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A convicted sex offender has been jailed again after breaching a court order by approaching children in a Maidstone library.

Russell Hogg ignored a raft of measures, which strictly prohibited his access to anyone under 16, and started conversations with groups of children in school uniform.

Hogg was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in January 2018, after he was sentenced to prison for making and possessing child sex abuse images.

The order contained several restrictions designed to safeguard children, for when Hogg was granted parole. These included a ban on any unsupervised contact or communication with a child, as well as limitations around his use of the internet.

Approached and stared

On 24 April 2023, Hogg attended Maidstone Library, where a group of school children were sitting at a table and studying. He tried to engage them in conversation, stared at them for long periods and shouted towards the group as he was sat at a computer terminal.

Hogg revisited the library over the following weeks and on 12 May approached the same group of children. He asked ‘is this a social meet up or a study meet up?’ and loitered at their table.

Hogg, 64, of Middle Row, Maidstone was arrested on the same day and later charged with breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Appearing before Maidstone Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and admitted further charges which included failing to comply with notification requirements and possessing and making indecent images of children.

Disturbing desires

On Tuesday 20 August, Judge Robert Lazarus sentenced Hogg to two years and 10 months’ imprisonment, describing him as ‘a committed paedophile’. 

Upon his release from custody, he will be subject to a revised SHPO with further restrictions.

Record details

A man who sexually abused a young girl and used social media to sexually exploit another child has been jailed.

Lewis Green, aged 22, was first reported to police in August 2022, after a seven-year-old girl told her mother that from March of that year he had repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

Northamptonshire Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) began an investigation into Green’s behaviour and he was later charged with two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13 by touching and two counts of being an adult engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13.

He was awaiting trial on these matters when, in February this year, the Force received another report about him after a parent who knew Green found more than 200 messages from him on their nine-year-old child’s Facebook Messenger account.

The two investigations were brought together, and Green went on to be further charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child and causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration.

Green, of Staverton Road, Daventry, admitted all the charges at a crown court hearing on March 6, having also admitted one count of breach of bail conditions before magistrates on February 21, in relation to the 2022 investigation.

He was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing which took place at Northampton Crown Court on August 9.

There, Green was sentenced to a total of 27 months’ imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from living with, contacting or communicating with any females under the age of 16, and from using any internet-enabled device without notifying his offender management team and complying with strict inspection and usage rules.

Speaking afterwards, CAIU’s joint investigators Detective Constable Emily Faulkner and Detective Constable James Wright, said: “Lewis Green is a serial offender with a history of sexual abuse against young people.

“He knew the ages of the children he abused yet continued to groom and coerce them into sexual activity to satisfy his own desires.

“Green showed a complete lack of regard for the victims themselves and the bail conditions that he was meant to be adhering to which banned him from any contact with anyone under 18. This for us points towards someone who simply doesn’t care about anyone other than himself and, as noted by the judge, the sexual gratification that he was clearly gaining from his offending.

“Only when the evidence against him was overwhelming did Green enter guilty pleas to all counts. He has however only ever felt sorry for himself and nobody else and has shown little remorse.

“Both children were deeply affected by Green’s offending and the knock-on effect to their families and the breach of trust involved was very upsetting.

“We welcome Green’s custodial sentence, as hopefully this will give him time to reflect on what he has done to these poor children. He will be closely monitored by a specialist sex offender team when he is released, making it very hard for him to offend again, but for us, he will always remain a threat to children.

“As OICs, we would like to thank both families for the way they have dealt with matters, and for the support they have offered their children through what has been a very difficult time.

“Moreso the children, who from the beginning had the strength and bravery to talk about what Green did. This shows just how strong they are, and they should be commended for their bravery.

“Northamptonshire Police takes any form of abuse against children very seriously and we will always seek the strongest penalties against offenders.”

Record details

A CAMERA-SHY sex offender from Ayr who was caught with more than 1,750 sick photos and videos of children as young as four being abused has dodged a jail term.

Kieran Brown hid the horrific images across various digital devices at his address in Churchill Towers on South Harbour Street.

Brown hid his face from the Advertiser's photographer when he turned up at the town's sheriff court to be sentenced.

The 24-year-old had pleaded guilty to charges of possessing, and making copies of, the indecent images over a period of 18 months.

The court heard officers recovered 28 hours of vile video footage, including children aged four to 16 being abused.

The haul included more than 400 videos classed by police as being at ‘category A’ level – the most serious type.

Brown, who amassed the disgusting images between September 2021 and February 2023, was added to the sex offenders register after submitting his guilty pleas in July.

A judge said Brown knew what he was doing was wrong - and also thought he knew how to "hide his tracks".

A not guilty plea to a further charge of possessing extreme pornography involving animals was accepted by prosecutors.

The procurator fiscal depute said: "The accused appeared on an undertaking [to attend court] on March 13, 2023. He entered no plea and the case was continued for further examination. Bail was granted with special conditions.

"An investigation identified access to indecent images of children at the address of the accused. A search warrant was granted, and on February 16 police attended the locus and his brother attended at the door.

"The accused was traced in the bedroom and police carried out a search. 

"Various electronic devices were seized: two mobiles, a laptop, a Kindle, a computer tower and a hard drive.

"A cyber crime examination revealed indecent images were confirmed to be present on the Kindle and laptop.

"The accused was arrested and conveyed to Ayr police office. He made no comment during interview and was released on an undertaking.

"A total of 1,757 moving and still images were recovered from the devices. 

"In the hard drive, none of the images were readily accessible to users, and were deleted prior to its being examined. 

"In total, 429 accessible still images, 573 accessible moving images, 621 inaccessible still images, and 134 inaccessible moving images were found. The total run time was around 28 hours.

"In relation to categories, in category A there were 43 accessible images and 183 inaccessible, along with 407 accessible videos and 80 inaccessible.

"In category B there were 39 accessible images and 96 inaccessible; 75 accessible videos and 20 inaccessible.

"In category C, police found 347 accessible images and 243 inaccessible, along with 91 accessible videos and 34 inaccessible.

"The material in each category included children aged four to 16 being sexually exploited. 

"The Kick Messenger personal online chat app allows a high level of anonymity in chat conversations, and file sharing was found on the Kindle.

"The accused was signed in and images had been received. There were no signs of images being shared by the accused.”

The fiscal said a variety of apps had been used by Brown to attempt to clean up his devices but that police had still found “relevant material” during their search.

The prosecutor asked for a ‘sexual harm prevention order’ to be imposed on Brown.

Defence solicitor Colin McLaughlin said: “There is a very detailed social work report and there are no cases outstanding.  

“He continues to have family support. His father is here supporting him. His parents are no longer together, and he is living in a property owned by his father  

“He tendered his resignation on Friday, regardless of the outcome.” 

Sheriff Desmond Leslie said: “Going by the Crown’s narrative it is quite clear your are extremely adept at using digital apparatus, electronic apparatus, and computers. 

“To have used such knowledge to cover your tracks, you did know what you were doing. 

“You knew what you were doing was wrong.  I’m satisfied the social worker, who is a seasoned observer of behaviour, is satisfied you have shown remorse. 

“This level of abuse will not under any circumstances be tolerated, and people do go to jail for this. 

“This is not a victimless crime. The victims were those poor children being subjected to whatever behaviour in the images, moving and still. I don’t know the impact on these victims.” 

However he added: “I can deal with this through a non-custodial community payback order.” 

Brown was placed under social work supervision for three years, and was ordered to take part in the Moving Forward Making Changes programme, which aims to address the behaviour of sex offenders. 

He will remain on the sex offenders register throughout the three years of the order.

The Crown's request for a sexual harm prevention order was granted and will strictly limit his access to the internet.

Brown's face was shielded by his father from the Advertiser's photographer as he entered the court building.

Afterwards a masked and hooded man left the building with his face fully covered, running the full distance along the Low Green to get away.

Record details

A vile sex offender who assaulted a girl hundreds of times left a 'horrible shadow' lingering over her for decades. Terry Godwin targeted his victim when she was a young child.

The abuse went on for years - haunting his victim for 'as long as she can remember', Liverpool Crown Court heard. Godwin even paid money in an attempt to buy his victim's silence.

But decades later, he has finally faced justice for his evil crimes. The court heard on Tuesday (August 20) how the victim came forward to police in 2022, the Liverpool Echo reports.

David Polglase, prosecuting, described how the complainant told Merseyside Police she 'spent her life pretending that the abuse didn't happen'. Godwin was aged between 12 and 19 when the offences took place, and was said to have sexually abused his victim more than 250 times.

The now 39-year-old, of Corwen Close in Moreton, Wirral, assaulted her while masturbating and instructed her to perform sexual acts on him before 'giving her money to keep quiet'. In a statement read to the court on her behalf, the victim said: "For as long as I can remember, I have had this horrible, dark shadow over my life.

"It has affected me in ways it is hard to begin to explain. The shame I felt, I still feel. I have led an extremely lonely life and I have never truly known happiness. I have considered whether it would be easier not to be here. The trauma has stolen my childhood and a lot of my adult life."

She added: "This was all that I knew - pain and misery at the hands of Terry Godwin. He has ingrained feelings inside me that make me feel like I don't deserve to be loved. Happiness is an emotion that only other people feel.

"I believe this man to be a danger to young girls. I am already thinking about the time when he walks the streets again and I am worried what he might be capable of."

Godwin, who has no previous convictions, admitted a total of 42 child sex offences including indecent assault and gross indecency with a child. Rebecca Smith, defending, told the court: "It is quite clear that he has always offered an apology.

"It may not be worth much, but he has always reflected and indicated not only an apology for his behaviour but also how he is disgusted with the offences he committed. The defendant has had to have a number of biopsies and has had to have surgery, and he has had a diagnosis of a rare swallowing condition called achalasia. It is something he will have to deal with, and it might be somewhat more difficult to deal with when he is incarcerated."

Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Godwin was jailed for seven years - of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release - and handed an additional year on licence. Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: "There has been read to me a particularly moving victim personal statement in which your victim has described how what you did has cast a horrible, dark shadow over the entirety of her life.

"She continues to live with what she describes as the mental torture of what you did to her. These feelings are with her every day of her life. I am satisfied that your victim has suffered severe psychological harm. You gave her money in an attempt to persuade her not to tell anyone what you were doing."

"I take into account your subsequent lack of offending. You have reached the age of 39 without committing any further offences. I take into account your ill health."

Godwin was also handed a 20-year sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order banning him from contacting his victim for life. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Record details

A Rotherham woman sobbed as she was sent to prison for inciting a vulnerable teenage boy, said to have the mental capability of an 11-year-old, to engage in sexual activity with her.

Jailing 25-year-old Kelsey Brookes for three separate sex offences against the boy, Judge David Dixon said: You made explicit requests to, in effect, have sex with a child.

You sent him videos of yourselfand you sent pictures of yourself in the shower, fully naked.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how the boy, described as very vulnerable, was 15 at the time of the offences. He is entitled to lifelong anonymity.

A boy with the mental capability of an 11-year-old was being asked to have sex with an adult, who was sending graphic images of her pleasuring herself, Judge Dixon said, adding: His ability to comprehend adult emotions is greatly restricted.

Over several months, Brookes contacted the boys phone 1,413 times, while he contacted her 2,467 times, prosecutor Gurdial Singh told the court.

Mr Singh said some messages were sexually graphic and outlined what the pair wanted to do to each other.

A picture of the boys genitals, which he sent to Brookes, was retained on her phone.

Judge Dixon said he was obliged to sentence Brookes for the offence of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity on the basis there was no sexual activity carried out between the pair - with her offending limited to what was uncovered in her phone communication with the boy.

He told the court, however, that he has doubts about that, given the nature of their communication.

Brookes offending was revealed after her phone was examined and she was charged with causing or inciting a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity; an offence of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one offence of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.

Brookes, of Whitehill Road, Brinsworth, Rotherham, admitted all three charges.

Defending, Rebecca Randall said Brookes has shown genuine remorse for her offending, through her guilty pleas, glowing letters of recommendation, and her letter to the court.

Ms Randall said that while Brookes - who previously held a clean criminal record - did not seek to excuse or justify her behaviour, she was enduring a period of extreme stress at the time she committed the offences.

This behaviour was entirely out of character, said Ms Randall.

Shes consumed by shame, said Ms Randall, adding that Brookes mental health had deteriorated to the extent that she felt it necessary to contact the mental health crisis team in April 2024.

Both Brookes and members of her family, who were sitting in the public gallery, sobbed as Judge Dixon sent her to begin a 30-month prison sentence.

He also made her the subject of a 15-year sexual harm prevention order, which will restrict her use of the internet and prohibit her from living under the same roof as a boy under the age of 18, unless she receives permission from the relevant local authority.

Record details

A former Police Scotland officer who subjected three former partners to violent attacks, sexual abuse and controlling behaviour has been jailed.

Christopher Ferguson, 31, targeted his victims over a 14-year period in the Lanarkshire area, including while at Glasgow's Helen Street police station.

He subjected one woman to repeated assaults, told her what she could wear, read her text messages and took away her mobile phone.

Ferguson was found guilty of nine charges including two counts of voyeurism.

He stalked one of the women through repeated phone calls and texts, delivered unwanted gifts, monitored her social media and waited outside a relative's home for her.

He sent a second woman intimate photographs of himself, repeatedly shouted and swore at her and made threats to harm himself.

The woman was also subjected to repeated violent assaults, including choking her, causing injury on multiple occasions.

He stalked the same woman by repeatedly monitoring her movements, turning up at her home and contacting her about an ongoing police investigation against him.

A third woman was also repeatedly attacked by Ferguson, causing her to fall down a flight of stairs.

'Unimaginable trauma'

He was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison and his name has been added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Non-harassment orders, preventing Ferguson from contacting or attempting to contact his victims, were also granted for a 10-year period.

Les Brown, procurator fiscal for South Strathclyde, said Ferguson is a "habitual domestic abuser" who inflicted "unimaginable trauma" on his victims.

“It took courage for them to speak out against a figure of some authority and I would commend their determination to seek justice," he said.

“The Crown is committed to the effective and fair prosecution of domestic and sexual crime, no matter who the offender is.

“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of similar offences to come forward.

“You will be listened to and supported as we use all the tools available to us to seek justice.”

Record details

A decorator who grabbed a child’s face and kissed her on the lips while dancing at Kent’s largest LGBTQ+ pride festival has avoided jail.

Steven Critcher, 39, forced himself upon the 13-year-old girl, who was unknown to him, during a show at the event in Dane John Gardens, Canterbury.

On Tuesday, Prosecutor Rio Pahlavanpour told the city’s crown court how Critcher’s disturbing actions unfolded on June 8.

“The offence occurred at the Pride event,” he said.

“The defendant danced briefly with a 13-year-old girl; the parties did not know each other.

“He is then said to have held her by her face and kissed her on the lips – a friend of hers witnessed the incident.”

“The defendant was later located in the city centre and arrested.

“What I have to accept is that at no stage was the defendant explicitly told of her age.”

The prosecutor added Critcher, from Canterbury, has eight previous convictions for 16 offences, but none of a sexual nature.

Mitigating, Phil Rowley said Critcher’s offending was related to his alcoholism.

“Drink is not mitigation, but drink is the problem here and the defendant candidly accepts that the incident was borne of his inappropriate use of drink,” said Mr Rowley.

“He is not an unintelligent man; he is a self-employed painter and decorator by trade.

“But he recognises that drink is the demon he must address.

“The defendant is deeply remorseful. He is quite frankly mortified to receive a conviction of this type, deeply embarrassed and mindful of the ramifications on his future life by having a conviction of this sort.”

Critcher attended court wearing a bright blue t-shirt and remained silent throughout the proceedings.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault at a previous hearing before Margate magistrates on June 10.

Judge Simon Talyor KC addressed Critcher directly as he handed down his sentence.

“The victim of your crime was a child; you danced with her, you then held her by the face and kissed her on the lips,” he said.

“I have no evidence that this was a particularly lengthy act or that there was any intrusion into the child’s mouth.

“Your victim was particularly vulnerable.

“Whether you knew her age or not, you ought to have known that she was not consenting to you kissing her.”

The court heard Critcher - a self-employed painter and decorator - committed the offence while on licence for a separate offence.

He was remanded in prison in June and made subject to recall.

Critcher was given an eight-month custodial sentence, suspended for 20 months during Tuesday’s hearing, meaning he will be released on September 25.

Over those 20 months, he is to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, an alcohol treatment programme, and the Horizon programme – a psychological intervention course for adult men with sexual convictions.

He will also be subject to a sexual offence notification requirement for 10 years.

Record details

A Dundee engineer is on the sex offenders register after he began pleasuring himself while getting a massage at a city beauty salon.

Shadman Khan was found guilty of causing a person to be present while he engaged in sexual activity.

Record details

Jail for man who made thousands of indecent images of children

A man who made thousands of indecent still and moving images of children has been locked up.

After he was arrested, Keah Gibbs told police he used images he had created and downloaded on social media in order to flush out people with a sexual interest in children.

Officers found more than 9,000 images on Gibbs computer. Of those, 1,733 were graded as category A - depicting the most severe kinds of abuse.

In addition, 2,474 category B and 5,085 category C images were discovered on his device.

Gibbs, aged 25, went on to plead guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, between 27 December 2019 and 14 October 2020.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing 427 prohibited images of children and seven extreme pornographic images, between 27 December 2019 and 14 October 2020, and distributing 25 indecent photographs of children, between 17 July 2023 and 16 January 2024, including seven category A images.

Gibbs, formerly of Pelham Road, Sherwood, was jailed for three years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Friday (16 August).

He was also made subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

Record details

A man has been jailed for nine months after exposing his genitals on the London Underground.
 
Dan Pirvu, 26, of Ripple Road, Barking, was sentenced on 14 August at Inner London Crown after he was found guilty by a jury of one count of exposure.
 
He also will have a 10 year signature on the Sex Offenders Register and has been given a 5-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order with the following conditions:

• Prohibited from entering any London Transport Tube station as set out on the London Transport Tube map
• Prohibited from travelling on any London Transport Tube service (either above or below ground)

The court heard how, on Friday 17 November 2023, at around 9.05pm, a member of the public approached a member of TfL staff and reported a man – now known to be Pirvu - exposing his genitals on the District Line platform of West Ham underground station.
 
The member of rail staff flagged this to the CCTV control room, who could immediately see Pirvu on the platform with his trousers exposing both his bottom and genitals. Pirvu was also witnessed by the TfL staff member with his trousers around his knees, exposing himself, and causing members of the public to move away.
 
Pirvu was reported immediately to British Transport Police, who attended the station and arrested Pirvu at 9.13pm.
 
Investigating officer Detective Constable Michael Taylor, said: “There is no place for this kind of behaviour on the rail network and we will work quickly to apprehend these kinds of offenders. 
 
"I hope this sentence, along with the Sexual Harm Prevention Order will give him time allow him to reconsider his actions and prevent him from offending again in the future." 

Record details

A 36 year old mum has been jailed for four years after she had a threesome with two 13 year old boys in her son's bedroom while he was at school.

Extremely promiscuous Natalie Harris, of Waterlooville, started sending sexual messages to one of the schoolboys on Snapchat before inviting them both to her address. In a total disregard of any moral compass, the mother of six developed an obsession for sex with young boys and wanted attention after a break-up, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

Despite begging the boys to keep it a secret, she was arrested after a video of the threesome filmed by one of the boys was circulated around their school. Harris wept in the dock on Thursday (August 15) as she was jailed for four years, having admitted four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

A mother of one of the 13 year old boys said Harris had taken away his childhood. Prosecutor Matthew Lawson said both boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were 13 at the time of the incident which took place in Waterlooville in November 2022.

"The case came to light in January of last year," he told Portsmouth Crown Court. There was a video that had been circulating around the school both boys attended. The police got a call from a concerned parent which showed an adult female engaging in sexual activity with a boy."

The court heard the two boys initially denied involvement, before one of them eventually told their mother. Mr Lawson said Harris was identified as the woman in the video via distinctive hand tattoos. Her mobile phone was seized by police and a thread of messages between her and one of the boys - who she had saved in her contacts as Rachel.

It was heard she told him he shouldn't tell anyone as she could go to prison and to stick up for him if anything was said about her. Telling the court how the boy came forward to tell his mum he had been the one who took the video, Mr Lawson said: "He said in November 2022, around the time of the World Cup, the defendant had started to message him on Snapchat and by text. He said the messages became sexual and invited both boys to go to her house. It was clear to both boys they were going there for sex."

The court heard when they arrived at the address, Harris took them to her son's bedroom, where they had sex for roughly 40 minutes and left before her own boy was due to return from school. She was arrested and initially claimed 'no knowledge' of who the woman was in the video. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the mother of the boy who came forward, said she had seen her son fade away as a result of the awful nightmare.

She added her poor boy has lost interest in several hobbies and now stays indoors as a result. "My heart just breaks, I couldn't have imagined this happening to my son - he is a child," she said. "Natalie has completely turned our family upside down. The worst thing about all of this is she has taken away his childhood and I will never forgive her. [He] will never get back the childhood that has been taken from him. This will stay with us now for the rest of our lives."

Harris - who has since been diagnosed with bipolar and multiple personality disorder - was suffering from a 'manic episode' following her split, it was heard. In mitigation, Berenice Mulvanny said Harris was deeply remorseful and devastated about her behaviour. She said it had been triggered by a break-up with a partner. On Harris' split with her partner, Judge Sarah Munro KC said: "You reacted to his departure in a dramatic way. In your behaviour you became extremely promiscuous."

She said a dramatic change was noted in Harris' mood which included an obsession in you for sex with young boys. [The boy] described how you started to send him messages and invited him to your home," she said. You took them to your son's bedroom and engaged in sexual activity with both boys. They left because it was time for your son to come home from school.

On the boy who reported the incident, she said: "The impact upon [him] has been dreadful. He feels guilty about what happened. You have clearly turned that family upside down and taken [his] childhood away from him." Sentencing her, she said: "No sentence I can pass can give [him] his childhood back or undo the damage you have done to him."

The judge said the trigger for the 'manic episode' which resulted in erratic behaviour was her split with her partner. "You felt unloved and you began to act in a way to get attention," she added. In your desire for attention you gave no consideration on the long term detrimental impact on these young boys. There was significant planning and grooming behaviour used by you, a serious abuse of trust and a very significant disparity in age. She added there had been a 'total disregard of any moral compass' and jailed her for four years. Harris was also made the subject of a 10 year restraining order and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order of the same length.

Record details

A disgraced police officer who escaped custody four years ago for sexually assaulting a man has now been jailed after he molested a family friend during a drunken night out.

Roderick Keith, 55, attacked the woman while her husband was upstairs and she was sleeping on a sofa following the night out socialising in Edinburgh. The former firearms officer sneaked out of the bed he was sharing with his own wife before putting his hand down the victim’s underwear and penetrating her with his fingers.

The disgusted woman later told her husband what had happened to her and Keith and his wife were thrown out of the couple’s home in Edinburgh in August 2022. The pervert then sent WhatsApp pleading messages to the victim saying “I’m so sorry - I’m heartbroken” and “I have no words”.

After speaking to her husband the woman decided to report the attack to the police and Keith was later arrested and charged. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told this is the second sex attack carried by out Keith in recent years after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a male friend after he attended a stag do in 2018.

On that occasion Keith, who was still a serving police officer and had previously been commended for his bravery, kissed the man on the head and forced his hands down his boxer shorts. The married father-of-two, of Grangemouth, was found guilty following a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court and was placed on the sex offenders register and sentenced to nine months supervision in 2020.

Keith later resigned from his position with Police Scotland before a disciplinary investigation into his conduct could be completed. On Friday Sheriff Charles Walls told the former officer he had committed “a clear breach of trust” and his attack has had “an awful effect” on the woman.

Sheriff Walls said: “It was a clear breach of trust as the complainer and her husband were your friends and you abused that trust in a quite terrible way.

“Due to the serious nature of the offence it seems to me there is no option but to impose a custodial sentence on you today.”

Keith was jailed for 61 weeks and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. The court heard Keith and his wife had been on a night out socialising with the victim and her husband before heading back to the couple’s Edinburgh home on August 13, 2022.

The woman fell asleep on the sofa and her husband retired to his bedroom and Keith and his wife also went to bed in the spare room. The court was told the victim later woke when she felt “a hand on her underwear” and a finger being inserted into her vagina.

She initially thought it was her husband but “opened her eyes to see the accused looking at her”. The distressed woman told her attacker “no, no you shouldn’t have done that” before leaving the room and going upstairs to her bedroom.

The court heard she waited until around 6.30am the next morning to wake her husband and tell him what had happened. The angry husband immediately confronted Keith before throwing the ex-cop and his wife out of the property and the police were contacted later that day.

Keith’s defence agent said his client was “extremely sorry for the pain he has caused” and could offer “no explanation” for his behaviour. The court heard Keith is currently attending sessions with Alcoholics Anonymous and has abstained from drinking since he carried out the attack in 2022.

Keith pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually penetrating a woman with his fingers while she was asleep and was incapable of giving consent at an address in Edinburgh in August 13, 2022.

Record details

A married scout leader in Ilkeston was caught with hundreds of sick child abuse images. Nottingham Crown Court heard how police found more than 150 of the most serious category A indecent images, which showed children as young as three being sexually assaulted or raped, when they seized devices from Jonathan Craven.

The 44-year-old also got sexual gratification from watching extreme pornographic images involving humans engaged in sexual encounters with dogs, which were also discovered by detectives.

Now he has lost his role in the scouts, his marriage, his previous good character and has moved from the town to Derby. He disguised himself with a mask and baseball cap when he left the court building having been spared immediate custody.

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Handing him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, Recorder Stuart Sprawson said: It is sad that someone at the age of 44, who has no previous convictions, finds himself in front of the courts like this and I am disappointed to hear your marriage has come to an end as a consequence of this.

Record details

A former Dundee pizza shop boss tried to arrange the sexual abuse of children in sick online chats.

Depraved Samuel Foster used a social media app to ask if he could visit two girls while they were kept off school.

Record details

A PREDATOR was caught messaging who he thought was a 12-year-old girl telling her to record herself doing a sex act and send it to him.

Paul Chesher, of Herbrandston, began messaging schoolgirl ‘Ellie’ on the social network site Kik on August 31, 2021. It was actually an undercover police officer.

When the decoy said they were at school, Chesher asked them to “sneak to the bathroom” and send him a picture, prosecutor Regan Walters said.

The defendant sent pictures which showed his face and told the decoy he was 56.

Mr Walters said Chesher would repeatedly refer to ‘Ellie’ as being “too young”, that he would “get in to trouble”, and that he “could go to jail”, as well as referencing that ‘Ellie’ “could be the police” and stating “this is so wrong”.

Despite this, he continued to ask the decoy for pictures, about her underwear and about her sexual experiences. He also told ‘Ellie’ to delete their conversations.

Chesher also directed the ‘girl’ to masturbate, and asked her to film herself doing it and send it to him.

Police were able to identify Chesher’s email and then his IP address. He was arrested at his home on October 22, 2021.

Stuart John, in mitigation, said there had been a “substantial delay” in the case coming to court.

“He has never been in any sort of trouble before,” he said.

“He feels a deep sense of shame being arrested for offences of this nature.”

Mr John said Chesher had suffered from medical issues which led to loneliness at the time of his offending.

Mr Walters said the delay was caused by a more than year-long hold-up in the devices being analysed, with a review of the material not completed until last August, and a delay in getting permission from Homeland Security in America to access information from Kik.

“You persisted in these activities for over a month. You knew full well what the consequences of this were to be,” said Judge Geraint Walters.

“This wasn’t a momentary lapse in judgement, it was a persistent one.

“You still haven’t come to fully accept that the motivation had nothing to do with your mental or physical health, but your interest in children.”

Chesher was sentenced to 27 months in prison. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Detective Constable Paul Kelly, of Dyfed Powys Police, said: “This sentence and the investigation itself demonstrated excellent collaborative working between police agencies.

“It sends a clear message to perpetrators that crime against children is abhorrent, and that we as police will find the perpetrators and seek justice for the children involved.”

Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) case officer, Detective Constable Isaac Gott, said: “Our ROCU is dedicated to identifying individuals who have a sexual interest in children, and we will relentlessly pursue them.

“In addition to his sentence, Chesher now has a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.”