Latest Offenders

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Five women have been praised for their bravery and courage after their evidence helped convict the man who sexually abused them as young girls. The women said they are glad justice has been served after Timothy Fawlk, 54, of Park End Road, Gloucester, was jailed for 25 years. He was found guilty of a series of sex offences committed between 1988 and 2018. One of the women said she now felt she could put the ordeal behind her. The five women gave evidence at Cirencester Nightingale Court, where Fawlk had denied 23 counts of rape and sexual abuse.

'Amazing support'

They encouraged others who had been subjected to abuse to report it. One said: "Finally I can put behind me what I've been carrying around for many years. It's never too late to come forward. The support from the police and GRASAC (Gloucestershire's Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre) has been amazing." Another said she now felt she had "closure" on that part of her life. "I would encourage any victim of this sort of crime to never worry about telling police," she added.

'Great dignity'

Gloucestershire Police Det Con Peter Rowsell said the women had conducted themselves with great dignity, with Fawlk showing no remorse. "I would like to commend the bravery and the courage of the victims. They disclosed the most horrendous sexual abuse," he said. Fawlk was sentenced to 25 years in prison at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday. Judge James Townsend told Fawlk that he was extending the sentence by giving him an additional five years on parole. He also imposed an indefinite restraining order banning Fawlk from any contact with his victims and placed him on the sex offenders' register for life.

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Alan Hawkins, of North Shields, has previous convictions for indecent assault and possessing and distributing indecent images A serial pervert is back behind bars after police found an indecent image of boys on his phone. Alan Hawkins has been jailed previously for indecent assault and possessing and distributing indecent images. When police went to the registered sex offender's home in September this year, they examined his phone and the first picture they found in his photo gallery was the indecent image. The court heard it was of the most serious type, category A. Now the 57-year-old, of Saville Street West, North Shields, who has 23 previous convictions, has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court. The court heard he was jailed for 18 months for indecent assault in 1997, got five years for possessing and distributing indecent images in 2008, three years for possessing indecent images in 2018 and a suspended sentence last June for breaching his sexual harm prevention order. On September 30, police attended his home and the latest offence was discovered.

Description

A paedophile who posed as a young boy and was caught by an undercover police officer doing the same has avoided jail.

Richard Williams, 44, shared vile pictures with young girls online, met with them for lewd acts live on camera and possessed images of children as young as four, Truro Crown Court was told at his sentencing hearing today (Friday, October 29).

Williams pleaded guilty to eight paedophile offences over a period of seven years.

The offences included:

• Attempting to communicate with a person aged under 16 for his own sexual gratificatioin, namely an undercover police officer pretending to be a 13-year-old boy.
• Possessing hundreds and thousands of indecent images of children, in categories C (809), B (1,362) and A (1,096) respectively.
• Possessing 43 prohibited images of children.
• Distributing an indecent picture of a child, namely an image in category C.
• Engaging in a sexual activity, namely masturbation, in a place where you could be observed by a child under 16 knowing or believing that the child was. or intending that the child should be aware you were engaging in that activity.
• Intentionally causing or inciting a girl aged under 16, not reasonably believing she was aged 16 or over, to engage in sexual activity of a non-penetrative nature, namely masturbation.

Recorder Richard Smith, QC, said the first offence occurred in 2013.

He explained Williams, of Tresooth Place, Penryn, sent and received a number of pictures of children with whom he was in contact over various platforms and he distributed a Category C - the lowest of three - movie over Skype.

The court heard how between 2015 and 2016 Williams was in communication with a 14-year-old girl. He was pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.

Recorder Smith said: "You persuaded that 14-year-old girl to watch you masturbate and you sent her a number of pictures of your erect penis. Later and still concerning the same victim you sent a series of grooming messages encouraging her to masturbate.

"By 2019 you came into contact with an undercover officer who had joined a group of individuals of sexually like-minded people so he could no doubt monitor their activity."

He said Williams came to the officer's attention when he joined that group and posted explicit pictures of himself.

He explained Williams, of Tresooth Place, Penryn, sent and received a number of pictures of children with whom he was in contact over various platforms and he distributed a Category C - the lowest of three - movie over Skype.

The court heard how between 2015 and 2016 Williams was in communication with a 14-year-old girl. He was pretending to be a 15-year-old boy.

Recorder Smith said: "You persuaded that 14-year-old girl to watch you masturbate and you sent her a number of pictures of your erect penis. Later and still concerning the same victim you sent a series of grooming messages encouraging her to masturbate.

"By 2019 you came into contact with an undercover officer who had joined a group of individuals of sexually like-minded people so he could no doubt monitor their activity."

He said Williams came to the officer's attention when he joined that group and posted explicit pictures of himself.

Recorder Smith said it was that interaction that led to Williams' discovery, as the undercover officer was posing as a teenage boy. Following his arrest, Williams' devices were seized by police.

Recorder Smith said: "It unfolded on investigation that over a number of years you had been sending thousands of messages of sexual content over a variety of different platforms to young people."

Recorder Smith added Williams was in possession of "thousands not hundreds" of indecent pictures of children ranging from ages four to 16. Those pictures also ranged in category from C to A, in order of seriousness.

Recorder Smith said following his arrest Williams admitted to the offences and expressed he wanted help with the situation "he found himself in".

Earlier in the hearing, Robin Smith, representing Williams, explained to the court that it's often the case that alleged paedophiles with devices seized wait to hear what charges they face before admitting any wrongdoing. However, this wasn't Williams' approach, as he admitted his offences at an early date.

Recorder Smith said since his discovery Williams had "done a great deal" to address his own "serious failings". He accepts Williams is genuinely ashamed and remorseful for what he's done. His offending coincided with difficult times of his life, but this wasn't an excuse for what he's done.

He said: "You were clearly driven over a long period of time over a sexual desire that you could not resist."

He said there's been no suggestion of any repeat offending in the two years since he was discovered.

Recorder Smith said: "You've taken efforts to better inform yourself over that which has driven you in the past to offend. You've simply not waited to be helped, you've sought to help yourself."

He added that Williams has no previous convictions.

Recorder Smith said Williams' partner is standing by him, not through loyalty but understanding their part in supporting him in the future.

Recorder Smith said: "I've carefully considered whether an immediate custodial sentence is necessary in this case and I've balanced that against the opportunity that stands today for society to be served by you being assisted by this very helpful and specific programme.

"I've come to the conclusion that justice in this case is best met having regard to all your particular circumstances, passage of time and what you've done since, this is an opportunity that should not be lost.

"I take the view that the most appropriate way to pass a sentence is to make you the subject of a community order."

Williams was handed a three-year community order with 20 days of specific rehab activity to address his previous offending and 15 hours of unpaid work.

Recorder Smith said: "This is an opportunity that's being presented to you, it's not an act of leniency, it's an act of justice to make sure society gives itself the best opportunity to rid itself of the man you previously were. If you fail you will have only failed yourself and in those circumstances it would be inevitable that you will serve a custodial sentence."

Williams is the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and will be placed on the sex offenders register for the next five years. He will also be required to pay a victim surcharge.

Description

A paedophile has been jailed for 18 years for what detectives described as 'horrific offences that destroyed a young life'.

Richard Tate, 34, pleaded guilty to seven counts of rape at Worcester Crown Court yesterday(Thursday October 28). 

The offences took place between last year and this year.

Tate pleaded guilty in September to the charges but was sentenced yesterday.

In February, West Mercia Police launched a public appeal to help locate Tate, who went missing from Redditch and had been last seen on February 19.

Detective Sergeant Paul Willetts said: “Tate committed these horrific offences against a child over a period of time to gain sexual gratification and destroyed a young life.

“I would like to pay tribute and commend the victim in this harrowing case for alerting the police to Tate’s crimes, which has allowed us to bring him to justice. We hope the conviction and this substantial prison sentence will bring some measure of comfort.”

Description

This was the moment a pervert was confronted by paedophile hunters after travelling 250 miles to Stoke-on-Trent to stay the night in a hotel with a '14-year-old girl'.

The shocking footage was captured outside the Potteries Centre by The Unknown before being passed to police to ensure Lawrence Simms was brought to justice.

It shows the 54-year-old loner wearing a cap and a backpack as he's challenged outside H Samuel jewellers in Hanley by the exposers who quiz him about his online sex chats with the underage teen.

Bearded and bespectacled Simms had believed he was communicating with a schoolgirl when he arranged to travel half way across the country from his home in Plymouth to the Potteries to meet her.

In fact, the 'girl was a decoy who agreed to meet Simms near the blue clock - where he was later arrested.

The 27-minute clip - which was live-streamed on Facebook - starts with the hunters arriving at the scene on March 21, 2020 and confronting Simms.

Initially, the defendant is defiant as the stream starts.

A male hunter explains that he is to be arrested for the online grooming and trying to meet a child.

One of the group quizzes Simms - who has no previous convictions - about his 'intentions' after booking the hotel room.

He replies: "I booked the room for me, for one person. Me."

At points a member of the public can be heard repeatedly shouting: "Dirty b*****."

Another hunter - a woman - adds: "This is what happens unfortunately when you mess around with children online. Do you understand?

"You asked her to take pictures in her swimwear. Why would you want to do that? It's not a mistake, is it? You've been grooming her now for quite a while haven't you? For about a month I believe.

"Can you do me a favour? Stop talking to our children. Men like you make me sick.

"What's with you calling her cutie all the time? It's not your place to call her cutie, is it?

"You asked what she was wearing underneath her pyjamas.

"You have turned up today to meet this child. You have turned up here thinking that you were going to spend the night with this 14-year-old child.

"You are a disgusting scumbag. You have got yourself in a lot of trouble. People don't like people like you."

Simms repeatedly says he can't remember how many children he's been speaking to.

And when asked if he finds children sexually attractive, he replied 'not really'.

He then gets increasingly irate, adding: "If I was going to take her back, why would I book a room for one person. That one person being me."

After being accused of being a liar, he adds: "Have you ever heard of change your mind? I was always having doubts.

"I've got nowhere near the hotel room, I don't even know where the hotel is."

But the male exposer responds: "You travelled seven hours on a coach. You could have got off when the coach changed. That was the last chance to change your mind.

"You're here now to meet her where you arranged to.

"You're claiming that it was just some big innocent thing you were going to walk away from when you travelled seven hours across the country. You booked two or three weeks ago.

"This isn't something that has happened this morning and now you're going to change your mind this afternoon. When were you going to change your mind?"

After nearly half an hour, two officers from Staffordshire Police arrive on the scene and Simms is led away and put in a patrol car as the footage comes to an end.

A crowd that has gathered can be heard clapping amid jeers of 'dirty'.

Simms, of Keyham Road, Plymouth, pleaded guilty to one charge of attempting to engage a child in sexual communication and a second offence of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison suspended for two years for the attempting to engage a child in sexual conversation offence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said: "He was already an isolated individual who lives alone in a one-bedroom flat.

"It has caused problems with his family. I would not go so far as to say they have rejected him, but it's not difficult to imagine the hurt, upset and resentment that they will feel.

"It's been a difficult 14 or 15 months for him."

Simms was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years, and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Description

A man has been jailed for eight years for sexually abusing four children.

Alan Waters, 73 (07.08.48) of Cador Drive, Fareham, Hampshire was sentenced on Thursday, 28 October at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The court heard that between 1971 and 1981, Waters sexually abused four boys whilst working as a sea cadet instructor. The four boys were sea cadets at the time of the offences and were between 11-15 years old.

On different occasions throughout the ten-year period, Waters took advantage of his high ranking position as an officer and sexually assaulted the boys. He used opportunities when he was alone with the victims and when they were vulnerable.

The first incident was reported in 2006 however Waters was serving a term of imprisonment in India for child sex offences and thus the victim did not proceed with their allegation.

A second allegation was then made in 2016, which was again reported to police and the current investigation commenced.

In 2017, another victim came forward. Following this, police made contact with the complainant. A fourth complainant was identified and the cases were all linked to Waters.

The complainants all gave detailed accounts of the incidents that occurred during this time period.

Detective Sergeant Phil McElhone, the investigating officer, said: "I would firstly like to thank the complainants for coming forward and supporting the investigation and assisting us in achieving justice against this prolific offender.

"I can only hope that Waters' sentencing has brought some closure to the victims and that their courage in speaking up will encourage others who have suffered abuse of any types current or historic, to do the same.

Description

A man who swapped sexual images with an 11-year-old girl after a game of Truth Or Dare has been jailed.

Muhittin Mucahid Dogan, 21, pressured the girl into sending him nude images after meeting her online, police said.

She initially claimed she was 17 but after the game she said she was 13, when she was actually 11.

Dogan, of Station Street in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, pretended he was 14 and sent her a sexually explicit image of himself.

He was caught when the girl's family contacted the police.

Officers said when they examined his phone they found evidence of sexually explicit conversations with another teenage girl.

'Warning to others'

Dogan pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, three counts of making indecent images of a child, and one count of distributing an indecent photo of a child.

He was jailed for two years at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday and put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Det Con Toby Marsh, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"Dogan exploited the innocence and vulnerability of his victims for his own sexual gratification.

"I hope this outcome serves not only as a comfort to Dogan's victims and their families, but also as a warning to other young people to think twice about who they engage with on social media and what details and contend they share - because, sadly, there are other people like Dogan out there who will readily exploit young people in this way."

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One of Britains most notorious paedophiles has failed in a bid to be freed from jail for the 10th time. Child killer Sidney Cooke, 94, is one of the oldest prisoners to come before the Parole Board in recent years. His latest request for release was rejected on Thursday. When he was jailed for life with a minimum term of five years in 1999, a judge described Cooke who is also known by the surname Lomas as a paedophile of the highest level of risk and his victims said they hoped he would die behind bars. Then 72, he had admitted a campaign of abuse against two brothers in the 1970s which began when they were just 13 and spanned five years. His behaviour in prison had been mixed and had provoked concerns and even allegations over the years Parole Board Prior to that he had served nine years for the 1984 killing of 14-year-old Jason Swift. He has also been linked to the unsolved murder of seven-year-old Mark Tildesley, who disappeared in 1984 after visiting a funfair near his home in Wokingham, Berkshire, and is suspected of being involved in the kidnap and murder of six-year-old Barry Lewis. Nicknamed Hissing Sid, Cooke was one of a 1980s gang known as a Dirty Dozen suspected of being responsible for the killing of up to nine young boys during sex orgies. Operating from a flat on the Kingsmead estate in Hackney, east London, the gang hired rent boys or snatched children off the streets and subjected them to sexual torture. Cooke travelled the country preying on vulnerable youngsters, setting up his childrens Test Your Strength machine in fairgrounds and using this as an opportunity to lure boys before drugging them and subjecting them to brutal assaults. The Parole Board said: After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the other evidence presented the panel was not satisfied that Mr Cooke was suitable for release nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that Mr Cooke should be transferred to open prison. The document detailing the decision described Cooke, at the time of his offending, as having manipulative and controlling behaviour for his own gratification and believing he could have sex as and when he wanted. It added: His behaviour in prison had been mixed and had provoked concerns and even allegations over the years. He will be eligible for another parole review in about two years time.

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Glasgow-based Proud Boys activist Keir Wotherspoon, 25, has been convicted of four charges of rape against two women in separate attacks in 2019 and 2020.

A former hospital worker who raped two women was today jailed for five and a half years.

Keir Wotherspoon preyed on his terrified victims who bravely testified against him at a trial last month.

The 24 year-old attacked the first woman three times over two days in June 2019 at a hotel in Glasgow's Kelvingrove.

This included binding her wrists with a belt as well as choking and biting her.

He pounced on the other woman on August 11 2020 in the city's Rottenrow close to the grounds of Strathclyde University.

Wotherspoon was today sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.

He had previously been found guilty after a trial in Airdrie of four rape charges including one to the first victim's danger of life.

Lord Burns told him: "Your attitude demonstrates that you are a serious risk to the public at large.

"For those reasons, you require an extended sentence.

"You will be monitored in the hope that it minimises the risk that you pose and that you come to terms with attitudes that are wholly inappropriate.

"You continue to deny this offending and have no insight into your controlling and harmful behaviour."

Wotherspoon - who worked at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital - will be supervised for a further three years on his release.

He was put on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

Brian McConnachie, defending, said Wotherspoon continues to have the support of his partner and family.

The QC added: "He has found it extremely difficult to get his head round that he was convicted of these charges."

Description

A paedophile who had indecent images of children has been jailed for a second time for failing to sign on the sex offenders register and hiding two phones from police.

Robert Kavanagh, of Birling Road Snodland, was jailed in 2018 for a year after possessing the illegal images.

On his release he was under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which restricted the 46-year-old from using devices which could access the internet.

But in October 2019 officers entered his home and found he had attempted to conceal two mobile phones, both of which were able to access the internet and store images.

Checks showed Kavanagh had used one of the phones on the day he was released. Neither of the devices were disclosed to police.

He was also required to sign on the sex offenders registers on an annual basis, but failed to do so in 2019 and 2021.

'He appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions...'

Additionally, the Snodland man moved to a different address and failed to notify police.

Kavanagh was charged with breaching the sexual harm prevention order and with four counts of failing to comply with a sex offender's notification requirement.

He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, October 13, and was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment.

Natalie Armstrong, of Kent Police's west Kent offender management team, said: "Kavanagh has been given every opportunity to engage in rehabilitation and 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 the internet, including online chatrooms.

"He appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions and has repeatedly sought to obstruct police during our efforts to carry out checks and monitor his behaviour.

"Orders such as these are passed by the courts to help protect children from harm and as this case shows, Kent Police will do everything we can to ensure those who ignore them face the consequences of their actions."

Description

A sex offender who preyed on young women walking alone has been jailed after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes. Reyno Du Toit, from Derby, targeted five women in Nottingham's Park estate in October 2020. He exposed himself to three of them and grabbed two others. The 41-year-old was jailed for two years at Nottingham Crown Court after admitting two counts of sexual assault and three counts of exposure. Nottinghamshire Police said Du Toit, of Goodsmoor Road, Derby exposed himself to three women on the afternoon of 24 October in Rolleston Drive, Harlaxton Drive and Allington Road. Two days later he grabbed two women walking in Lenton Road and Rolleston Drive.

'Despicable offender'

Police said Du Toit was arrested in December after his car was linked to the scene of each offence. He was then confronted with "damning DNA evidence" from the clothes of one victim. "Unbeknown to Du Toit, he had left behind trace DNA evidence on his final victim when he groped her over her clothes," the force said. "The tiny-but-damning sample was retrieved from her jeans." Det Con Fiona McVey called Du Toit a "despicable offender who deliberately targeted lone young women as they walked near their homes". "His offending was clearly escalating in its seriousness and we worked exhaustively to track him down as soon as possible," she said. "Thanks to the work of a highly-motivated team of detectives, the evidence we were later able to confront him with was so detailed and so damning that he really had no choice but to admit to what to had done."

Description

Sheffield Crown Court heard on October 26 how Joshua Fearnley, aged 29, of Pollard Road, Southey Green, Sheffield, breached a court order relating to the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and he assaulted her during a time before and after he had raped her.

Fearnley also assaulted another woman and damaged her home while he was on bail waiting for the original offences to be resolved, according to the court.

Judge Rachael Harrison, who sentenced Fearnley to 10 years of custody, told him: “No sentence I pass on you will undo the damage you have done to your victims.
Joshua Fearnley, aged 29, of Pollard Road, Southey Green, Sheffield, who was found guilty of rape and assault and was sentenced to 10 years of custody
"They may view the sentences I pass as not doing justice to the harm you have done.”

Fearnley was found guilty of rape and he also pleaded guilty to breaching a court order in relation to the same victim and to two counts of assault by beating which happened at separate times before and after the rape.

Amanda Johnson, prosecuting, said there had been violence before the rape outside a nightclub and there was violence after the rape outside a hospital during an attempt to stop his victim reporting the offending.
Judge Harrison told Fearnley: “You prevented her from going into hospital to protect yourself. You knew you had raped her.”

The complainant stated she has been left struggling with anxiety and sleep and all her relationships with others have been affected.
James Manning, defending, said there had been consensual sex before the rape and the offence had been committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Fearnley was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm concerning a second woman and he admitted causng criminal damage at her home during this incident in January.

Judge Harrison said Fearnley had kicked, punched and slapped this woman and pulled her by her hair and damaged her property.
This complainant stated: “I have nightmares about the night this happened. I have visions of him coming back. I am on new medication in relation to night terrors and paranoia.”

Judge Harrison sentenced Fearnley to ten years of custody and ordered that he be made subject to the Sex Offenders Register.

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A barrister who sexually assaulted his colleague during a night out in Bristol has been disbarred. Kevin Farquharson, 45, groped the womans breasts and then asked her to lie to prevent his fiancee finding out, the Bar Tribunal and Adjudication Service heard. He repeatedly touched the woman's breasts and buttocks on the dance floor and at one point forcibly held her arms by her sides and told her to kiss him, it was told. The victim, referred to as A, asked him what the f*** he was doing and said he refused to stop. After he eventually stumbled back home at 4am, Farquharson was confronted by his furious partner, demanding to know what he had been up to. The following evening, Farquharson sent the woman a text message saying: Would you help me by responding to my text tomorrow by simply stating, We lost sight of you at about 1:45. You left after you had a run in with one of the bouncers. I hope you are feeling OK. The victim was only able to escape Farquharsons forceful advances when the staff at Kongs bar in Bristol city centre stepped in to help and had him removed from the venue on the night in September 2019. In March 2021, Farquharson was found guilty of sexual assault and was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay the victim 1,800 and was put on the sexual offenders list for seven years. Mark Ruffell, for the Bar Standards Board, said: This is a sad case from start to finish. On the one hand, we have a young lady who was great friends with the respondent, no doubt saw him most days in a professional context, and it is fair to say they were friends. For good reasons, as people do, they decided to go out, let their hair down on the evening and then sadly through drink the events took place. Mr Ruffell added that at one point he went against her back at the bar, touching her vaginal area over her clothes to the point where she had to wriggle free. One of the bartenders reportedly advised the victim to take shelter in the female toilets while security removed Farquharson. He texted a second colleague later that weekend, asking the colleague to tell his fiancee that he was with him should she call. The tribunal chair, Judge Witold Pawlak, found all the charges proved and ordered that Farquharson be disbarred, and pay 2,100 in costs.

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Disgraced ex-Police Constable Alexander Murphy found himself back in the dock. A disgraced police officer is now jobless and living off benefits after being convicted of sexually abusing a schoolgirl, a court heard. Alexander Murphy was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register earlier this year for attacking the teenager at a party after plying her and other underage girls with Dragon Soop and wine. Murphy, 49, was spared jail in July for touching the 15-year-old inappropriately after telling her that she was his "favourite" and "cute". But the former Police Scotland officer, who resigned following his conviction, found himself back in the dock at Hamilton Sheriff Court today. Murphy, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, pleaded guilty to a charge under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, by failing to comply with the terms of the Sex Offenders Register. The court heard that, while he had informed police within three days that he had been placed on the register by the courts, he had failed to disclose a bank card. Convicted sex offenders have to provide the details of their internet accounts and bank cards to officers so their online activities can be monitored. Defence solicitor Andy Iles said: "He is unemployed and in receipt of Universal Credit. "He was previously a police officer but lost his job due to his previous conviction." The lawyer said Murphy had gone to his local police station to register as a sex offender following his conviction but forgot about the bank card. Prosecutor Morag McClintock said: "He said he used it once and completely forgot about it." Mr Iles added: "It was a genuine mistake, but he realises that is not a reasonable excuse [for failing to comply with the regulations] and he accepts that." Sheriff Small fined him 200, reduced from 300 as he admitted his guilt, and said: "I think this was a genuine mistake which is, of course, not a reasonable excuse. "I'm going to impose a financial penalty to make you realise the unacceptability of your carelessness effectively." The court heard Murphy needed time to pay the fine, agreeing to make payments of 20-per-month. Murphy, who served as a Police Constable in Livingston, West Lothian, and previously lived in Paisley, Renfrewshire, admitted sexually assaulting the girl, who cant be named for legal reasons. He also admitted committing a breach of the peace by supplying alcohol to underage girls and making inappropriate remarks to them, at a house party in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, on March 8, 2019.

Description

A paedophile caught with a collection of horrific child abuse images begged for help from the police after he was snared in an online sting.

Repeat sex offender Keiron Boyd, 37, last living on Cunliffe Close, Palacefields, Runcorn, was initially arrested after trying to groom a "14-year-old girl" via social media.

The girl, Darcy, was actually a decoy who led officers to discover the vile stash of videos and pictures on Boyds Samsung phone and Kindle Fire tablet.

Sarah Badrawy, prosecuting on Thursday at Chester Crown Court, said Boyd, who had breached sexual offences prevention orders (SOPO) six times in the past, was arrested and interviewed on July 5 after he made contact with the "girl" on Facebook.

The conversation moved to Messenger and text messages, and Boyd engaged the "girl" in sexually explicit conversation before inviting her to meet for sex.

He asked the decoy, who was posing as a schoolgirl, intimate questions and made graphic sexual suggestions, at one point saying he wanted to "tie her up".

Their interactions took place from June 25 to July 5, ending when the decoy reported Boyd to the police and provided screenshots.

While being arrested, Boyd told his mother he was sorry and had let her down - he had a problem and he had f***ed up and needed help.

In a police interview, Boyd broke down at the end and said: I need help, please help me, I need help with my attraction to children.

He indicated guilty pleas to attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and attempting to meet a child following grooming in magistrates court on June 6.

Further charges followed as police made the grim discovery of the haul of abuse images on Boyds devices.

Ms Badrawy gave brief descriptions of types of disturbing content involved to the court, including abuse involving a baby aged 18 months, and young girls aged around four or five being raped. Boyds sick stash also featured bestiality videos.

He pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court at the first opportunity to three counts of making indecent images of a child, one of possessing indecent child images, one of having prohibited images and possessing extreme pornographic images.

The charges related to: 22 Category A videos and eight images in the most serious category; five Category B videos and 36 images; nine Category videos and 35 images; seven extreme pornographic videos and 10 images; and one prohibited video and 84 images.

Ms Badrawy said Boyd had eight convictions for 25 offences including multiple SOPO breaches, indecent images, and criminal damage.

He has previously served time in prison.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, pleaded mitigation for his clients early guilty pleas citing them as showing remorse but conceded Boyd had an unenviable record, which places him in considerable difficulty.

He said the dad-of-two had obtained qualifications at college and had a strong work ethic and was working until his arrest when he confessed his crimes, and has worked while on remand in prison, taking on roles including sorting the prison laundry.

Mr Rawson said: He made full admissions and saw himself as quite clearly a man in need of great assistance.

That had been provided in the past by the probation service but unfortunately for him he didnt comply with as much of the rigorous work as required, and there was a cry for help after his arrest.

He added Boyds mother had terminated contact with her son after his latest crimes.

Judge Patrick Thompson said Boyd was a serious risk of harm to children and imposed an extended sentence, sending him down for five years plus three years on extended licence, meaning he could serve eight years if he offends after his release.

Boyd will have to serve two thirds of the custodial term before being considered for release by the parole board.

The judge approved a Sexual Harm Prevention Order - which have replaced SOPOs - to run indefinitely, and he placed Boyd on the sex offenders register for life.

During his sentencing remarks, Judge Thompson noted the offences happened against a background of [Boyd] having been before the court in the past on numerous occasions.

He said: Its clear to me you have an unhealthy interest in children and its a sexual interest.

Ive read with care the pre-sentence report in your case.

The assessment is that you pose a high risk of serious harm to children particularly females aged 12 to 14.

He added: Its clear you pose a significant risk to children.

I hope whats been said on your behalf is true and you are open to seeking help for a very serious problem or you will serve longer and longer prison sentences.

Children are the most vulnerable and must be protected.