Search results for Southampton

Description

A registered sex offender from Southampton has been sentenced for failing to comply with his Sex Offenders’ Register (SOR) notification requirements.

Michael Ide, 79, of Burgoyne Road, was ordered to sign the SOR in 1998 following his conviction for gross indecency with a child.

As part of his SOR requirements, Ide was prohibited to travel outside of the UK unless he notified police at least seven days before his departure. Earlier this year, officers received information which suggested that Ide had travelled to the Philippines in April and had remained there for a month, without notifying them.
Police attended his address arrested him on suspicion of breaching his SOR.

A search of his house was carried out under Section 32 of the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and his passport was seized, which showed an arrival date in the Philippines of April 25th and a departure date of May 23rd. It was found that not only had Ide not registered this travel, he had also not registered his new passport – another requirement of his SOR.

Additionally, analysis of Ide’s mobile phone revealed that he had also been using Facebook Messenger under an alias. The name he was using had not been registered with police, which constituted a further breach of his SOR.

Ide pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 months in prison when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday (20 September).

PC Rebecca Wilshere, from the Western Offender Management team, said: “Ide is rightly back in prison for his blatant disregard of the conditions imposed on him.

“We take the management of sex offenders incredibly seriously, and invest significant resources into doing everything we can to keep the public safe.

“Officers closely monitor sex offenders and their movements allowing us to identify offences such as this.

“We can also examine their digital devices to ensure they are sticking to the legal requirements imposed on them. These orders are put in place to protect the public, and ensure that individuals do not re-offend.

“Where sex offenders fail to comply, as can be seen in this case, they can and will be returned to jail.”

A registered sex offender from Southampton has been sentenced for failing to comply with his Sex Offenders’ Register (SOR) notification requirements.

Description

A rape victim lured to a secluded area of a Southampton park said her attacker "changed [her] life forever".

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she has been given a “life sentence that I did not deserve” after being raped in Palmerston Park.

Rasario Raquel Dos Reis, 27, has been jailed for more than eight years after goading her into the cover of some bushes near Above Bar Street.

His victim was drunk and was only 19 at the time.

In a victim impact statement read out by prosecutor Tom Wright, the woman said: “The weekend that this happened to me was supposed to be a celebration.

“What he has done to me has destroyed my family life. My relationship has ended since this.

“I felt dirty. I drink much more regularly than I used to. I find this comforting and I don’t think about things when I’m drinking.

“I no longer feel safe working alone. I used to walk into town by my own before this point.

“I now feel freaked out if there are a lot of people around me.

“This man has changed my life forever. It is a life sentence that I did not deserve.”

Reis was jailed for eight years with a six-year extended licence period at Southampton Crown Court.

He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order and must register as a sex offender.

The court heard the victim had been at a party the night before, and in an attempt to clear her head, went for a walk in the city centre at around 6.30am on February 19.

She then saw Reis, who claimed to be waiting for a coach to Oxford, and asked him the time.

The factory worker then “attached himself” to her, Mr Wright said.

He took her to a bench and began to pet her before leading her towards the park and into the cover of some bushes.

The victim, who had been sick less than an hour before, had been wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown and was “clearly intoxicated”, the court heard.

The attack was only stopped when a passer-by noticed what was happening and saw the woman mouth the word “help”.

Police were called and later arrested Reis at a nearby coach station, despite his efforts to change his appearance.

He denied that anything non-consensual had taken place.

Reis, of St Mary’s Street, Southampton later pleaded guilty to rape on the second day of his trial.

Mitigating, Francisca Da Costa told the court her client moved to the UK around a year before this incident from East Timor in Southeast Asia.

He worked two jobs, one in a warehouse packing fish and one in a restaurant.

Ms Costa added: “Though he worked hard in his time in the UK he struggled to make friends because he is one of the few speakers of his native language.”

She said he remembers the woman kissing him on the lips and the incident was “relatively short-lived”.

“He takes full responsibility for his actions. This incident is isolated in my submission and opportunistic.”

But Judge Christopher Parker KC said: “It will have been obvious to you that she was drunk and incapable of caring for herself at that time.

“If she needed anything at all from you it would only have been help. Instead, you took advantage of her.

“If she recovers from this ordeal in her mind it will take a very great deal of time.

“I have no doubt that if you were released any time soon you would pose a significant risk of doing exactly the same thing again to somebody else.”

The judge said Reis will likely be deported at the end of his sentence.

Claire Shawley, Detective Inspector of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary's specialist rape unit Operation Amberstone, said: “We have all heard in court today the lasting effects that this sickening crime will have on its victim, the likes of which the majority of us will never be able to comprehend.

“I want to acknowledge the courage of the woman involved in this case, both in reporting what had happened and for her support and co-operation throughout our investigation, without which we would not have secured this outcome today."

Operation Amberstone Detective Constable Laura Cook, who led the investigation, said: "This has been a harrowing experience for the victim to have to re-live, but her actions in reporting this have allowed us to take swift action and remove a dangerous predatory man off the streets of Southampton. 

“We are also incredibly grateful for the member of the public for intervening on that day and for staying with the victim until police arrived.

“Our priority is always securing justice for victims, and we worked hard to present a substantial case to the courts, resulting in Reis pleading guilty. I am pleased that he has now been jailed and hope that this result goes some way to helping the victim move forward with her life.”

Description

A nursery worker has been jailed for eight years for the rapes and sexual assault against two children in Southampton.

Declan Norman, 23, coerced one of his victims - who was 13 at the time - into performing a sexual act on him in February 2020, the court heard.

Further allegations that Norman raped and sexually assaulted a young girl between a period of 2014 and 2020 were also heard by a jury at Southampton Crown Court.

A separate investigation into these matters by Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s Child Abuse Investigation Team found that Norman was in possession of a high volume of indecent images of children.

This followed a search of Norman’s home address in November 2021, where a number of electronic devices were found.

A laptop was seized and investigating officers discovered 88 Category A images – the most serious, 74 Category B images and 494 Category C images.

Norman, of Shinewell Gardens, Southampton, was found to be in the possession of 656 indecent images; albeit these were not deemed to be first edition images – so were not taken directly by Norman.

He was found guilty by a jury of rape against a child, sexual assault against a child and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

On September 7, Norman was sentenced to eight years with a further year extension.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period and on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

On sentencing Detective Constable Ella Knight, the officer in case, said: “The abhorrent offences committed by Declan Norman have, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on both the victims.

“My admiration for the victims and their parents is commendable.

“It takes a great deal of courage for people to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature, and that should never be underestimated; especially for those who have shown maturity beyond their years.

“I hope this case goes to show that regardless of how long ago a serious sexual assault, or sexual activity has happened, we will work tirelessly to relentlessly pursue perpetrators and provide specialist support to survivors.

“We want our communities to know that we stand with them and will do all in our power to bring the offenders of these horrendous crimes to justice via the criminal justice system.”

A spokesperson from Hampshire Constabulary said: “We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to report this to police on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

Description

A 25-year-old man from Southampton has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of a number of child sex offences.

Dalton Wills, formally of Chettle Road, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 31 August), having been found guilty by a jury in July of four counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of rape and one count of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. 

He had previously pleaded guilty to two further counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual communications with a child and two counts of possessing indecent images of a child (category A and C).

The court heard how Wills sexually assaulted the victim shortly after meeting her when she was 12 years old.  It also heard how he went on to rape her when she was 13 and continued to commit a number of other sexual offences against her.

A judge has now sentenced Wills to 13 years in prison as well as imposing an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has also been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Description

A man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to sexual communication with a child.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 31 August), Phillip Trevor Cornock, aged 34, previously of Denzil Avenue in Southampton, was sentenced for attempting to communicate with a child under 16 for sexual gratification.

The court heard that Cornock exchanged messages, often of a highly sexual nature, between August and October 2022 with a boy he believed to be 14-years-old. He had also made arrangements to meet with the child in Southampton – although in this instance the victim was not real.  

Cornock was charged and appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday 2 August where he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to communicate with a child under 16 for sexual gratification.

Appearing at the same court yesterday, Cornock was sentenced to 14 months in prison, as well as being placed on the sex offenders’ register and being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for a period of ten years.

Description

Sex offender Jordan Larcombe has been jailed for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The 27-year-old, of Landguard Road in Southampton, was initially handed the SHPO on 5 April 2017 after he was convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls on the Isle of Wight.

Under the conditions of the SHPO, Larcombe is prohibited from using any phone or device capable of accessing the internet unless it can retain the internet history. He must also make the device available for inspection on request by police, and he must not delete any internet history or mobile phone use.

On 28 July this year, police officers conducted a visit to Larcombes home address where they examined his devices. He was found to have deleted his online search history a breach of his SHPO.

He had also failed to register 5 new online usernames with police, which amounted to a failure to comply with his sex offender register (SOR) notification requirements.

As a result, he was arrested and charged with breaching his SHPO, and five counts of failing to comply with his SOR requirements.

Larcombe admitted all of the offences, and was sentenced to 16 months in prison when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 24 August this year.

PC Rob Thomas, from the Western Offender Management team, said: Larcombe is a prolific offender and is rightly back in prison for his blatant disregard for the conditions imposed on him.

We take the management of sex offenders incredibly seriously, and invest significant resources into doing everything we can to keep the public safe.

Officers will often make unannounced visits to offenders where they may be subject to an intrusive investigative interview process. This helps us understand an offenders routine, interests and behaviours so we can closely monitor them.

We can also examine their digital devices to ensure they are sticking to the legal requirements imposed on them. These orders are put in place to protect the public, and ensure that individuals do not re-offend.

Where sex offenders fail to comply, as can be seen in Larcombes case, they can and will be returned to jail.

Description

A SEX offender caught by online paedophile hunters was spared an immediate jail term because he suffers from cerebral palsy.

Anthony Albert Witts gets around with the aid of a walker and had to be helped into the dock at Southampton Crown Court.

Witts, 63, of Mansel Road East, Southampton, thought he was in contact with two 13-year-old girls.

But it was a sting carried out by members of a group set up with the aim of flushing out adults who try to groom children online.

Witts, who had no previous convictions, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child in 2021 and engaging in sexual communication with a child in 2022.

Keely Harvey, prosecuting, said Witts sent naked and semi-naked pictures of himself to the people he thought were girls.

The first crime came to light after adult decoys identified and then confronted the defendant. He was arrested by the police and gave a no-comment interview but uttered the words: "I did not even realise."

The defendant was released under investigation and went on to commit the second offence.

Thinking he was in contact with another 13-year-old girl he told her not to be shy and said their contact should remain a secret.

Chris Gaiger, mitigating, said the defendant accepted he had been stupid - not just once but twice.

He added: "He can't give any explanation as to why he engaged in such behaviour again. He should have learned from the first time."

Judge Christopher Parker KC told Witts: "You plainly had a deviant sexual interest in children.

"You attempted to communicate with a 13-year-old girl, not knowing she was a decoy set up by vigilante paedophile hunters.

"When you were being investigated for that you did the same thing again with another supposedly 13-year-old."

Witts was handed a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was also made the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Parker told him: "If it were not for the fact you have cerebral palsy, there is no question you would have immediately been sent downstairs to custody.

"It's difficult to fathom how you could have been so stupid. Had these been real children, the damage caused by you cannot be estimated."

Judge Parker said Witts would go straight to prison if he committed another offence, adding: "Be in no doubt, if I see you again there's no way out."

Description

A SOUTHAMPTON paedophile was caught twice with indecent images of children as young as six.

Liam Davey, 27, had more than 70 images after police seized his devices on two separate occasions, a court was told.

He was first arrested in January 2021 when police visiting his home in Meggeson Avenue found 31 category A images - the most severe kind - 15 category B and 10 category C.

But after being arrested, charged and appearing in court, he was found with more images when police visited him in May this year.

Prosecuting, Keeley Harvey said Davey took officers to another property where more images were found.

He was further charged with possession of 10 category A images, including four movies, three category B, and eight category C.

Of these, 10 or 12 had been saved with some depicting children as young as six or seven.

Ms Harvey added that Davey would not save the images of children that age, but that “those over the age of 12 were, in his view, okay because they were experimenting with their body”.

The court was also told how he had been “distributing and sharing” images which showed children in “pain and distress”.

Davey pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children which he said came from a website where others had shared them with him.

Mitigating, Bridget O’Hagen told Southampton Crown Court that Davey is a “young man who has never had police involvement at all”.

She added that his actions could have stemmed from a childhood incident, currently under investigation by police.

Ms O’Hagen said there are also plans to go to his GP due to suspicions he may have autism.

“He is unlikely to come back before the court in any way shape or form going forward.

“There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

Davey was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment suspended for two years and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

He must attend 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days, carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and register as a sex offender.

Judge, Nicholas Rowland, said the second set of offences had been committed whilst “under investigation and potentially on court bail as well”.

He added that it is because of people like Davey that “those children around the world are repeatedly abused in this dreadful fashion.

“It is a very thinly balanced decision. Just and it is only just, am I able to suspend the sentence.”

Description

A SCHOOLGIRL raped by a ‘vile’ predator had her self-worth destroyed and is still picking up the pieces of her life, those close to her have said.

The young girl was assaulted in Totton by delivery driver Denis Kadena.

The attack left her afraid to go outside on her own and has ‘shrunk’ her confidence.

Kadena, 34, was yesterday jailed at Southampton Crown Court for 11 years with a four-year extended licence for his ‘predatory’ attack.

Kadena raped the victim in the back of his van after taking her to a ‘secluded area’, in what has been described as a ‘horrific ordeal.’

In a statement read out in court, the victim said she is ‘so scared’ she will be attacked again.

She said: “Some days I just want to crawl under a table and hide. He took something special from me.

“I am slowly starting to build myself back up. Now I am hoping I can put this behind me and try to get better.”

In a separate statement, a person close to the girl said: “She now has a long road ahead of her in order to build her confidence.

“I don’t know how to express my feelings for what she is going through for something she did not deserve.”

Another described her as ‘a frightened little girl.’

They said: “She relies very heavily on her phone to make her feel safe.

“She never manages to be out on her own for more than 10 minutes.”

Kadena’s ‘heinous actions’ were subject to a ‘robust’ investigation by Hampshire Constabulary.

Detective Constable Marie Leather said "vile" Kadena was caught by a details police investigation that brought him to justice for his "heinous actions".

She said: “It resulted in allowing us to bring this vile crime to the forefront of the criminal justice system via the courts.”

She said extensive lines of enquiry were carried out by the force’s investigations teams. Jurors were told that Kadena lied and lied throughout.

Officers collected witness statements, underwent house-to-house enquiries, and carried out extensive CCTV scoping.

This included gathering ‘vast quantities’ of Ring doorbell footage from residents and businesses.

DC Leather said: “A stranger rape is an unusual and uncommon occurrence across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight; however, we understand that rape and other sexual offences are one of the most devastating crimes a person can survive and that’s why we prioritise it.

“We take these reports very seriously – exploring all relevant lines of enquiry and ensuring that we gather sufficient evidence promptly in order to aid our investigations.

“On this occasion, there were challenges around sourcing all relevant CCTV footage, however, we persevered and obtained appropriate footage as part of our investigation.”

She added: “The victim is a young girl who has experienced a horrific ordeal at the hands of Kadena and she has been incredibly brave and shown great courage in supporting a prosecution which has led us to Kadena being imprisoned for a significant period of time.”

The victim has been commended for her bravery in reporting the incident to police.

Detective Inspector Claire Shawley said: “If it wasn’t for her bravery, then we would not have been in a position to achieve the result that we have.

“Kadena would still be out on the streets as a risk to others.

“She has been incredibly brave given the trauma she has experienced – especially at such a young age."

Sentencing at court on Thursday, Judge Christopher Parker KC told Kadena: “Your behaviour was opportunistic and there was a predatory element to what you did."

Kadena denied the charges but the court was told he now "takes full responsibility".

Description

A pervert who took indecent images of a 10-year-old girl in Swindon and molested a six-year-old more than a decade earlier has been put behind bars.

John Shannon, from Southampton, was jailed after pleading guilty to five offences including the sexual assault of a child under 13, taking and possessing indecent images of children and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

The 58-year-old was handed a prison sentence of five years and six months at Southampton Crown Court last week.

Shannon was caught out when National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators identified a woman who he had sexually assaulted in 2010.

The victim was just six years old at the time of the assault and was in Shannon’s care.

Shannon was arrested in September, 2022, and was released on conditional bail.

NCA investigators seized his phone and laptop, for analysis, and discovered child abuse material including a category A video, the most serious type, and 13 category C images of a man and a child.

The child, a 10-year-old girl, has since been identified and safeguarded.

The New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times reported that some of these indecent images and videos were found to have been taken at an address in Swindon.

They added that the investigation found Shannon had attended a party at the address, and stayed the night, before recording the images on his mobile phone.

Investigators were able to prove Shannon was in the photos and had taken them himself, while records showed that he had travelled to the location where the pictures were taken.

Shannon was subsequently re-arrested in December, 2022, and charged with these additional offences.

As part of his sentence, Shannon will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Graham Clare from the National Crime Agency said: “Shannon was a repeat offender who clearly has a sexual interest in young girls.

“Having felt he had gotten away with assaulting one child, he went on to take sexualised images of another 12 years later.

“I commend the young woman in this case who showed great bravery in speaking out against him and helping to ensure he was put behind bars.

“Protecting the public, especially children, is the NCA’s top priority. We will continue to ensure those seeking to harm them are identified and jailed for their crimes.”

Description

A Southampton man has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of rape and intentional strangulation following an incident in the Southampton area in September last year.

On Thursday 4 May, 30-year-old Jordan Thomas Campbell was sentenced, after previously being found guilty of rape and intentional strangulation during a trial at Southampton Crown Court on 27 February 2023.

The circumstances surrounding the incident is that Campbell and the victim were known to each other; with the woman coming to Jordan’s aid after seeing him injured in the Southampton area on the evening of Friday 16 September.

They left the area and visited his home address; with the woman concerned for his welfare.

As the woman went to leave the property, Jordan Campbell is said to have become verbally aggressive before assaulting her. He then proceeded to intentionally strangle her before raping her in a room inside the property.

The woman also sustained bruising to her face, neck and chest area as a result of the assault.

Campbell began to harass a woman; sending a barrage of messages, videos, voice messages as well as phone calls over a five-day period between September 17, 2022 and 22 September, 2022.

Campbell, of Westridge Road in Southampton, was later arrested and subsequently charged with rape, intentional strangulation, controlling and coercive behaviour and harassment.

In a victim impact statement, she states that the incident ‘made me feel like I lost control of who I am. Any dignity I had was gone’. She continues to say that she no longer feels ‘normal’, that she ‘doesn’t feel herself’ and that the incident has ‘impacted day-to-day’ how she is feeling and that she ‘cannot got on with her life’.

Jordan Thomas Campbell appearing at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 4 May, was sentenced to 15 years years for rape – nine years custodial sentence and ordered to serve six years on extended licence. He was also sentenced to two years for the non-fatal strangulation offence and 12 months for harassment – these are to be served concurrently.

A restraining order was also granted against contact with the victim. Whilst he was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period of time.

Description

A CHILDREN'S holiday camp worker created a fantasy world to groom more than 70 teenage boys.

Cameron Osman from Southampton would pretend to be a 16-year-old girl 'Lizzielemon' to lure in young boys online.

The 44-year-old used this fake identity on Instagram, MyLol and Love Crush, before moving them on to Google Hangouts, Discord and Skype.

Osman would engage his victim in sexualised chats revolving around a fantasy online world.

He would tell his victims that ‘Lizzielemon’ was from Bristol or Birmingham, that he had a fetish for dominating boys in school uniform and sports kit, and for conducting teacher/student role plays.

He never identified himself, instead telling victims his camera was broken during 2020 and 2021.

The National Crime Agency tracked Osman down to a friend’s address in Crowborough, East Sussex, in September 2021 and arrested him.

He had resigned from his job at a holiday camp activity centre in Hailsham a few days earlier.

His laptop and mobile phone were seized, and Osman was found to have contacted 76 boys in the UK aged between 12 and 16 during the offending period.

Investigators in the United States also uncovered chat logs showing sexualised communication by Osman with underage boys in 27 countries.

He also searched online for underage boys in Columbia, where he was planning to visit.

He was released on bail but continued to offend, leading to his arrest on 27 March this year after a further victim was identified.

Osman pretended to be a younger man on this occasion and shared photos of himself.

Osman appeared at St Albans Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to 36 separate charges, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, and making two category C indecent images of children.

NCA operations manager Danielle Pownall said: “Cameron Osman callously preyed on vulnerable teenage boys, masquerading as a teenage girl for his own sexual gratification.

“I have no doubt, if we had not stopped Osman he would have gone on to commit more severe offending.

“We will continue to work with our partners across the world to combat the perpetrators of online child sexual abuse, and hold people like Osman accountable for their crimes.”

Osman is due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 30 June.

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A PENSIONER has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a child in Southampton. 

David Seagrave was found guilty by a jury of six charges.

These included two allegations of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault of a child.

He was also convicted of a single count of exposure at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday. 

The case has now been adjourned until May 31 for sentencing. 

Seagrave, 83, of Witts Hill, Southampton was found not guilty of an allegation of sexual assault. He was also cleared of an allegation that he exposed himself in a pub.

Giving his closing speech earlier in the trial, Simon Walters raised doubts about the prosecution's witnesses saying that the alleged exposure in the pub "just doesn't make sense".

The pensioner denied all the offences.

Description

A convicted paedophile was caught with more than 8,000 indecent images of children as young as three.

Gary Bowden was found with pictures and videos on multiple devices when police raided his home.

The 32-year-old failed to tell officers about a new phone despite being subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) he was given for a previous offence.

Officers who searched his devices found a total of 8,465 indecent images including 1,926 category A images – the most serious type.

Prosecuting, Leigh Hart said the photos depicted children as young as three being abused.

Bowden of Mescott Meadows, Hedge End, gave no comment during his police interview.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of children as well as breaching an SHPO for owning the phone.

The defendant, who has four previous convictions for 24 offences - including making or distributing indecent images - appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday for sentencing.

Mitigating, Keely Harvey said her client had been “very open and honest” and had “indicated his guilty plea very early on”.

“He always accepted that these images would be found.”

She said he was surprised by the number of images that were found adding that her client “needs some help”.

Judge Brian Forster KC, said: “It is a bad case because of the number of class A images.

“This case must be seen against the background of your previous offending.

“This was a deliberate breach. You were fully aware of the terms of your order.

“There is no doubt that the possession of these images falls within the most serious category."

Bowden, who was produced from custody, was given a total of 24 months in prison as well as an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He must also abide by notification requirements for the next 10 years.

A further order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of his phone and devices.

Judge Forster added: “I hope he can get through this and make more of his life in future.”

Description

A Southampton man has been jailed for committing rape and a number of sexual assaults.

Bradley Herring, 30, of Bracklesham Close, Southampton, was sentenced to six years and two months in prison at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (24 March).

This comes after he pleaded guilty to offences including rape and two counts of sexual assault.

On 22 January, Herring raped a woman in her 20s at a different address in the east of the city.

The assaults happened on 1 January last year, when Herring carried out sexual acts in the presence of a teenage woman at an address in the east of the city.

Since the incidents were reported to us, both women have been supported by specialist officers.

A 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed on Herring which means that when he is released, he will have to abide by strict conditions or face being sent back to prison. He was also made to sign the sex offenders register for life.

DC Marie Leather works in Operation Amberstone, the specialist team which deals with rape cases, and investigated the rape. DC Daisy Green from Southampton Investigations was the officer in the case for the sexual assaults.

They said: “Firstly we would like to praise both women for the bravery they have shown for coming forward and reporting these horrific crimes to us, and during the investigation and court process.

“Herring is a sexual predator and now he is locked up, he cannot harm another woman.

“Our teams work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice and I hope this result encourages other women or men who have been victims of sexual offences to speak to us, no matter when the incidents took place.

“You will be listened to, respected and supported by us.”