Latest Offenders

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A sexual predator has been jailed again for sexually assaulting a very young girl at a property in Harrogate.

Steven Anthony Jennings, 52, was already serving a 15-year jail sentence for similar offences against two other girls.

Now he’s been handed a further two years’ prison time for the new offences which pre-dated the old ones, but only came to light relatively recently when the victim went to police more than a decade after they occurred.

Daniel Penman, prosecuting at York Crown Court, said that Jennings, who was in his early 30s at the time, sexually assaulted the girl twice between 2005 and 2007.

The girl said she “froze” but such was her young age she didn’t think anything wrong had occurred at the time. She didn’t report the matters at the time and Jennings “got on with life as normal”.

Mr Penman added:

“It took her until 2019 until she felt able to [tell] her partner about these offences and, through that, felt able to report this to police.”

Jennings, who was living in Harrogate before he was given the 15-year sentence at Teesside Crown Court in 2017, was questioned about the offences at Moorlands Prison in Doncaster in May last year when he was coming to the end of his existing jail term.

He initially denied the allegations but ultimately admitted two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years of age. A third allegation was dropped by the prosecution and allowed to lie on court file.

He appeared for sentence today knowing a consecutive jail sentence was all but inevitable.

‘Lost all innocence’

In a statement read out in court, the victim said Jennings’s “cruel” offences had affected her “mentally, physically and emotionally for years”.

She said her self-esteem and mental health were so badly affected that by her mid-teens she was “ready to die”.

She said she used to “cry myself to sleep every night” following the abuse and that she had “lost all innocence”.

Jennings was jailed in October 2017 for the offences against the two other girls, which occurred between about 2008 and 2011. 

The sentence was imposed after Jennings admitting rape and sexual activity with a child in relation to one of the victims, and one count of indecent assault against the other girl. 

The victims were two pre-teenage girls, who were abused by Jennings when he was in his mid-to-late 30s.

He sexually assaulted one of the girls outdoors while he was in a relationship with a woman, said Mr Penman.

Jennings plied the other victim with alcopops and played games “like truth or dare” with her. He ultimately raped the girl, who was too young to consent to sex, on “numerous occasions”.

Defence barrister Hussain Rukhshanda said Jennings was remorseful for his actions.

Judge Simon Hickey said the sexual abuse of the new victim had had a “horrendous” effect on her and that her impact statement made for “sobering reading”.

He told Jennings: 

“She said that’s a burden she carried from a young age due to your selfish actions.”

Jennings was jailed for two years and placed on the sex-offenders’ register for a further 10 years. 

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which will run for an indefinite period, to limit his contact with under-age girls. It also bans him from contacting any of the three victims. 

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One of two courageous victims who were abused by a jailed sex-offender has told how his abuser smashed a child’s trust into pieces.

Following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Louis Maidment, formerly of Hinde House Lane, Sheffield, was found guilty of four counts of raping a child aged under 13 and one count of inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and on April 4 he was sentenced to nine years of custody.

In July 2019, the abuse was reported to the police and 28-year-old Maidment was questioned and despite denying the offences he was later found guilty of all five charges laid against him.

In a victim impact statement read in court, one of the victims said: “As a child I have gravitated towards those who I have needed support from as and when I needed it. What happened to me, made me question this and how I could keep myself safe.

“The whole thing has made me question my self-worth right to adulthood. I just hope I can gain some closure now from this and move forward.”

The second victim added: “Due to the events that transpired with Maidment I have suffered immensely for years. I find it’s very difficult for me to form meaningful connections with people. I can’t trust anybody anymore and see them as potential threats.

“He controlled, humiliated, and harmed me physically and mentally. I hope he learns that his actions have consequences and that no one should ever have to be subjected to that abuse.”

South Yorkshire Police also stated that one of the two victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Louis Maidment also stated: “He took a child’s trust and smashed it into pieces.”

Detective Sergeant Susannah Taylor, who led the investigation, said: “These victims had their childhood stripped away from them due to Maidment’s actions and on top of the sexual abuse he put them through, he also used physical violence to further scare them.

“I am pleased to see Maidment has been jailed for his appalling actions, and I hope his victims can begin to move forward now he is behind bars.”

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A Bradford paedophile has been jailed for over a decade after years of raping a child.

On Thursday, April 6, 35-year-old David Smith was charged with multiple counts of non-recent rape against a female. The Allerton man was jailed by the Crown Prosecution Service’s Rape & Serious Sexual Offences Unit, for eleven and a half years after admitting to multiple counts of rape against a child.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will also be required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. The offending took place on several occasions between 2003 and 2009 during the victim’s childhood, who reported the crimes as an adult.

Sentencing Smith, Recorder Jason Pitter acknowledged the mitigation put forward by his defence team but also highlighted the devastating impact of the "horrible" abuse on the victim and her family.

Detective Sergeant Roshan Pitteea, of Bradford Safeguarding Unit said: "Smith committed multiple rapes against his victim when she was a child and the impact on her has been profound. I welcome the lengthy sentence handed down today.

"We hope this sends a strong message to any other victims of non-recent abuse to come forward and report this to the police. We will listen to you, and we will investigate. We will do all we can to seek justice for you." 

Roshan added: "I hope the sentence today brings the victim some comfort and closure for her and her family. I commend her bravery in coming forward to report the abuse and her resolve throughout the investigation and court process.

"I would like to thank her Independent Sexual Violence Advisor from West Yorkshire Victim Support for supporting her every step of the way." Recorder Pitter commended the victim for her bravery, having listened to her victim impact statement, which was read out in court by prosecuting counsel Mr Soheil Khan K.C.

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A serial sex offender has been jailed after preying on women in Fife during a decade-long reign of terror.

John Weir, who also goes by the name John Krogan, was previously convicted of a number of sexual offences, including rape.

The 29-year-old carried out the horrendous crimes spanning a decade on a number of women in Fife between 2010 and 2020 - the first assault taking place when he was just a teenager.

Yesterday, the beast was jailed for eight years at the High Court in Aberdeen.

Detective Sergeant Lauren O’Neil said: “Weir carried out these crimes over a number of years and he will now face the consequence of his despicable actions in prison.

“I hope this sentencing gives the victims who came forward some comfort and allows them to move forward.

“We take reports of such offences seriously, regardless of how much time has passed and work to support victims. I would encourage anyone who has been impacted by this type of crime to report it.”

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A baby-faced teenager who targeted and groomed four young girls after chatting to them on social media has been locked up for four years and 10 months.

Manipulative and controlling Kai Hutchinson took advantage of the girls and left them suffering serious psychological problems because of his sexual behaviour towards them, Hull Crown Court heard. Hutchinson, 18, of Pembroke Grove, off Preston Road, east Hull, admitted five offences of sexual activity with a child and three of sexual communication with a child.

David Godfrey, prosecuting, said that Hutchinson chatted with four young girls through Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. He had contact with the first girl, aged 14 at the time, on Snapchat for about a month before they met in person.

"He was aware that she was 14 at the time," said Mr Godfrey. They had sex at least 10 times and the sexual activity continued. "She felt a degree of pressure to do so," said Mr Godfrey.

The girl described Hutchinson as "a bit controlling" but the relationship eventually came to an end. He sent intimate images of himself to her and asked her for explicit pictures. "She sent pictures," said Mr Godfrey.

The second girl, aged 12 at the time, was contacted by Hutchinson on Instagram. "The contact became more explicit," said Mr Godfrey.

Hutchinson sent her intimate pictures of himself and "bombarded" her with messages. He pressured her for explicit pictures but she did not send him any. "Eventually, she told her mum," said Mr Godfrey.

Hutchinson had contact with the third girl on Facebook and she told him that she was 13. "They met up on a number of occasions," said Mr Godfrey. They had sex on at least 10 occasions but the girl described the relationship as "toxic".

He had manipulated her into sexual activity. "She wasn't wanting to upset him," said Mr Godfrey.

The fourth girl, now 15, had contact via Snapchat. Hutchinson was aware that she was 14 at the time. He sent intimate images of himself to her.

"He persisted," said Mr Godfrey. "She did not send any images."

The first girl said in a statement that the incidents affected her new relationship with her next boyfriend. She did not want to get out of bed and cried all the time. The second girl said that the incidents changed her mentally. "I feel empty and feel low and anxious," she said. "I have been struggling to concentrate at school."

The third girl said: "My life has never been the same since this happened. I have lost my appetite. My mind is constantly thinking about what happened. I feel anxious going out in public." The fourth girl had not given a victim statement.

Dale Brook, mitigating, said that Hutchinson had no previous convictions. "He has never previously been in any trouble at all," said Mr Brook. Hutchinson had been remanded in custody in an adult prison for a few months.

"They are very serious offences," said Mr Brook. The sexual offences were "wholly inappropriate and illegal" even if the ongoing "toxic" relationships were consensual. Hutchinson was immature and he had been assessed as being a low risk of reoffending.

"There was a degree of manipulation," said Mr Brook. "These were not threats in the usual sense."

As well as being sent to a young offenders' institution for four years and 10 months, Hutchinson was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender indefinitely.

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A pensioner who admitted carrying out more than 30 historic sex offences after preying on children has been locked up. Gary Cooper will be approaching 100-years-old before he will be eligible to apply for parole.

The 79-year-old, from Stafford, abused five children over a 15-year period, 'destroying' their childhoods. One of his victims branded Cooper 'pure evil' after revealing how they have found it 'difficult to carry on'.

The cruel sex offender admitted 11 counts of rape, 20 counts of indecent assault and three counts of indecency with a child. Cooper, of Within Lane, Stafford, was jailed for 27 years yesterday (April 5).

He must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence - which is a total of 18 years - before he is eligible for release. Taunton Crown Court heard how the convict groomed his victims and abused them between the 1980s and early 2000s in Taunton, Somerset.

A two-year investigation was launched by Avon and Somerset Police when one victim stepped forward in 2021. Other victims then reported their abuse to police.

One of those abused at the hands of Cooper said: "What happened has ruined my life. I can say that for many years, I have suffered from nightmares as a result of being sexually abused by Cooper. My childhood was awful. I was angry when I was young and I am still angry now."

Another victim said they were 'angry', adding: "He destroyed my childhood and that has had such an impact on my life as an adult. I am so angry that he did this to me.

"I want him and the court to know how much hurt and distress this has caused me throughout my life." A third victim said in a statement: "As a victim of sexual abuse, you try to deal with it, but it just never goes away.

"It is always there. Throughout the police investigation, it has been so difficult to carry on. It never goes away. I just want justice to be done, justice for me and for all of [his victims].

"We need closure so we can all move forward. Gary is just pure evil. What he did was disgusting." DC Harvey Ahern, who was the officer in the case, said his team scoured through hundreds of documents to compile their case.

He said: "This was a difficult and complex investigation resulting in hundreds of evidential documents being collated and numerous interviews being carried out. I wish to commend the bravery and resilience of the victims and witnesses who have remained strong and dedicated throughout the investigation and court process.

"This result would not have been possible without their courage and kind faith in us as a service, and I hope this conviction encourages other victims of sexual abuse to come forward."

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A Scarborough paedophile has been jailed for breaching a strict court order banning him deleting evidence of his internet use.

John Palethorpe, 52, was on prison licence and subject to a sexual-harm prevention order after serving a sentence for online sex offences when police called round at his home on a routine inspection visit, York Crown Court heard.

They found that Palethorpe had deleted chat or messenger apps on his phone, as well as “several Youtube histories”, all of which were in breach of the order, said prosecutor Brooke Morrison.

He also failed to notify police that he had set up new internet accounts, she added.

Palethorpe, of Mount View Close, Scarborough, admitted breaching the sexual-harm order and the notification requirements and appeared for sentence on Wednesday, April 5.

Ms Morrison said Palethorpe had previous convictions including attempted sexual communication with a 12-year-old girl, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, which resulted in a jail sentence in December 2020 and the imposition of the sexual-harm order and notification requirements.

On that occasion, Palethorpe was snared by online “paedophile hunters” posing as children.

Palethorpe, who is married, tried to teach the ‘girl’ how to perform a sexual act on herself and told ‘her’ he wanted to meet her.

Police monitoring officers kept a check on Palethorpe’s internet activities after he was released from jail on licence.

They made an unannounced visit to Palethorpe’s home last year and found that he had deleted the KIK messenger app, a Google chat app and “several Youtube histories”.

Officers also found two internet accounts, one under an alias, which Palethorpe hadn’t notified them about, which was in breach of his notification requirements.

In a pre-sentence report by the Probation Service, Palethorpe was described as a “high-risk offender”.

His solicitor advocate David Camidge said Palethorpe was gripped by “substance and alcohol misuse” at the time of the offences.

He was now seeking help for his problems with mental-health and substance-abuse agencies in Scarborough.

Judge Simon Hickey said he had noted a probation officer’s assertion that Palethorpe had engaged in “confessing and avoiding, trying to downplay these offences”.

He told Palethorpe: “Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody because in my judgement you present a danger to the public.”

Palethorpe was handed a 10-month jail sentence.

He will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

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A Salisbury man has been found guilty of multiple counts of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour.

Terry Newman, 52, of Cherry Orchard Lane, Salisbury, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment today (5/4).

Back in 2020, officers were called to an unrelated incident involving Newman, however, it was during this report that the victim disclosed historic sexual assaults and controlling and coercive behaviour by Newman.

On one occasion, Newman raped this woman whilst forcing her head down into a pillow.

On another occasion, Newman assaulted the victim, and controlled where she could and could not go, as well as controlling her finances.

Det Con Ryan Churchley said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the victim for the bravery she has shown in contacting police in relation to her ordeal. Not only that, but I’d like to commend her for the bravery she showed in the court room during the trial. After Newman pleaded not guilty, his victim was forced to relive her ordeal in a court room whilst being cross examined. I hope this sentence will provide her with some closure, however, I completely understand that no sentence will ever compensate for what he did to her.

“Newman would often consume alcohol before being violent and manipulative - nobody should ever experience what this woman has been through.
“I hope this case encourages anyone else in a similar position to come forward and report it to us. You will be fully supported by our officers and we will also be able to direct you to support agencies who can provide further, long-term support.”

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A former Met police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman and abusing his powers to access a restricted report about his victim on police systems.

Ireland Murdock, 26, has been convicted for raping a woman in September 2021, after yesterday's trial at Inner London Crown Court.

In January 2022, four months after the rape occurred, Murdock's victim reported the crime to the police.

After the crime was reported, Murdock ran his victim's name through the police system without authorisation and was subsequently dismissed from the force for what was found to be gross misconduct in July 2022.

Chief Supt Andy Carter, the head of the unit Murdock worked in, said: "Murdock committed an absolutely atrocious offence, and caused his victim a lot of pain and fear. He betrayed everything we stand for and I am disgusted by his actions.

"We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

"I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty."

The news of his conviction follows the sentencing of former Met Officer David Carrick for 42 counts of rape in February, as well as the publication of the Casey report in March, wherein one officer said the findings showed rape is 'basically legalised' in the Metropolitan police.

A suspended Met officer is also being sentenced in Westminster today after being convicted for repeatedly stalking a woman he met while on duty.

Chief Supt Carter added of the conviction: "We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation."

Murdock will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on May 23.

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A man has been jailed for 10 years for five charges of sexual assault. Tom Louth, 35, of East Elloe Avenue, Holbeach St Marks, stood trial at Lincoln Crown Court and was sentenced after the jury delivered a guilty verdict.

Detective constable Helen Morris was the investigating officer in the case, working in Lincolnshire Police's protecting vulnerable persons unit. She said: "This guilty verdict and sentence is both punishment for Louth and a warning to others.

"We will do all we can to investigate and built a case, ensuring that suspects are brought before the courts. Each report we receive of sexual assault is taken very seriously and treated sensitivity.

"We know what it takes for a victim to come forward and therefore it's vital that we investigate thoroughly, leaving no stone unturned. We hope that outcomes such as today's build confidence in reporting and our ability to do our job and keep people safe."

Louth was sentenced to 10 years and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. He was ordered to keep to sex offender notification requirements for life.

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A man has been jailed for multiple sexual offences in Hackney and Enfield after a tenacious investigation uncovered a trial of offending.

Carl Adimado, 34 (13.02.89) of Enfield appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, 4 April where he was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment that will be followed by three years and six months on licence.

He will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for life and will be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order with stringent conditions in place to safeguard the public.

The sentence relates to 22 counts of up-skirting; five counts of sexually assaulting a child; four counts of exposure; two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child; two counts of sexual assault and two counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Adimado had previously pleaded guilty to 37 charges at the same court on Thursday, 8 December 2022.

PC Lee Ravens of the Met’s Predatory Offender Unit said: “Carl Adimado is a predatory offender who has committed a variety of indecent offences, in high volume, against women and girls. He was clearly not going to stop until caught.”

An allegation was first made to police in July 2022 by a woman reporting that on 10 July 2022, a male had ‘up-skirted’ her [recorded under her skirt] in a supermarket close to Seven Sisters Road.

An investigation was launched by officers from the Predatory Offender Unit within the Met’s Central North Command.

CCTV at the offence location was examined and the suspect was quickly identified as Carl Adimado who, at that time, worked at the supermarket.

On the day he was identified, Adimado was arrested by officers at his home address. Following police interviews he was released on bail.

Not certain that this was a single, isolated offence, officers examined additional CCTV and identified a further 16 offences against eight separate victims in just one day.

Adimado was charged, by post, for these 16 offences.

Examination of Adimado’s mobile phone recovered a significant volume of indecent images of children along with a large number of videos showing him exposing himself, touching himself in public and sexually assaulting school girls, who were in uniform, on their way to school.

Adimado was arrested for these additional offences and was remanded in custody. He later pleaded guilty to the 16 offences of up-skirting.

But the investigation was not over. The school uniforms worn by the child victims in the videos allowed officers to establish their schools and officers went on to identify each child. They were interviewed in the presence of their parents and when all of the victims had been spoken to and appropriate support was in place, Adimado was charged with a further 21 offences; bringing the total to 37.

At Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 December 2022, Adimado pleaded guilty to the 21 new charges and was remanded in custody for sentencing.

PC Ravens added: “This case clearly demonstrates the need for offences of this type to be reported to police. Just one brave woman coming forward has made it possible for us to remove a dangerous and callous sex offender from the community where he was offending against women and schoolgirls, as well as to identify and support other brave yet vulnerable victims.

“I applaud her actions and hope that this case encourages other women to come forward and report incidents of this type in the knowledge that such reports will be taken seriously and investigated fully.

“If you have been a victim of any level of sexual assault, please do report it to police, at the very least so that we can support you – at best so that we can also remove predators to a place where they are no longer a danger to women and girls.”

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A girl groomed by a predatory paedophile when she was still in primary school branded him the ‘monster under the bed’.

Kieran Whiting, 38, began his ‘campaign’ of sick abuse when the victim was still in primary school, bending her to his will by promising to buy her confectionery from the shop and telling her that he would be ‘done in a minute’.

He posed the child in order to both take photographs of her on his mobile phone and to perform sexual acts in front of her.

On Tuesday, Oxford Crown Court heard that his sexual abuse of the child stopped for around a year when he moved to Yorkshire.

But when he returned to Oxford around a year later, he molested the girl a final time – telling the now teenager ‘this is how you lose friends’ in reply to her repeated pleas that he stop.

The abuse came to light after the girl told a friend, her mother learned of the allegations and called the police.

In a victim personal statement read to Judge Nigel Daly by prosecutor Lauren Sales, the girl said she had seen a video on social media about a ‘monster under the bed’.

She had tried to find the film again so she could show the judge ‘what I mean’.

“He is my monster under the bed,” the girl said of the defendant.

She said of the abuse: “He kept coming back I thought it would never end. I think without me telling someone he would have raped me.”

The girl said she had suffered significant mental health problems as a result of the abuse and had made an attempt on her life.

Whiting, of Champion Way, Oxford, was found guilty in January of assault of a child under-13 by penetration, causing a child under-13 to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He had no previous convictions.

Jailing him for 16 years and imposing an extended four-year licence period, Judge Daly quoted the probation officer who had written the pre-sentence report, which described the defendant as being ‘utterly remorseless’ and without regard for the ‘legal or moral considerations’ in the pursuit of his own sexual gratification.

“Preventing Mr Whiting from reoffending will not be a straightforward task,” the probation officer added. He concluded the defendant posed a high risk of causing harm to children in the future.

Judge Daly said: “Essentially, I agree with the conclusions that are made by the probation officer.”

The judge said Whiting had groomed the girl and betrayed her trust to ‘satisfy his deviant sexual [interest]’. There were elements of ‘humiliation and degradation’ in the defendant’s treatment of his victim, he added.

He told the defendant there was ‘no real mitigation’ that could be said in his support.

A statement from the detective in charge of taking the case to court, which was read to the judge, said that Whiting had begun relationships with three different women while he was awaiting trial.

All three – each of them single mums with young daughters – were unaware of the charges he faced until they were contacted by the police.

Whiting was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim or her mother. He will remain on the sex offender register for life.

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A man from Jamaica who recklessly transmitted HIV to a woman has been jailed.

Jermaine Scott appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 4 April where he was sentenced to three years in prison.

The 39-year-old, from Jamaica, had previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (section 20 assault).

Scott was diagnosed with HIV in 2005 and had been prescribed medication which if taken would have elimited the risk of transmission to others.

He and the victim had previously been in a relationship and rekindled their relationship in the summer of 2009.

When the relationship restarted, Scott was not taking his tablets regularly meaning that there was a higher risk of transmission. He also failed to inform the victim of his diagnosis and went on to have unprotected sex with the woman.

The victim became suspicious of his behaviour, and in October 2009, the pair attended a sexual health clinic. While at the clinic Scott provided a false name and false medical details to the health worker.

The victim subsequently tested positive for HIV and the pair ended their relationship. Following their split, Scott left the Cheshire area.

The incident was reported to Cheshire Constabulary in October 2009 and an investigation was launched to locate Scott. Following a public appeal, he was located and arrested in February 2011.

Scott refused to answer any questions put to him by officers and despite a detailed investigation officers were unable to gather sufficient evidence to charge him in relation to the incident and the case was closed. He was subsequently deported from the UK in November 2011 after it was found that he was in the UK illegally.

Shortly after his deportation, the victim asked the case to be reopened and detectives subsequently sought help from a number of medical experts who revealed that it was highly likely that the victim had been infected with HIV in the three months prior to her diagnosis, while she was in a relationship with Scott.

They also identified a number of genetic links between the strain of HIV that the victim had been diagnosed with and that of the offender.

In 2019 the additional evidence was presented to the CPS who agreed to charge Scott with grievous bodily harm (section 20 assault) in February 2020. An extradition warrant was issued, and he was returned to the UK in November 2022 to be charged in connection with the incident.

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A PERVERT investigated by Cumbria Police was found with sickening child abuse videos of infants as young as four, a court heard.

Sam Partington was hauled before a court after he hacked into a woman's social media accounts of stole private photos of her.

When police searched the 30-year-old's devices they found hundreds of indecent images and videos of children being sexually abused.

Preston Crown Court was told Partington hacked into a woman's Facebook and Snapchat accounts and stole photos and then changed login details to prevent the victim from accessing her own accounts.

The court heard he stored hundreds of indecent images on three devices, including an iPhone.

He hid files inside what appeared to be a calculator app.

Passing sentence, Recorder Daniel Prowse said: "Each one of the children shown in those images and videos is a real child being sexually abused.

"Some involved the most serious and damaging types of sexual abuse.

"Some of the children depicted were particularly vulnerable due to their age.

"The harm, both physical and psychological, that is caused to children who are the subject of this sort of abuse can be lifelong in nature."

The judge accepted evidence that the Covid lockdown and Partington losing his job contributed to the offending because the defendant was spending long periods alone in his bedroom.

He said Partington had a 'good job' and was seeking support for his mental health.

The court heard the defendant had denied having a sexual interest in children but Recorder Prowse said 'the evidence in this case demonstrates comprehensively to the contrary'.

"I do remind myself, however, that it is not uncommon for people with such a sexual interest to come to terms with the enormity of that realisation," the judge added.

Partington, Cecil Street in Lytham, was jailed for 29 months for a number of offences, including hacking offences under the Computer Misuse Act, s170 Data Protection Act and making indecent images of children.

Cumbria Police said the investigation forms part of Operation Alliance, the force's ongoing response to serious and organised crime.

Detective Constable Jon Hill from Cumbria Constabulary's Cyber and Digital Crime Unit said Partington 'used technology as a weapon to exert control'.

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Alan Luckhurst groped two 17-year-old students that were working with him in hair salons.

A “predatory” hairdresser that sexually assaulted two teenagers working in his salon has not been sent to jail. Alan Luckhurst, who is an award-winning hairstylist, assaulted two 17-year-old girls in two separate salons in Twickenham in 2017 and Sutton in 2021.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the father-of-two had been charged and bailed for the initial groping, before the second occurred.

Luckhurst may have other victims, the Met has said. The force is now appealing for them to come forward.

Married man Luckhurst told Kingston Crown Court he was “just a tactile person”.

However last Monday he was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

A 17-year-old girl told authorities about the sexual assault which took place when she was on a placement at the Twickenham hairdressers.

Luckhurst was removed from the establishment following his arrest. Having been charged in October 2019, he then founded a new business in Sutton in Greater London.

Two years after that another 17-year-old girl went to police and said he’d sexually assaulted her when she was an apprentice in the salon.

The teenager said she was touched by Luckhurst within a matter of weeks of starting at the business.

He felt the breasts of the first victim repeatedly and also put his hand between her legs.

Luckhurst also put his groin against her bottom.

The second victim also had her breasts groped by Luckhurst, who made her touch him between his legs.

With the exception of one incident where he forced his hand under the second victim’s bra, all of his offences involved groping over the girls’ clothing.

Following a trial in January, Luckhurst was found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

Additionally, the hairdresser of Worcester Park, south-west London, received a sexual harm prevention order preventing him from employing anyone under 18 or acting as their boss.

The sex offender won ‘Retailer of the Year’ in 2013 while manager of a salon in Richmond, in the south-west of the capital.

Detective Constable Natalie Alchin, who led the investigation into the stylist, said: “Luckhurst completely abused his position as manager of these young women and took advantage of being alone with them during their time at work.

“It is clear that the offences he committed have had a serious and significant impact on both their personal and professional lives.

“They have shown tremendous bravery, both in coming forward to police and then giving evidence at court.”

DC Alchin noted that officers believe that there could be other young victims of Luckhurst’s “predatory behaviour”.

She said: “We believe there may be other young women who may have worked with Luckhurst and been victim to his predatory behaviour.

“We would urge anyone who believes that to be the case to come forward and speak to us. We have specialist support in place and will listen to everything you have to say.”