Latest Offenders

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A former Norfolk teacher, lay preacher, choirmaster and cub scout leader has been exposed as a paedophile after a jury saw through his "carefully constructed camouflage", a court has heard.

John Turner, 75, had been a teacher at Whitefriars school in King's Lynn as well as a lay preacher, choirmaster and cub scout leader in West Winch during the 1970s and 1980s.

Norwich Crown Court heard it was over this time that he committed a string of indecent assaults against four children.

Turner, of Coronation Avenue, West Winch, had denied the offences but was found guilty, following a trial which started in July this year, of nine indecent assaults and three counts of indecency with a child.

Before Turner was sentenced on Wednesday (October 13) the court heard a statement from one of his victims who described how the abuse had "an affect on me mentally" and had affected his confidence "my whole life".

He said the abuse has resulted in him being a "very nervous person" and described the torment he has felt as a result of Turner's offending.

The victim said: "There's not been a day that's gone by that I've not thought about this."

But he also told of the relief he felt at being able to finally "tell people what had happened".

One of Turner's victims died after making a complaint to police, but his sister made a statement about the effect of Turner's offending on her brother in an impact statement which was seen by the court.

Jailing Turner for a total of 16 years, Judge Maureen Bacon said by their verdicts the jury had rejected his denials and carefully constructed camouflage and found what lay beneath it".

Judge Bacon said the persona Turner had built up in the church, and also as a teacher and cub scout leader, was "more important" to him than the sexual abuse of the victims.

She insisted his accomplished deceit gave you free rein to abuse those boys that you had been entrusted to care for".

Character references had been read out on behalf of Turner but while Judge Bacon accepted that he might have presented to some as someone who "did as much as you could for others" he had in fact "deceived" them too.

When he was referred to as a paedophile as he was sentenced Turner shook his head in the dock and tried to address the judge, but Judge Bacon told the security officer to take him down.

Taylor initially refused and hung onto the glass in the dock to stop the officer but after a struggle was led away.

Nicholas Bleaney, mitigating, said it was inevitable Turner would receive a sentence of some length.

He said the sentencing hearing represented a "spectacular fall from grace" for Turner who has "no-one to blame but himself".

Mr Bleaney said: "Everything he's worked for and stood for lies in ruins now."

Turner was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely and must sign on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order meaning he cannot contact one of the victims in the case indefinitely as well as one of the other complainants in the case.

In a statement issued after sentencing, a spokesman for the Diocese of Norwich said they were sorry to all those affected and "commended the bravery of those who brought these allegations forward".

The spokesman added that Turner was suspended from his role as a Licenced Lay Minister when the Diocese was alerted to the police investigation in 2018.

They said: "The Diocese of Norwich remains committed to doing everything possible to ensure the wellbeing of children, young people and adults, who look to us for respect and care."

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Judge Lady Poole praised the bravery of the four young women as she gave their attacker Dillon Anderson,21, a nine year prison sentence.

He raped the young women during a horrifying campaign of abuse which he began when he was just 14-years-old.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Anderson throttled two of his victims during the assaults. One woman - a former undergraduate of Edinburgh University - said Anderson repeatedly caused her to pass out after compressing her neck. On one occasion, he was so scared that he had killed her, he checked her pulse.

Jurors heard how he Anderson wanted her to take part in rape role plays where she would be unconscious and he would do whatever he wanted.

Describing one occasion, she was throttled, the woman - who is now aged 23 - told police: When I came round, he was checking my pulse and he said I thought you had died. He looked panicked.

One of the woman also made a covert recording of Anderson attacking her - the sounds of her screaming and telling her assailant to stop were played to jurors. Anderson could be heard laughing manically as he ignored her pleas.

The story emerged after Anderson - a former resident of Edinburghs exclusive new town area - was found guilty earlier this year of raping the women, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

On Tuesday, judge Lady Poole told Anderson that his conduct was disturbing - she also ordered the authorities to supervise him for four years following his release from custody.

Passing sentence, Lady Poole told him that she had read statements from the women detailing how Andersons conduct has affected them.

She added: The sexual violence you perpetrated is disturbing. One of your victims spoke to losing consciousness because of you compressing her neck.

When she came round, there were times you were having sex with her. There were other times when she came to, and you said you thought shed died and laughed, or you were checking her pulse because you thought she might have died.

These were terrifying experiences. I have read victim impact statements. Your victims suffered grievously at your hands, and their contact with you has left them with long lasting emotional scars.

They are to be commended for having the courage to come forward, and go through the difficult experience of giving evidence about what happened to them.

Anderson committed his offences between May 2014 and January 2020.

During the trial, the court heard Anderson claim he was a virgin when he physically restrained a girl, who was then aged 14, at a house in Newtongrange, Midlothian.

The court heard how he forced her to lie on a bed and removed her clothing before raping her on an occasion between May 2014 and June 2014 .

On various occasions between August 2015, at addresses in Edinburgh and West Lothian, Anderson raped another girl who was aged 18.

Anderson then repeatedly raped the Edinburgh University student - who was aged 19 - between September 2017 and December 2017.

The court heard how Anderson often choked her during sex.

Jurors heard extracts from statements she gave to the police.

She told detectives: He would use a lot of force and I kept saying get off. I tried to grab his hands and continue. He would squeeze my throat and I couldnt breathe.

I dont know how long it went on for. But I got the same feelings as before the fuzziness and everything.

I started thinking is that what dying feels like.

Some of the times he did this to me, he would say I actually thought you had died and he would laugh. I eventually passed out.

As he strangled me, I lost complete consciousness. I am not sure how I had lost consciousness but when I came around I was really sore. It was intense pain.

The young woman also told the court of how Anderson subjected her to unwanted attention and had bombarded her with unwanted phone calls and social media messages.

Anderson also preyed on another woman between December 2018 and January 24 2020. The court also heard how he also throttled this woman, who is now aged 24, before raping her.

During the recording which was played to jurors, the woman was heard crying and repeatedly screaming get off of me. Anderson can be then heard telling the woman: breathe, breathe, breathe and breathe in, breathe out and inhale, inhale, inhale.

The woman can be heard to ask: What are you doing you f***ing psycho? Anderson was then heard laughing.

On Tuesday, defence solicitor advocate Iain McSporran QC told the court that Anderson had started to appreciate how his actions had affected his women.

He added: There is the beginning of an acknowledgement on his part. There is an insight on his part into how his conduct affected the complainers and how it was utterly inappropriate.

These are perhaps the beginning of rehabilitation.

Passing sentence, Lady Poole also placed Anderson on the Sex Offenders Register for life. She also ordered that Anderson not contact his victims for 25 years.

She said: Your victims have suffered long term effects from what you did to them, and deserve to be protected from you.

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A woman sent child abuse images to her boyfriend - because she wanted to keep their 'relationship alive'.

Perverted couple Rachael Larkman, 38, and Steven Kearsley, 35, started dating in 2013 after meeting on the website Flirtomatic.

They were described as friends with benefits.

But their relationship took a sinister twist when Kearsley began asking her for indecent images of children.

Kearsley later became quite obsessed with the idea of chatting online to children, and officers later found he had been sending messages to a child.

Larkman pleaded guilty to distributing indecent photos of a child, the M.E.N reports.

Kearsley was convicted of encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence believing it would be committed, namely requesting indecent images of children; and engaging in sexual communication with a child following a trial.

At an earlier hearing at Minshull Crown Court, prosecutor Robert Smith said: "He asked Rachael Larkman for topless photos of herself, which she did but then asked her whether she was interested in pornography.

"Rachel accepted that she had sent him eight to ten photographs."

The pair were arrested after police were made aware of the images and explicit messages.

Their phones were examined and revealed a number of sinister message exchanges.

In one exchange, Kearsley said: You got any pervy pics?

In another he said: You can send any - even nudes I wouldnt run.

She later said: Lol having fun?

Kearsley replied: Child abuse is always fun x.

The prosecutor said Kearsleys requests for the images were constant and arose from his sexual interest in children.

Following an investigation launched by the police, Kearsley also was found to be sending inappropriate messages to a child.

Both were said to have no previous convictions.

Mitigating for Larkman, Richard Simons said: She is considered to be a vulnerable adult and partner in the context of intimate relationships.

The psychiatric report concludes that she suffers from Battered Wife Syndrome and PTSD.

This offending behaviour happened over three years ago and she made immediate admissions.

She is deeply remorseful.

In mitigation for Kearsley, Vanessa Thomson said: His pre-sentence report doesnt make for positive reading on his behalf.

He still denies the offences.

The pre-sentence report suggests a community alternative, where he will be challenged face-to-face on a weekly basis about what he thinks is right and not right.

It will be intensely challenging to him.

That will not be available to him in a prison environment.

She added that her client suffered from ongoing complications from a broken back, which affected his work as an actor in the acting industry.

Sentencing Larkman, Recorder Anna Vigars QC said: These offences took place... to keep your own sexual relationship alive.

But, you have a difficult and traumatic background, and you have demonstrated very significant remorse.

Sentencing Kearsley, she said: Your request was made in the context of a perverted sexual fantasy.

I have read the pre-sentence report, and it is a troubling report.

I see no recognition you had done anything wrong and you sought rather to pass blame to Larkman.

Larkman, of Oldham, was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years; 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements; and a three-month electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 6am.

Kearsley, also of Oldham, was jailed for a year.

Both were ordered to sign the sex offender register for a decade. Kearsley was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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Following sentencing last week, Benjamin Cheyne will face 11 years in prison, after he was found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration, and two counts of sexual assault against the minor.

On October 7, at Salisbury Crown Court, Judge Barnett described the actions that took place between February 2019 and May 2020 as "an extremely serious offence".

"Your selfish, totally unthinkable conduct, on the last two occasions while she was sleeping, caused unthinkable damage to her," he said.

In a statement from the victim's mother, it was revealed that as a result of the assaults, the young girl has "deteriorating self esteem and confidence".

"The impact is immediate and will affect her for the rest of her life," she told the court.

It was heard that the now 11-year-old finds her own home triggering and suffers from night terrors, with a lack in sleep affecting her learning.

She worries about trusting people and making relationships, fearing Cheyne, a father-of-two himself, will come and take her away.

Judge Barnett added that what happened has had "far reaching consequences" on the victim's "happiness, development, relationships with others and schooling", causing "enormous trauma".

The court heard that Cheyne, aged 32, did not agree with the jury's guilty verdict following the trial, but respected it, and he plans to move away from the area as soon as his sentence is over.

Following his 11-year sentence, Cheyne, of Pilgrims Way, will be under licence for a year, and a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order will be in place indefinitely.

Detective Sergeant Eileen Speck of the Child Abuse Unit, Basingstoke, said: “I would like to thank DC Jenks for her hard work in investigating this complex case and in supporting this family. This is a really positive result at Crown Court.

"Working in the Child Abuse Unit provides immense rewards for our detectives and police constables in protecting children against all levels of abuse. The dedication and passion they have to their role, allows children to have a brighter future and achieve the goals they so rightly deserve in life.”

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A paedophile groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl after giving her a burner phone to keep the relationship secret from her family.

Andrew Opie, now 31, was 28 when he had sex with the then 14-year-old girl.

Opie, of Pool but previously of Falmouth, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to two sexual activity with a child charges. Proceedings in the case had been significantly delayed after Opie repeatedly told the court he might have Covid, causing adjournments.

Prosecuting the case, Heather Hope described how in late 2018 the victim met Opie through a mutual friend. She believed they were in a relationship together and to ensure the relationship was not discovered Opie gave her a phone specifically for communication between them.

She had never had sex before but following a short period of grooming Opie had sex with her and did so again on another occasion.

Due to concerns over Opies involvement with young girls, police served a number of abduction notices, one of which was handed to the victims family after Opie and the victim were spotted in a park together.

They had also noticed her underwear hadnt been in for a wash and that she had received a Valentines Day card from Opie and it was then they spoke with her and she revealed what had happened.

Opie at first denied the relationship with the girl and then tried to blame someone else.

Representing Opie, Deni Matthews said: Although delayed he did enter a guilty plea and now accepts responsibility. The penny has finally dropped. He has a job in prison and wants to take the Horizons course to address his offending.

Sentencing Opie, Judge Simon Carr said: At aged 28 you formed a relationship with a 14-year-old girl. You met through friends and it is clear you groomed her saying she was special and you wanted a relationship.

You knew from the beginning what you were doing was wrong and provided her with a burner phone. The relationship became sexual relatively quickly.

Her family became concerned and what allowed her to break free was that her parents were told youd been served with an eighth abduction order, such was the concern about you and young girls.

Judge Carr said Opie presents a likely lifelong threat to children.

He was given an extended sentence of 10 years - six years custodial and four years extended licence. He was put on the sex offenders register for life and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

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Roland Kuru, aged 24, was arrested at Rotherham railway station after he had been communicating online with paedophile hunter groups pretending to be children and had arranged to meet one of them. Kuru, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite a girl aged over 13 to engage in sexual activity, one count of attempting to incite a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and to one count of attempting to meet a girl aged under 16 following grooming. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years of custody and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, as well as made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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Detectives have praised the 'bravery' of a woman whose evidence helped to jail a rapist for 17 years.

Mihai Savescu is this month starting a 17-year jail term after being convicted of multiple counts of rape.

The 34-year-old, of Chaplin Road, Longton, was convicted following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Now Staffordshire Police have welcomed the sentence handed down to the rapist.

Detective Constable Diane Sproston, from the forces rape and serious sexual offences unit, said: Savescu was predatory and manipulative.

Id like to commend the victim who bravely came forward and reported these appalling crimes. She has shown incredible bravery and cooperation throughout the court process.

I hope the sentence provides some form of closure and comfort knowing Savescu will be behind bars for a long time.

Romanian Savescu will be deported once he has served his prison sentence. He will remain on the Sex Offenders' Register for the rest of his life and is barred from a range of activities involving children and vulnerable adults.

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A dangerous sex offender who fled to America to evade justice has been jailed for more than six years.

Prolific Wayne Wilson appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday, October 8, where he was sentenced for sexually abusing a child.

The court heard how Wilson, who was already the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following convictions for voyeurism and indecent images, fled the country in 2018 despite being under investigation in relation to a report of sexual abuse.

Detectives from Northumbria Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) immediately began trying to trace Wilson with the help of international law enforcement.

Enquiries later revealed he had fled to Dublin, then onto the United States.

Determined officers continued to work closely with Homeland Security and a range of American authorities, tracking him down in Kansas.

Wilson was finally detained in April 2021 and returned to the UK in June where officers charged him with three counts of sexual touching on a child under 13 and remanded him into custody.

The 38-year-old, of no fixed abode, admitted all charges and on Friday and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he was jailed for six years and two months.

Speaking after the sentencing, the officer in charge of the case, Detective Constable Elizabeth Biggins from POLIT said: “The fact that Wilson will spend a considerable time behind bars is welcome news to me and shows we will not sit back when seeking justice for victims.

“This man is a prolific paedophile who spent years on the run trying to avoid being brought to justice for a series of despicable offences.

“I hope this goes to show the lengths we are prepared to go to in order to protect children and bring offenders to justice. I want to thank our partners from Homeland Security in the USA for their support with this investigation as well as the wider POLIT team, who never gave up.”

Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Ord, who leads POLIT, praised the hard work and determination of her team, and the lengths they went to in order to trace Wilson.

She added: “This was a complex investigation which spanned two continents, multiple time zones and jurisdictions.

“Despite the obvious challenges, Det Con Biggins refused to give up and worked regularly with law enforcement in the USA to make sure no stone was left unturned.

“I am so proud of her achievements in making sure a dangerous and brazen sex offender was brought back to the UK to be held accountable for the vile crimes he committed.”

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Pervert Paul Lovatt exposed himself to a female cyclist as she rode home from work.

Lovatt was driving a car when he pulled alongside the victim, with the passenger side window down, and performed a sex act while asking her for directions.

Horrified, she shouted at him. And as he drove away, she repeated his registration number to herself as she called police, to make sure she remembered it.

Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard Lovatt then returned to the scene and tried to apologise to the woman.

The 40-year-old has now been handed a community order and made subject to the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register for the next five years, after he admitted the 'disturbing offence'.

Prosecutor Emma Thompson said: "At around 5.20pm, the victim was cycling home from work. While in Hanley, she became aware of a vehicle behind her.

"She said she noticed it because it was driving on the other side of the road as if trying to overtake her, but was going really slowly.

"She got off her bike to get out of his way. As she did so, he pulled alongside her. The front passenger side window was down.

"He said, 'Excuse me, love, can you tell me where' - then he hesitated - 'King Street is?'

"She noticed his penis was exposed."

The court heard Lovatt was performing a sex act. The victim shouted at him, 'Oh my God, you are a disgusting pervert'. He drove away.

Ms Thompson said: "The victim had her phone out to call the police. She was chanting his registration number so she didn't forget.

"She then saw his vehicle come back and saw the defendant again. He said, 'I'm sorry love, sorry about that'. He kept saying it then drove away.

"The defendant has not been in trouble for 20 years. Nevertheless, this is a disturbing offence."

Lovatt was later arrested and interviewed. He said he had found the victim attractive and he had done 'a stupid thing'.

The victim of the offence said in a statement: "This incident has made me feel angry. I feel violated. I was just trying to go home. I then have a disgusting person showing me their genitals.

"I'm concerned he would do it to someone else, someone who was not as vocal as me."

Lovatt, of Richard Dawson Drive, Bucknall, pleaded guilty to a charge of indecent exposure. The incident took place on August 26.

Peter Howland, mitigating, said: "There were some difficulties in his then-relationship. He had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression. He is receiving medication and counselling for that.

"He apologised straight away to his victim. He accepts he returned to speak to her, but his sole reason was to apologise.

"He has given up his part-time employment because of this offence."

Magistrates told Lovatt they had considered sending him to prison, but had decided to impose a community sentence. Chairperson of the bench, Helen Paterson, said: "This was clearly a serious matter. You were remorseful, at the time and afterwards, although your remorse at the time may have caused more distress.

"I'm not sure there can be compensation in monetary terms for the distress of your victim, but we are going to order you to pay it."

Lovatt was handed a 24-month community order, with a 56-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours' unpaid work. He must pay 400 compensation to the victim, plus 280 in court costs and charges.

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A rapist who repeatedly attacked a victim he met at a nightclub then plied with drink has been jailed.

Kieran Champion, 28, of Canterbury, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court last month.

The predator has now been jailed for six years at the same court today for the sustained terror he subjected her to.

Devious Champion lured the woman from a Margate venue to a property in Canterbury, leaving her isolated and lost.

After plying her with whisky and coke, he raped and sexually assaulted his terrified victim.

When she desperately cried out for him to stop, Champion made lurid and derisory remarks.

She was able to escape when a police officer appeared outside the crime scene by chance, jurors heard.

Champion was arrested the same day and gave a no comment police interview.

Forensic evidence undermined Champion's claims he had not raped the woman and he was charged with rape and a sexual assault.

Later, a jury saw through his lies and convicted him unanimously.

The rapist, supported by his mother and friends in the public gallery, slumped and wept in the dock after the verdict was delivered.

Sharmila Salvi, defending, told the court Champion suffered anxiety and depression at the time of his arrest.

He is off work with severe anxiety and depression, she said at an earlier hearing.

He reported having anxiety and depression and the time of arrest.

He was meant to start therapy before he was convicted and he had been off sick, she added today.

Champion preyed on the girl in 2018 as she searched for a safe place to stay, tricking her into thinking he was being kind.

When they were alone she rejected Champions advances, he then sexually assaulted, raped and goaded her, prosecutor Dominic Connolly told jurors.

The Judge, Recorder Stuart Trimmer QC, told Champion: Custody must be the result - custody must be the result.

She was looking for a safe place to spend the night, she didnt know your address or the area, she was drinking and had little avenue of escape.

Now, Champion of Merchants Way will face six years in prison, a life-time of notification requirements and 10-year restraining order.

Mitigating, Ms Salvi said Champion had "worked all his life", supported his unwell mother and planned starting a business studies course.

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A pervert sexually touched two underage girls and chatted to several more on social media - despite being warned by his own mother.

Tom Fletcher, aged 21, has been jailed for seven years for having full sex with a 14-year-old and groping a 15-year-old.

He contacted and groomed the girls over Snapchat and Instagram, persuading them to swap explicit pictures with him.

The younger girl ran away from home in her pyjamas to spend the night with him, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

The two girls he met have since been struggling to sleep and one has sought counselling.

Fletcher also contacted a string of girls over social media, paying compliments and asking for pictures. The youngest was just 11.

He carried on contacting underage girls even after he was warned off by his mother and a friend, the court heard.

Judge Anna Richardson told Fletcher that he contacted his first victim, the 15-year-old, on average three times a day.

She said of the second complainant: "You threatened self-harm, which was an attempt to emotionally manipulate her.

"Both girls have suffered the same sort of consequences of your behaviour. They speak of fear and anxiety."

The judge ruled that Fletcher posed a "significant risk of serious harm to the public".

Fletcher, of Bayswater Road, Stonehouse, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child, one of sexual communication with a child and one of inciting a child to watch a sexual act.

Peter Coombe, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Fletcher befriended the first girl in October last year through a group chat on Instagram.

He said the defendant paid her compliments, even though she told him she was 15.

Mr Coombe added that they also talked and messaged on their mobile phones.

The barrister said that she sent him explicit photographs at his request.

Mr Coombe added that she agreed to meet him and on the second occasion he touched her chest over her clothing in the street.

The court heard that the girl became upset when she realised that Fletcher was messaging even younger girls, aged 11 and 12, over Facebook. She told her mother and the police were called.

The barrister said that Fletcher's own mother and a friend separately saw the messages and warned him off sending more.

But Mr Coombe said that the defendant befriended a 14-year-old girl in January this year over Snapchat.

He added that Fletcher again asked her for explicit pictures and sent her three videos of himself performing an indecent act.

Mr Coombe said he persuaded her to run away from home wearing her pyjamas in February. He added she spent the night at his house and they had full sex.

The court heard that the girl switched off her mobile phone and her parents reported her missing.

He said that both the girls, whose anonymity is protected by law, had since had trouble sleeping.

Reading from statements, he said that one had sought counselling.

He said of the girl who spent the night with him: "She describes feeling fear and anxiety since it happened and has been worried that she would bump into him.

"She has had nightmares about what happened. The lack of sleep has affected her moods. She has felt a lot more uncomfortable if anyone touches her, with physical contact such as a cuddle."

Fletcher was branded a "dangerous prat" by a judge at the same court in October 2019.

Then aged 18, he admitted driving a moped dangerously past McDonald's and around the pedestrianised area of the city centre.

Fletcher was later handed a suspended prison sentence by driving despite the ban he was handed that day.

Ali Rafati, for Fletcher, said his client had been seen by both a psychologist and a psychiatrist.

He said that his mitigation was not to minimise the seriousness of the offences but to try and provide balance about the defendant.

Mr Rafati added: "He is someone who operates at a lower level and perhaps has a limited intellect. He is certainly immature.

"He is more aligned to the younger people he was contacting rather than those of his own age."

The barrister said that he had struggled to form relationships with women in his own age group.

Mr Rafati said: "Due for his want for a connection and a relationship, he found it easier to speak to younger girls."

He added that he had done will in prison since being remanded into custody in February.

Mr Rafati said: "He has been the subject of bullying and harassment while in prison. It is his intention to work with all agencies to try and prevent this sort of behaviour in the future."

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A MAN has been sentenced to two years in prison after he sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl while she was playing in a Southampton park.

Giovanni Sagaria, from Southampton, assaulted the girl in August while she was playing in the play park at Houndwell Park, Southampton.

The child was completely unknown to the 33-year-old and the brave victim was able to tell her family what had happened straight away.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault in September 2021 and was sentenced to two years imprisonment on Friday.

Samantha Wright, CPS Wessex Senior Crown Prosecutor, said: “The child in this case was completely unknown to Sagaria. She told her family what had happened straightaway which meant that police were able to identify the perpetrator very quickly.

“The strength of the evidence meant that he had no choice but to plead guilty.

“The CPS, working in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary, was able to deliver swift justice to ensure Sagaria received the appropriate punishment for his crime.

“We would like to thank the brave victim and her family for reporting this case to the police and for supporting the prosecution case.”

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A barrister who was prepared to travel across the country to sexually abuse what he believed to be teenage girls he met online has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail.

Guy Sims, aged 53, had been founded guilty of three counts of arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence by unanimous jury following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

During September 2017, Sims talked online to two people who he believed were 13-year-old schoolgirls using social media platforms Mylol and Kik.

During this investigation, the victims were not real.

Posing as an 18-year-old and calling himself ‘markbatx’ and ‘markviva’, he made arrangements to meet one of the girls and travelled to Portsmouth with the intention of engaging in sexual activity her.

When he arrived, he was arrested by officers who found he had cider and a condom on his person, along with camouflage leaf netting in his car.

He had also made arrangements to meet another of the girls either on his way home or on the way to Portsmouth on the same day for sexual activity.

While under investigation, he engaged in conversation of a sexual nature with the third person he believed to be a 13-year-old school girl in 2019.

Now calling himself ‘Yo Sarami’ and ‘Danny.dan,’ he made arrangements to meet her in Oxford for sexual activity to take place.

Sims, from Bedford, was charged in connection with the offences in 2019.

The court heard Sims will be barred from working as a barrister.

The sentencing follows an investigation by specialist officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) spanning four years.

Detective Chief Inspector Philip Attwood, of SEROCU, said: “This is the conclusion of a case in which Sims engaged in conversation of a sexual nature and arranged to meet up with those who he believed to be three teenage girls with the intention of carrying out child sexual abuse.

“Sims, worked as a civil barrister, and should have recognised the consequences of this offending.

"He demonstrated that he was prepared to go to great lengths and travel across the country to Portsmouth, to Guildford and to Oxford, to engage in depraved sexual activity with children. He repeatedly engaged with the profiles of those he believed to be teenage girls online, and the threat he posed would have continued had it not been for the continued and dedicated efforts of those working for SEROCU.

“Law enforcement operates across the internet and we are committed to ensuring those who use this means of communicating with those they believe to be children to arrange sexual abuse are brought before the courts to face justice.”

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A paedophile from Welwyn has been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to historic child sex offences.

David Suter, 74, of Glebe Road, appeared before St Albans Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child.

The court heard the abuse took place in the Welwyn area between 2004 and 2008, with Suter offering money to the victim in exchange for her carrying out sexual acts.

“The victim – who is now aged in her 30s – was vulnerable due to her difficult upbringing, and the abuse she suffered at Suter’s hands caused her mental wellbeing to suffer,” said Det Con Liz McGrath, from Hertfordshire Historic Child Abuse Investigation Unit.

“It wasn’t until 2019 that she felt able to disclose to police the details of what had happened to her. Suter was subsequently arrested and in January 2021, he was charged.

“The victim has shown incredible bravery and determination throughout the investigation and judicial process, which has been distressing for her. I hope she can find some peace and begin to move forward with her life now she has seen Suter have to answer to what he did.”

Suter must now abide by the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years, and he will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Description

A disgraced East Yorkshire businessman with 'underlying perverted thoughts' who groped a young girl after giving her whisky her has been jailed.

Adam Plant, director of East Riding Horse Boxes Ltd and producer of upmarket motor homes, sent highly sexualised messages to the girl and groped her after giving her a glass of whisky.

He then later tried to cover his tracks, deleted screenshots of incriminating messages on her phone and tried to convince the girl's mother to drop the complaint.

Plant, 42, of Skirlaugh Road, Old Ellerby, denied the three charges of sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16, engaging in sexual communication with a child and perverting the course of justice.

He was convicted by a jury of eight men and four women at Hull Crown Court after a trial in August this year.

During Plant's sentencing at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Richard Thompson read sections from the victim impact statement in which the girl said: “I probably won’t see boys and men in the same way I used to.

“When I am old enough and when I’m doing older stuff I think it just won’t be the same because of what he did.

“I still get scared whenever I go somewhere that I think I might see him.”

The young victim and her family were said to have faced significant difficulties and strains as a result of Plant’s predatory acts and she said: “Sometimes I just think it is all my fault.”

The court also heard a statement from the victim’s mother who, wracked by feelings of guilt, had attempted to commit suicide shortly after being informed of her daughter’s ordeal.

The statement said: “I took an overdose of pills, I was found on the Humber Bridge, I don’t know what I might have done.

“I couldn’t cope, I was heartbroken, I didn’t know how I was ever going to overcome this.

“I now live with the guilt every day that I nearly took my own life too. I had six months off work, I couldn’t even look after myself never mind other people.

“The hurt and anger is something that we are all still coming to terms with.”