Latest Offenders

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A sex offender cried and told his victim he 'couldn't help it' after attacking her.

William Roberts repeatedly sexually assaulted the youngster over a period of around six months and told her on one occasion "I can't help it". Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Monday, that the 42-year-old's crimes were discovered after he was taken to hospital due to concerns about his mental health and alcohol consumption.

While in hospital Roberts, of Alpha Street in Bootle, admitted his crimes to his sister and told her "I don't know what's real" and believed that his victim was plotting to kill him.

Peter Killen, prosecuting, said he confessed that he had "heard voices in his head telling him to touch" his victim over the previous eight months and admitted having done so. When police contacted the complainant, she confirmed that he had regularly touched her on the bottom and chest over her clothing.

The schoolgirl described one occasion in which she confronted him and he began crying. Roberts, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, told her: "I can't help it."

Under interview after his arrest, he stated to officers that he had "been hearing voices in his head telling him to touch her". The defendant added: "I can't take it anymore."

Roberts "denied a sexual motive", but said that the girl was "beautiful" and "attractive". He had also heard "voices telling him to rape her, but he wouldn't do it".

A statement read to the court on behalf of the victim's mum said: "He took a happy teenager and destroyed her confidence. He broke her spirit.

"I will never recover from this, but we will slowly start to rebuild our lives. Our lives are devastated.

"We pray the court will ensure that he never has the opportunity to repeat this with another person. I really worry the abuse has left a mark on her."

Roberts, who has no previous convictions, admitted two counts of sexual assault. Recorder Ian Harris jailed him for three years and handed him a sexual harm prevention order, a notification requirement and a restraining order.

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A man who sexually abused his school-aged victim back in the 1990s has been jailed for 20 years after police officers built an extensive case against him.

Kris Bond, 61, began abusing his school-aged victim in the 90s, forcing his young victim into sexual acts and raping her over several years while she was a child.

He bribed and threatened her into keeping quiet and it was not until years later in 2018 that she made the brave decision to contact the police and disclose her past trauma.

After a lengthy investigation from specialist officers working for Northumbria Police, Bond, of Lyncroft, Ashington, was charged with ten offences, including four counts of rape, four counts of indecency with a child and two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He claimed to be innocent of any wrongdoing and the case was sent for trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

But a jury found him guilty of all ten offences on August 15 this year.

On Friday (October 21), at that same court, a judge handed Bond a 20-year jail sentence.

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A young man has narrowly avoided a prison sentence after offering a girl a place to stay after a night out in Falmouth before going on to grope her while she was asleep. Finian McCormick, 27, then sent the girl messages the next day saying that nothing had happened.

McCormick, of Bar Road in Falmouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to sexual assault by touching.

Prosecuting the case, Jason Beal described how McCormick and the victim had been on a night out in December of last year. They visited Beer Wolf and then left the last pub between midnight and 1am.

The victim was feeling very sick and when they got to McCormicks flat he gave her a pair of shorts and a blanket so she could take off her jeans and get into bed. She kept the top half of her clothing on and wrapped herself up in the blanket. Mr Beal told the court that the victim then drifted off and woke to find McCormicks hand down her shorts and pants.

He was stroking her vagina and she could feel his erect penis behind her. Mr Beal said: At first she lay in a frozen state. She then got out of bed and put on her jeans. The defendant asked if she was okay and she began screaming at him. She picked up her belongings and ran off.

She then received a number of messages on Facebook Messenger telling her nothing happened and checking she was okay. There were further messages saying he thought she said yes (to sexual contact). McCormick went on to tell police that he believed she consented.

Defending, Rupert Taylor described McCormick as industrious and as someone who has started his own company. He said: There are a raft of references on his behalf. This was poor behaviour on just one occasion which is regrettable. It has led to shame not just for him but for his family. Every other aspect of his life was on track and he understands hes at fault.

Sentencing McCormick, Judge Simon Carr said the circumstances of the offence were truly appalling. He reiterated that the victim was so drunk she was physically sick and agreed to stay at McCormicks flat as she trusted him.

Judge Carr said: This is something shell have to carry for the rest of her life. On the other side of the equation you are 27 and of previous good character. Ive read references from your friends and previous partners.

In the vast majority of these cases defendants plead not guilty but you have showed courage by pleaded guilty and that allows me to pass a sentence quite different and take a truly exceptional course.

McCormick was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement. McCormick must now sign the sex offenders register and a restraining order was put in place.

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Image: Crown Prosecution Service, Thames Valley Police

A convicted groper continued to protest his innocence as he was jailed for almost a year.

Mitigating on his own behalf, Artig Emmanuel, 24, said of a set of offences committed against five women in Didcot in November 2020 for which he was convicted in September: “We do not even have any evidence that any of these things happened.”

He told Oxford Crown Court on Friday that there was ‘no DNA’ and ‘no identification’ evidence collected by the police, who obtained CCTV footage of him in the area around the time of the attacks.

“They [the prosecution] just skipped straight to trial,” he said – claiming that, had the victims been black rather than white, ‘it would have been different’. “White women, you’ve got some privilege,” he said.

Appearing to accuse the justice system of racial bias, he told Judge Maria Lamb that he had wanted a ‘diverse jury’ and cited research that a more diverse jury was ‘less likely to convict a black person’.

He criticised coverage of his second trial in the media and, in particular, reporting of the fact he quoted the title of Shaggy’s 2000 hit ‘It Wasn’t Me’ in addressing the jury.

“That is an unimportant point. Don’t put clickbait over the truth,” said Emmanuel, who during the second trial also cited the title of rap star Skepta’s single ‘That’s Not Me’ and quoted the words of Old Testament figure King Solomon that ‘what is lacking cannot be counted.

Sentencing him to 48 weeks’ imprisonment, Judge Lamb noted that Emmanuel had told the probation service that he ‘would not cooperate’ with conditions attached to a community order or suspended sentence.

“I am sorry that the pre-sentence reports make clear that you do not wish to avail yourself of the help that the probation service could offer to you,” she told the defendant, who spent more than 200 days in prison on remand.

“I do not think that it would be appropriate to impose a sentence of community service here in any event.

“These offences are too serious for that. They attract a prison sentence and it wouldn’t be right to seek to impose a community service order, you having spent so much time in custody already.”

He will be on the sex offender register for 10 years.

Emmanuel, of Blackthorn Road, Didcot, was convicted in February of sexually assaulting a female dog walker in Wantage in 2021. He was subsequently refused permission by the Court of Appeal to challenge his convictions.

In September, he was convicted of five counts of sexual touching. He had slapped or touched five women over two nights in November 2020.

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A sick paedophile who preyed on a teenager with learning difficulties and convinced her to have sex with him was caught after the youngster revealed all to her mum. Pervert Sam Collier persuaded the 'vulnerable' 14-year-old to skip going home after school and instead spend time with him at the Birmingham hostel where he lived.

Her worried mother raised the alarm when she failed to return home, with police discovering her in Collier's flat the next day. But the youngster only revealed she had been with the 28-year-old after her concerned mum spotted 'marks'.

It came just weeks after Collier was arrested when paedophile hunters duped him into thinking he was meeting up with a different schoolgirl for sex. Now vile predator Collier has been locked up after a judge branded him a 'dangerous offender'.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how a member of a so-called paedophile hunting group was 'clearly' posing online as a 14-year-old. The schoolgirl 'repeated' her age throughout conversations with him on Facebook Messenger from December 27, 2018, and January 3, 2019.

Prosecutor Ben Williams said: "The messages were turned into a sexual direction by the defendant, really from the outset. He also lied about his age, insisting he was only 15. The messages involved the defendant quickly beginning to press her to send him intimate pictures. She did nothing to encourage the defendant's messages."

Collier sent her explicit pictures before planning to meet in Kings Heath for sex, where he was met by members of the paedophile hunting group.

The paedophile was arrested but was released on bail and started speaking to a real girl on Facebook. Their conversations moved to texts and WhatsApp, with the girl making it clear she was 14. She was 'extremely vulnerable', with a reading age of eight, and needed extra help at school, Mr Williams said.

The young victim also had a history of self-harm, which she referred to in her conversations with Collier. Mr Williams added: "The defendant must have known she had mental health issues and [was] vulnerable."

The pair arranged to meet in Wolverhampton about a fortnight later but the child's mother stopped her from leaving the house. Three days later she failed to come back home from school, with her mum identifying Collier from messages on her tablet.

Police then discovered the girl at Collier's flat - which was within a Handsworth hostel - the next morning. Her mum spotted 'marks' on her neck and body, with the girl revealing she was taken to Collier's home.

Mr Williams said: "It was the defendant who arranged to meet her after school with the specific reason given that her mother would not be there." Callum Church, defending, said Collier has had a 'chaotic existence' since childhood and does not speak to any of his family members.

He understands he 'needs a new life', Mr Church added. The court was told how Collier had previous convictions dating back to when he was a youth, including burglary, battery and breach of a court order.

Sentencing, Judge Rhona Campbell said the convict was 'desperate' for his conversations with the real girl to become 'sexual'. She added: "She was an extremely vulnerable girl. Her mental health was of such fragility that she had been accessing the children and adolescent mental health services."

Collier admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence. The judge said he was 'dangerous' and handed him an extended sentence of 13 years on October 13.

It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 10-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of three years once released. Collier, from Bolton, Lancashire, was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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A MAN who sexually assaulted an elderly patient at Liverpools Royal Hospital just a couple of months after he had assaulted another woman has been jailed for three years.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that Carl Burger, 55, of Fenwick Street in Liverpool, assaulted the elderly woman when she was in the accident and emergency unit at the Royal Liverpool Hospital in August 2022.

The 81-year-old woman was in a cubicle at the hospital, awaiting further treatment by staff.

Pretended he was a doctor

Burger entered the cubicle and pretended he was a doctor. He then sexually assaulted her.

A nurse entered the cubicle and challenged him.

He tried to leave but was detained by the nurse with assistance from colleagues and security until police attended and arrested him.

He was later charged with sexual assault.

In June, a couple of months before this attack, Burger had assaulted a woman in her own home in Liverpool in the early hours of the morning.

The victim had been asleep and woke to realise she was being assaulted.

She raised the alarm and he was told to leave. A report was immediately made to police who attended and took statements. He was later charged with sexual assault.

Guilty to both offences

At Liverpool Crown Court last month he pleaded guilty to both offences.

On Friday, October 21, 2022, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

A restraining order was imposed and he was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Victim - I cannot believe someone would do something so awful

The Victim Personal Statements of both women were read to the court and showed the devastating impact such offences have on victims and their families.

The elderly victim said: I am in the later stages of my life, a period where I should be carefree and just be able to enjoy being with my family.

"Since this incident however I am more vulnerable than ever. I feel I have lost my spark and my family would also share those concerns.

"I appear like I have just given up, defeated and my family say they have lost the nan they know and love.

"The males actions have not only had a profound effect on me, but also my family. They fear the worst, and we hope that no other person has to suffer at the hands of this terrible male.

"I cannot believe someone would do something so awful to a vulnerable person in need, and hope this male is punished for what he has done.

In her Victim Personal Statement, the younger victim said: I worry about him ever turning up at my address and worry that I will come across him again.

The incident has made me feel incredibly conscious and worried about everything, at night I want every door to be locked and checked as I worry that someone will creep into the house and do something to me.

'Serial sex offender'

Senior Crown Prosecutor Chris Fontaine, a specialist prosecutor in CPS Mersey Cheshires Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: Burger is a serial sex offender who preyed on vulnerable women in circumstances that meant they were even more vulnerable.

"We would like to thank the victims, their families and the staff at the Royal Liverpool Hospital for immediately reporting these offences to the police and stopping this offending behaviour before it escalated further.

"It is because of their actions, their evidence and their support that Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service were able to build a strong case and bring this case to justice in a timely manner.

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Benjamin Cain said he did not know the youngster had a crush on him - but struck up a relationship as she left the care home he worked at.
 
A care worker at a Fylde children's home struck up a relationship with a teenager before going on to rape her at her supported accommodation.

Benjamin Cain, 42, was working at a care home when he met the youngster. During a trial at Preston Crown Court, the girl said she became besotted with Cain and fell in love with him while she was in Local Authority care at the home.

Cain, who was more than twice the girl's age, claimed to have been oblivious to her 'schoolgirl crush.' But when it was time to move to her own flat, she said Cain hugged her and kissed her full on the lips, describing it as 'a snog'. "She was absolutely delighted", Judge Philip Parry, sentencing, said.

The following morning Cain promised to visit the youngster at her new home when he returned from his holiday two weeks later From that point Cain and the teen had a sexual relationship which lasted for around 14 months.

"You maintained the power dynamic between you", Judge Parry said. The girl described how Cain had a temper and would arrogantly tell her, "you're my girlfriend - I can have sex with you whenever I want."

On one occasion, she said something changed while they were having sex and she told Cain to stop. He carried on and became violent, pushing her against a wall and pushing her face into a pillow as she 'screamed the flat down'. As soon as the ordeal was over the young woman accused her boyfriend of rape, but she told the court he laughed in her face.

The girl ended the relationship but told the jury that in the month that followed she would see Cain hanging around close to her work. A year after the relationship ended he contacted her by text, saying he wanted to smooth things over.

Judge Parry said: "Her responses were absolutely spot on. She said you were only contacting her to ease your guilty conscience. You knew that a little less than a year earlier you had committed the offence of rape and you wanted her to not say anything. That backfired spectacularly."

The woman told her partner and later the manager of the children's home where she and Cain had met. Cain was arrested and denied any wrongdoing, but was dismissed from his position as a care worker.

However following a week long trial he was convicted of rape and sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. Handing down a sentence of five years and nine months in prison, Judge Parry told him: "You were trained in relation to how you should behave around vulnerable children including how to avoid situations where a vulnerable child could be exploited.

"You knew the rules and the reasons why you should not behave inappropriately with children in your care. You were trained in the way you should act." The judge accepted Cain has no previous convictions but said it was this previous good character which unlocked the defendant's access to vulnerable girls.

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A fireman used social media to groom young girls across the UK and threatened to publish indecent images of them online.

Lewis MacLeod, 24, bombarded the teenagers with messages and live video calls, pressuring them over a three-year period to keep sending obscene pictures and footage to satisfy his perversions.

He was jailed after admitting the offences at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and has been removed from his role in the fire service. 

 MacLeod, described as a high-risk sex offender, used the Snapchat platform to target his 15-year-old victims and show them pornography before begging them to carry out sex acts on themselves.

He threatened two of the girls that he would disclose the images and videos they sent him unless they supplied him with more.

A third victim was forced to strip and perform an indecent act after MacLeod vowed to expose her on social media unless she allowed him to access the private area of her Snapchat account.

MacLeod, of Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, who changed his online profile when the girls tried to block him, was exposed after his victims gave statements to the police and officers seized his phone and electronic devices.

 He admitted six charges under the Sexual Offences and Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Acts, carried out between April 2018 and February 2021.

Gordon Ghee, defending, told Kilmarnock Sheriff Court MacLeod “was taken from mainstream education due to his parents’ religious views and was home-schooled – he experienced substantial isolation from social situations and his peers”.

Sheriff Alistair Watson said the victims could never be certain if images of them would reappear.

He said he would have sentenced MacLeod to three years but, due to his age and background, would restrict it to 14 months. He also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Dunlop of Police Scotland said: “MacLeod used social media to befriend and groom girls throughout the UK. He will rightly face the consequences of his actions and a lengthy period in prison.” 

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Convicted Paedophile Back In Jail After Battering His Girlfriend Three Days After Prison Release.

A woman allowed a paedophile to stay at her home following his release from prison, only for him to beat her black and blue three days later.

Derek Wiswall formed a relationship with his victim while he was behind bars. But when the 33-year-old was freed from custody and went to reside with her, he spat at her and punched her to the floor - falsely believing that she was having an affar.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he and Abigail Cowell met in February this year, and she would send him money "on the basis that he would pay her back upon his release". Ben Berkson, prosecuting, described how Wiswall moved into her home in Widnes "while he was looking for accommodation" when he was released on licence on May 17.

But on May 20, the defendant discovered that she had been messaging another man on Facebook and incorrectly believed she was having an affair with him. He responded by repeatedly spitting at her, pushing her around the flat and punching her in the face - causing her to fall to the floor crying.

Wiswall, of no fixed address but from Runcorn, then called her a "fat s**g" and was told her "she deserved everything she got". Ms Cowell tried to call a friend whom she hoped to leave and stay with, but her abuser grabbed and snapped her phone then punched and damaged her laptop when she tried to reach out using that device.

The complainant suffered a "swollen black eye" during this initial assault, but did stay at the address that night. Wiswall, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, "continued to accuse her of infidelity" the next morning however.

She went to buy him beer from shop, and upon her return he threatened to kill himself with a broken shard of a glass bottle then punched her in the face and damaged television sets in the living room and bedroom by thumping them. Ms Cowell managed to escape and sought help from a neighbour, after which the police were called.

The events had a "long-standing impact" upon her. In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, she described having been "left very scared" - and also had to move back in with her mum.

Wiswall has three previous convictions for eight offences, being jailed for seven months in October 2020 for possession of indecent images. In February 2022, he received 18 weeks for failing to comply with notification requirements as part of this sentence.

The thug committed his latest crimes while out on licence. Martyn Walsh, defending, said: "He does offer his remorse to the victim and asks that the court accepts that as genuine."

Wiswall admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage and was locked up for 16 months on Wednesday. He was also handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting Ms Cowell for five years and was told to pay a victim surcharge.Sentencing, Recorder Eric Lamb described his attack as a "prolonged and persistent assault" which "involved a breach of the trust which should exist between partners in an intimate relationship" - adding: "This took place in the complainant's home She now feels unsafe and scared.

"I have reached the conclusion that in the circumstances of this case, in which you were on licence for just three days before the commission of the offence against a person who had given you accommodation to which you were released, only a sentence of immediate custody can provide adequate punishment. I do not consider that the prospect of rehabilitation outweighs or outbalances that fact."

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A SERVING Sellafield police officer secretly amassed a depraved collection of more than 18,000 child abuse images, including ones which showed the “sadistic rape and abuse” of babies.

Shaun Mandale, 45, plunged the “very depths of depravity”, said the judge who sentenced him at Carlisle Crown Court.

The defendant, from Belvedere Road, Workington, was jailed after he pleaded guilty to several offences. They included possessing 18,135 child abuse images, of which 7,651 were classed as Category A, the most serious kind; possessing 52 prohibited images of children; and possessing 96 extreme pornography images.

He was accessing the images over a 17-month period - from February, 2020, until July, 2021.  Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined the upsetting facts of the case.

He said the offending came to light when police raided Mandale's home, the officers having had a tip-off that the defendant was using a “cloud storage” facility to access illegal child images.

Mandale was using various internet browsing tools to keep his habit of downloading such sickening images – still photos and videos – secret from everybody around him. 

He was also using cryptocurrency.

In secret communications with fellow perverts, he spoke of needing to be “discreet” because his wife was in bed in another room. The court then heard details of some of the images collected by Mandale.

“It was a huge collection of child sexual abuse material,” said Mr Rogerson. “It included rape and the sadistic abuse of babies.” Some of the abuse victims were tethered while they were being abuse.

One such victim was a boy thought to be about one year old, the court heard. The image showed him screaming in distress and struggling as he was being abused, the court heard.

Brendan Burke, defending, said that Mandale’s life had been “devastated” by his offending, leading to the end of his marriage and what had been a “genuine” and "almost successful" suicide attempt.

But, said the barrister, the defendant had taken steps to address his behaviour.

This included two things: firstly, he was working with an organisation called Safer Lives, designed to make him more aware of his flaws and to take steps to address them; and secondly, Mandale had turned his back on drugs and alcohol.

“That was one of the reasons for the offending,” said Mr Burke.

The barrister spoke also of Mandale having issues not just with substances but also with Asperger’s syndrome, which led to obsessive behaviour and “unbridled curiosity.”

Judge Ian Unsworth KC told Mandale: “You have plunged the very depths of depravity... having images of babies of six months being subjected to the most appalling depravity one can imagine.

“It truly defies belief that someone would have contemplated such a thing, let alone recorded it for paedophiles like you to watch.” The judge noted also that Mandale deployed sophisticated software to conceal what he was doing.

Judge Unsworth added: “It’s important to note that each and every one of those children are victims; somewhere in the world they were being abused. If it were not for people like you, if it were not for paedophiles who want to look at such material, it may well be that such activities would be less likely to occur.

“It’s worth noting that these are not just images; they are babies, or children; and they have suffered a great deal.”

The judge jailed Mandale, who has no previous convictions, for 33 months and put him on the Sex Offender Register for life. He will also be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the next decade.

A spokesman for the Civil Nuclear Constabluary described Mandale's offending as "repugnant". 

CNC Chief Constable Simon Chesterman said: “All those who work in the police service know that their behaviour and actions have to be of the highest standards to ensure we maintain the trust of those we police by consent. On behalf of the CNC, I can say that we are angry, upset and sickened by his vile actions.”

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A THUG who was previously jailed for a shocking attack on a youth in a park has been sent back to custody.

Ethan Moran knocked the boy’s front tooth out and left him with hearing problems after disapproving of him being in a relationship with a younger girl.

However, the 21-year-old has now been jailed again for having sex with an underage girl.

Moran was charged with engaging in sexual activity with a child, and he appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, explained how the offence occurred in the summer of 2020 when he was 19, while the complainant was a girl under the age of 16.

One evening, while both were at loose ends, they met up at the defendant’s flat on his invitation to watch a film.

The court heard how the defendant knew she was underage and she knew he was 19, but he met her outside and escorted her upstairs.

She thought they would only be watching a film due to her age, the court was told, however this escalated to kissing on the couch and then unprotected sex.

At the time she said she was ‘fine’, but then became ‘panicky’ due to the age difference.

The court heard that the defendant lied to the complainant’s parents about his age, but they soon found out and Moran was arrested in December 2020.

He admitted to police that they had engaged in sexual activity, but he told them he was in a ‘bad place’ at the time mentally and with drugs.

In an impact statement, the court heard how the complainant has suffered from anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts since the incident.

Ms Mottram revealed to the court that Moran has one previous conviction for wounding, for which he was handed 12 months detention in a young offender institution in May last year.

That offence took place three months after the sex offence, but before he was arrested for it.

It arose after his punch in Brickfield Park in Orford knocked a teen’s front tooth out and left him with hearing problems.

Moran, who had taken class A drugs beforehand, launched the attack on a 16-year-old boy, as for ‘reasons unknown’, he objected to his victim starting a relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

The defendant continued to punch the teen five or six times to the head after knocking him to the ground and only stopped after desperate pleas from shocked onlookers.

 The boy took his tooth to the dentist the next day, where he was told the tooth would not stay in and would require an implant which requires replacing every 10 to 15 years.

He also revealed that he must wear a hearing aid for the rest of his life due to hearing problems developed as a result of the attack.

In defence of his client, Anthony Rose referenced Moran’s guilty plea and the fact that ‘this is not a situation where there was an element of coercion or grooming’.

“This was an inappropriate and wrong sexual relationship between two consenting people,” the barrister explained.

“The defendant is a different person then than he is now, as he has been through a significant custodial sentence which had a profound effect on him.

“He has done a lot of growing up since then, and he was very immature a the time of the offence.”

Mr Rose told the court that the defendant has been volunteering with a group helping to deliver food parcels as he ‘wants to pay back and become a better person’, and added that there is a ‘compelling argument to allow this man to have his liberty’.

But this view was rejected by judge David Potter, who concluded that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

He said: “This was clearly inappropriate and wrong sexual activity, which you accept.

“The offence is a serious offence, and I am satisfied that you knew the person you had penetrative sex with was under 16.

“The law exists to protect children, sometimes from themselves. You should have known and acted better.

“The offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.

“The sentence is capable of being suspended, but I am satisfied that only adequate punishment can be achieved by the imposition of an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”

Moran, of Poplars Avenue in Orford, was sentenced to six months in prison.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and must abide by sex offender registration requirements for the same length of time.

In addition, a restraining order preventing him from contacting the complainant by any means was imposed for an indefinite period. 

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Robert Johnson, 40, was jailed for 27 months and has now been prohibited from teaching indefinitely in any school in England.

A Durham schoolteacher who distributed indecent videos and was snared during an FBI investigation has been banned from teaching indefinitely.

Robert Johnson, 40, was caught after FBI agents identified links between his home computer IP address and a file sharing site being used to distribute indecent images. It was then referred to the National Crime Agency in the UK who picked up the investigation alongside local police. In 2020, Johnson was jailed for 27 months at Durham Crown Court after being found guilty of two charges relating to the distribution of indecent videos of children.

The court heard Johnson, who worked as a history teacher, undertook steps to protect his identity while using a cloud storage site to share indecent videos. He used sophisticated privacy software, including the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide his IP address to avoid detection. 

Two years on from his prison sentence, in September this year, a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) remotely convened to consider the case of Johnson before prohibiting him from teaching indefinitely. Before his conviction, Johnson was employed as a teacher and was the head of humanities at a County Durham school and was arrested in March 2019. He was then suspended from his role at the school before being dismissed on the same day he received his prison sentence on the grounds of "frustration of contract".

The panel meeting heard Johnson signed a statement of agreed facts and admitted his conviction after he requested the allegation be considered without a hearing. Because of the request, the meeting took place in private and in his absence.

A report of the meeting, which has now been published, said: "The panel noted that Johnson’s actions were relevant to teaching, working with children and working in an education setting due to the nature of his conviction. Similarly, the panel also noted that the behaviour involved in committing the offence could have had an impact on the safety or security of pupils and/or members of the public.

"The panel also took account of the way the teaching profession is viewed by others. The panel considered that Johnson’s behaviour in committing the offences could affect public confidence in the teaching profession, given the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community."

The panel also took into account that Johnson "acknowledged the sexual nature of his misconduct (and) is likely to be considered as permanently incompatible with the teaching profession …” The report added: "The lack of any apparent insight or remorse means that there is some risk of the repetition of this behaviour and this puts at risk the future wellbeing of pupils."

The panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Johnson should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period. The panel also made a recommendation that a prohibition order should be imposed with immediate effect. This means that Johnson is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England. Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegation found proved against him, it was decided that Johnson shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach.

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A 'perverted' 66-year-old man abducted and raped a 12-year-old girl he had met online. Dinato Rizzi knew the girl was under 16 and had planned how he would cover his tracks if he was caught, a Leicestershire Police investigation found.

Rizzi, of Netherhall, Leicester, The court heard he had been in contact with the child online and later said he was not aware of her age - a claim described by a detective on the case as "completely absurd".

Rizzi's victim bravely shared her experience with specialist officers after her mother discovered she had been in touch with him. The mum contacted police in January to say her daughter had disclosed she met a man online and had been to his home in of New Romney Crescent.

She provided screenshots of messages the man and her daughter had exchanged. The girl then told police that she met with Rizzi on a number of occasions over the previous weeks and sexual activity had taken place between them at his address.

Detectives from the force's child sexual exploitation team investigated and subsequently arrested Rizzi and later charged him with a number of crimes against the child. He was found guilty of 13 offences following a trial at Nottingham Crown Court and was sentenced on on Friday, October 21.

Detective Constable Sue Cockerill, who investigated the case, said officers uncovered messages exchanged between the two where Rizzi, who is known locally as Dean or Deano, acknowledged the girl was under 16 and how he would cover his tracks if he got caught.

Detectives are still investigating Rizzi and suspect he could have other victims. Det con Cockerill added that investigators are examining devices recovered from his home and suspect he may have been in contact with other girls.

She said: “Rizzi claimed that he didn't know that the girl was under 18, a claim which is completely absurd. Anyone who takes one look at this young girl can see she is that – a young girl who doesn’t even look like she could be 16 years old let alone 18.

“She told him her real age and this man simply chose to ignore it, sexually exploiting her and taking advantage of her vulnerabilities for his own perverted gratification. This young girl and her family have been through a terrible ordeal. 

"She has been exceptionally brave in recalling her interactions with Rizzi. I hope now, finally, she and her family can start to rebuild their lives and move past what has happened.

“I would like to thank Claire Fraser KC and Sarah Holland from the Crown Prosecution Service for their significant hard work and commitment in bringing this case before the court and securing a conviction against Rizzi. We are continuing our investigation into Rizzi which includes the examination of devices recovered from his home.

"We suspect that he may have been in contact with other girls and could well have committed sexual offences against others. I would therefore urge anyone who may have been a victim to please contact us. We have officers who are trained to speak sensitively to children who may have been victims of similar offences.”

Rizzi was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was

A jury found Rizzi guilty of the following offences between December 2021 and 27 January 2022

• Two counts under the Child Abduction Act namely taking a child so as to keep her
• from a person having lawful control
• One count of taking indecent photographs of a child
• One count of taking an indecent image of a child
• One count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
• Four counts of rape of a child under 13
• Two counts of One count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration
• Two counts of rape of a child under 13

The young victim's mother has shared the impact of the offences on her daughter in a statement, which she said will affect her for the rest of her life. The mum said: “She should be at a point in her life where she is looking forward to her future but she feels she doesn’t have one.

"She can’t see her friends as much and her schoolwork has suffered massively. Her social development has suffered in many ways as well and she continues to sleep in my room at night," she said.

Detective Inspector Gary Bee, who leads the force’s exploitation team, said: “This case highlights the dangers that can lurk online and the sophisticated methods that sexual perpetrators use to exploit young and vulnerable children. It’s a timely reminder to all parents to ensure that they have safeguards in place at home to understand their children’s use of the internet and social media.

“Rizzi’s level of offending against such a young child is particularly concerning and I would urge anybody with any concerns around historic or ongoing abuse by him to contact Leicestershire Police, your concerns will be dealt with confidentially and by specially trained officers.”

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A 'predatory' child rapist has been jailed for more than a decade after targeting a vulnerable young girl two decades ago.

Michael Scott, who has a number of convictions for sexual offences, was found guilty of raping the young girl following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The 45-year-old’s depraved attack left his young victim traumatised and she is still struggling to come to terms with the impact of his rape.

In a victim impact statement, she told the court how throughout her childhood and into adulthood she had suffered from anxiety and struggled with trusting people.

She said: “It is still affecting me now; I have anxiety and depression; I have relentless nightmares and it have affected the way that I parent.

“It has affected my relationships and day-today life.”

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she suffered a mental breakdown in the lead up to Scott’s trial and is still receiving therapy to deal with her trauma.

She added: “I would like Michael Scott to go to prison for as long as possible as it will help me move on knowing he is not out there somewhere. He will do this to someone else, he has done it before, he has done it to me and he will do it again.

“He doesn’t deserve to be free to sexually abuse any more children.”

Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said the defendant was jailed for five years and eight months in 2018 for sexual offences and had also been jailed in April 2006 for six years for sexual assault.

Scott, of Dufton Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, was found guilty of a single count of rape, which occurred in the late 90s, despite refusing to take part in the trial.

Lee Fish, in mitigation, said his client continues to deny the offence, which predates all the offences that he has already been convicted for, and accepts that he does pose a risk of re-offending.

Judge Paul Watson KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, branded Scott a ‘predatory sexual offender’ as he locked him up for 12 years and issued him with a one-year extended licence.

He said: “It’s plain from her victim impact statement the offence of rape you committed towards her has had a lasting and damaging effect on her.”

Scott was issued with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life, and an indefinite restraining order.

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A pervert who had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl, knowing she was underage, and sent a naked image of her to a friend has been jailed.

Joshua Denson, who also uses the name Jay Carter, groomed his East Lancashire victim by buying her designer gifts and getting her addicted to cocaine. He then used his control over the victim to get her to sell cocaine and launder counterfeit money on his behalf.

We launched an investigation into the sordid activities of 28-year-old Denson in March 2020 after the victim’s mother raised concerns that her daughter was in a relationship with an older man.

The victim had returned home with a small amount of cocaine in her bag and when her mother examined her phone she found photographs of her daughter in bed with an older man. A text message exchange revealed the victim had been in a relationship with the man since she was 15.

An examination of Facebook Messenger exchanges revealed the victim had sold cocaine on Denson’s behalf and that she had made small purchases in local shops using counterfeit notes in order to get change in real money.

When the victim was spoken to by police for a second time she said the relationship had started when she was 15, her believing that Denson was 28, and that the relationship had become sexual before she had turned 16.

She also said that Denson would tell his friends she was 17 and his mum that she was 18.

Denson was arrested and from his iPhone, we recovered 105 indecent images of a child – the victim – with some being videos and others being photographs.

We also found evidence that Denson had sent one of the images to a contact in his phone.

There was also evidence that Denson tried to organise a threesome involving the victim and a second 15-year-old girl. In a message he wrote: “Yeah, I feel bad enough I’m having sex with one girl underage but (it doesn’t matter) I guess,”

While under investigation for this case, Denson fled the country to Malta the day after being arrested for assaulting another woman.

We brought Denson back to the UK under a Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TaCA) Warrant and put him before the courts.

Denson, formerly of Lancaster Gate, Nelson, but now of no fixed address pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child x 3, making indecent images of children x 3 and distributing an indecent image.

Earlier this week he was sentenced at Burnley Crown Court to five years and three months imprisonment, given a life-time Sexual Harm Prevention Order and order to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In her impact statement to court, the victim said: “What I have been through has impacted on my relationships. I am currently in a relationship, it has been a lot for my partner to take on. I feel when I have bad days from everything I have been through, I then put this on to my boyfriend. I now feel like I have to be more wary in my relationship, I don't always feel that I can truly be myself and have a laugh and a joke with my boyfriend. I believe the reason I feel like this way is because when Jay was in my life I felt like I had to put on a front, Jay would always tell me to tell people I was older than I was, act older than I was. I started to do things at 15 years old like going out drinking in clubs, I feel like I grew up before I needed to and this was down to Jay's influence.

“Every couple of days I experience flash backs of negative experiences I had with Jay. One of the frequent flash backs I have is when one of Jay's friends got stabbed I was helping his friend, there was a lot of blood and it was traumatic, Jay sat there eating a sandwich doing nothing.”

She added: “Jay introduced me to cocaine from the age of 15 years old. This had a massive impact on me, I've gone through rehabilitation from taking drugs, at one point I heavily relied on taking cocaine, at its worst I was taking it a couple of times a day. I feel like I have to remove myself from any situations where drugs are mentioned and I feel like the temptation will always be there now I have experimented with drugs from a young age. I have never been the type of person to take drugs, before meeting Jay I had never taken cocaine and wouldn't even consider taking it. It was down to Jay's influence that I started to take cocaine. Jay got me involved in things that I would never consider doing, I was doing things completely out of character for me. I have never been in trouble with the police or done anything criminal until meeting Jay and I feel like he dragged me down to his level.

“If I could sum up how this crime has affected me, it’s made me feel very depressed. This has impacted my confidence and I constantly feel drained. When I look back now I feel like I've been groomed. Jay was buying me expensive gifts, introducing me to drugs, this now makes me question why was he ever interested in a 15-year-old girl? I feel like my teenage years have been robbed from me because of Jay.”

PC Beth Turner, of East CID, said: “Denson is a wicked and manipulative individual who preyed upon and groomed the victim for his own perverted and sordid sexual interests.

“Reading her harrowing victim impact statement, you can see the impact Denson’s abhorrent behaviour had and continued to have on her. I would like to praise the victim and her family for the bravery they have shown, standing up against this controlling and nasty individual.

“I hope the outcome of this case and the sentence handed down to Denson will encourage other victims to come forward, knowing they will be listened to and believed, and we will do everything in our power to put their abuser before the courts.”