Latest Offenders Staffordshire

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A 36-year-old man has been jailed for 19 years for a series of child sex offences.

Aaron John Starmer, of Burton, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to the rape of a child, attempted rape of a child, three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and inciting sexual activity with a child.

He admitted the offences in October last year and was sentenced to 19 years in prison, with an additional six years on licence.

Starmer has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, given an indefinite Sexual Risk Prevention Order and a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

The charges followed the victim bravely reporting what had happened to them.

DC Sophie Smart, of Staffordshire Police’s child protection team, praised the victim’s courage.

She said:

“I would like to comment on the outstanding bravery of the victim in this case and their immense courage to come forward.

“Staffordshire Police encourages anyone who has been a victim of sexual offences to come forward and report it so that robust action can be taken and justice can be served.”

A force spokesperson added:

“We started to investigate Starmer after the victim bravely told someone what happened. He was arrested the same day and was charged and remanded into custody the next day. Starmer had no previous convictions for sexual offences.”

Description

A paedophile who told a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl that “age was just a number” has been jailed for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Stephen Vincent, 60, was given a two-year suspended sentence in February 2024 for attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, after contacting the fake Facebook profile on New Year’s Eve 2022. He was also made subject to a 10-year SHPO.

He had already breached the order once in 2024 by failing to register a smart device with police within three days. That breach was uncovered after he made nuisance calls to Cleveland Fire Brigade; officers visiting his home found he had denied owning a phone, yet had just booked a taxi.

Vincent, formerly of Grosvenor Gardens, appeared via videolink from prison at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a second breach. 

A routine police visit on 10 February found a dating app open on his phone with messages sent under the unregistered alias “BigStephen60”. Officers also discovered evidence of several deleted dating apps, which he was banned from removing without permission from his offending manager. Deleted conversations could not be recovered.

Vincent, who has nine previous convictions for 21 offences, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Judge Andrew Hatton.

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A 30yearold man who persistently stalked a teenage girl before grabbing her in an alleyway in StokeonTrent has been jailed.

Sabjan Burkazi, of Tunstall, was sentenced to three-years-and-four-months at StokeonTrent Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 5 March) after he admitting engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, stalking causing serious alarm or distress and three counts of making an indecent images of children. He had initially denied the offences but changed his plea to guilty shortly before his trial was due to start.

The offences came to light following an incident in August last year, when Burkazi approached the girl as she walked through an alleyway in Tunstall. He grabbed her, but fled moments later when a member of the public intervened. We arrested him at his home shortly after.

Following a robust investigation by officers from our public protection unit (PPU), we found that Burkazi had repeatedly targeted the same girl over several months, approaching her in public and asking for her phone number and social media details, which she refused to give. 

A search of his mobile phone uncovered indecent images of children.

The strength of the evidence gathered by officers was cited as a key factor in Burkazi’s decision to enter guilty pleas in court.

As well as a custodial sentence, Burkazi was handed an indefinite restraining order, preventing any future contact with the victim. He was also served with a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and put on the Sex Offenders Register for the next 10 years.

Detective Inspector Adam Goodger, from our child protection team, said

"Burkazi caused significant distress through his behaviour.

“The victim’s courage, combined with the thorough work of our officers in gathering the evidence, has ensured that he was held accountable for his crimes.

“This case demonstrates our continued commitment in Staffordshire to supporting those affected by these offences and taking strong action against those responsible.”

Description

A teenage prisoner, Ethan Rowley, threw boiling water over a fellow inmate's groin in the shower block at HMP Nottingham, leaving the victim with blistered skin peeling from his genitals and legs.

Nottingham Crown Court heard that Rowley, then 19 and on remand for serious sexual offences, carried out the unprovoked attack on November 8, 2024. He later received a 21-year sentence at Derby Crown Court last summer and will now serve an extra nine months.

Judge Michael Auty KC said:

"You are currently serving a sentence of 21 years which for someone of your age is exceptional... The circumstances surrounding this offence are that whilst serving at HMP Nottingham in the shower block you threw scalding, if not boiling, water over the victim. It caused his skin to blister, some of the skin was left hanging off his legs and groin area and caused damage to his genitalia. It is not entirely clear what the overall effects were because, as often happens with prisoners, he did not comply with the prison or give a victim personal statement,"

Prosecutor Samantha Warner explained: The victim entered the shower area where Rowley was; the defendant left, returned with a blue mop bucket, and threw its contents at the victim's groin and legs, causing immediate excruciating pain and blistering. Other prisoners doused him in cold water, and he was treated at QMC for burns to his chest, thighs, right arm, and genitalia.

Rowley, now 20 and at HMP Swinfen Hall, admitted throwing a corrosive substance with intent to burn, maim, disfigure, disable, or cause grievous bodily harm. He has prior violent convictions and was sentenced last July for raping two women in Derbyshire.

Defence barrister Gregor Purcell stated:

"I have no doubt it would have been pretty unpleasant blistering and it is undoubtedly painful and deliberate harm caused by him. He is a young man who is already facing an extremely long period inside for someone of his age."

Description

Sex offender Michael Hampson, 35, failed to inform police about a Samsung Galaxy tablet. He initially lied, claiming an empty Samsung Galaxy box by his settee belonged to a former resident.

Officers found the tablet under the sofa and arrested him. It marked his 10th breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Hampson has now been jailed for 16 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The SHPO prohibits him from using internet-capable devices without notifying police within three days. Devices must retain internet history and be available for inspection. On October 17, police visited his home and spotted the box.

Prosecutor Josh Daley said: "He allowed them in. They spoke in the lounge. Police noted an empty box for a Samsung Galaxy tablet. He said it was not his and it belonged to a previous resident. Police suspected he may have a further device. They conducted a search. They asked him to stand up. He admitted he had a tablet under the sofa. Police located it and seized it. He had only obtained the tablet the day before. He is not in breach for failing to register it but in breach for failing to make it available for inspection."

The court heard Hampson was convicted of two charges of encouraging a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. He has nine prior SHPO breach convictions.

Hampson, of Maryfield Walk, Penkhull, pleaded guilty to the breach.

Mitigating, Paul Cliff said: "He does exhibit some remorse for his offending. His words are, 'I need to stop telling lies'. It was foolish to push the tablet under the sofa. He initially denied he was in possession of that item. It was driven by panic. He was in possession of the tablet for less than 24 hours at the time."

Recorder Robert Smith said: "You are a loner. You are quite isolated. The way you deal with that situation is to constantly lie to professionals who are charged with protecting the public. The purpose of the SHPO is to stop you having sexualised conversations with children. Your previous convictions seriously aggravate the position.

"There is some truth to what you said to the pre-sentence report writer, in that you lead an isolated and lonely life. But if you keep dealing with matters in the way you are I will keep sending you to prison for longer and longer. You have two choices, comply with the order or keep getting prison sentences. You need to stop flagrantly breaching the orders of this court. The court's patience with you has run out. Your offending is so serious and persistent, immediate imprisonment is inevitable and unavoidable."

Description

A man who abused multiple children has been jailed for six years.

Adam McLaughlan, 34, of Penkridge, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday (6 January) after he was previously found guilty of 14 counts of sexual assault of a girl.

The abuse happened over a number of years in Staffordshire before the survivors bravely came forward and told us about what happened.

Officers from our public protection unit (PPU) worked tirelessly to support the survivors and to build the evidence needed to secure a significant number of charges against McLaughlan.

At an earlier court hearing, he denied all of the charges put to him. But, because of the strength of our investigation and the bravery of the survivors, the jury deemed him guilty on 14 counts.

As part of his sentencing, McLaughlan was also served with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), placed on the Sex Offenders Register and served with a restraining order against the survivors.

Detective Constable Patrick Hipwell, from our public protection unit (PPU), said:

“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to deliver this outcome for the survivors in this case, who have each shown tremendous courage in coming forward and telling us about what happened.

“I want survivors to know that, no matter how recent or long ago offences may have taken place, we will always work relentlessly to delivery justice and to support you thoroughly throughout this process.”

Description

A man who raped and sexually assaulted a girl in Newcastle-under-Lyme has been jailed for more than 14 years.

Henry Saklatvala, 38, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, was sentenced to 14-years-and-three-months behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Thursday (8 January) after he admitted two counts of the rape of a girl, two counts of sexual assault on a girl and one count of attempting to rape a girl.

In July last year, we started investigating Saklatvala after the survivor came forward and told someone about the offences.

We worked hard to support her and to gather all of the evidence needed to secure a number of charges against Saklatvala.

Because of the survivor’s bravery, and the strength of our investigation, Saklatvala admitted the offences at an earlier hearing and is now behind bars for a long time.

As part of his sentencing, Saklatvala was served with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and given an indefinite restraining order against the survivor.

Detective Constable Mylene Bepole, from our child protection team, said: “I’m pleased that we’ve been able to deliver this outcome for the survivor in this case, who has shown immeasurable bravery in coming forward.

“No matter how recent or long ago offences may have been, we want to deliver these types of outcomes for survivors across Staffordshire. That starts with coming forward and speaking to specialist officers in confidence.”

Description

A man who raped and sexually assaulted a woman in Cannock has been jailed for 15 years.

Anthony Lomas, 59, of West Chadsmoor, was found guilty of two counts of rape of a woman and four counts of sexual assault of a woman and was sentenced at Derbyshire Crown Court on Monday (5 January).

In 2021, the survivor bravely came forward and told us about the abuse, resulting in Lomas’ arrest.

Officers from our rape and serious sexual offences unit (RASSO) worked tirelessly to support the survivor throughout the investigation and to build all of the evidence against Lomas.

Now, he’s been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and has been served with a restraining order, stopping him from contacting the survivor.

Detective Constable Jason Mactaggart, from RASSO, said:

“Lomas inflicted a campaign of abuse on the survivor in this case and has been rightfully punished for his crimes.

“We’re determined to support survivors as much as possible throughout the criminal justice process and to deliver these types of outcomes for them.”

Description

A child sex offender in Staffordshire has been jailed for more than a decade.

Glynn Wills, 58, of Leek, was sentenced to 13-and-a-half-years in prison at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday (31 October) after he was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault on a boy at an earlier hearing. He also admitted attempted sexual communication with a child.

In January 2022, one of the survivors recognised Wills after seeing a live stream on social media after Wills had been challenged over sending messages of a sexual nature to a decoy account which was purporting to be a 14-year-old boy.

A further survivor later came forward and told us that they had been sexually assaulted by Wills more than 20 years ago.

We launched an investigation into him and brought Wills in for questioning. He answered no comment to all of them.

By working tirelessly to support the survivors and to capture all of the available evidence, we secured the charges against Wills and brought him before the courts.

Because of the strength of this evidence, and the bravery of both survivors, the jury found Wills guilty on all of the charges that he originally denied in court.

As part of his sentencing, he was served with a restraining order against both of the survivors, put on the Sex Offender’s Register for life and made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

After his 13-and-a-half-years in prison, Wills will serve an additional three years on extended licence.

DC Simon Beardmore said:

“I’m pleased that we’ve been able to provide some closure for both survivors in this case, who have equally shown immense courage in coming forward and supporting our investigation into Wills.

“I hope this shows other survivors that we are determined to take robust action against sex offenders in Staffordshire, no matter how recent the offences may have been.”

Description

A man has been jailed for the rape of a child, who he met on Snapchat, after being found guilty by a jury following a trial.

Joshua Emery, aged 25, of Cannock, was handed a seven-year jail term on Monday (29 September) at Stafford Crown Court, after being convicted of raping a girl aged 13 to 15 in August 2022.

Emery was found guilty of the offence in court at the end of June 2025.

Along with his prison sentence, Emery has also been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and has been ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228 upon his release.

The court heard how Emery, who was 22 at the time, raped the girl - who he stated he believed was 16 or older - and who he had contacted through Snapchat, near Essington Pools in August 2022.

Specialist officers carried out inquiries immediately and traced Emery through a taxi booking he made to the location. He was arrested in the following days and his devices and clothing were seized.

Emery denied the offence, but the victim gave compelling evidence and a jury found him guilty.

Following the sentencing on Monday, Detective Constable Hayley Cave, of our child protection and exploitation unit, who was the officer in the case, said:

“This was a harrowing case of an extremely serious sexual offence involving a child.

“I’d like to praise the victim, whose courage in coming forward and supporting the investigation has been instrumental in securing this conviction.

“Her strength and resilience are commendable.”

Description

A sex offender has been further sentenced after another survivor came forward when he recognised him on an online article. 

Allan Richards, 63, of no fixed address, is currently serving a 22-year jail term after he was previously convicted of 40 offences at Birmingham Crown Court in 2016.

When the survivor saw the case in the media, he recognised Richards as the man who sexually abused him when he was younger. He reported this to us in 2022, prompting a further investigation into Richards’ offending.

The abuse happened in Rugeley in the 90s. Richards was a serving police officer with West Midlands Police at the time.

After being interviewed in relation to the offences, we secured the evidence needed to charge Richards with two counts of indecent assault on a boy and one count of inciting a boy to commit an act of gross indecency.

Richards denied the offences but was found guilty by a jury at an earlier trial at Stafford Crown Court in August this year. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Stafford Crown Court on Friday 5 September. His sentence will run consecutive to the sentence he is already serving.

Detective Sergeant Gemma Szalapski, from our rape and serious sexual offences unit, said:

“Richards, despite already serving a lengthy sentence for an array of historic crimes, has been rightfully brought to justice for the abuse he has subjected yet another victim to.

“I want this to serve as an example to any survivors of sexual offences that we are absolutely determined to act against those responsible and to support you as much as possible. It doesn’t matter how recent or long ago it might have happened, what matters is that we’re able to speak to you and investigate reports as robustly as possible.”

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A doctor has been jailed after he admitted multiple child sexual offences.

Matthew Isles, 53, of Whiston, Staffordshire, has been sentenced to three-years-and-ten-months’ imprisonment at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (Wednesday 13 August) after he pleaded guilty to 14 offences.

He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Isles was first arrested at his home on 10 February 2025 on suspicion of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. We seized various devices from his house. He was charged the same day. He pleaded guilty the next day, 11 February 2025.

He was arrested again on 10 March 2025 and charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause/incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, possession of a paedophile manual, observe a person doing a private act and voyeurism.

Isles was also charged with three counts of distribute an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child, three counts of making indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child, two counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and possession of a prohibited image of a child. 

When detectives examined Isles’ devices, they found thousands of indecent images including category A’ images - the most severe classification of indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to the additional 12 offences at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 16 June. 

The offences took place between 2022 and 2025.

Detective Inspector Alex Glover, from our public protection unit, said:

“Isles sought out and hoarded images of the most horrific abuse of children.

“The continued circulation of child sexual abuse material normalises abuse and incentivises the creation of new content. 

“We have worked closely with NHS organisations and conducted a thorough investigation into the offences committed by Isles.”

Description

A man has been jailed for eight years after being convicted of making a woman engage in sexual activity without consent.

The court heard how Potts had forced his vulnerable victim to carry out sex acts on his associates in early 2024.

The victim bravely came forward to report what happened after disclosing her experience to a friend, who encouraged her to report it to us.

Potts was arrested in May and later charged but then denied the offence in court.

During the two-week trial, the victim courageously gave her evidence via video-link, and despite his not guilty plea, the jury found Potts guilty of the offence.

Along with his eight-year prison sentence, Potts was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228 and will be subject to a lifelong sexual offender notification requirement upon his release.

Speaking following sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Jessica Hill, of our rape and serious sexual offences team, said:

“Potts was unrepentant throughout the proceedings.

“The victim showed real resilience in coming forward to us and I hope now she can begin to recover from what has happened.

“This sentence shows how we will continue to do all we can to support victims and pursue sexual predators, to get them behind bars where they belong.”

Description

A sex offender who previously made ‘lewd and obscene suggestions’ to police officers posing as teenage schoolgirls online has appeared back in court.

Steven Beswick was convicted in October 2019 of three offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child after he claimed to be aged 17 and asked the 'girls' for photos.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for five years. One of the prohibitions was that he was not allowed to delete his internet usage or search history.

But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard police discovered 54-year-old Beswick, who works on the family farm at Rudyard, near Leek, deleted Facebook messages and his internet history. In a prepared statement the defendant admitted deleting messages he had with someone on Facebook and accepted that was in breach of the SHPO.

Beswick, of Biddulph Road, Horton, pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO. Edmund Potts, mitigating, said Bewsick understands how serious his offending was.

Mr Potts said: "He understands he has made the job of those who have to supervise him in the community more difficult. He is frustrated with himself at having brought himself before the court again. That remorse is reflected in his guilty plea.

"He has taken steps to address his offending behaviour. He no longer has a phone. He does not want to put himself in that position again. His previous supervision compliance was excellent. He is somebody they could work with fruitfully into the future."

Mr Potts added that there was a realistic prospect of Beswick being rehabilitated. Judge Graeme Smith sentenced Beswick to an 18-month community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 20 days. He was fined £200.

Judge Smith told Beswick: "You deliberately deleted the messages. You may not have understood that in doing so you were breaching the order. You complied fully with the previous order made by the court. Your compliance has been described as being excellent."

Description

A sex offender from Stone has been convicted on a number of counts following a trial.

Shane Davis, 36, of Stone, pleaded not guilty to the offences and went on trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where the jury deemed him guilty on five counts on Tuesday (8 July).

Davis made forceful advances on the survivors and pressured them into sexual acts against their will. He abused them between 2018 and 2023 until he was reported to us in November 2023.

Investigators worked hard to gather all of the evidence needed to secure charges against him and to support the survivors. Davis was charged with seven offences, including three counts of rape of a woman, three counts of sexual assault of a female and one count of intentional strangulation.

At the end of his trial this week, the jury deemed Davis guilty on five counts, including two counts of rape of a woman and three counts of sexual assault of a female.

Detective Inspector Lewis Haigh, from our rape and serious sexual offences unit (RASSO), said:

"The survivors in this case have shown immense bravery in coming forward and giving evidence in court. They were supported by specialist RASSO investigators, case builders and our partners including Staffordshire Women’s Aid.”

“We’re determined to take robust action against those responsible for sexual offences and violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls across Staffordshire, and this is another example of that commitment."

Davis will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 10 September 2025.