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A man from Weston-super-Mare has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of non-recent sexual offences against a child.

Rodney Bunzly, 57, of Grasmere Drive, was sentenced for indecent assault against a child, indecency with a child, sexual intercourse with a child, and penetrative sexual activity with a child, at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 20 October.

He was also found guilty by a jury of 10 other charges of making indecent images of a child and was sentenced to the four most serious after an eight-day trial at the same court on Thursday 18 September.

Bunzly is now the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order not to contact the victim.

The victim said in a statement, which was read in court on their behalf:

“The last few years have been hard.

“When I found out what charges had been authorised against Rodney, I went to stay with my family as I felt weak and unstable.

“What Rodney did to me has been a constant burden. It has always been there in the background as something that happened and something that I had no control over.

“It has always been something that affected my ability to form relationships with others. Rodney has always made this about him, never displaying any remorse.

“I would like Rodney to know that I no longer feel guilty for his actions. I want him to know that despite what he did to me, I am in a strong place and am starting to enjoy life again.”

DC Joe Sanderson, officer in the case, said:

“I would like to thank the victim for their bravery in speaking to us, and for her patience while waiting for her voice to be heard in court.

“Bunzly took advantage of the victim when she was very young and while she was vulnerable around two decades ago, and his targeted abuse had a lasting impact on both the victim and those around her. I hope this conviction demonstrates to others who have been subjected to abuse that we will listen and will take you seriously.”

Judge Moira Macmillan said in summary:

“I am satisfied she (the victim) has suffered serious and significant psychological harm as a result of the offences you committed against her.”

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Anthony Nash has been sentenced to life imprisonment for multiple rapes of two children and an adult in Cardiff.

His offences were reported to South Wales Police when the victims bravely came forward.

Two days later Nash was arrested at his home address in Birmingham.

The 47-year-old denied the allegations when interviewed but was charged and later pleaded guilty to all 13 rape offences.

He was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, October 15 to life imprisonment and was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered for release.

The court heard that Nash had carried out a campaign of abuse and was considered a dangerous offender.

Detective Constable Harriet Jones from South Wales Police said:

“These are horrific offences against the most vulnerable victims.

“I want to commend the victims for their incredible bravery and the courage they showed in coming forward, sharing what had happened, and supporting the investigation.

“I hope that the outcome at court brings them some comfort that the offender has been brought to some justice and that their bravery has helped protect the wider public from harm.”

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A ‘child rapist’ who subjected three young children to a series of horrific rapes and sexual assaults over a number of years has been sentenced to 21 years behind bars with an additional eight years on licence, will be on the Sex Offenders Register for Life and also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order following his appearance at Hull Crown Court on Monday, 20 October 2025.

Alex Fullard, 31-years-old, of HMP Hull, was initially charged and remanded in December 2023 for four sexual offences and subsequently pleaded guilty to all offences. Whilst awaiting sentencing for the offences, further information came to light during extensive enquiries carried out by detectives from our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team (RASSO).

The trial date was set for July this year, however, on the first day of trial he pleaded guilty and has been sentenced for the following 15 offences:

• Five counts of rape of a child under 13
• Three counts of rape
• Three counts of attempted rape of a child under 13
• Two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 by touching
• Sexual assault of a child under 13
• Causing and inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity

Fullard first came to officers’ attention in 2021 when two women came forward to report a series of rapes and sexual assaults Fullard had subjected them to when they were children, claiming the abuse had then continued into adulthood.

Investigations of this nature can be extremely traumatic and intrusive, and following their initial report the two women didn’t feel ready to continue being involved.

The women were given wider support by specialist partner agencies and were advised they could always come forward again when they were ready to do so.

In December 2023, a third victim came forward disclosing that they had been sexually abused by Fullard, leading to him being swiftly arrested at his home address and charged.

Fullard was remanded into custody and during interview made an incriminating admission allowing detectives to reopen the investigation and reach out to the two women who initially reported Fullard’s sexual crimes back in 2021.

With Fullard refusing to admit all new allegations put to him, a trial date was set for July 2025 but on the first day, due to the overwhelming evidence stacked against him, he eventually decided to plead guilty.

Leading the investigation was Detective Constable Jack Somers from our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Unit, who said:

“This has been an extremely extensive, and intrusive investigation, and I admire the courageousness of the three victims and their families for taking that first step in coming forward to report the horrific crimes they were forced to live through at such a young age.

“Crimes of this nature are impermissible regardless of the age of the victims, but for Fullard to take advantage of innocent young children by raping them, sexually assaulting them and also abusing their trust in him is outright sickening.

“Whilst I know the sentence imposed upon Fullard will by no means take away the trauma inflicted on the three victims and their families, I hope that it provides some closure to the victims and gives them an opportunity to move forward.

“We would strongly appeal for any child who is or has been sexually abused and manipulated into doing something they don’t want to do, or anyone who suspects crimes of this nature are taking place, to please speak to a trusted adult or friend, and when you are ready, report it to us.

“We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously and will do everything we can to bring individuals like Fullard to justice.”

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A 65-year-old pedophile, Cliff Lewthwaite, has been jailed for an additional 10 years after sexually abusing a girl from age eight in Bromley during his late teens and early 20s.

He was already serving an 18-year sentence from 2019 for abusing two other children and was "looking forward" to his anticipated release in September 2027, after serving half his term.

But on October 21 at Woolwich Crown Court, a jury convicted him of 13 sexual assaults and attempted rape of a child.

The court heard Lewthwaite appeared respectable, working as a butcher, milkman, and pub manager.

Judge Philip Shorrock described his actions as a “campaign of serious sexual abuse” on the girl.

Lewthwaite, held in HMP Belmarsh, now lives a "lonely existence," segregated from other prisoners due to his crimes and without visitors for seven years.

The new sentence begins after his current term.

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A man has been sentenced following a detailed investigation from our dedicated Criminal Investigation Department into four years’ worth of offences.

Mobarak Almutairi (30/05/2006) of Whitworth Street West, Manchester was sentenced to three years and eight months at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday 16 September. Almutairi pleaded guilty to 20 counts of sexual offences, including sexual assault, outraging public decency and indecent image offences.

Earlier this year, in February 2025, Almutairi was arrested after he followed three young girls into a shop on Market Street where he inappropriately touched and sexually assaulted one of them.

Following this report, our officers were able to track Almutairi down using CCTV footage, arrest him and seized his electronic devices. Officers discovered not only a recording the offender took of the above offence, but thousands of indecent images of children made predominantly by Almutairi. Just under 4,000 indecent images were recovered from his devices, unveiling a history of sexual abuse against children both within and outside of the UK.

Our dedicated officers carefully sifted through this evidence to identify each of the children, some as young as eight-years-old, and ensure each of them and their families received protection and support.

In addition to his sentencing, Almutairi now has a lifetime order on the sex offender’s register list and has been issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Emily Morton, of our Criminal Investigation Department said:

“Child protection is our utmost priority, and ensuring the victims identified in this case were fully supported was the first and most important task under this investigation.

“The level of offending and disregard for these children shows just how dangerous an offender Almutairi, and the streets are much safer with him in prison.

“We investigate all reports of sexual assault thoroughly and work relentlessly to bring perpetrators to justice, while providing the right care and support for all victims and survivors of these crimes.”

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A 45-year-old man has been jailed for nine years after sexually assaulting a woman while she was vulnerable.

James Murray, from Weston-super-Mare, has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual assault, one count of perverting the course of justice and careless driving.

On Friday (17 October), Bristol Crown Court was told how paramedics were called to a property in Weston-super-Mare where a woman was in distress.

Following further enquires, the victim disclosed that Murray had sexually assaulted her when she was not in a state to give consent.

The court was told how Murray had filmed the abuse on his phone for his own gratification.

After being remanded to prison, Murray reached out to the victim and sent her multiple letters in an attempt to dissuade her from pursuing a prosecution and asked her to disengage with police.

The court was also told how, in a separate incident, Murray had been driving carelessly and nearly collided with two pedestrians after crashing into a fence next to them and then leaving before police arrived.

Officer in the case, DC Jordan Prince, said:

“I have to commend the victim who has shown exceptional bravery throughout the investigation and court process. She showed tremendous courage to speak out against Murray and support our enquiries.

“Murray committed vile acts against the victim when she was in a vulnerable state and has shown no remorse for his actions. Enquiries led to the police locating the videos of abuse leaving Murray with no choice but to plead guilty.

“We, along with the victim, hope that other would-be victims of sexual offences hear about this case and have the courage to come forward and seek their own justice.”

During the sentence, His Honour Judge Burgess KC described the events as both ‘distressing’ and difficult to comprehend, and his treatment of the victim was ‘degrading’.

He told Murray he showed ‘absolutely no respect for her or her feelings’ and used the victim as an ‘inanimate thing’ for his own ‘perverted gratification’.

Alongside the prison sentence, Murray will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life, preventing him from working with vulnerable children or adults in the future.

Additionally, he was issued a 15-year restraining order and nine points on his provisional licence.

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Essex Police worked closely with officers from a force in the Midlands to ensure a dangerous online offender was jailed.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Matthew Wright said:

Our online investigation team worked with our colleagues from West Mercia after we were made aware of reports of online offences involving a child.

The safety of children is of paramount importance and an investigation was launched to quickly ensure all the evidence could be gathered and the suspect arrested.

Posed as a photographer

On Friday October 17 at Chelmsford Crown Court, Marc Yeomans was jailed for more than 14 years and ordered serve a further five on licence.

Posing as a photographer Essex-based Yeomans contacted a child, who lives in the West Midlands, through Instagram and asked him to send inappropriate images (including nude images) to him as part of an “opportunity to work as a model for a magazine”.

His offending came to light when the victim’s father contacted police after discovering messages from Yeomans on his son’s phone.

Between August and November 2019 Yeomans used the social media site to initiate a conversation with the child and repeatedly asked for images.

Following a detailed investigation Yeomans was arrested, and devices were seized from his work, car and later his house.

When interviewed he denied the allegations and said he had committed no offences and had not secretly communicated with a child.

Multiple charges

However further offending was discovered and 50-year-old Yeomans was further arrested and charged with the following offences:

• Attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Attempting to possess an indecent photograph of a child
• Engaged in sexual communications with a child
• Two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity
• One count of attempting to cause or incite a child under 16 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child
• Six counts of making indecent photographs of a child (1 Category A, 4 Category B and 9 Category C)

Yeomans, formerly of Orchard Place, Clacton-on Sea, had denied all the charges, but ahead of his trial date on Monday 1 September he plead guilty to 12 of them and three charges - engaged in sexual communications with a child and the charges of attempted sexual communication with a child – were left to lie on file.

He was jailed for a total of 14 years and five months, with an extended five years on licence.

He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Following the sentencing Det Con Wright, from our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT), added:

Yeomans preyed on a vulnerable child by pretending to be a photographer.

His father spotted what had happened after being concerned about his son’s behaviour and contacted police.

Social media is part of all our lives now, it’s worth checking your child’s privacy settings for each app and making sure they do not interact with people they do not know in real life.

We have lots of information on our website to help children stay safe online.

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An Aberdeen double rapist has been sentenced to a lifelong restriction order after being branded by a judge as violent, predatory and depraved.

John Middleton, aged 27, had burst into tears following a jury finding him guilty at the High Court in Aberdeen on May 24 last year and had to be removed from court, shouting and swearing at the jurors and calling them rats.

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A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after being found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of three child victims.

32-year-old Joshua Jones, from Cwmavon, pleaded not guilty to all charges put to him.

After trial at Swansea Crown Court, Jones was found guilty of rape of a boy under 13, five counts of assault of a boy under 13 by touching, and causing a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity. His youngest victim was between five and six years old when Jones’ offending took place.

Jones has been handed a 23-year extended sentence, comprising 19 years in custody and four years on licence.

He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Samantha Lewis said:

“Joshua Jones callously took advantage of three boys in the most sickening of ways. He took advantage of the power that he had over them due to their very young age, and robbed them of the innocent years of their childhood.

“What he has done is absolutely reprehensible. This was no isolated incident; this was a number of occasions where Jones perpetrated horrendous crimes upon his child victims.

“He is rightfully going to be locked up in prison for a significant period of time.”

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A Plymouth man has been jailed for 26 years after sexually assaulting women, including those he lured into his teeth-whitening salon with offers of free treatment.

Ricky Stubberfield, 31, messaged popular young women on Instagram to offer them free treatments in exchange for promoting his business on their platforms.

But when the trusting victims attended his Essex Smiles franchise on Mutley Plain they were instead subjected to lewd remarks and forceful sexual assaults.

Stubberfield, of Walnut Gardens, Plympton, abused three women who answered his social media offer and two other regular female customers at the salon between 2022 and 2024.

However Plymouth Crown Court heard that his sexual offending actually began many years before. He had abused three other females at various locations including at a concert between 2013 and 2022.

During a trial in June, Stubberfield was convicted of 23 offences - eight counts of rape, nine counts of sexual assault, four counts of digital penetration, indecent exposure and making an indecent image of a child.

They were unable to reach a majority verdict on three further charges of rape, digital penetration and sexual assault.

At Plymouth Crown Court today, 21 October, Stubberfield was jailed for 26 years, plus an additional six years in licence. He will also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Stubberfield first came to the attention of police in February 2022 when a 16-year-old girl reported that he had sexually abused her on two occasions that month.

On one night he had raped her in the disabled toilet during a concert at Plymouth Pavilions and later in the back of his van on Plymouth Hoe.

On the second occasion the victim was at a house with a friend and Stubberfield. Throughout the night he carried out a torrent of multiple rapes and other sexual offences against her while telling her to ‘be quiet’.

Some of the offences were captured during a FaceTime call to her friend after Stubberfield brazenly pulled her out of view to sexually assault her and forced her to commit a sexual act upon him.

Unbeknown to Stubberfield his actions were reflected in a nearby cooker hood and seen by the caller who shouted out to stop him. She had also recorded the call and provided this to police.

The court heard that in 2024 a woman reported that she had been abused by Stubberfield at Essex Smiles.

Operation Highrock was then launched by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Project Gemstone, a specialist sexual offences investigation team in Plymouth.

After a third report in 2024, Stubberfield was arrested and charged with multiple offences. A report in the local media prompted other victims to come forward. Some believed they were the only one and Stubberfield’s sexualised behaviour had often been dismissed by those who knew him as it being ‘Just Ricky’.

The investigation uncovered the shocking extent of Stubberfield’s offending. Between 2022 and 2024 he had abused five women, all in their 20s, at the teeth whitening and tanning salon.

Four victims were sexually touched while receiving teeth whitening treatments, three from his social media offers. He also exposed himself to a fifth victim.

In all cases Stubberfield made inappropriate sexual remarks as a precursor and asked details about their sex lives.

Once in the treatment chair with a mouth guard in, he took advantage and sexually assaulted them, asked for photos and made repeated forceful sexual advances. One woman described feeling trapped while another told police she froze in fear of what may happen next.

The fifth woman was accompanied by her toddler when she went to buy a product from the salon. Stubberfield asked her out on a date which she declined. He then showed her a picture of his genitals before pulling down his trousers to expose himself. She left the shop and, unbelievably, he called a few minutes later to ask her out again.

In 2013 Stubberfield sexually assaulted a woman he met on a dating site, forcing himself upon her before she was able to get away.

Another victim encountered Stubberfield in 2021 where he raped her twice before asking her is she ‘fancied a Nando’s’. She described him as always being ‘forceful in his sexual nature’.

In July 2024 he was further arrested while on remand in prison. Stubberfield consistently denied any wrongdoing and on one occasion he even asked interviewing officers if they found one of his victims attractive.

He was charged and found guilty of the 23 offences against eight females during the June trial. His victims were aged between 16 and 27 at the time of the offences – all younger than Stubberfield.

HHJ Judge Linford said to Stubberfield on sentencing: “Your behaviour was utterly remorseless predation.” He described the offending as ‘part of your personality’ which was ‘very worrying’ and stated Stubberfield posed a ‘very high risk of harm’ to the public.

Detective Inspector Marcus Hodges, senior investigating officer, said:

“I welcome the sentence given today to a man who preyed on young women for over a decade.

“My utmost thanks and praise are with the victims who not only had the courage to report the offences, but to support the police investigation and give evidence in court.

“Their strength and bravery is admirable, and I sincerely hope that they may find some closure and be able to start moving forward with their lives following this outcome.

“I also hope it may encourage others and give them the confidence to report crimes and know that they will be taken seriously.

“My thanks also go to the detectives who investigated this incredibly complex case diligently and thoroughly, resulting in a compelling case which resulted in a guilty verdict.”

Record details

A man who began sexually abusing a woman when she was only around five years old has been jailed.

The crimes carried out by Barrymore James began in around 1990 and continued until approximately 1998 – sometimes happening two or three times a week.

His actions were brought to the attention of police in 2021 when his victim – who is now an adult – came forward to report what had happened. She said James had stopped abusing her when she was around 13 years old.

Speaking to officers from our Child Abuse Investigation Unit’s (CAIU) non-recent team, she recalled occasions where James had made her smoke crack cocaine and heroin before carrying out the abuse. She also said there were several occasions where he made her look at pornographic material.

James was interviewed about the allegations and dismissed the victim’s claims. However he was subsequently charged with a string of sexual offences.

On 22 July, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, the 65-year-old was found guilty of:

• 12 counts of indecent assault
• Two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years
• Two counts of indecency with a child

Today (Monday 20 October) at the same court, James – of no fixed abode – was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment.

Detective Constable Katie Harris, from the non-recent team, said:

“The crimes carried out by James have had a lasting impact on the victim, who showed a lot of strength and courage in re-living the abuse in front of a jury.

“Thankfully the account she was able to provide was key in ensuring James was found guilty of all counts, meaning he’s now serving time in prison.

“It’s never too late to report sexual abuse and I hope today’s outcome has provided a degree of closure to the victim and allows her to move on as best she can.”

Record details

A high-risk sex offender with a long history of targeting lone females resumed offending after moving to Carlisle and changing his name.

The case of 42-year-old Grant Huddart, formerly Grant Percival, whose victims have included children, has drawn criticism from national campaigners calling for stricter controls on sex offenders.

A News & Star investigation revealed that Cumbria Constabulary is supervising dozens of convicted sex offenders who have changed their names, allowing paedophiles like Huddart to restart lives without others easily discovering their past.

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Georgia Kennedy-Curnow detailed Huddart's February offense. He arrived in the city after serving time for sexually assaulting a young Kendal woman in June 2024, where he gained her sympathy by claiming to be suicidal.

In Carlisle, the victim—a young bar worker—was not assaulted, but Huddart's actions mirrored his prior crime. On February 23, while she collected glasses, he stared at her and asked: "Excuse me – can I ask you a question?" Then: “Would you care if I killed myself?”

Concerned, she offered tea. He asked if she hated him, if he was good-looking, and said he wanted to kill himself. He called her beautiful, adding: “I’d really like to say what I’d like to do you.” She declined. Before leaving, he requested a cuddle; she alerted police.

The court heard Huddart's 25 prior offenses, including breaches of sexual harm prevention orders and sex crimes:

• 2003: Indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl walking home from school.
• 2004: Sexually assaulting another 14-year-old in an alleyway.
• 2011: Offering a 14-year-old money for sex.
• 2011: Fixating on a female bus driver, staying aboard five hours and recording her.
• 2012: Sending a malicious or menacing message.
• 2014: Approaching a 13-year-old, claiming suicidality, and asking for hugs.
• 2018: Grooming an online female he believed was 15.
• 2024: Assaulting a 20-year-old in Kendal, lying about being a grieving father whose 18-month-old daughter died.

Defending, Clare Thomas said Huddart accepted responsibility, despite a probation officer's view otherwise. “He was consuming alcohol for the first time in a number of months,” she noted. He progressed in Lancashire supported housing but moved to Carlisle's John Street hostel when it ended. Local authorities deem him too "high risk" for accommodation in the next 12 months.

His sexual harm prevention order, barring approaches to lone females, left him feeling hopeless and lonely, Thomas said. Verbal abuse followed local press coverage of his 2024 case; he sought a Carlisle ban for a fresh start elsewhere.

Judge Michael Fanning addressed Huddart's complaints about press coverage and orders increasing isolation: “But your past interactions with women demonstrate that you seem to be incapable of forming a relationship in an appropriate way at all."

“So far as the reporting is concerned, the public, and in particular females who are vulnerable and who are alone, are entitled to know that you pose a risk to them.”

The judge said press reporting on his "predilections and location" is justified; anonymity would enable more offending. He jailed Huddart for 18 months.

A new indefinite sexual harm prevention order prohibits approaching female strangers, except inadvertently, for goods/services, or in therapy.

A News & Star FOI request showed Cumbria Police supervising 48 sex offenders who changed names in the last five years, costing as little as £15. Numbers rose: 15 in 2023, 12 in 2024, four so far this year.

In December 2024, 932 sex offenders were supervised in the community; by July 2025, it was 939—up from under 800 in 2020-2021. Most stem from convictions; others from civil orders like sexual risk orders.

Emily Konstantas of The Safeguarding Alliance welcomed government plans but urged more:

"The ability for registered sex offenders to change their names without proper monitoring remains an open loophole, one that has been exploited, is being exploited, and will continue to be until it is fully closed.

"It enables offenders to evade vital checks and places vulnerable children and adults at significant risk.

"While we welcome the Government’s recognition of this issue through the Crime and Policing Bill, the proposed reforms do not go far enough.

"Legislative change must be robust, enforceable, and capable of addressing both future and past exploitation of this loophole. 

"When someone sexually abuses a child or an adult, the victim’s rights must take precedence. Survivors cannot erase their trauma with a simple name change, and neither should an offender be able to erase their identity or their past to avoid accountability.

"We need a joined-up, mandatory system that ensures any name change by a registered offender is immediately flagged and shared across all relevant agencies. Anything less continues to fail the very people this system is meant to protect.

"We will continue to campaign for Della’s Law [an abuse survivor] as long as this loophole remains a risk." 

Labour MP Sarah Champion said:

"Across the country sex offenders are changing their names to avoid detection or to frustrate the justice system. This legal loophole makes us all more vulnerable and needs to be closed.

"Successive Ministers have recognised the threat of sex offenders changing their name, but the solutions they offer require the abuser to do the right thing - which seldom happens."

The Crime and Policing Bill requires sex offenders to notify police of name changes a week in advance; police can refuse if needed for public protection.

For details on reforms—and why they won't apply to all offenders—see the government's Crime and Policing Bill summary.

England and Wales have over 70,000 registered sex offenders in the community, up 52% from 2014.

Della's Law, partly enacted, aims to prevent registered sex offenders from changing names to evade detection.

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A trans child rapist bombarded a probation officer with threatening phone calls from jail, vowing to knife "a load of men", a court heard.

Marcia Walker, 51, made the calls from Frankland Prison—a top-security men's jail in Durham—where she is held as too dangerous for a women's facility. Inmates there include Soham killer Ian Huntley, ex-cop Wayne Couzens, and Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield.

She left four voicemails threatening to "get a knife", adding to her history of threats: placing a nail bomb under a governor's car and having him shot; using an intercom to claim a bomb would detonate in the staff car park; sending a letter claiming she had bombed Theresa May as Home Secretary; attacking a prison guard; and threatening to kill another when her razors were confiscated, preventing shaving.

Walker, previously Mark Walker and jailed for 13 years in 2003 for raping two girls (one aged four), is legally female but barred from women's prisons due to her sex conviction.

She admitted sending a communication threatening death or serious harm and was jailed for nine months by Teesside JPs.

Walker is segregated at Frankland, with male prisoners locked in cells for 45 minutes while she washes and eats alone.

A source previously told The Sun:

“There is a lot of anger at the jail but it’s a Catch-22 situation.

“She has to be treated as a woman but cannot be moved to a female prison because she poses a risk. And, as she’s legally a woman, she must be kept apart from male inmates.”

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A registered sex offender, who had been released from prison weeks earlier, has been jailed after sending explicit messages to an undercover cop.

In February and March 2025, Scott Hemingway sent explicit messages to two ‘underage girls’ who he believed to be aged 14 and 12.

What Hemingway didn’t realise was that he was actually speaking to an undercover police officer.

The 39-year-old had been released from prison just four months earlier, after being convicted of a similar offence in December 2021.

He was arrested in March and charged and remanded into custody for the following:

• Attempt to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Attempt to cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - offender 18 or over - penetration
• Arrange / facilitate the commission of a child sex offence x2
• Adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child x2
• Sex offenders register - fail to comply with notification of a change
• Breach of Sexual Harm Prevention Order

Hemingway, of no fixed address, appeared at Derby Crown Court on 26 September and admitted the charges against him.

He was jailed for 13 years, handed a further, indefinite SHPO, and fined.

DS Richard Foster said:

“Scott Hemingway is a dangerous criminal who, despite already being caught and only just being released from prison, was unable to stop offending.

“We actively target high risk individuals like Hemingway, and we will continue to do so to keep our communities safe.”

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A 78-year-old man from Luton has been sentenced after sexually assaulting and abusing multiple women and girls over a period of 30 years. 

Barry Tatum, of Regis Road, came to the attention of Bedfordshire Police in August 2017 after one of the victims reported that she had been sexually abused by him.   

Following this disclosure, an investigation was launched by the Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, and Tatum was arrested. 

As the investigation progressed, seven further victims of varying ages came forward, reporting abuse dating back to the late 1980s. 

Tatum was subsequently charged with 23 offences and following a five-week trial at Luton Crown Court in August, he was found guilty of 16 offences: five counts of indecent assault, six counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, and two counts of making indecent images of a child.  

Today (Thursday) he was jailed for 10 years with an additional three years on licence. He was also handed a restraining order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after the judge described his actions as a campaign of abuse that he had shown no remorse for.

Detective Constable Matt McCarthy from the PVP team said:

“For three decades Tatum groomed and abused the trust of many innocent women and girls, acting in a persistently predatory manner and subjecting them to wholly inappropriate sexual abuse.

“This verdict is a testament to the bravery and resilience of the victims who came forward and shared their experiences.

“Their courage has ensured that a dangerous offender has now been brought to justice. We hope this outcome brings some measure of closure and reassurance to them and to the wider community. 

“We work hard to tackle all forms of sexual abuse. Please remember it’s never too late to speak out. Our specialist teams carry out many investigations like this one and have successfully brought many perpetrators to justice, whilst ensuring the victim has the support they need. 

“When you are ready, our officers are there to listen and your voice will be heard.” 

Lawyer Paul Robson from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“The strong testimonies of the victims were central to our case and to securing Tatum’s conviction.

“Not only did these women come forward to report him, but they also showed great courage by giving their accounts in court, despite everything they had been through. As a result, Tatum will now serve time in prison for his crimes.

“We would like to thank the victims for their support through this process. We also recognise the outstanding work of the police, barristers, and other professionals who ensured justice was served.”