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A CONVICTED flasher flew to Portugal because he thought his sex offender order had expired.

He appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court last week charged with failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register, after misunderstanding when it was due to end.

Gregory Coleman, of Wilderspool Causeway in Warrington, was placed on the sex offenders register in November 2020 after he was caught walking down a street in Widnes while performing a sex act before boarding a train.

Part of the conditions of being placed on the register included informing police of the details of his passport and notifying them a week before intending to travel abroad.

Coleman, 53, broke both requirements after travelling to Portugal with his elderly mother at the beginning of the year.

On February 11, Coleman called police to ask when he was going to be taken off the register and was told that he still needed to comply with the requirements until January next year.

The prosecution for the case, Mrs McGowan, told the court that police were informed that Coleman had arrived at Manchester Airport on a flight from Lisbon on February 6, after having been there for a week.

Defending, Mr Schooler said that Coleman, who suffers with mental health issues, believed that the requirement to notify police had expired in January of this year.

Coleman travelled to Portugal with his mother, who lived abroad in a religious community for seven months last year, to see where she was going to stay and who with.

After flying out and staying there for a week before returning, Coleman believed he had not breached the order as he was not stopped leaving or re-entering the country.

But on February 16, police called the 53-year-old and asked him if he had been away, which he had confessed he had and was reminded that he needed to notify them of his foreign travel until January of next year.

Coleman, who has no previous breaches of the order, was not interviewed by police and pleaded guilty.

He was sentenced to 18 months community order with up to 30 rehabilitation days, as well as a six-month mental health treatment requirement and a £120 fine.

Description

Update: On Monday 17 June, Ahmed was sentenced at London Inner Crown Court to 10 years in jail. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life, and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A man has been found guilty of several serious sexual offences, following a joint British Transport Police (BTP) and Bedfordshire Police investigation.

Awsaf Ahmed, aged 30, of Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe was found guilty by a jury of rape of a female under 16, and causing / inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday 24 April 2024. Ahmed had already pleaded guilty to a charge of causing / inciting a child to engage in sexual activity at an earlier hearing. A sentencing date has been set for Friday 14 June 2024.

The court heard how, on Tuesday 10 October 2023, at around 10.30pm, the victim – a girl aged 14 – was on board a train heading towards London Marylebone station when Ahmed entered the carriage. Ahmed engaged the victim and her group of friends in conversation, asking their age and if they smoked weed.

Ahmed then pressured the victim to get her alone, coercing her to speak to him privately in the toilets and insinuating he had friends everywhere, making her fear for her friend’s safety. Upon entering the toilet, Ahmed locked them inside and despite her repeated pleas for him to stop, raped her. Following the attack, he added her on Snapchat to continue his contact with her. The victim reported the rape to British Transport Police the following day. Later that evening, Ahmed called the victim on Snapchat, asking her “When do you turn 16?” and “Did you enjoy yesterday?”.

Less than a week later, Bedfordshire Police received a report of an incident involving Ahmed. The court heard how on 16 October 2023, Ahmed attempted to engage a girl, aged 15, in sexual activity. Initially, he engaged her in conversation about her jewellery and heritage, before the conversation became more threatening, telling the victim everyone had it in them to kill and if he was disrespected, he could make someone disappear with just one text or call.

Following this he turned the conversation to relationships, asking the 15-year-old for relationship advice before asking her about her own relationship status and sexual experience. He then attempted to coerce her into engage in sexual activity with him. Thankfully, the victim was after able to leave the situation and reported Ahmed to Bedfordshire Police the following day.

On 27 October Ahmed was arrested and charged with offences committed on 10 and 11 October 2023. The investigations were linked, and Ahmed was further charged with offences committed 16 October 2023.

BTP Investigating officer Detective Constable Matthew Nolan said: “Ahmed is a callous predator who targeted young girls for his own sexual gratification. Despite the victim’s repeated pleas for him to stop, he trapped her and raped her, making her fear for not only herself but her friend’s safety. I hope the guilty verdict goes some way in bringing her some closure."

BTP Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Paul Attwell said: “These were extremely frightening experiences for Ahmed’s victims, and I praise them for reporting him so we could act. Ahmed’s coercive and threatening behaviour towards young, vulnerable girls will never be tolerated on the rail network, or anywhere else and I’m thankful to see today’s verdict.”

Detective Constable Rani Bailey, from Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said: “Ahmed’s behaviour was unacceptable and his actions were predatory. We are relentlessly pursing those who think this behaviour is acceptable, and we remain committed to bringing perpetrators of abuse to justice. Regardless of what happened, if someone has made you feel uncomfortable or disrespected your boundaries, it is never too late to come forward and report what has happened to you.”

Description

A depraved paedophile from North Devon has been jailed for 27 years for a 'campaign of rape' against two children. Tyrone Barton was convicted of multiple sexual offences at Exeter Crown Court.

The 64-year-old, from Barnstaple, admitted 12 offences. The judge said the most serious offence 'could only be described as evil'.

The court heard moving statements from both victims in which they described the trauma caused by offences. Afterwards, police praised their courage in coming forward and welcomed the sentence.

Prosecutor Simon Burns said the earliest offence dated back more than 20 years. Barton's behaviour included violence and threats. "It is hard to imagine a case of such depravity," said Mr Burns.

The offences came to light in 2022. Barton told police the accusations were 'probably true' and described himself as 'sick'.

The first victim said in a statement they had been psychologically traumatised by the abuse and finds it hard to trust people. The second will never forget what Barton did. Both are trying to rebuild their lives. "I am so angry with him," said one.

Judge Stephen Climie said Barton, of Woodville, carried out his sick crimes 'without a thought for anything other than your own sexual gratification'.

The court was told Barton was ashamed of his behaviour. The judge added: "I hear the expressions of remorse but view them with great suspicion." He said Barton had shown no remorse at the time he abused the first victim or when he deliberately targeted the second some years later.

"This is a case involving a campaign of rape against two victims." He said if each offence was sentenced consecutively the overall term would be in the range of a 100 years. The 27-year sentence reflected the totality of multiple crimes, including rape of children under 13, attempted rape and indecent assaults.

Devon and Cornwall Police released a comment on behalf of the officer in the case. It said: "We welcome the outcome of this case and would like to thank the victims for their strength in reporting. Their fortitude has resulted in this conviction and that now gives agencies the tools we need to prevent further harm."

Description

A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for non-recent sex offences.

David Marshall, 62, of Twydale Avenue in Tividale in the West Midlands was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Friday 7 June.

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and one year on extended license after he was found guilty of 15 counts of indecent assault on a male person.

Marshall will also be added to the sex offenders register until further notice.

Description

A man has been jailed for seven and a half years for sexually assaulting a teenage girl at a hotel in Liverpool city centre.

Andrew Peel, 48, of Pochard Close, in Bradford, was sentenced today, Monday 17 June, at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of sexual assault.

The incident happened at The Premier Inn, on Gower Street, in 2022 when Peel sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl.

Peel was arrested on the same evening and subsequently charged. Despite denying the offence, he was found guilty following a six-day trial held in May this year.

Description

A flasher who told police he was 'living out a fantasy' by exposing himself at a block of flats in Swindon has been sentenced. 

Police were called to Hinton Street on April 26 after receiving an anonymous report that a male who lived at the flat had been seen outside the entrance to the property naked and showing his genitals.

After another call was made that evening, this time describing the same man standing near  where the bins of the Gorse Hill building were stored and exposing himself, officers found the suspect naked from the waist down before placing him under arrest. 

Enrico Rippa, a 60-year-old former Nationwide employee, appeared before Swindon Magistrates Court on June 17 for sentencing having previously pleaded guilty to one count of exposure.

Prosecuting Keith Ballinger said: "He was described as acting very oddly and was wearing a jacket/cardigan that he wore open on his chest.

"He undid his trousers and exposed himself, making a strange face and moving his hips and he did this for a number of minutes."

In his police interview, Rippa admitted to exposing himself but added it 'was not to anything specific'. 

He told officers that it was a fantasy of his to get caught and that he was heavily intoxicated at the time. 

The court heard that Rippa had previously been convicted of sex offences, with the last conviction in 1996 for which he was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. 

In his defence, Miss Hollier explained that he had lost his job at Nationwide as a result of the ongoing court case and was know working part-time doing IT support and bookkeeping. 

Magistrates told him: “Clearly you know this is a serious offence that would’ve had an impact on everyone, everyone who lives in those flats will know what had happened, and everyone will have been affected.

"If that was where I lived, I’d be frightened to go out the back and come across you."

He was given a 24-month community order to do everything the probation service asks, including  20 rehab activity sessions, 31 sessions of the Horizon programme, and 90 hours of unpaid work

"Use this to address your behaviour and learn how to prevent reoffending," magistrates added. 

He must also re-register as a sex offender at a nearby police station within three days of sentencing. 

Description

A PERVERT who twice engaged in sexual activity with a child in the back of his car has been locked up.

Paul Lawrinson gave the schoolboy vapes and £50 in exchange for explicit acts – which constituted rape and sexual assault due to the child’s age.

The 50-year-old appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced, having admitted rape of a child under the age of 13 and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 at a previous hearing.

Rebecca Smith, prosecuting the case, told the court that Cheshire Police received a report from a safeguarding team regarding concerns regarding a child’s reported sexual activity with an adult male.

The child, who must not be identified by law, had previously set up an account on the Grindr social media network, claiming to be an 18-year-old man ‘looking for fun’.

Lawrinson and the boy began to message each other, initially normal chat, before the conversation quickly became sexual in nature, such as what they would do with one another and if they could meet up for sexual activity.

Arrangements were made for a meet-up in Sankey Valley Park, with this leading to the events of the rape charge.

The boy made his way to Lawrinson’s vehicle and was told to sit in the back, where he was joined by the defendant.

There was more small talk before discussion of sexual activity, with the defendant requesting that the boy perform a sex act on him, which he did.

When speaking to police officers, the boy said this made him ‘slightly uncomfortable’ and feel that he could not leave, but the court heard there was no suggestion that Lawrinson made him stay.

Following the sexual activity, the defendant paid the boy £50 and he left, but conversations continued online about sexual activity and if they could meet up again.

Another arrangement to meet was made for the following day, with there being a discussion of the defendant providing the boy with a ‘reward or present’.

Lawrinson brought up in discussions the complainant’s actual age, with the boy untruthfully telling him he was 16 and not 18.

When they met up in the same location, what unfolded was encapsulated in the sexual assault charge.

The boy decided he was not going to perform any sexual activity with the defendant, and he said no when the defendant asked.

He did however say that he would be prepared to kiss, and the pair did so, and the boy did touch the defendant in a sexual manner over clothing after encouragement from Lawrinson.

In exchange, the defendant gave the boy some vapes before they both parted ways.

When a family member came across messages between the complainant and defendant, the authorities were involved.

Items of the complainant’s clothing were also submitted for analysis, and samples were later found to match that of Lawrinson.

He was arrested on March 13 this year in the car park of Birchwood Forest Park and mobile phones belonging to him were seized.

When arrested, Lawrinson said to officers: “It all makes sense now. He said he was 18, then 16. I said he looked young. I got scared.”

A forensic download of his mobile phone retrieved the messages exchanged, as well as the defendant’s Grindr profile, which showed he sought ‘chav, scally, footie, sporty, slim types under 25’ and said he was ‘happy to reward’.

During his police interview, Lawrinson answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

The court heard an impact statement prepared by the complainant in which he said: “The whole situation has really affected my day-to-day life and wellbeing.

“Since the incident, I have relived the day and moment. Constant reminders of what happened lead me to frequent breakdowns. I just want to scream and cry for peace for five minutes.

“I am a different and snappy person as a result, and I feel I am making it hard for my family to live normally.

“My social life is reduced and I am rarely going out, alone in my bedroom a lot. I just want to be a kid, that is all I want. No kid should ever have to go through this.”

Ms Smith told the court that there was an element of ‘grooming behaviour’, with the nature of the charge meaning the defendant must be classed as an ‘offender of particular concern’.

In mitigating for the defendant, Jeremy Rawson referenced his lack of any previous convictions and how he is a ‘man of impeccable, absolute good character’.

“It is a dreadful shame that he became involved in this particular type of activity,” he said.

“He will regret that for the rest of his life, not just for what he will suffer, but the effect on the young man concerned as well.

“He wished that never happened, and he understands the pain and suffering the young man must be feeling, and how his family must be feeling.

“There is remorse and regret. He bitterly regrets what has happened to this young man.

“He is a man who has always been in work and was in a good relationship.

“It is a terribly sad thing to see a man of his age and respectability sitting where he is, knowing there will be a long sentence of imprisonment.”

Before sentencing, recorder Tania Griffiths said: “You do not need me to tell you how exceptionally serious these offences are.

“You were aware that he was young as you said he told you he was 16, not 18, and even then, you quite rightly queried that age as he was much younger than that.

“The victim personal statement is extremely sad. It speaks of how life has changed for this boy, and one can imagine how he feels. That is all down to you.

“Can you imagine how difficult life is for him on a daily basis? He has got to walk that gauntlet every day. What you did to him will stay with him. He was a young boy.

“You had the benefit of a good upbringing. It is inexplicable why you carried out these offences. You knew he was young, and yet you carried on.”

Lawrinson, of Gainsborough Road, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, of which he will serve two-thirds before he can apply to the parole boards for an early release.

If he is not considered rehabilitated and this is refused, he must serve the full term, and after his release, he must spend a further year on extended licence.

The court also ordered him to sign the sex offender register for life and abide by the terms of a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order, both for the next 20 years.

Description

A Southampton man has been jailed after he was caught sending sexual communications to an undercover police officer, who he believed was a child.

Christopher Jay Swaine, 41, of Foundry Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court last week where he was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison.

Swaine was identified by police via covert conversations with two fictional 12-year-old girls, with the final messages culminating on Christmas Eve, 2021.

He was arrested and, following an examination of his mobile phones, charged with two offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and two charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He admitted all offences at court in April.

As well as his prison sentence, Swaine will also be on the sex offenders’ register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A paedophile dressed as a member of a "well-known boy band" when he groomed a teenage girl into performing sexual acts upon him and upon herself. The victim said she continues to "carry the abuse" and made attempts on her own life.

Paul Clarke, 64, of Pontypool, sexually abused the victim when she was just 13 years old. He first came across her while waiting at a bus stop in the Blackwood area, while he was playing loud music in his car.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard the defendant was "dressed like a well-known member of a boy band" in a bid to make himself look younger. He went on to sexually abuse the girl in his car by grooming her into performing oral sex upon him.

Sentencing, Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant said Clarke also performed oral sex upon the girl and penetrated her with his fingers and with objects such as a glass bottle and a metal pump. He would also purchase alcohol for her and persuaded her to keep their meetings a secret.

The abuse came to light after the victim contacted the police as an adult and Clarke was subject to a trial accused of 10 counts of indecent assault. The defendant, of Albion Road, was found guilty of all counts. The court heard he had no previous relevant convictions.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Clare Wilks the victim said: "The abuse I suffered affected my life in every way.... I don't understand what love is.... I am trying to understand why this happened to me. He took away my childhood and was forced to grow up. The control of power he had over me stays with me to this day. I have struggled to form healthy relationships and sex has always been a trigger for me.

"I carry abuse with me every day and I think about it. Some days it hit me so hard I can't get out of bed. I have made attempts to end my life. I was unable to go to work and on occasions I suffered with depression. I just wanted a normal relationship with a partner and a normal family but Paul Clarke has taken that away from me.

"I tried to move on but it doesn't go away. During the court proceedings I was anxious, had sleepless nights and nightmares of Paul Clarke and woke up. I worried about attending court and of the effects repeating my experience would impact on my mental health. I want to get past the abuse and learn to trust and love again. I want to be happy and free."

In mitigation defence barrister Martha Smith-Higgins said her client had been a law-abiding citizen over the past decades since the offences. She said the defendant had lost his mother at the age of six and was unable to speak for seven years due to the impact on him. The barrister asked the court to pass a determinate sentence acknowledging her client would receive an inevitable and lengthy custodial sentence.

Judge Porter-Bryant sentenced Clarke to nine years imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements for an indefinite period.

Description

A "depraved" physiotherapist who convinced his patients to take off their clothes for what he claimed were necessary treatments has been put behind bars for six years. Purnoor Bawa, 44, told the women that removing their clothing was a standard procedure required to treat their injuries.

However, once they were undressed, Bawa would proceed to sexually assault them, touching areas unrelated to their treatment, said police. Labelled as a 'danger to women', he exploited seven women across a span of five years. Bawa denied eight counts of sexual assault but was found guilty after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court and received a six-year sentence on Friday (June 14).

The court was informed that in December 2018, Kent Police responded to an incident at Bawa's workplace in Gravesend where he had reportedly conducted an inappropriate massage on a patient being treated for an ankle injury. At that time, Bawa was already under restrictions to work only with a chaperone present due to ongoing investigations by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) into his conduct.

An earlier hearing by an HCPTS tribunal panel revealed that Bawa, during sessions with a woman recovering from a car accident, asked her to take off her bra and massaged her breasts without any clothing. Feeling "groomed" after the encounter, the woman reported Bawa to the authorities. Bawa, who moved to the UK from India in 2003, had worked with various NHS Trusts from 2005 until 2018.

In 2017, he started his own private practice, offering physiotherapy services in Gravesend and Dartford. After the December 2018 incident, Bawa was arrested and was later released while further enquiries were underway. These included revisiting two previous reports against Bawa which, at the time, hadn't met the evidential threshold for prosecution.

By April of the following year, five women had stepped forward. Detailed investigations into each case provided enough evidence to charge Bawa. Kent Police's press release on the charges prompted two additional victims to report offences Bawa had committed against them.

Despite denying eight counts of sexual assault, Bawa was convicted after a trial and received a six-year prison sentence last week. Detective Constable Peter Hylands, the officer in charge of the investigation, said that Bawa's victims' testimonies clearly showed he "belongs behind bars".

Hylands stated: "Purnoor Bawa manipulated and groomed his victims, making them think his actions were justified when in reality he was taking advantage of them for his own depraved ends. Each offence was committed in the privacy of Bawa's treatment room where there were no independent witnesses, CCTV cameras or any other forms of evidence."

The detective also highlighted the bravery of the victims: "It is therefore almost entirely down to the courage of each victim and their strength in numbers that we were able to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Bawa had sexually assaulted them. He has shown that not only is he unfit to practice as a physiotherapist, but he is also a danger to women and belongs behind bars."

Description

A CUMBRIAN child sex offender who is classified as “very high risk” has been given tougher restrictions on his online activity.

A Cumbria Constabulary police officer told Carlisle Crown Court that 26-year-old Jonathon Fell had repeatedly lied and shown himself to be manipulative when confronted by attempts to manage the risk he poses in the community.

The defendant, who has lived in Carlisle and Workington, committed his last offences within days of being released from an earlier sentence.

In February 2021, he was jailed for 45 months for various online child sex offences, including causing a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity. On several occasions, he used a mobile phone to incite young children into sexual activity.

He had contacted them through various social media platforms.

The officer told Judge Nicholas Barker: “He’s assessed as very high, which means he’s deemed to be immediately at risk of reoffending.”

On the last occasion, [in 2021] within a week of leaving prison, Fell had bought a phone.

Having been released on January 28, he began offending “really, really quickly.”   The officer asked the court to impose three new conditions on Fell’s sexual harm prevention order:

*  A requirement that he must notify the police of any intention he has to buy or obtain a phone or digital devices in advance of acting on this intention.

*  A stipulation that his police offender manager can carry out unannounced spot checks on his devices on 12 occasions every year.

* And a requirement for Fell to submit to lie detector tests, with seven days notice.

Under his present sexual harm prevention order, Fell was allowed to acquire a phone or internet device provided he notified the police within three days of taking possession of it.

During his offending, said the officer, Fell managed to keep an internet device he had secret from the police and the Probation Service.

The officer said: “Mr Fell has on a number of occasions been manipulative and has lied to the police and other agencies. At present, unannounced checks were possibly only if the force had “reasonable grounds.”

The officer accepted the judge’s assessment that Fell’s word could not be trusted unless his claims are independently verified. “Polygraph testing is absolutely essential to be able to manage him,” added the officer.

Jeff Smith, for Fell, said there was no need for the new conditions. Judge Barker approved the first two strands of the application but rejected the request for compulsory polygraph testing.

The advanced notice of Fell acquiring a phone or other internet device would close the three day  “window of opportunity” the defendant would otherwise have.

Explaining the rejection of lie detector tests, the judge said: “He is not on licence, and it seems to me, looking at all the circumstances, that the police are in possession of sufficient supervisory powers to ensure compliance with this order.”

The judge added if the police find evidence of Fell "persistently lying and manipulating" then the force can reapply to have the polygraph testing imposed.

The defendant has previously lived at Wastwater Avenue, Workington, though more recently he has lived at Lowther Street, Carlisle. He has been told that he will be on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

Description

A MAN sexually abused two children and manipulated them not to tell anyone about their “little game”, a court heard.

Steven Richardson, 53, assaulted the children around 15 years ago but his crimes only came to light recently when the victims reported him to the police.

He was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on June 14 for six counts of sexual offences against children.

Prosecutor, Simon Jones, said Richardson was found guilty of all charges by jury after a seven-day trial.

One of the victims said in a statement they have been left unable to trust men, even if they know they are safe.

“You have ruined my life and my relationships and how I interact with the world.

“You have made me a shell of a person.”

They added: “Never again will you be able to hurt someone.

“I have thrived despite you.”

Mitigating, Malcolm Gibney, said the defendant has never been before the courts and despite moving to the UK, still supports his family in South Africa.

He also commented on the state of the prison system saying prisoners are incarcerated for 23 hours a day.

Judge Jonathan Fuller KC said Richardson touched a child inappropriately and made them touch him in return.

“You used the pretence about cleanliness of the area when it was quite the opposite.

“You pestered [them] to expose themselves.”

He added that those three incidents against one of the children changed their life “profoundly”.

The victim has been unable to pursue their dream career due to mental health difficulties following the assaults.

Richardson manipulated his victims in not reporting his actions by threatening them and warning them not to tell anyone about their “little game”.

Judge Fuller said both victims had the “courage to soldier and carry on” with their lives despite Richardson’s actions.

When the defendant's crimes came to light he denied his offences and forced the victims to give evidence in court.

Judge Fuller said Richardson’s only mitigation was his lack of previous convictions.

Richardson, of Lockeridge Close, Blandford Forum, was jailed for 14 years.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A sex offender who abused multiple survivors in Staffordshire has been jailed for 14 years.

Michael Lee Price, 22, of Burton-on-Trent, appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court today (Friday 14 June) and was sentenced after he was found guilty of ten offences at an earlier hearing, including:

• Two counts of rape of a girl
• Three counts of sexual assault of a girl
• One count of sexual assault of a boy
• One count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
• One count of causing a child to watch a sexual activity
• One count of possessing extreme pornographic images
• One count of making an incident photograph of a child
• Price also pleaded guilty to criminal damage.

In July 2022, one of the survivors bravely came forward and told an adult what happened to her. She told them that Price had raped and sexually assaulted her.

After we started work to investigate Price for his crimes, more survivors came forward and gave their own accounts.

He was arrested, questioned in custody and charged with a number of sexual offences. He continued to deny his crimes until a jury at Stafford Crown Court found him guilty back in April this year.

Today, he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars with an extended license period of three years. He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A former Edinburgh SNP activist who once tweeted how he wanted beat the f**k out of feminists has been jailed for sexually assaulting six young adults.

Cameron Downing, 24, preyed on his victims at locations across Scotland during a course of conduct which began when he was just 16-years-old.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the abuse continued until February 2023. Police learned about his activities and launched a probe.

But the court heard that during the probe, officers discovered how Downing repeatedly blackmailed one of the men he preyed on.

He told his victim that if he didnt engage in sexual activity with him, hed make an allegation to the police about how he had been raped by the man.

The witness told the court that Downing said hed also contact his friends, family and employer and make the false rape allegation to them. The man, who is now aged 22, gave evidence and said he felt trapped by Downings threat.

Downing, a former drama student and an equalities convenor for the SNPs London branch, spent his trial denying any wrongdoing.

Downing, who told the jury in their evidence that they identified as being non binary, said he hadnt been threatening the male and was battling complex mental health issues at the time of the abuse.

But on Friday afternoon, after two days of deliberations, jurors found Downing, of Willowbrae, guilty on charges of sexual and physical assault.

Defence advocate Michael Meehan KC said his client was a first offender and asked for Downing, whose pronouns are he and they, for bail ahead of a sentencing hearing next month.

But judge Alison Stirling remanded Downing in custody and told them: Your status has changed. I will adjourn sentence to obtain a criminal justice social work report and you will be remanded in custody.

It is not the first time that Downing has came to public attention. Hes a former drama student who has acted in Edinburgh fringe productions. He also worked as an NHS contact tracer during the pandemic.

In 2022, it emerged that Downing tweeted about how he wanted to beat the f*** out of some terfs and transphobes. He also tweeted I f****** hate terfs and transphobes with such a passion.

The tweets caused Harry Potter author JK Rowling to say: Nicola Sturgeons Scotland: A place where an equalities officer feels free to declare in public how much he wants to beat up non-compliant women.

The comments made by Downing came to light after he had been elected as equalities officer for the SNPs London branch in October 2022. He later resigned from the post.

A photograph also emerged of Downing posing with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon at a SNP conference in Aberdeen.

The remarks made by Downing prompted SNP MP Joanna Cherry, a gender-critical feminist who has herself been called a transphobe for her positions on sex and gender, to condemn the remarks. She said the remarks were foul and violent and accused Downing of being misogynistic.

During proceedings, jurors were played a video recording of the evidence given by the 22-year-old victim who was blackmailed by Downing.

He told the court of how he and Downing had consensual sex but this stopped. The man, who cant be identified for legal reasons, told the court that Downings reaction to this decision terrified him.

The court heard that Downing threatened the man by telling him that if he didnt change his mind, he would tell the police of how the victim had raped him.

Downing said they had messages from the man that proved that he had sexually assaulted him.

He added: I felt trapped. I shouldnt have let it get to that point. He said that he would ruin my life. He said he would use them to put me behind bars.

He was going to tell my friends and family that I was a rapist and that I had done something wrong.

The jury were also shown messages that Downing sent to the victim. One message read: I dont care if youre not ready make yourself ready. Another message read of how Downing wanted his victim to continue having sex with them.

it read: You should want that with all of your f*****g being because the alternative is losing me from your life and most likely facing a court case for RAPING me.

One woman who was targeted by Downing spoke of how Downing was a bit of a loaded gun who could get personal and nasty with people.

Speaking about the abuse she suffered, the witness added: She said: "He would touch me inappropriately, like groping. It was mostly my breasts that he would touch, maybe some groping elsewhere. A lot of it I have filtered out."

The woman, now aged 24, said she attended a New Year party in January 2018 at a friend's home when she was still a teenager and Downing was among those present.

She said Downing came up to her and told her a boy had said he thought she was "hot" until she discovered food.

She said: "It devastated me because I had quite a few body issues. I got quite upset about that comment. I drank far too much and I got quite drunk. I started to feel really sick."

She said Downing told her he would help her to an upstairs bathroom and she ended up being sick. She said: "I am sure Cameron said to me I needed to go for a shower. After that I dont really remember anything. All I remember is how my friend found me and the bruises I had."

She said she remembered "pieces", including Downing telling her she had to take her clothes off and her dress being taken off.

She later woke up in bed and Downing came into the room and she said "snarled in my face, everything was my fault and he had to leave now because of me".

The following day she noticed she was "covered in bruises" and said: "It was like I had been battered."

She said: "I had bruises that looked like they came from Cameron." She said there were marks of her arms that looked like little indents caused by fake nails.

She said she spoke to Downing via Snapchat but said he started "getting very personal about my mental health" and told her they were were gay and wouldn't want to "look at your saggy t**s anyway.

She said she did not speak to Downing for a long time afterwards but later met them at an Edinburgh club where he came up to her and said they were bi now and asked to have sex with her.

Following conviction, Downing was placed in handcuffs and taken to the cells of the high court. He turned to family members who sat in the courts public benches and said: I love you.

Downing will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on July 16 2024

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Riccardo Gargiulo, of Orford, has been given a THIRD chance, having been spared jail twice before including after he was caught with almost three million depraved images of child sex abuse.

The 55-year-old has again been caught possessing such vile images, and he also engaged in sex chats under an online pseudonym without informing the authorities, which he is banned from doing.

Despite police knowing about all this, there was an unexplained 17-month delay before the case was presented for the defendant to be charged meaning a judge felt a suspended sentence was appropriate punishment.

Gargiulo appeared before Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday to be sentenced on charges of possessing indecent images of children and two counts of making them.

He also breached his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and his sex offender registry requirements, with both having been imposed on him for previous relevant offending.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, explained how in November 2021, Cheshire Police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency linked to the defendants home address in Warrington.

A warrant was executed on April 5, 2022, and during a search of the property, officers seized 12 electronic devices, which were sent away for analysis.

A report was produced on September 24 that year detailing how 11 of the devices did not contain any incriminating material.

However, a black Asus Nexus tablet computer was found to contain 15 indecent images of children.

Three of them, showing girls aged between 11 and 14, were graded as category A the most severe grading involving child rape.

The remaining 12 were judged to be category C, but these involved girls as young as 10 years of age.

Gargiulo has two previous convictions for seven offences, the first of which saw him sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years in September 2018.

This came after he was caught with nearly three million indecent images of children as part of an extensive collection, involving children aged as young as nine and amassed over a period of five years.

Police had previously raided his home in August 2017, with a laptop and hard drives seized from the property.

Officers were unable to analyse all of the 2.9million images found due to the sheer number, and instead looked at a sample.

Gargiulo, described as an isolated and lonely man, had also bookmarked a Russian website well-known for containing indecent images of children on his internet browser.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for 10 years and abide by the terms of a SHPO for the same period of time.