Latest Offenders

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A convicted sex offender who went illegally off the radar for a month has been handed a lengthy jail term for his 12th breach of a court order.

Mark King, now 49, was made subject to sex offender registration requirements by a judge in 2012. That was part of his punishment for an offence of exposure. It means that upon his release from any prison sentence, until February 2022, King must declare a fixed address; or, if homeless, must notify police of that fact within a specified time.

But in recent years, homeless King has committed a host of breaches in different areas of the UK and received jail terms which have increased in length.

In 2018, King was jailed for a breach that came to light after he was found sleeping rough in a Penrith park. The following year he was handed a 28-month sentence in the Midlands. And at Carlisle Crown Court today he was imprisoned again for a breach that occurred after contact was lost with him during October.

He was released from police custody in relation to a seven-day remand for theft and breach of order, prosecutor Tim Evans told the court. He was given 50. He indicated he was going to travel to Birmingham. He didnt in fact get there. In effect, he simply slipped off the radar until the end of October when he was arrested.

King admitted flouting notification requirements and was sentenced by Judge Simon Medland QC, who noted it was his 12th such breach in less than a decade.

Judge Medland jailed King for 30 months, seeing no alternative to a lengthy prison term and telling the defendant: It just doesnt seem to get through to you that the courts must take this seriously.

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Alan Mennie, of Hebburn, has been jailed for more than four years for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity Online predator Alan Mennie has been jailed after he was exposed by paedophile hunters engaging in sex chats with what he thought were two underage girls. The loner believed he was communicating with youngsters aged 11 and 13 over the internet but had been duped by Secret Whispers, an organisation behind fake profiles that are set up to snare paedophiles. Now Mennie, 42, has been jailed for four years and one month at Newcastle Crown Court after he admitted two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. Prosecutor Andrew Espley said: "This defendant engaged in sexual conversations with two separate people online, pretending to be children. "Penetrative sexual activity was discussed and it emerged that those were fake profiles, set up by Secret Whispers." The first conversation took place between October 2018 and April 2019. Mr Espley said Mennie "made it clear he wasn't concerned she was 13" and asked if she had been with an older man. Mennie invited the child to his home and engaged in graphic sexual conversation. The second chat was between March and April 2019 and Mennie believed the girl was just 11. Mr Espley said: "Full sexual intercourse was discussed." The court heard Mennie tried to persuade both child profiles to perform sex acts on themselves. As well as the prison sentence, Mennie, of Tharsis Road, Hebburn, South Tyneside, must abide by a sexual harm prevention order and sign the sex offenders register for life. Judge Spragg said Mennie has never lived with a partner or lived apart from his mother, who is now in her 80s and is "socially isolated". Nick Lane, defending, said: "He very much regrets the way he behaved and recognises the seriousness of his offending." Mr Lane said Mennie became withdrawn after the sudden death of his father when he was younger. The court heard Mennie was employed for a few years after leaving school but was then unable to work due to anxiety and depression, which he received counselling for.

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A man who carried out a series of horrific sexual attacks over several years has been jailed, following an investigation by the Met.

Kevin Smith, 55 (23.05.66), of Edwin Street, E16, was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, 23 November having earlier pleaded guilty at the same court to 18 counts of rape and assault by penetration.

Smith, who also used the name 'Ian Dormer', will serve six years on licence on release.

The offences began in January 2016 with the last in July 2021.

The victim, who is a vulnerable woman, disclosed what was happening to mental health services staff and they alerted police shortly afterward.

Smith was arrested on Saturday, 24 July. He was charged and remanded in custody the following day.

Officers from the North East Safeguarding Team conducted a fast-moving and meticulous investigation. Smith's phone was seized and interrogated, revealing a disturbing search history around rape and other sexual offences and the legality around them.

A thorough search of Smith's address was also conducted, during which officers discovered he had made plans to flee before police arrival. He had removed the sofa, bed and wardrobe in apparent attempt to give the impression he had not lived there, and had also packed what was left of his belongings into boxes.

On his phone officers found he had researched where he could go to disappear within the UK, and how he could get rid of his phone so that the police would never find it.

Detective Constable India Allen said: "This was a harrowing investigation involving a female victim who suffered terribly at the hands of Smith, who used a position of trust to abuse her.

"Her support during our investigation and the judicial process has been crucial. I would like to thank and praise her for the outstanding courage and bravery she has shown. I hope Smith's substantial sentence will give her some small measure of comfort as she looks to the next chapters of her life, safe in the knowledge that Smith is behind bars.

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A former science teacher has been jailed for being in a sexual relationship with a pupil.

Robert Hanna, 43 (11.01.78) of Southwark, London appeared at Inner London Crown Court on Tuesday, 23 November where he was jailed for three years for six counts of sexual activity with a child whilst in a position of trust.

Detective Constable Erica Slater, from Central South Command, said: "This was a complex case where Hanna denied everything from the beginning and lied continuously throughout the case. However, the victim courageously remained steadfast in her evidence and following a thorough investigation his accounts were disproved.

"Today's sentence highlights the severity of this case and I would encourage anyone who is a victim of or victim to sexual abuse in any context to contact police. We have specially trained officers to investigate as well as ensuring there is ongoing support provided to the victims."

Hanna had previously been found guilty following a trial at the same court on Tuesday, 19 October, following a 12-day trial. During the trial the investigating detective travelled to the North East of England in order to obtain further evidence from the victim and additional evidence to secure the unanimous guilty verdict.

He has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), preventing him from having any unsupervised contact with people under 18 and he will be subject to the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The court heard how Hanna was a teacher at a school in Southwark from 2015 until May 2019 when he was subsequently dismissed.

During this time he began having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old pupil whom he helped to achieve good grades in physics.

During a school prom he asked a group of pupils to meet up with him. Hanna then purchased alcohol and met with a few of the girls.

A sexual relationship began with the victim, over a four-month period. The victim told Hanna that she wanted the relationship to end but he persuaded her to meet with him one more time, he then broke up with her.

On Monday, 1 April 2019 the victim found the courage to inform a teacher of what had been happening and the school immediately suspended him. Police were alerted and an investigation began, led by specialist officers from Central South Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Officers interviewed him the following day and he denied being in a sexual relationship with the victim. A subsequent investigation found hotel check in and check out confirmation, banks statements and phone download evidence that corroborated the account given by the victim.

In May 2020 Hanna was charged as above.

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A man has been sentenced to 16 years' imprisonment following his conviction on a number of non-recent sexual offences against a girl.

48-year-old John Anthony Searle of Bay Road in Bracknell, was convicted by jury of one count of rape of a girl under 13, and two counts of sexual assault of a girl under 13.

Searle will have to sign the sex offenders register for life and made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The offences were non-recent and he assaulted his victim over a two-year period.

Searle will have to sign the sex offenders register for life and made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The offences were non-recent and he assaulted his victim over a two-year period.

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A Penclawdd man has been jailed for nine years following an intelligence-led operation by Tarian, the regional organised crime unit, along with South Wales Police. A previously convicted paedophile Steven Morris 58, from Penclawdd in Swansea appeared before Swansea Crown Court today for sentencing, where he had previously pleaded guilty to sexually communicating with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming as well as breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was arrested on the 14th October 2021 by detectives from Tarian Disruption Unit and investigated by Swansea Criminal Investigation Department, where he was remanded in custody until his appearance today. Morris engaged in conversation with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, who was in fact an undercover police officer. He told the officer Do mum and dad know u chat? My wife doesnt xxx. Upon hearing she was just 13 years old Morris stated As long as u arent police or gonna report me Im happy to chat and meet up if u are genuine. Morris conversations with the officer became more sexually explicit, he sent images of himself and began to suggest that the pair meet in person, saying things like If we meet it would be really secret xxxx. A date was then arranged for Morris to meet with the undercover officer at a location in Pontypridd on the 14th October 2021. Once he arrived at the agreed location he was quickly arrested by officers from TARIANs Disruption Team. Morris was given a nine-year extended sentence. Four of which will be spent in prison. He was placed on the Registered Sex Offenders list indefinitely, and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. Detective Inspector Dave Bancroft said: This is an excellent operation between Tarian South Wales Police. It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities, irrelevant of who or where that threat comes from. Law enforcement operates across the internet, and we will relentlessly seek to bring to justice individuals who use the web to facilitate the abuse of children. If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred. Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.

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A man has been jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty of a string of sexual offences against children.

Alan Robert Henneberry, of Grantham, committed the offences in 2019 and 2020 against two victims aged under 13.

He had been found guilty on 16 September after a trial at Lincoln Crown Court.

Lincolnshire Police said the 34-year-old had committed "some of the most grave" offences and caused serious harm to children.

Henneberry, of Shaw Road, Grantham, was charged with two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and one count of sexual assault of a child by sexual touching.

He also previously pleaded guilty to charges of possession of, making and taking indecent images of children.

Det Con Helen Morris, of Lincolnshire Police's protecting vulnerable persons unit, said: "There is no length of sentence that could make up for the actions of this man.

"He is guilty of some of the most grave offences, causing the most serious harm to children."

She also paid tribute to victims and witnesses in the case whose "strength... helped to put this dangerous man behind bars".

Henneberry was also added to the sex offenders register for life and is to be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A dangerous predatory offender who targeted teenage girls and then sexually and physically assaulted them has been jailed.

Joshua Plunkett, 25 (27.11.95), of Reginald Road, Lewisham, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 18 November to 14-and-a-half years' imprisonment. He will serve at least eight-and-a-half years of the sentence in prison, with the remainder to be served on licence. He also received a 15 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register.

He was convicted at the same court on Friday, 17 September of:

- Possession of a prohibited image;

- Sexual communications with a child;

- Controlling coercive behaviour;

- Disclosing private photographs;

- Actual bodily harm;

- Two counts of sexual activity with a child;

- Perverting the course of justice;

- Causing a child to watch a sexual act;

- Breach of a Sexual Risk Order;

- Failing to comply with section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

The court heard that Plunkett targeted five teenage girls aged between 13 and 18, between 2016 and 2020.

After befriending his victims online, he would then exercise coercive control and abuse them physically, sexually and emotionally. Several victims told detectives he used 'strangle holds' on them. He broke the finger of one of his victims and bit her so forcefully that a complete mouth impression was left.

Plunkett used coercive control to dominate his vulnerable victims and would publish graphic images of them online to punish them and cause embarrassment if they upset him or tried to break contact.

Even after he was arrested and charged, following a comprehensive investigation by the Met's Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, his reign of terror did not stop as he sought to intimidate one of his victims while on remand to avoid justice.

Plunkett's offending began in 2016, then aged 20, when he started an online conversation with [Victim 1] who was 15 at the time. As the victim started to feel Plunkett genuinely liked her, he started to ask her to send him intimate pictures of herself. She told him no because she was not ready and Plunkett responded by sending nasty messages and abusing her via text message. The victim relented and sent him a series of sexual photographs.

In July 2017, Plunkett began a conversation with [Victim 2] who was 13. He asked her how old she was, and she added a year to her true age and responded 14, but that did not deter Plunkett and he sent her a series of sexual messages.

[Victim 3] first met Plunkett through Facebook when she was 15 and they started messaging. They met up in March 2018 when she was 18 and he was 22. As the relationship developed, Plunkett began demanding access to her social media accounts. In May 2018, Plunkett demanded her phone and when she refused he grabbed her around the neck and strangled her. He did the same thing just three weeks later. In June 2018, the victim ended the relationship. This angered Plunkett who logged onto her social media account and was abusive and rude and sent a number of explicit pictures and videos of the two of them engaging in sexual activity to her friends and family. Plunkett's actions ruined the victim's modelling career and damaged her self-esteem.

Plunkett met [Victim 4] in 2018 when she was 15 and he had sex with her. In September 2018 the two were play fighting when he deliberately took hold of her finger and tried to snap it, which resulted in a suspected break. While on remand in prison in December 2018, Plunkett persuaded the victim that it was her fault he was still in custody because of what she had said in her police interview. Over the next four weeks or so he made a concerted effort to persuade the victim to retract her account that there had been any sexual element to their relationship. His efforts worked and she withdrew her statement in January 2019. However, after speaking with detectives she thankfully changed her mind and further disclosed the full extent of the abuse in June 2020.

In January 2020, having been released from custody on bail, Plunkett attended [Victim 4]'s home uninvited, giving an excuse that he thought he had taken her keys a couple of weeks earlier. Breaching the Sexual Risk Order that detectives had secured, he entered the victim's bedroom while she was listening to music and immediately started punching her repeatedly in the face and head, causing her to fall to the floor. He then kicked her in the face and gave her a cut to her forehead which bled profusely. She managed to get slightly towards the door when he pulled her back by her hair – pulling some of it out – and she fell to the floor again where he resumed kicking her. He then took the victim's mobile phone and bankcard and left the scene. All this was witnessed by her 12-year-old sister.

Plunkett contacted [Victim 5] over Snapchat in September 2019. He told her he was 16, but he was in fact almost 24. The victim told him her true age, 14. Plunkett asked the victim to watch some of his videos on Snapchat story. One of the videos he sent was of him having sex, so the victim blocked him. In the summer of 2020, while on remand for these offences, Plunkett attempted to add the victim as one of the contacts he could phone from prison. He lied to the prison authorities and said she was his 24-year-old cousin, meaning he once again breached his Sexual Risk Order.

Detectives began their investigation into Plunkett in September 2018, and first arrested him in November 2018. He was further arrested another three times throughout 2018 and 2019. It was a complex investigation which involved five victims and offending dating back to 2016. It took eight months of detectives closely working with the victims before the full extent of Plunkett's abuse came out.

Detectives also worked tirelessly behind the scenes to protect the victims and any potential future ones by doing things such as applying for Sexual Risk Orders, working closely with the prison to gain intelligence and making a Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act application after he refused to provide the PIN for his phone.

Detective Constable Natalie Franklin, the investigating officer from the Met's Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Team, said: "Plunkett is a cruel monster who preyed on young teenage girls. He would make their lives a living nightmare for his own twisted pleasure by abusing them with sexual, physical and emotional violence. He is the personification of violence against women. Even when he was on remand awaiting trial he exercised his control by intimidating one of his victims and making her so fearful that she withdrew her statement.

"This was a complex investigation which involved hundreds of hours of enquiries to be carried out, but we were happy to work around the clock to make sure that Plunkett was brought to justice so he could not hurt and control any more young girls.

"I would like to praise the bravery of Plunkett's victims who came forward and gave evidence. It cannot have been easy for them to re-live their traumatic ordeals, but their courage resulted in us being able to build a strong case against Plunkett which has resulted in him being put behind bars for a considerable amount of time."

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Depraved Brian Cairns paid to have very young children sexually abused and tortured so he could watch the vile abuse live on camera.

The twisted 60-year-old sent money online to "facilitators " in the Philippines to he could direct the horrific abuse of girls as young as four as he observed it.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he kept screenshots of what he had ordered, "almost off a menu".

During one of the sickening live shows, Cairns asked the for a break to go and get some cigarettes so he could smoke while he watched the "unsafe and degrading" acts.

Prosecutor Paul Cleasby told the court officers from Northumbria Police Paedophile Investigation Team had seized Cairns' computer devices after they received information he had been sending "large sums of money" overseas in exchange for child abuse images.

Mr Cleasby said an analysis of Cairns' computer revealed a series of chats and added: "It was clear from the conversations money had been paid by the defendant in order for sexual abuse of children to take place live on
camera while he watched."

The court heard Cairns ordered that the abused girls should be under eight years old and made specific requests involving "degrading violence" that he wanted done to them.

One of the victims was four and the other between six and eight.

Cairns, of Pendle Close, Washington, admitted two charges of inciting the sexual exploitation of a child and two of making indecent photographs of a child.

Judge Amanda Rippon jailed Cairns for 13 years with an extended one year licence period.

The judge said the offences were "some of the most depraved I have had the displeasure to come across in my work in the criminal justice system in the context of child abuse".

Judge Rippon said: "Suffice to say, these offences are of the most grave kind.

"You ordered, almost off a menu, for children who you did not want to be older than eight, to me not just abused but tortured - and they were.

"They were tortured for your sexual gratification in the most abhorrent way.

"You even told them to wait at one point so you could go and get some cigarettes so you could smoke while you watched.

"You directed the abuse.

"These children are very young, desperately so in the context of what you were requesting was done to them."

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A vile paedophile who "ruined the life" of his schoolgirl victim has finally been brought to justice more than 40 years later.

John Storey subjected the young girl to years of abuse in the late 1970s when he was aged between 33 and 35.

This included touching her vagina, making her touch his penis and perform a sex acts on him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Tom Storey, prosecuting, said the victim remembered waking up to find the pervert in the room next to her before the abuse began.

He said: "She described herself as being powerless to do anything about it.

"On days following occasions when he abused her he would sometimes tell her to say nothing about it.

"He would tell her people would not believe her, and if they did she would be responsible for his sons losing their father."

The victim was initially too terrified to tell anyone about what had been going on and said the abuse had ruined her life.

The 77-year-old's sickening crimes drove her to abusing alcohol and drugs and she ended up seeking the help of a counsellor.

It was during a counselling session that the brave victim spoke of the abuse she had endured and eventually reported it to the police in February last year.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "The abuse has had a devastating impact on my life. I found it difficult to make friends at that time and always felt like an outsider.

"I believed it was my fault and I should have done more to stop the abuse from happening.

"Living with this secret has had a massive effect on my mental health. I was so ashamed of it I started abusing alcohol and drugs to block out the memories and the pain.

"I truly believe that John saw vulnerability in me and preyed on me.

"I will always live with the guilt that other children may have been abused by John after me because I did not speak out at the time.

"That is something I have to come to terms with."

Storey, of Kingston Green, Newcastle, was arrested and interviewed on March 4, 2020, and initially denied any allegations of sexual abuse against the complainant.

He later admitted four counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child at Newcastle Crown Court.

The court heard how Storey had a history of offences against young girls. He spent more than a decade behind bars from 2008 for a string of sex offences including three counts of rape and two counts of attempted rape.

Storey was subject to a conditional discharge in July 1977 after having intercourse with a girl under the age of 16 and would have breached this by abusing his latest victim to speak out.

Paul Caulfield, defending, said his client suffered from a serious lung disease which limited his life expectancy. He added that this meant he was particularly vulnerable to catching Covid-19.

Judge Penny Moreland sentenced Storey to six years in prison, of which he will serve half behind bars if he is no longer deemed a risk before being released on licence.

"You ensured her silence by telling her she would not be believed," Judge Moreland told him.

"You told a probation officer you were unable to remember the fact you repeatedly abused a child in that way.

"What you did to her was devastating. You ruined her life.

"You are an inveterate abuser of girls."

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life and will pay a victim surcharge.

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A former Norfolk hospital worker jailed for sex offences, including explicit online chats with girls he believed to be as young as 12, impersonated a police officer to try to get his NHS job back.

Jordan Ellis, 27, who was a care assistant at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and a St John Ambulance volunteer, was sentenced to a total of two years and eight months for a string of sexual offences.

Police who raided his then home in Lawson Road, Lowestoft, seized his laptop and phone.

Prosecutor Ian James told Norwich Crown Court specialist officers accessed an instant messaging service and retrieved deleted data from the chats with online profiles that stated they were children.

In one he asked what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl whether he could also see her 10-year-old sister, he said.

Ellis, who now lives in Benbow Close, Hethersett, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite three separate children aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sending images of his body parts and two counts of attempting sexual communication with two children he believed were 14 and 15.

He also admitted making and distributing indecent images of children.

Appearing at Norwich Crown Court on Friday, he also pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer when he sent fraudulent emails.

During the investigation, he had been suspended from his job as an NHS health care assistant and from his voluntary work for St John Ambulance.

However, he sent an email to both organisations in November 2019 attaching a letter purporting to be from DC Amy Nunn, an officer working on the investigation, to say no further action was to be taken against him.

DC Nunn said: "This has been a complicated job with Ellis taking many steps to try and hide his offending.

"The predatory nature of this individual has been exposed and the risk he poses to children can now be managed."

St John Ambulance confirmed Ellis had been suspended as a volunteer upon his arrest and then dismissed when he pleaded guilty to his crimes.

A spokesperson for the charity added: "We are appalled by Jordan Ellis's crimes and our thoughts go out to anyone who has been affected."

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Disgraced former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke is facing fresh court proceedings after allegedly failing to pay 35,000 in prosecution costs following his sentence for sexually assaulting two women. The former Dover MP, 50, was jailed for two years in September 2020 after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a month-long trial. He was released from prison in September after serving half of his sentence, but is now facing further proceedings at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Friday for the alleged non-payment of a 35,000 fine imposed on September 15 2020. The sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, ordered Elphicke to pay 35,000 within a year towards the costs of the prosecution, which would otherwise fall on the public purse. You have substantial equity in your family home, which is currently up for sale, she told him. Debt However, Elphickes barrister, Ian Winter QC, told the court his client had a fair bit of debt, and that his estranged wife, Natalie Elphicke, now the MP for Dover, loaned him 100,000 to pay legal bills. Her Majestys Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is pursuing the payment of the fine and has enforcement powers, which can include a summons to attend a hearing to explain why it has not been paid or set out when it will be. Refusal to pay could result in a criminal charge being brought. Elphicke is expected to attend Fridays hearing, according to a court official, and if he does not, a warrant could be issued for his arrest. In March, he lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his jail term after his lawyers argued the sentence was too long and should have been suspended. The sentencing judge described Elphicke as a sexual predator who used his success and respectability as a cover and told a pack of lies. During his trial, jurors heard how he had asked one of his victims about bondage and sex, then kissed her and groped her breast before chasing her around his home, chanting: Im a naughty Tory. In the wake of the case, the Commons Standards Committee found that five Conservatives, including his wife, Natalie, had breached the code of conduct over an egregious attempt to influence his legal proceedings. As a result Mrs Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale and Theresa Villiers were suspended from the House of Commons for a day. They, along with Bob Stewart and Adam Holloway, had written to senior members of the judiciary raising concerns that a more junior judge was considering publishing character references provided for Mr Elphicke. Elphicke became a Government whip during David Camerons premiership in 2015, but returned to the backbenches when Theresa May came to power the following year. He had the party whip suspended in 2017 when allegations of sexual assault first emerged, but it was controversially reinstated a year later for a crucial confidence vote in then-prime minister Mrs May. The whip was withdrawn again the following summer when the Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision to charge Elphicke.

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A Derbyshire man who raped a child isolated his young victim from her family and sexually abused her.

A trial heard how Alan Lamb took the girl to his home and had full sex with her.

On other occasions Lamb, who was a teenager at the time, would get the victim to carry out other depraved acts on him.

The victim had to relive her ordeal giving evidence due to the defendant's denials.

A jury heard how her teenage years were categorised by self-harm and a suicide attempt as a result of what took place.

And it was only years later she was able to bravely pluck up the courage and report what happened to her.

Jailing Lamb, 33, for seven-and-a-half years, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: "It is deadly serious the rape of a child of this age.

"It had led to substantial psychological harm (on her), you took a young child from the safety of her family and did what you did to her.

"Her teenage years, which should have been the happiest of her life, you grossly disfigured by what you did to her.

"Her teenage years were characterised by self-harm and a suicide attempt.

"The idea that this was someone making a false complaint, as you did at trial, is ridiculous."

Lamb's trial, which took place at the Mercure Hotel nightingale court in Nottingham last month, saw the victim forced to relive her ordeal giving evidence.

She told how Lamb, who was considerably older than his victim, would take her to his house and sexually abuse her.

A jury found the defendant guilty of one count of rape of a child and two counts of sexual assault.

He has no previous convictions.

William Bennett, his barrister, said: "He knows it is going to be an extremely long sentence he is going to receive.

"He knows if it is longer than seven years then he will have to serve two-thirds of it in custody.

"He has never been to prison before and it will come as a massive shock.

"His family are worried whether he will be able to cope with custody.

"His life is on tatters, he has children of is own and his relationship with his partner and children has been effectively wrecked."

As a result of his conviction, Lamb, of Valley Road, Shirebrook, will be on the sex offender register for life.

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A Bexhill man who paid to receive photos of sexual abuse of a child in the Philippines, each one posed as he required, is now starting a six-year prison sentence, following an investigation by Sussex Police detectives working with the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and officers in the Philippines National Police.

Michael Wilkinson, 36, a decorator, was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on 10 November, having admitted inciting and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, making indecent images of children and possessing prohibited and extreme images.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which severely restricts his access to children and digital devices for life, It also imposes a five-year travel restriction order on him from from the day of his release, which police can apply to renew every five years.

Detective Constable Richard Gill of the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: "The investigation began in April 2020 when we received intelligence that Wilkinson was downloading indecent images of children.

"That was confirmed when we executed a warrant at his address and seized his phone and other devices, but only then as our enquiries continued did we realise that he had also been paying through a third party in the Philippines, for a girl, aged between nine and 12, to pose for indecent photos which were then sent over to him.

"In one instance he received video of her, but otherwise he received still images, in specific poses which he had ordered as part of the transaction.

"It became clear that Wilkinson had made contacts in the country whilst backpacking some years ago, and used them to make contact with the family concerned for his own sexual gratification over an extended period.

"We worked very closely with the NCA's international network, who liaised with PICACC (the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center). They were ultimately responsible for tracking down the child in this case and safeguarding her and her sisters.

"This was a great example of inter-agency and international law enforcement co-operation which has reached out across more than 10,000 miles to take action against a predatory offender and safeguard innocent children."