Latest Offenders Warrington

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A PREDATOR who preyed upon a young child and subjected him to serious sexual offences has been locked up.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Christopher Hindley ‘stole the innocence’ of the victim, with what happened ‘significantly impacting all aspects of his life’.

The 56-year-old defendant, of Culcheth, was charged with 17 child sex offences after the victim came forward about what happened to him.

Putting the complainant through the ordeal of a five-day trial, Hindley, who has been involved with the Lowton 1st Scout Group for many years, was convicted by a jury of offences including indecent assault, gross indecency, and attempted buggary.

He appeared back before Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced yesterday, Monday, where he was handed a jail term of more than a decade.

During the trial, it was said by Siôn ap Mihangel, prosecuting, that the abuse took place over a number of years in Warrington in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

The victim was younger than 10 when the manipulation began, and Hindley was aged over 20.

It was said that the defendant began by touching the boy in a sexual manner, and that the victim was too young to appreciate that what was happening was wrong.

“You made it seem to him as normal behaviour. He had been manipulated by you,” said judge Katherine Pierpoint, who sentenced him.

Hindley’s behaviour escalated to performing sex acts on the boy and inciting him to do the same in return.

Referencing some of the actions Hindley initiated, Judge Pierpoint said: “It did not succeed, but not for want of trying what would now be termed rape of a child.”

Even though some of the offences would now be charged as rape, it was said that the court was bound by the sentencing powers available to a judge at the time the offences were committed.

“You moved on, started a relationship, got married, had children, and worked – your life continued,” Judge Pierpoint continued.

“But the victim was left, as a young boy, damaged by what you did to him over those years.”

In an impact statement, the victim said: “The abuse I suffered has had a significant impact on me. It has eaten me up for years and years.

“I felt ashamed and dirty, and that I had been taken advantage of.

“I felt that I could not speak out, and I was worried about being bullied and of people judging me. I tried to put it at the back of my mind, and it lay dormant for some time.

“I tried to deal with it by myself, but this was difficult. I wanted to courage to speak out, but I did not feel able to. I feel like the defendant stole my innocence.”

It was said that the victim has suffered with his mental health for a number of years, and that he can feel ‘low and numb’.

“I was anxious and scared about the trial, but I wanted to face my demons. I needed to do this for myself as I would never be able to heal,” he added.

“I was so happy when I heard the guilty verdict as I felt heard, which is massive for me. It is a step to getting back on track and beginning the healing process.”

An impact statement was also read out by the mum of the victim, who said: “I cannot believe he has been through this abuse and I did not know. I am heartbroken about this.

“I should have been there for him and I feel guilty about this, even though I did not know about what was happening. I am distraught.”

Hindley appeared in court without legal representation due to ‘reasons beyond his control’ relating to financial aid.

It was said at a previous court hearing that he has approached the Court of Appeal to appeal his conviction, and it was said during his sentencing hearing that he continues to maintain his innocence.

Representing himself, he said: “I understand that the court must sentence me based on the jury’s verdict.

“I have complied fully with my bail conditions and have remained co-operative with the court process throughout.”

He referenced his lack of any previous convictions and said that his incarceration would have a significant impact on his family, while highlighting positive character references by people who ‘continue to support him’.

Before sentencing, Judge Pierpoint said: “You stole his innocence, and what happened continues to affect him now, in all aspects of his life.

“He is a brave man who stood up to you and gave evidence against you. He has now been heard and believed, and I hope this means there is some closure, and he can start to heal.

“The effect of this type of sexual offending not only has a great impact on the victim of such offending, but others as well.

“His mother feels guilty that she did not know what was happening at the time. The only person in this courtroom who should feel guilty is you.

“In my judgement, this offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”

Hindley, of Pendle Gardens in Culcheth, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, with an extended licence period of a year on his release.

He will serve two-thirds of the 12 years before his case is referred to the Parole Board to consider if he is safe to be released to serve the remainder of the sentence, plus an additional year, on licence.

The defendant must also sign the sex offender register for life on his release from custody.

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A man has been jailed for sexually abusing a child in Warrington.

Odday El-Saddi appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 7 July, where he was sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The 48-year-old of Regency Square, Warrington, was earlier found guilty of 15 counts of sexual offences, including sexual assault of a child under 13, and rape of a child under 13.

The jury heard how El-Saddi had started sexually assaulting the victim when they were just 9 years old – with the abuse taking place on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2022.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Jessica Taylor said:

"Firstly, I would like to commend the victim for the strength and courage they have shown throughout this case, and I hope the sentence handed to El-Saddi will provide them closure and a chance to move on with their life.

"El-Saddi is a dangerous individual, who sexually abused a child for years. He showed no remorse throughout the entire investigation, and even made his victim relive the experiences in court.

“Thankfully, as a result of the evidence gathered and the bravery of the victim, the jury were able to see through his lies and he is now being held accountable for his actions."

DC Taylor added:

“Sexual assault of children causes terrible distress to all involved, not least the victim themselves, and I urge anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault – no matter how long ago the incident took place – to come forward and report it.

“We treat all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”

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A CONVICTED sex offender is back behind bars after police carried out a routine visit at his home.

Nicky Lloyd was previously locked up after authorities found his ‘paedophile manuals’, instructing him how to abuse children and get away with it.

The 41-year-old was handed an indefinite court order to limit his ability to reoffend, but he has breached this previously – and he has now breached it again.

He was subsequently charged with and admitted six counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), for which he was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.

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A 28-year-old has been jailed for nine years after sexually assaulting a young woman outside Warrington Bank Quay station.

Liam Brodrick, aged 28, of Poplars Avenue, Warrington, was sentenced on Friday 2 May at Liverpool Crown Court to nine years, comprising of six years in custody with the remaining three years on licence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period and a life-long signature on the Sex Offenders Register. Furthermore, an indefinite restraining order was granted for the victim.

The court heard how in the early hours of Sunday 28 January 2024, Brodrick befriended a lone 19-year-old woman. After a brief conversation, they walked into a takeaway shop and upon leaving, the woman indicated she had to catch a train, parting ways with Brodrick.

Brodrick ran after her and walked with her towards Warrington Bank Quay station.  Once at the station which was closed, Brodrick offered his coat to the girl before both sat on the ground.

The victim fell asleep and woke to find Brodrick sexually assaulting her.

She ran away but he called her back asking for his coat.

Despite his best efforts to ensure no one was watching, the CCTV at the station had captured the whole thing.

The victim was spotted by police officers who she immediately reported the incident to. An officer had noted seeing him just moments earlier and he was arrested.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Melissa Catterall said: “Brodrick knew what he was doing and took advantage of a lone woman who believed he was trying to help her but was only looking to serve his own sexual gratification.

“His actions are disgusting and abhorrent, and I’m grateful to see the sentence handed down. There is zero-tolerance for sexual offences on the rail network and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A man has been jailed for the rape and attempted rape of two women in Warrington.

Mariyan Grudev, formerly of Thelwall Lane, Latchford, Warrington, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday 6 February after previously pleading guilty to one count of attempted rape.

The 39-year-old was also found guilty of one count of rape after a trial in July 2024.

On Saturday 29 July 2023, at around 3.10am, a woman was walking along Winwick Road when a man, who was unknown to the woman, began following her.

He then grabbed her from behind and attempted to drag her into bushes. Thankfully, the woman escaped unharmed and sought help from a passing taxi driver.

A media appeal was subsequently issued by Cheshire Police using a CCTV image of the suspect. He was later confirmed to be Grudev, who was arrested on Sunday 30 July 2023 and later charged with attempted rape on Tuesday 1 August 2023.

Following these charges, he was investigated as a suspect in a previous similar incident in Warrington. This occurred on Sunday 22 December 2019, when a woman who had been on a night out in Warrington town centre was walking back to her address at around 2.20am, and described being approached by a man.

The victim was not able to recall the exact events following this interaction but she was in pain and believed she had been raped.

Forensic swabs taken from the victim did not come back with any results or DNA matches at the time. In 2023, following Grudev’s arrest, his DNA was tested against DNA from the 2019 incident, which provided a match. He was subsequently charged with rape in November 2023.

On top of his custodial sentence, Grudev will also need to sign the Sex Offender Register.

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THIS is the face of a monstrous child rapist who subjected a minor to years of sexual abuse.

Neal Hatton was handed a jail term of more than two decades after being convicted of two counts of rape and nine counts of sexual assault.

He put the victim through the ordeal of reliving their horrific experiences by denying the offences, but a jury saw through his lies.

During the trial, Liverpool Crown Court heard how the evil behaviour occurred in Warrington and began when the victim was of primary school age.

Hatton’s abuse escalated further, as he began to rape and sexually assault the child on a regular basis.

The victim described how they were terrified of the 38-year-old, and when they would try to tell him to stop, he threatened to take them to his home and torture them.

They would try to ignore him, hoping this would stop him from abusing them, but no matter what the victim did, Hatton’s offending continued.

The abuse eventually came to light when the victim sought the courage to tell their mother what Hatton was doing to her, and the matter was immediately reported to Cheshire Police.

Following the report, Hatton was subsequently arrested by detectives. During questioning, he denied all of the allegations against him.

Despite his denials, he was convicted of all the offences following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, which concluded yesterday, Thursday.

The case proceeded to sentence, with judge Robert Trevor-Jones sentencing Hatton, of Vulcan Close in Padgate, to 21 years in prison, plus an additional six years on extended licence.

Following the sentencing, DS Ryan Crawford said: “Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

“Hatton is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

“He showed no regard for the victim and, even when faced with the mountain of evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges.

“Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

“Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury has seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions.

“I hope that the sentence handed to Hatton will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their life, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”

In addition to the custodial sentence, Hatton was ordered to sign the sexual offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life.

DS Crawford added: “Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been through, and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us.

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A drunk man grabbed a woman by the crotch and strangled her near Warrington Central Station after she rejected his sexual advances.

Martin Dempsey, 56, of Secker Avenue, appeared via video link at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

Prosecutor Simon Mintz said that on June 3 last year, Dempsey was drinking with a group in Warrington town centre, including the 34-year-old victim, who had previously rejected his advances.

The group drank in a park before seeking more alcohol. The victim and Dempsey were left alone by a ramp near the station for about 30 minutes.

CCTV showed them talking and playfighting before Dempsey said, "I’m going to f**k you everywhere." She rejected him again, but he became abusive, calling her a "s**g" and a "s**t."

Dempsey then grabbed her crotch over her jeans; she pushed him away and called him an "idiot" to defuse it. Two minutes later, he grabbed her throat, pushed her head against a wall, and restricted her breathing for 10-15 seconds, causing no physical injury.

A witness called her into the station; she looked frightened and thanked them repeatedly.

Police found Dempsey nearby, surrounded by bottles, claiming he couldn't remember except for "playfighting."

The victim's impact statement said she moved from Warrington as Dempsey is "well known" there.

Defense lawyer Phil Tully noted both were intoxicated and the victim also grabbed Dempsey inappropriately near his genitals.

"The complainant grabbed Mr Dempsey in an inappropriate manner over his clothing near his genitals," said Mr Tully. "He accepts that his conduct was worse than that of the complainant and was unacceptable. He understands that they are serious offences and is thoroughly ashamed of his conduct."

Dempsey has mental health issues, alcohol misuse, and feels "genuinely remorseful," Mr Tully added. "He is both ashamed and disgusted by his conduct. He is determined to put his offending behind him. He accepts that what he did was wrong, he accepts that he deserves to be punished."

Dempsey's record includes theft, cannabis possession, and a 2007 probation for playing cowboys and Indians with an imitation firearm while drunk.

Judge David Potter said the victim had repeatedly rejected Dempsey's advances. "You had requested sexual gratification from her on previous occasions," he said. "You again persisted with the request for sex, she again said she wasn’t interested. You tried to accuse her of being a s**g and a s**t. Only a couple of minutes later you then grabbed her by the throat, pushed her head back against the wall and for a good 10 seconds or so, disrupting her breathing."

Citing a survivor from another case, Judge Potter noted strangulation's psychological impact: "People underestimate, said the survivor, how often it happens. This court does not underestimate the effect that this has on those who suffer these assaults."

He acknowledged Dempsey's rehabilitation desire but said "only time will tell" if he stops drinking.

Dempsey, remanded in custody, received 16 months' immediate imprisonment, 10 years on the sex offenders register, and a five-year restraining order.

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A CONVICTED paedophile has been locked up after police found he was still looking at child sex abuse images.

Police found that Viktor Smirnovs had a mobile phone hidden in his underwear that contained vile indecent images of children.

The 39-year-old was previously given a chance with a suspended sentence, but he did not heed the warning and is now incarcerated.

He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, where he was assisted by a Latvian interpreter, after admitting two counts each of breaching his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with his sex offender register requirements.

The court heard that Smirnovs was previously handed a 15-month jail term in November 2023, but this was suspended for two years.

He admitted having a 'dark side' after being caught with hundreds of vile indecent pictures and videos, but then could not be found after returning to Latvia.

On his eventual return however, officers discovered that he had downloaded even more of the depraved material, with images and videos being in excess of 800.

He was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and told he must sign the sex offender register – with both imposed to allow police to keep tabs on him to ensure he was not offending again.

As such, the sex offender management unit from Cheshire Police called in unannounced at his Watkin Street home on September 9, explained Derek Jones, prosecuting.

Smirnovs allowed them entry and officers asked him if he had any further devices other than those that he had registers, or anything to tell them.

The defendant said that he hadn’t, but officers decided to conduct a search of the property, notably the bedroom.

At that point, officers noticed that Smirnovs appeared to be hiding something down his trousers, the court heard, with a mobile phone found to be in his underpants.

The Google Pixel phone and its hard drive had not been registered with the police before – as he is required to do by the terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

Searches of the phone revealed references to a bank account and a Gmail email account linked to the defendant.

These too had not been registered with the police, this time as required through the terms of his sex offender register requirements.

Smirnovs was interviewed by officers and answered ‘no comment’ to each question put to him.

The items seized from his address were sent for a forensic examination, with the phone revealing the presence of indecent images of children.

Of the 216 images and videos found, 29 were graded as category A – the most severe forms of child sexual abuse involving rape – while 28 were category B and 162 were category C.

The offences subsequently placed Smirnovs in breach of the suspended sentence he was given in November 2023.

Judge Anil Murray, the same judge who previously passed the suspended sentence, felt there was no reason to make it unjust for him to activate the suspended sentence, with extra time added for the new offences.

As a result, Smirnovs was sentenced to 20 months in prison, to be served immediately.

The sexual harm prevention order and his sex offender register requirements are to continue as existing from the previous sentence.

At his previous sentencing hearing, it was said that Smirnovs had ‘found it difficult facing to why he had been looking at these images, a more sinister side to his personality’.

“He clearly has a deep-rooted problem for which he needs some form of rehabilitation,” his barrister, Paul Wood, told the court.

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THE taxpayer was put to unnecessary expense by a man who claimed hackers had put child sex abuse images on his devices.

But Aaron McHugh had the good sense to retract his not guilty pleas and admit his guilt, before being sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.

Cheshire Police received information in April last year that an ‘xmaker2014’ Gmail address had uploaded suspected indecent images of children to a Dropbox account, explained Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting.

This email address was attributed to McHugh, who was arrested on April 6 by officers who searched his home.

They came across an iPhone and a laptop, with both submitted for a forensic analysis.

Following the search of his home, the defendant was interviewed by officers in the presence of his mother and a solicitor.

Here, he read from a prepared statement which declared that he had no knowledge of the images, and that he would be answering ‘no comment’ to all other questions, which he did.

Following an examination, authorities confirmed that incident material of children was found on both electronic devices.

In total, there were 39 images of children being sexually abused, 10 of which were graded in category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 20 were category B and nine were category C.

On the iPhone, experts found three images at category C level in a Snapchat folder, but the court heard that these were inaccessible without sophisticated software.

More images were found in the cache of a Discord app, which were again inaccessible, but referenced sexual activity involving a 13-year-old child.

The court heard how the dates involved in possessing the material spanned back to May 2016, when now-21-year-old McHugh was aged just 15.

Following the examination, the defendant was interviewed again on December 11 last year, where he ‘exercised his right to remain silent’.

But he was subsequently charged with three counts of making indecent images of children by downloading them and one of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He initially denied the offences before Warrington Magistrates’ Court and the case was sent to the crown court for trial, after he claimed that his devices had been ‘hacked’.

A trial date was set for February next year, but in August he changed his pleas to guilty on all counts.

Mr Walmsley revealed that McHugh has no previous convictions, cautions or warnings on his record.

In mitigation, defence barrister Carmel Wilde said: “This is a young man who has never been before the court before.

“The offences were committed between the ages of 15 and 20, against a backdrop of being mentally abused by his stepfather.

“He was associating with the wrong crowd and was the victim of bullying throughout secondary school. He was in a wrong place, a dark place.”

It was said that with this ‘wrong crowd’, he was abusing nitrous oxide in balloons and cannabis ‘laced with goodness knows what’.

She said that her client is working in a bar in Warrington and needs to address the underlying issues in his offending, which he would be willing to do through a court order.

Before sentencing, judge Ian Harris said: “The offences are serious as, without members of the public willing to make images and distribute them, there would be no market for the indefensible abuse of children.

“Without people like you, there would be no market for this toxic trade. On a daily basis, children are being abused to feed businesses trading in this dreadful abuse.”

Judge Harris accepted ‘no doubt’ that the defendant’s background ‘had an impact on his offending behaviour’.

“The case crosses the custody threshold, but given the mitigation, I believe in trying to assist you in staying out of trouble instead of sending you to custody,” he added.

McHugh, of Robson Grove in Fairfield, was handed a two-year community order, including 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, the Building Choices programme and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also told he must sign the sex offender register and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next five years.

In addition, orders were approved to deprive the defendant of his laptop and iPhone.

On McHugh’s initial denial of the offences, Judge Harris commented: “You initially pleaded not guilty and claimed that your computer had been hacked.

“You put the prosecution to unnecessary expense because of your failure to admit these matters in the lower court, so there will be a costs order.”

Despite an application by the prosecution for court costs in excess of £1,000, the defendant was ordered to repay £500.

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A sex offender has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after admitting serious sexual offences against women in West Yorkshire.

Anthony Pilling (43) from Lymm in Warrington was jailed for 24 years at Leeds Crown Court on Monday ( 21st October) after pleading guilty to four offences of rape. 

The 43-year-old admitting three rape offences committed against a woman in Kirklees in July 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to an offence of rape committed against a woman in Calderdale in 2021.

Pilling had pleaded guilty to the offences in an earlier hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

The court heard Pilling had attacked both women in their own homes.

PC Alexandra Oldham of the Kirklees District Adult Safeguarding Unit, said: “We welcome the conviction of Pilling for shocking offences against two women in the very places where they should have expected to have felt safe.

“This substantial 24-year sentence reflects both the seriousness of the offences he committed and the devastating and long-lasting impact those offences had on his victims.

“I hope they can take some comfort from the sentence imposed on Pilling and knowing this dangerous, predatory, man will be off our streets for many years to come.” 

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A SICK pervert thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl in a park, but instead he was detained by a paedophile hunting group run by Widnes residents.

Steven Smith was talking to a number of teenage ‘girls’, telling them he would like to kiss, cuddle, and date them, before he was caught by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

He even encouraged them to perform sex acts on themselves.

The 52-year-old dad appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to a catalogue of child sex offences, including three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, possessing indecent images of children and making indecent images of children.

Prosecuting, Shannon Stewart said how Smith’s offending came to light in May of last year when officers were notified by members of Widnes Parents Against Predators that they had detained a man who had arranged to meet who he thought was 14-year-old girl at a park in Cronton.

Smith, of Rylands Drive, Orford, was arrested and when officers seized his devices, they discovered he had been talking to a number of young ‘girls’ online.

Ms Stewart said how one of girls was called Imogen but officers have not been able to identify if she was a real child or a decoy.

Liverpool Crown Court was told how Imogen told the defendant that she was 14 and despite this, he turned the nature of the conversation sexual.

He asked for pictures of Imogen and encouraged her to perform sex acts on herself.

Smith told her that he wanted to watch TV, eat curry, and snuggle with her.

He asked her if she would like to kiss him and said that this would be ‘special’ and ‘feel electric’.

The court heard how Smith told Imogen that he may have got her a gift for her 15th birthday because he ‘liked her’.

This communication lasted from April 2022 to December 2022 and only stopped when Imogen stopped responding.

Another 14-year-old ‘girl’ who Smith believed he was talking to was called Molly, but this was actually a decoy account operated by Widnes Parents Against Predators.

Smith first contacted Molly in April 2023. She told him she was 14 and he said that was fine before calling her stunning and asking her to send a picture of herself.

The paedophile asked Molly about meeting up and suggested they should go for a walk and kiss and cuddle.

He said that although she was too young for sex, he would like to caress her and run his hands over her body.

Ms Stewart said how Smith also encouraged Molly to perform sex ats on herself.

In May 2023, Smith told Molly that he was working in St Helens and that he could come and meet her, so the pair arranged to meet at a park in Cronton.

But here, Smith was met by the paedophile hunting group and was detained.

From March 2023 to May 2023, Smith was talking to another decoy account which was posing as a 14-year-old girl called Megan.

Megan told Smith her age and said she was in school.

Smith sexualised the conversation and said he would like to have a curry with Megan and get a kiss from her for his birthday.

He said they could go on a date to McDonald’s and asked if he met her would she wear a skirt.

Smith asked Megan to send a picture of her bed and when she did he said it was big and that there would be room in it for kisses and cuddles.

He also sent voice notes, in one he said they could go for a walk in a park and that he would kiss her and grab her bottom.

Smith has no previous convictions.

Defending, Jim Smith said how his client has a ‘high level of regret’ for the commission of the offences.

He said that since his arrest, Smith has carried out extensive work to rehabilitate himself including self referring himself for psychological therapy and attending sex addicts anonymous – where he has now become a sponsor.

Mr Smith said how the defendant suffers from anxiety and depression and that he has lost his marriage, career, and home since he committed the offences.

Judge David Potter handed Smith three years and four months behind bars.

He also issued him with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register.

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A sex offender prisoner told his cellmate he 'wanted him to feel like his victims felt' before raping him. Rahmijah Hindes was locked up at HMP Risley, in Warrington, after sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was walking home from a chip shop.

The 24-year-old was only months away from ending his time behind bars. But after becoming disgruntled about sharing a room with another man, Hindes told his cellmate to pull his trousers down before raping him, Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday (September 2).

The court heard Hindes, of no fixed address, had 'taken an illicit substance' before he carried out the attack on his fellow prisoner. The complainant in his latest offence was serving time in relation to indecent images of children, the Liverpool Echo reports.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, described how both men had been transferred to HMP Risley and were sharing a cell overnight on a wing for vulnerable prisoners. Hindes told the inmate he 'wanted him to feel like his victims felt', pushed him onto the bottom bunk bed, told him to take his trousers down and raped him.

He then retired to his own bed and went to sleep. The victim reported the incident to members of prison staff the following morning. When arrested, Hindes denied that any sexual activity had taken place.

But his DNA was subsequently discovered on intimate swabs which had been taken from the other prisoner. This led to him being re-arrested, at which point he changed his account and said that they had engaged in consensual sex.

Hindes has a total of 15 previous convictions for 23 offences. HIs criminal record includes two years in a young offenders' institute for robbery and possession of a bladed article in a public place in 2016.

He was serving time after following a 17-year-old girl who was walking home from a Garston chippy. He pushed her to the ground and forced his hands down her shorts before he ran away when she screamed for help.

Phillip Tully, defending, told the court: "Both men had been ordered by the prison to share a cell overnight. This is not a case where Mr Hindes engineered a setting where he was alone with the complainant to be able to commit the offence.

"Mr Hindes was unhappy about having to share a cell, and then he says the offence was committed. He accepts, through me, that this would have been a very unpleasant and frightening incident for the complainant.

"To his credit, it is quite clear that he has shown remorse and insight into the impact that this would have had upon the complainant in this case. He is still a very young man who has experienced a very difficult childhood and upbringing.

"It appears that they had been moved prisons. He was expecting to be on his own and he found it a very stressful situation. He took a very foolish and stupid decision to commit this offence in relation to the person in the cell with him.

"Even though he had an extremely difficult childhood, he went to school and obtained qualifications and had a work record. He is also someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, depression and anxiety - a young man who has had to cope with all of these things himself in his very short life."

Hindes admitted one count of rape. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for six years and three months - of which he must serve at least two thirds behind bars before becoming eligible for release - and handed an additional five years on licence.

Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: "The emotional impact on him has been immense. He has been left feeling wary, anxious and frightened. He has suffered from nightmares. You focussed that evening more on your own satisfaction than caring at all for him. While you now show insight and remorse, you did not show any that night at all.

"Of particular significance in this case is the conviction you have in relation to the offences of assault and sexual assault. You took advantage of this man who was in a vulnerable position, locked in a cell with you. He felt intimidated by you.

"In my judgement, there is an escalation in this case in the seriousness of offending. You were focussed on satisfying your own needs and lacked self control. It is particularly concerning that, despite the fact that you have carried out sex offender treatment programmes, you still went on to offend in a sexual way that evening."

Hindes was also handed an indefinite restraining order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A CREEP from Great Sankey who sexually assaulted a woman in her sleep claimed it was an accident has been jailed.

Lewis Williams, of Reaper Close, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty to sexual assault and sending threatening messages.

Prosecuting, Dave Watson told the court that the victim, who cannot be named or identified by law, woke up to Williams sexually assaulting her.

The 25-year-old defendant was confronted by the complainant and ‘jumped up in shock’.

Williams accepted what had happened, the court heard, but after the offence, he began to send texts and voice notes to her.

One voice message saw him refer to the victim as a ‘little b***h’.

Despite previously admitting to the assault, the court heard that Williams went on to deny the offence by saying that he had been asleep and that she must have ‘pushed against him’.

The victim contacted Cheshire Police, and Williams was arrested.

In his police interview, the court heard that Williams continued to deny the offence and claim it had happened in his sleep.

An impact statement was read out to the court in which the victim told the court that the assault has had an impact on her mental health.

“He was making me out to be a liar and said it was an accident, when it was not,” she said.

Williams, who appeared in court late as he was in a Wetherspoon pub, was sentenced by judge Andrew Murray to 27 months immediate imprisonment.

A restraining order has been put in place for five years, and Williams was ordered to sign the sex offender register for ten years.

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A PERVERT arranged to meet up with a ’13-year-old girl’ for sexual activity – but he was shocked when he found out who actually turned up at his home.

George Brusby was in fact having sick sex chats online with an adult member of a paedophile hunter group pretending to be a vulnerable teenage child.

The 26-year-old was confronted by the group and ended up being live-streamed online before being arrested and taken away in a police van.

He has now been locked up after admitting charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He was sentenced yesterday, Tuesday, at Liverpool Crown Court, despite turning up almost three hours late after claiming he missed his train due to suffering from a panic attack.

Opening the case, prosecutor Carmel Wilde spoke of how his offending came to light in chats with an adult from a paedophile hunter group named Elusive Child Protection Unit.

Members try to identify adults who talk to children online for sexual gratification, the court heard, with a group member operating a decoy profile on a dating site called Jaomo.

The adult purported to be a 13-year-old girl named Abbie, whose profile claimed to be 22 to meet age restrictions, but she made it clear from the outset in messages that she was in fact aged 13.

On January 7, 2023, ‘Abbie’ received a message from the defendant which read: “Hi there beautiful, can I just say you look absolutely stunning.”

There was a gap in chats, with the decoy engaged in other discussions with online child sex offenders, but she replied with ‘hiya’ on January 21.

Conversations continued on a daily basis in February, with Abbie making it clear early that she was only 13 years of age, with Brusby undeterred, telling her that he was former military, aged 25 and from Warrington.

They exchanged phone numbers so that chats could continue on WhatsApp, and by February 15, the pair exchanged photos, one of which was of his penis saying she could ‘play with it’.

When Brusby asked the ‘girl’ if she liked what she saw, she said she did not know him yet, to which he replied: “I promise I’m not a bad person.”

The court heard how Brusby had a setting applied which meant that messages auto-deleted, but the decoy was saving them by screenshotting them.

By February 23, discussions turned to meeting up at Brusby’s Warrington home, suggested by him, with a date set for February 26 as he was ‘babysitting’ on the days prior.

He said she could ‘hold her first d**k’, and on the day of the meet-up he sent her his address, asking her to message him when she had got in a taxi from the train station.

However, the decoy had informed other paedophile hunters, the founders of the Elusive Child Protection Unit, of the meet-up, who attended the defendant’s home address to confront him.

The confrontation and interrogation was live-streamed online, before police arrived, arrested the defendant and placed him in the back of a police van.

Brusby was interviewed by police and initially said he was ‘fed up of fake accounts being made up’, and then claimed that he thought he was talking to an adult.

The interview then had a short break, and when they resumed, the defendant answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

Brusby was represented by Mark Pritchard, defending, who highlighted how his client should be afforded full credit for his guilty pleas, and the fact that the ‘child’ was not real.

“There is real remorse from this defendant and an insight into his offending,” the barrister said, adding that Brusby has no previous convictions.

It was said that he spent time in the armed forces but was ‘rudderless’ afterwards and found it difficult to form relationships or find employment, leading to him consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

The court also heard that the defendant received threats following the paedophile hunter group streaming his interrogation on social media.

“The defendant is the author of his own misfortune, but the criminal justice system does not rely on vigilantism, and no one should be subjected to shame and bear baiting, and bullying for 47 minutes,” Mr Pritchard said.

He urged the court to suspend the sentence so that Brusby could get assistance with his rehabilitation, but this was rejected by judge Katherine Pierpoint.

She said: “It is a great shame to find someone like you before the court facing such serious matters, having never been in trouble before.

“You told the author of your pre-sentence report that you do not have a sexual interest in children, but in my judgement, you clearly have a sexual interest in children.

“Such behaviour has a devastating and long-lasting impact on children, and the fact that no real child was harmed in this case is a matter of chance rather than design.

“You made arrangements to meet a person you thought was a child. This was not hopeful, but actual that came to fruition.

“The only reason you did not meet up was because this was a decoy.”

Brusby, of Cavendish Close in Old Hall, was sentenced to 27 months immediate imprisonment.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next 10 years.

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A VOYEUR pervert took photos under toilet doors of men urinating in public toilets in Warrington.

Axel Savage also snapped adult men performing sex acts on themselves in the toilet block.

These were found after police received intelligence that the 30-year-old was sharing vile images of children being sexually abused.

He was subsequently charged with voyeurism, possessing indecent images of children, two counts of making them and four of distributing them.

At his sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court this morning, Wednesday, prosecutor Kenneth Grant informed the court how Cheshire Police received information that an email address attributed to the defendant was associated with a Snapchat account.

This account was being used to upload category A – the most severe category involving child rape – indecent images of children in September 2022.

The IP address was associated with the account of Savage, and following police enquiries, officers attended his home address after being granted a warrant.

A number of electronic devices were seized from the property, including the defendant’s mobile phone, and he was interviewed that same day, answering no comment to questions put to him.

He did however provide his pin code and passwords, with a forensic examination of the devices revealing the presence of indecent images of children.

In total, Savage admitted being in possession of nine sickening images, of which two were graded category A and seven classed as category B.

It was found that two images were distributed multiple times using WhatsApp between the defendant and his partner.

The search also found 282 photos taken in a public toilet in the town, the location of which was not disclosed in court, but taken on two dates between January 30 and February 3 last year.

They involved adult men urinating in the toilet, taken above and under doors, while others were of them performing sex acts on themselves in the toilet block.

Savage was interviewed again by police in relation to the voyeurism material and again answered no comment to all questions put to him.

Offering mitigation on behalf of his client, Jim Smith spoke of how a number of glowing references had been prepared by his family and partner, who was there to support him in the courtroom, as well as a letter written by himself to the court.

“He knows what he did is illegal, he is ashamed of what he is done, and he knows it has put him at risk of an immediate custodial sentence, Mr Smith said.

He highlighted how this was an ‘unusual’ distribution case as it was in a ‘closed circuit intended only for the eyes of his partner’.

“This does not minimise the impact of that which perpetuates misery for countless individuals who suffer from exploitation,” Mr Smith added.

“This is a gentleman with no previous convictions, and character references speak of someone who is kind, hard-working, friendly, loving and supportive of family members.

He added that the defendant works in the pharmaceutical industry, provides value to the community, is capable of rehabilitation and will not reoffend.

Referencing the indecent images of children, judge David Swinnerton said: “Those who view such images rarely stop to think about that they represent. Each one reflects a child being abused.

“People like you that look at them perpetuate a market in them, such that people are encouraged to create such images, and encouraged to abuse children in the real world somewhere.

“That is why they are taken seriously and are not just pictures. It is made worse for you because you distributed them.

“It is general practice that those who distribute them go to prison, as it extends the market for such images.”

On the voyeurism images, Judge Swinnerton commented: “The court is not naïve as to what goes on in certain toilet blocks, but they are public toilets.

“Anyone could have gone in there, and ordinary members of the public are entitled to use the facility without fear of being photographed, despite what other people are doing in there.”

He concluded: “The real question is whether or not I am prepared to suspend the sentence.

“Do be aware that ordinarily I do not suspend the sentence for those who distribute this type of material, but I have already commented how your case is different.

“Taking into account everything else I have heard about you, I can and will suspend the sentence.

Savage, of Fordington Road in Hood Manor, was sentenced to 20 months in prison suspended for two years.

He must also complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, including the Horizon sex offence treatment programme, and 150 hours of unpaid work.

In addition, he must abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offender register, both for a period of 10 years.

Judge Swinnerton approved an order to deprive the defendant of the electronic devices seized when police executed a warrant at his home.