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A teenager tried to take her own life after being sexually assaulted by an older man. Simon Barlow, 39, also breached a restraining order against another woman and sent her a threatening text.

A judge at Mold Crown Court today jailed Barlow for a total of 24 months. Prosecutor Alexandra Carrier told how Barlow, of Connah's Quay, had sexually assaulted the teenager, who was over the age of 16. The touching was sexual and over her clothing.

In a victim statement the teen victim said the sexual assault has "opened her eyes to the real world" and made her feel very low. She has tried to take her own life due to this incident "and other concerns".

For her part the woman said in a statement she had had panic attacks and flashbacks and is always looking over her shoulder.

Dafydd Roberts, defending, said his client has had drink and drug problems. The court heard he had drunk vodka, Bailey's and taken cocaine on the day of the sexual assault. He is now thinking more clearly on remand and is "outraged" about his behaviour, added defence counsel.

The judge His Honour Rhys Rowlands jailed Barlow for 14 months for the sexual assault on a female and for ten months, consecutively, for breaching a restraining order. There was no separate penalty for sending the threatening communication.

But he also imposed a five-year restraining order prohibiting Barlow from contacting either victim and pointed out he must keep to sex offender notification requirements for ten years.

Record details

A social media predator who tried to engage in sex chats with seven children has been jailed.

Simon Mace, described as isolated and never having had an intimate relationship, engaged in a series of communications with what he believed were girls as young as 12. Police also found him to be in possession of indecent images of children and Newcastle Crown Court heard he is classed as posing a high risk of serious harm to youngsters.

The offences came to light when police received a report from the National Crime Agency that Mace had been engaging in sexual communication with users on Twitter, now known as X, who were purporting to be under-18. The users were never identified and prosecutors could not say if they were real children.

In the first offence, after being told the user was 13, he responded by saying she was the "perfect age to be abused" and he asked if she wanted to see his penis. In the second offence he was told the user was 12 and he expressed a sexual desire towards her and said he would "love to see pictures of you".

With the third user, he was told she was 14, made sexual comments and told her "be a good girl for daddy". He sent an image of his penis and was sent a picture of a female wearing underwear, which he asked her to remove and made vulgar remarks.

The fourth offence involved him being told the user was 14 and the conversation turned sexual almost immediately. He repeatedly asked for a picture and said he wanted to "see everything". He was sent an image of a female exposing her body and sent a picture of his penis.

In the fifth offence he was told the girl was 15 and he said "I like young s****". The sixth offence involved him being told the user was 14 and he made sexual comments. The seventh Twitter user told him she was 13 and he asked for pictures and was sent one of female genitals and a sexual video.

The court heard police recovered a conversation he had with someone purporting to have a seven-year-old daughter and Mace sent sexual messages about the girl. He did not face any charges in relation to that.

Officers also found 107 category C images of children on his iPad. The youngsters were aged between six and 13. He had also sent messages in a WhatsApp group asking if there were "any teen lovers", the court heard.

Home-working call centre representative Mace, 37, of Sefton Square, Springwell, Sunderland, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to seven charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one of making indecent images. He was jailed for 13 months and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender registration for ten years.

Robin Patton, defending, said he is "socially isolated" and both his parents are dead. He added that he would be "ripe" for exploitation and bullying in custody and may end up forming a friendship with someone in for similar offences.

Mr Patton said: "The prison population is such that people like him can't get the help they need. If he goes to custody he will lose his job and accommodation."

Record details

A SEX offender from Hereford has been jailed for a string of acts of sex abuse against children and animals.

Knill Watkins pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, two counts of sexual penetration with a living animal and two counts of assault of a girl under 13 by touching.

He also watched a person doing a private act, possessed a prohibited image of a child, and possessed extreme pornographic images of animals.

He had been committing the sex acts from 2012 to 2021.

Detective Constable Rich Britton said: "Watkins is a dangerous individual who committed horrendous crimes. I'm pleased that he will now face the consequences and will rightly be identified as a sex offender for life and spend time in prison."

On October 27 at Hereford Crown Court, Watkins, 34 from Withington, was jailed for 11 years and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Record details

A predatory sex offender has been jailed for 21 years after sexually abusing two children.

Jay Wood, aged 33, targeted the girls at an address in Nottingham and was exposed when one of his victims told her teacher about what had happened.

After briefly going on the run, Wood was arrested and made a full and frank admission to officers in his police interview.

He later pleaded guilty to one count of rape, three counts of sexual assault and one count of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (31 October), Wood, of HMP Nottingham, was jailed for a total of 21 years.

Detective Constable Alan Braisby, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This was an appalling catalogue of offending that was finally brought to an end by the bravery and determination of Wood’s victims.

“Their testimony in this investigation was compelling and I am full of admiration for them both.

“Wood is a predatory offender who caused huge emotional damage to his victims for his own sexual gratification. I am pleased he has now been jailed and that he can no longer pose a risk to children.

“Offences of this nature can have a lifelong impact on victims who we know can be reluctant to come forward.

“Sometimes they feel they won’t be believed, and sometimes they just don’t want to talk about what happened to them.

“I would, then, like to reassure all victims of sexual assault that we will thoroughly investigate all allegations that are made to us and follow the evidence where it takes us.”

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A sex offender who abused a young child and engaged in explicit conversations with others has been jailed.

Jonathan Martin filmed himself committing a number of serious sexual assaults against a boy and also encouraged children from outside the UK to engage in sexual activity online.

Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team was first alerted to Martin’s offending in May 2022 after he uploaded indecent images of children to the internet.

Evidence found at home

Searches at his home address in Swanscombe found mobile phones and a tablet under the kickboard in the kitchen.

Martin was further arrested in July 2022. When officers arrived at his home address to make the arrest, he was seen to throw a laptop from his balcony. Searches of the property located two mobile phones hidden inside cereal boxes and a toaster, along with other devices.

When investigators examined the contents of the phones, numerous videos and images were found of the 35-year-old sexually assaulting a young child. Extensive work was conducted and investigators were able to identify the child victim, who has since been safeguarded.

Officers also found sexual conversations with other victims, some as young as 10. Martin had encouraged them to engage in sexual acts, send him pictures and to meet with him. On one occasion it was established that Martin had arranged to meet a child in a park but he was late and the child had to leave.

Collaboration worldwide

Kent Police worked together with Homeland Security Investigations and shared information regarding children living in the US, whom Martin had been offending against online. All identified children were visited and safeguarded by US authorities. Through other work with Interpol, a child in Finland who Martin had been in contact with was also safeguarded.

A total of 162 videos were found on Martin’s devices of which 59 were of the most serious Category A. A further 1,095 images were found including 175 Category A.

Martin, from Lett Lane, Swanscombe, was charged with a total of 32 child sex offences including rape, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images and others.

Jailed

He pleaded guilty to all but two of the offences and on Monday 6 November 2023 at Woolwich Crown Court was sentenced to ten and half years in prison. He will also serve another year on licence. Martin was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Michelle James of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team said:

‘Jonathan Martin is a very real danger to society and I am certain he would have abused more children had we not been alerted to his offending. I would like to commend the child victim who was sexually abused by him for having the courage to speak with investigators.‘

This case serves as a reminder that the online world is a public one and it is important everyone understands the risks.’

Detective Inspector Robert Grieve added:

‘This sentencing shows that Kent Police works hard with partner organisations to target offenders who are using the internet to exploit young children.

‘This type of offending knows no borders but this case shows there are also no boundaries when it comes to safeguarding children and identifying perpetrators.’

Record details

A man "groomed" a girl and had a sexual relationship with her, leaving her with “persistent and longstanding” mental health problems.

Christopher White, from Radcliffe, began contacting his victim over the social media platform MySpace in 2006 when the girl was aged 13.

The two later began a relationship when she was 14 and he was 22.

Johnathan Savage, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court last week that White met with the girl in person in Radcliffe town centre where they drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes together, while her mother believed she was out with friends.

After the relationship became sexual, White and the girl began staying at his mother’s house, as well as in hotel rooms in Manchester. They also bought a tent so they could spend time camping out, the court heard.

Mr Savage explained that White tried to prevent the girl from developing friendships outside the relationship by sending messages to those she knew “to put her distance between her and friends".

The relationship came to an end after her 16th birthday.

White was charged with having a sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 16 after being interviewed by police in 2020 after the victim came forward.

Mr Savage added: “She felt like she had been groomed into a relationship by him, that relationship had damaged her.”

A victim impact statement read to the court by the prosecution said the victim had suffered “persistent and longstanding” damage to her mental health.

In her statement, the victim, who is now an adult, wrote that she had “spent the last 10 years in the deepest depression".

However, Mr Savage added, she felt she had been able to rebuild her life.

Colin Buckle, defending, described White as being “childlike” and “presenting like a teenager” despite now being aged 39.

"He was operating in a child like state", Mr Buckle said.

"To send him to custody now would be an unmitigated disaster for Christopher White."

Addressing White, of Redbank Road, Radcliffe, Judge Abigail Hudson said he was an “isolated and lonely man” whose employment was “a vital link between you and the outside world".

She added: “Your attraction to the victim was connected to her availability rather than her youth.

“I don’t accept that you were in any doubt of her age.”

Judge Hudson sentenced White to two years and eight months and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register.

Record details

A man has been found guilty of the historic sexual abuse of a child he met through an Aberdeen church.

Stewart Petrie, who is the son of Craigiebuckler Parish Church minister Kenneth Petrie, abused the girl at locations, including Craigiebuckler Manse, on a number of occasions two decades ago.

Record details

A predator who stole a young girl’s childhood has been jailed for 22 years – thank to his victim’s bravery.

Martin Richards, who is HIV positive, subjected a schoolgirl to multiple rapes over a two-year period and was on Monday, brought to justice for his horrific actions.

The 50-year-old paedophile manipulated his victim into keeping quiet but was eventually caught out when she found the courage to confide in her mother, who immediately contacted police.

An investigation was launched by officers from Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding department and former prison officer Richards was arrested in March this year.

He was swiftly charged with a string of offences and remanded in custody, but, desperate to get the case dropped, sent a number of letters to the victim’s family.

Richards, of Windsor Terrace, Choppington, later appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault on a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and perverting the court of justice.

However, he denied rape, sexual assault and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity but was found guilty by a jury after standing trial.

On Monday, Richards appeared back at the same court where he was jailed for 22 years and must serve two thirds of his sentence behind bars.

He was also issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, Restraining Order and must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Record details

A Northallerton man has been jailed after being found guilty of 16 child sex offences.

Raymond Douglas Mackley, 81, of The Green, Romanby, Northallerton, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Teeside Crown Court on November 6. Mackley was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life. In September, the sex offender was found guilty by jury of eight counts of sexual activity with a child, six counts of sexual assault against a child under 13, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Mackley's sickening acts came to lights when one of his victims told a family member she had been abused by him as a child, but kept it a secret for years. Her disclosure also led to another victim coming forward who had also suffered similar abuse.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Gillian Gowling of Northallerton CID, said: "Mackley carried out a blatant and sickening series of offences against his victims over several years, yet maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, showing no remorse for what he had done. The victims have shown great bravery in coming forward and providing the evidence that led to his conviction.

"They have lived with the secrecy of the abuse for many years and were initially reluctant to report it to the police, believing that nothing could be done or they wouldn’t be believed. The abuse and the burden of secrecy they carried has had a lasting impact on their lives that continues to this day."

Gowling added: "I hope the outcome helps them to put the past behind them, knowing that they were believed, that justice has been done, and that the only person responsible for this abuse is now behind bars. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, please do not suffer in silence, please report what is happening to you, whether it’s happening now or if it happened in the past.

"We will investigate thoroughly. Your information may also help to protect other people from abuse."

Record details

A CREEP came close to being determined a ‘dangerous offender’ after a predatory sexual assault on a vulnerable woman in her own home.

Kamen Smith, from Warrington, also launched a nasty attack on the woman’s boyfriend after he learnt of what had happened.

The 29-year-old was released under investigation by police, during which time he was caught peddling class A drugs in Warrington.

Having already been sentenced and jailed for the drug matters, he has now learnt his fate for his prior offending.

Smith appeared before Liverpool Crown Court, via video-link from HM Prison Liverpool, to be sentenced for charges of sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

The case was opened by prosecutor David Polglase who explained how each of the offences occurred in the summer of 2021.

The defendant admitted the assault and criminal damage charges but denied the sexual assault, however he was convicted by a jury.

The evening prior to the offences, Smith had been drinking in St Helens, in the Black Bull pub in Eccleston and Bird I’th Hand pub on Prescot Road.

He then headed into the town's centre and ‘did not have much luck’ getting into other licenced venues, including Kandy Klub on Westfield Street.

By around 4am, having left the town centre, he was in the home of a woman and her boyfriend when events unfolded.

When the boyfriend was outside smoking, and while the woman was ‘tired and worse for wear with drink’, Smith sexually assaulted her.

The court heard how she was ‘seven out of 10 in terms of drunkenness’ and was taken advantage of by the defendant who ‘began to molest her’, despite her trying to dissuade him and stating she was not interested in his advances.

The boyfriend sensed something was not right, and he was later told what had happened by his girlfriend, leading to a confrontation.

Smith threw a punch and began to attack the male victim, having chased him outside, and he also damaged his car by kicking it, causing scuff marks and snapping the wingmirror.

As the victim fell to the floor, the attack continued with Smith repeatedly striking him to the face and head and kicking him to the back.

“The defendant said he would kill him and would not stop until he did,” Mr Polglase told the court, adding that the victim required a facial cut to be glued in hospital.

An impact statement prepared by the female victim was summarised, with the prosecutor stating how she still struggles to come to terms with what happened, with her mental health also impacted.

She struggles with sleep and suffers nightmares, and she does not feel safe in her home and when people walk past and knock on the door.

Mr Polglase revealed that Smith has previous convictions, including for assaulting an emergency worker and for public order offences.

While released under investigation for these offences, he also committed drug dealing offences in Warrington on April 6, 2022, and was convicted of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

He was subsequently jailed for 28 months by judge David Swinnerton at Liverpool Crown Court on May 24 this year.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing took place on June 19, where an application to withdraw proceedings by prosecutor Rebecca Smith was approved by recorder Michael Blakey.

Orders were approved for the forfeiture and destruction of drugs and a mobile phone confiscated from him on his arrest, as well as for the confiscation of £150 found in his possession, which was donated to the court’s nominated charity of the month, East Liverpool RDA.

In defence of the defendant, Jeremy Smith described the events as ‘unpleasant’

“He has mental health, alcohol and drug problems – a very giddy cocktail of issues with this defendant, and he needs to address them,” he said.

“One reassuring matter is that he is coping and thriving in prison. The regime seems to suit him.”

In his sentencing remarks, judge Denis Watson said: “She was vulnerable in her own home, and the effect on her has been significant.

“It is not necessary for an extended determinate sentence. I have come close to determining you are a dangerous offender, but that would be me stretching the circumstances to reach that conclusion.

Smith, of Molyneux Avenue in Bewsey, was sentenced to four years in prison, which will run consecutive to his drug dealing sentence, meaning it will start when his current sentence ends.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register for life and abide by a restraining order not to contact or approach the female victim for the next six years.

Record details

A paedophile told what he thought was a 12-year-old girl that he would s*** her like a princess and travelled to Corby to try and meet her.

Callum Brown said he would book a hotel room before he left his home in Basingstoke and hopped on a train having spoken about sex online.

But when he arrived at Corby’s railway station he was confronted by paedophile hunters, who had been speaking to him all along after they set up a decoy profile.

On Friday (November 3) the 24-year-old, who spent time locked up on remand, was handed a suspended prison sentence.

Northampton Crown Court heard online child protection team Phoenix Guardians of the Innocent had set up a profile on Facebook, purporting to be a 12-year-old girl, when they were contacted by Brown on August 13 this year.

Prosecutor Phillip Plant said Brown, formerly of Ferndown Close, introduced himself and said he thought the ‘girl’ was cute, adding: “I hope you don't think I am weird."

He lied that he was 18 and his Facebook profile claimed that he worked as cabin crew for British Airways, the court heard.

Brown discussed meeting and asked the ‘girl’ if she had dated ‘older blokes’, telling her they could keep it as a secret if they were dating. He also said he was a needy boyfriend and told the ‘girl’ he loved her.

Mr Plant said Brown instigated chat about sex and offered to book a hotel room before moving the conversation to WhatsApp.

Mr Plant said: "Sex came up on more than one occasion."

The court heard Brown tried to assure the decoy that he wasn’t forcing her to have sex with him and booked a hotel before he seemed to get cold feet.

He told the ‘girl’ he was worried about meeting and worried she was a decoy, before continuing to talk about sex when he was reassured that she was genuine and would turn up.

Brown, who had no previous convictions, then said: "I will s*** you like a princess. I will ba** you like a princess."

The court heard he had discussed a 'cover story' where the girl would tell her mum that she was staying at a friend's house.

On August 22, just nine days after the conversation began, Brown travelled more than 100 miles to Corby to try and meet the ‘girl’ but was confronted at the town’s railway station by paedophile hunters. They detained him in an incident which was live streamed on Facebook and has been watched more than 85,000 times.

Brown was arrested and went on to plead guilty to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He appeared at court over videolink from HMP Peterborough, where he had been held since his first court appearance in August.

The court heard sentencing guidelines put a starting point for Brown’s offending at two years in prison with a sentencing range of between one year and four years behind bars.

Mitigating, Samantha Ball told the court that Brown is autistic and would have a placement at supported accommodation for adults with autism if he was released from prison.

Urging the case for a suspended sentence, she said Brown doesn't think about things he is doing until after it's happened and that he needs a support worker to visit three times a day to help with his day-to-day living.

She said: "This is the first time he has found himself in court or in prison.

"He is someone who has admitted to what he has done at the earliest opportunity."

Sentencing, Recorder David Allan said that, after aggravating and mitigating factors, the sentence after a trial would have been 18 months in custody.

He reduced it to 12 months because of Brown’s guilty plea – but said he was satisfied there was a prospect of rehabilitation and that he could suspend the sentence for 12 months.

Brown was told he must take part in 60 rehabilitation activity days and will have to stick to a four-month electronic curfew, where he is not allowed out between the hours of 9pm and 6am daily.

He will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years and will be on the sex offender register for 10 years.

Recorder Allan told him: "I hope you do not come before the courts again."

Record details

Two abuse victims have bravely spoken of the heartbreaking toll their jailed attacker's deviant behaviour has had on their lives.

Standing in the witness box at Canterbury Crown Court, one described how they feared paedophile Adam North would "always haunt" them and that just hearing his name "sent a shiver" down their spine.

Another said they "struggled" every day and tragically wished they were no longer alive.

North, of The Street, in Willesborough, Ashford, was unanimously convicted by a jury in June of multiple offences in respect of his "sexual, violent and cruel" conduct dating back more than a decade.

The 41-year-old had maintained on his arrest and at trial that the accusations were "in their heads", and the court was told at his sentencing hearing this week that he continues to assert his innocence.

But on jailing the child molester for 18 years in front of "supportive" family and friends sitting in the public gallery, a judge said he had been found guilty on overwhelming evidence of "perpetuating evil".

He also praised the victims' courage and said "victory was theirs" as their "spirit and dignity" remained unbroken.

Visibly upset in the hushed courtroom and choking back tears, they read out their impact statements in which they detailed the devastating and disturbing consequences of North's offending.

This had involved being molested and performing sexual acts and watching child and extreme pornography, said prosecutor Daniel Stevenson.

They were also physically assaulted and threatened so they would not report their ordeals.

One said they now suffered from PTSD, hallucinations, anxiety and panic attacks, and even described being "disappointed" to wake from a suicide attempt and thinking there was "no escape."

"This will be the last time I force myself to talk about what happened because the mere mention of his name sends a shiver down my spine," the victim told the court.

"I feel I lost a part of myself I will never get back. I hope one day he will understand the pain and suffering he has caused me.

"I dread the day he is released. I hope his time in prison is punishment itself.

"He will always be haunting my nightmares and causing me pain."

The second victim spoke of also being diagnosed with PTSD and developing a "self-destructive" nature.

"I don't care what happens to me. Sometimes I wish I'm not alive anymore because every day is a struggle. When I think about the future, I don't think I have a future," they told the court.

"This will be the last time I force myself to talk about what happened because the mere mention of his name sends a shiver down my spine...”

"I don't think I will ever recover. I feel like [the abuse] will follow me forever."

North has no previous convictions and as many as 13 character references were provided by his partner, family and friends for the sentencing hearing.

"They support him, are at court today to support him, and will continue to support him, notwithstanding the sentence passed," said defence barrister Toby Cadman.

Telling North as he stood impassively in the dock that he would have to serve at least two-thirds of his jail term before parole would be considered, Judge Mark Weekes said he had "wrecked" childhoods.

"All sexual abuse scars forever. That is the sad, inevitable and notorious feature of such offending. No sentence I can impose can restore their confidence, or undo the harm you have caused," he said.

"You grossly violated both. Both suffered in silence. I have read with concern and sadness the victim impact statements.

"It has left one broken and it is quite clear this has had a devastating impact on their life. It is clear too that [the second victim] has suffered enormously.

"And yet, for all that, the final victory in this case is theirs. The courage in coming forward to report you and give evidence against you shows that your abuse did not in fact break their spirit.

"It is clear to me that you wrecked the childhood of both. You grossly violated both. Both suffered in silence...”

"You did not and could not remove the dignity of either of them. On the contrary, both can have the comfort of knowing their evidence has been accepted and has been believed.

"Both can know that they have forced you to confront your dark past. Both are to be applauded for their bravery and coming forward in that way. It would not have been an easy step.

"Each delivered their moving victim personal statements in person to me today and it is clear to me that they are both, in their own ways, remarkable."

In adding that he hoped the sentencing hearing would help their "healing process", he also told North: "I hope that a small part of you, at some point in the months and years that follow, begins to accept what you have done and you begin to understand quite what terrible harm you have caused, and perhaps to reflect, and ultimately, to regret it."

On his release, North will be subject, as an "offender of particular concern" to an additional year on any licence period, and indefinitely to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

Record details

James Joiner, 67, of The Meadows, took advantage of his victim between February and May 2017.

He was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child following an earlier trial, and on Friday 27 October 2023 at Canterbury Crown Court was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Police staff investigator Stewart Ross-Cumming of Kent Police said: ‘The offences committed by James Joiner caused his victim a great deal of emotional trauma and she was very brave in coming forward to report what had happened to her.

‘I hope she can now continue to rebuild her life and take comfort in the fact that her abuser will now spend a significant length of time behind bars.

‘Joiner has proven himself to pose a danger to children and I am pleased no others will be at risk whilst he serves his custodial sentence.’

Record details

It was discovered in October last year that convicted sex offender Edwin Swallow had targeted the youngster, encouraging her to send sexually explicit photos of herself – and sending photos of his genitalia over a messaging app.

The 55-year-old pervert had been told he must inform the police of any mobile phone he was using, having previously been found guilty of an offence involving indecent images of children.

But he kept the use of his Samsung device a secret, so was breaking the rules of the court order.

Swallow, of Sullivan Grove in South Kirkby, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on November 3.

Prosecuting, Abigail Langford said: “The victim’s mother contacted the police, but there was an attempt to smash the phone and the pictures were deleted. The images do not exist and so the prosecution’s case is based on descriptions.

“When the defendant was arrested, a neighbour confirmed that the defendant did have a mobile phone.”

The court heard that Swallow has since expressed remorse and recognises his long history of offending.

Michael Collins, for the defence, said: “His personal circumstances are miserable and depressing. He has two children with whom he has no contact. He has no significant relationship. He lives alone and is in debt.

“If there’s any brightness, it’s because he had a job. Of course, he has now lost that as well. There are no positives in his life.”

Swallow has a history of mental health issues and self-harm, including suicide attempts.

Recorder Jason Pitter said the defendant poses a high risk of reoffending and causing serious harm to children.

He added: “You are someone who targets young girls. Your previous convictions set that out. Your determination to fulfil, as you see them, your sexual desires are illustrated in this case despite the barrier put in place to prevent this very activity.”

Swallow was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, extended by five years on licence.

Record details

An online pervert who turned up to meet a schoolgirl for sex was greeted by police after being snared in an undercover operation.

Michael Cook made contact with a profile on social media purporting to be a 14-year-old girl, which was being run by a law enforcement officer. From the outset, he was told of the "girl's" young age and he began with some general conversation before turning the chat sexual.

After establishing she lived in a "bad area" he asked "so does that makes you a bad girl or are you a goody two shoes". The 48-year-old said she probably didn't know anything about sex and was told she was "not a baby".

Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court Cook asked if she had any sexual experience and when told that the "boys at school were annoying" he asked if she "liked older". He also asked if she liked masturbating and "being naughty".

Mr Wardlaw said: "He asked if she wore cheap leggings which clung to her legs as they showed everything. He also asked about thongs."

He also quizzed her about a previous boyfriend and was told she had not had sex with him. Mr Wardlaw said: "He said he liked her and would like to meet her and have fun.

"He said he was working in an office in Durham and was bored. He suggested they meet up and have fun."

He made a reference to her getting her hands on his gear stick. Mr Wardlaw said: "He was clearly sounding out the profile to see if she was interested in sexual activity."

Cook went on to ask if she wanted to lose her virginity. Mr Wardlaw said: "He varied topics between everyday activities and sexual chat before arranging to meet her at Kingston Park retail park."

He made other sex references and said he would bring condoms. On November 25 2021, police went to the arranged meeting place and arrested him in his car and he replied: "She said she was 16." A search of his car revealed condoms in he driver's door pocket.

Cook, of Arcadia, Ouston, County Durham, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to attempting to to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He was sentenced to 18 months suspended for two years with 200 hour unpaid work. He was also made subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Recorder Richard Wright KC said: "What underlies this offence is a deviant sexual attitude held by you which, had this been a real child, you may well have seen through to a conclusion.

"You went online and befriended what you thought was a 14-year-old girl. You sexualised the communications between you. This was grooming behaviour and it was quite deliberate.

"You turned innocent conversations into sexual conversation and you arranged to meet what you thought was a child to have sex with her. As far as you were concerned, you were engaging in this conversation with a young and vulnerable female."

Andrew Walker, defending, said: "The messages speak for themselves, they are awful to read but if he was intent on meeting a child in a chatroom he was in the wrong place." He said that it was a mainstream chatroom where users were supposed to be over 16.

Mr Walker added: "He was under multiple life and work stresses at the time. It happened not long after he lost both parents and he had bereavement issues. There were stress-related work issues and he felt isolated during covid."

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Ian Beecroft from Northumbria Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: “Our work to protect the vulnerable from predators both online and in the community is a top priority for the Force and we make no apologies for our continued activity in this area.

“Our investigation caught Cook sending messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl, and he had no issues with that. He was even prepared to meet up with her knowing she was underage.

“We would encourage anyone who has been a victim of this type of abuse to come forward and speak to us. We take these types of reports incredibly seriously and you will be supported.”