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A dad who discovered that his young daughter had been sent sexual messages online was living "every parent's nightmare".

The parent discovered the highly explicit messages from John Barker, 33, which had been sent to his primary-school aged child earlier this year. The victim had not known Barker before he contacted her.

After contacting police, Barker was arrested and granted bail. But as police investigated, he then went back online and contacted another 'child's' profile, and tried to get them to take part in sex acts with him online.

However, Barker was actually talking to an adult who had set up a fake profile, as part of a child protection group's efforts to catch paedophiles. Barker, who is now of no fixed address but formerly of North Lodge Terrace in Darlington, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child; inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; and two counts of making indecent photos of a child.

On Friday, he stood in the dock at Teesside Crown Court as Judge Jonathan Carroll told him: "A dad found what is every parent's nightmare - that his young daughter had engaged in sexual communication with an unknown male.

"It's the adult world's responsibility to protect and care for our children. The internet and social media is becoming the hunting ground of people like you, who see children as easy sexual targets to be exploited.

"It was abundantly clear that she was young. It is clear that you were seeking to go down exactly the same path with the second user as you did with the child victim."

Barker was jailed for 53 months. He will serve half of the sentence, before he is released on licence. He was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and he will sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

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An Aberdeen University medical student has been placed on the sex offenders register after he groped a woman at a flat party.

David Little was found unanimously guilty following a trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court of sexually touching and repeatedly trying to kiss a fellow student in November 2021 at a flat in the city.

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A "calculated and depraved" man who persuaded dozens of teenage boys to send him sexual photos by pretending to be a 12-year-old girl online has been jailed.

Ben Thompson, 23, from Bolton, had more than 1,000 indecent images and videos which he had extorted from children, Greater Manchester Police said.

In June 2020, the parents of an 11-year-old boy had reported that their son had been groomed and this led to two million photos being found on Thompson's devices.

He was given a four-year sentence.

Thompson had pretended to be a girl called Erin, using the alias Erinstewart788 and targeted teenagers in the north-west of England, as well as the North East and South West.

Detectives said when some of the teenagers refused to send photos he would threaten them, saying: "Block me and you'll regret it."

He was tracked via his fake account to an address in Lostock, Bolton where he was arrested on 12 November 2020.

'Vile threats'

Thompson admitted 28 counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communications with underage children as well possessing indecent images.

He was put on the sex offenders' register for life and will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Sgt Matt Quayle said: “Thompson is a calculated and depraved individual who coerced teenage boys into sexual behaviour for his own perverse sexual gratification.

"When they didn’t comply, he sent them vile threats which we know had a huge impact on the young victims and their mental health."

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A 36-year-old man who raped a teenage girl has been jailed.

Robert Llewellyn Price from Amlwch, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, June 6th) where he was sentenced to six years and eight months for two counts of rape.  

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The victim, who was 16 at the time, reported the incidents to police in April earlier this year. 

Having twice lured her to his home, Price raped the victim on both occasions before she later told him she was worried she might be pregnant.

He told her he would “be in trouble” if she told anyone.

After the victim reported the assaults, Price fled but was later arrested on a cliffside in Amlwch and was remanded into custody.

Detective Sergeant Mark Dickson said: “This was a horrific incident for this young girl, who demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward to report Price’s crimes.

“I commend her courage in doing so, and her strength throughout the entirety of the case.

“I hope she can now focus on moving forward with her life, with the knowledge that Price is now being held accountable for these disgraceful assaults.

“I would encourage any victim of sexual abuse to come forward, safe in the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to pursue offenders.”

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A man who forced two girls to perform and film sex acts, before threatening to share the images online, has been jailed for 18 years.

Christopher Osborne, 38, befriended one victim, who was 15 and lived in the US, then went on to send violent messages and forced her to send videos of herself to him.

She and another girl, also in the US, reported what had happened to their local police enabling Osborne, of Melville Avenue, Doncaster, to be arrested in 2016.

He had pleaded guilty to inciting children to commit sexual acts at an earlier hearing and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.

South Yorkshire Police said an international investigation enabled them to match his online IP address and chat group name.

Analysis of his and his victims chat logs showed Obsorne telling the girls he would post the images and videos online and would “ruin their lives” if they didn’t do as he said.

During his initial interview, Osborne admitted the offences claiming he did not believe the girls were the ages they said.

Originally, it was ruled he would be tried in the US, but in 2021 a hearing ruled that he would be charged in the UK.

Despite initially pleading guilty, he changed his plea in in October, however a special hearing in February ruled his original pleas would stand.

In addition to his jail term, he was also told he would remain on extended licence for a further five years.

He was also told he would be placed on the sex offender register for life.

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A "predatory" rapist cleared of attacking a teenage girl in 2006 has been jailed after evidence was obtained using new forensic techniques.

Donald Kargbo-Reffell was sentenced to 19 years at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of the rape on a 14-year-old in Bedford.

He was originally arrested 18 years ago - and forensic evidence was taken - but the techniques at the time meant there was not sufficient evidence to charge him.

The 55-year-old, from Princes Street, Bedford, was already serving a 12-year sentence for another Bedford rape in 1999 which was also solved using improved scientific techniques in 2018.

'Destroyed my mental and physical health'

The case was reopened as part of Operation Painter, a major crime unit investigation into non-recent sex offences.

Kargbo-Reffell convinced the victim to go with him to a friend’s flat, then plied her with alcohol and raped her.

The judge praised the victim for her courage and in a statement read to the court, she said: "His actions have had a massive impact on my life, he has destroyed my mental and physical health.

"Destroying my reputation, the trust I have in other people, relations with family members and partners, stealing the last part of my childhood which I should have been allowed to enjoy as a young teenager, turning into an adult", she added.

Det Supt Emma Pitts said it was a "predatory and calculated attack".

“He knew exactly what he was doing, targeting a vulnerable girl and believing that he had got away with it.

“The way we respond has really progressed in the time since this attack both in terms of improved technology and how we approach this sort of sexual abuse."

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A sex abuser has been locked up for 13 years after be preyed on a five-year-old girl. Benjamin Holmes, 31, was found with images on his phone after he was arrested by police.

The pictures depicted his abuse, a court heard. Holmes, of Ravensholme, Wolverhampton, was found guilty of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday, June 6.

Alongside his prison sentence, he was handed a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order to protect his victim.

Det Con Louise Sutton, of Worcester CID, praised the victim for having the courage to speak to police despite her young age. She said: "We are pleased to get this lengthy sentence on behalf of the young victim who showed enormous courage to speak to us about this devious predator.

"We take sexual offences of all kinds extremely seriously and it takes a lot of bravery for those affected by these appalling crimes to report such matters. We would always encourage people who are victims of these offences to approach police.

"We will always listen and offer all the support you need to get justice for you and to help you to rebuild your lives."

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A 36-year-old man has been jailed for two years for multiple child sex offences.

Christopher Latimer of Meadow View Terrace, Marsham appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Monday (3 June 2024) and was sentenced to two years in prison and issued with a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Latimer had previously pleaded guilty to three charges - engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity - against one teenage boy.

Latimer denied two counts of taking indecent images of a child, which the court ordered to lie on file. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

The offences came to light in May 2021, when a friend of the victim raised concerns about messages being exchanged between Latimer and the victim.

Latimer was a leader at a scout pack which the victim attended, and worked as a caretaker at victim’s school.

Investigations revealed Latimer had been sending the boy messages for between two to three years, and in early 2021 Latimer started to share sexually explicit content including messages, pictures and videos.

Speaking after the sentencing, DC Steven Rush said: "Latimer abused a position of trust in order to build a relationship with his victim.

“He was well aware of the age of the boy he was talking to and ignored several safeguarding practices when committing these offences.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the young people who spoke up and assisted the police with their investigation. It was an incredibly difficult time for them and we could not have secured this outcome without them.

“I hope this sentence sends a message of how seriously these kinds of offences are taken and help bring some closure for the victim and his family.”

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A former cadets leader has been jailed for non-recent sexual offences against two young girls.

Simon Taplin was sentenced to four and a half years’ imprisonment when he appeared before Portsmouth Crown Court on 3 June.

He had previously been found guilty of two counts of indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 16, on 20 February at the same court.

Taplin, 64, of Springfied Close in Lavant, was charged with five further counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16 and was found not guilty by the jury.

An investigation was launched in September 2020, when a third-party report came into Sussex Police that a woman had been sexually abused by Taplin as a child.

His victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, met him at the cadets, with him using his position of power to abuse her.

The first incident occurred in 1996, when his victim was in her teens. Taplin continued to sexually abuse her numerous times over the next four years.

As part of the investigation, another woman bravely came forward and stated she was abused at around the same time by Taplin.

When she was a teenager, it was heard that she was abused by Taplin where he used his seniority to take advantage and sexually assault her during a cadet event.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Taplin was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Jason Berney, of the Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: “I would like to express my gratitude for the bravery of the victims who came forward and gave evidence to police and in court.

“This bravery has secured Taplin’s sentence and it means a man who abused his power to take advantage of girls is now behind bars.

“I hope that any victims of sexual abuse are encouraged to come forward to report any crime or wrongdoing. We will investigate, no matter how long ago it was.”

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A teenager from Dunfermline is under supervision and on the Register after being caught with a sick stash of child abuse images on his phone.

Calin Schreiner pled guilty to possessing indecent photos of children between November 18 2021 and July 30 2022.

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A 51-year-old registered sex offender has been sent back to prison after he failed to disclose his conviction to a new employer.

As a registered sex offender, Steven Grosvenor, previously of Northampton, was expected to abide by very strict conditions as part of his release.

However, in March this year, he applied for a job in Northampton and failed to disclose his criminal history to the recruitment agency.

Having been given the job, he was then provided with a mobile phone for work purposes which had the ability to connect to the internet. He then failed to disclose this to police as per the requirements of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Grosvenor was arrested and subsequently charged with one count of fraud by false representation and one count of breaching his SHPO.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court at the end of last month (May 31), he was sentenced to one year and four months in prison.

Detective Sergeant Tom Curlett-New of Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO Team said: “I am really pleased with the result of this case and the fact that we managed to utilise the Fraud Act meaning the sentence was longer than usual.

“This is all down to the work of PC Dani Wilton and I’d like to thank her for her diligence and determination which achieved this result.

“Our team will always endeavour to do what we can to support and encourage people who have been released from prison to gain employment. However, when breaches occur, we take a zero-tolerance approach to ensuring offenders are brought to justice.”

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A sex offender who ran into the street naked while brandishing a machete has been jailed.

Witnesses said Trevor Evans became aggressive after being told to turn down music coming from his flat in Little Stanion near Corby on 15 December.

Evans, 46, of Mendip Way, pleaded guilty to possession of a knife and also exposure with the intention of causing alarm or distress.

He was jailed for 16 months at Northampton Crown Court on 24 May.

Northamptonshire Police said Evans discarded the machete in a plant pot, where it was later found by officers.

Evans had already been given a three-year community order at Nottingham Crown Court on 6 November after being found guilty of one count of sexual activity in the presence of a child.

PC Hayley Wollacott said: "The judge in his previous case had made it very clear that any further criminal activity or breach of his sentence conditions would result in him going to jail."

She said Evans reacted in "the most extreme of ways" to being asked to be more considerate of his neighbours.

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A Sheffield man who bit a 13-year-old girl in intimate areas, before going on to send her messages in which he effectively ‘asked her to have sex with him’ is beginning a prison sentence today. 

Geoffrey Hurt claimed he had entered into a ‘play fight’ with the girl, and denied ever sending her messages; but jurors rejected his account when they found him guilty of three sex offences at the conclusion of a Sheffield Crown Court trial. 

Sending him to prison today (June 6, 2024), Judge David Dixon told 38-year-old Hurt: “A man who is interested in biting young girls in a sexual way, as the jury found you had, is clearly a worry.”

He added: “The jury accepted it wasn’t a play fight.”

The court heard how during the course of the incident, Hurt, of Batemoor Place, Batemoor, Sheffield, bit the girl on two different intimate areas of her body.

Judge Dixon said it was ‘difficult to understand’ what ‘kink’ and ‘fetish’ Hurt had.

He continued: “After being involved in sexual biting, you then sent messages that were beyond flirtatious, they were simply inappropriate. 

“You were asking if she could send photos, and therefore you were soliciting images,” continued Judge Dixon. 

Judge Dixon also detailed how Hurt sent her a message, which further proved his ‘attraction’ to one of the intimate areas he had bitten, before branding her a ‘tease’. 

“You asked her if she would ever go with an older man…while you said you didn’t mean you, you clearly did. You had a sexual interest in her, that’s what this has all been about.”

“Those messages, those inappropriate sexual remarks, you were in effect asking her to have sex with you. While that’s not what was explicitly said, that’s clearly the implication you were putting forward.” 

Judge Dixon said Hurt had sought to blame others and claimed the allegations had arisen out of ‘fabrications’. 

Hurt also claimed not to have visited web links with sexual activity involving children, the court heard.

“Given the timing of some of those activities, on your own account of what happened that simply couldn’t be true. 

“It’s you that searched those materials, it’s you that has the sexual interest in children.”

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, chose not to submit a victim personal statement to the court, prosecutor, Andrew Petterson, told the court. 

Jurors convicted Hurt of two counts of an offender aged 18 or over engaging in non penetrative sexual activity with girl aged 13 to 15, and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child. 

Hurt was also accused of allegations relating to a second girl, but jurors acquitted him of the sexual offences he faced in relation to her. 

Judge Dixon noted Hunt has a previous conviction for sexual assault dating back 12 years, which he said he regarded as an aggravating factor. 

Defending, Camille Morland said Hurt accepts that he ‘crossed some boundaries’ in relation to the complainant.

Ms Morland continued: “He’s someone who’s had somewhat of a complex background. He was in the army very early, and he’s somebody who has crossed boundaries before with his previous conviction for sexual assault on an adult female.”

Suggesting Hurt would ‘benefit’ from being kept in the community, instead of a custodial sentence, Ms Morland continued: “He’s someone who would benefit from rehabilitation work to tackle why he has crossed these boundaries.”

Ms Morland told the court that Hurt is in a relationship with a woman, without children, who resides in Hampshire, and his intention is to join her there. 

Sending Hurt to begin a 18-month prison sentence, Judge Dixon told him: “You have an unhealthy interest in young girls.” 

Judge Dixon said that Hurt’s continued denials, in addition to his ‘lies to the jury,’ had led him to believe Hurt does not have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

He said that, coupled with the seriousness of his offending, meant that only a custodial sentence could be justified. 

Hurt was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, a condition of which prohibits contact with girls under the age of 18. He was also told he must register as a sex offender. 

Judge Dixon also granted restraining orders, which prohibit him from contacting both accusers for a period of 10 years.  

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A paedophile former vicar who was jailed for sexually abusing children for four decades has been sentenced to a further four years after another victim came forward.

John Roberts, 89, was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent and sexual assault in 2020 and jailed for nine years.

He was vicar at St Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool, which is known as the "Beatles church" due to it being where John Lennon and Paul McCartney met.

Roberts has now been found guilty of a further five counts of indecent assault against a boy under the age of 14 and sentenced to four years in prison, three of which are to be served on top of his original sentence.

'Real monster'

Merseyside Police said that following publicity around the first court case another male came forward to report he too had been a victim of Roberts when he was aged 10-13 in the 1970s.

In a statement, he said: "For his entire career, [Roberts] has pedalled his lies with talk of sin, repentance and truth.

"I'm appalled that he has shown no intention of following his own guidance.

"How dare he use his God to disguise the real monster that he truly is. Monstrous acts on vulnerable helpless children over decades.

"I cope with it in a fashion, but I speak for those that didn't."

Three previous people reported attacks by Roberts in 2018 - one who had been assaulted as a boy in the 1980s, one who he attacked when they were a child in the 2000s, and one who was abused as an adult in the 2010s.

Roberts was previously convicted of sexual assault in 1989 but had remained in the Church of England after that conviction and became a canon.

Det Con David Tweedle said the victim had trusted Roberts because of the position he held - a trust he had "abused in the most heinous way".

"Today’s result in court will not undo the impact of Roberts’ actions, but I hope the victim and his family takes some sense of justice from it," he said.

"He has shown immense courage to come forward and speak about the hurt Roberts caused and the problems he has faced since."

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A sex offender caught chatting to a person he thought was an underage girl over a two month period has avoided a jail term.

Scott Bradshaw was exposed by a group of online paedophile hunters in February.

The 52-year-old of Buckingham Close, Wellingborough, thought he was talking to a girl aged 15 via voice notes and messages. But the messages had been intercepted by the group, who told police of their findings in February this year.

He was charged with attempting to cause a child to watch images of sexual activity for his own sexual gratification and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Bradshaw pleaded guilty to both offences at a hearing a Northampton Crown Court on May 28.

Appearing before Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane, the court heard he had issues with drug dependency.

He was given a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and told that if he reoffends within two years he will have to serve the sentence behind bars.

He was also ordered to undertake nine months of mandatory drug testing, six months of mental health treatment and 45 rehabilitation requirement days.

The court also imposed a sexual harm prevention order for ten years during which Bradshaw will have to sign on the sex offenders’ register regularly at his local police station.

He will not be allowed to use any kind of online device without notifying his supervising officer of his PINs. He is banned from deleting his internet history or using any software that hides searches and will not be allowed to associate with any children under the age of 18.