Latest Offenders

Description

An extended sentence has been imposed on a man who carried out sexually-motivated offences in Folkestone and Hythe.

Connor Baker followed an 18-year-old woman along a path near the Royal Military Canal, Hythe on Sunday 11 July 2021, before putting his hands around her waist.

The victim managed to get free of his grip and ran to Rampart Road, where she was seen by a group of her friends as they drove past.

They then drove to join another group of friends at Hythe Green. Baker was seen by the group, who asked him to explain his actions.

He became aggressive and swung an asp-type weapon at the group before leaving the area. Police arrived and Baker was later identified as a suspect.

Further offences

Further to that incident, Baker knocked on the front door of a woman who was not known to him in Folkestone on Friday 12 November 2021.

He managed to get into the property and grabbed the woman, trying to kiss her. She got him out of her home but he climbed upon a conservatory and looked in an upstairs window, damaging the victim's property in the process.

The incident was reported to police and Baker was arrested at the scene, after jumping into a nearby garden. He was later charged with a number of offences.

Court

Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Baker was found guilty of assault with intent to commit a sexual offence and possession of an offensive weapon in relation to the first incident; and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, and damaging property in relation to the second incident.

On Friday 9 December 2022, the 24-year-old, formerly of Appledore Crescent, Folkestone, was given a nine-year sentence and ordered to serve an extra four years on licence.

Description

Michael Dent and Jack Dent-Bradley left their victim "living a life of hell" and suffering depression as the pair were sentenced for their crimes at Durham Crown Court

A father and son have been jailed for carrying out horrendous sexual abuse of a vulnerable child.

Michael Dent, 37, and Jack Dent-Bradley, 19, have both been put behind bars following their trial at Durham Crown Court.

The relatives separately sexually abused the child and their crimes left the victim battling PTSD and depression in later life.

Sentencing the pair, Judge James Adkin handed Michael Dent an extended prison sentence of 14 years, 13 of which will be custodial.

An indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order were also imposed and he will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Sentencing Dent-Bradley, who carried out his offences when he was a child himself, Judge Adkin said his offences were "extremely cruel, persistent and damaging", and jailed him for 66 months.

He was also made subject of an indefinite restraining order and indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be on the sex offender's register indefinitely.

Dent-Bradley carried out his offences when he was between the ages of 10 and 14-years-old, the court heard.

The court was told the father and son, both of Witton Gilbert, County Durham, carried out sexual offences against the same child, but separately.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "Each defendant took advantage by abusing [the child] sexually, albeit separately from one another."

An impact statement was read out to the court by the now-adult victim, and explained how they had "suffered for so long" and will "never forgive you both".

The victim added: "You took advantage of me and made my life hell."

Tony Davis, defending Dent-Bradley, said he suffers from ADHD and was a child himself when he carried out the offences, saying he suffered "significant neglect" as a child himself and had a "lack of care in early development".

He added: "He is still an immature 19-year-old, which must be the result of early abuse he suffered...he has had an exceptional amount of trauma in his own existence."

Lewis Kerr, defending Michael Dent, said he has mental health issues, ADHD and a low IQ. He added: "He doesn't have anything in way of mitigation in the credible sense.

Description

A top chef shook his head and smirked as he was finally brought to justice for sexually abusing young girls.

Peter Wright, who has worked in some of the city's most highly-regarded restaurants and been hired to cater for private clients abroad, "poisoned" his two victims - leaving them "devastated". Despite this, he has shown an "utter disregard" for his vile crimes and "does not seem to care" for the impact on their lives.

A trial at Liverpool Crown Court previously heard that the now 31-year-old, of Old Swan, repeatedly targeted them when they were aged as young as 12 during the noughties. Wright, who was also a juvenile at the time, also tried to rape one of the girls on one occasion.

Natalie Cornwall, prosecuting, on Friday read out statements to the court on behalf of the complainants describing the extent of the effect his actions had upon them. One said she had suffered nightmares and wet the bed as, adding: "I don't feel like I have a normal childhood.

"There is a huge void that can never be filled. It's hard to accept my life is never going to be normal because of what he did to me."

The other victim outlined she had self-harmed and attempted suicide due to Wright's abuse, saying: "I felt like I was overwhelmed with pressure and pain. I withdrew more and more and distanced myself from everybody.

"It feels like the poison he has caused is never ending. He has an utter disregard for the devastation he had caused - he does not seem to care."

Wright appeared to be shaking his head and smiling as the statements were aired and said "I don't think so" at one stage, which saw the dad reprimanded by the judge. Andrew Jebb stated in defence of his 6ft7 client: "He himself was a child at the time of the offences.

"He is a very talented chef. He has worked here in Liverpool for some very esteemed establishments.

"He has travelled on a private client basis to Ireland to provide private dining. There are very positive aspects to this defendant.

"Obviously what he did as a teenager was appalling behaviour and he is about to be punished for it. He is now a positive, hard-working member of society."

Wright was convicted of attempted rape and eight counts of sexual assault by a jury. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: "I have to bear in mind you were a child at the time and I take into account your immaturity at the time. In recent times there are positive aspects to your character.

"You have got a good work record and looked after your brother when he was ill. While you deny the offences, they were committed at a time when you were an adolescent, which is a period of rapid change.

"You fail to take responsibility for your actions and there is no remorse. You have been shaking your head during the sentencing process."

Wright was also told to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely. Judge Murray imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victims for life.

Description

A bus driver repeatedly raped and sexually as well as physically abused five teenage girls - and left them feeling suicidal. The majority of the girls were underage when he preyed on them, a court heard.

Lee Williams, 32, of Cardiff, groomed his victims by buying them jewellery, cuddly toys and food while lying about his age. Once in a relationship with the victims, he raped them and subjected them to further degrading sexual acts which left them injured and crying.

Addressing a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “We say the defendant sexually abused these children to satisfy his desire for sexual activity with children under the age of consent. He took advantage of their immaturity and in some cases vulnerability in order to carry out these offences.”

Williams began abusing the first victim when she was 15 years old after they had met when he was driving a bus. He told her he “liked younger girls” and raped her a number of times. After being raped, she was physically sick. In a victim personal statement, the first victim said she was bullied at school and suffering from depression, which Williams took advantage of.

She said: “He raped me, plied me with drugs and would make it seem like it was my fault. I wondered if I had done something wrong to make him treat me like this... He was also a feeder and plied me with takeaways. I put on four stone in eight months.” The victim said she tried to take her own life due to the abuse.

The second victim was over the age of consent when Williams raped her. She met him through the first victim and he started buying her gifts. He then raped and strangled her numerous times. On one occasion he strangled her until she lost consciousness while he was raping her. He also raped her while she was asleep and sexually assaulted her, which caused her injuries. Without her consent, he placed her on a dating website and tried to force her into having a threesome.

In her victim personal statement, she said Williams would drive to remote locations and would point a toy BB gun at her.

She added: “He saw I was vulnerable and took advantage of it. He took my bank card and transferred money to himself. He isolated me and I couldn’t do anything without him. That’s when the abuse started. I felt the only way out was to take my own life.”

The victim was frightened when he strangled her and “thought he was going to kill her”. The third victim came into contact with Williams when she was 14 years old. They had sex after her 15th birthday. He went on to rape her and turned his attention to his fourth victim. A court heard he abused the latter two victims in a van.

He told the third victim to delete pictures and to lie about their relationship. She said: “I was unhappy because of what Lee was doing to me.” The court was told that she now suffers flashbacks and nightmares.

The fourth victim was told by Williams to “keep quiet” or they would get into trouble. She later told police :“I don’t like my body because I know he has touched it... I don’t like being around men anymore.”

The fifth victim was 13 years old when the abuse began, after Williams contacted her on Snapchat and told her he was 18. He took her to McDonald’s and pressured her into having sex. They met further times and had sex and he offered her amphetamines and cannabis. The defendant later sexually assaulted her and raped her, despite her telling him to get off, before telling her: “You’ll get used to it in time.”

Williams also told the girl to wear school uniform and that he wanted to have sex with an 11-year-old. As well as being physically abusive - which included punching her in the stomach - he sent her messages saying “I just raped you.”

She said: “I would like to know why he did what he did to me. I will never know.”

Williams, of Brynheulog, Pentwyn, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to 12 counts of rape, 14 counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of assault by penetration. He had previously been convicted of benefit fraud and possession of class B drugs.

In mitigation, the court heard the defendant acknowledged his behaviour and was willing to engage in rehabilitative work. Defence barrister Christopher Rees said his client’s best mitigation was his early guilty plea.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd said: “Your behaviour has caused significant trauma to them all, some of your victims have felt guilty but they have nothing to be guilty about. The guilt and the responsibility all lie with you.”

Williams was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of nine years and four months. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining order in respect of all his victims indefinitely.

Description

A Newton Aycliffe vicar and an Alnwick priest have been jailed for their sickening historic abuse of young boys.

George Granville Gibson was the vicar of a Newton Aycliffe church in the late 1970s when he indecently assaulted a teenager. Durham Crown Court heard that Gibson a leader of a church group and committed the offences during rehearsals for a pantomime and then later at a house party following the show's run.

Judge James Adkin said Gibson would "seek out" a young man and indecently assault him "in the company of others" by rubbing against his body and "appeared to enjoy" their presence.

Gibson, who is now 86-year-old, was found guilty of two indecent assaults after being convicted by a jury and jailed for 21 months. He will be on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

Sentencing Gibson in November, Judge Adkin said: "You were the Parish priest, revered and completely trusted to promote Christian values in the community. Sex offenders in positions of authority must know they will be sent to prison if they abuse children in the community."

In December, Chronicle Live reported how another clergyman was locked up for carrying out sex attacks on a young boy.

Perverted priest David Taylor, from Alnwick, ruined the life of a young boy with sickening sex attacks in a church and on Holy Island. The court heard the abuse happened in a church vestry, at a retreat on Holy Island, in an old convent and also during a trip to a football tournament.

Prosecutor Vince Ward said: "These were religious venues where he would have expected to be safeguarded but wasn't."

The victim said the first time it happened was when he was put under Taylor's gown and made to do a sex act.

The victim kept his abuse a secret for four decades, fearing he would never be believed over the trusted churchman. Now he finally has justice after Taylor was convicted of ten offences, of indecency with a child and indecent assault.

The victim said: "I was angry and confused and started to blame myself for what happened. I felt disgusted I had allowed Father Taylor to abuse me in the way he had.

"The abuse has affected my work life and my personal relationships. My anger issues have caused many of my relationships to break down and I believe this is because of my childhood abuse. My mental health has suffered also."

Newcastle Crown Court heard Taylor had been convicted of five offences of indecent assault against boys in the 1980s in 2009 when he was jailed for 30 months. And in 2017 he got a suspended sentence for another count of indecent assault.

Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced Taylor, of Angel Lane, Alnwick, Northumberland, to 13 years in prison for his latest offences and he must sign the sex offenders register for life. The judge told Taylor he'd had a sexual interest in boys from an early stage in his career, having been ordained in 1977.

Judge Clemitson said: "There were so many occasions he can't recall them. It seems to him there were hundreds of them because it happened so often in various places. Throughout this long process you have protested your innocence, saying you had no recollection of him. That clearly can't be true.

"His victim impact statement describes the devastating impact your abuse has had for the last 40 years - that's almost the entirety of his life he has had to live under the shadow of what you did to him as a child.

"He was particularly vulnerable due to his age, where he was - in the vestry on his own and away from home at Holy Island, separated from others in your bedroom."

Lorraine Mustard, defending, said Taylor continues to protest his innocence.

Description

A twisted Snapchat predator from Lincolnshire has been jailed after grooming, abducting and having sex with a schoolgirl.

Daniel Potterton from Kirton, Boston, targeted the 14-year-old girl in June before luring her into a string of sexual acts which lasted a number of weeks.

The 20-year-old was sentenced to six years in prison at Newcastle Crown Court and told he must sign the sex offenders register. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life and subject to an indefinite restraining order.

Potterton randomly added the girl on Snapchat in June and began chatting with her. Her parents ended up confiscating her phone after becoming concerned about the contact and she reacted by causing damage to their home while shouting and swearing and they contacted police, reports Chronicle Live.

Potterton drove to South Tyneside and contacted the girl from near her home and she went out with him in his Vauxhall Corsa, turning off the GPS on her phone. The girl, who was a virgin, had sex with him in the car.

She was reported missing by her parents and when she returned home she had love bites and was described as "obsessed" with him and refused to cooperate with a medical examination, saying she believed she was in a relationship with him.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the girl also texted her parents asking if she could go away with him for 10 days but they refused. She also said she needed her passport to go to France and "didn't appear to think there was anything wrong with her having sex with him.

Glenn Gatland, prosecuting, said: "He said he was going to prison anyway so he might as well do it again." Police saw the defendant's car crossing Wearmouth Bridge on August 2 and the girl was in the car with him and he was arrested.

In a victim impact statement, the girl's mother said: "It has caused me to feel like I'm having a nervous breakdown, I feel weighed down and I feel like a zombie.

"Her behaviour has turned manic since I found out she was speaking to him. She doesn't care about the danger as long as she can be with him.

"We have taken her phone off her and she is always searching for it. She will do anything and everything to get what she wants.

"She has turned the whole family's world upside down. I feel broken and all our hearts are breaking. She thinks she can do what she wants and calls me an idiot when I try to educate her."

Her dad added: "We have had to put locks on every door except the bathroom. Every time we leave the house we have to lock every room and it feels like a prison. If we don't, she would search everywhere to get hold of bank cards or phones."

Potterton, of Dennis Estate, Boston, pleaded guilty to child abduction, two counts of sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and meeting a child following sexual grooming.

On a second occasion, Potterton drove back up to the North East and the girl went to meet him again. When her mother discovered she was not in her room in the early hours, police were contacted. She then came home at 5am.

Judge Christopher Prince said: "(The girl) bears a deep resentment (to her parents) notwithstanding their efforts to do everything they can to try to help. The effect on them has been profound and distressing. They are quite simply utterly at their wits end at their inability to do more to help her.

"You were fully aware of what you were doing and fully aware you were breaking the law yet you took the most cynical view that as you were going to prison anyway you would engage in sexual intercourse with her a second time."

Steven Reed, defending, said Potterton was of previous good character and said immaturity contributed to his offending.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Jodie Faulkner, of Northumbria Police, said: "This is a very upsetting case that saw Potterton target his underage victim on social media before sexually exploiting her over a number of weeks. His behaviour has had a shattering impact on both his victim and her family. I sincerely hope his conviction in court offers them some comfort.

"As soon as we were made aware of this case, we were determined to get hold of Potterton who we learnt had been travelling long distances from Lincolnshire over a number of weeks to sexually exploit his victim."

Description

A man described as a “danger to young women” sexually assaulted a woman on a train and returned to the scene to find her again, a court has heard.

The victim managed to record pervert Nathan Nash, 30, of Ribblesdale Close, Eastham, as he told her he was "horny" and rubbed her thigh on the Merseyrail Service. Nash appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday for sexually assaulting the woman on a train.

David Polglase, prosecuting, explained that she was waiting for her train to work on the morning of April 14 when Nash began talking to her. Mr Polglase, reading the 20-year-old victim’s statement, said: “He started to talk to himself, saying he had nowhere to go, nowhere left, saying hi nan whilst looking at the sky.

“He spoke to her about getting married saying he would rather be in jail.”

The victim said she believed he was talking to a dead relative, and she felt uneasy because he was continually staring at her, so she began to film him. Nash then followed her onto the train when it arrived, and sat opposite her.

He apologised for “being such a weirdo”, and despite the victim loudly asking what he wanted and why he was following her, nobody on the train intervened. Nash asked her if she “fancied” various men as they got off the train, and claimed he would sleep with the men referenced if he were homosexual.

Soon after, he moved to sit next to the woman, and asked to take a picture with her, which she refused. The conversation then became more sexual, he called her beautiful, and got “aggressive” when she received a text message from her boyfriend.

The victim then began filming and captured the assault on camera. Judge Neil Flewitt, KC, described the assault, he said: “You stroked her left leg and then the inside of her right thigh, quite high up and towards the area of her groin.”

Whilst assaulting her, Nash leaned his head on her right shoulder, and told her he was “horny”. The footage taken by the victim and shown in court clearly showed the assault, and she can be seen pushing his hand off her leg.

When she disembarked from the train, he continued to follow her, and tried to give her his jacket which she shrugged off. Nash followed her all the way to her place of work, at some points blocking her path, and upon arrival, asked for her phone number.

He also told her he would be waiting for her at the train station when she finished work at 5pm, which she also captured on film and was shown in court. The victim eventually managed to enter her workplace safely, alert her manager about what had happened, and call the police.

Nash was apprehended by police at the train station at 5.25pm that evening, as he laid in wait for the victim. In a victim impact statement read by the prosecution the court heard how the victim now wears a hoodie on her commute, and “feels awful every day, and tries to sit by the driver's door for safety”.

She also said she gets flashbacks of the assault, is “on edge all the time”, and is anxious towards the end of her work day about having to get the train home. Mr Polglase explained how the victim was screaming and crying after managing to escape Nash at her workplace, and it took over two hours for her to calm down.

Nash claimed in a police interview the day after the attack that he only touched the victim below the knee in a “friendly and not sexual fashion”, which was proven to be a lie by the video footage. Christopher Macmaster, defending said: “He utterly incorrectly somehow managed to take that he was in some way going to come back and meet with her to go on a date or something like that.”

Judge Flewitt replied: “Or have another go at assaulting her”. He added: “I don’t believe he went back there at 5pm in the legitimate expectation of some sort of consensual romantic liaison.

“You were clearly intent on striking up some sort of relationship with her, in circumstances where it must have been obvious to you that she was not the slightest bit interested in you”

Mr Macmaster said Nash knew the behaviour was “wholly wrong” but that he originally “struggled to come to terms” with his behaviour. Judge Flewitt described Nash’s “clear pattern of violent offending” and “of abusive behaviour in relationships”, including revenge porn and assaulting his sister.

He explained that most of Nash’s previous cases of violent offending were against women and that this assault was “another form of violence against women.” The judge concluded that Nash does pose “some danger to young women”.

Nash pleaded guilty to sexual assault on October 21. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, and a restraining order barring him from contacting the victim or visiting her place of work was imposed for five years.

Description

A MAN has been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young child.

His offending was described as predatory. 

Steven Abbott, 45, from Scholes, Cleckheaton, was sentenced to seven years in prison and made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Leeds Crown Court today (Friday, December 16).

He was convicted of six sexual offences, including sexual assault and sexual touching.

The 45-year-old was found guilty by a jury in July this year.

Following his release from prison, he will be required to sign on the sexual offences register.

DC Alexis Stansfield, who led the investigation, welcomed the sentencing of Abbott for his "predatory sexual offences". 

She said: “He has put the young victim and her family through a dreadful ordeal, compounded by then denying his guilt to the very end and making them go through the added experience of a trial.

“We hope seeing justice being done will bring some comfort to the victim and her family.

“All reports of sexual offences are thoroughly investigated by specialist detectives and we continue to encourage victims to come forwards to allow us and partner agencies to provide support and seek justice for them.”

Description

A WREXHAM man has been jailed after he engaged in sexual chat with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

Kevin Griffiths, of Coed Aben, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Thursday.

The 51-year-old had previously admitted two counts of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, one of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Brian Treadwell, prosecuting, told the court the defendant was made the subject of a 10 year SHPO in 2017.

It prohibited him from using any website to contact anyone he knew or suspected to be under 16 years old, as well as sending unsolicited sexual images to anyone.

He was handed a suspended sentence in 2020 for failing to comply with notification requirements under the sexual offences act.

In the current offences, Mr Treadwell explained that over the course of 10 days in January this year, Griffiths contacted someone he believed to be a young girl online, introducing himself under a different name.

He was told very quickly by the person he was speaking to that she was 14.

But in fact this was a decoy account, not a real child.

Despite what he had been told, Griffiths continued the conversation - which he turned increasingly sexual.

He went on to suggest the girl engage in sex acts and sent her a picture of his naked genitalia.

Police attended his home on January 16 this year and arrested him, seizing his phone.

Simon Rogers, defending, told the court that at no point did his client attempt to meet the girl he believed he was speaking to, and that the contact had been over a limited period of time.

"When one looks at the messages, he explained, "there's no sophistication to them.

"In fairness to him, he has not sought to minimise his involvement - he accepts full responsibility.

"The conclusion of a psychiatric report states he is experiencing features of a persistent complex bereavement disorder, and there may also be the presence of a neurological developmental disorder.

Description

On 19 August 2022, Harrison Langford began using online chat applications to groom a 13-year-old girl. His messages became almost immediately sexual in nature and he encouraged her to share explicit images.

Langford, 28, travelled from his home in King Street to Kent on 3 September, to meet the child. He picked her up in his BMW, before sexually abusing her in the car. He repeated the same acts the following day.

A week later, on 10 September, Langford returned to Maidstone having booked a hotel room. This time he picked up his victim, took her to the hotel room, and repeatedly abused her.

Shortly after, the girl reported the offences to Kent Police and Langford was arrested at the hotel.

Langford appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 14 December, where he pleaded guilty to four offences, including grooming and sexual activity with a child.

Langford was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and has been made subject of an extended licence period of three years, as well as a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer, PC Marcus Easter from the West Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, said, ‘Langford purposefully targeted and groomed a child. He repeatedly subjected her to sexual abuse, exploiting her for his own gratification, all the while fully aware of the profound and lasting damage his actions would have.

‘We are grateful to the victim for her bravery in coming forward and hope that today’s sentencing offers her some comfort.

‘Kent Police is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and protecting those at risk, and we have dedicated teams working across the county to support victims and convict offenders.’

Description

A "dangerous offender" has been jailed for 20 years for the rape of a woman in north Wales. Thomas Goodier, 25, of St Helens, Merseyside, had been found guilty of two counts committed in Conwy county.

As well as the jail term, Judge Timothy Petts also handed Goodier an extended licence of seven years at Caernarfon Crown Court. The judge praised the victim for her bravery in giving evidence to the police and being cross-examined in court: "You are going to need a lot of love, help and support,” he told the court.

Judge Petts told Goodier, who showed no emotion in a video link from prison that he was “a dangerous offender.” The court heard he maintained his innocence.

Speaking after sentencing, DC Bev Humphreys from Central Division Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit said: "I welcome the sentence today which I hope allows the victim and their family to focus now on positively re-building their future. The victim has shown incredible bravery throughout.

"The investigation and sentence should send a message that whilst we recognise that any form of violence is unacceptable, anyone who wants to target and commit sexual offences against women or children in particular should know that we will be thorough, we will persevere, and we will bring you to justice.

"I would also like to thank partners at the Crown Prosecution Service, who we have worked hard with us to make north Wales safer by putting Thomas Goodier behind bars."

Lifetime sex offenders’ and sexual harm prevention orders were also imposed on Goodier.

Description

Kriss Strachan, now 25, was jailed for a further two years for his "aggressive and abusive" conduct and slapped with a 20 year legal ban on contacting or approaching his victim.

A jailed violent sex offender stalked a woman he'd known briefly in his distant past, "obsessing", researching her, writing her love notes from behind bars, and trying to control her life, all while serving a 12-year sentence for raping a 91-year-old.

Kriss Strachan, now 25, was jailed for a further two years for his "aggressive and abusive" conduct and slapped with a 20 year legal ban on contacting or approaching his victim. Strachan met his victim when they were both 16 - at a concert in 2013.

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told on Wednesday, December 14, that they kept in touch for few months, and met just once at her home, whereupon she told him she "did not want to pursue a relationship". The following year Strachan, then 17, committed what a judge called his "cruel and degrading" attack on the 91-year-old, forcing his way into her house in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, pushing her over, threatening to kill her, punching her repeatedly round the head, compressing her neck, removing her clothing, raping her, and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease.

Then in 2017, two years into his sentence and despite her not having heard from him for three years, the stalking victim suddenly received a letter from Strachan, then in Polmont Young Offenders' Institution, Stirlingshire, later declaring his "love". She replied she was "not interested", the court was told.

Then in November 2018, she found a 15-second voice message from Strachan on her phone. It said: "What's this [I] am hearing about you're engaged to a fucking 40-year-old black guy?

"What's that a' about? You could have f***ing let us know before I was writing letters to you, ya steamer."

In a further message in 2019, he revealed he knew what kind of van her fiance drove and where he lived, and sent her three letters in 2020 - finally saying he was going to be released on a tag and would be "coming to see her" once he was out of jail.

The court heard the victim, now 25, was driven to take an overdose, but confided in her mother and her new partner. Her mother contacted Glenochil Prison, Clackmannanshire, where Strachan had been moved since becoming an adult prisoner, and the prison said they would block his phone.

However the calls and texts continued. Police were called in, and he was arrested and charged.

Appearing by video link from Barlinnie Prison, Strachan, of Bellshill, admitted stalking the woman, now also 25, for more than two years, from November 2018 to February last year (2021) while inside the two Scottish jails -- Polmont and Glenochil. Stephen Biggam, defending, said Strachan was "remorseful".

He said: "Knowing he was within touching distance of being released, he has managed to extend his incarceration by his own stupidity."

Imposing the extra jail tine and the 20-year non harassment order, Sheriff Craig Harries told Strachan that he had been "well aware" the victim did not want to hear from him. He said: "You began to contact the complainer once you were in custody. She made it clear to you by letter and telephone that she did not want contact from you.

"You were well aware from what she said, and her lack of response, that she did not want contact, but over the course of 27 months, you continued. In one of your later letters you even acknowledged she was ignoring your correspondence.

"The contacted contained abusive harassment of her. You aggressively challenged her about her being engaged.

"You provided knowledge about her personal life that you could only have discovered while within the prison. That is a particularly concerning aspect of the case and it shows the obsession that you had.

"In what would always be perceived by her as a threat, you stated you'd be coming to see her on your release. You continued to contact her by phone and letter professing love for her.

"You were, as both the legislation and common sense shows, stalking her. You caused her significant harm, her mental health suffered, she required medical assistance, and she was physically sick with worry.

"You tried to exert control over her life. The offence is significant aggravated by your previous conviction for a brutal sexual offence, and by your committing it from with the confines of prison, where she was entitled to have felt safe from you."

He added that a background report deemed Strachan to pose "a significant risk, particularly to females". Scottish Ministers may also order he should now serve a seven year extension that judge Lord Boyd imposed when he jailed him in 2015.

The judge said the rape had a "truly appalling" impact on the old lady involved. Strachan told police at the time: "I cannot believe I done it. I am scum."

Description

A HEREFORD man has been sentenced to three years in prison following his conviction for multiple sex offences.

Douglas Baker, 70 of Marlbrook Road, Hereford, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday, December 14.

He pleaded guilty earlier this year to five offences which he committed between 2019 and 2022.

The five charges for which he was convicted were two counts of inciting an underage girl to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, voyeurism – recording of a private act, and making an indecent photograph of a child.

Baker is now listed on the sex offenders register for life.

DC Harriet Wheadon-Hill said: "This sentence shows that abusing young girls will not go unchallenged or unpunished.

"Following extensive police investigations, together with the courage of the victims to come forward, we can uncover the truth and bring offenders to justice.

"West Mercia Police remains committed to seeking justice for rape victims and survivors of sexual abuse, and we, the police, and wider support services are here for them."

Description

A 58-year-old man has been found guilty on 22 counts of indecent assault in connection with incidents which took place over a decade.

Rodney Paul Webster, previously of Northampton, tried to maintain his innocence when accused of the assaults against the three survivors, who were all children at the time of the offences.

Forcing the case to a trial at Northampton Crown Court, which took place in September, the jury heard how Webster raped and sexually assaulted the trio on multiple occasions between 1978 and 1988.

After deliberating for two days, the jury found him guilty on all 22 counts.

He was sentenced last Friday (December 9) to 14 years and eight months in prison.

Lead Investigator – Detective Constable Kelly Roberts, said: “Webster thought he had gotten away with his crimes, living in freedom for more than 30 years, but this case proves that it doesn’t matter how much time has passed – we will do everything in our power to ensure you end up in prison for what you have done.

“These three children are now adults and they have lived with this abuse for a very long time. I want to thank them for their strength and resilience during this prolonged investigation and for giving evidence in court. I know what Webster did to them will never leave them but they can be proud that they spoke out and that he is now in prison because of their courage.

“No matter when a person has been a victim of crime, justice can be found, and this case proves just that.”

Description

A convicted sex offender from Peterborough has been jailed after he failed to tell police about his new address. Ishmael Khan, 40, was convicted of an indecent assault on a girl under 16 in 2006.

He was placed on a registration notification for an indefinite period following the initial conviction. This meant that he had to keep the police informed of personal details, including his main address and any addresses he stayed at for more than 7 days in a year.

In January 2021, Khan had told police he was living at a guest house in Eastfield Road, Peterborough. However, an officer carried out a routine check on August 23 and was told by a staff member that Khan had moved out a few weeks previously without saying where he was going.

His failure to notify police of his new address within three days meant he had breached the requirement of his registration notification. He also failed to complete an annual notification at a police station, which was due by January 27, 2022.

He was arrested in London in April. Khan, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on December 14. He had pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with his Sex Offenders' Register notification requirements.

PC Lorraine Smart, from the Management of Sex Offenders and Violent Offenders team, said: “Khan showed a blatant disregard for the court order and we will always look to make sure sex offenders are adhering to their notification requirements. The prison sentence reflects how seriously the courts take this type of offence.”