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Police have praised the courage and strength of a woman who was assaulted by a stranger in her own home as the ‘violent and dangerous’ offender is jailed for 20 years.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered significant physical injuries during the attack, and is now trying to live with the ongoing emotional and psychological impact of the incident.

Dyfed-Powys Police officers have also paid testament to a family member who arrived home during the attack and sustained injuries when they bravely intervened.

Swansea Crown Court heard that officers were called to an address in Goodwick at just before 10.30pm on May 24, 2024. The caller, a relative of the victim, described her as being covered in blood, and said the suspect was trying to escape from the house.

Officers attended immediately and found the victim inside the house with visible injuries to her face.

Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Briggs said: “She was clearly badly injured, and was incredibly distressed, but at that point we weren’t aware of the extent of the ordeal she had been put through.

“Our focus was on prioritising her care with the help of paramedics, and getting officers out on the street to find the suspect.

“Shortly after officers arrived at scene, a man by the name of Benjamin Guiver was arrested not far from the house.”

The victim revealed in interview that she didn’t think she would survive the assault, but that two family members returned home and disturbed the attacker.

She explained that she had fallen asleep while watching TV, and woke to find a man in her living room. He said his name was Benjamin and that he had come ‘to rescue her’. When the victim asked who he was, he replied ‘don’t ask any questions or I’ll kill you’.

The victim managed to escape the address and run out onto the drive, shouting for help. She was followed by the suspect, who assaulted her outside and threatened to kill her before continuing the sustained attack inside the address.

The victim lost several teeth and sustained significant bruising to her body.

It was later established by police that the 34-year-old, of Fishguard, had attempted to enter another house in close proximity to the victim’s home a short while earlier.

Following substantial enquiries by the police, Benjamin Guiver was charged with the following six offences on May 26: Sexual Assault by penetration; Section 18 GBH with intent; Intentional strangulation; Trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence; Threats to kill; Assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Due to the weight of evidence against him, he pleaded guilty to all six charges when he appeared at court on July 10.

In a statement written by the victim, she described herself as “a shell of her former self” following the incident, constantly feeling “lost, unsafe and on edge”.

She wrote: “I feel as though my life has been turned upside down. I no longer feel safe in my own home which is a feeling I have never experienced before.

“I’ve always been confident and independent, however, that has now been viciously ripped away from me.

“I want so desperately to go back to some kind of normality with my life, however, I know that what has happened is going to continue to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Described as a ‘violent and dangerous offender’ by the judge, Guiver was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Swansea Crown court on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Following sentencing, DCI Briggs said: “The victim in this case has shown immense courage throughout the investigation, and I commend her for that.

“Suffering such an attack in your own home is unimaginable, and – as she detailed in her statement – has impacted every aspect of her life.

“Despite this, she has demonstrated her strength of character every step of the way and worked alongside officers to ensure justice prevailed.

“I would also like to highlight the actions of her relative who intervened during the assault, putting their own safety at risk to ensure further harm was not caused.”

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A 24-year-old man has been sent back to prison after he harassed a woman who was selling baby products online.

As a registered sex offender, Josh Guilder, previously of Northampton, was required to abide by very strict conditions after leaving prison or face going back to jail.

However, in May of this year, he committed multiple breaches including harassing a woman online who was selling baby products.

At first, the woman in question believed Guilder to be a genuine buyer, however he then went on to send her messages about wanting her baby to “suck on the dummies” she was selling as he “wanted them used”.

The woman, who described feeling “shocked and disturbed” by Guilder’s messages, stopped engaging with him. However, he sent her another message which read “can I take the dummy out of your baby’s mouth and suck on it.”

But this wasn’t the end of Guilder’s breaches as he was also found to have deleted messages in WhatsApp which was contrary to his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) before making admissions to having contact with two unknown children when buying used baby products from the internet.

Guilder was charged with one count of harassment without violence, two counts of breaching his SHPO and one count of attempting to breach his SHPO.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court in June, Guilder returned to the same court this week (Monday, October 28) where he was sentenced to over one year and six months in prison.

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A Devon & Cornwall police officer has been sentenced to three years imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life after being found guilty of sexual assault.

PC Simon Mitchell, 43, of Bideford, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court today, Thursday 31 October.

Mitchell, who had denied the offence, was found guilty by a jury after a nine-day trial in September.

The court heard how in June 2022, Mitchell had been off-duty socialising with colleagues at Devon & Cornwall Police accommodation block when the offence took place.

The incident was reported to police in September 2022 and an investigation was launched. Mitchell was arrested and immediately suspended from duty.

Mitchell denied the charges, claiming a different set of circumstances surrounding the incident, however he was found guilty by a jury with a majority verdict on 12th September 2024.

Today he has been jailed for three years and will become a registered sex offender for life.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: “The conviction and subsequent sentencing of PC Simon Mitchell for sexual assault follows a full and thorough investigation by the Force.

“We are as committed as ever to rooting out predatory behaviour and protecting women and girls from sexual violence.

“Our thoughts remain with the victim in this case and specialist officers continue to support her. I would like to thank her for giving evidence in court and I hope that this sentence will give her some sense of closure following the ordeal.

“Now that criminal proceedings have completed, Mitchell will now be subject to internal misconduct proceedings. The outcome of which will be published by the Force in due course.”

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We have today, Thursday 31 October, welcomed the sentencing of a man to 21 years in prison for historical child sexual offences.

Ali Alduhlaimi, 41, of Derwent Road West, Liverpool, was convicted of oral rape, sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sex acts and causing a child to watch adult penetrative activity following an eight-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The charges relate to offences committed against one victim between 2010 and 2016.

He was today sentenced to a total of 21 years in prison with an additional year on licence. He was also given a restraining order, a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for life.

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This is Alister Dyson, and he’s been jailed after breaching his Sex Offender Notification Requirements and his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Dyson, 39 (pictured below) of no fixed abode but previously of Preston and Morecambe, is a registered sex offender. As a result of this, he had to follow Sex Offender Notification Requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Dyson breached two of these requirements: failure to notify police of his address, and unsupervised contact with a child.

He was jailed for 22 months in total at Preston Crown Court yesterday.

Police Offender Manager Adam Weaver, of West Division said: “Dyson blatantly and deliberately ignored the requirements set to protect the community, and I welcome the custodial sentence received. We monitor registered sex offenders in the community and won’t hesitate to put them back before the court should they fail to comply with the lawful orders imposed upon them.  

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A 28-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a string of devastating sexual offences against children after being confronted with overwhelming evidence uncovered by the Metropolitan Police.

Sam Phillips, 28 (07.04.96), of Hillcroome Road, Sutton, appeared at Harrow Crown Court on 30th October, where he admitted to 38 offences committed between December 2023 and February 2024.

His crimes, which targeted six vulnerable children, including over 20 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, alongside further charges of sexual communication with a child and making indecent images of children

The Met investigation demonstrated the tireless dedication of the officers involved, whose swift actions and relentless pursuit of justice ensured that Phillips could not continue his reign of abuse. Their work uncovered the extent of his crimes, providing crucial evidence that led to his guilty plea and ensuring that he will face the full weight of the law.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, who leads policing in north-west London where the investigation was undertaken, said:

“Phillips is a predator of the worst kind, preying on innocent, vulnerable children for his own gratification. The scale of his offending is both appalling and heartbreaking, and no child should ever have to endure the trauma these young victims have suffered.

“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the children and their families who had the courage to come forward. It is impossible to imagine the pain and fear they have experienced, but their bravery has allowed us to hold this dangerous individual to account.

“I am pleased Phillips has pleaded guilty, it is a testament to the strength and diligence of the case that Met officers have built. This outcome reflects our unwavering commitment to bringing sexual abusers to justice and ensuring that victims are heard and protected.”

The investigation began in late January 2024, when officers were contacted with serious concerns regarding the welfare of a child who had potentially been sexually exploited. Met detectives in north-west London immediately launched an investigation.

Through meticulous investigative work, officers uncovered that two additional children had also been groomed by Phillips. He had manipulated these children online, sending them money in exchange for inappropriate images of themselves. Detectives quickly traced the payments to Phillips’ account, and he was arrested on Monday, 11 March 2024. Initially charged with 11 offences involving three children, further analysis of his phone and financial records revealed more victims, leading to the total of 38 charges which were pleaded guilty to.

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A "dangerous paedophile" who pretended to be a teenager in order to rape a teenage girl has been jailed for eight years.

Oliver James, formerly of Marine Drive, Bishopstone, East Sussex, contacted his victim on social media app Snapchat and agreed to meet her in woodland in Newhaven.

Initially claiming to be 16 years old, then later 19, he was actually 29 at the time, Sussex Police said.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reported her experience and James was arrested and charged.

A police spokesperson said the victim had agreed to meet James in the Denton area of Newhaven at about 07:00 BST on 3 May,

The girl told James she did not want to have sex with him, but he forced himself on her before leaving the area, police said.

The victim later confided in a friend and her mother before reporting the matter to the police.

Appearing for sentencing at Hove Crown Court on Tuesday, James was jailed after admitting the charges of rape and sexual assault.

He was also made the subject of a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will remain a registered sex offender indefinitely.

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Daniel Devlin, 38, thought he was messaging a mother selling her children for sex when he said he would do "anything" to them, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

It was actually undercover police officers and his obscene messages and a phone call were recorded.

Devlin, who was previously jailed for possessing indecent images of children, admitted offences including attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence.

Police set up an online profile on Chatiw with a username suggesting they were a mother offering her seven-year-old and 11-month-old daughters for sex, prosecutor Omar Ahmad said.

On 20 March this year Devlin got in touch to arrange a "playdate", Mr Ahmad said.

In a follow up telephone call, Devlin said he would be "into anything" with the two girls, giving details of sex acts he would make them perform.

Upon his arrest, Devlin told officers he had "no friends" and had spoken to the decoy account as part of "sexual role play" but had no intention of meeting the woman or her children.

'High risk'

The offence was committed while he was on bail for breaching a sexual harm prevention order, the court heard.

The order was made after Devlin, of Coburg Street in Blyth, Northumberland, was jailed for 15 months in September 2017 for seven counts of possessing and making indecent images of children.

In January 2023, he spoke to another undercover officer on Chatiw and Kick with his conversation "almost exclusively sexual and discussing sexual fantasies with young children" including a toddler he knew, Mr Ahmad said.

When he was arrested he was found with two phones which he had not registered with police.

Devlin also admitted two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and publishing an obscene article.

Judge Tim Gittins said there had been a "very high risk of really serious harm" if Devlin had succeeded in meeting a girl for sex but he was a man with "difficulties" having been sexually abused as a child.

Another indefinite sexual harm prevention order was also made and he must sign the sex offenders' register until further notice.

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A pensioner sexual predator who repeatedly abused young girls in Dundee has been jailed.

David Duncan, 77, targeted a child at sleepovers in Dundee, Angus and Spain and abused a four-year-old in a parked car outside a school.

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A child sex predator who molested teenagers at his Perth home over the course of more than a year has been jailed.

Victims and family members hugged and broke down in tears as charity worker Ryan Kinnear was led away to begin a 30-month sentence.

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A child sex offender is back in jail after breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention order. Max Coughlin, from Redhill, was jailed for six years at Guildford Crown Court on Monday, October 28 with an extended licence for a further year.

It follows his trial in February when the 29-year-old was found guilty of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence having already pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children. Coughlin had been known to police due to a prior conviction in 2014 for making and distributing indecent images of children.

Following his release from prison for those offences, he was subject to the Sexual Offences registration requirements for 10 years and had a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which placed tight prohibitions on him, including having no contact with children. In October 2021, a warrant was executed at an address in Redhill by the Force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) following intelligence he was breaching his SHPO by using apps including Snapchat and then deleting them.

Officers recovered 15 devices including phones and laptops from him which underwent extensive digital examination. Coughlin was arrested for breaching his SHPO and facilitating the commission of a sexual offence after evidence showed he was making plans to meet a child for the purpose of sexually abusing them.

Having given no comment in his police interview, he later pleaded guilty to making indecent images but not guilty to facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. After a review hearing in March 2023, the case was set for trial in February 2024 where he was convicted.

He was remanded in prison until his full sentencing this week where he was jailed for seven years. The judge also ruled Coughlin would be subject to the Sexual Offences registration requirements indefinitely and have a Sexual Harm Prevention Order made on him indefinitely.

Detective Sergeant Ben Green, from Surrey Police’s POLIT Team, said: “Once we received intelligence about Coughlin’s online activity, we took swift action to arrest him and seize his devices and the intended victim was never subject to any physical sexual offence.

“It was clear in this case that Coughlin had been using various tactics to try to cover-up his digital footprint and was prepared to continue lying in the face of the evidence. The behaviour he was showing was predatory so I am extremely pleased with this outcome.

“I would like to thank officers and staff not only in POLIT, but in the digital forensic and offender management teams, who have all worked together to achieve this result. This is a clear demonstration of our policing response to the ever present online threat posed by predators towards children.”

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A Welsh paedophile has been banned from going to children’s parks and swimming pools after he sexually abused a young boy.

Andrew Rowe, 47, from Caerphilly was jailed for six months after he admitted assaulting a boy under the age of 13 by touching.

The offence took place last month on September 25, prosecutor Michael Williams said.

Newport magistrates were asked to take in account Rowe’s guilty plea.

The defendant, of no fixed abode, will have to register as a sex offender for the next seven years.

A seven-year sexual harm prevention order was imposed which places a number of restrictions on Rowe once he is released from prison.

One of these prohibits him: “From attending places where large numbers of children are likely to be present, such as a play area in a park, sports fields where children’s clubs are participating or leisure facilities such as swimming pools."

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A Gloucester man has been jailed after pleading guilty to making thousands of indecent images of children.

Philip Wood, aged 71 and of Westgate Street, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court last Wednesday (23 October).

He had been charged with eight counts of making indecent images of children and nine counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Wood is a registered sexual offender and was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court in 2020 in relation to a number of sexual offences. He was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at the time, which expires on 1 December 2027.

As part of the order, Wood was not allowed to own any electronic devices, such as mobile phones or laptops, without declaring them to the police and offering them to police for inspection.

He received unannounced home visits from Gloucestershire Constabulary's Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team.

Officers visited Wood on a number of occasions between August 2023 and May 2024. During each visit, they found that Wood had electronic devices that he had not declared or made available for inspection, these contained indecent images of children. He was also using a pseudonym for online accounts, which he was banned from having under the order.

After suspicions were raised on the first visit around the breaches, Wood’s devices were seized and examined. He was arrested in November and bailed while a case was built against him, before being rearrested and remanded in May this year.

Across the various devices, officers found in excess of 134,172 indecent images of children as well as more than 150 hours of video footage.

Wood pleaded guilty to the offences at a hearing on 7 August. In mitigation, he told the court that he had a thrill of the forbidden and that he had attended previous rehabilitation courses which had not had the desired effect.

He was sentenced to three years in prison for each of the nine breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

In addition, he received three years for making Category A indecent images of children, two years for making Category B images and 12 months for making Category C images.

All sentences are to run concurrently. He was also put on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

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A taxi driver from Gloucester has avoid jailed for sexually assaulting woman while he was at work. The 49-year-old was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault at Gloucester Crown Court on July 30.

Taranjit Singh, known as Tony, has been banned from driving a taxi for ten years following the sentencing. The court heard that the victim used Singh's taxi service several times before the attack and he had given her his personal mobile number.

In November 2021, despite being off duty, Singh agreed to pick up the woman from Gloucester and take her to Tewkesbury, breaching his licence conditions. The woman, in her 20s, fell asleep during the journey. Singh then drove to an industrial estate, and the victim awoke to find Singh digitally penetrating her vagina and touching her breast.

She asked Singh to stop and tried to push his arm away, but he continued to sexually assault her, telling her that she was enjoying it.

The court was shown footage that the victim had secretly recorded on her mobile during previous rides in Singh's taxi. In one clip, Singh is heard propositioning the woman for sexual favours, to which she firmly declines.

Singh, from Estcourt Close in Gloucester, denied sexually assaulting the woman and claimed he may have accidentally touched the woman's breast while assisting with her seatbelt. He further claimed the woman guided his hand into her trousers.

On October 18, Singh received a 24-month suspended sentence at Gloucester Crown Court. Additionally, he must register as a sex offender for ten years and is banned from working as a taxi driver or in any paid driving capacity involving passengers for the same duration due to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The judge ordered Singh to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, participate in a rehabilitation programme for up to 30 days, and pay £4,380 towards prosecution costs.

Post-sentencing, the victim said: "While this incident only lasted a short time that night, it has had a major long-term effect on me mentally.

"I would urge anyone who has been through similar to contact the police. I felt heard, seen and believed, and I had great support throughout the process. I'm so glad I reported to hopefully help stop the same happening to others."

Detective Constable Annabel Brittain has praised a victim's courage after reporting a distressing incident, saying: "The victim is to be commended for reporting this distressing incident as, by having the strength to support the investigation, she has helped keep others safe while achieving justice for herself.

"As she read out her victim impact statement to the court, it was clear how much she has been affected by what happened, and I am extremely glad she says she has felt well supported by police throughout.

"I hope this conviction is reassurance to others that when such concerning incidents are reported, we will be as thorough and relentless as possible in securing all available evidence to bring offenders to justice."

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A child rapist who carried out abuse on girls dating back to the 1970s has been jailed for 15 years, with the judge saying that a victim’s description of him as a “monster” was “hard to disagree with”.

James Pollard was previously found guilty of abusing five young victims at various locations in the north of Scotland between 1979 and 2022.