Latest Offenders

Description

A paedophile who previously sexually abused children and engaged in sexual conversations with a child breached a court order after failing to tell the authorities about a mobile phone. He claimed he had "forgotten" to notify his probation officer about the device.

Malcolm John West, 63, of Cardiff, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in August last year after he was convicted of engaging in sexual communications with a child. As part of the order, the defendant was required to keep probation informed of his address and to register any electronic devices.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard West previously breached court orders by failing to tell the authorities about new addresses. He was convicted of intercourse with a girl under 18, in both 1979 and 1984, and convicted of indecent assault of a girl under 14, in 1993.

Following his release prison in March 14 this year, the defendant was found to have failed in his duty to notify probation about the purchase of a mobile phone. When officers visited his home on March 30, he was asked why he had not registered the phone and he admitted he had "forgotten" to notify them.

West, of Clive Street, Grangetown, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to breach of a SHPO. The court heard he has a total of 63 previous convictions.

Defence barrister Nick Gedge said there was no suggestion there was "anything untoward" on the phone. He said the defendant was preoccupied at the time of the offence due to his partner being in hospital and him being evicted.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "You are a persistent sex offender and have little regard for orders. She sentenced West to a total of eight months imprisonment. The Sexual Harm Prevention Order remains in force.

Description

A man who raped a sleeping teenager in 2019 has been jailed.

Jarrett Good, aged 22, of Murcott Road, Upper Arncott, Bicester, was sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment following a trial at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday (5/7).

A jury unanimously found him guilty of one count of rape at the same court after a three-day trial.

At around 8am on 29 December 2019, Good raped the victim, a girl in her teens, while she was sleeping.

He was arrested on 31 December 2019 and was charged on 28 June 2022.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Sam Hunter of the Child Abuse and Investigation Unit, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward, as well as the investigation which was carried out. Good has has been brought to justice for his crime.

“I hope that this case demonstrates to other people who may have been the victim of such offending that it is never too late to come forward and talk to the police.

“We will listen to you, investigate and do everything that we can to ensure criminals like Good are brought to justice.”

Description

A pervert who thought he was talking to a 14-year-old boy via Facebook Messenger arranged to meet him at Blackburn train station so he could have sex with him and ‘make him a man’.

Peter Cumberland, of Bonsall Street, Blackburn, created a profile on Facebook in July 2021 and struck up a conversation with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy, when in reality it was a decoy.

Prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, Lisa Worsley said: “The ’14-year-old boy’ was an adult decoy from a group called ‘Travelling from Nottingham’ or ‘TFN’, who engages in conversation with suspected paedophiles and uses language that a 14-year-old would use as well as making reference to his parents.

“On July 22 2021, the decoy received a message from Cumberland asking for his school shoes, his trainers and his d***.

“The decoy said he was 14 and was still in school, to which Cumberland replied, ‘show me your trainers’ and asked for some photos.

“The decoy commented that he thought what he was saying was strange and asked Cumberland ‘do I know you?’.

“The defendant replied ‘no why?’, with the decoy saying ‘no reason, you could be anyone, and I’m not sending pictures to someone I haven’t seen’.”

Ms Worsley said the defendant then asked if he could buy the decoy’s trainers and asked if he would meet him at Blackburn train station and gave him his home address, of Bonsall Street.

The decoy then told him he couldn’t as his mother wouldn’t let him out, and asked how would he know Cumberland wasn’t a killer.

Ms Worsley said: “The defendant said he wasn’t a killer but was gay, and would prove it by kissing his feet and then making him gay. He said he would like to play with his penis and asked if the decoy was a virgin.”

The court then heard how Cumberland told the decoy he would like to have sex with him, and then asked if he wanted a photo of his private parts, before sending him one of him sitting on the toilet.

The conversation continued the following day and they arranged to meet at Blackburn station on July 25.

Ms Worsley added: “Cumberland said he would ‘make him a man’ and sent him photos of his house to reassure him he was telling the truth about where he lived.”

The decoy and a colleague arrived at Blackburn station and saw the defendant, approached him and asked him about his online activity.

They ushered him to an alleyway away from public view and called the police, before handing over documents to officers which detailed the conversations had online.

Cumberland was arrested and his mobile phone analysed, with officers able to download the conversations had with the decoy.

The 31-year-old, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to look at a sexual image, attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, arranging the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

Defending, Clare Thomas said her client was vulnerable, had lived a life of social isolation, had a learning disability, and had difficulty with speech and language and would find a prison sentence “traumatic”.

Sentencing, Recorder Daniel Prowse said: “I am satisfied you would have engaged in sexual activity with him if it had actually been a 14-year-old boy, but I can’t suspend this sentence as it’s so serious that it can only be dealt with by way of a custodial sentence.”

Cumberland was jailed for 28 months, will have to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years and was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

DC Sarah Fyans, of East CID, said: “Peter Cumberland’s behaviour in 2021 was clearly very concerning and something we take extremely seriously.

“He clearly has a troubling sexual interest in children and attended Blackburn Train Station fully expecting to meet a 14-year-old boy.

“I welcome the custodial sentence handed down by the courts to a man with no previous history of offending. I hope he uses his time in prison to reflect on his actions and get the help he clearly needs.”

Description

A drag queen who was set to host a Welsh communitys first-ever gay pride parade has been arrested after being caught in a sting by predator hunters. Andrew James Bryant, also known as Miss Gin, was arrested on July 3.

Bryants arrest was first announced by STOP Stings in collaboration with the Lincolnshire-based Guardian Angels, both of which are community predator hunting groups carrying out volunteer child safeguarding activities. Bryant, who also goes by the name Andrew James Way, is alleged to have attempted to groom a decoy posing as a 14-year-old boy.

The sting targeting Bryant was streamed live to Facebook on July 3, with multiple predator hunters confronting the man in a public parking lot.

Ive got in my possession a chat log that is disgusting. It is very, very consistent with somebody who is a very proficient groomer, and is grooming somebody who he believes to be a 14-year-old boy, one of the predator hunters says to Bryant, who is casually smoking a cigarette throughout the interaction.

Bryant initially attempts to deny the claims, stating that he believed the decoy account belonged to someone of legal age. But the predator hunter immediately pushes back, advising Bryant he has written proof of the decoy advising Bryant he was underage.

That is an abject lie, isnt it, the predator hunter says, with Bryant finally conceding after some discussion.

Perhaps most disturbingly, the predator hunters reveal that the decoy account has been posing as a mentally vulnerable child who was unsure about his sexuality, something Bryant appears to have used as leverage.

Do you know what chilled me about this particular chat log, the predator hunter asks. This lad youve been speaking to doesnt know if hes gay or not, does he? You are forcing yourself on him.

Bryant shrugs off the revelation by attempting to apologize.

Your apology means absolutely nothing to me. You have been speaking to what you believe to be a child online, and you were telling this 14-year-old boy that you want to break him in.'

Bryant requested lewd photos from the boy, and reportedly tried to make the child more comfortable by telling him that other minors had already sent him photos. The predator hunters were unable to determine if that was a grooming tactic, or if Bryant really had received other photos from children unrelated to the sting.

In addition to requesting lewd images from the boy, Bryant also reportedly asked to meet the child in a hotel for sex and gave him instructions to state he was Bryants nephew if questioned.

The sting live-stream ended with police arriving. The predator hunters announced shortly after that Bryant had been arrested and charged.

During the interaction with predator hunters, Bryant called himself a drag artist and a drag queen in apparent response to the mention of the account he used to message the decoy. He was well-known in his community as a drag queen by the name of Miss Gin.

In 2019, Bryant was profiled by North Wales Live, which described him as a drag legend. The fluff piece stated that Bryant had been working in drag for decades, and first began performing in womens clothes when he was 10 years old.

Bryant retired from professional drag shows that year after sustaining an injury and deciding to settle down with his then-fianc Timothy King. Bryant and King, who appears to be significantly younger than he is, were set to be married in 2020.

Earlier this year, Bryant announced he was reviving Miss Gin for the purposes of throwing the first gay pride parade in the community of Welshpool, Wales.

The event, which had been due to take place on July 22, was first floated at a town council meeting in December after Bryant submitted plans to host the event. But, on June 26, it was announced that the event had been cancelled as a result of unforeseen circumstances.

Welshpool Town Council has confirmed the event will not go ahead, with the Town Clerk releasing a short statement reading: The town council and Andrew James Way have decided not to work together in the near future, meaning that the planned Pride event for 2023 will be cancelled.

The event, which was advertised widely, was reportedly sponsored by major retailers including Tesco, Morrisons, and Rikki Lloyd.

Bryant is the second known pedophile drag queen to be identified in the small country of Wales.

As previously reported by Reduxx, well-known drag queen Darren Moore was found dead on the evening of Sunday, January 22, on the streets of Cardiff City Centre. Following his suspicious death, media coverage was largely focused on Moores career as a drag performer and member of the Cardiff gay scene, with many outlets, including the Guardian, failing to note that he was also a convicted child sex offender.

Moore was once known as Darren Sewell, and had been convicted of four counts of rape on a boy under the age of 14 while living in South Wales in 1999. As a result, he spent 3 years in a Young Offenders Institution. Following his offense, Moore was also banned from having contact with children.

Just after Moores death was announced, the founder of Drag Queen Story Hour UK, Sab Samuel, rallied his supporters to donate to a GoFundMe to support Moores funeral costs and husband.

Description

A "CRUEL and cowardly" paedophile and rapist has been jailed for 23 years for a catalogue of sexual crimes against two victims.

Michael Johnson, 64, used a child for his sexual purposes, including trying to rape her, York Crown Court heard. 

In a separate set of offences, Johnson treated a woman in a “horrific way” inflicting extreme pain on her by raping her twice and treating her as a thing or a mediaeval peasant, Judge Simon Hickey said. The offences happened years ago.

Johnson, of Hill Top, Barlby, admitted seven offences, but forced both victims to endure the ordeal of giving evidence against him by denying 14 more charges.

Both had to go into detail of exactly what he had done to them. 

For years, they had felt unable to reveal what they had suffered at Johnson's hands.

But they finally managed to do so, and a York jury convicted him on all 14 charges this Spring after hearing from the two victims and from Johnson.

He was jailed for 23 years for two rapes, two attempted rapes, 16 charges of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child.

He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Defence barrister Andrew Petterson said: “There is, I accept, little that can be said by way of mitigation for these offences.”

It was not the first time Johnson had been convicted of a sexual offence. He has a previous conviction of indecent assault against a girl aged under 14, committed when he himself was under 18 years old.

Outside court, DC Jenna Hallewell, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Johnson’s cruelty, violence and dishonesty contrast so strongly with the bravery of the victims in coming forward to the police, and ensuring justice could be done.

“They had the courage to speak up, even when Johnson took the cowardly decision to force them to endure a trial and re-live the horrific abuse.

“The victims have suffered their entire lives with the damage Johnson has inflicted. I hope they can now move forward, knowing that Johnson will not be able to cause any more anguish to them or anyone else.”

DC Hallewell added: “If you have been the victim of sexual offences, no matter when they happened, please report it the police. As this case shows, we will investigate these awful crimes, and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“By coming forward, we can get you the help and support you need, and ensure offenders cannot go on to hurt anyone else.”

Description

A retired British Transport Police officer sexually abused a child for five years, starting when she was aged just nine.

Married Christopher Aldridge, 76, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and pled guilty to two charges of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the youngster.

The abuse began in the mid-2000s.

The town’s sheriff court heard that Aldridge – described as an “upstanding member of the community” – would play ‘tickle and chase’ games with his victim before pinning her down and touching her breasts and lower private parts.

Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Fraser said: “He abused her on multiple occasions in the same way until she was 14.”

Ms Fraser said the abuse happened “often” and that, after each incident, he apologised and promised not to touch her again.

Investigation

The court heard that Aldridge would tell the girl not to tell anyone about what happened because he would get in trouble.

Ms Fraser said on one occasion Aldridge used a coin to unlock a toilet door and pinned her to the floor as she struggled to get away.

The fiscal said that in 2012 Aldridge told a counsellor he had sexually abused the child. The counsellor contacted police.

An investigation was carried out but no further action was taken at this time as full details of the abuse were not disclosed.

The court heard that in 2021 the girl, now a woman in her 20s, provided a full statement to police after her memory was triggered.

The fiscal depute said Aldridge had initially lived in England, then moved to Scotland and lived at various addresses before moving to Dunfermline.

Ms Fraser said he was a British Transport Police officer before retiring around 2002 and went on to become a driving instructor.

‘Tickle and chase’

Defence lawyer Stephen Morrison said Aldridge’s offending appeared to have “started innocently as a game of tickle and chase” before he began acting on inappropriate thoughts.

The solicitor said: “He does express what appears to me to be genuine remorse.

“He is ashamed, embarrassed, and also expressing what appears to be some reasonable level of insight – not just into his own behaviour, but the effect it will undoubtedly have had, and presumably still has, in relation to his victim.”

Mr Morrison said first offender Aldridge, who lives with his wife at Golf View, Cardenden, had otherwise seemed to have been an “upstanding member of the community” and “attended church on a regular basis”.

The solicitor said his client has not been attending church because it would mean him being supervised, and he did not want to place the church in that position.

Mr Morrison said although it took Aldridge “some time” to accept culpability, it appears to have been “weighing heavily” on him.

He said Aldridge’s guilt was such that he confessed to a counsellor in the knowledge it would not be kept confidential.

Sheriff Charles Lugton deferred sentence on Aldridge until July 19 for the production of background reports and his bail was continued.

Aldridge was placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

Description

A police team dedicated to protecting children have helped put a paedophile behind bars after he groomed a 12-year-old girl online.

Stewart Barnett was 42 when he posed as a 19-year-old and sent messages to the child on different social media sites and over text.

He has now been jailed for six years and six months following an investigation by Gloucestershire Constabulary's Child Sexual Exploitation Team.

Barnett had been messaging the victim for a number of months last year and asked her to carry out sexual acts on herself.

He asked her to video these and send them to him, and he also sent the child images and videos of himself masturbating.

Police were informed and Barnett, now aged 43 and from Longlevens, Gloucester was arrested and charged.

He admitted two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity – penetration, and one count of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration.

At a hearing on 25 May Barnett also admitted making indecent images of a child (the victim), namely 20 images and four videos in category A, 28 images and 29 videos in category B and 190 images and 9 videos in category C.

He was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Monday 26 June to six years and six months in custody. Barnett was also given a restraining order for 10 years, a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and he was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Investigating officer TDC Caroline George said: "Barnett preyed upon this child and sent her vile messages, which included trying to make her feel guilty when she didn’t want to send him certain videos.

"He displayed clear grooming behaviour by telling the victim that he loved her and wanted to meet her, while knowing he was speaking to, and exploiting, a child.

"I'd like to commend the girl’s courage for speaking about what was happening and working with us throughout the investigation."

Detective Inspector Simon Goodenough added: "We have a dedicated team which investigate these type of abhorrent offences and we’ll do everything we can in order to prosecute those who cause harm to children.

"The victim in this case has been extremely brave for speaking about Barnett’s horrid actions and I would too like to thank her and her family for working with us."

Following the hearing, the victim's mother said: "We feel relieved that justice has been served and that now we hope we can rebuild our lives moving forward.

"We would like to extend our grateful thanks for the amazing support we received from TDC Caroline George throughout every stage of this investigation.

"We would also like to thank our child exploitation social worker and Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre for their hard work and the support which they have given our daughter."

Description

A paedophile distributed video and images of child sexual abuse depicting children as young as five-years-old. He was also found to have conversations with other depraved individuals in discussions about what he referred to as "young p****".

Joshua Waldron, 29, was visited by police at his then home in Oakenholt, Flintshire, on May 13, 2021, after a report was made by Yahoo that the defendant was uploading child abuse images using his email address. A number of electronic items were seized including an iPhone and a Samsung phone.

A sentencing hearing at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday heard the Samsung phone was found to contain a total of 58 category A images of child abuse, 39 category B images and 27 category C images. Prosecutor Ember-Jane Wong said Waldron was found in possession of videos as well as the images, which showed children aged between five and 15-years-old being abused.

The defendant was also found to be using an app called Telegram in which engaged in conversations with other paedophiles and distributed a total of 29 category A images, nine category B images and 20 category C images.

Waldron, of no fixed abode, was interviewed by police and attempted to distance himself from the material on his device, even going as far to falsely implicate his ex partner and her brother. This was dismissed by a jury who convicted him of three counts of possessing indecent images and three counts of distributing indecent images. The court heard he had four previous convictions of a dissimilar nature, the latest of which was burglary.

In mitigation, Simon Mintz said his client, who continues to deny the offences, had a "difficult childhood" following the breakdown of his parents' relationship and was bullied at school. He said the defendant lived a solitary life due to huis work as a crane driver which required him to travel around the UK.

Recorder John Philpotts sentenced Waldron to a total of three years imprisonment. The defendant was made subject to sex offender notification requirements for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after he started using social media accounts and dating sites despite being banned from accessing them.

Neil McLean was made subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) after he was convicted after trying to groom a 12-year-old girl before being snared by her quick-thinking grandmother.

The 41-year-old pervert was caught after the youngster’s grandmother turned amateur detective and took over the online conversation as it became increasingly sexualised and secured more than 100-pages of illicit chat.

As part of his three years and four-month sentence, McLean was also banned from using dating sites and social media platforms to protect vulnerable young children from his predatory behaviour in 2016.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said the defendant was arrested when a risk management inspection found he had accessed a number of specialist dating websites as well as Facebook over a two-week period.

Police carried out a forensic investigation of his mobile phone and discovered the defendant had used it in breach of his SHPO.

Dealing with his previous offence, she said: “A 12-year-old girl received a Facebook friend request, he made reference to what she was wearing and she replied by telling him to ‘f*** off’ before the conversation was taken over by her grandmother and there was 100 pages of sexualised messages between them.”

Following his arrest on that occasion police found pictures of child abuse on his phone, and children’s and adult female underwear in his flat.

Miss Masters said the defendant was also caught in a vigilante sting in 2018 when he made contact with a decoy 14-year-old girl and he arranged to meet up with her.

McLean, of Grange Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to three breaches of his sexual harm prevention order between May 22 and June 6 this year.

James Fenny, mitigating, said his client had been feeling lonely and isolated at the time of the offences.

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced McLean to 16 months in custody for the persistent offending over the two-week period.

He said: “On this occasion there was no evidence you made contact with children but with Facebook being used there was a risk of harm to children.”

Description

A thug who sexually assaulted one ex-girlfriend and attacked another has walked free after a judge told him that she was giving him a final chance to 'learn his lesson'.

Luke Madeley Bell, 24, described as a real life 'Jekyll and Hyde' forced himself on one victim whilst they lay in bed together saying: 'I have not had sex in a long time.' 

Another woman he subsequently dated was throttled until she passed out during an argument about her ex-boyfriend.

Madeley-Bell, from Manchester, admitted to sexual assault, intentional strangulation, three counts of assault and two of criminal damage at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.

However, he avoided jail after a judge decided to give him a final change to learn his lesson. 

He was subsequently sentenced to 19 months jail, suspended for 24 months and ordered to complete the 'Building Better Relationships' programme, 20 rehabilitation activity hours and 120 hours of unpaid work. 

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

Police who arrested Madeley-Bell last March over the attacks discovered he had a previous conviction for assaulting, harassing and intimidating a third ex-girlfriend who reported him to police. He later blamed his behaviour on his heavy drinking.

In a statement the second victim said: 'I still love Luke but I hate what he has done to me. I struggle to sleep because I know what he is capable of doing to me. It left me shamed, embarrassed and afraid.'

The court heard the first victim met Madeley-Bell in a work setting and they began a relationship shortly afterwards.

Mr Ben Lawrence, prosecuting, said: 'All was well for the first month, but soon after that the defendant began to get paranoid and jealous of the complainant. He kept checking her phone and asking her if she had been with any other men.

'The defendant had anger management issues that the complainant was aware of, however he did not attend the anger management sessions scheduled for him. These issues were exacerbated when he refused to take his medication and began drinking more and in one incident he lashed out at her, hurting her back in the process.

'She reported this incident to the police, but it was not taken further. She did however get a domestic violence protection order against him. After the order expired, the defendant rang the complainant, saying he wanted to resume the relationship.

'They agreed to get back together, but shortly after this his behaviour resumed. There were a number of other incidents between the two, which the complainant did not report to the police. Later both parties were lying in bed and were wearing pyjamas with no underwear on.

'The defendant slid his hand inside of her pyjama bottoms, to which the complainant slapped his hand away, saying, 'I'm tired'. He then tried to plea with her, saying he hadn't had sex in a long time and persistently tried to engage in sex. Later that night, the complainant was awoken by the feeling of the defendant's fingers attempting to penetrate her. He was persistent and continued to beg for sex.

'In another incident the pair were out together. The defendant had been drinking heavily and had become aggressive. In response, the complaint left him in the venue. The defendant then sent seven abusive messages to her, including one asking her to meet him at Tesco.

'They met up in the Tesco car park and went into the supermarket. An argument ensued and the defendant threw a box of dog food at her head. The store security came over and told them to leave but outside the store, the defendant threw the dog food into a nearby field and began to threaten the complainant, saying, 'I am going to punch and kick the life out of you.'

'A passer-by came over to the complaint and asked if she was alright, to which she replied, 'No, I'm not alright.' The defendant then approached the passerby and asked if he wanted to fight with him. The complainant walked towards her car and sat inside but the defendant then forced his way in.

'She grabbed her dog, which was with her, and left for a family member's house, where she stayed the night but when she got back home the next day, she found that the defendant had got into her house and made £100 worth of damage to her wardrobe. The relationship ended after this incident.'

Mr Lawrence added: 'A month later the defendant began a relationship with another woman. Similar to the previous relationship, it was good at first, but then the defendant began to get paranoid, and this was aggravated by drinking and drugs. The police were called after an incident where the complainant had to lock herself in the bathroom to hide herself from the defendant.

'Later the pair had participated in a pub quiz before returning home. At home, they began to argue about the complainant's ex-partner. The complainant was recording him during the argument, but her grabbed the phone and called her 'pathetic' and a 'slag'.

'He then began laughing at her but when he asked if she would get back her ex, she said she would. At this point, the defendant grabbed her by the throat and began to strangle her. After initially resisting, she began to lose consciousness. She thought she was going to pass out and die. When she passed out, the defendant began shouting 'no, no, no' in panic and they both fell off the bed.'

'The complainant came to and shouted, ''you psycho, you just tried to kill me. Why don't you just kill me then?'' He then tried to grab her again, but she ran home and stayed with her mother that night. The next day, co-workers noticed her behaviour was strange, and she was sent home early from work. The next day, her neck was hurting and she had consistent headaches. She went to hospital and found she had swollen lymph nodes and scratches on the back of her neck.

'In the time she was away, the defendant had gone to her flat and smashed her TV and turned the fridge off. The defendant was arrested on the 29th of March and gave no comment in interview. He has remained in custody since the 31st of March.'

Madeley-Bell had one previous offence for an assault on another former girlfriend in 2021. 

He also harassed her calling her up and issued threats not to take her case to trial otherwise her children would be taken away. 

He was handed a six-month community at the time and was ordered to have treatment for addiction issues.

In mitigation, his counsel Nicola Carroll said: 'Unfortunately, this is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde situation, and there is a clear escalation of his behaviour when he has been drinking. He is still a young man, and men don't often reach emotional and neurological maturity until much older. It is clear that the defendant needs more help.'

'He is somebody who is fully aware of the punishment he will receive, but he wants to make himself a better man, not only for him but the others he has a relationship with in the future.

Judge Stephen Davies told Madeley-Bell: 'These are serious offences, especially considering your previous offences. However, I believe it is better for you and the community that you get constructive rehab work alongside appropriate punishment -although you will have a proverbial guillotine hanging over you for the next two years.

'I hope you will understand you have been given a final chance today. You will take that, learn your lesson, and not come back to these courts again.'

Description

A Bradford taxi driver who drove an intoxicated woman home after a night out and raped her while she was almost unconscious on a sofa has been jailed for nine years.

Assad Khan, who had worked as a taxi driver for more than 20 years, used his victim’s bank card to steal £250 from her account instead of withdrawing the £25 for the fare when they stopped at a cashpoint in the early hours.

The judge at Bradford Crown Court said today that after taking the woman to her home Khan ‘barged’ his way in uninvited and while she was almost unconscious, he raped her.

After the attack last year, Khan used the woman’s key to lock the front door and then posted it back through the letterbox.

When she woke up, she felt disgusted but initially she was too embarrassed to tell anyone.

A few days later, Khan, 55, of John Street, Clayton, Bradford, turned up on her doorstep and tried to defend his actions, saying she could get him into trouble.

Recorder Ben Nolan KC said he had no doubt that Khan was trying to find out if she could remember what had happened and try to persuade her not to take any action citing his need to keep his job.

The woman reported the attack to the police and when Khan was arrested, he claimed she had consented.

A week before he was due to stand trial, Khan, who is married with four children, pleaded guilty to rape and theft.

In her victim impact statement, the woman labelled Khan ‘an utterly selfish and repugnant human being.’ His barrister, Michael Collins, said he had mental health difficulties that related to a tragic house fire when he was aged ten.

In a letter to the judge, Khan had expressed genuine remorse.

“He looks back with shame and misunderstanding at his own conduct,” Mr Collins said.

“He can’t help as to why he committed the offence.”

Recorder Nolan said that one consultant psychiatrist believed that Khan was feigning symptoms and exaggerating his behaviour.

He had shown ‘criminal guile’ in carrying out the offence and he had abused his position of trust as a taxi driver.

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

Recorder Nolan also imposed a lifelong restraining order which bans Khan from having any contact with the complainant.

Description

A 40-YEAR-OLD man has been remanded in custody at Jedburgh Sheriff Court after he admitted attempting to communicate indecently with a 12-year-old girl.

Ashley Bell approached his intended victim on the Instagram messaging service, before switching the conversation to Snapchat – where messages delete themselves once they have been read.

Despite being told she was getting ready for school and looking forward to her 13th birthday, the court heard Bell instigated conversations about sex toys, breasts and “spent quite a bit of time” boasting about the size of his manhood.

It later emerged the person Bell had been communicating with was in fact an undercover police officer and their chat had been recorded.

Bell admitted intentionally, and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification, or of humiliating, distressing or alarming a person he believed was a child under the age of 13, sending messages of a sexual nature to her over social media.

Bell, described as a prisoner in Edinburgh, committed the offence at an address in Lovel Court, Hawick, and elsewhere, between March 6 and 15.

Sentence was deferred on Bell until July 31 for background reports, including guidance on post-release supervision

Sheriff Douglas Keir warned him he is likely to receive a custodial sentence, in addition to being the subject of the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act.

Description

A disgraced former Yorkshire cub scout leader is back in prison again after he admitted indecently assaulting a young boy in the 1990s - but for only 30 months.

Former Ilkley man Peter Francis, now 68, was given a life sentence in 2002 for a raft of serious sexual offences against boys and girls and while still serving that sentence he was given a further five-year jail term in 2014 for abusing another boy.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday (July 3) that Francis actually served a total of 18 years behind bars and it was his impending release by the Parole Board in 2020 which prompted another victim to report the “dark secret” he had been carrying for years.

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Francis was actually released by the Parole Board on July 1, 2020, but he was arrested the next day and the inquiry into the latest allegations was started.

The court heard that Francis, of Grattan Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty in May to four charges of indecent assault on the complainant, who was a young boy in the early 1990s, and cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Francis was initially interviewed about the allegations in July 2020, but his solicitor advocate Julian White said he had no recollection of the specific offending.

Mr White submitted that because his client had been out of prison for the last three years and the risk he posed was being properly monitored the judge could take an exceptional course and suspend his prison sentence.

But Judge Colin Burn said it was important not to lose sight in an extremely complex sentencing exercise of the fact that there was a victim in the case who had suffered significant psychological harm on a long-term basis.

He said Francis would have been jailed for 40 months following a trial, but his guilty pleas meant that sentence could be reduced to 30 months.

In his victim impact statement the complainant described the abuse he suffered decades ago as horrific and said it had changed him forever.

He said he had been carrying a “dark secret” and Francis’ actions had not allowed him to fulfilled his potential.

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A Heywood man has been sentenced to nine years in prison with a two-year extended licence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault.

The court heard that Francis Henshaw aged 42, of Bury New Road,pressured the victim to join him in a back street, he proceeded to sexually assault her. A member of the public intervened in the incident and led the victim away.

Henshaw committed a further offence in December 2022, when he approached a woman on a night out in Rochdale Town Centre. A short time later, he sexually assaulted and raped her in a secluded area.

In addition to his imprisonment, Henshaw has been placed on the sex offender’s register for an indefinite period of time, to be reviewed regularly.

Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, of GMP’s Rochdale district, said: “Firstly I would like to thank the victims in these awful incidents for their bravery throughout this process. I would also like to thank all of the witnesses who came forward to help us bring about this result.

“Multiple officers and detectives have worked hard on this case and their efforts have ensured that the victims of this case received the justice that they deserved.

“Francis’ actions were abhorrent, and we welcome this sentence. This is a stark warning to offenders in Greater Manchester – this sort of behaviour will be treated with zero tolerance.”

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A man who sexually abused two girls has been jailed for nine years.

Stephen Cox, 44, from Torquay, Devon, was found guilty in May at Exeter Crown Court of seven offences.

They included assault by touching, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The younger victim was only three when she was interviewed by police, and Cox, who denied the charges, had shown no remorse, the court heard.

Cox, of Hillesdon Road, was also sentenced to a five-year extended licence, put on the sex offenders' register for life and issued with an Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restricting contact with children.

'No remorse whatsoever'

Mary McCarthy, prosecuting, said the abuse happened in the late 2010s at a property in north Devon and came to light when the older girl, then aged six, told her mother what had happened.

The younger of his two victims was aged three when she was video-interviewed by specially trained police, and a little older when other evidence was pre-recorded.

In their evidence, the children said Cox had touched them and devised an "elephant game" in which he encouraged them to touch him.

Cox was said to have a "significant sexual attraction to children" by the writer of a probation report, and the judge, Recorder Mr Donald Tait, categorised him as a dangerous offender who posed a real risk of harming children.

The judge said Cox's behaviour had had a "very significant effect" on the girls and he had shown "no remorse whatsoever".

After sentencing, Det Con Terry Hodgson, of Devon and Cornwall Police, who led the investigation, said that the victims' cooperation was a "testament to their bravery" after they "suffered significant sexual abuse".

He added: "This is an important reminder that such reports will always be taken seriously by the police and justice will be sought."