Latest Offenders Staffordshire

Description

A twisted predator has been jailed after grooming a teenage girl from Birmingham. Vile Aaron Harvey was caged for 18 years for rape and sexual assaults on the victim.

The 35-year-old, from Rugeley, Staffs, groomed the girl over a period of two years. Harvey’s sick crimes came to light when the girl bravely spoke out, telling officers the abuse first started when she was 14.

Harvey was arrested on August 14, 2022 and taken into custody. Officers seized his iPhone where they discovered extreme pornographic videos and website searches for extreme sex.

Harvey pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, eight sexual assaults and one charge of possessing extreme pornography when he appeared at court earlier this month. He was then handed a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order as he was sent to prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, April 26.

DC Kayleigh Driscoll, from the complex child abuse investigation team, said: “Harvey was a predatory individual who groomed his victim, sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions and raped her.

"We are pleased with the sentence which send out a clear message that people who target vulnerable young people for their own sexual gratification will be taken to court, convicted and will face many years behind bars.

“I must praise her courage for speaking out and reporting Harvey’s offending. We hope her bravery encourages others subjected to sexual abuse and rape to come forward. We are here to help and listen.” The force noted "survivors of rape are protected by law and have life-long anonymity."

Description

A great-grandad drove for two hours to Leeds to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but was confronted by a paedophile hunter group.

Pervert pensioner Malcolm Allwood spent months grooming the "girl" online, telling her he wanted to take her to his caravan and back to his home.

The 77-year-old then drove from his home in Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire to meet the youngster at McDonald's in Hunslet, where he was intercepted by members of the Yorkshire Predator Hunters, who had set up the decoy profile of the girl. They then livestreamed the confrontation.

He appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication. Prosecuting the case, Emily Hassell said that Allwood contacted the fake profile online in December 2022, with the supposed girl telling him she was just 13.

He told her that he "loved her photo" and asked if she was single. Over the months he bombarded her with messages and would tell her that that she was "gorgeous". He sent photos of himself with his top off and asked her for photos.

He would repeatedly ask her what she was wearing in bed and quizzed her about sex education she had in school. He said he would massage her and take her away in his caravan or take her abroad. Then in April 2023 he suggested they meet for food, and that she should stay at his address. On April 21 last year he travelled the 85 miles from his home on Calais Road, Burton-on-Trent, to meet her at the McDonald's. Having been detained by the hunter group, he was then arrested but gave a no-comment interview to officers.

Mitigating, Stuart Field said that Allwood has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity. He said: "He is not able to explain how this all arose. Thankfully, it was not a 13-year-old girl."

Judge Tahir Khan KC gave him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 40 rehabilitation days, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.

Description

A child sex offender in Staffordshire has been locked up for more than two decades.

Robert Mold, aged 63, of Bridgtown, Cannock, was arrested in July 2020 after the survivors bravely came forward and told us what he had done.

The offences happened between 2016 and 2017.

Once the survivors came forward, we started work to gather evidence and take Mold to court. He was questioned by detectives in custody and charged with the offences despite originally denying what happened.

On 26 February, Mold was sentenced to 24-years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child and six counts of sexual assault of a child.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Sergeant Sophie Boden, from our Child Protection and Exploitation Team said: Id like to recognise the immense courage and bravery that the survivors have shown throughout this investigation.

Mold is a truly dangerous man who has inflicted an immeasurable deal of anguish on the victims.

Officers and staff from our Child Protection and Exploitation Team (CPET) have worked tirelessly to secure this conviction, support the victims and put a dangerous sex offender behind bars for a very long time.

I hope this serves as an example to any survivors of rape and sexual assault that they will be listened to, no matter how recent the offences may have been. We want to relentlessly pursue sex offenders, put them before the courts and deliver the toughest punishment possible.

Description

A former Trowbridge school teacher has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for non-recent child sex offences.

Robert Kalton, 88, of Ashby Road, Burton upon Trent, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court today (15/02).

The former teacher and church choirmaster of St Augustine's Roman Catholic School pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency with a boy under the age of 14 and two counts of gross indecency with a man over the age of 16 at a previous hearing at Salisbury Crown Court on November 24.

At the hearing today Kalton was sentenced to four years for one count of indecent assault on a boy under 14. On three further counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 he received sentences of 20 weeks, two years, and two years respectively. On two counts of indecent assault on a man aged 16 or over he received one year and one year respectively. The six sentences will run concurrently.

He is also on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard that at the time the investigation commenced Kalton was already serving a four year prison sentence for similar offending. In total Kalton has been convicted of 32 sexual offences against at least six young boys. His offending spanned a period of two decades and he operated in various locations across the UK.

The victim in this case came to police in December 2019 and reported that Kalton, who was a Maths teacher at a Catholic secondary school in Trowbridge, had abused him multiple times over a 5 year period when he was aged between 11 and 16 years old, with these offences dating back to the 1970s.

In a statement released by his victim to the court, the former pupil said: "Robert Kalton was a teacher. He was also a religious man. As such he had power and respect. He occupied a position of trust, and he abused that trust in the worst way possible. School is a place where you spend a large proportion of your childhood. It is a place where you should feel safe. Instead, I was made to dread and fear going to school."

Detective Sergeant Rachel Winter of Wiltshire Police said: Robert Kalton is a sexual predator who used his position of authority as a teacher and member of the Catholic church to systematically abuse young boys. He stole his victims childhoods and changed their lives forever. They have lived with what happened to them for many years, and undoubtedly the crimes committed have affected them ever since.

"The victim in this case has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and legal proceedings. It is their perseverance which has resulted in the conviction.

"This case also highlights that no matter the length of time that has passed, the public should feel reassured that we will thoroughly investigate non-recent offences and support and work with victims throughout.

Description

Pervert Steven Hawkes was caught with horrific child abuse photos - after serving time for similar offending. The 42-year-old was jailed for 16 months in 2019 after he took personal photographs off customers’ computers at a Currys PC World store for his own sexual gratification.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard at the time he secretly copied hard drives while transferring shoppers’ data from their old devices to new ones which they had bought from the retail giant. He then viewed customers’ photographs – including a teenage girl’s school prom and pictures of women's breasts – at his home.

As part of the investigation, thousands of indecent images and films of children and extreme pornography featuring sex between humans and animals were also uncovered. He pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornographic images, computer misuse and possessing cannabis.

But he received no help to address his problem and in December 2021, while misusing alcohol, he returned to perverted ways. Now Hawkes has been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court as the judge wants to give him a chance to receive treatment to address his issues.

Prosecutor Jas Dhaliwal said police received intelligence that the defendant's IP address had been used in connection with indecent images of children. They visited his address in Langley Street, Basford, at 7am on December 9, 2021.

Mr Dhaliwal said: "They seized two devices, a tablet and a mobile phone. They were analysed by experts. The tablet contained no indecent images. However there was evidence the device had been used to access folders regarding child sexual abuse."

Police recovered six accessible category A moving images from the phone; two category B movies; 58 prohibited still images and one moving image of a child; and one extreme pornographic image.

In his police interview in March this year Hawkes said he was misusing alcohol at the time. He said he was looking for that material so the police would arrest him and send him to custody.

Hawkes, of Langley Street, Basford, pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent images of children; possession of a prohibited image of children and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Hamish Noble, mitigating, said this offending was less serious than the 2019 matters but conceded his client's position was precarious because of his previous convictions. He said Hawkes did not receive much help to address his problem when in custody. He was released in April 2020, during lockdown, and had just two face-to-face meetings with probation in a 12-month period.

He said Hawkes is fortunate to have the support of his parents. But his finances were in a mess and he returned to alcohol misuse. Mr Noble said: "His position was quite bleak. He had no work, no money, debts, no relationship, and poor mental health. Alcohol may have acted as a disinhibitor."

Mr Noble said the offending happened during a two-week period. Hawkes has since consolidated his debts and reduced his alcohol consumption. Mr Noble added: "He recognises that is an issue. He can be punished in the community. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation."

As part of the suspended sentence Hawkes must complete an iHorizon course; a rehabilitation activity requirement for 25 days and 160 hours unpaid work.

Judge Graeme Smith said: "This case is unusual because normally people who are found with indecent images are initially given a suspended sentence with a treatment requirement. If they then re-offend they are sent to custody.

"In your case, you were sent to custody the first time you offended. You were not given any assistance by way of treatment. The purpose of the court is not just punishment but also rehabilitation.

"The fact you have re-offended in exactly the same way would normally lead to immediate custody. However, the extent of your offending is less than on the first occasion and it is much shorter in terms of length. There has been a significant delay since your arrest in December 2021."

Hawkes was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and was placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

Judge Smith added: "This is to rehabilitate you as well as punish you. If you are unwilling or unable to change, be in no doubt what will happen next time, custody."

Description

A child sex offender has been jailed for two decades after being found guilty by a jury.

Carl Smith, 36, of no fixed abode, inflicted a campaign of physical and emotional abuse on the survivor. It happened in South Staffordshire.

He was arrested in July 2022 after offences were reported to us. He continued to deny the offences and was brought before a jury in September (2023).

Following a four-day trial, the jury found Smith guilty on a number of offences, including:

• Two counts of rape a girl
• Six counts of sexual assault a girl

He was jailed for a total of 20 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (10 November). Smith was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order against the survivor.

Detective Sergeant Claire Mace, who dealt with the case, said: “The survivor in this case has shown immense bravery to come forward and report what happened. I can only hope the outcome of this investigation has given her some form of closure following the abuse she suffered at the hands of Smith. 

“We are committed to pursuing perpetrators of violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls. Work is continuing around preventing offending and protecting those affected by it, changing behaviours and taking robust action against perpetrators.

“We want victims to know that they are our priority. Teams of specialist officers are here to speak to you in confidence, put a stop to those responsible and support you as much as possible.”

Description

A sex offender who once groomed and seduced a schoolgirl was caught by police living in the same house as children. Antony Bailey was previously jailed in 2017 after meeting up with a 13-year-old girl several times for sex.

The court heard at the time that he plied her with vodka and coaxed her into bed. He went on to admit charges including sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting prostitution or pornography involving a child.

As well as a seven year and nine month prison term, Bailey was placed on the sex offenders' register and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which banned him from accessing the internet without notifying the authorities. But he breached both by staying at his partner's Abbey Hulton home with her children and using Snapchat.

Now Bailey, aged 27, of Albert Terrace, Wolstanton, has been jailed for 18 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor Antony Longworth said police and an offender manager carried out an unannounced visit to Bailey's Wolstanton address on September 19 this year.

Mr Longworth said: "He was asked to provide any internet enabled devices. He produced a phone which was checked. It showed he had been shopping for women's clothing.

"He disclosed he was in a relationship with a Polish woman. She had two sons and he had been staying with her. He was arrested.

"The property was searched and the items were found on an iPhone. It showed he had been using a user name which he had not notified to the police. He had been accessing Snapchat which he had not notified to the police.

"His partner had not been informed of the nature of his convictions. In June 2022 he had been staying at her house five nights a week and in July he had effectively moved in there when the children were still living there.

"She was aware he had criminal convictions but had been told they were for violence. He agreed he lived there until May 2023 when he moved out.

"He accepted he should have notified the police of the phone and his user name. He said he was remorseful and angry with himself."

The breaches included him:

• Using an iPhone to access Snapchat which he is banned from doing as it does not retain the history of internet use.
• Failing to make two internet enabled devices - an iPhone and Xbox - available to police when requested.
• Failing to notify the police that he had stayed seven days or more at his partner's house in Abbey Hulton.
• Failing to notify that he had spent 12 hours or more with a child under 18.
• Failing to notify his Snapchat user name within three days.

Bailey pleaded guilty to three charges of breaching a SHPO and three charges of failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

Anis Ali, mitigating, said Bailey has been recalled to prison on licence and his earliest release date is in 2025. He added: "I ask you to recognise the level of compliance demonstrated by him, in particular his guilty pleas."

Judge Graeme Smith said: "You were candid in your interview. You knew about the restraints that you had to comply with and you failed to do so."

He said there was clearly a significant risk to the children but there was no suggestion there was any harm caused to them. He added the offending was aggravated because Bailey was on licence at the time and because of his previous convictions.

The judge made a deprivation order for the phone.

Description

A former assistant headteacher at Wakefileld high school is facing jail after pleading guilty to accessing thousands of indecent child images.

Gareth Mellor, 43, was a senior staff member at Kettlethorpe High School at the time of the offending, which took place over seven years.

None of the offences relate to any children at the council-maintained school.

The school’s headteacher said he was “appalled” at the way Mellor had “betrayed the trust placed in him during his time at the school.”

Mellor was arrested following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The 43-year old appeared before Leeds Crown Court today (November 8) where he pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent child images, between January 2014 and May 2021.

One count involves 520 category A images – the most serious level of offending.

Mellor also admitted making 690 category B and 10,450 category C images.

He pleaded not guilty to two further counts of possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals and possessing prohibited photographs of children.

Prosecutor Heather Gilmore said the pleas were acceptable to the Crown.

Mellor, who has no previous convictions, was released on bail until his sentencing hearing on December 7.

His bail conditions forbid him from having contact with children.

Mellor, of Pennycroft Road, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, must also inform the NCA of any use of internet-enabled devices.

The Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl KC, told Mellor that all sentencing options are open to the court, including a prison sentence.

He must also register as a sex offender.

Tudor Griffiths, headteacher at Kettlethorpe High School, said: “Although the crimes committed by Gareth Mellor have absolutely no connection to our school community, we are appalled at the way he has betrayed the trust placed in him during his time at the school.

“The safeguarding checks and procedures we, and all schools follow, did not identify any concerns. His ability to hide in a position of responsibility is shocking and upsetting.

“We take some comfort in the fact that the NCA investigation found that Mellor’s crimes had no association with any pupils, past or present.

“However, his crimes have affected the lives of other children and young people and our thoughts are with them.”

Vicky Schofield, Wakefield Council’s corporate director for children and young people, said: “As soon as were made aware of the allegations, Gareth Mellor was immediately suspended and dismissed shortly after.

“The National Crime Agency investigation was clear that these crimes do not relate to any students past or present at Kettlethorpe High School.

“But they do involve other children and young people and we are grateful to the NCA for bringing Mellor to justice.”

Danielle Pownall, NCA operations manager, said: “Gareth Mellor worked with children nearly every day and was entrusted to protect them.

“This investigation showed that he deeply betrayed this trust through amassing a huge collection of material showing the horrific abuse of children.

“Despite his attempts to conceal his activities by using cryptocurrency and encrypted storage services, this investigation was able to identify him as a committed buyer and consumer of child abuse material.

“The NCA is committed to tackling this criminality in all its forms, breaking the chain of supply and demand and protecting children from the most harmful offenders.”

Description

A pervert caught with sex abuse pictures on a mobile hidden under his pillow claimed he did not know the phone was there because he 'had not changed his bedsheets in a year'. Sex offender Kieran Slater has been locked up just weeks after walking free from court in another case.

The 26-year-old avoided jail when he was handed a suspended sentence in August after admitting child sex offences. He was made subject to a court order which he then breached, forcing him back before the same judge.

Now, he has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how Slater received a suspended sentence on August 30 after admitting downloading and distributing indecent images of children.

He was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order at the time. But he breached the order by installing Snapchat and failing to give police his user name, StokeonTrentLive reports.

Police found a mobile phone containing indecent images of children under his pillow. In his interview with officers, the convict claimed he had not changed his bedsheets for 12 months and did not know the phone was there.

Anis Ali, defending, said the sexual harm prevention order was in its infancy. He said Slater had resigned himself to receiving a custodial sentence.

Slater is 'relatively immature', Mr Ali added. The defendant, of Hallfield Grove, Tunstall, admitted making indecent images of children, failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register, and three charges of breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

He was also in breach of the earlier suspended sentence. Sentencing, Judge Graeme Smith said: "It is very disappointing to see you back in front of me a couple of months after I sentenced you.

"It is clear that the police had given you very clear instructions and you decided to go outside the instructions." Slater was told he remains on the sex offenders register and will be subject to the sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Description

A sex offender gave an underage girl alcohol before illegally having sex with her in Derbyshire. Derby Crown Court heard how Daniel Jeffries was six years older than his victim when he carried out the offence against the “vulnerable” 15-year-old.

In heartbreaking victim impact statements, the brave girl told how since it took place, what happened has “affected her every day” while her father said his daughter “had taken a huge emotional dip”.

Now the defendant is tasting custody for the first time at the age of 23. Jailing him for 15 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “It is important to say from the outset you were six years her senior, you knew how old she was and you knew she had mental health issues. The pair of you had drunk alcohol and you were no doubt both disinhibited.

“You then had sexual intercourse with her, it was unprotected and, in short, you took advantage of a young girl you knew was vulnerable. You showed no remorse and you then embarked on victim blaming in pursuit of that.

“The consequences for her have been drastic, she had regressed and it was effectively mid-trial (when you changed your plea) and the fact of the matter is this has made her worse when she was getting better.”

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the incident took place in Derbyshire when Jeffries was 21 and the girl was 15. He said the defendant was drinking alcohol with a friend and contacted the victim saying he had booze and she joined them. Then, after his friend had gone, he had sex with the girl.

The prosecutor said: “He knew she had been drinking alcohol as he had provided her with it. She told her parents 'something bad has happened,’ they gave her some comfort and she then rang her boyfriend and told him and it was him that made contact with the police.

“Mr Jeffries was arrested at his home address and gave a different account of what had happened to the one she gave.” A number of victim impact statements were summarised by the judge who read them out in court.

In hers, the teenager said what took place “affected her thoughts every day” and that it “affected her self-confidence and self-esteem”. The victim’s father, in his statement, told how the family had moved to Derbyshire to help his daughter and “things were on the upturn” until she was abused by the defendant.

He said: “Everything has changed since, she has regressed and does not feel safe. It is an emotional rollercoaster, she is permanently on edge and cannot relax. In short, she’s taken a huge emotional dip.”

In another statement, the girl’s mother told how Jeffries “has damaged our daughter and we are trying to fix it”. And the teen’s aunt said: “She is now a shell of the person she once was, she now has no zest for life.”

Midway through his trial, Jeffries, of Chapel Lane, Rangemoor, Burton, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child. Lucy Jones, mitigating, said: “He comes to crown court with his (prison) bag, it (the offence) was out of character and unfortunately what happened that night caused the consequences we have heard about (in court)

As well as the jail sentence, Judge Smith handed the defendant a five-year restraining order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He also placed him on the sex offender register, also for 10 years.

Description

A man who groomed and sexually assaulted a child in North Staffordshire has been jailed.  

Callum Dobing, 26, from Stone, groomed the victim through social media and arranged to meet with her in April this year.

He then sexually assaulted the victim, who later reported the incident to us.

Dobing was arrested shortly after and questioned in custody. He went on to admit the offences in court and was given a ten-year extended sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday 23 August.

As part of his sentencing, Dobing was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements, meeting a girl under 16 following grooming and three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Description

A man has been caged after he was found guilty of non-recent sexual attacks on a child. Piers Brilliant, 49, has been caged for 15 years over the abhorrent offences.

Brilliant, of Wallshead Way in Newport, Shropshire, was convicted of two counts of rape, attempted rape, 12 counts of sexual assaults against a female under 13, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography

He was jailed on Friday, July 28, at Telford Magistrates' Court. Brilliant will also be on the sex offender register for life.

Sergeant Tim Street, of West Mercia Police, said: "We welcome the sentence that was handed to Brilliant by the judge, and that he will rightly spend time in prison for his crimes.

"I’d like to commend the victim for their courage in coming forward to report what Brilliant has done, and I hope this helps to show that we take all reports of rape and sexual assault seriously and will thoroughly investigate them regardless of how long ago they took place."

A spokesperson for the force added: "If you feel you are, or have been, a victim of any sexual offence you can report it to us online, on 101 or via West Mercia's Victim Advice Line on 0800 952 3000 or visit www.victimadviceline.org.uk. This is a free, independent and confidential support service. In an emergency always dial 999.

"If you do not feel comfortable speaking to police officers, you can contact a Rape Crisis Centre which specialises in helping victims of rape and sexual assault - including providing medical care and counselling. For information and details on how to contact or refer please visit Rape Crisis England & Wales."

Description

A Stoke-on-Trent man has been put behind bars for three years after grooming a teenage girl in Congleton.

Raheem Rahman, 23, of Andrew Mulligan Close, Tunstall, had been messaging his victim via the Snapchat app, and had arranged to meet her in Congleton on Monday, January 23. He collected the girl in his car at around 8.10am that day and drove to a country lane, thought to be in the Astbury area.

He then stopped the car and sexually assaulted the girl before driving her back to Congleton, Chester Crown Court heard.

Rahman was located after Ring doorbell footage helped to identify the car he was driving. He was arrested the same day at his place of work in Congleton.

During interview, he admitted talking to the girl on Snapchat but initially denied any sexual contact with the victim, saying he had picked her up and then dropped her off at school. He later pleaded guilty to one count of grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in a hearing at Chester Crown Court on Friday June 30). A sexual harm prevention order was also imposed for an indeterminate period.

As well as being jailed for three years, Rahman must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a restraining order.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Simon Mills of Cheshire Police's Eastern Crime Unit, said: "Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for her bravery throughout this investigation, and we hope this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward. Rahman would have been well aware of the age of the victim but in spite of this, he chose to sexually assault the girl.

"I also hope that this case acts as a warning to others about the potential dangers of social media. Rahman met his victim online and he purposefully used social media as a tool to groom the girl before taking advantage of her

"We treat all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”

Description

A pervert former soldier was caught after offering to share child abuse videos involving babies with an undercover police officer. Jonathan Mathias also threatened to post pictures of what appeared to be 14-year-girl on Facebook unless she performed a sexual act.

The 41-year-old, of Honeywood, Newcastle-under-Lyme, was arrested at his parents' house in Porthcawl on September 29 last year while his wife was present. When he was out of earshot from his family, he admitted to officers he knew why they were there but claimed he was 'just messing about'.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard the undercover officer created a profile on the Kik messaging app and began speaking to the defendant who asked him to 'trade pictures'. He sent pictures of a young girl being abused and a picture of children's underwear and claimed he had abused a young girl, WalesOnline reports.

The police obtained a warrant as a result of this and arrested Mathias who initially made no reply. A Samsung phone was seized and when examined was found to contain 39 indecent images of children and seven extreme pornographic images as well as 66 videos of child abuse and nine videos of extreme pornography.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks told the court there were a number of 'small children' depicted in the videos – the youngest of which was just a baby. Among the chats on Mathias' phone was a conversation with someone claiming to be a 14-year-old girl in which he threatened to post photos of her on Facebook unless she performed oral sex upon her brother. The defendant had also visited websites related to bestiality.

Dad Mathias pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of indecent images and possession of extreme images. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation Tim Petrides said his client had been a member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and had served tours of Iraq and Northern Ireland as well as being a member of the prison service. He said the defendant had been diagnosed with PTSD and felt "shame, remorse, and acceptance of harm" as a result of his offending.

Judge Wayne Beard sentenced Mathias to two years and four months imprisonment. He also made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

JAIL sentences have been handed to two teenagers who forced a terrified 15-year-old girl into an Appleby alleyway and raped her.

Levi Stephen Lee, 18, and Othie Danny Lee, 19, have shown no remorse for their horrific crime, which they committed in broad daylight in 2019, while they were in the town for Appleby Horse Fair.

As he passed sentence at Carlisle Crown Court, Judge Ian Unsworth KC contrasted the cowardice of the defendants with the courage of their victim, who has vowed that she will not let what happened define her.

Both defendants aged 14 and 15 respectively when they raped the victim were each jailed for five years and four months. They denied raping the girl but were convicted after a three week trial.

In court today, Judge Unsworth told the defendants: It is plain that this was a terrifying ordeal for [the victim]. ..She was no match for the two of you. You were both larger and stronger than her.

Having observed both defendants during the trial, said the judge, they had provided not even a hint of self-reflection or remorse.

You engaged in victim blaming, said the judge. I have no doubt that you put your heads together to create a wholly dishonest version of events which you tried to put before the jury

You are each without shame; you are each without remorse. The judge spoke of the victims description of how the double rape had turned her life upside down, affecting her so profoundly that she had to pull out of school.

She became suspicious of males, viewing them as a threat; and her sleep was badly affected. She had to sleep with the light on and this went on for two years after she was raped, said the judge.

Incredibly, as a result of her ordeal, she was subjected to bullying behaviour for which those responsible should feel thoroughly ashamed, said the judge.

Judge Unsworth quoted from the victims impact statement.

The girl had said of the defendants: My message to both of you is that you raped me on that day but it will no define me as a person. I have turned a corner in my life; and I am coming out of my shell.

Despite the young womans resilience, she did suffer severe psychological harm, ruled the judge. She is a remarkably brave young woman, whose bravery contrasts with your utter cowardice, the judge told the defendants.

Earlier, the court heard how the girls ordeal began when Levi Lee grabbed her by the hand and, according to some witnesses, she was then dragged and "frogmarched" along the street, over a bridge, and into an alleyway, away from CCTV cameras.

Othie Lee had quickly followed.

While in the alleyway the two teenagers had taken it in turns to rape the girl, while the other acted as lookout. She was treated like an "object", passed between the defendants to satisfy their sexual needs, observed the judge.

She manifestly did not consent, said the judge. The girl later told her mum she was scared of the two teenagers, and feared that they may have a knife and would possibly kill her.

Both defendants will be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely. They must serve at least two thirds of their sentence before they will be eligible to apply for release on parole.

Neither Othie Lee, of New Street, Bridgetown, Cannock, who now works as a gardener, or Levi Lee, a roofer, of Willenhall Lane, Walsall, had shown any victim empathy, the court heard. Defence barristers for both men highlighted their immaturity at the time of the offences.

After the defendants were led away to begin their sentences, Judge Unsworth commented on the professionalism and thoroughness of the police officers involved in what turned out to be a "highly sensitive" and "complex" investigation, singling out Detective Sergeant Michael Gilsenan for particular praise.

* When defendants commit offences as juveniles, as in this case, judges are legally obliged to impose sentences which are approximately half of what would have been imposed had the defendants been adult when they offended.

In this case, Judge Unsworth had determined an adult equivalent sentence of 11 years custody, bearing in mind aggravating and mitigating factors.