Latest Offenders

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A Perthshire mum has spoken of her five-year nightmare at the hands of rapist and abuser Jack Bruce, warning he remains a danger to women if freed.

The 30-year-old was jailed for 11 years last week after being convicted of four rapes, one attempted rape, one sexual assault and four domestic abuse offences against three women over an eight-year period between 2015 and 2023.

One survivor, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said:

“He made me think I was crazy and that all this abuse was in my head and nobody would believe me.”

The 32-year-old met Bruce on a works night out in 2016. He was convicted of two rapes against her and multiple abusive and controlling offences, including isolating her from family and friends.

“He is manipulative. He makes you think he is a nice person but he isn’t,” she said. “I hope that he gets the help in prison that he needs to make important changes in his life. So no other women get affected by this.

“I don’t think he will take the help because in his eyes he has done no wrong. He should not be set free until it is safe to do.”

She recalled the relationship starting well before turning violent.

“At first everything was hunky dory. We were out all the time and there were no red flags. Then one time he choked me and I told him I did not like that and that is when the issues started.

“From there I became 100 percent trapped in the relationship. One time he locked me in the house and barricaded the door and would not let me leave when I was pregnant. By this time he had alienated all my friends and family. I was a very outgoing young girl who was living life who became a shell of a woman.”

The tipping point came when her young daughter stood in front of her during one of Bruce’s rages and said:

“Stop.”

Passing sentence, Lady Ross told Bruce:

“This was a sustained campaign of brutal and degrading sexual abuse. You have caused your victims to suffer from continuing and lasting psychological harm.

“You continue to deny wrongdoing. You blame your victims – you believe your victims have somehow conspired against you. You do this to deflect attention from your situation.”

The judge ordered two years’ supervision on release and placed Bruce on the sex offenders register for life, adding: “It will be very important for you to engage with the work that will be needed to help you address your behaviour and the problems that you obviously have in your attitude towards women.”

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A man has been convicted of multiple child sex offences today (Monday 2 March).

Christopher Shepherd, 43, of Spondon, Derbyshire, was found guilty by a jury at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court of one count of rape of a girl under 13, one count of sexual assault of a girl under 13 and one count of meeting a girl under 16 following grooming.

During the trial, Shepherd pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child.

Our investigation found that Shepherd had been speaking to a number of girls online between 2021 and 2022. He would send and receive indecent images in the conversations with the victims.

He arranged to meet one of the victims. He picked her up in his car and raped her.

After Shepherds offending was reported to us in 2022, we arrested him. Officers from our child protection team worked tirelessly to support the survivors and to build the evidence against him.

Based on the strength of this evidence, and the bravery of the survivors, Shepherd was found guilty in court today.

He has been remanded ahead of his sentencing date at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Monday 20 April.

Detective Inspector Adam Goodger, from our child protection team, said:

Im pleased that we have been able to achieve this conviction today and make sure that Shepherd was not able to escape his offending.

We are determined to take robust action against those responsible for these offences in Staffordshire and to seek the toughest possible punishment in court.

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Ryan Bird, from Redcar, raped the child on 1 June 2025 and engaged in sexual activity with her between 18 September 2025 and 18 November 2025.

The 24-year-old exchanged messages on Facebook messenger and Snapchat with the girl detailing how they ‘love’ and ‘miss’ each other and want ‘hugs’.

On Monday 22 December Bird pleaded guilty to rape and engaging in sexual activity with a girl and was remanded in custody.

He appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday 17 February to be sentenced to 10 years and six months with one year additional on licence.

The court granted an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim from Bird and he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the sex offenders register.

During the hearing, the court heard how on Monday 17 November 2025 police were called to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

What followed was interviews with the child, her family and other witnesses along with specialist work from the force’s digital forensics unit.

Following this, detectives from Cleveland Police’s child abuse and vulnerable adults team arrested Bird on Tuesday 18 November and he was taken to police custody.

After he was questioned, he was charged on Wednesday 19 November and remanded in custody.

Detective Constable Elliot Shute, from Cleveland Police’s protecting vulnerable people unit, said:

“Bird took advantage of a young child for his own sexual gratification without a thought for the physical and mental abuse that it would bring to her.

“I want to take this opportunity to praise the girl for her bravery in disclosing what had happened to her and that Bird was the offender as well as providing evidence throughout the investigation and court process.

“It goes without saying that what Bird did will have a huge impact on her and her family. I hope knowing he is now in prison will provide some comfort.”

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Brighton man Philip Smith has been convicted of raping a woman at knifepoint in the city centre.

At around 3.30am on Saturday, 9 August, 2025, police received a third-party report that a woman had just been raped by a stranger in Bartholomew Square.

She said the man had threatened her with a knife and raped her on a public bench.

The victim – a 31-year-old woman - was able to contact a friend nearby, who rushed to the scene and disturbed the attacker.

An emergency call came into Sussex Police with a description of the suspect and, 45 minutes later, Philip Smith was arrested at the entrance of Quadrophenia Alley in Little East Street.

Smith matched the victim’s description and was found to be in possession of multiple knives, including one that matched the victim’s account, as well as Class A drugs.

The 28-year-old, of no fixed address, was arrested and taken into custody.

While in custody, Smith exposed himself to two women inside Brighton Custody Centre.

He was subsequently charged with two counts of rape, two counts of indecent exposure and one count each of being in possession of a Class A drug, and possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was remanded in custody.

At the time of the offence, Smith was on court bail awaiting sentencing for the sexual assault of a woman in Brighton on 5 August, 2025.

He denied the two rape charges, but pleaded guilty to all other offences. Following a trial at Lewes Crown Court a jury found him guilty of both counts of rape on Thursday (26 February).

Smith has been remanded in custody to be sentenced at Hove Trial Centre on Thursday, 25 June. 

Detective Constable Rachel Cutts said:

“Philip Smith subjected this woman to a horrific ordeal in the city centre, in an area where she had every right to feel safe.

“Thanks to her quick-thinking to seek help, the prompt action of her friend and the rapid response of our officers, a dangerous offender has been brought to justice.

“I would like to commend all of the victims impacted by Smith's offending for supporting this investigation through extremely challenging circumstances.

“We will continue to work hard alongside our partners to protect women and girls in Brighton and Hove, while ensuring victims are supported and offenders brought to justice should the worst happen.”

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A delivery driver from Manchester has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Northwich.

Rana Jahangir was found guilty of one count of sexual assault following a trial at Chester Crown Court which concluded on Friday 27 February 2026.

The 25-year-old of Collington Close, Manchester has been jailed for two years and four months. He has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years and handed a restraining order which prevents him from contacting the victim.

The court heard how on Tuesday 2 September 2025, Jahangir delivered food to an address on Shipbrook Road in Rudheath.

After handing over the food, he went on to grab the woman from behind and started hugging and kissing her.

The assault continued for over a minute, despite repeated requests for him to stop.

The victim initially chose not to report the matter to police but instead made a complaint to the delivery company.

However, after speaking to friends, she later contacted police on Wednesday 3 September and Jahangir was arrested.

Following his arrests, Jahangir denied sexually assaulting the victim and claimed that it was consensual.

However, unbeknown to him, part of the incident had been recorded on a mobile phone, and he was subsequently charged with one count of sexual assault.

Following the guilty verdict, Detective Constable Sarah Ollier, said:

“During questioning Jahangir denied sexually assaulting the victim, instead claiming that it was consensual.

“Even when we presented him with the mobile phone footage, he continued to deny the allegations, claiming that the victim had set him up.

“Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies, and he has been held accountable for his actions.

“I welcome the sentenced handed to Jahangir and I hope that it provides some reassurance to the victim.

“We will continue to do all we can to tackle any incident of violence against women and take all reports of such crimes extremely seriously and will investigate thoroughly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

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Detectives have praised a child’s bravery in helping put the man who sexually abused her behind bars.

Forty-year-old David Macquarrie was responsible for committing a series of sex offences against an underage girl.

The campaign of abuse took place in August and September last year, with Macquarrie initially grooming his victim online.

He was fully aware of the girl’s age when they started talking but still engaged her in conversations of a sexual nature anyway.

This ultimately culminated in the paedophile persuading the child to meet with him at his address on multiple occasions.

Macquarrie subjected her to repeated sexual abuse during each of the meetings.

Around the same time this was happening, Macquarrie was also engaging in conversations of a sexual nature with another ‘girl’ online.

Unbeknownst to the predator, however, he was on that occasion interacting with a decoy account set up by an online child activist group.

Macquarrie was arrested soon after that, at which point the true extent of his crimes became apparent.

That was possible thanks to the girl he’d sexually abused finding the strength to come forward and report what happened to the police.

Macquarrie, of Scrooby Close, Harworth, was duly charged with a series of child sex offences – all of which he pleaded guilty to.

These included seven counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Macquarrie also admitted to both engaging and attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child.

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years and placed on the sex offenders’ register for life during an appearance at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (26 February).

Macquarrie was also made the subject of a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim for the next 10 years, while he was handed a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 15 years too.

Detective Constable Ellie Talbot, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“First and foremost, I want to highlight and commend the courage shown by the young victim in disclosing what happened to her.

“That can’t have been an easy thing to do, with the immense bravery she demonstrated ensuring Macquarrie’s depravity was revealed and his disgusting actions didn’t go unpunished.

“Macquarrie knew full well that his victim was underage and yet continued to pursue her anyway – firstly grooming her online before then sexually abusing her.

“This happened on more than one occasion, with the 40-year-old’s abuse taking place at the same time he was trying to target what he thought was another child.

“We’re pleased to see he has now been sent to prison.”

Description

A 25-year-old man has been jailed today for 10 years for raping a woman he had been harassing during a night out in Southampton.

Musafar Hotak began following a woman, who had been on a night out with friends, in the city centre, paying her unwanted attention.

A court heard on Tuesday 12 July, 2022, he approached the 24-year-old woman, who was trying to find her partner. He told her he knew her partner, and offered to help reunite them.

Instead, he led her to his own address, where he went on to ignore her repeated pleas for him to stop and sexually assaulted and raped her. She eventually managed to push him away and flee the property.

In a statement to the court, the victim described how her life had been “destroyed in ways she never thought possible, something me shattered.” She spoke of living “in fear, shame, silence, and unbearable pain that I still can’t fully describe. I was left feeling broken, empty, and terrified of the world around me.” She told the court “I had lost every piece of myself, and it felt like there was no way back. I felt like a stranger in my own skin,” adding that “before this, I was full of life.” but following the attack “it’s exhausting to live in constant fear.” She said the impact “has left scars on every part of my life. I’ve been surviving it every day since.”

When the victim reported the attack to police, an investigation was launched, with support for her from specialist officers.

As part of this investigation, forensic samples were taken at the time the offence was reported. However, Hotak had left the country and was not able to be arrested until he returned to the UK in 2024.

Hotak, an Afghan national who lived in Mount Pleasant Road, Southampton, had denied raping the woman, but was found guilty following a trial at Southampton Crown Court last month.

Today, at the same court, he has been jailed for 10 years.

Along with his time in behind bars Hotak will put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a restraining order. 

Detective constable Laura Cook, the officer leading the investigation said:

“We are pleased to see Hotak behind bars for what he has done.

"Reducing violence against women and girls is a priority for us, and this case shows our determination to pursue offenders and protect victims.

"This has been a long and incredibly difficult journey for the victim, and her courage in coming forward and supporting the investigation has been truly commendable.

“I also want to recognise the dedication of the wider investigations team, whose hard work and professionalism throughout this case helped ensure that a dangerous offender has been brought to justice.

“I hope today’s outcome brings the victim some sense of closure after everything she has endured.”

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A rapist who held a woman captive over a weekend and subjected her to “pure hell” has been jailed for 14 years.

Noah Hetherington, 22, of Maryport Road, Dearham, Cumbria, was found guilty at Carlisle Crown Court of rape, false imprisonment, assault and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The court heard he held what appeared to be a real shotgun to the woman’s head, threatened to shoot her, raped her multiple times, beat her with an axe handle and removed her phone SIM card while under the influence of cannabis, cocaine and alcohol.

Judge Nicholas Barker told him he had “entrenched criminal tendencies”.

The victim told the court she believed she would be killed and said: “He needs to be stopped. And that’s the only reason I’m trying to be strong and get through it – for other people, for other girls.”

In her impact statement she described the ordeal as “pure hell”, adding: “I was almost dead and killed, dead and buried. I’ve never been the same person since.”

She has since been in and out of hospital, lost hair, been unable to eat or sleep and now lives with daily trauma. “I’ve been traumatised,” she said. “And I’ll live with the trauma every single day.”

Hetherington, a father of two, had previous convictions for possessing an offensive weapon (a sharpened stick taken into school), battery, criminal damage, drugs and driving offences.

He must sign the sex offenders register for life and comply with a sexual harm prevention order.

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A rapist from Ashford has been sentenced to nine years in prison.

Matthew Thompson, 36, was also found guilty of strangulation and falsely imprisoning his victim on 6 December 2024.

During the incident, Thompson persisted with sexual intercourse against their wishes. When they attempted to leave, he squeezed his victim’s neck and grabbed their hair to restrict their movement.

His actions were reported the following day and an investigation was launched, resulting in Thompson’s arrest on 9 December and subsequent charges.

He denied all accusations against him but, after a seven day trial at Canterbury Crown Court, a jury found him guilty.

Thompson, of Grampion Close, Ashford, was sentenced at the same court on Friday 20 February 2026 to nine years’ imprisonment with an extended licence period of three years.

Detective Constable Heidi Cole said:

‘Thompson put his victim through a horrific ordeal where they were made to feel powerless and voiceless. It is only through their courage that he will now face the consequences of his actions.

‘We’re very pleased he is now behind bars, where he can’t be a danger to the public for a long time.’

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The man pictured below is Kurt Devoy-Foster, his is 34 years old and he is a sex offender.

Over a two-year period, Devoy-Foster attempted to engage in sexual communication with girls he believed were between 12 and 15 years old.

Unfortunately for Devoy-Foster, but fortunately for the public, the individuals on the other end of the electronic devices weren’t children, they were either members of Online Child Action Groups (OCAGs) or undercover police officers.

On 14th and 15th May 2023, Devoy-Foster engaged in sexual communication with a user he believed was a 13-year-old girl on RandoChat. During the course of the communication, Devoy-Foster sent inappropriate videos and incited the child to engage in sexual activity. Thankfully, there was no child, Devoy-Foster was communicating with an officer from the North-West Regional Crime Unit (NWRCU).

Devoy-Foster was arrested by officers from the East Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) Team.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Devoy-Foster was charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child , attempting to cause/incite a child to engage in sexual activity and failing to comply with his notification requirements.

On 2nd November 2024 – and whilst on court bail for the above offences - Devoy-Foster messaged a profile on RandoChat which he believed was being used by a 13-year-old girl.

Claiming to be called Adam, Devoy-Foster sent a message reading “what u done with a guy?”

He then went on to send her highly sexualised messages, before encouraging what he believed was a child to perform lewd acts.

Despite receiving numerous messages back from the person he was messaging stating she was 13 years old, Devoy-Foster continued to ask her to perform lewd acts.

The communication ended the following day when the operative from an OCAG group reported Devoy-Foster to our colleagues at West Yorkshire Police. The investigation was then transferred to Lancashire Police to progress.

On 16th December 2024, Devoy-Foster engaged in sexualised communication with a girl he believed was 14 years old on RandoChat and then on WhatsApp. Unfortunately for him, Devoy-Foster was communicating with a member of a second OCAG.

Devoy-Foster was arrested on 22nd December outside a Blackburn supermarket, having been confronted by members of the OCAG.

A search was carried out of Devoy-Foster’s home and a number of electronic devices were seized, including eight mobile phones.

Devoy-Foster was charged and released on court bail, with strict conditions not to use RandoChat, not to communicate directly or indirectly with a child and limitations were imposed around his internet use.

On 8th April 2025, Devoy-Foster contacted a profile he believed was being operated by a 12-year-old girl on RandoChat asking how old she was.

On 10th April 2025, Devoy-Foster began sending sexually inappropriate messages to what he believed was a child. He then asked her to perform lewd acts and send him picture evidence of her doing so.

He then sent her an image of a penis and stated he wanted to go on a secret date with her to the park. Devoy-Foster then sent over more inappropriate images.

Unfortunately for Devoy-Foster, the account he was messaging was being operated by an officer from the (NWROCU).

Enquiries found the inappropriate messages were being sent from Devoy-Foster’s home in Terry Street, Nelson.

Officers from NWRCU attended Devoy-Foster’s home and arrested him on suspicion of sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and breach of court bail conditions.

Devoy-Foster appeared at Preston Crown Court earlier this year where he pleaded guilty to Sexual Communication with Children under 16, causing/inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, causing/inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and multiple failures to comply with notification requirements.

Devoy-Foster returned to the same court on Monday (23rd February) where he was jailed for seven years and six months. He was also made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Beth Turner, of the East Internet Child Exploitation Team, said:

“Devoy-Foster is a dangerous individual who presents a serious risk to children via his determined efforts to engage them in sexual activity. His offending shows a desire to meet and abuse a child in person.

“I welcome the sentence handed down to Devoy-Foster which reflects the seriousness of his offending.”

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A man from Poulshot has been jailed for child sex offences and barred from ever working with children.

Karl Shuttleworth, 60, formerly of Poulshot Road, pleaded guilty to attempting to cause/incite a female child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, arrange/facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child back in December.

On February 23, he was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court to three years imprisonment.

He was also given a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to pay CPS costs of £1,000, a £228 surcharge and will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults for life.

The investigation was led by our Child Internet Exploitation Team. They attended Shuttleworth’s address back in September 2024 where he was arrested following allegations that he was engaging with children he believed to be as young as 12 online in an attempt to meet them for sexual activity.

Det Con Jason Walsh, from our CIET team, said:

“Shuttleworth is a predator who made numerous attempts via various online platforms to instruct people who he believed were children to engage in sexual activity.

“Fortunately, although we found no live victims, we believe Shuttleworth had a real sexual interest in children by the way he was engaging with online profiles and considering he had a job which involved working alongside vulnerable children, I believe he posed a real danger.  I am therefore, extremely pleased that as a direct result of our complex investigation, he has been given not just a custodial sentence, but barred from working with children for life.”

Description

A convicted child sex offender has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for the rape and sexual abuse of two young children.

Steven Stanley Dunn, aged 49 and previously of Southway in Plymouth, previously pleaded guilty to six non-recent child sex offences.

He appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday 25 February.

The court heard how the incidents were committed against two children in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Dunn currently resides in prison after being convicted in 2016 of rape and sexual assault against three children committed in the 2010s. 

He was previously sentenced to 16 years in prison, a term he was serving when the latest proceedings against him were brought.

While in prison, further reports were received and detectives carried out immediate enquiries which lead to Dunn being charged for the additional offences relating to the two children in this case.

In total, he was convicted of two counts of sexual assault, two counts of penetration, one count of indecent assault and one count of rape.

The latest sentence started from when it was passed on Wednesday.

The court heard from the victims who read out their victim impact statements in court.

One of the victims described living ‘in a constant storm of trauma’ and suffering from adverse mental health. She added that Dunn is ‘a coward and a monster’.

The second victim said:

“I have had hours of therapy, taken medication and struggled through school. I have spent years struggling with anxiety and depression. I have days where I am so unbelievably sad that I can't really do anything.”

Police Staff Investigator Aimee Cattell said:

“I want to firstly commend the bravery and courage of the victims who came forward. Reporting incidents such as these is incredibly daunting and I don’t underestimate how hard this must have been.

“Nothing will ever take away what Dunn did to these girls, but I hope that the court outcome today goes someway in helping them move forward with their lives.

“If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, please come forward. No matter the passage of time, you will be listened to and believed. We are committed to supporting you every step of the way.”

Description

A sex offender who crept into elderly people’s homes during a series of disturbing incidents was caught after a determined investigation and help from the public.

Tyler Reilly broke into one elderly woman’s home while she was in the shower and attempted to get through a bedroom window while another woman was getting changed.

The 32-year-old also sneaked into a flat at an OAP's complex and told the elderly occupant ‘not to scream’.

Detectives investigated the series of incidents, which all took place in the West Bridgford area, and analysed hours of CCTV footage.

An image of a suspect was released to the public and this helped identify Reilly as the offender.

He was arrested by neighbourhood officers who found him living in a tent in Wilford Road.

Reilly, of no fixed abode, went on to plead guilty to two counts of trespassing with intent to commit a sexual offence, burglary and failing to comply with the requirements of the Sex Offenders’ Register.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (26 February) he was handed an extended jail sentence of 14 years.

Detective Sergeant Ben Skellern, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“The victims in this series of incidents were alarmed to come face-to-face with an intruder inside their homes or on their property.

“They must have felt horrified that their safe space had been violated in this way by Reilly.

“We believe our investigation, with the help of the public who identified him, may have prevented further and more serious offences being committed.

“During the investigation it became clear this series of incidents were linked and we were looking at one offender who needed to be identified quickly and arrested.

“We are very grateful to the members of the public who came forward to help our appeal.”

Inspector Tim Cuthbert, local area commander for Rushcliffe, said:

“These incidents caused concern in the West Bridgford community and we know a number of Reilly’s victims were vulnerable people who lived alone or in assisted accommodation.

“Neighbourhood teams carried out additional patrols in the areas affected as the investigation took place and I hope these provided some comfort.

“I also hope our robust investigation and the outcome in court reassures both the victims and the wider community about how seriously we treat offences of this nature.”

Description

A dangerous offender who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl has been handed an extended 21year sentence after our officers irrefutably linked him to the crime through DNA evidence.

Their work led a Crown Court judge to issue a formal commendation to the investigative team for bringing him to justice.

Judge Martyn Levett described how the case required:

“focused attention and hard work from people who work late at night and probably very early in the morning.”

He continued:

“Investigating a case such as this provides many challenges due to the constellation of different pieces of evidence.

“I appreciate that much of the work involves putting together a coherent case which is then presented to the jury. Sometimes that is not easy.

“I probably only see part of what goes on behind the scenes in the preparation of such cases.

“This is only possible with teamwork and backup. It’s often forgotten that these cases cannot function on their own, and the welfare of everyone has to be well looked after before, during and after the course of a trial.

“I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those concerned in this case, and if I may, single out DC Tamsin Lyons, DC Debbie Hewett, DC Owen Clements and DS Gavin Wiseman.
They should be commended for their hard work. A commendation is truly deserved.”

Judge Levett praised the detectives for presenting a coherent case in which “all the arrows pointed to one man”.

That man was 28yearold Dominic Boultwood.

Already a convicted sex offender, Boultwood lured his victim to a wooded area of Bourne Valley Nature Reserve, near Mersea Road, Colchester, on Thursday 9 May 2024.

After engaging her in a sexualised conversation and confirming her young age, he pulled her to the ground and sexually assaulted her.

On several occasions he warned the girl not to report him to police or tell anyone what had happened.

Distressed and crying, she asked to leave. Boultwood told her to remain at the scene for five minutes while he walked away.

She later felt able to leave and returned home, quickly confiding in a friend. We were alerted soon afterwards and launched an immediate investigation, putting specialist support in place for the girl and carrying out urgent enquiries.

Numerous pieces of evidence pointed to Boultwood, but crucially he was linked through DNA discovered on the victim’s clothing.

Arrested

We arrested him on Wednesday 15 May and searched his home, where a quantity of cannabis was seized.

In interview, Boultwood claimed he had been fishing in the nature reserve on the day of the offence. He denied seeing or speaking to any child, acknowledging that doing so would breach court orders.

Boultwood had previously been convicted in 2015 of a separate sexual assault and received a sevenyear sentence, comprising four years in custody and three years on licence. He was subject to notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which allowed monitoring software to be installed on his mobile phone.

During his first interview, Boultwood said that if he had committed the offence as alleged, he would admit it. After being presented with forensic evidence, he provided a prepared statement in a second interview, claiming his DNA could have been on the girl’s clothing because he regularly slept and urinated in the area.

He was charged with sexual assault and assault by penetration and was remanded in custody.

Jailed

Boultwood stood trial at Ipswich Crown Court in March last year, also facing a charge of making indecent images of children following a previous examination of his mobile phone. Officers had found a number of sexualised images of children aged between three and 13.

Due to the overwhelming evidence gathered against him, a jury convicted him of all three offences.

Appearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday 25 February, he was deemed a dangerous offender requiring an extended sentence to protect the public. This comprised 13 years’ imprisonment and an additional eight years on extended licence.

He will remain subject to indefinite notification requirements and a renewed Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which will help deter and detect any future offending. A lifelong restraining order was also imposed to protect the victim.

Judge Levett said Boultwood had:

“manipulated a very young girl to fulfil his sexual desire” and added that places such as nature reserves should be spaces where children feel safe to walk without any sense of danger.

'The sooner you speak out the better'

The mother of the victim, who must remain anonymous, said:

“Officers were amazing. I know these things are scary but the sooner you speak out the quicker police can get the person and hopefully, in time, give closure.

“It may take a while, but patience is important. These things may not affect you instantly, but they will long term.

“Everyone needs to speak out and everyone needs to feel safe so maybe we do need to see more of a presence in quiet, enclosed areas.”

A dangerous sexual predator

Detective Inspector James Holmes, of our Serious Crime Directorate, said:

“Boultwood is a dangerous sexual predator who poses a very real risk to young girls.

“Despite his previous imprisonment for sexual offending and the strict conditions imposed upon him as a registered sex offender, he chose to completely disregard those matters – showing utter contempt for his victim and the law.

“We firmly believe he was fully aware of his despicable actions in preying on a lone 13yearold schoolgirl and knew we were looking for him in the days after the offence.

“He has never shown the slightest remorse.

“Thanks to the evidence we gathered, a jury saw through his lies and convicted him over his horrific actions. He is now back where he belongs – in prison.

“I want to pay tribute to the victim, who has shown patience and bravery throughout this investigation. I hope that, with the support of her family and those around her, she is able to move forward.

“If you are a victim of a sexual offence in Essex, you will be listened to and your voice will be heard.

“We have teams of specialist officers dedicated to investigating sexual offences against children. Even if you do not feel ready to speak to police, you can contact an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, who will listen and help you access the support you need.”

Description

The offences occurred in September 2023 and throughout the last two and a half years the victim has showed incredible strength and determination to ensure the man who abused her was brought to justice.

Riaz, 29, of no fixed address, deliberately targeted the vulnerable teenager after encountering her alone in the Hamilton area of the city shortly before midnight on Thursday 7 September 2023.

The girl had left her address a short time before and had been reported missing to police.

Riaz forced the teenager to go back to his-then home address in Harringworth Road. Once there he supplied her with cannabis and raped her.

She was able to leave the address and thanks to a night shift worker, who found her at around 4am the next morning (Friday 8 September), police were called.

While supporting the victim, detectives in the force’s specialist rape and serious sexual assault team – known as the Signal team – also carried out extensive enquiries during the next few days to identify and locate the suspect and the address where the offences had taken place.

This led to officers identifying the address in Harringworth Road and arresting him a few days later.

For more than two years, the officer in the case - DC Jon Williamsn - and other detectives in the team, have continued to carry out enquiries and gather evidence ahead of the trial.

This vital work led to Riaz being found guilty of two counts of rape against the victim.

DC Williams, from the Signal team, said:

“Throughout her ordeal the victim has shown incredible strength. It took extreme courage for her to share the details of what had occurred so that officers and staff could carry out a thorough investigation.

“It has been two and half years since this incident occurred but the victim’s determination and persistence to see this perpetrator punished for his actions has stayed with her. It is thanks to her that he is now going to spend many years behind bars.”