Latest Offenders

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Rapist Aziz Khan carried out the sex attack at his parents' Stoke-on-Trent home before bragging to his friends

Rapist Aziz Khan graphically filmed his brutal sex attack on a 'drunk and incapable' student - before putting the footage online.

The 22-year-old 'callous coward' is today starting an 11-year jail sentence after he raped the woman at his parents' Heron Cross home following a night out.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Khan - described as having sex on his mind and being a bit weird around women - took advantage of the victim after she became separated from her friends in Newcastle.

Despite the fact she was unconscious, Staffordshire University student Khan forced himself on her as he used his mobile phone to video the assault before bragging about the sexual 'conquest'.

The woman then left the home at 4am and begged the next door neighbour's for help.

The court heard her life had been shattered by the rape.

Prosecutor Robert Price said the victim and her friends went into Newcastle town centre for a night out. They went to Revolution and then moved on to The Kiln. The victims friend described her as really drunk and she handed her mate her bag which contained her phone.

Mr Price said: In the haze of drink the victim and her friends became separated.

The victim found herself in the company of the defendant. He was out with his close friend who told police as a general rule Khan had one topic on his mind and that was sex. He described him as a sleaze and a pest and he formed the view Khan was a bit weird with women.

Khan was the ultimate opportunist and he took advantage of the victim who was vulnerable and incapable through drink. She was completely intoxicated. She had no idea where she was, who she was with or what she was doing. She was not capable of making decisions or consenting to any form of sexual activity.

The defendant raped her and as he did he filmed the act on his mobile phone. It shows a young lady unconscious and immobile through intoxication being raped by a male making grunting noises.

The court heard she left the defendants house at 4am and knocked on the neighbouring property. The victim slid down a brick wall on to her bottom and made no sense but the neighbour helped her to her feet and into a taxi. She returned to her friends house.

The next day the defendant showed his friend the video of the rape and bragged about having sex with her. And he also made boasts to another lad in Hanley.

The court heard the victim had no recollection but later became aware of the video which had been uploaded to Snapchat.

The victim told her parents and the police were informed.

In a statement the victim said she remains affected by what happened and struggles to get through the day. She was devastated by the violent abuse and feels physically sick on a daily basis. She has experienced profound fatigue, sleep deprivation, and flashbacks. She once overdosed on tablets and says she feels dirty, ashamed and angry.

The ordeal also led to her leaving her university course and it has had a detrimental impact on her family.

Khan, of Heron Street, Heron Cross, pleaded guilty to rape and disclosing private sexual photos or films with intent to cause distress.

Barry White, mitigating, said the defendants offending has had an immense effect on his family.

Mr White said: He has found it difficult to admit what he has done. Since this happened he has not drunk alcohol or gone out.

He said the defendants pleas prevented the victim from having to give evidence in a trial.

Mr White added that the defendant has completed his accountancy course at university and will have a qualification to fall back on when released.

Judge David Fletcher made the defendant the subject of an indefinite restraining order which prevents him contacting his victim or her parents.

Jailing Khan for 11 years and two months, Judge Fletcher told him: It is quite clear when you got in the taxi you were fully aware of the extreme state of her intoxication. You had only one thing on your mind - sex. You had sexual intercourse with her without her consent, and on the basis of the very disturbing video footage, without her knowledge. She had not got a clue what was happening to her. She was not in a conscious state at all. You filmed it in the most graphic detail.

You pushed her out. You did not go in the street with her to make sure the taxi was going to take her safely home. All you could do was shout down from the roof above - the behaviour of a callous coward.

You showed your friend the video. Within 24 hours you showed it to another person. The videos existence became general knowledge. This is a serious case.

Khan, who will serve half his sentence with the rest on licence, was placed on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

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A CONVICTED sex offender who lost everything when his partner discovered his past is now behind bars after an anonymous phone call to the NSPCC revealed a second victim.

James Harcourt was given a community rehabilitation order in 2003 for having sex with an underage girl when he was 19.

Later, he started a relationship with a different underage girl although no complaint was ever made to the police.

But in the summer of 2016, a call was made to the childrens charity expressing concerns about what had happened years earlier, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Harcourt, now 35, was said to have been violent and controlling when he was with the girl, who then learned about his earlier conviction.

The pair stopped seeing one another when Harcourt got jealous about the teenager being close to somebody else.

He moved on and started dating a woman in her 40s, prosecutor Richard Bennett told the court.

But when she found out about his past with the teenager, she ended their relationship.

Dan Cordey, mitigating, told the court: His new partner was horrified by what she had been told.

Because he has been unable to provide a supervisor for the contact, he has not seen his children since then, since 2016.

He has lost contact with his children. He has lost his relationship and his home, and although he has managed to keep working for some time, since last December when he went on the sick, he has now lost his job.

Against that background, when he came to this court, what Mr Harcourt did was to fully accept what had gone on. He didnt seek to make excuses or prevaricate about his plea.

For a man who has effectively lost everything, he could have been tempted to take a chance. He didnt do that. He was honest to the court.

James Harcourt now recognises what he did was absolutely wrong. The probation report states he had a romantic view of the relationship.

At the time, he was growing up, he recognises now he had problems.

He would wish me to stress, as a mature adult, he has lived a blameless life in the sense that he settled down, had relationships with adult women, one of whom has born him children, and for 13 years, he worked, worked hard, and provided for his family.

Harcourt, of Chandos Street, Darlington, admitted seven charges of sexual activity with a child, and was jailed for ten-and-a-half years.

Judge Sean Morris told him: You were delaying your guilty plea for quite some time, and not accepting your guilt from the start just caused more heartache to your victim.

The result of your actions means you have not seen your sons for a considerable amount of time. It is not just your life you have wrecked, it is those children.

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A convicted sex offender travelled 140 miles in the hope of having sex with a 14-year-old girl, only to find out he was being played by a paedophile hunter, a court has heard.

John Armitage travelled from Gainsborough to Newcastle upon Tyne believing he would be meeting a school girl called Ellie who he had been talking to on a dating app.

Armitage, who had previously served a jail sentence for offences against two young girls, had arranged to meet the schoolgirl despite knowing she was underage.

But instead when he arrived at Newcastle railway station he discovered he was the victim of a sting.

He was confronted and then arrested after police were called to the station.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said Armitage had initially contacting "Ellie" on a dating app for over 18s.

In a series of messages he was told she was only 14 but persisted and said he wanted to meet her for sex telling her he would "be gentle".

Armitage suggested he contact her school pretending to be her father and arrange for her to have a week off so that they could be together.

But the court was told that "Ellie" was actually a member of the Net Justice Group using a fake profile to trap paedophiles.

John Armitage, 40, of Warren Close, Gainsborough, admitted a charge of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming together with a further offence of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity with a child. Both charges relate to the period between 12 March and 14 April last year.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of making a total of 958 indecent photographs of a child between September 2015 and April 2018. The images include 164 assessed as being in the most serious category. He further admitted further charges of possession of a prohibited image of a child and possession of cannabis.

The court was told that he had a previous conviction in 2008 when he was given a four year sentence at Leeds Crown Court for sexual assault charges relating to two girls under the age of 13.

He also has two convictions for failing to comply with the sex offender registration notification requirements and a further conviction for outraging public decency.

Judge Hirst told him "Ellie told you she was 14 and her mum was very strict. She said she was from Newcastle and you suggested you meet up for a kiss and a cuddle.

"There was discussion about how you liked having sex and Ellie told you that she didn't know girls of her age did that.

"Over the next days the conversation continued about what sexual things you wanted to do with her.

"This case is aggravated by the persistent nature of the communications including you suggesting that you pretend to be Ellie's father and ring her school. You told her to have a week off school.

"You travelled to Newcastle intent on having sex with a 14 year old girl.

"Plainly your offending is so serious that only immediate custody can be imposed."

Armitage was sentenced to five years and nine months which includes three years and nine months custody plus an extra two years licence during which he will be at risk of being returned to prison.

Judge Simon Hirst imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders' register for life.

Christopher Dickins, in mitigation, said "He accepts that he wanted a full sexual relationship. He is deeply sorry.

"He instructs me that at the time he was self-medicating for depression and anxiety but he has now got that on an even keel."

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Released from prison on March 7th 2022.

Thomas Sanders was found guilty of the following charges:

1 - Sexual Assault Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 7(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003.

2 - Assault Of A Child Under 13 By Penetration, Contrary To Section 6(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003.

3 - Rape Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 5(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003

4 - Rape Of A Child Under 13, Contrary To Section 5(1) Of The Sexual Offences Act 2003

Thomas Sanders was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment.

He will be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

He will also have to sign on the sex offenders register indefinitely upon release.

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A former headteacher from Devon has been jailed for vile historic sex offences against children.

Robin Mellor, 74, of North Street in Braunton, was convicted of sexually abusing two children during the 1970s and 1980s.

He used to work at several primary schools in Kent and would commit his depraved acts when his pupils would visit his home address in the town of Ditton for private tutoring sessions.

One 11-year-old girl was targeted repeatedly over a year-and-a-half period, where Mellor would show her pornographic images and force her to copy what was shown in those images, reports Kent Live.

He then assaulted a second girl during another tutoring lesson at his house, this time attempting to engage her in sexual activity and committing an indecent act in front of her.

It was not until January of last year that Mellor was arrested and charged with five counts of indecent assault on a child and a charge of inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency.

Upon arrest, he was also charged with making indecent images of a child after 20 illegal images were discovered when officers seized his computer.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and put his brave victims through the ordeal of a trial at Maidstone Crown Court. However, on Thursday (March 7), Mellor was convicted of all counts and and was sentenced to six years in prison.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and was put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Detective Sergeant Rob Grieve said: "Robin Mellor grossly abused his position of trust as a teacher and tutor, in order to sexually abuse children

"Today’s sentence will not take away the emotional and physical trauma his victims were made to endure as children, but it will hopefully bring some closure.

"Mellor was a teacher at several primary schools in west Kent, in areas which included Ditton and Larkfield and we can’t discount the possibility he may have committed further offences which may not yet have been reported.

"I would like to thank the two victims in this case for their bravery in coming forward and bringing Mellor to justice.

"I do hope their courage empowers any other victims of sexual abuse to have the confidence to contact police.

"We will always treat victims with dignity and sensitivity and thoroughly investigate any offences."

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A paedophile who thought he was making lurid suggestions to a 12-year-old girl was actually talking online to an undercover police officer.

Anthony Press, 37, was already under investigation for doing the same thing to another "decoy" when he took part in the online chats for 15 days from June 13 last year.

Stephen Robinson, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court the officer had created a profile for a fictitious 12-year-old called "Emma", who used the online name "Yorkshirelass123".

Press, whose online identity was "Anthony1981", initiated the contact and asked the girl: "Can I get your pants down, honey?"

The "girl" stated her age, but Press continued making a variety of other more extreme sexual comments, also suggesting they meet "on Friday or Saturday".

Press gave the girl his mobile phone number, which revealed his links to a care centre where he had "sought some assistance", and also showed it had been used close to his home in Trippet Street, city centre. Police duly paid him a visit there on July 9 and arrested him.

Mr Robinson said while Press believed he was in conversation with a 12-year-old girl, "in fact it was an undercover police officer".

That brought an end to his offending, following his similar encounter with "Chantelle Manchester" in January, who was really a member of the paedophile hunting group Northern Justice posing as a girl aged 13. Mr Robinson said of the group: "They appear to take a fairly serious interest in their hobby."

The group followed a practice of creating a decoy profile and ensuring first contact is made by the suspect. They then respond with answers "designed to be as innocent or naive as possible", while regularly stating their age.

"Chantelle" was lying in wait for Press on the chat site Nearby, and he first contacted her at 3am on January 18. Press requested a meeting in Manchester, where she purported to be from, and said he "would ring when he arrived". But he failed to turn up, saying he was "unwell".

The girl's number was later found on a piece of paper in Press's flat, the court heard.

One of his online conversations

Mr Robinson gave an example of his conversations with "Chantelle" as:

PRESS: What are you wearing baby?

CHANTELLE: Clothes.

PRESS: Can I have my hand in your knickers baby?

CHANTELLE: What do you mean? I'm 13.

Press also made explicit comments about what he would like to do to the girl, and also said he would like to watch her urinate.

Northern Justice passed Press's information to a similar Hull-based group called Team Hunters. Mr Robinson said the Hull group would normally confront people like Press and stream it live on Facebook, but after learning he had cerebral palsy decided instead to pass his details to police, which the prosecutor said was "a more responsible attitude".

Press was arrested for that offence in a taxi close to his home at 1.30pm on January 21. He initially denied any wrongdoing but later admitted two offences of attempted sexual communication with a child. He had no previous convictions.

Claire Holmes, mitigating, said society would be better protected if Press attended a sex offenders treatment programme, which was available in the community but not in prison, according with the recommendation of a pre-sentence report.

"There is, in my submission, a difference between someone who sends messages of this manner intending they would happen, rather than someone engaging in a fantasy," she said. "This defendant had the opportunity of meeting someone he was messaging and didn't attend."

'Disgraceful'

Recorder Simon Eckersley told Press his behaviour was "disgraceful", and sentenced him to 18 months in jail, suspended for two years. He was ordered to attend a sex offenders treatment programme for 90 days and have 15 days of rehabilitation.

Press was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and must register as a sex offender for the same period.

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A FORMER teacher has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of child abuse.

Peter Toner, 61, was found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow of sexually abusing five children between 1979 and 1983 when he was a house master at the former St Columba’s College in Largs, Ayrshire.

Officers from Ayrshire’s Divisional Rape Investigation Unit have been conducting enquiries after receiving a complaint in October 2016.

As a result of ongoing enquiries, officers identified other victims.

Detective constable Colin Jones said: “Peter Toner took advantage of his position of authority and committed these despicable crimes.

“It takes considerable courage for people to come forward and speak to the police about such crimes and I would like to pay tribute to the victims for their bravery.

“This sentence may give them some sense of justice, but it won’t undo the harm they have experienced which has been profound and long lasting.

“I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of any sexual predator to come forward as it is never too late to report sexual abuse to us, no matter when it happened and no matter what the circumstances, they can be assured that they will receive every support from Police Scotland.”

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A convicted rapist who subjected his victim to an "incredulous and cruel" 90 minute sex attack in some bushes in Camberley has been jailed.

Floris-Adrian Gherghelau, 25, of Park Road, Camberley was a stranger to his teenage victim, whom he had followed and then "grabbed" in a secluded area.

He was handed a sentence of up to 16 years imprisonment by Miss Recorder June Venters QC at Guildford Crown Court on Friday (March 8), being described as a "dangerous sexual deviant".

A jury found Gherghelau guilty of five charges - including two counts of rape and one of attempted rape - on January 14.

The court heard how the victim, 18, had taken an overdose following the attack, described as "terrifying" by Recorder Venters.

A victim impact statement read out in court said: "I didn't feel I was getting the support and became so low.

"I then took an overdose of painkillers as a way to show that I didn't care for my life at that time and needed more support. Following this I was referred to a psychologist."

Prosecutor Ryan Richter said that Gherghelau's victim could now not sleep without "taking a knife to bed" and "doesn't know if she will ever recover from the events".

Surrey Police said in a statement that Gherghelau admitted the attack during a police interview, but later denied the charges in court.

Recorder Venters said: "Your offence was both incredulous and cruel. As if this young woman had not been through enough, you continued to humiliate her before a jury by suggesting she was a willing participant."

While giving evidence, the 25-year-old reportedly claimed that he had kissed his victim, who kissed him back before both walked into the bushes together to have sex.

Both defence counsel Lyall Thompson and Recorder Venters agreed that Gherghelau showed "no remorse" for his actions, showing only sorrow for his own situation.

However, Mr Thompson did pay reference in mitigation to the fact this was his client's first conviction, suggesting: "Could this be a one-off moment of madness?"

The barrister also noted that Gherghelau was of "low intelligence".

The 25-year-old's victim even offered to pay him to let her go.

"She panicked and struggled, trying everything possible to break away from your grip of her, but which was to no avail," added Recorder Venters.

"She was I have no doubt terrified. She had no idea who you were or what you intended on doing to her.

"What happened next could only have been an absolutely terrifying, painful, humiliating experience which will live with her for the rest of her life."

Gherghelau was handed a 14 year jail term, extended to 16 years with two on licence.

The court heard how the 25-year-old, who is a Romanian national, is "almost certain" to be deported from the UK upon his release from prison.

He has also been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The Surrey Police investigation

Surrey Police has described the investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of Gherghelau for these offences.

Following the attack, his victim sought help at a nearby petrol station - staff contacted police and a full description of the offender was given.

The attacker's DNA was found on the victim, meaning that a successful match would positively identify.

Local knowledge, coupled with the description of the offender, led officers to a local address where elimination samples were taken from all the male occupants.

Gherghelau proved a positive DNA match and was subsequently arrested.

Speaking outside Guildford Crown Court after the sentencing, Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Adam Ramiz commented on the "bravery" of the victim.

He said: "The victim in relation to this matter demonstrated extreme bravery in relation to the incident itself - reporting it to police and then supporting the police throughout the investigation.

"She has suffered extreme trauma in the matter, but thankfully she is being well supported now.

"I really welcome the extended sentence today and I agree with the judge. I believe that Gherghelau is a very serious and dangerous offender."

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A DUDLEY cop who persuaded a teenage girl he met while investigating an incident at a college to send him naked photographs of herself has been jailed for nine months.

Pc Paul Davies had earned considerable praise during his near 30 year service with the West Midlands Force for helping youngsters avoid crime and lead law abiding lives.

But Davies who worked as a Young Persons Officer with Dudley Police took "leave of his senses" after he started to engage in sexual phone chats with the 17-year-old student.

The 57-year-old officer got the girls details while probing reports of a suspicious male on the College campus and after their phone chats he got her to send him five photographs of her posing naked.

Davies, a married man with two adult sons, was rumbled after the girl was spoken to by police and she provided them with details of what had gone on, said Alex Warren prosecuting.

He told Wolverhampton Crown Court that Davies who was named West Midland Beat Officer of the year in 2009 was arrested and the photographs were recovered from his mobile.

Judge James Burbidge QC told Davies it was serious offending because of the disparity in their ages adding, "It was not an abuse of trust but you were in a very trusting position."

The judge said Davies who showed no reaction as he was lead away to begin his jail term had clearly worked hard in the past to help young people avoid crime and to lead structured lives.

But he said it was clear he had encouraged the creation of the photographs - it was all at his instigation and he had "groomed" the teenager to a degree.

Davies, he went on, had attended the college to investigate an incident having been in a position of safeguarding anyone on the premises and he had spoken to the girl and another 17-year old.

"You well knew her age because you had taken her personal details," said the judge but he had then clearly decided to take things further.

Davies, a former member of the Wrens Nest and Milking Bank Neighbourhood team admitted making the indecent images. between March 12 and April 15 last year.

Mr Warren said it was not suggested Davies who left the police force after his arrest had used his position to put pressure on the teenage girl.

He said a friend of the girl had also encouraged her to go along with it but she had engaged with Davies in his professional capacity.

Simon Hunka, defending, said Davies, of Thoresby Croft, Upper Gornal, had initiated the sexual chat which it was accepted was "thoroughly inappropriate behaviour."

He was ashamed of his actions having fallen from grace. "He was a local police officer for the area for many, many years and the uncomfortable reality is that people who looked up to him now find it difficult to meet his eye."

Mr Hunka said Davies had quite literally lost everything. His standing in the community had gone and he was finding it difficult to find another job.

He said Davies had run programmes at schools and colleges in the Dudley area for young people and he read out references from families where the former police officer had gone beyond the call of duty to assist their children.

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The National Crime Agency (NCA) swooped on Fox after linking him to horrific footage of child sex abuse online. He was arrested on September 5, 2018 as NCA officers seized his laptop which contained a vast amount of abuse images and videos.

Some showed him raping and indecently assaulting a boy. Fox had posted the footage online for other paedophiles to view and other videos showed him abusing a girl.

The 26-year-old, from Ewell, denied posting the videos online but admitted attacking the children. He was jailed at Kingston Crown Court in March after admitting 19 offences, including seven counts of rape.

He also admitted possession of indecent images of children 4,743 category A images or videos (the most severe), 4,263 category B and 3,995 category C.

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A MAN who downloaded more than 8,000 images of child abuse images including of a baby girl being sexually assaulted begged a judge not to jail him.

Pervert Alexander Davies, 26, repeatedly downloaded images on three phones - and even continued after being arrested and released.

At Portsmouth Crown Court he asked a judge for mercy and ‘one last chance to do good’ while reading out a letter from prison over a videolink in court.

But a judge ruled the case was too serious and jailed him for 16 months after he admitted two charges of distributing child abuse images, 12 possession charges and one of having extreme pornography.

The court heard how police raided Davies’s home and found two mobile phones containing indecent images and videos of children - with the defendant trying to hide one phone under his bed.

When arrested Davies, of Magennis Close, Gosport, denied wrongdoing and ‘suggested that his father was due to be released from prison and that he was set up,’ prosecutor Simon Foster said.

A third phone was handed back to him by police after his arrest as it was clean - but he downloaded more images.

‘He took the phone that was returned to the family on the basis that it contained no images, and he continued precisely the same activity as before and distributed images,’ Mr Foster said.

Messages uncovered on the third phone revealed Davies swapped messages with other perverts ‘indicating a wilfulness to exchange images’.

Analysis revealed Davies had 507 category A images, 322 category B and 7,945 rated in the less serious category C.

Jailing Davies, Recorder Michael Bowes QC said one image showed ‘an extremely graphic assault on a baby less than one year old’ and added in others ‘there’s restraint and discernible pain or distress’.

Reading his letter before he was jailed, Davies said: ‘I can see what I’ve done is wrong. I wish I could turn the clock back.’

He added: ‘Jail has taught me that life is priceless and so is freedom. Where my freedom has been taken away and my life has been changes it’s made me think

‘Please your honour, can you give me one last chance to do good.’

All three phones must be destroyed. Davies, who has no previous convictions, must sign the sex offenders’ register for a decade and an order restricts his internet use for the same period.

Daniel Reilly, mitigating, said: ‘Whilst he is 26 years of age, he is a very young 26-year-old.

‘He struggled significantly in both primary and secondary education and has severe learning difficulties.’

An educational psychologist’s report found Davies was only 0.3 per cent above others of his age in literacy and numerical ability - and is in the bottom two per cent for his spelling, Mr Reilly said outlining the defendant’s learning difficulties.

Recorder Bowes described the case as ‘a serious and quite complex matter’ and that the defendant displayed a ‘lack of maturity’.

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A Convicted sex offender has been jailed after breaching a sexual harm prevention order

Kyle Michael bone, 26 of Basingstoke appeared at Winchester Crown Court where he was sentenced for:

- Breaching sexual harm prevention order

- Criminal damage to property

The court was told that Bone had served a previous prison sentence in 2014 for sexual activity with a female child.

Today, the judge sentenced Bone to 16 months imprisonment.

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A 'CREEPY' night club bottom pincher from Andover threatened door staff with a baseball bat after being identified and thrown out.

Stuart Blackwell, aged 58, was more than twice the age of his victim, who he assaulted inside Caesar's Palace club in Bideford, Devon, after trying to pick her up with cheesy chat-up lines.

She brushed off his attentions and was standing with friends when he walked past her and slapped and squeezed her bottom. The assault was caught on CCTV and showed her jumping away in shock.

He continued pestering her until she alerted door staff who threw him out, only for him to come back half an hour later armed with the baseball bat.

He was seen on CCTV in a crowded area just outside the club holding up the bat before being grabbed by four bouncers and held until police arrived.

Blackwell moved to the centre of Bideford after being released from a 26-month sentence for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl in 2015 when he was living in Launcelot Close.

His assault left the girl frightened to go out on her own. She made a victim statement which said:"He was a total stranger and the fact he was so much older than me makes it even creepier."

Blackwell, now of St Lawrence Rd South, Towcester, admitted sexual assault and having an offensive weapon in a public place and was jailed for nine weeks, suspended for a year and sent on a sex offenders course by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him:"This was extremely upsetting to the victim and had a permanent effect on her. The contact was short lived but it was sexual contact nonetheless.

"It is an aggravating feature that the offence with the baseball bat outside the club was in a crowd of people and created a substantial risk of serious disorder."

Herc Ashworth, prosecuting, said the incident happened late at night in December and started when Blackwell approached the woman in the smoking area.

He said:"The defendant told her 'I'd recognise an arse like that anywhere. You'd be welcome at my place any time'."

The woman laughed it off but was talking with friends when he came pas and slapped and squeezed her bottom while smirking at her. She alerted door staff after he carried on pestering her and he was thrown out.

He came back with the bat but was disarmed by four door staff and arrested by police. He later claimed he had planned to batter the doormen.

Ian Graham, defending, said Blackwell did not understand why he had been thrown out and returned to challenge the door staff. He took the bat for his own protection.

He said Blackwell has moved away from Devon to be closer to his family and is currently living on benefits while addressing mental health issues.

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A teacher ended his career in disgrace after being caught with 117 child porn videos and over 20,000 photos.

James Cullen's downfall was revealed in court where he admitted taking the material off the internet over three years at his home in Lewis Crescent, Annesley.

Using a hearing loop to help follow the case, he was sent to prison for ten months after admitting downloading indecent images. City magistrates imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order to stop a repeat.

When he initially faced court, a deputy district judge said "although he was a teacher at the time, this was not committed as part of that employment".

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, told Nottingham Magistrates' Court the downloads were dated between January 2014 and December 2017.

Police officers seized electrical equipment and found 12 videos in Category B, the second level of seriousness .

They then discovered 95 videos from the third level and 20,182 still photographs.

Mr Pietryka told the court: "He initially denied the matters in question, blaming the internet.

"He said he made local searches for nudists and naturalists and these images would appear. He accepted downloading images for his sexual gratification."

Sean Conway, mitigating, urged the magistrates to follow a recommendation from a probation officer, which would have seen the 55-year-old attend a course to prevent further offences.

"The offences were caused by literally 12 links, clicking 12 times and accessing a large number. That is what happened.

"I am not for a second trying to minimise it but that is the truth. He accepts he has done wrong," said Mr Conway.

He resigned from his teaching job before action was taken against him. He also accepted the General Teaching Council would "strike him from the register".

Since then, Cullen has paid for training as an HGV driver and is now doing that job.

"There is a level of remorse and a willingness to get to the root cause and find why he finds himself before the court.

"There is a massive taboo to things like this and I don't seek to minimise that taboo," said Mr Conway who pointed out Cullen had never been in trouble before.

He is currently having hospital treatment and is due to have stitches removed after surgery.

Mr Conway urged the magistrates not to impose "the ultimate sanction" of prison so Cullen can keep working.

After being jailed, an appeal was launched against the sentence and this will be heard at the crown court by a judge and two magistrates. A bail application was made for Cullen while awaiting this hearing.

But it was rejected by magistrate Peter Dexter, who sat with a colleague.

"We have considered this carefully and bail will be refused due to the seriousness of the offending," said Mr Dexter. The case was initially adjourned to await a report from a probation officer.

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A WOMAN says she has been through the most ‘horrendous experience of her life’ – but feels relieved after historical charges against a predator who abused her when she was a child were found to be proved.

The lady, now in her 30s but who was aged between four and nine years old when the regular indecent assaults took place, told The News she was ‘relieved’ but ‘numb’ following the verdicts at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Hayling Island child-exploiter Raymond Hawker, of Castlemans Lane, was found to have committed the lewd acts by a unanimous jury following a trial in his absence.

He was deemed not fit to take the stand due to mental health issues after facing five charges of indecent assault on a female under the age of 10 years and one charge of inciting a girl under 14 years to commit an act of gross indecency.

Hawker, 78, will be sentenced on March 8 where he is set to avoid jail and instead faces the prospect of a supervision order, depending on medical assessments.

Speaking to The News after the case the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she doesn’t ‘care what happens to him now’, before adding: ‘Whatever punishment he receives will be minimal’.

After waiting more than two years for the case to be brought before the court due to postponements as assessments over Hawker took place, the victim said: ‘I haven’t been able to look past the trial so I’m now just getting my head around it all. Hopefully I can start living rather than hiding away.’

Speaking of the punishment Hawker is likely to receive, she continued: ‘Part of me is gutted he won’t go to prison because of all he put me through.

‘Ideally he should be sent to jail but he’s told so many lies about me and my family I just want people to know the truth and put an end to the rumours.

‘He’s never taken responsibility for what he did. He’s made it so much worse for me by going down the mental health route resulting in the two previous court cases having to be postponed.

‘I don’t accept his mental health issues should have resulted in him being totally cleared of responsibility for what he did. He didn’t have any issues at the start of the trial. But at the end of the day both he and his family know what he did and they will have to live with that for the rest of their lives.’

The woman, who has had counselling for depression and post traumatic stress disorder, revealed she was so angry about Hawker’s horrific exploitation of her when she was a child that she confronted him in 2017.

‘Ray admitted to me what he did,’ she said. ‘I went to his house and knocked on his door and he just said “sorry it was a long time ago”. I had the conversation recorded but it couldn’t be used in court.’

The woman, who kept the painful memories to herself for 30 years until she built up the courage to tell the police, revealed her torment when confessing to her family. ‘I just wrote a letter, I couldn’t say the words,’ she said.

As a child she admitted she could not bring herself to tell anyone after Hawker had manipulated her into silence by insisting it was ‘our little secret’.

She said going through the judicial system had been daunting – admitting she was ‘not sure if it was worth it’ before deciding she had to exorcise ghosts from the past and prevent Hawker from committing further offences. ‘I didn’t want to go to the police but felt guilt over his granddaughter and the children next door,’ she revealed.

Finally taking the stand in court was a nerve-wracking experience – especially with the entire case resting on her evidence. Only Hawker’s wife Barbara appeared for the defence.

Despite questions over whether she was making the whole thing up under cross-examination from defence barrister Sarah Jones, the woman presented a compelling case under fierce interrogation.

‘It was the most horrendous thing in my life,’ she admitted. ‘To just be slated by the barrister and having someone say you made it up made me so angry. To have to listen to glowing references on Ray while I had nothing of a similar nature and was torn apart was tough to take.’

Despite her ordeal, a family member said the prosecuting barrister Mary Aspinall-Miles described the victim as ‘one of the strongest ladies she has come across’ and someone ‘who stuck to her guns and gave as good as she got’.

With the court case over and the woman vindicated, she added: ‘I hope it will give me some closure so I can move on with my life.’