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A paedophile who was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for raping a child is now behind bars again for failing to sign the sex offenders register. 

James Bodenham was 26 when he raped an 11-year-old girl he had befriended in Addiscombe in March 2014. 

The victim's parents contacted police on March 1 when she was late returning from visiting a relative.  

She arrived home distressed soon after and told officers she had been sexually assaulted by a man she met earlier that day. 

Detectives identified on CCTV footage a man matching the description given by the girl and circulated the image around local officers, one of whom recognised Bodenham as a cyclist he had stopped weeks earlier. 

Bodenham was arrested on March 19 at this home, where police seized clothes matching those worn by the girl's attacker. 

Following DNA sample analysis, he was charged with two counts of rape. 

He pleaded guilty to one, with the other to lie on file, and was jailed for eight-and-a-half years at the Old Bailey. 

Bodenham, now 36, was released from prison on March 1, 2023 after serving the full sentence. 

But he failed to attend a police station to sign the sex offenders register within three days of his release. 

Then on November 8 he was caught with cannabis in Lambeth. 

On November 9 he appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to failing to comply with sex offenders register requirements and possession of a Class B drug. 

Bodenham was due to be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday (November 28). 

But a HMP Thameside officer said he could not attend court because he “swallowed a suspect drug parcel”. 

The sentencing was adjourned until mid-December. 

Record details

A serial sex offender who targeted two young children has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years.

Jonathan Parry left the victims feeling "exploited and broken" by his "depraved activities", but he knew that what he had done was "abhorrent". He was trapped by messages that he sent to another man, in effect boasting about what he had done.

That man reported what he had been told to the police and handed over the damning messages exchanged between them, Hull Crown Court heard. Parry, 29, of Somerscales Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted 18 offences, including four of attempted rape, five of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six of making indecent images of children and others of sexual assault, assault by penetration and possessing prohibited images of children.

Simon Reevell, prosecuting, said that the offences came to light after Parry was in contact online with a man and told him about his behaviour. The other man ended the conversation, but on a later occasion Parry again mentioned sexual abuse to a child.

The man reported the matter to police and investigations by the National Crime Agency led to Parry. He was arrested and his laptop and phone were seized. Thousands of indecent images of children were found, including in the most serious Category A.

One of the victims later said that they were glad when told that Parry was going to be arrested because it meant that he could not harm them or anyone else. They felt that nobody should have to experience the sort of pain that they had suffered. "[The victim] feels that the memories will never go away and that it's something that [they] will have to learn to live with," said Mr Reevell.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that Parry pleaded guilty at a very early stage and it meant that the victims did not have to come to court and go through the ordeal of being cross-examined during a trial. "He has not tried to challenge anything and he accepts what he has done," said Mr Godfrey. "He has not tried to wriggle and change the narrative of what he did. He knows that what he did was abhorrent.

"Ultimately, he doesn't have any justification for it. He knows that. He wants to say sorry. He knows that he can't turn back the clock and undo all the damage that he has caused.

"He acknowledges that what he did was very, very wrong and will have a lasting effect upon the victims. He knows that he is somebody who needs to be punished . . . he has shown willingness to talk about why he did what he did."

Parry had no previous convictions. Recorder Taryn Turner said that Parry committed a "raft of serious sexual offences". "What happened is quite appalling and disgraceful behaviour," said Recorder Turner. Parry committed a series of "depraved activities".

"What you did was appalling and you at least had the decency to come clean eventually with the court," said Recorder Turner. "There is a very clear concern about you. It's clear to me that you enjoyed what you did to these [children]."

Parry was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Following the conviction, Helen Shackleton, of Humberside Police, thanked the victims for their bravery during the investigation. She added: “Whilst it won’t take away the pain and suffering caused, the lengthy sentence here today means that Parry will be behind bars for a very long time, and unable to hurt anyone else."

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A paedophile, who exposed himself to a girl whilst in the bath, told her mum there was "nothing wrong with being friends" with a child, a court heard.

Dad-of-one Paul Evans "pressured" the teen into sending intimate pictures and would tell her she was "beautiful" after meeting on a mobile app in December 2021. Teesside Crown Court heard the child told him she was a teenager straight away and on their first video call was even wearing a school uniform.

Outlining the case, prosecutor Rachel Butt, said the pair would chat on WhatsApp and call each other almost every day. The timings would range from between 7pm and 4am.

"She said he was very nice to her at first and would compliment her on her appearance and tell her she was beautiful and amazing," Ms Butt said. "In their first video call he told her 'if you keep speaking to me you'll get money'."

After several weeks of grooming the 55-year-old began to ask for pictures of the girl's cleavage and private parts. Ms Butt said these requests would make the young girl feel "pressured" because he would "beg" repeatedly and say things such as "I've had a really bad day, you don't care about me".

The court heard the young girl sent pictures on multiple occasions and during some of the video calls the Middlesbrough defendant would take his top off. Ms Butt said on one video call he was in the bath and exposed his erect penis to her.

However, in February 2022, the girl's mother became suspicious after she saw a message from her child to the defendant asking for money. The mum recalled that the youngster had been dropping hints that she had entered competitions to win money. Ms Butt said this was to ensure the family would have not known where the funds had come from if Evans ever sent her any.

The court heard the mother questioned her child but she denied sending pictures. The mum then phoned Evans and asked why he was chatting with the child. Ms Butt said in response he said he was "just talking to her" before ending the call.

The prosecutor said the following day the mum phoned the defendant again and said she was going to contact the police. Evans told her 'there was nothing wrong with being friends with a teenager'.

The court heard the mum destroyed her daughter's sim card to prevent her from contacting him and the matters weren't reported until months later. Evan's crimes came to light when social services contacted the police over concerns.

Evans was arrested in June 2022 and data from his phone showed multiple video calls to and from the victim. There was also an image of the youngster in her school uniform on his phone and also one of her cleavage.

In a victim impact statement the youngster said: "The case with Paul has had a huge impact on me and my family. Firstly it really hurt my relationship with my mum. After she found out what happened she didn't trust me and it's taken a long time to try and repair our relationship.

"Paul's actions and the hurt he caused me resulted in my being hospitalised after I tried to kill myself. My parents felt unable to keep me safe and I was put in care for four months. While I know this was trying to keep me safe it removed me from my family and I wasn't able to see my sister which really upset me."

The court heard Evans has 16 convictions for 75 offences and pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing the same child to look at a sexual act and engaging in sexual communications with a child.

In mitigation, barrister Kelleigh Lodge said the defendant has used his time in custody wisely and is remorseful. She said: "He is genuinely sorry for his behaviour and the impact that it has had on the victim and her family.

"He has been in custody for a short while now and has used it well. He has been working with the DART team to address his alcohol issues and his mental health issues."

She said Evans is working with the probation service and has been approved for the Horizon programme for medium risk sex offenders. The defendant, previously of Forest Drive, Ormesby, was handed a 32-month consecutive prison sentence.

He is already serving a two-years-and-six-months prison sentence after he performed a grotesque dance which involved exposing himself to two 15-year-old girls live on a webcam. Teesside Live previously reported he promised the girls thousands of pounds each if they showed him their bodies.

He offered them more money to touch each other, but they refused. The two girls were online together in a bedroom when Evans performed the sick dance.

Record details

A serial paedophile who escaped being caged in April as a result of “soft touch” sentencing guidelines aimed at rehabilitating young offenders has finally lost his liberty – for raping a child.

George Low was remanded in custody for background reports to be prepared after he pleaded guilty at the High Court in Livingston to committing six serious offences against children.

The sexual predator has been warned he is unlikely to escape a significant sentence of detention when he returns to court on January 9 next year .

In addition to raping a girl under the age of 13, Low admitted sexually assaulting a schoolgirl under 13, causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of using threatening behaviour towards a child.

The 20-year-old, from Bathgate, had not-guilty pleas accepted to 10 further charges on the morning his trial by jury was due to start on Friday.

The serial sex offender originally appeared on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court in December 2021 charged with rape and 50 other sexual offences.

Prior to last week’s High Court case, he was prosecuted at Livingston Sheriff Court in April earlier this year for coercing 28 schoolgirls – aged 13 to 16 – to view footage of him performing sex acts before threatening those who refused to reciprocate.

He targeted the youngsters over a three-year period on social media websites such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat with his last victim being a 13-year-old girl who he targeted while he was on bail for earlier offences.

Despite offending from the summer of 2018 when he was just 15 years of age until he was 18-and-a-half years old, Sheriff Jane Farquharson chose not to sentence Low to detention because he had already spent the equivalent of a 30-month sentence on remand.

Instead she made him subject to intense social work supervision for three years and told his name would remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Given the pending High Court prosecution, she warned the accused that he remained at “very high risk of reoffending”.

She told him: “Of particular concern to me in sentencing you is your continued interest in young girls, that it would appear from this charge has persisted into your adulthood.

“Put frankly, as you have got older, the victims of your sexual interest have not aged accordingly.”

Sheriff Farquharson highlighted that Low had been the victim of neglect and a lack of care at home and had experienced domestic abuse, neglect and bereavement as a child.

She added: “You have had an entirely disjointed education, and spent much of your time in and out of foster care. You have not had the benefit of a supportive family or a pro-social group of positive peers.

“I understand that your traumatic childhood is likely to have impacted on your ability to regulate your emotions.

“But you must understand, Mr Low, as difficult as your life has been, that does not excuse your behaviour.”

The sentence imposed on Low was criticised as being too lenient by Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Jamie Greene MSP.

He said: “Concerning cases like this once again reaffirm just how ill-advised some sentencing guidelines are in reality.

“They do nothing to assure victims that justice is fully being served, something which SNP ministers seem oblivious to.”

He added: “The SNP government’s soft-touch approach to justice continues to prioritise the criminals over the victims and their families.

“It is vital that the victims are put first, which is why I’ve brought forward my Victims’ Law to Parliament.

“We must ensure that they are always at the heart of our justice system.”

The Low case followed the controversially lenient sentencing of Sean Hogg, who was convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl in a Midlothian park.

Instead of being jailed for four or five years, Hogg was ordered to do 270 hours of unpaid work, put under supervision and had his name added to the sex offenders register for three years.

He benefited from the Scottish Sentencing Council’s guidelines, which came into effect in January 2022, advising against custodial sentences for those under the age of 25, and recommending that judges take into account an offender’s intellectual and emotional maturity.

Hogg, of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, eventually had his conviction quashed at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh in October this year.

Judge Lady Dorrian told him: “There was an insufficiency of evidence for a conviction and the inevitable.

Record details

A lawyer who claimed he suffered from sexsomnia has been jailed for seven years after subjecting three victims to sexual abuse more than a decade ago.

Andrew Lingard was found guilty of raping one victim and indecent conduct against two children.

At the High Court in Edinburgh a judge told Lingard, 38, that the crimes he was convicted of were "very grave".

Judge Michael O'Grady KC added that he had undoubtedly caused dreadful pain to those who suffered through his actions.

The offences were carried out at addresses in West Lothian and a flat in Glasgow between 2005 and 2010.

Lingard's offending came to light after one of his victims started self-harming years later and suffered a mental "meltdown" while helping out at a stable for horses.

The trial heard the rape victim was assaulted at a house in Livingston while she was asleep and and after she awoke.

The court was also told one girl was abused by him at the age of 12 in 2005.

Another girl was molested by Lingard from the age of 12 and also subjected to a sex act. These offences occurred from 2006.

Defence counsel Shelagh McCall KC said Lingard continued to deny committing the offences, but added: "He accepts a significant custodial sentence is the inevitable outcome of his conviction."

She said: "He is a 38-year-old first offender. He is married with an infant son."

The defence counsel said 29 character references were written on his behalf by extended family, friends and colleagues which were supportive of him.

Asked about his sexsomnia defence, he said he had a clear memory of a discussion with a woman in which she complained about him waking her in a sexual way.

Lingard had denied the charges and maintained he had never had non-consensual sex.

Sexsomnia is a type of sleep disorder where people engage in sexual behaviour when asleep.

Lingard was earlier placed on the sex offenders register.

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A Dundee man has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register after admitting sending a picture of his private parts to a person he believed was only 12.

Charles Tippet, 50, was snared by a decoy account operated online by Shatter The Silence vigilante paedophile hunters.

Record details

A man from North Yorkshire has been sentenced to 13 months in prison after National Crime Agency officers recovered indecent images of children from his computers.

John Tesseyman was identified as part of an NCA investigation targeting UK nationals making payments to a Filipino family who facilitated child abuse.

Tesseyman was detained on suspicion of child sexual abuse offences by officers from the National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines while visiting the country.

He was later released and returned to the UK, but was arrested by the NCA several weeks later at his home in Ingleton, Carnforth. During their investigation, officers identified that Tesseyman had made 53 payments, totalling approximately £2,700, to payees in the Philippines between March and October 2017.

On his arrest, NCA officers seized Tesseyman’s computers, which were found to have over 70 indecent images of children in categories A-C (A being the most severe) stored on them, including those of a Filipino child.

His internet search history demonstrated a strong sexual preoccupation with young children and contained graphic descriptions of child sexual abuse.

Tesseyman was charged with four counts of making indecent photographs of children.

Yesterday [24 November 2023] at Preston Crown Court, he was sentenced to 13 months in prison. He was also prohibited from travelling to a list of countries, including the Philippines, for 5 years.

The couple who facilitated the abuse of the children in some of the photos were both charged with offences involving the sexual exploitation of children. One of them has since been convicted, and is serving a 15 year term in prison in Manila.

National Crime Agency senior investigating officer, Daniel Waywell, said:

“The Philippines remains a key focus of our work to prevent child sexual abuse by UK nationals, and we have cultivated a close working relationship with partners in the area to combat these crimes.

“The investigation into John Tesseyman was the result of a concerted effort from NCA officers and our colleagues overseas, demonstrating our resolve to pursue and bring to justice individuals who pose a sexual threat to children.”

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A paedophile arranged to pick up who he thought was a 13-year-old girl from her Liverpool school for sex. Paul Ellis, 64, thought he was speaking to a girl called Courtney, but it was actually a police decoy.

He cancelled the meeting with the "girl", but was later arrested. The defendant, of Market Street, Abergele, admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence in September 2021.

A judge at Mold Crown Court said he poses a risk of serious harm to children and jailed him for five and a half years. The judge - Mr Recorder Simon Mills - said: "The risk of serious harm to children is obvious."

The court heard Ellis had received a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for earlier offending. But he started to re-offend within three months of the end of his Probation Service supervision.

Prosecutor Simon Mintz told how in September 2021 Ellis started an online conversation with "Courtney", claiming he was a 45-year-old man called Dave. Ellis used WhatsApp to ask sexualised questions and whether she was in a school uniform.

He arranged to pick up "Courtney" from her school in Liverpool on September 24 and take her back to his flat in North Wales. He also offered to help get her on the pill.

Days before the meeting he cancelled it but asked "Courtney" to keep it a secret. Mr Mintz said Ellis was arrested and initially claimed he did not know "Courtney" was a child.

But he later admitted the arranging offence and also breaching a SHPO. One of two iPhones, which police seized and which "mirrored each other", had had a virtual private network on it, the court heard.

Sarah Badrawy, defending, said her client had admitted his offences and that there had been a lack of offending since these crimes in 2021. The judge told Ellis he had lied about his name and age and had had "sexualised" online conversations with the "girl".

He had then arranged to have sex with her. The judge said: "You pose an imminent risk of serious harm to children.

"I accept your offending revolving entirely around decoys (but) you believed you were talking to a child and arranging to meet them. The risk of serious harm to children is obvious.

"You are now and you will continue to pose for the foreseeable future a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public and small children." The judge said if Ellis offended again he could face life imprisonment.

Imposing the five and a half year prison term he said he would be supervised for an extended period of four years. He also gave Ellis a ten-month concurrent jail term for breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

The SHPO will continue for life, he added.

Record details

A sex offender has been jailed after lying about an illegally-held phone to access indecent images of children.

North Cumbria-based Bruce Chandler, 57, was previously given a two-year suspended prison term in 2021, and was also required to curb his online use after making sexual advances online to whom he believed were young girls.

Earlier this year however, he was found to have viewed several indecent images.

The judge said Chandler had made "no attempt" to mend his ways.

Chandler of St Martin's Close, Brampton, was originally handed a suspended prison term by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court in 2021 after making sexual advances online.

He believed he was approaching young girls and requested topless photos and attempted to meet one female.

'Deceitful'

Earlier this year, police visited Chandler who told them he was not in possession of any prohibited devices capable of connecting to the internet.

During a further, unannounced home risk assessment visit a fortnight later however, Chandler was seen trying to hide a smartphone.

"I've had it for over a year," he confessed to police. "I know I shouldn't have it. I thought I could get away with it. I lied about it the last time you were here."

It emerged Chandler had used the phone from December 2022, 14 months into the two-year suspended prison sentence term, to access nine indecent images of children.

Chandler was also found to have accessed one extreme pornographic image featuring a dog and logged into Instagram using an undeclared online alias.

In addition, the court heard he had deleted almost 4,500 web browser searches.

On Monday, Chandler admitted seven offences including four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), possession of nine category C indecent images of children, possessing an extreme pornographic image and breaching sex offender notification requirements.

Defence lawyer Andrew Gurney, mitigating, said: "He wishes to apologise to the court for what he has done."

But Judge Michael Fanning observed that Chandler had been guilty of "deceitful" and "dishonest" conduct.

The judge imposed a new SHPO which will run indefinitely.

Record details

A paedophile who groomed youngsters online and shared "grotesque" images of horrific abuse later blamed his vile behaviour on alcohol and drugs.

Former Ashford resident Ross Carver took to social media platforms such as Kik to fuel his depraved sexual interest during a Covid lockdown which “seriously compounded his mental health issues”, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Over a six-month period he engaged in multiple, explicit conversations in which he asked for indecent photos, distributed child abuse images and videos – and even encouraged others, including children, to carry out sexual acts on younger siblings and cousins.

The 33-year-old's depravity sank so low that he claimed he was the adult filmed abusing children as young as four in the videos he had shared, and even boasted of having raped toddlers.

In one chatlog he also referred to having "trained" two young girls, adding "I find it easier with littles".

The court was told however that the female relatives he spoke of having molested do not exist, and police have not identified him as being the abuser in any of the videos or images.

But although Carver's sickening assertions proved to be nothing more than the warped fantasies of someone his barrister described as being "in the grip" of alcohol and drug misuse during Covid lockdown, a judge told him at his sentencing hearing there was still "grave concerns" he posed a direct risk to children.

Carver, who now lives with his parents in Bearsted, Maidstone, admitted three offences of attempting or arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, nine of distributing indecent images of children and three of possessing indecent images.

Prosecutor Lucy Luttman said the multiple Kik chat logs and indecent images were discovered on an iPhone and Samsung seized by police during a search of his then-home in November 2020.

The devices revealed he was also a member of several chat groups with names related to his foot fetish, such as "Teen feet 10-16" and "Teen feet anything goes", and had carried out internet searches using terms including "Young feet".

In online communications between June and October 2020, Carver spoke with users who gave their ages as being 12, 13, 14 and 20. Having described himself as "laidback, bored and fancies some fun", he asked one girl, who was traced to Los Angeles, for indecent images, adding he was "one of the good guys".

"He tells her she is what he has been looking for and assures her he will pay before asking a series of questions about her feet," Miss Luttman told the court. "He specifically asks if her feet smell of vinegar."

"He was living alone in Ashford and lockdown seriously compounded his mental health issues...”

Others were asked about taking photos of younger relatives while one boy was sent a picture of an explicit image and encouraged to show pictures of his feet. Carver also offered to pay up to £15 per photograph, vowing to be "a loyal customer".

Miss Luttman said however that the ages stated by those he was grooming had not been verified and so it was not known if they were in fact children or adults posing as children.

The court heard Carver also shared 79 still and moving abuse images multiple times among 42 different chat groups between July and November 2020. They depicted children aged between four and 10 being subjected to the most serious of sexual acts, including rape.

It was in these chats that Carver detailed in "grotesque and vile" terms the sexual acts he claimed to have perpetrated and encouraged others to do the same. He described raping a toddler as "great, like a dream".

Other indecent images found on his phone which he had not distributed included ones of a two-year-old girl and some of "animated" babies.

Following his arrest, Carver confirmed he used Kik for foot fetish groups and, although he may have used the word 'teen' in some of his internet searches, he told police he never looked for child pornography.

He even claimed he had reported other users for posting what he described as "pretty bad" images.

Carver, who has no relevant previous convictions, was said to be "sickened and ashamed" of his actions and, urging the court to take an exceptional course and spare him jail, his barrister Victoria Meads spoke of the significant progress made in the past three years.

This included joining Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, obtaining work at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset, seeking support from child protection charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and being treated for previously undiagnosed ADHD.

"These offences took place when it was a totally different time of his life and he was in a totally different place," said Miss Meads.

"He has battled with depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harming issues over a significant period of time and was in the grip of alcohol and drug abuse during the lowest point in his life in 2020, a period of isolation for many people when the country was in the grip of Covid lockdown.

"He was living alone in Ashford and lockdown seriously compounded his mental health issues."

Referring to his graphic accounts of abuse he claimed to have carried out on non-existent child relatives, the barrister said they "clearly demonstrated" he was a fantasist.

"While grotesque, despicable and sickening, some of that language is indicative of his drug use at the time and his fantasist behaviour," she added.

Jailing Carver for three years, Judge Simon James said that despite "commendable inclinations" to address his offending, immediate custody was inevitable for what was an "extensive use of the internet to satiate his sexual interest in children".

"You were looking to share your own warped desires and sexual fantasies… You were making a conscious effort not just to seek out like-minded adults but also children to discuss in the most graphic terms the rape and sexual abuse of very young children," he told Carver.

"You boasted of having raped toddlers and explicitly described your own sexual abuse of children. However, your depravity didn't just involve you expressing your own fantasies but also encouraging others to abuse and violate children.

"Any right-minded person who heard the summaries of the vile descriptions associated with the imagery you were openly distributing would struggle to react with anything other than revulsion.

"Describing images of children being raped is indicative of extreme sexual depravity that, despite the fact there is no evidence of you having actually carried out, must give rise to grave concerns about you being an individual who poses a direct risk to children."

On his release from prison Carver will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order

Record details

A FORMER soldier who works in the movie industry has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of child sex offences with a girl he thought was just 14.

Paedophile Michael O’Mahoney, 38, was convicted following a trial of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The offences were committed in Newport and London between November 22, 2022, and March 28 this year.

O’Mahoney had denied the charges against him.

His barrister Peter Donnison told Cardiff Crown Court: “He does have previous convictions but none for offences such as this nature and they are of a particular age and it is some length of time since them.

“The most serious offence was of a completely different context as well and it was committed whilst he was serving in the army.

“Having been released from that previous sentence he has worked for a number of companies in different areas and in particular has been working on movie sets for Movie Guard in terms of providing security in that industry.”

The judge, Recorder John Hardy KC, told O’Mahoney: “It's wholly unnecessary for me to lecture you about these offences.

“You know what it is you've been convicted of doing by the jury whose verdicts were returned, if I may say so, with some considerable degree of promptitude.”

He jailed the defendant, of High Street, Stratford, London, for 18 months and told him he would serve half of that sentence before being released on licence.

O’Mahoney will have to register as a sex offender and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

He will also have to pay a statutory victim surcharge following his release from custody.

The attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act offence happened in Newport and the attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child charge occurred in London.

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A MECHANIC has been jailed after cops caught him raping a schoolgirl in a seaside car park.

Niall O'Sullivan, 28, has now been locked up for 10 years after the horror sex attack in Brighton in May.

The monster - who was 15 years the girl's senior - was caught in the act after the youngster's pals frantically called 999.

East Sussex's Lewes Crown Court heard how O'Sullivan had groomed the 12-year-old after they met online.

The pair spoke on Snapchat and WhatsApp for months before the then-27-year-old drove from Birmingham to Brighton to meet her.

Tim Forster, prosecuting, told the court the girl was in her school uniform the first time they met.

He added: “She was clearly under 16 by a significant margin.”

The pair had met on three occasions until O'Sullivan raped her in his car.

On that horror day, the young girl had told her mum she was seeing her friends.

And while she did meet her pals, it was them who called the cops on O'Sullivan.

Police were scrambled to the car park in Brighton Marina at about 2pm on Sunday May 7.

Jailing O’Sullivan, Judge Christine Laing, said: “You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.”

The victim told police O’Sullivan became angry with her when she tried to speak with or go out with other friends.

Kevin Light, defending, said: “He knows what he did was wrong.

"He has mentioned throughout that he did not know how young she was although he admits that he knew she was under-age.”

Judge Laing, the Honorary Recorder of Brighton and Hove, said: “Sexual abuse of young children often gives them a life sentence. None of us knows the impact that it will have on (the victim) as she grows up.

“The law is there to protect children … and that’s why the sentences are as severe as they are.

“You knew full well you shouldn’t have been doing what you were doing. You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

“It would have been very obvious that she was very young and somewhat naïve.

“You didn’t even bother forking out for a hotel for this child but just had sex with her in your car. You knew full well that if you took her into a hotel, you would very likely have been challenged.”

You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

The Judge locked O'Sullivan up for nine years and four months, and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

The judge also recommended that the two friends who called the police should receive a £200 award from the High Sheriff of East Sussex.

Detective Constable Stewart Cameron, from Sussex Police, said: “This was a highly distressing case which has had a lasting impact on the vulnerable young victim.

“O’Sullivan knew what he was doing was wrong and had no choice but to plead guilty when confronted with the evidence.

“His behaviour was brazen, often taking the victim to public locations in daylight in order to commit the appalling offences.

“This case demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and to get justice for vulnerable victims. We are pleased that a dangerous sex offender is now off our streets.”

Record details

Christopher Foulger, 34, of Fort Cumberland Road, was sentenced on November 24 at Winchester Crown Court to two years imprisonment.

The sentence is for causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The offence took place at an address on Albert Road in Southsea on August 28 of this year.

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A man already serving a long prison sentence for sexual violence, has received a further jail term of 11 years for multiple rapes on another woman.

Mark Newton received a 14-year and three-month sentence, with five years’ extended licence period, after being branded as, “posing a high risk of causing serious harm to women”, by a judge at Newcastle Crown Court, in March, 2021, for subjecting two victims to sexual and physical violence.

He was back before the crown court, this time at Durham, today (Friday November 24), to be sentenced after admitting four further counts of rape, one of attempted rape and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm weeks before a scheduled trial for the offences.

The court heard the now 32-year-old defendant, previously of South View Gardens, in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, has an earliest possible release date for his previous offences in January 2030.

But he may have to serve until October 2034 before being eligible for release on parole, before now starting his sentence for the latest offences before the court.

His offending with the victim in this case happened during the period of him committing the offences for which he has already been convicted, but did not come to light until after he was taken into custody.

Dr Chris Wood said the rapes were accompanied in some cases by physical violence, in one case placing his hands tightly around his victim’s neck and telling her: “I hope you have said goodbye to the kids”.

It caused her to black out, but when she came around Newton dragged her to a bedroom and tried to rape her, but she struggled and attempted to climb out of a window to escape.

She repeatedly told him she did not want sex, but he told her: “You’ll do what I say. You’ll live by my rules.”

It was only after Newton was taken into custody for the other offences that the victim came forward and gave a detailed account of the abuse she suffered.

Dr Wood said she was left “mentally and physically traumatised” by her experiences and now does not go out or have a social life.

She described herself as, “always looking over my shoulder” and struggles to sleep, often suffering panic attacks, and is trying to work through her problems with therapy.

Dr Wood said when interviewed, Newton was, “effectively in denial”.

David Callan, in mitigation, said once medical reports confirmed the defendant was fit to plead, he made his admissions, several weeks before the scheduled trial.

He said Newton suffers with adhd, even as an adult, for which he receives medication.

Mr Callan said since his client was transferred from HMP Northumberland to Durham Prison he now has, “a positive attitude” to seeing out his sentence.

“He’s taking it on a day at a time basis and just wants to get his head down and await going before the Parole Board.”

Judge James Adkin said he has no doubt that the defendant fits the criteria of being, “a dangerous offender”, posing a highly significant risk of committing further serious offences, particularly with women.

He told Newton: “You have now shown yourself capable of serious sexual offences against three women.”

Imposing an 11-year prison sentence with three years’ extended licence period, the judge said it should run consecutively with the defendant’s existing sentence.

He will have to serve at least two-thirds of the 11-year sentence before being eligible for release by the Parole Board.

Record details

A convicted paedophile made friends with a series of unknowing parents under false names and spent time with their children. Gareth Hill, 43, was previously jailed for the possession and distribution of child abuse images and on release formed a series of friendships without telling the parents about his convictions.

Hill, from St Austell, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of a sexual harm prevention order between 2019 and 2021.

Prosecuting the case, Heather Hope told the court how Hill formed a new relationship in Callington under the name Thomas Smallcroft. This relationship brought him into new social groups and one woman he came to know would leave her child with the defendant. She said after discovering Hill's history that, had she known about his past, she'd have never let her child anywhere near him.

In 2019, Hill and his partner struck up a friendship with a mother in a pub. They would spend time together with a child present. On a number of occasions Hill and his partner would babysit the child and even took the child to Plymouth for a day out.

Further offences included Hill being invited to a child's birthday party and other social visits to mothers, and one father - with children. One woman said she felt "sick to the stomach" when Hill's past came to light.

The final charge related to Hill lying to police about being in possession of a phone. Two mobile phones were later found at his parents' house during a visit.

Representing Hill, Rupert Taylor said: "He wanted to rebuild his life and there is no suggestion of any inappropriate behaviour with children. He was afraid to tell anyone and his past caught up with him.

"He has been gardening for elderly people and his plan is to reattend college for a landscaping course."

Sentencing Hill, Judge Simon Carr said the offending was "a long-term systematic breach of a sexual harm prevention order". Judge Carr went over Hill's offending history before saying: "Over a period of years you befriended predominately women with young children. The pattern is consistent and not a single one had a child over 10.

"You were seen as so trustworthy you were allowed to be with their children, were invited to birthday parties and on limited occasions spent time with children alone.

"You gave a false name and lied about the reason you had been sent to prison, saying it was for violence. Each and every parent was horrified when they found out about your entrenched sexual interest in children.

"You told a probation officer it was unfair you were subject to such an order and it was a breach of your human rights - it is not. You are someone prepared to manipulate the system and after all these years you will purport not to have a sexual interest in children. Your sexual interest in children is entrenched and it will never go away."

Hill was jailed for five years.