Latest Offenders York

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A TEACHER who was cleared of sexually touching pupils a North Yorkshire primary school over a decade ago has now been jailed for numerous child sex offences in Milton Keynes.

Neil Francis, aged 46, formerly of Conyers Road, East Cowton, North Yorkshire, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Amersham Crown Court on Tuesday February 8.

A jury found him guilty of 19 counts of sexual assault and eight counts of indecent assault.

The court heard that in the 2000s, Francis sexually and indecently assaulted 11 female pupils while working as a teacher at a school in Milton Keynes.

The offences were first reported to Thames Valley Police in December 2017 and Francis was charged on February 26 last year.

In June 2009 Francis was cleared at Teesside Crown Court of touching three girls aged under 13 at a North Yorkshire primary school in a sexual manner.

At the time, Francis was living in Ingleby Barwick, Stockton, and was suspended from the school he taught in after the allegations came to light.

But he wasnt arrested and told of the precise nature of the complaints until a year later.

And when the case went before Teesside Crown Court in June 2009 he was cleared on eight counts of sexual assault by a jury which deliberated for less than 45 minutes.

At the Teesside hearing, Judge Peter Armstrong criticised the unacceptable delays in the case being brought to court and questioned why it had taken two years from the point at which child witnesses were interviewed by police to the case being brought to trial.

Now that Francis has faced justice for his crimes in Milton Keynes, Detective Constable Michele Weston, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, based at Milton Keynes police station, said: This investigation has taken four years to complete and involved the tenacity of several police officers and members of staff.

This was a case where a teacher, who was in a position of trust, sexually abused 11 of his female pupils.

I have nothing but admiration for each and every one of those victims who took the time to come to court and tell the awful tale of what happened to them - they should be extremely proud of themselves.

I hope now that the victims can start to rebuild their lives with an assurance that they have played their part in protecting other vulnerable females from this defendant.

The jury also found Francis not guilty of one count of sexual assault and were discharged on two other counts of sexual assault, which will lie on file.

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A PAEDOPHILE whose sexual crimes spanned more than 40 years has been jailed.

David Weatherall, 62, abused a child for years, starting when she was young, said Kitty Colley, prosecuting.

The girl, now an adult, told York Crown Court his sexual acts had led to her trying to kill herself more than once as well as other physical and mental problems.

But she didnt go to police until Weatherall was prosecuted for having indecent images of children in 2019 and his case was reported in the media.

My only hope in coming forward is so I can seek closure for what I have suffered for many years, she said in a personal statement.

My life was stolen from me. Nothing will get those years back of compensate for the trauma I have suffered.

Weatherall, of Fossdale Close, Knaresborough, pleaded guilty on the day he was due to stand trial to four charges of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.

He was jailed for three years and made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order which bans him from, among other things, having any contact with children under 16.

It is quite clear this offending shows your interest in children harks back some considerable time, said the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris.

Weatherall will be on the sex offenders register for life.

For Weatherall, Nick Cartmell said: He has managed to control whatever proclivity, whatever sexual interest he has.

"There has been no similar offending since.

The defence barrister suggested that Weatherall had used indecent images of children to cope with his continued interest in young girls and control his urges.

He urged the judge to suspend the sentence to enable Weatherall to keep his job, his relationship and his accommodation.

In 2019, the same court heard how police found long videos of young children being raped and sexually abused at Weatheralls home when they executed a search warrant there in 2017.

One video was 38 minutes long. The children were aged between six and 13 and Weatherall accepted he became sexually aroused when he watched them.

He admitted two charges of having indecent images of children.

Originally jailed for 10 months, the Court of Appeal suspended the sentence and reduced it to six months, taking into account the months he had spent in jail awaiting the appeal hearing.

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A MAN who raped and sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for 15 years.

York Crown Court heard how the child became separated from the rest of her family while out shopping in York.

Darren Lee James, 42, then took her down an alleyway by a shop.

There it was dark, and he carried his first sexual assault on her, York Crown Court heard.

A few days later, he raped her and carried out a serious sexual assault on her.

In a video recorded by police years after the abuse the victim said: I still feel frightened of him.

She was also angry about what had happened to her.

Last December, the jury heard how the girl initially didnt tell anyone what had happened to her.

But then she confided in a relative and told her and a social worker what James had done to her.

The jury heard how she had been scared that she would get into trouble.

James and the girl are not related.

This was a sustained incident on a particularly vulnerable complainant, Recorder Dapinder Singh QC said about the abuse.

He handed out a 15-year prison sentence. James will have an extra year of probation officer supervision after he finishes his prison sentence because his crimes make him an offender of particular concern.

He was put on the sex offenders register for life and also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order aimed at stopping him committing more sexual offences for an indefinite period.

James, of Thoresby Road, Acomb, denied rape and two charges of sexual assault but was convicted by a York jury at a trial last December.

For him, Amanda Johnson said: There is nothing I can say about the offences themselves.

She said she was not in a position where she could put forward any mitigation based on remorse by the defendant.

James had had a chequered upbringing and some difficulties in his life circumstances. His mother was standing by him.

At the time the offences took place, James was drinking to excess and was also taking so much cannabis he described himself as dependent about it.

He had lost his employment.

He was leading not the most healthy or productive of lives, she said.

He also had had long-standing mental health problems for which he was receiving anti-depressants from his GP.

In recent months, his mental health had deteriorated and she would arrange for prison staff to be told about mental health concerns for him.

Although James had convictions for four previous offences, he had none for sexual offences and had never been to prison before.

Members of both the girls family and James family were in court for the sentencing hearing.

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Four men who subjected an extremely vulnerable teenager to a "campaign of rape" have been jailed.

The gang plied the girl, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, with drugs and alcohol and "systematically and repeatedly" abused her, prosecutors said.

Her ordeal, which occurred between 2009 and 2010, left her with long-standing psychological problems including PTSD.

A fifth member of the group was found guilty of three rapes and will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Katherine Robinson told Bradford Crown Court the woman was 20 years old when she came forward to report the abuse to police.

Officers found that the older men could see she was "plainly extremely vulnerable" and had drink problems when they targeted her.

In a victim statement read to the court the woman said she had been left "unable to look after myself due to my mental health" in the aftermath of the abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Hatton said: "The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you is a significant factor in her current mental health."

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, said the victim had been "robbed her of her childhood"

"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," he said.

Ed Hulbert, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the men had "cynically manipulated and ruthlessly exploited a young and vulnerable girl".

Omar Safdar, 30, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

Imran Sabir, 42, of Spencer Street, Keighley, received 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

Hassan Basharat, 32, of Highfield Road, Keighley, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape. He will also serve an additional 16 months for two counts of dangerous driving.

Barber Hussain, 36, of Thorn Lane, Bradford, was jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

Amjad Hussain convicted of three rapes, will be sentenced later.

All five men were found guilty at a trial in October.

Description

Four men who subjected an extremely vulnerable teenager to a "campaign of rape" have been jailed.

The gang plied the girl, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, with drugs and alcohol and "systematically and repeatedly" abused her, prosecutors said.

Her ordeal, which occurred between 2009 and 2010, left her with long-standing psychological problems including PTSD.

A fifth member of the group was found guilty of three rapes and will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Katherine Robinson told Bradford Crown Court the woman was 20 years old when she came forward to report the abuse to police.

Officers found that the older men could see she was "plainly extremely vulnerable" and had drink problems when they targeted her.

In a victim statement read to the court the woman said she had been left "unable to look after myself due to my mental health" in the aftermath of the abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Hatton said: "The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you is a significant factor in her current mental health."

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, said the victim had been "robbed her of her childhood"

"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," he said.

Ed Hulbert, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the men had "cynically manipulated and ruthlessly exploited a young and vulnerable girl".

Omar Safdar, 30, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

Imran Sabir, 42, of Spencer Street, Keighley, received 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

Hassan Basharat, 32, of Highfield Road, Keighley, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape. He will also serve an additional 16 months for two counts of dangerous driving.

Barber Hussain, 36, of Thorn Lane, Bradford, was jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

Amjad Hussain convicted of three rapes, will be sentenced later.

All five men were found guilty at a trial in October.

Description

Four men who subjected an extremely vulnerable teenager to a "campaign of rape" have been jailed.

The gang plied the girl, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, with drugs and alcohol and "systematically and repeatedly" abused her, prosecutors said.

Her ordeal, which occurred between 2009 and 2010, left her with long-standing psychological problems including PTSD.

A fifth member of the group was found guilty of three rapes and will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Katherine Robinson told Bradford Crown Court the woman was 20 years old when she came forward to report the abuse to police.

Officers found that the older men could see she was "plainly extremely vulnerable" and had drink problems when they targeted her.

In a victim statement read to the court the woman said she had been left "unable to look after myself due to my mental health" in the aftermath of the abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Hatton said: "The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you is a significant factor in her current mental health."

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, said the victim had been "robbed her of her childhood"

"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," he said.

Ed Hulbert, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the men had "cynically manipulated and ruthlessly exploited a young and vulnerable girl".

Omar Safdar, 30, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

Imran Sabir, 42, of Spencer Street, Keighley, received 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

Hassan Basharat, 32, of Highfield Road, Keighley, was jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape. He will also serve an additional 16 months for two counts of dangerous driving.

Barber Hussain, 36, of Thorn Lane, Bradford, was jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

Amjad Hussain convicted of three rapes, will be sentenced later.

All five men were found guilty at a trial in October.

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A depraved man with a dirty nappy fetish who detailed his plans to rape a baby to an undercover police officer has received a 14-year sentence.

Lee Haughtons vile sexual fantasies were laid bare at his sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on February 11, during which Judge David Dixon described his behaviour as abhorrent and depraved.

In an opening note submitted to the court, prosecution barrister Andrew Bailey described how Haughton, of Wood Street, South Hiendley, Barnsley met an undercover police officer purporting to be a single mother in an online chatroom called fab swingers in June last year.

Mr Bailey said that despite Haughton immediately revealing he was into role-playing; age-play and diapers; he was initially cautious and asked the officer, who was using the pseudonym Louise, to prove she was real and not from the police.

She sent him a picture of herself, as requested, and as the conversation progressed, Haughton told her he had always been turned on by incest, the court was told.

Louise told Haughton she shared his interests, adding her two daughters, neither of whom are real, were currently aged four and four-months-old.

Despite his concerns about being caught by the police, Haughton expressed his desire to abuse her baby, which he described as the ultimate and something that had not previously been accessible to him.

Mr Bailey said the pair agreed to meet in person at a caf at Meadowhall on June 27, and upon arrival, Haughton told the officer he had got there early because he was eager and had also wanted to check the area for police officers or similar.

During the meeting, Haughton formulated a plan for abusing Louises children, and said he really likes nappies and had always been into watersports.

Haughton then told her he had previously stolen dirty nappies from a supermarket bin, and described how he would smell the nappies and pleasure Haughton then told her he had previously stolen dirty nappies from a supermarket bin, and described how he would smell the nappies and pleasure himself.

He was caught and arrested by police three days later, as he travelled to a location he believed to be Louises house, carrying a bag containing sex toys.

Mr Bailey said the undercover officers conduct was part of Operation Resolve, a police initative aimed at making the internet safer for children.

Haughton was targeted after 19 indecent images of children were found on his mobile phones and computers, following a raid of his property in November 2020.

Forensic examination of Haughtons devices also showed he had downloaded around 20 videos from a website called Incestflix, depicting men and women role-playing various incestuous sexual fantasies.

Despite initially claiming in police interview that his behaviour was part of an elaborate plan to entrap Louise and give the authorities her address, he eventually accepted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to charges of: conspiring to engage/facilitate in the commission of a child sex offence; making indecent photographs/pseudo photographs of a child and possessing prohibitied images of a child at an earlier hearing.

Judge Dixon described Haughton as a dangerous offender and handed him an extended sentence of 14 years, six years of which must be served in prison.

He said he was in no doubt Haughton would have completed the crimes against the baby.

Haughton was also put on the sex offenders register for life and made the subject of a life-long sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Dixon commended the undercover officer for her role in exposing Haughtons criminality, stating that her conduct was exemplorary and deserved recognition because she had to live the role, which was too horrible to contemplate.

Speaking after the hearing, A/Detective Sergeant Dave Devey, from the force's Crime Services department, said: "Haughton is a depraved sex offender who appeared to be obsessed with the idea of abusing young children for his sexual pleasure. I am pleased he is now behind bars where he belongs.

"This significant sentence should also serve as a warning to other sick individuals who think they can hide in the shadows online. We are determined to make the internet a safer place for children in our communities - and we are proactively pursuing online offenders like Haughton every single day. We will find you, and you will face the consequences of your sickening actions."

DCI Andy Howard, from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, added: "I am pleased with the significant prison sentence handed by the court to such a dangerous offender.

"We will continue to identify and pursue those that use the internet to prey on the vulnerable within the communities of the Yorkshire and Humber Region and across the country."

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Justice finally caught up with a sex offender two months after he did a runner and fled in panic part way through his trial for drunkenly groping a woman.

Connor Farren abruptly left Hull Crown Court during a trial in December but he gave himself up to police this week after suddenly spotting them not far away down the street.

He had intimately touched the "vulnerable" woman after offering to "show her a good time" but she refused.

He knocked on her door after midnight and his sexual behaviour had left her suffering "flashbacks and nightmares", the court heard.

Farren, 21, formerly of Queen Street, Withernsea, denied sexually assaulting the woman on December 3, 2019 but was convicted in his absence by a jury on a majority verdict of 10 to two.

The court was told that Farren knocked on the door of the woman's home in Withernsea just after midnight.

He had already been out stealing beer from a shop and breaking into a car in Withernsea before going there.

Farren knew the house because he had been there before when a man he knew lived there.

Judge Mark Bury said: "You knocked on her back door and you were essentially looking for somewhere to stay that night because you had been committing offences."

The woman "wasn't having it because she was in her pyjamas and it was bedtime" but Farren persisted.

"You offered to show her a good time and she wasn't having that either," said Judge Bury.

Farren touched the woman's breasts over her pyjamas while she was standing at the back door.

Farren threatened to steal property from her and later banged on the front door. She felt compelled to open it because of the noise that he was making.

He sat down and started stroking her leg but she "threatened to scream the place down" before he finally left.

"It's quite clear that the sexual assault did have an impact," said Judge Bury.

"She still suffers flashbacks and nightmares."

Farren later burgled another property and stole an electrical appliance tester and items from the garden.

He admitted stealing a four-pack of Stella Artois from a store in Queen Street, Withernsea, as well as interfering with a vehicle on December 2, 2019.

Farren also admitted burglary on December 3, 2019, and burglary of a shed on July 13, 2020, involving taking a leaf blower.

He also admitted stealing a tin of Cuprinol on July 9, 2020 and failing to surrender to bail during his trial in December.

Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said that Farren absconded during the trial after he panicked.

"He wanted to see his family over Christmas," said Mr Robinson.

"He always denied sexual assault but admitted other matters that night."

At the time, Farren was addicted to alcohol and tablets that he had obtained illegally, including diazepam.

"His life essentially spiralled out of control," said Mr Robinson

"He realised that his life was out of control and attempted to start a new life in Scarborough."

Farren was in a car in Scarborough when he saw the police down the street.

"He told them who he was and that he was wanted," said Mr Robinson.

Farren was jailed for two years and was ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years.

He was given a two-year restraining order.

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A 'repulsive' Rotherham man has been jailed for tricking a minor into engaging in sexually explicit messaging.

Craig Elliott-Walker, of Brampton Avenue, Thurcroft, 42, was jailed for 18 months at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday for creating a fake profile and contacting the teenager, for whom the incident has had a "profound impact" on.

Elliott-Walker created a fake profile that went by a different alias on social media and began speaking to the teen in August 2018.

He sent her pictures of a young man in underwear and requested topless pictures in return.

Elliott-Walker was found out in September 2018 and arrested by police.

A victim impact statement was read out to the court in which the victim said that since the incident she had "turned in to a person I don't recognise anymore".

She said: "I sit in my room alone. It's extremely difficult to trust anyone, especially men."

She added that she had had to drop out of college because of the ongoing impact of the incident.

Elliott-Walker had pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to 14 years in prison and given a sexual harm prevention order by His Honour Judge Peter Kelson.

Judge Kelson said: "Your offending in this case is entirely repulsive.

"You left a trail of wreckage behind you and you have no idea how bad it is."

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A TEACHER who sexually abused pupils at his school has been jailed for 10 years.

Mark Christopher Blackies offending drove one girl to take an overdose and self harm, York Crown Court heard.

He had taken her alone into an area within the school and committed a serious sexual offence on her as well as attempting to rape her and other abuse, a York jury heard.

In her personal statement, she said: When I close my eyes, I see him, hear him and smell him.

I just want to get in the bath and scrub it away. My skin crawls.

She was one of five girls that Blackie - who had ambitions to be head of a department - used for his sexual gratification at the school.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told Blackie: Nobody knew that inside that good teacher there lurked a darker side, a physical liking for young adolescent girls and you indulged yourself.

He said Blackie, who comes from Skipton, had used emotional blackmail to try and stop the first girl revealing what he had done to her and had completely abandoned all decorum when he had abused the first girl.

Two of the girls were vulnerable because of their emotional state when he had abused them.

Some of the girls Blackie abused were in court to hear the judge describe all five as intelligent, bright young girls who were brave and had given compelling evidence against him.

They knew right from wrong, the judge told Blackie. Unlike you.

Blackie showed no reaction as he was jailed for 10 years, barred from teaching or working with children again, put on the sex offenders' register for life and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

He broke down in the dock last week as the jury convicted him of attempted rape, a serious sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and seven charges of sexual assault at the end of an 11-day trial.

The 32-year-old, from Park Lane, East Lutton, near Malton, had denied all charges.

The Press was unable to report the trial at the time because the jury was unaware of further sexual allegations made against him by another girl many years earlier.

After his conviction, the prosecution asked for those charges to lie on file which means they will be on his criminal record but not as convictions.

Robin Frieze, for Blackie, said there was little he could say in mitigation.

It is obviously completely his own fault he has thrown away the career that he had, he said The judge commended Det Con Beverley Garbutt, of North Yorkshire Police, for her excellent police work in building the case against Blackie.

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A teacher who raped and sexually abused his younger brother when they were children has been jailed for eight and a half years.

Graham Daly (37) was a big brother who should have protected his younger brother, Ms Justice Karen O'Connor said. Instead, Daly abused his brother Thomas over a four-year period from when the boy was 10 years old.

Daly, of Clonree, Newport, Co Tipperary, was found guilty by a jury of seven counts of raping and sexually abusing his brother on dates between January 1998 and December 2002 following a Central Criminal Court trial last December. Most of the abuse took place in the family home in Co Limerick, the trial heard.

Daly does not accept the verdict of the jury and continues to maintain his innocence, the court heard. His younger brother waived his right to anonymity, meaning Daly can be named.

Sentencing him on Monday, Ms Justice O'Connor noted Daly denied the charges vociferously at all times and raised a number of motives as to why his brother would accuse him of sexual abuse.

Daly suggested his brother was lying because he was jealous of his achievements and that the younger man wanted to destroy his older brother's life because Daly disclosed to his parents that his younger brother is gay, the court heard. The men's parents have sided with Daly against their younger son.

Ms Justice O'Connor paid tribute to Thomas Daly, who she said conducted himself in a dignified manner throughout the trial process.

She noted the abuse has had a devastating impact on his life and on his family life.

Sentence

Handing down an eight-and-a-half year sentence, Ms Justice O'Connor said that had Daly been an adult at the time of the offending, she would have imposed a longer sentence. However, she noted she had to treat Daly as a juvenile because the abuse of his brother ended around the time he turned 18. She backdated the sentence to when he went into custody last month.

In a victim impact statement which he read out in court last week, Thomas Daly described how his parents initially supported him when he confided in his father about the abuse in 2015.

Mr Daly said he had kept the abuse a secret for 18 years and it was such a relief to share the burden. His father accompanied him when he went to garda early in 2016.

However, he said it soon emerged that his parents were only prepared to support him if he kept the abuse among ourselves. Why should I stay silent? he said, adding: I was happy for everyone to know, but said this proved detrimental to his family life.

(My parents) blamed me, took the side of my brother and I was forced out of the family home.

Mr Daly said he used to have sympathy for his parents, but not any more. I was telling the truth and I have proved it, he said. It's easier for them to believe that I'm a liar than believe their oldest son is a paedophile rapist.

He paid tribute to his partner, whom he met a year after he disclosed the abuse and who has supported him throughout the entire process. He added he has constant nightmares and has struggled with depression, insomnia, PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

There's no happy ending for me, he said, adding that no matter what sentence his brother receives, it will change nothing for him.

I lost 18 years of my life, he said. It's no longer justice I seek - It is vindication.

The parents were in court for the sentencing hearing, sitting apart from their younger son, holding hands.

The court heard the case was listed for trial five or six times before it was eventually heard at Croke Park late last year.

Sergeant Paul Crowley told Patrick McGrath SC, prosecuting, that the abuse began when Daly started inappropriately touching his younger brother, then aged 10. The abuse then progressed to rape, the court heard, and ended when the older brother left home.

The older brother holds a degree and a masters and has had a successful career in teaching, the court heard. He has no previous convictions.

Mr McGrath told the court Daly should be treated as a juvenile as the offending occurred up until the time he turned 18.

Colman Cody SC, defending, said his client is adamant he is innocent and he does not accept the verdicts of the jury.

He said he has a history of mental health issues and was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and would find prison particularly difficult. Mr Cody said that while there has been stress, trauma and division in the family, they are also close-knit and supportive.

Mr Cody urged Ms Justice O'Connor to hand down a proportionate sentence, bearing in mind his client was a juvenile at the time.

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A man has been jailed for raping two women in attacks that took place several years apart.

Alexander Philip Rowley, 26, of Easingwold, repeatedly denied the offences and claimed his victims were lying.

However, he was convicted of two counts of rape by a jury and sentenced to 11 years in jail today.

Rowley’s victims, both young women, were targeted in separate attacks at residential addresses in North Yorkshire. Both happened in recent years.

He was sentenced by a judge at Hull Crown Court today. Upon his release, he will have to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Constable Gillian Gowling, who led the investigation by North Yorkshire Police, said: “Both of Rowley’s victims have shown great courage and tenacity in coming forward and working with us, especially given Rowley’s constant denial of what happened.

“While this is never an easy process for victims, I hope today’s sentencing gives them some degree of closure. It also takes a sex offender out of our communities, which ensures no-one else can come to harm.”

DC Gowling urged anyone who believed they may have been raped or sexually assaulted to seek support and advice.

“Regardless of how long ago it happened, there are advice services available to help people explore their options, which may involve prosecution or may involve emotional and practical support, or a combination of all,” she added.

“Those decisions are always made by victims, so I want to ensure people know what help is available to them.”

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A paedophile who asked an undercover police officer if her children were "available" for sexual abuse has been jailed.

Benjamin Knight, of Wisp Hill Croft in Grassington, North asked an undercover police officer if her children were "available" for sexual abuse has been jailed., quizzed the officer who pretended to have three children during an online sting.

Bradford Crown Court heard the forklift driver hoped to have his own family to "train" and suggested meeting up.

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years after admitting a series of offences.

Knight, who was jailed for 18 months in 2018 for making indecent images of children, was arrested at his home in August after police found two phones hidden under his bed.

The devices were later found to contain more than 3,000 indecent images and more than 300 extreme pornographic images.

The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to possession and distribution charges in relation to the images and will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Barrister Rahdia Karaa, for Knight, said he had never intended to meet up with the fictitious family.

Judge Neil Davey QC said Knight's sexual interest in children had escalated since his jail sentence and he had spoken in detail about what he wanted to do to the children.

He said the phones hidden under Knight's bed were kept secret from the police in flagrant breach of a previously imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Knight also pleaded guilty to three charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

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A farm worker from Cottingham working at Bishop Burton College in East Yorkshire has been convicted of sexually assaulting two students.

Keith Bailey, 56, of Dunswell Road, Cottingham, was jailed for 22 months at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday, November 19.

Bailey worked at the on-site farm in a support role. However, he was suspended in 2018 when allegations first came to light and he has since been formally dismissed by the college.

Bishop Burton CEO and principal Bill Meredith said: "A court case against a previous staff member at Bishop Burton College concluded with a sentencing hearing at Grimsby Crown Court.

"The college would like to commend the bravery of those who came forward to enable this case to come to trial. The college offered to support the victims along with the police in this matter. The college deeply regrets the distress caused to the students involved.

"The staff member was suspended from the college in December 2018, when the incidents were first reported.

"The staff member never returned to work after this date.

"Normal rigorous employment checks were undertaken on the staff member when they were recruited.

"Subsequent training and updates on safeguarding were provided by the college.

"In spite of these measures, the incidents reported occurred and, as a result, the college has reviewed all aspects of the safeguarding systems and taken external advice.

"The college has co-operated with the police and local authority throughout and will continue to prioritise the welfare and safety for all who attend the college."

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Shaun Cushing used Snapchat with the username 'tbundy4910' as he sent sexually charged messages to a decoy 13-year-old

A toe-sucking paedophile was caught out when he told a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl about his bizarre kink.

Former RAF employee Shaun Cushing gave himself the Snapchat username tbundy4910 as a nod to notorious serial killer Ted Bundy while also using the Kik screen name I love teen cream.

Sheffield Crown Court heard the 37-year-old had already been convicted of child sex offences in 2018 and chatted with the decoy teen for seven days in March.

Cushing was remanded in custody in April and when he was quizzed by detectives, he told them he didnt like children because they were noisey, prosecutor Andrew Semple said.

Mr Semple added that Cushing, from Mexborough, lied about his age and location and told the police officer posing as the underage teen that he was 21 years old and from Manchester.

Cushing sent multiple sexualised messages despite being told about her age and references to a school uniform being made.

Mr Semple also told the court that Cushing dropped in a reference to liking to suck toes as a kink.

When Cushing was arrested, he had a hard drive and computer seized and forensic investigators found 11 category A indecent images of a child, one of category B and one of category C.

He admitted three counts of making indecent images, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Cushing, who wore a white t-shirt and glass as he appeared via videolink from HMP Doncaster, had carried out these offences having been made subject of a three-year community order and five-year sexual harm prevention order at Winchester Crown Court in 2018.

Judge Peter Kelson told Cushing, of Uttoxeter Avenue, he had clearly learnt nothing from the sex offenders treatment programme he had embarked on following his conviction three years ago.

Cushing was sentenced to three years in prison and made the subject of a new sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

He will also be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.