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Description

A man has been sentenced to more than nine years for multiple counts of sexual offences against underage girls, including rape and sexual assault.

Harry Dobson, of Village Road, Waverton, Chester, was given a sentence of nine years and six months at Chester Crown Court on Friday 8 December.

The 19-year-old was previously found guilty of nine counts of sexual offences against children, including rape, sexual activity with a child, sexual assault, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Dobson was 18 when he committed the offences, which span from November 2022 – April 2023.

The first victim was 15 years old when she was sexually assaulted by Dobson at the Mercure Hotel, Chester, on 20 November 2022. Dobson had pressured her into a sexual act. This was reported to police on 29 November after the victim disclosed what had happened to her teacher.

The second victim was a 14-year-old girl who was pressured into sexual activity with Dobson, despite him knowing her age, after they started speaking to each other on SnapChat.

This was documented on text messages where Dobson used emotional blackmail to manipulate her into complying with his demands. On two occasions Dobson raped the victim. This was reported to police in May 2023 after occurring earlier in the year.

Dobson was charged and remanded in May 2023.

He was found guilty following a two-week trial which took place in October 2023.

On top of his sentence, Dobson must sign onto the Sex Offender Register for life and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Dobson was also handed a restraining order in relation to both victims in the case.

Description

A convicted sex offender has been jailed after Hertfordshire police discovered an Amazon Fire tablet at his home.

Sean Keane has sentenced to two years in prison today (Thursday, December 14) for breaching a court order for the second time.

Following a previous conviction, the 61-year-old was supposed to inform the police if he had a new phone or internet device, and of any online aliases that he has used online.

When officers visited his home in London Colney on May 4, he admitted he had bought a new phone a few days earlier from a neighbour. 

He claimed that he had attempted to call the officer assigned to him, but no longer had his number.

Having denied being in possession of any other devices that could connect to the internet, an Amazon Fire tablet was found after police searched his home.

In addition, the officers discovered that he had been using his mother’s maiden name on Facebook Messenger, without informing them of the alias.

The man from Birchway, London Colney appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, and for failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

In October 2019, he had been jailed for 33 months for breaking a court order within a week of being sentenced for attempting to communicate with a child, and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

When the police raided his then-home in Hemel Hempstead they found two phones that he had not registered with the police.

Defending, Alexandra Monaghan said Keane was in ill health and had let himself down.

She said that he had suffered from loneliness and had a traumatic childhood, during which he had been abused.

Upon sentencing Keane, Judge Michael Roques said: “You were previously sentenced to prison for breaching a court order and you wilfully chose to breach it again.

“I am concerned you will commit further offences.”

Description

A monster who sexually abused a toddler had his head in his hands as he was jailed for serious sexual assaults. The girl, aged just four at the time, was sexually touched by Andrew Michael Hansford in West Dorset on no less than three occasions.

The girl, who cannot be identified due to legal reasons, told Hansford that the assault hurt her, but he carried on. She bravely told her mother about the abuse and its pain and they immediately reported the sexual assaults to Dorset Police.

In a moving victim impact statement to Bournemouth Crown Court, the girl’s mother spoke of the horror of the sexual abuse. The abuse also had significant harm on the victim, with her being “terrified of men”.

She said: “I’m enjoy just having my daughter back. I don’t want her to be made to suffer anymore. I want her to see that not all men are monsters. She was just a child and doesn’t deserve the hurt she has been put through.”

The girl, now aged six years old, is now recovering from the serious abuse she suffered at the hands of Hansford. Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services (STARS) is continuing to support the victim.

Hansford was arrested and denied any incident took place. Hansford, aged 29, and of Belben Road in Poole, was charged with two charges of assault by penetration of a girl under the age of 13. He denied the charges and triggered an extensive trial, but was found guilty.

Defending, Robert Griffiths, told the court that Hansford accepted he was going to prison for this serious offence. It was also noted that Hansford has ADHD and attempted self-harm.

He said: “It has to be a custodial sentence and it has to be a sentence of some length, but I do ask you to take into account that the conditions in prisons are still not particularly good.”

Judge Evans outlined how “vulnerable” the victim was. She added it was repeated behaviour and spoke of the distress he caused her family.

She said: “The effect on the victim and her mother has been one of huge distress. The girl is still very young at six and she has become frightened of men and in particular in fear of having to see you again.

“This court cannot know what the long-term impact will be but there is likely to be long-term impacts. You also caused huge distress to her mother. She blamed herself and she is not to blame in any way, but it is entirely human to blame oneself and ask oneself the question of ‘what if?’.”

As Judge Evans delivered her sentence, Hansford had his head in his hands and appeared to look emotional.

Hansford was sentenced to 15 years in prison and issued a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years and placed on the sex offenders register for life. Hansford was also issued a restraining order against his victim not to contact her directly or indirectly and was placed on a list of people barred from working with children. 

Description

A man who stalked, sexually assaulted and raped a number of women across Scotland has been jailed for more than 12 years.

Steffan Cox - who was said to have "an obsessive and highly dangerous interest in rape" - repeatedly targeted young women he met on social media and dating apps.

The 25-year-old's "appalling and predatory behaviour" included making anonymous and indecent phone calls, threatening to rape his victims.

Judge Lord Young said: "One of the recipients of your phone calls was aged just 15 at the time.

"You told another woman that you would rape her so that her son could hear her screaming. It is not difficult to imagine just how terrifying the calls must have been to these women."

Cox was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday after being convicted of 21 sexual offences that occurred between 2016 and 2022.

He had previously pleaded guilty to indecent communication offences back in February.

Cox was jailed for 12 years and nine months. He will also be supervised for a further four years upon his release from prison and was added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Lord Young noted that Cox continues to deny responsibility for the most serious offences but spared him from an order for lifelong restriction.

The judge explained: "You are still a young man with one analogous previous conviction and I consider that you ought to be given an opportunity to demonstrate that you can return to society after rehabilitation without the ultimate sanction of an order for lifelong restriction being imposed."

However, Lord Young noted that Cox had exhibited "escalating and compulsive sexual offending".

He added: "Your previous conviction in 2017 involved making sexually violent calls to two teenagers, but that conviction has not caused you to change your behaviour. Indeed, quite the reverse.

"You clearly have an obsessive and highly dangerous interest in rape."

Detective Sergeant Julie Nedley, of the National Rape Taskforce, said Cox was now facing the consequences of his "appalling and predatory behaviour".

DS Nedley added: "The victims have shown great courage in coming forward with vital information, making sure he was held accountable for his actions, and ultimately convicted.

"I want to take the opportunity to thank the public and partner agencies for their assistance and information provided, particularly in providing support to the women involved.

"I hope this sentence provides a sense of closure for them and sends a clear message that all reports of sexual abuse, regardless of the passage of time, will be thoroughly investigated by Police Scotland and victims will be supported throughout."

Description

A pervert who sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl on a train has walked out of court a free man. 

Ilie Preda, 56, was travelling on a train between Wimbledon and Waterloo at around 4pm on April 24, 2021. 

Three girls, aged between 16 and 18, were also travelling on the train and said they noticed Preda dancing around while calling himself Captain Morgan, prosecutor Gregor McKinley said.  

“The defendant then became bothersome and tried to talk to the three girls. He told one of the girls ‘I love you’ and tried to move forward in an attempt to kiss her,” Mr McKinley said.

The girls told Preda to back off and then when the train arrived at Wimbledon they tried to get off.  

But Preda then moved towards the 16-year-old girl, tried to hug her and moved his hands towards her thighs in an attempt to lift her skirt.  

He then tried to touch the 18-year-old girl on the bottom.  

The incident was reported to British Transport Police and Preda was arrested when he got off the train in Waterloo. 

This sexual attack took place just week after Preda had left left members of the public terrified when he walked around the Kingsbury area with a plastic imitation gun.  

At around 4pm on April 8, 2021, police received two calls saying they had a real gun pointed at them.  

One woman, who was sitting in a car on Brampton Road, said: “He locked eyes at me, took the gun from his waist area and raised it at me. He then walked towards me while imitating the fire action.”  

Another man said: “I thought he would kill me or someone else. He was pointing the gun at other people who seemed to be ducking out of the way.”  

Whilst the man was on the phone to police Preda walked towards him and pretended to pull the trigger.  

He said that at the time he thought a bullet had got stuck in the barrell of the gun, which was why it was not firing.  

Preda was arrested near the scene and it was only then that police discovered it was not a real gun.  

Preda said he had been at a children’s party and was carrying toy gun for his son in a carrier bag.  

He said he saw a man standing outside his home so he took the plastic gun out the bag and pretended to shoot as a joke.  

Preda said he was walking round making a “tat tat” shooting noise and didn’t believe people would think it was real.  

Preda “poor joke” and said the incident may have stemmed from cultural difference – as he had only moved to the UK from Romania in 2018.  

Think this line is missing words before "poor joke"

Judge Usha Karu, Recorder of Southwark, said: “It’s not a cultural difference to think it’s ok to go around in public pretending to fire an imitation gun. I’m sure that’s not what they do in Romania.” 

On Tuesday (December 12) Preda appeared in court to be sentenced for sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, possessing an imitation firearm, failing to surrender and a Section 4 public order offence. 

Judge Karu sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year.  

He will be required to register with police for seven years under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. 

Description

A Southampton man has been jailed for supplying cocaine - and for having indecent images of children.

Marcel Witkowski, 24, appeared before Southampton Crown Court facing three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child.

Between July 31 in 2021 and October 4 the same year, he made three category B indecent images of a child, two category C images of a child, and one category A image of a child – the most serious kind.

The charge of making an indecent image relates to the file being on a device.

Witkowski admitted three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child.

He also admitted to supplying cocaine, a class A drug, and possession of cannabis, a class B drug.

Witkowski, of Scott Road, Southampton, was jailed for two years and four months and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a victim surcharge.

Description

A Cambridgeshire sex offender who "failed to learn his lesson" was caught with more indecent images of children.

Police officers who visited Aaron Goosey's home unannounced became suspicious after checks revealed he had deleted a social media messaging app.

The 44-year-old already had 36 convictions including exposure, making indecent images of children and breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and Sex Offenders Register notification requirements. As part of his SHPO, Goosey, 44, is monitored by Cambridgeshire Police's Management of Sexual or Violent Offender (MOSOVO) team.

After the visit by officers in April, Goosey’s phone was seized. It was found to contain 46 indecent images of children and one video of the same nature.

Further checks revealed the images were sent on a messaging app since deleted by Goosey – something he is banned from doing by the terms of his SHPO. Chats on Facebook Messenger had also been deleted and Goosey had failed to tell police of a new alias name he had used, breaching his Sex Offenders Register notification requirements.

Goosey was arrested but denied using the messaging app he had deleted, denied seeing any indecent image and said he had never heard of the alias name. However, he later admitted charges including two counts of making indecent images of children, failing to comply with Sex Offenders Register notification requirements and breaching a SHPO.

At Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (December 8), Goosey, of Pennine Way, Peterborough, was handed a total of two years and six months in prison. He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and the SHPO already in place was extended indefinitely, to monitor any future offending.

Constable Beckie Hallam, who investigated, said: “The main aim of the MOSOVO team is to protect vulnerable children, whether in the real world or online. Cases such as these help to highlight that work, which most of the time goes on behind the scenes. A child is victimised when an indecent image is taken and every time it is viewed or shared.

“Goosey’s offending shows he had failed to learn his lesson. I hope he now reflects on his actions and he will continue to be monitored by the team on his release from prison.”

Description

A sex offender who was caught by police returning to the scene of his crime has been jailed for over five years.  

Krisztian Glonczi (23) of Kilpin Hill Lane in Dewsbury was jailed at Leeds Crown Court today, Wednesday, December 13, to five years and three months after pleading guilty to an attempted rape and theft offences on Taylor Street in Batley on September 11 this year.  

Police were called during the afternoon of September 11 and took a report of an attempted rape of a woman in her 20s in a wooded area at the location.  

The victim had managed to fight off the attacker who had forced her to the ground. He then fled the scene with some of her property which he discarded nearby.  

The 23-year-old was identified as the suspect after a HMET detective conducting enquires in the area saw him walking down the road and recognised him from the CCTV images already obtained. He was stopped and arrested.  

He was not known to the police and further investigation established he had stalked his victim.  

It was confirmed that Glonczi had attempted to flee the country while work was ongoing to identify him but was unable to escape after losing his passport. 

Detective Inspector Guy Shackleton, who led the investigation said:

“Krisztian Glonczi is a dangerous sexual predator who stalked his victim before then attacking her in broad daylight.  

“She showed real courage in both fighting him off and then coming forward to report what had happened to her.  

“The victim’s actions enabled officers to very quickly mount a full investigation into what occurred and then identify Glonczi, a first-time offender who was not known to police.  

He added: “Reports of sexual offences are treated with the utmost seriousness by specialist detectives, with the most serious offences being allocated to the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team.  

“We always encourage all victims of such offences to come forwards to allow us to investigate and for partners to provide them with the help and support they may need.” 

Description

A man who subjected a child to a sustained period of sexual abuse has been jailed.

Michael Brown appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 8 December where he was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison.

The 32-year-old of Buckingham Avenue, Great Boughton, Chester, had been found guilty of 12 sexual offences against a child.

During the five-day trial the court heard how the offences occurred between 2006 and 2008, starting when the victim was just four years old.

The victim told the jury that Brown repeatedly sexually abused her over the two-year period, this included sexual touching, rape and inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity.

The allegations were reported to Cheshire Police in December 2021 which resulted in Browns arrest and the subsequent charges against him.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Emma Flanagan, who led the investigation, said:

 “Firstly I would like to recognise the bravery and determination that the victim has shown throughout this investigation.

“What Brown subjected her to is truly horrifying, systematically abusing her over a number of years in order to fulfil his own sexual gratification.

“Not only that, but he also made his victim endure a trial and recount what he had done to her, which was extremely distressing. But thanks to her courage, he is now facing the consequences of his actions.

“The sentence handed to Brown reflects the severity of his crime and I hope that his conviction will encourage other victims to come forward. 

“As this case demonstrates, we treat all reports of historic sexual offences seriously, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority, and any allegations will be thoroughly investigated.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Brown has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A former Leicestershire teacher has been jailed for more than six years after admitting committing sex offences against children online.

Officers began an investigation in April 2022 when Leicestershire Police received a report that John Ewan Myles had been engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl he had met online.

At the time Myles was working as a teacher at Ashby School.

Myles was arrested from his home in North West Leicestershire that month and a number of devices were recovered from the address including a phone, which was hidden under his bed.

As the investigation progressed, the girl was identified and later interviewed by officers where she disclosed Myles first contacted her online giving her a fake name and saying he was 18-years-old.

They chatted online for a few months before Myles began sending sexual images of himself.

Examination of the devices found that Myles pursued an online sexual relationship with her and numerous recorded videos calls where sexual activity was carried out between the two.

A video call between the two was also found whereby the girl could he heard saying she is 15-years-old and on some of the videos, she was wearing her school uniform.

The 36-year-old was charged with numerous offences and pleaded guilty however awaiting sentencing, he made a disclosure regarding further offences involving another girl.

These disclosures were investigated and evidence was found that Myles had contacted a further teenage girl online under the same previously used alias name of Jamie Reid, stating on this occasion he was 17-years-old.

As before, during conversations with her in which she disclosed her age, Myles turned the talk sexual and requested sexual images and videos from her and in return, he would send sexual images and videos of himself.

Myles pleaded guilty to the below offences involving the first victim:

• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child aged 13 to 15
• Two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity
• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child 13 to 15
• One count of engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Three counts of making indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child
• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration

He pleaded guilty to the below offences in relation to the further victim:

• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration
• Two counts of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - penetration
• Two counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity

He also pleaded guilty to a separate offence of possessing extreme pornographic image/images portraying an act of intercourse/oral sex with a dead/alive animal.

Myles was sentenced to six years and six months in prison at Leicester Crown Court today (Tuesday 12 December).

He has also been places on the sex offender register for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.

Description

A Wisbech man has been sentenced for more than 75 cases of sexual offences against a child dating back to the early 2000s.

David Graham, 49, of Walpole St Peter, appeared at King's Lynn Crown Court on Monday after pleading guilty to rape of an underage girl on 75 occasions.

He was also found guilty to a separate count of rape of an underage vulnerable child and three additional sexual offences all against the same victim.

The female survivor reported to police in September 2021 after being sexually abused for a period of eight years between the early to mid-2000s in the King’s Lynn area.

Graham was arrested in November 2021 and subsequently charged with sexual offences against a child.

The judge found the offences to be a ‘clear campaign of rape’ involving grooming, degradation, and humiliation of a vulnerable child.

He told the court that the survivor had been robbed of her childhood and that Graham was a dangerous offender.  

At court, the survivor’s statement was read out detailing the impact the sexual abuse had on all aspects of her life, relationships, friendships, mental health and work life which culminated to attempts on her own life.

The statement read: “The impacts of sexual abuse have cost me profoundly in many ways, will continue to affect me on a daily basis and has without a doubt set me on a different path from the one I would have taken had I not been abused for many years.

"For so long I have wanted to say goodbye to this chapter in my life and even though a part of it will always be with me I refuse to let it limit the life I want to live anymore.”

DC Loli Ward said: “We hope the sentence will help to provide some justice for the turmoil the victim has gone through during her life.

"We would like to thank her for her bravery in coming forward and reporting these historic sex offences, which have had a profound impact on her life in every way.

“We would also ask that anyone else who has been a victim of such offences seeks help, either through the police or from one of our support organisations, such as the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC).”

David Graham was sentenced to a total of 21 years to serve an additional eight years on licence.

Description

A traumatised teen revealed how she washes in bleach after a convicted sexual predator raped and sexually assaulted her.

Eliot Dobkin's depravity had the "most horrendous" impact on his victim’s life, robbing her of her "innocence and childhood" and leaving her with PTSD, a court heard.

The 35-year-old was in Canterbury in the early hours of February 14 this year when he met up with the teen and twice forced himself on her.

As she desperately tried to fight him off, he ignored her tears as well as her repeated pleas to "get off".

The attack was later reported to police and Dobkin was arrested at his home on the Guinness Trust estate in Stamford Hill, north London.

He denied any wrongdoing but was unanimously convicted by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court in September of two charges of rape, one of sexual activity with a child and one of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sentencing was adjourned for reports, and today (Tuesday) Judge Mark Weekes jailed Dobkin for more than 10 years at the same court having concluded he was "an entrenched paedophile with a dangerous attraction to young teenage girls".

He also praised the “courage and dignity” of the young victim for not only reporting the rapes but also giving "clear and compelling" evidence at the trial.

In her heartbreaking victim impact statement read to the court, she detailed the depths of her suffering both physically and psychologically, but how she maintained hopes for her future.

She wrote: "He has taken my innocence and taken my childhood from me. I will never get that back. My world fell apart. I felt sick and I felt weak. I kept thinking about what had happened. I blamed myself but I don't know why.

"I have been washing myself in bleach to try and remove the feeling of him on me. I self-harm, have anxiety and been diagnosed with PTSD.

"I feel that no matter what happens to him, nothing changes for me. I'm still left with all these emotions and dealing with the aftermath of what he did to me. He took what he wanted that night to the detriment of me.

"This has impacted my life in the most horrendous way. I will never forget what he has done to me. I hope this sentence will enable me to begin to repair myself and enable me to be the best I can be."

Jurors were told at Dobkin's trial that he had been convicted in 2018 of three offences of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes said this related to three teenage girls, one who he followed in his van while she was on her paper round in June that year.

He was staring at her through his window and although she could not see into his vehicle, he later admitted to police he had his trousers and pants pulled down at the time and was masturbating.

Two weeks later Bodkin was again cruising in his vehicle when he pulled up alongside two other teenagers. They saw he was naked from the waist down and was pleasuring himself while holding a cup over his genitals.

Mr Forbes said these previous convictions, for which he was jailed for two years, "demonstrated Bodkin's propensity to commit sexual offences towards young girls".

However, the teenage rape victim did not know of his deviant past and she later told police that when she met him he "looked out of his face" as if he had taken drugs or was drunk.

Of the moment she was attacked, Mr Forbes said: "She told him to get off her. She tried to fight him off but said her body 'didn't function properly' and wasn't strong enough.

"She again told him to get off. But he wasn't responding and wasn't even looking at her. He was on top of her. She tried to push his shoulders to push him off her but he pinned her down so she couldn't move.

"She said she was frightened, scared, and felt helpless. She wondered if she got violent, what he would do. She described herself as being frozen."

The court heard the victim cried as her attacker kissed her on the mouth and then her neck. During her ordeal, he also grabbed her hand and tried to make her touch his private parts as she repeated her pleas for him to stop.

Dobkin eventually stopped and fled, leaving his victim in such a distressed state that she collapsed.

After his arrest Dobkin gave a "no comment" interview, denied at trial that any sexual activity with the girl had occurred and, the court was told, still maintains his innocence.

Several references were handed to the judge for the sentencing hearing, with members of his family sitting in court in support.

But Judge Weekes said while many "thought highly" of him and must be "bewildered" by his behaviour, he had "unhesitatingly" concluded he was a "manipulative, deceitful and dangerous” offender.

He therefore imposed an extended sentence for public protection comprising 10-and-a-half years' imprisonment, of which he must serve at least two-thirds, with a further three-and-a-half years added to any licence period.

As the young victim looked on from across the courtroom, the judge told Dobkin: “I have heard the victim impact statement with concern and sympathy. It is clear your actions have had profound consequences for her and her life has been utterly changed by the appalling attack on her by you that night.

“And yet, for all that, it was her courage and resolve that enabled her to make the complaint in the first place. It was that which enabled her to give the clear and compelling evidence to the jury and to have her account vindicated by the jury who saw through your cowardly attempt to deceive them rather than face up to the consequences of what you have done.

“She can forever have the satisfaction of knowing she was believed. Your abuse did not break her. You could not and did not remove her dignity. She is not simply a victim; she is a survivor. No sentence I can impose can undo the harm you did to her. I commend her bravery.

“All rape is horrific and scars forever, but I consider the psychological harm she speaks of is properly described as severe. She was particularly vulnerable...and the evidence showed you were intoxicated, which would have made her ordeal more frightening as it would have made your behaviour less predictable.

"You are an entrenched paedophile with a dangerous attraction to young teenage girls. These convictions mark an alarming escalation in your offending, you have no insight nor remorse, and you have demonstrated most distasteful victim-blaming and shaming."

Dobkin simply glanced at his family before leaving the dock for the court cells. On his eventual release from prison he will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

In a heartbreaking victim personal statement, the youngster said Dobkin's depravity had the "most horrendous" impact on her life, robbing her of her "innocence and childhood" and leaving her with PTSD.

Callous Dobkin abused the girl less than five years after he had been locked up for preying on other young girls while masturbating in his van.

Description

A 21-year-old man has been jailed for three years and four months after he pleaded guilty to non-recent serious sexual offences, including rape, against a 12-year-old girl. 

Scott Palmer, also known as Scott Tarry, previously of Gloucester Crescent, Northampton, was 16 when he first started abusing the 12-year-old girl. 

During a two-year period, Palmer forced the girl into sexual acts, including raping her on a number of occasions. 

The offences finally came to light years later when the girl bravely reported the abuse to Northamptonshire Police and an investigation was launched. 

Palmer was eventually charged with three counts of rape, four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration with a part of your body/a thing, one count of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of being an offender aged 18 or over and causing/inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. 

Palmer pleaded guilty to all 13 offences at a hearing at Northampton Crown Court in May, returning to the same court this week (December 11) where he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. 

Lead Investigator – Detective Sergeant Elli Amson said: “The survivor in this case suffered horrendous abuse at the hands of this man and I am really pleased that he has been sent to prison for his crimes. 

“She has been extremely brave in coming forward and supporting this case, which has taken a number of years to conclude, and she should be commended for the dignity and strength she has shown throughout. 

“Scott Palmer was 16 years old when he committed these offences and so was sentenced as such. Like so many abusers, he thought he was safe from justice, but this case goes to show that even if years have passed since sexual abuse happened, Northamptonshire Police takes it extremely seriously and that we will do everything we can to secure justice.”

Description

A FLINTSHIRE man has been locked up after 'reverting to his old ways' and attempting to exchange sexual messages with someone he believed to be a child.

Andrew Lloyd, of Chester Road in Northop Hall, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday morning.

The 39-year-old had previously admitted an offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 16, which took place over a period of around two weeks in October and November this year.

Karl Scholz, prosecuting, told the court the offence also put Lloyd in breach of a ten year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in two ways - his attempted communication with a child and his use of social networking sites without notifying police beforehand.

Lloyd made contact with a profile online which had a photo of a young girl.

Within half an hour of the 'girl' telling him she was 12 years of age, Lloyd had sent her a photo of his exposed genitals.

Fortunately, the account was a decoy under the control of a group working to identify sexual predators online.

The chat moved onto Whatsapp, where he repeatedly spoke about his genitals and asked for photos of the girl.

The vigilante group attended the address where Lloyd was staying - after he'd revealed his location in the chats - and he was arrested shortly after.

Mr Scholz told the court the defendant received a custodial sentence of two years in September 2021 for similar offences, which is when his ten year SHPO was imposed.

In interview, Lloyd accepted he was the person in the chat and apologised for his actions.

He claimed he had been "working well with probation" following his 2021 offences, but that he'd returned to using drugs and experienced a decline in his mental health following issues at his accommodation.

Elen Owen, defending told the court: "Mr Lloyd doesn't want me to make any excuses.

"He had initially been working with probation and was receiving a great deal of support, but unfortunately he was put in a bedsit with someone who made threats on his life in prison.

"That made his life extremely difficult and he was very frightened - leading to his reverting back to his old ways of taking cocaine.

"Under the totally disinhibiting effect of the drug, he went back to behaving in this manner.

"He hopes whilst in prison to access help with substance abuse."

Judge Niclas Parry told Lloyd: "Within half an hour of finding out, as you believed, you were talking to a 12-year-old girl you were sending an image of your genitalia.

"Hundreds of messages followed and you encouraged her to send sexual images to you.

"Mercifully, there was no child."

Judge Parry jailed the defendant for two-and-a-half years and extended his SHPO, as well as his requirements under the notification provisions, to last indefinitely.

"That is hanging over you forever," he added.

Description

A man who sexually assaulted five women as they walked in public in Bexhill has been given a seven-year sentence.

Max Wright, 27, formerly of Amherst Road in Bexhill, was charged with five counts of sexual assault relating to three separate incidents between November, 2022 and June, 2023.

The first incident was reported on 20 November, 2022. A woman walking alone from Bexhill Railway Station the night before was grabbed and sexually assaulted by a man giving the name of Maximiliano.

She engaged him in conversation to placate him, before running away from the scene.

An investigation was launched the next day including extensive CCTV trawls and house to house enquiries, but a suspect could not be identified.

Overnight on 15/16 April, 2023, three women walking from Cooden Railway Station were repeatedly sexually assaulted by a man who threatened to rape them before fleeing the scene.

It was reported on 16 April and officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team visited the scene the same day, carried out enquiries and identified a suspect.

Wright was arrested the next day, linked to both incidents and released on conditional bail while further enquiries were carried out.

In the early hours of 24 June, another woman was sexually assaulted while walking in Bexhill by a man who threatened to rape her.

She was on the phone to a friend at the time and managed to capture brief footage of the attack.

Wright was swiftly identified as a suspect, arrested within hours and subsequently charged with five counts of sexual assault.

He pleaded guilty to all counts on 24 July at Hove Crown Court.

At the same court on 1 December, Wright was given a four-year jail sentence, with another three years to be spent on licence. He was also given restraining orders against each victim and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.