Latest Offenders

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Cassius Povey, 29, was a sexual predator who controlled and manipulated schoolgirls to repeatedly sexually abuse them A serial sexual predator and Leicester musician who preyed on schoolgirl fans after befriending them on Facebook has today been jailed for 17 years. Cassius Povey, who was a well known figure on Leicester's live music scene, has been locked up for a catalogue of 19 crimes against nine young girls - five of whom he raped. One victim became pregnant at just 14 and had an abortion without telling her parents. Another was tied to a bed and hit with a cane. Povey also sat and watched one distraught child take and overdose before making her vomit - and then raped her as she lay on a bed semi-conscious and confused. Eight of the victims were aged between 14 and 15. The ninth was 19-years-old when he raped her in a park. Leicester Crown Court was told he had "no respect" for his troubled and vulnerable victims. He was motivated purely by self-gratification as he "controlled and manipulated" them to satisfy his desires. Povey won his victims trust with outpourings of affection and repeatedly telling them how "beautiful and amazing" they were. He told two of his victims after he committed violent assaults that he suffered from schizophrenia and that he could not control the actions of his "evil twin." The offences were committed when he was between 17 and 22. The court heard that he was finally "outed" by a former victim, who exposed his wrongdoing on Facebook. He attempted a public apology, but the police were notified of the social media comments and investigated. Povey formerly lived in a bedsit in the Aylestone Road area of Leicester - before fleeing to live Elsenham Road, Grimsby, where he was arrested in July 2020. He was convicted at a recent trial of eight offences of rape, which he had denied. He had already pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual activity with a child, one of travelling to meet a child after grooming and one offence of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, between 2010 and 2016. 'You were arrogant and showed no remorse' Sentencing, Judge Robert Brown said: "The victims were vulnerable females and eight of them were under 16 at the time of these offences, all with mental health problems and difficult relationships at home with parents. You were a prominent and popular local musician and they liked you. "You gained their trust and they unloaded their problems on to you and you displayed sympathy, before abusing them. Alcohol and drugs were used in some cases. "I find you arrogant, you showed no remorse during your trial and maintained all your sexual encounters were with the victims' consent. You might express remorse now, but you didn't then. You've been in denial. I find you to be manipulative and cunning. "These girls were mostly naive with no sexual experience, many being virgins. You plied them with alcohol and introduced a number of them to drugs with the aim of controlling them. "You targeted them by befriending them through Facebook and social media and it wasn't difficult because they were fans of your music - you had a significant following. Mr Povey, you're a predator who used emotional manipulation against them all. "You pretended to two of them you had schizophrenia to exert control over them to satisfy yourself sexually. It was a life-style for you. You had no respect for any of your victims - it was all for self-gratification. You were exposed on social media by one of the victims, who displayed courage and others shared their stories too." Serena Gates, mitigating, said the defendant had no previous convictions and he had not offended for the last six years. She said he was a "young adult" at the time and his upbringing lacked proper guidance. Povey was said to have suffered from depression and anxiety since 2013. He had mild autism and an unspecified borderline personality disorder - but did not have a severe mental illness, the court was told. He wrote a letter of remorse to the judge, who said he presented as a "dangerous" offender who posed a risk of future harm. He added a three year licence period extension to the 17 year prison sentence. Survivors 'showed incredible strength' Afterwards, officer in case, DC Kev Sharkey from the police's Signal team, said: "While this sentence will not change the experiences these young girls went through, I hope the fact that Povey will be behind bars for such a significant amount of time, offers some comfort. "The sentencing today has been at the end of a long court process and all the survivors have shown incredible strength, patience and dignity throughout. Their evidence has strengthened the case against Povey, making sure he serves the time behind bars that he deserves." The officer said he believed there may still be other victims of Povey who have not yet come forward. The CPS issued a statement saying Povey was known to socialise at the citys Clock Tower, a popular place for young people who followed indie music meet up. He was said to have used his status as an older person and a guitarist in a band to impress them and appear like someone they should admire. Once he got to know them, he groomed them and exploited their vulnerability. In some cases, he went on to have consenting relationships with his victims after he had raped them. In others, he raped them while in a relationship. Matthew Thomas from the CPS said: Cassius Povey preyed relentlessly on young, vulnerable girls, taking advantage of their vulnerability. He knew his lifestyle as a musician, with a wide circle of friends, would be appealing and he exploited this. "Despite appearing friendly and even empathetic, he had no thought for the well-being of his victims, taking what he wanted from them regardless of the impact on their young lives. His age and status put him in a position of trust to these young people, which he abused, ruthlessly grooming them and taking steps to convince them that he was not abusing them. We set out to demonstrate that in all these instances there was no consent, regardless of what happened between them beforehand or afterwards. These survivors have had to revisit some of the darkest times in their lives. "Poveys actions had a profound impact on them and I am grateful that they have come forward, explained the awful reality of what happened to them and that we have been able to show Cassius Povey for what he is a serious sexual predator. Today's sentence reflects the level of manipulation and abuse these survivors suffered at Cassius Povey's hands.

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This is the face of a former Derbyshire police community support officer who secretly filmed children aged as young as three naked in the changing rooms of a local swimming pool. Derby Crown Court heard how James Land had also been collecting vile child abuse films and images for almost 20 years.

The 43-year-old, who worked in the cyber crime unit at Derbyshire police headquarters at Ripley, was found hiding knickers belonging to girls as young as 13 under his bed. And as well as filming the children, the defendant also secretly videoed an adult woman engaged in sexual activity.

Jailing him for a total of 27 months, Judge Nirmal Shant QC said: "An aggravating feature was that you were carrying out this (indecent images) activty for 19 years. And it is quite plain you specifically targeted very young children (with the filming).

"You used your presence (in the changing rooms) to record young children and that has caused a great deal of distress for the families."

As well as the jail term, Judge Shant handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to be on the sex offender register, also for 10 years.

At the time he was arrested, in May last years, one of Land's roles was to "engage with children who were suspected of committing low level computer misuse offences".

As part of that role, which he held from 2017 until his arrest last year, was "involved in safeguarding advice to adults and was involved in providing talks to schools on online safety" his sentencing hearing was told. The 43-year-old father-of-one, who was suspended by the force following his arrest, has since quit his role at force HQ in Ripley.

Sarah Slater, prosecuting, said officers became aware that an internet address linked to Land had been accessing indecent image of children and so his then address in The Hill was raided. She said from it were taken a number of electronic devices, including his police laptop.

The prosecutor said: "When the police downloaded and reviewed a hard drive, they located a number of images and a video of young children in various states of undress within a swimming pool changing room. They were able to identify this as Queen's Park Leisure Centre, in Chesterfield and the video was dated from 2015.

"The police then obtained records from the swimming lessons being held at the pool to allow them to identify some of the children involved. They were able to identify five of the children involved but two remain unidentified.

"This video was made in the changing area and without the knowledge of those filmed. It is four minutes 17 seconds long and the defendant also then made two screenshot images from the video."

Miss Slater said police contacted the parents and guardians of those children they suspected might be in the video and they were all able to confirm they were. She said sexually-explicit images and videos were also found of an adult woman which were all taken and filmed without her consent.

The prosecutor said: "The indecent images show children as young as two or three, both females and male and some of them are visibly distressed in the photos. There was also an image of him exposing his (private parts) while on Derbyshire Constabulary premises."

Miss Slater read out two victim impacts statements made by parents of the children the defendant filmed.

One said: "To know he was a police officer in out community has thoroughly damaged our faith and trust of those who are expected to look after us and our children."

Land, now of, Abergele, Conwy, in North Wales Land pleaded guilty to counts of voyeurism and to possessing 365 indecent images of the most serious category A between October 24, 2012 and May 20 last year.

They typically show adults raping and sexually abusing children. He admitted to possessing 262 category B and 686 category C. He also pleaded guilty to possession of 179 prohibited images of children.

Darron Whitehead, mitigating, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity at the crown court and has no previous convictions.

He said: "On behalf of Mr Land I offer to this court and all of the victims in this case an unreserved apology for what he's done, the offence he has caused and the impact it has had on them.

"None of the recordings or the received images have been shared to others in a wider circle. His marriage had broken down and he is no longer in contact with his son.

"In this very room are his mother and father and two aunties all of whom he feels he has betrayed their values. He also feels he has betrayed the trust of the police force."

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A SEXUAL predator from Southampton has been jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to offences against children. Richard Baker, 50, of Smythe Road, was arrested after using a messaging app to contact someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He tried to win her trust by giving her "advice" on how to stay safe around men and sending her selfies and photos of his dogs. But he then started sending explicit pornography and expressing a desire to hug her, saying it was up to her if it were an "undressed hug". They agreed to meet in Fareham on January 18 - but the girl was not real. When he arrived he was arrested with a camcorder in his possession. In a prepared statement he gave at the time Baker said he was "trying to explain and warn the girl about how boys can be". But he later confessed to sending the messages and trying to meet up with a child for sex. On February 14 Baker pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to cause a child to watch an image of sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent assault against a girl aged 13-15 when he was in his early twenties. Baker was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court and will be put on the sex offenders' register for life. Under an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order he will also be banned from having unsupervised contact with children or going within five metres of school grounds. If he breaches the order he will be arrested and sent back to prison. Officers from Hampshire Constabulary investigated the case with support from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). DS Heather Hudson, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: By taking Baker off the streets, we have removed a dangerous predator from our community. With young people having ready access to the internet and mobile phones, it is more important than ever that parents stay vigilant and educate their children about how to keep safe online." DS Hudson said the messages sent by Baker illustrated the tactics sexual predators were willing to use to win a childs trust. She added: "I hope this sentence demonstrates the lengths we go to in order to keep children safe from sexual exploitation and abuse, and also might encourage any survivors of child sexual abuse to speak to us. You will be heard, you will be taken seriously and you will be supported in whatever decisions you wish to make.

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A sick predator who raped a teenage girl, subjected a young man to a violent sexual assault, and kept footage of children using a bathroom has today (Fri) been jailed for more than ten years.

Bradford man Damien Smith, 35, will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

The citys crown court heard how Smith subjected the young man to a "violent and shocking" sexual assault in 2017, but he was not prosecuted until his later offending against a teenage girl came to light.

Neither of Smith's victims can be identified due to legal reasons, but Judge Colin Burn said his offending was something they will never forget. Judge Burn said the picture presented was of Smith being "a predatory person" and his best piece of mitigation was his guilty pleas to all of his crimes.

He said the teenage girl had bravely reported Smith's repeated abuse of her and when he was arrested, police found indecent images of children on his phone along with recordings of youngsters using a bathroom. Smith, who is currently in custody at HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to a series of offences including rape of a child, sexual assault, voyeurism and possession of indecent images of children.

In her victim impact statement the girl bravely said: "I feel a lot of anger towards Damien for what he has put me through." Barrister Fiona Clancy, for Smith, said he accepted absolutely that his behaviour was unacceptable and he was disgusted with himself.

"He is remorseful. He is ashamed," said Miss Clancy. "He wishes to serve his time and be punished for this offending."

Judge Burn sentenced Smith to a total of 10-and-a-half years in jail and explained he would have to serve two-thirds of the term before he could apply for release.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Julie Deacon, of Bradford Safeguarding Unit, described Smith as "a danger to children".

"I would like to praise the bravery and courage from his victims in coming forward and reporting his crimes to police," said Det Insp Deacon.

"Thanks to a thorough investigation by Bradford District Safeguarding Unit and partner agencies, it left Smith with no choice but to plead guilty to the offences.

"This guilty plea has spared his victims a trial. I hope that knowing he is behind bars for a long time will bring them some closure as they try to move forward with their lives. West Yorkshire Police take all reports of this nature seriously and anyone who is a victim of a sexual assault can rest assured we will do all we can to bring the perpetrators to justice."

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A Catholic priest has been locked up after being found guilty of sexually abusing six boys in his care. Father Patrick Smythe was locked up for seven and a half years after a jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts after a trial at Leeds Crown Court. Jurors heard how Smythe, 79, preyed on three of his victims during swimming trips to the former Leeds International Pool.Smythe also targeted boys in his care while on a retreat at a hostel in North Yorkshire. A judge who sentenced Smythe told the pensioner he had told a "pack of lies" to the court during the trial.Judge Simon Batiste said: "The offences involved six different complainants who were at the time of the offences aged between 12 and 16. "You are a Catholic priest. "During the trial you denied any criminal wrongdoing whatsoever. "You took an oath on the Bible - the book that you have purported to have used to preach from for many years - and then told a series of falsehoods and lies that the jury have seen through. "In short, your account in relation to these matters is a pack of lies." Smythe, 79, of Manor Square, Otley, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault. The offences were committed around four decades ago. Three of the victims provided statements to court describing the lifelong suffering the abuse had caused them. One described how it led to him abusing alcohol from an early age. He said: "I never felt able to discuss the issue with my family because of the shame and anxiety and fear it caused me to feel. "I hope that as a result of the trial, after 45 years, I can finally move on with my life in a more positive direction." Another victim described Smythe as "a beast". He said: "He used the church to get within touching distance of young boys." A third victim said the abuse caused him to lose faith in the Catholic church and that he feared he would never see Smythe be brought to justice. He said: "I told myself that if he was never judged in this life then he will get his judgement before God when he meets his maker." Smythe showed no emotion as he sat in the court dock during the hearing. In addition to the prison sentence, he was told he must go on the sex offender register for life. Susannah Proctor, mitigating for Smythe, said: "He has given his life to the church. The church are his family. "I have no doubt that from today the church will withdraw that support for him. "That is something of his own making." Judge Batiste paid tribute to the victims as he imposed the sentence upon Smythe. He said: "For some of these boys it is evident that the impact of your abuse was significant and has lived with them until the present day. "I pay tribute to the six victims in this case who have shown great bravery and fortitude to give evidence against you." After the case, Detective Inspector Vicky Alexander, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: Smythe abused his position of trust to systematically exploit the victims as children over a number of years. His actions will have had a lasting impact on the victims lives, and we commend the considerable courage they have shown by coming forward as adults to report the offences and support the prosecution that has seen him brought to justice. We will always treat sexual offences of this nature very seriously and we have specialist safeguarding officers who will support victims throughout the investigation and court process. This was a lengthy and complex investigation which saw safeguarding officers from Leeds and Wakefield painstakingly building up a detailed evidential picture which has resulted in Smythe being convicted. We hope it will provide some degree of comfort to the victims to know that he has now had to answer for his actions.

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A paedophile climbed up a ladder and into a bedroom to sexually assault two sleeping little girls. Convicted sex offender Luke McHugh was supposed to be locked into his secure accommodation on Knowsleys Longmeadow Road and prevented from leaving without supervision. Yet the 20-year-old tampered with a window and escaped in the dead of night to launch his attack on a house in the local area in July last year. Liverpool Crown Court heard today he was only stopped from sexually assaulting two girls in the house after their dad heard him get in. Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, said McHugh planned his attack for days, using loud music and a request for quiet time from his support workers to sneak out of his room and spy on the house where his victims lived. He was caught on CCTV lurking outside the home on numerous days leading up to the attack after seeing toys through the windows. Finally, he climbed into the back garden of the house, found a ladder and placed it against the wall under the bedroom window. Hot weather meant it had been left ajar and McHugh climbed in before being disturbed by the girls dad. He then fled and went back to his accommodation without being apprehended. The girls parents were initially unsure about the motivation for the break-in, believing it could be a burglary. However, police investigations later uncovered CCTV of a man later identified as McHugh visiting the house on numerous occasions before the attack. When police arrested him in August they found a range of disturbing items in his bedroom in his accommodation unit. They included childrens toys and underwear, as well as nappies, condoms and sexual lubricant. He was in the unit after trying to incite an eight-year-old girl he was chatting to over the internet to send him pictures of herself naked. He also has convictions for possession of indecent images of children. Ms Nemat said his previous convictions and the extensive planning that went into the break in pointed towards McHugh having the intention to commit a serious sexual assault. She also referenced probation reports which pointed to McHughs fixation on sexual activity. Ms Nemat said: The defendant is quite clearly obsessed with having his [sexual] needs met. He also has a deep rooted fascination with and sexual attraction towards children. The girls mum spoke today of the familys difficulty in coming to terms with what had happened to them. She said that while McHughs ultimate aim had been avoided, she and the wider family had been left traumatised by what had happened. She said it was his intention to make our wonderful precious girls his victims. This really is any parents nightmare - and our nightmare continues. The woman said she was now scared of the dark and worried about how to explain the attack to her children in the future. Jonathan Duffy, defending, said McHughs age and, particularly, his complex mental health conditions, including ADHD and autism, represented a significant impediment to his understanding of his offending. However, he said McHugh understood a lengthy prison sentence awaited him. Mr Duffy said: He accepts that and he understands he needs help and probably treatment and he will take any opportunity he can in prison to avail himself of those opportunities. The judge, Robert Trevor-Jones, said McHugh had carried out his attack in a calculated and predatory way, specifically scoping out the house in the days before the attack. Referring to the girls mothers statement to the court, he said the incident was every parents worst nightmare and it was only the girls father that stopped him from going further. Judge Trevor-Jones said: Some noise luckily awoke the father who opened the door only to see your silhouette in the childrens room and to shout out. That caused you to flee. Even more fortunate of course was the fact that neither child woke up to witness a stranger in their bedroom and that the fathers actions avoided the girls being violated and traumatised. Judge Trevor-Jones said he was confident McHugh intended to commit a serious sexual assault on the children. McHugh, of Longmeadow Road, was detained for a total of ten years, the maximum term available for trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. The judge extended his initial sentence of six years and eight months to take account of McHughs dangerousness. He will serve two thirds behind bars before being assessed for parole.

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A young pervert found with almost 2,000 sick child abuse images admitted to police he'd had a sexual interest in them since the age of 12. Derby Crown Court heard how police raided the Derbyshire home of Alexander Mellors and seized a number of electronic devices.

On them were images and films of the most serious category which typically show adults abusing young victims in the most disturbing way. The 23-year-old, who the court was told has no friends or social circle, shook in fear in the dock this week as he was spared an immediate term of imprisonment.

Handing him a three-year community order, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: "What you did was bad and the reason it was bad is because the children you were looking at in these pictures are real children being abused by men. And if people continue looking at them then the people can think they can carry on doing it.

"I don't wish to embarrass (you) but (you) have got no friends and (you've) had peer group issues throughout (your) life and (you) have effectively and metaphorically locked (yourself) in (your) bedroom. You present as a pathetic character and I don't mean that in a horrible way.

"I mean you have suffered and as a result of that now you feel the only thing you can do is to go on your computer and, to quote you, 'go down this rabbit hole' and carrying on looking."

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said police raided the Sandiacre home of Mellors on December 3, last year. He said: "Police officers had information there may be someone downloading indecent images of children and so they executed a warrant.

"Seized was a USB stick, an Apple phone, a PC power, an Xbox and an HP laptop and within them were found a number of indecent images of children. In total there were 304 x category A images (the most serious) and 25 movies; 332 category B images and seven films; 999 category C images and seven movies and 191 prohibited images (of children).

"Mr Mellors was interviewed and he was quite candid. He said he had a sexual interest in children but had only downloaded the prohibited images. He said he'd had such an interest since the age of 12. He is a man of good character."

Mellors, of Victoria Road, pleaded guilty to possession of prohibited images of children and three counts of possessing indecent images of children. His mother and father were in the public gallery to support their son.

Addressing his defence barrister, Joe Harvey, Judge Smith said: "I am not sending him to prison, if I do it will be a short sentence and he will get absolutely no assistance."

Joe Harvey, mitigating, replied: "It is assistance he is absolutely desperate for, he is a young man that presents as younger than his age."

As part of the community order, Mellors will have to attend 30 rehabilitation sessions and a 42-day sex offender rehabilitation programme. He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work and was handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

The defendant will be on the sex offender register, also for five years. Judge Smith said: "You don't want to go to prison do you?"

A visibly upset Mellors replied from the dock: "No."

Judge Smith said: "Of course you don't, keep out of trouble, stop looking at these images and you won't. Don't cause your parents any more hassle."

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A 21-year-old from Somerset has been jailed for underage sexual activity with schoolgirls. Zach Peploe was aged 17, 18 and 19, when he targeted five girls aged between 12 and 14.

He pestered some of the young girls on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat and sent them naked sexualised videos of himself. He told others they were beautiful and he loved them before having sex at his house or in his car.

Taunton Crown Court was told his vulnerable victims were all upset following their encounters with him. They now suffer flashbacks, anxiety and find it hard to trust men. One self-harmed and another tried overdosing due to the trauma.

Peploe, of Huntspill Road, Highbridge, has been jailed for three years and ten months. A probation report said he had shown little remorse, was immature and came from a difficult background.

The defendant pleaded guilty to nine offences against five victims. The offences included engaging in sexual activity with a child and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences included groping a 14-year-old's breasts after she fell asleep in his car when he was aged 17. Another victim was aged just 12 when he sent her videos of himself masturbating. He was 18 when he "begged her" for naked pictures on Instagram, told her she was beautiful and sent her sexually explicit messages, said prosecutor Ms Nikki Coombe. The victim said the contact "made her feel sick".

A distressed third victim told her teacher she had sex with Peploe when she was 14 and he was 18. She had felt pressured into doing it.

Peploe carried on offending after being released under police investigation. He targeted two more girls. One 14-year-old consented to sex with him at his house having felt too frightened to say no. When she told him how old she was he said "cool" and bragged about how many times he had had sex. He also had sex with another girl when she was 13 and 14 and he was 19.

When police investigated his phone they found he had been contacting hundreds of girls a month on Facebook and trying to chat.

Mr Harry Ahuja, defending, said Peploe was a 'vulnerable young man' himself. He had a borderline personality disorder and did not come from a stable background. He had been making good progress since his arrest. He said Peploe never lied about his age to the girls or forced the victims into sex or sexual activity.

Judge Paul Cook made restraining orders not to contact victims and Peploe was given a 10-year sexual offences behaviour order to manage his risk once he is back in the community.

Peploe must also sign the sex offender register for an indefinite period.

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A man has been jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of raping a woman he met in a nightclub in Kingston. Taulant Krasniqi 25 (21.11.96) of Cottingham Road, Feltham was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, 5 April. He was found guilty at the same court on 25 January of rape having pleaded guilty to voyeurism and theft earlier in proceedings. These all relate to incidents that took place on Sunday, 12 November 2017. On that morning, Krasniqi went to a nightclub in Kingston where he approached a woman in her 20s on the dancefloor. The woman went home with Krasniqi but went to sleep in her bedroom. She woke briefly to see Krasniqi sitting at the foot of her bed with her phone in his hand, but when she awoke he was gone. It was only when one of the womans friends contacted her later that day to say she had been sent a video on Snapchat from an unknown person showing the woman lying naked in bed and an empty condom wrapper. The woman called police as she had not consented to having sex with Krasniqi and an investigation was launched. Krasniqi was identified and arrested; he claimed the sexual intercourse was consensual. His phone was seized as part of the investigation on being examined videos were found showing Krasniqi having sex with the woman. Throughout the videos the woman is not engaging, demonstrating she was not in a position to consent. Messages from Krasniqis phone also showed he had spoken to friends stating he had taken items from the room, including an Oyster Card and iPod. Krasniqi was charged and subsequently pleaded guilty at court. Detective Inspector Julian Crabb said: Krasniqi knew that the woman he had gone home with was in no position to consent to sexual activity yet he took advantage of this situation and raped her. He also filmed to woman without her knowledge and shared this on social media. His behaviour is truly abhorrent and I am pleased that he has been handed a lengthy prison sentence which reflects the gravity of his offending. I would also like to commend the woman who Krasniqi attacked she has shown immense courage to report this to police and support this investigation and I hope this sentencing allows her the opportunity to begin to move on with her life. Anyone who reports a sexual offence to police will be offered the support of a specially trained officer to help them through the investigative process in this case, PC Sheena Woodward worked tirelessly and has been invaluable in helping to secure this conviction.

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A PREDATORY sex fiend who raped two young women and a 14-year-old girl has been jailed. Kenneth Bright, 35, targeted his vulnerable victims at flats in Johnstone, Paisley and Glasgow. All three suffered rape ordeals while they were under the influence and incapable of consenting to sex. Sentencing Bright to seven years behind bars at the High Court in Edinburgh today, judge Lord Tyre told him: "Each, for their own reasons, was a vulnerable individual in need of help." Bright had denied a string of charges during an earlier trial but was found guilty of raping all three victims. The first offence took place at a flat in the Bellahouston area of Glasgow on February 25, 2014. Bright sexually assaulted and raped the woman while she was asleep and under the influence of drink or another substance, as well as after she woke up. He subjected a second sleeping woman, who was also under the influence, to a rape attack at a flat in Johnstone in September 2019. His third victim was a 14-year-old girl, who was subjected to a sex act and rape after she fell asleep at a flat in Paisley in February 2020 while she was under the influence. Defence solicitor advocate Paul Mullen said Bright's position remained the same as at trial but he accepted that he faced a "lengthy sentence" after the guilty verdicts were returned by a jury. Lord Tyre pointed out that, although these were Bright's first convictions for sex crimes, he has a long history of previous offending. The court also heard he was assessed as posing a medium risk of sexual re-offending. Lord Tyre said he was concerned at the lack of understanding on Bright's part on the drastic effect his actions may have had on the victims. As well as imposing the prison sentence, he ordered that the rapist and former robber should be under supervision and monitored for a further three-year period. Bright has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely. Police Scotland said it welcomed the sentencing of Bright.

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A GREENOCK pervert carried a hoard of child abuse images around with him on his mobile phone for months including disgusting sexual exploitation of girls as young as three. Gerald McGrory, 62, was also involved in the distribution of moving and still images from the device before cybercrime police swooped on his town centre flat in a dawn raid. It was later discovered that the he had engaged in a text message conversation about image-sharing with another paedophile over a period of 15 months prior to his arrest. McGrory was caught in an intelligence-led police sting and had an array of appalling images on his phone, including category A material classed in law as the worst level. Prosecutor Martina McGuigan told the sheriff court: "Police received confidential information and a search warrant was sought and granted. "The accused's flat was searched and various items were seized including the mobile phone, a laptop computer and paper containing numerous usernames and passwords. "An initial examination of the phone revealed indecent images of children." The court heard that McGrory later gave a 'no comment' interview at Greenock police office on October 28, 2020 and made no reply when cautioned and charged. His phone had a total of 72 images, made up of still photos and videos, 69 of which were readily accessible. McGrory's haul of still images contained five category A photos, five category B and 49 category C. His collection of depraved videos was made up of eight category A movies, three category B and two category C. McGrory collected the material between July 1 and October 28 2020. He also pleaded guilty through lawyer Aidan Gallagher to a charge of distributing or showing still and moving images on various occasions between November 26, 2019 and March 3, 2020. The court was told that he used an app called 'Telegram' to share indecent images and also to have a 'lengthy' text conversation with a fellow deviant. Fiscal depute Ms McGuigan said: "A conversation was found within this application which involved the discussion and sharing of images depicting child sexual exploitation as well as adult pornography. "The conversation was lengthy and was found to be dated from July 31 2019 until October 27 2020." The prosecutor added: "The accessible images were predominantly found in both the gallery application of the device and/or the Telegram application, whereby a quantity had been shared with the user through a user group. "It should be noted that one of the moving images and one still image was found to have been shared by the user of the device." The Crown is seeking a five-year sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) against McGrory with seven stated conditions. Such orders are made where there is a specific concern about a person and can include stipulations such as preventing a sex offender from accessing the internet without monitoring software being installed on devices. Sheriff Joseph Hughes deferred sentence for a background report and continued consideration of a SOPO until April 27. Solicitor Mr Gallagher has reserved reserved his plea in mitigation on behalf of McGrory until then, with McGrory placed on the Sex Offenders Register with immediate effect.

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A SICK paedophile who raped and sexually assaulted a young girl and had indecent photos of children has been sent to prison. Adam Such, aged 21, of Prislow Fields, Falmouth,was sentenced to 11 years and two months in prison at Truro Crown Court on Friday, April 1 for sexual assault of a child under 13, rape of a child under 13, and possession of indecent images. Such pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child between April 29, 2021 and 28, May 28-2021 at Exeter. He was also charged with the rape of a girl under 13 in May, 2021 and being over 18 and engaging in penetrative sexual activity with girl under 13 on the same date. He was also charged with the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 in any part of the world by involvement in pornography on May 9, 2021. Such had pleaded not guilty at magistrates court but later changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced at Truro Crown Court last week. A victim impact statement read out in court said Such's actions had had a "devastating" effect on the family. Such was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, until further notice. He must also sign the sex offender register and pay a victim surcharge.

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A man punched a woman twice in the face while on a night out in Sunderland before sexually assaulting her.

Nathan Maxwell hit the woman to the face twice before doing a runner when witnesses intervened, but later committed a sexual assault on her. The 24-year-old committed the offences in June, last year, with Maxwell punching the woman in the face, before hitting her again on the chin. He appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for common assault and sexual assault.

Emma Dowling, prosecuting, said the woman had been out for the day having drinks in Sunderland, but was unfamiliar with the city, and "was not sure" where she was. Later that day, Maxwell "grabbed" her. "He grabbed her and pulled her back. She tried to pull away, but couldn't", she said. "He suddenly punched her to the right cheek and then punched her again on the chin. She was shocked and went quiet before collapsing.

Ms Dowling said that other revellers saw what happened and "confronted" Maxwell, who then ran away. "The woman was not familiar with the area and people asked if she was OK", she said. The court heard that following the assault, Maxwell also sexually assaulted the woman - who was left with bruising to her chin following the assault.

Brian Hegarty, defending, said Maxwell had no previous convictions of a similar type and was someone who had a "fairly full job history". He added: "He tells me he has a contact at an agency who would be able to use his skills readily."

Sentencing Maxwell, of Glendale Avenue, Concord, Washington, Judge Amanda Rippon, said: "You punched her to the face and to the right cheek. Strangers came to her rescue and told you off, you ran away and she collapsed." The judge handed Maxwell a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 45 rehabilitation activity days. He must also pay 1,000 compensation to the victim within six months, and an indefinite restraining order was also imposed.

Maxwell will also be on the sex offender's register for 10 years. Judge Rippon added: "Any breaches will be reserved to me. You do not want to come back to my court room...you need to grow up."

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A dangerous teenage triple rapist twice had sex with a terrified and vulnerable 13-year-old girl as well as another poorly girl of 14 before threatening to kill, chop up and bury a third girl.

One of sex offender Danny Bailey's rape victims "may never fully recover from the effects" of her ordeal and he posed a high risk to children, especially young girls, in the future, a court heard. He was aged just 15 at the time of the first rape and was 18 for the second two rapes and his behaviour had a "significant effect" on all three victims, Hull Crown Court heard.

He taunted the first rape victim and "made her life a misery" by his later "victim blaming" of her. Bailey, now 20, of Newly Close, Hessle, admitted three offences of rape against the two girls and another offence of harassing a third girl. He was locked up for 10-and-a-half years on Thursday after a lengthy investigation by Humberside Police.

Megan Rhys, prosecuting, said that Bailey was 15 at the time and one of the girls was 14 when he raped her in December 2016 even though she was feeling ill. He kissed and cuddled her before having sex with her, even though she had said she did not want to do so.

"She froze as it took place," said Miss Rhys. "At the time of the offence, she did not, in fact, realise that what he had done was rape her. She told her mother what he had done to her. The defendant told people that she was lying. He called her deluded.

The girl later said: "It took time for me to understand what Danny Bailey had done to me. I am not physically afraid of Danny. I would stand my ground. I feel relieved that it is over."

The second girl was aged 13 at the time and Bailey was 18 in September 2019. She was particularly vulnerable and thought that he was a new friend for her. They were in his bedroom chatting when he kept touching her more in a friendly way. "She thought that he was being nice and trying to make her feel better," said Miss Rhys.

A few days later, he asked her if she wanted to meet and they went to his house, where he pulled down her leggings and underwear and had sex with her.

On a second occasion in January 2020, she agreed to go to his house but he kept grabbing her by her wrists, told her that he could kill her if he wanted and put his hands around her throat. Bailey pushed the girl on to the bed and she hoped that he would stop being violent.

He had sex with her. "She told him that he was a rapist," said Miss Rhys. "She didn't tell anybody about what happened at the time." The girl later said: "When I met Danny, I was vulnerable and he made me feel better. The first time that Danny broke my trust, I thought that it was my fault. It is still causing me a great deal of stress. The second time, I felt more violated.

"After the second time, I knew things were getting worse for my mental health. I felt like it was a forever problem. I think what Danny did has had a huge impact on this. My brain now works very differently.

"People are scared to say stuff to me in case I take it badly. All of my emotions are at the extreme end of what they can be. What Danny did has made me lose friendships but my parents have stuck with me."

The harassment of the third girl, aged 17 at the time, happened when Bailey started acting strangely with her and became aggressive and threatening to her after she heard rumours that he had raped two other girls.

He threatened to throw her off a bridge where they had been walking, kill her and chop her up before putting her in his freezer.

He later warned her: "You're my next victim" and again told her that he would kill her, chop her up and put her in his Nan's freezer. On another occasion, he rode his bicycle aggressively at her, pushing it against her leg and riding into her.

The girl telephoned 999 but Bailey continued to follow her and shouted at her before using his shoulder to push her into a bush.

"During this, she felt absolutely terrified," said Miss Rhys. "Her heart was racing and she just wanted to get home." Miss Rhys said the victim later said: "I can't understand why Bailey would do this to me and I just want him to leave me alone."

Richard Thompson, mitigating, said that Bailey pleaded guilty at an early stage and had shown remorse. He had no previous convictions. "He apologises to the victims of these offences for what he has done," said Mr Thompson. "He says that what he did to them was dishonest and also cruel and he wants to understand what it is about him that has resulted in him committing these offences.

"None of the thoughts were acted upon. He did not behave violently to any of his victims or not to the extent those thoughts might suggest. He went looking for help." Bailey accepted that his behaviour during the harassment was unpleasant and he had said of the victims: "I know that they deserve justice and that I deserve punishment."

Judge John Thackray QC said that Bailey raped the first girl at a time when she was "entitled to feel safe and secure" in his presence. "You raped her when she was unwell and you ignored her pleas for you to stop as she cried," said Judge Thackray. "You made her life a misery and embarked on victim blaming."

The victim of the two later rapes was "undoubtedly a vulnerable young girl" with mental health issues and Bailey lied to her about his age.

'Within a very short space of time, a matter of weeks, you raped her again," said Judge Thackray. "She must have been terrified. You told her that you could kill her if you wanted and you put your hands around her throat, you put her phone out of reach and you raped her. You followed that with aggression.

"Your offending affects every aspect of her life. She may never fully recover from the effects of your offending."

Bailey's behaviour towards the third girl was "worrying in the extreme" because he made "appalling threats" to her, telling her that he would kill her, chop her up and bury her.

"Your conduct has had a significant effect upon all of your victims," said Judge Thackray.

Bailey was sent to a young offenders' institution for 10-and-a-half years and he will be on extended licence of seven years after his release after being branded a dangerous offender.

He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, an indefinite restraining order and will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

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A sex offender was caught "returning to his old ways" after sharing pictures and videos of child abuse in a "nothing off limits" chatroom. He claimed to be exchanging the illegal images for "normal" pornography online.

Jason William Hannah of Church Street in Flint, had previously been banned from using certain parts of the internet. But he came to the attention of the authorities when he was found back in the dark corners of the web.

The 32-year-old was brought before Mold Crown Court charged with six counts of sharing indecent images of children. In doing so, he had breached part of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The court was told by prosecutor, Mr Michael Whitty, that Hannah was first jailed back in 2015 for 10 months after the police found more than 1,600 images of children being abused on his computer. He was living in the Connah's Quay area at the time.

After being released from prison, the court heard how Hannah "went back to his old ways". Last summer, in June 2021, he downloaded and created a Kik account - a file sharing platform - which is something he was banned from doing by the courts.

The police were alerted by the company that a user was involved in sharing images and videos of children being sexually abused. An investigation soon revealed it was the defendant.

Hannah was arrested in October 2021 when the police searched his property for any electronic devices. His iPhone was taken by the police to be checked but the 32-year-old made "full and frank admissions" about what they'd uncover on the device, said Mr Whitty.

In interview, he spoke about going though a "bad period" in his marriage and how he downloaded the app to seek out "normal" pornography. The dad said he then found himself in a "nothing off limits" chat group where the child abuse material had been shared.

He accepted that he didn't tell anyone about the account because he knew it would "get him into trouble". He also admitted to sharing a total of seven files over the period of a week - all being in the most serious category.

Defending, Mr Bouge, told the court how his client accepts he should not have done what he had done. He added that "thankfully" it appears he only engaged in the activity for a short period of time and that the "sharing" of files only involved one other person.

He said that the pre-sentence report "doesn't really help him at all" as he maintained having "no sexual interest in children". However, according to Mr Bouge, Hannah has accepted this is not the case and has "struggled" to "face up to the fact" this attraction is something he "cannot ignore".

He told the court that his client knows the only realistic option the judge can consider is immediate prison. The defence say that he has also been made aware that this time it would be longer than his last stint behind bars.

Judge Rhys Rowlands agreed, saying that Hannah clearly "hasn't learnt anything" from his last jail sentence. Addressing the defendant, he said that he'll be going back to prison for two years.

"This was a calculated and quite deliberate attempt to bypass the order. You did so in order to further what remains to be a pretty obsessive and worrying need to access these images of children.

"The images themselves were very disturbing. Plainly, you have learnt nothing from your previous time in prison.

"In my view, there is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation with you at present. I'm firmly of that view because of your non-compliance with the existing order and by you retuning to your old ways."