Latest Offenders Southampton

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A CONVICTED sex offender has avoided jail despite being caught with more than 100 prohibited images of children.

A court was told how Richard Todd kept 108 computer-generated images on a mobile phone.

The photos were discovered when police visited his property in Shirley Road to check on him due to his previous convictions.

The images had been computer generated and depicted adults and children, prosecutor Mark Ashley told the court.

Four of these were classed as category A images, the most severe type. 

 Having previously been convicted of sexual assault in 2008 and a further incident in April 2011, the 30-year-old is subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

The incident on November 9, 2020 came just nine months after serving another sentence for a previous offence.

Mitigating, Ed Wilde said Todd is “extremely distressed to find himself before the court again”.

He added that he has “accepted his guilt” and is “sincerely sorry”.

"Support is a thing that this man needs," he said.

"Mr Todd needs to learn how to live out here."

Todd pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited image of a child last month. 

 Mr Wilde invited the judge to impose a suspended sentence as he said the matter is something that can be “dealt with by a sentence in the community”.

Recorder, James Watson KC, said Todd’s previous convictions “place the nature of [his] ongoing life in jeopardy.”

However, he told him: “I’m giving you this further opportunity to put this behaviour behind you”.

Todd was given a four-month jail sentence suspended for two years.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the mobile phone and made Todd subject to 55 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

A further sexual harm prevention order will run alongside the existing one for the next 10 years. 

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A REGISTERED sex offender was found with a collection of extreme animal pornography involving pigs, dogs and eels, a court heard.

Pensioner Brian Hudson was found to have 16 films in his house showing animals having sex.

His bedroom in Orpen Road, Southampton, was being used as a store room for thousands of DVDs - 16 of which related to animal porn.

When questioned on this, Hudson said they belonged to a deceased relative. 

 Prosecuting, Neil King told Southampton Crown Court how the films “must have been retained for some time” adding that Hudson “doesn’t appear to [have] any expression of remorse”.

After police found the videos on April 3, 2020, the 75-year-old was arrested and charged with possessing extreme pornographic images.

He originally pleaded not guilty but changed his plea on the day of the trial.

Mr King told the court Hudson has previous convictions for serious sexual offences and distributing pornography.

But mitigating, Ed Wylde said Hudson has not been convicted for some 28 years adding that there was “no suggestion of distribution” in this case.

“[He] tells me that he had not appreciated how serious this matter was.”

He added that Hudson has “become, to a degree, a vulnerable person”, suffering from memory loss, and is the only driver in his family.

The judge, Recorder Don Tait, told the defendant: “You are a registered sex offender already because of your previous convictions.

“Your last conviction in 1994, when you were sent to prison for a modest period of time by the magistrates, was for possessing extreme articles.

“You have, and I quote, a deviant sexual interest. Well, you’re going to have to curb that deviant sexual interest.” 

 However, he said he would impose a suspended sentence because of Hudson’s age and “poor health”.

The 75-year-old was given a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He must also complete 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days and abide by a curfew for the next three months, running between the hours of 8pm and 8am.

Mr Tait also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the seized items. 

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A man and a woman from Southampton and Swanmore have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison for the false imprisonment of a man in Waterlooville.

Sean David Perry, 37, of St Marys Road, Southampton, and Caprice Martine Buddle, 25, of Brook Close, Swanmore, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (4 November) for sentencing. Perry pleaded guilty to the charges against him on the first day of his trial, while Buddle was found guilty by a jury in May.

Perry was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud, assault by penetration and causing actual bodily harm.

Buddle was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud and possession of a Class A drug.

The court heard how the victim, a man in his 30s, started talking to Buddle online in the spring of 2019. The victim met up with Buddle in person a number of times.

On May 5, Buddle lured the victim to an address on Thrush Walk in Waterlooville, where he was later confronted by two men who spent hours physically, verbally and sexually abusing him.

During this time, the victim was hit with a stool, kicked, and forced to drink cleaning fluid. He was made to hand over his phone, wallet, bank cards and pin numbers.

The jury heard how the victim was then blindfolded, put into the back of a vehicle and driven around for some time before being left at the side of a road. Recognising where he was, he was able to run home and call police.

Based on initial information, officers were able to locate Buddle at an address in Havant, where they arrested her that day.

Perry was arrested several days later and a lengthy and complex investigation involving DNA, CCTV, phone and bank card analysis, led to the pair being charged. They pleaded not guilty, however a jury found them guilty of all offences after less than an hour and a half of deliberation.

A 26-year-old man from London, 38-year-old man from Fareham and 27-year-old man from Winchester were also arrested in connection with this incident and have since been released from police custody with no further action being taken against them.

Detective Constable Emily Dummer, of Hampshire Constabularys Eastern Operation Amberstone team, said: The victim in this case was subjected to a harrowing and traumatic ordeal which lasted over several hours. While nothing will ever be able to take that away, I am pleased that Perry and Buddle will now face the consequences of their despicable actions and spend a significant amount of time in prison for what they have done.

I would like to commend the victims incredible courage throughout the investigation and court process, without which we would not have been able to secure this outcome. As a result of his bravery, Perry and Buddle are now in a place where they will not be able to inflict such horrific abuse to anyone else.

We hope that this sentence sends a strong message to the public that we will do all in our power to protect and support victims of abuse, while relentlessly pursuing offenders.

For advice about how to keep yourself safe when communicating with people online and via social media, visit the Get Safe Online website: https://www.getsafeonline.org/

If you have experienced anything similar or become the victim of such a crime, please get in touch with us via 101 or online. Always call 999 in an emergency.

If you do not feel comfortable speaking to us, there are other independent support agencies out there that can help.

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Ashman downloaded more than 18,000 indecent images of children during lockdown, Southampton Crown Court was told.

The 42-year-old of Howard Road, Southampton was caught with 140 category A images, the most severe type, 123 category B images and 18,365 category C images of children.

It was said that there was “distress in some of the children’s actions” in the images that were all found on one single hardrive.

Ashman later admitted to downloading the images saying: “I did download some dodgy [stuff] during lockdown".

He was handed a three-year community order, ordered to do 15 rehabilitation activity days and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He is now also subject to a five-year sexual prevention order and was ordered to pay £300 costs and a surcharge. 

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked up after he was tricked into meeting police officers when he thought he would be meeting a 14-year-old boy.

Frank Salmon, of Harbourne Gardens, West End, Southampton, was jailed for two year four months after pleading guilty to arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

The 54-year-old expected to meet and sexually abuse a 14-year-old boy on June 23 this year in Shirley, Southampton. Instead, he was met and arrested by officers from Hampshire Constabulary and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (Serocu).

Detective Constable Colin Haynes of Serocu, said: ‘Thankfully no children were ever in danger during this investigation, but Salmon clearly intended to meet and carry out these acts on a minor until he was stopped by officers.

‘I am glad he recognised his guilt and will now spend time in prison reflecting upon his actions. The case highlights the hard work and dedication of the officers within Serocu and in police forces in finding those willing to carry out these acts and ensuring they face justice.’

Salmon was also sentenced to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

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A Southampton man has been jailed for 10 years and three months for committing child sex offences.

George Gibbs, 55, of Harefield Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Tuesday 4 October), having previously been found guilty of two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

The offences related to two girls and took place in Southampton between July 2018 and when it was reported to us on 27 September, 2020.

Since that first report was made to police, specialist officers conducted a thorough investigation which led to Gibbs’ arrest and him being subsequently charged.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court for a sentencing hearing, George Gibbs was jailed for 10 years and three months.

T/DC Dawn Capper from the Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Gibbs continually denied the offences, forcing his young victims to relive these traumatic experiences in the trial. To make matters worse, he refused to attend, with the verdict being reached in his absence.

“By doing so, Gibbs has shown complete distain for his victims and not a shred of remorse.

“In contrast to his cowardice, these two victims have demonstrated such bravery throughout the investigation and I would like to commend them for their actions, which have made Southampton a safer place by removing a dangerous predator from the streets.

“If you or a loved one has experienced a similar situation, then I hope reading this encourages you to report what has happened to us. We will take your report seriously, support you every step of the way and do our best to ensure you receive justice.”

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A GIRL was left "emotionless and numb" after an older man sexually abused her, a court heard.

Eyakeno Nyong made his victim feel "violated and disgusted".

The girl was under the age of 13 when Nyong sexually touched her several times over the course of a year.

A statement made by the victim spoke of her anxiety and how it has impacted her relationships.

Nyong, of Wolseley Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday to be sentenced for two charges of sexual assault.

The 38-year-old had been found guilty following a trial at the same court in July of this year.

The court heard how the offences took place around a decade ago at an address in the city.

Prosecuting, Edward Warren read the impact statement from the victim.

She said that what had happened had impacted "everything".

"I feel violated and disgusted with myself," it said.

"I do not feel safe in my house but I do not feel safe outside either.

"I find it hard to trust and I keep a closer eye on my nieces and nephews. I am so worried."

In defence, David Richards said that Nyong was a "family man".

He hadn't committed any offence in the years since, Mr Richards said.

"If he isn't already rehabilitated, there's a real scope for rehabilitation," he told the court.

Judge Nicholas Rowland jailed him for 15 months.

However, he said a sexual harm prevention order "did not seem necessary" as Nyong had no previous or subsequent convictions.

The court orders can be used when there are specific concerns about a defendant.

They aim to stop offenders from engaging in particular activities.

He added: "I commend the dignity of those sitting in the public gallery in what seems like impossible circumstances."

Nyong must register as a sex offender for ten years and has been barred from working with children.

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A MARRIED man asked a woman to perform in an adult movie with him in exchange for buying her watch, a court heard.

Aaron Maguire went to the woman's home in Southampton after seeing she was advertising a watch for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

The 52-year-old posed as his wife by using her Facebook account and agreed to buy and collect the watch.

However, his victim was left shocked when he turned up at his victim's door.

Prosecuting, Ed Warren, told how once inside Maguire commented on her nails and physical features.

He asked to kiss her, to which she said no, the court heard.
 
Maguire then said he would like to see her body and said he would buy the watch if he could perform a sex act on her.

He then even offered her £130 for the watch adding that she could “make up the rest” if she took part in an adult movie with him.

Mr Warren said that during the visit, Maguire touched his victim's arm and said he would be back the next day for the watch.

But after he left, the woman called the police, and Maguire was arrested.

He told officers he didn’t act the way he had for sexual gratification but said he was there to “comfort [the woman]”.

Mr Warren added that he had even sent her £10 after their encounter on December 2, 2020, because he felt he had “wasted her time”.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Monday, Maguire, of Kingsfield, Bursledon was charged with sexual assault.

But mitigating, Chris Gaiger said: “He accepts full responsibility for his actions and regrets the harm he has caused.”

He added that there is a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

Judge Christopher Parker QC said the incident had been a “frightening experience for a young woman who didn’t have any support on the scene”.

“You had visited the complainant on purpose having seen her picture on your wife’s account. That by itself was predatory behaviour,” he said.

 He added that the offence was so serious that an immediate custodial sentence is the only option.

Maguire was jailed for 12 months and handed an indefinite restraining order.

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A SOUTHAMPTON man has been locked up for sexually abusing a teenage girl.

Oliver Axton engaged in sexual activity with the youth in the Southampton area over a year.

Police were alerted to his crimes in April of last year.

The 22-year-old, of Cunningham Crescent, was charged with four counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 and two counts of causing or inciting her to engage in sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty to all offences.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court at the end of June, he was jailed for four years.

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A MAN has today been jailed for 14 years for raping a woman in her own home and then keeping her prisoner for several days.

Jack McRae, 29, was sentenced by Judge Peter Henry, who described him as one of the most dangerous defendants who had ever appeared before him.

McRae, of Golden Grove, Southampton, repeatedly insulted the judge and was taken back to the cells halfway through the sentencing process.

He had previously been convicted of several offences against the same woman, including rape, false imprisonment and criminal damage. He was also found guilty of assaulting another woman.

The offences against the first victim were committed at an address in the Southampton area in 2020.

Her victim impact statement, read to the court by Robert Brown, prosecuting, said she had since moved house because she no longer felt safe in her own home. She had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and also suffered from severe depression.

Mr Brown told the court: "I'm not aware of any mitigating factors that can be put forward on behalf of Mr McRae. There is no evidence of remorse."

The other woman also submitted a victim impact statement to the court.

She said: "The incident literally left me feeling in fear of my life. He just kept punching me. I thought he was going to kill me."

Judge Henry told McRae: "What you did to these women has had a considerable effect upon them. You are a highly dangerous person."

After the defendant was taken back to the cells the judge said: "He is one of the most dangerous men who has appeared before me over the years.

"He uses violence, then seeks to justify or explain his actions, and tries to make [the victims] feel it is their fault."

McRae, who was not legally represented, was given as Bullingdon Prison, was handed an extended sentence for rape - 14 years in prison followed by eight years on licence.

He was also given varying custodial terms for the other offences, including three years for false imprisonment, all of which will run concurrently. He was also handed a two-year sentence, also concurrent, for assaulting the other woman.

Mr Brown said McRae had several previous convictions including robbery, battery and grievous bodily harm.

In one incident he attacked a prison officer, breaking his jaw in two places and causing him to lose a tooth.

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A SOUTHAMPTON man has been jailed for 14 months for possessing more than 47,000 indecent images of children.

William McDowall, 57, of Shirley Road, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child and possessing extreme pornographic images portraying sexual acts on an animal.

As well as being jailed he was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

On July 30 2021 police arrested McDowall at his home address and seized several items, including two laptops and a hard drive.

Forensic examinations revealed he had 47,517 indecent images stored across the three devices from March 2012 to July 2021.

More than 9,294 were Category A, the most serious, which depicted babies, toddlers and teenagers being abused. There were also a handful of images that depicted acts of bestiality.

In his police interview, McDowall admitted he had been viewing indecent images online for 20 years and described himself as a lurker.

PC Sarah Tickner from the Internet Child Abuse Team led the investigation.

Speaking after McDowall was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court she said: McDowall had an extremely large collection of indecent images and some children depicted were as young as 12 months old.

While he showed remorse for his actions, he clearly poses a risk to children and I am glad to see he is behind bars. He will also have very strict conditions imposed upon him when he is released from prison.

Hopefully this investigation shows our commitment to keeping children safe in our community and that we will do all in our power to ensure offenders end up in court.

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POLICE have vowed to protect vulnerable people from "sexual exploitation" after a security guard was sentenced for sending sexual images to a "13-year-old girl".

Mark Mengham, 60, of Alfred Close in Totton, was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

A court heard how he had been messaging what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on the mobile app, Badoo.

He was later arrested for sending sexual images and asking for naked photos of the girl, which was in fact a decoy profile.

He was also ordered to complete 40 rehabilitation sessions, pay a victim surcharge and court costs and register as a sex offender for the offences committed in December 2020 and January 2021.

Following the sentencing at Southampton Crown Court on Friday police have vowed to continue their work to protect vulnerable people.

Detective Constable Paul Hills said: In a world where people have the ability to exchange messages through a variety of social platforms with people across the country unknown to them, and further afield, with relative ease, it is vitally important that we, as the police, are in a position to investigate if we believe that criminal offences have taken place during these exchanges.

We want to continue to protect any vulnerable people, including young children, against possible sexual exploitation and I hope that this conviction shows the lengths that we will go to investigate any such claims.

We hope that todays sentencing highlights the dangers that can be lurking on social media when engaging in people you do not know."

Mengham was also handed a sexual harm prevention order to last for the next five years.

It came after he pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.

DC Hills added: "This case serves as a reminder, and to also alert the parents of young children, that the digital world isnt it all it seems.

"People may be seemingly acting innocently in exchanging messages initially, but that this can very quickly change, taking a turn to often dark, often sexualised, conversations and messages.

We want to encourage any victims of child sexual abuse to come forward and speak to us, no matter when it happened.

Hampshire Constabulary take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and will always seek to bring those responsible for committing these offences to justice."

Anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse is encouraged to contact police on 101.

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A former Eton College master who had 4,500 indecent images of pupils on his computer has been banned from the classroom for life.

Matthew Mowbray admitted his behaviour is an open and shut case and agreed he should never teach again.

He was jailed for five years in December 2020 after a jury found him guilty of a string of sexual offences at the prestigious 48,501-per-year school in Berkshire.

Reading Crown Court heard how the former geography teacher made nocturnal visits to students in their rooms on the pretext of helping with their work, before touching them for his own sexual gratification.

Mowbray also ran a photography club where he took pictures of pupils and later superimposed their faces onto the naked bodies of unknown children.

It was also found he covertly filmed a boy dressing in the privacy of his room.

Now aged 50, Mowbray was today struck off for life by the teaching watchdog, who were concerned there was a considerable risk of the repetition of his behaviour.

Given that I have been sent to prison, this is an open and shut case, he said. I should not teach again.

The Teaching Regulation Agency panel heard Mowbray taught geography at Eton from 1993 to 2020, and was a housemaster from 2010 until his arrest in 2017.

His sex offences involved four boys between 2012 and 2019.

Ms Jo Palmer-Tweed, who chaired the hearing, said: The panel noted that the behaviour involved in committing the offences had significant effects on the pupils.

They were described by the judge as lasting, including depression, anxiety, stress, nervousness, loss of confidence, embarrassment, physical and psychological and sadness.

The panel considered that public confidence in the profession would be seriously weakened if conduct such as that found against Mowbray were not treated with the utmost seriousness when regulating the conduct of the profession.

There was no evidence that Mowbray was acting under duress. His actions were deliberate.

Having previously had a spotless record, Mowbray was convicted of eight counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of voyeurism.

On top of his five-year sentence, he was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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A SEXUAL predator from Southampton has been jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to offences against children.

Richard Baker, 50, of Smythe Road, was arrested after using a messaging app to contact someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

He tried to win her trust by giving her "advice" on how to stay safe around men and sending her selfies and photos of his dogs.

But he then started sending explicit pornography and expressing a desire to hug her, saying it was up to her if it were an "undressed hug".

They agreed to meet in Fareham on January 18 - but the girl was not real. When he arrived he was arrested with a camcorder in his possession.

In a prepared statement he gave at the time Baker said he was "trying to explain and warn the girl about how boys can be".

But he later confessed to sending the messages and trying to meet up with a child for sex.

On February 14 Baker pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to cause a child to watch an image of sexual activity.

He also pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault against a girl aged 13-15 when he was in his early twenties.

Baker was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court and will be put on the sex offenders' register for life.

Under an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order he will also be banned from having unsupervised contact with children or going within five metres of school grounds. If he breaches the order he will be arrested and sent back to prison.

Officers from Hampshire Constabulary investigated the case with support from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

DS Heather Hudson, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: By taking Baker off the streets, we have removed a dangerous predator from our community.

With young people having ready access to the internet and mobile phones, it is more important than ever that parents stay vigilant and educate their children about how to keep safe online."

DS Hudson said the messages sent by Baker illustrated the tactics sexual predators were willing to use to win a childs trust.

She added: "I hope this sentence demonstrates the lengths we go to in order to keep children safe from sexual exploitation and abuse, and also might encourage any survivors of child sexual abuse to speak to us.

You will be heard, you will be taken seriously and you will be supported in whatever decisions you wish to make.

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A TEENAGER from a Hampshire villlage has been jailed for grooming and sexually abusing two girls.

Calvin Da Fonte, of Sandy Hill Close in Waltham Chase, was jailed for five years after he admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child and three counts of making indecent images of children.

The 19-year-old admitted the charges, which took place when he was 18, at a hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on December 7 and he was sentenced by His Honour Judge Timothy Mousley QC on April 1.

The abuse took place in the Whiteley, Warsash and Waltham Chase areas between July 2020 and May 2021 when the girls were under the age of 16.

Detective Constable Samantha Brown, from Hampshire Constabularys specialist Operation Amberstone team, said: Da Fonte groomed, manipulated and abused these young girls for his own gratification.

He knew their age, and knew that his deplorable actions were wrong, which is why he initially tried to deny to police that he had committed these offences.

These girls should have never experienced what they did, and I want to commend their courage for reporting this to police.

It is because of their bravery that Da Fonte is now behind bars, where he cannot harm another child.

Our officers work hard to identify perpetrators of this type of behaviour, and we want to encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to please talk to someone about it. Whether this be someone you trust, the police, or a support service. Help is out there.