Latest Offenders

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A sexual predator who abused vulnerable females has been jailed for 29 years after being categorised as a "dangerous offender."

Roy Foster, 63, raped two young girls and tried to rape another. He abducted his fourth victim by tempting her away with the offer of choosing a toy.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Foster abducted the girl with the intention of committing a sexual offence. On Monday, Foster appeared in court, via video link from Durham prison, wearing a white shirt and a grey pullover.

Ian West, prosecuting, told the court that Foster had four victims - and each girl was vulnerable. He indecently assaulted his first victim and later raped her.

The attacks happened over 30 years ago and in a statement, the victim said: "For years and years, I've kept what happened a secret from my family and friends. It has eaten me alive from the inside out. He's been able to go about his life as he wanted to."

The woman reported Foster to the police in March 2023. The court heard that years later, Foster tried to rape his second young victim, after "plying her with alcohol" when he was drunk himself. "It would seem she was specifically targeted," Mr West said, "because he could rely on her not to resist."

Foster raped his third victim twice. The Middlesbrough court heard that Foster supplied her with drink and drugs. In court, she stood up to speak of her "anger, frustration and sadness" over what Foster did to her.

He targeted his fourth victim by offering her the chance of choosing a toy, if she came with him. The child went with Foster but a member of the public intervened.

Children's toys in bedroom

Mr West said that when police searched Foster's home, they found children's' toys in one of the bedrooms. "He had no children or grandchildren of that age," Mr West said. Foster, of Low Grange Avenue in Billingham, was convicted of all eight offences by a jury, after a trial in January.

He was found guilty of sexual activity with a child; three counts of child rape; sexual assault; abducting a child with the intent to commit a sexual offence; and two counts of attempted rape. Foster appeared to close his eyes for periods of time as the court heard mitigation from Paul Cleasby.

Mr Cleasby said that "there was no evidence that one of Foster's victims was affected by the alcohol he gave her. Alcohol wasn't used to facilitate this offence - it can't be said to have diminished her capabilities. Nothing I say is intended to diminish the seriousness of the offences against her."

Foster's barrister told the court that his client "collected bric-a-brac of all descriptions" rather than just toys for young children. He said that a psychiatric report had found that Foster is of "extremely low intelligence and has a learning disability".

"It's hard to understand if he knew the impact of his offending on others," Mr Cleasby added.

'Sense of sexual entitlement'

Judge Jonathan Carroll told Foster that, "in their different ways, all of your victims had some degree of vulnerability and in one way or another, all of them suffered at your hands. Despite your intellectual limitations, you had sufficient intellect to modify your grooming.

"You still don't recognise your criminal offending. You still continue to display, even at your stage in life, a sense of sexual entitlement."

The judge told Foster that he qualified for an extended sentence because he is a "dangerous offender." Foster was handed a 32-year sentence, made up of a 29-year prison term and a three-year period on extended licence, in the community. He will serve two-thirds of the 29-years before he is eligible for release. He must sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

After the sentencing, Detective Constable James Limon said: “This case was a collaborative effort by Stockton CID, the Complex Exploitation Team and the Domestic Abuse Unit. Roy Foster is a dangerous sexual predator who targeted and abused vulnerable females, both adult and children, over the last 40 years.

“His youngest victim managed to escape harm thanks to the quick-thinking actions of a member of the public. Had that not occurred, Roy Foster would have likely committed further offences against that child.

Description

A sex offender who served a lengthy prison sentence for repeatedly raping a young girl is now back behind bars for similar historic offences on a boy.

John Patrick Harrop, then 25, and from Darlington, received an indefinite prison sentence for public protection at Teesside Crown Court, in 2012, after admitting six specimen counts of rape and two of sexual assault on a girl under 13.

The judge passing sentence branded him as posing “a very high risk of sexual and emotional harm” to young vulnerable males and females.

That sentence was subsequently varied on appeal to one of ten years, with eight years’ extended licence period.

Durham Crown Court was told he was released from that sentence at the mid-point in the custodial element, and subsequently performed well under probation licence supervision with his risk factor to children lowered to “medium”, as he was said to have since been “re-integrated” into the community.

But, following a further complaint, made in 2021, about Harrop’s past sexual conduct, this time from someone who was a young boy at the time of the abuse, the defendant faced further charges, this time which he denied.

After a three-day trial at the court early last month, the now 37-year-old defendant, of Woodbine Road, Pity Me, Durham, was convicted on unanimous guilty verdicts of three counts of rape and two of sexual assault.

An impact statement was read to yesterday's (Monday May 13) sentencing hearing by his latest victim.

He told the court he felt that the defendant “took my childhood away”, adding: “As I grew older I realised what happened to me was so wrong, without speaking up about it.”

Robin Patton, prosecuting, said there has been no further offending by the defendant, who has undertaken courses under the direction of the Probation Service.

Jonathan Walker, for Harrop, said the offences for which the defendant was previously convicted have “many of the hallmarks” of the offences before the court now.

“They are ugly, horrible offences, but, arguably, not as grave as the offences for which he was convicted in 2012.”

Mr Walker described them as, “relics of the past”, since when the defendant has spent a lengthy period of incarceration.

“He was as close to having been a model ex-prisoner as can be imagined and his behaviour since his release has seen a complete lack of any offences.

“He impressed all of those with a professional obligation to look after him.

“These offences presented themselves in 2021 and he’s now to be separately sentenced for something which was part of the same pattern of sex offending.

“He’s served a lengthy period of imprisonment and this type of warped behaviour won’t be repeated.”

Recorder Tony Hawks said he accepted there was something of “an overlap” in the offences for which the defendant has spent a long time locked up and those for which he is before the court now.

But he said the complainant in this case made no disclosure at the time and the offending only came to light in relatively recent years.

Recorder Hawks said he noted from the probation documents before the court that the defendant continues to deny these offences and so he will receive no discount on his sentence, despite having committed no further offences in recent years.

He noted, however, that the defendant is no longer considered “a dangerous offender”, although he would be sentencing him as, “an offender of particular concern”.

As such, Harrop must serve two-thirds of the eight-year sentence imposed by Recorder Hawks before being eligible for release on parole.

He told the defendant: “If you admitted these offences when you admitted the others you would not be in the position you are in now.”

Harrop will also be subject to lifetime notification requirements as a sex offender.

Description

A 64-year-old who committed a sexual assault at a Glenrothes soft play centre has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

John McDowell, of Tofthill, Glenrothes, carried out the attack at Jumpin’ Jacks in the town’s Fullerton Road on June 30 last year.

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A Metropolitan Police officer granted anonymity at a misconduct hearing despite being a convicted sex offender has finally been named and shamed.

PC Alex Law, 43, was pictured for the first time after his brave victim - who was under the age of 10 - came forward to speak of her two decades of fear and shame.

Law, then 15, twice indecently assaulted the girl who had been out playing in woods near his hometown of Hexham, Northumberland - 20 miles west of Newcastle - in 1996.

Law then secured a job with the Met any years later and hid his dark secret.

But in December 2022, the victim finally decided she had suffered in silence for too long and reported him to Northumbria Police.

Controversially, Law was allowed to remain anonymous at a Scotland Yard misconduct hearing on April 25 – three days after being sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Newcastle Crown Court.

Known only as Officer A, the force said he had pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting a female under the age of 14. Law was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

In an interview, the victim told The Journal newspaper in Newcastle: “He’s ruined my life. I could have been somebody so different.”

While Law got on with his life as a respected custody officer in London, hers spiralled downwards and she struggled to cope.

She said: “Growing up I felt like I was a weirdo, I felt dirty.

“He made me hate myself. I have made some not great life choices and been in some violent relationships because of him.”

The woman claimed Law sent her a picture of himself in his Met uniform, which encouraged her to come forward and speak up about “monster Alex” to protect other women.

Law, of Cedar Drive in Dartford, Kent and attached to Met Detention, was dismissed without notice by Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills.

Law apologised and recognised it would be unlikely he would ever have been a police officer if the circumstances were known at the time.

Northumbria Police Detective Constable Phil Trotter, who led the investigation, said on Tuesday: “This conviction was only possible because of the bravery shown by the victim.

“She found the courage to speak out and trusted that our officers would listen and fully investigate what happened.

“I hope her brave actions act as an inspiration to other victims, who may feel it is too late to report historic abuse.

“It is never too late to come forward, and as a Force, we are committed to supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”

Met Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox added: “I am grateful to Northumbria Police for their investigation.

“He is now serving a prison sentence and has rightly been swiftly dismissed from the Met.

“We remain committed to ensuring those who are not fit to police are removed from the organisation.”

Description

Yesterday, Monday 13 May 2024, Stephen Newmarch (12/08/1966) of Broomfield Close in Bolton was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment after being found guilty of 15 sexual offences against two victims following re-trial at Manchester Crown Court in March 2024. The victims, now in their 30’s, gave evidence at his trial.

He will be on the Sex Offender's Register for life as well as being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

This case arose after victims came forward to police in 2020, stating that Newmarch had been responsible for sexually abusing them in early 2000's, whilst he was an Educational Welfare Officer and a foster carer in Bury.

The court heard how one of the men made a statement to the police regarding a holiday he had been on with Newmarch and others when he was 14 years old. Newmarch had inappropriately touched him and when reported to other adults on the trip, he passed it off as “play fighting”.

Both of the victims reported being foster children in the care of Newmarch when sexual abuse occurred.

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AN ABUSER who sexually assaulted two young children has been jailed after they went to the police more than 30 years after their ordeals, court reporter Ted Davenport writes.

Darren Medland touched the boy and girl when they were aged six to 12 in the 1980s and 1990s and he was only a few years older.

He carried out one sexual attack when he was on holiday at Butlins in Minehead.

His crimes remained undetected for decades until one victim contacted the police and the other came forward.

He denied all the allegations until the day he was due to stand trial at Exeter Crown Court earlier this year.

He was jailed after a judge told him that he had caused psychological damage which would blight the lives of the two victims.

Medland, aged 54, of Coopers Drive, Barnstaple, admitted 16 offences of indecent assault or indecency with a child and was jailed for eight years by Judge James Adkin at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: Your offending has affected the victims entire adult life. One suffers from night terrors and flashbacks.

You have acquired another sexual conviction since these offences, so you cannot be considered of good character.

Miss Emily Pitts, prosecuting, said carried out most of the abuse while he was aged between 14 and 22 and living in Barnstaple in the 1980s. He carried out one assault while on holiday at Butlins in Minehead.

The assaults consisted of touching over and under clothes and the most serious offence would now be categorised as an assault by penetration of a child under 13.

Mr Nick Lewin, defending, said Medland had himself been the victim of childhood sexual abuse and had grown up in a dysfunctional household. He has managed to live a law-abiding life for most of his adulthood.

Description

A 70-year-old man who carried out an "appalling catalogue" of sexual abuse against boys over three decades has been jailed.

Keith Lockwood, of Park Lane in Keighley, was described as a serial child abuser by detectives.

His offending took place in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s across the Kirklees district.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Lockwood had committed sexual offences, including gross indecency with a child and indecent assault, against seven boys aged under 16.

He was jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of 23 non recent sexual offences committed over a 30-year period.

The pensioner is currently on the Sex Offenders register and will remain so for life.

DC Gilly Hodds, who investigated the case, said: "Lockwood was found guilty by a unanimous guilty verdict of an appalling catalogue of offending against victims who were young and vulnerable.

"He forced those victims to relive the dreadful offences he committed against them by putting them through the ordeal of a trial, and I am pleased for them that the jurors saw through his attempts to evade answering for what he has done."

She added: "Victims in this case demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward and supporting both the police and CPS in taking action against a man who has been a serial abuser of children whilst in a position of trust."

Description

A sex offender blackmailed another and threatened to expose him to his wife after hacking into his social media. Joseph Hutchinson, 33, targeted convicted sex offender Gareth Mellor after messaging him on KIK and hacking his way into his social media.

Both men have since been sentenced for indecent images offences.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Hutchinson had previously been sentenced for making indecent images and causing a computer to perform a function which was unauthorised. Prosecutor John Bottomley said: "He hacked two females' phones and extracted topless photographs of them. He threatened to distribute them if they didn't send more."

Hutchinson was given a suspended sentence in 2022 for the crimes, and was subject to a sexual harm prevention order. Despite this, he went on to make more indecent images of children between January 2019 and February 2023 and between December 2020 and April 2021, blackmailed Mellor. Police discovered his crimes against him after Mellor's arrest.

Mr Bottomley said: "He [Mellor] had two internet accounts associated with an email which contained a huge amount of indecent images of children. He was sentenced in December last year. During the investigation and IP login with the same email address showed it was being used by another party..."

That led police to Hutchinson and during that arrest images were discovered on a Samsung phone. Mr Bottomley said: "It was taken from a vehicle, not within the property. He was arrested and interviewed and made admissions that he pictures would be found and said he had been blackmailing the other man."

It was said that in total, Mellor paid Hutchinson, of Clifford Court in Ossett, £3,102.98, after he threatened to expose him to his wife. Mr Bottomley said: "He [Mellor] said he met the defendant sometime around 2018 or 2019 while searching for illegal pornography. He was directed to KIK by the defendant and in 2020, the defendant offered to sell him a megalink to pornography for £200.

"In 2020 he said he got a message from the defendant, 'You better get onto Kik now I know what you are and what you do.' He said he had been arrested and threatened to expose him to his wife unless he paid him money. He correctly told him [Mellor] his full address, causing him to panic. He requested money through a crypto website..."

The court heard Hutchinson continued to make demands for payment after Mellor's arrest, but he did not send any more money "Because people knew about his offending" but he "still felt anxious."

Hutchinson went on to plead guilty to blackmail and making indecent images. Mitigating, Steven Smithson, said the images offences spanned before and after a sexual harm prevention order being put in place. He added: "The defendant has reconciled to a custodial sentence. He hasn't put forward any weak protestations."

His Honour Judge Khan KC jailed Hutchinson for 38 months, telling him his offending is "more serious because of that previous conviction going back to June 2022."

Description

A dad downloaded thousands of sick sexual images of children and stashed them on laptops and hard-drives in his family home.

Martin Mannion, of Springhill Court, Wavertree, amassed his "catalogued library of images" between November 2022 and March 2023. He was caught when police carried out an investigation into those using file-sharing software to make and distribute images of child sex abuse. One IP address, which was used to access a folder containing 4,461 indecent images of children, was traced to a Virgin Media account belonging to Mannion, 61.

Officers attended Mannion's house shortly after 9am, on June 29 2023, while his 11-year-old son was at school. They seized two laptops and two external hard-drives, found to contain thousands of items of child pornography.

In total, officers found 28 images and 30 videos of the most serious category A, four images and six videos category B, and 6,004 images and 54 videos category C. The images were kept in a number of folders on each of his devices, including one marked with his initials, and another called "photos to keep".

Mannion pleaded guilty to the possession of 6,058 of indecent images of children, and three counts of making indecent images of children (categories A, B and C). He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, May 10, for sentence.

Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said: "The content of these videos are sadly typical of the type of abuse that this court sees. In each of these videos, in each of these images, there is an abused child somewhere in the world. In terms of victim impact, it's a global trade."

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said: "During the time between his arrest and thereafter it has been extremely sobering for him and very difficult. It's of course not only difficult for him, but for his immediate family and his son. His wish, his hope, is that he can soon regain the trust of his family, in particular his wife and his son."

He added: "Having worked 40 years of employment for his family, for his son and his wife, he then went off the rails, and one can only look at his personal circumstances to see perhaps an explanation, an understanding that something changed for him.

"This is a man crying out for assistance. He needs it. He lost his employment as a result of his arrest, and many would say so he should. It had an effect on his wife and son. He gained two alternative places in employment and he lost those again because of the proceedings." He said Mannion, who has no previous convictions, had to rely on his brother for financial support as a result.

Judge Mark Ainsworth said: "It needs to be emphasised this is not a victimless crime. Far from it. Behind each and every photograph is a child being sexually abused. We may never know who they are, we may never know where they are, but the images show children being sexually abused, and plainly that's a matter that the public and indeed the courts find abhorrent, and rightly so. The assumption must be made that if it were not for people like yourself, there would be no marketplace for these images."

He sentenced Mannion to a total of 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He also ordered him to complete two rehabilitation courses and 160 hours of unpaid work, and made a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Description

A former Fife Tory councillor found guilty of two sex attacks against children in Glenrothes has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Michael Green’s first victim told a trial he massaged her legs, put his hand under her shorts and touched her as she watched X Factor on TV, when she was aged ten.

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A sexual predator who attacked two women on Metrolink trams has been branded as posing a 'risk to females'. Tahir Ali, 37, groped a student after sitting next to her, and weeks later pressed his body against the bottom of a 16-year-old girl for his own sexual pleasure, in front of her mother.

University student Ali has been banned from using trams indefinitely after targeting his victims who were complete strangers, and had boarded trams at Exchange Square on the Rochdale and Oldham line. Manchester Crown Court heard that he has an 'appalling' criminal history, and has six previous offences of sexual assault on his record.

His lawyer said Ali's deviant behaviour is a 'compulsion' which he has been 'unable to resist'. Remorseless Ali, from Oldham, forced his victims to give evidence in court after he refused to admit his crimes. He was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty.

Prosecuting, Nick Ross told how Ali’s first victim noticed that he was staring at her while she waited to board a tram at Exchange Square on November 14 last year. When she got on the tram, Ali sat behind her but then moved to sit directly next to her.

Ali then began to move his hands up and down her leg ‘in a sexual manner’, Mr Ross said. He got up when the woman asked him to stop.

Weeks later, Ali boarded another Rochdale bound tram at Exchange Square, on December 22 last year. His 16-year-old victim was with her mother on the busy tram when she noticed a man pressing against her bottom.

When she turned around she saw that Ali’s penis was erect. Ali left the tram at Failsworth, where the girl’s mother shouted at him. He proceeded to board another tram heading back into the city centre.

“It is horrifying that you sexually assaulted a 16-year-old victim as her own mother was present in the tram carriage,” Judge Tom Gilbart told Ali. “You were travelling on the Metrolink system for the purposes of sexual gratification.”

Ali’s first victim said his behaviour was ‘disgusting’. In a statement read to the court, she said: “I don’t feel comfortable sitting on my own on the tram. I was scared at the time that he would follow me home.”

The 16-year-old said: “I felt like I couldn’t do anything to stop the male touching me. I felt like the male had power over me. I don’t want to see this male on the tram again. He is a risk to females. I want him to know that he can’t get away with what he has done to me.”

Mr Ross said of Ali, who was caught out on Metrolink CCTV cameras: “The Crown suggests he is a persistent sexual predator.” His previous sexual assaults include attacks on a woman in a shop and in a library.

When he was interviewed by a probation officer prior to sentencing, Ali continued to ‘completely deny’ his wrongdoing and claimed he’d been ‘set up’.

Defending, David Morton said Ali was enrolled in the first year of a business and finance university course prior to his incarceration. He said of Ali’s behaviour: “These are compulsions that he has been hitherto unable to resist.”
A sexual harm prevention order was imposed indefinitely, to prevent Ali from using the Metrolink system. Ali, of Kelverlow Street, Oldham, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender was snared by artificial intelligence as he flouted a strict court order by viewing perverted internet images of children.

Thomas Young, 34, had appeared at Carlisle Crown Court a decade ago when he was sentenced for inciting a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

As part of the punishment, Young was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). This imposed tough curbs on his online use for an indefinite period.

Young was twice brought back to court for breaching the SOPO, once in 2023 and then again in early February when he received a suspended prison sentence.

But within days of being spared jail, Young flouted the order once more.

“Police were first alerted on March 15 of this year by e-safe global software installed on the defendant’s phone,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told the city’s crown court.

“That software captures and screenshots any activity which the artificial intelligence detects to be of a suspicious or concerning nature.”

On that date, two indecent category C images were logged. Three days later, a further four were detected along with one image classed in category A — the most serious — involving a girl aged 12 to 14 years.

All images had been accessed via the Telegram platform. And Mr Burke said analysis showed that from February 11 — just days after his last crown court appearance — and March 18, Young had installed and then uninstalled the Telegram application a dozen times.

This was a flagrant breach of the SOPO, which was designed to make all such data available for scrutiny, and display internet history.

In addition, Young was found to have flouted sex offender notification requirements by failing to disclose two online usernames which had been active around the turn of this year.

When brought to court Young admitted making indecent photographs of a child, breaching the SOPO and twice flouting the notification requirements.

The category A image, said Mr Burke, had been captured by Young from a video of two hours, 31 minutes’ duration.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith, mitigating, said of Young: “He can provide no real explanation as to why he finds himself in the position that he does.”

Young had been “lonely” and taken cocaine which, he suggested, may have altered his judgement and failed to impress upon him the consequences of his actions.

Judge Nicholas Barker jailed Young, latterly of Warwick Square, Carlisle, for 18 months. New strict court orders placing restrictions on him, and an obligation to regularly provide police with personal information, were imposed for 10 years.

“You knew that by doing those actions you were likely putting yourself, not just at risk, but of receiving an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Barker told Young.

Description

A serial sex offender from Cupar caught with an unauthorised mobile phone days after being convicted for possessing child abuse images for the second time has been jailed.

David Adamson was told he was lucky to have dodged a prison sentence in 2021 after admitting possessing indecent images.

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Description

A Cleckheaton man who sexually abused children over three decades has been jailed after being found guilty of more than 30 sexual offences.  

George Thorley (74) of Moorbottom in Cleckheaton was sentenced to 27 years at Leeds Crown Court on May 8 for committing 32 sexual offences, including rape, between the 1970s and 1990’s in locations across England.

The 74-year-old was described as posing a genuine danger to children by detectives who welcomed his conviction for offending in Durham, London and West Yorkshire.  

He was jailed for one offence of rape, multiple indecent assaults and other serious sexual offences and will also have to register on the sexual offences register for life.  

Leeds Crown Court heard that Thorley had committed offences against seven child victims, both boys and girls, with the first offence taking place in 1973 and the last occurring in 1995.  

The matters came to police attention after three of the victims, one each from West Yorkshire, London and Durham, came forward independently of each other to their respective police forces over a 12-month period, with the West Yorkshire report being made in 2021.  

These reports led to police enquires being launched in all three police force areas, resulting in seven victims being identified in total; two in West Yorkshire, four in the London area and one in Durham.  

Due to the suspect living in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire Police took primacy for the investigation.  

Thorley was arrested in March 2021 and eventually charged with multiple sexual offences in 2022.

Description

A Doncaster man who raped a woman, before falsely imprisoning her and subjecting her to a campaign of violent abuse has been jailed for over nine years.

David Flatters, 22, waited for his victim to fall asleep before raping her, and later issued a series of chilling threats in a desperate bid to keep his violent behaviour a secret.

He told her he would "send people round to her family's house" and that he was going to "watch her take her last breath" after Flatters' brutal attacks left her with a catalogue of horrific injuries.

She suffered bruises, bleeding to the head, a black eye and cuts to her face - and on one occasion, Flatters lured his victim to the woods, beat her with sticks and stood on the back of her neck while she was face down in the dirt and unable to breathe.

Investigation Officer Rowan Bradbury, who works for Doncaster's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said:

"Flatters' offending was savage, calculated and wicked as he subjected his victim to vile abuse both physically and mentally.

"She was understandably terrified of him and I want to praise her courage and fortitude in coming forward to tell us about the abuse she had endured at his hands.

"It can't have been easy for her and I can't imagine the terror she must have endured but it was her testimony that helped secure a lengthy custodial sentence for Flatters."

Flatters was arrested by officers and brought into custody before being charged with multiple offences.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, false imprisonment, strangulation, common assault, intimidation and escaping from lawful custody. 

Flatters was sentenced to a total of nine years and five months in jail during a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court last Wednesday (1 May).

He must then spend an additional two years on licence, with Flatters also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for an indefinite period.

The terms of the SHPO mean that Flatters, of Cranbrook Road, Wheatley, must also inform the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) whenever he enters into a new relationship with another person.