Latest Offenders Poole

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A man has been jailed for paying a teenage girl for sexual services in Bournemouth.

Amir Saadi, 47, of Haven Road, Poole, was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of paying for sexual services of a child.

He was jailed for nine years after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Dorset Police said Saadi first met his victim, a 14-year-old girl, in Boscombe in 2020.

A force spokesperson said the girl then visited Saadi's home "on a number of occasions" and was given money in return for sexual activity.

Officers launched an investigation and in June 2021 arrested Saadi, who claimed he did not know the victim.

'Lifelong impact'

Det Con Andy Hale, said: "Saadi took advantage of a teenage girl and showed no regard for her emotional or physical wellbeing.

"The young victim in this case has been exceptionally brave throughout the investigation and subsequent trial and I would like to pay tribute to her and her family for their support.

"Dorset Police will continue to seek justice for young victims and bring offenders such as Saadi to court to face the consequences for their horrible actions, which can have a lifelong impact on those involved.

"I hope that this case will give victims the courage to speak out and seek help. We will do everything we can to support them and ensure offenders are held to account."
Saadi has been placed on the sex offenders' register for life, as well as being made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

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A monster who sexually abused a toddler had his head in his hands as he was jailed for serious sexual assaults. The girl, aged just four at the time, was sexually touched by Andrew Michael Hansford in West Dorset on no less than three occasions.

The girl, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, told Hansford that the assault hurt her, but he carried on. She bravely told her mother about the abuse and its pain and they immediately reported the sexual assaults to Dorset Police.

In a moving victim impact statement to Bournemouth Crown Court, the girl’s mother spoke of the horror of the sexual abuse. The abuse also had significant harm on the victim, with her being “terrified of men”.

She said: “I’m enjoy just having my daughter back. I don’t want her to be made to suffer anymore. I want her to see that not all men are monsters. She was just a child and doesn’t deserve the hurt she has been put through.”

The girl, now aged six years old, is now recovering from the serious abuse she suffered at the hands of Hansford. Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services (STARS) is continuing to support the victim.

Hansford was arrested and denied any incident took place. Hansford, aged 29, and of Belben Road in Poole, was charged with two charges of assault by penetration of a girl under the age of 13. He denied the charges and triggered an extensive trial, but was found guilty.

Defending, Robert Griffiths, told the court that Hansford accepted he was going to prison for this serious offence. It was also noted that Hansford has ADHD and attempted self-harm.

He said: “It has to be a custodial sentence and it has to be a sentence of some length, but I do ask you to take into account that the conditions in prisons are still not particularly good.”

Judge Evans outlined how “vulnerable” the victim was. She added it was repeated behaviour and spoke of the distress he caused her family.

She said: “The effect on the victim and her mother has been one of huge distress. The girl is still very young at six and she has become frightened of men and in particular in fear of having to see you again.

“This court cannot know what the long-term impact will be but there is likely to be long-term impacts. You also caused huge distress to her mother. She blamed herself and she is not to blame in any way, but it is entirely human to blame oneself and ask oneself the question of ‘what if?’.”

As Judge Evans delivered her sentence, Hansford had his head in his hands and appeared to look emotional.

Hansford was sentenced to 15 years in prison and issued a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years and placed on the sex offenders register for life. Hansford was also issued a restraining order against his victim not to contact her directly or indirectly and was placed on a list of people barred from working with children. 

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A 17-YEAR-OLD Bournemouth girl woke up to find a drug dealer raping her. 

Lamin Sanneh, 47, sexually assaulted and raped a girl at an address in Bournemouth in July 2019, Bournemouth Crown Court heard. 

The victim has fallen asleep before Sanneh sexually assaulted her after which she woke up and he raped her, police say. 

However, the defendant was was also found to have supplied drugs in September 2021 when a raid in Poole uncovered a package containing wraps of cocaine while Sanneh was there. 

A phone belonging to Sanneh had also been seized that contained messages which appeared to relate to the supply of illegal drugs.  

He was eventually arrested by detectives in March 2023 and later charged. 

At a hearing at crown court held on Thursday, December 7, the judge sentenced Sanneh, of no fixed abode, to 10 years in prison. 

He will also serve an extended licence period of a further three years. 

He had previously been found guilty at a trial at the same court of offences of rape and being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. 

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A 'predatory' police officer was jailed for over 16 years today for violently raping a friend and sexually assaulting a second woman.

PC Ravi Canhye, who served with Dorset Police, was convicted on two charges of rape, one count of attempted rate, and three charges of assault by penetration. He was also charged with sexual assault against a second woman.

Wincheser Crown Court heard that the 47-year-old, who is originally from Mauritius, slapped and mauled the first victim before pinning her down and raping her.

He verbally abused her and he did so and at one point forced a fist into her mouth to stop her pleas for him to stop. It was heard in court that Canyhe felt 'power and gratification' and 'revelled in seeing her disgust, discomfort and disappointment.'

The violent attack took place as the victim visited his home in Poole, Dorset, while he was off duty on the weekend between April 8 and 11, 2022.

Canyhe had met the victim in October 2021. He told her that they had feelings for each other on the first night and they had consensual sex.

Prosecutor Sarah Jones KC said that his behaviour changed the following morning and Canhye assaulted his victim in the kitchen before raping her. 

She said that he spun 'out of control' after drinking heavily which 'changed or disinhibited him'. He behaved like an 'animal', the court heard.

Canhye threatened to abuse his victim with his truncheon and a vodka bottle, the court heard. Canyhe, who denied the offences, claimed that the sex was consensual.

Prosecutor Jones said: 'He just did what he wanted. He was so wrapped up in his own needs and desires he saw both her and her friend as objects ready to use and abuse.

'It came to a point where, she says, every time he was being too rough, when he was hurting her, that was exciting him and that made him worse at what he did.'

She added: 'She considered he was behaving like an animal and that she considered him to be behaving like an animal seemed to drive him on more.'

The victim, who fought to control her emotions as she gave evidence, said she 'trusted him as he was a police officer'.

She said that she 'was scared and really frightened' and that he was 'aggressive and forceful.'

In a victim impact statement that was read out in court on her behalf, she said that she suffered from anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks. 

She said she was 'battered and bruised' after the attack and said: 'The indignity of it was almost unbearable.'

She suffered such bad bruising as a result of his 'manhandling' that intimate parts of her body turned black.

The victim added that she isolated from friends following the attack and had felt suicidal.

Judge Jane Miller said that she had suffered 'a persistent, degrading and truly overwhelming episode of sexual and physical humiliation.'

She told Canhye: 'Your being a serving police officer is an aggravating feature, your status means your victims placed a level of trust in you.'

'The public should be able to expect higher standards from a police officer.'

Canhye has been placed on the sex offenders register and been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order requiring him to notify police of any future sexual relationships.

He has also had a restraining order issued against him.

The sexual assault against the second victim happened on the following day when the pair returned to the defendant's home out of concern for his wellbeing because of his heavy drinking.

He assaulted her as she sat on his sofa.

The second victim said she had been shocked that Canhye was a police officer.

'I couldn't believe someone who behaved like that could be one, he has abused his position of trust,' she said, adding that she felt 'frightened to leave her home.'

Dorset Police has confirmed that Canhye, who had been in public service for more than 20 years, was suspended after the allegations were made and faces misconduct proceedings.

Canhye moved from Mauritius to work in psychiatric health before he became a special police officer and then joined the Metropolitan Police in 2009. He later moved to Dorset Police.

He won a National Policing Award in 2009 as a special Constable in Ealing, West London, for his work identifying people with mental health issues.

James Newton-Price, defending, said that Canhye had resigned from the force and added: 'The outcome is devastating for Mr Canhye, not only in relation to his good name but his career.'

He added: 'He would not have behaved as he did other than for his heavy alcohol consumption.'

Dorset Police Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: 'I would like to thank the victims for their courage to come forward to report these abhorrent crimes to us and supporting our investigation as well as the strength they have shown throughout the court process.

'I hope this sends a message to all victims of sexual abuse that we will do all we can to investigate offences and ensure offenders are brought to justice, while we will also make sure victims are supported.

'We have been able to bring this case before the court due to the thorough investigation conducted by our highly-trained detectives and I would like to recognise their work as well as the support our specialist officers provided to the victims.

'PC Canhye has behaved in a way that is clearly criminal and utterly unacceptable, especially when bearing in mind the trust the public should be able to have in him as a member of the police service.

'There is no place in Dorset Police for those who commit sexual offences.

'I understand that these crimes will cause concern for our community and the fact that they were committed by a police officer is even more abhorrent.

'We are determined to root out officers who commit such offences as well as domestic abuse or show discriminatory, abusive or misogynistic behaviours.

'I hope that responding robustly to allegations of any violence against women by police officers or staff sends a strong message to the public about our standards and values and builds confidence in how we respond to all allegations.

'Our unique powers and responsibilities mean we must hold ourselves to the highest standards.'

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A MAN who committed a “significant” number of child sexual offences against a girl has been jailed for nine years.

Robert Taylor, aged 61, groomed and manipulated the 15-year-old and carried out the criminal behaviour over a three-month period.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard when the girl disclosed what had taken place to police, officers found more than 2,600 indecent images of her on the defendant’s phone.

Taylor, of Surrey Road, Poole, was found guilty of three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a child and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child aged 13 to 15 following a trial last month.

He admitted one count of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15, seven counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.

The 61-year-old defendant was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment by Judge William Mousley KC at a Bournemouth Crown Court hearing on Thursday, February 2.

Judge Mousley KC said Taylor had kept “souvenirs” of his sexual abuse as well as a raft of other indecent images of the girl.

“I’m sure you groomed her to comply with your demands,” Judge Mousley KC said.

He added: “You manipulated her emotionally.”

The judge said the defendant, who had no previous convictions, made the girl frightened of him.

Prosecutor Tim Moores read a statement from the child which detailed the significant psychological impact the abuse had on her.

She described having “horrific memories” more than a year after the offending.

The court heard Taylor refused to answer questions when confronted with the allegations. He later denied the penetration offence and the allegation he fondled himself in front of the child.

Mitigating, Nick Robinson said the defendant had written a letter to the court in which he said he was “deeply sorry for all he has done”.

Mr Robinson described the offending as an “aberration”.

Judge Mousley KC said the defendant tried to cast blame on the complainant, but he told Taylor: “There is only one person to blame and it is you.”

It was accepted by the judge that the crimes were out of character and took place during a difficult period in the offender’s life.

“You were convicted of the most serious offences because of the great courage and sustained determination of the complainant,” Judge Mousley KC said.

The defendant was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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A MAN who looked up a mothers skirt in a Poole supermarket has avoided an immediate jail term.

Michal Ireneusz Kowalski was found guilty of committing an act outraging public decency at the Tower Park Tesco store last summer.

The 38-year-old, described as a menace to woman, denied looking up the womans skirt, despite being caught on CCTV, instead claiming he bent down to pick up a 20 note.

This was a change to the account he gave police, where he claimed he squatted down to relieve pain caused by internal haemorrhoids.

CCTV also caught Kowalski looking up another womans skirt just moments after the first incident.

Judge Robert Pawson described his account as nonsense and sentenced Kowalski, of Aspen Gardens, Poole, to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years.

The judge said this would give the defendant the opportunity to complete a sex offenders programme he wouldnt be eligible for in custody.

Judge Pawson said: You went to Tesco where you were seen looking up the skirt of a mother, a single woman with her daughter, when CCTV was looked at, she was not the only victim that day.

It was clearly relevant evidence which was heard by the jury. I have no doubt that you planned this offence.

From all the evidence, you had one aim to obtain some form of sexual gratification.

The suggestion of remorse I take with a pinch of salt, you maintain there was no sexual motivation, you have not shown any insight.

You were shocked by the reading of the victim statement, believing your actions were harmless.

The jury, which deliberated for less than three hours before reaching their verdict on Friday, June 17, had earlier been told during the prosecutions case that the complainant was alerted to the defendants actions by her young daughter.

Prosecutor Ryan Murray presented CCTV evidence to the court which showed Kowalskis behaviour in the store on the afternoon of the incident in July 2021.

The footage showed the defendant go around a retail module before going low down to the ground as the woman was bending over to look at something on the shelf in front of her.

The complainant told the jury she was very upset and panicking after the incident.

She called her parents for help, and they rushed to the store to support her.

Her mother told the court her daughter had never contacted her before sounding so scared.

Mitigating, Philomena Murphy said a suspended sentence was a window of opportunity to prevent Kowalski from coming back to these courts.

The defendant had two previous convictions, sexual assault on a female in 2013 and an act outraging public decency in 2011.

Judge Pawson ordered Kowalski completed the sex offenders treatment programme, carry out 10 rehabilitation requirement days, 100 hours of unpaid work and pay 3,000 in costs.

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A MAN who worked as a school bus driver has been jailed for trying to groom a child to engage in sexual activity online.

Daron Milton sent messages to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl in an attempt to incite her to perform sex acts on herself.

The 53-year-old Bournemouth man was actually communicating with an undercover officer from West Midlands Police.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard the defendant engaged in message exchanges with the girl between July 18 and August 13, 2020, over platforms Kik and WhatsApp.

He was eventually arrested by Dorset Police officers in September 2020 after he had completed the end of day school run in his role as a bus driver.

Prosecuting, Sadie Ruzzo said it was the defendant who first contacted the account set up by the undercover officer on the Kik messaging application.

She told the court this involved him sending a message which said: Hi beautiful, how are you?

Ms Ruzzo said Miltons messaging in the weeks that followed exhibited grooming.

The court heard he called the 12-year-old sweetheart and beautiful.

The communication involved the defendant giving graphic instructions on how the girl could perform a sex act upon herself.

Other messaging involved Milton repeatedly asking the girl to send photographs of herself, while later in the exchanges he tried to call her. Conversations should the offender say that the child needed to make sure she was alone.

In August 2020 there was reference to wanting to see the child, to meet up, the court heard.

He said he was a lorry driver based in London but he asked to see and meet up with the child on more than one occasion, Ms Rizzo said.

As a result of the evidence gathered, West Midlands Police alerted Dorset Police to the IP address linked to the defendants online account, which was his home address.

He was arrested on September 14 in Bournemouth.

At the time in September Mr Milton was driving school children to and from local high schools, Ms Rizzo said.

Enquiries were made at the bus station and he was arrested later that day after completing the school run.

Two mobile phones were seized and police found six indecent child images on the devices.

Milton, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to a charge of attempting to cause or incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and two counts of making an incident photograph of a child.

The court heard the defendant had been open, honest and frank with the probation service ahead of the sentencing hearing.

Milton, of Knowlton Road, Bournemouth, suffered from very significant health issues, which Judge Stephen Climie took into account when determining the appropriate sentence.

The defendant told the judge he accepted what he had done was totally wrong, adding that he would never go and meet anyone like that.

The judge indicated that he gave Milton full credit for his guilty plea and said he acknowledged the offender was supported by family members.

Judge Climie said he had made a limited reduction to the prison term, as set out by the sentencing guidelines, due to there not being an actual child involved in the communication offence.

Milton was jailed for three years and eight months. He was placed on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life and made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Inspector Mark Fursman, of the paedophile online investigation team (POLIT) and integrated missing persons and child sexual exploitation team (IMPACT), said The POLIT is committed to working with partners such as the National Crime Agency, other police forces and a wide range of other agencies and organisations to minimise the risk to children by proactively identifying people who use the internet to further their sexual abuse in children.

We urge anyone to contact Dorset Police or Crimestoppers if they suspect someone is using the internet to groom or gain indecent images of children.

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A woman was stalked for nearly two hours after police failed to respond to a 999 call from another person.

Hasan Kyoybasha approached a woman who spurned his advances so he started pestering someone else.

The first woman called police to report his predatory behaviour towards the victim, but they failed to attend for an hour and 45 minutes.

He continued to pester, badger and follow her through the streets of Poole, Dorset, before pouncing and raping her.

Dorset Police said they did not attend the incident between 4.45am and 6am on September 5 because they were experiencing higher than average calls.

After the attack, the woman went to get help from two people who were at a nearby bus stop and they dialled 999.

Kyoybasha was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

Dorset police has carried out an internal review which found there was no misconduct by staff but have changed their procedures.

A police spokesman said: The review found that at the time of the call, Dorset Police was responding to a higher-than-average number of calls for service and officers were not immediately available to attend.

Subsequently, the incident log was closed by a supervisor, as police units remained heavily committed.

The review recommended that a radio broadcast detailing the contents of the 999 call could have been made to alert officers in the area who may be attending other incidents.

As a result of this, the force has changed its procedure to ensure that these matters are prioritised and radio broadcasts will always be made in cases where there is a concern for a persons safety.

We will always endeavour to prioritise attendance at an incident where suspicious activity has been reported and concerns have been raised for someones safety. No misconduct was identified.

Those who use violence or intimidation against women and girls such as Kyoybasha will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice.

We will work with partners to create an environment where women and girls are both safe and feel safe from violence, intimidation and harassment through influencing and supporting change within communities and policing.

Our thoughts continue to remain with the victim of Kyoybashas abhorrent offending.

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A CHILD psychiatrist has been struck off after he was caught with more than 2,000 indecent images of children which he claimed he viewed to help him ease stress.

Doctor Adrian Marsden's child porn collection was built over 10 years until he was found out when an amateur dramatics coach helped him download a smartphone app to learn his lines.

The NHS children's mental health specialist, who collected images of kids as young as eight, admitted he had a fetish and claimed he looked at his stash "in times of trauma".

In June last year Marsden, of Brownsea Road, Poole, avoided jail following criminal proceedings into the possession of the indecent images but now he has been struck off the GMC's medical register following a tribunal.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal ruled Marsden who had worked at Pebble Lodge NHS treatment centre in Westbourne, "breached a fundamental tenet of the profession".

Tribunal chair Margaret Obi, sitting in Manchester, said: "Dr Marsden’s conduct fell far below the standard expected of a registered medical practitioner.

"The Tribunal was satisfied that the nature and seriousness of Dr Marsden’s conviction is fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.

"Downloading and viewing child sex abuse materials seriously undermines patients’ and the public’s trust and confidence in the medical profession."

Marsden, a married father-of-two, was caught with 1,982 Category C images and 42 more serious prohibited images showing 'corporal punishment' of children on his computer which were stockpiled between May 2010 and January 2020.

The 60-year-old admitted making indecent photos of children and possessing prohibited images of children at Poole Magistrates' Court and was fined £2,500, given a community order with rehabilitation activity and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

Lawyer David Hurley, mitigating Marsden at the time, said: "He deleted some of the images as he knew what he was doing was wrong but like a smoker who is trying to quit smoking who keeps some cigarettes he kept some.

"These, he looked at in times of trauma, such as when he was suffering depression in late 2017 and 2018 after being criticised at an inquest of a young person took her own life.

"Dr Marsden separated his professional and private life and never acted upon it (his urges) through contact with children."

Marsden, who qualified in 1984, tried to have his latest tribunal hearing held in private, moaning that reports of his offences from his court case last year "elicited a hostile response from the public which included direct threats of harm".

However, his application was refused, with the tribunal ruling "Marsden’s concerns were insufficient to outweigh the public interest in conducting the hearing in public".

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A FORMER teacher has been deemed to pose a significant risk to members of the public after he made arrangements to commit sexual acts on an ’11-year-old girl’.

Nigel Peter Grigg communicated on messaging platform Kik with a man called ‘John’ who had said he was willing to provide his ‘daughter’ for sexual activities.

‘John’ was in fact an officer from the police South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU).

Grigg arranged to meet ‘John’ and his ‘daughter’ with the intention of committing child sex offences.

The 69-year-old purchased presents for the ‘girl’, including items from Ann Summers.

Shortly after arriving at the agreed meeting point – McDonald’s in Totton – he was arrested by police.

Sentencing Judge Robert Pawson said: “The facts of this case make chilling reading for any parent, or any person in fact.”

Grigg was jailed for five years and issued with a two-year extended licence period at Bournemouth Crown Court after Judge Pawson deemed him to be a dangerous offender.

This was after he admitted a single charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence between March 4 and March 12 last year.

Prosecuting, Jane Rowley told the court Kik was being used by paedophiles and this activity was being investigated by the ROCU.

She said online communication took place between the defendant, using the display name Randy Peter, and the undercover police officer posing as adult male ‘John’.

Ms Rowley said there was subsequent telephone contact between the two and two meetings were arranged.

The prosecutor said the evidence “clearly shows his sexual interests in children and efforts to groom the child”.

Grigg posted on Kik he was “looking for anyone near Bournemouth and interested in taboo family fun”.

“Conversation from the outset was sexual,” said Ms Rowley.

Dorset Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), a specialist team who work with partner agencies to identify offenders operating online and protect vulnerable children from sexual exploitation, assisted in the case, which culminated in Grigg being arrested and charged.

Mitigating, Kevin Hill said Grigg, of Croft Road, Poole, had no previous convictions and had shown “a lot of remorse”.

Mr Hill said his client had referred himself to get help for his sexual offending since his crime was committed.

Summarising the case, Judge Pawson said Grigg had “boasted” on Kik that he had “done a 13[-year-old] in Thailand”.

The defendant had time to reconsider his actions and time to realise the risk and the magnitude of what he was doing, said Judge Pawson.

Grigg was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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SERIAL sex attacker Dean Goodwin tried to contact one of his terrified victims on Facebook, just weeks before he committed the brutal early morning rape in Poole.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Echo, the woman, who was just 13 when Goodwin molested her, said: I contacted the police after he attempted to add me as a Facebook friend and he was arrested.

He was bailed but released without charge because I had deleted the message from my phone; otherwise he could have been jailed for two years.

It's shocking that just a month later he was on the run again after another life had been destroyed.

The woman, now 25, was moved from her Poole home to safe accommodation in Bournemouth and said she was petrified Goodwin would try to track her down again.

She said: It's always been my worst fear. We were uprooted before when Goodwin was released from prison after he came to live in the same area.

We're still too close and need to be moved out of the county; for the sake of my three young children.

We are all holed up in one room; we can't go anywhere.

The woman was just 13 when Goodwin sexually assaulted her in Parkstone on May 3, 2000, grabbing her and putting his hand over her mouth to stifle her screams.

She said: I'd never seen him before that day; he threatened to cut me up if I screamed again. If my sister hadn't walked past I believe he would have done much worse. I've tried to rebuild my life but I still suffer from extreme anxiety and have difficulty trusting. I've needed intensive counselling.

I'm also very protective of my children; they are my main concern. There is no way I would let my five-year-old even play in the garden which is very sad.

Goodwin is still affecting all our lives; he is an extremely dangerous man and I wasn't surprised to hear that he was being hunted again.

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A FLASHER with a history of violent sex offences was jailed indefinitely at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday.

Sentencing Gareth Newman, 26, to a minimum of 18 months imprisonment, Judge James Meston QC described him as "a significant risk" to women.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Newman, of Recreation Road, Poole, exposed himself to various females over two days last June. The youngest was 11.

He was found guilty of three charges of indecent exposure and one of carrying out a sex act in the presence of a child after a trial in December.

Newman had earlier pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the terms of the Sex Offenders Register by failing to notify police of his address.

The court heard Newman was convicted of three indecent assaults back in 1998 in which violence was used.

Judge Meston also ordered Newman to go on the Sex Offenders Register for life and disqualified him from working with children.

DC Andrew Kennard said Newman typically targeted young girls on their own.

He told the Echo: "I'd like to thank the victims for coming forward and providing the evidence that secured this conviction and the support given to them by their families.

"Gareth Newman committed offences at various times of the day in the Rossmore area of Poole and singled out young girls in their teens, usually on their own.

"No-one - whatever their age - deserves to be a victim of crime that involves someone making inappropriate remarks, intentionally exposing themselves or touching another person in an improper way.

"This case sends out a clear message that all crimes of a sexual nature are taken seriously by Dorset Police."

Speaking afterwards, the mother of a 13-year-old victim said: "This incident has had a major impact on my daughter and my family.

"My daughter was 13 when it happened and was a normal outgoing girl who enjoyed going out to meet her friends.

"Since the incident she has become much more aware of what is going on around her and really doesn't like to walk alone, even in daylight.

"Every time she goes out she is reminded of what happened - especially as it happened so close to where we live.

"In the weeks before the court case she suffered from panic attacks and it has really affected her everyday life.

"I hope that the sentence given to the offender reflects what he has done to these young girls. I am delighted with what the police have done - we couldn't have asked for anything more."