Latest Offenders Southampton

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Benjamin Hassell, 70, was found guilty of indecent assault during a trial after previously pleading guilty to seven charges of making indecent images of a child. The trial heard how in 1987, when the victim was just six years old, Hassell sexually assaulted her at an address in Southampton.

The victim came forward to speak to police to report what had happened to her in 2020, and an investigation was launched. Officers seized a number of electronic devices from Hassell, including a laptop, a digital storage device and an SD card. An examination of these devices revealed more than 2,000 indecent images of children.

Hassell, of Clarendon Road, Southampton, had previously pleaded not guilty to the indecent assault charge, however was found guilty of the offence by a jury. He was jailed for seven years and 10 months.

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A warped paedophile has been locked up for 16 years for the horrific sexual abuse of a young girl.

Scruffy Stephen Cooper, 61, of The Drove, Blackfield, inflicted misery on a girl aged four to six during a two-year period of torment in Basingstoke from March 2021 to March 2023.

Sick Cooper was convicted of four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, sexual assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Cooper denied the offences but the predator was found guilty following a trial at Winchester Crown Court before being jailed for 16 years at Salisbury Crown Court.

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A Southampton man has been jailed after he was caught sending sexual communications to an undercover police officer, who he believed was a child.

Christopher Jay Swaine, 41, of Foundry Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court last week where he was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison.

Swaine was identified by police via covert conversations with two fictional 12-year-old girls, with the final messages culminating on Christmas Eve, 2021.

He was arrested and, following an examination of his mobile phones, charged with two offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and two charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He admitted all offences at court in April.

As well as his prison sentence, Swaine will also be on the sex offenders’ register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

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Daniel Neary, a 41-year-old man, was arrested after sending sexual images to what he believed was a 12-year-old boy named Rory on a dating website.

Unbeknownst to him, the profile actually belonged to an undercover police officer.

When police searched Neary's home, they found explicit photos of children as young as eight, as well as search terms for indecent images.

Neary pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possessing indecent photographs of children.

His defense argued for rehabilitation, stating that he had no prior offenses.

However, the judge condemned his actions, stating that Neary had a sexual interest in children and had encouraged a child to engage in sexual activities for his own gratification.

Despite this, the judge decided to suspend Neary's ten-month sentence for two years, with the requirement of rehabilitation and unpaid work.

Neary will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements for the next decade.

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A Southampton man who exposed himself on a seafront bench admitted to police that he has a sexual interest in children.

Kevin Heslin was wearing a blue skirt at Weston Shore when he was spotted by a 16-year-old girl who had been jogging, Southampton Crown Court heard.

The girl said she saw the 49-year-old sitting down with his genitals visible to passers-by and alerted a nearby woman and her two young girls.

The police were called and Heslin got up and began walking towards the Pitch and Putt before he was stopped and arrested.

Officers found a bottle of Johnson’s baby oil tied to his body with a piece of string which Heslin said was to help with chafing. They also found pink women’s underwear.

In a statement read out in court, the 16-year-old victim said: “I really don’t know why someone would expose themselves in a public place like that.

“I am left feeling distressed and violated by the man’s actions. My heart was racing and I felt scared.

“I honestly never thought I would witness anything so horrible whilst out for a run.”

When interviewed, Heslin told officers he is a heterosexual male but admitted that he has a sexual interest in children.

He claimed he didn’t intentionally expose himself and didn’t know that part of his body was visible.

Heslin, of Glen Road, Southampton, said he is a nudist and likes to wear skirts.

He answered no comment to all other questions following a discussion with his lawyer.

Heslin admitted exposure following the incident on August 10, 2023.

He has one previous conviction for exposing himself in 2011 when he was spotted in a wooded area wearing only a balaclava.

His barrister Richard Onslow said Heslin has remorse and has engaged in a course of therapy to address his behaviour.

Mr Onslow said: “He fully understands that he must not dress in such a way that there is any risk of exposure.”

He argued that his client goes to nudist beaches and that any court order should not prohibit him from doing that legally.

But Judge Christopher Parker said Heslin had admitted to deliberately exposing himself by pleading guilty.

He added that “nudist or not” someone with “his history should not be allowed to expose himself at all".

Addressing Heslin, the judge said: “There have to be concerns about your exposed sexual interest in pre-pubescent girls.”

Heslin received a three-year community order with 120 hours of unpaid work, 30 sessions on an accredited programme and five rehabilitation days.

He was made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order prohibiting him from having unsupervised contact with children under 16 and from exposing himself in any public place.

He is also subject to notification requirements for the same period.

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A "lonely" pensioner who exposed himself to two teenagers after following them home in a New Forest park claims he was “tricked”.

Brian Curtis indecently exposed himself to the two boys having followed them from a park in Blackfield.

Southampton Crown Court heard how in May last year, the boys, aged 11 and 13, had been in the park with their friends playing and hanging around.

As the group of friends began to leave, they spotted the then-86-year-old walking nearby, and approached him and asked him to take a selfie.

As the group were leaving, Curtis asked the boys if he should follow them – with one replying no but another jokingly saying yes, prosecutor Keely Harvey told the court.

He followed them and once they realised this, the court heard the boys started to “panic a little”.

They then stopped an unknown lady in the street who told them to take a different route.

After some time of not seeing him, they then returned to see if the man was still there. Curtis then told them to “put the cameras away”.

After this, the court heard the man “unzipped his trousers and showed his penis”, then telling the boys “you have to do the same”.

Ms Harvey said: “They were both very young, 11 and 13, and they walked away again and Mr Curtis followed still.

“When they asked him why he was following them he said it was on his way back home.”

The boys then approached another lady walking by and warned her of what had happened.

Curtis allegedly claimed to her that "the boys offered to show their penis if he showed his first", Ms Harvey said.

The police were called after this, and the court was told how Curtis claimed he had “been tricked”.

Mitigating, Audrey Archer, told the court the now 87-year-old “wishes to stress to the court that the boys had approached him and wanted photos with him".

She continued: "He made no attempt to approach them first.

“He crossed boundaries that day and behaved in a way that was entirely inappropriate.”

Ms Archer said that in her discussions with Curtis, who lives on his own at Hampton Lane in Blackfield, has always been “quite frank and candid” and what happened to him had an effect on him.

However Judge Brian Forster KC said: “Whatever occurred in the conversation there can be no justification for what you did. Children are children. Adults have to own the responsibility.”

He added: “Your behaviour was shocking. Your behaviour must not be repeated.”

Curtis was handed a 15-month imprisonment sentence suspended for two years and will be required to register on the sex offenders’ list for 10 years as well as carry out 45 days of rehabilitation.

He was also given a two-year exclusion banning him from returning to return to the park.

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"Depraved” child predator Bradley Anderson, 28, appeared at Southampton Crown Court where he was jailed for five years and told to serve an extra four years on licence for his warped crimes.

The court heard how Anderson, of Clarendon Road, Southampton, was arrested in August 2022 as part of a police investigation into the creation and possession of indecent images of children. Analysis of a laptop and two phones connected to Anderson revealed 22 Category A images, which are the most serious, 10 Category B images and 40 Category C images. Two prohibited images were also found, as well as 253 images classed as extreme.

Messages were also found on one of Anderson’s phones, which he had attempted to hide from officers behind a toilet in his house, which suggested that he was attempting to arrange the sexual abuse of young children.

Anderson was charged with arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of prohibited images of a child and possession of extreme pornography.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him at a hearing in March. As well as his five year sentence and four year extended license period, he has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last indefinitely.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him at a hearing in March. As well as his five year sentence and four year extended license period, he has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last indefinitely.

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A 57-year-old Southampton man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for child sex offences.

Barry Jones, of Granby Grove, was found guilty in January of 19 offences against three victims, all of whom were aged between six and nine when Jones’s offending began.

Jones was reported to police in 2022 and, following an extensive investigation, was charged with the following offences:

• Three counts of rape of a child
• Four counts of sexual assault of a child
• Four counts of sexual activity with a child
• One count of sexual assault by penetration
• Three counts of causing or inciting a child into sexual activity
• One count of indecent assault
• Three counts of making indecent images of children

He pleaded not guilty, however a jury found him guilty on all counts following a two week trial at Southampton Crown Court.

Detective Constable Paul Hills, who led the investigation, said: “It took a tremendous amount of courage for the victims in this case to come forward and tell us what had happened to them at the hands of Jones.

“I have nothing but the greatest admiration for the bravery they have shown, alongside their families, throughout the criminal investigation and court process. Without them we would not have been able to secure this outcome today and we would sincerely like to thank them.

“I am so pleased that justice has now been served, and while this result won’t rid the victims of the memories of what Jones did to them, I truly hope it allows them to move forward with their lives.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us. If anything of this nature has happened to you, please come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“I would also like to thank everyone who assisted in ensuring that a dangerous predator will now be taken off the streets, including the jury and witnesses in the case.

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A Southampton man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in connection with sexual offences against three young victims in the city.

Simon Parker, 36, of Parry Road, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (16 February) after a jury found him guilty of seven offences – two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of assault of a child and one count of sexual communications with a child.

The court heard how Parker committed the offences against three girls who were aged between 11 and 14.

He was arrested when the girls involved told police what had happened and was subsequently charged with a number of child sex offences, which he denied. The case went to trial and a jury found him guilty of seven offences on Monday 12 February.

He has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and has been ordered to register as a sex offender, as well as receiving a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both of which will be in place for the rest of his life.

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A Southampton man has been jailed after being found guilty of communicating with an undercover police officer, who he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.

Manoj Kumar, 26, of Avenue Road, appeared before Southampton Crown Court on Friday (2 February) having previously been found guilty of child sex offences.

The court heard how Kumar was arrested following an investigation by undercover officers posing as a 12-year-old girl. Kumar engaged in explicit, sexual conversation with officers via KIK Messenger, Whatsapp and Telegram on a number of occasions in 2021.

In messages sent to officers Kumar, who was 24 at the time of the offences, told the fictional girl that she was ‘cute’, ‘sweet’ and ‘gorgeous’ before speaking to her in a graphic manner and attempting to incite her into sexual activity. He sent messages claiming to be her boyfriend and asked her to keep their conversations to herself, as well as asking her to delete all of their messages.

On 17 February 2021 Kumar went to the Sainsbury’s car park in Victor Street, Southampton, thinking that he was meeting the young girl. Instead, police arrested him and took him into custody.

Following an investigation which involved the analysis of three mobile phones, a tablet and a laptop, Kumar was charged with attempting to cause or incite a female under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity involving penetration and arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

He pleaded not guilty to the offences, however a jury found him guilty following a trial in December 2023.

He has now been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

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A dog sitter was caught on camera trying to have sex with a Great Dane he was supposed to be looking after.

Graham Robinson was house-sitting the six-year-old pet while its owner and her 12-year-old daughter were on holiday, Southampton Crown Court heard.

The incident happened in Southampton, according to court documents.

Robinson was unaware they had installed a security camera so they could keep an eye on the property while they were away.

The daughter was watching some of the footage on a mobile phone when she saw Robinson try to penetrate the dog, the court heard.

The judge, Nicholas Rowland, described the defendant's actions as an "abomination".

Tom Wilkins, prosecuting, said Robinson, 51, of Shore Road, Hythe, was entrusted to house-sit the dog in May last year.

He added: "The video was left running so the owner could monitor the house.

"To her and her daughter's great distress, they saw the defendant attempt to penetrate the dog.

"It was recorded on video and it was quite plain what was happening."

In a statement read by Mr Wilkins, the dog's owner said she installed the camera because she had a "gut feeling" that Robinson would not "respect" the house.

She added that Robinson's act had "completely ruined" her daughter's birthday, which fell during the holiday.

"She has been left with horrifying images," she said.

"The dog has been jumpy ever since the incident and always looks sad. I feel sad and angry all the time."

Robinson, 52, of Shore Road, Hythe, admitted trying to penetrate an animal.

He told the probation service he had drunk ten glasses of spirits and two beers on the day and had also used cannabis, but had not touched alcohol or taken drugs since, the court heard.

Robinson, who was not represented in court, said: "I'm sorry I did what I did.  I can't believe it - it's shocking. I'm devastated."

Judge Rowland told the defendant he had committed a gross breach of trust.

He added: "You attempted to penetrate a dog that had been entrusted into your care. It was an abomination. It's incomprehensible to behave in this way."

After studying a pre-sentence report, the judge handed Robinson a two-year community order, including a requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation activity.

He added that the defendant was almost sent to prison, saying it was a "close run thing".

It was not heard in court how Robinson ended up being chosen as the dog sitter.

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A 38-year-old man from Eastleigh has been jailed for 15 years for the rape and sexual assault of a child.

Andrew Paul Tucker, of Shaw Road was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday (4 January).

The nine offences, for which he has been imprisoned, took place between 2017 and 2023. At the time of the first incident, the victim was just ten years of age.

Upon his release from prison, Tucker must also then serve eight years on an extended licence, and will be subject to a restraining order and sexual harm prevention order.

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Elvis Williams, 63, of Mosaic Close in Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court (Tuesday 2 January), where he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his offences against a woman in her 60s.

Williams had previously pleaded guilty to two assaults on the victim, denying the charges of coercive and controlling behaviour, rape and intentional strangulation. A jury found him guilty of all offences at Southampton Crown Court on Friday 28 July following a five day trial. The court heard how on Saturday 4 March the victim ran from her home and asked for assistance from a nearby dog walker having been assaulted by Williams. Police were called and the victim told them that Williams had punched her a number of times and forced her to have sex with him.

She also reported how he had previously strangled her until she couldn’t breathe.

Officers arrested Williams and he was subsequently charged with rape, intentional strangulation, engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour and two counts of assault.

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A Southampton man has been jailed for supplying cocaine - and for having indecent images of children.

Marcel Witkowski, 24, appeared before Southampton Crown Court facing three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child.

Between July 31 in 2021 and October 4 the same year, he made three category B indecent images of a child, two category C images of a child, and one category A image of a child – the most serious kind.

The charge of making an indecent image relates to the file being on a device.

Witkowski admitted three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child.

He also admitted to supplying cocaine, a class A drug, and possession of cannabis, a class B drug.

Witkowski, of Scott Road, Southampton, was jailed for two years and four months and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a victim surcharge.

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A 39-year-old man from Southampton has been jailed for three years for taking and possessing indecent images of children, voyeurism and possession of cannabis.

Adam Dervan, of Graham Road, Southampton was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday (7 November).

Some of the offences, for which he has been sentenced, took place in Fawley in 2014. At the time of his crimes, the victim was just eight and nine years of age.

His offending first came to light when SD cards, which contained the indecent images, were discovered hidden on top of a Venetian blind in a room he’d previously lived in.

Upon his release from prison, Dervan will be subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He is also now a Registered Sex Offender for life.