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Record details

A vile predator from Leeds trawled the internet looking for like-minded parents who would let him abuse their children.

Connor Churchill latched onto what he thought were two guardians on the messenger services Kik and Snapchat, asking to either abuse their children or watch them abusing the youngsters.

There was even an agreement to meet one at a service station on the M62 where he could abuse their eight-year-old niece, although Churchill made excuses not to attend.

But the profiles were both being run by undercover police officers, posing as paedophiles, Leeds Crown Court heard. Churchill, 24, admitted two counts of arranging a child sex offence, and three counts of making indecent images of child abuse was found on his Samsung phone.

Prosecutor Ayman Khokhar said he first made contact online in July 2022 when he said he was looking for like-minded people with a kink. He said he preferred girls aged between six and 14 but was open to most.

After the officer offered up his fictitious eight-year-old niece, there was a meeting arranged at Hartshead Moor Services.

He was also communicating with with another officer on Kik after he told Churchill that he had a seven-year-old daughter. Churchill, now of Clog Mill Gardens, Selby, but who had been living in Micklefield, discussed having sex with the girl, but again he made excuses about meeting.

He was arrested on October 11, 2022 and told officers: I would never have gone through with it. I need help. His mobile phone contained five category A images - the most serious - one category B and six category C.

He continued to claim he had no sexual interest in children. Mitigating, Celine Kart told the court: He desisted from attending those meet-ups. He made several excuses. He backed out of them.

He is incredibly remorseful. Its clear he is ashamed. To be blunt, he hates what he did and hates himself. He is not afraid to address his offending behaviour. Its a complex journey he is embarking on.

Judge Andrew Stubbs KC took into account his remorse, his lack of previous convictions, and that he backed out of the meetings. But he jailed him for five years, gave him a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and put him on the sex offender register for life.

Record details

A MAN has been jailed after having sex with a young girl, having lied to her about his age.

Luke Gillard, of Cornist Lane in Flint, appeared for sentence at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old, who appeared via video from HMP Berwyn, had previously admitted two offences of penetrative sexual activity with a child and one of sexual activity with a child.

Anna Price, prosecuting, told the court Gillard's offending involved him having sex with, and sexually touching, a young girl - having known her age and lied about his own to make himself appear younger than he was.

When interviewed by the police, the defendant relied on a prepared statement in which he denied any sexual contact with the girl and stating he had autism and ADHD.

But he went on to admit the offences at his plea and trial preparation hearing.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said the offences had a big impact on her emotions and quality of life.

"Sometimes I'd blame myself for what happened," she said.

"It would keep me up at night."

Ryan Rothwell, defending, asked the court to give his client appropriate reductions in the sentence bearing in mind his relative youth.

He added: "Clearly, not only does he have psychiatric issues which are labelled, he lacks a significant amount of maturity.

"There are well-founded suspicions of autism and a diagnosis of ADHD."

He said there were concerns about his client's ability to cope in a custodial setting, adding: "It seems the pre-sentence report alludes to potential issues in that respect.

"He's already received abuse in the prison.

"There has been a delay in bringing this matter to court and he had no convictions prior to these offences.

"He has written a letter in which he tried to express an acknowledgement of how [the victim] must feel and elaborates how sorry he is."

Judge Niclas Parry told the defendant: "You understand you're to be sentenced for extremely serious matters.

"It's a significant disparity in age - and you lied about your age, which underlines the fact you knew exactly what you were doing."

Judge Parry told the court that based on expert psychiatric reports, he did not feel the defendant's psychiatric issues had influenced his understanding of the illegality of his behaviour, and would have had a limited bearing on his decision-making.

As such, the Judge handed down an overall sentence of 27 months to be served immediately, in a young offenders' institute.

A restraining order and sexual harm prevention order were imposed for 10 years.

And Gillard was made subject to the notification requirements as a sex offender for the same period of time.

Judge Parry turned to the public gallery at the end, where the victim and her family were present, and stated: "Thank you for the dignity you have shown."

Record details

A 23-year-old man has been sent to prison for 18 months for breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after accessing the internet without permission and installing social media apps.

Between December 2022, and January 2023, Louis Davies engaged in an online conversation with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. This included exchanging explicit messages and sharing images of a sexual nature.

However, the “teenage girl” was in fact a decoy from an online activist group, and Davies was charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13-15 to watch/look at an image of a sexual activity and attempt to cause/incite a girl 13-15 to engage in a sexual activity.

Davies, of The Crescent, Flore, was issued with his 10-year SHPO at Northampton Crown Court last year, along with a 16-month prison sentence, which was suspended for 24-months.

The SHPO was issued with certain conditions which he must abide by which included not using any computer or device capable of accessing the internet unless it has capacity to retain and display the browser history as well as notify police within three days of any online usernames.

During a routine visit on April 30 this year, officers from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO team, which closely manage sexual and violent offenders, arrested Davies after he admitted breaching the conditions of his SHPO.

In his police interview, Davies admitted to installing, deleting, and then reinstalling various social media apps on his phone – including Snapchat, Tinder, and Instagram – on three or four occasions over a two-month period.

Davies was subsequently charged with seven counts of failing to comply with Sex Offenders’ Register notification requirements and one offence of breaching his SHPO.

On May 10, Davies appeared before Northampton Magistrates’ Court where his case was committed to Northampton Crown Court and on June 21, he pleaded guilty to all charges.

He was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, which included 12-months for breaching his suspended sentence – and eight months for the new offences.

Lead investigator, PC Mark Edkins from the Force’s MOSOVO Team, said: “Louis Davies rightly, has very strict notification requirements he is expected to abide by, however, his actions clearly demonstrated a total disregard for the sanctions imposed by the court.

“We take an absolute zero-tolerance approach to situations like this, if a breach is identified, there are no second chances and I hope this case demonstrates how extremely serious we take the management of sex offenders.”

Record details

A GREENOCK pervert who sent sexually explicit messages and pictures to so-called paedophile hunters who were posing as young girls online has been spared jail.

A sheriff told George Ahara that he had ‘only just’ decided to impose an alternative to custody for the ‘very concerning’ offences, to which the 52-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Ahara, who now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, pleaded guilty to three indictment charges and confessed to the crimes after he was snared by online child protection groups.

He admitted sending sexual communications and attempting to communicate indecently with adult decoys whom he believed to be children under the age of 13.

The offences were committed on two occasions in June 2022 at Ahara's then home on Westmorland Road.

Ahara also pleaded guilty to a similar charge concerning what he understood to be a child who had not yet reached the age of 16.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard previously that Ahara had been in contact with a user he knew as ‘Rosie’ online over a week in June 2022.

The profile was actually being run by an adult who was a member of an online child protection group.

Despite having been told in the course of the chat that 'Rosie' was 12 years old, Ahara continued to send sexually explicit messages.

The woman behind the account then went to Ahara’s former address in Larkfield with other members of the group and live-streamed the confrontation on social media.

When challenged, Ahara said: “I was thinking she was an adult.”

A prosecutor told the court: “He acknowledged that he should have stopped talking when he realised the girls were so young.

“Police attended and were informed of the circumstances.”

Ahara was later arrested and charged, making no reply to the allegation, and a search warrant was granted for his home.

A black mobile phone was seized from the property, with the device's number corresponding with that which was shared with 'Rosie' in the online chat.

Then, on June 6 and 7, 2022, Ahara contacted an online dating profile belonging to ‘Darcy’, which was being run by an adult member of another online child protection group.

The messages sent were ‘immediately explicit’, with 'Darcy' then stating that she was 12 years old.

Ahara continued sending sexual messages and encouraged 'Darcy' to send a selfie, to which she replied with a photoshopped image of a female aged around 12.

The court heard that Ahara later sent a sexually explicit image ‘without warning or prompting’.

On June 18, 2022, the woman running the 'Darcy' account was on Facebook when she saw that another group had attended Ahara’s home.

She subsequently contacted police and provided screenshots of her conversation with him.

Ahara also admitted being in contact with a third profile belonging to someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

The account had been created by a member of a child protection group who went by the name of 'Freya'.

During the conversation, 'Freya' stated her age, to which Ahara replied: “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I thought you were a woman.”

The court heard that he continued to be sexually explicit, despite her age having been disclosed to him.

After his arrest, Ahara provided a ‘no comment’ police interview in the presence of his solicitor.

Sheriff James Varney, who previously described Ahara’s behaviour as ‘appalling’ and ‘shameful’, told the first offender last week: “The nature of the communications was very concerning to listen to.

“The bottom line was that you ought never to have communicated with people you thought to be underage.”

Ahara will be supervised by criminal justice social workers for three years, and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work within 12 months as a direct alternative to custody.

He was put on the sex offenders register for three years.

Record details

A Horsham man who repeatedly sent money to people in the Philippines in return for indecent images of children has been jailed.

Laurence Harvey, 65, of Searles View in Horsham, sent £46,467 to a number of people linked to child sexual exploitation between 2 September, 2011, and 9 August, 2021.

He was arrested in May, 2022, and several devices were seized and found to contain sexual images and communications with children.

Harvey would communicate directly with the children and ask them to perform sexual acts, and in one instance sent a woman money in return for indecent images of a child she claimed was her daughter.

He claimed the money was sent for charitable purposes, or to adults he had met on the internet in return for online sex acts.

Harvey was subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence, possession of an indecent photograph of a child, two counts making an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of arranging the sexual exploitation of a child under 13.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and, at Lewes Crown Court on 6 August, he was sentenced to 56 months in prison and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order severely restricting his use of digital devices, the internet and travel to the Philippines.

Detective Sergeant David Rose said: “Laurence Harvey is an online predator, who sought out children and vulnerable people to exploit in the most appalling ways.

“The vast sums of money he was willing to spend over a ten-year period point to a committed offender, who showed no regard for the devastating impact of his crimes on these innocent children and his families.

“This was a complex investigation, but thanks to the hard work of the Online Child Abuse Team we have been able to bring a dangerous individual to justice and put him behind bars where he can cause no further harm to the public.”

Record details

A man who subjected a young teenage girl to a campaign of sexual, physical and mental abuse before going on to rape a woman has been given a 19-year prison sentence.

Ben Tate, aged 21, of St Wilfrids Avenue, Harehills, was convicted of two counts of rape, involving multiple occasions between 2017 and 2020, and a further count of coercive and controlling behaviour, all in relation to one victim.

He was also convicted of a count of rape in relation to the second victim over an in incident in 2021.

The first victim initially told a social worker about the abuse in 2020. Police were notified but she did not feel able to support a prosecution at the time.

When the second victim contacted police in 2022 to report being raped by Tate, the first victim also agreed to support a prosecution.

Both victims were spoken to by specialist officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit and provided detailed video recorded interviews detailing Tates offending against them.

Each disclosed how he had attacked them while they slept and had sex with them without their consent.

The first victim also described how Tate would pin her down, assault her and strangle her while ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

He repeatedly manipulated her, making threats to kill himself and took advantage of her financially.

Officers gathered extensive statements from the victims friends and family, as well as obtaining digital evidence of the messages Tate had sent to the victims.

They were supported throughout the investigation by safeguarding officers and independent sexual violence advocates.

He was convicted following a trial at Leeds Crown Court, where the victims were able to give their evidence under special measures, which allowed their cross examinations to be pre-recorded.

Tate was given a 19-year sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for life. Both victims were also granted life-long restraining orders against him.

Record details

A man has been jailed for nine years for attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence, causing the sexual exploitation of children, and making and distributing indecent photographs of children.

Luke Cowling, 27, of Tavistock Road, Launceston, appeared at Truro Crown Court on Friday 23 August for sentence having previously pleaded guilty to distribution of indecent photographs of a child, making indecent photographs of children, attempting to arrange/facilitate the sexual abuse of children and causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of children.

Cowling was made subject of a 20 year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

Cowling’s offending came to light after Devon and Cornwall Police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency (NCA) in August 2021, stating that a KiK account linked to Cowling had uploaded a Category A indecent video of a child to the internet.

In addition to NCA referral, Devon and Cornwall Police was contacted by the Metropolitan Regional Organised Crime Unit after Cowling engaged online with an adult profile expressing a sexual interest in children. During this conversation Cowling discussed meeting the profile to rape the person’s seven-year-old daughter. The profile was being operated by an undercover officer.

As a result of the information provided to Devon and Cornwall Police, a search warrant was executed at Cowling’s home and a variety of devices seized.

Examination of the devices revealed that Cowling had been in communication with a convicted paedophile in Merseyside who has since been jailed.

The two exchanged tens of thousands of messages with Cowling directing the other man photograph and video abuse of his adopted children and send it to him.

Cowling and the other paedophile exchanged various child abuse images and videos with Cowling even getting the other man to produce a contract acknowledging that he was a paedophile and that Cowling was his master. Cowling was also found to have distributed child abuse images to other online users.

During interview Cowling admitted having a sexual interest in children.

Officer in the case Sophie House said: “This was a complex police investigation which incorporated work from both the D&C Paedophile Online Investigation Team, The Merseyside Paedophile Online Investigation Team, the National Crime Agency, and the Metropolitan Regional Organised Crime Unit. 

“We welcome today’s sentence and hope this conviction serves as a stark warning to those with an unlawfully blurred view of consent and the wider implications of child sexual abuse material. Cowling and the other individual’s relationship was a true meeting of wicked minds, in addition to Cowling’s entrenched sexual interest in child sexual abuse material. 

Record details

A paedophile who hid behind fake personas in twisted online chats to encourage a teenage girl to send him indecent photos and engage in sex acts ended up losing his marriage and friends.

Canterbury Crown Court heard Andrew Rickards initially posed as a 14-year-old girl with the username 'Amybum' to engage with the victim in January 2022.

Under that guise of being 'Amy from Ashford', the pervert then introduced his second false identity - that of a man of varying ages called 'James' - into his depraved communications.

Having told the 13-year-old that 'James' was 36 and would be "driven crazy" by her, 'Amy' handed over his online account details for the social media platform, Discord.

The younger girl then contacted him, resulting in Rickards, who this time said he was 28 and kept details of his address limited to 'in Kent', indulging in what were described as "sustained and persistent" sexualised conversations over the course of several days.

Undeterred by her age, these included him asking for photos of the victim wearing her school uniform and lifting up her top to reveal her bra, as well as inviting her to join him in bed and be "little spoon".

He also described himself as a "sexual dominant turned on by cute, little girls", the court was told.

Prosecutor Kieran Brand explained how at one stage Rickards posed as both 'Amy' and 'James' in the same online chat, asking if the girl was prepared "to do stuff" and have threesomes with them.

There was even talk of taking her shopping at Ann Summers to buy sex toys.

But the court heard the victim was also hiding her true identity - that of an undercover officer - and with the usernames traced to his home, Rickards was arrested in April that year.

Police seized several devices, including a phone and laptop, on which they found indecent images of children, extreme pornography, and other conversations in which he had used the 'Amybum' profile, claiming to be 14 and to have had sex with both men and children.

Rickards, 39, of Arden Drive, Ashford, later admitted two offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, six charges of publishing an obscene article and one of possessing an extreme pornograhic image.

He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of a child in respect of 105 stills and 25 moving clips, and depicting abuse across all three categories of seriousness.

James Burke, defending, told the sentencing hearing on Friday, August 23 that as a result of his offending, Rickards had "lost his marriage and lost his friends".

But his assertion that the defendant's "paedophilic interest" was linked to his poor mental health was rejected by Judge Simon Taylor KC.

"It may be convenient for the defendant to identify that link and may assist him in coming to terms with his offending, but on the evidence available before me there is no link whatsoever," he said.

He also dismissed any suggestion that Rickards could not recall his offending, and said any anxiety he was experiencing was "a consequence of being caught".

Jailing him for a total of two years and 10 months, Judge Taylor said the use of two different personas demonstrated "sophisticated and highly manipulative" offending.

Rickards, who had sat in the dock shaking throughout much of the hearing, mouthed the word 'sorry' to his father, who had attended court in support, as he was led away to start his prison sentence.

On release, he will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Record details

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.