Latest Offenders

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A Plymouth man has been jailed after admitting a plethora of historic sexual abuse with a child. The incidents took place in Bristol when Wayne Willis was a teenager.

Willis, whose address was given as Belmont Guest House on Plymouth Hoe, was described as "feral" when, aged 17, he sexually abused the youngster who was half his age.

Bristol Crown Court heard earlier this month that, ultimately, the girl's mum managed to stop contact between them. Willis, now aged 52, pleaded guilty to multiple accounts of indecent assault and gross indecency, BristolLive reports.

Judge Michael Cullum jailed him for four years and ten months. The judge told him: "Offences such as this have an enormous, life-long, damaging effect. It is obvious, it is unsurprising that from 13 to 21 there was very acute, dramatic suffering (for the complainant). Her mental health was very significantly affected."

The judge ordered Willis to register as a sex offender for life, barred him from working with children and vulnerable adults, imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to stop reoffending and issued an indefinite restraining order banning him from all contact with the victim.

The court heard Willis suffered abuse himself as a child and went on to abuse the youngster. After showing her interest, giving her sweets and favours he enabled himself to commit very serious indecent assaults on her, the court was told.

Mark Worsley, defending, stressed his client had not used alcohol or drugs to groom the youngster and had not threatened her with violence. Mr Worsley said: "He does not recall the acts. He accepts everything he did. He has expressed remorse."

The court heard Willis suffers from anxiety and depression and has heart problems. Mr Worsley said Willis was realistic about his fate after "putting his hands up to the whole thing".

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Crack cocaine transformed a man into a pervert who flashed at females of all ages, a court heard. Jody Hawkins exposed himself to a girl aged 15 on a Facebook video call.

In a similar drug-induced state he was in a ladies lavatory when he exposed himself to a woman aged 69. He then followed a woman aged 71 and exposed himself to her, Bristol Crown Court was told on Thursday (June 29)

Hawkins, 41, of Keynsham, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to watch sexual activity and enticing a child to engage in sexual activity. Judge Moira Macmillan jailed him for two years and four months.

The judge told Hawkins: "I have to sentence you for really serious matters. I know you're aware of that. I want you to put yourself in (the young complainant's) position."

Hawkins was handed an indefinite restraining order banning all contact with the young complainant. He was handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to stop reoffending and was told to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Charles Thomas, prosecuting, said Hawkins - wearing just boxer shorts and socks - engaged in a Facebook video call with the 15-year-old girl. After asking her questions she felt were "awkward", he showed her a sex scene on his TV and engaged in a sex act, encouraging her to do the same.

The embarrassed youngster declined to do so, the court heard. She told her mum, Hawkins was tracked down and arrested and initially denied wrongdoing.

The court heard he was in a ladies lavatory when he exposed his penis to a woman aged 69. He then followed a woman aged 71 into a garden, told her "I bet you haven't seen a d*** like this for a long time", took out his penis and engaged in a sex act.

One of the older victims stated how the incident had upset her. She said she had already felt vulnerable after suffering illness. The younger victim said the incident badly affected her mental health. She also said she had suffered flashbacks.

George Threlfall, defending, said his client was on drugs at the time and had little recall of events. But he said Hawkins was now clean of narcotics. Mr Threlfall said: "He has let himself down badly. He said he was sorry that his behaviour had had this effect on (the young complainant)

"It was wrong. It was very wrong, it shouldn't have happened. It only happened because he was taking too much crack cocaine. People, especially middle-aged people, ought to realise when you take these Class A drugs you have no real control on your behaviour. Anything can happen."

Description

A dangerous sexual predator who drugged and raped a teenager in Accrington has been given a further prison sentence.

44 (pictured), 44, was jailed for 11 years in 2020 after being found guilty of raping a woman whilst threatening her with a knife.
 
Having seen media coverage of that case, the Accrington victim contacted our officers to say that Shafiq had drugged and raped her when she was 17.
 
Shafiq initially denied the offence, falsely claiming that he had been in a relationship with his victim and he had ended it when she became possessive of him.
 
He encouraged a family member from prison to repeat that lie to police.
 
Shafiq, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to rape and perverting the course of justice. He was jailed for eight years at Preston Crown Court today (June 29) with a further eight on extended licence after a Judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender.
 
He was previously ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DS David Tait, who led the investigation, said:

“Shafiq is a sexual predator who presents a very real danger to women by his perverted and warped views towards them.

“I am pleased by the sentence handed down to him by the court, which reflects the seriousness of his offending.

“I want to praise the bravery of the victim. She has had to live with the impact of what the Shafiq did to her for many years and I am pleased we have now been able to achieve some form of justice for her.

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

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Godfrey Bignell, whose criminal career dates back to the early 1970s, returned to his old stomping ground on the east coast for what he claimed was a holiday, York Crown Court heard.

He was swiftly brought to book after police found him with the blade in a betting shop in Westborough.

Godfrey Bignell, whose criminal career dates back to the early 1970s, returned to his old stomping ground on the east coast for what he claimed was a holiday, York Crown Court heard.

He was swiftly brought to book after police found him with the blade in a betting shop in Westborough.

Bignell, who had lived or been staying in the town as recently as 2021, had lately been living in Doncaster.

He had been subject to notification requirements and a sexual-harm prevention order after being convicted of his latest sexual offences in 2018.

“In March this year his registered address was in Doncaster but when that was visited by his support workers, they realised he had not been staying there,” said Ms Dasaolu.

“There were further enquiries regarding bank withdrawals which brought (police) officers to Scarborough.

“He was found in Scarborough on March 23 after a member of the public approached police officers on duty and informed them there was a man in a nearby betting shop covered in blood.

“They found him in the shop where he was stopped and searched.

"He was found to have a knife.”

Bignell told officers he was on holiday in Scarborough and that he had stayed in a bed-and-breakfast for a few nights.

He claimed he had suffered a bloody nose after a fall.

He said he had been in Scarborough for about a week and was carrying the knife to remove a tag attached to a new belt.

Bignell, whose last registered address was Beckett Road, Doncaster, admitted breaching his notification requirements and possessing a knife in public.

He appeared for sentence via video link on June 28 after being remanded in custody.

The court heard he had a criminal record dating back more than 50 years, including convictions for indecent exposure, sexual offences against children, violence, outraging public decency and breaching court orders designed to prevent further sexual offending.

He had served numerous prison sentences down the years, the latest being an 18-month jail term imposed at York Crown in August 2021.

Jazmine Lee, mitigating, said that Bignell had serious mental-health issues which had been confirmed by a doctor’s report.

She said there was no suggestion he had been talking to children during his stay in Scarborough.

A probation report recommended an immediate prison sentence because Bignell, a “high-risk” offender, was unmanageable in the community.

Judge Sean Morris described Bignell’s record as “worrying” particularly as he was in a seaside town “where children go” and said that his carrying of the knife was “incredibly dangerous”.

He told the pensioner: “You are 71 and you are coming back before the courts again and again for breaches of (the court orders).

“I don’t think you are going to get any help on the outside because you won’t help yourself and you do need help.”

Bignell was handed an 18-month jail sentence of which he will serve half behind bars.

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Shane Jenking, 36, described as a “high-risk offender”, was supposed to inform police of any new electronic devices under a sexual-harm prevention order imposed in 2018 when he was jailed for attempting to incite a young girl to engage in sexual activity.

But when police monitoring officers went to Jenking’s flat in Albemarle Crescent, they found a phone with a new SIM card under a pillow in his bedroom, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Rachael Landin said that Jenking, who worked as a chef, had not notified police about the SIM card which was a breach of the 10-year court order which placed curbs on his internet use.

In July 2018, Jenking was convicted of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and given a 10-month prison sentence, along with a 10-year sexual-harm prevention order which included monitoring checks at his home.

On March 29 this year, officers were on a routine check at his bedsit where Jenking seemed “displeased about their attendance”.

“When he was asked to provide his mobile phone for inspection, he became defensive, asking why they needed to see it,” said Ms Landin.

“He was asked again to provide his mobile and he replied that he had just got up and needed time to wake up.”

An officer told him she would give him “two minutes to wake himself up” but would then need to inspect his phone.

“He remained defensive, made himself a cigarette and was asked a fourth time for his phone,” added Ms Landin.

“He told officers he needed a cigarette first and wanted to go to his room to smoke it.

He was told he couldn’t (whereupon) he raised his voice.”

Another officer warned him not to shout and he was asked a fifth time to hand over his phone.

“He continued to take objection to the officers’ attendance…and began to push out his chest, tense his arms and went red in the face,” said Ms Landin.

The officers said that Jenking looked “ready to fight them”, but then he turned towards his bed, reached under a pillow and pulled his phone out.

However, he then made a “quick movement” towards the window and officers believed he was about to throw the phone outside.

They pulled him away from the window, but Jenking resisted and threatened one of the officers.

They tried to cuff him but Jenking pulled his arm down to try to hamper them while continuing to threaten officers and warning them that he had been “violent in the past”.

He was eventually handcuffed, arrested and taken to Scarborough Police Station.

During a subsequent search of his bedsit, police found a dual SIM card about which Jenking had failed to notify them.

During questioning by police, Jenking was “disruptive” and told officers to “get on with it please”.

He even claimed his phone was “taken without permission” and that officers were “twisting what he said”.

He told interviewing officers: “You lot are on my back when I’ve done nothing wrong.”

He said he had borrowed the SIM card from a friend because his didn’t work and that he had forgotten to remove it from his phone.

However, he ultimately admitted two counts of breaching a sexual-harm prevention order, failing to comply with notification requirements and resisting a police constable.

He appeared for sentence via video link after being remanded in custody.

The breaches included deletion of data, the use of aliases, failing to make his phone available for inspection and failing to notify police about the new SIM card.

Jenking had 23 previous convictions for over 40 offences including eight sexual offences between 2018 and 2020.

He had three previous convictions for resisting a police officer, five previous raps for breaching a sexual-harm prevention order and three previous breaches of notification requirements.

He was last released from prison last year following recall.

Jenking, who represented himself, told the court he had worked as a chef for 18 years but had now lost his job in Scarborough.

He said that the job had been kept open for him if he kept his liberty.

He said the contract had run out on his SIM card and that when police went to his home “I had just woken up; I’ve been suffering with insomnia for 24 years”.

Judge Sean Morris jailed Jenking for six months for the “deliberate breaches (of the order)”, but due to time spent on remand, it would mean his immediate or imminent release from prison.

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An 82-year-old swimming pool pervert is behind bars after being found guilty of molesting two young girls in Angus.

Michael Haugh was convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court of two charges of molesting young girls — on one occasion at Arbroath Swimming Pool — and taking and possessing hundreds of images of child abuse.

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A man who breached the conditions of a previous sentence by hiding an internet-enabled phone from the police has been given further jail time.

Gary Sheridan, 36, was sentenced to 14 months in prison for breaching the terms of his notification requirements and for breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

In 2017, Sheridan was sentenced to more than six years in prison for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, when he was 27.

As well, he was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison in 2020 when he pleaded guilty to a sexual harm prevention order by having contact with two boys under the age of 16, as well as four charges of failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offender register.

With regard to these proceedings, Sheridan, of Church Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his notification requirements and breaching terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecuting at Burnley Crown Court, Stephen Parker said in January 2023 officers visited Sheridan at his home and there were no issues as he handed over a phone which could not access the internet.

At the next visit on March 28, he informed them he had lost the phone previously given to the police, who then on May 4, were contacted by a witness to say she had been communicating with Sheridan through Facebook and Snapchat since February.

For a while she was unaware of Sheridan’s surname, as the Facebook profile was in the name of ‘Gary Gary’ and the Snapchat account did not display his full name either.

When she learned his real name, she searched it online and found out about his previous convictions, leading to her contacting the police.

A further search was conducted at Sheridan’s flat and a police dog found a phone hidden away in a communal area of the property.

Mr Parker said Sheridan had panicked when he was informed the police were looking for him and he had admitted “it was a stupid thing to do.”

Mitigating, James Heyworth said: “This is the second time Sheridan has disobeyed the court’s order and he understands there is a public interest in making it clear that breaching court orders are inevitably going to face sentences of immediate custody.

“He had not committed these offences through any inappropriate contact with children. He was trying to engage in a relationship with an adult female and he was worried she might find out (about his past).

“He understands he has nobody to blame but himself.”

Sentencing, Recorder David Temkin said: “You were convicted of serious sexual offending in March 2017. It was against a 13-year-old girl. I note you struck up a relationship in that case with her through Facebook.

“You were made subject of an order which prevents you from possessing any device with access to the internet unless you made the device available on request. You breached those orders in a serious way.

“On March 28 this year you misled the officer and told them you had no phone which was internet enabled.

“On May 5 you were visited by police and you tried to mislead them again by producing a non-internet enabled phone and telling them you did not have another device. Hidden behind an air vent was a phone you had kept from the police.

“It was said you have learnt from your mistakes. You clearly have not. These offences were committed fairly soon after your release from those offences. You have something of a history with disobedience towards court orders.”

Recorder Temkin sentenced Sheridan to 10 months for the breach of notification requirements and four months for the breach of the sexual harm prevention order, to run consecutively, giving a total sentence of 14 months.

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A Wiltshire man caught by paedophile hunters twice has escaped a prison sentence after spending over four months behind bars on remand.

Michael Wadley, 69, asked what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl for naked photographs, stating he wanted to print them off and put them on his wall.

The defendant also sent the girl a photograph of a penis and encouraged her to masturbate.

Unbeknown to him, he was actually talking to paedophile hunters posing as the youngster who attended his home in December 2021 and confronted him about his behaviour.

During a 40-minute-long live stream, police attended the defendants home in Bancroft, Bradford on Avon, and arrest him. He was released on police bail before being charged in late 2022.

Later appearing at Salisbury Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and making four indecent images of children three in the most serious category.

Having been released on bail again ahead of sentencing, a different group of paedophile hunters arrived at his address to confront him over new offending claiming that he had been communicating with a child online again.

He was arrested and put before Swindon Magistrates Court the following day. He admitted breaching his bail conditions by initiating contact with a 14-year-old girl and telling her she was stunning.

He was remanded into custody ahead of sentencing and subsequently, his health deteriorated significantly which resulted in the sentencing hearing being delayed multiple times.

On Monday (26 June), he was finally sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court by the judge, Recorder Neil Millard.

He said: Of concern in this case, whilst on bail you breached your bail by contacting a 14-year-old girl, resulting in you being remanded in custody.

You have served a four-month custodial sentence, which is equivalent to an eight-month sentence.

Mr Millard took into account his time spent in custody and imposed a 15-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He also imposed a ten-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

As part of the order, Wadley is banned from having unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16 excluding one person named on the order and is prohibited from wiping his internet history.

He can continue to use the internet, including social media, but has to seek prior approval from the police and must provide them with his usernames and passwords.

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A Calne father who downloaded child abuse images has narrowly avoided prison.

43-year-old Martin Tyrrell was caught with the vile content after police officers seized and later examined devices taken from his former home in Devizes in late 2022.

The raid came after the force received a tip-off about his perverted digital behaviour – with a report that an email address linked to the defendant was being used to access illicit material.

Eleven indecent images were discovered on one of his electronic devices and he was subsequently charged. In an interview, he lied to officers by claiming he wasn’t home when the files were downloaded.

But at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court in March, he admitted the offending. During that hearing, defence solicitor Matthew George said his client was referred to the mental health team after his arrest.

He was referred to Stop It Now, an organisation that helps people worried about their thoughts and behaviour relating to child sexual abuse, and he completed a programme with them.

Mr George said that Tyrrell, of Lambourn Court, has “learned a good deal about himself and his offending behaviour” and added that he is “now able to stop it himself”.

On 1 June, at the same court, he was handed a 26-week prison sentence suspended for two years. Tyrrell must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation activity days.

The magistrates also imposed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for seven years, which bans the man from using internet devices unless approved by the police, deleting web search history and using social media or chat rooms without asking the Public Protection Unit prior and providing them with his passwords.

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AN Ellesmere Port child rapist who took indecent pictures of his victim and also continued to be an online predator while on police bail has received an extended prison sentence.

Derek Smith appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, June 23, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus five years extended licence.

The 42-year-old was earlier found guilty of 24 counts, including the possession and taking of indecent images of children, engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a child aged 13 to 17 to engage in sexual activity and multiple counts of rape.

The investigation initially began following a report from the National Crime Agency (NCA) which made Cheshire Police aware that a 'category C' indecent image of a child had been uploaded to the internet.

Detectives were able to successfully identify the address of the user who had uploaded the image and on Tuesday, July 27 last year, Smith was arrested, and searches were conducted at two addresses linked to him in Chester and Ellesmere Port.

Officers recovered numerous electronic devices during the warrants, two of which were later found to contain 231 indecent images and videos of children.

Of the images found, 43 were of category A, 74 were of category B, and 114 were of category C.

Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) discovered that 26 of the images recovered were first generation images of a young girl, taken by Smith on his own device.

On Friday, September 9, Smith was charged with nine offences and was released on conditional bail for the case to be heard at court. However, he was not deterred by this and continued his predatory online activity.

Smith, who went by the name 'Degsi' on a dating app, engaged in several sexualised conversations with three young girls, aged 13 and 14. He requested inappropriate images of them and encouraged them to commit sexual acts upon themselves.

However, unbeknown to Smith, he was speaking to three adults acting as child ‘decoys’.

In a bid to identify Smith, the decoys arranged a meeting on Wednesday, October 5, using a decoy profile of an adult woman.

Smith was waiting at Cheshire Oaks when he was confronted by the decoys and swiftly arrested by officers.

During questioning, he answered no comment to everything posed to him by officers, even when shown messages that he had sent to the three different decoys.

A further seven sexual charges were secured against Smith, and he was remanded into custody.

As detectives were working to bring the extent of his crimes to light, the victim pictured in the indecent images (recovered from Smith’s devices), felt able to disclose her abuse at the hands of Smith.

While he was still on remand, Smith was arrested again and subsequently charged with eight more offences, including multiple counts of rape and sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 17.

Smith pleaded not guilty to all offences. However, after listening to the extensive evidence gathered against him, a jury found him guilty on all charges on Wednesday, May 17 this year.

Detective Constables Louise Murphy and Abi Axon, from Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, attended Smith’s sentencing and said: “The long list of offences Smith subjected the victim to is nothing short of horrific.

“He has shown no consideration for the victim at any stage, refusing to admit to the extremely serious sexual offences he committed and making the victim give evidence at court.

“Being subjected to the court process can be a stressful experience for victims in cases involving sexual offences, particularly when they are so young.

“We would like to praise the victim for the bravery shown in disclosing what Smith subjected her to and how she conducted herself whilst the trial was ongoing.

“On top of this, he also possessed more than 230 indecent images of children for his own sexual gratification – behind each of these images there is a child being sexually abused.

“We hope the fact that Smith is now behind bars, where he can no longer sexually exploit young girls, gives the victim and her family some closure.

“However, they will continue to receive the help and support they need to move forward with their lives.”

In addition to the custodial sentence Smith was ordered to sign the sexual offenders’ register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Detective Sergeant Dave Walton, of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Sexual abuse is an unforgivable crime, and this is a particularly distressing case.

“I would like to thank the officers involved in this complex investigation for all their hard work in unravelling the extent of Smith’s offending and gathering the required level of evidence to secure convictions for all 24 offences.

“Smith’s attempts to engage with children online highlights the need for parents and guardians to warn their children of the dangers of communicating with people via social media, to check that they are using those applications safely and to keep an eye out for any warning signs of sexual exploitation.

“I hope that Derek Smith’s convictions and sentencing encourages anyone who has been subjected to similar offending to report it to the police.

“They should feel confident that they will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers and other support agencies we work alongside.

“All victims will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and any allegations will be taken extremely seriously and thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and the needs of the victim as our main priority.”

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Abuse suffered by a boy more than 40 years ago was discovered after his abuser discussed it with prison workers while in jail for other sexual offences, a court has heard.

Barry Harmer, 55, had been serving an extended 15 year sentence after being convicted of indecent assaults and the rape of a girl when he opened up to a key worker in 2015 about previous offending as part of a course aimed to help rehabilitate him.

Norwich Crown Court heard the conversation was "disclosed to police" with Harmer initially stating he would be "happy to speak to them" although he later "refused to engage with police when they saw him in prison".

Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said the victim had not wanted to speak to police back in 2015 but in 2021 contacted police and was interviewed.

Harmer, currently of HMP Bure, near Coltishall, appeared at court having previously admitted four counts of indecent assault on a male and one offence of indecency with a child.

The offences occurred in Norfolk against one male victim between July 1982 and July 1987.

Mr Spence said Harmer began the offending when he was 14, and the victim was 11 and carried on until the defendant was 18 or 19.

Mr Spence said the abuse had "a huge and long-lasting effect upon" the victim and "his mental state".

Imposing an extended 10-year sentence, made up of five years and four months in prison and four years and eight months on extended licence, Judge Andrew Shaw said Harmer "systematically and persistently" abused the victim and was "clearly extremely dangerous".

Azza Brown, mitigating, said the court is "dealing with a person who was a child" himself at the start of the offending.

She said he had been living in an "abusive" and "emotionally neglected" household without support and was himself vulnerable.

Harmer has already been put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Speaking after sentence, Detective Constable Victoria McDowell said: "I would like to commend Harmer’s victim, who has been extremely brave throughout this investigation.

“This sentence ensures a dangerous man is kept in prison and I hope the result provides his victim with some closure.”

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A man dubbed 'Britain's worst flasher', who has clocked up 170 offences during his vile 51-year campaign of exposing himself, has been jailed - again. 

Prolific offender Paul Smith, 65, has been in and out of court since 1972 when he just a 14-year-old schoolboy for repeatedly flashing his genitals at passers-by.

The pervert's sickening acts have seen him exposing himself to lone women at bus stops and young children in their gardens, as he tried to hide his identity by wearing disguises. 

Smith has been repeatedly jailed, with judges having imposed court orders and making him complete sex therapy programmes in attempts to curb his warped behaviour. One judge even branded the menace a 'one-man public nuisance' who will 'end up dying in prison'.

In one incident vigilantes left Smith with multiple fractures following a revenge beating after he travelled 50 miles from his home in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, to flash at children including a seven-year old girl.

During various court appearances he could offer no explanation for his behaviour other than 'compulsive attention-seeking' or a 'reaction to stress scenarios.' He also warned he will never be able to stop and told police he 'wanted to be noticed'.

Smith was arrested again last April after he targeted the stationary bus full of revellers in Manchester city centre only two days after he was given a suspended sentence in Bradford, West Yorkshire for flashing at lone women and children at bus stops in nearby Halifax.

In the latest matter he was foiled by a bus driver, who spotted him gesturing for his passengers to look in his direction while waving his penis around for two minutes on a busy street. When arrested Smith told police: 'I was just running for the bus.'

At Manchester Crown Court, Smith was jailed for 25 months after he admitted outraging public decency. He will remain subject of a lifetime sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and must sign the Sex Offender Register.

Smith was just 14 when he was first convicted of exposing himself and after clocking up similar offences first went to jail in 1998 for 45 months for exposing himself to two children in Bolton.

He started taking his bicycle on trains to target victims outside his hometown but in 2010 he was jailed for six years and was issued with his first SHPO at Liverpool and was banned from making similar journeys.

In 2014 Smith was jailed for four years after getting the train to Bradford to flash at more victims only to be chased and assaulted by a vigilante gang who left him with fractured ribs and a broken collar bone, pelvis and wrist.

In 2016 he was held again by police after breaching a new ban on wearing disguises to sport a snood, a hat, and sunglasses, before acting indecently at a bus stop in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. 

Then in 2020 he was sent back to jail after undercover police officers saw him dropping his trousers in front of female commuters whilst loitering at Piccadilly Bus Station during the morning rush hour.

Last April 21 Smith was sentenced to two years jail suspended for two years after eight more flashing offences at bus stops in Halifax including one incident in front of two screaming 10-year-old children near a school. 

At the time a judge called him a 'one-man public nuisance' and told him: 'You've been sent to prison over and over again. You've had sex therapy, but you keep on doing it. I've now read a psychiatric report that suggests you need some serious anti-depressant medication. 

'In my view you'll end up dying in prison - well if that's what you want, no one can stop you.'

Speaking of Smith's latest offence, prosecutor Alex Beevers told the defendant had been standing on the side of Lever Street, Manchester at 6.10pm on Sunday, April 23. 

It was here the 65-year-old spotted by the driver of the 135 bus, which had been taking passengers from Bury to Manchester city centre, facing the vehicle. 

'He was wearing a hooded top and a blue surgical mask and was waving his penis with his hand,' Mr Beevers told the court.  

'He was gesturing towards the bus passengers to look in his direction. 

'The incident lasted just over two minutes before the driver called the police. 

'The defendant fled on foot towards the city centre but was caught a short time later. When arrested he told them "I was just running for a bus".

'He was interviewed the next day and gave no comment. 

'He has a staggering amount of offences on his record, many of which are for similar offences of exposure in very busy, public places.'

In mitigation, defence lawyer Jane Greenhalgh said: 'Mr Smith simply cannot stop himself offending in this fashion. 

'It is a frustrating case because it is clear that the defendant cannot effect any sense of self control over his actions. He tells me this is his reaction to stressful scenarios. He has had a lifelong struggle with this behaviour.

'He has fully accepted the impact of his offending and did not seek to minimise it at any point. 

'He is unemployed and has been caring for his father for a number of years.'

In sentencing, Judge Eliot Knopf told Smith: 'My options of dealing with you are extremely limited. 

'You are an intelligent man who realises the impact of your actions but are unable to stop yourself.

'It is clear from a report there s no mental health issue present in your case. 

'One just hopes that when you are released from custody that you are able to manage yourself in a situation that doesn't end up with you appearing in these courts.'

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A man sexually assaulted a sleeping woman who had taken pity on him and allowed him to stay at her home.

Tony Potter was kindly invited to stay at the woman's home after she believed him to be struggling with his mental health. But after a night of drinking, the woman woke up from sleeping after feeling pain and realised she was being sexually assaulted.

After Potter refused to stop the attack, the woman was forced to strike him in the face with a fork. She then accused him of raping her, but Potter laughed it off and "made light of things".

Potter, 41, denied the offence but was later found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration following a trial. On Monday, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced.

The court heard that Potter, of Lobley Hill Road, Gateshead, put something on social media which made the woman believe he was struggling with his mental health and was "in a bad place". The woman then reached out and offered to meet up.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "They spent several hours socialising together at a house. On one evening both parties consumed alcohol and Valium and then went to sleep."

In the morning, the woman was suddenly woken by a "painful sensation" and realised Potter was sexually assaulting her. Mr O'Brien continued: "She sought to get him off but he wouldn't let go. In desperation, she noticed a Pot Noodle cup with a fork nearby. She took hold of it and struck the defendant in the face. She then accused the defendant of raping her.

"He treated matters as if they were a joke and told her she was a heavy sleeper and he had been biting her to try and wake her up but it hadn't worked. He sought to make light of things."

Potter later left the woman's home and she reported the incident to police. In a statement, she said the sex assault left her suffering from flashbacks and struggled to sleep.

The court was told Potter had 29 previous convictions for 61 offences, including an attempted robbery in 2018 where he tried to take a person's car while fleeing from police after attacking a man in Newcastle Central Library. He had no previous convictions for sex offences.

Peter Schofield, defending, said that following the sex offence, Potter moved away from the North East and attended a 12-step programme in order to deal with his alcohol and drug misuse issues. He said: "He has gained qualifications as a forklift truck driver and passed his full driving test.

"He has obtained work in the Blackburn area for a delivery firm in an attempt to put the past behind him." Mr Schofield added that Potter had not committed any offences since 2020.

Sentencing Potter, Judge Penny Moreland jailed him for seven years and imposed a 10 year restraining order. He will also be on the sex offender's register for life.

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A group of eagle-eyed street pastors have been praised after they tracked a convicted Kettering sex offender who was following a lone woman.

James Sills was spotted on CCTV tailing the female and keeping pace with her in the early hours of the morning, something he was banned from doing by a court order.

But volunteers from Kettering Street Pastors, who were patrolling the area, kept tabs on his actions so he knew he was being watched and he turned around.

On Friday (June 23) the 36-year-old was locked up and police said the volunteers’ work may have prevented a sexual assault from taking place.

Northampton Crown Court heard Sills, of London Road, was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order in 2016 and banned from following women. He has convictions for 17 offences, including stalking and sexual assault.

Prosecutor Quiana Fitzpatrick said that in April he was seen sat on a town centre bench at 2am, pretending to be on a phone.

Sills then saw a lone woman and walked behind her before following her.

Ms Fitzpatrick said: "He is described as clearly checking her out. She walked across the road and down the street.

"At this point he moved to the opposite side of the road, keeping pace with her.”

By now he had been identified by CCTV operators and those from the PT Alpha first aid team. Street pastor volunteers followed to make sure the woman was okay, while making sure they didn’t risk a confrontation.

The court heard Sills then turned around but was later spotted by police following two young females by walking ‘very fast’ behind them.

He was arrested and admitted two charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Mitigating, Emma Fielding said Sills had written a letter to Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane while at HMP Peterborough on remand, detailing his reflections on his offending.

She said he would lose his flat if he spent six months in custody and wants to initially carry out voluntary work at a food bank when he is released from prison.

She said: "He wants to work and get back into paid employment.”

Sills was handed a suspended sentence in 2022 for another court order breach and it had to be activated it unless it would be unjust to do so.

But Judge Crane said: "I find nothing unjust in this case.”

Sills was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison and will serve half in custody before being released on licence.

Detective Sergeant Oliver McNally from Northamptonshire Police said: “The street pastors' work and eagle-eyed observations were excellent and they have most likely prevented a very serious sexual assault taking place on a female that night.

"It's brilliant work and without the team's support we could not have achieved what we did in this case.”

A Kettering Street Pastors spokesman added: “Our aim is to help ensure that everyone has a great night out and gets safely home, and we’re pleased our volunteers could help in this case.

“We’re delighted to be part of a great collective team alongside police, CCTV, PT Alpha first aiders and venue door staff – all working together to keep our community safe.”

Description

A paedophile who plied a schoolgirl with cannabis and repeatedly sexually abused her after meeting on Snapchat has been jailed.

Faisal Khan, 20, met up with the girl ‘nearly every day’ and had an ‘intense sexual relationship’ with her, Manchester Crown Court previously heard.

The pair initially met on Snapchat via one of the girl’s friends. Khan complimented her and told her she was ‘pretty’, before meeting up with her in person and giving her cannabis.

He would tell her to meet him in a nearby park because he was ‘clearly concerned her mum would find out’, prosecutor Ben Lawrence said.

They shared more than 3,000 messages on the social media platform and Khan 'made her feel special'. He told the schoolgirl that he loved her and they shared kisses and heart emojis on Snapchat. He also provided her with cannabis, alcohol and nitrus oxide balloons.

The victim described not knowing whether he was her boyfriend or not but that the relationship had turned from something “cute” to “sour”.

At one stage he suggested they could spend time in a hotel room together, and said he would 'f*** her hard'. "He knew full well she was a schoolgirl," Mr Lawrence said.

Prosecutors said that he would have known she was still at school because she told him about incidents in her education, and even picked her up from school.

On one occasion the girl went to Khan's home and they had sex while his father was asleep in another room in the house.

And on another occasion, he picked up the girl and her younger brother, giving them both alcohol and drugs to ‘stop the brother from snitching’.

The court heard that during one incident when she became jealous of him picking another girl up in his car, she called him a ‘paedophile’ and in response he slapped her.

In a message to her, he said: “...so you can stay with me and no one gets caught.”

The police became involved after a teacher at the girl's school noticed a 'sexual image' on her phone.

At trial, Khan denied having any sexual contact with the girl. He admitted he'd met up with her three times, but said at most he had kissed her on the cheek. He told police the girl had never mentioned being at school and claimed he thought she was in college.

In April this year, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, he was convicted of three counts of having sexual activity with a child and another count of supplying her with cannabis.

A number of messages from Khan to the girl were read to the court, including: “I’ll come give you the spliff. We’ll go on a little drive, we'll do our stuff.”

Another read: “We can do what we want, weed, drinks, everything, all on me baby, do what you want with me because I know you wanna do stuff proper together.” It was also said that he told her he was 17, when he was actually 19 at the time.

In sentencing, Judge Timothy Smith said the victim described meeting Khan on an ‘almost daily basis’, and said he took her out in ‘different cars’.

“On occasions you would collect her from school in your car. You would also collect her brother, and he would help her sneak in and out,” Judge Smith said.

“You gave him alcohol and cannabis in part to keep him on side so he would not tell others of your relationship.”

The judge said Khan showed an ‘unwillingness’ to accept responsibility, adding that he ‘lied to the police, the jury and in his interview with a probation officer’.

He said the victim was unable to recognise if situations were unsafe, and said she had limited understanding of intimate relationship dynamics. “She describes how you made her feel ‘special’, in her words ‘by an older boy giving her love’,” he said.

“I am entirely satisfied you knew the relationship was wrong but you persisted in it for your sexual needs.”

Khan, of Milne Street, Oldham, was jailed for four years and ten months. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, and handed a restraining order, banning him from contacting the girl indefinitely.

He was also placed onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.