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Description

A SEXUAL predator followed a pensioner through the streets before brazenly walking into her home and launching a sex attack.

Serial offender Philip Packham followed the woman in her 80s in the Lordshill area of Southampton while she was alone.

Perverted Packham, 69, preyed on his “confused and worried” victim who asked him to leave.

Despite her protestations, he tried to touch her between her legs over her clothing - and tried to kiss and cuddle the terrified woman.

Prosecutor Matthew Lawson told Southampton Crown Court she was “extremely distressed by this” and told a neighbour who contacted police.

In a statement, the victim said she feels “worried and scared to go outside”.

She said: “I can't believe what has happened. I'm worried what happens if he was to get out and potentially do this again.”

Packham, who has 30 convictions for 73 offences, had previously been sentenced for gross indecency with a child, indecent assault of a female under 14, exposure and assault.

His first sex attack was in the 1980s.

He had been subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order - imposed when he was jailed and branded a dangerous offender - when he carried out his latest attack.

Jailing the defendant, Judge Christopher Parker KC said Packham had followed the woman deliberately and went into her house uninvited.

He added that the incident caused “severe psychological harm,” telling Packham: “You can shake your head now but what you say and what you do are very different.

“It seems to me that there is no question that you pose a risk of serious harm.”

Judge Parker imposed a six-year jail term with a four-year extended licence.

Packham, of Exford Avenue, Southampton, admitted sexual assault and breaching the sexual harm prevention order by being in a property alone with a woman.

In police interview he accepted he tried to touch her, but claimed he had been invited in. He stopped answering questions before asking for a solicitor - and then denied being responsible.

Mitigating, Keeley Harvey told the court: “The only real mitigation that I have got is that there was a guilty plea to these matters.”

Description

This is the face of an historic paedophile who was jailed for assaulting a boy under the age of 14.

Iain Lloyd, 33, of William Burton Place in New Ferry, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, February 10 after pleading not guilty for historic sexual offences with a child. Lloyd was convicted in December following a trial, and has been sentenced to four years in jail after being found guilty for indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 years.

He will also be on the sex offender register for life. Detectives from Merseyside’s Unity Team who specialise in Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Offences, charged Lloyd for two counts of indecent assault with a minor which took place more than 20 years ago.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Claire McDonald said: "This sentence follows a lengthy investigation to bring Lloyd before the courts so that he pays for his crime. Thanks to the determination and bravery of his victim, Lloyd will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for his actions.

"Despite the evidence against him, Lloyd chose to plead not guilty and put his victim through the ordeal of a trial. I would like to praise the courage and dignity shown by his victim throughout the investigation.

“Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm. We hope that he will now reflect on the consequences of his utterly depraved actions while serving his jail time.”

DC McDonald added: “I would like to take this opportunity to stress that if you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police. We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

Description

A dangerous Derby sex offender asked an underage girl if he could buy her bras and knickers knowing full well he was not allowed unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16. Derby Crown Court head how Colin Garrod also gave her money and found a way of making the messages he sent to her phone disappear so what he was doing would not be discovered.

But one day her mother found him in her daughter's company, unaware of his previous child sex offences, or that there was an order in place forbidding him from any contact with children under 16. And after that, the mum discovered how the defendant would send her daughter messages before she went to school saying he would "do anything for her" if she "gave him a hug".

Jailing Garrod for 20 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: "You are 62-years-of-age, you are 63 next month and you were handed a sexual harm prevention order because you pleaded guilty to serious offences and you were sent to prison. You came out of prison and you didn't commit any further offences for quite a while and managed to stay out of trouble.

"But then, in July last year, you breached it in a significant way which involved you gaining the confidence of an underage girl and what is clear is that you made a determined effort to make sure you had some kind of relationship with this girl, unsupervised, knowing full well you should have told someone. You cannot be doing what you were doing with any girl under the age of 16, without telling people about the order."

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the defendant was handed a sexual harm prevention order in 2017 when the he was jailed for 14 months for offences of sexual assault, distribution and possession of indecent images of children and voyeurism.

He said the victim's mother was unaware of either the order or his previous convictions and one day in July 2022 found him alone with her underage daughter. The prosecutor said: "She discovered that her daughter had been in contact with the defendant by phone and texts.

"She discovered the defendant would contact her before school saying he would do anything for her if she would give him a hug and saying he loved her. He asked if he could buy her bras and knickers, bought her a phone charger and would give her money.

"He also activated on her phone (an app or method which would lead to) disappearing messages so people could not see the contact they were having. It was discovered that on one occasion he took her to a shop and when she asked if someone else could come with them he said 'no' and that he would only allow her to come with him.

"He was arrested and explained that he was helping the young girl. He said he knew the risk of breaching the order and he said the comments about being in love with her were 'a joke' as was him saying he would do anything for her if she hugged him."

Garrod, of Wilson Street, pleaded guilty to breaching the terms of his sexual harm prevention order and appeared in court via a video-link from HMP Nottingham. Katie Hodgkinson, his barrister, said her client had admitted his breach at the very first opportunity.

She said: "There was contact between them, there was no physical contact and no other allegations were made. He wanted to help somebody, not harm somebody and he knows he did not tell people about his previous convictions out of shame and stigma.

"He had a compulsion and a desire to assist."

As well as the jail sentence, the sexual harm prevention order remains in place.

Description

A Cambridgeshire paedophile who sexually abused children for more than a decade has been jailed. Robert Codling, 58, of Princes Road, Wisbech, targeted girls, a court was told.

His victims were abused at an address in the town over a 12-year period. During this time, Codling would openly perform sexual acts on himself in front of the children, and would touch them sexually, calling it “playfighting”.

After more than a decade of abuse, one victim confided in someone close to her, who then reported it to the police. Codling denied the allegations.

However, on Thursday, February 9 at Cambridge Crown Court he was found guilty of six counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child, and exposure. He was sentenced to eight years and two months in prison.

DC Melanie Bull said: “No sentence will ever erase what happened to the victims, but I hope they will be able to find some closure from this traumatic period in their young lives. Tackling child abuse is a priority for us and we are working hard every day to bring offenders like Codling to justice.”

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

Description

A convicted sex offender who had a paedophile manual and 23,000 images of children has been jailed.

Lewis Mortimer, of Shortlands Road, Sittingbourne, was sentenced to five years in prison after being found with a stash of child abuse material.

The 42-year-old had multiple previous convictions for child sex offences and at the time of his arrest he was restricted access to the internet by the court.

These restrictions meant he was also meant to notify police of any internet enabled devices he possessed as well as details including online usernames, bank cards and passport information.

In December 2019, police were made aware Mortimer had contacted a woman online claiming to be a photographer who worked with young children.

A similar report was made to police months alter, when after contacting another woman the Sittingbourne man sent images of children being abused.

In April 2020 he was arrested at his home and had a number of his devices, including a tablet hidden in the base of his bed, seized and examined by police.

"People like him must face the consequences..."

Upon searching his phone, officers found a file of indecent images, as well as pages from a so-called paedophile manual which had explicit details of how to groom and abuse victims.

More than 23,000 images were found on his tablet, many of which were in the most extreme category.

Mortimer appeared before Maidstone Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing images, four counts of possessing indecent images and with possessing a paedophile manual.

He also admitted ten counts of breaching notification requirements and seven further counts of breaching a sexual offence prevention order.

On Friday, he was sentenced to five years in prisoner with an extended licence period of a further two years. He will remains on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Sergeant Vicky Whitmill said: "Mortimer was subject to strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending.

"He has been unable to adhere to these restrictions and has demonstrated a clear determination to access illegal and harmful images, many of which include the horrific abuse of children.

"Make no mistake, the material Mortimer deliberately sought and downloaded will have resulted from real victims suffering appalling abuse.

"He has a significant offending history and appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions.

"People like him must face the consequences and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure they are brought before the courts."

Description

Convicted rapist Adem Kilincarslan breached the Sex Offenders' Register by staying in the same household as a girl - without notifying police. The 44-year-old is on the Sex Offenders' Register for the rest of his life after being convicted of rape in 2010.

He was living at an address with a woman and two children which the police knew about. But he did not inform them when a girl twice stayed at the address.

Now Kilincarslan has been handed a 12-month community order at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Martyn Walsh said: "A female had been staying at the address with the defendant's partner and her two other children. The police were aware of the two other children. But he had not declared on at least two occasions that the girl had stayed at the premises. That put him in breach of the requirements."

Kilincarslan, of Beverley Drive, Bentilee, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register.

Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said: "She arrived unexpectedly and his partner allowed him to stay. That decision was nothing to do with him."

Kilincarslan has previous for breaking court rules after failing to complete his registration as a sex offender.

But Mr Muldoon added: "Since November 2021 he has registered twice annually as he should and has fully complied with all aspects of the order. He has taken the order seriously as far as contact with young adults and children is concerned."

The community order includes a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 40-hours unpaid work.

Judge Graeme Smith told him: "You know full well that you need to comply with these notification requirements and it is troubling that this is now the fourth occasion you have breached them."

Description

A “dangerous offender” was snared by paedophile hunters after trying to groom an “11-year-old girl” online - including inviting her to meet with him at a hotel.

Louis Schon, 36, of Woodridge, Windmill Hill, Runcorn, exchanged a flurry of hundreds of messages with the supposed child on June 30, 2021, only to discover she was actually an adult decoy. Myles Wilson, prosecuting at Chester Crown Court sitting in magistrates’ court on Thursday (February 9), said Schon also sent naked pictures of himself to the “girl” as well as “repeatedly” asking if they could have “sex”.

He told the court the “numerous sexual messages” included depraved enquiries such as what she was wearing under her school uniform. Schon asked for pictures of her and “the decoy sent a photograph of an 11-year-old girl”, reports the Liverpool Echo.

She later told Schon her phone camera wasn’t working, and he sent a picture of “himself with his chest exposed”, and was “flirtatious and suggestive” with her. To one of his vile questions, the decoy replied “oh my days” as she tried to remain sounding “childlike”.

Schon also asked for her phone number and sent more naked pictures of himself as well as trying to call her. He claimed he was in his early 20s and “lived nearby” and “repeatedly” asked if she would “have sex”, as well as trying to incite her to perform a sex act.

The decoy “played along” and pretended to comply with the request. Paedophile Schon suggested meeting at a hotel and told the “girl” to “make herself look older so he could take her out”. He also sent her a pornographic video of a woman with “multiple men”. Mr Wilson said: “There were hundreds of messages back and to that night.”

Schon messaged her the next morning to apologise then blocked the decoy’s account. It wasn’t enough to stop the paedophile hunter group though, who went to his home address as did the police.

Schon was out and subsequently reported missing, only to be found by the police within 24 hours. Officers also discovered a shopping bag containing “numerous” pairs of children’s knickers in Schon’s bedroom as well as a phone internet history looking at child’s beachwear, some of which he saved as screenshots. In police interview, he answered “no comment”.

At Chester Crown Court on January 4 this year, Schon pleaded guilty to attempted incitement of a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity involving penetration, attempted sexual communication with a child, and two counts of attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch an image of sexual activity.

The incitement charge was also referred to as attempted “facilitation” during the hearing. Mr Wilson noted the use of “grooming”, as well as the “significant disparity in age”. Schon had previous convictions including for indecent images of children.

Jeremy Rawson, appearing for Schon, said he agreed with the sentencing range stated by the prosecution and there were no objections to the proposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He pleaded mitigation for Schon’s guilty pleas and said the messages occurred in a “moment of madness” over a “short period of time” and after Schon had consumed excess alcohol and cocaine, adding it was all “on the same night and to his credit he severed links with the decoy the following day”.

Mr Rawson said Schon lost his job as a self-employed tiler and became a “recluse” in Runcorn, and hadn’t offended otherwise since 2012, adding Schon “bitterly regrets” his actions.

Judge Michael Leeming branded Schon a "dangerous offender" and sentenced him to five years and three months in prison with four years on extended licence - making a total sentence of nine years and three months.

Schon will serve two thirds of the main custodial term before being considered for parole. Judge Leeming placed him on the sex offenders register and a SHPO for life or until further order.

He recounted the details of the case opening and noted the “graphic sexual comments” made by Schon during the "sustained discussion", as well as what Cheshire Police officers found in his bedroom and on his phone, in addition to Schon’s previous six convictions for 12 offences and failure to comply with an order.

The judge said Schon’s probation report had been “largely unfavourable”, showing Schon tried to “minimise” his behaviour by blaming it on being “intoxicated with alcohol and drugs”.

Judge Leeming said: “The pre-sentence report indicated you completed the Better Lives programme by 2015. You were deterred from reoffending but that didn’t put paid to your sexual interest in children as the current offences show, and the deterrent had certainly worn off by the time of these offences you committed in 2021.”

He added Schon holds “deviant thoughts” and the messages to the decoy “mark a serious escalation in the seriousness of your offending”.

Description

A man who cupped a council workers breasts and then told her they needed lifted up has been ordered to wear an electronic tag for six months.

David Woodcock appeared for sentence at Inverness Sheriff Court after the 56-year-old was found guilty of the sexual assault after a trial.

Description

A County Durham man has been jailed for committing a historic sexual offence against a child.

Paul Cranston was given a hefty prison sentence for carrying out sexual activity against a child, said to have been committed at some point between December 2008 and December 2016.

The 54-year-old, of Stanley, County Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday, February 3, to be sentenced for one count of sexual activity with a child. He had been found guilty of the offence after a trial on December 8.

Sentencing Cranston, Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, handed him a 10-year prison sentence and made him subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Cranston will also be on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

Description

A SEX attacker from Bonhill who raped three different people in Dumbarton and the Vale is facing a lengthy spell behind bars.

Paul Callanin was found guilty of preying on three different victims in Alexandria, Balloch, Dumbarton and Renton between 2005 and 2013.

The first woman was targeted at different addresses in Alexandria.

Jurors heard how Callanin, 35, pushed the woman onto a bed, held her down and raped her.

The second woman was attacked in a car park in Desire Nightclub in Balloch on Christmas Day 2011.

Callanin is said to have also bitten her during the incident and shoved her onto the ground.

He the raped again to her injury that same day at a flat in Renton.

The final victim was initially subjected to a sex attack at a photography studio in Dumbarton.

Callanin went on to rape them, also at a flat in Renton.

Callanin, of Broomhill Crescent, had denied the accusations during a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

But, he was convicted of lewd and libidinous conduct against the first victim as well as a separate charge of raping her.

He was found guilty of two rape charges involving the second woman.

Callanin was also convicted of sexual assault and raping the third victim.

Judge William Summers adjourned the case for reports until March 9, when Callanin will appear at the High Court in Aberdeen.

Description

The mum of a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a Grimsby man has told of the devastating impact it had on her daughter.

The woman told how after being abused by Jamie Smith, her daughter was so traumatised she self-harmed and changed her appearance in fear of attracting men. She said her teenage years had been robbed as a result.

Smith, 35, formerly of Grimsby but who now lives in Whitehead in Northern Ireland, has been given a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years after admitting sexual assault of a child aged under 13.

Smith was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years after he pleaded guilty to the charge at Grimsby Crown Court, several years after the original crimes. With the case finally dealt with, the victim's mum told GrimsbyLive she feels as though a weight has been lifted from their shoulders.

She said: "When I found out what had happened I wanted to hurt him for what she told me he'd done. I was so frustrated and if it wasn't for her telling me to not do anything I don't know what I would've done.

"I saw a number of screenshots and messages that suggested something wasn't right and although I believed she was telling the truth from the start, this confirmed it to me. It was at that point that I flipped, but I knew I had to be there for her so I put my own thoughts and feelings to one side whilst I made sure she was okay."

She added: "All her friends and family have supported her through this, but it's not been easy." After the assault, the victim started self-harming and trying to look different.

When her mum asked her why she had changed her appearance and started "dressing differently", the victim told her it was so people would stop "trying it on with me" and to "stop it from happening again".

She added: "It was so difficult to hear her say those things, but you have to put your feelings aside and help them in any way you can." As much as she has been there for her daughter, the incident has meant her life hasn't been what it should have. This whole ordeal stole her teenage years from her and she's only just coming out the other side."

With Smith admitting his crime, the mum feels like it's made things a little bit easier. "It's a relief to know that he admitted what he did. I just hope nobody else gets tricked by him in the future.

"It has come as closure for myself and my daughter, we're trying to put this behind us and just get on with our lives now. Thankfully, she's got her life back, but you never think something like this would ever happen to your family.

"I've felt down myself throughout all of this, but what she's had to go through is just awful. She told me after everything, "he's not broken me, he's the broken one."

Description

A man has been jailed having pleaded guilty to sexual offences against children, including rape.

Colin Phillips, aged 56, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, has been jailed for 10 years for the crimes.

Mr Phillips appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, February 9, where he was given a total custody sentence of 14 years (10 years custodial and four years licence).

Additionally, he was added to the sex offenders’ register and placed under a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Sergeant Dan Osborne, of the Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “A dangerous offender has been removed from the community and put behind bars for despicable behaviour towards children.

“I’d like to highlight the bravery of the victims and families who have supported the investigation to help bring Phillips to justice.”

Mr Phillips was arrested on Thursday, November 3, 2022, and charged with rape of a child under 13 and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

He was also charged with four counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of making indecent images of a child.

The offences took place between February 2022 and July 2022.

Description

A pervert who arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex was caught by online paedophile hunters who had been posing as the teenager.

Adam Gruter turned up at the KFC in Darlington in the hope of meeting the teenager but was confronted by members of the Child Online Safety Team who filmed the confrontation face-off.

Teesside Crown Court heard how a woman posing as the teenager had spent several days speaking with the defendant online before the conversation turned sexual and he sent her an indecent picture of himself.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the defendant had sent a number of messages on WhatsApp after befriending the decoy on Facebook.

She told the court how Gruter quizzed his potential victim about her virginity and bra size while asking her to send images of herself between October 9 and 20 last year.

The adult decoy told the defendant on several occasion that she was 14 and was living in the Newton Aycliffe area but that did not deter his behaviour, Miss Atkinson added.

She said: “They agreed to meet at KFC on Yarm Road, Darlington, after telling her he had booked a room at Bannatyne’s Hotel.”

After he was confronted by the paedophile hunters the police were called and he was arrested, the court heard.

The 43-year-old, of Elm Park Gardens, London, pleaded guilty to inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following grooming.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said his client had not been in the area specifically to just meet the ‘teenage girl’ as he was working for a wine company making deliveries all over the country.

Addressing the judge, he added: “He acknowledges that you will be minded to impose an immediate custodial sentence.

“This is unseaming and troubling behaviour which he has engage in.”

Judge Timothy Stead sentenced Gruter to 20 months in custody for both offences after acknowledging that the intended victim was not actually a 14-year-old girl.

He added: “During the exchanges... you demonstrated your intention to carry out this through to a sexual meeting by booking a hotel room.”

Gruter was also made subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders’ register for the same period of time.

Description

A pizza delivery driver plied three teenage girls with alcohol and drugs before sexually assaulting and raping one of them in his car. Wahid Bik, who drove around Solihull and Shirley, groomed his victims who were left with emotional scars.

The-43-year-old committed the offences over a month-long period between December 2021 and January last year. He spotted his first victim, a 13-year-old girl, in November 2021 as she was walking home alone. In passing sentence Judge Andrew Smith KC said: "You pulled up in your car and engaged her in conversation and I am sure that you offered her both alcohol and cannabis during that first meeting."

He said it was the beginning of gaining her trust. He said: "You chose girls who were at a vulnerable stage in their teenage lives."

Bik also got the phone numbers of the girls and started to message them. He added: "You sought to make yourself an essential component of their lives by offering them vapes, alcohol and cannabis."

Bik would also pay them compliments telling one she looked like a "supermodel" and another that she was a "pretty lady." The judge said: "You groomed the girls who you ultimately committed serious sexual offences against."

In December the defendant offered to meet and collect two 14-year-old girls. He plied them both with alcohol until they were both severely affected and took them to a secluded location where he climbed into the back seat and carried out a sex attack on one of them.

Just over a week later Bik took two other girls aged 14 and 13 to a secluded location and, after also plying them with drink, began by touching one of them on the leg during the journey. He then kissed her before going on to carry out a more serious sexual attack on both of them, twice raping the other girl.

At one point one of the victims tried to use her phone to get help but Bik took it from her. Eventually one of them did manage to message a friend which lead to the defendant later being arrested with both girls still in his vehicle.

Bik of Walsgrave Drive, Solihull, who had previously been found guilty, following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court of two charges of rape, two of attempted rape, three of sexual assault and two other serious sexual offences, was jailed for 22 years.

Judge Smith said what Bik had done had had a "profound" effect on the victims and their families and added: "It has made them feel unsafe and left them with emotional scars that will be difficult, at the very least, to heal."

He told Bik: "You have shown absolutely no remorse for your criminal acts.

"Your offending was both sustained and involved significant planning. You took the risk of committing the offences on the night of January 30 and 31 having committed serious offences just a few weeks earlier.

"This demonstrates a pattern of behaviour." He said it was only as a result of chance that he was stopped.

Antonie Muller, prosecuting, said: "He used alcohol and other intoxicants. It is an aggravating feature that there were other people in the car and he himself was intoxicated."

Abigail Nixon, defending, said: "He is effectively of good character who came to this country and became educated and got a university degree and had good employment."

Description

A serial sex offender dubbed the 'Night Bus Beast' who continued to walk the streets following multiple police failings could soon be released from prison following an upcoming parole hearing.

Terrorising women as part of campaign of terror, Kirk Reid, now 58, was convicted of 26 indecent assaults and two rapes in 2009.

Targeting lone female passengers over a 23-year period in London, Reid's conviction exposed a series of failings by the Metropolitan Police.

Likened to the case of 'Black Cab Rapist' John Worboys in terms of the prolific nature of his offending, police failings saw him remain at large despite multiple arrest opportunities.

Now, the serial offender, who was given a life term and ordered to serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years behind bars, has been transferred to an open prison following an earlier parole hearing.

It's a move that often precedes an offender being released on license.

The lowest category jail, open prisons allow for minimal security measures and the opportunity for visitors to work outside of the prison's walls.

According to the Daily Mail, Reid's new parole hearing is scheduled to take place in May 2023.

At the time of his conviction, Reid was described as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character by Judge Shani Barnes who was overseeing the case at Kingston Crown Court.

Despite being convicted of the 28 counts, the total number of victims is believed to be closer to 100.

It was revealed that Reid, who was a chef at the time, was identified as a suspect following a series of sex attacks in 2004, a name that was flagged to police at least 12 times without any further enquiries being launched.

Following the conviction, assistant Met commissioner John Yates conceded that multiple errors had been made in the handling of the case.

'Nothing can adequately excuse the failure to follow up straightforward lines of inquiry that should have seen Reid arrested at that time,' Yates wrote retrospectively in the Guardian in March 2009.

It was revealed that Reid, who was a chef at the time, was identified as a suspect following a series of sex attacks in 2004, a name flagged to police at least 12 times without further enquiries being launched.

Reid, also an amateur referee of women's football matches, targeting women walking alone or travelling on public transport.

He was only by change that Reid was brought to justice in January 2008 when the case was handed to a senior detective from the homicide and serious crime command unit who linked him using DNA.