Latest Offenders manchester

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A perverted pensioner has been jailed for 17 years for his horrific sexual abuse of a young boy and girl more than 30 years ago.

Paedophile Peter Byrne violently raped both his victims on multiple occasions and Judge Andrew Hatton imposed an extended licence period on top of his jail sentence after concluding that the 76-year-old was a dangerous offender.

Former Calderdale man Byrne was first convicted of indecently assaulting girls under 14 back in 1970 when he was 25 and he also admitted further sexual abuse offences in the late 1980s.

In 2016 at the age of 69 Byrne, now of Townsgate Way, Irlam, Manchester, travelled 150 miles to have sex with an eight-year-old girl only to find out he had been talking to an undercover police officer.

Byrne was jailed for 30 months for that offence, but his court case prompted two more of his victims to contact the police and last month he was convicted of a series of serious sexual offences against them dating back to the 1980s and early 1990s.

Byrne was jailed today for offences of rape, buggery and indecent assault and his own barrister David Hall said the pensioner would be a frail old man when he becomes eligible for release after serving two-thirds of his 17-year jail term.

Judge Hatton said the victims impact statements made harrowing reading and by putting them through a trial Byrne had continued abusing them by requiring them to be cross-examined.

Both of them have been significantly impacted by your offending, he told Byrne via a video link to HMP Leeds.

Both of them clearly found the experience of giving evidence in their own ways very difficult.

The court heard that Byrne plied the young girl with alcohol and also recorded some of the abuse using a camera.

He said Byrne had used violence of a gross nature against both complainants, who must not be identified for legal reasons, and they had both suffered a severe psychological impact.

Byrne is already subject to a lifelong notification requirement as a sex offender as a result of his previous crimes.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Lindsay said: I would like to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward and reporting these matters.

Because of this, Byrne has got the sentence that he deserves. This case shows that, despite the passage of time, people like Peter Byrne can be brought to justice and I would urge anyone who has suffered in a similar way to come forward and to report the matter to us.

We have dedicated safeguarding officers here in Calderdale who are able to support you, will believe you and will take your reports seriously.

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A pervert asked what he believed was a 13-year-old girl to ring him for a sick phone call, but didn't realise he was actually speaking to an undercover cop. Paul Barrett has been jailed for two years after failing to convince a jury that he thought that the account he was speaking to was an adult 'role playing'.

Barrett, who was 40-years-old at the time of the offence, used an online chat room to speak with a profile called 'Sasha' between January and February 2019, Bolton Crown Court heard. Despite the account telling Barrett that she was 13-years-old and in school, he turned the conversation sexual.

In the first conversation, Barrett asked if she liked getting kissed and also asked if she wanted to perform sexual acts on him. The following day he asked the account questions about her school uniform and detailed sexual acts that he wanted to perform on her.

Sickeningly, Barrett then sent a message with his phone number and asked if he could speak with the girl directly so he could 'hear her orgasm'. The undercover police officer operating the account rang the number twice but Barrett did not answer.

Barrett, of Nearcroft Road, Wythenshawe, was arrested in March 2019 but denied the offences in interview and subsequently pleaded not guilty to a string of crimes under the Sexual Offences Act. Following a trial, a jury found him guilty of sexual communication and three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Defence barrister Helen Longworth told the court that Barrett has a 'supportive' family, including a partner and two step sons. She said that at the time of the offence, he was going through 'family difficulties' and 'stress' at work.

Ms Longworth also said that Barrett, now 43, has no previous convictions and cited the long delay between the arrest and case going to trial. She added: "Imprisonment will affect him but also have a significant impact on his family who clearly rely upon him."

Judge Tom Gilbart jailed Barrett for two years. He said: "I find it utterly mind boggling to consider how a father could act in this way to a person he thought was a 13-year-old child."

"These were extremely serious offences in which you sought to engage a child in sexual activity of the most serious kind. It was predatory behaviour by you."

Barrett will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next 10 years. He will also have to sign the Sex Offender Register for the same length of time.

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A man who blackmailed a girl after he groomed her into sending him naked selfies during an abuse ordeal has been jailed. Retired tool maker Barry Doyle, 71, warned the vulnerable child he would share the pictures with others unless she submitted to further sexual demands - telling her: ''You have to behave.''

Doyle, from Stretford, had become obsessed with the girl and would take her out on trips in his car without her parents knowing. He also took her on shopping errands to the Trafford Centre, a court heard.

Greater Manchester Police arrested Doyle after discovering he had given her six mobile phones and on occasions used them to film himself molesting her. Officers seized a sex doll from his property plus a bag containing pairs of young girl's underwear.

It emerged he had a previous conviction from 1981 for indecent assault after he gave another girl money to strip before he attacked her. His latest victim was said to be 'extremely reluctant' to disclose details of her ordeal and was left suffering from severe bouts of embarrassment and anxiety.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Doyle admitted 14 charges including sexual assault; inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; child abduction; and making and possessing indecent images. Following his release from jail, he will be on licence until 2032 under the terms of an extended sentence after the judge branded him a 'dangerous offender'.

David Bentley, prosecuting, said: ''He engaged in grooming behaviour towards her. He gave her mobile phones to entice her into having communications with him and he controlled her behaviour.

"She was given six phones and he would send messages some of which were affectionate and loving, such as addressing her as 'babe'. He said he loved her and he asked what colour knickers she wore.

''Her use of the phones was not unconditional. If the defendant suggested doing something to which she didn't acquiesce he would inform her that she had to return the phone to him. Arrangements would be made for her to return the phone back to him but he would then give it back to her and this happened on many occasions.''

The offences emerged after one of the victim's friends told her parents she was frequently being driven around in Doyle's car. The victim's father then saw his daughter in the car with Doyle and challenged him about what he was doing.

She was said to be anxious and crying and police were informed. It emerged Doyle would often call the girl to pick her up in his car and once collected her from school. Three pairs of girls' knickers were found in his vehicle.

Officers later seized various phones and inquiries found Doyle had told the girl to repeatedly pose naked for him during online chats.

Mr Bentley added: ''She said she sent pictures of herself to him at his instigation and she said she replied to him about 20 times. Specific naked poses were found on four devices. She said she was doing these poses for the defendant.

''She also disclosed that he threatened to show the pictures to others if she didn't behave. She suffered embarrassment and anxiety and what happened caused to her lose concentration during lessons at school although she has improved since his arrest.''

Doyle later denied wrongdoing in police interview and falsely tried to claim some of the images were of the sex doll.

In mitigation, defence counsel David Toal said: ''He will never involve himself in this kind of behaviour again. He recognises what he has done.''

Doyle was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register. He was banned from contacting the girl under the terms of a restraining order.

Jailing Doyle for jailed for seven and a half years, Judge Tina Landale told him: ''You took advantage of social ties to exploit a vulnerable girl and took multiple opportunities to be alone with her. You groomed her and you got what you wanted from her using gifts or with punishment by taking those gifts back.

''What you wanted was sexual contact and sexual pictures and movies of her. You took her out in your car... and repeatedly caused her to pose naked for photos.

''You used those photographs to blackmail her in addition to using these images for your own depraved enjoyment. If she didn't behave as you wanted, you threatened to show the pictures to others.

''A report says you pose a high risk of causing serious harm to children and I have reached the conclusion you are a dangerous offender. You committed these offences persistently and there is a pattern of sexual offending spanning several months.

''You have a clearly developed sexual interest in children - you have little genuine empathy, regret or insight into what you did.''

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A convicted paedophile is back behind bars after he was caught engaging in online chats about child abuse weeks after his release from jail. Brett Harriss, 28, had been locked up for 27 months after he ignored a court order and used an Xbox to trawl the internet for child pornography.

After serving a year of his sentence, the former McDonald's worker moved into a hostel. But just three months later, he was found in the illegal possession of a phone and tablet whilst he used to secretly communicate with other paedophiles.

It emerged he had used the devices to download more squalid material over a period of six weeks and to communicate on forums with what he called 'like minded individuals' via the encrypted social media app Telegram.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Harriss, from Bredbury, Stockport, who appeared via video link from Berwyn jail in Wrexham, North Wales, was sent back to jail for another 30 months after he admitted five charges of breaching the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and making an indecent image of a child.

He admitted a sexual attraction towards children but blamed his behaviour on him being 'entirely isolated' due to being disowned by his adoptive parents. Harriss had originally been locked up in 2017 for 32 months and was barred from using the internet after he distributed child pornography to other online predators.

He was released in 2019 but he was arrested again that December after he secretly acquired the games console to go online and trawl for more squalid images of youngsters - some aged as young as two.

Police carrying out a routine check on Harriss discovered he had stored a library of 981 sick images on an iPad and filed them in folders labelled 'rape', 'younger', 'dad and daughter' and 'sibling'.

The latest offences were discovered last year when Harriss was released in January 2021 and he moved into a hostel. Police had already carried out a series of routine inspections in which he insisted he had no electronic devices to use the internet.

But the truth emerged on April 29 last year when officers searched his room during an unannounced visit. Prosecutor Miss Sophie Kenny said: ''He produced a Huawei tablet device and when asked if he had any other devices produced an internet enabled Alcatel mobile phone.

''He told officers there were Japanese style cartoons of child sex abuse and other indecent images on the tablet. He said he had been using the Telegram app to speak to what he called 'like minded individuals' who would forward him onto forums where he could discuss child sex abuse.

''Both items were seized and sent for investigation. The tablet was found to have Google auto fill records with entries including 'club paedo', 'prison bus paedo' and 'extreme pead' which had been searched over the previous two months.

''Two images were also found which were judged to be a female aged between nine and 12 and the tablet was found to have a cloud storage account and an encrypted SD card was recovered.

''Harriss was interviewed and made full admissions saying the pictures had been downloaded using the Telegram app and said he was sexually attracted to children. These were very deliberate and serious breaches of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order. There was an obvious persistence in his behaviour.''

In mitigation, defence barrister, Miss Kay Driver, said her client had previously enrolled on a 'Horizon' programme for convicted sex offenders but said it was 'not effective'.

She added: ''He is motivated to address his offending behaviour and to lead a lawful life - he does not want to be in the position he finds himself in now. He was fostered at a very young age, his biological father having died in 1995. His mother died when he was 19.

''Since the 2017 offences both his adoptive parents have disowned him and he is found himself entirely isolated. He has resorted to his offending behaviour online to look for company. He wants out of that situation.''

Sentencing, the judge Mr Recorder Ciaran Rankin told Harriss: "Your rather disrupted youth and background give you no excuse whatsoever for the behaviour you undertook. You have described yourself as an idiot but much stronger words to describe you could be employed. This is repeat offending.''

Harriss will also be made subject to a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will sign the Sex Offender Register for an indefinite period. He can only use an electronic device to access the internet if it has 'risk management software' installed and managed by police.

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This is the controlling rapist who held a woman hostage for weeks and tortured her with needles. Neil Cauchi is starting a 19 year jail sentence for the horrific crimes he committed against the woman.

Over the course of nearly two months she was falsely imprisoned in a house in Salford, where he raped her and subjected her to cruel and terrifying attacks. After an argument, Cauchi, 33, tied her to a bed before he began slapping, punching and hitting her legs with a 'heavy object'. She had been tied up so long that her hands turned purple.

Knowing she had a phobia of needles, he also jabbed her legs with hypodermic needles which he had used to administer steroids. At one point he threatened to stick a needle in her eye.

While she was falsely imprisoned, Cauchi raped and sexually assaulted her. She was no longer tied up but was too scared to leave the house in Eccles due to threats he made.

The woman was eventually rescued from her ordeal. Cauchi, of no fixed address, was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of causing actual bodily harm and one count of sexual assault after a trial.

The judge said Cauchi had 'effectively tortured' his victim with the needles, and he had 'held her hostage' for weeks. He admitted witness intimidation in relation to another woman, who had accused him of 'abuse'.

Cauchi bombarded the woman with up to 200 calls a day over a seven day period telling her to retract her statement, which she later did. At his sentencing hearing Cauchi read a letter to the court, saying he was 'deeply sorry' and 'ashamed' of his behaviour.

"I am disgusted with myself," he said. "May God help me find peace." His barrister said Cauchi is now a 'quite different person' now after becoming clean of drugs.

Cauchi will serve two-thirds of his 19 year sentence in prison.

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A TAMESIDE pensioner looks set to spend the rest of his life in prison after a campaign of sexual offences lasting 32 years.

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An "obsessed" paedophile who forced his victims to eat raw meat from pigs' heads has been released from prison. Colin Cooper was jailed for 18 years in July 2011 but is free after serving just over ten years. Today the father of one of his victims said: "When I had the phone call from the Probation Board I wanted to scream. My daughter is safe, but there are other children out there who are not. In my opinion he should never be released."

Cooper, who is now 72, - formerly known, as Alan Makinson - would force his victims to eat raw meat from pigs' heads when they tried to avoid his clutches. Manchester Crown Court heard his homes in Hattersley and Wythenshawe were a "magnet for children' - who is was 'utterly obsessed' with molesting in bizarre ways.

Youngsters with learning difficulties were lured into playing in his garden and plied with treats before being forced perform sex acts on with each other and him. He tried to buy their silence with trinkets and small amounts of cash. When they attempted to escape he would lock them in rooms, block their way with his pet Alsatians, and make them eat the meat he fed them as punishment.

Cooper, of Sylvester Close, Hattersley, was jailed for 18 years at Manchester Crown Court in 2011 after being found guilty of abusing eight youngsters between 1984 and 2002, at addresses in Wythenshawe and Tameside, at an earlier trial. He had been jailed for just three years in 1986 after admitting a string of child sex crimes, including rape. He changed his name, moved address, and continued to prey on vulnerable youngsters.

The father of the victim, who was one of the eight youngsters he abused between 1984 and 2002, said: "In a way she has suffered far more than him over the last ten years. She has had four years of therapy, and has had mental health issues which has led to dropping out of school, self harming, trying to take her own life and becoming homeless for a while. She had to give evidence at the trial by video."

"I did ask the Probation Board for Cooper's new name and address but they would not give it me. There words were 'he has rights and we have to protect him'. I am not the kind of person who would be a vigilante, I just want to protect my daughter. Her first words when she knew he was out were 'he will do it again'.

"My daughter is surviving, but it is a slow process. She is scared to go out at the moment, now that he has been released. He is a serial offender and should not be out."

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed today that Cooper had been released under licence.

At court in 2011, Alaric Bassano, prosecuting, told the sentencing hearing how his victims 'were plagued by flashbacks, had battled feelings of depression and guilt, struggled to trust others, and had their chances spoilt by disrupted education. One told police, 'my life has been miserable., while another said, he has wrecked my life.

Cooper was arrested in March 2009 after a man, in his thirties, told police how he had abused 25 years earlier, and the police investigation unearthed the other victims, who had been suffering in silence. After his sentencing Detective Constable Grace Hulse, of the South Manchester Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: "It is only down to the bravery of his victims that we are able to put this man where he belongs behind bars. I believe today's sentence demonstrates that we take allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously and will investigate thoroughly, no matter how long ago the offences occurred."

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A transgender father of two awaiting gender reassignment surgery has been jailed in a male prison for three years after being exposed as a paedophile.

Britnee Aitken, 47, will have her treatment delayed after two girls said she molested them ten years ago when she identified as a truck recovery driver called Marcus.

One of the victims, then six, said she targeted them under the guise of offering to play board games.

They said she poked her genitals through a letter box when they knocked at the front door.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Aitken appeared in the dock wearing a low cut woman's blouse and sporting makeup and long red hair.

She was referred to as 'she' and 'her' during the hearing that saw her convicted of three charges of sexual assault and one of exposure.

She was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life. She denied any wrongdoing. The Ministry of Justice told MailOnline she will go to a men's prison.

The sexual offences occurred after Aitken, from Rochdale, went public about a bizarre legal battle over a 30 fine imposed by police in 2008 for playing her Riverdance CD too loudly inside her car.

Identifying at the time as Marcus she had refused to pay the fine, and in the months after she was pestered by demand letters and received six visits from bailiffs to her home and the debt eventually rose to 270 because of administration costs.

She said the bailiffs demanded entry at 7.30am and shouted threats through the letterbox while she was inside with her then girlfriend and their two sons.

In 2008 a judge quashed the fine on appeal. The court heard the offences against the girls occurred between July and September 2012 when they visited his home.

Mr Ben Berkson prosecuting said: 'The defendant was then known as Marcus Aitken and the girls were five or six years old at the time.'

In a statement one of the victims said: 'I suffer flashbacks due to the abuse and I get angry when I contemplate and think about what this person did to me.

'What happened has affected my ability to form and maintain relationships with friends and family and the abuse has caused me to struggle with anxiety and anger management. I am concerned about these things will impact my life going forward.'

itken who was charged in 2020 had no previous convictions but had accepted a caution in 2012 for having an illicit 'upskirt' video of another little girl aged seven.

In mitigation defence counsel Adam Roxborough said: 'These offences occurred over a short period ten years ago and there is no suggestion of any repeat offending since.

'During that time Miss Aitken has maintained a good work ethic as a recovery truck driver and led a decent life.

'She has fragile mental health and given her sexuality, she has suffered abuse on a regular basis. It is for her a daily issue.

'That, she hopes, would come to an end to an extent when she is able to have gender reassignment surgery and her plans for that were moving ahead for this year. Of course any custodial sentence would put that progress back considerably.

'She has to be punished but the question is whether that punishment should effectively cause such damage to her notwithstanding the damage she has caused to others.

'She still does not recognised her guilt but a sentence of imprisonment could be suspended. It must be a difficult life for her to lead at the moment..'

Sentencing Judge John Edwards told Aitken: 'I bear in mind the difficulties you may encounter in a custodial environment but this offending was sustained, predatory and very distressing for these girls.

'It has had a significant emotional impact on one of them, she being vulnerable and impressionable courtesy of her age.

'You presented as an almost avuncular figure, happy on the surface to indulge those children with games, when your true motives were more sinister.

'You crossed a very clear boundary in order to indulge your attractions. Your caution plainly displays an interest in young children.'

Aitken was also ordered to abide by a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will bar her from 'loitering' near schools or children's play areas.

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A man who groomed a teenage girl by plying her with alcohol has been jailed. Jordan Robinson, 21, met the girl at the park before he began inviting her and her friends back to a flat in Manchester.

He plied them with alcohol, namely vodka, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. The girl, 13, then began visiting the flat alone where Robinson continued giving her alcohol with the intent to commit a sexual offence.

Following a trial, he was found guilty of being an adult meeting a child following grooming, and was acquitted of an offence of rape and supplying cannabis. On Thursday (March 17) he was jailed for two years.

The court heard that the girl was having problems at home when she met Robinson, then 19, in the park. He befriended her and the group she was with and invited them back to a flat in Manchester, which he had essentially moved into in Autumn 2019.

The flat operated as a free house for the children in that it gave them a space to congregate away from parental eyes and to drink alcohol, prosecutor Jon Close said. The victim drank vodka that was provided by the defendant and was attending the address 2-3 times per week initially with her other friends, but then, at his invitation, she began to visit alone again 2-3 times per week.

Robinson continued providing her with alcohol to the extent that she needed a period of hours to sober up before she went home due to her being in a heavy state of intoxication. By virtue of the jurys verdict, Robinson intended to commit a sexual offence.

During the trial, jurors heard evidence of a friend finding the girl intoxicated or having consumed cannabis, in Robinsons company and in a state of undress. In a victim personal statement, the girl said that her life had been ruined and everything had been taken from her'. She said she was shaken up and said that her childhood had been taken away from her.

Robinson was said to have no previous convictions. Mitigating, Mark Fireman said that although his client was 19, he was a young 19 and had problems of his own. He perhaps wasnt behaving in a manner a 19-year-old would behave, he said.

He was diagnosed with ADHD, and is somebody with particular difficulties. He chose to spend lots of his time with people younger than himself. Mr Fireman added that his client started drinking alcohol and was perhaps not used to it.

Sentencing, Recorder Michael Hayton QC said: You chose to associate with them, on the conviction of the jury, for the purpose that it was for some sexual gratification of some sort in the future. Whatever rights and wrongs, your behaviour had an enormous impact on a young girl.

It is very clear she will be scarred by your actions for many years to come, perhaps throughout her life. What you were doing with these young girls was attempting to engage in sexual gratification in the future.

Having heard your evidence, it is quite clear you are capable of manipulating the facts and circumstances. You suggested you were offering friendship and care to those who came to the flat in their early teens, who were plied with drink by you. I feel I am not able to do anything other than impose a sentence of immediate imprisonment.

Robinson, of Haddon Green, was jailed for two years, made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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A man has today been jailed for more than 20 years for the sadistic and vile rape of a vulnerable woman in her own home.

Brian Brough, 35 of no fixed abode, sexually assaulted the 60 year-old woman in Little Hulton in March last year after knocking on her door, and asking to use her toilet, claiming to be a neighbours relative.

Once in the house, Brough then asked his victim if she wanted to pay for sex with him and, when she said no, punched her in the face, dragged her into the bedroom and raped her.

Detective Constable Leanne Jackson of GMP's Salford district, said: "This was a horrific and sustained physical and sexual assault on a vulnerable woman and no one should ever be made to feel unsafe or at risk in their own home.

Police investigated and Brough was arrested two days later and was subsequently charged with multiple counts of rape.

He did not accept responsibility but was brought to court and eventually found guilty of rape.

On Wednesday he was sentenced to 22 years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court.

DC Jackson said: "Throughout interview and the trial Brough would not accept any responsibility for his sadistic and vile actions, forcing his victim to go through the horrendous ordeal in court.

He did not even have the decency to attend his trial and face up to his actions and instead refused to come out of his prison cell with the trial having to be heard in his absence.

His lack of remorse perfectly sums up who he is as a human being and thankfully we've now been able to remove him from the streets for 22 years and stop him causing any further harm to anymore women.

DC Jackson paid tribute to the victims courage as well as the quick actions of her neighbours in getting her to hospital.

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Now goes by Kane Hutchison

Mason Maxwell was required to inform officers of any foreign travel due to a previous conviction relating to a child abuse offence

A man has been jailed after being found guilty of failing to comply with foreign travel notification requirements. Mason Maxwell, 32, of HMP Forest Bank, was found guilty yesterday at Manchester Crown Court.

The court heard how the requirements had been imposed on Maxwell following a previous conviction of two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in March 2015. Maxwell was charged with four counts of failing to comply with the notification requirements - which inform officers of any foreign travel - between September and December last year.

He was arrested on Clowes Street in Salford on January 6 in relation to the breaches. He was also sentenced for breach of a suspended sentence order which was investigated by West Yorkshire Police. Maxwell was jailed for one year and four months.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: Mason Maxwell (16/07/1989), of HMP Forest Bank, was yesterday (Wednesday 16 March) jailed at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court after being found guilty of failing to comply with notification requirements. Maxwell was sentenced to one year and four months imprisonment.

On Thursday 6 January 2022 Maxwell was arrested at Clowes Street, Salford and subsequently charged with four counts of failing to comply with notification requirements relating to failure to comply with foreign travel notifications.

The offences relate to incidents on 3 September 2021, 24 September 2021, 4 November 2021 and 1 December 2021 where Maxwell failed to register his intended foreign travel seven days ahead of departing the UK. Maxwell is required to notify intended foreign travel as part of conditions following his conviction of two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity on in March 2015.

"He was also sentenced for breach of a suspended sentence order which was investigated by West Yorkshire Police.

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An ex-firefighter has avoided jail after downloading over a MILLION indecent images of children he even admitted to police he had been doing it since 1998.

Bill Platt, 59, was found to be in possession of an enormous amount of the vile pictures and videos of children, aged from babies up to 16-years-old.

Police had gleaned information that Platt, of Worsley, was downloading indecent images of children, and conducted a search at his house on June 24 2019. He was arrested and handed over the PIN codes to his various devices, Manchester Crown Court heard.

He was asked about his computer and he said: Im downloading indecent images of children, and said it had been going on since 1998 and said he was relieved, prosecutor Roger Brown said.

They confiscated 24 devices. There are so many images its been impossible to say which ones have images on.

There were examinations of the devices, the total number of category A images was 15,690, the total number of category B images was 15,753 and the total number of category C images was 837,729.

Category A images are said to be the worst type of indecent images, of which there were 1,024 videos. It was said that the police reviewed over 25 million images from the devices.

A total of 11 million images were identified, and another million were not checked. In total there were 12 million images, which was the biggest number Mr Brown said he had ever come across.

In his police interview, Platt spoke about the ages of the children in the images depicted to be aged from babies to children aged 16. One video was 21 minutes long.

He had also taken some non-sexual images of children getting onto a bus, which the prosecutor said was a worrying change of tactic. Officers also found 976 .22 bullets in a box in Platts house. He had previously had a gun licence, but gave this up and had left the ammunition in the house.

Platt was said to be a man of previous good character. Mitigating, Nicholas Hammond said that his client had retired as a firefighter before setting up a business as a photographer.

The defendant had the good sense to plead guilty at the first opportunity before the lower court, he said.

The majority of his working life he had contributed well to society. He worked to the benefit of the public and had an exemplary record. He contributed well and assisted the public, often putting his own life in jeopardy.

Since his arrest he has addressed his behaviour to some extent by availing himself of Safer Lives. He has gone to seek help to address his behaviour. This has been hanging over him for a three year period.

He added that Platt previously held a gun licence, but didnt renew it and the ammunition was left in his house.

Sentencing, Recorder Alex Leach QC said there was an enormous number of images that were found.

This was a substantial collection of sickening images depicting the rape and sexual abuse of children, he said.

I am told you have been tackling the root of your offending, that your partner stands by you and the probation service feel they can assist you and that you are a good candidate for rehabilitation.

I have received a letter from Safer Lives and the probation service who say you do pose a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. A short custodial sentence would not accomplish these aims.

Platt, of Gambleside Close, was handed 20 months imprisonment which was suspended for two years, 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 200 hours of unpaid work. He earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years which includes terms that will ban his from using the internet without informing the police and ban him from downloading any software which hides his internet history. He must also sign the notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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A monster raped a girl multiple times over nine months and recorded it on his phone to 'degrade and humiliate' her. Danny Harper, 31, sexually abused the girl and told her it was their little secret in order to stop her from reporting it.

Harper, of Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to three offences of rape, two offences of sexual assault and one offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Yesterday (March 15) he was jailed for 12 years and 10 months.

The court heard that Harper began abusing the girl in early 2020. He went on to take pictures of her genitals, prosecutor Brian Berlyne said.

She noticed him taking photos of her. She suffered pain as a result of the abuse. He told her it was their little secret. She felt unable to talk to anyone about the abuse.

Harpers offending only came to light following his conversations with a fake profile of a 10-year-old girl that was being run by a paedophile hunter group. He added her as a friend on Facebook and messaged her telling her that she was cute on September 3 last year. He asked about her age and she told him she was 10. He then asked what colour underwear she was wearing.

On September 18 he told the profile he could show her naughty things and teach her about sex. Harper then asked her to send a picture of her genitals and of her in her underwear.

Separately, his young victim courageously told her mum of Harpers abuse. She was medically examined and found to have injuries. Harper was arrested and his phone was seized and examined, of which officers found 45 indecent images of the girl, 15 of which showed him sexually abusing her, it was said.

In a police interview he said that he was a monster and that he never wore protection. He also said he messaged the profile because he was lonely. In a victim impact statement, the girls grandmother said that she was a happy, little soul and a very thoughtful child, but said when she told the police what happened she was physically sick.

She thought she was in trouble and we had to explain to her that she was not. She told me that man has ruined my life. This hit me hard. [Harper] has ruined all of our lives. He is a clever man who knew full well the consequences of his actions.

Harper was said to have one set of previous convictions which were unrelated.

There was genuine remorse and a desire not to subject her to any further suffering. He described himself as a monster in his interview, barrister Rachel White said, defending. He has learning difficulties, he was diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder and he was diagnosed with ADHD. This began as opportunistic and the defendant became persistent in his conduct.

He wants to begin a new life and not offend again.

Sentencing, Judge John Potter said: Of these six counts to which you have pleaded guilty in these proceedings, represents the sustained and most dreadful sexual abuse of a child. Not using a condom and ejaculation are significant aggravating features of this offending, as is the clear grotesque evidence that you filmed those acts of abuse on your mobile phone. When after your arrest, your phone and seized and examined and it contained evidence of you degrading and humiliating her by filming the sexual abuse that took place.

This is depraved offending.

Harper was jailed for 12 years and 8 months, made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and must sign onto the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

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Benjamin Behan, 25, has been jailed after being caught out by paedophile hunters

A pervert chef admitted to his family he had 'done it again' after being caught out by paedophile hunters.

Benjamin Behan, 25, had been ordered to undergo the Horizon scheme, which aims to rehabilitate sex offenders and change their warped outlook, after being found with vile images of children.

But Behan, from Wythenshawe said it was a 'load of cr**'. He claimed that sessions being moved online during the pandemic made them more difficult for him to follow.

"He didn't engage with it as best he could have done," Behan's barrister Mark Shanks told Manchester Crown Court.

"Because of his autism he deals much better face to face, he found it much more difficult to absorb it."

Despite attempts to help him reform, Behan has now been locked up after he once again displayed a sexual interest in children. He was exposed by paedophile hunters, with a decoy account being set up in the name of a 14-year-old girl.

Behan told her he was a head chef at a pub, and the pair had some 'innocuous' chat about coronavirus before he turned the conversation sexual. He suggested that they could go to a hotel room, and asked whether she wanted to be naked in bed with him, prosecutor Amanda Johnson said.

Behan asked the 'girl' how long it would take her to get undressed, during online conversations over a two day period. Members of the paedophile hunter group went to confront Behan at his home, and his stepfather answered the door.

"Yes, I've done it again," Behan admitted to his stepfather.

In interview with the police, Behan accepted having sexual chats but said the idea of meeting up in a hotel room was 'pure fantasy'. Mr Shanks said prison has had a 'significant effect' on Behan, who has been locked up on remand.

"He has not been to prison before, he is absolutely certain he will not be going back to prison," the barrister said.

Behan, of Inglesham Close, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

"Your behaviour, I'm afraid, has demonstrated that you will not comply. You described the Horizon programme as a 'load of cr**', so custody must follow," sentencing Judge Anthony Cross QC said, before jailing Behan for 16 months.

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A paedophile who groomed a vulnerable teenage girl from Warrington over several months has been jailed for 12 years.

Michael Smith was convicted of causing and inciting a teenage girl to engage in sexual activity following a five-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The 49-year-old, of Cheetham Fold Road, Hyde, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 28th February where the judge sentenced him to 12-years in prison after describing him as a danger to the public.

During the hearing, the court heard how Smith had groomed the teenager over a number of months before arranging to collect her from an address in Warrington on Tuesday 2 February 2021.

He then drove the girl back to his flat in Hyde where he sexually assaulted her.

The victim was located at around 5.30am the following day after she contacted police.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Stephen Martin, who led the investigation, said: Smith knew the victim was underage and he knew that she was vulnerable.

In spite of this, he purposefully chose to take advantage of her, grooming the girl over a number of months and convincing her that she was in love with him.

After gaining her trust, he then collected her from her home in Warrington and took her to his flat Hyde where he sexually assaulted her.

Thankfully, as a result of the evidence provided by the victim and the evidence gathered during our investigation, Smith is now facing a significant prison sentence and is no longer a danger to the general public.

On top of his custodial sentence, Smith was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.