Latest Offenders Walsall

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Walsall man who won an award before being jailed for sex offences

This is the face of a man from Walsall and a former chauffeur for the mayor of Birmingham who is starting a jail term of nine years for child sex offences.

Kenneth Bond, aged 56 of Sycamore Road, was awarded the Royal Human Society Testimonial last year after persuading a woman who was standing in the road brandishing an eight-inch knife to give the weapon up.

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A probationary police officer has been jailed for 42 months for sexually assaulting a woman after a night out.

PC James Barrett-Barnett, 25, had already been dismissed by Bedfordshire Police following a misconduct hearing.

After a night out with friends, he had got into bed with a woman and sexually assaulted her.

He admitted his actions but claimed it had been consensual, however he was convicted in April at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Barrett-Barnett of Walsall Road in Walsall was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

Following his conviction, a hearing in July found he had committed gross misconduct and he was sacked.

In his misconduct ruling, the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, Nick Dean, wrote: "There is little doubt in the public’s eye that he has damaged the reputation of the police service and bought discredit to it."

Det Ch Supt Zara Brown, who drives the force’s response to violence against women and girls, said Barrett-Barnett was a probationary officer for a short time and had just completed his initial training when he committed the offences.

"There is no place in society for violence against women, and especially within policing, as it betrays the trust and confidence the public should have in us as a service.

"We will continue to take robust action against anyone who acts in this way.”

She "highly commended" the victim for showing "great bravery by reporting what happened to her, as well as giving evidence during the trial".

"We will never accept this sort of behaviour, consent is paramount and no will always mean no.

"It is never too late to report anything that has happened to you, and we have specialist teams who will work closely with you and will believe you," she added.

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A man from Brownhills has been jailed for 15 years for inciting boys on the internet to engage in sexual activity and for distributing vile and depraved indecent images of children.

David Brown, 59, had already pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He had pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. However, he was found guilty following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March and was jailed on Monday (15 July) at Birmingham Crown Court.

As well as being given a 15-year prison sentence, Brown was placed on the sex offender register for life and will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order For Life.

We received intelligence to suggest Brown was using the internet at his home to share indecent images of children and on 17 October, 2018 officers from our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team attended Brown’s home and seized his digital devices.

Brown’s computers were forensically examined and found to contain 175 indecent images of children as well as internet search terms relating to the sexual abuse of children.

A vast quantity of online conversations were also retrieved with a considerable amount concentrating on the horrifying and systematic sexual abuse of children both in the UK and abroad. In one, he had instructed a man in Africa to carry out abuse in exchange for payment.

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A paedophile who carried out rapes against young girls and women over a period of nearly four decades has been locked up for more than 20 years. Brian Guest, aged 65 from Walsall, carried out his offending over a span of 37 years.

He was finally brought to justice after a complaint was made against him in October 2022. Several victims bravely came forward and reported him for rape and sexual assaults, which took place in a number of different settings.

An investigation was carried out by West Midlands Police and Guest was arrested, charged and went on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. There, he was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault against his victims, which included children, in June last year.

On Tuesday, January 23, at Stafford Crown Court, Guest was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Det Sgt Nadia Cooper, from West Midlands Police's investigations team, said: "This was an appalling sequence of abuse in which Brian Guest abused his victims.

"Thanks to their bravery, we were able to build a case to bring him to justice and hopefully grant them some measure of closure. We would urge anyone who knows or thinks they were a victim of sexual abuse in the past to contact us and tell us your story.

"In doing so you could secure justice for yourself and others, as well as potentially protecting current or future victims."

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A paedophile had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl after she had "blacked out" while drunk and threatened to tell her family and friends if she stopped seeing him. He went on to have sex with the girl on two other occasions without using protection.

Stuart Barratt, 32, told the girl she looked "fit" after she sent him a photograph of herself in her bra on Snapchat. He later had sex with the girl in Builth Wells when she was intoxicated, after she had lost her friends on a night out.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on October 6 heard the victim and the defendant came to know each other and began speaking on social media. He went on to offer to buy her a tracksuit but she refused.

Prosecutor Ffion Tomos said the child went on a night out to Builth Wells with older friends and had consumed peach schnapps and Strongbow, which left her "eight out of 10" on a scale of intoxication. She was refused entry to a bar and lost her friends, before making her way through the town.

She was approached by Barratt who had sat down with her and kissed her. The victim "froze" and believed she "blacked out" at some point. When she came round, she found herself lying on the floor. The defendant had pulled her trousers down to her ankles, pulled her clothes and underwear to one side and penetrated her vagina with his penis, which she described as painful.

Following that incident, the victim said she felt pressured into remaining in contact with Barratt. Ms Tomos said: "He was manipulative towards her and said if she ended it he would tell everyone, she would lose her family and friends and people would hate her."

The court heard the defendant and victim had sexual intercourse on two further occasions in a field, during which he did not use protection. The victim later made a report to police and Barratt surrendered himself but answered "no comment" in his interviews.

Barratt, now of Fourth Avenue, Brownhills, Walsall, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child. The court heard he was of previous good character but had one conditional discharge for criminal damage.

In mitigation, Marian Lewis said her client was "in a bad place" at the time of the offences, was suffering with depression, was in debt and did not like his job. She said the defendant found the girl's appearance and personality attractive and it "was not based purely on sexual activity". The barrister added: "The defendant said she looked and behaved older than her chronological years.

Sentencing, Recorder Dyfed Thomas said: "You were the adult and you took advantage of a child sexually. In relation to submissions that she behaved older than her chronological years, the court does not take that into account in no shape or form. The law is there to protect children no matter how they act, and she was a child."

Barratt was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and to a restraining order of 15 years.

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Alan Barry, 44, of Leamore in Walsall, has been jailed for three years and four months after being found to have breached his sexual harm prevention order.

Barry, of Providence Close, who had previously appeared at Northampton Crown Court in 2017 for making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children, as well as arranging and intended child sex offence, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court last Friday.

At the time of his original conviction in 2017, Barry was placed on the sex offender register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order(SHPO).

The sentence last Friday comes after officers visited Barry's Walsall home in January this year under the terms of his prevention order, where they found thumbnails of what appeared to be illegal sexual images on his mobile phone.

The device was seized for analysis by police, which revealed hundreds of still and moving images of children and extreme pornographic images as well as correspondence indicating that Barry was involved with receiving and sending these images.

In total, officers found 45 Category A images (deemed the most serious images), 13 Category B images, and 251 extreme pornographic images.

Detective Constable Claire Walker, from the public protection unit at West Midlands Police said: "Despite the horrendous nature of the material that Alan Barry possessed, he appeared to be quite ambivalent about the seriousness of his offences, denying when questioned that he had a sexual interest in children and instead attributing his behaviour to drug abuse and mental health issues.

"It is only right that he has received a custodial sentence and we welcome his conviction."

Barry was arrested in June this year and was convicted last week of possessing and distributing images of children, possession of extreme pornography and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

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Luke Baker, 20, of School Street, Walsall, is accused of two counts of raping a boy under 13, and two further charges of inciting a boy under 13 to sexual activity.

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Josh Stratford, 24, of Streetly, was caught out after police investigators picked up intelligence that photographs had been transmitted via online picture transfer website Dropbox.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that following a search of the defendant's home 158 category A images (the worst); 266 category B images and 758 category C images were discovered on some of the defendant's electronic devices. The collection included images of a female as young as four.

Prosecuting barrister Miss Amanda O'Mara said the defendant failed to hand over pass codes for four other devices and made "no comment" in his police interviews, but the officers estimated that he accessed 141,000 other images using the dark web and private networks over a four-year period.

The veterinary student, of Inglewood Grove, Streetly, in Walsall, previously pleaded guilty to three counts relating to possessing indecent photographs on May 18 last year.

Mitigating barrister Mr Callum Church said: "It is thoroughly unacceptable and there is no justification or explanation."

He added that Stratford had since attended courses with child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Recorder Abigail Nixon told him his behaviour had been "perverted". She added: "This will affect your future and the rest of your life."

She sentenced him to eight months in jail, suspended for 12 months. He must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, attend up to 35 activity days to address mental health issues, and pay costs of 425 within three months. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A former council leader has been handed an 18-month community order for sexual offences against children.

Sean Coughlan, 65, from Willenhall, Walsall, admitted attempting to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity.

The ex Walsall councillor also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was charged after an operation by a paedophile hunter group saw a video of him being confronted shared online.

The offences happened between August and December 2021.

At the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Judge Michael Chambers said the former councillor had suffered a "great fall from grace".

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Coughlan had set up a secret Facebook page, posting intimate pictures and encouraging what he thought was a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.

"In reality, there was no child. This was a vigilante purporting to perform a public duty," the judge said.

'Element of grooming'

A 30-minute video was posted online by the paedophile hunter group, which resulted in him being arrested and charged by West Midlands Police, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"There was an element of grooming and clearly a disparity in age. There was an intention of penetrative sexual activity, but there was no harm as there was no child," Judge Chambers said.

In mitigation the court heard he had no previous criminal convictions, and had served his community well.

"But what you wrote in your letter to the court is right," continued the judge.

"That regardless of the hundreds you have helped, your behaviour of late is what you'll be remembered for. You have suffered a great fall from grace."

He had been remanded in custody since his arrest in December.

Coughlan resigned as a Walsall councillor days after the paedophile sting film had been posted, and had initially denied the charges, but changed his plea last month.

At Thursday's sentencing hearing he was also made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Coughlan was elected as a councillor for Walsall borough in 1995, representing the ward of Willenhall South.

During his career, he became deputy leader and then leader of both the Labour group and the authority, of which he was in charge between 2016 and 2018.

During court proceedings he was suspended from the Labour Party and the Walsall Council Labour group.

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Scott Bamford attempted to meet three children, one of whom was just two years old

A man has been sent to prison for three years after grooming three young children online and arranging to meet them in Camberley for sex.

Scott Bamford, a 54-year-old from Walsall, was sentenced last Thursday (February 17) at Guildford Crown Court, having earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

According to Surrey Police, Bamford engaged in sexually graphic conversations on an online chat website and made arrangements to meet three children, one of whom was aged two and the other two were under 11, in Camberley earlier this year.

He arrived at a car park in the town that day and was subsequently arrested. In the boot of his car were children's toys appropriate for different ages and sweets, along with condoms and lubricant.

The arrest took place after an investigation by specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Bamford was charged on the same day as his arrest, and it's understood that none of the victims were placed at risk.

In addition to his prison sentence, Bamford was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for an unlimited period.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Colin Haynes, from SEROCU, said: "Bamford had planned to carry out child sexual abuse and travelled with the intention of committing this offence against three children.

"This case demonstrates our continued priority to protect children from sexual exploitation from those who seek to do them harm. If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I would urge you to report it to your local police force via 101.

"We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help with providing access to a range of other support services."

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Wajid Ali lured the woman into his Walsall home in March 2019 before lunging at her, which caused them both to fall down the stairs.

He then sexually assaulted her, but the victim managed to scream out which alerted a neighbour who contacted the police.

When officers arrived they detained Ali, who tried deny attacking the woman who is aged aged in her 30s.

She has now been praised for her courage speaking out about the incident, recalling the attack and ensuring police had strong enough evidence to put Ali behind bars.

The 43-year-old, of Webster Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

He was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court last Friday and was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Det Con Gina Tonks, who led the investigation for West Midlands Police, said: "The woman was courageous enough to make a statement and support a police investigation.

"Ali is a dangerous man and she has helped ensure he's lost his freedom and can't do the same to anyone else.

"She told us she hopes that by coming forward that other victims - including from the Asian community like herself - may be brave enough to speak out in the future.

"Anyone who has been subjected to the horrific experience of being assaulted will have our full help and support as we seek to put attackers behind bars."

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Former Walsall Council leader Sean Coughlan has pleaded guilty to two child sex offences.

The 65-year-old admitted one count relating to sexual communication and one count relating to attempted sexual activity with a child under 16 between August and December 2021 when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday.

Coughlan spoke to change his plea to guilty from not guilty.

There was no application for bail.

A trial had been due to be held on July 18. However now the veteran politician has pleaded guilty he will be sentenced in four weeks.

Coughlan, of Martin Drive, Short Heath, Willenhall, was remanded in custody until then.

Coughlan was the elected representative for the Willenhall South ward but resigned in December following his arrest after being caught in an internet sting.

Self-styled paedophile hunters confronted Coughlan and posted a 30-minute video of them questioning the Labour politician on social media. He was then arrested and charged by West Midlands Police and spent Christmas behind bars after being kept in custody.

A spokesman for Walsall Council said at the time: The council received Councillor Sean Coughlans written notice of resignation from his office as a councillor. His resignation was formally and immediately accepted. He is no longer a Walsall MBC councillor.

He was first elected in 1995 and has successfully defended the seat on a number of occasions, the latest being in May this year.

During his career he rose to become deputy leader and then leader of both his party and Walsall Council, which he was in charge of between 2016 and 2018.

He stepped down as leader of the Walsall Labour Group in 2019.

It is understood that Councillor Coughlan was also suspended from the Labour Party following his arrest.

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A man from the West Midlands travelled nearly 90 miles to Bedford with the intention of sexually abusing an 11-year-old child.

He was handed five years in prison at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, January 21.

Jamie Macpherson, 46, from Walsall was arrested at Bedford Train Station by police soon after arriving in Bedford, Bedfordshire, on June 18 last year.

He was found with two hard drives containing "huge" amounts of indecent images of children.

The images included category A images which means: "Images involving penetrative sexual activity, images involving sexual activity with an animal or sadism."

These were described by investigators as "some of the worst and most abhorrent child sexual abuse material" they had ever seen.

Following his arrest Macpherson pleaded guilty to facilitating and arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, possession to show or distribute indecent images of children, and possession of indecent images of children.

Additionally, he also pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children, in relation to offences committed in the West Midlands.

His five-year sentence was comprised of three years for the Bedfordshire offences and a further two years, to run consecutively, for the West Midlands offences.

He was also served with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Macpherson’s plans to travel to Bedford were uncovered as a result of a proactive operation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit.

Once Macpherson was arrested, the investigation team worked with digital media investigators, who were instrumental in securing the evidence from the hard drives in his possession.

Investigation Officer Paul Baddeley, from Bedfordshire Police’s Cyber Hub, said: "Macpherson is an extremely dangerous offender who has travelled a long way from his home with a clear intent to sexually abuse a child.

"Following his arrest, he was found in possession of huge amounts of indecent images of children. Some of these have been described as some of the worst and most abhorrent child sexual abuse material the investigation team have ever seen.

"Thanks to close collaboration with our colleagues at West Midlands Police and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, this horrific offender will be locked up away from our communities and children he could pose a risk to."

He added: "We are seeing an ever increasing amount of referrals of this nature, we would like to take this opportunity to remind parents and guardians of how important it is to ensure their children know how to keep themselves safe online.

"Any child can become the victim of grooming, no matter what their gender, ethnicity or background. If you think that this might be happening to you or someone you know then it’s important you speak out and tell someone you trust."

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A MAN who planned to rape an eight-year-old girl travelled across the country with sex toys.

Lance Baynes was caught with restraints, sex toys, and lubricant at a Hampshire service station.

The 48-year-old had arranged to meet another man at Sutton Scotney Services and then rape an eight-year-old girl.

However, he was arrested during a police sting on August 21 this year.

When police seized Baynes' electronic devices they found 1,430 indecent or extreme images.

Officers also discovered he had been the admin of an online account which had been sharing images of children with other paedophiles.

Baynes formerly of Cedar Close in Walsall had also been communicating sexually with a 13-year-old girl, a Winchester Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to the following ten charges:

• Arranging/facilitating the rape of a child under 13-years-old

• Three counts of making indecent images of children

• One count of possession of extreme indecent images

• Three counts of distributing indecent images of children

• Intentionally encouraging an offender to commit an indictable offence.

He was today, sentenced to eight years in prison and will be on license for four years after his release.

DC Steve Hill, of Hampshire Constabulary's ICAT said: “Prior to his arrest Lance Baynes had been planning to commit an atrocious offence against what he believed was an 8-year-old girl. He is a dangerous offender, and I hope his sentencing reassures the public.

“This was a complex and difficult investigation, and I would like to thank our colleagues at SEROCU for their assistance in bringing this case to justice.

“We take all reports of sexual offending very seriously, and will do anything in our power to bring those responsible to justice and to protect vulnerable people from such predators.”