Latest Offenders

Description

A paedophile told a supposed teenage girl: "I want to be the man who teaches you everything you need to know about sex."

James Smith, 44, who even called himself a "nonce pedo" online, targeted underage girls on chat forums.

Smith thought he was talking to a 14-year-old child called 'Darcie' when he discussed performing a sex act on her.

The predator sent her a photo of his penis and joked that what he was doing was "classed as grooming a minor LOL".

But he was actually talking to a decoy profile, set up by paedophile hunter group Children Online Battling Real Abuse (Cobra).

The pervert is today starting a prison sentence after it emerged he had also chatted to another COBRA decoy, 13-year-old 'Bekki'.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Smith, of Halliday Close, Birchwood, Warrington, started talking with Bekki on the chat platform SayHi last June.

Smith, whose profile featured a picture of a dog but also a second image showing a naked torso, had a bio saying he was a "nonce/pedo".

He asked Bekki "hey sexy girl, how are you?" before asking how old she was, when she explained she was 13.

Natalia Cornwall, prosecuting, said Smith told her he was a sex offender who had been convicted for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, which the court heard isn't in fact true.

The conversation moved to WhatsApp and they continued talking about general topics until August, when Smith's messages turned sexual and he told Bekki he had been drinking and doing "silly things" like trying on knickers, tights and miniskirts.

Ms Cornwall said he went on to say he loved girls' underwear and if she was in her underwear, he'd "well look".

Smith told Bekki that he loved to perform a certain sex act and if they met, he would like to touch her, before claiming his real name was John.

The court heard Smith carried on talking with Bekki until October, but no arrangements were ever made to meet her, despite her asking in September how they would meet if she didn't know where he lived, and him replying that he would always meet in a public place.

However, in September he started talking with Darcie on the app Jaumo, who told him she was 14 after he messaged saying she was "sexy", using the name John McGee.

Despite knowing of her apparent age, he said she was "hot" and in one message talked about her "staying the night" with him at his address.

He made the comment about teaching her about sex, talked about performing a sex act on her, sent the naked photo, and joked about grooming.

Ms Cornwall said Smith suggested meeting Darcie on more than one occasion, saying that she could meet him in Warrington in late October, only for him to then go quiet online.

On November 5 he made arrangements to meet Darcie at Manchester Oxford Road station and told her what train he was getting and that he would text before he arrived, but he didn't in fact travel.

Smith then disclosed his address to an adult decoy, before Cobra went to his home and confronted him about the vile chats on November 11, which they live streamed on Facebook.

The group also contacted police, who arrested the pervert.

When interviewed, he told officers he knew the accounts were decoys set up by paedophile hunters and that he only engaged with them to get "cheap thrills".

Smith later admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Philip Tully, defending, said his client didn't have any previous convictions, but accepted he had a caution for sexual assault in 2005.

He said Smith recalled this involved him trying to "console" a 15-year-old girl by hugging her and giving her a peck on the head and there wasn't any sexual motivation behind it.

Urging the judge to spare him jail, Mr Tully said Smith had a good work record and had shown "genuine remorse" and insight into his offending.

He said: "Shortly before the commission of these offences, he had to deal with the very difficult time in his life of the death of his father, someone who he cared for. That seems to have had a profound effect upon him.

"He's not someone in the best of health - diagnosed with COPD and also a skin disorder."

Mr Tully said Smith had been "absolutely frank" with the author of a pre-sentence report about why he committed the offences and was open to help from the Probation Service, which he argued Smith - who had already spent three months in custody - wouldn't receive if he was sent to prison.

The judge, Recorder Rick Pratt, QC, said Smith took steps which were "more than merely preparatory".

He said: "Whatever the truth of the matter was, you believed you were communicating with young children, and children who were significantly below the age where they could properly make sexual decisions for themselves, and you preyed on what you believed to be that innocence."

The judge said the offences involving Darcie were more serious and said: "Your conversations with her demonstrated in my view a clear intention of what you had in mind."

Describing what Smith had said about wanting to teach Darcie about sex, the judge added: "It also included - perhaps somewhat sinisterly - the phrase that what you were doing 'would be classed as grooming a minor LOL'."

Recorder Pratt said he was satisfied Smith had intended to take part in penetrative sexual activity with Darcie.

The judge said he took into account Smith's mitigation, and "most importantly that no child was actually involved".

He said: "That does provide some mitigation because the case doesn't involve actual harm to a child here.

"Nevertheless, I have to balance that against your very clear intention."

Giving him 25% credit for his guilty pleas at a plea hearing, the judge jailed Smith for two years and three months.

He told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and said he must comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A SEX offender has been sent back to prison for a second breach of a court order designed to prevent further offending. Keir Dean flouted his sexual harm prevention order within months after being released from custody for his first breach. The 24-year-old, who was previously sentenced for sexual activity with a child, was prohibited from having mobile phones capable of storing digital images. But police found three such devices after attending an address he was present at. Dean was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, appearing via video link from HMP Altcourse, over charges of breaching his sexual harm prevention order and possessing cannabis. Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, explained how he was found in possession of two iPhones and one Samsung mobile phone, but nothing incriminating was found on them. The defendant was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in July 2018 for two offences of sexual activity with a child. The court heard how he previously breached this order in July 2019 when he sent snapchat messages using a mobile phone, and he was sentenced in March 2020 to two years in prison. The defendant was released in March 2021, but when police attended an address at which he was present on September 20, they found him to be in possession of two bags of cannabis. He initially told officers he had no phones, but police found three at the address, with the Samsung phone showing messages sent by him. During his police interview, he said he did not know who the iPhones belonged to, and that the Samsung belonged to a relative that had leant it to him days earlier. Ms Nemat told the court that this was a deliberate breach of the order for a second time and revealed that this was the defendants sixth appearance in court. Zahra Baqri, defending, said: The best mitigation I can offer is that he pleaded guilty at the first hearing. I ask that he be afforded full credit for his guilty pleas and that you pass the shortest sentence possible commensurate with your public duty. Before sentencing, judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: This is the second time you have been before the court for a breach of a sexual harm prevention order. You came out of prison some time during 2021, and within a matter of months you were found in possession of three mobile phones capable of storing images, placing you in further breach of your order. When the phones were downloaded there was no incriminating material, but given the matter of your previous offending , you pose a clear and serious risk of harm if you were to use such devices without notifying the police about them. Dean, of Heather Close in Birchwood, was sentenced to two years in prison. An order was also approved for the forfeiture and destruction of the mobile phones and cannabis.

Description

A pervert from Torquay has been jailed for secretly recording a female for his own sexual gratification.

Ian Buttrey, 39, used his mobile phone to make recordings of the young victim while she was naked, Exeter Crown Court was told.

When police seized his computer they found he had an obsession with voyeurism and searched the internet to satisfy his fetish.

Buttrey also secretly filmed a woman while she was undressed.

One victim said his behaviour had a 'huge impact' on her life while the other suffers anxiety and sleepless night and a result.

He pleaded guilty to making indecent images and four charges of voyeurism.

Prosecutor Ms Mary McCarthy said police arrested Buttrey in May 2020.

There were initial concerns about the defendant's state of mind and police notified the defendant's work to look out for anything unusual.

They found a mobile phone in a bin and when police examined it, they found films of the victims.

The defendant has no previous convictions.

Buttrey has been jailed for 21 months and put on the sex offender register.

Description

Jem Traynor had more than a thousand images of child sexual abuse on his computer A former soldier downloaded more than a thousand child abuse images including one labelled paedo archive. Jem Traynor tried to deny to police that he had a sexual interest in children despite them finding the vile collection of photos and videos on his computer. Police raided his house in April last year after a tip off and quickly found a vast array of images, including 167 which fell into Category A, the most serious type of abuse. Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, said Traynor originally told the police the computer was broken but they found it actually worked and later analysis established that Traynor had used it to look at images of children being raped just a week before his arrest. The court heard that some of the material was particularly extreme, including one in which a young child appeared to be blindfolded while being abused. Despite this, Traynor continued to deny a sexual interest in children and told police he was not aware he had downloaded indecent images, despite the files having names like paedo archive and pre teen hardcore. Ms Baqri said: He told the police that he was not interested in the material and would not have downloaded it deliberately. He also explained that he suffered from PTSD that was exacerbated by his him taking illegal drugs and abusing alcohol. Ms Baqri said other features of Traynors computer, such as a VPN that made it look like his internet activity was taking place in another country, indicated that he had prepared to download indecent images and tried to cover his tracks. She also pointed to thumbnails on the computer indicating the images had been opened. Despite his original denials, Traynor eventually pleaded guilty in Sefton Magistrates Court earlier this year. He was found to have 167 Category A images, 371 Category B images and 454 Category C images. These included 12 videos. Michael Bagley, defending, said the 51-year-old was an extremely isolated individual who had struggled with PTSD since his return from Bosnia, where he served during the Yugoslav Wars. Mr Bagley said the fact that Traynor had worked for only a few weeks in the entire 26 year period since he left the army was an indication of the extent to which his PTSD had affected his life. He added that Traynor, from Everton, had turned to drink and drugs as a coping mechanism and had then begun to act upon an interest in children. Mr Bagley said Traynor now accepted he did have a sexual interest in children and wanted to address this. He appealed to the judge to suspend Traynors sentence so he could engage in rehabilitation without going to prison. Mr Bagley said: He has been taking steps to have counselling. He presents as someone who is lonely, who needs assistance but is making some progress. I invite the court to punish him but with a suspended sentence so that he can make the progress needed, that society as a whole would benefit from. Yet Judge David Potter said the length of time over which Traynor been downloaded images, combined with the extreme nature of some of the material, meant only an immediate jail term was suitable. Judge Potter said: These images reveal the abuse of children in its most fundamental and horrific form, including penetration and abuse involving animals. Traynor, 51, of Ember Crescent, was jailed for a year. He must also sign the sex offenders register and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Description

A nappy-wearing predatory paedophile from Derbyshire has been jailed raping a young boy.

Derby Crown Court heard how Rikki Poyser sent an image of himself wearing nothing but an adult nappy and sucking a dummy to what he thought was an underage teen.

Under the pseudonym "Steve Turner," the vile 33-year-old shared images of young boys engaged in sex with adults with a like-minded predator who called himself "Daddy Boy".

And in one of them, which showed a toddler aged just two being raped, he typed the words "I wish".

Jailing the defendant for 17-and-a-half years, Recorder Jason Macadam said: "This an appalling case that there is no doubt.

"(The victim) was particularly vulnerable because of his extreme youth and background.

"You are demonstrably capable of manipulation and you pose a high risk to children.

"I do consider you pose a significant risk of harm to members of the public.

"You are a manipulative and predatory paedophile."

James Varley, prosecuting, said police discovered an internet address linked to the defendant had been sharing horrific child abuse images with "Daddy Boy" in October 2020.

He said Poyser was arrested, his devices were seized but he refused to give the pass codes to access his iPhone.

Mr Varley said the National Crime Agency arrested his like-minded pervert "Daddy Boy" and it was discovered the pair had shared images, movies and talked explicitly online about what they had either done or wanted to do to children sexually.

He said it was discovered the defendant had raped a young boy.

Mr Varley said: "This was not sudden, it was a planned assault.

"Having been arrested he answered 'no comment' to the questions he was asked.

"When it was discovered he was "Steve Turner" there was evidence that during his chats with Daddy Boy these two men talked about child abuse in pretty extreme terms.

"Aware the police were very keen to break into his phone he turned to the dating app Grindr and met a young boy aged 15.

"The age seemed to excite him but it was a police decoy.

"He told the decoy he was into what is termed 'adult baby diaper love' or ABDL and there were pictures of him wearing an adult nappy and sucking a dummy.

"Packs of nappies were (later) recovered from his car."

Poyser, of Glamorgan Way, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including rape of a child under the age of 13, distributing indecent images of children, making indecent images of a child and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication.

He has no previous convictions.

Nicola Hunter, his barrister, told the hearing that since being remanded into prison last summer, her client had been working on one-to-one sessions to address his behaviour.

She said: "He accepts he buried his head in the sand, he has done all sorts of soul searching and he recognises he has a long way to go.

"He's willing to engage and wants to be better equipped for when he's released from custody."

The 17-and-a-half-year sentence is made up of 13-and-a-half years custody with a four-year extension.

It means Poyser will not be eligible to apply for parole until two-thirds of the way through the 13-and-a-half years.

He will be on the sex offender register for life and was handed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A Southport man has been jailed after admitting multiple offences of sexual activity with a child.

28-year-old Alin Cobzaru, of Scarisbrick Street, Southport, was convicted of four counts of sexual activity with a child involving penetration at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, 11 February and jailed for 7 years, 8 months.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The offences were reported in November 2020 and, following an investigation by police, Cobzaru was arrested, quickly charged and remanded into custody.

Cobzaru initially denied committing any sexual offences against the girl when she was under 16. This forced his victim to go through two trials, one which collapsed due to coronavirus issues and one which resulted in a hung jury.

Ahead of a third trial, Cobzaru admitted four offences of sexual activity with a child.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Parry from the Forces Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: Cobzaru exploited his victim for his own sexual gratification and it is a relief that he has now been dealt with by the courts.

I would like to pay tribute to the strength and bravery shown by the victim throughout the investigation. While she and her family have received the full support of our officers from the moment the offending was reported and right through the court process, the impact of Cobzarus actions will last a lifetime.

By initially denying the offences, he has put his young victim through the additional pain of being forced to relive her ordeal through his trial and it is pleasing to know he behind bars and can no longer cause harm to others.

Finally and most importantly, I want to reassure the communities of Merseyside Police simply will not tolerate anyone who seeks to exploit young people in this way.

If you are a young person and are being subject to sexualised behaviour you are not comfortable with, whether in person or via messages and social media, please contact police.

We have a specialist team committed to dealing with all forms of child exploitation, and they will treat any information you give extremely seriously, and will follow up any information they receive..

"If you have any suspicions about young people who could be at risk of this type of offending, please call police straight away. We can make an assessment and take the necessary action.

Call 999 if you suspect such an incident is in progress, or pass any other information via 101, @MerPolCC on social media, or anonymously via 0800 555 111."

You can also visit https://www.listentomystory.co.uk/ which is a campaign to raise awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation, where parents, teachers, carers and young people can learn about potential warning signs.

Merseyside Police, alongside three other forces, have also been part of a pilot project for a new service to report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences online with the option to report anonymously.

Description

Age not known. A Royal Navy officer has been convicted of secretly filming himself having sex with an 'attractive' female officer and uploading it to Snapchat to brag to colleagues who claimed she was 'out of his league'. Sub Lieutenant Scott Ewing told a court martial he used his phone to record the video as he was 'proving to the guys that something happened... I was fluffing my feathers' and that it made him 'feel like a lad' at the time. The 11 second clip showed SLt Ewing turning to smile at the camera and making an 'ok' sign with his fingers while he had sex with her as she faced away from him. The female officer told the court she was horrified to learn he had 'massively breached [her] trust' by filming her without consent and posting it to the all male group on the social media app. SLt Ewing, who was based at the prestigious Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, claimed that during sex he told her 'the lads have got to see this' and she gave him the go ahead by replying 'do whatever you need'. But his version of events was rejected by the board at Bulford Military Court, Wilts, and he was convicted of voyeurism. SLt Ewing had told the two day trial that when he first met the female officer he immediately found her attractive and 'took a fancy to her'. The pair later exchanged 'flirtatious' messages and partially naked pictures on Facebook in the weeks leading up to the incident. They then met at a bar near Dartmouth, in Devon, which is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and was attended by Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Prince William. SLt Ewing told the court she had previously implied they would have sex the next time they met so it was 'pretty clear what she meant' when she asked him if they should go to his room. On the walk there, he said he mentioned several times 'I can't believe this, the lads aren't going to believe this'. During sex, he claimed he said 'the lads have got to see this' and the female officer turned to him and said 'do whatever you need'. He said: 'I took that to mean 'show them'... I got the impression that was consent. 'I then turned the camera round to my face, pulled a facial expression, stuck my tongue out, smiling, then made a gesture with my hand like 'sweet, ok'. 'It was proving to the guys that something happened... I was fluffing my feathers, showing off. Looking back it seems silly and immature but in that moment I just wanted to prove a point. 'I was trying to come across as a lad, look what I did, and I got that response from them. [They said] fair play, he did it, well done. 'At the time it made me feel like a lad. It made me feel cool, made me feel like I did something that the others thought was admirable.' He told the court his friends in the Snapchat group had previously made jokes about him being a 'catfish' - someone perceived to be better looking online than in person - and had said he had 'no chance' with the female officer because she was 'out of his league'. Lieutenant Commander Peter Barker, prosecuting, said: 'The reason you make that gesture with your hands instead of saying anything is because you didn't want her to know. 'She was facing away with her head down, you are doing everything you can to make sure she doesn't know what's going on. 'She says there was absolutely no consent. It was a spur of the moment, immature prank that went wrong.' Asked how she would have reacted if there was any mention of the sex being recorded or shared, the female officer told the court: 'I never saw him holding a phone. He never mentioned recording having sex. 'I would have got myself out of there as quickly as possible. That would not have been acceptable. That was never part of the deal. 'Had there been a suggestion I would like to have thought I would probably have got quite angry and got myself out of the situation. '[If there was mention of it being shared] Even more so I would have found that unacceptable.' After they had sex, she said she got dressed and went to leave and at that point she saw him pick up his phone but didn't think it suspicious at the time. She said: 'I said to him, 'you aren't going to tell anybody about this, are you?' and he just laughed or smirked I think. 'At the time, I had nothing to be shocked or appalled about.' When a friend called her about two and a half weeks later, telling her there was a video of her, the female officer said she spoke to one of the other men in the Snapchat group who had seen it. She said: 'He assured me that my face wasn't in it, which was a relief because I was worried about that. 'I didn't want to speak with [SLt Ewing] because I didn't trust him. He had massively breached my trust. 'When I found out, I was absolutely shocked.' SLt Ewing, now of HMS Collingwood in Fareham, Hants, will be sentenced at a later date.

Description

A "predatory paedophile" who raped and abused primary school aged children has been jailed for 26 years. Barry Rossiter attacked the five victims, one of whom was just three years old, over a period of three decades, Newcastle Crown Court heard. The 67-year-old, of Evistones Gardens, Walker, Newcastle, was convicted of 23 offences after a trial last year. Judge Sarah Mallett told Rossiter the harm he caused was "profound and permanent" as she sentenced him. She described him as a "predatory paedophile" and told him: "You are going to spend the rest of your life in prison, that is my intention." Rossiter was convicted of historical offences including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, indecency with a child, sexual assault and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

'Lifelong pain and trauma'

One victim read her impact statement at the sentencing hearing, telling Rossiter: "I didn't deserve what you did to me, absolutely nobody does. "I despise your every living cell." She told the court she had suffered flashbacks and lived in "survival mode" due to Rossiter's abuse of her as a child. "I know the trauma will exist for the rest of my life so it's only fair for him to live the rest of his days in prison. "He has caused so much unnecessary lifelong pain and trauma to myself and others." Other victims spoke of the devastating impact the attacks have had on their lives and relationships. Rossiter was also given a two-year extension to his licence period and told he must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for life. Paul Cross, defending, said Rossiter was in poor health and the prison sentence is one he will "probably not complete".

Description

A 'repulsive' Rotherham man has been jailed for tricking a minor into engaging in sexually explicit messaging.

Craig Elliott-Walker, of Brampton Avenue, Thurcroft, 42, was jailed for 18 months at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday for creating a fake profile and contacting the teenager, for whom the incident has had a "profound impact" on.

Elliott-Walker created a fake profile that went by a different alias on social media and began speaking to the teen in August 2018.

He sent her pictures of a young man in underwear and requested topless pictures in return.

Elliott-Walker was found out in September 2018 and arrested by police.

A victim impact statement was read out to the court in which the victim said that since the incident she had "turned in to a person I don't recognise anymore".

She said: "I sit in my room alone. It's extremely difficult to trust anyone, especially men."

She added that she had had to drop out of college because of the ongoing impact of the incident.

Elliott-Walker had pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to 14 years in prison and given a sexual harm prevention order by His Honour Judge Peter Kelson.

Judge Kelson said: "Your offending in this case is entirely repulsive.

"You left a trail of wreckage behind you and you have no idea how bad it is."

Description

A REMORSELESS "sexual predator" has been jailed for 16 years for raping a young child in the Bradford district. James Osborne, 42, was convicted by a jury after a trial at Bradford Crown Court of two charges of raping a child under 13. After the case, detectives said Osborne is "known to have travelled around the UK" and they urged anyone with any further information about him to come forward. Osborne was sentenced today on a video link to HMP Leeds where he was remanded in custody. Prosecutor Gerald Hendron said the child now woke up in the middle of the night screaming, and had been particularly vulnerable because of their youth. Derek Duffy, Osbornes barrister, said his client fundamentally disagreed with the evidence given in the trial and was appealing the conviction. He had a limited capacity because of his placement on the autism spectrum and that would make his time in prison far more difficult for him. Judge Ahmed Nadim said the offences involved a degree of planning. Osborne, of The Pyghtles, Daventry, Northamptonshire, had harmed the child both physically and psychologically. Judge Nadim noted that the defendant was assisted by an intermediary during the trial in November last year because he had autism. But there was no evidence as to how that contributed to his offending. Because he had not owned up to what he had done he was not entitled to any credit for pleading guilty. Osborne had shown no remorse or appreciation of the damage he had inflicted on his victim, Judge Nadim said. Following the jurys guilty verdicts, the case was adjourned for the probation service to assess the level of dangerousness posed by Osborne. Judge Nadim told him he must serve at least half of the 16-year custodial term behind bars before the Parole Board can consider his release. He will then serve the balance on a licence with a 12-month extension period. A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made without limit of time and Osborne must also sign on the sex offender register for life. After the case, Detective Constable Julia Coates, of Bradford Safeguarding Unit, said: I would first like to praise the bravery of this young child for coming forward and disclosing Osbornes offending. The child was put through the daunting experience of a criminal trial and has showed so much courage and dignity throughout. I would like to welcome the sentence that has been handed down to Osborne today for his horrendous crimes. "He is a sexual predator and his actions and behaviour towards young children is disturbing. "He is known to have travelled around the UK and I would urge anyone who has any further information about him to contact the police. I would also encourage anyone who may have been a victim of any sexual offence to come forward and speak to the police. "You will be listened to and supported by specially trained officers throughout and also be referred to further help and support if needed. "We will do all we can to secure justice for any victim.

Description

A paedophile tried to hide his phone in a freezer to stop police finding dozens of videos of children being raped.

Athanasios Konstantinidis had already been caught with child abuse images once in June 2019 but a judge had spared him jail on that occasion.

Yet instead of abiding by rules aimed at stopping him offending again, the 57-year-old bought a new phone the following year and began downloading hundreds of images and videos of child sexual abuse.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said Konstantinidis kept the existence of his phone hidden from officers who were monitoring him at regular meetings.

He said: We now know that the defendant failed to disclose that he had purchased a new phone.

It came to light because police, in the meantime, had received intelligence that somebody had shared and uploaded indecent images of children.

The IP address was then tracked to this defendant.

When police arrived at his home in Southport on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, to carry out a search he was caught out trying to hide the phone.

Mr Jones said: He then tried to hide the mobile phone in a freezer in the kitchen.

This attempt was seen by an officer and the phone was seized.

Later analysis of the phone found a large trove of child abuse images had been downloaded.

They included 557 Category A images, the most serious, as well 929 Category B images and 1,514 Category C images.

The court heard there were 284 videos on the phone, one of which showed a girl believed to be around eight or nine years old being raped by a man while showing clear signs of distress.

Separately, Konstantinidis also sent two separate Category C images to other individuals over email.

The court heard that in one of the emails, sent in August 2020, Konstantinidis attached the picture and wrote: Enjoy.

Charles Lander, defending, said Konstantinidis quickly admitted all of the offences when arrested by police and pleaded guilty in court at the earliest opportunity.

He said there was nothing that could be said to lessen the seriousness of the offences themselves but said Konstantinidis was extremely isolated socially due to his responsibilities as a carer.

Mr Lander said Konstantinidis is the main carer for his wife, who has chronic leukaemia, and had become increasingly cut off from the outside world as he took steps to ensure she was isolating when the pandemic began as she was clinically vulnerable.

His caring responsibilities for her increased so significantly that he had to quit his job.

He was also grieving the loss of his mother in Greece, having not been able to travel to see her before she died due to Covid restrictions.

Mr Lander said the pandemic had also delayed a number of the courses he had been due to undertake to tackle his offending.

Mr Lander said: All I submit on his behalf is the background against which he did what he did.

The judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, said Konstantinidis had failed to use the second chance given to him by the courts to change his behaviour.

Recorder Lamb said: Not only were you given the opportunity of a suspended sentence, you were also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and the terms of that order were to ensure that you would have a constant reminder of the steps you needed to take to ensure that you did not fall prey to the temptation to download these disgusting images.

He said the actions of people like Konstantinidis fuelled the abuse of children.

Recorder Lamb said: Without people like you who take an interest in these images there would not be this abuse against children.

Konstantinidis, of Ashdown Close, Southport, admitted possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children and numerous counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He was jailed for a total of 32 months.

Description

A paedophile who thought he was having sick chats with teenage girls claimed they were actually adults engaging in 'roleplay'.

Adam Ali, 35, believed he was chatting with 13-year-old girls called 'Becky' and 'Noemi'.

But he was actually having sexualised conversations with undercover police officers, who used his messages to prosecute him.

Ali, who admitted being a man in his 30s, did not stop when the 'girls' told him how old they were.

"If anything you were encouraged," a judge said.

After being arrested, Ali claimed he believed the 'girls' were actually adults taking part in 'roleplay', Manchester Crown Court heard.

But he pleaded guilty to trying to have sexual communications with two 'children', and avoided jail after a judge heard he had become isolated.

Ali began to send messages to the first 'girl' after telling her he was 'horny', in February 2019.

He sent her a video and a picture of his penis, and asked for images of her.

He continued to send sexualised messages, before the undercover officer stopped replying and contact ended a few weeks later.

Ali was snared by a second undercover officer, who also posed online as a 13-year-old girl.

His messages to this 'girl' were sexual 'from the outset', prosecutor Justin Hayhoe said.

Ali sent her a picture of his penis and told her she was 'sexy'.

The messages lasted for a few days in April 2019, and he was arrested in August that year.

He accepted he was responsible for the messages, but said he often used chat rooms where adults over the age of 18 engage in roleplay.

Defending, Sebastian Gardiner said unemployed Ali suffers from physical and mental health issues, and had become socially isolated and sought refuge online.

Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC told Ali: "I have particular regard to the personal mitigation advanced on your behalf, in particular the element of personal isolation that you have experienced, that might well have led you into this rather dark corner of social media.

"You had said that you are ashamed of that which you did, and so you should be.

Ali, of Doric Close, Beswick, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

He received an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He must sign the sex offender's register for 10 years.

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A paedophile who kept his past a filthy secret from his new partner found himself "tempted" when left alone with her grandchildren.

Phillip Johnson was jailed in 2007 for ten counts of indecent assault on a girl aged under 14 and was subject to strict restrictions as part of his sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order.

But after starting a relationship with a woman he met on a computer course, he failed to tell her about his background, despite coming into contact with her three grandchildren, aged seven, 12 and 14.

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On one occasion, he ended up home alone with the older children and admitted his attraction to young girls left him tempted, although he didn't offend against them.

Now Johnson, 52, of Leuchars Close, Low Fell, Gateshead, has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court for failing to comply with his notification requirements and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Thomas Parsons-Munn, prosecuting, said Johnson was jailed for two years at Preston Crown Court in 2007 for the sex attacks.

He was required to register any address at which he was resident for more than seven days and not to have contact with a child under 16 unless supervised by a person approved by social services.

Last year he met a woman doing a course at a job centre and in September he began staying over at her home, where her grandchildren would regularly visit.

Mr Parsons-Munn told Newcastle Crown Court: "The defendant regularly came into contact with the children.

"At no point did he make (the gran or the mum of the children) aware of his previous offending or the requirements imposed on him."

In November last year he ended up home alone with the 12 and 14-year-old for around 90 minutes.

As well as the convictions for indecent assault, Johnson has nine previous convictions for breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Judge Julie Clemitson jailed him for two years and eight months and told him: "This was a persistent breach.

"You were in the company of children on multiple occasions and this risked very serious harm or distress.

"You found yourself on your own and you were tempted, as you candidly admitted, given your attraction to girls of that age.

"You remain a high risk of committing further sexual offences."

Andrew Findlay, defending, said: "The principle mitigation is the guilty plea he entered.

"Those who were undoubtedly harmed and distressed about finding out about his convictions will have been relieved there was no need for them to attend court.

"It's obvious he prioritised his own needs and put his relationship ahead of informing those who should have known about his convictions.

"He wanted a firmer foundation in the relationship before he revealed his convictions. It's dogged his efforts to form relationships in the past.

"It was a need for a relationship rather than a desire to have unsupervised contact with the children that drove him."

Mr Findlay said on the day he ended up having unsupervised contact it was because his partner was running late.

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A man who was in charge of childrens homes both as a Housemaster and Superintendent in the 60s and 70s has been jailed for sex offences. Peter Frank Hickman, 85 of Lawdley Road, Coleford, was dealt a six year prison sentence at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, February 11.

On July 26, 2021, he pleaded guilty to three offences at Croydon Crown Court, including indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 on at least 30 occasions, between December 1965 and November 1972. He will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

In 2018, officers from the Metropolitan Police's Operation Winterkey received a third party allegation of non-recent sexual assault. Operation Winterkey investigate allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse involving people of public prominence and institutions.

In May 2018, the officers spoke with the victim who confirmed his willingness to engage with the investigation. The offences were committed against the victim while he was resident in a childrens home located in Park Road, Beckenham and later located in College Road, Dulwich during the 1960s and 1970s.

Detective Constable Simon Rubery, the investigating officer, said: "Hickman took advantage of a child in his care while in a position of trust and committed atrocious crimes against him on many occasions. Tragically the victim died last year and he will never know that his abuser has been brought to justice. I would like to commend his bravery for helping to make this possible.

I can only hope that this sentence will give others the courage to come forward and report any abuse they have suffered, current or non-recent. Given the predatory nature of Hickmans offending, there is a possibility that he abused other children. We urge any further victims to contact police right away a specially trained team of detectives are ready to listen and support you.

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A boxing coach who sexually assaulted a stranger was a wannabe actor who had appeared on Hollyoaks and touted himself as playing a good villain.

Daniel Jones was jailed for 16 years yesterday after luring a woman into his house on the premise of helping his injured dog before sexually assaulting her.

He then trapped a female police officer in his living room as she tried to rescue his victim in July last year.

It has now emerged that, as well as running his gym and boxing business, the 47 year old had in fact been pursuing acting in the years running up to the pandemic.

He had a number of roles as an extra on TV shows like Hollyoaks and ITV drama Paranoid.

In his IMDB profile, Jones build is described as lending itself to henchmen, security guards and villains.

The profile reads: Having spent several years working in security management, and then owning his own security company, and boxing gym. Daniel was inspired by the many famous actors he would meet and a few years later and after some soul-searching his artistic nature guided him into acting towards the end of 2008.

Due to his physique, 5'10 and 185 Pounds, Daniel tends to be offered the roles of henchmen, security guards and villains which includes appearances in Channel 4's prime time show Hollyoaks in 2016, and Channel 4's gathering time in 2010. and the ITV Drama Paranoid in 2016.

It appears that Jones' roles were mainly as extras and he had pursued acting less in the years immediately preceding the pandemic.

Instead, he had focused on his gym and coaching business, Bespoke Bodies.

The court heard the coronavirus lockdown had a devastating impact on his business when gyms were forced to close, putting significant strain on his mental health

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said: He was unable to continue training when the lockdown happened.

That had a catastrophic effect on the gym and started to impact massively on the defendant.

While the court heard Jones had previously suffered with some mental health issues and drug use, this escalated as the pandemic wore on.

At this point, he then began to try to set up a business selling cannabis oil to supplement his income but also began to take DMT, a psychedelic drug.

Evidence provided in court indicated this was a catastrophic decision, with psychiatrists saying the drug was not an appropriate way of dealing with his mental health issues.

Sourcing the drug off the dark web, people around Jones began to notice his mental state deteriorate.

While he reported feeling happier and healthier, his family members became increasingly concerned by his erratic behaviour.

In a bizarre incident just before the attack, the court heard that while at a swimming pool, Jones told family members he could swim underwater indefinitely without breathing.

Despite this, there was little to suggest Jones, who had no similar previous convictions, would launch what a judge ruled was a planned attack on a stranger in the middle of the day.

While his neighbours thought he was not in a good mental state, they apparently described him as "daft as a brush" rather than a violent threat.

Yet standing outside on the street and behaving so erratically that members of the public called the police, Jones drew the attention of a woman after saying his dog had been hit by a car.

In a conversation which his victim later told police was very persuasive, Jones convinced her to come to his home to help him call a vet as he was distressed.

However, once through the door he immediately attacked her, tearing off her clothes and submitting her to a terrifying sexual assault.

When police, who were responding to earlier calls about Jones behaviour, arrived at his home, he dragged one officer into his living room, blocked the door and threatened to kill her.

He also ripped off her body worn camera before she managed to escape and the 47 year old was arrested.

The judge in his case, Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, said Jones posed a significant risk to women and that without the proper support he could offend again.

He said Jones heaped humiliation on his victim during a brutal, ruthless and sustained assault before targeting a lone female police officer.

Jones was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with a further eight years on licence.