Latest Offenders Southampton

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A HAMPSHIRE teacher who admitted downloading indecent images of children and sexually touching a 16-year-old girl has been spared a jail term.

Michael Page was given a three month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and an 18-month supervision order for touching the girl.

Page, 41, was also given an 18-month supervision order for making and possessing the images.

He was banned from working with children and prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with any girl under 16 except his daughters.

Religious studies teacher Page, of Avon Road, Bitterne Park, Southampton, was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Sentencing him at Southampton Crown Court Judge Derwin Hope said Page had abused his position of trust.

He added: “The incident involving the girl was not the most serious of offences, but she was a particularly vulnerable individual and the impact on her life has been particularly severe as a result. She was 16 and you were 40, which further aggravated the situation.”

James Newton-Price, prosecuting, said the victim had become afraid of leaving her house, lost contact with her friends and grew depressed.

Defending, Simon Gruchy,said Page had lost his job and was £30,000 in debt.

“Financially, things have, not surprisingly, taken a turn for the worse as a result of all this,” said Mr Gruchy.

Page, who had no previous convictions, was ordered to pay £1,000 costs and was told that his computer would be confiscated.

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A FATHER of two who was branded as a serious danger to teenagers has been jailed for more than seven years.

Peter Williams, 38, targeted boys over the Internet, befriending them to gain their trust and meeting them for sex.

Prosecutor Adam Feest told Southampton Crown Court that there was no suggestion Williams had forced the boys to commit sex acts but they were unsure of their sexuality and were persuaded to do more than they would have otherwise have done.

Williams abused two victims in his bedroom, the court heard. He had also travelled to London to see a 15-year-old boy he had groomed through an Internet chatroom but the youngster refused to answer his texts and the meeting never took place.

In impact statements, one boy said he felt "dirty" while the other said he felt "uncomfortable".

The London teenager said he became "wary" of Williams because of his suggestions.

Southampton Crown Court heard the human resources officer had been jailed for 18 months in December 2005 for offences against a 13-year-old, and it was through that investigation these offences came to light.

When officers went to Williams' home, they seized a computer and discovered he had downloaded more than 450 indecent images of boys.

Williams, of Harcourt Road, Southampton, admitted eight offences of sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, travelling with the intention of meeting a child following sexual grooming, and possessing indecent pictures.

Jailing him for seven years and four months, Judge Jeremy Burford QC referred to the pre-sentence report that assessed him as highly skilled in grooming victims. The probation officer concluded he had minimised the seriousness of his offending, and considered he posed a significant risk of causing serious harm to children, particularly teenage boys.

In mitigation, David Reid said the offences pre-dated the prison sentence and he had not been in trouble for more than three years.

"They were committed at a time his life had turned upside down. His marriage had fallen apart, he had been denied access to his children, and as a means of escape threw himself into the gay world. He accepts he did nothing to check his behaviour."

Following his release from prison, he had made good progress on sex offender treatment programmes. "He has worked hard to rebuild his life.

He has paid off considerable debts and has terminated what was a good job because of the hearing."

In addition to the jail sentence, Williams was placed on the sex offenders register and under the terms of a sex offender prevention order, cannot speak to or communicate with children under 16 except his two children with their mother's consent. He was also banned from using the Internet to contact children under 16 indefinitely.

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A FATHER-of-seven convicted of horrific sex offences against a young girl was branded a danger to the public as he began an indefinite sentence behind bars.

Patrick Keogh, 39, was told he would spend a minimum of eight years in jail before he would be considered for parole.

Judge John Boggis QC condemned Keogh, pictured, as "a dangerous predator"who represented a serious risk to young girls.

Jurors heard he had threatened to kill his victim if she told anyone about what he had done.

"These offences are absolutely despicable and the psychological damage to her will be profound and long lasting. Children must be protected from you."

Keogh, of Croydon Close, Lordshill, Southampton, had been convicted at the city crown court on six counts of rape, indecency with a child, sexual assault and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.

He denied the offences and the judge said he still contested the convictions, which represented a breach of trust.

In addition to the jail sentence, he was also placed on the sex offenders' register, banned from working with children and told he must not be in the same house with a child under 16 without the prior approval of police.

Keogh had also been committed for sentence for burglary and taking a tipper truck without consent after he got into a compound on a Millbrook trading estate, grabbed the keys as well as a bottle of wine from the site office and drove the vehicle away.

He told police he had intended to drive to London to get drugs but went to his girlfriend's home where he scored.

He was jailed for 18 months for those offences and had a four month suspended sentence activated.

All the sentences run concurrently.

In mitigation, Robert Grey said Keogh had no previous convictions for sex offences and he had been an addict since 1991.

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A RETIRED Hampshire teacher who downloaded hundreds of sordid images of young girls has been spared an immediate prison sentence.

Kenneth Dunn, 58, claimed he had become obsessed in a desperate search for indecent pictures of himself taken 50 years before at his boarding school, which he feared might have been posted on the Internet.

He alleged that he wanted to find them so he could confront his abuser.

However Judge Derwin Hope slammed his defence, saying it defied belief.

Dunn, of Bassett Wood Drive, Bassett, Southampton, had pleaded guilty to 21 specimen charges of possessing indecent images. He was arrested after police raided his home with a search warrant, and when told of their suspicions that he had been downloading the gruesome images, he turned white and officers feared he was going to faint.

Prosecutor Roderick Blain told the city crown court that, when two computers were analysed, more than 1,400 images of girls from the ages of 12 down to babies were discovered.

The father of three, who taught electronics and physics at Taunton's College in Southampton before he retired this year, had trawled through notorious hard core sites to access the material.

Judge Derwin Hope, who read two psychiatric reports, accepted Dunn had been suffering from a depressive illness that had affected his character.

Dunn received a 12-month suspended sentence and has to attend an Internet sex group programme.

He has been banned from residing in a house with any child, working with children, and using a computer or online message boards without the approval of his supervising officer. He must also register as a sex offender for ten years.

In mitigation, James Leonard said that as a result of the case his character was in tatters and he had been publicly humiliated.

"The effect on him and his devoted wife has been catastrophic. He had been held in such high esteeem and the effect has been as bad as it could conceivably have got.

"At the time he was suffering from a major depressive illness and was simply not himself."

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A PREDATORY paedophile groomed and sexually assaulted four young boys while he was a Southampton publican, a court heard.

Paul Bedard plied the boys with alcohol, showered them with money, clothes and cigarettes to win their trust and then took advantage of them for his own sexual gratification.

The 63-year-old, formerly in charge of the Honest Lawyer, was convicted of eight counts of indecent assault, two counts of buggery, one of attempted buggery and one of false imprisonment.

Today he is beginning a 15-year jail term.

The sexual assaults took place over eight years from 1990 to 1998 while Bedard was landlord of The Hobbit and the Clowns and Jesters pubs in Southampton. His victims were aged between 11 and 18 years. Most of the offences took place while they were in their early teens.

During a trial at Southampton Crown Court a jury heard how unmarried Bedard befriended the boys through drinkers and other people at his pubs and would give them work and odd jobs, such as cleaning and glass collecting.

He then abused them on those premises after hours and at his homes.

Bedard, of Lodge Road, Portswood, appeared over a video link from Winchester Prison, and showed no emotion during a sentencing hearing.

Nick Rowland, mitigating, said Bedard was suffering from deteriorating health and was in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke. While conceding Bedard had shown no admission of guilt he asked the judge to take into account "for none other than humanitarian reasons" the state of a "man nearing the end of his life".

Passing sentence, Judge Derwin Hope told Bedard he had inflicted "moral corruption"

on each of the boys.

He said the psychological impact of the abuse on the victims was likely to be "profound"

and by forcing them to go through trial he had brought back painful memories with "deep feelings."

You continued to deny these offences in their entirety.

You've shown no empathy and no understanding as to how the offences have impacted on these victims."

DETECTIVES have praised the courage of sex abuse victims for coming forward and helping to put Paul Bedard behind bars.

And they vowed to fight for justice for other victims they believe may have suffered at the hands of the former Southampton publican.

Detective Constable Viv Wilson said she could only imagine how two of his victims found the strength to come forward to police more than ten years after the offences took place.

"This case proves victims can come forward many years later and get justice for what's happened.

"This was a predatory paedophile, who was calculating in the way he picked his victims."

She added the victims, who had found it difficult to lead normal lives, could now try to move on.

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A former social worker has been given a three-year community service order after he admitted having sex with a woman client who had a mental disorder.

David Cookson, 43, of Firgrove Road, Southampton, worked as a locum for Surrey County Council when the relationship took place in 2007.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Guildford Crown Court to two counts of having sex with the Camberley woman.

The council said it sacked him as soon as it found out about the offences.

The court heard the two offences took place between March and September 2007.

'Strict checks'

Graham Wilkin, the council's director of social care, said Cookson was employed through an agency.

As soon as the council discovered what had taken place, he was suspended and his employment was later terminated.

He said the second incident took place after Cookson was dismissed and it would now be up to the General Social Care Council to decide whether to remove him from the social workers' register.

"This incident should not have happened," said Mr Wilkin.

"However, Cookson's actions were not those of a responsible professional and we expect the highest standards at all times.

"Surrey County Council has strict checks in place that are rigorously followed before we employ anyone as a social worker and these did not fail in Cookson's case."

Cookson was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years and ordered to attend the Thames Valley sex offenders group work programme.

Det Insp Martin Goodwin said: "This was a very serious but rare offence which was handled sensitively by Surrey police officers and the Community Mental Health Team.

"In partnership with the NHS Trust and Surrey County Council we have prevented Cookson from continuing to work as a social worker." 

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A FATHER-of-six who mounted a campaign of sexual abuse against a girl, has been jailed for 13 years.

At Southampton Crown Court, judge Christopher Leigh QC told Christopher Peat the impact statements of the victim and her mother were among the worst he had seen for many years.

Peat, 39, of Magnolia Road, Merry Oak, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault and three of indecency with a child.

The assaults began in January, 2002, and went on until June, 2007. It finally ended when the girl disclosed to her aunt what had been happening and burst into tears.

Don't cry' Prosecutor Richard Onslow said the first time Peat touched her, he told her "be brave, don't cry". He warned her that no one would believe her if she complained, and if she told her mother, she wouldn't love her any more.

On one occasion, Peat abused the youngster after he had forced her to watch a porn movie with him.

On arrest, Peat gave a "no comment" interview.

Mr Onslow then told the judge: "You have seen the impact statements and it doesn't need me to describe the shattering affect it has had on the girl and her family."

In mitigation, Stuart Jones QC said Peat admitted the offences at the first opportunity and had spared his victim the ordeal of giving evidence.

"He was brought up in a family where violence and sexual abuse were part of life, and he was the victim of a sexual offence when he was just eight. It's a painful fact he finds difficult to confront. It cannot justify but might provide some explanation for what happened."

In the pre-sentence report, Peat spoke of his self-loathing and disgust "They are the most important words in it because they indicate some awareness of the true enormity of his offending and its consequences."

He told the judge: "Whatever sentence you pass, he will serve it without visitors. Family life is over for him and his friends have jumped ship. The last words he said to me downstairs before we came into court was I'm sorry.'"

Passing sentence, Judge Leigh told Peat: "I have read the impact statements. I don't propose to refer to them because to do so might cause the victims even greater distress.

"Suffice to say they are among the worst I have seen for many years."

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BOSSES of a Southampton charity for the disabled knew about the sex crime past of a volunteer minibus driver for four years before he raped a client, an inquiry has revealed.

Stephen Browne was given "routine" and "extensive unsupervised access" to vulnerable disabled clients, including giving help with personal care and letting one client spend the night at his house. He even went on to become the charity's vice-chairman.

The inquiry found that despite being told by the police in 2001 that Browne had an unspent previous conviction for indecent assault, the charity's secretary and chairman failed to take adequate steps to safeguard the charity and its clients.

Neither did it adequately keep an eye on Browne's conduct, a Charity Commission report said.

The other trustees of the Southampton and District Sports and Leisure Association for the Disabled (SADSALAD) were also criticised for failing to implement protective polices and measures, such as carrying out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks when they became available in 2002.

Browne went on to rape a severely disabled woman and indecently assault another in November 2005 and is now serving at least ten years after being jailed early last year.

He was also convicted at the same time for a string of rapes and sexual assaults carried out in the 1970s.

The six-month Charity Commission inquiry found that secretary Roger Steels shared the information from the police about Browne with chairman Debbie Richards, but she also kept it secret.

Mr Steels told the inquiry that he thought the information was confidential.

Browne, 50, formerly of Fernside Close, Millbrook, was then allowed to become a trustee of the charity and its vice-chairman.

A third trustee who became suspicious of Browne's conduct towards disabled clients in 2005 reported him to police but also failed to alert other trustees.

The Charity Commission launched an inquiry when contacted by social services in December 2005 about Browne's sordid past.

It suspended Browne along with the three trustees, who have now resigned their posts.

Browne was later disqualified. He declined to take part in the inquiry.

Mr Steels said that he accepted the inquiry findings but insisted that he and Mrs Richards had been "hoodwinked" by Browne into believing that he was a reformed character and deserved a second chance.

Browne was working for other charities at the time he joined SADSALAD in 2000, Mr Steels said, and was a "nice fellow" who become the most popular volunteer.

Mr Steels added that SADSALAD had carried out checks on Browne, albeit inadequate ones.

Mr Steels, who still works for SADSALAD as a volunteer, said: "I don't feel uncomfortable working for the charity. They asked me to continue. This was a salutatory lesson we have all learnt from."

He said that he regretted taking on Browne. "I can't express the contempt I feel towards him," he said.

Mrs Richards declined to comment.

The commission noted that since its inquiry SADSALAD had implemented new procedures to safeguard disabled clients and had strengthened existing policies.

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A rapist freed early from prison murdered his disabled fiance after she taunted him about his criminal past.

Over a week later, with her body locked in an upstairs bedroom, David Tiley raped and killed her carer.

Tiley, 47, carried out a sickening sexual assault on his fiance Susan Hale before stabbing her in the head and chest.

Despite him being under police supervision, the murder went undetected as he continued to live as normal.

He then raped and stabbed carer Sarah Merritt, a married mother of two, when she arrived for a routine visit.

Tiley served a six-year sentence for rape in 1995 and was subsequently jailed three times for failing to tell police of his whereabouts as a sex offender.

He killed Mrs Hale and Mrs Merritt two months after being released early from his latest ten-month sentence.

Hampshire Police yesterday announced that an independent review of their procedures us under way after Tiley admitted both murders and was jailed for life.

Mr Justice Irwin told him he would never be released, adding: "The brutality and evil of what you did defies adequate description."

Tiley met Mrs Hale, who suffered from cerebellar ataxia - a rare degenerative brain disorder which caused her difficulties in walking - at an amusement arcade in Southampton last year.

He moved in with the 49-year- old mother-of-five, but was jailed last August for failing to tell police of his change of address. After his early release in January, the couple became engaged.

But on the evening of March 7, Tiley bludgeoned her in the head with a hammer after she taunted him about "something in his past", Winchester Crown Court was told.

Nick Hawkins, prosecuting, said Tiley then bound Mrs Hale's ankles and wrists with dressing gown cords before committing a serious sexual assault.

He then stabbed her four times, twice in the head and twice in the chest, before watching her die. Pathologists said she would have died "rapidly, but not immediately".

After covering her body with a duvet, Tiley turned on a fan to keep the bedroom cool and sprayed deodorant under the door to mask the smell of decomposition.

He then carried on his life as normal, visiting the amusement arcade and local shops. He also used Mrs Hale's mobile phone to send text messages to her friends.

Eight days later, 39-year-old Mrs Merritt made a routine visit to bathe Mrs Hale. Tiley brandished a knife, bound her wrists with material and told her Mrs Hale was dead.

He then took her bank card, demanded her PIN and left her gagged and bound while he went out to withdraw 150 from her account.

On his return, he removed the gag and "had a conversation" with the terrified woman while he smoked two cigarettes.

When she began to cry, he became angry, tore off her clothes and raped her before stabbing her twice in the neck with the same six-inch kitchen knife he had used to kill Mrs Hale.

Tiley was arrested two days later in Swanage, Dorset, where he was sleeping rough.

Mrs Merritt's 41-year-old husband Peter told the court he drove to Mrs Hale's flat when his wife failed to return home. Police were later called and made the grim discovery of the two bodies.

Shaking with emotion, Mr Merritt described how his family had been devastated by his wife's murder.

Tattooed Tiley sat impassively as Mr Merritt said: "Sarah didn't do anything to deserve such an end to her life. I now know what it means to be truly heartbroken.

"I cannot get the thought out of my mind of how scared and so very afraid she must have been that day and that I could do nothing to help her in her hour of need."

Mrs Hale's son David Chopra said his mother had been robbed of a natural, peaceful ending to her life.

Hampshire Police said Tiley had been considered a low or medium risk, but "short of 24-hour surveillance" there could be no guarantees that such a man could be prevented from reoffending.

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A SOUTHAMPTON police sergeant has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of raping a schoolgirl.

Gary Clark, 48, was found guilty of a total of 17 offences - including ten counts of indecent assault on a female under 16, six counts of indecency with a child and one count of rape.

Clark, who was suspended from duty last August while investigations were carried out, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court this morning.

Detective Inspector Victoria Dennis, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: "I welcome these convictions which follow a lengthy investigation by Hampshire Constabulary.

"Our thoughts are with the victim and her family at this time.

"I hope today's result will bring some level of closure to the victim and her family and that she can now start to rebuild her life."

He will now be subject to an internal police misconduct investigation.

Det Insp Dennis added: "Hampshire Constabulary takes any allegations of this kind extremely seriously and will investigate them thoroughly.

"It is extremely rare for a Hampshire constabulary officer to be charged and convicted of such serious sexual offences.

"At Kingston Crown Court today, Mr Clark was sentenced with a total of 12 years imprisonment and three years extended sentence for rape, the other 16 counts will run concurrently.

"The constabulary would like to reassure residents that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight remains a safe place to live, work and grow old."

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A church minister who pleaded guilty to 35 counts of child abuse, including two charges of raping an 11-year-old boy, has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Reverend Simon Thomas, 44, of Hythe, Hampshire, admitted the charges at Southampton Crown Court.

The court heard he had used internet chatrooms to groom his victims.

A judge said Thomas, a former minister at Hythe United Reformed Church, must serve a minimum of eight years before he is eligible for parole.

Thomas, who had worked in Hythe for 10 years and was married, was suspended by the United Reformed Church pending disciplinary proceedings.

The charges against him included inciting children to engage in sexual activity, meeting children following sexual grooming, indecency with a child, sexual activity with an 11-year-old and making indecent photographs of children.

"The same good social skills that made you a successful priest were used to harm those young boys and breach their trust" Judge Jeremy Burford QC.

Judge Jeremy Burford QC said that only a life sentence was appropriate for the serious offences of rape because it was not clear when Thomas would be "safe to be released back into society".

He said: "You used the internet through those years to contact and groom boys using a mixture of flattery and obscenity.

"The same good social skills that made you a successful priest were used to harm those young boys and breach their trust."

When police examined computers seized from Thomas' home they discovered a schedule of 1,200 names of people he had met on the internet, 97 of whom were boys aged under 16.

'Double life'

The material included details of the boys as well as comments about them.

Thomas also arranged to meet four of the boys in town centres and then drove them to secluded spots where he abused them.

The court was told that the 35 offences, which included 19 indecent images and video footage on his computer, were committed during a four-and-half-year period.

Judge Burford said that Thomas had led a "double life", which had deceived not only his family but his employers and congregation at his church.

"You have been convicted of serious specified sexual offences, there's no doubt there's a significant risk to young boys of serious psychological harm by you committing further offences," he added.

"You cannot blame the internet, these people will always find a way but you have to make sure to do everything possible to protect your children" Father of a victim.

On Friday, the mother of one of the victims urged families to make sure they supervise their children's use of the web at all times.

"I urge parents to take every care with their children's use of the internet and make sure they know what their children are doing at all times," she said.

"Children should never meet anyone they meet on the internet."

And the father of a 14-year-old victim said: "You cannot blame the internet, these people will always find a way but you have to make sure to do everything possible to protect your children."

Det Insp Adrian Prangnell, of Hampshire Police, said: "This has been a terrible but perhaps timely reminder to us all of the need to ensure our children can use the wonderful opportunities the internet offers in a safe and secure way.

"It is highly possible that there are other victims who are yet to be identified."

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A PAEDOPHILE with the Aids virus was jailed for 19 years yesterday for raping a 14-year-old boy.

Mark Railly, 31, and his partner George Railly, 61, abducted the boy at knifepoint from public toilets and put him through a horrifying sex ordeal. The pair, who are not related, lived together at Southampton.

Terminally ill Mark sat grinning in the dock as he was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court. George, who posed as the younger man's father, was jailed for life.

The judge said: "Mercifully your victim has not contracted the disease."