Latest Offenders

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‘Honest’ pervert David Jones candidly admitted to using his internet-enabled television to look at 12-year-old girls online.

The 34-year-old had switched to watching the internet pornography on his ‘Smart TV’ after police confiscated his PlayStation4 last October, Oxford Crown Court heard.

That games console was seized when police made an unannounced visit to his Oxford home – a month after his release from prison on licence – to find him pleasuring himself while watching X-rated material through his PlayStation.

On a repeat visit more than nine months later, on July 10, Jones told officers from Thames Valley Police’s public protection department that he did not have internet devices in his property as he ‘didn’t trust himself’ not to look at indecent images of children.

When detectives asked him about his ‘Smart TV’ he became ‘visibly nervous’, prosecutor Michael Stradling said.

The television had an internet browser installed and, when the officers checked the browser history, found that all entries before the early hours of that morning had been deleted.

The results that remained were all for ‘pornography’ websites and included entries for ‘young models’.

Confronted with the web history, Jones admitted that he had been using the TV to access both adult pornography and illegal indecent images of children since the cops took his PS4 in October 2021. The youngest girl in the illegal images he had looked at ‘appeared to him to be 12-13 years of age’.

Jones, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court last month to breaching his sexual harm prevention order. 

 He had three previous convictions, all for either looking at indecent images of breaching the court order. He had been recalled to prison to serve out the remainder of a jail term originally imposed in 2020.

Mitigating, Emma Hornby said: “At the age of 34, Mr Jones is ashamed of what he’s done and remorseful for his actions, as demonstrated by his admissions and early guilty pleas.”

At the time of the most recent offence he had been isolated and turned to looking at the disgusting images. “He doesn’t want prison to be a revolving door for him. He wants to seek support,” his barrister added.

Judge Nigel Daly blew out his cheeks then shook his head in obvious bewilderment before telling Jones: “You were in front of me in November 2020 when I sentenced you. You have now breached this sexual harm prevention order - again.”

He jailed the defendant for 16 months. 

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A PAEDOPHILE ‘kissed and cuddled’ a 14-year-old girl in Cheshire before booking a hotel room for them both.

Callum Abbott was 21 years old when he committed the vile offence in Warrington town centre.

Abbott, now 23, appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to being an offender aged 18 or over engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 14.

Prosecuting, Amanda York told the court how the offence happened in March 2020.

Ms York revealed that since the incident the victim has suffered from panic attacks.

Defending, Mr Derbyshire, said that his client suffers from ‘complex mental health issues’ and has a history of substance abuse.

He said that a custodial sentence would be ‘detrimental’ to Abbott's mental health and well-being.

Mr Derbyshire said that Abbott, of Newtown, Wales, is aware of the mistakes he made and has already taken steps to ‘address his offending behaviour’.

Abbott was handed a two-year community order in which he must complete up to 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a Horizons Programme - an intervention delivered to men who have a sexual conviction.

He is also subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a five-year restraining order and must abide by sex offender registration requirements.

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A Wirral man who was Principal of an international school in Iraq has been jailed after grooming and attempting to sexually exploit children around the world using social media.

Nicholas Clayton, 38,of Charles Road, Hoylake, was working in the Kurdistan region of Iraq when he used Facebook Messenger to contact children as young as 10 in multiple countries, grooming them and asking them for photos.

After receiving intelligence that a 13-year-old boy from Cambodia had been contacted on Facebook messenger by a man who asked for photos of his naked upper torso, National Crime Agency investigators identified Clayton as the perpetrator.

He had subsequently arranged to pay for the boy to travel to Malaysia so they could meet.

Clayton was arrested by NCA officers when he returned to the UK. To mitigate the potential risk of further offending, NCA officers successfully obtained a court Sexual Risk Order, which prohibited Clayton from worldwide travel while the investigation continued.

Investigators then obtained further messages from social media platforms, which showed Clayton had been in communication with hundreds of boys aged from 10 to the late teens around the world over a period of just three months.

Chats were found with victims in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Turkey amongst others.

Clayton appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court on 23 August where he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual communication with a child under 16 years and one charge of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child.

He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (20 September) to 20 months imprisonment and made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.

Recorder Ian Harris described Claytons behaviour as persistent, repulsive and insidious.

Hazel Stewart, from the NCA, said: Nicholas Clayton abused his position of trust as a head teacher by attempting to sexually contact and exploit children, using technology to access hundreds of potential victims across the globe.

Clayton was very cautious and careful in his communications, making them appear to be innocent, but as NCA investigators we could see the patterns of predatory grooming he was using on vulnerable children.

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Some of the disgusting material, which Andrew Tonner had downloaded, showed youngsters in 'extreme distress'

A twisted pervert had a vile collection of child sex abuse images and videos showing kids as young as two.

Andrew Tonner had downloaded the disturbing material online and some of it showed youngsters in "extreme distress", a court heard. The 46-year-old had only been accessing the photos and movies for three days when police intelligence showed it was being uploaded to his social media account and his Heaton home was searched.

In total, 15 sickening pictures and 19 videos were found on his electronic devices, despite him deleting some of the files. Ten photos and 18 movies were category A, the most serious kind that involve sexual penetration.

Tonner, who has since moved from Heaton to Landfall Drive, in Hebburn, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court this week to plead guilty to three counts of making an indecent image of a child. The offences were said to have taken place between November 11 and November 14 last year.

Prosecutor, April Hall, said the case should be sent to the crown court for sentence. She added: "Police had cause to attend the defendant's address on November 16 2021 following intelligence detailing the uploading of indecent images of children and it had been uploaded to a social media account linked to the defendant.

"The case is further aggravated by the age range of the children, approximately two to 14. There's also extreme distress caused to a child in one of the videos."

Mattew Purves, defending, agreed that the case should be sent to Newcastle Crown Court for sentence. Tonner was released on unconditional bail to next appear there on October 20, however, in the meantime, he must sign the Sex Offenders' Register. 

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A FORMER CUMBRIAN MoD police officer who was secretly collecting and viewing child abuse images has been given a community order.

Andrew Stevenson, 24, who has now been sacked from his Ministry of Defence job in Barrow, was arrested after police raided his home in Ulverston in August last year, CarlisleCrown Court heard.

On his iPhone, police found a child abuse image of Category C - the least serious kind.

But a forensic examination of the defendant's three devices - the phone, an iPad and a desktop computer - led police to an online file storage account where Stevenson had amassed dozens more sickening images, including videos and images of Category A, the most serious kind.

The defendant earlier entered guilty pleas to the following three allegations:

* That on or before June 3, 2021, at Ulverston, he downloaded 94 Category A indecent photographs of children. Category A is the most serious category for this type of offence.

* That over the same period of time, also at Ulverston, he downloaded 37 Category B indecent images of children.

* And that over the same period, and also at Ulverston, he downloaded 34 Category C indecent photographs of children.

Kim Whittlestone, prosecuting, told the court: "He has a sexual attraction to children as young as seven."

Ellen Wright, defending, said Stevenson had been dismissed from his police officer role following a disciplinary hearing the day before he appeared in court for sentencing.

Stevenson did not want to make excuses, said Miss Wright. "He is thoroughly and utterly ashamed of himself," said the barrister. 

She went on to argue that the best way to prevent a repeat of the defendant's criminal behaviour was not to send him to prison but to send him for an intensive sex offender treatment programme in the community. 

Miss Wright spoke of Stevenson's mental health difficulties, including anxiety and depression. She pointed out also that since the prosecution was reported in the press the defendant had “gone into hiding.”

Miss Wright said: “He lives in a very small town and everybody in that town now knows about it and that has had a very isolating effect.”

Passing sentence, Recorder Anna Vigars KC told the defendant: “On August  17 last year, a warrant was executed at the house where you lived alone and three items were seized. A Category C image was found on your iPhone.

“It was replicated on your iCloud account and a significant number of [other] images were found.”

The judge noted that Stevenson’s collection of abuse images included “short films”, lasting several minute and depicting  ”extreme sexual  behaviour” which involved children, some of pre-pubescent age.

Recorder Vigars said the people should be able to invest trust in police officers and offending such as Stevenson’s broke down that trust.

The judge noted also the defendant’s previous good character, and how he provides care for his grandparents, taking them to medical appointments.

Recorder Vigars said that she could impose a short jail sentence but that option would include only limited opportuntiies for rehabilitation work, she said.

She therefore imposed a three-year community order which will include 200 hours of unpaid work as punishment and a “Moving Forward and Making Changes” programme, which will involve 300 hours of work to address his offending.

Stevenson, now living at West Park Crescent, Kilmaurs, Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, will remain on the Sex Offender Register for five years and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

This will include various restrictions, including preventing him from having unsupervised access to any child.

After the case, Katie Beattie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “As a serving police officer, Andrew Stevenson was expected to uphold the law and protect people.

“By downloading these images he was feeding directly into an industry which sexually exploits children. The CPS and the police will continue to work together to robustly prosecute anyone who commits such abhorrent offences, particularly those in positions of trust in our society.” 

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A Wiltshire rapist who treated his "terrified" victim like an "inanimate object" has been jailed for six years.

James Rumney raped the female victim twice after they met on a night out.

Rumney was out with a group with friends in September 2020 when he met the victim.

When they moved on to the home of one of the friends in the group, Rumney and the woman had consensual sex.

But, during the evening, Rumney, of Poulton Hill, Marlborough, demanded more sex which his victim didn’t want.

He forced himself on her and raped her twice before she eventually managed to leave the bedroom to get away from him.

A jury at Swindon Crown Court unanimously found the 29-year-old of guilty of two counts of rape last month.

The victim has been praised by the sentencing judge and police for her bravery in reporting the crime.

Today, two years after the incident, Rumney was sentenced to six years in prison and will be on the sex offenders register for life on release.

Judge James Townsend said during sentencing: "I do not take you had consensual sex earlier, a mitigating factor.

"The impact on your victim has been devastating. I want to pay tribute to her for revealing these matters and to go through the trauma of giving evidence."

Detective Constable Sally Booth from Wiltshire Police said: “This case has highlighted how a relatively typical situation, where a man and woman have consensual sex together after meeting up on a night out, can quickly change to the awful crime of a serious sexual assault.

“Our victim asked the perpetrator to stop on more than one occasion but he refused and continued to force himself on her, at times treating her like an inanimate object.

"She was terrified and very distressed and it took an enormous amount of bravery for her to get away from him and then report it to us.

“Situations like this where something starts out as consensual but quickly turns to non-consensual I believe are not uncommon.

"However, often a victim will feel like they cannot report it because they agreed to sleep with the perpetrator in the first place and so no-one will believe them.

“This is just not true. If you have been or ever are in situation like this, you must report it – a serious crime has been committed.

"You will be believed and treated by specially trained officers. We will investigate the crime and take every action possible to bring the offender to justice.

“I’d like to thank the victim for having the courage to come forward and report this in the first place.

"It’s not an easy thing to do but her bravery in doing this helped us investigate this crime which led to this jail sentence.”

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Bradley Booth, 22, raped three girls and had underage sex with others as he targeted victims in Edinburgh and East Lothian.

A serial sex offender who preyed on underage schoolgirls during a catalogue of rape and abuse was jailed for six years today.

Bradley Booth, 22, raped three girls and had underage sex with others as he targeted victims in Edinburgh and East Lothian. Booth began his offending when he was aged 16 in October 2016 and persisted in committing sex crimes for nearly three years against a total of seven youngsters up until August 2019.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that one victim said she was left feeling "minging" after he subjected her to a rape attack at her home when she told him "no". During an earlier trial Booth, an airport duty free worker, had denied a series of charges and continued to deny them after he was found guilty.

A judge told him: "By the verdict of the jury you were convicted of 11 charges all consisting of sexual offences committed against girls who at the time were under the age of 16."

Lord Tyre said the three most serious offences were for charges of rape of three different girls. He added: "The experience continues to have a devastating effect on them some years after."

Booth's victims were aged between 13 and 15 and the judge pointed out that at that age children were vulnerable to exploitation. Lord Tyre said that he took into account sentencing guidelines for young people and Booth's lack of a previous criminal offending in dealing with him. He said the sentence would have been longer for an adult offender.

Booth, formerly of Northfield Drive, in Edinburgh, committed his first offence in 2016 when he indecently assaulted a 13-year-old girl. The girl had been drinking and found herself alone in the city's Niddrie area and had sought help. The court heard that Booth picked her up off the ground but then molested the child.

The following year Booth committed his first rape when he assaulted a 14-year-old girl after taking off her lower clothing at an address in Niddrie. He also began sending sexualised messages to another 14-year-old via Snapchat and asked her to send him nude pictures. Booth had claimed that he did not know the girl nor was he in touch with her.

He went on to have underage sex with another 14-year-old girl at two flats in Edinburgh and in 2018 contacted a 15-year-old girl via social media before subjecting her to a rape ordeal at a house in Haddington, in East Lothian.

Booth claimed that he thought she was the same age as him and she informed him that she had "a free house" before he arrived at the address. He said there had been kissing, cuddling and some petting but denied anything else happened.

The girl said she was pushed and pinned down and subjected to a rape ordeal. She later spoke to her sister who urged her to report it to police Booth went on to have underage sex with another 14-year-old girl at a house in Edinburgh in 2018 after meeting her through an internet platform. He claimed: "I have never seen her."

The following year he contacted a 15-year-old girl and sent her sexual communications and got her to send him a picture of her bottom. He maintained that he thought she was 16 or 17. He had sex with the underage girl but then raped her after she was feeling sore and said no to him.

He also sent indecent communications to another girl from the age of 13 and sent her pictures of his penis and asked her to send sexual images of herself to him.

Defence solicitor advocate James Keegan QC said that Booth continued to maintain his position from the trial and was on antidepressant medication. Booth was told he will remain on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

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A man who remains in denial about the serious sexual abuse of a young girl despite his recent conviction has received an 18-year custodial sentence.

Bryan Tulip was sentenced as, “an offender of particular concern”, after being found guilty of two counts of rape, one covering several repeat offences, plus sexual assault of the girl, following a trial at Durham Crown Court last month.

The 45-year-old defendant, of Hillside Gardens, Stanley, had denied all counts at a plea hearing at the court in March.

Appearing by video link from nearby Durham Prison, the sentencing hearing was told Tulip still denies the offences for which he was convicted.

Since the conviction, on August 8, the victim has prepared an impact statement to be read to the court.

Ian West, prosecuting, delivered the statement, in which the victim, now an adult woman, spoke of the effect of Tulip’s actions on her, how it affected her education and childhood in general, and how she has suffered anxiety since.

She also said she is always guarded in the presence of any man, even in shops, and she outlined how difficult it was to tell police and relive what happened to her in her childhood days at Tulip’s hands.

The victim said now the case is over she is to seek counselling.

She added: “I can’t forgive him for what he did and for putting me through a trial.

“In my opinion he should go to prison for a very long time and not be allowed near to children again.”

 Tony Davis, for the defendant, said he was restricted in what he could say in mitigation as Tulip still denies culpability.

Mr Davis said otherwise, his client has been hard-working and a dedicated son and carer for his parents and various children he has helped to looked after.

But Judge Adkin said: “Having a good character, apart from abusing a young child, is meaningless. 

 He said he would pass a special sentence for an offender, “of particular concern,” as his victim was aged under 13.

The sentence involves a custodial element of 18 years, with a further 12 months’ extended licence period upon his eventual release.

Judge Adkin put in place a restraining order, prohibiting Tulip ever trying to contact or approach his victim.

He will also be subject to lifetime restrictions under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and registration as a sex offender, also indefinitely. 

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A PERVERT who was caught sharing disgusting indecent images of children (IIOC) has been put behind bars.

Hayes Lockett, from Runcorn, was found to have a sickening stash of depraved material depicting children in a sexualised manner.

Among the photos in the 30-year-old’s collection was media graded as ‘category A’ – the worst grading involving child rape.

Lockett was charged with three counts of making IIOC, one of possessing IIOC, one of distributing IIOC and one of possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals.

He pleaded guilty to all of the offences, and he appeared before Chester Crown Court to be sentenced on Thursday, September 15.

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, explained how the making and possessing IIOC charges spanned a period of close to 15 years, between September 2006 and August last year.

On his mobile phone and a ‘computer tower’ in Runcorn, he was found to be in possession of 97 indecent photographs of children.

Of these, seven were rated as category A – involving penetration and sexual gratification from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation.

A further four images were graded as category B, while the remaining 86 were classed as category C.

Police also discovered that between March 2020 and August 2021, Lockett had gathered two extreme pornographic images portraying an act of intercourse with an animal.

Court documents state that these images were ‘explicit and realistic’, as well as ‘grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character’.

The distributing IIOC charge was over a period of just under a month from July to August 2021, involving 23 category C photographs.

Taking Lockett’s guilty pleas into account, judge Michael Leeming sentenced him to 12 months in prison.

The court also ordered that the defendant abide by a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and a sex offender registration requirement for the same length of time.

In addition, an order was also approved to deprive Lockett of his mobile phone and computer tower which were seized by officers.

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A violent Scots rapist who targeted two ‘truly vulnerable’ women has been jailed for seven years. George Newby preyed on one young woman, who did not have the mental capacity to consent, on August 8, 2020, at a property in Loganlea Road, Edinburgh.

The 32-year-old repeatedly touched her on the breasts and buttocks, kissed her neck, and pinned her to the floor before performing a sex act on her after pulling at her clothing. The brute then grabbed her by the neck and raped her to her injury.

Just months later, he struck again at a property in the Pilton area of the capital, targeting a woman who was extremely intoxicated and asleep in February 2021. He pulled down her lower clothing, lay on top of her, seized her by the arm and pinned her to the bed before trying to rape her.

Defence counsel Gordon Jackson KC told the High Court in Edinburgh that his client continued to deny the offending behaviour but that he had a good work record.

He added that Newby’s partner continued to be supportive of him and described him as “a total gentleman” and that she had “never felt safe” in her whole life.

Passing sentence, Lord Craig Sandison said: “You pose a high risk of further sexual offending and a moderate risk of more general offending.”

Newby, who appeared via video link, showed no emotion as he was handed a seven year jail term and placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

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A rapist and serial domestic abuser “wept like a baby” after he was found guilty of raping and abusing four women over a long period of time.

Rian Hood sobbed as he was remanded in custody to await sentencing for charges including rape, abduction and assault to danger to life.

The 31-year-old is facing a lengthy prison sentence following a trial at the High Court in Elgin this month. Now, one of Hood’s victims’ has bravely spoken out to call for tougher sentences for men who terrorise their partners.

Jade Doolan told how during their 18-month relationship he banned her from contacting family members, tracked her location using her phone and sexually assaulted her.

She told how cocaine and a gambling addiction turned Hood from a “perfect” boyfriend into a violent control freak, and how his weeping after being convicted had helped her heal the mental scars of his abuse.

She said: “I am tortured everyday by what he did but I’m pleased he’s been found guilty and I hope the courts punish him harshly for the women he has harmed."I was told by another victim who was in court that he’d cried like a baby as he was taken away - I wasn’t surprised. I always knew he would react like that. It’s called justice.”

Jade, who is having counselling for her ordeal, said when they met in the summer of 2018, Hood appeared to be the ideal boyfriend.

She she added: “I found out over the summer that he had lost his job - a fact he tried to hide from me. He was also funding a cocaine and gambling addiction.

"He would start to make me feel like I was worthless regularly, accusing me of cheating on him and demanding my location always be on when we were not together.

“He was either at work (in a new job), on the drink or on his PC playing games or gambling. He broke his PC screen because he lost a bet.”

He first attacked her in September 2018, throwing her out their house in her underwear and making her sit in the cold. She said: “He was in my face screaming at me, there was an ironing board next to me and he picked it up and slammed it into the wall.

"He started screaming at me calling me stupid for crying saying, “look at the f****g state of you, you stupid c*w, you caused this”.

"I was hysterical, he grabbed me and dragged me out of the house in my bra and threw my jumper after me and slammed the door closed. He locked me out in this state.

“After this I was on eggshells. He would log into my social media on the way to work and check who I was talking to.”

Jade eventually fled to a women’s refuge. Hood beat her savagely on Christmas Eve 2019 – and the police were called, leading to his conviction.

He is due to be sentenced next month.

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A university student from Derbyshire violently raped a woman and left her fearing she would die at his hands. Derby Crown Court heard how Matthew Brown head-butted, punched and then choked the victim unconscious as he sexually and physically attacked her.

The 27-year-old then denied what he had done, which forced the brave victim to come to court and relive her ordeal by giving evidence in the witness box. But after hearing both sides of the story the jury found the Ashbourne man guilty of three counts of rape.

Jailing him for 16 years, Recorder Jason Macadam said: “You violently attacked and sexually assaulted (the victim) in a number of ways. The jury were sure the account given by the victim was a true account - that violence was meted out when you carried out this sex attack.

“(In your pre-sentence report) you still sought to minimise your assault, accepting that sexual activity took place and that (during it) you were violent towards your victim.

“Mr Wilson (his barrister) tells me that you feel awful about what you did but you could have spared the victim the ordeal (of giving evidence). You did not, you had a trial and during it you ran an entirely different account which did not accept culpability for the crime you committed.“(The victim's) account of what happened was horrific. She said you raped her in a number of ways and during it you assaulted, headbutted and punched her.

“She said you choked her to the point of unconsciousness, she said she believed she would not escape and that you would kill her. I have described her as stoical and she has to be congratulated that this has not had greater consequences on her.

“I found you to be quite deliberately dishonest when you gave your account to the jury. You present a threat of risk or harm to females.”

A trial earlier this year was told that the rape took place at a house in Derbyshire. Prosecutor Jonathan Dee said during it the victim was raped in a number of ways and also assaulted while she was being sexually attacked.

He said: “It was a prolonged and sustained incident and there was violence. She (the victim) is not present in court but I have spoken to her family (who were in court) and they tell me she is getting on with her life but she is understandably very concerned about being alone at night.”

Having heard all of the evidence a jury found Brown, of Shirley Common, Shirley, guilty of three counts of rape.

Roger Wilson, mitigating, said his client “has hope of rehabilitation” when he is released from his prison sentence.

He said: “He was a university student at the time, he was studying medicine and pharmacology at the University of Nottingham. He feels awful about what he did, he regrets it and feels bad about his behaviour. The victim is obviously getting on with her life and he hopes she has not been scarred hugely by this.”

The 16-year sentence is made up of 12 years plus a four-year extended licence. It means Brown will be eligible to apply for parole two thirds of the way through the custodial element - that is to say eight years into his sentence. He was also handed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life.

To protect the anonymity of the victim, comments have been disabled on this story.

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A man engaged in increasingly sexualised online conversation with what he believed to be an underage girl, a court heard.

But Lucien Cooper was, in reality, chatting to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Durham Crown Court heard that contact was first made through the Kik messaging app, on February 9, last year, but after a few days it moved onto Skype, with Cooper soon made aware the female with whom he was chatting was claiming to be 13.

Jonathan Harley, prosecuting, said the tone of the conversation began very politely, but over a 20-day period from February 9 last year it became gradually more suggestive and Cooper said he would “love to see a picture” of his correspondent.

He told her he would teach her to kiss and to touch herself, while he said he had a leash on which he could walk her round, as it would be, “fun to treat her like a dog.”

The chat came to an end on March 1 after he asked if she watched pornography, but he said he would then leave her alone as he was preparing for a job interview.

Police went to his home and arrested him on March 9, seizing his mobile phone, which was found hidden under a mattress.

Examination of the phone uncovered indecent and prohibited images of children.

Mr Harley said Cooper, who has no previous convictions, made full admissions over his online activities when interviewed by police.

The 33-year-old defendant, of Mill Race, West Auckland, admitted attempting to incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He also admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

Stephen Hamill, mitigating, said the defendant made admissions at the earliest opportunity and unlike most similar cases was “forthcoming” with the police inquiry.

“This is a defendant who put his hands up before his devices were examined.”

Mr Hamill said Cooper has also seen his doctor and undertaken counselling sessions independently, which he feels has benefited him, in trying to address his behaviour.

Judge James Adkin said Cooper encouraged what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to perform sex acts on herself, “grooming her”, all for his own sexual gratification.

“As far as you were concerned this was a 13-year-old girl,” said Judge Adkin, adding that the guidelines now indicate there should only be a minimal deduction in sentence for “attempted” activity where defendants believe the intended victim does exist.

Cooper was also found to have what the judge described as, “utterly repellent” images of children being sexually abused by adults on his phone.

Imposing a 25-month prison sentence, Judge Adkin also made Cooper subject of registration as a sex offender and the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for ten years. 

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Christopher Gilby, of Washington, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children

A pervert caught with sickening indecent images of children has been spared prison.

Christopher Gilby had more than 1,000 illegal pictures and videos, some showing youngsters being raped. He claimed he was only looking for lawful teenage pornography when he happened upon them.

Newcastle Crown Court heard it was in June 2019 that police seized computer equipment from his home. He was found to be in possession of 15 of the most serious, category A images, four category B and 1,119 category C.

The court heard some of the images were of children aged under 10. The 40-year-old, of Lumley Close, Oxclose, Washington, pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images and has now been given a suspended prison sentence.

Recorder Mark McKone KC told him: "All these offences are serious. The class A images are especially serious because they show children being raped.

"When you look at those images you encourage other people to photograph these dreadful crimes taking place. You deny deliberately downloading child images but you accept you are addicted to pornography.

"The public regard this offence as very serious and expect a prison sentence to be imposed. On the other hand, I've got to consider what order will make it less likely you will commit offences of this nature in future.

"I've been persuaded a suspended sentence order will make it less likely you will offend in future because the probation service can provide you with specialist help, which you would not get on licence after you had served what would be four months in prison. The public will also be protected by a sexual harm prevention order and by your registration as a sex offender."

Both of those restrictions will last 10 years and he was sentenced to eight months suspended for two years with rehabilitation.

Annalisa Moscardini, defending, said Gilby is in poor health and lost his job as a result of his conviction. She added: "He searched for teens and things came up. His intention was for adult pornography.

The court heard he was living a "lonely existence", suffered depression and had attempted suicide.

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A sexual predator who targeted two women and a girl in violent, opportunistic attacks has been jailed for life.

Constantin Covaliu preyed on his victims, who were all previously unknown to him, over the space of four months last year in Nottingham and Mansfield.

After a determined and detailed investigation by Public Protection detectives and their uniformed colleagues, the 22-year-old has now been brought to justice and received a life sentence at Northampton Crown Court.

Covaliu, of Broxtowe Drive, Mansfield, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault on the day his trial was due to begin.

Detective Sergeant Neil Allsop, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Covaliu is a predatory sex offender who targeted victims in their own home, while alone in the street and after luring them to a place of danger.

“He only pleaded guilty as his trial was due to begin - causing needless additional distress to his victims.

“He has rightly been handed a life sentence and I hope this gives his victims some closure after what has been a harrowing time for them and their families since the shocking events took place.”

Covaliu attacked his first victim, a 53-year-old woman, after he attended a house party in the building in which she lives.

He had entered her flat twice earlier in the evening and was told by the victim to get out.

On the third occasion, at around 2.30am on 24 July 2021, he again went into the flat and this time attempted to rape the victim.

She was eventually able to fight him off and called for help after locking herself in the property’s communal bathroom.

The second attack took place when a 17-year-old girl was lured to an address in Mansfield while on a night out on 31 October 2021.

He befriended the teenager, who was alone after her friend had gone home, and took her to the property.

After snatching the woman’s mobile phone from her, Covaliu raped the girl in an upstairs bedroom.

In the third attack, Covaliu grabbed a 21-year-old woman from behind as she walked home alone in Church Lane, Mansfield, on 20 November 2021.

He attempted to rape the woman but stopped and ran from the scene when she tried to get help from a passing taxi driver.

Det Sgt Allsop added after sentencing on 9 September: “Detectives in Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection teams work every day to investigate cases of rape and sexual abuse and it is thanks to their hard work and tenacity that people like Covaliu are held to account and their victims are offered the support they need.

“Had it not been for their very thorough investigation and attention to detail Covaliu may very well have evaded justice.

“So if you have been the victim of sexual assault we want to hear from you.

“If you make an allegation we will listen carefully to you, we will investigate and we do everything we can to get justice for you.”