Latest Offenders Southampton

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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.

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AN EX-MARINE has avoided jail after he downloaded more than a thousand indecent images of children.

John Oldroyd, 54 of Yorke Way, Hamble-le-Rice downloaded over 1,000 images of children being abused over a seven-year period.

However, police raided his home when they were tipped off by a service provider.

Officers examining his devices found a stash of indecent images including 95 Category A files - the most serious category.

They also found 112 category B images and 845 category C.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, Oldroyd who served 15 years in the Royal Marines, was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

He previously pleaded guilty to the offences committed between 2013 and 2020.

Prosecuting, James Kellam told the court that the website used to obtain the images is notorious but refused to name the site.

He said I ask that the two computers be destroyed adding that it is most important that the hard drives are also disposed of.

But defence barrister, Laura Hollingberry said Oldroyd is very much aware of the impact that this offending has on countless child victims.

She added that since he was arrested two years ago, he has sought the help of a psychotherapist and described the past couple of years as the worst two years of his life.

Described as a charitable man in court, Oldroyd works at a boat and yacht yard doing maintenance as well as doing unpaid work for charities.

The court Recorder, Mr Recorder Don Tait, said to him: Im sure if you didnt appreciate it before that you appreciate it now. This sort of offence is not a victimless offence by any means.

But he added though that Oldroyd had helped police as soon as they became aware of the images, surrendering the devices.

He imposed an 18-month community order to include up to 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Oldroyd was handed a five-year sexual harm protection order.

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A SOUTHAMPTON paedophile was caught with indecent screenshots of a young girl taken from Snapchat, a court heard.

Philip Coley searched the internet for terms including topless 12-year-old.

Prosecution barrister, Lucy Conroy told how the 39-year-old of Bitterne Road East, had images of children being raped and abused.

When police raided his home in Bitterne Road East, they seized a Samsung mobile telephone.

The device was subject to interrogation and contained a mix of images and videos showing youngsters being abused.

Ms Conroy told how Coley had screenshots from a Snapchat conversation involving imagery of a young girl involved in sexual activity.

Furthermore, he had three prohibited, overt and lewd cartoon images of children aged between eight and 12-years-old.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children. Some 53 files ranged from category A, the most serious, to category C.

He was also charged with possessing prohibited images of children. Coley admitted the offences spanning August and September of 2020.

Mitigating, Paul Walker said his client had no previous convictions and urged the judge to suspend any custodial sentence.

But Judge Christopher Parker QC jailed him for a total of 16 months.

Coley will also be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Commenting on the case, Detective Constable Andy Sims warned that children are particularly vulnerable to exploitation online with increased use of social media apps.

He said: Throughout our investigation Coley refused to identify his victim, meaning that somewhere out there is a child who has been abused by this man and needs support. We will continue to give him every opportunity to provide us with her details or give us any information which allows us to identify her. Online predators use various social media apps but in this case, it was Snapchat. Although Snapchat uses self-delete technology where images are deleted after a short period of time, the recipient can still take a screenshot so they can keep a permanent copy of the image.

"Lots of information and advice for parents and young people is available, especially at this time, which is Online Safety Week.

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19-YEAR-OLD IS CHARGED FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT OF SCHOOL GIRL AND SECOND OFFENCE IN SOUTHAMPTON

Hampshire and IoW News

Officers have charged a man after a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Wimpson Lane in Southampton at 7.30am on Tuesday 14th December.

Jack Stott, 19, of Orion Close, Southampton, has been charged with two counts sexual assault.

The second count relates to an incident in Shirley Road, Southampton, on December 1, 2021.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court this morning (December 18).

The victims both continue to be supported by specialist officers.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of sexual assault after a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Wimpson Lane at 7.30am on Tuesday 14 December.

It was reported a man unknown to her approached her and her friend and sexually assaulted her.

Police appealed for information, witnesses and dash cam footage and for anyone who can assist to get in touch with detectives.

Hampshire police previously said;

"We urge anyone who was in the area of Wimpson Lane or Romsey Road between 7.20am and 7.40am on Tuesday morning to get in touch with us.

Today, as part of our enquiries, we have arrested a 19-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of sexual assault.

He remains in police custody at this time.

The girl continues to be supported by specialist officers."

As we previously reported Hampshire police released further details in the Manhunt for a pervert who sexually assaulted a 12-Year-Old girl whilst she was walking along Whimpson Lane in Millbrook with her 13-Year-Old friend on Tuesday morning.

The attack on the girl has left parents horrified and many are ensuring their children currently do not walk to school on their own. Additional safety measures have been put in place today by both the local schools and police.

Police have told us the suspect has been described as white with a stocky build and below average height, wearing an orange hi-vis jacket, dark blue working men’s trousers and working boots.

Detectives said that that the man was on foot, walking from Romsey Road into Wimpson Lane and he walked back from Wimpson Lane into Romsey Road. This was between 7.20am and 7.40am.

The girl who was assaulted, who is 12-years-old, is being supported by specialist officers.

Her friend, a 13-year-old girl who was with her at the time, acted quickly and called the police.

Officers then deployed to the area immediately and carried out thorough area search to try and locate the offender.

Police then sent out teams to carry out house to house enquiries in the area and scope CCTV opportunities.

Officers have also alerted schools in the area about the incident.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Wiseman said: “This is very worrying incident and our absolutely priority is to identify this man.

“Whilst we have increased patrols in the area and are carrying out enquiries, we want to ask anyone who was in Wimpson Lane yesterday morning around this time who saw a man matching this description, to get in contact with us.

“We know that the man was on foot, walking from Romsey Road into Wimpson Lane and he walked back from Wimpson Lane into Romsey Road. This was between 7.20am and 7.40am.

“We are specifically keen to hear from anyone who was driving along Wimpson Lane at this time with dash cam footage to come forward, you may have captured valuable footage that will help us identify this man.

“Anyone with information must contact us as soon as possible. This is a priority for us"

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Boots shop assistant, Bethany Funnell repeatedly pleaded for Chinwem Nwachuku to leave her alone.

However, on multiple occasions, he turned up at her store in Above Bar Street making comments about her appearance and making her feel uncomfortable.

Prosecution barrister, Richard Martin, told how the defendant was asked several times to leave Boots despite being banned.

Southampton Crown Court heard how Nwachuku looked Miss Funnell up and down and told her “you know you’re my type”.

Mr Martin told how the incident left the victim scared to walk through Southampton on her own.

In her victim personal statement dated from October this year, Miss Funnell said: “When this man started stalking me, I said that I was ‘concerned for my welfare as I do not know where his boundaries lie,’ I can tell you today that I am no longer concerned for my welfare, I am terrified.”

She added: “I should be able to go about my day-to-day life without having to call my mum in hysterics because I’m scared... without my dad telling me that I need to leave my place of employment, as I am no longer safe there... without my partner having to continuously listen to my worries.”

During a separate occasion, involving another victim, the defendant went into a store in Westquay - where he was also banned - and approached an assistant.

After asking for her name and number, Nwachuku touched the woman’s hair telling her “you’re nice” and “you have a nice shape to you”.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with sexual assault, and stalking without fear/alarm/distress.

He was found guilty of stalking but admitted to the charge of sexual assault.

The 40-year-old had been living with his brother in Southampton at the time of the offences during the summer of last year.

However, he now lives with his mother in Vale Road, Finsbury Park, London.

Defending, David Kemeny said a sentence would be best severed by his client learning how to talk to women and how to talk to other people in a respectful way.

Judge Nicholas Rowland jailed him for ten months, however, suspended the sentence for two years.

Nwachuku must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, 31, sessions on the Horizon programme and ten rehabilitation activity days.

He has also been made the subject of a restraining order not to contact his victims.

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A MAN has been sentenced to two years in prison after he sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl while she was playing in a Southampton park.

Giovanni Sagaria, from Southampton, assaulted the girl in August while she was playing in the play park at Houndwell Park, Southampton.

The child was completely unknown to the 33-year-old and the brave victim was able to tell her family what had happened straight away.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault in September 2021 and was sentenced to two years imprisonment on Friday.

Samantha Wright, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “The child in this case was completely unknown to Sagaria. She told her family what had happened straightaway which meant that police were able to identify the perpetrator very quickly.

“The strength of the evidence meant that he had no choice but to plead guilty.

“The CPS, working in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary, was able to deliver swift justice to ensure Sagaria received the appropriate punishment for his crime.

“We would like to thank the brave victim and her family for reporting this case to the police and for supporting the prosecution case.”

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Michael Slater groomed his vulnerable young victim making her feel disgusted at herself, a court heard

Prosecution barrister, Catherine Donnelly, told how the teen now feels anxious around older men.

In a victim personal statement read out in court, she said: “I hope one day I get over the disgust I have in myself.”

The girl who cannot be named for legal reasons said how Slater’s abuse and the fallout surrounding its revelation had impacted some of her relationships.

She described this as like having “one of her arms chopped off”.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, Slater, 37, of the Compass, was charged with two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty to one of the charges and denied the other.

But following a trial at Southampton Crown Court earlier this year, he was found guilty.

Ms Donnelly told the court how Slater has 12 previous convictions to 12 offences.

These include dishonesty, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly.

However, he has no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Defending, Alejandra Tascon, said her client suffered from ADHD, emotionally unstable personality disorder and sexual dysfunction issues.

She added that Slater had been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis at the time of the offences and “should have known better”.

She also argued that Slater had been sexually and physically abused from a young age.

For the offences which happened between March 2020 and January 2021, Judge Nicholas Rowland jailed him for a total of five years.

He must register as a sex offender for life and was given a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Slater has also been given a five-year restraining order not to contact his victim.

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Daniel Turnbull breached a sexual harm prevention order by having a teenager in his car.

The 33-year-old of High Road pleaded guilty to the offence which happened in South Street, Titchfield, earlier this month.

According to documents from Portsmouth Magistrates' Court, the incident was a deliberate breach of a crown court order.

It was deemed so serious only a custodial sentence could be justified.

Turnbull was jailed for six months and ordered to pay a £128 victim surcharge.

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Phomnarin Harawan, 20, pinned his victim down during the attacks, Southampton Crown Court was told.

Prosecution barrister Nick Tucker said the defendant promised her money not to report the abuse.

The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reportedly tried to kick out at Harawan, 20, of Portchester Road, when he launched his sexual attacks.

He was arrested in January last year and during a police interview told officers he assumed his victim was “fine” with what happened.

Harawan denied having any sexual gratification from the offences and claimed it was a way of expressing the anger he felt about various aspects of his life.

He was charged with rape, assault by penetration and two counts of attempted rape.

Harawan, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to all offences.

Defending, barrister, Gemma White, told the court that her client had admitted to his crimes and should be given appropriate credit in his sentence.

She added there had been a delay of 18 months for the case to be dealt with.

Ms White also said Harawan’s early days at school had been difficult, with the experience impacting his social development.

The court recorder, Adam Feest QC, said that Harawan’s victim had shown remarkable courage and strength of character.

Harawan was jailed for eight years. He will serve at least two-thirds of this sentence and will be on licence when he is released.

He has been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until a further order is made.

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The NSPCC has slammed the “sickening online trade” in images of child abuse.

It comes after a Southampton man was jailed after being caught with 7,363 indecent images.

Jason George Street, of Flamborough Close, was sent down for 30-months at Southampton Crown Court earlier this week.

The 51-year-old had searched the internet for terms such as ‘seven-year-old children’.

During a police interview, he blamed his offending on the stress of caring for his ill father.

However, the 51-year-old has previous convictions dating from 2012 when offices found 11,200 images on his computer.

Commenting on the case, an NSPCC spokesperson said: “Street’s repeated engagement with indecent images of children shows a complete disregard for the harrowing ordeals they have faced and has helped to fuel a sickening online trade in this content.

“The fact that offenders like Street can use the internet as a tool to indulge in their repugnant desires proves the need for stronger legislation and regulation of online sites.

“The NSPCC will continue to lobby the Government to ensure the proposed Online Safety Bill is not only robust and effective but has the safety of children at its heart.”

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A 74-year-old man from Netley Abbey was found guilty of non-recent sexual offences against children by a jury at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 26 July.

Alan Kenneth Jerrim of Wykeham Road, Netley Abbey was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault of a girl under 13 and one count of assault by penetration of a girl under 13.

Jerrim committed his crimes against two different children between 1981 and 1983 in Hamble.

He will be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 2 September.

Police Constable Nicole Houghton, the Officer in Case, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Amberstone Unit said “We would like to commend the women who have shown incredible bravery and courage in coming forward. These are extremely difficult times for these women and it would not have been easy, both emotionally and physically, for either of them to have to re-live their ordeals from when they were younger.

“We know how hard it is to come forward and report these offences, but it is vital to bring those responsible for these offences to justice.

“We are committed to getting justice for victims and have specially trained officers to support them through the process.

“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse to contact police on 101 where you can speak with our specialist detectives in confidence.”

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A SOUTHAMPTON man sent intimate photos of an ex-partner to her 84-year-old godmother as part of a revenge porn attack, a court heard.

Mick Kevin Domican also messaged the intimate photos to six other people, including the woman’s mother and sister.

Prosecution barrister, Alex Lloyd told how the elderly woman was disgusted that someone would share such images.

Domican, 36, used his phone and Facebook messenger to send three photos which had been taken during the relationship.

Mr Lloyd described the images as “quite explicit”.

He said the messages from Domican were “only really brought to an end when police arrested him”.

Mr Lloyd read out a victim personal statement in which the woman said she could not understand Domican’s behaviour, adding that she was worried he would send further images.

She said: “I do not want any further issues from him.”

Domican, of Landguard Road, was charged with nine counts of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.

He was also charged with a single count of sending by public communication network an offensive/indecent/obscene/menacing message/matter.

He was also accused of breaching a suspended sentence.

Domican pleaded guilty to the offences which happened over five days in October last year.

Defending, Oliver Foy said that his client “struggles with alcoholism and his recollection of what happened is not great”.

He argued that the images were not put on a public forum and there was no significant planning.

Mr Foy added: “The cause of his offending is obvious, even to himself. He offends when he drinks.”

At sentencing, Judge Peter Henry said how Domican has 29 previous convictions involving 72 offences.

These include battery, harassment and breaching community orders.

Judge Henry criticised his actions saying he had intended to cause maximum distress and to humiliate his victim.

He jailed Domican for ten months and made him the subject of a five year restraining order.