Latest Offenders

Description

Three Kirklees brothers who groomed and sexually abused teenage girls have been jailed for a total of over 60 years.

Zafar Qayum, 42, and his brothers Ansar, 45, and Mohammed Jabbar, 41, all from Dewsbury were found guilty of a catalogue of sickening sex offences following a trial at Leeds Crown Court. Zafar was found guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of aiding and abetting rape and five counts of indecent assault, against three victims, Ansar was found guilty of four counts of rape and attempted indecent assault against two victims and Mohammed was found guilty of two counts of rape against one victim.

It was said the offences were committed between 1999 and 2004 against three girls who were between 13 and 15 when they were sexually abused. All girls were described as particularly vulnerable at the time they came into contact with the Qayum brothers. Police investigations began in 2017 after one of the victims reported what had happened to her.

The court said one of the victims came forward after she watched a documentary she realised what had happened to her could still be reported.

Jurors were unable to reach verdicts in two counts - one relating to Zafar and another relating to Ansar. These counts were instructed to lie on file.

As the trio were sentenced on Friday, the court heard how they had preyed on three teenage girls. Prosecutor Rupert John Doswell said the aggravating features in the case included the targeting of particularly vulnerable victims who were sometimes missing from home, and the fact Zafar instigated and encouraged his younger brother Mohammed to carry out his offending. Mr Doswell said: "He was the instigator and facilitator."

Mr Doswell said Zafar Mohammed was 20 at the time of the offending against two of the girls which went on for some years. He was between the ages of 23 and 25 when he abused another. Mohammed is now 41-years-old and was 21 or 22 at the time.

During the sentencing, the emotional victim impact statements of the three victims - now adult women - were read out to the court. In them, they told how the abuse had impacted their lives. One woman said she was a young teenager when the abuse started and has suffered with anxiety throughout her life. She said: "After the abuse stopped I would fly off the handle at the smallest of things. Nowadays, I feel void of emotions. Part of this is because of the medication I take for my mental health, I believe is due to the abuse I have suffered."

The woman says she still fears the Qayum brothers will come after her, and added: "The feeling has never left me. Even when cars pass my house slowly, I think it is them looking for me. It is always in my mind that they are coming back for me."

She also told how she remembered "kicking off" at school when some men tried to get her into their car and she was told off by a teacher who said she "shouldn't be getting into cars with Asian men" and that she was bringing shame to the school.

Another woman told the court how she was "exploited" by the Qayum brothers when she was 13. She said Zafar "made her feel special" and filled a hole in her life. She said throughout the abuse she became "less tolerant" of people and got expelled from school - hiding the fact from her father for three months. She said this led to her becoming a "prisoner in her own home" as she was "in fear of being mentally and physically tortured."

The woman said: "At the age of 17 the person who abused me stopped being part of my life and this pushed me into another relationship with another man who I would describe as abusive as well."

She said that after she gave evidence during the trial she felt for the first time her "voice was heard" and added: "I will never forget what happened to me but feel some sort of acceptance and after 20 years I can put this thing behind me and live my life with my family."

The Qayum's third victim told the court she had a "great, happy childhood" up until the age of 13 and her "teenage years very much destroyed my adult life." The woman said she "never really felt normal" and has had relationships with the wrong kind of people thinking "that was how a normal relationship should be."

She said: "I still have bad dreams about what they did and panic they will come and find me and hurt me. There is no way in this world my son would ever behave like these monsters. This part of my life has been kept in a locked part of my brain. They took my innocence and damaged me. I just think I will have to go with this life I have been given, to try my best to be happy and love myself."

Mitigating for Zafar Qayum, Katherine Pierpoint said he was 19 or 20 when the offences were committed and the "disparity was about five to nine years between the complainants. The disparity in age is not as great as you see sometimes in these cases and his age at the time may be linked to his level of maturity." She said there had been no offending since the offences had been committed and he is now "established as law-abiding and hard-working."

Ms Pierpoint said Zafar Qayum now has a wife and four young children who will be affected by his custodial sentence.

Fiona McNeil, for Ansar Qayum also put forward that the disparity in age between the brothers and their victims is not as great as those usually seen in other cases. The court heard that last year Ansar pleaded guilty to his involvement in a kidnapping offence that saw him and others take a 17-year-old and beat him following a collision with a Lamborghini car. Calls from Qayum's phone were made to the boy's parents to make demands.

He was jailed for 10 years and nine months for that offence.

Mitigating for Mohammed Qayum, Kitty Colley, said the victims told how he presented a different demeanour to that of his brothers. She said: "He was described by two victims in this case as not offending against these other girls but as present and himself relatively nave.

"The collective evidence suggests that he had been exposed to matters and not involved in offending against others by his brothers. One woman described his personality in stark terms and that was consistent across all complainants and the victim." The court was told Zafar Qayum's crimes of aiding and abetting rape related to encouraging sexual intercourse between Mohammed Qayum and one of the girls. Ms Colley said that on the first occasion of Zafar doing this, Mohammed "pretended and didn't go on that time to offend."

She said: "He was described as being the total opposite to his brothers and they [the victims] felt protected by him." She added that he is a man of good character, a dad and family man who helps care for the brothers' parents.

Zafar Qayum was jailed for 30 years, Ansar Qayum for 20 years - a sentence which will be added onto that which is already serving - and Mohammed Jabbar Qayum for 13 years.

As he sentenced them, Judge Marson said: "They were targeted and groomed for sexual gratification by the offer of alcohol, drugs and a more exciting way of life. They were paid insincere compliments. At one stage, (one victim) became pregnant and had an abortion when she was 14. Who the father was was not known."

The judge said it was only when one of the victims watched a documentary that she realised what had happened to her could still be reported. He slammed the three brothers as "cowards" for putting the victims through a trial. and added: "It is clear to me that your victims will never fully recover from what you did. Their experiences with you will haunt them and affect their lives in the future."

Speaking directly to Zafar Qayum, he said: "One [victim] was so vulnerable that she believed she was in a genuinely loving relationship with you. Over a period of years you controlled, abused her physically and used her for your own sexual gratification. Matters only came to an end when you completely destroyed the contents of her flat. I have no doubt that had she been in the flat that night you would have caused her significant physical harm. You aided and abetted your brothers to rape her. You took advantage of these girls while they were under the influence."

The judge said that in one of the victims' evidence she told how Zafar knew of her real age and would say: "We are here to f*** all of the white girls and f*** the Government." Judge Marson said the victim "saw that as a joke" but added that what happened to her and the other girls "was no joke."

Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Thornes of Kirkless Police said: "This has been a deeply distressing and highly disturbing case involving the dreadful sexual abuse of young females by three brothers. The court heard some highly disturbing evidence of how poorly these young victims were treated with all three brothers being found guilty of encouraging the sexual abuse of victims.

"We welcome the substantial sentences handed down to them at court today and believe these reflect the gravity of the acts they committed. I want to praise the courage of the woman in this case whose determination to seek justice has ensured these men have been forced to account for their actions. We continue to urge victims to come forward and can promise all reports will be thoroughly and sensitively investigated."

Description

A MAN from Rhyl has returned to prison after not complying with post-custodial requirements following his release, and with the sex offenders registers notification requirements.

David Nash, 27, of Clwyd Street, was released from prison on July 1, and ordered to reside each night at a supported housing project on this street, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nash was accused of failing to reside there on August 4, 28, 30 and 31.

He admitted to these breaches at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was also accused of failing to comply with notification requirements in regards to the sex offenders register.

These notification requirements include names, addresses, all foreign travel, bank account details and passport information, among others.

He also pleaded guilty to this offence at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was handed a concurrent, 16-week prison sentence.

Description

Steven Allan, of County Durham, suggested meeting what he thought was a schoolgirl at a bus station, fish shop and near a shop

Vigilantes snared a pervert who wanted to meet a 15-year-old girl for sexual activity.

Steven Allan thought he was talking to a schoolgirl on a dating app but it was actually a member of paedophile hunters Guardians of the North. The group had set up a fake profile on dating app Skout, posing as an 18-year-old called Chelsea.

Allan, pretending to be a 21-year-old called Lee, was told during an online chat that she was 15 but started using sexual language and asked to meet her the following day. Rachel Glover, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "He asked to meet her at the bus station in Sunderland the next day and meet at the fish shop today. He also asked to meet at the green near B&M and she agreed to this. He continued to send sexual messages."

Another member of Guardians of the North, posing as a 27-year-old woman, then communicated with Allan and arranged to meet him. He was arrested when he attended and his mobile phone was seized and showed the chats he'd had with Chelsea.

When interviewed by police, he said he had used his brother's photograph and an image of genitals from the internet. He added: "I know it was wrong."

He added that he had not met a child before and that he had "been speaking to lots of girls" as he was lonely and apologised.

Allan, 40, of Station Road, Wingate, County Durham, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, all between July 25 and 27 2020.

Judge Edward Bindloss said he intended to pass a two year prison sentence but said had he done so Allan would have been released within days with no treatment, having served 11-and-a-half months on remand. He therefore imposed a three year community order with a sex offender treatment programme with rehabilitation. He was also made subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Mark Styles, defending, said: "He seems to be functioning with a mild learning disability. He is keen to rehabilitate himself and participate in a programme to get treatment."

Description

A SEX attacker left a vulnerable 14-year-old girl in the snow after raping her in woods at night.

Spencer Smith, 19, preyed on his victim in Newmains, North Lanarkshire, on February 1, 2019.

The drunk schoolgirl left a hen do to meet Smith who led her into the woods known locally as The Bing.

She tried to kick him away but Smith pounced on her.

The pervert abandoned her in the snow without trainers before she was picked up by the police.

Smith - a first offender - was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow to a single charge of rape.

Smith - of Wishaw - was locked up and will be sentenced next month.

The court heard that the 14-year-old girl had a "fair bit to drink" at a hen do.

She told officers that she was "like dizzy and woozy."

The victim left nearby Robin's Bar to meet Smith and his friend before heading to the woodlands behind the pub around midnight.

In his closing speech, prosecutor John McElroy said: "Spencer Smith had sex with a drunk child.

"She said she 'tried to like get him off with kicking him'.

"When he left her in the snow, without her trainers and freezing we heard her call to 999.

"Officers met the victim at the bar who was "heavily under the influence of alcohol...and very upset.

"She was later found to be three times over the drink driving limit.Mr McElroy stated:

"Smith knew she was not consenting but persisted anyway, taking his sexual pleasure from an incapable child, under the significant influence of alcohol who was trying to kick him off.

"Smith told jurors in his evidence that the sex was entirely consensual.

The advocate depute put it to him that the police and toxicologist all spoke about alcohol and the effect it had on the girl.

He said: "If the jury take these things as true, they possibly cast your evidence in a different light."

Smith replied: "I suppose.

"After his conviction, Smith broke down in the dock as did members in the public gallery.

He was heard to say "absolute a joke" before being led into the cells.

Smith was put on the sex offenders register for a period of time which will be determined at the sentencing.

Description

A barrister who said 'I shouldn't laugh' after he raped his Tinder date shouted 'I didn't do it' from the dock as he was convicted of the attack and jailed.

Robin Jacobs, 39, was sentenced to four years in prison for carrying out the sexual attack for up to 30 seconds after the woman screamed at him to stop at his London flat in 2017, the Old Bailey heard.

The couple had been on two dates before the rape. After meeting for lunch at a date in September, the pair returned to Jacobs' flat and had consensual sex.

But Jacobs suddenly forced her to take part in a sex act, ignoring her screams to 'get out'.

He then told the woman, in her 30s, to 'come for a cuddle' and offered her paracetamol.

The lawyer, from Woodford, east London, has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), meaning he struggles to read social signals.

He denied raping the woman and said he would have stopped immediately if she had told him to.

As he was convicted for rape, Jacobs yelled 'I didn't do it. I was telling the truth. Oh my God.' from the dock.

After gaining his composure, he thanked the judge for imposing the 'lowest possible sentence' and left the dock pinching the bridge of his nose.

Judge John Hillen told him: 'It gives the court no pleasure to sentence anyone to terms of imprisonment and in this particular case, with a man of good character, of exemplary character, a high standing in his profession, to have to sentence you as I must, and as you know I must, to a term of imprisonment is a sad event.

'I accept that your laughing was involuntary and that you, in an uncharacteristic selfish state of mind, were bemused by her reaction.

'That bemusement was caused by your belief that she consented.

'I am satisfied on your evidence that you did genuinely believe that your victim would consent.

'That belief was unreasonable, wholly unreasonable in the circumstances.'

On the day of the assault the pair went for a pizza then went back to Jacobs' home nearby for sex.

At one stage Jacobs told the victim to wait there before attempting a sex act without consent, the court heard.

He carried on for 20-30 seconds until she screamed 'get out' at him, at which point he stopped.

As the complainant lay on the bed in front of him Jacobs said 'It's not funny, I shouldn't laugh'.

He then chuckled to himself.

In her account to police the woman said she told him to stop twice and he didn't, she then screamed 'get off' and he stopped but he didn't move away.

She said: 'At that point I was just face down on the bed. I didn't know what to do with myself - I was in quite a lot of pain.

'And then he told himself twice that it wasn't funny, that he shouldn't laugh, not to laugh, and then after the second time he did laugh.

'And then he saw that I hadn't moved and then he sort of moved me across and sat down and said 'come for a cuddle' and I said no.

'I would say that [he used] a huge amount of force. It felt like what you would describe as a stabbing pain.

'It just wasn't stopping. I was still in pain when I went into work on Monday.'

Jollyon Robertson, who prosecuted Jacobs in the retrial, summarised an impact statement written by the complainant in which she detailed how the rape has affected her.

She felt 'a degree of humiliation' when Jacobs laughed just after the incident, the court heard.

Mr Robertson said: 'She mentions that she has had some counselling. She has also been on medication. She was off work for a period of two months.

'She felt that she had no control over her life and how her trust of people has been affected.'

Stephen Rose, defending, said Jacobs did not deliberately try to humiliate the complainant but that his laughter was the result of his then undiagnosed ASD.

Mr Rose described Jacobs' actions as 'a momentary mistake'.

He said: 'This is not a defendant who will trouble the court again.

'He is struggling and I have no doubt will struggle to understand, principally for reasons associated with his disability, the outcome of this case.'

After the incident Jacobs texted a friend, Stewart Wallis, about the incident, calling the victim's response 'a bit of an overreaction'.

Jacobs also texted: 'I just hope there's no trouble as a result. I apologised repeatedly when she was here.

A few days later, Jacobs wrote: 'I haven't been nicked yet, so that's good.

'If the police are after you, do they leave a message or raid you at 5am?'

Jacobs claimed he was confused about what had happened and that he was trying to 'fit in' with his 'laddish' behaviour, which he uses to 'navigate social interactions'.

The prosecution had suggested Jacobs' ASD does not impact his understanding of consent and his reasonable belief of consent in this case.

Giving evidence during the first trial the barrister insisted he would have stopped having sex immediately if the woman told him.

'I thought she was absolutely fine,' he said. 'I thought she knew what I was doing.'

Stephen Rose, defending, said: 'It is suggested you were not interested in whether she consented.'

Jacobs replied: 'It's not true. I am not a cruel, aggressive person. That is not what I'm like. It wasn't something for my own gratification as the phrase goes. No.'

Jurors heard how the complainant claimed Jacobs had joked during their first sexual encounter: 'It has been a while since I've forced myself into a girl'.

The barrister said he did not remember making that comment.

He said he understood 'in the narrow sense' that consent to one sexual act did not mean consent to another.

'Yes it's true to say in a literal way that just because you are consenting to one thing doesn't mean you are consenting to everything,' he said.

'But at the same time you form an impression of someone's character and someone's boundaries based on the sort of things you have done so far and the sort of things you tried.

'Based on everything I considered those boundaries to be wider in this instance.'

Jacobs denied that it was 'very unusual' for a woman to agree to such a sex act on the second sexual encounter but said: 'I've done it on first dates.'

During the first trial Fiona Ryan, prosecuting, suggested his remark to the complainant to 'hold steady' before he performed the sex act was 'no sort of warning at all'.

Jacobs replied: 'It had been perfectly adequate when I had done it on previous occasions with other partners.

'I don't agree that there was no warning.

'I can't tell you five years on exactly what was going through her head...but I think she knew what I was going to do and she was alright with it until she was hurt.'

He told the jury in the second trial: 'There was no thrusting. It was over pretty much as soon as it started.

Asked by his barrister Stephen Rose, if he raped the woman, Jacobs replied: 'No.'

Jacobs said they were having sex and the woman suddenly shrieked at him to 'get out!'

In his closing speech to the jury Mr Rose told jurors: 'This is about a short relationship back in 2017, starting on Tinder between two mature adults both, it seems, looking for love.

'I have no doubt that for some, if not all, of you, there have been parts of this trial that you've found distasteful to sit and listen to in the formality of this sort of setting.

'Mr Jacobs, a barrister in the middle of his career, [was] diagnosed with ASD, a discovery with profound implications for his life and important implications for this trial.

'And he discovers that in the contact of being accused of rape.

'To discover that at his stage in life is nothing short of devastating.

'He faces undoubtedly a very serious allegation and...his future is ultimately in your hands.'

The barrister specialises in educational law and had continued to practice since the incident, the court heard.

However the conviction means that the barrister is likely to 'never' work in his legal profession again.

Robin Jacobs was jailed for four years and must register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A serial rapist who barged into a woman’s home and subjected her to acts of “deliberate degradation” has been jailed.

Joseph Silver, of Margate, targeted the woman and another victim over a month-long period in east Kent in 2020.

Silver, 34, was found guilty of three charges of rape and two of assault by penetration following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

He has now been jailed for 14 years after a judge ruled him "dangerous". He will serve two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and another four on licence.

Judge Simon James said Silver forced his way through his first victim’s door, then “grabbed her hair and ripped her clothing off" while ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

He branded Silver “self-centred” with no “insight into the pain and anguish he had caused,” to both women.

Silver maintained a “callous attitude” towards his victims while posing as a “high risk to others,” the judge added.

"My home used to be a safe place, but it is where I feel most anxious..."

His victims handed impact statements to the court, with one describing the pain she still suffers.

The woman said her life had been “turned upside down” and she is “constantly looking over my shoulder”.

“My home used to be a safe place, but it is where I feel most anxious," she said.

“Everything I once loved about myself I now let go - feeling attractive and confident isn’t possible now.

“Living through this has shown me I am strong but also it is OK to feel all kinds of emotions about myself.

“Throughout the trial my emotions and anxiety were all over the place. Not knowing if my evidence was enough for jurors to see the truth was so stressful.”

During his trial at the same court in October last year, Silver argued his victims had consented, then conspired to have him jailed.

Both women were in court to watch Silver convicted unanimously after five hours of deliberations.

Giving evidence, his first victim told jurors: “I was scared I thought I was going to pass out - he was squeezing so tightly.

“I just said 'please don’t do this' as I realised what was coming.”

His second victim recalled: “I told him ‘no, just get off me' - but he had sex with me.”

Martin Yale, prosecuting, said if Silver “wants something for his sexual gratification” he will “take it, whatever anyone else says or does to stop him”.

Silver had recently been released from prison on licence for an unrelated matter at the time of his offending, the court heard today.

He has 27 offences for 14 convictions, including violence alongside a weapons offence and an old sex offence.

Representing Silver, John Fitzgerald said he had an “unsettled upbringing” and the delay in bringing the sentencing hearing to court was not his fault.

The court heard Silver, previously of College Road, had been assessed as posing a high risk of committing further similar offences.

Description

Derek Clayton of Unsworth Way, Oldham, was handed a two-year suspended sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court on Monday, September 12, for 12 offences that breached a restraining order imposed on him in 2002.

The court heard that over a period of two weeks from May 14 to May 29, the 76-year-old had three boys under the age of 18 in his flat, including one that was just 12, and permitted them to smoke cannabis and cigarettes.

The police were alerted, and Clayton was arrested by GMPs Oldham Complex Safeguarding Team and charged with 12 breaches of his restraining order on July 15.

Addressing Clayton at the sentencing, Judge Mark Savill said: You are 76 years of age and to be sentenced by me for 12 offences that breached a restraining order imposed on you in 2002.

Over a lengthy period of time from the 70s, 80s, 90s and culminating in 2002, you were convicted of a number of sexual offences against young males.

"In 2002 you were made the subject of a restraining order indefinitely to which you have fell foul of and are to be sentenced for today.

In mitigation, defence barrister Robert Stewart called for Judge Savill to consider Claytons age, mobility, and ill health when imposing a sentence.

Judge Savill acknowledged the points in mitigation and noted that Clayton had not committed any sexual offences for at least 20 years.

Clayton was handed a suspended sentence of two years, an indefinite restraining order and ordered him to complete a 30-day rehabilitation requirement and 31 days of the Horizon programme.

Description

A DRUNK Carlisle hotel guest who groped an 18-year-old receptionist after clambering over a counter to reach her has been put on the Sex Offender Register.

Bradley Wright, 36, was staying at the hotel with his partner when his lewd behaviour led to him being arrested and charged with a sexual offence, Carlisles Rickergate court heard. He admitted sexual assault.

Prosecutor George Shelley showed the court CCTV footage of the incident on August 27, showing how the receptionist at the Carlisle hotel sitting at her desk behind a counter, which was also equipped with plastic covid screens.

The receptionist was working alone at her desk when Wright looking unusually animated approached her and began chatting.

He was drunk, and making suggestive comments towards her, said Mr Shelley. The CCTV footage captured the moments when Wright clambered over the counter, past the Perspex screens, and tried to embrace the teenager.

He touched her hip and right thigh as he pinned her to her chair and kissed her on the face, said Mr Shelley. The receptionist was seen trying to push Wright away and then ordering him to leave her desk area.

She had booked the defendant and his partner into a room the previous day, said Mr Shelley. She reported the incident to her manager who, having viewed the CCTV footage, contacted the police.

When police later arrested Wright and put him into a van ready for the journey to the police station, he became aggressive, threatening to urinate in it. He then did so. The vehicle could not then be used until it had been cleaned.

The defendant, who also admitted causing criminal damage to a police vehicle, had a record which consisted of 30 previous offences, including two offences against the person and two against property.

The court was then given a summary of a statement made by the 18-year-old victim after she was sexually assaulted. She said that she already suffered from anxiety, and what happened had heightened this.

She had been unable to sleep properly, and felt physical symptoms linked to increased anxiety, including her legs shaking and her chest tightening. I have not returned to work because I cant face it, she said.

Jeff Smith, defending, said Wright had come to Carlisle for a break with his partner, who was in court to support him. Mr Smith said: He did what he knows he should not have done: he had drunk vodka I imagine a significant amount of vodka.

Regarding what you have just seen {the CCTV], Mr Wright cant recall any of it in detail. Seeing that, I imagine, creates in him a great deal of disgust. I imagine his partner at the back of court feels similarly.

He meant no harm. But he was drunk very drunk.

Mr Smith said Wright, of Boundary Walk, Liverpool, recently returned to work as a scaffolder and his life was taking on a form that was attractive to him. "But he is disgusted with his behaviour, added the lawyer.

Magistrates noted that the defendant committed the offence while he was drunk and that he had clambered over the desk past covid screens to assault the teenager. They imposed a 12-month community order, with 200 hours unpaid work.

Wright must pay his victim 500 compensation, as well as 85 costs and a 114 victim surcharge. For the criminal damage offence, he was told to payn150 compensation to Cumbria Police.

Because he is now convicted of a sex offence and serving a 12-month community order, Wright will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years, said magistrates. He must report to his local police station within three days and provide his personal details.

The defendant was told he can settle his 749 debt to the court at a rate of 100 per month. A DRUNK Carlisle hotel guest who groped an 18-year-old receptionist after clambering over a counter to reach her has been put on the Sex Offender Register.

Bradley Wright, 36, was staying at the hotel with his partner when his lewd behaviour led to him being arrested and charged with a sexual offence, Carlisles Rickergate court heard. He admitted sexual assault.

Prosecutor George Shelley showed the court CCTV footage of the incident on August 27, showing how the receptionist at the Carlisle hotel sitting at her desk behind a counter, which was also equipped with plastic covid screens.

The receptionist was working alone at her desk when Wright looking unusually animated approached her and began chatting.

He was drunk, and making suggestive comments towards her, said Mr Shelley. The CCTV footage captured the moments when Wright clambered over the counter, past the Perspex screens, and tried to embrace the teenager.

He touched her hip and right thigh as he pinned her to her chair and kissed her on the face, said Mr Shelley. The receptionist was seen trying to push Wright away and then ordering him to leave her desk area.

She had booked the defendant and his partner into a room the previous day, said Mr Shelley. She reported the incident to her manager who, having viewed the CCTV footage, contacted the police.

When police later arrested Wright and put him into a van ready for the journey to the police station, he became aggressive, threatening to urinate in it. He then did so. The vehicle could not then be used until it had been cleaned.

The defendant, who also admitted causing criminal damage to a police vehicle, had a record which consisted of 30 previous offences, including two offences against the person and two against property.

The court was then given a summary of a statement made by the 18-year-old victim after she was sexually assaulted. She said that she already suffered from anxiety, and what happened had heightened this.

She had been unable to sleep properly, and felt physical symptoms linked to increased anxiety, including her legs shaking and her chest tightening. I have not returned to work because I cant face it, she said.

Jeff Smith, defending, said Wright had come to Carlisle for a break with his partner, who was in court to support him. Mr Smith said: He did what he knows he should not have done: he had drunk vodka I imagine a significant amount of vodka.

Regarding what you have just seen {the CCTV], Mr Wright cant recall any of it in detail. Seeing that, I imagine, creates in him a great deal of disgust. I imagine his partner at the back of court feels similarly.

He meant no harm. But he was drunk very drunk.

Mr Smith said Wright, of Boundary Walk, Liverpool, recently returned to work as a scaffolder and his life was taking on a form that was attractive to him. "But he is disgusted with his behaviour, added the lawyer.

Magistrates noted that the defendant committed the offence while he was drunk and that he had clambered over the desk past covid screens to assault the teenager. They imposed a 12-month community order, with 200 hours unpaid work.

Wright must pay his victim 500 compensation, as well as 85 costs and a 114 victim surcharge. For the criminal damage offence, he was told to payn150 compensation to Cumbria Police.

Because he is now convicted of a sex offence and serving a 12-month community order, Wright will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years, said magistrates. He must report to his local police station within three days and provide his personal details.

The defendant was told he can settle his 749 debt to the court at a rate of 100 per month.

Description

A man convicted of downloading indecent images of children last year flouted a Sexual Harm Prevention Order by installing software to mask his internet history, a court heard.

Those breaches of the order have resulted in Edward James Tomlinson receiving his first full custodial sentence in his mid-seventies.

In March last year he received a ten-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Durham Crown Court after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children, plus possessing prohibited images of children and extreme pornography.

As part of the sentence he was made subject of restrictions relating to his use of the internet, under the terms of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

But the 74-year-old defendant, of Luke Avenue, Cassop, near Durham, was back before the court today (Tuesday September 13) after recently admitting three counts of breaching the SHPO.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, said following his conviction last year the defendant was subject of monitoring visits by the police public protection unit.

A device installed on his computer equipment revealed use of pc cleaner software to remove evidence of downloaded material.

Mr Pettengell said it led to Tomlinsons devices being seized and examined, revealing the use of the cleaner at least three times, while a privacy browser had also been installed, covering up any search history.

In interview he also revealed use of virtual private network, even though the examination of his devices had not uncovered its presence.

He told police it was to screen films and watch tv channels, while he accepted using the privacy browser as he did not like to receive spam adverts.

When asked, he could give no explanation for use of the cleaner, other than him clicking on something allowing it to run.

Mr Pettengell said the police analysis of his devices showed there had been no evidence of further indecent images having been downloaded in the 18 days between the last use of the pc cleaner and the police attending the defendant's home.

Shaun Dryden, in mitigation, said the defendant did everything required of him by way of the other elements of last years court order.

They included attending 56 of 59 probation appointments and observing an electronically-monitored 7pm to 7am home curfew, while Mr Dryden added that the suspended sentence expired earlier this week.

He told the court the defendant was aware monitoring software was in place on his computer and claimed he did not deliberately use software to hide his browsing history.

Mr Dryden added that the defendant no longer has any computer devices due to his concern what may happen.

But Judge James Adkin told Mr Dryden: The problem is he was told that breaching the SHPO would lead to prison.

He said the defendants explanations for the breaches, are not going to wash.

The perfectly reasonable inference of having all this software is that he has had access to indecent images.

Having three separate tools to hide your browsing history is a persistent breach of the order.

The judge told Tomlinson the clear inference was that, "he still maintains an interest in looking at indecent images of children.

He imposed an eight-month sentence for the breach and activated six months of the suspended sentence, to make a total sentence of 14 months.

On his release Tomlinson will remain subject of registration as a sex offender and the terms of the SHPO until March 2031.

Description

A pervert caught with indecent images of children blamed his addiction to pornography for his vile stash.

Nathan Stephen's sickening collection featured infants and children aged up to 16 years and he had distributed one of them to someone who later told him she was a child herself, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

When confronted by police on October 14 2020, he asked: "Is this about the girl I was speaking to because I didn't realise she was 15 until later".

Various devices were seized and he was found to be in possession of 43 of the most serious, category A, images, 52 category B and 73 category C. He also had 2,876 prohibited images and seven extreme pornography images.

There had also been more than 14,000 keyword search terms used which are associated with indecent images. When interviewed, Stephen said he was speaking online to a female in America and he started sending cartoon pornography. He said she initially said she was 19.

He then sent her one indecent image of a girl aged around 10 being abused and she told him she was a child. Stephen told police he didn't believe he had a sexual attraction to children and claimed he was just addicted to pornography.

The 25-year-old, of Brighton Road, Gateshead, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images, distributing one category A image, possessing prohibited images and possessing extreme pornography. He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years with a four month curfew. He must also sign the sex offenders register for ten years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Tony Cornberg, defending, said Stephen has mental health issues and has voluntarily signed up to the "Stop it Now" programme to tackle his offending.

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Sex offender John Bentley has 'lost everything' after being released from jail with no support. The 45-year-old was placed on the register after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children on September 3, 2020 and making indecent images of children on March 11 this year.

Prosecutor Emma Thompson told North Staffordshire Justice Centre the defendant was released from prison 'with no support; on August 11 for an allegation of assault.

He was then given a place at Hanley's Macari Centre but failed to tell police about his new address.

Miss Thompson said: "Due to him being on the sex offenders' register, the defendant had three days to notify the police of an address but he failed to do that. He failed to notify them of his address within three days.

The defendant, of The Macari Centre, Hanley, was arrested. He said he was released but had nowhere to stay before he found a bed at The Macari Centre. He said he had no excuse and simply forgot to register his address, adding 'it will not happen again'.

The court heard the defendant previously breached the notification requirements earlier this year by failing to sign his annual registration.

Steve Hennessy, mitigating, said the defendant was on remand for six months on an allegation of assault and was then acquitted at trial. He was released and was homeless.

Mr Hennessy said: "He had lost everything. It took him a day or two to find the Macari Centre. The court may have sympathy for someone released from custody with no assistance.

"He was located at The Macari Centre without difficulty. He was not trying to avoid the authorities at all.

"The previous breach was the annual registration. There is no suggestion of the commission of further substantive offences."

Magistrates adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on Bentley. He will be sentenced on October 4 and his bail was extended.

Description

A Fife man who terrorised a woman for almost a decade and twice put her life in danger by choking her is behind bars.

Ricky Smith admitted touching the woman’s private parts to check if she had been having sex and twice injuring her by throttling her.

The 54-year-old was brought from prison to Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, where he admitted the two assaults and sustained threatening behaviour.

Smith’s reign of terror over the woman continued from October 2010 until October 2019, when she went to the police after a life-threatening assault.

Sustained torment

Fiscal depute Jamie Hilland explained throughout the nine-year period, Smith would shout and swear at the woman and demand to have sex with her.

When she refused, he would become more abusive, calling her a “slag,” “slut” and “whore”.

Some of the loudest abuse was overheard by a neighbour.

If she was away from him for prolonged periods of time, Smith admitted he would administer a “finger test” where he’d touch the woman’s private parts to try and determine if she’d had sex.

She said this happened on multiple occasions and the last time was in August 2019.

First choking

In April of 2018, the woman attended a tarot reading at her neighbour’s property and later arrived at Smith’s home in Barnton Place in Glenrothes.

This sparked an argument which lasted for weeks and cumulated in Smith assaulting her in July by seizing her by the throat and compressing it, restricting her breathing and injuring her.

The next day, she went to her GP reporting a sore throat and difficulty swallowing.

She was directed to A&E where she was treated for tenderness to her left cheek and neck, as well as an altered voice.

The woman was told to go back to hospital later but did not do so.

Throttled again

A second attack took place in Smith’s Glenrothes home in October 2019.

After an argument, he grabbed the woman by the throat and lifted her by it.

Father-of-three Smith threw her to the floor and threatened to kill her.

Initially, his victim kicked out to try to free herself but gave up fighting in the hope it would entice him to release her.

Her back was left bruised.

Following this attack, the woman went to visit family and after speaking with an aunt who works as a social worker, contacted police in Glenrothes.

A marker was placed on Smith’s home and she later fled Scotland, giving evidence from outside the country.

Smith admitted both assaults put the woman’s life in danger.

Sentence deferred

Sheriff James Williamson ordered social work reports and further remanded Smith.

The sheriff imposed a five-year non-harassment order with immediate effect.

A sentencing hearing was fixed for October 14.

Defence counsel acting for Smith explained he was psychiatrically assessed last week.

Smith, who was jailed for a previous offence in 1989, was recently transferred from HMP Inverness to HMP Perth after being remanded on August 18 when he missed his trial.

Court papers say he had latterly been living in Gilbert Street, Inverness.

In January 2020, he was reported missing and a police appeal explained he had links to the Highland area. He was traced the following month.

Description

A Wakefield man has been jailed for more than six years for historic child sex offences against two victims.

Malcolm Shipman, aged 64, of no fixed address, Wakefield, appeared at Teesside Crown Court today (Tuesday, 13 September) for sentencing after being found guilty at an earlier hearing.

Shipman, who is a former manager of the Snooty Fox pub in Wakefield, was sentenced for four counts of indecency with a child.

The offences occurred between 1988 and 1997.

He was sentenced to six years, five months in prison and ordered to sign on the sex offenders register.

Detective Inspector Paul Oldham, of Wakefield District Crime Safeguarding, said:

The investigating officers and I welcome this sentence today. The bravery shown by the victims to report this man for the truly horrendous offences carried out against them as children, must be recognised and not underestimated.

Their courage has resulted in the successful prosecution of Shipman, ensuring the safeguarding of future possible victims.

I would like to reassure others who are suffering, have suffered or those who have any information of similar offences that we have specially trained officers who will treat victims with compassion and will work tirelessly to bring perpetrators to justice.

You can report crime or contact us online at Contact us | West Yorkshire Police. You can also contact us by calling 101. You should always call 999 in an emergency.

There is more information about what happens when you report sexual offences and the support available on our website at: Serious Sexual Assaults Campaign | West Yorkshire Police

In a statement issued by the victims following the sentencing, they said:

We are now adults, but we were those two little girls who we feel have finally been given a voice and have got justice for the horrible childhood we had to endure.

We both never dared speak out about what this man did to us as children, we had hoped to never have to and just wanted to get on with our lives, but you never forget the past as much as you try.

We have done this to stop him hurting anyone else and to finally tell the truth and get justice for what happened to us.

It has been the most painful experience going through this trial and there is still a lot of healing to do, as hard as this has been he had to be held accountable for his own sick choices against vulnerable children.

We encourage anyone who has been through anything like this to please come forward, it is not easy, but it is the right thing to do.

The fear of speaking out and him getting away with it keeps you prisoner long after the abuse. We urge others not to be scared and come forward to show strength in numbers to these predators and that there will be consequences, no matter how long it takes.

Description

The former headteacher at Newcastle's prestigious Royal Grammar School has been banned from teaching over sexual misconduct claims.

John Fern, who held the top job at the Jesmond private school from 2017 to 2019, came before a professional conduct panel of the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) after pupils from a school he previously taught at made allegations against him. The 47-year-old was accused of kissing two students at the boarding school, and discussing his own sexual activity with others.

He also put his hand inside a pupil's clothing, it was claimed. The allegations, which were all denied by Mr Fern, came to light after one pupil made a report of historical sexual activity with the teacher to police in 2019.

Officers also spoke to another pupil, but neither wanted to support a prosecution against Mr Fern and no further action was taken in the criminal investigation. Mr Fern was on sick leave from his role at RGS and did not return to the school.

A spokeswoman said: "These allegations relate to an entirely different school and took place 20 years ago. They were brought to our attention after being reported to police in early summer 2019.

"Mr Fern was on sick leave and, under guidance from the Local Authority Safeguarding Officer, did not return to RGS. The matter was investigated by police and no charges were brought but Mr Fern resigned in November 2019.

"He was subsequently referred to the Teaching Regulation Agency, whose formal decision has just been published. We were prevented from making any reference to the matter until the police concluded their investigation and the TRA completed its disciplinary processes.

"We were shocked and saddened to learn of the allegations and the impact they have had on the individuals concerned. Although this matter does not relate to RGS and there was no cause for concern during Mr Fern’s time here, all schools need to hear about such incidents and examine what, if anything, they can learn from them.

"While there can never be room for complacency, RGS has a range of robust and effective mechanisms in place that allow students, parents or staff to raise any issue they may be concerned about. We are proud of the open culture of our school, in which reporting safeguarding concerns is welcomed and issues acted upon promptly and decisively."

The TRA report explains how the pupil, referred to as Pupil A, made the report to police saying the sexual activity "had not negatively affected him in the long term". But he said he felt compelled to report Mr Fern to the police when he heard he had become a headteacher.

The report says: "He was concerned that Mr Fern was in a senior trusted role and had the potential to misuse that position. Pupil A did not want to support a prosecution as he did not feel that the sexual activity between Mr Fern and himself warranted any criminal sanction. His purpose in reporting this matter was to ensure the future protection of pupils."

After being contacted by police Mr Fern informed the chair of governors at RGS and resigned after being told there would be a formal disciplinary hearing. The panel found Mr Fern guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The report says: "Mr Fern's actions included serious sexual misconduct with more than one pupil, including some non-consensual acts. Mr Fern's behaviour was further aggravated by the significant breach of trust between that of a teacher and pupil.

"The panel is satisfied that the conduct of Mr Fern amounted to misconduct of a serious nature which fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession."

The panel made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Mr Fern be issued with a "prohibition order" which would ban him from teaching with immediate effect. Sarah Buxcey, on behalf of the Secretary of State, agreed that Mr Fern should be banned from teaching indefinitely and he now cannot teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.

She said: "Mr Fern breached the trust of pupils in his care, the misconduct happened over a period of time, with more than one pupil. Mr Fern’s actions mean that he presents a risk to the safety and wellbeing of pupils in the future."

Parents of children at RGS were informed of what had happened by a letter sent out this week. RGS claims to be the North East's leading Independent School.

Parents pay fees of just over £12,000 a year for junior school pupils and more than £15,000 for senior students. In 2018, five students were expelled from the school amid concerns about bullying.

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Former hotel worker Luke James had not told the girl's mother - who he met online - that he was a convicted sex offender

A convicted sex offender showed a young girl a video on his phone of an animated singing penis.

Luke James had met the girl's mum on a dating website and went to a park with the family but had not disclosed his previous conviction for sexually assaulting a teenager. As part of the suspended sentence for that assault he is banned from having any contact with females under 16 unless their parent or guardian knows about his past.

David Singh, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in April this year James met a woman who had young daughters on an online dating site. The woman and her children subsequently met the defendant at a park. But the court heard one of the daughters later told her mum James had shown her a video of "bums of willies" on his phone.

Concerned at what had happened the woman searched for the defendant's name online and found out about his previous conviction. In November last year James was given a suspended prison sentence and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Tenby. This offence had seen him pulling a teenager's top away from her chest and making comments about her not wearing a bra before kissing her neck and putting his arms around her. The court heard that after the mum found out about James' past she alerted the police and told them about the her daughter and the video.

The prosecutor said the 30-year-old defendant was arrested and police found a video of an "animated penis signing a song" on his phone. James told officers he thought it was only unsupervised contact with girls that he was prohibited from having.

Luke William James, formerly of Knowling Mead, Tenby, Pembrokeshire but now of Winch Lane, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has one previous conviction for one offence, namely sexual assault by touching. For that offence the former hotel worker was sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for 24 months, and was ordered to undergo the Horizon sex offenders programme and to complete a rehabilitation course and 250 hours of unpaid work. The defendant was also put on the sex offenders register for 10 years, and was made the subject of a SHPO which is designed to control his access to girls.

Dyfed Thomas, for James, told the court that the main part of the sentence imposed last November had been the Horizon programme but that the defendant had yet to start the course as he had been assessed as needing one-to-one sessions rather than the usual group sessions. The barrister said following his previous conviction James had "moved to a new area and tried to make new friends", and said while the author of the pre-sentence report raised concerns about how candid his client was being, there was remorse on James' part. Mr Thomas also acknowledged that concerns had been raised about the defendant's "extensive messaging of woman of all ages" but he said no criminal offences had been committed.

Judge Huw Rees said the background to the offending was of concern - he noted the Probation Service had begun breach proceedings against the defendant prior to his arrest as he was not turning up for appointments, he was "evasive" about his internet use, and was "messaging multiple woman in a sexual manner". He noted a report into James had identified a "high level of sexual pre-occupation", and he added that in his view the defendant had been lucky to get a suspended prison sentence last November.

With a discount for his guilty plea, James was sentenced to six months in prison for breaching the SHPO, and the judge activated 12 months of the previously imposed suspended sentence to run consecutively making an overall sentence of 18 months in prison. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.