Latest Offenders

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Pc David Carrick’s 17-year campaign of sexual abuse and violence is ‘unprecedented’ within policing, the Metropolitan Police has said today.

However, the force has conceded he is not the only officer to be charged with serious sexual offences ‘in the recent past’ – as it reels from yet another blow to its already battered reputation.

Carrick, nicknamed ‘Bastard Dave’, is now believed to be one of the worst sex offenders in modern history after he was unmasked as a serial rapist who attacked 12 women 24 times.

He is facing decades behind bars after admitting a total of 49 offences between 2003 and 2020.  

Carrick, 48, used his position as a police officer to gain his victims’ trust and convinced them they would not be believed if they reported him.

The armed officer in the specialist Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command preyed on dating sites including Tinder and Badoo in a bid to find vulnerable women before arranging to meet them at bars.

He flashed his warrant card and boasted of meeting high-profile figures, including former PM Boris Johnson, as part of his work.  

Carrick would present himself as ‘fun-loving, charming and charismatic’ but was ‘very manipulative’ and ‘very self-confident, almost to the point of cocky’, prosecutors said.

‘Relentless manipulation’

Senior Crown Prosecutor Shilpa Shah said Carrick acted as if he was having ‘a chat’ during police interviews, when he claimed his victims had consented to his actions.

‘He was very self-confident and quite charming, as if he was talking to his friends,’ Ms Shah said.

‘This is a harrowing case where some victims were relentlessly manipulated – financially cut off and isolated from their friends and family and repeatedly humiliated.

‘Carrick took so much from them both physically and mentally.

‘Carrick was persuasive but also incredibly manipulative.

‘He told the victims from the start that he was a police officer and suggested to them that it would be their word against his, a concern that a lot of victims have.’

Carrick, from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, verbally abused his victims, calling them ‘disgusting’, ‘fat’ and ‘lazy’.

He ordered some women to stay in bed all day so they could have sex all night.

Others were locked in an under-stairs cupboard likened to a dog crate for hours without food and water, or made to clean the house naked.

Carrick also urinated over his victims and referred to them as his ‘slave’.

‘Missed opportunities’ to stop serial sex offender

Carrick, who served in the British Army between 1996 and 1997, joined the Met in August 2001 and was deployed as a response officer based in Merton, southwest London.

He was given the job despite being a suspect in two offences reported to the force involving allegations of malicious communications and burglary against a former partner, after he is said to have refused to accept their relationship was over.

He was not arrested and no further action was taken.

During his two-year probation period, he was accused of harassment and assault against an ex-partner but again, no action was taken.

Police watchdog, the IOPC, said two unnamed Met officers who dealt with the incident could have committed misconduct – but had since retired and could not be sanctioned.  

Carrick should have been vetted in 2011 after 10 years of service but this did not happen until 2017.  

It has now emerged Carrick was reported over nine incidents including rape between 2001 and 2021.  

A number of reported incidents were not referred to senior officers or the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

In 2019, Hertfordshire Police received a report of assault and criminal damage involving an argument between Carrick and a woman, when he is said to have grabbed her by the neck.

But neither party were supportive of police involvement and no further action was taken.

On this occasion the incident was referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards and Carrick was given ‘words of advice’ regarding informing his chain of command about off-duty incidents.

It was determined he had no case to answer in relation to misconduct.

Carrick was arrested by Hertfordshire Police in July 2021 when a woman alleged he raped her.

But no further action was taken after the woman withdrew her complaint.

The Directorate of Professional Standards placed him on restricted duties – but it was ruled he had no case to answer regarding misconduct.

The restriction was lifted but he never returned to full duties.

An investigation was only launched in October 2021 when a 50-year-old woman reported being raped by Carrick, leading to his arrest, charge and suspension from the Met.

He was remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 4, 2021, with the publicity from his court appearance prompting 12 more women to come forward.  

His pay was finally stopped on December 16, 2022, when he pleaded guilty to 43 offences at the Old Bailey – just one month before he appeared at Southwark Crown Court to plead guilty to a further six offences today.

Now London Mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded an explanation over why Carrick was able to evade prosecution for almost two decades, as the Met was forced to issue yet another a grovelling apology for serious failings.

‘We are truly sorry’

The Met said delays in re-vetting officers were previously identified as an area requiring improvement and its approach is now ‘far more robust’.  

Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray said in a statement that Carrick had a ‘devastating impact on the trust and confidence of women and girls that we are working so hard to earn.

‘We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation.

‘We are truly sorry that Carrick was able to continue to use his role as a police officer to prolong the suffering of his victims.’

A misconduct hearing will be held in Carrick’s absence tomorrow, ahead of his sentence on February 6.

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Paul Harrison, from Biddulph, is on the Sex Offenders' Register and isn't allowed to be on his own with any child

Sex offender Paul Harrison has broken a court order - after being caught alone with a child. The 30-year-old is subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after previously being jailed for 45 months for sexual activity with a child.

But he breached the SHPO by being unsupervised with a child. Now Harrison has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The court heard that Harrison had earlier contacted a police risk assessor to say that he was now in a relationship with a woman who has two children under the age of 16.

Prosecutor Mark Brookes said: "The defendant, his partner and two children attended a holiday home in North Wales between September 2 and 4. His partner had to leave with one of the children, leaving the defendant in control of the other. There was a two-day period where he was unsupervised. A complaint was made and the defendant was arrested. One of the children was ill. His partner took her back. The defendant should have left with her."

Harrison, of Chaffinch Drive, Biddulph, pleaded guilty to three charges of breaching the SHPO.

Martin Bloor, mitigating, said: "She was aware of the SHPO. Mr Harrison had discussed that with her before they formed the relationship. He fully complied with the order. This is his first breach. There is no suggestion of any substantive offences, no contact offences."

The suspended sentence includes a 32-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 100 hours unpaid work.

Recorder Julian Taylor told Harrison: "You had permission to be where you were. Had your partner been there you would not have been in breach. You should have left when she did."

Harrison must also pay £460 costs. The SHPO is in place until April 5, 2027 and the defendant remains on the Sex Offenders' Register.

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A sex offender from Folkestone has been jailed for 14 months after assaulting a man in Canterbury City centre.

On Sunday 19 June 2022, Sasha Mazouz followed the victim into a public toilet on Canterbury Lane and – as the victim exited the cubicle – pushed him back inside and attempted to assault him. The victim escaped before the situation escalated any further and notified the police.

Officers located and arrested Mazouz, 45, of Charlotte Street, Folkestone at the scene. During the arrest, the offender made repeated attempts to engage in inappropriate language with an attending male officer.

He was charged with committing an offence with intent to committing a sexual offence and assault. He pleaded guilty to both counts.

On 12 January 2023, Mazouz appeared at Canterbury Crown Court, where the judge sentenced him to a total of 14 months imprisonment. Some of his sentence has already been served as this accounts for time Mazouz has already spent on remand.

He will also be subject to notification requirements for a period of ten years.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Ella Russell of the Canterbury Vulnerability Investigation Team said:

‘I would like to thank the victim for his bravery in reporting these offences and supporting the prosecution. As a result of this, we were able to make a swift arrest and ensured that Mazouz faced the consequences of his actions.

‘Kent Police takes all allegations of assault seriously and I hope that yesterday’s sentencing brings comfort to the victim involved.’

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A JUDGE had demanded a written explanation after a legal slip-up prevented him from putting a Carlisle paedophile on the Sex Offender Register for life.

In December of 2021, 50-year-old Frederick O'Brien was given a 28-month jail term for using a secret mobile phone to communicate with a person he has mistakenly believed was a 14-year-old girl.

His offence came to light when he was snared by a volunteer paedophile hunter group. He committed the offence just months after being prosecuted for downloading indecent images of children.

But when O’Brien was sentenced, Carlisle Crown Court was unaware that he had committed a further breach of his sexual harm prevention order in May, 2021, several months before he given the 28 months jail term.

It involved him having a Samsung Galaxy phone which he kept secret from the police and deleting his internet browsing history.

O’Brien, from Glendale Rise, Morton, admitted that  he had been using the undisclosed phone to communicate with other paedophiles.

During a hearing before Judge Nicholas Barker this week, it was confirmed that in December 2021 the judge was legally unable to put the defendant on the Sex Offender Register for life.

That power is available to the court only when the jail term is 30 months or more. Thus the judge was allowed to put him on the Register for only a decade.

If the additional breach of the sexual harm prevention order had been dealt with a the same time, O’Brien’s sentence may well have exceeded 30 months, thus allowing the judge to put him on the Register for life.

“This matter should have been included in that sentencing exercise [in December],” said Judge Barker. “It was available to the police and the prosecution. It was a simple matter and [the defendant] made plain admissions.

“For some reason, this wasn’t included; and I have not been provided with a proper reason… It is hard to understand what proper reason there could have been.” The judge pointed out that such failures have “real consequences.”

O’Brien had been due for imminent release from his 28-month sentence, but the judge said this would now be delayed as Judge Barker jailed him for an additional eight months.

“I will need an explanation in writing,” said the judge, pointing out that the issue should be tackled at a level that ensures such an error is not repeated.

He said he needed to know whether the error was systemic, or a failure that was the fault of an individual. As the case concluded, O'Brien began weeping and said: “I’m so sorry for what I have done.”

At the hearing in December 2021, the court heard that O’Brien realised his mistake only after the vigilante group confronted him at a local hotel. The group – The Fleetwood Enforcers - then handed him and a dossier of evidence to the police.

The defendant went to admit three offences: attempting to cause or incite a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity; attempting to sexually communicate with a child; and breach of a previously imposed sexual harm prevention order, failing to register with police his ownership of a mobile phone.

As he passed sentence, the judge in December described the defendant as a “determined paedophile.”

This defendant's name has been spelt in official records as both Obrien and O'Brien.

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A creep from St Andrews who sent sex messages to a girl he thought was 13 has been jailed.

Paul Wilson, 51, believed he was engaging in a bit of “harmless fun”, telling “Summer” he had been having “sexy dreams” about her and said he could not believe her age.

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A HEREFORD sex offender has been jailed for seven years for sexually assaulting a "defenceless young woman over a sustained period of time".

Roy Millist, who is 71 years old and from Hereford, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court to seven years in prison following his conviction for three counts of sexual assault by means of penetration.

Millist was found guilty in October of offences he committed between 2018 and 2021. His conviction followed a lengthy and thorough investigation by a team of detectives based in Hereford.

As well as the seven years in prison, Millist has been handed a lifetime restraining order in relation to the victim.

Detective Constable Emma O’Hare said: “Millist committed these terrible crimes against a defenceless young woman over a sustained period of time.

“While I welcome the verdict, I must pay true tribute is paid to the victim and her family who have shown immense courage and bravery in telling the police about his crimes and allowing us to bring him to justice.

"My hope is that the conviction and this substantial prison sentence will bring some measure of comfort to those whose lives are irrevocably damaged by his predatory and sickening actions.

“This sentence should serve as a strong that abuse will be forgotten or ignored over time. Survivors are strong, determined and have our full support and our investigations will uncover the truth and give them the justice they deserve."

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A man jailed for amassing almost 60,000 indecent images of children in 2015 is back behind bars following the discovery of further illicit photos.

Mark Flack appeared at Durham Crown Court by video link from the city’s nearby prison, where he is on remand, after his arrest following police visits to his home, in Horden, in October and, again, in December.

The 57-year-old defendant, of Fifth Street, admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of a child, offences dating between November 7, 2016, and the day of the first police raid in October, last year.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said the latest charges relate to 260 indecent images, four in the most serious category, found on devices seized in that first police visit to his home.

The court heard the defendant has also already admitted six breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) put in place following his 2015 conviction, at Ipswich Crown Court, when he received a 21-month prison sentence.

That case involved a total of 58,493 indecent child images which were found on various electronic devices removed by police from Flack's former home, in Red Lodge, Suffolk, in October 2014.

But sentence in the latest case has been delayed as police returned to his address in Horden, in December, and recovered a computer hard drive, the contents of which are yet to be examined.

Mr Baker told the hearing: “Further work is being done by police in relation to that hard drive.

“The question will be as to the creation dates of any further images found on that seized hard drive.”

Robert Mochrie, for Flack, said: “It seems a device was missed in that inquiry (in October) and its been used again.

“He’s pleaded guilty to the latest charge. He has only one previous conviction for which he went straight to prison in 2015.”

Mr Mochrie said his client has, therefore, never had the benefit of any probation intervention to address his behaviour.

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A WHITEHAVEN man has been jailed for nine years and put on the Sex Offender Register for life after a jury convicted him child rape. 

Gary Griffiths, 51, had previously admitted two sex offences against the same vicitm but denied three further allegations: raping the schoolgirl, attempting to rape her, and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

After a trial at Carlisle Crown Court, a jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts for all three of the charges he denied.

Sentencing the defendant today, Recorder Neil Usher told Griffiths that he will be eligible for release after serving six years. The defendant, of Rudds Court, Whitehaven, showed no emotion as he was taken away to begin serving his sentence.  

Before the trial got underway, the defendant had already pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and a count of sexual activity with a child. The victim was of primary school age.

After the case concluded, Detective Constable Gail Penman said “I would urge anyone who has been subject to offences of this nature to come forward.

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Dean Newland has 19 previous convictions.

A man has been jailed after assaulting and threatening staff at a Wetherspoons while drunk.

Dean Newland, 33, of HMP Altcourse but formerly of no fixed address, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates court on Wednesday.

He appeared before the courts on three counts of assault for an incident in the Richard John Blackler branch of JD Wetherspoon on Great Charlotte Street, Liverpool city centre - as well as one count of failing to comply with sex offenders register notification requirements.

Yvonne Dobson, prosecuting, said that on October 10 at around 11.45pm, the victims were both at work in the Wetherspoon pub. A female member of staff noticed Newland standing near a group of men in the pub and asking them for money, so she approached and asked him to leave the premises.

He then became aggressive and demanded a drink, and when she refused, Newland sat at a nearby table which had a half-finished drink on it, the Liverpool Echo reports.

She tried to remove the glass from the table, as “he was acting in a very aggressive and threatening manner” so she was concerned, the court was told. She asked her colleagues for assistance, at which point a male colleague approached and also attempted to get Newland to leave. He continued behaving aggressively towards the Wetherspoons staff, and threatened the female member of staff, claiming his sister would “assault her”.

Newland then assaulted her, pushing her in the chest area. Ms Dobson said: “The defendant poured the half pint over the floor and raised the glass as if he was going to throw it. He continued making threats, and then leaned over, touching her left breast area. She felt instant pain at this point.

"He continued to be aggressive until police arrived at the scene and arrested him.” Amy Butler, defending, said Newland had been remanded in custody since October 12, and had positively used alcohol addiction recovery programmes while in prison.

She said: “Mr Newland does not try to minimise his behaviour on that day but alcohol is his problem, he is an alcoholic.

"He is a different person from what happened on the 12th of October. He has completed a 12-step program and has begun a mentoring program.” The court was told Newland has failed to comply with notification requirements six times, and this offence took place while he was subject to two suspended sentences for previous sexual offences.

In sentencing, Judge James Hatton said: “The big problem in this case Mr Newland is your record of convictions. You have been put on trust by the court and you have continued to commit offences. I know that it is difficult for you because of your personal circumstances, but you know what your responsibilities are.”

Judge Hatton activated two previous suspended sentences, of eight weeks and 12 weeks each, both previously given for breaching the sexual offences notification order. For the latest breach of a notification order, he was sentenced to a further 16 weeks, to be served consecutively. For the three cases of assault relating to the incident in Wetherspoons, he was handed four weeks each, to be served concurrently.

In total, he was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment. A community order was also imposed, stating Newland cannot have alcohol of any kind on his person in Liverpool city centre for two years.

She said: “Mr Newland does not try to minimise his behaviour on that day but alcohol is his problem, he is an alcoholic.

"He is a different person from what happened on the 12th of October.

“He has completed a 12-step program and has begun a mentoring program.” The court was told Newland has failed to comply with notification requirements six times, and this offence took place while he was subject to two suspended sentences for previous sexual offences.

In sentencing, Judge James Hatton said: “The big problem in this case Mr Newland is your record of convictions. You have been put on trust by the court and you have continued to commit offences.

“I know that it is difficult for you because of your personal circumstances, but you know what your responsibilities are.”

Judge Hatton activated two previous suspended sentences, of eight weeks and 12 weeks each, both previously given for breaching the sexual offences notification order.

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An NHS worker who travelled to Southampton to have sex with a teenage boy fainted when he was met by police, a court heard.

Robin Hains was arrested during a police sting in Shirley.

The 47-year-old had travelled along the south coast, from Bognor Regis, in the hope of abusing a 13-year-old.

According to police, he used an online messaging platform to brag about his plans to another man in March last year.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and making indecent images of children.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Colin Haynes, of SEROCU, said: “Hains travelled a significant distance expecting to carry out sexual abuse against a child.

“Upon meeting police officers instead of the child, he had travelled expecting to see for sexual activity to take place, Hains fainted, demonstrating how shocked he was to have been ‘found out’ for his offending.

“Through his professional life, he would have been aware of what constitutes an offence of this nature and will now have time in prison to reflect upon this.

“SEROCU officers continue to work tirelessly to protect children and to bring those who commit offences against them before the courts to be held accountable for their actions.”

Hains, who worked at the urology department of University Hospitals Sussex, was jailed for three years and two months.

The defendant, of St Mary’s Close, Lavant, Chichester, must register as a sex offender for ten years and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same time.

Anyone concerned about their thoughts or behaviour towards children or those of someone else can seek help and support via the Stop it Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900.

Further support is available from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Victims of sexual offences or anyone who has information about them should contact police by calling the non-emergency number 101 or 999 in an emergency.

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A married grandfather who joked he would be "done for baby snatching" during a sex chat with what he thought was a child has been jailed.

Kevin Wintrip thought he was chatting to a 14-year-old girl on an app and moved the conversation over to Whatsapp. Newcastle Crown Court heard a member of vigilante group Child Online Safety Team was behind the fake child profile and alerted the police.

Prosecutor Rachael Glover told the court Wintrip claimed his name was Colin during the chats and added: "She stated more than once she was 14. The defendant began to send her messages of a sexual nature.

"He was commenting on her looks, saying she was pretty and he would be done for baby snatching." Miss Glover said Wintrip encouraged the child to perform sex acts on herself during the illegal exchange in July 2020.

Wintrip, 66, of Ivy Street, Amble, Northumberland, denied attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to have sexual communication with a child but was found guilty by a jury after a trial.

Judge Robert Spragg has now jailed him for three-and-a-half years. The judge told him: "The messages were clearly of a sexual nature.

"On a number of occasions she said she was too young and reiterated her age to you. It was very clear from what you said to her, despite your denials at trial, you believed you were in contact with a 14-year-old girl. You talked about her being at school, being too old for her and being done for baby snatching."

The court heard Wintrip, who retired from his engineering job as a result of the proceedings, claimed he believed he was talking to an adult who was "part of fantasy role play". He handed in character references, which described him as a "caring, kind, gentle, very good husband, father and grandfather".

Jessica Slaughter, defending, said Wintrip has a good work ethic and is a "family man with support from a wide circle". Miss Slaughter added: "He is a low risk of re-offending. This is his first and last time before this court."

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A perverted pensioner masqueraded as a teenager online while trying to communicate with children. Gary Chivers from Dawlish used chat platforms to strike up conversations with what he thought were girls aged as young as 10.

The 71-year-old told the 'girls' he was 15 and tried to persuade them to send him sexual pictures. It turned out he was actually speaking to a paedophile hunter group who arrived at his address and called police.

Chivers has a history of committing similar offences and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at the time. A judge at Exeter Crown Court branded him a danger to children and sent him back to jail for five and a half years with an extended licence period of 18 months.

Chivers made contact with five different profiles of young girls while using the OK Live platform. In each case he quickly turned the chat sexual, sending graphic photos of his penis and making suggestions about masturbation.

He pestered them for videos, tried to call the 'girls'' and told them he was a teenager or in his twenties. He was caught when he replied to a request from one of the profiles for his photo and address.

He was arrested on August 18 and police discovered evidence of his behaviour on a number of devices. The defendant admitted multiple offences of attempted sexual communication with children and attempting to incite sexual activity with a child.

Chivers was jailed in Reading back in 2015 for offences of inciting children to sexual activity and distributing indecent images of children. He given a SHPO to monitor his activity.

Mr Dan Pawson-Pounds, defending, said Chivers was leading an isolated life at the time of his latest offences.

Judge David Evans said the parole board will assess when he is suitable for release. He said Chivers, of Plantation Terrace, had displayed a clear pattern of behaviour and an extended sentence with licence conditions was needed.

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A ‘selfish’ skate park rapist has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Jay Spinks’ decision to carry on despite his then 15-year-old victim making clear she did not want to have sex with the 20-year-old in September 2020 was labelled a ‘selfish act’ by the judge who jailed him on Wednesday.

Judge Maria Lamb told Spinks, now 22: “It was all about self-gratification and although [your victim] was prepared to accept a certain amount of intimacy between you, she made it quite clear that she was not consenting to sexual intercourse with you.”

The Bicester man was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court last year of raping the girl in a skate park in his hometown on September 4, 2020.

The pair had been intimate on the evening of the sexual assault, the jury heard.

However, she had made it clear she did not want to have sex with him.

Spinks was said to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time.

In a victim impact statement summarised to the court by prosecutor Ian Hope, the woman said she had suffered flashbacks to the incident.

Her GCSE exam results had suffered and she had ‘pushed away male contact’, she said.

Mr Hope said the girl had sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder and feelings of anxiety.

Jailing him for four-and-a-half years, Judge Lamb said: “Whatever the situation back in 2020, when you were I think rather out of control drinking, taking drugs, getting yourself into criminal offending albeit not of a like nature, you have now moved on and I hope put that time behind you.

“Of course, for your victim the effects are still having an impact and are likely to be so for time without limit in the future.”

Mitigating, James Hay described 2020 as a ‘dark period’ in his client’s life ‘with a downward spiral of poor decision making due to associating with a negative peer group and increasing substance misuse’.

With the help of addiction charity Turning Point he had addressed the drug addiction that followed his substance misuse, the barrister said.

“He knows he will inevitably receive an immediate custodial sentence of some length,” Mr Hay told the judge.

Spinks’ thoughts were not for himself but his parents, he added.

Character references were said to paint a picture of the rapist as a ‘grounded and pleasant young man’.

Spinks, of Woodfield, Bicester, will serve two-thirds of his jail sentence in custody before his automatic release.

He remains on the sex offender register for life.

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A Fife paedophile groomed a nine-year-old girl from North Yorkshire after meeting her on TikTok.

Pervert Dale Henderson – already on the Sex Offenders Register following four previous, similar offences – was caught when the girl’s mother inspected her phone.

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A perverted medical science graduate who raped a very young boy when he was a teenager himself is starting a 12-year prison sentence.

Daniyal Hussain, now aged 22, denied what he had done and tried to claim the allegations were made up.

But a Teesside Crown Court jury found him unanimously guilty of five counts of the rape of a child and three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, in November, of last year. On Thursday the pervert appeared at the same court for sentencing - where he was placed on the Sex Offender's Register for Life.

The hearing was told that Hussain gave the little boy an iPad to watch as he attacked him, promised him a mobile phone, and told him the abuse was "our little secret". He also slapped his victim across the face a number of times.

During the trial, prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi confronted Hussain about the notes he had made on his mobile phone - which the Crown said admitted his guilt. He had sent texts to his mother claiming he had "demons" and that he would get help.

"I'm so sorry. I've failed everyone", one message read. Another note on his phone, read: "There is nothing that I can say ever that will make everything better. Not in a million years. I have failed my family."

Victim's 'family ruined'

On Thursday, Teesside Crown Court heard that Hussain had just graduated with a medical science degree and that he is an "intelligent young man who comes from a decent hardworking family". But the court was told that the little boy has been left deeply affected by the abuse.

A packed public gallery sat in silence as a statement by the youngster's mother was read out: "My son has suffered a horrible and devastating ordeal. I feel that the bond between us has been damaged. My son does not like to be touched and I cannot kiss him on the cheek.

"He frequently breaks down in tears. My family has been ruined. My son's childhood has been stolen."

The mother went onto say that her son has a number of "triggers" that remind him of the abuse including smells.

'Peculiar character'

Timothy Jacobs, defending Hussain, said his client is a "peculiar character with features of naivety and also features of maturity. He still has a degree of growing up to do.

He said: "He attended college and managed to graduate with a medical science degree whilst the investigation and court proceedings were hanging over him. He is a young man who can do well and has potential in the future."

Mr Jacobs said that Hussain acted as an interpreter for his grandfather at hospital appointments, and that it is likely that he will not see his grandfather again, given the man's ill health.

Hussain turned away from the public gallery as he stood to hear his sentence from Judge Anthony Hawks. The judge told him: "Tragically, you are an intelligent young man who comes from a decent, hard-working family. The offences were accompanied by violence; threats not to disclose and grooming.

"When you were confronted, you admitted what you had done. At your trial, you denied everything. The whole trial must have been very distressing for the boy, his mother and his family.

"Not surprisingly, the boy has been severely affected. He recoils from physical contact. He is emotionally detached from his mother.

"He exhibits mental health issues including angry outbursts. What the long term effect will be, nobody knows."

Hussain, of Thackeray Grove in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, was handed a 12-year prison term. He will serve 11-years in custody and the final year out in the community, on licence.

He will be eligible to apply for parole after he has served eight years. An indefinite restraining order was made, prohibiting Hussain from contacting his victim or the youngster's parents.

'Brazen performance'

After the sentencing, Cleveland Police said that specialist officers from their Child Abuse and Vulnerable Adult Unit (CAVA) had supported the child and his family throughout the investigation and the court process.

Detective Constable Rebecca Lisle said: “This was a very distressing case with a child victim and their family who, in giving their evidence, had to relive the trauma they had already endured. I hope this result will go some way to help them as they try to come to terms with what they have gone through.”

Chief Inspector Deb Fenny added: “Despite knowing full well what he had done, Hussain persisted in lying and twisting evidence to make it seem as if he was innocent.

“I am pleased that the jury saw through his brazen performance in court, and I hope that today’s sentence will go some way to helping the victim and his family come to terms with their ordeal.

“Finally I would urge anyone who has experienced such abuse - or who wants to report on behalf of somebody else - to get in touch with Cleveland Police. We will listen to you, we will believe you and we will support you while working with our partner agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.”