Latest Offenders Southampton

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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.”

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Richard Crook who volunteered as a Scout leader started a sexual relationship with a teenage girl from Southampton, a court heard.

Postman abused boy in Royal Mail van - and even befriended victim's father

The 41-year-old formerly of Vine Road claimed they had even planned the pregnancy.

Prosecution barrister, Gary Rutter said that Crook knew his victim was 14-years-old and would have seen her wearing her school uniform.

He added: The defendant would take her to hotels for the purpose of sex.

CCTV was even recovered showing him and his victim at Sutton Scotney services on the A34, according to Mr Rutter.

Crook, who installs CCTV security systems for a living was eventually arrested after raising suspicions.

Man who downloaded indecent images 'never considered children were being abused'

Man who sent messages to 12-year-old girl claimed to be 'paedophile hunter'

However, he was released on bail and the sexual relationship resumed.

He was arrested again after the girl told a teacher she was five weeks pregnant.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

He pleaded guilty to the offences which took place between July and December last year.

Mitigating, Richard Tutt said: Mr Crook has asked me on his behalf to apologise to both the victim and to her family.

Mr Tutt told how his clients marriage had been deteriorating and that he had been drinking heavily.

Judge Christopher Parker QC said there had been an element of grooming.

Former Bank of England employee took out 300 to pay for sex with '11-year-old girl'

'I was terrified he was going to kill me': Paedophile raped girl in ca r

And the judge heard how a report - which he agreed with - had concluded that Crook represents a continued danger to young girls from the age of 13 and up.

However, Judge Parker said that Crook had not used his position as a Scout leader to abuse or take advantage of the girl.

He was jailed for 14-years and will be released on licence.

He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

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Shaun Higginson, 47, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to a total of eight offences including one count of attempted rape of a female under 16, one count of gross indecency with a girl under 14 and six counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14.

The charges relate to offences that took place against one child between 1987 and 1992 in Southampton.

Today, Higginson was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court to a total of 13 years in jail and handed a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Mark Harris from Hampshire Constabulary’s Amberstone team said “Firstly I would like to commend the woman for her courage and bravery in telling us what happened to her when she was young.

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A "PREDATORY" man who lured a woman into his van and repeatedly raped her has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Shafiullah Zahid, 33, of Sirdar Road, Southampton, approached the woman, who was alone after a night out in Southampton, and spoke to her.

Southampton Crown Court heard that the victim was offered a lift home by Zahid, before he drove her to an unknown location and attacked her in his vehicle.

Zahid pleaded not guilty but was found guilty of two charges of rape after a trial.

Detective Constable Sue Hampton said: “I would like to commend the woman’s courage for doing what she did and reporting the incident to the police.

"With her help, we have been able to identify a man who’s behaviour we can only describe as predatory.

“From the start, Zahid completely disregarded his crime and at no point has he considered the impact he has had on this woman.

“We want to show you that no matter the circumstances, Hampshire Constabulary is committed to supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault and we will do everything we can to identify offenders and put them in front of a court.”

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: "If you’ve been the victim, please report rape or sexual assault as soon as possible.

"Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we’d sooner hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

"If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.

"There are a range of places to get support, advice and medical help.

"You can speak to a number of organisations in confidence and what you tell them won't be shared with the police unless you ask for it to be."

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Louis Alexander Szasz never considered the fact that children were being abused, a judge was told.

The 41-year-old “just stumbled across” the photos and “didn’t know why he downloaded them”.

Prosecution barrister, Rose Burns told how police had found a large number of files on a MacBook and external hard drive belonging to Szasz.

These included 683 category A images - the most serious category - as well as extreme pornography involving animals.

Ms Burns told how officers had gone to his home address in Bridge Road, on May 18, 2019.

During a police interview the next day he said he did not look at images often and was not addicted to them.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, the water cooler engineer faced six charges with the offences taking place between August 2016 and May 2019.

These included making indecent photographs of a child and distributing indecent images.

The court heard how Szasz had used the “black” or dark web to download files.

Some of these had then been distributed via a sharing application.

Defending, Peter Asteris said that his client had never been before a court before.

He described him as extremely vulnerable and suffering from extremely low self-esteem.

Mr Asteris argued that Szasz cares for his terminally ill father and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

During sentencing, Mr Recorder Richard Smith QC said that the offences had crossed the custody threshold.

However, he said how Szaz had sought to address his behaviour and that there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

He was given a 30-month community order, must complete 40 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Szasz will be the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Mr Smith warned if Szasz failed the order he would have no one to blame but himself.

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A Southampton man has been jailed for 13 years after he attempted to rape a woman while she slept.

Amro Badawi, age 28, of Mandela Way, Southampton denied the offences which included one count of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault.

After a five day trial in December, a jury at Southampton Crown Court found him guilty of attempted rape and sexual assault by penetration.

During the trial, the court heard that a woman went out with work colleagues to a Southampton bar.

At around 3.30am, she got a taxi back to her flat where she went to sleep.

Sometime between 4am and 5am, the woman awoke to a man lying behind her, sexually assaulting her. The court heard that the woman froze in fear before the man then attempted to rape her.

She managed to shout and push the man away to get him off her before he left the room. The woman then reported the incident to the police.

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On 18 December 2020, Mr Badawi was convicted of the attempted rape and sexual assault by penetration by a jury at Southampton Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of rape.

On Thursday (January 21) he appeared at Southampton Crown Court for sentencing where he was jailed for 13 years.

Detective Constable Sue Hampton from Operation Amberstone commended the victim for having the courage to come forward.

She said: "Badawi is an opportunist and a danger to women and I would like to commend the victim for her courage in disclosing what happened that night and for giving evidence in court so that he could be brought to justice.

"I welcome today’s sentence and hope that it brings some closure to the victim and allows her to move on in her life.

"I also hope it encourages other victims of rape and serious sexual offences to come forward and report what happened.

"In cases such as these, we work in partnership with Independent Sexual Violence Advocate Services to ensure adequate support is available victims throughout investigations.

"We hope that the strength of this partnership working alongside convictions like this, encourage victims to come forward and report their experiences to us."

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A PERVERT has admitted making hundreds of images of children and having an extreme pornographic images involving animals. A PERVERT has admitted making hundreds of images of children and having an extreme pornographic images involving animals.

Philip Smith appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court and admitted the four charges put to him.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to making 419 moving indecent images of children in Worcester at category A, the most serious offence, between December 4, 2013, and June 23, 2018.

During the same period he made 223 moving indecent images of children, and two still, at category B.

And also between those dates he made in Worcester 98 moving indecent images of children, and six still images at category C.

He further admitted possessing nine extreme pornographic images, on June 26, 2018, that were described as an act of intercourse with a dead or alive animal.

Shafquat Reaz, prosecuting at the court on December 17 said the starting point for the category A offence alone was one year, so submitted the case should be sent to Worcester Crown Court.

Richard Hull, defending Smith of Portsmouth Road, Southampton, agreed and made no submissions.

David Shadwell, the chairman of the magistrates bench, said: We agree it is not suitable for summary trial.

A pre sentence report, which will help the judge determine his sentence, was also ordered.

The case was set for Worcester Crown Court on December 17.

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Yang Wang put his hand up his victim’s skirt and kissed her as she sat slumped unconscious.

The 23-year-old Southampton University student could be seen laughing as he groped her in CCTV footage played at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday, December 15.

The sexual assault took place at a “snug room” in Cumberland Place Halls of residence on March 2 this year.

Prosecution barrister, Natasha Dardashti told how the woman could not remember what had happened and would not have consented to anyone touching her.

Furthermore, she gave no impact statement.

Following his arrest, Wang who was accompanied by a lawyer gave a no comment interview but after being shown the CCTV footage gave a statement.

Read out in court by defence barrister Justin McClintock, it said: “I fully accept that my behaviour is such that I sexually assaulted this female. I am appalled by my behaviour and what I have done.”

Mr McClintock argued his client is academically bright having achieved a distinction in his studies but is “ultimately very immature”.

During sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland described the assault as both ugly and serious. He scolded Wang saying the girl was particularly vulnerable as she was unconscious. Jailed for 12-months he will have to register as a sex offender for ten years.

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A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison today (Friday 27 April) following a three week trial at Southampton Crown Court last month.

The jury found Abdi Mohammed, 21, of Tennyson Road guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman on August 19 in 2016 at an address in St Marys after meeting her outside Oceana nightclub.

The woman was on a night out at Oceana nightclub with her friends when she became separated from them. Outside the club Mohammed took advantage of the woman, finding her alone and vulnerable, and put her in a car and drove her to an address in Derby Road where he raped her.

After her ordeal, the woman bravely fled the address on foot and alerted security staff at Royal South Hants Hospital on Brintons Terrace.

Detectives investigating the rape arrested Mohammed a week later and charged him in July 2017. He was identified through CCTV analysis and forensic evidence.

Today, Mohammed has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Detective Inspector Toby Elcock said: This was a complex and protracted case of the rape of a young woman on a night out in Southampton.

I firstly want to commend the bravery of the young woman and thank her for the dedication she has given to the case that has allowed us to bring this offender to justice today. We would not have been able to achieve this result without her support.

Mohammed preyed upon this young woman who found herself outside a nightclub, separated from friends, alone and vulnerable. He coerced her to go with him, convinced her that he had her best interests at heart by helping her get home, but instead took her to an address where he raped her.

Hampshire Constabulary is dedicated to getting justice for victims and ensuring Southampton is a safe place to enjoy nights out. Remember to look out for each other, avoid walking alone and plan how you are going to get home with friends.

I hope this sentence today goes someway to giving the woman closure and reassures her, and the communities in Hampshire, that justice has been served."