Latest Offenders

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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.

Description

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.

Description

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.

Description

A South London paedophile gripped a copy of George Orwell's 1984 after he admitted asking an undercover police officer to perform oral sex on him - believing they were a 13-year-old girl. Alex Parsons appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (May 10) where he confessed to four child sex offences after a sting by the Metropolitan Police in February this year.

The 37-year-old from Parish Gate Drive, Sidcup, held his head in his hands before entering court, then stood in the dock wearing a grey plaid suit and thick glasses he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, and one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The court heard he communicated with an undercover cop - posing as a 13-year-old child called Chloe - between February 20 and 22 this year, during which time he sent 'messages of a sexual nature'.

The perverted bookworm also sent a photo of his genitals and a sexual video and he asked her to perform a sex act on him, the court was told.

Orwell's novel 1984 is a book that features the Thought Police, a secret police force acting for Oceania, a fictional superstate which controls almost every aspect of the characters' lives.

Thought Police are tasked with finding and punishing thoughtcrimes (personal and political thoughts not approved by the regime), often working undercover to lure out criminals.

On Friday, defence counsel Mark Stevens said his client was of previous good character had already signed notification requirements for sex offenders. Parsons was previously granted bail by the magistrates, who ordered that he be monitored on a curfew between 10pm and 5am and is only allowed a single mobile phone.

Judge Charlotte Welsh ordered an 'all options' pre-sentence report, and granted Parsons conditional bail ahead of his sentence on July 12. Parsons said 'Thank you very much' as he left the dock, then later walked out the courthouse holding a copy of the dystopian novel.

Description

A criminal network who conducted extreme body modifications and illegal surgeries have been jailed after Met detectives uncovered their horrendous crimes

Specialist Met officers leading a unique investigation into the extreme body modification of men have seen seven men jailed today, Thursday, 9 May for a total of 79 years after a hearing at the Old Bailey.

Met detectives launched an investigation into the illegal surgical procedures after a victim was first identified by Devon and Cornwall Police in November 2020 after it was established the offending had taken place in North London.

Marius Theodore Gustavson, 46 (7.12.77), of Haringey was identified by detectives as being the primary offender following a lengthy and complex investigation. Alongside the six other men, he was jailed for life today with a minimum tariff of 22 years for:

• Conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm
• Five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent
• One count of making an indecent photograph of a child
• One count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
• Possession of extreme pornographic images
• Distributing indecent pseudo images of children

The court heard how Gustavson used the internet to seek out and manipulate vulnerable people, coercing them to take part in the procedures.

Detective Inspector Amanda Greig, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “I would like to highlight the excellent work of the Met’s investigation team, who have examined thousands of hours of horrific material seized from the suspects. Their diligence and professionalism have ensured no one else will suffer at the hands of these men.

“This lengthy and complex investigation demonstrates that we are determined to protect Londoners from harm and bringing those that threaten the safety of our communities to justice.”

Following the court hearing today, DI Amanda Greig also thanked the victims for their bravery throughout the investigation. She acknowledged their immense suffering – with many victims having profound mental health issues as a result of the group's brutal actions. The victims were supported by specialist officers and signposted to support services by the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity GALOP.

Detectives worked closely with partners from a number of UK police forces, NHS, London Ambulance Service, the General Medical Council and the Midwifery Council to help identify and support victims.

They discovered that Gustavson owned and managed the website ‘Eunuchmaker.com’ where he advertised extreme body modification services, including castration and penis removal. He also owned a production company, where he would record all the illegal mutilations and upload them to his site, which captured an international audience.

Officers interviewed and obtained statements from victim-survivors, who had been assaulted between February 2017 and January 2020.

In at least three cases, the injuries inflicted on the victims were life threatening, with one victim coming close to losing his life due to blood loss.

Officers sought the expertise of Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Chris Dawson, who stated “The procedures performed in these cases have highlighted the dangers involved in 'back street surgery'.

"To become a highly qualified surgeon takes a number of years, and these procedures should not be carried out by anyone without the necessary experience or expertise as it risks serious complications such as significant bleeding, or sepsis. When performed in hospital, these procedures are performed under general anaesthesia in a sterile environment, with the surgeon wearing sterile gown and gloves.

"The consent process is a very important part of any surgical procedure, and surgeons are held to very high standards about this. It is imperative that patients are aware of the potential complications of any surgical procedure."

A search of Gustavson’s address found various items, including

• Boxes of medical needles and syringes
• Local anaesthetic packs
• Surgical tools
• A wooden chopping board and a mallet
• A body board with leg and arm restraints attached
• Disposable skin staplers
• Numerous medical procedure videos linked to Gustavson’s digital devices

As Gustavson’s pattern of offending began to unravel, detectives were able to piece together that he was not working alone

Following an interrogation of more than 120 digital devices the remaining offenders were identified by video footage, as well as phone communication with Gustavson. Ashley Williams, David Carruthers, Peter Wates, Janus Atkins, Ion Circuir were arrested at addresses in London, Scotland, Birmingham and South Wales. Stefan Scharf, a German national, was arrested whilst in transit at Heathrow Airport.

The majority of the offences occurred at Gustavson’s former home address, as well as a rented hotel room in London.

Description

A Littlehampton man who assaulted two women has been jailed after an incredible display of bravery by female police officers.

On 2 September, 2023, police received a report of a woman having been sexually assaulted while walking alone through Littlehampton town centre at night.

She was followed and grabbed by an unknown man, who sexually assaulted her, pushed her to the ground and fled the scene.

CCTV footage showed the man loitering in the town centre for around an hour, before following her into a residential area.

Despite a search of the area by police, he could not be located.

The suspect was also captured on CCTV following other women around the town centre.

Suspecting the man posed an ongoing risk to other women, police deployed plain clothes officers to try to catch him.

Police officers, in plain clothes, were deployed to Littlehampton town centre.

In the early hours of Sunday, 1 October, CCTV showed one of the officers – a woman in her 20s - being followed by a man who matched the description of the suspect.

He tailed her for over 30 minutes through the town centre, along the seafront and into the residential Harsfold Road.

Wearing a face covering, he chased after her, grabbed and assaulted her.

He tried to flee the scene but officers nearby who were involved in the operation intercepted and arrested him.

He was identified as 44-year-old Mark Stankus, of High Street in Littlehampton, and subsequently charged with sexual assault and causing actual bodily harm.

Stankus pleaded guilty to all charges and, Porstmouth Crown Court on Friday, 19 April, he was jailed for eight years, given a restraining order and became a registered sex offender for life.

Description

A man who raped a woman and then went on to sexually abuse a young girl has been jailed for 12 years and six months. The rape victim said no court sentence could heal the hurt she had suffered.

In a statement read to Cardiff Crown Court the woman raped by 40-year-old Anthony Lewis said he had preyed on her during a vulnerable time in her life and that after going through what she did she is determined to help others "to face their abusers and find a voice".

Lewis, of Rectory Road, Barry, was convicted at trial of one count of rape of an adult, six counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 touching the girl's breasts and genitals and one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity by asking her to touch his penis. He has one previous conviction for motoring matters.

In a statement read to the court the victim of the rape said it was hard to put into words the damage Lewis had done to her. She said the defendant had left her fearful of going shopping or even going for a walk. Although she thanked those who helped bring about the conviction she said no court sentence could heal the hurt she had suffered.

Byron Broadstock, for Lewis, said the defendant was struggling to come to terms with the verdicts of the jury. Recorder Carl Harrison sentenced Lewis to 12 years and six months imprisonment. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order indefinitely.

Description

A 43-year-old Preston man caught in a sting by paedophile hunters has escaped a prison sentence.

Anthony Stewart, from Deepdale, who was snared for sending perverted messages to “decoys” he thought were 14-year-old girls, was given a suspended sentence when he appeared at the city’s Crown Court.

Judge Heather Lloyd told him he would have gone straight to jail had his targets been real children and not website warriors posing as underage girls.

And she condemned his “utterly vile and predatory behaviour” in trying to contact youngsters through the social media sites Facebook and WhatsApp.

The court was told an online child protection group called Elite set out to catch Stewart after he initiated sexual conversations with two of their decoys called Molly and Imogen.

Both pretend teens told him right away they were 14. He told Molly he was 25, but then claimed he was 19 when he started messaging Imogen.

He had started out communicating with Molly on Facebook in July 2023 and took the lead in their conversation. He asked for photographs of her, asked if she had a boyfriend and also whether she met up with people in person.

The Elite group responded with a fake image of a mid-teens girl and he replied saying she was “pretty.”

Quite quickly Stewart began to ask if she used any other social media sites because, claimed the prosecution, the filters on other platforms allowed the exchange of images of naked body parts.

The messaging switched to WhatsApp in December and he became “a little more direct and forward” in his conversations with Molly. The court was told the messages became more and more explicit, resulting in him sending images of his private parts and urging Molly to do likewise.

In conversation with the other decoy Imogen, which extended over a shorter time, he was equally vulgar and at one point told her he was “as horny as ****.”

The Elite paedophile hunters decided at that point to report Stewart to the police and handed over all the material they had about the sting. When he was arrested at a house in Preston he answered “no comment” to all questions.

The court was told Stewart had a “long list” of previous convictions, but none of them of a sexual nature. He had no fewer than 13 appearances in court for being drunk and disorderly.

In this case he pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting sexual communications with a child.

Barrister Beverley Hackett, defending, said her client was “deeply ashamed, as he should be.”

She revealed he needed help with long-standing alcohol problems. It was said that at one time he had been drinking between eight and 15 pints of beer a day.

“He is aware of the serious situation he finds himself in,” she told Judge Lloyd. “Whilst he does have convictions, he doesn’t have anything in the past which is similar to these offences.

“He has suffered in terms of his mental health and there has been a history of suicide attempts, most recent of which was in January.

“He has no excuses for what he has done, for going online in the way he did and for making the communications that he did.”

But Miss Hackett added there were real reasons to believe he could be rehabilitated if he was allowed to remain in the community.

Passing sentence, Judge Lloyd told him: “When you were repeatedly in contact with Molly and Imogen you believed that you were in communication with 14-year-old girls.

“Molly said she was not sexually experienced and that must have excited you because it clearly didn’t deter you. This was utterly vile and predatory behaviour.

“You said you were using the internet in this way because you were bored and you denied any sexual interest in children. But both are clearly untrue. You are clearly sexually attracted to children.”

The judge said she had her doubts Stewart could be rehabilitated, but decided she would give him a total of nine months in prison, suspended for two years.

She also ordered him to take part in 20 days of rehabilitation work, six months of alcohol treatment. He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

And she added that the only reason she had not ordered an immediate prison sentence was “because these children were not real children.”

“If they were it would have been a much longer sentence and been immediate.”

Description

A sex offender blackmailed another and threatened to expose him to his wife after hacking into his social media. Joseph Hutchinson, 33, targeted convicted sex offender Gareth Mellor after messaging him on KIK and hacking his way into his social media.

Both men have since been sentenced for indecent images offences.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Hutchinson had previously been sentenced for making indecent images and causing a computer to perform a function which was unauthorised. Prosecutor John Bottomley said: "He hacked two females' phones and extracted topless photographs of them. He threatened to distribute them if they didn't send more."

Hutchinson was given a suspended sentence in 2022 for the crimes, and was subject to a sexual harm prevention order. Despite this, he went on to make more indecent images of children between January 2019 and February 2023 and between December 2020 and April 2021, blackmailed Mellor. Police discovered his crimes against him after Mellor's arrest.

Mr Bottomley said: "He [Mellor] had two internet accounts associated with an email which contained a huge amount of indecent images of children. He was sentenced in December last year. During the investigation and IP login with the same email address showed it was being used by another party..."

That led police to Hutchinson and during that arrest images were discovered on a Samsung phone. Mr Bottomley said: "It was taken from a vehicle, not within the property. He was arrested and interviewed and made admissions that he pictures would be found and said he had been blackmailing the other man."

It was said that in total, Mellor paid Hutchinson, of Clifford Court in Ossett, £3,102.98, after he threatened to expose him to his wife. Mr Bottomley said: "He [Mellor] said he met the defendant sometime around 2018 or 2019 while searching for illegal pornography. He was directed to KIK by the defendant and in 2020, the defendant offered to sell him a megalink to pornography for £200.

"In 2020 he said he got a message from the defendant, 'You better get onto Kik now I know what you are and what you do.' He said he had been arrested and threatened to expose him to his wife unless he paid him money. He correctly told him [Mellor] his full address, causing him to panic. He requested money through a crypto website..."

The court heard Hutchinson continued to make demands for payment after Mellor's arrest, but he did not send any more money "Because people knew about his offending" but he "still felt anxious."

Hutchinson went on to plead guilty to blackmail and making indecent images. Mitigating, Steven Smithson, said the images offences spanned before and after a sexual harm prevention order being put in place. He added: "The defendant has reconciled to a custodial sentence. He hasn't put forward any weak protestations."

His Honour Judge Khan KC jailed Hutchinson for 38 months, telling him his offending is "more serious because of that previous conviction going back to June 2022."

Description

A perverted serial sex offender who raped and abused a young girl, causing her to suffer a "complete nightmare" that left her "world turned upside down", has been jailed for 18 years.

Former bus driver and chef Owen Evers put the victim through a "deeply disturbing" ordeal that left her feeling "haunted" and fearing that the misery she suffered at his hands was "carved" into her and would be "almost impossible to eradicate" from her life, Hull Crown Court heard.

Evers, 61, of Rushworth Close, Bransholme, denied 12 sexual offences, including two offences of rape, six offences of sexual activity with a child and four offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, but he was convicted by a jury of all of them after deliberations of 11 hours and 19 minutes, spanning three days.

Ten of the verdicts were on a majority of 11 to one and the other two were by a majority of 10 to two. Evers had been on bail during the trial but, after the verdicts, he was remanded in custody on Thursday last week for six days to await sentence.

The girl said in a statement: "I am so sad to be in this position at all. My world turned upside down. What had been happening to me was so wrong."

She said that the "memories haunted me" and she added: "I continued to have nightmares about the sexual abuse that I suffered. It makes me feel sick. No matter how hard I try, such memories are almost impossible to eradicate."

Everyday things had become "tainted" for her. "I work hard to try to suppress the memories," she said. "I am scared his influence has been carved into me.

"He took my innocence. What he did became intolerable. It's been a complete nightmare. I am determined that my life, going forward, will not be determined by this."

Andrew Petterson, prosecuting, said that Evers took steps to try to prevent the girl from reporting the offences to the police and from supporting the prosecution. "The victim was particularly vulnerable," said Mr Petterson. "She was a child."

Dale Brook, mitigating, said: "The defendant has been convicted of the most serious offences and he is going to receive a very lengthy prison sentence."

The victim was "to a degree vulnerable" and the rapes were "serious, grave offences". Evers had no previous convictions.

Judge Alexander Menary said there was "a litany of sexual offending" and Evers had "taken advantage of" the girl to commit "insidious" offences. "She was an utterly truthful witness," said Judge Menary. "She was unable to cope with the burden of her existence."

The offences were "deeply disturbing" in their nature.

"The victim personal statement makes for heartbreaking reading," said Judge Menary. "There was, here, severe psychological harm. She was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances."

Evers was given a sexual harm prevention order for life and he must register as a sex offender for life. As he left the dock to be taken down to the cells, he grinned and waved to a male supporter in the public gallery before making a phone gesture.

Description

A 36 year-old Hampshire man has been jailed after he admitted a sexual assault that took place in the early hours of the morning.

Paul Kevin Leslie Kearslake, aged 36, of Warwick Crescent in Southsea has been jailed for 28 months at Portsmouth Crown Court.

On Monday, January 8, a 37 year-old woman was approached by a man she did not know on Albert Road, Southsea, shortly before 2.30am.

Kearslake made sexualised comments towards her before touching her inappropriately over her clothing, Hampshire Police said. He ran off when she screamed.

He admitted both offences at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, January 10 and was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, May 3.

Detective Inspector Claire Ratcliffe said: “I’m pleased that Kearslake admitted these offences without the need for a trial. 

"The sentence imposed underlines the seriousness of his offending. This was a frightening experience for the victim and a I hope such a swift resolution to the investigation and court process will provide her some reassurance.

“Reducing violence against women and girls remains one of our top priorities in Portsmouth and together with other agencies we do a lot of work to tackle this issue.

"Our Operation Rigging patrols see officers out and about in the city centre at our busiest times, identifying and intercepting predatory or concerning behaviour towards women.

“I would like to take this opportunity to remind people that if you have been the victim of a sexual offence, please report it to us – you will be listened to and you will be taken seriously. We will also work to get you the support that you need.”

Description

A Hampshire man who was branded a "risk to young girls" used an online messaging app to engage in sexual conversations with young girls all over the world. 

Southampton Crown Court heard how Stephen Grant would use the app Kik to groom underage girls across the UK, as well as in countries such as Australia and the United States.

He met the girls in a group chat which contained rules for the young girls to follow, with sexual punishments if they broke them.

Grant would then move the conversation into private chats, using different messaging platforms to communicate with his victims online.

This is not the first time the 44-year-old has been in trouble - having been jailed 18 years ago, when he was 26, for detaining a child without lawful authority and possessing indecent images.

This related to a then-15-year-old girl who he was sleeping with in his vehicle. 

Southampton Crown Court heard last week that with one girl from the Isle of Wight, Grant would call her "princess" and "baby", requesting that she send sexual images of herself and even asking her to come to the mainland to meet him. 

This victim was 15 at the time and told police that she got involved in the chat because she had "low self-esteem" and he would "tell her she was pretty and encourage her to send more".

At points, he also told her he loved her and would become angry if she spoke to other men. 

Grant, 44, treated another one of his victims as his partner, asking her to send photos and speaking for long periods with her. 

During one conversation, the girl, who came from Australia, said she was in a mental health facility, at which point he tried to convince her to tell the doctors that she would be better off at home.

Grant was arrested after police received a referral about the distribution of indecent images of children on Kik. 

They attended his home and seized a number of devices where they found a number of indecent images that had been both saved and deleted. 

Following his arrest for the new matters, Grant, of Mercer Way, Romsey, pleaded guilty to four counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of sexual communication with a child. 

Prosecuting, Keely Harvey said there were hundreds of indecent images of children found, adding that police had to go through and analyse 7,000 pages of messages between him and one of his victims. 

She added that even after being arrested and bailed, he continued to chat with one of his victims. 

The offences took place in 2018 and 2019.

Mitigating, Emily Lanham told the court that her client was "foolish in his actions because these girls made him feel attractive when no one his own age would".

"It has been four and a half years since the offending," she continued. "Not only has that shown that Mr Grant is capable of preventing further offending himself but it has given him time to reflect on his behaviour.

"He is very sorry. It is clear that he has been taking steps to address his behaviour and prevent any further offences."

But Judge Nicholas Rowland found that Grant is a "risk to young girls". 

He was jailed for five years and nine months with an extended licence period of four years. 

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years. 

A deprivation order was made for the seized devices. 

Description

Former Next warehouse worker Barry Lester had no clue that the teenage profile was run by a hunter group, using the internet to catch out predators. The 31-year-old contacted the profile on the chat app, MeetMe in October 2021, before asking for her number so they could swap their conversation to WhatsApp, Leeds Crown Court heard.

She told him from the outset that she was just 14, but he turned the conversation sexual, asking if she knew “how sex worked” and talked about having sex in the bath. He sent her explicit pictures of himself and told her he wanted sex with her in a hotel room.

He told her he was sterile so did not need to use contraception, prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe said. Lester, of Whitmore Street, South Elmsall, arranged to meet her in Newcastle and on October 28, 2021, made the journey north. However, he was met by the hunter group at Newcastle Central Station. He was then arrested at that location. Lester gave a no-comment interview to police.

He later admitted a charge of facilitating a child sex offence, and a charge of breaching the sex offender register rules by failing to notify the authorities of a new bank card he had obtained. He has one previous conviction but for an unrelated matter.

Mitigating, Peter Malone said: “At the time he was at the lowest point ever. He was in a bad relationship. There was the issue of Covid and he was restricted to live with that person. It was the start of severe depression.

“It’s something that he deeply regrets. He is ashamed to have behaved in that manner. It’s quite clear it’s something that should not have happened.”

He said that Malone had been homeless for a spell, and had worked at the Next distribution centre in West Yorkshire, but was now working in a vape shop.

Judge Tahir Khan KC told Lester: “You travelled to Newcastle expecting to meet this girl. It’s clear to me that had it not been for the fact she did not exist, you intended to carry out a child sex offence.

“It’s so serious that only an immediate sentence of custody can be justified.”

He jailed Lester for two years, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use.

Description

A Fife creep faces another jail term after being caught in the company of a fellow convicted sex offender in St Andrews.

James Haggerty admitted breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) by being with Dundee paedophile Adam Fraser at St Andrews bus station.