Latest Offenders

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A CHILDREN'S charity counsellor who featured in a BBC documentary about his polyamorous lifestyle has been found guilty of rape and indecent assault.

Morgan Prior was locked up after a jury found him guilty of raping one woman and carrying out a serious sex attack on another over a decade ago.

Prior - who spoke on TV about his unusual multiple-partner lifestyle - was remanded in custody and warned he faces a lengthy spell in prison.

The pony-tailed 33-year-old was found guilty by a majority of jurors at the High Court in Dundee but was cleared of four further sexual offences.

Temporary Judge Gallacher told Prior: "It is not remotely conceivable that a non-custodial sentence will follow. You have been convicted of two charges.

"One is serious and the other is very serious and the inevitable outcome I will address more comprehensively and completely at the next calling of the case.

"You have been convicted of offences which will inevitably result in a significant period of custody." He deferred sentence for reports to the High Court in Glasgow on 18 July.

One victim told the trial she had been attacked by Prior in December 2010, when he straddled her and used his legs to pin her to a bed, before raping her.

The other victim told the court that during October 2010 Prior indecently assaulted her at an address in Dundee. She described how he removed her clothing, seized her buttocks and legs and pinned her down, made sexual remarks and groped her.

He was cleared of other charges including an attempted rape in 2011 and an indecent assault on a 16-year-old girl in 2008.

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A man who was convicted of raping a woman on Boxing Day 2020 has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Craig Banks, 43, of Bower Street, Blackburn, had been drinking and taking drugs with a man and a woman at a Christmas party when the offence took place.

Preston Crown Court heard how late on Boxing Day, the man and woman went upstairs to bed together, heavily intoxicated from the drinking and drug-taking, and had consensual sex.

While they were still in bed, Banks made the decision to go upstairs and lay beside the victim in the bed before having intercourse with her.

The victim was in no fit state to decide whether or not to consent to the intercourse, which Banks now accepts, and woke to find him beside her with only fragments of recollection to help her understand what had taken place.

DNA samples taken confirmed that sexual intercourse had taken place, but the victim did not recall this because of the consumption of alcohol and drugs.

A victim personal statement summarised in court reflected on the effect this incident had on her mental health and how it led to family issues.

She said she now has a general lack of trust in people and is uncomfortable around new people, particularly men.

In mitigation, it was said Banks was “deeply, deeply remorseful” that he has been involved in this situation and he was “mortified” by what has happened.

Sentencing, Judge Richard Gioserano said: “I am prepared to accept that you would never have committed this offence if you were not so heavily intoxicated.

“Your capacity to judge whether she was consenting or not was very heavily impaired. But it will come as no consolation to her and does not lessen the harm you caused.

“There has been a shift in your thinking and you have now admitted that you accept she was so heavily under the influence she could not have been consenting of any sexual intercourse. I am prepared to accept that change in your thinking is genuine and your remorse is genuine.”

Judge Gioserano sentenced Banks to five years in prison.

He will be subject to sex offender notification requirements for an indefinite period.

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A Warrington paedophile who "doesn't get any attention from women" was caught by paedophile hunters.

Pervert Andrew Carter believed he was telling a '13-year-old girl' to practice kissing using fruit. The self-confessed loner also told her age is 'just a number'.

Carter was made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life at Liverpool Crown Court. He was sentenced on Friday, June 2, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The court heard that Carter first initiated contact with a decoy account run by Saving Our Children Online on the app Wink in September last year. David Birrell, prosecuting, described how, when told that he was communicating with a girl aged 13, Carter responded by saying that "age was just a number".

He then continued to send a string of often daily sexualised messages over WhatsApp over the period of nearly a month. The defendant - of Poachers Lane in Latchford, Warrington - said in one exchange: "I might fall in love with you.

"I kind of secretly hope you will fall in love with me. We will keep it a secret until you're old enough to marry me."

Carter asked her "are you naked" and told her he wanted to meet up with her at Warrington Bank Quay Station, saying he would give her money and adding "I could teach you a few things". He also instructed her to perform vile sex acts on herself and requested pictures of her in her underwear and a video of her naked, as well as sending photographs of his penis.

The sex offender told her to practice kissing with apples and oranges before being traced by members of the group, who livestreamed a confrontation with him on social media on October 22 then called the police. Under interview, Carter described himself to detectives as a "loner who didn't get any attention from women".

He confessed that he "knew it was illegal" but denied having wanted to sexually abuse the child during his planned meetup. Simeon Evans, defending, told the court that his "remorseful" client suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and added: "It seems the gravity of this has hit home and he understands how wrong it was.

"This is a man who has no previous convictions, despite a bad start in life. He leads perhaps a rather sad, lonely and pathetic life, but he has not committed any offences until now."

Carter admitted arranging a child sex offence, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting sexual communications with a child. He laughed before leaning forward and resting his head on the front of the dock after he was jailed for 33 months.

Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "Your intention was clear, and it involved you inciting serious sexual activity with you receiving sexual gratification by it. You knew that what you were doing was wrong.

"This court has concerns, given your reluctance to accept that you have a sexual interest in children. I cannot conclude that, presently, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation."

Carter was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A twisted predator posed as a taxi driver to sexually attack two women after giving them lifts home. Graham Head, 66, had ambushed one victim by dragging her into a bush, while another had awoken in the back of his car to find him attempting to rape her.

It was later discovered that he kept latex gloves, condoms, Viagra tablets and a balaclava in his car. Head has now been found guilty of kidnap, attempted rape and assault by penetration and is facing a jail sentence.

The first incident was reported by a woman in her late teens on August 19 after she was dragged into the bushes in Hove Park, Sussex, by a man during the early hours of the morning. Prior to the assault, she had received a lift from him from Brighton to Hove Park.

He attempted to rape her but fled the scene when the victim’s mobile began to ring. She later described her attacker as a 40 to 50-year-old short man wearing a face mask.

CCTV showed the victim approaching a silver Mercedes estate, which was then tracked through the city centre and doorbell footage showed him driving slowly along the road near Hove Park.

In another incident four months later on November 18, a woman in her 20s woke up in a vehicle that she believed to be a taxi with a man sexually assaulting her. She had earlier got into what she thought was a taxi taking her from Brighton to Hove.

She managed to escape and called the police at 3.10am and was able to remember three digits of the car’s registration plate. Officers were able to locate the vehicle within minutes and stopped it in Preston Circus following a short pursuit.

Head was discovered wearing a face mask, with the victim’s mobile phone found discarded by the roadside along the route Head had taken during the pursuit. He was arrested on suspicion of kidnap, attempted rape and failing to stop a vehicle when asked to do so.

Following this, he was later connected to the August attack and charged with kidnap, attempted rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault. Since being convicted, the man, of Coast Road in Pevensey, has been remanded into custody to await sentencing.

Detective Constable Elliott Lander from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said: “Graham Head is a predatory offender who gained the trust of these victims by posing as a taxi driver, only to take advantage of vulnerable women in the most abhorrent ways.

“The items found in his car show the callous, pre-meditated nature of his crimes as he moved through Brighton and Hove looking for potential victims.

“Thanks to the quick-thinking and bravery of these two women, we were quickly able to connect Head to both incidents and bring him to justice. I would like to thank them both for their support during this investigation.

“Without them, this dangerous individual could still be at large. Instead, he has been brought to justice and the streets of Brighton and Hove are safer as a result.

“We believe Head may have further victims who have not yet come forward. If you believe you may have been a victim, or have any information which could help, please contact police online or via 101, quoting Operation Cooper. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”

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A man who sexually abused and raped two girls over a nine-year period has been jailed for 27 years. Andrew John Butler was found guilty of several charges of rape and sexual assault of two children under the age of 13 years old at a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The offences occurred between 2010 and 2019 in the North Dorset area and involved two victims, who were subjected to repeated sexual abuse. Following information received and investigations by detectives, Butler was arrested on February 11, 2021.

Butler, aged 54 and of High Street in Farnham, was jailed for 27 years over seven offences of rape, two further charges of rape of a child under 13 and two counts of sexual activity assault of a child under 13 at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday (June 2).

Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Adam Taylor, of Dorset Police, said: I want to praise the victims in this case for the courage they have shown in coming forward and supporting our investigation as well as the strength they have shown throughout the court process. Andrew Butler subjected these girls to horrific sexual abuse and through their bravery in coming forward, he has now been held accountable for his actions and faces a significant period behind bars.

I hope this sends a message to all victims of sexual abuse that we will do all we can to investigate offences and ensure offenders are brought to justice, while we will also make sure victims are supported. I also want to thank our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service for their assistance in bringing this case.

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A man has been jailed following a rape in Reading. Catalin-Petrisor Luca has now been sentenced to six years and 11 months in prison following a hearing at Reading Crown Court on May 22.

Luca, of Chesterman Street, Reading, had pleaded guilty to one count of rape at the same court on February 3. The 33-year-old led a woman in her 20s down an alleyway off Garrard Street in October last year.

After leading her down the alley, Luca proceeded to rape the victim. He was subsequently arrested and charged on November 3 last year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Amy Hennah, based at Reading police station, said: Luca took advantage of the victim while she was drunk and vulnerable. I am pleased that he will now serve a considerable amount of time in prison.

Thames Valley Police takes rape and sexual assault offences extremely seriously and will investigate robustly to bring offenders to justice.

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A MAN will have to wait even longer to hear his fate.

We reported earlier this year that Michael Sefton, previously of Pershore, admitted two offences of sexual assault and exposure.

The court previously heard Sefton intentionally touched a woman sexually without her consent and exposed his genitals - intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress - at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on April 25 last year.

The 60-year-old appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, (June 2), expecting to be sentenced.

But at the start of the hearing Michael Aspinall, prosecuting, explained Sefton, of Stanhope Way, Great Barr, Birmingham, had admitted a further offence of sexual assault of a similar nature at Worcester Magistrates Court last week, .

In that hearing magistrates chose to wait for the outcome of the crown court matters before sentencing and kept the matter at magistrates court.

The prosecutor asked for an adjournment so the matters could be tied together with Jason Aris, defending, supporting that application.

Recorder John Benson KC agreed to the adjournment so that magistrates could send the other matter up to the high court.

The judge told Sefton, who was given unconditional bail, to return to the crown court for his sentencing on July 14.

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A paedophile given a "significant chance" with a suspended sentence after being caught with child abuse images went on to repeat the offending, a court has heard.

When Jonathan Meadows' offender manager visited him at home during a routine visit she saw he was using a social media application under a different name - and that led to an examination of his devices which uncovered almost 100 indecent images along with prohibited images and extreme pornography.

Swansea Crown Court heard the youngest children in the images were estimated by police to be aged between six months and 12 months. Sending the defendant to prison, a judge told him that the pictures he had downloaded were of real children somewhere in the world being horribly sexually abused so people like him could masturbate over them.

Sian Cutter, prosecuting, said in April this year Meadows' offender manager conducted a monitoring visit at his house, and when she checked his phone she saw he was logged into social media and messaging app Discord under the name Julie Shepherd. The court heard that under the terms of a previously imposed sexual harm prevention order Meadows is banned from having social media accounts in any name other than his own unless he registers them with police.

The prosecutor said the discovery of the unauthorised social media name led the policewoman to seize the defendant's electronic devices. On his phone and an SD memory card officers subsequently found a total of 95 child sexual abuse images - including 17 Category A pictures and videos showing the most extreme forms of abuse including rape - along with 56 prohibited images, and five images of extreme pornography. Miss Cutter said the estimated age of the youngest child in the photographs was between six months and one year.

Jonathan Adrian Meadows, 30, of Clyne Court, Sketty Park, Sketty, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making - that is possessing - indecent images, possession of prohibited images of children, possession of extreme pornography, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has one previous conviction for seven offences - in 2020 he was given a suspended prison sentence and made the subject of a SHPO for three counts of making indecent images, three counts of distributing indecent images, and possession of extreme pornography.

Dan Griffiths, for Meadows, said the defendant was at pains to point out to the court that there was "no sinister motive" for having the Discord account in a different name - he said his client intends to transition and Julie Shepherd is the name he wants to adopt. He said his client realised that he should have told police about the account in the name of Julie Shepherd, and he said it had to be accepted that Meadow's engagement with the 2020 court order had been "superficial".

Judge Paul Thomas KC told the defendant he had been given a "significant chance" with the imposition of the previous suspended sentence but it was clear he had learned nothing. The judge told the defendant that possession of indecent images was not a victimless crime and the photographs he downloaded showed real children somewhere in the world being horribly abused so people like him could masturbate over them.

With a discount for his guilty pleas Meadows was sentenced to 21 months in prison comprising 12 months for breaching the SHPO and nine months for the image offences charges to run consecutively. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and the existing SHPO was allowed to continue.

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A Wrexham rapist told his victim to kept quiet after attacking her against her will. "Arrogant" David Sam Jones had thought he was going to get away with his crimes but almost a decade later, he has now been brought to justice.

Jones, originally from the Wrexham area, was handed more jail time at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday afternoon (June 2) having admitted to raping a woman in January 2015. Patrick Gartland, prosecuting, told the court Jones had forced himself on the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Jones, aged 22 at the time, ignored that the young woman had already rejected his sexual advances and "climbed on top of her" regardless, pinning her down by the wrists. The court heard how the woman "froze" with fear during the attack.

The defendant then coldly told her: "Just let me" when she begged him to stop. Jones told his victim not to tell anyone about what had happened that night. However, he later sent her a laughing-faced emoji, the court heard, and claimed he had "done nothing wrong" in messages exchanged after the attack

Jones' victim never reported the incident because she initially "feared she would not be believed". However, she later found the strength to face her abuser after he had been convicted of raping another woman that same year.

The court was told briefly how Jones was locked up after committing the horrific crime in October 2015 where he "forcibly and violently" attacked the woman in her car, said Mr Gartland. He also has a "historic sexual offence" on his record from when he was a youth, said the prosecutor.

In an emotional statement read out to the court, the woman spoke about how she lives "with a daily sense of fear", which has caused her to shut out friends and family members. The lasting impact of the crime has left the victim suffering nightmares, she said.

Oliver King, defending, said he could make no excuses for his client's actions. He asked that the judge considered giving him some credit for owning up - albeit at such a late stage in court proceedings - as it spared the woman from having to return to court for a trial which would "no doubt have been a distressing experience".

He added: "It is significant that he has been in custody continuously now since 2016, because that's allowed him to reflect on what he's done. He told probation that he had a sense of entitlement to these women - that's how he felt at the time - but he now recognises that's wrong."

Jones, who was initially set to remain locked up until at least 2026, had seven more years added onto his sentence by Recorder Wyn Lloyd Jones. That jail term is set to be followed by four years on license. He told the defendant: "You thought you'd got away with it. In a totally arrogant fashion, and not long after, you committed a second rape and a host of other offences.

He branded Jones a "dangerous offender" and a "blatant liar", who first claimed to have an alibi when he attacked the woman. The judge added: "I haven't read anything that gives me any confidence you're sorry or remorseful for what you have done."

A lifelong restraining order was granted by the judge, who praised the woman's courage in coming forward. Jones was also added onto the sex offenders register permanently.

After the sentencing, Investigating officer DC Jennie Ribbons-Steen said: “Jones’ crimes have spanned over a number of years. He is a danger to society, and I have no doubt he would have gone on to continue to offend. I hope that today's sentence brings some measure of justice and healing to the victim, and highlights that time is never a barrier to investigating a crime and bringing someone to justice.”

Detective Inspector Chris Hargrave of the North Wales Amethyst Team added: “We continue to be committed to bringing sexual crimes to justice and I would encourage anyone who wishes to report a sexual crime to come forward and speak to us. The Amethyst team is made up of specially trained officers to support victims through the investigation.

"We work closely with the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) to provide confidential medical, practical and emotional support from specialist doctors, nurses and support workers". North Wales Police have further information on how to seek assistance as the victim of a rape, sexual assault and other sexual offence online.

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A convicted child rapist shared vile materials with a fellow sex offender who he met in prison.

Thomas Stanley struck up a friendship with the other inmate while they were behind bars together before sending him an indecent image over WhatsApp once released. In one sickening message, he even apologised that the child abuse picture was "not of the best quality".

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, that "information came to light" in December last year that the 33-year-old had been in communication with "known sex offender" Connor Jackson. The two are believed to have met while both men were serving time, the latter being described as "high risk".

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, told the court that Stanley - of Phoenix Brow in St Helens - was then handed a notice "not to have any contact" with this friend under his lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). Despite this, he went on to send Jackson an indecent image via WhatsApp on March 22 this year.

As a result, police attended the hostel where he was living and seized two USB sticks from him. These devices were found to contain nearly 200 indecent images of children, including 52 pictures and five videos graded as being in category A - those showing the most serious forms of abuse.

Also discovered were 30 stills and one film in category B and 102 pictures and three videos in category C, including the image sent to Jackson. This came around six months after his release from custody.

Stanley was previously imprisoned following convictions for sexual activity with a child in 2008 and rape in 2011. The "danger to children" committed these offences against two young boys.

He was also handed a jail term for breaching his SHPO in 2010. The pervert was described by his counsel as "living a lonely, isolated life" and having had an "extremely disturbing upbringing".

Stanley admitted distributing indecent images, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse, he was locked up for a further 32 months.

Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: "You struck up a friendship with him and the police discovered that you were in contact with this person, who it appears was still in custody. You had in fact sent him an indecent image of a child with an accompanying text from you to him saying, in terms, that it was not of the best quality but you would obtain for him a USB drive tomorrow.

"The reality is, you are someone who has an unhealthy, worrying interest in children and you have not shown a desire to want to change. You undoubtedly represent a significant danger to children."

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A Derbyshire scout leader sexually abused two young boys for a number of years, plying one of them with alcohol before carrying out sex acts with him and which led to the victim becoming an alcoholic. A trial heard how paedophile Douglas Anthony Whitelam, a former Rolls-Royce worker, made the victims touch him sexually and he did the same to them on many occasions.

The now 70-year-old recently-divorced dad-of-two was arrested when one of the men came forward in 2016 to report what happened to him as a youngster and the second one reported his abuse two years later, but the defendant denied anything ever happened. That meant both had to relive their ordeals at a trial.

Jailing the defendant, of Hilton, for 13 years, Judge Martin Hurst said: “(The first victim) suffered significant psychological damage as a result of what you did to him. You deliberately isolated him, took him into your bedroom and you clearly groomed him.

“The psychological impact on (the second victim) has been severe, your behaviour took place over a sustained period of time and he was particularly vulnerable. It seems to me your latent homosexuality was the root cause of this and you felt unable to reveal it to either your ex-wife or your children.”

Robert Underwood, prosecuting, said Whitelam was a teenager himself when he targeted the first young victim when he was on a five-year apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce in Derby. But by the time he abused the second boy in the 1990s he was involved in the scout movement in the city.

Mr Underwood read out two victim impact statements made by the boys Whitelam abused and whose identity is protected by law. In his, the first said: “The impact this has had on my life has been devastating.

“Plying me with alcohol was the start of my alcoholism which has stopped me from holding down a job and a number of sexual relationships. The memories of what he did to me will stay with me for the rest of my life. No sentence can be long enough.”

The second victim, in his impact statement, said: “He deserves everything he gets and I have no bad feelings about him going to prison. He totally ruined my life from a young age.

“His huge facade was him being a pillar of the community and a scout leader, he’s an absolute fraud. His sexual abuse of me took away my trust and caused profound mental issues,”

Whitelam was initially on trial in 2021 but a jury failed to reach verdicts and were discharged. Then, following a five-day retrial trial, in March of this year at Derby Crown Court, Whitelam was found guilty of a number of counts of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14 and indecency with a child.

In 2003, he was an Assistant District Commission and was involved with the Derby North movement when he was handed a Medal of Merit by the Scouts.

Gregor Purcell, mitigating, said: “He is a man who is now 70 and is approaching his 71st birthday. He has his own family who have stood by him, they are present here today, they remain supportive and will remain supportive on his eventual release.

“He was given a life-saving award when he rescued a child from a swimming pool and he is someone who has provided support and remained an active member of the community.

“He is someone who, despite the offences he’s been convicted of, who throughout his later life has been a positive influence in the community.”

In a statement released after sentencing, a spokesman for the Scouts said: “We are aware of the case involving former Scout volunteer Douglas Whitelam. In 2017 the police informed us that some historical abuse allegations had been made against a former scout volunteer that had taken place in the 1970s and 1980s (and) we supported the police in their investigations.

“Whitelam has not been a member of the Scouts since 2005. Following this conviction, he will never again be able to volunteer with the Scout movement. There is no place in the movement for anyone who behaves in this way.

“Everyone at Scouts works to a strict code of practice to put young people first.”

Sergeant Mark Sharma, who was one of the officers who brought Whitelam to justice, said: “The trauma of the abuse caused by Tony Whitelam has had a lasting effect on both victims. Their bravery in coming forward and strength through this court case cannot be understated.

“At no point did Whitelam show any remorse or accept responsibility for his actions forcing his victims to give evidence twice in court further adding to their stress and anxiety. His sentence will hopefully give the victims some form of closure and encourage other victims of such abuse to come forward.

“Anybody who has suffered abuse, no matter when it has taken place, should know that we will always take those reports seriously and complete a thorough investigation to help bring those responsible to justice.”

As well as the prison sentence, Judge Hurst placed Whitelam on the sex offender register for life and handed him a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

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A pervert previously caught with a catalogue of child and animal abuse images has appeared back in court.

Chloe Simpson, 26, is charged with failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to the offences at Teesside Magistrates' Court last Friday and the case was transferred to the crown court.

The charges state: "On July 5, 2022, at Saltburn, being a relevant offender within the terms of section 80 of the Sexual Offences act 2003, failed without reasonable excuse to comply with the notification requirements as provided by part 2 of that act in that you failed to register with police within three days of the creation of seven aliases.

"On July 5, 2022, at Saltburn, without reasonable excuse, did something, namely used a device capable of accessing the internet and failed to ensure the capacity to retain and display history of internet use remained active at all times, that you were prohibited from doing so by a sexual harm prevention order made by Teesside Magistrates' Court on May 10, 2021."

Simpson, of St Hilda's Terrace, Loftus, was given bail and told to next appear at Teesside Crown Court on June 23.

It is not the first time the offender has appeared at the higher court. In June 2021, Simpson was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years. The judge also banned Simpson from owning or keeping animals for 10 years.

Teesside Live previously reported that Simpson's iPhones and laptops revealed a sickening library of images and videos, totalling almost 10 minutes, of sex acts on two dogs and extreme pornographic material of dogs and horses.

The defendant was also found with five indecent images of children, under 10 years old, and a prohibited image of a child.

The court heard how images and videos of sex acts on a "small white dog" were recovered from an iPhone. At the time, Chris Baker, prosecuting, confirmed in total 308 images "relating to that subject matter" were recovered.

He added that 50 of those were videos - which ranged in length from four seconds to 37 seconds - had a combined total of nine minutes and four seconds of "moving footage".

Teesside Crown Court heard how the cruelty related to two different dogs and an examination was undertaken on a seven-year-old Shih Tzu.

The vet confirmed unnecessary suffering had been caused and the acts could have led to "infection and death", however, "the dog didn't show any symptoms".

Simpson had shared her interest in "child abuse and beastiality" on Kik Messenger with "other like-minded people".

She previously pleaded guilty to the string charges. They included three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animals, two dogs, by carrying out a sex act; possessing a prohibited image of a child; possessing 66 extreme pornographic images involving live animals, namely horses and dogs; and making an indecent photograph of a child, namely five category A photographs.

In 2021, during mitigation, the court heard the Loftus woman was "coming to terms with her own sexuality" and was "transitioning genders". It was also said Simpson's mother "washed her hands of her" after her offending came to light.

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A husband and wife from Bedford are facing almost 30 years in prison for the “horrific abuse” of several children which spanned more than two decades.

Martin Bayes, 52, was handed a 22-year sentence, with an additional five years on licence, after he was convicted of 15 charges of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault, as well as attempting to pervert the course of justice when he threatened one victim if they told anyone.

His wife Dianne Bayes, 53, was jailed for five years after she was found to have been complicit in his offending. She was subsequently convicted of three charges relating to child cruelty, assault and encouraging children to engage in sexual activity.

Both Martin and Dianne Bayes of Luke Place, Bedford, were found guilty following a five-week trial at Luton Crown Court in March this year and were sentenced earlier this week (30 May).

Detective Sergeant Ben Searle from Bedfordshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “This was a particularly complex investigation, which has taken over two years to complete, and our team worked particularly diligently to support the victims and secure justice for them.

“I really hope that now these despicable offenders are behind bars, each of the victims who have all experienced such dreadful abuse can get some closure and move forward with their lives.

“Combatting violence against women and girls is a huge focus in policing at the moment and we want to encourage people to come forward and report anything that has happened to you, no matter how long ago it happened. It is never too late to come forward and tell us.”

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A 'dangerous' sex predator who pretended to be a taxi driver hunted for lone women outside Birmingham nightclubs - and only grew bolder after he was first arrested. Thasawar Iqbal is now staring down the barrel of the next 17 years in prison after he kidnapped and attacked two women.

The 41-year-old was arrested and bailed after sexually assaulting a vulnerable female in December 2021. But that did not deter him and his depraved behaviour escalated to a new level when he struck upon another lone victim in July 22, who he would go on to rape multiple times in a pub car park. The attacks were both preplanned and opportunistic, West Midlands Police said.

Today, the force welcomed the fact the 'predatory' sex beast was off the streets. Judge Francis Laird concluded Iqbal was a 'dangerous' offender who posed a risk of causing further harm to the public and handed him an extended five-year licence period on top of his jail term.

Sentencing him at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, May 26, he said: "I am sure, firstly, on both occasions you were driving in the city centre of Birmingham looking for vulnerable women. Secondly, your intent was to pose as a taxi driver in order to trick them into your car. Thirdly, in relation to your kidnap of the first victim your intention was to carry out a serious sexual offence."

Iqbal had 'never previously committed a sex offence' and his own defence barrister Colin McCarraher accepted he did not know what triggered his depraved actions, which he denied at a trial. The seemingly 'normal' married man approached the first victim who was rowing with her boyfriend.

Iqbal drove her away under the ruse he was a private hire driver, and then consumed alcohol and cocaine during the journey. He kissed the woman and suggested they should have sex and film it. But she managed to escape when he stopped to buy more drugs.

While under investigation for that he struck a second time. He persuaded a lone woman walking along the A34 to let him give her a lift, which she accepted after initially refusing. But Iqbal proceeded to drive her to a pub car park where he raped her multiple times.

He only drove her home when she agreed to take his mobile phone number. Birmingham Crown Court heard both women suffered 'terrifying ordeals' and felt guilty for finding themselves in a position to be targeted.

Det Con Soniya Ram, from West Midlands Police Public Protection Unit, said: "Iqbal is a predatory sexual offender. Although an opportunist his actions were persistent and pre-planned, posing as a taxi driver to pick up young vulnerable women, driving them to locations of his choice and sexually abusing them. He put both women through such fear and sexual violence, completely disregarding the fact he was already being investigated when he committed further offences in July last year.

“The women endured traumatic ordeals but bravely came forward to recount what happened to them to help us apprehend him. With the help of the Crown Prosecution Service we remanded him in custody from July 2022 to prevent others becoming victims. Iqbal’s conviction is testament to both women’s courageous actions and, thankfully, he is now off the streets and will be behind bars for a long time.”

Iqbal, of Birchdale Road, Erdington, was found guilty of two counts of kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence, two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault and one offence of assault by penetration.

Description

A pervert who sent indecent pictures of himself to multiple teenage girls and asked one 14-year-old to meet him for sex has been branded a “menace to teenage women” and been handed more time behind bars.

Stewart Barclay, 22, has been told he “failed to understand how precarious his position was” when he didn’t carry out supervision and unpaid work for offences dating back to 2019.