Latest Offenders

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A Huddersfield man has been jailed this week after being found guilty of the sexual assault of a young girl.

Daniel Hill, 29, was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty of a sexual touching offence and an attempted sexual touching offence. He was sentenced on Tuesday, October 11, at Leeds Crown Court.

His offences took place in Kirklees in 2021. He will also serve another 10 months in prison for an unrelated offence he'd previously got a suspended sentence for. 

West Yorkshire Police said Hill's offences were reported to them as soon as they came to light and he was quickly arrested.

DC Natalie Green of the Kirklees District Safeguarding Unit, said: “The young victim and her family have shown real courage in coming forwards and then supporting the prosecution of Hill through a trial. Their bravery has resulted in a sex offender now being behind bars.

“Specialist officers always thoroughly investigate all reports of sexual offences and we continue to urge victims to come forwards so we can seek justice for them and also, with partners, provide the support they will need.”

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A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after breaching an order designed to curb his deviancy by chatting to another pervert and failing to tell police he had a phone and memory sticks.

Michael Minchell, whose previous convictions include sexual assault and child abduction, was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order in July 2020 for child sex offences. But in June this year a visit by a risk management officer revealed he was not abiding by it.

He had a mobile phone which he had failed to register with police for three months and also had USB memory sticks which he had not told officers about, as he was meant to do. And he had been in regular contact with another sex offender who he met in prison, which was also forbidden in the order. He had also contacted another pervert.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Minchell, 57, has nine previous convictions. In December 2020 he got a suspended sentence for two counts of gross indecency with a child under 13 and indecent assault of a boy. He was also convicted of three counts of sexual assault and child abduction in 2007 and indecent assault in 1998.

ChronicleLive reported in December 2020 how our story about the foot fetish pervert prompted a new victim to come forward to report what he'd done decades earlier.

Jane Foley, defending, said: "He would say he is vulnerable. He has been frequently bullied and easily led.

"He seeks the approval of others. When he has formed friendships in prison he has found it very difficult to steer clear of them.

"He has lost his job as a result of his offending. He is an isolated individual and has anxiety and depression."

Minchell, 57, of Saint Cuthbert’s Court, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and being in breach of a suspended sentence. Judge Julie Clemitson jailed him for a total of 29 months and told him the sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration will continue for life.

The judge said: "You have demonstrated a pattern of non compliance with measures implemented to manage the risk you pose.

"You are isolated and have lost your job. Those are consequences of the path you have chosen to lead through your life. You put your own needs ahead of the measures put in place to protect other people."

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Police also found a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone aid made to resemble a child’s genitals.

The headteacher of a primary school who had a haul of child abuse material, including a paedophile manual and over one million indecent images, has been jailed for six years. Thomas Singleton, 41, was also one of the safeguarding leads at the school.

He was arrested by the National Crime Agency in February 2021, after investigators found he had accessed indecent images of children online from his house. Officers seized laptops and a number of digital storage devices from his home.

They also recovered a toddler-sized doll, underwear and clothing for babies and young children, and a silicone sex aid made to resemble a child’s genitals. Singleton does not have any children and when questioned, he could provide no explanation for who the doll and clothing belonged to.

Analysis of his electronic devices showed he had 1,050,448 indecent images of children in categories A-C, 45,216 prohibited images of children, and 52 extreme pornographic images. Within those were a collection of pseudo-images, which had been created by Singleton by superimposing himself into photos so it looked like he was engaging in sexual activity with children.

A 170 page paedophile manual was found on Singleton’s hard drive. The introduction to the document explains that it is ‘a guide to practicing sex with children without fear of doing harm’. It contains a number of chapters which provide advice and guidance on how to sexually abuse children and avoid being detected.

Officers also recovered a number of online chat logs in which he spoke with other like-minded individuals about child sexual abuse. Some chats show him partaking in ‘age play’, where both users participate in a fantasy in which one of them pretends to be a child engaging in sexual activity with the other.

On his devices and stored around his home, Singleton had documents which described child abuse scenarios and could be ‘personalised’ to include names of the user’s choosing. These also corresponded to hand-drawn flowcharts found in his house. Some of the charts were stored in a folder labelled ‘Tom’s Action Folder’ and described detailed sexual acts between the reader and the subject of the flowchart.

Singleton, from Suffolk, resigned as a teacher during the course of the investigation. He was charged with eight offences, including taking indecent pseudo-images of a child (categories A-B), making indecent images (categories A-C) and possession of a paedophile manual.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to six years in prison. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

NCA Operations Manager Michael Parkinson said: “As a safeguarding lead and the Head of a primary school, Singleton supposedly represented a dependable figure of safety and trust for young children, their families and the school community. This investigation showed he grossly abused that position.

“His house was filled with a large, disturbing collection of items which proved beyond doubt his sexual interest in children. Of particular concern was an extensive paedophile manual which offered explicit, practical guidance on how to carry out abuse.

“This case highlights how an offender’s behaviour can escalate, from downloading abuse material to finding a community of like-minded individuals online who normalise and even encourage this criminal behaviour.

“Identifying such individuals at the earliest opportunity and disrupting this pattern of offending before they can commit real-world abuse is a top priority for the National Crime Agency.”

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Umair Farooq made up an excuse that he was ''checking on her'' after he had watched the victim and her friend from the hotel bar.

A vulnerable woman says she has lost her ''smile and happiness'' after she was sexually assaulted by a stranger after he let himself into her hotel room. Umair Farooq, 42 is said to have watched two women who were staying in the room earlier that night at the hotel bar and made them both feel ''uncomfortable'' before the victim left her friend go to bed herself.

Farooq found a way into to the room and made up an excuse that he was ''just checking on her'' and that the key was in the door when challenged by the victim's friend, Wales Online reports. In an emotional impact statement, the victim said that her attacker had robbed her of her ''smile and happiness'' and that she ''can't get his face out of my head or his hands off my body'' after the terrifying assault.

She had travelled to North Wales with her friend earlier this year and they stayed at the hotel where the assault took place in Denbighshire on October 13. They noticed Farooq, from Rangpura in Sialkot, Pakistan whose behaviour was disturbing them as he appeared to watch them sitting outside having a drink from a distance.

The court heard that they left shortly after for another pub and returned to the hotel at around 10pm. The complainant, who felt unwell, was put to bed by her friend. Prosecutor Simon Rogers told the court that the woman was woken up a short while later to find Farooq, who had got his hands on a key and entered the room, in the middle of assaulting her.

The woman pushed him away and ran to her friend, and the matter was reported to the police. When confronted at the reception desk, Farooq told the victim's friend he was “just checking on her” and that the key was in the door. He then told the woman: "I’m Muslim, I wouldn’t do that."

After his arrest, the defendant told an officer at St Asaph's custody suite that he “did not know what was allowed here in Britain" and claimed to have thought it was OK to open the door and go into the victim’s room. He later admitted to an assault by penetration and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence.

In a victim impact statement, the complainant branded Farooq a "monster". Looking towards him in the dock, she said that "no sentence will ever be enough" and that she "didn’t deserve this". The mum added: "I don’t get how this happens in a quiet hotel in Wales.

''I can’t get his face out of my head or his hands off my body. No matter how many baths I have, he’s still on me.

''I feel like I’ve lost myself to a man and I don’t even know who he is or his name. He took my smile and happiness."

Simon Mintz, defending, told the court that there was little he could say to minimise the "wholly uncharacteristic" actions of his client. He told the judge that Farooq is a respected businessman with a wife and four children who rely on him in Pakistan.

Mr Mintz added that there would be "extra difficulties" for the 42-year-old in a UK prison, including language barriers and being kept "a world apart” from his family for some years. Judge Rhys Rowlands said it had been an "utterly terrifying experience" for the woman and that he could not ignore the trauma Farooq caused when he assaulted his victim.

He was jailed for four and a half years and was listed on the sex offender register for life. The judge said: "Understandably the effect on the victim has been quite profound, both on the night as described in the victim personal statement and it is plain for the court to see on this day some five months later.

"Many aspects of her everyday life remain affected. She was vulnerable but that didn’t stop you for one moment when trying to take advantage of her."

Following the sentencing Detective Inspector Emma Gardner said it "sends a clear message that we as a force, and society in north Wales will not tolerate any acts of this nature. I would like to pay tribute to the victim for their bravery throughout this legal process and encourage anyone who is subject to any similar type of incident to report it to us at the earliest opportunity.

"Your complaint will be dealt with in confidence, investigated thoroughly and you will be offered the necessary support. We remain committed to making north Wales the safest place in the UK."

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An Edinburgh man who sexually assaulted a sleeping friend who had visited him after she had attended a church service has been placed on the sex offenders register.

Bogdan Raczynski pounced on the woman as she slept on a sofa following a drinking session at his flat in the “frightening” incident area of the city last year. Raczynski, 53, crept up to the woman in the middle of the night and pulled her leggings and underwear down before she woke up and shouted for him to stop.

The victim fled the home the following morning and after confiding in a friend decided to report the stopped the attack to the police. The creep appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing on Thursday after previously admitting the sex assault.

Defence agent Peter Winning said his client “accepted culpability” for the offence and said he had stopped the attack when the woman told him to. Mr Winning said the first offender had a “good work history” and leads “a relatively quiet life”.

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell KC said: “When this matter called before me previously I heard a full account of the circumstances and your conduct on the occasion I heard about was completely unacceptable.

“This must have been a troubling, upsetting and frightening experience for the woman concerned. I take account of the fact you stopped when she said she did want your advances.

“On balance I am satisfied there is an alternative to custody in this case.” Raczynski was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and under the supervision of the local social work department for the next 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work in the community. Previously fiscal depute Jennifer McLaren told the court Raczynski and the woman had been friends for around 15 years and she had attended at his flat with a pal on March 29 last year.

Ms McLaren said: “Around 5.30pm [the victim] and a friend attended a church service together and following this [she] contacted the accused and asked if she could visit him and he agreed. Upon their arrival the accused was at home alone and the three sat together eating food and drinking alcohol. This was a mixture of whisky and vodka.”

The court heard the socialising went on for “a number hours” and after the women missed their last bus Raczynski agreed they could stay over. The complainer slept on the couch in the living room while her friend slept in the spare bedroom.

Ms McLaren said they woman, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, woke up between 3am and 4am to find Raczynski “standing over her”. The court heard he “grabbed hold of her leg and seized hold of her leggings” and tried to “pull these down”.

The fiscal said a struggle ensued where he “successfully managed to lower the clothing of [the woman] including her underwear” before she told him to stop. The woman then lost consciousness and after waking in the morning she and her friend quickly left the flat.

The woman told her friend about the attack and the police were contacted. Raczynski pleaded guilty to an amended charge of sexually assaulting a woman by repeatedly attempting to remove her lower clothing, struggling with her and removing her lower clothing at his home on March 29 last year.

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A man has been sentenced for rape in Maidenhead after he let himself into a woman's home through her bedroom window. Victor Sambou, aged 44, of Griffin Close, Maidenhead was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court yesterday (October 11).

On July 4, following a six-day trial, the jury unanimously found him guilty of two counts of rape. Sambou must also be on the sex offenders register for life.

Sambou met the victim, a woman in her twenties, and her friends on a night out in Maidenhead in 2019. At the end of the night, he gave them a lift back to the victim’s home

After everyone had left and with the victim asleep, Sambou returned to her address approximately an hour later, climbed inside through the victim’s bedroom window and raped her. Sambou was arrested the next day and charged on June 23, 2021.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Alexandra Beever, based at Maidenhead police station, said: “I am pleased that after a lengthy investigation, Sambou has been brought to justice after committing such a sickening and serious attack. I’d like to thank the victim for her support throughout this investigation and her bravery in coming forward.

“Thames Valley Police will take all reports of sexual assault and rape seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.”

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David Twiname, 74, of Wingfield Road, Alfreton was charged with 28 sexual offences, including multiple rape charges, many of which relate to children under the age of 16. The first of the offences date back to the 1970s.

He appeared at Derby Crown Court in September 2021 after denying 10 counts of rape, five of which related to a child under the age of 16, and five counts of indecent assault.

Twiname was bailed pending a trial and a jury found him guilty on all counts in February 2022.

He had previously admitted several other offences including the indecent assault of another child under the age of 16, extreme animal pornography and sexual offences with a dog – the most recent of which happened in 2019.

He was sentenced to 31 years’ imprisonment at court today (Thursday 13 October).

Twiname’s wife, Judith Button, 59, was handed a two-year sentence suspended for a period of 21 months and given rehabilitation and community service orders.

Button, also of Wingfield Road, Alfreton had previously admitted charges of two sexual offences relating to children dating back thirty years and two charges relating to sex with a dog, between 1987 and 2004.

A second woman, Antoinette Holroyd, 78, of Alfreton Road, Underwood had also admitted indecently assaulting a boy under 16 and received a 21-month sentence suspended for a period of 21 months, and a rehabilitation order.

Both Button and Holroyd have been added to the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.

Detective Sergeant, Dan Saunby said:

“The was an extremely complex case which spanned decades and impacted the lives of all those affected, some of whom were just children at the time of the offences.

“I would like to thank the survivors involved for their bravery and stoicism over the last few years, and whilst nothing can ever undo the harm that Twiname, Button and Holdroyd caused – I really do hope that today’s sentencing will allow them to move forward with their lives.

“Twiname is not only a paedophile, he is also a master manipulator who encouraged others to partake in his depraved fantasies. In denying several of the charges he prolonged the suffering of those he abused by forcing them to endure a trial. Thankfully the jury saw through his web of lies and found him guilty.

“To anyone reading this who may have also suffered sexual assault or abuse, whether now or in the past, please do speak to someone. There is help available, whether you wish to involve the police or not.

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Police discovered that some of the images he downloaded included children being 'bound, gagged and in distress' while other images revealed he had 'a sexual interest in animals, particularly dogs'.

A man has been jailed after storing more than a thousand indecent images of children, taking indecent images of himself with children and of a sexual assault on a child.

Stuart Priest, aged 34, from Kings Tamerton appeared at Plymouth Crown Court after he admitted three counts of possessing indecent still images and moving images of children as young as six months. He also admitted two counts of taking indecent images of children two under the age of 13 and one count of sexual assault by touching.

The court heard that some of the images included children being "bound, gagged and in distress" while other images revealed he had "a sexual interest in animals, particularly dogs"

 Prosecutor Joss Ticehurst told the court that on August 27 2020 police, acting on intelligence on email interactions, carried out a search of Priest's home. They seized a computer tower and two mobile phones. In addition they examined cloud storage linked to his email.

Interrogation of the devices revealed a series of search terms for indecent images of children (IAC) on both the computer and the phones as well as actual images. Police found a total of 1,421 indecent images of children: 101 still images and 704 moving images in Category A - the most explicit images - along with 50 still and 245 moving images at Category B and 175 still and 146 moving images at category C.

Mr Ticehurst told the court that the ages of the children in the images ranged from six months old to 14 years. Search terms found by police included 'kiddie naked', 'kiddie f***' and 'illegal pre-teen model'. He said the cloud-storage account found on an encrypted server mainly included moving images of children "being bound, gagged and in distress".

Further examination found that Priest had taken several indecent images himself with two children under the age of 13. In a couple of the staged photos he was seen carrying out an offence which was regarded by the courts as a sexual offence by touching. The children cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Mr Ticehurst said police found mobile phone file sharing applications on his phone one of which was "well known for hosting indecent images of children". He added that the phone had several contacts stored in it with usernames indicative of indecent images of children, such as "Daddy likes rape". The other mobile phone had applications with subsection including terms such as "Dads and boys" and "rape fantasy".

The court heard that Priest was interviewed who admitted the storage of the images but insisted he did not have a sexual interest in children. The court was also informed that the mother of the two children found on Priest's phone had to be shown the images to positively identify them. 

Mr Ticehurst went on to reveal that during a later interview he accepted that he had got a dog "to lick his penis" in previous years and that other material in his electronic devices "showed that he had a sexual interest in animals, particularly dogs".

In mitigation, his advocate Emily Cook said her client was truly ashamed of his behaviour and had a desire to address his offending. She said that he had been working in the retail sector on a low wage and was put in charge of a number of branches, working 5.30am to 10pm. During lockdown he went from a manager's wage to minimum wage before all the stores were closed and he was made redundant. By this time he was struggling with large debts and "could not see a way out for himself".

He began drinking alcohol to get to sleep and Ms Cook said Priest was "struggling with his own gender identity". She said he was sent indecent images of children unsolicited, due to his "unorthodox interest" in other areas. He was "initially disgusted" but accepted that he began to develop an interest in the images and "greatly regrets doing so".

As a result of the investigation and his guilty pleas to the offence he had lost his job, home and had been ostracised by others. He had sought help and undertaken the Lucy Faithful programme to address his offences.

Judge Neil Davey KC told Priest that accepted the 34-year-old had no previous convictions and the basis of plea he had offered the court. He noted that Priest himself had admitted that there had come a time when he developed a sexual interest in children which grew over time. He took on board the mitigation offered by his advocate but stated that "although those matters can be regarded as explanations, they can't be regarded as excuse".

Noting each of the offences, and the totality of the offences, while recognising that he had to discount the final sentence due to the early guilty plea Judge Davey KC passed a sentence of four years. He said Priest would be subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and would be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

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Court hears 36-year-old won girl’s trust before abusing her.

A 36-year-old man has been jailed for child sex offences in Northamptonshire in 2019.

Andrew Stratford, who also goes by Andrew Summers, now of Woodhead Road Huddersfield, befriended a teenage girl on a gaming platform.

Their contact began with conversations about the game but Stratford began sending explicit messages and asking for photos and videos before abusing her.

Stratford was charged with three counts of sexual activity with a child and three of possessing indecent images.

He was sentenced to seven years, eight months at Northampton Crown Court on Tuesday (October 11).

Lead investigator, Detective Sergeant Colin Bowers, said: “Stratford used this girl’s interest in the game to get close to her.

“The young girl in this case has shown real bravery throughout this investigation.

“Northamptonshire Police takes cases like this extremely seriously. We will do everything we can to not only bring people like Stratford to justice, but to get survivors the support they need.”

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Adam Ward, of Gateshead, admitted a series of offences including sexual assault, voyeurism and making and taking indecent images.

A pervert who sexually assaulted a young girl and secretly recorded children and adults in a toilet and changing room has been branded a dangerous 'monster' and jailed.

Adam Ward's vile activities were revealed when police seized his computer equipment. They found thousands of indecent images of children, including some he had taken himself and some showing he had sexually assaulted a very young girl.

Another series of images showed a different young girl using a toilet. He had also recorded a woman at the Sage music centre, where he worked, by hiding a camera in the ceiling in the toilet and filmed another woman from under a cubicle in a changing room. Recordings were also found of children in a changing room.

A pervert who sexually assaulted a young girl and secretly recorded children and adults in a toilet and changing room has been branded a dangerous 'monster' and jailed.

Adam Ward's vile activities were revealed when police seized his computer equipment. They found thousands of indecent images of children, including some he had taken himself and some showing he had sexually assaulted a very young girl.

Another series of images showed a different young girl using a toilet. He had also recorded a woman at the Sage music centre, where he worked, by hiding a camera in the ceiling in the toilet and filmed another woman from under a cubicle in a changing room. Recordings were also found of children in a changing room.

Now Ward has been branded as a high risk sex offender by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court as he was jailed for a series of offences.

The parents of the young girl he sexually assaulted and took indecent images of provided victim impact statements about the horrific discovery of what had happened. Her mum said: "I can't begin to explain the devastation and damage he has brought to our family.

"The emotions we go through include anger, sadness, guilt and heartbreak. I've not stopped crying since I found out about this.

"I feel physically sick wondering how he was able to do this and did he hurt her and scare her. I was unable to protect her, not knowing she was at risk of harm. He has shattered our lives."

The girl's dad added said he would have to live with the guilt of what happened to his "beautiful little girl" and recalled the "devastating news of what that monster had been up to".

Ward had also downloaded more than 22,000 indecent images of children from the internet, aged between six months and 15 years. There were also 33 search terms associated with people looking for such illegal material.

Ward, 28, of Milton Square, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, six counts of making indecent images of children, two of taking indecent images of a child, possessing extreme pornography and three counts of voyeurism. He was jailed for four years and four months with an extended licence of a further five years and eight months, by Judge Julie Clemitson. He must also sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Jane Foley, defending, said: "He has expressed remorse, albeit there's evidence of a lack of victim empathy. He is intelligent and had a good job working in finance."

Miss Foley added that Ward has autism and other mental disorders, including personality difficulties, anxiety and depression.

Detective Constable Elizabeth Biggins, one of the officers leading the investigation, said: “Ward’s actions are despicable, but we have been able to strike and secure the evidence needed to secure a conviction. I would like to thank the families involved for their assistance, resilience and patience throughout the investigation.

“I hope this sends a firm message to other potential offenders that our robust stance on this deplorable type of crime remains strong, and that the next person at your door could very well be us.

“I would always encourage anyone with information about this type of offending, or anyone who thinks they have been a victim, to come forward and talk to us. “You will be heard and supported, and we will work hard to ensure any offenders have their day in court.”

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A perverted partner sexually assaulted his sleeping girlfriend after she refused to have sex with him, a court heard.

James Skelton had sent his victim a message earlier pleading with her, Livingston Sheriff Court was told.

That weekend the young woman went to bed alone, leaving Skelton talking to her nieces and their mum who were staying over in their home.

Roshni Joshi, prosecuting, said the accused's girlfriend had fallen asleep in their bed on her right-hand side as normal, but at 3am she stirred and went to turn around.

When she woke up she was on her left-hand side and the accused’s right arm was over her side.

She was then sexually assaulted.

“She shouted at the accused: ‘What the f**k are you doing?’ She did not see him but could hear him saying: ‘I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!’ She left the room.”

Miss Joshni said the woman was aware of her phone vibrating as it received messages that night but did not look at them until later the same day.

The texts included messages from Skelton who told her: “I’m so, so, so f*****g sorry. I thought you were awake. I feel quite sick right now.

“You moved your hand out of the way and made a few noises. I’m so ff*****g sorry.”

A later message read: “You know I wouldn’t do anything like that without your consent.”

Skelton's victim told her aunt the next day what he had done and Skelton handed himself into police but on legal advice gave a 'no comment' interview.

Skelton, 26, of Bathgate, West Lothian, pleaded guilty on Monday to sexually penetrating his former girlfriend at an address in West Lothian on 30 August while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent.

He admitted that the offence was aggravated by involving abuse of a partner or former partner.

Sheriff Douglas Kinloch ordered that his name be added to the sex offenders’ register with immediate effect and adjourned the case until 4 November for a criminal justice social work report to be prepared before sentencing.

He told Skelton: “I’m not going to pass sentence today because as a matter of law I have to obtain a background report before sentence is passed.

“You must also as a matter of law be placed on the sex offenders’ register in relation to this case and the length of time you’ll remain on the register will be decided when sentence is actually passed.”

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A FORMER vicar has been jailed for possessing indecent images of children just a few years after a 10-year order against him for the same offence expired.

Peter Leslie Benson, 62, of Duckworth Lane in Bradford, pleaded guilty to four counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child on September 1.

On Monday, he was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court.

Benson – who appeared in the dock wearing a stripey blue top and had a thick grey beard with the same colour hair – was caught with 67 illegal images on devices seized by police. 

 These included nine category B images – those of children which involve non-penetrative sexual activity, and 58 category C images – footage which does not fall into the more severe categories.

There was also a category B video.

Police received a referral on August 22 this year from the National Crime Agency (NCA) stating a Twitter account associated with a similar address to Benson had uploaded indecent media, the court heard.

There had also been uploads made on Facebook, on an account registered to a “Peter James”, which police later linked to Benson.

He was arrested on August 30 and a number of items and devices were seized.

The court heard indecent images of children were found and there was evidence indicative of Benson having chats with children on Facebook.

The court records show Benson had possessed the images between September 19, 2014 and August 30, 2022.

But the prosecution said the 62-year-old claims he did not download them in 2014 – when Benson was the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in relation to a conviction in 2010 – and that they may have been made then.

Benson’s defence lawyer said: “This is someone from an early age who has struggled with his sexuality.

“It’s clear he’s had difficulty to deal with that.”

He added: “If it was adult males it wouldn’t be a problem but it’s young boys and that’s what he needs to sort out.”

The court heard: “It’s not the strongest point but he hasn’t in the last 12 years reoffended, it’s clear if he has supervision and help it’s likely he won’t reoffend again.”

The magistrate said: “I’ve heard and read a lot about you, it goes without saying it goes across the custody threshold.”

He added: “This has happened 12 years after you were sentenced fpr previous sexual offences.

“I accept what your advocate again says that you haven’t been before the court in that time but it was right to say that once up, the sexual harm prevention order for your previous conviction you had, you have, on the face of it, reverted to type.”

The court also imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will last indefinitely, preventing Benson from using any device that can access the internet unless it is registered with police, who can use software to monitor his activity.

The magistrate said this was to protect the public from harm and Benson.

He added the indefinite nature of it was “made on the facts in this case” and what happened at the end of the last order.

Benson was handed a nine-month jail term, suspended for two years, back in 2010 at Carlisle Crown Court for downloading 38 indecent images of children – who were aged between six and 16.

He was also made subject to restrictions under a sex offender’s prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Benson was a vicar at the time and lived in the Cockermouth area of Cumbria, serving parishes including St Bridget Church in Brigham, Christ Church in Great Broughton and Columba Church in Broughton Moor.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Carlisle revealed Benson was suspended when he was arrested in November 2009 and was asked to resign when he pleaded guilty to the offences.

The spokesperson said:  “We are appalled to learn that Peter Benson has re-offended and are shocked and saddened to learn of his further crimes.

“They are crimes, of course, which have seen the terrible mistreatment of children and young people.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are abused and violated in this way and we must continue to do all we can to protect these victims.

“As a diocese we continue to place the utmost importance on upholding all necessary safeguarding protocols and procedures.

“In Peter Benson’s case as soon as he was accused of his original crimes he was suspended and moved from the vicarage in which he was living.

“In August 2010 he received a suspended sentence and two years’ Supervision Order (Probation).

“He was also subject to a Sexual Offences Protection Order.

“He was prohibited for life from ministry and subsequently left the Church of England.

“All appropriate safeguarding plans were enacted should Benson have wished to attend church.” 

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A Helensburgh man who assaulted a dog with a sex toy has now also admitted sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.

Rory Knox preyed on the child between January 2019 and March 2021.

The 39-year-old repeatedly asked her to open her legs before moving them apart.

Knox also made sexualised comments to her about her friends.

Knox hit the headlines earlier this year when he admitted abusing his partner's dog with a 10cm sex toy. 

He claimed that he was playing with the pet before the toy got "stuck" inside of her.

Knox begged his partner not to take the "stressed" dog to the vet in fear that he would be arrested.

He was later tagged and put under supervision for a year.

Knox pleaded guilty on Tuesday, October 11, to sexually assaulting the 10-year-old girl at a property in Milton of Campsie, East Dunbartonshire.

He also admitted directing sexual communication at a child for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or to humiliate, distress, or alarm the girl.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard the girl came forward to police about Knox's behaviour towards her.

Prosecutor Hannah Sweeney said: "She recalled being in the kitchen with Knox and she was sitting on the fridge while fully clothed.

"Knox told her to open her legs and she said no.

"She recalled another occasion when she was sitting on the living room couch and she was asked to open her legs.

"She said he put his hands on her knees and parted them before she told him to stop as she didn't like it."

The girl also told officers that Knox made comments such as "I wonder how big their breasts are" after a WhatsApp video call to her friends.

Police later arrested Knox.

Sentence was deferred pending background reports by Sheriff Tom Hughes, who put Knox on the sex offenders register.

Knox had his bail continued meantime.

Description

A reign of terror aided by criminal brothers saw Dominic Noonan intimidate the public and police alike as his family made £50,000 a night from the the late 80s and early 90s clubbing drug scene.

An infamous paedo gangster who preyed on young boys got away with his sexual offences for years because police turned a blind eye, according to a former detective.

Rick Mortimer has told an employment tribunal that once, when he suggested his Greater Manchester Police colleagues intervened after spotting a suspected paedophile was leading a boy into a house, he was told: "What we can't see, we don't know about."

It is believed that man was Dominic Noonan who was, eventually, at the age of 53, found guilty of 13 historical sex offences against four boys as young as 10 and handed an 11-year sentence, Manchester Evening News reports.

But who was Noonan and why did the police fail to bring him to justice sooner?

Born to Irish parents and raised in the Manchester's Whalley Range suburb, Noonan was one of 14 siblings whose names all began with the letter D.

He and his brothers Damien and Dessie quickly developed reputations for armed robbery.

In the late 80s and early 90s, they also ran the city's doors including at the famous Hacienda night club, controlling who could sell drugs inside, while taking their own cut of around £50,000 a night.

Dessie was the enforcer and hitman, Dominic the cunning and charismatic entrepreneur and Damien cemented loyalties with donations to community causes. 

Their empire was rocked in 1991 when Dessie was accused of shooting rival gang leader "White Tony" Johnson dead in a pub car park.

But the trial collapsed amid rumours of jury tampering and Dessie was acquitted at a retrial.

Dominic, meanwhile, did his bit to deter pretenders to the Noonan's gangster crown in Manchester – using a machete to decapitate a rival gang's dog outside a pub before placing its head on a pool table inside.

His fear factor would diminish, though, when Damien and Dessie died in consecutive years – the former following a motorcycle crash in the Dominican Republic in 2004 and the latter, by then an alcoholic crack addict, when he was stabbed to death by a crack dealer.

Their brother's predatory sexual ways did not cease, though, nor did his criminal tendencies.

In 2005, he was jailed after a revolver and ammunition were found in his Jaguar.

He was freed on licence in 2010, claiming to have found God and even had a crack at stand-up comedy, but was soon back in prison after going berserk at a woman motorist who beeped at him as he crossed a road.

He reportedly tapped her car window with a copy of the a newspaper, which featured a story about him, and shouted: "Do you know who I am?"

Having been let out again, he was back inside for being a suspected ringleader during the 2011 Manchester riots. 

Then, while out of prison on licence in 2014, Noonan climbed 100ft up the city's Big Wheel in protest at the latest efforts to recall him.

Up there for six hours, he drew a 1,000-strong crowd, with some shouting "nonce", suggesting that fewer people were now as intimidated by him.

But Noonan escaped prison on that occasion and in 2016 he was found not guilty of engaging in a sex act in front of a minor, although he was convicted of perverting the course of justice by offering £5,000 to the boy’s family to get the charge dropped.

Two years later, though, police had compiled enough evidence to convict him for his sex crimes and Noonan could be locked up for most of his remaining life, having been handed a separate 11-year sentence for other crimes such as arson and blackmail. 

Description

A former senior Anglican clergyman in the North-East is facing a potential third prison sentence in six years after his latest conviction for indecent assault.

The retired Archdeacon of Auckland, George Granville Gibson, received sentences of 12-months and ten months, following convictions after trials at Durham Crown Court and Teesside Crown Court, in 2016 and 2019, respectively.

After a subsequent report and review into the Church’s handling of complaints against Gibson, dating from the 1970s and 80s, the Bishop of Durham, the Right Reverent Paul Butler, expressed, “deep shame and regret”, at his, “terrible crimes.” 

 The incidents involved young men, some classed as, “vulnerable”, who Gibson came across in his role in parishes across the Durham diocese, including St Clare’s at Newton Aycliffe, in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The now 86-year-old former churchman, of Worsley Park, Darlington, was back before Durham Crown Court this week, to face trial for three further counts of indecent assault dating from the late 1970s.

In this case the complainant was a man, then in his late teens, who was recruited from a local drama group to perform in a Christmas pantomime at the church.

He described how Gibson would be present for rehearsals in the church hall and, while often in a group situation, he would massage the complainant’s shoulders and move his hand further down his back.

It culminated in Gibson allegedly pulling the complainant towards his midriff and rubbing against him.

The victim said there were other similar incidents, in either the church kitchen or office, and at the home of another cast member at an after-show party.

He told the court he did not consent to any of the unwanted touching and was “shocked” but did not consider reporting it at the time as he felt he would never be believed.

The victim told the court it all came back to him when he read of Gibson’s 2016 conviction in a newspaper, and later, after he read of the allegations being brought that resulted in the second trial, in 2019.

He finally broke his silence and told his wife in 2018, after which he reported it to police.

When arrested Gibson said he could not recall the victim and denied the allegations, claiming he had no sexual interest in men at the time.

He said there came a period, in about the mid-1980s, when he was, “all mixed up” as to his sexuality, but he denied having behaved, as, “a predatory sex offender”. 

 Gibson, who maintained his denials when cross-examined, pointed out that he had been acquitted of some other allegations at his two past trials, and continued to protest his innocence to all the offences he has been convicted of in recent years.

He denied the latest three allegations of indecent assault, and, after three-hours’ deliberation was convicted of two of the offences on unanimous jury verdicts.

Addressing Gibson’s counsel, Robert Mochrie, Judge James Adkin said: “To an extent there’s an inevitability about the sentence.

“The only thing to make me hesitate is to the state of the defendant’s (medical) treatment, at the moment, and how that may be affected by the verdicts.”

Mr Mochrie said the defendant, “a man in his mid-80s in poor health”, begins a specific bout of three-rounds of chemotherapy treatment next week, but said he does understand he faces another immediate custodial sentence.

But Mr Mochrie said he would make submissions as to whether it should be immediate, given the prison terms Gibson served after the 2016 and 2019 convictions.

Judge Adkin said the defendant could have admitted the full extent of his offending after his trial in 2019.

“He didn’t and he could have done,” added Judge Adkin.

Bailing Gibson to return for sentence on November 24, the judge said he would hear submissions from prosecution and defence counsel before deciding if the latest sentence is to be an immediate one.