Latest Offenders

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Officers have charged a man under new legislation which was introduced last month to protect victims of domestic abuse. Benjamin Flatters, aged 31, of Dorchester Road, Spalding was charged with non-fatal strangulation following an alleged assault, reported on June 23. Flatters appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court on July 1 where he pleaded not guilty to the strangulation charge. Flatters pleaded guilty to three other charges of criminal damage to property, threats to damage property and failure to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders register. He was remanded into custody and will face trial for the strangulation charge at a later date. The charge of non-fatal strangulation comes as a result of the creation of a new offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 which was introduced nationally on June 7 2022. Crucially, the new offence carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Victims of strangulation may be left with little or no physical marks meaning previously, a charge of actual bodily harm or common assault may have been applied, which did not reflect the serious nature of the act. DI Richard Nethercott said: The new legislation is potentially life changing and lifesaving. If found guilty of non-fatal strangulation, a perpetrator will face up to five years in prison. Along with non-fatal suffocation, its a form of abuse that we sadly sometimes see in a domestic setting, where a perpetrator will use it to intimidate and control their victim. Its terrifying to endure and incredibly dangerous. We are committed to using our powers to tackle abuse, including non-fatal strangulation and non-fatal suffocation. The new legislation is an important step forwards in tackling violence against women and girls.

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A woman has spoken of the devastation of being sexually assaulted in her own home when her attacker forced his way in. The victim was forced to the floor and Jamie Liddle carried out a serious sexual attack on her while her children were sleeping upstairs in their home. Teesside Crown Court heard how the defendant locked the door and threw the key across the room as soon as he managed to get into the house and he grabbed her mobile phone when she attempted to record his attack. Following the sexual assault, the 30-year-old attempted to go upstairs in the property but the victim managed to get him out of the house, find her keys and lock her attacker outside. Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, said the defendant realised the enormity of what he had done when he bumped into someone he knew as he left the scene and said I have f***ed up. I am going to jail. He added: She didnt know how long it (the sexual assault) lasted but it was about five minutes. She said she was quiet because she didnt want to wake the kids up and he just kept going. In a victim impact statement, the woman said she had been left devastated by the sexual assault on her in her own home. She added: He has made me feel like I cant go on; he has made me feel like I dont want to be here. Liddle, of Eastbourne Road, Darlington, pleaded guilty to assault by penetration following the events in the early hours of September 19 last year. Ian West, in mitigation, urged the judge to issue a suspended sentence for his client after he expressed remorse for his actions and was of previous good character. He knows that he has messed up due to a drunken few minutes of stupidity which he immediately regretted, he said. He cant explain why he did what he did in those mad few minutes whilst in drink. Judge Timothy Stead told the defendant he would be failing in his public duty if he didnt immediately lock him up. The offence was committed in circumstances where you made a forced entry into her home and some violence had been used, he said. Liddle was jailed for three years and four months for the attack.

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A "predatory sex offender" who used social media to groom and abuse three teenage girls has been jailed. Reece Greenall, 24, befriended his victims online before subjecting them to "horrific" sexual assaults, South Yorkshire Police said. He was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court after being found guilty of eight offences, including one count of rape. Greenall, of Dyke Vale Avenue, Sheffield, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Police said Greenall knew all three of his victims were under 16 but "persisted in his pursuit of them". Det Con Richard Blakey said: "Greenall has demonstrated that he is a predatory sexual offender, approaching girls who he knew were underage on social media and pestering them with requests to meet. "The guilty verdicts and jail term will never undo the damage he has caused his victims, but I hope they feel they can focus on the future and their recovery from the abuse they have suffered." The sentencing hearing was held on 24 June, but police have only just released details.

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A "brazen" sex offender has been found guilty of spiking two men with an "aphrodisiac" drug before raping one and sexually assaulting the other. Luiz Da Silva Neto, 36, drugged the men in separate events at a cottage in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire, last November and December. Oxford Crown Court heard both victims woke up there naked unaware of what had happened to them. Da Silva Neto, of Wandsworth, London, will be sentenced next Thursday. Prosecutor Matthew Walsh said Da Silva Neto laced drinks with drug GHB or GHL, which he accepted using himself recreationally, or another similar substance. Mr Walsh previously described them as an "aphrodisiac", which can have "euphoric and hallucinogenic effects". Both are colourless, odourless and dissolve into liquids. They are absorbed by the body quickly and difficult to detect. The first victim drank alcohol with Da Silva Neto at the property after travelling to do work there with him but "began to feel suddenly tired". He fell asleep fully-clothed but awoke to find he was naked and his body "wouldn't work...as if he was paralysed" as he was sexually assaulted. The next morning, he felt "broken in two" but on leaving saw an empty syringe and was "convinced he had been drugged". Da Silva Neto was found by a jury to have administered a substance to stupefy the man to allow sexual activity and to have caused the man to engage in sexual activity without his consent. The second victim had been at a London nightclub and married for a few weeks before Da Silva Neto drove him to Oxfordshire in a hire car. He awoke naked "in a strange house" at about 10:00 the next day with "no idea what had gone on", before returning home to London "confused, distressed and upset". He had been reported missing and "couldn't account for the hours between leaving the bar and waking up in the bed". Da Silva Neto was found to have raped him, administered a substance to stupefy to allow sexual activity in the cottage and caused him to engage in sexual activity without his consent. He was cleared of kidnapping him, kidnapping him with the intent of committing a sexual offence outside the nightclub and administering a substance to stupefy him to allow sexual activity in the hire car from London to Oxfordshire. Da Silva Neto claimed all sexual contact he had with the men at the rental cottage, owned by his partner, was consensual and that he had never drugged anyone. The first victim said he had been diagnosed with PTSD and he has been seeing a counsellor and psychologist since the attack. He said: "This is the worst experience I've ever survived or lived through. I'm heterosexual, I'm Catholic, and it's something I need to digest." He said Da Silva Neto was a "danger to society he should be in prison, that's where he belongs. You can't ruin someone's life." Following the verdict, Det Insp James Holden-White of Thames Valley Police, said: "In his police interviews he was really brazen. "He comes across as very footloose and fancy free, and he's given us an account along the lines that all of this was entirely consensual."

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A man has been found guilty of raping a woman, beating her and forcing her into prostitution for his own gain. Nathan Husband denied all five charges for which he stood trial this week at Truro Crown Court.

Today (Friday, July 1) a jury threw out his claim that he was not, in his words, "a sadistic rapist who prostitutes someone for a drug habit I don't have", and found him guilty of all counts. He will be sentenced in August and has been told to prepare for jail time.

Earlier in the trial this week, prosecution counsel Rachel Drake told the jury how Husband, 32, had coerced the female victim into selling herself into prostitution for his own gain, raped her and repeatedly attacked and controlled her. The jury were told that he used the proceedings from the prostitution to feed his drug habits.

Ms Drake said: Nathan Husband controlled her in a number of ways. Mr Husband told her where to sit and if she moved without permission hed assault her. The defendant made her sit in a cupboard for over an hour and a half while he was doing a drugs transaction and then smoking drugs.

As well as this, an account from the victim mentioned several incidents where Husband had physically assaulted her to the point where she thought she might die. Husband conceded there had been an incident where some "pushing" and "shoving" occurred, but categorically denied forced prostitution, rape, and the assaults themselves - claiming the victim had struck him first.

While evidence was summarised by judge Anna Richardson, Husband could be seen in the dock, smirking, tutting and shaking his head at the specifics of the case. The jury deliberated for just short of two hours. They unanimously found Husband guilty on all counts.

The defendant remains on remand until August 30, when he will be sentenced by judge Richardson. If Husband is handed an immediate prison sentence, as is expected, it will not be the first time the serial menace and woman beater has spent behind bars.

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A man who repeatedly raped a woman over a 20-year period has been jailed. Glenn Pearson, 59, was sentenced to 16 years in prison at Peterborough Crown Court today (June 29).

Pearson, who lived in Fenland at the time of the offences, began sexually abusing the woman in the early 1990s. His crimes only came to light when the victim spoke about the abuse in 2018.

After his arrest, Pearson denied all the offences in interview. At trial last month, he was found guilty of two counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, attempted rape, and buggery.

Pearson, who is now of Bideford in Devon, was sentenced to sixteen years in prison. He was also handed a lifelong restraining order against the victim.

DC Joe Passby said: Pearsons offences have had a huge impact on the victim, who was very brave in coming forwards and confiding in officers about the horrific abuse she had suffered. She stood firm despite unprecedented delays due to Covid and now the case has concluded can start her recovery from the trauma she was subjected to.

For support and more information on rape and serious sexual offences, visit the forces dedicated web page.

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A SEX offender told police he was trying to help a 12-year-old boy after he was caught in an undercover sting sending sexually-charged messages to an officer posing as a child. Deano Lisney, 52, denied he gained any gratification from the sick messages he sent to a person he believed to be a young boy named James. From October 18 last year, Lisney was in fact sending sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer. Richard Burrington, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, said: The defendant was using Instagram and he followed the boy he thought was 12 years old, thats James. James then essentially followed him back and thats how the pair made contact with each other. In an opening message to Lisney, the officer indicated the fake boys age. The defendant replied immediately, said Mr Burrington. He said he was 51, he introduced himself in terms of where he lived namely the area of Clacton. Lisney said the boy didnt look 12 judging by his profile picture. The court heard the conversation unfolded over the course of around two weeks, starting innocuously. The defendant wheeled it round to matters of a sexual nature fairly swiftly, said Mr Burrington. Lisney was traced through his social media profile and arrested. In interview, he confirmed he had a conversation with James and said he recalled his age even adding he was a nice young lad. But he said he would never have taken it any further and said he was literally just chatting. Mr Burrington said: In terms of his motivation, he said there was no sexual gratification gained through this conversation he was not sexually aroused by the suggestions he was making of James and in his words the defendant said he thought he was just helping him. Lisney, of Fletchers Caravan Park, St Osyth, admitted one count of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Steven Levy, mitigating, said his client has no previous convictions and had admitted the charge at the earliest opportunity. Describing the case as an unusual situation, Mr Levy said: Normally they are paedophile hunter groups who in effect post the profile and undertake to basically lie dormant until someone actually makes contact. This is actually a police operation in which the defendant has liked the Instagram post, that person has liked them back as I understand how Instagram works and in effect its then the police officer who starts the conversation and the conversation then develops into a sexual [one].

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A "dangerous sex offender" who raped and attempted to rape a woman has been jailed for 13 years and six months. Christopher Hide, 30, targeted the woman between April 2015 and April 2017. Lancashire Police said Hide, of Blackburn, had "committed several sickening attacks on his victim". He was jailed at the Sessions House in Preston where he was also given an extended licence period of four years as well as a restraining order. Detectives said Hide was arrested after the woman came forward and spoke to police in April 2020. He pleaded guilty shortly before his trial in February to two counts of rape and a further charge of attempted rape. 'Courage and strength' Det Con Alex Prendergast, of Lancashire Police, said: "Christopher Hide is a dangerous sex offender who committed several sickening attacks on his victim. "I must praise the victim for her strength in supporting our prosecution. "She showed great courage and strength in coming forward and reporting the crimes to police. "I hope this case will give other victims of sexual offending the confidence to come forward, knowing that we will listen to them and act on the information they provide."

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A man who used Snapchat to contact teenage girls and coerce them into sexual activity has been jailed. Belal Hussain first contacted a 15-year-old girl via the app in June last year, meeting up with her in his car in West Bromwich.

The 34-year-old saw the girl again, along with another 15-year-old girl, later that month and pressured both into sexual activity with him before giving them money.

The girls recalled their traumatic experiences, including feeling pressured and scared by Hussain, to specialist West Midlands Police officers.

They quickly checked Hussains Snapchat account to identify him, and arrested him last September. Police seized electronic devices as evidence in court after Hussain refused to co-operate during interviews.

He also refused to provide passwords for any of his phones or devices. Despite this, officers continued with the investigation and charged him.

Hussain, of Jesson Street, West Bromwich pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child at Wolverhampton Crown Court. He was jailed for three years and six months.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life.

Investigating officer PC Adrian Jackson said: This horrific exploitation and grooming of two teenage girls has had a devastating effect, with one of the girls attempting to take her own life.

Im relieved that she pulled through and even had the strength to speak out against the man who assaulted her, but I know the lifelong impact his actions will have had.

"We supported the girls throughout the investigation and partner agencies, including The Horizons Unit of Sandwell Childrens Trust.

"It was down to their courage in coming forward that we were able to convict Hussain and we hope this will provide some sense of justice following their traumatic ordeals."

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A WREXHAM teenager has been handed a four-year detention after he groomed and harassed a young girl online. Alex Edwards, of Wynnstay Avenue, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Friday morning. The 19-year-old had been convicted of a number of offences at a previous hearing, including; causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in a sexual act, disclosing sexual photographs, harassment, threats to kill and possessing indecent images of a child. Elen Owen, prosecuting, explained Edwards befriended the girl on social media and asked her to be his girlfriend. The girl, who lived a significant distance away in England and never met the defendant during the course of his offending, agreed and the defendant began sending gifts to her. The online relationship continued, but he became controlling - making her stay on the phone with him or on social media and demanding that she didn't go out. Then he started to have sex toys posted to the girl, one of which she used at his instruction while he watched via video. He took screenshots of the act and also had her send him indecent images of herself. Roughly five months after the relationship began, the girl ended it and blocked Edwards on social media. After that, he bombarded her and her family with threatening messages, including that he would burn her home down and kill her. He even sent the girl's father indecent images he had taken of her online, telling him: "Just to let you know, I am on my way to kill your daughter." But Edwards never travelled to the area where the victim lived. When his phone was examined, it was found to contain two indecent images of category A - the most serious - and 16 of category C. Philip Tully, defending, told the court: "He accepts the only appropriate sentence is immediate detention. "All of the offences arise out of one course of conduct over a period of time." Mr Tully emphasised that his client had pleaded guilty to the offence of inciting the girl to engage in a sex act on a basis. He told the court it amounted to Edwards assertion that "although there could not be consent, there was an agreement and both parties were willing to participate in the conduct." Mr Tully said the defendant presents with a low level of maturity and has since shown "genuine remorse" for his actions. "Mr Edwards has had a difficult childhood and upbringing," he added. "During that time he has had a number of traumatic experiences." Judge Niclas Parry told Edwards: "There are numerous offences. They exhibit worrying behaviour. "You have an obsession with social media and you've had numerous relationships with young females you've met online. "You made threats - serious threats - clearly intending to cause the maximum distress." Overall, the Judge handed down a period of four years detention in a young offenders institute for the defendant. Edwards was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender indefinitely. The court imposed an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

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A 'predatory and dangerous' sex offender has been jailed after being found guilty of a string of serious sexual offences against three women.

John Todd was convicted of the attacks, including rape, which took place in Perth, Angus and Fife over a five year period.

The 34-year-old has now been sentenced to five years and 10 months behind bars after appearing at the High Court in Edinburgh today.

In a statement, Police Scotland officers praised the bravery of Todd's victims who came forward.

They added that they hoped the verdict would go some way to helping them move forward with their lives.

Detective Sergeant Lauren ONeil of Fife Divisions Rape Investigation Unit said: Todd is a predatory and dangerous man who has committed a variety of serious crimes against a number of different women over a protracted period of time.

It is thanks to the courage of the women who came forward that he has been now been found guilty of his crimes and the cruelty of his behaviour has been exposed.

I would like to commend the women for their bravery throughout this investigation and court proceedings.

"Hopefully the verdict today will help them moving forward.

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A 'prolific' sex offender who targeted children in Woking has been jailed. Police launched an investigation into Anthony Holloman Senior after allegations came to light in 2018.

During the course of their investigations into the allegations, police identified a number of victims over a 40 year period. Officers say Holloman targeted both boys and girls.

They were then 'manipulated' into not speaking about the abuse they were subjected to. But Holloman was finally arrested in August 2018.

Holloman, 80, of Grafton Gardens in Lymington, has now been found guilty of 17 counts of sexual offences against seven different children. He was jailed for 16 years at Guildford Crown Court.

Detective Constable Andrew Whittle, who investigated the case for Surrey Police, said: I would like to commend the incredible bravery of the victims who came forward and showed formidable resilience throughout the investigation and court process. This was a complex investigation which relied on the testimony of the victims and the determination of the Child Abuse Team to hold Holloman to account for his actions.

Holloman is a dangerous and prolific sex offender who targeted children over a considerable period of time. He showed breath-taking arrogance throughout his offending and subsequent trial, and it is a relief that he will be behind bars for a long time to come. I hope that this case shows that it is never too late to report sexual abuse and that we will do everything we can to investigate reports, support victims and pursue perpetrators.

If you are thinking of reporting sexual abuse, please be reassured that your report will be taken incredibly seriously, and that we have specialist support in place to help you.

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A NORTH Cumbria man who raped three women one as she slept has been jailed for 15 years and deemed a 'dangerous offender'. Details of 23-year-old James Routledges crimes, and the profound impact and psychological harm on his victims, were outlined at Carlisle Crown Court today (Friday). One woman raped by Routledge talked about focusing on a mark on the ceiling as he carried out his offending. She later recalled him giving her a hug and kiss afterwards, saying he was sorry, said prosecutor Tim Evans. The woman also told of her guilt at not initially reporting what had happened. I just pushed it to one side, to a place where I could forget about it, she had said. The woman later told of reliving the ordeal being like a 'mini-flashback'. It is so clear, she stated, it feels like it is happening all over again. A second woman had twice tried to repel Routledges unwanted sexual advances before she was raped. This time she shouted and screamed at him, and told him what he had done was raping her, said Mr Evans. She was crying. That woman later spoke of feeling unable to trust anyone. It wasnt my fault, she said. But try telling me that on a bad day. A third woman woke to find she had been raped by Routledge. She later made recordings of conversations with Routledge which involved admissions being made by him. He carried out this crime having been released under investigation by police who had interviewed him about offending against one of the other two women. Mr Evans told the court drink and drugs had featured in Routledges conduct. Routledge admitted raping the three women. It was accepted the rapes were carried out 'without violence'. In mitigation, defence barrister Judith McCullough suggested 'immaturity', to some extent, had fed into his offending. There is the possibility that the term of imprisonment will be a lesson learned for this defendant as he grows up and moves further into adulthood, she said. Routledge, of Wellgate, Scotby, was given a 15-year prison sentence by Judge Richard Archer, who said: To rape one woman is serious indeed. But to rape three women is serious in the extreme. Judge Archer imposed an extended three-year licence period, concluding Routledge was a dangerous offender who posed a significant risk of committing further rape crimes. Routledge must serve two-thirds of the 15-year prison term before being consider for release by a parole board, and sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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A magician faces many years behind bars after being convicted of raping and sexually abusing a young girl when he was a teenager. Jacob Blow, 31, is in poor health and currently undergoing dialysis treatment but was convicted by a jury of a total of four charges after a trial that lasted weeks.

Blow, from Threemilestone near Truro, has been on trial at Truro Crown Court charged with four counts of rape, attempted rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault. Cornwall Live reported last week how following a lengthy period of jury deliberation he was found guilty of two rapes and sexual assault. Blow was found not guilty of two further rapes.

Due to legal strikes and Blows dialysis treatment, the jury had to wait a week to reconvene and continue deliberations on the two outstanding counts, before this afternoon (Thursday June 30), convicting the defendant of the remaining charges of assault by penetration and attempted rape.

Blow, who was in some discomfort at the verdicts were read out, had his sentencing set for a date in August. Debating whether or not to bail Blow until then or immediately remand him into custody, Judge Anna Richardson said that although Blow has known since the first guilty verdicts a week ago that he faces jail, he still turned up as instructed today. She added that there are no grounds to believe he wont turn up for sentencing or that he will offend again given how long it is since his offending and that it relates to a single victim.

The first rape involved Blow kissing the complainant, pulling down her under garments, touching her sexually and then raping her.

Prosecutor Bathsheba Cassel said: She went on to tell the police the rapes were frequent and she would be raped once or twice a week.

The jury was told that the complainant first contacted police more than a decade ago, but the victim found herself unable to pursue the allegation and broke down on the way to the police station.

Blow was said to have initially tried to deny any wrongdoing before breaking down and admitting to his dad and police what he had done. However, he then denied the allegations saying he lied when initially speaking to the police because he thought if he agreed with what was being claimed that would be it and he could carry on doing magic.

Ms Cassel said: The impact on the complainant has been great. In 2019, she felt able to find strength and re-engage with the police and complete a video interview.

Ms Cassel said the attempted rape related to the defendant unsuccessfully trying to have anal sex with the girl.

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A man has been jailed for nine months and handed a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) after pressing his groin against a woman on a London Underground train.

Zane Donovan, 25, and of White Gardens, Dagenham, was sentenced to 41 weeks in prison and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday 22 June after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

He was also given a 5-year sexual harm prevention order, prohibiting him from attempting to speak to any female in a public place who is not known to him including on public transport.

At 6.30pm on Friday 25 March the victim, a pregnant woman, boarded a Victoria Line service at Green Park station and immediately felt a man pressing his groin against her from behind for around 20 seconds.

When she challenged him, he responded with How do you want me to stand, I got no space and left the train at Victoria station. Following CCTV enquiries, Donovan was arrested several days later.

British Transport Police (BTP) Detective Constable Brittany Armstrong said: This incident was particularly alarming and distressing for the victim, and Im pleased to see Donovan behind bars for such inappropriate behaviour.

Some people may not consider pressing a sexual offence, or serious enough to report especially in a crowded environment, however in the eyes of the law this is sexual assault and offenders will be caught and punished accordingly.

If you experience or witness this behaviour on the network, we urge you to alert an officer or report it by texting us on 61016. We will always take you seriously.