Latest Offenders

Description

A York man who hid images of children being sexually abused on his mobile phone has been hauled before a judge at York Crown Court again.

David Stansfield, of Stirrup Close in Foxwood, served a prison sentence in 2016 for possessing indecent images of children- some involving a child who was just one year old.

Police officers turned up at Stansfields home unannounced on 6 February, and found he had breached the rules of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order he has to comply with on his release from prison.

The 45-year-old had failed to declare an iPhone found in his car and an iPad he had recently bought.

Stansfield told police he had bought the iPad for gaming and insisted the police knew about his iPhone.

Judge Sean Morris said: I dont see any point in locking him up for four weeks. There was nothing found on his devices. Hes got a job. Hes re-established himself in the community.

He told Stansfield, who now works as a delivery driver, this will be the only time you will walk out of the public entrance of court for a breach of an order. Its not rocket science.

Get it in your head. You must obey the order. Youll go to prison next time.

Stansfield was handed an 18 month Community Order with a 10 day rehabilitation requirement. His undeclared devices will be destroyed.

Description

James Jeffrey tried to outwit police with PIN protected phones but was caught out.

A "predatory" and "manipulative" paedophile has been sent to prison for five years for targeting a 14-year-old girl.

James Jeffrey, 45, of Cherry Orchard Road, West Molesey was sentenced to five years in jail yesterday (Tuesday, May 11) at Kingston Crown Court, following an investigation by Surrey Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

Jeffrey had tried to outwit officers by refusing to cooperate when police tried to access PIN protected phones.

But Surrey Police said he was "naive" if he thought he could evade justice for his "appalling" crimes.

How did police catch James Jeffrey?

In 2018, Surrey Police received intelligence that an email address was being used to post indecent videos of children to an online chat group.

The email address was traced to Jeffrey and he was arrested at his work while a search of his home was undertaken.

Three mobile phones were seized.

Accessing the PIN-protected phones took some time because Jeffrey was uncooperative and refused to provide police with the correct codes.

Surrey Police investigators were, however, able to gain access to the phones with the assistance of a forensics lab.

They then uncovered a series of explicit WhatsApp and Facebook messenger chats on one of the devices between Jeffrey and a female - who was found to be just 14-years-old.

After a trial at Kingston Crown Court in March 2021, Jeffrey was found guilty of sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and two charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Jeffrey has also been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order by the court.

Such orders can require offenders to have their internet access monitored, or their movement restricted in public places, such as children's parks.

The victim has shown incredible bravery

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant James Tibbs from the force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: “The victim has shown incredible bravery and determination in helping us with our investigation.

"I sincerely hope she and her family can move on from this and that Jeffrey being behind bars for what he has done helps them do that.

"Jeffrey is clearly a predatory and manipulative paedophile and it has taken time to get to this point so it’s extremely satisfying to see him sentenced."

DS Tibbs added: “Surrey Police is committed to fully investigating all offences of this nature and will always follow every line of enquiry to ensure that suspects are identified, located and brought to justice.

"Providing a fake PIN like Jeffrey did may delay our investigative work briefly but he was naïve if he thought this was enough to stop us investigating such an appalling crime.”

Description

A 'sweating' and 'fully naked' pervert ogled a group of teens from his balcony as he performed a sex act on himself.

A horrified onlooker witnessed Trevor Smith performing the sex act while looking at a group of around nine teenagers on March 18 this year.

She said she "felt physically sick" and called police, who discovered the 50-year-old sweating profusely and "out of breath" as pornography played from his mobile phone.

Chris Hopkins, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, explained the disgusted onlooker lived in an adjacent apartment block and "at about 9.50pm was alerted to a noise in the street".

Mr Hopkins said: "She looked out her window and saw a group of about nine teens, male and female, were walking along in the street.

"She then noticed this defendant hanging out of his window."

Mr Hopkins said he was "well known" by neighbours and the woman recognised him.

Smith had his hand on the window ledge and was "leaning over the window ledge looking towards the ground".

The woman saw when Smith stepped back from the balcony that he was "fully naked" with his "boxer shorts pulled down to his knees".

Mr Hopkins said Smith appeared to be performing a sex act on himself.

He said: "She was horrified and felt physically sick, especially because the group of kids walking passed and he was looking out towards them."

She said it was "disgusting" and near a busy road, adding "anybody could have seen what he was doing".

The horrified woman called police, who arrived to find Smith "wearing a towel", "out of breath" and "sweating".

They searched his bedroom and discovered a bag of cannabis and noted that on his mobile phone "pornography was visibly on display".

On June 19, 2012 Smith was handed a 12-month conditional discharge for outraging public decency.

He was handed a community order for three years in June 2016 for a similar offence which he later breached by failing to comply and for drug and drink driving, for which he was locked up for three months.

On October 24, 2019 he was handed a 26 week sentence suspended for two years after he was found "intoxicated in a lift at a train station thrusting his hips towards a cleaner's cone" which was witnessed by members of the public.

He breached this suspended sentence by committing the offence on March 18 and was remanded into custody. He will also have to serve part of the 2019 sentence that was suspended.

Mark Philips, defending, emphasised it was unlikely the group of teenagers would have seen Smith as he lived on one of the higher floors and it was late at the time of the offence.

He said: "He tells me he has looked at himself whilst in prison and realises his whole offending has been related to drug abuse."

Mr Philips said Smith has started a drug awareness course and he now wants to "start his life".

He explained Smith had completed his suspended sentence in part and carried out Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.

Smith, of Hall Street, St Helens, admitted possession of cannabis, exposure and breaching his suspended sentence order.

Judge Stuart Driver, sentencing, said the offences were aggravated because "you were focused on the group of teenagers when you committed this offence" and because of his criminal record.

The judge jailed him for 10 months.

Smith must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Description

A convicted sex offender was taken ill after being jailed for a string of offences.

Alan Ludar-Smith, 46, had to be helped in the dock after he was handed down a three year, four-month sentence, at Norwich Crown Court.

Ludar-Smith, who admitted a number of sex offences, asked a young girl online to send him an indecent photo of her younger sister, said to be aged four.

Ludar-Smith was also found to have indecent images of children and to have distributed indecent images to one other person.

Edward Renvoize, prosecuting, said Ludar-Smith was already a convicted sex offender and said the latest offences came to light after a police protection unit found indecent images on his phone.

A further examination of his phone and laptop found other images including more than 100 in the most serious category.

Mr Renvoize said they also discovered he had been having sexualised chats with two girls under 16, asking one of them to send him pictures of her younger sister, he thought was about four years old.

Mr Revoize said Ludar-Smith also asked to meet one of the girls and offered to pay her fare.

Ludar-Smith, of no fixed address, admitted attempting to engage another to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity. attempting to engage a child in sexual activity, downloading indecent images and distribution of indecent images possession of extreme porn and prohibited images.

Jailing him and placing him on the sex offenders register for life, Judge Maureen Bacon said he had an unhealthy sexual interest in young girls.

She said it was not known if the girls he had chatted with were real or not but he had asked one of them to send a picture of her younger sister who was meant to be four.

"You were attempting to cause a child to engage in a sex act and that is a serious offence."

Philip Farr, for Ludar-Smith, said that he was an isolated person and unaware of the gravity of what he was doing.

He said the offences were an attempt rather than any direct contact.

Description

A former Surrey head teacher has been jailed after justice was finally served more than 30 years after he sexually abused a girl on multiple occasions.

Over a period of three years during the 1980s, Colin Brooks, now 77, took advantage of the girl's vulnerability to exploit her sexually, forcing her to perform sex acts on him at "every opportunity" according to the judge who sentenced him.

He has been sentenced to 28 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to seven counts of indecent assault on the female victim, having initially accused her of making up the abuse.

The defendant, who had since moved to Brixham, in Devon, previously worked as a teacher and headmaster at various educational establishments across the South East of England.

He became the head teacher at The Grove School in Hindhead during the 1980s. The school is now known as The Royal School.

A sentencing hearing on Monday (May 17) at Guildford Crown Court heard the sexual abuse began in the 1980s when the victim was a teenager, with the first offence taking place during a car journey.

Prosecutor Adrian Fleming said: "[Brooks] put his hand on hers to keep it on his leg. He then moved her hand up to near his groin. She became aware that he had an erection."

He added that Brooks "pulled the car over, stopped, unzipped his flies" and placed her hand on his privates, before driving on. He only removed it near the end of the journey, "and for the first time of many, he told her 'this is our secret, don't tell anyone'."

The court heard how Brooks made "more serious threats" to enforce her silence, including that if she told her mother, she would be sent away or placed into the care system.

The abuse continued over a three-year period, during which he kissed her and felt her breasts and she was forced to perform oral sex and other acts on him.

Mr Fleming said Brooks visited the victim's house and went into her bedroom "under the pretence of saying goodnight". He said he "showed her how to give him the most pleasure".

The victim, who appeared at Guildford Crown Court for the sentencing hearing, read aloud an emotional impact statement to the court, detailing her "most painful memories".

She said: "The evening when things began not only shook me to the core, but effectively ended my childhood. I was fairly grown up for my age, but this was on an altogether different scale.

"It meant I grew up far more quickly than I should have done and I also learned to be an efficient liar."

After the abuse ended, the victim said she "learned to live with the after-effects of what happened" and hoped to put the past behind her.

However, she was forced to disclose the sexual abuse to police years later when one of her former partners made allegations which implicated the wrong man.

She completed a video interview on November 14, 2018, and Brooks was arrested and interviewed on January 4, 2019, the court heard.

In that interview, he denied all the offences, claiming they were "fabrications of the worst kind".

He was interviewed a second time on November 28, 2019 and "persisted in those denials". He was later charged and pleaded guilty to all seven counts of indecent assault.

Defending Brooks, John Price QC told the court: "He regrets it [his initial denial]. He regrets that he did not take the stance at the police station that he chose to take for the court."

In his closing remarks, Judge Jonathan Black said the victim had a difficult childhood and was "vulnerable" at the time the offences were committed.

He said Brooks "took full advantage of that vulnerability by exploiting the situation for [his] own gratification" and took "every opportunity" to sexually abuse her.

Severe psychological harm

He said: "She has suffered anxiety, depression, palpitations and loss of sleep. She has described herself as almost broken and is considering early retirement from her employment. She reports symptoms of dissociative disorder. My view is she has suffered severe psychological harm."

Detective Constable Rachel Moss, who investigated the case for Surrey Police, said: "Brooks committed the offences while he was in a position of trust and his behaviour is simply reprehensible.

"I hope that this case demonstrates to people who have been sexually abused, no matter how long ago the abuse took place, that your allegation will always be taken seriously, we will always conduct a full and thorough investigation and that you will be given the appropriate support."

Reacting to the conviction, an NSPCC spokesperson said: "Given his experience in education Brooks would have been well aware of the impact his actions would cause and it's now crucial that his victim receives ongoing support.

"It's really important that survivors of child sexual abuse have the confidence to speak out – no matter how long ago the offences took place and no matter who the abuser is."

Description

A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for child sex offences in Telford.

Timothy Schofield, aged 27, of Ken Jones Close, Telford, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Monday 17 May after he was found guilty following a trial.

The sentence relates to five counts of child sexual offences including grooming and inciting a child of under 13 to send indecent images or have sexual intercourse.  

Detective Sergeant Laura Breeze said: “I am extremely pleased to see this dangerous man taken off the streets and serve several years in prison.

“The sentence reflects how serious his offences are in the way he groomed his victim over a significant amount of time.

“I hope this outcome will give the family closure and serve as a clear warning to anyone who attempts to sexually exploit children that we will work tirelessly to bring them before the courts.

“Tackling child sexual exploitation is a force priority and we will continue to target those committing these offences.”

Description

A WINDSOR man will serve 21 years behind bars after being found guilty of sexually abusing two children between 15 and 30 years ago.

Trevor Smith, formerly of Dedworth Road, Windsor, was convicted of indecently assaulting a girl and raping a boy following a trial in March.

The 56-year-old, who appeared in the dock at Reading Crown Court this morning, was labelled as dangerous by Judge Edward Burgess.

The court heard how Smiths sexual abuse began when he was asked to babysit the girl when she was aged around four-years-old.

She was indecently assaulted by him on this occasion and at least three other occasions up until she was around eight-years-old, the court heard.

He told her that if she were to say anything about the abuse, he would put disgusting photos of her in newspapers.

A statement from the woman who was sexually abused by Smith read: He abused me at such a young age, which has affected me in so many ways.

I had so much potential but I lost confidence because I was consumed by what he did to me.

I feel very angry that he took my childhood away from me.

As a teenager I felt excluded and disregarded. I believe this all stemmed from what he did to me at such a young age.

The second survivor, a man who was raped and sexually assaulted by Smith from around the ages of 8 and 12, said he has suffered from effects including bed-wetting, insomnia, night terrors and stomach disorders in the years since the abuse.

Reading Crown Court heard how the boy was groomed with sweets and snacks and shown porn by Smith.

The mans statement read: What he did to me has affected parts of my life from my school years to my present adult life.

I felt trapped, I was not able to deal with what he did to me. I was made to feel unworthy and felt depressed and suicidal.

I continue to have flashbacks and memory problems. I can still smell him.

I feel like I will always have this darkness over me.

Defending, Rachel Darby said Smith was not in good health following a stroke which left him unable to use his left arm two months ago.

She said: This will not be an easy prison sentence for him to serve.

Sentencing, Judge Edward Burgess slammed Smith for pleading not guilty and forcing a trial, saying he had caused his survivors additional trauma by forcing them to tell of their experiences again.

He scolded Smith for the grave ways he systematically abused the boy, which included rape and sexual assault.

Your abuse of him tragically became part of his formative life, Judge Burgess said.

The effects have been profound and life changing.

There is no doubt you have caused him severe psychological harm.

Addressing Smith about his abuse of the girl, Judge Burgess said his offending had caused her severe distress.

He sentenced Smith to 21 years in prison after he was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault, three counts of indecent assault of a male, two counts of rape, sexual assault of a child under 13 and rape of a child under 13.

Smith, who appeared at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, May 19, will serve half this sentence before being eligible for parole.

Description

He sent the girl a 55 second video clip of him touching himself and said, Do you want daddy, baby?

A retired Cammell Lairds worker engaged in filthy online conversations with a 13-year-old girl hoping they could meet up.

Colin Robinson, 75, encouraged the child to bunk off school, sent her an indecent video of himself and said he wanted to seduce her.

When told she lived in Manchester, he replied: "You are now in big trouble, its just down the M57."

But unknown to the Wirral grandad he was actually communicating with an undercover officer going by the name of Lucy, posing as the school girl.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that he has no previous sexual convictions and is now remorseful and ashamed, but Judge Gary Woodhall told bald Robinson: "Only a custodial sentence can be justified."

Robinson, of Borough Road, Seacombe, had pleaded guilty to five offences involving attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to incite a child to engage in a sexual act and attempted sexual communication.

He had initially pleaded not guilty and had been due to stand trial in August but changed his pleas.

Paulus Barnes, prosecuting, told how the offences took place between September 12 and 18, 2019. The undercover officer set up a decoy profile on Kik Messenger using the handle Lulu Girly Girl and also set up Gmail and Skype accounts.

On September 12 that year she logged onto a free to use site called Chat To You. Mr Barnes said: "She received a private message from Aged Mariner, 66 years from Merseyside. She told him she was only 13 and he said 'Mmm that is so hot xxxYou are lovely'."

She accepted a friend request from him which also displayed the name Colin Robbo and he began sexualised conversations with her.

Mr Barnes said: "He wanted to seduce her.

"The officer told him she was still at school but off school. He asked her to touch herself and began instructing her to masturbate herself."

He made various other highly sexualised remarks and asked if he could call her. He said he had spent the weekend fishing and playing golf but had been thinking about her which had aroused him.

Robinson made similar comments in other conversations and told her what he wanted to do to her and asked her to miss school but when she said she could not travel to him he became aggressive and dominating.

The next day he apologised but continued telling her what he wanted to do sexually with her, said Mr Barnes.

He sent her a 55-second video clip of him touching himself and said: "Do you want daddy, baby?"

Robinson was identified and traced and interviewed on October 21 and confirmed he used the Chat To You site under the name Aged Mariner, but said he thought the site was for adults only.

Mr Barnes said: "He said if he had been chatting to someone 13 he would have told them to find someone of their own age."

He maintained he did not recall speaking to anyone aged 13 and when told he had been speaking to an undercover officer he said he had been entrapped.

The court heard that he has six previous convictions for 13 offences involving dishonesty, with the last one in 1978.

Judge Woodhall told Robinson: "You have expressed disgust at your behaviour and said you are ashamed. When interviewed you continued to deny sexual gratification. That is utter nonsense."

He said he accepted he has health problems, has no similar convictions and that the delay in the case reaching sentence was not entirely Robinson's fault.

But Judge Woodhall ruled that it was so serious there had to be an immediate jail sentence.

The judge said the chat conversations "from the outset were highly sexualised".

He said the grandad had encouraged her "to bunk off school" and "made reference to the fact she lived a short distance away down the motorway no doubt implying you could meet".

Zahra Baqri, defending, had told the court: "My client is utterly disgusted with his actions over those few day in 2019. He accepts he is at real risk of being sentenced to immediate imprisonment but I invite you to suspend the term."

She said: "He accessed dating applications on the computer in order to speak to adult women so his original use was legitimate.

"He accepts he did think and knew he was talking to a 13-year-old child and continued with these communications. He accepts that."

Ms Baqri pointed out that there was no real victim and no sexual activity took place between them.

She said: In his probation report he speaks about feeling confusion and shame.

"He had started employment at the age of 15 and worked for Cammell Lairds for 50 years. He has a strong close family including siblings, children and their offspring."

She added: "He unreservedly apologises for the humiliation and upset he has caused his family. He apologies for his vile and scandalous behaviour."

Robinson was jailed for two years.

He was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same length of time.

Description

A paedophile used library computers to search for 'Harry Potter erotica' and 'fetish sites' which focused on children in their underwear.

Melissa Wilson, whose name was given in court listings as "Paul Wilson, also known as Melissa Wilson", managed to bypass security systems at Liverpool Central Library and Toxteth Library, later confessing to the crimes in a letter from her alter ego, Dan Thompson.

After creating library accounts the 34-year-old would attend "almost every other day" and used a Russian search engine "associated with accessing illegal files".

Liverpool Crown Court heard as well as looking up "Harry Potter erotica with a focus on Hermione Granger", Wilson searched "children porn" and "young girls modelling underwear".

In a letter from her alter ego she claimed she wanted to go back to prison because she felt 'accepted for who she is and who she wants to be'.

Nick Cockrell, prosecuting, explained Wilson's probation officer received the letter from Wilson's alter ego, Dan Thompson, detailing how she had bypassed library security systems.

Mr Cockrell said: "Merseyside Police received information Miss Wilson had been using computers at Liverpool City Libraries and Toxteth Libraries."

Mr Cockrell explained Wilson accessed the computers between July 10 and October 23 in 2019 on 86 days, "multiple times a week".

Wilson went on a chat forum which doesn't require the user to register and on which "illegal images of children are shared".

He explained the investigating officer went on the website during his investigation and a child sex abuse image "remained visible for 10 minutes before a moderator removed it".

Wilson also used a Russian search engine which had been "associated with accessing illegal files".

Mr Cockrell said there were times when Wilson would use the library computers to search for jobs but said there seemed to be a "lot more activity centring around the chat site".

Judge David Swinnerton explained one site which was accessed was a "sort of children's underwear fetish site" on which children between the ages of three and five were pictured in underwear.

The judge said they "can't say the defendant viewed that particular image" but she did click on the link.

Mr Cockrell said on the search there was reference to a username "c**face" and 13 photographs of two young girls aged between three and five who were either in their pyjamas or topless.

On July 10 Wilson searched for "Harry Potter erotica with a focus on Hermione Granger", "Lolicon", which refers to an attraction to prepubescent girls, Mr Cockrell explained.

Mr Cockrell explained she had also used Facebook Messenger, an American chat site and a UK chat forum as well as a chat room designed specifically for teens.

The court heard Wilson was charged for breaching her Sexual Harm Prevention Order in February 2021, which she later admitted in court.

Her first offence was in April 2008 for indecent images of children and was given a community order which she then breached twice in the same year and was jailed again having more indecent images of children.

Wilson then consistently breached court orders in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

In August 2015 she was jailed four years with an extended four years on licence for threats to kill, possession of prohibited images and breaching notification requirements.

In total Wilson had six previous convictions for 39 offences.

Mike O'Brien, defending, said there was "no excuse for her behaviour" and said she accepted the "persistent" breaches.

He said at the time of the offences she "wasn't welcome or accepted in her local community" and she "felt a sense of hopelessness".

He explained Wilson had applied for training courses and voluntary work but would "hit a brick wall" at the interviews which Mr O'Brien said was most likely due to her previous convictions.

He said: "A letter from Dan Thompson, her alter ego, explains initially she committed these offences in order to be returned to prison."

Mr O'Brien added: "She feels safer and happier in that environment."

He said she has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and "identifies as a female even though she was born as a male".

He said she felt accepted in prison by the guards, doesn't feel isolated and is able to get help when she needs it.

Mr O'Brien said: "Even the inmates accept her for who she is and who she wants to be."

He added Wilson, who is serving her sentence at HMP Altcourse, suffers from asperger's and multiple personality disorder.

Judge Swinnerton, sentencing, said: "You have a lengthy and growing criminal record which revolves around your interest in indecent images of children and your repeated breaches of the orders which try to prevent you from accessing such images of children."

The judge said: "Some of the search terms you were using revolved around what I would describe as fetish sites of children in their underwear."

The judge added she "quite deliberately" accessed chatrooms despite a clause in the Sexual Harm Prevention Order which specified she could not.

The judge said he also took account of the delay which was "no fault of yours" and "will impact upon the earliest time on which you can apply for parole".

Judge Swinnerton said: "I understand for various reasons life on the outside must be difficult for you.

"I understand that it would be difficult for you to get a job."

The judge added that "a lot of that is down to you" for persistently breaching court orders and that if it didn't change "you're not going to find a constructive role".

Judge Swinnerton added that she would "waste a lot of your life behind bars" if she didn't stop offending.

Wilson was jailed for 32 months, although she will continue to serve a sentence after being recalled until June 23 2022.

She must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and was ordered to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

Description

A predatory paedophile who subjected three children to sexual abuse has been jailed.

Paul Berry's crimes date back to the 1980s when he indecently assaulted a young girl.

Then, in the mid 2000s, Berry, from Gateshead, began abusing two young boys when he would make sexual advances towards them and sexually assault them.

The victims all bravely came forward in 2019 to report the abuse and an investigation was launched by Northumbria Police's Safeguarding unit.

Berry , 60, was arrested and denied all the allegations but a jury found him guilty of 12 counts of sexual assault at Newcastle Crown Court in March.

On Friday, May 14, at the same court, he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

Detective Constable Stefan Noakes, leading the investigation, welcomed the sentence and praised the bravery of the victims throughout this case.

Det Con Noakes said: "This has been such a long process for these victims but now thankfully they are getting the justice they deserve.

"Berry thought he was able to get away with his crimes by lying his way throughout this investigation but the jury saw through his deceit and he now faces the consequences of his actions.

"He made the victims endure further trauma by taking the case to trial but their strength and determination has been incredible and I hope now they can close off this awful chapter of their lives and move forward knowing Berry is behind bars where he belongs."

Berry, of Pattinson Gardens, Felling, has also been handed an indefinite Serious Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which places restrictions on him when he is released from prison and he will have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A terrified boy sexually abused at a hellish children's home would sleep outside in the cold to escape his tormentor.

Edward Stanton raped and molested youngsters in his care at the infamous St Vincent's home in Formby from 1976 to 1995.

The former house master was jailed for 13 years in 1996 for sexual offences committed against seven boys, aged between 10 and 13.

The 69-year-old was back in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court today after being found guilty of two more sex attacks last month.

They related to a 13-year-old boy, who he twice indecently assaulted in the early 1980s, leaving the victim with psychological scars he bears to this day.

Stanton, formerly of Kirkdale, but now of Earle Road, Wavertree, had claimed someone else was responsible for the abuse.

The court heard the first attack took place when the boy returned from a period of home leave and Stanton pretended to search him for cigarettes, then put his hand down his trousers and touched his genitals.

A terrified boy sexually abused at a hellish children's home would sleep outside in the cold to escape his tormentor.

Edward Stanton raped and molested youngsters in his care at the infamous St Vincent's home in Formby from 1976 to 1995.

The former house master was jailed for 13 years in 1996 for sexual offences committed against seven boys, aged between 10 and 13.

The 69-year-old was back in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court today after being found guilty of two more sex attacks last month.

They related to a 13-year-old boy, who he twice indecently assaulted in the early 1980s, leaving the victim with psychological scars he bears to this day.

Stanton, formerly of Kirkdale, but now of Earle Road, Wavertree, had claimed someone else was responsible for the abuse.

The court heard the first attack took place when the boy returned from a period of home leave and Stanton pretended to search him for cigarettes, then put his hand down his trousers and touched his genitals.

"He describes the defendant as controlling and frightening. He was terrified. He felt he had nowhere to run. He often absconded and would sleep in the cold and felt that was safer than being at St Vincent's."

The prosecutor said the now adult suffered from attacks of depression and anxiety with which he struggled to cope.

He had an "emotional breakdown" when he self-harmed and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, where he starved himself.

Mr Polglase said the victim also suffered nightmares and night terrors "where he calls out for his mum".

The court heard Stanton was jailed for 16 months in February 2013 for possessing indecent images of children and for two years in July 2016 for similar offences.

Mr Polglase said he was then jailed for two years in January 2018 for breaching his Sexual Offences Prevention Order and possessing further indecent images.

The court heard these images depicted both boys and girls being sexually abused.

Arthur Gibson, defending, accepted his client "undoubtedly" caused the victim psychological harm, but said the boy also had other issues not connected to Stanton.

He acknowledged that the victim was "forced to give evidence", but suggested if Stanton had also been sentenced for this abuse in 1996, it probably wouldn't have increased the sentence he received then any further.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones told Stanton: "Of course in having a trial you forced the victim to undergo again a renewed ordeal by attending court and giving evidence and of course being branded a liar in the process."

The judge said Stanton "completely breached" his pastoral responsibilities as a house master at St Vincent's by targeting the vulnerable child and molesting him.

He said: "The short term impact upon him was to instill him with fear and panic about being in the institution.

"It led to him beginning a regular pattern of absconding and it seems some minor offending, which continued until he was told he need not return at St Vincent's."

Judge Trevor-Jones said the boy was left with a continuing impact of his "terrifying ordeal" until he confided in his wife and reported the abuse in 2017, which led to Stanton's arrest in April 2018.

Referring to the other seven boys he had abused at St Vincent's, some of whom he raped, the judge said: "Your predatory conduct there was out of control."

Judge Trevor-Jones told Stanton his three convictions for indecent images of children revealed "how entrenched your perverted attitudes are".

He said: "You still maintain your innocence of these two assaults. You accept you're sexually attracted to young children and you've undertaken several sexual offending programmes over the time, but clearly with very little impact."

The judge noted Stanton's health problems, including insulin dependence, kidney disease and high blood pressure, but said he had caused his victim "ongoing psychological damage".

He jailed him for three and a half years and told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The ECHO has previously reported how dozens of children's lives were destroyed by paedophiles who worked at St Vincent's and also St Aidan's in Widnes, and documented the brave victims' fight for justice.

The now closed homes, both run by Liverpool charity the Nugent Care Society, formerly Catholic Social Services, were intended to give troubled boys care, education and safety .

But the reality was prison-like regimes of beatings and sexual abuse likened by one survivor to the film Scum, about the infamous Borstal young offenders institute.

In St Vincent's, principal Alan Langshaw and lab technician Stanton were launching vile attacks on boys in their care, while at St Aidan's head master Terence Hoskin and teacher Colin Dick were also convicted of abuse.

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AN ex-BBC producer condemned as a dangerous paedophile tried to con a private schools headteacher into allowing him to film schoolgirls at a Christmas concert.

Serial sex offender Peter Croasdale attempted to hoodwink Monmouths Haberdashers to allow him to record a carol service.

The 58-year-old gave the school a bogus name and tried to charge the then head Jennifer Phillips 450 to film a performance.

Croasdale was jailed for more than four years in 2009 for sexually abusing a young girl, taking an indecent photograph of a child, voyeurism and possessing indecent photographs of children.

When police arrested the ex-Radio 4 producer for his recent crimes in Monmouthshire, they caught him with disturbing child abuse images on his computer.

Prosecutor Claire Pickthall told Cardiff Crown Court how Croasdale had been negotiating a business deal with the school after posing as a Peter Alan.

She said: They were hoodwinked by this man who is intelligent. He deliberately hid his identity.

But his deception was soon uncovered and the police were called.

He pleaded guilty to fraud, possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography involving bestiality.

There were 15 category A indecent images of a child, which portray rape, 28 at category B and 63 at category C on his computer.

The offences were committed between January 16, 2016 and January 15, 2021.

Tom Roberts, mitigating, said there was a prospect his client could be rehabilitated.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Croasdale: You simply dont want to face up to the risks you pose to children.

She classed him as a dangerous offender and sentenced him to an extended sentence of four years.

Croasdale, now of Woodgate Street, Bolton, will have to serve two years in jail and an extended licence period of two years following his release.

He was handed a suspended prison sentence in March after he was caught leading a secret life in Gwent.

A court heard previously he had left his home in the North of England to move in with teacher Lesley Bagshaw in Monmouth.

As a result of his 2009 conviction, Croasdale must register as a sex offender and be the subject of a sexual offences prevention order for life.

Mr Fryer said he was in breach of both and started living with Ms Bagshaw last year although he had first began staying with her in 2017.

He told the court: It was a calculated and deliberate breach. He was living a double life unknown to the police.

On January 15 this year, officers went to an address in Monmouth where they found the defendant living under the alias of Peter Alan.

Lesley Bagshaws home was searched. She had known the defendant since sixth form.

Croasdale pleaded guilty to being in breach of both orders.

The judge then, Recorder Simon Mills, jailed the defendant for 18 months, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and made the subject of a three-month curfew.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke demanded an explanation from the prosecution as to why the matters were not dealt with together.

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Hashim Hussain who targeted vulnerable teenage girls in order to sexually abuse them has been jailed.

Hashim Hussain, 24, has been convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury.

Hashim Hussain was sentenced to four years behind bars after he filmed a group of men engaging in sexual activity with two other girls, aged 16 and 17, on two separate occasions.

The offending took place between August 2016 and August 2017.

The court heard how Hussain would regularly meet up with a group of teenage girls in Openshaw Park, in Bury, and buy vodka for them before heading to the home of one of the girls.

Hashim's phone was seized by police after he was arrested in relation to driving offences in October 2017.

Detectives found a video showing 'a young, intoxicated female' being sexually contacted by a man, while he was cheered on by others people in a park.

The court heard a girl could be heard on the footage asking whether she was being recorded but was told “it's just a torch”.

Another video showed a young female holding onto a kitchen counter with both hands while an older male had sex with her from behind.

number of other males can be seen gathered around them, the court heard.

Hashim was identified as the cameraman due to a 'distinctive watch' he was wearing which was caught in the footage.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2019 after getting off a flight from Pakistan and replied 'no comment' to all questions asked by police.

Hashim, also of South Cross Street, Bury, was also convicted of two counts of taking an indecent image of a child, and two counts of possessing an indecent image of a child, after the four-week trial.

You were playing your part in this abuse by filming.” said the judge.

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Remorseless Muhammad Hussain who targeted vulnerable teenage girls in order to sexually abuse them has been jailed.

Muhammad Hussain, 20, has been convicted of a string of 'despicable and sickening' sex offences against young girls in Bury.

Muhammad Hussain was sentenced to six years and two months in prison after a jury found him guilty of raping a 14-year-old girl and sexually assaulting another girl, also aged 14.

The offending took place between August 2016 and August 2017.

The court heard how Hussain would regularly meet up with a group of teenage girls in Openshaw Park, in Bury, and buy vodka for them before heading to the home of one of the girls.

Muhammad was just 16 himself when he raped his 'extremely vulnerable' victim in August 2016.

Prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said the girl, who was known to social services and deemed at 'high risk of child sexual exploitation', invited Muhammad to a house party at her friend's house.

Alcohol was being consumed and the pair kissed before they were encouraged to go upstairs together.

Once in an upstairs bedroom, the girl initially engaged in consensual sexual intercourse with Muhammad.

But the court heard she then repeatedly asked him to slow down as it was 'hurting her'.

However, Muhammad pushed her head down into the pillow and carried on having sex with her.

The girl then started crying and told him to get off her, said Mr Blackshaw.

When she managed to move away from him and started to get dressed, the court heard Muhammad called the girl a f****** bitch and told her finish me off.

She left the room but, feeling under pressure, returned and asked Muhammad what she had to do.

He threatened to tell her on-off boyfriend that they had had sex if she did not comply.

Muhammad later contacted the victim to apologise and 'begged her to send pictures of her bottom', which she refused to do.

On another occasion, between March and May 2017, Muhammad filmed the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him.

The court heard the victim wanted 'to shut the incident out' and it was eight months before she told a social worker she had been raped.

She was interviewed by police in February 2018 as part of an operation - codenamed Burgos - into child sexual exploitation in Bury.

On another occasion, in August 2017, the girl and a friend - aged 14 - were in Openshaw Park with Muhammad Hashim and another man when Muhammad approached the friend and put his hand down her leggings.

The court heard he then 'yanked up her underwear' and grabbed her bottom with such force it caused pain and left 'a number of fingernail shaped impressions'.

When interviewed by police, Muhammad admitted having sex with the first victim, but claimed it had been 'consensual'.

He denied using his phone to record the girl and her friend performing oral sex on him, or sexually assaulting the girl in Openshaw Park.

Hashim's phone was seized by police after he was arrested in relation to driving offences in October 2017.

Detectives found a video showing 'a young, intoxicated female' being sexually contacted by a man, while he was cheered on by others people in a park.

The court heard a girl could be heard on the footage asking whether she was being recorded but was told it's just a torch.

Another video showed a young female holding onto a kitchen counter with both hands while an older male had sex with her from behind.

number of other males can be seen gathered around them, the court heard.

Hashim was identified as the cameraman due to a 'distinctive watch' he was wearing which was caught in the footage.

He was arrested at Manchester Airport in July 2019 after getting off a flight from Pakistan and replied 'no comment' to all questions asked by police.

Following a trial, Muhammad, of South Cross Street, Bury, was found guilty of two counts of rape, as well as one count of taking an indecent image and another count of sexual assault.

Sentencing Muhammad, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said he had taken advantage of the extremely vulnerable victim and given no indication of regret of remorse.

He added: What started as consensual sexual activity between the two of you became something very different.

She may have initially consented to penetration but when she asked you to stop because it was hurting her, you simply ignored her and carried on regardless.

It was a clear example of you putting your own sexual gratification before giving and real or genuine consideration to the feelings of others.

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An "outstanding" primary school headteacher caught sexting and arranging to meet someone he thought was a 14 year old boy was this afternoon (Friday) jailed for four and a half years at Lincoln Crown Court.

James Shawley, who was head of St Bartholomew's Primary School at West Pinchbeck, near Spalding, from 2016 until being suspended following his arrest in December 2019, was caught in a sting operation when he contacted a covert police officer posing as a 14 year old.

Shawley denied four charges but was found guilty by a jury earlier today at the end of a three day trial.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for life and barred from working with children for life. Shawley was also given a 15 year sexual harm prevention order.

Shawley was described in court as an outstanding headteacher who had raised standards at St Bartholomew's as well as two other schools where he was previously assistant head.

The court heard that he continued to be paid his salary while he was suspended and that only ended today when he was found guilty.

As well as teaching he was a qualified FA coach and was coach of Spalding Under 11s. He previously coached Bourne Town Juniors.

Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight, passing sentence, said she regarded Shawley's defence case as "wholly implausible".

She said that as a headteacher and football coach Shawley knew more than most people the importance of protecting children.

The judge told him "You have lost your good character, your career and your hobby. That is all down to you. Your life when you come out of prison will be very different."

Marion Smullen, in mitigation, said the contact was with a fictitious boy rather than an actual 14 year old.

"The defendant has been an outstanding teacher for the 22 years he has been in the profession.

"He was assistant head at two schools then became head at St Bartholomew's. On every single occasion he bought those schools up to being outstanding.

"His other passion is football and coaching football. By this conviction he has lost his career and his passion in life. He won't be able to do either again."

She said Shawley sold his home to privately fund his defence case and is currently living with his mother.

During trial the jury was told that Shawley sent sexually explicit messages to the "boy" before arranging to meet him at a cinema in Huntingdon with the intention of having sex with him.

Shawley told the jury that he clicked on the "boy's" profile on a dating site thinking it was someone over 18.

He admitted that during chat the "boy" said that he was 14.

Shawley said "I thought he was an adult pretending to be younger. I didn't believe he was 14. I didn't believe anybody of 14 on an adult app would declare their age so soon in the conversation.

"I thought it was a wind-up.

Shawley (45), formerly of Hereward Street, Bourne, and now living in Sheffield, denied two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and further charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child and attempting to facilitate or arrange a child sex offence. The charges related to dates between December 8 and 23, 2019.

The jury deliberated for just over 90 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on each charge.

Detective Inspector Paul Coleman has welcomed the sentence.

He said I am really pleased that this has been brought to a successful conclusion, especially given the impact that this has had on the school and the local community. I would like to sincerely thank the officers involved in this case whose sheer diligence has led to todays result.

In this case, thankfully, no children were harmed by Shawleys actions. However child exploitation and online grooming does affect children in our county, with devastating consequences.