Latest Offenders Southampton

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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.

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On 9 February 2019 the victim, who is from the Isle of Wight, was socialising with friends in Ventnor. Liam Morrow of Hartington Road in Southampton spoke to them and tagged along with the group who were considerably younger than he was.

During the course of the day Morrow drank coffee while the victim consumed alcohol. The victim was later separated from the group and raped by Morrow. She stated that she was not consenting and never would have consented to sexual intercourse.

Specialist officers provided support to the victim throughout the subsequent complex investigation which saw Morrow charged with rape and assault by penetration under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA).

On Monday 9 August at Isle of Wight Crown Court, Morrow was sentenced to nine years in prison for rape and seven years in prison for assault by penetration. Both sentences will be served concurrently, meaning that Morrow was jailed for nine years in total.

Investigating officer DC Jessica Hughes said: “I hope this sentence provides some comfort to the victim that Morrow is now in prison for a considerable length of time, where he can’t pose a threat to vulnerable young women. I hope that this result helps the victim to move past this distressing sexual assault, so that she can live her life safe in the knowledge that justice has been delivered by the court. I’d like to commend her for her actions throughout the investigation that have helped us to secure this outcome.

“I’d also urge all victims of sexual assault to contact us. We work tirelessly on investigations such as this to ensure that victims are supported by ourselves and partner agencies as we seek to secure convictions for these types of offences. No-one should feel reluctant to report this kind of crime. Victims will be listened to, supported and encouraged by the police, CPS and other agencies”.

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Simon Matthew Virgo sent sexual messages to a ‘teenage girl’ named Mollie.

The 37-year-old contacted her through an online messaging program called Kik.

Prosecution attorney Emily Lanham said “The” messages back and forth contained references to implied sexual acts and whether or not she liked old men. ”

Daily Echo: Simon Virgo covers his face outside Southampton Crown Court.Simon Virgo covers his face outside Southampton Crown Court.

However, Virgo, of Walker Gardens, Hedge End, actually spoke to police officers.

After a raid on his home, officers seized two cellphones and two Ipads.

They found obscene images of children suspected of being abused between the ages of six and eleven.

He appears before Southampton Crown Court and is charged with two counts of indecent photographs of a child and a single charge that he was an adult who wanted to engage in sexual communication with a child.

During an earlier trial, he pleaded guilty to the offenses that took place between June and December 2019.

Defendant Jamie Gammon said his client was of good character and had no previous convictions.

Daily Echo: The 37-year-old actually spoke to police officers. The 37-year-old actually spoke to police officers.

He argued that the judge should suspend any indemnity sentence and added that if he gets a jail sentence, ‘he will be released and face a future without support’.

Mr Gammon, said: ‘My submission is that he can be helped and that he wants help.

Judge Christopher Parker QC warned that if Mollie was actually a child “the situation could be very different”.

He also mentioned ‘positive references from a number of people’.

Judge Parker sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for 12 years.

Virgo must complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation.

He was ordered to pay £ 340 in costs.

Furthermore, he must register as a sexual offender for seven years and he will prevent an order against sexual harm for the same period.

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Matthew Peter Wood sent a young girl intimate images as well as videos showing him touching himself.

Using Facebook Messenger, the 19-year-old of Old Redbridge Road, asked the girl called Sophie to send him naked photos.

However, Wood was speaking with a decoy account using the name of a fictional person which had been set up to snare paedophiles.

Prosecution barrister, Jonathan Underhill, told how Wood was later confronted by a group of paedophile hunters who travelled to Southampton.

He initially denied the accusations against him and claimed his phone had been hacked.

However, he was then shown screenshots of his interactions with Sophie and admitted to what he had done.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court he was charged with intentionally attempting to communicate with a person under 16 who he did not reasonably believe to be 16 or over, the communication being intended to encourage her to make a communication that was sexual. He was also charged with intentionally attempting to cause a child to look at an image of himself engaging in sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between April and July last year at an earlier hearing.

Defending, Mark Florida-James, said his client has had depression since he was 12 years old when his girlfriend at the time died.

Mr Florida-James said: “Put quite bluntly Mr Wood is still a young man. He is terrified of what might happen to him.”

At sentencing, Judge Peter Henry, said “I make it clear also that I have concerns about the ways of these so-called paedophile hunters because there is a narrow line between people who really are doing it for virtuous reasons and those who do it for recognition on Facebook."

He jailed him for six months, suspended for two years. Wood must complete 60 rehabilitation activity days and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Furthermore, he has been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for seven years and must register as a sex offender for the same period.

He warned: “Had this been a real child, you would be going down those steps behind you.”

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A SOUTHAMPTON man tried to humiliate a woman by sending revenge porn to her mother, a court heard.

Adam Keith Parker, 30, had access to the woman's online cloud storage account meaning he could see all of her photos.

Parker sent a naked photo and another image of his victim wearing see-through items to her mother last year.

He was eventually reported to the police.

A Crown Prosecution Service solicitor said that the messages caused the woman a “massive amount of anxiety” and she is now wanting to be assessed for PTSD.

In a statement, the woman said she was left feeling emotionally exhausted knowing Parker had been through her account “stalking and keeping tabs” on her.

At Southampton Magistrates' Court he pleaded guilty to disclosing private sexual photographs without consent with the intention of causing distress.

Defending, Oliver O’Connor, argued that the images were not in the public domain and the offence was not as serious as if he had been “plastering them on the internet”.

District Judge Peter Greenfield scolded Parker, saying he had intended to humiliate his victim.

He jailed him for 12 weeks, suspended for 12 months.

Parker must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and pay £500 in compensation.

He must also pay a £128 victim surcharge and £85 in court costs.

Parker is subject to a restraining order for two years and three months.

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Steven Thomas Scott had more than 5,000 indecent images of youngsters on various hard drives, a court heard.

These ranged from category A - the most serious type - to category C images at the lower end of the spectrum.

The 39-year-old of Chiltern Green also had almost 300 prohibited images of children - a mix of photos and videos.

Scott was identified by police during an investigation into users of a file-sharing network, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, a single count of distributing indecent photographs and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between April and December 2019.

Defending, Ed Warren, argued that his client had mental health issues.

At sentencing, Judge Peter Henry described the images as both disturbing and revolting.

However, he said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Scott was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years.

He must complete 43 sessions on an accredited sexual offender group work programme and 60 rehabilitation activity days.

Scott was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

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Robert Oakley exposed himself to two women out walking their dogs on separate occasions, a court heard.

The 51-year-old, of Lyons Street, Southampton, followed his victims before pleasuring himself in front of them in Frog Lane, Fordingbridge.

Both were left “badly frightened”.

Oakley still denies two charges of indecent exposure he was accused of, however, following a three day trial at Southampton Crown Court, he was found guilty.

Prosecuting, Siobhan Linsley said the offences were aggravated by his antecedence.

Defending, Gaylene Coles said that her client had suffered a number of traumatic events as a child.

She mentioned that he had issues with alcoholism in the past.

During sentencing, Judge Gary Burrell QC said that Oakley “seemed quite belligerent and arrogant” during his trial.

He said: “This sort of offence can sometimes lead to contact offences.

“You badly frightened both of these women. One was quite robust about it but the other was clearly frightened and scared by your behaviour. She was upset.”

He added: “You have exposed yourself to women before, but these offences are still aggravating factors.

“They were alone and where no one was around, and they were therefore vulnerable.”

For the offences which happened on January 25 and 28 last year, he was jailed for six months and made the subject of a five-year restraining order against one of his victims.

He must sign on as a sex offender for seven years.

Commenting on an earlier occasion, PC Sarah Taylor said: “We would like to thank those women who came forward and told us what happened to them. Being subjected to something like this can be very distressing and shocking, sometimes leaving a victim unsure of what to do or how to report this kind of thing to us. We absolutely want to receive your call and bring offenders like Oakley to justice. If it’s happening now, always call 999. These incidents rightly concerned the community in Fordingbridge at the time and we’re pleased to be able to say now that we were able to put a stop to this, with the community’s help.”

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TWO people have been jailed for a catalogue of sexual offences committed against three girls in Southampton over a 12-year period.

Two of the victims were sitting in court as Kim Raquet and Tina Haynes were locked up for 12 years and three years respectively.

The offences were committed between 1981 and 1993, when the girls were aged nine-15.

Following a trial at Southampton Crown Court Raquet, 61, of Goodlands Cale, Hedge End, was convicted of six offences of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.

Haynes, 57, of Hunts Mead, Sherbourne, Dorset, was convicted of three counts of child cruelty and one of indecency with a child.

The crimes came to light after after police were finally alerted in 2017, the court heard.

In a personal impact statement read to the court one of the victims said: "One of the hardest things I had to do was tell my husband and children what happened to me and ask for their support.

"Having to tell my parents was so difficult. To see them visibly upset made me so angry."

Referring to the ordeal of giving evidence at the trial she added: "I have never been so scared, nervous and humiliated in my life."

Richard Tutt, representing Haynes, said: "She has asked me to make an apology in open court to the two victims of her offending. She is extremely sorry for what they went through."

Mr Tutt said Haynes's co-defendant was "verbally violent" towards her.

He added: "She took the course of least resistance and did not confront Raquet. She accepts she could and should have acted differently.

"Over the past 32 years she has led an unblemished life."

Helen Easterbrook, representing Raquet, said the people he worked with had always regarded him as an outstanding member of the community. She also referred to his voluntary work.

Judge Christopher Parker QC said the victims suffered "severe psychological harm" as a result of being abused "again and again".

He told the defendants: "The harm you caused - particularly you Mr Raquet - could only be assessed as severe. This investigation and the trial process has touched the rawest of nerves.

"The vast majority of the offences were committed not over days, weeks or months but over years."

Judge Parker said Raquet was the main perpetrator but told Haynes: "You had plenty of choices you could exercise which these girls could not."

Speaking after the case Detective Constable Mark Harris said: “I cannot praise the victims enough for the bravery and courage they have shown in reporting what happened. The actions of Raquet and Haynes have had a significant impact on their lives.

“I hope this sentence goes some way in helping them move forward.

“I also hope this sentence will encourage others who have suffered this type of abuse, no matter when it happened, to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.”