Latest Offenders Wiltshire

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A man from Devizes has been jailed for 28 months in prison for child sex offences after he was identified as responsible for sending sexual messages to someone he believed to be a 12-year-old female child on a social media platform.

Alan Wiltshire, 65, was sentenced on Friday (26/07) at Winchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Wiltshire had previously admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and sentenced by Salisbury Magistrates on April 14 to 17 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and made subject to the Sex Offenders Register and Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 5 years.

His most recent offence placed him in breach of his suspended custodial sentence.

Wiltshire was sentenced to 14 months for inciting sexual activity, 7 months (to run concurrently) for sexual messages, 12 months (to run consecutively) for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and two months (to run consecutively) for breaching his Suspended Sentence Order.

He was also issued a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting for 10 years.

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A 57-year-old man from Dilton Marsh has been jailed after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young children over a number of years.

David Hedges was earlier found guilty of three counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and four counts of indecent assault against the same girls on no fewer than 17 occasions.

His abuse was perpetrated over several years throughout 90s and 2000s.

Today (02/07), at Salisbury Crown Court, Hedges was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment, plus a further year on licence. 

He will be required to serve a minimum of two-thirds before being eligible for parole, when his case will be evaluated. 

In addition to the custodial sentence, he is also subject to the requirements of being a registered sex offender, conditions of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and conditions of a restraining order to prohibit future contact with children indefinitely. 

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20-year-old David Shipway admitted charges of attempting sexual communication with a child and inciting a child to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

Swindon Magistrates’ Court were told on Wednesday (17 January) that the defendant, of Ladyfield Road, was arrested by police when paedophile hunters attended his home.

During conversations with a person posing as a 14-year-old girl online, he used sexual language and asked her to share explicit sexual photographs. He also sent her a photograph of his penis.

Kate Prince, prosecuting, said she believes the case to be in the category 1A, the most serious – and suggested that it should be sent to a crown court for sentencing.

Defence solicitor Mark Glendenning said his client has mental health issues and problems recognising the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviours.

A pre-sentence report was ordered and the case was sent to Swindon Crown Court for sentencing on 16 February. He was released on unconditional bail.

He was told to register as a sex offender within 72 hours. The lengthy of the registration will be determined by the sentence given next month.

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A Calne man was caught with a huge collection of child and animal abuse images.

Luke Frewin denied four sex offences but on 3 December, just a few days before his trial at Swindon Crown Court, he changed his pleas to guilty.

The 27-year-old father admitted possessing 750 indecent images of children, including 239 described as being in category A – involving penetration.

He also admitted possessing 57 extreme images involving sexual activity with animals.

On 14 December, at the same court, Frewin was sentenced to 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was told to complete 60 rehabilitation days.

The defendant, of Ebor Paddock, Calne, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years. A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed to run alongside it.

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A Trowbridge man jailed after sexually abusing young girl over six-year period.

65-year-old Richard Webb was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault at a four-day trial held at Winchester Crown Court.

The offending took place between 1996 and 2002. On 20 November, he was handed eight years’ imprisonment.

“I feel as though those years are lost to me. It feels like I have disassociated myself from most of my childhood”, the victim said.

“He ruined my life. I don’t think I will ever get over what he did to me. I will forever be trying to deal with the abuse I suffered.”

DC Lauren Barnard, from Wiltshire Police, said: “It is clear from the impact statement from the victim just how much she has suffered and continues to suffer to this day as a result of the abuse inflicted upon her by Webb.

“His actions have deprived someone of a happy childhood, purely for his own sexual gratification. His actions are abhorrent and I am pleased he will now serve a custodial sentence for his behaviour.

“I would like to take this opportunity to praise the victim for bravely reporting her ordeal to police – this was the first time she had ever spoken to anybody about exactly what she had been through.

“Without her bravery, we would not have been able to put Webb before the courts for justice to be served.”

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A man from Chippenham has been jailed after admitting to raping a young boy multiple times. James Morrison, of no fixed address, a 19 year and four month sentence – 13 years and four months of which must be served in prison and six years on extended licence - after carrying out the 'horrific' crimes and threatening his victim.

On July 18, Morrison, 31, appeared at Salisbury Crown Court and pleaded guilty to four counts of raping a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and engage in non-penetrative sexual activity with a child.

He was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday, November 22. As well as his jail sentence he was also issued with a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the sex offenders register for life.

Wiltshire Police has praised Morrison's victim for his bravery in coming forward, after the offender threatened him, making him feel unable to tell anyone about the abuse. Detective Investigator Francesca Mason, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “After committing these horrific crimes, Morrison made threats towards his victim which made him feel trapped and unable to confide in his parent."

“Fortunately, the victim’s mum found messages on her son’s phone which led to her son disclosing exactly what had happened and the subsequent police report," DI Mason continued.

“I would like to commend the young victim for the bravery he has shown during the court process – maturity far beyond his years following what has been an incredibly traumatic ordeal.

“I am pleased Morrison has been given a lengthy custodial sentence, reflecting the horrific nature of his crimes. He took advantage of a vulnerable child, abusing him and then making threats towards him.

“As a member of the CAIT team, I would urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to report it to police immediately so that we can put offenders like Morrisons before the courts.”

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A man has accepted his attraction to young girls after his child abuse stash was uncovered.

George Munro was found to have collected 3,506 still and moving indecent images over a period of seven years, Salisbury Crown Court heard on Friday (10 November).

The 37-year-old paedophile was arrested in relation to an unrelated matter in 2020 when the child exploitation team confirmed he was also a suspect in one of their investigations.

As a result, police seized his mobile phone and attended his home address in Grist Court, Bradford on Avon, to seize other digital devices within it – including another phone and a laptop.

Richard Wayman, prosecuting, said that examination of one of the phones – an iPhone – revealed thousands of child abuse material featuring children as young as three years old.

742 of the images and videos uncovered were classified as Category A, which includes rape and penetration. Munro also shared a small number of images with others on Kik, the messaging app.

Thomas Acworth, defending said his client has taken “steps to deal with his deep seated deviancy”.

He said that most sex offenders maintain they are not interested in children, adding that Murno is “not such a man” and that it “could not have been an easy admission to make”.

Mr Acworth said the pre-sentence report, compiled by the probation service, confirmed that the defendant admits having a sexual interest in young girls.

He said it was “encouraging that when he is challenged”, Munro will “accept what he is and that he needs help”.

Judge Angela Morris said his offending was “nothing short of shameful”.

She added: “You have remained out of trouble during those three years [since his arrest], which is perhaps as good as an indication the court can get.”

Munro was given a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He must register has a sex offender for ten years and complete a sex offender programme.

He must also undertake 20 sessions of rehabilitation activity with the probation service and complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Morris said: “if you commit another offence during the next two years, it will put you in breach of the court I just made.

“I can tell you now you will come back in front of me and I will have no hesitation what so ever in activating the sentence I have imposed today.

“I am keeping an eye on you, Mr Munro. I’m giving you one chance Mr Munro, it’s down to you if you take that chance because there won’t be another one.

“If I see you again, you know what will happen.”

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A West Lavington man was caught with hundreds of vile child abuse images.

Mark Sainsbury pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and appeared at Salisbury Crown Court for sentencing today (Monday).

The 59-year-old biker, of Homefield, had 442 photographs and movies on his laptop – including 13 that were categorised as being the most serious, involving penetration.

The defendant was handed a 24-month community order with the requirement to complete a Maps for Change sex offender programme and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Sainsbury must also register has a sex offender for five years and will be closely monitored with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting the same period.

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A grandfather who looked at child abuse online says his debilitating stroke was karma.

Jason King appeared at Salisbury Crown Court on Friday (10 November) to be sentenced for three counts of the possession of incident images of children.

The 57-year-old, of Bramble Drive, Westbury, was caught with abhorrent sex abuse pictures and videos featuring boys and girls – many of them as young as seven.

Police attended his home address after receiving information from a internet service provider, seizing three laptops and a mobile phone.

During examination of the devices, 205 category A images – showing the most severe child abuse – were located. As were 399 category b images and 1371 category C.

In interview, he told officers that he had been watching pornography but claimed it was legal and that why would not find any child-related material.

The court heard that the defendant has a previous conviction for indecent assault on a child aged under 14 dating back to 1992.

Judge Angela Morris interjected ahead of defence barrister Kellie Evener opening her mitigation.

She said: “What I find most concerning about this, in your clients case, is the denial of any sexual interest in children, because it doesn’t wash, to put it in blunt terms.”

Responding, Ms Evener said: “Mr King clearly still has some difficulties in what he has preferences for, if I can put it like that.”

She said that her client “accepts where his habits lie” and has “taken it upon himself” to undertake a course to address his offending behaviour, which he has completed successfully.

Ms Evener added that King has “high levels of remorse”, which were “assessed as a genuine” in a pre-sentence report (PSR).

“He is not only a husband and a father, he is a grandfather; there are going to be consequences, far-reaching consequences.”

The court heard that King described his debilitating stroke – for which he now requires a wheelchair to get around – “karma” in the PSR.

Judge Morris said that “the notion that this was anything other than indecent images of children is frankly propitious”, but accepted he had made “efforts to try to address some of your offending behaviour”.

She said his previous sexual offence is “of concern to this court” and added that there is “there is something of a link between them”.

Judge Morris imposed a 22-month prison sentence and suspended it for two years. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years, alongside a Sexual Harm Prevention Order – which prohibits him from having contact with children.

She told him to complete 50 rehbilitation activity days with the probation service.

Adding: “Make no mistake about it, the only reason I have not sent you to prison today is because of your stroke and your immobility… this is your one chance.”

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A Melksham man has been jailed for attacking a teenage girl in the street in the dead of night.

Scott Davis accosted the stranger as she walked home from a party on New Years Day 2022, putting on a knight in shining armour act and claiming he wanted to protect her from sick men.

The 39-year-old first approached the 15-year-old in the A350 Beanacre Road underpass at around 5am claiming to be an ex-firefighter and said he wanted to make sure she got home safely.

He kept going on about other men [being a danger], I was agreeing with what he was saying; it wasnt wrong. I was feeling like reassured, the victim told detective Sarah Greenman in interview.

But things took a turn when Davis wouldnt allow her to walk away from him in the Murray Walk area of Melksham. The girl said she felt scared and didnt know what was going to happen.

In the Forest Road area, the former rugby player took her down an unknown lane where he launched a sex attack lasting approximately two minutes. Davis grabbed her around the waist, pulled her closer and kissed her on the lips.

Youve got a good figure, he told the girl whilst proceeding to put his hands down her trousers and squeezing her buttocks. He raised her leg and held it up with one hand.

I tried to leave, but I couldnt really move because of how tight he was holding me around my waist, she told police. I was scared, I didnt know what to do.

After the assault, Davis repeatedly told the girl his full name and asked her to add him on Instagram giving her the username Scotty Bear.

The defendant, of Portman Road, said it was a case of mistaken identity and did not give evidence at his trial at Salisbury Crown Court in September where he was convicted by a jury.

On Friday (10 November), Judge Angela Morris jailed him for two years and ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years. Hell serve half the sentence behind bars.

He was also slapped with a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Davis will effectively swap prison places with his sister Stacey, who was jailed for leaving her one-year-old baby boy at home to die in a heatwave. She could be released as early as next month.

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A Swindon meals on wheels delivery driver has been jailed for repeatedly sexually abusing a 93-year-old woman with dementia in her own home.

59-year-old Frank Greco, of Leighton Avenue, pleaded guilty to seven sexual offences including attempted rape, assault by penetration and five counts of sexual assault.

While working for Enterprise Works Community Meals in Gipsy Lane, the defendant targeted the frail victim between late-March and mid-April this year.

Unbeknown to Greco, the womans son had installed CCTV cameras in her kitchen and living room over concerns about her safety due to deteriorating health.

When he logged in to check the footage, he saw his mother being sexually abused by a man and alerted the police. An investigation was launched and Greco was arrested.

Swindon Crown Court today (Friday) heard how the defendant, on one occasion, had brought moisturising cream with him applying it to his victim before attempting to rape her. After failing to carry out the rape, he proceeded to digitally penetrate her.

In another incident, Greco removed the womans trousers and underwear before performing sexual acts. On other occasions, he touched her breasts under her clothing or kissed her on the lips.

Footage also showed him leading the victim upstairs, out of view of the cameras. On his return to the kitchen, he was seen to wash his penis over the sink and dry it with tea towel.

Two of the offences were carried out whilst a member of the womans family were present at her address, but in another room.

He told initially pleaded innocence to detectives, but when he was told about the CCTV footage, he claimed sexual activity had been consensual despite the victim being assessed a six out of seven on the Global Deterioration Scale for dementia.

Her family said that she can no longer tell the time, confuses her son with her father, struggles to recognise family members, and has confusion and forgetfulness.

Judge Jason Taylor KC said the womans son is still traumatised by what he saw, adding that it was hardly surprising.

Adding: He could not have imagined what it would record and I cannot imagine the revulsion [his family] must have felt when they discovered what had been recorded.

Regrettably, my duty as sentencing judge means Ive had to watch it as well. It is deeply disturbing.

Judge Taylor handed down a prison sentence of 14 years and four months. Greco was also classified as a dangerous offender and given an extended licence period of five years and eight months.

Continuing, he said: Your behaviour that was calculating and controlling. In stark contrast, hers was childlike and compliant. giggling like a teenager, simply responding to you and doing what she was told. Because according to Dr Warner she would have been unable to understand what was happening or make informed decisions.

[She], like any dementia sufferer, was highly vulnerable to the influences of others. Sadly, your influence was malign and self-serving.

I am sure you deliberately targeted her because she would not indeed, could not resist. And having tested the waters on the first and second occasions, you returned repeatedly. In my judgment, you actions were predatory and depraved.

Greco has a previous conviction for arson with intent to endanger life dating back to 2001.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Rachel Hardy said: These crimes represent the ultimate betrayal of trust, Frank Greco chose to repeatedly target a vulnerable woman in her own home.

The impact of the offending on the victim and her family has been enormous. It was extremely difficult for her family to learn of the abuse perpetrated by Greco whilst he visited their mother.

This has been a distressing case for the investigating team to work on. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the family of the victim who have conducted themselves with dignity throughout such a harrowing ordeal.

Our thoughts are with the victim and her family.

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A man has been jailed after breaching his sexual harm prevention order by sexually communicating with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

Daniel Thomas, 33, of Westbury, was caught following a Wiltshire Police investigation supported by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Between May 4 and June 27 this year, Thomas – a Registered Sex Offender – was communicating through a social media platform with a teenager, who was actually a specially trained officer.

Thomas turned the conversation sexual and he was subsequently arrested on June 28 on suspicion of engaging in sexual communications with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch a sexual act, and for breaching his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

He was subsequently charged and remanded into custody.

On Wednesday at Salisbury Crown Court, he was sentenced to four years and four months in prison, plus three years on extended licence.

PC Whittaker of the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) unit said: “Thomas is a repeat offender who has persistently targeted children and attempted to engage them in sexual activity.

“Through actively managing his SHPO, we were able to monitor his behaviour and implement a decoy which allowed us to successfully bring this prosecution and protect children from him.”

Detective Inspector David Wells from the Online Investigations Team at SWROCU said: “The repeated attempts by Daniel Thomas to engage young children in sexual activity online show the high level of risk he posed, and the sentence handed down this week reflects that.

“This is challenging but vital work. Law enforcement agencies are across the internet determined to ensure offenders like him don’t succeed in abusing and exploiting children.  It is crucial parents and children themselves take steps to protect against the threat.”

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A well-known Wiltshire auction house has issued an update on its future after a former director was jailed for sex crimes.

Richard Edmonds, who previously ran Richard Edmonds Auctions Limited and Chippenham Auctions, was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of five counts of sexual activity with a female child, whose identity is protected by law.

Following sentencing, the 47-year-old’s family business updated on the future of the auction house at Showell Farm, and Edmonds’ wife Tora confirmed he had left the company.

In a statement on Facebook, she wrote: “Day-to-day management has been by my husband Richard Edmonds Jnr with responsibility for valuations, cataloguing and auctioneering.

“I have been responsible for the customer accounts, marketing, and involved with the preparation of the catalogues. Richard Jnr is no longer involved with the business nor a director.

“I now assume responsibility for the general management of the business in addition to my previous roles. Richard Snr, his wife Margaret and daughter Sarah will continue to be part of the business.”

She added: “We believe this will provide a continuing sound business structure.”

The firm changed its name on Companies House to Showell Business Park Ltd in September, after Edmonds resigned as a director, but has retained the name Richard Edmonds Auctions Limited on Facebook.

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A woman ‘pretended to be asleep’ during a sex attack perpetrated by a Chippenham man.

42-year-old Nicholas Hodges was convicted of assault by penetration and sexual assault by a jury at Salisbury Crown Court on 14 September.

At a previous hearing, prosecutor Asha Seenauth said the defendant had been invited back to a woman’s address with another man following a night out in Chippenham in 2022.

The woman put her children to bed and continued drinking with Hodges and the other man. When she went to bed, he sent her a message asking if he could come and give her a hug.

After she ignored his message, Hodges entered her bedroom and kissed her neck and lips as she pretended to be asleep. The other man is said to have told Hedges to leave her room and he did.

A short time later, he have returned to her bedroom – where he started kissing her neck before lifting her leg and sexually assaulting her digitally.

 The victim “froze” during the sex attack, which is said to have lasted approximately two minutes.

Hodges, of Charter Road, Chippenham, will be sentenced on 17 November. An offence of assault by penetration carries up to 19 years imprisonment.

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A ‘violent and emotionally abusive’ rapist has been jailed for more than two decades.

61-year-old Dirk Weissenbruch was found guilty of sexually abusing two females by a jury – and could now spend his final days behind bars.

The defendant, of Bradford on Avon, was convicted of five counts of indecent assaults on a girl under 14 years, two counts of rape of a woman and one count of indecent assault on a woman.

At Salisbury Crown Court on Friday (15 September), he was handed a 24-year term of imprisonment and will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

“Weissenbruch was an intimidating man who was physically violent and emotionally abusive towards his victims”, Wiltshire Police detective Laura Barwood said.

Adding: “The abuse has caused them a huge amount of trauma for many, many years and he has continued to put them through pain by taking this case to trial.

“I want to thank his victims who have been incredibly brave and courageous at seeking justice for Weissenbruch’s crimes.”