Latest Offenders

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Steven Hicks, 60, was one of the healthcare professionals who had been providing care to a woman after she was released from hospital following a fall.

On 5 January 2022, wearing medical clothing and disguised with a surgical mask and thick-rimmed glasses, he made an unscheduled evening visit to the woman’s home in Earley, where he sexually assaulted her. 

Hicks denied the assault, but a jury found him guilty after the Crown Prosecution Service presented forensic and phone evidence linking him to the offence. 

Hicks’ DNA was found to match that found on the woman’s body and clothing, and phone location data disputed his claim he was at home that night, indicating he was more likely to have been near the woman’s address. 

This evidence was supported by a detailed account from the victim about what happened to her, and footage from her video doorbell confirming someone had come to her home that evening.

Hicks had accessed the woman’s clinical records several times while she was receiving out-of-hospital care, often when he was on annual leave and had no reason to check them. The woman had cancelled any further evening care on 4 January; however, Hicks visited her the next evening having checked her records again that day.

Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Shilpa Shah said: “This was a shocking crime carried out by someone in a trusted profession. Steven Hicks knew the victim was vulnerable and that no other carers were due to visit her that evening, and he used his position to gain access to her home to assault her, in her own bedroom. 

“Hicks denied the charges against him, but we were able to present evidence to the court clearly linking him to the assault. His DNA matched that found on the victim and her clothing, and his phone data placed him near her home at the time of the offence. He will now spend time in prison for his crime.”

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A PERVERT and voyeur has been jailed for a string of sexual offences. 

Ryan Mountford appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday, (January 23). 

The 30-year-old, of Rundlemead, Mathon, near Malvern, was sentenced for five sexual assaults; sexual assault of a child; sexual assault on a male and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. 

Additionally, Mountford was also sentenced for voyeurism; intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence; four offences of making indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and three of distributing an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child. 

The offences were committed in Malvern, Ledbury and Ross-On-Wye between January 1, 2013 and January 27, 2023.

Mountford was given a total of 12 years in jail being told he would serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence in custody before referral to the parole board to decide if he could be released. 

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A retired court prosecutor who made arrangements to commit "utterly repellent" sexual offences against a young child has been jailed for 12 years after he was trapped in an online police "sting".

Clive Jones, 74, prosecuted cases at Hull and Bridlington magistrates' courts for the Crown Prosecution Service for many years. He became a district crown prosecutor and also oversaw the prosecution of more serious cases at crown courts.

He was arrested, after his retirement, when he replied to an online advertisement in which police pretended to be a woman called Karen, who supposedly had a seven-year-old child. He set off in his car to meet the non-existent woman and her child and he intended to have sexual activity.

He had condoms, ropes and Viagra in his car boot. The decoy woman had been created by the police in a bid to catch sexual predators – and Jones fell straight into the trap. He exchanged messages, apparently not suspecting that the woman and her child did not even exist, a court heard.

Jones, of Bempton, near Flamborough, denied seven offences of arranging to commit sexual offences against a child between January 31 and February 21 last year, but he was convicted by a jury at Durham Crown Court on December 18 after a six-day trial.

The case had been moved from Hull Crown Court out of the area because of his previous links to the justice system. Jones had been remanded in custody after being convicted of the offences and he appeared from HMP Durham via a video link for a sentencing hearing, also at Durham Crown Court.

'Intended to rape child'

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Judge James Adkin said that the sexual offences that Jones intended to commit by making the arrangements included raping a child, assault of a child by penetration, sexual assault, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

The judge said that, because the jury found Jones guilty of all seven offences, it must have concluded that he intended to commit all of those arranged sexual offences at some stage, although this was "extremely speculative" because they never actually happened. "The evidence against you in the trial was abundant and compelling," said Judge Adkin.

The offences that Jones wanted to commit on a child were "utterly repellent", the judge added. He drove to meet what he thought was Karen and her child.

"It was, of course, a sting and you were arrested," said Judge Adkin. A pre-sentence report on Jones had said that he posed a significant risk to the public of sexual harm. "The circumstances of these offences are intensely concerning," said Judge Adkin.

Tom Storey, prosecuting, said: "No harm was actually caused. There was no child victim in existence. But for that, the defendant would have carried out the intended sexual activity."

Mr Storey, who is included on a recently published list of new KCs, said that Jones had no previous convictions, cautions, warnings or reprimands. He asked that a deprivation order be made for the items that were found in the car boot when Jones was arrested.

'May not live to see his release'

Helen Chapman, mitigating, said that Jones suffered from ill-health and a letter with updated details of his medical condition had been brought to court by his wife.

No real contact offence took place involving a child because the child involved did not actually exist, although messages suggested that this activity would have taken place. Miss Chapman opposed the making of a sexual harm prevention order. "I don't really see what useful purpose it could serve in circumstances where he may or may not live to see his release," she said.

If Jones did live long enough to leave prison, he would, in any event, be subject to strict licence and notification requirements. He was in poor physical health and he was at that time of life when the health conditions had "all come at once". Some of them were interlinked.

"He essentially lives in daily pain," said Miss Chapman. Managing that pain in a prison setting would be extremely difficult.

"Those who go into prison in poor health do not improve," said Miss Chapman. "All the evidence is that they deteriorate. Living day to day will be more difficult for him than for someone who enjoys good health. It will be harder for him than for anybody in a different position."

Throughout the court hearing, Jones could be heard repeatedly coughing and sighing. He sometimes put his head in his hands.

"He is fortunate to receive the support of his wife, who is present today and has been a pillar of support to him." The effect of a prison sentence would "reverberate" on to her. "She is somebody who will feel his loss very keenly," said Miss Chapman.

'Fought and lost'

Judge Adkin said that he had decided that Jones should not be treated as a "dangerous" offender. The length of the prison sentence and the release provisions meant that he would be "very elderly" when he was released.

Jones suffered from a heart condition and diabetes and the complications arising from it. "I accept that the sentence will be more difficult for you to endure," said Judge Adkin.

Because there was no real child, Jones was entitled to a "modest discount" in his sentence to reflect this. He could, however, be given no credit for guilty pleas because he had a trial. "You fought the case and lost," said Judge Adkin.

Jones was given a 20-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for life. A deprivation order was made for the items found in the car boot.

Jones was a regular prosecutor for many years at magistrates' courts, including Hull and Bridlington, and he was well known at the former, now closed, courts in East Yorkshire, including Driffield, Withernsea and Brough. As a lawyer, he regularly prosecuted people who had committed similar sexual offences as those that were committed by him after his retirement.

He became a district crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service and, in that job, he was a manager. He had worked as head of the crown court trials unit for Humberside.

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A pensioner who tried to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex has been jailed after he was trapped by a police sting operation.

Richard Courage thought that a woman who he met in an online chat room was a child abuser with access to an 11-year-old girl. In reality, he was messaging an undercover police officer.

He sent a stream of messages fantasising about having sex with the girl which culminated in him booking a room at a hotel in East Devon where he planned to take her virginity.

He called off the rendezvous at the last minute, claiming to have Covid, but carried on his online messaging with the undercover officer.

He was traced through the hotel booking and found with a small number of child images on his computer when he was arrested. Police also recovered a dismantled shotgun in his car.

Retired businessman Courage, aged 75, from Exeter, admitted arranging or commissioning a child sex offence, possession of indecent images of children and possession of a firearm without a certificate.

He was jailed for three years and four months by Judge Anna Richardson at Exeter Crown Court, put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order which restricts his future access to children and the internet.

She told him that the offence which he had tried to arrange was in effect a child rape but that he deserves credit for having no previous convictions and for deciding to abandon his planned meeting when he realised he was moving ‘from a digital conversation to reality’.

Mr Lewis Aldous, prosecuting, said an undercover officer started exchanging messages with Courage, who was using the screenname OlddevonMforFem on eh Chatiw site and posed as a woman with access to an 11-year-old girl.

Courage’s messages became sexual and he discussed having sex with the girl before he booked a room in a budget hotel on the outskirts of Exeter for the night on August 10, 2022.

He cancelled the meeting on the day before, claiming he had Covid, and although he stayed in touch with the decoy officer, he dd not try to arrange a new rendez-vous. His messages made it clear that he intended to have sex with the girl but wanted to minimise the discomfort she suffered.

Police found 14 child images of girls aged seven to 16 on his laptop but they were all at the lowest level, showing sexual posing rather than any sexual activity. A dismantled shotgun was found in his car which could have been reassembled and which needed a licence.

Mr Jason Beal, defending, said Courage had reached the age of 75 without ever being in any kind of trouble and had made a positive contribution to the community. He has important caring responsibilities for his wife, who is in poor health.

He said Courage did not have Covid when he cancelled the meeting but realised he had gone too far and used it as an excuse to back out.

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A man who left a woman fearing she would die during a terrifying stranger attack in Derby has been jailed after being found guilty of rape.

Habib Khan lured the woman into a block of flats in Derby in the early hours of November 10, 2022. While in the stairwell of the flats, Khan grabbed her, raped her and throttled her – leaving her fearing he was going to kill her.

He then stole her bag which contained her bank card, house keys and around £15 before leaving the scene.

The woman reported the incident to police immediately which allowed officers to secure vital forensic evidence that led to his arrest. DNA samples taken from the woman matched Khan, helping to provide key evidence that he was the man who had raped her.

Khan was subsequently charged with rape, assault by penetration, intentional strangulation and theft.

In a victim impact statement the woman detailed the impact the rape has had on her: “What happened to me is difficult to put into words. I thought no one would believe this had happened to me and I never thought the person who did this would be found.

“Since that night I have struggled everyday. I get scared when someone is walking behind me in the street. Even going to the shops I will be looking behind me to see if someone’s there.

“I found going to court really hard and stressful. I am very thankful to the courts, the police and the officer supporting me through this. Without him I would never have gone through with this.

“The best experience of my life was when the police officer asked me to sit down and told me the jury believed me and he had been found guilty.

“No one deserves what he put me through and he should be stopped from ever doing this again.”

The 22-year-old, of Moyne Gardens, Derby, denied the offences and told the court the sex had been consensual but a jury saw through his lies and unanimously found him guilty on Friday 8 December after a trial at Derby Crown Court.

He appeared at the same court on 25 January when he was sentenced to 11 years in prison with a six year extension for dangerousness. He has also been ordered to sign the sex offender’s register and handed a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the woman.

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A man has been jailed for a string of sexual offences against two young girls.

Nottinghamshire Police said Anthony Evans assaulted his primary school-age victims multiple times, in the Worksop area, before he was arrested in February last year.

Evans told the girls to keep his crimes secret but was caught after one of them told her mother about his abuse.

He was jailed for 12 years at Nottingham Crown Court on 19 January.

The 63-year-old, from the Worksop area, initially denied the offences but later pleaded guilty to nine sexual assaults by penetration between January 2019 and February 2023.

He also admitted two charges of causing his victims to watch images of sexual activity, three charges of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and two offences of assaulting a girl by touching.

'Catalogue of abuse'

Evans' 12-year custodial sentence will be extended by two years on licence when he is released.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders' register for life and made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to restrict his access to children when he is released.

Det Con Emily Bucklow, of Nottinghamshire Police, praised the victims' bravery and determination.

She said: "Evans is a predatory sex offender who was responsible for an appalling catalogue of abuse against two young children he appeared to believe he could manipulate and control.

"As this very strong sentence demonstrates, he couldn't have been more wrong."

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A rapist who went on the run before he was due to be sentenced has been jailed for 10 years.

Muarug Abraham Gebremcal, 34, vanished from a bail address in Plymouth after being convicted of rape at Exeter Crown Court in September 2023.

He had been living in Torquay when he targeted a woman leaving a nightclub before raping her in his bedsit in December 2021.

Judge Anna Richardson sentenced him in his absence to 10 years in jail.

She said he would face a further prosecution when he is found for breaching his bail conditions.

Gebremcal, originally from Eritrea, was released on bail after being convicted and had surrendered his passport.

The court heard Gebremcal targeted a woman who he saw leaving a Torquay nightclub on her own at about 03:30 GMT six days before Christmas in 2021.

The victim told the trial jury that Gebremcal befriended her as she sat on a wall trying to call her boyfriend after leaving the club, where she had become separated from other members of her party.

The jury heard Gebremcal posed as a Good Samaritan who was helping her get home safely, but instead guided her to his bedsit on Warren Road where he raped her.

She escaped and raised the alarm after seeking refuge at a neighbour's home.

'Vulnerable victim'

Gebremcal, who denied rape, told the jury the woman had not only consented but been an enthusiastic partner until she suddenly got up and left his house.

Sentencing, Judge Richardson said "significant" planning went into his attack.

"The victim was particularly vulnerable because of her intoxication and solitude," she said.

"There was significant pre-planning Gebremcal went to a club and waited to identify a lone vulnerable victim.

"He chose a route back to his home which avoided busy roads.

"The mitigation is extremely limited."

Devon and Cornwall Police said Gebremcal had family links to Plymouth, Birmingham and London, but could be anywhere in the UK.

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A convicted sex offender who raped a woman walking home from a party was given a life sentence today (January 26).

Daniel Williams, 36, from Clark’s Row, Oxford, cycled up behind the victim, grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her on to a muddy area.

He said what he was going to do would be quick and told her not to call the police, Luton Crown Court was told today.

The attack happened in Broham Road in Bedford.

The victim, who is in her 30s, raised the alarm by knocking on a front door at around 7am on the morning of January 17, 2022.

Williams, was caught when a match was found on the DNA database.

He was convicted by a jury of rape.

He had been released from prison in 2019 where he had been serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection after being convicted of following a 23-year-old woman to her home and attempting to rape her.

Williams, who was living in Didcot at the time, had entered the home of the victim who the court heard was "a young, small-framed lady, a vulnerable lady" at night.

There was a struggle as Williams tried to carry the woman upstairs, but she managed to fight him off and scratched his neck.

He then fled from the house.

In 2002 he had been sentenced to four years for indecently assaulting and robbing a 64-year-old woman working in a charity shop.

Williams refused to leave the vulnerable prisoners’ wing at Bedford jail and was sentenced in his absence.

Prosecutor Alisdair Smith said: “The evidence supports the suggestion he followed the complainant for some time."

In a victim personal statement, the woman said the attack left her afraid to go out. She heard voices and felt insecure. She said she had been affected on a daily basis.

Judge Geoffrey Payne described Williams as a “thoroughly dangerous sexual predator.”

He passed a life sentence with a minimum term of six years before he can be considered for parole.

The judge said: “This was a predatory attack on a lone woman on her way home. He left her lying in the mud.

"He has a history of attacking complete strangers for his own gratification. He poses a very high level of danger indeed.”

Detective Constable Peta Simpson from Bedfordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) team, said: “Williams was an opportunist offender who preyed on a lone woman before carrying out this appalling sexual assault.

“Random attacks like these are extremely rare – but we will always relentlessly pursue the vile perpetrators of such abhorrent behaviour.

“The victim in this case has showed true courage to reach out for support from a member of the public and speak to officers, which helped to ensure Williams is facing a significant period behind bars.

“Women deserve to feel safe in public spaces - they should not have to worry and they shouldn’t have to look over their shoulders.

“We remain committed to ensuring predators like Williams are removed from our streets.”

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A pervert mum who was jailed in 2018 for flashing her breasts at a 15-year-old boy has been sent back to prison after making an ill-advised trip to a Nando's in Barnsley with a group of youngsters.

Karen Robb, 48, from Blackpool, who is a mum-of-one, was first exposed as a predator after grooming a 15-year-old boy on Facebook for over eight months between 2016 and 2017. During video chats with the "naive" teenager, Robb flashed her breasts and promised to do "naughty things" when they met in person.

When the boy's parents found out about his online relationship with the then 43-year-old woman by looking at his phone, they decided to deal with the problem themselves. But when Robb's partner at the time found out about her lewd online relationship, he called the police, reports LancsLive.

In 2018, Robb was sentenced to 16 months in prison and put on the sex offenders register for 10 years. She was also handed a sexual harm prevention order which prohibited her from spending time with under 16s without the prior consent of their parents and social services.

But in August 2023, Robb flouted the order and attended a family meal at Nando's in Barnsley with four children under the age of 16. Between August 15 and September 7, 2023, Robb also stayed at a house in Blackpool where a child lived.

She did not tell the police she was staying there and was banned from doing so under the terms of her notification requirements.

Judge Darren Preston said only an immediate prison sentence could be justified. He jailed Robb, of Barton Avenue, Blackpool, for 28 months.

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A 23-year-old man has been jailed after climbing through a bedroom window late at night and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl while she slept.

Bohuslav Horvath used a ladder to climb through the upstairs window of a house in Darnall, in Sheffield, and then crept into the next bedroom, where the young girl was sleeping.

When she woke up and found Horvath assaulting her, he fled to the other room and jumped out of the open window.

It was initially thought the 12-year-old had a bad nightmare, but his fingerprints were later discovered on the bedroom windowsill.

PC Fiona Busfield said: "This case is truly the stuff of nightmares and I would like to commend the young victim and her family for their bravery and dignity during this investigation.

"After Horvath fled, the girl went downstairs at around midnight to tell her mother, who was still up, what had happened. After searching the house and finding no sign of the offender, they concluded it must have been a terrible dream.

"However, when the young victim continued to show signs of distress the next day, a report was made to the police. On arrival, we found a ladder lying on the grass in the back garden and later confirmed this had been used to climb into the first floor of the house.

"Our SOCO (scenes of crime officer) carried out a number of enquiries and discovered two fingerprints, which we quickly matched to Horvath. He was promptly arrested. In interview, he admitted using the ladder to climb into the house but denied touching the young girl. We knew this was untrue and despite it being 'one word against another', the evidence on board ensured this dangerous predator had no choice but to plead guilty."

Horvath of Basford Street, Sheffield, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by touching and burglary in relation to the attack on 15 May last year.

He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and has been subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.

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A RAPIST was given a reduced sentence after "excruciating" delays in getting the case to court.

A judge said the offender "should have been charged probably two years earlier than you were."

And his victim told the court she considered dropping the case because it took almost three years to come to trial.

The sentence was also reduced because coronavirus restrictions in prisons are said to be making sentences tougher with reduced social interaction and the likelihood of spending 23 hours a day locked in a cell.

Dennis Adkin, 49, of Cuthbury Gardens, Wimborne, was convicted of raping a woman in her own home after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The court heard the offence was committed on November 13 2017 and reported on December 10.

Adkins was interviewed a day later but was not charged until January 2020.

Judge Robert Pawson said the delay affected both the victim and the rapist and said his sentence was reduced as a result.

He was jailed for three years and three months.

Judge Pawson suggested police and the Crown Prosecution Service review the way in which the case was handled.

And he added: "It is just dreadful. The victim had periods of wanting to drop the case because of the delay."

He described the delays as "excruciating" and added: "There is no proper explanation as to why that delay took place."

Jurors were told Adkin attacked his victim in her own home and she has since felt the need to move house.

In a victim impact statement the woman said: "The whole court process has made my anxiety levels go through the roof. It has affected my life massively.

"I felt very crushed. This is something that will stay with me for a very long time. I still wait up at night fighting and shouting in my sleep. I am constantly scared and feel vulnerable all the time."

Adkin was also handed a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim indefinitely. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

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Previous name Jamie Waller.

Abigail Waller returned to the dock just three years after she was jailed for child sex offences under birth name Jamie. The 29-year-old, who now likes to be called 'Abi', breached court-imposed conditions by messaging three schoolgirls on Facebook - using her wife's phone.

Jurors heard that using a fake profile with photos of an 'attractive' young man, Waller told the 13 and 14 year old girls that they were 'so pretty' and 'really beautiful'. Waller, who now has long dark hair in a pony tail and wore a pink floral dress during his trial, tried to argue her wife of nine years Lucy Waller was behind the messages.

Now, the sex predator - formerly a disability care worker - has been jailed again, this time for three and a half years. In court, 'she' and 'her' pronouns were used by barristers and the judge when referring to Waller.

However, Mrs Waller - who appeared as a prosecution witness and gave evidence against her spouse - referred to Waller as 'Jamie', used the pronoun 'he', but also referred to her as: "Abi, as she is now". Waller, from Gosport, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for

five years in 2020 after admitting a string of 'serious' child sex offences. The offences included blackmailing a 13 year old girl into sending Waller sexual photos of herself, and having the child call Waller 'sir' or 'daddy'. 

At court in 2020 Waller was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order [SHPO], banning any contact with children under 18 and the use of devices connected to the internet unless Waller informed police about them.

The following year, while in prison, the paedophile 'started identifying as a woman'. In May 2022, Waller was released from jail half-way through the sentence and was taken back by wife Mrs Waller at their home in Gosport. But within three months, Waller had started her 'grooming process' again.

At his trial, prosecutor Tim Dracass told jurors at the same court where Waller had been previously convicted that the paedophile breached the order in August 2022 by messaging three girls on Facebook, two of whom were 14 and one of whom was 13. Waller used his wife's second phone, a Samsung in a pink case, while she was out at work and used a Facebook profile under the name of Jake Smith, it was heard.

Waller told the girls 'you are really beautiful', said they were 'so pretty', sent a love heart emoji, and claimed to be aged 14. Waller was caught by police on August 4, 2022, when officers visited the house for a separate reason and discovered Waller hiding the Samsung in her lap.

Opening the three-day trial, Mr Dracass told jurors of Waller's gender change and that she was 'previously Jamie Kevin Harold Waller'. Mr Dracass said: "The defendant is Abigail Waller, that's how the defendant wishes to be known and currently identifies. She has been charged in that name. She was previously known by a different name, her birth name, Jamie Waller."

Giving evidence against Waller, Mrs Waller said: "I've decided to divorce [Waller]." She said her Samsung was a secondary phone which she mainly used as an alarm clock, but that it was connected to the internet and had Facebook on it.

The phone had three Facebook accounts linked to it - Lucy Waller, Jamie Waller, and Jake Smith. Mrs Waller said when she left for work at 7.30am on August 4 she left the phone upstairs - not on the sofa where it was found in Waller's lap. Mrs Waller told jurors: "I've never done anything with it [the Jake Smith profile]... I've never used it."

Defendant Waller gave evidence and was asked her name. She told jurors: "Jamie Kevin Harold Waller, but I prefer Abi. I started [identifying as a female] around 2021, the end of September 2021. I identify as a female. I'm waiting to [be seen by] a gender identity clinic."

Waller has been serving time at men's prisons - HMP The Verne on Isle of Portland, Dorset, and HMP Winchester. Giving evidence, Waller claimed she 'didn't send messages' to the young girls, 'didn't recognise them', and suggested her wife was behind a plot to frame her to 'set me up'.

Waller said: "The only person who I know had access to [the phone] was my wife, Lucy. We were arguing quite a lot, there were difficulties. As far as I was aware, we were still together. I believe [Mrs Waller sent the messages] to maybe get me in trouble, to get me put back in."

Waller added: "She knows that I have been in trouble for it before in the past. I believe she was actually in another relationship with another, current boyfriend that she is with at this time and she wanted me out of the way without telling me."

Waller also claimed she is no longer aroused by children. "I had a sexual interest in young girls, not anymore", she said. "I've done offending behaviour courses whilst I was inside."

Waller was convicted by a jury of four counts of breaching a SHPO. Mr Dracass said: "This was the start of something that could have resembled the circumstances of the previous conviction. Had the police not intercepted this phone when they did so, the crown submits it may well have been that there was a risk that serious harm could have taken place."

At the sentencing hearing, Ellie Fargin, defending, asked the judge to consider how Waller will cope in prison as an inmate who identifies as female. She said: "We ask you to bear in mind the conditions in prison and the issues Ms Waller will face in prison due to her ADHD and autism and because of her gender identity matter which she is awaiting treatment for."

Judge Michael Bowes KC jailed Waller for three and a half years, saying that her messages were a 'pre-cursor to what Waller had in mind'. Sentencing Waller, Judge Bowes KC said: "You have a serious record for offences involving children. "Looking at your previous convictions... There is a very unpleasant background of seeking to blackmail children."

Judge Bowes KC highlighted the fact Waller re-offended three months after being released from prison. He continued: "The messages themselves would appear to be fairly innocuous, but I am satisfied they were part of a grooming process.

"[The messages] were to gain their trust, with a view to take matters further and that's part of the gravity of these offences. At your trial, you denied matters, seeking to blame your wife, but the jury convicted you."

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A sick sex offender who preyed on a young girl is now behind bars.

Anthony Fallows, 40, of Raglan Road in Burnley, was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a girl between the ages of 13 and 15 following a trial at Bradford Crown Court. It was said his offending took place in the Southowram area.

When he appeared in court on Thursday, January 18, he was handed a sentence of seven years and nine months.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Carly Hemingway of West Yorkshire Police’s Calderdale District Safeguarding said: “I’d like to thank the victim who has shown tremendous strength to come forward and report this. She feels that she has now got the justice she deserves.

“Our dedicated child protection team here in Calderdale is committed to investigating and supporting the victims of sexual offences and I hope the jailing of Fallows demonstrates that, no matter when the offence took place, victims will be believed and treated with sensitivity and dignity.”

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A teenager who tied up and 'bound' a boy on vile YouTube videos was caught out by a school after the headteacher recognised the victim as one of their pupils.

Romeo Smalley has been jailed after sexually assaulting the boy having posted two videos of him online while he was restrained, Manchester Evening News reports.

The 20-year-old's barrister tried to claim that it was a 'game that young people play', but Smalley, who was 18 at the time of the offence, admitted his actions were sexually motivated, at Manchester Crown Court.

The two videos lasted a little over six minutes and just over five minutes. In one the boy was tied up with tape and was seen trying to escape. Officers also found 'other videos of concern', which he was not prosecuted for.

Smalley can be heard asking viewers to 'like and subscribe' in one video. A judge said it was clear that he was 'sexually aroused' in one of the clips.

Prosecutor Peter Wilson said Smalley had an interest in 'restraint' and 'bondage'. The 20-year-old from Oldham said he was 'aroused by the thought of people being tied up', rather than being interested in children sexually.

The abuse happened after he gave the boy a mobile phone so they could message each other on Snapchat. In one video he said he would be paid money if he completed the 'activity'. The boy said he 'didn't like' being tied up.

The court heard how the boy was told not to tell his parents. Smalley was arrested and denied sexually assaulting him. He claimed it was the boy's idea to film the videos and that the child had suggested posting them on YouTube 'for a laugh'.The boy said Smalley 'never did anything funny'.

"What you did was very serious," Smalley was told by Judge Tom Gilbart. "You have taken advantage of a much younger person.

"You sexually assaulted him on two occasions. There was evidence of grooming and manipulation in what you did."

The boy's mother said the crime had affected him 'hugely'. "Romeo was devious in how he did this," she said. "He [the victim] thought it was him that had done something wrong." Defending, Howard Bernstein claimed it was part of a 'game'.

"This was a game that young people play," he said. He said Smalley's sexual motivation 'raised it from an innocuous game to a sexual offence'.

Mr Bernstein said Smalley, who has no previous convictions, has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is 'lacking in maturity'. He said Smalley has been in custody for the past eight months.

"He has been bullied in prison, he is finding prison extremely difficult," he said. Smalley, of Longfellow Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

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A 38-year-old man from Eastleigh has been jailed for 15 years for the rape and sexual assault of a child.

Andrew Paul Tucker, of Shaw Road was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday (4 January).

The nine offences, for which he has been imprisoned, took place between 2017 and 2023. At the time of the first incident, the victim was just ten years of age.

Upon his release from prison, Tucker must also then serve eight years on an extended licence, and will be subject to a restraining order and sexual harm prevention order.