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A man who repeatedly abused a young girl, treating her, in her words, as, “a sex toy”, was today (Tuesday, October 15) sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

Allan Spacey committed the offences on a victim who a judge said he knew was, “young, naïve and vulnerable”, at the time.

But Durham Crown Court heard that despite being convicted of the offending, following a trial in August, the 68-year-old defendant of The Crescent, High Etherley, near Bishop Auckland, remains in denial.

The court was told the victim felt alone in the world and self-harmed as well as attempting to take her own life twice, in the wake of the abuse.

But she eventually disclosed what had happened to her at Spacey’s hands and it led to the defendant being charged with six counts of sexual assault, one accounting for multiple offences.

Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said after the police became involved, Spacey sent the girl numerous messages.

He went on trial at the court on August 19 and, following a week-long hearing, was found guilty on all six counts by the jury, including some of sexual assault on a girl under 13.

Today’s sentencing hearing was read an impact statement by the victim who said she still struggles to believe what Spacey did to her and what he took from her, having put her, “through hell.”

Labelling her abuser as, "weak and pathetic", she said: “I want to protect other young girls and show them what Alan Spacey is.”

She said she was, “young and naïve” at the time and that Spacey knew how vulnerable she was.

“How can you blame a child for her own sexual assault,” she stated, and she said she fears the effects of Spacey's abuse will live with her for the rest of her life.

But she said his “sick perversions” have made her strong, and, following his conviction, she now feels, “on her way to better days.”

The court heard Spacey has 12 convictions for 38 past offences, but those are relatively old and unrelated to the present matter.

Robert Mochrie, in mitigation, said there was little he could say on his client’s behalf, as, “unhappily he still denies this was the correct verdict.”

But he said the defendant accepts, in the light of that verdict, that the judge must perform her public duty and pass an appropriate sentence.

“He is, of course, 68 and any sentence will take him into old age.

“As there are multiple offences, I ask you take into account totality.”

Mr Mochrie added: “As he will be an elderly gentleman when released you might be able to temper sentence slightly to take account of that.”

Judge Sarah Mallett quoted the victim in describing the defendant having treated her, “like a sex toy,” and having put her, “through hell”.

The judge told Spacey: “You knew how young, naïve and vulnerable she was.

“At the time she was self-harming and tried to commit suicide twice.

“Despite everything she has endured, however, she has matured and is an impressive young woman.”

The judge said the defendant has had, “a strong work ethic”, through his life and she bore in mind his age, but she noted, “there was an absence of guilty pleas in this case.”

Imposing the 15-year sentence, Judge Mallett said Spacey would have to serve at least two-thirds before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

Upon completion of the sentence, he will also have to serve an additional year the subject of licence supervision.

Other aspects of the sentence mean he will be barred from ever working with children and will not be allowed unsupervised contact with anyone under 18, by way of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Spacey will also be subject to notification requirements by way of registration as a sex offender, again indefinitely.

A lifetime restraining order prevents him for ever contacting or approaching his victim.

Description

A man from Wallsend who used social media platforms to send explicit messages to and request indecent images from children has been sentenced following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Daniel Lee, 29, used multiple social media platforms to send more than 60,000 messages across 2,405 conversations to acquire indecent images of children through conversations with victims.

NCA officers recovered a total of 97 Category A, 94 Category B and 215 Category C images and videos from his device.

Nine UK male and female child victims were identified, aged between 13 and 16 at the time of his offending.

In one chat, a 14-year-old victim told Lee her age but he continued to engage in sexually explicit messaging via social media and using voice notes.

In another, Lee asked the age of his victim and continued to ask for indecent images after he was told she was 15.

Lee also deliberately used a false profile image on his accounts, telling one 14-year-old victim that he was 16 and sending her £20 during the course of the conversation to encourage sexually explicit messages. Lee swapped more than 4000 messages with this victim alone.

When searching Lee's phone, officers found that Lee had also messaged a number of accounts asking if they were selling sexual content. Numerous messages indicated he wanted to pay for images, videos or live 'sessions' but had no money to pay.

Lee was arrested at his home in August 2022. On arrest, he told NCA officers "I hold my hands up to it, I should never have done it". He went on to provide a no comment interview.

He was charged with 45 offences including inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity involving penetration, sexual communication with a child and making and distributing indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to all the offences at Newcastle Crown Court in July 2024.

Lee was jailed for four years and five months at the same court today. He will be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Danielle Pownall from the National Crime Agency said: "The NCA is committed to protecting children and bringing those who seek this material out to justice.

"Daniel Lee was a prolific offender, targeting children on social media sites and soliciting illegal images from them for his own gratification.

"We uncovered tens of thousands of messages on Lee's device, both to his victims and to other accounts to request sexual content. He preyed on vulnerable children to continue his offending."

Bethany Raine, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: "Daniel Lee made a number of different accounts with false personas, for the predatory purpose of targeting children online and obtaining sexual images of them.

"His offending has affected dozens of children, who were manipulated and exploited, all for his own sexual gratification.

"The CPS will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to relentlessly pursue justice for victims and prosecuting those who engage in online child sexual abuse."

Description

A BASILDON man, who has been described as a "monster," has been jailed for sexually assaulting a child multiple times.

Harrison Hawkins, 37, of Kings Road, Steeple View, Basildon, was sentenced to a total of four years and six months in prison.

At the same court in May, Hawkins admitted three counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, two counts of taking indecent images of a child, and one count of possession of extreme pornographic material.

Officers launched an investigation in June 2020 after receiving reports of indecent images of a child on Hawkins' phone.

Then, allegations of sexual abuse were put to Hawkins in November 2021 after the victim bravely told officers from our Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) about further incidents.

Hawkins was interviewed about these allegations and replied "no comment" when questioned.

He was subsequently charged and pleaded not guilty to all charges but changed his plea to guilty midway through the trial.

Today he was sentenced to four years and six months behind bars for sexual assault of a child and 24 months behind bars for two further counts of sexual assault on a child.

He was also jailed for nine months for each count of taking indecent images of a child and three months for possession of an extreme pornographic image.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

Hawkins was also given a 10-year restraining order and a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The court ordered forfeiture and destruction of devices connected to the images and to pay a victim surcharge of £120.

He has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Det Con Ian Burgess, who led the investigation, said: “Today’s sentence reflects the gravity of Hawkins’ offending.

“I want to pay tribute to the victim and her family who has been through an awful ordeal. They have displayed immense courage and dignity throughout.

“I hope today’s result brings some closure for them.”

A mum, who remains anonymous, has praised the police after her daughter's abuser was jailed.

She added: “We have been believed and I would say to anyone else who finds themselves in this position to go to the police and report it. You will be listened to and treated with respect.

“It feels like a black cloud has been lifted from over our heads and we can start to rebuild our lives.

“He was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He appeared charming, friendly, and seemed so shy.

“But I know it was all an act and he is, in fact, a monster.

“We have got a life ahead of us and that is thanks to the justice Essex Police helped us achieve.

“The officer is our hero. I’m so thankful to him. He saved our lives.”

Description

A convicted paedophile ordered to stay away from an ex partner phoned her nearly 250 times in a single day, and tried to get around his court order by sending her messages within bank transfers.

Robert Pratt would deposit nominal sums into her account, often just one pence, with an accompanying reference such as “ring me”.

The 31-year-old admitted breaching a non-molestation order and a restraining order and was jailed at Leeds Crown Court.

He also admitted failing to adhere to the sex offender register by failing to tell the police that he had been living at a shared property after being released from prison.

Pratt, of Manygates Lane, Wakefield, was jailed in 2016 for having sex with a 13-year-old girl. He was given the court orders last year to keep him away from his ex partner.

Prosecutor Carmel Pearson said that Pratt sent 31 WhatsApp messages to the woman in one day, and phones her 51 times.

The next day he tried to call 249 items and sent 72 WhatsApp messages.

Mitigating, Matthew Stewart said that Pratt accepted that jail was “inevitable”. He said he had no issues with drugs or alcohol.

He said that his father was ill and that Pratt had no contact with his own three children due to the nature of his convictions.

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed Lumb for 18 months.

Description

A Dunfermline takeaway boss who made indecent sexual remarks to two teenage girls has been put on the sex offenders register.

Eddie Yan Kin NG, 47, manager at Chinese restaurant Rice Delight in Linburn Road, told a 15-year-old she “could be naked” if she wanted and asked a 13-year-old to call him “Uncle Eddie”.

Description

A postman from Sutton who took and shared an indecent photograph of a six-year-old child has avoided prison. 

Jamie Farley, 44, took a photo of a young child with their pants down then sent it to a person he believed to be a like-minded paedophile. 

But the person he was speaking to online was in fact an undercover police officer. 

When police seized Farley’s devices they found almost 1,000 indecent images of children. 

Farley appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Friday (October 11) after he pleaded guilty to voyeurism and three counts of making indecent images. 

Judge Matthew Boyle sentenced him to 28 weeks in custody but suspended the sentence for two years, meaning Farley walked out of the court a free man.  

Farley, of St James’ Road, is well-known in the local community and has served as a postman based in Putney for 22 years. 

Royal Mail told Newsquest London he had not made them aware of the offences but he has now been suspended. 

A spokesperson said: “Royal Mail always expects the highest standards from its staff and the behaviours reported have no place in our business. We were not informed of the charges and as soon as we were made aware he was suspended pending an internal investigation.” 

Summarising the case against Farley, prosecutor Ivan Clarke said the offences took place in May 2022 during an undercover investigation with the objective of identifying people who pose a risk to children. 

“An officer was effectively pretending to be an adult male who was interested in child images, and entered into at least two conversations with this defendant,” Mr Clarke said. 

Mr Clarke said Farley sent the undercover officer a photo of a partially-clothed child which he had taken himself, doing so for his own sexual gratification. 

In mitigation, Mark Kelly KC said his client is extremely remorseful and has taken steps to address the problem by attending a course with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Stop It Now. 

A probation report stated that Farley had become increasingly “obsessed” with internet porn and “started pushing boundaries” during the Covid period. 

Judge Boyle described the offences as “repugnant” and told Farley: “The downloading of images drives the demand for them, and the young people in those images at the end of the chain suffer as a result.” 

Sentencing Farley, Judge Boyle explained: “I have to say when I first read these papers, I thought it was pretty clear that appropriate punishment could only be achieved by immediate custody." 

But the judge said he was heartened by the fact that Farley has taken steps to address his offending since he was caught. 

He added that an experienced probation officer concluded that Farley’s risk could be managed in the community. 

“Therefore, somewhat to my surprise, I am by a hair’s breadth going to suspend the sentence in your case,” Judge Boyle said. 

He ordered that Farley carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation activity days. 

Judge Boyle also made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and he must sign the sex offender’s register for seven years. 

Description

A WIRRAL man has appeared in court for the second time on charges of possessing hundreds of indecent images of children. 

Leslie Ward, 71, appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday (October 11) after pleading guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of possession of indecent images of children.

David Watson, prosecuting, described how Merseyside Police acted on information that a "known sex offender" had been accessing indecent images of children from Ward's address at Clarendon Road, Wallasey. 

Ward's address was raided and police seized a HP Desktop device with external hard drive.

The device was examined and officers found 128 Category A images and seven Category A videos; 383 Category B images and 11 Category B videos and 139 Category C images and 11 Category C videos. 

Category A images are the most severe and can involve the sexual abuse of children.

At a police interview in November 2023, Ward told police that although his computer had been purchased new from Curry's he suspected it had been used before.

He also disputed he had a sexual interest in children saying he preferred "late teen boys".

In 2015, Ward was sent to prison for eight months and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order after he admitted possessing 2,690 indecent images and moving images of children – 100 of them in the most serious category.

David Birrell, defending, said Ward, who came into court using a walking stick and had issues hearing the proceedings, was retired but had worked in as an administrator in an office dealing with data input. 

Married for 44 years, Mr Birrell said Ward's wife was standing by him.

Mr Birrell also listed Ward's numerous health conditions, which includes Parkinson's disease. 

He said: "He (Ward) is not a risk to the public because he doesn't really go out and in his case there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

"He has a problem which is unlikely to go away without some help. Prison was tried and didn't work." 

Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC described the 650 images in Ward's possession as containing "appalling abuse of very young children."

"You knew full well what you were doing but you have very significant health problems that would make it difficult for you to serve a custodial term," he said.

Judge Menary handed Ward a 20 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered him to undertake 20 days of a rehabilitation activity, namely the Maps for Change programme. 

Ward will also pay costs of £1,630 and be the subject of a ten year sexual harm prevention order. 

Judge Menary added: "I wonder about that given your apparent persistence in downloading this material."

Description

A man sexually assaulted a woman in her own home despite her repeatedly rejecting his advances.

Zak Honeyman, now 26, had known his victim for a while and was said to have fancied her, though his persistent pushes to enter into a relationship with the woman were politely declined.

Burnley Crown Court heard how the two bumped into each other at a party in November 2022.

Honeyman expressed an interest in her again at that moment, but she again declined.

Later that evening, the victim was walking home and noticed Honeyman was walking behind her.

After persistently asking if he could walk her home, she reluctantly agreed.

When at her house, she complained of a problem with the door which Honeyman said he could fix.

The victim went to make herself a cup of tea while he did so, and when she came back he asked where his drink was.

She explained that she didn’t make him one as she thought he would be leaving when the door was fixed, but did go back to make one and they sat in the living room together.

Alison Mather, prosecuting, said while there he continued to try and persuade her but she kept saying no and felt he was not getting the hint.

The victim then went upstairs to go to bed, and Honeyman followed behind her, getting into the bed fully clothed after saying he “might as well stay now”.

At one point he got up to take his trousers off and got back in, but put them back on when he was asked to leave.

Instead of leaving, he sat on the end of the bed and began to mess around with the bedside drawers.

She repeatedly told him not to and there was a tussle as she tried to stop him entering the draw which resulted in her receiving a bruise on her arm.

He eventually got into the drawer and pulled out a sex toy, which he prodded into the victim’s cheek multiple times and put into her mouth.

After this, he stood over the victim and pulled down her clothing before going on to sexually assault her twice.

In a statement read to the court by Ms Mather, the victim said she still takes medication for the anxiety and depression caused to her by what Honeyman did.

She said: “My anxiety has gone through the roof which made me not want to leave the house.”

Anna Chestnut, mitigating, said on Honeyman’s part there was a “lack of maturity at play” owing to his age at the time, 24.

She also said a term of immediate imprisonment would have a significant harmful impact on others.

Honeyman, of Weets View, Barnoldswick, had one previous conviction for a dissimilar matter which the judge did not take into consideration.

Recorder Daniel Lister, sentencing, said: “While I don’t consider that you forced your way in I do consider you certainly weren’t welcome to stay for as long as you did.

“You were given repeated hints but nevertheless you remained.

“She told you no, but you ignored her.”

Honeyman was jailed for 18 months and ordered to comply with notification requirements for 10 years.

A five-year restraining order was also imposed prohibiting contact with the victim.

Description

A man who sexually assaulted a young girl he was asked to babysit has been jailed. Peter Hayes, 60, has been sentenced after admitting historic sex offences against the child.

After he attacked her, Hayes left 50p on her bedside table and said if she told anyone 'her family would separate from her'. The victim, who has anonymity for life, detailed the haunting impact the offences have had upon her life before Minshull Street Crown Court.

“Over the years I often worried about how great your life has been, and if you felt like you had a life sentence hanging over you like I did,” she began.

“I have been worried if you even thought about the crime against me and if you thought I would be strong enough to face you. Standing here, I have faced my demons all these years later for that little girl whose innocence and childhood you stole.

“The damage caused to me was never ending. You knew, and I knew, it was wrong. I know I am enough, and I am no longer haunted by the evil you left me with and that you now carry for the rest of your days.

“This was not a spur of the moment, this was premeditated. You knew what you were doing.”

She said her mother had never forgiven herself for what happened and her brothers who were also in the house at the time, had struggled to accept the offences.

“No sentence you will receive will ever make up for what I suffered at your hands. I doubt you will ever understand how what you did affected me.”

She said she had been left with anxiety, trauma and flashbacks. It was following a cancer diagnosis that she felt she was able to go forward with the prosecution.

“From this moment on I am looking forward and not backwards,” she said.

The court heard that on two separate occasions, Hayes, then in his 20s, had molested the girl whilst her parents had asked him to babysit.

“He then left 50p on her bedside table, and said if she told anyone her family would separate from her,” prosecutor Rob Hall said. “She felt she could not tell anybody for quite some time.”

The woman reported matters to the police years later. Hayes denied the offences but eventually pleaded guilty to indecency with a child and indecent assault on a child.

“He is bereft of the society of his family,” his barrister, Neil Ronan said. “This man is alone and has a plethora of medical issues. He has aged badly.

“This defendant has thought regularly of the behaviour and it has eaten him up inside. He had rang the police a number of times and hung up and the only reason he did that was cowardice and shame.

“He is a lonely, unhappy and broken man,” Mr Ronan added.

Sentencing, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones said the offence and the threats made to the girl were ‘particularly unpleasant’.

“This happened where she should have felt safe and protected.”

Hayes, of Upper Chorlton Road, Stretford, was jailed for five years and four months. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and must sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. Greater Manchester Police have not provided a custody image for Hayes.

Description

A Keynsham man has been jailed for jailed for sexually abusing and abducting a teenage girl. Kyeran Taylor, 33, carried out the sexual offences between September 2021 and April 2022.

Bristol Crown Court heard how Taylor took his victim to London in his lorry after a campaign of abuse. Taylor admitted two counts of sexual assault, six counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of child abduction, and one count of sexual communication with a child. He was found guilty of two further counts of sexual activity with a child.

In a separate case, the 33-year-old admitted a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. It came after he caused a head-on collision on the B3130 at Chew Magna.

A woman, aged in her 60s, who was driving another car suffered serious injuries in the crash. Taylor was under the influence of cocaine at the time.

He was sentenced for all the offences at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, September 27. In addition to being jailed for ten years, he was given a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) as well as a restraining order.

Description

A SEX offender breached a court order again by deleting an app from his phone after telling police he was being blackmailed by two men claiming they ‘worked for Fox News and the FBI’.

The court heard that Shaun Smith was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order in December 2018 after admitting attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

This order barred him from deleting apps or internet history from his devices.

On September 1, Smith contacted 101 reporting that he was being blackmailed.

Officers attended the defendant’s address on Glanafon in Betws on September 9. He told the officers that he had been contacted on an online messaging application by a woman making demands for money.

He said he was then contacted by two men who claimed they worked for Fox News and the FBI making further demands for money.

When the officers asked Smith to show them the demands, he told them he had deleted them as he had been told to when he called 101. Upon reviewing the 101, the officers found this wasn’t true.

Smith was arrested for deleting the communications app – which put him in breach of his sexual harm prevention order for the fourth time.

“He deliberately deleted the app,” prosecutor Ms Wilson said, adding that Smith’s previous breach of the order relating to him deleting the Telegram app.

On that occasion, Smith told police he had been “talking to a woman” on Telegram and via a third-party explicit website, but then deleted the app and its history because “someone was trying to scam me”.

The court heard that 58-year-old Smith had eight previous convictions for 12 offences.

“The only real mitigation is that Mr Smith had the good sense to plead guilty,” said David Singh, in mitigation.

“He did the right thing initially by reporting it to the police.

“It would suggest this is not necessarily someone trying to cover up his tracks, but it is a person with a degree of naivety.”

Addressing the defendant, Judge Geraint Walters said: “This is altogether becoming tiresome now. You pay scant regard to the terms of the sexual harm prevention order.

“What sort of site you were on, I can’t begin to imagine, which led you to call the police saying you were being blackmailed by people working for Fox News and the FBI.

“You are a devious individual, it seems to me, hell bent on non-compliance.”

Smith was sentenced to 10 months in prison.

Description

A former school welfare officer and Army cadet leader has been found guilty of sexually assaulting teenage girls.

Neil Beckett, 43, with an address at Kilmore, near Crossgar in County Down, was told by the judge that from "this moment on, you are a registered sex offender".

Beckett was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual grooming.

They span a period of eight years between 2015 and 2023.

Eleven teenagers had brought charges against Beckett.

Nine were Lagan College pupils and two were Army cadets.

Beckett was found not guilty of rape which was alleged to have taken place sometime between 2013 and 2015 while he was an Army cadet leader.

He was also found not guilty of sexual communication with a child and 10 further counts of sexual assault.

During the trial, which spanned five weeks, the court heard from Lagan College pupils and Army cadets who said that Beckett had hugged them, kissed them, touched their thighs under the girls' skirts and tickled them.

In doing so he had made them feel uncomfortable, the court was told.

The judge thanked the jury for their commitment over what he described as a long trial and said they had taken great care and attention with their duties.

Beckett will be sentenced on 6 December.

Description

A man who sent videos of him performing a solo sex act to what he believed to be a young schoolgirl has been jailed for 12 months.

William Young contacted an online profile belonging to a ‘12-year-old girl’ and sent her vile images of his genitals and videos of him performing sex acts. Young, 55, also sent requests to meet up with the child and asked her to send him naked pictures of herself.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the depraved offender was in fact in contact with a paedophile hunter group and was snared after he had sent his address so the victim could send him a Christmas card.

Members of the group, called Confronted and Caught, then turned up at Young’s former home in Tranent, East Lothian, and subsequently called in the police on December 9 last year.

Young pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to view indecent images, videos and attempting to communicate indecently with a child when he appeared at court earlier this year. He returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday where Sheriff Charles Walls said the disposal should “reflect the seriousness of the offence” and the “public disapproval”.

Defence agent Paul Dunn said his client “accepted” he knew the girl’s age during the online chats even though he had denied that in the social work report.

Mr Dunn added: “He knew what he was doing was wrong and was bang out of order. But it is clear he knew how old the person was.”

Sheriff Charles Wall said: “You have been convicted of two serious offences on indictment. I have heard the Crown narrative, read the social work report, listened carefully to what Mr Dunn has said and seen the Crown productions of the screenshots of you engaging with a 12 year old girl.

“In all the circumstances I am satisfied there is no alternative in this situation to a custodial sentence.”

Young was jailed for 12 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. The sheriff also said Young’s name will be forwarded to Scottish Ministers for consideration that his name be added to the list of those banned from working with children and vulnerable groups.

Fiscal depute Morgan Beattie told the court an adult member of the Confronted and Caught hunter group set up a Facebook account in the name of 12-year old Louise Grey.

Young contacted the profile and began sending revolting messages asking “do you like older men” and “wish I was in bed with you”. The messages also stated that he “loved young girls” and he repeatedly asked the child what sexual positions she enjoyed.

The sordid chats moved to WhatsApp where Young sent messages including “I love you in your school uniform” and asking if she had seen an adult man naked.

Young asked to meet up with the girl for a sexual encounter and unwittingly sent his address when the decoy pretending to be the child said she wanted to send him a Christmas card.

Young pleaded guilty to causing a child, who was in fact an adult, to look at sexual images, sending indecent images and videos at an address in Tranent, between November 13 and December 9 last year.

He also admitted to a charge of sending written and verbal communications, repeatedly asking the child what she was wearing, repeatedly requesting she send indecent images of herself and asking if she would engage in sexual intercourse with him between the same dates.

Description

A man branded a 'dangerous sexual predator' by police raped a vulnerable woman on the top deck of an X43 bus service to Manchester city centre.

Rahmat Qalander - now behind bars - also sexually assaulted a 16 year-old girl on another bus just five days later, police have revealed. The 23 year-old, who police said was classed by a judge as a dangerous offender, has now been jailed for 10 years.

Qalander targeted the woman on the X43 bus from Burnley to Manchester on February 1 this year. He's said to have sat next to his victim upstairs before forcing her to go to the back of the bus with him, where he raped her.

In a statement after he was locked up, Lancashire Police said: "He then got off the bus in Manchester and the victim, aged in her 20s and with a number of vulnerabilities, reported what had happened to the driver and police were called."

Following enquiries, Qalander, from Nelson, Lancashire, was identified and arrested. He was charged with rape and sexual assault.

Police said he denied the charges, but was found guilty after a trial in August. The attack on the teenage girl took place on a bus in Nelson on February 6.

The force added: "Qalander was classed as a dangerous offender by the judge at Preston Crown Court. He was told he must serve two thirds of the 10-year sentence before he is released. He will then be on licence for a further three years."

Temp Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Denson, of East CID, praised the victims for coming forward. She said: "Qalander is clearly a dangerous sexual predator who targeted lone and vulnerable young women to carry out his offending.

"I would like to commend the victims in this case for their bravery in disclosing what happened to them and for having the courage to go through the court process.

"I am pleased that justice has been served for them and for the wider community who will be protected from this dangerous offender for many years."

Description

A rapist who targeted underage girls and abused partners for more than a decade, before being brought to justice with the help of a social media appeal, has been jailed.

Darren Gibson admitted preying upon women at addresses in Fife between 2008 and 2019.