Latest Offenders

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A man has been jailed after making indecent images of children.

Neil Pavitt, of Allen Street, Maidstone, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court last month.

The 48-year-old “monster” faced charges of voyeurism and making indecent images of a child.

He was sentenced on August 22 to two years and two months in prison.

Pavitt was put on the sex offenders register for 10 years and given two sexual harm prevention orders and a forfeiture and destruction order relating to his laptop and phone.

Speaking after sentencing, one of his victims said: “Neil Pavitt is a child predator and a monster.

“I despise him for what he has done. The custodial sentence brings profound relief and validation after years of pain and suffering.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the dedicated team at Kent Police who worked tirelessly to ensure justice was served.”

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A vile paedophile who "stripped his victims of their childhood innocence" when he subjected them to multiple rapes and sexual assaults has been jailed.

Thomas Reay stole the childhoods of two young girls when he carried out the sickening abuse over a number of years. But now the 65-year-old has been locked up for 25 years after his victims found the courage to report the offending to a loved one in May of this year.

The report prompted an investigation by Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding Department and Reay was subsequently charged with a string of offences and remanded in custody.

Reay, of Hesleyside Drive, Newcastle, later pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to 16 child sex offences in July.

He appeared before Durham Crown Court on Tuesday where he was sentenced to 25 years behind bars.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Paul Armstrong, of Northumbria Police, said: "Reay subjected the victims in this case to horrific ordeals over the course of a number of years, and I am pleased the courts have seen fit to hand him a very lengthy custodial sentence.

"Reay is a vile predator who stripped his victims of their childhood innocence through repeated abuse. I would like to praise the victims for their incredible bravery and courage to come forward because if they had not taken that first step of telling a loved one what had happened, Reay might not be behind bars today.

"No sentence will ever detract from the trauma they suffered, but I hope this lengthy sentence can provide some degree of closure which will allow them to move forward with their lives. Protecting the vulnerable and ensuring the most serious offenders like Reay are brought to justice are our top priorities as a Force.

"I would urge anyone who has been a victim, or wants to share information about an offender, to get in touch. We will support you and we will believe you."

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A former West Sussex social worker has been jailed for abusing his position and engaging in sexual communications with vulnerable children.

An investigation was launched on 3 March when sexual messages were found on a vulnerable teenage girl’s Snapchat account between her and a man later identified as Thomas Weller, 33, from Horsham.

The messages were sexual, and continued despite the girl telling Weller she was a child.

Weller also offered to buy her alcohol in exchange for sexual acts.

The investigation also found Weller had used his position to access personal data.

He was arrested on 24 March and further sexual communications were found with another teenage girl on his Snapchat account.

Weller was subsequently charged with two counts of sexual communication with a child and misconduct in public office.

He pleaded guilty to both counts of sexual communications at Lewes Crown Court on 5 July, and admitted the misconduct in public office at the same court on Wednesday, 31 July.

At the same court on Friday (27 September), Weller was jailed for 34 months and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for seven years.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Gillings: “Thanks to the bravery and support of Weller’s victims and their families, we have been able to bring an extremely disturbing offender to justice.

“Weller held a position of trust, with a duty to protect vulnerable children. His crimes are a betrayal of that responsibility.

“I would again like to thank West Sussex County Council for supporting this investigation and for all involved for their work in catching Weller, putting him behind bars and securing an order that will significantly limit his ability to cause further harm.”

Description

A grim predator hid a spy camera in his shower to film guests. When confronted by one of his victims, Simon Garnett said it was 'just a cheap thrill, it’s just a bit of voyeurism'.

But the alarming extent of this unravelled when the guest, who had noticed two LED lights in a clock radio while he was showering, saw the footage. The victim had fled Garnett's house in St Fremund Way but the 52-year-old persuaded him to come back so they could ‘destroy the memory card together'.

Later that evening, the victim watched the footage and saw themselves – and several other victims showering on different occasions. He raised the alarm with police and detectives launched an investigation.

As a result, three other victims were identified and contacted. In police interview, Garnett answered ‘no comment’ to almost all questions.

'Appalling'

But he was charged with eight counts of voyeurism and at Warwick Crown Court on Monday, September 30, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. The case has been described as 'appalling' by Detective Constable Claire Scott, who praised his victims who helped ensure he ended up behind bars.

"Garnett tried to play his predatory behaviour down by branding it a ‘cheap thrill’," DC Scott said. "This was an appalling string of offences that saw Garnett abuse the trust of friends – and I am glad the courts have imposed a custodial sentence.

"I would like to thank the four victims, whose help has ensured that Garnett is held accountable for his actions."

Description

A man who raped a child when she was still in infant classes has been jailed for four years and nince months.

Reece McNair, now 28, sexually abused the little girl on numerous occasions when he was 16 years old. The child, who can not be named for leal reasons, kept the abuse secret for around a decade but later disclosed what had happened to her to an NHS worker she was seeing to support her with her mental health.

McNair, of Bulkhead Drive, Fleetwood, was arrested and confessed he had abused the girl. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, attempted rape and four counts of sexual assault.

The girl and her mother set out how the abuse had affected them for many years before the youngster disclosed what had happened to her.

She said: "I don't remember a time when my body felt clean. I have had my childhood stolen from me. I can't remember good things from my childhood, only bad.

"He has truly torn my life apart and I will never be able to live a normal life again. I just want my brain to shut off and stop feeling things."

Her mother said she will never forget the day she was called into CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) and told what had happened to her daughter. She said her daughter had displayed signs of distress and missed out educationally due to her trauma.

"No-one wants to believe they missed something as significant as their child being sexually abused", she said. "That cuts deep. Her struggles did not go unnoticed but unfortunately she felt unable to share what happened to her."

Her daughter has a fear of men as a result of what happened to her and was frightened of Father Christmas, and speaking to male police officers and teachers.

McNair wrote a letter to the court, "to say how sorry I am for the pain and heartbreak I have caused her and her family".

He said: "I deserve to be punished and it will never happen again."

The court heard he was 16 at the time he committed the offences and has since been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. A psychiatric report stated he would be vulnerable in prison and find his sentence traumatic.

Judge Gioserano said: "She was but a child. It was not her fault, it was your fault. You took her childhood and no sentence, however long, can give her that back.

"It goes without saying that I am sentencing you as an adult for offences you committed when you were not yet an adult. I must take into account all that this means by way of reduced culpability."

He also considered the guidelines for sentencing people with mental or developmental disorders but said: "Although you were young yourself and suffering from a disorder which reduces your culpability further, you still knew full well that what you were doing was very wrong."

Description

A registered sex offender from Tunbridge Wells has been caught using a fake online profile during attempts to groom and abuse a child.

Peter Johnson has now been jailed after he ignored previous measures imposed by the courts to prevent him from reoffending and targeted a teenage girl over several days.

Johnson, formerly known as Peter Austen, had been convicted in 2017 of possessing indecent images of children. For these offences, he received a suspended sentence and was added to the sex offender register for 10 years.

Alias

In October 2023, officers from Kent Police’s Offender Management Unit discovered Johnson had been using the social media platform Snapchat and was posting under an alias of Matt Harper.  

He had been contacting another user who told him she was only 13 and sent her a series of explicit images over several days, which included videos of himself.

Under the guise of Matt Harper, he had also sent voice messages, and images of himself fully clothed.

Unbeknown to Johnson, the child did not exist – her profile was part of a fictitious account. Some of the images he had sent showed his face and officers were able to recognise him as being Peter Johnson.

He was arrested on 15 November at his home near Liptraps Lane.

A phone was seized and checks led to the discovery of an illegal image of a child, in the most serious category.

Johnson, 37, was charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to engage in a sexual act, causing a child to view an image of sexual activity, making an indecent image of a child and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

He pleaded guilty and on 10 October 2024 Johnson was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years’ imprisonment, having already served almost a year on remand.

When he has served his sentence, Johnson will be subject to a 12-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to comply with sex offender notification requirements, for life.

Description

A paedophile from Nottingham exchanged sexual messages with a 12-year-old girl “because he was sitting at home bored”. Pervert Richard Bull asked the girl for photos of her breasts.

But ‘Dani’ was really an undercover police officer posing as a young girl to snare like-minded sex offenders like the Bestwood 62-year-old. Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge James Sampson said: “You thought you were talking to a real 12-year-old and you were trying to get that child to engage in abusive, sexual, activity.

“In the event, there was no child because this was a police officer posing as a child decoy. The custody threshold has been crossed by some margin and I have no option other than to send you to prison.”

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said an undercover police officer created a fake profile for a 12-year-old girl called Dani and began posting on a social media site. He said Bull began talking to her online on July 4, last year, and their conversations soon moved to WhatsApp.

The prosecutor said: “Over a period of time, Mr Bull was asking for photos of her in her underwear and photos of her breasts." The prosecutor said Bull also asked the 'teen' if he could be her "virtual boyfriend".

"He sent her an image of himself, but it is right to say it was not a sexual image," said Mr Kemp. Mr Kemp said the communication stopped on July 20, last year and Bull, of The Mount, was arrested on July 27.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage a child under 13 to engage in sexual communication. He has two previous convictions for unrelated offences from many years ago which the judge discounted when he sentenced him.

Mark Hemmings, mitigating, said the fact that ‘Dani’ was an undercover police officer meant that there was no actual victim and that his client had pleaded guilty to the two offences. He said: “He is 62, nearly 63 and he is not in good health.

“He has been out of work through sickness for a considerable time and Mr Bull says these offences began because he was sitting at home bored and got into this wrong element of behaviour.”

As well as the jail sentence, Judge Sampson handed the defendant a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offender register, also for life.

Description

Robert Mellish, 57, of Hillsley Road, Paulsgrove, was sentenced to 16 years in prison at Portsmouth Crown Court on Wednesday, October 2. He was found guilty of a number of offences, including rape, involving a boy under the age of 13 with police commending the victims “bravery and steadfastness”.

DC Emily Sargent of the Eastern Child Investigation Team said, “Whilst I know this result cannot remove the memories of what Mellish has done for the young victim or their family, I am pleased that justice has been served for them and that Mellish is now behind bars where he belongs.

The support of the young victim and their family has been invaluable in this case and I’d like to commend them for bravery and steadfastness throughout.”

Mellish was found guilty of the following charges at Portsmouth Crown Court by a jury on Monday, June 24:

Two counts of rape of a boy under 13, on no less than three occasions

Four counts of causing a child under 13 to watch / look at an image of sexual activity

One count of assault a boy under 13 by touching

Three counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13

DS Lucy Gransden of the Eastern Child Investigation Team said “I would also like to thank everyone who has been involved in this case for their hard work, which has helped secure this conviction.

I hope this sentence will reassure other victims that we take every report of this nature extremely seriously and we will listen to you if you come forward and speak to us.”

The police have also highlighted that anyone who has concerns about child abuse can also report it anonymously by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Anyone who has experienced abuse in childhood, or is concerned about a child, can contact the NSPCC helpline, confidentially, on 0808 800 5000. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

The different types of support and services available to victims of sexual assault can be found on the Hampshire police website.

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A former firefighter who paid children to send him explicit images online has been jailed.

Robert Stevenson would trawl social media sites and message women online, offering them money to send naked pictures. However, many of the victims were young girls.

He even sent a photo of himself in uniform to one of his victims, claiming to be 19.

The matters came to light when one of Stevenson’s victims, a 15-year-old girl, told police that he had threatened to post an explicit picture of her online.

He had spoken to the girl via direct messages on Instagram asking her if she wanted to make £100. The conversation later moved to Snapchat with Stevenson telling her he was 17 after she told him she was 17.

Stevenson was arrested and his devices were seized. Checks on them found he had been messaging a number of girls, and had paid several of them to send him photos and videos of themselves. Analysis of his bank account found numerous payments he had made to several girls.

The 31-year-old, previously of Long Eaton, was later charged with a number of offences including cause/incite the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13 to 17; cause/incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and making an indecent photo/pseudo photograph of a child.

He denied the charges but was found guilty after a trial at Derby Crown Court. He appeared at the same court for sentencing on 27 September when he was jailed for seven years. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was placed on the sex offenders register.

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A former football coach and teacher who sexually abused two boys has been jailed.

John Staveley, 55, met one of his victims while working as a coach. The other was abused on a school trip while Staveley was working as a primary teacher.

The abuse began in the late 1990s, but Staveley was only arrested after the first victim reported what had happened to the NSPCC in 2020.

Detectives went on to gather witness statements and screenshots of social media messages to help convict Staveley.

He was found guilty of nine counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14, two of indecent assault on a boy under 16 and one count of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Staveley, of Hale Hill Lane, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years at Sheffield Crown Court and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Det Con Mike Tilley, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Staveley abused his position as a mentor and guide to young children in sports and educational settings.

"He should have been someone his victims were able to trust but instead he exploited them, took advantage of them and abused them for his own sexual gratification.

"I really want to commend his victims for coming forward and telling us about their harrowing and horrific experiences as children."

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A predator who took advantage of a teenage boy's infatuation with him has been jailed.

Matthew Helliwell, 36, preyed upon the young boy and sexually abused him on three occasions, Sheffield Crown Court heard on Friday, October 4. His victim - now an adult - bravely faced him in court as he told him: "I have got closure from people listening to me."

Helliwell, of Chesterfield, was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child following a trial. It was said that he undertook a "meaningful" attempt on his own life in the court's cells following the jury's verdicts.

The victim took to the witness stand to read out his statement and said: "I reported this nearly four years ago. It had been delayed for some time. I have had to deal with this ever since it happened but it was amplified when my family found out. My mental health has been really suffering for two years...

"It all started when I was 13 to 14 years old. I was diagnosed with depression last year and have been given medication to help...I don't think anyone should have to go through this...There are moments where I forget about it and am my happy self again, then I have moments where I cry myself to sleep because I have to face him again.

"This experience has made me realise how strong I am. It made me feel I can take control of my life and move on. I got closure from people listening to me.

"The happy child I once was had to endure explicit sexual abuse and felt trapped because I had to keep it secret and I didn't realise what was happening. It has taken everything in my willpower to come to court today but I will no longer feel embarrassed because I was a child and he was a grown man."

Mitigating, Laura Marshall said Helliwell had no previous convictions on his record. She added there was a doctor's report given to the court. She told Recorder of Sheffield Judge Jeremy Richardson KC: "There are no real concerns - you know hat happened in the cells when he was remanded but the doctor has no real concerns."

The barrister said the delay in proceedings was of no fault of Helliwell, who was first interviewed in 2020 but then not ordered to appear at the magistrates' court until September 2022. She said: "You will see he has been making very good progress while in custody, making the best use of his time there the best he can. He is anxious to know his fate but he is realistic."

The court heard Helliwell's partner killed themselves last year.

Jailing him for seven years Judge Richardson told him: "These were individual and single acts. He was an adolescent boy when these crimes occurred. At the time you were in your early 30s...It appears that he had an infatuation or certain feelings for you. As a consequence, you took advantage of that situation.

"His feelings were reciprocated and this involved the sexual abuse...I have read the psychiatric report against you and I find you made a very real suicide attempt at this court when you were convicted..."

The judge said there was an "element of grooming" and a "breach of trust" committed by Helliwell against his victim. He added: "Although your sexual misconduct was repeated, it was not repeated many times...This was not one of those cases where there is sexual abuse going on for months on end. There were three separate, individual occasions."

The judge made Helliwell the subject of a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his victim for 10 years, and notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A "controlling, manipulative and physically abusive" man subjected a woman to a "sexual mauling" after luring her to a secluded area. The victim told a court the incident had left her feeling "helpless" and on medication.

Grant Young, 33, was convicted of sexual assault following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court. During the incident, he pinned down his victim and attempted to kiss and hug her.

A sentencing hearing on Tuesday heard the defendant was heavily intoxicated at the time of the sexual assault, and had thrown a bottle of Desperados he had been drinking. Sentencing, Judge Simon Mills Esq said: "The incident concluded with you mauling her in a sexual way. That part of the incident was short lived but you manipulated her into being in your company... She was scared of you."

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Ieuan Bennett, the victim said: "My anxiety is still through the roof... I struggle with sleeping and sweat through the night which is linked to my PTSD. I constantly feel I have to fight when I am sleeping. I get scared in the dark.

"I feel tense and my back will spasm and I won't be able to move, I feel helpless. I am on medication because I suffer tremors and panic attacks. I still feel the effect of the abuse from him to this day."

Young, of HMP Cardiff, has 32 previous convictions of offences related violence and drugs. He was reprimanded by Judge Mills after shaking his head in the dock, and was told: "You need to stop living for yourself and listen to what somebody else has to say about you." In mitigation, Peter Donnison said his client had not committed "the most serious sexual offence" and had not touched the victim's breasts or naked skin.

Concluding his sentencing remarks, Judge Mills said: "You are controlling, manipulative and physically abusive towards women.... You are a devious and thoroughly manipulative individual with a quick temper and not without a level of intelligence which can give you a faade of plausibility."

Young was sentenced to one year's imprisonment. He was made subject to a restraining order for 10 years and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A man from Keighley has been sentenced to more than 3 years in jail after he was convicted of 13 indecent images of children offences.

Keith Marsh, 62 of Caister Grove, was found guilty of all 13 charges after a week trial.

The charges were:

• 8 charges of making an indecent photo of a child
• Possession a prohibited image of a child
• Possession of an extreme pornographic image
• Fraudulently evade any duty/prohibition/restriction
• Distribute an indecent photo of a child
• Improper importation of indecent article

On Friday 4 October he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 40 months in prison, made to sign the sex offenders register for life and given a sexual harm prevention order for life.

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A probationary police officer has been jailed for 42 months for sexually assaulting a woman after a night out.

PC James Barrett-Barnett, 25, had already been dismissed by Bedfordshire Police following a misconduct hearing.

After a night out with friends, he had got into bed with a woman and sexually assaulted her.

He admitted his actions but claimed it had been consensual, however he was convicted in April at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Barrett-Barnett of Walsall Road in Walsall was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

Following his conviction, a hearing in July found he had committed gross misconduct and he was sacked.

In his misconduct ruling, the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, Nick Dean, wrote: "There is little doubt in the public’s eye that he has damaged the reputation of the police service and bought discredit to it."

Det Ch Supt Zara Brown, who drives the force’s response to violence against women and girls, said Barrett-Barnett was a probationary officer for a short time and had just completed his initial training when he committed the offences.

"There is no place in society for violence against women, and especially within policing, as it betrays the trust and confidence the public should have in us as a service.

"We will continue to take robust action against anyone who acts in this way.”

She "highly commended" the victim for showing "great bravery by reporting what happened to her, as well as giving evidence during the trial".

"We will never accept this sort of behaviour, consent is paramount and no will always mean no.

"It is never too late to report anything that has happened to you, and we have specialist teams who will work closely with you and will believe you," she added.

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A "prolific" sex offender who molested a Wirral schoolgirl on her way home received a nine-year sentence today.

A judge sentenced Andrew Bradshaw to seven years imprisonment with an extended licence of two years.

"Your record shows you are a prolific and determined sexual offender, in particular against girls of school age," said Judge Alan Conrad, QC.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that on November 14 last year 46-year-old Bradshaw parked up near a pathway in Bidston.

"You decided to take advantage of the fact it was the time of day that school girls would be on their way home.

"You parked up and lay in wait on a quiet residential road and there you saw your victim walking past.

"You got out of your car and followed her down the path and caught up with her and subjected her to a frightening and distressing sexual assault," said Judge Conrad.

After she began screaming and pushed him away, Bradshaw, a painter and decorator, ran to his distinctive black Peugeot 106 and drove back to a house in Chester, where he was working to help establish his alibi.

Bradshaw, of Hoole Way, Chester, denied sexual assault and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, but was convicted by a jury.

The court heard he has convictions in 2002 and last year for indecent exposure and had been jailed for seven years in 2004 for indecently assaulting six women and girls.

He has also been convicted of possessing extreme porn.

Simon Killeen, defending, said that Bradshaw, who was ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life, had dropped his daughter off and the offence had been opportunistic during a small window of opportunity.

Detective Constable Andy Cullen, said: "Bradshaw committed despicable offences against his young victim and thankfully she plucked up the courage to report her ordeal. Her bravery in coming forward means that Bradshaw has now been brought to justice.

"Bradshaw now has seven years in jail to reflect on the torment he put his victim through and the lasting impact it will have on her and her family for the rest of her their lives.

"Hopefully this sentencing will bring her and her family some closure now that justice has been done.

"This was a very thorough investigation by officers from the force. I would like to thank all of those involved in the investigative process who have worked so hard to bring this man to justice."