Latest Offenders

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A nauseating man who degraded a young girl before sexually abusing her has been jailed for six years.

Lewis Smith, 27, also raped a woman while she slept and was unable to provide consent.

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A teenager pestered underage girls to send him naked pictures.

Joe Law, now 22, sent vile messages to eight Facebook profiles purporting to belong to young girls in 2018 and 2019.

But at least five of the girls were actually members of so-called paedophile hunter groups, posing as girls aged 12 to 14 in an effort to catch would-be abusers.

Oxford Crown Court heard that Law sent repeated requests for the girls to send him pictures of their bodies despite being told they were as young as 12.

When one of the youngsters told him she was at school, he wrote back: Well, go to the toilet, then. You wont get into trouble by doing that. Or do it after school when youre in your bedroom.

Another girl, who was asked for sexy pics of herself, was instructed not to tell anybody about their conversations and ordered to delete their Facebook Messenger conversations.

On April 5, 2019, members of group Catching Online Predators or COP staged a sting, going to Laws home in Banbury. He wasnt in, with his mum calling police to report there were people outside her property taking pictures and asking to speak to her son.

Law was later reported missing. Two days later he called West Mercia Police to say that hed seen the appeal and reassuring them that he was safe. He met officers in Hereford and was arrested in connection with the illegal chats.

The conversations with at least one decoy Facebook profile continued after his arrest. Asked by the girl why he got into trouble, he told her that there were individuals trying to make me go to prison and that hed been warned not to talk about it.

Despite the warning shot across his bows, he asked the girl during a game of truth or dare in their Facebook Messenger conversation to send him a picture of her body and boasted of being 6ft 7ins tall.

Messages found on his phone after his arrest pointed to him speaking to another four girls aged between 11 and 14 in addition to the four girls linked to differed vigilante group.

He was interviewed by the police and claimed not to remember the Facebook interactions, telling detectives hed been in a bad way at the time. Its all on my phone so I cant deny anything, he said.

Law, of Artizan Road, Northampton, pleaded guilty at the magistrates court to attempting to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempted sexual communication with a child.

He was given a three year community order, a sexual harm prevention order until further notice and must sign on as a sex offender for five years.

Description

A prolific predator from Moray has been jailed for eight years today for a catalogue of sex crimes against 10 victims.

A judge told Matthew Watson that his behaviour was "utterly despicable".

Lord Richardson stated the 36-year had used his victims for sexual gratification, adding his actions have had a profound and long-lasting effect on some of them.

Speaking at the High Court in Edinburgh, Lord Richardson added: "As you will surely recognise a lengthy period in custody is the only appropriate sentence I can pass on you to reflect your appalling conduct.

"You subjected each of these women to deeply distressing experiences."

Lord Richardson also ordered Watson should be kept under supervision for a further five years following his eventual release from prison.

The court heard that Watson of Mannochmore, Thomshill, had been assessed as posing a high risk of being convicted again for sexual offences in the future.

Lord Richardson said a background report prepared on the rapist revealed that he continued to deny responsibility for his most serious crimes.

Watson was earlier found guilty of five offences by a jury.

These included three charges of rape and one of assault with intent to rape.

He also admitted a further 13 offences, including indecent conduct and having sex with a minor.

The offences occurred across Moray and in Inverness between 2005, when Watson was 19, and 2018.

One victim told police that Watson had sent her a friend's request through Facebook after her 14th birthday.

His messages to the schoolgirl quickly became flirtatious, then increasingly sexual.

He asked for naked pictures.

As a result of his persistence she sent him a topless photograph.

Watson responded with pictures of his naked torso and penis.

He went on to pick up the child in his car and drive her to a wooded area for sex on two occasions.

Another 14-year-old was raped inside a car at a location in Inverness.

Watson will be placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

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A WEYMOUTH sex offender living rough on the streets of Bournemouth failed to let police know of his changed circumstances and assaulted a community safety officer, a court heard.

John Mark Poole - who also goes by the name Leon Park - admitted to failing without reasonable excuse to notify police that he was no longer residing at his registered address in Park Street, Weymouth, which he was required to do within three days under the Sexual Offences Act.

Appearing at Poole Magistrates Court via live video link on Tuesday January 11, Poole also admitted assaulting a victim on November 8 2021 who was acting in his duty under a community safety accreditation scheme, and a further offence of criminal damage while subject to a conditional discharge order.

The case was adjourned until February 17 in order for a medical or psychiatric report to be prepared.

Poole was granted conditional bail until the next court date, during which time he must report to Weymouth Police Station and live and sleep in Weymouth to ensure appearance at his next court date, and to prevent reoffending. He must also engage with REACH drug and alcohol service and engage with psychiatrists in the preparation of a report.

Description

A man from Glastonbury has been jailed for 12 years after he admitted posing as a teenage girl to manipulate schoolboys into sending him naked photos and videos of them abusing other children.

The National Crime Agency began investigating Oliver Derbidge, 25, in January 2021, after the Australian Federal Police shared details of a UK-based online account with links to an Australian offender, who had been sharing indecent images of children (IIOC).

NCA investigators identified Derbidge as the person behind the account and found that he had expressed a sexual interest in young boys across a number of child abuse forums.

He was arrested soon after and his electronic devices were seized. These were found to contain indecent images of multiple teenage boys, as well as records of online conversations in which Derbidge blackmailed a boy into sexually abusing another child.

The evidence gathered showed that his offending spanned a five-year period from 2016 until his arrest this year.

Derbidge admitted to posing as a teenage girl during that time, using the alias Emily Beecham to target schoolboys on Snapchat. He would send them friend requests and ask them to send naked photos of themselves, sometimes sending back naked images of a female he had found online.

In total 23 boys, aged between 11 and 16, were identified by NCA officers as victims of Derbidge. Each of them confirmed they had sent photos to Emily Beecham, as they believed they were speaking with another teenager.

Some explained that Derbidge had threatened to share their naked photos with friends and family if they did not send him additional images or footage of them abusing another child.

Derbidge pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a 15 year old child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, five counts of causing or inciting a child aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity (non-penetrative) and three counts of making IIOC (categories A-C).

Today (14 January) at Taunton Crown Court he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life and a given a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Phil Eccles, said:

"Derbidge went to great lengths to satisfy his sexual attraction to young boys.

"Like many online offenders, he attempted to mask his real identity with a convincing persona to exploit teenagers into sending him sexual content.

"When they did not meet his demands, he even blackmailed some of them into abusing other children.

"His abuse has had a profound impact on these vulnerable young victims who have been extremely brave throughout the course of our investigation.

"Sadly, this can happen to anyone. I'd encourage parents to speak with their children about who they communicate with online and what they share.

Description

A man has been jailed for 15 years for sexually abusing a child over a four year period in Gosport.

Shaun Healy, aged 73, abused the girl between 2016 and 2020, with the assaults beginning when the child was under the age of 13.

Police were contacted about the abuse in March 2020, and following an investigation Healy was charged with the following offences:

4 counts of assault by penetration of a girl under 13

Rape of a girl under 13

He denied the charges, but was found guilty of all the offences following a trial which began on 6 December 2021 at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Appearing at the same court for sentencing today (Friday 14 January), Healy, formerly of Maynard Close in Gosport, was handed a 10 year prison sentence with a five year extended licence period.

Following the sentencing, DC Marie Todd said: “This was a shocking and prolonged period of sexual abuse perpetrated against a child.

“The bravery shown by the girl in this case has been outstanding, and I want to commend her for having the courage to talk to police about what happened and for helping us bring Healy to justice.

“No child should ever have to suffer abuse, and I want to encourage anyone who’s been affected by this type of offending to speak out about it. You can talk to the police, someone you trust, or speak with any of the excellent support services available if you don’t feel comfortable contacting the police.”

Description

A man has today been jailed for 28 years after being convicted of indecent assault and rape.

Marcus Benson, 53, from Raglan Close, Aldershot, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court following a three-and-a-half week trial in November.

The offences took place against three girls between 1993 and 2004.

Benson had denied four counts of indecent assault against two girls and three counts of rape against two girls.

Two of the indecent assault charges and one of the rape charges were multiple count offences.

Benson was convicted on all seven counts.

Today (Friday 14 January), he was given a 28-year custodial sentence.

Detective Constable Michelle Carrig, from Operation Amberstone North, said: “I cannot underestimate the trauma that all three victims have suffered because of what Benson did to them.

“I hope today’s sentence has provided the victims with some element of closure, knowing that Benson has been jailed for a very long time for the harrowing crimes he committed against them.

“I would like to praise the victims for showing courage by coming forward to report these offences to the police.

“I would like to encourage any other victims, or anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse, or if they know someone who has been impacted by sexual abuse, to contact police on 101.

“We take offences of this nature extremely seriously and victims can speak with our specialist officers with confidence.”

Description

A SEX offender, who twice denied to police that he owned a mobile phone, had been accessing internet sites online, using aliases, in breach of a court order.

Steven Watson was made subject of prohibitions relating to his use of the internet as part of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), imposed for offences committed in 2011.

The order was replaced by the newly introduced Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), superseding SOPOs, in March 2015.

But Watson was back in court after being found to have breached the order and his notification requirements as a sex offender.

It followed an unannounced visit by police to Watson’s home in August 2020, when he claimed to have lost his mobile phone, after being asked to produce it for examination.

Durham Crown Court was told that more than seven weeks later he again told police he did not have a mobile phone, but claimed he planned to acquire one shortly afterwards.

Police phoned him by landline in October 2020, to inform him his annual registration as a sex offender was imminent.

But days later an anonymous caller told police Watson had met a woman in Upon his subsequent arrest he showed police a mobile phone which he claimed to have been in possession of, for only a matter of days,

That phone was examined and evidence of him making searches for pornography emerged.

Watson admitted he had been looking at teenage pornography, but claimed it was available on legally-permitted sites.

Prosecuting counsel Katie Spence said it transpired that Watson had used various aliases, in breach of the SHPO, in making online searches.

Watson finally confessed that he had owned a phone for much longer than he had previously told police.

He claimed that in accessing dating sites he sometimes forgot password information and so created new details.

The 39-year-old defendant, who has been living at a charity-run men’s hostel in Plawsworth, near Chester-le-Street, admitted doing acts in breach of the SHPO and failing to comply with the notification requirements as a sex offender.

Judge Ray Singh, who described them as, “persistent breaches”, imposed concurrent prison sentences of 32 months.

Watson will remain subject of the orders on release.

Description

A Dundee sex offender who described the molestation of his underage victim as like “fumbling on a first date” has avoided prison.

Victor Don, 53, was given unpaid work, having pled guilty to indecently touching a 14-year-old girl.

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A police officer who was caught trying to arrange the abuse of an eight-year-old girl and accessed indecent images of a vulnerable teen has been jailed.

Det Con Lee Cunliffe admitted seven offences including arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

The 40-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer has been suspended from duty since his arrest in 2020.

Cunliffe, of Wigan, was jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for eight years and four months.

The court heard Cunliffe had been a serving officer for 17 years when, in September 2020, he began messaging a woman whom he believed was the mother of the eight-year-old girl on instant messaging app Kik.

Prosecutor Arthur Gibson said Cunliffe told the woman, who was actually an undercover Met Police officer, that he would visit London to sexually abuse her daughter.

Police investigations revealed Cunliffe had sent the messages from several devices, including a police-owned computer at Swinton police station, and he was arrested in October 2020.

Perverted desires

A subsequent search of the married father's home revealed a laptop he had used to access indecent images of children, including of a "plainly vulnerable" teenage girl who made a complaint to GMP in 2018.

Mr Gibson said the girl had alleged her boyfriend had taken indecent images of her and distributed them without her knowledge.

Cunliffe, then a trainee detective, was allocated to the case and the suspect's computer and phone were seized after his arrest.

Mr Gibson said he later wrote an entry on the crime log stating there was nothing on either device relating to the offence, when "in fact, both devices contained both still and moving indecent images of children, a total of 227 being accessible".

The computer was returned to the suspect with the indecent images still on and no further action was taken.

Evidence of files from between 2014 and 2018 which were indicative of child abuse were also found on Cunliffe's laptop.

Julian King, defending, said Cunliffe had been going to see a psychotherapist, who said he had compulsive sexual behaviour disorder.

Cunliffe, of Hindley Green, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to arranging the commission of a child sex offence, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in a public office, distributing indecent photos of a child, and three counts of making indecent photos.

Sentencing him, Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary QC, said the actions Cunliffe was "contemplating with this very young child could hardly have been more serious".

"What you did in relation to this girl and this case is shocking and strikes at the very heart of that foundation of trust that the public have invested in the police service," he added.

Speaking after sentencing, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods of GMP, said Cunliffe's "deplorable behaviour" was "absolutely inexcusable" and had "undermined the very essence of policing's core value of protecting the public and helping those in need".

Det Insp Suzanne Keenaghan, from GMP's online child abuse investigation team, described his offending as "depraved".

"Cunliffe deliberately created an online profile with the perverted intention of arranging to commit a child sex offence and having indecent images in his possession for his own sexual gratification," she said.

He will now face disciplinary action under the Police Conduct Regulations, GMP added.

Child protection charity, the NSPCC, said: "Cunliffe's actions were an appalling abuse of his position of trust.

"Through his police training and employment, Cunliffe would have been very aware of the devastation sexual abuse has on children's lives.

"Despite this, he chose to pursue his own perverted desires."

Description

A Devon man has been jailed for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl.

Jason Pagan, 48, told the child he was just playing when his tickling turned into sexual touching, Exeter Crown Court heard.

He touched the child over her clothing and then massaged her naked buttocks.

The factory worker, of Higher Roborough, Ashburton, was convicted of sexual assault by a jury after a trial in October. He denied doing anything wrong.

He returned to court on Tuesday [January 11] and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. The judge was told he still denied the offences but was sorry for the effect on the child.

A judge said she had 'lost her innocence' as a result of the assault. Judge Peter Johnson said: "I've considered with care whether it is appropriate to suspend the sentence and in my view it is not. Whilst it may be said you are capable of being rehabilitated this offence is so serious that only immediate custody is appropriate.

"There is ongoing harm to the young child.

"She has lost her innocence and that's why this must be an immediate custodial sentence."

Ms Kelly Scrivener, prosecuting, said Pagan maintained he had just been innocently playing with the child.

"What the jury did not hear is that he has a number of sexual offences recorded against him," she added.

Pagan was convicted back in 1993 of three offences of indecent assault on a female under 16. The defendant was sent to a Young Offenders Institution for 42 months for those offences. Since then he has been in trouble for criminal damage, dishonesty and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.

Ms Emily Pitts, defending, said the public would be better served with Pagan receiving a suspended sentence.

He had endured a difficult childhood and his life had fallen apart since committing the offence.

She said he was 'ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted' and was living a 'terribly isolated life'.

But she said he was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation and was making efforts to get his life back together.

Pagan was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his access to children and told to sign the sex offender register.

Description

A Teignmouth man has been jailed for sexually molesting an eight-year-old girl.

Richard Griffiths was visiting a house in Torbay when he assaulted the child.

The 37-year-old denied two charges of sexually assaulting a child under 13 but was found guilty after a trial in December.

He has been jailed for two years and nine months.

Exeter Crown Court was read a victim personal statement by the mother of the child who said the incident had had a profound effect on her daughter.

"This has caused my family immense stress and trauma," she said.

"My daughter has suffered mental trauma and doesn't sleep well." She said the child was now distrustful of men and prone to bursts of anger.

"I feel my daughter's innocence has been taken away from her in such a way that her childhood is ruined and her memories stolen."

The offence dates back to 2019.

Prosecutor Ms Bathsheba Cassel said Griffiths said Griffiths had been drinking the night before the assault. He twice put his hands inside the child's clothes to touch her. He was arrested after the child told her parents what had happened.

The defendant, of Barnpark Terrace, has previous convictions for cannabis growing and was subject to a suspended sentence at the time of the offence.

Mr Richard Crabb, defending, said Griffiths, was a divorced man who had not done anything like this before. He described the offence as 'opportunistic' rather than planned.

Judge Peter Johnson said he had seen Griffiths shaking his head when evidence was heard during the trial.

"You stood trial and the jury disbelieved you," the judge told him.

He said the young victim had suffered psychological damage as a result of the incident.

Griffiths was made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his access to children and must sign the sex offender register. He will serve half of the sentence in custody ands the rest on licence.

Description

A man from Nottingham has been jailed for more than two years after he admitted illegally accessing a number of victims’ devices to spy on them and build a collection of indecent images of both children and adults.

Robert Davies, 32, came to the attention of National Crime Agency investigators in 2019 after he purchased a number of cyber crime tools, including crypters and remote administration tools (RATs).

He was also identified as a customer of weleakinfo, an online market place selling stolen credentials, which was taken offline last year following an NCA-led investigation.

Davies was infecting his victims’ phones or computers with malicious software by disguising it with the crypters so their anti-virus protection would not detect it. He then used the RATs to gain remote access to their devices and steal any sexual images (mainly of females) they had stored on there.

On at least one occasion, he used his illegal access to spy on a teenage girl through her webcam, turning the encounter into a number of indecent images. Officers recovered this, along with a further 27 indecent images and videos of children, on his computer.

Davies was also using numerous fake online profiles to mask his identity and contact his victims on various messaging apps, in an attempt to build a relationship with them and attack their devices using links sent through the chats. There was evidence that he had been doing this over a number of years.

In total NCA officers identified and visited over 30 victims of Davies throughout the course of the investigation.

He was arrested three times between November 2019 and August 2021, each time being charged with further offences as officers analysed his devices and the true scale of his offending came to light.

On 2 September, Davies pleaded guilty to 24 Computer Misuse Act offences, voyeurism, three counts of possessing indecent images of children (IIOC), making IIOC and possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was sentenced today (11 January) at Nottingham Crown Court to 26 months in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register, given a 10 year restraining order on five of the victims and a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

Andrew Shorrock, Operations Manager from the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Davies had amassed what can only be described as a cyber criminal’s toolkit.

“Not only was he using these tools to break in to peoples’ devices, he was using them to spy on his unsuspecting victims and to steal naked images of them for his own sexual gratification.

“Even more disturbing is the fact that at least one of his victims was a teenager and we found a collection of images and videos of child sexual abuse on his computer.

“Increasing the barrier of entry into cyber crime by reducing the availability of, and accessibility to, off-the-shelf tools is a key focus for the NCA. We work with a range of partners to target both criminals and their infrastructure, to ultimately disrupt and deter this type of offending.”

Description

A military firefighter was jailed for seven years today after raping a vulnerable underage girl during a catalogue of abuse against five children.

Stephen Baker, 54, had denied the offences during an earlier trial but was convicted of one charge of rape, one of indecent assault and five of indecent conduct.

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A paedophile referee turned up to children's football matches and started running the line and giving offside decisions.

Roman Fletcher has a history of grooming youngsters and is subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

The 21-year-old, formerly known as Peter Burns, was previously locked up for using his role as a wrestling referee to target victims.

But he then started using his training as a football official to get closer to children - only to be spotted by an eagle-eyed coach.

Liverpool Crown Court heard FA coach Natalie Pinnington coaches a girls under 14 team, Brookvale United, in the Warrington area.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting, said Ms Pinnington worked with Fletcher, of Halton Road, Runcorn, when he was 14 or 15, because he refereed games she was involved in.

However, she hadn't seen him for a number of years and knew he wasn't allowed to work with children and that she should contact the FA if she saw him at youth football pitches.

On September 26 last year, while coaching at Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub in Warrington, she spotted a man with a Sports Direct carrier bag.

Ms Mottram said: "Ms Pinnington had thought he was either the referee or an assistant of some sort, as he had stood about the side of the pitch and at one point, he gave a decision on an offside."

Ms Pinnington saw the man talking to a fan aged around six, then playing football with a group of youths aged around 10 to 12, before she was told it was Peter Burns.

On October 10, Fletcher returned to the hub and was spotted by Ms Pinnington at the side of the pitch.

Fletcher was told to leave and wait outside, which he did, but at the end of the game he came back and went in goal while playing football with a group of children aged between eight and 13.

The court heard Ms Pinnington took a photo of him on her phone and contacted the FA.

Ms Mottram said Fletcher returned to the hub again on November 7, when he played football with boys aged between nine and 12. This time Ms Pinnington called the police and Fletcher fled.

When arrested and interviewed, he accepted breaching his order but "stated he had no intention of causing any child sexual harm".

Fletcher admitted three breaches of his SHPO.

In 2017, Fletcher was given a youth referral order for four offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, relating to one boy and three girls.

In 2019, he was locked up for 12 months for one offence of the same charge, relating to a boy, when he was hit with the SHPO.

Ms Mottram said: "Those offences involve this defendant engaging with children under 13, around 11 or 12, in fact under the guise of wrestling and inviting them to perform wrestling moves with him, to the extent of sitting on his face during the wrestling moves. That is the modus operandi for all of those offences."

Recorder Ian Harris said police examined Fletcher's phone in November and found texts in which he told a friend if police found out he was attending children's football matches, "he was going to go anyway".

The judge said in a "contradictory" pre-sentence report Fletcher said he wasn't blaming his diagnosis of autism for the offences, but also denied any sexual attraction to children.

Recorder Harris said a probation officer found his account "implausible" as he has "a history of grooming behaviour towards children".

Jeremy Rawson, defending, asked the judge to bear in mind his client's autism and "pathological demand and avoidance syndrome".

Mr Rawson said: "He suffered significant bullying whilst he was a young boy, to such an extent he has difficulty in relating to those of his own age."

The lawyer said Fletcher was "football obsessed" and when he came out of prison, tried to join an FA scheme called Man v Fat, set up to help people with weight issues.

But the FA found out about his convictions and barred him from the scheme, so he was "left very much at a dead end as far as football was concerned".

Mr Rawson said Fletcher, who lost a job because of physical issues, expressed "regret and remorse".

Recorder Harris said Fletcher "attended a children's football pitch and seemed at least on one occasion to be helping to referee", but was spotted by Ms Pinnington.

He said: "On October 10 she actually approached you. You said you were helping to run the line."

The judge said Ms Pinnington later called the police, adding: "She is to be commended for her behaviour."

He told Fletcher: "It's a persistent breach that may, and in my judgement would, have led to harm."

Recorder Harris said the pervert's criminal record and latest offences showed a continuing "sexual attraction and infatuation with children".

Jailing him for 16 months, Recorder Harris found Fletcher's mental state and diagnoses didn't affect his culpability.

He said: "You were cunning and deceptive in your actions when you breached the order on those three occasions and you knew full well what you were doing.

"I have no doubt a future form of paedophile offending would have occurred."