Latest Offenders

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A Fife man has been sentenced after admitting sending a picture of his penis and sexually explicit comments to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Alan Somerville, 45, believed he was communicating online to a girl called ‘Lexi Mae’ but was actually speaking to an adult pretending to be the child.

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A man who had a "sexual interest in teenage girls" cynically took advantage of two to commit repeated sexual offences against them over a period of about 18 months.

Laurence Gladwin at first groomed the girls with "friendly banter" but it soon progressed to sending messages to them before "quickly escalating" to having sex with one of them in his car and committing sexual acts in the car with the other.

He encouraged them to send him intimate pictures of themselves and he sent a video to one of the girls showing him committing a sex act, Hull Crown Court heard. Gladwin, 43, of Young Street, Withernsea, admitted seven offences of sexual activity with a girl while in a position of trust and four offences of making indecent images of children.

Robert Stevenson, prosecuting, said that Gladwin initiated contact with the girls. It escalated to meeting them and committing sexual acts with them or inciting them to do so.

He kissed one of the girls and he also repeatedly intimately touched her as well as causing her to commit a sex act on him. She later said that the behaviour started with banter and then escalated to frequent messages being sent before they later met up on several occasions in Gladwin's car.

He would drive to a secluded area of a public car park. She felt "out of her depth" and "pressured" into sexual behaviour. Gladwin suggested that they could go to a hotel but she refused and that brought an end to their meetings.

The girl later came forward, and after police became involved, Gladwin's phone was seized and the offences involving the other girl came to light. The indecent images were discovered.

The second girl initially denied any involvement but later gave details. Friendly banter with Gladwin led to messages being exchanged before matters "escalated quickly".

He picked her up in his car. They had full sex in his car on one occasion and at his home when his wife and children were not there. "He told her that he loved her and she reciprocated," said Mr Stevenson.

The girl said that she was a willing participant but later realised that this was because of the "significant power imbalance" between them. They met several times, initiated by him.

"She froze," said Mr Stevenson. "She didn't know what to do. It was her first experience with anyone. There were a number of incidents, all of a similar nature.

"She felt scared," said Mr Stevenson. "She feared him a bit because he had more power. There were no threats or force." She sent "nude pictures" of herself and he sent her a video of him committing a sex act.

There were 12 indecent images of the first girl, 81 indecent images of the second and 134 of other unknown girls on Gladwin's phone.

The first girl said in a statement that it was a "burden which she had carried for some time" and she now has a lack of trust. "She feels the defendant exploited her and she feels uncertain around new people," said Mr Stevenson.

"She feels emotionally damaged. She was not eating for a period. She still has sleepless nights and flashbacks. She feels that the defendant took advantage of her vulnerability."

The second girl said that she felt "used and taken advantage of" by Gladwin. "She finds it hard to trust people." She had a "very bad memory" of the incidents.

Nigel Clive, mitigating, said that Gladwin "thoroughly regretted" his actions towards the two girls and he had pleaded guilty at a very early stage and shown remorse. He had no previous convictions.

"For some time, he would have wished to have been able to apologise," said Mr Clive. "He can't turn back the clock. Sometimes such defendants try to play it out and that causes the complainant far more distress than the proceedings have perhaps done in this case.

"He accepts that he needs to be punished," said Mr Clive. "He is very disappointed, to say the least, in himself. It's caused some internal reflection on his part."

Father-of-two Gladwin's marriage ended and some "self-destructive and ill-thought-out life choices" followed.

"He accepts that he behaved in a terrible way," said Mr Clive. "This is not a defendant who will repeat such behaviour. He knows what he has done and he is very sorry."

Judge Kate Rayfield told Gladwin: "You plainly have a sexual interest in teenage girls," said Judge Rayfield.

Gladwin had shown some remorse but, after the police got involved, he telephoned one of the girls and asked her not to say anything if she was asked. This was "selfish" and did not show genuine remorse.

"There was grooming behaviour and you retained sexual images of your victims," said Judge Rayfield.

Gladwin was jailed for six years and he was given a sexual harm prevention order for life. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A fast food restaurant worker who raped a woman in Brighton has been jailed.

Bogdan Cioropa, 28, of Staplefield Drive in Brighton, raped his victim – a woman who was 17 years old at the time – at a property in Brighton on Friday, 9 April, 2021.

She reported the offence to police and Cioropa was arrested the following day on suspicion of rape.

The woman was given support by specialist officers while an investigation was carried out.

Cioropa was subsequently charged with rape, attempted oral rape and sexual assault, but left the country before his trial was due to start.

Proceedings continued in his absence and a jury unanimously found him guilty of all three counts at Hove Crown Court on Thursday, 14 September.

At Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday (22 November), Cioropa was sentenced in his absence to nine years in prison.

He was also given a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order of 15 years and will be a registered sex offender for life.

After extensive attempts to locate Cioropa in Europe, a warrant is with the Crown Prosecution Service for his arrest and extradition.

Stringent measures are in place to ensure he will be apprehended should he attempt to re-enter the UK.

In a victim impact statement shared with the court, Cioropa’s victim said: “Thanks to you my whole life changed. I went from being innocent to the horrors that go on in this world to no longer being able to trust anyone. I struggle to believe people and I am constantly worrying about their true intentions.

“I had been told about monsters like you my whole life and how I should be cautious, but at the time I was still a child, I had never expected you to be one of those people I should have been watching out for.

“I am thankful for the support I’ve had from my family and friends, the police and especially Laura from Survivors’ Network who has listened to me talk for hours about all my thoughts.”

Detective Constable Laura Pettitt said: “I would like to thank this courageous young woman for the determination she has shown in not only reporting Cioropa’s crimes initially, but for her supporting a court process delayed by his refusal to attend trial and face justice in person.

“The jury were unanimous in finding him guilty of all three charges and he will be placed behind bars where he can pose no further danger to women.

“I hope this result provides his victim and her family with some degree of comfort as they look to move on with their lives.

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A West Midlands man who posted videos of himself raping and sexually assaulting a young boy online has been jailed for nearly 12 years.

Aiden Foster, 22, from Wednesbury, made a series of child sexual abuse videos which were shared on social media site Discord.

The National Crime Agency worked with US law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led to Foster being identified.

Experts in the NCA’s victim identification team used facial comparison tools to confirm his identity.

Foster was arrested by NCA officers at his home address on 6 May this year.

His electronic devices were seized and NCA crime scene analysis investigators matched items at his address to those shown in the videos - including his jewellery, a distinctively patterned blanket and boxing trophies.

Officers recovered 771 indecent images of children across categories A-C (A being the most severe) from four of his devices.

They also found an Instagram chat in which Foster requested ‘horny pics of a 14-year-old’ from an unknown person and boasted that he could send videos of someone carrying out a sex act on him.

The children in this case have been safeguarded.

Foster pleaded guilty to 24 offences, including rape of a child under 13, at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 8 August.

He was sentenced to 11 years and seven months in prison, with a further four years on license, at the same court today (22 November).

He is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

NCA operations manager Holly Triggs said: “Aiden Foster is a dangerous offender who conducted the most horrific abuse against children.

“Chat logs showed he revelled in the ability to share material online – an act that will no doubt have contributed to the normalisation of such abuse among other paedophiles.

“The NCA is dedicated to combatting this global threat, working tirelessly to protect children and ensure that high harm offenders like Foster are put behind bars.”

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A man who travelled to Chippenham with the intention of sexually abusing a child has been jailed.

Mark Pegram was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court today (Wednesday) after pleading guilty to the commission of a child sex offence and possessing indecent images of a child.

The 65-year-old engaged in a number of explicit conversations with an undercover officer online – who was posing as a woman with a nine-year-old daughter.

The defendant, of Chase Side Avenue in Enfield, London, was collared when he proceeded to arrange a meet and turned up believing he was going to be able to sexually abuse the youngster.

He denied he had any intention of carrying out any sexual acts on the child and went to trial, where he later changed his plea to guilty.

Pegram was sentenced to 48 months in prison and told the register as a sex offender indefinitely. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Wiltshire Police Detective Constable Kerry Foster said: “This was an extremely distressing case for the jury sitting on this trial.

“They had to view a large number of messages that contained graphic details about the sexual acts that he planned to carry out on the child when they met.

“The jury also had to listen to recordings that depicted the graphic detail of the sexual acts that he wanted to do with the child.

“Our Child Internet Exploitation Team works with other agencies such as children’s social care and health, to minimise the risk to children who may be vulnerable to harm.

“We would urge anyone who suspects a person of carrying out child sexual exploitation to get in touch with us straight away.”

Detective Inspector David Wells, from the Online Investigations Team at South West Regional Organised Crime Unit said: “This is vital work, identifying offenders who use the internet to groom children and, as in this case, attempt to arrange access to a child to abuse.

“It is our priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities and I encourage anyone worried about exploitation of a child online to report it to the police.”

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A 23-year-old woman who took indecent photos of a child and sent them to her boyfriend has been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Toni Andrews, from Hull, was also found to be in possession of more than 800 illegal images and videos, including hundreds showing child sexual abuse.

She was identified after the conviction of her then-boyfriend, Thomas Edeson, 24, of Franklin Street, Hull, who was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in August 2021 for sexually assaulting a young girl and taking indecent images of her.

The NCA’s investigation into Edeson began in May 2021 with a referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which was notified by Google of his attempt to upload child sexual abuse images to the internet.

After examining his electronic devices, officers discovered sexual images of a child which appeared to have been taken by Andrews and sent to Edeson.

Andrews was arrested in connection in December 2021.

In interview she admitted to taking and sending one of the photos to Edeson, but denied knowing about his sexual interest in children.

Examination of Andrews’ electronic devices, which were seized from her home when she was arrested, revealed almost 100 indecent images of children in categories A-C, over 500 prohibited images of children and over 200 showing extreme pornography.

As part of the investigation into Andrews’ offending, Edeson was produced from prison and interviewed by NCA officers.

He told them that Andrews had supplied him with sexual images of a child as well as children’s underwear, which officers recovered from his home when he was arrested.

At Hull Crown Court today [22 November], a judge sentenced Andrews to 16 months in prison and ordered her to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

She had pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges at an earlier court hearing, including taking indecent photographs of a child, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography.

Description

A child sex offender has been jailed for two decades after being found guilty by a jury.

Carl Smith, 36, of no fixed abode, inflicted a campaign of physical and emotional abuse on the survivor. It happened in South Staffordshire.

He was arrested in July 2022 after offences were reported to us. He continued to deny the offences and was brought before a jury in September (2023).

Following a four-day trial, the jury found Smith guilty on a number of offences, including:

• Two counts of rape a girl
• Six counts of sexual assault a girl

He was jailed for a total of 20 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (10 November). Smith was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order against the survivor.

Detective Sergeant Claire Mace, who dealt with the case, said: “The survivor in this case has shown immense bravery to come forward and report what happened. I can only hope the outcome of this investigation has given her some form of closure following the abuse she suffered at the hands of Smith. 

“We are committed to pursuing perpetrators of violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls. Work is continuing around preventing offending and protecting those affected by it, changing behaviours and taking robust action against perpetrators.

“We want victims to know that they are our priority. Teams of specialist officers are here to speak to you in confidence, put a stop to those responsible and support you as much as possible.”

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Lee Dennison aged 48 from Hartlepool was sentenced to 8 years in prison last week for possessing indecent images of children and for breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Carl Middleton from the Sex Offender Management Unit (SOMU) said: “Cleveland Police welcomes the sentence handed to Lee Dennison. He was in possession of child abuse images containing the horrific abuse of young children and babies.

“Crimes of this nature are unforgiveable, and the children shown in the images Dennison was accessing were subject to the most horrifying ordeals.

“Lee Dennison showed no remorse for his actions. This was proven on a random visit to Dennison’s address by SOMU which resulted in an officer witnessing Dennison trying to hide devices in his home. These devices should have been declared to the Force and were immediately seized. A further device was located hidden under his mattress.

“The sentence given to Dennison should set a clear example to others that the Force will not tolerate this level of crime being committed and if you continue to access abusive and horrific content relating to children online, we will catch you and bring you to justice.”

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A 76-year-old man who paid to watch children be sexually abused in the Philippines has been jailed.

Leslie Fletcher, of Brancepeth Close, Washington, requested indecent photographs and videos of babies and children online.

Northumbria Police Det Con Rob Smoult said offenders such as Fletcher were "not welcome in our communities".

Fletcher was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on Monday to five years and nine months in prison.

Specialist officers from the force's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (Polit) became aware of Fletcher's crimes after Google and Microsoft flagged the sharing of indecent images.

When officers seized Fletcher's devices, they found receipts and records of calls with people abusing their children.

'No excuse'

Fletcher was charged and pleaded guilty to 14 charges.

These included three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of arranging the commission of child sex offences, four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and four counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

Seven of the offences related to Fletcher arranging the abuse of children abroad.

Along with his prison sentence, Fletcher was issued with a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

Det Con Smoult said the sentence "shows that offending like this will not be tolerated and that people like Fletcher are not welcome in our communities".

He said: "Fletcher knew he had no excuse and was left with no choice but to admit his guilt."

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A NORTH Cumbrian man in his late thirties attempted to meet a 14-year-old boy so he could pay him £100 for sex, a court heard.

But Christopher Tennant, 38, who had spent two days communicating sexually with the person involved, was unaware that he was being taken in by a police sting operation designed to catch online sex predators.

At the city’s crown court, Tennant, of Gosling Drive, Carlisle, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to sexually communicate with a child, and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone outlined the offending, committed in the city this year between October 17 and 19.

Tennant used social media to contact a person who clearly and repeatedly identified himself as being a 14-year-old boy.

During their online exchanges, conducted in part over the Grindr app, the 'boy' referred to having to wear his school uniform.

“It was repeatedly said during the conversations that the young man was 14,” said Miss Whittlestone. That continued to be Tennant’s belief up to the point when he travelled to a supermarket car park to meet the boy.

Miss Whittlestone went on to outline some of the conversations, though much of the detail is too offensive to repeat.

He sent the contact videos of two men having sex and told the 'boy' he was 21 before asking him for share pictures of himself.

In one message, he asked the boy: “What would you do for cash?”

There followed a series of messages about places they could possibly meet, including at a local Asda car park.

The “boy” at one point suggested meeting in a McDonald’s car park, while Tennant talked about possibly driving to the countryside. Tennant also suggested again that he could “pay you to try stuff.”

When he drove to the proposed meeting and realised he was being arrested, Tennant told the police officer: “I’m just so sorry. I know it was wrong. My head’s been messed up for years.”

The prosecutor added: “There was a significant degree of planning and a disparity in ages; he also brought with him £100 and there is clear evidence of grooming behaviour.”

Marion Weir, defending, said the defendant was a man of previous good character who had himself faced difficulties in his life. “He was trying to deal with it in an unhealthy way,” said the barriser.

Since his arrest, Tannant had worked with the Lucy Faithful Foundation to address his issues, though it would take years to work through the problems. “There is an expression of genuine remorse by Mr Tennant,” said Miss Weir.

There was nothing else incriminating found on his phone, she added.

Judge Michael Fanning said the defendant he had repeatedly engaged in “grooming” type behaviour, even offering to pay the “boy” £100 for sex.

“There is too much of this sort of offending and there are too many real victims,” said the judge.

He jailed Tennant for three years.

The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for a decade.

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A Teesside sex offender has been jailed after he was caught using a dating site and aliases online.

Aaron Hughes, 27, was under a strict sex offender court order which limits his internet use when he was caught using the aliases "deathstorm" and "electro_darkness" on TikTok and Kik messenger. He had also set up accounts on the dating site Tinder, as well as Snapchat and Instagram.

Hughes appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday, after his sex offender manager turned up at his home to carry out a risk assessment, on July 28. His phone showed that he had downloaded the apps and deleted them.

Hughes, of King Street in South Bank in Redcar, admitted four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and the breach of a suspended sentence. The order was imposed in November, last year, when he was convicted of making indecent images of children.

In 2021, he received a suspended prison sentence for making indecent images. Michele Turner, mitigating, said that her client has "mild learning disabilities" and that he had endured a difficult upbringing.

Judge Paul Watson jailed Hughes for 19-months.

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A Gillingham resident has been jailed for the sexual abuse of a child.

Milen Ivanov targeted the young victim between 1 June and 9 August 2022, after he made them believe they were in a relationship.

His offending came to light after the child told their parents what had been happening, and they then contacted Kent Police.

Ivanov, of Chaucer Road, was arrested on 28 August 2022. He was bailed with conditions, including not to contact the victim, while investigators built the case against him.

During this time, Ivanov committed further offences including sharing indecent images of the victim and making threats towards the child.

He was charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child, intimidation of a witness, making indecent photographs of a child and disclosing a private sexual photograph.

The 34-year-old was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on 26 October 2023, for six years and eight months. He will also be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a five-year restraining order on his release.

Description

A pervert is starting his third prison sentence after he was caught with an illegal image of a baby girl on his mobile phone.

Matthew Laidler "appeared nervous and was tapping away on his mobile" when his offender manager made an unannounced visit to his Middlesbrough home, on October 8. Laidler had been released from a 29-month prison sentence five days earlier.

Teesside Crown Court heard that the 33-year-old claimed he was "texting his grandma" but police found that he had been sent an indecent image of a baby. He replied to the sender: "Hi bud. Beautiful. I've nothing to send back to you at the moment" before making an explicit sexual comment about the baby.

Laidler had downloaded the Wickr and Mega apps, where users can send end-to-end encrypted messages.

Laidler, who gives his address as HMP Durham but is from Linthorpe in Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the possession of an indecent image and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He was convicted of the sexual assault of a child in 2006; and he was jailed for the first time in 2015 for the possession of indecent images of children.

In April 2022, he was handed another the 29-month prison term after it emerged he'd been babysitting young girls, sleeping over and giving one of them baths. The terms of his licence prohibited from having any contact with children.

The court heard that after his latest offence, Laidler was recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his 2022 sentence, which finishes in December 2024. He listened on video link from HMP Durham as Judge Paul Watson told him that the apps he had downloaded were capable of "removing any trace of messages."

Laidler was handed a 26-month prison sentence.

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A MAN who committed "heinous" sexual abuse on a girl and then put his victim through the ordeal of a trial has been jailed.

Connor Paul Gavin, 21, of Blackbrook, St Helens was found guilty by a trial by jury at Liverpool Crown Court last month.

Today (Friday, November 17) he was sentenced to 14 years and nine months in prison for nine counts of rape and sexual assault of a child under 13.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Lesley Prendergast said: “Throughout the whole process, the investigation and the trial, Gavin continued to deny all the allegations made against him. Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and found him guilty. 

“His denial and not accepting what he has done has been incredibly difficult for the victim. She has showed immense courage and bravery to report the utterly depraved actions he committed.

“As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting. I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing to report Gavin’s heinous crime to us.”

Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan added: “Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm, and we take all such reports extremely seriously.

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. 

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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A convicted sex offender who was sleeping rough failed to register with police every seven days as he was required to do.

Blackburn magistrates heard Kevin Melody had also failed to turn up for an appointment with the probation service and two court dates during a “chaotic” period in his life.

Melody, 51, of Laithe Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching sex offender registration requirements.

He was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months.

District Judge Alexandra Preston said Melody had breached the order in May, June and October, had failed to turn up at court twice and missed appointments with the Probation Service.

“I am prepared to suspend the prison sentence because I have heard about the problems of being homeless that you have had this year,” said District Judge Preston.

Julia Draper, prosecuting, said because he was homeless Melody had report to the police every seven days.

“It is a way for the police to monitor that he is still in the area,” said Miss Draper.

“He claimed he went to Nelson police station to sign on but it was closed.

"He then went to Burnley police station but says he was dragged down an alley and beaten up and told to stay out of Burnley.”

Janet Sime, in mitigation, said her client had been struggling with accommodation problems and accepted he had missed signing on and appointments with the probation service.

“Within the last few days he has obtained an address with a friend and hopefully that will make things easier,” said Miss Sime.

“If he has an address he only has to sign on every 12 months.”