Latest Offenders

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A sex offender has admitted exposing her penis, using a sex toy and masturbating in public.

Chloe Thompson committed the "grossly offensive" acts in daylight and in front of members of the public, a court heard.

At one point, three children saw her exposing herself and thrusting her hips in the window of her home.

Thompson had been due to be tried at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning but changed her plea to guilty just before the trial was due to begin.

Her latest offences were committed on August 13 last year in Cromer Street and Wellesley Road, in the Borough Road area of Middlesbrough.

A couple saw her performing a sex act on herself in a back alleyway of Wellesley Road at about 3.45pm that day.

Liz McGowan, prosecuting, said "the defendant was moving forwards and backwards against a wheelie bin" before being seen using a sex toy on herself.

At the time she was wearing "an ill-fitting black wig, a ra-ra skirt and a midriff-length top", the court heard.

"She was shouted at by the witnesses and ran away," said Ms McGowan.

Former soldier Thompson was also seen exposing herself on Cromer Street where she lived at the time of the offending.

Ms McGowan said a witness described seeing "a male on the street", "wearing women's clothing" and seeing that person "lifting and playing with their penis".

Ms McGowan said another witness described seeing "a male" standing in the forecourt area of a house "leaning over the garden gate, thrusting their hips forwards and backwards looking at the group as if he wanted them to notice him".

The thrusting continued for about a minute, the court heard, and Thompson was then seen walking back towards the house, apparently performing a sex act on herself.

On the same day, a woman was passing with her granddaughters in the car, who were aged 10,11 and 14 at the time.

As they passed the house, "one of the grandchildren shouts, 'Look at that lady'," said Ms McGowan.

The grandmother said she saw "a male standing in the window exposing his bum making thrusting movements with his hips".

Ms McGowan said: "The offences were carried out in daylight and in front of children who were passing. They were grossly offensive."

The court heard 42-year-old Thompson has 17 convictions for 22 offences and was still under a suspended sentence order at the time of the latest crimes.

Previously convicted as Andrew McNab, the defendant had been put on the sex offenders' register and made subject to notification requirements in 2011 for sexually assaulting an underage girl.

But she was hauled back before courts in May last year for breaching her notification requirements for the 11th time.

Andrew McGloin, defending, said Ms Thompson is "an individual who feels, at this point in her life, very optimistic and hopeful for the future".

He told the court she is originally from Glasgow and came to the Teesside area in 2011 to find work.

She worked in asbestos removal for a time.

Mr McGloin said Thompson plans to attend a gender clinic which may lead to her undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

"About two and a half years ago she expressed a wish to change her gender and, following that decision, has changed her name to Chloe Thompson," he explained.

"It's been a very emotional journey for her and she has, at times suffered with mental health problems which have been exacerbated with periods of homelessness."

The court heard she has recently undertaken courses for working in the wind turbine industry.

"She's very optimistic she will be able to gain employment in an industry she is very interested in," said Mr McGloin.

Thompson has also served in the armed forces, he explained, and was hoping to join the Army Reserve force.

"She is disappointed she has placed herself in this position in regards the distress she will have caused to members of the public on these occasions," he added.

Thompson, now of Borough Road in Middlesbrough, admitted three charges;

- Committing a public nuisance by indecent exposing herself while exposing her penis to members of the public while performing a sex act upon herself

- Committing an act outraging public decency by performing a sex act on herself in a public place in view of other members of the public, and

- Outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner, by using a sex toy on herself.

She will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on March 15.

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A former junior football coach who was previously jailed for sexually assaulting boys has been found guilty of raping a teenage boy. Michael Coleman, 79, attacked the 15-year-old in the mid-1970s after he joined the team he managed in Bolton, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. He also indecently assaulted the boy in a changing room and at his flat. Coleman, who received a seven-year term in 2018, was sentenced to a further eight years at Bolton Crown Court. GMP said Coleman, of HMP Forest Bank, approached the boy in the showers after he had been at the club for about four months and sexually assaulted him. He went on to take the teenager out drinking in Bolton and on one occasion, took the boy back to his flat on the pretence of buying him some food and then indecently assaulted him. 'Harrowing' A police spokesman said after another night out, Coleman raped the boy at the flat, before driving him home. The attacks were reported after Coleman was jailed for seven years in 2018 for three counts of sexual assault against boys aged 12 and 13 in the 1980s. That case was the result of a nationwide investigation into non-recent sexual abuse in sport, which saw GMP and other police forces work with the NSPCC, the Football Association and local councils to identify offenders. Speaking after Coleman was sentenced on Tuesday, a GMP spokesman said it had been "a harrowing investigation". He said he could not imagine "the psychological effect" the abuse had had on the complainant, "not only as a young man, but throughout his life, but I hope that the verdict brings some form of closure and a sense of justice being served". He added that the boy "should have been able to trust Coleman as a local football coach, but was instead let down by him in the most horrendous way".

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A delivery driver was caught by paedophile hunters who trapped him at work which then led to a bust up. Walter Ripley believed he was sharing sex messages with a 14-year-old schoolgirl called 'Poppy' on WhatsApp. But he was talking to a "decoy" from a group calling itself Undercover and Expose. The judge criticised the three year delay that it has taken to bring the pervert to justice after he was caught by the group in February 2019. Prosecutor Sophie Shotton said the delay was caused by "staffing problems", Ripley being "released under investigation" and then the pandemic. Now the 33-year-old has been jailed for three years after admitting four charges of trying to groom someone he thought was a child with a view to having sex and sharing images. Maidstone Crown Court heard how the offences came to light because of the "online child abuse activity group" called Undercover and Expose. Judge Philip Statman told Ripley: "This group has individuals who are prepared to go online and act as decoys. One of them called "Poppy" chatted with you on WhatsApp. "She told you from the outset she was aged 14. You were responsible, in graphic terms, of then telling the decoy what it was you would like to do to her - although you made no attempts to meet her. Despite that Ripley, of Orchard View, Teynham, sent her a disgusting image andvideos of himself saying he wanted to have sex with her. Judge Statman continued:"You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald. Members of this group confronted you at your work address. There was some form of disturbance and the police were called. "It is shocking that individuals such as you can go into chatrooms and speak in this way to individuals." "You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald..." The court heard how Ripley - described as an "isolated and lonely individual" - had "a terrible upbringing" with both parents in trouble with the law and his father was jailed. The driver - who was sacked after being confronted by the paedophile hunters - will now remain on the Sex Offender's Register indefinitely and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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A rapist's victim thought she was going to die when he broke into her home and lay in wait before fracturing her cheekbone and strangling her.

David Turner, 41, from Cardiff, carried out a "forceful and premeditated" assault on his victim, who he also raped while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, causing her pain and humiliation.

The victim sustained injuries to her face after Turner hit her and strangled her after entering her home through a window and waiting until she returned to her house.

The defendant, who refused to leave his cell for sentencing, claimed the sex was consensual but this was dismissed by a jury who convicted him of rape and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, following a trial at Cardiff Crown

A sentencing hearing on Friday heard a victim personal statement from Turner's victim, who has lifelong anonymity.

She said: "The incident has dramatically effected my life in a number of ways. The injuries have still not healed, the bruises took six weeks to go and left me with an angry and painful left eye and numbness to the side of my face. As to this day I still have numbness to the left side of my face.

"My self esteem is so low I have contemplated suicide. I have nightmares and flashbacks, my mental health has declined and I am receiving therapy. I have had alarms, locks and security lights installed and a large fence built. He broke in and lay in wait for me to get home before he attacked me.

"I don't go places I have been before for fear of seeing him even though I know he's in prison and I have fears he will come out and get me. I won't leave the flat for days and I live in a constant state of anxiety and fear.

"He told me he was going to kill me that night and 100% thought I was going to die."

The victim added also told the court she struggled to trust men and people in general as a result of the attack and she is now moving home as she no longer feels safe.

She said: "I am nervous and everthing is a little bit more scary, even when walking my dogs I am too scared to go out.... I was quite happy go lucky and enjoyed going to the gym but I can't do that anymore and I even struggle to go places in my car. My life has changed completely."

Defence barrister said his client maintained sex was consensual but he did not deny sex occurred, which was the impression the author of pre sentence formed.

Sentencing, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: "During the trial, the defendant had no grasp on the seriousness of his behaviour or its consequences... He's seriously damaged (the victim's) ability to trust persons of the opposite gender."

Turner was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds in custody before being released on licence. He was also made subject to a restraining order until further notice.

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A paedophile who went on the run to the Costa del Sol and was tracked down to a Spanish prison has been given an extended sentence as a dangerous sex offender.

After being brought back to Wales Simon Dove was given a suspended sentence and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order designed to control his online behaviour - but just weeks later he bought a laptop and started downloading images of child sex abuse, and installing software designed to hide his activities.

Sending the 51-year-old down, a judge said he posed a high risk of causing sexual harm to children.

Jim Davies, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in September 2009 officers investigating the downloading of indecent images went to an address in Port Talbot looking for Dove. Present at the property was the daughter of the defendant's former partner, and she handed over two of his computers. An examination of the drives found the presence of indecent images.

The following January police went to an address in London where Dove was staying and seized a number of electronic devices, including a laptop computer. Again indecent images were found along with evidence the defendant had been communicating with fellow paedophiles on Yahoo Messenger and sharing pictures via peer-to-peer file sharing software.

Dove was interviewed and released on bail but then fled the country and disappeared. While on the run, the defendant was charged with 34 counts of making and distributing indecent images and one of possessing extreme pornography,

The defendant came to the attention of police again - Spanish this time - in July 2016 when officers raided a property on the Costa del Sol and seized computer equipment which contained 7,000 indecent images, some of them "of the very worst kind" showing young children being sexually tortured. Spanish police also found Dove had again been sharing the images with like-minded people through peer-to-peer software.

The prosecutor said Dove was sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Malaga, and then in 2020 he was extradited back to the UK.

The defendant appeared in Swansea Crown Court last July where he was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison suspended for 18 months, ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for the offending committed before he went on the run to Spain.

But within weeks Dove was breaching that order.

The court heard that in December 2021 police in Swansea received information that the defendant owned an internet-enabled device which he had not told them about. Officers searched the room in the Oystermouth Road guesthouse where he was living and found a mini laptop computer hidden under the duvet. On the device were indecent images as well as a link to online cloud storage which contained scores of videos of child sex abuse.

The court heard the laptop also had cleaning software to wipe files, an app for a virtual private network or VPN which allows users to hide their internet identity, and the Kik messaging app. The prosecutor said officers also found apps which linked to 14 different email accounts. In total police found he had 175 indecent images and videos of children as young as four, and that 68 of them were in Category A - that is videos and pictures showing the rape of children and other sexual violence. Dove had begun downloading the pictures in September, just a matter of weeks after being given the suspended sentence and SHPO.

Simon Matthew Dove, formerly of Port Talbot but now of Oystermouth Road, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent images and to breaching a SHPO when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Huw Davies, for Dove, said the defendant was "contrite" and wanted to tell the court that it was his intention not to repeat the offences. He said his client indicated he would comply with any orders made by the court, and was willing to work with the authorities to reduce the risk of him re-offending.

Judge Catherine Richards told Dove that by his actions in downloading the indecent pictures and videos he was "supporting the abuse and rape of young girls, and the worst kinds of sexual violence".

She said his behaviour following the imposition of the suspended sentence and SHPO had been deliberate and planned, and in her view and in the view of the author of the pre-sentence report he should be considered a dangerous offender who posed a high risk of sexual harm to children. As such, she said, an extended sentence was necessary.

With one-quarter discounts for his guilty pleas Dove was made the subject of an extended sentence of four years and three months comprising two years and three months in custody followed by a two-year extended licence. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out. He will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years.

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Justice finally caught up with a sex offender two months after he did a runner and fled in panic part way through his trial for drunkenly groping a woman.

Connor Farren abruptly left Hull Crown Court during a trial in December but he gave himself up to police this week after suddenly spotting them not far away down the street.

He had intimately touched the "vulnerable" woman after offering to "show her a good time" but she refused.

He knocked on her door after midnight and his sexual behaviour had left her suffering "flashbacks and nightmares", the court heard.

Farren, 21, formerly of Queen Street, Withernsea, denied sexually assaulting the woman on December 3, 2019 but was convicted in his absence by a jury on a majority verdict of 10 to two.

The court was told that Farren knocked on the door of the woman's home in Withernsea just after midnight.

He had already been out stealing beer from a shop and breaking into a car in Withernsea before going there.

Farren knew the house because he had been there before when a man he knew lived there.

Judge Mark Bury said: "You knocked on her back door and you were essentially looking for somewhere to stay that night because you had been committing offences."

The woman "wasn't having it because she was in her pyjamas and it was bedtime" but Farren persisted.

"You offered to show her a good time and she wasn't having that either," said Judge Bury.

Farren touched the woman's breasts over her pyjamas while she was standing at the back door.

Farren threatened to steal property from her and later banged on the front door. She felt compelled to open it because of the noise that he was making.

He sat down and started stroking her leg but she "threatened to scream the place down" before he finally left.

"It's quite clear that the sexual assault did have an impact," said Judge Bury.

"She still suffers flashbacks and nightmares."

Farren later burgled another property and stole an electrical appliance tester and items from the garden.

He admitted stealing a four-pack of Stella Artois from a store in Queen Street, Withernsea, as well as interfering with a vehicle on December 2, 2019.

Farren also admitted burglary on December 3, 2019, and burglary of a shed on July 13, 2020, involving taking a leaf blower.

He also admitted stealing a tin of Cuprinol on July 9, 2020 and failing to surrender to bail during his trial in December.

Stephen Robinson, mitigating, said that Farren absconded during the trial after he panicked.

"He wanted to see his family over Christmas," said Mr Robinson.

"He always denied sexual assault but admitted other matters that night."

At the time, Farren was addicted to alcohol and tablets that he had obtained illegally, including diazepam.

"His life essentially spiralled out of control," said Mr Robinson

"He realised that his life was out of control and attempted to start a new life in Scarborough."

Farren was in a car in Scarborough when he saw the police down the street.

"He told them who he was and that he was wanted," said Mr Robinson.

Farren was jailed for two years and was ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years.

He was given a two-year restraining order.

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A woman who watched a vile rapist kick her pregnant mum three times in the stomach says the abuse she witnessed as a child will stay with her forever.

The victim went on to tragically lose a baby girl, her little sister, the daughter recalls.

Billy Lynch-White was handed an 18-year extended sentence in December for sickening crimes, including the assault and raping a number of women between 2006 and 2019.

A jury found the 47-year-old guilty of nine charges following a trial at Glasgow High Court.

He was also accused of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the daughter of one of his victims but the jury found this charge not proven.

This woman, who was just a child at the time, said she was forced to listen and even witnessed her mum being attacked.

She has spoken to the Lennox about their terrifying ordeal which she relived in court.

She said: I was just a child. It has only been in later life I have realised how wrong it was.

Lynch-White was found guilty violently assaulting the mum at an address in Renton, slapping her on the head, punching her, throwing a plate at her and kicking her on the stomach when she was pregnant.

The woman said the the 18-year extended sentence he was handed down - which will see him spend 14 years behind bars - is justice.

She added: My little sister that died, she got justice too.

Recalling the day that the baby was lost, she said: I had witnessed him hitting my mum on many occasions.

On this occasion he booted her three times in the stomach.

About an hour or so after that she started getting quite bad pains in the stomach and she was taken to hospital.

The hospital said she had to give birth but the baby didnt survive.

She was far enough along that my mum got hand and footprints of her.

Lynch-White, whose last address was in Peterborough, was found guilty of raping a woman while she was asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent on various occasions between 2010 and 2013 at another address in Renton and elsewhere. He also sexually assaulted her on various occasions between 2010 and 2013 while holding a pillow on her face.

On various occasions between 2017 and 2019 he raped another woman at an address in Wishaw, and on one occasion held a knife to her throat before raping her.

He was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely when he was sentenced at Aberdeen High Court on December 3.

The woman said reliving the horrors she witnessed as a little girl have taken their toll on her.

She added: During the trial, I was off my work for three months. I couldnt function without medication just because I was reliving everything.

When I got the phone call to say the outcome, it was all worth it.

Its good to know that it was worth speaking up.

I have got mental health issues because of it.

I kind of feel like that chapters closed. I have had my day in court.

I am still angry, hurt and upset from what he has put us through but its not that constant in the back of my mind now.

The woman praised the work of Police Scotland, with the senior investigating officer for the case also welcoming his conviction.

She added: Everyone I have dealt with from the police right through to the procurator fiscal have been great.

Everyone was really good and really supportive.

Detective Inspector Scott Hamilton said: We welcome the conviction of Billy Lynch-White.

His behaviour was completely unacceptable and the abuse will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on his victims.

I hope this conviction provides a sense of closure and allows the victims to try to move on with their lives.

Police Scotland takes all reports of sexual abuse very seriously and our specialist officers are here to provide support to victims and ensure perpetrators face justice.

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A PAEDOPHILE with a long history of disobedience to court orders was finally caged for his latest offences. After being caught out by police following a search of his Waterlooville home, child pervert Anthony Fuller, 37, boasted: Its not my first time. Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Fuller, of Tennyson Crescent, was repeatedly before the courts from 2014 onwards after being caught with indecent images. The prolific offender again fell foul of the law after he was found in breach of a sexual harm prevention order and an 18 month sentence suspended for two years handed down in April. Prosecutor Thomas Wilkins said officers attended Fullers address on two occasions in January before finding indecent images including of the very worst kind on devices. He was also found to have been browsing the internet without notifying officers. The court was told how the registered sex offender had first been before the courts in 2014 before his offending and breaches started to spiral. He has been before the courts on a number of occasions, Mr Wilkins said. He added: There are no circumstances that make it unjust to impose a prison sentence. Fullers first breach of an order came in 2016 before further breaches in 2018. Unable to resist the temptation to make indecent photos of children, his punishment was then escalated with the suspended sentence in April. And with him still failing to take heed of court orders, Fuller has now finally been taken off the streets and locked up. Even his defence barrister conceded there was nothing he could say to deter the judge from jail. It would not be unjust to activate the suspended sentence, Simon Moger said. The lawyer did point out that Fuller had attended 30 out of 35 probation appointments. Fuller admitted two offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order putting him in breach of a suspended sentence. Judge, Recorder Louise Harvey, said there was no option but to incarcerate Fuller. She said: These matters are very serious. You have been back here repeatedly since 2014 with the same offences again and again. You have a long history of disobedience with the court. The paedophile was then jailed for 21 months.

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Sean Hartley committed serious offences against several different women all over the Highlands and Moray between 2004 and 2019.

Hartley, who is originally from Forres, was due to stand trial at the High Court in Inverness today where he faced a total of 26 charges.

But his defence counsel, Brian McConnachie, told Lord Mulholland that his client wished to admit some of the offences.

Lord Mulholland is now due to sentence Hartley tomorrow.

Hartley pleaded guilty to seven charges, including three rapes, three serious assaults and one of a course of domestic abuse.

• Charge 1 - Hartley repeatedly punched and slapped a woman in various locations in Elgin, Forres and Nairn between February 25, 2004 and December 31, 2005. He also pushed her and seized her by the hair, held a pillow over her head, threw objects at her, repeatedly kicked her on the body and spat on her all to her injury.
• Charge 2 - He raped a woman in a house in Forres on July 9, 2005.
• Charge 3 - He repeatedly punched and slapped a woman around the head and broke jewellery from around her neck on various occasions between June 1, 2008 and November 19, 2009 at a house in Burghead.
• Charge 4 - on various occasions between February 19, 2010 and August 31, 2014 at properties in Inverness, Culloden, Inverness city centre, the Merkinch area of Inverness, a bar on Keppoch Road, Inverness and a house in Forres, he repeatedly slapped and punched a woman on the head and body. He also compressed her neck, restricting her breathing. In addition he threw a cup of hot liquid at her and spat on her.
• Charge 5 - on various occasions between the same dates and locations as charge 4, he sexually assaulted and raped a woman, while restricting her breathing.
• Charge 6 - on July 28, 2017 at a house in Forres, he raped a woman.
• Charge 7 - between April 1, 2014 and December 10, 2019 at properties in Thurso, Forres, and Inverness including a children's playpark, he subjected a woman to a course of domestic abuse, threatened to kill her, called her derogatory names, compressed her neck and restricted her breathing, and struck her on the head and body. The charge also includes that Hartley threw hot liquid at her, spat on her, isolated her from her family and friends by deleting her mobile phone contacts and controlled her access to social media. He also chose her clothing, regulated and monitored her activities and had her send him pictures of her whereabouts.

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A sex offender branded a "menace to females" has been recaptured after fleeing from an open prison. Paul Robson, 56 was given a life sentence in 2000 after he sexually assaulted a woman at knifepoint. He walked out of HMP North Sea Camp, in Lincolnshire, on Sunday and spent four days on the run. Robson was arrested in Skegness at about 09:30 GMT on Thursday after a call from a member of the public who recognised him, police said. Announcing his capture, Ch Supt Kate Anderson, from Lincolnshire Police, thanked members of the public who had shared the force's appeals to find Robson and reported potential sightings. "At this stage, we don't believe he had any accomplices or believe that he's committed further offences," she said. Officers had worked "tirelessly" in their search for Robson, she added. Police had issued several appeals to locate Robson since he absconded. Further images of him were released on Wednesday, with the force suggesting he may have changed his appearance. It is understood Robson was returned to a closed prison and will not be eligible to apply for parole for at least a further two years. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said Robson would "face an uphill struggle proving he can ever be trusted to move to an open prison again". Robson, originally from Newcastle, was jailed at Oxford Crown Court for the attempted rape and indecent assault of his victim.

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A paedophile told a supposed teenage girl: "I want to be the man who teaches you everything you need to know about sex."

James Smith, 44, who even called himself a "nonce pedo" online, targeted underage girls on chat forums.

Smith thought he was talking to a 14-year-old child called 'Darcie' when he discussed performing a sex act on her.

The predator sent her a photo of his penis and joked that what he was doing was "classed as grooming a minor LOL".

But he was actually talking to a decoy profile, set up by paedophile hunter group Children Online Battling Real Abuse (Cobra).

The pervert is today starting a prison sentence after it emerged he had also chatted to another COBRA decoy, 13-year-old 'Bekki'.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Smith, of Halliday Close, Birchwood, Warrington, started talking with Bekki on the chat platform SayHi last June.

Smith, whose profile featured a picture of a dog but also a second image showing a naked torso, had a bio saying he was a "nonce/pedo".

He asked Bekki "hey sexy girl, how are you?" before asking how old she was, when she explained she was 13.

Natalia Cornwall, prosecuting, said Smith told her he was a sex offender who had been convicted for having sex with a 13-year-old girl, which the court heard isn't in fact true.

The conversation moved to WhatsApp and they continued talking about general topics until August, when Smith's messages turned sexual and he told Bekki he had been drinking and doing "silly things" like trying on knickers, tights and miniskirts.

Ms Cornwall said he went on to say he loved girls' underwear and if she was in her underwear, he'd "well look".

Smith told Bekki that he loved to perform a certain sex act and if they met, he would like to touch her, before claiming his real name was John.

The court heard Smith carried on talking with Bekki until October, but no arrangements were ever made to meet her, despite her asking in September how they would meet if she didn't know where he lived, and him replying that he would always meet in a public place.

However, in September he started talking with Darcie on the app Jaumo, who told him she was 14 after he messaged saying she was "sexy", using the name John McGee.

Despite knowing of her apparent age, he said she was "hot" and in one message talked about her "staying the night" with him at his address.

He made the comment about teaching her about sex, talked about performing a sex act on her, sent the naked photo, and joked about grooming.

Ms Cornwall said Smith suggested meeting Darcie on more than one occasion, saying that she could meet him in Warrington in late October, only for him to then go quiet online.

On November 5 he made arrangements to meet Darcie at Manchester Oxford Road station and told her what train he was getting and that he would text before he arrived, but he didn't in fact travel.

Smith then disclosed his address to an adult decoy, before Cobra went to his home and confronted him about the vile chats on November 11, which they live streamed on Facebook.

The group also contacted police, who arrested the pervert.

When interviewed, he told officers he knew the accounts were decoys set up by paedophile hunters and that he only engaged with them to get "cheap thrills".

Smith later admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Philip Tully, defending, said his client didn't have any previous convictions, but accepted he had a caution for sexual assault in 2005.

He said Smith recalled this involved him trying to "console" a 15-year-old girl by hugging her and giving her a peck on the head and there wasn't any sexual motivation behind it.

Urging the judge to spare him jail, Mr Tully said Smith had a good work record and had shown "genuine remorse" and insight into his offending.

He said: "Shortly before the commission of these offences, he had to deal with the very difficult time in his life of the death of his father, someone who he cared for. That seems to have had a profound effect upon him.

"He's not someone in the best of health - diagnosed with COPD and also a skin disorder."

Mr Tully said Smith had been "absolutely frank" with the author of a pre-sentence report about why he committed the offences and was open to help from the Probation Service, which he argued Smith - who had already spent three months in custody - wouldn't receive if he was sent to prison.

The judge, Recorder Rick Pratt, QC, said Smith took steps which were "more than merely preparatory".

He said: "Whatever the truth of the matter was, you believed you were communicating with young children, and children who were significantly below the age where they could properly make sexual decisions for themselves, and you preyed on what you believed to be that innocence."

The judge said the offences involving Darcie were more serious and said: "Your conversations with her demonstrated in my view a clear intention of what you had in mind."

Describing what Smith had said about wanting to teach Darcie about sex, the judge added: "It also included - perhaps somewhat sinisterly - the phrase that what you were doing 'would be classed as grooming a minor LOL'."

Recorder Pratt said he was satisfied Smith had intended to take part in penetrative sexual activity with Darcie.

The judge said he took into account Smith's mitigation, and "most importantly that no child was actually involved".

He said: "That does provide some mitigation because the case doesn't involve actual harm to a child here.

"Nevertheless, I have to balance that against your very clear intention."

Giving him 25% credit for his guilty pleas at a plea hearing, the judge jailed Smith for two years and three months.

He told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and said he must comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

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A SEX offender has been sent back to prison for a second breach of a court order designed to prevent further offending. Keir Dean flouted his sexual harm prevention order within months after being released from custody for his first breach. The 24-year-old, who was previously sentenced for sexual activity with a child, was prohibited from having mobile phones capable of storing digital images. But police found three such devices after attending an address he was present at. Dean was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court, appearing via video link from HMP Altcourse, over charges of breaching his sexual harm prevention order and possessing cannabis. Nardeen Nemat, prosecuting, explained how he was found in possession of two iPhones and one Samsung mobile phone, but nothing incriminating was found on them. The defendant was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in July 2018 for two offences of sexual activity with a child. The court heard how he previously breached this order in July 2019 when he sent snapchat messages using a mobile phone, and he was sentenced in March 2020 to two years in prison. The defendant was released in March 2021, but when police attended an address at which he was present on September 20, they found him to be in possession of two bags of cannabis. He initially told officers he had no phones, but police found three at the address, with the Samsung phone showing messages sent by him. During his police interview, he said he did not know who the iPhones belonged to, and that the Samsung belonged to a relative that had leant it to him days earlier. Ms Nemat told the court that this was a deliberate breach of the order for a second time and revealed that this was the defendants sixth appearance in court. Zahra Baqri, defending, said: The best mitigation I can offer is that he pleaded guilty at the first hearing. I ask that he be afforded full credit for his guilty pleas and that you pass the shortest sentence possible commensurate with your public duty. Before sentencing, judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: This is the second time you have been before the court for a breach of a sexual harm prevention order. You came out of prison some time during 2021, and within a matter of months you were found in possession of three mobile phones capable of storing images, placing you in further breach of your order. When the phones were downloaded there was no incriminating material, but given the matter of your previous offending , you pose a clear and serious risk of harm if you were to use such devices without notifying the police about them. Dean, of Heather Close in Birchwood, was sentenced to two years in prison. An order was also approved for the forfeiture and destruction of the mobile phones and cannabis.

Description

A pervert from Torquay has been jailed for secretly recording a female for his own sexual gratification.

Ian Buttrey, 39, used his mobile phone to make recordings of the young victim while she was naked, Exeter Crown Court was told.

When police seized his computer they found he had an obsession with voyeurism and searched the internet to satisfy his fetish.

Buttrey also secretly filmed a woman while she was undressed.

One victim said his behaviour had a 'huge impact' on her life while the other suffers anxiety and sleepless night and a result.

He pleaded guilty to making indecent images and four charges of voyeurism.

Prosecutor Ms Mary McCarthy said police arrested Buttrey in May 2020.

There were initial concerns about the defendant's state of mind and police notified the defendant's work to look out for anything unusual.

They found a mobile phone in a bin and when police examined it, they found films of the victims.

The defendant has no previous convictions.

Buttrey has been jailed for 21 months and put on the sex offender register.

Description

Jem Traynor had more than a thousand images of child sexual abuse on his computer A former soldier downloaded more than a thousand child abuse images including one labelled paedo archive. Jem Traynor tried to deny to police that he had a sexual interest in children despite them finding the vile collection of photos and videos on his computer. Police raided his house in April last year after a tip off and quickly found a vast array of images, including 167 which fell into Category A, the most serious type of abuse. Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, said Traynor originally told the police the computer was broken but they found it actually worked and later analysis established that Traynor had used it to look at images of children being raped just a week before his arrest. The court heard that some of the material was particularly extreme, including one in which a young child appeared to be blindfolded while being abused. Despite this, Traynor continued to deny a sexual interest in children and told police he was not aware he had downloaded indecent images, despite the files having names like paedo archive and pre teen hardcore. Ms Baqri said: He told the police that he was not interested in the material and would not have downloaded it deliberately. He also explained that he suffered from PTSD that was exacerbated by his him taking illegal drugs and abusing alcohol. Ms Baqri said other features of Traynors computer, such as a VPN that made it look like his internet activity was taking place in another country, indicated that he had prepared to download indecent images and tried to cover his tracks. She also pointed to thumbnails on the computer indicating the images had been opened. Despite his original denials, Traynor eventually pleaded guilty in Sefton Magistrates Court earlier this year. He was found to have 167 Category A images, 371 Category B images and 454 Category C images. These included 12 videos. Michael Bagley, defending, said the 51-year-old was an extremely isolated individual who had struggled with PTSD since his return from Bosnia, where he served during the Yugoslav Wars. Mr Bagley said the fact that Traynor had worked for only a few weeks in the entire 26 year period since he left the army was an indication of the extent to which his PTSD had affected his life. He added that Traynor, from Everton, had turned to drink and drugs as a coping mechanism and had then begun to act upon an interest in children. Mr Bagley said Traynor now accepted he did have a sexual interest in children and wanted to address this. He appealed to the judge to suspend Traynors sentence so he could engage in rehabilitation without going to prison. Mr Bagley said: He has been taking steps to have counselling. He presents as someone who is lonely, who needs assistance but is making some progress. I invite the court to punish him but with a suspended sentence so that he can make the progress needed, that society as a whole would benefit from. Yet Judge David Potter said the length of time over which Traynor been downloaded images, combined with the extreme nature of some of the material, meant only an immediate jail term was suitable. Judge Potter said: These images reveal the abuse of children in its most fundamental and horrific form, including penetration and abuse involving animals. Traynor, 51, of Ember Crescent, was jailed for a year. He must also sign the sex offenders register and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Description

A nappy-wearing predatory paedophile from Derbyshire has been jailed raping a young boy.

Derby Crown Court heard how Rikki Poyser sent an image of himself wearing nothing but an adult nappy and sucking a dummy to what he thought was an underage teen.

Under the pseudonym "Steve Turner," the vile 33-year-old shared images of young boys engaged in sex with adults with a like-minded predator who called himself "Daddy Boy".

And in one of them, which showed a toddler aged just two being raped, he typed the words "I wish".

Jailing the defendant for 17-and-a-half years, Recorder Jason Macadam said: "This an appalling case that there is no doubt.

"(The victim) was particularly vulnerable because of his extreme youth and background.

"You are demonstrably capable of manipulation and you pose a high risk to children.

"I do consider you pose a significant risk of harm to members of the public.

"You are a manipulative and predatory paedophile."

James Varley, prosecuting, said police discovered an internet address linked to the defendant had been sharing horrific child abuse images with "Daddy Boy" in October 2020.

He said Poyser was arrested, his devices were seized but he refused to give the pass codes to access his iPhone.

Mr Varley said the National Crime Agency arrested his like-minded pervert "Daddy Boy" and it was discovered the pair had shared images, movies and talked explicitly online about what they had either done or wanted to do to children sexually.

He said it was discovered the defendant had raped a young boy.

Mr Varley said: "This was not sudden, it was a planned assault.

"Having been arrested he answered 'no comment' to the questions he was asked.

"When it was discovered he was "Steve Turner" there was evidence that during his chats with Daddy Boy these two men talked about child abuse in pretty extreme terms.

"Aware the police were very keen to break into his phone he turned to the dating app Grindr and met a young boy aged 15.

"The age seemed to excite him but it was a police decoy.

"He told the decoy he was into what is termed 'adult baby diaper love' or ABDL and there were pictures of him wearing an adult nappy and sucking a dummy.

"Packs of nappies were (later) recovered from his car."

Poyser, of Glamorgan Way, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, pleaded guilty to a number of charges including rape of a child under the age of 13, distributing indecent images of children, making indecent images of a child and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication.

He has no previous convictions.

Nicola Hunter, his barrister, told the hearing that since being remanded into prison last summer, her client had been working on one-to-one sessions to address his behaviour.

She said: "He accepts he buried his head in the sand, he has done all sorts of soul searching and he recognises he has a long way to go.

"He's willing to engage and wants to be better equipped for when he's released from custody."

The 17-and-a-half-year sentence is made up of 13-and-a-half years custody with a four-year extension.

It means Poyser will not be eligible to apply for parole until two-thirds of the way through the 13-and-a-half years.

He will be on the sex offender register for life and was handed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.