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A rapist wept in court as a judge jailed him for raping a woman as she slept at a Travelodge hotel. James Cox subjected his victim to the 'horrible' attack the morning after he had binged on alcohol and cocaine.

Police attended his room to find him bloodied, having self-harmed with a shard of glass. A judge told him that he will have to "live with the shame for the rest of his life".

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Tuesday March 11, that Cox was staying at a Travelodge hotel in the city at the time of the incident and had spent the night drinking. The following morning, another guest woke up at around 7am to find the 29-year-old, of Sherwood Avenue in Rhyl, North Wales, kissing her neck and raping her, having removed her pyjama bottoms while she was sleeping.

Gareth Roberts, prosecuting, described how officers then attended his room after the incident was reported to Merseyside Police but received no answer. When the door was unlocked by a member staff, PCs found Cox with a "deep laceration" to his wrist and holding a piece of glass.

The defendant was then taken to hospital in order to receive treatment for this injury. His criminal record shows entries for drunk and disorderly behaviour, resisting arrest, a public order offence and possession of cannabis.

Callum Ross, defending, told the court: "This is a defendant who knows and understands the seriousness of what he has done. To put it bluntly, he has to live with that for the rest of his life and he will.

"He has a positive working history. He clearly has issues with drug use. The defendant has been very candid about his cocaine addiction. He tells me that he feels better already as a result of his remand and being abstinent from drugs. That is perhaps a positive of custody and will assist in his rehabilitation in due course."

Cox admitted one count of rape. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey Under Armour tracksuit top, he was seen wiping tears away as he was jailed for five years and three months.

He will be required to serve two thirds of this term behind bars before becoming eligible for release. Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC told him that the "horror of what he did no doubt had a profound and lasting effect" and added: "You had a relatively long standing addiction to cocaine, which was compounded by your use of alcohol. It may be that that explains what happened that night.

"This was a horrible offence. You have been in trouble with the police before, but not for anything on this scale. It is said that you will have to live for the rest of your life with the shame of what you have done, and I accept that.

"It may well be that drink and drugs have a large part to play in what happened. That was largely self induced. It was your choice to abuse alcohol and drugs, and so you have to take the consequences of your behaviour when you were under their influence."

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A former Bishop from Swansea has been jailed after pleading guilty to multiple child sex offences.

Anthony Pierce, 84, from Swansea Vale, pleaded guilty – at Swansea Crown Court on Friday, February 7, 2025 – to five counts of indecent assault on a child under the age of 16.

He has today been sentenced to four years and one month in prison. Upon release, he will be made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Record details

Brown, 36, of Vernon Crescent, Brentwood, was arrested in October 2023. He remained silent throughout two police interviews.

He was initially charged with 15 offences, including sexual offences involving a child.

At court these were amended, and he was charged with:

• Two counts of meeting a child following sexual grooming
• Two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• Sexual activity with a child
• Sexual assault
• Two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act
• Intentional strangulation
• Two counts of production of a Class B drug

extended licence due to dangerousness

On 13 January 2025 at Chelmsford Crown Court he admitted sexual activity with a child and two counts of cannabis production. The other charges were left to lie on file.

At the same court on Monday 10 March he was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual activity with a child. The judge ordered an extended licence of three years, due to his dangerousness.

For two production of a Class B drug charges he was sentenced to six weeks imprisonment for each, to run concurrently with each other, and consecutively with the first sentence.

He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with conditions not to contact girls aged under 16 years.

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A man has been jailed for 18 years after he raped and assaulted a woman in Alton.

Elijah Mochia, 31, of no fixed abode, raped the woman – who was aged in her 20s – multiple times during their relationship.

Winchester Crown Court heard that from an early stage the relationship was dominated by the violent and controlling behaviour of Mochia.

He made her sign written contracts in relation to her behaviour and physically assaulted her over a six-month period.  

Mochia put his hands around her throat, punched her in the ribs and bit her ear. He also threatened her with scissors.

He was arrested by officers and later charged with:

• Three counts of rape – one being a multiple incident count
• One count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm
• One count of controlling and coercive behaviour

Mochia refused to attend court and the trial went ahead in his absence. He was found guilty by a jury and was jailed for a total of 18 years, with an extended licence period of eight years, on Friday 28 February.

He will remain on the sexual offenders register for the rest of his life. 

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A predatory sex offender has been jailed after raping a vulnerable 12-year-old girl in Nottingham.

The girl was walking near Crown Island, Nottingham, on the night of 18 May last year when she began talking to Humza Khan – a man with a previous conviction for sexual assault.

Khan, aged 29, then led his victim to a park where he subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault.

Detectives used CCTV footage to link Khan and his bicycle to the scene.

He had also given his mobile phone number to the victim before the offence took place, and was positively identified by the victim during a controlled ID procedure,

Khan, previously of Hawton Crescent, Wollaton, gave no comment answers to detectives in his police interview, but later pleaded guilty to rape.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 7 March, he was jailed for nine years and three months.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will forbid him from almost all contact with children for the next 15 years.

In addition, he will also remain on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Record details

A CONVICTED rapist flouted the rules of his being on the Sex Offender Register by not disclosing his usernames for three online accounts.

Wigton man Robert Long, 29, who admitted all three offences, became a registered sex offender after he was convicted in 2017 of raping a 16-year-old girl.

The judge who jailed the defendant for eight years commented that the then 21-year-old defendant had shown no compassion for his victim, who was left “shaking, bruised and bleeding" after the vicious attack.

He first made contact with the girl via Facebook.

As a result of that conviction, Long’s online activities are closely monitored by the police because his name is on the national Sex Offender Register. This obliges him to tell the police about any online accounts he opens within three days.

At Carlisle’s Rickergate court, the defendant, of Springfields, Wigton, accepted failing to do this for three identified accounts.

He should have told his police offender manager of his account user names within three days, as required under the terms of his registration.

The accounts involved were with Twitch, Instagram, and Apple Gaming.

Lauren Heasley, defending, said the breaches of the defendant’s sex offender registration requirements were not “malicious.” She told magistrates: “Two of the account names related to older accounts.”

These were not closed when Long was jailed and not accessed.

The failure to register the third account with the police – the one for Apple Gaming – was the result of an oversight, said Miss Heasley. She added: “He is trying to rebuild his life, which is difficult given the offences on his record.

“He is a farm worker, doing gruelling hours, from 5.30am to 6.30pm, with 14 days on and two days off.” The defendant also has a settled address and lives with his mother and her partner, added the lawyer.

Deputy District Judge Simon Blakebrough adjourned sentencing until March 26, saying that there should be a pre-sentence report to assess risk, given the nature of the serious offences on Long’s record.

He told the defendant to cooperate with the Probation Service.

Throughout his police interview following the original rape offence, Long denied any wrongdoing, claiming the sex was consensual. He took the case to a trial, which concluded with the jury finding him guilty.

Long did however admit other offences in 2017, these being meeting a child following sexually grooming, engaging in sexual activities with a child and having sex with a child.

Police described him as is “a dangerous and predatory man,” who used social media to meet girls to commit sexual offences.

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A man who continues to pose a danger to young females by his “deviant” behaviour has been sentenced to a third prison sentence for sexual activity with an underage girl.

Aaron Whitwell is already serving a seven-year extended sentence for previous similar activity, but his latest seven-year sentence will only begin on conclusion of that and a further two-year prison term for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

It means the earliest he is likely to be released from prison is in the mid-to-late 2030s.

The now 28-year-old defendant, formerly of West Cornforth, appeared for his latest sentencing hearing at Durham Crown Court by video link from HMP Moorland, in South Yorkshire, where he is serving his previous jail term.

Deborah Smithies, prosecuting, said at the time of the latest offences Whitwell was on licence from a 33-month sentence for offences involving another teenage girl, for which he was subject to an indefinite SHPO.

It included a prohibition from communication with any child under the age of 16.

Upon his release from that sentence, he was interviewed about further allegations of similar activity with a teenage girl, for which he received a seven-year extended sentence in September 2023.

Outlining details of his latest offence, Miss Smithies said Whitwell responded to the posting of an image of the underage girl with a friend, on Snapchat.

He soon asked how old she was and, having been told, he responded, saying he was 17 and gave the name ‘Aaron Hardy’.

Following ten days of exchanging messages he turned the chat to sexual matters and intimate pictures were exchanged, before Whitwell suggested that they met.

Both went accompanied with a friend, and on the first meeting the defendant kissed the girl, but during subsequent meetings sexual activity took place, one time in bushes.

The girl told police they met another five or six times when sexual activity took place, while in the simultaneous messaging the defendant told her he loved her.

Following suspicions raised by the sister of a friend of the complainant, after she heard them talking about 'Aaron', his true background emerged.

The victim said she would not have met him had she known his true age.

She said it made her feel “sick” knowing how much older he really was, and that she thought he really loved her and it made her feel for him.

But she said he had “messed up” her head and she now realised how vulnerable she had been.

Whitwell was interviewed and denied seeking out the girl on social media or contacting her, which meant she had to attend a video identity procedure when she positively identified the defendant.

In a subsequent victim statement the girl said she struggled to sleep and when she did, she suffered nightmares thinking about the events, while she has since struggled with self-confidence.

She said it caused a falling out with her family and she turned to drink and drugs to seek comfort, and would leave home for lengths of time, leading to arguments, “with everyone around me”.

The girl said the situation reached breaking point and she had to receive assistance from a mental health crisis team as her behaviour and anger were out of control, leading to self-harm.

She said it had also affected her schoolwork and her trust in other people, adding that, overall, she feels like the defendant has “ruined her life”.

Whitwell admitted six counts of sexual activity with a child, one each of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching a SHPO.

Chris Morrison, in mitigation, said the defendant was now “remorseful” and had acknowledged his guilt early in court proceedings.

Mr Morrison said it could not be denied that the defendant’s offending, “forms a pattern” for which he is receiving “condign punishment”, with his earliest release date on his previous sentence being in September 2030.

Mr Morrison said the defendant has a low IQ and suffers with social isolation plus an inadequacy dealing with people, in general, and women, in particular, of his own age.

“He acknowledges that improving himself will take some time, but he knows he will have to reintegrate into society at some stage.

“But he can’t do that until he reaches a level of maturity, insight and self-awareness.

“As far as the outside world is concerned, he has no contact with the outside world.”

But Mr Morrison said the defendant has rid himself of any form of substance misuse while in custody.

Judge Richard Bennett told Whitwell: “You are a man with deviant sexual preferences, including an interest in young girls and I have concluded you are a dangerous offender.

“You are 28 and this will be your third child sex offence, committed while on licence following a 33-month sentence for similar activity and, also, at the time, while on bail for other offences.

“You were also subject to a SHPO, prohibiting contact with any child under 16.

“But if didn’t deter you from offending.”

Judge Bennett said it had a “profound effect” on the victim, with his deception, “shattering her confidence and self-belief”.

He said the defendant was “untamed” by previous court orders, with no sign when his pattern of offending might diminish.

The judge imposed a two-year determinate sentence for the breach of the SHPO to be followed by a consecutive seven-year sentence for the new offences, to be followed by a five-year extended licence period upon release.

Whitwell must serve at least two-thirds of the seven-year custodial element of the sentence before being eligible for consideration for release.

He was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order relating to his latest victim, plus a new SHPO, which will also run indefinitely.

Record details

A known pervert who sexually assaulted a teenage boy repeatedly at his home has been jailed after a trial.

Defiant Robert Cross continues to deny wrongdoing, but a jury at Leeds Crown Court convicted him of seven counts of sexual activity with a child dated between 2008 and 2011.

The trial, which lasted a week in early February, heard that Cross was around 19 himself when the abuse started, and the boy was about 13.

Cross is already a registered as a sex offender having been found guilty of child-sex offences in 2019 including sexual assault on a female child.

The male victim came forward to report the abuse in 2021 which led to Cross being arrested later that year.

He had confessed to the youngster at the time that he was bi-sexual and asked if he could touch him, despite the boy not being old enough to give consent. He also grabbed the boy’s hand and made him touch Cross in return.

Judge Howard Crowson told Cross: “He was far too young to involved in any sexual relationship, but you were old enough to know.”

They exchanged messages and arranged for the boy to visit him.

The court heard that Cross masturbated the boy and vice versa on more than five occasions and and they engaged in other sex acts.

As part of the investigation, officers were able to trace an old Facebook message from 2016 in which Cross admitted the offending and made efforts to distance himself from his offending and the victim.

Despite his denials, his barrister Jessica Strange said that he accepted he faced a “lengthy custodial sentence”.

Cross, of Queens Drive, Wrenthorpe, appeared for sentencing this week from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.

Judge Crowson jailed him for nine years and told him he must serve at least two-thirds of the sentence before being considered for release, rather than the usual half-way stage.

He was also put on the sex offender register for life and given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Leading the investigation, Detective Sergeant Will Denton, of Wakefield District Child Safeguarding, said: “Firstly, and most importantly, I want to thank the victim in this case for his immense bravery in coming forward to report the abuse he suffered, as well as his strength and dignity throughout the criminal justice process.

“Cross preyed upon and exploited him knowing that he was a vulnerable child, and I hope the sentence handed down today serves as a clear reminder that this abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated.

"I am in no doubt that Cross, is a danger to children. Twice, he has been found guilty of exploiting vulnerable children. The streets of Wakefield and West Yorkshire are safer with him behind bars.

“I hope that this case helps encourage anybody who has suffered similar offences, recent or not, to come forward and report them to us.”

Record details

An “experienced and fully-fledged” sex offender with an interest in children coerced a boy and a girl to send him intimate pictures of themselves.

In return, Andrew Weir, who had amassed a “nauseating collection” of child abuse images over a period between 2016 and 2021, made them watch him perform sex acts online.

Teesside Crown Court heard he used online threats to persuade the 14-year-old boy, believed to be from Thailand, to perform a sex act on himself, and applied “persistent pressure” to illicit images of the 13-year-old girl exposing her breasts and of her genital area.

The 30-year-old defendant, from Darlington, admitted charges arising from the online exchanges with the boy and the collection of images, but was convicted at trial, earlier this year, of the offences involving the girl, which took place in 2022.

Weir was aged 22 when he contacted the boy who is now untraceable, but thought to be from Thailand, via Skype, between May and August 2016.

Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said the defendant, purporting to be aged 15, soon turned the chat to sexual matters and, in trying to illicit intimate images of the boy, threatened to "hack" his phone if he did not follow his request.

Mr Newcombe said over the following five years Weir amassed dozens of indecent images and videos of children, many in the most serious category.

It was in May 2022 when he befriended a 13-year-old girl online and began pressuring her to send him pictures of herself.

Following his "persistent and increasingly intimidating" demands, she responded by sending two images of her private parts.

But Weir was arrested after her parents discovered the messages.

He was convicted at trial in January of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and causing a child to watch an image of sexual activity, having claimed he was unaware the girl was only aged 13.

Weir, of Brignall Moor Crescent, admitted attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, ten counts of making indecent photos of a child and one of possession of extreme pornography, at the court in September last year.

Tony Davis, for Weir, said the defendant led an "isolated" existence with his life revolving around making relationships online.

Mr Davis said this would be the defendant’s first prison sentence, having spent two months in custody since his conviction at trial.

Judge Tom Mitchell told Weir he was a younger man at the time of the initial offences, but by the time of the 2022 allegations involving the 13-year-old girl he was, “an experienced and fully-fledged sex offender”, having acquired his, “nauseating collection” of indecent images over a five-year period.

The judge said Weir used “grooming behaviour”, “exploitation” and “persistent pressure” to obtain the images he demanded from his victims, causing, “real harm” in the process.

He imposed a total prison sentence of 78 months (six-and-a-half years) on the defendant, of which he must serve two-thirds behind bars, and made him subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Its terms include restricting his future online activities, and forbid him from ever communicating via the Internet with anyone aged under 18.

He was also made subject to lifetime registration and notification as a sex offender and placed on the barring list to prevent him working with children or vulnerable people in future.

A restraining order was put in place to prohibit him from contacting or approaching the girl who was subject to the 2022 offences, “until further order”.

The judge told Weir his time in prison, with the monitoring and support of professionals, could change him for the better.

But he warned the defendant that if he returned to his previous online activities, the sentence he is likely to receive would be measured, “in decades”.

Record details

A man from Calne has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for sexual assault.

Adam Gregory, 32, of Finch Lane, was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court on February 24 after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

On October 2, 2023, Gregory assaulted his victim by touching her in an intimate area without her consent while her children were in the house, which was recorded on her phone.

Gregory was sentenced to 12 months in prison, has been made the subject of a restraining order for 16 years, required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for 10 years, and ordered to pay a surcharge of £187.

Record details

A sex offender who distributed graphic images of child abuse online has been jailed for six years.

Lee Maidens, from Doncaster, was communicating online with an adult and discussed committing offences against their 10-year-old child, South Yorkshire Police said.

Maidens, 44, of Brabbs Avenue, sent explicit images to the profile between 3 September 2024 and 3 October 2024.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday, he was jailed after admitting offences including arranging or facilitating the commission of a sexual offence against a child under 13.

'Vile offences'

Maidens sent a number of indecent videos to the profile, showing victims as young as 11 months old being abused, police said.

Officers searched his home in October last year after receiving information he had been involved in online child sex offences.

Maidens also admitted attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity and two counts of distributing indecent images of children.

At sentencing, Judge Rachael Harrison noted Maidens' offending only stopped after he was arrested, tell him: "You are, by any view, dangerous."

Sam Musgrove, lead investigating officer, described Maidens' offences as "vile" and noted he refused to give any comment in his police interview.

"We will act on intelligence to bring offenders to justice and protect children online," she said.

Maidens was jailed for six years with an extended licence period of four years.

Record details

A man has been jailed for 16 years for grooming and raping a child – after investigators from the Metropolitan Police Service tracked him down using only phone data and CCTV footage.

Richard Bosworth, 41 (13.07.1983), from Coalville in Leicestershire, was sentenced on Tuesday, 4 March, at Kingston Crown Court. He previously pleaded guilty on Wednesday, 23 October, 2024 to two counts of rape as well as seven other sexual offences, including sexual assault on a child under 13, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, and assault by digital penetration.

Detective Inspector Kieran Curry, who led the investigation, said:

“I commend the young survivor in this case for her courage. She found the strength to confide in officers, and her account of this appalling assault proved crucial in securing Bosworth’s conviction. Her and her family’s cooperation has put this dangerous predator behind bars.

“Bosworth travelled from Leicestershire to abuse his victim in Twickenham. He is a devious offender, who ensured he left very little evidence for police to pursue.

“It is a testament to our investigative teams that they succeeded in identifying Bosworth, combing over large amounts of CCTV evidence and phone data in order to apprehend him and secure a conviction.”

On Monday, 23 September, 2024, police were contacted by the victim's mother. She said her 12-year-old daughter had spoken to friends at school about being abused by a man who had reached out to her on the BeFriend social media platform, presenting himself as a young teenager.

Investigators spoke to the girl, who said the man picked her up in his car in the early hours of Thursday, 19 September, 2024. He used a fake profile when communicating with the victim, grooming her for a month prior to the meeting. He left little evidence of his true identity.

Officers in the case reached out to the Met’s Operation Atlas team, which specialises in digital manhunts. Having obtained the number associated with the fake BeFriend profile, investigators were able to trace the movement of a phone through London to the victim’s home, as it citied off various telecom masts. They then paired this with CCTV footage from the areas in question.

Through these enquiries, investigators were able to single out a car. This was found to belong to Bosworth. On Tuesday, 1 October, officers arrested him at his home in Coalville. On the same day, he was charged with 10 counts of rape, all relating to the same incident on Thursday, 19 September.

As well as serving 16 years in prison, Bosworth will be made to register for life as a sex offender.

Record details

Kyle Clifford has today (Thursday 6 March) been convicted of rape in connection with the murder of three women in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Unemployed Clifford, aged 26, formerly of Rendlesham Road, Enfield, was found guilty of the rape of Louise Hunt on 9 July 2024 following a trial at Cambridge Crown Court. It was a unanimous verdict.

At an earlier hearing on Wednesday 22 January he pleaded guilty to:

• The murders of Carol Hunt (aged 61), Louise Hunt (aged 25) and Hannah Hunt (aged 28) in their family home on 9 July 2024.
• One count of false imprisonment of Louise Hunt on 9 July 2024.
• Two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

Clifford refused to appear at court to face the charges and the case was heard in his absence.

He will be sentenced on Tuesday (11 March).

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Gardner from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “Clifford has been convicted today following a trial. There was overwhelming evidence that he had raped Louise Hunt as well as murdering her, her mother Carol and sister Hannah. This was an appalling attack on a family. 

“Clifford has remained a coward up until the end by refusing to appear at court and face up to his actions. Great lengths were made to ensure he could attend court including the location chosen for the trial, but Clifford chose to stay away. 

“In stark contrast the Hunt family have shown extreme strength and dignity throughout. Our thoughts remain with them at this time.”

Record details

A 25 -year-old woman has been jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences.

Nichole Pratt, of Foster Crescent, Leominster was sentenced today (4 March 2025) at Hereford Crown Court to seven-and-a-half years in custody for causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. She was also handed a sexual harm prevention order.

The incidents took place between 23 October 2023 and 1 August 2024.

Her offences were discovered when police received an anonymous tip that Pratt had subjected two children to sexual abuse and had created videos of the offences.

When Pratt was arrested, her phone and a USB stick were seized. The USB stick was found to contain category A videos of Pratt sexually abusing one child, while her phone contained videos of her sexually abusing another child.

When she was interviewed under caution, she denied any involvement in the offences. However, due to the overwhelming evidence against her, she later changed her plea to guilty at her plea and trial preparation hearing on 16 September 2024.

Angela Trafford, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“This was a truly harrowing and disturbing case. Nichole Pratt systematically abused two vulnerable young children in what can only be described as the most serious form of sexual abuse.

“The children concerned put their trust in Pratt. By her actions she has shown a flagrant disregard for that trust for her own gratification.

“The sentence handed down will hopefully act as a deterrent and send a message to the public that such cases are taken extremely seriously by the police, Crown Prosecution Service and ultimately the court.”

Record details

A 35-year-old man has been sentenced for violent and serious sexual offences committed in Orkney. 

Stuart Harding was today, Wednesday, 5 March, 2025, sentenced to 15 years at the High Court in Edinburgh. He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a 20-year non-harassment order.

He was found guilty of multiple sexual offences, including rape, against three women and two female youths between June 2012 and April 2021. The verdict was delivered at the same court on Wednesday, 5 February, 2025.