Latest Offenders

Description

A notorious north-east paedophile has been locked up for nearly four years after he was caught messaging a schoolgirl for sex and downloading indecent images of infants.

David Scott, also known as Ritchie, was found to be buying alcohol and disposable vapes for the 14-year-old, who he met up with in secret over a six-month period.

Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that Scott – who was made subject to the sex offenders register for 10 years in 2017 – sourced a mobile phone for the teenager so he could communicate with her secretly on Snapchat.

In one sickening message he asked her if she would carry out a sex act on him in exchange for £10.

A subsequent police raid on the 26-year-old’s home unearthed a secret mobile phone that he used to download almost 1,300 indecent images and videos of children – most of which were of the most serious category.

The illicit phone was found to contain footage of children who were only months old, the court heard.

Scott was previously jailed when he breached his Sex Offences Prevention Order by befriending a woman and posing for selfies with her 11-year-old daughter at a foodbank.

Accused passed on child images

Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that in May last year police received information that Scott had been using a mobile telephone to communicate with children.

Officers raided Scott’s home on David Street, Inverbervie, on November 4 2022 where they found an iPhone in a black bag, which appeared to be hidden inside an envelope.

An examination of the phone found it contained 177 Category A images and 589 Category A videos.

A total of 208 Category B images and videos and 308 Category C images and videos were also found on the phone.

The children featured in the indecent material were between several months and 15 years of age.

Cybercrime officer determined the total runtime of the video content to be 52 hours, 26 minutes and 39 seconds.

It was also established that Scott had distributed the images and videos to other people.

Ms Simpson also told the court that in January 2022, Scott messaged a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat using the name “Maddie Smith”.

The teenager didn’t know who Maddie was but accepted the friend request.

Scott told the girl he knew someone who could source disposable vapes for her, which she agreed to.

The child was given the contact details of a different Snapchat account, which displayed the name “dave” and had a cartoon image of a male with ginger hair. The account was operated by Scott.

He then provided the teenager with a mobile phone so they could communicate and met up with her over the next six months and the teenager was given vapes and alcohol.

During the phone messages, Scott told the girl she was “cute, beautiful, adorable, sweet, kind and gorgeous”.

He also told the 14-year-old she didn’t “need any make-up because you are so adorable” and if she were to use make-up she would be “covering up her true beauty”.

Scott added that the girl she needed “to find someone who will show you you’re worth everything and will love you for you”.

Around this time, Scott sent the girl a message on Snapchat offering her £10 if she carried out a sex act on him, which she rejected.

Messaged second child on Instagram

A further analysis of Scott’s iPhone unearthed an Instagram conversation that he had on August 20 last year with someone who claimed to be just 11 years old.

During these conversations, Scott asked the child if they were “horny” or “a top or bottom”, alongside other explicit questions.

These charges constituted a breach of Scott’s Sexual Offences Prevention Order on three separate occasions.

Appearing in the dock, Scott, whose address was given as HMP Grampian, pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching his order by possessing a mobile phone and a second charge of communicating with a child under the age of 16.

He also admitted third charge of knowingly deleting files and messages from a prohibited phone.

In a second indictment, Scott pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading indecent images of children and a second charge of distributing indecent images of children.

He also admitted sending a sexual communication to a child under the age of 16.

‘Determined to continue offending’

Scott’s defence solicitor Leonard Birkenshaw that his client had been subject to the sex offenders register for “some considerable time” and had “significantly struggled with that”.

“Mr Scott has to accept that he did do what is alleged he has done,” he said.

“What he was doing was buying vapes and alcohol – nothing was going on apart from that – but it is inappropriate.

“He has got himself in a position where he is on and out and in and out of jail.”

Sentencing Scott, Sheriff Graham Buchanan described his actions as “quite a catalogue of offending in circumstances where you have a poor record for matters of a sexual nature”.

“It’s clear that you’re just determined to continue offending,” he said.

Telling Scott that “only a substantial period of imprisonment was appropriate”, the sheriff sentenced him to 47 months in prison and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

An Aberdeen sex offender has been jailed after he was caught with indecent images of children for the second time.

Alasdair Rae, 22, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted having of scores of images and videos of children on his iPhone when police searched his home.

Some of the children featured in the indecent material were as young as six.

Rae, a registered sex offender, was handed a community payback order in 2021 after he was found with more than 30 hours of sick sexual videos featuring children between the ages of two and 15.

Alasdair Rae had indecent content on iPhone

Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that on July 12 last year police were alerted by the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit that Rae was in possession of indecent images and videos.

A Snapchat account linked to him had uploaded content to the internet, she said.

On August 9, police attended Rae’s home with a warrant and a search of the property was carried out.

“A number of devices were found, which the accused confirmed all belonged to him,” Ms Simpson added.

“Cybercrime officers attended and carried out preview examinations on the devices found at the locus that indicated the accused had indecent images and videos of children on his iPhone.”

Officers found 12 Category A images and seven Category A videos, 30 Category B images and eight Category B videos and 57 Category C images and two Category C videos on his phone.

The images and videos featured both boys and girls aged between six and 14 years old.

The videos found had a total playtime of five hours and 23 minutes.

Rae pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading indecent images of children and a second charge of being in possession of indecent images.

‘Attitude’ has been poor

Defence solicitor David Sutherland told the court that his client has previous convictions for similar offences dating back to June 2021.

He added that he accepted that there were concerns highlighted about his client’s “lack of candour” regarding his offences within the social work report.

“The options today are that either Mr Rae goes to prison or he’s given a further chance to carry out community-based work,” Mr Sutherland said.

“It would be required to be a lengthy order but hopefully that would lead to a reduction in further offending.”

But Sheriff Graham Buchanan noted Rae’s previous record for offending and the fact that his “attitude” towards his existing order “has been poor”.

“I take the view that the only appropriate disposal is a period of imprisonment,” he added.

Sheriff Buchanan sentenced Rae, of Farquhar Road, Aberdeen, to eight months in prison.

He also placed Rae on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Description

A child sex offender was found trying to find a secret phone that he had not told the police about - the third time he has been caught breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Paul Evans has been required to log any mobile he owns with police after being convicted of attempting to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex following online grooming. But an unannounced visit by police to the hotel where he was living uncovered a secret phone. Swansea Crown Court heard the 55-year-old has been assessed as posing an on-going risk of reoffending.

Brian Simpson, prosecuting, said in on July 28 this year police officers went to Evans' room in the Ambassador Hotel in Neath town centre after receiving information that the defendant may be in possession of a phone. The officers knocked on the door and the defendant answered "in a state of undress" having apparently just go out of bed. Evans asked for time to dress but officers became suspicious of the time he was taking and entered the room - they found him trying to hide a mobile phone under his pillow. The court heard the phone was being used to carry out a video call with a woman.

The prosecutor said the phone had not been notified to the police, and Evans was arrested on suspicion of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). The SHPO was imposed in 2018 after the defendant was convicted of sending hundreds of explicit messages to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl and leaving sexual voicemails on her phone before turning up to an arranged meeting. In fact Evans had been communicating with a "decoy" account being run be so-called paedophile hunters, and he was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. However, just a matter of months after being released on licence from prison from that sentence he acquired a Motorola G7 smartphone which he kept hidden from the police. On that occasion his offending was spotted by eagle-eyed staff at a Job Centre who contacted detectives, and he was subsequently sentenced to eight months in prison for breaching the SHPO.

The court heard Evans breached the SHPO again in October 2021 when he once again contacted a social media profile that purported to be that of a 12-year-old girl but which was in reality a decoy account. The pair's conversation moved to the WhatsApp messaging service where, despite being repeatedly reminded of the girl's supposed age, Evans talked about sexually explicit matters, told the girl he loved her, asked her for sex, and invited her for "sleep-overs" at his house. The pair arranged to meet at the McDonald's restaurant in Baglan on the evening of November 13 and when the father-of-two turned up at the allotted time he was met by members of the paedophile hunter group who then called the police. Evans was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison with the judge noting it was "unfortunate" that the Crown Prosecution Service had made an error in charging Evans, an error that meant he could not consider imposing an extended sentence on Evans.

Paul Evans, formerly of Kennel Row, Briton Ferry, Neath, but now of The Parade, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. Giles Hayes, for Evans, said after being released from his last prison sentence in April this year the defendant had been housed in the Ambassador Hotel. He said Evans had formed a relationship with a woman and had been using the phone to contact her rather than for "sinister purposes".

Judge Catherine Richards told Evans he had committed a deliberate breach of the court order and, given his previous convictions and the assessment of probation staff, it was clear he posed a high risk of causing very serious harm and there was no alternative to immediate custody. The judge said that the appropriate sentence after trial on the guidelines was one of 30 months in prison - with a one-third discount for his guilty plea Evans was sentenced to 20 months. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Description

A serial voyeur caught filming hundreds of men using public toilets has walked free from court after being given 'a last chance'.

Adrian Grace, from Salford, has a 'string' of previous convictions for the same offence and had been issued an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) 10 years ago following one of his voyeurism convictions.

However Manchester Crown Court heard the 54-year-old carried on regardless as he 'could not control himself'. He was caught with hundreds of videos on his phone he had recorded in public toilets.

Prosecuting, Tobias Collins described Grace as a 'known sex offender' who 'takes pictures and videos of men using the toilet without their consent'. His latest conviction follows an incident that unfolded last December 8 at Manchester Airport.

Mr Collins said Grace entered the toilets at Terminal 2 arrivals at around 11am that day with two mobile phones.

The court heard Grace positioned himself in a cubicle, waited for someone to arrive in one of the next cubicles, before placing his phone underneath the dividing wall to record his victims, the Manchester Evening News reports.

One of his victims noticed the phone and asked Grace 'are you taking pictures of me?', to which Grace replied 'no I'm not', Mr Collins said. The court heard Grace moved into a different cubicle while his victim 'searched the immediate surroundings' in a bid to find the offender.

After being unable to find Grace, the victim contacted the police, who arrested Grace at the scene and confiscated his phones. Mr Collins said officers examined the phones for evidence before finding 'hundreds of videos taken by the defendant in public places', dating between January 2019 and the day of his arrest.

Grace was arrested again at Manchester Airport on May 15 this year, at around 7.10am, for a further offence of voyeurism carried out while on bail. Mr Collins said the defendant admitted his offences to police. He said: "[Grace] explained he had gotten drunk on the evening of December 7 with a friend. He carried on drinking and was not sure how he got to the airport."

The court heard Grace told police he carried out the offences 'for his own sexual gratification' and that he 'knew what he was doing was wrong'. Mr Collins told the court Grace 'felt disgusted by himself' and that he 'could not control himself'. "This was for his own gratification and he watched the videos afterwards," he said. Mr Collins said that of the videos found on Grace's phone, 'hundreds' were shot at Manchester Airport, while a small number were filmed on trips to Romania and Belgium.

A statement from one of Grace's victims, read by Mr Collins, said: "I will now feel nervous and have to check the toilets every time I use them. I will be very wary from now on. I don't know who this person is." The victim added: "It's very disturbing that this person could have intimate photos of me which he has no right to have."

Grace admitted three offences of voyeurism at Manchester Magistrates Court on May 16, dating between January 23, 2019, and May 15 this year, before his case was moved to Manchester Crown Court. The court heard Grace had eight previous convictions following 14 offences. They included two voyeurism convictions in 2007, one in October 2013 when he was issued an ASBO related to his behaviour, and further convictions in November 2014 and May 2018. Mr Collins said 'all these cases' involved Grace entering public bathrooms and recording people.

Reflecting on Grace's criminal past, defence counsel Hannah Forsyth told His Honour Judge Field KC: "The defendant could have no complaint if your honour were minded to sentence him to custody." She explained how her client had sought counselling and psychotherapy since being released on bail at a previous court appearance, while he works two jobs and volunteers at a soup kitchen. She also handed Judge Field KC a handwritten letter from her client, which he read silently in court. The judge admitted Grace's latest offending followed 'a string of previous convictions for the same offence' and breached his ASBO.

He described Grace, of Fram Street, Salford, as a voyeur who 'does not appear to respect the privacy of fellow human beings' and someone who 'does not appear to understand the seriousness of court orders'. But the judge praised the 'positive steps' Grace had been taking since his previous court appearance, and suggested there was a 'reasonable prospect of rehabilitation' for him.

Grace, wearing a grey suit with red tie and his short hair spiked up, wept as he told the judge 'thank you' after being told he would not be going to prison today. Judge Field KC told the court there were '400 videos on the phone' and reflecting on Grace's previous convictions, he said: "There are far too many of them." "This must be regarded as your last chance," said Judge Field KC. "All of the offences that you committed were in some way using a mobile telephone to take pictures and videos of men using public toilets, all for your own gratification."

The judge added: "I have to have regard to the fact that since I released you on bail you have taken positive steps to address your offensive behaviour because, quite frankly Mr Grace, it has got to stop - and it has got to stop here." Grace replied: "I know, your honour." Judge Field KC continued: "I hope you do, because I repeat: this is your last chance." He issued Grace with a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Grace must also attend an accredited programme for sex offenders and 30 rehabilitation days. He will sign the sex offenders' register for seven years and was issued a new sexual harm prevention order banning him from airports, except for pre-arranged travel, and with restrictions on being able to use devices.

Grace was also ordered to pay costs of £510 and required to be monitored for alcohol abstinence for 60 days. As he told Grace he was free to leave, Judge Field KC said: "I sincerely hope that we never meet again, at least not in these circumstances."

Description

A “depraved” paedophile has been locked up after years of his child sex offending were uncovered.

Thomas Hawkwood, 69, was responsible for the rape and indecent assault of a child dating back to the 1990s.

He was arrested in November 2020 as part of an investigation by the Medway Vulnerability Investigation Team but denied any wrong doing.

Hawkwood, of Wrotham Road, Gravesend, was later charged with inciting a child into sexual activity, rape and indecent assault.

A trial took place at Woolwich Crown Court earlier this month where it was heard he had harassed his victim with threats of violence and abused them.

He was found guilty by a jury on eight charges.

On Monday he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and put on the sex offenders register.

‘He terrorised a vulnerable child with threats of violence...’

Luke Grimmett, who led the case against the sex offender, said: “Hawkwood is a depraved and intimidating individual who has shown no remorse for his appalling actions. He terrorised a vulnerable child with threats of violence and subjected them to the most abhorrent abuse.

“Offenders like Hawkwood wreak incalculable damage upon their victims and it is sometimes extremely hard for them to come forward and report what they have experienced to the police.

“In this case, the victim has thankfully found tremendous courage to provide evidence and ensure Hawkwood has now faced justice.

“I do hope this sentence reassures the public that we will do everything we can to put offenders behind bars and support survivors as much as we can.

“It is never too late to report any sexual offence, you will be supported by specially trained officers throughout the process, and we always treat any information with the utmost confidence and sensitivity.”

Description

A child rapist has been jailed for 15 years after he was convicted of sex assaults on children under the age of 13-years-old. He was also convicted of sexual assaults by penetration and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Daniel Atkins, 33, of Bridgend, committed the most recent of his offence in 2022 but investigations into those crimes revealed the abuse had been ongoing for six years.

A report was made to police and the defendant was arrested on May 7 last year. Atkins, of Clos Chwarel, Wildmill, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday and received a sentence of 15 years imprisonment and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Following the hearing, detective constable Leah Fox said: “I want to pay tribute to the extreme bravery of the victims during the investigation. Their courage in reporting this sickening abuse to the police resulted in the conviction and lengthy sentence for Atkins.

“We also encourage any other complainants to come forward and report offences that may have been committed against them.

“Violence against women and girls is one of South Wales Police’s main priorities and this investigation highlights our commitment to securing convictions for such offences.”

Description

A man has been jailed for four years and three months after being convicted of a sexual offence in Edinburgh.

Antonio Pollio, 24, pleaded guilty to the offence involving a young female at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, 21 August, 2023.

He was sentenced at the same court on Thursday, 28 September.

Detective Inspector Mhairi Cooper said: Antonio Pollio is a dangerous man who manipulated and coerced a young female. He will now face the consequences of his actions.

"We treat all reports of sexual crime seriously and I would urge anyone who has been a victim to come forward, no matter how much time has passed, and report it to police.

"Be assured, we will fully investigate and you will be supported by police and our partner agencies.

Description

A former school caretaker who targeted seven children in a 20-year campaign of sexual abuse has been jailed for life and warned he may never be set free again.

John Lyon, 50, sat hunched over on a videolink to the Old Bailey on Friday as he was sentenced for the rape and abuse of a girl which started when she was just 11-years-old.

It was the third time Lyon had been hauled before a court to be sentenced, and comes 10 years after he was first sent to prison.

Imposing a life sentence with a 15-year minimum term, Judge Brian Cummings KC said Lyon’s offending “amounts to a campaign on your behalf of extremely serious child sexual offending, committed over a period of nearly 20 years.

It involves seven young children”, he said, adding: “The question of whether you may be released is a question to be decided by the parole board, and there’s absolutely no guarantee you will ever be released from prison.”

Lyon previously worked as a caretaker for twelve years at St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School in Churchbury Lane, Enfield.

The Old Bailey heard Lyon was first jailed in 2013 over the sexual abuse of children aged six and seven, where he “used his position as a caretaker” to commit offences.

He was handed a 12-year prison sentence, and in 2021 he was back before the courts for the sexual abuse of four more children, including one aged just four-years-old.

He was then sentenced to an 11-year prison term, and his seventh victim then came forward to police to reveal abuse she suffered in the early 2000s.

Prosecutor Tim Starkey said the girl was 11-years-old when the abuse started, and by the time she was 13 Lyon had started raping her.

She said she lost count of the number of times she was raped”, he said.

Lyon first groped the girl during the pretext of a game of hide and seek, and she recalled to police how he had once taken her to a cabin in a forest for sex.

“She described being scared and said the defendant knew she was scared”, said Mr Starkey.

She described the cabin as “horrible, muddy, damp, and dirty”.

The victim sat in court for the sentencing hearing, and said in an impact statement: “He groomed me to be able to exploit me for his own selfish, repulsive urges.”

The court heard a report in 2021 found Lyon – after more than seven years in prison – continued to pose a risk of sexual offending.

“He can’t acknowledge any sexual attraction to female children and blamed substance misuse”, it said.

Lyon pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and seven counts of indecent assault.

Detective Constable Andri Andreou of the North Area Command Unit who led the investigation said: “There is no doubt John Lyon is a dangerous sexual predator who will always pose a significant risk to children. The safest option for all is that he spends years of his life in prison.

“The trauma he has caused this victim is so significant that some 20 years on she is still dealing with the aftermath of his actions and the damage he has caused.

Description

A man who formerly edited both the Independent on Sunday and New Statesman has been sentenced for making indecent images of children.

Peter Wilby, 78, was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) at his home in Essex in October.

Wilby admitted to officers he had a sexual interest in children and had been viewing indecent images since the 90s, while employed by national titles.

He was given a 10-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.

Investigators found 167 indecent images of children, 22 of which were Category A images, the most serious.

'Betrayed trust'

He admitted three charges of making indecent images of children at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Adam Sprague, operations manager at the NCA, said: "The material accessed by Wilby and recovered from his computer showed real children being cruelly and sexually abused.

"He was viewing this content while working as the editor of prominent national news outlets, a role in which he was entrusted to form the news agenda for the British public. A trust which he has greatly betrayed."

Wilby was also given a rehabilitation requirement of 40 hours is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

A New Statesman spokesperson said: "The New Statesman staff and management had no knowledge of Wilby's arrest or charges before they were reported and are shocked and appalled to learn of these horrifying crimes.

"Wilby was New Statesman editor from 1998 to 2005, and remained a contributor."

Description

A dangerous predator has been sentenced after pleading guilty to seven counts of child sex offences at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (14 August).

Stephen Powell, 42 (DOB 15/04/81), of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years in prison after he was reported to police for grooming a teenage girl online. As well as the prison sentence, he was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), with prohibitions. 

Powell was arrested the same day the report was received in April 2020. A search of his electronic devices showed that he was sending sexualised messages via Facebook Messenger to a teenage girl who lived in Surrey. In the messages Powell encouraged the girl to send sexualised images of herself.

He later pleaded guilty to seven counts of child sex offences including two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Detective Ed Davies, who investigated the case, said: “I hope that this case shows that sex offenders who target children online can expect a knock on the door from officers at any time, and that they will be held to account for their abhorrent behaviour.

“We are relentless in our pursuit for offenders and work around the clock to safeguard children from predators like Powell.

“If there is anyone reading this who has been a victim of online child sex abuse, I would encourage you to speak to us. We will do everything we can to support you.”

Powell was also sentenced to a further two months in prison for two counts of burglary and two counts of fraud.

Description

A man from Stratford who exchanged indecent photos with a young girl has been jailed two-and-a-half years.

Isaac Bramble, 23, contacted the girl online when she was only 13 years old in November 2020.

After chatting normally for a month, the conversation became sexual.

The victim told Bramble she was only 13 years old, and he carried on regardless; in fact, he said he liked the fact she was so young.

Over the next year Bramble sent nude images to the victim and got her to send explicit images to him.

Bramble told the victim he lived in Stratford and that he worked in a shop and a bar.

Police launched an investigation when the victim’s brother reported concerns.

Appearing at court Warwick Crown Court last week Bramble was jailed after pleading guilty to two counts of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.

Bramble, of Greenhill Street, was also given a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Leanne Ganley from Warwickshire Police CID said: “Bramble is a dangerous man who has deliberately exploited a vulnerable young girl.

“Thanks to the bravery of the victim and her family we have been able to put him behind bars where he belongs.

Description

David Robert Stingemore, 68, was already serving an 18-and-a-half-year prison term for other child-sex offences in the 80s including raping a little girl in Scarborough on numerous occasions, York Crown Court heard.

But evidence of yet more sickening crimes came to light in 2020 when another victim, now an adult, came forward to police about the shocking abuse she had suffered at the hands of Stingemore when he was in his late 20s and early 30s.

Stingemore initially denied the offences when quizzed by police in May 2022, but ultimately admitted two counts of indecent assault against the girl and one count of indecency with a child.

Prosecutor David Povall said the indecent-assault offences involved penetration on 10 separate occasions.

He said that Stingemore, formerly of Eastfield and Barrowcliff, had been sentenced for child-sex offences on three previous occasions, the most recent being in January 2020 when he was jailed for more than 18 years and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for a “campaign of rape” against another young girl in the 1980s and indecently assaulting a young boy.

During those appalling acts of abuse, the terrified girl would be in tears and plead with Stingemore to leave her alone, but he would force her to perform sex acts on him before raping her while telling her, “I love this”.

The female victim in that case said her life had been ripped apart by Stingemore’s evil acts and the male victim had also suffered a lifetime of trauma following the abuse.

Stingemore had previously been jailed in 1987 for indecently assaulting another young girl and there were also sexual offences against young boys when Stingemore was a child himself.

The latest victim finally came forward to police in January 2020 after reading about Stingemore’s offences against the other children in the press.

Mr Povall said there were “repeated” occasions when Stingemore carried out penetrative sexual acts on the girl who was warned not to tell anyone about what had happened.

Stingemore, who was living in East Sussex before his incarceration in 2020, appeared for sentence via video link today from a custody a suite at HMP Albany in the Isle of Wight.

In a statement read out in court, the victim, now an adult, said the abuse had had “many effects on my life, some of which still cause me problems all these years later”.

“Throughout my life I’ve struggled with my emotions and often found I cried over silly things,” she added.

She struggled to trust and form relationships with men and would often “hide myself away, not wanting to face anyone or talk to anyone”.

She had sought help for her problems and was on medication for anxiety and depression.

Kevin Blount, Stingemore’s solicitor advocate, said the serial sex offender’s only mitigation were his guilty pleas.

Judge Simon Hickey said that Stingemore had admitted “three more extremely serious sexual offences” against an “extremely young girl”.

He said that Stingemore had subjected the girl to “degradation” and the “prolonged, sustained” sexual attacks had led to “lifelong, severe psychological harm”.

Stingemore was jailed for six years and eight months. The sentence will run consecutively to his existing prison sentence, which means Stingemore may spend the rest of his days behind bars.

As an “offender of particular concern”, he will also have to serve an extended three-year period on prison licence should he ever be released from jail.

Mr Hickey said that Stingemore would remain on the sex-offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Description

A Jersey support worker has been jailed for raping a woman in his care.

David William Moody was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after admitting multiple counts of rape and indecent assault against the vulnerable woman between July 2017 and March 2020.

The Royal Court heard that Moody, 59, joined the victim's care team before isolating and abusing her.

The court heard he left the team in 2018 but continued to abuse the woman.

During his time working as a support worker, Moody wrote notes saying they had watched DVDs whilst he was at work, which was found to be code for when he had raped her.

Moody attempted to gain further employment at another care agency, and tried to transfer the victim's care so he could remain as the team leader in her support package.

An adult safeguarding alert was raised in February 2020 after sexual messages were discovered - appropriate support was provided to the victim who then disclosed the abuse she had endured.

Moody was arrested in September 2022 and charged in March.

Det Con Jo Le Maistre said Moody "abused his position of trust with a vulnerable person for his own gratification".

She said: "He went against the basic principles that people who work in the care sector live by.

"He tried to evade detection and justice by silencing his victim with threats, but I am relieved she has now been given a voice."

Moody was placed on the sex offender's register for 10 years, and given an indefinite restraining order.

Description

A sex predator who targeted an eight-year-old girl on a children's online game has been jailed after her mum helped to snare him.

Owen Taylor, who was in his mid-thirties at the time, posed as a teenager to engage in sexual communication with the little girl, trying to get her to send him pictures of her. When her horrified mum realised what was happening, she took over the conversation, posing as her daughter.

She managed to find out who he was by getting his Snapchat username. Taylor had used the name of his neighbour to set up the profile and when the mum traced the neighbour and showed him his picture, the pervert's true identity was revealed.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the eight-year-old was playing on a game called Movie Star Planet, which is aimed at children, in the summer of 2020. She had a profile picture on the game, showing how young she was.

Claire Anderson, prosecuting, said: "She was contacted by the defendant and he engaged in some flirtatious conversation, telling her she was cute and hot. After initially saying she was 17, she said she was only eight.

"The conversation became more sexualised and he asked if she had Snapchat. He asked her for pictures of her belly and bum and sent pictures of his face, torso and lower abdomen, showing some pubic hair.

"Her mother noticed she was messaging someone online. She asked to be shown the conversation and was shocked to see sexualised images."

The mum changed her daughter's username slightly but within a day or two Taylor had worked out the change and was back in touch. The girl told her mum, who then took over the conversation, posing as the child.

During the subsequent conversation, he said he was 16 when he was 36 at the time. He sent more pictures, including of him lying on a bed with the top of his pelvic area on show.

The mother contacted the police and made her own inquiries to find out who he was. She sent a Snapchat username pretending to be her daughter and used his to find out he was in Sunderland. She contacted someone with the name Taylor was using, who was entirely innocent and lived next door to him. That person identified Taylor as the culprit.

The girl's mum attended court to read a victim impact statement and said: "I wish this never happened because it's changed the family dymanic. This will stay with me for the rest of my life.

"She was a typical eight-year-old girl. Three months earlier at Christmas we bought the tablet and activated the parental controls. When a child asks to download a game and create a world of pets and hobbies and it has an age range of 7-12, this gives no indication you should be worried.

"When I saw the conversation I believed this was no child talking to my daughter. I felt sick to the stomach and my hands felt sweaty and I was shaking.

"She told me she felt uncomfortable and didn't like the way he was talking to her. We changed the account and a couple of days later the conversation was instigated again."

The mum said of her daughter: "She thought she had caused it and made mummy and daddy sad and made the police officers come. She spent two-and-a-half to three years in therapy."

She added that she and her partner have been reluctant to let the girl go back online as they are afraid it might happen again. She added: "She said she feels like a baby and that we don't trust her."

Taylor, now 40, who was cautioned in 2011 for outraging public decency by "upskirting" a teenage girl in a shop, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and attempted sexual communication with the same child.

Jailing him for eight months and ordering him to sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, Judge Tim Gittins said: "You, in a determined and deliberate way, targeted a website which was clearly aimed at young children under 13.

"You were seeking sexual images but they were not sent or received. You were deliberately soliciting images and targeted someone so young."

He added that the mother's statement "demonstrates the devastating psychological impact your intrustion into the innocence of the girl has had" and referred to "predators on the internet like you".

The court heard Taylor, classed as posing a high risk of similar offences, lost his marriage and home but had secured work with a community charity.

Robin Patton, defending, said Taylor left Sunderland in a hurry after the offences came to light and moved in with his mum in Wales. He added: "He is someone who really does need the help of the probation service. He has recognised his problem and voluntarily sought help.

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A SEX offender caught by online paedophile hunters was spared an immediate jail term because he suffers from cerebral palsy.

Anthony Albert Witts gets around with the aid of a walker and had to be helped into the dock at Southampton Crown Court.

Witts, 63, of Mansel Road East, Southampton, thought he was in contact with two 13-year-old girls.

But it was a sting carried out by members of a group set up with the aim of flushing out adults who try to groom children online.

Witts, who had no previous convictions, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child in 2021 and engaging in sexual communication with a child in 2022.

Keely Harvey, prosecuting, said Witts sent naked and semi-naked pictures of himself to the people he thought were girls.

The first crime came to light after adult decoys identified and then confronted the defendant. He was arrested by the police and gave a no-comment interview but uttered the words: "I did not even realise."

The defendant was released under investigation and went on to commit the second offence.

Thinking he was in contact with another 13-year-old girl he told her not to be shy and said their contact should remain a secret.

Chris Gaiger, mitigating, said the defendant accepted he had been stupid - not just once but twice.

He added: "He can't give any explanation as to why he engaged in such behaviour again. He should have learned from the first time."

Judge Christopher Parker KC told Witts: "You plainly had a deviant sexual interest in children.

"You attempted to communicate with a 13-year-old girl, not knowing she was a decoy set up by vigilante paedophile hunters.

"When you were being investigated for that you did the same thing again with another supposedly 13-year-old."

Witts was handed a 22-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was also made the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Parker told him: "If it were not for the fact you have cerebral palsy, there is no question you would have immediately been sent downstairs to custody.

"It's difficult to fathom how you could have been so stupid. Had these been real children, the damage caused by you cannot be estimated."

Judge Parker said Witts would go straight to prison if he committed another offence, adding: "Be in no doubt, if I see you again there's no way out."