Latest Offenders

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A man who raped a woman and had sexual activity with a child has been jailed.

Alan Barney abused the girl, aged 13, in a home near Bristol.

Bristol Crown Court heard it was a month after he forced himself on a woman at her home.

Barney, 29, of Roseberry Avenue in Yeovil, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual activity with a child.

The recorder Mr Malcolm Gibney jailed him for eight years and nine months.

He told Barney: "These two episodes were appalling and devastating both for (the woman) and, obviously, to the younger (girl)."

Barney was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, designed to stop him reoffending, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Richard Posner, prosecuting, said the child froze when Barney was sexually intimate with her.

The distressed child told her mum: "I wanted to say no but no words came."

Barney told police "snitches would get stitches", the court heard.

He made a prepared statement denying wrongdoing before answering no comment to other questions.

Mr Posner said it transpired that, a month before the sexual activity with a child, Barney raped a woman in her home.

She made an impact statement in which she said the rape changed her life and, as well as physical pain, had left her suffering nightmares and flashbacks and receiving counselling.

Once again, Barney initially denied wrongdoing.

Mark Worsley, defending, said his client had a difficult childhood, with speech difficulties from an early age and borderline learning difficulties.

He described his client as immature and sometimes childlike, who liked watching wrestling and trying out moves on others.

Mr Worsley said: "His conduct is not excused by anything."

Detective Constable Russell Head, the police officer in charge of the case, said: "This is a welcomed sentence by the victims, bringing to a conclusion what has been a traumatic experience to them and allowing them to start to move on.

“This sentence reflects the risk that the offender possessed to vulnerable victims.”

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A 63-YEAR-OLD man who admitted possessing extreme pornographic images of children has escaped an immediate jail term.

Robert Billson, of Draycott Road, Bournemouth pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offences when he appeared before Liverpool Crown Court.

Billson, who was living in the Liverpool area at the time of the offences, admitted two charges of possessing extreme pornographic images of children and one of possessing prohibited images of children.

He also pleaded guilty to three offences of making an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child and one of possession of an indecent photograph/pseudo photograph of a child.

Billson, described as a businessman, received an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also made the subject of a 60day rehabilitation requirement and two-month curfew between 7pm and 6am at his home address in Bournemouth.

A forfeiture destruction order was made for devices and he was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140.

Description

A paedophile 'lied' to a judge about wanting to change, while having sexualised chats with a child online.

Aaron Sutton, 22, was originally spared jail after being found with indecent images of children.

But after being given a chance and having his progress reviewed by a judge, Sutton was in contact with a child on the internet.

Their online messages included 'highly sexualised conversation'.

Now Sutton, from Northenden, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after Judge Anthony Cross QC said he had been 'fooling' the probation service and had lied to him.

"I was assured by the probation service and by you that you were responding to the terms of the order," the judge said.

"That was just a lie. You were given the opportunity to change, you didn't.

"You were lying to yourself, lying to the probation service, lying to your father and lying to me.

"Because during the course of the suspended sentence order, you struck up a relationship with a 12-year-old child in foster care.

"She was vulnerable, and you committed offences against her.

"She had a terrible personal history, and you have made her condition worse, much worse."

Manchester Crown Court heard that in October 2019, Sutton received a six month suspended sentence for making indecent images of children.

A sexual harm prevention order was passed banning any unsupervised contact with female children, and prohibiting him from having devices capable of accessing the internet unless he registered them with police.

Sutton attended hearings before a judge at court, where his progress with the order was reviewed.

But it was discovered that Sutton had been in contact with the girl online during that time.

"Each time he appeared in front of me, I asked him if he was complying with the conditions," the judge said.

"He assured me, at the same time he was committing these offences."

The 'vulnerable' girl had described Sutton as a friend from a previous school but he was 11 years older than her, prosecutor Rachel Faux said.

She regarded Sutton as her 'boyfriend' and sent photos of herself to him without him asking, the court heard.

The police were alerted, and Sutton was found to be in breach of the sexual harm prevention order by contacting the girl and having a laptop he hadn't registered.

Sutton was arrested and released on bail, but attempted to contact the girl on Snapchat. The pair never met in person.

Defending, Bob Elias said the girl had 'embraced' the conversation with Sutton.

"She has to be protected from herself, because she is a child," he said.

"He thought he had entered into an enthusiastic relationship with a young girl."

Sutton, of Greenpark Road, Northenden, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

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A HAMPSHIRE shopkeeper sexually assaulted a teenage girl’s within hours of groping another woman.

Michael Tut invited a 16-year-old girl to look at his “new decor” in the flat above an Eastleigh shop.

Taking the invitation at “face value” she obliged, a court heard. However, as she was leaving, the 56-year-old, of Turtle Close, in Fareham, began to hug her and tried to kiss her.

He went on grope her and touch her inappropriately which left her “shocked and frightened”.

She is said to have immediately messaged her mother who later called the police.

Prosecution barrister, Mary Aspinall-Miles told Southampton Crown Court how earlier in the day he had persuaded another woman to go for “lunch”.

And, that when they had finished eating, Tut asked his victim to take a selfie with him.

Ms Aspinall-Miles said that the shopkeeper sat behind the woman and kissed her cheek before groping her multiple times.

Tut used his position to become friendly with young teenage girls and would allow them to buy tobacco and offer them free alcohol, the court heard.

He was charged with five counts of sexual assault following the events of June 3, 2019 - to which he pleaded guilty.

Defending, Gemma White, argued for the judge to follow the recommendations of a probation report which suggested there was a low risk of Tut reoffending.

Judge Gary Burrell QC gave him a 36-month community order to include 30 days of rehabilitation activities. He must do 100 hours of unpaid work and will be the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Warning Tut of any potential breach Judge Burrell said: “For goodness sake behave like your age.

“You do not want to spend a year in Winchester prison Mr Tut because you might not survive.”

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A "cold and dangerous" man who followed a woman off a bus and attacked her has been jailed after police used facial recognition to identify and catch him.

Craig Walters, 39, followed the young woman off a bus in Cardiff then attacked her, before being interrupted by a member of the public.

South Wales Police said they gathered CCTV from the area, including from the bus, and used facial recognition software to identify the suspect as Walters, who also goes by Craig Watts and Craig Whites and was known to police.

He was arrested within 48 hours of the attack and pleaded guilty to false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence.

He has now been jailed for life at Cardiff Crown Court and ordered to serve a minimum of six years in prison. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Dave Simmons, from Cardiff CID, said: “At around 10.50pm on Sunday, November 10, 2019 a young woman was followed off a bus on Pontprennau. As she walked alongside a grass verge in Pentwyn Road, she was grabbed from behind by a complete stranger

“She bravely tried to fight him off and screamed for help until thankfully a member of the public intervened and the suspect ran off. It must have been absolutely terrifying.

“We gathered extensive CCTV from the area, including footage from the Cardiff Bus she has been travelling on, and this gave us an image of the suspect who had been on the same bus.

“Using Retrospective Facial Recognition on this CCTV image we identified the suspect as Craig Walters – someone who was known to police.

“I am in no doubt that we would have got to him eventually, but the use of retrospective facial recognition technology meant we got to him quicker and within 48 hours he was in custody.”

Simmons said the victim had shown huge bravery throughout the case and also thanked the witness who intervened on the night of the attack.

He added: “Walters however is cold and dangerous individual who as shown no remorse and I believe he only pleaded guilty because of the strength of the evidence.

“I hope the successful outcome of this investigation will give other victims the confidence to come forward.

“As detectives we use all available technology to bring offenders to justice, and help and support is available to all victims.”

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A CHILD rapist who once threatened to blow up former Prime Minister Theresa May was jailed for making more hoax bomb threats against prison staff, including the governor.

It was four years ago this month that we reported on the case of paedophile Marcia Walker, a transgender prisoner previously known as Mark Walker, who made three hoax bomb threats while in custody at HMP Long Lartin, a high security prison in South Littleton, near Evesham.

The 43-year-old had previously been jailed for six months for claiming there was a bomb at former Prime Minister Theresa May's home in November 2012 when she was Home Secretary, telling her in a letter that she was 'a dead woman'.

Walker appeared before his honour Judge Robert Juckes QC to be sentenced for three further hoaxes at Worcester Crown Court in February 2017.

She had already admitted making a hoax call to Crimestoppers on December 4, 2015 and two written bomb threats to senior prison officer Bernard Thompson and Tom Wheatley, the prison governor, both on January 28, 2016.

There was some uncertainty at the time about when Walker was due to be released from her existing sentence although a date in 2020 was suggested.

Judge Juckes said he must extend Walkers sentence to deter Walker from making further disruptive threats.

Judge Juckes said: You have spent much of this century in custody for the most serious kind of offences against children.

"Whilst in custody, in order to draw attention to yourself and for other reasons outlined by the probation service and a psychologist, you have taken to making threats that bombs will be planted and will explode.

He said Walker's grudge arose because she wanted transgender surgery, the possibility of which was still being investigated.

The judge said: There is apparently no other way of controlling your behaviour other than by making it clear to you that each time choose and it is your choice to behave in this way, you face a longer sentence.

"The only person that can end this cycle is you."

Charles Hamer, prosecuting, said Mr Thompson, a senior prison officer with 24 years experience, had been handed a piece of paper by another officer from Walker which said a bomb was due to explode at his home that night.

Mr Hamer said: He was concerned for the risk to his wife.

An hour later a second piece of paper from Walker was brought to the attention of the wing officer which made reference to a threat to the governor, Tom Wheatley.

The letter said an incendiary device had been sent to the governors home and Walker said she looked forward to watching what happened on television.

Mr Wheatley said the public were unlikely to be directly aware of the operational impact of such threats but that the prison contained convicted terrorists and Walkers threats must be considered against that background.

Walker has five convictions for 38 previous convictions and was sentenced to 13 years at Canterbury Crown Court on January 17, 2003.

The prison sentence was imposed for two rapes against girls under the age of 16, one aged just four as well as 10 counts of making indecent photographs of children, seven of taking indecent photographs of children and two of distributing indecent photographs of children.

Walker also made bomb threats while serving at HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, calling Crimestoppers to claim there was a nail bomb in the prison car park and a bomb at the governor's home address for which he was sentenced to four years on July 6, 2015.

She also previously left answering phone messages saying there was a bomb at a probation hostel in Windsor for which she was jailed for six years at Oxford Crown Court on June 17, 2013.

Simon Worlock, defending, said: "This is a disturbed individual who has been classically institutionalised."

He also stressed that nothing had actually been sent to anyone's address and that 'all he did was make foolish claims'.

Mr Worlock said Walker had been assessed as having Asperger's syndrome with rigid thinking, a lack of insight and a fixation on blaming the prison service.

He said the offences were 'a nuisance' but 'not top end' in terms of sentencing and noted that at the time of the arrest police did not believe he had the means to arrange for the threats to be carried out.

Mr Worlock added: "He doesn't know where the governor lives."

The judge sentence her to an extra five years in prison once she has served her existing sentence.

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A man placed on the Sex Offenders Register for exposure was jailed after failing to comply with the requirements of the order.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that David Moriarty, 69, had repeatedly breached the terms of the register.

The most recent was in October of last year, when he failed to notify police he was of no fixed abode after being released from prison for another offence.

The court heard Moriarty was a "hard working and intelligent man" whose life spiralled out of control after he became addicted to drink and drugs.

Michael Stephenson, prosecuting, said Moriarty was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years in October 2015 after being jailed for exposure.

One of the terms of the order was that Moriarty should notify police of any change of address within three days.

Mr Stephenson said: "Mr Moriarty was arrested and sentenced to eight weeks' imprisonment last October for possession of a controlled drug.

"On his release, he should have attended a police station within three days to notify them that he was of no fixed abode.

"He did not do so. Instead he voluntarily attended St Anne Street police station some six days later to say he'd forgotten because he'd got out of the habit, whereupon he was arrested for the offence.

"He should have been aware of his obligations and it was a deliberate breach."

Paul Becker, defending, admitted Moriarty had "an appalling record of compliance with the order", having failed to comply eight times. This was among his 44 previous convictions for 81 offences.

Mr Becker said Moriarty had eight O-levels, and his previous jobs had been with British Rail, the ambulance service, and Royal Mail.

He added: "He fell on hard times, became addicted to drink and drugs, and spiralled into trouble."

Mr Becker said Moriarty was suffering from ill-health, including an unspecified neurological condition.

He had been held in custody since November 4 for the breach, to which he had pleaded guilty.

Judge Louise Brandon told Moriarty, who appeared via video link from HMP Altcourse: "You have been a hard-working and intelligent man in your life, but since your lapse your life has been chaotic."

He was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison.

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Two Luton men who brutally raped and beat a woman in an 'appalling' joint attack will spend fifteen years in jail for their crimes.

On March 3 2020, police found the distressed woman on Hockwell Ring, Luton, after a member of the public alerted them to her screams.

She had been raped, sexually assaulted and beaten with an object by the two men, a police statement said.

Detective Sergeant Clare Gilbert, who led the team of investigators at Bedfordshire Police said: "The level of violence and fear, in this case, is one of the worst I have ever known in my time as a police officer."

On Wednesday (February 17), a jury at Luton Crown Court found Alyas Hussain, 41, and Slamet Nazir, 38, guilty of raping and assaulting the woman.

Her Honour Judge Herbert said: "This was an appalling, brutal joint attack. Hussain had an arrogant belief, evident from the way he spoke to police, that she was expendable.

"He was less directly involved in the sexual assaults, but his violence facilitated them.

“The disrespect and contempt they had for this victim was clear."

Hussain was sentenced to serve 15 years’ imprisonment for rape, assault by penetration and wounding with intent.

Nazir was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for rape, assault by penetration and wounding with intent, and he was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Detective Sergeant Clare Gilbert said: "If it wasn’t for the intervention by the members of the public, I am in no doubt the outcome would have been much worse.

“I would like to thank the people that came to this woman’s aid, firstly by reporting the incident to us, but also by providing such strong and compelling evidence that the jury saw through Hussain and Nazir's lies.

“We will always seek to prosecute anyone who commits rape or sexual offences, and the length of the sentences handed down here reflects the depraved level of their offending.”

Detective Inspector Michelle Lack added: “If something has happened to you, please report it. We will believe you, and we will do all that we can to investigate so that perpetrators are brought to justice and you receive appropriate support.

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A CHILD psychiatrist has been struck off after he was caught with more than 2,000 indecent images of children which he claimed he viewed to help him ease stress.

Doctor Adrian Marsden's child porn collection was built over 10 years until he was found out when an amateur dramatics coach helped him download a smartphone app to learn his lines.

The NHS children's mental health specialist, who collected images of kids as young as eight, admitted he had a fetish and claimed he looked at his stash "in times of trauma".

In June last year Marsden, of Brownsea Road, Poole, avoided jail following criminal proceedings into the possession of the indecent images but now he has been struck off the GMC's medical register following a tribunal.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal ruled Marsden who had worked at Pebble Lodge NHS treatment centre in Westbourne, "breached a fundamental tenet of the profession".

Tribunal chair Margaret Obi, sitting in Manchester, said: "Dr Marsden’s conduct fell far below the standard expected of a registered medical practitioner.

"The Tribunal was satisfied that the nature and seriousness of Dr Marsden’s conviction is fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.

"Downloading and viewing child sex abuse materials seriously undermines patients’ and the public’s trust and confidence in the medical profession."

Marsden, a married father-of-two, was caught with 1,982 Category C images and 42 more serious prohibited images showing 'corporal punishment' of children on his computer which were stockpiled between May 2010 and January 2020.

The 60-year-old admitted making indecent photos of children and possessing prohibited images of children at Poole Magistrates' Court and was fined £2,500, given a community order with rehabilitation activity and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

Lawyer David Hurley, mitigating Marsden at the time, said: "He deleted some of the images as he knew what he was doing was wrong but like a smoker who is trying to quit smoking who keeps some cigarettes he kept some.

"These, he looked at in times of trauma, such as when he was suffering depression in late 2017 and 2018 after being criticised at an inquest of a young person took her own life.

"Dr Marsden separated his professional and private life and never acted upon it (his urges) through contact with children."

Marsden, who qualified in 1984, tried to have his latest tribunal hearing held in private, moaning that reports of his offences from his court case last year "elicited a hostile response from the public which included direct threats of harm".

However, his application was refused, with the tribunal ruling "Marsden’s concerns were insufficient to outweigh the public interest in conducting the hearing in public".

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A paedophile blackmailed a 14-year-old girl he met on Snapchat in a bid to force her to make pornographic videos and send them to him.

Married Alexander Griffiths posed as a boy and befriended the Leicester girl on the social media site, groomed her with compliments and told her to send him some pictures of her partially naked.

Won over by his attention, she did what he asked, YorkshireLive reports.

But then he demanded she make a pornographic video and send that to him, or he would post the images she had already sent him on Instagram.

Terrified of anyone finding out, but unwilling to make the videos he demanded, the teenager descended into a severe depression, self-harming almost every day.

Griffiths, from Denby Dale, Yorkshire, tried to sextort the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, for nearly a month in March 2019. She continued to refuse to do what he wanted, and he posted the pictures of her on Instagram, leading to a police investigation and his arrest.

Pervert sent girl pictures of his genitals

Griffiths was aged 35 at the time he befriended the girl on Snapchat, but pretended he was 16, Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday.

Prosecutor Michael Collins said Griffiths sent the child photographs of his genitals, and she sent him photos of herself both fully clothed and partially naked.

He began annoying her by 'bombarding' her with messages, so she blocked him on the site.

Griffiths then tracked the girl down on Instagram, and sent her a message threatening to post online one of the photos she had sent him if she did not make hardcore pornographic videos of herself, but she refused.

He then gave her three options a three-minute video of her having sex with her boyfriend, a picture of her performing a sex act on her boyfriend or a 20-minute live webcam chat in which she and her boyfriend would have to do anything he asked them to.

The victim pleaded with Griffiths, telling him she had been crying in school, that she had mock exams in a few weeks and that she was too young to have sex.

But Griffiths, who now has a baby daughter himself, started a countdown until he would post the photos online.

He started following her friends on Instagram, hoping they would follow him back so they would see the pictures when he posted them.

When the deadline expired, he followed through with his threat by posting two of the photos she had sent him on his public Instagram account.

In November 2019, the police went to his house, in Wakefield Road, Denby Dale, where he lives with his wife, and arrested him.

They seized his phone, and while he confirmed what he had done, he initially denied knowing the girls age.

But he later pleaded guilty to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and distributing indecent images of a child.

Girl would cry herself to sleep every night

The court heard from Griffiths's victim via a statement read to the judge.

In the statement, the girl described feeling 'trapped' and said she self-harmed 'nearly every day' throughout Griffiths's sextortion, a form of blackmail in which a person is threatened with having information about their sexual activities revealed publicly if they do not comply with demands.

The girl would cry herself to sleep, leave classes to cry and would also scrub herself in the shower until her body hurt.

She said: "I was constantly stressed, upset and angry. I became a horrible person."

She was sent to chat with her school counsellor but was afraid to say anything about Griffiths, the court heard.

Griffiths was jailed for three years and four months.

Charlotte Rimmer, representing Griffiths, told the court her client had since had a baby with his wife, and that she was now a year old.

She said social services became involved with the family due to the case, and he was now only allowed contact with his daughter under the supervision of his wife.

Griffiths was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, banning him from having unsupervised contact with any underage girls.

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A paedophile repeatedly raped a girl after grooming her over WhatsApp.

Benjamin Goodrum, 22, used his vulnerable victim to satisfy his twisted desires then threatened her to stay quiet.

But the "horrendous" abuse of the child came to light when her parents found sick messages from him on her phone.

Ian Harris, prosecuting, said these messages included a request from Goodrum to see a picture of the child's bra.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the victim's mum later confronted Goodrum, who claimed he had twice touched her daughter inappropriately.

Police were contacted and arrested Goodrum, who also told an NHS worker that he had touched the girl "once or twice".

However, when police interviewed the victim, Mr Harris said she revealed Goodrum had groomed her by text for what was "a campaign of sexual abuse".

Goodrum, of Seacombe, text the girl asking her to exchange pictures, but when she said no, replied saying that if she didn't, he would "do stuff" to her.

The girl told police "it was as if he was blackmailing her" and she thought he wanted sex, having once previously touched her inappropriately.

Goodrum asked for naked pictures before sending the child a photo of his penis and a video of him performing a sex act on himself, which made her feel "sick".

She agreed to send him a photo of herself in her bra, but then tried to ignore his messages, only for Goodrum to continue to pester her, until he molested and raped her on multiple occasions.

At one stage Goodrum took the girl's phone and deleted his texts, but police still recovered many of the messages.

Mr Harris said he would arrange to meet her alone and his messages were "demanding in nature and persistent".

He said Goodrum "used her as a sexual toy" and warned that if she told anyone there would be consequences.

Mr Harris said the girl regularly told him to stop, but he continued even when told his abuse hurt, and called her a "slag".

Goodrum remained silent when interviewed by police, but later indicated on a court form that the abuse "didn't happen".

The pervert, who has no previous convictions, admitted three counts of rape, three counts of attempted rape, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of sexual assault of a child, four counts of assault by penetration and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Mr Harris said a psychiatric report didn't find any evidence of him having an psychiatric illness or medical disorder, but some evidence of ADHD and a social disorder.

The girl's mum said her daughter had since changed and now suffered from flashbacks and nightmares.

Bernice Campbell, defending, said: "General mitigation is difficult because there's very little mitigation one can say in regard to these horrendous offences."

Ms Campbell said: "His parents split up when he was very young. He didn't have anything to do with his father for some time and there was domestic violence from his father towards his mother.

"His father was only intermittently present during his formative years."

Ms Campbell said Goodrum later moved in with his dad, who described him as "immature", which was also raised in the psychiatric report.

She said: "The defendant accepts what happened was very wrong and he is in my respectful submission remorseful."

The lawyer said Goodrum was described as "having no friends" and "an unhappy childhood", his longest relationship was online with a female in America, and he claimed he was only interested in girls of his own age.

Ms Campbell said: "He wishes he never did it and he's disgusted about it."

She said Goodrum felt depressed and suicidal but never told anyone, self-harmed and suffered with stress and anxiety, and between 14 and 16 had an "imaginary friend", which showed his "childlike" immaturity.

The report said Goodrum mentioned possible autism, but this hadn't been diagnosed.

Ms Campbell said he was referred to mental health services in 2005 and his mum said Goodrum soiled himself several times and was bullied at school and college.

She said when released from jail he wanted to move back to his mum's home in Margate, Kent, having now been "disowned" by his dad.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said Goodrum's request for indecent images and the photo and video he sent the girl "was very upsetting" for her.

He said Goodrum messaged her "time and time again", trying to persuade her to take part in his sexual abuse.

The judge said: "You used her to satisfy your need for sexual gratification."

Judge Menary said her mum's statement set out the "understandable impact that this outrageous behaviour has had on her".

He said: "It's likely that your corruption of this young girl will profoundly affect her for years to come, if not for the rest of her life."

The judge said the harm was "severe", there was significant planning and grooming, and Goodrum threatened her not to report him.

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Vile sex offender Gary Neal is beginning a 16-year prison sentence after raping girls and abusing five victims over a period of 18 years in Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

At Grimsby Crown Court, Judge Ahmed Nadim said Neal, 54, was a danger to the public and added a further four years to the sentence which will be served on licence.

He also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Neal will be on the Sex Offender Register for life.

It followed a trial in which Neal denied 14 sex offences against girls.

Neal, married and living at Mill Lane, Kirton Lindsey, was found guilty of the offences against five girls.

Neal was convicted of four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14, gross indecency with a child under the age of 14, two counts of rape of a female child under the age of 16, sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13, three counts of inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13.

Judge Nadim said the trial had not spared the victims reliving "the most unpleasant experiences of their lives".

He added the 46 incidents of sex against young girls, some just four years old at the time, were committed while he was aged between 31 and 49 years old.

He said the victims, some who sat in court in tears, had been left "emotionally scarred and confidence damaged and unable to form trusting relationships".

"They have been unable to realise the full potential of their lives. They may never fully recover from the damage you have caused. No sentence can give them back their childhood," the judge said.

He accepted the defendant had a mild learning difficulty but said he had listened carefully to the evidence he gave at trial which he described as "calculated with mendacity".

The judge said Neal had a lack of appreciation for the damage caused to his victims. He said the parole board would only consider if he was fit for release on licence after serving two thirds of the sentence. A further four years will be served on licence.

Prosecuting, Michael Greenhalgh told of how one of the girls had confided in a school teacher. Police began an investigation in 2017 when Neal was arrested. At the same time, another victim came forward to give her account of how Neal raped her.

He read statements detailing the shocking impact the rape and sex assaults had taken on the girls.

One told of how it had ruined the relationships she had with men including those in her own family. Seeing men who look like Neal sets her into a panic, he recounted.

One said: "My life has been hell. I now want to take my life back. He ruined my life but I am not letting him ruin my life anymore."

For Neal, Rodney Ferm said his client had "limited mental function" and was "akin to a child" with a mental age of nine years old. He has an IQ of between 54 and 62, which placed him in the category of a learning disability.

His client had claimed he was sexually abused as a child himself.

Mr Ferm said: "Although he had adult drives, he had the function of a nine-year-old and those are the people he associated with. He has no adult acquaintances, except members of his family who deal with bills and the more complex matters of daily life."

He added : "He is a very isolated man and had more company in prison, on remand, than at any stage of his life for many years. His learning difficulties have been taken on board."

After sentencing Neal, Judge Nadim recognised the courage of the complainants.

He said: "It is the hope of this court that with the closure of these proceedings they will be better able to move on with their lives. They each leave with the gratitude of the court. They have made an important contribution to the court system. I thank each and every one of them."

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A former maths teacher at a Swadlincote high school has been jailed for more than two years after admitting sexually touching underage girls.

Steven Bould had been employed at The Pingle Academy for five months in 2018 and 2019, when he was suspended following concerns over his conduct.

Before this, he spent six years at Nether Stowe School, in Lichfield.

Now the 36-year old has been convicted of nine charges of intentionally sexually touching underage girls.

He was due to be sentenced for his crimes before for October, last year, but this was delayed due to the covid pandemic . Now he was finally jailed for 33 months following a hearing at Stafford Crown Court.

Viv Sharples, principal at The Pingle Academy, said after the case: "Following sentencing we wish to thank the professional bodies involved in this case for supporting the students and the academy."

A spokesperson for Nether Stowe School, also speaking after the court hearing, said: This is a very serious matter and the school worked closely with the authorities throughout their investigation to ensure that all appropriate action was taken.

The school takes its safeguarding responsibilities seriously and the safety, wellbeing and protection of students is of paramount importance to us.

Steve Bould was a maths teacher from 2010 to 2016.

Seven of the offences took place while he worked at Pingle Academy, two offences while he worked at Nether Stowe School, where Bould had worked before joining Pingle school.

Bould, of Heath Hayes, Cannock, had been convicted of intentionally touching a girl under the age of 13 when the touching was sexual.

In a second charge, he was convicted of on no less than three occasions he intentionally touched a girl under the age of 13 when the touching was sexual.

And a third charge saw him convicted of intentionally touched a girl aged under 16 when the touching was sexual when she did not consent and he did not reasonably believe that she was consenting.

In the fourth charge he was guilty of on no less than three occasions intentionally touching a girl under 16 and that touching was sexual when she did not consent and he did not reasonably believe that she was consenting.

The fifth and sixth charges saw him plead guilty to intentionally touching a girl under 16 when the touching was sexual when she did not consent and he did not reasonably believe that she was consenting.

In the seventh and eighth charges, both of which he pleaded guilty to, it was said that on no less than five occasions he intentionally touched a girl under 16 by touching her leg and that the touching was sexual when she did not consent and he did not reasonably believe that she was consenting.

In the ninth charge he admitted that on no less than three occasions he intentionally touched a girl under the age of 13 and the touching was sexual.

The offences of touching amounted to at least 20 times in total in relation to the nine charges.

Bould was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Description

Police tracked down the ringleader of an online child abuse gang after arresting a known Northampton paedophile.

Simon Peach, 36, was jailed for seven years in June 2021 after detectives found a laptop with 128 recordings on his laptop of live streams of girls under 16 performing sexual acts.

But officers from Northamptonshire Police Paedophile On Line Investigation Team (POLIT) then discovered messages between Peach and Matthew Mather-Franks, who was later identified as playing a leading role in the group and arrested.

The gang said to include between six and ten men even kept a Google spreadsheet containing details of young girls, mainly from Russia, taking part in live sex streams.

Crown Court Judge, His Honour Judge David Herbert QC, jailed Mather-Franks, 37, for eight years at a hearing on Friday (February 11).

Both Peach and Mather Franks were already on the sex offenders register.

Peach, previously of Clarke Road, had more than 1,000 indecent images of children on his phone and laptop, breaching a sexual harm prevention order when he was arrested in early 2020.

Four out of five devices belonging to Mather-Franks seized were not registered with the police, breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

He had been using the devices to commit online sexual offences relating to young girls, mainly aged between nine and 12, although some involved infants. Some of the children involved appeared drugged or intoxicated.

Judge Herbert told Mather-Franks: "The facts show that the work you did as part of that order failed."

Police also found evidence of images being shared on an encrypted Telegram group.

Mather-Franks, previously of Redding Road, Rushden, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one of paying for the sexual services of a child, one of distributing category A live streams of child abuse, one of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and one or encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence

Judge Herbert told him: "You have an entrenched sexual interest in very young girls and you represent a serious danger to them."

Mather-Franks will serve at least five years, four months behind bars before he can be considered for parole. Once released, he will serve the remainder of his sentence plus and extra four years on licence.

Following Friday's sentencing, DC Andy Shears from the Police POLIT team said: I am really pleased to see the lengthy sentences handed out to both of these men who preyed on young children for their own depraved satisfaction.

Both men used sophisticated methods to try and evade detection which makes their behaviour even more deplorable.

"However, there is nothing we cant and wont do to uncover child abuse and bring the offenders to justice.

The protection of children is something that is hugely important to me and to Northamptonshire Police and I hope this case shows that if you are a predator like Peach or Mather-Franks, that we will catch up with you and put you where you belong behind bars.

Description

A young girl was repeatedly raped after her family pressured her to drop earlier allegations against her abuser.

When the vulnerable child finally plucked up the courage to report that she had been abused by Craig Wight, it seemed her nightmare would be over.

But in an "appalling" development, members of her family persuaded her it would be best if she withdrew the complaint.

The youngster did as she was asked but months later Wight subjected her to a series of even more serious sex attacks, including multiple painful rapes.

Now the 43-year-old paedophile, who groomed the victim by telling her he loved her, has been jailed for 15 years at Newcastle Crown Court.

Sentencing Wight, Judge Stephen Earl said it was "appalling" that the victim had been pressured into dropping the earlier allegations, which were of a less serious type than what went on to happen.

The judge outlined a series of despicable acts which he labelled "abhorrent abuse".

Judge Earl said: "He repeatedly told her he loved her and he spoke about how the relationship could develop more when she got to 16.

"He took advantage of her vulnerability.

"This is not love, this is a form of control.

"You don't love someone when you are 40-odd and they are (a child) and you are ... raping them."

The judge paid tribute to the victim for reporting what had happened to her.

He said: "It's an amazing testament that she's got the courage to report these matters.

"She has been failed by the adults in her life.

"She has felt isolated, out of place, vulnerable, emotional, a child unable to cope.

"These are phrases that burn themselves into your consciousness when you read them."

Wight, of Hadrian Court, Killingworth, North Tyneside, admitted 18 sex offences including three of rape, although he raped her "at least four or five times", the court heard.

Judge Earl told Wight he would have to serve two-thirds of the 15 year sentence and will be on the sex offenders register for life and subject to a sexual harm prevention order

The judge told him: "You had a clear warning when she made and retracted, through pressure, her first complaint.

"I can only express horror for the way you have callously acted towards her."

Judge Earl said there was "very little mitigation" in Wight's favour.