Latest Offenders

Description

A lewd paedophile took Lego Star Wars sets and a toilet brush to a sordid meetup at a Costa Coffee.

Mark Edwards, 50, brought the gifts and a sex toy, among other troubling items, to the coffee shop - where he had hoped to meet with the parents of a seven-year-old boy, whom he planned to rape. A court heard the convicted sex offender used the pseudonym Daddy4Young on an online fetish forum as he sought out young victims to abuse.

But the paedophile was subject to a sting set up by Merseyside Police. Officers created a profile on a sex fetish and sadomasochism website and posted in a group on the chatroom saying he was "curious about kinks".

Edwards, going under the username "Daddy4Young", contacted the decoy saying he was "interested in talking to a fellow paedophile" and was particularly interested in children aged between seven and 13.

And he was arrested at the coffee shop in Edge Hill, Liverpool, after travelling more than 80 miles from his home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

Online, Edwards went on to discuss having sex with the fictional child, saying he would bring him Lego and wanted to have "nake time" with the youngster, reports Liverpool Echo.

When he was detained on August 19, the bemused pervert asked "how did you know it was me?". Two Star Wars Lego sets, tealights, a sex toy, a bat, shoe laces, a box of Deep Heat and a toilet brush were found during a search of his car.

His mobile phone was seized and was found to have a browser which wipes the user's internet history installed. Edwards also had a stash of 59 indecent images of children stored on the device.

A separate operation by West Midlands Police had seen a second undercover profile set up on the same site, posing as the father of a 12-year-old boy. Edwards began chatting with the officer on August 8, confessing that he wanted a "young boy to be his willing sex slave and torture boy".

The twisted predator spoke about "whipping" his son and again discussed meeting up and having sex with the child. He has one previous set of convictions from 2016 for making and possessing indecent images of children.

On this occasion, Edwards was given a community order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. This banned him from deleting his internet history or installing software which allowed him to conceal his online activities.

But after the latest offences, Edwards was jailed for eight years and handed an extended four-year licence period at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

He admitted two counts of arranging a child sex offence, encouraging sexual activity with a child, three charges of making indecent images, possession of indecent images and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Sentencing, Recorder David Knifton KC said: "It is apparent that you are sexually attracted to children, particularly children between the ages of five and 13 years. These offences were part of a well-established pattern of sexual offending, behaviour against children which has now escalated to the stage of attempted contact with a child.

"You show little insight into what is regarded as significantly distorted thinking and behaviour and the appalling consequences which it could have led to. You pose a high risk of serious harm to children.

"It is clear that you were intent on meeting with other like-minded paedophiles with a view to committing the most serious sex offences, including rape against young children, with little or no regard to the consequences for any potential victims. You are clearly a dangerous offender."

Description

A MANIPULATIVE sexual offender has been sent back to prison.

Adrian Thomas, 29, of Magdalene Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Swansea Crown Court on December 21 where he was sent to prison for further breaches of a sexual harm prevention order.

Thomas had been made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in 2017 after he was convicted of meeting a 16-year-old girl after sexually grooming her online. He received a 16-month prison sentence for the offence.

He appeared before the court today after admitting four counts of breaching the order. Mr Jones, prosecuting, told the court how police went to Thomas house on October 24 and he answered the door but wouldnt let him in, stating he had tested positive for covid.

Mr Jones said: They asked to see the test and could see it was clearly negative. Thomas is said to have told officers he was confused and let them in.

They had a look at his mobile phone which he had been in possession of since April and police were aware of this and saw he had WhatsApp with messages only from the October.

When he was asked why there was no messages on WhatsApp between him and his mother prior to October, he told officers that they had fallen out which was contradicted by the call log on his phone and his mothers statement to police.

Officers also found that he had three social media accounts which were not under his name or a police approved name and that he had not made officers aware of his use of the social media accounts which was part of his conditions under the order.

He had accounts on TikTok and Discord with the username ADECFC92 and on Twitch under ADEYYTG.

He had also been found to have been in contact with a 16-year-old girl on the device and had told her he was 21 and asked if she had a boyfriend or girlfriend.

When interviewed, he said he was confused about the username part of the order and didnt think he had done anything wrong and then answered no comment.

Mr Griffiths, defending, told the court how his client had entered guilty pleas at the first opportunity at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court. He said how Thomas had asked for a pre-sentence report to be completed and that it was a damning read.

His Honour Judge P H Thomas KC who handed him a sentence previously for breaching the order - called Thomas a manipulative and undeterrable man and said that there was no chance of rehabilitation. He told him how he had lied to police and that he wasnt a very good liar.

Judge Thomas said: If you come before the court again, the next sentence will be higher. It is up to you if you want to spend the majority of the next two decades in prison or if you want to do something to sort this out.

Thomas who appeared via video link from Swansea Magistrates Court - was jailed for two years and the sexual harm prevention order remains in force until 2027.

Description

A former priest who abused young boys for almost 20 years has been handed a suspended sentence after he breached a court order.

Disgraced cleric Daniel Gerard Curran was handed a three-month jail term, suspended for three years, today (Thursday) after previously pleading guilty to breaching his lifelong sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

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Description

A high-risk sex offender who preyed on underage girls broke his court order when he bought an internet-enabled television using a benefit payment.

Jason Davidson was caught out when police turned up at his home unannounced and discovered the smart TV in the property at Waterloo Place, Inverness.

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Description

A convicted sex offender disguised his car with fake number plates before going out and masturbating in front of a jogger on a busy main road, a court has heard. Darryl Price opened the door of the parked car and pleasured himself as the lone female passed by on the pavement before getting out of the vehicle and following her. He then jumped back into the car and sped off, and became involved in a high-speed chase with police as he tried to get away.

Swansea Crown Court heard Price has a previous conviction for exposure in similar circumstances when he masturbated in front of a group of teenager girls from a van. Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said on the evening of March 18 this year a female jogger on Margam Road in Port Talbot saw a black Ford Fiesta parked at the side of the road a little way in the distance - the car was facing her, and the passenger door was open

As the jogger approached the vehicle she saw a "smirking" man sat in the passenger seat with his trousers pulled down and his penis in his hand. The court heard Price gestured towards his penis and told her to "put your hand on this" - the woman responded by telling him to f*** ***. The woman continued on her way but Price got out of the Fiesta and began to follow her before turning around, getting back into the car, and speeding off - almost colliding with a passing car as he did so. The incident was reported to police, and the woman was able to give a partial number plate.

The court heard that a short time later an officer on vehicle patrol in Port Talbot spotted a car matching the description of the suspected Ford, and signalled for it to stop. Price responded by speeding away, and the officer gave chase. The prosecutor said the defendant raced through the town at speeds touching 80mph, overtaking numerous cars as he did so and at one point speeding over a zebra crossing on the wrong side of the road. The officer ended the pursuit as Price sped along the A48 dual carriageway towards the M4 junction.

The court heard the PC had been able to note the full number plate of the fleeing car, and checks showed the registration number displayed on the Fiesta actually belonged to a Peugeot registered to a woman living in Bridgend. Officers then set about checking the details of local sex offenders, and the offender manager in charge of Price said the defendant had mentioned to him in passing a few months earlier that he had access to cloned plates.

The Fiesta was subsequently found outside a garage in Cefn Cribwr, and when officers searched it they found a receipt for a McDonald's meal which had been purchased shortly before the Margam exposure - when CCTV from the burger joint's drive-thru was checked it showed Price at the wheel of the car. The fake number plates were found a few days later on farmland near South Cornelly, and tests found the defendant's fingerprints on them. The prosecutor said an examination of automatic number plate recognition cameras from around Port Talbot showed the Fiesta - which actually belonged to Price's mother - was displaying its correct plates shortly before the offence, and it was reasonable to assume Price had fitted the plates that evening in order to carry out the offence and avoid detection.

The court heard Price was arrested on March 25 after police spotted him walking through Pyle - he ran away from the officers through nearby gardens but was chased and caught. Darryl Ashley Price, 29, of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to exposure, dangerous driving, and fraudulent use of a car registration mark when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has previous convictions including for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent - for which he was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 - drug-driving, and drugs and weapons offences. In 2018 he was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison for exposure after he had masturbated in front of a group of teenage girls from the driver's seat of a van in Port Talbot, and had asked them if they "wanted any". He was out of prison on licence for the GBH at the time of the Margam offence, and has since been recalled to prison to serve the rest of that sentence.

Rhodri Chudleigh, for Price, said the defendant had been living with his mother at the time of the incident, and had been using her car. He said his client had three children with three different partners, and was a plasterer by trade. He said Price recognised that his daily use of cannabis was a contributory factor in his offending, and said while in prison he had completed a number of courses including one on thinking skills

Judge Huw Rees described what happened on Margam Road as a "disgraceful incident" which had caused distress to the woman, and he told Price that in doing what he had done he had demeaned his victim and demeaned himself. With a one third discount for his guilty plea to exposure the defendant was sentenced to six months in prison and with a one quarter discount for the plea to the dangerous driving offence to nine months in prison to run consecutively.

He was also sentenced to six months for the number plate offence to run concurrently with the other matters making an overall sentence of 15 months in prison. Price will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also banned from driving for a total of 31 months. Price will be on the sex offenders register for the next seven years.

Description

A taxi driver who planned to collect a 13-year-old girl from school for sex has been jailed.

Naveed Ansari, 46, of Beckside Road, Bradford, exchanged sexual messages with a decoy profile set up by a group of paedophile hunters.

The cabbie sent the 'teenager' a picture of his genitals and arranged to meet her in Leeds.

He was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Bradford Crown Court on Friday after admitting three child sex offences.

Prosecutor Richard Walters told the court Ansari was repeatedly told the girl was only 13 during conversations on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

The married taxi driver, who initially claimed to be aged 20, said he would treat the girl "like a princess" and promised to buy her presents.

"He suggested he would buy her a dress and a bra and he showed her images of a teddy bear he had bought for her," Mr Walters said.

Ansari encouraged the 'girl' to perform sex acts on herself and told her she must keep their conversations secret or they would both get in trouble.

He suggested picking her up from school in his cab and said "no-one would be suspicious because people would think he was just a taxi driver," the prosecutor told the court.

Ansari arranged to meet the girl for the first time in Richmond Hill, Leeds, on 23 October last year.

When he arrived he was confronted by members of the Net Justice online predator hunting group, who detained him until police arrived to arrest him.

Police found Viagra tablets, condoms and a receipt for the playsuit, which he had bought the previous night, in his car. They also discovered indecent and extreme pornographic images on his mobile phone, the court heard.

Ansari pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

'Denial of responsibility'

Katherine Robinson, in mitigation, said Ansari had found it very hard to accept what he had done.

Ansari had lost his family, his reputation and his job as a result of his actions, the barrister added.

Recorder Tahir Khan KC told Ansari the only sentence that could be justified was immediate imprisonment.

The judge added: "I'm satisfied this wasn't just talk. You wanted to meet this 13-year-old child, as you believed her to be.

"You had come prepared. A black playsuit for a 13 to 14-year-old girl was found in the car."

The judge added Ansari, despite his guilty pleas, continued to "deny responsibility" for his crimes.

Ansari will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which prohibits contact with girls aged under 16.

Description

A convicted sex offender went on a burgling spree across Lancashire's Fylde coast, stealing jewellery, electronics and a Mercedes.

Zachary Jackson, 27, took a woman's wedding jewellery and piled up items at another house, ready for a return trip, Preston Crown Court heard. He has now been jailed for three years and three months.

During the first break-in, in June 2022, the householders returned from holiday to find their home in Westbourne Road, Lancaster, had been ransacked.

£500 in cash, and around £7,000 of sentimental jewellery had been taken, Stephen Parker, prosecuting, told the court on Friday (December 23). The homeowner said as a result of the burglary she no longer felt safe in her home and was unable to sleep at night.

"This has caused significant loss t her and her family - not only monetary but sentimental value", Recorder Michelle Brown, sentencing, said.

In September 2022, Jackson, from Blackpool, struck again, targeting a home in Mains Lane, Poulton-le-Fylde. The householders returned to the bungalow at 10.30am on September 3 to discover the gate was open and their Mercedes was missing from the drive. They went inside and found the bedroom had been ransacked with draws pulled out and a wardrobe left open.

A laptop had been taken, along with cash and jewellery including watches and bracelets - valued at around £10,000. Jackson, of Bold Street, was later stopped in the Mercedes, with another person and was arrested.

On October 1, a woman who lived alone at a house in School Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, returned from a friend's house at 9am and discovered she had been burgled. Bookcases had been moved in the living room and the TV cabinet was open. The living room and bedroom were a mess, with items being rummaged through and a Dyson hairdryer had been stolen. An enamel Japanese box had been opened and the contents strewn across the floor, Mr Parker said.

The woman was upset but thought this was 'her time' but a few days later, Murphy returned. On October 5 the woman arrived home at 9am and found a blue Ikea bag had been filled with items, a Bose speaker had been taken and items had been piled up, as if the burglar planned to return for them.

"These incidents have spooked me and I now feel on edge entering my property", she said. A few days later, a man was asleep at his home in Lanefield Drive, Thornton-Cleveleys, and heard a noise. He went back to sleep but when he woke he discovered a vintage electric guitar and a number of other items had been stolen.

CCTV and mobile phone data enquiries led police to an address in Bond Street, where it appeared Jackson had been living. Jackson, who has a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order after being convicted of a sex attack in 2014, had told the police he was homeless but items such as his passport and other documents showed he had been living at the address.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of dwelling house burglary, taking a vehicle without consent and reach of a sexual harm prevention order. He wrote a letter to the court explaining that at the time of the burglaries he was homeless and in the grips of an addiction to class A drugs. He apologised to his victims and said he has worked to tackle his issues while on remand in prison.

Recorder Brown said: "This was a targeted spree of dwelling house burglaries. One was at night and another was a repeat victim."

She jailed Jackson for three years to run concurrently for each of the burglaries with a further two months concurrent for taking the vehicle without consent. In addition, Jackson will serve three months for breach of a sexual harm prevention order by failing to notify the police of his address.

Description

A man who was jailed for sex offences has been returned to prison after giving sweets to children in County Durham.

Kenneth Pybus, aged 75, is banned from having unsupervised contact with children following a conviction in 2019 for carrying out child sexual offences.

Durham Crown Court heard how Pybus had been handed a five year sentence for the crimes by Norwich Crown Court in November 2019. He was later released from prison on licence in February 2022, when he moved to Sacriston and was monitored by police.

However, the court heard how Pybus had begun speaking to children in the area and giving them sweets and dog treats so as to "establish relationships."

When police became aware, he was arrested and recalled to prison.

Pybus pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was handed a 14 month sentence.

In sentencing, Recorder Edward Legard described Pybus' behaviour as "classic grooming techniques".

Description

A married teacher who groomed a 15-year-old boy through Snapchat and had sex with him has been sentenced to six years and two months in prison.

Kandice Barber, 35, of Wendover, Buckinghamshire, had been found guilty of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

She was found not guilty of two further counts of the same offence at a trial in January.

Recorder Bal Dhaliwal said Barber was "beyond despicable".

The court heard the teacher added herself to the victim's Snapchat account in September 2018, exchanging messages with the boy which became sexual within a week.

The judge, sentencing at Aylesbury Crown Court, described how Barber sent the victim pictures "including a topless image" and a live video of a sexual act.

"All of these acts are tantamount to you grooming him and pulling him in, and with significant planning on your part."

The court heard Barber later asked the boy to meet her, going to a private field and having sex with him.

The judge said: "There is no doubt in my mind that you acted in gross breach of trust.

"You took advantage of a child in your care and groomed him for your own sexual gratification."

Barber later told the boy to delete all messages and block her on Snapchat to stop evidence being found, the court heard.

"You remained determined to silence him in whatever way you could," the judge said

Barber had to be tried for a second time after a first trial was unable to reach verdicts on three charges.

In a statement from the victim, read by prosecutor David Povall, he said the stress and anxiety of the trials had caused "poorer-than-expected GCSE results".

This led the victim "to leave the good school he was attending and go to a sixth-form college where none of his friends were".

Mr Povall said: "In summary, [the victim] says that the defendant ... who was supposed to help students make the right decisions instead helped him to make all the wrong decisions."

Barber was also handed a 16-month sentence for causing a child under 16 to watch sexual activity by a person in breach of trust and a further 10-month sentence for sexual communication, to be served concurrently with her main sentence.

She will be required to notify police of her personal details and address for the rest of her life, as well as being barred from working with children and vulnerable adults, and being subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Following the sentencing, the NSPCC stressed the need for victims of child sexual abuse to be properly supported.

A spokesperson for the charity said: "As a teacher, Barber would have been well aware of the vulnerability of young people, and it was her duty to safeguard those in her care.

"But, instead, she exploited her position of trust to groom and abuse this teenage boy for her own sexual gratification."

Description

A WREXHAM man has been jailed after he engaged in sexual chat with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Kevin Griffiths, of Coed Aben, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Thursday.

The 51-year-old had previously admitted two counts of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, one of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, told the court the defendant was made the subject of a 10 year SHPO in 2017.

It prohibited him from using any website to contact anyone he knew or suspected to be under 16 years old, as well as sending unsolicited sexual images to anyone.

He was handed a suspended sentence in 2020 for failing to comply with notification requirements under the sexual offences act.

In the current offences, Mr Treadwell explained that over the course of 10 days in January this year, Griffiths contacted someone he believed to be a young girl online, introducing himself under a different name.

He was told very quickly by the person he was speaking to that she was 14.

But in fact this was a decoy account, not a real child.

Despite what he had been told, Griffiths continued the conversation - which he turned increasingly sexual.

He went on to suggest the girl engage in sex acts and sent her a picture of his naked genitalia.

Police attended his home on January 16 this year and arrested him, seizing his phone.

Simon Rogers, defending, told the court that at no point did his client attempt to meet the girl he believed he was speaking to, and that the contact had been over a limited period of time.

"When one looks at the messages, he explained, "there's no sophistication to them.

"In fairness to him, he has not sought to minimise his involvement - he accepts full responsibility.

"The conclusion of a psychiatric report states he is experiencing features of a persistent complex bereavement disorder, and there may also be the presence of a neurological developmental disorder.

Description

On 19 August 2022, Harrison Langford began using online chat applications to groom a 13-year-old girl. His messages became almost immediately sexual in nature and he encouraged her to share explicit images.

Langford, 28, travelled from his home in King Street to Kent on 3 September, to meet the child. He picked her up in his BMW, before sexually abusing her in the car. He repeated the same acts the following day.

A week later, on 10 September, Langford returned to Maidstone having booked a hotel room. This time he picked up his victim, took her to the hotel room, and repeatedly abused her.

Shortly after, the girl reported the offences to Kent Police and Langford was arrested at the hotel.

Langford appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 14 December, where he pleaded guilty to four offences, including grooming and sexual activity with a child.

Langford was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and has been made subject of an extended licence period of three years, as well as a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer, PC Marcus Easter from the West Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, said, ‘Langford purposefully targeted and groomed a child. He repeatedly subjected her to sexual abuse, exploiting her for his own gratification, all the while fully aware of the profound and lasting damage his actions would have.

‘We are grateful to the victim for her bravery in coming forward and hope that today’s sentencing offers her some comfort.

‘Kent Police is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and protecting those at risk, and we have dedicated teams working across the county to support victims and convict offenders.’

Description

A MAN has been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young child.

His offending was described as predatory. 

Steven Abbott, 45, from Scholes, Cleckheaton, was sentenced to seven years in prison and made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Leeds Crown Court today (Friday, December 16).

He was convicted of six sexual offences, including sexual assault and sexual touching.

The 45-year-old was found guilty by a jury in July this year.

Following his release from prison, he will be required to sign on the sexual offences register.

DC Alexis Stansfield, who led the investigation, welcomed the sentencing of Abbott for his "predatory sexual offences". 

She said: “He has put the young victim and her family through a dreadful ordeal, compounded by then denying his guilt to the very end and making them go through the added experience of a trial.

“We hope seeing justice being done will bring some comfort to the victim and her family.

“All reports of sexual offences are thoroughly investigated by specialist detectives and we continue to encourage victims to come forwards to allow us and partner agencies to provide support and seek justice for them.”

Description

An extended sentence has been imposed on a man who carried out sexually-motivated offences in Folkestone and Hythe.

Connor Baker followed an 18-year-old woman along a path near the Royal Military Canal, Hythe on Sunday 11 July 2021, before putting his hands around her waist.

The victim managed to get free of his grip and ran to Rampart Road, where she was seen by a group of her friends as they drove past.

They then drove to join another group of friends at Hythe Green. Baker was seen by the group, who asked him to explain his actions.

He became aggressive and swung an asp-type weapon at the group before leaving the area. Police arrived and Baker was later identified as a suspect.

Further offences

Further to that incident, Baker knocked on the front door of a woman who was not known to him in Folkestone on Friday 12 November 2021.

He managed to get into the property and grabbed the woman, trying to kiss her. She got him out of her home but he climbed upon a conservatory and looked in an upstairs window, damaging the victim's property in the process.

The incident was reported to police and Baker was arrested at the scene, after jumping into a nearby garden. He was later charged with a number of offences.

Court

Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Baker was found guilty of assault with intent to commit a sexual offence and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to the first incident; and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, and damaging property in relation to the second incident.

On Friday 9 December 2022, the 24-year-old, formerly of Appledore Crescent, Folkestone, was given a nine-year sentence and ordered to serve an extra four years on licence.

Description

A bus driver repeatedly raped and sexually as well as physically abused five teenage girls - and left them feeling suicidal. The majority of the girls were underage when he preyed on them, a court heard.

Lee Williams, 32, of Cardiff, groomed his victims by buying them jewellery, cuddly toys and food while lying about his age. Once in a relationship with the victims, he raped them and subjected them to further degrading sexual acts which left them injured and crying.

Addressing a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “We say the defendant sexually abused these children to satisfy his desire for sexual activity with children under the age of consent. He took advantage of their immaturity and in some cases vulnerability in order to carry out these offences.”

Williams began abusing the first victim when she was 15 years old after they had met when he was driving a bus. He told her he “liked younger girls” and raped her a number of times. After being raped, she was physically sick. In a victim personal statement, the first victim said she was bullied at school and suffering from depression, which Williams took advantage of.

She said: “He raped me, plied me with drugs and would make it seem like it was my fault. I wondered if I had done something wrong to make him treat me like this... He was also a feeder and plied me with takeaways. I put on four stone in eight months.” The victim said she tried to take her own life due to the abuse.

The second victim was over the age of consent when Williams raped her. She met him through the first victim and he started buying her gifts. He then raped and strangled her numerous times. On one occasion he strangled her until she lost consciousness while he was raping her. He also raped her while she was asleep and sexually assaulted her, which caused her injuries. Without her consent, he placed her on a dating website and tried to force her into having a threesome.

In her victim personal statement, she said Williams would drive to remote locations and would point a toy BB gun at her.

She added: “He saw I was vulnerable and took advantage of it. He took my bank card and transferred money to himself. He isolated me and I couldn’t do anything without him. That’s when the abuse started. I felt the only way out was to take my own life.”

The victim was frightened when he strangled her and “thought he was going to kill her”. The third victim came into contact with Williams when she was 14 years old. They had sex after her 15th birthday. He went on to rape her and turned his attention to his fourth victim. A court heard he abused the latter two victims in a van.

He told the third victim to delete pictures and to lie about their relationship. She said: “I was unhappy because of what Lee was doing to me.” The court was told that she now suffers flashbacks and nightmares.

The fourth victim was told by Williams to “keep quiet” or they would get into trouble. She later told police :“I don’t like my body because I know he has touched it... I don’t like being around men anymore.”

The fifth victim was 13 years old when the abuse began, after Williams contacted her on Snapchat and told her he was 18. He took her to McDonald’s and pressured her into having sex. They met further times and had sex and he offered her amphetamines and cannabis. The defendant later sexually assaulted her and raped her, despite her telling him to get off, before telling her: “You’ll get used to it in time.”

Williams also told the girl to wear school uniform and that he wanted to have sex with an 11-year-old. As well as being physically abusive - which included punching her in the stomach - he sent her messages saying “I just raped you.”

She said: “I would like to know why he did what he did to me. I will never know.”

Williams, of Brynheulog, Pentwyn, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to 12 counts of rape, 14 counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of assault by penetration. He had previously been convicted of benefit fraud and possession of class B drugs.

In mitigation, the court heard the defendant acknowledged his behaviour and was willing to engage in rehabilitative work. Defence barrister Christopher Rees said his client’s best mitigation was his early guilty plea.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd said: “Your behaviour has caused significant trauma to them all, some of your victims have felt guilty but they have nothing to be guilty about. The guilt and the responsibility all lie with you.”

Williams was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of nine years and four months. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining order in respect of all his victims indefinitely.

Description

A Newton Aycliffe vicar and an Alnwick priest have been jailed for their sickening historic abuse of young boys.

George Granville Gibson was the vicar of a Newton Aycliffe church in the late 1970s when he indecently assaulted a teenager. Durham Crown Court heard that Gibson a leader of a church group and committed the offences during rehearsals for a pantomime and then later at a house party following the show's run.

Judge James Adkin said Gibson would "seek out" a young man and indecently assault him "in the company of others" by rubbing against his body and "appeared to enjoy" their presence.

Gibson, who is now 86-year-old, was found guilty of two indecent assaults after being convicted by a jury and jailed for 21 months. He will be on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

Sentencing Gibson in November, Judge Adkin said: "You were the Parish priest, revered and completely trusted to promote Christian values in the community. Sex offenders in positions of authority must know they will be sent to prison if they abuse children in the community."

In December, Chronicle Live reported how another clergyman was locked up for carrying out sex attacks on a young boy.

Perverted priest David Taylor, from Alnwick, ruined the life of a young boy with sickening sex attacks in a church and on Holy Island. The court heard the abuse happened in a church vestry, at a retreat on Holy Island, in an old convent and also during a trip to a football tournament.

Prosecutor Vince Ward said: "These were religious venues where he would have expected to be safeguarded but wasn't."

The victim said the first time it happened was when he was put under Taylor's gown and made to do a sex act.

The victim kept his abuse a secret for four decades, fearing he would never be believed over the trusted churchman. Now he finally has justice after Taylor was convicted of ten offences, of indecency with a child and indecent assault.

The victim said: "I was angry and confused and started to blame myself for what happened. I felt disgusted I had allowed Father Taylor to abuse me in the way he had.

"The abuse has affected my work life and my personal relationships. My anger issues have caused many of my relationships to break down and I believe this is because of my childhood abuse. My mental health has suffered also."

Newcastle Crown Court heard Taylor had been convicted of five offences of indecent assault against boys in the 1980s in 2009 when he was jailed for 30 months. And in 2017 he got a suspended sentence for another count of indecent assault.

Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced Taylor, of Angel Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland, to 13 years in prison for his latest offences and he must sign the sex offenders register for life. The judge told Taylor he'd had a sexual interest in boys from an early stage in his career, having been ordained in 1977.

Judge Clemitson said: "There were so many occasions he can't recall them. It seems to him there were hundreds of them because it happened so often in various places. Throughout this long process you have protested your innocence, saying you had no recollection of him. That clearly can't be true.

"His victim impact statement describes the devastating impact your abuse has had for the last 40 years - that's almost the entirety of his life he has had to live under the shadow of what you did to him as a child.

"He was particularly vulnerable due to his age, where he was - in the vestry on his own and away from home at Holy Island, separated from others in your bedroom."

Lorraine Mustard, defending, said Taylor continues to protest his innocence.