Latest Offenders

Description

A young woman embarked on "relentless" sexual exploitation of a vulnerable girl, filming intimate videos and exchanging thousands of explicit messages.

Abbie Knight not only encouraged the inappropriate contact knowing the victim's age and difficult personal circumstances but also became "quite controlling and jealous".

Maidstone Crown Court heard that although it was accepted the 24-year-old had not targeted her victim in a predatory manner or had in any way threatened or forced her, she had taken advantage of the youngster's "fractured and isolated" lifestyle.

Videos of them kissing "intimately in the way partners would" and another of them lying in bed together were also created via the TikTok platform.

Knight, of Windmill Road, Gillingham, later pleaded guilty to four offences of sexual activity with a child and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Christina Rowberry told Knight's sentencing hearing on Monday (November 11) that having met two years ago, the pair had "very quickly" become sexually intimate.

It was noticed that they would also spend a long time on the phone together, with video calls occurring even when the victim went into the bathroom.

‘There was a strong element of jealousy over the bond she was forming with another girl…’

Knight also requested photographs from the girl and would challenge her about what she was doing when they were not together.

"The relationship seemed quite controlling. The defendant would ask where she had been, who she had been with and why she hadn't phoned her sooner," explained Ms Rowberry

"On one occasion the defendant also said she knew best because she was the adult.

"There was also a strong element of jealousy over the bond she was forming with another girl."

Knight's deviant behaviour came to light when messages between them were discovered on the youngster's phone.

In total, there were more than 19,000, the vast majority sexually explicit, said the prosecutor.

But the court heard that when Knight's phone was seized and downloaded by police, nothing relating to the victim was found on the device save for one message to her mum in which she made it "quite clear" that she was aware of the girl's vulnerabilities and acknowledged she was a child.

Although police said the two videos had been created and time-stamped on TikTok, it was the defence case that Knight had not been responsible herself for uploading any such material.

The young victim attended the court hearing to bravely detail how she had been affected by Knight's offending.

Describing how she felt "disgusted" by what had happened and how it would "haunt" her, she said: "I can't explain the emotion I feel for her. I don't think there are any words that can explain it.

"What Abbie did to me changed my life. What she did I have to live with for the rest of my life. It pains me.

‘It was not something that is permissable, inevitable or acceptable but it was entirely your fault…’

"She took advantage of a vulnerable little girl. Looking back I feel sick."

Lucy Luttman, defending, described Knight as "very much a closed book" with her own troubled background and difficulties, including emotional immaturity as well as traits suggestive of a personality disorder and adult ADHD.

But the lawyer said there was remorse and acknowledgement of her wrongdoing.

"Although she had emotional feelings which appear to have been reciprocated, she now understands that that should not have happened, ever, and she realises how wrong it was," Ms Luttman told the court.

But she argued that although Knight was aware of "some" of the victim's vulnerabilities when they met, she "didn't pick her out because of it."

Furthermore, Ms Luttman said the disparity in age was not "as significant as it would be" had Knight been someone who had reached emotional maturity.

She also remarked that the contact between the defendant and the girl "was not purely about sex" as such cases of child abuse often were.

However, on jailing Knight for three years, Judge Julian Smith told her that what she had perceived as a "relationship" was what the law regarded as "sexual exploitation of a child".

"It was not something that is permissable, inevitable or acceptable but it was entirely your fault," he told Knight, adding that her jealousy and controlling nature "demonstrated just how imbalanced and illegal" it was.

Referring to the victim's expressed feelings of "betrayal and conflict", Judge Smith told Knight: "The suggestion she was a willing party doesn't work with an adult. The responsibility was with you to say 'No'.

"This was relentless conduct that was both sexual and controlling."

Knight was also made subject to a four-year restraining order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order restricting contact with underage females.

She must also sign on the sex offender register indefinitely, and will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Description

A man who filmed himself sexually assaulting a woman while she was unconscious has been jailed.

Karl Hill also sent footage of the attack, which took place in May 2023, to a friend of the victim, an act which "repeatedly traumatised" her, a court heard.

Hill, 54, of Beckbridge Lane, Normanton, was found guilty of one count of assault by penetration at Leeds Crown Court earlier and was jailed for seven years on Monday.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said Hill was a "dangerous individual who deserved to be behind bars".

Det Ch Insp Natalie Dawson, of Wakefield District Safeguarding, said: “Hill has repeatedly traumatised the victim in this case by not only sexually assaulting her, but then sharing a video of the assault with others and putting her through the further trauma of a trial by refusing to admit his guilt."

"Women and girls should be able to live their lives free from the fear of violence and sexual violence and we are committed to ensuring that those responsible for offences such as this face justice for their actions."

She added: “It is extremely concerning that this offence has taken place without the victim’s knowledge.

"I would urge anyone who has any concerns about their own or others’ interactions with Hill to please come forward."

In addition to his prison sentence Hill was also placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Description

This 'dangerous' sex offender stalked an off-duty cop as she walked home alone at night.

Mohammed Rahman followed the woman for around 10 minutes as she walked home from an evening out in Darlington with her friends in April this year. The woman - an off-duty police officer – became aware that someone was following her as she began walking home from the town centre at around midnight.

In an effort to lose him, she quickened her pace and repeatedly crossed the road, only to find the man continued to follow her. As he got closer, the quick-thinking woman grabbed her phone and began recording him just as he ran past her and disappeared down a side street.

The woman called police, who found Rahman hiding in a nearby garden, and took him into custody. The 20-year-old was later charged with breaching a Sexual Risk Order, which was imposed in June last year following an exposure incident in which he carried out a sex act on himself in front of a care home.

The order lasts 10 years and prohibits Rahman from doing several things, including exposing himself or committing sex acts in public, entering the boundary of a private house or garden without prior permission, and harassing or intimidating women.

'The incident has really shaken me up'

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “The incident has really shaken me up; I burst into tears when the police called me and told me they had arrested someone. I was worried he had seen me go into my house and knew where I lived.

“I should be able to walk home from town to my house without anyone following me, and I should feel safe.

“I worry that I won’t even be able to go out in the darker winter days now as I will be worrying someone is following me.”

Rahman, of no fixed abode, admitted the breach and was jailed for two years and eight months at Teesside Crown Court on Friday, November 8.

'Highly dangerous individual'

Detective Inspector David Bailey, from Darlington CID, said: “Rahman is a highly dangerous individual who has shown extremely predatory behaviour, and he is now rightly in prison for his blatant disregard for the conditions imposed upon him.

“I’d like to commend the woman involved in this case who showed real bravery during what was a terrifying ordeal. Her quick-thinking decision to record Rahman allowed officers to identify him and quickly get him off the streets and into custody.

“I sincerely hope that this sentencing brings her some comfort and can allow her to move on with her life.”

Description

A 38-year-old man from Bradford is beginning a five-year jail sentence for child sex offences. 

At his trial at Bradford Crown Court, Daniel Pinnington told a jury that he believed the victim was “a celestial being” who was thousands of years old.

He was found guilty in July this year of 10 counts of sexual activity with a child.

Prosecutor Ian Howard told the court that when Pinnington, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, was arrested, he answered “no comment” to questions. At his trial he admitted to having sex with the child but that it had been consensual.

At trial, the court heard that Pinnington suffered from a mental health disorder for which he was prescribed medication. However, when he used illicit drugs alongside his medication it could cause psychotic symptoms.

At trial, he sacked his legal team and argued his own case maintaining a defence of insanity.

Mitigating, Vince Blake-Barnard said Pinnington acknowledged the harm he had caused to his victim and that what he had done was wrong.

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim told Pinnington that he was an offender “of particular concern”.

He said: “In evidence you accepted that you engaged in sexual encounters with [the victim].

“You explained to the jury that at the material times you believed that [the victim] was a celestial being with an age measured in thousands of years.

“Despite your uncertain mental health … you did clearly understand the nature and quality of the act you were engaging in. You fully appreciated that that which you were doing was a serious wrong.

“In addition you deleted sexualised text messages that [were] exchanged between you and [the victim].

“You have emotionally harmed a vulnerable child."

Judge Ahmed sentenced Pinnington to a total of five years imprisonment plus a one-year extension on licence.

Pinnington was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A FORMER Cumbria police worker previously jailed for sharing illegal images of children being sexually abused has been handed another lengthy prison sentence for similar crimes — and again branded a dangerous offender. 

David Robinson, now aged 56, was punished in 2015 for possessing and distributing indecent photographs of youngsters.

Robinson’s online chat with other paedophiles was of the “most sickening nature”, said a judge who imposed six-year custodial term. The judge concluded Robinson was a dangerous offender and imposed an extended licence period.

Carlisle Crown Court heard Robinson had offered to buy a child online in order to abuse them. He had decorated a room in his city home for a youngster and applied to be a foster carer for young boys.

The sentencing judge concluded Robinson — a front counter Cumbria police employee who was suspended and later left the force — “presented one face to the outside world, another deeply unattractive one online”.

Robinson was released from custody in October, 2020.

But he went on to commit new offences which were uncovered when a police constable conducted a home visit. “As part of that visit she looked at Mr Robinson’s Motorola mobile phone,” Gerard Rogerson, prosecuting, told the crown court today (fri).

Police noted there were WhatsApp chats between Robinson, latterly of Garfield Street, Carlisle, and men from Indonesia.

However, some WhatsApp messages and call logs had been deleted. “This frustrated attempts by police to see the history of those conversations,” said Mr Rogerson.

Robinson had also engaged a “disappearing messages” function on WhatsApp. This, along with the chat deletions, were in breach of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) imposed as part of his 2015 punishment to restrict his online use.

Indecent images of children — some in the most serious category A — were also found during an initial examination of Robinson’s phone. More illicit child pictures were located when the device was further analysed.

Robinson admitted a total of nine offences relating to breach of the SOPO, making indecent photographs of children and possession of extreme pornographic images which were also found.

Defence solicitor Jeff Smith, mitigating, said the “mistake” made by Robinson was to return to Carlisle on being released from custody in 2020. “He has been very isolated, very depressed. His doctor has prescribed antidepressants which he found very difficult to deal with,” said Mr Smith.

“He knows that custody is inevitable. He knows he will have to address the problems that he had.”

Judge Nicholas Barker imposed a 40-month prison sentence. Robinson must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years with a new and indefinite prevention order imposed.

“I am satisfied that the reason you deleted the messages was because the context of those messages was of a sexual and indecent nature, relating to the sexual abuse of children,” concluded the judge.

Judge Barker also announced that Robinson should again be classed as a dangerous offender, and, as a result, he imposed an extended three-year licence period.

Description

A man has been jailed for 17 years after being found guilty of multiple child sex offences in Bootle.

Liam Brannan, 33, of Antonio Street, Bootle, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Monday 11 November, after a jury found him guilty of the following offences:

• Three counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13
• Six counts of sexual assault
• Two counts of rape

He has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a Restraining Order and a lifetime requirement to sign the Sex Offender Register.

Brannan targeted his victim between 2019-2021, with the first offence occurring when she was 12 years old.

Brannan was arrested in March 2022 and following a complex investigation, he was charged in January 2024.

Description

A violent rapist has been convicted of repeatedly attacking a woman in Dundee over a five-year period.

After a 13-day trial at The High Court in Dundee, Patryk Kulczynski was unanimously convicted by jurors of ten separate charges on Friday.

Description

A former Keighley man who targeted and sexually abused a young girl during a sickening campaign has been jailed for 17 years.

Kyle Byfleet, 31, was found guilty at Bradford Crown Court last month of nine charges including rape of a child under 13, sexual assault and assault by penetration of a child under 13.

On Friday, the court heard that Byfleet, of Vicarage Lane, Beckingham in Nottinghamshire, was still struggling to come to terms with the conviction and maintained he is innocent.

But Judge Jonathan Gibson told Byfleet over a prison video link that he had been convicted of very serious allegations and the probation service had assessed him as being “a high risk” of committing further offences.

The nature of Byfleet’s offending meant he was treated as “an offender of particular concern” and the judge imposed an additional one year licence period on top of the 17-year jail term. Byfleet, who had no previous convictions, will have to serve at least two-thirds of the 17-year sentence before the Parole Board decide if it is safe to release him.

As a result of his conviction he will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and comply with the terms of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecutor Gerald Hendron told the court that Byfleet would give his victim rich expensive chocolates and show her pornographic videos. Mr Hendron said the youngster had seen a presenter on YouTube relating her own personal experiences of sexual abuse and it made the complainant appreciate that what was happening to her was wrong.

He said: “The complainant told him she had seen videos on YouTube and he should not do things because he would go to prison."

Barrister Camille Morland, for Byfleet, said he knew he was facing a long sentence and had expressed a wish to end his life. She added: “He will have to come to terms with the sentence your honour is going to pass today. He knows it is going to be a very long sentence indeed.”

Description

A sex offender from Felixstowe who was in a relationship with a teenage girl has been sent to prison.

Matthew Redstall, 50, of High Road, was jailed for two years at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and three counts of possession of an indecent image of a child.

In 2019, Redstall entered into a relationship with a 17-year-old girl which eventually became sexual.

Redstall was first arrested in 2021 and charged in 2023.

In addition to two years in prison, the judge ordered Redstall to sign the sex offenders’ register and handed him a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Det Con Laura Frelford, from Suffolk Police’s Safeguarding Investigation Unit, said: “I hope the outcome of this case reassures members of the public that we take such allegations of predatory behaviour extremely seriously and we work to safeguard victims as quickly as possible.

“We will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A "controlling and manipulating" man who murdered his partner has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years.

Adam Barnard, 41, strangled Tara Kershaw, 33, on 19 January in a house where the pair lived in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

At his trial, the jury was told how Barnard had been arrested on suspicion of assaulting Ms Kershaw the day before he killed the mother-of-two.

Norfolk Police said it had referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which was conducting an investigation.

At a sentencing hearing at Norwich Crown Court earlier, Ms Kershaw’s family sat in the public gallery with a large framed photo of her.

Her sister, Tanita Salish, read an impact statement to the court where she claimed Ms Kershaw had been "let down by many people".

"We are told from a young age to trust the people in charge," she said.

"She was labelled a drinker and not listened to. We all know this could have been avoided."

Ms Salish said Ms Kershaw had used alcohol as a "coping mechanism."

Murderer 'manipulated professionals'

Before he was sentenced, the court heard Barnard was a sex offender who was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13 in 2016.

His defence said in the time he had spent in prison so far, Barnard had shown remorse for what he had done.

Sentencing him to a minimum term of 19 years, judge Alice Robinson said Barnard had killed Tara in a violent rage.

She said: "You manipulated the professionals you spoke with into thinking you were the victim not her."

Police said they had previous contact with the couple, including a call made by Ms Kershaw at about 18:00 GMT on 18 January.

She phoned officers in the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and told them Barnard had hit her on the lip.

Barnard was arrested on suspicion of common assault, taken in for questioning and released at 22:50, with no further action taken.

He claimed their engagement had been called off that day and he had "asked for the ring back".

The following day - the day of the murder - police safeguarding staff from MASH and an independent domestic violence adviser called her mobile three times to check on her welfare, with the calls unanswered, police said.

Barnard then approached an officer outside Great Yarmouth police station, shortly before 09:00 the next day, 20 January, and said: “I think I’ve killed my partner.”

He claimed he did not know how long he had pinned down Ms Kershaw and had attempted to resuscitate her, then covered her with a blanket and passed out on the bed.

Barnard told officers he woke up the next morning, panicked and left the property.

He claimed Ms Kershaw had assaulted him with a lamp while he slept and that he had been restraining her when she died.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Kershaw's death was consistent with compression to the neck and there was evidence of injuries to the bones of her neck that had taken place four to seven weeks, five to 10 days and less than six hours before she had died.

Det Insp Alix Wright from Norfolk Police, said while she could not comment on the ongoing IOPC investigation, "lessons will be identified and lessons will be learnt."

"Barnard preyed on Tara's vulnerabilities. He blamed her for his actions and his violence towards her," she said.

"Nobody should feel unsafe in their own home, and I’d urge any victim of domestic abuse to report their suffering and come forward so they can be helped and supported.

"Our thoughts today remain with Tara's family."

Description

A former teacher and choirmaster, who is also a musician and had worked on TV and film projects, has been jailed for 12 years for child sex offences.

The offences concern 19 victims and span more than 40 years.

David Pickthall was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2015 for his services to education and charity, and had worked on a number of TV and film projects.

A since-deleted online biography detailing his career achievements noted that he was the "musical voice" of villainous penguin Feathers McGraw in the 1993 short film Wallace And Gromit: The Wrong Trousers.

The 66-year-old, of Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex, also worked on the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later and with a number of philharmonic orchestras.

Judge Mary Loram KC, sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court, told Pickthall: "You are without a shadow of a doubt a predatory and manipulative paedophile who has adapted his offending over the years."

She added: "If you hadn't been arrested you would have carried on."

The judge sentenced Pickthall to 12 years in prison, with a four-year extended licence period, and also made him subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

The defendant, who glared at the judge during sentencing, slowly put his jacket on afterwards before he was led to the cells.

He had admitted at an earlier hearing at Colchester Magistrates' Court to 29 child sex offences concerning 19 people and spanning more than 40 years.

The crimes were committed between 1980 and 2021 in Brentwood in Essex and Upminster in east London.

Description

A man who tried to rape a woman and then sexually assaulted her on Christmas Eve has been jailed.

Mason Wearn, 23, of Birch Close, Bordon, was jailed for four years and six months at Portsmouth Crown Court following his succession of sex attacks on the terrified woman on December 24, 2021.

The predator admitted a charge of attempted rape before he was due to go on trial and was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault. The offences happened in Portsmouth. 

As well as his incarceration, sex offender Wearn will also have to register with police indefinitely and was handed a five-year restraining order against the woman. 

Description

A sex offender who groomed a child online before meeting her in Swale has been jailed.

Asif Mirza was caught with the victim inside his car after concerns were raised by an alert Kent Police employee.

Mirza initially contacted the victim through social media at the start of 2024 and showed sympathy when she disclosed some personal issues that concerned her.

Having gained the girl’s trust Mirza pressured her to send him some indecent images.

They agreed to meet at a park in Sittingbourne on 2 August and, when the victim felt unwell, he encouraged her to sit in the rear of his car which was parked in Avenue of Remembrance.

Indecent act

Mirza then covered the windows to obscure the view of anyone walking past and committed an indecent act in the girl’s presence.

At this point a member of police staff walked past the vehicle and thought it appeared suspicious. Officers were called to the scene and, after knocking on the car windows, Mirza got out followed by the child.

He claimed she was his step-daughter but, when he was unable to give her full name, Mirza admitted they had met online and he was arrested.

Mirza, of Hubbards Close, Uxbridge, London, was later charged. At Maidstone Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to several offences including meeting a child following sexual grooming and sexual activity with a child.

Description

A prolific sex offender who was found with indecent images of children on his device has been jailed. Gavin Collins appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 6 November where he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

The 40-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children, two counts of making indecent images of children, and two breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The case against Collins began on Tuesday 16 April, when officers from the Sex Offenders Management Unit attended Collins’ home address on Middlewich Road, Northwich, as part of the routine checks made to monitor registered sex offenders.

While at the address, officers used risk management software on Collins' devices to detect any keywords of concern.

The software alerted officers to a number of concerning searches and posts, indicating that Collins had been reoffending. He was immediately arrested on suspicion of possessing of indecent images of children and his devices were sent for forensic examination.

The seized devices were found to contain 92 indecent images of children - 91 category C images, and 1 category A image.

Following analysis of his devices, officers found Collins was also in breach of his SHPO after discovering he had been using a messaging app that destroys messages and images after 14 days.

Collins was subsequently charged with the offences and left with no choice but to plead guilty.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Keith Campbell said: “Collins has repeatedly demonstrated the high risk he poses to the local community, and he shows a complete lack of remorse.

“He thought he could go on to offend without disruption, but thankfully our officers were able to intervene and put him behind bars.

“The work of Cheshire Constabulary’s Sex Offenders Management Unit is paramount to ensuring sexual predators like Collins face the consequences of their heinous and despicable crimes.

“It is important to note that these crimes are not victimless, and I hope this result shows we remain steadfast in pursuing and bringing to justice those who engage in online child sexual exploitation and play a part in the sexual abuse of children in Cheshire and beyond."

Description

A convicted paedophile made sexual comments to who he thought was a 12-year-old after he had been made subject to a court order. He asked the decoy for pictures and said he was naked during their conversations.

Christopher Strong, 38, of Aberdare, was given a suspended sentence of eight-months imprisonment in 2022 after he was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. As a result he was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and sex offender notification requirements.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday heard the defendant breached the order after communicating with a social media account he believed to belong to a 12-year-old girl called Lily. He was actually talking to a decoy run by an "undercover operative".

The defendant's communications became sexual in nature, and asked the decoy if her parents checked her phone, talked about rubbing himself and asked her if she wanted to watch him rubbing himself. He asked the decoy for pictures of herself and told her he was naked.

Strong, of Nant Rowe, of Aberdare, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Sentencing, Judge Simon Mill said: "You are clearly a person with a sexual attraction to children. I find it absolutely staggering you'd go back to this sort of behaviour not long after completing the Horizon programme. You said you felt at a loss that it was not carrying on anymore. It just shows you were determined to offend."

The defendant was sentenced to 19 months' imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements for seven years.