Latest Offenders Southampton

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A chef has been jailed for 15 months after abducting a 15-year-old girl and fleeing to the Isle of Wight with her.

Michael Britten sparked a huge police manhunt when he ran off with the teen in August last year.

The 33-year-old admitted to a judge that he ran off with the girl, which the court heard was 'sexually motivated'.

The girl's mother pleaded for her to come home during the manhunt, before police found them on the island.

A court today heard Britten, of Southampton, was seen on CCTV buying the teenager a ring from Cash Recycle in Newport, Isle of Wight.

The pair later spent the night at a hotel in nearby Shanklin, and were captured on a CCTV camera kissing.

The chef's semen was also found on her underwear, however prosecutors could not be sure how it got there.

In court today they accepted his defence that sexual activity between them amounted to no more than kissing.

Judge Nicholas Rowland described his actions as 'sexually motivated' and today jailed Britten for 15 months after he admitted abducting a child.

Britten was also handed a 12-month sentence after admitting a charge of sexual activity with a child, namely kissing, and 12 months for admitting possessing indecent images of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

These sentences will run concurrently.

Southampton Crown Court also heard the girl moved out of her family home to live with a friend of her mother before the pair ran away.

Britten, who worked as a chef in Yates's pub in Southampton, was also lodging at the house.

Christopher Stopa, prosecuting, said: "Britten pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child on the basis the activity was not to do with the semen but related to the kissing on the bus.

"In July 2014, she chose to move out of her family home and stay with her mother's friend.

"On Friday, August 8, the pair travelled to the Isle of Wight and on Friday night they stayed with a friend of the defendant's brother.

"They then went to spend the following night at a hotel in Shanklin, Isle of Wight.

"He was arrested by police on the Sunday and she was taken back into care.

"CCTV footage shows Britten with his arm around her and her with her head on his shoulder.

"Other CCTV footage from Cash Recycle on August 8, 2014, shows Mr Britten buying a ring for her and she can be seen putting it on her finger."

Peter Asteris, defending, said: "Mr Britten is now 33 years old and is someone with difficulties in learning.

"He found himself going down a road and started to panic when the situation became serious.

"He will never go down that road again."

Judge Nicholas Rowland said: "You have pleaded guilty to three counts.

"You kissed the girl as shown on the CCTV from the bus and you accept you shared a bed, which indicates there was a sexual motivation for the child abduction.

"You were 33 and she was 15 - she was troubled and remains a troubled child.

"You went away for three days and went to a hotel and shared a bed, which shows this child abduction was sexually motivated."

Judge Rowland also ordered Britten to sign a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years which prevents him being alone with a child under 16.

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A convicted sex offender who went on the run after climbing a fence at a secure hospital in Hampshire has been found.

Stephen Munden, 54, went missing from an independent hospital in Winchfield on Tuesday evening and Dorset Police was among the forces issuing an appeal for information.

Hampshire Constabulary said he handed himself into police in Thames Valley at about 00.45am yesterday.

A police spokesman said: "He has been detained and taken to a mental health facility."

Munden was described by police as a "vulnerable adult" with mental health treatment needs.

Munden was detained at the facility under a hospital order after being sentenced for sexual offences in 2014.

These were possessing, making and attempting to make indecent images of children, and sexual assault on a child under 13.

The 54-year-old, who was detained under the Mental Health Act, was last spotted leaving Mildmay Oaks independent hospital in Winchfield, near Hook, but he failed to return.

It has emerged that Munden climbed over a fence and fled on foot from the hospital grounds.

Despite being sent to the hospital by a judge after being convicted of sexually touching a child and possessing indecent images of children, the hospital told the Daily Echo that it did not deem this patient suitable for a secure setting.

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A JUDGE branded a serial offender as a potential danger to women when he jailed him for 20 months for sexually abusing a student in a Southampton supermarket.

David Lunn, 28, pictured, distracted the 20-year-old as she was approaching him on stairs in the Asda city centre store before groping her.

He then dropped his trousers when she walked past him on the street outside.

Lunn, of no fixed abode, admitted sexual assault and exposure.

He further pleaded guilty to stealing £190 from a cashpoint machine after taking an acquaintance’s bank card.

The court heard Lunn had 36 previous convictions for 78 offences, 11 of which were for sex related offences.

As the judge told him that he was probably unaware of the affect he would have had on his victim, Lunn interrupted, shouting. “Yes, I can.”

He then bawled: “You’re wasting my time. I just want to be sentenced.”

In addition to the jail term, Lunn was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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Eliot Easterby, 44, was given a three year community order when he appeared for sentence at Southampton Crown Court following his conviction last month.

Jurors had heard how police armed with a search warrant arrived at his home at 6.45am on January 22 last year, following a tip off from Canadian police as part of a major international operation.

In a four and a half hour search, they found ten DVDs and examined his computer, a hard drive and three memory sticks on which they discovered almost 700 images.

Almost 300 had been viewed on the computer but deleted. Another 374 had been downloaded and stored.

The prosecution accepted the images were of the least serious category.

DVDs included Water Wiggles and More Water Wiggles, showing boys cavorting in paddling pools.

They also discovered a hoard of boys underwear beneath his bed, which had been left behind when he took scouts on trips as leader of Hamble Sea Scouts.

It took jurors less an hour to convict Easterby, who taught maths at Sholing Technology College and has written teenage ghost stories, guilty on 13 counts of possessing and making indecent images and not guilty of one other charge.

He had denied all the allegations.Passing sentence today, Judge Peter Henry said the jury had in his opinion quite rightly convicted him of the charges that involved boys aged between 8 and 15.

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A music teacher has avoided being sent to prison after he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography involving animals.

Edmund Warbrick, of Middle Road, Sholing, Southampton, Hampshire, was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for two years at Southampton Crown Court after he admitted the 18 offences of child sex abuse images and two counts involving animals.

The 48-year-old, who has been sacked by Sholing Technology College where he worked for 20 years, was also given a sex offences prevention order which bans him from working with children for 10 years and he was ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Warbrick, known as Jim at the school, was also given a two-year supervision order, ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge and £340 costs.

Martin Brown, headteacher at The Sholing Technology College, said: “We are aware that a former member of staff, employed by The Sholing Technology College from 1 September 1994 until 15 December 2014 - pleaded guilty to 18 counts of possession of child pornography and has been sentenced in Southampton Crown Court.

"We have been fully co-operative in the police investigation against this former member of staff.

“The safety of our students is of paramount importance to us and is therefore something we take very seriously. As a college we review our safeguarding arrangements on a continuous basis and as a result have robust procedures in place to protect our students.”

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A SOUTHAMPTON sex offender serving a suspended sentence from a court in America has been jailed in the UK after being caught with images of an underage girl.

Adam James Robinson was arrested by police in this country after officers received a tip-off about an "inappropriate online relationship" with a 14-year-old girl in America.

The 28-year-old was later released under investigation.

But when police revisited Robinson 10 months later, they found indecent images of the same girl – which he had accessed after his initial arrest.

Yesterday, at Southampton Crown Court, Robinson was jailed for two years.

The court heard Robinson, who was once convicted of having sex with an underage girl in America, was initially arrested in September 2016 after police received information he was talking to another 14-year-old girl in the US.

Prosecutor Nick Saunders said a number of items were seized from Robinson and he was informed that the girl was 14.

Officers then arrested Robinson again in July 2017 and seized a computer, a USB stick and a hard-drive.

Mr Saunders said that while police were inspecting the devices, they found indecent images of the same underage girl Robinson had earlier been talking to.

He said that among the 65 images were 21 Category A images – the most serious kind.

Mr Saunders said that by being in possession of the images, Robinson had breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order set up in 2014.

He added that Robinson had attempted to conceal the images by using a hard-drive which required a separate USB stick in order to work.

In mitigation, Damian Hayes said his client had not committed any offences, including sexual offences, since his arrest in 2017.

He said Robinson had initially stopped talking to the girl after his arrest.

But he said Robinson had later resumed their "inappropriate relationship" after she had sent him messages and handwritten notes in which she had expressed her upset at their break in communication and had threatened to kill herself.

Mr Hayes said Robinson also suffered from autism, depression and anxiety.

Sentencing Robinson, who pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and three counts of possessing indecent images of a child, judge Gary Burrell QC said: "You are not an unintelligent young man, in fact quite the reverse.

"This was a blatant breach and you must have known what you were doing.

"It is aggravated by your previous convictions and by the fact you tried to cover up what you were doing."

Robinson, of Shirley Road, Southampton was jailed for a total of two years.

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, Robinson's Sexual Harm Prevention Order was put in place in 2014 after he was convicted of an act of voyeurism.

On that occasion, Robinson rigged up a camera so he could record and view pictures of a semi-naked 13-year-old girl with whom he was infatuated.

He was sentenced to four months in prison.

Robinson is still currently under a suspended sentence, imposed in America, after admitting having sex with an underage girl in 2013.

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A SOUTHAMPTON man posed as a young teenage girl to talk to fellow paedophiles on Internet chat room sites, the city crown court heard.

Nathan Long was arrested after police had received a tip-off from computer giants Microsoft who provided details of an email account being used to download pornographic pictures of children.

They traced the information to a house in Southampton where Long immediately confessed he had been responsible. His computer and iPhone were then seized for analysis.

Long told investigators he had been using the site for up to two years after someone had sent him an image. He said he knew it was wrong but he continued.

He then went on to describe how he had posed as a 13-year-old girl to talk to older men, and had traded images.

Prosecutor Rachel Robert-son told the city crown court: He had also discussed at various times the kidnap, rape and murder of children and encouraged others to act in that way. He also claimed he had been abusing children but insisted it was all fantasy.

Long, 24, of Westwood Road, admitted 35 charges incorporating the possession and distribution of more than 850 still and moving images Recorder Nicholas Haggan QC jailed Long for two years. After his release he must attend a probation service run Internet sex offenders programme.

Long also received a sexual offenders prevention order to run indefinitely, was banned from working with children and placed on the sex offenders register.

In mitigation, Mark Florida-James described Long as a depressed and lonely man. He is terrified of going to prison, said Mr Florida-James. Long was of previous good character.

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A HAMPSHIRE university lecturer tried to kill himself after being caught in an international sting operation set up to tackle child abuse.

David Clarke, 46, was duped into believing he was chatting to another paedophile in reality he was talking to a special agent stringing him along about exchanging sickening images of children.

The case was so disturbing that one officer investigating it had to take a break from her work at one stage because she found the work so distressing.

Clarke, a senior lecturer in psychology at Southampton Solent University, was later arrested at his home which he shared with his partner and their three young children.

An examination of his laptop and a memory stick revealed about 1,800 images involving children as a young as three being subjected to a horrifying catalogue of bondage, rape and sadism.

Prosecutor Tom Wright told the city crown court Clarke, who had been using chatrooms under the aliases of Davyboy, Emma Watson 27, and Kirstyandlouise, refused to give his password to the police who were unable to gain access to his accounts to determine the full amount of his trafficking.

Clarke, of Median Road, Shirley, admitted 20 charges of making, possessing and distributing still and moving images between the summer of 2009 and last November and was jailed for 30 months.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges at his preliminary hearing but sentence had been adjourned after he had tried to commit suicide.

Judge Peter Henry said: The images concern a high number of different victims and there was a deliberate and systematic searching of the Internet for images for your sexual gratification.

You deny you find children sexually attractive but in my view, sexual gratification is at the forefront of your offending.

The judge said he accepted Clarke had suffered mental health problems, depression and alcoholism but he could not have misunderstood the harm he was causing children.

Stephen Tricker, defending said Clarke had strayed into viewing the material after searching the Internet for interest in other areas and then going into adult sites.

He has expressed remorse and knows the shame he has brought upon himself and his family. He is motivated to tackle the treatment programme.

Mr Tricker added: His self-destruction is complete.

In addition to the jail term, Clarke was placed on the sex offenders register and banned from working with children.

Under the terms of a sexual offences prevention order, he has restricted use of the Internet and cannot not be left alone with children except with the knowledge of the police or the childs parents.

After the case a spokesman for Southampton Solent University said: The individual concerned has not been present or teaching at the university for many months now.

The university was first notified of this issue last week and has already put in place steps to address this as a matter of urgency.

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Judge Derwin Hope said he was “concerned” about the case when he agreed to the application from defence barrister Richard Onslow.

Benjamin Larmer, 20, of Bishops Road, Itchen, had pleaded guilty to three charges of having sexual activity with two 15-year-olds, and one count of meeting a third girl after sexual grooming.

Larmer was further remanded in custody until July 21.

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AN 18-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for raping a girl at his Knutsford Road home.

Adam Jones was sentenced to six years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

He was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of assault.

The court heard he attacked a teenage girl, known to him, on June 11 last year.

Police say they were lying on a bed together when he turned violent and raped her.

She managed to fight him off by elbowing him in the face.

In a separate attack two weeks earlier, Jones had beaten the same victim up, punched her to the face and ribs, knocking her unconscious.

She went to hospital and still suffers from blurred vision.

DC Laura Smith, from Cheshire Police, investigated the case.

She said: "Rape is an horrific offence, which affects victims in the most profound way.

“In this case the sexual offence was compounded by a serious assault, which could leave the young victim with lasting injuries.

"She has been incredibly brave throughout the case and was forced to relive the incident during the trial.

“I would like to thank the victim for her willingness to stand up to her attacker and see him brought to justice.

“I hope that the conclusion of this case will give her some closure and allow her to get on with her life.

"Cheshire Police is committed to tackling sexual violence and our Dedicated Rape Unit helps and supports victims of this type of crime.

"I hope this sentence - and the bravery shown by the victim - gives others who may have suffered in silence the courage to come forward."

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FOR two years he had kept his shame a secret.

Unknown to his wife, Philip Cant had recorded a 80-minute video of him molesting a young girl who he had lured to a room where he had set up cameras to film them.

The youngster had legitimately posed for pictures to help the paedophile and his wife promote their children’s clothing business.

Cant kept the video, which also showed shots of the girl semi-naked, on a computer memory stick for future viewing for his own sexual gratification.

And he got away with it – until he worked abroad as an engineer in Belgium.

A colleague found the stick, discovered the images and called police in Antwerp. They arrested Cant and notified colleagues in England.

Cant admitted assaulting the girl and keeping the images.

Gavin Sumpter, prosecuting at Southampton Crown Court, said: “He admitted in interview he was a paedophile and had been since he was 15-year-old, with a preference for girls aged between six and eight.”

Cant, 55, of Myrtle Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault and four of making an indecent image. He received a four-year jail term with a six-year extended licence.

The court heard Cant had two significant previous convictions. In 1972 he admitted sexually abusing an eight-year-old and in 1989 he had committed gross indecency with a five-year-old.

Sentencing, Judge Derwin Hope said: “You have acknowledged you can’t be alone with young girls and not abuse them. You pose a significant risk of causing significant harm to the public.”

The judge ordered Cant to be placed on the sex offenders’ register and the subject of a sexual offences prevention order, both indefinitely.

In mitigation, Neil Fitzgibbon said Cant was ashamed of his behaviour and had referred himself for psychological assessment to try to combat his desires.

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HE posted vile pictures of young girls being abused on the Internet that were beamed around the world.

Richard Couzens thought his sickening behaviour would go undetected after uploading the images to a Russian website via his mobile phone.

Now the 30-year-old from Southampton has been brought to justice - with the help of eagle eyed police using clever technology on the other side of the world.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Australian police officers discovered the sordid images on a Russian website and set about finding out who was responsible for them.

Using the latest techniques to solve cyber crime they began tracking the images - leading them straight to the door of Couzens, from Chettle Road, Southampton.

The information was passed on to detectives from Hampshire police who arrested Couzens and took him in for questioning.

Prosecutor Christopher Wing told the city crown court how he confessed to police that he had taken pictures of a youngster who he also sexually abused. He posted them on the Internet along with others of children aged between three and eleven - blaming his actions on his addiction for images of young girls.

Couzens, 30, admitted 20 charges of taking and making indecent images, distributing them and assault by penetration.

He was jailed for 10 years with a five year extended licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders register and made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order, both for life.

Jailing him, Judge Derwin Hope told Couzens: “You committed a serious breach of trust.

“You took pictures of this girl and then distributed them over the web for other like minded people.

“This was particularly shocking and illustrates the deep seated nature of your perversion that has manifested for more than five years.”

The judge told Couzens he represented a significant risk to the public, especially to young girls, and extended his licence because he considered him dangerous.

In mitigation, Susan Ridge told the court how Couzens had struggled with his addiction and though he wanted help, he felt unable to do it.

“He is deeply remorseful and greatly distressed at what he has done. He is ashamed of what he has done and knows he will he will go away for a long time and the impact it will have on his family.”

Couzens, who she added was motivated to address his offending in prison, was of previous good character.

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HE is the monster who repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted a young woman for nine hours while she was unconscious.

Vile Lloyd Phillips had fed his victim a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, having duped her into thinking he was taking her to a pop concert.

Instead she became seriously ill and suffered seizures, leaving her at the mercy of the depraved 48-year-old who then carried out a catalogue of hellish abuse in a hotel.

Many of the details of what he did to her while she was incapacitated and the injuries she suffered at his hands are too horrific to be reported.

With his 22-year-old victim slumped unconscious in a wheelchair, he pushed her from his car into the hotel telling staff she was his girlfriend who was disabled and drunk.

He then carried out the sickening ordeal throughout the night while she lay motionless on the bed, completely unaware.

The full, horrifying details of Phillips vile crimes which landed him with an 11-year jail term last month can only now be revealed by the Daily Echo after legal restrictions prevented us from reporting the case previously.

It comes as police reveal they believe Phillips is a sexual predator who has raped many more victims and today appealed for them to come forward.

Well known as the former owner of a shop that sold legal highs in Southampton, Phillips had been facing further charges relating to selling illegal drugs.

However, this week, as he prepared to stand trial, he changed his plea and admitted possessing class B and class C drugs, which he had sold as legal highs called Giggle and Magic.

The married man, who lived in Portland Terrace, Southampton, has been behind bars since last month after being found guilty by a jury at Harrow Crown Court of two counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault.

He was acquitted of one charge of supplying drugs with intent.

The case was a retrial after the original proceedings had to be stopped, during which time Phillips was released on bail and was living in Southampton.

The court heard how at the time the victim, who once regarded Phillips as a friend, was at a low point in her life and was having problems at work.

Just weeks before Christmas 2011 he offered her tickets to accompany him to see a concert at Wembley, picked her up from her home and gave her a capsule and a can of the high-alcohol Crunk juice to wash it down.

The drug, which he later said was Ecstasy, was in fact found to be controlled substance BZP, a stimulant that can trigger epileptic seizures and fits.

It had such an effect on the woman that she was left with little memory of the car journey to London.

But CCTV footage recovered by police revealed what happened next as Phillips could be seen arriving at the hotel, near Wembley Stadium, asking staff to give him a wheelchair.

Cameras then showed him wheeling the girl from his car, her head slumped forward and with his bag resting on her legs as he headed to a lift and the room.

Aside from a brief memory of a clock that read 3.48 and a feeling that she was contorted, the woman had no memory of what happened, the court was told.

She woke confused, with Phillips telling her they had engaged in a night of consensual sex.

It was some 24 hours later that the effects of the drug began to wear off and the full, horrifying impact of what had happened to her started to emerge.

Feeling ill, unable to use the toilet, her tongue and her arms bruised, she went to hospital where doctors took one look at her and called in police.

Jailing Phillips, Judge Mrs Justice Levy told him: She suffered two or three seizures outside in the car park, but you did not seek medical assistance because you were worried you could not stay in the hotel.

You told her she had chosen to have nine hours of sex instead of going to the concert. She did not remember anything of the things you talked about. It came as a complete shock to her.

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Darren Mackrell was caught when one of the mothers called police.

A man who drugged and raped three schoolchildren after meeting them at a Hampshire park playground has been given an indeterminate jail sentence.

Darren Mackrell, 45, raped two boys aged eight and 10 and a girl, nine, at his Southampton flat on 21 April.

He had admitted 18 charges of rape, sexual assault, forcing the viewing and engagement in sexual acts and drugging.

The court heard he forced the children to sexually abuse each other while he watched during the six-hour ordeal.

Winchester Crown Court was told that the unemployed drug addict, of Wilton Avenue, gave the children cannabis, amphetamines and Viagra.

He also threatened to hurt them if they tried to leave - showing one boy a large hunting knife.

Judge Gary Burrell QC told Mackrell he would spend at least 10 years in jail and may never be released if he continued to pose a danger to children.

'Depths of depravity'

Sentencing Mackrell, he said: "As a parent, when a child goes missing, you fear the worst, you fear something bad has happened to them.

"Something bad did happen to these three young children on that day.

"Your behaviour towards them plumbed the depths of human depravity.

"There is no room for mercy, Darren Mackrell, in a case as horrific as this. What you did to these children was truly dreadful."

The court heard Mackrell's victims had been traumatised by their ordeal with one boy harming himself and writing suicide notes and the girl unable to speak about it.

Mackrell was caught after one of the children's mothers became concerned about their whereabouts and went to the park to look for them.

She found out that the children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were at Mackrell's home and called the police when nobody answered.

An officer tried to break the door down after looking through the letterbox and seeing a pornographic video playing on the television.

Mackrell, who pleaded guilty to all the charges on the eve of his trial, was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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“WE just sat there, sitting and cuddling each other because we were really scared”.

That was how children described the horror of hearing their mother being attacked and subsequently raped in the bedroom next to theirs.

Daniel Wardrop subjected the young woman to a harrowing ordeal that lasted more than two hours, threatening to harm the children if she did not do as he asked.

Southampton Crown Court heard how the attack began when Wardrop, who was 19 at the time, came to the Southampton home in the early hours of March 17.

He began making advances and then became violent when his victim did not respond and tried to call police.

It also emerged in court that Hampshire police are now being investigated for how they handled that call.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission – the watchdog for police forces – will look at how the call was dealt with and the decision not to deploy officers.

Prosecutor Robert Pawson said Wardrop snatched the phone from her while he put his other hand around her throat so she could not speak to the operator.

When the police rang back Wardrop told his victim to say everything was fine, or else he would kill her.

The court heard how he followed her around the flat, not letting her out of his sight before eventually raping her, telling her: “I am going to make your kids suffer if you don’t”.

She later told police officers she was physically shaking with fear at what was going to happen to her.

Mr Pawson also read from statements given by her children.

One described seeing parts of the attack while another spoke of being in tears and hearing her mother cry. “She shouted: ‘Don’t,” the youngster said.

Wardrop eventually left after making her promise she would not tell anyone, but the woman broke down and phoned her dad. He described her as “hysterical”.

as she told him what had happened and he called the police.

Wardrop was subsequently arrested and statements taken from friends described how he had bragged about the attack in the hours afterwards.

Wardrop, now aged 20, of no fixed abode, admitted one count of rape.

In a victim impact statement the woman said she had been unable to go upstairs since the attack and had been sleeping with her children in the lounge as a result. She had also taken the handle off the door to the bedroom where she was raped so no one could go in.

In sentencing Wardrop to eight years in prison and classifying him as a dangerous offender with an extended four-year licence, Judge Gary Burrell QC said: “This was a deplorable rape of a young woman in her own home with her children present. There is no room in my judgement for mercy in your case."