Latest Offenders

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ONE hundred and sixteen indecent images of children were found by police on computer equipment owned by a Roman Catholic parish priest.

Father Barnaby Dowling (46) was said at a Salisbury magistrates' court last week to have viewed various forms of pornography on the internet and to have used chat rooms and viewed indecent images of young girls.

Magistrates told the priest that what made his case more serious was that he had distributed some of the images to other users and, adjourning sentence for reports to be compiled, warned him that all sentencing options remained open including a prison sentence.

Father Dowling, from St Osmund's Church in Exeter Street, pleaded guilty to three charges of distributing indecent photographs of children, four charges of making indecent photographs of children and admitted one charge of possessing 14 indecent photographs of children.

Prosecutor Becky Abbott told the court that in October 2004, Devon and Cornwall police were carrying out an investigation and various individuals were identified on computer equipment they had seized.

Father Dowling's name was among them and Salisbury police executed a warrant at his address in Exeter Street.

Police took away a computer, a laptop and other computer equipment.

She said 73 pictures were found on the laptop, and in all 116 images were found, although only 40 of them were still accessible as Father Dowling had deleted the others.

The images were mainly of young girls, although one was of a boy.

Father Dowling admitted he used a screen name to receive images and had forwarded some on to other users, but only by prior arrangement.

Paul Jones, defending, said Father Dowling was extremely remorseful and embarrassed at being before the court.

Mr Jones said the offences were "low level" for that type of offence and involved a small number of images compared to many other cases.

He said the priest had deleted many images and had not received any financial gain from what he had done.

Mr Jones said: "He has been a parish priest for 22 years, the last three in Salisbury.

"He has now been told by the Church that he will be restricted to what he may do within the ministry and will not have anything to do with children.

"This will have an impact on the community which has been his life.

"Father Dowling has received considerable support from that community and from his parish. These offences took place during a difficult time for him.

"He had been diagnosed with cancer and there followed a period of depression. He, himself, needed support and fortunately he now is receiving that support."

Mr Jones handed to the magistrates a number of references and said: "This had had a devastating effect on him.

"Because of the media interest he will be in the public eye. He is going to be restricted in his duties and all this is greater punishment for him than anything the court can do."

Adjourning sentence until July 10, presiding magistrate Dr Pauline Tremlett told him he had been in a position of trust.

She said it involved a small number of images but the fact that he had distributed some of them made it a more serious matter.

She said: "We are aware of your genuine remorse and that it happened during a period of ill health, but we wish to protect the public and we wish to rehabilitate and reform you."

Father Dowling was granted bail until his next appearance on July 10.

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A DUMFRIES sex monster was found guilty of subjecting two women to heinous ordeals.

Paul Adair, 29, was found guilty after a five-day trial at the High Court in Glasgow of sexually assaulting an Airdrie mother, 36.

She testified in court that Adair committed various sex acts on her in her Airdrie home between 1996 and 2003.

In addition, a Dumfries woman testified that Adair sexually assaulted her in his home on Young Avenue, Lincluden, on several occasions between Christmas Eve, 2004 and April 11, last year.

A charge that he repeatedly raped the 25-year-old woman was dropped by the jury.

Adair was also acquitted of raping the woman's friend in her Dumfries home earlier in August and October 2004 with a not proven verdict.

According to the court, Adair met the woman on a phone chat line and she slept with him after inviting him to her home.

She introduced Adair to her 25-year-old friend during their first romance.

The woman went on to accuse Adair of rape, but she denied an allegation made by Frances McMenamin, Adair's de fence QC, that she made up the rape story to spite him after discovering he had been sleeping with her best friend behind her back.

Adair did not appear in court.

Adair, a supermarket employee, was placed on the sex offenders register following the verdicts.

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A sadistic prison officer who raped four women and kidnapped a series of teenage girls while posing as a policeman was jailed for life yesterday.

John David Hall, 35, attacked some of his victims when they agreed to go out with him, and assaulted others after luring them into his car on the pretext of asking directions.

He indecently assaulted girls aged 12 and 13 and tried to attack three others aged 13, 14 and 15 over a period of eight years.

One of Hall's rape victims suffered a double fracture of the jaw when he punched her to keep her quiet.

Hall, who is twice married, carried out some of his attacks while running a wing at Wakefield Prison. He carried out some of the kidnappings while driving home in his uniform. He told victims he was a policeman and briefly showed them an identity card that seemed to confirm it.

He was convicted of five counts of rape at an earlier trial. However, they could not be reported at the time because he was awaiting a court appearance on the -kidnappings.

Passing sentence at Leeds Crown Court, Mr Justice Goldring told Hall that the appropriate determinative sentence for his crimes was 25 years, and that he must serve at least half that before being considered for parole. But he went on: "I want to make this absolutely clear. The sentence I pass is one of life imprisonment. It is not a sentence of twelve-and-a-half years.''

The judge said that although Hall now appeared to accept his guilt on the rape charges, he had put all four victims through the ordeal of giving evidence in the witness box.

At his trial in March the jury heard that the prison officer derived pleasure from forcing women to have sex with him.

He raped four women and tried to rape a fifth. One victim was a prostitute and another was a 17-year-old he picked up while driving.

The others included a 19-year-old he met after a football match and a young doctor who had stayed at his flat after a night out. Julian Goose, QC, prosecuting, told the jury that Hall had been a prison officer from the age of 20, serving at Wakefield, Full Sutton, near York, and at Wetherby.

"To many who knew him the defendant appeared to lead a normal life with secure employment in the prison service," he said. "The reality, however, is that over a period of years from 1997 to 2001 the defendant raped women and with some of them he also used violence, fracturing the jaw of one of them in the course of the rape."

Mr Goose said that Hall admitted having sex with all of the women but claimed it was always consensual. The court was told that in March 1997 he drove a 19-year-old back to her flat in Leeds, picking her up outside a sports stadium where he had been playing football. He got into her house by claiming that he needed to use the lavatory. Once inside he launched his attack.

In November 1997, Hall was driving along Harehills Lane in Leeds when he saw a 17-year-old girl he recognised from a nightclub. She got into his car after he invited her out for a drink. Instead he took her to his home in Rothwell where he raped her.

Hall's next victim, a 21-year-old prostitute, was attacked in March 1998. She had agreed to perform a sex act for cash but he later forced himself on her. He punched her so hard she was left semi-conscious on the floor. She needed an emergency operation to repair the double fracture to her jaw.

By late 2001 Hall had moved to a flat in St John's Square, Wakefield, where he tried to rape a newly qualified GP.

Hall was first arrested after the attack on the 17-year-old, but police let him go because there was insufficient evidence to detain him. He was arrested again last year in respect of all the offences.

He married his first wife in May 1996. She left him in 1997 when he was in police custody on suspicion of rape.

He met his current wife in Wakefield in 2001 and they married two years later. He was arrested hours after she gave birth to their first child.

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A known paedophile who repeatedly raped a nine-year-old girl despite being under community supervision was today jailed indefinitely.

Kevin Hazelwood, 40, was already on the sex offenders' register for downloading child pornography but was still able to subject the girl to a string of assaults. He was told he must serve a minimum of five years and seven months.

He pleaded guilty at Lewes crown court on March 10 to six counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape and two counts of indecent assault, all on the same victim.

Hazelwood, from Brighton, also admitted charges of sexual activity with or in the presence of a child under 13, historic assaults on a girl dating back to the 1980s and for making indecent movies of children.

Judge Richard Hayward said Hazelwood was "cunning and manipulative" and was "unable or unwilling" to control his paedophile urges.

The court heard that in October 2002 Hazelwood was placed on the sex offenders' register after pleading guilty to 20 specimen counts of making indecent pictures of children.

Judge Hayward told him: "Before anyone rushes to judgment on this issue, I must say that you alone are to blame. You are cunning and manipulative of people. You gave every indication of complying with the sex offenders' register and there is no reason why a hard-pressed probation officer or anyone else should know anything about it."

He added: "You are a determined and predatory paedophile and you will remain a danger to young girls for the foreseeable future."

Gillian Etherton, prosecuting, told the court how Hazelwood befriended the nine-year-old girl's parents before using the relationship to "systematically sexually abuse" her from when she was about six years old until two weeks before his arrest in November 2005.

Miss Etherton said: "It would appear from a fairly early stage that the defendant took a keen interest (in the young girl).

"At face value he appeared to get on well with her and would say to her mother that he would in effect take her up to her room to give mum breathing space."

The mother recalled that suggestions of sleepovers with the girl at Hazelwood's home were always initiated by him, Miss Etherton said.

She added that the abuse came to light in November 2005 when the girl disclosed to her mother in conversation that "uncle Kevin does it to me".

"The mother immediately understood what the disclosure meant," said Miss Etherton.

The girl also disclosed that when she would cry while being abused, Hazelwood would "call her a baby".

As a result of the girl's conversation with her mother, police were brought in and in interview she said Hazelwood had subjected her to three years of abuse.

Miss Etherton said: "He would sometimes say to her 'I'm bored, let's play a game' and he would often entice her with different games and presents.

"She described how she didn't want any presents because they reminded her of him."

The court heard that Hazelwood had taken indecent pictures of the girl and had threatened to send them to her mother if she failed to maintain her silence over the abuse.

Miss Etherton said: "She felt to some degree to blame and in trouble and to some degree that explains her silence."

Following the girl's police interview in November 2005, Hazelwood was arrested and questioned but initially declined to comment, except to admit abusing another young girl between 1981 and 1985.

He later admitted to making indecent images, including taking pictures of the nine-year-old girl, which were later deleted.

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A PAEDOPHILE from Taunton who had sex with two under-age girls while filming his disgusting acts on a hidden video camera has been jailed for seven years.

Former church volunteer Arthur Waite, of Eastleigh Road, was caught when he took photos of the girls, aged 13 and 15, to be developed and police were called.

He covered his head in shame while being led into Taunton Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday), having pleaded guilty to nine charges, including one of rape.

Prosecuting, Ian Dixey, said the offences took place between 2004 and 2005 when the children were left in Waite's care a number of times.

On August 26, 2005, after being alerted by staff in the photography shop, officers found three videotapes of the 65-year-old sexually ab-using the children.

They were in a carrier bag hidden in a hedge outside his home along with two sex aids.

The videos, which had been produced into a compilation, featured 34 scenes showing Waite having sexual intercourse with the girls.

Mr Dixey said it remained unclear why the films had been edited and copied. A static camera was found on top of a wardrobe in the master bedroom.

Waite had "groomed the girls over a period of time to accept the sexual activity that went on," spending mo-ney on them and buying them clothes, the court heard.

He also showed the younger girl pornographic videos and encouraged her to wear provocative clothing.

Defending, Lawrence Wilcox said Waite, a father of two and a grandfather, had served in the forces for six years and worked as a driver.

Of previous good character, he had also done charity work overseas with the church and the Royal British Legion.

He had attempted suicide on September 1 last year once proceedings against him began.

Sentencing Waite, Judge Stephen O'Malley said: "Your behaviour constituted a grave breach of trust.

"Instead of caring for these young people you involved them in grossly indecent sexual activity over a period of time, the conduct taking place years before it should have normally happened."

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A FAILED Blind Date contestant jailed for having sex with a schoolgirl after giving her cannabis has been convicted of raping another after also giving her the drug.

Johnny Law, pictured, was jailed for a year in 2002 after picking up the 15-year-old outside a Bicester school, giving her cannabis and then having sex with her.

He was initially charged with rape but it was dropped and he pleaded guilty to unlawful sex.

Now Law who was an unsuccessful contestant on Blind Date ten years ago has again been convicted of rape.

Law, formerly of Iffley Road, Oxford, picked up the 15-year-old in his van, gave her cannabis before attacking her in a field in Waterlooville, Portsmouth, months after moving to Hampshire, Portsmouth Crown Court heard.

His latest victim gave video interviews to tell how Law asked for directions and gave her cannabis before leading her to the field off Stakes Hill Road, where he carried out his attack.

He fled back to Oxfordshire, but was quickly arrested.

Law initially told officers they would not find any DNA evidence.

But when forensic tests on the girl's clothing showed traces of Law's DNA he changed his story, claiming the girl wanted to have sex with him.

A jury at Portsmouth Crown Court took just four hours to reject Law's explanation. He had previously admitted supplying cannabis to the girl.

Dressed in a grey suit, Law showed little emotion as the foreman returned the guilty verdict.

But as he left court he shouted: "I am going to kill myself. I'd rather be dead than in prison."

Outside court, the girl's distraught mother said: "To know that he has done something like this before makes me feel sick. Maybe if he had been dealt with properly my daughter would not have had to have gone through this."

Law claimed to be a part-time singer when he appeared with Cilla Black on ITV's matchmaking programme Blind Date.

He was one of three contestants trying to be picked.

He tried to impress the studio audience and the girl by singing a Buddy Holly song.

But his would-be date was not impressed and picked another contestant.

Audiences at the time did not know Law had already been accused of rape after a woman claimed she was attacked in his van a year earlier.

In 1995, Law was acquitted of rape after picking up a woman at the end of Cornmarket Street and had sex with her in a road in North Oxford.

He told the jury the woman had consented to sex, but ran away after he told her about his girlfriend and baby.

Law, now of Green Road, Southsea, will be sentenced at Isle of Wight Crown Court next month.

When he was jailed at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Paul Clark said the pre-sentence report revealed an attitude of blaming everybody but himself.

He added the maximum sentence for unlawful sexual intercourse was two years.

He put Law on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

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A sports centre manager on Shetland has been jailed for five years after admitting sexually abusing four young boys over a period of 17 years.

Stephen Duncan, 45, of Gott, gave his victims, aged between seven and 13, gifts including computer games.

Duncan made sex videos of the boys while working as a lifeguard.

The High Court in Glasgow heard the offences took place between 1978 and 1995 at the swimming pool in Lerwick, at Duncan's home and in a caravan.

Lewd practices

Duncan's crimes only came to light when one of his victims mentioned it during counselling after a road accident.

At an earlier hearing he pled guilty to charges of lewd practices and indecent assault involving four boys.

He was placed on the sex offenders' register.

The court heard that Duncan helped draw up child protection rules in the Clickimin Leisure Complex where he was the 40,000 a year manager.

Judge Lord Abernethy told Duncan his crimes were a gross breach of the trust placed on him by his employers and the parents of his victims.

He added: "You were employed to keep them safe, but instead you took advantage of your position to abuse them.

"The effects on your victims are simply incalculable."

Lord Abernethy took account of the fact that Duncan had contributed positively in various ways to the community and also the fact that the consequences for him might be greater than in a larger anonymous community.

Matthew Jackson, defending, said Duncan appreciated the anguish he had caused the victims and revealed that he now faced bankruptcy after losing his job.

He added: "He is a classic example of a man who has lost it all as a result of his activities and there are grave doubts whether he will ever be able to return home.

"His father is very ill and when he saw him last he knew it would be the last time they would see each other."

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A judge has apologised to two teenage girls after sentencing guidelines prevented her from jailing a pervert who sexually abused them at his animal sanctuary.

Judge Patricia Lynch QC admitted that it was with a heavy heart that Michael Taylor, 75, was allowed to walk free from court despite abusing the girls, then aged 15 and 17.

Taylor had admitted to sexual assault at the petting farm he has run since 1989. He groomed, kissed and groped the pair now aged 17 and 19 at Mistley Park Place in Essex, which is home to 2,000 animals.

In her victim impact statement, the younger of the two victims said she would like to see Taylor go to prison for a long time a sentiment the judge said she understood.

But because of Sentencing Council guidelines relating to the age of the victims and the seriousness of the assaults, Judge Lynch said she was unable to put Taylor behind bars.

Speaking to the victims and their families at Chelmsford Crown Court, she said: With a heavy heart I propose to adopt the recommendations in the pre-sentence report.

The judge imposed a 36-month community order, which led to criticism from the NSPCC. It said it did not feel morally right.

The young victims will have been scarred in some way by this appalling experience and will need support to recover, a spokesman said. Sentences in such cases should always fit the crime and act as a deterrent to others.

Judge Lynch told Taylor: You have to live with the damage you have done to two young lives.

You are 75 and hitherto of good character up until this period of dreadful offending.

I am sure this is a crime you will never forget and you dont deserve to forget.

You took advantage of children. Some might suggest you have only cuddled and kissed and this is not a serious case, but I deprecate any such suggestion. Adults who sexually assault children must take the consequences.

Although Taylor was also ordered to take part in a community sex offender programme and to sign the sex offenders register, he will still be allowed to continue working at the farm.

He was also told to pay 1,000 in costs and was banned from unsupervised contact with girls under 18 for five years.

Taylor, who runs Mistley Park Place, had made sure the girls were alone before kissing and cuddling them, the court was told. On one occasion, he offered 100 for a kiss and a cuddle.

He also sent the girls text messages and told them they were beautiful before urging them to delete the messages. He forcefully kissed the 17-year-old on the lips which she described as disgusting, the court heard.

During the same period, between July and October 2013, he kissed the 15-year-old girl, and touched her bottom and breasts over her clothes.

Chris Paxton, prosecuting, said: There was a process of grooming, ingratiating himself and trying to win over someone who was 50 years younger than himself.

Peter Barlex, mitigating, said that Taylor was trying to be sociable. He added: He was trying to offer comfort and be a friend, but accepts he got carried away and things got out of hand.

He appreciates the gravity of the allegations.

Speaking outside court, PC Rachel Moss of Essex Police said: Justice has been achieved.

It is clear to me that they have been severely affected by the crimes committed upon them by Taylor. I only hope the sentence will allow them to get on with their lives.

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 A "SCANDALOUS loophole" in the law has forced police to take legal action to ban a convicted paedophile from working with children.

Gavin Seagers (pictured), aged 34, was one of eight British men arrested when detectives busted international paedophile cyber-porn ring The Wonderland Club.

The sting in 1998 was the largest international police operation ever and led to 107 arrests in 12 countries and the seizure of 750,000 images of 1,200 children.

Seagers, a former youth leader at Dartford Sea Cadets, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute indecent images of children.

He was sentenced to two years in prison and freed after one.

Seagers was placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

Last month, the Daily Mirror duped Seagers, a computer consultant, into meeting reporters at a flat in Dartford.

Seagers believed he would be tutoring a young boy, after he advertised his services online.

He admitted he should not be left alone in a room with a child.

Seagers denied ever abusing a youngster but said he could not help fantasising about it.

Following the article's publication, Kent police applied to Dartford Magistrates' Court for an interim order, which was granted on May 11.

Seagers, who lives in Swanscombe, was banned from seeking and accepting work, including tutoring, with children under the age of 16.

Deputy council leader Councillor Jeremy Kite said: "It is scandalous this loophole exists.

"I don't think he received a significant enough sentence or was given the right order when he was first convicted.

The interim court order is valid until August 11 this year.

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A former Sunday school teacher and devout Christian has been jailed after he admitted performing oral sex on an underage girl.

A court heard the 47-year-old groomed the teenager for sexual acts back at his home while his wife was out at work.

This included showering naked before her, inviting her into his bed, touching and kissing her and oral sex.

The court heard how the man, a member of a Christian church in Cornwall, said afterwards to his pastor that he "had sinned and had been crying out to our lord for forgiveness.”

Appearing for sentence at Truro Crown Court on Tuesday was Paul Stephen Bickerstaff, of Bownder Vean, Bethel, St Austell.

He had previously pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual touching of a child, which happened last year. The girl cannot be identified due to her age and as the victim of a sexual offence.

Piers Norsworthy, prosecuting, said Bickerstaff told the teenager that they were soul mates and complimented her on her hair and appearance. He said Bickerstaff then sexually assaulted the girl at his home.

“He took her in his arms and lifted her off the sofa,” he said. “He put her down but grabbed her by the thighs and steered her towards his bedroom. She got into his bed and he, naked, got into bed with her.

“He asked her about sexual preferences and they began to kiss. She stopped and pushed him away. He then undid her bra.”

Mr Norsworthy said the girl asked him three times to stop, which he did initially but then continued each time.

“He did perform oral sex on her, which lasted between five and ten minutes.” he added.

On another occasion, Bickerstaff kissed the girl after they climbed to the top of the beauty spot Roche Rock.

Afterwards, the girl told her parents what had happened and Bickerstaff confessed to his pastor. Mr Norsworthy said Bickerstaff had previously worked as a Sunday school teacher and was now employed as a gardener.

In her personal impact statement, the girl said she felt “dirty and stupid” about what had happened, which had affected her self-confidence. She said: “I couldn’t bear it any more but I did not want to talk to the police. I felt, and still feel, guilty about what happened – guilty at being manipulated again and again.”

Barry Hilliard, representing Bickerstaff, said his client had a troubled upbringing, being the victim of physical and emotional abuse as a child. He said Bickerstaff left home at 18 and joined the army for three years, where he served in Northern Ireland.

“More recently, he had found comfort in the church and found his wife through the church,” he added.

Bickerstaff had been having troubles in his marriage at the time of the offence and his mental health had been affected, he said.

“When he looks back at what he’s done, at the time he thought there was a connection between himself and the child,” he said. “Now he can see it was all in his head. He looks at what he’s done and just can’t understand it.”

Mr Hilliard said Bickerstaff, of previous good character, was being supported by his wife and his church, and handed in to the court letters of reference.

Crediting Bickerstaff for his honesty, Judge Robert Linford said to him: “I acknowledge that many people in your position would have denied these offences or said nothing. You did not. You confessed to what you had done and you expressed remorse and apology. I’ve read references from people who speak highly of you and cannot believe you acted in the way you did.”

However, he said the offences were so serious that an immediate custodial sentence could not be overlooked.

Bickerstaff was jailed for two years and will serve half that time before being eligible for release.

He will also be registered as a sex offender and was made the subject of sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

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A multimillionaire property investor who indecently assaulted a 16-year-old girl has been jailed for a year.John Currell, 43, was found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

The court was told he had given the girl a lift home, touched her and encouraged her to take her top off.

Currell, from Lisvane in Cardiff, who is married with two children, is said to be worth £16m.

Sentencing, judge Mark Furness told Currell he had known "full well" the teenager did not want him to be in her house.

"You endeavoured to create a sexual liaison with her and invited her to take her clothes off," he said.

'Little secret'

Prosecuting, Nicholas Gareth-Jones said: "He [Currell] invited her on a number of occasions to take her top off - the girl refused.

"Eventually he touched her breasts, stomach and back in a way that was deliberate and indecent."

The court heard Currell had stayed with the girl until 5.30 in the morning, and later called her to say that the incident should be "their little secret."

Speaking from the dock, Currell made a full apology to the girl, saying he would "like to say sorry for upsetting her".

Morgan Jenkins, defending, said Currell's reputation "had suffered terribly" as a result of the case.

"He is worried about the impact custody will have on his family and business acquaintances," he said.

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A retired community policeman has been jailed for 12 years for a string of sex attacks on a schoolgirl. Pc Kevin Williams, 50, from Taffs Well, near Cardiff, visited schools as part of his job.

But a court heard it was only after he retired that other officers in South Wales Police discovered he had carried out a seven-year reign of abuse.

He raped and forced a 15-year-old girl to dress up for pornographic pictures, warning her not to tell anyone.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that he told the girl : "Who would believe you? I am the police."

"Apart from being a disgraceful abuser you clearly are a paedophile" Judge Jonathan Durham Hall.

His victim, now aged 30, told the court how Williams made her dress up for lurid photographs.

She came forward to give evidence years later, after receiving counselling.

Williams, who retired after 16 years with South Wales Police in 2001, was convicted of indecent assault, rape, a serious sexual assault, and making indecent photos.

The court heard he was a keen photographer and took pictures of naked models.

Pictures he had taken were discovered in Williams' car by mechanics when he took it to be serviced.

More pictures - of a half-naked woman - were discovered hidden under the carpet by a couple who bought a house from him.

He had converted the garage of the house into a darkroom to process his own photographs.

'Systematic abuse'

When questioned, Williams admitted he took nude photos of women, but explained: "I don't find anything wrong as long as they are old enough and willing."

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told him: "You were, on the face of it, an outstanding police officer, but little did the public know that you were systematically abusing this girl.

"These charges were bad examples of your disgusting and utterly vile conduct. Apart from being a disgraceful abuser you clearly are a paedophile.

"You threatened your victim by saying nobody would believe her and, to cap it all you said "Who can you complain to? I am the police?"

Jailing Williams for 12 years, the judge ordered him to register as a sex offender and banned him from working with children.

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A teaching assistant who groomed a 13-year-old girl for sex is believed to be the first sex offender to be sentenced under tough new legislation. Jamie Gunn, 25, of Haverhill, Suffolk, admitted seven offences and was jailed for three years.

He was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court under new laws aimed at tackling paedophiles.

They said under old laws the sentence passed down would have been no more than a year in length.

Gunn pleaded guilty to offences of grooming, sexual touching and sexual activity - charges introduced as part of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The act, which came into force in May, increased the penalty for having sex with a child aged between 13 and 16 from a two-year maximum to a 14-year maximum. Having sex with a girl aged under 13 carries a maximum life sentence.

The act also introduced the offence of sexual grooming - designed to combat the activities of paedophiles who use internet chatrooms to contact children.

The court was told Gunn was an information technology specialist at the school and the girl had initially made contact with him via email.

But Judge John Holt said the girl was in no way to blame for what had happened and that Gunn had to bear the responsibility for grooming her then meeting her for sex.

He banned Gunn from working with children indefinitely and ordered him to sign the Sexual Offenders' Register.

He said Gunn would serve half his three-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

'Stupid mistake'

The court heard Gunn's offences had come to light after the girl's mother saw something suspicious on her computer.

Robert Sadd, prosecuting, said the two had exchanged explicit text and email messages over about a month.

Mr Sadd said Gunn had not forced the girl to have sex and had asked whether she was sure about taking such a step.

Roger Harrison, for Gunn, said his client had made a full admission to police, taking the blame and saying it was "a stupid mistake".

He said Gunn had not gone to work at the school with the intention of meeting young girls and did not believe he had paedophile tendencies.

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A paedophile who boasted of beating his own "record" of sexually abusing 142 boys in a year, has been given a life sentence at Plymouth Crown Court.

William Goad, 60, of Ford Park Road, Plymouth, was described in court as a "voracious, calculating, predatory and violent" paedophile.

Goad had pleaded guilty to 14 specimen counts of serious sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault.

The first count of abuse admitted by Goad took place in 1965.

Goad also received a concurrent 12-month sentence for obtaining a passport by deception in 1998.

"It is believed there has been no single defendant with more victims that this man" Martin Meeke QC.

He had admitted obtaining a passport by deception "with a view to escaping from this country and escaping the consequences of what he had done", the court was told.

Martin Meeke QC, prosecuting, said Goad groomed his victims by offering them well-paid jobs in his shop and inviting them back to his home.

The court was told he once boasted of beating his own "record" of sexually abusing 142 boys in one year - a claim denied by the defendant.

Mr Meeke said Goad abused some of his victims three to four times a week for two to three years.

He said: "Goad has been a voracious, calculating, predatory and violent paedophile for 40 years.

"It is believed there has been no single defendant with more victims than this man."

'Life means life'

Goad claimed he had himself been sexually abused at school, but he refused to help a police investigation into the allegations.

Passing sentence, Judge William Taylor said Goad was a "dangerous paedophile".

He gave Goad credit for pleading guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing in September, but said he was in no doubt that Goad posed an ongoing serious danger to young men.

Judge Taylor said: "I make it as plain as I can that you will not be released until the authorities are perfectly satisfied that you no longer pose any threat to anyone.

"It may well mean in your case life will mean just that."

The hearing was regularly punctuated with angry shouts from the public gallery, which was packed with Goad's victims and their families.

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A karate instructor who fled to Spain during his trial on sex abuse charges against teenagers in his care has been jailed for six years and eight months. Graham Phillips, 53, from Hill Ridware, near Rugeley, Staffs, went on the run 10 days into his trial last December.

Phillips was then convicted of nine indecent assaults and given a six-year prison sentence in his absence.

He was extradited to Britain from Majorca on Monday and has been given an eight-month term for breaching bail.

"This has brought a sense of closure to the victims who Phillips preyed upon" Insp Nick Lakin.

Phillips, formerly of Uttoxeter Road, Hill Ridware, was arrested last month and appeared at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday after being held in custody overnight.

He had denied 10 counts of indecent assault against girls aged between 13 and 16 at his trial in December but was convicted of seven offences.

He also denied two further counts of rape, although the jury instead returned guilty verdicts of indecent assault on those charges.

Phillips was also banned from working with children and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

'Rebuild' lives

Insp Nick Lakin, who led the initial investigation, said: "Phillips is a dangerous, manipulative paedophile who was determined to escape justice at any cost.

"It has taken several months to trace him and bring him back to Britain and we would like to thank the public for their co-operation in the investigation.

"This has brought a sense of closure to the victims who Phillips preyed upon.

"Hopefully now they and their families can begin to rebuild their lives."