Latest Offenders

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A sexual predator who targeted two women and a girl in violent, opportunistic attacks has been jailed for life.

Constantin Covaliu preyed on his victims, who were all previously unknown to him, over the space of four months last year in Nottingham and Mansfield.

After a determined and detailed investigation by Public Protection detectives and their uniformed colleagues, the 22-year-old has now been brought to justice and received a life sentence at Northampton Crown Court.

Covaliu, of Broxtowe Drive, Mansfield, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, one of attempted rape and one of sexual assault on the day his trial was due to begin.

Detective Sergeant Neil Allsop, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Covaliu is a predatory sex offender who targeted victims in their own home, while alone in the street and after luring them to a place of danger.

“He only pleaded guilty as his trial was due to begin - causing needless additional distress to his victims.

“He has rightly been handed a life sentence and I hope this gives his victims some closure after what has been a harrowing time for them and their families since the shocking events took place.”

Covaliu attacked his first victim, a 53-year-old woman, after he attended a house party in the building in which she lives.

He had entered her flat twice earlier in the evening and was told by the victim to get out.

On the third occasion, at around 2.30am on 24 July 2021, he again went into the flat and this time attempted to rape the victim.

She was eventually able to fight him off and called for help after locking herself in the property’s communal bathroom.

The second attack took place when a 17-year-old girl was lured to an address in Mansfield while on a night out on 31 October 2021.

He befriended the teenager, who was alone after her friend had gone home, and took her to the property.

After snatching the woman’s mobile phone from her, Covaliu raped the girl in an upstairs bedroom.

In the third attack, Covaliu grabbed a 21-year-old woman from behind as she walked home alone in Church Lane, Mansfield, on 20 November 2021.

He attempted to rape the woman but stopped and ran from the scene when she tried to get help from a passing taxi driver.

Det Sgt Allsop added after sentencing on 9 September: “Detectives in Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection teams work every day to investigate cases of rape and sexual abuse and it is thanks to their hard work and tenacity that people like Covaliu are held to account and their victims are offered the support they need.

“Had it not been for their very thorough investigation and attention to detail Covaliu may very well have evaded justice.

“So if you have been the victim of sexual assault we want to hear from you.

“If you make an allegation we will listen carefully to you, we will investigate and we do everything we can to get justice for you.”

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A paedophile has been jailed after being found with horrific images of child abuse and bestiality on his phone and after he travelled to Spain without telling the police.

Ian Munro, 33, of Eastwood, Windmill Hill, Runcorn, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday for sentence having pleaded guilty to a raft of charges relating to breaching his sex offender register notification requirements and the sick stash of photographs and videos on his iPhone.

Brett Williamson, prosecuting, said police executed warrants on March 30 last year at Munro’s brother’s and mother’s homes in Runcorn where he had been known to stay.

Officers had received information that indecent images had been uploaded to the internet via a Kik Messenger account linked to a Microsoft user called “Ian M”. Following the warrants, Munro agreed to provide the the police with the code to unlock his iPhone, which was found in his bedroom at his mum’s house.

Forensic examination discovered the device contained a vile collection of 283 indecent images of children.

Of these, 73 were of the most appalling type in Category A - including seven videos; 107 in Category B, of which two were videos; and 103 at Category C including one video.

The device also had 29 images and three videos of bestiality involving humans with dogs and horses, and 13 “prohibited” cartoon images of children.

Munro gave “no comment” answers in interview with Cheshire Police.

Despite already being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and suspended sentence imposed in October 2020 for convictions of inciting a young teenager to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication when he was sentenced to 18 months in prison - suspended for two years, and despite having received clear reminders of the terms of the SHPO and sex offender register notification requirements as recently as May 5, 2022, Munro flew to Spain within the following fortnight, returning via Manchester Airport on May 20.

The trip breached a condition that he must inform the police in advance of any plan to travel abroad.

He was arrested under caution on May 26 and gave “no comment” answers in interview.

Munro had previous convictions including the incitement and communication charges referred to above from 2020, plus a sexual assault on a boy from when Munro was 15 years old in 2004.

In relation to the offences for which he fell to be sentenced on Friday, he pleaded guilty at North Cheshire Magistrates’ Court in Warrington on August 15 to possessing indecent images of children; three counts of making indecent images for Categories A, B and C; possessing extreme pornography; possessing prohibited images of children, namely cartoons; and failing to comply with the terms of the notification requirements.

At Chester Crown Court on Friday, he pleaded guilty to a further charge of breaching a suspended sentence.

Jeremy Rawson, appearing for the defence, pleaded mitigation for Munro’s prompt guilty pleas, and said his client’s engagement with probation was “positive and continuing” - prompting Judge Michael Leeming to retort that Munro “went off to Spain”.

Mr Rawson resumed his representations, telling the court that although he agreed with the prosecution’s categorisation and the breach was “deliberate”, he said there was “clear regret and remorse” that “shows there’s an understanding of the nature of his offending”.

He added: “His partner speaks highly of him, his mother speaks highly of him - his mother has a medical condition he assists with.”

Mr Rawson said Munro had provided the pin number for his phone to the police and had waited over a year for the indecent images matter to reach court.

Munro was facing his first custodial sentence and Mr Rawson called on the judge to consider the principle of “totality”, adding although he agreed the suspended sentence had to be activated, he asked the judge to pass the “shortest possible” term.

Judge Leeming said he had read a pre-sentence report in addition to letters from Munro, his partner and his mother, although he said Munro’s partner “was plainly unaware of the most recent offences of the indecent images”.

The judge sentenced Munro to three years in prison to be served immediately.

There were concurrent sentences for the indecent image charges with each other, plus consecutive sentences for the register breach and activating his suspended sentence.

The judge said that although uploaded images had triggered the images investigation, Munro was not charged with, or sentenced for, distribution.

He placed Munro on a fresh SHPO for 10 years and on the sex offenders register for life.

Sending him down, Judge Leeming said: “You must understand that these are not victimless offences.

“Downloading this sort of material stimulates the demand, and so continues the abuse.

“The existence of indecent images of children indicates contact offences are taking place somewhere in the world and each child is facing re-victimisation each time an image is accessed in the knowledge their image is viewed for someone’s sexual gratification.”

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A married dad-of-two who had an online username of ‘Jimmy Savile’ and was found with more than 9,000 child abuse images in his possession has avoided jail.

Police seized electronic devices when they visited Joseph Pond’s address, which when analysed uncovered the material.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 53-year-old, now of Olympia Drive in Belfast but formally of Morpeth, was at home with his family last year when officers arrested him.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and was sentenced to two years behind bars, suspended for two years.

Prosecutor Omar Ahmad said: “Police executed a warrant at the defendant’s home on the 5th of January last year following intelligence received from theNational Crime Agency that indecent images had been uploaded to the internet via Yahoo that had an IP address linked to the defendant’s address.

“The defendant was cautioned and arrested and the defendant was present with his wife and his two children at the time.

“Devices were seized, including a mobile phone the defendant was holding at the time - that phone was forensically analysed and was found to contain indecent images.”

The court heard that there were 2,224 category A images found with 37 videos, as well as 2,211 category B images and eight videos.

There were also 4,649 category C images and five videos uncovered.

Mr Ahmad said that there were a further 2,493 images that were classed as borderline, but not illegal.

He added: “I would submit the images are as serious as they get in cases of this nature."

The court was told that the ages of the children depicted in the material ranged from infants to 11-years-old.

Pond told police in his interview that his username was ‘Jimmy Saville’ and when asked why, he said it was so other users knew of his intentions.

He also stated he would view the images and the delete them using a special software remover, but then would re-download them again at a later date.

Claire Anderson, defending, told the court that the defendant had suffered childhood trauma growing up, which had never been properly addressed.

Ms Anderson said: “There is very little that can be said to explain or mitigate it.

“The defendant has currently not tried to deny he has a very clear sexual interest in children.”

However, Ms Anderson added that Pond's childhood experiences had effectively caused him to lead two “different versions of himself”.

In sentencing, Mr Recorder Mark McKone said: “The public expect an immediate prison sentence for offences like these.

“I've got to use my judgement and experience to decide what makes it most likely that you will stop this sort of offending.

“I'm having to balance the grave seriousness of these offences with the prospect of rehabilitation.”

The judge told Pond that he had “battled” with the case and accepted that he had previously led a law-abiding life. The judge also said he took Pond’s instant admission in interview into account.

He added: “People never get a second chance for these types of offences.”

Pond was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the sex offender’s register, both for 10 years.

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This is the first picture of a shamed former Birmingham teacher jailed for sexually assaulting three schoolgirls. Muhammad Taimoor – who worked at an unnamed secondary school in the city– groomed the young girls by offering them the liberty to truant lessons and spend time with him in his classroom.

The 30-year-old also allowed the 16-year-olds to use their mobile phones and vapes and gave them chocolates and doughnuts as treats. Taimoor, of Richmond Road, Yardley, also joined a Snapchat group which he used to sexually communicate with the the students.

Taimoor was caught when his brave victims told another teacher what happened. The maths teacher was arrested and later admitted 11 charges of sexual assault in a hearing at Birmingham Crown Court last month.

 He was jailed for three years during a sentencing hearing on September 13. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The court heard one victim said Taimoor would compliment the girls on their appearance and ask for hugs in the classroom, away from CCTV. He would also tell them they were sexy and beautiful and grabbed one on the bottom and asked her if she was ticklish.

Another victim said he had hugged her, slapped her bottom and tried to put his hand inside her top. He had asked her for a nude picture and she had sent him a photo of her chest, wearing a bra.

He had also waited for her outside the girl's toilets and picked up a ruler and ran it up her leg. A third victim said the defendant had touched her breasts while re-fixing a sticker on her chest.

It was "an appalling abuse of trust and power by someone in a position of authority", according to training Det Con Megan Davies, from West Midlands Police's Child Abuse Investigation team.

She continued: “Taimoor essentially groomed and sexually assaulted a number of his female students on and off school premises. This will have long lasting and scarring effects on the girls, who are young and vulnerable. We commend their bravery in coming forward and helping to ensure his successful prosecution.

“We do not underestimate how traumatic his actions have been and our trained officers continue to support the girls, alongside partner agencies.”

Taimoor pled not guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a fourth girl. The denied charges were accepted by the prosecution and will remain on file.

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A pervert who tried to meet two schoolgirls for sexual activity on the same day has been jailed after thanking vigilantes for catching him.

Adrian Cartwright, who has previous for preying on young girls, made contact with what he thought were two 15-year-olds online and engaged in sexual chat and arranged to meet them. In fact he had been talking to decoy profiles set up by paedophile hunters Guardians of the North.

Using the moniker "Top dad", Cartwright communicated with both profiles online in October 2019. Within five messages to the first "girl" he had sent a picture of his penis and requested images of her "wearing less clothing". He also suggested she perform a sex act on him, asked about school uniform and underwear and talked about her sexual body parts.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he arranged to meet her at 4.30pm on October 11 at a car park in Birtley and requested that she didn't wear underwear.

He engaged in a similar chat with the second profile, saying he wanted regular meet ups, asking about her sexual experience and sending her pictures and asking for images of her. He arranged to meet her on October 11 at 11pm at an Asda and suggested they engage in sexual activity at an industrial estate.

Prosecutor Paul Cleasby said: "The prosecution say it's obvious he intended to meet two children on the same evening for the purpose of sexual activity. It's clear he intended to meet the children as he attended the first meeting when both decoys were present.

"The decoys, with other members of Guardians of the North, tried to block his vehicle in the car park but he mounted a grass verge and drove off at speed. He was briefly followed by Guardians of the North but due to his driving they abandoned any pursuit after seeing him drive through a red light and drive at speed on the wrong side of the road in a 20mph residential zone."

Police were contacted and he was arrested at his home a short time later. He appeared out of breath and claimed he didn't know why officers were there.

Cartwright, 52, of Ollerton Gardens, Felling, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. Judge Stephen Earl jailed him for 28 months and his lifelong sex offender registration and indefinite sexual harm prevention order continue to be in force.

The court heard he was convicted of eight offences of sexual activity in 2007 in relation to two 14-year-olds. He was given a suspended sentence for that.

The court heard Cartwright, who is in a relationship, said he committed the latest offences while bored at work. Representing himself, he said: "I would like to express my remorse. I have let myself and my family down.

"I would like to thank the Guardians for catching me doing this because it could have been someone else less defensive than themselves. I need help and don't believe a jail sentence would provide that help.

"A lot has changed in three years. I've changed my job and I'm a health and safety representative and have done first aid. I try to help people if I can.

"My parents' health has decreased and I spend a lot of time helping them. I really feel the need to be there for them."

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A CONVCITED paedophile with a history of possessing indecent images of children has been brought back before the courts.

Alan Wattman, of Greenings Court, Orford, breached a number of conditions of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) as well as a number of conditions of his registration on the Sex Offenders Register.

The SHPO was made in May 2019 after he had been caught downloading indecent images of children again.

As well as being in possession of a computer that had not been registered with the police within three days, the 42-year-old was found to be using a number of different pseudonyms on the internet.

Wattman was also found to be in possession of a Natwest Visa debit card that was not registered with the police within three days and using a ‘cloud’ storage account which also hadn’t been registered with police.

The sex offender appeared before Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on Monday.

At an earlier hearing, he pleaded guilty to five offences of breaching conditions of his registration of the Sex Offenders Register and two offences of breaching his SHPO.

Judge Anil Murray handed Wattman a 20-month prison sentence and ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, again.

Cheshire Police said they are unable to issue a custody photograph of the defendant.

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Police Scotland acknowledges the sentence given to a man who was found guilty of sexual offences in the Highlands, Dundee and West Lothian over a 13-year period.

Daniel Fuller, 38, was convicted of seven charges last month and was remanded in custody.

He was sentenced today (Friday, 16 September) at the High Court in Aberdeen to 12 years imprisonment, with a further three years on licence, as well as being added to the sex offender register indefinitely.

Detective Inspector Jennifer Priestley said: "We welcome the sentencing of Daniel Fuller, who has shown himself to be a predatory and dangerous man having committed such terrible crimes against his victims.

“It is thanks to the courage of the women who came forward that he has now been found guilty of his crimes and the cruelty of his behaviour has been exposed.

“I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of abuse to come forward and report it.

“Police Scotland takes all reports of abuse seriously and we will carry out a thorough investigation no matter how long ago these incidents took place.”

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 A SEX offender is now serving time behind bars for his ‘flagrant disregard for court orders’.

Paul Roberts was hauled before the courts for failing to abide by the terms of his sex offender registration requirements.

The 39-year-old was told that the level of risk he poses was one of the reasons why magistrates felt that anything other than immediate imprisonment was inappropriate.

Roberts, of no fixed abode, appeared before Crewe Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 5 after being charged with breaching his sex offenders register requirements.

Jenna Cooney, prosecuting, explained how the defendant was made subject to the requirements following conviction of a sex offence.

Such requirements allow authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences.

Roberts was found to have breached his requirements between August 17 and 27 by failing, ‘without reasonable excuse’ to notify authorities that he was staying at a Warrington address other than one he was approved to do so for seven days or more.

Magistrates took his guilty plea into account, however they remarked that the offence was ‘so serious’ that only a custodial sentence could be justified

They also said that the defendant has a ‘flagrant disregard for court orders’, committed the offence while subject to post-sentence supervision and due to the level of risk he poses.

Roberts was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison and ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £154.

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Three Kirklees brothers who groomed and sexually abused teenage girls have been jailed for a total of over 60 years.

Zafar Qayum, 42, and his brothers Ansar, 45, and Mohammed Jabbar, 41, all from Dewsbury were found guilty of a catalogue of sickening sex offences following a trial at Leeds Crown Court. Zafar was found guilty of six counts of rape, three counts of aiding and abetting rape and five counts of indecent assault, against three victims, Ansar was found guilty of four counts of rape and attempted indecent assault against two victims and Mohammed was found guilty of two counts of rape against one victim.

It was said the offences were committed between 1999 and 2004 against three girls who were between 13 and 15 when they were sexually abused. All girls were described as particularly vulnerable at the time they came into contact with the Qayum brothers. Police investigations began in 2017 after one of the victims reported what had happened to her.

The court said one of the victims came forward after she watched a documentary she realised what had happened to her could still be reported.

Jurors were unable to reach verdicts in two counts - one relating to Zafar and another relating to Ansar. These counts were instructed to lie on file.

As the trio were sentenced on Friday, the court heard how they had preyed on three teenage girls. Prosecutor Rupert John Doswell said the aggravating features in the case included the targeting of particularly vulnerable victims who were sometimes missing from home, and the fact Zafar instigated and encouraged his younger brother Mohammed to carry out his offending. Mr Doswell said: "He was the instigator and facilitator."

Mr Doswell said Zafar Mohammed was 20 at the time of the offending against two of the girls which went on for some years. He was between the ages of 23 and 25 when he abused another. Mohammed is now 41-years-old and was 21 or 22 at the time.

During the sentencing, the emotional victim impact statements of the three victims - now adult women - were read out to the court. In them, they told how the abuse had impacted their lives. One woman said she was a young teenager when the abuse started and has suffered with anxiety throughout her life. She said: "After the abuse stopped I would fly off the handle at the smallest of things. Nowadays, I feel void of emotions. Part of this is because of the medication I take for my mental health, I believe is due to the abuse I have suffered."

The woman says she still fears the Qayum brothers will come after her, and added: "The feeling has never left me. Even when cars pass my house slowly, I think it is them looking for me. It is always in my mind that they are coming back for me."

She also told how she remembered "kicking off" at school when some men tried to get her into their car and she was told off by a teacher who said she "shouldn't be getting into cars with Asian men" and that she was bringing shame to the school.

Another woman told the court how she was "exploited" by the Qayum brothers when she was 13. She said Zafar "made her feel special" and filled a hole in her life. She said throughout the abuse she became "less tolerant" of people and got expelled from school - hiding the fact from her father for three months. She said this led to her becoming a "prisoner in her own home" as she was "in fear of being mentally and physically tortured."

The woman said: "At the age of 17 the person who abused me stopped being part of my life and this pushed me into another relationship with another man who I would describe as abusive as well."

She said that after she gave evidence during the trial she felt for the first time her "voice was heard" and added: "I will never forget what happened to me but feel some sort of acceptance and after 20 years I can put this thing behind me and live my life with my family."

The Qayum's third victim told the court she had a "great, happy childhood" up until the age of 13 and her "teenage years very much destroyed my adult life." The woman said she "never really felt normal" and has had relationships with the wrong kind of people thinking "that was how a normal relationship should be."

She said: "I still have bad dreams about what they did and panic they will come and find me and hurt me. There is no way in this world my son would ever behave like these monsters. This part of my life has been kept in a locked part of my brain. They took my innocence and damaged me. I just think I will have to go with this life I have been given, to try my best to be happy and love myself."

Mitigating for Zafar Qayum, Katherine Pierpoint said he was 19 or 20 when the offences were committed and the "disparity was about five to nine years between the complainants. The disparity in age is not as great as you see sometimes in these cases and his age at the time may be linked to his level of maturity." She said there had been no offending since the offences had been committed and he is now "established as law-abiding and hard-working."

Ms Pierpoint said Zafar Qayum now has a wife and four young children who will be affected by his custodial sentence.

Fiona McNeil, for Ansar Qayum also put forward that the disparity in age between the brothers and their victims is not as great as those usually seen in other cases. The court heard that last year Ansar pleaded guilty to his involvement in a kidnapping offence that saw him and others take a 17-year-old and beat him following a collision with a Lamborghini car. Calls from Qayum's phone were made to the boy's parents to make demands.

He was jailed for 10 years and nine months for that offence.

Mitigating for Mohammed Qayum, Kitty Colley, said the victims told how he presented a different demeanour to that of his brothers. She said: "He was described by two victims in this case as not offending against these other girls but as present and himself relatively nave.

"The collective evidence suggests that he had been exposed to matters and not involved in offending against others by his brothers. One woman described his personality in stark terms and that was consistent across all complainants and the victim." The court was told Zafar Qayum's crimes of aiding and abetting rape related to encouraging sexual intercourse between Mohammed Qayum and one of the girls. Ms Colley said that on the first occasion of Zafar doing this, Mohammed "pretended and didn't go on that time to offend."

She said: "He was described as being the total opposite to his brothers and they [the victims] felt protected by him." She added that he is a man of good character, a dad and family man who helps care for the brothers' parents.

Zafar Qayum was jailed for 30 years, Ansar Qayum for 20 years - a sentence which will be added onto that which is already serving - and Mohammed Jabbar Qayum for 13 years.

As he sentenced them, Judge Marson said: "They were targeted and groomed for sexual gratification by the offer of alcohol, drugs and a more exciting way of life. They were paid insincere compliments. At one stage, (one victim) became pregnant and had an abortion when she was 14. Who the father was was not known."

The judge said it was only when one of the victims watched a documentary that she realised what had happened to her could still be reported. He slammed the three brothers as "cowards" for putting the victims through a trial. and added: "It is clear to me that your victims will never fully recover from what you did. Their experiences with you will haunt them and affect their lives in the future."

Speaking directly to Zafar Qayum, he said: "One [victim] was so vulnerable that she believed she was in a genuinely loving relationship with you. Over a period of years you controlled, abused her physically and used her for your own sexual gratification. Matters only came to an end when you completely destroyed the contents of her flat. I have no doubt that had she been in the flat that night you would have caused her significant physical harm. You aided and abetted your brothers to rape her. You took advantage of these girls while they were under the influence."

The judge said that in one of the victims' evidence she told how Zafar knew of her real age and would say: "We are here to f*** all of the white girls and f*** the Government." Judge Marson said the victim "saw that as a joke" but added that what happened to her and the other girls "was no joke."

Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Thornes of Kirkless Police said: "This has been a deeply distressing and highly disturbing case involving the dreadful sexual abuse of young females by three brothers. The court heard some highly disturbing evidence of how poorly these young victims were treated with all three brothers being found guilty of encouraging the sexual abuse of victims.

"We welcome the substantial sentences handed down to them at court today and believe these reflect the gravity of the acts they committed. I want to praise the courage of the woman in this case whose determination to seek justice has ensured these men have been forced to account for their actions. We continue to urge victims to come forward and can promise all reports will be thoroughly and sensitively investigated."

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A MAN from Rhyl has returned to prison after not complying with post-custodial requirements following his release, and with the sex offenders registers notification requirements.

David Nash, 27, of Clwyd Street, was released from prison on July 1, and ordered to reside each night at a supported housing project on this street, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nash was accused of failing to reside there on August 4, 28, 30 and 31.

He admitted to these breaches at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was also accused of failing to comply with notification requirements in regards to the sex offenders register.

These notification requirements include names, addresses, all foreign travel, bank account details and passport information, among others.

He also pleaded guilty to this offence at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was handed a concurrent, 16-week prison sentence.

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Steven Allan, of County Durham, suggested meeting what he thought was a schoolgirl at a bus station, fish shop and near a shop

Vigilantes snared a pervert who wanted to meet a 15-year-old girl for sexual activity.

Steven Allan thought he was talking to a schoolgirl on a dating app but it was actually a member of paedophile hunters Guardians of the North. The group had set up a fake profile on dating app Skout, posing as an 18-year-old called Chelsea.

Allan, pretending to be a 21-year-old called Lee, was told during an online chat that she was 15 but started using sexual language and asked to meet her the following day. Rachel Glover, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "He asked to meet her at the bus station in Sunderland the next day and meet at the fish shop today. He also asked to meet at the green near B&M and she agreed to this. He continued to send sexual messages."

Another member of Guardians of the North, posing as a 27-year-old woman, then communicated with Allan and arranged to meet him. He was arrested when he attended and his mobile phone was seized and showed the chats he'd had with Chelsea.

When interviewed by police, he said he had used his brother's photograph and an image of genitals from the internet. He added: "I know it was wrong."

He added that he had not met a child before and that he had "been speaking to lots of girls" as he was lonely and apologised.

Allan, 40, of Station Road, Wingate, County Durham, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, all between July 25 and 27 2020.

Judge Edward Bindloss said he intended to pass a two year prison sentence but said had he done so Allan would have been released within days with no treatment, having served 11-and-a-half months on remand. He therefore imposed a three year community order with a sex offender treatment programme with rehabilitation. He was also made subject to sex offender registration and a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Mark Styles, defending, said: "He seems to be functioning with a mild learning disability. He is keen to rehabilitate himself and participate in a programme to get treatment."

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A SEX attacker left a vulnerable 14-year-old girl in the snow after raping her in woods at night.

Spencer Smith, 19, preyed on his victim in Newmains, North Lanarkshire, on February 1, 2019.

The drunk schoolgirl left a hen do to meet Smith who led her into the woods known locally as The Bing.

She tried to kick him away but Smith pounced on her.

The pervert abandoned her in the snow without trainers before she was picked up by the police.

Smith - a first offender - was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow to a single charge of rape.

Smith - of Wishaw - was locked up and will be sentenced next month.

The court heard that the 14-year-old girl had a "fair bit to drink" at a hen do.

She told officers that she was "like dizzy and woozy."

The victim left nearby Robin's Bar to meet Smith and his friend before heading to the woodlands behind the pub around midnight.

In his closing speech, prosecutor John McElroy said: "Spencer Smith had sex with a drunk child.

"She said she 'tried to like get him off with kicking him'.

"When he left her in the snow, without her trainers and freezing we heard her call to 999.

"Officers met the victim at the bar who was "heavily under the influence of alcohol...and very upset.

"She was later found to be three times over the drink driving limit.Mr McElroy stated:

"Smith knew she was not consenting but persisted anyway, taking his sexual pleasure from an incapable child, under the significant influence of alcohol who was trying to kick him off.

"Smith told jurors in his evidence that the sex was entirely consensual.

The advocate depute put it to him that the police and toxicologist all spoke about alcohol and the effect it had on the girl.

He said: "If the jury take these things as true, they possibly cast your evidence in a different light."

Smith replied: "I suppose.

"After his conviction, Smith broke down in the dock as did members in the public gallery.

He was heard to say "absolute a joke" before being led into the cells.

Smith was put on the sex offenders register for a period of time which will be determined at the sentencing.

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A barrister who said 'I shouldn't laugh' after he raped his Tinder date shouted 'I didn't do it' from the dock as he was convicted of the attack and jailed.

Robin Jacobs, 39, was sentenced to four years in prison for carrying out the sexual attack for up to 30 seconds after the woman screamed at him to stop at his London flat in 2017, the Old Bailey heard.

The couple had been on two dates before the rape. After meeting for lunch at a date in September, the pair returned to Jacobs' flat and had consensual sex.

But Jacobs suddenly forced her to take part in a sex act, ignoring her screams to 'get out'.

He then told the woman, in her 30s, to 'come for a cuddle' and offered her paracetamol.

The lawyer, from Woodford, east London, has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), meaning he struggles to read social signals.

He denied raping the woman and said he would have stopped immediately if she had told him to.

As he was convicted for rape, Jacobs yelled 'I didn't do it. I was telling the truth. Oh my God.' from the dock.

After gaining his composure, he thanked the judge for imposing the 'lowest possible sentence' and left the dock pinching the bridge of his nose.

Judge John Hillen told him: 'It gives the court no pleasure to sentence anyone to terms of imprisonment and in this particular case, with a man of good character, of exemplary character, a high standing in his profession, to have to sentence you as I must, and as you know I must, to a term of imprisonment is a sad event.

'I accept that your laughing was involuntary and that you, in an uncharacteristic selfish state of mind, were bemused by her reaction.

'That bemusement was caused by your belief that she consented.

'I am satisfied on your evidence that you did genuinely believe that your victim would consent.

'That belief was unreasonable, wholly unreasonable in the circumstances.'

On the day of the assault the pair went for a pizza then went back to Jacobs' home nearby for sex.

At one stage Jacobs told the victim to wait there before attempting a sex act without consent, the court heard.

He carried on for 20-30 seconds until she screamed 'get out' at him, at which point he stopped.

As the complainant lay on the bed in front of him Jacobs said 'It's not funny, I shouldn't laugh'.

He then chuckled to himself.

In her account to police the woman said she told him to stop twice and he didn't, she then screamed 'get off' and he stopped but he didn't move away.

She said: 'At that point I was just face down on the bed. I didn't know what to do with myself - I was in quite a lot of pain.

'And then he told himself twice that it wasn't funny, that he shouldn't laugh, not to laugh, and then after the second time he did laugh.

'And then he saw that I hadn't moved and then he sort of moved me across and sat down and said 'come for a cuddle' and I said no.

'I would say that [he used] a huge amount of force. It felt like what you would describe as a stabbing pain.

'It just wasn't stopping. I was still in pain when I went into work on Monday.'

Jollyon Robertson, who prosecuted Jacobs in the retrial, summarised an impact statement written by the complainant in which she detailed how the rape has affected her.

She felt 'a degree of humiliation' when Jacobs laughed just after the incident, the court heard.

Mr Robertson said: 'She mentions that she has had some counselling. She has also been on medication. She was off work for a period of two months.

'She felt that she had no control over her life and how her trust of people has been affected.'

Stephen Rose, defending, said Jacobs did not deliberately try to humiliate the complainant but that his laughter was the result of his then undiagnosed ASD.

Mr Rose described Jacobs' actions as 'a momentary mistake'.

He said: 'This is not a defendant who will trouble the court again.

'He is struggling and I have no doubt will struggle to understand, principally for reasons associated with his disability, the outcome of this case.'

After the incident Jacobs texted a friend, Stewart Wallis, about the incident, calling the victim's response 'a bit of an overreaction'.

Jacobs also texted: 'I just hope there's no trouble as a result. I apologised repeatedly when she was here.

A few days later, Jacobs wrote: 'I haven't been nicked yet, so that's good.

'If the police are after you, do they leave a message or raid you at 5am?'

Jacobs claimed he was confused about what had happened and that he was trying to 'fit in' with his 'laddish' behaviour, which he uses to 'navigate social interactions'.

The prosecution had suggested Jacobs' ASD does not impact his understanding of consent and his reasonable belief of consent in this case.

Giving evidence during the first trial the barrister insisted he would have stopped having sex immediately if the woman told him.

'I thought she was absolutely fine,' he said. 'I thought she knew what I was doing.'

Stephen Rose, defending, said: 'It is suggested you were not interested in whether she consented.'

Jacobs replied: 'It's not true. I am not a cruel, aggressive person. That is not what I'm like. It wasn't something for my own gratification as the phrase goes. No.'

Jurors heard how the complainant claimed Jacobs had joked during their first sexual encounter: 'It has been a while since I've forced myself into a girl'.

The barrister said he did not remember making that comment.

He said he understood 'in the narrow sense' that consent to one sexual act did not mean consent to another.

'Yes it's true to say in a literal way that just because you are consenting to one thing doesn't mean you are consenting to everything,' he said.

'But at the same time you form an impression of someone's character and someone's boundaries based on the sort of things you have done so far and the sort of things you tried.

'Based on everything I considered those boundaries to be wider in this instance.'

Jacobs denied that it was 'very unusual' for a woman to agree to such a sex act on the second sexual encounter but said: 'I've done it on first dates.'

During the first trial Fiona Ryan, prosecuting, suggested his remark to the complainant to 'hold steady' before he performed the sex act was 'no sort of warning at all'.

Jacobs replied: 'It had been perfectly adequate when I had done it on previous occasions with other partners.

'I don't agree that there was no warning.

'I can't tell you five years on exactly what was going through her head...but I think she knew what I was going to do and she was alright with it until she was hurt.'

He told the jury in the second trial: 'There was no thrusting. It was over pretty much as soon as it started.

Asked by his barrister Stephen Rose, if he raped the woman, Jacobs replied: 'No.'

Jacobs said they were having sex and the woman suddenly shrieked at him to 'get out!'

In his closing speech to the jury Mr Rose told jurors: 'This is about a short relationship back in 2017, starting on Tinder between two mature adults both, it seems, looking for love.

'I have no doubt that for some, if not all, of you, there have been parts of this trial that you've found distasteful to sit and listen to in the formality of this sort of setting.

'Mr Jacobs, a barrister in the middle of his career, [was] diagnosed with ASD, a discovery with profound implications for his life and important implications for this trial.

'And he discovers that in the contact of being accused of rape.

'To discover that at his stage in life is nothing short of devastating.

'He faces undoubtedly a very serious allegation and...his future is ultimately in your hands.'

The barrister specialises in educational law and had continued to practice since the incident, the court heard.

However the conviction means that the barrister is likely to 'never' work in his legal profession again.

Robin Jacobs was jailed for four years and must register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A serial rapist who barged into a woman’s home and subjected her to acts of “deliberate degradation” has been jailed.

Joseph Silver, of Margate, targeted the woman and another victim over a month-long period in east Kent in 2020.

Silver, 34, was found guilty of three charges of rape and two of assault by penetration following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

He has now been jailed for 14 years after a judge ruled him "dangerous". He will serve two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and another four on licence.

Judge Simon James said Silver forced his way through his first victim’s door, then “grabbed her hair and ripped her clothing off" while ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

He branded Silver “self-centred” with no “insight into the pain and anguish he had caused,” to both women.

Silver maintained a “callous attitude” towards his victims while posing as a “high risk to others,” the judge added.

"My home used to be a safe place, but it is where I feel most anxious..."

His victims handed impact statements to the court, with one describing the pain she still suffers.

The woman said her life had been “turned upside down” and she is “constantly looking over my shoulder”.

“My home used to be a safe place, but it is where I feel most anxious," she said.

“Everything I once loved about myself I now let go - feeling attractive and confident isn’t possible now.

“Living through this has shown me I am strong but also it is OK to feel all kinds of emotions about myself.

“Throughout the trial my emotions and anxiety were all over the place. Not knowing if my evidence was enough for jurors to see the truth was so stressful.”

During his trial at the same court in October last year, Silver argued his victims had consented, then conspired to have him jailed.

Both women were in court to watch Silver convicted unanimously after five hours of deliberations.

Giving evidence, his first victim told jurors: “I was scared I thought I was going to pass out - he was squeezing so tightly.

“I just said 'please don’t do this' as I realised what was coming.”

His second victim recalled: “I told him ‘no, just get off me' - but he had sex with me.”

Martin Yale, prosecuting, said if Silver “wants something for his sexual gratification” he will “take it, whatever anyone else says or does to stop him”.

Silver had recently been released from prison on licence for an unrelated matter at the time of his offending, the court heard today.

He has 27 offences for 14 convictions, including violence alongside a weapons offence and an old sex offence.

Representing Silver, John Fitzgerald said he had an “unsettled upbringing” and the delay in bringing the sentencing hearing to court was not his fault.

The court heard Silver, previously of College Road, had been assessed as posing a high risk of committing further similar offences.