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A teenage girl kicked a paedophile in the groin when he tried to sexually assault her.

David Jervis pinned his 15-year-old victim down on his bed and attempted to force his hands down her trousers before she bravely fought back. The 63-year-old has now been convicted of subjecting a teenager to such an attack for the second time.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that the pervert invited the schoolgirl to the stables where he kept his horses on several occasions as he sought to "systematically groom" her. Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, described how Jervis later offered to give her cash during a visit to his house, but she declined the money.

He then grabbed the teen by the thighs, lifted her up, carried her to a bedroom, threw her onto the bed and pinned her down. The convicted sex offender tried to put his hand down her trousers but she "bravely fought back", managing to escape after kicking him between the legs.

Afterwards, Jervis - of Birchall Street in Croft, Warrington - "carried on as if nothing had happened". He gave her a birthday card and designer clothing at one point and sought to convince her to return to his address before she reported him to the police, at which point he denied having committed the attack and said she had never been to his home.

The complainant tearfully read out a statement to the court highlighting the devastating impact his actions had upon her, saying he had "exploited her for his sexual fantasy". She added: "This has left a permanent psychological scar on my mind.

"It is something I'm coming to terms with. I believe this is something I will have to live with and work through for a long time.

"I was a 15-year-old child and could not have comprehended that anyone could be as manipulative as Jervis has been. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

"I was worried if he was not found guilty he would be able to do the same to somebody else. Hopefully this will mean he can't hurt anyone else."

Jervis has a total of 15 previous convictions for 47 offences, including being jailed for three years in 1998 for three counts of sexual assault against a teenage girl. Simeon Evans, defending, told the court that his client suffers from dementia - having claimed during his trial to have no member of the incident due to his condition - and "continues to assert his innocence".

He was found guilty of sexual assault by a jury. Jervis was jailed for five years and handed an additional three-year licence period.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You compelled her to have to come to court and give evidence, to relive the ordeal and be branded a liar. I am quite satisfied you were grooming her.

"It is difficult to know where you would have gone had she not resisted. You seem entirely undeterred by what you have done.

"She has clearly been severely affected and traumatised by the experience. That latent deviancy is still in you even now, as illustrated by this offence.

"I consider you are a manipulative person who sought to exploit his condition. I do conclude that you present as a dangerous offender."

Jervis was also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely. He was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim for eight years.

Record details

This paedophile had condoms in his suitcase after arranging to meet a 14-year-old Derbyshire boy at a hotel for sex. Derby Crown Court heard how Connor Nevison groomed the teenager online suggesting they shower and sleep naked together before travelling 136 miles to meet him.

But when the 23-year-old arrived in the car park of the Derbyshire hotel, he realised that underage Kyle was really the creation of a self-styled paedophile hunter group. The defendant has previous child sex offences including one for attempted sexual assault in a school toilet when he, himself, was around the same age as his intended victim.

Jailing Nevison for 16 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “You were aware the boy was 14 and you arranged to meet him and when you went there to meet him you had condoms in your suitcase. This is a grooming offence and your criminality is in the lead-up to the offence and not what you had when you were arrested.”

Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said the offending all took place during the summer of last year. She said a paedophile hunter from Nottingham set up Kyle’s decoy account on social media and very quickly the defendant sent him a message saying “hey, how are you doing?”.

The prosecutor said the decoy messaged back asking if he knew him and Nevison replied that he was 22 years of age and wanted to be friends with him on Facebook.

Miss Allen said: “He asked Kyle how long he had known he was gay and that if he was sexually immature he would teach him what he knew about dating. He offered to meet up and over the next couple of weeks continued to chat to him online.

“He said they could go back to a hotel room and made sexual comments about him saying they could sleep nude together and shower together. The two made arrangements to meet up in Long Eaton, where Kyle said he was from, on August 10, 2022 and on August 5 the defendant booked a hotel room.

“On August 10, the defendant drove from his home in Morecambe to Long Eaton and went to the car park of the hotel and waited for Kyle to turn up. But instead, some members of the hunter group turned up and asked him what he was doing before calling the police who arrived and arrested him.”

Nevison, of Lancaster Road, Morecambe, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually communicate with a child and attempting to meet a child following grooming. His previous convictions include an attempted sexual assault from 2015 and a conviction for voyeurism from 2018.

As well as the jail terms, Judge Smith handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offender register for 10 years. Patrick Williamson, mitigating, said his client was suffering from mental health problems at the time of the offending last summer.

Record details

A student has been jailed for distributing extreme child pornography after he messaged other offenders claiming he wanted no teens only babies.

Police said that Ethan Payne, 19, of Tollington Road, who studied microbiology and worked part-time in a bakery, was found to possess more than 900 indecent images.

An investigation uncovered that Payne interacted with other offenders online sharing experiences, fantasies and extreme pornography.

At one point, Payne is said to have spoken about sexually abusing dogs.

The teenager was jailed for four years, with an extension period of three years, on May 2 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

He has also been issued with a ten year sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

An investigation by the Mets online child sex abuse and exploitation unit in Camden was launched after police received three separate referrals for uploads of indecent images of children on Snapchat, Instagram and Discord.

The material was uploaded from 2021 to 2022 and were linked to Ethan Payne.

Detectives obtained a warrant and on October 12, 2022, arrested Payne at his home address on suspicion of distributing indecent images of children.

Paynes laptop and mobile phone were seized during the search of his home.

Police said that the material on the devices showed Payne to be a dangerous sex offender obsessed with necrophilia, paedophilia, animal abuse, murder and torture.

On the laptop and mobile phone combined, officers found pornographic images in categories A to C, with A being the most extreme.

There were 430 Category A, 247 Category B, 125 Category C and 157 extreme pornography images.

Payne was subsequently charged with the following:

• Three counts of possession of an indecent image of a child
• Two counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image / images portraying an act of intercourse / oral sex with a dead or alive animal
• Four counts of distributing an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child
• One count of being an offender 18 or over causing / inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
• One count of encouraging/ assisting in the commission of an either way offence believing it will be committed (Serious Crime Act 2007)

He pleaded guilty to 10 of 11 charges on November 15, 2022.

One charge of possession of an extreme pornographic image was later dropped as it was considered to be a duplicate offence.

Investigating Police Constable Lydia Kelly said: There is no doubt that Payne is a danger to children and to animals.

He is focused in his depravity on the most vulnerable and the sharing of his material online has fuelled other paedophiles.

It is right that he has been jailed, his abhorrent behaviour has no place in society.

Record details

A sex offender from Snodland who repeatedly abused a child over a period of almost 10 years has been jailed.

Martin Emery was convicted of a catalogue of offences, after he targeted his vulnerable victim during a series of assaults between 1997 and 2005.

Allegations of abuse were first reported to Kent Police on 18 February 2018 and Emery, who was living in Chatham at the time, was arrested the same day.

An investigation uncovered that Emery had also secretly filmed his victim, and further offences were identified after several devices were seized from his home including a hard drive and USB stick.

The devices were found to contain hundreds of indecent images of children downloaded from the internet, many of which were in the most serious category.

They also included evidence of obscene and extreme images and videos, some of which involved animals.

Trial and conviction

In June 2021, Emery appeared before Medway Magistrates‘ Court where he only admitted to four charges relating to possessing and making indecent images of children, as well as a charge of possessing extreme pornographic images.

Emery denied all the allegations of child sexual abuse but following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault, sexual assault and voyeurism.

The 64-year-old, of Birling Road, Snodland was sentenced on Wednesday 3 May, to five years’ imprisonment.

He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Harrowing abuse

DC Wendy Tondeur, of the North Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, said: ‘Emery had the trust of a child and exploited this trust in the worst possible way, by subjecting her to systematic and harrowing abuse. The victim was left feeling helpless and with nowhere to turn, but thankfully in recent years found the courage to come forward and help us ensure Emery has now been brought to justice.‘I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to remember that it is never too late to report this to police. We have a team of specialist officers who work relentlessly to ensure that offenders like Emery do not evade justice, just because a crime may have happened a long time ago. We will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity.’

Record details

A former Northamptonshire Police special constable has been jailed for two years and six months for child sex offences.

On December 1, 2021, Steven Hayden-Tift, 45, previously of Northampton, engaged in sexualised chat with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old boy but who was actually an undercover police officer.

During the conversation, which took place over Grindr and Snapchat, Tift sent sexual photos of himself and asked for similar photos back.

Following an investigation by Northamptonshire Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Unit (OCAIU), Tift was identified as the offender and arrested at his home address on December 19, 2021. 

He was subsequently charged with attempting sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and was found guilty by a jury following a trial at Northampton Crown Court which ended on March 18, 2023.

He returned to the same court today (May 4) where he was sentenced to two years and six months, half of which he will serve in prison.

He was also handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Detective Inspector Matt Haworth, said: “We are pleased with the outcome of today’s sentencing as it means that Steven Tift will spend time in prison as a result of our investigation.

“Tift’s position as a Special Constable placed him in a position of trust which he grossly abused when he sought to use the internet to abuse a child. Thankfully in this case, the child in question was actually a police officer and we were able to take swift action to arrest him.

“I hope this case reassures the public that we work proactively at Northamptonshire Police to bring people like Tift to justice regardless of who they are or what roles they hold.

"As an organisation, we are determined to identify those who commit wrongdoing and who are not fit to serve the public and we will be relentless in our pursuit of them.

“We will continue working hard to keep our children in Northamptonshire safe and to bring anyone who threatens that safety to justice.”

Record details

A RAPE victim has spoken out after her attacker was convicted of rape by a crown court judge.

The woman, whose identity is protected, explained how she awoke suddenly to find Shaun Western raping her.

The victim had been on a night out with friends in Colchester in September 2018 and returned to her flat at the end of the night, but when she woke up to find she was being raped by Western, 24, who fled the flat when he had been discovered.

In a police interview, Western claimed the sex was consensual but the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court did not believe him and on Tuesday he was sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said the attack had impacted hugely on “every aspect” of her life.

She said: “Since this happened, I started to suffer from night terrors.

“I never used to have issues sleeping, now when I have a night terror I start to drift off to sleep, I will jolt awake with the memory of him on top of me.

“It would make me feel breathless and panicky.”

The victim also said she has since been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, with her ability to work also majorly affected.

Officer in the case Detective Sergeant Danielle Markoutsis praised the victim for her courage.

He said: “[The victim’s strength character throughout this process has been an inspiration.

“While delays in bringing this case to trial were outside of our control, the verdict and sentence serve as a stark reminder of our clear determination to bring sex offenders to justice.

“The early advice process we have in place [with the Crown Prosecution Service] seeks to involve a lawyer in the very early stages of an investigation to agree a joint action plan with the officer in charge.

“This is helping to improve the timeliness of our investigations, leading to more solved outcomes and has now been recognised by the college of policing, which has included this as evidence of good practice for other forces to follow.”

Western will be subject to an indefinite restraining order and will remain on the sex offender's register for life.

Record details

A man convicted of raping another man after leading him to a Chelmsford alleyway has been jailed for 8-and-a-half years.

In the early hours of August 9 2019, following a night out, the victim became unwell in Baddow Road when he was approached by 29-year-old Luke Bennett who offered to help him.

Bennett, of Townsend, Springfield, walked the unknown man to an alleyway off Baddow Road and raped and sexually assaulted him.

Bennett called for an ambulance, and waited with the victim, 20s, but left when the paramedics arrived.

He was arrested nearby a few hours later and subsequently charged with rape and sexual assault.

Bennett was convicted of rape and sexual assault following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court on June 22 2022 and, on Wednesday (May 3), he was sentenced to 8-and-a-half years imprisonment.

He was also made subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will be a registered sex offender indefinitely.

Detective Constable Ann-Marie Aubynn, who led the investigation, said: “We support all victims of sexual assault or rape and would encourage anyone who has been sexually assaulted to come forward and report to us so we can support you too.”

Record details

A Harrogate man has been jailed for over three years after his debauched online chats with young girls led him into a trap set by police.

Benjamin Shutt, 30, cruised the internet in search of easy targets and found them on social-media apps he had installed on his phone, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor David Hewitt said police forensic officers downloaded no less than 816 pages of the depraved chats which began innocently and soon became sexualised.

Shutt, who told one girl she needed a sugar daddy, used the KIK messenger app to contact the first under-age child who told him she was 14 years old.

Mr Hewitt said there were about 220 messages sent between Shutt and the teenager between April 20 and May 16, 2020.

Shutt sent her a picture of his private parts, which he followed up with a request for her to send me more please, baby.

He asked for some photos of her body in the bath, added Mr Hewitt.

He told the girl he wanted to have sex with her so badly and then they talked about meeting up.

The girl agreed to meet, but Shutt told her they probably couldnt because he was twice her age.

There were further sexual conversations in which Shutt talked about the various things he would like to do to her.

After the girl sent him a very intimate picture of herself upon request, Shutt asked her if she had photos of herself when she was younger.

He then sent her a link via the KIK app to videos of him performing a sexual act on himself and urged her to watch them.

Shutt targeted another young girl on the Whisper app in December 2020 where he asked how old she was and when she initially told him she was 12, the messages continued regardless.

He asked her if she enjoyed the conversations and urged her to send him an intimate photo.

The girl later told him that her real age was 14, to which Shutt replied: Thats fine with me.

He said he wanted to have sex with her and advised her on how to perform a sexual act on herself.

He then sent the girl an image of himself performing a lewd act.

On Valentines Day 2021, Shutt ran out of luck when the 12-year-old girl with whom he thought he was chatting turned out to be an undercover cop posing as a teenager who posted a message on Whisper asking: Why are boys so rubbish?

The defendant replied and invited her to engage in private chat, said Mr Hewitt.

The salacious chats moved to another online platform and lasted about five weeks to the end of March 2021.

He told her that she needed a sugar daddy and explained what this was, said Mr Hewitt.

Shutt asked the girl if she had ever performed a sexual act on herself and offered her an instruction on how to do so.

He then urged her to carry out the act.

Police swooped on his home in Harrogate in April 2021 and found him in his bedroom where they seized his mobile phone.

Forensic analysis showed there were seven Category C indecent images of children on Shutts phone.

Mr Hewitt said there was also evidence to suggest that Shutt had been chatting with other children, although this didnt lead to further charges.

Shutt, of Grove Park View, was charged with two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, one count of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and one count of possessing indecent images of children.

He admitted all the offences and appeared for sentence today.

Defence barrister Andrew Stranex said that Shutt had endured a traumatic childhood and had been chatting with the girls during the Coronavirus lockdown.

He added that Shutt was an isolated and marginalised figure with few friends and that his offending had had a massive impact on his family.

Judge Sean Morris told Shutt: You pleaded guilty to a whole series of offences which involved you cruising the internet looking for young girls to corrupt.

There were two real victims before you were caught by an undercover officer patrolling the internet.

"As far as you were aware, that was (an under-age) girl.

You were obviously sexually aroused by young teenage girls.

Shutt was jailed for three years and five months and placed on the sex-offenders register for life.

He was also slapped with an eight-year sexual-harm prevention order mainly to curb his internet activities.

Record details

A SICKENING child rapist told a girl as young as ten that if she didn’t perform sexual actions for him “Father Christmas wouldn’t come.”

Lee Brown, 21, was sentenced on May 3 for eight counts of sexual misconduct relating to his sexual abuse of a pair of girls aged ten and eight at the time of his offending.

Brown, of Freshwater Close, Great Sankey, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, with crying family in the dock watching as his horrifying actions were laid out.

Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, told the court how Brown, who was 15 at the time of his offending, committed “systematic, persistent, and regular abuse over the course of a year.”

In the case of both victims, Brown began his abuse by pulling down his pants, and asking them to touch his penis.

Over the course of a year he did this repeatedly, as well as encouraging them to put their mouth on his penis. He also taught them how to masturbate, and told them to do it in front him.

His abuse was singular, only abusing one of the girls at a time. He did, however, abuse both for almost a year.

The victim who was ten at the time of the offence at one point resisted his requests. When she did this, he informed her that if she didn’t do it “Father Christmas wouldn’t come.”

The victim who was eight at the time of the offence, repeatedly told Brown ‘no’ when he made requests of her, but was pressured by the 15 year old child rapist.

In a victim personal statement, both expressed a desire to see Brown face proper consequences for what he did to them.

One victim said: “I feel I have to live with this weight on my shoulders.”

Another said: “I trusted him. All I want is for people to believe me.”

The abuse was disclosed in October of 2021, with interviews taking place with the victims in November of 2021. Brown was interviewed the following month, where he admitted to the abuse which led to the eight counts to which he later pled guilty.

As well as this, he admitted to further crimes, including that this had started in reality when he was 11, and the girls were four and six.

Ms. Beesley told the court how the situation had caused ‘severe psychological harm’ to the victims.

Defending Brown, Simran Garcha told the court that he was ‘ashamed and contrite’ regarding his crimes.

In a discussion surrounding his actions and culpability, Ms. Garcha made the argument that Brown’s actions were impulsive and in part due to his ADHD diagnosis.

Judge Recorder Michael Maher, agreed in part with this argument, but did state: “There is some cunning and some guile in convincing the girl to do what he wanted them to do.”

He went on to comment specifically on the malicious nature of using the victim’s immaturity to pressure her to commit sexual acts with threat of ‘Father Christmas’ not coming.

Ms. Garcha went on to expand on the influence she believed Brown’s undiagnosed ADHD had on his offending, saying he was two years behind where he should be emotionally, and that: “At the time his actions felt almost normal.”

Judge Recorder Maher went on to summarise the case, telling Brown: “You exploited them, and you abused them.”

“You exploited the emotional connection you had with these girls. I note the way you manipulated your victim.”

He went on to further note the “unpleasant effect it has had on them.”

However, he expanded saying: “I have to consider your maturity, and your mental function.”

Judge Maher went on to say that, if Brown had been an adult at the time of his offence, and he had pled not guilty, he would have received 14 years in prison.

This was reduced greatly, however, due to his early guilty plea, and the fact he was a minor at the time of his offences.

The rapist was in total sentenced to four years and four months, 2/3 of which he must serve in prison.

All eight charges will be served concurrently, ranging from 18 to 52 months.

As well as this, he faces a sexual harm prevention order of ten years, as well as a restraining order of ten years from contacting the victims.

Record details

A CHILDREN'S holiday camp worker created a fantasy world to groom more than 70 teenage boys.

Cameron Osman from Southampton would pretend to be a 16-year-old girl 'Lizzielemon' to lure in young boys online.

The 44-year-old used this fake identity on Instagram, MyLol and Love Crush, before moving them on to Google Hangouts, Discord and Skype.

Osman would engage his victim in sexualised chats revolving around a fantasy online world.

He would tell his victims that ‘Lizzielemon’ was from Bristol or Birmingham, that he had a fetish for dominating boys in school uniform and sports kit, and for conducting teacher/student role plays.

He never identified himself, instead telling victims his camera was broken during 2020 and 2021.

The National Crime Agency tracked Osman down to a friend’s address in Crowborough, East Sussex, in September 2021 and arrested him.

He had resigned from his job at a holiday camp activity centre in Hailsham a few days earlier.

His laptop and mobile phone were seized, and Osman was found to have contacted 76 boys in the UK aged between 12 and 16 during the offending period.

Investigators in the United States also uncovered chat logs showing sexualised communication by Osman with underage boys in 27 countries.

He also searched online for underage boys in Columbia, where he was planning to visit.

He was released on bail but continued to offend, leading to his arrest on 27 March this year after a further victim was identified.

Osman pretended to be a younger man on this occasion and shared photos of himself.

Osman appeared at St Albans Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to 36 separate charges, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, and making two category C indecent images of children.

NCA operations manager Danielle Pownall said: “Cameron Osman callously preyed on vulnerable teenage boys, masquerading as a teenage girl for his own sexual gratification.

“I have no doubt, if we had not stopped Osman he would have gone on to commit more severe offending.

“We will continue to work with our partners across the world to combat the perpetrators of online child sexual abuse, and hold people like Osman accountable for their crimes.”

Osman is due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 30 June.

Record details

A Cambridgeshire sex offender with "complete disregard for the law" superimposed the head of a child he knew onto an indecent image. Christopher Downes had been on the Sex Offenders Register for just two months when a photo editing software account linked to him was used to alter the image.

It was flagged to police by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Downes, 31, was arrested at his home on Oak Crescent, Dry Drayton on March 12 and his phone and tablet were seized.

These were analysed and found to contain 41 indecent images of children, including 12 category A – the most severe. Seven indecent videos of children were also found, three of which were category A.

When interviewed by police Downes answered no comment to all questions. On March 21 he pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court. He was sentenced to a year and six months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (March 28).

DC Andrew McKeane, who investigated, said: “Downes had only been on the Sex Offenders Register since January, and to offend so soon after shows his complete disregard for the law and entrenched views on the matter. A child is victimised when an indecent image is taken and every time it is viewed or shared.

"Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we have specially trained officers who are there to support victims and bring offenders to justice. I am grateful for the work of our partner agencies, who are imperative in safeguarding the most vulnerable in our society. We will not stop pursuing people who are willing to place children at risk of harm and will work tirelessly to put them before the courts."

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah’s Law. Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child can make an enquiry. This can include parents, carers, guardians, extended family, friends and neighbours.

Record details

A former PSCO has been jailed for six years after child abuse images were found on his phone.

William Redwood, 24, of Boghall Drive, West Lothian, pleaded guilty to making, taking and distribution of indecent images of children and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on 28 April.

Surrey Police said he met all of his victims before becoming a PCSO in Runnymede in 2019.

The images were discovered when his phone was seized, after his supervisor raised concerns that Redwood had accessed confidential information without a legitimate purpose.

His victims were aged between 12 and 17, and were both male and female.

Deputy Chief Constable Nev Kemp said: "This case has had a devastating impact on the victims involved and I commend them for their bravery in providing us with statements which led to him pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

"I hope all those affected by his abhorrent criminal actions can take some comfort in the fact that he is now behind bars and that it gives them some closure.

"It is extremely regrettable that Redwood had the privilege of serving as a PCSO with Surrey Police."

Redwood faced 37 charges, 34 of which related to offences involving causing or inciting children to engage in sexual activity.

The remaining three related to making indecent images of children.

A sexual harm prevention order was made against Redwood and he has also been barred from working with children.

Record details

A MAN has been sentenced to over a decade behind bars after being found guilty of non-recent sexual offences against young girls.

On Friday, Jason Cartledge, 42, of Charles Street, Wakefield, was sentenced to 14 years, which includes a 10-year custodial sentence and four years on extended licence.

The investigation began in 2019 when a woman came forward to report non-recent sexual abuse.

Officers from Wakefield District Safeguarding identified a substantial number of witnesses and during this time a second woman disclosed further non-recent sexual abuse.

Cartledge was arrested in June 2019 regarding the initial report and further arrested in December 2020 for the second disclosure. He was later charged with a number of sexual offences. 

He appeared at Leeds Crown Court and following a lengthy trial, he was found guilty of six offences, three counts of sexual activity with a child and three counts of indecent assault of a child.

He will remain on the Sex Offender Register for life and has been given a Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Restraining Order preventing him from contacting the victims.

Commenting on the sentencing, Detective Constable Kerry Wiles, of West Yorkshire Police, said:

“I would like to praise the incredible courage and bravery of the victims in this case for coming forward to report the offences, but also for having to endure the criminal justice process where the trauma was relived due to Cartledge refusing to admit his guilt on all the charges.

“Cartledge preyed upon the vulnerability of these young victims, and I hope that these victims will find some comfort that justice has been served. I thank them for having the confidence in the police that what they said to officers would be listened to.

“The offending, in this case, went back over a decade, but despite the passage of time, we investigated his crimes and brought him justice.

“I would encourage anyone who has suffered any sort of abuse either recent or not to come forward and speak to police. You will be listened to and given the help and support you need.

"We have specially trained officers who will work tirelessly to bring any perpetrators to justice.”

Record details

Specialist detectives have praised the bravery of the victim of a dangerous sex offender after her attacker was jailed for ten years.

Ryan Jacobs, 25, was deemed a dangerous offender by the courts after repeatedly abusing a child across a six-month period in 2017.

After the victim reported the abuse in 2021, we launched an investigation and put immediate support in place.

We interviewed Jacobs, of Spinning Wheel Mead, Harlow, in June and December 2021, but he refused to answer any questions.

But under the weight of extensive evidence compiled across a thorough investigation, Jacobs had no choice but to admit to his offending.

In March 2023, he admitted charges of raping a child and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Jacobs appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday 24 April for sentence.

He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with a five-year extended licence period.

He will remain subject to indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention and restraining orders, and must sign the sex offender’s register for life.

An impact statement was read to the court on behalf of the victim, with her making reference to the anxiety she has suffered as a result of Jacobs’ actions.

"Dangerous sex offender"

Senior investigating officer Detective Constable Charles O’Mahony, of Harlow’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, said:

“Jacobs is now safely behind bars for a significant period, removing a dangerous sex offender from our streets.

“He was interviewed twice and chose to make ‘no comment’ to all questions put to him, putting the brave victim through a protracted period of uncertainty whilst we worked tirelessly for months to gather the evidence needed to secure the charges against him.

“Working with partners was absolutely key in this case.

“Throughout the investigation and to this day, the victim is supported by a team of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs), dedicated support workers from local charities to assist her through the criminal justice process and be there when she needed them.

“At court, Jacobs pled guilty to all counts, but only after hearing the weight of evidence against him.

“He was correctly identified as a dangerous offender and the pre-sentence report made mention of him being manipulative and making excuses for his behaviour, I firmly believe there is no excuse possible for the depraved acts he has admitted responsibility for.

“I hope the victim in this case can take solace in the fact that one of the final things Jacobs heard in the court room was her victim impact statement being read out to him, in which she took her opportunity to tell him exactly what she thought of him and the impact his behaviour has had.”

Specially trained officers

Our Child Abuse Investigation Team is made up of dedicated officers who specifically investigate child sexual offences and support the victims.

The team are provided with specialist training enabling them to deal with the complexities of these investigations, equipping them with the skills required to manage reports of this nature.

As with all our sexual abuse investigation teams, their compassion, sensitivity, policing experience and knowledge ensure that this team are made up of the best people to ensure victims are safe and offenders are brought to justice.

DC O’Mahony added:

“I joined Essex Police in March 2020 on a specific programme to become a detective.

“I am glad that I am now fully qualified and on a department that deals with the most vulnerable victims in society, children.

“I hope that this sentence acts as a deterrent and a reminder that Harlow Child Abuse Investigation Team will investigate any allegations to the fullest extent and that time elapsed since offending does not necessarily mean offenders have gotten away with anything. “

Record details

A pervert pinned an underage girl to the ground as he attempted to rape her in a horrific sexual assault on a Teesside beach.

Oliver Goddard was 19-years-old when he sexually assaulted and tried to rape a teenager while hidden amongst the tall grass on Redcar beach. His "helpless" victim was only able to get away after Goddard was spooked by a phone call from her father during the terrifying attack.

In a heartbreaking victim impact statement, the girl spoke of how she was terrified to leave the house and couldn't go anywhere alone. She turned to self-harm and still has panic attacks almost three years on from the assault.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Goddard, who is now 21, had met the teen for a walk where they spoke about how the vulnerable girl was struggling with a stressful time. They arranged to meet the following day and they walked along the beach until they lay down in a section surrounded by tall grass.

As they spoke, Goddard kept moving her legs across his body and when she moved them he'd get angry with her and put them back. Summarising the case, Judge Paul Reid said: "You began kissing her neck and she kept trying to move away from you."

He put his hand behind her neck so she couldn't pull away. The sexual assault continued and he pushed her down, hands around her neck so she had her head on the ground.

"She was scared. There was nothing she could do," said Judge Reid. "You were much older than her and much bigger than she was.

"You were disturbed by her phone ringing - it was her father. You jumped up and this time she was able to get away and left."

Goddard, of Durham Road, Redcar, was found guilty by a jury of attempted rape, sexual assault and engaging in sexual communication with a child.

Flashbacks

In a victim impact statement, read out by prosecutor Robin Turton, the teenager said: "I couldn't sleep as well as I could before what happened - it was going over and over in my head. It went on for some time, I went to the doctors and was prescribed anti-depressants.

"I had a phobia of leaving the house and I needed to be with someone all the time." The court heard the teenager's education was affected as she struggled to return to school and when she did found it difficult to stay in lessons.

She began to self-harm and said: "It's been almost three years and I still have panic attacks." She also can't go to the beach as it causes flashbacks.

Goddard had claimed the sexual activity was consensual and said in evidence that he believed she was 16 - claiming he only told police he thought she was younger because he was "forced".

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said: "This is his first experience before the courts. He himself suffers psychological ailments and has been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder. It is something he has to live with and work with to move forward."

The court heard there was a "significant difference in age" and the author of a pre-sentence report commented that he was in denial and had "little victim empathy". After the attack, he text the teenager and apologised blaming an injection which gives him too much testosterone.

He also told her that if she told anybody he would kill himself but the girl bravely spoke up and disclosed what had happened. Goddard had also sent nude pictures of himself to the girl.

Judge Reid said he believed Goddard did pose a significant risk and handed the defendant an extended sentence "to protect the public in the future". Goddard was jailed for seven years and will serve an additional three years on licence. An indefinite restraining order and notification requirement - sex offenders' register - was made.

Goddard heard he must serve two thirds of his sentence before he will be considered for release. Investigating officer Catherine McKenzie said: Firstly Id like to praise the victim in this case for her courage in coming forward and throughout the judicial proceedings.

"Goddard preyed on a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted before he tried to rape her. He took advantage of the young girl and pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.

"He will now he will spend a significant time behind bars due to his actions. Any victims of sexual assault or sexual offences can contact the police with the confidence that they will be believed and supported and that a thorough investigation will be carried out.