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Description

A child rapist made his victim watch indecent videos at a young age before embarking on a years-long campaign of abuse. Andrew Bate has been locked up for 21 years and must serve an extra five years on licence.

Bate, of Libson Close, Warrington, was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against the child - including rape; sexual assault; engaging in sexual activity with a child; and sexual touching.

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim told how the offences developed over a number of years, initially beginning when they were forced to watch indecent videos.

Following an initial incident, the abuse escalated. Bate raped and sexually assault the child on multiple occasions. The victim said they pretended to sleep to stop him. No matter what they did, he continued.

Bate's offending came to light in January 2023 when the victim reported him. He denied every allegation. Detective Constable Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

"Bate is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification. He showed no regard for the victim and even when faced with all the evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against. Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

"Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury have seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions. I hope that the sentence handed to Bate will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”

Bate was ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life. DC Lucchesi added: "Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

Description

Two men who drugged, raped and murdered a young father-of-four have been jailed for life.

Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan spiked Calum Simpsons drink with Etizolam and bound his wrists with rope at a flat in Methil, Fife, before filming their "depraved" attack on a mobile phone.

Mr Simpson, 24, whose youngest child was born just 11 days previously, later died from intoxication caused by the combination of the class C drug and alcohol.

Brister, 28, who also admitted attacking two police officers, was told he will serve a minimum of 23 years, while Allan, 21, received a 19-year sentence after both were earlier found guilty of sexual assault, rape and murder.

Sentencing at the High Court in Dundee, judge Lord Harrower told the pair they had caused "terrible devastation to Mr Simpsons family.

He said: "There are so many milestones in the childrens lives that their father will no longer be able to share for reasons that cannot adequately be explained to them.

"No sentence of this court can alleviate the familys grief and anguish."

The court heard the pair had been attempting to recruit a man to make up a threesome using the dating app Grindr, but their efforts had failed.

Mr Simpson had been with a friend before accompanying him to the flat on 3 November 2021.

His friend had later departed, leaving Mr Simpson alone with Brister and Allan.

Brister, who had won more than 20,000 gambling, had purchased 1,000 tablets of Etizolam, also known as "street valium," which he claimed he thought were diazepam.

The court was told the sedative was up to 10 times stronger than regular valium.

Brister had previously spiked the drink of one woman and placed tablets in the mouth of another without her consent.

Mr Simpson was rendered unconscious by the combination of the tablets and alcohol.

Allan claimed Mr Simpson had been conscious and consenting when he was tied up by the pair, but acknowledged they had continued their attack after he passed out.

The pair filmed several videos of their assault on a mobile phone, which were later deleted but officers from Police Scotlands specialist cybercrime unit were able to retrieve the footage.

During the earlier trial, Brister told the court: "I won't dispute the fact that Calum passed out and we carried on. I didn't spike that boy, but yes, I gave him drugs.

"We raped him and continued to have sex. It is what it is, disgusting. It should never have happened. I am not going to make excuses."

Allan, meanwhile, said he was disgusted that the videos were taken, but said he "did not know he was doing something wrong at the time.

After their attack, the pair left Mr Simpson unconscious before going to sleep. In the morning they found him cold and rigid.

However, before contacting the emergency services, the pair first concealed what remained of their drugs in a safe and handed it to a neighbour.

Ambulance personnel were called at 12:03 and confirmed Mr Simpson had died.

'Wicked recklessness'

During the trial, Brister said he suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder, and received anti-psychotic medication.

Allan said he was diagnosed with an attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car accident when he was three.

In addition to their sentences, both men were placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

During sentencing, Lord Harrower said: "Whether or not you intended to kill Calum Simpson, you each revealed yourselves to be completely indifferent as to whether he lived or died.

"As a result, the jury would have been entitled to conclude that you displayed such a degree of wicked recklessness that what you did amounted to murder."

Lord Harrower excluded the jury from further service for life due to the evidence seen.

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: "The depraved and predatory actions of Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan have robbed a family of their loving son, father, partner, nephew and grandson.

They showed a blatant disregard for their victims safety and life by spiking his drink with drugs before subjecting him to the most harrowing sexual abuse."

Description

A 28-year-old man has been jailed after exposing himself on a train in Preston.

Kane Hargreaves, of Elizabeth Street, Burnley was found guilty of two counts of exposure at Preston Crown Court on Friday 28 June.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison, and must pay a £187 victim surcharge.

The court heard how, on Wednesday 10 April this year, Hargreaves was staring and exposing himself  to a 21-year-old woman sat a few seats away on the 2.44pm Preston to Bradford interchange train. The woman moved away and told rail staff before reporting it to British Transport Police.

A second incident occurred on Monday 22 April onboard the 1.44pm Preston to Accrington train when Hargreaves again exposed himself, this time to a 17-year-old woman.

Investigating officer DC Ella Harvey said:  "We will stop at nothing to deter, pursue, arrest and bring sex offenders on the railway network to justice.

Description

A Bedford man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two children two decades apart.

Brian Watts, 79, was in his 40s when he sexually abused a young boy in the early 1990s, after inviting him over to his home to play on his games console.

The victim kept the abuse to himself for a long time but decided to report it to police in 2020 after realising how much it was affecting his mental health.

Another victim had disclosed that Watts had been sexually abusing her since she was six or seven. She was a teenager when she disclosed this to a trusted adult in 2019, who then reported it to the police.

An investigation was launched by Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team and Watts was arrested and interviewed but denied sexually abusing either child.

After an 11-day trial at Luton Crown Court, Watts of Kimble Drive, Bedford, was jailed on Friday (19 July) for 13 years after being found guilty of the following:

• Four counts of indecent assault of a male
• Four counts of indecency with a child
• Three counts of sexual assault of a child
• He will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on his release

In an impact statement, each victim described how the abuse has had a huge impact on their lives.

“I’ve carried this secret, the shame, sadness and anger with myself for too long and I don’t know the person I could have been if this hadn’t happened.”

“It’s hard to explain but I still struggle with physical touch from anyone. I am just not comfortable in my own skin, and this is because of him and what he did to me.”

Description

A 'manipulative' man blackmailed two young women into having sex with him.

Joshua Bromage preyed on his victims, one as young as 17, on Instagram, threatening to expose intimate images of the women unless they sent him more images.

Bromage has been jailed for 14 years and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life after being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Judge Peter Henry said the 30-year-old had cynically manipulated his victims into complying with his demands.

Bromage, of Holybourne Road in Havant, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of rape.

The court heard how in April 2021, a 17-year-old girl in Southampton reported that she had been forced to have sex with Bromage and that she had been blackmailed over Instagram by an unknown person to send indecent images and videos.

This person was later identified as Bromage.

Bromage was arrested and an examination of his phone found category C indecent images of children, as well as images of the victim.

It also revealed a series of text conversations in which Bromage demanded explicit images of the victim, threatening to release intimate photos of her online if she didn’t comply.

In November 2023, while the initial police investigation was ongoing, a 22-year-old woman, from Southampton, came forward to police.

The 22-year-old reported that she had also been raped by Bromage and blackmailed by an unknown person, again later identified to be Bromage, via Instagram.

The woman told officers how she had been blackmailed into sending indecent images and videos of herself, with the perpetrator again threatening to release other indecent images of her if she did not meet his demands.

Bromage further manipulated the victim by telling her that he was receiving similar threats, and that the blackmailer was requesting images and videos of the two engaging in sexual acts.

Following a thorough and complex investigation, Bromage was charged with four counts of rape, which he pleaded guilty to.

Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, who led the investigation, said: “Bromage’s actions were incredibly manipulative, calculated and controlling and the impact he has had on his two young victims is immeasurable.

“I hope that this sentence reassures other victims that they will be listened to when reporting incidents of this nature to the police.”

Description

The former director of a Norfolk crane hire company is on the run after fleeing the country weeks before he was found guilty of multiple child sex offences, it can be revealed.

Oliver Arnold, 49, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after being convicted following a trial in his absence last week.

The former boss of Norwich-based Quinto Cranes fled to France earlier this year, before his trial began, and is believed to still be there.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest and he will also face charges of absconding on bail, once he is caught and brought back to the UK.

Arnold, who was in charge of Quinto when it went into administration in 2022, was convicted last week of three counts of penetrative sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He was also found guilty of one offence of non-penetrative activity with a child and sexual communication with a child - both against the same victim.

Arnold, formerly of Swaffham Road, Wendling, near Dereham, had denied all five offences, which took place against the same victim in Norfolk between August and December 2022.

But jurors at King's Lynn Crown Court took just minutes to reach their guilty verdicts last week.

Judge Andrew Shaw told them Arnold had fled to France and was still believed to be there.

Police say Arnold - who did not attend his pre-trial review in May - entered the country via Calais in the early hours of May 9.

Quinto Crane and Plant, which was based on Anson Road, near Norwich Airport, operated from eight locations including Ipswich and Chelmsford.

It was acquired by Arnold in 2014 and went into administration in April 2022, with the loss of 50 jobs.

The firm, which has sites across East Anglia, was founded in 1966 but its roots go back to the late 1950s, to the Norwich-based Pointer Group.

Speaking to this newspaper in 2014 when he acquired Quinto, Arnold said: There will be a few changes but it will carry on as Quinto and I will be looking to take on new staff and expand.

"It needs some investment to move the business forward. The important thing is that the jobs are secure.

'It is a massive investment for us but the business has a fantastic reputation and a successful name."

At the time, the company boasted an annual turnover of 7m, but Mr Arnold said he was confident it would hit 10m by the following year.

Its name - from the Latin quintus, or fifth - reflects the fact that the original company comprised of five locations - Peterborough, King's Lynn, Norwich, Ipswich, and Chelmsford - and five directors.

Andrew Thompson appeared for the prosecution during the trial which took place in Lynn from Tuesday, July 9 to Thursday, July 11.

OH HOW THE MIGHTY FALLS

A former Quinto employee described Arnold as a "show off" who was not well liked by many who worked for him.

The worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said "not many of us liked him (Arnold)" when he took over the company as he was a "show off and jack the lad and didn't really have much care".

He said former staff were aware he had been charged and were "all waiting for this day so he gets his comeuppance".

The worker said: "Oh, how the mighty falls."

He said he was "not surprised" Arnold had gone on the run, insisting he was "not even man enough to admit what he's done and has had to do a runner".

The worker added that he wanted to see Arnold "get what he deserves" and hoped police were able to catch up with him.

Description

A 25-year-old man from New Milton has been jailed for seven and a half years for the rape and sexual assault of a child under 13.

Jack William Fry, of Gore Road was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday, July 17). The offences, for which he had previously pleaded guilty and has now been imprisoned, took place in March 2024.

Upon his release from prison, Fry will also serve a 12-month extended period of supervision and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable David Sloan, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I am so pleased for the young victim in this case that justice has now been served for them and their family, and that Fry has now been placed behind bars, where he belongs.

“I’d also like to place on record my praise for the young victim in this case and the courage and determination they have shown throughout.

“Additionally, I’d like thank everyone who has been involved in this case, helping to secure today’s outcome.

“Their support and hard work has ensured a conviction within two weeks of the report being made to us, and sentencing within four months.

“While I know this result won’t rid the victim and family of the memories of what Fry did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm any other children.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.

“I would also like to thank everyone else who assisted in getting this conviction and sentencing.”

Description

A musician who raped a 13-year-old girl on her birthday has been jailed. Everton Grossett has been convicted after several indecent assaults were found proven by the jury at Inner London Crown Court.

The 38-year-old of Mayall Road, Brixton, was convicted of rape, one count of indecent assault, and another count of indecent assault in relation to five separate incidents after a trial this July. Court documents show the sick predator originally faced 13 child sex offence charges in relation to the same victim during his first appearance at Croydon Magistrates' Court in June last year.

Public records show Grossett is registered as a director on three music companies, with his occupation given as a producer and sound engineer. One of those companies, D3G3OFFICIALS, shares the same name as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram accounts where Grossett appears in short music clips, and is listed as 'Management' on a UK drill video featuring three rappers.

The trial heard how Grossett fed his sexual desires by sexually assaulting the young victim, telling her to 'be quiet' during the abuse then bribing her with money for sweets. After the rape, the victim bled and struggled to explain it to her mum, but it wasn't until she confided in her sister, that his sickening crimes came to light.

In her impact statement, the victim recalled being 'happy and confident' before the abuse started on an 'unforgivable, life-changing night at the hands of Everton Grossett'. The survivor said: "This has been a very long journey, to finding the strength and courage to report it. It took me a long time to tell anyone. I carried it with me, and only me."

She also thanked her sister for 'giving her the strength' to speak out. "Sometimes I dream about the past events and wake up angry, and then spend the whole day trying to hide it from others," she continued, adding: "I hope you [Grossett] are never able to hurt anyone else."

Defence counsel Ms Farrelly conceded there had been 'a course of conduct' and an element of violence, due to the bleeding, but argued the offences should be taken in the context of Grossett's 'difficult' home life. The barrister also cited Grossett's 'good character' since the horrific abuse.

The court also heard Grossett has his own children, aged 12 and 17, but had not been allowed to see them since his conviction. The mother of those children submitted a positive character reference, describing him as 'an exceptional father'. Arguing that Grossett was 'rather exceptional', Ms Farrelly called on the judge to give him 'quite substantial' mitigation.

Jailing him for six years and eight months, Judge David Richards told the predator: "It's clear to me, you could not control your appetite or compulsion to abuse [the victim]."

Grossett will serve half of a two-year sentence for one multiple incident count of indecent assault, then two-thirds of a consecutive four-year eight-month sentence for rape. He will serve a concurrent 12-month sentence for another count of indecent assault.

Description

A sex offender, who parked up near a Middlesbrough school, performed a sex act on himself - and filmed it.

Kurtis Randall stayed in the car and turned his camera to film the reaction of two schoolgirls, who saw what he was doing as they walked home at the end of the day. The 29-year-old then threw a £10 note towards one of them.

When police arrived at Randall's home, they found the sick video he had recorded, stored on an encrypted cloud app; and another video showing a live video of a child watching him online, as he lay on his bed performing a sex act to the camera.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Randall parked close to a footpath, near the school, in 2023 and 2024. Each time he arrived as school was finishing, and began performing a sex act on himself, while he sat in a borrowed white Audi.

One girl later told police: "He was proper w****** himself and then he threw a tenner at us." Randall returned the next day, and exposed his private parts as he carried out the sex act. The girl said: "He laughed and threw us a tenner."

Robin Patton, prosecuting, told the court that one of the schoolgirls had told a relative what she had seen, but she was not believed. When Randall returned again the day after, he performed the sex act with his car window down, but sped off when the same schoolgirl shouted: "That's him!" to her pal.

Randall was already under a strict court order whilst living in the community, after serving a jail term for paying a 15-year-old girl £60 for a sex act in a car, in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough. He also blackmailed another underage girl, to send him naked photos of herself, in 2016. He later posted the explicit pictures online.

Mr Patton said that police turned up at Randall's home to discuss him wearing a location tag, as part of the sexual harm prevention order imposed on him. When offender managers checked his mobile phone, they found the videos Randall had filmed near the school, titled "d*** flashing".

Another saved file showed a video of girls, aged 12 to 14, looking into a camera as Randall perform a sex act on his bed. It was filmed as a live video on social media and Randall had used an alias name as his profile, which breached the terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

A further file showed 50 images of children, aged two to eight-years-old, being raped and sexually abused. Randall had saved the videos to the encrypted cloud storage app 'Mega.' Mr Patton said: "He is determined to have as sexual encounter or experience with children - he is a danger. He is quite resourceful."

Schoolgirl 'shocked and scared'

In statements read out to the court, the schoolgirls who had walked past Randall in the Audi, said: "I felt shocked and scared. I do not want to leave the house if this man is released."

The other girl, who is in her early teens, said: "When I seen the man doing that in his car I was disgusted. Since it happened I only leave the house to go to school."

Randall, of Enfield Street in central Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child; to possessing indecent photos of a child; two counts of making indecent photos of a child; to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order; and to failing to comply with notification requirements.

In mitigation, Shaun Routledge said that Randall was remorseful and "took full responsibility" for what he had done. Randall's mum watched from the public gallery as Judge Chris Smith said he would be passing an extended prison sentence - because of the high risk Randall poses.

The judge said: "In 2022, police received complaints about a man m*********** in his car. When they came to your house to discuss wearing a location tag to manage the risk you pose in the community, they discovered videos of what you did in the car and videos relating to further sexual offending by you.

"The videos showed that you parked close to a school. You deliberately set about removing your clothes, so you could be seen m***********. Mr Routledge says there's remorse, but I find very little evidence of that in your pre-sentence report."

10 year sentence

Randall was handed a 10-year extended sentence - made up of four-years-six-months in prison and five-years-six-months on an extended licence, in the community. He will be eligible to be considered for release after serving three-years of his prison term.

Randall was made the subject of a new sexual harm prevention order, meaning he has to wear a location tag for 10-years. "You must ensure the device is charged and you prohibited from tampering with it or removing it," the judge told him.

A restraining order banned Randall from the area where the schoolgirls live; and he must comply by sex offender notification requirements for the rest of his life.

Description

A prolific child abuser and rapist has been jailed as part of the ongoing commitment by the Metropolitan Police to investigate child abuse and protect women and girls from harm.

Dulon Miah, 35 (08.09.88) of Tower Hamlets was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 10 July. Miah was previously found guilty at the same court in April of 18 counts of sexual assault over a 14-year period against two victims, including rapes.

Met officers began investigating Miah in 2022 after one of his victims bravely came forward and told police they had been abused from the age of six-years-old over the span of a decade. Both female victims were known to Miah.

Description

A couple, who used the former online chat site Omegle to facilitate sexual offences against children have been jailed for a combined total of 15 years.

Summer Andrew, 23 of Old Road, Clacton and Nick Barrett, 23 of Claydon Road, Harwich appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday 17 July where they were sentenced.

An investigation by our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) was launched in December 2021 following intelligence about Andrew and Barrett engaging in sexual activity online whilst in the presence of children online.

Further enquiries revealed that the pair had filmed themselves having sex in exchange for watching live footage of a four-year-old child being abused.

They were arrested and charged on 29 June 2022. Nick Barrett was charged with engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Summer Andrew was charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Barrett pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced to 12 years to serve at least 7 years in prison. During the court process, Barrett was described as lacking insight into your sexual preoccupation and present a real risk of sexual harm to children in the future.

Andrew pleaded not guilty but following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, was found guilty on 11 April 2024. She was sentenced to three years in prison.

Both were issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and an indefinite NRO (Notification Requirement Order).

Judge Morgan said This offence is so serious only a custodial can be justified.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Nicola Hadfield said The tireless work of our officers has managed to safeguard other children from coming to harm in the hands of Barrett and Andrew.

The two will now be registered sex offenders, meaning that they will have indefinite notification requirements and every interaction with any children in the future will be monitored.

These offences took place on the former online chat room site Omegle, which would allow users to video chat with randomly selected users.

Omegle shut down after 14 years in November 2023 following multiple investigations into child abuse being attributed to the site.

Its a positive move forward to see a large online platform taking accountability for offences which may take place on their site.

Description

A convicted sex offender who had a long-standing interest in indecent images of children fell foul of the police yet again after he tried to cover up and hide his internet search history.

Gary Crowhurst was banned under a court order from deleting his internet use but he defiantly ignored the requirement and carried on anyway. He was caught out after he forgot that police had put monitoring software on his phone, Hull Crown Court heard.

Crowhurst, 40, of Park Avenue, off Princes Avenue, west Hull, admitted two offences of breaching a 10-year sexual harm prevention order between July 13 and November 9, 2022.

Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that the sexual harm prevention order was made at Hull Crown Court in November 2017 after Crowhurst was arrested for being in possession of indecent images of children.

He initially denied the offence but he later admitted installing file-sharing software which downloaded the images. There were 23 images in the most serious Category A, eight in Category B and one in Category C as well as three extreme pornography images.

Under the terms of the sexual harm prevention order, Crowhurst was banned from installing and using a virtual video downloader but he installed one in September 2022. Monitoring equipment set up by the police on his phone detected this activity.

During police interview, he admitted installing the software but he claimed that he had forgotten that monitoring equipment was in place. Crowhurst was also banned from deleting or modifying his internet search history. He admitted that he installed an app to download adult pornography and that he did so.

"There is nothing to suggest any child content," said Miss Lee. Crowhurst had convictions for six previous offences, including making indecent images of children in January 2015. He had been jailed in 2017 for 20 months for those offences and the sexual harm prevention order was made then.

There was a similar offence in March 2014.

Michael Forrest, mitigating, said that the latest offences happened in 2022 and, since then, Crowhurst had complied with the terms of the sexual harm prevention order.

Crowhurst had limited previous convictions but he had served a short prison sentence in the past for similar offending. There was a pattern of offending involving his internet use and not disclosing it to the police.

"He can be managed in the community," said Mr Forrest. Crowhurst was keen to take advantage of a course that had previously not been available to him.

"He needs to face up to the fact that he can't be downloading these images and, if he does, he needs to seek help," added Mr Forrest.

Crowhurst was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and 20 days' rehabilitation.

Description

A FORMER town mayor took and sent indecent images of a 17-year-old boy he was in a sexual relationship with.

Terry Judkins was elected to Pembroke Dock Town Council in March 2018 and became mayor in May 2021. However, he resigned in November 2021 citing "personal reasons and extra work commitments" for his decision.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Judkins had been arrested on August 4, 2021.

Prosecutor Helen Randall said that 11 Category A images had been found on Judkins’ devices, with these having been duplicated multiple times.

Ten of these were of a 17-year-old boy, Ms Randall said. These included of the boy – wearing a face mask – engaging in oral sex with the defendant, of him standing naked in front of a mirror, and of him wrapped in cling film.

The other Category A image depicted three boys aged between 10 and 13 engaging in a sexual act with each other.

Ms Randall told the court of a conversation on Judkins’ phone, which saw someone ask him: “You have any meets lately?”.

“I might have this boy round tonight,” Judkins replied, before sending a picture of the 17-year-old and telling the other person the boy was 17.

The pair then discussed Judkins and the boy having engaged in oral sex.

In interview the defendant claimed he didn’t know about any of the images on his devices that had been seized. He answered no comment in his further police interviews.

Judkins later admitted making a total of 52 Category A indecent images of children between September 27, 2018, and August 5, 2021, as well as distributing two Category A images on July 25, 2020.

He also pleaded guilty to making two Category C indecent images of children and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Judkins, 55, of Bush Street in Pembroke Dock, was previously of clean character.

“We are not dealing with someone who is a committed paedophile,” said Mr Maunder, in mitigation.

“This is someone who has, to some extent, dipped his toe in to this type of behaviour.

“Obviously, he deeply regrets it now.”

Mr Maunder said there had been a significant delay in the case, adding that the defendant “had this hanging over his head for almost three years”.

He said that the sexual relationship with the 17-year-old was “consensual” and “lawful”.  

Referring to the distribution offences, Mr Maunder said: “It was sent almost in passing to a particular individual with similar interests.

“The individual in the photographs is not identifiable from either of the photographs sent on.”

Judkins was sentenced to 12 months, suspended for two years, was ordered to complete the iHorizon programme, and must register as a sex offender for ten years.

Description

Simon Pritchett needed to go and 'get some fresh air' at the coast instead of sitting in his room looking at images involving child abuse, Hull Crown Court heard.

Pritchett, 46, of Withernsea, East Yorkshire admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and another of possessing extreme pornography, involving animals.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that police were alerted about images on the internet, including Snapchat, in February 2022 and they went to Pritchett's home. 

They seized his mobile phone, laptop and a computer and hard drive.

'All four were found to have illicit images in varying numbers,' said Mr Hammersley.

There were 157 images of children in the most serious Category A, 82 in Category B and 91 in Category C. There were also images of bestiality.

Pritchett originally denied distributing the images and he had been due to face a trial on August 27 but that charge was dropped. 

He claimed that he was sent images by a stranger but closed them and sent them back, telling the person on Snapchat to 'f*** off'.

He later denied knowledge of the indecent images and having a look at them and claimed that he had been sent links but that, when he realised that they involved children, he deleted them.

He admitted having an interest in bestiality.

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Pritchett pleaded guilty and he was willing to comply with a community order.

He had no previous convictions.

Judge Mark Bury told Pritchett: 'I suggest you get out more. 

'What you have been doing over an 18-month period is downloading and retaining indecent images of children and extreme pornography images.

'You have no history of contact sexual offending. There is no suggestion that you are a risk of it.

'You must understand that the seriousness of this offending is that each image that you have possession of represents an image of an abuse of a child. 

'Okay, you didn't take the photograph of the abuse and you, even less, were not the abuser but if there wasn't market for this sort of offending, then fewer children would be abused in the first place. That's why it's serious.'

Pritchett was prepared to admit that he had an interest in bestiality. 

'You need to stop doing that as well,' said Judge Bury. 

Pritchett lived in a coastal area and there were plenty of things that he could do to 'get some fresh air and meet people' rather than 'sit in your room and access images like this'.

Pritchett was given 30 days' rehabilitation and a five-year sexual harm prevention order. 

A deprivation order was made for his computer equipment.

'It's very important that you put behind you this offending,' said Judge Bury. 

'If there is any repetition of it, next time it won't be a community order, it will be a prison sentence.'

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A semi-professional football player has been jailed for the rape of a woman after a night out in Shoreditch. Nathan Ashton, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the attack having denied raping the victim, saying the sex was consensual.

The rape took place in the early hours of a night in 2023, after Ashton and the woman had been at a bar in Shoreditch with a group of friends. The woman and her two friends left the bar and were offered a lift home by Ashton.

She reported to officers that Ashton had been touching her inappropriately throughout the night, leaving her feeling guarded and vulnerable as a result. Once they arrived at the address in Romford, Ashton decided to stay with the three women.

They all ended up going to bed and fell asleep in different rooms, after which Ashton entered the victim’s room and raped her.

The woman reported the attack to police and officers launched an investigation. Ashton was brought in for questioning at a local police station and denied the claims of rape, maintaining that the sex was consensual. The jury found otherwise. Ashton, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 years in prison at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday, July 16.

Detective Sergeant Ben Wallen who led the investigation, said: “Our officers were meticulous in their investigation against Ashton and secured a great outcome as a result. The victim-survivor is extremely brave reporting this to the police and we encourage all victims to come forward and speak with our specialist officers to help remove these prolific offenders off our streets.

“We remain dedicated in providing support to rape victims and protecting women and girls from predatory offenders, and I would encourage anyone who has been a victim to go to the police.”

The Met Police has said it is trying to change the way they investigate rapes. A spokesperson said: "At the heart of our new approach in investigating rape, the Met have a greater focus on the suspect’s life, with a shift away from the ‘credibility’ of the victim-survivor. This means that the victim goes through a less invasive process when reporting an incident such as rape, which officers know is already an incredibly difficult time for them."