Latest Offenders

Description

A sex offender who was twice caught with sickening images of children has been warned that he is now a "marked man" because of his "perverted" behaviour.

He narrowly avoided being sent to prison, even though he later assaulted a policeman after becoming aggressive towards him and had a knife with him, Hull Crown Court heard. Norman Winduss, 34, of Boothferry Road, Hull, denied six offences of making indecent pictures of children and another of possessing an extreme pornographic image but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

He admitted later offences of assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker and possessing a spring-lock knife as an offensive weapon. Recorder Anthony Hawks said that police found indecent images of children, including in the most serious Category A, during a search after going to the home of Winduss in January 2020.

More indecent images were discovered during a second visit in December 2020 after it was found that he had access to a second phone. There were "far more" Category A images in the second raid than the first one.

"What makes your position worse is that you would not accept your guilt and insisted on having a jury trial," said Recorder Hawks. "That was your right." Winduss had been convicted by the jury on the "plainest possible evidence".

Police searched the home of Winduss in June this year. He had "no business" having the offensive weapon. "You became aggressive and assaulted a police officer, who was simply carrying out his duties," said Recorder Hawks.

"The police are entitled to go about their lawful business searching premises and the like without being harassed and assaulted by people like you. You have been in some trouble with the police in the past.

"There is some light at the end of the tunnel because the probation officers think that you may be developing some insight into your perverted behaviour. You are lucky that she takes the view that you can be safely managed in the community.

"You are now a marked man. If you do anything like this again, you are going to go to prison for a significant length of time."

Description

A former labourer who posed as young girls to two self-styled paedophile hunters was caught and confronted live on Facebook.

Father-of-one Regan Lee sent a picture of his genitals to one decoy, posing as a 13-year-old girl named Blossom, as well as talking to another purporting to be a 12-year-old girl named Sophie.

Lee was later confronted by the vigilante group, which was streamed live on Facebook. The 25-year-old, who was 24 at the time, was arrested in Sutton-in-Ashfield and bailed, but then went on the run for several months before being caught by police.

Lee, of Manor Court Road, Bolsover, has previously lived in Chesterfield. He later said that he did not have a sexual interest in children, but that excuse was later dismissed as "ridiculous" by a judge, who went on to give him a two-and-a-half-year jail term.

Derby Crown Court heard that on Friday, November 4, Lee first sent a message to 'Blossom' saying "Hi" on April 23, and early in the conversation, she said she was 13 and from Northampton. After asking for photos of her face and body, to which he responded "wow, just wow", Lee said he found it "cute" when the decoy said she was "shy" and that "if you were older, I would kiss you".

The conversation continued over days to the point where Lee asked for sexual photographs, and sent one of his own genitals. These requests were refused by the decoy, to which Lee responded "no one is in the house with you so no one will know". During the conversation, he also attempted to incite the decoy to masturbate.

Lee messaged 'Sophie' on April 24, again starting the conversation with "Hi". The conversations were similar in nature to those with Blossom, prosecutors said, before he was confronted by the group a few days later and said to the vigilantes that while he didn't groom children, he was "disgusted with himself".

Lee, who has a young daughter, gave no comment in a police interview but later pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, and another of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cannabis which was found upon arrest, but not guilty to a count of assaulting an emergency worker, for which the prosecution offered no evidence.

Chris Brewin, mitigating, said: "There is some suggestion of trauma, with a fractured family background. A series of events were behind the commission of these offences. He was last in prison in 2017 and he decided he would try and make a new life for himself. He got work as a labourer but his motorbike was stolen, so he lost his job and was evicted. He found himself at the YMCA.

"He is ashamed. He describes his own behaviour as quite horrific. I can only express his willingness to engage with the probation service. If it has to be an immediate prison sentence he will serve it and do his best to avoid getting into any trouble of any kind again."

Sentencing Lee, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said that it would have been "inappropriate" to suspend the prison sentence handed down due to the nature of the offences. He said: "What you said about not having a sexual interest in young girls is ridiculous and I can only assume it is your sense of shame that makes you hide from what you have done."

Lee was handed a sentence of two years and three months for the count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, with a concurrent 12-month sentence for the other two counts. He was also given a consecutive three-month sentence for going on the run, meaning his total sentence was two-and-a-half years in prison.

He will serve half in custody, and the rest on licence, but is the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offender register for the next 10 years. The items he used to communicate with the decoys are also to be destroyed.

Description

A Swindon man has been jailed for more than three years after he pleaded guilty to multiple offences relating to indecent images of children.

Adrian Weston, 37, of Haydon End, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on November 4 and pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, distributing an indecent photo of a child, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possession of extreme pornographic image.
 
He was jailed for 42 months and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
 
Back in the summer of 2021, we received information relating to Weston and indecent images of children. He was arrested and over 300 ‘Category A’ indecent images of children were found on his devices. Category A refers to those depicting the most serious child abuse.
 
Whilst released under investigation, Weston engaged with an undercover police officer online who he believed to be an adult male who had an 11-year-old step-daughter. Weston encouraged him to record himself sexually assaulting his step-daughter whilst she slept and to then send him the footage.
 
Detective Constable Justine Parsons, from Wiltshire Police’s Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “When officers attended Weston’s address on the second occasion, he attempted to delay opening the door to officers so he could swap the SIM card on his phone and destroy evidence.
 
“We hope this case highlights the work carried out by our team to identify offenders who access these images and ensure they are put before the courts.”

Description

A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a woman in Portsmouth City Centre last summer.

Daniel Booth, who was 18 at the time he committed the offence but is now 20, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Monday 7 November).

In addition to his prison sentence, of which he will be required to serve at least two thirds in custody, he will also have to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Booth, of Beresford Road, pleaded not guilty to the rape, which took place on June 29 2021, but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at the same court in June 2022.

The jury heard how the victim, a woman in her 20s, reported to police that she had been separated from her friends shortly after 11pm following a night out in Portsmouth. She reported waking up in what officers later determined to be Hippodrome House Car Park in the early hours of June 30th with no recollection of what had happened to her.

She was located by members of the public who found her in the car park and helped her to contact her friends and ensured that she got home.

An investigation was launched, led by Hampshire Constabulary’s specialist Operation Amberstone team, and extensive CCTV enquiries led to the arrest of Booth.

Further CCTV, forensic and mobile phone analysis subsequently led to him being charged with one count of rape.

An examination of Booth’s mobile phone by police showed that prior to his arrest, he had been doing web searches on Google about rape including how someone can be convicted of rape and what evidence police need to charge someone with rape. He also visited the CPS website on how the Crown Prosecution Service prosecute rape.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman involved said that what happened to her will be a nightmare that she will forever have to live with.

Sentencing Booth, Judge Timothy Mousley KC commended the bravery of the victim after Booth had put her through a trial by pleading not guilty as he “did not have the courage to admit the obvious”.

Judge Mousley also commended the actions of the young man who found the victim and made sure she got to a place of safety while looking after her and ensuring she was eventually reunited with her friends.

He told Booth: “She could not have anticipated what happened to her that night and was incapable of protecting herself from you. You took complete advantage of her. You carried her to the place where you violently raped her and abandoned her, you left her in the cold and wet.”

Operation Amberstone Detective Constable Nick Sandford-Smith, who led the investigation, said: “This was a truly terrible and predatory crime that has understandably had a significant impact on the woman involved.

“The courage it takes to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature should not be underestimated and I would like to take this opportunity to commend this young woman for the bravery she has shown.

“The fact that Booth is now in prison is testament to her courage in speaking out and assisting police with this investigation.

“The Operation Amberstone team works tirelessly to target perpetrators of rape, and provide specialist support to survivors who have been affected.

“I hope that this sentence goes some way to helping the woman involved gain closure and begin to move forward with her life. We want our communities, and survivors of abuse, to know that we stand with them and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Portsmouth Detective Chief Inspector Dal Andrews said: “No-one in our community should ever be in a position where they do not feel safe walking the streets. For someone to be targeted in this way is abhorrent and will never be tolerated by police.

“First and foremost I would like to say thank you to the woman involved for her courage in telling us what happened and assisting so bravely with the investigation.

“I would also like to commend the actions of the members of the public who stopped to help her and made sure she got home safely.

“We continue with our dedicated patrols at times when our pubs and clubs are at their busiest. A key focus of our officers, together with our partners including pubs and clubs, is to identify vulnerable people and safeguard them, as well as targeting and calling out perpetrators, arresting and using dispersal powers where necessary.

“We work very hard in Portsmouth to tackle sexual offences in partnership with organisations that support survivors. We want you to have the confidence to come forward and talk to us if something has happened to you, or somebody you know.”

We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to report this to police on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress or you feel that you’re in danger.

Description

A grinning paedophile policeman snared in a sting by his former colleagues has refused to discuss his offending as he nervously awaits sentencing for his crimes.

Ex-cop Christopher Little (39) entered guilty pleas to nine charges at Belfast Crown Court last month — including attempting to have sex with a child — and was released on bail pending sentence this month.

Description

George Constantin was handed jail sentence eight years ago for sexually abusing 14-year-old.

A child rapist on the run was found living in Liverpool and now faces extradition.

Police discovered that George Constantin had been stay at an address on Altcar Avenue in Toxteth when he was arrested last week. He appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, November 5, after being detained by officers.

The court heard that the 29-year-old had been wanted on a European Arrest Warrant from Romania to serve an outstanding sentence for rape and robbery. According to a wanted listing on the Romanian police website, Constantin - who did not oppose extradition and was remanded into custody - was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for sexual offences against a 14-year-old child in 2014.

Description

A predatory sex offender has been branded a "monster" after he targeted a young girl and did "horrendous" things to her that would cause lasting harm to her in the future.

James Andrew brazenly took advantage of the youngster and then tried to blame TikTok, the internet and her new mobile phone for any knowledge that she might have about sexual matters, Hull Crown Court heard. Andrew, 39, formerly of Goole, denied four offences, including three of sexual assault and another of assault by penetration, in October 2019 but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

Judge Mark Bury said that, on two occasions, Andrew intimately touched and kissed the girl. Andrew exposed himself and made her touch him before he intimately touched her again. "You told her as you were leaving that you were sorry and shouldn't have done it," said Judge Bury. "She said nothing about what you had done for a year. You denied doing anything wrong and you deflected blame."

Andrew had claimed that the girl gained any knowledge of sexual matters from TikTok and the internet after she had recently been given a mobile phone. "The fact that you were searching for other people to blame does you no credit," said Judge Bury.

"It's impossible to tell what harm this is going to do to her. What you did has long-lasting and very real implications. You told her to keep it a secret."

A woman who knew the girl said in a statement that the offences had "broken" the girl and those who knew her. Andrew was a "monster" who had done "these horrendous things to her". She added that she had not regarded Andrew as a monster at the time.

"You never truly know what someone is capable of until it's too late," she said. The girl now struggled to trust people.

"He has taken her innocence and that's something you can never change," said the woman. "It's so hard to see the pain in her eyes every day." The girl faced a daily "trauma" because of her ordeal.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that there were two separate incidents of sexual behaviour towards the girl. Andrew had suffered problems while remanded in custody after being convicted of the offences.

Andrew, recently of King Street, Thorne, near Doncaster, was jailed for six years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A convicted rapist with derogatory attitudes about females preyed on a lone woman and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal in her own home.

Ian Maclean forced his way into his victim's house after first establishing she was on her own before throttling her. The victim later said she thought the intruder was going to rape her, and she said he seemed to enjoy how scared she was. Swansea Crown Court heard Maclean has more than 120 previous offences on his record including assaults, burglaries, and a "particularly horrific" rape of a young woman who he dragged from her bed after breaking into her house.

Handing down an extended sentence, a judge told the 49-year-old he had no doubt he should be considered a dangerous offender, and he said it may be that Maclean had been motivated by his desire to regain dominance over women after a period in prison.

 The court heard that on March 31 year last Maclean was acquitted of rape following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. Later that night he burgled a woman's flat and ransacked the property, helped himself to some of his victim's alcohol, and rearranged her underwear in a dresser drawer.

Then on the morning of April 5 he left his parent's house in Llanelli and caught a train to Swansea.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, said at around 2pm a woman working in her garden became away of being watched through the hedge - thinking it may have been a neighbour she called out but Maclean replied: "I'm not lurking, I'm looking for my father, Kevin". The court heard the woman told him he had the wrong address and Maclean tried to engage her in small talk before leaving.

Later that afternoon the woman was in her house when she became aware of a man standing outside her front door - through the glass she recognised him as the same male who had been watching her earlier. The court heard Maclean opened the door and walked into her house - the woman told him he couldn't come in but he pushed past her. The homeowner tried to force him back out but he pushed her aside.

The prosecutor said the frightened woman tried to remain calm and talk to the man in an attempt to get him to leave, and when he asked for a cigarette paper she suggested he could have a smoke and a cup of tea outside. Maclean replied: "I don't want a cup of tea. That's not what I want". The court heard the woman thought the intruder was going to try to rape her, and that "he appeared to enjoy the fact he was frightening her".

The woman was able to grab her phone and flee the property with Maclean in pursuit - he chased her though the garden before catching her by the garden gate and grabbing her around the throat. The woman called out to a neighbour for help and managed to poke her assailant in the eyes causing him to lose his balance. Maclean then "calmly walked away" and the police were alerted. The defendant was located a short distance away where he became "obstructive and abusive" towards officers and had to be restrained.

In his subsequent interview Maclean said he had purchased alcohol and had gone for a walk. He denied going into the woman's house or assaulting her, and said he had been the one who was scared by her shouting and running around. He said he had walked away before sitting in a chair in a nearby garden and falling asleep.

In a statement from the victim of the Llanelli burglary she said she had been left feeling unsafe in her own home, and now locks the bedroom door at night and sleeps in her clothes in case she has to flee.

In her statement the victim of the Swansea incident said she had felt "absolutely terrified" during the ordeal, and now suffers with anxiety, has trouble sleeping, and suffers flashback where she sees Maclean's face and smells the alcohol on his breath. She said she felt "violated" at having the intruder in her house, and the experience had totally changed the way she lived her life.

Ian David Maclean, of no fixed abode, had previously been found guilty of burglary at trial in regard to the Llanelli matter and had pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) in regard to the Swansea offending when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 44 previous convictions for 127 offences including an ABH on a partner who he kicked and punched in the face and a battery on a partner who he had throttled. He also has convictions for six burglaries of houses in Carmarthen, Llanelli and Neath, as well as for thefts and public order matters. In 1994 he was sentenced to eight years in prison and put on the sex offenders register for life after what the Parole Board described as "a particularly horrific rape" of a young woman - this had seen him braking into her house, dragging his victim from her bed, and raping her vaginally and anally while shouting: "I want you to suffer, b****. I hope you get f****** pregnant."

Lloyd Jenkins, for Maclean, said it was accepted the defendant had committed "appalling offences" which would have significant and long-term impacts on his victims. He said Maclean had told him that he struggled to cope in the community and feels he only has "stability, security and structure" in prison, and that as he approached the age of 50 he realises that "enough is enough" and he has to change.

Judge Huw Rees said hours after being acquitted of rape at Swansea Crown Court, Maclean had burgled a woman's flat in Llanelli and then, days later, travelled to Swansea where he had subjected another woman to a terrifying ordeal in her own home. He said having established that the woman lived alone he had forced his way into her home, and that in his view the defendant's intention had been "to harm that woman either physically or sexually or both".

He said reports into Maclean had identified he has extreme anger issues, derogatory attitudes towards women, a history of carrying out "revenge-type attacks on females", and has consistently failed to engage with probation, has moved around the UK frequently, and has repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of the the sex offender register. The report had also identified Maclean has a history of targeting vulnerable woman for relationships, and also had a history of accessing student accommodation both in Wales and as far afield as Durham claiming to be campus security.

The judge said there were sinister aspects to the offending before the court, and it may have been motivated by Maclean's desire to "regain dominance" over women after spending months on remand awaiting his rape trial. The judge said he had no doubt the defendant should rightly be categorised as a dangerous offender in the meaning of the legislation.

Maclean was given an extended sentence of eight years and eight months comprising six years and eight months in prison followed by a two-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.

Description

A RAPIST who sexually assaulted a woman as they watched a war film together on Netflix has been jailed.

Sebastian Smith, 26, from Brynmawr, pinned his victim down on a bed and ignored her cries as she begged him to stop attacking her. 

After he raped her the defendant pleaded with the woman not to report to the police what he’d done to her. 

 During Smith’s trial, John Ryan, prosecuting, said the victim told her attacker: “I feel sick to the stomach. I told you to stop.”

Jurors were told the defendant replied: “I done wrong. I really hate myself.

“Please don’t go the police. I’m begging you. I’m shaking like a leaf. I’m dying here myself.”

Smith, of George Street, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by penetration.

He had denied both charges against him.

When Smith was arrested and questioned in 2020 he gave police a prepared statement in which he said he and the woman had intercourse consensually.

He said that it was she who had started kissing him and initiated sexual contact between them.

Giving evidence in his defence at his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Smith was asked by his barrister Jenny Yeo to tell the jury what happened.

He told them: “We were play fighting and kissing.

“She then put her hands on me between my legs.”

Smith said he had put his penis inside her but she had told him, “No”.

The defendant insisted: “As soon as she said no I went straight out.”

Mr Ryan played a recording of the 999 call the woman had made to the police following the two assaults.

She told the emergency services operator: “I went to his house to watch a film.

“He put his hand down my trousers.

“I told him to stop it.”

The victim added: “I did touch him and said to him, ‘How would you like it if I touched you?’

“I told him I didn’t want to do it.

“He pinned me down on the bed and pulled down my trousers.”

Smith was jailed for five years and five months and has to register as a sex offender for life. 

Description

A SEX offender who was prohibited by a court from looking through people's windows has been back in court after entering a woman's house uninvited.

The Leader reported earlier this year how Gabriel Olah, then of Fairfield Road in Queensferry, had been seen on CCTV footage performing a sex act on himself "outside a domestic property" when a party was happening inside.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told Wrexham Magistrates Court in March that the defendant "purposefully" carried out the sex act outside the residence and made him the subject of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

He was prohibited from undertaking a number of behaviours for the duration of that order, including; looking through any window of any private dwelling, entering or remaining on any premises that are not his own without the permission of the occupier (including the driveway and garden), approaching or seeking to approach any female or communicate any sexual remarks with a view to furthering sexual contact including gestures.

Olah, now aged 32 and of Church Street in Flint, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentence after being convicted of breaching a sexual risk order / risk of sexual harm order, which took place in Flint last month.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, told the court that the latest offence arose when a Flint woman was sitting in her living room watching TV and she saw a shadow at her window. 

 There was a ring at her front door and when she went to see who it was she found it open with a man standing there.

She told the man to shut the door, and he stepped in - closing it behind him.

The woman didn't understand what he was doing, as she hadn't asked him in.

He appeared to have been drinking and introduced himself as Gabriel.

He asked the woman if she was married, then asked if she was 'happily' married - to which she said she was.

He left, asking her not to call the police.

Mr Espie said the woman wasn't concerned initially, but she posted about the incident on Facebook to let other people know and was sent a news article about a male who was "sent to prison for looking in windows and doing lewd acts."

Ceri Lewis, defending, said Olah had been to a friend's house on the day of the offence and had consumed a large amount of alcohol. 

 He had become "disorientated" on his way home, she said, and approached the woman's property when he saw the light on.

She added: "He has very little recollection of the conversation, but he is extremely remorseful.

"He is aware it is a serious breach."

Ceri Lewis, chair of the bench, handed down a 26-week custodial sentence, but suspended it for 24 months.

Olah must complete the Horizons sex offender treatment programme and has been made subject to a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.

He must also pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. 

Description

Andrew Herbert pleaded guilty to ten counts of indecent assault on young girls in the early 1970s.

A man who sexually abused two young girls in Bristol 50 years ago when he was a teenager has been ordered to pay them £25,000 compensation each.

But Andrew Herbert, now 67 and living in Herefordshire, was not sent to prison after pleading guilty to ten counts of indecent assault - after the judge in the case said the law required him to sentence him according to what the law and sentencing rules were at the time. One of the women he abused when she was a girl has bravely waived her right to anonymity and spoken out about her ordeal.

Sentencing at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday, November 4) His Honour Judge Julian Lambert said that, if Herbert had committed the offences now, he would be facing a lengthy prison sentence, but because the sentencing powers back in the early 1970s were not as strong, he could only be sent to prison for a matter of weeks.

Instead, the judge ordered Herbert be the subject of a community order lasting for two years, with a requirement to undertake rehabilitation activity for 50 days with sex offender treatment work. He was also ordered to observe a curfew to remain at home between 9pm and 6am every day for the next 18 months - enforced by an electronic tag.

Herbert was also ordered to do unpaid work in a community service order of 225 hours, and ordered to pay £25,000 to each of the victims in the case, to be paid within 12 months.

The judge told Herbert that the victims in the case had suffered 'lifelong oppression', which was at the forefront of his mind when sentencing him. "The repressed voices of children have now resonated through half a century of suffering and turmoil," Judge Lambert told him.

"The cruel, criminal abuse of the young is now revealed through the mists of time. It is to be remembered that you were a child yourself at the time of the offending. I recognise your own harrowing background, but you are the perpetrator in this, not the victim. You need to banish any element of self-pity and any possible victim blaming. You were considerably older than your victims and perfectly well able to distinguish right from wrong," he added.

The judge explained to the court that, back in 1970, no court could impose a prison sentence on a person under 17, but only order them to be 'detained' in a detention centre - and the maximum detention for a 15-year-old was just three months.

"With an artificially limited sentence and a requirement to give credit for (guilty) plea there would have been a release in custody within weeks," Judge Lambert said. "Whatever sentence I pass will seem hollow to the victims of the offences.

"I do not believe I can now send you to custody...These were however very serious offences with the most severe effects. I impose the least sentence commensurate with the seriousness of the offences," he added.

The court had heard Herbert was also charged with two counts of rape, which he denied. He was cleared by a jury trial of one count and the jury failed to reach a verdict in the other, and the CPS said it would not pursue this charge. He had pleaded guilty to ten other counts of indecent assault, which were prosecuted under different laws in force at the time, back between 1970 and 1972.

The case came to light in 2020 when one of the victims, Liz Roberts, reported to police what he did to her as an eight-year-old girl. After the trial and sentencing, she waived her right to anonymity to speak out about the case. She urged others to come forward to report abuse they are suffering, or have suffered.

"I waited 50 years to tell my story as I didn’t think anyone would care about what happened. That clearly isn't true and I only wish I’d reported it sooner," she said. "There have of course been times when it has brought the trauma of what he did back, and I still have a long way to go in my recovery journey, but I have no regrets.

“People like Andrew get away with it by passing their guilt and shame on to those they are meant to be protecting and literally hiding in plain sight. There is support out there and people will help whether you want offences investigated or not.

“Justice comes in many forms. Feeling the care and support of everyone around me means that I can now hold my head high – that is the best kind of justice," she added.

She praised the people who have supported her since the first day she reported what happened to her all those years ago. "From the moment I reported Andrew, I have been fully supported through the investigation and right through to the court process. This support hasn’t just been from the police but also from Safe Link, who allocated an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) to me and charities such as SARSAS (Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Assault Support) which provided free essential counselling support. They have held my hand every step of the way both physically and metaphorically and have done everything they can to ease the process for me."

The court heard emotional impact statements from both the victims in the case, who described lifelong psychological impacts of the abuse they suffered at such a young age. Both victims told the court they struggled to build relationships and suffered serious mental health effects that have lasted decades. 

The investigating officer in the case was PC Becky Norton, from Avon and Somerset police. “Andrew Herbert’s actions have had a lifelong impact on both his victims. He claimed to have experienced a tsunami of shame but that is absolutely nothing compared to what they have gone through, for they have spent the past five decades living with the trauma he inflicted on them.

“They both deserve immense credit for standing up to him in court and telling the judge exactly how deeply his abuse has affected them," she added.

Det Supt Lisa Simpson, the force's lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Assault, said: “What Liz Roberts is doing now, in waiving her anonymity, is nothing short of remarkable. Together, with our partners in the Crown Prosecution Service, we’re working hard to hold offenders to account for the vile offences they have committed and, with the help of third sector partners such as SafeLink, The Bridge and SARSAS to making sure they are ok and helping them recover from the trauma they’ve endured.”

Description

 A shamed former SNP councillor is behind bars after being convicted of grooming and abusing six teenage boys.

Mark Kerr preyed on victims including attempting to rape one at his home in Croy, Lanarkshire. The 40 year-old struck mostly before he was elected as a councillor in 2017 for the Kilsyth ward.

But, he went on to grope the final victim at a food bank in the village in May 2020. Kerr was eventually arrested following a police probe into the abuse.

He denied the accusations during a near two-week trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Kerr said he was the victim of a vendetta which saw him hounded out of his home of 32 years and wrecked his political career.

In often graphic detail, he insisted he was physically unable to do some of what was alleged claiming he was "a 40 year-old virgin". But, prosecutors said he was a "predator - hiding in plain sight".

Kerr was today found guilty of a total of nine charges spanning between December 2010 and May 2020. The crimes were the attempted rape as well as sex offences against the five other male victims.

He was found not proven of raping one and not guilty for a separate sexual assault against another of the six. Kerr was also found not proven of engaging in sexual activity with the teenager he was convicted of attempting to rape.

The first offender was visibly upset in the dock as the verdict was read out. Judge Douglas Brown told him: "Inevitably there will be a custodial sentence - your bail has been withdrawn and you will be remanded in custody."

Kerr was also put on the sex offenders register meantime. He will be sentenced next month.

Jurors heard how all the boys in the case were much younger than the former nationalist politician. Kerr, now of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, got to know the first when he was in his mid-teens.

The then boy looked upon openly gay Kerr as a "mentor" as he came out himself. He said sexual activity with Kerr first took place at a disused quarry when he was 15.

The victim - now in his mid 20s - said the older man then attacked him after they had earlier been at a local SNP function. He was asleep at the time at Kerr's home.

Describing the 2015 attempted rape, he recalled: "I froze once I understood what was happening. I could not control my body. It did not allow me to do anything."

Jurors heard how he later confronted Kerr at knifepoint in the street. The victim's mother had also turned up and she witnessed her son yelling: "Tell my mum what you done to me."

Kerr claimed he was innocent, but was said not to be able to meet the woman's eyes. Kerr tormented another boy from around 2012.

Referring to lurid accounts of gay sex, he stated to the youngster: "Don't knock it until you have tried it." He went on to grab the worried teenager's bottom.

The court heard Kerr joined two boys on a camping trip pitching a tent near the Boathouse restaurant in Croy. He was guilty of molesting one of them in the tent, but acquitted of raping another at that time.

However, he did sexually assault the rape accuser in 2014 in Croy while he was asleep. In 2014, Kerr targeted another of the teenagers by groping him and sending him sexually graphic messages online.

But, even after he had been elected to a position of power in the community, Kerr continued his offending. His last young victim was molested at a food bank set up to help people during the 2020 lockdown.

He told the trial: "I thought he was a nice guy. I do not see that now."

Kerr gave evidence during the trial and claimed he had been targeted after he had put a video of boys playing at a local disused quarry on his councillor Facebook page.

He said this was done purely to warn parents of the dangers. Kerr sobbed as he told how he had been filmed being forced out of his home by locals and branded the "local nonce".

But, in his speech to jurors, prosecutor Michael Macintosh said Kerr was "a predator hiding in plain sight". Mr Macintosh added: "You might come to the conclusion that behind the public persona, that friend to all, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"A lot of people thought he was a good guy, but he was a man who used his position, age and role as an activist and mentor to engage in sustained grooming of teenage boys for his gratification."

Sentencing was deferred for reports.

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A Stamford man who tried to rape a stranger and sexually assaulted another woman has been jailed for five years and 10 months.

Caine Hull was just 17 when he carried out the offences in November 2018, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Hull, now 21, denied four offences of sexual assault on a young woman, who cannot be named, but was found guilty after a trial in July.

The jury also convicted Hull of a single charge of attempting to rape a woman in her early 40's.

Sarah Phelan, prosecuting, told the court the offence was an attempted rape of a stranger who was drunk but able to walk home.

"He targeted a vulnerable victim in the early hours of the morning," Miss Phelan said.

The victim of the sexual assaults carried out by Hull was in court to watch him sentenced today (November 2).

Miss Phelan read out a victim impact statement from the woman who described how the incidents had impacted her in many ways.

She said: "Initially I was frightened to go out either alone or with friends."

The woman added her fear of Hull got worse when she reported the matter and realised he was on bail.

She described being unable to go out in the dark until shortly before the trial and said she was "terrified" of Hull.

The woman said she had suffered with anxiety and depression since the assaults, and had also lost some friends.

She concluded her statement by adding: "I wish to move on with my life, and move on from the hell he's caused me."

Hull also pleaded guilty to an offence of attempted robbery committed in February 2021.

The court heard Hull, formerly of Northumberland Avenue, Stamford, was remanded into custody following his trial at Lincoln Crown Court in July.

Karen Walton, mitigating, told the court Hull had no previous convictions until his offending began in November 2018.

She reminded the court Hull was still then a juvenile.

He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Speaking after the sentencing. investigating officer DC Kerry Munro said, “I would like to pay tribute to the women assaulted by Hull and their bravery in coming to us and supporting the investigation.

“It’s been a long wait for them to finally see Hull face justice for what he has done.

“The delays they have endured were exacerbated by Hull’s refusal to accept responsibility for his crimes. No sentence could make up for the harm he has caused but I hope today’s result brings some peace and consolation to these inspirational women.

“This is a message to perpetrators of the consequences of their actions.

“We will do all in our power to bring offenders before the courts, no matter how long it takes.

“If you have been a victim of sexual assault, we will take your report seriously and treat you with sensitivity and respect.”

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A martial arts instructor who used his position to sexually abuse girls during a relentless campaign spanning more than three decades has been jailed for 28 years.

Derek Hodder, widely known in the Brixham community by his middle name Ross, raped and indecently assaulted nine girls aged between 13 and 17.

He groomed, psychologically manipulated and abused a succession of young and vulnerable victims, using his involvement in martial arts to get close to them. He pursued them for his own sexual gratification, preyed on their inexperience, turned them against their families and groomed them by buying gifts and telling them it was their 'secret'.

Hodder managed to carry out his crimes while maintaining an outwardly respectable position in the building trade and in the South Devon martial arts community. In private, he bragged about how tough he was and how everyone was scared of him.

His depraved behaviour came to light when a 17-year-old girl said Hodder had raped her. A further eight women then came forward and made similar claims. In June a jury at Exeter Crown Court convicted Hodder of 33 out of 37 offences of rape, indecent assault, sexual activity with a child and indecency with a child.

After the verdicts Hodder, who denied all the allegations, sacked his legal team, causing delays. But the 65-year-old, of Garlic Rea, Brixham, returned to court on Thursday [November 3] to finally be sentenced.

About 25 members of the public, including many of his victims and their families, watched as Judge Timothy Rose sentenced the defendant. Judge Rose said: “Your pattern was to seek and persuade them their parents were not good for them and present yourself as the caring alternative.

“You exploited any weakness you could find and once that happened you had all of them under your psychological control. This decades long pattern of offending became a way of life. You pursued one after the other as an active paedophile.

“All nine complainants were victims of your sexual offending. Four were raped on multiple occasions along with other offences. The offending started when you were in your early 30s and continued until you were 61.

“Your sexual offending proceeded virtually unadulterated for all that period of time. You were arrested in February 2018 when you had already embarked upon grooming your next victim.

“In essence all your offending had the same repeated pattern of behaviour which for you became tried and and led to the commission of many offences. Your method was to separate them from their families and develop a psychological hold, inculcating fear and establishing overwhelming control.”

He said Hodder had presented himself as someone who would care and protect the girls when in fact he was an abuser "hiding in plain sight". The judge paid tribute to the bravery of the victims for coming forward and police officers who investigated.

He said Hodder had an "insatiable desire" to exploit children and young people. The defendant was told he must serve two-thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for release.

The abuse happened between 1986 and 2018. Police began their investigation in 2018 when a 17-year-old girl made her allegations.

Many of his victims said they came into contact with Hodder through the martial arts club he ran. Some of the girls told how the initial contact was through massages or Shiatsu sessions which became sexual when he removed their clothing.

They often went to his club to boost their confidence but instead were manipulated, groped and abused by the domineering Hodder.

One woman said he had given her cannabis and boasted about how good he was at massages. She had felt uncomfortable as his hands wandered but thought it must have been an "adult thing".

The next massage session he placed candles and incense around the room and touched her breasts. His contact then progressed to sex, but she had felt too panicked and confused to stop him.

Another witness said Hodder complemented her on how pretty she was when she was 13 and this became sexual when she was 14. She now realised she had been groomed but at the time Hodder had made it feel "normal".

Another young girl who went to his martial arts club said Hodder had touched her breasts when she was 15 and told her she did not have to be ashamed of enjoying it.

Other victims described Hodder as controlling and having "a hold" over them. He would sulk if he did not get enough attention from them and preyed on their vulnerabilities. "He had to have what he wanted," said one.

In total, he committed at least 74 separate rapes on four victims. A previous trial in 2021 had to be abandoned after Hodder suffered heart problems part of the way through.

His issues persisted during the 2022 trial, causing delays while he received medical treatment at hospital. Hodder travelled to court from custody but did not appear in the dock to hear his sentence.

There were audible gasps from victims' families in the public gallery on hearing he was unwell and Ms Rachel Drake, prosecuting, said Hodder had made a "cowardly" decision not to attend. Mr Kevin Hopper, defending, said the defendant was unwell. A video link was arranged and he watched sentencing proceedings remotely.

A second defendant, Leslie Coldrick, aged 68, of Paignton, was found not guilty of two offences of rape and one of indecency with a child and walked free from court in June.

Lisa Cassidy, district crown prosecutor, said after the case: “I welcome the conviction of Derek Hodder who committed appalling offences against young victims.

“His work as a martial arts coach gave him access to young children and he exploited this over many years. He showed a clear pattern of abuse, grooming young girls and encouraging them to distance themselves from the adults in their lives.

“I would like to commend and thank the victims for their strength in coming forward to support this prosecution and in telling what happened to them. The CPS worked closely alongside our partners in the police to build the strongest possible case against Hodder to ensure he was held responsible for these devastating crimes.

“The CPS is committed to delivering justice for the victims of rape and sexual assault. We want every victim to have the confidence that their case will be fully investigated by the police and that, in every case where our legal tests are met, the Crown Prosecution Service will charge and prosecute.”

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Jerry Godfrey said: “This is the outcome of a four-year investigation by specialist officers within Torbay’s Public Protection Unit [PPU] who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the victims received some sense of justice.

“Whilst the sentence is significant and reflects the gravity of offending, it is not lost on me that the impact of Hodder’s horrific conduct will have a life-long effect on all of the victims involved. Hodder demonstrated he is a very dangerous human being, utilising his position within the community and taking advantage of these young girls whose safe spaces were compromised by his predatory behaviour.

“I commend the victims for their strength of character, resolve and their ongoing support and trust with the investigation to seek justice. I hope that today’s sentencing can provide them with a sense of closure and comfort that he can no longer harm them, or anyone else, in this abhorrent way.”

Head of PPU Detective Superintendent Sharon Donald said: “Devon and Cornwall Police are committed to supporting survivors of rape and serious sexual assault and I hope the outcome of this investigation shows that time isn’t a barrier, and no matter how long ago an offence took place, we will always fully investigate these types of crimes.

“I would urge any victims to please talk to us. We have specially trained officers who work closely with partner organisations to provide support to victims and witnesses through every step of the process, from the time of reporting right thought to the trial and beyond.”

The officer in the case [OIC] Detective Constable Diane Gaze said: “I am very relieved for all the victims and their families that this case has finally reached its conclusion. I have been the OIC for the whole investigation since the first victim came forward in February 2018 and feel privileged to have worked with each of these brave women and to have achieved a sense of justice.

“Most of the victims were adults when they came forward to speak with the police and it has been a difficult process to put themselves through. Their assistance was imperative to this investigation. I hope that the courage that they have shown in supporting this process throughout might convince others in a similar position to come forward and have their voices heard.”

Lisa Cassidy, District Crown Prosecutor for the CPS South West Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “Hodder’s work as a martial arts coach gave him access to young children and he exploited this over many years. He showed a clear pattern of abuse, grooming young girls and encouraging them to distance themselves from the adults in their lives.

“I would like to commend and thank the victims for their strength in coming forward to support this prosecution and in telling what happened to them. The CPS worked closely alongside our partners in Devon and Cornwall Police to build the strongest possible case against Hodder to ensure he was held responsible for these devastating crimes.

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Ashman downloaded more than 18,000 indecent images of children during lockdown, Southampton Crown Court was told.

The 42-year-old of Howard Road, Southampton was caught with 140 category A images, the most severe type, 123 category B images and 18,365 category C images of children.

It was said that there was “distress in some of the children’s actions” in the images that were all found on one single hardrive.

Ashman later admitted to downloading the images saying: “I did download some dodgy [stuff] during lockdown".

He was handed a three-year community order, ordered to do 15 rehabilitation activity days and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He is now also subject to a five-year sexual prevention order and was ordered to pay £300 costs and a surcharge.