Latest Offenders

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A married sex pest who attacked a woman and teenager has walked free from court after blaming his behaviour on an earlier car crash.

Dundee Sheriff Court was told Jordan Phillips, 32, carried out sexual assaults on the woman and the teenager.

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A sex offender sailor has been banned from going into parks or play parks after being caught hoarding child abuse images.

Gordon Gray, who has been in the Merchant Navy for 19 years, stockpiled thousands of files during Scotland's first coronavirus lockdown.

A court heard he downloaded and hoarded horrific videos of toddlers being raped and babies and young boys being sexually abused.

The 37-year-old kept nearly 5,000 files on an Asus laptop which was sitting on his bed when police officers arrived to investigate.

The stash of 4,779 images was built up between February 15 and October 22, 2020, Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard.

Between March 23 and May 29, Scotland was the subject of lockdown restrictions, to stop the spread of the deadly Covid-19 virus.

Gray, of Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, returned to the dock yesterday to be sentenced, having earlier pleaded guilty to two charges.

He had admitted downloading indecent images of children and being in possession of the illegal files - in breach of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

After hearing that Gray may lose his job as a result of the conviction and the fact he was being placed on the Sex Offenders' Register, Sheriff Murdo Mactaggart spared him jail.

He placed him on a three-year-long Community Payback Order which will see him supervised by social workers.

He also has to attend the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme, which seeks to help sex offenders change their ways.

He also placed Gray on the Sex Offenders' Register for three years and made him the subject of a conduct requirement, limiting his freedoms in the community.

The conduct requirement means he is not allowed any unsupervised conduct with anyone under the age of 16, unless it has been signed off by his supervising social worker.

He is also not to enter parks of play parks where he believes children may be, unless his social worker lets him, and his use of electronic devices will also be monitored.

And he has to notify those supervising him of his log-in details for his email and social media accounts and websites he uses, so they can keep tabs on what he is doing.

When he admitted his guilt, prosecutor Craig Wainwright said officers from Police Scotland obtained a search warrant for Gray's home "as a result of intelligence received".

He explained: "The accused was alone within the property.

"A search of the locus was carried out.

"A number of devices were recovered, but, in particular, an Asus laptop was on top of the bed in the bedroom.

"It was examined by officers of the Cyber Crime team. They recovered still and moving images."

Mr Wainwright said there a total of 3,161 indecent pictures, and 1,618 films had been downloaded, but all had been deleted.

Of the 4,779 files, 986 were assessed as being Category A images - showing the most extreme forms of child sex abuse.

He added: "They showed the sexual exploitation of male and female children aged between one and 14."

He said the films included a video of an 18-month-old boy being raped, a baby being sexually abused, and an eight-year-old boy exposing himself to the camera in a professional studio.

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A Northampton detective tracked down a suspected child sex offender to Germany after he fled from the town in a bid to escape the law.

Szymon Leszek Sieczkiewicz, aged 38, has been jailed for six years for assault and incitement involving an 11-year-old in January 2019.

The Polish HGV driver skipped the country and headed across the Channel ahead of a court appearance but was hunted down by police using a European Arrest Warrant and dragged back to Northampton.

Sieczkiewicz, whose address was not given in court, was was finally found guilty of all charges in October 2021 and last month sentenced to six years and handed an indefinite Sexual Harm prevention Order at Northampton Crown Court.

DS Selena Leppard, who led the investigation, said: I am really pleased that my relentless pursuit of Szymon Sieczkiewicz has resulted in this six-year sentence.

Sieczkiewicz thought he could escape justice by leaving the country, but this case goes to show that Northamptonshire Police will not only go beyond our county borders to pursue offenders but also cross national borders too.

The child in this case has been very brave from the beginning of our investigation and I would like to thank them and their family for their support throughout.

I hope this result, after such a drawn-out case, will allow them some closure and the ability to move forward with their life.

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A churchgoer who ‘blighted the childhood’ of a fellow worshipper by raping her when she was just 12 has been jailed for 20 years.

Ian Symonds started grooming the girl more than a year before the rape attack in a pub car park and went on to persuade her to have a three-year under-age relationship with him.

He brainwashed her into believing that God approved of them having sex and told her that the Virgin Mary was only 12 when she and Joseph first slept together.

He used his position as a drummer in a church band to meet and groom her and they had sex around 100 times, mainly in his works van in beauty spots including the Stover Country Park.

The girl, who was 18 years younger than him, only started having doubts about him when she watched EastEnders episodes which included a child abuse story line. Her parents became suspicious when she was 15 and restricted their meetings but Symonds set up a joint Facebook page under false names which they used to exchange messages and explicit photos. He also recorded a string of car karaoke videos in which he sang along to love songs in his van before pointing at the camera and saying ‘and I mean you’.

When she ended the relationship, he falsely claimed to have cancer to arouse her sympathies. In fact, he was a healthy bodybuilder who spent hours at a gym.

She wrote a victim personal statement which said she has distanced herself from the church and still suffers flashbacks and psychological trauma.

She said she cannot bear to be given flowers or chocolates because it still reminds her of the gifts which he showered on her when he was grooming her.

Symonds, aged 40, of Douglass Road, Plymouth was found guilty of two rapes, five counts of sexual activity with a child and one of making indecent images of the girl by a jury at Exeter Crown Court last week.

He was jailed for 20 years by Judge Timothy Rose, who put him on the sex offenders’ register for life and banned any future contact with under age girls through a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He told him: “These were a series of profoundly serious sexual offences over three years. It is perfectly clear you developed a sexual interest and obsession with her.

“She was confused, as you would expect given her age and immaturity and the reality is that you brainwashed her into engaging in frequent and continued sexual activity.

“You bombarded her with gifts and comprehensively manipulated her in a way which blighted her childhood and has had a devastating effect on her emotional well-being.

“It was persistent and hugely damaging child abuse.”

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A man has been jailed for 38 years after he was found guilty of abusing two young girls.

Jamie Dawson, 41, of Garden Crescent, South Normanton, Derbyshire was convicted of 13 counts of raping a girl under the age of 13.

He was also found guilty of two counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13 by touching.

The 41-year-old had denied the offences but was found guilty at a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.

Derbyshire Police said the girls were abused in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

The force said both victims had attempted to take their own lives as a result.

Det Con Brett Turner praised the victims for their bravery.

"Without their support and resilience Jamie Dawson would not have been brought to justice," he said.

"His actions, and then continued denials, show him to be nothing short of evil.

"The sentence imposed on him is one of the highest I have seen as an officer and is testament to the truly horrific crimes he committed.

"While it goes no way to repairing the damage that he wrought on these two women - I hope that this is the beginning of a new, brighter, chapter for them both, free of Dawson's shadow."

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A Catholic priest has been convicted of sexually assaulting a young parishioner while she visited him with her family on Christmas Day.

Martins Enegbuma carried out the attack on the victim, who is in her 20s, in a house he was living in next door to his Edinburgh church.

The 44-year-old subjected her to unwanted kisses, rubbed her foot, and ran his hands over her body.

The victim, along with her mother and another relative, had visited Enegbuma as they didnt want him to be alone for Christmas and brought him food.

Enegbuma was living in the house beside Our Lady, Mother of the Church in the citys Currie area.

He left the woman distressed after what was branded a catalogue of sexual touching during the familys 45 minute stay.

Enegbuma, who is originally from Nigeria, is understood to have been the priest at the church for several months before the incident.

He went on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, where he denied the charge, and was found guilty by a sheriff on Tuesday.

Fiscal depute Ross Price told the court how the family had gone to wish Enegbuma a Merry Christmas on December 25 2020.

Mr Price said Enegbuma instigated a campaign of sexual touching.

The prosecutor described how the woman was pinned in by Enegbuma during one encounter on a staircase.

He described how Enegbuma had carried out a gross abuse of position and a gross abuse of trust.

Mr Price said the victim was set upon in a predatory fashion by Enegbuma who was responsible for a catalogue of sexual touching.

It added up, he said, to become one horrible incident.

Mr Price said the victim had given evidence about her repulsion over the priests actions and his lingering wet kisses.

The court was told the victim told her mother about what had occurred later on Christmas Day having been initially frightened of her reaction.

The trial heard how the victims mother gave evidence about Enegbumas unpriestly conduct.

Enegbuma had known the woman for several months as a member of the congregation, the court was told.

Finding Enegbuma guilty, Sheriff Adrian Fraser said he considered the victim and her mother to have been credible and reliable witnesses.

The sheriff said hed found the touching did take place, that it was intentional and sexual, and there was no consent.

He told Enegbuma that the victim and her family had shown kindness to you at Christmas when he carried out the assault, adding: This is clearly a serious matter.

Enegbuma was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman by repeatedly lungeing over her, rubbing her foot, compressing her toe, embracing her, kissing her on the hand, kissing her on the forehead, and running his hands over her body.

Sheriff Fraser deferred sentence on Enegbuma, who is now living in the citys Niddrie area, until March for reports.

He ordered Enegbuma be placed on the sex offenders register and continued his bail.

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Matthew Sherwood was concealed by supporters outside Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday, ducking down behind three of them, wearing a baseball cap and a Covid mask, as he made his way to the police station to sign the sex offender register.

However, we can now show you the face of the convicted sex offender who tried to contact girls online.

We reported last week how Sherwood, 37, of Mandalay Drive, Norton, Worcester had admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity as well as having indecent images of children.

At the hearing, Sherwood had pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between January 31, 2020 and February 8, 2020. He further admitted attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity between January 31, 2020 and February 8, 2020.

'Attempts' mean the defendant was communicating with a 'decoy', such as a so-called paedophile hunter group or a police officer using fake profiles, rather than an actual child. Sherwood further admitted making indecent photos of a child between April 12, 2020 and June 6, 2020.

He had three category C images, the least serious category within the guidelines.

Because of the serious nature of the case, magistrates declined jurisdiction for the case.

Sherwood, represented at the hearing by city solicitor Mark Sheward, was granted unconditional bail to attend a further hearing at Worcester Crown Court on February 25 this year.

Charles Townsend, chairman of the bench, said: "Despite the fact you have pleaded guilty to all matters - that has has been noted and will be your credit - it will be at crown court that you will receive that credit. The issues are too serious for us to deal with here in the magistrates court."

The bench also requested that a pre-sentence report be prepared by the probation service. A sexual harm prevention order will also have to be agreed and ultimately imposed by a judge sitting at the crown court.

Sherwood was told he needed to sign on as sex offender within three days of the hearing.

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A paedophile former West Yorkshire Police officer has been given a ten-year prison sentence for arranging to meet an eight-year-old girl for sex.

A judge told Michael Conlon he poses a serious danger to children as he was handed the extended jail term.

Conlon was arrested in November last year after he travelled to Liverpool from his home in Leeds to meet an undercover police officer posing a fellow paedophile.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the officer had met Conlon in an internet chatroom pretending to be a father of two children.

Former West Yorkshire Police officer Michael Conlon was given an extended ten-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

Ben Campbell, prosecuting, said the officer told Conlon he had an eight-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son.

Conlon sent the officer a message saying that he was looking for "dads who share" along with sickening messages expressing his sexual interest in children.

The 46-year-old defendant then exchanged further messages on an encrypted app.

Conlon told the officer he had previously had sex with a 12-year-old girl but was no longer able to get access to children.

Michael Conlon pictured outside Leeds Crown Court in 2009 when he was jailed for for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child.

The prosecutor said Conlon arranged to meet the officer so they could arrange for him to have sex with the 'girl'.

Conlon bought a toy unicorn and sent the officer a video of it.
  
Michael Conlon pictured outside Leeds Crown Court in 2009.

The defendant travelled to Liverpool on November 20 last year and they met in a Costa coffee shop.
The officer recorded his conversion with Conlon during the 25-minute meeting.

Conlon was arrested the next day at his home.

The arresting officers knocked on the door for five minutes and suspected that he was clearing incriminating evidence from his electronic devices.

Chat logs on the devices were later found to have been scrambled.

A toy unicorn matching the one in the video he had sent was recovered from the living room.

Conlon, of Newton Grove, Chapeltown, made no comment when interviewed by officers.

He pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence.

Conlon lost his career in the police when he was jailed in 2009 for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, attempting to meet a girl under 16 after sexual grooming and making and possessing indecent photographs of children.

A probation service report assessed him as posing a serious risk to children.

Andrew Coleman, mitigating, said Conlon pleaded guilty to his latest offence at an early stage.
Mr Coleman said his client also has mental health problems which required medication.

Conlon was told he must serve a six-year custodial term, of which two-thirds must be spent in cudosty.
He will then spend a further four-year period on licence.
 
Sentencing, Judge Tom Bayliss QC said: "The prison sentence which was imposed on the last occasion did not deter you, nor did the sexual harm prevention order.
"You were prepared to abuse an eight-year-old child for you own sexual needs.

"You were prepared to take risks. You were prepared to act upon your own sexual impulses to sexually abuse a very young child".

The YEP reported in 2009 how Conlon was jailed for two and a half years for trying to groom a teenage girl over the internet.

He was a serving policeman when he was exposed as a paedophile by a colleague masquerading as a 14-year-old girl in an internet chat room.
Conlon, then aged 33, believed he was grooming a schoolgirl for sex.

But the Killingbeck-based constable was actually sending sick messages and sexual webcam footage of himself to a female officer from the Metropolitan Police.
Conlon contacted her ‘Shelley 14’ profile on chat website FaceParty numerous times over a six-month period.

He called himself ‘Wingnut79’ and ‘Man in uniform69.’

Conlon asked if she was a virgin and said he wanted her phone number and naked pictures after she told him she was aged 14.

He also arranged to meet a genuine 15-year-old girl he wanted to have sex with.
Conlon, an officer for five years before his arrest, turned up for the meeting in Knaresborough but she did not.
 
When police raided his then home in Primrose Hill Drive, Swillington, in August 2008 they found 370 depraved pictures and videos.
The images of girls as young as five being abused had been downloaded to his computer over a three-year period.

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A judge told a Speedwell man found guilty of sexually abusing two young girls that the "guilt is all yours".

Scott Hunt, 33, of Whitefield Avenue, abused the youngsters on multiple occasions, Bristol Crown Court heard.

Though he still denies wrongdoing a jury convicted him of three charges of causing or inciting a child aged under-13 to engage in sexual activity on one girl, and two charges of sexual assault of a child aged under-13 on another.

The Recorder Mr Neil Millard jailed him for eight years.

Both complainants read impact statements to the court outlining the guilt and shame they endured as a result of the abuse.

The judge told Hunt: "They should feel no guilt.

"They did nothing wrong.

"The guilt is all yours.

"There is absolutely no guilt on them.

"Their strength is in coming here and telling this court what you did to them.

"They are not little girls anymore, they are strong young women.

"The guilt is yours."

Hunt was handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from contact or working with youngsters aged under 16.

He was told to register his whereabouts to police for life.

One complainant told how the abuse left her "confused and frightened".

She stated: "I was just a little girl.

"I didn't understand a lot of things that happened."

The complainant said Hunt manipulated her and told her not to tell anybody about the abuse.

She described how she had blanked a lot of happy childhood memories and became nervous around men.

The other complainant said she suffered feelings of "guilt, shame and disgust" about the abuse, which left her very angry and with trust issues.

Catherine Spedding, defending, said her client was left disfigured after suffering horrific burns aged 11 months.

She said he was picked on in his early life, became isolated and lonely, and a Probation Service report concluded there was a link between his accident and his offending behaviour.

The court heard Hunt had been primary carer for his mother, who suffers from vascular dementia.

Miss Spedding said: "He still does not accept the offences.

"He does appear to accept the effect it would have on the victims."

Investigating officer DC Michael Coleman said: These were awful offences committed against two defenceless young girls in the Bristol area several years ago.

"They were first reported to the police in 2017 resulting in a thorough investigation being carried out. T

"The defendant was charged in January 2021 and convicted of five offences following a recent trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Both victims have shown tremendous bravery, fortitude and resilience throughout the criminal investigation and resulting court proceedings.

I hope the custodial sentence given to Hunt will be able to help the victims find some form of closure.

"I also hope it will encourage other victims of sexual abuse to come forward and report offences committed against them, in the knowledge they will be believed and listened to.

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Ian Watson, 56, of Churchfields, St Helens was sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty of arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

A 56-year-old man has been caught arranging to travel to Cheshire to have sex with a nine-year-old boy.

Ian Watson, of Churchfields in St Helens, was caught by police making arrangements online to meet a nine-year-old boy in Cheshire to engage in sexual activity with the child.

Watson was making the horrifying arrangements with another adult online, but what he did not know was that his dark web accomplice was actually a police officer from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU)

On March 30, 2020 he was arrested at his home address and appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, January 28 charged with child sexual offences.

A judge sentenced him to five years in prison after he was found guilty of arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

Detective Inspector Andy Buckthorpe of NWROCU said: Ian Watson was a significant risk to children and were extremely glad that our investigation has stopped him from being able to act on his abusive intentions.

Here at the NWROCU were committed to protecting children from sexual exploitation. Law enforcement operates across the internet and we're committed to ensuring those who use this means of communicating with those believe to be children to arrange sexual abuse are brought before the courts to face justice."

I would urge anyone who has been a victim of child abuse, or thinks a child is being abused, to contact police immediately on 101, where a report can be made in confidence.

Detective Sergeant Rob Deponeo, from Merseyside Police said: Offenders often think that the internet will offer them complete anonymity to commit offences, but, as todays sentence shows that this is not the case.

Merseyside Police has specialist officers working tirelessly in partnership with other agencies such as the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to identify offenders, no matter where they live or what devices they use.

"A huge amount of work is done by law enforcement agencies throughout the world to identify offenders, infiltrate their networks and uncover the evidence we need to put them behind bars and ensure that suitable safeguarding measures are put in place.

We work with other UK forces, agencies and CEOP (the Child Exploitation Online Protection centre), as well as agencies in other countries who share our desire and determination to protect children from depraved and dangerous offenders such as Watson.

"We will use every tactic and technological advancement available to ensure people cannot and do not get away with the terrible crimes they have committed.

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A DEVIOUS Workington man created a false online profile using photos of a woman he knew so he could have sexual contact with a schoolgirl.

Mark Adams, 39, made an attempt to persuade a '13-year-old girl' he was chatting to on a social media website to commit sexual acts, unaware that the person he was communicating with was actually an under-cover police officer, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The defendant was jailed after he admitted four counts of sexually communicating with a child and one of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Damian Nolan, prosecuting, said Adams, of Rowe Terrace, Workington, fabricated a profile for a gay 21-year-old woman and used this on a dating website.

He was attempting to attract the attention of young girls, said the prosecutor.

The defendant engaged in sexual communication with a user, believing her to be a 13-year-old female, said Mr Nolan, pointing out that the police operative had made clear at an early stage that the person he was talking to was aged 13.

The two also exchanged telephone numbers. The communication between the defendant and the girl went on for four days in 2020 on February 4, 5, 6 and 7.

The defendant repeatedly requested indecent images of [the child] and also sent naked images and encouraged her to engage in sexual activity, said Mr Nolan.

On February 7, he made a more specific request for the girl to undress and engage in a sex act and then made two attempts to make WhatsApp phone calls to the child so he could listen to what she was doing.

Mr Nolan continued: Clearly, the defendant was wanting to drive the conversation from start to finish.

"Those conversations with her refer to [the girl] being in school uniform and on the way home from school.

But on each and every day the defendant requested sexualised activity, either the sending of images or [the child] to perform sex acts on herself.

The court heard that the woman whose photo Adams had used in his fake profile knew nothing about it and was left deeply distressed when police told her what Adams had done.

Throughout three police interviews, Adams denied any wrongdoing.

He suggested somebody may have accessed his online profile to commit the offence.

Anthony Parkinson, defending, said Adams was assessed as posing a low risk" of reconviction and a medium risk of causing serious harm in the future. There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation," said the barrister.

He said Adams advanced hopeless theories to explain what he did are a result of his shame and embarrassment.

The barrister added: These offences took place almost two years ago and since his arrest hes had to leave his family home and he and his partner are in a strained relationship. He is living in privately rented accommodation and has inevitably suffered that this type of offence brings with it and a loss of employment.

Judge Nicholas Barker that until this offence the defendant lived a crime-free life and was in continuous employment. But he had set up the fake profile in order to engage sexually with other people, said the judge.

You set up a profile which presented yourself as a 21-year-old female who was gay and was interested in meeting young girls.

It was abundantly clear his communication with the 13-year-old was highly sexualised, highly determined, persistent, demanding and controlling, despite him quickly having learned that she 13.

The judge jailed Adams for 27 months, saying only immediate custody was appropriate given the determined nature of the offences and the deceit involved.

The defendants name will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade and he was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which forbids him from having any unsupervised access to girls aged under 16.

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Sex offender Stefan Foy has been back in court after he stayed at a house where there were children without telling police.

The 29-year-old is obliged to inform officers if he is planning to be in a household with minors following his conviction for possessing indecent images of children.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard Foy had several overnight stays with a couple he had befriended - who had no idea about his criminal past - which brought him into contact with their three children.

He also deleted the internet history from his mobile phone, which is is banned from doing, after using the dating app Grindr.

Foy will now have to wait to learn his fate until his case is heard by a judge at the crown court, after magistrates ruled the offences were too serious for their sentencing powers.

Prosecutor Sara Beddow said Foy was handed a community order at Chester Crown Court in 2017 and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

"On January 11, police made an unannounced visit to conduct a risk assessment," said Ms Beddow. "He told them he had become friends with a couple in the Stoke-on-Trent area. He initially said the friendship did not bring him into contact with children.

"However, police checked his mobile phone and viewed the Facebook account for the couple. There was a picture of them with three young children.

"He was challenged and asked if the couple had children. He put his head in his hands and said he had been to their house several times and had only met the children 'from a distance'."

The court heard police seized Foy's phone and found he had deleted the Grindr app. He had started a new relationship with a man he met through the app, who was related to the couple Foy went on to stay with. None of them knew about his previous conviction.

Foy, of Cherry Tree Lane, Biddulph Moor, pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

He declined the chance to be represented by a solicitor in court, but told magistrates: "I know I did wrong. I was in a bad place over Christmas, I got some attention from someone and his relatives.

"I got carried away with it, I didn't think about what I was doing. It was stupid of me. I'm glad I got caught by the police when I did."

Magistrates ordered a pre-sentence report ahead of Foy's next hearing, which will take place at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on a date to be fixed.

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A Surrey man has been jailed after being found guilty of a string of offences towards three teenage girls.

Marcus Collins, 22, of Canterbury Gardens, Farnborough, and Furze Close, Redhill, was sentenced during an appearance at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, January 28 for numerous offences.

Collins has been jailed for rape, sexual assault, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour and will be behind bars for 15 years.

The offences, which took place between 2018 and 2020, involved three female victims who were aged 18, 17 and 16 years old at the time.

Collins was arrested on January 8 2020 and was subsequently charged for the assault and controlling and coercive behaviour offences while the allegations of rape from his first victim were investigated.

In February 2020, a second victim contacted Surrey Police to report that Collins had assaulted, raped and controlled her between September 2018 and January 2020.

In the same month, a third girl came forward and said that Collins had raped, sexually assaulted, strangled and controlled her.

Collins was arrested on March 16 2020 for these further offences and was subsequently charged on August 26 2020 with numerous rapes, sexual assault by penetration, controlling and coercive behaviour and numerous assaults (ABH).

Detective Constable Nicky Dell, who investigated the case, said: Collins treated these three young women with incomprehensible violence and threatening behaviour over a long period of time.

"He repeatedly raped and assaulted them, he threatened to shoot them and used various weapons against them.

"He controlled them by forcing them to block friends and family on social media, dictating what clothing and make up could be worn, and not allowing them to socialise with friends.

The messages he sent to these young women, recovered from mobile phones examined during the investigation, were threatening, vile and utterly appalling.

I would like to personally commend the bravery of all three women for finding the courage to speak to police and give evidence at court.

"It took incredible courage to speak up against the crimes being committed against them and they have no doubt protected other women from becoming victims of similar horrific crimes.

I would like to reassure anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation that we will always take you seriously your allegations will always be investigated - and you will be given the appropriate specialist support.

DC Dell added: We believe there may be other victims and I would urge them to come forward, either to Surrey Police or to the independent charity East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service (ESDAS), on 01737 771350 or [email protected]

Describing the cruelty that she faced on a daily basis at the hands of Marcus Collins, one of the victims said: Even two and a half years down the line, I am still reminded on a daily basis of the cruelty that I faced at the hands of Marcus Collins.

"I get anxious in public, concerned that anyone could attack me at any time. Marcus took great pleasure in attacking me in public as well as private.

"These were often sustained attacks, all the while people walking past and staring but not helping. I could count the number of times on one hand that I was offered help, despite being kicked, jumped on, punched, shouted at.

"On one occasion, Marcus said: Look, no one cares about you, before punching me in the face. Then he looked around at everyone watching and laughed.

Even when offered help, victims may say no for fear of further violence, or even because they are so manipulated and controlled, they cannot imagine their life without their abuser.

"Either way, it would have been paramount to my mental health both during the relationship and after to have been offered help when attacked in public.

Her mother added: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Surrey Police, in particular DC Dell, for all her hard work, dedication and support throughout this case.

"Collins turned my daughter from a strong and confident girl into a shell of the person she was.

"No one should ever have to go through that hell and now hes in prison he cant make anyone else suffer. We hope the girls can rebuild their lives knowing they are finally safe.

Another victim paid tribute to the support she received from ESDAS: I am incredibly grateful for the amazing support, kindness and advice of ESDAS throughout this whole ordeal.

"This fantastic charity helped to keep me strong and I can never thank them enough.

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A PREDATORY sex offender lured an underage girl into his home before raping her, a court was told.

Robert Anthony Ryan, who was on bail for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at the time, met the rape victim at a bus stop before using a pretext of seeking her assistance to persuade her to go with him to his nearby home.

Durham Crown Court heard that once inside the attack took place, despite the girls protests and telling him how old she was.

Robin Patton, prosecuting, said following the attack, Ryan told the shaken girl not to say anything about it, and escorted her back to the bus stop, where she was physically sick.

Despite informing a family member of the incident three years later, the victim did not report it to police for several years, and only after she had begun counselling due to the anxiety she still suffered long after the attack.

Mr Patton said when arrested in 2020, Ryan said the girl willingly had sex with him, and maintained that lie through the court process until the day of his trial, shortly before Christmas.

It was only then that the now 42-year-old defendant, of Lawson Street, Trimdon Colliery, admitted the rape.

The court heard he has other sex offences on his record from 2009 and 2016.

Sentence was adjourned until yesterday to allow for preparation of a background report on Ryan by the Probation Service.

His sentencing hearing was told of the long-term effect the incident has had on the victim, who moved away from the North East when she reached 16, as a result.

Her victim statement outlined the mistrust she now has in other people, generally, but with men, in particular, and the anxiety she has suffered since.

The court heard the probation report classes Ryan as posing a significant risk to the public, generally, but specifically to young females.

Robert Mochrie, for Ryan, said two of his past offences were committed close in time to each other and indicate, there was something going on in his life when these events occurred, but with nothing of this nature in recent years.

But Judge James Adkin said he considers Ryan as being a dangerous offender, particularly to younger females.

Theres a pattern of targeting children for sex and the author of the report points to him behaving in an unpredictable, uncontrolled, predatory way.

Judge Adkin imposed a prison sentence of eight years and one month, of which Ryan must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible to be considered for release by the Parole Board, but he may have to serve the full term behind bars.

On release he will then be subject to four years extended licence period.

He was also made subject of lifetime conditions of both a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements as a sex offender.

A lifetime restraining order also prohibits contact with the rape victim.

Description

A St Neots sex offender has been jailed after breaching the terms of his order.

Robert Swinden, 46, wiped his internet history, declined to share information about his devices, and hid two bank cards from police.

He was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in 2019 with conditions to monitor his behaviour for 10 years.

As part of routine checks, officers visited his home on March 2, 2020 and inspected his mobile phone and home computer, Cambridgeshire Constabulary said.

Checks revealed there was no internet history on the phone, which breached the terms of his SHPO.

When asked to hand over all other devices that belonged to him, he refused twice, which was another breach of his order, and was arrested.

A search was carried out at his home where two bank cards were found which Swinden failed to tell police about, and thus breached his sex offender register notification requirements.

Swinden, of Russell Court, St Neots, was charged with two counts of breaching a SHPO and failing to comply with the sex offenders register.

He later pleaded guilty to the charges and, in committing these offences, breached a suspended sentence previously given to him.