Latest Offenders

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A 21-YEAR-OLD man was caught with indecent images of children and animals just two months after being sentenced for sex offences.

Tomasz Willmington was found with the disturbing images by police who were monitoring his laptop.

The defendant was convicted in July 2022, and sentenced the following month, for five counts of similar offences relating to pornographic images of children.

Willmington was handed a three-year community order and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, allowing police to monitor his devices.

Prosecuting, Althea Brook, told Bournemouth Crown Court that officers were notified in October 2022 that the 21-year-old was accessing indecent material at his home on Northport Drive in Wareham.

When interviewed by police, the defendant admitted to the offences and later pleaded guilty.

Willingham appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on February 2 to be sentenced for making indecent photos of a child and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He was also charged with possessing an extreme pornographic image involving animals, specifically dogs.

Mitigating, Kevin Hill, said that Willmington is living at home with his mother and has since started working which is helping.

“He takes this very seriously and is very sorry that he committed this offence again.”

Judge Susan Evans KC noted that the defendant reoffended so soon after his first sentencing that he had not begun his rehabilitation programme.

However, since completing it, he has been making progress.

Judge Evans added that maintaining a job and working with others will improve his social isolation, which is relevant to his current offending.

“You are relatively young and are maturing,” said Judge Evans.

“There is no suggestion you have offended any further.”

Willmington was handed a sentence of 14 weeks, suspended for 15 months.

He must do 100 hours of unpaid work and will be given both a sexual harm prevention order and a sex offender notification order for seven years.

Description

A paedophile had images of children as young as one being sexually abused on his computer before, during, and after he was sentenced for identical offences last summer.

Andrew McGown was sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 18 months, last June after being found with more than 11,000 images and videos of child sex abuse and bestiality on his computer, phone, and printed out and sorted in to folders.

Prosecutor Sian Cutter told the court that police found evidence of adult pornography and more than 1,000 indecent images of children on McGown’s desktop computer during a routine visit on October 3. He denied that he had looked at either of these.

All of the indecent images on the computer were inaccessible, although there was evidence the files were created in April – on the day after he bought the computer – and some had been accessed and modified while awaiting sentence and after he was sentenced for his previous offences.

The court heard that one of the images involved a child as young as one being sexually abused by an adult male.

Ms Cutter said there was evidence on the computer of extreme pornography, although this was inaccessible and no charges were proceeded with on this.

A USB shortcut was also found with more than 1,000 more indecent images of children on it.

McGown said he didn’t know how these images got on his computer – and suggested it may have been when he was trying to instal Microsoft Office on the device and had inserted what he thought was a blank disc which could have contained the images.

“He couldn’t explain how they were linked to a USB rather than the disc,” Ms Cutter said.

McGown, 62, of Tan Y Bryn, near Llandysul, pleaded guilty to having 117 Category A indecent images, 72 Category B images, and 1,884 Category C images. He also admitted breaching a suspended sentence order.

Hannah George, defending, said: “The strongest mitigation in his case is his guilty plea.

“I accept on his behalf, as does he, that he still accessed some of those images after he was sentenced.

“Since the defendant has been remanded in custody, it has been somewhat of a reckoning for him. He has not enjoyed it. He has found it very difficult.”

Addressing McGown’s continued offending, the judge, Recorder C. Rees KC, said: “It’s a pretty determined pattern of behaviour despite the opportunities the court gave you,

“The sentences of the court will only go up if you commit these offences again.”

She sentenced McGown to 12 months for the Category A offence, with concurrent sentences of eight months and three months for the Category B and C offences. He must also serve an additional six months for breaching his suspended sentence.

The defendant will continue to be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and must continue to register as a sex offender. 

Description

A Doncaster man who sexually assaulted a child while they were asleep and bragged about it in texts to another convicted paedophile has been jailed for over a decade.

Ryan Madine subjected his victim to multiple sexual attacks which he filmed and sent to James Mitchell, who has also been put behind bars after admitting child sexual offences. Mitchell encouraged Madine to commit the offences and both shared child abuse images with each other.

Madine was charged in April 2023 following a thorough 18-month investigation by officers from Doncaster's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) Team who worked closely with our Digital Forensics Unit and colleagues at Nottinghamshire Police.

The investigation revealed video messages of Madine including him sexually assaulting and performing oral sex on a vulnerable young child with officers also finding over 700 indecent images of children on a digital device.

Madine initially denied having any sexual interest in children but later pleaded guilty to an array of offences, including assaulting a child under 13 by penetration, sexually assaulting a child, voyeurism and sexual communication with a child. He also admitted five counts of making indecent photographs of a child and two counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child.

Madine, 24, who is from the Edlington area, and Mitchell, 31, who is from Retford in Nottinghamshire, were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court earlier today (2 February), with both of them jailed for 11-and-a-half years. Both will be on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and there is a restraining order in place for life.

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Arcadian sex attacker Albert Okyere fled to the Netherlands after raping one woman and sexually assaulting her friend

This is the first picture of a predator who raped a stranger and sexually assaulted her friend after a night out at The Arcadian. 'Dangerous' Dutch national Albert Okyere fled to his homeland after launching his horrific attack on two drunk women.

The 37-year-old fugitive was eventually extradited to the UK and has now been locked up nine years after his horrendous sex crimes. A court heard how the dad - whose partner remains 'supportive' of him - tricked the women into believing he was a 'nice stranger' who was simply offering them a lift home.

But before he dropped them home, he pulled over into a dark industrial site 'in the middle of nowhere' - with the 'true nature of his intention' said to have suddenly 'dawned' on one of the women. He then launched his cruel attack on both women before dropping them home in an attempt to 'pass off the incident as consensual'.

Okyere was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following an eight-day trial last December. The I.T. professional - of Ash-Lea Drive, Donnington, Telford - was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, February 1).

Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield KC described Okyere as a dangerous offender and handed him a 14-year extended sentence. It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of two years once released.

Okyere will also remain on the sex offenders indefinitely. Birmingham Crown Court heard how the rapist had been on a night out at The Arcadian in November 2015.

He offered his 'heavily intoxicated' victims - who had also been out that night - a lift home before driving to the scene of the crime. The sex offender was even 'grinning' as one of his 'emotionally distressed' victims was forced to give in to his sick demands.

The defendant went on to usher one of the victims outside before locking the car door behind him. He continued his onslaught, raping her as her friend remained trapped inside the vehicle.

Judge Butterfield said 'sober' Okyere was 'bigger and stronger' than his victims. Okyere - who has previous convictions for voyeurism and battery - did not show a 'shred of contrition', with his behaviour said to be 'predatory from the outset'.

Description

A man who sexually abused a young boy in the 1980s and moved to Sweden has been jailed after an international investigation spanning 13 years.

Glenn Langrish, aka Glenn Stephens, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with another three to be spent on licence, at Hove Crown Court on Friday (2 February) for multiple child sex offences.

Langrish, 74, worked at a lawnmower repair shop in Crawley called ReeEven Hire during the 1980s.

In 1983, Langrish began communicating with a 10-year-old boy called Stephen Lewsey over a shortwave radio.

Eventually the pair arranged to meet, and Stephen began working regular weekends at the hire shop with Langrish.

Over the next several years, Langrish sexually assaulted Stephen every time he worked at the shop and when he was giving him a lift home.

The abuse stopped in 1989 when Langrish was jailed for unrelated child sex offences. On his release in 1994, he moved to Sweden and changed his name to Glenn Stephens.

Stephen, who is now 51, reported the abuse to Sussex Police in 2011 and an international search began for Langrish.

In 2016, Interpol discovered he was living in Vendelso, Sweden, with Swedish citizenship. He was interviewed by Swedish police, but as a Swedish citizen was protected from extradition back to the United Kingdom.

An international warrant was issued for his arrest should he leave Sweden and, in May 2023, Sussex Police were alerted by the National Crime Agency that Langrish was in Poland.

He was brought back from Poland by the Metropolitan Police’s extradition team on 5 July, 2023, and taken into custody at Heathrow Airport the same day.

Langrish was subsequently charged with four counts of indecency with a child and four counts of indecent assault on a child

He was found guilty on all counts at Chichester Crown Court.

At Hove Crown Court on Friday, 2 February, he was told he must serve a minimum of nine years and eight months of his custodial sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Description

The suspect in an alkali attack in south London was convicted of a sex offence in 2018 and was later granted asylum after three attempts.

Police are looking for Abdul Shakoor Ezedi, 35, who was last seen in north London on Wednesday evening.

A mother and her three-year-old daughter hurt by the corrosive substance could have suffered "life-changing" injuries in the attack.

Police have warned people not to approach Ezedi and to instead call 999.

The 31-year-old woman and her daughter remain in hospital, along with her older daughter, eight.

Five police officers were injured as they responded, as were four members of the public who tried to help.

The attack took place near Clapham Common at about 19:25 on Wednesday.

The suspect attempted to escape the scene in a car but crashed into a stationary vehicle, then ran.

One witness described seeing the suspect lift a young child over his head and throw her onto the ground like a "ragdoll", telling the BBC the incident was like a "horror movie".

A community worker who knows Ezedi has appealed for him to give himself up, and to get medical help for his injuries.

Azad, who helps refugees in Newcastle where Ezedi lives, described the 35-year-old as polite and respectful.

In 2018, Ezedi was convicted of one charge of sexual assault and one of exposure, before being granted asylum in 2020.

He received a nine-week jail term suspended for two years for the sexual assault and, for the exposure, 36 weeks' imprisonment to be served consecutively, also suspended for two years.

Description

A dog sitter was caught on camera trying to have sex with a Great Dane he was supposed to be looking after.

Graham Robinson was house-sitting the six-year-old pet while its owner and her 12-year-old daughter were on holiday, Southampton Crown Court heard.

The incident happened in Southampton, according to court documents.

Robinson was unaware they had installed a security camera so they could keep an eye on the property while they were away.

The daughter was watching some of the footage on a mobile phone when she saw Robinson try to penetrate the dog, the court heard.

The judge, Nicholas Rowland, described the defendant's actions as an "abomination".

Tom Wilkins, prosecuting, said Robinson, 51, of Shore Road, Hythe, was entrusted to house-sit the dog in May last year.

He added: "The video was left running so the owner could monitor the house.

"To her and her daughter's great distress, they saw the defendant attempt to penetrate the dog.

"It was recorded on video and it was quite plain what was happening."

In a statement read by Mr Wilkins, the dog's owner said she installed the camera because she had a "gut feeling" that Robinson would not "respect" the house.

She added that Robinson's act had "completely ruined" her daughter's birthday, which fell during the holiday.

"She has been left with horrifying images," she said.

"The dog has been jumpy ever since the incident and always looks sad. I feel sad and angry all the time."

Robinson, 52, of Shore Road, Hythe, admitted trying to penetrate an animal.

He told the probation service he had drunk ten glasses of spirits and two beers on the day and had also used cannabis, but had not touched alcohol or taken drugs since, the court heard.

Robinson, who was not represented in court, said: "I'm sorry I did what I did.  I can't believe it - it's shocking. I'm devastated."

Judge Rowland told the defendant he had committed a gross breach of trust.

He added: "You attempted to penetrate a dog that had been entrusted into your care. It was an abomination. It's incomprehensible to behave in this way."

After studying a pre-sentence report, the judge handed Robinson a two-year community order, including a requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 40 days of rehabilitation activity.

He added that the defendant was almost sent to prison, saying it was a "close run thing".

It was not heard in court how Robinson ended up being chosen as the dog sitter.

Description

A convicted paedophile claimed that his internet searches for 'tiny' and 'tiny teens' did not relate to seeking out indecent images of children. Bryan Hammonde, 74, had installed Duck Duck Go, software that allows someone to browse the web without storing history.

Hammonde, from Lansdowne Road in Penzance, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to breach of a sexual harm prevention order and four charges relating to him failing to adhere to notification requirements as a sex offender.

Prosecuting the case, Ed Bailey told the court how in 2020 Hammonde was given a non-custodial sentence for looking at sickening child abuse images showing young victims grimacing with pain. Hammonde had nearly 40 indecent images spanning all three categories of seriousness and was made to sign the sex offenders' register and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Mr Bailey told the court how PC Waite and DS Bradley attended Hammonde's address last month for an unannounced interview. Hammonde had had the terms of his order and registration requirements spelled out to him several times since his conviction.

Hammonde's laptop was found to have searched 'tiny' and 'tiny teens'. An inspection revealed that Hammonde had been using Duck Duck Go on his phone, which puts him in breach of his order which prevents him from removing browsing history.

When searched at the police station, Hammonde was found in possession of a number of bank cards that he hadn't told police about, going against his legal requirements as a registered sex offender.

Representing Hammonde, Ramsay Quaife said the breaches were not deliberate and that his client doesn't accept the searches were looking for child pornography. He added that the devices seized were still being looked at to see if there was indecent images on them, which may or may not lead to further charges depending on what is or isn't found.

Sentencing Hammonde, Recorder Richard Stead said that as an ex-IT manager, Hammonde would have fully understood the terms of his order, yet he still proceeded to use software capable of hiding internet history.

Description

A rapist who threatened to decapitate his victim if she reported her ordeal has been jailed for 12 years.

Jerome Macalla, 33, raped a woman after overpowering her and forcing his way into her Sheffield home.

He then told her he would "shoot her in the face" if she went to the police and said he would “take her head off” if any officers came to arrest him.

South Yorkshire Police praised Macalla's victim for her "bravery and courage" in coming forward.

Macalla, of Arden Road in Birmingham, was subsequently arrested in June last year after officers found him trying again to break into his victim's home with a shovel.

He was found guilty of rape and harassment following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, having already admitted charges of driving while disqualified, criminal damage and possession of cannabis.

PC Katie Walker, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Macalla's threats were so menacing and chilling, his victim was left frightened of reporting the rape to us.

"She must have been absolutely terrified of this evil man and I want to commend her bravery and courage in coming forward to tell us all the crimes he had subjected her to.

"Macalla is a dangerous predator who inflicted untold misery on his victim who must have been so scared of what he would do should his crimes ever come to light."

Macalla was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.

Description

A former teaching assistant who sexually assaulted a young girl during an improvised game of Twister has been jailed.

Stephen Payne sexually assaulted four different girls aged between eight and 12 in his home in Brighton across a period of nearly two decades.

All of the offences occurred while Payne worked as a teaching assistant at Dharma Primary School in Patcham. One of his victims was linked to his time at the school.

Payne, 69, was found guilty of 13 sexual offences after a court heard he assaulted three of his victims while measuring their height against a wooden beam in his home.

A fourth victim was assaulted after Payne initiated an improvised game of Twister.

All of the offences took place between 2001 and 2018, however Sussex Police believe he may have more victims.

PC Donna Bagguley, of Brighton and Hoves safeguarding investigation unit, said: Stephen Payne abused the trust of his young victims in the most appalling way.

Each of them has shown extraordinary courage to report his crimes and give evidence against him. We believed them, a jury believed them and now Payne will spend a significant amount of time behind bars.

We believe Payne may have more victims. If you or anyone you know is a victim of a sexual offence no matter how long ago please report it to the police. We will believe you, we will support you and we will do everything we can to get you justice.

Payne worked at Dharma Primary School in Patcham throughout his offending. He was first employed in 1994 up to the day he was arrested in March, 2020.

Dharma Primary School closed in 2020.

Payne was charged with nine counts of indecent assault of a girl under 16 as well as three counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 and one count of assault by touching a girl under 13.

He was found guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court on January 26.

Today, Payne was sentenced to six and a half years in jail and given a sexual harm prevention order, a restraining order and added to the sex offenders register for life.

Description

Detectives have secured justice for a woman who was sexually abused as a child more than 40 years ago.

She came forward in March 2021 to report that she had been raped and sexually assaulting by an older man at a primary school in Islington in the mid-1980s.

The abuse lasted around two years and was carried out by a man who she identified to be Robert MacLennan.

He was working as the school's groundskeeper during the time of the abuse and lived on the site.

Officers began an investigation and MacLennan was arrested in April 2021. He admitted sexually assaulting the victim, however he denied raping her.

Detectives work to build a case against him by identifying further witnesses and gathering their accounts.

This evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2022 and he was later charged with a number of offences.

He went on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and was found guilty on 28 September 2023. He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 24 January to 15 years' imprisonment.

Description

Mohan Babu, 47, of Emsworth, was found guilty by jury of four counts of sexual assault in Portsmouth Crown Court today (January 31) following a three week trial. Court heard that the former GP at the Staunton Surgery in Civic Centre Road, Havant, ordered one of his patients to take her top off before groping her. The sexual assaults took place between September 2019 and July 2021.

The GP targeted the three women - the youngest of whom was 19 - at the surgery where he worked alongside his doctor wife, inappropriately touching them and making "creepy" comments. A receptionist he previously worked with said the doctor of 20 years had grabbed her and boasted that he was "a lion going to eat her", a court heard.

Babu was the most-complained about doctor at the surgery and had repeated warnings over his behaviour, jurors were told. Portsmouth Crown Court heard five other women including a receptionist at his former workplace complained about his 'over familiar' behaviour, however criminal proceedings were not brought about their complaints. All of the women he allegedly assaulted asked for a new GP. Prosecutor Miranda Moore KC told the court Babu targeted "vulnerable" women after he joined the surgery as a locum doctor in April 2018.

He was recommended by his wife, Dr Aroline Rodrigues, 43, who is a GP at the surgery. The first complaint about Babu's behaviour came in August 2019 - 16 months after he joined - and then another came "quite quickly". "The history of repeated an inappropriate behaviour and repeated warnings about his behaviour sets the scene for these offences", Ms Moore KC said. Between May and August in 2019 Babu held face-to-face consultations with a 57 year old woman who was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in June 2019.

In three appointments, the now-deceased woman said Babu behaved inappropriately. Ms Moore KC said: "She made [the first] appointment about the cancer. Dr Babu greeted her by saying 'do you want a hug?' She was very fragile and very emotional. Dr Babu told her she had a 0.01 per cent chance of having cancer." At her next appointment in June, after she had been diagnosed, Babu asked if he could check her breasts and told her: "You have a lovely figure and lovely breasts." Ms Moore KC said the woman visited Babu for a third time as she had to cancel a holiday due to her illness and needed a doctor's note. She said he instructed her to lie on the couch to listen to her heart", Ms Moore KC said. "He locked the door and didn't offer her a chaperone. He asked her to lift her top and she asked why and he said so he can check for lumps. He lingered while examining her breasts and pulled her nipples. She felt he spent far too long there and didn't feel comfortable. She was shocked, she froze, and she looked at the ceiling.

"He proceeded to move his hands under her lower body clothing, under her skirt. She asked him to stop. He pulled her closer to him and she could feel he had an erection. She saw his zip was undone and she could see his erection. The court heard at this point Babu said to the uncomfortable woman "I'm helping you, you need to touch it so I can help you." It was heard the woman asked the surgery to change her GP but didn't report it to a female palliative care nurse until over a year later, in September 2020, as she didn't want to spend her final days chasing a prosecution.

An investigation commenced and it emerged many other women complained about Babu and asked for a new GP to replace him. One patient, a 19 year old girl, visited Babu in February 2020 as she was struggling with anxiety. "He paid her compliments like 'you are a beautiful girl', Ms Moore KC said. "He listened to her chest from behind and counted the freckles on her back - 'one, two, three, four' - while lightly touching her skin as he did so. As she got up to leave, he took hold of her hands and he kissed her on the cheek."

From April to July 2021, a married mother visited Babu three times after a neck injury. In the first two appointments, Babu asked for hugs and told her she was "cute". She thought the GP was just being "nice". At the third appointment, he asked her to take her top off to check for moles. Ms Moore KC said: "He smoothed her breasts up and down about 20 times, she recalls, telling her it was 'lovely and smooth'. He then made the wholly inappropriate comment 'ohh I'm not having a bad day'. He hugged her for about a minute and asked for a kiss. She noticed his breathing was heavy."

The woman's son later came to the surgery 'to have it out' with Babu but he was not there. Five other women - four patients at Staunton Surgery and the receptionist at his previous surgery - also made complaints, however they did not form part of the criminal charges. The receptionist said he regularly grabbed her waist and once told her "he was a lion and was going to eat her". A patient claimed he was 'creepy' as he asked her to "remove the mask so he could see her pretty face", another was quizzed about her sex life, and another was hugged.

Babu stopped working at Staunton Surgery in July 2021, at which point he was under police investigation. He denied all seven counts made against him. Babu was found not guilty of three offences of sexual assault against a further two women. He has been placed on conditional bail and will appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on April 12 for sentencing.

Description

A registered child sex offender has been put behind bars after breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Leslie Thornton, 30, formerly of the Balby area of Doncaster, was convicted of multiple child sexual offences and child abduction in 2015.

He was jailed for three years and made subject to a SHPO and notification requirements that ordered him to notify his personal details with the police every 12 months.

The terms of Thornton's SHPO prevented him from having contact with any children, but an investigation into his phone records found evidence of him making contact with a young girl - something he had failed to disclose to officers from Doncaster's Violent Sexual Offender Registrar (ViSOR) unit.

He later pleaded guilty to breaching his SHPO and two counts of failing to comply with notification requirements.

Over the course of 2022, Thornton failed to comply with the notification requirements given upon his previous sentences.

Last Wednesday (24 January), Thornton was jailed for three years and seven months at Sheffield Crown Court.

Description

A paedophile admitted that he "got carried away on the internet" after being ensnared by an undercover police sting.

Aidan Cowman was also caught with a vile stash of pictures showing toddlers being raped when officers came knocking at his door. A judge today described him as being "in denial" over his offending, but allowed him to walk free from court.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the 66-year-old first contacted an account which had been set up by covert police officers, who were posing as a 13-year-old boy, on "gay chatroom" Chat Avenue on January 11 last year. Cowman, of Penkett Road in Liscard, Wirral, said in his opening message: "Hi, want to phone daddy while we both w***?"

He then added: "I'm 64, married. Irish, but living near Liverpool."

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how Cowman was told that the teenager was at school at the time of the chat. However, he continued the perverted conversation by saying: "Are you playing with your c**k now?"

Then, on January 16, the pensioner added the supposed youngster on Snapchat. Officers asked him whether he was the "man from Chat Avenue", which Cowman confirmed before stating that he was "sat at home playing with his c**k".

He added that it was "quite an age difference", but said he "loved to swap pictures and video clips" and asked "are you interested in doing some?". A search warrant was later executed at the defendant's address on April 14.

When arrested, Cowman replied "I just got carried away on the internet". A small bag of cannabis and electronic devices were recovered from the property during the raid.

Under interview, he confessed to having been responsible for the messages and that he had indecent images stored on his phones. A total of 52 category A pictures, those depicting the most serious forms of abuse, were subsequently found on two seized mobiles.

Cowman was also found to have collected 12 photographs in category B and 101 category C images. Mr Hopkins said that some had shown children as young as two being subjected to sexual assaults.

Kyra Badman, defending, told the court that her client's relationship with his partner had been "strained" since his online activities had come to light, and that while they remain together they are currently living in separate homes. She added: "He is extremely grateful for her support.

"Upon hearing the facts of this case, anybody could reach the conclusion that only immediate custody would be appropriate in this case because of the nature of the offences. It may be that the court is able to draw back from an immediate sentence."

Cowman pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communications with a child, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and possession of cannabis. He was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

Sentencing, Recorder Peter Wright KC said: "You brought a bag with you, appreciating that the likelihood was that you would lose your liberty. You are a realist in that regard.

"You are a man who has previous convictions, but they are from a long time ago. The offences for which you appear before this court are offences of the most serious gravity."

Recorder Wright said that the indecent images contained the "abuse and defilement of children", and added: "It is almost incomprehensible how anybody could commit any such act, but equally it is incomprehensible how anybody could gain any form of sexual gratification from viewing such material. But it is clear that you did.

"You knew precisely what you were up to. You pursued your own sexual fantasies with that boy.

"You went so far as seeking to solicit images of the boy. This is conduct of the most despicable type.

"You were seeking to corrupt him to your own perversions. You have, in your own words, struggled to understand your motivation for your offending - you are in denial.

"But you are now committed to gaining access to help. You do not want to reoffend or cause further harm."

Cowman was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and complete a programme requirement, as well as a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 35 days.

Description

A man has been jailed for almost a decade after he outlined his depraved sexual fantasies online to an undercover police officer.

Dean Ward, 39, described how he was abusing his eight-year-old daughter, though the child did not actually exist.

He also talked about the abuse he "wanted to happen" to the child and to the undercover officer's six-year-old daughter, who also did not exist.

Norwich Crown Court heard there was "extremely graphic and deeply disturbing" conversations between the two of them, including the rape of both imaginary children.

Danielle O'Donovan, prosecuting, said Ward, whose previous convictions include sexual assault and making indecent images of children, discussed in detail the rape of the girl and other fantasies.

Ward, who has five previous convictions for more than 20 offences, appeared for sentencing on Tuesday via videolink from HMP Norwich after admitting arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence on June 5, 2023.

He also admitted three breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) between May and June 2023.

Recorder Matthew Happold said Ward, of Barrett Road, Norwich, had engaged in "extremely unpleasant discussion" about "damaging, abusive acts" and "including the rape of both children".

Imposing an extended 13-year-sentence, made up of nine-and-a-half-years imprisonment and three-and-a-half years on licence, Recorder Happold said it was a "very serious offence".

Andrew Thompson, mitigating, said there was "never a real child".

He said there was no meeting and there could not have been as the child was "fictional".

Mr Thompson said Ward, who "never had a child" and "does not have a daughter" had been engaged in conversations about a "sexual fantasy" with the undercover officer who had also been talking about a non-existent child.

He said Ward was an "isolated" and "socially awkward" individual who "operated behind a keyboard in his bedroom".

Ward was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and put on the sex offenders register indefinitely.