Latest Offenders Peterborough

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A "callous predator" who followed a woman through a city centre and raped her multiple times has been jailed.

Abbas Abbass, 40, repeatedly attacked the victim in Peterborough in the early hours of 17 December.

He was found guilty of two counts of rape and one of assault by penetration.

Abbass, of Raedwald Court, in Peterborough, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a further six years on licence. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

Cambridgeshire Police said Abbass approached the victim in Bridge Street at about 02:00 and asked her if she wanted him to order her a taxi.

She declined but he tried to kiss her despite being asked to go away.

He left but CCTV showed him following her from a distance. When she got to Town Bridge, she suddenly felt unwell and dizzy.

As she continued along Oundle Road, Abbass caught up with her and raped her twice in the nearby recreation ground.

He ordered a taxi and took her back to his home, where she awoke the next morning feeling scared and confused. Abbass sexually assaulted her while she pretended to be asleep.

When she realised he was not going to stop, she opened her eyes and pushed him away.

He began acting like nothing had happened but she left and called a friend who took her to the police.

Det Con Jake Owen said: "Abbass is a dangerous sexual predator who carried out multiple sexual assaults on the victim, leaving lasting trauma.

"I am pleased we have managed to help put a callous sex offender behind bars and I would like to commend the victim's bravery in coming forward and supporting us with a prosecution."

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Smiths behaviour was disgraceful. Id like to thank the members of the public who didnt feel it was quite right and reported what had happened.

A Peterborough sex offender has been locked up after he was twice caught performing a sex act near youngsters in Peterborough.

Gary Smith, 48, was made subject to sex offender notification requirements in December 2013 and is managed by the force's Public Protection Unit (PPU).

He is now behind bars after admitting outraging public decency on two separate occasions in the city.

Peterborough Crown Court heard how the first incident took place just after 6pm on May 16 last year, when a man was walking along Henry Street with his teenage daughter.

The man noticed Smith sat on a wall and became suspicious, so took his daughter and dog home before returning to the scene and seeing Smith with his hand down his trousers.

Three days later, a woman was walking with her children and friend on Queens Walk when she noticed Smith sat on a wall.

She recognised him from a social media post and knew him to be a registered sex offender, and as she walked past, an argument began after Smith smiled at one of her children. When Smith was confronted, he became threatening.

Then, on August 9, police were called after Smith was seen performing a sex act outside his temporary accommodation near to a childrens play park.

Officers arrived and arrested Smith, who in police interview claimed he was stood outside because he was hot, but had his hand down his trousers because his hands were cold.

Smith, of Park Road, Peterborough, admitted two counts of outraging public decency and one count of threatening words or behaviour.

He was jailed for two years on Thursday at Peterborough Crown Court.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Lunn said: Smiths behaviour was disgraceful. Id like to thank the members of the public who didnt feel it was quite right and reported what had happened.

We robustly manage registered sex offenders who are living in the community and take any further offences extremely seriously. Were working hard to make Cambridgeshire a safer place for everyone with child protection being one of our top priorities.

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A paedophile from Cambridgeshire has been sentenced after he messaged girls under the age of 16 until he was caught by a decoy when four 'children' turned out to be adults. The 45-year-old had previously been convicted for making indecent images of children and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Neil Higgins, of no fixed address from Peterborough, was caught by police through a decoy after the paedophile believed he had been messaging four young girls on messaging apps between September 17 and October 13 2020. In his messages to the 'young girls' Higgins had requested photos of them in their underwear, asked to meet up with them and asked them to perform sexual acts on themselves.

Higgins was previously convicted in 2014 for making indecent images of children and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. He came off the register in September 2019 but offended again just a year later.

On October 13, Higgins was linked to the decoy messages after those he had spoken to called the police. Further investigations revealed Higgins had messaged approximately 200 other people, 11 of these indicating they were under the age of 16.

Of the 15 'children' Higgins messaged, the 11 above plus the four decoys, officers established that he caused or incited two of them to engage in sexual activity. He asked 12 profiles for pictures, and told 13 of the profiles that they were ‘sexy’.

At the time of the offences, a search was carried out at his home in Peterborough where numerous items were seized, including a small amount of cannabis. In a police interview, Higgins admitted to sending the messages but stated he never intended to do any of the things he talked about in them – such as meeting the ‘girls’ in person or having sex with them.

Higgins claimed people who wanted to do that were ‘sick in the head’ and said he was not like that. He also told officers he was in a ‘dark place mentally’ which had driven him to offend again.

He was subsequently charged with possessing cannabis, four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. On May 4 at Cambridge Crown Court admitted to the offences.

On Tuesday, July 19 Higgins was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court. Judge Sean Enright told him he had shown a ‘determined and sustained effort to meet young girls for sex’ and had also shown no remorse for his crimes.

He was handed four years and six months in prison, with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to run indefinitely and monitor any future offending. Mark Escott, from the force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), said: “We will do all we can to bring those to justice who use the internet in this way - to groom and try to meet children under 16. Higgins’ behaviour was shocking and inappropriate.

“Phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust. I would urge parents to speak to their children about online safety and consider exactly who they are communicating with.

“Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”

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A pot-bellied paedophile who showed not one iota of remorse blinked in shock as he was caged for 15 years.

Dad-of-two Martin Holmes, 36, was more than twice his victims age when he began abusing his nine-year-old victim in the mid-2000s.

The abuse, which began with the then teenager touching his younger victim, escalated until the boy was in his mid-teens.

Holmes had denied molesting the boy but was found guilty last month of 14 offences, including sexual assault of a child under-13 by penetration and sexual activity with a child.

Jailing him for 15 years at Oxford Crown Court on Friday afternoon, Judge Michael Gledhill QC told the bespectacled defendant: You have denied the offences from the moment you were confronted with them until this very day.

You do not accept that youve done anything wrong. You do not accept youve committed any criminal offences let alone sexually abusing this boy over these years.

You say he is a complete liar and has made this all up.

Youve shown not one iota of remorse for what you did.

In March, jurors at Oxford Crown Court heard how Holmes, who was said to have been bullied at school, struck up a friendship with his victim after befriending the boys parents in the south Oxfordshire village where they lived.

Prosecutor Laura Blackband told the jury that Holmes singled out his victim and groomed him. He was accused of experimenting on the boy, using him as a sexual outlet.

The offending stopped when the defendant moved away from the area. The victim tried to bury what happened but spoke to his mother and then girlfriend about his seven-year ordeal after Holmes got in touch with the mans father via social media to ask about a car for sale.

Lawrence Henderson, mitigating on Friday afternoon, reminded the judge that his client had no previous convictions and had two children of his own.

He asked that Holmes was given a sentence that would provide light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Sending him to prison, Judge Gledhill said Holmes had been regarded as something of an oddball by his contemporaries in the village.

The fact you were bullied at school is absolutely no excuse for what you did, but may indicate the sort of inadequate man in some respects that you are, he said.

Turning to the victims family, who packed the public gallery for the sentencing hearing, Judge Gledhill said: I see his parents and his family in court, no doubt blaming themselves for not doing what they now realise they ought to have done because they trusted you.

They are not to be blamed for that. They didnt commit these offences. They just trusted you and you have breached their trust as well as that of your so-called friend, the victim.

Holmes, of Bluebell Avenue, Peterborough, will serve half of his 15 year sentence before he is eligible for release. A restraining order prevents him from contacting his victims family and he will be a sex offender for life.

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A boy who woke to find a paedophile performing a sex act on him has finally got justice - nearly 20 years later.

The victim, then aged just 14, was sexually abused by Jeff Knibb while he slept one night in the early 2000s.

But when he told his mother, a judge said it seemed she 'didn't want to take matters further and said he shouldn't be saying things like that'.

Two decades later, the now-adult victim saw a newspaper article in September 2019 about Knibb being jailed for similar sexual offences.

Knibb, 50, from Huyton, had been locked up for nine years for molesting two boys - one while he was sleeping - in the 1980s and 1990s.

Liverpool Crown Court heard seeing Knibb's face made the victim physically sick but also led to him making a formal complaint to the police.

Martine Snowdon, prosecuting, said the boy told officers how he had woken up to find Knibb in his bed molesting him.

She said: 'The defendant appeared to be shocked to be discovered and told him to go back to sleep.' Ms Snowdon said a victim personal statement outlined how 'terrifying' the abuse was at the time and how anxious it left the boy feeling.

She told the court the victim described in particular 'the impact he felt when he saw the report of the other offences in the newspaper'. Ms Snowdon said: 'He had flashbacks, was physically shivering and was physically sick reading about those offences.'

At his sentencing in September 2019, the same court had heard how Knibb abused two children when he himself was aged between 16 and 21.

That included molesting one boy up to 20 times, including an occasion when the victim woke up to find the pervert abusing him.

That victim said the abuse ruined his life and left him contemplating suicide and self-medicating with alcohol. The other victim said being molested affected his whole life and that he blamed himself for what happened.

Knibb admitted 12 counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child in respect of those offences. Sentencing him on that occasion, Judge David Aubrey, QC, said he had 'destroyed their childhood' and 'scarred' his victims 'emotionally and psychologically for the rest of their lives'.

When arrested over the latest attack, which happened when he was in his 30s, Knibb said he would confess, but then gave a no comment interview to police.

Knibb, most recently of Paynesholme, Paston, Peterborough, later pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault.

Kevin Liston, defending, asked for credit for Knibb's guilty plea, which he entered at a plea and trial preparation hearing. Mr Liston accepted his client would receive a prison sentence consecutive to the term that he was already serving.

However, he asked the judge to take into account that Knibb was serving 'a lengthy sentence already'. He told the court the earliest date his client could be released was currently January 28, 2024.

Recorder Ian Harris paid tribute to the courage of Knibb's latest victim. The judge told the paedophile: 'He said he's now felt a weight off his shoulders now he's spoken out.

'He said when he saw your face in the Liverpool ECHO he went shivery and cold and vomited - to know other people had suffered as he had. He is to be praised for his bravery in speaking out.'

Recorder Harris sentenced Knibb to two and a half years in prison, to be served consecutive to his existing sentence. This will have the effect of extending his release date by 15 months.

Knibb already has to sign on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

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A Peterborough paedophile who carried out horrific abuse on a schoolgirl more than thirty years ago has finally been brought to justice.

Bernard Taylors horrific abuse of the girl in Peterborough continued until she became an older teenager and he tried to rape her.

The historic offences only came to light in 2018 when Taylors victim bravely confided in someone she knew.

Taylor, now of Lisnamon Court, Londonderry, was interviewed but gave a prepared statement in which he denied any involvement in the abuse and claimed his victim was lying.

He also claimed he had never been sexually attracted to children at any stage of his life.

The 73-year-old stood trial at Norwich Crown Court in November, where jurors found him guilty of eight counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 and one count of attempting to rape a woman over the age of 16.

He was handed an 18-year sentence at the same court on Wednesday (9 March), comprising a 17-year jail term and one year on licence. Taylor was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

DC Sian Thomas, who investigated, said: Taylors horrific sexual abuse of his victim went undetected for decades and I am pleased he has finally been brought to justice.

Regardless of when it happened, we will always take reports of sexual offences, including child sex abuse, very seriously.

Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we have specially trained officers who are there to support victims and bring offenders to justice.

Taylors abuse has had a huge impact on his victim, who is now an adult, and I hope she can find some closure to this traumatic period of her life.

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A sex offender from Peterborough who deleted his internet search history more than 300 times has been jailed.

Anthony Bridgestock, 36, was banned from using a device connected to the internet, unless it had the capability to display search history, as part of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

He was also required to surrender his phone and devices to officers when asked.

On 16 October, officers visited Bridgestocks home, checked his iPhone and noticed some gaps in the search history. They seized it and forensic examination found there had been more than 300 history deletions.

Bridgestock, of Crowland Road, Eye, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to breach of a SHPO and breach of a suspended sentence. He was sentenced to one year and four months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (3 March).

PC Zoe Rogers, who investigated, said: We work tirelessly to keep track of offenders and keep our communities safe.

Bridgestock proved he couldnt stick to his sexual harm prevention order requirements and Im glad justice has been done today.

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A woman who watched a vile rapist kick her pregnant mum three times in the stomach says the abuse she witnessed as a child will stay with her forever.

The victim went on to tragically lose a baby girl, her little sister, the daughter recalls.

Billy Lynch-White was handed an 18-year extended sentence in December for sickening crimes, including the assault and raping a number of women between 2006 and 2019.

A jury found the 47-year-old guilty of nine charges following a trial at Glasgow High Court.

He was also accused of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the daughter of one of his victims but the jury found this charge not proven.

This woman, who was just a child at the time, said she was forced to listen and even witnessed her mum being attacked.

She has spoken to the Lennox about their terrifying ordeal which she relived in court.

She said: I was just a child. It has only been in later life I have realised how wrong it was.

Lynch-White was found guilty violently assaulting the mum at an address in Renton, slapping her on the head, punching her, throwing a plate at her and kicking her on the stomach when she was pregnant.

The woman said the the 18-year extended sentence he was handed down - which will see him spend 14 years behind bars - is justice.

She added: My little sister that died, she got justice too.

Recalling the day that the baby was lost, she said: I had witnessed him hitting my mum on many occasions.

On this occasion he booted her three times in the stomach.

About an hour or so after that she started getting quite bad pains in the stomach and she was taken to hospital.

The hospital said she had to give birth but the baby didnt survive.

She was far enough along that my mum got hand and footprints of her.

Lynch-White, whose last address was in Peterborough, was found guilty of raping a woman while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent on various occasions between 2010 and 2013 at another address in Renton and elsewhere. He also sexually assaulted her on various occasions between 2010 and 2013 while holding a pillow on her face.

On various occasions between 2017 and 2019 he raped another woman at an address in Wishaw, and on one occasion held a knife to her throat before raping her.

He was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely when he was sentenced at Aberdeen High Court on December 3.

The woman said reliving the horrors she witnessed as a little girl have taken their toll on her.

She added: During the trial, I was off my work for three months. I couldnt function without medication just because I was reliving everything.

When I got the phone call to say the outcome, it was all worth it.

Its good to know that it was worth speaking up.

I have got mental health issues because of it.

I kind of feel like that chapters closed. I have had my day in court.

I am still angry, hurt and upset from what he has put us through but its not that constant in the back of my mind now.

The woman praised the work of Police Scotland, with the senior investigating officer for the case also welcoming his conviction.

She added: Everyone I have dealt with from the police right through to the procurator fiscal have been great.

Everyone was really good and really supportive.

Detective Inspector Scott Hamilton said: We welcome the conviction of Billy Lynch-White.

His behaviour was completely unacceptable and the abuse will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his victims.

I hope this conviction provides a sense of closure and allows the victims to try to move on with their lives.

Police Scotland takes all reports of sexual abuse very seriously and our specialist officers are here to provide support to victims and ensure perpetrators face justice.

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A sex offender from Peterborough has been jailed after he set up a Facebook account using a fake name, in breach of a court order.

Anthony Bullman, 26, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2020 for three years following a conviction in court. One of the orders conditions stated he had to inform police of any alias names he was using.

However, officers from the forces Public Protection Unit (PPU), which manages registered sex offenders, discovered he had set up a Facebook account last week (13 October) using the name Charles Beckwith.

Bullman, of Eastfield Road, Peterborough, was arrested and pleaded guilty the following day (14 October) to failing to comply with his notification requirements at Peterborough Magistrates Court.

He was sentenced to six months in prison and handed a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

PC Zoe Rogers said: This was a clear breach of his notification requirements, which are in place to protect children and prevent him from reoffending.

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A registered sex offender from Peterborough has been jailed for the third time in 18 months.

Stuart Merry, 41, was arrested at the gates of HMP Littlehey on 9 October by officers from the northern Public Protection Unit (PPU), a team who monitor sex offenders upon their release into the community.

Convictions for indecent assault on a child and gross indecency with a child in 2010 resulted in Merry being jailed for five years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

In 2018, police applied to the courts who authorised a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which came with a number of conditions, including not contacting any known registered sex offender without the permission of police.

In July last year (2019), Merry was recalled to prison after he was released on licence, but had not demonstrated good behaviour. He was released again six months later in December.

In April this year (2020), he was back in prison after being sentenced to 14 months for three breaches of his SHPO; using a library computer to access the internet, phoning another individual who is on the Sex Offenders Register and deleting call logs from his mobile phone.

Despite having been found guilty of breaching three conditions of his SHPO, Merry continued to breach one of the conditions whilst serving his sentence by continuing his contact with the same sex offender.

Prison phone records showed on seven separate occasions Merry dialled the home telephone number of his acquaintance between March and August this year.

Upon his release from prison on 9 October, Merry was arrested and charged the following day with two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Natalie Hebdon, from the northern PPU, said: Merry is a high-risk offender who has been monitored extremely closely by the Public Protection Unit for a number of years.

Since his first conviction in 2001 where he committed an act of gross indecency at an outdoor paddling pool, Merry has been in and out of prison for various breaches of conditions placed upon him.

These conditions are in place to protect children from Merry who has clearly demonstrated he is a threat to our communities.

Yesterday (Tuesday 22 December), he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

DC Hebdon added: Upon his release we will continue to pay extremely close attention to Merry, including regular visits to his home, checking his electronic devices and any further offending will be put before the courts.