Latest Offenders

Description

A convicted rapist - who began a secret affair with the mother of a young child has avoided a prison sentence - despite his fourth breach of a court order.

Wayne Adams, 52, had tried to strangle a 19-year-old stranger, who he attacked as she was walking home in Rainham in 1996.

But a "clerical error" meant he wasn't arrested for eight years. He was eventually given a 12-year jail term after admitting the offences.

The judge at the time said the attack was "inhumane and wicked".

Now Adams, of Boundary Road, Chatham has avoided returning to prison despite admitting two charges of breaching rules designed to allow police to monitor where he lives.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how in November 2020 he had begun a romantic relationship with a mother of a young child living on the Isle of Wight.

The court order restricted how many nights he could spend away from his Kent home without authorities being alerted.

The mother later told officers that Adams had stayed with her "for at least 15 nights".

Prosecutor John Livingston said: "She also revealed she has a very young child, living in the same house... although Adams was never left unsupervised with the child."

He said that when Adams house was searched, officers discovered a ferry ticket to the Isle and a receipt.

"He was in breach of requirements to notify police of any address where he stayed for seven consecutive days in a 12-month period, " he added.

Officers also found a credit card which Adams had but kept kept secret from police.

Adams told police he hadn't alerted them to his trips to the Isle of Wight because he had kept his romance a secret and he had "forgotten" about the credit card.

"You have escaped an immediate jail sentence by the skin of your teeth... it won't happen again..."

The court heard it was his fourth breach of the regulations, following infringements in 2013 and 2018.

Defence barrister Thaiza Khan said he is no longer in a relationship and is working full-time for an event hiring company and earning 22,000 after tax.

"The stress which came with this case ended the relationship, " she added.

The Judge, Recorder Alistair Webster QC, told him he had breached the notification requirements imposed after the "extremely serious rape of a stranger and strangulation" in 2005.

He added: "These court requirements are imposed for good reasons to protect members of the public from someone who, in the past, showed himself to be a danger.

"You took a quite deliberate decision to lie about the relationship on the Isle of Wight.

"You have escaped an immediate jail sentence by the skin of your teeth... it won't happen again."

He received a four-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, was fined 850 and ordered to pay 500 court costs

Adams wasn't arrested for the earlier rape and attack despite giving a DNA sample which matched police evidence.

Speaking after the earlier hearing, Det Insp David Withers said Adams had finally been caught by a review of DNA evidence from unresolved crimes.

He said Adams had been arrested for a public order offence in 1996 and had a forensic sample taken, but the match was not spotted at the time due to a "clerical error".

"They realised that a 1996 sample taken from the victim had been transcribed incorrectly into the national database.

"It appears to be a typing mistake," he added.

Adams remains on the Sex Offender's Register.

Description

A "dangerous" paedophile teacher who tricked young teenage boys into filming themselves performing sex acts has been jailed for 17 years.

Dean Davidson, 38, admitted 18 sexual offences over 10 years, including possession of indecent images of children, online exploitation of young teenagers and indecently touching boys.

The defendant, of Brockwood Court, Ashington, Northumberland, who taught in a number of schools in the North East of England, "posed as a good-looking blonde girl" online, one of his victims said.

In other cases he used a male alter-ego, depending on the sexuality of his young victims, Newcastle Crown Court was told.

The disgraced defendant held his head in his hands during the lengthy sentencing hearing, during which statements from 27 victims were heard.

Andrew Epsley, prosecuting, said Davidson was "a dangerous offender" who tricked some of his victims, now adults, after contacting them on social media.

In some cases, he posed as a sexually adventurous older girl, and cajoled them into performing sexual acts on camera.

Davidson, without their knowledge, made recordings of those videos, the court heard.

One told the court he had remained in contact for years with what he thought was a woman, but which was actually Davidson.

The man only realised the deception when detectives approached him and showed him video of himself as a boy aged around 13 performing sex acts.

Officers had recovered the video from Davidson's electronic devices.

The victim said: "I had been enticed by who I thought was a girl showing me attention at a very early age.

"Over the years it had been casual, friendly, on occasions flirtatious and sexual.

"I feel deceived and misled."

Another victim said he felt anxious in public in case Davidson had shared videos of him as a young teen, adding he felt "violated".

And another said he recalled making friends online with that he thought was a girl who asked him to do "weird things - stuff I would never dream of doing as an adult".

David Comb, defending, said Davidson was "ashamed and upset" by his conduct.

He added: "He genuinely enjoyed his work and he had a commitment to it, but he was also a confused, isolated and closeted young man who had been unable to establish or maintain healthy relationships with adults."

Judge Sarah Mallett sentenced him to serve 17 years in jail, with a six-year extended period.

Referring to his victims, she said: "Several of them have described their lives, as a result, are in ruins."

Description

A child sex offender "in turmoil and wanting to get better shopped himself to police.

Dominic Alexander Davey, 26, told his probation officer that he had a mobile phone capable of accessing the internet.

When she informed police, officers found 65 images in the least serious Category C, two images in Category B, two more pictures of extreme bestiality and 3,337 non-illegal images including youngsters doing gymnastics, but which still showed a sexual interest in children.

The phone also had eraser software for deleting material.

A judge at Caernarfon Crown Court today jailed Davey for a total of 12 months for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and possessing the Category B images.

Prosecutor Philip Clemo said on February 4 this year a member of the probation service, Clare Hughes, got a call from Davey saying he had had a phone for two weeks.

He should have reported he had a device capable of accessing the internet more promptly but he hadn't.

Ms Hughes contacted police and officers arrived at Davey's house and arrested him.

The court heard the defendant said he had found the phone while cleaning his house.

Ember-Jade Wong, defending, said Davey, whose address was given as HMP Berwyn, Wrexham, is remorseful.

She said the "unusual feature" of this case is that he "informed on himself" which was "indicative of the turmoil this defendant faces with his offending."

She added: "He simply wants to get better".

He is still a young man, she added. He had been a gardener and suffers depression and anxiety.

The judge Mr Recorder John Philpotts told Davey: "You reported the possession of this device. You effectively informed on yourself."

He jailed Davey for eight months for breaching a previous Sexual Harm Prevention Order by obtaining the phone, and for a further four months, consecutively, for possessing Category B images.

He also gave Davey concurrent jail terms of four months for possessing prohibited images, one month for possessing Category C images and one month for possessing extreme pornographic images.

He must go on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and still has eight years of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order sentence to run.

Description

The survivors of a horrific cycle of non-recent child sex abuse bravely confronted their abuser in court today (Wednesday 30 June), where he was branded a ‘conniving and exploitative serial paedophile’.

Mark Burgess, aged 68 years, of St Chads Avenue in Hilsea, was handed a 40 year sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court today after he was convicted of abusing children over a period of nearly four decades. He will serve a minimum of 21 years in jail before being considered for parole.

Following an investigation by Hampshire Constabulary’s Operation Marmion team, Burgess was charged with a raft of offences relating to 13 children, all of whom were under the age of 16 during his time as a choirmaster for the All Saints church choir in Portsmouth, and Westbourne Choir in Sussex between 1975 and 2009.

On 28 May this year, following a lengthy trial, he was convicted of the following offences:

• 26 counts of indecent assault
• 15 counts of gross indecency with a child
• 4 counts of buggery
• 1 count of attempted indecent assault
• 2 counts of sexual activity with a child

During the trial, which began on 15 March, Portsmouth Crown Court heard that Burgess had previously been a music teacher as well as a choir master, vocations which had brought him into contact with children time and again.

Burgess had taught at Portsmouth City Boys’ School and also ran choirs in St John’s church in Westbourne, Sussex, and All Saints church in Commercial Road in Portsmouth.

The court heard that, over the years, his attention became ‘fixed’ on a series of children. Burgess then took advantage of his positions in the school and choir settings in order to get closer to these children and draw them, and sometimes their families, into his trust.

These children were then sexually abused by Burgess, with assaults taking place during piano lessons at Burgess’s home address or in the church vestry, in Burgess’s car, on choir trips out of county, and in the school music room.

After decades of keeping this a secret, the children – all now adults – found the confidence to report this abuse to the police.

In emotive statements read out in court, the survivors told of the damage Burgess had inflicted on so many lives, with one describing his abuser as a ‘festering, rancid boil’.

Others spoke of how Burgess manipulated, groomed, charmed and bribed his way into their lives for his own sexual pleasure, and labelled him abhorrent, deplorable, calculating and despicable.

One survivor, now an adult woman, told how the abuse at Burgess’s hands had affected her passion for music. In a statement, she said: “This person helped me use my voice to make beautiful music, but I would become too ashamed to ever use it again.”

Another, who was abused at the age of 13, told the court: “You took a bright, naïve, funny, energetic child and you destroyed all of that in the most cynical and vile way.”

Speaking of finding his voice after all these years, he continued: “It has been a very difficult process, but I take courage and strength from the survivors here, and the love and support of my family.”

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge William Ashworth commended the survivors in this case for coming forward, and commented on the ‘dignity, restraint and stunning openness’ in which they spoke about their experiences.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Adam Edwards said: “Burgess made a choice to exploit his position and manipulate certain scenarios that would give him the opportunity to carry out these heinous and evil acts.

“These were young children, and he deliberately preyed on their naivety for his own sordid agenda.

“He is now behind bars, where he belongs, for a very long time.

“The survivors in this case have shown an incredible amount of bravery and strength throughout this entire process, which has ensured that the cowardly man who sat in the dock can’t hurt another person again.

“Their courage is to be commended. I am pleased that justice has now been served and these brave individuals have had their voices heard after years of keeping this abuse secret.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Burgess brutally abused his position of trust at the cruel expense of his victims’ wellbeing.

“This case shows that perpetrators of child abuse can be brought to justice, no matter how long ago or who they are, and we hope that this sentencing allows the survivors to move on with their lives.”

Operation Marmion is Hampshire Constabulary’s dedicated team who tackle non-recent child sex abuse perpetrated within an institution or by a person of prominence.

Description

An ex children's entertainer keeps asking girls to send naked and semi-naked pictures of themselves to him.

In his most recent vile messages Michael Monks asked a 13-year-old to lift her skirt and take a photo for him before sending videos of himself performing sex acts.

Despite having been snared by paedophile hunters in the past the 41-year-old was duped again, this time by an undercover police officer.

The former DJ was caught in 2017 after asking another decoy profile, also pretending to be a 13-year-old girl, for oral sex and suggesting they stay the night at a hotel or bed and breakfast.

Today the dad, who used to work as a DJ and entertainer at childrens parties, was back in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court for similar offences.

Ken Grant, prosecuting, explained an undercover police officer was using the Kik Messenger app while pretending to be a 13-year-old called Millie.

Monks, using the names 'AnfieldGuy' and 'MikeLeon' contacted the decoy profile on April 15 this year.

As soon as the conversation began the decoy told Monks they were 13-years-old, to which he replied "I'm a bit older, where are you now, in your bedroom?".

Mr Grant said: "'Millie' told the defendant she was 13, but this didn't deter the defendant from continuing with the online conversation."

Monks sent a photo of himself and when the 'girl' also sent a picture he replied "You look cute" and asked "Are you naughty?".

Mr Grant said he asked "increasingly sexualised questions" including "You ever been naughty with a boy, played with a willy?".

He also asked what he thought was a child "You ever touched yourself below? Bet you have".

Monks sent the 'girl' two videos of him performing a sex act on himself and said "Please can I see you with your skirt lifted up and I'll show you more".

He was arrested at a builder's yard where he worked on April 17 and gave a no comment interview.

Monks has seven previous convictions and in May 2018 was jailed for two-and-a-half years for nine sexual offences including attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to incite a child in sexual activity.

Paedophile hunters said Monks had cried 'crocodile tears' when he was caught red-handed.

After breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order he was jailed again following his release for four weeks.

Jamie Baxter, defending, said Monks wanted to "do something to address his abhorrent and unjustifiable behaviour" and hoped to move to HMP Wymott near Leyland where there are "specific courses available".

Mr Baxter asked the judge to consider his guilty pleas and totality.

He said this had been the "first significant breach of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Monks, of Richmond Terrace, Anfield, admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones, sentencing, said Monks' sexual offences were "now becoming a very worrying trend indeed".

The judge noted Monks remains a "high risk of harm to children" and jailed him for two years and nine months.

He imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention order for 15 years.

Monks already has to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life from a previous conviction.

Description

A Downend man convicted of sexually assaulting one woman and stalking another was jailed. A jury found Aaron Gent guilty of two sex offences but he admitted other charges.

In total the 30-year-old, of Maggs Close, was convicted of stalking, causing criminal damage, harassment and two sexual assaults. Judge William Hart jailed him for 20 months.

The judge told him: "The offending indicates wholly inappropriate behaviour by you to both these women. Women should not be expected to tolerate it. Those who offend in this way should expect custodial sentences."

Description

Rapist Arron Jackson has been jailed after attacking a sleeping woman.

The 29-year-old went to the woman's Berkshire property to watch a film when she fell asleep.

She woke up while Jackson was raping her.

He immediately left the scene but was charged with rape in 2020.

Jackson, of Grovelands Road in Reading, was convicted of rape by a majority jury at Reading Crown Court in April.

He has now been jailed for six-and-a-half years after appearing before Aylesbury Crown Court last week.

He will also have to sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

Detective Constable Kevin Godding of Thames Valley Police, said: "I am pleased that Jackson has been convicted and sentenced for his crime.

“The victim has shown great courage to come forward and report this crime and I would like to thank her for supporting our investigation leading to Jackson’s imprisonment.

“I hope that this conviction shows that Thames Valley Police will do all it can to investigate sexual offences and bring offenders to justice."

Description

A "very high risk" sex offender was snared by police after he groomed a 12 year-old girl online who turned out to be an undercover officer.

Paul Weekley, 61, breached a court order by using hidden devices to have secret online sex chats with the girl he believed to be a 12-year-old called Becca, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Claire Matthews, prosecuting, said Weekley was already on the sex offenders register for previous convictions for possessing indecent images of children, and under the order his online use was meant to be able to be checked.

He had also moved to an address in Salisbury Road, Great Yarmouth, without informing authorities of his new address.

She said Weekley engaged in sexual conversations with Becca and also sent her explicit live webcam images of himself and asked if he could visit her.

Ms Matthews said when arrested in March, Weekley was found to have downloaded nine indecent images of children.

Weekley admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a 12-year-old, attempting to engage in sexual activity in front of a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted possession of indecent images and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge Andrew Shaw said Weekley was a "troubling individual" as he had been given a range of orders in the past to help him, but nothing had worked.

"It is only a matter of time before you seek out a child in person and cause substantial harm to that child by committing a serious sexual offence."

He said Weekley had ignored his court order, and had used social media to make contact with someone he thought was 12, but in fact was an undercover police officer.

He warned Weekley that his sentences were only going to get longer unless he stopped offending, adding: "You are a very high risk individual."

He also placed Weekley on the sex offenders register for life.

Rob Pollington, for Weekley, said that he was genuinely remorseful: "He needs help and is asking for help."

Description

A predatory paedophile who pestered a 12-year-old girl to send him intimate images of herself has been jailed after her mother turned detective to force a Leicestershire Police investigation.

The force had initially refused to take action, but was eventually compelled to become involved due to mounting evidence of the 40-year-old offender's increasingly shocking and dangerous behaviour, a court heard.

Oliver Anthony, of Egdon Crescene, in Cheltenham, was sentenced to three years in prison at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday June 25.

The sentencing hearing was told that when the girls mother discovered communications between Anthony and her daughter, she took over the conversation in a bid to discover his identity.

Prosecutor Virginia Cornwall said: "The girl received a text message on June 25 last year, which read, Hi ya xx from Anthony who had just been given a Sim-only contract on his phone by his partner.

"The girl challenged him, asking, Whos this? and she got a reply back saying it was Ben Howell and he wanted to know her name.

"Anthony sent the girl a picture of his face and she replied 'I dont know you' and refused to send him a picture of herself. She declined his offer of getting to know each other.

"She told him he was a lot older than she was at the age of 12. Anthony stated he was 20 and requested that they should get to know each other and sent a text message, Wanna chat anyway?

"Anthony did not send another message for a couple of days but then sent her one saying Hey babe, text back xx and a further message, Send a picture and Ill send one back.

"And further messages, Please reply, I miss you and, Come on babe text me xx were received while the girls brother was using the phone."

Shae added: "The girls mother had also become increasingly concerned when her daughters phone kept going off and took possession of the device.

The same day, June 28, the mother reported the issue to Leicestershire Police while she decided to continue engaging with Anthony herself. The force carried out an initial investigation, but decided initially not to take any further action into the matter.

"However, an exchange of 155 messages then ensued and the mother sent him a picture of a young girl to which Anthony replied, Dam you are hot, how old are you? and she sent a message back saying she was 12.

Anthony then sent an image of his private parts and requested intimate pictures of the girl in return. He also told her to keep their relationship a secret as he didnt want her to get into trouble because the police might be able to trace her text messages.

He then told the woman that his name was Chris and that he was at his fathers house and was aged 18.

The girls mother then stopped responding, but then received a message on July 12 from Anthony who said, You not talking to me now then? Shall I delete your number?

The woman then continued trying to get information from Anthony who now claimed he was Chris Hale and said that he originally claimed he was 20 just in case she had been an older teenager," the prosecutor said.

He constantly tried to reassure the woman, who was still pretending to be her daughter that he was genuine and sent her a photograph of a passport with the name."

The mother then texted Anthony back a few times and on September 8, after she had received another text asking for intimate pictures she told him that he had been texting her rather than her daughter. The woman then contacted Leicestershire Police again with the additional information she had obtained.

Anthony was subsequently arrested after subscriber checks were carried out. He claimed that he had lost the phone while on holiday at Centre Parcs, the same day as the confrontation with the girls mother.

Lloyd Jenkins, defending, said he accepted that Anthonys offending was abhorrent. He added: He is realistic as he accepts he is likely to receive a custodial sentence. Some 13 years ago he was diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

Anthony is not proud of what he has done and the facts are not challenged. He claims he was an alcoholic at the time and was bored during the pandemic lockdown.

Anthony pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl aged 12 to engage in sexual activity between the June 26 and July 10, 2020 involving the penetration of her vagina and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification attempted to communicate with the 12-year-old girl in a sexual manner between the same dates.

Judge Ian Lawrie QC said to Anthony: "This offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified and the least possible sentence I can impose having regard to the seriousness of the offence is three years."

The judge sentenced Anthony to be subjected to the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and sign the sex offenders register for the same time period.

Description

Former Ministry of Defence worker moaned on a sick dark web chat room that lockdown stopped him looking at schoolchildren on his way to work.

Phillip Nutt complained on ‘PedoPub’ that working from home stopped his walks past schools and hindered his access to kids.

The 53-year-old used his IT skills to find, download and hide child abuse images picked up on the dark web, including rape and torture videos of babies.

In one chat with another ‘PedoPub’ user, Nutt described how he gained children's trust and concealed the disturbing content he accessed.

He said: “I have everything secured and no one can see unless I leave it unlocked by accident.

“I have a false camera storage as well so if someone asks to see my photos it shows normal people photos. The good ones are hidden.”

In another chatroom conversation, Nutt discussed his frustration with the lack of access to children during lockdown.

He wrote: “I usually walk past a school on the way to work and I can’t even do that!”

Nutt added: “I am of the view that you have to be so careful and disguise your true self….Any little ones around me I treat as friends and gain their confidence.”

When police raided his home in Horfield, Bristol, officers found nearly 300 indecent images and videos on his phone and computers.

Cops also discovered cloud-based accounts overseas that hosted 18,641 files across 445 folders, where Nutt allowed videos to be accessed by other paedophiles.

One folder labelled ‘Incest’ contained hundreds of indecent videos of children, some in the most serious category, police said.

Some of the videos lasted up to two hours and showed the torture and rape of babies and young children, the National Crime Agency said.

Digital forensic analysis found Nutt regularly went onto the dark web and had a secure image storage facility on his phone disguised as a calculator.

He was careful to hide his tracks and described having ‘a scare’ when pictures accidentally transferred onto his main hard drive, the NCA said.

NCA officers arrested Nutt at a holiday home in Cornwall last year.

At Bristol Crown Court yesterday (Thurs), Nutt was jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to possessing, making and distributing indecent images at an earlier hearing.

Derek Evans, NCA senior investigating officer, said Nutt used sophisticated methods to hide his crimes.

He added: “The conviction of Nutt serves as a warning to all - that we will work with partners across the globe to safeguard children and bring offenders before the court.

“This investigation identified the horrendous rape of babies and very young children, which was being distributed by Nutt, who attempted to conceal his methods through sophisticated means and his knowledge of IT systems.

“For as long as the demand for this material remains in depraved people like Nutt, it will continue to be supplied.

“This investigation has broken part of that cycle and the NCA have succeeded in disrupting someone who posed a significant threat to children.”

Description

William Adams was branded a 'predatory paedophile' by police after he was jailed for life

A paedophile rapist serving a life sentence for his horrific crimes has been convicted of more sick offences.

William Adams was locked up in 2007 for a sickening campaign of rape against a 12-year-old girl in Liverpool.

This week he was handed a further three years for historical sex abuse in Northern Ireland in the 1980s.

The case was just the latest prosecution of Adams for sex offences against children.

The 54-year-old served seven years in jail for the rape of a schoolgirl in Ireland before travelling to Merseyside in 2005, just days after his release from prison.

Almost as soon as he arrived in Liverpool he befriended his next victim, lavishing her with gifts and taking her family on a three week holiday to Blackpool - funded by Adams' Catholic priest lover.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Adams raped his victim every night of that trip.

Adams, then of Meadow Hey, Bootle, pleaded guilty to five charges of raping the girl between May and November 2005. He was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years before he could apply for parole.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Lol Forrest, of Merseyside Police, said: We feel Adams is a predatory paedophile who used his charm to gain access to a vulnerable member of society.

I hope that his victim and her family can take some comfort from the fact that he will be in prison for a long time.

Adams remained in jail and was transferred to Northern Ireland to face further sexual offence allegations dating back to the early 1980s.

He was found guilty of historic sex offences linked to his time at a County Down training and care centre earlier this year and handed the three year term at Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday, the Belfast Telegraph and Irish News reported.

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A RUTHLESS paedophile who raped a girl and subjected her to other sexual assaults has been locked away for 11 years.

Fratton predator Daniel Cross, 22, left the girl psychologically damaged after taking gross advantage of her.

Cross, of Samuel Road, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday.

The child-groomer was locked up for a string of offences against a girl aged under the age of 13. These included rape, attempted rape, two counts of sexual assault, inciting a girl to engage in sex, and possessing three indecent category C images of the girl.

In the victims statement read out to court, the girl said she now struggled with every day life.

The girl said the episode had a severe impact on her schooling and personal life as she became withdrawn.

She said: I find it really hard to trust anyone now. It makes me wonder if people are telling the truth and mean what they say.

This has made making new friendships and relationships really hard. Im anxious around men now. If I find myself alone with a man I find myself trying to get out of the situation. It makes me feel unsafe.

The victims mum said she had been left struggling to cope after the bombshell discovery of what Cross had done to her daughter.

What he did haunts me to this day, she said.

It has had a catastrophic effect on my health both physically and mentally. I feel like its affecting every aspect of my life. It has been truly devastating.

I have been on a rollercoaster of emotions with shock the first emotion, which was crippling. I was unable to function.

I did not know how to be a mum any more...and this was one thing I had always considered to be natural at.

The mum went on to say she was consumed by harrowing guilt after failing her daughter. I knew I could never give her innocence back. My baby girl had been broken and I didnt know how to fix her, she said.

She added: I do not think I will ever be able to get over this. I really need the closure of justice.

Judge Timothy Mousley QC then served up justice on Cross who he called a groomer and someone who had limited insight into his offending which had caused serious psychological harm on the girl.

You took gross advantage of her, he said.

After being dumped behind bars for 11 years - which Cross will have to serve at least two-thirds of - the defendant was also told he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life.

He will also have to maintain in regular contact with police when he is released back into society.

Description

A Grimsby paedophile pulled out a knife on police officers and said his life was ruined when he turned up at Grimsby Railway Station expecting to meet a woman for sex.

James Rippington, 28, pulled out a knife when officers approached him at Grimsby Railway Station and then turned aggressive towards the officers.

Ian Way, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court Rippington had been tracked by two different groups of paedophile hunters as a result of his activities online.

A member of one of the groups posed as a 20-year-old woman and successfully managed to obtain Rippington’s true identity.

She set up a meeting with Rippington and arranged for police to be there.

Mr Way said “She alerted the police to be at the scene to effect his arrest.

“The arrangement was made to meet at Grimsby Railway Station on January 27, 2019. The defendant was led to believe this would be a liaison where they would have sex.

“At 5.40pm a number of police officers attended Grimsby Railway Station and saw the defendant standing near to a pub. He was followed and approached and produced a knife.

“He was told to let the knife go. He did and was detained. He was not compliant, shouting at officers saying they had "ruined his life."

"He said he wished he had stabbed them when he had the chance. He was arrested and was spitting at officers as he was taken to the van.”

Mr Way said that earlier in the month Rippington had contacted a nine-year-old girl from Louth over Instagram claiming he was a 12-year-old called Tom, who lived in Lincoln.

He asked her to send him indecent photos of herself but she showed his messages to her mother and police were contacted.

As police were investigating, Rippington also attracted the attention of a group of paedophile hunters.

One of the group set up a decoy account claiming to be a 14-year-old girl and was contacted by Rippington. This time he claimed to be 13. He again asked for her to send indecent photos.

As a result a different group of paedophile hunters were involved with one of their members posing as a 20 year old woman from Scunthorpe in an effort to identify Rippington.

Mr Way said that following his arrest Rippington’s mobile phone was checked and police found 94 indecent images of children on it.

When Rippington was interviewed he denied he had any sexual interest in children.

Rippington, 28, formerly of Grimsby but now of George Street, Mansfield, admitted offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and two charges of possession of indecent images of a child.

The offences all occurred in January 2019. He was jailed for three years and seven months.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He was dealt with at an earlier hearing by Humber Magistrates for possession of a bladed article and two charges of assaulting an emergency worker as a result of the incident surrounding his arrest.

He received a suspended jail sentence on January 29, 2019 for those matters.

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Jeffrey Hickey has been assessed as posing a high danger to women

A serial sex offender was jailed after historic offences came to light.

Jeffrey Hickey, 41, appeared by video link from prison for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was convicted last week after a trial of two counts of rape and one of indecent assault.

His victim was just 13 years old at the time the offences were committed in the mid-1990s, while he was 16 years old.

The court heard Hickey forced himself on the victim.

A personal impact statement on behalf of the victim was read out by Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, who said: "Prior to these assaults, she had a happy, outgoing childhood, with aspirations to go into performance as a singer.

"In the weeks that followed she said she felt alone, scared, disgusted and frightened, and didn't know what to do.

"It had a serious impact on her education and subsequent employment opportunities.

"She became isolated and began drinking alcohol heavily to try to forget what happened to her and find relief from the nightmare she was having every day."

The ordeal was brought back to her around 10 years ago when she read in the ECHO that Hickey had been convicted of a sexual assault, but it was 2018 before she brought her own experiences to the attention of police.

Miss Kenny said: "She felt angry the defendant was still free and able to assault other women."

The victim said that when she finally reported the crimes she had suffered at the hands of Hickey to police it felt "like a huge ton of bricks had been lifted from her."

The court heard that since the offences were committed in the 1990s, Hickey had had a long subsequent history of violent sexual offences, and had been more or less constantly in prison since 2008 as he was assessed as posing a high danger to women.

His victims ranged from an elderly resident in a nursing home, to lone female students returning home.

On one occasion, he climbed up a drainpipe and entered a house through an open window to carry out an assault.

The offences had occurred while Hickey had been set free from prison after convincing the parole board he no longer posed a danger to women.

Jonathan Duffy, defending, said Hickey now "accepted his guilt" over the historic rape offences, after initially claiming he had no recollection of them.

Mr Duffy said: "He has already served very long sentences of imprisonment. His principal mitigation is that at the time he committed these offences, he was 16 years old."

The Recorder, Tom Gilbart, told Hickey: "It took many years for the victim to report these matters to police.

"She has said you stole her childhood and just hearing your name makes her feel physically sick.

"It should be a matter of great shame to you that you had this effect on another human being.

"These were abhorrent offences and you used force to subject your victim to rape and indecent assault to satisfy your lust and exercise control on her."

Mr Gilbart sentenced Hickey to a total of 11 years in prison, of which he must serve two-thirds before he is considered for release.

Description

A pervert who travelled to Liverpool to meet a 14-year-old said he wanted to have sex with her in a McDonald's toilet.

In messages to the 'girl' Mark Needham said he wanted her to wear a short skirt for "easier access" to her underwear.

The 34-year-old sent pictures of his genitalia and pornographic videos of himself telling the girl he wanted to have sex with a "schoolgirl".

But he was really talking to a member of a paedophile hunter group, and was duped into meeting the 'girl' at Liverpool Lime Street Station where he was arrested.

Cheryl Mottram, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, said a member of the 'paedophile hunter group' called "N-force for Justice" was posing as a 14-year-old girl called Darcy on an adult chat site called "Hi".

Needham began speaking to the 'girl', who told him she was 14 and "still at school".

Ms Mottram said the "chat continued and became increasingly sexual in nature".

Needham first sent a photo of himself and after receiving a picture of the fake girl he said "I love your t**s, your body is amazing" and told her "I want to f*** a schoolgirl".

He asked the 'girl' to perform a sex act on herself and when he was told she was with a friend suggested they had a "threesome".

Ms Mottram said Needham sent "pornographic videos of himself" and sent photos of his genitalia.

He arranged to meet her on October 8 but said he'd changed his mind "due to her age".

On December 12 the paedophile hunter group said the girl was "coming to Liverpool for the day".

Needham agreed to meet her and when asked what they would be doing he told the '14-year-old' "s****ing you in Maccies toilet LOL".

Members of the group travelled to Liverpool Lime Street Station and when one woman pretended to be 'Darcy' Needham gave her a hug before they detained him and called police.

He told the group he had "planned to talk to her and take her to a hotel room" and he had "asked her if she would wear a short dress as it would 'be easier to get access to her knickers'".

He also told the group "I have got no excuse for what I've done".

In a police interview he confirmed he used chatrooms to talk to women and "liked to talk dirty to them" and "liked uniforms".

He told police "it was the uniform that was the fantasy, not the age of the girl".

The offences took place between November 24, 2017 and December 11 of the same year, prompting Judge David Aubrey, QC, to question why it took so long to come to court when he admitted the offences in a police interview.

Ms Mottram said there were various "requests" from police but added "what has been requested has not perhaps been necessary".

Needham was charged with the offences in January this year.

The court heard Needham has previous convictions but "nothing of a sexual nature" and "nothing since 2013".

Helen Longworth, defending, urged the judge to suspend any custodial sentence.

She said: "He is very sorry for what he has done and is seeking to understand why he has done it."

Ms Longworth said: "The most significant feature really is the delay."

She said Needham has "lived with this issue hanging over him" for the three years and during that time has not committed further offences.

Needham, of Windrows, Skelmersdale, admitted attempting to incite a girl into sexual activity, attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity.

Judge Aubrey said the delay in the case was "unreasonable in the extreme" and "inexcusable" as Needham had admitted the offences in a police interview.

He took into account Needham had been in "no trouble whatsoever" since the offences had taken place.

Despite the mitigating features the judge said: "The appropriate punishment can only be achieved by a sentence of immediate custody."

Judge Aubrey explained the sentence would have been three years, which was reduced to two years to reflect his guilty plea and reduced again by another year to reflect the delay.

As a result, Needham was jailed for one year.

He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention order for the same period.

Following the sentence Judge Aubrey said the delay was "more than unsatisfactory, it was unnecessary" adding had it not been for the delay the sentence "would have been considerably longer".