Latest Offenders West

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A serial child sex offender has been jailed today for a minimum of 12 years and is being sent to a women's prison - despite not being legally recognised as female.

Sally Dixon, 58, began transitioning 18 years ago and carried out the offences against seven children from 1989 to 1996 while she was a man.

She was found guilty on 30 offences of indecent assault or indecency with a child against seven victims in July, the youngest of whom was seven years old at the time.

A jury took 17.5 hours to find her guilty on the charges, and not guilty on three more.

Ryan Richter, prosecuting, described a campaign of offending against two boys and five girls lasting eight years.

He told the court: 'The defendant, living as a man in the late 80s and 90s, was a brazen and callous sexual predator.

'He exploited young males and cultivated a toxic relationship with female children who he systematically abused throughout their childhoods.'

Sally Anne Dixon, who was born John Stephen Dixon in 1963, married twice and began transitioning to live as a female in 2004.

Despite being jailed for six months in 1997 for the sexual abuse of a teenage by, it was not until a victim came forward in 2019 that Dixon's years of offending came to light.

Judge Van Der Zwart said opportunities to jail her earlier had been missed.

Lewes Crown Court in East Sussex heard Dixon will be sent to HMP Bronzefield where she will serve her sentence, despite not being legally recognised as a woman.

Wearing a pink jumper and dyed pink hair, Dixon scowled, frowned and shook her head during a sentencing hearing.

The victims were now vindicated, the judge said.

Sussex Police reopened their investigation into his earlier offending in 2019 following a new complaint from another victim.

Harrowing victim statements were read to the court by victims, now adult men and women, who described horrific abuse by Dixon.

One woman said her childhood abuse left her feeling constant anxiety.

'I was hoping he would do the right thing for once and not put me through the trial but he didn't.

'He is a coward who did not give evidence.

'He was happy to put us through it but not himself.'

Dixon lived in Crawley and Bexhill where he worked repairing TVs and as a DJ around local bars, clubs and a caravan park.

The court heard he abused the children at a lock-up garage and in a caravan on the south coast.

Dixon was given consecutive nine year custodial sentences with two one year extended licences and will serve at least 12 years in custody before becoming eligible for parole.

Detective Constable Amy Pooley of the Sussex Police Complex Abuse Unit said: 'Dixon came to know these vulnerable young children successively through family connections, and used that trusted access to systematically abuse each of them for sexual gratification, in some cases for several months at a time.

'Only when one of the victims eventually came to us in 2019 was the terrible and distressing nature of Dixon's offending over many years finally uncovered.

'As one victim escaped this predatory interest, another would take their place, but sometimes some victims would be offended against simultaneously.

'This case shows again that we will always follow up such reports, no matter how long ago the events are said to have happened, to support victims and to see if we can achieve justice for them wherever the evidence justifies that.'

His Honour Judge Mark Van Der Zwart heard in July that Dixon did not have a Gender Recognition Certificate.

She will serve time at the women's prison despite not having a gender recognition certificate - the document which allows transgender people to legally be recognised as an alternate gender. It is understood she will have all the normal opportunities other prisoners at the jail have.

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Alexander Thomson, 42, subjected his victims to a catalogue of barbaric abuse across a seven year period in West Lothian between 2012 and 2019. A serial Scots rapist who reigned terror on four women may never be freed from prison and will be monitored for the rest of his life. Alexander Thomson, 42, subjected his victims to a catalogue of barbaric abuse across a seven year period in West Lothian between 2012 and 2019. His crimes included rape, knocking the teeth from one of his victims and burning her body with cigarettes. Another awoke to find Thomson had placed a plastic bag over her head to restrict her breathing. Thomson stood before the High Court in Glasgow today, convicted of 17 charges involving the abuse of four former partners including charges of assault, abduction and 10 counts of rape. Two victims who suffered at the hands of Thomson sadly died before he faced trial. Their evidence was heard with statements read by one of the investigating officers in the case, which contributed to Thomson being found guilty. He was handed an Order of Lifelong Restriction and sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison before he is eligible for parole. He was further given a lifetime Non Harassment Order, preventing him approaching or contacting his victims. Scotlands head Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Fraser Gibson, said: Alexander Thomsons offending brutalised and bullied women who trusted him. He betrayed their trust in the most despicable manner. It is extremely sad that two of his victims did not live to see Thomson brought to justice. "We are grateful for the evidence they provided in their determination that he be held to account and to the other two women who bravely spoke out. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to the rigorous pursuit of justice. Our prosecutors will utilise all evidence available in this process. We would urge any victim or witness of similar offending to come forward, report it and seek help. Earlier, we told how the officer reading testimonies from the two victims who had sadly passed away said they had deserved to have their voices heard from beyond the grave. Detective Sergeant Aisling Corduff, who read their statements from the witness box, told the Record: " It is not something that happens very often but I believe it had a huge impact on the case. They couldnt speak but I had sat and listened to them and I knew their voices. I formed relationships with these women, spent hours with them. Bernie Laing, 30, died in July 2020, before Thomsons trial and her mum Margaret blames him for her death. DS Corduff said: I felt proud to be reading their words aloud for them because I knew how much it meant to them and to Bernies mother. I felt like they deserved to be heard. Thomson was arrested for his heinous crimes on December 12, 2019.

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A man has been jailed for seven years for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Hanveer Sunner, 22, of Springfield Crescent, West Bromwich, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 23 August).

He will also be included on the sex offenders' register for life.

In 2020, Sunner made contact with a girl on Snapchat.

On 9 June he offered to give her a lift to Birmingham City Centre and arranged to meet her in Telford.

But instead he drove her to his friend’s flat in Handsworth, Birmingham.

He gave her bottles of alcohol and balloon-gas canisters so she became heavily intoxicated before he sexually assaulted her.

She was reported missing and, with the help of the girl’s family and West Midlands Police, found at the flat locked in a bathroom.

Sunner was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with assaulting a female over 13 by digital penetration.

He denied the charge but was found guilty in a unanimous verdict at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday 12 July.

Detective Constable Ben Hocking said: “This was a very distressing incident for the victim that has understandably had a huge impact on her and we commend her bravery and perseverance.

“We would encourage anyone who has concerns about a sexual crime, either recently or in the past, to get in touch. You will always be offered our full support.”

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A self-professed paedophile who blackmailed dozens of girls as young as 12 into becoming his 'sex slaves' today pleaded guilty to his crimes.

Jordan Croft, 26, of West Sussex, forced his victims to perform sexual and degrading acts on themselves and other children as part of his depraved desires.

Croft was caught after he was linked to 20 different online profiles in which he would intimidate victims aged between 12 and 22 before coercing them into his 'contract of sexual slavery'.

Once online Croft would weave his web of deceit, conning victims into believing he was a teenage boy so he could befriend them before confessing he was a much older 'catfish' who was 'into girls aged 12-14'.

He would then demand his 26 different victims to send him increasingly graphic child sexual abuse images and videos on demand.

On just one messaging platform he contacted more than 5,000 people, and would label the abuse the children sent him with a list of their social media followings, in addition to their names and ages.

Croft's stash was even designed to cover his traces, with all content uploaded to a USB device he owned being programmed to ensure activity was deleted once plugged into a computer.

He today pleaded guilty to 65 counts which include inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail, intentionally causing the sexual exploitation of a child.

Croft will appear before Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, November 10.

One of Croft's rules was that all victims must speak to him on Telegram, an encrypted platform, and send him any photographs or videos he requested.

He would first ask for a naked 'custom pic' that he would decide on, and use that to leverage increasingly depraved and graphic content.

Croft would request images and videos were sent in a very short timeframe, further dominating them by forcing them to ask permission to go to the toilet and inform him when they would be busy, so he didn't think they were ignoring him.

Numerous police forces had filed reports of online abuse connected to Croft.

Once they identified him as the paedophile behind multiple usernames, they arrested him in September 2019, seizing two mobile phones and a USB stick.

The messaging applications were on an encrypted side of both phones where Croft collected the vile material from his child victims.

Even more content was discovered on the USB stick which was programmed to ensure all traces of activity were deleted after it was plugged into the computer.

Croft's charges include multiple counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail, making unwarranted demands for indecent images of children, intentionally causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child.

He was also charged with making more than 900 indecent images of children in categories A-C. Category A images are the most obscene, with a minimum of six years imprisonment for making them.

Martin Ludlow, senior investigating officer at the National Crime Agency, who led the investigation, said: 'Jordan Croft is a prolific offender who has caused heart-breaking suffering to many victims and their families.

'The sexual depravity he consistently displayed during this abuse of both young female children and adults is horrific.

'Like many offenders Croft thrived on the power he was able to exert over the victims. He sought the feeling of control and obtained it by deceit and abuse.

'He showed no compassion for the victims, pushing them to breaking point and issuing threats, even when they begged him to stop.

'I commend these young women who have shown such bravery in speaking out against him.

'Croft is an example of an adult sexual offender who deploys plausible online profiles to hide their real identity and exploit children.

'We know children are increasingly sharing personal material on social media sites, but I urge them be aware of the hurt and long term damage manipulative offenders like Croft cause, and to think carefully about who they may be communicating with online.

'The NCA will continue to pursue the most serious offenders, including those who believe they can hide behind the anonymity of the internet to abuse children. Like Croft they will be brought to justice.'

Heather Wilkinson of the CPS said: 'Croft admitted to sexually abusing 26 people and actively sought victims as young as 12 to sexually abuse and exert power over.

'Although he attempted to hide his activity through private networks, evidence uncovered against him included age filters he set on a phone app and the controlling rules he shared.

'This guilty plea means the victims of his abuse will now not be forced to re-live their trauma through a trial.

'Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit has specialist prosecutors to enable us to bring offenders like Croft to justice, helping stop online abuse and extortion, and its devastating impact on victims.'

Croft today pleaded guilty to all 65 counts at Lewes Crown Court and is due back at court for sentencing on 10 November.

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Myles Allan, 44, snapped two images and two video clips of the womans thighs while she sat at her desk in an office in West Lothian.

Allan - who had a short stint in charge of Berwick Rangers - claimed he had taken the pictures accidentally by brushing his hand against his phone in July 2019.

But he was found guilty of a voyeurism charge following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year and sentence had been deferred

Allan, from Dunfermline, returned to the dock to hear Sheriff Graham Primrose QC state that he had committed a serious offence within the workplace.

The sheriff said: You were found guilty after trial of the offence of voyeurism.

I noted during the trial the complainer herself stated she did not consider there to be a sexual element to the offence.

Instead she considered against the background of you being reprimanded about your performance that day that the taking of the images were designed to humiliate her rather than to provide you with sexual gratification

Allan was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and a supervision order for nine months and also ordered to pay his victim 400 in compensation.

Allan started his football management career at Burntisland Shipyard and Dundonald before moving on to Sauchie and Rosyth Juniors.

He then joined Berwick Rangers as a first team scout in 2016 and was later promoted to first team coach.

After leaving the Shielfield Park outfit Allan, a married father-of-two, was appointed to the coaching staff team at Jeanfield Swifts womens team in March 2019.

During the trial, the football coach admitted taking the pictures following an argument between him and his boss but said he had immediately deleted them.

He was caught out after copies of the images were uploaded from his phone to his work laptop through the iCloud function.

He was then sacked from the firm soon after and after handing back his computer equipment a ex-colleague subsequently found the images stored within a folder on the laptop.

Allans former manager, who cannot be identified, told the court she was made aware of the images and had felt disgusted and humiliated on viewing them.

She said: They [the images] were taken of the top of my thighs when I was wearing a dress. My legs are under my desk and showing my underwear.

When my colleague showed me I was shocked and I was in disbelief it was there. I felt disgusted, humiliated and very angry.

How could he think it was as acceptable to do that? I felt physically sick at what I should do.

I trusted him and I felt betrayed.

After contacting her husband the woman called in the police and Allan was subsequently arrested and charged.

Allan was found guilty of operating equipment beneath the clothing of a woman with the intention or enabling himself or others to observe her genitals, buttocks or underwear and did position a mobile phone and take two photos and two videos showing the legs and underwear of the woman at a premises in West Lothian on July 16, 2019.

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A taxi driver subjected a young woman to a terrifying sex attack in her own street after he found her outside a takeaway and asked if she needed a cab home. The victim had been on a night out with friends in Ashby town centre when Asif Hussain struck.

The 23 year old victim said she thought she was "going to be raped" by her 44-year-old attacker, who was jailed for 15 months by Derby Crown Court. Hussain, whose cab was registered with Leicester City Council, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on the day of his planned trial.

The sentencing hearing was told Hussain left his victim "hysterical from sobbing" and hyperventilating from shock and fear after the attack in November 2019, report DerbyshireLive. Mark Achurch, prosecuting, said Hussain had agree of a fee of 20 after seeing his victim standing outside a takeaway and had asked if she need a cab home.

He then dropped off one of the woman's friends in Derby before driving to the victim's home, near Swadlincote. It was just as she was about to leave the vehicle that Hussain struck.

Mr Achurch said: "She went to leave the vehicle and he forcibly grabbed her by the face."

He added: "She was saying 'no' on several occasions and described him making 'sexual moans' while he continued while she was frozen in fear. She opened the door and ran into her home where he mother described her as being 'hysterical from sobbing, hyperventilating' and she told her mother he tried to rape her."

Mr Achurch said DNA from the victim's clothing was linked to the defendant and to his red Toyota Prius. A victim impact statement was read out in court in which the young woman said she "no longer feels safe on my own street" as a result of her ordeal at Hussain's hands.

Handing down his sentence to the married father-of-one for 15 months, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: "This is about a 23-year-old woman who got into a (then) 41-year-old man's taxi and trusted that taxi driver to take her home, be polite, take her money and go to another job. The public are entitled to know that when they get into a taxi they will not be assaulted in this or any other way and the public must be protected.

The judge added: "She thought she was going to be raped or seriously hurt and felt effectively powerless, she said and that's because you wanted to satisfy your own sexual desires. I would be failing in my public duty if I did not send you to prison."

Hussain, of Vicarage Road, in Sandwell, West Midlands, has no previous convictions or cautions, the court was told. In mitigation, Mohammed Latif, representing the defendant, said that his client had since been disowned by his former wife, who he had been with for almost two decades - but was now remarried and has a nine-month old infant with his new partner.

"He has disgraced himself in his community, among his work colleagues and within his own family," said Mr Latif. "It is plain that the defendant feels completely embarrassed by his conduct, fully accepts his responsibility for it and the impact it has had on her."

Hussain stopped working as a taxi driver after his arrest and was instead a delivery driver, added Mr Latif. Judge Smith also ordered Hussain to be placed on the sex offender register for a period of 10 years.

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A MAN has been jailed for attempting to meet what he thought were two young girls for sex after grooming them online.

Martin Garrigan, 32, of Barton Road, Bognor, was arrested by Sussex Police officers in September 2020 in Hotham Park, near his home.

Garrigan had been waiting to meet what he thought were two teenage girls, but had been talking online to adults posing as the children.

He pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with children at Lewes Crown Court on June 30.

Garrigan was given a four year sentence and will also be a registered sex offender for life.

He was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last indefinitely, severely restricting his access to children and to digital communications devices.

Detective Constable Jordan Holmes of Sussex Police said: "Garrigan was blatantly seeking to meet young girls for sex and may well have persisted in this and other ways but fortunately we received information from members of the public and his activities were rapidly ended."

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A mental health nurse who sexually assaulted a vulnerable patient while working at a psychiatric hospital has been spared a jail sentence.

Richard McLellan attacked the woman while she was being treated for a mental disorder at the capital’s Royal Edinburgh Hospital in 2019.

McLellan, 38, was found to have engaged in sexual activity with the woman by placing his hand underneath her underwear while he worked a nightshift at the city hospital.

McLellan denied the allegations against him but was found guilty by a jury following a three day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

The jury found McLellan not guilty of charges including making sexual comments to the woman, touching her genitals and inducing the woman to perform oral sex on him.

The disgraced staff nurse has since been sacked from NHS Lothian and he is due to appear in front of a Nursing and Midwifery Council disciplinary panel in the near future.

A spokesperson for NHS Lothian said they wanted to “extend our full sympathies to the victim in this distressing case”.

McLellan returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday where Sheriff Donald Corke told him he had been “convicted by the jury of an offence of sexual breach of trust of a mental disordered person”.

The sheriff said: “This behaviour was a gross breach of trust by you. You were the complainer’s key worker and you were tasked that night to keep her safe.

“Instead you took the opportunity to engage in sexual activity. You have expressed no remorse for what you did.

“You should be in no doubt custody is an option. [However] I am willing to impose a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.”

McLellan, from Bathgate, West Lothian, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He was placed under the supervision of the social work department for three years and handed a conduct requirement that bans him from contacting the victim.

His name will also be forwarded to Scottish Ministers for inclusion on the list of those banned from working with children or vulnerable people in the future.

Defending Advocate Mr Kennedy said his client continues to deny the offence but is “accepting of the jury’s decision”.

He added: “The consequences of this conviction for Mr McLellan are both personally and professionally devastating.

“He has been dismissed from his employment and he will be sanctioned from his professional body where he will submit to further humiliation and disgrace by that.”

Tracey McKigen, Services Director for the Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services at NHS Lothian, said: “We extend our full sympathies to the victim in this distressing case.

“Whilst we can’t comment on individual members of staff, current or former, we want to offer reassurance that as soon as we become aware of a serious criminal allegation, we will take immediate and robust action in the interests of patient safety, which is always our top priority.”

McLellan was found guilty of being a person who provided care services to a mental disordered person and did engage in sexual activity with them and did place his hand underneath her underwear at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital on January 21, 2019.

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A man who used Snapchat to contact teenage girls and coerce them into sexual activity has been jailed. Belal Hussain first contacted a 15-year-old girl via the app in June last year, meeting up with her in his car in West Bromwich.

The 34-year-old saw the girl again, along with another 15-year-old girl, later that month and pressured both into sexual activity with him before giving them money.

The girls recalled their traumatic experiences, including feeling pressured and scared by Hussain, to specialist West Midlands Police officers.

They quickly checked Hussains Snapchat account to identify him, and arrested him last September. Police seized electronic devices as evidence in court after Hussain refused to co-operate during interviews.

He also refused to provide passwords for any of his phones or devices. Despite this, officers continued with the investigation and charged him.

Hussain, of Jesson Street, West Bromwich pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child at Wolverhampton Crown Court. He was jailed for three years and six months.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life.

Investigating officer PC Adrian Jackson said: This horrific exploitation and grooming of two teenage girls has had a devastating effect, with one of the girls attempting to take her own life.

Im relieved that she pulled through and even had the strength to speak out against the man who assaulted her, but I know the lifelong impact his actions will have had.

"We supported the girls throughout the investigation and partner agencies, including The Horizons Unit of Sandwell Childrens Trust.

"It was down to their courage in coming forward that we were able to convict Hussain and we hope this will provide some sense of justice following their traumatic ordeals."

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A BT worker has been jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to possessing more than 124,000 indecent images of children. Ashok Rana, 41, of Langley Green, Crawley, was handed the immediate custodial sentence at Hove Crown Court. The court heard that due to the large number of indecent images, police officers had to stop categorising them. Indecent images of children are classified as either Category A, Category B or Category C, with Category A the most serious. The court was told that Rana had 201 Category A images, with 76 moving images, 68 Category B images, 27 of them moving images, and in excess of 124,000 Category C images. He had pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing. The court was told that Rana cannot help himself and was unable to control himself when it came to possessing indecent images, with many of them of children as young as three years old. In jailing Rana, a manager with telecoms firm BT, the Recorder, Ms Sarah Elliott, said she had read the case with care. I have looked at this case [and] it is a tragic one, she said, telling Rana that this type of offence puts children at risk. She added: While these offences are reprehensible in all other respects you are a decent member of society with a supportive family, who ought to be making his mark in a positive way. Ranas sister sat in the public gallery throughout the hearing and broke down in tears when sentence was passed. Rana also admitted he was in breach of a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, previously imposed by Lewes Crown Court. He was also in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and the court was told that Rana used six devices without the required monitoring software. Ms Elliott jailed Rana for 12 months for possessing the Category A images, eight months for breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order and activated the suspended sentence for two months, with all sentences to run consecutively. She also jailed him for eight months for possessing the Category B images and four months for possessing the Category C images, to run concurrently. Rana was told he will spend half of the 22 months in custody, and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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A rapist from Littlehampton has been jailed after attacking a woman in Lewes, police have revealed. Sussex Police said Glen Noone, 33, of Lammas Close, Littlehampton, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Wednesday, May 11, having been found guilty of the rape of the woman at an address in Lewes. He was jailed for seven years and will be a registered sex offender for life, police said. Detective Constable Jo Barber said Noone forced himself on his victim 'in a vicious and opportunistic attack'. DC Barber added: "She has shown incredible bravery and patience in supporting our investigation throughout. Her evidence in court was key in securing this conviction and with her support we have been able to bring him to justice. When Noone is released he will be under strict conditions and will be monitored by police and the probation service. It is important that anyone who has been affected by this type of offence understands that we are here to support them and we will always seek justice wherever possible." The prosecution, authorised by the CPS, followed an investigation by detectives from the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit. At sentencing, his Honour Judge Rennie told Noone that he had been convicted on the 'clearest evidence of rape', adding: "Your brutish actions have had a profound effect. Your victim did absolutely nothing wrong and in no way was any of what you did her fault. You decided to have sex with her whether she consented or not and putting her through this trial was another cruel and cynical twist which compounded the harm already caused."

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A MAN has been found guilty of exposing himself to a little girl while on a milk float and sexually assaulting another child. Convicted sex offender Edward Walton, 55, was found guilty on April 8 of six charges following a trial at Hove Crown Court. The first charge related to an incident between 2004 and 2006 when he exposed himself while on a milk float. He was found not guilty on a separate count of causing the child, aged about 11, to watch pornography. In respect of the second girl, he was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing her to watch pornography when she was aged nine or ten. Walton showed no emotion as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts, all of which were unanimous decisions. The offences took place between 2004 and 2015 at addresses where he was living in Littlehampton and Barnham respectively, police said after the trial. Following the conviction, Jack Talbot, defending, told the court Walton was currently serving a custodial sentence at HM Prison Littlehey, Cambridgeshire, for several serious sexual offences. At the end of the trial, the judge, the Recorder Mr Anthony Hawks, thanked the jury for its public duty. This was a difficult case, he said. Walton will be sentenced at Hove Crown Court on June 10.

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A PAEDOPHILE rapist has been jailed for almost a decade for sexual offences against a young girl. Ronald Didd, of Potters Mead, Littlehampton, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, March 11, having previously admitted one count of rape and three counts of other sexual activity against the teenager. He will serve a custodial term of seven and a half years, plus a two and a half year term on extended licence. The 62-year-old will be a registered sex offender for life and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) severely restricting his access to female children. He was also handed a Restraining Order prohibiting him from contact with the victim or her family. Both of those Orders will take effect for ten years on his release from prison. Didd had previously lived in North East Kent and in the Battersea and Croydon areas of South London before moving to Littlehampton. Detective constable Jason Berney of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Didd met the victims vulnerable family and over a period of time two years ago he manipulated them in order to allow him unrestricted access to a child and commit the offences while she was staying in his home. "He caused great harm and fear to the victim, who was very brave to provide her evidence to police and support the investigation. "Following our investigation Didd was left with little option but to enter guilty pleas to the charges. "The victim in this case really needs to be commended for her bravery, as this was extremely traumatic. He manipulated her family and left her isolated and vulnerable and yet she still had the courage to speak out against him." Friday, March 18, is National Child Exploitation Awareness Day, when Sussex Police pledge to continue to protect those most at risk and prevent harm by questioning behaviours, looking again and convicting perpetrators. The force has urged residents to contact them if they are worried about a neighbour, friend or family member.

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A WEST Sussex man has been given a seven-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl at an air show 18 years ago.

David Conrad, 57, of Pepper Lane, Ashurst, was sentenced at Brighton Crown Court on November 18, having been convicted of indecent assault on the child while they were spectators at the Shoreham Air Show in August 2003.

He will also serve a further year on extended prison released licence and will be a registered sex offender indefinitely.

Sussex police investigator Amber Evans said: 'The girl was at the show with her family and Conrad, who also knew her, were sitting with each other in the crowd when he attacked her, without anyone else being aware.

'She did not report the attack to anyone at the time and only 14 years later did she feel able to talk to the police about it.

'We were still able to investigate and seek justice, and to give her access to sources of specialist advice and support.

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A teacher has been jailed for grooming and having sex with a 14-year-old pupil she became "infatuated" with at the school where she worked.

Fatinah Hossain, 25, claimed she was pregnant after the schoolboy tried to end the relationship that had lasted several months.

She even offered to pay the boy to get him to drop the charges, police said.

After being released on bail last June, Hossain launched a campaign of harassment against the boy and his family in a bid to stop the police probe.

Using fake social media accounts, Hossain tried to manipulate other children with threats made against at least one other youngster to warn them off speaking to officers.

She also threatened the boy and his family using fake names and added she would pay him to 'drop the charges', according to Sussex Police.

After being charged and appearing before magistrates in October 2020, Hossain tried to set up a member of the victim's family by pretending to an underage teenager online.

She set up a string of fake social media accounts using different names - including one pretending to be a 14-year-old girl.

Hossain then sent messages to an adult member of the boy's family in a bid to try and get him sacked from his job and even made false reports to police to try and get him arrested.

This campaign continued until March this year when police were shown evidence the allegations were false.

Hossain was then charged with perverting the course of justice along with one count of sexual activity with the boy while in a position of trust.

She had been working as a teaching assistant and cover teacher at the school in Horsham, West Sussex.

At Brighton Crown Court this week Hossain was sent to prison for five years and four months and will be a registered sex offender indefinitely.

Judge Jeremy Gold told Hossain as he jailed her that she "embarked on quite a remarkable campaign of harassment" that was "relentless, wide-ranging and malicious" following the "persistent nature of penetrative [sexual] activity over time".

She has also been issued with a restraining order to last indefinitely, banning her from any contact with the teenage boy and several others, as well as stopping her from entering certain areas of Horsham.

Hossain, who lives in Horsham, will be on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years after she is released from prison.

Detective Constable Leigh Rankin of Sussex Police said today (Fri) after the sentencing that Hossain spun a "web of lies and manipulation".

The detective added: "This was a prolonged and distressing campaign and we are glad that justice has now been done for the boy and the several other people who became entrapped in Hossain's web of lies and manipulation.

"Hossain was first arrested in June 2020 following a report that she had groomed and had sex with a 14-year-old boy from a school in Horsham where she was working as a study supervisor and cover teacher.

"A sexual relationship continued for several months during which she continued to manipulate the boy's emotions, including claiming that she was pregnant after he had tried to end the relationship.

"Hossain was initially released on bail for further investigation. Following this the victim, his family and friends suffered a prolonged and complex campaign of behaviour against them in an attempt to derail the investigation and avoid justice."

DC Rankin said Hossain tried to manipulate other children and threatened at least one not to speak to police.

The officer said: "Using fake social media accounts Hossain attempted to manipulate other children, with threats being made against at least one other child should they speak to the police.

"Through fake names she made significant threats of harm to the boy and his family and said she'd pay him to 'drop the charges'.

"Hossain was charged with offences in October 2020 and was bailed by magistrates. She then created a number of fake social media accounts using different names including that of a 14-year-old girl.

"Using this particular account, she fabricated messages between her and an adult family member of the boy.

"She then used these fake accounts in an attempt to have the family member lose his job. She then went on to make multiple false reports to the police from further false accounts in an attempt to get the adult family member arrested.

"Hossain continued to attempt to make false reports to police until March 2021, when evidence was received to show that all the allegations against the family were falsified by her. This led to her being further charged and remanded until she was convicted."