Latest Offenders York

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 A “PREDATORY” online sex offender is back behind bars because he evaded police checks while on parole.

Adam Matthew William Lee, now 32, was jailed for two years in March 2021 after he used social media to try to persuade people he believed were schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 to perform sexual acts online. They were actually adults and told police about him.

As part of the sentence at York Crown Court, he was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that enables police to monitor his online activities.

Recorder Andrew Dallas told Lee after hearing details of his crimes: “It shows you were behaving in a way that was predatory.”

York Magistrates Court heard that following his release partway through the sentence, he bought an internet device which he concealed from supervising officers.

Lee, of Burnsall Drive, Holgate, pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO between September 20 and October 7 this year.

He was jailed for 34 weeks. Magistrates told him his new offence was very serious because he had been on prison licence at the time and it was a breach of a court order.

In addition to the prison term, Lee was ordered to pay a £187 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs. He remains subject to the SHPO until March 2031. 

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Jordan Leigh Courtney was previously found guilty of making and distributing indecent images in 2016.

A Yorkshire sex offender has been jailed for the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

Jordan Leigh Courtney, from Skipton, was sentenced to four years in prison with an extended licence of two years at York Crown Court. He also breached a sexual harm prevention order, and has now been made subject to an indefinite one.

Courtney, 25, was found guilty in 2016 of making and distributing indecent images of children. He was stopped from possessing any device that accessed the internet after that.

After that Courtney had to register weekly at a police station so the police could monitor his whereabouts. When he attended an offender management meeting in April 2022, it was found Courtney had deleted data from his phone.

The phone was seized and analysed by North Yorkshire Police - they found many indecent images of children. Some of these were classed as extreme category A images.

Because he breached his sexual harm prevention order, Courtney was sent back to prison in June 2022.

Police searched Courtney's former address on Cawder Road and another undeclared phone he had while he was in prison. Video footage and more disturbing category A images were found and as soon as Courtney was released from prison he was arrested again.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching his sexual harm prevention order, six charges of making indecent images of children, four charges of possessing prohibited and extreme images and two charges of distributing category A images.

Detective Constable Tom Sutcliffe from the force’s Online Abuse and Exploitation said: “Courtney showed utter disregard for the restrictions placed upon him by being in possession of these images. He has repeated ignored the courts and has gone on to amass and share the most disturbing content. Those who obtain and distribute child abuse material directly contribute to the sexual exploitation of children, because the children involved are continually re-victimised every time the images are viewed.

“Thanks to the expertise of North Yorkshire Police’s Digital Forensic Unit and the dedication of the investigating officers, Courtney could not deny the charges put against him, and the evidence they uncovered has put him where he deserves to be - behind bars.

“This sentence should send a clear message that we can and will track down anyone involved in downloading or distributing indecent images of children and will use our expertise to uncover the digital evidence that will lead to a conviction.

“We are currently working with agencies around the world to attempt to identify and safeguard the children in the images that Courtney had gathered and shared.”

Description

A drunken and aggressive sex pest forced himself on a shocked 17-year-old girl and made "unwanted sexual advances" to her - including leaving a blood-stained palm print on her T-shirt after he smashed a bottle of wine.

Heavy drinker Ashley Wilcock turned nasty when the girl asked him to stop what he was doing and he kissed her and intimately touched her during a frightening and "unsavoury" confrontation lasting 30 to 45 minutes. He seemed to have a "problem with women" and broke the wrist of a woman after becoming involved in a later fight between two women, Hull Crown Court heard.

Wilcock, 25, from Goole, admitted sexually assaulting the girl on June 13, 2018. A charge of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence was dropped.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said that Wilcock sent a text message to the girl saying that he would be passing her home in Goole and asking her if she wanted to share a cigarette with him. He had been drinking and he went into her home. He was "coming on" to her and she asked him to leave but he became argumentative and challenged her.

In his aggressive state, Wilcock smashed a bottle of wine and cut his hand after picking up pieces of broken glass. He tried to kiss the girl on her neck, leaving a mark, and touched the top of her thighs and her chest over her clothes, leaving a blood-stained hand print on her T-shirt.

The incident lasted 30 to 45 minutes. "She kept asking the defendant to leave and that he should stop making advances towards her," said Mr Evans.

"The defendant would follow her, refusing to leave the property and coming back in. She attempted to use her mobile phone to contact the police. The defendant took it from her and threw it on a nearby chair.

"The defendant eventually left by climbing over a rear garden and leaving the property. This was clearly a prolonged and sustained incident." Wilcock went to the girl's workplace the next day and apologised.

Wilcock has, since the incident, been convicted of assaulting a policeman, causing criminal damage to a girlfriend's light and, in November 2019, a violence offence involving breaking the wrist of a woman after getting involved in a fight involving two women.

Nick Peacock, mitigating, said: "It was an unsavoury incident, no doubt about it, very unsavoury. He fully accepts it. This all happened four years ago now.

"It happened at a time when this young man clearly had a problem with alcohol, although he appears to be dealing with it now. Alcohol was the problem and, if he can deal with that, there will be no issues.

"He has cut down greatly. He barely drinks and he barely goes out." Wilcock's girlfriend was due to have a baby shortly and he had been working for two years.

Judge Mark Bury told Wilcock: "You made unwanted sexual advances to her. You were not just making advances, you were aggressive and you were drunk. She tried for three-quarters of an hour to avoid you by going out into the garden.

"In your favour, you did try to apologise the next day when you had sobered up." The incident and some of Wilcock's later convictions seemed to show that he "may have a problem with women".

Wilcock, recently of Margaret Road, Fairfield, Barnsley, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence, a sex offender programme, 55 days' rehabilitation and an alcohol abstinence requirement. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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Tom Lundgren also had extreme animal pornography and other indecent images, court hears.

A man who secretly filmed people in bathrooms on hidden cameras has been jailed.

Tom Lundgren, 24, was also found to have more than 7,500 indecent images and dozens of extreme pornographic pictures on his electronic devices.

He was jailed for 18 months at Leeds Crown Court on Friday after admitting a string of offences.

Police officers found the indecent images on his devices when they went to his home in Gomersal, West Yorks., in May 2020.

Among them were 1,855 pictures in the most serious category as well as images of victims he had recorded using devices hidden in bathrooms.

There were also 1,507 category B images and 4,461 category C images as well as 35 extreme pornography images, West Yorkshire Police said.

The force said said it had “worked hard” to track down the people Lundgren had recorded without consent.

He pleaded guilty to charges including making indecent pictures of a child, possessing an extreme pornographic image involving an animal, and eight charges of voyeurism.

He has been jailed for 18 months and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Speaking after sentencing, PC Simon Meakin of West Yorkshire Police, said: “On seizing his devices, we found over 1,800 of the most serious category A images as well as images of victims he had recorded for his own gratification using hidden recording devices.

“Any act of voyeurism represents the most appalling invasion of a person’s privacy, and we have worked hard to locate victims of these offences.”

Description

A woman sobbed as a court was told how she had taken videos of herself performing sex acts next to a child and shared them in a group chat set up for sick perverts.

Sitting in the docks of Hull Crown Court, wearing a black trouser suit with restraints attached, Sonia Chivers, 29, began crying as the prosecuting barrister listed details of her 'perverted' child sexual abuse offences. In the public gallery a 'support network' of family members, including her mother, were in attendance.

Along with the videos, she also took an indecent image of the child and shared it online. While she claimed she received no sexual gratification from sharing the content, she said she 'liked the attention' she got from other users on a platform called Kik where child abuse was being discussed.

She pleaded guilty to making and distributing 1 Category B video, making another Category B video, making and distributing 1 Category C image and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. Richard Butters, prosecuting, told the court on January 16, 2020, an undercover police officer joined a Kik group chat where users discussed sexual abuse against children between the ages of zero and four. The officer engaged in a chat with the defendant.

She messaged that she was 'feeling horny' and said she might call the child into the room. She continued to describe sick things she wanted the child to do to her and claimed the child 'knew what to do as routine'.

She added she would film the acts next time. On December 5, 2020, Chivers was arrested, two videos and an image were recovered from her phone.

In one of the videos, Chivers was committing a sex act as a child's TV programme could be heard in the background, towards the end of the video, a child's head can be seen on video. In the other video, Chivers can be heard speaking to the child as she committed a sex act, Mr Butters told the court.

In the Category C image that was created and distributed, the child's head was cropped out but part of their genitalia was exposed. When Chivers was arrested, she admitted to the offences and said she felt disgusted by herself after she had taken the videos.

She has no previous convictions. Chiver's defence barrister, Richard Thompson, told the court it was impossible to mitigate why anyone who came from a loving family would go on to commit such criminal offences as Chivers did.

He said Chivers was experiencing loneliness and therefore engaged in attention-seeking behaviour. He added that she did face up to what she has done.

Mr Thompson reiterated that Chivers had no previous convictions, after the incident, she was released on bail and did not re-offend. She knew this day would come and tried her hardest to live her life.

She had a supportive family and found employment. He claimed she had a strong support network to help her, some of whom were with her in court.

Judge Sophie McKone told Chivers what she has done was gross, sickening and perverted. She said Chivers received sexual pleasure from knowing the child was watching and even encouraged the child to watch.

Judge McKone accepts Chivers, of Driffield, was emotionally isolated at the time of the offences, while it may explain it, it does not excuse it. She sentenced Chivers to 40 months in prison, she is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

After her prison sentence was read out, Chivers was taken away from the docks, but her loud weeping could continue to be heard in the courtroom from a distant room for minutes after she left.

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A hypnotherapist has been jailed for more than two years after forcing a woman to engage in sexual activity while she was ‘under his spell’.

Ian Roper, 58, ‘commanded’ his victim to remove her clothing while making her think she was sitting on a hot sun bed and rubbing sun cream on her body, Bradford Crown Court heard.

When the woman woke up, Roper attempted to ‘put her under again’ so she wouldn’t know what had happened to her.

He pleaded guilty at the trial despite initially claiming the allegations were false to the police and he was handed a 29 month sentence by the judge.

Officers also found five indecent images of children and one prohibited image of a child on Roper’s laptop.

He pleaded guilty to the possession of indecent images.

Recorder David Gordon told Roper his interests had been motivated by ‘selfish and sexual’ desires.

The judge also said Roper would have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and enforced a restraining order against him.

Recorder Gordon further imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which includes a ban on Roper working as a hypnotherapist.

Addressing Roper, he told him his offending was a very clear breach of trust and said he had engaged in a sustained assault on a complainant who had been vulnerable.

He said: ‘It is clear from her victim impact statement that she has suffered no serious physical injury, but she has suffered severe psychological harm.’

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A ROOFER who sexually attacked a woman in her own home when he visited her has been jailed.

Ryan Cameron, 26, pretended he had called for a taxi when the woman asked him to leave, said Andrew Espley, prosecuting.

But he was lying and he then sexually assaulted her, pulling her to her bedroom during it.

When she repeatedly protested, telling him "no" and to go home, he replied: "Ssh, you know you want it".

Afterwards, he accused the woman of lying until she attended a courthouse to give evidence in a courthouse against him, York Crown Court heard.

"This young woman trusted you to come into her home. That was an invitation but it was limited," Judge Simon Hickey told Cameron.

Cameron had attacked her in her own bedroom where "any woman must be entitled to feel safe".

"It can only be an immediate custodial sentence."

He jailed Cameron for 27 months and made him subject to a restraining order banning him from contacting the woman indefinitely.

Cameron will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

The woman told York Crown Court that Cameron had made life difficult for her since the sexual assault which she was still coming to terms with.

She believed he was punishing her for telling police about what he had done.

"He has turned my life upside down and made it complete chaos," she said in a victim impact statement.

She had been prescribed anti-depressants and was having counselling.

Cameron had initially denied sexually assaulting her and had made out she was a liar until she went to court to pre-record her evidence and be cross-examined by his barrister, said the woman's statement.

It is common now for complainants in sexual cases to pre-record their evidence and be cross-examined by the defendant's barrister on video. The video is then shown to the jury in the defendant's trial, which may be many months later.

Mr Espley said Cameron had not visited the woman for several months before the evening when he sexually assaulted her.

At the end of the evening, she asked him to leave so she could go to bed.

He claimed he had ordered a taxi and was waiting for it, but turned on a film and settled down on the settee.

He then began the sexual assault, during which he had used force on her.

Afterwards, he had rolled himself a cigarette and really called a taxi, which had arrived quickly.

Defence solicitor advocate Graham Parkin said Cameron apologised for his actions and their impact.

He had not been convicted of any offence before or afterwards. His parents were standing by him.

The judge said the offence was out of character but there was little chance that Cameron would be rehabilitated until he recognised what he had done.

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A serial sex offender has been jailed for over three years for sexually assaulting an infant girl after “luring” her into an enclosed space.

Kenneth Stephen Fowler, 64, a drifter and heavily convicted paedophile from Knaresborough, assaulted and then performed a lewd act in front of the youngster, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Herrmann said that Fowler had over 100 previous criminal convictions, of which 18 were child-sex offences.

Fowler’s last such conviction was almost 30 years ago, but on August 6 this year, when heavily drunk, he lured the young girl into a public enclosed space, put his arms around her and began touching her “excessively”.

He then tried to remove her clothing before taking off his own clothes to reveal an intimate part of his body. He then performed a lewd act in front of her.

Mr Herrmann said: “(The victim) said he didn’t say anything (and that) she felt scared and she froze.”

She then moved “very quickly” away from the enclosed area, after which an adult witness saw Fowler buckling up his trousers.

Fowler told the witness, in an “aggressive manner”, that he was “about to set fire to the place”.

Matters were ultimately reported to police who searched Fowler’s flat in Knaresborough and found among his clothes a pair of girl’s knickers.

Fowler, a homeless drifter, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure, sexual assault of a child under 13 and sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He initially denied the offences but ultimately admitted the latter two charges. The Crown ultimately quashed the exposure charge.

He appeared for sentence via video link today after being remanded in custody.

Mr Herrmann said Fowler’s wicked behaviour had caused “great distress” to the girl and her family.

The girl’s mother said her daughter had since had nightmares about Fowler and her horrifying experience: “She has been very quiet since it happened (and) doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Fowler, originally from Scotland, had 104 previous convictions for 223 offences dating back over 50 years. Eighteen of those were sexual offences, including many for indecently exposing himself in front of children.

In the 1980s, he was jailed on multiple occasions for indecent exposure with intent to sexually assault a female, and another offence of unlawful intercourse with an under-age girl. In one incident in 1988, he exposed himself to a 13-year-old girl and performed a lewd act in front of two young boys.

His last exposure offence was in 1994 but he continued to regularly appear before the courts for offences such as shoplifting and being drunk and disorderly.

In October 2019, he received a 16-month jail sentence at York Crown Court for arson and damaging property.

That offence, described as a “revenge” attack, occurred in August 2018 when he torched a charity clothes store for the homeless at the Wesley Centre in Harrogate run by Harrogate Homeless Project, which had helped him get back on his feet after years of living rough.

Fowler, who was again drunk and had some kind of “grudge” against the charity, also smashed a window with a hammer, causing nearly £1,500 damage.

The charity relied completely on donations such as clothes and the damage had resulted in severe disruption to the organisation.

Defence barrister Brian Russell said that after a 30-year gap in his sexual offending, Fowler had “for an inexplicable reason…suddenly reverted to entrenched behaviour which he had managed to avoid for almost (three decades)”.

Judge Simon Hickey told Fowler: 

“At the age of 64, you are still interfering with children…and were touching again an extremely young child.

“While heavily intoxicated, you were to lure this child into the public (enclosed space). She was scared; she froze.”

He said the child was clearly “in very great distress” and told Fowler: 

“I find you a worrying and dangerous individual.

“This has changed the little girl’s life and she even…stuffs toys under her bed (for fear of) someone like yourself being under (there).”

The judge said Fowler clearly had an “unhealthy interest in young girls”.

Fowler was jailed for three years and four months. He was told he must serve two-thirds of that sentence behind bars and would only be released when the Parole Board deemed it safe to do so.

Due to the judge’s finding of dangerousness, Fowler was told he would have to serve an extended three years on prison licence once he was released from jail, for the protection of young girls.

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Three Kirklees brothers who groomed and sexually abused teenage girls have been jailed for a total of over 60 years.

Zafar Qayum, 42, and his brothers Ansar, 45, and Mohammed Jabbar, 41, all from Dewsbury were found guilty of a catalogue of sickening sex offences following a trial at Leeds Crown Court. Zafar was found guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of aiding and abetting rape and five counts of indecent assault, against three victims, Ansar was found guilty of four counts of rape and attempted indecent assault against two victims and Mohammed was found guilty of two counts of rape against one victim.

It was said the offences were committed between 1999 and 2004 against three girls who were between 13 and 15 when they were sexually abused. All girls were described as particularly vulnerable at the time they came into contact with the Qayum brothers. Police investigations began in 2017 after one of the victims reported what had happened to her.

The court said one of the victims came forward after she watched a documentary she realised what had happened to her could still be reported.

Jurors were unable to reach verdicts in two counts - one relating to Zafar and another relating to Ansar. These counts were instructed to lie on file.

As the trio were sentenced on Friday, the court heard how they had preyed on three teenage girls. Prosecutor Rupert John Doswell said the aggravating features in the case included the targeting of particularly vulnerable victims who were sometimes missing from home, and the fact Zafar instigated and encouraged his younger brother Mohammed to carry out his offending. Mr Doswell said: "He was the instigator and facilitator."

Mr Doswell said Zafar Mohammed was 20 at the time of the offending against two of the girls which went on for some years. He was between the ages of 23 and 25 when he abused another. Mohammed is now 41-years-old and was 21 or 22 at the time.

During the sentencing, the emotional victim impact statements of the three victims - now adult women - were read out to the court. In them, they told how the abuse had impacted their lives. One woman said she was a young teenager when the abuse started and has suffered with anxiety throughout her life. She said: "After the abuse stopped I would fly off the handle at the smallest of things. Nowadays, I feel void of emotions. Part of this is because of the medication I take for my mental health, I believe is due to the abuse I have suffered."

The woman says she still fears the Qayum brothers will come after her, and added: "The feeling has never left me. Even when cars pass my house slowly, I think it is them looking for me. It is always in my mind that they are coming back for me."

She also told how she remembered "kicking off" at school when some men tried to get her into their car and she was told off by a teacher who said she "shouldn't be getting into cars with Asian men" and that she was bringing shame to the school.

Another woman told the court how she was "exploited" by the Qayum brothers when she was 13. She said Zafar "made her feel special" and filled a hole in her life. She said throughout the abuse she became "less tolerant" of people and got expelled from school - hiding the fact from her father for three months. She said this led to her becoming a "prisoner in her own home" as she was "in fear of being mentally and physically tortured."

The woman said: "At the age of 17 the person who abused me stopped being part of my life and this pushed me into another relationship with another man who I would describe as abusive as well."

She said that after she gave evidence during the trial she felt for the first time her "voice was heard" and added: "I will never forget what happened to me but feel some sort of acceptance and after 20 years I can put this thing behind me and live my life with my family."

The Qayum's third victim told the court she had a "great, happy childhood" up until the age of 13 and her "teenage years very much destroyed my adult life." The woman said she "never really felt normal" and has had relationships with the wrong kind of people thinking "that was how a normal relationship should be."

She said: "I still have bad dreams about what they did and panic they will come and find me and hurt me. There is no way in this world my son would ever behave like these monsters. This part of my life has been kept in a locked part of my brain. They took my innocence and damaged me. I just think I will have to go with this life I have been given, to try my best to be happy and love myself."

Mitigating for Zafar Qayum, Katherine Pierpoint said he was 19 or 20 when the offences were committed and the "disparity was about five to nine years between the complainants. The disparity in age is not as great as you see sometimes in these cases and his age at the time may be linked to his level of maturity." She said there had been no offending since the offences had been committed and he is now "established as law-abiding and hard-working."

Ms Pierpoint said Zafar Qayum now has a wife and four young children who will be affected by his custodial sentence.

Fiona McNeil, for Ansar Qayum also put forward that the disparity in age between the brothers and their victims is not as great as those usually seen in other cases. The court heard that last year Ansar pleaded guilty to his involvement in a kidnapping offence that saw him and others take a 17-year-old and beat him following a collision with a Lamborghini car. Calls from Qayum's phone were made to the boy's parents to make demands.

He was jailed for 10 years and nine months for that offence.

Mitigating for Mohammed Qayum, Kitty Colley, said the victims told how he presented a different demeanour to that of his brothers. She said: "He was described by two victims in this case as not offending against these other girls but as present and himself relatively nave.

"The collective evidence suggests that he had been exposed to matters and not involved in offending against others by his brothers. One woman described his personality in stark terms and that was consistent across all complainants and the victim." The court was told Zafar Qayum's crimes of aiding and abetting rape related to encouraging sexual intercourse between Mohammed Qayum and one of the girls. Ms Colley said that on the first occasion of Zafar doing this, Mohammed "pretended and didn't go on that time to offend."

She said: "He was described as being the total opposite to his brothers and they [the victims] felt protected by him." She added that he is a man of good character, a dad and family man who helps care for the brothers' parents.

Zafar Qayum was jailed for 30 years, Ansar Qayum for 20 years - a sentence which will be added onto that which is already serving - and Mohammed Jabbar Qayum for 13 years.

As he sentenced them, Judge Marson said: "They were targeted and groomed for sexual gratification by the offer of alcohol, drugs and a more exciting way of life. They were paid insincere compliments. At one stage, (one victim) became pregnant and had an abortion when she was 14. Who the father was was not known."

The judge said it was only when one of the victims watched a documentary that she realised what had happened to her could still be reported. He slammed the three brothers as "cowards" for putting the victims through a trial. and added: "It is clear to me that your victims will never fully recover from what you did. Their experiences with you will haunt them and affect their lives in the future."

Speaking directly to Zafar Qayum, he said: "One [victim] was so vulnerable that she believed she was in a genuinely loving relationship with you. Over a period of years you controlled, abused her physically and used her for your own sexual gratification. Matters only came to an end when you completely destroyed the contents of her flat. I have no doubt that had she been in the flat that night you would have caused her significant physical harm. You aided and abetted your brothers to rape her. You took advantage of these girls while they were under the influence."

The judge said that in one of the victims' evidence she told how Zafar knew of her real age and would say: "We are here to f*** all of the white girls and f*** the Government." Judge Marson said the victim "saw that as a joke" but added that what happened to her and the other girls "was no joke."

Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Thornes of Kirkless Police said: "This has been a deeply distressing and highly disturbing case involving the dreadful sexual abuse of young females by three brothers. The court heard some highly disturbing evidence of how poorly these young victims were treated with all three brothers being found guilty of encouraging the sexual abuse of victims.

"We welcome the substantial sentences handed down to them at court today and believe these reflect the gravity of the acts they committed. I want to praise the courage of the woman in this case whose determination to seek justice has ensured these men have been forced to account for their actions. We continue to urge victims to come forward and can promise all reports will be thoroughly and sensitively investigated."

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Two men who conspired to groom and sexually abuse a child in Kirklees have been jailed for offences described as depraved by detectives.

Jeremy Mason (39) from Manchester and Owen Daley (22) from Oxford were branded a danger to children following their sentencing at Leeds Crown Court today (August 19).

Kirklees District child protection officers welcome the sentencing of the two men who pleaded guilty to offending including an attempt by Mason to meet and sexually abuse the male victim while sharing the footage with Daley.

Mason was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to 14 offences including causing/inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child.

Daley was sentenced to six years after pleading guilty to 12 offences including causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child. 

Both were given lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and will have to sign on the sex offenders register for life.

Their offending came to police attention in late December after officers were contacted by a friend of the victim on the night he was supposed to meet Mason at an Air BNB in Huddersfield.

The victim failed to attend however and was located in the town centre by the friend who made the report.

Officers from the Kirklees Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) began to investigate and traced back online and phone communications from the two men to the victim

Mason was identified, traced, located and arrested within 24 hours while Daley was located within a month following telecommunication enquires.

As investigations progressed officers uncovered that the victim has first been contacted by a currently unidentified man who had passed the victim’s details on to Owen and Daley

They then recovered months of contact between the victim and the two men in which they sent him sexual imagery and had made preparations for Mason to meet and sexually assault him.

DS Ben Howley of the Kirklees POLIT team, who led the investigation said: “We welcome the sentences given to Mason and Daley for offences and further planned offending which can frankly be described as depraved.
“It is pure good fortune that Mason did not come into contact with the young victim on the night he arranged a meeting.
“The victim continues to receive specialist safeguarding care and I wish to pay tribute to him and his family for supporting the prosecution.  
“Their courage has helped us and CPS colleagues put these men, who pose an absolute danger to children, behind bars.”

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A PERVERT has been locked up for spying on a woman in her own bedroom through a hidden camera. Ryan Maddock watched his victim as she left the shower and lay in bed through the concealed device. When it was discovered by the woman, she was left feeling violated and shocked through what was described as a gross violation of her privacy. The 28-year-old was later charged with voyeurism and appeared before Warrington Magistrates Court on Friday to be sentenced. Ashleigh Smith, prosecuting, explained how in March last year, the victim was cooking in her Warrington home when the electricity tripped. When it was turned back on, she noticed a flashing light in her bedroom, and on closer inspection, she discovered that the light was coming from a small camera hidden near her bed. She immediately unplugged IT, with an impact statement revealing how it made her cry and feel absolutely violated, shocked and scared in her own home. Maddock admitted to putting it there when approached by police, who seized his mobile phone and found downloaded images which had been recorded on the camera. These showed the victim leaving the bathroom, lying in bed and even coming out of the shower. According to the charge, Maddock had been spying on her for a period of around a month and a half. The court heard how he demonstrated a significant degree of planning to install the camera, including concealing it to ensure it could not be seen. In defence of his client, Stephen Coupe admitted that Maddocks actions constituted to a gross violation of the victims privacy, but referenced his lack of previous convictions and how he is a man of previous good character. He said that his guilty plea has shown candidness and some contrition and highlighted his learning difficulties and ADHD. The question for the court is whether or not the custody term can be suspended, he said. The defendant has been candid and open with the probation service that he installed the camera for his own gratification. This allowed the probation service to recommend a significant and robust disposal in the community, which is the best way forward to reduce his risk in the future. Stating that Maddock has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, Mr Coupe commented that the court could consider suspending the custodial term. Before sentencing, chair magistrate John Nelson said: This is not a pleasant case. The consideration we have had is whether or not it should go to crown court, however we have decided that we can deal with the matter today. But we will not be suspending the sentence, and you will be going to prison today. Maddock, of St Johns Grove in Kirk Hammerton, near York, was sentenced to six months in prison. He must also comply with sex offender notification requirements for seven years and abide by a restraining order not to contact the victim or enter a named Warrington street for five years. In addition, the court approved an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the camera.

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A former Harrogate headteacher has been found guilty of making indecent images of children.

Matthew Shillito, 42, pleaded not guilty to making 20 Category B images and 3,829 Category C images between December 3, 2012 and December 31, 2015.

Shillito was appointed headteacher of Western Primary School in 2019.

He was previously headteacher across the Goldsborough Sicklinghall Federation of schools.

None of the offences related to his employment.

Shillito appeared before York Magistrates Court this morning, where District Judge Adrian Lower found him guilty on both charges.

He said the evidence showed Shillito had a corrosive, addictive interest in child pornography.

During the case, making was defined as knowingly accessing a site that contained an indecent image.

The court was told that there was no evidence that Mr Shillito downloaded the material onto his laptop.

The prosecution opened proceedings at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month and said the indecent images were found on the cache in Shillitos computer, which could have only have got there had he accessed sites with those images.

Philip Morris, prosecuting, said there were indicative terms found on Shillitos laptop which showed intent to access the images.

Police arrested Shillito and seized two computers at his address on January 4, 2020.

Officers recovered a Dell laptop and a MacBook Pro, which contained a back up from an iPad mini which was not found.

Giving evidence to the court last month, Zoe Warboys, a digital forensic investigation officer at North Yorkshire Police, said that while the defendant may not have been aware of the cache, he could have only got them by accessing the material.

A Russian website named in court was frequently accessed on the Dell laptop, which Ms Warboys told the court was a site which contained indecent images of children.

The site is public and allows users to upload albums of images which others can view.

The court heard how the site was frequently visited on February 26, 2011.

Mr Morris told the court that Shillito visited some of the pages which were indicative of possibly including indecent images 30 times.

Shillito repeatedly denied both charges throughout the case.

This morning, District Judge Lower adjourned sentencing Shillito until September 7. He bailed Shillito but warned him all sentencing options would be considered including jail.

Description

A paedophile piano teacher was found with tens of thousands of pictures and videos of child sexual abuse, including horrific videos that he had captured of his own students. Ben Thomas, 30, taught piano lessons to children as young as eight and captured "upskirting" videos of the youngsters during lessons.

His horrifying crimes were discovered when the mum of his eight-year-old student found "innapropriate" messages between her child and Thomas, who had asked the child to send him videos of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also asked the eight-year-old to dance naked for him.

Thomas, of Westbourne Grove, Hessle, has been jailed for two years, after pleading guilty to taking indecent photographs and videos of children, and of possessing indecent photographs and videos of children. Analysis of his phone and other devices found a shocking 26,461 images and 445 videos in Categories A, B and C.

A total of 1,625 of these were of the most serious category, which includes the penetrative sexual activity of children. Victims in the images that were found on Thomas' devices were as young as three years old, Grimsby Crown Court heard on Friday (August 5).

A total of 16 of Thomas' students were victims of his crimes, with 64 videos taken of the children between June and July last year. The paedophile would teach the students at a North Lincolnshire school, as well as in his own home and their homes, GrimsbyLive reports.

During his lessons, Thomas would ask the girls to lean over the piano in order to examine the instrument's "inner works", at which point he would secretly film them on his mobile phone. The court heard that none of the children were aware of what was happening.

Prosecuting, Nigel Clive QC told the court that Thomas was finally caught when the mother of one of the victims discovered inappropriate WhatsApp messages between him and her daughter, who was just eight years old at the time. The court heard that the girl's piano lessons were supposed to last for half-an-hour, but over time they became "longer and longer".

Thomas would contact the girl via WhatsApp and send pictures and videos of his cats, he also asked her to send him a video of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also filmed the girl playing with his cats at his home and, in the video, he asked her to perform several gymnastics moves such as the crab and splits.

When the mother found the messages, she contacted Thomas and told him that his messages were innapropriate and that he should stop contacting her daughter, which he did. The mother then contacted Humberside Police.

Thomas was arrested and officers seized his mobile phone and laptop, which was found to have tens of thousands of images and videos "systematically stored". He was initially interviewed by police on August 11 last year, during which he provided the codes to unlock his devices.

He was then bailed pending the analysis of his devices. When he was re-interviewed by police on December 21, he answered "no comment" to officers' questions. But the disgusting content on Thomas' devices helped to secure a conviction.

The impact of Thomas' horrific actions was heard in court, when parents of the girl's that he taught read their victim statements. One parent said: "For someone that age she is not trusting of people. She was such a confident girl but now she won't wear a skirt or a dress, even during the summer."

Another said that their daughter is "less trusting of teachers and men". They added: "She is more suspicious of everyone and feels misled by this defendant. She is shocked that someone would take advantage."

Mitigating, Alexander Leach QC said: "It was a descent into a world of internet porn that led to indecent images of children and culminated in the production of the indecent images of children. The most serious aggravating factors are the abuse of trust, the fact that the children were known to the defendant and the number of children. There was a profound abuse of trust and a damage to the confidence of these children."

Mr Leach told the court that Thomas had "unfettered access" to internet porn and unregulated file sharing platforms from the age of 11. He said: "This was a course of conduct that was put in place from a very young age. He has taken exceptional steps to rehabilitation, he has engaged with therapy."

Sentencing, Recorder Kelly addressed Thomas: "The fallout does not simply remain with you recording images of them. Some of the parents have expressed how guilty they feel by allowing them to be in your presence. But it is not their fault, it is your fault alone. You fooled them into thinking you were trustworthy.

"You lost your employment, your fiancée called off your engagement, but these risks must have occurred to you as being a consequence of how you were acting. You have lost your good name and also the possibility of forming an adult relationship. The impact of the offending will live with you for your adult life, but you only have yourself to blame.

"The children don't seem real to you. The abuse these children suffered to enable these images to be made are real. For every image you downloaded, a child had to be sexually abused. You and people like you fuel the need for children to be sexually abused."

Thomas was also handed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will prohibit him from using any device which accesses the internet. He also cannot delete any messages on any electronic device, live with any female under the age of 16 or have any contact with any female under the age of 16. He is also required to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Officer in the case Detective Constable Becky McInnis from Humberside Police's Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: "The actions of Ben Thomas cannot be described as anything other than deceitful. He abused his position of trust preying on some of the most vulnerable members of our society who looked up to and trusted him.

"I am pleased he is now being punished for his unforgiveable actions. I’d like to commend the bravery and the courage of his victims and their families throughout the entirety of the investigation and court proceedings.

"I hope the outcome will provide them with some comfort in knowing that, by having the courage and strength to come forward, they have undoubtedly prevented others falling victim to the actions of this man."

Description

A sleazy sex offender sent a 15-year-old girl a suggestive picture of himself relaxing in the bath - with bubbles covering up his private parts in a brazen bid to tempt her.

Manipulative and devious Ben Green hoped that the girl would be sufficiently interested in seeing even more of him that she would ask for him to wash away more and more of the bubbles in later pictures. He also made it very clear to the teenager that there was an intimate picture of him that she could access if she wanted, Hull Crown Court heard.

Green, 32, of Eleanor Avenue, Bridlington, admitted sexual communication with a child between May 1 and July 29, 2020. Andrew Stranex, prosecuting, said that the 15-year-old girl was a friend of a female that Green knew. Visits were made over a significant period of time.

Problems later arose between the two females. Green began communicating with the girl on social media and it "strayed into sexualised chat" over a lengthy period.

"He began to speak to her in a more sexualised way towards her," said Mr Stranex. Green sent the girl a picture of him in a bath, with his private parts covered by bubble bath - she was invited to say whether he should show more of himself.

He also made it clear that an intimate naked picture of him was available for her to view on a site where he knew that she could see if she wanted. "He knew that she was able to access it," said Mr Stranex.

Matters came to light in July 2020 when the girl was with her aunt and became upset. The teenager told her aunt what had happened.

Green was trapped when text messages pretending to be from the girl were sent to him. They confirmed the sort of conversations that he was willing to engage in with the girl and that he was interested in young people and in developing a relationship with someone young.

Green had no previous convictions. No mitigation was requested for him after the judge indicated the sentence that he had in mind.

Recorder Anthony Hawks told Green: "You are not, in my judgement, a man of good character because men of good character do not involve themselves in sexual communications with young girls. You chose to engage in sexualised conversations with her, making available pictures of you.

"What you think you were doing in what you were sending that 15-year-old girl is beyond imagination, other than it shows you have a sexual interest in young girls. Recorder Hawks said that, if Green were jailed, it would be for a short period of time and "it would achieve nothing".

He said that his role was to impose a sentence that would "ensure that this sort of behaviour never happens again". Green was given 30 days' rehabilitation and a probation service sex offenders' programme.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. Recorder Hawks warned Green that he faced being jailed if he committed further offences or did not cooperate with the requirements of the order.

Description

A judge has jailed a Keighley man for 12 years for rape offences committed against a vulnerable teenage girl who was groomed and plied with alcohol by a number of men more than a decade ago.

Usman Sultan, 30, became the latest defendant to be jailed following two trials at Bradford Crown Court, but the court heard on Friday (July 1) that he was still protesting his innocence. Barrister John Batchelor, for Sultan, said his client maintained that he had been wrongly identified as the perpetrator of these very serious offences.

But last year Sultan, of Lawkholme Lane, Keighley, was found guilty by a jury of three charges of rape committed against the complainant, who must not be identified for legal reasons, when he was aged 16 or 17. Judge Andrew Hatton, who had already jailed other defendants in the case, described how some of the rape offences were committed against the complainant while other men laughed or gave encouragement to Sultan.

He said the complainant had been an extremely troubled and tormented young woman and her victim impact statement made harrowing reading. Seven other men have already received jail terms totalling nearly 80 years for their abuse of the same complainant and Judge Hatton said the teenager was regularly plied with alcohol.

The judge said she had suffered severe psychological harm as a result of the offending which included elements of degradation and humiliation. Because of Sultans age at the time of the offending Judge Hatton reduced what would have been a 15-year jail term to 12 years and he said Sultan would have to serve at least eight years before being considered for release.

Sultan will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life. In March Amjad Hussain, 35, of Keighley, who was convicted of three counts of rape, was jailed for 12 years. And in February six other men received jail sentences totalling 66 years.

They were:

- Nazir Khan, 30, of Keighley, has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape and an extended 8-year licence period for each count. He is already on the sex offenders register

- Kamran Hussain, 29, of Keighley has been jailed for five years after being convicted of rape and ordered to register on the sex offenders list for life

- Omar Safdar, 30, of Oldham, has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

- Imran Sabir, 42, of Keighley has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

- Hassan Basharat, 32, of Keighley has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

- Barber Hussain, 36, of Bradford has been jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

All the charges relate to offending which happened around Keighley between 2008 and 2009 against one victim who was a child at the time. She came forward to police as an adult and reported the abuse she had suffered which led to an investigation being launched.

Speaking after the sentencing in February, the victim at the centre of the investigation said: "The driving force for me to keep going through all of this was so that it prevents it from happening to other people, and also it might help other people come forward."

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Weekes, of Bradford District Police said: "We welcome the sentences that have been handed down to these men. Cases such as these are incredibly sensitive and complex and it often takes years of painstaking investigation to bring them before the courts.

"I would like to take this opportunity to praise the victim for coming forward and reporting these offences to the police, for her patience whilst the criminal investigation has been ongoing and her courage in giving evidence in court. The abuse she endured robbed her of her childhood and I hope seeing all of these men sent to prison today for these horrendous offences she was subjected to will allow her to start to look forward to the future.

"If anyone has suffered abuse, or has concerns about someone who may be suffering abuse, I would urge them to come forward and speak to the police. We will listen to you and investigate all offences and also ensure you have access to any help or support you need.

"I hope this sends a clear message that, regardless of how long ago these offences may have happened, we will pursue every avenue to get justice."