Latest Offenders

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THE editor of the Worcester Observer newspaper faces a potential jail sentence for making indecent photographs of children. 

Rob George of Rowan Close, Bromsgrove, admitted three charges of making indecent photograph/pseudo photography of a child when he appeared in Courtroom 2 of Worcester Magistrates Court. 

The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to making one category A image - the worst level identified within the sentencing guidelines. 

He also admitted making two category B images and 36 category C images during the court hearing on Thursday, (February 15). 

Magistrates heard the images were made between March 7, 2014, and October 14, 2021, in Bromsgrove. 

Lauren Millichip, prosecuting, said: "The offence is aggravated by the age and vulnerability of the children, between one and eight-years-old."

The prosecutor added there were also moving images found in a video file.

James McAulay, defending, asked for a pre-sentence report to be completed before George is sentenced. 

Roger Phillips, chairman of the magistrates bench, said the bench declined jurisdiction in the case, given the seriousness of it. 

George, who was given unconditional bail, was told to attend his sentence which was scheduled to take place on Friday, March 15 at Worcester Crown Court.

The chairman told George magistrates were granting the report which he said would consider "all options" including custody.

George was also told he would immediately have to register on the sex offenders register, telling him to do this at Worcester Police Station. 

George is listed as being the editor of Worcester Observer, Malvern Observer and Evesham Observer on their websites.

He has also worked as a reporter at the Bromsgrove Standard.

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Conviction in the Murder of Emma Caldwell

A 51-year-old man, Iain Packer, has been found guilty of murdering 27-year-old Emma Caldwell in 2005 and hiding her body. He was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Emma was last seen on CCTV around 11 p.m. on Monday, April 4, 2005, walking alone on Butterbiggins Road towards Victoria Road on the south side of Glasgow. She was reported missing by her family on Monday, April 11, 2005. Her body was discovered in Limefield Woods, near Biggar, on Sunday, May 8, 2005.

In addition to the murder conviction, Packer was found guilty of numerous charges involving violent and sexual crimes against several women over many years.

He was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars.

Statement from Assistant Chief Constable Bex Smith

“Emma Caldwell, her family and many other victims, were let down by policing in 2005. For that we are sorry.  

“A significant number of women and girls who showed remarkable courage to speak up at that time also did not get the justice and support they needed and deserved from Strathclyde Police.  

“Police Scotland launched a re-investigation of the case in 2015 after instruction from the Lord Advocate.  

“It is clear that further investigations should have been carried out into Emma’s murder following the initial enquiry in 2005.  

“The lack of investigation until 2015 caused unnecessary distress to her family and all those women who had come forward to report sexual violence.  

“It is the courage, resilience and determination shown by Emma’s family, in particular her parents William and Margaret, and all those who survived Iain Packer’s horrific catalogue of offending that got us to where we are today.  

“William is, sadly, no longer here to see this day, but I hope this verdict gives Margaret and all those affected by this case, the justice they deserve.  

“This was an extremely challenging re-investigation and without doubt the largest police enquiry of recent times in Scotland.  

“Over seven years, a full review of the original enquiry by Strathclyde Police in 2005 was completed.  

“More than 30,000 documents and statements were gathered and reviewed along with in excess of 23,000 productions. New forensic tests were carried out and new witnesses were identified and interviewed, leading to the convictions today.

“As part of the re-investigation a report was also sent to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the Strathclyde Police investigation.

“Iain Packer was a calculating sexual predator who targeted women over many years. It is hard to comprehend how anyone could carry out such despicable, ruthless acts.  

“He took Emma’s life for his own gratification in the most appalling circumstances and cruelly left her body in remote woods hoping to cover his tracks.  

“But time is no barrier to justice and I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence to please come forward and speak to us.  

“You will be listened to and you will be supported – no matter when the offences took place.  

“We have reflected and learnt from the initial investigation and subsequent re –investigation.  Significant changes have been made in recent years to improve our organisational culture and our response, particularly in respect of investigative structures, victim care and processes to these types of crimes.  

“Our Violence against Women and Girls Strategy demonstrates our absolute commitment to tackling the violence and abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.

“What shone through to the enquiry team throughout the investigations into Emma’s life was her gentle personality, and I want to finish by saying that our thoughts remain with Emma, her family and all those affected by this terrible case.”

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Three men who raped a woman who thought she had got into a registered taxi will be sentenced in April.

The woman got into a car after a night out with friends in Hull city centre on 30 July.

Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai, both 18 and of Wellsted Street, Hull were found guilty of rape at Hull Crown Court.

Kehan Safi, 26, of Wellington Lane, Hull, pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing.

CCTV footage showed the woman walking along Ferensway when she entered the car and travelled off in the direction of Hull Royal Infirmary.

During the course of the journey, Ahmadzai, Bakhtullah Safi and Kehan Safi, carried out their attack before requesting a 20 taxi fare.

The woman refused to pay and fled to safety.

Sexual predators

Det Con Ashley Webster from Humberside Police said the defendants had shown "no remorse" for their actions.

They are what I can only describe as sexual predators who subjected a lone woman who had just been on a night out with friends, to a horrific and utterly traumatising ordeal.

"This was a truly disturbing case and Im pleased these men are now behind bars and are being punished for this horrific attack."

The gang will be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 2 April.

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A mechanic from Cheshire who created and moderated sites dedicated to child sexual abuse on the dark web has been jailed for 16 years.

Nathan Bake, 28, is one of three UK-based moderators of a site called ‘The Annex’ who were identified by the National Crime Agency, as part of an investigation targeting those behind the site.

The Annex, which is no longer active, had around 90,000 global members who used it to share and discuss some of the most extreme kinds of abuse material, involving ‘hurtcore’ and the sexual abuse of babies and toddlers.

As the head moderator, Bake was second in command of the entire site, which was run by an American man, who was sentenced to life in prison in the US in January.

Bake was responsible for managing around 30 staff members, and worked with them to enforce the site’s rules and ensure it continued to run smoothly.

Two such staff members were Kabir Garg, a psychiatrist from London, and a 48-year-old man from Eastbourne, who will be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court next week. The pair were also moderators and sat just below Bake in the site’s hierarchy. Garg was jailed for six years last year.

New users of The Annex would first be held in the ‘gateway’ where they would have to impress and gain the trust of the site’s administrators by posting a certain amount of abuse material, before being granted access to the wider site.

Bake and the other moderators would advise members on techniques to evade law enforcement detection, and encourage them to keep the site busy by sharing links to child abuse content.

In one post recovered by the NCA, Bake said: ‘Come on people, Show us what you’ve got for HAPPY HOUR. Show us the boys and girls that turn you on the most’.

NCA officers arrested Bake at his home in Runcorn in November 2022 and seized a number of devices, including laptops, phones, USBs and external hard drives. One laptop was running, with the TOR dark web browser in use and indecent images of children on the screen.

Officers gathered evidence from his devices which proved Bake was co-creator of a second child abuse site, and was also the head moderator of a directory-style page, which contained links to further abuse forums on the dark web.

Hundreds of thousands of indecent images and videos of children were also recovered from his storage devices, as was 576 page paedophile manual.

Bake pleaded guilty to 12 counts in November 2023, including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, participating in an organised crime group, possession of a paedophile manual, and distributing and making indecent images of children.

He was sentenced today at Chester Crown Court to 16 years imprisonment, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A man from Liscard has been sentenced to 18 years in prison with three years on extended licence after being found guilty of 30 counts of historical sexual abuse against two children in Wallasey.

Brian Cawood, 61, of Silverlea Avenue, Liscard, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today, Wednesday 14 February, after a jury found him guilty of the various offences, which date back to the 1980s and 1990s.

Cawood has also been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be required to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.

Detective Constable Becky Robinson said: “I hope this sentencing shows that time is no barrier in reporting offences to Merseyside Police and we will take every report extremely seriously, regardless of when it occurred.

“This result was only possible thanks to the sheer determination and bravery of his victims, despite Cawood denying the offences.

“Thankfully a jury saw through his lies and he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison.”

Description

A head chef at an Indian takeaway has been jailed for sexual offences involving two teenage girls. One of the victims in the case was aged 13 at the time.

Rajon Ahmed, 40, from St Ives, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court after previously being convicted at Truro Crown Court.

The sentencing was heard in Exeter as that is where trial judge, Judge David Evans, regularly sits.

Ahmed was convicted by a jury of sexual assault, sexual communication with a child, and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was found not guilty of a second sexual assault charge. Ahmed was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

He will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 7 years and be on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

During the trial it was heard how Ahmed was well aware the victims in the case were aged 13 and 16 respectively.

Despite this he followed the first, younger victim on social media and offered her cigarettes and cannabis. He then sent the victim explicit images of himself. Ahmed and the victim met twice and on the second occasion he kissed her and touched her inappropriately.

The second, older victim, was also communicated with on social media by Ahmed and offered cigarettes. On one occasion he hugged her and touched her inappropriately as she moved away.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Andrew Shorten said: “I welcome today’s result and I am grateful to the victims in this case for supporting this investigation over a protracted period of time. I would also like to thank West Cornwall Public Protection Unit for the comprehensive investigation which has brought this offender to justice and prevented further harm. I hope this case reassures the community how seriously the police take reports of Child Sexual Offences and gives people the courage to come forward in future.”

Police Staff Investigator Steve Panter added: “There is a real fear that the pattern of his offending would have escalated had it not been for the courage of the victims and witnesses to come forward and challenge his behaviour when they did.  I would like to thank the victims who should be commended for their courage and resilience during the investigation and the court process.”

Description

A man has been sentenced to prison for sexual offences involving children following an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

Iain Miller of the Green, Whitchurch, was sentenced to a total of three years in prison at Winchester Crown Court on Wednesday 14 February.

The 58-year-old pleaded guilty at a hearing at the same court in January to the following offences:

• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Two counts of attempting to cause/incite a child in sexual activity
• Attempting to meet a child following grooming

The court heard that between 15 and 23 November 2023, Miller engaged in chats online with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. The chats were sexually explicit in nature.

He then arranged to meet the girl in Andover, at which point he was met by police officers and arrested. Miller was charged with the offences on 24 November.

Detective Inspector Kay Hutchings, of SEROCU, said: This investigation shows exactly what happens when people try to groom children online, and it should serve as a warning.

If you engage in this sort of behaviour, there is a very strong chance that the person you are talking to is in fact a police officer, which will mean you are quickly arrested.

This will have a devastating impact on your family, career, friendships and reputation. You will face court hearings and are likely to serve time in prison.

I hope that Iain Millers case shows that this sort of offending will not be tolerated, and that our officers will take action to stop those who look to exploit children online.

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A paedophile who was jailed for grooming an "extremely vulnerable" child before having sex with her reoffended "almost immediately" after he was released from prison. Jason Thomas, 42, was jailed in 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

He was given a five-year prison sentence, of which he served half, and when he was released in 2023 he had to abide by a sexual harm prevention order which banned him from downloading certain apps, using certain websites and trying to conceal his identity online, among other things.

But Thomas, of Pendeen, breached the order 12 times and found himself back before Judge Simon Carr at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty before magistrates.

Prosecuting, Katie Churcher said: "The background to that order being that it was imposed for a period of ten years following his conviction in 2021 with two counts of sexual interaction with a child. Following his release from custody, after he served what had been half of what was a five-year sentence, he was visited in Bridgewater by DC Allen and given another copy of the prevention order and handed over his phone.

"At that time they saw that the application Snapchat was on there. He was told the main feature of Snapchat is auto-deletion so was told he couldn't have that on the phone and it was deleted and he was reminded he needed permission to set up social media accounts.

"He was visited again unannounced on Jan 15 and handed over his phone again. He volunteered he had been using Whatsapp and said he'd been using Snapchat but had deleted it.

"My Google Activity was looked at to check internet history, there were searches for pornography and pornographic videos, it looked as though he had been deleting his internet history, and he had been using social media accounts that had been deleted including Tinder, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, various other live streaming apps, and private browsing applications.

"There was also an uninstalled VPN which conceals online IP addresses. It had been installed and deinstalled. Lastly they found his email account had been accessed, used and deleted. He was arrested for those breaches and interviewed on Jan 15. In essence, he made admission and when he was spoken to he said he had been doing things he shouldn't do."

Robin Smith, for Thomas' defence, said: "This man is very realistic about his position and his fate, perhaps the best mitigating factor is that he was extremely frank and candid with the police from the moment of arrest. Having spoken to him face to face he remains realistic and he appreciates he has some big problems to deal with.

"He is now in a state where he can accept the help given to him."

Sentencing, Judge Carr acknowledged Thomas' early plea and gave him full credit and added that the defendant's remorse seemed genuine. He said: "The circumstances of your offending is extremely troubling. Inevitably a sexual harm prevention order was made for a substantial period of time.

"After serving your sentence you were released on licence. It was clear you started offending almost immediately after you were released. What was found on the phone... is that you had set up a number of accounts and done everything possible to hide your identity. You put on devices to clear your history. You accessed sites that you would immediately delete like Snapchat.

"This is a serious breach of a sexual harm prevention order and you must have known so at the time. You have expressed remorse but you still present a high risk to children and I suspect you will do for a very long time."

Judge Carr sentenced Thomas to two 2.5-year sentences, which will run concurrently, giving him a total sentence of 2.5 years imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after serving half the term.

Previously, we reported how Thomas groomed a vulnerable child before having sex with her. He later told the girl that hed be going to prison but the feeling of the encounter was the best feeling hed ever had.

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A 55-year-old man from Ipswich has been jailed for the illegal filming or photographing of children and adults.

Ian Butcher, of Woodbridge Road East, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, Monday 12 February, where he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment.

He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, which places restrictions on his use of any computer or device capable of accessing the internet and the storing of digital images. He must notify police of any purchase of such devices and allow officers access to inspect any devices or storage immediately on request.

Butcher had pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing on Friday 6 October to the following four offences:

• one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child (namely taking six videos)
• one count of making an indecent photograph of a child (namely the possession of 16 indecent images)
• two counts of voyeurism (in both cases recording the private act of an adult)

The offences relate to eight separate victims, aged between 12-years-old and 32-years-old. Six are children and two are adults.

The incidents - which occurred over a period of 19 months - involved cases of children being filmed while getting undressed in a changing room; the possession of indecent images of children; and adults being filmed whilst showering.

The first incident was reported to Suffolk Police at the beginning of December 2022 by a teenage girl, who said she had been filmed by Butcher over the top of a cubicle in the changing rooms at a swimming pool a number of years earlier.

Detectives immediately began an investigation and Butcher was first arrested just over one month after this first disclosure, on 13 January 2023. Following his arrest, Butchers phone was seized and officers from the Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team were then able to analyse its contents.

A folder was found in the image gallery of his phone, which contained 11 videos, all of which were voyeuristic in nature and all but two appeared to have been filmed in changing cubicles at swimming pools. The remaining two appeared to have been filmed in a domestic setting.

There were also 20 screenshots, where the videos had been played and then a photo captured when nudity was visible. 16 of these were of children and four of an adult.

Eight victims were subsequently identified, but six remain unidentified. Of these at least three appeared to be children, with the others of an indeterminate age.

The court heard that Butcher had been a Scout leader at the time the offences had been committed, and he had been involved with the Scout Association for almost 40 years, reaching the level of Assistant District Commissioner. Some of the victims in these cases were children who were participating in scouting activities.

Detective Constable Santiago Nield, from the Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: Ian Butcher was a person in a position of trust and in the majority of the cases we identified, his offences involved a clear abuse of that trust.

The crimes we discovered took place over a period of almost two years, so his offending was persistent for a significant length of time. Although not all of the victims were children, the majority were and so he clearly had a sexual interest in juveniles.

I want to thank all the victims who have worked with us for their bravery, especially as the fact that they had been victims of this type of offence wouldve come as a complete surprise to them and a very disturbing one at that. They all had their privacy violated, but in the case of the children also their trust and part of their childhoods too.

I would also like to commend the bravery of the first girl who made contact with us, who was clearly crucial to his offending being uncovered. She hadnt felt able to come forward at the time the incident occurred, as she had been so shocked and didnt want to believe it had happened, but as she got older she became more confident in herself and her recollections.

I would also like to thank the Scout Association, who cooperated with our investigation from the outset and assisted us with whatever we required from them.

Hopefully this case demonstrates that we listen to and hear victims of these types of offences and will investigate allegations, taking swift action wherever possible.

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A convicted rapist who lied that he was forced into having sex with his victim has been jailed. Dalvir Singh, aged 48 and from Sandwell, was investigated by West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit after a young woman visited her GP surgery and told staff about the sexual abuse she had been subjected to.

Singh was arrested and admitted he had sex with the woman ‘on more than one occasion’ but made false claims it was ‘under duress’. The brave woman gave evidence in a video-recorded interview and police said that was key in securing the conviction.

Singh, from West Bromwich, was found guilty of rape and sexual abuse at an earlier hearing. He was jailed for 15 years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday, February 6.

Description

A man who sent pictures of his dog to someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl in a bid to groom her has been jailed.

Scott Burke, 37, of Leverington in Cambridgeshire, contacted the "teenager" on social media in November 2021. She was in fact a police officer.

Cambridgeshire Police said he quickly sexualised the conversations and sent a photograph of his penis, along with one of him with his dog.

Burke pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to arrange, facilitate or commission sexual activity with a child and was jailed for two years and six months.

Burke, of Leverington Common in the village near Wisbech, repeatedly discussed sex and a desire to meet up with the girl during a fortnight of online conversations, Cambridgeshire Police said.

He claimed he had booked them a hotel room and suggested taking the girl to a sex toy and lingerie retailer.

On arrest, he told officers he had been hacked.

Burke also pleaded guilty to one count of being an adult attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13-15 into sexual activity.

Description

A sex offender prohibited from having unsupervised contact with children has now twice since become involved in relationships with young mothers who were unaware of his past convictions.

Phillip Yarrow was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after being convicted of sexual communication with a child and attempted sexual activity with a child, online grooming of a girl aged 13 to 15, in February 2019.

Durham Crown Court was told that the terms of the SHPO included forbidding him having unsupervised contact with any child under 16 where the parent or guardian has no knowledge of his convictions.

He was also made subject of notification requirements as a sex offender in which he must inform his risk manager if he lives at any address for more than 12 hours.

Jon Harley, prosecuting, said a complaint was received by a woman, with a daughter aged under four, who was using a dating app in December last year.

She began messaging the defendant, who was described as “32 and from Coxhoe”, for two weeks, before meeting him close to her address on January 2, after which he went back to her home, although her daughter was not present as she was staying with her grandmother.

Mr Harley said Yarrow did not stay over, but the following day, at 4pm, Yarrow went back to the woman’s home at 4pm, when he daughter was present.

He stayed for two hours but had little contact with the girl and was never alone with her.

Mr Harley said that the next day he went over at 7pm, but this time did stay over at the address, having watched tv.

The following morning he left after the woman booked him a taxi, and that would be the last time she saw him.

Mr Harley said throughout the defendant’s contact with the woman there was no mention of his previous convictions.

When it came to light he was interviewed by police and accepted responsibility for the offence.

The court heard Yarrow, 32, of Grange Crescent, Coxhoe, pleaded, or indicated he was guilty, when he appeared before magistrates last month.

Mr Harley said the defendant now has three convictions for ten offences, all sexual of some description.

The court heard that following his original conviction, in February 2019, he was dealt with back at court for making indecent photos of children and failing to comply with notification requirements as a sex offender, in June 2021.

Mr Harley said the latter offence was for staying at an address for more than seven days where the female householder, with two young daughters, was not informed of Yarrow’s past conviction.

There was also said to be a further breach of the SHPO in July 2022 by the defendant.

Martin Scarborough, for Yarrow, said he had found work, through an agency, at a glass factory prior to being taken into custody which prevented him from being able to seek to make the employment full-time.

Mr Scarborough said, relating to the latest offence, his client had little contact with the child, and none while unsupervised.

Judge Jo Kidd said not for the first time Yarrow has chosen to engage in a relationship with a mother of a young daughter having failed to inform them of his offending history.

She told him: “The sentences you have received have increased with each further breach and, so, the sentence I will pass now will be an increase on them.

“You have a clear history of disobedience of court orders.”

She said it appears that up to now, he has not stepped back from his, “risk-taking behaviour.”

Imposing a 20-month term of imprisonment, she warned the defendant if he commits further offences during his licence period, upon his release at the mid-point, it is likely that he will be readmitted to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence.

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A man who filmed himself raping a sleeping girl has been jailed.

William Studley, 19, from Huxley near Chester, was sentenced to five years six months.

Studley, of Huxley Lane, was 17 when he attacked the girl at his home, where she and a friend had gone after a party.

He was cleared of one count of rape and found guilty of another at Chester Crown Court on 6 December.

Cheshire Police said the victim and a friend had arranged to stay at Studley's home after a party in April 2022.

The victim fell asleep alone in an upstairs bedroom after starting to feel unwell. She woke up to find Studley raping her, the jury was told.

The victim told him to stop and he ran out of the room, but returned and sexually assaulted her.

She reported him to the police the next day.

Officers found video footage on Studley's phone which showed him sexually assaulting the victim as she slept.

Studley admitted sexual assault after he was shown the footage, and also admitted making indecent images of children.

But he denied rape.

DS Courtney Day said: "Studley initially denied all offences put to him, claiming that the victim had consented, but was left with no option but to plead guilty when footage of the assault was recovered from his phone.

"Despite the evidence, he continued to deny the full extent of what he subjected the victim to that night.

"What Studley put the victim through is truly horrifying, but thanks to courage the victim has shown, he is now facing the consequences of his actions."

Studley was also handed a 15-year restraining order and put on the sex offenders register for life at his sentencing hearing on Friday.

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An Exeter man has been sent to jail after he was caught by paedophile hunters sending sexual messages to decoy children online. Jamie Short used Facebook and WhatsApp to pester what he thought were 13 and 14-year-old girls.

The 51-year-old sent them disgusting pictures of himself and tried to get photos of the children in return. He suggested they have sex, masqueraded as a teenaged boy and even offered to pay £300 to one child to watch him pleasure himself.

He was traced and arrested by police. Short, of Chestnut Avenue, Exeter, has been given an 18-month prison sentence at Exeter Crown Court. The defendant, who has a history of violent crime, is already serving four and a half years for robbery.

Prosecutor Herc Ashworth said the first offence happened in November 2019 when Short contacted a decoy account of a 13-year-old operated by a paedophile hunter. He quickly turned the conversation sexual and offered to meet her when she came to Devon on holiday.

He then claimed to be a 14-year-old boy and sent the child naked images of himself. He also tried to call her via WhatsApp.

Then in March of last year he was at it again contacting another account - despite being on bail at the time. He claimed to be 17 years old and sent more perverted images of himself.

Mr William Parkhill, defending, said Short was living an isolated and lonely life at the time. He also has a degenerative muscle condition which means he can no longer use his hands properly.

The defendant pleaded guilty to three offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and two of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

His 18-month sentence will run consecutive to the robbery term he is already serving making a total of six years.

Short was given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to sign the sex offender register.

Description

A Dunfermline man sent an indecent image to someone he thought was a young girl.

However, the recipient of Ernest Nicholson’s photograph was, in fact, an undercover police officer.

Nicholson, 58, of Berry Law Place, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that between January 9 and 16 last year, he sent an image of a naked penis via social media to someone he thought was a child but was, in fact, an undercover police officer, and thus attempted to cause a child to view a sexual image.

He also sent sexual written communications to someone he thought was a child and thereby attempted to communicate indecently with a child.

Sentencing was deferred until March 14 for reports. He was put on the sex offenders register.