Latest Offenders

Description

A man who grabbed a woman’s breast as she smoked with a friend outside a Highland social club has been ordered to pay her £500 compensation.

Robert Bonner carried out the sexual assault after seeing the woman’s friend touching her chest in jest.

Bonner initially let go of the woman’s breast when she “froze” in reaction to the assault, but then grabbed it for a second time.

The 63-year-old appeared at Tain Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously admitted the single charge relating to the incident on November 25 of last year.

Fiscal depute Adelle Gray told the court that on that date the woman and her friend were socialising at the Brora Rangers FC social club and had consumed alcohol.

“The accused was also present and consuming alcohol,” she said.

Brora social club sex assault

The court heard that the two women went outside for a cigarette and were standing near the front door with the accused.

Ms Gray explained that it was at this point that one of the women grabbed the other woman’s chest and said that “this is something they do while drinking”.

However, on seeing this, Bonner had decided to touch the woman too.

“The accused then grabbed the left breast of the witness causing the witness to freeze,” Ms Gray said.

“The accused has then let go and a short time later repeated his actions.”

Bonner’s solicitor Ken Ferguson told the court that his client had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Offender’s unacceptable attitudes

Sheriff Gary Aitken expressed his incredulity that Bonner had considered it appropriate to “grab the breast of a woman you know nothing about just because her pal has been doing it”.

He told Bonner: “It is quite clear from the terms of the criminal justice, social work report and your explanations, that you have some attitudes that are simply no longer acceptable in society.”

He placed Bonner on a community payback order with six months supervision and a requirement to pay compensation to his victim of £500.

Bonner, of Park Court, Brora, will also remain on the sex offenders register for six months.

Description

A pervert who groped a woman on the dancefloor of a Liverpool city centre bar grinned as he walked free from court.

Abdullah Alqahtani's smug smirk mimicked one he gave his victim after brazenly sexually assaulting her in Baa Bar on Fleet Street having consumed a cocktail of booze and sleeping tablets. His victim said she has been "profoundly affected" by what she described as a "traumatic incident" and a "horrible experience".

Liverpool Magistrates' Court heard yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, that the complainant had been in the nightclub with friends in April this year and was stood on the dancefloor at around 3.30am when she "felt a finger touch her bum cheek and flick out, lifting her skirt". Andrew Page, prosecuting, described how she then turned around and saw Alqahtani walking away while "staring back and grinning".

She followed and confronted him, but he initially denied that he had assaulted her. When pressed, the 21-year-old replied: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Alqahtani, of Erskine Street, then began repeating: "I don't speak English. I'm sorry."

The woman subsequently walked back to her friends, who said they had in fact heard him speaking English. She threw her empty plastic cup at the defendant at this and informed security staff of the incident.

Police attended the scene and found that the incident had been caught on CCTV. Alqahtani told detectives under interview after being arrested that he was "drunk" and had taken two sleeping pills, "which led to him being disorientated".

He described the bar as being "crowded" and said he had "never seen the female before in his life". When shown the video footage, the sex offender "accepted that it looked like his arm and hand moved towards her bottom" but said it was "not a deliberate act" and was merely "an accident".

A statement read out to the court on the victim's behalf said: "My confidence has been profoundly affected by this traumatic incident. I had no idea of the horrible experience I would suffer that evening.

"I should have felt safe and secure while spending time with my friends and boyfriend, however I became the victim of a malicious act perpetrated by a man who showed a blatant disregard for my autonomy, consent and dignity. The emotional turmoil from this assault has had far reaching consequences.

"What happened has affected what I choose to wear when I'm in public. I now question my sense of safety and security when out socialising with friends, and I've been left with a sense of anxiety."

Alqahtani has no previous convictions. Benjamin Squirrell, defending, told the court that his client had finished a degree in his home country of Saudi Arabia before coming to the UK in order to "better his English" on a visa which has less than two weeks to run.

He now plans to return to the Middle East and work in a hospital laboratory. Mr Squirrell added: "The defendant, through me, does wish to tender a fulsome apology.

"It does appear he apologised when confronted in the club, and subsequently his reaction was immature. The complainant said in her evidence that he seemed to be laughing at her, and that seemed to be the spur for her taking matters further.

"It seems there is some lesson learned. It seems he doesn't go out in public very often, certainly not to nightclubs, and he has reduced his drinking to a low level.

"He was actually trying to go to sleep and took the sleeping pills, and then was asked to go out by friends. He wasn't intending to go out that night, and deeply wishes he hadn't.

"He has clearly realised he overstepped the mark and behaved in a despicable way. He is still a young man with a future."

Alqahtani, who was assisted by an interpreter in the dock, was found guilty of sexual assault after a trial before magistrates. He was handed an 18-week imprisonment suspended a year, told to pay £750 in compensation - to be paid before his visa expires on September 12 - and told to sign the sex offenders' register for seven years.

Sentencing, District Judge Timothy Boswell said: "You were in Baa Bar and you had had too much to drink. You put your hand up the skirt of a woman and touched her bottom.

"I can put it no better than she does. You showed a complete disregard for her autonomy, consent and dignity.

"You have offered an apology for the impact of your actions. But it is plain from the fact that you tried to pass it off as an inadvertent accident that you do not accept full responsibility for your actions."

Description

A high school teacher has been unmasked as a Snapchat paedophile "addicted" to indecent images of children.

Antony Phillips collected thousands of photographs of child abuse over the span of several years, even paying to download these vile materials. The 32-year-old, who also worked as a football coach, meanwhile made worrying searches for "changing room boys" online.

Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that he was linked via his IP address to the upload of a category B indecent image to Snapchat. Ben Berkson, prosecuting, described how police attended his home in December last year in order to arrest him, seizing two laptops and a mobile phone.

Both of the computers were subsequently found to contain indecent images of children. This included a stash of 784 pictures in category A, those showing the most serious forms of abuse.

A further 1,052 images in category B and 3,801 in category C were also discovered, as were 79 computer generated prohibited images. The "majority" of the more than 5,000 images were said to have shown "teenage boys of school age".

"Concerning search terms which indicated a predilection for young teenage boys" were found in Phillips' internet history, including one for "changing room boys". A teacher at Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby, Wirral, for more than seven years until January this year, he had been amassing his "large collection" since at least 2018 - including paying for images on websites and chat rooms.

The defendant, of Bridgenorth Road in Pensby, was also a football coach who took his team on residential trips. Phillips, who has no previous convictions, made "full and frank admissions" under interview, confessing to detectives that he was "addicted to accessing this material".

But he "denied having a sexual interest in the boys he taught and coached" as he was "able to draw a veil when it came to his professional career". The pervert did however "accept sexual arousal from accessing and viewing images of children".

Jim Smith, defending, told the court that his client "would always remain sorry for his actions and accepts he betrayed the faith and trust bestowed upon him by the school and students in not upholding the high moral standards and values of his position as a teacher". He was also said to have sought treatment from a psychotherapist and "made positive changes in his life".

Phillips admitted distributing indecent images, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and possession of prohibited images of children. He was handed a nine-month imprisonment suspended for two years by Judge Garrett Byrne, as well as being told to complete 60 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 15 days and the Horizon sex offender treatment programme.

Calday Grange head teacher Stephen Gray said in a statement to the ECHO: "I can confirm that Mr Phillips was an employee at the school between September 2015 and January 2023. Once we became aware of Mr Phillips' arrest, the school acted decisively and took all appropriate measures working alongside the police and the local authority designated officer.

"We were advised at every stage by our school solicitor and alongside the criminal process, the school also implemented its disciplinary policy and referred the matter to the Teaching Regulation Agency and Disclosure and Barring Service. The safeguarding of our students is of paramount importance to our school."

Phillips was also told to sign the sex offenders' register. Forfeiture of the seized devices was ordered.

Description

A man from Coventry has been jailed for 15 years for the rape of a child aged under 13. 

Khumbulani Sibanda was convicted after a trial and was told he must serve at least 10 years in prison before being considered for parole, after being classed as a dangerous offender

He will spend a further three years on extended licence, or eight if released after 10 years in prison He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The 43-year-old committed the crimes between 2016 and 2018, but the abuse didn’t come to light until January 2021 when his young victim confessed ‘a secret’. The child alleged the rape happened on several occasions when visiting Sibanda’s home in Coventry.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Suzanne Leah said: “The child was so young, they would not necessarily have understood how badly they were being abused. Sibanda completely took advantage of the child’s young age and innocence for his own sexual gratification, and I am pleased the length of the sentence reflects the severity of his crimes.”

Sibanda, now of Fosse Road South in Leicester, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court last Thursday (24 August). He was also sentenced to 12 weeks each for sexual assault and exposure which will run concurrently.

Description

A 76-year-old man has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of historical child sexual offences dating back to 1986.

Bryan Lockwood, of Albert Street, Grantham, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court after being found guilty in July of 19 serious sexual offences.

Lockwood was also ordered to sign up to the sex offenders register for life.

Following the hearing, Lincolnshire Police praised the courage of Lockwood's victims for speaking out.

Det Con Dave Ziller said: "This is a very positive conclusion to a long investigation and one that hopefully allows the victims and families the chance to have some closure after many years."

However, he added that this case was "also a reminder there is no stereotypical offender or victim".

"Every person, agency and organisation must continue to do all they can to keep children and young people safe from harm," Det Con Ziller said.

Description

A paedophile caught with indecent images of children and prosecuted under a male name has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence - as the court heard she now identifies as a woman.

Tree surgeon Sophie Louise Carter 'wrestled' with police to stop them taking her phone when challenged, a judge was told.

Two devices were seized and two category A images - the most severe kind - were found along with a further three Category B images and six which were Category C.

The now-separated 39 year old, of Lee-on-the-Solent, Hants, was prosecuted under the name Dominic Mark Carter.

However, her sentencing hearing at Southampton Crown Court, Hants, was told she now identifies as a woman and goes by the first names Sophie Louise.

Carter - who attended court dressed in a pink t-shirt and pink shorts and with pink nail polish on - admitted three counts of making indecent images of children in relation to the incident on April 3, 2021.

Judge Nicholas Rowland told her: 'The reason that children around the world are subject to abuse and it is filmed is because people seek gratification.

'People like you get gratification from looking at those images.'

Ed Warren, defending, said there was a 'history of abuse' in Carter's life dating back to when she was five which has caused 'some degree of trauma'.

He added that his client has a 'longstanding issue with alcohol abuse' and had been taking class A drugs at the time of the offending.

She is no longer taking drugs but the drinking is ongoing and she has been signed off work until 2024 with mental health issues, the court heard.

Mr Warren said: 'The root cause of the mental health issues is this case. She was holding down a good job as a tree surgeon.

'Miss Carter has now separated from her now ex-wife. That relationship at the time was beginning to disintegrate.'

Carter, who has five convictions for six past offences, was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and must complete 60 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions and 120 hours of unpaid work.

She must also register as a sex offender and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

A deprivation order was made for the two seized phones.

Description

A man was caught having sex with a cow after triggering an alarm set up by farmers who suspected their livestock were being abused.

Liam Brown, 25, sneaked onto a farm in Burton, near Christchurch, in the dead of night to commit the disturbing act.

But he was detected by the farm's surveillance and found on the premises by farmers who rushed to the scene.

A DNA sample taken from a calf proved 'intercourse' had taken place on June 12, 2022.

Brown sobbed as he pleaded guilty to sexual penetration with a living animal and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal during a brief hearing at Poole Magistrates Court on August 25.

The case has been transferred to Bournemouth Crown Court for sentencing as magistrates said he may be facing a custodial sentence.

Prosecuting, Charles Nightingale said the farm off Martins Hill Lane had installed alarms and other surveillance equipment after becoming concerned about the welfare of their young livestock.

He said Brown had been known to the farmers since he was a child because some of his family members were previously employed at the farm.

Mr Nightingale said: The defendant was found by members of the farming family who had concerns regarding the welfare of the young livestock in question and set up alarms in the area.

On the night in question they were alerted by alarms and equipment they had set up with the result that the defendant was found.

Subsequently, samples were taken from the animal confirming the intercourse in question.

The court heard that Brown had no previous convictions and had not returned to the farm since the incident.

Mr Nightingale added: The family who own the farm want him nowhere near it.

Defending, Harry Price-Smith agreed that the case should be committed for sentence at a crown court, and the defendant was given unconditional bail.

Brown, of Grosvenor Gardens in Boscombe, was addressed by the magistrates who said: It is going to crown court because the offences are so serious it is possible you need greater punishment than we can give.

The sentencing will take place on September 22.

Description

A former teacher at a historic Gloucester grammar school has been sentenced to a three year community order for communicating sexually with a boy whom he was privately tutoring.

Gloucester Crown Court heard yesterday (August 29) that 30-year-old Joseph Nicholson had always wanted to be a teacher and, following his training, he gained a position as an English master at The Crypt School.

He was later contacted by the parents of a boy who wanted private tuition in English for their son and Nicholson agreed to help during his spare time.

Prosecutor Alex Daymond said that, in the spring of last year, Nicholson offered to loan the boy some of his own books for additional reading. The boy and his tutor then began exchanging emails but at that time nothing untoward occurred.

Mr Daymond said: "But when Nicholson loaned the boy a copy of The City and the Pillar, a novel by American writer Gore Vidal, about a young man who is coming of age and discovers his own homosexuality, he wrote a note inside the back cover, which included his phone number, but it was incomplete as it had one digit missing. Nicholson said he wasn't sure how the boy would feel about that.

"After a subsequent exchange of emails, the missing numeral was given and the boy made contact with Nicholson. They began to message each other by WhatsApp.

"Nicholson told the boy to change the contact name for him on his phone to an alias and the name Joe Richardson was chosen.

"The boy then received numerous messages from Nicholson, asking him what books had he read. He began thinking that some of the messages were a bit weird in the way they were written. He said he would expect that sort of language from some of his friends, not from his tutor.

"On one occasion at the beginning of the summer, the boy was attending a family celebration and received his first blatantly sexual message, which stated that Nicholson was masturbating himself. Throughout the day, he received further messages from Nicholson and he began feeling uneasy and forwarded one of the text messages to a friend for his opinion.

"A few days later, the boy spoke to Nicholson about speaking language development and asked him for some pointers about it, to which Nicholson responded, 'You can do something to sweeten the deal', to which the boy made a throwaway remark about getting a bag of sweets.

"Nicholson then asked to see the boy on his own away from his home. It was at this point the boy realised that things were taking a turn for the worse. He felt strange and anticipated what was coming next, because he had seen this scenario in television dramas.

"The boy then got the courage to start saying 'no' to Nicholson, who sent another text, 'I want to see you without your top on' to which the boy said 'no' again.

"The boy then approached his mother to tell her about what was going on with his home tutor. The police were contacted about the boy's family's concerns, who in turn contacted the school about the actions of one of its teachers."

Judge Ian Lawrie KC commented: "The actions of Nicholson were an act of manipulation on many aspects. He was a teacher who behaved in a totally inappropriate way out of school. His brief teaching career is now at an end. He would have known from his training and life experiences in general, that his actions are not acceptable.

"Additionally, I know Gore Vidal's book that was referred to, which was published in 1948. It was ahead of its time, but I question its validity in this day and age. As I recall, It's not pornographic, but a journey of emotional torture.

"Why did Nicholson choose this book for the boy to read? Was there a hidden message? I feel the underlying message was an element of careful manipulation into the subject."

Ross McQuillan-Johnson, defending, said that Nicholson's career as a teacher has ceased and his current employment is also at risk, as it depended on the sentence he receives. He said Nicholson faces the possibility of further disciplinary proceedings.

Nicholson, of Fairway, Calne, Wiltshire, told the judge from the dock: "I spent the last year feeling broken. I've struggled with what I've done and have tried to rectify this with counselling for much of the past year. I've spent a lot of time waiting on the Crown Prosecution Service's charging decision.

"I now have a better understanding of things and have been able to talk to counsellors about my own issues. I've been helping others with their problems before facing up to my own mental issues.

"The sessions have enabled me to deal with my own grief and create stronger relationships. However, the biggest worry for me has been the prospect of being sent to prison. I went into teaching later in life because I wanted to wait until I was ready. I felt very good at being employed at the Crypt Grammar School."

Nicholson pleaded guilty to intentionally communicating with a boy under the age of 16 in a sexual manner, namely requesting a topless picture of the boy and making reference to masturbation.

Judge Lawrie told Nicholson: "Your public humiliation is extreme and complete. No doubt this sentencing will be reported in the media. Your teaching career, which you obviously spent time qualifying for, is now over.

"You committed a series of offences which breached the trust that the boy's parents had shown you. Two things concern me about your case. You sent that book, The City and the Pillar to your victim and I feel there was a hidden sexual motive to your actions. This causes me some concerns and makes your offending cross the custody threshold.

"However, the guidelines for this would only result in a short prison sentence, while your mitigation places you within a community-based sentence. This is both a punishment and the chance of learning your lesson."

The judge sentenced Nicholson to a 36-month community order, which includes 200 hours of unpaid work, 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 30 programme sessions and a monthly judicial review. He ordered that Nicholson pay a contribution towards court costs of £425 and a mandatory surcharge of £90.

The judge placed Nicholson on the sex offenders register for five years and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same time period.

Description

The devastation felt by a traumatised rape victim was graphically spelled out in court as a 32-year-old Leyland man was jailed for 10 years for attacking a woman in her own home.

Adam Stock was told by a judge he was close to getting a life sentence for the offence, which was the second time he had been convicted of rape.

Preston Crown Court heard Stock had been released in 2021 - halfway through an eight-year prison sentence for a series of 10 sex offences.

This time Judge Andrew Jefferies told him he would have to serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence before he could apply to the Parole Board for release and warned: “If you have not changed your attitude to women after that period then the Parole Board will not release you and you would have to serve the full 10 years.”

Stock, of Cumberland Avenue, Leyland, pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one of sexual assault on the woman. Both offences happened despite the victim refusing to have sex with him at her home – once in her bedroom and the other in the lounge. The sexual assault was witnessed by the woman’s young son who heard the pair arguing and came downstairs.

Both the victim and her child were left traumatised by what had happened, prosecuting counsel Tim Evans told Judge Jefferies. In the woman’s case she had suffered “severe psychological harm” as a result of what had happened.

In a victim impact statement, read out by Mr Evans, the woman said she had been left “completely and utterly broken” by the ordeal and had suffered from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Since it happened it had affected her day-to-day life, she suffered from vivid flashbacks and struggled to get to sleep at night. When she did sleep she suffered from nightmares and regularly woke up crying and screaming.

“She says she will never trust anyone again, or believe anyone,” said Mr Evans. The woman, he said, had had suicidal thoughts and felt she had lost her identity and that her body had been stolen from her. She had since felt physically sick when near men.

“I don’t even recognise myself anymore,” she wrote in her statement. “I will never know what I did so wrong to him for him to abuse me and destroy me. I will forever be damaged and never be the same person again. My son witnessed something no son should ever have to go through. He is terrified. He has struggled at school.”

Mr Evans said the house where the offences happened no longer felt like home to the victim. He added that she kept seeing Stock’s face everywhere and she felt “a complete mess.” He was, said Mr Evans, “plainly a highly dangerous individual.”

Christian Cavanagh, defending, asked Judge Jefferies to take a “cautious approach” to sentencing and not impose a life term despite his previous record of sex crimes. He said in mitigation that Stock had pleaded guilty to the two offences, which spared the mother and son the ordeal of having to give evidence in a trial. Mr Cavanagh said Stock recognised the emotional effect the offences had had on the victim.

Judge Jefferies told Stock that he had refused to take “no” for an answer and raped the woman. Later he had again refused to take “no” for an answer and sexually assaulted her before her son came downstairs and intervened. “What is troubling me is it mirrors what I have read about your previous convictions.”

The judge ordered that Stock should serve an extended three-year licence period after he is eventually released from prison. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Description

Rapist Thomas Hayward has been jailed - after leaving his victim 'disgusted and numb'. The 31-year-old, of Meir View, Meir, has been locked up for three years after admitting one count of rape.

In a harrowing statement, his victim said: "I was traumatised. I felt disgusted and completely numb."

Prosecutor Miles Wilson added: "He has no previous convictions."

The court heard that Hayward pleaded guilty to the offence at a pre-trial preparation hearing at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Rash Mohammed, mitigating, said: "He accepted in an interview with police that he raped his victim. I do not seek to undermine the seriousness of this crime.

"He recognises well and truly the seriousness of his crime. He is of previous good character and has remained in custody since. He accepts responsibility for this offence."

Hayward is now on the Sex Offenders' Register for the rest of his life.

Judge David Fletcher said: "Rape is a horrendous offence. I have read your letter explaining and I accept that you are genuinely remorseful. The mitigating factors are you have no previous convictions, you express remorse, and you are of previous good character. I am handing you a starting point of four years and six months in prison. That is reduced by a third for your guilty plea."

Description

A ‘pupil’ of one of the most dangerous internet sexual predators ever investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) has admitted a raft of blackmail and online sex offences.

Anthony ‘Danny’ Burns, originally from Lowestoft, worked with notorious online child sex offender Adbul Elahi, who was jailed for 32 years in December 2021 after targeting 2,000 people globally to commit sadistic online abuse.

Between May 2018 and March 2021, Burns, 39, used ‘sugar daddy’ websites to trap dozens of unsuspecting females into performing sexual and degrading acts under the threat of blackmail.

One of his 39 victims was an eight-year-old girl in the United States who was abused by her mother following sustained coercion by Burns.

Burns, of no fixed adobe, attempted to contact approximately 600 people around the world with the intention of sexually exploiting them and work is ongoing by international partners to identify any further victims.

Elahi ‘tutored’ Burns on the psychology of blackmail, including techniques such as scripted wording to help gain the trust of victims, and provided instruction on how they would respond to threats and what to say to them.

Burns used multiple online personas to ensnare his victims, including posing as the head of a model agency searching for clients. He also pretended to be an NCA officer on one occasion.

Once Burns had gained the trust of his victims, he moved them to WhatsApp which is protected by end to end encryption. Once his messages had been read, Burns was able to delete them from his and his victims’ phones, thereby removing visible evidence.

All the victims were ordered to film themselves carrying out sexual acts in the belief they would be paid £600, but the money was never transferred to them.

When he had received enough explicit material, Burns threatened to expose the pictures to the victims’ families and friends unless they sent more increasingly depraved photographs and videos.

The severity and nature of the demands became more degrading at the point that Burns had entrapped the victims through the threat of exposure.

NCA officers arrested Burns in February 2019. His mobile phone and computers were seized and forensically examined.

NCA Operations Manager Robert Slater said: “Anthony Burns showed remorseless cruelty in controlling and coercing his victims, including very young children, into acts which have left them severely traumatised.

“The NCA is determined to identify and pursue the most harmful child sexual offenders, including those who exploit technology to hide their activities and target large numbers of victims, no matter where they are.

“Anyone being pressured or threatened into sending sexual images or videos online, should remove themselves immediately from the conversation, not respond further to any contact, and report the matter to police.

“You are not alone, you are not to blame and there is always help available.”

The FBI provided assistance to the investigation and helped locate victims in the United States.

Most of Burns’ other victims lived in England but there were also people in the Channel Islands and Australia.

Burns used a New Zealand-based cloud storage facility to retain all of the illegally gained material so that it would never be found on his phone.

However, incriminating evidence uncovered by NCA investigators from his phone highlighted the scale and propensity of his offending, and that he was blackmailing several victims simultaneously.

The NCA liaised with New Zealand authorities and evidence was recovered which proved Burns had the depraved material he demanded from his victims.

Burns was charged with 46 counts including blackmail, attempted blackmail, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence; making and distributing indecent images of children (IIOC), possessing extreme pornography, malicious communications offences and failure to comply with notification requirements.

He admitted 39 counts and was found guilty of a further two today, following a two-day trial at Birmingham Crown Court. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on 18 January 2024.

The remaining five charges will lie on file.

All 39 of Burns’ victims on the indictment, aged between eight and 54, have been safeguarded.

Burns was previously jailed for 16 months in 2010 for meeting or communicating with a child under 16 following sexual grooming; causing / inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual acts, IIOC offences and possession of extreme pornography.

In December 2013, he was convicted of breaching his Sexual Offences Order, and served a further two years imprisonment.

Bethany Raine, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Anthony Burns had an obsessive interest in controlling women and children into performing increasingly degrading sexual acts online for his own gratification. Burns also had a perverse desire to see others engage in sexual activity with children and animals.

“Burns belittled and humiliated victims. They became trapped in a web of fear where their own images became tools of manipulation and extortion, leaving them vulnerable to his depraved demands.

“This conviction sends a clear message that the CPS is committed in bringing offenders like Burns, who sexually abuse and exploit victims, to justice, wherever that abuse takes place.”

Description

A paedophile who claimed strangers sent him more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been jailed.

Andris Dozbergs, 56, came to the attention of police after they were alerted that an account on Facebook had uploaded indecent images of a child to the social media platform.

Officers visited his home in Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough, in May last year and initially he refused to let them in.

However, he eventually complied and a search of his home uncovered two phones and a laptop, together with a can of pepper spray.

He was arrested on suspicion of making indecent images but in police interview, denied having a sexual interest in children.

He claimed strangers had sent him “half naked” images of children, which he did nothing with, and had just remained in his phone.

Dozbergs admitted buying the can of spray in Latvia two years previously for his self-defence – claiming he thought it was pepper and tear gas mixed together.

He was released on bail but arrested again after police visited his home a second time and found more images on further devices.

The electronic devices were found to contain a total of 1,053 indecent images: 419 category C, 371 category B and 263 category A – the most severe.

He was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing prohibited images of children and one count of possessing a prohibited weapon.

Dozbergs pleaded guilty to the offences at Cambridge Crown Court in July and was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (25 August).

He was handed one year in prison, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was put in place for 10 years to monitor any future offending.

Description

A man who raped three women, including one who was just 14 when the attacks began, has been jailed for 10 years.

Bradley Isherwood, 25, abused one his victims while another man encouraged him.

The woman, who is now aged 24, told the High Court in Edinburgh she was serially raped and assaulted between 2016 and 2021.

All of Isherwood's attacks took place at locations in Edinburgh and Musselburgh, East Lothian.

The 24-year-old woman told the court that during one attack, another man played the Kings of Leon song Sex On Fire on his phone while Isherwood abused her.

She said: "I said no. I am tired. It became clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer so I just kind of lay there and took it."

The victim said Isherwood's friend was "clapping his hands and saying 'come on Bradley, come on Bradley'."

"He was playing Your Sex is on Fire. He had an iPhone," she said.

'He felt entitled'

The woman also spoke about a time when Isherwood pinned her to the bed by the throat.

She said: "There was quite a lot of pressure. I couldn't speak. I genuinely thought he was going to choke me.

"I tried but I couldn't get his hand free from my throat.

"When I was on the bed and he had me by the throat and I couldn't speak back, he said he was going to kill me."

The woman said that Isherwood felt "entitled" about having sex.

Judge Lord Tyre sentenced Isherwood, who had pleaded not guilty to the attacks, to 10 years in prison and ordered that he be supervised by the authorities for three years after his release.

He was also put on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A pensioner who left a girl suicidal after sexually assaulting her has been jailed for nine years.

Colin Routledge groomed and abused the youngster in offences which had a "devastating" impact on her life, a court heard. The 77-year-old was convicted of four offences of sexual assault after a trial.

Locking him up at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Amanda Rippon told him: "You told her not to tell anyone what you were doing and you said you would get into trouble if she did. She didn't understand why you would get in trouble because she didn't understand what was happening to her.

"She kept it secret until she could cope no more, telling her parents. She has provided a victim impact statement outlining the devastating impact."

The judge added: "She is one of the most brave people I have seen in some time. I very much hope she is able to find some comfort and solace and some understanding of what happened to her, none of which was her fault. I hope she can move forward with the love and support of her family."

As well as the prison sentence, Routlege must sign the sex offenders register for life and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order. and a restraining order.

The court heard Routlege, of Laburnum Gardens, Gateshead, has no previous convictions and has medical conditions that will make his time in prison more difficult.

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A rapist who lured a woman from a busy pub to a nearby beach to assault her has been jailed for more than six years.

Matthew Taylor, 31, from Hastings, carried out the ‘appalling, opportunistic attack’ after chatting with the woman, in her 20s, during a night out on February 12.

She was new to the town and thought he was being friendly, but ‘as soon as they got to the beach his behaviour immediately changed and he started to attack her’, Claire Gallagher of the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Taylor was convicted of rape at Lewes Crown Court and sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment.

Ms Gallagher said: ‘This was an appalling opportunistic attack on a woman new to the town, who believed that Taylor was being friendly when he first approached her.

‘Instead, he was planning to lure her away from a busy place, so he could force himself on her.

‘As soon as they got to the beach his behaviour immediately changed and he started to attack her.

‘Despite her repeated protests that she did not consent to any sexual activity with him, Taylor ignored her pleas and subjected her to a traumatic ordeal.’

Detective Sergeant Elizabeth Pike, from Sussex Police’s safeguarding investigations unit, praised the woman for her ‘incredible’ bravery in coming forward to report the attack and facing Taylor in court for the trial.

‘This is sadly something that will stay with her forever, but I hope this sentence will go some way in helping her rebuild her life,’ Ms Pike said.

She also praised officers for their response in the case, adding: ‘His sentencing demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and get justice for victims who come forward to us.

‘We take all reports of rape and sexual offences seriously and support is available on the Sussex Police website for victims and survivors.’

Taylor was also added to the Sex Offenders’ Register. He was cleared of a second charge of rape on the same woman.