Latest Offenders

Description

A man crept into a woman's house in the dead of night and sexually assaulted her as she slept in her bed next to her boyfriend, a court has heard. Suroj Bk at first denied being in the property at all but later claimed the allegation was some kind of fantasy on the part of the victim.

Sending the 27-year-old defendant to prison, a judge said he was aware there were people who knew Bk and who did not believe the incident had taken place - he said those people were "either totally blinkered or incredibly gullible". The victim of the sexual assault has life-long legal anonymity.

Swansea Crown Court heard the sexual assault took place at a property in Ceredigion last year when the defendant entered the woman's property at night, climbed into her bed, and touched her legs and genitals as she slept next to her boyfriend. In a statement read to the court by prosecution barrister Georgia Donohue, the victim said the sexual assault had "damaged her life in every conceivable way". She said she had been unable to return to work after the incident and left the area where it happened, and now experiences "graphic nightmares" about the assault. The woman said her parents had been left "heartbroken" about what happened to their daughter.

Suroj Bk, of Llangrannog, Ceredigion, had previously been convicted at trial of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and of sexual assault when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions. Dyfed Thomas, for Bk, said references before the court spoke of the good work the defendant had done in Nepal and India and during his time in Wales, and attested to his "exemplary character". He said Bk was married with two young children and "did something stupid when in drink which he simply would not have done otherwise", describing the conviction as a "spectacular fall from grace" for his client. The barrister said he had been told that a custodial sentence of four years would be "fatal" to the defendant's application to remain in the UK.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said on the evidence heard at trial it was clear that on the night in question the defendant had far too much to drink and entered the complainant's home with the intent to sexually assault her. He said Bk had then denied the offence claiming the victim had "in some way been fantasising about what happened", calling the defence the defendant put before the jury as "one of the most implausible I have heard in some time". The judge said the sexual assault had had a profound effect on the victim which could not be overestimated, and he said it was "of great concern" to him that her position has been made much worse by people in the local area who believed she had been making up the allegations - he said those people were "either totally blinkered or incredible gullible".

Judge Thomas said he had read letters and references submitted to the court on behalf of the defendant - including one from the guru at Skanda Vale temple - and accepted Bk was well thought of, though he added those people had likely only seen Bk's "positive, sober side". The defendant was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison, and will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and was made the subject of a restraining order banning him from trying to contact his victim or posting anything about her on social media. The judge said whether Bk was allowed to remain in the UK after serving his sentence was a matter for others and not for the court.

Speaking after the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective inspector Sam Gregory, the officer in charge of the case, praised the courage of the victim in coming forward. She said: "Incidents of this nature are thankfully very rare within Ceredigion, and I’d like to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident, and that the identification and arrest of the suspect was done quickly and efficiently. The victim in this case demonstrated tremendous courage in reporting to police, and while this investigation was not straightforward in its nature, it was through the expertise and tenacity of forensic officers, working together with the investigation team, and the victim, that led to this successful prosecution. I hope the sentence given to Suroj Bk sends a clear and strong message that Dyfed-Powys Police takes reports of sexual offences seriously. We will listen to you, and we will work tirelessly to get justice."

Description

A "scheming individual" with an "entrenched" sexual interest in children who he preyed upon has been jailed.

Thomas Bulmer, 31, was just a teenager himself when he started offending by inciting a boy under 13 - who cannot be named for legal reasons - to engage in sexual activity while in a field in Norfolk.

Following that offence in 2006 Bulmer went onto commit a total of 25 other offences - mostly against people living in the Thetford area - over the next 17 years.

Norwich Crown Court heard in 2016 police became aware of Bulmer posing online under false profiles, both of which had incited children to send indecent images of themselves.

Bulmer had also distributed indecent images of children and caused other children to watch indecent material comprising the defendant touching himself sexually.

Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said the enquiry initially came to Norfolk Constabulary's Safeguarding Children Online Team (SCOLT) due to the volume of children reporting concerns.

Mr Spence said Bulmer had an "entrenched and continuing sexual interest in children".

He said it "manifested itself in the solicitation, making and distribution of indecent images of children, carrying out sexual acts in the presence of children, either physical presence or over the internet, attempts at online grooming and contact offences".

The court heard Bulmer committed two offences of inciting a child to commit sexual activity, in getting a six or seven year old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons to touch him sexually.

He also got another boy, who was 13 at the time, to send the defendant images of his genitals in exchange for pictures of teen girls Bulmer would send.

Bulmer, who also engaged in sexual activity in the presence of a boy, 10, who had been in bed, appeared for sentence earlier this month having admitted 25 sexual offences, including two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The defendant, from Harleston Road, Langmere, near Diss was handed a 17-year extended sentence - made up of 11 years custody and six years on licence - by Judge Andrew Shaw.

The court heard Bulmer, who was represented by Oliver Haswell, committed the first offence when he was only a child himself and had previously suffered abuse and a traumatic childhood.  

Mr Haswell said his guilty pleas had saved the victims from having to give evidence and he had shown some insight and remorse when assessed by the Probation Service.  

He said that since being remanded into custody, Bulmer had engaged positively and was now assisting other inmates with their literacy and mathematics and acting as a listener to those struggling within the Prison estate.

Speaking after the sentence, Sgt Naomi Harger from Suffolk Police said: "This was a horrific case regarding a manipulative and scheming individual. He preyed on children to satisfy his own perverse and deviant desires. 

"We are very satisfied with this sentence which I hope goes some way to reassure the public of the action we will take against those suspected of such offences."

She added: "We will do everything within our power to protect victims who are subjected to these potentially life changing acts of indecency purely for the gratification of others.”

The officer urged parents concerned about people their children might be in contact with to use Sarah's Law, or the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme (CSODS).

Description

25-year-old Rhyss Laws attempted to convince a teenage girl to engage in sexual activity before using force and exposing himself at an address in Ashington on November 19, 2024.

The victim escaped from Laws before reporting the attack to Northumbria Police the following day.

Laws, of Storey Crescent, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault and exposure at Newcastle Crown Court last month.

He also admitted offences committed in the Teesside area including dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, drink driving, driving without insurance and criminal damage.

Laws was jailed for 45 months and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

He had previously been jailed on charges of sexual assault and assault following a street attack on a woman in Ashington in October 2017.

Detective Inspector Andrew Doyle of Northumbria Police said: “Laws is a dangerous predator and our communities are undoubtedly a safer place as a result of this sentence.

“The victim was subjected to a terrifying ordeal, and I hope this process gives her the closure she needs to start to move on with her life.

“We hope this sentence sends a clear message to victims. You will be listened to, you will be supported, and we will do everything in our power to secure justice on your behalf.”

Description

An Andover man has been jailed after being found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Matthew James Parker, 45, of Picket Twenty Way, had been found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child for offences that took place between May 2022 and April 2023.

Parker had also admitted 15 breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and his sexual offender notification requirements before the trial, which took place in March.

On Tuesday 30 April, at Winchester Crown Court, Parker was sentenced to a total of 14 years, with up to nine years in prison and five years on an extended licence.

A further three breaches of his order and notification requirements were taken into consideration at the sentence hearing.

The trial had heard that in 2019, Parker was convicted of attempting to arrange or facilitate a sexual offence against a child, for which he was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence and an indefinite SHPO.

He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

The court heard that on Friday 29 September, 2023, Parker completed a notification requirement at a police station, and it was noted that Parker had failed to disclose new bank accounts within a specified time period.

His Offender Managers searched Parker’s home address and he was arrested.

Evidence of further breaches were found at the address, including attempts to change his name, travel outside the UK, the creation of new bank accounts and possession of internet-enabled devices.

Officers also found evidence of contact with a teenage boy. The court heard that further enquiries established that Parker had sexually assaulted the boy on separate occasions in 2022 and 2023.

Description

A MAN who raped a woman and subjected her to a ‘horrific ordeal’ in her Knutsford home has been jailed.

Marcell Koekemoer, of HMP Bristol, but previously of Stretford, was sentenced on Tuesday, April 30.

He was previously found guilty of two counts of rape in relation to the incidents following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

The case first came to the attention of Cheshire Police in August 2022 when the victim submitted an online report stating she had been raped by Koekemoer.

She told officers Koekemoer had asked to stay at her address in Knutsford two days previously, after being locked out of his own address.

She agreed he could stay, providing he slept on the sofa.

However, during the early hours of the morning, Koekemoer entered her bedroom and proceeded to rape her.

The following morning, he raped her again when she asked him to leave her address.

Koekemoer was arrested in August 2022 and interviewed in relation to the allegations, which he denied.

He was subsequently released on conditional bail while further enquiries were undertaken.

While on bail, Koekemoer went on to commit further offences in the Avon and Somerset area.

Following a joint investigation by both forces, Koekemoer was charged in October 2023.

On top of his custodial sentence, he is subject to an indefinite restraining order and must sign the sex offender register for life.

Description

A man who was arrested 24 hours after a rape offence has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of rape and of assault of a woman he only met recently before.

Michael Chand, 46, had met his victim less than a week earlier and struck up a friendship. He called the victim and told her to come to his address in Acacia Gardens, N22, On Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

At his place, the woman was asked if she found him attractive. After she did not provide the answer he wanted, he became verbally abusive and angry, telling her she was not allowed to leave the house.

He then began to hit her and threatened to be violent towards not just her but other people she knew. Chand continued to physically assault her before raping her on three separate occasions after she had repeatedly told him that she did not want to have sex.

Two days later, on Friday, August 18 2023, the woman called the police to report the rape. Following this, detectives immediately searched for Chand, who had left London. Chand returned later that day and was arrested and taken into custody before being charged.

Detective Constable Cameron Crighton, who led the investigation, said: “Chand is a sexual predator who subjected the victim in this case to horrendous sexual and physical abuse.

“The victim showed incredible bravery by coming forward to police, providing a full account of what had happened and then reliving this by giving evidence in court. She is central to this conviction and we do not underestimate the strength it has taken for her to do this.

“We take all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously and encourage anyone who has been subject to such offending to come forward and speak to us.”

Chand was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of ten years on Wednesday, April 24, after being found guilty of three counts of rape and one count of assault following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, February 16.

Description

A paedophile sent disgusting videos and messages to a 13-year-old girl and threatened to disclose naked images of her if she did not send him more. He was also speaking to an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl.

Matthew Cheshire, 35, of Bridgend, was arrested by police at his home on October 5 last year where a number of electronic devices were seized and examined. The defendant had been in contact with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl, but was in fact a decoy account run by a police officer.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the exchanges between Cheshire and the decoy began with him trying to build a rapport with her, by asking about her school, if she had kissed anyone or gone further than kissing. He went on to say he could give the decoy tips about masturbating and offered to pick her up from school, as well as sending photos of himself smiling.

Following an examination of the defendant's phone, prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said it was discovered he had also been talking to a real 13-year-old girl. The conversation between Cheshire and the child was extremely sexualised and graphic on his part, with him talking about having sex with her.

He asked the teenager for videos and photos of herself, and she sent images exposing herself and a video of herself performing a sex act, which Cheshire had instructed her to do. He sent videos of himself masturbating.

The child was tracked down and she gave an interview to the police, during which she explained she had been speaking to the defendant for around a month on social media. She said the sexualised messages made her feel "weird and gross". She also said Cheshire had threatened to disclose naked images of her if she did not send him further images.

Cheshire, of Vale View, Sarn, later pleaded guilty to causing a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, possession of indecent images, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation, Ruth Smith said her client was unable to explain his offending, but had vowed he would never appear in front of a court again. She said the defendant had been in a relationship with his wife for 15 years and has a son, but the impact of his offending has been "devastating" on his family.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You engaged in the vilest of sexual communications with (your victim) which involved graphic descriptions about the two of you having sex."

Cheshire was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and a restraining order for 10 years.

Following the hearing, detective constable Laura Davies from South Wales Polices Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: Matthew Cheshire demonstrated predatory and manipulative behaviour when grooming who he believed to be 12-year-old child.

POLIT and the Digital Forensic Unit carried out the investigation and further sexual communication with another child was revealed and she was safeguarded from further exploitative behaviour from Cheshire. The work carried out by South Wales Police helped to ensure that children are protected online from the risk Cheshire posed to them. Such was the strength of evidence gathered that Cheshire entered guilty pleas to the charges brought against him.

Tarian case officer DC Isaac Gott said: This man believed he was communicating with a 12-year-old child between August and October 2023. The communication turned sexual and it was clear that the defendant had a sexual interest in the child. He formed a close friendship and used this as a platform for grooming, talking about Disney films and told the child that she was pretty.

"Developing a friendship with a child before introducing sexual elements into the conversation is a classic tactic that is commonly observed by sex offenders. As a result of a proactive investigation by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales, the defendant was identified. I cannot over-emphasise the fantastic work conducted by South Wales Polices Online Investigation Team which conducted a thorough investigation into offences and subsequently identified a further victim of online child sexual abuse. The defendant incited this child to carry out penetrative sexual acts.

"In this case the defendant was completely unknown to law enforcement agencies and I am certain had the defendant not been identified by Tarian, he would have continued to commit offences against children and leave vulnerable children open to sexual exploitation. Anyone with any concerns over a childs safety or welfare should contact the police. Tarian ROCU will continue to work with partner agencies and relentlessly pursue those who have a sexual interest in children.

Description

A Swindon man has been jailed for having sex with teen girl he ’emotionally blackmailed’.

35-year-old Jason Iles pleaded guilty to eight offences – including three counts of sexual activity with a child and making twelve indecent images of a child.

Prosecutor David Scutt told Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday (1 May) that the defendant initially sent “inappropriate messages”, some complimenting the girl’s body.

But things developed when Iles met his victim in person, plying her with “lots” of alcohol in order to carry out his offending. On the very first occasion he groped her breasts before putting his hands into her trousers, digitally penetrating her.

Mr Scutt said the victim had “never done anything like this before, she was confused and did not know what to do”. The sexual activity “quickly progressed” to oral sex and later full sexual intercourse – in which she lost her virginity.

He added: “The defendant told her that he wanted to be her first. He showered her with compliments, told her he loved her all the time.”

During one incident, Iles spoke to the girl about rough sex and put his hands on her neck. She resisted, but the defendant held her arms down and carried on having sex with her until he ejaculated.

In a video-recorded interview, she said sexual intercourse happened on many occasions and in several locations around Swindon, and usually involved her being given alcohol.

Over the course of six months, when the offending took place, he told his victim that she couldn’t tell anyone – stating he would go to prison and lose his children if she did.

He also threatened to kill himself if she told anyone, telling her that it would be her word against his and that nobody would believe her.

In a bid to gather evidence against Iles, the victim “went to the trouble of inventing a fictitious friend called Lily Orchard”. He contacted her “enthusiastically” hoping to arrange a threesome.

The defendant also solicited indecent images of his victim. When police examined his mobile phone, they found nine photos of her stored within a password-protected app.

Iles was also found to have sent a video of his penis to the victim. An extreme pornographic video, depicting a person having intercourse with a dog, was also located.

Judge Jason Taylor KC said Iles had “variously cajoled, emotionally blackmailed and threatened her on the importance of keeping quiet”.

He continued: “She told the police that most of the time she was unwilling to have sex, but she was frightened of the consequences and emotionally torn.

“She can now see you twisted her, again, her words.

“But it’s clear from her comments…that she still placed blame on herself. There was absolutely no need for her to do that. That’s something she needs to hear and understand.

“You were the adult. You singularly and remorselessly prioritised your sexual gratification over her welfare.”

Judge Taylor handed down a 14-year prison sentence, for which he will serve two thirds behind bars before he is released on licence.

The takeaway delivery driver, of Kemerton Walk, Park South, was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, alongside a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was also slapped with an indefinite restraining order prohibiting contact with the victim.

The defendant was sentenced following guilty pleas to three counts sexual activity with a child involving penetration, three counts of making indecent images of a child, possession of an extreme pornographic image and sending a grossly offensive or of an indecent image by means of a public electronic communications network.

Description

A serial child sex offender from Derby contacted an 11-year-old girl as she was getting ready for school and sent her a vile image of himself. Later the same day, self-employed bathroom fitter Mark Rayworth then sent another disgusting photograph to the victim’s adult sister, who had been made aware of what he had done earlier and pretended to be a girl aged 13.

She contacted a gang of paedophile hunters who turned up at his home in Brailsford the same day and confronted the 55-year-old, formerly of Mickleover. 12 years ago, the same defendant met a 15-year-old girl at a McDonald's in Allenton and offered to pay her £100 for sex only for her to reply “I am not a prostitute”.

Jailing Rayworth for two-and-a-half years, Judge William Harbage KC said: “These are serious offences and you will receive serious punishment. She was 11 and she is autistic both of those make her vulnerable.

“Your pre-sentence report indicates you are still in denial about this and maintain your innocence. There is still no expression of remorse.”

The trial, at Derby Crown Court, heard how the young Derbyshire victim received a Snapchat friend request from the defendant as she was getting ready to go to school on the morning of November 25, 2022. Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said she replied to it and almost immediately the defendant sent her a sexual photograph of himself.

The prosecutor said the girl told her mother who took over her phone and told Rayworth the girl was only aged 11 and the victim’s older, adult, sister then contacted the defendant pretending to be a 13-year-old girl and he sent her a second sexual image of himself.

The prosecutor said the older sister contacted a group of self-styled paedophile hunters who turned up at Rayworth’s address later that night and challenged him about his behaviour. The defendant, of Corner Farm, denied any wrongdoing and took the case to trial meaning the 11-year-old girl had to come to court. Miss Allen said: “Throughout, the defendant has denied he was the ‘Tom Bailey’ who made contact with the victim.

“In her victim impact statement, the girl, now 13, said she feels scared and anxious that the man will turn up at her home and does not even want to open the door. She said she feels scared this will happen again and that it was her birthday the week before the court case and what should have been a happy day for her was ruined at the worry of having to come to court.”

After hearing all of the evidence, a jury found him guilty of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause or incite a girl to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The judge asked Rayworth, who represented himself during the trial and at this week’s sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court, if he had anything to say in mitigation. He replied: “No.”

In 2012, the defendant, then 43 and of Wren Way, Mickleover, was convicted at Derby Crown Court, of sexually grooming a 15-year-old girl. On that occasion, he met the teen at McDonalds in Allenton and the following day messaged her offering her £100 for sex. In 2014, then on Inglewood Avenue, also in Mickleover, he was convicted at the same court of breaching a sexual offences protection order - now called a sexual harm prevention order or SHPO - by contacting a girl aged under 16.

As part of this week’s punishment, Judge Harbage handed Rayworth a lifetime SHPO and placed him on the sex offender register for life. Speaking after sentencing, PC Sam Bailey of Derbyshire police's protecting children online team, said: “I would like to thank the girl for her courage in making a trusted adult aware of messages which were making her feel uncomfortable and were not right, and for her courage and families support during our investigation and the court case.

“I welcome the sentence Rayworth is now facing. He was totally responsible for his inappropriate behaviour against children. I hope this shows that we always take reports seriously and will investigate to ensure people are brought to justice and face the consequences their actions.”

Description

A man who engaged in sex chat with who he thought was a teenage boy has narrowly kept his freedom.

Christopher Seymour, now 51, downloaded the social media site Kick and began communicating with a 14-year-old over the course of one afternoon in June last year.

However, Newcastle Crown Court heard that Seymour was actually talking to a member of an undercover child safety team who went by the username 'UK bi couple.'

Prosecutor Sophie Johnstone said the decoy clearly stated in his profile he was 14 but Seymour twice lied about his own age, stating he was 36, then 38, when in fact he was 50 at the time.

The court heard the defendant sent "graphic" messages and images and also tried to incite his victim into performing a sexual act. Ms Johnstone said: "The decoy confirmed to the defendant he was still at school and he could message at lunchtime." She told the court that enquiries were made to find out the identity of the person behind the defendant's account via the Kick site.

Seymour, of Millais Gardens, South Shields, was then arrested in November. He later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child of ages 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of a sexual nature.

He also admitted attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Vic Laffey, defending, said: "He got involved in this wholly inappropriate conversation and started and ended on the same day when he recognised the position he had got himself in. "What is significant while accepting the seriousness of the offences, is the offence took place in one day in the space of five hours." Mr Recorder Cox KC told Seymour that an immediate prison sentence would have been inevitable had the conversation have lasted longer than a single day.

The recorder said: "I'm just persuaded I don't need to do that in your case today in part because you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and in part because you have no previous offending for this sort of matter and in part because it's plain that thus were conversations over a relatively short period in a single day." He sentenced Seymour to 18 months suspended or two years with rehabilitation requirements, and ordered him to sign the sex offender's register for ten years.

Description

Adrian Russell Coxon, 48, of St. Mary Close, Pencoed, was arrested in November 2021 after we received a report from the victim that they had been sexually assaulted.

He appeared in court today, Thursday, May 2, where he was sentenced to six years in prison for sexual assault by penetration and supply of Class C drugs. He was also made to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Description

A sex offender who "ruined" a girl's life after trying to rape her in Devon has been jailed.

Friday Uguru, of no fixed abode, attempted to sexually abuse a 12-year-old in Axminster in November 2017.

The 50-year-old, who previously lived in Pinhoe Road, Exeter, was arrested over the attack but fled the county after being released while under investigation.

Uguru was jailed for nine years and six months at Exeter Crown Court.

He was also given a one-year extended licence.

At the end of his sentence, Uguru will be deported as he was in the UK illegally from Nigeria after arriving on a visitor's visa and overstaying.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Uguru was rearrested in London in February 2023.

He denied a charge of attempted rape but was found guilty by the jury at his trial earlier this year.

'Messed up my world'
His victim read out a statement in which she said Uguru's attempted rape had blighted her adolescence and led her to drug abuse, self-harm and suicide attempts.

She told the court: "It was like a bomb that went off in my life. It messed up my whole world.

"I did not think I would make it past 14. You have ruined my life."

The court was told Uguru travelled to Axminster by train on the night of the attack and assaulted the girl in an upstairs bedroom while her mother was cooking downstairs.

The girl got away from him before he completed the rape and ran down to raise the alarm, a jury heard.

'Courage and resilience'
Uguru had claimed DNA evidence found in the victim's underwear was part of a plot to frame him, but this was described as ludicrous and preposterous by the judge.

Det Con Jonathan Stephens, from Devon and Cornwall Police's local safeguarding investigation team, said after sentencing: "I welcome the result and I am grateful for the courage and resilience shown by the victim and witnesses in this case, and for supporting this investigation over a protracted period of time.

"I hope this case reassures the community how seriously the police take reports of child sexual offences and gives people the courage to come forward in future."

Description

Jack Gilmartin, 23, of no fixed abode, was found guilty of rape; harassment; assault occasioning ABH; intentional strangulation; and possession of controlled drugs. The offences took place in the St Helens area in 2022.

Gilmartin was found guilty of the rape offence following a retrial this week, having pled guilty to the other offences last year. He remained in custody between the trials.

Gilmartin was also handed a 10-year restraining order against his victim.

Description

A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after he was found guilty of multiple child sex offences.

32-year-old Craig Botterill, from Baglan, was found guilty of sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration and rape of a child.

Botterill has been sentenced to 10 years in prison at Swansea Crown Court this week. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A "dangerous" and "manipulative" convicted sex offender brazenly targeted an impressionable 11-year-old girl for highly sexualised messages on Snapchat – just a few weeks after he had been released from prison.

Sexual "predator" Steven Bennett took advantage of the girl's naive belief that he could be trusted as a friend and his seedy behaviour cynically "stole her innocence".

He callously preyed upon the vulnerable girl and caused her horrified mother to endure a "nightmare" ordeal after she discovered, only by pure chance, what had been secretly going on, Hull Crown Court heard.

Bennett, 42, who had been living in a Hull bail hostel before later being remanded in custody, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child between November 21 and 28, 2022, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Patrick Palmer, prosecuting, said that Bennett was released from prison on October 31, 2022 after serving a previous six-year sentence for sexual offences and he went to live in a bail hostel in Queens Road, Hull.

But on December 10 of that year, police were alerted that Bennett had been sending sexualised messages to an 11-year-old girl on Snapchat. The girl's mother had been keeping tabs on her daughter's messages.

She became concerned about messages that she saw, involving her daughter, that had been sent from a man at the location address of the bail hostel. "It was, of course, this defendant," said Mr Palmer.

Bennett had tried to get the girl to tell her friends to "add him" on Snapchat. The mother took screenshots of the messages before they disappeared. The girl had sent an intimate video of herself to him.

Bennett was arrested at the hostel on December 11, 2022. He denied any contact with the girl and claimed that he had no recollection of any chat with her.

"He claimed that he had no sexual interest in children and he denied that he was guilty of those matters on his record," said Mr Palmer.

The girl's mother said that she believed that Bennett was a "predator" who had quickly identified her daughter's insecurities and had taken advantage of her. She felt "utter disgust, panic and regret" and she believed that Bennett's contact with the girl "stole her innocence" through the messages.

"This would not have happened if this disgusting paedophile had not been released from prison early," she said. She would not want the "nightmare" that they had endured for 18 months to happen to anyone else and she wanted to thank the police involved in the case.

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said: "Sadly, there is nothing positive that can be said on this defendant's behalf. It's inevitably a significant custodial sentence.

"Risk reduction work is necessary and he knows that only he can do that in the long term. The circumstances make for difficult reading. He has had the good will to plead guilty at the first opportunity."

Bennett had previously been branded a dangerous offender and, after his release from prison, there had been further offending. He had limited previous convictions but they were "highly relevant and deeply concerning" because of their nature.

"There is clearly work that needs to be done for rehabilitation," said Mr Shipley.

Recorder David Kelly said that Bennett used Snapchat to communicate with the girl. "Fortunately, her mother became aware of it," said Recorder Kelly. "She was able to screenshot some of your conversation before they disappeared and was able to identify both you and the place where you were located.

"It turned out that you were a registered sex offender who, at the time, was living at the Queens Road bail hostel. Your victim had sent you photographs and videos.

"She naively thought that you were a friend who she could trust. You were extremely manipulative in your behaviour. You also tried to get her to get her friends to join in these conversations.

"You had been released from that previous sentence only three or four weeks before you were committing these offences and you were on licence. The prison sentence from which you had been so recently released was for very similar offences."

Bennett had also been jailed for two years in July 2006 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13. He had been released from prison after the six-year sentence on October 31, 2022.

"Here you were, while in the bail hostel, almost immediately doing it again," said Recorder Kelly. "I am satisfied that you are dangerous. You pose a significant risk of committing further offences."

Bennett was jailed for four years and eight months. He will be on extended licence of three years after his release. The indefinite sexual harm prevention order will continue.