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A PAEDOPHILE "groomed a 12-year-old schoolgirl he met online after pretending he was a teenage gardener. But Declan Hatton, 30, from Ebbw Vale, was actually being duped by an undercover police officer who had joined a Kik group chat. Layla wasnt a real child but a decoy set up to catch paedophiles, Newport Crown Court was told. Hatton had set up a bogus account on Kik with a false picture and profile posing as a 19-year-old gardener from Blackwood. After moving to a private chat with the Layla, he asked her to perform a sexual act on herself and tried to persuade her to watch a sexually explicit video. The defendant, of Curre Street, Cwm, was found guilty by a jury following a trial of three offences. They were told by prosecutor Heath Edwards how Hatton had said to Layla that she should keep this to yourself and you cant say anything until your 16. He was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child to watch an image of sexual activity. The offences were committed between May 10, 2021 and May 17, 2021. Nicholas Gedge, representing Hatton, said his clients best mitigation was that he had no previous convictions for similar offences. His only previous brush with the law was for driving without due care and attention. The judge was told how Hatton had continued to maintain his innocence in his pre-sentence report and had been assessed as generally seen as a low risk of reoffending. Mr Gedge added: He is a hard-working man who has worked in his fathers haulage business. His barrister told the court: There wasnt significant planning or any planning. Judge Daniel Williams said to Hatton: You knew that Kik was popular with children. Your profile and picture were false you claimed you were a 19-year-old gardener from Blackwood. You believed Layla was a 12-year-old girl living with foster parents. The defendant was jailed for three years and ordered to register as a sex offender for life. He was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must pay a victim surcharge following his release from prison.

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A pervert who has been dubbed a monster was found by police to have had over 40,000 indecent images of children on a laptop and a phone but still managed to avoid a prison sentence

Sheffield Crown Court heard on September 5 how John Godbehere, aged 51, of Broomhill, Sheffield, had 44,852 indecent images of children on a laptop and 3,944 indecent images of children on a phone at his former family home in Sheffield.

The judge, Recorder Patrick Palmer, told Godbehere who works for the civil service : In December, 2020, you came to the attention of the authorities that images were being uploaded onto the internet from your address. Officers attended your address and found you there.

Recorder Palmer added the material included 44,852 still and moving images on a laptop and 3,944 still and moving images on a phone, all from categories A to C,

Godbehere and had also been having online discussions about sexual abusing and raping children with like-minded perverts.

Godbehere admitted three formal charges of making indecent images relating to categories A, B and C, with category A being the most serious, from between 2017 and 2020.

The defendant also admitted one count of distributing indecent images of a child.

Recorder Lambert told Godbehere: These are despicable and disgusting offences. Each and every one of those children are a genuine victim and that does not appear to have occurred to you until recently.

He highlighted aggravating factors as the pain and distress suffered by the youngsters in the images, the long period of offending, the high volume of images, and evidence that there had been efforts by Godbehere to hide the images with software.

But Recorder Palmer recognised Godbehere is of previous good character, is remorseful and he has done what he can to put this offending behind him.

He sentenced Godbehere to 16 months of custody suspended for two years with a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

The defendant was also made subject to the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and he was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

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Roger Robinson, 69, of Beachy Road, Crawley, was sentenced on Monday after he was found guilty in April of 14 counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault against the five or six year old.

The crimes were committed over many years in his home and in vehicles parked in secluded places around the Crawley area.

Her Honour judge Shani Barnes described Robinsons crimes as a campaign of rape that represented the grossest breach of trust.

She described the former transport driver as a predator who enjoyed the power he had over the girl.

Robinson was sentenced to a 22-year sentence, including 18 years in prison and four years on an extended-licence period.

The judge added the four extra years on his licence after concluding he passed a legal test of dangerousness which is a sentencing option reserved for the most serious offenders.

It means Robinson is not entitled to be released half way through his custodial sentence, and instead will serve a minimum of two-thirds of the sentence in prison before he can be considered eligible for parole.

The judge also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which restricts Robinsons access to children when he is released.

The jury returned a not guilty verdict on one count of rape at the trial in April.

Detective constable Dani Flude of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "The victim in this case went through a traumatic experience over several years, as Robinson systematically groomed and exploited her for his own sexual gratification.

"His offending continued into adulthood. We sensitively investigated this case and arrested Robinson, and it became clear that he had assaulted her on many occasions over many years, both at his home and in vehicles parked in secluded areas in the Crawley area.

"I applaud her bravery in coming forward and supporting us through a lengthy investigation, and finally giving evidence in front of a jury.

"We recognise how traumatic this experience has been and we worked with her to ensure her access to advice and support from specialist officers and independent agencies.

"This case demonstrates once again that justice can be achieved many years after offences have taken place."

If you or anyone you know has been subject to sexual offences you can contact the police at any time and arrange to talk in confidence to experienced investigators.

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A BASINGSTOKE man has avoided jail after police found hundreds of indecent images of children on electronic devices belonging to him.

Police confiscated a computer, two smartphones and a USB stick from the home of Dean Richard John Clayton.

Officers were not able to access the USB stick, which Clayton maintained he got from a gym and did not have the password for, but indecent images of children were found on the other devices - some of children as young as four-years-old.

On Monday, September 5, Clayton, of Daneshill Court, Lychpit, appeared at Winchester Crown Court to be sentenced. Matthew Lawson, prosecuting, said: The computer and the two smartphones had indecent images of children some of them were moving images. There was a password for the USB stick, which police could not access.

The defendants (ex) girlfriend had told the police that Clayton told her that if police got access to the contents of the USB stick his life would be over. However, the defendant maintained to the police that he did not have a password and he got the USB stick from a gym.

The defendant also had an app on his smartphone which looked like a calculator. It was in fact a spy app protected by a password. Indecent images were hidden inside this app.

At an earlier hearing, after a trial date was set, Clayton pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children between December 2013 and November 2019: 51 of Category A; 57 of Category B; and 448 of Category C.

He denied possessing four extreme pornographic images between July 24, 2016 and August 28, 2019, and of possessing 66 prohibited images of children between August 28, 2019 and November 3, 2019.

Clayton was unrepresented due to ongoing barrister strikes. Despite being given an opportunity to consult with his solicitor about a pre-sentencing report, he decided to proceed with sentencing.

In sentencing, Judge Susan Evans said Claytons denial of the offences delayed the case considerably. The judge continued: It is awful that there were images of children as young as four years and upwards. These are real children who are suffering real abuse. They suffer serious psychological and physical injuries. People like you are a market for it.

Judge Evans, however, acknowledged that Clayton seemed motivated to change after demonstrating remorse. Having lost his previous job because of the case, he has started working again.

The judge said that Clayton is making an effort to change his lifestyle by staying away from substances.

Clayton was handed a 24-month community order, fined 1,500, and placed under a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

He must also complete 30 days of rehabilitation and 120 hours of unpaid work.

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A pervert who downloaded images of someone performing a sex act with a dog and a horse also viewed indecent images of children including one of a toddler being raped.

Oliver Fallace, 26, from Longfield, was found to have downloaded the extreme pornographic images, and others including one of a child aged between one and three being attacked by an abuser, after police went to his address in January last year.

His mum answered the door to officers and when Fallace was asked about the images he began shaking uncontrollably and admitted to officers he may have viewed some.

Police seized a USB stick and a laptop from his home and, after analysis, found hundreds of indecent images ranging from category A, the worst sort, to category C.

Fallace, of Gorsewood Road, Hartley, was found to have downloaded 227 category A images, 444 category B and 756 category C images.

The former Gravesend Grammar School pupil was later charged with three counts of making indecent images of children, one count of possessing extreme pornographic images and one count of possession of prohibited images of children.

Fallace admitted all five charges when he appeared before magistrates in Maidstone in May and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, August 31.

The court heard he had downloaded 46 prohibited images of children and at least one category A image showed a toddler being raped.

The seized devices also contained five images which either showed someone performing sex acts with a dog or a horse.

Ben Wild, prosecuting, said: "He provided the pins and passwords to the devices and 110 indecent images had been deleted at some stage.

"There were still and video images found which were from three categories from A to C."

Police analysers also established the images had been downloaded from around August 2017, and Fallace had got into a pattern of searching for them.

Mr Wild added: "The category A images contained pictures of children aged one to three and up to 13 years. The category B images contain images of children aged seven to nine years and from nine years to 11 years and the category C images contained pictures of children aged seven to nine years and 11 to 13 years.

"The prohibited images showed images of eight-year-old children and the defendant made no comment during his interview with police, but did say he would never harm a child."

It was also told he had suffered from mental health issues, depression and had been diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and autism as a child. It was also said that he had shown a great deal of remorse and had made progress in the past 18 months away from the path of offending.

Judge Philip St John-Stevens was told Fallace was of previous good character but was not working and was claiming Universal Credit.

The judge said: "This is not a victimless crime and you must now see this sort of abuse can ruin their lives (children in images) forever.

"One image showed a child between the age of one and three being raped, the victims in the images are very vulnerable in age.

"I accept you were a young man who has now realised what he did is wrong."

Judge St John-Stevens placed Fallace on a two-year community order which will see him complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions.

He was also placed on sexual harm prevention order for seven years and must now sign the sex offenders' register.

Fallace was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

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Christopher Burford's despicable crime was discovered by police investigating the downloading of indecent images

A man photographed himself as he sexually abused and assaulted a baby. Christopher Burford's vile activities were uncovered by police who initially suspected he had been downloading indecent images from the internet and seized his mobile phone for analysis. The 45-year-old has now been given extended sentence as a dangerous offender.

Swansea Crown Court heard that, acting on intelligence, officers attended Burford's house in Pontneddfechan at the top of the Neath Valley in February this year. Ian Wright, prosecuting, said the defendant's phones were subject to an on-the-spot examination and evidence of indecent material was found. The defendant was arrested and interviewed and told officers that he had met a man on an adult swinging website who disclosed sexual offending and claimed he had then begun to carry out an investigation into paedophiles in the area because he wanted to keep children safe. Burford was released on bail while a full digital analysis of his phone was carried out.

The court heard a total of 1,032 images of children being sexually abused were discovered on Burford's Samsung device and while most had been downloaded from the internet it appeared some had been taken by the defendant himself. Further work was done on the phone and it emerged that more than 100 pictures showing a baby being sexually assaulted had been taken by the defendant. Police were subsequently able to identify the child involved. Mr Wright said it was not possible to establish the dates when Burford had taken the pictures. The defendant was interviewed for a second time following the discovery that he had taken some of the photos and this time he answered "no comment" to all questions asked.

Burford, aged 45, of Dinas Street, Pontneddfechan, Glynneath, admitted four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of assault by penetration of a child under 13, the taking of indecent images of Category A, Category B, and Category C, and possession of indecent images. He has no previous convictions. Read about a 63-year-old man with an "unhealthy interest in young girls" sent teens vile messages.

Dyfed Thomas, for Burford, said the best mitigation he could put before the court were the defendant's guilty pleas though he acknowledged they had been entered in the face of "overwhelming" evidence of guilt. He said while the pre-sentence report into Burford questioned his remorse for what he had done he was instructed that his client was genuinely remorseful.

Judge Geraint Walters said Burford had abused a "helpless" baby and said while the courts deal with cases of sexual offending every day some stand out due to the nature of the offending and this was just such a case. He said he was satisfied the defendant should be categorised as a dangerous offender in meaning of the relevant legislation and therefore made the subject of an extended sentence.

Burford was given an 18-year extended sentence comprising 12 years in prison followed by a six-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of his sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine when he is safe to be let out and on what conditions. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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A pub singer has been jailed after admitting carrying out a catalogue of vile sexual abuse on four young boys. David Donald, who performed as David Michaels in pubs and clubs around the region, plied the four boys with booze and drugs before inflicting his perverted sexual desires on them. The sick pervert was branded a dangerous offender as a judge locked him up for 20 years. Teesside Crown Court heard how the horrific abuse took place over a number of years in the 59-year-olds Teesside home and his caravan at Crimdon Dene holiday park. Tom Mitchell, prosecuting, said the sexual abuse had a devastating impact on the four young boys after he would buy them gifts and expose them to pornography. All four victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered multiple sexual assaults over a protracted period which started when they were all under the age of 16. In heart-breaking victim impact statements, they all said their childhood had been stolen by the sex offender with some turning to drugs to help them cope with the mental torture. One of the victims said he had attempted suicide to the trauma of the abuse after he started taking drugs as a child. Another of his victims said he was unable to trust anyone to look after his own child and had lived homeless for a number of years after struggling to deal with the fall-out and perceived shame of the abuse he suffered. Donald, of High Street, Eston, near Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to a total of 28 child sexual offences, including multiple charges of indecent assault on a child. Paul Abrahams, in mitigation, said his client had fully admitted his offending at the earliest opportunity after his arrest and he has shown genuine remorse. He said: He had a troubled upbringing but that in no way excuses his behaviour. Judge Chris Smith sentenced Donald to a total of 20 years for all offences but made it clear the sentence would not undo all the damage his sexual abuse had caused all four of his victims after he blighted their young lives. Your offending took place over many years, each of your victims was subjected to a sustained period of sexual abuse at your hands. Your four victims have spent a lifetime affected by what you did to them all those years ago, he said. It is understandable that they felt robbed of their childhood and the impact of what you did to them has followed them into their adult lives. Their courage in the face of that considerable adversity is humbling. Donald was also placed on the sex offenders register for the remainder of his life.

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A man has been jailed after his victim spoke out about being sexually assaulted as a child.

Christopher James Medes was handed a five-year sentence after being convicted of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.

The 33-year-old, whose address was given as Old Road West, Gravesend, had denied the charges.

But he was convicted following a hearing at Woolwich Crown Court in July and sentenced last month.

The jury found him guilty of engaging in sexual (non penetrative) activity with a minor and three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Medes was made subject to a serious harm prevention order to remain in place indefinitely and also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

The victim told the court how numerous visits to the police station to report the crime and countless phone calls had left her "feeling dirty" as she waited years for her abuser to be brought to justice.

In her victim impact statement, the woman described how she had suffered depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder following the ordeal.

"I have had to explain my abuse to many strangers," she said. "Imagine being a child, a little girl and having to explain sexualised abuse to police officers, psychologists, counsellors and family members.

"It was embarrassing, degrading and left me feeling dirty every time.

"Waiting for years and being forced to go through a court case because my abuser refused to admit what he had done is a trauma that I will never recover from."

But following the verdict and her abuser's conviction she said she could now "stand proud".

"I was believed," she said. "Twelve strangers, members of the jury took a short time to unanimously believe me, believe the truth and I will forever be thankful for that.

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A "manipulative" paedophile has been jailed for eight years after having sex with a teenage girl and then trying to abduct her.

Richard Gilbert, of Quenney's Close, Gloucester, was found guilty of six counts of sexual activity with a child from September 2021 to Spring 2022.

The 30-year-old had previously admitted abducting the girl.

Sentencing judge Neil Millard said Gilbert was a "dangerous predator" and and "abusive child sex offender".

Prosecutor James Haskell told the court the teenager's mother became suspicious of her daughter's friendship with Gilbert when she came home with gifts from him in August 2021.

The mother reported her fears to police and Gilbert was arrested.

At the time, he denied any sexual contact with the girl and was released under investigation with strict conditions not to contact her or her family.

"However Gilbert ignored those conditions, he continued his relationship with the girl," Mr Haskell said.

He said the mother contacted the police again.

"The girl was then interviewed by police and she admitted having sex with Gilbert on three separate occasions."

He said Gilbert was arrested for a second time and was again released with strict conditions not to contact the girl or her family.

The court was told Gilbert went on to abduct the girl after making plans to "run away together" and kept her in a room at lodgings in Cheltenham.

When police found her, she told them she was his girlfriend.

Giving evidence the girl said the relationship started when he kissed her at a social event.

"Gilbert would get jealous if he saw me with male friends from school," she said.

"On one occasion I was in the park with my friends when Gilbert texted me to say he could see me. This scared me as I couldn't see him.

"If I didn't tell him things he'd threaten me. He would log into my social media accounts and block my friends.

"This made me feel uncomfortable."

Jason Coulter, defending, said the plan to run away with the girl was "utter lunacy", and that Gilbert had "genuine, but wholly inappropriate, feelings of affection" towards her.

Sentencing judge, Recorder Neil Millard, told Gilbert he was a "dangerous predator" and would not be considered for parole until he had served at least two thirds of his sentence.

He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offender's register indefinitely, and banned from ever working with children.

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Richard Murray was previously handed a suspended sentence after being snared by paedophile hunters A pervert who showed a '14-year-old girl' his naked body was jailed after breaching the terms of the Sex Offenders Register. Richard Murray, 53, was spared jail in January 2021 after being snared by multiple paedophile hunter groups. Murray thought he had been sending obscene messages to a child and showed his naked body to a 14-year-old girl, who was actually an adult, posing as the girl on Facebook. At Liverpool Crown Court in January 2021, it was explained that Sharon Robson was posing as a 14-year-old girl called Jade Charles and "engaged in Facebook chats with the defendant". Murray had been charged with three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Murray, learning the 'girl's' age, said: "Well you won't like what I like doing". When sent pictures of "Jade", Murray said she was a "good looking girl" but told her not to look at him as he was "getting into the bath and had a big thing". Prosecuting barrister Trevor Parry-Jones said that Murray: Told her to be careful on these sites as people do naughty things." When asked what he meant Murray told the 'girl' "s***ing". Murray had also requested photos of the child and "told her he was naked and in the bath". Murray video-called the 'girl' later that month and the four minute video began with Murray topless before he moved the camera to his naked genitals. He was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and forced to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. After signing the Sex Offenders Register, Murray was forced to register any change of address to police within three days. On Friday (September 2), Liverpool Crown Court heard that he had moved into a home on Mossy Bank Road in Wallasey on November 27, 2021. On April 30, 2022, Murray told police the property on Mossy Bank Road was his address. The court heard officers then made numerous attempts to visit the property in order to make checks on Murray. Police attended the home four times across April and May 2022, as well as visiting an address on Bisley Street in Wallasey - where Murray was living when he was sentenced. However, they did not see him on any of those visits. On one trip, the police saw an estate agent's sign reading "under offer" as they checked the home on Mossy Bank Road. On their visit on May 7, officers were met at the door by a female who said she had bought the property two weeks previously. Officers found that Murray had moved to an address on Arbour Close in Northwich, Cheshire. The court heard he had signed a tenancy agreement for the property in February 2022. Murray was arrested and stood trial in Chester Magistrates' Court. Asked why he had not informed the police of the change in circumstance, Murray said he had not actually moved address, but was in the process of doing so. However, he was convicted by magistrates of failing to notify police of his change of address. Mitigating at Friday's sentencing, defending barrister Mark le Brocq said that Murray, who used to work as a self-employed plumber, was struggling with life in the community after his sentence. Mr le Brocq said Murray "lives in fear, looking over his shoulder all the time". The barrister added that his client had his "windows smashed" at his home in Wallasey and was now "living in fear" in Northwich, where a "neighbour had been informing people in the locality of the sex offender living next door". Sentencing, Judge David Potter told Murray: "This was a deliberate failure on your part to notify police" The judge did not believe that Murray would have informed police of his new address in Northwich if they had not found it themselves. As a result, he said he had no choice but to activate Murray's previously suspended sentence in full. He was jailed for 12 months in total - the six months from the previously suspended sentence and six more for failing to notify police of his address change.

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A woman who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a surveyor said the abuse had made her feel dirty, violated and humiliated. The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was subjected to repeated assaults by Raj Garewal, 57, as she slept. Aylesbury Crown Court, where the Oxford man was jailed on Thursday, heard that the sexual assaults had escalated from touching the slumbering womans private parts as she lay in bed. A last incident saw Garewal try to place his genitals into the womans mouth as she lay, fully clothed and drunk, on her own bed in November 2019. Tim Naik, prosecuting, said the woman was pretending to be more drunk than she was in the hope he would give up. The ordeal lasted a couple of minutes. In a victim personal statement, she said the assaults had left her suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder. The defendant, who carried out the assaults in Buckinghamshire but now lives in Marston Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty at the start of the year to various counts of sexual assault, sexual assault by penetration and causing sexual activity without consent. He had no previous convictions. His case was first before the crown court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on January 4, when he admitted some of the offences but denied others including rape. At a time when trials of serious sexual offences can take more than a year to be heard, Garewals case was listed for trial on January 31. Jane Bickerstaff QC, defending, said: This is a matter that came astonishingly quickly from first appearance to trial because one of your honours fellow judges at this court wanted to put it into a slot that had unexpectedly become available. On the day of his trial, the Crown Prosecution Service accepted his guilty pleas to the lesser charges of sexual assault and causing sexual activity. Garewal ran his own surveying business. Since entering his pleas in January, the victim was said by Ms Bickerstaff to have contacted his clients to tell them hes a sex offender whos going to prison. One client remained with his firm. Judge Catherine Tulk jailed him for three years and imposed a 10 year restraining order banning all contact with the victim. He will be on the sex offender register for life.

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A teacher from Oldham has been jailed for a decade after being found guilty of a series of non-recent sexual assaults on students.

Christopher Pickup (76), Underwood Way, Shaw was today (2 September), sentenced to 10 years after being found guilty at trial of 37 counts of sexual assault against 19 victims.

The offences occurred whilst he was a teacher at two primary schools in Oldham between the years 1971 and 1983.

Detective Constables Craig Rice and Natalie Sykes, of Oldhams Non-Recent Sexual Offences Team, said: Experiencing sexual abuse at any stage in life can have a devastating and long lasting impact on an individuals life, but to experience it as a child by someone who you respect and trust is unfathomable. This investigation demonstrates our ongoing and determined commitment to ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.

We would like commend and thank the victims for the courage, strength and dignity they have all demonstrated in coming forward to the police and supporting an investigation into Christopher Pickup. We hope that the unanimous guilty verdicts by an independent jury and todays sentencing offers closure to them knowing that he is finally facing the consequences of his actions.