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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.

Description

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.

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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.

Description

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." 

Description

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.

Description

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.

Description

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.

Description

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.

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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.”

Description

A Wiltshire couple groomed a young woman before she was raped in their hot tub.

James Owen, 55 and his partner Ellen Rea, formerly Ellen Oades, 52, jointly preyed on an 18-year-old in Salisbury between January and February 2021.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Owen – a personal trainer – first sexually assaulted the teenager under the guise of training sessions.

A jury was told that over a number of weeks, the evil duo exchanged text messages outlining their intentions to abuse the woman.

On 6 February 2021, they invited their victim to their home for dinner – where they plied her with alcohol and persuaded her to join them in a hot tub.

It was there that the woman was raped by Owen and sexually assaulted by Rea.

At the conclusion of a nine-day trial today (Friday), Owen was convicted of rape, two counts of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

Rea was found guilty of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

Owen was sentenced to eight years in custody and Rea was sentenced to two years.

Detective Constable Martyn Powell said: “James Owen and Ellen Rea conspired to abuse the trust of a young woman.

“Their horrendous actions were fuelled by their own selfish desires, without for a moment considering the long-lasting consequences that this abuse would have on their victim.

“I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the young woman who worked with us to help bring these two offenders to justice and hope that she is able to find some solace in the lengthy custodial sentences that have been handed down today.”

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Description

A Huddersfield man has been jailed for indecently assaulting a child in the 1980s.

Martin Glynn Whittle, aged 72, of Lucy Lane, Huddersfield, was found guilty following a four day trial of one charge of indecent assault on a child aged under 14 years.

He was sentenced this week at Leeds Crown Court to four and a half years imprisonment and will be subject to Sex Offender Register requirements.

Description

A Grantham man who was convicted of sexually assaulting an under-age girl was today (Friday August 16) jailed for 11 years.

Nicholas Manning, 50, of Edwards Street, was found guilty of three charges of assault by touching of a girl under 13 years old after an eight day trial at Lincoln Crown Court in July.

The jury also convicted Manning of a single charge of of assault by penetration of a girl under 13 years old - but cleared him of two other charges of rape and assault by touching.

All the offences occurred over one day in January this year.

In an impact statement which was read out in court the victim described how she now had difficulty sleeping and suffered both flashbacks and problems eating.

Emotionally, she described finding the incidents difficult to talk about and said she was now less sociable.

The girl's mother described how the court process had left her feeling numb and sick, and impacted her daughter's schooling.

"It broke my heart to see her go through it," she added.

Chris Jeyes, mitigating for Manning, argued the psychological impact on the victim was not in the most severe category.

Mr Jeyes also argued Manning had not deliberately used alcohol to facilitate the offences.

"This is a defendant with no similar previous convictions," Mr Jeyes added.

Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight told Manning his victim was vulnerable and repeatedly assaulted while she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"There was clearly a great impact from your offending," Judge Sjolin Knight added.

Manning was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will have to register as a Sex Offender for life.

Description

A man who 'clearly poses a danger to children' has been locked up after he tried to abduct a 14-year-old boy in Stockport.

Sheraz Bhatti was sitting in his orange and black Mini car on Jacksons Lane in the Hazel Grove area on March 20 last year when he spotted the boy walking home. He shouted him over to get his attention, a court heard.

Bhatti, 43, then asked him if he wanted to get in the car. He offered to take him home and told him he had drinks to give him. Thankfully the boy continued walking and told his parents what had happened when he got home. They contacted the police.

Officers later found that Bhatti had searched on the internet for a school on the street where he had parked up and spoken to the boy. They tracked down the distinctive Mini as belonging to him and found it parked outside his home in Wythenshawe the following day.

They seized two phones and found almost 300 indecent images of children on them, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Some were category A, the worst kind, with others category B and C.

Bhatti was also found to have four bank accounts which he had not informed police about - which was in breach of the sex offender indefinite notification requirements he was made subject to following a conviction for sexual offences in 2008. He initially denied attempting to abduct the boy, but accepted he was on the scene.

In December last year, he then pleaded guilty to attempting to abduct a child. He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, two counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child. and failing to comply with notification requirements.

Today (August 16), at Minshull Street Crown Court, Bhatti, of Longhope Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for four years and three months. Richard Holliday, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "This incident encapsulates every parent's worst nightmare. Sheraz Bhatti clearly poses a danger to children.

"I would like to thank the boy for his quick thinking in raising the alarm which has helped us bring him to justice and protect other children from any other potential abuse. The Crown Prosecution Service takes offending of this nature extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice."

Description

A PERVERT has been jailed for a total of 15 years after encouraging a nine-year-old girl to perform a sex act.

Jack Bradshaw, of Hartwell Grove, Winsford, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, August 8, for sentencing on eight sexual offence charges involving children.

The 29-year-old had previously denied all but one of the offences, but changed his plea to guilty at a court hearing on April 30 earlier this year.

At the latest hearing, Chester Crown Court heard Bradshaw had initiated a sexual chat with a nine-year-old girl in 2021 and 'intentionally incited' her to engage in sex acts.

Two years later in 2023, Bradshaw began communicating with another girl, aged 12, and again the chat was sexual, referencing genitalia.

He also tried to get the girl to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity, for his own gratification.

Following his arrest, Bradshaw was charged with five counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one charge of inciting a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity.

Judge Steven Everett handed Bradshaw an initial sentence of 11 years, four months before extending it by three years.

A further eight-month jail term, to be added consecutively, was imposed for the charge of inciting a child to look at a sexual activity image.

Judge Everett also made a forfeiture and destruction order in respect to seized items, such as several mobile phones and a sex toy.

Bradshaw was placed on the sex offender register indefinitely and made the subject of a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

This bans him from living in the same household as any child under 16, or entering and remaining in any household where a child under 16 is present, unless he has the express approval of Social Services.

He is also prohibited from having unsupervised contact or communication with any child under 16 unless, it is inadvertent and not reasonably avoidable in daily life, or he has consent of the child's parent or guardian, who has knowledge of his convictions.

As part of the order Bradshaw is not allowed to use any device capable of accessing the internet unless he notifies police, among other conditions.

Description

A Wakefield man has been jailed for 21 years after being convicted of multiple rape offences against two teenage girls.

Nadeem Hussain, aged 46, formerly of Regent Street, Wakefield; was found guilty following a four-week trial at Grimsby Crown Court of four counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration.

He was sentenced today at Grimsby Crown Court to 21 years imprisonment and was made the subject of a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which will put restrictions on him on his release from prison to further protect the public.  

The victims were aged 16 and 17 at the time of the offences.

Detective Sergeant Kirsty Senior, of Wakefield District’s Child Vulnerable to Exploitation Team (CVET), said: “Hussain has groomed his victims over a lengthy period of time, plying them with heroin and crack cocaine to enable his sexual offending.

“These were vulnerable teenage girls who he exploited. The sentence he has been given reflects the fact he is a dangerous offender who deserves to be behind bars.

“This court case has been the culmination of a two-year complex investigation by CVET. Hussain refused to accept his guilt resulting in a four-week trial and I am pleased that his victims have now got justice. That being said, no jail term can ever erase the lasting emotional, physical and psychological damage that Hussain has caused these two young girls.

“His victims have shown immense courage throughout this criminal justice process. They have been supported from the outset by specially trained safeguarding officers.

“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of child sexual exploitation or has concerns for a child to please report it so that we can safeguard the victim, protect others from harm and ensure perpetrators are made to face responsibility for their actions.”