Latest Offenders

Description

A SEX offender told an undercover police officer, posing on a dating app, that he was a ‘genuine paedophile’.

Leonard Vandervail confessed his sexual interest in children on a dating app and bragged that the youngest he had abused was four years old.

The 43-year-old thought he was messaging a woman, aged 22, with three children on the app but was speaking to an undercover police officer.

Prosecutor Rod Blain told Bournemouth Crown Court on March 7 that Vandervail told the woman he was looking for a little girl.

After saying she had three children, the undercover police officer asked the defendant if he wanted to meet them, and he said yes.

They began messaging on another messaging platform where the defendant ‘wasted no time’ in asking how old the children were.

She told Vandervail that her two ‘daughters’ and ‘son’ were aged 10, two and seven.

The defendant then admitted his sexual interest in their ages, saying the youngest he had abused was four years old.

He said that this happened regularly and ‘assured’ her that he was a ‘genuine paedophile’.

When asked if anything was off limits, he said he would do anything.

After confessing further details of ‘activities’, Vandervail and the woman arranged to meet her ‘children’.

The defendant said he was from Bournemouth and sent a picture of himself, which police were able to use to identify him.

Dorset Police then confirmed that Vandervail was already a known sex offender and had previously been given a sexual harm prevention order.

Mitigating, Nick Robinson said that the harm made was to a fictitious child and that according to the defendant, the comments made were fantasy whilst under the influence of drink and cannabis.

Mr Robinson said that Vandervail completed the sex offender programme eight months ago and ‘did very well’, but has regressed to previous behaviour.

He added that the defendant is sorry and is keen to engage with probation to reduce the risk of this happening again.

Vandervail, of Wootton Mount in Bournemouth, was charged with three counts of making indecent photograph/ pseudo-photograph of a child and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

His Honour Judge Robert Pawson said the defendant has a ‘very troubling’ history that is rooted in sexual attraction to children which goes back over 10 years.

Vandervail was sentenced to three years in prison, given a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely and put on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A 58-year-old who indecently exposed himself in front of children playing in woods has been jailed.

On Saturday (March 9), Alan Mercer asked girls to stand guard while he went to urinate.

Having then told the victims he had finished, they turned around to find Mercer with his trousers around his ankles in the area close to Lockeyer Park in Burnley.

Following CCTV enquiries, police arrested Mercer a day later.

He was charged with exposure on Monday this week and appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Mercer, formerly of Astley Street, Dukinfield, was jailed for 26 weeks and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We do not tolerate behaviour of this nature and we will do everything in our power to identify the offender and put them before the courts.”

Description

A rape victim has spoken of her ordeal at the hands of a serial sex abuser who used his supposed MI5connections to threaten her and try to scare her into silence.

Hotel manager Rory Macaleece carried out a five-year campaign of violent and degrading abuse, including raping two women and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

The 48-year-old thug, who was prone to aggressive outbursts, is now behind bars after the women eventually reported him to police.

Macaleece will be sentenced on Wednesday after he was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow last month of eight charges including rape, stalking, domestic abuse and sexual assault against four victims, who can't be named for legal reasons.

One of his ex-partners has told The Mail on Sunday about the attacks the 'controlling bully' subjected her to, in the hope others targeted by him will come forward.

She said: 'I know he's behind bars for now and he can't do all the things he promised to do if I reported him.

'He told me his dad was part of MI5 and he has friends in the Government who were dangerous. He threatened that if I told anybody about what he did [to me], I wouldn't live. He had already demonstrated he had no problem hurting me.

'But I've already had a message from someone saying Rory sexually assaulted them in 2006. I've no doubt there are more women out there that he's done this to. I'm speaking out so others might feel safe enough to come forward.'

The woman met Macaleece, who worked for a hotel chain, in 2018. She said: 'It wasn't long before his mask slipped and his controlling and aggressive nature was exposed.'

He once punched her to the ground, while he also controlled her diet, repeatedly called her 'fat' and told her what to wear. During the harrowing interview, the young mum recalled how he raped her after she had asked him to leave her alone.

After the couple had split, she confronted him. She recalled: 'I said to him, 'You raped me'. He said, 'Yes I did. I was upset because you were pushing me away'.'

She later reported him to the police. 'He lied to me about other partners,' she added. 'He even told me he had cancer and was dying. He is a manipulator and a liar.'

Description

A Stirling dad was caught with hundreds of sickening child abuse photos and videos, a court has heard.

Police raided Steven Anderson’s home after receiving a tip-off illicit files were being downloaded to his computer.

Description

Malachi Smith, of Humbrills Close, in Huntingdon, was found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at an address in the city in late 2009. Smith was in his late teens at the time of the offence.

After pleading not guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on Tuesday 29 August 2023, Smith appeared again at the court on Wednesday 6 March, where a jury found him unanimously guilty. He was then sentenced immediately to six and a half years imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The judge stated that whilst he took into account Smith’s age at the time of the offence when considering the sentencing, it also reflected the “severe psychological harm” he had inflicted on the victim, which had affected her “for 14 years, formal diagnosis, medicated everyday numbing her feelings, flashbacks and nightmares”.

DS Samantha Brown said: “The victim in this case, now a grown woman, has lived with the memory of this awful assault for over a decade. I’m pleased we can give her the outcome the case deserved and finally some closure. I’d like to commend her bravery for coming forward and I hope this case encourages others to speak out and seek support.

Description

A sex offender from Whitstable has been jailed after admitting to a series of online offences.

Detectives from Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) led an investigation in which charges were brought against James Clark, of Victoria Street, who carried out his crimes between December 2020 and January 2024.

Multiple crimes

Clark was charged with multiple offences, including nine counts of attempting sexual communication with a child; three counts of attempting to make a child watch a sexual act; three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity; three counts of publishing an obscene article and making and distributing indecent images of children.

Sentenced

After pleading guilty, Clark, 26, was sentenced to five and a half years’ imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday 8 March.

He was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A registered sex offender who had hundreds of illegal images of children has been sentenced. 

Ian Crockford, 52, of Stone Lane in Salvington, was the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after being jailed for child sex offences in 2019. The SHPO severely restricted his access to digital devices and vulnerable people.

On 7 March 2023, new information was received about Crockford being in possession of further indecent images of children.

He was arrested and analysis of his mobile phone and computers showed hundreds of indecent images of children.

He also had shared illegal images of children and instructed another person on how to abuse a child.

He was subsequently charged with six counts of making or distributing indecent images of a child, one count of publishing an obscene article and breaching his SHPO.

He pleaded guilty to all charges at Worthing Magistrates Court on 12 December 2023 and was released on court bail awaiting sentence.

While on court bail, officers identified that Crockford had breached his bail conditions and committed further criminal offences by obtaining a new mobile phone and attempting to sexually communicate with children.  More indecent images of children were also found on his device.

Crockford was again arrested and charged with four further counts of making or distributing indecent images of children, publishing an obscene article and another breach of his SHPO.

He pleaded guilty to all charges again and, at Lewes Crown Court on 29 February 2024, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for all matters.

Description

A paedophile who boasted about molesting young children was caught sharing baby abuse videos with sick predators on a fetish website. Mark Penfold, 53, of Turberville House, Brixton, was arrested in 2009 and 2015 for 'similar' indecent images offences, but the investigations were dropped ahead of his third arrest in December last year, Inner London Crown Court heard on Tuesday, March 12.

Police raced to Penfold's South London flat on December 18, 2023, after he told an undercover police officer he had abused young children. But a subsequent investigation into his claims found no evidence to back them up. Judge Ian Darling said the boasts were 'worrying' because 'it shows a specific interest', but added 'on the face of the material before me it appears more fantasy than real'.

When the dad-of-three's home was raided, police seized three mobile phones, including a Samsung which contained 361 indecent images and videos, including 122 Category A, the worst kind. The images include a video of the rape of a one-year-old baby.

Prosecutor Gregor McKinley said Penfold spoke to an undercover officer for around two weeks, sharing parental abuse fantasies and details of the child sexual abuse content he had been looking at online. He also admitted to sharing the vile content with other sick users.

"He admitted occasionally, and in a limited way, he had shared images with other like-minded people across the fetish network, and that's what gave rise to the distribution charges," Mr McKinley told the court.

"He also claimed he had taken part in illegal activities with minors, so police decided to arrest him on December 18. What Mr Penfold said has been investigated and there's nothing to suggest that this activity took place."

Penfold answered no comment under questioning, but pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images and three counts of making indecent images at Croydon Magistrates' Court on December 19 last year.

On Tuesday, Penfold was self-represented as he blamed drug addiction and childhood trauma for his deviant behaviour. Gripping his handwritten mitigation speech, he stammered about being 'deeply ashamed, sickened, and disgusted', adding 'I fully blame what I did on cocaine addiction and mental health issues'.

But Judge Darling decided only immediate custody could protect the public, noting Penfold's 'particular interest in parents abusing children' and his admission 'age was a significant exciting factor'. Judge Darling also said the 'specific naming' of alleged victims was 'worrying' even if the evidence before him suggested Penfold's abuse claims were fantastical.

"The worst images involved the penetration of the vagina and mouth of a very young child who must have been in distress. I expect you did not consider for a moment the distress those children must have been going through because your sexual interests override any thought of what was going on," said Judge Darling.

As Judge Darling sentenced Penfold to 20 months in prison, he concluded the paedophile's interests are 'an entrenched issue' and he would need the help of prison services to stop repeat offending.

Penfold was also given an eight year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and was put on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

Description

A 75-year-old man from Eccles has been jailed for eight years after abusing a boy for more than a decade. 

Raymond Willan pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, two counts of sexual activity with a child aged 13-16 and possession of extreme pornography.

Willan, who has been described as the “worst kind of predator”, was jailed for eight years at Manchester Crown Court on March 12 2024.

The abuse came to light after the victim disclosed it had been happening for several years.

Specialist GMP investigators praised the young victim for his bravery in reporting the abuse.

Description

A rapist who sexually assaulted two young girls has been put behind bars.

Christopher Powis raped one girl, aged under 13, in March 2023 after forcing himself upon her.

Powis called police the following day to ask whether he should hand himself in after the child’s mother discovered what had happened.

He was arrested and detectives launched an investigation.

A second victim revealed Powis, aged 65, had also sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

The abuse of the second victim began in 2016 when she was at primary school. Powis told the girl not to say anything.

Powis, of Bulwell, was jailed for a total of 12-and-a-half years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Monday (11 March).

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Description

A man who repeatedly exposed himself to girls in South Cambridgeshire has been jailed.

Patrick Connors, 22, approached five different girls aged between 13 and 17 June last year, in Sawston, Arbury and Great Shelford.

He drove next to them and asked for directions before indecently exposing himself.

Connors was arrested on 19 June and made no comment in interview but has since pleaded guilty to six counts of indecent exposure and one count of outraging public decency.

Yesterday (11 March) at Cambridge Crown Court, Connors, of Carshalton Road, Banstead, Surrey, was jailed for three and a half years.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Description

An Ellesmere Port paedophile who continued to download indecent images of children while on police bail has been jailed.

Mark Donaghey, 58, of Elaine Close, Great Sutton, pleaded guilty to two sets of downloading and possessing indecent images, which Chester Crown Court heard included children as young as 18 months.

Appearing at the court, sitting at Chester Magistrates Court, for sentencing on Tuesday, March 13, Donaghey received an extended prison sentence as Judge Patrick Thompson said he posed a "very high risk" to members of the public, particularly children.

Prosecuting, Nadeem Nemat said Donaghey had originally been arrested in February 2023 on suspicion of downloading indecent images, putting him in breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He gave a 'no comment' police interview and was bailed.

While on bail, Donaghey continued to acquire indecent images and was rearrested and charged.

The court heard it was accepted there was some time overlap between the two sets of indecent images cases, and they had been obtained between March 2018 and October 2023.

Computers and laptops were seized, and among them were several hard drives.

Analysis of the devices after the first arrest showed 944 indecent images of children assessed as the most serious category, category A, plus six category A videos. There were also 840 category B images and 4,907 category C images, as well as 142 prohibited images of a child. One category B image was of an 18-month-old child.

There was also evidence Donaghey had used internet search terms to seek the indecent images online.

Analysis of a second set of devices after Donaghey was rearrested showed 583 indecent images and 22 videos assessed as category A, 459 images assessed as category B, plus 914 images and two videos assessed as category C. There were also eight prohibited images of children.

Donaghey had previously been jailed for 18 months in 2002 for attempted gross indecency with a child. In 2005, he was handed an extended sentence of five years plus five years for engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child aged 13 or under, as well as outraging public decency.

A report from probation said Donaghey was a "very high risk" of serious sexual harm.

Defending, Peter Barnett said the best mitigation that could be put forward for Donaghey were his prompt guilty pleas, for which he was entitled to full credit from his sentence.

The defendant showed "self-inflicted destruction" with his behaviour.

Judge Thompson told the defendant: "It is clear to me you have a very unhealthy sexual interest in children."

Donaghey was sentenced to three years in prison for which he must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible for parole plus two years extended licence.

He was handed a new life-long SHPO and he was deprived of all the seized devices.

Description

An abstract artist who molested a schoolgirl after inviting her to his studio to see his work and plying her with cider has been jailed. 

Ralph McGaul, then 36, admitted to sexually abusing the 14-year-old on four occasions over a three-month period in 2020.

The artist took advantage of the teenager, who said she 'sometimes doesn't recognise herself anymore' after the abuse, on a picnic and at his arts studio in Bollington, near Macclesfield.

The sex offender also spoke to her about them eloping to Cornwall where he said they would go surfing and then have 'hot steamy sex' in his tent.  

After McGaul got back together with his long-term partner, he declined to see the girl anymore and when she asked why, he messaged her: 'I'm sorry for what happened and the things I have done and how I treated you. I'm ashamed of myself.'

McGaul was eventually reported to police and was arrested in February 2022.

The girl, now 18, told police how she gets 'intrusive thoughts' about McGaul which leave her feeling 'upset and disgust'. 

In a statement to police, the victim said: 'I try really hard not to think about what happened and the man who did it to me, but I often get intrusive thoughts about him and when I do, I get an overriding feeling of upset and disgust.

'It is these same feelings that leave me unable to behave normally or carry on. I am left completely deflated, experiencing feelings of dread and I withdraw into myself, away from those that I love.

'I often don't seem to have the energy for anything else, I struggle to engage with others to maintain conversations with family, friends, I can't concentrate on work, or school. 

'Because of this, I have had to take time out from school and work, unable to dictate my own routine and schedule because of what happened.'

She added: 'These events have completely changed my ability to be around people.  

'I'm normally an outgoing, bubbly, conversational person, yet often I have found myself wanting to be alone, withdraw and push people away. I sometimes don't even recognise myself anymore

'There is an overwhelming sense of disassociation from myself as an individual and everything going on around me. 

'I feel as though I have been transformed into a new person, someone who I do not always recognise, sometimes a complete stranger from the girl I once was before this all happened.

'I used to be confident and independent when out alone in public, but now I find myself thinking twice about everything I do and how people behave around me.

'Even in broad daylight I am anxious and hypervigilant of everyone. I find myself attempting to anticipate what their intentions are, predicting the worst in some cases.

'I feel estranged from the idea of safety in some cases, a feeling I never had prior to all that happened. 

'I have had multiple nightmares about the event and what he did and what he might have done if I had never spoken up.'

At Chester Crown Court, McGaul now 40, who studied art in Brighton and Barcelona was locked up for five years and four months after he was convicted of sexual assault. 

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely and was banned from contacting the girl under the terms of a restraining order.

He admitted four charges of sexual activity with a child but denied having sexual intercourse with her. He was cleared of rape and a sexual grooming offence.

The pair became close after originally meeting in December 2018, by chance whilst cycling.

Prosecutor Mr Matthew Dunford said. 'She described an occasion when the two of them had been out for a picnic and were laying down outside.

'She described that he began to spoon her and she asked him what he was doing. He said he could not help it and tried to ignore him and she felt she could not just get up and leave as she was, as she put it, "in the middle of nowhere".

'She described other occasions where the defendant had spoken to her about moving with her to Cornwall. 

'He said that after surfing they could go into their tent and have hot steamy sex. The defendant went on to say to her that he saw her as more than just a friend.

'For her part, she told him that she saw him as a really good friend. She told him that she was 14.'

The prosecutor added: 'There was an occasion in June 2020 when she had gone to his shed where he was living at the time. During the day, he had shown her how to carry out screen printing and she ended up staying for tea.

'But he gave her some cider to drink and she described how it made her feel quite dizzy. Afterwards, she describes being sat on the bed when he started to touch her and she says she did not know how to tell him to stop.

'He began taking his clothes off and not knowing how to leave the situation, she went along with it. She describes feeling like she was frozen and described that she did not know how to say no.'

'Some time after this, she describes becoming aware that the defendant had got back with his partner and she says that that made her feel confused. She messaged the defendant setting out how she felt.

'She said to start with she had blamed herself for what happened, but as time had gone by, she realised it had not been her fault. 

'The defendant replied saying he was sorry for what had happened - for the things he had done and how he had treated her. He said he was ashamed of himself.'

Police arrested McGaul in February 2022 but he gave no comment in the police interview.

His counsel Mark Ford KC, said: 'In the months leading up to when the offences took place, his relationship with his partner had broken down and the defendant was effectively disconnected from the services that previously provided stability in his life.

'Their chance meeting had profound consequences for them both. As the evidence of messages on social media make clear, the complainant was keen to accompany the defendant and without having any preconceived notion as to where the meeting was likely to lead, he found himself falling in love with the victim.

'She was an intelligent and articulate young woman.

'She was interested in all the things that the defendant was interested in, the outdoor life, music and art. 

'The defendant became utterly smitten with her as is often the case when someone's emotions are caught up in the delirium of romantic love.

'Illogical or hopeless as it may seem, people in this situation may believe their feelings are reciprocated. Mr McGaul certainly did.'

At the sentencing, the judge Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told said: 'It has been put forward on your behalf that your actions were illogical and foolish and ultimately damaging but it was based on the self delusion that there was or could be a relationship between yourself and the victim.

'She was 14 and you were 36 and as you rightly acknowledge in your course of self analysis and demonstration of remorse you were the adult and you should have known better.'

Description

Following an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) a 38-year-old man has been jailed for a sex offence and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Michael McGee, of King Street, Ramsgate, Kent was jailed for six years and eight months on at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (7/3).

He pleaded guilty to one count each of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Between November and December last year, McGee was communicating online with a girl who he believed was 12 years old. He sent sexually explicit messages and arranged to meet her in person.

He also breached the conditions of a SHPO by factory resetting one of his devices.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Lisa Betchley, of SEROCU, said: SEROCU takes sexual offending extremely seriously.

McGee contacted and arranged to meet someone he believed to be underage. Thankfully no children were in danger, however McGees intentions were clear.

Further, due to the risk that he was deemed to pose because of previous offending, he was made subject to a SHPO meaning that he had to abide by certain conditions. He breached one of those conditions. Such breaches are not taken lightly, and he has been sentenced accordingly.

Description

A woman was subjected to a ‘humiliating’ sexual assault by a stranger in the Gay Village on New Year’s Eve. Abuzahra Rabea, 27, attacked the young woman without warning as she walked along the street with friends.

Rabea, a total stranger, approached her before he ‘shoved’ his hand up her skirt and forcefully groped her. After the ‘shocking’ attack, Rabea allegedly said he ‘could do what he wants’ and that he can ‘touch who he wants’.

Rabea, an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK on a small boat from France, was on ‘immigration bail’ while his application remained outstanding. He has now been jailed for 18 months.

“Your victim was going about her lawful business, on a night out with friends,” Judge Hilary Manley told him during the sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court. “You deliberately approached her in the street, and with no preamble you forcibly shoved your hand up her dress and then groped her genital area with force.

“You were aggressive during and after the incident. This was frightening, humiliating, shocking and violating.

“Like many women and girls, your victim already had experienced sexual violence and assault in her life. What you did exacerbates those previous experiences.

“Women and girls must be able to go about their business, whether they are on their way to school or work or college, whether they are out walking in public or on a night out, without being targeted, assaulted and humiliated, and without fearing it might happen.”

Prosecuting, Phil Barnes told how the victim had been out celebrating the New Year when Rabea approached them, at about 2.20am in the early hours of January 1 last year. Rabea, who was said to be ‘extremely drunk’, was pushed away by the woman who shouted at him. He began to run away but her friends gave chase in a bid to stop him.

At one point they stopped him and Rabea was heard to say ‘sorry miss’ in ‘broken English’. A friend claimed they heard him say he ‘could do what he wants’ and ‘touch who he wants’.

He broke free but was detained a short distance away after the woman’s friends alerted police nearby. In an interview with officers, he denied sexually assaulting anyone and falsely claimed that the victim’s friends had tried to rob him at knifepoint.

“When you were apprehended, you added insult to injury by falsely claiming your victim had in some way committed a crime against you, that was a lie,” Judge Manley added.

“What you did has had a profound effect on many aspects of her life, and there is of course always the fear of something like this happening again. Having read the pre-sentence report I note you have shown little remorse or insight.”

The victim made a powerful statement in court in front of Rabea before he was sent down to begin his sentence. She said: “The night of January 1, 2023 was supposed to mark a new beginning for me. It was my New Year too. Another year where I dared to hope that the nightmares would fade.

“But instead it became another chapter in a story of pain and violation at the hands of another predator.” She said Rabea had seen her as a ‘mere object to satisfy your depraved desires’. She continued: “You didn’t see the years I spent wearing a mask, trying to cover my fear and pain from the world. You don’t see the courage it takes to step outside each day.

“It was my own perseverance that ultimately led to your arrest. The crime you committed against me is no small matter.

“You have added to the memories I struggle to suppress every waking moment. I doubt you care about the lasting impact your actions have had on my life.

“Until we can walk the streets without fear, until we can hold our heads high without the threat of sexual assault looming over us, none of us are truly safe.” The court heard that Rabea was first known to the authorities in the UK in 2017 when he entered the country in a ‘clandestine’ manner on a small boat from France.

He applied for asylum in the UK in 2022 and was on ‘immigration bail’ while his application remained undecided. He had no previous convictions on his record in this country.

Defending, Neil Ronan said that Rabea, who is originally from Egypt, had fled his native country after suffering a ‘vicious and violent attack’. He appealed to the judge to spare Rabea jail, noting that the probation service had deemed him to present a ‘low risk of reoffending’.

But Judge Manley said the offence was too serious for a suspended sentence. “Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody in a case like this,” she added.

Rabea, of Cable Street, Manchester, pleaded guilty to sexual assault. He will serve half of the 18 month jail term in prison, and was ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.