Latest Offenders Somerset

Description

A SEX offender released early from prison for good behaviour is back behind bars after breaching the terms of his parole.

The precise reason for 60-year-old former Taunton DJ Christopher Reynolds's recall to prison has not been revealed.

But he may now have to complete his six-year sentence imposed in April 2019 at Taunton Crown Court.

He could only be released before his licence ends in March 2025 if agreed by the Parole Board.

Reynolds, who committed the offences after grooming two girls aged 12 and 14 around 30 years ago, only admitted his guilt after putting them through the trauma of two trials.

One of his victims this week told the County Gazette: "A leopard doesn't change its spots.

"It's unknown why he's back in prison. It's possible he might have to complete the rest of his sentence in jail."

Reynolds, who worked in clubs and on Apple FM radio and the former Taunton TV and was also known as Chris Young, was found guilty of seven indecent assaults and received three six-year terms in jail, three three-year stretches and one 12-month sentence, all concurrent.

He must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and has a 20-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victims.

During his trial, the 14-year-old victim said he "manipulated my mind and made me feel special and wanted".

But her "dirty secret" made her feel "worthless".

"I felt ashamed and disgusted," she said and since Reynolds' crimes have come to light she has cried every day.

"The demons have come out but never left me," she said.

His other victim met Reynolds at "a low point in my life" and viewed him as her "saviour" who "felt like my only friend, a father figure".

She said: "I looked forward to him texting me and meeting up with me, but he was just grooming me for his own gains."

She had recently established contact with her father, who had hardly previously figured in her life and was dying of cancer at the time.

She added: "He robbed my teenage years and took away my only chance to have a short relationship with my dad."

Reynolds' behaviour led to her self-harming, taking drugs and alcohol and considering suicide.

The judge told Reynolds, who was married with children: "You no doubt regarded yourself as something of a local celebrity."

The judge added: "You have an unhealthy interest in young girls."

Description

THE victim of a child rapist from Bridgwater said he has had his life stolen from him.

He was speaking after Simon Wheaton, 37, was found guilty of multiple historic offences at the end of a trial at Taunton Crown Court.

The jury yesterday (Thursday, June 23) returned guilty verdicts on the following five offences:

- inciting a boy under fourteen years of age to commit an act of gross indecency;

- indecent assault on boy under the age of 14 years;

- indecently assaulting a boy, under 14, on at least two further occasions after that;

- rape of a boy under 16 years;

- rape of a boy under 16 years, on at least two further occasions.

In the early 2000s, Wheaton sexually abused a nine-year-old boy, including committing multiple rapes against him.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, disclosed the abuse to girlfriends over the years before finally opening up to a counsellor, who agreed to report the matter to the police on his behalf.

Officers worked with the victim to complete a thorough investigation, including speaking to the victims former partners and other witnesses.

In a statement, the victim said: I was only a child when Wheaton did what he did to me.

"He took advantage of me being young and trusting.

"He took advantage of this, using it to get what he wanted from me, to abuse me.

"He made me feel like it was my fault, that I would get into trouble, that I had no choice in what happened to me.

"He calculatedly used thing after thing to keep me under his control, taking away from me my dignity, my trust and my life.

"It destroyed my trust in people, my ability to emotionally connect with them, to be able to open up.

"The last 18 years of my life were stolen from me, by what he did to me.

"I wish I had spoken to someone sooner, but I spent too much of my life hating myself for what he did to realise that I was the innocent one.

Wheaton will be sentenced at Taunton Crown Court in August.

Investigating officer DS Charlie Pulling said: I would like to thank the victim for coming forward and showing incredible bravery by disclosing the awful abuse he suffered at the hands of this predatory paedophile.

"Wheaton showed no remorse for his actions towards a child who trusted him.

"I would like this result to give victims of similar crimes the confidence to come forward and speak to the police so we can help get them the justice they deserve.

Officer in the case DC Charlotte Hodgkiss said: I hope this shows other survivors of serious sexual assault that it is never too late to come forward and speak out.

"We recognise the courage it takes, and this is a prime example of justice being served.

Description

A depraved monster abducted a 14-year-old schoolgirl before raping her in his caravan, a court heard. Jason Hawkins, now 49, lured the child to the South West after they began chatting on the karaoke app StarMaker.

Hawkins drove to the West Midlands to pick her up - leaving her parents in a state of frantic worry. Plymouth Crown Court heard how the drug user sexually abused and raped her at a campsite in Devon.

As reported by Devon Live, Judge Simon Carr jailed the twisted man for 11 years. He spoke of he defendant's "depravity" in overpowering the teenager on his bed as she repeatedly told him to stop.

He said: "This escalated into an extremely manipulative, controlling and threatening relationship, where sexualised matters were discussed between a 48-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl." The court heard that Hawkins threw the girl's phone in the river as he moved her into his caravan.

However, police were able to catch up with him through details on the girl's computer. She had started using the singing app StarMaker - a social media channel popular with teenagers, especially girls.

Hawkins had also previously contacted officers himself. The defendant had complained before picking her up that she was being sexually abused by someone else.

He pleaded guilty to rape, sexual activity with a child and child abduction in November last year. He also admitted meeting a child following sexual grooming.

Hawkins, who has no previous convictions, will not be released until two thirds of the way through his sentence, at more than seven years.

Bathsheba Cassell, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Hawkins paid the teenager compliments and at one stage claimed he had been a hero in secret services. Miss Cassell said that the conversation became sexual and they began exchanging sexual images of themselves.

The barrister added that in November Hawkins hired a car and drove to pick her up from a shop near her home in the Dudley area. Miss Cassell said her parents were "frantic with worry".

It was added that Hawkins moved her into his caravan. They watched television and went shopping together.

But he went on to perform a sex act and then went on to rape her. Miss Cassell read a statement from the girl which said that she had self-harmed and suffered flashbacks and sleepless nights.

The victim, who cannot be identified under the law., wrote: "I just feel so low after all of this. I just want to lie in bed all day. I have felt that I am worth nothing. I have hurt myself to get rid of this feeling. I have gone to sleep hoping that I would not wake up the next day."

William Parkhill, defending Hawkins, said that he had not intended to rape the girl when he drove to the West Midlands to pick her up. He added that the defendant had told the probation officer that he felt shame for his offending.

The barrister said that he did not want to make excuses. He added that Hawkins had lost his partner, his wider family and his job over the five years leading to the offence before spiralling into drugs misuse.

Mr Parkhill added: "He sought comfort and a life in the online world which he did not have in the real world and then matters progressed."

Judge Carr passed an indefinite restraining order banning Hawkins from contacting the girl in any way. He also made a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to allow police to monitor his behaviour around children and on the internet. Hawkins will be on the Sex Offender Register for the rest of his life.

Description

A paedophile who downloaded an app to hide his internet search history has been jailed. Basil Al-Mudalal, 68, was caught out by police when they made a surprise visit to his home.

Al-Mudalal is a convicted sex offender who was banned from owning any device which did not retain information about what he had been looking at online. But when police analysed his devices they found pictures and films of children being sexually abused.

The defendant, of Silver Road, Street, was sent back to jail for his latest offences. Taunton Crown Court was told he still poses a risk of reoffending, despite previously completing a sex offender programme.

He admitted three offences of possessing indecent images of children and breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Al-Mudalal was jailed for 26 months.

Prosecutor Mr Paul Grumbar said police went to his house on February 22, 2022. Al-Mulalal gave police his phone. On it was an app called 'DuckDuckGo' which does not retain search history. No images were found on the device but downloading the app put him in breach of his SHPO.

Police then found a hard drive connected to his TV in his bedroom. Officers found multiple indecent images and movies but stopped counting at 1,000. They included material in the most serious category and the abuse of children as young as four.

The defendant has previous convictions for possessing indecent images and has served stints in prison. He was given the SHPO in 2017.

Mr Harry Ahuja, defending, said he was ashamed of his behaviour and wanted the chance to do the Horizon sex offender programme - even though he had previously completed the course in 2017.

He said Al-Mudalal had been in the UK for 50 years and had an income through rented property. He was worried that if he went to jail he would not be able to send his sister in Jordan 450 a month.

A report by probation assessed him as a high risk of reoffending and not manageable in the community.

Judge James Townsend said: "You've been convicted yet again of possessing images of serious child abuse. Quite clearly they were viewed by you until recently. It was a very large number of images involving significant number of victims.

"You have previously offended in precisely this way and continue to offend. Probation services have little confidence that future intervention is likely to stop you offending. You have attended the Horizon programme but further work is unlikely to achieve much."

Al-Mudalal will serve half of his sentence in prison and rest on licence. He will remain subject to the SHPO and sex offender register for 10 years.

Description

Four men, including two from Bath and one from Radstock, have been convicted of child sex offences following a five-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

On Tuesday 19th April, the four men were sentenced over a total of 45 offences which took place between 1996 and 2003.

Their crimes were committed against two girls between the ages of seven and 15.

The convictions follow a police investigation which began in 2016 following a disclosure by one of the victims.

The subsequent enquiries led officers to conduct numerous enquiries throughout the UK and the review of significant amounts of historical records held by social care, education establishments, digital media, previous investigations and complaints to other forces.

Grant McGill, 41, of Radstock, was jailed for 16 years for 35 offences of indecent assault and indecency with a child. He was handed a further eight-week sentence after absconding during the trial.

Brian Parker, 48, of Wrexham, was convicted of eight offences of indecent assault, indecency with a child and possession of indecent images of children. He was handed a nine-year jail term with an extended licence period of three years.

Derek McBride, 62, of Lansdown, Bath, was jailed for two years and six months for four offences of indecency with a child and indecent assault. Having admitted the offences in interview, he received a reduction in sentence for his early guilty plea.

Tim Dale, 42, of Twerton, Bath, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, for two offences of indecent assault.

Lead investigating officer Detective Sergeant Neil Wood said: These men acted independently of each other but all identified and took advantage of two young girls who were extremely vulnerable because of their age and personal circumstances. Their offending was predatory and abhorrent.

The two victims have shown immense patience with what has been a long and complex investigation and demonstrated significant bravery both in disclosing what had happened and giving evidence in court.

These sentences reflect the seriousness of the offences they committed, but also the significant and long lasting impact that it has had on these survivors.

Victim Impact Statements from both women were read to the court.

One addressed the effect that it had had on her, saying: If I see men with children I feel certain those children are being hurt and I feel powerless to stop it. If I hear children crying from another house, my imagination goes through the roof.

She thanked the jury for hearing me and helping me begin this road to recovery.

The second woman told the men: What you have done will never be okay, it will never be fixed. This isnt something that sorry makes all better.

Our lives are forever impacted by your actions and your choices toward us. I can only be thankful that you cant hurt anyone now and I hope that this experience and outcome has taught you something valuable that your actions have consequences and you have no control over us. We are now stronger than we have ever been.

In sentencing, His Honour Judge Mark Horton commented that the men had all targeted young girls who they knew to be vulnerable and unlikely to report the abuse or get support from anyone who should have been there to protect them.

He said both women would be living with lifelong feelings of betrayal.

He found Parker to be a dangerous offender who was predatory, calculated and manipulative and had shown no remorse whatsoever.

Finding him to pose a significant risk of physical, sexual and emotional harm to young people, he directed that he should not be released from prison until assessed by a parole board as no longer being a risk.

HHJ Horton also commended DS Wood for his dedication and exceptional contribution to a complex investigation.

If you have been affected by sexual abuse or know someone who has, you can find out how to report it on the dedicated information page on the Avon and Somerset Police website.

If you would prefer not to speak to officers, the page also has details of support organisations that you can contact in confidence who will provide help and support.

Description

A 21-year-old from Somerset has been jailed for underage sexual activity with schoolgirls. Zach Peploe was aged 17, 18 and 19, when he targeted five girls aged between 12 and 14.

He pestered some of the young girls on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and sent them naked sexualised videos of himself. He told others they were beautiful and he loved them before having sex at his house or in his car.

Taunton Crown Court was told his vulnerable victims were all upset following their encounters with him. They now suffer flashbacks, anxiety and find it hard to trust men. One self-harmed and another tried overdosing due to the trauma.

Peploe, of Huntspill Road, Highbridge, has been jailed for three years and ten months. A probation report said he had shown little remorse, was immature and came from a difficult background.

The defendant pleaded guilty to nine offences against five victims. The offences included engaging in sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences included groping a 14-year-old's breasts after she fell asleep in his car when he was aged 17. Another victim was aged just 12 when he sent her videos of himself masturbating. He was 18 when he "begged her" for naked pictures on Instagram, told her she was beautiful and sent her sexually explicit messages, said prosecutor Ms Nikki Coombe. The victim said the contact "made her feel sick".

A distressed third victim told her teacher she had sex with Peploe when she was 14 and he was 18. She had felt pressured into doing it.

Peploe carried on offending after being released under police investigation. He targeted two more girls. One 14-year-old consented to sex with him at his house having felt too frightened to say no. When she told him how old she was he said "cool" and bragged about how many times he had had sex. He also had sex with another girl when she was 13 and 14 and he was 19.

When police investigated his phone they found he had been contacting hundreds of girls a month on Facebook and trying to chat.

Mr Harry Ahuja, defending, said Peploe was a 'vulnerable young man' himself. He had a borderline personality disorder and did not come from a stable background. He had been making good progress since his arrest. He said Peploe never lied about his age to the girls or forced the victims into sex or sexual activity.

Judge Paul Cook made restraining orders not to contact victims and Peploe was given a 10-year sexual offences behaviour order to manage his risk once he is back in the community.

Peploe must also sign the sex offender register for an indefinite period.

Description

Roland Long, who has been jailed for a historic rape. Picture: South Wales Police

AN elderly Somerset man has been jailed for 12 years for a stranger rape dating back 42 years.

Following an investigation by the South Wales Police Review Unit, Roland Long, 67, was arrested on September 15 2020 at his home in Nailsea.

His arrest was the result of enhanced forensic work into an attack in Elm Street, Cardiff, on August 17 1980.

The victim, then aged 26, had asked Long for directions after becoming lost after returning to the city following a visit to see her mother in Gwent.

She heard footsteps behind her and was pushed to the ground, turned on her back and raped by Long.

Detective Inspector Patrick Catto, former Head of the Major Crime Review Unit, said: In 1980, a woman who had recently moved to the Cardiff area got off a bus and whilst on her way home, Roland Long followed her and violently raped her.

There was an extensive investigation at the time, however a suspect was never identified.

"But South Wales Police never gives up on serious crime investigations, and evidence was kept.

Thanks to the application of advanced DNA technology, Roland Long was identified as the person responsible and has now been brought to justice.

Scientists from the Joint Scientific Investigation Unit (JSIU) conducted a review of the original case papers and provided specialist advice to the Review Unit, including how advancements in science and technology could assist the investigation.

Items of clothing were reassessed, which revealed Long to be a match, with an almost billion-to-one chance of the DNA belonging to anybody else.

Detective Superintendent Mathew Lewis, head of the JSIU, said: The JSIU works closely with our investigative teams, with a team of highly skilled and dedicated members of staff who look to deliver justice through science. In this case, that is exactly what has happened.

By utilising forensic advancements, we were able to work with the Review Unit to bring a perpetrator to justice 42 years after committing the crime.

DI Patrick Catto added: The sentence handed out by the judge will hopefully go some way to help the victim of this awful incident, something that she has had to live with daily for the past 42 years.

The fact that the offender has lived his life over this time without thought or care for his victim is unjustifiable.

After all these years, the victim can now finally begin to rebuild her life safe in the knowledge that Roland Long is behind bars and has been brought to justice.

The officers involved in this case have shown professionalism, determination and tenacity in bringing to justice those who cause the most harm within our communities, regardless of the passage of time.

Help and support is available for all victims of sexual violence and we encourage any victims; no matter how long ago the offence happened, to come forward.

Description

'It is only through the courage of the three victims coming forward that you have been brought to justice today and I pay tribute to them'

A convicted sex offender has been sent back to jail for abusing three boys more than 30 years ago. David Byrne, 60, was convicted after a trial of six offences against victims in the mid 1980s.

Some of the offences were committed when the victims were under 13 but spanned several years. The defendant, of The Hill, Langport, has a history of similar offending and was jailed for six years for crimes against other children in 2018.

A judge at Taunton Crown Court sent him back to prison on Friday (March 4). Byrne was jailed for six years and four months.

The offences involved touching the children while they were naked. The victims said in statements read in court that they had suffered psychological issues as a result of the abuse and from trying to bury all memory of what Byrne did to them.

One said the experience of coming to court to give evidence had been 'horrendous' but he slept afterwards knowing he had done the right thing. Mr Patrick Mason, defending, said Byrne was an intelligent man who for many years had run a gardening business. He was now virtually bankrupt.

Judge James Townsend said: "I have to sentence you for an appalling series of acts on young boys in the 1980s.

"It is only through the courage of the three victims coming forward that you have been brought to justice today and I pay tribute to them. Not only did you cause them suffering at the time they had to live through years with the memories and speak publicly about embarrassing issues and they have done a public service."

He said a pre-sentence report prepared in 2018 assessed Byrne as a low risk of reoffending.

The defendant will serve half of his sentence in jail and the rest on licence. He is subject to the sex offenders register and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period.

has issued a further statement on the sentencing, saying that the force hoped the renewed sentencing had

Investigating officer DC Vicki Edwards said: David Byrne has committed abhorrent offences against six boys and it was important we did all we could to obtain justice for each of them, which is why he was brought back before the court to face further charges.

I hope these new convictions will help all the victims find some form of closure and I want to thank each of them for the fortitude and courage theyve shown in speaking to us about the abuse theyve suffered.

Description

A man has been caught having sexually explicit chats with a child - who did not exist- for the second time in two years.

In 2019 Michael Tedstone received a suspended jail term for attempted child sexual activity.

Bristol Crown Court heard he had been caught by an adult in a paedophile sting - and last year he was caught again.

Tedstone, 25, of Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite child sexual activity, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and attempted sexual communication with a child in October last year.

The recorder Mr Malcolm Gibney jailed him for two years and eight months.

He told Tedstone: "It would appear you have not learned your lesson from your appearance in this court."

Emma Martin, prosecuting, said when Tedstone engaged with "Olivia, aged 13" online in reality he was chatting to an undercover police officer.

The court heard he was recognised from his previous offending as he used the platforms Kick and Snapchat to chat with the 'child', the court heard.

Contact progressed from Tedstone sending Olivia photos of his face and chest and asking her to send him photos.

Mrs Martin said chats became increasingly sexualised, and he was sent a photo of a young female wearing underwear before he reciprocated with a photo of his naked private parts.

The court heard he went on to make sexualised suggestions to the 'youngster' - and he was removed from the platforms.

Tedstone was frank with police when they came to call, telling them: "I pretty much screwed up again, haven't I?"

His phone was analysed and though no indecent photos of children were found, it contained "predatory search terms", the court heard.

Matthew Jackson, defending, said: "It is one one of the more open and honest accounts given by an offender for offences of this nature.

"He is realistic.

"This is his first time in custody.

"He knows he will remain there for a significant period of time.

"I ask that the sentence is tempered by a degree of mercy."

Description

Predatory paedophile Harley Palmer, 27, targeted the young boys and molested them when they were alone.

He would buy his terrified victims gifts in order to buy their silence.

He was described at Taunton Crown Court as a dangerous and 'manipulative' abuser with a sexual interest in young boys.

His victims, aged nine and 13, were initially too scared to tell anyone what had happened and feared they would not be believed.

When the offences did come to light earlier this year Palmer initially denied doing anything wrong and described himself as a 'cuddly person' who would just tickle the children. But police found naked images of a child on his phone and he pleaded guilty to four offences.

Palmer was jailed five years and three months with an extra extended licence period of four years imposed due to the danger he poses to children.

The parents of one of the victims said in a statement they were 'devastated' by what he had done and he had destroyed their son's childhood.

The teenage victim said he still had nightmares.

Mr Harry Ahuja, defending, said Palmer was immature for his age, anxious, confused about his sexuality and sorry.

Palmer, of Friarn Avenue, Bridgwater, pleaded guilty to two offences of sexual activity with a child under 13 and two charges relating to the indecent pictures.

He was put on the sex offender register for life

Recorder Philip Mott QC told the defendant: "What took place was classic grooming behaviour by you.

"You are described as a manipulative person and a high risk of causing serious harm to pre-pubescent boys."

Palmer must serve two-thirds of his five years and three months sentence in jail before he can be considered for release by the parole board.

Recorder Mott said: "It is quite clear from the victim personal statements that there has been a serious psychological effect on the children.

He added: "It is very important to say to the two victims you are not to blame for anything that happened. It was not your fault.

"To your parents this is perhaps your worst nightmare and what your children need now is calmness, and above all love. For you to be strong and not to allow fear and anger to turn into a prison for your children."

Description

A man from Glastonbury has been jailed for 12 years after he admitted posing as a teenage girl to manipulate schoolboys into sending him naked photos and videos of them abusing other children.

The National Crime Agency began investigating Oliver Derbidge, 25, in January 2021, after the Australian Federal Police shared details of a UK-based online account with links to an Australian offender, who had been sharing indecent images of children (IIOC).

NCA investigators identified Derbidge as the person behind the account and found that he had expressed a sexual interest in young boys across a number of child abuse forums.

He was arrested soon after and his electronic devices were seized. These were found to contain indecent images of multiple teenage boys, as well as records of online conversations in which Derbidge blackmailed a boy into sexually abusing another child.

The evidence gathered showed that his offending spanned a five-year period from 2016 until his arrest this year.

Derbidge admitted to posing as a teenage girl during that time, using the alias Emily Beecham to target schoolboys on Snapchat. He would send them friend requests and ask them to send naked photos of themselves, sometimes sending back naked images of a female he had found online.

In total 23 boys, aged between 11 and 16, were identified by NCA officers as victims of Derbidge. Each of them confirmed they had sent photos to Emily Beecham, as they believed they were speaking with another teenager.

Some explained that Derbidge had threatened to share their naked photos with friends and family if they did not send him additional images or footage of them abusing another child.

Derbidge pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a 15 year old child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, five counts of causing or inciting a child aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity (non-penetrative) and three counts of making IIOC (categories A-C).

Today (14 January) at Taunton Crown Court he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life and a given a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Phil Eccles, said:

"Derbidge went to great lengths to satisfy his sexual attraction to young boys.

"Like many online offenders, he attempted to mask his real identity with a convincing persona to exploit teenagers into sending him sexual content.

"When they did not meet his demands, he even blackmailed some of them into abusing other children.

"His abuse has had a profound impact on these vulnerable young victims who have been extremely brave throughout the course of our investigation.

"Sadly, this can happen to anyone. I'd encourage parents to speak with their children about who they communicate with online and what they share.

Description

A high-risk Somerset sex offender who was being monitored 24 hours a day on a GPS tag has been jailed for trying to lure a 15-year-old girl into a field for sex.

Samuel Netley, 28, was branded as a danger to the public and a devious, manipulative sexual predator with an unhealthy interest in under age girls by the judge who jailed him.

He was on post-release supervision at a bail hostel in Bridgwater when he accosted the girl next to a skate park and offered her 20 to go with him to a nearby field.

He also showed her his car and offered to take her to Weston-super-Mare, Exeter Crown Court was told.

The girl escaped and alerted the police, who were able to trace his exact movements over the 15 minutes he had been with the girl from his GPS tracker.

The victim wrote an impact statement in which she said she is now wary of men, scared to go out alone and avoids the area near the skate park.

Netley was jailed in 2016 for grooming five girls on Facebook and trying to meet at least one of them. He was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which he has broken three times.

He had been released from an eight-month sentence for the third breach and moved into the hostel about two months before he approached the 15-year-old in Bridgwater in June last year.

At the time of his last sentence, he was assessed by probation as posing a high risk which could not be managed in the community.

Netley, aged 28, of Taunton Road, Bridgwater, denied inciting a child to sexual activity but was convicted by a jury at Taunton Crown Court in February 2021.

He was jailed for four years and three months with an eight year licence extension by Judge Peter Johnson, sitting at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: "You were almost twice her age and she says she was hysterical and unable to catch her breath. It is still affecting her markedly.

"I find you are a devious, manipulative sexual predator with an unhealthy sexual interest in under-aged girls. It is said this was not a contact offence, but it as close to one as you are going to get.

"There is a worrying pattern and I unhesitatingly find that you are a dangerous offender."

Mr Christopher Smyth, prosecuting, said the girl was walking home past the skate park in Friarn Avenue at 9pm on June 4, 2020, when Netley walked up from behind and grabbed her hand.

He asked her age and then offered her 20 to go to a field and masturbate him. She said no but he made her walk with him for 15 minutes during which he also offered to drive her to Weston.

At his trial, he claimed to have been remonstrating with the girl because she had scratched his car, but a police officer had noticed the damage several hours earlier.

Miss Emily Cook, defending, said Netley suffers from a form of autism which affects the way in which he interacts with other people.

He has never committed any sort of physical sexual assault.

She said this attempt was never going to have succeeded and a probation report rated his risk as medium rather than high.

Description

A Yeovil pensioner has been jailed for 17 years for a string of sexual assaults on young boys spanning nearly 40 years.

Barry Dunthorn, 74, of Hendford Grove, was found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault on four male victims aged between 12 and 16 at the time the offences were committed.

Following a two week trial at Taunton Crown Court, Dunthorn was convicted of three indecent assaults on a male under 14 and three counts of indecent assault on a male under 16.

He was also found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, and one count of paying for the services of a child under 18.

The offences took place in South and East Somerset between 1981 and 2018.

The court heard how Dunthorn groomed his victims by encouraging them to commit sexual acts with him in exchange for cash payments and gifts.

The most recent offences relate to the sexual abuse of a 14-year-old victim, who was paid large cash sums in exchange for sexual activity over a 12 month period.

Following sentencing, HHJ Townsend paid tribute to the victims for their courage in disclosing the offences and for having to relive the abuse during the court process.

Investigating officer Andy Bath said: I would like to praise the bravery of the victims who reported the offences to the police and instigated an investigation.

After an initial report was made, a further three victims had the courage to come forward, all suffering similar traumatic events at the hands of the defendant.

He created the opportunity to arrange meetings in secret and paid sums of cash to the victims to keep quiet about what was happening.

He has shown absolutely no remorse for his actions and throughout the lengthy investigation and court trial he has denied his illegal activities.

Nevertheless, the jury found him guilty of nine indictments.

I very much hope that the victims will get some comfort in the knowledge that the man who had made them suffer abuse when they were children will now receive a custodial sentence for what he did.

Description

A sex offender who initially avoided a jail term is in prison after judges said his first sentence was too low.

Ionut Voicu, 36, admitted engaging in sexual communications with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, with the intention of having sex with her.

He found he was messaging an undercover police officer when he sought to meet the girl for sex and was then arrested.

Voicu, of Massington Park, Taunton, Somerset, has now been jailed for three years and four months.

He had initially been made subject of a community order for three years on the condition he attended an offender treatment programme and did 40 hours of unpaid work.

'Appalled'

But his sentence was increased last Thursday after the Solicitor General, Lucy Frazer, intervened and referred it to the Court of Appeal.

She said: "I was appalled by Voicu's intentions and it was only thanks to the vigilance of our police that his criminality did not extend further.

"I welcome the decision of the Court of Appeal to increase his sentence to properly reflect the severity of his actions."

Voicu will also be subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years, which he was originally given as part of his sentence after admitting eight offences on 14 May at Taunton Crown Court.

They included five counts of causing a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, two counts of having sexual communication with a child and another of attempting to arrange or facilitate a child sex offence.

Description

A "monster" paedophile who molested girls as young as five years old is among the criminals jailed by the courts across the South West over the last month.

Despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic over the last 18 months, the courts are still striving to dispense justice and has remained committed to putting criminals behind bars.

Despite many courts operating remotely and the justice system only now starting to get back to functioning on an in-person basis, those committing the most serious crimes are still being dealt with and being sentenced to jail terms.

Crimes have continued to be punished across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire over the last month, with some of the most significant including a paedophile from Bath who was convicted of molesting multiple girls between five and 14 years old.

Among the other most disturbing crimes for which people have been handed prison sentences include a former Army driver who hailed neo-Nazis as 'saints' and released a video of him strumming a guitar to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, and a healthcare assistant who was jailed after entering into a sexual relationship with a patient detained under the Mental Health Act.

Here are the criminals put behind bars by the courts across Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire in June.

Stewart Geen, 53, of Bath, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court after admitting seven counts of serious offences involving girls aged between five and 14.

They included multiple counts of rape, sexual assault and sexual activity.

As well as the 21-year jail term and five year licence extension, Geen was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

During sentencing, Judge Julian Lambert said: "There is no question but that you knew what you were doing was wrong and wicked in the extreme.

"You chose your own corrupt sexual pleasure and thought nothing of the ruination of young lives.

"You are truly a monster steeped in corruption."

Dean Morrice, of Pithay Court, Paulton, built a collection of chemicals used in homemade explosives as well as a cache of terrorism manuals and instructions for a 3D-printed gun.

The 34-year-old made a video of himself strumming his guitar to footage of the Christchurch mosque shooting, glorified figures from the Third Reich and hailed neo-Nazi terrorists as saints.

Morrice, who participated in far-right forums and set up two channels of his own, was found guilty on ten counts:

- Three counts of dissemination of terrorist publication

- One count of encouraging terrorism

- Four counts of possession of a document or record for terrorist purposes

- Two counts of having an explosive substance

He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, with the last five to be served on licence.