Latest Offenders

Description

A man from Cheltenham has been sentenced to 16 year in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing two young boys.

Craig Sykes, a 46-year-old resident of Cromwell Road, Oakley, was accused of several serious crimes against children, including sexual assault of a child under 13, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, oral rape of a child, indecent assault of a 13-year-old child, and child cruelty by willfully assaulting a boy between 1995 and 2005.

Despite denying the allegations, he was convicted by a jury on six counts last month. Following a trial that lasted five days, two other charges were dropped.

Detective Constable James Coll said: “This has been an emotional case and this sentence shows that we will not stand for the despicable crimes against children that Sykes committed.

"I would like to commend the victims for the courage and strength they have shown throughout this case. Their bravery in coming forward and seeing this through has helped put Sykes behind bars for a long time.

"We would encourage anyone that has been subject to sexual violence and rape to come forward, no matter how long ago it had happened, as Gloucestershire Constabulary will continually work tirelessly to ensure that victims of sexual offences are heard.

"Under UK law, victims of rape and sexual assault are granted full anonymity. We ask that no comments are made which would identify the victims in this case."

Description

A double rapist repaid the kindness of a stranger who invited him back to her Derby home by carrying out what a judge called “a campaign of sexual violence” on her over the next few days. Derby Crown Court heard how, on one occasion, Nathan Cole’s terrified victim was too frightened to call out in pain as her teenage grandson was asleep at the property.

At the time he was on bail for raping a previous victim just two months earlier, after she had let him stay on her sofa. In heartbreaking victim impact statements read to the court, both women told how they have attempted to take their own lives as a result of the horrific ordeals the 32-year-old subjected them to. And Cole stormed out of the video-link room at HMP Nottingham before finding out his fate. Shockingly, he still denies his brutal inhuman crimes.

Handing him a 20-year prison sentence in his absence, Recorder Simon King said: “He abused (the first victim) in possibly the most fundamental way in that he raped her and continues to deny that he did so. But the jury had no difficulty in convicting him and in my view he was very well aware of what he had done.

“(The second victim) took pity on him, believing he was homeless, invited him back to her home where she lived alone and she now regrets that extremely because what happened was he carried out a campaign of sexual violence and rape. She had invited a stranger into her own home and he abused her kindness.”

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said the first rape took place at the victim’s flat in Spondon in January last year. He said she had invited the defendant to stay over on the sofa but he entered her room, got into her bad and raped her.

The prosecutor said: “She describes how afterwards he was saying ‘what have I done?’ before asking her not to tell anyone. She called the police and he was arrested. When he was arrested he was heard to say ‘I am disgusting, I deserve to die’.”

In a victim impact statement she said: “I was screaming and begging for (him) to stop but (he) carried on. I don’t feel like the same person anymore, every time I shower I scrub and scrub myself because I feel dirty.”

Mr Kemp said two months later, while on bail, Cole and the second victim started talking in the smoking area outside accident and emergency at the Royal Derby Hospital and he told her he was homeless. He said she felt sorry for him and so invited him to stay overnight at her home.

The prosecutor said that night he raped her in her bed and then raped her twice more over the next two days. Mr Kemp said: “She told the defendant ‘no’ but she did not want to scream or shout as she did not want to wake her grandson and for him to find out what was happening to her. One one occasion he also bit her breasts and neck.”

In her victim impact statement, that woman, a mother and grandmother from Derby, told how she has tried to take her own life as a result of what happened to her. She said: “I was just trying to help him but this is what he did to me. I now feel like I live in a black hole. I have started drinking more to take away the memory of what happened to me. I cannot cope any more.”

Cole, of Stenson Road, denied any of the sexual activity happened and took his case to trial meaning both victims had to relive their ordeals giving evidence. A jury found him guilty of a number of counts of rape.

Roger Wilson, mitigating, said his client had never been in trouble for sexual offences before and had partly grown up in care.

Cole’s 20-year sentence is made up of 15 years custody plus a five-year extended sentence for dangerousness. It means he will not be eligible to apply for parole until two-thirds of the way through the custodial element, a period of 10 years.

Recorder King also handed the defendant a restraining order not to contact the first victim until further order and placed him on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A predator has been put behind bars for 13 years for raping a vulnerable teenage boy.

Paul Evennett took advantage of a "desperately vulnerable" teenage boy who was confused about his sexuality and went on to rape him after inviting him on a day trip to the seaside. The 55-year-old left the boy battling psychological issues and contemplating suicide.

Evennett, of Washington, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for three counts of rape. He denied the offence but was found guilty following a trial.

The court heard that Evennett committed the offences in the Gateshead area in 2018 and had befriended the boy and his family. The boy was said to be "confused" about his sexuality and had suffered bullying in school and was "particularly vulnerable" due to his personal circumstances.

The court heard that on one day in 2018, Evennett invited the teen to the beach, and took him for a drive before buying him a McDonald's. Later, they went back to a home to watch films and it was there that Evennett raped him.

Following the incident, Evennett continued to send multiple messages to the victim, which put the teen under "intense pressure".

In a statement, the now-adult victim branded Evennett a "monster" and said at the time of the rape, he had been struggling with his life and sexuality but that Evennett had "pretended to be concerned for me and my welfare".

He said on the day of the rape offences, Evennett had been asking him "personal, uncomfortable questions". Following the rape, the victim struggled with school and dealt with flashbacks.

Speaking of the messages Evennett continued to send him, he said: "I was always being reminded by the monster who attacked me that he was still there." The statement added that when Evennett went to trial, it was the "darkest time" of the victim's life, and he even contemplated suicide.

Jane Waugh, defending, said Evennett was a father who was being supported by his family and was of previous good character. She said: "He is someone who has held down a good job as a manager at a local store. The offences happened on one day on one occasion, and he will live with this for the rest of his life." Ms Waugh added Evennett will make use of his time in prison.

Judge Amanda Rippon said Evennett "took advantage of a desperately vulnerable young man who was confused about his sexuality". She said the rape had a "devastating impact" on the victim.

Evennett was jailed for 13 years and will be on the sex offender's register for life. A lifetime sexual harm prevention order was also imposed.

Description

A man who spied on two children in a shop changing room and sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl has been jailed.

Luke Poland, 27, of Percy Street, Stratford was sentenced to 34 months in prison at Warwick Crown Court today (Wednesday 19 March).

He was also made subject of an indeifinte Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Poland had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault, sexual activity in the presence of a child, exposure, voyeurism and intentionally attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 15 to engage in sexual activity.

In 2017, Poland sexually assaulted a 12 year-old girl at his home.

In 2019, he befriend a 14-year-old girl online by pretending to be the same age. After the girl sent him a photo of herself he replied with an explicit photo of himself.

In 2021, Poland exposed himself to a waitress as she served him at a restaurant in Stratford.

In 2022, he attempted to entice a 15-year-old girl into his car in Coventry.

Then in January this year, police were called to a shop in The Parade, Leamington following reports from a member of staff that a man had used his phone to film two young girls in the changing room.

Following a public CCTV appeal Poland was identified as the offender and arrested by police.

Detective Constable Simon Harvey from Leamington CID, who investigated the incident in Parade, Leamington, said: “Poland has a concerning sexual interest in children and is quite willing to act on his disturbing fantasies. He quite clearly poses a danger to young girls and deserves to be in prison.

“I would like to thank the members of the public who responded to our CCTV appeal; the information they provided helped us to bring Poland to justice.”

Detective Constable Matt Cowley, who investigated the other offences, said: “I would like to praise the bravery of all Poland’s victims. Their support resulted in the conviction of an offender whose predatory behaviour was clearly becoming increasingly dangerous.

“Hopefully, the outcome will give other victims of sexual offences the confidence to come forward in the knowledge that they will be listened to and supported, and that police will do everything in their power to bring dangerous offenders to justice.”

Description

AN ABERYSTWYTH teacher and former mayor who started a sexual relationship with one of his teenage students after they exchanged messages on Instagram has avoided jail.

Calvin Charles Kingsbury – known as Charlie Kingsbury – appeared before Swansea Crown Court on 19 April 2023.

Kingsbury, who served as Aberystwyth’s mayor in 2020/21 and represented Penparcau on Aberystwyth Town Council from 2017, had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to charges of abusing a position of trust, inciting sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17, and sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 17 in Aberystwyth on 27 March last year.

The 29-year-old, formerly of 8 Clos Non, Llanbadarn, was a teacher at an Aberystwyth school and was married at the time of the offences.

The court heard that the student followed him on Instagram and Kingsbury sent her a message to say that he would have to remove her as a follower and they would speak about the issue at school.

The following day, after a lesson, Kingsbury spoke to the pupil and said he had concerns about how it might look if they followed each other on social media.

But also said that it would be okay if they kept it a secret.

He instructed her that if they messaged each other they should delete those messages after each conversation.

At Swansea Crown Court, prosecution barrister Alycia Carpanini said that after this point the messages from Kingsbury “turned flirtatious”.

He told the girl that her hair was “immaculate” and that he was surprised to learn that she was still a virgin.

Miss Carpanini told the court: “He said that he could not promise anything because he was still married. The defendant asked whether she (the victim) was seeing anyone else.”

Following further messages between the two, the court heard the girl intended to visit Kingsbury’s home.

He had told her to wear a hat so that she would not be seen and entered the property via the rear of the house.

Miss Carpanini told the court: “They started kissing. He was biting her lip and she was biting his. He told her that he did not have any condoms. The defendant told her they could do everything apart from vaginal sex.”

They then left for a downstairs study which had a mattress in it and both partially undressed.

In the study the court heard that the pair performed sex acts on each other.

When the student had left the property, Kingsbury sent her a message saying that she would need to be more cautious with regards to getting to his home.

Since the incident Kingsbury has left his job, and the area, and no longer works in education, the court heard.
According to a victim impact statement read out in court, the victim has “always been an anxious person”, and that “when everything was happening, I was anxious about keeping it a secret”.

She said that, when she ended the relationship, she did so because of the impact it was having on her education.

“Nobody was calling him a bad person but I realise now that what he did was wrong," she added.

In mitigation, defence barrister Dan Jones said Kingsbury had “no previous convictions whatsoever” and made “full admissions” regarding his offending when interviewed.

“He can never be a teacher again, that goes without saying,” Mr Jones said.

“It’s his own fault, he knows that.”

Summing up the case, Judge Catherine Richards told Kingsbury: “Over a very short period of time you and she entered into a relationship. You knew it was wrong. There was significant planning. You were giving instructions to her. I accept that you are remorseful. You admitted your guilt from the outset.”

“You are not a danger to the public. You have no history of appearances before this court and there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

Kingsbury was sentenced to 12 months in prison, a sentence which will be suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete 30 days of a rehabilitation requirement order and 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of 10 years and an order was imposed preventing him from making any contact with the victim for a period of three years.

Description

A church volunteer messaged a teenage girl on social media about the size of her breasts.

Raymond Bown, 66, from Mickleover, Derbyshire, also made comments about slapping the 15-year-old on the backside.

Sentencing him at Derby Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Bennett told Bown that a man of his age "should have known far, far, better" and that his contact with her was "very unwise", reports DerbyshireLive.

"Particularly for someone who does volunteer work at the church and for your involvement with a football team," he said.

"What you did was quite lewd and quite disgraceful."

Mark Achurch, prosecuting, said the offence took place in September 2021 when Bown made contact with the teenager.

Police were then informed about the messages and an investigation began.

Bown pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Regarding the specific sentence, the judge said: "This is a relatively new offence and there are guidelines for it going from a community order to one year’s custody, but your hitherto previous good character allows me to step outside the guidelines so it will be a financial penalty.

"As a result of the offence you will be subjected to notification requirements (to sign on the sex offender register) for five years."

He added: "The offence may well bar you from working with children but that will be down to the DBS where you will have the opportunity to make representations.

"You will also be the subject of a restraining order not to contact the victim directly or indirectly which includes social media which is the means you used to contact this young woman."

Judge Bennett fined Bown £500, ordered him to pay £1,500 prosecution costs and a £50 victim surcharge.

He offered to pay the full amount in four months through his barrister, Catherine Picardo. If he does not pay the £500 fine within that time he could be sent to prison for 28 days.

Description

A sex offender who altered innocent pictures of other people to make them obscene or sexual has been jailed.

Adam John Stephenson, 38, used computer software on one photo to make it look as if two men were touching a child sexually, said David Hewitt, prosecuting.

Police also found evidence Stephenson had been a voyeur for 11 months and found many photos on his phone, each featuring a woman who was unaware that the picture had been taken.

The last had been taken the day before he was arrested.

Some of the voyeurism photos had been altered digitally in a sexual manner.

Stephenson, of Farro Drive, Rawcliffe, York, pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent photographs, two of making pseudoimages of children and one of voyeurism.

Judge Simon Hickey told York Crown Court: In my judgement the only proper punishment that can be meted out in this case is an immediate prison sentence.

He jailed Stephenson for two years, put him on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and barred him from working with children or vulnerable adults.

You still pose a risk to certain members of the public, he told Stephenson.

The judge made the 38-year-old subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, including banning him from taking photos of children, having devices capable of taking covert photos, a ban on having internet capable devices or online storage without the knowledge of the police and using computer wiping software or software that concealed his identity online.

Mr Hewitt said police went to Stephensons home after receiving a tip-off on April 13, 2021.

They arrested Stephenson who said he couldnt believe it and protested his innocence and expressed shock at having been arrested, said the barrister.

He initially claimed he had received unsavoury photos via WhatsApp which he had deleted as well as leaving the WhatsApp group.

He had also joined Tumblr in order to access pornography but some images had appeared to contain young girls and he had deleted them.

Interviewed again after police had analysed his phone, he said nothing.

Mr Hewitt said police found search terms for child sex images which Stephenson had used on an adult pornography website, 21 sexual images of children of the least serious category and one video and three images of the middle category of sexual images of children.

They had also found that he had downloaded Adobe Photoshop which he had used to alter pictures to make them more sexual.

For Stephenson, Nicholas Wragg said: He is entirely remorseful in respect of his behaviour and the harm he has caused, seeking general therapy for some years and then focussed sexual therapy in more recent time.

He had suffered from generic anxiety and health issues all his life.

Mr Wragg said that for months prior to being arrested, Stephenson had suffered from insomnia.

He had escaped into the internet and offended in the way he has, said Mr Wragg.

He had been very close to his father whose death in 2018 had profoundedly affected the defendant and exacerbated his mental health. His partner had left him after Stephensons sexual crimes were discovered.

Description

A former security guard at Levens Diageo complex was caught by fellow workers after sending a sexually explicit message to a 14-year-old girl.

David Andersons colleagues had become concerned about the 56-year-olds behaviour on his phone to someone they suspected was a young female, Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard.

They checked his unattended phone, found vile messages to the youngster and screenshotted them to show police.

Caught by workmates

Procurator fiscal depute Lee-Anne Barclay told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court: A conversation had taken place between witnesses and Mr Anderson and he had indicated that she was 18 and had encouraged (the girl) to confirm this on a video call.

Ms Barclay said Anderson left his phone unlocked on a table and one of his colleagues looked at it and took screenshots of a Facebook Messenger chat.

The fiscal depute said it contained sexual content.

Witnesses established the girl was only 14 years old and one of them contacted police.

The court heard Anderson was arrested on October 2, 2021, then interviewed and charged, before being released on a police bail undertaking to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court at a later date.

Ms Barclay said one of Andersons undertaking conditions was not to contact the girl.

But the fiscal said a witness at Beveridge Park saw him about a week later with the girl in a car and police were informed.

Anderson of Denbert Place in Kennoway, was arrested again on November 4 2021 at the Diageo site.

Guilty

He pled guilty to sending a sexually explicit message to the girl and engaging in a sexually explicit conversation with her at Diageo Scotland Ltd, Banbeath Road, Leven and elsewhere, on September 4 2021.

The charge states this was done intentionally and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming her.

He also admitted breaching a condition not to contact her by phoning her and arranging to meet her at Kirkcaldys Beveridge Park, between October 31 and November 1 2021.

Defence lawyer Martin McGuire said Anderson and the girl had initially spoken on social media about health issues which led to inappropriate and sexually explicit conversation.

Mr McGuire said his client, who is no longer employed at the Diageo site and has been working at a local car wash, has a relatively limited record and no analogous convictions.

You may have a predilection

Sheriff Timothy Niven-Smith told Anderson the matter was especially serious as his victim was vulnerable.

The sheriff said: There may be an element of grooming by you.

Sheriff Niven-Smith also highlighted to Anderson that, having been released, he flagrantly disregarded a condition not to contact the girl.

He said: Having regard to the nature of the charges I consider you are a potential danger to the public, in particular young children.

You may have a predilection.

Sentence was deferred until May 9 for the production of background reports and Anderson was remanded in custody.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

Description

A 76-year-old man has admitted making thousands of indecent images of children.

Keith Taylor admitted to a string of offences at Teesside Magistrates' Court after he was found with more than 7,000 indecent images of children. Of these, there were 287 category A images - the most serious - as well as 338 category B images and 6,585 category C.

Taylor, who appeared to be carrying a bag of groceries in court, also admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the notification requirements he's subject to on the sex offender's register. He did not register a Vanquis gold credit card and a Santander credit card within three days of obtaining them.

Given the number of images, magistrates decided that the case should be sent to the higher court for sentencing. Taylor, of Dalby Close, Redcar, will next appear at Teesside Crown Court on May 12.

Taylor, who was represented by Andrew McGloin, was given unconditional bail and an a probation report will be carried out for his sentencing hearing. Taylor spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address and to enter pleas of guilty during the short hearing.

Description

A rapist who attacked two lone women on the same night has been sent back to prison - six months after being released.

Bobby Barclay was just 17 years old when he committed two violent sex offences within two hours of each other on the streets of Newcastle. During the first offence, he abused a 52-year-old unconscious woman in a back alley in Gosforth.

The teenager, formally of Gateshead, then followed a 25-year-old woman out of Newcastle city centre and threatened to stab her before brutally raping her in Exhibition Park.

Barclay committed the offences in June 2015 after drinking and taking legal highs. He admitted rape, sexual assault and theft and was sent to a young offender institution for seven years and three months, with an extended licence until 2028.

Teesside Crown Court heard on Monday morning how he was released on licence in October last year, placed on probation in the Cleveland area and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements.

Barclay, now 25, had registered a mobile phone with police and told them that he used the alias 'GeordieBobby' for his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

However, during a visit January this year, an officer seized a new mobile phone which he had been using. They discovered he had been using TikTok under the name 'Bobbybarc' and Snapchat under the name 'Bobby_B22815'.

Jenny Hague, prosecuting, told the court in Middlesbrough: "Neither of these had been registered with the police, which he was required to do.

"When the officer attended and went to speak to him in respect of that he was in the process of donning a rucksack and intending to abscond because he thought he was about to be recalled by probation."

Barclay, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching the terms of a notification requirement.

Gary Wood, defending, told the court how he had pleaded guilty during the first hearing at magistrates' court. He said the crimes he committed were not "sophisticated" and that the names were not particularly "discreet".

Mr Wood added: "There's nothing more sinister that's come about as a result of the investigation."

Recorder Aisha Wadoodi told Barclay, who appeared in court via a video link to HMP Durham, that he had received a "very considerable sentence" in 2015 for sexual offences.

She said: "You were released on licence in October 22. There were conditions and terms imposed. You clearly understood them because you registered your phone."

She sentenced Barclay, previously of Edgeware Road, Deckham, to 12 months behind bars.

Chronicle Live previously reported in 2015 how Barclay's first victim, a professional 52-year-old lady, had been out socialising and was walking home around 12.15am when he struck in an alleyway in Gosforth.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how she had no memory of the attack and was found unconscious on the ground by two women passing by. Prosecutors said they couldn't prove whether Barclay took her to the ground and knocked her out or abused her after finding her unconscious.

Barclay carried out the even more serious attack on the 25-year-old as she left the city centre after a night out at around 2am. A taxi driver spotted him following the woman as she headed past the Haymarket and up towards the Central Motorway and Barclay hid in bushes as the cabbie tried to raise the alarm.

But as the woman got inside the entrance of Exhibition Park, just off Claremont Road, she was attacked. The woman tried giving Barclay money in the hope he would leave her alone but he wouldn’t stop.

Description

A married father-of-three hacked into hundreds of webcams around the world to spy on women undressing and having sex.

Christopher Taylor, 60, from Abram, Wigan, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty at Bolton Crown Court on Monday to securing unauthorised access to computer material, voyeurism and possession of extreme pornography. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.

The court heard Taylor tricked 772 people in 39 countries to unwittingly relinquish control of their webcams so he could monitor their private lives.

He used the malware "Cammy" over a three-year-period to log to victims' devices without them knowing.

Police believe that Taylor watched 47 women engage in sexual activity with their partners from his laptop.

He was caught after staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the US city of Atlanta alerted the FBI when the malware was found on the laptop of a student at the university's aerospace laboratory.

The court heard that when police in the UK later raided his home in 2016, Taylor, a full-time carer for his wife Wendy, said: Its just what Ive been meddling with on the computer.

Taylor had amassed about 80,000 images and videos from his voyeurism between August 2012 and July 2015.

There were also 82 bestiality related images and videos, the court was told.

Taylor lured his victims with a phony link he placed on pornography sites, which, when clicked, would allow him full access to their laptops.

US officials had asked for Taylor to be extradited to the US to face trial for wire fraud and computer fraud but a UK court ruled it out.

Neil Fryman, prosecuting, said of Taylor on Monday: He downloaded these malware viruses and learnt how to spread them onto pornography websites.

"He used torrent files to upload the malware on to various websites and disguise it as another link for a programme called 'Cammy', which was described as all-in-one camera alarm system.

"Individuals were invited to click the link, thinking they were going to view porn. Once they had done so, the defendant gained access to their laptop features, including their webcam. He hid his online identity using obfuscation software, making him hard to track."

The prosecutor added: "He had many more thousands of files saved on his computer that had never been downloaded.

"Many of these images and videos captured people eating, working, lying in bed and doing yoga.

"However, there were also a number of images that showed people in various stages of undress and involved in sexual activity. In total, 47 victims were pictured engaging in sexual activity."

Defending Taylor, Andrew Jebb said: He still struggles to provide an obvious answer as to why all of this began. Hacking on this scale is a very odd interest for any man to have but it merely started out as an interest in viruses before it developed into something more sinister."

Description

A 65-year-old man has been jailed for historic sexual abuse on a girl under the age of 14.

Neil Kinney, of Fielding Street, Rishton, appeared at Preston Crown Court last week charged with four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14.

The court heard how the offences were all carried out on the same victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between January 1978 and January 1979, in Clitheroe.

Kinney, who would have been 20 or 21 at the time, was jailed for 22 months.

He was also made subject of a 10 year sexual harm prevention order, told he must sign the sex offender’s register for the next 10 years and was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order in relation to his victim.

Description

A convicted sex offender who absconded from HMP North Sea Camp in November last year has now been arrested.

Paul Marshall, 54, was serving a life sentence for rape and wounding with intent.

Lincolnshire Police and their Nottinghamshire colleagues have been investigating since Marshall was reported missing from HMP North Sea Camp near Boston on November 22 last year.

Humberside Police shared an appeal last week saying they believe “Paul may now be in the Bridlington area” in East Yorkshire, and he was arrested in the Humberside area. This comes after there were previous sightings of him in Mansfield town centre, and in Doncaster.

On Monday (April 17), Lincolnshire Police said: “A 54-year-old man who was wanted after absconding from HMP North Sea Camp, in November, has been arrested. Thank you to everyone who shared our appeals.”

Boston and Skegness MP Matt Warman previously said the “fault lies with the system that puts people in the wrong kind of prison” after Marshall absconded from HMP North Sea Camp.

The local MP later told The Lincolnite that, despite it being the first abscond since a tightening of the open prison system, it was a “sign of failure”.

He added that it is important to look at various factors when considering those placed in open prisons.

Description

A 47-year-old man has been jailed for 18 years after raping and sexually assaulting a woman in his car at 4am. A Detective from Kent Police has labelled the incident ‘despicable’ and has said tackling violence against women and girls is one of the forces key priorities.

Peter Wrotchford, formerly of Ashley Avenue, Folkestone, targeted the victim as she walked in the Tram Road area of the town at around 4am on September 4, 2022.

After raping the woman, Wrotchford then drove her to various locations near Folkestone and carried out sexual offences, before driving her to the address of a friend of hers. Once at her friend's home, the victim told her about the incident and it was reported to Kent Police.

An investigation connected Wrotchford’s vehicle a white Ford Connect being connected to the offence. The Police arrested him the day after the incident took place and he was charged with rape and sexual assault on September 6.

Wrotchford was found guilty of rape and sexual assault charges following a trial and was jailed for 18 years at Canterbury Crown Court on 14 April 2023. He will serve an extra four years on licence.

Detective Constable Chris Brett, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'Tackling violence against women and girls is one of Kent Police's key priorities and part of that work is bringing offenders like Wrotchford to justice.

'His actions on the night of this offence were despicable and I am pleased he will now be in prison, and off the streets of Folkestone, for a considerable amount of time.

'I would like to pay tribute to the victim's courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings, and I hope the quick arrest of this offender and the sentence now imposed assist her as she rebuilds her life.'

Description

The perverted behaviour of 27-year-old Windermere man Callum Spedding came to light after he was taken in by a police sting which involved an undercover officer posing online as a 13-year-old girl.

When police seized the defendant’s digital devices, they discovered that he was also sexually grooming a 13-year-old boy, though the victim was never properly identified.

Spedding, of Mill Brow, Droomer, Windemere, admitted six offences – one count of making an indecent image of a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual behaviour; and three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Tim Evans outlined the offences, which were all committed on dates in March, 2020.

The first set of offences related to the police sting, when Spedding began communicating online with a person who repeatedly identified herself as a 13-year-old girl.

During a series of online exchanges over several days, the defendant offered to buy her sweets and other treats – clothing, jewellery, and a phone; and he spoke to her about taking her to McDonald’s.

“It’d be cool to take you out and spoil you,” he told the ‘girl.’ As the contact continued, Spedding’s conversation became increasingly sexual, said Mr Evans. He spoke of wanting to meet her and described explicitly the sexual contact he wanted with her.

The court heard that the defendant encouraged the girl to “practice” certain sex acts in preparation for a potential meeting.

It was after police raided the defendant’s home and arrested him on April 1, 2020, that officers examined his digital devices, they found incriminating evidence that Spedding had also been grooming a boy.

Once again, the communication amounted to sexual grooming, with Spedding discussing sexual matters, including his desire to sexually abuse the child in graphic detail.

Jack Troupe, defending, said the defendant had struggled to come to terms with the offences he had committed. He was also struggling with mental health difficulties, said the barrister.

But with three years having elapsed since the offending, there had been no repeat of the illegal behaviour, added Mr Troupe.

Judge Nicholas Barker told Spedding that it was clear that he had genuinely believed he was communicating with children who were aged just 13. On March 20, 2020, he had clearly stepped up his attempt to sexually groom the girl, offering to buy her gifts.

He told the child he wanted to see her in swimwear.

In the days that followed, the communication became increasingly sexualised, with Spedding asking the “child” to send him indecent photos of herself.

The judge noted that Spedding had been “socially isolated” but he rejected the defendant's claim that his offending was triggered by the pandemic lockdown, given that the illegal behaviour began before the national lockdown.

The judge said: “You were socially isolated and you were suffering mental health conditions and continue to do so.” But a Probation officer had assessed Spedding as posing a “direct risk” to children, given the extent of his efforts to have sexual contact with the two 13-year-olds.

He jailed the defendant for 31 months and put him on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely. Spedding will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.