Latest Offenders

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A man has been jailed for a minimum 14 years after a jury convicted him of raping and sexually assaulting two young girls. Michael Hopwood, 27, from Openshaw, sexually abused the girls, who were under the age of 12.

The married father had denied three counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, four charges of sexual assault and one charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. But a jury convicted him and now he has been handed a long jail sentence with an extended licence period.

Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, told Manchester Crown Court that one of his victims went into school 'upset' towards the end of last year and 'indicated' to friends that she had been raped.

The girl, too young to understand what rape was, reported what had happened to an adult and police were called, the court was told. She described to officers how Hopwood climbed on top of her and described one incident which the jury concluded amounted to an oral rape.

Police later interviewed the second girl. The girl told police graphic details of how Hopwood would molest her.

The girl said the abuse had started during the summer. She told officers she had not spoken to anybody about her ordeal and was scared to do so, said Mr Cadwallader.

When police arrested Hopwood, he denied all allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct, said the prosecutor. The court heard those caring for the two girls were glad he was facing a long jail term as Hopwood could no longer harm them.

Both girls, entitled to lifelong anonymity in press reports of their case as victims of sex crimes, have been 'profoundly' affected by the abuse, the court heard.

One had been bubbly and confident but 'isn't like that now', the court heard. The other was a sweet girl whose attitude 'has changed' and has become very emotional every time she did anything wrong.

One tearful family member described Hopwood as a 'monster'. She told the judge: "If it was up to me, I would lock him up and throw away the key. I believe people like him should be locked away forever."

The court heard Hopwood had no previous convictions or cautions.

Joanne Shepherd, defending, pointed to her client's previous good character and said Hopwood had been suffering with depression 'for a considerable period of time'.

Judge Hilary Manley said the younger victim had 'found the courage' to tell her school friends. She had been groomed by Hopwood who then raped her, said Judge Manley.

The judge went on to say that the older girl had been 'groomed and debased' by Hopwood who then 'bribed her with sweets'. "You destroyed her innocence," said Judge Manley, who went on to say that the impact on both girls had been 'profound'.

Hopwood was handed a 20-year prison sentence. He will be eligible for parole after 14 years. He was also handed an extended licence period of eight years, which means, even if he is released after 14 years, he will be on licence for a further 14 years.

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A sex attacker has been handed a 12-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of the rape of a woman on Brighton Beach in the dead of night.

Przemyslaw Pogorzzelec, 44, forced himself upon the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, in the early hours on the morning on the beach in Brighton, East Sussex.

Sussex Police said the sex attack, which happened at 2am on July 31 last year, was seen by witnesses.

Pogorzzelec and the woman were approached by members of the Beach Patrol and security, and the victim told them she had not consented. was then detained and arrested by officers.

The rapist claimed he had chatted with the young woman and claimed he had consensual sex with her.

But when questioned by officers he could not remember her name, age, or anything about her.

Witnesses said she was not able to give consent.

She was given support by specially-trained officers throughout the investigation.

At Lewes Crown Court on May 2, Pogorzzelec, a builder of no fixed address but formerly of an address in Hove, was found guilty of rape, and of sexual assault by penetration.

He was jailed for a total of 12 years, and an extended licence period of three years was also imposed.

The court was told how the incident happened at 2am on July 31 last year.

Pogorzzelec had forced himself on the woman, and had taken intimate photographs of her on his mobile phone.

He was interrupted by the Beach Patrol and security from nearby venues.

Despite denying the offence, he was convicted by the jury after a trial in January.

At his sentencing hearing, it was revealed how Pogorzzelec was convicted in 2013 for exposure, contrary to the Sexual Offences Act.

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Ciara Richardson said: 'The victim received support from our officers, and showed great courage to give evidence in the trial.

'This was a fast moving investigation where we gathered witness statements and footage which showed how Pogorzzelec had preyed on the young woman when she was alone on the beach.

'We are pleased that a dangerous offender is now in prison for these offences.'

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A 60-year-old man who sexually abused a child over a number of years has been jailed for 20 years this week.

Roger Allen appeared at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday (9 May) where he was sentenced to two decades behind bars, after admitting a litany of child sexual offences including numerous counts of sexual activity with a child, multiple counts of rape, as well as making indecent images of children and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Allen’s victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, came forward to police to report years of horrific sexual offending. Allen was arrested and when his property was searched, a number of devices containing indecent images and videos of children were found.

Detective Constable Jason Earl from Sheffield’s Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team said: “I wish to take this opportunity, at the conclusion of legal proceedings, to commend the bravery of the victim in this case. They have shown immense courage in coming forward to report years of horrific sexual abuse, then demonstrated enormous strength throughout the investigation. It is my belief that had they not come forward when they did, Allen’s serious sexual abuse would likely have continued.

“It cannot be underestimated the significant toll that child sexual abuse has on victims – it irreparably changes a child’s life and in this case, Allen took full advantage for his own disgraceful sexual criminality.

“While he has pleaded guilty to numerous sexual offences and now faces a lengthy period of time in prison, he has shown little-to-no remorse or acknowledgement for the pain and suffering he has caused to his victim. I truly hope now Allen has been sentenced and is behind bars for his awful crimes, the victim feels able to take a step forward in their journey towards recovery and healing.”

Allen, formerly of Abbey Brook Gardens, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to 16 offences: four counts of sexual activity with a child; two counts of rape; three counts of making indecent photographs of a child; one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child; one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; one count of causing a child to watch a sexual act; one count of attempted rape; one count of assault by penetration; one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent; and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Allen was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

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A FORMER Labour MP who downloaded and distributed child abuse images has been jailed for more than two years.

Paul Clark, who represented Gillingham in Kent for 13 years from 1997, told police when arrested at his home: "I know why you're here."

He was caught with more than 1,000 stills and movie clips on five electronic devices - showing some of the most serious acts of abuse.

The 66-year-old also joined sexually-explicit chats online, Maidstone crown court heard.

After being arrested at his home by the National Crime Agency in May 2021, Clark told officers: "I know why you're here. I kept telling myself to stop.

During his time as a Labour MP, he was a parliamentary private secretary for high-profile Cabinet members including deputy prime minister John Prescott and education secretary Ed Balls.

Clark, who at a previous hearing gave an address in Wallington in Surrey, pleaded guilty last December to three offences of making indecent photos of children between April 2013 and May 2021.

The father-of-two also admitted six charges of distribution between October 2020 and May 2021.

Prosecutor Daniel Stevenson told the court none of Clark's offences took place while he was an MP.

But Mr Stevenson said there were two "distinct periods of offending" - with 20 images downloaded in 2013 and the majority seven years later during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

A total of 298 category A images, 415 category B and 733 category C were found on two iPhones, an HP laptop, a hard drive and Acer computer tower.

The age range of the children being abused ranged from three to 16, Mr Stevenson told the court.

The iPhones contained what Mr Stevenson called "two significant chatlogs" in which Clark discussed the sexual abuse of children in WhatsApp and Kik conversations with two other users identified as "Toni" and "PR".

The court was also told of the sexual terms used in Clark's internet searches.

Ronnie Manek, defending Clark, told the court the ex-MP's life took a "downward spiral" during lockdown and led to his further offending.

Mr Manek said: "Covid hit and played a huge factor. It was a time when the country was in lockdown, and I appreciate it's no justification, but it can affect the mindset of individuals."

Jailing Clark for 28 months, Judge Philip Statman told him the case represented "a tragic fall for someone who had put the community first" - but the offences were so serious, jail was inevitable.

The judge added: "Each of these children is a victim. From the images it is clear they are disturbed by that which is being done to them.

"This is a catalogue of criminal offending, committed for your own sexual gratification.

"It is not just a case of browsing on the internet. This is almost a level of addictive conduct which you pursued and you have a very long way to go in understanding what led you to commit these criminal offences.

"Much has been rightly said about the public service you have performed in the past.

"You put the community first and indeed you have tried your best to continue with issues of a community nature, not just here but in Africa since you lost your seat in 2010.

"It is right too that I emphasise there is no suggestion that any of your offending took place during the time when you were a sitting MP.

"But there is punishment that comes your way on a very different level - the ignominy and public humiliation that your appearance in the dock in the crown court causes you."

The judge said he accepted that the pandemic and his failing marriage may have contributed to his mild depression.

He told Clark: "Possibly because of the job you had, the control you had, the excitement you had in those years both as an MP and after, travelling as you did - that being at home and stuck with difficulties within your marriage may have contributed to the level of depression that you felt.

"I have no doubt as you sit there engaged in this offending, it doesn't go through your mind that you will be caught and be presented before a crown court today."

But Mr Statman insisted he could not spare Clark jail, as his barrister had urged.

The judge said: "These offences clearly pass the custody threshhold and well and truly pass the level which would permit me to impose a suspended sentence order, bearing in mind the aggravating factors I have mentioned."

Clark will have to serve half his sentence and will be subject to signing on the sex offender register for 10 years on release.

He will also be subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and barred from working with vulnerable adults and children.

Clark was supported in court by two relatives, said to be his cousins.

The Labour stalwart was said to have played a key part in the 2005 general election, hosting then-prime minister Tony Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown on a visit to Kent.

Clark was later appointed transport minister in 2008.

After losing his seat two years later, Clarke stood for re-election in 2015 but was again defeated by Conservative Rehman Chisti.

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A trainspotting pervert has once again been given a jail sentence for an indecent assault he carried out against a young boy in the 1980s.

Steven Gustafson began chatting to a young teenage boy about trains at Newcastle Central Station in the early 1980s before he asked him to take a trip underneath the arches of the King Edward VII bridge. The victim was then indecently assaulted.

The vile offence only recently came to light when the now-adult victim read that Gustafson had been jailed in 2021 for a very similar offence dating back to the same time. He then reported the assault to police.

In 2021, Gustafson was jailed for four and a half years for carrying out similar sexual offences which were also committed in the 1980s. He was in his mid-20s at the time when he befriended two boys who shared an interest in trainspotting and then sexually abused them after taking them to isolated places.

Gustafson, who has been serving his prison term at HMP Northumberland, was due for release this summer, but was hauled back in front of a judge at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for the indecent assault which had recently come to light. The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to the single offence in March this year.

The court heard that the victim was a young teenage boy in the early 1980s and had first met Gustafson at Sunderland Train Station and began chatting about trains. Gustafson then offered to take the boy and his friend to Sunderland's South Docks, but he declined and instead went home.

But months after their first meeting, the boy ran into Gustafson again, this time at Newcastle Central Station.

Jane Waugh, prosecuting, said: "The victim recognised the defendant and again began chatting about trains. The defendant suggested they go over the to the King Edward VII bridge and look under the railway arches."

As the boy engaged into further conversation about trains, he realised Gustafson was "not really interested" in them. It wasn't long before Gustafson indecently assaulted the boy after putting his arms around his shoulders and asking sexual questions.

After pushing away Gustafson, the boy fled on a train and kept the assault a secret until years later when he confided to a former partner. However, the incident had a profound impact on the victim, who would regularly search for Gustafson on the internet. It was during one search that he read the defendant had been jailed for sexual offences.

Reading of his prison sentence, the victim then bravely reported what happened to him to police.

The court heard that Gustafson had nine previous convictions for 21 offences, all of which were offences committed against boys under the age of 16. All of his sexual offending took place behind the backdrop of a "railway setting", the court heard.

Peter Schofield, defending, said Gustafson had not committed any offences since 1998 and had successfully completed a sex offender treatment programme in the 1990s.

He said: "He has worked hard to change his life and plays a useful part in the community and his church. He is at a low risk of re-offending and has a firm plan to move away from this area. He is unlikely to re-offend again and has made efforts to stay offence free. There is a positive side to his general behaviour."

Sentencing Gustafson, Recorder Benjamin Nolan KC handed him a further 12-month prison sentence. He remains on the sex offender's register for life.

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A convicted rapist has had his five-year sentence at a young offender institute increased to seven years, after it was successfully appealed by the Attorney General’s Office.

Samuel Davies, 20, of St Davids Way, Caerphilly, was originally sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on May 11, this year.

Davies had pleaded guilty to one count of rape, which saw him given a five-year sentence. He also pleaded guilty to a count of assault by penetration, for which he was given a three-year and eight-month sentence.

Both sentences were quashed by the Court of Appeal and increased to seven years and six months, and six years respectively. Both will run concurrently, meaning Davies will serve a total of seven years and six months.

The requirements of being placed on the Sex Offenders Register, Sexual Harm Prevention Order, as well as a restraining order, are still in place.

The Attorney General’s Office sent the case to the Court of Appeal under its Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

Under this, members of the public can ask the Attorney General’s Office to review criminal sentences handed down by Crown Court within 28 days of sentencing.

In its legal argument to the Court of Appeal, the Attorney General’s Office said the starting point for Davies’ sentence was too low because there were multiple aggravating features, such as the vulnerability of the victim, the sustained nature of the attack, and the fact that Davies took pictures and tried to hide evidence.

Others included the influence of alcohol and the arrest of a third party during the investigation.

It was argued the starting point of the sentence should have been ten years; before any adjustment for Davies’ age.

The Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP said: “This was an appalling case, and I would like to express my sympathies to the victim.

“I strongly believe that the original sentence was unduly lenient and thankfully the Court of Appeal has agreed.

“The court’s decision to add a further two-and-a-half years to the offender’s sentence clearly demonstrates that we will do everything in our powers to punish those who carry out abhorrent offences.”

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Ali Razza Hussain Kasmi, 36, is charged with six offences including two rapes and two counts of gross indecency with a child.

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A contractor who sent a naked picture of his genitals to a female patient he spotted in hospital has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a year.

Scott Brown, 47, was carrying out contract work at the Carseview Centre when he targeted a woman who was being given medical treatment.

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Mark Thompson, from Aberdare, sexually abused a boy over the course of two years, beginning when the boy was just eight years old.

The boy knew it was wrong, but he was too scared and frightened to tell anyone. He kept what had happened to him a secret for over ten years- until 2021, when he bravely disclosed the abuse he had suffered at Thompson’s hands.

An investigation was launched and Thompson was arrested and charged.
The matter went to trial and Thompson was subsequently found guilty for a number of sexual offences.

On Friday 28 April, the 39-year-old was jailed for 16 years for rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault.

Detective Constable Emma Songhurst, who led the case, said:

“I would like to commend the victim and their family for the courage they have shown throughout this investigation.

“Every child has a right to grow up free from fear and abuse and I hope this case demonstrates our dedication and determination to pursue justice for anyone who has suffered like this.

“I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a similar crime to report it to us, regardless of how much time has passed, as the crime will be fully investigated, and they will get our full support.”

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A paedophile turned up at a Derbyshire railway station with a bottle of whisky and beer in a rucksack to take a 13-year-old girl he’d groomed online to some nearby woods for sex.

In a message shortly before he did, Ryan Burton told the teenager to say she was his cousin if anyone challenged them. But unbeknown to the 25-year-old, Leah, who he’d messaged continually for three weeks and badgered into meeting him, was really an undercover police officer.

Jailing him for 27 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “What you set about doing in January and February of this year was appalling, quite frankly. You did not know it was a police officer, you thought it was a 13-year-old girl.

“I am not going to repeat the disgusting things you said you were going to do to her but sometimes people say these things and never go out of their bedroom and the court can be content it is all talk. But that did not happen with you.

“You intended to meet up with what you thought was a 13-year-old girl in order, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind about this, that you will have had sexual activity with her. You arrived at the station, you had a rucksack and in it booze to ply her with but thankfully it was not a 13-year-old girl.

“I take into account your age and I take into account that you were bound to be caught and that demonstrates an element of naivety. But there is concern (from the probation service) in your pre-sentence report that you pose a high risk to female children online aged 11 to 16 in order to satisfy your sexual needs.”

Stefa Fox, prosecuting, said an undercover police officer set up a profile for the decoy, named Leah, and that “almost immediately” the defendant began chatting to her online. He said very quickly their online chat turned sexual and over the next three weeks the officer gathered 188 pages of chat logs between them.

The prosecutor said: “He asked her what school she went to and told her he was a fast food manager. He sent her a picture of his (private parts) and asked her if she liked it and if she wanted to have sex with him. The conversation continued with him saying ‘you look very young, it’s going to be fun dating you,’ and ‘can I see you nude?’.

“He said she would look cute in her school uniform and then sent her a video over Snapchat of him (touching himself sexually). Throughout their conversations he persistently tried to make plans to meet her.”

Mr Fox said the pair did arrange to meet at Alfreton railway station on February 22, this year, and he sent her messages that morning saying he would take her to some woods he knew and that if anyone saw them together she should tell them she was his cousin. He said the police confronted him at the railway station and he had a rucksack in which was a bottle of whisky, beer, food, soft drinks and a towel.

Burton, of George Street, Alfreton, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He has no previous convictions.

Mark Knowles, mitigating, said: “I asked the defendant if there was any shame and embarrassment in terms of what he told the probation service and he told me he finds it difficult to speak to people generally."

As well as the jail term, Judge Smith placed Burton on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A man who groomed and then raped a teenage girl has been jailed after his victim bravely came forward to tell police of the ordeal her attacker had subjected her to.

Richard Park, 45, had been contacting the 15-year-old girl via social media, before meeting the victim in January 2020.

While in his car in the North Tyneside area, he forced the teenager to perform a sex act on him.

The victim then contacted police to inform them of what had taken place and a full investigation was launched - in which the victim shared numerous messages with officers which Park had sent her. Following his arrest, Park denied any physical contact between himself and the victim.

He was however subsequently charged with rape of a female under 16, engaging in sexual communications with a child and child grooming. Park, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and child grooming, but not guilty to the rape charge - which he was convicted of following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

At the same court on Wednesday, May 10, he was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison.

Park was also made subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the next decade.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Karen Douglas, of Northumbria Police, said: “Park’s victim showed immense courage in coming forward to report the abuse he had put her through and we hope that his conviction helps to provide a degree of closure, enabling her to move on with her life.

“We are grateful for her and her family’s continued co-operation throughout the investigation, which has helped to put a manipulative and predatory paedophile behind bars.”

Det Con Douglas added: “Park knew his victim was underage and yet still he chose to pursue a sexual relationship with her, that is abhorrent. Not only did he groom and rape his victim, but he also then put her through the ordeal of a trial when he pleaded not guilty to the rape offence.

“Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and he is now rightfully beginning a lengthy term behind bars.”

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A convicted sex offender from Leamington who raped a woman in the backseat of his car while he filmed the assault has been jailed.

Victor Tsamo, 33, of St. Margaret's Road, Leamington, was sentenced today (May 11) at Warwick Crown Court to 13 years in prison with an extended licence period of four years following his release. He was convicted of rape and voyeurism following a trial in April 2023.

He was also sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for voyeurism and 12 months imprisonment for breach of the suspended sentence order, both to be served concurrently and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

On August 27, 2022, Tsamo befriended the woman who had been separated from her friends following a night out at a bar in Leamington.

CCTV footage from the club showed Tsamo watching the woman while she was drinking alcohol with her friends, and later following her as she left the club.

Tsamo was then seen by witnesses and captured on CCTV carrying her to his car.

He drove her to a remote location where raped her. She had no idea she had been assaulted when she awoke in the backseat of his car outside her house.

Tsamo then asked her on a date and when she refused, he told her he had just had sex with her and showed her a video of the offending.

When Tsamo was arrested, he admitted to having sex with the woman but claimed it had been consensual. He also admitted taking a video which showed him having sex with her but claimed she agreed to it.

However, the strong evidence from the woman, and the corroboration from witness statements from the victim’s friends, the staff at the nightclub, and CCTV footage saw Tsamo found guilty by the jury.

He drove her to a remote location where raped her. She had no idea she had been assaulted when she awoke in the backseat of his car outside her house.

Tsamo then asked her on a date and when she refused, he told her he had just had sex with her and showed her a video of the offending.

When Tsamo was arrested, he admitted to having sex with the woman but claimed it had been consensual. He also admitted taking a video which showed him having sex with her but claimed she agreed to it.

However, the strong evidence from the woman, and the corroboration from witness statements from the victim’s friends, the staff at the nightclub, and CCTV footage saw Tsamo found guilty by the jury.

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This pensioner twice contacted who he believed were 13-year-old girls online and engaged in explicit sexual chat with them. Derby Crown Court heard how Bryan Eaglefield told the first one he would like to kiss, cuddle and shower with her.

After being arrested and while under investigation for that offence he carried out the same perverted act with a second underage teen. But on both occasions, Summer and Olivia were actually undercover police officers.

Lesley Pidock, defending the 67-year-old father-of-two, said: He has worked all of his life in factories and was made redundant. He then began working in a care home until he retired three years ago which coincided with the national lockdown in 2020.

That was set against unhappy domestic circumstances where his marriage of the last 11 years had failed and he found himself locked in struggling with loneliness, social isolation and a failed marriage. Any friends they had were joint friends and he lost them during the split from his wife.

That is the best he can do to explain what led him into this position. He has behaved appallingly and he is incredibly ashamed. He has lost contact with everyone in his life apart from his two daughters as a result of his actions.

He now lives entirely on his own. Sam Lowne, prosecuting, said the first offence took place in February 2021.

He said an identity called Derbys M linked to Eaglefield began chatting to 13-year-old Summer online and that the conversation quickly moved to sexualised chat.

The prosecutor said: Summer was really an LEO, or law enforcement officer and the defendant started telling her her pyjamas were sexy, that he wanted pictures of her and that he would like them to kiss, cuddle and shower together and asked her what was under her dressing gown.

A warrant was executed at his then address, he was there with his wife and he was arrested and his devices were seized and analysed. He told officers I have been talking to young girls and on one Nokia phone were two indecent images.

In an interview he said it was friendly banter. Mr Lowne said while under investigation for that, in November 2022, Eaglefield, of Heanor, began talking online to Olivia, another 13-year-old girl.

He said during those chats he told her how he would like to kiss and cuddle her and shared an image of himself to her. The defendant, of Cromford Close, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

He has no previous convictions or cautions of any kind. Handing him a 14-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: I have absolutely no doubt, in your loneliness, you moved from looking at adult sites, which is not an offence, and then got yourself involved with children, which is.

The problem here is that having been detected and spoken to by the police, you did it again and that makes it a lot more serious.

As part of the suspended sentence order, Judge Smith ordered Eaglefield to attend a 45-day sex offender treatment programme and to attend 55 rehabilitation sessions. He placed him on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a sexual harm prevention order, also for 10 years. The defendant was also ordered to pay 400 towards the prosecution costs.

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A PREDATORY offender who would target schoolgirls on buses by passing them his phone number has been jailed for sexual offences.

Adetunji Akona-Dosunmo, 35, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday, May 9 after committing sex offences in Merseyside.

In April last year following a long investigation by Merseyside Police, detectives charged Akona-Dosunmo with a number of crimes which took place in Merseyside and Manchester during February and March last year.

'Passing phone number'

Detectives say that while travelling on buses he would "pass his phone number to underage girls to engage in sexual activity".

On Monday, February 6, he pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that was already in place, two counts of sexual communication with a child, and an attempt to arrange/facilitate a child sex offence.

Detective Constable Rachael Barcas, who headed the investigation, said: “We welcome this sentence given to Akona-Dosunmo as he is now behind bars and can no longer cause harm to children with his predatory offending.

“Akona-Dosunmo committed a number of offences in Merseyside and Manchester where he would travel on a bus and attempt to engage with schoolgirls wearing a school uniform by handing them notes with his telephone number and asking them to call him.

Child was aged 11

“In one instance the victim he targeted in Crosby was aged just 11, proving that he is a serious risk to children.

"Upon sentencing the judge stated that he poses significant risk of committing further offences as he has strong sexual urges or desires resulting in him planning ways to bring about contact with underage girls with the express aim of having sexual activity with them.”

Merseyside Police is committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation by Specially Trained Officers and Sexual Violence Advocates who will provide all the relevant support.

Praise for young victims

Detective Inspector Alan Nuttall added: “This investigation was complex in nature, requiring collaboration with colleagues in Greater Manchester Police.

"Detective Constable Barcas has worked tirelessly to ensure that justice has been served and I wish to take this opportunity to thank the young victims in the case for coming forward and providing the evidence required to ensure that this individual is appropriately punished.

“We have specialist officers who are dedicated to investigating these crimes, bringing those responsible before the courts and ultimately protecting young people from unimaginable suffering.

“I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

Akona-Dosunmo, of no fixed address but formerly from Salford, was also issued an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A convicted sex offender failed to sign on at the police station – claiming he’d gone down with a migraine after taking a blow to the head from a tyre lever.

Jordan McDonagh, 26, was jailed in 2017 for 40 months after embarking on a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl.

He was subsequently recalled to prison on licence and given further jail time for breaching sex offender notification requirements in 2021.

On Tuesday (May 9), Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard that McDonagh was released from prison on licence in 2022 and put up in a bail hostel in Milton Keynes.

Having returned to Oxford, he was placed in ‘various hotels by probation’, his advocate Nadine Colyer said.

He ‘mistakenly’ thought that, having spoken to the probation service, this would mean that he would no longer be registered at the Milton Keynes premises that had previously been his address registered with the police.

As a result, he failed to register his new addresses with the police within three days of moving – a requirement of all registered sex offenders.

Now homeless and living in a tent in Cowley, he is required to register his details at the police station every seven days.

He was meant to sign on at the police station in late March, but turned up a day late.

Defending, Ms Colyer said: “He had been at work on March 24, he’d been hit on his head by a tyre lever and this caused him a migraine.

“As a result, he finished work early on March 25 and took the following day off.”

She said McDonagh accepted that his injury did not prevent him from reaching the police station that day.

“He is currently living in a tent in a nature reserve in Cowley. His public protection officer is fully aware of his whereabouts,” Ms Colyer added.

McDonagh was working part-time as a tyre-fitter, with hopes of being taken on full-time. With more hours, he would be able to obtain somewhere to live.

The defendant admitted breaching his sex offender notification requirements. The magistrates declined to deal with the matter there and then, bailing McDonagh and ordering a pre-sentence report from the probation service.

He will be sentenced on June 6.

The offence to which he has pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment when dealt with at the crown court.