Latest Offenders

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A man who groped a woman at a Trowbridge pub has avoided a prison sentence.

Joshua Reid appeared before Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Monday (11 September), having pleaded guilty to sexual assault at a hearing in June.

The 26-year-old defendant, who failed to attend the court for sentencing on 24 July, also admitted a charge of failing to surrender.

At a previous hearing, prosecutor Victoria Hill said that he slapped the buttocks of a woman and groped her breasts in a pub garden in Trowbridge in the summer of 2022.

The magistrates imposed an onerous three-year community order, which has the requirement to attend 20 rehabilitation activity days with the probation service.

Reid must also complete 12 days of mental health treatment with Turning Point and complete a 34-day sex offender programme.

The was told to pay the victim £600 compensation and was slapped with a restraining order – prohibiting contact with the woman for one year. He will also register as a sex offender for fives years.

Reid, of Milton Cottages, off New Road in Bromham, near Devizes, was slapped with a £50 fine for the failing to surrender offence.

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A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a child and other sexual offences.

Jason Newman, 35, of Castle Road, Great Bedwyn, admitted to one count of sexual assault of a child under 13, one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of producing a category B indecent image of a child.

He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court yesterday (14/09) to three years and five months imprisonment.

He will also be required to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Newman’s offences came to light in July 2021, when an email address linked to Newman was found to have uploaded indecent images of children onto the internet.

Newman was arrested and bailed, and in the ensuing investigation further offences were discovered, including sexual assault of a child.

Newman was further arrested in August 2021 and was bailed again. After initially indicating he would plead not guilty, he changed his plea and was sentenced yesterday.

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Anthony Insall, aged 49 from Yarm, has pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children, both Category A images and Category C images, at Teesside Magistrates’ Court today, Friday 15th September 2023 and will be sentenced on 11th October 2023.

Investigating Officer, Detective Constable Barnes from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: “Anthony Insall searched for indecent images and content on the internet. He was found to have accessed the child abuse material over, at least, a 15-month period.

“The behaviour committed by Insall, and those who commit crime of a similar nature, is entirely abhorrent and causes significant harm to vulnerable children.

“Whilst this is an online offence, there are real victims out there living with the scars of abuse in this cycle of suffering. People who commit crimes of this nature are not invisible and we will ensure we do everything possible to bring them to justice.”

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Officers have paid tribute to the bravery of a victim in a rape case that went to trial but resulted in a guilty verdict last week.

On Friday (15 September) a jury at Gloucester Crown Court found Matthew Dickens, 25 and of Greet Road, Winchcombe, guilty of two counts of rape against the same woman in an incident in 2020.

Dickens met the woman following contact with her via a messaging app. After meeting the victim and one of her friends, they went to a bar. Later, Dickens went to the woman’s home with her. She could not recall how she became undressed but recounted how Dickens then went on to rape her twice and hold her throat.

Detective Constable Rob Brown, officer-in-charge of the case, said: “Dickens subjected the victim to a terrifying ordeal that will deeply impact her for the rest of her life.

“He then compounded his crimes by pleading not guilty and claiming this was a consensual act, meaning the victim had to go through the trial process.

“I want to commend her bravery and determination to carry on supporting the case when it would have been understandable if she had decided not to put herself through it.

“Thankfully it took the jury less than two hours to decide on his guilt and I hope that provides some level of validation for her courage.

“In the process a dangerous individual has now been convicted at court and, potentially, prevented from wrecking other people’s lives.

“My message to anyone else who is a rape victim who is worried about coming forward is that you will be believed and that the criminal justice system is beginning to change, so please do report what has happened to you. We are transforming the way that the CPS and police handle rape and sexual assault cases, and are working together to ensure that victims are supported throughout the prosecution process.”

Dickens will be sentenced at a later date.

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A paedophile blackmailed girls as young as nine into sending indecent photos and videos of themselves by posing as a model agency scout.

Ishmael Duncan, 24, used Snapchat to coerce children across the UK, US, Canada and Australia into sending explicit photographs of themselves, in one case targeting a teenager with learning difficulties.

On Wednesday, Inner London Crown Court heard that Duncan, of Walnut Tree Walk, Lambeth, had confessed to 50 child sex abuse and blackmail offences relating to 28 female victims.

However, prosecutors believe the predator may have contacted close to 10,000 children using Snapchat accounts he set up under different aliases.

The court heard how Duncan targeted victims by asking if they were interested in becoming a model for top fashion brands, and built up trust using a fake interview process and forged contracts featuring the brands’ logos.

He would then request topless photos on the pretext of assessing the victims’ body shape for modelling. Girls were threatened with being ‘blacklisted’ from modelling if they didn’t comply.

Duncan contacted victims from multiple accounts under different personas, pretending to be the agency’s photographer ‘Callum’, or ‘Mark’, the general manager of the agency’s preteen models division.

He then created another account to contact the same victims threatening to share the images on social media unless the children sent more.

He sent his victims a “warning”, reading: “We have your nudes, and unless you reply to this message saying ‘I understand’, they will be sent out to expose accounts on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter.

“If you reply with anything else other than ‘I understand’, or if you block or unfriend this account, your nudes will be sent out. This is your first and only warning.”

On other occasions, the predator posed as a teenage boy on Snapchat, requesting sexual images and videos.

He blackmailed a 14-year-old girl with learning difficulties who sent him images, even offering her $1,000 (£804) to engage in a sex act with her brother.

Duncan was caught after two sisters in the US reported being threatened after sending images to one of the accounts.

When National Crime Agency officers arrested Duncan at his home in July 2021, they found 19,120 abuse images on his computer and phone, some of which was ranked as the most severe possible.

The agency’s operations manager Martin Ludlow said: “Ishmael Duncan cruelly preyed on young girls who had dreams of becoming models.

“The threatening messages he sent were chilling and showed his callous disregard for the victims he exploited for his own sexual gratification in this case.”

Duncan is due to be sentenced at the same court on December 1.

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A man who raped and attacked a woman then claimed she sustained her injuries in a bike crash has been jailed for 10 years. 

Richard Summer, 35, from Highbury Park, launched a vicious attack on the woman while under the influence of cocaine by forcing her to have sex with him. 

When she tried to fight back he repeatedly punched her in the face and hit her over the head with a glass ashtray. 

Police were called to a pub in Highbury Barn at around 1pm on Saturday, March 4, by a member of the public who saw the woman injured and in distress. 

When officers arrived she told about the attack. 

Summers was known to police as he had a long history of dangerous assaults and violence towards ex-partners. 

Det Con Max Orange, who led the investigation, said: “Summers is a predatory offender. We are certain that he posed a real danger to other women who he may have come into contact with.” 

Summers lied throughout his police interview, telling officers the victim sustained her injuries by riding into a lamppost on her bike. 

He later pleaded guilty to assault but denied rape and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour. 

On Thursday (September 13) after a seven-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court a jury returned guilty verdicts for rape and coercive and controlling behaviour. 

He was jailed for ten years and has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and added to the sex offenders register for 15 years. 

Det Ch Insp Paul Ridley, public protection lead for Islington, added: "Summers is clearly a very dangerous individual and I’m pleased that he has been brought to justice. 

“Detectives leading this case have demonstrated our determination to make London a safer place for women and girls, tackling the scourge of domestic violence. 

“We know that there is more work to be done in protecting women and girls across the capital which is a top priority in our New Met for London plan. 

“Every day we are making strides to work with partners to support victims and track down predatory offenders.” 

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Craig Gary Woolley, 40 and Bede Crescent, in Boston appeared before Derby Crown Court on Friday, September 1 where he was sentenced to 28 months in jail.

The offences took play at a number of locations – including in Chesterfield – between February 2020 and May 2021.

He was jailed for four offences including breach of a sexual harm prevention order and failure to comply with the sex offenders register’s notification requirements.

It was found that, on October 19th 2020, Woolley had unsupervised contact with young girls that he was prohibited from doing so under the terms of a sexual harm prevention order made in 2014. He breached this order again on April 25th of 2021 when he had unsupervised contact with a girl under the age of 18 at Crystal Peaks retail park in Sheffield.

He then breached his notification requirements when, on May 2, 2021, he resided with a child at Waterside Leisure Park in Skegness and failed to notify police within three days.

The fourth charge relates to an incident on February 17, 2020 when he stayed, for more than 12 hours, at an address in Chesterfield at which children were also residing – he again failed to notify police.

For the four offences he received a sentence totalling five years and eight months but, as these are to be served concurrently, the imprisonment period is one of two years and two months.

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A child rapist who compared his vile abuse to Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion has been locked up.

Simon Hildrew left a young girl traumatised by raping and sexually abusing her and emotionally blackmailed her into not telling anyone. When his offending came to light, he was asked by police if he thought it was okay to have sex with a child and he replied: "Is it right for Hugh Hefner to have a Playboy mansion full of teenagers".

As the 39-year-old paedophile was locked up for 14 years, with an extended licence period of a further six years, at Newcastle Crown Court, the girl's mum outlined the devastating impact he has had on her and her daughter. She said she's noticed her daughter has gone from being happy and bubbly to being "ashamed, angry and withdrawn. I believe she will require long-term therapy".

Read more: South Shields stalker jailed for transatlantic campaign of harassment of two ex partners

She added: "He took her innocence. She's so traumatised she can't even speak about it. This will affect every relationship she will go on to have and will affect her future as a whole.

"My world has been shattered. My mental health has been massively affected."

Vince Ward, prosecuting, said of the victim: "She remembers being confused, wondering why he was making her do these things and being scared in case she got told off." He added: "He told her a few times that if she told anyone what he was doing to her he would kill himself."

Hildrew, 39, formerly of Washington but latterly of no fixed address, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child, attempted rape of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault of a child, attempted sexual assault by penetration, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of sexual activity with a child - one of which was on a second victim and three counts of taking 58 indecent images of a child - most of which were of the most serious type, category A.

Jailing him and imposing indefinite sexual harm prevention and sex offender registration orders, Judge Tim Gittins said: "No sentence can go close to undoing the harm you have selfishly done with your depraved acts. It's a credit to the victims that they have come forward to ensure you are not in a position to abuse them or anyone like them for a substantial period of time and hopefully never again. I hope they can see themselves in due course as survivors of your abuse rather than victims of it."

The judge added: "You remain a danger to young females. You have described yourself as a paedophile. You are - and will remain for a substantial period of time without substantial work with professional - a significant risk of causing serious harm to young females."

When told by Judge Gittins he formed the view he had limited remorse, Hildrew replied: "What do you want me to do, get on my hands and knees and beg and cry? Is this how remorse is displayed? I'm an emotionally damaged person, I find it hard to portray emotion."

Tony Cornberg, defending, said: "He has a significant level of self-loathing. He is effectively a loner in hiding from the world.

"He feels his life is over and he has suicidal ideations. He says prison is 23 hours a day behind the door thinking about what he has done every minute of every day, worrying, depression and a pre-occupation with death and suicide."

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A paedophile was caught with a sickening collection of abuse images featuring children as young as three-months old.

Police found more than 2,500 illegal pictures and movies on six of Jamie McDougall's internet devices after they raided his home in November 2019 and May 2020.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he also had extreme pornography and shocking footage he had recorded of a young child using the toilet.

The court heard all of the illegal material had been stored when McDougall, now 23, was between the ages of 17 and 19.

Prosecutor Chris Baker told the court there were a "large number of victims" featured in the images and added: "The age range of the children was between three months to 16-years of age."

McDougall, of Mainsforth Terrace West, Sunderland, who has been in no trouble before or since, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children, one of possessing extreme pornography and one of voyeurism, committed between 2017 and 2019.

Fiona Lamb, defending, said McDougall, who has had no involvement in the criminal justice system before, has now come to terms with what he did and accepted he needs help.

Mr Recorder Jonathan Sandiford KC said the offences were "many years ago" and McDougall has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

McDougall was sentenced to 18 months, suspended for two years, with programme and rehabilitation requirements.

He has to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

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A nursery worker has been jailed for eight years for the rapes and sexual assault against two children in Southampton.

Declan Norman, 23, coerced one of his victims - who was 13 at the time - into performing a sexual act on him in February 2020, the court heard.

Further allegations that Norman raped and sexually assaulted a young girl between a period of 2014 and 2020 were also heard by a jury at Southampton Crown Court.

A separate investigation into these matters by Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s Child Abuse Investigation Team found that Norman was in possession of a high volume of indecent images of children.

This followed a search of Norman’s home address in November 2021, where a number of electronic devices were found.

A laptop was seized and investigating officers discovered 88 Category A images – the most serious, 74 Category B images and 494 Category C images.

Norman, of Shinewell Gardens, Southampton, was found to be in the possession of 656 indecent images; albeit these were not deemed to be first edition images – so were not taken directly by Norman.

He was found guilty by a jury of rape against a child, sexual assault against a child and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

On September 7, Norman was sentenced to eight years with a further year extension.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period and on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

On sentencing Detective Constable Ella Knight, the officer in case, said: “The abhorrent offences committed by Declan Norman have, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on both the victims.

“My admiration for the victims and their parents is commendable.

“It takes a great deal of courage for people to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature, and that should never be underestimated; especially for those who have shown maturity beyond their years.

“I hope this case goes to show that regardless of how long ago a serious sexual assault, or sexual activity has happened, we will work tirelessly to relentlessly pursue perpetrators and provide specialist support to survivors.

“We want our communities to know that we stand with them and will do all in our power to bring the offenders of these horrendous crimes to justice via the criminal justice system.”

A spokesperson from Hampshire Constabulary said: “We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to report this to police on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

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Christopher Brooks plied the then 15-year-old with vodka on February 22 2020, before kissing her on the lips and groping her.

Preston Crown Court heard the girl reported the assault to the police, but Brooks, of Church Street, Ribchester, denied the allegations and took the matter to trial.

In July, he was found guilty by a jury of three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Darren Preston told the court he believed Brooks, whose rugby career ended after he became injured, had continued to deny any wrongdoing, and even suggested during the course of the trial that he had been set up.

He said: “He continues to find new ways to deny the offences, and claimed during the course of the trial that this had been a set up.

“When you were arrested you denied the allegations, but your DNA was found on the inside of the victim’s bra.

“You then came up with offensive theories as to how the DNA came to be inside her bra – anything to avoid the truth of what happened that night, which is that you were guilty of the attack.”

During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday September 13, the brave victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stood in court to read her impact statement, in which she said her “whole life had been affected massively” and “she couldn’t concentrate at school or stay in lessons which impacted her overall performance in her GCSEs”.

The victim’s mother also gave a statement in which she described the last three and a half years as being “a struggle” and said: “I hope after this ends today for us he will never destroy a child’s life again”.

Brooks, 34, has no previous convictions save for an old driving offence.

Mitigating, Kathryn Johnson said her client had come to court with a realistic attitude, and asked Judge Preston to impose the shortest sentence possible.

She said: “He started out as a professional rugby player but that ended. He has references which speak of him in high terms, and this was an isolated incident.”

Brooks was jailed for three and a half years and was told to sign the sex offender’s register for life.

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AN offender who was previously branded an ‘animal’ by a judge has been put behind bars once more.

Connor Standish was locked up for seven-and-a-half years in December 2016 after embarking on a one-man crime spree.

These offences included an armed robbery, biting police officers and threatening a teenage girl with a knife after she refused to perform a sex act on him.

He was also caught carrying an imitation firearm on one occasion.

Sentencing at Chester Crown Court three-and-a-half years ago, judge Neil Flewitt said: “That is the behaviour of an animal.”

The 27-year-old has now been jailed again for assaults which saw him bite and spit at people during the Covid pandemic.

Warrington Magistrates’ Court this month heard how Standish assaulted two men on June 15 and 19, 2020.

Also on June 15, 2020, he threatened a woman that he would arrange to get her house burnt down, intending that she would fear that the threat would be carried out.

He was later charged with two counts of assault by beating and one of threatening to destroy property.

All of the offences occurred in the Widnes areas, with court documents listing the defendant’s current address as HMP Oakwood in Featherstone, West Yorkshire.

Magistrates took his guilty pleas into account but determined that only immediate custody was appropriate due to the biting and spitting occurring during the pandemic.

Standish, formerly of Davenport Row in Runcorn, was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment.

He was also ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £128, however no compensation was ordered due to him serving a prison sentence to 2025, with no means to pay.

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A man in his 70s has been sentenced to  a total of nine and a half years for multiple sexual offences hidden in ‘plain sight’ against an underage girl after years of grooming her.

Charles Buxton, 71, of North Sydmonton, Newbury, Berkshire, was sentenced after appearing at Norwich Crown Court yesterday (13 September 2023). He was sentenced to four years and two months for sexual activity with a child, two years for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity to be served concurrently and five years and four months to be served consecutively. He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender Register. 

Buxton previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between 2009 and 2011. 

On Monday 25 November 2019 the victim reported to the police she had been sexually abused historically and groomed into a sexual relationship by Buxton who was in his late 50s at the time he met the victim and her family in Cromer.

The court heard that Buxton had started by buying the victim gifts in the early 2000s, such as sweets, money and cigarettes. Buxton gained her ‘trust’ through buying her things and making her think she was in love with him before carrying out sexual activity with her.

In her statement, which the victim read out in court, she describes the impact: “Years have passed, chapters of my life written, my face and body have changed, my family has grown. The wounds of my childhood still open and weep, impacting my life in so many ways. I have suffered with my mental health since the abuse started and still now, it is a constant battle. You took away my voice, you blurred the lines of love, stole my innocence and did it all hidden in plain sight from the world.”

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A paedophile litter picker who claimed in sexually explicit online chats with young girls to have been a youth worker has been jailed.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Mark Clover, from Folkestone, communicated with a 12-year-old girl via WhatsApp over a four-and-a-half month period and tried to get her to send him an image of her naked breasts.

Their conversations between March and July 2019 began innocently, with Clover telling her he was a "good and loyal person" and she was "beautiful".

However, they were soon filled with references to puberty, male genitals and a sex toy.

When that chat came to an end after his perverted request for the topless photo was refused, Clover moved onto Kik messenger where he told his 14-year-old victim he was looking for "role play and maybe love".

But he claimed during his trial he was not responsible for any of the deviant conversations, despite admitting to police after his arrest that his phone was with him "24/7, nines times out of 10".

A former flatmate also described Clover as being "very possessive" over the device.

The 36-year-old, however, told the court he would lend his phone to others to use, and spoke of his email account being hacked.

Clover, who was a volunteer litter picker in Folkestone between November 2018 and July 2019, also dismissed his "brief" use of a TeenChat app as being for role play and finding people of his age to date. He claimed that an online search for child pornography related to his coursework for an NVQ in childcare.

The Trinity Gardens resident denied inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

But he was unanimously convicted on all charges after jury deliberations lasting just one hour.

At the start of his trial, prosecutor James Lofthouse said it was "absurd" to suggest anyone other than Clover was responsible.

Not only were the explicit chats discovered on his phone but they also contained unusual spellings and words such as "Hay" instead of "Hey", "Hugz" for "Hugs" and the regular use of "He he" - all of which were found in his more innocent, day-to-day messages.

Police also found sexually explicit internet search terms in respect of underage girls including "virgin rape" and "10-year-old porn videos", the court heard.

After asking his younger victim to send him a topless photo he apologised and said: "I was truly not trying to be a paedo."

The jury heard he then told the girl, who had expressed a concern about her breasts: "I'm a trained nurse but I have been a youth worker as well."

Although Clover's 12-year-old victim was traced by investigating officers, the identity of the older girl was never discovered, said Mr Lofthouse.

During cross-examination, Clover maintained he was "100% positive" he had not engaged in explicit chats with young girls and said he found the allegation he made numerous searches for child pornography as "quite upsetting".

Asked by Mr Lofthouse why, as a man in his 30s, he went on TeenChat, he told the jury he believed it was a role-playing app and he was looking for dating matches.

At this point, the prosecutor said: "What sort of matches were you looking for on TeenChat?"

Clover replied: "I was looking for people between the ages of 29 and 30. I didn't realise it was that kind of chat."

But Mr Lofthouse retorted: "Teen. Isn't the clue in the word?"

Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Simon Taylor KC told Clover his warped actions were neither "a one-off nor a one-victim offence" as he jailed him two years and seven months.

Philip Romans, defending, told the court Clover was dyslexic, had been diagnosed with an emotional personality disorder, and was on benefits.

It is not known if Clover, who has no previous convictions, ever officially worked as a youth worker.

On his release, he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign on the sex offender register indefinitely.

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A paedophile who was imprisoned after being caught with child abuse images described prison life as a “shock”. 

Mohammad Khan, a 46-year-old dad of two, has been in custody since March when he was arrested after he was caught with child sexual abuse images for a third time. 

A man who lived a relatively normal life working in the financial sector until his first conviction in 2016, Khan has said prison has been a “significant shock” which he was struggled to adjust to. 

Khan, of Lucerne Road in Thornton Heath, appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday (August 28) for sentencing. Prosecutor Obi Mgbokwere described the facts of the case. 

“On January 23, 2023, police became aware of a user of a Google Drive,” Mr Mgbokwere said. 

“That user had uploaded 387 indecent images of children. Enquiries revealed that the account belonged to this defendant. 

“The defendant was a registered sex offender who was prohibited by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order from using such equipment and facilities.” 

Khan was arrested near his ex-partner's address in Wandsworth. Officers found a laptop and an iPhone at that address as well as a laptop hidden under his pillow at his mum’s house, Mr Mgbokwere said. 

“The items recovered from the defendant were interogatted, on a Dell laptop police found the images,” he said. 

Khan admitted 11 breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and to possessing over 1,000 indecent images of children. 

He was first convicted of similar offences in 2016, for which he was given a community order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. 

Then in 2017 he was given a suspended sentence for new but identical offences. 

Despite his previous offending, this was the first time he had been in prison and his barrister said he was not enjoying it. 

His representative added that Khan felt deep shame at being in court again for these offences. 

Sentencing Khan, Judge Simon Farrell KC said: “These are such shocking images. They are truly horrific. 

“Taking all matters into account, a custodial sentence is the only possible outcome.” 

Khan was given a 19-month prison sentence, and a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last 10 years.