Latest Offenders

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A Devon man has been jailed for sexually assaulting and attempting to rape a woman.

Marc Minchington, 39, denied the offences but was found guilty at a trial in December.

He returned to Exeter Crown Court on Monday [March 14] to be sentenced to eight years in prison.

The court was told he suffered 'some kind of mental meltdown' at the time of the offence.

He still denies doing anything wrong or that he was experiencing a mental health episode at the time. 

Recorder Don Tait said: "In December last year you were convicted by a jury of all these offences. Their decision in relation to each of the charges was unanimous. Because you contested the matter there is no such reduction I can make to your sentence.

"Even now you're in denial and have been for many years. I sat and listened to the evidence and recall it was quite clear that something happened at the time of these offences in your mind.

"You have been a hard-working man and have never really been in any trouble before. From the evidence you were significantly mentally unwell. You didn't accept that and you don't now.

"It is quite clear you were drinking far too much and that didn't help your mental health when you committed these offences."

Minchington, of Dart Walk, Exeter, will serve half of his sentence in jail and the rest on licence. He was told the sign the sex offender's register.

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A 70-year-old sex offender has been jailed for assaulting a child.

Geoffrey Abson, of Derrell Road, Paignton, touched the seven-year-old between the legs on two occasions, Exeter Crown Court was told.

He initially denied doing anything wrong but later admitted he needed help. 

Abson is a convicted sex offender with a previous conviction for a similar offence back in 1989.

The defendant said he was 'disgusted and ashamed of his actions'.

Judge David Evans said: "I have to sentence you for not one but two assaults on a girl aged under 13."

He said the defendant held 'distorted sexual attitudes towards children'. Abson was jailed for 16 months.

"Immediate prison is the only appropriate sentence. This sort of offending is too serious for a suspended sentence or any other kind of sentence."

Abson was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from contacting girls under 16.

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A Lancashire man has been jailed for repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting two young children.

Nigel Turner, 72, from Morecambe, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in November 2021, after he distributed multiple indecent images of the children (IIOC) via an online messaging app.

Some of the images, which he shared using an account created with a false name, showed him sexually abusing one of the children.

When arresting him, officers seized his phone for analysis. On it, they found a collection of images and videos which showed he had raped and sexually assaulted two children, as well as engaging in sexual activity in front of them on multiple occasions.

Although Turners face cannot be seen in the images, NCA investigators were able to identify him as the suspect from clothing, jewellery and voice recognition.

He was charged with 21 offences: seven counts of raping a child under 13, three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13, two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and 12 counts of distributing, taking and making IIOC at categories A-C (A being the most severe).

Turner pleaded guilty to all 21 charges in December last year. Yesterday [14 March 2022] he was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Preston Crown Court.

Turner was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and was put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Hazel Stewart, from the National Crime Agency, said: Turner carried out the most serious sexual abuse on these children.

His crimes are truly incomprehensible.

After capturing the abuse on his phone, Turner shared it with others online using a fake profile, in an attempt to mask his identity.

Clearly he thought this would save him, but the NCA has the capabilities to disrupt offenders who use anonymisation techniques, and we are focusing those capabilities on catching the most dangerous of criminals.

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A man who was abused by a rapist in Rochdale when aged just six-years-old has helped us jail his abuser after bravely giving significant evidence over three decades on from the incident.

Ian Nixon now aged 57 was sentenced to over 13 years in prison yesterday after pleading guilty to three offences including a rape from 1988.

Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Nixon abused the boy at a house in Rochdale when he was expected to look after him on three occasions between January 1988 and December 1989.

The victim contacted police to report the abuse in the summer of 2019 and was able to give us graphic detail of a number of incidents that he was subjected to by Nixon during the period of offending.

Detectives from our Rochdale districts Child Protection Investigation Unit soon interviewed Nixon who was now living in Blackpool where he claimed he didnt remember the victim and he couldnt recall the incidents that had been described by the victim; but didnt deny that they had occurred.

Nixon, currently of no fixed address, was later charged with buggery, indecent assault and gross indecency before pleading guilty in December last year

He has now been ordered to serve 13 years and four months in jail and has been made to sign the sex offenders register.

The victim now in his 30s has been offered continuous support from specialist officers and partner agencies throughout the case.

Detective Constable Dave Neil, of GMP Rochdales Child Protection Investigation Unit, said: Firstly, I have to pay tribute to the patience and stoicism of the survivor of this depraved abuse, as it is his bravery when coming forward and the subsequent detail of his evidence that has ensured Nixon will now rightly spend many years behind bars.

The campaign of sexual abuse that Nixon subjected his young and vulnerable victim to when he was supposed to be in his care was utterly appalling and something the boy has had to grow up dealing with mentally and emotionally all the way up to adulthood.

Its clear that no abuser can escape the consequences of their actions, no matter how long ago their offending was, and we will do our utmost to bring anyone responsible for such deplorable abuse to justice; while doing all we can with our partners to listen and support any victim of recent or non-recent sexual harm.

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A Paisley pervert who sent vile videos to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl claimed the comments he received boosted his self-esteem.

Using an app called Kik, Stephen McAloney, of Hillman Road, sent four naked shots of his groin to an undercover police officer who was acting as a teenager called Daisy.

Creepy McAloney, 47, also sent Daisy two videos of him pleasuring himself, stating he knew what he was doing was wrong but he got excited.

Sheriff Brian Mohan called for background reports on McAloney which concluded the married mans self-esteem was boosted by the comments made by Daisy.

Now the pervert has been made subject of the Sex Offenders Register for three years.

Procurator fiscal David McDonald previously told Paisley Sheriff Court: On May 11, 2020, police received intelligence that a Kik user of the name PaisleyGuy1974 was involved in various conversations online with what appeared to be 14-year-olds.

There was no further engagement until July 1, 2020, when an undercover police officer created an account using the name Daisy. It was noted by the officer the Kik profile name cant be changed but the display name can be.

PaisleyGuy1974 was identified as the accused and he changed his display name on various occasions with it being changed to Stephen on an occasion.

From July 1 onwards, chat logs between the undercover police officer and the accused show that the decoy states she was 14 years old.

The accused said he was 45 and from Scotland. Despite Daisys age, the accused continued talking, with him stating, Ill be nice then, - due to Daisys age.

Early in the conversation McAloney sent a picture of his arm in a sling and through a small gap, his tribal tattoos could be seen.

Throughout the chat, the accused called Daisy Miss Mayhem.

The conversation was inappropriate but not criminal with the accused stating how attractive she was and so on.

On July 10, the accused asked Daisy, Why dont you have a boyfriend, youre really pretty.

The conversation continued and the accused sent a picture of his penis.

Daisy replied, Oh my God hehe, are they all that big?

McAloney sent another picture of his penis and then a third image.

The conversation continued and the accused sent a video of himself masturbating and then a fourth image. The accused then sends a further video of him masturbating.

McAloney then states I shouldnt have sent that as it was wrong of me, I just got excited. He then said it was too risky.

The last communication was a number of days later but nothing of a sexual nature.

The court heard that on December 18 police officers attended McAloneys Paisley home with a search warrant when his wife was at home.

Cops arrested vile McAloney and took him to Greenock police station for interview.

Mr McDonald told the court: The accused spoke freely during interview and accepted he had conversation with Daisy and that he had sent indecent images and moving images of him masturbating.

Defence agent Gemma Elder explained McAloneys mind had been clouded by booze.

Ms Elder said: Alcohol was consumed when this offence was committed and it may have had a significant impact on his thought process.

He has had poor mental health problems and he has expressed remorse and disgust in himself that he finds himself in this situation at 47.

It was a moment of madness and now Mr McAloney has to pay the price for that.

On sentencing, Sheriff Brian Mohan said: Undercover police officers engage in this work to protect children from the behaviour you engaged in.

Fortunately no real child was harmed in this incident.

The most notable point in the report is that you began searching the internet, looking and receiving comments that helped your self-esteem not realising the offence you committed at the time.

In addition to being put on the Register, McAloney was placed under supervision for three years with a conduct requirement to carry out the Moving Forward Making Changes Programme and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work within the community within 12 months.

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A father-of-five who repeatedly raped a vulnerable teenage girl more than a decade ago has been jailed.

Amjad Hussain, 35, of Adar Street in Keighley, was one of five men found guilty of grooming and raping the girl following a trial in October.

Hussain drove the victim to remote locations where he plied her with alcohol then attacked her.

Sentencing him to 12 years in prison at Bradford Crown Court, the judge said Hussain had committed "gross abuse".

Hussain was found guilty of two specific rape charges and a further offence relating to "multiple incident rapes".

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following her ordeal in 2009 and 2010.

"The gross abuse she suffered at the hands of you and others like you is a significant factor in her mental state now," Judge Andrew Hatton said.

The judge added that it was apparent from the evidence that Hussain would be responsible for "passing on" the teenager to other men.

'Robbed of childhood'

Four other men were jailed in February as part of West Yorkshire Police's Operation Dalesway investigation.

Hussain will serve at least two thirds of his sentence and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Det Ch Insp Alan Weekes, of West Yorkshire Police, previously praised the victim for reporting the offences to the police.

"The abuse she endured robbed her of her childhood and I hope seeing all of these men sent to prison for these horrendous offences she was subjected to, will allow her to start to look forward to the future," he added.

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A paedophile burglar who admitted sending sexually explicit pictures to a 14-year-old girl and stealing thousands of pounds of items from hospital during the pandemic, has been jailed for more than nine years.

Michael Bourn, 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, attempted burglary and theft of a motor vehicle. He also admitted two counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, two counts of attempting to incite a girl aged 14 to engage in sexual activity and one count of robbery, relating to a handbag snatch on June 22 last year.

Peterborough Crown Court heard Bourn sent explicit pictures and had a sexual conversation via social media with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Bourn was first spotted on CCTV at North Cambridgeshire Hospital in Wisbech on May 28 last year.

A tradesman was doing some work on the roof when he returned to his van and noticed power tools worth about 900 were missing. The CCTV footage showed a clear image of the suspects face and officers were able to identify Bourn.

Just a week later, Bourn returned to the hospital, and this time stole a purse, phone and car keys from a worker who had left them in an area not usually accessed by the public.

After noticing her keys were missing, she went outside to check on her car and noticed it was gone. Once again, CCTV caught Bourn in the act.

Bourn visited the hospital twice more in the days that followed, taking a dongle and some cash. On one occasion, a night shift worker tending to an elderly patient noticed Bourn removing the window to one of the offices in an attempt to get in. She disturbed him and he ran away but the window had been completely removed. On both occasions, CCTV was recovered.

He was sentenced to a total of nine years and one month in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on March 9.

PC Peter Waite, who investigated, said: Bourn brazenly and shamelessly targeted hospital workers and staff who were working tirelessly to care for sick people during the pandemic.

He continued to go back again and again, stealing thousands of pounds worth of items.

Together with the robbery and engaging in sexual communication with a child, Bourns actions were absolutely despicable and I am glad justice has been done.

Bourn will spend a significant period behind bars to reflect on the hurt he has caused.

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A CONVICTED online sex offender from Workington has been handed a suspended jail sentence for twice breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Stephen McCue, 63, who was originally prosecuted after he was the subject of an online a paedophile-hunters sting, admitted two counts of flouting an order designed to curb and monitor his online activities.

He committed both offences between July 6, 2020 and May 20 last year in Workington, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The first offence involved him possessing and using an 'internet-capable smartphone' which he did not disclose to Cumbria Constabulary as required under his sexual harm prevention order imposed in January, 2020.

The second offence consisted of him deleting his internet browsing history from that smartphone again something that was prohibited by his court order.

After hearing the details, Judge Nicholas Barker imposed a 14-month jail term but he suspended that term for two years. As punishment, McCue must observe a 7pm to 6am curfew for three months.

When originally prosecuted, McCue, of Salterbeck, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity over a number of days. He believed wrongly that he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl.

He engaged her in a series of explicitly sexual conversations and even suggested that she might like to show him round the city where she said she lived. He also encouraged the girl to perform sexual acts, and told her he was doing the same.

His defence barrister said McCue was not a sexual predator and had not set out to deliberately find a child online. "He was looking for females he found attractive," said Mr Burke, adding that McCue had issues with loneliness.

He was caught after an only sting by the Child Online Safety Team.

Commenting at the time of his sentencing, an NSPCC spokesman said: "McCues case shows just how easily predators can target young children through social media. McCues intention was the incitement of sexual behaviour for his own warped gratification.

"The case highlights just how dangerous the internet can be for young people.

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A Guisborough man who has lost parts of his brain in a head injury has been sent to jail after breaching a court order.

Darren Drury, 59, was handed a sexual harm prevention order by a judge in 2017, after he admitted making indecent images of children.

But Teesside Crown Court has heard that Drury, 59, broke the order when he was found to have an Amazon account and a Vanquis financial account, that he failed to tell police about.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh said that Drury had also deleted items from his computer, which is against the terms of his court order; as well as using an online alias "GoodshotMcGraw"

Ms Haigh told the court that offender managers have visited Drury 24 times, and have discussed the terms of his sexual harm prevention order with him, so he must have known what online activity he was not allowed to carry out.

Drury, of of Aislaby Court, Guisborough, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order and to three counts of failing to comply with notification requirements, at earlier hearings.

Defence barrister Christine Egerton told the court that her client said he had set up the "GoodshotMcGraw" alias years back, for an online poker site; and that he thought police could retrieve items he deleted on his computer from the recycling bin.

Ms Egerton said that Drury had suffered a significant head injury in 2009 and she told the judge that if he looked at Drury's right side he would see "he does not have parts of his skull, he has a metal plate there. He has lots parts of his brain and his cognitive function. He has a brain injury".

But Judge Howard Crowson told Drury he had read his probation report, which found he had a "dismissive attitude" towards the need to comply with orders. The court heard that Drury could be "argumentative" on occasion.

Pointing to his history of breaching court orders, the judge jailed Drury for 12 months, telling him "Let's hope you make it a new resolution to take these orders more seriously in the future".

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Gary Ridler, of Whickham, left the mum terrified during a campaign of stalking after she ended their brief relationship

Obsessed stalker Gary Ridler threatened to cut up his ex's dog and chop her head off after she dumped him when she found out he was a sex offender.

Ridler had been involved in a brief relationship with the mum, which she ended after finding out he was on the sex offenders register.

That sparked a prolonged campaign of stalking which left the woman living in fear.

He twice gained entry to her home and on one occasion turned up with a machete and told her he had a bottle of petrol.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he tried to get her to retract an earlier statement to police by saying he would petrol bomb the houses of those closest to her while making the vile threats about the dog and saying he would behead the woman.

Now Ridler, 39, of Graham Avenue, Whickham, Gateshead, has been jailed for 28 months after admitting stalking and having the machete.

The court heard they had met while she was working in a pub in 2020 and they embarked on brief relationship.

But when she found out he was a registered sex offender, she ended the relationship as she was concerned for her children.

Ridler took the rejection badly and started causing issues with male customers in the pub and sent her unwanted calls and texts.

She blocked him but he continued to contact her from a withheld number and from a fake social media account.

The manager at the pub barred him and the police banned him from other pubs in the area last summer.

The court heard he responded by saying he would hurt 14 people because she had him barred from 14 pubs.

Matters escalated and in August last year she got a number of texts calling her names and threatening to harm her and her friends and colleagues.

Jessica Slaughter, prosecuting, said: "There was a phone call in which he said he would give her a good hiding and she said she would take a black eye if it meant he would leave her alone.

"He said it would be more than a black eye and threatened to stab her, which she found particularly frightening."

On September 5 she finished work at the pub and saw his dog outside and was concerned he was there.

He texted asking to go for a drink and she refused and left with a friend.

Ridler had been watching her and sent a message asking where she was going.

Several hours later she was having a cigarette outside a pub in Newcastle city centre when she saw him and was concerned he had followed her.

Then, in the early hours of the morning, she was woken by him banging on her window demanding to be let in. He kicked the door and managed to get in.

Miss Slaughter said: "He held his fist to her face as she was curled up on the sofa and smashed her phone.

"Her teenage daughter was woken by the disturbance and came downstairs to see him leaving and her mother hysterical. She described her mother breathing heavily.

"He had threatened to kill her if she told anyone about him being on the sex offenders register."

A few days later, on September 10, the victim was at home when Ridler suddenly appeared in her living room.

He became aggressive, demanded her phone and the friend she had been talking to on it heard her burst into tears.

He searched through her phone, looking for communication with other men then pulled a machete out of his bag.

Miss Slaughter said: "In the bag was also a plastic bottle with liquid, which he said was petrol.

"He knew the police had been contacted about the earlier incident on September 5 and threatened to chop her head off and cut up her dog if she didn't retract her statement.

"He threatened to petrol bomb the houses of her friends and family and said he hated her and would hurt anyone she cared about."

He used the machete to destroy her phone, cutting her sofa in the process.

He then pushed the broken glass side of the phone into her hand then put the phone in his bag.

Ridler also used the machete, in its case, to hit her foot.

Miss Slaughter said: "The incident lasted 30 minutes and she was terrified.

"At times she closed her eyes but he insisted on her looking at him in his eyes."

In order to bring the incident to a close, she said she would retract her statement.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "When I was told he was a registered sex offender I decided to end things because of my children and this led to him turning very frightening and terrifying me for months.

"He became obsessive. He would come to work and watch me and I felt like there was no escape from him.

"I didn't know what to do, I was terrified.

"He caused me to change from being an outgoing person to feeling distressed and on edge and terrified he would harm me and my family.

"He is really unpredictable and even got in my house and my daughters were there the first time."

The victim said she had to leave her place of work and has moved house but still fears what will happen when he is released from prison."

Ridler pleaded guilty to stalking involving fear of violence between July 1 and September 13 last year and having a bladed article and was jailed for 28 months. He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order.

The court heard he has 12 previous convictions, including three counts of sexual assault, for which he was jailed for 43 months in 2016. He also has previous for carrying weapons.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said Ridler "couldn't take the rejection" despite the woman initially saying they could remain friends.

He added that the machete had remained in its sheath and said "his problems appears to be alcohol".

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A 47-year-old man has been jailed for 14 years after being convicted of rape and sexual assaults following a trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Mario DiMaggio, of Jacobs Wells Road, Bristol, was found guilty by a jury of two counts of rape and 12 counts of sexual assault, with all the offences committed against one woman in early 2019.

The trial judge William Hart called DiMaggio predatory in his behaviour, as he sentenced him to the prison term at a hearing on March 14, as well as to a life-time restraining order. He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The offences were reported to the police in February 2019

Investigating officer DC Martin Rutterford said: Mario DiMaggio is a predatory sex offender and a danger to women.

After the jury saw the extremely harrowing evidence, they unanimously decided he was guilty of all the charges he faced trial for.

The victim in this case has shown remarkable bravery throughout the investigation and resulting court proceedings, and I hope this outcome will be of some comfort to her after the terrible ordeal shes been through.

I also hope this outcome shows other victims of rape and sexual offences that they will be listened to, believed and respected if they report offences to us, and we will carry out thorough investigations to bring dangerous offenders like DiMaggio to justice.

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A rapist destroyed the childhoods of his victims by subjecting them to years of emotional abuse and sexual attacks.

Jason Clarke repeatedly targeted the vulnerable youngsters, grooming, exploiting and abusing them. In one horrific case he raped a child who was on a bike ride through woodland.

On Monday, Liverpool Crown Court heard Clarke had spent years manipulating three victims. He made them perform sex acts, subjected them to abuse and, in some cases, raped them.

The sex attacks, which took place across different properties in Merseyside, were only stopped when one of his victims gathered the courage to speak out. Years later his crimes were reported to police and he was arrested and charged with two dozen offences, ultimately leading to his conviction.

Clarke was today branded a monster as powerful statements written by his victims were read out in court by Arthur Gibson, prosecuting.They spoke of the anger and humiliation his treatment - physically and psychologically - had caused them, leaving them feeling alone, broken and depressed.

In one harrowing statement, one of his victims said: There is no amount of time in prison that monster Jason Clarke can do that will ever feel like justice has been served because I will have to live with these demons for the rest of my life.

Each spoke of the pain they had suffered by Clarke denying wrongdoing and forcing them to endure a trial, though they said his convictions offered them some closure.

Following that trial, jurors found the 48-year-old guilty of 24 counts of sexual abuse, including multiple rapes.

Sarah Holt, defending, said she could offer no mitigation for her clients crimes. Referring to his personal circumstances, Ms Holt said: He was brought up in care from a young age. The reality is there was, perhaps, very little care that was given to him.

His education was interrupted, limited and did not address the learning difficulties he has. As a teenager he was sexually abused himself by others in what could be described as the most depraved way.

Passing sentence this morning, Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, said Clarkes dreadful crimes left a trail of devastation.

He added: These are offences for which you have shown - and continue to show - not a jot of remorse.

Judge Goldstone accepted Clarke may have had a deprived childhood but, referring to the claims he was a victim of abuse, concluded: In those circumstances no-one knew better than you the sort of impact that your offending could have.

He sentenced Clarke to 24 years in jail, of which he must serve at least 16 before being considered for release, and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order. Clarke, most recently of Hollins Drive in Stafford, will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

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An elderly sex-offender who was caught wearing a mini-skirt with no pants has been jailed after he repeatedly breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on March 11 how Colin Norfolk, aged 67, of Richmond Road, Sheffield, had been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after he had accumulated repeated convictions for indecent exposure.

James Baird, prosecuting, said the SHPO prohibited Norfolk from wearing clothing that facilitated the indecent exposure of his genitals in a public place.

But Mr Baird added that between February and September, 2020, police had struggled to locate and monitor Norfolk at his flat and when he had been seen he was obstructive so a camera was installed outside his home to capture his movements.

Mr Baird said: He was seen on the camera and he was arrested leaving the flat wearing a coat, a hat and a short, floral mini-skirt that came just above his knees and flip-flops.

When he was taken into custody it was found he was not wearing underwear.

The SHPO also prohibited Norfolk from possessing devices capable of securing images without authorisation and that such devices should be available for inspection and he should co-operate with police.

Mr Baird said police had initially attended Norfolks home on October 18, 2020, and when he failed to answer the door the camera later showed him leaving the property which proved he had been present during the visit, according to Mr Baird.

The court heard that on November 17, 2020, Norfolk was then captured on the camera wearing the clothing the mini-skirt which could have facilitated an indecent exposure.

Officers subsequently searched Norfolks flat and six mobile phones were seized and only one of them had actually been registered with the police.

Mr Baird said police also tried to execute a search warrant at Norfolks flat but he refused to answer the door and after they had started to force entry he told them he would have answered but he was getting changed.

Norfolk, who has previous convictions including SHPO breaches, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching his SHPO by failing to make himself available to police, by wearing clothing designed to facilitate indecent exposure, by possessing undeclared phones, and by failing to answer his door to police.

Ian West, defending, said: He instructs me he had an epiphany in mid-December, 2020, and he decided he had to change his ways.

This sort of behaviour. The dressing and being obstructive to the police was clearly not to his benefit and matters had got totally out of hand.

Mr West added that Norfolk is no longer wearing dresses or other female clothes not even in his own home.

Judge Rachael Harrison told Norfolk: Taking the four counts together you exhibited, in my view, a persistent breach.

She added: You treat this as some sort of game. It is not. Your position is seriously aggravated by your previous convictions.

Judge Harrison sentenced Norfolk to 24 months of custody and he was given a further eight weeks of custody relating to the activation of a previously imposed suspended prison sentence.

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Mark Smith, AKA Mark Bocker, used to lead a number of schools in Merseyside

A headteacher who specialised in pupil behaviour and safeguarding is now a convicted paedophile.

Mark Smith, better known as Mark Bocker, led a number of schools in Merseyside and the North West in career spanning almost 40 years.

Yet his reputation was left in tatters after it emerged he downloaded dozens of images of children being abused.

Smith was handed a suspended sentence at Liverpool Crown Court after 82 indecent images were found on his phone.

He had changed his name shortly before appearing in court in an apparent attempt to shield his full identity.

Yet the judge in his case confirmed his birth surname, identifying him as a former headteacher with years of experience.

Smith was previously the headteacher at Oswaldtwistle School in Lancashire, an alternative provision school focused on pupils who have been excluded from other schools or for whom mainstream education isnt suitable.

Before that, he was the head of a pupil referral unit (PRU) in Knowsley. PRUs are similarly targeted at pupils who have been excluded from other schools.

His niche experience in the area of behaviour management meant he became well known within the profession and was featured numerous times on an education podcast focused on improving pupil behaviour and safeguarding.

In an episode of the podcast, now removed from the internet, Smith said he first taught PE when he became a teacher.

After moving from Glasgow to England, he continued to work in a range of roles before moving towards teaching in schools with pupils with difficult behaviour.

A blurb accompanying the now removed podcast said Bocker believes schools should provide life-affirming experiences for children, and that their carers and we as professionals and skilled trainers should enable and empower them to realise their aspirations.

It also said that his experience meant he held a range of other roles in education, such as being a chair of governors for a trust that runs a school in Formby, where he lives, and being a member of a number of education councils.

Now aged 61, police arrested Smith after receiving a tip off about indecent images on a device that was later traced to him.

He was eventually arrested last year, with police analysis identifying a range of child abuse images on a Samsung phone.

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said On just one of those devices, a Samsung, they were able to spot that there had been stored on that item some 82 indecent images of children ranging across Category A, B and C.

Overall, 13 images fell into Category A, the most serious, while 23 were in Category B and 46 were in Category C.

Lee Bonner, defending, said Smith was deeply remorseful for downloading the pictures and had already taken steps to try to address his behaviour and not offend again.

Sentencing him to six months in jail, suspended for 18 months, Judge David Swinnerton said: It is a great pity that a man who has done a great deal for children in difficult circumstances finds himself before the court after looking at pictures of children being abused.

It may seem remote to you because it is a picture - but each picture is a case of a child abuse that is taking place somewhere in the world.

Those photos have been taken to feed a market and you are one of the customers for the worst type of content that the internet can provide.

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A paedophile asked the probation service whether he could look at pictures of 18 and 19-year-old boys instead of younger teens.

Darren Ernest Clarence Roberts, 51, downloaded specialist deleting software to clear devices of any evidence of him searching for gay teen porn just two days before his devices were checked by officers.

Burnley Crown Court was told that Roberts was placed on the sex offenders register in 1999, subjecting him to regular checks of his technology by police.

On January 21, 2020, police visited Roberts where they found 72 indecent images of children, some as young as four.

Many of the images were downloaded through cache files from Roberts visiting websites while two of the photos were downloaded and saved to the phone.

Roberts, from Blackburn, told police that he had not downloaded the images and that they were on the phone when he bought it from Cash Generator in Accrington, however, Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC said that he did not believe that a person would sell their phone without factory resetting it first.

Prosecuting, Neil Fryman said that Roberts, of Jays B and B, Bolton Road, failed to inform police that he had bought the new phone, breaking the requirements of his sexual harm prevention order with Roberts saying he did not think it was relevant.

Mr Fryman said: Roberts said he spoke with his probation worker to ask whether he could download adult porn including teenage boys who said it would be okay.

The probation service said that they recall Roberts asking but did not say it would be okay, trying to deter him from the searches.

Defending, Alison Whalley said that Roberts had two psychiatric reports in October and November and did not think that he was yet a danger to the community as he had not been contacting young boys and only downloading images.

She said: He has completed a Kaizen course. Something that he is particularly proud of and he said; If I could turn the clock back knowing what I know now I would not have committed the offences and I am remorseful.

Roberts' request for a suspended sentence was swiftly denied, with Mr Recorder Clarke saying that only a custodial sentence would be appropriate in this situation.

Roberts pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of an indecent photograph of a child and one charge of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

He was sentenced to two years in prison and will require post-release supervision.

Roberts was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years - however, he is already listed on the register for life.

He said: You have an extensive criminal record specifically relating to offences involving children.

Attempts have been made to rehabilitate you in the community to stop you offending in this way.

Its clear that you have continued to search for gay teen porn against the advice you have been given.

It is clear that you have viewed some of the images online but also downloaded some of the images online in a purposeful act.