Latest Offenders

Description

A Penclawdd man has been jailed for nine years following an intelligence-led operation by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit, along with South Wales Police.

A previously convicted paedophile Steven Morris 58, from Penclawdd in Swansea appeared before Swansea Crown Court today for sentencing, where he had previously pleaded guilty to sexually communicating with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming as well as breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was arrested on the 14th October 2021 by detectives from Tarian Disruption Unit and investigated by Swansea Criminal Investigation Department, where he was remanded in custody until his appearance today.

Morris engaged in conversation with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, who was in fact an undercover police officer. He told the officer Do mum and dad know u chat? My wife doesnt xxx.

Upon hearing she was just 13 years old Morris stated As long as u arent police or gonna report me Im happy to chat and meet up if u are genuine.

Morris conversations with the officer became more sexually explicit, he sent images of himself and began to suggest that the pair meet in person, saying things like If we meet it would be really secret xxxx.

A date was then arranged for Morris to meet with the undercover officer at a location in Pontypridd on the 14th October 2021. Once he arrived at the agreed location he was quickly arrested by officers from TARIANs Disruption Team.

Morris was given a nine-year extended sentence. Four of which will be spent in prison. He was placed on the Registered Sex Offenders list indefinitely, and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Detective Inspector Dave Bancroft said: This is an excellent operation between Tarian South Wales Police.

It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities, irrelevant of who or where that threat comes from.

Law enforcement operates across the internet, and we will relentlessly seek to bring to justice individuals who use the web to facilitate the abuse of children.

If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty of a string of sexual offences against children.

Alan Robert Henneberry, of Grantham, committed the offences in 2019 and 2020 against two victims aged under 13.

He had been found guilty on 16 September after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

Lincolnshire Police said the 34-year-old had committed "some of the most grave" offences and caused serious harm to children.

Henneberry, of Shaw Road, Grantham, was charged with two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and one count of sexual assault of a child by sexual touching.

He also previously pleaded guilty to charges of possession of, making and taking indecent images of children.

Det Con Helen Morris, of Lincolnshire Police's protecting vulnerable persons unit, said: "There is no length of sentence that could make up for the actions of this man.

"He is guilty of some of the most grave offences, causing the most serious harm to children."

She also paid tribute to victims and witnesses in the case whose "strength... helped to put this dangerous man behind bars".

Henneberry was also added to the sex offenders register for life and is to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A dangerous predatory offender who targeted teenage girls and then sexually and physically assaulted them has been jailed.

Joshua Plunkett, 25 (27.11.95), of Reginald Road, Lewisham, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 18 November to 14-and-a-half years' imprisonment. He will serve at least eight-and-a-half years of the sentence in prison, with the remainder to be served on licence. He also received a 15 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register.

He was convicted at the same court on Friday, 17 September of:

- Possession of a prohibited image;

- Sexual communications with a child;

- Controlling coercive behaviour;

- Disclosing private photographs;

- Actual bodily harm;

- Two counts of sexual activity with a child;

- Perverting the course of justice;

- Causing a child to watch a sexual act;

- Breach of a Sexual Risk Order;

- Failing to comply with section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

The court heard that Plunkett targeted five teenage girls aged between 13 and 18, between 2016 and 2020.

After befriending his victims online, he would then exercise coercive control and abuse them physically, sexually and emotionally. Several victims told detectives he used ‘strangle holds’ on them. He broke the finger of one of his victims and bit her so forcefully that a complete mouth impression was left.

Plunkett used coercive control to dominate his vulnerable victims and would publish graphic images of them online to punish them and cause embarrassment if they upset him or tried to break contact.

Even after he was arrested and charged, following a comprehensive investigation by the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, his reign of terror did not stop as he sought to intimidate one of his victims while on remand to avoid justice.

Plunkett’s offending began in 2016, then aged 20, when he started an online conversation with [Victim 1] who was 15 at the time. As the victim started to feel Plunkett genuinely liked her, he started to ask her to send him intimate pictures of herself. She told him no because she was not ready and Plunkett responded by sending nasty messages and abusing her via text message. The victim relented and sent him a series of sexual photographs.

In July 2017, Plunkett began a conversation with [Victim 2] who was 13. He asked her how old she was, and she added a year to her true age and responded 14, but that did not deter Plunkett and he sent her a series of sexual messages.

[Victim 3] first met Plunkett through Facebook when she was 15 and they started messaging. They met up in March 2018 when she was 18 and he was 22. As the relationship developed, Plunkett began demanding access to her social media accounts. In May 2018, Plunkett demanded her phone and when she refused he grabbed her around the neck and strangled her. He did the same thing just three weeks later. In June 2018, the victim ended the relationship. This angered Plunkett who logged onto her social media account and was abusive and rude and sent a number of explicit pictures and videos of the two of them engaging in sexual activity to her friends and family. Plunkett’s actions ruined the victim’s modelling career and damaged her self-esteem.

Plunkett met [Victim 4] in 2018 when she was 15 and he had sex with her. In September 2018 the two were play fighting when he deliberately took hold of her finger and tried to snap it, which resulted in a suspected break. While on remand in prison in December 2018, Plunkett persuaded the victim that it was her fault he was still in custody because of what she had said in her police interview. Over the next four weeks or so he made a concerted effort to persuade the victim to retract her account that there had been any sexual element to their relationship. His efforts worked and she withdrew her statement in January 2019. However, after speaking with detectives she thankfully changed her mind and further disclosed the full extent of the abuse in June 2020.

In January 2020, having been released from custody on bail, Plunkett attended [Victim 4]’s home uninvited, giving an excuse that he thought he had taken her keys a couple of weeks earlier. Breaching the Sexual Risk Order that detectives had secured, he entered the victim’s bedroom while she was listening to music and immediately started punching her repeatedly in the face and head, causing her to fall to the floor. He then kicked her in the face and gave her a cut to her forehead which bled profusely. She managed to get slightly towards the door when he pulled her back by her hair – pulling some of it out – and she fell to the floor again where he resumed kicking her. He then took the victim’s mobile phone and bankcard and left the scene. All this was witnessed by her 12-year-old sister.

Plunkett contacted [Victim 5] over Snapchat in September 2019. He told her he was 16, but he was in fact almost 24. The victim told him her true age, 14. Plunkett asked the victim to watch some of his videos on Snapchat story. One of the videos he sent was of him having sex, so the victim blocked him. In the summer of 2020, while on remand for these offences, Plunkett attempted to add the victim as one of the contacts he could phone from prison. He lied to the prison authorities and said she was his 24-year-old cousin, meaning he once again breached his Sexual Risk Order.

Detectives began their investigation into Plunkett in September 2018, and first arrested him in November 2018. He was further arrested another three times throughout 2018 and 2019. It was a complex investigation which involved five victims and offending dating back to 2016. It took eight months of detectives closely working with the victims before the full extent of Plunkett’s abuse came out.

Detectives also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to protect the victims and any potential future ones by doing things such as applying for Sexual Risk Orders, working closely with the prison to gain intelligence and making a Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act application after he refused to provide the PIN for his phone.

Detective Constable Natalie Franklin, the investigating officer from the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, said: “Plunkett is a cruel monster who preyed on young teenage girls. He would make their lives a living nightmare for his own twisted pleasure by abusing them with sexual, physical and emotional violence. He is the personification of violence against women. Even when he was on remand awaiting trial he exercised his control by intimidating one of his victims and making her so fearful that she withdrew her statement.

“This was a complex investigation which involved hundreds of hours of enquiries to be carried out, but we were happy to work around the clock to make sure that Plunkett was brought to justice so he could not hurt and control any more young girls.

“I would like to praise the bravery of Plunkett’s victims who came forward and gave evidence. It cannot have been easy for them to re-live their traumatic ordeals, but their courage resulted in us being able to build a strong case against Plunkett which has resulted in him being put behind bars for a considerable amount of time.”

Description

Depraved Brian Cairns paid to have very young children sexually abused and tortured so he could watch the vile abuse live on camera.

The twisted 60-year-old sent money online to "facilitators " in the Philippines to he could direct the horrific abuse of girls as young as four as he observed it.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he kept screenshots of what he had ordered, "almost off a menu".

During one of the sickening live shows, Cairns asked the for a break to go and get some cigarettes so he could smoke while he watched the "unsafe and degrading" acts.

Prosecutor Paul Cleasby told the court officers from Northumbria Police Paedophile Investigation Team had seized Cairns' computer devices after they received information he had been sending "large sums of money" overseas in exchange for child abuse images.

Mr Cleasby said an analysis of Cairns' computer revealed a series of chats and added: "It was clear from the conversations money had been paid by the defendant in order for sexual abuse of children to take place live on
camera while he watched."

The court heard Cairns ordered that the abused girls should be under eight years old and made specific requests involving "degrading violence" that he wanted done to them.

One of the victims was four and the other between six and eight.

Cairns, of Pendle Close, Washington, admitted two charges of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child and two of making indecent photographs of a child.

Judge Amanda Rippon jailed Cairns for 13 years with an extended one year licence period.

The judge said the offences were "some of the most depraved I have had the displeasure to come across in my work in the criminal justice system in the context of child abuse".

Judge Rippon said: "Suffice to say, these offences are of the most grave kind.

"You ordered, almost off a menu, for children who you did not want to be older than eight, to me not just abused but tortured - and they were.

"They were tortured for your sexual gratification in the most abhorrent way.

"You even told them to wait at one point so you could go and get some cigarettes so you could smoke while you watched.

"You directed the abuse.

"These children are very young, desperately so in the context of what you were requesting was done to them."

Description

A vile paedophile who "ruined the life" of his schoolgirl victim has finally been brought to justice more than 40 years later.

John Storey subjected the young girl to years of abuse in the late 1970s when he was aged between 33 and 35.

This included touching her vagina, making her touch his penis and perform a sex acts on him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Tom Storey, prosecuting, said the victim remembered waking up to find the pervert in the room next to her before the abuse began.

He said: "She described herself as being powerless to do anything about it.

"On days following occasions when he abused her he would sometimes tell her to say nothing about it.

"He would tell her people would not believe her, and if they did she would be responsible for his sons losing their father."

The victim was initially too terrified to tell anyone about what had been going on and said the abuse had ruined her life.

The 77-year-old's sickening crimes drove her to abusing alcohol and drugs and she ended up seeking the help of a counsellor.

It was during a counselling session that the brave victim spoke of the abuse she had endured and eventually reported it to the police in February last year.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "The abuse has had a devastating impact on my life. I found it difficult to make friends at that time and always felt like an outsider.

"I believed it was my fault and I should have done more to stop the abuse from happening.

"Living with this secret has had a massive effect on my mental health. I was so ashamed of it I started abusing alcohol and drugs to block out the memories and the pain.

"I truly believe that John saw vulnerability in me and preyed on me.

"I will always live with the guilt that other children may have been abused by John after me because I did not speak out at the time.

"That is something I have to come to terms with."

Storey, of Kingston Green, Newcastle, was arrested and interviewed on March 4, 2020, and initially denied any allegations of sexual abuse against the complainant.

He later admitted four counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard how Storey had a history of offences against young girls. He spent more than a decade behind bars from 2008 for a string of sex offences including three counts of rape and two counts of attempted rape.

Storey was subject to a conditional discharge in July 1977 after having intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 and would have breached this by abusing his latest victim to speak out.

Paul Caulfield, defending, said his client suffered from a serious lung disease which limited his life expectancy. He added that this meant he was particularly vulnerable to catching Covid-19.

Judge Penny Moreland sentenced Storey to six years in prison, of which he will serve half behind bars if he is no longer deemed a risk before being released on licence.

"You ensured her silence by telling her she would not be believed," Judge Moreland told him.

"You told a probation officer you were unable to remember the fact you repeatedly abused a child in that way.

"What you did to her was devastating. You ruined her life.

"You are an inveterate abuser of girls."

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and will pay a victim surcharge.

Description

A former Norfolk hospital worker jailed for sex offences, including explicit online chats with girls he believed to be as young as 12, impersonated a police officer to try to get his NHS job back.

Jordan Ellis, 27, who was a care assistant at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and a St John Ambulance volunteer, was sentenced to a total of two years and eight months for a string of sexual offences.

Police who raided his then home in Lawson Road, Lowestoft, seized his laptop and phone.

Prosecutor Ian James told Norwich Crown Court specialist officers accessed an instant messaging service and retrieved deleted data from the chats with online profiles that stated they were children.

In one he asked what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl whether he could also see her 10-year-old sister, he said.

Ellis, who now lives in Benbow Close, Hethersett, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite three separate children aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sending images of his body parts and two counts of attempting sexual communication with two children he believed were 14 and 15.

He also admitted making and distributing indecent images of children.

Appearing at Norwich Crown Court on Friday, he also pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer when he sent fraudulent emails.

During the investigation, he had been suspended from his job as an NHS health care assistant and from his voluntary work for St John Ambulance.

However, he sent an email to both organisations in November 2019 attaching a letter purporting to be from DC Amy Nunn, an officer working on the investigation, to say no further action was to be taken against him.

DC Nunn said: “This has been a complicated job with Ellis taking many steps to try and hide his offending.

“The predatory nature of this individual has been exposed and the risk he poses to children can now be managed.”

St John Ambulance confirmed Ellis had been suspended as a volunteer upon his arrest and then dismissed when he pleaded guilty to his crimes.

A spokesperson for the charity added: "We are appalled by Jordan Ellis’s crimes and our thoughts go out to anyone who has been affected.”

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Disgraced former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke is facing fresh court proceedings after allegedly failing to pay 35,000 in prosecution costs following his sentence for sexually assaulting two women.

The former Dover MP, 50, was jailed for two years in September 2020 after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a month-long trial.

He was released from prison in September after serving half of his sentence, but is now facing further proceedings at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Friday for the alleged non-payment of a 35,000 fine imposed on September 15 2020.

The sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, ordered Elphicke to pay 35,000 within a year towards the costs of the prosecution, which would otherwise fall on the public purse.

You have substantial equity in your family home, which is currently up for sale, she told him.

Debt

However, Elphickes barrister, Ian Winter QC, told the court his client had a fair bit of debt, and that his estranged wife, Natalie Elphicke, now the MP for Dover, loaned him 100,000 to pay legal bills.

Her Majestys Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is pursuing the payment of the fine and has enforcement powers, which can include a summons to attend a hearing to explain why it has not been paid or set out when it will be.

Refusal to pay could result in a criminal charge being brought.

Elphicke is expected to attend Fridays hearing, according to a court official, and if he does not, a warrant could be issued for his arrest.

In March, he lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his jail term after his lawyers argued the sentence was too long and should have been suspended.

The sentencing judge described Elphicke as a sexual predator who used his success and respectability as a cover and told a pack of lies.

During his trial, jurors heard how he had asked one of his victims about bondage and sex, then kissed her and groped her breast before chasing her around his home, chanting: Im a naughty Tory.

In the wake of the case, the Commons Standards Committee found that five Conservatives, including his wife, Natalie, had breached the code of conduct over an egregious attempt to influence his legal proceedings.

As a result Mrs Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale and Theresa Villiers were suspended from the House of Commons for a day.

They, along with Bob Stewart and Adam Holloway, had written to senior members of the judiciary raising concerns that a more junior judge was considering publishing character references provided for Mr Elphicke.

Elphicke became a Government whip during David Camerons premiership in 2015, but returned to the backbenches when Theresa May came to power the following year.

He had the party whip suspended in 2017 when allegations of sexual assault first emerged, but it was controversially reinstated a year later for a crucial confidence vote in then-prime minister Mrs May.

The whip was withdrawn again the following summer when the Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision to charge Elphicke.

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A Derbyshire man who raped a child isolated his young victim from her family and sexually abused her.

A trial heard how Alan Lamb took the girl to his home and had full sex with her.

On other occasions Lamb, who was a teenager at the time, would get the victim to carry out other depraved acts on him.

The victim had to relive her ordeal giving evidence due to the defendant's denials.

A jury heard how her teenage years were categorised by self-harm and a suicide attempt as a result of what took place.

And it was only years later she was able to bravely pluck up the courage and report what happened to her.

Jailing Lamb, 33, for seven-and-a-half years, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: "It is deadly serious the rape of a child of this age.

"It had led to substantial psychological harm (on her), you took a young child from the safety of her family and did what you did to her.

"Her teenage years, which should have been the happiest of her life, you grossly disfigured by what you did to her.

"Her teenage years were characterised by self-harm and a suicide attempt.

"The idea that this was someone making a false complaint, as you did at trial, is ridiculous."

Lamb's trial, which took place at the Mercure Hotel nightingale court in Nottingham last month, saw the victim forced to relive her ordeal giving evidence.

She told how Lamb, who was considerably older than his victim, would take her to his house and sexually abuse her.

A jury found the defendant guilty of one count of rape of a child and two counts of sexual assault.

He has no previous convictions.

William Bennett, his barrister, said: "He knows it is going to be an extremely long sentence he is going to receive.

"He knows if it is longer than seven years then he will have to serve two-thirds of it in custody.

"He has never been to prison before and it will come as a massive shock.

"His family are worried whether he will be able to cope with custody.

"His life is on tatters, he has children of is own and his relationship with his partner and children has been effectively wrecked."

As a result of his conviction, Lamb, of Valley Road, Shirebrook, will be on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A Bexhill man who paid to receive photos of sexual abuse of a child in the Philippines, each one posed as he required, is now starting a six-year prison sentence, following an investigation by Sussex Police detectives working with the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and officers in the Philippines National Police.

Michael Wilkinson, 36, a decorator, was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on 10 November, having admitted inciting and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, making indecent images of children and possessing prohibited and extreme images.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which severely restricts his access to children and digital devices for life, It also imposes a five-year travel restriction order on him from from the day of his release, which police can apply to renew every five years.

Detective Constable Richard Gill of the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: "The investigation began in April 2020 when we received intelligence that Wilkinson was downloading indecent images of children.

"That was confirmed when we executed a warrant at his address and seized his phone and other devices, but only then as our enquiries continued did we realise that he had also been paying through a third party in the Philippines, for a girl, aged between nine and 12, to pose for indecent photos which were then sent over to him.

"In one instance he received video of her, but otherwise he received still images, in specific poses which he had ordered as part of the transaction.

"It became clear that Wilkinson had made contacts in the country whilst backpacking some years ago, and used them to make contact with the family concerned for his own sexual gratification over an extended period.

"We worked very closely with the NCA's international network, who liaised with PICACC (the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center). They were ultimately responsible for tracking down the child in this case and safeguarding her and her sisters.

"This was a great example of inter-agency and international law enforcement co-operation which has reached out across more than 10,000 miles to take action against a predatory offender and safeguard innocent children."

Description

A 61-year-old sex pest handyman who exposed himself to elderly victims is a struck-off doctor, Hull Live can reveal.

Michael Rusling of Lund Avenue, Cottingham ran a local business carrying out home repairs and maintenance in the area.

But he "abused" his position of trust by carrying out sex crimes.

As well as being locked up for six months, Rusling was placed on the sex offenders register for seven years.

Rusling pleaded guilty to three exposure offences at Hull Crown Court and was also given a life-long restraining order to keep away and make no contact with the elderly victims.

Investigating officer DS Wood, said: Rusling abused his position as a handyman and I thank his elderly victims for their bravery in coming forward, and for their patience while this case took its course through the criminal justice system.

I know the three victims have been given some form of comfort from this, but their lives are still impacted by this mans behaviour.

"I would like to provide reassurance to anyone who may have suffered any form of sexual offence, if you come to us we will listen to and support you, and act against those responsible."

Rusling was a GP in Hull who was struck off for having sex with a patient and a co-worker in his surgery at Sydenham House Group Practice.

In 2009 The Mirror reported that a hearing of the General Medical Council (GMC) heard how Rusling had sex with three women.

Description

A dad-of-two sexually assaulted a girl after sending her a vile threat.

"Depraved" Anthony Cubitt bombarded the 15-year-old victim with sexually explicit texts and molested her.

The 36-year-old kissed the child and put his hand down her pants - and a court was told she later attempted suicide.

While on bail, he then tried to groom a 12-year-old girl online, only to realise he had been stung by paedophile hunters.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Cubitt, of Grange Road West, Birkenhead, first sent the 15-year-old sick messages.

Frances Willmott, prosecuting, said one night Cubitt told her he wanted to perform a sex act on her, called her beautiful and sexy ,and said if he was her age "he would be f***ing her tonight".

He told the child to keep their conversation secret, before he asked if she was 16 and called her his girlfriend, when she replied she was 15.

Ms Willmott said: "Anthony Cubitt's response was he couldn't believe that she was that sexy at 15."

He asked questions trying to find out what the girl thought of him, but when she didn't reply, warned: "Answer me sexy before I f*** ya brain out."

Ms Willmott added: "He then sent a message telling her to leave her window open because he was going to climb up to see her and when she got back he would be waiting naked in her bed."

The victim confided in an adult, who advised her to block Cubitt, before the adult told him to "back off".

However, after a time he sent the victim another message, again saying she was "sexy".

Cubitt next messaged the girl after meeting her at a party.

While there he text to say she was "sexy" and commented on what she was wearing.

When the victim left, he accompanied her home, grabbed her around the waist and started kissing her.

Ms Willmott said the girl described "freezing and didn't know what to do with a grown man in her words 'manhandling' her".

Cubitt tried to kiss her again, so she went back to the party, only for Cubitt to do the same.

Ms Willmott said: "She tried to leave to walk home but was followed by Anthony Cubitt, who again kissed her and this time also put his hands down her pants and touched her bottom."

He tried to do this again on her doorstep but she shut the door in his face, before he sent texts saying she was a good kisser and he loved her.

The prosecutor said the girl informed the same adult she previously confided in, "but it is clear she was not believed, and as a result, took an overdose".

The girl went to the police in September 2020, but when Cubitt was interviewed, he denied sending sexual messages, touching or kissing her.

He was released on bail and on August 25 started talking on Facebook to a paedophile hunter posing as a 12-year-old girl called "Rosie".

Cubitt called Rosie "beautiful, a sweetheart, cute, stunning and good looking", then asked her out and told her she was his girlfriend and not to tell her mum.

Ms Willmott said in one chat "he claims that he is not a paedophile and then sends topless pictures of himself".

She added: "He then says he would have sex with her, make her moan and get her pregnant."

Rosie repeatedly reminded him she was 12, but he offered to take her to the cinema, to buy her gifts and to meet her at Southampton train station on September 3 and "teach her everything".

He was confronted by the paedophile hunters on August 30, before police arrested him on September 18.

Ms Willmott said: "He initially blamed his brother for the offences and when interviewed later that day accepted sending messages and knowing Rosie's age, but denied sending the most explicit messages, again suggesting that his brother could have sent them."

Cubitt admitted three counts of sexual communication with a child, one of inciting child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child and one of attempted sexual communication with a child.

The victim said Cubitt's abuse left her afraid to walk around Birkenhead and scared and wary of older men.

The girl, who attended court, said she was even anxious around friends' dads.

In a victim statement she said what the "predator" did was "disgusting" and he "made her life a misery", but she wanted to stop it happening to someone else.

Cubitt has eight previous convictions for 16 offences, mainly for dishonesty.

Rebecca Smith, defending, said the dad, who has limited contact with his children under supervision, knew he would be jailed.

She said: "The defendant himself has had a very disruptive childhood and upbringing."

Ms Smith said her client had been addicted to alcohol after he began drinking at 12, and while this was "no excuse", alcohol was perhaps a "disinhibitor" for him.

Recorder Ian Harris, described Cubitt's behaviour towards the girl as "depraved" and said he sent her "crude and inappropriate" texts.

The judge said Cubitt might not have realised, but he was a "catalyst" for his victim's suicide attempt.

Recorder Harris said Cubitt exchanged more than 100 messages with the decoy, who he tried to groom.

He said Cubitt was assessed in a pre-sentence report as "a high risk of serious harm to children", based on factors including "the predatory sexual nature of these offences" and "the fact that you minimise the seriousness of your offending and express no victim awareness or empathy".

The judge said he only accepted limited responsibility and "often blamed" the girl for his behaviour.

He labelled Cubitt's offending "determined, unpleasant, predatory and persistent" as he jailed him for three years.

Recorder Harris told Cubitt to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

He then commended the bravery of the victim, who cried as she was consoled by a friend.

Description

A woman who ran a sexual services business has been jailed alongside her brother and an associate after detectives discovered they were exploiting vulnerable women for their own financial gain.

Claudia Anca, 27 (31.05.94) and Vasile Anca, 24 (08.01.97), both of Garfield Road, Chingford, and Mihaita Strat, 51 (14.11.70), of Henley Road, Redbridge, were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, 17 November following a comprehensive investigation by the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team.

The Ancas were each sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and Strat was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

All three originally denied their involvement and a four-week trial started on Monday, 8 November. However, due to the vast amount of evidence against them, they all pleaded guilty on Tuesday, 9 November to controlling prostitution. The Anca siblings also pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs.

Charges of trafficking have been left to lie on file.

The court heard the defendants ran a sexual services business which was advertised on a website. The business provided transport for the sex workers to and from a customer’s location, which was a hotel or home address. Typically, a customer would phone the number on the online adverts and a woman would be driven to their preferred location, which was usually a hotel.

Claudia was in charge of the enterprise. It was her phone number that took the calls from customers and she directed the sex workers. Her brother Vasile had a leading role and assisted Claudia in running the business as well as frequently providing transport for the women. Cocaine would also be provided by the siblings if asked for by the customers.

Strat also assisted in the running of the business. At times he helped Claudia with the website and gave direction to the sex workers. Like Vasile, he also acted as a driver, transporting the women to appointments and back.

The court heard the trio ran this business from at least March 2019, which is when a company called ‘Ace Concept’ was set-up, with the siblings listed as directors. It did not appear have a legitimate purpose and was set-up to facilitate the criminal enterprise.

Detectives discovered that Ace Concept was linked to a number of adverts on a classified website. Claudia’s phone number was on the individual adverts to book sexual services with the women. In addition, the siblings’ cardholder details were listed for the adverts on the website.

There were 73 payments from the siblings between July 2019 and January 2021, totalling £23,162.99. Strat also paid for some of the advertisements in August 2020.

During their investigation, detectives identified and confirmed at least six call outs to hotels through CCTV, mobile and ANPR work. On two of these occasions, the Met deployed undercover officers to pose as customers.

On 10 December 2020, an undercover officer called Claudia and they discussed prices for sexual services and drugs. The officer went to a hotel in Barking where he met the woman and later had the drugs delivered by Vasile. The officer then made his excuses, paid her in full, and left the hotel. The woman was picked-up by Vasile and taken to the siblings’ home address.

The drugs provided to the officer were analysed and confirmed to be cocaine. The packaging was also examined and Vasile’s fingerprint was found on it.

With enough evidence now collected against the defendants, detectives ran a ‘sting’ on 13 January 2021 with the aim of arresting the trio.

The sting began with an undercover officer calling Claudia and arranging for two sex workers and cocaine to be brought to a hotel in Barking. Shortly before 22:40hrs, Claudia called the officer to say the girls were outside the hotel. He went to meet them and Strat called out ‘did you order an escort,’ to which he replied he did.

The officer told the women to go and wait inside the hotel. Strat was then arrested by officers, who found £890 in cash in his car as well as a Satnav, which had the siblings’ address in it, and a small zip lock bag, which later tested positive for traces of cocaine.

Police officers later examined the sex workers’ bags – inside were several unused condoms and three black wraps of powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.

At about 23:40hrs on 13 January, officers attended the Ancas’ home address and arrested the siblings. Officers searched the house and seized a quantity of cash and cocaine, several mobile phones and a pink notebook which contained several handwritten financial entries for the business.

Whilst at the police station, Strat noticed Claudia and said to an officer under his breath, ‘that is the boss, she is the boss.’

Claudia’s mobile phones were analysed by detectives and contained messages between herself and customers, sex workers, her brother and Strat. A typical message to the sex workers would indicate the price agreed for an hour, the postcode of the meeting venue and the mobile number of the client. There would also be messages discussing the services requested.

Detectives also found a message on her phone which demonstrated the control that was being exercised. As well as financially controlling the girls, Claudia dictated how the women should look. Officers found a message on her phone that she sent in December 2020 instructing the girls to dress elegantly, with make-up and straightened hair. She said they would be photographed by the drivers before meeting with customers and if they did not ‘respect her rules’ they would be sent home to get changed or ‘even off.’ The drivers were told not to leave with the girl before she gave her confirmation.

Photos of women posing in their underwear were also found in WhatsApp messages sent from Claudia to Strat, and were similar to those used in the online adverts.

The trio all gave ‘no comment’ interviews and were subsequently charged on 15 January 2021.

Detective Inspector Nigel Penney, from the Met’s Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, said: “This was an excellent investigation by my team of detectives, which resulted in the defendants changing their pleas to guilty due to the overwhelming evidence against them. This criminal enterprise was run and controlled by Claudia Anca who, along with her brother Vasile and Strat, had absolutely no regard for the welfare or safety of the women they exploited for their own greed.

“The Met is committed to keeping London a safe place for everyone and will continue to work behind the scenes to robustly target and bring to justice people like the Anca siblings and Strat who treat people as nothing more than an object to make money.

“We remain absolutely dedicated to doing all we can to protect women and girls, like those who were exploited by the Ancas and Strat. The Met takes all reports of exploitation extremely seriously and I would encourage anyone who has suffered from these kind of offences to contact police where they will be treated sensitively and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”

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A man has been sentenced to two years behind bars for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after pleading guilty at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (15 November).

Steven Sturgess, 52, from Guildford, was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register in 2009.

The conditions of this order included restrictions in Sturgess’ access to the internet and he was also subject to unannounced visits from officers.

During one of these visits in February last year, officers found that the monitoring software which had been installed on Sturgess’ laptop had been removed.

Further searches of the device found that he was accessing extreme pornography and indecent images of children.

Sturgess also pled guilty to possession of extreme pornography and making indecent images of children.

PC Lisa Varley and PC Graham Smith, who both investigated the case, said: “The restrictions placed on convicted sex offenders allow us to monitor their behaviour closely, and when breaches such as this one arise, we are able to take swift action to prevent further harm and de-escalate the offender’s behaviour.

“I hope this sentence serves as a reminder to other offenders out there that we will diligently monitor and check your behaviour and we will not hesitate to act if you re-offend.”

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A soldier has been jailed for over five years after taking a woman back to his barracks and raping her while she slept. 

Lance Corporal Aidan Hackett, 27, met the woman in a nightclub in Oxford in June 2019 and they travelled in a taxi back to his room at St David's Barracks in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

The victim, also aged in her twenties, told Hackett she did not want to have sex but just listen to music together.

She fell asleep and awoke to find her clothes had been removed by Hackett. 

After fleeing the scene, she called police and Hackett was arrested the following day. Thames Valley Police charged him with rape on August 4 of this year. 

Hackett, originally from Leeds, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to rape at the first opportunity and appeared today at Oxford Crown Court where he was sentenced to five years and three months' imprisonment. 

Detective Constable Tania Wasilewski-Norman, of Oxford CID, said: 'This was a shocking example of a man taking advantage of the victim's trust and he raped her while she was asleep.

'The victim awoke to this attack and contacted the police immediately and Hackett was arrested.

'The victim underwent medical examinations as a part of this investigation, which helped us to prove that Hackett had raped his victim.

'Given the weight of evidence against him, Hackett has, at least, spared the victim the ordeal of this case going to trial by a guilty plea, and he has now been sentenced to prison as a result.

'Taking advantage of a woman who was sleeping, and therefore in a vulnerable position, is completely unacceptable.

'The victim was asleep, and it is absolutely clear that there was no consent whatsoever in this case.

'We will always take reports of rape seriously and support victims of such offences and endeavour to bring offenders to justice.' 

Detective Constable Nikki Lawton, based at Aylesbury police station, is specially-trained in victim support and she helped guide the victim throughout two year investigation.

She said: 'The victim in this case has been a true inspiration to me, and I hope she will be for other victims of this type of crime.

'She simply wanted to listen to music and talk with Hackett when she took a taxi back to his barracks, and Hackett completely abused this trust.

'Over the course of the last two years, the victim has missed out on a lot of opportunities while we brought Hackett to justice.

'I would like to offer my personal thanks and praise to the victim for her support of our investigation and understanding of the time it has taken to secure this conviction.

'I can assure any future victims of crimes such as this that they will always be listened to, believed and supported, and it is never acceptable to suffer this kind of offence. Please report it and we will conduct thorough investigations.'

Hackett will also sign the sex offenders register for life.  

An Army spokesman said: 'We can confirm that Lance Corporal Hackett was convicted of rape at Oxford Crown Court. He was sentenced to five years and three months’ imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.'

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Cameron Thomson, of Cameron Drive, Keith, also denied to officers that he was sexually attracted to children after 401 images were found on his mobile phone.

At Inverness Sheriff Court, Thomson admitted possessing the images, 54 of which were category A, the most serious, involving girls aged between 10 and 15.

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