Latest Offenders

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A man from Dartford has been jailed after a jury unanimously found him guilty of sexually assaulting two children over more than three decades.

Steven Franklin, of Montgomery Road, was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of 10 sexual offences, including five counts of rape.

The court heard how Kent Police launched an investigation into allegations Franklin had subjected a child to a sustained campaign of sexual abuse.

The complex investigation found there was a second victim, who had been targeted by Franklin in the 1970s.

Investigations later revealed the child had suffered at the hands of Franklin for more than a decade.

In August 2023, Franklin was charged with multiple sexual offences and ordered to appear before Woolwich Crown Court, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts.

He was found guilty following a trial.

The 71-year-old was sentenced to 26 years’ imprisonment before the same court on November 14.

He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before he can apply for parole.

Detective Constable James McClelland said: “Franklin persistently and repeatedly assaulted his victims in the most vile manner for his own selfish gratification.

“He took advantage of two vulnerable young children, subjecting them to years abuse, with absolutely no regard for their physical, mental, emotional, or psychological well-being.

“He has subsequently demonstrated zero remorse and refused to confess his wrongdoing, instead choosing to make them suffer a lengthy legal process, during which they’ve had to relive horrific incidents.

“I would like to commend the bravery of both victims in reporting Franklin’s abhorrent behaviour and hope that his lengthy jail term offers some comfort.

“Kent Police takes all reports of this nature seriously and encourages any victims of such crimes to have confidence that we will seek to serve justice against perpetrators, no matter when the offence occurred.”

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A 22-year-old man from Houghton Regis has been jailed for 12 years after raping a girl in a park last year. 

William Ward, of Parkside Close, approached the victim and her friend in a park in October 2023 and engaged them in conversation.

The victim’s friend, who felt uncomfortable by Ward’s presence and was suspicious of his intentions, messaged some of their other friends to come and meet them.

Ward, on the pretence of helping the victim find something she had lost, managed to lure her away from her friends and into a wooded area where he raped her.

When her friends found her, she was distressed and disclosed that Ward had raped her.

The group challenged him, but he denied it and left shortly afterwards.

However, the victim’s friends had managed to take a video of him which was later used to help identify and arrest him.

Ward was found guilty of rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration and was sentenced on Friday (8 November) at Luton Crown Court to 12 years. 

Detective Sergeant Joanna Tyrrell from Bedfordshire Police’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, who investigated, said:

“Ward took advantage of this young girl in the worst possible way. He targeted her when she was with her friend and lured her away into woods.

“Despite her trauma, the victim showed how brave she was throughout the investigation, and I hope she feels a sense of justice now he’s behind bars and can’t do this to anyone else.

“I also want to commend her friends as they obviously realised Ward was behaving oddly and their quick thinking and actions led to his timely arrest. It’s important to remember that if something doesn’t look or feel right it usually isn’t.

“Tackling perpetrators of male violence against women and girls is a significant focus for us and we will continue to pursue these types of offenders, as well as working closely with our partners to support and improve women’s safety across the county.”

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A PAEDOPHILE has avoided jail after he admitted making thousands of indecent images of children.

Laurence Machin from Bewdley pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, which included category A, B and C images.

The charges state that Machin made 330 Category A images, 301 Category B images, and 9720 Category C images.

The 25-year-old, of Severnside South, Bewdley, was handed an 18-month suspended sentence when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday, November 14.

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An Angus paedophile collected sick child abuse images “like they were stickers for a Panini football album.”

A sheriff compared Grant Ross to a sticker or stamp collector for the way he downloaded and stored images of infants as young as two being sexually abused.

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An Ipswich man who was in possession of more than 1,000 "vile” indecent images and videos of children has been jailed for 20 months.

Sentencing 39-year-old Michael Banham at Ipswich Crown Court, Judge Emma Peters said it was the second time he had appeared before a court for possessing indecent images and videos of children which she described as “a real evil in society”.

“The only way such images and videos can be made is by children being subjected to actual abuse,” said the judge.

She said the “vile” images featured young children and some involved dogs and cats.

“The possession of images and videos like this fuel the trade in the abuse which literally destroys children’s lives, both physically and mentally,” said the judge.

Banham, of Kenyon Street, Ipswich, admitted three offences of possessing indecent images and videos of children and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images.

The court was told that, in addition to the images of children, there were 18 extreme pornographic images and one video.

In addition to being jailed, Banham was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.

The court heard that in 2018 Banham was jailed for 16 months for downloading indecent images of children.

Charles Judge, prosecuting, said that in 2022 Banham was arrested for an unrelated matter and his mobile phone was seized.

When it was analysed indecent images and videos were found on it and when Banham was questioned about them he said : “I don’t know how they got there. I’m just going to say it was me and I did it."

The court heard that Banham led an isolated and lonely life and spent most of his time alone in his flat.

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A Wiltshire sex offender who was previously found guilty of possessing indecent images of children and images of sex with horses and dogs has now been sentenced for breaking court orders.

Anthony Munk, 36, of Trowbridge town centre appeared in Swindon Crown Court on November 6 after breaching the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Munk became a listed sex offender when he served a six-month prison sentence in 2018 for possession of indecent images of children, and this is not the first time he has broken his SHPO.

In 2020, Munk possessed an Apple iPhone which he had failed to register with police.

When his devices were analysed, police found 15 new prohibited images of children and half a dozen extreme pornographic images showing people having sex with horses and dogs.

They had been downloaded in June, just three months after he was given the earlier court order.

His 2024 breach of condition was also for possessing an internet disabled phone which was not disclosed to Wiltshire Police, and using apps such as Snapchat which do not save messaging history.

The sex offender has now been sentenced to two months in prison, alongside a six month prison sentence which will run concurrently, suspended for 18 months.

He must also carry out 50 rehabilitation activity days and 300 hours unpaid work.

"SHPOs are put in place by the court, to protect the public from sexual harm," said detective constable Chris McLoughlin, from MOSOVO.

"Their conditions assist in managing sex offenders, and may restrict things such as erasing of search history, procurement/destruction of devices, contact with certain demographics and the type or number of devices owned.

"Munk received this order following a conviction for making indecent images of children, and the breaching of the order demonstrates a flagrant disregard for the law.”

When Munk last appeared before the court for breaching his SHPO in 2020, defence lawyer Ray Tully said his client suffered from a number of learning difficulties and mental health issues, including autism, ADHD dyslexia and dyspraxia.

The lawyer suggested Munk had potentially been “set up for something of a failure” by the court that sentenced him in 2018.

“That is because the court at the point when he, appearing before it as a first-time offender back in March 2018, sentenced him without the full knowledge this court now has as to the complexities of his background.”

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A 37-year-old man will spend the next 13 years in prison after he was sentenced for serious sexual offences, violence and abusive behaviour.

Anthony Gibson came to the attention of police in November 2020 when it was discovered he had abused two women.

Following initial inquiries, it was apparent Gibson had subjected other women to his abusive behaviour. His offences occurred in Edinburgh, Midlothian, Lanarkshire and Fife.

As a result of the ongoing enquiries, Gibson was arrested and charged in connection with serious sexual assaults, violence and abusive and controlling behaviour.

He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday, 11 November, 2024.

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A former police officer who was sacked earlier this year for sexually assaulting a child on duty has now been jailed for nine years.

Dean Dempster (aged 35), from Manchester, has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life after previously admitting to sexually assaulting a child while on duty working as a response officer in Oldham.

He was convicted and sacked by the Chief Constable at an accelerated misconduct hearing earlier this year. He has since admitted six counts of making indecent images, and two counts of misconduct in public office.

On 29 December 2023 Dempster was one of three officers responding to a domestic incident involving an adult and children. It was while taking an account from a six-year-old girl, away from colleagues, that he sexually abused her when he should have been there to protect her.

After we investigated a complaint received later that evening, Dempster was immediately confronted by his supervisor when he returned to duty the next morning. 

He was arrested that day by officers in Oldham and relentlessly pursued by our Professional Standards Directorate to explore any further evidence of offending, in an investigation directed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

A review of Dempster’s devices revealed further serious offending to include making of indecent images of children, to which he pleaded guilty to six counts of including two counts of the most serious category A.

Our investigation also found images on his mobile phone taken from his body-worn video camera at the incident in December 2023 of a second clothed child, and of another clothed child at a separate incident dating back to 2022. The victims of both families have been made aware and kept updated throughout our investigation.

Dempster pleaded guilty to two counts of Misconduct in a Public Office for abusing the permission granted to him as a police officer and for using footage, captured for a policing purpose, to possess for his own perverse gratification.

We have reviewed thousands of Dempster’s previous deployments while at the force and did not find any further evidence of criminal behaviour. However, anyone who is affected by this case is encouraged to contact police and they will be listened to.

We sacked Dempster at the earliest legal opportunity in May 2024 and he has been barred from policing. He has been ordered to serve five years on license following his prison sentence.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed after he attempted to engage in sexual conversations with children online despite being under a strict court order. Terry Turner, 39, entered an online chatroom twice in August using a private browser, so his web history could not be recorded or tracked.

He initiated sexual conversations with three victims, who all identified themselves as being under the age of 16. Despite knowing the age of his victims, Turner continued initiating sexual conversations, according to Cambridgeshire police.

This put him in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which stated he must not use any internet browser which does not retain search history or enter a chatroom without notifying his police offender manager three days beforehand. Turner was first placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2011 after being convicted of child sex offences. He was also convicted of further offences in 2020, and then again in 2022 for breaching his SHPO.

On Friday (November 8), at Cambridge Crown Court, Turner, of Church Close, Stilton, near Peterborough, was jailed for two years after he pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching his SHPO and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

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A convicted Grantham sex offender has been jailed for a further 16 months.

Stephen Cherry is already serving a 10 and a half year jail sentence after he was found guilty of sexual offences against a young girl earlier this year.

The 50-year-old, formerly of Shanklin Drive, Grantham, pleaded guilty to two further charges of sexual assault on a second adult victim when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in October.

Judge James House KC told Cherry he will have to serve his 16 month sentence consecutive to the term he is already serving.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Cherry from having any contact with the victim or going to her address.

Earlier this year Cherry was found guilty of 11 offences, including sexually assaulting a child aged under-13, sexual activity with a child and one charge of oral rape.

The victim had come forward in 2022 after learning about sexual abuse from watching a television show and receiving sex education at school.

She complained that Cherry "made her do things" and was interviewed by specially trained police officers.

Cherry will also face an extended licence period of 12 months on his release from jail after Judge House ruled he was a dangerous offender.

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A Hartlepool teenager has been jailed for committing sexual offences, including rape, which he committed on three victims over a long period of time.

Dominic Legg, 19, was convicted earlier this year of 13 sexual offences including four counts of rape and yesterday at Teesside Crown Court he was sentenced to five years and nine months in a young offenders’ institution.

He will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life and he was also given indefinite restraining orders preventing him from contacting the victims.

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A young woman embarked on "relentless" sexual exploitation of a vulnerable girl, filming intimate videos and exchanging thousands of explicit messages.

Abbie Knight not only encouraged the inappropriate contact knowing the victim's age and difficult personal circumstances but also became "quite controlling and jealous".

Maidstone Crown Court heard that although it was accepted the 24-year-old had not targeted her victim in a predatory manner or had in any way threatened or forced her, she had taken advantage of the youngster's "fractured and isolated" lifestyle.

Videos of them kissing "intimately in the way partners would" and another of them lying in bed together were also created via the TikTok platform.

Knight, of Windmill Road, Gillingham, later pleaded guilty to four offences of sexual activity with a child and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Christina Rowberry told Knight's sentencing hearing on Monday (November 11) that having met two years ago, the pair had "very quickly" become sexually intimate.

It was noticed that they would also spend a long time on the phone together, with video calls occurring even when the victim went into the bathroom.

‘There was a strong element of jealousy over the bond she was forming with another girl…’

Knight also requested photographs from the girl and would challenge her about what she was doing when they were not together.

"The relationship seemed quite controlling. The defendant would ask where she had been, who she had been with and why she hadn't phoned her sooner," explained Ms Rowberry

"On one occasion the defendant also said she knew best because she was the adult.

"There was also a strong element of jealousy over the bond she was forming with another girl."

Knight's deviant behaviour came to light when messages between them were discovered on the youngster's phone.

In total, there were more than 19,000, the vast majority sexually explicit, said the prosecutor.

But the court heard that when Knight's phone was seized and downloaded by police, nothing relating to the victim was found on the device save for one message to her mum in which she made it "quite clear" that she was aware of the girl's vulnerabilities and acknowledged she was a child.

Although police said the two videos had been created and time-stamped on TikTok, it was the defence case that Knight had not been responsible herself for uploading any such material.

The young victim attended the court hearing to bravely detail how she had been affected by Knight's offending.

Describing how she felt "disgusted" by what had happened and how it would "haunt" her, she said: "I can't explain the emotion I feel for her. I don't think there are any words that can explain it.

"What Abbie did to me changed my life. What she did I have to live with for the rest of my life. It pains me.

‘It was not something that is permissable, inevitable or acceptable but it was entirely your fault…’

"She took advantage of a vulnerable little girl. Looking back I feel sick."

Lucy Luttman, defending, described Knight as "very much a closed book" with her own troubled background and difficulties, including emotional immaturity as well as traits suggestive of a personality disorder and adult ADHD.

But the lawyer said there was remorse and acknowledgement of her wrongdoing.

"Although she had emotional feelings which appear to have been reciprocated, she now understands that that should not have happened, ever, and she realises how wrong it was," Ms Luttman told the court.

But she argued that although Knight was aware of "some" of the victim's vulnerabilities when they met, she "didn't pick her out because of it."

Furthermore, Ms Luttman said the disparity in age was not "as significant as it would be" had Knight been someone who had reached emotional maturity.

She also remarked that the contact between the defendant and the girl "was not purely about sex" as such cases of child abuse often were.

However, on jailing Knight for three years, Judge Julian Smith told her that what she had perceived as a "relationship" was what the law regarded as "sexual exploitation of a child".

"It was not something that is permissable, inevitable or acceptable but it was entirely your fault," he told Knight, adding that her jealousy and controlling nature "demonstrated just how imbalanced and illegal" it was.

Referring to the victim's expressed feelings of "betrayal and conflict", Judge Smith told Knight: "The suggestion she was a willing party doesn't work with an adult. The responsibility was with you to say 'No'.

"This was relentless conduct that was both sexual and controlling."

Knight was also made subject to a four-year restraining order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order restricting contact with underage females.

She must also sign on the sex offender register indefinitely, and will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

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A man who filmed himself sexually assaulting a woman while she was unconscious has been jailed.

Karl Hill also sent footage of the attack, which took place in May 2023, to a friend of the victim, an act which "repeatedly traumatised" her, a court heard.

Hill, 54, of Beckbridge Lane, Normanton, was found guilty of one count of assault by penetration at Leeds Crown Court earlier and was jailed for seven years on Monday.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said Hill was a "dangerous individual who deserved to be behind bars".

Det Ch Insp Natalie Dawson, of Wakefield District Safeguarding, said: “Hill has repeatedly traumatised the victim in this case by not only sexually assaulting her, but then sharing a video of the assault with others and putting her through the further trauma of a trial by refusing to admit his guilt."

"Women and girls should be able to live their lives free from the fear of violence and sexual violence and we are committed to ensuring that those responsible for offences such as this face justice for their actions."

She added: “It is extremely concerning that this offence has taken place without the victim’s knowledge.

"I would urge anyone who has any concerns about their own or others’ interactions with Hill to please come forward."

In addition to his prison sentence Hill was also placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

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This 'dangerous' sex offender stalked an off-duty cop as she walked home alone at night.

Mohammed Rahman followed the woman for around 10 minutes as she walked home from an evening out in Darlington with her friends in April this year. The woman - an off-duty police officer – became aware that someone was following her as she began walking home from the town centre at around midnight.

In an effort to lose him, she quickened her pace and repeatedly crossed the road, only to find the man continued to follow her. As he got closer, the quick-thinking woman grabbed her phone and began recording him just as he ran past her and disappeared down a side street.

The woman called police, who found Rahman hiding in a nearby garden, and took him into custody. The 20-year-old was later charged with breaching a Sexual Risk Order, which was imposed in June last year following an exposure incident in which he carried out a sex act on himself in front of a care home.

The order lasts 10 years and prohibits Rahman from doing several things, including exposing himself or committing sex acts in public, entering the boundary of a private house or garden without prior permission, and harassing or intimidating women.

'The incident has really shaken me up'

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “The incident has really shaken me up; I burst into tears when the police called me and told me they had arrested someone. I was worried he had seen me go into my house and knew where I lived.

“I should be able to walk home from town to my house without anyone following me, and I should feel safe.

“I worry that I won’t even be able to go out in the darker winter days now as I will be worrying someone is following me.”

Rahman, of no fixed abode, admitted the breach and was jailed for two years and eight months at Teesside Crown Court on Friday, November 8.

'Highly dangerous individual'

Detective Inspector David Bailey, from Darlington CID, said: “Rahman is a highly dangerous individual who has shown extremely predatory behaviour, and he is now rightly in prison for his blatant disregard for the conditions imposed upon him.

“I’d like to commend the woman involved in this case who showed real bravery during what was a terrifying ordeal. Her quick-thinking decision to record Rahman allowed officers to identify him and quickly get him off the streets and into custody.

“I sincerely hope that this sentencing brings her some comfort and can allow her to move on with her life.”

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A 38-year-old man from Bradford is beginning a five-year jail sentence for child sex offences. 

At his trial at Bradford Crown Court, Daniel Pinnington told a jury that he believed the victim was “a celestial being” who was thousands of years old.

He was found guilty in July this year of 10 counts of sexual activity with a child.

Prosecutor Ian Howard told the court that when Pinnington, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, was arrested, he answered “no comment” to questions. At his trial he admitted to having sex with the child but that it had been consensual.

At trial, the court heard that Pinnington suffered from a mental health disorder for which he was prescribed medication. However, when he used illicit drugs alongside his medication it could cause psychotic symptoms.

At trial, he sacked his legal team and argued his own case maintaining a defence of insanity.

Mitigating, Vince Blake-Barnard said Pinnington acknowledged the harm he had caused to his victim and that what he had done was wrong.

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim told Pinnington that he was an offender “of particular concern”.

He said: “In evidence you accepted that you engaged in sexual encounters with [the victim].

“You explained to the jury that at the material times you believed that [the victim] was a celestial being with an age measured in thousands of years.

“Despite your uncertain mental health … you did clearly understand the nature and quality of the act you were engaging in. You fully appreciated that that which you were doing was a serious wrong.

“In addition you deleted sexualised text messages that [were] exchanged between you and [the victim].

“You have emotionally harmed a vulnerable child."

Judge Ahmed sentenced Pinnington to a total of five years imprisonment plus a one-year extension on licence.

Pinnington was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for life.