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Description

A sex offender from Faversham has received a 10 year prison sentence for committing multiple crimes against children.

An investigation was commenced after Kent Police received allegations that Robert Gunner had targeted victims between 2014 and 2017.

He was arrested in June 2022 and officers seized his laptop computer and mobile phone.

Analysis of the content found 226 illegal images of children of which 27 were of the most serious category. A further eight extreme pornographic images were also recovered.

Gunner, of Field End Place, Faversham, was charged and pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs of children, causing a child to watch a sexual act and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

The 42-year-old was sentenced on Thursday 28 November 2024 at Maidstone Crown Court to seven years’ imprisonment.

The judge stated he was a dangerous offender who posed a serious risk to children. On his release, he will remain on licence for an extended period of three years.

Gunner was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years and was added to the sex offenders’ register for life.

Description

Philip Hamer (13/08/1990) of Birchfield Drive, Worsley, was charged on 6 March 2024 with sexual offences against eight victims.

The charges relate to offences taking place between 2010 and 2023. 

Hamer had already admitted several offences but following a trial he has now been found guilty of a further 21 charges, including eight counts of rape; seven counts of sexual assault; six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Hamer was found guilty of 33 charges by a jury at a trial which concluded at Manchester Crown Court today (Friday 29 November 2024).

Detectives investigating Hamer found he used social media apps to target and make contact with his victims by manipulating and grooming them. Many of Hamer’s victims were teenagers at the time they were abused.

After one victim came forward, Hamer’s phone was seized which enabled police to trace further victims.

Hamer would send unsolicited pictures to his victims and also tracked their movements.

He incited his victims to send him hundreds of pictures and videos over a period of seven years. One victim was in fear that Hamer may disclose the pictures to others or come to their address.

Officers later found voyeuristic videos and pictures Hamer had taken of people in changing rooms who were not aware they were being filmed.

Hamer worked as an ice hockey player and had appeared on television shows as an extra. He sexually assaulted an actress while on set of one show.

Hamer will be sentenced on Thursday 30 January 2025. 

Description

A dangerous sex offender who abducted and raped a man at gunpoint will find out later this week if he is going to the subject to life-long monitoring.

Nathan Sim was found guilty of the sustained and brutal attack following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen in August.

Description

A predator who raped a 14-year-old girl after grooming her online has been jailed for eight years.

Rhys Walker, 24, spent weeks messaging the teenager before he forced her to engage in sexual acts with him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He had denied rape and sexual assault but was found guilty of both offences by jurors.

Judge Tim Gittins said Walker, from West Boldon in South Tyneside, knew about and "preyed upon" the "particularly vulnerable" girl's age and her difficult home life.

'I can move on'

Walker was 21 when he befriended the girl on social media and quickly started sending her sexualised images, the court heard.

After three or four weeks he offered to let the girl stay at his home, jurors were told.

Judge Gittins said it appeared on the face of it to be an offer of sanctuary, but Walker was actually "seeking to get her alone" where he would be prepared to use force to have sexual activity with her.

In a statement read to the court, the girl said the attack had severely damaged her mental health and led to her self-harming, while she also suffered flashbacks and an inability to sleep.

"I am relieved people have believed me and I can get closure knowing he can't do this to anyone else," the girl said, adding: "I can finally start to move on with my life."

Walker, of Hall Gardens, must also sign the sex offender register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order limiting his use of internet-enabled devices for an indefinite period.

Description

A Cambridge man who sent a “13-year-old-girl” explicit photos and said he wanted to have sex with her has been jailed.

Natalya Draven, 50, was challenged by an online child activist group in St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge, at about 8pm on 20 July, 2022.

The group had arranged to meet with Draven after engaging with him for several months on Facebook Messenger using the guise of a teenage girl.

Officers arrived after Draven called 999 and said the group had assaulted him.

Draven, who was using the name Fane Aro Cardei in chats with the “girl”, said he wished to be her boyfriend and wanted to have sex with her. He also sent explicit photos despite the decoy saying from the outset she was 13. He also described her as “stunningly beautiful”.

In 285 screenshots that showed contact between the pair between May and July, Draven spoke about meeting up and booking a hotel room for them both to spend time together so they could have sex.

Draven was also arrested for breaching his Sex Offenders Register notification requirements after not telling police within three days of registering the name Fane Aro Cardei.

After his arrest when his mobile phone and laptop were examined, an indecent video of a child was found on the phone.

Draven, of Mill Road, Cambridge, was jailed for two years and seven months on Friday (22 November) at Cambridge Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and failure to comply with Sex Offenders Register notification requirements. He was also found guilty of one count of making indecent images of children.

Det Con Andrew McKeane said: “Draven brazenly continued to talk to the decoy and sent explicit photos of himself, despite being told she was 13-years-old.

“We will do everything in our power to bring those who groom, or attempt to groom, children to court and I am pleased Draven has now faced justice.”

Description

Remorseless Rotherham man 'sexually molested' teen at party after believing he got away with first assault.

42-year-old Colin Shearer carried out the majority of the sex assaults against the complainant, a teenage girl, during the course of a party they both attended.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Shearer first sexually assaulted the complainant three months earlier, in a separate incident.

Sending Shearer to prison, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said Shearer took the chance to sexually molest the complainant at the party, after believing he had got away with the first incident.

Referring to the party, during which Shearer sexually assaulted the complainant five times, Judge Richardson continued: You took advantage of a vulnerable girl. It was repeated. At the time, although she was not inebriated, she was affected by alcohol which she had consumed at the party. During a hearing held on November 26, 2024, Judge Richardson suggested the effects of the alcohol, along with her age, had rendered the complainant vulnerable.

Shearer, of Wesley Avenue, Aston, Rotherham, sought to deny any wrongdoing but his account was rejected by jurors, who found him guilty of six counts of sexual assault at the conclusion of a trial in the same court.

Jailing him for 20 months, Judge Richardson told Shearer he may be in a different position had he admitted to his crimes, because forcing a trial meant he had forfeited what would have been potent mitigation.

Description

A paedophile gave a young girl a wand he used for mixing paint to decorate Warhammer figures and told her you will figure it out, dont tell anyone. Nottingham Crown Court heard how police found a staggering 43,000 sick child abuse images and videos on Christopher Jollys mobile phone after they launched an investigation into his behaviour.

The 38-year-old former electrical engineer told officers he had been getting sexual pleasure from viewing the worst of the worst photos and films saying he had been visiting the dark web to download them for a number of years. Now he has been spared an immediate prison sentence for his perverted crimes.

Handing him an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years, Recorder Helen Malcolm KC said: Clearly what makes this serious is her age and there were upwards of 43,000 indecent images. But set against that you were the first person to go to the police and say to them you had done something wrong and made admissions in interview.

David Allan, prosecuting, said the offences all happened earlier this year. He said: One of Mr Jollys hobbies was decorating Warhammer figurines and he had a wand which he used to mix the paint. He gave this to the victim and she asked him what it was for to which he replied you will figure it out, dont tell anyone knowing what he meant sexually".

The prosecutor said the girl told her father, who found and confronted the defendant, who denied giving her the item. Mr Allan said: He was arrested in May of this year and made extensive admissions. He was bailed and arrested again in late July and asked where his phone was. It was rung and found under his duvet and again in interview made extensive admissions.

He told them he had been accessing the dark web for a number of years to look at the images. He said he looked at the worst of the worst and they found a vast amount of indecent images of children.

There were 81 unique category A, 111 unique category B and 1,264 unique category B as well as 101 prohibited images of children which show cartoons or childrens faces imposed on to adult females. The police said there were over 43,000 images which were found but not categorised."

Jolly, of De Lacy Court, Ollerton, near Newark, pleaded guilty to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of possession of indecent images of children and possession of prohibited images of children. He has a previous three-year jail sentence for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm on an ex-girlfriends new partner, Mr Allan said.

Victoria Rose, mitigating, said her client has been remorseful throughout and was full and frank with the police. She said: He just told her to have fun with it (the wand he used to mix paint for Warhammer models), she did not know what the object was for, and she did not use it and he did not give her any instructions.

He had the realisation he needed to tell them (the police) everything now because there was the opportunity to seek help.

As part of the suspended sentence order, the judge ordered Jolly to attend a 31-day sex offender treatment program and to attend 30 rehabilitation sessions. She also placed him on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A convicted paedophile has gone on the run and failed to turn up for his sentencing, police have said.

Hilmi Kisacik was convicted of sexual offences after speaking with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl on Facebook Messenger in April.

The person was in fact a decoy from an online child activist group, which arrived at his home in Fore Hill, Ely, to confront him later that month.

The 44-year-old was convicted and sentenced in his absence at Cambridge Crown Court and officers have issued a warrant for his arrest.

Kisacik pleaded not guilty to the charges in May, but he failed to turn up to a preliminary hearing in August.

He was due to stand trial on Thursday, but was convicted in his absence of two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause or incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

He was given a custodial sentence of two years and eight months on Friday.

PC Shane O’Brien said: "Although Kisacik didn’t speak to a real 14-year-old girl, the intent to incite a child to engage in sexually activity was still there.

"Protecting children from paedophiles is a force priority and I would urge anyone who knows of this man's whereabouts to contact police."

Description

A SEX offender has admitted masturbating on a public bus in front of a group of children and threatening to rape a schoolgirl.

Gordon Sawers told a primary school-aged female that he was “going to rape and stab yous" during the incident on board the vehicle which was travelling between Kilmarnock and Ardrossan.

The 46-year-old pleaded guilty to a total of five charges when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, November 26.

The Stagecoach vehicle was pulled over by police in Kilwinning on February 25 this year.

Sawers accepted a charge of communicating indecently with teenage girls, another of indecently causing a youth to hear sexual communications and threatening her with sexual violence, along with an offence of public indecency.

The incident took place at around 4pm on the day in question, procurator fiscal depute Fraser Alexander told the court, when Sawers was travelling on the double decker bus, sitting within the rear seats upstairs.

During the journey, a group of girls came on board and sat together close to where Sawers was located.

"Sawers then began to engage the girls in conversation. Very quickly this turned onto a sexual conversation," Mr Alexander told the court.

"To be clear, it was the accused only that was making any sexual references."

The prosecutor then detailed a number of specific explicit remarks made by Sawers, who is now described as a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, towards two of the group.

He told the pair "I will take you to my house and s**g you", adding “I will inject you with heroin” before warning he would “get with your maw".

Sawers made further comments which were directed towards the youngest member of the group.

He stated that he wanted to perform a sexual act upon the girl and told her “I’m going to rape and stab yous and that”.

The court heard that Sawers then proceeded to perform a sex act on himself, causing the youngsters to be "distressed" and "visibly upset".

It was at this stage that another passenger who was travelling on the bus informed the driver of Sawers' conduct - with the police immediately contacted.

The bus pulled over on Pennyburn Road where officers attended and traced the offender.

He was arrested and taken to Saltcoats police office where he was cautioned and charged and made no reply.

Sawers later appeared in court and was granted bail - an order which he breached on two occasions in May of this year having been found out with his home address.

Defence solicitor Brian Holliman asked for sentence to be deferred for the preparation of background reports and to call alongside other, unrelated, matters which are outstanding.

Sheriff Nicola Patrick set a date for sentencing in the new year with the lawyer reserving further comment until then.

Sawers will be remanded in custody in the meantime and was added to the sex offenders register in the interim.

Description

A young woman raped multiple times today said her childhood had been stolen from her but she is leaving the "darkness" behind. Osian Owen, now 28, raped the girl when she was under 13 and targeted another victim several years ago.

Mold Crown Court heard he had been found guilty of five counts of rape against the first victim after a trial last month. He was also convicted of causing or inciting the second girl, also aged under 13 at the time, to engage in sexual activity.

Today a judge branded the defendant, of Min y Ddol, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, as "depraved" and said he had shown no remorse for his crimes. At a sentencing hearing, prosecutor Joshua Gorst said the rape victim wanted to read out a statement about her ordeal herself.

The young woman, who cannot be named to protect her anonymity, said she was disbelieved until the truth came out. She said of Owen: "He stole my childhood (but) today I leave all the darkness, shame and burden with you.

"I will carry on - free from the shadows of your cruelty." The prosecutor read out a statement by the second victim, who cannot be named either.

In it she said Owen had made her feel disgusted and dirty and it made her school life harder. She added: "It was a horrible secret to keep."

It was so long ago she didn't think anyone would believe her but she eventually felt able to speak out as an older teenager. "This made her a stronger version of herself. I could stop being your victim and leave the past behind," she added.

Gareth Bellis, defending, said Owen was a much younger person when he committed his crimes over six months.

The judge His Honour Rhys Rowlands called the defendant "depraved" and said his behaviour had been shameful and wrong. He jailed Owen for four and a half years for each of five counts of raping a girl under 13, to run concurrently, and for six months for causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He must sign the Sex Offender's Register indefinitely and was subject to a sexual harm prevention order. He was also handed a ten-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his victims.

Description

A Renfrewshire former Scout leader and foster parent who sexually abused two boys has died in jail.

William Quigg, 83, of Bridge of Weir was jailed for 10 years in 2019 after being convicted of sexually abusing two children.

His offences took place between 1980 and 1986 at two addresses in Glasgow. Quigg admitted sexually abusing one boy when the victim was aged between 12 and 15 but denied raping the other boy and sexually abusing him from the age of 12 to 16.

Neither of the boys were scouts.

He was told at his sentencing at Livingston High Court that his name would remain on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

A fatal accident inquiry will take place following Quigg's death at HMP Dumfries.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Every death, whether in prison custody or in our communities, is a tragedy for all those who knew and supported the individual.

“Following the death of someone in our care, Police Scotland are advised, and the matter reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Fatal Accident Inquiries are held in due course.”

Description

A "committed paedophile" who tried tried to meet 'schoolgirl' and downloaded child abuse and sex-with-snake clips has been handed a sentence of over nine years.

Stockton's Paul Whitfield, 53, arranged to meet a "13 year old girl" in Lincoln - but the online profile he was chatting with actually belonged to a police decoy who called herself "Carrie." When police raided his home, they found videos on his phone showing young children being sexually abused.

Whitfield had also downloaded videos of adults involved in sexual activity with a snake and a horse.

On Wednesday, Whitfield appeared at Teesside Crown Court, on video link from Stafford prison. The court heard that he pretended to be a teenager and he began talking to "13 year old Carrie" in February 2023, about "holding and kissing" her.

The two discussed telling her school that she had a dentist appointment, on February 15, when they agreed to meet - but undercover cop Carrie cancelled the meeting.

Police then raided Whitfield's house and took away two mobile phones - that he had failed to register as a convicted sex offender.

The phones showed Whitfield's arrangements to meet the girl, and he had also downloaded over 900 photos and videos of children being sexually abused. He had looked at videos showing sexual activity with "multiple animals."

Whitfield forwarded some of the videos to other people, including one category A video - featuring the most severe type of child abuse - to a group of 227 users.

Whitfield, formerly of Fairfield in Stockton, but now of Stafford prison, pleaded guilty to:

• arranging the commission of a child sex offence;
• making and distributing indecent images of children;
• possessing an extreme pornographic image betraying an act of intercourse with an animal
• breaching sex offender notification requirements.

Previous offences

In 2015, Whitfield was handed an extended 13-year sentence for the attempted abduction of a child, where he had watched a 10 year old girl for two hours, from his car. When she left the playground, he told her to get in his car to hide "because the police were looking for her." The girl ran off to her grandmother.

Hours earlier, he had approached a nine-year old in Stockton, telling her she was beautiful. The girl ran off. The court was told that Whitfield said the thought of having a child in his car gave him a “sexual thrill”.

In 2023, Whitfield was sent back to jail for 16 months, for breaching his sex offender notification requirements.

Mitigating for Whitfield's latest sex offences, Tom Bennett told the court that in the case of the arranged meeting in Lincoln, there was "no actual child victim."

Judge Timothy Stead told Whitfield that he is a "committed and determined paedophile" and handed him an extended prison sentence totalling nine-years-and-eight-months. He will serve four-years-eight-months in prison; and the remaining five-years on licence in the community.

Description

A MAN has been jailed for numerous serious sexual offences against children in Flintshire.

Ryan Russell, of no fixed abode, appeared before Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Tuesday (November 26).

The 25-year-old had previously admitted two counts of raping a girl under 13, two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, four counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 and inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity.

He had also admitted making indecent images of children, and possessing an extreme pornographic image portraying intercourse with an animal.

Prosecuting, Myles Wilson said the defendant had sex with the victim on four occasions last year, twice before she turned 13 and twice afterwards. Russell had met the victim on Snapchat. 

The offences, which occurred on each occasion in areas of Flintshire during the early hours, involved unprotected sex – despite the victim asking the defendant to wear protection.

The offences came to light after the victim's mother found her bed empty during the early hours of the morning. She came across the defendant and asked if he'd seen her daughter. Russell denied it, but, suspicious, of him, the victim's mother recorded his vehicle registration plate - which was subsequently used by police to link Russell to the offences. 

Once arrested, the court heard that the special software used to analyse the defendant’s phone found it to have contained over 300 indecent images of children. One of the 200 images in the most serious category involved a toddler, and extreme pornographic images involving a woman and a dog.

The victim's mother read out a victim personal statement in court. She said: "The shock and disbelief that someone could do this to an innocent child has been in our family every day. Since he did what he did, it's changed my daughter's life forever - her innocence has been taken away. 

"I will never forgive you for what you have done to my daughter. My anxiety is unbearable and I'm constantly living in fear." 

Defending, Maria Masselis said that the victim had told the defendant that she was aged 15 – and that her mother said she looked about that age. She said that Russell had an "unsettled" upbringing, and that he has a diagnosis of neurodivergence which makes making relationships with people of his age difficult.

Miss Masselis added that he was of previous good character, having no previous convictions. 

Judge Niclas Parry told Russell: "You showed a total disregard for the welfare safety and dignity of female children, all so you could satisfy your sexual urges."

He sentenced Russell to nine years imprisonment - eight of which will be served in custody, and the remainder supervised licence.

The defendant will be placed on the sexual offender's register indefinitely. Russell will also be made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and a restraining order against the victim for an indefinite period. 

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Ben Franklin said: “Although today’s sentence will not take away the harm and distress caused to the victim and her family, I hope it will provide some comfort knowing nobody else can now come to harm.

“I would also like to applaud her for her courage in reporting such serious offences, and for her bravery throughout the investigation.

“I hope this encourages other victims and gives them confidence that North Wales will endeavour to investigate violence against women and girls and bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A transgender pervert who raped and abused an 11-year-old schoolgirl has been jailed.

Aria Peers, 51, abused the child after bonding with her over Star Wars, with the sickening campaign of rape and assault leaving an "untold impact" upon her.

The offending came to light after the complainant confided in friends and teachers about the abuse.

Now, Peers has been jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of two counts of rape, attempted rape three charges of sexual assault and two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a jury following a trial.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the 51-year-old, of Camberley Drive in Halewood, began by touching the victim's breasts and private parts before encouraging her to use a sex toy on herself. She was then raped.

The court heard how Peers identified as male when the offences were committed in Wirral, but now identifies as female.

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, told the court: "There is nothing I can say about the facts of the case. The defendant accepts that a significant, lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable in this case.

"The defendant has settled on the wing that she is on, and that is encouraging. That was a matter of some concern. The custodial experience for her in her particular circumstances is likely to be more difficult to navigate than in other, more usual, cases."

Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: "I accept that, in this case, there is an element of grooming with the close bond that you developed and took advantage of.

"It became more sinister, with you grooming her so that you could start to abuse her. You took the opportunity to fulfil your own sexual desires. You were disbelieved by the jury and convicted. You still deny these matters today. She is a brave young woman who, by coming forward, has stood up to you. I hope that, with the support of her family, she will be able to move on with her life.

"Prior to this, you worked as a support worker for a number of years. You have suffered with periods of anxiety and depression and have struggled with your gender identity throughout your life.

"I appreciate that, as a transgender prisoner, there will be issues which you will have to navigate during the very long period of your sentence."

Pierpoint continued: "You targeted a young female child for your own sexual gratification.

"The impact on her is untold. This was offending behaviour on numerous occasions over a period of time."

Peers was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a lifelong restraining order and will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

Description

A man has been jailed for four years and a further four years on extended licence for the sexual assault of a woman in Exeter City Centre.

Fawzi Omar, 27, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Friday (November 22) after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

The court heard how Omar, a Sudanese national of no fixed abode, targeted the victim, who was a stranger to him, as she was walking home in the early hours on Wednesday May 8.

Omar approached the victim, grabbed her and proceeded to sexually assault her despite her telling him she did not want it to happen.

City centre CCTV operatives were made aware following the report and identified that they had the incident captured on CCTV.

A description of the suspect was passed over the radio and the suspect was tracked across the city by Exeter city centre CCTV operators until the suspect went out of frame and was no longer identifiable.

Officers continued searching the area, but there was no trace of Omar, who at the time hadn’t yet been identified.

Omar’s image was circulated, then, at 1.25am on Tuesday June 11, an Exeter city centre CCTV operator identified a male matching the description of the suspect.

An officer attended South Street Exeter and arrested Omar on suspicion of sexual assault.

Detective inspector Paula Trevett said: “We are happy that Fawzi Omar is now behind bars for a horrific attack carried out on a complete stranger.

“We’d like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case for helping ensure Omar was brought to justice.

“This is another example of outstanding work carried out by Exeter officers – response, neighbourhood, CCTV and CID.

“Omar was previously unknown to police and remained at large for four weeks after the offence. It was thanks to the diligent work of one of the city centre CCTV operatives who recognised him one night when he was walking around Exeter City Centre, that Omar was arrested.

“He was wearing the same clothing and had a distinctive walk.

“Omar was arrested and denied the offence however forensics were fast-tracked and a Magistrates’ extension was sought whilst we awaited the results. Omar’s DNA came back as an exact match with the swabs taken from the victim.

“This example of fantastic teamwork demonstrates the drive we all have to make the streets of Exeter safer for women and girls.”