the pensioner said she has suffered flashbacks and no longer feels safe in her own home. She has had extra security fitted. She added she will never forget what happened and it will always stay with her.

The defendant was identified by forensic evidence with his DNA found on the victim's clothes and the door handle at a neighbouring property.

Wigglesworth, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery, possession of a knife in public, burglary and sexual assault.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said the defendant wanted to offer his apologies to both victims. He said: "Any right minded person would be disgusted by his behaviour."

Mr Cliff said the defendant was aged 15 at the time of the robbery and his co-accused was five years older than him.

He added Wigglesworth is not driven by deviant sexual fantasies and asked for the judge to give credit for the guilty pleas and to take into account the teenager's age and totality.

Judge Glenn said the robbery victim described feeling petrified. He said: "You accept taking money, a small amount, from her purse. The police located the car, the two of you absconded and you were caught nearby. You were the one with the knife at that stage.

"It had a significant psychological effect. She was scared to go out at night and she had to move because she did not feel safe any more."

The judge described the sexual assault as 'an appalling case'. He said: "You burgled the home of a 79-year-old. You had been released under investigation in relation to the robbery.

"I am not sure that you realised it was an old person's home or I would treat that as an aggravating feature.

"She thought it was her son and unlocked the door. You pushed your way in. Your face was concealed by the hooded top you were wearing.

"She was terrified and thought she was going to be raped.

"You meet the criteria for a dangerous offender. The sexual assault and the robbery are so serious only significant custodial sentences are appropriate.

"You are a danger when at large in the community. Your offending is escalating in terms of gravity and frequency. You carry knives. You abuse alcohol and drugs. The circumstances of the present offences alone indicate you are out of control."

Wigglesworth was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was barred from a range of activities involving children and vulnerable adults.

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Gordon Henzell, of Jesmond, sexually assaulted two schoolgirls a decade ago but they only reported it after reading he had been trying to communicate sexually with a girl online

Two girls who were sexually assaulted by a pervert a decade ago finally plucked up the courage to report him after reading that he had been caught by paedophile hunters.

For years, Gordon Henzell's sex attacks on girls aged 13 and 14 had remained a secret.

But after they each read a Facebook post about him being caught in a sting operation, they decided to report what he had done to them.

Now Henzell, who tried to get his ex wife to cover for him after his arrest, has been jailed for two sexual assaults and perverting the course of justice.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Henzell had grabbed the 13-year-old round the waist, kissed her neck and tried to kiss her lips and told her she was gorgeous.

The "horrified" victim managed to get away from him.

In a separate attack, he grabbed a 14-year-old's face and tried to kiss her on the lips.

After being arrested and quizzed over the offences, Henzell sent a message to his ex wife within half an hour trying to get her to help him cover his back.

She was suspicious and reported it to police.

Henzell, 54, of Osborne Road, Jesmond, Newcastle, who has the previous conviction from 2020 for attempted sexual communication with a child, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 15 months. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order, both for ten years.

Peter Byrne, defending, said his risk of re-offending is low, there is a "good chance of rehabilitation", he pleaded guilty and that he will lose his accommodation due to being imprisoned.

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A paedophile is facing jail after he was found with a sick stash of child sex abuse images and videos.

Shamed Sean Courtney amassed his vile collection over a four-year period until police seized his electronic devices in 2019.

A total of 178 disturbing pictures and 105 movies had been downloaded by 32-year-old.

Newcastle Magistrates' Court was told that 28 pictures and 70 videos were category A, the most serious kind involving sexual penetration.

Extreme pornography depicting women with dogs was also found in Courtney's possession.

Now, the pervert, of Losh Terrace, in Walker, Newcastle, will spend Christmas fearing her will be sent to prison after he pleaded guilty to three count of making an indecent image of a child and one of having extreme porn.

Prosecutor Jonathan Stirland said Courtney downloaded the vile material between August 1 2015 and April 16 2019.

He added: "The Crown would say this isn't suitable for this court and should be committed for sentence."

Gregg Stephens, defending, said Courtney suffered from mental health issues.

The solicitor continued: "The starting point is 12 months custody for category A images, so I anticipate this will go to the crown court.

"Mr Courtney doesn't have any convictions but does have severe mental health issues."

District Judge Paul Currer committed Courtney to Newcastle Crown Court for sentence.

He said: "You have pleaded guilty to these offences. They are so serious, they need to be dealt with in the crown court.

"You will appear there on January 19. Please attend at 10am. If you fail to attend, you commit an offence for which you could be prosecuted. Please make sure you attend."

In the meantime, Courtney was released on conditional bail, where he must reside at his home address.

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An army cadet instructor who raped a "blind drunk" woman then boasted about what he had done has been jailed.

Robert Wilkinson forced himself on the victim when she was so intoxicated she had thrown up.

A court heard she became aware of having had clothing removed and being abused by the 22-year-old.

Wilkinson, of Newcastle, denied rape and sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court and has now been jailed for seven years.

Sentencing him, Judge Penny Moreland said: "(She) was extremely drunk, she was vomiting.

"She was blind drunk. That's the state of the girl you sexually assaulted and raped.

"She was particularly vulnerable.

"You then boasted of what you had done to her in a text to your friend on the way home."

When originally questioned by police, Wilkinson denied any sexual activity took place then when presented with scientific proof that it had, he changed his story and claimed it had been consensual, an account jurors rejected.

As well as the prison sentence, Wilkinson will be on the sex offenders register for life and will be barred from working with vulnerable adults or children.

Annelise Haugstad, defending, said he was of previous good character.

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Alan Mennie, of Hebburn, has been jailed for more than four years for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity

Online predator Alan Mennie has been jailed after he was exposed by paedophile hunters engaging in sex chats with what he thought were two underage girls.

The loner believed he was communicating with youngsters aged 11 and 13 over the internet but had been duped by Secret Whispers, an organisation behind fake profiles that are set up to snare paedophiles.

Now Mennie, 42, has been jailed for four years and one month at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Andrew Espley said: "This defendant engaged in sexual conversations with two separate people online, pretending to be children.

"Penetrative sexual activity was discussed and it emerged that those were fake profiles, set up by Secret Whispers."

The first conversation took place between October 2018 and April 2019.

Mr Espley said Mennie "made it clear he wasn't concerned she was 13" and asked if she had been with an older man.

Mennie invited the child to his home and engaged in graphic sexual conversation.

The second chat was between March and April 2019 and Mennie believed the girl was just 11.

Mr Espley said: "Full sexual intercourse was discussed."

The court heard Mennie tried to persuade both child profiles to perform sex acts on themselves.

As well as the prison sentence, Mennie, of Tharsis Road, Hebburn, South Tyneside, must abide by a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for life.

Judge Spragg said Mennie has never lived with a partner or lived apart from his mother, who is now in her 80s and is "socially isolated".

Nick Lane, defending, said: "He very much regrets the way he behaved and recognises the seriousness of his offending."

Mr Lane said Mennie became withdrawn after the sudden death of his father when he was younger.

The court heard Mennie was employed for a few years after leaving school but was then unable to work due to anxiety and depression, which he received counselling for.

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Depraved Brian Cairns paid to have very young children sexually abused and tortured so he could watch the vile abuse live on camera.

The twisted 60-year-old sent money online to "facilitators " in the Philippines to he could direct the horrific abuse of girls as young as four as he observed it.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he kept screenshots of what he had ordered, "almost off a menu".

During one of the sickening live shows, Cairns asked the for a break to go and get some cigarettes so he could smoke while he watched the "unsafe and degrading" acts.

Prosecutor Paul Cleasby told the court officers from Northumbria Police Paedophile Investigation Team had seized Cairns' computer devices after they received information he had been sending "large sums of money" overseas in exchange for child abuse images.

Mr Cleasby said an analysis of Cairns' computer revealed a series of chats and added: "It was clear from the conversations money had been paid by the defendant in order for sexual abuse of children to take place live on
camera while he watched."

The court heard Cairns ordered that the abused girls should be under eight years old and made specific requests involving "degrading violence" that he wanted done to them.

One of the victims was four and the other between six and eight.

Cairns, of Pendle Close, Washington, admitted two charges of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child and two of making indecent photographs of a child.

Judge Amanda Rippon jailed Cairns for 13 years with an extended one year licence period.

The judge said the offences were "some of the most depraved I have had the displeasure to come across in my work in the criminal justice system in the context of child abuse".

Judge Rippon said: "Suffice to say, these offences are of the most grave kind.

"You ordered, almost off a menu, for children who you did not want to be older than eight, to me not just abused but tortured - and they were.

"They were tortured for your sexual gratification in the most abhorrent way.

"You even told them to wait at one point so you could go and get some cigarettes so you could smoke while you watched.

"You directed the abuse.

"These children are very young, desperately so in the context of what you were requesting was done to them."

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A vile paedophile who "ruined the life" of his schoolgirl victim has finally been brought to justice more than 40 years later.

John Storey subjected the young girl to years of abuse in the late 1970s when he was aged between 33 and 35.

This included touching her vagina, making her touch his penis and perform a sex acts on him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Tom Storey, prosecuting, said the victim remembered waking up to find the pervert in the room next to her before the abuse began.

He said: "She described herself as being powerless to do anything about it.

"On days following occasions when he abused her he would sometimes tell her to say nothing about it.

"He would tell her people would not believe her, and if they did she would be responsible for his sons losing their father."

The victim was initially too terrified to tell anyone about what had been going on and said the abuse had ruined her life.

The 77-year-old's sickening crimes drove her to abusing alcohol and drugs and she ended up seeking the help of a counsellor.

It was during a counselling session that the brave victim spoke of the abuse she had endured and eventually reported it to the police in February last year.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "The abuse has had a devastating impact on my life. I found it difficult to make friends at that time and always felt like an outsider.

"I believed it was my fault and I should have done more to stop the abuse from happening.

"Living with this secret has had a massive effect on my mental health. I was so ashamed of it I started abusing alcohol and drugs to block out the memories and the pain.

"I truly believe that John saw vulnerability in me and preyed on me.

"I will always live with the guilt that other children may have been abused by John after me because I did not speak out at the time.

"That is something I have to come to terms with."

Storey, of Kingston Green, Newcastle, was arrested and interviewed on March 4, 2020, and initially denied any allegations of sexual abuse against the complainant.

He later admitted four counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard how Storey had a history of offences against young girls. He spent more than a decade behind bars from 2008 for a string of sex offences including three counts of rape and two counts of attempted rape.

Storey was subject to a conditional discharge in July 1977 after having intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 and would have breached this by abusing his latest victim to speak out.

Paul Caulfield, defending, said his client suffered from a serious lung disease which limited his life expectancy. He added that this meant he was particularly vulnerable to catching Covid-19.

Judge Penny Moreland sentenced Storey to six years in prison, of which he will serve half behind bars if he is no longer deemed a risk before being released on licence.

"You ensured her silence by telling her she would not be believed," Judge Moreland told him.

"You told a probation officer you were unable to remember the fact you repeatedly abused a child in that way.

"What you did to her was devastating. You ruined her life.

"You are an inveterate abuser of girls."

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and will pay a victim surcharge.

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Iain Gosling, of Wallsend, engaged in sickening sex chats online with what he thought were children but were in fact decoy profiles set up by police.

An online predator who targeted children for sex has walked free from court.

Iain Gosling spoke of taking 12 and 13-year-old girls to a hotel and sent a picture of his penis in sickening exchanges.

Fortunately the profiles he preyed upon were decoys being run by police so no children were harmed.

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Newcastle Crown Court heard he first communicated with what he thought was a 13-year-old called Hannah, on Fast Flirting, last September.

Having already asked a graphic sexual question, Gosling, who said he was 61 but who is in fact 43, was not deterred by her revelation of how young she was.

Vince Ward, prosecuting, said: "He discussed visiting her in his car and taking her shopping and to the cinema.

"He offered to buy her clothes that she could model for him.

"He said girls liked doing stuff with older people because older guys take their time."

He made a series of lewd remarks, suggested she should "go do stuff in my car somewhere quiet" and again said they should go to the cinema and shopping.

Mr Ward said: "He suggested booking a hotel somewhere where no-one would recognise them and suggested Southampton and Reading.

"He said he had booked a hotel in Reading for 150 to spend the day there but that he knew she would not be able to spend the night."

Gosling also said he would spend over 100 on one outfit for her and offered to take her to KFC and McDonald's.

Mr Ward added: "He asked if she would go all the way and reassured her it would not hurt as he would not be rough with her.

"He said she would not get pregnant because of his age."

Gosling went on to communicate with what he thought was a 12-year-old called Holly, who he sent a picture of his genitals and suggested they watch a movie in the cab of his lorry while lying down in the dark. He said he had "very naughty movies".

Around a week later he communicated with the same profile and suggested booking a hotel, shopping and watching a movie and made sexual remarks.

Gosling, of Percy Street, Wallsend, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to 15 months suspended for two years with a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration for 10 years.

Judge Edward Legard said Gosling couldn't complain if he sent him immediately to prison and said people would expect a deterrent sentence given the abhorrence with which such crimes are viewed . But he said he decided "by the narrowest margin" the public would be best served by a suspended sentence.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said: "His best point is his early guilty plea.

"He is in his 40s and of good character and has worked throughout his life and supports his daughter and ex partner.

"He turned to alcohol and his relationship broke down."