Latest Offenders Shrewsbury

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Gavin Sloan has been sentenced to 21 years for a string of sexual offences, including the rape of a child.

Sloan formerly of Briar Close in Minsterley near Shrewsbury pleaded guilty to more than 30 offences last month including the rape of a child, possessing indecent images of children and sexual assaults against children.

The 46-year-old was sentenced yesterday (Thursday 12 May) alongside Louise Smith and Jenna Ball who assisted Sloan and were given an 11 year sentence and two year suspended sentence respectively.

Sloan was arrested in May 2021 after officers from West Mercia Police carried out a warrant at his home address. The warrant was granted as it was believed he may have been in possession of indecent images of children.

Following searches of his home, officers discovered numerous videos containing indecent images of children, including a video of Sloan himself sexually assaulting a young child.

The images found were taken between 2013 and 2021.

The discovery of these images then led officers to arrest and later charge Smith aged 42 and Ball aged 37 in connection.

Smith, formally of Cheshire, was charged with 12 counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to commit a sexual act.

Ball, of Sutton Road, Kidderminster was charged with three counts of arranging child sex offences, causing a child to commit a sexual act and possession of indecent images.

All three were previously found guilty at Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Detective Inspector Jo Delahay said: “This investigation has been one of the most harrowing for all involved and we welcome the sentence that has been handed to Sloan. We also welcome the sentences handed to Ball and Smith for their part in assisting Sloan.

“He is a highly dangerous individual who preyed on young and vulnerable victims, and it is incomprehensible that he would commit such crimes against children and young people. Our thoughts remain with the victims and those close to them.”

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Brett Foster was handed a suspended jail sentence and told to complete unpaid work for his crimes.

Foster, of Shaw Road, Monkmoor, Shrewsbury, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court for three counts of sexual activity with a child.

The 46-year-old was given six months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and pay 2,800 in prosecution costs.

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A former head teacher who secretly filmed boys getting changed and downloaded child abuse images has been jailed.

More than 3,500 indecent images were found on devices belonging to 47-year-old Tim Moule, who was the safeguarding lead at his school.

Videos of boys changing from uniforms into sports kit were also recovered.

Moule, from Shropshire, admitted voyeurism and making indecent images charges and was jailed for 52 months.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he was reported to the police after a parent had found social media messages from him to her son.

Prosecutor Howard Searle said Moule was sacked after indecent images, downloaded following 1,700 separate paedophile-related web searches, were found on a hard drive and laptop.

Moule, of Severn Way, Cressage, told police he had not gained sexual gratification from the images but refused to comment further after images of his voyeurism victims were recovered.

Sentencing him at Stafford Crown Court, Judge Michael Chambers QC said it was difficult to envisage a more gross breach of trust and that had not shown much remorse.

He added that an aggravating feature of the indecent image offences were that the children were in "pain and distress."

Defence barrister Jasvir Mann said "little can be said" to mitigate his conduct and Moule knew that there was no excuse for accessing the material.

Moule, who is married, was the head of schools in Wolverhampton and Shropshire after a "stellar" career rise.

He previously admitted six counts of recording a person doing a private act and two counts of making indecent photos of a child.