Latest Offenders

Description

A man sexually assaulted a woman then begged her not to tell the police in text messages the next day.

James Navickas performed a sex act on his victim, which she previously told him she found the idea of "abhorrent".

A judge said the 28-year-old, of Joules Close, Walton, sexually assaulted her when she was "particularly vulnerable".

Judge Stuart Driver, QC, said: "Because she was so drunk, she was incapable of giving informed consent."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Navickas and the woman had both gone out drinking together before the attack.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said witnesses described her as being eight or nine out of 10 on a scale of drunkenness.

He said the woman had made plain to him previously that she found the idea of a type of sex "abhorrent".

Mr Dillon said they went to Navickas' home but she felt "very drunk" and went to bed, only to wake the next day in pain, with a "hazy" memory.

The court heard she remembered Navickas performing sex acts on her and her saying to him: "What the hell are you doing?"

The victim reported what happened to a friend and a family member, before she and Navickas exchanged text messages. He said the woman had made plain to him previously that she found the idea of a type of sex "abhorrent".

Mr Dillon said they went to Navickas' home but she felt "very drunk" and went to bed, only to wake the next day in pain, with a "hazy" memory.

The court heard she remembered Navickas performing sex acts on her and her saying to him: "What the hell are you doing?"

The victim reported what happened to a friend and a family member, before she and Navickas exchanged text messages.

Navickas said "I hope you're feeling better" and she replied "I remember what you did, don't deny it".

He replied: "I'm so sorry, f***ing idiot me."

The woman said "that's absolutely disgusting" and he responded: "I know, I don't even know what came over me, can't even say anything because there was no reason for me to do it."

She replied "it's like rape, just putting it bluntly like", to which he said: "There's no other way to put it, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

The woman continued "I don't know what to say, like what the actual f***", before adding: "It's not like rape, it is rape."

Navickas replied "I know, I don't know what came over me" before the woman told him she was "scared" of him.

The woman later said: "You sexually assaulted me and I will be taking it further. You're dangerous and me keeping it quiet is making it acceptable."

Navickas said: "Please, I'm asking you, as the last thing I will ever say to you, please can you not take it further, I'm looking to get help as soon as possible and speak to a therapist."

Mr Dillon said Navickas was arrested and gave a "no comment" interview when first spoken to by the police, at which stage the text messages were not available.

However, the texts were put to him in a second interview, when he "by and large admitted his wrongdoing", but denied performing the sex act she found abhorrent and denied that his victim was so drunk she didn't know what she was doing.

He later admitted sexual assault and two counts of assault by penetration.

Mr Dillon summarised a victim personal statement, in which the woman explained how she suffered from anxiety, depression and panic attacks, feels "she is not in control of anything anymore", and has "a feeling of shame that won't go away".

He said: "She has thoughts of not being here anymore - in other words, suicidal thoughts."

The woman, who regularly broke down and cried, said she felt like "a nervous wreck", which affected her social life and work.

Mr Dillon said the victim still suffers from anxiety and that she explained: "It's really hard. It never goes away - it's always on my mind."

Anthony O'Donohoe, defending, said Navickas indicated guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity and made "substantial admissions" in the second interview.

He said alcohol had been a "disinhibitor" for Navickas, who on that night had been drinking to excess and had "deficits in his consequential thinking skills".

Mr O'Donohoe said: "Had he stepped back, I daresay he never would have engaged in the activity that he did."

The barrister said Navickas, of previous good character, had a job and was working towards a managerial position.

He urged the judge to impose a sentence of two years or less in prison, which could be suspended, accompanied by "stringent" requirements to address his client's problems.

Mr O'Donohoe said: "This man clearly has the highest prospects of rehabilitation and is unlikely to ever darken the door of a court again."

Judge Driver said mitigating features of Navickas' case included his "previous good character", references which spoke "highly" of him, and his good employment record.

Jailing him for three and a half years, he said: "You showed genuine remorse by immediately confessing in text messages afterwards."

Judge Driver told Navickas to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and also made a restraining order to protect his victim.

Description

A city council worker who took a photograph up a colleague’s skirt and pawed the woman at the council offices was branded a ‘pervert’.

But Judge Michael Gledhill QC stopped short of sending Kieron Keeble to prison, noting he had never been in trouble before, his family had stood by him and the offences dated back three years.

Keeble, 63, who no longer works for Oxford City Council, had denied outraging public decency and two charges of sexual assault by touching. But jurors at Oxford Crown Court unanimously convicted him on all three counts.

The court heard he'd used his mobile phone to take a photograph up his younger female colleague’s skirt as she stopped to take a picture of a squirrel while they were walking round Christ Church Meadow in July 2018.

She asked him to delete the image, which he claimed to have taken as a ‘prank’, but later found him looking at the disgusting snap. He told her he planned to go over the road from the city council offices to toilets at the town hall so he could perform a sex act on himself.

The jury found that Keeble had also squeezed the woman’s bottom and stroked her leg.

In an impact statement made in 2019 and read to the court on Friday afternoon, the victim said she’d had to move away from Oxfordshire after reporting the incident. She slammed the city council, saying she ‘felt they weren’t protecting me’, and added: “I regularly had anxiety attacks about the thought of going back there.”

Sentencing him to 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for two years, Judge Gledhill said there had been nothing amusing about Keeble taking the picture up his colleague’s skirt.

“It was not a prank. You have told lie upon lie in my view about what happened throughout these various incidents but particularly in Christ Church Meadow,” he said, adding it had been ‘no accident’ that the photograph was taken.

Judge Gledhill told the Oxfordshire dad: “It’s appalling to see a man of your background, a hardworking man of previous good character standing in the dock of this court aged 63.

“Working for Oxford City Council in 2018, your behaviour towards your colleague was shocking and quite frankly disgusting. You made her life intolerable.

“You have just heard read out her victim impact statement, written some time ago now, but you have seen the distress that she exhibited when she gave evidence by reliving the ordeal you put her through. You ought to be completely and utterly ashamed of yourself.

“I have seen your wife, your daughter and one of your sons sitting day after day at this court listening and watching what you did to your victim and goodness knows what was going through their minds.

“Their husband and father has been shown to be a pervert. Nothing less than that would describe what you did.”

Keeble’s personal and professional reputation had ‘gone out the window’, Judge Gledhill added.

He wondered what those who had provided character references in support of Keeble – including two former colleagues at the city council – would think ‘when they realise the side of you they know and have seen is not the only side of you; you have these perverted lusts that lead you to commit offences against women’.

Explaining his reasoning for imposing a suspended rather than an immediate jail sentence, Judge Gledhill told Keeble: “These offences are old, you have not committed or been convicted of offences of this kind before, there are no outstanding matters as far as I am aware, your wife stands by you as do your children.

“In those circumstances there is no benefit to the public from sending you to prison immediately.”

During the trial, Keeble claimed he had a ‘good’ sense of humour and decided to ‘pretend’ to take a photograph up his colleague’s skirt as a prank.

He had not realised he’d taken the picture until later and thought his colleague had deleted it. The defendant denied touching her sexually.

Former colleagues of Keeble’s at the council described him as ‘bubbly and caring’ and ‘honourable, decent and kind’.

Keeble, of Charlbury, Oxfordshire, will be on the sex offender register for 10 years and must pay £1,000 compensation and £3,500 in costs. A restraining order bans him from contacting his victim for five years.

Following the sentencing, an Oxford City Council spokeswoman said: “We expect the highest standards of conduct from all our employees, and any allegations against our staff will be quickly investigated and appropriately dealt with.

"As soon as this incident was reported Mr Keeble was suspended, and he resigned from the Council in 2019 while an investigation into the incident was ongoing. The investigation found him guilty of gross misconduct.”

Description

A Calderdale man has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences against young children.

John Davies, 58, from Sowerby Bridge was branded as a danger to children by Kirklees safeguarding detectives following his sentencing at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (Friday).

Davies was found guilty of three sexual assaults and two sexual touching offences following his trial in June.

The offending took place in Calderdale and Huddersfield areas against four girls between 2014 and 2020.

He will be placed on the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

The 58-year-olds abuse first came to police attention in 2020 after one of his victims disclosed what had happened to her.

An immediate investigation was launched which resulted in Davies arrest shortly afterwards, with further enquiries made by both Calderdale and Kirklees specialist detectives.

At his sentencing, Davies was described by the judge as a dangerous offender who posed a high risk of serious harm to very young children.

Detective Constable Yvonne Brear, of the Kirklees Child Safeguarding Unit, who led the enquiry, with assistance from Detective Constable Ameira Blight, said: John Davies abused the trust of others and took advantage of young victims in a truly dreadful way.

It is no exaggeration to say he poses a real danger to children and we welcome the substantial sentence handed down to him today.

He chose to compound the suffering of his victims and their families by taking the case to trial, and that has been reflected in the sentence imposed.

West Yorkshire Police is committed to investigating all reports of child sexual offending with the needs of victims at the heart of every investigation.

Description

A private school teacher who sexually abused a pupil and groomed two others has been jailed for 11 years.

Stuart Woods, 34, plied the "vulnerable" pupils with alcohol to aid his abuse, while teaching at Reddam House Berkshire in Wokingham, Reading Crown Court heard.

The British Gymnastics coach was found guilty of five child sex offences.

Sentencing Woods, judge Edward Burgess QC said his offending "constitutes the most egregious breach of trust".

The court heard Woods sexually abused the boy on school premises and groomed the girls.

In a victim impact statement, the mother of the boy said her world was "shattered" when her son told her he had been abused by his teacher.

"We carry the burden of guilt too as parents, as we had no idea this was occurring at school," she said.

"This continues to haunt us our faith and trust in people has been completely eradicated."

Her son said, in a victim impact statement, he "rarely experiences happiness" following the abuse.

"Stuart is not a bad man, he is a monster," he added.

'Impetuous'

Woods, of Wellington Road, Sandhurst, was found guilty of two counts of engaging in a sexual activity with a child and three of engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Judge Burgess described him as "impetuous and highly manipulative" and "narcissistic".

Speaking to the victims, he added: "I wish you well in your lives going forward and hope you can find healing."

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years, a restraining order and made to sign the sex offenders register.

In a statement, Reddam House Berkshire said the safeguarding and wellbeing of pupils was its "absolute priority".

"We take any safeguarding allegations extremely seriously and have supported the police and relevant authorities throughout the process with their investigations and subsequent conviction of Mr Woods," it added.

Boarders at the school can expect to pay up to 31,000 per year.

Description

A depraved dad who got a schoolgirl pregnant was slammed by a judge who told him: "You were the adult. You were supposed to know better."

Simon Holt repeatedly took advantage of his victim, sometimes while both were drunk.

The 39-year-old was today locked up after he admitted having sexual activity with a child.

Holt remained silent in the dock as Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, outlined the case against him.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that several of the offences took place after both had drank alcohol while, on one occasion, he pinned his victim down, told her he was "horny" and committed a sexual act upon her even after she had told him she was "tired".

Holt's crimes came to light after the victim's mum discovered her daughter was pregnant and called police.

A DNA test later established the child was Holt's.

The warehouse worker offered no comment when questioned about his actions, but later admitted five counts of sexual activity with a child.

Ms Kenny summarised the ordeal suffered by his victim, who felt "isolated and alone" in the aftermath of his offending.

Jeremy Hawthorn, defending, told the court the dad-of-one had a "positive" relationship with his own son and had pleaded guilty to the allegations he faced.

He added, however: "Nothing I seek to say here is going to be an attempt to deflect responsibility in this case. Mr Holt realises he was the person responsible for this and does not seek to shift blame.

Judge Gary Woodhall blasted Holt as he made him the subject of a restraining order and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He told him: "You were the adult. You were supposed to know better."

Holt, of North Road in St Helens, was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail. He will also have to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A paedophiles sick collection of indecent photos included children as young as two-years-old.

Lee Bayliss used search terms including 13yo [13-year-old] and girl w*** to access the pictures of children being abused.

The 49-year-old amassed a collection of more than 1,100 horrifying images over a two year period which began shortly after he was handed a community order for similar offences.

A sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) issued at Gloucester Crown Court in 2018 banned him from deleting any search history and ordered him to hand over any internet-accessible devices when asked to by an officer.

Bayliss, of Sephton Drive, Ormskirk, tried to hide his depraved habit by using virtual software but it was uncovered when police officers from Lancashire Constabulary visited him on August 6 last year.

Peter Barr, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court : As part of routine monitoring of Mr Bayliss as a sexual offender, police attended his home address.

He opened the door and allowed the officers in.

Bayliss proceeded to hand over devices including an iPhone 6, a HP laptop and an Android Zebra mobile computer.

While there, police noticed an iPhone 4 on charge which had not been handed over. Upon closer inspection, it was observed there were few apps and little data on it, which Bayliss explained by saying it had been wiped but he couldnt remember when.

This alone constituted a breach of his SOPO and further investigation found an Apple Mac had recently connected to Bayliss wifi.

He initially denied owning such a computer but then said it was in pieces and hadnt used it. This lie quickly unravelled and it was found that virtual software had been used to operate the computer without leaving a record.

In another breach of the SOPO, the Android device showed that its Google data history had been paused or deleted.

Mr Barr said: "The defendant said he had not looked at pornography and no traces were found on any devices.

However, when police accessed the Nokia he found there had been used frequently to access pornography, some which had questions search items.

These including '13yo', 'teen', and 'girl w***'.

Mr Barr said that the children in the 74 Category A images were described as pre-pubescent girls aged two-four, three-six and six-10.

Baylis, who has two previous convictions for 15 offences, had earlier pleaded guilty to deleting data in breach of his SOPO and four counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Defending, Kristian Cavanagh said that Bayliss recognises that the offending is abhorrent, he attributes it to a lapse and wants to stop looking at such images.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland QC said: To describe this as persistent breach offending is correct.

Its also significant the actual duration of this is so close in time to the community order that it amounts effectively to offending while on licence.

Its a great shame for you that you did not come to the conclusion that this kind of sexual behaviour is completely unacceptable when were you made subject of the community order in 2018.

Bayliss was handed a 27 months sentence.

Description

A paedophile told a mum he wanted to rape her two daughters aged eight and 12.

Dad-of-three Colin Waring shared a child rape video during sickening online chats with a woman called "Jennie".

The 30-year-old even sent her a picture of his penis with "Ped Dad" - short for paedophile dad - written on it.

But the whole time the pervert was talking to an undercover police officer and her daughters weren't real.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Waring spoke to the officer, who posed as Jennie on chat service Kik Messenger, between April 30 and May 5 last year.

He said he wanted Jennie to let him rape her eldest child "Emily", who was supposedly 12, and her youngest daughter "Rachael", who was said to be eight.

Waring, of Thornleigh Avenue, Eastham, sent her the two indecent images on May 4, 2020.

One was a "graphic" Category A video - the most serious category involving child rape - showing a girl who was just four-years-old.

The other was a Category B photo of a girl aged around four or five being sexually abused.

When arrested and confronted with the evidence, Waring pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing indecent images of children.

However, he denied two counts of intentionally encouraging the commission of an offence, namely the rape of a child under 13.

Waring stood trial and told a jury he knew it was an undercover officer and what he said in the conversation was "fictional".

Frances Willmott, prosecuting during the trial, said this was false and he had in fact intended to carry out the two rapes.

The jury convicted him by a majority of 11-1 this morning, following a five-day trial and more than four and a half hours of deliberation.

Waring breathed heavily in the dock and appeared to be hyperventilating when the guilty verdicts were returned.

Ember-Jade Wong, prosecuting today, said aggravating features of the case included the vulnerability of the children in the indecent images.

She said there were also "attempts to conceal evidence in this case, the defendant having deleted items from his mobile phone".

Desmond Lennon, defending, said the length of any prison sentence would inevitably be increased because there were two children involved in the discussions with the undercover officer.

However, he said there was "no real victim in the sense of the word", as the two daughters didn't actually exist.

Mr Lennon said: "Having been a person as the court knows of hitherto good character prior to the onset of these proceedings, and having no experience of the criminal justice system in any way, shape or form, he now finds himself in a position of real jeopardy.

"The impact upon him will inevitably be of the greatest significance."

The defence barrister said Waring would lose his job and his relationship with his partner was "floundering".

He said: "As the court knows, there are three children. There are aspects of this case no doubt that have caused interest in respect of the welfare of those children.

"He will struggle to see them in the future and his future is bleak, to say the least."

Judge Murray said Waring did believe Jennie was the mum of two young girls.

He said: "You asked her whether her children were sexually active.

"You said you wanted to commit the offence of rape of a child under the age of 13 with those children.

"You sent photos of your penis with the word "Ped dad" written on your penis by you, written by you to represent "paedophile dad"."

The judge told Waring he had directed jurors not to convict him of the two offences unless they were sure "it was your intention to commit the offences of rape of a child under 13".

He added: "The jury were clearly sure that was your intention."

Judge Murray said if Waring had actually raped the two girls, he would have jailed him for 11 years.

The judge said he had to reduce this to reflect the fact there was not actually any child involved.

He said Waring was "an offender of particular concern" and jailed him for seven years, with an extended one year on licence.

This type of sentence means he must serve at least half of the term in prison - three and a half years - before he can apply to the Parole Board for his release.

He will only be released before the end of the seven years if he is no longer considered to be a risk and will then serve an additional year on licence.

Judge Murray ordered Waring to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

Description

A Newhaven man who engaged in sexualised online conversation with young girls has been sent to prison.

Andrew Leadbitter, 55, a service engineer, of Hillcrest Road, Newhaven, was given the sentence, totalling two and a quarter years, at Lewes Crown Court on 8 September.

He had admitted two offences of attempted sexual communication with two separate girls, attempting to engage a third girl in sexual activity, three offences of making indecent images of children and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He will be a registered sex offender for 10 years and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to children and digital devices.

Detective Constable Gary Baker of the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: "Leadbitter systematically sought out opportunities for sexual conversation with young girls, and went so far as to arrange a meeting with one of them only to back out at the last moment.

"However this activity came to our notice and he has now been brought to justice. We will continue to pursue such offenders in order to safeguard children."

Description

A PAEDOPHILE carried out sex attacks against a child when she was just four years old and had more than 3,000 indecent images of children.

Matthew Churchill sexually assaulted the girl from the age of four and also made (downloaded) indecent images of children at category A - the worst level within the sentencing guidelines.

The 32-year-old appeared before Worcester Magistrates Court yesterday (Thursday) where he admitted a string of child sex offences - nine in total.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting a girl aged under 13 'on multiple occasions' by touching her between August 7, 2017 and August 7, 2019; making indecent images of children at category A (32 moving and still images) between July 14, 2017 and September 8, 2019 making indecent images at category B (65 moving and still images) between July 23, 2017 and September 8, 2019; making indecent images at category C (229 moving and still images) between April 10, 2017 and September 8, 2019; possessing 3,036 extreme images of a child between May 30, 2015 and September 8, 2019; possessing an extreme pornographic image (269 images) involving sex with dead animals between October 29, 2011 and September 8, 2019; causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity on February 4, 2012; assaulting a girl by touching on the same date; taking an indecent video of a child on the same date.

Ralph Robyns-Landricombe, prosecuting, said the girl, who cannot be identified, had made a disclosure to her mother about the defendant's behaviour and he was arrested.

"Devices were seized by police on arrest and disturbing images were also found" he said.

The prosecutor also said a sexual harm prevention order and deprivation order would undoubtedly follow the conviction.

"The Crown would ask that these matters be committed for sentence to the crown court" said Mr Robyns-Landricombe.

"These are extremely serious offences" he told the court.

He said the sentence for a single charge of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity was between one and four years in custody as laid out in the sentencing guidelines.

The case was adjourned until October 14 for a further hearing at Worcester Crown Court.

"These offences are so serious that you need greater punishment than we can give" said the chairman of the bench.

As a convicted sex offender, Churchill, of Glanford, Hanley Swan, near Worcester, was told he would have to register at his nearest police station as soon as possible and within 72 hours.

Bail was granted on condition Churchill remains in residence at his address, that he does not enter an address provided to him by the court, that he does not attend a school (details provided to the defendant by the court) and that he is not to have contact with any child under 18 except in the normal course of daily life.

He was also told not to contact, directly or indirectly, any prosecution witnesses.

Description

A doctor who attempted to groom a '13-year-old girl' online has been spared prison after his lawyers blamed his actions on working long hours during the Covid pandemic.

James Peter Farthing, 28, spoke to the 'teenager' on messaging service Kik - under the username 'olderc**k' - as well as on Snapchat.

The junior doctor, who worked for the NHS in Stockport, asked to see photographs of her body and shared an image of penis.

The account was actually being run by an undercover police officer and Farthing was later arrested for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

However, today he walked free from Minshull Street Crown Court after being handed a suspended sentence.

Lawyers mitigating for Farthing, said he had been juggling working long hours during the pandemic, his wife's health condition and his training.

They said he had 'emotional struggles', had been watching pornography and smoking cannabis at the time - but that he was working to address his issues.

Her Honour Judge Tina Landale sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for two years, after he admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was handed concurrent sentences for attempting to involve a child aged 13 or over in non-penetrative sexual activity; and attempting to engage with a child aged 13 to 15 to watch and look at images of a sexual nature.

The court heard Farthing spoke to the 'girl' on Kik - under the username 'olderc**k', Fiona Clancy, prosecuting said. He also spoke to her on Snapchat, in March.

He said he was 23 and from Leeds. The 'girl' was called 'Beth' and was said to have been from Liverpool.

The cop used a picture of kittens to portray how young she was, Ms Clancy said.

Farthing asked 'Beth' if she was into 'older guys' and if she would send him a picture.

'Beth' told him: 'I'm 13, by the way.' Farthing replied: 'Cool. Are you down for role play or sex?'

He asked to see her body and offered to show her his penis. The 'girl' said she was worried about sending a photograph.

Farthing reassured her that if she didn't include her face, it 'should be fine'.

'The fact that the undercover officer was 13 was reiterated, but the sexual conversations continued,' Ms Clancy said, as the conversations moved to Snapchat.

Farthing told 'Beth': 'I have spoken to a few girls that like older men.'

The officer then sent a picture of a young, clothed girl. Farthing sent a photograph of his penis.

'I really want to touch your body and see what you look like naked,' he said.

He then sent another picture of his penis.

Ms Clancy said that when officers arrested Farthing, he said he was 'ashamed' and 'tried to stop', but 'gave in to sexual pleasure', the court heard.

Simon Gurney, defending, said Farthing, who has no previous convictions, was 'deeply ashamed and remorseful for his behaviour'.

His supervisor - a consultant - and training programme director provided statements to the court.

Staff and patients 'all expressed shock' after Farthing was arrested, the court heard, as people thought he had a good 'moral compass'.

Mr Gurney said they 'stand by him' because they acknowledge his remorse.

The lawyer said it was the first time in Farthing's career that he didn't enjoy his work - and that his family was in debt as a result of the pandemic.

Mr Gurney said Farthing 'only has himself to blame for jeopardising' his career.

Judge Landale said the 'girl' made it 'clear that she didn't want to talk about sex'.

Farthing was ordered to take part in the Horizon project; to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days; and to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order - to last a decade.

Description

A sex predator who tried to evade justice has been jailed for 11 years.

Colin Ritchie preyed on four children during an 18-year campaign of abuse.

The crimes mainly occurred in Elgin and Fochabers, both in Moray.

The 56-year-old had been due to face the allegations at a high court hearing in March 2020. However, Ritchie failed to show before being eventually held and hauled into the dock.

The first offender was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday.

He was previously found guilty after a trial in Aberdeen of 11 charges including lewd and libidinous behaviour, indecent assault, breaching bail and failing to appear for the earlier court hearing.

Judge Graham Buchanan told Ritchie: You were convicted of serious sexual offences against children.

In the course of the crimes against one boy, it is apparent that you groomed and corrupted him over a substantial period.

This was to the point that he believed the depraved conduct was perfectly normal.

It is inevitable that what you did to him and the other victims resulted in long-lasting consequences and psychologically damaging for them.

Ritchie who appeared via video link from prison repeatedly shook his head as he was sentenced.

The abuse occurred between 1988 and 2006. Ritchie targeted two boys and two girls during that time.

One victim was as young as seven when Ritchie struck.

Bill Adam, defending, said Ritchie continues to maintain his innocence.

Judge Buchanan also placed Ritchie on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

Description

A Bedford man who drove to the KFC car park at Kempston thinking he was meeting an 11-year-old girl for sex was jailed for for four-and-a-half years.

Ryan Massey arrived outside the takeaway in May of this year to find a group of paedophile hunters waiting for him and, after being confronted by them, the police were called and he was arrested.

The 28-year-old had been communicating online with four young girls at the time, who in fact turned out to be “decoys.”

They didn’t actually exist and their fake details had been posted on Facebook by four groups of online paedophile hunters. But Massey wasn’t to know that.

After making contact with the girls, who were aged between 11 and 15, he would quickly turn the online chats to sex, sending them pictures of male and female genitalia and encouraging them to send him intimate photos of themselves.

What Massey didn’t realise was the “girls” he knew as “Sammi” “Rosie” “Sky” and “Lilly” were in fact adult members of paedophilic hunter groups pretending to be children in order to catch perverts looking online for youngsters to groom and have sex with.

Massey, of Edward Road in Bedford, Bedfordshire, had gone to the car park on May 26 this year thinking he was meeting the 11-year-old girl, who he knew as “Sammi.”

In a message he had sent to Sammi the day before, he had said: “When I see you we can have sex for the first time.” After his arrest the police discovered he had been sending similar messages to the three other girls.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence concerning the decoy Sammi.

Massey further pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity involving the same girl and attempted sexual communication with her.

He also admitted six other charges concerning his online contact with the three other girls in May of this year who were also decoys.

He admitted three further charges of attempting to incite or cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and three charges of attempted sexual communication with a child. The court heard he had encouraged the girls to masturbate in messages he sent them.

Sentencing Massey, Judge Lynn Tayton told him that on making contact with the girl he had “immediately engaged in sexualised conversations with them.”

She went on: “You invited them to engage in penetrative sexual activity and you sent photos of your private parts and invited them to send you photos of their private parts."

The judge said Massey had then progressed to asking to meet the girls for sex. Judge Tayton said she noted that when the “girls” had complained about what he was asking them to do, he had “pressed” them to continue.

As well as serving the four-and-a-half year jail sentence, Massey was told he would also be the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period, which would monitor and supervise his computer access and his activity online.

His name will also go on the sex offenders' register and he was told he would be barred from ever taking up employment which involved working with children.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of a mobile phone found on Massey when he was arrested.

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A disgraced former boxer has been found guilty of sexually assaulting other amateur athletes throughout the 80s.

David Davidson, 57, carried out attacks on young fighters nearly 40 years ago and was finally brought to justice 24 years after one of his victims first went to police to report the abuse.

Davidson, who now lives in England and runs his own company, and carried out his attacks between 1981 and 1984.

One of his attacks occurred after a boxing fundraiser to raise money for the Doyle family who were victims of a fatal house fire amidst the height of Glasgow’s notorious Ice Cream Wars, the Daily Record reports.

The former fighter denied all wrongdoing at the High Court in Paisley.

A jury heard he attacked his first victim between 1981 and 1983, when Davidson was aged between 17 and 19, at a property in Glasgow’s Ruchill.

He went on to abuse a second victim on a number of occasions in 1984, when the victim was 18, in the Kildrum area of Cumbernauld and different areas of Glasgow.

He said that the man had told police a different version of events in 1997 when he first reported the accused.

Defence advocate Mark Moir asked the jury to acquit Davidson, saying his client claimed the sexual interactions had been consensual.

Moir argued it was “young men of 18, 19, 20 exploring their sexuality – deciding they don’t want to go that way or want to go this way”.

But the jury rejected the claims and convicted Davidson of both indecent assault charges.

Sentencing was adjourned until next month for background reports and for Davidson “to put his affairs in order” due to the prospect of receiving a custodial sentence.

It emerged Davidson was also convicted of a sexual offence in a separate case in 1985.

During the Ice Cream Wars, James Doyle, 53, his sons James, 23, Andrew, 18, Tony, 14, and their sister Christina Halleron, 25, and her 18-month-old son Mark died after a fire ripped through their home in Glasgow’s Ruchazie at about 2am on April 16, 1984.

Thomas “TC” Campbell and Joe Steele were convicted of murder over the blaze but were later cleared.

Description

A "disgusting" retired driver who arranged to meet a girl he met online and thought was 14 years old was snared by paedophile hunters who set him up, a judge has heard.

Timothy Hobbs, 61, travelled from Taunton in Somerset to Bournemouth, Dorset, expecting to meet the girl who he said he would like to see in a swimsuit.

Hobbs even told the "girl" she would recognise him because he would be wearing a West Ham football shirt.

A court heard that this description made him easy to spot by the paedophile hunters who intercepted him and handed him over to the police.

Judge Anthony Barnett, sitting at Winchester Crown Court, heard how Hobbs had fallen for the hunter's bait in 2019.

Hobbs, who now lives in Torquay, admitted causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging to meet a child, he committed both offences in September 2019.

Prosecuting, Francisca da Costa told the court a man from a paedophile hunter group caught Hobbs when he arranged to meet the girl in Bournemouth, saying he would be in a West Ham shirt.

When he arrived in the shirt, he was easily identifiable to the hunter group.

Ms da Costa said: "On September 4, 2019 the civilian set up an online profile on the app Oasis called Megan, the defendant used the profile Hannahs1234.

"Hobbs made contact saying 'hello, my name is Tim' and continued 'how old are you, can I see your photo please?' The defendant said 'you are so gorgeous' and 'you don't look 14'."

Hobbs asked for the girl's number and began communicating with her on WhatsApp.

The court heard how the defendant said he would like to see her in a swimsuit and on September 21, 2019, arranged to meet her in Bournemouth.

Defence counsel Robin Leach said the defendant lived alone in Torquay without contact with his ex-wife and children.

He said he had worked as a driver for 40 years but had to stop due to physical reasons and was a very solitary man.

Judge Barnett described the behaviour as "disgusting" and sentenced Hobbs to 12 months for arranging to meet a child and eight months for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The sentences, which were to be served concurrently, were suspended for two years.

Hobbs was given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, meaning any device he owns capable of accessing the internet must be notified to the authorities and he is not allowed to hide from the authorities.

He was also ordered to carry out 20 rehabilitation requirement days.

Description

Paedophile Simon Hammerton was caught with a bag of booze and condoms as he went to meet an '11-year-old girl'.

The 33-year-old was apprehended by paedophile hunters - adults posing as young girls online - after he attempted to meet what he thought was a child in Greater Manchester in July.

Detectives seized Hammerton's laptop and found he was also chatting to 'girls' from Southampton and Leicestershire - believing both were 12 years old.

He would regularly tell them he wanted to kiss them and one one occasion asked a girl for a picture in her school uniform or underwear.

Hammerton was also in contact with two other girls he believed were 11 and 13.

During both conversations, Hammerton would speak sexually and sent them images and videos of him naked, including one video he sent to the 11-year-old girl of him masturbating and ejaculating.

Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard Hammerton's undoing came in July, when he arranged to meet a 'girl' he had been speaking to online.

However when he arrived at Ashton-under-Lyme bus station, he was met by a group of adults and placed under citizen's arrest.

He was then handed over to Greater Manchester Police who discovered his bag contained condoms and alcohol.

It was then his laptop was seized and the full extent of his offending came to light.

Hammerton, of Hyde, has now been jailed for five years and four months and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He admitted five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

Detective Constable Sue Masheter from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Child Sexual Exploitation takes place in many forms and in this case Hammerton engaged in online communications with what he believed were very young children, not sparing any thought for the lasting damage his actions could have.

"Unknown to Hammerton, the 'children' he thought he was communicating with were actually adults and thankfully we have now been able to remove a dangerous individual from our community and ensure that he is not able to inflict any further abuse.

"I would like to thank the members of the online safety group, namely STOP for their cooperation throughout this investigation."