Latest Offenders

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A MAN who groomed school girls online using a fake profile to masquerade as a teenager is now behind bars.

Kevin Whittaker, of Ajax Avenue, Orford, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison at Chester Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard how the 32-year-old used the social networking site Facebook to target vulnerable girls aged between 13 and 15 years.

He created a fake Facebook profile and pretended to be a 19-year-old keeping his true identity a secret from his victims.

One of the victims parents discovered the inappropriate messages between Whittaker and the victim and alerted police.

Officers carried out an extensive investigation into the allegation and were able to identify Whittaker as the suspect in the case.

Two further victims were also identified during the course of the enquiries.

Whittaker was arrested and later convicted of causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act, causing a female to engage in sexual activity without consent and causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act.

Chief Inspector Pete Shaw welcomed the sentencing of Whittaker and vowed to continue to target those who prey on the vulnerable and bring them to justice.

He said: Cheshire Police will continue to investigate reports of abuse and carry out operations to tackle those who seek to take advantage of young and vulnerable children, working together with the local authority and other agencies to keep children safe.

Whittaker is a predator - he actively approached his victims online and was very direct with his intentions.

"It is shocking for any parent to find their children have been targeted in such a way and Im sure the families affected will be relieved to find he has been imprisoned.

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A teenager has avoided a prison sentence after he was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting his 10-year-old step-sister.

In 2015, Ben King of Portsmouth appeared at court and was found guilty of raping a child aged under 13 and sexual assault of child aged under 13

The court was told that the rape took place in 2010 when King was a teenager

King was sentenced to:

- Two year youth rehabilitation order with supervision requirements.

- King was classed as a category 1 registered sex offender and level 2 risk management.

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Leslie Short, labelled 'an entrenched and committed paedophile', has been jailed for 12 years for sexual assault and indecent image offences

A twisted pervert who sexually abused two young girls had videos of one of the victims on his computer, among more than 12,000 indecent images.

Paedophile Leslie Short left his victims traumatised for life by grooming and molesting them in separate attacks spanning a decade.

During one of the assaults, one of the girls tried to run away but he grabbed her by the ankles to try to stop her.

When one of the victims told her mother what had happened, police were called and Short was arrested.

On computer equipment found at his house, there were a total of 12,351 indecent images of children.

Among them was footage he had taken of one of the abuse victims and images of other children he copied from someones computer while fixing it.

When confronted by police, Short said: I cant explain all this. Sick mind I suppose.

Now the 59-year-old, never in trouble before, has been locked up for 12 years at Newcastle Crown Court.

Judge Robin Mairs told him: You used the guise of being a caring adult to immerse yourself in the lives of young children then abused them.

This spanned at least a decade and it is clear you are an entrenched and committed paedophile.

Short, of Campion Gardens, Gateshead, carried out the attacks on the first girl when she was aged six or seven.

Robert Spragg, prosecuting, said the sexual assaults had had a lasting impact on her.

He said: It has particularly affected her school life and her ability to trust people.

She ended up with severe depression, her relationship with her mother suffered and her ability to form relationships with other people suffered.

She says she doesnt think she will ever get over what he did to her and feels she will be mentally scarred for life.

The second victim has also been badly affected by Shorts actions, the court heard.

Mr Spragg said: She became clingy and anxious about going to other peoples houses for the night and has had bad dreams as a result of what happened to her.

When Short was arrested, police searched his home and found the indecent images and movies.

Among the footage was video he had taken of one of the abuse victims, although not of the abuse.

He had also copied images of other children from a computer he was fixing for someone.

Short pleaded guilty to five child sex offences seven offences of making indecent images of children.

As well as the 12 year prison sentence he must sign the sex offender register for life, was barred from working with children and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Jamie Adams, defending, said: He is not making excuses for it and he accepts totally the wrongfulness of what he has done.

He has been, for much of his life, a hard working man. He is now a sad heap of a human being with nothing to look forward to.

He acknowledges the damage his behaviour has done to the young people we have heard about.

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A gang of paedophiles that included a 33-year-old Somerset manhave been branded "beyond human instinct and evil" by a judge.

The men preyed on the families of youngsters to gain access to them and, in one case, groomed a mother and father before their baby was born.

The men raped babies, toddlers and pre-school children and streamed the abuse over the internet to other sex abusers across the world.

Members travelled hundreds of miles to carry out sickening attacks together or used internet streaming to provide real-time encouragement and directions to those abusing victims.

The seven - aged between 31 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders - were convicted of 29 child sex abuse offences, including conspiracy to rape and the multiple rape of a child aged under 13.

They are John Denham, 50, from Wiltshire, Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire, Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset, Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester, Robin Hollyson, 31, from Bedfordshire, David Harsley, 51, from Yorkshire, and Matthew Lisk, 33, from Sussex.

Passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Julian Lambert said: "In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit.

"What you contemplated and what you did involved the most horrific abuse of a baby and very young children.

"Your thoughts and deeds are beyond human instinct and reason, and are evil beyond rational understanding.

"You men indulged yourselves in some of the most depraved and grossly deviant behaviour imaginable. The depth to which you sank is astounding and highly shocking to all decent people.

"What you did is contrary to all nature and humanity and you each appear to have a chilling tendency to centre the world on yourselves and your depraved desires without regard for the innocent and vulnerable.

"Your conduct is of deep concern to the public and people are outraged at what you have done. What you did provokes tears in many and makes others feel physically sick.

"Given the strength of public feeling I consider that retribution has a very large part to play in the sentencing exercise. This is no case for treatment and rehabilitation outside prison."

The judge continued: "You each made choices. Those choices have proved catastrophic for you personally but that is of slight concern when compared with the devastating impact of your actions on the victims and their families.

"The material you viewed and the urges you excited in each other were matters of choice for you. You sought out the darkest materials on the internet and met in cyberspace to discuss your perverted sexual desires.

"You then planned the most shockingly sordid exploitation of the very young for sexual purposes. Targeting innocent children in that way is utterly abhorrent and is bound to receive condign punishment.

"The degraded and deplorable state into which you have rendered yourselves is pitiful but there is no room for mercy here.

"All sympathy and compassion must be extended to the victims of crime and their families, and not you."

Hollyson received a 24-year prison sentence plus an extension of eight years on licence while Toms was jailed for 12 years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Knight was jailed for 18 years plus an extension of six years on licence and Stansfield received a 10-year prison sentence plus an extension of four years on licence.

Denham was jailed for eight years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Lisk was jailed for four years plus an extension of three years on licence and Harsley was jailed for two years They were all placed on the sex offenders' register for life, except for Harsley whose length is still to be determined by the judge.

Online chat logs revealed the gang, who lived across the UK, would offer advice on using "date rape" drugs or over-the-counter medication to drowse children and babies.

Known victims of the men include one baby, aged between three and seven months at the time of the abuse, a four-year-old boy and a boy aged between four and five.

In July 2013, Harsley performed a sexual act near a four-year-old boy, while Denham and Lisk watched through a video link to a hotel room at Heathrow Airport.

Hollyson claimed to have repeatedly raped a baby from the age of three months and filmed himself doing so between December 2013 and January 2014. Later that month, Hollyson, Knight and Denham planned to meet to sexually abuse the boy but could not do so as Hollyson was in hospital.

Hollyson, Knight and Stansfield met in February 2014 though it is not clear what happened.

In May 2014, Hollyson, Stansfield and Toms met up to rape and sexually assault the baby, with the incident filmed and shared.

A video from July 2014 shows Hollyson abusing the baby, while logs reveal Hollyson and Stansfield conspired to rape him in July and August 2014.

Hollyson was arrested in September 2014, ending the baby's abuse. Investigators uncovered images of the baby being abused.

In April 2014, Toms administered drugs to a four-year-old boy to allow him and Knight to abuse him. Photographs of this were shared online. The attacks were carefully planned, with defendants driving hundreds of miles to commit their crimes.

The National Crime Agency uncovered the abuse last September after Toms contacted police to admit he had abused a child. Mr Davies said the impact on the victims and their families was "profound and long lasting".

One of the victim's families added: "We would like to thank police, the National Crime Agency and all the other law enforcement agencies involved for their support and handling of what has been a very traumatic and distressing experience for us.

"No family ever wants to find that their child has been the victim of abuse, nor would they ever knowingly put their child at risk.

"As a family we now need to mend - seeing the perpetrators being brought to justice is the first step."

Description

A Luton man who was part of a paedophile ring convicted of more than 30 child sexual abuse offences has been jailed for 32 years.

Robin Hollyson, 30, had pleaded guilty to three counts of raping a child under 13, three counts of conspiracy to rape a child under 13, sexual assault of a child under 13 and possessing indecent images of children.

He was one of seven jailed for a total of 107 years at Bristol Crown Court today.

The investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) alongside Bedfordshire Police, Wiltshire Police and Avon & Somerset Police was launched in September and the network of offenders began to be identified.

Bedfordshire Police had already arrested Hollyson after being alerted to a possible offence before the NCA contacted the force with information about his involvement in the wider ring.

The court heard the men shared indecent images and videos of children being abused, communicating via social networking forums.

Evidence showed that the groups victims were mainly babies and infants, with at least one victim given stupefying drugs to enable offenders to carry out sexual abuse.

The men were convicted of offences including the rape of a child under the age of 13, conspiracy to rape a child under the age of 13, sexual assault on a child under 13, sexual activity with a child under the age of 13, administering a substance with intent, making and possessing indecent images of children (IIOC) and breaching a Sex Offender Prevention Order (SOPO).

The victims identified so far were under the age of five at the time the offences were committed.

Detective Inspector Jerry Waite form Bedfordshire Police said: The sentences passed today show just how seriously the courts and law enforcement agencies consider the evil actions of these men.

Hollyson and these men went to great lengths in order to carry out their depraved acts.

Befriending and grooming a family in order to target their child is truly sickening and clearly shows their level of determination to identify and exploit a victim.

The family of Hollysons victim said: We would like to thank Bedfordshire Police, the National Crime Agency and all the other law enforcement agencies involved for their support and handling of what has been a very traumatic and distressing experience for us.

No family ever wants to find that their child has been the victim of abuse, nor would they ever knowingly put their child at risk.

As a family we now need to mend - seeing the perpetrators being brought to justice is the first step.

The NCAs continuing investigation has resulted in the arrest of an additional 28 people so far, three have been charged with child sexual abuse image offences.

Nine children have been safeguarded, bringing the total number of children safeguarded to 33.

Of those arrested, seven were in positions of trust four teachers, two charity/fundraiser workers and one was employed by a local authority. In addition, two people received cautions for extreme pornography offences.

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Depraved Christopher Knight, 35, was part of vile grooming gang branded 'beyond human instinct and evil' who have been jailed for a total of 107 years

A gang of paedophiles who raped babies, toddlers and pre-school children and streamed the abuse over the internet to other sex abusers across the world have been branded 'beyond human instinct and evil' by a judge.

The men preyed on the families of youngsters to gain access to them and, in one case, groomed a mother and father before their baby was born.

Members travelled hundreds of miles to carry out sickening attacks together or used internet streaming to provide real-time encouragement and directions to those abusing victims.

The seven - aged between 31 and 51 and including three convicted sex offenders - were convicted of 29 child sex abuse offences, including conspiracy to rape and the multiple rape of a child aged under 13.

They are John Denham, 50, from Wiltshire, Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire, Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset, Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester, Robin Hollyson, 31, from Bedfordshire, David Harsley, 51, from Yorkshire, and Matthew Lisk, 33, from Sussex.

Passing sentence at Bristol Crown Court, Judge Julian Lambert said: In the worst nightmare, from the very deepest recesses of the mind, at the darkest hour of the night, few can have imagined the terrifying depravity which you men admit.

What you contemplated and what you did involved the most horrific abuse of a baby and very young children.

Your thoughts and deeds are beyond human instinct and reason, and are evil beyond rational understanding.

You men indulged yourselves in some of the most depraved and grossly deviant behaviour imaginable. The depth to which you sank is astounding and highly shocking to all decent people.

What you did is contrary to all nature and humanity and you each appear to have a chilling tendency to centre the world on yourselves and your depraved desires without regard for the innocent and vulnerable.

Your conduct is of deep concern to the public and people are outraged at what you have done. What you did provokes tears in many and makes others feel physically sick.

Given the strength of public feeling I consider that retribution has a very large part to play in the sentencing exercise. This is no case for treatment and rehabilitation outside prison.

The judge continued: You each made choices. Those choices have proved catastrophic for you personally but that is of slight concern when compared with the devastating impact of your actions on the victims and their families.

The material you viewed and the urges you excited in each other were matters of choice for you. You sought out the darkest materials on the internet and met in cyberspace to discuss your perverted sexual desires.

You then planned the most shockingly sordid exploitation of the very young for sexual purposes. Targeting innocent children in that way is utterly abhorrent and is bound to receive condign punishment.

The degraded and deplorable state into which you have rendered yourselves is pitiful but there is no room for mercy here.

All sympathy and compassion must be extended to the victims of crime and their families, and not you.

Hollyson received a 24-year prison sentence plus an extension of eight years on licence while Toms was jailed for 12 years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Knight was jailed for 18 years plus an extension of six years on licence and Stansfield received a 10-year prison sentence plus an extension of four years on licence.

Denham was jailed for eight years plus an extension of four years on licence.

Lisk was jailed for four years plus an extension of three years on licence and Harsley was jailed for two years

They were all placed on the sex offenders register for life, except for Harsley whose length is still to be determined by the judge.

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A HAMPSHIRE man who was part of a gang of paedophiles who raped and abused babies, toddlers and children in attacks that were streamed over the internet is facing a lengthy prison sentence.

Matthew Stanfield, 35, was part of a ring who preyed on the families of the youngsters they targeted, in one case grooming a mother and father before their baby was born.

Members would often travel long distances to carry out sickening attacks together, or watch the abuse over the internet if only one had access to a victim.

Chilling online chat revealed that members of the gang, who lived across the UK, would offer advice to others on how to drug young victims.

Today, the seven men - aged between 31 and 51 and including three previously convicted sex offenders - will appear before Bristol Crown Court to be sentenced.

The hearing, before Judge Julian Lambert, is expected to take two days, with the men expected to receive their sentences tomorrow.

Together, they have been convicted of 30 child sex abuse offences, including conspiracy to rape and the rape of a child under the age of 13.

The other members of the gang are:

John Denham, formally known as Benjamin Harrop, 50, from Wiltshire

Matthew Stansfield, 35, from Hampshire - a convicted sex offender

Adam Toms, 33, from Somerset

Christopher Knight, 35, from Manchester

Robin Hollyson, previously known as Robin Fallick, 31, from Bedfordshire - a convicted sex offender

David Harsley, 51, from East Yorkshire - a convicted sex offender

Matthew Lisk, 33, from East Sussex

The National Crime Agency launched its investigation, codenamed Operation Voicer, last September after Toms contacted police and admitted he had abused a child.

Their inquiries led to the unmasking of the ring operating across the UK, which had links to other paedophiles across the world.

In the weeks that followed, the other six members were arrested and a further two victims were identified.

Another 21 children have been the subject of ''safeguarding'' measures in relation to the investigation.

The NCA has worked closely with the Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Humberside, Wiltshire and Sussex police forces, as well as the Crown Prosecution Service and nine local authorities.

Police combed the suspects' electronic communications and established that contact between them began on adult online sex forums, which are publicly accessible and legal to use.

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Convicted child sex offender allegedly breaks SOPO and is bailed to live next to primary school.

A convicted child sex offender leers at a young girl after he was bailed to live next to a primary school.

Matthew Peacock has convictions for causing a child to be involved in sexual activity, and making indecent photos of a child.

As part of his sentence he was given a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO), which he was arrested on suspicion of breaching last month.

Police bailed him to a house overlooking the playground and fields of 302-pupil Melbourn primary in Cambridgeshire.

On Friday children were playing just ten metres from his garden fence.

A parent said: It beggars belief. Surely there are more sensible places to put people? Did no one look at a map?

This is nothing but gross incompetence and shows how bungling our police and courts are.

The former wildlife park worker pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of a child after contacting a girl on Facebook.

He also admitted causing or inciting a girl under 16 to be involved in sexual activity.

At Cambridge crown court he got a two-year community order and was put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

He was also given the indefinite SOPO, which police are now investigating if he breached.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said the house was considered a suitable location after a risk assessment.

It added: Strict guidelines cover the management of registered sex offenders. We are confident they have been applied.

The school did not comment.

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A 42-year-old man has been jailed after pretending to be a teenager on Facebook to groom a child.

Douglas Warren, 42, of Edenbridge in Kent, exchanged explicit images and videos with his victim and even planned to meet her at a hotel.

The booking was cancelled when he found out Kent Police knew about what he was doing online.

The court heard how Warren claimed to be aged 19 when he first sent his victim a friend request on Facebook in February 2015.

After the request was accepted he sent her explicit images of himself and encouraged her to do the same in return.

He also suggested that they could one day move in together and possibly get married.

Officers seized Warrens mobile telephone, laptop computer and other devices following his arrest on March 27.

They found more than 4,000 child abuse images and 31 extreme pornographic images.

He clearly poses a risk to children, who should be able to use social networking websites without being targeted by people like Warren who exploit them for their own sexual gratification.

Det Con Gordon Lindsay

Warren was jailed for 21 months at Maidstone Crown Court admitting four counts relating to child sex offences and eight counts relating to the possession and/or making of pornographic images including child abuse images.

In addition to a custodial sentence of 21 months, Warren must also sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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Matthew Lovage began shaking and breathing heavily, unbuttoned his shirt and clutched his chest as he was told he was guilty.

The 27-year-old, of Sir Bernard Paget Avenue, Repton Park, was allowed half an hour to recover before learning he faced a lengthy term behind bars.

Lovage was found guilty by the jury at Canterbury Crown Court of the rape of a young child and sexual activity with the same victim.

He was arrested after allegations were reported by an Ashford children’s nursery – but he denied the of­fences.

The victim gave evidence at the three-day trial via CCTV from a special room in the crown court.

The sentencing hearing was adjourned for five weeks while reports are prepared which will consider what danger Lovage poses to children in the future.

His lawyer, Kieran Moroney, made no application for bail and Judge Heather Norton ordered Lovage to sign the sex of­fender register.

Mr Moroney said Lovage had an undiagnosed medical problem and was undergoing medical tests.

Judge Norton told Lovage: “You should prepare yourself for a custodial sentence – and one of some considerable length.”

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Former private school teacher jailed for making indecent images of children

A former teacher has been jailed after admitting making indecent images of scores of children using hidden cameras at a boarding school, behaviour the judge called his fatal flaw.

Jonathan Thomson-Glover, 53, who taught at Clifton College in Bristol, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of making, taking and possessing indecent images of children.

Thomson-Glover, of Wadebridge, Cornwall, was jailed for three years and nine months by Judge David Ticehurst at Taunton crown court.

The charges relate to more than 120 victims filmed by hidden cameras at the 11,000-a-term Clifton College and an address in Cornwall over a 16-year period.

Thomson-Glover admitted 27 charges of taking an indecent image of a child; seven charges of making an indecent image of a child and two charges of possessing indecent images of children.

He was charged following a joint investigation between Avon and Somerset police and Devon and Cornwall police.

The judge told Thomson-Glover he was a man looking at a life that is now in ruins. He said: That life was a good life and you have made a positive contribution. It is a life now reduced to rubble as a result of your fatal flaw.

You are the author of your own misfortune and there can be little sympathy for you. It is impossible to calculate the harm and damage you may have caused to those who trusted you or were in your care.

Thomson-Glover remained emotionless as he was led from the dock. He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and banned from working with children on his release.

The court heard Thomson-Glover first became part of the school at the age of six, as his father was working as a pastor there. He returned to teach at the school and was well regarded.

Prosecuting, Howard Phillips said: To pupils, many describe him as being more a friend than a teacher. He was a man who had a relaxed attitude and allowed his pupils to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol and engage in sexual relations on the school premises.

The parents regarded him as the consummate professional, he appeared very caring, achieved good exam results and went above and beyond. But the reality was somewhat different.

Thomson-Glover was arrested in August 2014 after the National Crime Agency discovered his IP address had been used to download indecent images of children. Officers seized four computers, discs and a number of Hi-8 camcorder tapes, with 330 VHS video tapes from three address they searched. Thomson-Glover was arrested but chose to make no comment.

Police discovered that he had been downloading thousands of indecent images of children, using search terms such as pre-teen boys. Analysis of the tapes revealed 2,500 hours equal to 104 days of footage taken at Clifton College and an address in Cornwall, relating to more than 120 victims.

The footage had been taken on hidden cameras placed at various locations around the two sites, and in a camera carried around in a bag with a hole in it. It included pupils engaging in sexual activity, using the bathroom and showering and taking part in private sexual acts.

In further interviews, Thomson-Glover admitted the offences, telling police: It was a compulsion and was fuelled by the internet. The court heard there is no evidence the footage was shared or that Thomson-Glover behaved improperly to any child.

Representing Thomson-Glover, Andrew Langdon QC said his client was remorseful and wanted to seek forgiveness.

Langdon said the footage was never shared and the majority of it was never watched, with pupils filmed engaging in sexual acts aged 16 or 17 at the time. He had repressed feelings of homosexuality as a teenager. Growing up in the 1960s and 70s attitudes to homosexuals then were quite different.

Langdon said his client had been in relationships with women but this drove him to breakdowns and to attempt suicide. He later joined the school as a teacher and installed the hidden cameras after viewing images online.

It led to a schizophrenic existence, Langdon said. On one hand he was successful. On the other hand, he had a secret addiction. It is too simplistic to say that the good he has done was merely in aid of facilitating the bad.

Some parents whose children were filmed wrote letters to the judge on Thomson-Glovers behalf, after meeting him following his arrest. I met a man who was deeply sorry and contrite, one mother wrote.

The court heard Thomson-Glovers mother has suffered two strokes since his arrest, while his father has also become unwell. He never intended suffering by others, Langdon added.

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Josh Bennett pleaded guilty to two counts of abduction and two counts of grooming.

Josh Bennett, who used Facebook to pester underage children for sex and allowed his flat to be used as a refuge for missing children, has been sentenced.

Bennett (born 17/11/1996), of Underwood, Rochdale pleaded guilty to two counts of abduction and two counts of grooming at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court, to 40 months in prison, is subject to a sexual offences prevention order and must sign the sex offender’s register.

Bennett's offending came to light in December 2014 when someone with access to his Facebook account saw numerous messages sent to underage children aged between 12 and 15-years-old. The tone of the messages were overtly sexual and were asking the children to meet him at his flat and have sex with him.

The messages show Bennett was well aware the children were underage but he persisted with his sexual advances regardless.

No evidence was found to suggest Bennett did in fact meet these children and engage in any sexual activity.

The Facebook messages were passed to Rochdale Social Services, and a joint investigation was launched by Greater Manchester Police’s Sunrise Team based at Rochdale and the local authority.

As the investigation unfolded, officers established that Bennett had also allowed his flat to be used as a sanctuary for teenagers who had run away from home. While at the flat, he would ply them with alcohol knowing full well they were underage and vulnerable.

On the day Bennett was arrested at his flat, one of these missing children - a 15-year-old boy - was found hiding in a roof inside Bennett's flat.

Detective Constable Ben Harris, from The Sunrise Team, said: "At a young age himself, Bennett has displayed very alarming signs of having a sexual predilection for young children.

"He also allowed his flat to be used as a refuge for children who were missing from home, and plied them with alcohol.

"As we have seen in the press recently, not only does this increase the cost and burden on police and local authorities who are trying to trace missing teenagers as people like Bennett effectively hide them from the authorities, but also places these vulnerable young people in even more dangerous circumstances at a time when they desperately need help and support.

"I would like to thank the individual who reported the alarming Facebook messages to the authorities. This allowed ourselves and Rochdale Council to investigate Bennett’s offending thoroughly and undoubtedly safeguarded the welfare of a lot of young people.

"It is also clear from the Facebook messages that the recipients rebuffed his advances and were aware Bennett was trying to groom them, which is great credit to them.

"Social networking sites are extremely popular and generally safe, but there is always a risk that they can be abused by people like Bennett. I would urge parents to keep a close eye on what their children are doing online and if you have any concerns don’t hesitate to report them. Ourselves and Rochdale Council will take action against anyone we suspect of being involved in grooming or child sexual exploitation and in doing so protect vulnerable young people."

The Sunrise team falls part of Project Phoenix, a multi-agency response to CSE across the whole of Greater Manchester. The project brings together police, local authorities, NHS and third sector organisations, using their collective expertise to safeguard vulnerable young people at risk of exploitation and target those who would try to exploit them.

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A MAN who sexually abused a child after grooming her via mobile phone has been jailed.

Robert Barnes sent the girl sexual images of himself via text messaging service Whats App and unsuccessfully tried to get her to do the same.

The 28-year-old, of Farhalls Crescent, Horsham, then abused her at his previous address in Nicolson Way, Sevenoaks.

He was arrested at this address on June 12, 2014 after concerns were reported to police.

Barnes refused to comment during police interview but officers seized his mobile phone which contained evidence of the messages he had sent his victim.

Following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, he was convicted of three counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, two counts of intent to entice a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of grooming.

Barnes, who met the victim through an acquaintance, was sentenced on August 20 to five years and six months in prison, and must sign on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Detective Constable David Turner, of Kent Police’s public protection unit, said: ‘Barnes has groomed his victim with the intention of committing sexual offences against her.

"He knew exactly what he was doing and has exploited a young and vulnerable person for his own gratification.

"He will now have plenty of time to reflect on his actions and I hope this sentence offers some comfort and reassurance to the victim and her family."

Sussex Police ask the public to help them detect the signs of child sexual exploitation, which involves the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18 into sexual activity.

Young people may be expected to engage in sexual activity in exchange for things such as money, gifts, accommodation, affection, status, food, drugs or alcohol, police say.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "A significant difficulty for parents and agencies seeking to protect children is that this is a form of abuse which is often misunderstood by victims and outsiders as consensual.

"Victims can be tricked into believing they are in a loving relationship, but the law is clear - no child under the age of 18 can ever consent to being abused or exploited."

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A former Oban teenager has been convicted of raping two 16-year-old girls.

Cameron Kerr, now 19, faces a lengthy spell behind bars after being found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow.

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A FORMER Basingstoke school teacher has been jailed for 15 years for a ''systematic abuse of trust'' by carrying out sexual assaults on two boys, one aged just seven.

Lloyd Dennis, 33, of Sopwith Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court to 12 charges of sexual offences against the young boy and his older brother, who was aged between 12 and 14 at the time.

The defendant also admitted seven charges relating to indecent images of children, including one of his younger victim, and one count of extreme pornography.

Judge Peter Henry explained that the sentence he imposed would consist of 15 years in custody with an extended period of eight years.

He also made Dennis subject to a sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge.

He said: ''I accept that there is no suggestion here that you have sexually abused young pupils but nonetheless it's deeply troubling that you should obtain such a position.''

He added that the defendant's choice to become a teacher ''in my judgment is an indication of how you are out of control when it comes to young children.

''I do consider you pose a high risk to young children and I feel it's appropriate to impose on you an extended period of imprisonment.''

He added: ''You were abused as a child, that is deeply regrettable and a sad history but, in the circumstances, I do not regard that as mitigation in terms of lessening the impact you have had on your victims.

''You were aware of the damage, you were a qualified primary school teacher.''

Rob Welling, prosecuting, told the court that the defendant ''systematically abused'' the trust placed in him by the mother of the boys who allowed the younger sibling to stay overnight at his home where the offences happened.

Mr Welling said when these offences, which happened between September 2013 and November 2014, were revealed, the boy's older sibling suffered flashbacks to his youth and recalled the defendant's abuse of him dating back to the late 1990s when Dennis was aged about 16.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the boys' mother said the offences had left her ''completely stunned'' and she said: ''I feel guilty I didn't notice anything.''

She said that she had trusted Dennis and had even sought his advice because of his position as a teacher.

She said: ''I thought as a primary school teacher he would be able to help, he used to blame other people but he was to blame.''

Describing the effect on her younger son, she said: ''He is not the same little boy he once was, he is full of anger. He has constant nightmares about what happened.''

David Lyons, defending, said that his client was ''deeply remorseful'' and said he had himself been abused as a child.

He said: ''It's tragically true that very often those who offend were offended against as a child and there is a cycle.''

He added: ''He is, when confronted with the enormity of what he has done, deeply remorseful and while he accepts the family may reject it as too little too late, he would like to convey his sincere apologies and regret for what he has done.''

Dennis taught at a number of schools across Hampshire including Basingstoke College of Technology, in Worting Road, where he was a lecturer in health, social care and education, and at Marnel Junior School, in Popley Way, Popley, where he was a classroom teacher. 

Mr Lyons said: ''He will never teach again, this is entirely unrelated to his employment, he will be barred from teaching and having anything to do with young people and will have his life very much restricted.''

Detective Constable Sarah Fox, officer in the case, said: “This was a complex and disturbing case.

"Lloyd Dennis gained the trust of both these boys and used that power to sexually abuse them repeatedly.

"I would like to thank both victims and their families for their patience and understanding throughout this investigation.

"It has been an extremely difficult time for them and I hope that through these convictions and the sentence they can come to terms with what happened."