Latest Offenders

Description

A MAN who downloaded indecent images of young boys has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Martin Ballantyne, 27, entered guilty pleas to the following offences when he appeared before Workington Magistrates’ Court:

• Making 29 Category A indecent images of a child – the most serious category of child abuse images
• Making 11 Category B indecent images of a child
• Making 17 Category C indecent images of a child

Outlining the case, Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said Ballantyne was arrested at his home on March 14 last year and was in possession of a mobile phone.

Data on the phone was analysed and indecent images of children were located on the device. Among the Category A images were different images of boys aged between 10 and 12, seven and nine and five and seven. Descriptions of the images read out in court are too graphic to report.

During police interview, Ballantyne initially gave ‘no comment’. He later made ‘significant’ statements and told police he had been ‘looking at stuff’ on Twitter. He said he thought they were all over age.

He later admitted he had been ‘looking at stuff’ and had been ‘looking at young guys’. He then said he had been ‘looking at little boys’.

Ballantyne told police when he gets low, he ‘looks at Twitter’.

John Cooper, defending, said: “It’s 57 images in total. It’s quite clearly not right. Compared with a lot of cases we deal with, it’s a relatively low number.

“Some cases we have here have hundreds or thousands of images.”

Magistrates adjourned the case until June 4 to allow a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Service.

Ballantyne, of Ennerdale Road, Maryport, was ordered to register with police as a sex offender.

Description

A CONVICTED sex offender has been locked up after being caught with depraved images of children being sexually abused.

Michael Mitchell was previously handed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and ordered to sign the sex offender register, in a bid to limit his ability to reoffend.

However, Cheshire Police found the vile material on the 34-year-old’s devices in Runcorn, and he was hauled before the courts.

The defendant was subsequently charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and one of possessing prohibited images of children

He was also charged with two counts of failing to comply with the terms of his sex offender register notification requirements, and one of breaching a SHPO.

Mitchell admitted each offence at a previous hearing, with sentencing at Chester Crown Court adjourned until recently to allow for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Laura Knightly, prosecuting, explained that the authorities found 437 indecent images of children being sexually abused on Mitchell’s devices.

Of these, 49 were graded as category A – the most severe form involving child rape – while 48 were category B and 340 were category C.

A forensic examination also uncovered 671 prohibited images of children. These are not photographs and are often of an animated or cartoon nature.

Further offences uncovered included Mitchell failing to notify the police of a number of usernames and emails that he was using – in breach of the terms of his sex offender register requirements.

In addition, the defendant installed software on his computer that masked his internet search history, such as secure browsers and clean-up programmes, and had cloud-based storage – all in breach of the terms of his SHPO.

In sentencing, judge Simon Berkson concluded that appropriate punishment could only be achieved by way of immediate custody.

Mitchell, of Speakman Street in Runcorn, was sentenced to three years in prison.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register indefinitely, while an order to deprive him of his electronic devices seized by police was approved.

Description

A registered sex offender subject to strict measures around his access of the internet was caught using a laptop to download illegal images of children.

Explicit material including the sexual abuse of children was recovered after police made an unannounced visit in Snodland to the home of Roger Crabtree.

Officers attended the Rectory Close property on 2 November 2023. 

Crabtree had been subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) - following previous convictions for making and possessing indecent images.

The SHPO meant Crabtree had to make any internet enabled devices immediately available for inspection.

Child victims abused

The inspection revealed concerning search terms linked to his web history, and this led to the seizure of a laptop and hard drives.

These were later forensically examined and found to contain 33 illegal images and videos of children, including several in the highest category showing unknown victims being subjected to abuse.

After the evidence was recovered, Crabtree was later arrested and charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty and admitted a further charge of breaching his SHPO. This related to an incident in January 2024 when he was found to have unlawfully deleted the internet history of a Kindle device.

High risk

On 2 May 2025, Crabtree, 59, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court. Recorder David Wood described him as being of high risk to children, adding the material he had accessed showed ‘real victims having terrible things done to them’.

Crabtree was jailed for two years and six months. The sentence included a penalty for breaching a previous suspended sentence.

Description

A pervert who sexually abused two young boys was jailed today for one year.

David Exley, 43, preyed on the six and nine-year-olds at his home in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, between July 2022 and January 2023.

Construction worker Exley repeatedly removed one of the boys' underwear while he was asleep.

He also pulled down the underwear of both boys and intimately touched them.

Exley denied the allegations and claimed the six-year-old victim "rehearsed" his evidence to police officers.

However, first offender Exley was found guilty by Sheriff David Taylor at Glasgow Sheriff Court of two charges of sexual assault.

The sheriff said: "The similarities in time and place and the circumstances of the sexual assaults were such that each of the boys' evidence corroborated each other."

Sheriff Taylor put Exley on the sex offenders register for 10 years at today's sentencing.

Exley previously told the court in his evidence that there was one occasion when he did pull down one of the children's underwear.

Prosecutor Darren Harty asked why he did it and Exley replied: "It was just a bit of fun between me and the children."

One of the boys told the police officers in an interview that Exley removed his underwear while he was asleep.

Description

A 61-year-old man has been jailed for six years after being convicted of non-recent sexual offending.

Paul Proctor was sentenced to six years, backdated to February 2025, at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday, 14 May, 2025.

He carried out the offending towards a female child in Fife in 1995.

He was reported to police in October 2020 and an investigation was launched. He was arrested in May 2021 and convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday, 13 February, 2025.

Description

No always means no.

That’s the message from officers after a man was jailed for 14 years for raping a teenage girl he’d just met.   

Bailey Stubbs talked to the girl – who was under 16 - on Snapchat before meeting her in person in December 2021, where he supplied her with alcohol and took her back to his home in Murton.

Once there, the 22-year-old sexually assaulted the girl several times and forced her to have sex with him, despite her repeatedly telling him ‘no’.

Stubbs also strangled the girl and spat in her face.

When the terrified girl told Stubbs she wanted to go home, he told her she couldn’t leave and that he would take her home in the morning.

The brave girl managed to alert her parents who called police and Stubbs was arrested that night.

He was charged with several offences, including four counts of sexual assault, rape, assault, and false imprisonment, which he denied.

However, a jury sitting at Durham Crown Court found Stubbs guilty of the offences earlier this year and he returned to court on Friday (May 9) where he was jailed for 14 years.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the girl.

Description

A child rapist has been jailed for 24 years for subjecting two young girls to years of sexual abuse in Warrington.

Anthony Wilcock, of Harvey Avenue, Newton-le-Willows, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 9 May where he was handed the custodial sentence. He will also need to serve an extra year on extended licence.

The 44-year-old had previously denied three counts of sexual assault by penetration and eight counts of rape but was found guilty following a trial.

The court heard how Wilcock had abused the victims over many years in the Warrington area. One girl was abused when she was aged between nine and 15, and the second girl when she was aged between 12 and 14.

The offences were reported in April 2023 and the victims bravely spoke about what had happened to them. Following enquiries, Wilcock was arrested. He was then ultimately charged with multiple offences in May 2024.

On top of his 24-year sentence, Wilcock was ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for life and is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, plus restraining orders to protect the victims in this case.

Description

An 84-year-old man has been jailed for over 22 years for sexually abusing two young children.

David John Hampshire, 84, of Pickering, North Yorkshire was jailed for 22 years and 8 months, and put on the sex offenders register for life.

The incidents were reported in December 2022, when the first victim told their parents about the abuse, which took place over an eight-year period, starting when they were five-years-old and continuing until they were 13.

During the investigation, it transpired that Hampshire had sexually abused another younger child when they were three, who had reported the abuse at the time, however Hampshire was not prosecuted at that stage.

Speaking after the sentencing yesterday (13 May) at York Crown Court, Detective Constable Lucie Welford of North Yorkshire Police’s Safeguarding Investigation Team said: "Hampshire is an incredibly dangerous offender who has caused huge suffering to the victims and their families and has shown absolutely no remorse for the horrendous abuse he inflicted.

“I would like to praise the victims for their bravery and for supporting the investigation throughout, helping to ensure that Hampshire was brought to justice. Hopefully today's sentencing brings them an element of closure, and they can begin to move forward with their lives.”

The court heard how during his career Hampshire had been a headteacher at an Anglo-Indian school in India before working as a teacher at a high school in Norfolk, UK.

Speaking about the length of time that has passed since the offences took place, Detective Constable Welford continued: “This case demonstrates that no matter when the abuse occurred, it is no barrier to justice. We are absolutely committed to bringing those responsible for such offences before the court, regardless of how much time has passed.

“We would urge any victims of sexual abuse, no matter when it happened, and even if you have never reported it to the police, to come forward. Our specially trained officers will listen, investigate, and work alongside partners to offer you the support you need.”

In his personal statement, the older victim described how the abuse had caused them to “fall into a numbness” that hindered them from making healthy normal relationships with people.

Their mother also described how the abuse has had a “huge” and “lasting” effect on her child and how she has spent many sleepless nights worrying about them.

The other victim spoke about how what Hampshire did to them affected “every aspect” of their life, “from childhood to now” and how the memories of what happened still haunt them.

After the incidents were reported, Hampshire was arrested, and following a long and complex investigation by North Yorkshire Police, which took officers seven months alone to examine the material on Hampshire’s computer, he was charged with the following offences:

• Four counts of rape of a child under 13
• Three counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Two counts of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
• Two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13
• One count of sexual activity with a child
• One court of indecent assault on a male person He denied the offences but changed his plea to guilty in April this year.

Description

A man who sexually assaulted a woman while she slept on board a flight has been sentenced.

Momade Jussab, 66, was sat next to the victim, a woman in her 20s, in the aircraft bound for Gatwick from Doha in Qatar.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had not met Jussab before.

She awoke during the flight to find he was sexually assaulting her.

When the aircraft landed, she reported her experience to police, and she has received support from specially trained officers.

Police investigated and Jussab was arrested. He was subsequently charged with one count of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault, and was found guilty after a trial in March.

At Lewes Crown Court on May 12, Jussab, of Swinfield Close, Feltham, was jailed for six and a half years as part of an extended sentence.

It means he will not be released automatically half way through his sentence, but will instead have to serve at least two thirds of the sentence in prison before he can be considered for parole.

Jussab was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

The court was told about how the incident happened on September 28 last year.

The victim recalled how cabin lights were switched off and most passengers were asleep during the flight when the sexual assaults took place.

The crimes continue to have an ongoing impact on the victim.

"It has felt so hard and so traumatising to think that anyone would ever want me to do that to me," she said. "The shock and disbelief at what I have experienced will never go away and I will never understand how or why anyone would do that to a person."

Description

A man from Swansea has been jailed after he was caught exchanging sexual messages with a decoy account which he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

34-year-old Guy Brigdale, from Fforestfach, pleaded guilty to numerous offences following the messages he sent in January of this year, which included:

• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Attempting to cause/incite a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity
• Attempting to cause a child aged 13-15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity
• Attempting to meet a child under the age of 16 following grooming
• Breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order

For the combined offences, Brigdale has been handed an extended 12-year sentence. 

Previous Conviction - 2017-03-03

Guy Brigdale messaged the youngster on Facebook and attempted to get her to take and send indecent pictures

A man has been jailed for three years and put on the sex-offenders register for life after contacting a young girl on social media and trying to get her to send him sexually explicit photographs.

Swansea Crown Court heard that 26-year-old Guy Brigdale messaged the youngster on Facebook and attempted to get her to take and send indecent pictures.

However a family member of the victim saw some of the messages he had sent on the girl's phone - and then pretended to be her, and carried on the exchanges with the defendant.

Police were later contacted, and Brigdale arrested at an address in Swansea.

Brigdale, of Heol y Cae, Pontarddulais had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl under-16 to send him photographs when he appeared in the dock today for sentencing. The Pontarddulais address is not the address where the offending took place.

Stuart John, for Brigdale, said his client accepted he had "issues", and wanted help in addressing them.

Judge Keith Thomas said he had read a probation report into the defendant and it was clear he had "a particular sexual interest" in such matters and intended to arrange to meet the girl, who cannot be named to protect her identity.

The judge told him: "You were grooming her and you would have committed more serious offences if given the opportunity."

Brigdale was sentenced to three years in prison, and put on the sex offenders register for life. He was also made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from having unauthorised contact with under-16s, and from deleting his search histories on internet devices.

Description

A West Winch man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman and banned from approaching lone women in public.

Kelvin Morgan, 47, of Watering Lane, West Winch appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court last week and was found guilty of unwanted sexual touching of a female over 16 inside an address on 17 January 2024.

He was sentenced at the same court yesterday (Monday 12 May 2025) to three months in prison (which he has already served in prison since he was remanded last year). He has also been put on the sex offenders register for seven years and handed an interim Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

The CBO has eight conditions – half of which relate to carers and members of NHS staff. However there are four that apply to members of the public and they state that Morgan must not:

Description

A Fort William sex offender who sexually assaulted three young victims has avoided jail.

Robert Lawrie was convicted of the sex assaults, indecent communication, voyeurism and sexual exposure following a trial at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Description

A convicted sex offender has been jailed after police discovered horrific images of child abuse on his mobile phone.

Matthew Rout, who had previously been convicted of making indecent images of children in 2017, got involved with conversations with others paedophiles on the KIK online platform.

Norwich Crown Court heard the 39-year-old told them he had previously had sex with young girls and shared a video of a one-year-old being raped.

Hollie Davies-Regan, prosecuting, said police became aware of indecent images being uploaded to the internet via an account linked to Rout.

Police attended his address and seized 17 devices, including a Samsung mobile phone on which indecent images and videos were found. 

They included 373 still images and 151 videos at category A - the most serious - 307 category B images and 28 videos and 278 category C images and 18 videos. 

Miss Davies-Regan said Rout also distributed indecent images and videos in 13 separate conversations he had with other users.

He stated to those he was having conversations with he was "interested" in children aged 0 to eight with "no limits at all".

He also stated an interest in "raping young boys" as well as dogs and young children. 

Rout, of Ferry Road, Heckingham, near Loddon appeared at court for sentencing on Tuesday.

He had previously admitted five counts of making indecent photos of a child and five offences of distributing indecent photos of a child.

He also admitted possession of extreme pornographic images.  

Jailing Rout for 32 months, Judge Alice Robinson said of "significant concern" was his claims he had "sexually abused" young girls in the past and his encouragement of others to "rape children".

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said Rout's strongest mitigation was his guilty pleas.

He said Rout became invoked in "fantasy chat" which was "utterly morally repugnant" although there was no evidence he had been involved in any contact offences with children. 

The barrister said Rout was "totally disgusted by his conduct".

Rout was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life and also put on the sex offenders register for life. 

Description

A CONVICTED sex offender is back behind bars after police carried out a routine visit at his home.

Nicky Lloyd was previously locked up after authorities found his ‘paedophile manuals’, instructing him how to abuse children and get away with it.

The 41-year-old was handed an indefinite court order to limit his ability to reoffend, but he has breached this previously – and he has now breached it again.

He was subsequently charged with and admitted six counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), for which he was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.

Description

A Nuneaton man who repeatedly sexually abused a teenage girl under 16 has been jailed.

As can happen when someone has been groomed and abused, the victim understandably felt unable to fully co-operate with our enquiries.

So in what’s called an ‘evidence-led prosecution’, we continued to investigate 25-year-old Oliver Beck , gathering every bit of evidence we could find.
 
We built up a strong enough case that Beck was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child under 16.
 
And on Friday, May 2, at Warwick Crown Court he was sentenced to four years in prison, handed a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.