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A tearful mum told a court she wished the "monster" who subjected her young daughter to a hideous campaign of rape, which he filmed, would stay behind bars for life. The mum gave her emotional impact statement at the sentencing of Steve Sutton today, (March 23, 2023), which moved everyone including the judge.

Sutton, 60, an electrical engineer from Knowle, had been of previous good character but came to the attention of police for downloading images of child sexual abuse. He ultimately pleaded guilty to 30 offences including rape of a child. They included:

• Five counts of rape of a child
• Twelve counts of sexual assaulting a child under 13 by penetration
• Five counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• One of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
• Three of taking indecent photographs of a child
• Three of making indecent photographs of a child
• One count of possessing extreme pornographic images

The Recorder of Bristol His Honour Judge Peter Blair KC jailed him for life with a minimum 13 years. He told Sutton: "You were committing unspeakable crimes against her." The judge commended police for their investigation, especially DC Fiona Currey and PC Rosie Murrell.

Sutton was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to stop further offending. He was also told to register as a sex offender for life and was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

Ian Fenny, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Sutton sexually abused the little girl, when she was aged five to six, for some eight months. He not only subjected her to severe sexual assaults, he also filmed hours of abuse in which he was violent and tied the child up. Police trawled through the heinous footage to compile a comprehensive catalogue of evidence against him.

The victim's mum sat behind a screen as she gave her impact statement, with Sutton using a hearing loop in the dock. She described him as a "monster who robbed her child of her innocence".

Fighting back emotion, she said: "When the officers told me, the words to me felt surreal. I was numb. Life will never be the same again and it feels overwhelming.

"My child will never be care-free and running wild again. I hope that with years of support, we may get better. I will do everything I can to make sure [we] are okay, but it should never have happened.

"He has destroyed my family. He has broken us all in different ways. He has changed her life, changed her future and given her trauma that will affect her for the rest of her life.

"He is a danger to any child and to society. He doesn't deserve to be free. But I want Sutton to know, he won't break us forever. We will get stronger; we will get better."

She added: "I wish I could have protected her from the monster who was abusing her."

Giles Nelson, defending, said his mitigation focused on Sutton's prompt guilty plea as opposed to taking the case to trial. He said: "It is a very disturbing case, there is no argument regarding the context of the sentencing guidelines."

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A convicted paedophile used a fake identity to trick his way into the home of a vulnerable woman and her young children.

David Carsley created the fake identity, including a made up date of birth, in a bid to hide his sick past which includes two convictions for child sex offences. After first committing indecent assault and gross indecency in the 1980s, he was jailed for three years in 1995 for two counts each of the same offences against children aged under 14.

As part of that conviction, he made subject of lifelong notification requirements which meant he could not spend more than 12 hours at the home of an under 18 without informing the police. However, on several occasions Carsley stayed at the home of a woman who had no idea of his past and her children.

Carsley had given the name David Kay when meeting the woman, who was described in court as "vulnerable". Preston Crown Court was told this was a deliberate act to hide his past.

Police became involved when the received information he had been staying at an address in Chorley which was different to his home on Bolton Street. Officers initially struggled to speak with the woman who eventually explained she knew him as David Kay. A phone call was made to him and although he would no co-operate, police traced his location from that call and arrested him.

One of the children confirmed that he had been staying over at the address. The court heard that Carsley would also help with bedtime and getting them ready for school.

Defending, Ellen Shaw asked for credit for a guilty plea and said that Carsley, 55, had concealed his identity because he felt "ostracised" because of his past and that explaining it was a "difficult conversation to have". She also argued that a suspended sentence with rehabilitation work could have a more positive effect.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC said he could not agree with that argument and jailed Carsley for 18 months. He said: "For a period of around one month, you were living in one form or another with a vulnerable woman who was not in a position to protect her children from your sexual interest in children, which you undoubtedly have. This was quite deliberate as you went in with a false name and false date of birth and you didn't tell the mother what you should have done."

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A twisted paedophile who took pictures of himself abusing two young children has been jailed as the families of his victims speak about their horrible ordeal in waiting five years for justice to be served.

David Collins, 52, had abused two young children over a period of several years and was found with hundreds of indecent images of them, including selfies taken as he was carrying out the sexual assaults. Following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by touching of two children under 13-years-old.

He has now been jailed for five years for his clever and conniving behaviour, which has torn apart the lives of his victims and their heartbroken families. Speaking to MyLondon, one family member said that they had been crushed by his actions and that the five-year long wait for a conviction had impacted the victims mental health.

His first victim, who MyLondon will refer to as Child A to protect their anonymity, first came forward with the abuse in 2017, after confiding in a schoolfriend. Their mum soon became aware, and as preliminary investigations into Collins began, Child B came forward and informed ]their] parents that they too had been abused.

Collins, a former game developer for Sony, had sexually assaulted his victims while they were sitting on his lap, using an iPad as a smokescreen to cover his actions. Upon his arrest, 844 pictures of Child B were discovered on his devices as well as other compromising images of Child A.

Speaking to MyLondon, a relative of Child A said: I watched [them] change from being this full of life, bubbly young kid to a sad, depressed [child]. I remember taking [them] out once and we got the photos [from the outing] back and [they] just looked dead behind the eyes. Its one of the hardest things Ive seen.

After reporting the abuse to the police in 2017, it took five years for Collins to be placed on trial, increasing the stress and strain upon his young victims. It's taken five long years, its shocking, the relative said. That is what has done half of the mental health damage because the whole long process of it all and it being years before they were interviewed again.

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BY HOLLY EVANS
14:22, 23 MAR 2023UPDATED15:08, 23 MAR 2023
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David Collins has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of abusing two children
David Collins has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of abusing two children (Image: Handout)
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A twisted paedophile who took pictures of himself abusing two young children has been jailed as the families of his victims speak about their horrible ordeal in waiting five years for justice to be served.

David Collins, 52, had abused two young children over a period of several years and was found with hundreds of indecent images of them, including selfies taken as he was carrying out the sexual assaults. Following a trial at Croydon Crown Court, he was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault by touching of two children under 13-years-old.

He has now been jailed for five years for his clever and conniving behaviour, which has torn apart the lives of his victims and their heartbroken families. Speaking to MyLondon, one family member said that they had been crushed by his actions and that the five-year long wait for a conviction had impacted the victims mental health.

His first victim, who MyLondon will refer to as Child A to protect their anonymity, first came forward with the abuse in 2017, after confiding in a schoolfriend. Their mum soon became aware, and as preliminary investigations into Collins began, Child B came forward and informed ]their] parents that they too had been abused.

Collins, a former game developer for Sony, had sexually assaulted his victims while they were sitting on his lap, using an iPad as a smokescreen to cover his actions. Upon his arrest, 844 pictures of Child B were discovered on his devices as well as other compromising images of Child A.

Speaking to MyLondon, a relative of Child A said: I watched [them] change from being this full of life, bubbly young kid to a sad, depressed [child]. I remember taking [them] out once and we got the photos [from the outing] back and [they] just looked dead behind the eyes. Its one of the hardest things Ive seen.

After reporting the abuse to the police in 2017, it took five years for Collins to be placed on trial, increasing the stress and strain upon his young victims. It's taken five long years, its shocking, the relative said. That is what has done half of the mental health damage because the whole long process of it all and it being years before they were interviewed again.

As well as awaiting years for the trial, the families were also told at short notice on two occasions that the sentencing date had been changed, causing further anxiety. It shouldnt be hush-hush, he shouldnt be getting any leniency on this. Weve been checking the sex offenders register, he still hasnt been put on there. Everything regarding this case has been wrong, she said.

While the family of Child A welcomed his five-year prison sentence, the impact on his victim has been enormous and they have been unable to continue attending school. It came out in [their] statement how [they] wanted to kill [themself], [they] didnt want to be here anymore. It's given [them] epilepsy and although theyre saying that would have been lying dormant, the trauma of this is what has triggered it, she said.

He gets to serve two years, come out and move away and he can start his life all over again while there are people out there who have been crushed by this.

Both families are concerned however that further victims may have not come forward, and are urging anyone with information to contact the police. A relative of Child B said: We dont believe that he woke up at the age of 40 and decided Im going to play with a child today. We believe there are more victims. The reason for the victims doing this is that they want to prevent this from happening again.

She continued: We believe he didnt get long enough for the crimes that he committed, his face was actually in the photographs and you could see what he was doing. I personally dont believe it was long enough however is any sentence going to be long enough? Would life be long enough? No, because hes going to get out.

Collins, of Byrnes Road, Croydon, has been jailed for five years and has been made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A Rosyth man sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl after showering her with gifts.

Craig Hamilton sent the youngster naked images of himself and urged her to reciprocate.

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A man has been given a four-year sentence for sex attacks carried out when he worked in a children's home.

Dean Gathercole was jailed for 19 years in 2018 after being found guilty of three counts of rape and six counts of indecent assault.

Nottinghamshire Police said a woman now in her 40s learned of his offending and reported further instances of abuse.

Gathercole, 58, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday.

The new sentence will run consecutively to the term handed down in 2018.

Police said the abuse took place during an overnight stay at a holiday park, when the defendant assaulted the teenager - who was then in his care - in a swimming pool and a cabin.

'Simply unforgivable'

Gathercole was one of a number of former employees at children's homes mentioned during the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's investigation into services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Det Con Stephen Dunn, from Nottinghamshire Police, praised the woman for the "enormous courage" she showed in reporting the abuse she suffered.

"Gathercole was entrusted to look after vulnerable young people who looked to him for guidance and support," he said.

"Instead of helping this child through a very challenging period of her life, he chose instead to groom and abuse her for his own sexual gratification.

"His behaviour was simply unforgivable, and I am pleased that he has now been held accountable for these appalling crimes."

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A business owner found guilty of two charges of sexual assault is on the sex offender register for five years after his sentencing today.

Keith Warren, 54, owner of Newark Cue Club, was sentenced by Judge Mr Recorder Simon King, at Nottingham Crown Court this morning.

Judge King said: "I think it is a tremendous shame that Mr Warren finds himself in this situation, but it is of his own doing."

The court was told Warren had an 'unblemished' life prior to the offences.

Warren was sentenced for two counts of sexual assault against a woman, who was said to have been 'greatly distressed' by Warren's actions.

He was found guilty of two of three charges of sexual assault brought against him at a retrial on January 16, with a not guilty verdict for one charge.

Warren had previously appeared before the court in early April 2022 for the same charges, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict, leading to the retrial this year.

Judge King sentenced Warren to a two-year community order and up to 45 rehabilitation activity requirement days for each of the two offences, to be served concurrently.

He will also be on the sex offender register for five years, and a restraining order in place for the same length of time, barring him from contacting the victim.

Warren was warned that any breach of the restraining order could result in a prison sentence.

"Any offence of sexual assault is considered as serious by the court," Judge King added.

"This is not to say it can be overlooked or minimised, but it falls to the lower end of the spectrum."

It was said that Warren was 'not a predator who might present serious risk'.

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The image of a man seen ‘tweaking his nipples’ near children has been released.

Convicted sex offender Christopher Bagley of Stroudley Way in Hedge End was jailed on Friday.

The 77-year-old was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Southampton Crown Court heard how a witness saw Bagley ‘furtively sheltering in the bushes’ by the duck pond in Dowds Farm Park in November.

The witness said he ‘unzipped his hoodie and proceeded to rub and tweak his nipples for about five seconds.’

She said: “He then took the whole jacket off.

“There were two boys on the opposite side of the pond area playing.”

He left the pond area and park to return to his car, passing by a children’s playground.

But, mitigating, Damien Hayes, said it was a ‘private moment’ as Bagley undressed to urinate.

Giving evidence, Bagley told the court he ‘could have done more’ had he seen the young boys on the other side of the pond.

He said: “I have no recollection of tweaking my nipples. I was not aware of anyone in the area.”

The court recorder, Mr Donald Tait sentenced Bagley to a total of 18 months in prison.

Bagley was previously sentenced in Bournemouth in 2006 after admitting sex offences with young boys.

The former head of computing and maths teacher at Poole Grammar School admitted sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy, four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a 10-year-old boy, and exposure.

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A CONVICTED sex offender who previously boasted he had a ‘black belt’ in attacking women has been locked up again.

Andrew Matthews was jailed in 2021 for sexually assaulting a woman, as well as punching her and spitting on her while drunk.

The 37-year-old was told at the time that he would have time ‘to sit at Her Majesty's pleasure and contemplate what he has done’ while serving his prison sentence.

But he has now been sent back to prison for making homophobic comments with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He was charged with breaching of a restraining order and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, and he appeared to be sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, March 18.

Michael Caine, prosecuting, informed the court how the offences were committed two days earlier on Thursday, March 16.

Matthews, formerly of Orford, used threatening, disorderly, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause another person harassment, alarm or distress.

He also, ‘without reasonable excuse’, attended within 100 metres of a named Warrington street which he was prohibited from doing through a restraining order imposed by Liverpool Crown Court in July 2021.

This was imposed after Matthews was convicted of a sickening sexual assault committed against a woman, when he groped his female victim in the crotch, leaving her in pain and tears.

The defendant ‘forcibly grabbed’ his victim over her clothing’, causing her to scream and leaving her with bruising.

This came after he boasted to her about having a ‘black belt’ in attacking women.

He also choked her by grabbing her throat, punched her to the face, pushed her and spat at her five times.

Although the only physical harm caused was tenderness to the face, the woman told police how Matthew’s actions made her feel ‘depressed and upset’.

She also said she ‘felt uncomfortable in own skin’, was left anxious and suffered regular panic attacks as a result.

The crown court at the time heard how Matthews had 19 previous convictions for 24 offences, covering a ‘wide range’, but with many involving violence.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

For these latest offences, magistrates said that they would take the defendant’s guilty pleas into account, however they said that the severity of the offences meant that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

This was due to him being on post-sentence supervision at the time, as well as his previous record of offending and the fact that he made homophobic comments.

Matthews, now of Brantfield Court in Padgate, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison and ordered to pay compensation of £154.

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A child sex offender has been jailed for 12 years after he admitted a string of sick crimes. Thomas Nellist, 23, previously pleaded guilty to five counts of incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity with a boy aged 13 to 15, eight of making multiple indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of children, attempt to cause a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.

He was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Monday, March 20. Nellist, of Biddulph, also admitted possession of multiple prohibited images of children and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

The offences took place in Staffordshire between 2017 and 2022. Nellist - who pulled a bizarre expression in his custody mug shot - was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life.

Det Con Emily Raybould, the officer in the case, said: “I would urge anyone who has been a victim of such crimes to come forward and report this to us. We will listen to you, and you and your families will be supported by specially-trained detectives and support workers.

“If you are or have been a victim or you are worried about something, and you don’t feel ready to talk to the police, please speak to someone you trust.”

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A PENSIONER who pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent exposure, one of which involved a child under 18, has been sentenced by a court in Cornwall. 

Allen William Glass, aged 67, of Old Road in Liskeard, was sentenced to 12 months in prison by Truro Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 21 March for two counts of indecent exposure.

The first offence took place at Old Road in Liskeard on Monday, August 22, 2022, when Glass intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

Glass repeated the offence of intentionally exposing his genitals again on March 2, 2023, at Old Road, Liskeard. 

The court ruled that the offences were serious because they were targeted and repeated over an ongoing period of time, specifically to a vulnerable child under the age of 18.

The victim impact statement was taken into consideration, and the court determined that only a custodial sentence would suffice as there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

A restraining order was also issued, prohibiting Glass from contacting two people directly or indirectly as well as banning him from going to an address in Liskeard for a period of five years.

Glass was also required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for five years. 

As part of his sentencing, Glass was also required to pay a surcharge of £154 to fund victim services, as well as £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The court also noted that Glass's guilty plea had been taken into account when imposing the sentence.

Record details

A SEX offender has been jailed for 15 years after he was found guilty of a string of crimes against a child.

John Bliss, of Greenmeadow, Gwent appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, March 16, where he faced charges of rape, sexual assault by touching, and causing a girl to engage in sexual activity.

His victim was under the age of 13.

Following a trial, Bliss, 43, was found guilty of seven of the offences and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He has also been issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

An investigation into Bliss originally began in 2020 after Essex Police were contacted by the victim, who was just a child, to disclose she had been subjected to multiple serious sexual assaults in Harlow.

Essex Police’s child abuse investigation team then led an investigation which resulted in Bliss’s arrest.

When interviewed, Bliss denied the offences, but his sentencing will see him stay behind bars until 2038.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described the impact the case has had on her life.

She said: “I have constant anxiety which feels like it’s never going away – I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, feeling alarmed and panicked because my mind is telling me that he is standing outside my bedroom.

“I don’t like being away from my home comforts because then I feel unsafe and I don’t like staying around people’s houses, I feel at risk.

“I ask myself, why me? Did I do something wrong? Did I deserve it?”

The victim’s family gave an official statement through the police, which described how they have been dealing with the aftermath of the crime.

They said: “This has been our worst nightmare – something I never thought possible, that anything like this could happen to us.

“Since what happened, we have been picking up pieces to the explosion that has gone off.”

Essex Police’s investigating officer, Sergeant Gemma Marriner, said the force’s crime and public protection team would ensure perpetrators like Bliss will face justice.

She said: “Bliss’ actions on this vulnerable victim were evil and even once he was arrested, he didn’t have the decency to admit what he’d done, resulting in victim and her family being accused of lying.

“The public may underestimate the detrimental effect that these crimes may have on a victim and although she may never forget what has happened, I hope that this sentence can allow her to move forward.

“In sexual offences investigations, victims are often concerned that they will not be believed and that it will be the perpetrators word against theirs, particularly in cases where we do not have any forensic opportunities.

“This is not the case and our Crime and Public Protection Team is formed of officers who are trained and passionate to ensure that dangerous perpetrators get their justice.”

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A man’s plan to meet a teenager for sex was foiled when the girl turned out to be an adult who called the police.

Scott Ambrose, 35, booked a Peterborough hotel room on 7 August, 2021, and had also bought alcohol, sex toys and a camera.

He had started talking to the “girl” online a week beforehand and the conversation turned sexual, despite the her making it clear she was only 15.

Ambrose travelled to Peterborough railway station and booked a nearby hotel. However, things turned sour when he was instead met by a member of the public who made a citizen’s arrest and called police.

Officers arrived and Ambrose, of Hallaton Road, Peterborough, was arrested. His home, car and the hotel room were searched where police discovered the items showing intent to engage in sexual activity.

His phone was also seized, analysed and the chat log retrieved in full. It revealed he had sent photos of himself, a video discussing picking her up and taking her to the hotel room and even photos of the hotel room, before leaving to meet her.

In police interview, Ambrose declined to answer questions, however, he later admitted charges of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Ambrose was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday (16 March), where he was jailed for two years and seven months.

He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to monitor any future offending, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the same timeframe.

DC Neal Holdsworth, from the force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: “We do all we can to bring those to justice who use the internet in this way - to groom and try to meet children under 16.

“Phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust. I would urge parents to speak to their children about online safety and consider exactly who they are communicating with.

“Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”

Record details

A man who raped a woman went on to harass and stalk his victim after being released on police bail.

Harvey Blyth sent the woman a series of "vile" messages via social media and began to harass her. When police searched 20-year-old Blyth's phone they found videos of children being sexually abused, he had made "disturbing" internet searches, and had shared a private sexual video of a woman.

Swansea Crown Court heard heard Blyth has significant mental health and psychological issues which have largely gone untreated, and that a probation officer determined that he should be categorised as a dangerous offender. As the defendant was given a 10-year extended sentence he told the judge "I'm a bit upset about that. I was expecting three or four years".

Craig Jones, prosecuting, told the court that after the rape Blyth performed a sex act over his victim. The incident was reported to the police and the defendant was arrested and interviewed, and then released on conditional police bail. The prosecutor said Blyth then "embarked on a campaign of what could properly be called harassment" which included sending "vile" and abusive messages to his victim via Facebook. Blyth was arrested and interviewed about his breach of bail conditions, and then released - and went back to harassing his victim on social media.

The court heard the defendant was arrested again, and while being held in Swansea Central police station subjected an officer to racist abuse. Following this arrest a number of Blyth's phones and other devices were seized, and officers found three videos showing boys aged between 10 and 14 being sexually abused as well as a video showing a man having sex with an animal. An examination of his internet history showed the defendant had been making searches including "is rape okay" as well as "paedo rapes kids" and "naked 5 year old". Police also found that Blyth had sent had an intimate video which he had surreptitiously shot to somebody else.

In an impact statement which was read to the court the victim of the rape said the experience had left her feeling "wrecked inside". She said she now feels anxious and scared of men, and is far less sociable than she used to be. The court heard the woman whose video Blyth shared now feels "haunted" by the idea that the footage "may still be be out there". In his statement, the officer who the defendant racially abused said he had been distressed and embarrassed at what happened in front of his colleagues.

Harvey Kristian Blyth, of Beauchamp Walk, Gorseinon, Swansea, had previously been convicted at trial of rape and had pleaded guilty to disclosing a private video, stalking, making - that is possessing - indecent images of Category A, possession of extreme pornography, and racially aggravated disorder when he appeared in the dock via videolink for sentencing.

Georgina Buckley, for Blyth, said there was a letter from the defendant's parents before the court as well as psychiatric and psychological reports which set out his mental health issues. The barrister said for the first time the defendant was now receiving medication, and that Blyth's parents had seen a "remarkable change" in him as a result.

Judge Geraint Walters said the rape had taken place while Blyth was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and after he had "partied hard". He said the defendant had then been "relentless" in trying to contact his victim despite attempts by police to reign him in. The judge said police had subsequently found evidence of the "disturbing" internet searches Blyth had been making.

Judge Walters said it was clear from everything he had read about the defendant that he had had behavioural problems from an early age which his parents had tried their best to deal with, and there was a "significant amount of work" which needed to be done with him. He described Blyth as a "young man with profound and complex needs" who seemed to have little understanding of the difference between right and wrong, and he said a detailed probation report had concluded that the defendant was a dangerous offender in the meaning of the legislation who would continue to be so until he was appropriately treated.

Blyth was made the subject of a 10-year extended sentence comprising seven years in custody followed by a three year extended licence. The defendant can apply for release after serving two thirds of the custodial element of the sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released. Blyth will be a registered sex offender for the result of his life.

As the sentence was passed Blyth said to the judge: "I'm a bit upset about that. I was expecting three or four years."

Record details

A man from Manchester who sexually assaulted two children has been jailed for eight years and six months following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Specialist NCA investigators operating online identified Jeffrey Owens, 44, (pictured) as a user who had been discussing his sexual interest in children on different chat platforms.

He went into great detail in conversations with other users about how he had assaulted two children on a number of occasions.

Owens was arrested in May 2020, after which NCA investigators were able to evidence that he had assaulted, and engaged in sexual activity in front of the children at least 11 times, and had threatened them into keeping it a secret.

Both children have been safeguarded.

Officers analysing Owens’ phone later recovered several more chat logs where he spoke to various people about abusing children and shared indecent images.

Over 4,000 indecent images of children (IIOC) in categories A-C were also recovered, which Owens had stored across several devices.

Some of those images included ones he had taken himself using a hidden camera.

Earlier this year, Owens pleaded guilty to 26 offences, including the sexual assault of a child under 13, seven counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, three counts of voyeurism, and four counts of indecency with a child.

He was sentenced today [20/03/2023] at Manchester Minshull Street Court to eight years and six months in prison, with a further four years on licence.

He was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Mark Barrow from the National Crime Agency said:

“Owens is a persistent offender who seemingly sought out as many opportunities as he could to satisfy his sexual interest in children.

“He consistently took advantage of children, sexually assaulting them and forcing them to watch him perform sexual acts on many occasions, then blackmailed them into keeping his horrific actions a secret.

“It’s clear this investigation has placed a dangerous sexual offender behind bars. Identifying such individuals and ensuring they can no longer pose a threat to children is an absolute priority for the NCA.

“We will continue to do all we can to tackle this threat but also hope to see a shift from industry to take responsibility for identifying and preventing sexual abuse happening on their platforms.”

Record details

John Hawker, 25, of St Athan, cruelly abused the victim after bribing her with chocolate and presents

John Hawker repeatedly raped an underaged teenage girl after grooming her for a number of years. The victim said the abuse still continued to make her feel ill and said "I don't feel like me anymore".

John Hawker, 25, cruelly abused the girl which began with him "inappropriately touching" her when she a young child. She consistently told her abuser she was "not interested" in sexual behaviour and told him to stop but he offered her bribes of chocolate and presents in order to gain her "confidence and trust".

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard the girl was sleeping when she woke up in pain and discomfort. She realised Hawker was raping her and struggled in an effort to push him off but the defendant persisted. Judge Jeremy Jenkins told the court Hawker had taken the victim's virginity during the rape. He added: "This was her introduction to sex."