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A brazen sex offender has been jailed after he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl on a train to Sevenoaks.

Petro Ninichuk, 37, and of Station Street, Brighton, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Inner London Crown Court on 11 April. He has been sentenced to 19 weeks in prison and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

On Sunday 27 January 2024, the victim was walking through a train with her friend when Ninichuk grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit on the seat in front of him.

She told him she was only 15-years-old in the hope it would stop his advances, but Ninichuk was non-deterred and brazenly sexually assaulted her in a prolonged attack.

The victim’s friend approached another passenger who intervened and invited the girls to sit with him.

When the train reached Sevenoaks the victim’s friend alerted security staff who identified Ninichuk on the train. While he was with security staff Ninichuk spotted the victim who had been taken to safety in the station office and was trying to get near her, telling them “that’s my girlfriend”. Staff called BTP who arrived and arrested him immediately.

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On Monday 28 April at Liverpool Crown Court, Ashley Darbyshire (01/01/1997), of Bolton, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of grooming, raping and sexually assaulting underage girls in Blackrod, Bolton, between 2016-2018. He will serve 10 years in custody.

He has been put on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. 

He was the main offender of a group of sexual predators who preyed upon young teenage girls in the local area.

On the first day of a sentencing set to last into tomorrow (29 April), Darbyshire was sentenced alongside three other men.

The offences began in 2016 when the primary offender, Darbyshire, who was 19 at the time, first came into contact with the primary victim, a girl aged 13.  

He went on to introduce her to nine of his friends, and they went on to use and abuse her at their disposal on numerous occasions into 2018. 

The group of men were all convicted of a range of sexual offences - over 30 convictions between them - including rape, sexual assault and sexual activity with a child under 16. 

The men, who were all aged from between 17 and 29 at the time when the offences began, also approached the other victims, all girls under the age of 16, via private messaging and social media platforms. 

They got to know the girls from where many local teenagers would hang out and socialise near the community centre. 

The men plied some of the victims with alcohol and drugs. Some of them would send indecent images of their private body parts to the girls as well as initiating sexual conversations with them on messaging platforms.  

The group were friends of a male who was 17 at the time, and would visit his main home address where he lived with his father, a rented property in Blackrod, where most of the offences took place.  

He was a regular drug-user and would often bring his friends over to the house where they would hangout, use drugs and drink alcohol.

After a while, some of the friends would stay over at the address, and over time, the property deteriorated into a squalid condition. The men punched holes through the internal doors, smashed lightbulbs and even urinated in the corners of some of the rooms.  

The offences eventually came to light after an incident involving one of the victims and another defendant, on Sunday 17 June 2018.  

He messaged her to come over to an address in Blackrod. He was intoxicated and took some car keys belonging to his friend's father. 

The defendant left the house and sped off in the car with the 15-year-old girl travelling as a passenger. He drove round a bend, swerving to miss an oncoming vehicle, and crashed the car into a row of parked vehicles.   

The impact set the airbags off and caused a cut to the girl’s eye.  

On waking up for school the next day her eye was badly swollen. She initially told her mother and teachers at school that she had fallen out of bed when they asked her what had happened.  

Her friends became suspicious and told teachers of their concerns which led to the victim confessing and other victims coming forward.  

The police were notified, and an investigation was launched.  

Ashley Darbyshire (01/01/1997), of Bolton, was convicted of three counts of rape, 12 counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of making indecent photographs of a child. He was sentenced to 15 years, to serve 10. 

Brandon Harwood, (20/09/1999), of Bolton, was convicted of one count of rape, one count of attempted oral rape and one count of sexual activity with a child under 16. He was sentenced to 10 years, to serve two thirds. He has ben placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Ross Corley (14/01/1995) was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child and sentenced to 28 months in prison and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Another man convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for two years. He will do 100 hours of unpaid work and has been given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders' register for 10 years.

The men, many of whom showed no remorse for their actions in court, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 28 April 2025. The sentencing of the remaining defendants will continue into tomorrow (Tuesday 29 April 2025).  

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A 71-year-old man from Wootton Bridge has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of eight counts of non-recent sexual offences against three children in Ryde and East Cowes between 1994 and 2012.

On 14 July 2022 we received a third party report relating to a 26-year-old woman who had been physically, sexually, and mentally abused when she was under the age of 16 by Keith Matthews of Mary Rose Avenue. Subsequent enquiries identified a 28-year-old woman who was also a victim of similar offences by Matthews when she was under the age of 18. Following Matthews initial arrest on 28 July 2022 a 42-year-old woman came forward and reported that she had also been sexually assaulted by Matthews when she was under the age of 16. The offences all took place between 1994 and 2012 in Ryde and East Cowes.

Following a thorough investigation Matthews was charged on Monday 22 April 2024.

At Newport Crown Court on Friday 4 April 2025 Matthews was found guilty of the following after a thirteen day trial:

• Indecent assault – victim age 12-13 / multiple incidents.
• Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child – victim age 8-9.
• Rape of a female – victim age 14-15.
• Assault by penetration – victim age 13-14 / multiple incidents.
• Two counts of sexual assault – victim age 13-14 / multiple incidents.
• Two counts of assault by penetration – victim age 13-14.

He was sentenced to a combined total of 18 years in prison at  Court on Wednesday 23 April 2025.

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A man who engaged in sexual activity with two children has been jailed for nine years.

Jacques Nel, formerly of Chapel Lane in Luffenham, Oakham, pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences, including sexual activity with a child and sexual assault, last December.

The 39-year-old carried out the crimes in Stamford last July, before being arrested and charged by Lincolnshire Police.

He was due to appear in court for a week-long trial before pleading guilty to the offences shortly before it began.

Nel was jailed for nine years, handed a sexual harm prevention order and given a restraining order. He must also remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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An “evil and foul” man who sexually abused a little girl in North Yorkshire has been jailed for 12 years.

Gary Henshall recorded himself sexually abusing the girl in the middle of the night, York Crown Court heard.

Tom Jackson, prosecuting, said the light on the paedophile’s phone would wake her, and he persisted in what he was doing as she tried to stop him, by moving away from him.

“He is the most selfish, evil and foul old man,” the victim said in a personal statement.

She said the abuse had affected her mental health so much it had drastically affected her education.

Mr Jackson said the girl eventually stopped the abuse by telling her family about it.

Following Henshall’s arrest, police found a video he had made of himself alone performing a sex act, making sexual comments about children and pretending to be a six-year-old girl.

He had previous convictions from the 1980s for child sexual abuse.

After the girl had stood up to Henshall, the paedophile had “manipulated” and delayed the court process by initially denying the charges, then pleading guilty, then trying unsuccessfully to change his plea back to not guilty and finally not turning up to his sentencing hearing, so that North Yorkshire Police had to locate him and fetch him from Leeds.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, said Henshall “twisted the knife” by not turning up to court.

Henshall, 65, formerly of the Caravan Park at Scalm Park, Wistow near Selby, and later of Batley, pleaded guilty to five sexual assaults and was given a 17-year extended prison sentence, consisting of a 12-year prison term plus five years extended prison licence.

For the rest of his life he will be on the sex offenders’ register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order to protect all children from him and a restraining order to protect the girl including after she becomes an adult.

For Henshall, Kevin Batch said the defendant understood the “devastation” he had brought the girl and no words would come “anywhere to alleviate that level of distress and suffering”.

Detective Constable Sophie Wilson, of North Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “This has been a very difficult case, and I cannot praise the victim and her family enough for standing up for what is right and seeking justice against Henshall.

“Henshall also dragged out their suffering by repeatedly changing his plea. The judge’s intervention ensured that justice has been served, and I hope the victim and her family can draw strength from the outcome at court.” 

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A persistent sex offender is back behind bars after he failed to tell a woman staying at his home about his perverted past.

Paul Luck had breached the terms of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which was imposed after he was convicted of sexual assault.

The 62-year-old’s home was visited by police after they were alerted about a female living at his home, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Nicci Horton, prosecuting, said the defendant was legally required to alert police to any relationship he formed with a female, and he was barred from allowing women to stay at his home unless they were aware of his past.

She added: “When they entered the property, they found a female asleep on a mattress in the rear bedroom. She said that she had stayed a couple of nights at the address she and her partner were homeless.

“She had no knowledge of the defendant being a registered sex offender.”

The court heard how Luck had six convictions on his record for sexual offences.

Luck, of Easington Road, Stockton, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching the terms of his indefinite SHPO following his arrest on March 28.

Michele Turner, mitigating, said her client had never been left alone with the woman as she was staying at his home with her partner and had been recalled on licence following his arrest.

Recorder Richard Wright KC jailed Luck for 12 months for breaching his court order.

“You are convicted sex offender with a history of committing sexual offences over a number of years,” he said.

“You have been subject to the terms of SHPO, and you know and understand full well what is required of you.

“You deliberately breached the order when you allowed a woman to stay in your house. She didn’t know that you were a sex offender or that she was placing herself at risk by being in your property.”

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A serial sex offender has been jailed for 19 years after being found guilty of 23 sexual offences - including 11 of rape.

Leigh Nicholson, 52, of Bransholme, Hull, denied them all, but he was convicted after a trial.

Hull Crown Court heard he had convictions for two previous offences, allowing himself to be carried in a vehicle taken without consent in October 1990 and a public disorder offence in September 2000.

Frances Pencheon, mitigating after the guilty verdicts, said that they were serious offences and, because of the level of psychological harm caused, they attracted long prison sentences for a reason.

"He has never faced a custodial sentence before. He has worked at times during his life. He has been an active member of society. He is aware that he faces a very lengthy sentence as a result of these convictions."

Nicholson, who had been on bail during the trial, was jailed for 19 years and he will be on extended licence of one year after his release from prison. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before he might be considered for possible release.

Nicholson showed no emotion as he was led out of the secure dock to be taken down to the cells.

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A MAN is facing jail after he was found guilty of a child sex offence by a jury following a trial.

Ryan Dymond, aged 32, from Caerphilly was convicted of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of an underage girl.

The offence happened in Cardiff in May 2021, prosecutor Alexander Greenwood told jurors at the capital city’s crown court.

Dymond, of Farm Road, had denied any wrongdoing.

After the guilty verdict was returned, the defendant’s barrister Bethan Evans asked if the case could be adjourned for the preparation of pre-sentence report.

The judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, said sentence will take place on June 6.

He advised Dymond to co-operate with the probation service in the meantime.

Mr Greenwood said the defendant will have to register as a sex offender following his conviction.

The length of registration will be determined on sentence.

The defendant was granted conditional bail.

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Antony Bowden, 52, collected indecent photographs of children over five years. Police discovered the images on three mobile phones during a raid on his home in 2021.

In 2025, Judge Nigel Peters KC described Bowden's actions as “inexplicable” but allowed him to avoid prison.

The court revealed he had 805 category C images, 43 category B images, and 46 category A images, including a prohibited image of a child and extreme pornography. Bowden pleaded guilty to multiple charges and is set to be sentenced on April 28.

Maximum sentences vary by category. 

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A man from Birmingham has been jailed for 26 years for several serious offences against two children, including rape and sexual assault.

We were contacted in August 2024 about a girl being sexually abused.

Our officers carried out immediate enquiries, and Mohammed Mire was arrested later that day.

Following a thorough investigation, officers discovered Mire was responsible for a catalogue of abuse against two young people dating back several years.

The 35-year-old, of Moat House Road, was subsequently charged with raping a child under 13, three counts of raping a teenage girl, assault by penetration, threats to kill, and actual bodily harm.

Mire denied all of the charges but was found guilty following a trial.

On Tuesday (22 April) he was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to 26 years in prison. 

He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order, and a notification order under the Sexual Offences Act.

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Two men have today been jailed following the rape and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Southampton in December 2024.

Damian Andre Martin, 48, of Millbrook Road West, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 25 April) where he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for rape, sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration, assault by beating and taking a child so as to keep him/her from a person having lawful control. Martin will also have a five year extended license and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the Sex Offender's Register for the rest of his life.

Gurdev Singh Rathore, 50, of Milton Road, appeared at the same court where he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault and causing a female 13 or over to engage in a non-penetrative sexual activity. Rathore will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the Sex Offender's Register for the rest of his life.

Police received a report on Friday 27 December that some time overnight on Thursday 26 December into Friday 27 December the girl was raped by a man and sexually assaulted by a second man at an address in the St Mary’s area, both of whom she had met that evening.

The girl reported that she met the two men as she was walking along St. Mary Street. A short time later, Martin raped her and sexually assaulted her. She was then taken to an address on Chapel Road where Rathore sexually assaulted her.

Rathore and Martin both pleaded guilty to the charges against them and have now been jailed for a combined total of 18 and a half years.

On sentencing, His Honour Judge Christopher Parker told both men: "That detention of her in those terrible circumstances must have been unimaginably horrific for those close to her, but for her as a 13-year-old child to have been raped and taken to a flat, abused further sexually in turn by the pair of you must have been - as she describes it - absolutely horrendous and she was in fear of her life."

He told Martin that his behaviour was so dreadful that he could not be considered to be safe around young vulnerable children.

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A depraved predator who victimised two young children has been jailed at Minshull Street Crown Court today (Friday 25 April 2025) for 11 years and four months following an investigation by our Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) in conjunction with our Digital Forensic Investigation Unit (DFIU).

He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register.

Carl Sinderby (24/04/1982) of Manchester Road, Rochdale, was found guilty of 20 offences, broken down to ten counts of sexual assault, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, as well as six counts of taking and making indecent images of children.

This campaign of abuse occurred over a three-year period, ending in July 2024. At the time it started, the two children were only five and seven.

Sinderby came to the attention of our OCAIT team following information passed onto us by a partner agency. An investigation was immediately initiated, and evidence of abhorrent abuse was discovered by our specially trained digital investigators on devices seized from his property. The digital side of this investigation was extensive, and included reviewing thousands of videos and images.

Once the abuse was uncovered, Sinderby was arrested and interviewed over two days by detectives. He made a full confession around his prolonged abuse of the children, admitting to having a sexual interest in children and that he had harmed them to satisfy his needs. Not only was this a case of significant grooming of the children, but also of building the trust of the parents, only to exploit it without their knowledge.

Detective Sergeant Greevy from our OCAIT said, “What Carl Sinderby has done to this family, particularly these children, is nothing short of cruel.

“The children’s wellbeing and safety has been at the forefront of our investigation, as has getting justice for them.

“I know they may be too young to fully comprehend what has happened to them, but they were incredibly brave in telling us some of the things Sinderby was doing to them whilst they were in his care. Ultimately, their disclosures have led to us being able to investigate thoroughly, get admissions during his police interview, and build a strong case to take to the Crown Prosecution Service.

“We are absolutely committed to removing offenders like Sinderby from the streets, as the danger he poses to society, particularly children, is significant. I’m confident that with him behind bars, the streets of Greater Manchester are safer.

“Despite this positive result, his impact remains, and this family now must pick up the pieces and rebuild their life. I hope this sentence makes that a little bit easier for them.”

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A man who was found guilty of the repeated rape of a woman at addresses in Eastleigh and Southampton has now been jailed.

Ashley Scott Hudson, 30, of Chapel Drove in Eastleigh, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Friday 25 April) where he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Back in January, a jury sitting at the same court found Hudson guilty of six counts of rape and one count of attempted rape.

The jury were told how in November 2021 a woman in her 20s reported to police that Hudson had raped her on six occasions between August 2019 and October 2021, as well as attempting to rape her on one occasion.

Hudson was arrested and charged with the offences but denied them, and the case went to a trial which began on Tuesday 14 January at Southampton Crown Court.

The court heard how on each occasion Hudson had repeatedly ignored the woman involved when she told him she didn’t want to have sex with him. 

Despite denying the offences, the jury found Hudson guilty a week after the trial began, on January 21st.

He has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison with an additional five years extended licence. He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order indefinitely.

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A traumatised young girl was left suffering nightmares and serious "mentally torturing" problems after she was "led down a dark path" of sexual abuse that "twisted" her brain.

She "went off the rails" because of what happened to her and she felt that she had lost everything because of the "constant trauma" of her ordeal, a court heard.

Daniel Holmes, 33, formerly of Grimsby, was convicted by a jury of attempted rape of a girl under 13, sexual assault and assault by penetration during an incident in the town. The verdicts came after a trial at Grimsby Crown Court that ended on March 7.

Craig Lowe, prosecuting, told a sentencing hearing at Hull Crown Court that the girl was left with injuries after the sexual abuse. She told the court in a statement that she would have to live with the impact of what happened to her for the rest of her life.

She said that the sexual abuse "twisted my brain" and she "went off the rails" because of it. "This man has ruined my life," she said. "He has taken everything away from me. His actions have changed me as a person. He has taken my innocence."

The life that she was born to have had been taken away from her. "My relationship with men has been warped because of him," she said. "I have lost out on my future."

She suffered nightmares of Holmes and she had "always felt dirty". It was "mentally torturing" and she struggled with this daily. "I was led down a dark path of what I thought was normal," she said.

The girl suffered "constant trauma" in her life. "My life has been in pieces because of what happened," she said. She and her family had to try to put together that which Holmes smashed. "I know that this will always be with me," she said. "For me, it's a life sentence."

Dale Brook, mitigating, said that any offence of this sort was likely to cause some psychological impact on a victim but the girl said in her first statement: "All in all, I'm better now." The offences happened on a single occasion.

"These are incredibly serious offences," said Mr Brook. Holmes had no previous similar convictions. "There has been a lack of offending since the incident took place a few years ago," said Mr Brook.

Holmes had two warnings for arson and shoplifting when he was aged 14 and 15, the court. There were two references for him. "The references talk about him in very positive terms," said Mr Brook.

Judge Richard Woolfall told Holmes: "You took away her innocence. She has had to endure the memory of that. As a result of what you did to her, she hates herself and she feels like everything has been taken away from her. She has lost her self-worth.

"These are very serious offences indeed. You are in denial. There is no remorse that you have expressed. You have maintained your innocence. You maintain that she is not telling the truth.

"There is, therefore, no remorse. I can't make any reduction because you haven't expressed any remorse. There is an element here of targeting a vulnerable child."

Holmes, recently of North Street, Cannock, Staffordshire, was jailed for 13 years. He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order. He had been in custody on remand while awaiting sentence following conviction but he was originally on bail.

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An Arbroath pensioner has been found guilty of sexually touching a woman and a girl at a Christmas function.

Keith Clark was placed on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of inappropriate touching at the festive bash which had been booked to take place in a masonic hall in Monifieth.