Latest Offenders

Description

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.

Description

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.

Description

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."

Description

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.”

Description

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.

Description

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.

Description

A stalker sexually assaulted a woman in a hostel by groping her breast after he had repeatedly sent sexually explicit messages to her over a number of days. He later claimed he had no memory of the assault as he had taken £50 worth of cocaine and drunk 20 pints.

Clinton Davies, 55, carried out the assault against his victim at the hostel in Cardiff when he called her into his room on the pretense that he needed her help. Once she did so, he unzipped her hoodie and groped her breast over clothing.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the victim had told the defendant she didn't want this to happen and wanted to leave. There was a knock at the door from a concerned man, but Davies told him "Go away, I'm busy".

Fortunately, the man entered the room and the victim was able to escape. The witness described the defendant breathing heavily, the belt on his trousers was undone and there was a sealed condom packet on the table. Davies turned to the man and said "This is going to cause trouble". When he was asked what he had done, he changed the subject.

Prosecutor Harry Baker said the defendant had got hold of her number and had been incessantly contacting her for days through calls, texts and voicemails. She had told him to stop contacting her but he carried on and left crude and sexually explicit messages. On one occasion he called her 20 times in one day.

The victim said she was worried he was going to persist in contacting her. She added: "Since the incident, it has left me distressed, upset, has affected my mental health and has left me feeling suicidal... I'm scared when I hear people knocking at my door, I'm on edge and I suffer from panic attacks."

Davies, originally from South Africa, was arrested and interviewed, claiming he had not touched the victim but had little recollection of the incident because he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. He later pleaded guilty to sexual assault and stalking. The court heard he had previous convictions for exposing himself in the USA and repeated offences of harassment. He is in breach of a suspended sentence.

In mitigation, Andrew Davies said his client had not touched the victim's naked breast, and he does not remember doing it. He said the defendant had previously done work in the community, and had carried out work in food banks.

Recorder Caroline Rees KC sentenced Davies to a total of 32 weeks imprisonment. She also made him subject to a restraining order for five years and sex offender notification requirements for seven years.

Description

A man sneaked into a woman's house in the dead of night and raped her in her bed, a court has heard. The victim said her attacker seemed to "believe he was entitled to my body" and she said her home now feels like a "crime scene".

Ian Wright, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court the rape occurred in June last year after the victim had gone to bed at around 11pm. After listening to the radio for a while the woman fell asleep only to wake some time later to find Edwards in her room. The court heard the woman, who is in her 60s, "froze in terror" as the intruder got into bed beside her. The 42-year-old defendant then raped the woman, telling her: "I am going to shoot my load".

The court heard the victim subsequently confided in a friend about what had happened and the matter was reported to police. When arrested the defendant said he had "nothing to worry about" as the sex had been consensual and in his interview he again claimed the woman had consented.

In a statement read to the court the victim described the huge psychological impact of the offence. She said Edwards "believed he was entitled to my body" and the attack had triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder and left her worried that any male she sees could be a rapist. The woman said she struggles to sleep and sees her attacker's face whenever she goes to bed and she said her house is now a "crime scene" and "will never feel homely again".

Matthew Edwards, of Penrallt Street, Machynlleth, Powys, had previously pleaded guilty to rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has convictions from Gwynedd Magistrates' Court for harassment in 2004 and for common assault – kicking and spitting in the face of an ex-partner – in 2005 and convictions for battery from Montgomery Magistrates' Court in 2011. In 2023 he was convicted of stalking at Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Magistrates' Court.

Ian Ibrahim, for Edwards, said the defendant "deeply regrets" what he did. He said his client had worked in a variety of jobs over the years including gardening, construction, and factory work and he said the custodial sentence he was now facing would be by far the longest he has served. The barrister said Edwards lives in a small community where everybody knows each other and his conviction has resulted in an "astronomical" social fall.

Judge Geraint Walters said it was clear from the defendant's antecedent record that he had "something of an obsessional personality". He said he had read a letter the defendant had written to the court and he accepted his remorse was genuine. With a 10% discount for his guilty plea Edwards was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

Description

He was sentenced to 10 years for the rape offences with a concurrent four-year term for the other offences. He was also given a one-year extended licence period.

King was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The family were disappointed with the length of the sentence and the officer in the case, Detective Constable Oliver Hunter, submitted a request to the reviewing lawyer for the sentence to be appealed under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme.

This was assessed and supported by the Crown Prosecution and an application by the Attorney General was heard at the Court of Appeal on Friday.

Kings original sentence was quashed and a new sentence of 20 years, including a one-year extended licence, was imposed. The sex offender conditions placed on him remain unchanged.

The offences, which took place over a six-month period, came to light in December 2022 when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend.

Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit supported the victim during video-recorded interviews and carried out extensive enquiries including securing forensic evidence.

Description

A man from Swindon has pleaded guilty to being a ‘Global Moderator’ on a dark website dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse content.

Saunders Custody ImageBrett Saunders, 50, came to the attention of the National Crime Agency as part of an investigation into the hidden site, which had over 2,000 members and is only accessible using Tor.

The NCA focused on a moderator with the username ‘Wetty’, who was heavily involved in running the site. Wetty took responsibility for enforcing the site’s rules and responding to user enquiries, providing advice around personal security and how to evade law enforcement detection.

Saunders was identified as the man behind the account and further enquiries revealed he had previous convictions relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

NCA officers arrested Saunders at his home in Freshbrook in August 2022. A number of his devices were seized, including his laptop which he had hidden under a sofa cushion, and a phone and hard drive found by special search officers concealed in an air vent.

The website was open on his laptop and Saunders was logged into his account. When interviewed, he confirmed to officers that he held the rank of Global Moderator and had himself uploaded indecent images of children to the site.

He also admitted he had a sexual interest in children, particularly girls aged 8-12.

Investigators recovered data relating to his account, including over 3,000 posts made by him and private messages he sent to other users, which evidenced that his contribution was key to ensuring the site continued to function.

These also made it clear that Saunders had quickly risen through the ranks due to his commitment and encouragement of others to discuss and distribute images and videos of child sexual abuse.

When congratulated by another user on his promotion to Global Moderator he said:

“Thank you… I must say it came as a bit of a shock to me! Not sure what I did to deserve the honor, but whatever it was I will try to keep doing it to the best of my abilities!”

The site was run on a points-based system where users gained ‘reputation points’ for adhering to the rules and sharing abuse material. It had an initial guest portal, where new users had to gain at least 10 reputation points before they were admitted entry to the main site.

Saunders was in charge of running the guest portal and was responsible for issuing or deducting reputation points, as well as ultimately deciding who would be allowed through.

Saunders uploaded a total of 115 images and videos of abuse to the site. He posted two such images of a young girl as part of a discussion around the legalisation of pre-teen marriage, along with the caption:

“If only it were possible. I would wish for it if I found a magic lamp….and for her to stay about this age (10-12) forever (and me my age)!!”

A further 65,000 files relating to indecent images of children were recovered from his devices.

In the days after his arrest, Saunders was charged by Wiltshire Police for breaching the sexual harm prevention order that had been placed on him by the force when he was released from prison for his previous offending.

He was remanded in custody and later sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the breach.

Last year, he was charged with a further nine counts, including arranging/facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, distributing and making indecent images of children in categories A-C, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

On Friday (19 January) at Swindon Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to all nine counts. He will be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 5 March 2024.

Description

A man has been jailed for more than 13 years for a string of sexual offences against children.

Timothy Hayes of Sutton-on-Sea, Mablethorpe was convicted of 10 offences, including six counts of rape of a child and various forms of assault against a child, when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in November.

The 50-year-old had pleaded guilty to his crimes when he appeared before court officials last year.

And on Friday, 19 January, Hayes was sentenced to 13 years and four months behind bars at the same court.

He was placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and was also given a Sexual Harm Protection Order indefinitely.

Description

A 62-year-old man has been jailed for non-recent child sex offences that took place in Daventry.

Kevin Marriott, previously of Coalville, Leicestershire, sexually assaulted a girl under six at an address in Daventry a number of years ago.

Following the offence, he told her not to tell anyone.

However in 2021, the woman in question bravely contacted police to tell them what had happened to her as a child.

An investigation was launched and Marriott was charged with one count of indecent assault on a girl under 16, and one count of assaulting a girl under 16 by penetration.   

After pleading not guilty to the offences and taking the case to a three-day trial at Northampton Crown Court last November, Marriott was found unanimously guilty by the jury.

He returned to the same court last week (January 15) where he was sentenced to seven years - six years to serve in prison and one on licence. He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Description

A convicted sex offender who left the United Kingdom and went abroad later returned illegally to this country in an inflatable boat along with 50 other people, including his wife and children.

The boat was intercepted as it entered UK territorial waters and he ended up being brought from Kent to Hull to live in a hotel. Fingerprint checks revealed his previous conviction, Hull Crown Court heard.

Talib Rasul, 47, of Beverley Road, Hull, admitted attempting to enter the United Kingdom without a valid entry clearance on May 17.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Rasul, an Iraqi national, was arrested after trying to enter the UK along with 50 others on an inflatable boat that set off from the French coast.

It was intercepted by the UK authorities before it reached this country's territorial waters. He was taken to a holding facility in Kent and was transferred to a hotel in Hull.

During interview on July 4, he made no comment to questions. Checks on him revealed that he had previously entered the UK before October 2003. He had been convicted of a sexual offence, indecent assault, in February 2005. The offence was committed in October 2003.

"It was suspected that the defendant must have left the UK of his own volition some time after his conviction," said Mr Hammersley.

"During this time, he was not known to the Home Office and there was no record of entry clearance so the defendant must have been here illegally."

The 50 others on the boat included members of Rasul's family. "He wasn't driving the boat," said Mr Hammersley.

"There is no evidence of him engaging in criminal activity or attempting to do so. He was clearly making a genuine asylum claim."

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that, at the time, Rasul immediately raised an asylum claim and that was still ongoing. "He is an asylum seeker," said Mr Shipley.

"A trial was listed. I made it clear that it would never have been a trial. Bail was granted, with a reporting condition, on August 14. He has been reporting to Clough Road police station every day since then.

"He isn't a flight risk. He is here with his wife of 17 years. He lives here with his four children."

Judge Megan Rhys told Rasul: "You were on an inflatable boat which contained 51 people. That boat was intercepted as it entered United Kingdom territorial waters. You were one of the 51 people who were on board.

"Fingerprint checks showed that you had previously entered the United Kingdom without clearance. It's of note that you were the only person on that boat who has been prosecuted.

"You came here with your wife and children. An asylum application was made shortly after you arrived and, as a result of that application, arrangements have been made leading to you and your family being housed in temporary accommodation in Hull."

Rasul spent six weeks in custody on remand before he was given bail. "An immediate custodial sentence would have a harmful impact on your wife and children," said Judge Rhys.

Rasul was given a six-month suspended prison sentence but with no requirements.

Description

A Teesside paedophile who 'preyed upon and exploited the vulnerability of children' has been jailed.

Kaye Little, also known as Kia Little, of High Street in Boosbeck, East Cleveland, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court for offences including sexual activity with a child, malicious communications and the possession/distribution of indecent images of children. The pervert was living in Boosbeck at the time of the offending, which took place between 2015 and 2019. The two male child victims were living in Leeds and were contacted by Little over the internet, reports Yorkshire Live.

The 46-year-old came to the attention of Leeds Children Vulnerable to Exploitation Team officers in 2019 after being identified as a suspect for malicious communication reports.

Subsequent enquiries by the West Yorkshire Police officers led to her becoming a suspect for sexual offences committed against the two males who officers had identified during the investigation. She was arrested in 2019 and was subsequently charged in April 2022. Following a trial in August last year, Little was found guilty by jury for 13 offences.

On Friday she was sentenced to six years for the offences. However, this was extended by three years due to the danger which the court felt Little poses. She received a further nine-months sentence to run concurrently for an offence against an adult male in Cleveland, which was investigated by a separate force.

Leading the investigation, Det Con Khi Smith, formerly of the Leeds Children Vulnerable to Exploitation Team, said: "I am pleased with the sentence handed to Little today for the abhorrent offences she committed. I want to thank the victims not only for their bravery in coming forward to report the offences, but also for their strength throughout the lengthy criminal justice process.

"They were put through the daunting experience of a criminal trial and have shown so much courage and dignity throughout. I hope they can begin to move on with their lives, knowing a level of justice has been served. Little preyed upon and exploited the vulnerability of these children and I hope this serves as a stark reminder that offending of this nature will not be tolerated. Anyone who has suffered similar offences, whether recent or not, is urged to come forward and report them to police.

"You will be listened to, taken seriously and supported by specially trained officers throughout and will also be referred to further help and support if needed. We will do all we can to secure justice for any victim."

Description

A former Scout leader and housemaster at a children’s home in Nottingham has been jailed for 26 years after a jury found him guilty of historic sexual abuse.

Steven McNally, now aged 67, abused five children between 1974 and 1979 when he worked at Nazareth House Children’s Home in Lenton, and as a Scout leader for the Bishop’s Own Troop, also in Nottingham.

A trial at Nottingham Crown Court heard he sexually abused five boys who were aged between 5 and 15 at the time.

McNally was extradited from his home in Ireland to face trial and jurors found him guilty on 24 of the 29 counts listed in the indictment.

He was found guilty of:

• x11 counts of indecent assault on a child;
• x7 counts of indecent assault on a child on no fewer than five occasions;
• x3 counts of indecency with a child;
• x2 counts of indecency with a child on no fewer than five occasions;
• x1 count of buggery on a person under 16.

At his sentencing today (19 January), he was sentenced to 26 years in prison plus a one-year extended licence period. He was told he will serve a minimum 17 years before he can apply to the Parole Board to be released on licence. 

The trial heard that the majority of the offences took place while McNally worked as a housemaster at Nazareth House, which was run by the Sisters of Nazareth Catholic order.

Four of the five victims resided at the children’s home, whilst a fifth victim was sexually abused by McNally after joining a scout group also run by the serial abuser. Nottinghamshire Police launched an investigation which led to a number of victims being identified.

The crimes went undetected until 2016, when the first victim came forward after watching a child sexual abuse storyline unfold on the ITV soap Emmerdale.

Police were told the victim joined a Scout Troop and was abused by McNally on camping trips from the age of 11, including in Crich and Tollerton. The court heard McNally was aged 18 at the time and carried out the abuse after entering the victim’s tent on repeated occasions.

The second victim told officers he had been having a rough time in the care home and had been beaten by the nuns. He said McNally was aware of the beatings and told the child that he would look after him and visit him in the night to make sure he was OK.

Instead, McNally repeatedly sexually abused the child, telling him not to tell anyone about what happened because if he did, bad things would happen.

The victim was aged around nine at the time and the abuse happened on the grounds of the children’s home as well as in McNally’s car.

Two further victims told police they were sexually abused from the ages of around five or six, with one telling officers McNally saw the boys at the home as his “play things” and that he would beat children as well as sexually abuse them.

The fifth victim told police McNally “stole his childhood” and that he abused him at Nazareth House as well as at a Nottingham address that was home to McNally’s parents.