Latest Offenders

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A RAPIST who sexually assaulted a woman as they watched a war film together on Netflix has been jailed.

Sebastian Smith, 26, from Brynmawr, pinned his victim down on a bed and ignored her cries as she begged him to stop attacking her. 

After he raped her the defendant pleaded with the woman not to report to the police what he’d done to her. 

 During Smith’s trial, John Ryan, prosecuting, said the victim told her attacker: “I feel sick to the stomach. I told you to stop.”

Jurors were told the defendant replied: “I done wrong. I really hate myself.

“Please don’t go the police. I’m begging you. I’m shaking like a leaf. I’m dying here myself.”

Smith, of George Street, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by penetration.

He had denied both charges against him.

When Smith was arrested and questioned in 2020 he gave police a prepared statement in which he said he and the woman had intercourse consensually.

He said that it was she who had started kissing him and initiated sexual contact between them.

Giving evidence in his defence at his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Smith was asked by his barrister Jenny Yeo to tell the jury what happened.

He told them: “We were play fighting and kissing.

“She then put her hands on me between my legs.”

Smith said he had put his penis inside her but she had told him, “No”.

The defendant insisted: “As soon as she said no I went straight out.”

Mr Ryan played a recording of the 999 call the woman had made to the police following the two assaults.

She told the emergency services operator: “I went to his house to watch a film.

“He put his hand down my trousers.

“I told him to stop it.”

The victim added: “I did touch him and said to him, ‘How would you like it if I touched you?’

“I told him I didn’t want to do it.

“He pinned me down on the bed and pulled down my trousers.”

Smith was jailed for five years and five months and has to register as a sex offender for life. 

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A SEX offender who was prohibited by a court from looking through people's windows has been back in court after entering a woman's house uninvited.

The Leader reported earlier this year how Gabriel Olah, then of Fairfield Road in Queensferry, had been seen on CCTV footage performing a sex act on himself "outside a domestic property" when a party was happening inside.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told Wrexham Magistrates Court in March that the defendant "purposefully" carried out the sex act outside the residence and made him the subject of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

He was prohibited from undertaking a number of behaviours for the duration of that order, including; looking through any window of any private dwelling, entering or remaining on any premises that are not his own without the permission of the occupier (including the driveway and garden), approaching or seeking to approach any female or communicate any sexual remarks with a view to furthering sexual contact including gestures.

Olah, now aged 32 and of Church Street in Flint, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentence after being convicted of breaching a sexual risk order / risk of sexual harm order, which took place in Flint last month.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, told the court that the latest offence arose when a Flint woman was sitting in her living room watching TV and she saw a shadow at her window. 

 There was a ring at her front door and when she went to see who it was she found it open with a man standing there.

She told the man to shut the door, and he stepped in - closing it behind him.

The woman didn't understand what he was doing, as she hadn't asked him in.

He appeared to have been drinking and introduced himself as Gabriel.

He asked the woman if she was married, then asked if she was 'happily' married - to which she said she was.

He left, asking her not to call the police.

Mr Espie said the woman wasn't concerned initially, but she posted about the incident on Facebook to let other people know and was sent a news article about a male who was "sent to prison for looking in windows and doing lewd acts."

Ceri Lewis, defending, said Olah had been to a friend's house on the day of the offence and had consumed a large amount of alcohol. 

 He had become "disorientated" on his way home, she said, and approached the woman's property when he saw the light on.

She added: "He has very little recollection of the conversation, but he is extremely remorseful.

"He is aware it is a serious breach."

Ceri Lewis, chair of the bench, handed down a 26-week custodial sentence, but suspended it for 24 months.

Olah must complete the Horizons sex offender treatment programme and has been made subject to a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.

He must also pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. 

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Andrew Herbert pleaded guilty to ten counts of indecent assault on young girls in the early 1970s.

A man who sexually abused two young girls in Bristol 50 years ago when he was a teenager has been ordered to pay them £25,000 compensation each.

But Andrew Herbert, now 67 and living in Herefordshire, was not sent to prison after pleading guilty to ten counts of indecent assault - after the judge in the case said the law required him to sentence him according to what the law and sentencing rules were at the time. One of the women he abused when she was a girl has bravely waived her right to anonymity and spoken out about her ordeal.

Sentencing at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday, November 4) His Honour Judge Julian Lambert said that, if Herbert had committed the offences now, he would be facing a lengthy prison sentence, but because the sentencing powers back in the early 1970s were not as strong, he could only be sent to prison for a matter of weeks.

Instead, the judge ordered Herbert be the subject of a community order lasting for two years, with a requirement to undertake rehabilitation activity for 50 days with sex offender treatment work. He was also ordered to observe a curfew to remain at home between 9pm and 6am every day for the next 18 months - enforced by an electronic tag.

Herbert was also ordered to do unpaid work in a community service order of 225 hours, and ordered to pay £25,000 to each of the victims in the case, to be paid within 12 months.

The judge told Herbert that the victims in the case had suffered 'lifelong oppression', which was at the forefront of his mind when sentencing him. "The repressed voices of children have now resonated through half a century of suffering and turmoil," Judge Lambert told him.

"The cruel, criminal abuse of the young is now revealed through the mists of time. It is to be remembered that you were a child yourself at the time of the offending. I recognise your own harrowing background, but you are the perpetrator in this, not the victim. You need to banish any element of self-pity and any possible victim blaming. You were considerably older than your victims and perfectly well able to distinguish right from wrong," he added.

The judge explained to the court that, back in 1970, no court could impose a prison sentence on a person under 17, but only order them to be 'detained' in a detention centre - and the maximum detention for a 15-year-old was just three months.

"With an artificially limited sentence and a requirement to give credit for (guilty) plea there would have been a release in custody within weeks," Judge Lambert said. "Whatever sentence I pass will seem hollow to the victims of the offences.

"I do not believe I can now send you to custody...These were however very serious offences with the most severe effects. I impose the least sentence commensurate with the seriousness of the offences," he added.

The court had heard Herbert was also charged with two counts of rape, which he denied. He was cleared by a jury trial of one count and the jury failed to reach a verdict in the other, and the CPS said it would not pursue this charge. He had pleaded guilty to ten other counts of indecent assault, which were prosecuted under different laws in force at the time, back between 1970 and 1972.

The case came to light in 2020 when one of the victims, Liz Roberts, reported to police what he did to her as an eight-year-old girl. After the trial and sentencing, she waived her right to anonymity to speak out about the case. She urged others to come forward to report abuse they are suffering, or have suffered.

"I waited 50 years to tell my story as I didn’t think anyone would care about what happened. That clearly isn't true and I only wish I’d reported it sooner," she said. "There have of course been times when it has brought the trauma of what he did back, and I still have a long way to go in my recovery journey, but I have no regrets.

“People like Andrew get away with it by passing their guilt and shame on to those they are meant to be protecting and literally hiding in plain sight. There is support out there and people will help whether you want offences investigated or not.

“Justice comes in many forms. Feeling the care and support of everyone around me means that I can now hold my head high – that is the best kind of justice," she added.

She praised the people who have supported her since the first day she reported what happened to her all those years ago. "From the moment I reported Andrew, I have been fully supported through the investigation and right through to the court process. This support hasn’t just been from the police but also from Safe Link, who allocated an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) to me and charities such as SARSAS (Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Assault Support) which provided free essential counselling support. They have held my hand every step of the way both physically and metaphorically and have done everything they can to ease the process for me."

The court heard emotional impact statements from both the victims in the case, who described lifelong psychological impacts of the abuse they suffered at such a young age. Both victims told the court they struggled to build relationships and suffered serious mental health effects that have lasted decades. 

The investigating officer in the case was PC Becky Norton, from Avon and Somerset police. “Andrew Herbert’s actions have had a lifelong impact on both his victims. He claimed to have experienced a tsunami of shame but that is absolutely nothing compared to what they have gone through, for they have spent the past five decades living with the trauma he inflicted on them.

“They both deserve immense credit for standing up to him in court and telling the judge exactly how deeply his abuse has affected them," she added.

Det Supt Lisa Simpson, the force's lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Assault, said: “What Liz Roberts is doing now, in waiving her anonymity, is nothing short of remarkable. Together, with our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service, we’re working hard to hold offenders to account for the vile offences they have committed and, with the help of third sector partners such as SafeLink, The Bridge and SARSAS to making sure they are ok and helping them recover from the trauma they’ve endured.”

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 A shamed former SNP councillor is behind bars after being convicted of grooming and abusing six teenage boys.

Mark Kerr preyed on victims including attempting to rape one at his home in Croy, Lanarkshire. The 40 year-old struck mostly before he was elected as a councillor in 2017 for the Kilsyth ward.

But, he went on to grope the final victim at a food bank in the village in May 2020. Kerr was eventually arrested following a police probe into the abuse.

He denied the accusations during a near two-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Kerr said he was the victim of a vendetta which saw him hounded out of his home of 32 years and wrecked his political career.

In often graphic detail, he insisted he was physically unable to do some of what was alleged claiming he was "a 40 year-old virgin". But, prosecutors said he was a "predator - hiding in plain sight".

Kerr was today found guilty of a total of nine charges spanning between December 2010 and May 2020. The crimes were the attempted rape as well as sex offences against the five other male victims.

He was found not proven of raping one and not guilty for a separate sexual assault against another of the six. Kerr was also found not proven of engaging in sexual activity with the teenager he was convicted of attempting to rape.

The first offender was visibly upset in the dock as the verdict was read out. Judge Douglas Brown told him: "Inevitably there will be a custodial sentence - your bail has been withdrawn and you will be remanded in custody."

Kerr was also put on the sex offenders register meantime. He will be sentenced next month.

Jurors heard how all the boys in the case were much younger than the former nationalist politician. Kerr, now of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, got to know the first when he was in his mid-teens.

The then boy looked upon openly gay Kerr as a "mentor" as he came out himself. He said sexual activity with Kerr first took place at a disused quarry when he was 15.

The victim - now in his mid 20s - said the older man then attacked him after they had earlier been at a local SNP function. He was asleep at the time at Kerr's home.

Describing the 2015 attempted rape, he recalled: "I froze once I understood what was happening. I could not control my body. It did not allow me to do anything."

Jurors heard how he later confronted Kerr at knifepoint in the street. The victim's mother had also turned up and she witnessed her son yelling: "Tell my mum what you done to me."

Kerr claimed he was innocent, but was said not to be able to meet the woman's eyes. Kerr tormented another boy from around 2012.

Referring to lurid accounts of gay sex, he stated to the youngster: "Don't knock it until you have tried it." He went on to grab the worried teenager's bottom.

The court heard Kerr joined two boys on a camping trip pitching a tent near the Boathouse restaurant in Croy. He was guilty of molesting one of them in the tent, but acquitted of raping another at that time.

However, he did sexually assault the rape accuser in 2014 in Croy while he was asleep. In 2014, Kerr targeted another of the teenagers by groping him and sending him sexually graphic messages online.

But, even after he had been elected to a position of power in the community, Kerr continued his offending. His last young victim was molested at a food bank set up to help people during the 2020 lockdown.

He told the trial: "I thought he was a nice guy. I do not see that now."

Kerr gave evidence during the trial and claimed he had been targeted after he had put a video of boys playing at a local disused quarry on his councillor Facebook page.

He said this was done purely to warn parents of the dangers. Kerr sobbed as he told how he had been filmed being forced out of his home by locals and branded the "local nonce".

But, in his speech to jurors, prosecutor Michael Macintosh said Kerr was "a predator hiding in plain sight". Mr Macintosh added: "You might come to the conclusion that behind the public persona, that friend to all, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"A lot of people thought he was a good guy, but he was a man who used his position, age and role as an activist and mentor to engage in sustained grooming of teenage boys for his gratification."

Sentencing was deferred for reports.

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A Stamford man who tried to rape a stranger and sexually assaulted another woman has been jailed for five years and 10 months.

Caine Hull was just 17 when he carried out the offences in November 2018, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Hull, now 21, denied four offences of sexual assault on a young woman, who cannot be named, but was found guilty after a trial in July.

The jury also convicted Hull of a single charge of attempting to rape a woman in her early 40's.

Sarah Phelan, prosecuting, told the court the offence was an attempted rape of a stranger who was drunk but able to walk home.

"He targeted a vulnerable victim in the early hours of the morning," Miss Phelan said.

The victim of the sexual assaults carried out by Hull was in court to watch him sentenced today (November 2).

Miss Phelan read out a victim impact statement from the woman who described how the incidents had impacted her in many ways.

She said: "Initially I was frightened to go out either alone or with friends."

The woman added her fear of Hull got worse when she reported the matter and realised he was on bail.

She described being unable to go out in the dark until shortly before the trial and said she was "terrified" of Hull.

The woman said she had suffered with anxiety and depression since the assaults, and had also lost some friends.

She concluded her statement by adding: "I wish to move on with my life, and move on from the hell he's caused me."

Hull also pleaded guilty to an offence of attempted robbery committed in February 2021.

The court heard Hull, formerly of Northumberland Avenue, Stamford, was remanded into custody following his trial at Lincoln Crown Court in July.

Karen Walton, mitigating, told the court Hull had no previous convictions until his offending began in November 2018.

She reminded the court Hull was still then a juvenile.

He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Speaking after the sentencing. investigating officer DC Kerry Munro said, “I would like to pay tribute to the women assaulted by Hull and their bravery in coming to us and supporting the investigation.

“It’s been a long wait for them to finally see Hull face justice for what he has done.

“The delays they have endured were exacerbated by Hull’s refusal to accept responsibility for his crimes. No sentence could make up for the harm he has caused but I hope today’s result brings some peace and consolation to these inspirational women.

“This is a message to perpetrators of the consequences of their actions.

“We will do all in our power to bring offenders before the courts, no matter how long it takes.

“If you have been a victim of sexual assault, we will take your report seriously and treat you with sensitivity and respect.”

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Ashman downloaded more than 18,000 indecent images of children during lockdown, Southampton Crown Court was told.

The 42-year-old of Howard Road, Southampton was caught with 140 category A images, the most severe type, 123 category B images and 18,365 category C images of children.

It was said that there was “distress in some of the children’s actions” in the images that were all found on one single hardrive.

Ashman later admitted to downloading the images saying: “I did download some dodgy [stuff] during lockdown".

He was handed a three-year community order, ordered to do 15 rehabilitation activity days and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He is now also subject to a five-year sexual prevention order and was ordered to pay £300 costs and a surcharge. 

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed after he contacted a number of under-16 girls from a secret digital tablet.

Anthony Metcalfe adopted an alias in conversations with the girls on Snapchat from his home in an outhouse behind a relative’s address in Hartlepool.

The 34-year-old, who was a registered sex offender for life since he was convicted in 2015 of three sexual assaults on children, messaged the youngsters with comments, including ‘nice bum’ and ‘beautiful’.

His ban on contact with children was from a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which was also imposed in 2015 and he was later jailed for 16 months for breaching it five times, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Metcalfe’s illicit tablet was discovered by police during a visit from his police offending manager on May 10. 

 She said the defendant had a list of names he classed as Snapchat friends and checks identified six were under 16 – two were aged 15, three were aged 13 and one was aged just 12.

“Direct messages had been sent to them such as ‘nice bum’ and ‘beautiful’ and this contact places him in breach of his sexual harm prevention order,” she added.

The court heard how the defendant had 25 convictions for 47 offences, including failing to tell a mother he was visiting at her home that he was a convicted sex offender.

Metcalfe, of Willow Walk, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to six breaches of SHPO and two breaches of his notification requirements. 

 Stephen Constantine, in mitigation, said his client could have an underlying mental health condition which he had hidden for a number of years.

He added: “The only real mitigation in this case is his guilty pleas to each count – given at the earliest opportunity.

“It is clear from the pre-sentence report that there may well be an underlying mental health issue.”

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Metcalfe to two years and eight months for the breaches.

He said: “Given your history, I have a real anxiety about the risk that you pose. These are serious and persistent breaches, contact with six different children, some really young and at risk of very serious harm.” 

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A man has been convicted of sexual offences and animal cruelty offences in the West Lothian and Forth Valley areas.

Kevin Vivers, 56, was found guilty of 27 charges at the High Court in Livingston today (1 November, 2022) including rapes, sexual assaults and physical abuse of seven women between 1985 and 2020.

Vivers is due to be sentenced next month and he will be placed in the sex offenders register.

Detective Chief Inspector Steven McMillan said: "I hope the outcome at court can bring some comfort to his victims and their families.

"This conviction has only been possible due to the bravery and courage of those who came forward to report this horrific abuse and I commend and thank them for speaking out.

"This was a particularly difficult case due to the horrendous nature of Vivers’ crimes and the sickening animal abuse, which spanned several decades.

"I would encourage anyone who is experiencing or has experienced abuse to come forward and report it to police.

"All reports of abuse and sexual assaults, regardless of the passage of time, will be thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland and victims will be supported throughout.”

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A hospital security guard who tried to pass himself off as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character to probation staff has been jailed for the "torture" of a woman which saw him sexually assault her and burn her body with an iron.

Paul Thwaites, 40, used sexual and physical violence against the woman during the offences which saw him sexually assault her, punch her genitals, burn her body, and strangle her until she was unconscious before slapping her awake again.

Twisted Thwaites - who worked as a security guard at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield - then told a probation service worker the lines between consent and excitement had become "blurred," which a judge said he had done to try and show he had little control over his behaviour.

Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday Thwaites filmed sexual activity and "blackmailed" the woman - telling her he would release the footage. Prosecutor, Alex Menary, said Thwaites "restrained her around her neck and her next recollection was waking up with a buzzing noise in her ear and she became aware he was slapping her in the face to wake her".

The court heard the woman was also "encouraged" into sexual activity by Thwaites who told her "it would be fun" and she consented but he turned aggressive. Mr Menary said Thwaites, of Leeds Road in Wakefield, also punched the woman's genitals over five times and sexually assaulted her with a curtain pole and an aerosol can, during which she asked him to stop and tried to kick out. He also forced her to perform oral sex upon him.

The woman was also subjected to burns on her breasts and stomach by Thwaites who used a pair of straighteners and an iron to cause horrifying injuries. She reported his offending to police in May this year. Thwaites was arrested a day later and denied the offending. However, he later pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by penetration, oral rape and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do so.

Dad-of-two Thwaites appeared in court via video link and his victim bravely faced him as she told him he had "destroyed" her life. In the victim impact statement, she said: "He completely destroyed me as a person. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I can be washing up or driving and I have flashbacks of the things he did to me and I break down and cry.

"When I'm driving I have thoughts of letting go of the steering wheel and going into a lorry and the nightmare will be over."

The woman told the court she is on medication and has been signed off work indefinitely by her doctor. She added: "He completely killed me inside. It's going to take years and years to start getting to the old me. I observe things and realise I don't react to them as anyone else does. I have to make myself smile and laugh at things so no one worries about me but inside I just want to crawl into a ball and stop existing."

Mitigating, Michael Collins, said Thwaites is a "model prisoner" and has completed courses while being remanded into custody. A letter from Thwaites and a reference from his mother had been handed to His Honour Judge Robin Mairs. He said he had no relevant previous convictions.

Mr Collins said: "There is nothing that suggests he is going to repeat the commission of any similar offending in the future." The barrister said Thwaites accepted he had been "insensitive" to the woman's "reluctance" to engage in parts of sexual activity. Mr Collins said: "What the defendant would say upon reflecting on his conduct to which he has pleaded guilty is that he is disgusted by it. He would say that he doesn't recognise - and these are his words - 'that horrible man'.

"He is disgusted by his actions. His regret and remorse are genuine. He recognises he has done wrong and it is right he is imprisoned. He struggles to understand his behaviour and has been working and taking advantage of whatever is available in prison to begin to understand his conduct and how a man in his 40s without a history of violent or sexual offending commits these offences of such seriousness."

The court heard how the author of the pre-sentence report said Thwaite is "high risk" which had been elevated from the analytical testing available to the probation service. Mr Collins said the authors said Thwaites "failed to recognise the seriousness and consequences of his conduct" and he "doesn't understand that assessment as he has been clear that he does and can offer no explanation about why that has been put."

Mr Collins said: "He did have concerns that the author of the report wasn't listening with care to some of the answers he was giving. He doesn't know that but he's trying to explain what he thinks was a breakdown in communication. He can't fathom why the author asserts that when he clearly did."

Judge Mairs said: "Perhaps because he said the lines became 'blurred' and was at great pains to show himself as a Jekyll and Hyde character with little or no control of behaviour? Or perhaps because there was an air of confidence to portray himself as misunderstood?"

Mr Collins said Thwaites "does not shy away from what he has done and knows he is going to be punished for it".

Judge Mairs described Thwaites' crimes as "torture" as he handed him an extended sentence of 23-and-a-half years, made up of 16-and-a-half-years in custody and an extended licence period of seven years. He will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before going before the Parole Board who will determine if he is safe for release.

The judge said: "As the probation officer put it - you dismantled her emotional resilience to meet your own needs. You knew the seriousness of what you were doing." The judge said counts 2 and 3 (assault by penetration) followed consensual sexual activity. He said: "This was repeated sexual violence designed to humiliate, belittle and degrade someone for your own sexual gratification so you could enjoy your own encyclopedia of torture.

"With formidable courage she came to court today and read her victim impact statement. In her words, you took everything and destroyed her as a person. You have subjected her to a life sentence."

Judge Mairs said Thwaites' description of himself as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character was "just another persona to take blame for this offending." He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Reacting to the sentencing, Detective Constable Matthew Sherriff, who was the investigating officer, said: I would like to thank the victim for her bravery and courage in coming forward and reporting these offences and to all those who supported the police investigation.

Thwaites is a dangerous individual who has been convicted of serious offences. These convictions will hopefully not only bring closure and justice to the victim but will ensure that he cannot harm anyone else."

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A paedophile who groomed a teenage girl by giving her sweets before sexual abusing her has been locked up.

Shop worker Shibin Vimala Santhakumar, of Pipers Hill Road in Kettering, handed her extra change and gave her free confectionery and soft drinks.

The 45-year-old then sexually abused her before the victim reported the offences to Northamptonshire Police.

Santhakumar initially denied the allegations when he was interviewed by officers and was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child, four counts of inciting sexual activity with a child and two counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty to some offences before his trial and was convicted of all remaining charges by a jury.

At Northampton Crown Court he was jailed for 11 years, with a further two years on licence.

Lead investigator Detective Constable Chris Waterfall, from Northamptonshire Police’s child protection team, commended the victim for her courage and said her support was vital to their investigation.

He said: “This case shows that sexual offences against children do not often start with an immediate offence. Santhakumar gradually built trust with this girl through offering her free items and money off her purchases. It then escalated into this abuse.

“I welcome the sentence handed out to him as it means there is one less sexual predator on our streets and one less person able to harm children. I hope this result shows the seriousness with which Northamptonshire Police takes these offences and I want to reassure the public that we will continue to work hard to bring people like Santhakumar to justice.”

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 Christopher Kelly 56 of Cranbook Street, Radcliffe was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday 28 October 2022 to 2 years in prison after pleading guilty to breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and using the internet to contact girls under the age of 18.

Christopher Kelly was arrested in September following multiple online vigilante groups who reported that they had been communicating with Kelly using fake profiles of different 13-year-old girls.

Detective Constable Adam Gosling of the Complex Safeguarding Team, Bury division, commented: “Kelly’s actions are deplorable and completely unacceptable. The safety of our children is a top priority of GMP, and I hope this result sends a stark warning to offenders that these behaviours will not be tolerated.

“I would encourage anyone who has been affected by this case to please come forward and tell us what happened to you. We will listen and take your allegations seriously. Victims should not feel they are at fault when they are preyed on by offenders.

“GMP will do their utmost to thoroughly investigate all reports of this type of crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

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A convicted child sex offender from Devon moved in with a woman shortly after leaving prison but did not tell her the truth about his criminal past. Lee Savage, 41, behaved like he was part of the family and spent most of his time in Taunton, Exeter Crown Court heard.

He was banned from contact with children by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order but ignored its restrictions and did not tell police or probation that he was not living full-time at his registered address in Plymouth.

His lies were discovered when a suspicious family member Googled his name and discovered he was a registered sex offender with a history of grooming children. Savage swiftly left the property but was arrested by police and brought back to court.

The defendant, previously of Keyham Road in Plymouth, has been jailed for two years. He admitted breaching his SHPO and two offences of failing to comply with notification requirements.

Prosecutor Mr James Adam said Savage was released on licence from a jail sentence, imposed for attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, in 2020. Instead of living at the Plymouth address he entered into a relationship with a mum-of-two in Taunton.

He moved into the family home and before his arrest in November spent 101 days in the Taunton area. He was never alone with her children in private and did not commit any sexual offences. Savage did offer to look after the children and gave the impression they were a family, said the prosecutor.

The relationship ended when his partner's sister searched his name on Google and found details of the 2017 conviction which involved him being caught by paedophile hunters. The sister posted details online and police investigated.

Savage failed to tell police he had moved address, putting him in breach of the notification requirements. By having contact with children without their parent's full and informed consent he breached his SHPO.

His now ex-partner said she felt angry with herself and feels as if she was groomed by letting Savage into her life. The defendant also has previous convictions, dating back to 2010, for sexual activity with a female child under 16 and possessing indecent photos of children. He also has a previous breach of his lifetime SHPO on his record.

Ms Evie Dean, defending, said Savage had a difficult childhood. He was released from jail at the height of the Covid pandemic and felt as if he had no stability. He accepts what he did and is sorry.

Judge Anna Richardson said: "Although you told police about your Plymouth address you in fact spent little time there and fully involved yourself in family life." She said it had been a persistent breach, he has a history of ignoring orders and begged for police not to be told.

She imposed a 10-year restraining order for him not to contact the family.

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A woman who was found with thousands of 'harrowing' child abuse images pretended to be mute when she appeared in court. However, despite claiming she suffers from a medical condition that renders her incapable of speaking, Lydia Chadwick later went on to talk in order to defend herself before a jury.

The 36-year-old, who has links to Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, had been found to possess more than 2,000 indecent images of children after police executed a warrant at her home address in Ulverston, Cumbria. Officers seized mobile phones and a laptop.

Over 700 of the images found were considered to be in the most serious category. Chadwick had already been found guilty at an earlier hearing but was sentenced last week (Tuesday, October 25) at Preston Crown Court, reports LancsLive.

She was jailed for three years for three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, possessing an extreme pornographic image and possessing a prohibited image of a child. Officers revealed that she would talk about child sexual abuse online with other people and even sell indecent images of children.

Detective Constable Ryan Parker, Cyber and Digital Crime Unit, said: "Lydia Chadwick stored images on devices belonging to her depicting harrowing images of child sexual abuse. She would communicate online with other people to talk about child sexual abuse as well as selling indecent images of children.

"At the beginning of her trial Chadwick claimed to be mute, due to a medical condition which rendered her unable to speak - but later on she spoke to defend herself. Indecent images of children offences are far from a victimless crime.

"Not only do the images show children being abused, but demand for such images also then leads to further abuse occurring," he added. "We will continue to do what we can to target those who commit online child sexual abuse offences and bring offenders to justice."

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Haley had previously been sentenced in 2015 to more than six years imprisonment for a sexual assault and other offences related to indecent images of children.

Upon his release, he was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which restricted his use of devices able to access the internet.

Any devices he owned would need to be made available for inspection on request by a police officer or staff.

On September 5 last year, officers made an unannounced visit to his home in Ballard Close, Marden.

After examining his phone, police discovered the 40-year-old had been accessing hundreds of illegal images, which included child sexual abuse.

Haley would use an online alias, 'Amy', and discuss abusing children with other users. He also used apps to send and receive messages and images, with settings configured to delete after viewing.

Haley was charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was further charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order and for failing to comply with a notification requirement, relating to the sex offenders register.

The offender from Marden pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and was sentenced on October 20to four years’ imprisonment with an extended licence period of a further four years. He will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Investigator Lee Sinden, of the Offender Management Unit, said: "Haley had been the subject of strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending. He has been unable to adhere to these restrictions and has demonstrated a clear determination to access illegal and harmful images, many of which include the horrific abuse of children.

"In passing this extended sentence, the judge has recognised he poses a serious risk of further offences to children. Sexual harm prevention orders are passed by the courts to help protect children and as this case shows, we will do everything we can to ensure those who ignore them face the consequences of their actions."

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An architect who molested a drunken fellow-graduate while she slept on a sofa after an all-you-can-drink 'bottomless Prosecco brunch' has been jailed for three and a half years. 

Oliver Smail, 31, who has a Master of Architecture qualification from Kingston University, groped the 29-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after they met on an all-day bar crawl.

When questioned by police Smail admitted: 'Obviously she is a pretty girl and I am a man so I may make a few moves.'

One of Smail's university friends even sent a text to a mutual friend saying the architect was: 'literally attempting rape on the sofa.' 

An Inner London Crown Court jury convicted Smail, of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire of sexual assault by penetration at a two-bedroom apartment in Walworth on September 8, 2019.

The judge discounted the sentence by six months because Smail, a former Planning Support Officer with Aylesbury Vale District Council, had to wait over two years for the Crown Prosecution Service to charge him. He also placed him on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

Judge Benedict Kelleher told Smail: 'You all ended up at a flat of your friend's. You had consumed a very large quantity of alcohol and took cocaine as did the victim, who also took ecstasy.

'By the early hours she had fallen asleep on the sofa and there can be no doubt she was asleep when you committed this offence.

'You had shown an interest that afternoon and evening in her and were attracted to her, but you had not behaved inappropriately and had not concerned her.

'You took that opportunity to assault her and when she woke she found you were penetrating her with your finger and had pulled down the underwear that she had been wearing.'

During the trial the woman told the jury from behind a screen: 'I remember him trying to touch me and moving to the other side of the sofa,' adding she woke at 6.30am with her underwear and tight spanx shorts around her knees.

She felt his hand between her legs and kicked him off the couch. 'I woke up and that's what was happening. There was a point in the night I was aware of him.

'I was aware of this because of the way he was touching me. I think he was completely out of it. Very intoxicated.'

The woman told the trial she began drinking in Dalston's trendy 'Jones & Sons' which offers a two-hour 'Off The Wagon' brunch of never-ending Prosecco.

'We were drinking for two-and-a-half hours,' she told the court.

She was celebrating a birthday and she and her two female friend's joined Smail's mostly male group and continued drinking cocktails at the nearby 'Three Sheets' bar.

Smail and friends Tom Madden and Alexander Hodgson-Doughty, who was celebrating his birthday, all know each other from the University of Kent.

They moved onto other local pubs and bars, continuing to drink and both the woman and Smail snorted cocaine during the evening and she also took an 'ecstasy' pill.

'I have been very honest that I took 'ecstasy' and cocaine. I have no recollection of who gave it to me, it was one of the three men.'

The group then took a minicab to Elephant & Castle with the vague idea of going to the Ministry of Sound nightclub, but instead bought a bottle of gin from an off licence and continued drinking at Alex's flat.

'I am not denying I was drunk,' she added, recalling a short chat she had with Smail that evening. 'I got the feeling he was flirting, but from early on I was not interested and made that clear.'

After a few rounds of gin and tonics at the flat Alex disappeared into his bedroom with the complainant's friend, leaving her to sleep on the living-room couch.

The next morning she burst into the bedroom to complain about Smail to her friend, who asked him: 'Did you finger my friend while she was asleep? Did you do that?'

The friend said Smail tried to hide under a pillow and replied: 'I thought she consented.'

When cross-examined he insisted he was referring to her consent to leg touching and nothing more intimate.

He quickly put his jacket on and left the apartment as the complainant's friend continued shouting and demanding the police be called.

Smail, who runs his own design firm, told the jury all he did was rub the woman's leg when he woke up in the middle of the night to find it in his crotch.

He was also drinking in 'Jones & Sons', where he also confessed to taking cocaine. 'It is not something I regularly do, it was pushed towards me during brunch.'

Regarding the complainant he said: 'I didn't find her sexually attractive,' but admitted texting a friend during the evening to describe her as 'cute.'

'I was really quite drunk,' he admitted, explaining his motivation for squeezing onto the couch was to sleep and not any sexual motive.

'I woke up with something rubbing against my crotch.

'I was in a very deep sleep, very hazy and my reaction was to feel the leg. I kind of rubbed it, squeezed it like a massage just to see if it was a girl or a guy or a reaction of some sort.

'She kind of squeezed my hand and rubbed it and nothing was said by anyone.'

Smail claims he got up to sleep in the spare room, but Alex told him it was being rented via Air B&B so he returned to the couch.

'When I woke up I was being kicked in the head. It was not a hard kick and I took it as a meaning she did not want me on the sofa I had been rubbing her calf earlier on.

'I was so dazed and confused. I did not understand why I was being kicked.'

Smail denied pulling down the woman's underwear. 'I was not aware of what she was wearing under her dress. I never moved any of her clothing.

'I only had one hand that was free at any time.'

He was questioned two weeks later and charged over two years after that. 'It was upsetting. I remember my heart racing and having this massive weight on my shoulders and having to trust in this system that I am going through.'

Insisting he would do nothing without the woman's consent he recalled the moment she kicked him in the head. 'I remember thinking: 'Oh God. I totally misread that situation.'

'I grabbed a pillow and slept on the floor until I was woken up by her friend pulling it away.'

In her victim impact statement the woman said: 'I don't think the assault will be something I can ever comprehend. I often wonder if there was more I could have done.

'I was vulnerable when he decided to assault me. I was asleep and had no way of defending myself.

'Since the assault I suffer panic attacks and drive myself into a state of panic. I have serious issues sleeping and wake up with night terrors.

'He waited until I was asleep and vulnerable before he attacked me. I believe his ego was hurt by me rejecting him earlier that night and took matters into his own hands.'

Smail's KC Chris Henley told the court: 'This is very sad in many respects. This is a man who has been through a great deal.

'He has a great deal of remorse and empathy for what this woman went through and his letter to the court is heartfelt with a real degree of understanding.

'His life is very different now than in September, 2019. He bitterly regrets going out with these people.'

Smail felt sorry for birthday buddy Mr Hodgson-Doughty's lack of guest numbers and felt obliged to stick with him that night, despite the evening descending into drunkenness and drug-taking, the court heard.

'He still finds it shocking and shaming what he did that night,' added the KC. 'His behaviour just wasn't out of character, it was off the scale.

'He has built up a business, but has found it very difficult to focus on that since the conviction and is on anti-depressants.

'It has been a publicly shaming experience with reports in the national press and Mr Smail has struggled to leave his house, wondering if photographers were waiting for him.

'When he last left court there was a man outside with a camera and he could not believe he was there to take a picture of him.'

Judge Kelleher told the first-time offender: 'The offence you committed was brief and there is nothing to say it lasted for more than a moment.

'You were still under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time. It was not a planned offence, but in an uninhibited and intoxicated state you made that fateful decision to do that.

'You were a man of completely good character with no convictions and many people have spoken very highly of your personal qualities.

'Your letter to the court expresses genuine and serious remorse on your part for what you did, but this is a case where your victim being asleep was particularly vulnerable.'