Latest Offenders

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A MAN has been jailed for 28 years for being found guilty of 57 counts of historic child sexual abuse - including in Herefordshire.

Gary Bennett, 61, of Shenstone Close, Bromsgrove will serve a minimum of 18 years after being sentenced at Worcester Crown Court.

His abuse took place over a nine-year period from 1995 and 2004 across many different areas including Leominster, Bridgnorth, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Habberley and London.

There were seven victims in total six male and one female all of whom were children or teenagers when the abuse took place. The offences he committed included rape, attempted rape, buggery and indecency with a child.

The abuse was first reported to police in May 2018 and an investigation was launched immediately.

Inspector Julie Taylor, who led the investigation, said: This has been a long and complex case and Im pleased that Bennetts victims have finally been able to see him face justice.

The abuse he put them through is absolutely sickening and is something which will affect them for the rest of their lives.

I dont underestimate the immense courage it took for the victims to come forward, and Id like to commend them on their conduct throughout. Despite many delays in court proceedings, they have remained patient, dignified and determined.

Id encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, whether as an adult or child, and whether recent or not, to get in touch with us. You will be taken seriously and you will be listened to.

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A paedophile who gave a boy Pot Noodles laced with drugs before sexually abusing him as part of a sickening campaign of assault and rape has been jailed for almost three decades.

Raymond Hawthorne subjected the boy and another male youngster to horrifying abuse over the course of a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, lavishing one of the children with trainers and a bike as he exploited him for his twisted desires.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the now 60-year-old 'preyed upon, groomed and sexual assaulted' his victims in the Birkenhead area; one recalled being aged as young as five when the abuse started before descending into rape.

His other victim described being given Pot Noodles during visits to Hawthorne's house, then 'remembering nothing' before waking up naked and realising he had been assaulted.

Robert Dudley, prosecuting, described how the pervert would put his hands down one victim's trousers and perform sex acts upon him. The behaviour continued for years and ultimately 'escalated' to him raping the boy on two occasions.

In a statement which was read out to the court on his behalf, the first victim said: 'It is only in the last four to five years that I have found a little peace and tried to put the past behind me.'

Hawthorne was said to have taken the second child on trips away to Blackpool and theme parks and 'bought him extravagant gifts' such as clothing, training shoes and even a bicycle, as well as plying him with alcohol and drugs. 

The now three-time convicted sex offender then 'smacked his bottom' and forced his hands into the child's underwear, sexually assaulting him.

Hawthorne, who was later said to have attempted to 'bribe' him with cash, denied his crimes when finally confronted decades later and claimed the allegations had been 'fabricated for compensation'.

The second complainant said that Hawthorne's actions had resulted in an 'indescribable impact' upon him. 

He added in his statement: 'I'm still finding it all difficult to process, the fact that justice has finally been done. I desperately want to start living. I want my life back, I want me back.

'He cannot harm any more children. This gives me hope for the future. I realise the past cannot be change. But my future can.'

Hawthorne, formerly of Crescent Road in Bolton, has a total of 23 previous convictions for 77 offences ranging from assault to prostitution offences involving boys as young as 12 as well as indecent assault.

The defendant represented himself in court on Monday, having last week sacked the counsel that represented him at trial. 

From the witness box, he stated that there had been 'no evidence whatsoever of any drug' being found in the Pot Noodles and reported that the complainant merely said the snack had 'tasted funny'.

Hawthorne also told the court that it's 'rubbish' that he had committed any sexual offences. 

He said: 'Being convicted of historical offences requires no evidence, just someone saying "he did that to me" and they are going to be believed. 

'I say I've not committed any sexual crime apart from selling sex. I just ask your honour to give me hope of a crime free lifestyle.'

Hawthorne was found guilty of two counts of rape, 10 charges of indecent assault and two offences of gross indecency with a child by a jury. 

He was jailed for 27 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release, and handed an additional eight years on licence.

Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Hawthorne showed no reaction as he was locked up and instead sat making notes with a pen and paper. He was also told to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'Your abuse of these two young children was the beginning of a lifelong obsession involving the abuse and exploitation of young boys. 

'I am perfectly satisfied that you are sexually interested in young boys and will use them sexually.

'You have continued to maintain your innocence. You maintain a complete lack of sexual motivation for any of your offending.

'All of this shows that you continue to have a complete lack of any insight into your own offending and deviant motivations. There is a complete lack of remorse... you continue to minimise your behaviour.

'You present as utterly unable to understand the harm you have caused to children by your actions. You have sought to blame everyone other than yourself.'

Following sentencing, Detective Constable Lauren Blackmore from Merseyside Police's rape and serious sexual offences team said: 'This result was only possible thanks to the sheer determination and bravery of his victims.

'Despite Hawthorne denying the offences, a jury saw through his lies and he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison.'

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A sexual predator who abused vulnerable females has been jailed for 29 years after being categorised as a "dangerous offender."

Roy Foster, 63, raped two young girls and tried to rape another. He abducted his fourth victim by tempting her away with the offer of choosing a toy.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Foster abducted the girl with the intention of committing a sexual offence. On Monday, Foster appeared in court, via video link from Durham prison, wearing a white shirt and a grey pullover.

Ian West, prosecuting, told the court that Foster had four victims - and each girl was vulnerable. He indecently assaulted his first victim and later raped her.

The attacks happened over 30 years ago and in a statement, the victim said: "For years and years, I've kept what happened a secret from my family and friends. It has eaten me alive from the inside out. He's been able to go about his life as he wanted to."

The woman reported Foster to the police in March 2023. The court heard that years later, Foster tried to rape his second young victim, after "plying her with alcohol" when he was drunk himself. "It would seem she was specifically targeted," Mr West said, "because he could rely on her not to resist."

Foster raped his third victim twice. The Middlesbrough court heard that Foster supplied her with drink and drugs. In court, she stood up to speak of her "anger, frustration and sadness" over what Foster did to her.

He targeted his fourth victim by offering her the chance of choosing a toy, if she came with him. The child went with Foster but a member of the public intervened.

Children's toys in bedroom

Mr West said that when police searched Foster's home, they found children's' toys in one of the bedrooms. "He had no children or grandchildren of that age," Mr West said. Foster, of Low Grange Avenue in Billingham, was convicted of all eight offences by a jury, after a trial in January.

He was found guilty of sexual activity with a child; three counts of child rape; sexual assault; abducting a child with the intent to commit a sexual offence; and two counts of attempted rape. Foster appeared to close his eyes for periods of time as the court heard mitigation from Paul Cleasby.

Mr Cleasby said that "there was no evidence that one of Foster's victims was affected by the alcohol he gave her. Alcohol wasn't used to facilitate this offence - it can't be said to have diminished her capabilities. Nothing I say is intended to diminish the seriousness of the offences against her."

Foster's barrister told the court that his client "collected bric-a-brac of all descriptions" rather than just toys for young children. He said that a psychiatric report had found that Foster is of "extremely low intelligence and has a learning disability".

"It's hard to understand if he knew the impact of his offending on others," Mr Cleasby added.

'Sense of sexual entitlement'

Judge Jonathan Carroll told Foster that, "in their different ways, all of your victims had some degree of vulnerability and in one way or another, all of them suffered at your hands. Despite your intellectual limitations, you had sufficient intellect to modify your grooming.

"You still don't recognise your criminal offending. You still continue to display, even at your stage in life, a sense of sexual entitlement."

The judge told Foster that he qualified for an extended sentence because he is a "dangerous offender." Foster was handed a 32-year sentence, made up of a 29-year prison term and a three-year period on extended licence, in the community. He will serve two-thirds of the 29-years before he is eligible for release. He must sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

After the sentencing, Detective Constable James Limon said: “This case was a collaborative effort by Stockton CID, the Complex Exploitation Team and the Domestic Abuse Unit. Roy Foster is a dangerous sexual predator who targeted and abused vulnerable females, both adult and children, over the last 40 years.

“His youngest victim managed to escape harm thanks to the quick-thinking actions of a member of the public. Had that not occurred, Roy Foster would have likely committed further offences against that child.

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A 70-year-old man who carried out an "appalling catalogue" of sexual abuse against boys over three decades has been jailed.

Keith Lockwood, of Park Lane in Keighley, was described as a serial child abuser by detectives.

His offending took place in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s across the Kirklees district.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Lockwood had committed sexual offences, including gross indecency with a child and indecent assault, against seven boys aged under 16.

He was jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of 23 non recent sexual offences committed over a 30-year period.

The pensioner is currently on the Sex Offenders register and will remain so for life.

DC Gilly Hodds, who investigated the case, said: "Lockwood was found guilty by a unanimous guilty verdict of an appalling catalogue of offending against victims who were young and vulnerable.

"He forced those victims to relive the dreadful offences he committed against them by putting them through the ordeal of a trial, and I am pleased for them that the jurors saw through his attempts to evade answering for what he has done."

She added: "Victims in this case demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward and supporting both the police and CPS in taking action against a man who has been a serial abuser of children whilst in a position of trust."

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A sexual predator who attacked two women on Metrolink trams has been branded as posing a 'risk to females'. Tahir Ali, 37, groped a student after sitting next to her, and weeks later pressed his body against the bottom of a 16-year-old girl for his own sexual pleasure, in front of her mother.

University student Ali has been banned from using trams indefinitely after targeting his victims who were complete strangers, and had boarded trams at Exchange Square on the Rochdale and Oldham line. Manchester Crown Court heard that he has an 'appalling' criminal history, and has six previous offences of sexual assault on his record.

His lawyer said Ali's deviant behaviour is a 'compulsion' which he has been 'unable to resist'. Remorseless Ali, from Oldham, forced his victims to give evidence in court after he refused to admit his crimes. He was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty.

Prosecuting, Nick Ross told how Ali’s first victim noticed that he was staring at her while she waited to board a tram at Exchange Square on November 14 last year. When she got on the tram, Ali sat behind her but then moved to sit directly next to her.

Ali then began to move his hands up and down her leg ‘in a sexual manner’, Mr Ross said. He got up when the woman asked him to stop.

Weeks later, Ali boarded another Rochdale bound tram at Exchange Square, on December 22 last year. His 16-year-old victim was with her mother on the busy tram when she noticed a man pressing against her bottom.

When she turned around she saw that Ali’s penis was erect. Ali left the tram at Failsworth, where the girl’s mother shouted at him. He proceeded to board another tram heading back into the city centre.

“It is horrifying that you sexually assaulted a 16-year-old victim as her own mother was present in the tram carriage,” Judge Tom Gilbart told Ali. “You were travelling on the Metrolink system for the purposes of sexual gratification.”

Ali’s first victim said his behaviour was ‘disgusting’. In a statement read to the court, she said: “I don’t feel comfortable sitting on my own on the tram. I was scared at the time that he would follow me home.”

The 16-year-old said: “I felt like I couldn’t do anything to stop the male touching me. I felt like the male had power over me. I don’t want to see this male on the tram again. He is a risk to females. I want him to know that he can’t get away with what he has done to me.”

Mr Ross said of Ali, who was caught out on Metrolink CCTV cameras: “The Crown suggests he is a persistent sexual predator.” His previous sexual assaults include attacks on a woman in a shop and in a library.

When he was interviewed by a probation officer prior to sentencing, Ali continued to ‘completely deny’ his wrongdoing and claimed he’d been ‘set up’.

Defending, David Morton said Ali was enrolled in the first year of a business and finance university course prior to his incarceration. He said of Ali’s behaviour: “These are compulsions that he has been hitherto unable to resist.”
A sexual harm prevention order was imposed indefinitely, to prevent Ali from using the Metrolink system. Ali, of Kelverlow Street, Oldham, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

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A REGISTERED sex offender was snared by artificial intelligence as he flouted a strict court order by viewing perverted internet images of children.

Thomas Young, 34, had appeared at Carlisle Crown Court a decade ago when he was sentenced for inciting a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

As part of the punishment, Young was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). This imposed tough curbs on his online use for an indefinite period.

Young was twice brought back to court for breaching the SOPO, once in 2023 and then again in early February when he received a suspended prison sentence.

But within days of being spared jail, Young flouted the order once more.

“Police were first alerted on March 15 of this year by e-safe global software installed on the defendant’s phone,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told the city’s crown court.

“That software captures and screenshots any activity which the artificial intelligence detects to be of a suspicious or concerning nature.”

On that date, two indecent category C images were logged. Three days later, a further four were detected along with one image classed in category A — the most serious — involving a girl aged 12 to 14 years.

All images had been accessed via the Telegram platform. And Mr Burke said analysis showed that from February 11 — just days after his last crown court appearance — and March 18, Young had installed and then uninstalled the Telegram application a dozen times.

This was a flagrant breach of the SOPO, which was designed to make all such data available for scrutiny, and display internet history.

In addition, Young was found to have flouted sex offender notification requirements by failing to disclose two online usernames which had been active around the turn of this year.

When brought to court Young admitted making indecent photographs of a child, breaching the SOPO and twice flouting the notification requirements.

The category A image, said Mr Burke, had been captured by Young from a video of two hours, 31 minutes’ duration.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith, mitigating, said of Young: “He can provide no real explanation as to why he finds himself in the position that he does.”

Young had been “lonely” and taken cocaine which, he suggested, may have altered his judgement and failed to impress upon him the consequences of his actions.

Judge Nicholas Barker jailed Young, latterly of Warwick Square, Carlisle, for 18 months. New strict court orders placing restrictions on him, and an obligation to regularly provide police with personal information, were imposed for 10 years.

“You knew that by doing those actions you were likely putting yourself, not just at risk, but of receiving an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Barker told Young.

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A mum says she and her son were left prisoners in their own home after a 'monster' stole her son's childhood and threatened them in their own home. Dale Barker, 33, has been jailed for six years and nine months after he admitted sexually assaulting a child and possession of a knife.

But as Barker, of Cotton Tree Lane, Colne, begins his prison sentence, the mum and son are left trying to rebuild their lives which they say have been completely destroyed by their abuser. Barker befriended the mum when they met in a shop where he was working, but after a few weeks the woman noticed 'strange behaviour'.

"He kept buying gifts and things for my son and being overly pally", she said.

"It was grooming, but when I said I didn't want this anymore it went really, really wrong. I asked him to leave but he wouldn't go.

"He assaulted me in front of my son, but that charge was later dropped. It went into a whole spiral of awful things - knife threats, arson threats, everything."

As a result of the threats, the family home was safeguarded by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the family was given a priority to move home. As Barker remained on bail, the mother said she became hypervigilant, locking doors and gates and using a tracker on her son's phone.

Both mum and son suffered serious mental health problems and the son became suicidal and stopped attending school.

"I am constantly ill through stress and hypervigilance and my symptoms have manifested physically over the last 16 months", the mother said. She no longer feels comfortable around strangers and has lost her business due to the difficulties she has faced.

"Barker has destroyed our family. He has taken away my son's childhood which he will never get back and has to carry this for the rest of his life.

"He has attempted to take his own life and continues not to cope on a daily basis. My mental health is at crisis point.

"This has been the most difficult time of my life not only for the crimes he committed against me but for the hatred I hold against him for sexually assaulting my son. Barker has been able to freely live his life and I am incensed by this, that we have been treated like the criminal and have not had adequate protection from the courts. My son and I have been on the brink of mental collapse."

Judge Sara Dodd, sentencing, said Barker was a dangerous offender who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. In addition to the jail term, she imposed an extended licence period of three years and three months to protect the public.

The mother said: "The day he was sentenced was the hardest day of my life. I went through so many different emotions - relief, shock, fear. I honestly think he is a psychopath.

"I'd known him a few weeks and he was trying to get his feet under the table. My son has had to be so brave and grown up but I think the bravery and resilience he has shown has saved so many potential victims.

"Now Barker is behind bars he is able to go out with his friends without looking over his shoulder all the time. There is still a long way to go, and he will have to carry this forever, but it is a start to try to move forwards."

In addition to the prison sentence, Barker has been handed a 12-year sexual harm prevention order and made the subject of notification requirements - also known as the sex offenders register - indefinitely. Judge Dodd also made an indefinite restraining order to protect the family.

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A former Fife Tory councillor found guilty of two sex attacks against children in Glenrothes has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Michael Green’s first victim told a trial he massaged her legs, put his hand under her shorts and touched her as she watched X Factor on TV, when she was aged ten.

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A man has been jailed after he was convicted of a number of offences including sexual assault by strangulation and possession of indecent images.

Mark Wilson, aged 32, of Gaul Road, March, Cambridgeshire was jailed for three years following a hearing at Norwich Crown Court on Friday 10 May 2024.

He was also made subject to restraining orders against his two victims and issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

Wilson had previously admitted to two counts of sexual assault by strangulation, one count of sexual assault, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.

Between September 2016 and the end of 2017 in Thetford Wilson twice strangled a teenage girl, on one occasion to the point where she lost consciousness and kept passing out.

He also attempted to indecently touch another girl.

An investigation was launched and his devices, a mobile phone and a laptop, were seized.

Analysis revealed they contained category A, B, and C videos and still images which were indecent. 

In a statement read to the court one of Wilson’s victims described how she was still feeling the effects of the trauma she had experienced.

She detailed how she could not sleep, had become depressed, and continue to struggle with the emotional aftermath.

In her statement she described his “seemingly blasé attitude to when it came to committing sexual offences against young women”, adding: “The nightmare of what you did remains fresh in my mind.”

Description

A dad downloaded thousands of sick sexual images of children and stashed them on laptops and hard-drives in his family home.

Martin Mannion, of Springhill Court, Wavertree, amassed his "catalogued library of images" between November 2022 and March 2023. He was caught when police carried out an investigation into those using file-sharing software to make and distribute images of child sex abuse. One IP address, which was used to access a folder containing 4,461 indecent images of children, was traced to a Virgin Media account belonging to Mannion, 61.

Officers attended Mannion's house shortly after 9am, on June 29 2023, while his 11-year-old son was at school. They seized two laptops and two external hard-drives, found to contain thousands of items of child pornography.

In total, officers found 28 images and 30 videos of the most serious category A, four images and six videos category B, and 6,004 images and 54 videos category C. The images were kept in a number of folders on each of his devices, including one marked with his initials, and another called "photos to keep".

Mannion pleaded guilty to the possession of 6,058 of indecent images of children, and three counts of making indecent images of children (categories A, B and C). He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, May 10, for sentence.

Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said: "The content of these videos are sadly typical of the type of abuse that this court sees. In each of these videos, in each of these images, there is an abused child somewhere in the world. In terms of victim impact, it's a global trade."

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said: "During the time between his arrest and thereafter it has been extremely sobering for him and very difficult. It's of course not only difficult for him, but for his immediate family and his son. His wish, his hope, is that he can soon regain the trust of his family, in particular his wife and his son."

He added: "Having worked 40 years of employment for his family, for his son and his wife, he then went off the rails, and one can only look at his personal circumstances to see perhaps an explanation, an understanding that something changed for him.

"This is a man crying out for assistance. He needs it. He lost his employment as a result of his arrest, and many would say so he should. It had an effect on his wife and son. He gained two alternative places in employment and he lost those again because of the proceedings." He said Mannion, who has no previous convictions, had to rely on his brother for financial support as a result.

Judge Mark Ainsworth said: "It needs to be emphasised this is not a victimless crime. Far from it. Behind each and every photograph is a child being sexually abused. We may never know who they are, we may never know where they are, but the images show children being sexually abused, and plainly that's a matter that the public and indeed the courts find abhorrent, and rightly so. The assumption must be made that if it were not for people like yourself, there would be no marketplace for these images."

He sentenced Mannion to a total of 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He also ordered him to complete two rehabilitation courses and 160 hours of unpaid work, and made a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

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A serial sex offender from Cupar caught with an unauthorised mobile phone days after being convicted for possessing child abuse images for the second time has been jailed.

David Adamson was told he was lucky to have dodged a prison sentence in 2021 after admitting possessing indecent images.

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A Cleckheaton man who sexually abused children over three decades has been jailed after being found guilty of more than 30 sexual offences.  

George Thorley (74) of Moorbottom in Cleckheaton was sentenced to 27 years at Leeds Crown Court on May 8 for committing 32 sexual offences, including rape, between the 1970s and 1990’s in locations across England.

The 74-year-old was described as posing a genuine danger to children by detectives who welcomed his conviction for offending in Durham, London and West Yorkshire.  

He was jailed for one offence of rape, multiple indecent assaults and other serious sexual offences and will also have to register on the sexual offences register for life.  

Leeds Crown Court heard that Thorley had committed offences against seven child victims, both boys and girls, with the first offence taking place in 1973 and the last occurring in 1995.  

The matters came to police attention after three of the victims, one each from West Yorkshire, London and Durham, came forward independently of each other to their respective police forces over a 12-month period, with the West Yorkshire report being made in 2021.  

These reports led to police enquires being launched in all three police force areas, resulting in seven victims being identified in total; two in West Yorkshire, four in the London area and one in Durham.  

Due to the suspect living in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire Police took primacy for the investigation.  

Thorley was arrested in March 2021 and eventually charged with multiple sexual offences in 2022.

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A Doncaster man who raped a woman, before falsely imprisoning her and subjecting her to a campaign of violent abuse has been jailed for over nine years.

David Flatters, 22, waited for his victim to fall asleep before raping her, and later issued a series of chilling threats in a desperate bid to keep his violent behaviour a secret.

He told her he would "send people round to her family's house" and that he was going to "watch her take her last breath" after Flatters' brutal attacks left her with a catalogue of horrific injuries.

She suffered bruises, bleeding to the head, a black eye and cuts to her face - and on one occasion, Flatters lured his victim to the woods, beat her with sticks and stood on the back of her neck while she was face down in the dirt and unable to breathe.

Investigation Officer Rowan Bradbury, who works for Doncaster's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said:

"Flatters' offending was savage, calculated and wicked as he subjected his victim to vile abuse both physically and mentally.

"She was understandably terrified of him and I want to praise her courage and fortitude in coming forward to tell us about the abuse she had endured at his hands.

"It can't have been easy for her and I can't imagine the terror she must have endured but it was her testimony that helped secure a lengthy custodial sentence for Flatters."

Flatters was arrested by officers and brought into custody before being charged with multiple offences.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, false imprisonment, strangulation, common assault, intimidation and escaping from lawful custody. 

Flatters was sentenced to a total of nine years and five months in jail during a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court last Wednesday (1 May).

He must then spend an additional two years on licence, with Flatters also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for an indefinite period.

The terms of the SHPO mean that Flatters, of Cranbrook Road, Wheatley, must also inform the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) whenever he enters into a new relationship with another person.

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A PERVERT has been jailed following the reveal of disgusting sexual crimes he committed over 50 years ago.

Leslie Ruddick, 69, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court last Friday, September 29, for historical sexual abuse allegations.

Ruddick committed the acts between November 23, 1971, and November 22, 1978.

The 69-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of ‘indecent assault on a woman’, which was the charge at the time.

This was changed in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and Ruddick’s offences would carry a far harsher sentence with today’s sentencing guidelines, with it being stated these charges would carry a maximum sentence of between 14 years and life in prison depending on the charge.

Whilst these charges may still have carried a larger sentence, the prosecution told the court that – due to a clerical error in the charge – each charge would carry a maximum of just two years.

The prosecution went on to describe how, on multiple occasions in Liverpool between 1971 and 1978, when he was between the ages of 18 and 25, Ruddick climbed into bed and used his fingers to penetrate a girl when she was between the age of seven and 12.

In a powerful victim statement, read out by the victim in person, the court heard how it had taken her ‘most her life to get this point where she could stand up to the abuse he did.’

She said: “He stole my innocence.

“I was made to feel like it was my fault, and I was called a liar. I took to self-harming, I even tore my hair out.

“I have carried the burdens of someone else’s actions for years.

“He must have thought that little girl would not have a voice, but that girl is a woman now.”

The legal principle of totality, which states ‘when sentencing an offender for more than one offence, to impose a total sentence which reflects the overall criminality and is just and proportionate’, generally dissuades judges from giving consecutive sentences to multiple offences.

The prosecution, however, argued that, due to the maximum of just two years per charge, consecutive sentences was necessary to reflect the seriousness of Ruddick’s offending.

Defending Ruddick, Jim Smith, however, argued that concurrent sentences, meaning they would run alongside one another, was suitable for this case.

They pointed to Ruddick’s successful professional and personal career since as the signs of him having changed in character and pointed to the early guilty plea as an admission of guilt and sign of remorse.

This is despite the fact that Ruddick, of Irons Lane Chester, claimed he did not recall the offences.

They went on to state that the Chester man was not of good health.

Judge Atherton, presiding over the case, said: “You took an opportunity to sexually assault [the victim] when she should have been safe.

“There were severe consequences for her wellbeing.

“It was explained eloquently in her victim personal statement how it has taken nearly her whole life that she has felt strong enough to speak up about this.

“Throughout her life she felt she was not good enough. She has been called a liar. She has been made to feel she was at fault.

“You are the father of three successful adults.

“Throughout the time you were successfully building a life, your victim was suffering throughout all those years.”

Of the four charges, two were separate to denote penetration, whilst two covered ‘indecent assault’ without penetration.

For the two charges alleging penetration, Ruddick received one year each. For the other two charges, the Chester man received six months each.

This total of three years was then reduced to two years, with the defendant receiving a full 1/3 credit due to his early guilty plea.

Despite this falling under the threshold where suspended sentences are typically allowed, Judge Atherton stated that ‘an immediate custodial sentence is necessary’.

A minimum of half of the two year sentence will be served in prison, and Ruddick will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A voyeur who recorded women in toilet cubicles for his own sexual gratification has been jailed.

Pawanjit Singh, also known as Robbie, snuck into female toilets and hid in cubicles before using his mobile phone to secretly record his victims as they used the toilet next to him.

He captured 26 clips and six images of numerous women in several different pubs in the North East in September 2020.

In May 2021, the 35-year-old was caught by a woman as he was in the act of recording her in the female toilets at Washington Service Station.

The woman confronted him, and subsequently contacted police.

The investigation progressed when police accessed Singhs mobile phone and, after interrogating the device, uncovered the voyeuristic content.

Singh was charged with 27 offences of voyeurism and appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates court in April where he pleaded guilty to all counts.

Last Thursday (May 2), Singh of Henry Street, Shiney Row, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and was sentenced to one year in prison.

He will spend ten years on the Sex Offenders Register, was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and was ordered to have his devices destroyed.

Talking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Kate Bain, of Northumbria Police, said: We would like to thank the woman who turned out to be Singhs last victim after she witnessed and challenged his offending meaning the scale of his depravity was uncovered.

Singh secretly filmed women in what should have been a totally private space, without their knowledge or consent. He showed no respect for these women whatsoever and saw them only as tools for his own sexual gratification.