Latest Offenders

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A Norfolk runner who admitted indecent images offences took close-up pictures of girls wearing tight shorts at running and gymnastics events.

David Murrell, 46, a former member of a Norwich-based running club was found to have downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children.

Norwich Crown Court heard as well as downloading images from the internet Murrell also took pictures of children himself at running and gymnastics events.

Chris Youell, prosecuting, said pictures taken by the defendant of real girls at running events in June and August 2019, included girls wearing "skin tight running shorts and sports bra".

Murrell also took pictures of girls at gymnastics events in December 2019 with the images showing "close ups of genital areas".

The court heard pictures of the children were found in a "concealed" folder on his phone that were in part of a secret app which needed a PIN number to get into it.

Mr Youell said Murrell was caught by police after a category B indecent image of a child uploaded by the defendant led to officers executing a search warrant at his home in July 2020.

Devices, including a mobile phone and hard drive were recovered and searched, and found to contain indecent images of children.

He was found to have downloaded and taken indecent images of children over a three-year period between 2017 and 2020.

Some of the images were category A, the most serious, but there were also category B and C images found.

These included 501 category C images, 424 of which were downloaded from the internet and 77 of them taken by the defendant, of which some were duplicates.

Also recovered by police were chats the defendant had with others online, including one where he talked about "sexually abusing children".

Mr Youell said: "There clearly was in the background of his life something where he was fantasising about young children and young girls.

"He was talking about it on the internet and taking pictures and downloading images."

Murrell, of Camperdown in Great Yarmouth, appeared at court on Thursday (April 28) after having admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child and one count of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He also previously pleaded guilty to six counts of taking indecent photos of a child.

The mother of one of the children who had pictures taken of her read out a victim impact statement in which she described the knock at the door from police.

She said it was something she would "never forget" and felt "as if her world had stopped".

The woman said: "It's something I don't think I will truly ever get over."

She also described to the court the "confusion", and "sheer terror" as well as "disbelief and disgust" she had felt.

The woman added she lies awake at night "worrying about what might have happened if he hadn't been caught".

The father of another victim in the case described the "dismay" about what had happened and he felt and hoped Murrell would get the help he needed.

Damien Moore, mitigating, said nothing he could say could "repair the damage Mr Murrell has caused".

Mr Moore said Murrell wanted to apologise to the parents of the children involved and the children themselves.

He said the defendant was "a completely broken man" who has "lost everything" and was going to have to live the rest of his life with the "shame and embarrassment" of the offences he had committed.

Mr Moore said Murrell was "at rock bottom" after having taken a "self-destructive path" and was in need of help and rehabilitation.

He said the defendant "knows he has to be punished and is ready to be punished" but urged the court to consider a non-custodial sentence.

Judge Katharine Moore adjourned sentencing until Wednesday, May 4 but warned Murrell "the custody threshold had been crossed by a country mile".

Judge Moore remanded him in custody until next week due to concerns about his welfare.

It's understood Murrell was a member of the Norfolk Gazelles running club but that he was no longer permitted to be a member when the allegations emerged.

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A crossdresser exposed himself to a teenager before targeting other young ladies outside a college near from his home in Swindon, a court heard.

Andrew Keen, 41, was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court yesterday (27 April), after admitting an indecent exposure offence and two charges of causing harassment, alarm or distress.

Prosecutor Kate Prince said the defendant, of Clanfield Road, Park North, approached a lone 17-year-old girl just 250 metres from his address and asked her for the time on 26 September last year.

But things turned odd when Keen who was wearing womens clothing asked if he could have her top and bottoms for a charity. She declined, and he went on to ask if she could sign his skirt.

After bending down to sign his skirt with a lipstick he provided, he lifted his top and showed her his genitals which were poking out of his skirts waistband.

Shocked, confused and scared, she agreed to his second request for her to have a photograph with him, which she took on her own mobile phone. He asked if he could put this arm around her, but she said no.

The next day, Keen ventured out again this time targeting a 16-year-old girl outside New College.

He asked her: Will you take your clothes off so I can have them?, claiming it was for charity, before asking her for her phone number. The victim called the police to report the encounter.

On 28 September, he accosted a 17-year-old girl as she got off the bus on Queens Drive, near New College. He asked her for the time before asking if he could borrow her clothes for charity. He went on to request that she takes her clothing off.

Worried about his behaviour, she ran into the college and reported the incident. In a statement to police, she said she is now scared and anxious about going to college.

Mr Prince said the defendant was identified by the photograph the initial victim was asked to take on her own mobile phone.

Defending, Sam Arif described her client as a loner, who was struggling with his sexuality. She said older generations of his family could not accept it.

She added that Keen saw the approaches as opportunities to talk to young women who he believed would be more open to his sexuality.

Ms Arif said he stopped offending as soon as she was spoken to by the police, who were investigating the spate of concerning incidents.

She said Keen has a myriad of issues and learned about things via the internet, rather than via the appropriate channels. She added that he has found it difficult to deal with his family situation and with who he wants to be.

Ms Arif said his crimes could have been worse claiming they were very short encounters.

Chief magistrate Martin Clarke told the defendant that the bench was considering sending him to prison for his crimes.

Weve been thinking long and hard about what to do with you.

Whats worrying here is that you deliberately target certain young females, these are young girls, young ladies, very young.

One of them has actually said she was shocked and confused, she didnt have a clue what you were talking about. Thats worrying Mr Keen.

Our range is from a community penalty to sending you to prison today, thats how serious this is serious.

Mr Clarke imposed a 24-month community order and banned Keen from going near both New College sites for 12 months which will be monitored by a GPS tag.

He must also complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 200 hours of unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.

Talking about the order as a whole, Mr Clarke added: If you break that and end up in that area, you could be going out that back door instead of the front door.

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A Mansfield paedophile who sexually abused an underage girl and ruined her childhood, left her paralysed by fear and haunted by hallucinations afterwards, a court has heard.

Sarel Van Der Merwe, aged 41, of Carter Lane, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, and two charges of causing a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Van Der Merwe told police the abuse happened on three occasions, prosecutor Ian West said, shortly after his victim told her teacher she had been abused.

Nottingham Crown Court was told on Wednesday how he kissed and sucked her breasts, touched her vagina and got her to masturbate him to ejaculation.

In a statement, the victim's mother said unexpected things can trigger flashbacks and described her daughter seeing him as a black figure in crowded places.

On one occasion the girl cried out: It's there, it's there it's coming for me.

She said her daughters fear was so strong she was paralysed. And because she kept seeing black figures in the mirror, we have had to take down all the mirrors in the house.

The court heard Van Der Merwes victim has since tried to harm herself and once locked herself in the bathroom with a knife.

She mainly stresses about being gotten by him, the girls mother said. She is physically exhausted by the whole experience. This has ruined her childhood.

Gregor Purcell, mitigating, said Van Der Merwe, of previous good character, made admissions from the start.

He knows he should never have behaved in the way he did. There is nothing he can do to put right what he has done wrong here."

Mr Purcell said Van Der Merwe has sought assistance for his offending with 'offence-focused work' which will hopefully reduce the risk he will present.

Judge Gregory Dickinson QC, the Recorder of Nottingham, told him: "This is serious sexual abuse. You used her as a sexual plaything.

"It has ruined her childhood. In some ways this will stay with her to the end of her life."

He jailed Van de Merwe for four years and eight months and imposed a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Detective Constable Kate Waters, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: Van Der Merwe has now been jailed for his crimes and I hope it brings some closure both for the victim, who showed a huge amount of courage in coming forward to report what had been happening to her, and for her family, who have also been impacted by his offending.

I hope this case serves as a reminder to other victims of sexual assault that even if incidents happened some time ago, if you speak to us and report it, we will listen to you and carry out a full investigation to do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.

We would urge anyone with any concerns to speak to an officer, or call 101, to have a chat and report any incidents of sexual abuse.

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Carol Ann White's twisted sexual abuse was revealed after police discovered she had been texting a boy in lockdown.

A teacher who molested two schoolboys in a campaign of twisted sexual abuse is facing jail.

Carol Ann White, 39, abused both youngsters while employed in two different Lanarkshire primary schools.

A police investigation was launched when it was discovered she had been texting a 12-year-old boy during the first Covid-19 lockdown.

Phones belonging to the pair were analysed and a total of 1,185 messages had been exchanged over a three-week period.

White asked him to touch himself intimately on FaceTime, sent revealing photos of herself and sent one photo captioned 'Cockblock of the year goes to Covid-19'.

In later interviews with police, the boy revealed he had been kissed 50 times by her on the lips during a school trip to an outdoor activity centre near Oban, Argyll.

He also said White had groped him while watching the film Titanic and had also forced his hand down the front of her trousers.

The probe led police to an 11-year-old boy who said White had kissed him on the lips in a school store cupboard.

In a series of interviews with officers, the boy revealed White had held his head against her groin and rubbed him with her breasts.

White, of Uddingston, Lanarkshire, had denied two charges of engaging in sexual activity with the boys spanning between August 2018 and May 2020.

But jurors took just over an hour to find her guilty following a seven-day trial at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

After the verdict, it was revealed first offender White had earlier pled guilty to possessing eight indecent images of the 12-year-old boy.

A text sent by White to the boy after one image was sent read: "You clearly don't need me to help, someone else has must have made you horny."

In a video shown to jurors, the 12-year-old boy said: "Miss White said if you touch me I will touch you and then grabbed my hand and put it down her trousers. It happened once."

The 11-year-old boy told how he had been targeted after a discussion about White and her love for Celtic FC.

He said: "She was manipulative. I thought she was a good person who would do nothing wrong but you can't judge a book by its cover.

"We were talking about football because she is a big Celtic fan and the kiss just happened.

"For the last year I've felt like I had to protect her because I thought she was this nice person but she really wasn't.

"If you were Miss White's teacher's pet then she would favour you. It felt quite good. Looking back I feel disgusted."

In evidence, White broke down as she repeatedly denied the allegations against her.

She said: "My reaction is that they are absolutely not true, not any of it.

"I was a very hard working, nurturing, caring teacher for all children. I don't know why they would say this about me."

Prosecutors had urged jurors to convict White.

Depute fiscal Kevin Jarvis said: "By day she was a respectable teacher, by night she was discussing sexual innuendos with a 12-year-old pupil before reverting back to a respectable adult again.

"She was the master of deceit."

After the verdict, Graham Robertson, defence advocate, said: "She has been convicted of the most serious of matters."

Sheriff Morag Shankland deferred sentence on White, who no longer works in education, until June for reports and continued bail.

White, who sobbed uncontrollably after the verdict, was also placed on the sex offenders' register.

The sheriff told jurors the case had been 'difficult' and 'distressing' and excused them from jury service for the next five years.

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A paedophile plied his victim with Apple Sourz and and filmed himself raping her on a number of occasions. The abuse left the victim feeling like she "wanted to die".

Michael Tustin, 33, from Cardiff, began abusing his victim before she was a teenager and forced her to drink alcohol until she was intoxicated. The first time it happened she fell asleep and woke up in a confused state before being sexually touched and then raped.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks told Cardiff Crown Court that the victim, who has lifelong anonymity, blamed herself for the abuse, and Tustin would frequently apologise and say he would stop - but days later he would tell the victim he "missed her" and the abuse would continue. Over time, the victim drink more and more alcohol so she would not remember being raped and she shut herself off from her family.

The abuse came to light after the victim told her mother what had been going on and the police were called. Tustin was arrested and interviewed - but claimed it was the child who had initiated sexual contact before he denied having sexual intercourse with her.

However, examination of his phone resulted in videos and images of the victim being discovered - with some depicting Tustin raping the girl. Indecent images of other children were also found. The defendant, of Ninian Road, Roath, later pleaded guilty to rape. He also pleaded guilty to sexual touching of a girl under 13 and possession of indecent images.

In a victim personal statement, the victim's mother said her daughter was a "complete mess" as a result of the abuse and was struggling to sleep. She had previously been a high achieving school pupil with good attendance but this has been massively affected.

Her mum added: "I am worried about her education and future. She feels she doesn't want to live anymore and says she doesn't see the point in life. She feels (the defendant) is there watching her and feels he is breathing on her. She locks herself in her bedroom and has anxiety attacks and feels like she wants to die."

In mitigation, Ieuan Rees said his client was of previous good character and had a responsible job but has ruined his life as a result of his actions. He said the defendant was aware of the harm he had caused and had "voluntarily" reached out to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to seek help for his issues.

Judge David Wynn Morgan admonished Tustin after he became emotional in the dock, saying "Sit up, the court does not feel sorry for you." The judge then added: "You have created and caused severe psychological harm to the complainant.... You subjected her to this course of conduct and her remarks in interview to the effect she feels guilty about it because she thinks she might have been able to stop it which she probably wasn't..... She's not responsible for any of that, you are."

Tustin was given an extended sentence of 18 years imprisonment, made up of a custodial element of 12 years and a further six years on licence. He will serve two thirds of the custodial sentence before he is considered for parole.

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A man who sexually abused a young girl in Cheshire in the 1990s has been jailed. Gerard King, of Bury, previously lived in the Wilmslow area and Chester Crown Court heard how he systematically abused the victim for three years.

The victim had previously reported the offences to professional agencies on several occasions. But she had 'never received the support' to take the case further - but eventually came forward again to police in 2020.

A detective constable at Cheshire Police stated that King put her through 'horrifying' experiences. King also made the victim recall the events during a 'distressing' trial.

Detective Constable Lee Ferris, who led the investigation said: Firstly, I would like to recognise the bravery and determination that the victim has shown throughout this investigation. She had previously reported the offences, on several occasions, to numerous professional agencies, but had never built up the courage or received the support she needed to take the case further.

When she came forward to police in 2020 we provided her with the specialist help and support she need to ensure that she was able to tell her story. What King put her through was truly horrifying, he systematically abused her over a three year period in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

Not only that, but he also made her endure a trial and recount what he had done, which was extremely distressing. But thanks to her courage, he is now facing the consequences of his actions.

"The sentence handed to King reflects the severity of his crime and I hope that his conviction will encourage other victims to come forward. As this case demonstrates, we treat all reports of historic sexual offences seriously and we will always do our best to ensure offenders are brought to justice.

King was found guilty of one count of rape of a child and seven counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 following a five day trial at Chester Crown Court, which concluded on Monday (April 25).

The 59-year-old returned to court the following day (April 26) where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus one year on extended licence. King was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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A "devious" sex offender was branded a "danger to children" after being found with indecent images for the fourth time. Tristan Richard Hughes, of Henllan in Denbigh, is again behind bars after he was found with a stash of images of young girls.

The 32-year-old was charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order. He was also charged with making and distributing indecent images of children.

It came after his family had told police he was hiding secret devices. At Mold Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Niclas Parry jailed him for three years.

Prosecuting, Jemma Gordan, told the court how Hughes, who has been diagnosed with autism, is currently under the eye of the authorities through a sexual harm prevention order. This bans him, amongst other requirements, from having access to electronic devices that they do not know about.

The court heard how, in November 2021, North Wales Police were contacted by Hughes' own sister to state that her brother wasn't following the terms of the order. When police officers came to Hughes' home address in Denbigh the same day, they were met by his sister who said that Hughes had disclosed to her that he had a phone and a laptop the authorities did not know about.

When he was later interviewed, he admitted to breaching the order by having the devices. However, he maintained that police would not find anything on the computers that breached his order.

Ms Gordan said that the laptop and mobile phone were then forensically analysed and his lies were soon exposed. Both were found to contain dozens of indecent images of young girls, roughly aged between the ages of seven and 12.

Previously, Hughes had been handed a suspended sentence in 2013 for making and possessing indecent images of children. However, in November 2015, he was jailed for 21 months after the then Llandrillo College student was found with more indecent images on his mobile phones.

His last court appearance, the prosecutor said, came in October 2020. Hughes was dealt with for a further charge relating to creating indecent images and was handed a two year suspended sentence.

The defence, Simon Kileen, said that Hughes is "terrified" at the prospect of returning to jail, having already served a sentence behind bars. However, he and his family understand that there would be "absolutely no alternative" for the judge.

Mr Kileen also told the court how Hughes' autism diagnosis plays a "major role" in his day-to-day thinking as well as the actions he chooses to take. He submitted that this was a factor the judge should account for when sentencing.

Judge Parry, passing a sentence of three years in total, branded Hughes a "devious" offender who was "a danger to children". He was said to have wasted the "remarkable opportunities" that the court afforded him.

The judge said: "Quite simply, you have run out of chances. You are devious and you will lie to your family and those who want to help you - all because of this desire that you have to satisfy your admitted attraction to young children.

"It is to your family's credit that they saw the danger and alerted the authorities. They didn't do that to get you in trouble, they did that to stop you from getting yourself into further trouble down the line."

The judge ordered that the existing sexual harm prevention order, which will run up to 2030 at present, should remain in place. His secret devices were ordered to be destroyed.

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A Forfar child sex offender was snared by a paedophile-hunter who pretended to be a 13-year-old girl.

Antony O’Hare, 53, had indecent images of children on his Samsung phone, as well as engaging in sexual conversations with what he believed – and had been told – was a young teenage girl.

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AN MAN convicted of sexually assaulting two underage girls in Ardrossan has been jailed for four months.

Ben Anderson was found guilty of five charges following a trial in February and the 23-year-old appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week for sentencing.

Anderson, of Macadam Place, Ayr sexually assaulted a young female, who was then aged 12, at an address in Clyde Terrace, Ardrossan, on July 16, 2021 by holding her hand and cuddling her.

He also repeatedly made sexual remarks towards her and the court found that this offence was committed intentionally and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming the girl.

At the same address and on the same date, Anderson assaulted a 14-year-old girl by preventing her from leaving a room within the home and threatening her with violence.

He was also found to have sexually assaulted her by touching her face, attempting to kiss her on the neck, placing his arms around her and touching her buttocks.

A further guilty charge followed for communicating indecently with the 14-year-old by repeatedly making sexual remarks towards her.

Finally, Anderson was convicted of acting in an aggressive manner, shouting and swearing at the two girls and another, aged 13.

A not guilty verdict was returned for a charge of breaching a bail order granted in March 2021 which required Anderson to remain within his home each day between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

Defence solicitor Ian Gillies told Thursday’s hearing that his client had ten months left of a separate prison sentence for assault in Ayr, having been in custody since October last year.

Sheriff Sheena Fraser said her sentencing options were “limited somewhat”, but said Anderson “presents a high risk of reoffending”.

Mr Gillies told the court: “There was some alcohol involved so his memory of what happened may not be the best.

“For someone of his age and with his difficulties I would be asking your lordship not to extend his time in custody.

“He is quite keen to get his head down, get this matter resolved and get back into the community.”

Sheriff Fraser said: “You were found guilty of sexual offences involving young children, offences which clearly caused them significant distress.

“In the circumstances I consider a custodial sentence is the only appropriate sentence here.”

Anderson was sentenced to four months in prison. He will also be subject to the sexual offender notification requirements for seven years.

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A sex offender who assaulted a woman while she was incapacitated by her medication has failed to overturn the prison sentence handed to them after admitting to the crime.

Gender-fluid Laura Miller was jailed for 23 months for sexually assaulting their victim, who was incapable of consenting, on several occasions.

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Josh Stratford, 24, of Streetly, was caught out after police investigators picked up intelligence that photographs had been transmitted via online picture transfer website Dropbox.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that following a search of the defendant's home 158 category A images (the worst); 266 category B images and 758 category C images were discovered on some of the defendant's electronic devices. The collection included images of a female as young as four.

Prosecuting barrister Miss Amanda O'Mara said the defendant failed to hand over pass codes for four other devices and made "no comment" in his police interviews, but the officers estimated that he accessed 141,000 other images using the dark web and private networks over a four-year period.

The veterinary student, of Inglewood Grove, Streetly, in Walsall, previously pleaded guilty to three counts relating to possessing indecent photographs on May 18 last year.

Mitigating barrister Mr Callum Church said: "It is thoroughly unacceptable and there is no justification or explanation."

He added that Stratford had since attended courses with child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Recorder Abigail Nixon told him his behaviour had been "perverted". She added: "This will affect your future and the rest of your life."

She sentenced him to eight months in jail, suspended for 12 months. He must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, attend up to 35 activity days to address mental health issues, and pay costs of 425 within three months. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A Kirklees man has been given a 23-year extended sentence after pleading guilty to a series of serious sex offences against young victims.

Wayne Tracey, 37, from Huddersfield was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Monday, April 25 after admitting a total of seven sex offences, including multiple rapes, in the Kirklees area.

His offending was described as truly dreadful by Kirklees Police officers following the conclusion of the case.

Tracey pleaded guilty to four offences of rape, two sexual assaults and inciting a young girl to engage in sexual activity. The offending took place against two young female victims between 2015 to 2020 in the Huddersfield area.

The 37-year-old was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison with an extra six years on licence, resulting in a 23-year-extended sentence. He will also have to sign on the child sex offenders register.

DS Talha Laher, of Kirklees District Police, said: We welcome the strong sentence given to Tracey for what was a truly dreadful set of serious sexual offences committed against two young victims. He clearly poses a danger to young females and this gravity of his offending is reflected in the length of the criminal sentence he has been given.

"The victims and their families have shown great courage in reporting these wicked offences and I want to thank them for coming to us, supporting the prosecution, and in helping us take this man off the streets. Victims can be assured that specialist officers will always listen and fully investigate any reports of sexual offending and we continue to urge victims to come forwards.

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A CONVICTED rapist has been jailed after he subjected a young girl to horrific abuse in a separate case.

Paedophile Gad Evans, 55, from Newport, has been locked up for nine years following his guilty pleas to a raft of offences.

They were committed in Caerphilly county between 2007 and 2011.

He also admitted five counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Jeffrey Jones, representing Evans, asked for his client to be given credit for his guilty pleas.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told the defendant he would have to serve two-thirds of his nine-year sentence in prison.

Evans must register as a sex offender indefinitely and was banned from working with children for life.

Following sentence, Detective Constable Alison Perry, the officer in the case, said: We would not have been able to bring Gad Evans before the courts to face justice without the courageous testimony of his victim.

The bravery and resilience that she has shown throughout the investigation has been truly inspirational.

Taking the first step to speak out about the horrific abuse they have endured is hard and we understand that is can be difficult for victims to make that initial call.

We take all allegations of sexual assault, particularly against children, very seriously.

"If a report is made to us, our officers will investigate them thoroughly.

I want to reassure anyone considering doing so that there is a whole range of support out there; not only from Gwent Police but from partner agencies who can help you through the entire process.

There are support services available for victims of sexual abuse, both non-recent and current and for both adults and children.

"This help is also accessible to all genders.

Sexual abuse can be reported to us via 101, or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A MAN responsible for, a catalogue of depravity has received a 25-year extended prison sentence for the prolonged sexual abuse of two boys.

Darren John Wood subjected the victims to dreadful and awful ordeals to satisfy his lust, while heavily intoxicated.

Durham Crown Court heard the abuse left his victims traumatised, leading to at least one self-harming and suffering addiction problems, with the psychological effects persisting into adulthood for both.

The, now 48-year-old defendant, of Saxon Green, Escomb, near Bishop Auckland, was accused of a total of 14 serious sexual assaults, including oral and anal rapes of the boys.

He claimed the offences never took place and maintained those denials at his trial earlier this year.

But, on the sixth day of the hearing, following lengthy deliberation, the jury returned guilty verdicts on all 14 charges.

Wood was remanded in custody pending preparation of a background report on him by the Probation Service, as well as to enable victim statements to be gathered from the victims.

Those statements were read to the court, relating the psychological impact both victims have suffered since the offences were committed.

Andrew Finlay, in mitigation, told the court that his client, has not come to terms with the jurys verdicts, but added that he would comply with the extensive programme of rehabilitative work planned for him in custody.

Mr Finlay said: It may help him come to terms with the outcome of the case.

He added that the defendant has no previous convictions for, offences of this magnitude, nor of this nature.

Judge James Adkin told Wood he was convicted of what was, a catalogue of depravity, causing, significant impact to both victims.

The judge said although he has no past convictions of a sexual nature, the offences he previously committed showed, a capacity to commit violence and intimidation."

He said he was satisfied the defendant poses a significant risk of committing further specified serious offences.

Judge Adkin, therefore, made him subject to an extended determinate sentence of 25 years in custody, with a five-year licence period upon his release.

Wood must serve at last 16-and-a-half years behind bars before he can be considered for parole but may have to spend the full 25 years in custody.

He was also made subject of registration as a sex offender and the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for life.

Lifetime restraining orders were also put in place preventing future contact or approaches to his victims.

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Four men, including two from Bath and one from Radstock, have been convicted of child sex offences following a five-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

On Tuesday 19th April, the four men were sentenced over a total of 45 offences which took place between 1996 and 2003.

Their crimes were committed against two girls between the ages of seven and 15.

The convictions follow a police investigation which began in 2016 following a disclosure by one of the victims.

The subsequent enquiries led officers to conduct numerous enquiries throughout the UK and the review of significant amounts of historical records held by social care, education establishments, digital media, previous investigations and complaints to other forces.

Grant McGill, 41, of Radstock, was jailed for 16 years for 35 offences of indecent assault and indecency with a child. He was handed a further eight-week sentence after absconding during the trial.

Brian Parker, 48, of Wrexham, was convicted of eight offences of indecent assault, indecency with a child and possession of indecent images of children. He was handed a nine-year jail term with an extended licence period of three years.

Derek McBride, 62, of Lansdown, Bath, was jailed for two years and six months for four offences of indecency with a child and indecent assault. Having admitted the offences in interview, he received a reduction in sentence for his early guilty plea.

Tim Dale, 42, of Twerton, Bath, was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, for two offences of indecent assault.

Lead investigating officer Detective Sergeant Neil Wood said: These men acted independently of each other but all identified and took advantage of two young girls who were extremely vulnerable because of their age and personal circumstances. Their offending was predatory and abhorrent.

The two victims have shown immense patience with what has been a long and complex investigation and demonstrated significant bravery both in disclosing what had happened and giving evidence in court.

These sentences reflect the seriousness of the offences they committed, but also the significant and long lasting impact that it has had on these survivors.

Victim Impact Statements from both women were read to the court.

One addressed the effect that it had had on her, saying: If I see men with children I feel certain those children are being hurt and I feel powerless to stop it. If I hear children crying from another house, my imagination goes through the roof.

She thanked the jury for hearing me and helping me begin this road to recovery.

The second woman told the men: What you have done will never be okay, it will never be fixed. This isnt something that sorry makes all better.

Our lives are forever impacted by your actions and your choices toward us. I can only be thankful that you cant hurt anyone now and I hope that this experience and outcome has taught you something valuable that your actions have consequences and you have no control over us. We are now stronger than we have ever been.

In sentencing, His Honour Judge Mark Horton commented that the men had all targeted young girls who they knew to be vulnerable and unlikely to report the abuse or get support from anyone who should have been there to protect them.

He said both women would be living with lifelong feelings of betrayal.

He found Parker to be a dangerous offender who was predatory, calculated and manipulative and had shown no remorse whatsoever.

Finding him to pose a significant risk of physical, sexual and emotional harm to young people, he directed that he should not be released from prison until assessed by a parole board as no longer being a risk.

HHJ Horton also commended DS Wood for his dedication and exceptional contribution to a complex investigation.

If you have been affected by sexual abuse or know someone who has, you can find out how to report it on the dedicated information page on the Avon and Somerset Police website.

If you would prefer not to speak to officers, the page also has details of support organisations that you can contact in confidence who will provide help and support.