Latest Offenders

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A violent sex offender has been jailed for 15 years, following a GMP investigation into a two-year campaign of abuse.

James Scanlon (25/01/76) of Sedburgh Close, Sale was sentenced today (Friday 26 May 2023) at Minshull Street Crown Court, after being found guilty of offences including rape, sexual assault, and actual bodily harm.

The jury was told that the abuse culminated in June 2022, when Scanlon held the victim against her will and subjected her to a serious and prolonged sex attack.

Detective Constable Jacob Corrigan, of GMP’s Trafford district, said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victim of this horrific incident. She has suffered tremendously at the hands of Scanlan. The victim will continue to receive support from specialist services and, owing to this, she has been able to begin the recovery process.

“Sexual violence will not be tolerated in our communities, and we will continue to support those who suffer. Of that’s you, please talk to us. We can help you; we can give you the support you need, we can work with you to achieve justice and remove dangerous individuals from our communities. You are not alone.”

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A dad-of-two who kissed a young man with autism in a Wetherspoons toilet cubicle without consent was jailed for sexual assault today. Stephen Freer, 45, of Parciau in Mynytho, Gwynedd approached his victim at the pub chain's Pen Cob site in Pwllheli last March.

Prosecutor, Simon Mintz, said the young man in his 20s was out for a meal with his family and had been to the toilets at the pub three times during his visit. Freer, who was also there on every occasion cracked a joke that the pair must have "synchronised bladders".

The court heard how Freer stood in the doorway of a cubicle whilst the victim washed his hands during the third trip to the toilets. Freer, 45, then beckoned him into the cubicle before kissing him on the lips.

Mr Mintz said the victim was "too frightened to resist" and scared of what would happen if he didn't respond the way the dad-of-two wanted. A family member noticed the victim was "in a state of shock" after leaving the toilets alongside Freer.

Freer claimed the young man had just been sick, complaining to him about an "upset tummy". But the victim's relatives confronted the defendant, said Mr Mintz, who continued denied anything else happened in the toilets.

The victim only revealed to his family what really happened once they left the pub. The police were then informed.

Freer was arrested and at first continued to deny anything happened between the men but later admitted to the kiss but claimed to have "reasonable belief" it was consensual.

The victim's sister, through a victim impact statement, said her brother blamed himself for the incident. She went on to say that he is "reluctant to go out" and remains "anxious and distrustful" when in social situations.

Elen Owen, defending told the court her client had "no idea" of the victim's autism. She argued that this case did not involve a "significant degree of planning" of Freer's part, claiming that he was already in the toilets when the complainant arrived the third time, adding it was a "chance encounter" at the time the assault took place.

Freer accepted, through Ms Owen, that he'd been drinking "enough to loosen his inhibitions" that day. The barrister said that, in the sober light of day he accepted what he did was wrong.

She said: "He is not a danger to other people and has learnt his lesson. He will not repeat these out-of-character actions again."

Recorder Wyn Lloyd-Jones said he "would not be doing his job properly" if he did not send Freer straight to prison for his eight month sentence for what must have been a "frightening" experience for the victim. He told Freer that he'd also need to register as a sex offender for the next decade.

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RAF chiefs have housed a child rapist on a military family estate despite his guilty pleas to a series of sickening offences.

Air chiefs claim red tape stops them instantly kicking out disgraced serviceman Glenn Poyner. 

Instead the 35-year-old paedophile has been given a property near a primary school at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.

He was apparently moved to the estate from a block housing unattached male colleagues because of threats made against him.

Terrified parents living at the base fear for their youngsters, who had been able to play outside in safety.

Poyner admitted multiple counts of raping a 13-year-old among other child sex crimes at a court hearing earlier this month. Among his victims was the relative of a colleague.

He is not due to be sentenced until August and senior officers have not yet discharged him from the forces.

Families expected him to be kicked out on the day of his guilty pleas but the officers have only just started to fill in the paperwork.

Until all the red tape has been cleared, the plan is for Poyner to be housed at the base, the Mail has learned.

Furious Benson residents accuse RAF chiefs of prioritising the paedophile's welfare over the safety of their children.

Poyner holds the rank of air specialist – a gender-neutral title recently introduced by top brass. He will be paid by the RAF until the discharge process is completed.

One mother said: 'I am petrified that this monster will use his last months of freedom to strike again.

'Where's the protection? There are children everywhere here, playing happily outside. I can't rest for a second.

'He should be behind bars. It is a disgrace the air chiefs still haven't kicked him out of the RAF.'

At Telford Magistrates' Court on May 12 Poyner admitted four counts of rape, an indecent assault and other sexual activities with children between 2018 and 2021.

He was stationed at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, a UK centre for pilot training. He later moved to RAF Benson.

At the hearing, prosecutor Mark Connor told the judge: 'The defendant has entered guilty pleas which adequately reflect the offending behaviour over a number of years.

'The prosecution accepts those pleas with regard to the court's overall sentencing powers.'

Judge Peter Barrie granted Poyner bail ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled for August 11, when he is expected to be jailed.

The judge also ordered a psychiatric assessment to consider the sex offender's threat to the public.

While Poyner was given a curfew and must wear a tracking tag, service families insist they should be spared the worry of him living nearby.

His property is being monitored by RAF Police, who have stepped up patrols of the estate following complaints from parents.

RAF Benson, near Wallingford, is a support helicopter main operating base.

The failure by chiefs to manage Poyner's case – and to prioritise the concerns of service families – is the latest in a string of embarrassing failures by RAF bosses.

It follows the shocking treatment of female personnel by pilots, including multiple claims of sexual assault, in the Red Arrows display team.

The head of the RAF, Sir Mike Wigston, has also faced criticism over a chronic shortage of frontline pilots and a recruitment policy that appeared to discriminate against white male applicants.

The RAF said: 'We are aware that a service person residing at RAF Benson pleaded guilty to a number of serious sexual offences.

'The RAF is unable to comment on individual cases, not offer comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.'

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A middle-aged man who masturbated in front of two women on a London service train has been jailed. Dean Benjamin, 41, targeted his first victim shortly after 5pm on March 3 on a train to Nottingham before approaching a second woman in the first-class carriage.

The first victim noticed Benjamin staring at her while leaning on the luggage rack. Moments later, she looked back up and saw that he had placed his hands down the front of his trousers and was clearly masturbating.

She was able to text British Transport Police using its 61016 service and told a passing ticket inspector who moved her away and sat her in the first-class carriage. A short while later, Benjamin made his way to the first-class carriage and began masturbating while staring at a second woman as she worked on her laptop.

A ticket inspector was informed and an off-duty police officer who was travelling on the service apprehended Benjamin until the train arrived at Kettering station. He was removed and immediately taken into custody.

He later pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and has now been jailed for a total of 26 months. Benjamin, of Stockingstone Road, Luton, had also been in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order when he committed the offences.

DC Mohit Behl, investigating officer in the case, said: “Benjamin is quite simply a disgusting individual who targeted two lone women for his own sexual gratification.

“I hope his prison sentence serves as a stark warning to sexual offenders – we will do everything in our power to put your behind bars, without exception. If you experience or witness repulsive behaviour such as this on the rail network, I urge you to report it to us either by texting 61016 as the victim did in this instance, or by calling 0800 40 50 40.

“Nothing is too small or too trivial to report, and we will always take you seriously.”

Description

A Birmingham paedophile dad has been jailed for seven and a half years for a sick string of online child sex offences. His catalogue of crimes included attempting to arrange the rape of a child under the age of 13.

Damien Lucas, 36, of New Street, Leominster was found with hundreds of horrific images and videos showing children being raped or tortured that he'd also shared. He was put behind bars for 92 months at Hereford Crown Court on Tuesday(May 23).

Lucas pleaded guilty to eight child sex offence charges dating between June 2021 and February this year. The unemployed dad-of-three had lived in Chelmsley Wood before moving to Leominster in 2021.

Detective Inspector Matt McNelis of West Mercia Police said: "Damien Lucas pleaded guilty to having hundreds of images including 199 Category A images.

"Each of these depicts the rape and or torture of a child, the possession and sharing of these images and videos re-victimises each child in perpetuity and we continue to work with partners, including Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Family Matters, to stamp out this vile trade in human misery.

“The strength of this seven year sentence sends a strident message to online child sex offenders across the country. The possession, making and distribution of indecent images of children and the grooming of children to provide opportunities to commit contact offences are abhorrent crimes that we are fighting hard to prevent every day."

Lucas pleaded guilty to these eight charges with Category A the most severe as "they involve penetrative sexual activity":

• Attempting to arrange or facilitate the rape of a child under 13 on October 26 last year
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 in 2021, relating to 114 Category A images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 2021 relating to 58 Category B images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 2021 relating to 270 Category C images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 85 Category A images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 101 Category B images
• Distributing an indecent photog or pseudo-photo of a child on October 26 last year relating to a Category B image
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 279 Category C images

The judge also ordered that Lucas he put under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and be on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

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A crystal meth smoking paedophile priest who fantasised about sacrificing babies to Satan has been jailed for four years after a judge said he was a danger to children.

Rev David Renshaw, from Worthing, boasted he was a “sadistic b******” who corrupted young boys.

A judge told the 63-year-old vicar his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions showed he remains a danger to the public.

“You are still unable to accept your criminality and sexual interest in children,” Judge Christine Henson KC said.

A jury at Hove took less than 30 minutes to convict Renshaw of all eight counts of possessing indecent, extreme and illegal images of children and animals.

“Perhaps incarceration will help you realise you need treatment,” the judge told him.

As a serving vicar, Renshaw, who had more than 22,000 illegal images on his computers, was a high risk to children.

The age, vulnerability and clear pain and distress caused to the children in the images and videos were aggravating factors in his four year sentence, the judge told Renshaw.

The time and effort it would have taken to amass such a large collection showed his level of commitment, the judge said.

“It showed you were involved in a network of sharing indecent images of children,” she said.

Renshaw, a vicar since 1985, sat motionless in an interview suite as he was sentenced by video from HMP Lewes.

He will spend half of the four year sentence in custody before he is eligible for release on licence.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning Renshaw from unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 years will apply when he leaves prison.

He will also be required to be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and pay £4,200 costs.

In his defence, Sarah Day said the vicar had lost everything.

“These convictions bring to a close the life he has previously known,” Ms Day said.

“He has lost his home and his vocation.”

The cleric remained on a Church of England safe list for two years after National Crime Agency police traced his online activity.

Renshaw was still on the list days after his conviction in February this year.

A jury found him guilty of having more than 22,000 indecent images and videos of children and animals.

Renshaw, who attempted suicide after the guilty verdict, said he had few limits and could sink really low.

He told other paedophiles online: “I’m a sadistic b******.

“Through and f****** through.”

Renshaw was made priest in charge of Christ Church Worthing in December 2019.

He was on long term sick leave and in hospital when police raided his home on August 11, 2020.

He was also cautioned by police for possession of Class A and B drugs in May 2021.

Police found rotting dead animals, used needles and drug pipes when they raided his parish home.

The RSPCA seized severely malnourished dogs, cats and chickens after the police raid.

Police traced his online activity to a computer at his three bed semi.

Hove Crown Court heard it would have taken months to download all the images and video found on the hard drive.

The Church of England vicar tried to claim he would not have had time to download all the images and video, telling police: “Sermons don’t write themselves.”

Police found backups of his online and message app conversations with other perverts.

Renshaw asked one other user to offer his three-year-old to Satan.

Other sick chats involved sacrificing babies to the devil.

After his crimes were discovered, Renshaw tried to frame his own sons, telling police they had access to his computers.

In statements read to the court, his sons said they were saddened and disappointed their own father named them as potential suspects.

The jury heard graphic descriptions of horrific child sex abuse videos police found on the drive.

Police also found dozens of porn DVDs when they searched his house.

Renshaw initially denied, then admitted he sent social media and chat messages to other paedophiles discussing extreme child abuse.

Renshaw, a former chaplain in a youth offender unit, wrote: “I love corrupting boys with drugs.”

In the witness box, Renshaw said he used crystal meth when he was lonely and bored.

The jury did not believe his explanations for his online activity and returned eight verdicts in less than 25 minutes.

Jurors were offered counselling after listening to graphic descriptions of the downloads.

They found him guilty of three counts of possessing indecent images of children; three counts of making indecent images of children; possessing prohibited images of children; and possessing extreme pornographic images portraying acts of intercourse with animals, namely dogs and horses.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Rose, said: “Throughout this investigation, Renshaw has sought to blame anyone but himself.

“He has failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.

“The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure.

“As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around.

“It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.

“It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.”

The Diocese of Chichester said Renshaw was suspended immediately after police searched his address and he has not been in active ministry since.

Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, said the diocese cooperated closely with Sussex Police throughout this investigation.

“Mr Renshaw’s appalling offences involved the possession of thousands of obscene images,” a church spokesman said.

“Following his conviction, further action will now be taken against him under the Clergy Discipline Measure.”

Renshaw was sentenced to four years, two years, one year, four years, two years, one year and two terms of three months each to run concurrently for the eight changes.

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Sex offender Bryan Hill has been jailed after a phone call to his mum proved he had flouted a court order. The 39-year-old was convicted in 2017 of a child grooming offence which led to him being made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

But he breached the order by failing to inform police of a new phone he had. A 'keen-eyed' officer checking up on him discovered he had a secret mobile.

Despite denying that he had used the phone, records showed he had rang his mother only that morning. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he also breached the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register by using a new user name which had not been notified to the police.

Now Hill, who has breached the SHPO on two previous occasions, has been jailed for two years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor John Oates said the SHPO was made in 2017 after Hill was convicted of a child grooming offence.

Mr Oates said: "Police attended Star Accommodation in Hanley on March 6 this year. The defendant declared a mobile phone the officers already knew about.

"But when they searched the house they found a Samsung smartphone which had not been declared. He denied using it but it was found he had been using it that very morning.

"The SHPO requires him to inform the police of any device he has.

"It was also found he had been using a new user name BH9644010. That had not been notified. He had not told the police he was using that name, which was a breach of the notification requirements."

Hill, of Marsh Street North, Hanley, pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

Steve Hennessy, mitigating, conceded it was a concern that Hill was back in court for a further breach. He said the officer was 'extremely keen-eyed' to notice the charger plugged in was for a different mobile to the one Hill declared.

He said the Samsung was not well hidden. Mr Hennessy said: "It had been used that morning to call his mother.

"He is motivated by boredom and loneliness. He has now learned his lesson. He has had quite a conversation with his mother who said any further returns to prison and she will never speak to him again. He promises there will be no breaches in the future."

Judge David Fletcher said: "This is the third time you have breached this order.

"When you are released on licence that is the time to really prove to those who are interested in your progress that you really mean what you have said."

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A Devon man has been jailed for raping a woman in a field. Jack Frankum asked the woman for a lift home from an agricultural event.

When she stopped to urinate in the remote location he sexually assaulted and then raped her. The 28-year-old, from Cheriton Bishop, denied the offence but was found guilty at the end of a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

He has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The victim said memories of her ordeal were like a "horrible shadow" following her.

Frankum will serve two thirds of the eight years in prison, with the remainder on licence.

The offences took place one evening in August 2019. The court heard how the victim had pleaded with him to stop. She described how, after the offences, Frankum had acted like nothing had happened and tried to make small talk and unrelated conversation. In police interviews she said the ordeal had left her feeling worthless and frightened of Frankum.

She said: "I find it hard to put into words how strongly I feel about this. I hate him and the mark he had left upon me."

Ms Virginia Cornwall, defending, said it had not been a planned assault and he was a man of previous good character.

Judge Anna Richardson said friends of Frankum had described him as polite and courteous and a valued member of the community.

Following the sentencing the police case officer, DC Craig Ferguson, said: “This has been a very lengthy and detailed police investigation, which has seen some delays in the courts whilst we awaited trial.

“I wish to acknowledge the courage and fortitude of the victim in remaining committed to this case, and her path to justice throughout this investigation and the delay that we have seen.

“I also wish to pay personal tribute to the victim, and her absolute strength in attending court to give her evidence at the trial.

“I acknowledge that this was incredibly difficult for her given what Frankum had done. It is only through the victim’s strength throughout this process that we have seen this result, and I hope that she can now move forward in her life with her family in the knowledge that she has seen some justice for what he did to her.

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Abdulahi Mohamed Mohamud, 38, of Surrey, was today sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment and two years' extended licence at Kingston Crown Court for the kidnap and rape of a vulnerable young woman.

In the early hours on 25 January 2022 Mohamud was driving around Soho when he spotted a young, intoxicated woman who had become separated from her friends and was lost in central London, semi-conscious and slumped in a doorway. Mohamud stopped his car, kidnapped the semi-conscious woman and put her in his car.  He then violently raped her before dropping her off on the street miles away from where he had taken her.

A delivery driver noticed that she was scared and in distress and assisted her to call home and arranged for a taxi to take her home.

The police used the automatic number plate recognition to identify the offender and he was arrested on 28 January 2023. He denied the offence claiming that the victim had made up the allegation because he refused to drive her home and claimed “any interaction” was initiated by the victim and it was all consensual.

At trial on 26 October 2022 the jury saw through his perverse lies and unanimously convicted him of rape and kidnap.

Lola Adesiyan, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit in London South said: “Mohamud is clearly a very devious and dangerous individual. This lengthy sentence means that other women are now protected from danger at the hands of this sexual predator.

“The ordeal he put the victim through was terrible. He took advantage of her incapacitation not to assist her but to rape her. From CCTV it is obvious that he saw her in a vulnerable condition and used this vulnerability to get her into his car where he carried out a violent attack.

“It’s thanks to the courage of the victim that we were able to put this dangerous man before a jury who found him guilty. We were determined to achieve justice for her, and I hope that this sentence will give her some closure following her terrible ordeal.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will not hesitate to prosecute rape and serious sexual offences where there is the evidence to do so and bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A rapist took advantage of a woman as she slept in a hotel room and she woke up to find him having sex with her without consent. He later claimed he had drunk alcohol for the first time the night before due to his religion.

Umer Sajjad, 24, raped a woman at the Village Hotel in Cardiff in 2019 while she was asleep having drunk a large amount of alcohol. When she woke up the victim found the defendant having sex with her and when she asked him what he was doing he stopped and apologised.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Sajjad had been on a night out in Cardiff city centre on October 6 before returning to the hotel room with the victim. It was agreed the defendant could sleep on the floor but in the morning he got into the bed and took advantage of the victim while she was asleep.

Sajjad claimed he'd drunk alcohol for the first time on that night due to his religion and had not drunk much but believed this may have disinhibited him. While in bed with the victim he pulled items of her clothing down and penetrated her vagina without consent.

In his sentencing remarks Recorder Dyfed Thomas said: "She was asleep, could not have consented, and did not consent." Upon being confronted by the victim after she woke up the defendant stopped and she went to the bathroom.. The victim later told a friend about what had happened and the police were called.

Sajjad, of Gillott Road, Birmingham, was arrested and denied the offence but he was found guilty of rape by a jury following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court this year. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In a victim personal statement read out to the court the victim said: "The day I was raped destroyed me in so many ways and I don't think I will ever understand... He ruined my life by lying and pretending I would have consented. How could I when I was asleep? He's ruined my life and my children's lives as they will never get the old me back. I'll never understand why he did this to me....

"He violated me in the worst way possible... I still cry as though it happened yesterday. I felt violated and will never forget what happened no matter how much support I get.... I feel like I died inside after being raped. Every day is a constant struggle but I owe it to myself and my family to come out the other end now justice has been served."

Defence barrister Stephen Tettey said his client lacked maturity after choosing to "engage" with the victim in her level of intoxication. He said the defendant was of previous good character and there had been no further incidents since this offence.

Recorder Thomas said: "You committed this offence by taking advantage of a young woman while she was asleep and may have been feeling the effects of the night before with substances and drink having been consumed. She was clearly asleep...

"There is no-one to blame for this offence but you. You took advantage of a young woman as she slept and raped her.... You simply saw an opportunity to take advantage for your own selfish sexual gratification."

Sajjad was sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment and will serve two-thirds of the sentence before he will be released on licence. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A convicted child sex offender who poses a high risk to girls was snared by paedophile hunters twice in the space of a month.

Ryan Lee James Highfield, 37, arranged to meet a ’13-year-old girl’ at McDonald’s in Boscombe.

Highfield had actually been sending messages and making arrangements with an account operated by an adult posing as the teenager.

The defendant was stopped by members of the sting group at the fast-food restaurant in Christchurch Road on the evening of October 27, 2022, before being arrested by police.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard he was released under investigation and went on to arrange and meet a decoy pretending to be an 11 or 12-year-old girl at Pokesdown Railway Station on November 20 last year.

Highfield was again met by paedophile hunters and arrested by police, who were aware of the defendant communicating with a ‘girl’ profile run up by a third vigilante organisation.

In total the defendant messaged five ‘girls’, often using the same opening line of “hey, you are stunning”, between August and November.

At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, May 23, Judge William Mousley KC told Highfield: “You are a high risk to females and in particular to female children.”

The judge said he was satisfied the defendant was a dangerous offender due to the crimes he was being sentenced for, his previous convictions, the contents of a pre-sentence report and his medical records.

In law, dangerous offenders are people who pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public by the commission of further specified offences. They are made subject to extended licence conditions on top of their custodial sentence.

Prosecuting, Stuart Ellacott told the court the defendant had 13 previous convictions for 26 offences dating back to 2000.

Highfield had been subject to a sexual offences prevention order since 2012 after being convicted of sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl and arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl following sexual grooming.

Mr Ellacott detailed some of the messages the defendant sent to the ‘girls’ in his recent offending.

This included him writing “if only you were older”. When asked why by the ‘child’, he said “because I would love to **** you”.

The court heard the age the decoys purported to be was made clear to the defendant during the communication.

In one conversation, he wrote: “I bet you look well sexy in your uniform.”

The defendant indicated he wanted to have penetrative sexual activity with several of the ‘girls’ he was messaging.

Highfield sent a pornographic video and an indecent photograph of himself and invited a ‘child’ to come to his flat.

The offender also asked one of them to send a picture of themselves back to him and to perform a sex act on herself.

“None of these children were real children,” the judge said. “They were adults posing as children.

“Adults attempting to discover and lead to the apprehension of people considered to be paedophiles.”

Highfield, previously of Haviland Road East, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted sexual communications with a child, one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, one count of arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, one count of attempting to cause of incite a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and five counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Mitigating, Nick Robinson said the offending was unsophisticated with Highfield messaging using his real name and photograph on his profile.

The defendant had experienced trauma in his childhood and was placed in care from the age of six, the barrister said.

“Every day in prison may well be much more difficult for him than the average offender,” Mr Robinson said.

Highfield, who has learning disabilities, “acted out his impulse” by arranging the meetings, Mr Robinson said.

He added: “He is at his computer and he has a complete lack of consequential thinking, as many offenders do.”

Judge Mousley KC sentenced Highfield to eight years imprisonment, with a three-year extended licence period.

The defendant will not be considered for release by the parole board until he has served five years and four months behind bars.

He was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register. Both of these measures were imposed indefinitely.

Detective Constable Matt Loader, of Dorset Police’s paedophile online investigation team (POLIT), said: “Ryan Highfield is a repeat offender whose behaviour clearly indicates he had the intention of committing sexual offences involving children and he posed a threat to vulnerable young people.

“We have worked hard to compile evidence in this case and our detailed investigation has helped to ensure that Highfield now faces a significant period behind bars.”

Description

A child killer who murdered a seven-year-old girl in 1992 has been jailed for at least 29 years.

David Boyd, 55, lured Nikki Allan to a derelict building in Sunderland where he beat her and stabbed her 37 times.

Judge Mrs Justice Lambert said Nikki must have endured "unimaginable fear" in the moments before her death.

Boyd, who was eventually snared by DNA advances in 2017, was sentenced to life after being convicted of murder earlier this month at Newcastle Crown Court.

Nikki "knew and trusted" Boyd but he "took advantage of her young age and naivety" when he "tricked" her into following him on the evening of 7 October 1992, the court heard.

She was last seen skipping to keep up with Boyd, who was a neighbour and her babysitter's boyfriend, as he walked towards the Old Exchange building.

Boyd had a "sinister purpose" when he lured Nikki to wasteland outside the abandoned building and her "fate was sealed" when she screamed and Boyd decided to "kill her to silence her".

He struck Nikki in the face "to shut her up" then pushed her into the "pitch black building" where she "must have been petrified".

"She must have quickly known she was trapped," Mrs Justice Lambert said.

Nikki was attacked and killed in another room suggesting she had tried to flee her attacker.

"Her fear, as she saw you lurching towards her in the dark, is unimaginable," Boyd was told.

"It must have been a truly terrifying experience for this seven-year-old girl."

Boyd hit Nikki on the head with a brick, fracturing her skull, and then repeatedly stabbed in her in the chest before dragging her down a flight of stairs and dumping her body in the basement.

The judge said Nikki's murder had "shocked and bewildered" the community of Hendon, in the east end of Sunderland, for 31 years and as time passed Boyd would have "thought with some relief" that he had "got away with it".

However, the science of DNA had also advanced in the decades since the murder, which allowed detectives to match samples from Nikki's clothes to her killer.

Mrs Justice Lambert said under current rules she would have jailed Boyd for a minimum of 37 years but she had to comply with the sentencing regulations in 1992 which suggested a lesser sentence, albeit one "well in excess of 20 years".

Speaking after sentencing, Nikki's mother Sharon Henderson, 57, said she was "absolutely devastated" by the sentence which she labelled a "disgrace", adding Boyd should have been jailed for life without the possibility of parole.

"This is what happens to families like mine over and over again - injustice," she added.

In an earlier statement read to the court, Ms Henderson recalled her daughter as a "bright and sparky child" who had a "beautiful smile and was loved".

She was 25 when Nikki was murdered and was "accused of being a bad mother" with "local people angry towards me and not towards the person responsible".

She said Boyd "destroyed" her family's lives but she had "fought tirelessly and endlessly" for justice.

Ms Henderson said she had suffered mentally and physically and "at times targeted those who I believed were covering for others" which led to her own arrest.

She said: "I felt so frustrated over the years, as I felt I had not been listened to."

Nikki's father, David Allan, said he was 28 when Nikki was murdered and "from that night my life changed".

In a statement, he said he felt "anger and hatred" towards the killer and would "never be able to forgive the man responsible".

Mr Allan said the "devastation" he felt was "indescribable" because Boyd had "lived his life for 30 years whilst Nikki did not get to live hers".

Northumbria Police initially charged another of Nikki's neighbours, George Heron, with her murder but a judge presiding over the then 24-year-old's trial in Leeds in 1993 said the detectives' questioning had been "oppressive" and he was cleared.

After the case, he said: "Finding out about the current investigation has been difficult - so many details and negative memories; bringing up mixed emotions about what happened back in 1992 and since.

"I feel sadness, disgust, anger, betrayal by people I expected to tell the truth (especially the original investigating officers)."

Following Boyd's conviction, the force apologised to Mr Heron and to Ms Henderson, although she rejected their words as "hollow".

She has called for a public inquiry into the force's "historic failures" in her daughter's case, and has been backed by the legal charity Centre for Women's Justice.

Prosecutor Richard Wright KC said the 1992 investigation was "utterly misconceived" and made multiple errors, but the team who re-opened "the troubled and challenging" case started from scratch with "no assumptions".

Police collected DNA samples from more than 800 men from around the country, took 1,200 statements and produced 2,500 documents.

The judge commended the "Herculean" effort and said the DNA evidence gathered had been "critical" in convicting Boyd.

The court had heard Boyd was a neighbour of Nikki's in the Wear Garth flats, he knew how to navigate the Old Exchange building and had sexual fantasies about young girls.

He also had 22 convictions for 45 offences including sexual crimes.

In 1986, he exposed himself to a woman. He later told a psychiatrist he had been doing it since the age of 16 and "couldn't control" the urge.

That same year he was convicted of breaching the peace in Sacriston, County Durham, when he grabbed a 10-year-old girl in a park and tried to kiss her.

In 1997, he admitted to police he exposed himself to three teenage girls but was not charged.

Two years later he groped a nine-year-old girl in a park in Stockton and confessed to a probation officer that he had "dirty thoughts" and "sexual fantasies" about young girls.

In mitigation, Jason Pitter KC, for the defence, said Boyd had a history of mental illness, learning difficulties and an IQ level "in the bottom 2% of the population".

However, the judge dismissed that as irrelevant because he used "sufficient guile" to lure Nikki away from her home and was quick to cover his tracks by conjuring a false alibi.

She said there was no guarantee Boyd would be released from prison and it would be up to the parole board to decide.

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A Leicester man who admitted to a number of offences linked to indecent images of children has been jailed.

Neil Garnett, 58, of HMP Leicester, appeared at Leicester Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 23 May) and pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images of children and three counts of distribution.

He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.

In April 2021 officers received information suggesting Garnett has been accessing indecent images of children online.  He was subsequently charged with three counts of making Category A to C images, of children.

Garnett failed to appear in court for his first hearing in March this year and was arrested for failing to appear in court.

When he was arrested a mobile phone was seized from him and contained indecent images of children.

After further examination of the phone the true extent of his offending was discovered. Hundreds of images of children ranging from Category A to C were found on his phone.

He was further charged with three counts of making category A-C indecent images of children and three counts of distribution of Category A-C images of children.

At crown court yesterday, he was also given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Constable Glen Reid from the force’s Artemis team in the Digital Hub was the investigating officer.  He said: “When Garnett was interviewed about the offences, he tried to trivialise his actions.  Just because these offences are online, doesn’t make it any better than physical abuse. Online offenders are perpetuating the harm caused to children.

“We are pleased he admitted his involvement in these offences.  We hope his time in prison, with the addition of being given a SHPO and being placed on the Sex Offender’s Register, will deter him from committing further offences and he seeks the help he needs to reform.”

• During an investigation of this nature specialist officers will grade indecent images of children categories A to C. Category A images are the most serious. Categories B and C are less serious than category A as far as sentencing is concerned but nonetheless are still serious images of child abuse.
• The offence of making indecent images relates a person performing an action that has ‘made’ those images appear on their device, for example by downloading them from a website. Making indecent images does not mean that they are the person that was the actual contact abuser.

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A Fife man caught with more than 90,000 extreme porn images and videos had amassed the collection over the course of 15 years.

Gary Gray had a server running in his garage and dozens of hard drives containing the vile images were found.

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A sex attacker who put a noose around a woman's neck and dragged her away has been jailed for eight years.

Ben Creek, 31, launched the "sinister and disturbing" attack as his victim returned from taking her children to school in Holbeck, Leeds, last year, a jury heard.

He pinned her to the ground before before a passer-by interrupted and Creek fled through rush-hour traffic.

Creek, of Britannia Road, Morley, was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

The court had heard that Creek grabbed the woman, who was in her 20s, from behind as she walked under a viaduct between Domestic Road and Cross Ingram Road at about 09:15 BST on 5 May last year.

Dressed in black with a beanie hat and with his face covered, Creek choked the struggling victim with the noose as he dragged her to a grassy area.

After the passer-by intervened, he fled through queuing traffic on busy city centre roads, including the A643 dual carriageway.

Creek was arrested 10 days later, after CCTV images released in a police appeal led to his identification.

Detectives learned he had also exposed himself to a schoolgirl in Asquith Avenue, Morley, four days after the noose attack.

In November, Creek had pleaded guilty to sexual assault, attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle a person in order to commit an offence, indecent exposure, and outraging public decency.

After the sentencing, Det Insp Suzanne Hall, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "This was a very sinister and disturbing incident. A woman was brazenly attacked near a busy road as she walked back from taking her child to school during the morning rush hour.

"It was terrifying for her and it has left her traumatised."

The offences showed Hall was a "dangerous sexual predator", Det Insp Hall added.

"We hope it will give some degree of comfort to his victims and to the wider community to know that he is behind bars."

Creek will also have to serve five years on licence after his eventual release from prison.