Latest Offenders

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A convicted sex offender who performed a sex act on himself outside a block of student flats in Islington has been jailed.

William Sung was seen in the city centre performing the act on himself on two occasions while stood at the window of a takeaway.

The 45-year-old was on Gildart Street in August when he pulled down his trousers on the street corner, despite already being on the Sex Offenders Register.

He was seen again later the same day in the same place performing the act on himself.

Sung, of Nelson Street, in the Baltic Triangle area, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court after previously pleading guilty to two counts of exposure.

In a court hearing on September 25, Mark Teare, prosecuting, told the court Sung was found performing the sex act on himself in the same street "for a period of time".

Sung has previous convictions for harassment and exposure and in 2013 he was handed a nine-month prison sentence for sexually assaulting a female by touching.

David Achilles, defending, told the court that Sung admitted the offence and explained Sung suffers from learning difficulties.

Mr Achilles stated that Sung is more socially isolated than others as he has no family in this country.

He asked the magistrates to follow the guidance given in the report and requested that any sentence was suspended.

Chair Magistrate, Glenys McGill, sentencing, said: "We have taken time to discuss these matters and listened carefully to the facts in the case and also to what Mr Achilles said on your behalf.

"Having talked about it at length we believe these matters are so serious the custody threshold has been passed.

"Matters were aggravated because it was a prolonged incident. You were drunk at the time and you were subject to a notification requirement on the Sex Offenders Register."

Sung was handed four months in prison and must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

He was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to his victim.

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Former town hall colleagues of the now sacked Matthew Bennett, who worked with some of the borough’s most vulnerable youngsters, today told of their shock at discovering his sordid secrets.

The 26-year-old, of Park Road, Wigan, is beginning a seven-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to a total of 11 sexual offence charges.

They included sending lewd pictures of himself to girls under 16, supposedly persuading a girl of 12 to send an indecent picture of herself to him and inciting the mother of a seven-year-old to perform a sex act on him and allow her to be sexually assaulted by him.

But the woman and girls with whom Bennett was communicating were in fact vice squad officers. Bennett further admitted to distributing indecent images of children which fall into the lowest, category C, of seriousness.

The offences took place place online between January and July this year.

A Bolton Crown Court hearing was told that Bennett didn’t back off from a first brush with the law.

He communicated with two undercover officers on the KIK messenger app thinking they were young girls and was arrested on March 3 then bailed.

But on July 20 he communicated with an undercover officer on XHamster.com whom he thought was the mother of a young girl and tried to talk her into agreeing to involve the child in illegal sexual activities.

He deleted information from his phone immediately prior to his arrests. But he used his own surname in his username and sent photographs that displayed his face.

One former workmate said: “My background is in counselling and am quite switched on about spotting character traits but I was caught completely by surprise about Bennett.

“He just seemed an ordinary guy who kept himself to himself.

“He was working for the council’s ‘targeted youth services’ which put him in contact at schools, groups and homes with some of the borough’s most vulnerable children, which is of course a worry, although we understand that the offences had nothing to do with his job.

“Ten months ago he went off on long-term sick and that was the first we knew of anything being wrong.”

Another said: “To say we were shocked and repulsed after seeing that he had pleaded guilty to those sex crimes is an understatement.”

A Wigan Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Matthew Bennett was dismissed from Wigan Council as soon as these allegations came to light.

“Neither the allegations or convictions relate to his employment at the Council.”

As well as his prison sentence, Bennett will then be on extended licence for five years, will be the subject of an indefinte Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will also sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

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This is the face of a paedophile who said he repeatedly raped a little girl because he "wanted attention".

Married dad-of-five Lance Buruka, 44, molested a young child before raping her at least seven times.

But when confronted over his sickening abuse, he denied any of the rapes and only admitted lesser offences.

This meant the little girl had to endure the ordeal of giving evidence at a trial.

Buruka, formerly of Heathgate, Skelmersdale, but now of Partridge Close, Birchwood, Warrington, was found guilty of seven counts of rape.

He was jailed for 18 years with an extended year on licence and designated an "offender of particular concern" because of the risk he poses.

The ECHO was unable to show readers his face because Cheshire Police refused to release his mugshot, despite official guidelines stating that it should be provided to the media.

However, these photos reveal the monster who used to run a company called Buruka Event Planning Limited, based in Skelmersdale.

Judge Neil Flewitt, QC, told Buruka: "You sexually attacked her and did so for your own sexual gratification. You told the author of your pre-sentence report that you were feeling lonely and wanted attention.

"She doesn't fully appreciate the scale of your offending. Her mother said that you have taken her innocence. She is likely to be profoundly damaged by what you have done to her."

He added: "You had an understanding of the harm caused and you were only concerned about your own satisfaction."

Buruka was found guilty of the rapes and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 at a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in August.

He had pleaded guilty to two separate sexual assaults, plus sexual offences that were alternative charges to the rapes.

Owen Edwards, prosecuting, agreed with Judge Flewitt that Buruka would be sentenced for at least seven rapes.

He said: "It's very difficult for a child of that age to say how many times it happened."

The girl's mum told the court that when she learned Buruka had raped her daughter "my whole world fell apart".

In a victim statement, the mother said the child didn't yet seem to understand what had happened to her.

However, she said Buruka had "taken away her innocence" and during the trial she had "cried her eyes out".

The Rwandan and Congolese national has previous convictions, which include an assault against a former partner in 2011.

He also received a suspended jail sentence for a driving offence, committed when he was arrested for these sexual offences.

Katie Laverty, defending, said three character references had been provided for her client by various members of his family.

She said: "Mr Buruka is finally starting to realise the enormity of his actions and the dreadful impact this will have not only on his victim going forwards, but also on his wife and their children."

Ms Laverty said in respect of the offences there was "little else" that could be said in mitigation, but her client had few convictions, this was his first experience of custody, and he apologised for his behaviour.

Judge Flewitt said there was no effective mitigation and by deciding to deny many of the allegations, he made his victim face cross-examination.

He told Buruka: "Your character references are of little value in a case of this gravity. They were probably written by people unaware of your offending."

The judge added that the report found he had "a lack of insight" into his actions and until he took full ownership and addressed his issues, "the risk of further sexual offences remains".

Judge Flewitt said Buruka was an "offender of particular concern" and jailed him for 18 years, with an extended year on licence.

This means he will spend at least half of the sentence - nine years - behind bars, before he is eligible to apply for parole.

He will then only be released before the end of the 18 years if he is no longer considered to be a risk.

Judge Flewitt said Buruka must sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

Both a 2005 protocol, created in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Association of Chief Police Officers, the Attorney General's Office and the media, and a 2017 College of Policing policy, agree a guilty defendant's custody photo may be released - the latter stating "unless there is a court order or legitimate policing purpose preventing their identification".

There was no court order and Cheshire Police has not cited any policing purpose for its refusal.

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A PERVERT who was caught with hundreds of child abuse movies on his phone by his new boyfriend has escaped a jail sentence.

Blair Houliston was found with films showing children as young as two-years-old bound and gagged while being sexually abused by adults.

Houliston, 27, used WhatsApp and Kick Messenger to contact paedophiles in the US who sent him the horrific abuse images.

He told one online paedophile he was into kids, rape and incest and was caught with hundreds of images and movies when police raided his home in 2018.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told Houliston was arrested after his new boyfriend was left shocked after spotting disturbing material on his mobile phone and raised the alarm.

Houliston admitted possessing the indecent images of children during an appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year and returned to the dock for sentencing.

Sheriff John Mundy said: This behaviour is quite disgraceful and I hope you have had some insight into how this affects children.

However I am treating you a first offender and the report heavily recommends in your case a community payback order.

But I have to warn you now that I was considering a custodial sentence and if you dont comply [with the CPO] it wont be a short one.

Houliston, of Greendykes, Edinburgh, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for two years and on a supervision order for the same length of time as a direct alternative to custody.

He will also have to attend the Moving Forward Making Changes organisation as part of a conduct requirement imposed by the court.

Previously the court was told Houliston was in contact with paedophiles in Texas and the online chats had been extremely sexual in nature

He had been asked by one pervert What are you into, sir? and Houliston was said to have replied kids, rape and incest.

He was then sent scores of child abuse videos and images through the online apps.

Prosecutor Rosie Cook said Houliston had met a new partner through a dating app in March 2018 and invited the man back to his home later that month.

The fiscal said during the meeting the man saw something concerning on Houlistons mobile phone and decided to contact the police.

Ms Cook added officers found hundreds of images including those of two-year-old children being abused on a computer program known as Mega, which was said to be similar to Dropbox.

Solicitor Kevin Connor, defending, said his client was a first offender and had suffered from ADHD from the age of six though he added Houliston is not using that as an excuse into his behaviour.

Mr Connor added the amount of images shared by Houliston was small and he had been attending the Stop It Now group since pleading guilty to the offences.

Houliston pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children at his home address between January 21, 2015 and April 4, 2018.

He also admitted to distributing indecent images of children between January 21, 2015 and January 21, 2018.

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The victim pleaded with you stop, and you replied: Do I look as if I care?

A teenager who raped an 18-year-old woman in south London has been handed a five-year custodial sentence.

Tamoy Bailey, who is now 18 but aged 16 at the time, carried out the attack at an address in Peckham in March last year after meeting the victim earlier that day.

The woman was asked to come to the house and, when she arrived, Bailey locked her in the bathroom.

He then subjected her to verbal abuse before raping her, a court heard.

The then 16-year-old also threatened her with a knife and said he would stab her if she did not have sex with him.

After the attack, the woman managed to leave the address and get to safety, where she immediately called police to report the attack.

Bailey, of Hastings Close, Peckham, was arrested on April 2 and charged with rape and false imprisonment, all relating to the same victim.

On Tuesday, he was given a five-year custodial sentence with a two year parole extension due to the danger he poses to potential victims. He was also handed a three year sentence to run concurrently for false imprisonment.

Addressing Inner London Crown Court, Judge Donne said: The victim pleaded with you stop, and you replied, Do I look as if I care? This exemplified your attitude towards her.

You did not care about her, you wanted sex and were willing to do what was necessary to obtain it.

He also stated that Bailey represented a significant risk of harm to the public.

Detective Constable Jake Good, of the Mets Central South safeguarding team, said: Bailey is a violent sexual offender and an ongoing risk to women. He was arrogant in the extreme and thought he could get away with raping this young woman.

I hope this result and the sentencing brings her some degree of comfort. Importantly, I would like to recognise her dignity while confronting the trauma he put her through, in addition to the stress of the court proceedings.

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An ingrained paedophile paid a Filipino woman 40 to film her young daughter in the shower and also directed two teens having sex over the internet.

Daniel Benton, 34, also sexually touched a young girl, including once at a funeral and had a sick catalogue of indecent images.

Benton, from Coronation Place in Helston, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence for two sexual assaults of a child, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, three counts of causing a child to engage in a sexual act, three charges of making indecent images of a child and possession of extreme pornography.

In total Benton was found to have accessed 65 Category A indecent images, 71 Category B indecent images and 515 Category C images.

Perhaps even more chillingly Benton admitted to paying a Filipino mum 40 to film her child aged around 10 in the shower and send it to him over the internet.

Warped Benton also was found to have directed two teenagers having sex.

Regarding the offences against the girl aged younger than 10, Benton touched her on the bottom and breast and showed her pornography. He also got her to put his hand in his pocket where there was a hole, her hand touching his erect penis.

Disgusting Benton sent pictures of the underage girl to another paedophile over the internet, something Judge Robert Linford would later touch on in his sentencing remarks commenting that learning this must have been an indigestible bombshell for her family.

Representing Benton, Rupert Taylor told the court how Bentons wife still stands by him in the belief he is capable of change.

Mr Taylor referenced the other side of Bentons character, a hardworking man but someone who was in a state of turmoil.

Benton was said to be candid in interview and continued to work hard right up until his trial. He also paid for treatment to address his perversions out of his own pocket.

Sentencing Benton, Judge Linford referred to the victim of the contact offending, saying: You effectively took away her childhood and her innocence.

Regarding the other matters, Judge Linford described how the indecent image collection showed girls as young as two or three being penetrated.

He added: You paid a Filipino woman to allow you to view her daughter in the shower washing her naked body. You paid 40 for this truly shocking behaviour.

Judge Linford called Benton an ingrained paedophile and jailed him for seven years and eight months.

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A paedophile is back behind bars for sexually abusing young girls just months after being released from his previous sentence.

Graham Harry John Rogers' new victim came forward after reading about him in the papers - and during the course of their investigation police also found a second new victim.

Swansea Crown Court heard the first new victim had reported the assault to the authorities at the time of the abuse - more than 20 years ago - but the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to charge Rogers because of a lack of corroborating evidence, something that "perhaps reflects the approach at the time".

Sending him down, a judge told the 66-year-old defendant he had "selfish, degenerate and deviant sexual needs", and only a sentence of immediate custody was appropriate.

Jim Davis, prosecuting, said in May 2018 Rogers was sentenced to four years sexually assaulting a young girl, and taking pictures of the abuse on his phone.

After reading about the defendant in the press, a woman abused by the defendant when she was a teenager went to police and asked them to look again at what had happened to her.

The court heard Rogers had touched the then-girl's genitals over her clothing, and "gouged" her with his thumb leaving her privates bruised and cut.

In the course of re-investigating that complaint, officers found another girl he had also abused - this offence had seen Rogers touching the breasts of a girl aged six or seven.

Mr Davis said the first victim had reported the incident to her mother and then to the police, but the prosecuting authorities decided there was no realistic prospect of conviction without corroborating evidence, something that "perhaps reflects the approach at the time".

In their impact statements which were read to court, the victims described how the abuse they had suffered had robbed them of their childhoods and blighted their whole lives, leaving them withdrawn, troubled, and distrustful of men.

Rogers, of Tirgof, Llangennech,  Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault of a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Stephen Rees, for Rogers, said his client knew what life in prison was like having recently served a substantial sentence imposed in 2018, and had come to court with his bags packed in readiness for a return.

But the barrister asked the judge to consider taking the "exceptional step" of imposing a more "constructive" sentence which would allow the defendant to complete a sex offenders course in the community, adding that Rogers "recognises he has a problem that needs to be treated".

Judge Huw Rees said it was clear Rogers had an "enduring sexual interest in children", and had "selfish, degenerate and deviate sexual needs". He said the defendant had "slyly" taken his opportunities to abuse the girls, actions which display the hallmarks of a paedophile.

The judge said he had listened carefully to submissions made on the defendant's behalf but the offending was so serious only immediate custody was appropriate.

Giving Rogers credit for his guilty pleas he sentenced him to a total of five-and-a-half years in prison. The defendant will serve up to half of that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Rogers will be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

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A convicted paedophile has admitted abusing 20 children while working as a live-in au pair.

Aaron McWilliams abused children and babies he was employed to look after while staying in family homes across the UK and Europe.

The 28-year-old was sentenced to life for his horrific crimes, which were described by police as 'every family's worst nightmare.'

McWilliams, who is already serving time in Belmarsh Prison for child abuse, was told he will serve a minimum of nine years in jail at Woolwich Crown Court today.

The predator made videos of himself sexually abusing children aged between four months and 14, and detectives now fear there may be further victims yet to come forward.

Police said McWilliams was 'manipulative, cold, calculating, and highly dangerous to children and young people.'

McWilliams was first convicted in 2016 for sexually assaulting a four-year-old child.

After serving part of his sentence, McWilliams was released and began working with a family within a matter of weeks after providing fake references.

He sexually abused another four-year-old child and was jailed again for seven years in August 2017.

During the investigation, a phone was seized and detectives found 2,472 indecent images of children plus an extensive collection of videos McWilliams had made of himself sexually abusing his young victims.

The prolific child predator was interviewed twice in 2018 about the material on his phone and made admissions about his horrific actions.

Some 24 victims, aged between four months and 14-years-old, were identified during the investigation of which all but one were boys.

McWilliams admitted a string of 40 sex crimes against children including 14 counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sex, eight counts of inciting a boy under 13 to engage in other sexual activity and seven counts of sexual assault on a boy.

These also include three counts of making an indecent photo of a child, three counts of sexual assault on a child, two counts of rape of a boy under 13, attempted rape of a boy under 13, sexual assault on a girl and engaging in sexual activity with a boy under 15.

DS Adam Ghaboos, of the Met Police Central East Safeguarding team, said: 'McWilliams is a predatory paedophile who sexually abused a large number of children he was entrusted to care for.

'It is every family's worst nightmare. He is manipulative, cold, calculating, and highly dangerous to children and young people.

'This case is among the most serious child abuse offending that the team has seen.

'I would like to acknowledge the courage of the young victims and their families who have endured the horrific abuse and the long-term harm these types of crimes cause.

'McWilliams will spend a long time in jail where he cannot harm any other children.'

DS Ghaboos said there may be further victims yet to come forward and asked families who have employed McWilliams in the past to come forward.

He added: 'Our enquiries have led us to a large number of McWilliams' victims, but we can't rule out the possibility that there may be more.

'I would urge any families who have employed McWilliams or believe that he may have had contact with their children to come forward.'

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A SEXUAL 'predator' who abused a teenager girl after plying her with alcohol has been jailed.

Corey Reid, 24, of no fixed abode pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a child and sexual assault and he was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.

On a night in April of last year, Reid, who was sleeping rough in Banbury, met and befriended two teenage girls and a teenage boy in the town.

He gave them alcohol and when one of his victims became intoxicated, Reid took her away from the group and sexually assaulted her.

One of the victim's friends called police and Reid was found and arrested.

The victim suffered both psychological and physical injuries as a result of the assault.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Bryn Smith of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, based at Banbury police station, said: Corey Reid is a predatory offender and poses a danger to children.

His interests are satisfying his own sexual urges towards children, with no thought of consent or their welfare.

The victim in this case has shown incredible bravery throughout this traumatic experience.

"She was vulnerable, not only by her age, but also being intoxicated and targeted deliberately due to this.

She is still terrified by Reid, who was a complete stranger, and no length of sentence will change that.

I commend her for her bravery, and I hope that this sentence will act as a stepping stone to a confident and fulfilling future which she fully deserves.

I would always encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault to come forward and report it to police.

You will be listened to and supported by experienced officers and staff, and we will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

He was jailed for a total of five years.

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A paedophile from Letchworth has been jailed for more than two years after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences.

Brian Melabiankis, formerly of Marmet Avenue in the town, was sentenced to 29 months in prison at St Albans Crown Court on Monday.

The court heard how the 25-year-old had committed a number of child sex abuse offences, including making and distributing indecent images of children, between October and December of 2017.

At court, he pleaded guilty to a total of 19 different charges seven counts of distribution of indecent images, nine counts of making indecent images, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Melabiankis name was also added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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A female prison officer is facing jail after sending sex pictures of herself to teenage male inmates at a young offenders institution.

Jordan Trainor, 25, also engaged in 'sexual touching' of a teen at Wetherby Young Offender Institution and was involved in "improper relationships" with two prisoners.

She further admitted bringing in packages for the youngsters and failing to report they were in possession of mobile phones.

Trainor, who's from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to one offence of misconduct in a public office when she appeared before Leeds Crown Court on Friday.

The circumstances surrounding the offending are not yet fully clear, however, it is known the "improper relationships" were with two inmates under the age of 18.

Trainor passed messages between the pair, delivered four packages to one inmate and engaged in sexual touching with one on "approximately three occasions", the court heard.

The offending took place at Wetherby Young Offender Institution on or before 23 December last year.

Trainor's barrister, Jade Edwards, said a psychiatric report had been ordered and asked for the sentencing to be adjourned for four weeks.

The judge said: "You have pleaded guilty to what I am sure you understand is a very serious offence.

"It is a breach of trust and it is a very serious matter.

"I am going to order a pre-sentence report so the judge who sentences you has a full understanding of your background and any difficulties you may face.

"You must understand that a custodial sentence is almost inevitable in a case such as this.

"There is no point in giving to you false hope."

Description

A BOURNEMOUTH man who groomed a 14-year-old girl into having sexual activity made her feel "vulnerable and afraid".

Matthew Joseph Keets, aged 23 and of Bennett Road, Bournemouth, began messaging the schoolgirl over social media platform Snapchat in the summer of 2019.

As reported, Keets admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual communication with a child, one count of possession of indecent moving image and four counts of possession of an indecent image.

This came after months of offending, which included Keets and the victim engaging in consensual sexual activity at the defendants home in October last year.

The girl was reported missing in November last year and was found by family members at Keetss address. He was arrested and admitted to engaging in sexual activity with the victim but claimed he did not know she was underage.

He was released on bail with conditions not to contact the victim but, following reports Keets was breaching those conditions, officers attended his address in February and found him in company with the victim.

Keets was arrested again and an examination of his mobile phone revealed a number of messages illustrating the defendants grooming behaviour toward the victim as well as indecent images of her.

Prosecutor Tom Wright told Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday, October 29, that some of the messages between Keets and the girl presented a subtext of "fantasies of domination" on the defendant's part.

Keets's most recent sexual activity with the child was after he had been arrested on three occasions for his interaction with the girl and released under investigation by police.

A victim impact statement read by Mr Wright said Keets initially told the girl he was 17 when they were exchanging messages. He was in fact 22 at the time.

When they met in person he revealed his real age before the sexual activity began, the court heard.

"I was vulnerable and he took advantage of it," the statement said.

It added: "I feel like he has taken away part of my teenage years when I should have been having fun with my own friends."

The girl said she felt pressured by Keets to comply with his sexual demands and this left her feeling "vulnerable and afraid".

The defendant would give the victim free cannabis and food.

Mitigating Kevin Kill said Keets, who has Asperger syndrome, had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to the string of offences.

"He is a relatively young man with some very complex issues and he needs help with it," said Mr Hill.

Judge Stephen Climie told Keets that he should be under no illusions over the fact that his actions had a "very serious affect" on the victim.

"She will struggle with it (Keet's offences) and that is your fault and your responsibility", the judge added.

The defendant was warned that if he commits any offences of a similar nature involving children in the future, it is likely the courts will find him to be dangerous.

Keets was issued with a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order, which both last for 10 years.

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A PERVERT pensioner has been jailed for 31 months for sexually abusing a young girl.

David Magee, 65, of no fixed address, was locked up at Bradford Crown Court for three counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and a single charge of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Magee was sentenced on a video link to Leeds Prison where he was being held on remand.

After the case, an NSPCC spokesman said: Magees actions are truly reprehensible - displaying callous disregard for a young victim who will need significant support to recover.

The NSPCC urges anyone who has experienced sexual abuse to speak out and seek support. You will be listened to and this case proves that predators like Magee can be brought to justice.

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A former deputy headteacher of a primary school watched sickening indecent images of children on the dark web while his wife and child were at home.

Paedophile Richard Swinnerton admitted he had a sexual attraction towards children and would watch the vile abuse material on a weekly basis.

The 31-year-old was caught on May 15 after police executed a warrant at Swinnertons Coulby Newham home.

Following his arrest, he immediately resigned from his job at St Clares Catholic Primary School in Acklam, Middlesbrough .

His offences were not related to his employment at the school.

Swinnerton appeared at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday to be sentenced for three counts of possession of indecent images.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said that when officers went to Swinnertons home, he made a significant statement to them, and admitted straight away, saying; Its me, Ive been looking at indecent images.

He then pointed to a laptop on a nearby sofa which was recovered and examined.

On the initial examination, police found six videos containing indecent images, all of which were category A - the most severe.

The court heard that one sickening video was a full 36 minutes long and involved a child between the age of six to eight.

Another five-minute long video was found which depicted the abuse of a child who was aged between two and three.

A more in-depth examination of Swinnertons laptop was later carried out where a total of 95 indecent images were discovered.

A total of 87 were in category A - 11 of which were moving images.

Seven images were in category B and one was in category C.

Mr Dryden said that when Swinnerton was interviewed, he made full admissions and said he had been accessing indecent images for around two years.

He said he would view the disgusting material when his wife and child were upstairs.

He said he viewed the material for sexual gratification on a weekly basis for about half-an-hour.

The court was told that Swinnerton was employed as a primary school teacher at the time of the offences and was also an active member in his local church.

He had been a primary school teacher for the past eight years but resigned as soon as he was arrested.

Swinnerton, who had no previous convictions, admitted to police that he had a sexual attraction to children and had done so since he was a child.

In mitigation, John Nixon, defending Swinnerton, said he was a primary school deputy headmaster and that he was an intelligent, hard-working man who is well-educated.

He said that Swinnerton was very successful in his occupation.

Mr Nixon told the court that there was no suggestion whatsoever that there was any impropriety in his workplace and that he viewed the school children as pupils who were in his care.

His private life was quite separate from his public responsibilities, he said.

He added that it is a tragic fall from grace for him and that his life and reputation are in tatters and was required to split from his wife and child.

Mr Nixon said that he had chosen to be quite honest about the issues he has.

Before sentencing, Judge Deborah Sherwin said that there was no suggestion that Swinnerton crossed the boundaries with pupils at the school he taught at.

She sentenced him to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

He must also undertake 35 rehabilitation activity days as well as a 27 day sex offender programme.

He must sign the sex offender register and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order - both will last 10 years.

A St Clares school spokesperson said: This has been an upsetting matter for parents, carers, staff and the wider St Clares community.

We are grateful for the support we have received from them and we continue to assure them that the wellbeing and safety of children of St Clares remains our priority at all times.

It is also important to reiterate that this former employees offences were not in connection with his employment at the school.

Description

A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison today (Friday 27 April) following a three week trial at Southampton Crown Court last month.

The jury found Abdi Mohammed, 21, of Tennyson Road guilty of raping an 18-year-old woman on August 19 in 2016 at an address in St Marys after meeting her outside Oceana nightclub.

The woman was on a night out at Oceana nightclub with her friends when she became separated from them. Outside the club Mohammed took advantage of the woman, finding her alone and vulnerable, and put her in a car and drove her to an address in Derby Road where he raped her.

After her ordeal, the woman bravely fled the address on foot and alerted security staff at Royal South Hants Hospital on Brintons Terrace.

Detectives investigating the rape arrested Mohammed a week later and charged him in July 2017. He was identified through CCTV analysis and forensic evidence.

Today, Mohammed has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Detective Inspector Toby Elcock said: This was a complex and protracted case of the rape of a young woman on a night out in Southampton.

I firstly want to commend the bravery of the young woman and thank her for the dedication she has given to the case that has allowed us to bring this offender to justice today. We would not have been able to achieve this result without her support.

Mohammed preyed upon this young woman who found herself outside a nightclub, separated from friends, alone and vulnerable. He coerced her to go with him, convinced her that he had her best interests at heart by helping her get home, but instead took her to an address where he raped her.

Hampshire Constabulary is dedicated to getting justice for victims and ensuring Southampton is a safe place to enjoy nights out. Remember to look out for each other, avoid walking alone and plan how you are going to get home with friends.

I hope this sentence today goes someway to giving the woman closure and reassures her, and the communities in Hampshire, that justice has been served."