Latest Offenders York

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Predator Philip Lane, who has previous similar offences in the past, latched onto the girl’s Facebook profile, but which was run by an online hunter group London Overwatch.

The 56-year-old spent five days chatting with the ‘girl’ at the end of July after sending her a friend request. He began asking her questions and even told her he was “old enough to be her grandfather” and could “get done” for talking to her, prosecutor Emily Hassell told Leeds Crown Court this week.

Predator Philip Lane, who has previous similar offences in the past, latched onto the girl’s Facebook profile, but which was run by an online hunter group London Overwatch.

The 56-year-old spent five days chatting with the ‘girl’ at the end of July after sending her a friend request. He began asking her questions and even told her he was “old enough to be her grandfather” and could “get done” for talking to her, prosecutor Emily Hassell told Leeds Crown Court this week.

He told her he was sleeping naked and named his penis ‘Sid’, and told her what he wanted to do to her with him. He sent her a photo of his genitals and said he would use a condom so she would not get pregnant.

Land, of Huntwick Drive, Featherstone, told her that in some countries children of her age get married and it should be her choice if she wanted to engage in sexual relations.

He was confronted by paedophile hunters who livestreamed the meeting live over the internet. He was arrested but tried to hide his Samsung mobile phone. He later admitted a charge of attempting to incite a girl under 13 into sexual activity.

Land has seven convictions for 38 offences, including sexual offences with children over the internet. He was already on the sex offender register for life.

Mitigating, Anastasis Tasou conceded he had little to say on Land’s behalf, other than that he “had the good sense to plead guilty as early as he could”.

He added: “He struggles to explain his behaviour. He is a stereotype for this kind of offending and lives a very solitary life. He would like to apologise to the court for his actions.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC jailed Land for four years and told him: “You are a cliché for this offending and you’ve done it before. There are many people who sit behind their keyboards and fantasise about what they want to do. You were involved in inciting her in to penetrative activity. You have done it before so it makes your offending much more serious.”

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An ex-Royal Marine commando who started having sexually-charged online conversations with a fake 13-year-old girl later claimed that their chats were no worse than what was taught in schools.

Retired lorry driver Frank Turner also pretended that he was gathering evidence before taking it to the police station and that he only asked the girl for explicit pictures so that he could be sure that she was definitely over the age of 18.

But it was clear "grooming" behaviour and he had previously been jailed for distributing sick images of children, Hull Crown Court heard.

Turner, 73, of Tennyson Street, Goole, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a sexual harm prevention order between November 29 and January 16.

Benjamin Donnell, prosecuting, said that undercover police set up an online profile of a non-existent 13-year-old girl and Turner began exchanging messages with her.

The fake girl told him that she was only 13 but he continued the messages and they became highly sexualised. He asked a series of intimate questions about sexual matters, made explicit suggestions and asked if she wanted sexual pictures of him.

He told her that he would only do so if she promised him that she would not save them on her phone. He asked for intimate pictures of her but he was not sent any. "It was clear grooming behaviour," said Mr Donnell.

In a later online conversation, Turner asked the decoy girl: "Have you been practising what I taught you?" He was arrested and material linking him to the conversations, including naked pictures of him, was found on his devices.

Turner later told police that he had no sexual interest in children. He claimed that he asked for photographs of the girl so that he could check that she was over 18 and, that if she was not, he would terminate the conversation.

He claimed that the conversations were no more than what would be taught in schools. "He said that he was doing this to gather evidence to take to the police station," said Mr Donnell. Turner suggested that he was involved in "fantasy".

He had convictions from 2017 for making and distributing hundreds of indecent images of children, including 132 in the most serious category, and possessing extreme pornography of bestiality. He had been jailed for 20 months and a sexual harm prevention order had been made.

During that hearing, the court was told that Turner, a former Royal Marine commando, claimed that he was lonely and was looking for a girlfriend. He shared images of children as young as two.

There was a risk of very serious sexual harm in the new offences, said Mr Donnell.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that it was "quite troubling recent behaviour" but the conversations took place over a relatively short period of time. Turner had worked as a lorry driver for many years.

"He is somebody who has been quite isolated and that's come through in his online activities," said Mr Godfrey.

"He was living alone with his dog. He found some solace in the internet. There was not a victim but this was luck not judgement on his behalf."

Judge Kate Rayfield said that Turner was told at a very early stage by the fake girl that she was aged 13 but he was "undeterred" and told her not to mention her age in messages.

"You quickly engaged her in sexual conversation, asking her about her own sexual experiences and asking her questions about what she had and hadn't done," said Judge Rayfield.

A sexual harm prevention order had been made in 2017. "This is a deliberate breach," said Judge Rayfield. "There was a significant disparity in your respective ages. There was no harm, in fact, and this was attempted conduct. It was a deliberate breach of your order and there was certainly some risk."

Turner was jailed for four years and one month and he was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

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A paedophile who sent nude pictures to three "little girls" online turned down his right to a defence in court as he told the judge "I'm sorry for what I've done".

Danny McCarthy, 49, messaged three 13 and 14-year-old "girls" on Facebook and Whatsapp while in Litherland in September 2021, sending them indecent images and videos believed to show him performing a sex act. But he had no idea he was actually chatting with three adults from a Northumbria-based "paedophile hunter" group, who made up the young girls as decoys.

McCarthy was then confronted by the group on the doorstep of the home he shared with his wife when he returned from a shopping trip.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, August 16, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and three counts of attempting to cause a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said: "The offences all arose during the course of a week in the middle of September 2021. The defendant went online, initially on Facebook messenger and then on other platforms, making contact with the profiles of three persons who, on the face of it, were either 13 or 14-year-old girls.

"In each case during that short period the defendant's initial interaction was friendly. It then became flirty and then the conversation quickly turned sexual. Soon after that, the defendant was then sending photographs of himself. There's a certain naivety about the way the defendant has conducted these offences, because not only has he sent images of his own face, but he also indicated his name, his age and his address."

This enabled the group to attend McCarthy's family home. The sting operation and subsequent arrest were broadcast live online.

McCarthy, who now lives alone in a flat in Selby, North Yorkshire, declined his right to legal representation in court, saying: "I just want to get myself over and done with so that my family can have closure."

He said: "I'm sorry for what I've done. I'm just sorry for all the hurt and aggravation I have caused my family and everyone else involved."

Judge Andrew Menary said: "There's nothing sophisticated about this offending and there's plainly a bit of naivety about it. You made no attempts to hide your identity. Nonetheless this was deliberate activity involving people you believed to be young children."

He sentenced McCarthy to a total of 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete the Horizon programme for medium risk sex offenders, attend 20 days rehabilitation, and carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, with a five year sexual harm prevention order.

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David Salisbury was today jailed for nine years at Leeds Crown Court after being found guilty of two counts penetrative sexual activity with a child following a trial. The 43-year-old contacted the girl in the mid 2000s and declared his feelings for her after swapping messages with her for months.

Jailing him, the judge, Recorder Tahir Khan KC said: “Over the best part of a year, you groomed this child and made her think this was a relationship when it clearly was not.

It’s clear to me shew only wanted to be loved, but was vulnerable and you took advantage of that vulnerability.

"There was a complete denial of any wrongdoing and not showed a hint of regret or responsibility.”

The court heard that Salisbury, now of Beckbridge Way, Normanton, had unprotected sex with the girl twice, despite her reluctance. He had a girlfriend at the time.

In an impact statement that the victim bravely read out to the court, she said: “For years I have held a secret because I was ashamed. I found myself in this situation that I realised was wrong.

"You groomed me, abused me and sexually assaulted me. For years you have controlled my life.

"You convinced me that it was real and you cared for me. You stood there and believed you did nothing wrong, but you ruined my childhood.”

Mitigating for Salisbury, James Littlehales said that his client, although having 35 convictions for 74 offences, has never been in trouble for or even investigated for sexual offences. He said that he has also become a “model prisoner” during his time spent on remand.”

DC Reece Hampshire, from the Wakefield Child Safeguarding Unit who led the investigation said afterwards: “These offences have troubled the victim for the past 17 years whilst they attempt to process the abuse they were subjected to. The lasting impact of what took place has cost them more than can be expressed in words.

“The level of courage it takes for the victim to come forwards after so many years and report the matter to the police cannot be understated. I have nothing but feelings of admiration for their bravery and determination in the pursuit of justice for what they have been through.

“I hope that this conviction can be the start of a new beginning for the victim and that they can begin to heal from the pain inflicted all those years ago and more recently during the court process.

“The victim would like to thank everyone involved in the investigation and court processes for their actions leading to this much welcomed conviction.

“I would also like to take this time to also encourage anyone who has suffered recent or historic abuse to come forward and report it. West Yorkshire Police are dedicated in working to secure justice for anyone who comes forward and reports sexual abuse.”

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A man has been sentenced after being convicted of sexual offences against a girl in Leeds committed more than 20 years ago.

Daniel Richardson (previously known as Bedford) , 38, of Leeds Road, Lofthouse, was found guilty at trial at Leeds Crown Court of two charges of indecent assault.

He was sentenced today (Thursday, 10 August) to six years in prison

The offences were committed from 2003 onwards for a number of years against one victim.

Detective Sergeant Emma Maltas, of Leeds District Safeguarding Team, said: The victim has shown immense bravery in coming forward as an adult to report the horrific offences committed against her as a child. This mans actions have had a significant impact on her childhood and still do now, and I hope his conviction helps her as she continues to try and process this trauma.
Richardson has subjected the victim to years of sexual abuse. He is now rightly behind bars and will have conditions on him following his release.
I hope that this conviction helps demonstrate that if you have been a victim of sexual abuse then it is never too late to report it to the police. You will be listened to, you will be supported and we will try and get justice for you.

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A Wakefield paedophile who targeted a five-year-old boy was finally brought to court 37 years after committing his crimes but received just a community order.

Cowardly Jason Tasker was convicted after a recent trial at Leeds Crown Court of two counts of indecency with a child and one of indecent assault, and appeared again this week for sentencing.

But Judge Robin Mairs admitted that Tasker, who was just 14 himself when he assaulted the youngster, had to be dealt with by way of the more relaxed laws at the time he committed the offences in the mid 1980s.

He conceded that Tasker, who is now 51, may not have even been prosecuted at all back in the day and even less likely to be sent into custody.

He said: I have to look at sentence through the prism of what would have happened to a 14-year-old at the time. The maximum sentence that could have been imposed upon him at that time was four months (jail).

Its not a 14-year-old boy who sits before me but a 51-year-old man who has lived an unblemished life since then.

He handed Tasker, of Syndale Road, Normanton, a two-year community order, 20 rehabilitation days and put on the sex offender register for five years. He also ordered him to pay 1,750 prosecution costs.

The trial heard that Tasker had just turned 14 when he took the boy to his bedroom and assaulted him, before masturbating in front of him.

The victim eventually came forward and told police in 2016. He said Taskers assaults affected every aspect of my life and that he sought solace in recreational drugs to escape the pain and anxiety.

In an impact statement read out by prosecutor Julian Jones on behalf of the victim, he said: When I was only five-year-old I suffered am horrific violation of trust and innocence at the hands of Jason Tasker. As a small vulnerable child I was left with the burden of guilt, believing I had committed a terrible act. Without understanding, I believed I had done something wrong.

I lived in fear that people would discover my terrible secret. My childhood was consumed by anxiety, guilt and the overwhelming weight of keeping this secret hidden.

I will never get my time back or know know what it was to live as a normal person because of what he did to me. The defendants actions have left me with permanent scars. The pain and trauma of my past will always be a part of me.

He described Taskers constant denials as cowardly actions and added: Given the opportunity to accept and admit what he did to me, Tasker lied to me, lied to the police and lied to the court and ensured we were put through the painful experience of a trial by jury. He tried to cover his tracks.

Judge Mairs said that sentences of this kind were legally among the most difficult. He said: It was clear to anyone who saw his (the victims) evidence at trial, the impact is still live and still affecting him.

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A YORK paedophile who corrupted a young girl over three years and got her to send him sexual videos of herself has been jailed.

The child was just 10 when Billy James Woodfine first contacted her online, said Anne Richardson, prosecuting.

He sent her hundreds of sexual messages and continued to keep in contact after police got a tip-off that he was downloading child sexual abuse, raided his home, arrested him and released him with a bail condition not to contact her.

A social worker told police the West Midlands girl was so entrenched in exploitation by Woodfine that she believed sexual abuse was normal, said Mrs Richardson.

He used WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, York Crown Court heard.

Police forensic experts found the sexual videos she made of herself, a message in his phone which read I love raping children and evidence he had been talking sexually online to a girl in the USA and two other girls.

Judge Simon Hickey told Woodfine that his sexual messages and communication with the West Midlands girl, getting her to send him sexual videos of herself and sending her sexual images was exactly the type of offending that corrupts youngsters of her age and her isolation".

Woodfine, now 22, of Danebury Drive, Acomb, pleaded guilty to three charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three of having indecent images of children found on his internet devices during the police raid and one each of sexual communication with a child and having a prohibited image of a child.

He was jailed for five years. He was also put on the sex offenders' register for life, made subject to a lifetime sexual harm prevention order that enables police to monitor his online and social media activities and prohibits him from contacting the West Midlands girl and other children, and barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.

For Woodfine, Kevin Blount said his crimes had begun about the time he moved out from his parents home. He had had a difficult childhood, during which he had been abused in a non-sexual way, and had struggled to maintain relationships in the physical world.

He has formed most of his relationships from social media and online, said the solicitor advocate. He has shown to be an isolated individual.

Since being remanded in prison, he had sought help in tackling his offending behaviour.

Mrs Richardson said police raided Woodfines home on January 12 this year and interviewed him more than once during the Spring. He claimed he didnt have a sexual interest in children.

He was bailed on condition he didnt contact the West Midlands girl but her family were monitoring her phone and on May 17, saw the pair were still in contact.

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A sick Brighouse man who raped a young girl has been put behind bars.

Benny Adams, 37, was found guilty of two counts of rape and four other sexual offences after a trial at Bradford Crown Court in April this year. The girl has been left suffering nightmares of the abuse, and her mum says she is now "very damaged" and cannot live the life of a normal child.

It was said the girl had told Adams that "it hurt" while he was abusing her and explained to officers what had happened by using a body map and doll.

The court heard on Monday that the young girl - who must not be named for legal reasons - has nightmares where Adams gets into her bed and has "red eyes." In a statement read to the court, her mother said: “I worry about what the future holds for (her) and how it will affect her in the future."

Anastasis Tasou, for Adams, told the court he will be spending a "very long time" in prison, and it would change he rest of his life. As he jailed Adams for 13 years for the abuse which happened in 2019, Recorder Doig told him: “She said she told you it hurt but you didn’t listen."

He said he had no doubt that the offending had had a significant impact on the girl.

Adams will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he will have to comply with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order following his his release after serving at least two thirds of his 13-year jail term.

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A 29-YEAR-old man is starting his third prison sentence after he was caught again with a secret collection of distressing child abuse images and videos.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Jamie Wardle’s latest offending was the third time he had been convicted of offences relating to his possession of indecent images of children and he had also breached the terms of his existing sexual harm prevention order.

Wardle, of Sycamore Drive, Brighouse, had previously been jailed for 16 months at Leeds Crown Court in 2016 and in 2021 he had been given a 14-month prison term at Bradford Crown Court.

Wardle, who was said to be on the autistic spectrum, was subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which restricted his use of internet-enabled devices, but when police officers carried out a routine monitoring visit in December last year they discovered he had been using a mobile phone which he hadn’t disclosed.

During a search of his home, the officers found a USB memory stick hidden in a pillowcase and the device was later found to contain more than 200 still and moving images of child abuse.

Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said the material had been sorted into named folders and the images had been obtained over an 18-month period between May 2021 and November last year.

He said the children involved were aged between two and 16 and many of the images showed children crying and visibly distressed.

Wardle pleaded guilty to three charges relating to his possession of the indecent images and also admitted breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that Wardle had already been remanded in custody for about eight months and Judge Colin Burn was urged to consider a sentence which would involve more focused work with the defendant by the probation service.

Barrister Derek Duffy, for Wardle, said his client now accepted he had an obsession and he wanted to change.

Mr Duffy asked for an opportunity for Wardle to get his obsession under control and break the cycle, but Judge Burn said it was his third batch of similar offending and he couldn’t deal with him in any other way than an immediate custodial sentence.

The judge concluded that Wardle posed a significant risk of serious harm in the future and imposed an extended licence period of two years on top of his three-year jail sentence.

Wardle will still be subject to the indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he will have to register as a sex offender for life with the police.

Judge Burn said the offences were not “victimless crimes” adding: ”These crimes very much have real victims.

“It’s a case where the primary consideration of the court for the purposes of sentence has to be to reflect the need to try to prevent young victims being abused in that way.”

He said Wardle had gone to some lengths to obtain the images and hide them from the police and he had been providing a market, as he had in the past, for those people who caused so much misery to real children.

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A "CRUEL and cowardly" paedophile and rapist has been jailed for 23 years for a catalogue of sexual crimes against two victims.

Michael Johnson, 64, used a child for his sexual purposes, including trying to rape her, York Crown Court heard. 

In a separate set of offences, Johnson treated a woman in a “horrific way” inflicting extreme pain on her by raping her twice and treating her as a thing or a mediaeval peasant, Judge Simon Hickey said. The offences happened years ago.

Johnson, of Hill Top, Barlby, admitted seven offences, but forced both victims to endure the ordeal of giving evidence against him by denying 14 more charges.

Both had to go into detail of exactly what he had done to them. 

For years, they had felt unable to reveal what they had suffered at Johnson's hands.

But they finally managed to do so, and a York jury convicted him on all 14 charges this Spring after hearing from the two victims and from Johnson.

He was jailed for 23 years for two rapes, two attempted rapes, 16 charges of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.

He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Defence barrister Andrew Petterson said: “There is, I accept, little that can be said by way of mitigation for these offences.”

It was not the first time Johnson had been convicted of a sexual offence. He has a previous conviction of indecent assault against a girl aged under 14, committed when he himself was under 18 years old.

Outside court, DC Jenna Hallewell, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Johnson’s cruelty, violence and dishonesty contrast so strongly with the bravery of the victims in coming forward to the police, and ensuring justice could be done.

“They had the courage to speak up, even when Johnson took the cowardly decision to force them to endure a trial and re-live the horrific abuse.

“The victims have suffered their entire lives with the damage Johnson has inflicted. I hope they can now move forward, knowing that Johnson will not be able to cause any more anguish to them or anyone else.”

DC Hallewell added: “If you have been the victim of sexual offences, no matter when they happened, please report it the police. As this case shows, we will investigate these awful crimes, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“By coming forward, we can get you the help and support you need, and ensure offenders cannot go on to hurt anyone else.”

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AN 'ABHORRENT' sex offender who committed crimes against three children has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Lawrence Pollard, of Front Street in Middleton on the Wolds, was sentenced yesterday (June 29) at Hull Crown Court, after pleading not guilty to 17 allegations of sexual abuse against children in the 1970s.

Pollard, 76, was found guilty of 15 counts of non-recent child sexual offences following a seven-day trial.

Officer in the case, Detective Police Constable Stephen Bromby, of Humberside Police, said: “This was a complex investigation and we made sure no stone was left unturned in order to bring this abhorrent man to justice.

“Pollard abused his position of trust and preyed on three innocent and vulnerable children for his own sick sexual gratification. I am reassured that he is now facing considerable time behind bars.

“I sincerely commend those affected for their bravery in coming forward and reporting these offences to us in 2018 and for their strength throughout the entirety of the investigation and court proceedings.

“Whilst the result at court will not take away the pain and suffering endured at the hands of this criminal, I hope it will bring the victims a sense of justice.

“I would like to reassure anyone who has suffered sexual abuse, whether recent or historical, that you will be listened to and supported. We take all reports of this nature incredible seriously and whenever victims are ready to come forward, we will be there to listen and will act relentlessly to ensure sex offenders are held to account.”

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A Leeds man has been jailed after pleading guilty to ten child sex offences.

Simon Macfarlane-Smith, 43, from Tealbeck Approach, Otley, was charged with ten offences. These include three offences of making indecent images of children, three offences of sexual communication with a child, three offences of causing a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and one offence of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was discovered when West Yorkshire Police received information in December 2020, indicating the user of an IP address was sharing images of indecent children. A warrant was then executed at the address and numerous items were seized.

Items from his devices were also sent off to the digital forensic unit. On his computer, hundreds of indecent images were found dating from December 2012 to February 2021.

The police also found information that he was engaging in sexual communication with a child. These communications offences took place form January 2021 to February 2021.

On Monday, June 19, 2023, he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 40 months in jail. He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must sign on the sex offenders register for life.

Police Constable Kate Davis of Bradford District’s Policing Online Investigation team said: "Macfarlane Smith is a dangerous sexual predator.

"He went to extreme lengths to cover up his activities and his intentions to cause serious harm to children. We hope this sentence sends a clear message that we take all reports of online activity seriously and we"are committed to protecting children from sexual abuse."

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David Wesling, 48, from Littlethorpe Lane, Littlethorpe (near Ripon) has been found guilty of attempting to engage a 13-year-old girl in sexualised communications for which he has been jailed for 32 months.

His behaviour was identified after Wesling engaged with a child profile on Snapchat.

The defendant has pleaded guilty to the following offences, which occurred between 27 April 2023 and 16 May 2023.

• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Facilitating the offence of sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing them to watch a sexual act
• Breaching a sexual harm prevention order

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Kerri Jones, of North Yorkshire Police’s  Online Child Abuse Team, said:

“This case sends a message out to adults attempting to engage in online sexual activity with children, that this behaviour will not go unnoticed.

“This is not the first time that Wesling has attempted to have sexual communications with a child. He is already a convicted ‘Registered Sex Offender’, after being found guilty of similar offences in 2019 when he was jailed for 12 months and issued with a ‘Sexual Harm Prevention Order’.

“Wesling has shown blatant disregard for the law and his conditions by committing similar offences again. Despite his attempts to deny these offences when interviewed by police, the overwhelming evidence against him has resulted in him being remanded and pleading guilty at Court.”

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A dangerous Keighley sex offender has been been given a life sentence by a judge after it was discovered he was sexually abusing children.

Judge Andrew Hatton said Jonathon Warren, 33, would have to serve a minimum term of six years and eight months and would be on licence for the rest of his life after being given permission to be released by the Parole Board.

Bradford Crown Court heard on Friday that Warren was locked up for eight years when he was still a teenager in 2005 for previous sexual offending including the rape of a boy. In November last year Warren, who had been the subject of a life-long sexual offences prevention order, admitted a series of sexual abuse charges relating to two young girls who must not be identified for legal reasons.

He was arrested last October after police received information that he had been involved in the distribution of indecent images. Officers seized Warren's devices and discovered 2,086 indecent images of children. Among the images and videos were ones which showed him committing sexual acts on the two complainants, who were nine and 12-years-old at the time.

Warren admitted offences relating to his sexual abuse of the two girls and possession and distribution of indecent images and videos He also admitted assaulting an emergency worker. His barrister Abdul Shakoor said Warren himself had acknowledged that his offending was “heinous”.

Jailing him for life Judge Hatton said he was satisfied that Warren posed a significant risk of causing serious harm. He told Warren, who appeared in court via a video link from HMP Leeds: “I am also sure that that is a risk that is likely to carry on long into the future and I am satisfied that your offending is so serious that a sentence of life imprisonment is required and that’s the sentence that I impose."

The judge also made Warren subject to a new lifelong sexual harm prevention order. Detective Constable Adam Flaxington said: "I am particularly pleased that the judge has today recognised the abhorrent offending of Warren against two vulnerable girls. This sends a clear message to offenders committing these sorts of offences and I am delighted that his victims will now have justice.

"The lengths that Warren went to try and avoid detection and arrest signifies he knew he was looking at a significant sentence when caught. I would also like to thank the Digital Forensic Unit and all their work on the case. Our close work with them has again brought a positive result."

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John William Renel, 68, was wearing a tweed jacket when he pinned the girl down and raped and indecently assaulted her in a locker room at Cundall Manor School near York, prosecutor Rupert Doswell told a jury at York Crown Court.

The victim, who can’t be named for legal reasons, didn’t report the matter to police until 2021, more than 20 years after the alleged sexual abuse.

She said that before the alleged rape at the fee-paying independent school, she and Renel were “joking about something” in the school kitchen when he picked her up and joked that he was going to “throw her in the bin”.

He then carried her out into the corridor and touched her on the thigh near an intimate part of her body, said Mr Doswell.

“He then took her into a side room – a changing room or locker room – where (pupils) hang their clothing,” added the prosecuting barrister.

“He put her down on the ground on her back. He was on top of her and she remembers him wearing a tweed jacket.”

She said she turned her head “to stare at the wall” as Renel allegedly raped her.

A family member later noticed that the alleged victim, who was very young at the time of the alleged offences, had become withdrawn and in adult life she had developed post-traumatic stress disorder which led to counselling and therapy.

Mr Doswell said that about five months after the alleged victim’s first police interview, she contacted them again about the alleged incident in the school locker room.

She said she could remember that during the alleged rape, she felt as if Renel’s “body (was) crushing her” and that she was struggling to breathe.

According to the alleged victim, Renel “simply walked away” after the alleged incident, “leaving her on the ground”.

“She (told police) she had one further memory of another incident (at the school) when she was older,” said Mr Doswell.

She said that before this alleged incident, Renel again picked her up and dropped her on a bed in a dormitory.

He then laid down next to the victim, sexually assaulted her and then forced her hand onto an intimate part of his body.

“Her next memory is of the defendant’s face close up to her,” said Mr Doswell.

“She remembers feeling terrified. He was staring at her and scowling. He told her not to tell anyone, before leaving the room.”

Predatory child abuser

Renel, of Main Street, Sessay, near Thirsk, was brought in for questioning in 2021 but denied even knowing the girl.

He told police he had always taught in a tweed jacket but denied raping or sexually assaulting the girl.

He was charged with one count of rape and four counts of sexual assault against the girl. He denied all offences but was today found guilty on all counts.

Recorder Anthony Hawks moved straight to sentence and jailed Renel for 18 years.

Renel was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for life and made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order for the protection of children. That order will also run indefinitely. 

In 1997, a few years after Renel left Cundall Manor, he was convicted of three counts of indecently assaulting a girl at another school in Keighley.

Detective Constable Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team, said: “John William Renel is a predatory child abuser who has caused unimaginable trauma to the courageous victim in this case.

“I truly hope the outcome at court along with the significant custodial sentence handed to her perpetrator, provides comfort, strength and hope for the future.”