Latest Offenders

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Evil Anthony Burn subjected seven young girls to life-ruining sex attacks in a campaign of rape and abuse that spanned his entire adult life.

The vile 57-year-old's sick offending began when he was in his teens, and lasted for almost 40 years until he was finally snared.

Burn somehow managed to abuse children "under the radar" subjecting his young victims to multiple and regular rape attacks.

He would go to the Northumberland home of one schoolgirl around once a week to rape her over a period of a year, meaning she suffered around 50 horrific ordeals.

The abuse began when she was still playing with dolls.

As Burn got older his crimes continued, but the age of his victims remained consistently low, between around nine and 16 years old.

And even after police questioned him over his abuse of five girls in Northumberland, he went on to target two more youngsters in Cambridgeshire.

But now thanks to the courage of the women he targeted Burn's reign of terror has finally been brought to an end.

As he locked Burn up for life with a minimum of 15 years at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Christopher Prince described him as "extremely dangerous" and said he would pose a risk to others until the day he died.

He told him: "The gravity and amount of offending is abhorrent to any right thinking person. The risk in your case will continue until the day you die. These are extremely serious offences committed by an extremely dangerous defendant.

"They are among the worst offences of this type to come before the court."

The court heard how Burn's crimes began in the early 1980s when he was in his late teens.

And David Lamb, prosecuting, explained how he spent his entire adult life abusing young girls, without being caught.

"There are a total of seven young female victims in this case," he said. "The campaign of offending spanned nearly all the defendant's adult life.

"It commenced in 1982 when he was aged 17, and concluded in 2020 when he would have been 57.

"A remarkable feature throughout this defendant's existence is he's managed to get himself into the lives of so many children to such a degree he was able to sexually abuse them over a substantial period of time virtually under the radar."

The court heard how after befriending the family schoolgirl who lived on the same Northumberland estate as him, Burn started to let himself into her home to rape her repeatedly.

And Mr Lamb, explained how, like many of Burn's victims, the girl was raped so many times she eventually stopped trying to fight the fiend off.

"She was still a very young looking girl. The defendant would have known how old she was," he said.

Describing the first time the girl was raped by Burn, in a bedroom in her house, Mr Lamb said: "(The victim) describes it as painful. She was crying throughout because of the pain. He would have known she was not consenting."

The rapes continued for around a year

"It happened at least once a week over a year until she moved house," said Mr Lamb.

"The incidents were never discussed between the two of them. He would just come round and get what he wanted every time he got the opportunity."

Burn also repeatedly raped another schoolgirl at her home in Northumberland during the early 1980s.

"She viewed the defendant as an adult and describes herself as being like a child." said Mr Lamb. "She remembers he had raped her a few more times but she can't remember how many."

"It got to the point where she became submissive. She thought it would be over quicker if she behaved in that way.

"She used to panic that she would get pregnant, but fortunately she didn't."

Burn got away with these sick attacks for more than 30 years.

But in November 2018 his first victim reported what had happened to her to Northumbria Police.

Detectives then spoke to the other victim, who was able to give them the name of a third girl she believed had been raped by Burn.

The third victim was contacted by police and eventually revealed that she had also been abused.

"She describes three incidents in which she was raped when she was 16 years old," said Mr Lamb. "He was four years older."

Burn was in his 30s when he began to target his next victim, who he first raped after she got in his vehicle thinking she would be given a lift home from the MetroCentre.

He instead took her to a flat where he raped her.

"Although he got older the age of his victims remained almost constant," said Mr Lamb.

This victim did report the attacks to police at the time. The allegations were investigated, but Burn was never charged.

He also systematically abused a fifth North East girl over a long period of around 16 years.

"Because she was raped so many times she is unable to describe specific incidents," said Mr Lamb. She recalls seeing his face through tears. She was really scared, and remembers that it hurt.

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A PAEDOPHILE operating online has been jailed after being caught by an undercover police officer working for Darlington Police.

Daniel Bateman unwittingly struck up a conversation with the undercover officer, who was posing as another online paedophile on the social messaging app, KIK.

Bateman then sent the decoy an indecent image of a child, before suggesting the pair meet up to have sex with children.

The 30-year-old of Birch Road, Darlington, was arrested and charged with distributing an indecent image and arranging or facilitating a child sex offence.

He admitted distributing an indecent image but denied the second charge.

A jury sitting at Teesside Crown Court, however, found Bateman guilty and he was jailed for three years last Monday (January 24).

He was also made subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period.

Detective Constable Pat Finn, of Durham Constabulary, led the investigation. He said: Bateman is a dangerous and deceitful individual, who sought to realise his own depraved fantasies by seeking to meet up with other like-minded paedophiles to sexually abuse children.

He has shown no remorse throughout the trial, and he is now behind bars where he belongs, and is no longer in a position where he continues to pose a serious sexual risk to children.

Anyone who is suffering sexual abuse, please know that you are not alone and there are people who can help you.

Please, come forward and speak to us no matter who the perpetrator is, or when the abuse took place, our specially trained officers are here to help you and ensure you get the justice you deserve.

Either call us on 101 or dial 999 if you are in immediate danger.

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A high-risk Somerset sex offender who was being monitored 24 hours a day on a GPS tag has been jailed for trying to lure a 15-year-old girl into a field for sex.

Samuel Netley, 28, was branded as a danger to the public and a devious, manipulative sexual predator with an unhealthy interest in under age girls by the judge who jailed him.

He was on post-release supervision at a bail hostel in Bridgwater when he accosted the girl next to a skate park and offered her 20 to go with him to a nearby field.

He also showed her his car and offered to take her to Weston-super-Mare, Exeter Crown Court was told.

The girl escaped and alerted the police, who were able to trace his exact movements over the 15 minutes he had been with the girl from his GPS tracker.

The victim wrote an impact statement in which she said she is now wary of men, scared to go out alone and avoids the area near the skate park.

Netley was jailed in 2016 for grooming five girls on Facebook and trying to meet at least one of them. He was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which he has broken three times.

He had been released from an eight-month sentence for the third breach and moved into the hostel about two months before he approached the 15-year-old in Bridgwater in June last year.

At the time of his last sentence, he was assessed by probation as posing a high risk which could not be managed in the community.

Netley, aged 28, of Taunton Road, Bridgwater, denied inciting a child to sexual activity but was convicted by a jury at Taunton Crown Court in February 2021.

He was jailed for four years and three months with an eight year licence extension by Judge Peter Johnson, sitting at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: "You were almost twice her age and she says she was hysterical and unable to catch her breath. It is still affecting her markedly.

"I find you are a devious, manipulative sexual predator with an unhealthy sexual interest in under-aged girls. It is said this was not a contact offence, but it as close to one as you are going to get.

"There is a worrying pattern and I unhesitatingly find that you are a dangerous offender."

Mr Christopher Smyth, prosecuting, said the girl was walking home past the skate park in Friarn Avenue at 9pm on June 4, 2020, when Netley walked up from behind and grabbed her hand.

He asked her age and then offered her 20 to go to a field and masturbate him. She said no but he made her walk with him for 15 minutes during which he also offered to drive her to Weston.

At his trial, he claimed to have been remonstrating with the girl because she had scratched his car, but a police officer had noticed the damage several hours earlier.

Miss Emily Cook, defending, said Netley suffers from a form of autism which affects the way in which he interacts with other people.

He has never committed any sort of physical sexual assault.

She said this attempt was never going to have succeeded and a probation report rated his risk as medium rather than high.

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A terminally ill pensioner who raped a little girl "weekly" was today told he will probably die in jail.

James Knowles, 78, carried out "depraved sexual acts" on an "extremely young child" several decades ago.

She first went to the police in the 1990s, but said she was told "there was nothing they could do, because it happened years ago".

However, the woman found the courage to come forward again in 2018, leading to her abuser today being jailed for 25 years.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, told Knowles "your evil past has now caught up with you", stating: "You are likely to die in prison."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Knowles, of Amber Way, Stockbridge Village, abused the child when she was aged between five and 10.

He denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty after a trial last week of six counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault.

Knowles was allowed to give evidence from home via video link because of his poor heath, but today sat in a wheelchair in the well of the court, just metres away from his brave victim.

The paedophile, who didn't have any previous convictions, had claimed she was lying and still maintains his innocence.

However, Keith Sutton, prosecuting, told the jury Knowles had made admissions to his family, including that he "messed around" with and had "done some bad things" to the victim, before claiming that he was mentally "sick" at the time.

The victim said she was raped "weekly" by him and each count of rape specified "on no less than 10 occasions".

Judge Aubrey said this meant Knowles would now be sentenced for raping her "on no less than 60 occasions".

He said: "It can properly and indeed only be described in my judgement as a persistent campaign of rape upon a particularly vulnerable child."

The woman today read from a victim statement, in which she outlined the horrific impact of the abuse, how she spent her youth "looking over my shoulder", and how Knowles "did not only rob me of my childhood, but my life".

Judge Aubrey commended her "courage" and referred to when she first approached the police in the 1990s.

He said: "Unfortunately her complaint then fell on deaf ears and she was turned away.

"It was a different era then and now complaints are listened to, investigated and examined and your evil past has now caught up with you."

The judge said: "In her poignant victim personal statement she refers to her smile in an old photograph but behind the smile was a child living in fear, dread and incessant worry.

"She speaks now and still of her immeasurable pain and anguish."

Judge Aubrey said Knowles took away the victim's "innocence" and "destroyed her childhood".

He said: "You have taken away more than that, you have scarred your victim emotionally and psychologically for the rest of her life.

"You caused all of that everlasting hurt and harm for your own perverted sexual gratification."

Brian Treadwell, defending, highlighted his client's age and ill health, including his terminal heart condition and kidney failure.

He said Knowles had a pacemaker fitted with a defibrillator, but had decided to have the defibrillator switched off and had recently been receiving palliative care at home.

Judge Aubrey said Knowles quality of life was "very poor" and because his defibrillator had been switched off "it leaves you vulnerable to serious ventricular arrhythmias, which would be likely to end your life".

He said Knowles had made a personal decision that if he suffered a heart attack, he didn't want the defibrillator turned back on or to be resuscitated.

The judge said he took into account Knowles' age and heath, adding: "I bear in mind a prison sentence would be greater punishment for you than a younger person - I make a downward adjustment for that."

However, he added: "I cannot and do not overlook the gravity of these offences or indeed the extreme harm that you have caused to your victim."

The judge said Knowles was "an offender of particular concern" and handed him an extended one year on licence.

This type of sentence means Knowles must serve at least half of the 25 years - 12 and a half years - in prison.

Judge Aubrey said he would then be 90 when his case would be referred to the Parole Board and he would only be released before the end of the 25 years if he is no longer considered to be a risk.

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He added: "It may well be that the Parole Board would never be in a position to consider your case."

Knowles shook his head and glared at the victim as he was taken out of court.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "This was an horrific and prolonged period of abuse carried out by Knowles, and we hope his victim is receiving all the support she needs.

"Her courage in speaking out against her abuser cannot be understated and shows that offenders like Knowles can still face justice even decades after their unthinkable crimes.

"No matter when abuse took place, help is available to survivors and we would encourage anyone who has concerns about the wellbeing of a child or who has experienced abuse to speak out and seek support."

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A sex offender who had intercourse with two underage girls and sent indecent communications to youngsters was jailed for three years today.

A judge rejected a plea to spare Blair Thomson, 23, a jail sentence following his sex crimes against children.

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A teenager has been jailed for sexually abusing children at the nursery where he worked.

Jayden McCarthy, 18, will serve 11 years and six months with an extended licence of three years, a judge at Exeter Crown Court ruled.

McCarthy was found guilty of one charge of rape and 13 of sexual assault at the nursery in Torbay by a jury in May.

He was also found guilty of two counts of raping a boy in a separate incident in 2014.

An investigation was launched when a child at the nursery McCarthy worked at told her parents that he had sexually assaulted her.

At McCarthy's trial at Exeter Crown Court the jury were shown 13 CCTV clips taken in July 2019 of him touching eight children inappropriately.

He had been taken on as an apprentice in March 2019 following an interview process and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

The father of one of the victims told the court that his family had been through the "fires of hell" over the last two years, suffered from anxiety and depression and that McCarthy had "broken" them.

'Emotionally challenging'

Judge David Evans said McCarthy, who was 16 at the time of the offences, posed a high level of risk given he could "barely contain" his sexual impulses while working at the nursery.

"You were placed in a specific position of trust and you exploited that situation," he told him.

"It seems to me that sexual offending may be in your nature and a great deal of work may be needed to work it out," the judge added.

Det Ch Insp James Stock, from the Public Protection Unit at Devon and Cornwall Police, said it had been an "emotionally challenging and incredibly complex case".

An independent review into McCarthy's abuse, commissioned by Torbay's Safeguarding Partnership, is now due to be completed.

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A child molester left a girl "broken" after carrying out horrific sex offences in the 1970s.

Kevin Howard preyed on three children in the Wirral over a number of years and forced two to perform sex acts on him, having attempted to force a third to.

The now 69-year-old left one child "broken" after repeatedly abusing her.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court to be sentenced for a catalogue of sex offences.

Judge Denis Watson, QC, said how Howard had tried to put his hand down the trousers of Child A and made Child B perform a sex act on him.

His worst offences took place against Child C.

The judge said he had "no hesitation" in categorising the harm to that victim as "severe".

Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecuting, read a statement from Child A in which she said: "I was destroyed by the abuse I suffered by Kevin Howard.

"I wonder how my life might have been without this."

She said: "There was no support, no one to talk to."

Child C said she takes antidepressants which she has been "on and off" all her life.

She added: "I feel the abuse I suffered and psychological effects prevented me from being a better mother."

She said Howard "has been allowed to live his life over the years that have passed while I have tried to deal with the consequences as best I could".

Howard was convicted, after a trial, of 18 counts of sexual offences against the three children, which were made up of two counts of gross indecency with a child and 16 counts of indecent assault on a girl.

Fiona McNeill, defending, asked the judge to consider his lack of previous convictions.

She said Howard, of Mucklougher, Leitrim in Ireland, had never tried to deter his victims when they came forward.

Ms McNeill said he was "only a young man" at the time of the offences and explained he was now receiving treatment for a number of health problems.

The judge said: "You took advantage of the fact that those were children and they were just too young to be able to complain about the graphic and horrendous acts you carried out."

Howard was jailed for 17 years with an additional three years on licence.

He must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A MARTIAL arts instructor who groomed and had sex with a 15-year-old girl in care, giving her so much cocaine her septum was damaged, has been jailed for 13 years. Manchester Crown Court was told how Martin Yankey, then 34, would take the girl from a children's home to exploit her. The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was often reported missing from the home, when she had been with Yankey. Yankey, now 37, of Firs Road, Over Hulton, groomed his victim between February and May 2018 at his then-home in High Street, Atherton. One taxi driver reported taking the girl to Yankey's home, in April 2018, and The care home often reported her missing with police visiting Yankeys address on April 13 2018, where taxi drivers had reported taking her and it being a bit dodgy, and showed him a picture of her, telling him she was only 15-years-old. Prosecutor Rachel Shenton said when police visited Yankey's home, on April 13, 2018, after a tip-off from a taxi driver, he denied knowing the girl. Police went back on May 1 and 5 and he was told she was missing from home and he denied knowing her. Police again visited on May 5 and this time he (officer) showed the defendant pictures of her. "He was told she was 15-years-of-age and was missing from a childrens home. He was specifically warned that if she was found in his home, he could be arrested for child abduction". The court heard that due to the amount of times she went missing she went to live with foster carers. But on May 18 she left her foster carers and got into a white Range Rover, which sped away. Yankeys home was visited again, as he complained about the repeated searches. He was arrested for child abduction and the girl was then found hiding in a kitchen cupboard. The victim told police she would often go to his home, where they drank alcohol and he gave her cocaine. She believed after a few visits that they were in a relationship and would visit regularly as he would tell her he loved her. Ms Shenton said that was part of grooming the victim, who was particularly vulnerable as she was in care. Yankey told police he believed the victim was 17 and denied their relationship was sexual. A statement from the victim said: "I was given drink and drugs and suffered extreme sexual abuse. I started showering excessive amounts and self harming, I tried to make sense of it but I couldnt. She has suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety and had tried to take her own life. Yankey admitted to sexual activity with a child, abduction and possession of indecent images of a child. He was also given an indefinite restraining order, covering his victim, and a sexual harm prevention order. Defending Yankey, Jo Morris said that he was now in a committed relationship and he should be given credit for entering guilty pleas. Ms Morris also said Yankey had been diagnosed with psychosis and epilepsy in 2019 and had not been making sensible decisions at the time. Passing sentence, Judge Hilary Manley branded Yankey a "devious and selfish man". The judge added: "You exploited a 15-year-old who was vulnerable and having a troubled time in her young life and in the care of the local authority. You were more than twice her age and spent years working with young people. You would have had to have been well aware of child safe guarding issues. You gave her so much cocaine her it damaged her septum and gave her a lot of alcohol. You executed classic methods of grooming, being loving and making her feel like an adult. Police visited you many times where you said you didnt know her but the last time searched thoroughly and found her hiding in a cupboard. You are a devious and selfish man having an exploitative sexual relationship with her, giving her so much cocaine she lost a full days memory. She doesnt feel she will ever recover and has tried to take her own life. She has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. You have shown no remorse and have no real idea the damage you have done. This is because you are a selfish man who sees yourself as the victim. It is interesting and disturbing that your latest partner is 20-years-old, its not illegal but there is a significant age gap again.

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A man who raped a woman in Lee-on-the-Solent has been jailed for 12 years and a half years.

Richard John Babington, aged 56 years, of Twyford Road in Eastleigh, had been drinking with the woman overnight on 23 February 2019.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that the woman awoke in the early hours of the morning on 24 February to find Babington seriously sexually assaulting her in a motorhome he owned at a caravan park along Browndown Road.

Babington then continued to rape the woman in the motorhome before she was able to flee and call police.

Officers attended and arrested Babington at the scene.

Following a lengthy investigation, he was subsequently charged with offences, and the case went to trial on 17 May this year.

Despite his denials, Babington was convicted unanimously by the jury of two counts of rape, and one count of assault by penetration on 24 May.

Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday 23 July), Babington was jailed for 12 years and 6 months.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Heather Hudson said: "This was a horrendous assault, and I commend the bravery of the woman who has had to endure a lengthy investigation and trial process due to Babington's callous denials.

"He plied this woman with alcohol and took advantage of her, and continued to subject her to a horrendous assault after she regained consciousness.

"I am pleased the jury saw through his lies and he is now being rightly punished for this terrible crime."

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A MAN has been jailed for five years for raping a woman in a town centre alleyway.

Jurors at Reading Crown Court took just under six hours to unanimously convict Christopher Mark Tooze on Friday, July 16.

The incident was witnessed by nearby residents, one of whom shouted at Tooze: What part of no dont you understand? as he forced himself on his victim, who can not be identified.

Jurors had heard the 36-year-old former pupil of Kennet School, Thatcham, nicknamed Ducky, had followed the woman after she had been drinking with friends in Thatcham town centre.

Tooze insisted the sex was consensual and Jonathan Code, defending, highlighted CCTV footage which showed the pair disappearing hand in hand into an alleyway off The Broadway and out of sight of the camera.

But witnesses Mark and Leanne Jones called 999 after witnessing Tooze forcing himself on his victim while she screamed and pleaded with him to stop.

The woman said she had agreed to go into the alley and kiss him because she was angry with her boyfriend, but had resisted when Tooze tore her leggings down and began to force himself on her.

She told officers: I said no. I deserved better than this.

I was screaming... he wasnt listening... I kicked and kicked and screamed.

Tooze denied the single charge, but chose not to give evidence under oath, upon which he could have been cross examined.

Charles Ward-Jackson, prosecuting, said: The prosecution case is a strong one and you may well think he has questions to answer.

It isnt a long walk from the dock to the witness stand. Yet there he sits.

Mr Ward-Jackson told jurors they could draw their own conclusions from Toozes deafening silence.

He described what happened as a forceful rape and added: He grabbed a sexual opportunity, whether she wanted it or not.

Mr Code, for Tooze, said: The crown say this man in the dock can be branded a rapist for the rest of his life and went on to highlight inconsistencies in the victims evidence.

Despite repeatedly storming out during cross examination, she eventually conceded she had indulged in sexual foreplay with Tooze.

Mr Code suggested the woman had gone on to enjoy consensual intercourse until his client had tried to engage her in an unconventional sex act.

The jury was not convinced.

In addition to being jailed for five years, Tooze was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for life.

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A man who filmed himself abusing a one-year-old baby has been jailed after an image was found on his mobile phone.

Barry Cornes claimed he was only touching the child out of curiosity and there was nothing sexual about it but a jury disagreed.

The mother of the baby was traced by police and made a victim impact statement saying she was sickened and devastated.

She had to go through the ordeal of holding her child as a doctor made a specialist examination which showed there had been no physical damage from the sexual assault.

Cornes, aged 47, of St Lukes Road, Torquay, denied sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court. He admitted taking an indecent image of a child.

He was jailed for three years, six months, put on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which bans unsupervised contact with children.

Judge David Evans told him: “You are still in denial and have shown no remorse. The personal statement of the child’s mother makes plain the very significant distress which your offending caused.

“The child was particularly vulnerable because of her extremely young age. The taking of pictures is an aggravating feature.

“This conviction will doubtless haunt you for the rest of your life, and rightly so.”

Mr David Scutt, prosecuting, said the offence happened in January last year and came to light when the image was found by accident in a deleted section of Cornes’s phone.

His hand was identifiable in the images but he said he touched the child out of curiosity rather than for any sexual gratification.

The child’s mother made a victim statement which said: “I felt physically sick. Going to the medical centre to see if my baby was sexually damaged was the worst thing I have ever had to go through.

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A "dangerous" sex offender has been jailed after travelling 51 miles from London with two bags of sweets thinking he was meeting an 11-year-old girl in Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Lee Millar, 53, of Locarno Road, Greenford, struck up conversation with someone online that he thought had access to an 11-year-old girl.

The conversation turned to a sexual nature within hours of the first discussion, and the two exchanged various messages between May and July last year.

Millar then arranged to travel from Greater London to Bedford to commit sexual offences against the 11-year-old girl, where he was arrested by officers at Bedford railway station.

On Thursday, 15 July, Millar was jailed for four years and three months for facilitating and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

The judge recognised Millar as a dangerous offender and based on this he will serve an extended licence period of four years, taking his total sentence to eight years and three months.

Millar was also found guilty of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which will now be in force for life.

Investigation Officer Michela Zasada, from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation team, said: “I am glad that Millar is now behind bars and no longer poses a risk to children in Bedfordshire or anywhere else across the country.

“Millar was determined to commit this crime, regardless of the significant impact it would have had on the victim and only showed remorse for being caught.

“He is a dangerous offender and by continuing this abusive behaviour, he has shown total disregard for his previous conviction, which is something we will never tolerate.”

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A MAN who had been downloading indecent images for around 30 years claimed he believed the children in them were not being abused but were models.

Richard Lees was called a "collector of images of abuse of children" by a judge after he was found with more than 54,000 indecent photographs.

Police carried out a search of Lees' home on June 4, 2020, and seized a number of electronic devices, Winchester Crown Court heard on Friday.

Prosecuting, Jack Wright, said that only his desktop computer and mobile phone were examined by police.

The court heard that 11 Category B images and videos were found, but 58,489 Category C images and videos were discovered.

But the true scale of the 45-year-old's offending could be much greater as more than 500,000 images were uncategorised because "police did not have the resources to download" them.

Lees, of The Orchard, Dibden, was using a BitTorrent to access the images and had three terabytes worth of downloads.

During the investigation police found that Lees would search the same terms and "admitted searching for the same faces on multiple occasions".

Recorder Power said: "The concern I have, expressed in interview and the pre-sentence report, Mr Lees had no remorse and doesn't see downloading images of children causes children to be abused."

In mitigation, Graham Gilbert, asked the court to consider The Horizon programme, delivered to men of have a sexual conviction who are considered to be at a medium, high or very high risk of reconviction.

Mr Gilbert said: "The great benefit to society is for him to undertake the course and have his thinking and attitudes challenged by a properly qualified individual."

Recorder Power was given character references from Lees' former partner and sister which was said to "demonstrate the good he does to those in his immediate vicinity".

Lees previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent photographs of children.

In sentencing, Recorder Power said: "You did not see you looking at those images led to children being abused, you thought the children were just models and their parents would be paid for what they did."

Lees was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months. He must also complete 100 hours unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days, along with the Horizon programme.

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Shaleem Nazish kept thousands of vile sex abuse images and shared sickening child rape images A paedophile swapped child rape images in a perverted group chat while already under police investigation. Shaleem Nazish claimed he was listening to a podcast when officers stormed his home and tackled his phone from him. He told officers he was "trying to pause the recording" but was actually trying to cover his tracks having downloaded 6,471 images of children being sexually abused. Of the images 296 were videos of children aged between six months and 12 years being raped. Despite being the subject of a police investigation the 24-year-old went on to share child rape videos in perverted group chat and "openly discussed sexually abusing children". But he didn't realise he was talking to an undercover police officer who reported his crimes, dragging him back into a police station for further questioning. Paul Blasbery, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, said Nazish was convicted in 2016 for a "number of similar matters" for which he was handed a two year sentence suspended for two years. He explained a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) was also imposed which meant he had to make any device available to police for inspection and was "prohibited from deleting internet history". Mr Blasbery said "as a result of information received" police attended his home at 6am on March 28, 2019, and stormed into his bedroom where Nazish was "sitting on his bed with a mobile telephone in his hand". He said he "appeared to be attempting to alter data on the device in spite of being told on several occasions to put the device down". He added: "He refused resulting in force being used to remove the device from his grasp." Mr Blasbery said indecent images were found on the device and a laptop and another phone were also seized. In a police interview Nazish claimed he had been "listening to a podcast" and there were "so many people in the room he was just trying to pause the recording". He claimed he didn't remember uploading indecent images of children to the phone but admitted he had looked at indecent images of children online. The court heard he had used a number of applications and had downloaded 936 category A images, which involve children being raped, 1,123 category B images and 4,412 category C images. He also had 28 prohibited images of children. Of the images 296 were videos of children being raped, with ages ranging between six months old and 12 years. Mr Blasbery said Nazish told police he had sought help from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the probation service after his first conviction but said he had "been struggling since then". He admitted he had a "sexual interest in boys aged eight to 12" and was released under investigation. But while under investigation Nazish took part in a group chat where he had shared indecent images of children in all categories on a number of platforms. Nazish used different user names and shared the sickening images both in a chat and in a private chat with an undercover police officer. He had also "openly discussed sexually abusing children". Nazish was arrested again, Mr Blasbery explained, and told officers "he had been struggling with his mental health, doing counselling with a psychotherapist who had been unable to help him so his mental health had 'taken a hit' and was why he had continued his activity". He admitted sharing indecent images of children on Snapchat and using a Wickr account to "message random people with the same sexual interest". Nazish said he also used Instagram to download images of child sex abuse which he would move to a different account. He distributed 11 category A indecent images, 13 category B images and 162 category C indecent images, which involved children aged between eight and 12. Michael Phillips, defending, said Nazish came to the UK in 2002 and "just before he arrived" suffered a "very traumatic experience", which was not described in open court. He said he has a "deep sense of shame and guilt" and following his previous conviction had "tried as best as he can in order to move things along" but "wasn't able to stay on the straight and narrow". Mr Phillips said a police officer who was "tasked with his supervision" had initially told Nazish he was "so well-behaved" and they "probably didn't need to bother him". He said this was "a red flag to a bull". Mr Phillips said as a child Nazish had low self esteem and moved schools a number of times where he was "often the only Asian child". Nazish gained a chemistry degree from UCLAN and "hoped to go into the vaccine business and research". Mr Phillips said after he was sentenced in January 2016 Nazish "didn't do as well as he could have done as a result of having to deal with allegations" and has subsequently struggled to find work as a result of his conviction. He said Nazish then suffered from anxiety and depression and "reverted to what he knew in the past had given him pleasure". Mr Phillips said he "didn't really seek the help he needed to" but "really recognised now he needed more help" which he had sought from a psychotherapist. Nazish, of Allen Street, Warrington, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children between December 22, 2014, and June 19, 2020, possessing prohibited images of children between the same dates and three counts of distributing indecent images of children between April 30, 2020 and June 19 of the same year. The judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, said: "I accept the shame and guilt which you expressed was genuine. "I accept you are anxious to make changes to your life to avoid further offending in this way as a result of your addiction." The judge said a pre-sentence report found Nazish to be a medium risk of harm. He was jailed for two-and-a-half years. Nazish was ordered to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.