Latest Offenders

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A perverted pensioner has been branded a "sexual predator" after he brazenly ignored repeated court orders and deliberately used false names to contact vulnerable children online in highly sexualised messages.

Blatant repeat offender Stephen Sweeting was "heavily convicted" and he had a long history of sexual offending dating back to 1968 but that did not stop him from trying to outwit the police by using an online alias, Hull Crown Court heard.

Sweeting, 72, of Bubwith, north of Howden, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and two offences of failing to comply with his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender.

Oliver Shipley, prosecuting, said that Sweeting was a "heavily convicted sexual predator with an established history of sexual offending" dating back as far as 1968. He had been jailed for two years on June 17, 2020 for attempting to communicate sexually with a child and breaching a two-year suspended sentence made in June 2019.

This was imposed on Sweeting, who was living at the time in Old Goole, for offences including making indecent images of children and attempting to communicate with a child, who was really an undercover police officer.

His convictions also included sexual assault in 1968 and 1971, sexual assault and indecent exposure in 1973, sexual assault and gross indecency with a child in 1973 and sexual assault of a girl in 1974 and 1977. He had a total of 43 previous offences between 1960 and 2020, 17 of them for sexual offences and 10 for breaching court orders.

The latest offences came to light on July 24 last year when police monitoring Sweeting's activities became aware that he was having online conversations, including on Snapchat, using an alias name that was not registered with the police. He was arrested on September 25 last year for breaching his notification requirements as a sex offender.

His home was searched and he admitted using unregistered names on social media and having sexualised conversations with young children. He had intimate images of his private parts and he had received indecent images. Police from Hampshire made contact with Humberside Police because Sweeting had been traced as having had grossly indecent conversations with a 12-year-old girl. He had sent her intimate images of himself. He had got sexual gratification from his actions.

"This defendant poses a high risk of sexual reoffending and he is a high risk of serious harm to female children," said Mr Shipley. "This is a serious breach. He has a history of disobeying court orders."

Sweeting targeted people that court orders were designed to protect and he made determined attempts to avoid detection by using an alias. "His previous convictions greatly aggravate this offence," said Mr Shipley.

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Sweeting pleaded guilty and he made frank and forthright admissions to the police. "He admitted to all his behaviour and then some," said Mr Hammersley.

"He does express remorse for his actions and he recognises the impact that his actions will have had on the children. There were real children reading these messages and it is likely to have an impact on them for a number of years."

There were long periods when Sweeting did not commit any offences. "When he doesn't have access to the internet, he doesn't commit offences," said Mr Hammersley.

Sweeting now had a just "brick phone" that allowed him only to make calls and send text messages. He had a "litany of health issues" and he had not worked for a long time before his retirement.

"This defendant has received almost every type of sentence and he recognises that he faces an immediate custodial sentence," said Mr Hammersley.

Judge Alexander Menary told Sweeting: "You are someone who has a long history of sexual offending. There are convictions dating from as long ago as 1968." Sweeting denied that he had a sexual attraction to children but his previous convictions suggested otherwise. "This was a very serious breach, causing or risking very serious harm," said Judge Menary.

Sweeting, who was on bail, was jailed for three years. He was given a sexual harm prevention order for life and he must register as a sex offender for life.

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An Inverness pensioner who was caught in a sting operation by members of three different paedophile hunter groups has been ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.

Raymond Paterson thought he was communicating with teenagers aged from 13 to 15.

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A Derbyshire man who used social media to blackmail children as young as 10 into sending him indecent images of themselves has been sentenced.

National Crime Agency officers arrested Grant Derek Giblin of Willington, Derbyshire – after an investigation found he had been using social media apps to contact children between November 2021 and August 2023.

The 29-year-old would target the children, aged between ten and 16, and befriend them to gain their trust and encourage them to send him images of themselves.

Once he had received these, Giblin would blackmail his victims into performing sexual acts on themselves before again sending the content to him.

He was arrested by NCA officers in January 2024 and charged with offences including engaging in sexual communications with a child under 13 and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Giblin pleaded guilty to all offences at Derby Crown Court in July 2024. He was sentenced to eight years in prison at the same court today (Wednesday, October 23). Giblin will have an extended licence period of a further eight years, be the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and be on the sex offenders register for life.

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Alexander Franczyk, 58, of Pritchard Close, Kingsdown was sentenced at the Old Bailey on October 22. He was found guilty by trial in August for multiple incidents of rape, one incident of attempted rape, multiple assaults by penetration and multiple sexual assaults.

Franczyk has already pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children.

He will also have an extended sentence of five years once released, added to the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and barred from ever working with children.

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A man from Southport has been jailed for multiple sex offences, including creating and sharing digitally altered pornographic images of children and women – known more commonly as ‘deepfakes’.

Karl Marshall, 47, of Rufford Road, Southport, pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child, sharing a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state for the purpose of sexual gratification and voyeurism.

He was jailed for two years and two months yesterday, Tuesday 22 October, at Liverpool Crown Court.

A ‘deepfake’ is an image or video that has been digitally altered with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replace the face of one person with the face of another.

In recent years, there have been examples around the world of people using the technology to add the faces of celebrities or public figures - most often women - into pornographic films.

Marshall used the faces of real women and children without their knowledge to create pornographic images and shared them online.

As part of a complex investigation, it was also found that between July 2023 and January 2024, Marshall made 266 indecent pseudo-images of children using AI technology.

In a Victim Impact Statement, one of the women who Marshall used to create pornographic images said: “Knowing those images of me are out there circulating the internet is so violating. It was like I was just a piece of meat he could objectify. After discovering the images I questioned why me? Why had Karl targeted me in such a way?

“I stopped making an effort, stopped wearing makeup and didn’t wear my hair down because maybe just maybe if I hadn’t done that before maybe Karl wouldn’t have looked twice at me and maybe it would prevent it from happening again.

“I’m not the same person I was before. My confidence is low, I question my judgement of others, I worry when a man looks at me for too long and panic that he may have seen the images. I’m permanently anxious and on the edge and struggle to sleep all because of Karl’s despicable behaviour.”

A second woman who was targeted in the same way said in her Victim Impact Statement: “I am a changed person. I don’t trust as I once did. I question has this person or that person seen the images of me? Have they been distributing them? I feel unsafe in my own skin. No one touched me yet I feel violated and used. It’s indescribable how dirty and weak you can feel when you have zero control over the situation you find yourself in.”

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A REGISTERED sex offender failed to notify police that he had been staying at a friend’s address with a child present.

David Cowan, 44, is the subject of sex offender notification requirements as a result of convictions for sexual offences, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the defendant must inform police within three days if he resides at an address where a child under 18 resides or stays.

But Cowan failed to notify police that he had stayed at an address with a child in Whitehaven, on or before September 27.

The court heard that police had arrived at Cowan’s address to carry out an unannounced visit. Officers located Cowan at the home address of a friend, who has a child, and was also at the address.

Cowan and the woman were previously in a relationship but now remain friends. The defendant had stayed at her address ‘a couple of times’ since August and her child had been present on those occasions.

During police interview, Cowan admitted breaching the requirements by staying at the property while a child was present and failing to notify the police.

Cowan accepted that he had signed and received a copy of the notification requirements but ‘hadn’t grasped’ the requirements at the time.

He said he hadn’t had any unsupervised contact with the child. He said he sleeps in the spare room and ‘has a good relationship with the child’.

Cowan had been staying at the address ‘a couple of times a week’, according to the woman.

Ms Fee said there had been ‘repeated breaches’ and a child had been present, so there was some risk involved.

Cowan, who was not legally represented, said: “I just didn’t really understand it. I got out of prison, had no medication or anything. I just signed away. I didn’t check it or anything.”

When asked how a custodial sentence would affect him, Cowan replied: “It would take me right back to the beginning again, with my mental health.”

Cowan, of Corkickle, Whitehaven, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to failing to comply with notification requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register.  

Passing sentence, Christine Williams, chair of the magistrates’ panel, said there was ‘no evidence’ that Cowan was a risk towards minors.

Cowan was given an 18-month community order with 26 programme requirement days and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was also given a four-month curfew and must pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

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A prolific sex offender who was found with indecent images of children on their device has been jailed.

Thomas Quinn, who now identifies as Chloee-May Danvers, appeared at Chester Crown Court today, Monday 21 October where they were sentenced to 40 months in prison.

The 25-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, distributing indecent images of children, attempting sexual communication with a child, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders register.

The case against Danvers began on Monday 15 July, when officers from the Sex Offenders Management Unit attended Danvers’ home address on Housman Close, Chester, as part of the routine checks made to monitor registered sex offenders.

During the visit, officers found two category A indecent images of children in a deleted folder stored on Danvers’ mobile phone.

Danvers also admitted to resetting their laptop which goes against the conditions of the SHPO.

They were arrested and subsequently charged with making indecent images of children and breaching their SHPO.

Danvers was released on conditional bail ahead of their court appearance, however just three weeks later, Cheshire Police received information that Danvers was continuing to offend.

On Monday 5 August, officers reattended Danvers’ address, and arrested them on suspicion of sexual communication with a child.

Officers also seized Danvers’ mobile phone that had messages which show Danvers attempting to sexually communicate with a 9-year-old girl.

Two unregistered social media accounts - unknown to police - were also found on Danvers’ phone, evidencing further breaches of their SHPO.

Danvers would exchange indecent images of children with other users via these unregistered social media accounts, some of which recovered were of category A and category B.

When interviewed, Danvers answered “no comment” to all questions, but was later charged with the offences.

Upon appearing at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 13 August, Danvers was left with no choice but to plead guilty.

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A man who claimed he had “spiritual healing abilities” abused his power to sexually abuse a teenage girl on multiple occasions.

Hasham Lodhi, 41, abused the girl at an address in Nelson and performed rituals where he would read passages from the Quran while she was naked to “cleanse” her.

Preston Crown Court heard the victim’s mother had initially approached Lodhi in March 2021 as she was led to believe he had healing abilities and could help people who believed they were victims of black magic.

Lodhi found out the victim was struggling at school and asked his wife, who had no part in the offending, to tutor her.

He persuaded the victim to send him naked photographs of herself.

Tobias Collins, prosecuting, said Lodhi would tell the victim she had “sinned” and that she “needed cleansing.”

On one occasion, he told the victim her “stomach was blocked” and that she “had evil inside her which needed cleaning out.”

Lodhi said that if she did not allow him to continue, or “break the circle” as he put it, she would end up in a car accident or her mother would be killed.

He told his wife, who was at home while the offending took place, that she would be affected by evil spirits if she did not stay in the bedroom while he carried out the acts.

In a statement summarised to the court by Mr Collins, the victim said she had suffered from flashbacks and insomnia since the incidents and had felt “powerless.”

She said: “I feel ashamed as he told me I was unclean and impure.”

Lodhi, now of Brennand Street, Burnley, was found guilty of four counts of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault at a trial in February.

His defence barrister, Emma Kehoe, said he did not accept the offences he was convicted of but did admit “unacceptable behaviour” towards the victim.

Judge Daniel Prowse, sentencing, said: “You were aware of how vulnerable she was, how much she feared the evil spirits you told her were affecting her, how much faith she could be persuaded to have in you.

“You were ruthless and exploited her vulnerability to allow you to sexually abuse her.

“She trusted you and believed you could help.

“You were able to use her spiritual and religious beliefs as a tool to abuse her. You perverted her genuinely held religious beliefs.

“You offending represents a gross abuse of the trust that young woman put in you. It was carefully planned and manipulative.

“I do not find your remorse is genuine.”

Lodhi was sentenced to 12 years in prison and was made subject to sex offender notification requirements for life.

An indefinite restraining order was also imposed between he and the victim.

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A man has been jailed for four years for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child online.

Matthew Jenkins, aged 35 of Flaxley Close in Redditch, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday (15 October) after he pleaded guilty to all offences. He was sentenced for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity and attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 in sexual activity.

For the later offence he was sentenced to four years in prison. For the other two offences, he was given a further two sentences of 18 months each to be served concurrently.

Jenkins, who was previously known by the alias Marcus Benjamin Pearson, has been placed on the sex offenders register and has been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Jenkins had been involved in sexual communication with the profile of a 13 year old child online.  He had sent videos of himself masturbating and had also incited the child profile to masturbate.

He was arrested in May 2022 by West Mercia Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) at his home in Redditch. Photographs were taken at the scene and of clothing that matched with the photographs sent during the chat.

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A man has been jailed after being found guilty of the rape and manslaughter of Natalie Patricia Shotter in Southall.

Mohammed Noor Iidow, 35 (17.02.89) of St Paul’s Close, Hounslow appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, 13 December where he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of ten years and eight months.

The sentencing concludes an extensive investigation by the Met Police.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from Specialist Crime South said: “No sentence can reverse the pain that Natalie’s family have had to endure over the past few years. I commend the determination, strength and dignity they have shown.

“Iidow’s offences are shocking and difficult to comprehend. This man drove to the park that night and took advantage of a women, who then died as a result of his actions.

“Those involved in the investigation were committed throughout to prove that Natalie’s death was caused by being raped. This was a complex and challenging investigation, however Iidow will now be spending a significant amount of time behind bars.”

The investigation was launched on Saturday, 17 July 2021, after Natalie was located by a member of the public, unresponsive on a bench in Southall Park at around 05:42hrs. She was sadly declared dead at the scene.

When reviewing CCTV footage from the night of the attack, detectives discovered Iidow walking past Natalie multiple times before approaching her and raping her repeatedly. He then left her on the bench and drove home. He was arrested at his home in Hounslow on 4 August 2021.

Iidow was charged on 21 December 2023 with manslaughter and rape and following a three-week trial at the Old Bailey, he was found guilty of both counts on Friday, 18 October 2024.

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A man who was found guilty of multiple sex offences against an underage boy has been jailed for 16 years.

Christopher Cullen from Horncastle was found guilty of nine sexual charges, including the rape of a child under the age of 13, after a trial in September.

The 46-year-old sexually assaulted his victim on a number of occasions, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

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A convicted sex offender who preyed on a woman after a night out in Liverpool has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Jordan Scott-Michael, also known as Jordan Callaghan, began talking to the woman after she left a McDonald's restaurant in the city-centre.

The 48-year-old went to a hotel with the victim, who was in her 30s, and raped and sexually assaulted her.

Scott-Michael, of Halton Lodge Avenue in Runcorn, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting rape, sexual assault and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

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A Bishop’s Stortford man is beginning a prison sentence after being convicted of multiple child sex offences against the same child over a period of four years.

Colin James, 50, of Parsonage Lane, was charged in February with six offences: four counts of sexual activity with a child and two of sexual assault.

The offences, all of which were non-penetrative, happened between November 2018 and January 2023.

Following a five-day trial at St Albans Crown Court that started on August 27, James, who pleaded not guilty, was convicted by majority verdicts of 11-1 on five of the six charges he faced. He was cleared of one of the sexual assault allegations.

At a sentencing hearing at the same court on Friday (October 18), James was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order. Furthermore, he will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

James, who was living in London Road in Stortford at the time of the offences, is known to hundreds of train passengers at the town’s railway station as a member of Greater Anglia staff in the ticket office.

A spokesperson for the train operator said: “Immediately upon discovering these allegations, Greater Anglia removed Colin James from duty.

“He has not been at work since then, and his contract has been terminated.”

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James Thomas Hearn, of Bracken Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (October 17) where he was sentenced to four years in a Young Offenders Institution.

The teenager previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, one multiple incident count of sexual activity with a child under 13 and one multiple incident count of sexual assault of a child under 13 at a hearing on September 12.

The court heard how police received a report on November 10, 2022, that Hearn, who was 16 at the time, was having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. 

Hearn then targeted a 13-year-old girl on social media in December last year. The court explained how he met with the young girl in the early hours of December, 14, 2023, at Redbridge train station, where he sexually assaulted her.  A short time later, he sexually assaulted her a second time close to his home address. The victim told her mum what had happened to her, and together they reported it to police.

Hearn began sending the victim threatening messages a couple of months later in March 2024.

Police Staff Investigator Rebecca Stevens and Detective Constable Gemma Boyle, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Western Child Abuse Investigation Team, who led the investigations, said: “What happened to these girls at the hands of Hearn is far beyond what most of us will ever be able to comprehend, and we thank them sincerely for coming forward and reporting what happened to the police.

“Their courage and bravery means that Hearn will now spend time in prison for his abhorrent crimes, which these girls must live with for the rest of their lives. Nothing can ever take away what happened to them, but we do hope that this sentence goes some way to helping them move forward with their lives. 

“We also hope that the news of this sentence helps others who have suffered similar abuse to find the confidence to come forward and speak to the police knowing their voices will be heard and that there is support available.” 

Hearn was sentenced to four years in a Young Offenders Institution, given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.  

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An Essex man who made payments to live stream and direct the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines has been jailed for 15 years.

Cesar Cordero Conejo, 39, from Ilford, was investigated by National Crime Agency officers, after being identified by international law enforcement agencies as a UK-based offender obtaining child sexual abuse material and livestreamed child sexual abuse from a Filipino woman.

Information regarding Conejo, from between September 2022 and February 2023, was provided to the UK. This included a number of message exchanges between him and the woman, which were provided by Homeland Security in the US.

In one message, she told Conejo that she is giving birth but doesn't have money to go to hospital, to which he replies: "well good luck ok, hope you have another girl." Later in the chat he asked her to get the children to carry out sex acts on each other.

In further messages, Conejo indicated that he wanted to travel to the Philippines to rape one of the children himself, saying that he'd pay the woman 100 dollars a day in return.

NCA investigators arrested Conejo in July 2023 and conducted searches of his home, seizing a number of devices, including a laptop and phone. Forensic examination of the devices revealed they contained in excess of 12,500 indecent images of children, including 4,706 in the most severe category A.

Further chat records between him and various Filipino women dating back six years were also identified. One message stated: "Do you have PayPal darling. I wanted to see your daughter today."

Financial enquiries showed that he had sent a number of Filipino women a total of £1,300 over the course of six years. At least sixteen of these payments were linked to one woman who abused children known to her, for financial gain.

A number of child victims were rescued and safeguarded in the Philippines, including three in relation to this case.

These three children would have been aged between five and thirteen at the time of the offending. The imagery obtained from the Filipino woman included category A images (the most severe) involving penetration with a number of objects, and oral rape. The youngest rape victim was only 2-3 years old and was directed to perform sexual acts with others.

In custody, he was charged with causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 13. He was later charged with further counts of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, offences relating to making indecent images of children, possessing indecent images of children and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

He pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 4 January and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment at the same court today (17 October). He will also become a Registered Sex Offender for life and was given a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

NCA Operations Manager Jen Cruickshank said: "This was a horrific case which is shocking on so many levels.

"Not only did Conejo orchestrate the most depraved abuse imaginable on vulnerable children, purely for his own sexual pleasure, he displayed his intentions to travel to the Philippines to carry out these attacks personally.

"He is a dangerous, high harm offender who posed a significant risk to children.

"The fact they were on the other side of the world probably hadn't escaped his attention, and no doubt made him think he'd avoid detection.

"However, the NCA has the capabilities and international reach to ensure that offenders like Conejo don't escape justice."