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A dangerous sex offender who targeted young and vulnerable victims is tonight starting a lengthy term behind bars.

‘Predatory’ Neville Jones, of Pearson Street, Spennymoor, was found guilty by a jury last month of 17 sexual offences including one rape, and several counts of sexual assault on a child under 13.

A judge described the impact of one of the 40-year-old’s crimes as having “arguably the most significant impact that I have ever seen” on the victim.

His victims, three girls and one boy who cannot be named, were all under sixteen when he committed his crimes.

Two were aged under ten when he sexually assaulted them.

One of his brave victims said in a statement read to Durham Crown Court on Friday (December 1): “As I grew up and got older, I realised what he had done to me as a child.

“I trusted him. He groomed me.

“I have no trust in men anymore – they are only interested in one thing. Neville Jones used me for that.

“This had a big effect on me because that I trusted people even less.

“I didn’t have many friends growing up and I think that’s why he targeted me.”

Jones’ first crimes date back 20 years and a court heard he had continued to offend since.

Prosecutor Mr Robin Turton read out the personal impact statement of another of his victims, which said: “He was telling me how great I was and how he would look after me.

“I have gone through lots of different types of therapy.

“I was scared to leave the house. Trying to live a normal, successful, and productive life has been impossible.

“He left me frightened and feeling flat.

“I feel that he got off lightly. He was out there living his life.”

The court heard Jones is now a father himself, although he has no relationship with his child.

Appearing via video link from prison he spoke only to confirm his name.

Sentencing him, Judge James Adkin described Jones as “predatory” and “scheming”, and said he presents a “high risk of harm to children”.

“What you did to those children hasn’t only ruined their lives, you have left a trail of misery for the parents of your victims in your wake,” he said.

“I have taken into account how you targeted the vulnerable, how you caused immense harm.”

The judge determined he is a ‘dangerous offender’ and handed him an extended determinate sentence of 38 years.

He will serve at least 22 years before a parole board will determine whether he can be released.

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A man has been jailed for 17 years after he used his hair removal business in Bradford as a base to sexually assault eight women.

Terry James, 53, of Halifax Road, Dewsbury, also admitted distributing indecent images of children.

At Bradford Crown Court, the judge described James as a "dangerous" offender who had "betrayed" victims who had trusted him.

James was also placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard James, who appeared friendly and professional to his clients, put goggles and blindfolds on his victims during laser hair removal treatments, before using a secret camera to film and photograph them.

The court was also told James had lured victims into his business by offering discounts on the laser treatments.

James had previously denied the offences, but on the final day of a trial in September pleaded guilty to 13 charges of assault by penetration, five of sexual assault and further offences of distributing and possessing indecent images of children.

Judge Sophie McKone described James as a man "with no sexual boundaries" whose perverted desires were not satisfied by looking at indecent images of children.

'Most vile'

During his sentencing it emerged that in 2017 he had been given a suspended prison sentence of four months for possessing indecent images of children and in May 2020 he had been arrested again for having similar material.

He was released under investigation for those offences and went on to commit the more serious sexual offences against the women.

Before sentencing him Judge McKone told James: "These women trusted you. You led them to believe you were their friend and you betrayed that trust in the most vile way."

The judge said James' selfish actions had had a profound impact on his victims' lives and the fear of the videos ending up on social media must have made the women feel incredibly anxious.

Two of James' victims read out personal statements in court.

One described suffering flashbacks of the abuse and having to undergo counselling, while the other said she could no longer trust men in a professional capacity.

Another victim said she felt "violated" by what James had done.

Judge McKone concluded that James was a dangerous offender and that an extended licence period of three years was needed.

James will have to serve at least two thirds of his 17-year sentence before the Parole Board can consider whether it is safe to release him.

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Multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur Lawrence Jones has been found guilty of raping two women in Manchester in the 1990s.

The former UKFast chief executive was convicted in January this year of sexually assaulting another woman in 2013, which could not be reported until today because of court restrictions.

He has already spent 10 months behind bars after being remanded in custody earlier this year following that conviction.

But the 55-year-old is expected to be sentenced for all three offences on 1 December following the conclusion of a second trial.

Jones, who set up the web hosting provider with his wife Gail in 1999, was once considered one of the most influential technology magnates in the UK with an estimated wealth of about £700m, according to the Financial Times.

UKFast employed around 500 staff and had more than 5,000 clients including the NHS, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office, earning Jones an MBE in 2015 for services to the digital economy.

Allegations against him were first made in 2019, when a former employee told police he had sexually assaulted her during a business trip to London.

In May 2019 Jones was investigated under caution where he answered "no comment" to all questions.

'Let me see your knickers'

During a trial in January this year, prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC told jurors Jones and his former employee - a victim referred to by police as Woman A - had gone up to a penthouse suite which had two separate bedrooms but a shared seating area.

Ms Marshall described how Jones made numerous advances on the woman.

At one point, he said to her "let me see your knickers" and placed his hands on her body, the trial heard.

"This caused her dress to ride up and as she was trying to pull it down and get away, he was trying to get on top of her," Ms Marshall said.

The woman managed to free herself from Jones and lock herself in one of the rooms, according to the prosecutor.

She later left UKFast and was reportedly paid a £13,000 settlement "for her silence", Ms Marshall said, and was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Jones had denied the accusation and claimed the woman had become drunk in the hotel bar and was "flirtatious".

"I put my hands on people's shoulders but only people I thought I had a really good relationship with. There's nothing sexual about what I was doing," he told the court in January.

"I gave hugs to people, that's the sort of person I am."

Jones was found guilty of sexual assault but was acquitted of sexually assaulting and raping a fourth woman at Manchester Crown Court.

Women reported feeling 'woozy' and 'floaty'

In 2021, a second woman (Woman B) came forward and accused Jones of raping and sexually assaulting her in 1993, when she was a student at the University of Manchester and Jones was in a relationship with her friend.

She told the court that her body felt "floaty" after having one glass of wine that Jones had poured while the pair were at his flat.

In the years after the assault, she said she had told friends what had happened to her, but did not feel able to report it to police at the time.

A year later, a third woman (Woman C) - who did not know the other complainant - told police she and her partner had become friends with Jones in 1993, when he played music in pubs and bars across Manchester.

She accused Jones of rape after she had felt woozy and laid on her bed after he told her to smell a bottle of liquid he was holding.

In 2019, she told her husband and a friend about the offence and three years later in 2022, she reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police.

Jones was convicted of raping Woman B and Woman C after pleading not guilty at a trial which lasted three weeks.

Jurors were not told about his previous sexual assault conviction.

Mrs Jones held her hand over her mouth as the unanimous verdicts were read out in court, and two of the defendant's daughters were in tears in the public gallery.

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A 33-year-old man has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to sexually abusing underage girls in Northampton.

The investigation into Joseph Martin James Arnold, previously of Ashcroft Gardens, Northampton, formed part of Northamptonshire Polices ongoing Operation Antigua.

Op Antigua was launched at the end of June 2020 and focuses on reported sexual abuse between the years of 2006 and 2016, all originating from the statue in Abington Street where young people would gather.

Since then, multiple people have come forward to report offences against them including three young women who Arnold sexually abused when they were underage.

One of the girls was only 13-years-old when she met a 23-year-old Arnold and engaged in what she believed at the time to be a two-year consensual relationship.

During this time, Arnold sexually abused her on multiple occasions, isolated her from family members, and manipulated her into developing low self-esteem.

He would make me feel really insecure and that people didnt like me very much, she wrote in her victim personal statement which was read out at court yesterday (November 30).

At school I didnt really speak to people as I didnt think anyone would like me because of how Joe had made me feel about myself.

Whenever I see anyone or anything with the name Joseph or Arnold in it now, even the news, it brings up everything to do with him, things that have happened, or about the case.

A second woman was aged 15 when she entered into what she believed at the time was a consensual relationship with Arnold who was 19-years-old at the time.

Joseph was a master manipulator, she wrote in her statement. He made me feel so destroyed and defeated. He got away with his abuse for so long. I realise now I have a right to feel upset.

I feel like he took my childhood and my teenage years away and destroyed them.

A third woman was aged 16 when a 21-year-old Arnold lured her back to his house on the promise of a party. However, when she got there it became clear he wanted it to be just the two of them and used the evening as an opportunity to sexually assault her.

Joe was someone who just hung around with the same group of people I did on Abington Street. He made me feel special, older and cool, when in fact I was being groomed. I realise this now that I am older, when reflecting on what happened.

He completely took advantage of my innocence.

The investigation into Arnold led to him being charged with six counts of sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15, and one count of sexual assault, all of which he pleaded guilty to at an earlier court hearing at Northampton Crown Court in September.

Yesterday (November 30) at the same court, he was sentenced to nine years in prison and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A sick paedophile who kept a photo of a child as a screensaver on his secret phone has been jailed. Barry Taylor, 57, hid the device in a toolbox in his shed in Northam.

When police found it in a search they discovered he had been sharing horrific images of child abuse with other paedophiles. Taylor claimed he found the phone on the street but analysis revealed he had been using it to search the internet for indecent photos.

Taylor has a history of similar offending and was described in court as someone with an entrenched sexual interest in children. He said he was terrified of going to prison but was sentenced to two and a half years.

Prosecutor Nigel Wraith said in August 2020 Taylor told his supervising police officer that he had thrown his phone in the sea after receiving threats. Police quizzed him about effectively deleting the search history on the device.

The truth was that Taylor had kept his phone and hidden it in the shed. When police found it during a search in August 2021 he said the device did not belong to him.

Police found 252 images of children on the phone. Some were in the most serious category showing the sexual abuse of babies.

They also found evidence he had shared a small number of images with two men in 2017 and 2018. Taylor's behaviour put him in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed by the courts in 2019 when he was jailed for nine months for making indecent images. The defendant, of Benson Drive, admitted breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, three offences of making by downloading indecent images of children and distributing indecent images.

Michael Green, defending, said Taylor was scared about going to prison and has caring responsibilities at home.

Judge David Evans said he had a good insight into his offending and accepted he is remorseful. He added: "You have a sexual interest in underage children. Undoubtedly this was a very serious and persistent breach that went on for some time and you failed to reveal possession of the mobile phone."

He said people should be concerned about Taylor's behaviour but there was no suggestion it had gone from online offending to contact crimes. 

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A sadistic rapist has been jailed after carrying out a horrific raft of sexual offences inflicted upon a vulnerable woman.

Richard Morland recorded more than ten hours of his sexual abuse on a number of digital devices over a protracted period of time.

A judge told the defendant that his sickening offending was some of the worst she had ever witnessed after watching some of the disturbing video footage.

The depraved 47-year-old also broke into the home of another woman in the early hours of New Year’s Day and spent six hours hiding inside waiting for her to return but eventually left after stealing several pairs of worn-underwear.

Morland was captured on ring doorbell footage when his victim returned home to find her patio doors smashed open.

When police arrested the defendant, they carried out a search of his Shildon property and recovered a length of rope, a roll of tape and several pairs of unwashed underwear stuffed in a drawer, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Judge Jo Kidd branded Morland a dangerous offender as she passed a 27-year sentence for the horrific sexual abuse he inflicted on his victim.

“He repeatedly raped her and that is aggravated significantly by the fact he recorded those crimes,” she said.

“I had the opportunity of watching a short excerpt of the particular rapes set out in the charges, they make for the most disturbing viewing.

“What is clear is that his behaviour towards his victim was punctuated by physical force against the background of her screaming, crying, and trying to push him off. She was repeatedly telling him how much he was hurting her.

“One final image shows her cowering against a wall, a broken victim. He would also tell her he was going to tie her up and used that threat to terrorise her.

“This is one of the most perverted, sadistic, expressions of violence towards a woman that I have ever seen.”

Morland, of Shildon, pleaded guilty to several rapes on the same victim, and trespass with intent to commit a sexual act when he broke into the house in Newton Aycliffe.

Robert Woodcock, prosecuting, said the defendant’s abuse was ‘bullying, sadistic, and misogynistic’ when he outlined the catalogue of offences, which occurred over a protracted period of time, including repeatedly raping the woman.

He said that Morland used his victim’s past suffering against her in an attempt to force her to engage in sexual activities.

Dealing with the second victim, he said Morland had superimposed her face onto video footage of him raping and sexually abusing his first victim.

Mr Woodcock said the defendant's behaviour in the property had left her feeling scared and unable to relax in her own home.

Syam Soni, mitigating, said his client regrets the impact that his offending had on the two victims.

Morland was told he would serve 22-years in prison before being released on a five-year extended licence period.

He was also made subject of an indefinite order to sign on the sex offenders’ register.

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A prolific child sex offender befriended a family and babysat their two young children, buying them sweets, ice cream and toys, a court heard.

Their parents knew nothing of Stephen Carruthers' sordid past. He's now been jailed for breaching a court order which stipulated any contact he had with children aged under 18 must be approved.

Carruthers, 64, was only caught when the children's nursery raised concerns with the parents. He was the subject of an indefinite sexual offending prevention order (SHPO) when he first met the children's mother.

Carruthers, of Clevedon Road, Blackpool, was invited to the house but did not mention his previous convictions, Preston Crown Court heard. As he got closer to the family he began looking after the children while their parents went to work.

He put them to bed and would be in the same room when they were having a bath, the court heard. He stayed over at the house on several occasions and was often trusted to be alone with them. However when the parents - who knew nothing of his past - were told by staff at the nursery they were worried about the children's behaviour, reports Lancs Live.

The children's father said Carruthers was "very keen on the children" and would buy them sweets, ice cream and toys.

He visited the house almost every day and would often bend down to cuddle them. When the parents went out and left him with the children, Carruthers told them not to rush back, he said.

Preston Crown Court heard the defendant was subject to indefinite notification requirements, otherwise known as the sex offenders register, which meant any contact with children under 18 must be approved. He had not told the police or social services he was visiting the house and spending time alone with the children.

He has a string of convictions dating back to the 1970s and in 2009 was handed an indeterminate sentence for public protection for an offence of sexual activity with a child. During that hearing, the court heard how he and another paedophile he met in prison lured four teenage boys to a flat they shared in Blackpool, with boasts of money and celebrity contacts.

Judge Christopher Cornwall described the pair as "incorrigible, predatory paedophiles." Carruthers' release was only granted when the Parole Board considered he was no longer a risk, however when his contact with the children came to light he was immediately recalled on licence.

Carruthers pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching of a SOPO and two counts of breaching notification requirements. Judge Sarah O'Brien said there was no evidence he had harmed the children. She said: "Your probation progress report sets out that you have attended all your appointments and have been open with professionals, however you failed to share the most important information - that you were having unsupervised contact with two young children.

"You managed to gain the trust of these parents to be left in charge of two young (children). These are not just persistent, but flagrant breaches." He was jailed for three years.

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A dangerous sex offender from Droitwich has been sentenced to more than 20 years.

Adam Essex, aged 41 years from Droitwich, was handed the 26-year sentence at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday (28 November). He had previously been found guilty of eight serious sexual offences including two counts of rape, sexual assault by penetration, controlling and coercive behaviour with the threat of violence and witness intimidation. 

The offences took place between August 2021 and April 2022 and the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on all eight charges.

The victim initially reported the crimes in March 2022 and the early investigation, led by DC Rachael Lynch from Worcester station, involved teams from patrol and CID, resulting in Essex being arrested on three separate occasions as further offences came to light. 

He was charged and remanded with controlling and coercive behaviour on 11 April 2022. Following this charge, an extensive action plan was put in place to move the case forward to court. 

DC Mark Wilson was asked to assist DC Lynch, finally leading to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising charging Essex with eight serious sexual offences.

Detective Inspector Sharon Wallace-Rathmell said: “This was an extremely challenging investigation and I’d like to congratulate DCs Lynch and Wilson, and the wider teams, for the dedication and commitment they have shown throughout, culminating in a long sentence for a dangerous sex offender.

"Officers who work in the field of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) can find themselves working on complex and multi layered cases which require resilience and perseverance. They are skilled and professional officers working with compassion and dedication to support victims and prosecute offenders and I thank them for their work.”

Essex will remain on the sex offenders register for life and will remain on licence for four years upon release from prison.

Issued by MN, Corporate Communications

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Today (Thursday 30 November 2023), following an investigation by GMP’s North Manchester CID, Steven Evans has been sentenced to a 24 year custodial sentence with an extended 8 year license period for 37 offences including rape, sexual assault and administering a noxious substance.

Evans also received an indefinite restraining order against all four victims and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The investigation was first launched in December 2022 when officers received reports from a victim that she had found an old mobile device containing multiple indecent and explicit images of Evan’s sexually assaulting her. When the victim located Evan’s phone, she confirmed she had no recollection of these incidents taking place and was either asleep or unconscious.

She also disclosed a catalogue of incidents where she had woken up with intimate body parts hurting. When she confided in Evans, he discouraged her from going to the hospital and laughed at her. The victim also disclosed being raped while conscious by Evans.

Following this, officers located and spoke to another woman who bravely disclosed a similar experience at the hands of Evans. She told officers she was raped, sexually assaulted, and believed she was spiked by Evans.

She told officers Evans would often pressure her for sex, that he was controlling, and coerced her, threatening to harm himself if she ever left. She too discovered similar disturbing, explicit images she couldn’t recall being taken.

A further two victims were also identified as having been spiked by Evans at a house party.

Following Evans arrested on Wednesday 8 March 2023, when all interviews had taken place, a total of 61 photographs and 35 videos that confirmed over 25 separate non-consensual sexual encounters.

In addition, there were several internet searches on Evan’s devices where he searched ‘define sexomnia’, ‘what conditions make you sleep’ and ‘what diseases make you sleep’.

Whilst he denied all the offences, he was subsequently charged and remanded. The victims have been supported by specially trained officers throughout.

Detective Sergeant Natasha Feerick of GMP’s North Manchester CID said:

“Firstly, I would like to thank all four victims for their bravery and their continued support throughout our investigations. This has no doubt been an extremely difficult time for them, and I know the impact of these heinous crimes has been grave.

The victims told the court of the fear Evans made them feel and the horror when they discovered Evans had filmed such horrific events for his own gratification. They spoke how Evans affected every area of their lives and his controlling, manipulative and evil ways made them so scared to leave.

Evans knowingly spiked his victims with what he called ‘magic’ and preyed upon their vulnerabilities when spiked. He injured them and left them with damage to their bodies in horrific ways. His lack of remorse for the victims and their welfare is despicable.

From the initial report, the investigation team worked around the clock, to gather insurmountable evidence against him. Securing Evans conviction was a top priority for our team, to protect our communities and bring some form of justice to all Evans’ victims.

Evans is a dangerous individual who fully deserves the sentence imposed on him. I truly hope this sentence brings all four victims some form of closure and can rebuild their lives in the knowledge he has been removed from Greater Manchester’s streets.

I hope this case demonstrates the seriousness with which Greater Manchester Police deal with reports of rape, sexual assault, and spiking. We will believe you; we will support you and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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This is the face of a paedophile school worker who was described as a 'victim' due his taboo secret. Ismail Adewumi groomed and sexually attacked a 13-year-old boy at a time when his family were trying to find him a wife.

The 26-year-old from Holte Road, Sparkbrook was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting two counts of sexual activity with a boy and one count of sexual communication with a child. The victim was not a pupil at Redstone Academy in Balsall Heath where Adewumi worked in administration.

The school immediately suspended him and contacted the police when they became aware of a sick video of him on the toilet that he had sent the boy. But as Adewumi was sentenced earlier this month Birmingham Crown Court was told he was a 'victim of circumstances' himself due to the difficulties of being homosexual in his community.

Lynette McLement, defending, revealed he would not even speak to a male barrister about the case. She said: "Things could be seen to reach crisis point in 2020. It was then the need to marry him off became pressing and it was clear and apparent his mother, with other family members, took the decision to find him a wife.

"This of course was in-effect pressure brought to bear on a young man unable to talk about the reason for not wishing to do so. He had not had the ability to talk to anybody about any sexual feelings. It was something he said 'nobody did'.

"He had never had a girlfriend - he wasn't allowed. No discussion about sexual leanings. The first person he spoke to who took a light-hearted attitude and joked about sex was this young man."

Ms McLement argued Adewumi was attracted to the boy because he was male, not because of his age, adding that sexuality was a 'taboo topic' in the defendant's community. She said: "Rather than a predator this man was a victim of circumstances, as so many others are who come to the court, where their own sexual identity is denied them. This is very much that situation."

Messages between Adewumi and the boy escalated from 'banter' about the PlayStaton to 'troubling' exchanges which included a reference to phone sex. At one point he told the victim he would 'strip you in the street and tie you to a lamppost'.

Adewumi referred to the boy as 'darling' and 'babes' as well as sent inappropriate videos of himself. The grooming behaviour culminated on a night they were together when he repeatedly groped the boy during a two-hour ordeal. The victim subsequently reported the attack to someone else who informed the school.

Sadaat Rasool, headteacher at Redstone Academy, told Birmingham Live: "Suspicious behaviour was brought to our attention so we immediately followed safeguarding guidelines, suspended the employee and made appropriate contact with relevant agencies including the police and the DBS. Safeguarding in the school is of upmost importance and we ensure all staff are trained and up-to-date with how to identify and raise concerns."

Judge Roderick Henderson, sentencing Adewumi, said: "I don't at all underestimate the difficulty you found in your community but the core of this case and what makes it so serious is he was so much younger than you. You were a full adult. You knew this nine-years-younger-than-you boy was in a completely different category and you did, no doubt in the confused state you were in, exploit him and caused real damage."

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A Moray businessman has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women following a trial at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Michael Ramsay had denied charges that he sexually assaulted one woman by penetrating her with his fingers and sex toys and another by trying to remove her clothes and kiss her.

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A Fife masseuse who sexually assaulted a client has lost his job, wife and home.

Mark Robertson was giving a massage to a woman in her 20s at his home on February 9 this year.

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A "predator" who pretended to be asleep while sexually assaulting lone women on trains has been jailed. 

Adriano Repetti, 46, is known to have sexually assaulted four women on trains between Cambridge and Kings Cross but police believe there could be more victims. 

Each time he would choose a seat near a lone woman, trapping them by the window. 

He would then pretend to fall asleep, then with his eyes closed he would reach out and touch his victims. 

Repetti was caught when at around 7.30pm on August bank holiday Monday (August 28) he started to touch a woman. 

He ignored her when she asked to leave the seat but the woman bravely texted British Transport Police on 61016 while he was sat next to her. 

She wrote: “I have no idea where to report this to but some guy is touching me on the train.” 

Officers met the train at Kings Cross station and Repetti was arrested. 

By a stroke of luck, another woman who saw Repetti being arrested came forward to tell officers he had also assaulted her the previous weekend (Saturday, August 19). 

An investigation revealed two more women who Repetti had sexually assaulted between July and August. 

On July 22, a 25-year-old woman had taken a photo of him as she left a train where he had targeted her. 

And on August 23 he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman who reported the incident to officers at Kings Cross. 

Detectives believe Repetti is likely to have committed more offences and have urged victims to come forward. 

When interviewed, Repetti admitted his actions but showed no remorse, saying he did not think he had targeted women. 

Repetti, of Manor Way in Fulbourn, pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching. 

At Inner London Crown court on Tuesday November 21, a judge sentenced him to four years and 10 months in prison. 

Detective Constable Mark Luker, investigating, said: “Repetti’s predatory actions have traumatised his victims and they have all been deeply affected. 

"Despite this, they were brave enough to come forward to police and, thanks to their testimony, a dangerous sex offender is now behind bars. 

"Anyone using the rail network to offend in this way should know that British Transport Police have officers looking for you day and night. You will not get away with it.” 

Detective Inspector Paul Attwell, senior investigating officer in the case, said: “British Transport Police go after sex offenders with everything at our disposal, including teams of dedicated plain clothes officers, 150,000 CCTV cameras and over 100,000 texts sent to 61016 every year. 

“The importance of reports from victims and witnesses can’t be understated. Men like Repetti are the reason that text 61016 and the Railway Guardian app exist. We know how important it is that victims can silently contact police while an offender may be sitting next to them. 

“Everyone should save 61016 or download Railway Guardian before you travel so you can discreetly text us if you need us.”

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A paedophile who repeatedly breaks court orders designed to control his behaviour is back behind bars after secretly setting up a Facebook account. Ian Mitchell also took a picture of pre-pubescent girl in swimwear which he deleted from his phone – but not before police became aware of its presence thanks to remote monitoring of his device.

Swansea Crown Court heard Mitchell has a history of sexual offending stretching back almost 25 years which began with him sexually abusing a young girl and has gone on to see him being caught multiple times with indecent images and videos. He has even been caught reoffending in prison by collecting newspaper cuttings of pictures of young girls in nativity plays as well as collecting articles about notorious child murderers. Mitchell's barrister said her client acknowledges he has "urges" and wants help to deal with them.

Tom Scapens, prosecuting, said Mitchell was released from his last custodial sentence in August this year and registered with police and then on October 26 had "e-safe" monitoring software installed on his mobile which allows police to remotely monitor phone activity. The court heard that "within hours" of having the software activated at Swansea Central police station an "image of significant concern" appeared on the phone – namely a photograph of a pre-pubescent girl in a swimsuit. The following week police went to his flat in Swansea's High Street and examined the mobile. Officers saw the photo which they knew he had taken had since been deleted and they saw he had signed up to Facebook in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

The defendant was arrested and in interview admitted taking the photograph of the girl saying he had found a sim card and when he plugged into his television the picture of the youngster had appeared on the screen. He said he took a picture of the image on the screen before "panicking" and wrapping the sim in tissue paper and flushing it down the toilet. He also said he didn't know he was not allowed to have a Facebook account.

Ian Spencer Mitchell, of High Street, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order by deleting a photograph and having a social media account when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. The court heard he has two different dates of birth recorded on the system and is aged either 59 or 61. Mitchell has 40 previous convictions for 123 offences.

The court heard the defendant's sexual offending began in 1999 when he was sentenced to 18 months in prison for gross indecency with a child. This offence had seen him sexually assaulting a girl and showing her a pornographic film while masturbating. He was placed on the sex offenders register but failed to tell police where he was living after his release from prison and was subsequently put on the wanted list. He was arrested in 2004 in a Jobcentre in possession of a bank card in a false name.

In 2005 Mitchell was given an extended sentence as a dangerous offender, comprising nine months in custody with an extended three-year licence, for making indecent photographs of a child and in 2011 was jailed again and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for making and possessing indecent images. The following year he was sentenced to three years in prison for once again making and possessing indecent images. Mitchell's offending continued upon his release from prison and in 2015 he was sentenced to 40 months in prison for engaging in online chats about sexual abuse and for distributing indecent images and videos including of Category A which covers the most serious kinds of child sexual abuse and rape.

While serving this sentence at HMP Channings Wood in Devon the defendant was found with a secret stash of newspaper cuttings of pictures of young girls in swimming costumes or in nativity plays – some of which he had stuck onto pictures of naked woman in a pornographic magazine. He also had a collection of newspaper clippings of stories about notorious child murder cases. All the items were found during a search of his cell. For this offending Mitchell was given a second extended sentence in 2017 comprising 12 months in prison followed by a three-year licence period.

The following year the defendant was given another extended sentence as a dangerous offender after police in Swansea found more than 4,000 indecent and prohibited pictures on his phone and in his iCloud storage account and found he had engaged in sexualised conversations on WhatsApp in which he pretended to be a girl aged 11 to 13. The passcode to his phone – "Little Girls ****" – reflected his interest in child sexual abuse . For making, possessing, and distributing indecent images and breaching a SHPO the defendant was sentenced to two years in prison with an extended three-year licence period. The court heard he breached the SHPO again in 2021 after buying an internet-enabled video games console. Mitchell initially lied to police claiming another resident of the hostel had given him the device but checks showed he had in fact purchased it from a Swansea city centre shop. The defendant was released from this final sentence on August 16 this year.

Nicola Powell, for Mitchell, said following his release from prison over the summer the defendant had elected to have "E-safe" software installed on his phone "because he wanted to be safe". She said while helping his partner to move house the defendant had come across a sim-type card which he put into his television to see what it contained and had then "foolishly" taken a photo of the picture on the screen. She said the image of the girl was not indecent but it was accepted that it was "an image of concern". The barrister said Mitchel had then deleted the photo from his phone "to try to prevent any further urges". Miss Powell said the defendant was "trying his best" to deal with the "urges" he has and wants help to do so.

Recorder Aidan Eardley KC said he had been told that the defendant acknowledges he has "serious problems" and has "urges he has difficulty resisting". He said there was no possibility of suspending the prison sentence that was due as Mitchell was "unable to abide by court orders" including breaching sexual harm prevention orders on no less than four previous occasions. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas the defendant was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The sexual harm prevention order remains in place.

Record details

A convicted sex beast ignored strict requirements put on him as he repeatedly kept quiet to "avoid detection".

Matthew Nicholls showed a "flagrant disregard" of a court order when he remained silent and spent a large amount of time living with a woman at a house that the police knew nothing about.

The 44-year-old admitted two offences at Hull Crown Court of failing to register his details in connection with his requirements as a convicted sex offender.

Chloe Pinches, prosecuting, said that Nicholls was a registered sex offender after he was jailed for 10 months at York Crown Court in September 2019 for causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

He had texted and sent messages to a girl on Facebook, Hull Live reports.

On June 1 this year, police were told that Nicholls had been staying at a house in East Yorkshire, and that he had not notified them. The woman who lived there was in a relationship with Nicholls and her child lived there.

The woman denied that Nicholls was in the house. "He was later found to be upstairs," said Miss Pinches.

The woman had started talking to him on an online dating site and they met at her home. He had moved in and spent time there over a period of about six months.

She was aware that Nicholls should have notified that he was living there, but she was trying to protect him from the authorities. He had been spending at least two days a week there.

"He purposefully chose not to notify the police," said Miss Pinches. "The child was put at some risk."

Hannah Turner, mitigating, said that Nicholls "fell deeply in love with" the woman and he fully accepted spending time at her house. "He was very candid about why he did what he did," said Miss Turner.

"This was a stupid decision on his part, perhaps a rather misguided way he was seeking to have a normal life and a family life. She was fully aware of this order being in place.

"She understood what orders were in place and why they were in place. He wanted her to be fully aware of the picture and what has happened in his past before she made any decision to have him as part of her family.

"He fully accepts that this was not the right way to go about this. They are still in a relationship. This is the defendant's first breach."

Recorder Taryn Turner told Nicholls: "You knew by dint of your conviction in 2019 that you became a registered sex offender. You were well aware of the implications of that order and what your obligations and responsibilities entailed.

"You were required to register at the local police station your address. Police were made aware that you had been staying at an address that was not registered to them as you living at.

"You made determined attempts to avoid detection and there was a very long period of non-compliance of around six to nine months. You had purposefully chosen not to call the police.

"You were deliberately avoiding informing your police officer who was supervising your order. You were deliberately avoiding telling him or her of your situation.

"This offence does demonstrate a flagrant disregard of court orders. You have deliberately chosen to ignore it."

Nicholls, a supermarket worker, now of Tadcaster, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence, 150 hours' unpaid work, 20 days' rehabilitation and a seven-month monitoring order. He was ordered to pay £425 costs and a previous sexual harm prevention order remains in place.