Latest Offenders

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Persistent pervert Colin Lowrie was back in court for breaching a sexual harm prevention order

A judge has put a serial sex offender from South Shields "to the test" by delaying his sentence for six months after he was back in court.

Persistent pervert Colin Lowrie was back in the dock at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday after he breached a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). Prosecutor Annelise Haugstad told the court that the 28-year-old was issued with a SHPO on May 9, 2019, as a result of his criminal past.

On January 30, police attended his home address to carry out a home risk review that helped him to manage as a "high-risk sex offender". He was asked if he had any devices for review and he presented three devices that did not have the capacity to ring or text.

After some discussions, Lowrie then presented a fourth device, a mobile phone, that was concealed in his pocket as he "tried to hide it from police officers".

He told officers he had deleted social media apps including Instagram and Snapchat from his phone when he saw officers outside his address. The court heard how Lowrie's previous convictions include breaching a SHPO and incitement offences.

His most recent conviction for breaching a SHPO involved him talking to a 15-year-old girl online through a chatroom having been told her age on three separate occasions and asking questions like would she date him.

Ms Haugstad said it was a "deliberate breach" of the order and said there were a number of previous breaches.

Vic Laffey, mitigating, said there was "no evidence" to suggest there was a "significant risk" in this particular incident.

Judge Sarah Mallet deferred his sentence for six months until September 15 and told him: "Although your offence qualifies for a custodial sentence, you are in the middle of doing good work that might bring about a long-term good outcome for you stopping committing these sorts of offences you have already committed and so I want to put you to the test to keep out of trouble."

Lowrie, of Belgrave Terrace, South Shields, must comply with a community order, and a SHPO. The judge also warned him not to commit any other offences otherwise she would have "no alternative" but to send him to prison.

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A monster raped a girl multiple times over nine months and recorded it on his phone to 'degrade and humiliate' her. Danny Harper, 31, sexually abused the girl and told her it was their little secret in order to stop her from reporting it.

Harper, of Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to three offences of rape, two offences of sexual assault and one offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Yesterday (March 15) he was jailed for 12 years and 10 months.

The court heard that Harper began abusing the girl in early 2020. He went on to take pictures of her genitals, prosecutor Brian Berlyne said.

She noticed him taking photos of her. She suffered pain as a result of the abuse. He told her it was their little secret. She felt unable to talk to anyone about the abuse.

Harpers offending only came to light following his conversations with a fake profile of a 10-year-old girl that was being run by a paedophile hunter group. He added her as a friend on Facebook and messaged her telling her that she was cute on September 3 last year. He asked about her age and she told him she was 10. He then asked what colour underwear she was wearing.

On September 18 he told the profile he could show her naughty things and teach her about sex. Harper then asked her to send a picture of her genitals and of her in her underwear.

Separately, his young victim courageously told her mum of Harpers abuse. She was medically examined and found to have injuries. Harper was arrested and his phone was seized and examined, of which officers found 45 indecent images of the girl, 15 of which showed him sexually abusing her, it was said.

In a police interview he said that he was a monster and that he never wore protection. He also said he messaged the profile because he was lonely. In a victim impact statement, the girls grandmother said that she was a happy, little soul and a very thoughtful child, but said when she told the police what happened she was physically sick.

She thought she was in trouble and we had to explain to her that she was not. She told me that man has ruined my life. This hit me hard. [Harper] has ruined all of our lives. He is a clever man who knew full well the consequences of his actions.

Harper was said to have one set of previous convictions which were unrelated.

There was genuine remorse and a desire not to subject her to any further suffering. He described himself as a monster in his interview, barrister Rachel White said, defending. He has learning difficulties, he was diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder and he was diagnosed with ADHD. This began as opportunistic and the defendant became persistent in his conduct.

He wants to begin a new life and not offend again.

Sentencing, Judge John Potter said: Of these six counts to which you have pleaded guilty in these proceedings, represents the sustained and most dreadful sexual abuse of a child. Not using a condom and ejaculation are significant aggravating features of this offending, as is the clear grotesque evidence that you filmed those acts of abuse on your mobile phone. When after your arrest, your phone and seized and examined and it contained evidence of you degrading and humiliating her by filming the sexual abuse that took place.

This is depraved offending.

Harper was jailed for 12 years and 8 months, made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and must sign onto the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

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The former Deputy Director General for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators has admitted committing three sexual assaults at a Wiltshire pub.

Appearing at Swindon Magistrates Court today (9 February), Thomas Cadman pleaded guilty to attacking two women in three assaults at The Red Lion in Castle Eaton.

Prosecutor Pauline Lambert said the 42-year-old, who lives less than a mile from the pub, in Blackford Lane, visited the establishment on 29 August last year.

Cadman grabbed his first victim by her buttocks with both hands and squeezed as he passed her in a doorway. Moments later, he did the same again but with less force.

He approached a second woman near the toilets and asked if her husband had gone in. He went on to grab her buttocks before he was pushed away.

Despite being told the stop, he then grabbed her face by her cheeks and pulled her head towards him.

The victim told the landlord about the ordeal and he spoke to the defendant about his behaviour before telling him he must apologise and leave the pub.

Cadman went over to his victim, who was with her husband following the incident and offered to buy them both a drink to make up for it. But the couple declined.

As he walked away, he stroked her buttocks and this was witnessed by another pubgoer.

No mitigation was provided and the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report. Cadman, a qualified solicitor, will return to the same court for sentencing in March.

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Benjamin Behan, 25, has been jailed after being caught out by paedophile hunters

A pervert chef admitted to his family he had 'done it again' after being caught out by paedophile hunters.

Benjamin Behan, 25, had been ordered to undergo the Horizon scheme, which aims to rehabilitate sex offenders and change their warped outlook, after being found with vile images of children.

But Behan, from Wythenshawe said it was a 'load of cr**'. He claimed that sessions being moved online during the pandemic made them more difficult for him to follow.

"He didn't engage with it as best he could have done," Behan's barrister Mark Shanks told Manchester Crown Court.

"Because of his autism he deals much better face to face, he found it much more difficult to absorb it."

Despite attempts to help him reform, Behan has now been locked up after he once again displayed a sexual interest in children. He was exposed by paedophile hunters, with a decoy account being set up in the name of a 14-year-old girl.

Behan told her he was a head chef at a pub, and the pair had some 'innocuous' chat about coronavirus before he turned the conversation sexual. He suggested that they could go to a hotel room, and asked whether she wanted to be naked in bed with him, prosecutor Amanda Johnson said.

Behan asked the 'girl' how long it would take her to get undressed, during online conversations over a two day period. Members of the paedophile hunter group went to confront Behan at his home, and his stepfather answered the door.

"Yes, I've done it again," Behan admitted to his stepfather.

In interview with the police, Behan accepted having sexual chats but said the idea of meeting up in a hotel room was 'pure fantasy'. Mr Shanks said prison has had a 'significant effect' on Behan, who has been locked up on remand.

"He has not been to prison before, he is absolutely certain he will not be going back to prison," the barrister said.

Behan, of Inglesham Close, Wythenshawe, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

"Your behaviour, I'm afraid, has demonstrated that you will not comply. You described the Horizon programme as a 'load of cr**', so custody must follow," sentencing Judge Anthony Cross QC said, before jailing Behan for 16 months.

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Gary Healey flew to Faro with his fiance, breaching his court order for an eighth time

A child sex offender broke a court order for an eighth time by flying to Portugal with his fiance.

Gary Healey flew off to Faro with his fiance without notifying police he had obtained a passport or he was leaving the country. Daniel Bramhall, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court how the Home Office contacted police on October 22 last year about Healey having left the country.

Five days later, Healeys sex offender manager spoke to him on the phone. Healey, 46, had been placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years in 2017 after being convicted of inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity, which earned him a suspended prison sentence.

Healey confirmed he had obtained a passport on December 8, 2020 and failed to notify police about it. He voluntarily attended Birkenhead police station and admitted to the breach and also said he failed to notify the force about going abroad.

The court heard he has three previous convictions for 11 offences. The other seven convictions are for breaching the requirement of the Sexual Offenders Register by not notifying the authorities he was homeless.

Healey, of Osborne Road, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to two offences of breaching the SOR order but narrowly escaped being sent straight to jail after a judge heard how he has recently been engaging with support workers. Judge Gary Woodhall imposed a six month prison sentence suspended for 15 months and ordered him to carry out 15 days rehabilitation activities.

He said: "You have this hanging over you to make sure you continue to engage with those support services."

The judge also imposed a three month curfew with an electronic tag for three months between 9pm-6am and ordered him to pay 340 prosecution costs. Anna Duke, defending, said that his probation officer confirmed that he has been engaging with his support workers.

Judge Woodhall told Healey, whose fiance sat in the public gallery, that the pre-sentence report revealed when his partners father was terminally ill his dying wish was for the couple to have a foreign holiday.

He encouraged Healey, who had never been abroad, to get a passport and after his death they went to Faro.

The judge said that Healey had long term drug problems but there has now been consistent engagement with community support services and you have demonstrated your motivation to engage with the problem.

He added that the defendant now has stable accommodation and strong family ties and is assessed as a low risk of re-offending.

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A MAN who made his now ex-partner suffer from two years' of his bullying and angry outbursts during their relationship is now behind bars.

Christopher Barfe was given a 32-month prison sentence for his violent and controlling behaviour with his former partner.

But he also received a further, consecutive sentence of two years for sexual offences committed in drink against an underage girl in a separate case.

The 33-year-old defendant, of South Street, Sherburn Village, who admitted some of the offences, but who denied and was convicted of the sex matters after a trial earlier this year, received the total sentence of 56-months at Durham Crown Court, after victim statements were read to the hearing.

Jane Waugh, prosecuting, described Barfes controlling behaviour during the relationship as, persistent, over a prolonged period, with the use of multiple methods and a fear of violence on many occasions, causing significant psychological harm.

His assaults on the fearful woman included hair pulling, kicking and strangulation, and led to the victim moving house to escape the trauma, suffering flashbacks from the ordeal.

He would regularly check her phone, accusing her of infidelity, and he even set up a fake alias account to check her online activity.

When a male associate made a comment saying he liked a picture of her on her Instagram page, Barfe went into a rage, calling her poison, and, the worst woman I ever met.

He put his hands to her throat, choked her until she fell to the floor crying in pain, while on another occasion Barfe took out a gun he owned and she feared she would be shot, while he also told her he would, chop her up.

Among her injuries were a blackened eye and cuts about the head.

Miss Waugh said the offences with the girl involved inappropriate kissing and performing a sex act in her presence.

Barfe denied all the offences at his initial crown court hearing, but subsequently admitted three charges of assault against his ex-partner and on the day of trial, a further count of controlling and coercive behaviour in a relationship.

But he was convicted after a three-day trial of two counts of sexual assault and one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Brian Russell, for Barfe, said he was only lightly previously convicted and, since being remanded in custody, after the trial verdicts in January, has acknowledged the offences committed against the girl.

He does genuinely appear to have acknowledged the harm he has done, unlike most defendants who wallow in denial.

Mr Russell added that much of the defendants offending was against a background of, his unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

Jailing him, Judge Ray Singh told Barfe: You were, Im afraid to say, a bully.

He made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order forbidding unsupervised contact with underage girls, as well as notification as a sex offender, both for ten years.

Retraining orders also prohibit him from contacting or approaching either victim, also for ten years.

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Roland Long, who has been jailed for a historic rape. Picture: South Wales Police

AN elderly Somerset man has been jailed for 12 years for a stranger rape dating back 42 years.

Following an investigation by the South Wales Police Review Unit, Roland Long, 67, was arrested on September 15 2020 at his home in Nailsea.

His arrest was the result of enhanced forensic work into an attack in Elm Street, Cardiff, on August 17 1980.

The victim, then aged 26, had asked Long for directions after becoming lost after returning to the city following a visit to see her mother in Gwent.

She heard footsteps behind her and was pushed to the ground, turned on her back and raped by Long.

Detective Inspector Patrick Catto, former Head of the Major Crime Review Unit, said: In 1980, a woman who had recently moved to the Cardiff area got off a bus and whilst on her way home, Roland Long followed her and violently raped her.

There was an extensive investigation at the time, however a suspect was never identified.

"But South Wales Police never gives up on serious crime investigations, and evidence was kept.

Thanks to the application of advanced DNA technology, Roland Long was identified as the person responsible and has now been brought to justice.

Scientists from the Joint Scientific Investigation Unit (JSIU) conducted a review of the original case papers and provided specialist advice to the Review Unit, including how advancements in science and technology could assist the investigation.

Items of clothing were reassessed, which revealed Long to be a match, with an almost billion-to-one chance of the DNA belonging to anybody else.

Detective Superintendent Mathew Lewis, head of the JSIU, said: The JSIU works closely with our investigative teams, with a team of highly skilled and dedicated members of staff who look to deliver justice through science. In this case, that is exactly what has happened.

By utilising forensic advancements, we were able to work with the Review Unit to bring a perpetrator to justice 42 years after committing the crime.

DI Patrick Catto added: The sentence handed out by the judge will hopefully go some way to help the victim of this awful incident, something that she has had to live with daily for the past 42 years.

The fact that the offender has lived his life over this time without thought or care for his victim is unjustifiable.

After all these years, the victim can now finally begin to rebuild her life safe in the knowledge that Roland Long is behind bars and has been brought to justice.

The officers involved in this case have shown professionalism, determination and tenacity in bringing to justice those who cause the most harm within our communities, regardless of the passage of time.

Help and support is available for all victims of sexual violence and we encourage any victims; no matter how long ago the offence happened, to come forward.

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A Devon man has been jailed for sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman.

Marc Minchington, 39, denied the offences but was found guilty at a trial in December.

He returned to Exeter Crown Court on Monday [March 14] to be sentenced to eight years in prison.

The court was told he suffered 'some kind of mental meltdown' at the time of the offence.

He still denies doing anything wrong or that he was experiencing a mental health episode at the time. 

Recorder Don Tait said: "In December last year you were convicted by a jury of all these offences. Their decision in relation to each of the charges was unanimous. Because you contested the matter there is no such reduction I can make to your sentence.

"Even now you're in denial and have been for many years. I sat and listened to the evidence and recall it was quite clear that something happened at the time of these offences in your mind.

"You have been a hard-working man and have never really been in any trouble before. From the evidence you were significantly mentally unwell. You didn't accept that and you don't now.

"It is quite clear you were drinking far too much and that didn't help your mental health when you committed these offences."

Minchington, of Dart Walk, Exeter, will serve half of his sentence in jail and the rest on licence. He was told the sign the sex offender's register.

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A 70-year-old sex offender has been jailed for assaulting a child.

Geoffrey Abson, of Derrell Road, Paignton, touched the seven-year-old between the legs on two occasions, Exeter Crown Court was told.

He initially denied doing anything wrong but later admitted he needed help. 

Abson is a convicted sex offender with a previous conviction for a similar offence back in 1989.

The defendant said he was 'disgusted and ashamed of his actions'.

Judge David Evans said: "I have to sentence you for not one but two assaults on a girl aged under 13."

He said the defendant held 'distorted sexual attitudes towards children'. Abson was jailed for 16 months.

"Immediate prison is the only appropriate sentence. This sort of offending is too serious for a suspended sentence or any other kind of sentence."

Abson was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from contacting girls under 16.

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A Lancashire man has been jailed for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting two young children.

Nigel Turner, 72, from Morecambe, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in November 2021, after he distributed multiple indecent images of the children (IIOC) via an online messaging app.

Some of the images, which he shared using an account created with a false name, showed him sexually abusing one of the children.

When arresting him, officers seized his phone for analysis. On it, they found a collection of images and videos which showed he had raped and sexually assaulted two children, as well as engaging in sexual activity in front of them on multiple occasions.

Although Turners face cannot be seen in the images, NCA investigators were able to identify him as the suspect from clothing, jewellery and voice recognition.

He was charged with 21 offences: seven counts of raping a child under 13, three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13, two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and 12 counts of distributing, taking and making IIOC at categories A-C (A being the most severe).

Turner pleaded guilty to all 21 charges in December last year. Yesterday [14 March 2022] he was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Preston Crown Court.

Turner was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and was put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Hazel Stewart, from the National Crime Agency, said: Turner carried out the most serious sexual abuse on these children.

His crimes are truly incomprehensible.

After capturing the abuse on his phone, Turner shared it with others online using a fake profile, in an attempt to mask his identity.

Clearly he thought this would save him, but the NCA has the capabilities to disrupt offenders who use anonymisation techniques, and we are focusing those capabilities on catching the most dangerous of criminals.

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A man who was abused by a rapist in Rochdale when aged just six-years-old has helped us jail his abuser after bravely giving significant evidence over three decades on from the incident.

Ian Nixon now aged 57 was sentenced to over 13 years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to three offences including a rape from 1988.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Nixon abused the boy at a house in Rochdale when he was expected to look after him on three occasions between January 1988 and December 1989.

The victim contacted police to report the abuse in the summer of 2019 and was able to give us graphic detail of a number of incidents that he was subjected to by Nixon during the period of offending.

Detectives from our Rochdale districts Child Protection Investigation Unit soon interviewed Nixon who was now living in Blackpool where he claimed he didnt remember the victim and he couldnt recall the incidents that had been described by the victim; but didnt deny that they had occurred.

Nixon, currently of no fixed address, was later charged with buggery, indecent assault and gross indecency before pleading guilty in December last year

He has now been ordered to serve 13 years and four months in jail and has been made to sign the sex offenders register.

The victim now in his 30s has been offered continuous support from specialist officers and partner agencies throughout the case.

Detective Constable Dave Neil, of GMP Rochdales Child Protection Investigation Unit, said: Firstly, I have to pay tribute to the patience and stoicism of the survivor of this depraved abuse, as it is his bravery when coming forward and the subsequent detail of his evidence that has ensured Nixon will now rightly spend many years behind bars.

The campaign of sexual abuse that Nixon subjected his young and vulnerable victim to when he was supposed to be in his care was utterly appalling and something the boy has had to grow up dealing with mentally and emotionally all the way up to adulthood.

Its clear that no abuser can escape the consequences of their actions, no matter how long ago their offending was, and we will do our utmost to bring anyone responsible for such deplorable abuse to justice; while doing all we can with our partners to listen and support any victim of recent or non-recent sexual harm.

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A Paisley pervert who sent vile videos to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl claimed the comments he received boosted his self-esteem.

Using an app called Kik, Stephen McAloney, of Hillman Road, sent four naked shots of his groin to an undercover police officer who was acting as a teenager called Daisy.

Creepy McAloney, 47, also sent Daisy two videos of him pleasuring himself, stating he knew what he was doing was wrong but he got excited.

Sheriff Brian Mohan called for background reports on McAloney which concluded the married mans self-esteem was boosted by the comments made by Daisy.

Now the pervert has been made subject of the Sex Offenders Register for three years.

Procurator fiscal David McDonald previously told Paisley Sheriff Court: On May 11, 2020, police received intelligence that a Kik user of the name PaisleyGuy1974 was involved in various conversations online with what appeared to be 14-year-olds.

There was no further engagement until July 1, 2020, when an undercover police officer created an account using the name Daisy. It was noted by the officer the Kik profile name cant be changed but the display name can be.

PaisleyGuy1974 was identified as the accused and he changed his display name on various occasions with it being changed to Stephen on an occasion.

From July 1 onwards, chat logs between the undercover police officer and the accused show that the decoy states she was 14 years old.

The accused said he was 45 and from Scotland. Despite Daisys age, the accused continued talking, with him stating, Ill be nice then, - due to Daisys age.

Early in the conversation McAloney sent a picture of his arm in a sling and through a small gap, his tribal tattoos could be seen.

Throughout the chat, the accused called Daisy Miss Mayhem.

The conversation was inappropriate but not criminal with the accused stating how attractive she was and so on.

On July 10, the accused asked Daisy, Why dont you have a boyfriend, youre really pretty.

The conversation continued and the accused sent a picture of his penis.

Daisy replied, Oh my God hehe, are they all that big?

McAloney sent another picture of his penis and then a third image.

The conversation continued and the accused sent a video of himself masturbating and then a fourth image. The accused then sends a further video of him masturbating.

McAloney then states I shouldnt have sent that as it was wrong of me, I just got excited. He then said it was too risky.

The last communication was a number of days later but nothing of a sexual nature.

The court heard that on December 18 police officers attended McAloneys Paisley home with a search warrant when his wife was at home.

Cops arrested vile McAloney and took him to Greenock police station for interview.

Mr McDonald told the court: The accused spoke freely during interview and accepted he had conversation with Daisy and that he had sent indecent images and moving images of him masturbating.

Defence agent Gemma Elder explained McAloneys mind had been clouded by booze.

Ms Elder said: Alcohol was consumed when this offence was committed and it may have had a significant impact on his thought process.

He has had poor mental health problems and he has expressed remorse and disgust in himself that he finds himself in this situation at 47.

It was a moment of madness and now Mr McAloney has to pay the price for that.

On sentencing, Sheriff Brian Mohan said: Undercover police officers engage in this work to protect children from the behaviour you engaged in.

Fortunately no real child was harmed in this incident.

The most notable point in the report is that you began searching the internet, looking and receiving comments that helped your self-esteem not realising the offence you committed at the time.

In addition to being put on the Register, McAloney was placed under supervision for three years with a conduct requirement to carry out the Moving Forward Making Changes Programme and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work within the community within 12 months.

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A father-of-five who repeatedly raped a vulnerable teenage girl more than a decade ago has been jailed.

Amjad Hussain, 35, of Adar Street in Keighley, was one of five men found guilty of grooming and raping the girl following a trial in October.

Hussain drove the victim to remote locations where he plied her with alcohol then attacked her.

Sentencing him to 12 years in prison at Bradford Crown Court, the judge said Hussain had committed "gross abuse".

Hussain was found guilty of two specific rape charges and a further offence relating to "multiple incident rapes".

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following her ordeal in 2009 and 2010.

"The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you and others like you is a significant factor in her mental state now," Judge Andrew Hatton said.

The judge added that it was apparent from the evidence that Hussain would be responsible for "passing on" the teenager to other men.

'Robbed of childhood'

Four other men were jailed in February as part of West Yorkshire Police's Operation Dalesway investigation.

Hussain will serve at least two thirds of his sentence and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, previously praised the victim for reporting the offences to the police.

"The abuse she endured robbed her of her childhood and I hope seeing all of these men sent to prison for these horrendous offences she was subjected to, will allow her to start to look forward to the future," he added.

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A paedophile burglar who admitted sending sexually explicit pictures to a 14-year-old girl and stealing thousands of pounds of items from hospital during the pandemic, has been jailed for more than nine years.

Michael Bourn, 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, attempted burglary and theft of a motor vehicle. He also admitted two counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, two counts of attempting to incite a girl aged 14 to engage in sexual activity and one count of robbery, relating to a handbag snatch on June 22 last year.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Bourn sent explicit pictures and had a sexual conversation via social media with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Bourn was first spotted on CCTV at North Cambridgeshire Hospital in Wisbech on May 28 last year.

A tradesman was doing some work on the roof when he returned to his van and noticed power tools worth about 900 were missing. The CCTV footage showed a clear image of the suspects face and officers were able to identify Bourn.

Just a week later, Bourn returned to the hospital, and this time stole a purse, phone and car keys from a worker who had left them in an area not usually accessed by the public.

After noticing her keys were missing, she went outside to check on her car and noticed it was gone. Once again, CCTV caught Bourn in the act.

Bourn visited the hospital twice more in the days that followed, taking a dongle and some cash. On one occasion, a night shift worker tending to an elderly patient noticed Bourn removing the window to one of the offices in an attempt to get in. She disturbed him and he ran away but the window had been completely removed. On both occasions, CCTV was recovered.

He was sentenced to a total of nine years and one month in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on March 9.

PC Peter Waite, who investigated, said: Bourn brazenly and shamelessly targeted hospital workers and staff who were working tirelessly to care for sick people during the pandemic.

He continued to go back again and again, stealing thousands of pounds worth of items.

Together with the robbery and engaging in sexual communication with a child, Bourns actions were absolutely despicable and I am glad justice has been done.

Bourn will spend a significant period behind bars to reflect on the hurt he has caused.

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A CONVICTED online sex offender from Workington has been handed a suspended jail sentence for twice breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Stephen McCue, 63, who was originally prosecuted after he was the subject of an online a paedophile-hunters sting, admitted two counts of flouting an order designed to curb and monitor his online activities.

He committed both offences between July 6, 2020 and May 20 last year in Workington, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The first offence involved him possessing and using an 'internet-capable smartphone' which he did not disclose to Cumbria Constabulary as required under his sexual harm prevention order imposed in January, 2020.

The second offence consisted of him deleting his internet browsing history from that smartphone again something that was prohibited by his court order.

After hearing the details, Judge Nicholas Barker imposed a 14-month jail term but he suspended that term for two years. As punishment, McCue must observe a 7pm to 6am curfew for three months.

When originally prosecuted, McCue, of Salterbeck, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity over a number of days. He believed wrongly that he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl.

He engaged her in a series of explicitly sexual conversations and even suggested that she might like to show him round the city where she said she lived. He also encouraged the girl to perform sexual acts, and told her he was doing the same.

His defence barrister said McCue was not a sexual predator and had not set out to deliberately find a child online. "He was looking for females he found attractive," said Mr Burke, adding that McCue had issues with loneliness.

He was caught after an only sting by the Child Online Safety Team.

Commenting at the time of his sentencing, an NSPCC spokesman said: "McCues case shows just how easily predators can target young children through social media. McCues intention was the incitement of sexual behaviour for his own warped gratification.

"The case highlights just how dangerous the internet can be for young people.