Latest Offenders

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A convicted sex offender in the Midlands was caught babysitting two children while their mother was at a court hearing.

Wayne Sandford was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in 2012 which prohibited him engaging with a child.

But Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard the 35-year-old started a relationship with a mum-of-two last December.

And on May 17 the defendant attended Stoke-on-Trent Family Court where the woman was involved in a hearing, reports StokeonTrentLive .

CCTV caught the defendant with the womans children.

Prosecutor Robert Price said: Essentially he was babysitting the children.

Sandford, of Marsh Street North, Hanley, admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Jason Holt, mitigating, said: He indicates he was not aware the children were coming to court.

He is trying his best to deal with life under the order and is trying to stay out of trouble.

Sandford was handed a 12-month conditional discharge after he admitted communicating with a child.

Judge Paul Glenn said: You were aware of the terms of the order but you continued to breach the requirements.

"The order is to protect children and the prosecution are quite right to bring this matter to court.

"But it seems to me this is very much at the lower end.

The offence occurred in this building. You formed a relationship with a woman who had two children.

"You attended the family court and you interacted with her two children.

Your role seems to have been babysitter.

It is not suggested you were alone with the children or you behaved in a way that was inappropriate.

"There is no suggestion of any harm or distress being caused.

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A paedophile who fantasised about raping children blamed his sick perversion on the death of his pet dog.

Mathew Tharme, 48, downloaded sickening photos of child sex abuse victims including newborn babies.

The married dad-of-two even shared images from his vile collection with other deviants in online chat rooms.

But the computer sales worker walked free from court today after explaining how he had been "in a really bad place".

Police received intelligence that an IP address had shared an indecent image of a child, via chat service Kik Messenger, last October.

Liverpool Crown Court heard they traced it to Tharme's home in Kilburn Avenue, Eastham, Wirral, which they raided on December 15.

Tharme was present and said he was aware of the incident, before he was arrested and his Apple iPhone and Asus laptop were seized.

Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said police found 20 Category A - the most serious category - images of girls aged three to five being raped.

There were 35 Category B images, including a newborn baby being sexually abused, and 63 Category C pictures, showing girls aged two to three.

An extreme porn image was discovered and officers identified he had used Kik Messenger on his phone to distribute two Category C pictures.

Mr Blasbery said when interviewed later that day, Tharme admitted using online chat rooms "to engage in fantasy chat, as he called it".

He said he may have sent indecent images to other users during these chats and revealed he had searched online for Category C images.

Mr Blasbery said: "He said he would talk about the rape and sexual assault of children, but denied having any intention of carrying this out and denied having any sexual interest in children.

"He went on to explain his offending was a way of releasing his frustration at his current situation and stated he was in a really bad place personally having lost his job and having lots of time on his hands, his brother had a serious illness and also because of the loss of his pet dog."

Tharme, now of Marline Avenue, Bromborough, Wirral, admitted three counts of downloading and one of possessing indecent images of children.

The dad, who has no previous convictions, also pleaded guilty to distributing indecent photos of children and possessing extreme pornography.

Christopher McMaster, defending, said his client had been "exceptionally frank" about what led to his crimes in a pre-sentence report.

He agreed that distributing the photos was "the worrying aspect of this case" and an aggravating feature.

Mr McMaster said there were not any videos, nor a high volume of pictures, and Tharme had shown "real insight" and remorse.

He said Tharme worked with a therapeutic counsellor from December to July, then due to financial reasons started a course with The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse.

Mr McMaster said Tharme was still working full time in computer sales but not allowed to live with his family and could only see his 16-year-old son under supervision.

He said his client had moved in with his mum, adding: "There will be a long and hard road for him ahead, whatever the conclusion of this court."

Mr McMaster said Tharme contributed greatly to his family's income and his wife would suffer significantly if he lost his job.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said though 118 images was a lower amount than in many cases, the photos were of an "extreme nature".

He said if the photos Tharme had shared had been Category A pictures, then he would have faced prison.

The judge said: "The distinction between the sort of offences that might enable the court to pull back from immediate custody and those where there are bound to be a prison sentence will often be the difference between simple possession and distribution.

"It's a terribly serious aggravating feature."

However, he said because those shared were Category C, plus the limited number of photos and the steps Tharme had taken since, he would spare him jail.

Judge Menary handed him 10 months in jail, suspended for two years, a 25-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work.

He said Tharme must sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Each one of Tharme’s sickening collection of indecent images and videos represent an horrific attack on an innocent child.

“By downloading, sharing and engaging in the trade of this repulsive content he is creating a demand, and encouraging others to force vulnerable children into situations which will scar them mentally, emotionally and physically for life.”

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The women, whose families did not know about their sex work, were terrified the recordings would be shared online A successful finance worker who was earning 65,000 a year secretly filmed himself having sex with prostitutes, a court heard. Project manager Tony Richards, 39, from Cardiff, was caught after he downloaded child abuse images and the police seized his phone, laptop and hard drive. Cardiff Crown Court heard the indecent images and voyeuristic videos were found in a folder called entertainment. Jason Howells, prosecuting, said officers searched his home on Heritage Drive in Caerau on October 16 last year and seized several electronic devices. They were analysed and found to contain 10 of the most serious Category A images, two at Category B and four at Category C. Prosecutors said the images were all videos and the Category A films showed children as young as one. The officers also found voyeuristic videos of two women who seemed to be unaware they were being recorded. Mr Howells said the police traced the women who cannot be named for legal reasons and they both confirmed they had not consented to being filmed. Richards was arrested and replied to the caution: Whats voyeurism? The court heard he denied the offences, claiming both women had given him permission to film them for an extra fee. He said they appeared to be unaware because it was role play. In a victim personal statement read out in court, one of the complainants said Richards recorded her in her own home and she did not feel safe there any more. She said she no longer works in the sex industry and is now struggling to pay her rent and bills with income from her bar job. The woman said she was shocked when she was contacted by the police, as her family did not know she was a sex worker and she was terrified they would find out. She added she used to be independent, outgoing and sociable, but now feels like a different person, who no longer enjoys life. The second complainant told the police she was devastated to find out about the offending, fearing the recording would be shared online. She said she had never let anyone, not even a close partner, record her during a private act. Prosecutors said Richards had one previous conviction for assault, plus cautions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and shoplifting. Richards, from Heritage Drive, admitted three counts of possessing indecent images of children. He denied two counts of voyeurism, but was found guilty by a jury after trial. James Evans, defending, said: His childhood was far from easy. He did not have the benefit of a good education. He left school at the age of 16 and since then has done everything he possibly could to make a decent life for himself. He is an exceptionally hard-working man. Mr Evans said his client had worked his way up to become a project manager in finance, who was earning 65,000 a year before he was arrested. The court heard his relationship ended and he will have to sell his house to pay off debts. Mr Evans said his client had not been diagnosed with depression, but was showing symptoms. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke jailed him for 15 months and made a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He must register as a sex offender for the same period. The devices will be destroyed.

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A 32-year-old man from Redhill has been jailed for downloading more than 11,000 indecent images of children in a four-year period.

Andrew Sandrasagra gave his address to the court as Hartley Downs in Purley, but Surrey Police says he lived in Redhill at the time of the offences.

He tried to claim he could not have downloaded the images and changed information on his digital devices to try and deceive police.

However, he was convicted on June 18 of downloading 11,046 images after a trial at Guildford Crown Court ; 108 of the images were in category A, the most serious, while the majority - 10,892 - were in category C.

Sandrasagra was also convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice in connection with his efforts to cover-up his crimes. Judge Rufus Taylor jailed him for 15 months on Monday (August 5).

Detective Inspector Martin Goodwin said: "This case sends a clear message that you cannot hide your illegal online activity. Sandrasagra claimed that he could not have downloaded the images and attempted to pervert the course of justice by changing information on his personal devices to back up his claims.

"Due to a thorough investigation by both the Paedophile Online Investigation Team and the Digital Forensic Team he was unable to dupe the court and claim his innocence.

"The forensic expertise of the teams working collaboratively has prevented further offending and protected vulnerable children from further harm.

"I hope that this sentence means that whilst in prison Sandrasagra now takes responsibility for his actions to access support and changes his behaviour to avoid future offending."

In addition to his prison sentence, Sandrasagra is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

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A pervert Musselburgh music teacher who fondled young girls during classes is facing jail.

Trumpet tutor Simon Reeves, who is from Leith, has been caught abusing children for the second time.

He rubbed the legs of four schoolgirls aged between nine and ten while teaching at a primary school in East Lothian.

The 46-year-old also rubbed their backs and thighs as well as playing with their hair while he taught them.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told on Tuesday that the four victims all attended the same primary school between 2015 and 2017.

They all believed Reeves' behaviour was "normal at the time" and that he was "just being friendly" by caressing them on the legs and back.

But after one girl found out he had been prosecuted last year for a similar offence, and was on the sex offenders register, they decided to report him.

Reeves was placed on the sex offenders register for two years after he admitted engaging in sexual activity with a young girl between December 15, 2014 and June 1, 2017 when he appeared in court last August.

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Diiriye Ali-Jamac bought a ticket to Ethiopia the same day he discovered police were looking for him in connection with the incident.

A 34-year-old man who tried to flee to Ethiopia after having sex with a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for six years.

Diiriye Ali-Jamac, from Feltham, was arrested on board a flight to the east African nation at Heathrow Airport on May 2, the day after he learned police were looking for him in connection with an allegation of sexual assault.

Four days earlier, on April 28, his victim had been reported missing by her mother, and was found by police officers the next day at Hounslow railway station. She was taken into police protection and later told officers she had arranged to meet Ali-Jamac, who had taken her to a hotel and had sex with her.

DC Sally Michail, of North Surrey's Child Exploitation and Missing Unit, said: "I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in speaking out against Ali-Jamac and having to relive the horrendous ordeal she had suffered at his hands all over again when she provided her statement.

"She was completely taken in by this man, who was 20 years her senior and someone she thought she could trust. As soon as he became aware that police were on his trail, he tried to leave the country but fortunately we intercepted him as he boarded his flight."

A search of Ali-Jamac's phone revealed a text message dated May 1 from the owner of the car he had used to drive his victim to the hotel, telling him police had seized the vehicle as part of their investigation.

There was also a text from Ali-Jamac's solicitor saying he had received a voicemail from him and tried to call him back, and asking if everything was all right. He had purchased his ticket for Ethiopia on the same day.

Ali-Jamac pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child on August 1 and was given a six-year prison sentence at Kingston Crown Court on Monday (August 19). He was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

DC Michail said: "I would like to thank the team who worked on this investigation for the sensitive and professional way they dealt with the victim to gain her trust so that she felt supported in giving her evidence, and for their relentless pursuit of Ali-Jamac, with officers working a 28-hour shift, including trawling through CCTV footage from the hotel, to ensure that he was identified as quickly as possible.

"I would continue to encourage anyone who has been the victim of similar offences to come forward and report it to us straight away. You will always be taken seriously and support and guidance will be provided to you by our team of specially trained officers."

A spokesman for the NSPCC added: "Diiriye Ali-Jamac thought he could get away with inflicting horrific sexual abuse upon a trusting child. Thankfully, Surrey Police have shown that swift action can bring abusers to justice and that victims of child sexual abuse will be listened to when they come forward.

"By getting the right helpa nd support at the earliest opportunity survivors can learn to overcome their ordeals and move forward with their lives."

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A paedophile failed to tell his new partner he was a sex offender despite spending three nights in the same house as her children.

Jamie Goodchild, 26, of Crewkerne, appeared via video link at Taunton Crown Court on Friday (July 26).

He previously pleaded guilty to four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order after he was in the same house as three children under the age of 16 for three nights.

This was in breach of the court order imposed by Chelmsford Crown Court in 2016.

Prosecuting, Mr Russell, explained to the court that "he is prevented from speaking to anyone under the age of 16 without prior agreement of police".

He added Goodchild has been a registered sex offender since 2014.

Goodchild met the woman on dating website Plenty of Fish in early 2019.

Mr Russell said: "They appear to have started a relationship with him in 2019.

"He started the relationship and didn't visit her home until June 8 and stayed until June 11. She has three children of varying ages.

"His status on the register came to light on social media and he was challenged by his partner. After this, he left the property.

"In an interview to the police, he gave a statement that he had been seeing her for five months but denied he had been at her home."

Goodchild was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for meeting a child after sexual grooming and two breaches of a previous court order in 2017.

Defending, Harry Ahjua, noted Goodchild "accepts there is no excuse of his abuse (of the court order) on this occasion".

He said: "The background to this case is that the defendant met the mother of those children on that website.

"He is allowed to lead a law abiding life in accordance to court.

"When he came to release, the lady he was dating had children and he should have told her about his court order. But he didn't."

"He will from now on fully and wholly abide by court orders."

Mr Ahjua added Goodchild struggles with his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and "forgetfulness".

The court also heard how Goodchild moved to Somerset to "better himself" but noted how his family "disowned him" due to his crimes.

Sentencing, Judge David Ticehurst, listened to Mr Ahuja's request for a suspended prison sentence but was troubled by several "concerns" raised in a probation report, including Goodchild's interests in younger children.

He said: "You chose to deal with younger females and are known to expose yourself to young females for your own sexual needs.

"In 2016, you were in breach of the court order. In 2017, you breached the order. In 2018, you breached the order.

"In four conservative years, you have made a further breach of the order.

"There have been persistent breaches of the order and it is of serious aggravation by your frequent breaches of the order."

Goodchild was ordered to spend two years in prison, pay 140 in costs and his sexual harm prevention order was ordered to stand until 2026.

Judge Ticehurst continued: "If you behave yourself, you will serve half of that. If you carry on breaching the order, you will go to the prison for longer."

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A Catholic priest who sexually abused two teenage boys at a seminary where he taught has been jailed for 18 years.

Michael Higginbottom, 76, was found guilty by a jury of five counts of serious sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault following a re-trial.

The boys were abused as they boarded at St Joseph's College, a Catholic seminary in Upholland, Lancashire, which has now closed, in the 1970s and 80s.

During a two-week trial, jurors heard he 'regularly, systematically and horrifically' abused the boys.

Prosecutor David Temkin said: "They were both threatened with violence and both were struck with a strap or a belt."

The Crown Prosecution Service said he breached his position of trust 'in the most horrific way'.

Judge Andrew Woolman, sentencing Higginbottom on Tuesday, told him: "You were in the highest position of trust in relation to these boys, who you abused in a quite appalling way.

"I have no doubt that you specifically targeted these boys.

"These acts were accompanied, time after time, by threats or actual violence under the guise of a normal school punishment.

"The way you acted left them with a sense of shame and of guilt, as well as the sense that no-one would believe them if they complained."

The first victim came forward to police in 2016 to report he had suffered mental, physical and sexual abuse by Higginbottom between 1978 and 1979.

The second victim saw a TV news report on the initial trial in 2017 and recognised the priest because he sexually abused him too in the mid-1980s, the CPS said.

The boys did not attend the college at the same time and do not know each other.

But the CPS said they gave evidence of having suffered similar experiences when they were around the same age in Higginbottom's private quarters.

Wendy Chappell, a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: "Michael Higginbottom carried out a series of violent sexual assaults, often using a belt to threaten or hit them if the boys were not compliant.

"He carried out the offences whilst in a position of trust within the school and the community as a priest and a teacher, which he breached in the most horrific way.

"Through the case Higginbottom described the allegations as 'total lies' and claimed he did not remember either of the boys.

"However, after we presented the overwhelming evidence against him before the court, the jury found him unanimously guilty of all the charges he faced.

"I would like to pay tribute to the two victims for their immense courage in coming forward and re-living their traumatic experiences by giving evidence against their abuser, with the first victim having to re-live it a second time at the re-trial.

"I hope that following todays sentence that they will be able to find some closure.

Higginbottom, from Newcastle, denied all the charges he faced.

But after the re-trial at Burnley Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent assault in relation to the first victim, and one count of sexual assault in relation to the second victim.

Both victims can't be named for legal reasons.

The CPS said Higginbottom had originally been convicted at Liverpool Crown Court in 2017 of the offences in relation to the first victim, but faced a re-trial after they were quashed on appeal.

The re-trial included an additional charge in relation to the second victim.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Ollerton, of Lancashire Police, said: "This abuse has had a devastating effect on these boys throughout their now-adult lives and for many years."

The court heard Higginbottom would serve half his sentence in prison and half out on licence.

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A British army medic, who unwittingly bragged about sexually touching a child to an undercover Police officer in an online chat room, has been jailed for three years and ten months. Jersey-born Scott Robert Fitzgerald (41) appeared this morning in the Royal Court, where he was sentenced for touching a girl under 10 in a sexual way, and two counts of possessing indecent images of children. Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, told the Court that Fitzgeralds offending was discovered due to contact between the defendant and an undercover Police Officer from the UK posing as a fellow sex offender on an online instant messaging platform using the pseudonym Chris. The Court heard that the defendant had unwittingly divulged his sexual interest in children to the undercover officer, believing him to be a like-minded man with a young daughter willing to meet up with Fitzgerald so that he could engage in sexual activity with her. The sexual touching offence took place when Fitzgerald was on leave from the British Army and after he and Chris had begun their online dialogue. Authorities in the UK alerted the States of Jersey Police when Fitzgerald had bragged to the officer about having touched the child sexually - which he described as tickling - telling him that she loved it." Fitzgerald had also sent Chris pictures of the girls underwear. The girl referred to in Court only as Child X was interviewed about the offence where she said that she and the defendant had had a little tickle". After Fitzgerald was arrested for the sexual touching offence, indecent images of children were found on his phone and laptop. There were 10 in total, but one was duplicated, meaning there were nine overall. Making recommendations for sentencing, Crown Advocate Maletroit said that Fitzgerald had positioned the child and tickled her in a manner that gave him sexual gratification. The prosecutor noted that during Fitzgeralds conversations with the Probation Service and with a psychologist and psychiatrist who were compiling background reports about him for the Court, he struggle[d] to take any responsibility for his actions. He claimed that he had made up a narrative to enable him to contribute to the chat room and attract others and that he was trying to catch the user out and right a wrong. The Crown Advocate also asked the Court to consider further evidence of alleged sexual misconduct carried out in the UK, including 31 more images found on a device at Fitzgeralds accommodation in the UK, and more online chat conversations purportedly showing he was seeking sexual contact with other children. He invited the Court to impose a prison sentence of four years as well as handing down orders which would restrict his contact with children under 16 and his internet use. Advocate Luke Sette, representing Fitzgerald, described the Crowns recommendation of a four-year jail term as excessive. He acknowledged that whilst the charge of sexual touching is unsavoury, it falls towards the lower end of the spectrum. Advocate Sette characterised his client as a broken man; a man that needed fixing, and, after attempting suicide in prison, someone now wanting to fix himself. The case was brought before a panel of five Jurats Austin-Vautier, Christensen, Blampied, Ramsden and Thomas who, sitting as the Superior Number only assemble to hear the most serious of cases. Handing down the Courts decision, the Deputy Bailiff addressed Fitzgerald directly, telling him: It is clear that you have a strong sexual interest in little children. He later added: It is of concern to us that you have minimised your behaviour. Deeming him to pose a threat of serious sexual harm, the Court sentenced him to a jail-term of three years and ten months. Fitzgerald will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for a minimum period of ten years. The Court also imposed a restraining order to prevent Fitzgerald from ever contacting his victim again.

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A Salford man has been jailed after an investigation into non-recent child sexual abuse.

Andrew Austin (03/11/1967), of Sumner Road, Irlam o’th Heights , has yesterday (Monday 29 July 2019) been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 26 years in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to-

• Four counts of rape
• Six counts of indecent assault
• Two counts of indecency with a child
• One count of sexual assault

He will also have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Between 1998 and 2004, at a number of properties in Salford, Austin sexually abused four victims who were aged between eight and 16 at the time.

In August 2018, relatives of one of the victims – along with a charity worker – came forward to police and a full investigation was launched with Austin arrested.

During police interview Austin denied all offences but admitted his crimes before the case went to trial.

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A paedophile who forced a toilet door open to sexually assault a 13-year-old boy more than 30 years ago has been jailed for four and a half years.

Sick Ronald Webb, of Bath, befriended children in Swindon in the 1980s by forming a football team called Old Town United, which resulted in a number of them going back to his house in Winifred Street one lunchtime.

That day the victim, who is now in his 40s, went to use the bathroom when the now 76-year-old forced his way in and sexually assaulted him.

A court heard Webb, of Brook Road, Bath, also showed the children pornography.

He was sent to prison on Friday (July 26) after being found guilty of attempted buggery following a three-day trial earlier this month, according to Wiltshire Police.

The victim had reported the incident to police in 2017 after carrying the secret for three decades.

Webb was also given a 10-year restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

Detective Sergeant Lawrence Billi, from Wiltshire Police, welcomed the jail sentence and said he hoped it showed justice could be served, even when offences were committed many years ago.

He said: "We know that very often in cases of childhood sexual abuse, victims do not feel able to talk about what happened to them, and can spend many years, even a whole lifetime, keeping their pain and trauma to themselves.

"I hope this case shows that if people do feel able to come forward and speak to police, that we will take them seriously and will do everything we can to support them and bring offenders to justice."

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Security guard, 53, who worked for One Direction, Stacey Solomon and Tulisa is jailed for seven years for pretending to be a taxi driver and sexually assaulting drunken clubber, 24 The 24-year-old victim told York Crown Court she believed her drink had been spiked during a night out in the city centre with friends. She said she felt mangy and totally out of it as she left Vudu. Dominic Spiteri, 53, Parliament Street, Norton, came up to her, said he was a taxi driver and offered to take her home on mates rates. Once they were alone in his vehicle, he started molesting her and took her to a lonely layby in the countryside, where he sexually assaulted her so hard, she was in pain for days afterwards. She said she couldnt stop him because of the state she was in but kept saying no. Spiteri, who worked as a doorman on city centre clubs, denied claiming to be a taxi driver or spiking her drink. He claimed from the witness box that she had introduced him to her friends inside Vudu. In the car, she had flirted with him and initiated sexual contact. He denied witness statements that the victim had vomited when they reached the hotel where her friends were staying. The jury convicted Spiteri, of sexual assault after four hours in retirement. The victim was particularly vulnerable due to her personal circumstances, Judge Simon Batiste told Spiteri. She was alone in a taxi with you, late at night where she was obviously clearly incapable due to her intoxicated state.You took advantage of that. You have not shown one shred of remorse for your behaviour. This was a horrible attack. He jailed Spiteri for seven years, made a lifelong sexual harm prevention order forbidding him to have a woman alone with him in a car or contacting the victim in any way and put him on the sex offenders register for life. The victim cried as the jury returned their verdict at the end of a four-day trial. The judge said she had suffered considerable psychological harm . In a personal statement she said she felt violated, now couldnt trust men and didnt like to be alone with any man. Keith Allen, for Spiteri, said he was now suffering from depression and under the care of a psychiatrist. The victim told the jury she had been reluctant to go to the police initially because she had had a bad experience when she had been a complainant in a different case. The jury heard that the original police officer in charge of the Spiteri case had been taken off it. The victim said the officer had not carried out basic investigations or arranged for her to give her evidence via video link, as is standard in sex cases. The jury heard a second officer took over the case and gathered the evidence against Spiteri.

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A PAEDOPHILE ex-councillor who championed faster broadband speeds and blasted police as incompetent has been spared jail - despite downloading vile abuse images of children.

Damon Bower, who once served as vice-chairman of Haydon Wick Parish Council last year, had a short film on his iPhone showing a girl of between eight and 10 years of age being sexually assaulted. The 49-year-old had a small collection of indecent images on his mobile, together with fantasy stories detailing child abuse.

However, after hearing Bower had lost everything as a result of his conviction, a judge stepped short of jailing him – instead imposing a community order.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court police had visited the paedophile councillor's north Swindon home last June. They had received a tip-off that someone at the address had uploaded vile material to the internet, although no evidence was subsequently found to support that intelligence.

On Bower's mobile phone, detectives found a short film in the worst category, another short clip in the middle band and six images in the lower range.

He said, though not the subject of any charges, they also found a number of fantasy stories talking about child abuse on his devices.

"Once these were examined the defendant was interviewed. He admitted that he knew what indecent images of children were," Mr Meeke said.

"He accepted that he was the account holder and he said that he was vehemently opposed to child pornography because someone he knew had been raped at a young age and he would never let anyone hurt children.

"He accepted he had indulged in fantasy chat about child sex abuse. He couldn't remember how he received the images of child sexual abuse, he assumed it must have been through some sort of private messages. He accepted there would be some. He knew it was wrong and he apologised for it."

Bower, formerly of Oakhurst, but now living in Southsea, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

Emma Handslip, defending, said probation officers had assessed him as being a low risk of reoffending.

Bower had not had access to his children since last year and he no longer has a partner or his old job. Since his arrest she said he had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and also made an attempt on his life.

"It is a man who has essentially lost everything," she said,

Imposing a three-year community order, Judge Peter Crabtree said: "It needs to be clear, if it isn't clear, this is a course I am taking which is a direct alternative to an immediate custodial sentence."

He pointed out that there was a relatively low number of images recovered by the police and probation believe he can be managed and rehabilitated in the community.

Bower must abide by a sex offenders' programme as directed, do 100 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation days and abide by a sexual harm prevention order.

He served as a Haydon Wick parish councillor from 2015 to July 2018, when he stepped down. He had served as vice-chairman of the council and subsequently as chairman of the planning committee.

Bower welcomed a parish revamp of children's play areas in late 2016, telling the Adver it showed what the council could do for the community.

In May 2017, he welcomed the prospect of faster broadband speeds as BT Openreach began installing new cables in north Swindon following a residents' campaign.

Later that year, he was quoted in the Adver grilling Wiltshire's police commissioner on the perceived lack of response from police in the face of gang violence in Haydon Wick. Residents were patrolling the streets because they felt police were "inept and incompetent".

Linda Brown, parish chairman said: "At no point in carrying out his parish duties had Damon reason to be alone with children. Whilst he was a councillor he gave us no cause for concern."

However, the sentence was welcomed by the NSPCC. A south west spokesman said: "The children in these abhorrent images and videos are victims of abuse and may have suffered greatly in order for them to be created.

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A paedophile who incited an 11-year-old boy to commit a sex act by targeting him online has been jailed for six years.

Sexual predator Kieran Reece Brosius was convicted of 17 different counts of sexual offences involving children before he was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on Thursday (July 18).

Brosius, 22, who formerly lived in Milborne Port, near Yeovil , was also found to be in possession of indecent images and videos of children and had been bombarding a child with messages online under the pretence that he was 14 years old.

In addition to his prison sentence, Brosius will serve an extended licence period of five years, ordered to sign the sex offenders register and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Brosius' offending came to the attention of the police in October 2017 after his inappropriate messages were uncovered.

Following the sentencing, the NSPCC called on whoever succeeds Theresa May as Prime Minister to push ahead with plans to increase the safety of children online.

An NSPCC spokesman for the South West of England said: This case is a painful reminder of how children are being preyed on unknowingly in their online worlds by adults often pretending to be somebody else.

The NSPCC called on the Government to introduce robust new laws to keep young people safe on the internet, through its Wild West Web campaign .

Its crucial the new prime minister ensures the announced plans for new online safety laws include grooming alerts and an independent regulator to hold social networks to account.

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A TWISTED pervert who downloaded a ‘paedophile manual’ containing graphic instructions on how to abuse children, including babies, has been jailed.

Depraved paedophile Ross Clifford, of Toronto Road, Fratton, admitted downloading the manual onto a memory stick as well as thousands of indecent images of children – some showing toddlers as young as two – being abused.

Appearing via video link from Winchester prison, the 40-year-old, sat silently as his sickening list of offences was read out in Portsmouth Crown Court.

Sentencing, Judge David Melville QC said: ‘One cannot really have a more serious catalogue of offences before the court particularly bearing in mind you were before this court in the last part of 2017 for similar offences. 

‘You must know how the children who take part in these films are abused. If it wasn’t for the likes of you accessing this information those children would not have been abused. 

‘The pain and distress that they would have suffered is disgusting. It’s something that will probably be with them throughout their lives and it’s an appalling thought that that distress and upset will probably work its way out through their lives all because people like you want to view these images.’

After police raided Clifford's address on February 12 and seized computer equipment and mobile phones, examiners found 1,195 category A images – the most serious level, 786 category B and 3,001 category C. 

They also uncovered 221 category A moving images of children being sexually assaulted as well as 56 category B ones and 13 category C.

The 25-page paedophile manual was also found, which contained vile ‘diagrams’ of how to molest children.

Speaking of the most extreme images, Judge Melville said: ‘They are of the worst type. They show penetrative sexual activity with children as young as two years old.’

Clifford had previously been convicted of similar offences in 2017 and was sentenced to eight months in jail, suspended for two years.

For Clifford, Karen Walton said her client accepted his crimes but urged the court not to jail the 40-year-old and instead put him on a three-year community sentence and treatment programme.

She said: ‘He has accepted all of his behaviour and he has accepted he needs help.

‘I absolutely accept that is a hugely upsetting and most devastating offence for those young children. The difficulty with somebody who admits that kind of offence is that punishment doesn’t necessarily alleviate the risk when he is released.’

Judge Melville refused this and jailed Clifford for four years and three months. Clifford will serve half of this before being released on licence.