Latest Offenders

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The mother of a girl targeted by a sexual predator has thanked our specialist officers after her abuser was jailed.

Twenty one year-old Harris Proctor was jailed for ten years, six custodial with a further four on licence at Chelmsford Crown Court on 12 April after admitting a string of offences.

Proctor, registered sex offender, had been in contact with an 11 year-old girl and engaged her in sexual conversation including about performing sexual acts.

When he was arrested in November 2019 his laptop was searched and officers found indecent images on there.

The offences had come to light following a previous conviction for child sexual offences where he had engaged in sexual conversations with two underage girls online and had also been found in possession of indecent images of children.

Further investigations after his second arrest established he had been back in contact with young girls following his earlier conviction, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order he had been made subject to.

Proctor, of Townfield Street, Chelmsford, was later charged with inciting child sexual activity, two counts of making indecent image of a child, 10 counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sexual Offenders Register.

He pleaded guilty and was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 12 April and sentenced on the same day.

Following the sentencing hearing, the 11 year-olds mother said:

This crime really has affected my daughter and our family.

The impact it has had on her personally and socially has been very difficult to see, I can only hope she starts to recover now she knows he is in prison and she is safe.

The police have been brilliant throughout the investigation and the support we as a family have received has been very good, allowing us to have the confidence to continue to court.

I really want to reach out to other parents and children, if they find themselves in this situation please do make police aware.

If we do not make the police aware of these individuals out there targeting our young children then they will not be apprehended and will continue to harm more children.

The police worked hard and made sure we were supported at every step of the way.

I am now going to concentrate on my daughter with her road to recovery and hope that she can start to get back to the beautiful little girl we knew before all this happened.

I know that due to my daughters bravery, it has meant that this criminal will now be in prison away from hurting any more children in society.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Harriet Ware, said:

Harris Proctor is a dangerous individual who preyed on young girls for his own sexual gratification. DC Carole Currey and I worked hard to ensure all offences were manged together for the same court hearing.

This crime has affected the victim greatly. At the age of 11 she has lost all confidence about being in public, has had to receive counselling and no longer attends school through fear of being in groups and being around other boys, she feels unsafe.

This crime has also had a big impact on me, the images I have had to look at due to this defendant and what was found on his device was harrowing and something I unfortunately cannot unsee.

To see how the crime has impacted the poor little 11 year old girl and the family has been saddening. His crimes have effected many young girls and their families who have been very brave to work with the police relaying evidence for the court proceedings

Proctor is a danger to children in the community and I am satisfied with the sentence layed upon him, I know that the public will be safe for the time he is in prison.

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Paedophile hunters trapped a convicted sex offender who thought he was exchanging messages with a 13-year-old girl. He had asked the girl if he could watch her in the shower and see pictures of her in her school uniform and underwear.

Seedy and obsessed Alistair Tough had been given a "golden opportunity" in the past to tackle his sick urges but he ignored it and brazenly sent sexually-charged messages to the fake girl. He knew the risks that he was taking because he told the decoy teenager that he "could get shot for talking to her", Hull Crown Court heard.

Tough, 58, of Spring Road, Market Weighton, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between November 17 and December 9, 2020 and failing to register his details as a sex offender on January 3 last year. Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Tough was given a one-year suspended prison sentence at Hull Crown Court in March 2019 for two offences of making indecent images of children and he had to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

He had been found in 2018 with 518 of the most serious Category A images of children, 544 in Category B and 354 in Category C, most of them movies. The latest offences were discovered after police were contacted by a paedophile hunters group to say that Tough had been having sexualised conversations on Facebook with a fake 13-year-old girl.

He sent messages to the decoy girl, who told him that she was 13, and he said that he "could get shot for talking to her". He told her: "Don't forget to delete our messages before you go to sleep."

Tough asked the girl to send him a picture of her in her pyjamas and later asked for one of her wearing underwear. He told her that he was looking for a girlfriend and asked her to send photographs of herself in her school uniform. Tough later asked her if he could watch her in the shower and asked her to send a picture in her school uniform. When the fake girl sent a picture, Tough replied: "Pretty pic." He was required to register his details as a sex offender every year but failed to do so.

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that no actual indecent images had been sent or received and Tough did not ask to meet the fake girl. He had suffered from a lot of problems since childhood and had become isolated and lonely. "His two daughters are the only members of his family who are still in contact with him, because of his offending," said Miss Scott.

"He has been living alone for a long time. 2009 is the last time that he lived with someone. He is an isolated and lonely man. He was trying to find friendship. He looked in entirely the wrong place."

Tough was in very poor health, had suffered four heart attacks and was awaiting a possible liver transplant and a heart bypass operation.

Judge John Thackray QC told Tough: "You were given a golden opportunity by the court in March 2019 to resolve the obvious and very serious issues that you have and you have gone on to commit very serious offences.

"There was no actual harm here because what you thought was a 13-year-old girl didn't exist. You thought you were communicating with a 13-year-old child. You intended sexual harm to a 13-year-old child. The offence is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."

Tough was jailed for eight months and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A Southend man has been jailed after he admitted to the possession of indecent images of children.

Lionel Bryan, 43, of Hastings Road, will spend four and half years behind bars and three and a half out on licence.

He admitted to possessing indecent images of children and attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on two occasions at Basildon Crown Court earlier this month.

Already a registered sex offender, officers discovered more than 800 images on Bryan's mobile during a routine visit last year.

Acting Detective Sergeant Emma Chambers from Essex Police, said: Any person who possesses indecent images should be prepared to be brought to justice for this terrible crime.

It is not a victimless crime, there is always someone who has suffered at the hands of a perpetrator.

Bryan was a registered sex offender when he committed these offences but the court has seen fit to punish him accordingly.

Bryan remains on the Register of Sex Offenders and is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A South Shields paedophile who thought he was sending sexual chats to a young girl was in fact messaging an uncover police officer.

Christopher Bullock believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old girl on the Kik messenger app and sent over pictures of his penis and initiated a perverted game. But the 39-year-old was actually speaking to an undercover police officer who had created a fake profile in order to snare perverts.

When Bullock was arrested, his home was searched and officers found indecent images of children in his possession. Bullock appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for three counts of making indecent images and a charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.

Rachel Glover, prosecuting, said an undercover officer joined the Kik app and created a profile purporting to be that of a 13-year-old girl from London. Ms Glover said: "The profile received three messages from the defendant between June and July, 2019 where he said 'Hi gorgeous', and there was no reply. Four attempts were made on September 2, 2019, where a conversation followed. The defendant told her that he was 36, from Newcastle and worked as a delivery driver."

Ms Glover said that Bullock's messages quickly turned sexual and asked to play a game of "question and answer". She said some of questions were general, but many were sexual. "During the conversation the defendant said he would like to see her breasts and asked if she would like to meet", Ms Glover said. Bullock also sent a picture of himself, as well as of his penis.

The court heard that Bullock, of Whitehall Street, South Shields, was later arrested at his home and his electronic devices were also seized. A hard drive was examined and indecent images were found, including one in category A. The images had been downloaded between 2017 and 2019.

Gavin Doig, defending, said Bullock indicated guilty pleas early and had no previous convictions. He said: "Fortunately, it's a single conversation. It's something the defendant should never have done and is very ashamed of."

Recorder Ian Mullarkey handed Bullock a 10 month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered him to complete 55 rehabilitation activity days and a sex offender programme. He was made subject of a seven year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

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Pervert Christopher Price has been caught with 237 indecent images of children. The 27-year-old, of Flamborough Grove, Middleport, has admitted three counts of making indecent images of children; possessing an extreme pornographic image; and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Prosecutor Zaine Riaz told North Staffordshire Justice Centre that Staffordshire Police had received intelligence that indecent images had been accessed and uploaded on the internet from the defendant's address.

Mr Riaz said: "He was not at home. However he contacted the police to say he would be the reason they were at the address. The police returned and spoke with him. They seized his devices and he attended a voluntary interview."

Officers found 43 category A indecent images; 87 at category B; and 107 at category C. In the interview, the defendant admitted he was responsible for the indecent content found on his device. He said he would carry out a sex act when viewing the material.

Magistrates sent the case to Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court and Price will appear there on a date to be fixed. They ordered a pre-sentence report. Price's bail was extended.

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A TAMESIDE pensioner looks set to spend the rest of his life in prison after a campaign of sexual offences lasting 32 years.

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Andre Morton was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child, decades after the offending

A twisted paedophile who sexually abused a nine-year-old boy when he was a teenager leaving him with lifelong damage has finally been jailed some 35 years later.

Andre Morton, now 49, groomed the young boy from the age of five, before beginning to sexually abuse him years later.

Morton, of Beckhill Walk, Meanwood in Leeds, was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child.

Camile Morland, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday that Morton began abusing the boy in the 1980s. The abuse spanned a period of two years, when the boy was between the ages of nine and 11, and Morton himself was 14 or 15, Leeds Live reports.

She said: "He [the victim] was to say there was sexualised behaviour, and grooming behaviour that took place before the defendant was 14. It is right to say that the behaviour began when he was around the age of five, and the defendant was around the age of 11...He was frightened of him."

Ms Morland said the abuse then turned sexual, and on one occasion Morton was almost caught out by a young girl as he stroked himself against the boy. She said: "She [the girl] asked what was happening and the defendant said they were getting changed.

The prosecutor added that some of the counts Morton was found guilty of related to multiple incidents, of which there were at least two.

She added: "The complainant didn't tell his family but a disclosure was made to his best friend at the time when they were 14. There was a period of time when nothing was said but on various occasions from 2016 onwards the complainant would... be distressed and say he had been abused."

Ms Morland said the man has, since the abuse, suffered from nightmares, flashbacks and physical ailments including bleeding.

She said: "He had a violent temper. He would wet himself at school and would avoid other children, staying inside at playtimes. [Later] he struggled with intimacy and authority, and would react badly and lose jobs."

The court heard the victim reported Morton to police in 2016. He was arrested and interviewed in 2016 and 2018 but denied the allegations. Morton had been jailed in 1999 for six and a half years after being convicted of four offences of indecent assault against a young girl.

Ms Morland told the court he also has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two of which happened when he was a teenager, burglary, dishonesty and driving offences.

Joanne Sheperd, mitigating, said Morton still denies the offences despite being convicted by a jury in February this year. She said he suffered in his own childhood with neglect and had attended a special school during his adolescence.

Deputy Circuit Judge Clayson jailed Morton for seven-and-a-half-years in total - 35 years after he committed the offences.

He told him: "The consequences of what you did to him [the victim] was immense. He has experienced frequent psychological trauma, he has suffered some fits of anger and he has nightmares and flashbacks as well as physical problems.

"It really is no exaggeration to describe the harm you caused as profound and lifelong. He was clearly frightened of you and speaks of you having a violent temper. It is clear the level of harm he suffered is very severe."

Morton will have to serve five years in custody before being able to apply to go before the Parole Board, who will assess if he is safe for release. If he is released before the seven-and-a-half-years is at an end, he will serve the rest of the sentence on licence.

He has also been made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will have to continue to notify police of his whereabouts for the rest of his life.

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A Winchester man who was caught with more than 70 indecent images of teenage boys on his phone has been spared jail because his low IQ meant he wasnt able to understand what was happening.

Scott Fletcher-Wells, 25, was instead handed a three-year community order by the judge, who cited his potential vulnerability in prison as a reason for sparing him a stint behind bars.

Hampshire Police were first alerted to Fletcher-Wells after an indecent picture of a teenage boy was uploaded to an Instagram account dubbed Little.Gays in June 2020.

After matching the phone number and IP address linked to the account with Fletcher-Wells, police visited his shared flat in Staple Gardens and found him locked in his bedroom, where officers seized an iPhone 6, Samsung phone and a USB adaptor.

A search of the Samsung phone revealed three indecent images of children under Category A, eleven under Category B and 60 under Category C. The court heard the images were mostly of teenage boys but did feature the odd image of a girl.

He refused to comment while being interviewed by police but did hand over the pin to the phone, where among the pornographic images they also found selfies of Fletcher-Wells and his family.

The court heard from the prosecution that he was previously known to police and was cautioned for two sexual offences, which included possessing indecent images of children, between the ages of 12 and 14.

He subsequently spent a lot of his teenage years in foster care, with his defence barrister, Chloe Jay, remarking that his case worker believed he was himself abused as a child - something Fletcher-Wells said he didnt have any memory of.

Speaking on behalf of Fletcher-Wells, she said: He was very keen to admit what he has done and entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity. He wants to work with probation and is very alive to the fact that his behaviour must change, and that there is a lot of work to be done.

Sentencing Fletcher-Wells on Wednesday, April 13, judge Susan Evans QC said she was conscious of his low IQ and the fact he attended a special educational needs school when he was younger.

A psychiatric report submitted to the court also indicated it is likely he be autistic, which she said could make him potentially extremely vulnerable in custody.

She added: Although you had images in your possession which fall under Category A, the number of images you had was very few, and the ages of the children involved were older than the court usually sees.

I am more concerned about the fact you were cautioned when you were 14 for a similar offence, which should have been the signal that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable.

What you need to understand is the children in these photographs are real, they are victims who are being harmed, exploited and emotionally damaged by the people making them. By downloading these pictures, you are the market which drives this sort of abuse.

Fletcher-Wells was handed a three-year community order and told he must attend a sexual harm prevention course of the courts choosing.

Hell also have to engage in 45 days of rehabilitation activity and pay a fine of 100 within 28 days.

A deprivation order was made for the destruction of the phone, with Fletcher-Wells, who was allowed to remain seated during the sentencing, told he was barred from using devices including a mobile phone or computer for a period of five years, with the exclusion of work-related activity. His name has been added to the sex offenders register.

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Jamie Hart hid his address from officers after being released from prison

A convicted rapist who refused to tell police where he was living after he was released from prison is now back behind bars.

Jamie Hart was required to inform officers of his address as part of the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register. But the 36-year-old "persistently and deliberately ignored" these rules and police warnings.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Hart was convicted of rape and jailed for seven and a half years in November 2013. He was also told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said Hart's notification requirements included that if he had been in custody, or otherwise detained, he had to inform police within three days of his release of details including his home address. On February 8 this year he was released from prison.

On February 11 an officer contacted Hart, who told him he had gone to Wavertree Road and Bootle police stations, but both had been closed. He claimed he had then called the police, but hadn't been given a log number, and promised to attend again to complete the process.

On February 14 the officer checked whether Hart had done as he said he would, but he hadn't, and by February 17 he had still not notified police of his address. The officer contacted Hart and warned him again, but Hart said he had been in hospital having an operation.

The sex offender was given a list of police stations he could attend and when the officer rang him the next day, Hart said he was on his way to St Anne Street Police Station. However, by February 21, he still hadn't notified the police of where he was living.

Hart was arrested on March 16, when he declined to be interviewed. He had still not notified officers of his address.

Hart, of no fixed address, admitted failing to comply with his notification requirements. He has 24 previous convictions for 43 offences, including three previous breaches of his requirements.

The court heard for the first breach he was handed 12 weeks in prison, suspended for nine months, for the second in October 2020 he was jailed for 12 weeks, and for the third in August 2021 he was jailed for 26 weeks. He was then released from jail in February.

David Birrell, defending, said: "He does maintain on release he did initially make efforts to notify, going to two police stations, both of which were closed, and speaking to somebody on one of those yellow telephones outside the police station, but that doesn't excuse what followed. He had ample opportunity to notify.

"He's fortunate to have a supportive family, his mother sits in court. His father would be here, but for his ill health, and they stand by him."

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, told Hart: "The facts are you persistently and deliberately, again and again, ignored police reminders and failed to notify the police officers of your address between February and March of this year."

The judge said the case was aggravated by Hart's previous convictions and three past breaches, and mitigated by his guilty plea, entitling him to a discount of one third off his sentence, plus conditions in prison during the pandemic.

Judge Driver said he had not been asked to consider guidelines on whether he should spare Hart prison, but if he had, he would have noted his "history of non-compliance" with court orders and that "appropriate punishment" could only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence.

The judge jailed Hart for eight months, who sighed loudly and nodded to his mum as he was sent down.

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A woman was stalked for nearly two hours after police failed to respond to a 999 call from another person.

Hasan Kyoybasha approached a woman who spurned his advances so he started pestering someone else.

The first woman called police to report his predatory behaviour towards the victim, but they failed to attend for an hour and 45 minutes.

He continued to pester, badger and follow her through the streets of Poole, Dorset, before pouncing and raping her.

Dorset Police said they did not attend the incident between 4.45am and 6am on September 5 because they were experiencing higher than average calls.

After the attack, the woman went to get help from two people who were at a nearby bus stop and they dialled 999.

Kyoybasha was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

Dorset police has carried out an internal review which found there was no misconduct by staff but have changed their procedures.

A police spokesman said: The review found that at the time of the call, Dorset Police was responding to a higher-than-average number of calls for service and officers were not immediately available to attend.

Subsequently, the incident log was closed by a supervisor, as police units remained heavily committed.

The review recommended that a radio broadcast detailing the contents of the 999 call could have been made to alert officers in the area who may be attending other incidents.

As a result of this, the force has changed its procedure to ensure that these matters are prioritised and radio broadcasts will always be made in cases where there is a concern for a persons safety.

We will always endeavour to prioritise attendance at an incident where suspicious activity has been reported and concerns have been raised for someones safety. No misconduct was identified.

Those who use violence or intimidation against women and girls such as Kyoybasha will be relentlessly pursued and brought to justice.

We will work with partners to create an environment where women and girls are both safe and feel safe from violence, intimidation and harassment through influencing and supporting change within communities and policing.

Our thoughts continue to remain with the victim of Kyoybashas abhorrent offending.

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A man has been sentenced to six years in custody after being found guilty of committing six sexual offences against a 12-year-old girl.

Karl Richard Walsh, 41, denied all the charges but he was convicted following a trial at Swansea Crown Court earlier this week.

The officer in charge of the case, Detective Joanne Williams of South Wales Police, has praised the 12-year-old child for the way in which she has conducted herself throughout her horrific ordeal.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the girl in this case,” she said.  “Not only has she had the courage to report what had happened to her, but she has continued to support the investigation right to the end.  As a result of this child’s bravery, Walsh will now spend years in prison to reflect on his behaviour.”

Walsh, of Burnside, Neath, will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Meanwhile the number of sex offences recorded by police in Wales has reached its highest level since 2002, according to latest crime figures. 

Statistical analysis shows that 3,973 crimes were recorded against children in Wales in the 12 months to June 2019.  This figure is up from 3,920 the previous year and the highest number since records began in 2002.  The findings confirm that the figure has more than doubled in the last five years alone.

The spike may be the result of an actual rise in the number of child abuse crimes, but it may also be linked to more victims feeling able to come forward to speak about their ordeals and also a better recording process by police.

Sexual crimes which are being committed against children include rape, sexual exploitation and the grooming of children under the age of 16.

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Jonathan Sweet, of Blyth, was caught with hundreds of child abuse images on his mobile phone

A pervert who had indecent images of children as young as six months has walked free from court.

Jonathan Sweet had hundreds of sickening pictures and videos of youngsters on his mobile phone when police seized it. Newcastle Crown Court heard police found the material in an app on his phone after devices were seized on October 21 2021.

Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said: "After information was received, officers attended his home address. Two devices were seized and examined but nothing was found on them. Officers then attended his place of work and seized his mobile phone. When that was examined it was found to contain indecent images of children."

The court heard there were 162 pictures and 69 movies of the most serious, category A, kind, 103 pictures and 44 movies in category B and 272 pictures and 13 movies in category C. The children were aged between six months and 13 years.

Sweet, 40, of Rowley Street, Blyth, Northumberland, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children. Judge Stephen Earl sentenced him to 18 months suspended for two years with a requirement he complete a sex offenders treatment programme. He must also sign the sex offenders register for ten years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

The judge said the children in the images "were and continue to be victimised while those images remain and people are watching them".

Sweet told probation officers he didn't download the images but said no one else had access to his phone. Jennifer Coxon, defending, said: "He fully accepts the prosecution case and maintains his guilty plea."

She added: "The images were found in an inaccessible place which means they were either deleted or created by the software. He is a hard-working young man and has a long-term relationship and no children."

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A sexual predator is behind bars after his quick-thinking victims took photos and videos of him. Another brave woman also chased Ahmed Al-Razawe and punched him.

Al-Razawe carried out three sex attacks in Liverpool city centre in the space of just four days last year. The creep, 24, first targeted two teenage friends sitting at a bus stop - asking them for sex and groping their thighs, the Liverpool Echo reports .

He then smacked a young woman's bottom, before biting her breast after she wrestled him to the ground. A judge said Al-Razawe tried to treat the victims as his "sexual commodities" with "no regard for their rights".

But they outsmarted the predator - using their mobile phones to take photos and videos of him. And one woman even chased him down the street, before landing a punch that helped put him behind bars.

Attacks on teenagers

Al-Razawe attacked two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, who were waiting for a taxi at Liverpool One bus station, at around 11.30pm, on Saturday, October 23. He groped their legs and slid his hand up one victim's shorts.

But the other used her phone to take a photo and record a video of him, which she later posted on Facebook, to warn others and to get him identified. At the time the Syrian national - who had entered the UK illegally and applied for asylum - was living in a hostel in Upper Park Street, Toxteth. Several days later, the man running the hostel was sent a screenshot of the post when he immediately recognised Al-Razawe and contacted the police.

In the meantime Al-Razawe had struck again, this time in Lydia Ann Street, at around 12.40am, on Wednesday, October 27. The drunken thug approached two women walking down the street, asking them to open a wine bottle, and when they walked on, he slapped and squeezed the bottom of one of the women. When her friend protested, he started swinging his arm at her, so the woman he had just molested grabbed him around the neck, and they both fell over. There he sunk his teeth into her left breast and hit her in the head with the bottle.

Liverpool Crown Court heard a man shouted "get off" and Al-Razawe ran away. But by now the two women had been joined by another female friend, who chased after him and caught him up. Henry Riding, prosecuting, said: "There was something of a struggle before he then ran off again. During that struggle however the friend punched the defendant in the face.

"The defendant suffered an injury causing him to bleed and some of his blood got on the friend's clothing. As a result of which, it was matched to the defendant as a result of DNA analysis." The third victim and her two friends also managed to take photos of Al-Razawe, before he was picked out in an identity parade. Faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, the coward admitted three counts of sexual assault and one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The 17-year-old victim told the court she was left struggling to sleep. In a victim statement, she said: "Every time I close my eyes I could see his face." She added that she is now much more wary of people when she is out and that she was relieved neither her nor her friend had been on their own. The 18-year-old victim said she was left jumpy at the slightest noise, struggled to sleep, and woke up with a heavy feeling on her chest. Mr Riding said: "She describes how she doesn't want to get up or go out and relives what happened in her head over and over again."

The third victim, in her 20s, had moved to Liverpool from a different area and described how she was left feeling uncomfortable in the city. She suffered nightmares, struggled to cope with social situations, and reacted negatively to men touching her in a friendly way. Mr Riding said: "She describes that the bite to her breast left a lasting scar, which is a permanent reminder of what happened and affects the clothing she can wear."

Passing sentence, the judge Recorder Harris praised the woman who "bravely" chased after Al-Razawe and helped bring him to justice. He said the pervert would have to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for a decade.

Al-Razawe, who claimed drink and drugs played a part in both attacks and that he didn't remember the first incident, was found by a probation officer to "pose a high risk of causing serious harm to women".

Recorder Harris said he had shown "no insight or empathy" and had "a predatory sexual approach to women". The judge jailed him for three years. Al-Razawe will serve half of that sentence in prison, at which stage depending on the outcome of a Home Office hearing he will either be released on licence or deported.

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A Derbyshire dad who was found to have thousands indecent images and videos on his laptop sobbed in court as he was labelled a "hardened paedophile" by a judge. James Conquest's home in Lumsdale Crescent, Matlock, was searched three times by police and despite being on bail during the latter two searches, police found more images every time, including some involving children as young as three.

The restaurant supervisor lied to police by saying that he had been sent the images at random and deleted them immediately as he did not have a sexual interest in children. When he was found to have sent images to another paedophile, 33-year-old Conquest told police that he was trying to "educate" the other offender and that he was on the dark web to try and help people.

But this story was dismissed as "nonsense" by a judge as the father-of-one appeared at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday, February 13 to be sentenced for 12 separate offences committed over the past three years. Alongside the thousands of indecent images of children, he was also found to have extreme pornographic images involving humans and animals on his phone and laptop.

Sentencing Conquest, Recorder Jason MacAdam said: "You are a hardened paedophile who will blame everybody but yourself for offending of this type. I conclude that passing my public duty in sentencing you means only an immediate custodial sentence can be passed. There can be no question that that is appropriate for this sort of persistent and maintained serial offending.

"You claimed to go on to sites to educate people. I dismiss this as nonsense. You are a paedophile. You get pleasure from looking at images and films of various children. You are very obviously sexually attracted to children.

"Your mitigation matters little in light of the evil you have done in your life, by accessing this sort of disgusting, vile material and so encouraging the industry of sexual abuse of children for profit. I have to accept that your offending thus far is for non-contact offences.

"I very much fear that there is a danger that you would go on and commit contact offences. That is the natural progression for somebody like you and you shake your head, but with somebody like you, who can't stop committing non-contact offences, it would be perfectly proper for me to say that I can't predict whether the intervention of the probation service in prison will work to stop you committing further or more serious offences."

Anthony Cheung, prosecuting, told the court that police searched Conquest's home on December 12, 2019, and seized a Samsung phone. The device was found to have a 848 category A images, the most serious category, 869 category B images and 4,107 category C images, including over 200 videos across the three categories and alongside 12 prohibited and 42 extreme images.

When police searched his home again on September 27, 2021 - while Conquest was on bail - police found another 524 images on a laptop and discovered that he had distributed 36 of the sick images to other paedophiles. While awaiting sentencing for nine counts related to the two searches, officers then looked at his phone on March 3 of this year and found another 29 indecent images, which he said he had as he knew police would look and he wanted to, according to the judge, "speed the process up".

Benn Robinson, mitigating, did not contest the facts of the case but said that his client was of previous positive good character and was responsible for looking after his elderly mother at home, who has terminal cancer. He said that the isolation caused by this, as well as no longer being able to see his young son, created a "perfect storm" for his offending.

He said: "His mother has suffered with various health difficulties for a great number of years and in more recent times this has escalated. When contact with his son stopped, at around the same time his own father left his mother.

"Mr Conquest then went to live with his mother who has various health difficulties, so he shouldered all the financial responsibility. In his spare time he had to physically support her by putting food on the table, collecting medications and such.

"It is perhaps not difficult to see how isolating that sort of existence can be. Less than 12 months later we know he has been downloading this sort of images. The elephant in the room is that it persisted after he was arrested.

"They are not contact offences. He directly has not caused the children in these images any serious harm. There is no suggestion he was trying to contact children himself."

Mr Robinson's pleas for a suspended sentence were rejected by the judge, who sentenced Conquest to concurrent 45-month sentences for counts of making indecent category A images of children, distributing indecent category A images and possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was given concurrent 12-month sentences for a second count of making indecent category A images, two counts of both making indecent category B and making category C images, and single counts possessing prohibited images of children, distributing category B and distributing category C images.

He was given a 24-month sentence, also concurrent, for a third count of making indecent category A images of children. Conquest will be on the Sex Offenders Register and the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and his devices will be destroyed. He will serve half of his 45-month total prison sentence in custody, with any time spent on remand to be taken off. He must also pay a 170 victim surcharge.

Description

A 41-year-old man tried to engage in sex chats with a girl he believed was 13 years old.

Dean Taylor of Sawmill Close, Worcester was really talking to undercover officers working for the Metropolitan Police and using the Kik social media platform to target sex offenders and protect children from online predators.

Taylor, who asked permission to leave the court by a back entrance but was denied by security staff, appeared before magistrates in Worcester today (Thursday).

Inside court he indicated guilty pleas to four sexual offences.

He admitted an attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child between February 14, 2019 and June 22, 2019 'for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification' (a 'child' aged 13 years); two charges of attempting to cause/incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity between the same dates; and attempting to cause a child 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, again over the same dates.

Details of the offences are too graphic to print in full but involved inciting the 'child' to perform sexual acts and to take and send sexualised photos of herself to him, what he termed 'naughty photos', and also the sending of a video involving a male performing a sexual act.

Mark Hambling, prosecuting, said Taylor was caught by an online operation conducted by the Metropolitan Police using the Kik platform.

He explained that the 13-year-old child Taylor had been communicating with 'does not exist'.

The sentencing guidelines indicated a starting point of 18 months in prison for attempted sexual communication with a child with a range available of between nine and 24 months.

Causing or inciting a child has a starting point of 26 weeks and a range of a high-level community order to three years' custody.

He added: "These matters should go to crown court for sentence."

Mr Hambling also said Taylor was now required to sign the sex offender register.

Paul Stanley, defending, said: "I have nothing to say in terms of jurisdiction."

Taylor was told he must next appear at Worcester Crown Court on Friday, May 13 this year. As he had been on a postal requisition he was granted unconditional bail by the court.