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A man from Swindon has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for non-recent sexual assaults on children.

Stephen Burrows (also known as Marc), 47, of Fitkin Court, Redhouse, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on October 24 after being found guilty by trial in August of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13, assault by penetration and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Between 1999 and 2012 Burrows took advantage of his victims when staying in their homes.

When Burrows was in his 20s he assaulted his first victim when she was between 8 and 10 years old when staying over at her house. When she got up for a drink in the early hours of the morning he assaulted her.

He assaulted his second victim on two occasions when she was aged between 10 and 12 years old, while having a relationship with her mother.

Burrows was sentenced to two years for indecent assault, six months for sexual assault, six years for another sexual assault, 13 years for assault by penetration and seven years for causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Once released he will have an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A taxi driver from Gloucester has avoid jailed for sexually assaulting woman while he was at work. The 49-year-old was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault at Gloucester Crown Court on July 30.

Taranjit Singh, known as Tony, has been banned from driving a taxi for ten years following the sentencing. The court heard that the victim used Singh's taxi service several times before the attack and he had given her his personal mobile number.

In November 2021, despite being off duty, Singh agreed to pick up the woman from Gloucester and take her to Tewkesbury, breaching his licence conditions. The woman, in her 20s, fell asleep during the journey. Singh then drove to an industrial estate, and the victim awoke to find Singh digitally penetrating her vagina and touching her breast.

She asked Singh to stop and tried to push his arm away, but he continued to sexually assault her, telling her that she was enjoying it.

The court was shown footage that the victim had secretly recorded on her mobile during previous rides in Singh's taxi. In one clip, Singh is heard propositioning the woman for sexual favours, to which she firmly declines.

Singh, from Estcourt Close in Gloucester, denied sexually assaulting the woman and claimed he may have accidentally touched the woman's breast while assisting with her seatbelt. He further claimed the woman guided his hand into her trousers.

On October 18, Singh received a 24-month suspended sentence at Gloucester Crown Court. Additionally, he must register as a sex offender for ten years and is banned from working as a taxi driver or in any paid driving capacity involving passengers for the same duration due to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The judge ordered Singh to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, participate in a rehabilitation programme for up to 30 days, and pay £4,380 towards prosecution costs.

Post-sentencing, the victim said: "While this incident only lasted a short time that night, it has had a major long-term effect on me mentally.

"I would urge anyone who has been through similar to contact the police. I felt heard, seen and believed, and I had great support throughout the process. I'm so glad I reported to hopefully help stop the same happening to others."

Detective Constable Annabel Brittain has praised a victim's courage after reporting a distressing incident, saying: "The victim is to be commended for reporting this distressing incident as, by having the strength to support the investigation, she has helped keep others safe while achieving justice for herself.

"As she read out her victim impact statement to the court, it was clear how much she has been affected by what happened, and I am extremely glad she says she has felt well supported by police throughout.

"I hope this conviction is reassurance to others that when such concerning incidents are reported, we will be as thorough and relentless as possible in securing all available evidence to bring offenders to justice."

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A child rapist who carried out abuse on girls dating back to the 1970s has been jailed for 15 years, with the judge saying that a victim’s description of him as a “monster” was “hard to disagree with”.

James Pollard was previously found guilty of abusing five young victims at various locations in the north of Scotland between 1979 and 2022.

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A convicted child sex offender has been returned to prison after further victims of his abuse came forward.

Neil Piggott, now aged 46, was previously jailed in 2019 for sexually assaulting another child two years before.

The publicity surrounding that conviction encouraged further victims of his offending to come forward and approach Nottinghamshire Police in 2021.

One woman reported that he had raped her twice when she was a teenager in the late 1990s.

Another young person gave an account of a previously unreported sexual assault in 2017, whilst a third victim explained how Piggott had posed as someone else to extract personal photographs from her in 2013.

Piggott initially declined to comment in his police interview and later pleaded not guilty to four charges.

After a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in September, he was found guilty of two counts of raping a female under the age of 16, one count of inciting the exploitation of a child, and one count of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday 28 October, Piggott, of no fixed address, was given an extended 24 year prison sentence after being designated as a dangerous offender.

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A promising teacher with his career ahead of him has been jailed after he raped a female he met during a night out.

Sam Mitchell forced himself on the victim, put his hands around her throat and slapped her across the face. He unknowingly also gave her a sexually-transmitted disease.

The 23-year-old was found guilty of three counts of rape and three counts of assault by penetration after a recent trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The court heard that Mitchell had been out on January 22 last year. He was with a friend and he met the woman in a nightclub. He had been drinking and taking drugs, but denied throughout his trial that it had affected his judgement.

They later got a taxi back to his friend’s home in Wakefield and they eventually fell asleep on a sofa.

The victim said “no” to his advances but he forced himself onto her.

Mitchell, of Canal Court, Lofthouse, appeared in court this week from HMP Lincoln where he was being held on remand.

Mitigating, Lucy Brown said there was little that could be said in Mitchell’s defence due to his denials, but did point to his young age at the time of the offences, and that he has no previous convictions.

She said that his teaching career was now over and said: “It’s the start of a difficult journey for him to accept what happened.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC told Mitchell: “You had the world at your feet. You were a talented and gifted young man.

“Something led you to behave that way that was totally out of character for you. The drinking and drugs must have played a part.”

He jailed him for seven years and put him on the sex offender register for life.

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A man has been jailed for 24 years for sexual offences dating back to the 1970s.

Peter David Long, 66, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2024, to six counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years and 13 counts of indecent assault. The 19 offences were against four girls who were all aged between seven and 14 at the time of the offending.

On Friday, October 25, Long was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to 24 years' imprisonment with one year on licence, a life-time restraining order for all complainants.

Long was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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An Ipswich teacher accused of having conversations about sex with girls he thought were as young as nine has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Richard Cook was previously found guilty of eight child sex offences and was before Ipswich Crown Court on Friday for sentencing.

Cook, now of Lambert Lane, East Cowes, previously denied one offence of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, three offences of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and an offence of arranging or facilitating a sex act he intended to do, namely engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 16.

The court heard he had hoped to meet one of the decoy 13-year-old girls in Christchurch Park for penetrative sex.

All the offences relate to conversations he allegedly had with adult decoys posing as three girls aged between nine and 14, over the messaging app Kik.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in July 2019 and the decoys were a mixture of police accounts and civilians from a paedophile hunter group.

The defendant was eventually caught when he was confronted by the paedophile group outside of his house. 

Cook also denied three offences of making indecent images of children on or before July 29 2019.

The charges allege that he made one indecent image and five videos in the most serious level A category, three images and 10 videos in category B and 19 images and five videos in the least serious level C category.

The 48-year-old father of two claimed his partner had wanted him out of her life and he believed she had installed the Kik messenger account to get him into trouble but she denied this when she gave evidence.

The defendant also said the pictures of his penis which were found on his phone and were sent to decoys were actually images he was going to send to his partner to rekindle sexual activity in his relationship.  

Defence barrister Juliet Donovan said the conviction has had a devastating effect on Cook’s family and mentioned he struggles with his health.

Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley told the defendant: “You had every intention of meeting with the person at the end of your messaging and committing the offences”.

She added that both his partner and children “have been indirectly impacted as they will need to deal with the shame of what’s happened to you”.

Judge Talbot-Hadley then sentenced Cook to seven years in custody and imposed a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.

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A prolific paedophile whose offending spanned 50 years will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after several abuse survivors bravely came forward.

Surinder Blah, 72, first caught the attention of detectives in 2020 when a man raised concerns over Blah’s behaviour in the 1960s.

Because these concerns related to a time when Blah was living in Leamington, Warwickshire Police took responsibility for the investigation.

In police interview Blah – who now lives on Orchard Way, Uxbridge, denied what the man had said entirely, branding it a ‘malicious allegation’.

In the wake of that investigation, two more people came forward – including a woman who Blah had started to abuse when she was seven.

The woman told detectives how Blah had continued to abuse her through the years and into adulthood.

She also identified another woman, whom Blah had abused when she was aged between 11 and 17.

This victim was found to be living abroad, but she assisted detectives by providing an online statement and later by flying to the UK to attend an in-person interview.

Blah was arrested at his Uxbridge address in July 2021 and in police interview he once again denied any offences.

At the time of the arrest, officers seized digital devices which were later found to contain extreme pornography and indecent images of children.

For his offences against the two women, and for the images found on his digital devices, Blah was subsequently charged with:

• Three counts of having Sexual Intercourse with a girl under 13.
• Eight counts of Indecent Assault.
• Six counts of Rape.
• One count of Making Indecent Photographs of Children.

And on Monday, 21 October this year, at Warwick Crown Court, Blah was sentenced to 31 years in prison.

He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register - which he will remain on for the rest of his life. 

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A man has been jailed after he used social media to prey on young girls for sex.

Thomas Hall, from Salford, exploited his victims 'purely to satisfy his own twisted sexual desires' and even offered some of them money to find him someone younger, police said. He was also found with dozens of indecent images and videos of children on his phone.

Officers first started probing the 34-year-old in November 2020 after a 12-year-old girl received 'sexual communications' from a man in east Cheshire on WhatsApp. Police linked the messages to Hall and his former home in Cheshire was raided.

He was arrested and police seized a number of mobiles and devices. Cheshire Police said officers found more than 30 incident pictures of children, as well as 30 indecent images.

Seven 'extreme pornographic' images and videos and a bestiality video were also uncovered. Investigations revealed that Hall had been communicating with his victims using fake identities including a woman called Alex and a teenage boy called Jack.

Police said he would 'tell them fake stories' and manipulate them into sending him indecent images. Following an investigation, Hall was arrested and charged.

At Manchester Crown Court yesterday (October 24), Hall, of Rolling Street, Salford, was jailed for 11 years - plus three years on extended licence. He admitted four counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child and four counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

"He has shown no regard for his victims and no remorse"

He also pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent images of a child and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Peter Taylor, who led the investigation, said: "Hall is a predator, he is manipulative, and used his age and experience to prey on young girls purely to satisfy his own twisted sexual desires.

"He has shown no regard for his victims and no remorse for his actions. His offending only came to an end when he was arrested by our officers.

"While none of the victims will ever be able to forget what happened to them, I hope that Halls conviction and the sentence handed to him will provide them with some closure." DC Taylor added: "Sexual abuse can happen anywhere at any time and the impact can be lifechanging.

"Therefore, its vital that parents and guardians engage with their children to warn them of the dangers of communicating with people via social media. It also important to check that they are using those applications safely and to keep an eye out for any warning signs of sexual exploitation.

"I hope that Halls convictions and sentencing encourages anyone who has been subjected to similar offending to report it to the police. They should feel confident that they will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers and other support agencies we work alongside.

"All victims will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and any allegations will be taken extremely seriously and thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and the needs of the victim as our main priority."

Hall was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life. He was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

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A registered sex offender has been sentenced to more than 20 years’ jail for raping a child and making her film indecent videos for him.

Jamie Thacker, aged 34, who has been previously convicted of possessing indecent images of children, had messaged the victim via WhatsApp and given her instructions to film indecent videos of herself.

The videos were discovered by a family member of the victim, and further disclosures were made that she had been previously raped by Thacker.

Thacker, who previously lived in Everton, near Biggleswade, pleaded guilty to 10 different counts, including rape, assault by penetration, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

He was sentenced at Huntington Crown Court last Thursday (17/10) to 21 years in prison with a further five years on licence due to the danger he poses.

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A PAEDOPHILE who sent explicit images of himself to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl has said he committed the offence because he was lonely.

Jack Goodacre, 28, had admitted possessing indecent images of children in March but proceeded to send sexual messages to an account only months later while he was on bail.

Goodacre had contacted a decoy account in July when he asked if he could chat to the young girl called Melissa, Ipswich Crown Court heard on Friday.

A WhatsApp conversation followed which involved Goodacre sending messages calling her “pretty” and “cute”, before asking her if he would be her first boyfriend.

Abby Robinson, prosecuting, said: “He requested a photo of the decoy’s legs and sent two images of himself.”

One image was of Goodacre naked.

The conversation continued and the defendant told the decoy he would book a hotel room for the two of them.

He then sent her a video of him performing a sex act and an image of a sex toy.

A record of the conversation was kept by a vigilante group which was behind the decoy account, and Goodacre was reported to police who arrested him.

The court heard Goodacre, of Victoria Chase, Colchester, was already on bail when he was messaging the decoy account after admitting three charges of possessing indecent images of children – some of whom were as young as six – in March.

In July he then admitted one charge each of attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, and possession of category B images before being remanded in custody.

Mark Brown, mitigating, said: “He’s never been in any substantial trouble before. He was working in a full-time job and had his own flat.

“He puts his offending down to loneliness.

“He didn’t deal with going to custody very well and he broke down in the magistrates’ court.

“He has had the shock of his life going into custody.”

Sentencing Goodacre, Judge David Pugh said: “I don’t consider it appropriate to suspend this sentence, so the sentence is 16 months of immediate imprisonment.”

Goodacre was also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register and will be subject to notification requirements for ten years.

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A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of domestic abuse and sexual offences in the Fife and Perthshire areas.

Jonathan Rhind, aged 29, committed these crimes between February 2020 and January 2022.

He was found guilty of two charges following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow and returned for sentencing today, Wednesday, 23 October, 2024.

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A sex offender has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after admitting serious sexual offences against women in West Yorkshire.

Anthony Pilling (43) from Lymm in Warrington was jailed for 24 years at Leeds Crown Court on Monday ( 21st October) after pleading guilty to four offences of rape. 

The 43-year-old admitting three rape offences committed against a woman in Kirklees in July 2024.

He also pleaded guilty to an offence of rape committed against a woman in Calderdale in 2021.

Pilling had pleaded guilty to the offences in an earlier hearing at Leeds Crown Court.

The court heard Pilling had attacked both women in their own homes.

PC Alexandra Oldham of the Kirklees District Adult Safeguarding Unit, said: “We welcome the conviction of Pilling for shocking offences against two women in the very places where they should have expected to have felt safe.

“This substantial 24-year sentence reflects both the seriousness of the offences he committed and the devastating and long-lasting impact those offences had on his victims.

“I hope they can take some comfort from the sentence imposed on Pilling and knowing this dangerous, predatory, man will be off our streets for many years to come.” 

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A sex offender for Horley has been sent back to prison police found six internet-enabled devices at his home. Clive Edward Ellis has been subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after his conviction for rape in 2007.

The 67-year-old man was sentenced on January 26, 2007, to a 999-month indeterminate public protection sentence after he was found guilty of the rape of a female aged under 16 over a period of approximately two years. He also was convicted of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

Ellis spent over six years in custody before being released on licence on April 24, 2013 and was subject to strict conditions placed upon him by his licence and SHPO. Officers from Surrey Police’s High Harm Perpetrator Unit (HHPU) conducted an unannounced visit at Ellis’ address on October 8, 2024.

There they found six internet-enabled devices, including two mobile phones, three tablets and a laptop which he had not disclosed, thereby breaching the conditions of his SHPO. Ellis was charged with three counts of breach of a SHPO and the devices were sent off to be forensically examined.

He was remanded in custody before being recalled to prison. He was also fined £253. Ellis will remain in prison indeterminately.

Detective Inspector Abigail Edey, from the HHPU, said: “The fact that Ellis has been sent back to prison indeterminately shows just how seriously orders such as Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are taken. It also demonstrates that we do carry out regular checks on offenders who have been released from prison and that robust action is taken.

"These orders are put in place to prevent further offending and to keep the public safe and we will always take robust action when we discover that the terms of these orders are not being adhered to.”

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A sex offender who targeted and assaulted a number of women and girls in Canterbury has been jailed.

In June 2024, four women and girls were followed by a man in the St Stephen’s area of the city. The man attempted to touch or grab the victims, before, in some cases, being deterred when they shouted at him.

On Wednesday 12 June, two officers were on patrol in the area when they noticed a man following a woman. The man matched the description of the offender given by victims in previous reports from earlier that month and officers quickly stopped and arrested him.

During the investigation, detectives determined that the arrested man, Athian Majak, was the offender for four incidents in June, as well as additional offences in December 2023.

Charges including indecent exposure, sexual touching, and attempted sexual touching were authorised against Majak, of Downs Road, Canterbury, which he admitted at court.

At Canterbury Crown Court the 20-year-old admitted all nine offences and was given a three-year custodial sentence in a youth offenders’ institute on Friday 18 October 2024.