Latest Offenders

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 A “PREDATORY” online sex offender is back behind bars because he evaded police checks while on parole.

Adam Matthew William Lee, now 32, was jailed for two years in March 2021 after he used social media to try to persuade people he believed were schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 to perform sexual acts online. They were actually adults and told police about him.

As part of the sentence at York Crown Court, he was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that enables police to monitor his online activities.

Recorder Andrew Dallas told Lee after hearing details of his crimes: “It shows you were behaving in a way that was predatory.”

York Magistrates Court heard that following his release partway through the sentence, he bought an internet device which he concealed from supervising officers.

Lee, of Burnsall Drive, Holgate, pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO between September 20 and October 7 this year.

He was jailed for 34 weeks. Magistrates told him his new offence was very serious because he had been on prison licence at the time and it was a breach of a court order.

In addition to the prison term, Lee was ordered to pay a £187 statutory surcharge and £85 prosecution costs. He remains subject to the SHPO until March 2031. 

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A choirmaster who once performed in front of the Pope in Rome has been charged with a child sex offence.

Nigel McClintock, the subject of a three-part BBC 1 NI documentary in 2010, was at Belfast Magistrates Court this week charged with sexual communications with a child.

The 50-year-old acclaimed organist and conductor, from Albert Road, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, is accused of committing the offence in April this year.

McClintock, who studied at the Royal College of Music, was not required to appear in person but during a short hearing at Belfast Laganside Courthouse, a police officer told the court they could connect him to the charge.

The exact wording of the charge states that he “for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, intentionally communicated with another person... and the communication was sexual or was intended to encourage (name removed) to make (whether to you or to another) a communication that was sexual, and (name removed) was under 16 and you did not reasonably believe that (name removed) was 16 or over contrary to section 22A of the Sexual Offences (NI) Order 2008”.

He is yet to enter a plea and the case was adjourned until later this year.

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A pervert who sexually abused and raped a young girl when he was just a teenager has finally been locked up as justice caught up with him.

Stuart Jackson carried out a number of sickening sexual assaults on the young girl when she was under ten-years-old.

The 43-year-old’s offending took place more than two decades ago when he aged around 17, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Jackson, of Richmond Place, Thornaby, was found guilty of a catalogue of offences, including rape and serious sexual assault, following a trial earlier this year.

The father-of-two appeared in court via a videolink from Durham Prison to be sentenced for his horrific abuse of the young girl.

Judge Chris Smith said: “You subjected your victim to sexual assault in a variety of different ways. The first episode involved multiple assaults and you second attack her was similarly multifaceted - both amounts to sustained sexual assaults.”

Dealing with the attacks, he added: “On that day she was subjected to a degrading and humiliating, sustained series of sexual assaults. The second incident is no less serious, this was of course a second attack on the same victim.”

The judge said Jackson used sex toys on the victim before raping her.

He added: “The physical pain you caused her left her struggling to walk. As a nine-year-old child she felt the need to destroy her bedsheets which were stained with her blood.

“Those physical injuries may have resolved in a relatively short time but the psychological harm cause to her has been long-lasting and profound.”

Jackson was locked up for a total of 16 years and six months and was issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect his victim and ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Judge Smith said: “With great dignity and real clarity, this victim outlined to the court the effect your offending had on her. How psychologically she was affected immediately as a young girl; how as she grew older, she suffered flashbacks; and how medication and counselling had brought only limited relief from the depression and anxiety caused by your offending.”

Speaking after the sentence was passed, officer in the case Detective Constable Francesca Siebrits, of Cleveland Police, said: “Despite the passage of many years, justice has caught up with Jackson and he now faces a prison sentence.

"While this cannot compensate the victim for the trauma she suffered, I hope it will go some way to helping her begin to move forward with her life and I wish her the very best.”

And Safeguarding Chief Inspector Deb Fenny added: “Anyone who has suffered abuse of this kind - no matter how long ago it may have taken place - can rest assured that we will do all we can to bring offenders before the courts.

"Those who believe they can prey on vulnerable children should realise that they will be dealt with.”

People can report any form of abuse, whether recent or non-recent to Cleveland Police at any time of day, via the 101 number.

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A vile rapist who attacked a teenager in a remote location after riding away with her on the back of his motorbike has been locked up for almost 13 years.

Lee Mason let the teenager sit on his motorbike for some photographs following a night out in Middlesbrough before speeding away from her friends and safety.

The 27-year-old took the terrified teenager to a remote location where he carried out two sexual assaults before riding off to an even more remote location where he subjected his young victim to a traumatic rape.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the victims mother had been alerted to what happened and rushed to Middlesbrough in a desperate attempt to find her daughter.

Aisha Wadoodi, prosecuting, said the teenagers horrific physical ordeal only came to an end when Mason dropped her off near one of her friends homes and she managed to call the police.

The judge heard how the attack had a devastating impact on the teenager and she had been given a sexually transmitted infection from her attacker.

In a heart-breaking victim impact statement, the woman said the mere sound of a motorbike leaves her terrified and her life has been destroyed by the lasting psychological damage caused by her rape.

Ever since you raped me, I have never been able to feel the same again. I now have trouble closing my eyes because all that I see is your face and have been prescribed sleeping tablets.

I now have panic attacks when I hear noises in the night, I worry that it is you, she said.

What you did is constantly replayed over and over in my mind. Whenever I hear or see a motorbike, I think it is you and I panic.

The victims mother also made a personal impact statement to relay to the court the horrendous suffering her daughter had endured.

She said: I was sent a photograph of my daughter on the back of your motorbike that I was able to show the police, the photograph horrified me and to this day fills me with anger about what you have done.

Saddens me that she looked so happy in the picture not knowing what was to come. Its the last picture of my daughter before you, a grown man, a predator, destroyed our lives and put us through hell.

Miss Wadoodi said the quick thinking of the investigating officer resulted in vital CCTV and photographic evidence being seized, resulting in Masons speedy arrest.

Mason, of Hartington Road, Stockton, pleaded guilty to rape, assault by penetration, and sexual assault, following the attack on April 24 this year.

Victoria Lamballe, in mitigation, said her client now fully accepts being responsible for everything that his teenage victim told police.

She added: He recognises, as he must, that this was a truly terrifying attack on this young woman.

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced the father-of-two to a total of 12 years and nine months in prison.

The effect on her continues, it was dreadful at the time and it continues now. For periods she has been unable to eat or sleep properly or go to work, he said.

These offences represent a series of sexual assaults on a young woman by a stranger. It has left her with the all too common feeling of self-loathing, while she has no reason to feel anything bad about herself.

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 A York man who arranged to meet an underage girl for sex at a city hotel has been jailed after paedophile hunters confronted him at his home.

Andrew Carrington covered his ears in the dock as York Crown Court heard details of his Facebook messages.

Richard Herrmann, prosecuting, said the 56-year-old told the Facebook profile he believed to be a 13-year-old girl "I want to have sex with you" and asked what she would do if he raped her.

He suggested they met at a hotel in York for sex and said he would bring extra clothes in case he ripped hers. He went shopping for underwear in small sizes.

But the person behind the Facebook profile he thought was an underage girl was really part of a paedophile hunter group.

"He was confronted by members of this group, live streamed to their Facebook account," said Mr Herrmann. "The police were called and he was arrested".

Carrington had not actually gone to the hotel meeting he had arranged, having had a change of heart before it was due to happen, but not before the "girl" had booked rail tickets. 

 "It appears that he got cold feet," said Mr Herrmann.

Emily Hassell, for Carrington, said he was ashamed and extremely remorseful for his actions.

Because the anti-paedophile group had confronted him at his home and his local community had become aware of what he had done, he had moved out of York.

Carrington, now of Washbeck Close, Scarborough, pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child into sexual activity and attempting to get a child to watch a sexual act. He had no previous convictions.

He was jailed for two years and put on the sex offenders' register and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, both for 10 years.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told him: "You thought you were in a conversation with a 13-year-old girl. Thank heaven you were not."

The messages Carrington had sent to the decoy profile had been "filthy" but it hadn't corrupted a young girl because there was no young girl at the other end.

Mr Herrmann said Carrington sent a request to the profile saying: "Hi, do I know you?"

He got a reply that the girl in the profile was 13 years old. He very quickly turned the conversation sexual.

He asked the person he believed was an underage girl not to tell anyone about their conversation.

Ms Hassell said since his arrest more than two years ago, Carrington had completely stopped using the internet and no longer had devices by which he could access it. 

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Andrew Hardy, 54, was jailed for grooming two girls and sexually assaulting them.

A paedophile who sexually assaulted two children and caused "ongoing terror" to one and made another look at indecent images has been caged.

Andrew Hardy groomed the two girls and sexually assaulted them. The 54-year-old made one child look at indecent images and terrified another by telling her the world was "filled with ginger-haired paedophiles".

Hardy, of Finchale Avenue, Brasside, Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for the sexual offences after being found guilty following a trial.

Rachel Masters, prosecuting, said Hardy carried out "grooming behaviour" which involved a "significant degree of planning" and breach of trust. She said he "deliberately isolated" the victims in order to "facilitate the offences". She added: "One girl was made to watch indecent images of children." The court heard that Hardy also had a conviction for possession of 133,000 indecent images and had been given a prison sentence.

Paul Cross, defending, said Hardy suffers from incurable ulcerative colitis and said he would be serving his prison sentence in "a state of discomfort and pain". He added that Hardy's prison sentence would also have an impact upon his family.

Sentencing Hardy, Judge Jo Kidd, said: "You used the opportunity to gratify your own personal, sexual interest in children. You groomed a girl against the backdrop of terrifying her by talking about inappropriate subject matter. To make her dependant on you and scare her in a way to prevent her from disclosing what was happening, you caused her ongoing terror, saying that the world was filled with ginger-haired paedophiles. You were the paedophile."

Speaking of the second victim, Judge Kidd added: "You persistently groomed her, which involved showing her indecent images of children. You encouraged her to go on websites herself to look at images of that nature. It was a highly cynical decision on your part. She can now never forget seeing those images as a child."

Hardy was jailed for five years and was made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was imposed and Hardy will be on the sex offender's register for an indefinite period. An indefinite restraining order was also imposed.

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A sex offender caught with a video of a boy molesting another during a ‘wrestling’ game told police it was ‘very normal’ for children to play naked in his native Brazil.

Just weeks earlier, Maxwel da Silva Miranda had been convicted of pawing a 16-year-old girl he had picked up in his car on Cowley Road.

And the Wood Farm, Oxford, man was soon to be charged for a series of sexual assaults on another pre-teen girl. He was found guilty in August of repeatedly groping the girl’s breasts and private parts, including on one occasion after they had been to church together in Swindon.

The victim of those assaults was said to have been left wanting to take her own life as a result of Miranda’s sick behaviour.

Summarising the impact on the victim, Gabrielle McAvock told Oxford Crown Court on Friday afternoon: “The defendant’s offending caused the victim to become suicidal, to self-harm, she tried to jump from the third floor of the flat where she lived. She suffered from flashbacks, had difficulty sleeping and [it] had an adverse effect on her school life.”

Judge Nigel Daly jailed Miranda for eight years, telling him: “It seems to me you are a man who’s quite prepared to exploit the vulnerability of young women to satisfy your sexual needs.” 

 Earlier, the court heard that a specialist officer made an unannounced visit to the flat Miranda shared with his wife on July 19 last year.

He looked at the sex offender’s iPhone and found in his WhatsApp images folder a video showing two naked boys aged around eight to 10. The children were wrestling although, later in the video, one of the boys could be seen sexually assaulting the other. The video was distributed to three other WhatsApp contacts.

Also on the phone were two extreme pornographic images showing a person having sex with an animal.

He was interviewed by the police and claimed to have been sent  the indecent video by friends from Brazil. Ms McAvock said: “The defendant said it was very normal for children to play naked in Brazil.” He denied distributing the video.

No other indecent images were found on his phone. Similarly, there was no evidence of him searching the internet for child sex abuse images.

Miranda, now of no fixed address, was sentenced for sexual assault on a girl under-13, distributing indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornographic images.

Mitigating, Gordana Austin said her client continued to deny the assaults on the younger girl. He was married with two children and, having been sentenced to imprisonment, was likely to be deported to Brazil.

The defendant must comply with an indefinite restraining order banning him from contact with the younger victim, an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life. 

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A paedophile claimed he sent sexual messages to people he thought were a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl because he was "lonely". He asked the girls, who were in reality undercover police officers, if they wanted to meet him and have sex.

Richard Ayres, 58, of Cardiff, began speaking to the decoys, who he believed to be called Abby and Kirsty, on the Kik messenger app in March last year. Upon being told Abby was 13 years old he asked her for photographs and offered to meet her for "fun".

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard the defendant sent photographs of himself behind a desk and told Abby he wanted to kiss her. They also discussed French kissing, he asked her for "sexy selfies" ,and said he "could not wait to get his hands on her body". He also offered to rub sun lotion on her body and messaged: "Do you want me inside you? Do you want my c*** baby?". 

Prosecutor Eugene Egan said Ayres told Kirsty he would "pay her a visit for fun" and asked her to send photographs of herself. He also offered her the chance to "make out" in his car. The decoy made reference to the fact she was in school and the defendant said they could come "make out some arrangement". He also lied about his age by claiming he was 45 years old.

He also told Kirsty that her ex was "lucky to have sex with her" and sent her a message offering "fun" with a red lip emoji. He also exchanged further images of himself.

Ayres was arrested at his home on June 28 and told police he had an addiction to Kik and described his actions as "disgusting and wrong". The defendant, of Ravens Court Close, Penylan, later pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to communicate with a child and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Defence barrister Andrew Kendal said his client had no intention to meet up with the decoys and the arrangements he made in the conversations for them to meet were "vague". He said there had been a strain in the defendant's marriage and loneliness led to him downloading Kik and communicating with the decoys.

He said Ayres lives with his mother and was concerned about how she would cope if he was sent to prison. The court also heard he worked in a Lidl supermarket and paid child maintenance to his ex-wife.

Sentencing, Recorder John Philpotts said: "You have lost your good character in the most disgraceful way. You had conversations with people you believed to be two girls aged 12 and 13."

Ayres was sentenced to a total of two years imprisonment. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for seven years.

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Pervert exposed himself to 14-year-old and told her to perform a sex act upon him.

A paedophile sexually assaulted and exposed himself to a schoolgirl in an arcade then gave her his phone number.

William Lea told the teenager to perform a sex act upon him and was caught because he left his contact details with her. But after being released under investigation over the incident, he went on to attempt to groom an 11-year-old.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Friday, that the 65-year-old had been using a gaming machine in an amusements next to the Scarisbrick Hotel in Southport when two 14-year-old girls entered. Paul Becker, prosecuting, described how Lea began talking the youngster and made them "feel increasingly uncomfortable".

The pervert then groped one of their breasts. She told him to stop, but he instead asked her "whether she liked it".

Lea unzipped his trousers, pulled out his penis and "invited her" to perform a sex act on him. The victim was left "disgusted", but he "bizarrely" left his phone number with them before leaving - leading to him being easily identified by police.

Then, while under investigation by police over the assault, he was ensnared in a paeophile hunter sting. Lea, of no fixed address, began communicating online with a decoy whom he believed to be an 11-year-old girl.

He groomed her and arranged to meet up with her at Southport Station. Once there, he was confronted by members of the group.

Lea had been subject to a suspended sentence order for drink driving and possession of a bladed article in a public place at the time of the first set of offences. Fiona McNeill, defending, described how her client - who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse - recently suffered from a stroke and now requires the use of a wheelchair.

He admitted sexual assault, exposure, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching a suspended sentence order. Lea was jailed for four years and 10 months, told to pay a victim surcharge, handed a lifelong notification requirement and given a 15-year sexual harm prevention order.

Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "I accept you do feel a genuine sense of remorse for your involvement in these child sex offences. You, at the age of 65, have very few convictions and this will be your first custodial sentence."

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A Taunton man has been handed a life sentence for carrying out a series of rape and sexual assault offences.

Elias Arberry, of Moorland Road, was sentenced today (Friday 14 October) at Taunton Crown Court to a life sentence, with a minimum term of 15 and a half years, after he pleaded guilty to seven offences, including four counts of rape, two of sexual assault and one of wounding with intent.

The court heard how 25-year-old Arberry had violently assaulted the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, inflicting serious injuries before raping her in May this year.

The victim managed to raise the alarm when Arberry had fallen asleep and she escaped.

Officers conducted a 26-hour search for the defendant, where he was found at a hotel in Weston-super-Mare.

Along with his conviction, he will be a registered sex offender for life. The victim has also been given a life-time restraining order against Arberry.

In an impact statement, the victim said: “At my age, most people are thinking about finding a partner to share their life with and settling down. However, I also feel that opportunity has been taken away from me.

“I am extremely angry about what he did to me. It has impacted literally every aspect of my life and takes up most of my thoughts throughout the day, every day and then at night as well – I cannot get away from it.

“I feel I have really only scratched the surface of how this has affected me and how it will affect me probably for the rest of my life.”

Speaking about the incident, the victim’s mother said: “Since that day at the start of May, I literally feel like I have been living a nightmare.

“You watch things on the news and you hear so much about the violence against women and girls, but you never think that sort of thing will happen to you or your family.

“I never use the word ‘hate’ because it is such a strong word and I have taught my children never to use that word. However, I hate Arberry for what he has done to my daughter and to our family.”

Detective Inspector Nadine Partridge said: “This defendant carried out a horrific series of offences against the victim, which are among some of the worst I’ve had to investigate during my policing career.

“The heinous crimes Arberry committed have caused the victim long-lasting mental and physical injuries.

“She has shown incredible bravery and strength in assisting the police in this investigation, so we’ve been able to put a very dangerous man behind bars, preventing him causing harm to anyone else.

“This is a welcome result for both the victim and her family and will hopefully give the victim the closure and justice she needs to move forward with her life.”

Gareth Giddings, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the CPS South West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit, said: “The CPS worked closely alongside our partners in the police to support their investigation and build the strongest possible case.

“This work, supported by the victim’s own account of what happened to her, resulted in Arberry pleading guilty and ensured that he will be held responsible for his appalling crimes.

“I would like to commend and thank the victim in this case for coming forward to tell her story and support the prosecution.

“Rape and sexual assault have a devastating effect on victims and the CPS is committed to working with our partners in the criminal justice system to deliver justice and make the public safer.”

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A Huddersfield man has been jailed this week after being found guilty of the sexual assault of a young girl.

Daniel Hill, 29, was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of a sexual touching offence and an attempted sexual touching offence. He was sentenced on Tuesday, October 11, at Leeds Crown Court.

His offences took place in Kirklees in 2021. He will also serve another 10 months in prison for an unrelated offence he'd previously got a suspended sentence for. 

West Yorkshire Police said Hill's offences were reported to them as soon as they came to light and he was quickly arrested.

DC Natalie Green of the Kirklees District Safeguarding Unit, said: “The young victim and her family have shown real courage in coming forwards and then supporting the prosecution of Hill through a trial. Their bravery has resulted in a sex offender now being behind bars.

“Specialist officers always thoroughly investigate all reports of sexual offences and we continue to urge victims to come forwards so we can seek justice for them and also, with partners, provide the support they will need.”

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A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after breaching an order designed to curb his deviancy by chatting to another pervert and failing to tell police he had a phone and memory sticks.

Michael Minchell, whose previous convictions include sexual assault and child abduction, was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order in July 2020 for child sex offences. But in June this year a visit by a risk management officer revealed he was not abiding by it.

He had a mobile phone which he had failed to register with police for three months and also had USB memory sticks which he had not told officers about, as he was meant to do. And he had been in regular contact with another sex offender who he met in prison, which was also forbidden in the order. He had also contacted another pervert.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Minchell, 57, has nine previous convictions. In December 2020 he got a suspended sentence for two counts of gross indecency with a child under 13 and indecent assault of a boy. He was also convicted of three counts of sexual assault and child abduction in 2007 and indecent assault in 1998.

ChronicleLive reported in December 2020 how our story about the foot fetish pervert prompted a new victim to come forward to report what he'd done decades earlier.

Jane Foley, defending, said: "He would say he is vulnerable. He has been frequently bullied and easily led.

"He seeks the approval of others. When he has formed friendships in prison he has found it very difficult to steer clear of them.

"He has lost his job as a result of his offending. He is an isolated individual and has anxiety and depression."

Minchell, 57, of Saint Cuthbert’s Court, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and being in breach of a suspended sentence. Judge Julie Clemitson jailed him for a total of 29 months and told him the sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration will continue for life.

The judge said: "You have demonstrated a pattern of non compliance with measures implemented to manage the risk you pose.

"You are isolated and have lost your job. Those are consequences of the path you have chosen to lead through your life. You put your own needs ahead of the measures put in place to protect other people."

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Police also found a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone aid made to resemble a child’s genitals.

The headteacher of a primary school who had a haul of child abuse material, including a paedophile manual and over one million indecent images, has been jailed for six years. Thomas Singleton, 41, was also one of the safeguarding leads at the school.

He was arrested by the National Crime Agency in February 2021, after investigators found he had accessed indecent images of children online from his house. Officers seized laptops and a number of digital storage devices from his home.

They also recovered a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone sex aid made to resemble a child’s genitals. Singleton does not have any children and when questioned, he could provide no explanation for who the doll and clothing belonged to.

Analysis of his electronic devices showed he had 1,050,448 indecent images of children in categories A-C, 45,216 prohibited images of children, and 52 extreme pornographic images. Within those were a collection of pseudo-images, which had been created by Singleton by superimposing himself into photos so it looked like he was engaging in sexual activity with children.

A 170 page paedophile manual was found on Singleton’s hard drive. The introduction to the document explains that it is ‘a guide to practicing sex with children without fear of doing harm’. It contains a number of chapters which provide advice and guidance on how to sexually abuse children and avoid being detected.

Officers also recovered a number of online chat logs in which he spoke with other like-minded individuals about child sexual abuse. Some chats show him partaking in ‘age play’, where both users participate in a fantasy in which one of them pretends to be a child engaging in sexual activity with the other.

On his devices and stored around his home, Singleton had documents which described child abuse scenarios and could be ‘personalised’ to include names of the user’s choosing. These also corresponded to hand-drawn flowcharts found in his house. Some of the charts were stored in a folder labelled ‘Tom’s Action Folder’ and described detailed sexual acts between the reader and the subject of the flowchart.

Singleton, from Suffolk, resigned as a teacher during the course of the investigation. He was charged with eight offences, including taking indecent pseudo-images of a child (categories A-B), making indecent images (categories A-C) and possession of a paedophile manual.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

NCA Operations Manager Michael Parkinson said: “As a safeguarding lead and the Head of a primary school, Singleton supposedly represented a dependable figure of safety and trust for young children, their families and the school community. This investigation showed he grossly abused that position.

“His house was filled with a large, disturbing collection of items which proved beyond doubt his sexual interest in children. Of particular concern was an extensive paedophile manual which offered explicit, practical guidance on how to carry out abuse.

“This case highlights how an offender’s behaviour can escalate, from downloading abuse material to finding a community of like-minded individuals online who normalise and even encourage this criminal behaviour.

“Identifying such individuals at the earliest opportunity and disrupting this pattern of offending before they can commit real-world abuse is a top priority for the National Crime Agency.”

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Umair Farooq made up an excuse that he was ''checking on her'' after he had watched the victim and her friend from the hotel bar.

A vulnerable woman says she has lost her ''smile and happiness'' after she was sexually assaulted by a stranger after he let himself into her hotel room. Umair Farooq, 42 is said to have watched two women who were staying in the room earlier that night at the hotel bar and made them both feel ''uncomfortable'' before the victim left her friend go to bed herself.

Farooq found a way into to the room and made up an excuse that he was ''just checking on her'' and that the key was in the door when challenged by the victim's friend, Wales Online reports. In an emotional impact statement, the victim said that her attacker had robbed her of her ''smile and happiness'' and that she ''can't get his face out of my head or his hands off my body'' after the terrifying assault.

She had travelled to North Wales with her friend earlier this year and they stayed at the hotel where the assault took place in Denbighshire on October 13. They noticed Farooq, from Rangpura in Sialkot, Pakistan whose behaviour was disturbing them as he appeared to watch them sitting outside having a drink from a distance.

The court heard that they left shortly after for another pub and returned to the hotel at around 10pm. The complainant, who felt unwell, was put to bed by her friend. Prosecutor Simon Rogers told the court that the woman was woken up a short while later to find Farooq, who had got his hands on a key and entered the room, in the middle of assaulting her.

The woman pushed him away and ran to her friend, and the matter was reported to the police. When confronted at the reception desk, Farooq told the victim's friend he was “just checking on her” and that the key was in the door. He then told the woman: "I’m Muslim, I wouldn’t do that."

After his arrest, the defendant told an officer at St Asaph's custody suite that he “did not know what was allowed here in Britain" and claimed to have thought it was OK to open the door and go into the victim’s room. He later admitted to an assault by penetration and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

In a victim impact statement, the complainant branded Farooq a "monster". Looking towards him in the dock, she said that "no sentence will ever be enough" and that she "didn’t deserve this". The mum added: "I don’t get how this happens in a quiet hotel in Wales.

''I can’t get his face out of my head or his hands off my body. No matter how many baths I have, he’s still on me.

''I feel like I’ve lost myself to a man and I don’t even know who he is or his name. He took my smile and happiness."

Simon Mintz, defending, told the court that there was little he could say to minimise the "wholly uncharacteristic" actions of his client. He told the judge that Farooq is a respected businessman with a wife and four children who rely on him in Pakistan.

Mr Mintz added that there would be "extra difficulties" for the 42-year-old in a UK prison, including language barriers and being kept "a world apart” from his family for some years. Judge Rhys Rowlands said it had been an "utterly terrifying experience" for the woman and that he could not ignore the trauma Farooq caused when he assaulted his victim.

He was jailed for four and a half years and was listed on the sex offender register for life. The judge said: "Understandably the effect on the victim has been quite profound, both on the night as described in the victim personal statement and it is plain for the court to see on this day some five months later.

"Many aspects of her everyday life remain affected. She was vulnerable but that didn’t stop you for one moment when trying to take advantage of her."

Following the sentencing Detective Inspector Emma Gardner said it "sends a clear message that we as a force, and society in north Wales will not tolerate any acts of this nature. I would like to pay tribute to the victim for their bravery throughout this legal process and encourage anyone who is subject to any similar type of incident to report it to us at the earliest opportunity.

"Your complaint will be dealt with in confidence, investigated thoroughly and you will be offered the necessary support. We remain committed to making north Wales the safest place in the UK."

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An Edinburgh man who sexually assaulted a sleeping friend who had visited him after she had attended a church service has been placed on the sex offenders register.

Bogdan Raczynski pounced on the woman as she slept on a sofa following a drinking session at his flat in the “frightening” incident area of the city last year. Raczynski, 53, crept up to the woman in the middle of the night and pulled her leggings and underwear down before she woke up and shouted for him to stop.

The victim fled the home the following morning and after confiding in a friend decided to report the stopped the attack to the police. The creep appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing on Thursday after previously admitting the sex assault.

Defence agent Peter Winning said his client “accepted culpability” for the offence and said he had stopped the attack when the woman told him to. Mr Winning said the first offender had a “good work history” and leads “a relatively quiet life”.

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell KC said: “When this matter called before me previously I heard a full account of the circumstances and your conduct on the occasion I heard about was completely unacceptable.

“This must have been a troubling, upsetting and frightening experience for the woman concerned. I take account of the fact you stopped when she said she did want your advances.

“On balance I am satisfied there is an alternative to custody in this case.” Raczynski was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and under the supervision of the local social work department for the next 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work in the community. Previously fiscal depute Jennifer McLaren told the court Raczynski and the woman had been friends for around 15 years and she had attended at his flat with a pal on March 29 last year.

Ms McLaren said: “Around 5.30pm [the victim] and a friend attended a church service together and following this [she] contacted the accused and asked if she could visit him and he agreed. Upon their arrival the accused was at home alone and the three sat together eating food and drinking alcohol. This was a mixture of whisky and vodka.”

The court heard the socialising went on for “a number hours” and after the women missed their last bus Raczynski agreed they could stay over. The complainer slept on the couch in the living room while her friend slept in the spare bedroom.

Ms McLaren said they woman, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, woke up between 3am and 4am to find Raczynski “standing over her”. The court heard he “grabbed hold of her leg and seized hold of her leggings” and tried to “pull these down”.

The fiscal said a struggle ensued where he “successfully managed to lower the clothing of [the woman] including her underwear” before she told him to stop. The woman then lost consciousness and after waking in the morning she and her friend quickly left the flat.

The woman told her friend about the attack and the police were contacted. Raczynski pleaded guilty to an amended charge of sexually assaulting a woman by repeatedly attempting to remove her lower clothing, struggling with her and removing her lower clothing at his home on March 29 last year.