Latest Offenders Nottingham

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A paedophile booked a hotel room in Derbyshire to meet a seven-year-old girl for sex.

Derby Crown Court heard how Dean O'Neil also bought make-up and clothes as gifts for the youngster after agreeing to pay her father 200 and a Burger King meal to abuse her.

But she was really an undercover police officer posing as her dad.

And when the officer went to the defendant's address to arrest him two days before the arranged meet, O'Neil tried to flee out of the back door.

But he was caught and the gifts he had bought were found at his home.

Jailing him for three years, Recorder Balraj Bhattia said: "What you did was with some enthusiasm.

"You discussed when, where and how much you would pay to sexually abuse what you thought would be a seven-year-old girl.

"You booked a Travelodge in Swanwick, you discussed exactly what could and could not be done (to her).

"You went on to explain that you were sexually aroused and how much you were looking forward to this particular encounter.

"You purchased a number of items that were gifts.

"This was grooming."

Mark Achurch, prosecuting, said the undercover officer posed as the seven-year-old's father and began communicating with O'Neil over the social media app Kik.

He said in a chat room the pair discussed a price and location where the defendant could sexually abuse the young girl.

Mr Achurch said it was 200 and a Burger King meal for the girl and so O'Neil booked the Travelodge in Swanwick for April 1, this year.

He said: "The defendant told the father he had bought make up, pyjamas and clothing for the daughter and admitted he looked at child porn.

"On March 30 the officer went to his address and the defendant tried to escape out of the back door but was caught.

"A search of the property discovered the items he had bought as gifts for the girl."

O'Neil, of Casson Street, Ironville, pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a girl aged under 13 following sexual grooming.

He has 16 previous convictions for 33 offences but nothing of a similar nature.

His barrister, Gareth Gimson, asked the court if his client could address the court himself and read out an apology letter.

After Recorder Bhattia agreed to the request the defendant, on a link from HMP Nottingham, said: "Can I just say I feel deeply ashamed at myself for writing those disgusting messages.

"It is not like me to act this way, I was brought up better.

"I have brought shame on myself and my family and I will not commit a crime like this ever again."

Mr Gimson said his client, diagnosed as schizophrenic, suffered physically at the hands of his "violent bully" of a father growing up.

He said: "He presents, in some ways, rather childlike and he is mystified at how he ended up doing what he did.

"He said he was on that site and found himself getting deeper and deeper and deeper in that exchange.

"He bought the presents, he booked the hotel and he is mystified as to why he did it."

As well as the prison term, Recorder Bhattia handed O'Neil a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He will also be on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

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A fugitive paedophile was arrested by police in Dover after being found hiding in a lorry bound for France.

Mezbaha Uddin is now facing a long spell in jail after a jury convicted him of a string of child sex offences.

The 39-year-old had been under investigation by Nottinghamshire Police in relation to a series of offences between September 2018 and July 2020.

A jury has now found him guilty of 16 child sex offences including 10 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and six counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He is due to be sentenced on October 22.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Uddin's arrest followed an allegation of sexual communication with a child in Nottinghamshire in July 2019.

Jurors heard that Uddin had communicated with a decoy account set up by an online child activist group.

The group alerted police when he sent indecent images of himself and arranged to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl in Mansfield.

Uddin was arrested and his mobile phone was seized.

Messages from a chatroom website found that Uddin had attempted to engage in sexual communications with more than a dozen underage girls, in some instances with a view to meeting them in person.

On other occasions, he encouraged girls to engage in sexual activity while he watched.

Detective Constable Stuart Dolby, of Nottinghamshire Police's public protection team, welcomed the convictions.

'This was a complex and thorough investigation which included disturbing evidence for our officers to deal with.

'I am pleased with the verdicts and I hope they send a clear message that Nottinghamshire Police will do what is necessary to tackle these crimes and to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities.

'Child sex offences of any kind are taken incredibly seriously and we have a number of tactics in place to catch offenders out.

'No child should be subjected to any sexual offence and it's our duty to protect them.'

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A violent rapist who would "degrade" women "for his own sadistic pleasure" has been jailed for 17 years. Bradley Dawes, 26, of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, was found guilty in March of rape and admitted four counts of assault. He raped and beat one victim and during an attack on his second victim he punched her about 10 times. Recorder Jason Macadam told Nottingham Crown Court Dawes was "motivated by his hostility towards women". Dawes, of Mansfield Street, also previously admitted intimidating a witness, harassment and sexual assault. The court heard Dawes had a history of violence towards women, including four previous convictions for 10 crimes in total. The hearing was told that in December 2018 Dawes hit a woman a number of times, leaving her with a black eye and bruised ribs. He also strangled her and "twisted her neck like a chicken and continued to hit her", the court heard. On New Year's Day, he beat her again, and the next morning "raped her as a form of punishment". She was left with a broken nose and tooth, and he then took her out to "show off her injuries" to his brother and a friend, the court was told. 'Intimidated and worthless' In a victim impact statement, the woman, who cannot be identified, said she still suffered flashbacks and described how Dawes had "ruined" her life. She said: "I still feel violated, intimidated and worthless because what of Bradley did to me." In October 2019, he attacked another woman by grabbing her by the neck and punching her five times to the head and face, leaving her with a bloody nose and black eye, the court heard. In another attack, he threw a boot at her and punched her about 10 times to the ribs, back and neck. He then told her to put make-up on as he needed to see his probation officer. Dawes also sent semi-naked photos of her to her brother, posted messages online threatening anyone who might take an interest in her, and threatened to set fire to her house. She left her home due to concerns for her safety, the court heard. The judge said his "conduct was to maximise distress" and was "motivated by your hostility towards women". 'Controlling bully' He added: "It is apparent from your antecedence you are a misogynist and take pleasure in other people's misery." He said Dawes "degraded" women "when alone or in the company of others... for your own sadistic pleasure". "In respect of both complainants, you engaged in continuous acts of violence, coercion or humiliation," the judge added. Det Con Donna Elliott, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Dawes is a violent, arrogant and controlling bully who terrorised two young women. His attitude throughout the investigation was appalling and I am delighted that he will now spend a very considerable period of time behind bars." She added the victims "showed enormous courage in coming forward and giving evidence". As well as being jailed for 17 years, Dawes was handed a restraining order and put on the sex offenders register for life. He will have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for parole.

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An abuser convicted of a catalogue of sex crimes against a Loughborough schoolgirl is facing a "significant" prison sentence.

Darren Looby was found guilty of 18 offences, at the end of a three week trial at Leicester Crown Court.

The 39-year-old defendant denied the offences.

The court heard that Looby, of Chilwell, Nottingham, began abusing the a girl in Loughborough when she was 11-years-old.

Two members of the jury were discharged during the trial, leaving remaining 10 jurors to bring in 18 guilty verdicts, all with a majority of 9 - 1.

They deliberated for nine and a half hours.

Looby was convicted of:

- Six counts of sexual activity with a child

- Four counts of rape

- Four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13

- Two counts of rape of a child under 13

- Two counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration

His crimes started in 2011 and continued until 2018 when the victim now in her early 20's left the town to attend university.

She contacted police in November 2018 and said the abuse she suffered at the hands of Looby eventually became normal and expected. She added she was scared about what he would do if she told anyone about what had happened.

After the guilty verdicts were announced Judge Keith Raynor thanked the jurors for their "public service" and said the defendant would be receiving a "significant prison sentence."

He adjourned the case for the preparation of a pre-sentence report to assess the "issue of dangerousness."

Looby was remanded into custody to await sentencing on Friday August 13.

Afterwards, the officer in the case, Det Con Emma Burrows, from the forces Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: Looby felt he had a degree of control over his victim and that he would be able to get away with his crimes because she wouldnt tell anyone.

But, after moving away to study at university, the victim was finally able to tell police about what happened and this is what led to him being brought to justice.

"I hope the outcome of the trial can provide some relief to move on with life.

Description

A man has been jailed for more than two decades for a series of rapes and sexual assaults.

Russell Yeomans committed the vile offences in South Normanton, in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Norfolk over the course of four decades.

The predator's horrific criminal past was only brought to light after he sent an explicit image of himself to a schoolgirl in 2019, which was subsequently found on her phone.

After being encouraged to speak to support staff at her school, she revealed several incidents of abuse that happened at an address in Nottinghamshire.

When detectives opened an investigation, they received more complaints from another two victims who had heard about the police's inquiries.

One victim revealed the 58-year-old had begun to abuse her when she was just seven years old and that it culminated with Yeoman's raping her three times when she was a teenager.

Yeomans, of Monksway, Wilford, Nottingham, refused to comment in his first interview with police and denied all the allegations that had been made against him.

He eventually admitted sending the explicit image to the girl and pleaded guilty to one count of causing a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, and one count of inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

After Derbyshire police and Nottinghamshire Police worked together to bring the cases to the Crown Prosecution Service, he Yeomans was charged over the other historical offences.

He continued to deny these, but after a two week trial at Nottingham Crown Court he was found guilty of 14 charges.

These were two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, eight indecent assaults on a child under 14, three rapes and one act of gross indecency with a child under 14.

He was sentenced to 22 years in prison and a further five years on licence at the same court on Friday, May 14. He will have to serve at least 14 years before he is considered for parole.

Detective Chief Inspector Darren De'ath, of Derbyshire police's Public Protect Unit, said: "The victims in these cases, one of whom is still a child, should be praised for their strength and bravery in coming forward.

"Yeomans is clearly a very dangerous man and by speaking to officers, they have potentially safeguarded other children."

Detective Constable Paula Wilson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the "manipulative sexual predator" was caught out after decades of abuse by sending a picture of himself to one of his victims.

"By doing this he unwittingly set in place a chain of events that have quite rightly culminated in a very lengthy custodial sentence," she said.

"The picture he sent to the victim proved to be catalyst for three separate victims to come forward independently with very detailed allegations of abuse – much of which happened a very long time ago.

"Their bravery and determination was absolutely crucial to the success of this prosecution and I am delighted that they have now received justice.

"I would also like to pay tribute to the professionalism and good practice displayed by staff at the latest victim's school, who followed safeguarding procedures to the letter and allowed us to gather very compelling evidence at an early stage.

"Taking into account Yeoman's pattern of behaviour over a very long period of time, I have no doubt that his campaign of abuse would have continued had he not been exposed and convicted for his appalling crimes.

"To any other victims of historic sexual assault I would like to say this – it is never too later to come forward.

"Regardless of how long ago things happened we will listen to you, we will investigate and we will do our very best to get justice for you."

Description

A rapist who targeted a teenage girl from Derbyshire has been jailed for 14 years.

Derby Crown Court heard how Anthony Langham befriended the victim before grooming and sexually attacking her.

The 56-year-old kissed, sexually assaulted and then finally raped the terrified girl, who finally plucked up the courage to disclose what happened to her years later.

The girl, now in her 20s, had to give evidence in court as her made her re-live her ordeal by pleading not guilty.

In a victim impact statement, read to the court by prosecutor Robert Underwood, the woman said: "Every day I ask myself 'why me?' and 'will he do it again?'

"That is why I came forward so he will not be able to do to anyone what he did to me.

"It has affected every aspect of my life.

"I cannot get a job because I cannot trust men, I feel very angry at everything and everyone."

The trial heard how the grooming began in the Ilkeston area.

Langham, a father and grandfather of Pasture Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, got to know the girl, gaining her trust and then cruelly abusing it to sexually assault her.

Jailing him, Judge Jonathan Bennett said: "She was under the age of 16 when you carried this out and she had to come to court and give evidence which she found very traumatic.

"She started smoking and you saw that as a opportunity to supply her with cigarettes and groom her.

"During that time you made her life an absolutely misery, she had no-one to turn to and no-one to tell.

"That's because you said to her 'you can't tell anyone or we will both get into trouble'.

"It was only later in life that she built up the courage to tell anyone what took place."

Langham was found guilty of 10 offences by a jury.

They were rape, attempted rape, a number of counts of sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Michael Stradling, mitigating, said his client has three grown-up children and eight grandchildren.

He said: "His ex-wife is in court and thinks enough of him to come and support him.

"The defendant has COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and has been on oxygen for the past two years and is also on anti-depressants having suffered from depression for a number of years.

"He has a supportive family and he would like there to be some light at the end of the tunnel for him when he is finally released from what will be a lengthy custodial sentence."

Langham will serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence behind bars before being eligible to apply for parole and released on licence.

He will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

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A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in jail for the attempted rape of a woman in her Worksop home last year.

Jamie Bradford, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted rape and was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (December 8).

In addition to his prison sentence, he will go onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and was made subject of a restraining order.

Bradford, of HMP Nottingham, carried out his attack on 17 December 2019.

Detective Sergeant Tom Carver, of Nottinghamshire Polices Public Protection Team, said:

Id like to commend the victim and her family for their immense bravery throughout this prosecution.

"I hope that todays result will give them some comfort and I also hope it reassures other victims that they can feel confident about coming forward and that Nottinghamshire Police treats rape and sexual assault extremely seriously."

Description

A convicted sex offender who  breached the terms of his sex offenders' prevention order and was found in possession of drugs is now back behind bars.

Justin Lawal, 38, was reported to Nottinghamshire Police by social services on January 16 after they became concerned teenage girls were attending a previous address where he lived.

Officers attended the property and spoke to occupants, which included two girls under the age of 16.

Lawal was subsequently arrested by officers and had his mobile phone seized.

In a further incident, police officers stopped Lawal in March this year and found an amount of MDMA and cannabis in the driver’s footwell. He was arrested for possession of drugs.

He was again found in company of young females under the age of 16.

Lawal, now of Manor Crescent, in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, pleaded guilty to two instances of breaching his sex offenders' prevention order which he was given in relation to previous convictions for offences against young girls.

His condition was not to communicate with any young person under the age of 16.

In a separate incident, he also pleaded guilty to being in possession of class A and B drugs.

At a Nottingham Crown Court hearing, he was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison.

Detective Sergeant Steve Dalby, of Nottinghamshire Police's management of sexual and violent offender unit, said:

“He is clearly a dangerous individual and I feel the sentence imposed by the judge reflects this.

“He groomed a number of vulnerable children. He knew full well that he was breaking the law.

"I also hope this sentence gives encouragement to any other survivors of abuse that they can come forward and we will investigate and seek justice for them.

"Nottinghamshire Police takes reports of such matters very seriously and will investigate them, working with the Crown Prosecution Service, to put a robust case to the courts.

"Reporting of such matters should not be deterred by time delays or the community standing of those responsible.”

Description

A man has been jailed for three years and six months after pleading guilty to 14 sexual offence charges.

Thomas Inglis, 23, from Portland Road in Hucknall was sentenced on Wednesday, December 4 at Nottingham Crown Court.

He has been ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

He was arrested on October 10 by officers from the public protection department.

Officers from the neighbourhood search unit seized a number of items including a written note, an iPhone and a laptop.

The charges were:

• Attempting to arrange / facilitate the commission of a child sex offence (1 count)
• Distributing an indecent photograph of a child (3 counts)
• Attempting to cause / incite a boy to engage in sexual activity (1 count)
• Attempting to cause / incite a girl to engage in sexual activity (1 count)
• Attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity (3 counts)
• Making indecent images (3 counts)
• Possession of prohibited images (1 count)
• Possession of extreme images (1 count)

Description

A teacher ended his career in disgrace after being caught with 117 child porn videos and over 20,000 photos.

James Cullen's downfall was revealed in court where he admitted taking the material off the internet over three years at his home in Lewis Crescent, Annesley.

Using a hearing loop to help follow the case, he was sent to prison for ten months after admitting downloading indecent images. City magistrates imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order to stop a repeat.

When he initially faced court, a deputy district judge said "although he was a teacher at the time, this was not committed as part of that employment".

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, told Nottingham Magistrates' Court the downloads were dated between January 2014 and December 2017.

Police officers seized electrical equipment and found 12 videos in Category B, the second level of seriousness .

They then discovered 95 videos from the third level and 20,182 still photographs.

Mr Pietryka told the court: "He initially denied the matters in question, blaming the internet.

"He said he made local searches for nudists and naturalists and these images would appear. He accepted downloading images for his sexual gratification."

Sean Conway, mitigating, urged the magistrates to follow a recommendation from a probation officer, which would have seen the 55-year-old attend a course to prevent further offences.

"The offences were caused by literally 12 links, clicking 12 times and accessing a large number. That is what happened.

"I am not for a second trying to minimise it but that is the truth. He accepts he has done wrong," said Mr Conway.

He resigned from his teaching job before action was taken against him. He also accepted the General Teaching Council would "strike him from the register".

Since then, Cullen has paid for training as an HGV driver and is now doing that job.

"There is a level of remorse and a willingness to get to the root cause and find why he finds himself before the court.

"There is a massive taboo to things like this and I don't seek to minimise that taboo," said Mr Conway who pointed out Cullen had never been in trouble before.

He is currently having hospital treatment and is due to have stitches removed after surgery.

Mr Conway urged the magistrates not to impose "the ultimate sanction" of prison so Cullen can keep working.

After being jailed, an appeal was launched against the sentence and this will be heard at the crown court by a judge and two magistrates. A bail application was made for Cullen while awaiting this hearing.

But it was rejected by magistrate Peter Dexter, who sat with a colleague.

"We have considered this carefully and bail will be refused due to the seriousness of the offending," said Mr Dexter. The case was initially adjourned to await a report from a probation officer.

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A man who was jailed for trying to meet schoolgirl Kayleigh Haywood for sex in the days before she was raped and murdered will be freed after top judges reduce his sentence.

Bruce John Cordwell, of Raleigh Street in Nottingham, was locked up for 43 months at Chester Crown Court in February.

He admitted trying to arrange the commission of a child sexual act.

But his case reached London's Appeal Court today as he successfully challenged his sentence - which was cut to just 12 months.

Given automatic deductions, the court heard Cordwell has now "served his sentence" and is due for immediate release.

20-year-old Cordwell, sent 15-year-old Kayleigh a series of sexually explicit texts just days before she was raped and murdered by 29-year-old Stephen Beadman.

Her body was found dumped near a lake in Ibstock in Leicestershire.

The discovery came five days after Kayleigh, who was from Measham, was last seen getting off a bus near Ibstock Community College.

Beadman was last year handed a life sentence after he admitted the teenager's murder.

An accomplice, 28-year-old Luke Harlow who initially made contact with Kayleigh, was jailed for 12 years for grooming and falsely imprisoning her.

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Adam Rocky Beniston was prohibited from being near girls under 16 after he was jailed in 2012 for having relationships with two 14-year-olds. Released on licence after serving half of his sentence, the 30-year-old joined Starbox Gym in Stanton Hill, but, following a tip-off to police, was arrested last month for breaching the order.

Nottingham Crown Court yesterday heard how Beniston had not told anyone at the gym of his past and there were regularly children on the premises.

He did not attempt to speak with any young people, but the court was told his work-out sessions as a professional kickboxer often attracted a crowd, some of which were children.

He had even offered to take classes, although there was no indication he wanted to work with children.

Steven Taylor, prosecuting, said: It was quite clear he was going to place himself in situations where he would come in to contact with young people. He wanted to play a significant role in the club.

William Bennett, mitigating, said: He accepts its a breach of the order, and it was his responsibility. He only has himself to blame, he accepts that.

He said Beniston had been living with his grandfather and had joined the gym to get rid of stress.

Mr Bennett said Beniston also wanted to apologise to the owner because of the embarrassment he had caused.

Beniston, who previously lived in Mansfield and Mablethorpe, but gave his most recent address as Haddon Street in Sutton, had been jailed at Lincoln Crown Court in October 2012 after admitting relationships with two 14-year-old girls.

He befriended one in 2010, before making advances towards her. He went on to have sex with her on as many as 30 occasions.

He was arrested after tip-off but he initially claimed the allegations were fantasy.

Soon after he started a relationship with another girl, but she turned on him when she found out about the relationship with the first teenager.

The judge at Lincoln Crown Court said he had wrecked lives to satisfy his lust.

Along with a five-year sentence, he was placed on the sex offenders register for life and given the sexual offences prevention order, which prevented him from working or engaging with any activity with girls under 16 unless they are accompanied by an adult who know of his criminal past.

He admitted breaching that order.

Sentencing him yesterday, Judge Michael Stokes QC, said: You have convictions for very serious sexual offences and you were sent to jail for five years, which is an indication of how serious it is.

When you were released on licence it was important you were transparent about the order. You were not transparent. He jailed him for eight months to run concurrent with his existing jail sentence from 2012.

It is understood he will serve at least another six months, but it is possible he will be forced to serve the remainder of the five years, meaning he may not be released until October 2017.

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Updates:

• December 2017: Has now been released
• July 2017: Now using the name ‘Nicola Cherrett’ – Currently held at HMP Foton Hall.

One teenage boy told of his three-year ordeal at the hands of a predator named Nicola Ward.

The lad, now 16, said: “She was funny and intelligent. She used all these posh words and came across as really well spoken.

“But she’d switch after she had a drink or took drugs. She became a different person.”

The school leaver said the abuse began when he was 12. Ward plied him with cocaine and then performed a sex act.

It was the start of a campaign in which she would corner the lad and coerce him into sex acts.

Ward, 34, of Worksop, Notts, was arrested last April after the lad’s father became suspicious.

She was jailed for eight years by Nottingham Crown Court after admitting sexual activity with a child and supplying drugs.

Ward, jailed in January, was sent to Peterborough Prison — making her one of an estimated 100 female child abusers behind bars.

She was moved to a low-security psychiatric unit in July.

Her victim is still having therapy to help him come to terms with the attacks.

He said: “I never thought a woman was capable of something like this.

“It’s ruined my trust in everyone. It’s made me fearful of women.

“But she’s in the gutter where she belongs and I won’t let her ruin my life.”

• Ward has a SOPO indefinitely with two restrictions
• Not to live in a family with a child under 18 No unsupervised contact with a child under 16
• Is banned from Nottinghamshire by way of a court order obtained September 2016
• Banned from Nottinghamshire by way of MAPPA

Description

A teenage sexual predator has been ordered to be detained indefinitely after carrying out a serious sex assault on a lone jogger at night in Worksop. The 17-year-old, who can now be named as Jonjo Elswaino, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to a serious sexual assault charge and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. On Wednesday 23rd October, Nottingham Crown Court heard how a woman at a house where Elswaino was staying described him as a sexual predator. There was stunned silence in the courtroom as it was also said that Elswaino would have killed his victim if he had not been disturbed. The 52-year-old female, who cannot be named, suffered a broken jaw, which meant she had to have metal plates fitted, a fracture to her right eye socket, a broken nose and excessive bruising to her neck where Elswaino had strangled her and she also lost some teeth. After the attack, which occurred at around 8.30pm in Eddison Park Avenue on 1st April 2014, she flagged down a passing car and said: Im alive, Im alive, thank god Im alive. Elswaino, whose mother was in court, sat in the dock with his head bowed for most of the proceedings, wearing a white shirt and black trousers. Prosecuting, Dawn Pritchard, said: The victim was out jogging that evening, she said that she did feel very well and went out to get some fresh air. She was wearing her jogging clothes, including jogging bottoms and trainers and she was out just doing her usual circuits. She heard fast footsteps behind her but didnt look behind her because she just thought it was another jogger. Two hands came from behind and locked around her and she said she knew something was wrong. She tried to scream for help but he punched her and dragged her down a grass verge into some trees by her ankles. She tried to look who it was. He kept punching and kicking her. He started to strangle her and she drifted in and out of consciousness. When she came back around, she thought it was a nightmare and he said if you start shouting I will kill you and continued to beat her up. When she regained consciousness again, she said she thought her trouser bottoms had been pulled up and he was gone. She then managed to scramble back up the grass bank and flag down a motorist who said she was shaking, had suffered serious facial injuries and could hardly speak. The court heard that the woman used a key to scratch his face during the attack and she spent a number of weeks in three different hospitals. The attack was so brutal that Elswainos laces and eyelets from his trainers were imprinted on her face. Judge Michael Pert QC said the blows to the face were like a footballers kick. The judge was also shown photos of the victim before and after the attack in which he said it was hard to believe it was the same person. In mitigation, Michael Auty QC, told the court that Elswaino had had a troubled upbringing and had the reading age of a 10-year-old. He also added it was important to take into account two factors when sentencing Elswaino - his guilty plea and his age. He is 17. But he is functioning at a level below that, Mr Auty said. It takes a real degree of courage to plead guilty at the first arraignment. There is nothing like this in his past where he has gone out and vented his frustrations. He does not have a mental illness but almost certainly has a personality disorder. On sentencing Elswaino, judge Pert said it was a truly horrific crime and said that it was premeditated and that he believed his version of events to be lies. Elswaino was given an indeterminate sentence meaning he will only be released when he is considered not to be a threat to the general public. He will not be eligible to be considered for parole until at least 2018. He will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A paedophile who carried out a life-threatening sexual assault on a toddler after social services failed to conduct background checks has been jailed for seventeen and a half years.

Christopher Atkins remained impassive in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court as the city's most senior judge described the 32-year-old's offending as being "almost beyond comprehension".

Atkins, from Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, committed the "wicked and vile" sex attack two years ago after lying to social services about his personal life.

After Atkins was found guilty of sexual assault in July, it emerged that he was already known to the authorities before the offence, having been suspected of abusing another child in the Manchester area.

Sentencing Atkins, the Recorder of Nottingham, Michael Stokes QC, told him: "The child in this case was a vulnerable, innocent little girl when you committed an offence of unspeakable cruelty and perversion, an offence which all right-minded people would regard as repellent.

"You are in my judgment a predatory and sadistic paedophile and unless whatever issues you have are addressed you will present a serious risk of causing harm to other children.

"How any human being could do this to a little girl is almost beyond comprehension, but the fact is you did.

"I have no doubt that you would have been content for the grievously injured child to go without medical attention of any kind."

Atkins, whose offences will now be the subject of a serious case review, was sentenced to 16 years for sexual assault and a consecutive 18-month term for child cruelty.

Atkins, formerly of Westway, Cotgrave, was told he must serve half his sentence before being released on licence.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was treated for severe internal injuries after being taken to hospital, where medical staff also found 18 bruises on her face and scalding to her back.

Detective Inspector Yvonne Dales, of Nottinghamshire's Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "Christopher Atkins was a sadistic and controlling individual who put a defenceless child through untold pain and suffering.

"I hope this sentence sends out a message to people who commit offences against children - we will do everything we can to make sure they are brought to justice."