Latest Offenders

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A paedophile sexually assaulted a young girl while giving her a massage and was found with indecent images of children on his phone when arrested. He later went on to blame a friend for the images, claiming they were already on the phone when he bought it off him.

Mark Lewis, 44, of Bridgend, took advantage of his victim while rubbing her back before taking her underwear off and touching her on the vagina and buttocks. Giving evidence at a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, the victim said: "When your hand is there for five to 10 minutes it can't be a mistake."

The defendant was arrested in 2021 and his phone was seized by police. Examination of the device resulted in the discovery of indecent images of children, categorised as category A, B and C. He went onto to blame three people for the images before blaming a friend who had sold him the phone.

He was later found guilty of sexual activity with a child and three counts of possessing indecent images. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard Lewis maintains his innocence.

Defence barrister Marian Lewis said there was "little" she could say in mitigation. She said the assault was an "isolated incident" and it was not a penetrative offence. She said her client had lived a "blameless life" and had "served his country" in the Armed Forces but had recently suffered with mental health difficulties, depression and PTSD.

Sentencing Lewis, of St David's Close, Brackla, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said he had assaulted the victim in "the most cruel way". He added: "When you gave evidence about (indecent images) you denied all responsibility but blamed another man who had shown you kindness by allowing you to stay at his home following your arrest. He supplied you the phone but was not responsible for the content on it.

"You're entitled to no credit and maintain your innocence.... You have not accepted any responsibility for your actions and have shown no remorse whatsoever."

Lewis was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

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Christopher Wade, 54, of no fixed abode, was found guilty following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court which concluded in February before his sentencing today, Tuesday 14 March. He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and Sex Offender notification for life.
 
At around 10.30pm on Friday 12 August 2022, Wade approached the teenage victim in Southport town centre. He bought alcohol and supplied her with drugs, and while she was incapacitated, Wade raped and sexually assaulted her in a nearby park. The victim was left on a bench and managed to alert a taxi driver to what had happened, at which time police were called.
 
Following an extensive investigation including forensic, CCTV and witness enquiries, Wade was last month found guilty of rape; assault by penetration; and sexual assault.
 
Speaking after the sentencing of Wade, Detective Constable Jennifer Guest said: "Today's sentence hopefully gives the victim some comfort as she continues to recover from this traumatic and deeply damaging ordeal, and we will continue to support her going forward. We recognise the profound impact such serious crime has on victims, and hopefully she will in time gain strength and a brighter future.
 
"Wade preyed on and exploited this vulnerable young girl, using drugs and alcohol to lure her away from a public place, and then added to her suffering through the ordeal of an investigation and trial.
 
"He showed callous disregard for his victim and is clearly a significant danger to the public. Wade will now be serving a sentence which reflects the gravity of his crimes, and one which will protect the public. We'd also like to thank the taxi driver who showed compassion in looking after the victim and calling police on the night. His swift actions helped our investigation immensely.
 
“We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and ensure that anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.
 
“Anyone that has been a victim of a sexual offence or is concerned for the safety of someone they know should come forward and speak to us. This isn’t always an easy decision, but be assured that we have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

Description

A sexual predator who carried out 'disturbing crimes' against a schoolgirl has been locked up. Paedophile Stewart Thomson preyed on the young girl in the Oswestry area of Shropshire.

He was responsible for sexually assaulting her between April 2019 and February 2020. Now, the 40-year-old has been jailed for eight years.

It comes after jurors convicted him of six counts of sexual activity with a child under 16. He also admitted two counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

Detective Sergeant Alice Davies, of reactive CID at West Mercia Police, said: "We are really pleased with the jury’s verdict and the sentence that has been given to Thomson meaning that he will now face the consequences of his disturbing crimes on a vulnerable young girl. We take all forms of child abuse incredibly seriously and I hope this result shows the effort we put into making sure children in our community are safe from sexual predators.

"I hope it acts as reassurance to victims that we will do all we can to make sure offenders face justice." Thomson, of Abbeygate Walk, Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Monday (March 13).

The convict was placed on the sex offenders register and handed a sexual harm prevention order.

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A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a rape which happened in the Abington area of Northampton.

In the early hours of October 11, 2020, a woman was enjoying an evening in the garden with her housemates after a long shift at work.

Also invited to the house that night was an acquaintance of one of the occupants - Nicu Botnari, previously of the Headlands, Northampton.

After the woman had called it a night and headed back to her bedroom to get some sleep, she awoke to find Botnari on top her, committing rape.

Following the incident, Botnari left the house and a short time later, the woman reported the incident to police.

An investigation was launched and at Northampton Crown Court in December last year, Botnari was found guilty of one count of rape. Today (March 13) at the same court, he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Lead Investigator – Detective Sergeant Andrea Taylor, said: “As a police force, we never underestimate the courage it takes for a person to report a sexual assault and I want to reassure people that when they do, we will treat their report with sensitivity and confidence.

“Nothing will ever make the survivor in this case forget what Botnari did to her but she should be proud of the incredible bravery she has shown which has resulted in a dangerous rapist being sent to prison. Because of her - he can no longer hurt anyone else.

“This case continues to have a significant impact on her but I hope the conclusion today provides her with some comfort. She has so much going for her and I hope she can now see brighter things on the horizon.

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for Northamptonshire Police. We will believe you, we will support you, and we will do everything we can to put the person who committed the crime against you behind bars.”

*This press release and custody image have been released with the support and agreement of the survivor*

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An Arbroath thief who pilfered pants from washing lines in nocturnal raids will be supervised for two years.

Graham Orrock will be on the Sex Offenders Register for the same period, despite pleas his crimes were not sexually motivated.

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A RAPIST who attacked a teenage schoolgirl has been jailed.

James Eastwood, who was 16 at the time, raped the teenager after meeting her in an alleyway near a supermarket in Bamber Bridge in June 2019.

While on bail he then went on to sexually assault two other teenage girls in May last year.

Eastwood, now 20, formerly of Brindle Road, Bamber Bridge, was jailed for eight years with an extended licence of eight years. He was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a lifetime restraining order and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life. He was classed as a dangerous offender.

He was also sentenced for possession of indecent images of children found on his phone.

The judge, who praised the quality of the police investigation, had to sentence Eastwood as if he were a juvenile given the delay in the case reaching court because of the Covid pandemic.

Det Con Laura Thornley, of the south rape team, said: “Eastwood is a dangerous sexual predator and I welcome the sentence. I would like to praise the victims in this case for having the courage to go through the court process and to see their attacker imprisoned.

“I hope that this sentence gives others the confidence to come forward and report rape and sexual abuse offences to us confident in the knowledge that we will investigate with sensitivity, tenacity and professionalism and that we will do all we can to get justice for victims and put offenders behind bars.”

Description

A highly dangerous sex offender has been banned from using dating apps for the next 15 years in order to protect potential victims.

Predatory paedophile John Johnstone was jailed for 30 months and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life at Dundee Sheriff Court. A highly restrictive Sexual Offences Prevention Order was also imposed on Johnstone for 15 years - including a ban on using social media networks and dating sites.

Johnstone - who built a secret den behind a fireplace in his home as the centre of his sex offending behaviour - was described as being "very high risk." He admitted that between 17 May and 28 July 2020 he intentionally caused a 14-year-old boy to look at sexual images by sending him child abuse material.

He admitted that between 21 May and 27 July 2020 he made the same boy participate in sexual activity by forcing him to send pictures of his genitals to Johnstone.

Sheriff Paul Brown told him: "This is an instance of serious sexual offending, against a background of a record of similar offending. There is a degree of overlap with the previous offence.

"However, it is clear to me that this is a distinct matter that carries a greater degree of culpability and harm. There is no alternative to custody. I also consider that to protect the public from serious sexual harm I have to impose a Sexual Offences Prevention Order."

The SOPO severely limits Johnstone's online activities and bans him from having any unsupervised cntact with anyone under the age of 18. Sheriff Brown banned Johnstone from using social networks until after his 60th birthday and banned him from taking up "any hobbies" which might bring him into contact with children.

Counsel Iain Smith, defending, said: "He is assessed as being at very high risk of further sexual offending. It is so high, in the social worker's conclusion, that it is indicative of a well-established pattern of behaviour that requires corrective intervention."

The dark web beast had previously been jailed for 40 months in 2021 after he filmed himself abusing a young girl, before sharing it with other paedophiles. In that case, Sheriff Alistair Carmichael described Johnstone as "a committed user and maker of indecent images of children."

Farm worker Johnstone built a secret den behind a fireplace to store his vile haul of child pornography and used the dark web to distribute material worldwide. Evil Johnstone bragged to social workers that he had done no "actual harm" to the girl because she had been asleep while he was abusing her.

Sheriff Carmichael also placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made him the subject of a five-year SOPO. That has now been trebled in duration.

The sheriff said: "You went to some lengths to try and hide computers and changed sim cards regularly, presumably to try and evade detection for what you were doing. You were a user of the dark web and employed quite sophisticated software kit to facilitate that.

"It seems to me you are a committed user and maker of indecent images of children and I see no alternative to a custodial sentence."

Solicitor Sarah Russo, defending, said: "He tells me he deeply regrets his actions. It is his position in the report that he wasn't doing any actual harm to the child because they were sleeping."

Johnstone, 45, took photos of himself carrying out sex acts and posing with sex toys next to a sleeping four-year-old girl. He then put them on paedophile sites on the dark web and asked others to send similar material back to him in exchange.

The court heard how he scoured Facebook and other social media to collect more than 400 images of another young girl he knew and had a fixation with. The twisted labourer was also caught with extreme animal porn and thousands of child porn images, and he had superimposed a head shot of one child onto a woman's body in an explicit sexual image.

Detective Chief Inspector Richie Banks, of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "John Johnstone is a dangerous and predatory individual whose levels of hidden criminal activity over a number of years show he was not only a risk to children in Scotland, but worldwide.

"Online offenders may think they are anonymous, and they may not comprehend the terrible, devastating and lifelong impact their actions have on children.

"But there is no excuse for their actions. Online images of child abuse and exploitation are not virtual, they show the very real abuse of a real child."

Description

A pensioner who confessed to assaulting a schoolboy at least 74 times has been locked up for his horrific sex abuse. Robert Newman raped and sexually assaulted the young boy in what has been described as one of the most shocking cases of abuse seen by detectives.

The 74-year-old first met the youngster in the late 90s before befriending the boy and his family. He then arranged to take his victim on days out before attacking him at his home.

Newman, of Stockton Grove, Leamington, admitted 21 counts of indecent assault and six counts of rape. He was jailed for 15 years and two months at Warwick Crown Court last week.

A court heard how the sex offender met his victim in Rugby, with most of the cruel abuse taking place at Newman's home in the town after he had groomed the boy. On one occasion, he assaulted his victim during a trip to Flecknoe, Warwickshire.

Newman's abuse then continued for four years when the boy was in his early teens. The convict admitted to sexually assaulting his young victim at least 74 times - although the exact number of times he carried out his abuse is likely to be higher, police said.

The paedophile was convicted following an investigation by Warwickshire Police. Investigating officer Detective Constable Liam Crouch, from CID at Rugby Police Station, said: "This is one of the most shocking cases of abuse I have seen.

"The victim of these horrendous offences was a child; he had every right to feel safe. Instead, he was subjected to the most abhorrent abuse.

"Newman groomed his victim and took sexual advantage of him over a prolonged period. The significant amount of time that passed since these offences occurred was no barrier to us investigating and bringing Newman to justice.

"As soon as these offences were reported we launched a thorough investigation that resulted in Newman receiving a significant custodial sentence. Warwickshire Police is committed to investigating sexual offences against children, regardless of the passage of time.

"The bravery of the victim meant that a serious sex offender has finally been brought to justice. Newman is likely to spend most of his remaining life behind bars and I hope this will bring some comfort to him."

Description

The encounter at his home was brief and the molester seemed visibly surprised by our visit.

We asked him a simple question what would he say to his victims?

His reply, we didnt get any. He spotted our snapper and then closed the door in our face.

Linda Williamson and Toni Harrison arent the least bit surprised by their abusers reaction.

I dont think hes sorry, not for a second. In my eyes, hes a monster, says Linda.

At his sentencing, the court was told that Doherty fully accepted Linda and Tonis accounts of what happened, although he denied any recollection of playing a diaper-changing game.

Not only did he apologize for the abuse, but Doherty also apologized for the long-term psychological damage his sickly actions caused.

His victims are grateful that he finally pleaded guilty, but they believe its all just a front.

I would never call anyone bad. But after seeing him in court, hes the scum of the earth. Its sad that people like him exist in our society, admits Linda.

Doherty has built a life of his own and is well known in a community that is unaware of his past.

Jonathan Doherty was shocked when he saw our photographer

It has also been revealed that he is also a member of the Apprentice Boys in Co Londonderry.

Sunday Life understands hes the chaplain of the Campsie Club but thats about to change.

The Loyal Order has now been informed of his catalog of sex crimes, which began when he was just 10 years old, and have been in touch with survivor Linda.

Everyone I spoke to said Jonathan denied being on the list (sex offender registry) and so they wanted to confirm what happened.

He was proud of that. Every year he would have been paraded. He was the chaplain and read from the Bible.

I dont want to beat up the Apprentice Boys. You acted quickly and cut ties with him.

Sunday Life contacted the Apprentice Boys and they said the wheels are already in motion to sack Doherty.

Actions are being taken. Our associations rules state that any single member who is convicted or placed on a sex offender list as a result of what you are referring to will be automatically disfellowshipped, a spokesman said.

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A mum realised her partner was a “high-risk” paedophile after Googling his name and finding a Press and Journal story about his past crimes.

Troy Sutherland was placed on the sex offender’s register for indefinitely and jailed for 39 months in 2017 after blackmailing children to send him nude pictures.

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A 41-year-old woman who sexually assaulted a man while he slept has been jailed for two years.

Tanya Lord, from Derrylodge Manor in Lurgan, County Armagh, had previously admitted to engaging in sexual activity without the man's consent at her house on 23 June 2020.

She was sentenced to two years in jail and two under supervised licence at Craigavon Crown Court.

A judge said there was "no distinction between male and female rape".

"The fact that a male is the victim doesn't make it any less serious than the rape of a female victim," added Judge Patrick Lynch.

He said neither he, nor the prosecution, could find any similar case anywhere in the UK.

The judge told the court the victim has had to undergo counselling, had been prescribed medication and had been left untrusting of people.

"I would not wish this on anyone," he said in a victim impact statement.

DNA

A prosecution barrister said the victim had been drinking all day when he met Lord after she had finished work.

They went back to her house and continued drinking, the court was told, and later went to bed together.

The court heard the victim knew Lord was a lesbian and there was therefore "a proper assumption and understandable assumption that there would be no sexual activity and none was forthcoming as regards consent in his part".

During the the night the victim had woke to find Lord on top of him.

"He pushed her off and she pretended to be asleep," the solicitor said.

He added that the victim got up and went downstairs "to process what had happened".

Lord's DNA was later found on her victim during an examination, the court was told.

"Factually this case involved a woman having sex with a man without his consent and there should be parity between male victims of sexual crime and female victims," the prosecution solicitor said.

He added that to do otherwise would affirm the "myth that men are less affected by sexual assault than women".

A defence barrister said Lord, who suffers from a personality disorder and has poor mental health, had expressed "remorse for her offending and some victim awareness".

"She understands the position she had put herself in and she expresses, through me today, her remorse and her apologies to the victim for the unfortunate and regrettable incident," he said.

As he passed sentence, the judge said there was "a repeated myth that males are less susceptible" to the consequences of sex attacks.

He also imposed a seven-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and ordered Lord to sign the sex offender's register for life.

Description

A girl was left shaken after a pervert who had been pestering her on a daily basis on her way to school gave her a post-it note offering £100 for sex.

For more than a month, Karl McDonald had been waiting for the teenager when she got off the Metro and kept giving her cannabis joints, which she took but then threw away. But things took a more sinister twist when the 44-year-old handed her a note saying "quick s*** Friday morning, £100," followed by his phone number.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the police then became involved and an undercover officer attended the station, in South Tyneside, the following morning and saw McDonald approach the victim again. He was arrested and had £100 in cash in his pocket.

Prosecutor Rachel Glover said: "The defendant was aware of her routine. He attended the Metro station every day for over a month, at a time when he knew she would be arriving and supplied her cannabis."

Miss Glover added: "A plain clothed officer attended the Metro station to locate the offender. The complainant was observed at the Metro station in school uniform.

"The officer followed the complainant and the male approached." Miss Glover said uniformed officers arrested McDonald and added: "£100 in notes were seized from his pocket on arrest."

Miss Glover said a pack of post-it notes were found in McDonald's home, which still had the indentation from the note he had given the teen the previous day. The court heard the victim was "visibly shaken" on the day.

McDonald admitted approaching the girl on "multiple days" and giving her cannabis but claimed the note was "just a joke".

McDonald, of Sheridan Road, South Shields, South Tyneside, later admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and supplying cannabis. Judge Sarah Mallet sentenced him to four-and-a-half years behind bars. McDonald must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Robin Turton, defending, said McDonald's behaviour was "strange, intimidating, unwelcome, inappropriate and criminal". Mr Turton said McDonald has a good work record and was in employment at the time of the offences.

He added: "He is genuinely remorseful. He appreciates now how intimidating and frightening his approaches must
have been to her at the time. He has no explanation why he did what he did."

Description

A predator who told a woman he met online to sexually assault two young children has his sentence increased by more than two years.

Alan Nicholson, from High Harrington, Cumbria, had his case referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

In September 2021, Alan Nicholson (53) spoke to a woman online, called Louise, who he believed had two daughters, aged five years-old and a baby of four-months.

Their conversations revolved around serious acts of sexual abuse that Nicholson intended to carry out on Louise’s children.

However, Louise was an undercover police officer supporting Cumbria Constabulary’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit.

Nicholson was found guilty on two counts of attempting to arrange/facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and received a three-year prison sentence.

He was also placed on the Sex Offender’s Register and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Following the sentencing at the Crown Court at Carlisle on 16 December 2022, the case was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Nicholson’s original sentence was found to be unduly lenient by the Court of Appeal on 9 March 2023 and was increased to 5 years 9 months.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP, said:

Alan Nicholson believed he was successfully arranging to carry out vile acts on very young children. Thankfully the person he was talking to was an undercover police officer, whose diligent and commendable work led to his imprisonment.

I would like to praise all of those involved for catching Alan Nicholson and helping prevent anyone else come to harm. A longer prison sentence for this despicable crime shows such behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated.

Detective Sergeant James Bailey of Cumbria Constabulary’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit said:

We welcome the increased sentence given out to Nicholson.

Our specialist officers work hard behind-the-scenes all-year-round to deter offending, catch criminals and safeguard victims.

We will not tolerate those carrying out such crimes and will continue to do what we can to target those offending in this way and bring them to justice.

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POLICE have released an image of a man imprisoned for raping a six-year-old girl when he was a teenager.

Bradley Holloway, of Rupert Square, Reading, has been sent to prison for six years after being found guilty of two counts of rape he committed when he was between the ages of 13 to 15.

The now 32-year-old was found guilty following a trial in December and was sentenced this week at Reading Crown Court.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court she has been left with post-traumatic stress disorder and had to sleep with the light on after her life was turned upside down by Holloway's abuse.

The Reading man committed sexual offences every Sunday and would 'offer to buy her toys' if she didn't tell anyone.

Judge Hassan Khan sentenced Holloway to six years' imprisonment for one count of rape and another six years to run concurrently for the second count.

He will serve at least half of the sentence before being released on licence. A sexual harm prevention order has also been made.

The court heard that Holloway is in the early stages of launching an appeal against his conviction.

Description

A sex offender from Weedon has fled to Thailand to avoid jail after committing sexual assault.

Paul Strong, aged 65, of High Street was found guilty following a trial. He was subsequently invited to attend Northampton Crown Court for his sentence hearing and he responded to court staff with abuse, making it clear he intends to never return to the UK or engage with the court process.

Strong was sentenced in his absence at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, March 10. He was unrepresented as he withdrew instructions from his defence barrister.

A victim, in her statement, said that - as a result of Strong’s actions - she was left unable to eat, sleep or function. She felt “on edge” all the time and suffered financially as she had to stop going into work for 10 weeks. She felt isolated from her close friends because she feared running into Strong in public and feels unable to trust anyone ever again.

“This is just his way of using emotional torture, trying to make my life hell,” she said.

Strong has previous convictions including possession of an offensive weapon and breach of a restraining order.

The court heard that, when interviewed, Strong accepted he had a problem with alcohol and he had post traumatic stress disorder, for which he was medicated.

Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane sentenced Strong to three years total in prison.

He was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and a restraining order was imposed for 10 years.