Latest Offenders

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Sex offender who is banned from all multi-storey car parks jailed for breaching court order

A sex offender who is banned from going into any multi-storey car park has been jailed after being seen entering one with a can of petrol, a court has heard.

Jonathan Michael Jones has a lifelong ban from entering any covered car park after sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy who was waiting for his mum in one.

When a witness who knew the defendant saw him walking into a Swansea city centre multi-storey he called the police saying he thought Jones was going to sniff the petrol he was carrying in a container.

Swansea Crown Court heard that in 2005 Jones was jailed for 42 months and made the subject of an indefinite sexual offences protection order after he abused a young boy.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, said on that occasion the defendant had approached a 12-year-old boy who was waiting for his mother in a multi-storey car park and pushed him into a lift where he put his hands down the youngster's trousers and kissed him.

As well as being sent to prison Jones was made the subject of a sexual offences protection order with a number of conditions including one prohibiting him entering any covered car park and one banning him from seeking contact with or associating with males under the age of 18.

The court heard Jones came to the attention of police in May 2019 following allegations he had sexually assaulted a teenager. No action was ultimately taken but Jones admitted he had been in the company of a 17-year-old boy and a number of other men at his home address on the day in question and they had all been drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis.

The 36-year-old came to the attention of police in Swansea again on November 24 of the same year when a man who knew him saw him entering the multi-storey car park that links The Strand and High Street railway station while carrying a can of petrol. The witness believing Jones had gone to sniff the petrol called 999. When arrested Jones told officers he used the car park as a shortcut to get to his nephew's house.

Jones, of Woodford Road, Blaenymaes, Swansea, admitted two counts of breaching a sexual offences protection order. The court heard he has 14 previous convictions for 26 offences including the sexual assault on the 12-year-old boy.

David Singh, for Jones, said the defendant claimed he was taking the can of petrol to his brother whose car had run out of fuel. He added that his client had been diagnosed with mild learning difficulties.

Judge Paul Thomas QC described the breaches of the order as "flagrant" and said Jones had done things he knew he was not allowed to do.

Giving the defendant credit for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced him to a total of 12 months in prison comprising 10 months for the contact with the teenager and two months for entering the car park. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

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A pervert hacked into nearly 600 Snapchat accounts to force women and girls into sending him "intimate images" by threatening to expose existing photos to their friends and family.

Akash Sondhi, 27, targeted 573 girls and women aged between 16 and 25 between 2015 and 2020.

His victims were from from across the UK, including seven on Merseyside, as well as other countries including Australia, Hong Kong, and Romania.

After hacking into their accounts, Sondhi threatened to expose existing images to his victim's friends and family he found in their contacts list unless they sent him more "intimate photos".

His address in Hedingham Road, Chafford Hundred was raided by officers from Essex Police's Cyber Crime Unit on March 19 last year after several victims reported him.

A number of his victims have since been identified but others have still not been traced.

Sondhi admitted a total of 65 offences at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday, January 5 including hacking, blackmail, and voyeurism.

Sondhi was sentenced to 11 years in prison, a five year Serious Crime Prevention Order, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Ian Collins, from the Essex Police Cyber Crime Unit said: This is an excellent result for the 573 victims in this case and the Essex Cyber Team.

The sentence Akash Sondhi has received today reflects how much distress he caused to his victims.

He targeted with no remorse purporting to be a friend on social media after hacking accounts, then once he got access to their intimate pictures he would attempt to blackmail them around disclosure of the images to friends and family demanding more images and videos of his own choice putting the victims through an ordeal causing extreme distress and embarrassment.

Since his remand and now this sentence we have manged to stop this vile offender form targeting more victims.

This is a wakeup call for anyone committing this type of crime we will catch you and bring you to justice, and you can go to prison for the distress caused to the victims.

I urge anyone using social media not to store intimate images of themselves to secure and protect your data and make sure you dont become a victim.

Dont share passwords even if you think its a trusted friend that asks you for them it might not be, its chat in a text

DS Collins added: We have received assistance from forces across the country in supporting victims and gathering information and I want to say particular thank you to Avon and Somerset Police, West Mercia Police, North Yorkshire Police, Merseyside Police and Police Scotland.

I also want to pay tribute to the professionalism, dedication, and tenacity of Detective Constable Arran Holmes whose commitment to this case has ensured Sondhi will be behind bars for a significant amount of time and unable to target anyone else.

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A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of a number of sexual offences, including rape.

Mark Marvell, 39, of Meadow Way in Stevenage, was sentenced to 12 years behind bars at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, December 21.

Marvell had already been found guilty of five counts of rape, and multiple counts of the possession of indecent images of children earlier this year.

He will spend the next 12 years behind bars, with a further four and a half years on licence.

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A sex offender was handed a jail sentence but didn't even see the inside of a cell before a judge bailed him.

Gareth Edwards was today handed a 16 week sentence after he went to Center Parcs with a woman he was seeing and her three children.

The 30-year-old had also stayed over at the woman's home on weekends without telling her he was a convicted sex offender, breaching his notification requirements.

But after a district judge handed him a jail term on Monday at Liverpool Magistrates' Court, unrepresented Edwards was immediately released on bail pending an appeal against the conviction.

Edwards, of St Monica's Drive, Netherton, was previously sentenced for inciting a female under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

He was convicted of the offence in 2016 and handed a 16-week sentence suspended for two years and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

He appeared in court on Monday for breaching the notification requirements on two counts after he met a woman online.

Olivia Brady, prosecuting, said Edwards told officers he had met the woman and stayed with her on weekends and during Christmas in 2019.

Ms Brady confirmed that he had "never been alone with the children" but had holidayed with the family and her parents at Center Parcs.

The court heard the woman "wasn't aware of the defendant's previous convictions".

District Judge Paul Healey confirmed that the first contact between the couple was in February 2019 through online dating.

When asked why he was not represented by a solicitor Edwards said he was unable to afford one.

Edwards was then given time to consider instructing a solicitor and asked to leave the dock, but when he returned confirmed that he wanted to continue with the sentencing unrepresented.

The sex offender was charged with breaching the notification requirements by staying at an address for more than 12 hours with a child and by residing at an address for more than seven days in a 12 month period without registering at a police station.

When asked about the offences Edwards said: "The second bit of the offences I wasn't aware that it accumulated - I did tell someone that.

"I went through a turbulent relationship and had a window put through."

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A vile pervert who had sexual activity with a school girl and had indecent images of another has been jailed after a brave victim contacted police.

Steff Jones from Netherton is today behind bars after admitting sex offences against two children.

The 19-year-old from Marie Curie Avenue, was sentenced to four years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Monday, January 4.

He was jailed after pleading guilty to sexual activity with a child, who police said was 14, and possessing indecent images of another teenage girl.

Today Merseyside Police welcomed the sentence handed to Jones, who was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and praised the courage of both his victims.

Jones was arrested on Friday, October 23 last year after one of the victims, a teenage girl who he pleaded guilty to having sexual activity with, reported him to police.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Hurst said: Jones is a dangerous individual that preyed on two young girls, and thanks to their courage in coming forward, he will now spend significant time in prison.

We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.

I hope todays result gives the victims some closure and allows them to move forward, knowing they have helped put Jones behind bars, where he can no longer pose a risk to other children."

He added: "Anyone that has been a victim of a similar sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us. We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

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A pervert who secretly filmed women's bottoms has been jailed.

Police arrested Jamie Fowler in June last year for an unrelated matter.

Bristol Crown Court heard no further action was taken, but a search of his mobile phone revealed a secret stash of 17 videos he made, focusing on the backsides of women walking or jogging.

Fowler, 26, of Grenville Avenue in Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Judge Julian Lambert jailed him for 16 months.

He told Fowler: "You persistently breached the order by filming women for a sexual purpose, often lone females walking in relatively isolated spots.

"They were in a vulnerable position.

"Largely they were unaware of your sexual motivation.

"What you did was to create a risk of significant harm.

"If they had known they would have been shaken to say the very least."

The judge confiscated Fowler's phone.

Robert Yates, prosecuting, told the court Fowler made 17 videos in which he followed women and focused on their behinds.

In one video, shown in court, he pursued a young woman walking a dog and was heard to tell her "Your a*** is literally unreal".

Unaware of his sordid shenanigans she replied "Oh my God, thanks" and went on her way.

The court heard Fowler had nine court appearances for 22 offences, including exposure, voyeurism and sexual assault.

He was handed an indefinite SHPO, intended to stop him reoffending, in October 2013.

Derek Perry, defending, said: "He is plainly a young man with a long-standing problem."

Mr Perry said Fowler, who has qualifications in mechanics, committed sexual offences from the age of 14 but desisted when he formed a relationship.

When that relationship ended, the court heard, he turned to alcohol and was introduced to cocaine and relapsed into behaviour he had previously engaged in.

Mr Perry told the court: "He recognises in some videos women might have realised what was going on and may have felt some distress or unease.

"He is very sorry for doing that."

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A man convicted of 159 sex offences, including 136 rapes, will "never be safe to be released", a judge has said.

Reynhard Sinaga was found guilty of luring 48 men from outside Manchester clubs to his flat, where he drugged and assaulted them - filming the attacks.

Police say they have evidence Sinaga, 36, who is being named for the first time, targeted at least 190 victims.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Sinaga was "the most prolific rapist in British legal history".

The judge ruled his life sentence must include a minimum of 30 years in jail.

Reporting restrictions were also lifted at a sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Monday, meaning Sinaga could be identified for the first time.

The post-graduate student was already serving life, with a minimum term of 20 years, for the offences he was convicted of in two earlier trials, which took place in summer 2018 and last spring.

Across four separate trials, the Indonesian national was found guilty of 136 counts of rape, eight counts of attempted rape, 14 counts of sexual assault, and one count of assault by penetration, against a total of 48 victims.

Detectives say they have been unable to identify a further 70 victims and are now appealing for anyone who believes they may have been abused by Sinaga to come forward.

At the hearing, Judge Suzanne Goddard QC said Sinaga was "an evil serial sexual predator who has preyed upon young men" who wanted "nothing more than a good night out with their friends".

"In my judgment you are a highly dangerous, cunning and deceitful individual who will never be safe to be released," she said - adding that the decision to release prisoners is made by the Parole Board.

Sinaga would wait for men leaving nightclubs and bars before leading them to his flat in Montana House, Princess Street, often with the offer of somewhere to have a drink or call a taxi.

He drugged his victims before assaulting them while they were unconscious. When the victims woke up many of them had no memory of what had happened.

The student, who denied the charges, had claimed all the sexual activity was consensual and that each man had agreed to being filmed while pretending to be asleep - a defence described by the judge as "ludicrous".

At an earlier sentencing, the judge said she was sure that Sinaga had used a form of date rape drug such as GHB.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "deeply concerned" by the use of such a drug.

In victim impact statements read out in court, one victim said Sinaga had "destroyed a part of my life", while another said: "I hope he never comes out of prison and he rots in hell."

"I have periods where I can't get up and face the day," another added.

Many of the victims were unaware they had been raped until they were contacted by police.

Lisa Waters, of the St Mary's Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester, where victims received support, said some men found this "very difficult to process", with some experiencing mental health issues and suicidal thoughts.

Sinaga, who was studying for a PHD at the University of Leeds, carried out his attacks over several years.

The rapist was caught in June 2017 when one victim, who regained consciousness while being assaulted, fought Sinaga off and called the police.

When officers seized Sinaga's phone they found he had filmed each of his attacks - amounting to hundreds of hours of footage.

The discovery led to the launch of the largest rape inquiry in British history.

Assistant Chief Constable Mabbs Hussain said the true extent of Sinaga's offending would probably never be known.

"We suspect he's offended over a period of 10 years," he said. "The information and evidence we are going from is largely from trophies that he's collected from the victims of his crimes."

Investigators traced dozens of victims from the videos using clues found in Sinaga's Manchester flat, such as stolen phones, ID cards and watches.

The University of Manchester, where Sinaga was previously a student, said some members of its community had been "directly affected" by the case and it had set up a dedicated confidential phone line to offer support.

A statement from Vice-Chancellor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said the news was "profoundly distressing" and her thoughts were with all those affected.

Staggering tally

Judge Goddard said the "scale and enormity" of Sinaga's offending meant it was "accurate" for one of his victims to have described him as a monster.

She added that Sinaga had shown "not a jot of remorse" and at times appeared to be "actually enjoying the trial process".

Following the sentencing, Ian Rushton, from the CPS, said Sinaga was "the most prolific rapist in British legal history" and possibly "in the world".

"His extreme sense of sexual entitlement almost defies belief and he would no doubt still be adding to his staggering tally had he not been caught," he said.

He added that he thought Sinaga took "a particular pleasure in preying on heterosexual men".

Home Secretary Priti Patel said in response to Sinaga's "truly sickening crimes" she had asked an independent council to prioritise a review into whether controls for drugs like GHB were "tough enough".

GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) is a class C drug. Anyone found in possession of it can be imprisoned for up to two years.

Sinaga's trials took place across 18 months at Manchester Crown Court, resulting in unanimous guilty verdicts on all charges.

His convictions relate to crimes he committed from January 2015 to June 2017, but police believe he began offending years earlier.

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A PERVERT has admitted making hundreds of images of children and having an extreme pornographic images involving animals. A PERVERT has admitted making hundreds of images of children and having an extreme pornographic images involving animals.

Philip Smith appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court and admitted the four charges put to him.

The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to making 419 moving indecent images of children in Worcester at category A, the most serious offence, between December 4, 2013, and June 23, 2018.

During the same period he made 223 moving indecent images of children, and two still, at category B.

And also between those dates he made in Worcester 98 moving indecent images of children, and six still images at category C.

He further admitted possessing nine extreme pornographic images, on June 26, 2018, that were described as an act of intercourse with a dead or alive animal.

Shafquat Reaz, prosecuting at the court on December 17 said the starting point for the category A offence alone was one year, so submitted the case should be sent to Worcester Crown Court.

Richard Hull, defending Smith of Portsmouth Road, Southampton, agreed and made no submissions.

David Shadwell, the chairman of the magistrates bench, said: We agree it is not suitable for summary trial.

A pre sentence report, which will help the judge determine his sentence, was also ordered.

The case was set for Worcester Crown Court on December 17.

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James Sharrock, 55, was given a community order in 2011 for possession of indecent images of children.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Surrey Police, the Met Police and Hampshire Constabulary had been investigating Sharrock when officers attend his address in Spicers Court on July 24, last year.

Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said that 4,333 images were found on several of his devices, 2,069 of them were described as category A, said to be the worst type of indecent images.

The officer in the case PC Kristin McMahon said these “were some of the worst images of child abuse I’ve seen”, adding that they were “sadistic” showing “children tied up, degraded and suffering physical as well as sexual abuse”.

Some of the images also showed children that were drugged, with the age of those in the videos and pictures ranging from two months to 12-years-old.

Sharrock previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, possessing nine prohibited images of children and 638 extreme pornographic images.

Sharrock was jailed for two years and must be on the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

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Yang Wang put his hand up his victim’s skirt and kissed her as she sat slumped unconscious.

The 23-year-old Southampton University student could be seen laughing as he groped her in CCTV footage played at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday, December 15.

The sexual assault took place at a “snug room” in Cumberland Place Halls of residence on March 2 this year.

Prosecution barrister, Natasha Dardashti told how the woman could not remember what had happened and would not have consented to anyone touching her.

Furthermore, she gave no impact statement.

Following his arrest, Wang who was accompanied by a lawyer gave a no comment interview but after being shown the CCTV footage gave a statement.

Read out in court by defence barrister Justin McClintock, it said: “I fully accept that my behaviour is such that I sexually assaulted this female. I am appalled by my behaviour and what I have done.”

Mr McClintock argued his client is academically bright having achieved a distinction in his studies but is “ultimately very immature”.

During sentencing, Judge Nicholas Rowland described the assault as both ugly and serious. He scolded Wang saying the girl was particularly vulnerable as she was unconscious. Jailed for 12-months he will have to register as a sex offender for ten years.

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Groping Justin Miller sexually assaulted two schoolgirls in an alleyway.

The 20-year-old touched the bottom of one of his victims before trying to kiss her and repeatedly putting his arm around her.

He then touched the leg of the other girl and ran his hand up her thigh.

Now Miller has been sentenced to 21 months detention at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The court heard one of the girls had just moments earlier attempted to break up a lunchtime fight between Miller and another man during the coronavirus lockdown.

Prosecutor Caroline Harris said: "One girl felt a hand pass across her bottom. She turned and saw the defendant. He asked her how old she was and whether she had a boyfriend and placed his head next to hers which caused her to run to her friend. She told her friend the defendant was scaring her."

Miss Harris added: "She pushed him away. She said she had a boyfriend in the hope he would leave her alone.

"She walked away. He followed her and put his arm around her at least three times and touched towards her genital area. She started to cry.

"She told her friends they should go home. He said they should go to his home. He touched the leg of the other girl, running his hand up her thigh towards her genital area."

Police were called and arrested Miller after the girls fled to a house. They searched his home and found a sex toy in a suitcase. He told police that he found the girl attractive.

The first victim has revealed she did not go out of her house for five days following the ordeal.

She said: "I thought he was going to grab me and rape me. The incident made me feel scared to leave the house."

Miller, of Everest Road, Kidsgrove, pleaded guilty to three offences of sexual assault.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said the defendant was drunk at the time. He added: "The contact was over clothing, it was relatively brief, and there was no actual contact with the genitals or breasts, under or over clothing."

Miller has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register and is now subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Judge Sally Hancox said: "The first victim was particularly terrified.

"The probation service assesses you as a high risk of causing serious harm to children, especially females up to the age of 16, and any female, adult or child, you may be fixated on."

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A registered sex offender from Peterborough has been jailed for the third time in 18 months.

Stuart Merry, 41, was arrested at the gates of HMP Littlehey on 9 October by officers from the northern Public Protection Unit (PPU), a team who monitor sex offenders upon their release into the community.

Convictions for indecent assault on a child and gross indecency with a child in 2010 resulted in Merry being jailed for five years and placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

In 2018, police applied to the courts who authorised a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which came with a number of conditions, including not contacting any known registered sex offender without the permission of police.

In July last year (2019), Merry was recalled to prison after he was released on licence, but had not demonstrated good behaviour. He was released again six months later in December.

In April this year (2020), he was back in prison after being sentenced to 14 months for three breaches of his SHPO; using a library computer to access the internet, phoning another individual who is on the Sex Offenders Register and deleting call logs from his mobile phone.

Despite having been found guilty of breaching three conditions of his SHPO, Merry continued to breach one of the conditions whilst serving his sentence by continuing his contact with the same sex offender.

Prison phone records showed on seven separate occasions Merry dialled the home telephone number of his acquaintance between March and August this year.

Upon his release from prison on 9 October, Merry was arrested and charged the following day with two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Natalie Hebdon, from the northern PPU, said: Merry is a high-risk offender who has been monitored extremely closely by the Public Protection Unit for a number of years.

Since his first conviction in 2001 where he committed an act of gross indecency at an outdoor paddling pool, Merry has been in and out of prison for various breaches of conditions placed upon him.

These conditions are in place to protect children from Merry who has clearly demonstrated he is a threat to our communities.

Yesterday (Tuesday 22 December), he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

DC Hebdon added: Upon his release we will continue to pay extremely close attention to Merry, including regular visits to his home, checking his electronic devices and any further offending will be put before the courts.

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A MAN who planned to rape an eight-year-old girl travelled across the country with sex toys.

Lance Baynes was caught with restraints, sex toys, and lubricant at a Hampshire service station.

The 48-year-old had arranged to meet another man at Sutton Scotney Services and then rape an eight-year-old girl.

However, he was arrested during a police sting on August 21 this year.

When police seized Baynes' electronic devices they found 1,430 indecent or extreme images.

Officers also discovered he had been the admin of an online account which had been sharing images of children with other paedophiles.

Baynes formerly of Cedar Close in Walsall had also been communicating sexually with a 13-year-old girl, a Winchester Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to the following ten charges:

• Arranging/facilitating the rape of a child under 13-years-old

• Three counts of making indecent images of children

• One count of possession of extreme indecent images

• Three counts of distributing indecent images of children

• Intentionally encouraging an offender to commit an indictable offence.

He was today, sentenced to eight years in prison and will be on license for four years after his release.

DC Steve Hill, of Hampshire Constabulary's ICAT said: “Prior to his arrest Lance Baynes had been planning to commit an atrocious offence against what he believed was an 8-year-old girl. He is a dangerous offender, and I hope his sentencing reassures the public.

“This was a complex and difficult investigation, and I would like to thank our colleagues at SEROCU for their assistance in bringing this case to justice.

“We take all reports of sexual offending very seriously, and will do anything in our power to bring those responsible to justice and to protect vulnerable people from such predators.”

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A man has been sentenced to 24 years for child sex offences.

Darren Wheatley was given the sentence on Tuesday, 22 December, at Worcester Crown Court after he had been found guilty on Friday 18 December.

The 55 year old, from Lion Street, Kidderminster, had been charged with 20 offences of rape of a child under 13 and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The sentencing follows an investigation by Kidderminster CID.

Detective Sergeant Iain Standing said: “This was an especially disturbing case and I’m pleased this man will now face a considerable amount of time in prison for his vile actions.

“It has taken great courage and bravery for his victims to come forward and face the personal challenges of a trial.

“I also hope this conviction will provide reassurance to other victims of sexual offences, giving them the confidence to report their ordeal in the knowledge that they will be listened to and supported. Police will always investigate and do everything in their power to bring offenders like this to justice.”

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A CHILD rapist from west Swindon has been jailed for 19 years.

Jailing John Whelan at Swindon Crown Court on Monday, Judge Jason Taylor QC told him: Your grooming and manipulation was nothing more than a selfish and perverted desire to prioritise your sexual gratification over their welfare.

Recent changes to the law mean that the 64-year-old will spend at least two thirds of that 19 year sentence behind bars. Once he is released he must spend a further two years on licence.

Whelan was found guilty earlier this month of indecent assault, gross indecency with a child and rape. The offences were committed between the mid-1990s and 2000s against two girls, both of whom were under 11 when the abuse began.

His younger victim, who was raped by Whelan after being made to perform sex acts on him while they played games in his man cave, told the court on Monday that she had felt totally and utterly powerless.

She said: I have carried around the weight of the world on my shoulders for most of my life.

The older woman said Whelan had stolen her childhood and the person she could have been.

Mitigating, Whelans barrister Clare Evans said her client had been a hardworking family man whos done everything he can to support his family.

John Whelan's custody shot Picture: WILTSHIRE POLICE

During the trial, jurors heard how Whelan turned his abuse of the children into games, including instructing one seven-year-old girl to play hide and seek with his private parts after covering his genitals with a blanket.

The abuse was perpetrated from the mid-90s to mid-2000s.

The older girl claimed Whelan had occasionally babysat her while her mother was out at work and she had also been looked after at his family home.

Jurors were told he had arrived to babysit her at her home with what he called special films pornography that he would make her watch while she sat on his lap. He was said to have molested her; touching her sexually and getting her to touch him.

The touching continued at his own home, as they played video games in his man cave, although he would not expose himself at the house. Opening the case to the jury last week, prosecutor David Scutt said: She said this: It was our secret, it was our little game and that, no doubt was what he was telling her as that young girl.

As she got older she had refused to take part in the games, she claimed. When her mum switched work shifts the girl no longer needed to be babysat by the man. On the occasions she went around to his house she stayed close to her mum, Mr Scutt said.

The older girl said she had noticed Whelan taking an interest in another younger girl. They would both be called upstairs to watch TV in his bedroom. On occasion he would be wearing a towel, she claimed.

The younger girl claimed Whelan had begun sexually abusing her when she was around seven. She said the man had shown her pornographic playing cards and websites.

He had been grooming her, Mr Scutt said. He was getting her to look at it, this is to say the stuff on the computer, and what was described as his game; it was made into play for this young child. He would get her to look at videos, she said, and he told her what he wanted her to do.

The girl claimed she had been made to touch him sexually and perform oral sex on him. On one occasion he raped her, she said. [He said] he was going to make her happy like the ladies in the videos, Mr Scutt said.

One victim said she had experienced urinary problems during her childhood. During Whelans sentencing hearing, the judge suggested that could be the result of a sexually transmitted infection.

The abuse was reported to police in early 2019. In December the previous year, the younger woman had told her mother and father she had been raped by Whelan. Her brother was instrumental in persuading her to go to the police, jurors heard. The woman had told her then partner later her husband about the abuse.

The older woman came forward after being told by her mother that the younger complainant had gone to the police.

Interviewed by police last year, Whelan denied sexually assaulting the girls. He said the pornographic cards belonged to his late father.

Sentencing Whelan, Judge Taylor said: You forced [your victims] to live with this shameful secret for years, knowing as they did that if they ever came forward it would go nuclear.

It took tremendous courage for them to come forward but at last they feel back in control for the first time for 20 and 15 years respectively.

The judge commented that Whelan, formerly of Stamford Close, Toothill, but appearing in court via video link from Bristol prison, had been shaking his head as he summarised the evidence against him.