Latest Offenders

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A child rapist who compared his vile abuse to Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion has been locked up.

Simon Hildrew left a young girl traumatised by raping and sexually abusing her and emotionally blackmailed her into not telling anyone. When his offending came to light, he was asked by police if he thought it was okay to have sex with a child and he replied: "Is it right for Hugh Hefner to have a Playboy mansion full of teenagers".

As the 39-year-old paedophile was locked up for 14 years, with an extended licence period of a further six years, at Newcastle Crown Court, the girl's mum outlined the devastating impact he has had on her and her daughter. She said she's noticed her daughter has gone from being happy and bubbly to being "ashamed, angry and withdrawn. I believe she will require long-term therapy".

Read more: South Shields stalker jailed for transatlantic campaign of harassment of two ex partners

She added: "He took her innocence. She's so traumatised she can't even speak about it. This will affect every relationship she will go on to have and will affect her future as a whole.

"My world has been shattered. My mental health has been massively affected."

Vince Ward, prosecuting, said of the victim: "She remembers being confused, wondering why he was making her do these things and being scared in case she got told off." He added: "He told her a few times that if she told anyone what he was doing to her he would kill himself."

Hildrew, 39, formerly of Washington but latterly of no fixed address, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child, attempted rape of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault of a child, attempted sexual assault by penetration, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of sexual activity with a child - one of which was on a second victim and three counts of taking 58 indecent images of a child - most of which were of the most serious type, category A.

Jailing him and imposing indefinite sexual harm prevention and sex offender registration orders, Judge Tim Gittins said: "No sentence can go close to undoing the harm you have selfishly done with your depraved acts. It's a credit to the victims that they have come forward to ensure you are not in a position to abuse them or anyone like them for a substantial period of time and hopefully never again. I hope they can see themselves in due course as survivors of your abuse rather than victims of it."

The judge added: "You remain a danger to young females. You have described yourself as a paedophile. You are - and will remain for a substantial period of time without substantial work with professional - a significant risk of causing serious harm to young females."

When told by Judge Gittins he formed the view he had limited remorse, Hildrew replied: "What do you want me to do, get on my hands and knees and beg and cry? Is this how remorse is displayed? I'm an emotionally damaged person, I find it hard to portray emotion."

Tony Cornberg, defending, said: "He has a significant level of self-loathing. He is effectively a loner in hiding from the world.

"He feels his life is over and he has suicidal ideations. He says prison is 23 hours a day behind the door thinking about what he has done every minute of every day, worrying, depression and a pre-occupation with death and suicide."

Description

A paedophile was caught with a sickening collection of abuse images featuring children as young as three-months old.

Police found more than 2,500 illegal pictures and movies on six of Jamie McDougall's internet devices after they raided his home in November 2019 and May 2020.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he also had extreme pornography and shocking footage he had recorded of a young child using the toilet.

The court heard all of the illegal material had been stored when McDougall, now 23, was between the ages of 17 and 19.

Prosecutor Chris Baker told the court there were a "large number of victims" featured in the images and added: "The age range of the children was between three months to 16-years of age."

McDougall, of Mainsforth Terrace West, Sunderland, who has been in no trouble before or since, admitted three charges of making indecent photographs of children, one of possessing extreme pornography and one of voyeurism, committed between 2017 and 2019.

Fiona Lamb, defending, said McDougall, who has had no involvement in the criminal justice system before, has now come to terms with what he did and accepted he needs help.

Mr Recorder Jonathan Sandiford KC said the offences were "many years ago" and McDougall has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

McDougall was sentenced to 18 months, suspended for two years, with programme and rehabilitation requirements.

He has to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Description

A nursery worker has been jailed for eight years for the rapes and sexual assault against two children in Southampton.

Declan Norman, 23, coerced one of his victims - who was 13 at the time - into performing a sexual act on him in February 2020, the court heard.

Further allegations that Norman raped and sexually assaulted a young girl between a period of 2014 and 2020 were also heard by a jury at Southampton Crown Court.

A separate investigation into these matters by Hampshire and Isle of Wight’s Child Abuse Investigation Team found that Norman was in possession of a high volume of indecent images of children.

This followed a search of Norman’s home address in November 2021, where a number of electronic devices were found.

A laptop was seized and investigating officers discovered 88 Category A images – the most serious, 74 Category B images and 494 Category C images.

Norman, of Shinewell Gardens, Southampton, was found to be in the possession of 656 indecent images; albeit these were not deemed to be first edition images – so were not taken directly by Norman.

He was found guilty by a jury of rape against a child, sexual assault against a child and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

On September 7, Norman was sentenced to eight years with a further year extension.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period and on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

On sentencing Detective Constable Ella Knight, the officer in case, said: “The abhorrent offences committed by Declan Norman have, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on both the victims.

“My admiration for the victims and their parents is commendable.

“It takes a great deal of courage for people to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature, and that should never be underestimated; especially for those who have shown maturity beyond their years.

“I hope this case goes to show that regardless of how long ago a serious sexual assault, or sexual activity has happened, we will work tirelessly to relentlessly pursue perpetrators and provide specialist support to survivors.

“We want our communities to know that we stand with them and will do all in our power to bring the offenders of these horrendous crimes to justice via the criminal justice system.”

A spokesperson from Hampshire Constabulary said: “We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to report this to police on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

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Christopher Brooks plied the then 15-year-old with vodka on February 22 2020, before kissing her on the lips and groping her.

Preston Crown Court heard the girl reported the assault to the police, but Brooks, of Church Street, Ribchester, denied the allegations and took the matter to trial.

In July, he was found guilty by a jury of three counts of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Darren Preston told the court he believed Brooks, whose rugby career ended after he became injured, had continued to deny any wrongdoing, and even suggested during the course of the trial that he had been set up.

He said: “He continues to find new ways to deny the offences, and claimed during the course of the trial that this had been a set up.

“When you were arrested you denied the allegations, but your DNA was found on the inside of the victim’s bra.

“You then came up with offensive theories as to how the DNA came to be inside her bra – anything to avoid the truth of what happened that night, which is that you were guilty of the attack.”

During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday September 13, the brave victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stood in court to read her impact statement, in which she said her “whole life had been affected massively” and “she couldn’t concentrate at school or stay in lessons which impacted her overall performance in her GCSEs”.

The victim’s mother also gave a statement in which she described the last three and a half years as being “a struggle” and said: “I hope after this ends today for us he will never destroy a child’s life again”.

Brooks, 34, has no previous convictions save for an old driving offence.

Mitigating, Kathryn Johnson said her client had come to court with a realistic attitude, and asked Judge Preston to impose the shortest sentence possible.

She said: “He started out as a professional rugby player but that ended. He has references which speak of him in high terms, and this was an isolated incident.”

Brooks was jailed for three and a half years and was told to sign the sex offender’s register for life.

Description

AN offender who was previously branded an ‘animal’ by a judge has been put behind bars once more.

Connor Standish was locked up for seven-and-a-half years in December 2016 after embarking on a one-man crime spree.

These offences included an armed robbery, biting police officers and threatening a teenage girl with a knife after she refused to perform a sex act on him.

He was also caught carrying an imitation firearm on one occasion.

Sentencing at Chester Crown Court three-and-a-half years ago, judge Neil Flewitt said: “That is the behaviour of an animal.”

The 27-year-old has now been jailed again for assaults which saw him bite and spit at people during the Covid pandemic.

Warrington Magistrates’ Court this month heard how Standish assaulted two men on June 15 and 19, 2020.

Also on June 15, 2020, he threatened a woman that he would arrange to get her house burnt down, intending that she would fear that the threat would be carried out.

He was later charged with two counts of assault by beating and one of threatening to destroy property.

All of the offences occurred in the Widnes areas, with court documents listing the defendant’s current address as HMP Oakwood in Featherstone, West Yorkshire.

Magistrates took his guilty pleas into account but determined that only immediate custody was appropriate due to the biting and spitting occurring during the pandemic.

Standish, formerly of Davenport Row in Runcorn, was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment.

He was also ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £128, however no compensation was ordered due to him serving a prison sentence to 2025, with no means to pay.

Description

A man in his 70s has been sentenced to  a total of nine and a half years for multiple sexual offences hidden in ‘plain sight’ against an underage girl after years of grooming her.

Charles Buxton, 71, of North Sydmonton, Newbury, Berkshire, was sentenced after appearing at Norwich Crown Court yesterday (13 September 2023). He was sentenced to four years and two months for sexual activity with a child, two years for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity to be served concurrently and five years and four months to be served consecutively. He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender Register. 

Buxton previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between 2009 and 2011. 

On Monday 25 November 2019 the victim reported to the police she had been sexually abused historically and groomed into a sexual relationship by Buxton who was in his late 50s at the time he met the victim and her family in Cromer.

The court heard that Buxton had started by buying the victim gifts in the early 2000s, such as sweets, money and cigarettes. Buxton gained her ‘trust’ through buying her things and making her think she was in love with him before carrying out sexual activity with her.

In her statement, which the victim read out in court, she describes the impact: “Years have passed, chapters of my life written, my face and body have changed, my family has grown. The wounds of my childhood still open and weep, impacting my life in so many ways. I have suffered with my mental health since the abuse started and still now, it is a constant battle. You took away my voice, you blurred the lines of love, stole my innocence and did it all hidden in plain sight from the world.”

Description

A paedophile litter picker who claimed in sexually explicit online chats with young girls to have been a youth worker has been jailed.

Canterbury Crown Court heard that Mark Clover, from Folkestone, communicated with a 12-year-old girl via WhatsApp over a four-and-a-half month period and tried to get her to send him an image of her naked breasts.

Their conversations between March and July 2019 began innocently, with Clover telling her he was a "good and loyal person" and she was "beautiful".

However, they were soon filled with references to puberty, male genitals and a sex toy.

When that chat came to an end after his perverted request for the topless photo was refused, Clover moved onto Kik messenger where he told his 14-year-old victim he was looking for "role play and maybe love".

But he claimed during his trial he was not responsible for any of the deviant conversations, despite admitting to police after his arrest that his phone was with him "24/7, nines times out of 10".

A former flatmate also described Clover as being "very possessive" over the device.

The 36-year-old, however, told the court he would lend his phone to others to use, and spoke of his email account being hacked.

Clover, who was a volunteer litter picker in Folkestone between November 2018 and July 2019, also dismissed his "brief" use of a TeenChat app as being for role play and finding people of his age to date. He claimed that an online search for child pornography related to his coursework for an NVQ in childcare.

The Trinity Gardens resident denied inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

But he was unanimously convicted on all charges after jury deliberations lasting just one hour.

At the start of his trial, prosecutor James Lofthouse said it was "absurd" to suggest anyone other than Clover was responsible.

Not only were the explicit chats discovered on his phone but they also contained unusual spellings and words such as "Hay" instead of "Hey", "Hugz" for "Hugs" and the regular use of "He he" - all of which were found in his more innocent, day-to-day messages.

Police also found sexually explicit internet search terms in respect of underage girls including "virgin rape" and "10-year-old porn videos", the court heard.

After asking his younger victim to send him a topless photo he apologised and said: "I was truly not trying to be a paedo."

The jury heard he then told the girl, who had expressed a concern about her breasts: "I'm a trained nurse but I have been a youth worker as well."

Although Clover's 12-year-old victim was traced by investigating officers, the identity of the older girl was never discovered, said Mr Lofthouse.

During cross-examination, Clover maintained he was "100% positive" he had not engaged in explicit chats with young girls and said he found the allegation he made numerous searches for child pornography as "quite upsetting".

Asked by Mr Lofthouse why, as a man in his 30s, he went on TeenChat, he told the jury he believed it was a role-playing app and he was looking for dating matches.

At this point, the prosecutor said: "What sort of matches were you looking for on TeenChat?"

Clover replied: "I was looking for people between the ages of 29 and 30. I didn't realise it was that kind of chat."

But Mr Lofthouse retorted: "Teen. Isn't the clue in the word?"

Passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Simon Taylor KC told Clover his warped actions were neither "a one-off nor a one-victim offence" as he jailed him two years and seven months.

Philip Romans, defending, told the court Clover was dyslexic, had been diagnosed with an emotional personality disorder, and was on benefits.

It is not known if Clover, who has no previous convictions, ever officially worked as a youth worker.

On his release, he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign on the sex offender register indefinitely.

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A paedophile who was imprisoned after being caught with child abuse images described prison life as a “shock”. 

Mohammad Khan, a 46-year-old dad of two, has been in custody since March when he was arrested after he was caught with child sexual abuse images for a third time. 

A man who lived a relatively normal life working in the financial sector until his first conviction in 2016, Khan has said prison has been a “significant shock” which he was struggled to adjust to. 

Khan, of Lucerne Road in Thornton Heath, appeared at the Old Bailey on Thursday (August 28) for sentencing. Prosecutor Obi Mgbokwere described the facts of the case. 

“On January 23, 2023, police became aware of a user of a Google Drive,” Mr Mgbokwere said. 

“That user had uploaded 387 indecent images of children. Enquiries revealed that the account belonged to this defendant. 

“The defendant was a registered sex offender who was prohibited by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order from using such equipment and facilities.” 

Khan was arrested near his ex-partner's address in Wandsworth. Officers found a laptop and an iPhone at that address as well as a laptop hidden under his pillow at his mum’s house, Mr Mgbokwere said. 

“The items recovered from the defendant were interogatted, on a Dell laptop police found the images,” he said. 

Khan admitted 11 breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and to possessing over 1,000 indecent images of children. 

He was first convicted of similar offences in 2016, for which he was given a community order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. 

Then in 2017 he was given a suspended sentence for new but identical offences. 

Despite his previous offending, this was the first time he had been in prison and his barrister said he was not enjoying it. 

His representative added that Khan felt deep shame at being in court again for these offences. 

Sentencing Khan, Judge Simon Farrell KC said: “These are such shocking images. They are truly horrific. 

“Taking all matters into account, a custodial sentence is the only possible outcome.” 

Khan was given a 19-month prison sentence, and a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last 10 years. 

Description

A former DJ who sexually abused and exploited young boys has been jailed for six years.

David Moran, 51, targeted his three victims in Fife between 1988 and 1991.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard one victim was shown pornographic magazines and videos. Moran was said to have performed sex acts in front of the boy before abusing him.

A second child was also shown sex films and subjected to abuse. The court heard Moran had a photograph of his victim performing a sex act, which he threatened to disclose if he revealed what was taking place.

A third boy was also exposed to pornography by Moran and sexually abused.

One victim told the court that he was aged around 14 when he watched pornography in Moran's bedroom, while another said he was 13 or 14 when Moran offered him money to make a video of him performing a solo sex act.

The court heard one victim suffered nightmares and flashbacks after being subjected to serious sexual abuse by the older teenage Moran.

During his sentencing on Thursday, judge Norman McFadyen said he was satisfied that Moran had groomed the victims as he was an older male who had money, a car and what seemed like a "glamorous lifestyle" as an events and hospital radio DJ.

The judge said: "Clearly your behaviour has had a significant impact on them through into their adult lives.

"I am satisfied no sentence other than imprisonment is appropriate."

Moran was arrested and charged in November 2020 after a Police Scotland investigation.

He denied a series of offences during an earlier trial but was found guilty of three counts of indecent conduct towards children.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson pointed out Moran's age at the time of the attacks and said he had no other history of offending.

As well as the six-year jail term, Moran was placed on the sex offenders' register for an indeterminate period.

The judge also imposed non-harassment orders, prohibiting Moran from contacting his victims for eight years.

Detective Constable Kenneth Watt, from Fife's Public Protection Unit, said: "Moran showed utter disregard for the impact his crimes would have on his victims.

"I want to commend them for reporting these offences to us and for having the strength to stand up in court. Moran is now being held to account for his actions.

"Nothing can change the past, but I hope that Moran being behind bars will offer the victims some comfort as they continue to move forward with their lives."

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A GMP detective convicted of 20 offences including rape and child sexual offences has today (Wednesday 13 September 2023) been jailed for 26 years.

Detective Constable Stephen Hardy (08/07/77) had been posted within GMP’s Stockport district and had been on remand following his conviction in July.

He was found guilty of committing several serious sexual offences whilst off duty at Liverpool Crown Court following a brave victim disclosure and meticulous investigation by DS Abigail Thomas and Tameside CID.

The 26 years includes an additional six years on extended licence. As Hardy has been classed as a dangerous offender, he will not be automatically released after two-thirds of his sentence. He has also been issued with a restraining order and will be on the sex offender’s register for life.

Now criminal proceedings have concluded, gross misconduct proceedings will take place.

Description

Ben Cooper, 33, was sentenced to eight years at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) after he was convicted of the offences, which occurred against a young girl at an address in Castleford in April 2022.

The sentencing was the conclusion to an investigation by Wakefield District Safeguarding Unit, which began after the team received a disclosure from a family member in October last year.

Cooper, of Ken Churchill Drive in Horbury, was arrested following the disclosure and later charged with two counts of penetration and one count of sexual touching.

He denied all charges when he appeared before magistrates at Leeds in October and the case went to trial In June this year, where he was found guilty of all three charges and remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.

Detective Sergeant Will Denton of Wakefield District Safeguarding Unit, who led the investigation, said: We welcome the sentencing handed to Cooper, who showed no remorse throughout a difficult and emotional trial for all concerned.

There can be no doubt he is a risk to children and deserves to be behind bars. I hope this result will encourage any other victims of sexual abuse to engage with our specially trained officers who treat all reports seriously and sensitively and work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

Description

An Edinburgh man has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register after he was caught with thousands of horrific child abuse images.

Thomas Carroll, 58, downloaded more than 2800 still pictures of children being sexually abused by adults including images of rape over a near four year period. He was also found to have accessed 634 videos of abuse with more than half being rated as Category A - the most vile end of the spectrum.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told on Tuesday that Police Scotland received intelligence in November last year that the images were being accessed at Carroll’s home at the Wester Hailes area of the capital. Officers attended at the property with a search warrant at around 8.15am on December 20 last year and found the offender home alone.

Fiscal depute Jennifer McLaren told the court two mobile phones, two USB devices and a laptop were seized from the home. A subsequent cyber crime investigation showed three of the devices held thousands of indecent images of children. The fiscal said a total of 2,823 images and 634 videos of children being sexually abused had been stored on the devices.

Solicitor Kevin Connor, defending, said there were “clearly a lot of images” discovered and he acknowledged his client was facing “a very serious matter”.

Sheriff Ian Anderson placed Carroll on the Sex Offenders Register for a term still to be determined and deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports to next month.

Carroll, who is a first offender, was granted bail and wore a face mask in an attempt to hide his identity when he left the city centre court building this afternoon. He had pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children at his home between January 9, 2019 and December 20 last year.

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Andrew Phimister, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight weeks in prison for assault and breach of notification requirements at Blackpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

The offence relates to incidents at two cafs on Morecambe promenade where he was verbally abusive and threatening to staff and members of the public.

Description

“It’s not an overstatement to say you’ve ruined the childhood of each of these vulnerable young people,” a Sheffield judge told a ‘depraved’ sexual predator who abused three 12-year-old girls over a period of more than 30 years. 

The judge, Recorder Richard Wright KC, made the comments to paedophile, David Hodson, after being read the ‘moving’ personal statements of girls he subjected to sickening sexual abuse, and then tried to silence. 

Sheffield Crown Court was told how Hodson, after abusing the young girls, warned them not to tell anyone, claiming to one of the complainants that it ‘wouldn’t matter’ if she came forward because ‘no-one would believe her’.

But after the courageous complainants found the strength to report his offending, Hodson, aged 72, was charged with, and subsequently pleaded guilty to, multiple sex offences. 

As he sat in the dock during a hearing held on September 11, 2023, Hodson was also forced to hear, through their statements, the details of the prolonged and devastating trauma his victims are still forced to live with, after subjecting them to what Recorder Wright described as ‘depraved sexual attentions’. 

After finally being given a voice, one of the complainants described how in the years following Hodson’s abuse, it continued to have a pervasive impact on her life, manifesting in the form of suicide attempts, self-harm, anxiety and nightmares, self-medicating; and had also resulted in her not sitting her GCSEs, after her doctor signed her off from school.  

“I’m determined to not let what he did ruin any more of my life,” she said. 

Another of the complainants described how she is working hard to move on with her life, and knows she needs counselling, but said she ‘still finds it so hard to talk about what happened’. 

A third complainant described the damage caused by Hodson as being ‘irreparable,’ and said many of the issues stemming from his abuse have permeated into her adult life, leaving her with post-traumatic stress disorder and body issues. 

Hodson, care of Rotherham General Hospital, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to offences of indecency with a child; three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and attempting to cause/ incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Hodson had tried to claim through his barrister, Helen Chapman, that he felt ‘genuine remorse for the way he conducted himself with these three victims’ and had demonstrated that through his guilty pleas.

But after reading Hodson’s pre-sentence report, in which he had the audacity to 'victim-blame' by describing one of the young girls he abused as ‘promiscuous,’ Recorder Wright said it was clear the only ‘real remorse’ he feels is ‘towards himself’.

Recorder Wright told Hodson: “I reject that your guilty pleas have anything to do with any real remorse felt by you.”

He added: “It’s not an overstatement to say you’ve ruined the childhood of each of these vulnerable young people.”

Ms Chapman continued by saying Hodson would say he is ‘deeply sorry’ and not just for himself, but to the children he abused, as well as for the ongoing consequences of his actions. 

She said Hodson had made an attempt on his life in the months since proceedings against him were launched; and also had a list of ‘physical health conditions,’ the nature of which was not disclosed in open court, to contend with. 

“He knows that to order to really rehabilitate he will have to engage in proper, constructive work in a custodial setting,” Ms Chapman told the court. 

Recorder Wright jailed Hodson for seven years, six months and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, and sex offender notification requirements, which will be in place for the remainder of the pensioner’s life. 

Hodson was told he must serve at least two-thirds of his custodial sentence, before he can be considered for release from prison.

Description

A man who gave a young girl wine, asked her to take her clothes off and took pictures of her has been jailed.

Neil Schooley, 55, asked another girl, who was under ten, to undress and pose for photographs. On a different occasion he exposed himself to her. The incidents happened two days apart.

After an investigation was launched, it transpired that Schooley had also taken photos of another girl who he gave wine to.

The pictures were all taken between 2016 and 2018 when one of the girls was under ten and the other was between ten and 13 years old.

Sussex Police Detective Constable Joe Murray said: “Neil Schooley betrayed the trust of his young victims and their families for his own sexual gratification.

“The seriousness of these offences and the harm they have caused was recognised by this sentence, which was the maximum available for these crimes.

“I would like to thank both of these two brave girls for reporting the incidents, supporting our investigation and helping to bring Schooley to justice.”

Following the police investigation, Schooley was arrested and charged with three counts of taking indecent images of a child and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Schooley, of Woburn Place in Brighton, was found guilty by a jury at Hove Crown Court after denying the offences.

At a sentencing hearing on August 31 he was handed the maximum sentence of eight years in prison and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ register.