Latest Offenders Nottingham

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A notorious sexual predator targeted a vulnerable 14-year-old Derby girl for sexual activity after going on the run just days after being released from prison. Derby Crown Court heard how Christopher Leask encouraged the teenager to escape from home after sexually abusing her behind a charity shop in the city.

The 38-year-old paedophile’s sentencing hearing was told how he stored the victim as "Babygirl" in his mobile phone, took her to a McDonald's and was finally found with her outside Asda in Sinfin.

Now the former Alvaston pervert has been put behind bars for years. Handing him an 11-and-a-half-year sentence, Recorder Michelle Heeley KC said: “She was vulnerable and that you called her ‘Babygirl’ demonstrates your attitude. You are a sexual predator and you present a risk of serious harm to more people. There is clear evidence you targeted and groomed this young girl.”

Jonathan Dunne, prosecuting, said Leask was released from a 16-week jail sentence for breaching the terms of being on the sex offender register in July 2022 and should have gone straight to a bail hostel but did not and did not tell his supervisors. He said by the end of that month he was in the Normanton area of Derby and had met the victim.

The prosecutor said: “She is 14 years old but is vulnerable and presents as younger than that. Her parents became concerned that she was meeting a new friend. Her father saw her with the defendant in the street and told her mother.

“On July 30, her mother saw her in the street with the defendant and told him that (her daughter) was 14 and that he shouldn’t be with her and called him a paedophile. By this time she had bruising on her neck consistent with a love bite and her parents were concerned about how she had come by it.

“She told them that he had given her it and that she had given him one back. They forbade her from seeing him. It was clear however that the defendant maintained contact – particularly by social media. The police recovered conversations between them and (the girl) was stored in his phone as ‘Babygirl’.”

Mr Dunne said in the early hours of August she escaped from her house via a window. The defendant was there and it was something that they had planned. He said her parents realised that she had gone at around 4am and contacted the police who conducted a search to try to find her.

The prosecutor said: “They found CCTV from a local McDonald's that showed the two of them together and that they were very close and kissing. As a result of a sighting just before 4pm, they located the defendant and the teenager near Asda at Sinfin.

“The defendant was originally seen on his own and made an attempt to escape from the police before being captured after resisting and (the girl) was found at the rear of the store. She was wearing the defendant’s coat.”

Mr Dunne said Leask was taken to St Mary’s Wharf police station and placed in a cell where he tried to get rid of his underwear by flushing it down the toilet. He said although it was recovered, it was not possible to get any DNA results from it but it was possible to get DNA results from the girl’s underwear which made it clear sexual activity had taken place between them.

The prosecutor said the girl was interviewed and told officers sexual activity had taken place between them behind a charity shop. Leask, now of Raleigh Street, Radford, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child and failing to comply with notification requirements.

He has a number of previous convictions going back to 1997 including similar offences which saw him handed a six-year sentence with an extended five-year licence in 2011.

Roger Wilson, mitigating, said his client accepts that he is seen as dangerous in the eyes of the law. He said: “The most powerful mitigation is his early guilty pleas. He had a difficult upbringing, he was (sexually) abused himself.”

Leask’s sentence is made up of a seven-and-a-half-year custodial sentence plus a four-year extended licence. It means he will not be eligible to apply for parole until two thirds of the way through the custodial element - five years.

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A former Scout leader was jailed for non-recent sexual offences against children.

Jonathan Withey, 42, sexually assaulted a boy and a girl after meeting them at a Scout camp in 1997.

The following year, Withey began sexually abusing the two children, who were in their early teens at the time.

The girl was subjected to sexual abuse over a four-year period and the boy suffered for three years.

Withey, who was 16 when he met the children, was found guilty of two counts of rape, three indecent assaults, six counts of indecency with a child and two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

On September 1, Withey, of Tindall Close Chilwell, was jailed for a total of 16 years with a further one year to serve on licence and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for life.

Police investigator Kerry Humphreys, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Withey abused his position of trust as a Scout leader to prey upon these children over a long period of time.

“He must have thought after all these years he had got away with his offending. However, he underestimated the bravery of his victims and the determination of officers to bring him to justice.

“Withey continued to deny his offending and subjected his victims to a court trial. Throughout the proceedings, he has not expressed any remorse about the ordeal they have gone through.

“He is a devious and predatory sex offender whose offending has unsurprisingly had a very significant impact on these two victims.

“As Withey prepares to spend a lengthy period behind bars, I’d like to personally thank them for their bravery in coming forward.

“Withey would have remained a danger to any children he came into contact with if they had not spoken out about what happened."

Detective sergeant Adam Taylor added: “Nothing is more important to the force than the safety and wellbeing of children.

“I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this man to justice and hope this case serves to encourage other victims to come forward.”

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Matthew Mardell, 46, pleaded guilty to two indecent assaults on one of the same boys as Andrew Polkey but was given a suspended sentence.

Andrew Polkey's case: https://offenders.org.uk/offender?id=4461

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Nottinghamshire detectives have explained how the bravery of victims and their persistence helped put the two predatory child sex offenders behind bars.

John Chambers, aged 73, and 57-year-old Andrew Polkey were jailed for a total of 26 years after officers uncovered a litany of sexual abuse against boys.

The men took it in turns to abuse one vulnerable boy over several years plying him with drugs and alcohol after inviting him to their homes.

Chambers, a former guitarist with Nottingham-based band Paper Lace, exploited his status as a minor celebrity when he befriended the boy more than 30 years ago.

He later introduced him to former band roadie Polkey as the pair took turns to exploit him for their own sexual gratification.

It was during the course of that investigation that two further victims were identified who had each been abused by Polkey.

Detectives initially started to looking onto the allegations in 2017 when the victim now an adult came forward to report what had happened to him.

The trail then ran cold after the victim decided not to continue his complaint with a formal statement.

When he re-engaged with detectives two years later they were able to move the case forward.

Detective Sergeant Lee Kirk, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: As is often the case with non-recent allegations this victim simply did not feel ready to speak in more detail about what happened to him, so there was little we could do to move forward the matter forward.

The victim decided to re-engage with us.

"His evidence was utterly compelling and forensic in detail in places, including details of Chambers home and of vehicles linked to his former band.

In it he painted a picture of a predatory and manipulative child abuser who very deliberately groomed and exploited a secondary school age boy.

When Polkey, a known associate of Chambers, was also identified as an abuser by the first victim our investigation really gathered pace.

"Polkey was then identified by another man and we prepared to make arrests.

Both men were arrested in 2020 and interviewed about the allegations.

Both denied the offences but later pleaded guilty to multiple sexual assaults.

Chambers, formerly of Crowley Close, Bilborough, pleaded guilty to eight assaults against one boy and Polkey, formerly of Glade Hill Road, Arnold, admitted to 17 against two boys.

At Nottingham Crown Court, Chambers and Polkey were jailed for ten-and-a-half years and 13 years respectively.

Both men were also made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, which will closely restrict their behaviour once thy are released from prison.

A third man, 46-year-old Matthew Mardell, of Glade Hill Road, pleaded guilty to two indecent assaults on a boy and was given a 20-month sentence suspended for two years.

Superintendent Natasha Todd, head of public protection at Nottinghamshire Police, said:

These men thought they could commit these offences with impunity, but they simply hadnt reckoned on the bravery of their victims and the determination of police to hold them to account.

Two of them will now spend a very considerable amount of time behind bars and I hope this brings some comfort to their victims.

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A sex offender who hid inside a wheelie bin after assaulting a teenage girl in the street has been jailed.

David Harcombe was caught hiding by officers after they were called to Nuncargate Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

Moments earlier he had followed the girl and grabbed her as she walked away from a park at around 8.30pm on 7 May 2023.

Thirty-nine-year-old Harcombe also pleaded guilty to another sexual assault six days earlier when he followed and grabbed another teenage girl in Nuncargate Park.

The girl told a work colleague what had happened and it was reported to police.

Harcombe initially denied the offences in police interview but detectives were able to piece together a case against him using CCTV footage.

Harcombe, of Seagrave Avenue, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, was jailed for two years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday (24 August). He had earlier admitted two counts of sexual assault.

Detective Constable Harry Glass, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Both incidents were extremely distressing for the victims who were simply walking down the street when they were followed and grabbed by Harcombe.

“I’d like to thank them for their bravery in helping to identify their attacker and bring him to justice.

“I hope the community is reassured by our thorough investigation into the two incidents which has led to this sentence being handed down.

“The sentence should also serve as a warning to others about the consequences of this kind of offending; we will track you down and do whatever it takes to see you put behind bars.”

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A man who secretly filmed two children in a bath and then shared severe child sex abuse images has been jailed.

Lee Bowdler, 52, of Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire, admitted using a hidden camera in a bathroom and owning 271 indecent images of children, some of which he posted on Twitter.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Bowdler had a "clear sexual interest" in children.

He was jailed for one year at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

Bowdler was also and handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order

The NCA identified Bowdler after he posted indecent images of children on Twitter using an online moniker.

He was arrested at work in Colwick in May 2022.

Officers said they found 271 indecent images, some in the highest severity category, on eight of Bowdler's devices.

A secret recording of two children taking a bath, which Bowdler had filmed using a hidden camera, was also recovered by the NCA.

At Mansfield Magistrates' Court on 7 February. Bowdler admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of distributing images and one count of voyeurism.

NCA operations manager Adam Sprague said: "Lee Bowdler clearly had a sexual interest in children, shown both by the footage he shot in the bathroom and the child abuse images he'd accumulated.

"There is a global demand for such material, so the NCA will never waver in its commitment to protect children from sexual abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.

An NSPCC spokesman said in the East Midlands, child abuse image offences, recorded by UK police, "have surged by 81% in just five years".

"Behind every one of the indecent images Bowdler downloaded and distributed are children, many who will have suffered abuse which could cause lasting harm," he added.

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Police have released the mugshot of a man jailed for stalking and raping a teenage girl in Nottingham. Shane Nash, who was not known to the victim, admitted to carrying out the attack in Top Valley on January 29.

The 39-year-old stalked the victim after she had dropped a friend off at a bus stop. He followed her into an alleyway before dragging her into nearby bushes, tying up her hands and mouth.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it had "changed my life forever", with a judge describing the rape as "one of the gravest offences that anyone could commit".

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, July 12, Nash, of Boniface Gardens, Bestwood, was given a life sentence, of which he will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison. He was also added to the sex offenders' register for life.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl said: "I was doing a nice thing walking her [her friend] to the bus stop. My life was TikTok videos, Snapchat and hanging out with friends. After he raped me my mind went blank, I couldn't believe what had happened, it didn't feel real. He threatened to kill me and I thought if I stayed still he wouldn't.

"I kept asking myself did that really happen? I couldn't process it in my head. When I'm on my own I get the feeling I'm not safe. I just want to be normal again. I have trouble sleeping sometimes and have bad dreams.

"When I can't sleep I replay what happened that evening. On the times I have been out I have the feeling that someone is behind me. My family have been amazing, they don't want me to go out because of what happened to me. I hope he never walks the streets again.

"I think why did he pick me? What did I do to make him do this to me? This is something I have to live through."

Detective Inspector Craig Hall, who led the investigation for Nottinghamshire Police, said it was a "horrific crime that shocked and appalled the local community". He said: "The victim in this case was simply walking home as she was grabbed and attacked.

“She is traumatised by what happened and this is likely to have a lasting impact upon her and her family. She has shown remarkable courage and dignity throughout the legal process and my thoughts are very much with her today.

“Nash’s behaviour, by contrast, has been appalling throughout. He has shown absolutely no remorse for what he did and continued to [initially] deny the offence even when presented with incontrovertible evidence of his guilt."

Matt Evans, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Shane Nash subjected a young girl to a terrifying ordeal barely minutes from her home. The violent and merciless nature of the attack is reflected in today’s significant jail sentence.

“The survivor in this case has suffered severe trauma and has a long journey of recovery ahead of her.”

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A Nottinghamshire man has been jailed for 27 years for raping young girls.

Richard Stocks, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, repeatedly attacked his victims then instructed them to keep quiet, Nottinghamshire Police said.

However the 55-year-old was arrested after one of them defied his order to remain silent and told their mother what had happened in July 2021.

He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting 12 counts of rape.

Stocks also pleaded guilty to a further charge of attempted rape, two of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was ordered to serve another year on extended licence on top of his 27-year custodial sentence.

Victims' bravery

Police said Stocks will have to serve at least two thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole and will remain on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Detectives praised the bravery of Stocks' victims whose testimony about his behaviour and his distinctive physical characteristics helped to secure his convictions.

Det Con Kerry Stringfellow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Stocks is a devious and predatory sex offender who repeatedly preyed on young children.

"The nature of his offending was utterly horrific and has unsurprisingly had a very significant impact on his victims.

"But for their bravery in coming forward and telling us about what had happened, Stocks would have remained a danger to any children he came into contact with."

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A man from near Worksop found guilty of multiple sexual offences with a child has had his sentence doubled after the case was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Thomas Timpson, aged 36, of Kirton, Ollerton, denied the allegations but was convicted after trial at Nottingham Crown Court and was originally sentenced to three years in prison.

Over a period of five to six months, Timpson bought his 15-year-old victim gifts and engaged in sexual activity with her.

Timpson was found guilty on six counts of sexual activity with a child, one of sexual communication with a child and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £181, was added to the sex offender’s register and made the subject of a Restraining Order for 10 years.

Following the sentencing on January 20 this year, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Timpson’s original sentence was found to be unduly lenient by the court on April 4, 2023, and was increased to six years’ imprisonment.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP said: “Despite denying the allegations, the court found that Thomas Timpson had groomed his underage victim and took full advantage of her.

“This was a truly appalling breach of trust and I welcome the court imposing an increased custodial sentence on Thomas Timpson recognising the heinous nature of his crimes.”

Speaking at the time, Detective Sergeant James Robinson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Timson’s behaviour was manipulative and predatory. He knew exactly what he was doing.”

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A violent sexual predator who repeatedly raped a woman has been jailed for 12 years.

Robert Taylor, 49, attacked the woman at a property in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, in October 2022.

He threatened her at knifepoint and assaulted her, leaving her with fractured ribs and a bleed on the brain, police said.

Taylor pleaded guilty to six counts of rape and a further charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The offender, of HMP Nottingham, was jailed for 12 years with an extended licence period of four years at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

He was also added to the sex offenders register and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Det Insp Jamie Moore said: "This survivor was subjected to what can only be described as violent, sickening, and savage treatment by Taylor who left her with severe injuries in the street.

"I'd like to commend her for her bravery shown throughout our investigation and I hope today’s result brings her some closure.

"I also hope our work in this case reassures other victims that they can feel confident about coming forward and that Nottinghamshire Police treats rape and sexual assault extremely seriously."

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A man has been given a four-year sentence for sex attacks carried out when he worked in a children's home.

Dean Gathercole was jailed for 19 years in 2018 after being found guilty of three counts of rape and six counts of indecent assault.

Nottinghamshire Police said a woman now in her 40s learned of his offending and reported further instances of abuse.

Gathercole, 58, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

The new sentence will run consecutively to the term handed down in 2018.

Police said the abuse took place during an overnight stay at a holiday park, when the defendant assaulted the teenager - who was then in his care - in a swimming pool and a cabin.

'Simply unforgivable'

Gathercole was one of a number of former employees at children's homes mentioned during the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's investigation into services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Det Con Stephen Dunn, from Nottinghamshire Police, praised the woman for the "enormous courage" she showed in reporting the abuse she suffered.

"Gathercole was entrusted to look after vulnerable young people who looked to him for guidance and support," he said.

"Instead of helping this child through a very challenging period of her life, he chose instead to groom and abuse her for his own sexual gratification.

"His behaviour was simply unforgivable, and I am pleased that he has now been held accountable for these appalling crimes."

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A man and woman from Nottingham have been jailed for a total of 10 years for sexually abusing a child and sharing the footage online.

Christopher Binch, 36, was arrested by the National Crime Agency on 12th March 2022, after it was identified he had been discussing his sexual interest in children and uploading indecent material to an online child abuse group.

Binch shared a video and a number of images which he had taken himself of a young child being sexually abused.

When arresting him, officers seized Binch’s mobile phone and a quantity of cocaine which he confirmed was for his personal use.

Through further examination of the video, NCA investigators identified that although it was Binch filming, it was a female with a visible tattoo carrying out the abuse.  

The tattoo matched that of Binch’s partner, Lindsay Mobey, aged 34, and she was arrested three days later.

Binch’s phone was analysed and officers recovered 347 indecent images of children (IIOC) in categories A-C, as well as a number of extreme and prohibited images. The material included three sexual abuse videos which Binch had filmed himself.

Binch was remanded in custody and in November last year, he pleaded guilty to ten charges, including the sexual assault of a child under 13, the taking, making, possession and distribution of IIOC, possession of extreme pornography and one count of possession of cocaine.

In the same month, Lyndsay Mobey pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a child under 13.

Today at Leicester Crown Court, Binch was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison, placed on the sex offenders register for life and handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Mobey was jailed for two years and one month and will be on the sex offenders register for five years.

The child was safeguarded early on in the investigation.

Danny Waywell from the National Crime Agency said: 

“Binch and Mobey worked together to sexually abuse a young child, which he filmed and shared with other paedophiles online.

“Their actions were calculated and abhorrent; exploiting this child to satisfy their own sexual gratifications and gain some horrific form of kudos among the like-minded online.

“Safeguarding children from sexual abuse is a priority for the NCA. We work tirelessly to identify offenders and ensure they are brought to justice so they no longer pose a threat.”

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A paedophile who sexually abused three girls has been jailed for seven years.

Derbyshire Police said one of Michael McCafferty's victims was less than five years old when the offending began in the 1990s.

The 74-year-old, of Church Lane in Selston, Nottinghamshire, was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He was jailed for seven years on Tuesday.

McCafferty was also found guilty of three counts of making indecent images of a child.

Det Con Gavin Owen, from Derbyshire Police, praised the victims for coming forward and securing a conviction against McCafferty, who will also serve one year on extended licence after his release.

"They showed great courage and remained steadfast throughout a lengthy investigation and trial," he said.

"I know how much today's sentencing means to them, particularly after McCafferty put them all through the secondary ordeal of a trial after denying the abuse that he inflicted upon them."

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A MAN travelled across the country to meet and abuse an 11-year-old child in Southampton.

Daniel Castel-Nuovo of Harrogate Street, Netherfield arranged to meet and abuse the child after conversations they had online.

The 48-year-old travelled from his home in Nottinghamshire to Southampton on May 17 to meet them.

But instead he was met by officers from the South East regional Organised Crime Unit.

It was later found that he had brought items including sweets, condoms, lubricant, wet wipes and baby oil with him.

No real children were involved or harmed in the operation.

Castel-Nuovo was charged with with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence on the same day.

Last Friday he pleaded guilty at a hearing at Southampton Crown Court and was sentenced that day to two-and-a-half years imprisonment.

He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Inspector James Oxley, from SEROCU, said: Castel-Nuovos conviction following a proactive SEROCU investigation reflects our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation from those who seek to do them harm.

"HH Judge Burrell commented on the awful nature of the offence and the impact it had on his family, who were present in court. He will now spend time in prison where he can reflect upon his actions.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of child sexual abuse, please report it to your local police force. We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred.

"Victims can talk in confidence to experienced Investigators and we can also help with access to a range of other support services.

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A Nottinghamshire man who raped a fellow teenager has been jailed.

Kian Allsebrook, 20, carried out the assault on the young woman on 10 September 2020 when he was 18.

A jury found Allsebrook, of Selston, guilty of the rape of a person over the age of 16, following a four-day trial in April.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday Allsebrook was jailed for two years and three months and was made subject of a four-year restraining order.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

Det Con Barry Haines said: "It is absolutely incomprehensible that anyone would ever force themselves on someone without their consent, in the manner that he did.

"I'd like to commend the victim for having the courage to share what happened to her with the police, so that we were able to help bring her some justice."