Latest Offenders

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A sexual deviant who propositioned a 13-year-old boy online was caught out as the child was actually an under-cover officer.

Mathew Cowley already had a conviction for sexually abusing a school boy and was banned from communicating with under 16-year-olds but it did not deter him.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that while a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was hanging over him Cowley got in touch via a chat room with someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy on August 5 this year.

He said he was 29 years old and then in conversation said he was 34 and asked if the boy thought he was too old for him and told him what he liked to do sexually.

Cowley told him, I dont mind first timers as long as its a secret, said Chris Hopkins, prosecuting.

The officer again told him that he was 13 and went to school and Cowley replied, So you are a virgin, thats better.

The next day Cowley again initiated an online conversation with him and told him he lived in Kensington and gave him his mobile number and the chat moved to WhatsApp.

He described the boy as fit as f**k and said he fancied him.

The officer asked if he could trust him with his secrets and he replied, No-one will ever know what we do and it is totally secret.

He was arrested three days later and made admissions in interview.

The court heard that the 37-year-old defendant was jailed for three years in September 2016 for penetrative sexual activity with a 14-year-old boy he met via Skype.

After grooming him they met at a train station and then went to a cemetery where sexual activity took place.

The Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was made but the court was told that it had now expired and the charge he had now admitted did not allow for a new one to be made by the judge.

Mr Hopkins said that the police would have to apply to the magistrates court for a new order to be made.

Jailing Cowley, of Shiel Road, Kensington, for two and a half years Judge David Aubrey, QC, said, In my judgement you are a sexual deviant and in my judgement you are a paedophile and attracted to under-age boys. And regretfully you have not learnt your lesson since the sentence of three years imprisonment imposed in September 2016.

He said that he did not lose sight of issues in his life, adding, It may well be that you are a sad and lonely man.

The judge ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and said, The police I have no doubt will be instigating an application for a Sexual Harm PreventionOrder in the lower court designed to protect others from you.

In my judgement they need such protection and hopefully it will seek to deter you albeit regretfully the order now expired did not achieve such ideals by deterring you.

Anthony ODonohoe, defending, said that Cowley had pleaded guilty to the offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a SHPO.

He suffers from anxiety and depression and I get the impression he is an isolated individual. He was living in rented accommodation with a rat infestation problem in Shiel Road and has no communication with is family or friends.

He feels he would be benefit from having a settled adult relationship which would perhaps put him more on the straight and narrow.

Mr ODonohoe said that a pre-sentence report says that Cowley presents a high risk of sexual offending but the defendant hopes to engage with any help and courses available to him in prison.

He is not an unintelligent man and understands if there is further offending of this nature or breaches of orders that he will bring upon his own shoulders ever lengthening custodial sentences.

Description

A former police officer from Kent has been sentenced after he admitted viewing child abuse material online.

Thomas Blant, 38, was arrested in January 2020 after NCA investigators identified that a website hosting child sexual abuse material had been accessed via TOR (The Onion Router) from his house in Wye, Ashford.

Following a search of his address officers seized a number of digital devices, including his phone and laptop, which were forensically analysed.

TOR, the tool which offers anonymous online browsing and access to the dark web, had been downloaded on the laptop, as well as a computer cleaning app, which can be used to remove traces of illegal activity.

17 indecent images of children (IIOC), made up of categories A and C, were recovered from Blant’s laptop, despite his attempts to delete them.

A further four indecent images of children were also recovered from one of Blant’s old mobile phones.

He was released on bail and further arrested in February 2020 following analysis of his devices.

Blant was working as a constable for Kent Police at the time of his offending. He was suspended from duty upon his initial arrest and has since been dismissed from the force.

On 22 July 2021 he pleaded guilty to two counts of making IIOC at Folkestone Magistrates Court.

Today [06/10/2021] at Maidstone Crown Court he was handed a 12 month jail term suspended for two years, a five year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Martin Ludlow from the National Crime Agency said: “Blant’s offending is an outrageous misuse of trust.

“His role as a police officer was to protect the public. Instead, he sought out images of child abuse for his own sexual gratification. Offenders who view such material online only encourage those willing to sexually abuse children in the real world.

“Combatting this threat remains one of the highest priorities for the NCA. We are committed to targeting the most dangerous offenders and those who, like Blant, go to great lengths to hide their activity, believing they can operate with impunity online.

“As this investigation shows, there is nowhere to hide. We will use all of the tools at our disposal to identify those who pose a sexual threat to children and ensure they are brought to justice.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Jon Armory, Kent Police’s Head of Professional Standards, said: "It is abhorrent that Blant has committed these offences, particularly while working as a police officer.

"His actions helped fuel the demand for children to be exploited which is a complete betrayal of his duty to protect the vulnerable.

"Blant was suspended from our force as soon as the allegations were first received and we fully supported our colleagues in the National Crime Agency with their criminal investigation. As soon as he admitted the offences in court, we progressed with special case proceedings which led to his dismissal on 17 August.

"The vast majority of our officers and staff do an outstanding job serving the public in line with the highest standards of professionalism and conduct, and we expect no less from them. Those who fall short will face scrutiny."

Description

An abuser who groomed and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old schoolgirl is now behind bars.

Kevin Johnson was seen molesting the teenager on a bench in a Leicester park by a concerned member of the public - who filmed the incident as evidence, confronted him and detained him until the police arrived.

The 47-year-old was said to have groomed the girl, by paying her compliments and giving her money and sweets, before instigating sexual activity.

Johnson, of Kate Street, Black Friars, Leicester was then arrested and the girl revealed that as well as the incident in the park she had also had sex with the defendant.

The teenager, who has since moved elsewhere, said in a victim impact statement she suffered nightmares as a result of Johnson's abuse and now has difficulty trusting people.

She stated: "I now have to remind myself what he did was wrong - how will I know how to love and what is right for me?

"I'm strong and capable and so much more than my past."

Johnson pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child last year and one of failing to attend court for sentencing on September 24 this year - which led to him being arrested on a warrant and being remanded into custody.

Philip Gibbs, prosecuting, told Leicester Crown Court: "This involved grooming and there was a large disparity in age."

He said of the witness who saw the defendant intimately touching the girl in a park: "He was so concerned he began to record what he could see.

"He then confronted the defendant and asked how old he was and how old the girl was."

The victim wrongly claimed she was 17 and became upset when the police arrived, claiming to love the defendant.

Paul Prior, mitigating, said the defendant had no record of similar offending and pleaded guilty, which spared the victim from giving evidence.

He said that by avoiding a trial it had allowed the girl to "move on" with her life without having to re-live her ordeal in the witness box.

Johnson was jailed for three years and five months. He was also put on a sex offender register for life, given a sexual harm prevention order and was made the subject of an indefinite restraining order, banning any future contact with the victim.

After the case Detective Sergeant Rob Buckley, who oversaw the investigation, said: “Johnson quite clearly exploited this young girl’s age and vulnerabilities to encourage her to engage in sexual activity with him.

“I would like to the thank the member of the public for their keen eye and public spirit which led to officers quickly attending, arresting the suspect and safeguarding the child. Without their support, this predatory offender could have still been exploiting this victim and possibly other young girls.

“Their actions that day ultimately led to Johnson facing justice for his crimes and a considerable amount of time behind bars.”

Description

A twisted paedophile lured one of his victims to a fake party at a high-rise flat and then raped her.

Peter Robinson targeted another girl after tricking her into his car and driving her to a secluded spot where he only broke off his attacks so he could have a cigarette.

He helped to cover up his horrific crimes by telling his vulnerable schoolgirl victims that, should they speak out, he would get social services to make their lives a misery.

Robinson appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for one count of indecent assault, eight counts of rape and three counts of the rape of a child under the age of 13.

The 56-year-old, a dad himself, had been convicted of the offences following a trial that concluded earlier this week.

Today, prosecutor Charlotte Kenny outlined how Robinson exploited vulnerable young girls during a sustained period of offending.

As well as raping his victims he also played on their fears and insecurity, securing their silence with threats, humiliating them and preying on their anxiety with degrading comments.

He told one of the girls that "nobody liked her" in what Ms Kenny suggested was a bid to socially isolate her.

The barrister read out powerful impact statements on behalf of each of his victims, now adults, who described suffering flashbacks and nightmares as a result of his crimes.

On behalf of one of the women, Ms Kenny said: "Sometimes the flashbacks are so horrendous she is physically sick... Peter Robinson will never realise just how much what he did has impacted on my whole life. I feel lost and scared due to what he put me through."

Another explained: "In the end, Peter Robinson left me feeling like a piece of meat. I felt powerless and angry."

His other victim detailed in her statement: "The horrible memories will never leave me."

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and that his family is "devastated" by the convictions.

He added: "He is aware that the inevitable custodial sentence will be a long one."

Judge Denis Watson, QC, described how Robinson deceived his victims on multiple occasions and, of his claims he would involve social services in their lives should they speak out, he said: "This was a calculated, cruel and very effective threat."

Judge Watson added that the offences "leave me in no doubt there is severe psychological harm here... they all experienced long term psychological harm as a result of the offending".

Robinson, of Dunnerdale Road in Norris Green, was sentenced to a total of 23 years in jail. He will have to serve half of that sentence before he can apply for release.

His convictions for the rape of a child under the age of 13 mean that, legally, he is considered an offender of special concern.

As a result, when he is released from jail he will serve an extended period on licence made up of whatever remains of the 23 year sentence plus an extra 12 months.

Robinson was all made the subject of indefinite restraining orders against each of his victims and of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

After delivering his sentence Judge Watson thanked those in the public gallery for the dignity they had displayed during the hearing.

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Police have praised the brave victims who brought a sexual predator to justice.

Kieran Kindley has been convicted of preying on four girls aged between 13 and 17, after carrying out the attacks in the Ashington area last year.

The 20-year-old denied all the allegations put to him but on Friday (September 24) was found guilty of two counts of rape and six counts of sexual assault following a 10-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

Speaking after the trial, Detective Constables Dan Anderson and Emma Hooker, who led the investigation, praised the bravery of the victims.

Det Cons Anderson said : “Kieran Kindley is a sexual predator and paedophile, who preyed on teenagers for his own sexual gratification.

“These brave victims came forward to police and I hope they feel a sense of justice.

“I would urge anyone who has been subjected to such attacks to always report it. We are here to help."

Kindley of Lynn Street, Blyth, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court in December.

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A Northampton man who was found guilty of repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for 17-and-a-half years.

Andrew Brian Nicholls, 46, was last month found guilty of 14 charges at Northampton Crown Court relating to the abuse he carried out between 2014 and 2017, which began when his victim was just 11.

The court heard Nicholls began abusing the girl when she walked in on him watching pornography.

This escalated into repeated rapes until she informed Northamptonshire Police of the abuse in 2017.

Nicholls, formerly of Camp Hill, Bugbrooke, was subsequently charged with offences including multiple rapes, sexual activity with a child, and taking indecent photos of a child.

On October 4, a jury at Northampton Crown Court returned guilty verdicts on all 14 charges against him.

Today, Tuesday, November 2, His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo handed Nicholls 13 concurrent sentences ranging from three to 14-and-a-half years, plus one consecutive sentence of three years, making a total of 17-and-a-half years in prison.

Telling the defendant to look at him as he passed sentence, Judge Mayo said Nicholls had robbed his victim of a happy and innocent childhood and forced her to live in fear of him revealing videos he had made of his repeated attacks.

The judge added that even when his victim became withdrawn as a result of her ongoing ordeal, Nicholls knew he was the cause 'yet you continued to use her to satisfy your own paedophilic urges' and had also encouraged others to turn on her when she finally reported what had happened to police.

He concluded: “This was sustained abuse of a particularly vulnerable victim.”

Upon release from prison, Nicholls will spend the remainder of his sentence on licence.

He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order, indefinitely barring him from living or staying with any female child under the age of 16 without the approval of social services and the child’s parent or guardian having knowledge of his convictions.

He will also be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Description

A man has been jailed for 15 years for raping a 71-year-old woman more than 40 years ago.

Kenneth Wells, 63, of Verona Road, Salisbury, broke into Violet Brown's house, raped her and locked her inside in November 1980.

The case was solved after officers re-tested evidence using DNA technology.

The judge told Wells, who was arrested and released at the time of the offence, he had subjected Ms Brown to "the most terrifying circumstances".

Wells previously also admitted burglary and false imprisonment at Salisbury Crown Court on 1 September.

Ms Brown lived alone in Collingbourne Ducis, in Wiltshire, and because Wells locked her in, had to wait until morning before she was able to alert her neighbours and the police.

Wells was arrested shortly afterwards and remained the prime suspect, but there was never enough evidence to charge him until June this year.

'Utterly traumatised'

Wells broke into the house with at least one other man while Ms Brown was sleeping.

The men, wearing stocking masks, shone torches in her face and yelled abuse at her during the attack.

Sentencing Wells at Winchester Crown Court, Judge Angela Morris told him: "It doesn't bear imagination how terrified she [Ms Brown] must have been.

"This is a case of some of the most abject humiliation, threats and violation towards a vulnerable and helpless elderly lady who was left utterly traumatised and physically injured by this appalling experience at your hands.

"Not only did you rob her of her possessions, you also robbed of her everything she held dear, including her independence."

Wiltshire Police reopened the cold case last year and using the latest in DNA technology, were able to confirm a direct match between the hair and fibre samples recovered from the original scene and Wells.

Accomplice still sought

Det Ch Insp Darren Hannant said: "There is no doubt that this horrendous attack had a lasting impact on Ms Brown, who had to live with the memory of this traumatic incident for the rest of her life.

"Wells committed a truly despicable crime and probably thought he had got away with it.

"But no unsolved serious case is ever completely closed. I am proud that we have finally been able to convict Wells and see him pay the price for what he did."

Detectives said the sentencing should come as a warning to Wells' accomplice who watched him rape Ms Brown, as they hope that DNA will eventually reveal his identity too.

Rape victims have the right to anonymity for life, but because Ms Brown died in 1996, she has been named and her family have released a photograph of her.

Wells was sentenced to 15 years in prison and an additional six years on licence for the rape.

He was also sentenced to three years for burglary and three years for false imprisonment, to run concurrently.

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A top judge refused to give details of a serial sex offender’s vile abuse of two young girls as it was ‘clear’ he would get ‘sexual excitement’ recounting his shocking crimes.

A court heard how Lester Bell, 70 from Reading, would likely serve the rest of his life in jail after he was sentenced to a minimum of 16 years behind bars for the non-recent sexual abuse of the two survivors.

One of the girls was just six years old when Bell’s abuse started and his depraved actions included rape and sexual assault.

He filmed his abuse of the two girls and a jury was shown these images during a summer trial, at the end of which he was found guilty of 17 offences.

In his sentencing at Reading Crown Court, the prosecution revealed few details about the extent of Bell’s abuse and His Honour Judge Paul Dugdale followed suit after defence counsel Nadia Shabat conceded her client would likely “serve the rest of his life in a custodial sentence.”

The judge said: “You are a man who has not been in trouble before. I take into account your age and you are not in good health.

“I watched you carefully during the trial. I watched you give evidence.

“At the start of the trial I took the view that I could deal with you because you would not be an ongoing risk but as I watched you during the trial my opinion changed completely.

“You spent the trial going into great detail about specific aspects of your offending you simply did not need to give in order to put across your case.

“You did not plead guilty and you made a jury see things no jury should have to see.

“I thought about why you were going into all this detail and why you intended for these videos to be shown.

“The reason is this: It is clear even now in the court room when you were being tried for these offences, you were getting sexual excitement from this evidence.

“That is why I am not going into detail about these offences because I am not going to give you the pleasure of going into this again.

“You are unable to accept the seriousness of these actions. To accept the devastation you have caused these two young girls. And even now you get sexual excitement from the memory of what you did.

“You took away their childhoods. You left them irreparably scarred going into the rest of their lives. You gave them memories of things that will haunt them on a daily basis.

“You did that for a pathetic moment of sexual excitement for yourself.

“It is clear to me that whatever goes on in your mind that made you behave in that way is still very active.”

Labelling him as an “ongoing risk”, Judge Dugdale handed Bell a 30-year prison sentence, of which he will serve a minimum of 16 years before he is eligible for release.

The sentence was based on a conviction for five counts of assault of a child aged under 13 by penetration, two counts of rape of a child under 13, three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, one count of attempted rape, two counts of causing or inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of making category A indecent images of children, one count of making category B indecent images of children, and one count of making category C indecent images of children.

He will remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life and an order was made for his devices and the images he created to be destroyed.

Bell appeared for his sentencing at Reading Crown Court on Friday, October 1 via video link from HMP Bullingdon.

After he was sent down, Judge Dugdale addressed the girls who survived Bell’s abuse in the public gallery.

He told them: “It is a big thing to come and give evidence [at a trial]. What you did was extremely brave.

“There is no reason he should stop you from living your life. That is the only way forward. You put it behind you.”

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Convicted rapist William Rathbone has been jailed for six years and five months after he sexually assaulted a woman.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the 22-year-old committed the offence eight months after being released from a prison sentence for rape.

The victim reported the incident to the police the following day. She was disgusted by Rathbone's actions and felt the assault turned her life upside down.

It happened in 2019, eight months after Rathbone was released from a 40-month sentence he received in 2017 for rape of a girl under 16 and assault by penetration.

Prosecutor Tim Harrington said: "This offence is seriously aggravated by his previous convictions and the fact he was on licence for sexual activity at the time and had not long been released from custody."

Rathbone, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to assault by penetration.

Saleema Mahmood, mitigating, said Rathbone's mental health has now stabilised and he has completed a sex offender programme in custody.

She said the offence was very different from his previous conviction.

Miss Mahmood said: "He now does not rely solely on his explanation that he was very heavily intoxicated and acknowledges what he did was very, very wrong."

She said the defendant has been in custody since his arrest.

Miss Mahmood added: "Without the use of a significant amount of alcohol Mr Rathbone would not even have conceived behaving in that way.

"He is keen to do anything he can to start a new life and make himself a better person."

Judge David Fletcher said: "You have indicated some remorse. Your age is of relevance, you were at the time of the offence 19. I do not find you pass the test for dangerousness and will not be making an extended sentence. Prison will detain you for a significant period of time before you are eligible for release."

Rathbone will be released on licence after serving half the term. He is on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Description

A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting two women at a party.

The incident happened in the early hours of Sunday 23 August last year, when 54-year-old Bryan Searle attended the get together at an address in the Portsmouth area.

Searle, who was drunk at the time, got into a hot tub at the party and sexually assaulted two women.

The incident was reported to police later that morning and Searle was arrested the same day.

Following an investigation, he was charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault by penetration.

He admitted all three offences when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on 17 September this year.

Appearing at the same court today (Friday 1 October), he was jailed for 25 and a half months.

DC Hannah Mosely said: “No one has the right to abuse another person, and as a police service we take all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously.

“This kind of behaviour is simply not acceptable and there is no excuse for perpetrating it.

“Searle knew this, but chose to carry out these assaults anyway. I hope the outcome of this case sends a message to those who think they can get away with behaving in this manner that there is no place for it in society, and we will take action.”

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A MARLOES pensioner, until recently a volunteer instructor for junior sailing, has admitted making indecent photographs of children.

Derek Lister, 72, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday (Sept 30), and entered a guilty plea to creating 3 indecent category A images of a child, 14 indecent category B images of a child and 152 indecent category C images of a child.

Former teacher Lister had originally indicated that he would plead not guilty but changed his plea faced with the weight of the evidence against him.

He was given a 4-month jail sentence, suspended for two years and 150 hours community service.

The suspended sentence means that if he commits any offence within the next two years the suspended sentence will be activated, and he will be automatically sent to jail.

It is understood that he has now moved away from Pembrokeshire.

The sentencing had been delayed from a previous date as the video link system in court had been faulty.

Description

A Coventry man has been jailed after he sexually assaulted a woman last year.

Saad Sheikh, 30, of The Spinney, Coventry, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assaulting a stranger. The incident took place on the evening of August 1, 2020, near Jephson Gardens, in Leamington.

The victim, a woman in her 40s, was sitting on a bench when Sheikh sat down next to her and sexually assaulted her by touching her over and under her clothing.

Sheikh was identified on CCTV and was arrested five days later.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison at a hearing held at Warwick Crown Court yesterday (September 29). He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, which stops him from engaging in paid or unpaid work with vulnerable people.

Detective Constable Nic Mort, from Leamington CID, said: This was a terrible ordeal for the victim, who is an extremely vulnerable woman. The judge was clear that Sheikh would have been aware of her vulnerabilities and targeted her because of this.

The ordeal left her distraught and traumatised.

I would like to recognise the bravery of the victim who has conducted herself with bravery and dignity throughout the investigation.

As well as receiving a custodial sentence, Sheikh will also have to sign the sex offender register and be subject to sexual harm prevention order which means he will be closely monitored when he is released from prison.

Incidents of this nature inevitably have an impact on the local community, so I hope the police response and this outcome will reassure the people of Leamington that we will work tirelessly to bring offenders like Sheikh to justice.

Description

A judge today told a paedophile he had no doubt a jury was right to convict him of sexually abusing a young boy.

Ryan Kitchen, 26, repeatedly molested his vulnerable victim by sexually assaulting him on 20 separate occasions.

Kitchen, of Strafford Drive, Bootle, denied any wrongdoing and claimed the child was lying in a trial last month.

But after jurors heard evidence from both him and the boy, they unanimously found Kitchen guilty of six counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child, while acquitting him of one further count of sexual assault.

Judge Garrett Byrne today told Kitchen: "You continue to deny the offences and seek to blame others for the situation you find yourself in.

"Having seen the evidence of the boy during the trial, I have no doubt the jury's verdicts were correct."

He jailed Kitchen for eight years, prompting one of Kitchen's supporters sitting in a public gallery to question: "Seriously?"

The woman then moaned: "F***ing lies. Send an innocent man to jail, all for lies."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Kitchen repeatedly performed sex acts on the boy, both over and under his clothing, tried to get the boy to touch his penis, and performed sex acts in front of the child.

Seven supporters of the victim, including his mum, sat in one public gallery, with 10 supporters of the defendant sitting in another public gallery.

The boy's mum told the court that when her son confided in her about Kitchen's sexual abuse "my whole body went cold with shock".

David Polglase, prosecuting, read out her statement in which she described how she holds "a lot of anger and resentment" towards Kitchen.

She said: "I hope in the future I will be able to channel this more productively, but at the moment it cripples me."

The mum said the ordeal of giving evidence impacted on her son and before the verdicts were returned he kept repeating that if they were not guilty, "it meant people thought he was lying".

She said her son had spent days crying in his room, his mental health was affected and along with thoughts of suicide, she had found him threatening to kill himself.

The mum said: "I'm in constant fear that he will actually follow through with his threats."

The boy's father told the court in a second victim statement that he also felt suicidal about what had happened to his son.

He said: "I hope that Ryan Kitchen realises he's destroyed my son's life. He's totally obliterated his trust in people."

The victim's mum cried as the statements were read and was comforted by members of her family.

Nick Cockrell, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and nearly 30 character references submitted to the court, which "paint a very positive picture of Mr Kitchen".

He said: "That of course has to be set against the offences for which he has been convicted by the jury, but in total it seems there were almost 30 people who had taken the time to write letters or emails of support for Mr Kitchen."

Mr Cockrell said there was also a pre-sentence report from the Probation Service, but added: "Where there have been convictions after trial, convictions which it's clear from the report are still denied and disputed by Mr Kitchen, it does make such a document difficult in the circumstances.

"Your honour has no option but to sentence Mr Kitchen to a lengthy custodial sentence and it will be hoped that some of the concerns that are raised in that report can be addressed as part of that sentence."

Mr Cockrell added that Kitchen was still relatively young and it would be his first prison sentence, and asked the judge to take into account conditions in jail during the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge Byrne said the jury had found Kitchen guilty of eight counts of sexual abuse against the victim, "representing a total of 20 separate occasions when you sexually abused the boy".

The judge told Kitchen he took advantage of a situation "by sexually assaulting the boy for your own pleasure".

The judge said Kitchen had "deliberately and cynically" abused a situation to molest his victim.

He said the offences had a detrimental impact on the "vulnerable" child's mental health.

Judge Byrne said: "During the course of his evidence, he said this, he would ask himself 'why, why is he doing this?'

"It would make him feel angry and sick. He said 'I thought it would never end'."

The judge said weighing in Kitchen's favour was his previous good character.

He said: "I've read all the references. Very many people have spoken very highly of you, describing your positive influence, that you're a good friend, that you're a caring person and you're a hard worker.

"I've also read the moving letter from your parents and I will of course take into account the impact the sentence is going to have upon them and your family."

Kitchen showed no emotion when he was jailed, which prompted the outburst from a female supporter.

A male supporter started sobbing and was consoled by others, before the woman continued to swear and complain as she walked out of the courtroom.

Kitchen must comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Judge Byrne also made a 10-year restraining order, preventing Kitchen from contacting the boy or his parents.

Description

A "cruel" and "manipulative" former policeman who "systematically" raped two girls and a woman during a "campaign of rape" has been jailed for 33 years.

A "complicit" woman who joined in with him during his "domineering" sexual abuse has been jailed for eight years.

The repeated sexual exploitation of the traumatised victims left them with severe psychological problems and one girl wrote in her diary that she suffered "disgusting, painful, sickening memories".

Former Royal Hong Kong Police officer Ken Chik, 63, of Endymion Street, Hull, was convicted of 28 offences after a trial spanning four weeks at Hull Crown Court.

The offences included rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and cruelty.

Tracy Choi, 37, from the Hull area, was convicted of six offences, including rape and attempted rape.

Soheil Khan, prosecuting, said that it was a "campaign of rape" by Chik and the offences were "frequently planned" by him and involved the "deliberate isolation of the victims".

Chik had caused "emotional degradation and humiliation" and sometimes used physical violence.

"The complainants were told by him not to report the offences," said Mr Khan.

The two girls were caused "severe psychological harm".

Judge Mark Bury said that Chik "systematically" raped one of the girls and caused "humiliation" to her.

"It involved significant manipulation, psychological coercion and the instilment of fear in her," said Judge Bury.

"You repeatedly engineered situations to abuse her."

Choi was involved in some of the sexual offences.

Judge Bury told Chik: "It's clear to me that you are a cruel, domineering, angry, totally selfish man."

Chik was "prone to violent mood swings" and "exploited" the vulnerability of the adult victim "cynically" for sex.

He said of her: "She was psychologically coerced to a high degree. You cynically manipulated a young woman.

"Your offending is characterised by extreme levels of manipulation and humiliation.

"You went to considerable lengths to ensure you were not caught."

Chik told the victims that nobody would believe them if they told anyone what had happened.

One of the girls had written in her diary: "Why didn't I kill myself to end this suffering?"

She wanted to know when her ordeal would end and Judge Bury said: "Today. This is the first day of the rest of their lives."

The victims had given "utterly compelling" evidence to the trial.

Judge Bury told Choi: "You were manipulated. I am satisfied that you became involved in these offences through psychological coercion and bullying."

But the "significant sympathy" for her "evaporates" because she was "complicit" in rape and "encouraged" Chik and participated in what happened.

One of the girls said in a statement: "Physically and psychologically, I felt disgusting, dirty and ashamed.

"He was manipulative and controlling. Ken was addicted to power over vulnerable women and children."

She had suffered "traumatising flashbacks weekly" and sometimes "woke up in a sweat".

The girl added: "I am scarred externally and internally from his actions."

The other girl said: "This kind of trauma isn't easy to forget. It's ingrained into my mind. There are many ways that Ken has affected me."

The adult victim said that she had lived with fear and struggled with depression.

She had suffered "nightmares about falling from a very dark and high-up place" and did not feel safe.

She felt "worthless", ashamed of herself, "dirty and unclean" through being raped.

Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said it was a "campaign of rape" by Chik and there was "little that can be said" for him. He denied all the offences.

Chik suffered from health problems, including heart trouble.

Julia Baggs, representing Choi, said that the defendant came to Britain from Hong Kong for education when she was 18 but was "here illegally" and might face deportation.

She had suffered "nightmares about falling from a very dark and high-up place" and did not feel safe.

She felt "worthless", ashamed of herself, "dirty and unclean" through being raped.

Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said it was a "campaign of rape" by Chik and there was "little that can be said" for him. He denied all the offences.

Chik suffered from health problems, including heart trouble.

Julia Baggs, representing Choi, said that the defendant came to Britain from Hong Kong for education when she was 18 but was "here illegally" and might face deportation.

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Police in Hampshire have launched an appeal to locate a man in connection with a sexual assault.

Hampshire Constabulary say they are looking for 27-year-old Zackery Bell after a sexual assault in Waterlooville.

The incident in question happened on December 6 of last year.

After extensive enquiries to try to locate him, the public are now being asked for their help.

He has links to Sussex and it is believed that he could be in Warwickshire.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "We are trying to locate wanted man Zackery Bell. Can you help or do you know his whereabouts?

"If you have seen him, or know where he is, do not approach him but contact us on 101, quoting 44200471788.

"We would also like to remind people that anyone found to be harbouring him to obstruct our attempts to locate him may be committing an offence and be liable for arrest themselves."

As well as 101, people can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.