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A FORMER soldier has been found guilty of raping a woman who he met on an online swingers’ dating site.

Ezra Robinson went on to have a two-year relationship with the woman and they had a child together.

He went on to force himself on her while she slept after the relationship had turned sour.

He was able to use the Fabswingers website – where he met his victim – despite already having a conviction for a previous rape and being on the sex offenders’ register.

He is a body builder who was working on a building site and the victim was unable to stop him when he had sex with her against her will.

He threatened to kill her if she went to the police but she summoned up the courage to report him.

Former Royal Engineer Robinson, who served in mine and explosive clearing operations in Afghanistan, has been told to expect a jail term of at least seven years after a judge at Exeter Crown Court ordered the probation to assess whether he poses a danger to the public.

Judge Stephen Climie adjourned sentence until April and remanded him in custody.

He told him: “You have been found guilty of offences that warrant significant custodial terms.”

Robinson, aged 31, originally from Moretonhampstead but of Lamb Park, Drewsteignton, denied rape but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court. He was also convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour. He will be sentenced in April.

The jury reached their verdicts without being told that he was a convicted rapist, although they were told that he had previously been jailed for a “serious sexual offence”.

Judge Climie explained that decision to the jury after they had returned their verdict.

He said: “You were told he had a conviction for a serious sexual offence. It was rape but there is an inevitable prejudice that attaches to that word.

“One of the factors we have to look at when someone is convicted of rape more than once is what is called dangerousness, which has a very specific legal definition. This is probably a case where there needs to be a report.”

The judge said a finding of dangerousness would lead to an extended period of licence which would be added on to any sentence he may serve. He also said a probation report would look at Robinson’s mental health issues.

During a ten-day trial, Miss Kelly Scrivener, prosecuting, said Robinson met the woman after contacting her through the Fabswingers website. The date went well and they went on to form a relationship.

She found him attractive at first and described him as being “the energy in the room”, but the relationship turned sour. On their final meeting he forced her to have sex. He told her he had a conviction for a sexual offence but tried to minimise it.

Robinson said all sexual contact with the woman was consensual and denied ever forcing her to have sex with him or using or threatening violence. He said he had been in the army for nearly five years and had previously been married.

He said he was working as a plant operator at a building site in Ivybridge at the time of his arrest.

Description

THE dad of a boy convicted of murdering Brianna Ghey in Culcheth has admitted charges that make him a sex offender.

Kyle Ratcliffe, of Leigh, was charged with two counts of exposure and one of taking an indecent photograph of a child.

He admitted all three charges before Manchester Crown Court this morning, Thursday and was subsequently jailed for 15 months.

They involved him performing a sex act on himself while driving his Maserati car after observing two teenage girls.

He also took a photo of a child getting changed at a water park in Delamere, near Northwich, last summer.

The particulars of the exposure charges stated that the 36-year-old twice intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

They took place in Salford in November last year shortly before his sons murder trial was due to start.

He appeared before Manchester Magistrates Court on January 19 in relation to the three charges, where he confirmed his name and personal details.

No plea was entered, with the case sent to Manchester Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing today, Thursday.

Kyle Ratcliffe is the father of Eddie Ratcliffe, who was jailed for life for the murder of Birchwood teen Brianna Ghey in Culcheth Linear Park.

He was remanded in custody until his plea hearing date, therefore missing his sons sentencing hearing.

Appearing in court today, the defendant entered guilty pleas to all three charges, with judge John Potter proceeding to sentence.

Reporting restrictions were in place preventing the link between him and his son from being published in the event that a trial would be needed.

They were removed following his guilty pleas, however, reporting restrictions remain ensuring the victims of the exposure and photo-taking charge remain anonymous.

Description

Peter Casey, a 55-year-old resident from Cleveland Gardens, Deane, Bolton, faced Bolton Magistrates Court after failing to comply with his annual sex offender registration for two consecutive years, citing memory issues as his defense. Despite a criminal history that includes a conviction for multiple counts of indecent assault in 2003 and possession of a bladed article, Casey was given a 12-month conditional discharge by the court, highlighting the necessity of adherence to registration obligations.

History of Non-Compliance and Legal Proceedings

In September 2022, Casey was due to renew his registration on the sex offenders register but failed to do so until October 4, thus breaching the mandatory requirement. The prosecution, led by James Gore, detailed how efforts to remind Casey of his obligations went unanswered, with Casey later admitting to forgetting the critical deadline. His defense, presented by Adam Whittaker, emphasized Casey's significant memory problems, even recounting an instance where Casey needed to be reminded of his court date multiple times within a short period.

Conditional Discharge and Court's Warning
Karen Martin, Chair of the bench, decided on a conditional discharge for Casey, stressing the importance of his future compliance with the sex offender registration process. This leniency comes despite Casey's previous conviction for possession of a bladed article, for which he received a suspended sentence in the prior year. The court's decision underscores the balancing act between addressing Casey's claimed health issues and the need to ensure public safety and adherence to legal requirements.

Implications for Future Compliance

The case raises questions about the challenges faced by individuals with health issues in complying with legal obligations and the measures that might be necessary to ensure compliance without compromising public safety. Martin's warning to Casey serves as a reminder of the consequences of future failures to comply with the registration requirements, indicating that leniency shown in this instance may not be extended in the future. This case thus not only addresses Casey's individual circumstances but also highlights broader issues related to the enforcement of sex offender registration requirements and the intersection of health issues with legal compliance.

Description

A Gravesend bar manager has been sentenced to seven years in jail after a jury convicted him of sex offences against a woman.

During the evening of 2 October 2020, MD Wahiduzzaman Akanda was at his place of work where he pressured the victim into drinking alcohol. She repeatedly refused but he made her drink a mix of cocktails and shots, to the point that she was sick.

The 39-year-old then followed her into the female toilets where he sexually assaulted her in spite of her telling him to stop. She was heard crying by another person who attempted to check on her welfare, but Akanda told them that she was fine and this person left.

When Akanda left the toilet, the victim locked herself in a cubicle and called police before leaving the premises. Akanda was located and arrested on the following day.

He was charged with two sexual assaults but pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and following a trial he was found guilty. On Wednesday 28 February 2024, Akanda, formally of Railway Street, Gillingham, was jailed.

Description

Actor Daniel Frogson has been given a suspended prison sentence for viewing hundreds of indecent images of children.

The 21-year-old, who appeared in fantasy series His Dark Materials, viewed the images over a three-year period, starting when he was 17.

Some of the images were category A, the most severe category of abuse.

Frogson, from Nottinghamshire, pleaded guilty to four charges at Nottingham Crown Court.

These were:

• Making 165 category A indecent photographs of a child
• Making 88 category B indecent photographs of a child
• Making 592 category C indecent photographs of a child
• Possessing three prohibited images of a child

The offences were all committed between 1 December 2019 and 13 January 2023.

Frogson, who was nominated for a Children's Bafta for his starring role in CBBC series Joe All Alone in 2018, was given an eight-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years, ordered to attend a sex offender rehabilitation programme, and 15 other rehabilitation sessions.

Nottinghamshire Live, which attended the sentencing hearing, reported that Frogson was living in Nuthall in Nottinghamshire when an IP address there was suspected of downloading child abuse images in early 2023.

Police then seized two devices and found the images when they were examined.

Frogson's most recent address was given to the court as Malthouse Close in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire.

His other acting work includes a role in 2023's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which also starred Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton.

Description

A Pembrokeshire social worker trawled pornographic websites, arranging to have sex with a 13-year-old girl in a hotel room and saying he would bring underwear, alcopop and lubricant.

Richard Dale Ford, 51, now of Princess Way Road, Hackney, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a string of sexual offences.

The court heard that Ford, who had worked as an adults social worker had changed his name by deed poll.

Social Care Wales confirmed to the Western Telegraph that he was known to them as Dale Richard Barker and is currently subject to an interim suspension order.

On his arrest, Ford was found to be in possession of more than 900 indecent images of children, 254 which were of the most serious class A category. Of these he had shared or distributed 19 images.

Ford used two websites to facilitate child sexual abuse. He said that he had a sexual interest in young children and "blossoming girls and young girls that need training up".

Unbeknown to him, he was talking to undercover police officers.

He said that he was looking to groom a girl of nine or 10 and asked how he could arrange "play dates" to meet and have sexual intercourse with young girls.

In conversations with who he thought was the abusive mother of a 13-year-old girl, to whom he sent 19 indecent images, Ford fantasised about sex with her daughter.

He discussed booking a hotel room and carrying out sexual acts with the child while the mother watched and even had a conversation with the teen where he discussed sexual matters.

During this second chat Ford revealed that he had sexually touched a teenage girl.

When he was arrested in September 2022 police seized devices from his home and found 910 indecent images. 254 of these were in the class A category, with 123 of them being class B and 533 class C.

Fords revelations that he had sexually abused a young girl led to a separate police investigation. Officers were able to locate his victim, a teenager, who disclosed three sexual offences that Ford had committed against her.

In all three incidents, Ford had intentionally groped or fondled her over her clothing.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court by her mother, the girl said.

I cant believe you did thisIt has changed my life.

She said that she could not use public transport without feeling anxious and scared, worrying that any man nearby will touch her and that she had lost a lot of trust. She didnt like being on her own in public at night.

Sometimes I cry at night, she said. Sometimes I have panic attacks too. How can someone be so sick in the head that they can do this? You knew I was vulnerable and you used that against me. I cant believe you did this.

In Fords defence, his counsel said that he was remorseful and had sought help, enrolling on a Safer Lives course and seeking professional help. He had pleaded guilty to all offences and had no previous convictions.

Ford was sentenced for arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, possession of 910 indecent images, distribution of 19 of these images, and for the three sexual offences on the teenage girl.

Judge Her Honour Catherine Richards sentenced him to a total of five years in prison. He will spend half of this in custody and the other half on licence.

He was put on the sex offenders register for life. A further hearing later this week will finalise the terms of a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order.

A spokesperson for Social Care Wales said: We can confirm that Richard Ford, who was previously known to us as Dale Richard Barker, is currently subject to an interim suspension order, which prohibits him from working in a registered social care role in Wales.

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesperson added: We are aware that an individual formerly employed by the council has been sentenced for several child sex offences.

These offences were not committed by the individual in the course of their employment with the council, and as with any investigation into child sexual abuse, the local authority cooperated with the criminal investigation, and took all steps to ensure that any children impacted by such offences are identified and supported.

Description

A sex offender from Wolverhampton has been jailed after he raped two women.

Jonathon Baker was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court to 22 years in prison on Thursday (22 Feb).

The court heard how Baker, 46, started relationships with the women between 2013 and 2018.

During these relationships, he increasingly moved to more violent behaviour, having initially lured them by "making them feel like the most important woman in the world" the court heard.

Eventually, he administered a drug on one of the women before sexually assaulting her.

The two women bravely came forward and told police about what had happened to them, leading to Baker's arrest in October 2018.

In interview, Baker tried to claim everything had been consensual between him and them, then he changed his story and accused them of making up their accusations against him.

When the accusation of drugging the woman came up, Baker was seen to laugh at the suggestion.

Despite this, the officers investigating Baker were able to build a conclusive case against him.

Baker was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and administering a substance to enable sexual activity.

He will spend a minimum of 11 years, less the year he has already served, in prison before he is eligible for parole.

He was convicted in 2022 and has been in prison since.

If you have been subjected to sexual abuse or violence, you don’t have to deal with it on your own. 

Description

A man has been jailed after secretly filming women and children for his own gratification.

Ryan Beaumont appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February where he was sentenced to three years in prison for 21 offences, including upskirting, voyeurism, and taking and possessing indecent images of children. 

The 38-year-old, from Hartford, previously pleaded guilty to all charges, which involved nine child victims and 10 adult victims.

Cheshire Police were first contacted in June 2021 after Beaumont was reported for upskirting a woman while at an address working as a mobile mechanic.

He was subsequently arrested, and his electronic devices were seized and sent off for forensic examination.

During subsequent interviews, Beaumont made a full admission to his offending, even stating he would hide cameras in the bathroom and spare room at his home address to try and capture people getting changed and using the toilet.

Beaumont stated he got an adrenaline rush from obtaining footage without the victims’ knowledge. He told officers his offending had progressed to the point where he would keep his phone on record at all times and film whenever he saw an opportunity.

He was later charged with seven counts of taking category C images, one count of possessing category C images, one count of possessing category B images, eight counts of voyeurism, and four counts of upskirting.

On top of his custodial sentence, Beaumont is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

He is also banned from working with children and banned from owning a mobile phone with a camera.

Description

A serial rapist who terrorised one of his victims in her home while out on bail for attacking her has been jailed for 12 years.

Gary Yuill, 45, was wearing a balaclava when he woke the sleeping woman as she slept on her sofa.

He removed the mask before fleeing the East Lothian house when she called 999.

Just three days before, Yuill had been banned from approaching the woman after he was charged with a series of attacks on her and three other victims.

The woman told the High Court in Edinburgh : "He was obviously watching the house. I was terrified.

"He had his hand on my leg. I didn't know what he was thinking."

The woman said she knew Yuill had previously been arrested and was subject to court conditions not to come near her home. She said: "Clearly he has no regard for the law."

'Long-lasting impact'

The woman and three others were subjected to a series of brutal attacks by Yuill over a 17-year period between 2004 and 2021.

They took place in Dunbar, Haddington and Wallyford, in East Lothian, and in Edinburgh.

Yuill, formerly of Wallyford, was convicted of 21 offences, including nine rapes, an attempted rape and two indecent assaults. He was also found guilty of breaching bail by entering the woman's home in May 2021.

Sentencing him to 12 years in prison, judge Lady Wise described his attacks as "appalling" and added: "All four women were to some extent vulnerable."

Lady Wise said: "I have read a victim impact statement from one of the complainers which illustrates very clearly the long-lasting impact your behaviour has had on her."

The judge ordered that Yuill should be under supervision for a further four-year period after his release and could be returned to jail if he breaches his licence conditions.

Lady Wise made non-harassment orders banning Yuill indefinitely from contacting or attempting to contact the women.

She also placed Yuill on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Following sentencing, Det Insp Laura White said: "Yuill subjected these women to horrific crimes and I would like to thank them for their co-operation as our investigations were ongoing. Hopefully today's verdict will allow them to move on from this part of their lives.

"I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence to come forward and report it to us, regardless of the passage of time. We, alongside partner agencies, will support you through the process, investigate thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice."

Description

A pervert driving instructor sexually assaulted a pupil and filmed students while they were taking lessons in his car.

Adam Bagshaw, who ran A to B Driving School in Kettering, told one student she should start an Only Fans account and that she should sell her used underwear online.

Moving statements from his two victims read in court said that they had been left traumatised by what had happened to them.

He appeared before Northampton Crown Court on Thursday (February 22), watched by more than a dozen friends and family of the victims, where he was told by a judge that he would be going ‘immediately’ to jail.

The 56-year-old had pleaded guilty to voyeurism, harassment and sexual assault at a previous hearing.

The court heard that Bagshaw, formerly of Milldale Road, Kettering, had previously been a mechanics lecturer at Tresham College and also styled himself as a freelance photographer.

But he was unmasked as a pervert after police received a call from one of his students outlining disgusting sexual comments he had made to her during and after her lessons.

When he was arrested police seized his mobile phone and found videos on it which he had covertly filmed during lessons. He had filmed the legs of young students who were wearing skirts and turned his camera on their behinds as they got out of the car at the end of the lesson.

Officers managed to track down one of his victims who had no idea that he had been filming her.

The public gallery was cleared as four clips found on his phone were shown to the court.

In her police interview one victim described Bagshaw as ‘a bit weird’ and told police that he had suggested she got an Only Fans account. He told her that she would make ‘good money’ if she sold her used underwear online.

He then told her he’d invented a new device to stop bra straps from falling down and felt her back and neck as he described to her how it would work. He had also tried to engage her in a discussion about a video of an underage woman unknown to the victim.

In her victim impact statement read by prosecutor Sally Hobson, the woman said: “It makes me sick. It’s disgusting what he’s done.

“It feels like a pit in my stomach. It’s so creepy. I’m now scared to have more driving lessons with another male instructor.”

Another victim told the court in a statement that when she had first started lessons with Bagshaw he had said to her ‘What’s said in this car stays in this car’.

“I started to dread it,” she said.

“My parents had paid for my lessons and I didn’t want to disappoint them.

“He made comments about my age and what I was wearing.”

Bagshaw had also asked her about sex toys and about her love life and had made comments about her tummy, leaving her paranoid about her weight.

The woman said that she had failed her test twice as she was so worried about what was going on. When she found a new instructor she had to start from scratch.

She said that even now she would rather take the train on long journeys than get in a car and drive.

The woman had managed to get some therapy to help her deal with what had happened to her but she could not go through with it because the therapist was bald and had glasses, like Bagshaw.

She added: “I’m so worried when there’s silence because I think about what he’s done to me.

“No matter what sentence he’s given, no matter how s**t his life becomes, it won’t compare to the impact on me.

“I want him to know he’s a piece of s**t and I hope he’s miserable for the rest of his life.”

In a letter to the court, Bagshaw said he wanted to ‘sincerely apologise’ for his actions and that he had sought counselling to try to tackle his own behaviour.

He also said that he had changed his job and was now an HGV driver trainer.

Mitigating, Siobhan Cawkwell, said: “This is a result of his own stupidity.

“He’s split up with his wife and he’s lost friends. He’s only got himself to blame.

“Most of the people in his life have turned their backs on him.”

She said that Bagshaw had moved away and was now living in temporary accommodation.

Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking KC said to Bagshaw, who wore a blue suit and stared straight ahead during the entire hearing: “You were teaching them in circumstances where they should have learned an important life skill without any concern about your behaviour.

“[One of the victims] had to identify herself from a video she had no idea had been taken. It’s caused her very substantial distress.”

Sentencing him to eight months in prison, of which he will serve half before release, Judge Lucking added that she could not suspend his sentence. She said: “Driving instructors are in a position of trust.

“The public must know that driving instructors who commit sexual offences will go immediately to prison and that’s what will happen today.”

Bagshaw will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and will be supervised by the probation service for one year after his release from HMP Peterborough.

Description

A man who performed online sex acts in front of children has been jailed.

James Dyson was also found to have downloaded thousands of child sexual abuse images over a seven-and-a-half year period.

The 26-year-old, of Market Harborough, Leicestershire, was caught in January 2023 when evidence of his crimes was found on his work mobile phone.

He was jailed for five years and given a sexual harm prevention order at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday.

During an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police, forensic analysis of several other electronic devices found thousands of indecent images of children - many of which Dyson had tried and failed to delete.

Nearly 6,000 of the images were found to be Category A - depicting the most serious sexual abuse that can be committed against children.

Dyson pleaded guilty at a hearing in December, to four charges of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence and two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of a child and three charges of distributing indecent photographs of a child.

Detectives also uncovered evidence of four occasions in which Dyson used a social media platform to engage children in online sexual activity, the force said.

Work is currently ongoing to identify the four children involved.

Det Con Tom Nuttall said: "The physical and emotional impact of that kind of abuse cannot be understated, and people like Dyson are contributing directly to that harm.

"It is very clear that he knew what he was doing was wrong and also that he went to great lengths to try and delete evidence of his crimes."

Description

Phillip Grove, aged 70 from Sheffield who lived in Taunton at the time of the incidents, was jailed at Taunton Crown Court on Friday 23 February after being found guilty of 15 charges linked to non-recent sexual offences, including rape.

During a trial at the same court, which is currently residing at North Somerset Courthouse, a jury found Grove guilty of two counts of rape, 10 counts of indecency with a child and three counts of indecent assault.

They heard how, in the 1990s while in the volunteer position of Chief Petty Officer at a Sea Cadet group, he raped one of the victims, sexually assaulted another and was indecent in front of two other victims. The incidents happened over a span of six years.

In September 2020, one of the victims reported what had happened to her and the other children to police and an investigation into Grove was launched.

On Friday, he was jailed for 22 years, one year of which will be spent on extended licence. The judge also granted a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order and instructed Grove to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He was also barred from working with children.

Description

A convicted sex offender obsessed with "panties and underwear" was caught offending online by police after he was targeted by paedophile hunters.

Morgan Green, 48, thought he had been communicating with teenage girls but had in fact been messaging with two adult decoys from paedophile hunter groups.

Norwich Crown Court heard he had been in conversation with an adult decoy who immediately stated she was 13.

John Morgans, prosecuting, said Green initially stated she was "too young" but he went on to manipulate the conversation around to a sexual context.

Mr Morgans said Green, who has an "obsession with underwear" had been asking her for pictures of her "in her panties".

In online conversations with another 13-year-old, also an adult decoy, Green again requested pictures before encouraging her to commit a sexual act upon herself.

Police were contacted and Green, who has a previous conviction for attempted sexual communication with a child, was arrested.

Green, from New Street, Cromer appeared for sentence on Monday after admitting two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He also admitted attempting to cause or incite a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity on November 19 last year.

Judge Andrew Shaw said Green was a "dangerous" offender who posed a "significant risk of serious harm" to children.

He imposed an extended sentence of 10 years and four months, made up of four years and four months custody and six years on licence.

Judge Shaw added: "People like you don't just happen upon these sites, you go looking for them".

Cathy McCulloch, mitigating, said the defendant, a father of three, was a man who had a "bit of a self-destruct button" but was "just so grateful they weren't real children".

She said he wanted her to say he was "very upset" and "very sorry" but accepted what he had done was wrong.

Green was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) as well as being put on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A convicted paedophile changed his identity and lied his way to become President of the World Burns Federation where he had direct access to school children.

Marc Sherland organised children’s poetry competitions and boasted he was safe to work with vulnerable children.

But the 67-year-old, who rubbed shoulders with the elite at lavish events, was in fact disgraced community worker Douglas Stuart Hammond who had sexually assaulted two boys after luring hundreds of children to his home.

He’d been able to change his name and go under the radar for several years until his identity was exposed and he’s now been forced to resign. There are calls for an urgent investigation into how Sherland, who was convicted in 1991 and was not on the sex offenders register, went unnoticed.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay MSP who is calling on the government to fast track legislation to stop sex offenders changing their names said: “This chilling case will be of concern to every parent in Scotland.

“Only an investigation can establish the exact circumstances of this deeply concerning case. While this individual was free to change his name, his past crimes should still have shown up in background checks working with children.

“If checks were done, did they reveal his offending history? If they did not, was that because of his name change?

“Sex offenders should not be able to hide their identities by changing their names and I would again urge SNP ministers to reconsider their inexplicable opposition to closing this dangerous loophole.”

Scottish Labour’s Justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “Concerns will be rightly raised over this situation. Action needs to be taken to close the loophole of offenders who committed their crimes before the register was created going undetected.”

Hammond was convicted of the indecent assault of an eight and 10-year old boy when he was an educational community worker at Strathclyde Regional Council. He assaulted the youngsters during “dummy fighting” at his home and claimed the ‘games’ helped the boys break down emotional barriers, according to court reports at the time.

Paisley Sheriff Court trial heard that as many as 200 children had visited his home and during questioning the sick 35-year-old said: “I took the boys to my flat to talk about their personal and family problems. “These were boys with serious social behavioural problems.”

One child had to punch him to get him to stop the abuse while another confessed to his grandmother what was happening.

In the years since his conviction, Hammond changed his name to Marc Sherland and rose through the ranks of Robert Burns clubs and literary groups throughout Scotland.

An author profile for him on the Scottish Book Trust website stated that he could work with adults and children including care-experienced people, vulnerable adults, people with mental health problems, prisoners and young offenders, despite having been convicted of abusing vulnerable boys.

In 2020, he became the president of the World Burns Federation and has been president of the Lanarkshire Association of Burns clubs, Glasgow Haggis Club and a Vice President of the Glasgow and district Burns association, among others.

Through these roles he worked with children presenting awards and judging competitions with images of his attendance at one Glasgow primary school shared on social media.

He also rubbed shoulders with senior local government figures and attended lavish banquets in the Glasgow City Chambers.

In 2017 the pervert began organising the Aye Can poetry summer school for 11-16-year-olds at the prestigious Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow.

But his past caught up with him in December when he was confronted by another member and was forced to resign from all the clubs. His profile as an author with Scottish Book Trust has been removed.

A source at the club said: “A conviction from over 30 years ago came to light, Bridgeton Burns Club President confronted him around Christmas time.

“We did background checks and it showed a name change. Inquiries were made and the president alongside another Trustee met him to confront him about the name change and the convictions.

“As far as I’m aware he admitted it, apologised and resigned in writing.”

The Sex Offenders’ Register was set up in 1997 but it is not retroactive meaning Sherland would never have been placed on it.

Any checks done on him using his new name would not have shown that he had a conviction for child abuse and no safeguards were in place as he wasn’t on the register.

The Sunday Mail confronted Sherland at his home in Erskine where he admitted he shouldn’t have been working with children.

But he claimed he changed his name due to his work as an author.

Sherland said: “I am a writer and the reason I changed my name was because, as a writer I realised that my given name was relatively common and changing it to a name that was not relatively common was a good idea. I’m now suffering because of that I have to say, but that’s the reason.

“It wasn’t because of my convictions.

“I was registered with the Scottish Book Trust but I’ve now removed myself from that as well as I don’t want to bring them into disrepute.”

When asked if he accepted that working with children would be a concern to parents and he should not have been doing it, he said: “Yes I think that probably is the case.

“I thought that the distance in time was so great and the change in my personality was so great that it wasn’t such an issue. On reflection, yes I believe that’s true.

“I’ve never been in a situation where I have been one-to-one with a child, nor would I put myself in that situation in a school.”

Based in Kilmarnock it has over 250 affiliated Burns Clubs around the world - reaching as far afield as New Zealand, Ukraine, Canada and the USA.

A Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) spokeswoman said the Aye Can event was commissioned by the Glasgow and District Burns Society and Sherland didn’t teach children during the summer school.

The spokeswoman said: “The safety and well-being of young people at RCS is and has always been a primary priority with stringent safeguarding policies and processes in place to underpin the work we do.”

Online adverts for the Aye Can event taking place at RCS were posted by the Glasgow Burns and District Association in 2022 and 2023 listing Sherland as the point of contact.

RCS insisted the event only took place in 2017 and 2018.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “For safeguarding reasons, pupils are never left alone with school visitors and remain supervised at all times by staff.

“School staff regularly invite visitors in from partner organisations for learning and teaching purposes.

“Pupil safety is always our priority.

"We have no statutory obligation to request disclosure checks for all visitors entering school premises."

The Scottish Government said the issue was for Disclosure Scotland to address.

A Disclosure Scotland spokesman said: “We cannot comment on individual cases.”

Description

A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for eight years after threatening to kill himself if a 14-year-old girl did not send him naked photographs.

Ashley Bourton was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (February 23) for three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, five counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual communication and one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The 25-year-old was caught by four different online child activist groups who pretended to be young girls to catch predators.

They were: Justice For Kids, No More Secrets, Innocence From The Shadows, and Secrets and Lies Confronted.

Bourton was caught messaging the fake accounts videos of him masturbating, believe the accounts to be 13 to 15 year old girls.

Judge Michael Gledhill sentenced Bourton, of Wigod Way, Wallingford, to five years imprisonment plus a three year extended term due to the defendant being classified as a ‘dangerous’ and ‘high risk offender’.

Opening the case, prosecutor Steven Attridge said Bourton had been caught messaging the fake accounts on various platforms, including online chatrooms and WhatsApp in May last year.

He messaged ‘Lucy Jane’, who he thought was a 13-year-old girl, on Facebook using his account ‘Playboy25’, asking her for naked photos.

 Another account, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl named ‘Carrie’, was run by an East Midlands Specialist Unit and Bourton was caught messaging her saying: “If I was you dad and you saw me d*** would you ask to use it?”

An account run by ‘Secrets and Lies Confronted’, pretending to be a 14-year-old girl called Freya, caught Bourton threatening to commit suicide if the teenager did not send naked photographs.

Upon arrest on May 22, officers also found search terms on the defendant’s phone indicating he had been looking for indecent images of children.

Bourton was previously jailed in April 2021 for sexually assaulting a six-year-old old and several other child sex offences.

Defending Bourton, barrister Gordana Austen said the 25-year-old suffered from physical and mental difficulties. 

 She said he is on the autism spectrum and suffers from anxiety and depression.

“He lives a very isolated and lonely life,” she said. “He says he tries to date and communicate with adults but they ignore him which is why he finds it easier to communicate with children.”

Sentencing Bourton, Judge Gledhill said: “You are a very high risk offender according to both the probation officer and your own psychiatrist and I’ve come to the conclusion that you are, what is known in law, as dangerous.”