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A Rotherham man who raped and sexually abused multiple children has been jailed for a catalogue of sickening seuxal offences.

45-year-old Darren Thomas repeatedly abused and exploited the vulnerability of children for his own gratification for a period of more than 10 years from 2010 to 2021.
 
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said Thomas 'silenced his victims,' making threats and 'telling them to keep his evil sexual abuse a secret'.

During a hearing held today (Tuesday, December 19, 2023), Sheffield Crown Court heard how Thomas used alcohol to take advantage of his vulnerable victims, forcing them to perform sexual acts. Two days prior to his arrest, Thomas sent a text message where he referred to himself as a ‘paedophile,’ the court heard.

Thomas had previously pleaded guilty on September 5 at Sheffield Crown Court to two counts of rape of an under 16-year-old, five counts of sexual assault, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of digital penetration. All convictions relate to offences committed between 2010 and 2021 involving children and young people aged between 11 and 17.

At the conclusion of today's hearing,Thomas, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 18 years and seven months in prison. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and restraining order for life.

Speaking after Thomas was jailed, officer in the case, Detective Constable Caroline Anderson, said: "This has been a complex investigation, with evidence spanning almost eight years to uncover and review. It has undoubtedly been a long and difficult process for the victims, and I want to commend their tremendous bravery in coming forward and providing statements and key evidence.

"I hope the result has brought the victims a certain level of closure, but nothing can eliminate their ordeal.

"They will have to deal with the consequences of his actions for the rest of their lives, but thanks to their support a dangerous and prolific offender is now off the streets and serving time behind bars, unable to prey on anyone else.

"I am proud of the results of the investigation and would encourage other victims of sexual assault to come forward, so we can support you in seeking justice and continuing to make our communities safer, together."

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A PAEDOPHILE distributed explicit images of children being sexually abused to other online users, and engaged in illegal chat with what he thought was a teenage girl.

Simon Tiller, 57, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday (Monday) for what a judge described as a pattern of continued sexual offending which was wired into his DNA.

It was following chat between Tiller and an undercover police officer that he was unmasked as the person using a number of different online aliases. Discussions, through a messaging application, related to the sexual abuse of minors.

Michael Scholes, prosecuting, said of the communication method: This is a platform often favoured by those with an interest in the sexual abuse of children owing to the high level of anonymity it offers.

Tiller was arrested in May 2022, at a motorhome in which he was living within the grounds of a private north Cumbria property.

Several phones were recovered including a Samsung Galaxy in Tillers shorts that he had tried to hide. This was found to contain many hundreds of accessible indecent images of children including 317 stills and videos classed in category A, the most serious.

Over several months, Tiller was found to have discussed with others the sexual abuse of children and distributed indecent images.

The court heard Tiller had also covertly taken indecent photos of a child which he said he was prepared to pass on.

Tiller admitted nine charges involving the possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images and attempted sexual communication with a 14-year-old girl who was actually a police officer. He was convicted by a jury of one voyeurism offence.

Kim Whittlestone, mitigating, said Tiller had expressed remorse, despite conclusions to the contrary which had been drawn by a probation officer.

He will use his time in custody as well as he can, said Miss Whittlestone.

He is realistic that the court will keep him within a custodial environment for some time hence.

Tiller was jailed for a total of 39 months by Judge Michael Fanning, who concluded that he had sought to minimise his offending and shown a degree of self-pity.

You are a paedophile, said the judge. The (pre-sentence) report shows you are a risk to children. This offending was into your DNA, and until you accept and address that you remain a risk to children.

Tiller, latterly of Blackford, near Carlisle, must sign the sex offender register, and comply with the strict terms of a prevention order, for 10 years.

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Vaclav Kopcil, 52, of All Saints Road, Portsmouth, was found guilty of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, sexual activity with a child, and two counts of rape of a female aged under 16 years.

The trial heard that the offences took place in the Portsmouth area during a five year period between, between September 2009 and April 2014. The victim was just 10 years old at the time of the first offence.

Kopcil pleaded not guilty to the offences, however a jury found him guilty on all counts following a seven day trial. Kopcil appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court where he was sentenced for 18 years in prison.

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A PAEDOPHILE and former choir master has been convicted of a series of vile sex offences, including abusing boys under the age of 11 years old.

Thomas Rodgers, 44, from Billericay, initially denied committing the crimes, but was convicted by a jury following a trial this month.

The historic offences took place in the 1990s, when the victims were all children, but only emerged after the crimes were reported to police on January 5, 2019.

Following an investigation by officers from Met’s East Area Command, Rodgers was arrested on February 10, 2019, on suspicion of sexual assault.

Rogers has previously worked as a choir master in Essex.

A spokesman for Met Police said: “Rodgers was bailed to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court where, following a trial on Tuesday, December 5, he was convicted.

“Rodgers was convicted of indecent assault on a male aged eight to 11 years; indecency with a child aged eight to 11 years and indecency with a child aged five to seven years.”

Liam Woon, investigating police constable for Met Police, praised the victims for showing bravery to come forward and report the offences to police.

He added: “The offences in this case took place in the late 90s when the victims were children.

“That trauma has followed them throughout their lives.

“I hope this conviction brings the victims a sense of closure and highlights that no matter how much time has passed, we will investigate all reports of sexual abuse with a view to placing those responsible before the courts.”

Rodgers will next appear in custody for sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday, January 10.

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A baby-faced child rapist has been branded a danger and locked up.

Karl Kingston subjected a youngster to horrific abuse which led to her plucking up the courage to tell her mum by giving her a note. Now Kingston, 18, of Ashington, Northumberland, who admitted rape and sexual assaults, has been sentenced for his offending at Newcastle Crown Court.

Michael Bunch, prosecuting, said the victim reported trying to push Kingston off but he was too big and she was unable to stop him. After finding the strength to tell her family what had happened to her, she said she was "angry and didn't want it to happen again".

Kingston was found to have a bag in his wardrobe containing various items including sex toys and two pairs of adult knickers. He had also searched the internet for child rape material.

The girl's mother said in a victim impact statement: "[She] threw me a note which would change our lives forever. I was in complete shock.

"My life went from perfect to a nightmare. What you have done to my baby girl is unforgiveable. She's petrified of you coming to kill her. You haunt her dreams at night.

"I've had to sit for hours reassuring her he won't get her, while she's breaking her heart in fear of what he could do. I will never forgive or forget what you have done to our family."

Kingston pleaded guilty to five counts of rape and five of assault by penetration. He was locked up for ten years with an extended licence period of a further five years. He will also be subject to indefinite sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Tim Gittins said Kingston may have signs of autism and added: "There is a lack of remorse or awareness of the seriousness of what you did that raise real concerns for your future conduct."

The judge said Kingston poses a significant risk of committing further, similar offences and is therefore assessed as being a dangerous offender. Peter Schofield, defending, said Kingston had been cooperative with the authorities about what he had done.

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A DELIVERY driver who sexually abused three children has been jailed for 13 years.

Daniel Cassells preyed on his young victims during a string of horror attacks.

A judge heard how a relative of one victim found the child curled up and sobbing after being put through a harrowing ordeal.

The woman later went to police which led to Cassells ending up in the dock at the High Court in Glasgow.

The 37 year-old pleaded guilty to raping two of the children and sexually assaulting the other.

The crimes occurred between 2018 and 2021 at different addresses in South Lanarkshire.

Cassells was today sentenced by Judge Lady Stacey, who also ordered him to be monitored for two years on his release.

Prosecutor Margaret Barron told how Cassells "never spoke" during attacks on the first victim.

The second pleaded with him why he was doing this- but again the pervert "did not respond".

After one attack in 2021, a relative of the youngster found the child lying curled up and visibly upset.

The woman recalled: "The child did not say anything, but the face was crying for help."

The victim later confided in her what Cassells had done.

Cassells, of Denny, Stirlingshire, preyed on the final victim when he was alone with the child.

The woman who had been told about the abuse went to the police in July 2021.

Cassells later handed himself in but did not comment on the accusations.

His lawyer Rosalyn McTaggart today said Cassells had "shown a level of shame and remorse" for what he had done.

Two of the victims had already given pre-recorded evidence which would have been played at a trial before Cassells admitted his guilt.

Lady Stacey told him: "Your behaviour was shocking. You moved from one child to the next."

The judge added she took the view Cassells may "likely be a danger to people" even after a lengthy jail term so he will be supervised when back on the streets.

He was also put on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

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A violent and manipulative man who subjected two women to horrific abuse has been jailed.

Laurence Patrick Leavy, of Cledford Lane, Middlewich, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 19 December where he was sentenced to 18 years, plus six years extended licence, for multiple counts of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour.

The 43-year-old was found guilty following a trial, which concluded on Wednesday 13 December.

The case first came to the attention of Cheshire Police when it was reported in May 2021.

The woman reported Leavy being charming when they first met, but he then dramatically changed and started to become abusive.

The victim was regularly verbally belittled and physically assaulted. On one occasion she described him losing his temper in the car. He pulled over and dragged her from the vehicle, throwing her into a field and driving away, leaving her there.

She was forced to partake in sexual acts which she did not consent to and was raped on a number of occasions.

When this victim reported what had happened to police, officers sought another potential witness to Leavy’s abuse, who then also decided to make a formal complaint.

The second victim also reported being abused by Leavy. She was verbally abused, making her feel very insecure. Leavy also refused to work and caused her immense financial pressure.

The victim reported Leavy would force her to have sex on demand. He had also assaulted and raped her multiple times, including while she was pregnant.

Leavy was subsequently charged in December 2022.

In addition to his prison sentence, Leavy was also handed lifetime restraining orders against the victims and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

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A Swanley man found guilty of more than a dozen child sex offences has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Luke Wallace was responsible for a catalogue of repeated abuse, including multiple rapes, and used threats to ensure his young victim didn’t tell anyone.

Allegations of abuse were first made to Kent Police on 14 June 2022, and Wallace was arrested the same day.

An investigation by the West Kent Child Protection Team established he had persistently targeted the victim, over a period spanning between three and four years.

Following his arrest, several devices belonging to Wallace were seized. These included a mobile phone, which officers discovered had a secure folder and contained illegal images of children.

Denial

During police interviews, Wallace dismissed all the allegations. He also denied taking or downloading the images found on his phone and said it must have been down to ‘someone else’.

At Wood Green Crown Court, Wallace, 36, pleaded not guilty to a total of 16 child sex offences and the case went to trial.

He was found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of sexual assault.

Wallace was also convicted of four charges which related to making and taking indecent images of a child. A jury returned a verdict of not guilty for a further two counts of rape.

Dangerous

Wallace was deemed by Judge Alexander Jacobs to be a ‘dangerous’ offender. On Monday 18 December 2023, he received an extended sentence of 17 years’ imprisonment with an additional four years on licence.

He must serve at least two thirds of the custodial sentence before he can apply for parole. He was also added to the sex offenders' register, indefinitely.

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A 63-year-old registered sex offender has been sent back to prison after he was found in possession of indecent images of children.

Chris Wells, previously of Northampton, was convicted in 2007, 2014 and 2021 for similar offences. On one occasion,  a warrant executed by Northamptonshire Police at his home address resulted in officers finding in excess of 175,000 images on devices seized from his property. He was convicted as a result and sent to prison.

His most recent offending happened this August and October when he was visited by officers from the Force’s MOSOVO (Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders) Team and devices seized from him were found to contain 1,957 indecent images of children, 44 of which were Category A images - the most serious.

Wells was arrested and charged with five counts of possessing indecent images of children and one count of breaching his sexual harm prevention order, all of which he pleaded guilty to at Northampton Crown Court in October.

Last week (December 13), he returned to the same court where he was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.

Wells’ Offender Manager, Ruth Moreton said: “Chris Wells is a prolific sex offender who has acted with impunity time and time again with regards to downloading indecent images of children.

“It is our regular unannounced visits that have uncovered his offending so I am pleased that he has been sent back to prison.

“I hope that anyone reading this who downloads similar images takes a lesson from this conviction. We will uncover your offending and you will be sent to prison.

“These images wouldn’t exist if people like Chris Wells didn’t download them and the suffering that takes place in order to create them cannot be measured.”

MOSOVO Detective Sergeant Tom Curlett-New added: “The officers in my team see the day-to-day devastation this type of crime causes and that is why we are so determined to work as hard as possible to put the people who look at these images behind bars.”

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A predatory offender has been jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a seven-year-old girl.

Steven Cozens, 42, of Swindon, initially pleaded not guilty to sexual assault of a child under 13, causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, possession or making indecent images of children and possession or making of prohibited images.

During the trial, Cozens changed his plea to guilty.

In a hearing at Swindon Crown Court on December 8, Cozens was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 10 years.

He is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely.

The court heard how in July 2021, the victim’s grandmother – who knew of the defendant – arrived home one day to find Cozens working in her garden unsolicited.

Cozens then took advantage of the grandmother and ingratiated himself with her, visiting the house regularly.

He was occasionally left alone with the victim which is when the abuse took place.

After the victim, now aged 10, bravely disclosed details about the abuse, her grandmother submitted a Sarah’s Law (Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme) request to Wiltshire Police, which allows the police to share information about sex offenders.

She was then contacted by officers from the Force and Cozens was arrested the following day.

Investigating officer Robert Sweeney said: “These are horrific crimes committed by Cozens when he was trusted by the victim’s grandmother.

“Despite the overwhelming evidence discovered on his phone, Cozens initially pleaded not guilty which forced the young victim to be put through the trauma of a trial.

“Thankfully he has then changed his plea, but not before the young victim was required to give evidence herself.

“I would like to commend her for the bravery she has shown right from the beginning of this traumatic ordeal.

“I am pleased Cozens has been given a life sentence which reflects the awful nature of his crimes.

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A paedophile thought he was talking to a 13-year-old girl when he started sexual conversations with her over the internet.

Alan Burton, 69, was in fact talking to a decoy from an online child protection unit, but he did not know this when he messaged the Facebook profile for the decoy, a girl called Ellie May, starting the chat by saying ‘Hiya baby.’

The girl instantly informed Burton she was a 13-year-old from Belfast but the chat soon became sexualised, and Burton reiterated ‘it was a pity she was only 13’.

Mercedah Jabbari, prosecuting, said Burton sent two images and a sexual video and the conversation continued over the course of a month.

Burton warned the girl “against bad men who groomed children online” but continually pointed out to her that he was not a paedophile.

As a result of the conversations, the decoy alerted their supervisor and a sting operation was set up to catch Burton at Burnley bus station.

When caught, he said he was teaching children to be comfortable with themselves and only sent the videos to be educational.

Burton’s house was searched by police and they found more than 15 devices in his house – two of which contained 128 extreme images and 135 prohibited images of children across them.

There was also evidence of browsing activity for websites related to pornography involving children and extreme images involving animals.

In interview, Burton said he did not watch child pornography but did watch other pornography on his phone.

He also conceded to searching for those terms but said he did it as he was ‘lonely and fed up’.

Burton, of Bridgewater Court, Blackburn, has 19 convictions for 33 previous offences, including a prison sentence in 2005 for sexual activity with a female child and a suspended sentence in 2009 for breaching notification requirements.

Mitigating for Burton, Graham Rishton said: “Burton asks me to say how sorry he is for his actions and for appearing here today, and asks me to really stress his circumstances at the time.

“He had feelings of loneliness and isolation. Those may be factors which led to him to conduct himself in such fashion.”

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Prowse said: “On June 25, 2022, using the internet you contacted who you believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

“She made it clear she was 13. That did not deter your contact with her.

“You told her it was a shame she wasn’t from Thailand or China, where the age of consent is younger.

“You were inciting a child to undertake sexual activity. You did so because you are sexually attracted to children and for your own sexual gratification.

“You present a very clear risk of sexual harm to children.”

Judge Prowse sentenced Burton to three years and nine months in prison.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and will be subject to sex offender notification requirements for life.

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A respected charity worker snared by police officers posing as young children has been spared jail. Gordon Lane, a retired banker and founder of North Harrow Stroke Group, attempted to engage in sexual communication with two girls who he knew to be under the age of 16 - including one who was 12 - between January 5 and February 7, 2023, the Old Bailey heard on Friday, December 12.

The 66-year-old paedophile, who lives in a three-bed detached house on The Lawns in Pinner, asked one decoy, going by the name of 'Maisie', if they had 'touched penis', told them they would 'get them wet', spoke about 'the tightness of the vagina', and said he masturbated, court documents show.

The court also heard how Lane offered to buy things for the child, however, a separate charge of attempting to incite sexual activity was dropped by the prosecution. Lane was charged and gave no indication at Willesden Magistrates' Court in September last year, but later pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court on November 14, eight days after he was shown his sordid messages.

"These were attempted offences. These were not children. These were police officers posing as children on the internet. Thankfully no real children were contacted," prosecutor Dipan Varsani told the court.

Defence counsel Joanna Hardy-Susskind said her client's messages were 'deeply unattractive', but argued Lane had already tried to address his offending by taking up rehabilitative courses. "The defendant during police interview was weeping and saying 'What have I done?'" Ms Hardy-Susskind told the court, as she asked Judge John Lodge to suspend any sentence.

"He is somebody who has had a successful career but is community-minded. He runs a stroke club for people and cares for people who have suffered stroke. He gave up his successful career to care for members of his family... He is capable of living offence-free," Ms Hardy-Susskind added.

Judge Lodge said the 'sustained' and 'quite deliberate offending' was 'so serious' only a custodial sentence would do, but agreed to suspend it because of Lane's 'strong personal mitigation'. Lane was handed six months concurrent for each offence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 30 hours rehabilitation activity requirement and pay £400 in costs.

He is signed onto the sex offender's register for seven years and subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

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A man who poured boiling water over a fellow inmate before beating and raping him has been sentenced.

Robert Reynolds, 29, had denied grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of rape and a sexual assault.

A jury at Salisbury Crown Court found him guilty of all offences following a five-day trial.

The court heard that Reynolds attacked the victim, a man who was in his 20s at the time, in July 2021, when they were prisoners at HMP Winchester, in Romsey Road.

Reynolds threw boiling water from a kettle at the victim, causing burns to his back and face.

He then punched and kicked the victim before raping and sexually assaulting him, the jury was told.

The victim was initially treated at the prison before being taken for treatment at a specialist burns unit in hospital. He later disclosed the sexual offences.

On Wednesday 13 December, Reynolds, currently of HMP Bullingdon, was jailed for 12 years following a hearing at Winchester Crown Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Harry Wilson said: This was a horrific attack on a vulnerable man in a prison.

While the victim has since left prison, he continues to deal with the physical and mental impact of what happened to him.

This was a difficult and long investigation and I hope this shows that we will work closely with the prison to investigate any criminal offences that occur there.

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A 58-year-old man has been sent back to prison after three more women who were sexually assaulted by him came forward.

Keith Coomber, previously of Kettering, was sent to prison in February 2021 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a person suffering from a mental disorder impeding choice.

The offences related to incidents in 2019 where Coomber sexually assaulted a vulnerable woman and he was jailed for three years as a result.

Northamptonshire Police’s Corporate Communications Team issued a press release to highlight Coomber’s conviction and sentencing, and this article ended up being read by three other women who had been sexually assaulted by him in the past.

Bravely, they contacted police with their experiences and a second investigation was launched leading to Coomber being charged with further offences.

Due to the dates these offences took place, he was charged with 19 counts of indecent assault, a number of which related to digital penetration.

At an earlier hearing at Northampton Crown Court in September, Coomber pleaded guilty to 12 of these counts, returning to the same court today (December 15) where he sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.

During the hearing, the court learned how two of the girls had been sexually abused by Coomber on multiple occasions, with one of them being a vulnerable teenager in foster care at the time.

At sentencing today, their powerful victim impact statements were read out to the court and detailed how Coomber’s abuse has affected them.

“He was subtle - inappropriately and cleverly subtle,” one of them wrote. “Just enough to not be right but not quite enough to settle the doubt in myself. It was little and often, for years. I used to wash and wash and wash and yet still feel dirty.” 

“I felt worthless, unloved, unwanted, isolated, lonely, angry, scared, helpless and hopeless,” wrote the other. “No amount of punishment will change the damage you have done. Your sentence will never come close to the sentence I have endured.”

The third woman was in her 20s when she visited Coomber’s house as part of her job and he took the opportunity to sexually assault her - pushing her against a wall and kissing her before she managed to escape.

Lead Investigator - Detective Sergeant Robert Johnson, said: “The courage displayed by these women has been extraordinary. They have called upon strength they should never have had to find, and I hope that they recognise just how incredible they have been in reporting this abuse to us and supporting an investigation which has resulted in their abuser being sent to prison.

“As one of them eloquently said - no sentence will make up for the abuse Keith Coomber has inflicted, however I hope the conclusion of this case has allowed them to have truly felt listened to and provided them with some semblance of closure as a result.

“Keith Coomber is a dangerous sexual predator. His methods of abuse were subtle, calculating and manipulative, and I am so pleased that he has been put back in prison.

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a matter of priority for Northamptonshire Police and we will continue working hard to put people like Coomber behind bars.”

At the end of their victim impact statements, one of the women wrote: “You broke me at 18. Your actions very nearly killed me. I will not allow you to break me again. I am a victim, I will always have been a victim, but I am more so a fighter.”

And the other ended – “Please know that I survived and I made it. Please know that I will never fail. Yes I was a victim, but above all I am a survivor.”

Record details

Sex offender Niall Griffiths breached a court order - by using an app which does not track internet searches. The 31-year-old used the DuckDuckGo app which allows devices to not retain internet history.

And he also breached a community order by missing unpaid work appointments. Now Griffiths has been ordered to carry out a further 30 hours unpaid work and been hit with a £479 court bill at North Staffordshire Justice Centre.

Griffiths was handed the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in 2016 after admitting two offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. But he breached the order on December 1, 2021 by using DuckDuckGo.

Prosecutor Suzanne Swindail said: "The police attended the defendant's address to conduct a routine visit. They checked his mobile phone. It was suspected an app, Bumble, had been deleted. A further download showed Kik had been deleted and Bumble had been deleted, placing him in breach of the SHPO. It also showed he had accessed DuckDuckGo which allows the phone not to retain internet history, placing him in breach."

Griffiths, of Anchor Road, Longton, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the requirements of a community order and breaching the SHPO.

Mark Harrison, mitigating, said the SHPO breach was two years old. He said the probation service was anxious to continue to work with Griffiths.

He added: "He is anxious to cooperate with the probation service."

Magistrates fined Griffiths £200 and also ordered him to pay £185 prosecution costs, £60 costs to the probation service, and a £34 surcharge.