Latest Offenders Sunderland

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A pervert caught with a sickening collection of more than 2,000 child abuse images that he viewed out of "habit" has kept his freedom. Police found the vile pictures and movies downloaded onto a laptop and computer tower that were seized from Alan Passmore's home in Sunderland during a search on March 17 2020. Newcastle Crown Court heard the images featured children as young as five and some of those shown were displaying "distress". Passmore, who has never been in trouble before, admitted three charges of possessing a total of 2,253 indecent images of children, across all three categories of seriousness. The 50-year-old also admitted having 21 pictures and movies featuring extreme pornography and two prohibited images of children. The court heard over 300,000 other images found on the devices were not examined. Brian Hegarty, defending, told the court: "He accepts he has accessed this type of material for a number of years now. "It was a long established and unattractive habit." Mr Hegarty said the police arrival was what Passmore needed to "jolt him out of a long established rut he was in" and he has co-operated fully with theauthorities, while accepting "he needs to change". The court heard Passmore's home became a target when news spread about his offending and his windows were smashed. Mr Hegarty said: "He has had to move out of that address and also lost the job he had held down for 30 years so his fall from grace is absolutely complete." Judge Stephen Earl sentenced Passmore to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation and programme requirements and 200 costs. Passmore, now of no fixed address, must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years. The judge said the children who feature in such images are "severely victimised". Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Stephen Gillibrand, give a stark warning to those who download and share illegal content that police will take action. He said: "It is with thanks to the vigilance of our officers that Passmore will be strictly monitored under court order and I hope this serves as a warning to others that downloading and sharing indecent material in any capacity is a crime and you cannot hide behind a screen or fake profile, we will still find you.

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A perverted former nursing assistant collapsed when confronted by paedophile hunters for trying to have sex chats with a 12-year-old on Facebook.

John Gibson befriended what he believed to be a real child online, not realising it was a decoy account set up by vigilantes.

Gibson, who spent 20 years working in psychiatric hospitals until he was sacked for sending sexual images to an adult, engaged in the illicit chats last February.

Newcastle Crown Court heard during conversations over Facebook Messenger, Gibson and the "girl" spoke about "pets and tattoos".

Then, despite being repeatedly told he was talking to a 12-year-old child, the 50-year-old started to talk about sex, said he could be her "first boyfriend", sent a graphic picture and videos and requested the same in return.

Christopher Rose, prosecuting, told the court: "On one occasion he suggested that they get a hotel room in Basingstoke so she could stay with him and he could be her first boyfriend."

The court heard the group behind the fake profile, which was based in the south of England, contacted a similar organisation in the North East and Gibson was lured to a date with an adult, where the police were called.

Mr Rose said: "The defendant collapsed on the floor, complaining of chest pains and he was taken by ambulance.

"During that ambulance journey he admitted messaging a 12-year-old girl on Facebook, saying she wanted to come and meet him and he said no."

Gibson, of Hastings Street, Sunderland, admitted attempting to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch a sexual act.

Judge Robert Adams sentenced him to three years and two months behind bars.

Gibson must sign the sex offenders register for life and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Judge Adams told him: "It is very clear you knew and understood she was 12 and you didn't seem to care.

"There is no doubt whatsoever what you were talking about while talking about the hotel."

The court heard Gibson's alcohol abuse was a contributing factor to his offending and he came across the profile by chance "while looking for friends to talk to".

Fiona Lamb, defending, said Gibson has never been in trouble before and has been candid when questioned.

Miss Lamb said: "He accepts, unusually, that the offending behaviour was motivated by sexual gratification."

Miss Lamb said Gibson is "at a loss" to explain why he was attracted to a child profile but is willing to address his behaviour.

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A SEX offender put himself at risk of a third spell behind bars in less than ten years after flying to Poland to visit a girlfriend without informing police. Frank Smith also breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and his notification requirements by changing his bank details and adopting aliases while using the internet, again without telling a police monitoring officer. The now 37-year-old served a three-year prison sentence, imposed at Teesside Crown Court, in May 2012, for grooming and having sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, as well as for downloading indecent images of children. He was also made subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Within months, however, he moved from the family home in Blackhall Colliery, County Durham, to Town End Farm, Sunderland, after finding work at the nearby Nissan motor manufacturing works, but failed to tell monitoring officers. He also uploaded 17 indecent images of children to be viewed by internet chat room site users. In conversations with those users, recovered by police, Smith boasted of having had sexual relations with girls aged 13 and 15, the latter being the reason for his 2012 prison sentence. Smith was jailed for 32 months for those offences at Durham Crown Court, in November 2016. Laura Doherty, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court, police became aware he had travelled to Gdansk, in Poland, in October 2020, without notifying police. It was also discovered he had used online alias names, one for an Xbox profile, and changed his bank account. When interviewed he admitted having visited his girlfriend in Poland and said he had not used any of the aliases for more than three days but conceded he had not informed police of any of them. Smith, of High Street East, Sunderland, admitted three counts of failing to comply with a SHPO. Barry Robson, for Smith, said a probation report recommended the defendant should be subject to a rehabilitative course, which would serve the public better than a short prison sentence, during which he would not receive the same assistance. Recorder Richard Wright QC agreed, saying the alternative would be a short custodial sentence. He told Smith: The effect is I couldnt order you to do the work that I can on a community sentence. Imposing the 18-month order, he said Smith should undergo a 40-day programme with the Probation Service. But he told the defendant: I make this clear. I have, effectively, given you an opportunity because I consider it in the best interests of the public to deal with you in this way. Should you fail to comply, there wont be any further chances.

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A CONVICTED sex offender has appeared in court after having unauthorised contact with young children. Matthew McCormick admitted breaching the terms of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) after repeatedly visiting his step-sister when her children were present. The 25-year-old failed to notify the relevant authorities that he was regularly visiting her over a three-month period. Teesside Crown Court heard how McCormick attended her home on numerous occasions between November 1 last year and January 31. Robin Turton, prosecuting, said the defendant was made subject of a five-year SHPO following his conviction for sexual assault in 2015. He said McCormick had breached his order on two previous occasions in 2016 and January last year. Mr Turton added: "On a number of occasions, he visited the address of his step-sister and her two young children and he said she was aware of his conviction." McCormick, of Ridley Terrace, Sunderland, pleaded guilty to breach of his SHPO when he appeared at magistrates's court. In mitigation, Martin Scarborough, said his client had always maintained that his step-sister knew about his conviction despite her initially denying the fact. Mr Scarborough said McCormick was always supervised during the visits and his pregnant girlfriend attended with him on occasion. He added: "There was no risk of him offending because his step-sister was aware of the order and he was supervised at all times." McCormick spent ten weeks on remand, the equivalent of a 20-week prison sentence, he added. Judge Deborah Sherwin passed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also made subject to a new five-year SHPO order. As a 19-year-old he kissed a 12-year-old girl while they were on a playing field in Hartlepool in front of her brother and sister and his own brother last year. McCormick was found guilty of sexual assault after a four-day trial at Teesside Crown Court in April, 2015. He was given a 12-month community order with supervision and banned from having contact with under-16s for five years. The court heard McCormick, formerly of West View Road, Hartlepool, suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

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Asked whether he raped his 15-year-old victim, footballer replies, 'No, I wish I f***ing wish I did' Former England footballer Adam Johnson has been filmed laughing in prison and joking about his conviction for sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan. Johnson was found guilty last year of sexual activity with a child after meeting with the girl in his Range Rover in County Durham in January 2015. In footage obtained by The Sun, the 29-year-old is seen sitting in what appears to be a laundry room at Moorland Prison in South Yorkshire. Another inmate asks him: Its not like you f***ing raped her or owt like that? No, I wish I f***cking did for six years, he replies, laughing. The former Sunderland and Manchester City winger can also be heard saying in the video that he believes he was brought to court and handed a long sentence because he was in the public eye. At the start of his trial at Bradford Crown Court, Johnson admitted one charge of sexual activity with a child, relating to kissing her. He also admitted a charge of meeting a child with intent following grooming her. Johnson lost a challenge for permission to appeal against his conviction last month and Court of Appeal judges also rejected his bid for a reduction in his six-year jail sentence. In 2016, the footballer was also arrested for possessing images of bestiality on his laptop. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on the footage captured at Moorland Prison.