Latest Offenders

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A dangerous offender has been jailed for sexually assaulting a woman after he broke into her home in Lancaster.

The incident occurred at an address in Morley Road at around 11pm on September 9, 2021.

Jack Burns, from Lancaster, of no fixed abode, broke into the victims property before sexually assaulting her as she lay in bed.

The 24-year-old was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Monday (April 11).

He was handed a seven-year sentence after previously pleading guilty to sexual assault and burglary.

Burns was jailed for five years and given an extended licence period of a further two-years after a judge ruled him to be a dangerous offender.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Sgt Hana Alayli-Moore, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: I am satisfied with Burns sentence and hope it sends a message that we will not tolerate this type of crime in Lancashire.

Anybody who wants to report a sexual offence the the police can do so by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.

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A MAN who sexually assaulted a teenage girl in a holiday caravan has been jailed for seven years.

Kevin Paul Horne, a builder and decorator of Cross-In-Hand, Heathfield, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, April 1.

The 42-year-old was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child at the Winchelsea Sands Holiday Village in the summer of 2020.

Horne will be a registered sex offender and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, severely restricting his access to children under 18, both for life.

Detective Constable Lyndsey Jamison of the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Horne, who knew the girl, committed the two serious sexual offences against her late one evening while he was staying at the Village.

"The victim gave evidence in court which significantly helped in convicting Horne.

"We will always investigate such reports and seek to achieve justice for victims wherever possible."

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A Great Oakley paedophile who drove to Milton Keynes thinking he would sexually abuse three children has been branded a dangerous predator.

Allan Robins, 69, was jailed for five years and seven months last month, as first reported by the Northants Telegraph.

He bragged about having sex with a young girl during a week-long online chat, telling a woman what he wanted to do to her children, aged as young as two.

Robins drove 40 miles to the Buckinghamshire town with condoms after arranging to meet them but it was a police sting.

Today (April 12) detective sergeant Helena Congreve, from Northamptonshire Police's POLIT Team, said: I welcome the sentence handed out to Allan Robins as he has shown himself to be a dangerous predator who was willing to meet a child as young as two in order to sexually abuse them.

I hope this case shows the proactivity with which we treat child sex offences that we will not wait for cases to come to us but that we will use various tactics to catch people like Allan Robins and bring them to justice.

Northampton Crown Court heard Robins, formerly of Pound Close, was using online chat room Chatiw when he began speaking to Lucy on December 13 last year.

He said he liked young girls and was having sex with one. Lucy told him about her three children a two-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy and an autistic nine-year-old girl. None of the children were real.

Prosecuting, Micaila Williams said: It's plain Robins is interested in the nine-year-old girl, asking if she has had sex yet."

The paedophile suggested a meeting and asked for Lucys phone number before calling her.

He asked her when she was next in Milton Keynes and offered to drive over to meet them on December 20.

The court heard that, when asked what he wanted to do, he described a lewd act with the children aged two and seven.

Ms Williams added: "[He said he] would like to have full sex with the nine-year-old and offered to bring condoms."

He drove to a pre-arranged location in Milton Keynes and texted Lucy to say he was there and had decamped from his motorhome.

Police, who had been running the sting under the code name Operation Jenson, then swooped in and arrested him.

The court heard he made comments suggesting he had been set up and had been a 'bloody idiot'.

When police searched his home they a Scout scarf, baby rattle, sex toys and viagra in a bedroom cabinet.

When interviewed he admitted he had spoken to Lucy online but claimed he was trying to uncover the actions of a paedophile.

Ms Williams said: "He said he had been horrified by what he had heard online and went to the location to find the people and report them to the police."

The paedophile denied he had a sexual interest in children but later admitted three charges of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence.

Robins will serve half of his sentence behind bars before being released on licence.

He will be on the register for sex offenders and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.

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An MP has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy at a house in Staffordshire in 2008.

Imran Ahmad Khan, 48, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court.

The court heard the MP for Wakefield in West Yorkshire forced the boy to drink gin and tonic at a party before dragging the teenager upstairs, pushing him onto a bed and then asking him to watch pornography before the attack.

The victim, now 29, told a jury he felt "scared, vulnerable, numb, shocked and surprised" after Khan touched his feet and legs. He said the MP came within "a hair's breadth" of his privates as he tried to sleep in a top bunkbed.

He ran to his parents and a police report was made at the time, but no further action was taken because the youngster did not want to make a formal complaint.

But he told jurors "it all came flooding back" when Khan stood as a Conservative in the December 2019 general election.

He said he was not "taken very seriously" when he made the allegation to the Conservative Party press office days before Khan was elected as MP for Wakefield in the December 2019 general election.

He made a complaint to the police days after Khan helped Prime Minister Boris Johnson win a large Commons majority by taking Wakefield.

Khan was sent a questionnaire by Staffordshire Police rather than being interviewed under caution at the station because of "COVID protocols in place at the time".

The MP, who is gay and Muslim, denied sexual assault and claimed he only touched the Catholic teenager's elbow when he "became extremely upset" after a conversation about his confused sexuality.

Khan, then 34, said he was trying to be "kind" and "helpful" but the teenager became upset and "bolted" when the topic of pornography was raised.

The MP, who has been expelled from the Conservative Party, was found guilty by a jury after five hours of deliberations.

The judge, Mr Justice Baker, will sentence Khan at a later date.

Releasing Khan on bail, he told him: "You have been convicted by a jury of this offence of sexual assault and you will have to be sentenced in due course.

"I make it clear that all sentencing options, including immediate custody, are being considered by the court."

The firm representing Khan, Janes Solicitors, said the MP "maintains his innocence" and "will be appealing as soon as possible".

Labour called for Khan's immediate resignation as an MP, with a spokesperson saying: "Imran Ahmad Khan should immediately resign so a by-election can take place and the people of Wakefield can get the representation they deserve."

Tory MP Crispin Blunt said he was "utterly appalled and distraught at the dreadful miscarriage of justice that has befallen my friend and colleague".

In a statement, he said: "His conviction today is nothing short of an international scandal, with dreadful wider implications for millions of LGBT+ Muslims around the world."

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A convicted rapist armed himself with an axe and went seeking revenge after being attacked in a Bellshill street.

Richard Wotherspoon was seen "banging furiously" on a door with the weapon.

His lawyer claimed he has been targeted numerous times since being jailed 16 years ago for a sex attack.

Wotherspoon, 32, described as a prisoner, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in Dean Street on July 6.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard this week that five people attacked him days after he was released from prison after serving a sentence for domestic abuse.

Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said: "Police officers found Wotherspoon in Dean Street with a head injury and suspected hed been assaulted, but he did not provide them with any information.

"He was taken to hospital but wouldn't stay there despite being advised he needed further treatment.

"Later that evening Wotherspoon and another man were seen in the same street with an axe and a hammer.

"A witness challenged Wotherspoon who was banging furiously on the door of a flat with the axe. He told the witness 'I have no issue with you. I'm going to kill him'.

"There was no answer at the door after repeated knocking and shouting, and the accused and the other person then left."

Defence agent Diarmid Bruce said Wotherspoon suffered a broken finger and needed stitches in his mouth after being hit with a shovel during the attack earlier that evening.

The lawyer told Sheriff Liam Murphy: "His High Court conviction from 2006 still causes him difficulty in the local area.

"He is taunted and targeted because of it and has been assaulted numerous times.

"Individuals use it as an excuse to cause him difficulties."

The sheriff jailed Wotherspoon for 18 months, backdated to July.

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DETECTIVES have praised the inspirational bravery of the victim of a paedophile for coming forward and testifying against her abuser.

Gwent Police paid tribute to her after Donald Gordon, 62, of High Street, Blaina, was jailed for five years at Cardiff Crown Court.

He was found guilty by a jury of five counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 following a trial.

The offences took place in Cwmbran between 2011 and 2016 and Gordon had denied all the charges against him.

Detective Constable Samantha Davies, the officer in the case, said: Without the brave testimony of Donald Gordons victim, we would not have been able to bring him before the courts to face justice.

He refused to accept responsibility for his crimes, forcing his victim to go through the ordeal of a trial.

The courage, resilience and strength that the victim has shown throughout the investigation has been truly inspirational.

DC Davies added: We understand how difficult it can be for victims to take the first step and speak out about the horrific abuse they have endured.

We take all allegations of sexual assault, particularly against children, very seriously.

If a report is made to us, our officers will investigate them thoroughly.

I want to reassure anyone considering doing so that there is a whole range of support out there; not only from Gwent Police but from partner agencies who can help you through the entire process.

There are support services available for victims of sexual abuse, both non-recent and current and for both adults and children.

This help is also accessible to all genders.

Sexual abuse can be reported to us via 101, or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The five-year sentence was made up of three years in custody and two years on extended licence.

Gordon will have to register as a sex offender for the next five years.

He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until 2027.

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A 26-year-old man who took a video of a naked woman while she slept has been jailed.

A judge told Daniel Tiernan, “This was a betrayal by you.”

The unsuspecting woman knew nothing about what he had done until she came across his mobile phone by chance and decided “to have bit of a nose”.

She found a 25-second video on it showing her saying asleep in her own bed. 

Peter Killen, prosecuting, told the court the video showed the woman was lying with her back to the camera and the duvet she was under was pulled up exposing her naked body.

She reported the matter to the police and said she had been asleep and had not consented to being filmed.

In an impact statement the woman described herself as “mortified and betrayed. I feel messed up in my head.”

She is on medication for depression and anxiety and had been worried that the footage might have been posted online. She said she felt very traumatised, said Mr Killen.

Tiernan, of North Road, Tranmere, pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

Jailing him for 16 months Judge David Aubrey, QC, said that there was no suggestion he had distributed the footage but there had been the possibility that he might.

He said that the victim’s fears that he might have distributed it or if she had not found it whether he might have gone on to do so underlined the seriousness of the offence.

“She was asleep in her own bed and in the judgement of the court was particularly vulnerable.”

Judge Aubrey said, “That was a betrayal of trust and in the judgement of the court it was an extreme betrayal.

“You had violated her, you had invaded her privacy in the most serious of ways.  It is clearly understandable that when she observed what you had recorded she felt deeply betrayed and mortified.”

Tiernan initially denied the offence and only pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial.

Judge Aubrey ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and imposed a restraining order to last the same length of time.

David Birrell, defending, said that Tiernan is in work though his employers were unaware of the court proceedings.

“At the time he was abusing controlled drugs on an almost daily basis but he has now addressed that drug problem.

“He voluntarily sectioned himself at Clatterbridge Hospital and was referred to Wirral Ways to Recovery and through their assistance has managed to rid himself of drug habit to his credit.”

Mr Birrell added that Tiernan is a “troubled young man with mental health and emotional issues and he attempted suicide last year.”

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A man who lured children into his Sandown home by allowing them to play computer games has been jailed for sexually abusing a child in the 1990s and early 2000s.

58-year-old Michael Norman Smith sexually assaulted the boy between 1997 and 2003, beginning when the child was under the age of 10.

During a trial at Isle of Wight Crown Court, jurors heard how Smith, who lived at Willow Way in Sandown at the time of the offences, would often have children over to his address and would allow them to play computer games. Smith would also take them to do activities such as swimming or going to the cinema.

In 2019, Police were contacted by a man who stated that Smith had sexually abused him at the Willow Way address during this period when he was a child. After the abuse, the boy would then be given money, sweets or other food and drink items by Smith.

Following an investigation, Smith was charged with 2 counts of indecent assault and 3 counts of indecency with a child. He initially denied the offences and the case went to trial on 7th February this year.

On 9th February, part way through the trial, Smith changed his plea and admitted all of the abuse. Smith was subsequently remanded in custody to appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday 8th April where he was jailed for 6-and-a-half years.

Detective Sergeant Katy Lee of Hampshire Constabulary, who led the investigation, said:

Smith is a danger to children, and he groomed and manipulated the child in this case for his own perverse gratification.

The boy has had to deal with the impact of this abuse for the remainder of his childhood and into adult life. I want to commend him for now finding the courage to come forward and face his abuser.

His courage has ensured that a predator is now behind bars where he belongs, and Smith will pay the price for these awful crimes.

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John Wood was convicted at Glasgow High Court of raping two different women at the flat in Dowanhill, now one of his victims has spoken of her ordeal as he faces prison.

A charity worker is facing jail for raping two women in a Glasgow flat.

John Wood worked with some of the most vulnerable people in the country before he was finally brought to justice for the terrifying attacks.

Now one of his victims has spoken of her ordeal after he was convicted of rape at Glasgow High Court, the Daily Record reports.

She revealed the brute held her hostage and carried out the serious sex attack after she broke up with him while he was on holiday.

The 44-year-old said: "I caught him openly flirting with a girl he'd been with in the past via a Facebook chat so I decided to end the relationship.

"The night he returned from holiday was the first time he raped me.

"I was in complete shock and disbelief at what happened and Wood, at this time, was cold and dismissive towards me.

"The next time he raped me was a few days later when I returned to the flat for some things. He held me captive in the bedroom of his flat for what felt like forever, but was actually maybe 45 minutes to an hour.

"I tried to fight him off but he prevented me from escaping.

"I was absolutely broken and traumatised."

Wood worked for a time with Scottish Association for Mental Health and homelessness charities Simon Community Scotland and Turning Point Scotland.

The woman later discovered he had also raped a 34-year-old. She said: "This had a massive impact on my mental health.

"I had already been struggling but continued to work full-time though I had dropped out of uni in my third year due to the impact of the trauma.

"I stupidly thought, as many victims of sexual violence do, that it was only me who had been assaulted."

His other woman was also his girlfriend. He first raped her early in their relationship.

His first victim said: "He also raped her at some point during this initial period of meeting.

"She was manipulated and coerced in the relationship and after he initially raped her in Glasgow he raped her a further two times in England.

"One day, she looked on his phone and laptop and found umpteen messages from men and women, mostly men, with details of times they had met in hotels and in her home for sex.

"When she confronted him about this, the relationship ended. It was during this time he raped her for the last time."

At the High Court last month, Wood was convicted of raping his first victim and attempting to rape her at a flat in Dowanhill.

He was convicted of raping his second victim at the same flat a month later and will be sentenced today.

Kenneth Crawford, director of finance and resources at Turning Point Scotland said Wood "was employed by us for a short time before the incidents took place. At the time of employment, we can verify that all mandatory checks were carried out".

Billy Watson, chief executive at SAMH, said Wood was "employed by SAMH for two months" to May 15, 2015, but "did not complete his probation and was dismissed after being found to have breached -confidentiality."

Simon Community Scotland was approached for comment.

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William Shotton, 86, of Berwick, was found guilty of sexual activity with a child following a trial

A teenage boy was lured into a pensioner's home with the promise of a Christmas gift then subjected to a sex attack by the naked pervert.

William Shotton left a note on his front door telling the the boy, who was under 16, he had something for him and asking him to knock. When the lad knocked, Shotton open the door while standing behind it and popping his head around. He invited him in but once inside, with the door shut, he saw Shotton was completely naked.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 86-year-old then sexually touched the boy over his clothing before he was able to escape. Now widower Shotton, never in trouble before, has been given a suspended prison sentence after a jury convicted him of sexual activity with a child, which he continues to deny.

In a victim impact statement, the boy said: "On the day it happened I remember feeling so shocked it was almost as if i couldn't quite believe what had just happened. I felt ashamed and embarrassed, especially when I had to tell my parents. It was the first time since I was a small child I really cried. I felt I had let my parents down by being in that position.

"I felt so guilty and directed all of this to the people who cared and were trying to help me. My school work was affected and I now find it difficult to trust other people. I now avoid the area of Berwick if I'm out and avoid going there."

The court heard the offence happened in January 2020. The victim saw a note on Shotton's door suggesting he had a Christmas card and cash and he drew a heart at the bottom of it. Having been let in, the door was closed and the lad was standing in the passageway as Shotton went to get the promised items from another room.

Sentencing him, Judge Paul Sloan QC said: "As you made your way there, he realised you were completely naked. On your return to the passageway you asked how old he was and he told you. Having handed over the card, he turned and went towards the front door. The locking mechanism was difficult to operate and he had trouble opening it.

"You came up to him from behind and slipped your hand on to the back of his thigh and to his bottom, over his clothing and asked if he had ever w*****. You moved your other hand under his genitals and squeezed them over his clothing."

The boy managed to get the door open and escape. Judge Sloan added: "There was a degree of planning, you having lured him into your home, placing him in an extremely vulnerable situation."

Shotton, of West Street, Berwick, Northumberland, was sentenced to six months suspended for two years with a four month curfew. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender, both for seven years.

Mark Styles, defending, says Shotton continues to deny the offence. He added: "He is not in the best of health and this has caused him a great deal of turmoil. It would be a crushing blow to send a man of his age and infirmity into a custodial environment. He would simply not cope."

The court heard he had served in the army and had a good work ethic.

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A CONVICTED sex offender gained access to children by volunteering to play Santa at a Carlisle community church's Christmas party.

Darren McGuinness, 48, who has a previous conviction for downloading images depicting the sexual abuse of children, also helped to organise a family Halloween party at the church hall.

At Carlisles Rickergate Magistrates Court, McGuinness, of Fairfield Gardens, Carlisle, pleaded guilty to two allegations of breaching a sexual harm prevention order: one offence was committed on October 30 last year and the other on December 18 last year.

Prosecutor Malcolm Isherwood said the defendants offences were a breach of an order made in May of 2011 which was meant to prevent him from having unsupervised access to any child.

The sentence was part of his punishment for multiple offences of downloading child sex abuse images.

The wording of the first charge stated: On Saturday, December 18, at Carlisle in the county of Cumbria, without reasonable excuse, [the defendant] did something, namely dressed up as Santa and handed out gifts to children inside a makeshift grotto at the Church Christmas party.

At the time, said the charge, the defendant was aware this would bring him into contact with children that he was prohibited from doing this under the terms of the court order.

The second charge states that he breached his court order by helping to organise and by attending a family Halloween party on October 30.

As with the first charge, he was fully aware that children aged under 16 would be present at the party and that this was something he was prohibited from doing, the court heard.

Mr Isherwood told the court: In the view of the crown, the defendant deliberately placed himself in a situation whereby he was going to come into contact with children under the age specified in the [court] order.

He did so by attending a church and, while there, volunteering to work in the community kitchen without disclosing his conviction.

He then offered to organise a family Halloween party at the church in October last year and in December he helped to organise and run a family Christmas party.

"This included him playing the role of Santa in a grotto. Both of these activities would clearly bring him into contact with children.

Having heard those facts, District Judge John Temperley said that he believed the courts sentencing powers were not sufficient and therefore the sentencing hearing should be at Carlisle Crown Court.

You will get credit for your guilty pleas, the judge told McGuinness.

The judge adjourned that hearing until May 13, when the defendant will be dealt with by a circuit judge at Carlisle Crown Court. In the meantime, the defendant was granted bail.

Records show that the defendant has previously breached his sexual harm prevention order a number of times.

In 2016, the News & Star reported that the defendant flouted his sexual harm prevention order by accessing the internet through his mobile phone when it had no police monitoring software.

In 2020, the defendant was again before a court for breaching his order. He had been allowed to use a computer when he attended a unemployed persons support group in Carlisle city centre.

The order was part of a sentence imposed for 11 offences of possessing child abuse images. After his last conviction for breaching the order, his defence lawyer told the court: He used the computer for entirely innocent purposes.

The lawyer said the defendant, who was planning a caravan holiday in Blackpool for his birthday, had been unable to get work because as soon as he discloses his previous convictions" potential employers show that they are not willing to consider employing him.

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A pervert has been brought to justice after putting a little girl through years of sexual abuse.

David Craig's horrific behaviour was uncovered when she opened up about her her ordeal at the creep's hands.

The 29-year-old repeatedly targeted his young victim from the age of eight as she watched cartoons, the Paisley Daily Express reports.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard that police were called a decade later and Craig was finally snared.

Procurator fiscal depute David McDonald explained: "At this time, she was in the living room watching cartoons.

"David Craig came in and sat beside her, she felt awkward and so picked up her covers and went and lay down at the opposite end of the couch and pretended to go to sleep."

Undeterred the pervert manoeuvred himself under the girl's covers and carried out a vile sex act at a property in Erskine.

Court heard the victim recalled similar incidents happening for a number of years.

Craig would also climb into the girl's bed and masturbate. And on multiple occasions over the years, Craig attempted to rape the youngster.

The court heard Craig was "fat" and during one sickening incident he lay on top of her so she could not move, then molested her.

Years later, she challenged Craig about the abuse.

Mr McDonald explained: "While on a night out she began receiving messages from the accused and he asked, 'ask anything if u wanna xx'

"He repeated this a number of times, attaching kissing emojis.

"She replied, 'See when we were younger why did you do all that stuff? Just be honest?'

"Craig replied, 'I love u x'

"She again replied, 'Tell me, so why did you do it?'

"And he responded, I love you. Can't believe am saying this but I get jealous when I see with new bfs x.'

"The victim revealed what was happening to someone and the police were contacted."

Defence agent Mr Barr told the court that at the time of the offences Craig "saw her as someone he could have a relationship with" but explained he suffers mentally.

Sheriff Eoin McGinty said: "These are serious offences over a period of time."

Sentence was deferred for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty order assessment.

Craig's bail was continued and he will return to court for sentencing next month. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.

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A MAN has been found guilty of exposing himself to a little girl while on a milk float and sexually assaulting another child.

Convicted sex offender Edward Walton, 55, was found guilty on April 8 of six charges following a trial at Hove Crown Court.

The first charge related to an incident between 2004 and 2006 when he exposed himself while on a milk float. He was found not guilty on a separate count of causing the child, aged about 11, to watch pornography.

In respect of the second girl, he was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing her to watch pornography when she was aged nine or ten.

Walton showed no emotion as the jury foreman read out the guilty verdicts, all of which were unanimous decisions.

The offences took place between 2004 and 2015 at addresses where he was living in Littlehampton and Barnham respectively, police said after the trial.

Following the conviction, Jack Talbot, defending, told the court Walton was currently serving a custodial sentence at HM Prison Littlehey, Cambridgeshire, for several serious sexual offences.

At the end of the trial, the judge, the Recorder Mr Anthony Hawks, thanked the jury for its public duty.

This was a difficult case, he said.

Walton will be sentenced at Hove Crown Court on June 10.

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A paedophile caught in a sting by undercover police was jailed for five-and-a-half years today. Judge Rhys Rowlands told John Reynolds, 40, formerly of Flintshire: "This was repeated depraved behaviour on your part which has to attract an immediate custodial sentence."

He had been convicted after a trial of making, taking and distributing sexual images of children. Judge Rowlands at Mold crown court ordered Reynolds, who appeared on a video link from Berwyn jail at Wrexham, to register as a sex offender indefinitely and a sexual harm prevention order was made.

The judge said the jury had rejected his risible explanation for his behaviour. Defence barrister Simon Mills said Reynolds was of previous good character. Theres no evidence his distribution reached the wider paedophile community.

"Links to the images went to undercover police operatives, counsel added.

Reynolds had been hard-working, well-qualified and an expert in his particular industry.

Prosecutor Andrew Green said in the summer of 2019 police had posed online as paedophiles and had been in touch with Reynolds. When police went to his home he was away working in Europe.

Mr Green said Reynolds was asked to bring an iPhone to a police station on his return to Britain but he claimed it had been lost.

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Case brought by the Counter Terrorism Policing North West unit

A 19-year-old man who posted extreme right-wing and racist material online and who made indecent photographs or 'pseudo-photographs' of a child has been jailed for two years. Thomas Leech, of Derby Drive, Preston, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including three counts of publishing a statement intending members of the public to be directly or indirectly encouraged or otherwise induced to commit, prepare, or instigate acts of terrorism contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.

He also pleaded guilty to four other offences not covered by terrorism legislation. These were: Publishing or distributing written material which was threatening, abusive or insulting intending thereby to stir up racial hatred, or having regard to all the circumstances racial hatred was likely to be stirred up; publishing or distributing written material which was threatening, intending thereby to stir up religious hatred; making 211 indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child and making four indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child.

He was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court today, where he was also given a 12 month extended licence period to be applied on completion of his prison sentence, plus 10 years on the sex offenders register, a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year notification requirement under Part Four of the Terrorism Act 2008. On February 28, 2020, a report was made to police identifying an online user posting hateful and racist comments and demonstrating support of an extreme right-wing ideology.

An investigation was conducted by Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) and, aided by Counter Terrorism Command, identified the online user to be Leech. Further research identified many more online postings by Leech, including comments of an anti-Semitic and racist nature.

Leech was arrested at his home address in November 2020 but, after being released on bail, posted more material online.

During the examination of Leech's digital devices, a number of offences were discovered including indecent images of children and in February, 2021 he was further arrested on suspicion of making indecent images of children. In December, 2021, he pleaded guilty to seven offences.

Detective Superintendent Will Chatterton, head of CTPNW investigations, said: "Leech's comments and behaviour online was despicable and a thorough investigation was able to identify these posts and evidence them before the courts.

"CTPNW will always take complaints of this nature very seriously and exercise full powers to bring offenders to justice."