Latest Offenders

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A PERVERTED pensioner, who sexually abused girls over three decades, is starting a 21-year prison sentence, and will not be released until he is into his 80s. Brian ONeil, 66, who often filmed his activities, was branded a danger to underage girls and was made subject of an extended determinate sentence at Durham Crown Court. It means he must serve at least 14 years in prison before being eligible for parole, but he may have to spend the entire 21 years behind bars. On release he will also be subject to five-years extended licence supervision and will remain on the sex offenders register, indefinitely. He was sentenced at the court yesterday, when the hearing heard of the traumatic effect his offending has had on his victims, in one case self-harming and making a number of suicide attempts. ONeil, formerly of Wharton Street, Coundon, admitted rape, plus 20 other mainly sexual offences, and voyeurism, at hearings in November and December, last year. But he denied ten further counts, of which he was convicted following unanimous jury verdicts after a three-day trial in late April. Passing sentence, Judge Ray Singh told ONeil, who appeared via video link from Durham Prison: There can be no criticism and no doubt you are a dangerous offender. There is a significant risk to members of the public of the commission of further specified offences. In your pre-sentence report you did accept the majority of your offending. Your offending pattern, transcended over three decades, reflects a long-standing sexual interest in young children that needs to be addressed in future. Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Donna Hicks, of Durham Police, who led the investigation, said: ONeil carried out these horrendous crimes for more than three decades and had a massive detrimental impact on his victims, who have suffered significantly. Putting his own sexual gratification first, he has destroyed the lives of not just his victims but also their families and continued to show a total lack of remorse throughout the investigation and trial. All the victims have shown enormous courage in coming forward and I hope this sentence means they can finally gain some closure and start to rebuild their lives.

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A warped University of Derby lecturer manipulated and fantasised over pictures of students and staff he had downloaded from their social media accounts.

Pervert Thomas Dodsley superimposed images of genitalia over their photos and created text boxes accompanied with captions featuring obscene messages.

One of the lewd images included wording that read: "look into my eyes, Mr Dodsley".

Over a six-year period, the married 34-year-old also downloaded just short of 3,000 sick child abuse images, including infants being raped.

And police found vile footage on his laptops, including humans engaged in sexual acts with animals.

Jailing him for a year at Derby Crown Court, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: "At the time you were caught you were a lecturer in criminology at the University of Derby.

"You had been there for three years and previously to that you were involved in youth work.

"You have, it is true, some significant personal mitigation in what you have done since you were caught.

"But I emphasise 'since you were caught' as the author of your (pre-sentence) report is of the opinion you would have carried on if you had not been caught."

Eunice Opare-Addo, prosecuting, said police executed a warrant at Dodsley's address in Grosvenor Avenue, Breaston, at 6.50am on September 1 last year.

She said his wife answered the door and the defendant appeared a short while later.

Miss Opare-Addo said laptops and other electronic devices were seized and analysed.

She said on them were 62 category A movies or images which is the most serious category, 70 category B, 2,842 category C, five prohibited images and 16 extreme pornographic images.

Miss Opare-Addo said: "On a USB stick were photos of past and present Derby University students and staff which appeared to have been obtained from social media.

"Some of them had genitalia and text superimposed over them with one saying 'look into my eyes, Mr Dodsley'."

The defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of prohibited images and possession of extreme pornography between March 24, 2014 and September 1, 2020.

His barrister, also called Sean Smith, said: "He has already been addressing his offending by completing an accredited programme which included behavioural therapy."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the University of Derby said: The University was unaware of any allegations or concerns in relation to this individual until he appeared in court to enter his plea.

"He is no longer employed by us, having left his role in March this year.

As well as the jail sentence, Judge Smith made Dodsley sign on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He also banned him from working with children for the same amount of time.

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A rapist who tried to evade justice by fleeing to the US has been jailed for 15 years. Kim Avis was found guilty of raping three of his victims and sexually assaulting a fourth following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month, the Crown Office said. The 57-year-old was convicted of 14 charges in total, with the offences taking place mostly in Inverness between 2006 and 2017, including a charge of failing to attend a previous trial date after he fled to America. Avis, who was extradited from the US to face the charges, was jailed when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday. Avis, from Inverness, was detained by the US Marshals Service in Colorado Springs in July 2019. He had been reported missing in February of that year after going for a swim at Monastery Beach in Carmel, California. Investigators later discovered he was on bail for offences in Scotland. Fraser Gibson, procurator fiscal for High Court sexual offences, said: This has been a difficult and complex investigation for all those involved. I would like to commend the victims for their bravery in coming forward. Kim Avis went to great lengths to evade justice for his crimes. Thanks to the efforts of police and prosecutors, working together with US law enforcement, he has been brought to justice and sentenced today. As this case shows, we prosecute sexual crime effectively and fairly. I would urge anyone who has been the victim of such offending to report it to police and seek support. Avis was jailed for 12 years for the sexual offences including some against children and a rape and three years for the failure to appear charge. The trial date had been fixed for March 11 2019, but the court was told after a near-death experience in California that Avis believed he would not receive a fair hearing and decided not to return to Scotland. It was heard he then went on the run for several months before US marshals, who did not believe he was dead, tracked him down in Colorado and he was extradited to the UK. Avis, who continues to deny all the sexually related charges against him, was a street trader for many years in Inverness and had received a good citizen award. He was found guilty of 13 charges of sexual offences between 2006 and 2016. Avis pled guilty to the other offence and received a reduced jail term of three years for that part of the sentence. Detective Inspector Caine McIntyre, of Police Scotlands domestic abuse task force, said: I welcome the conviction of Kim Avis, otherwise known as Kim Gordon. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the victims/survivors in this case for the courage, strength and dignity they have shown throughout this investigation and subsequent court case. I would also like to take this opportunity to reach out to anyone who is experiencing or has experienced domestic or sexual abuse it is never too late to report to the police or seek support and advice from one of our partner agencies such as Womens Aid or Rape Crisis Scotland.

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A girl said she "didn't want to be here anymore" after being sexually abused by a predatory taxi driver.

Steven Halton molested two victims - both young teenage girls - in sickening attacks around 25 years apart.

His first victim, Girl A, came forward after his second victim, Girl B, went to the police and exposed the pervert's abuse against her.

The 58-year-old denied any wrongdoing, which forced both of his victims to relive their ordeals by giving evidence in a harrowing trial.

But he was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault against Girl A and four counts of sexual activity with a child against Girl B.

Halton, of Merlewood Avenue, Southport, today told Liverpool Crown Court that he still maintains his "innocence".

Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said the factual basis upon which he would sentence Halton was "one of which I am myself sure, having heard the evidence".

The judge said Halton abused Girl A on multiple occasions, touching her breasts, bottom and genitalia over clothing, forcibly kissed her, and on multiple occasions committed sexual offences involving penetration.

He said Halton "made her life a misery" in the 1990s.

Judge Cummings said Halton then abused Girl B in the last decade, when he groomed her and kissed her "insistently and in a manner that the jury rightly found was sexual".

He said this happened on four occasions, the second of which when he also tried to undo her bra and unzip her jeans, and on the third time when he gave her a lift in his taxi, put his hand under her skirt and touched her upper leg and groin area over clothing.

Girl B's dad made a victim statement to the court in which he said finding out what his daughter had been through was "devastating".

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said the father referred to their lives being "turned upside down" and how the ordeal affected his family.

Mr Dillon said: "He feels bad that he perhaps misread his daughter's moods and had not understood them."

Judge Cummings interjected and said: "Well, parents always feel bad but for what it's worth, from my point of view he really shouldn't."

Mr Dillon summarised how Girl B explained Halton took "advantage of her" and left her suffering from "sleepless nights, bad dreams and trauma that is indescribable".

He said: "She went to counselling because she went through a stage of not wanting to be here anymore, when as she put it, she saw no purpose and was really down."

Mr Dillon said: "She was given money to keep her quiet, She says these memories will not fade, they will stick with her forever."

He said the abuse made Girl B feel "worthless and weak".

Mr Dillon said: "She still lies there sobbing into her pillow questioning why these events have impacted her life forever."

Girl A said she had struggled to live with what happened to her, which led to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, and feared she wouldn't be believed..

The now adult woman said she also felt "guilty" that she hadn't reported the abuse sooner, because that may have prevented Girl B from being molested.

However, Mr Dillon said the blame didn't lie with Girl A and Judge Cummings said he repeated the observation he made earlier about Girl B's dad's views.

Girl A said she has problems sleeping, described being put through a trial as "unbearable", how she felt angry, and had to have counselling to rebuild her life.

The court heard Halton had a small number of previous convictions for dishonesty dating back to the period from 1985 to 1990.

Charlotte Kenny, defending, said: "Your honour will of course have noted the defendant's position. He maintains his innocence. That ultimately will be a matter for him and his reflection and hopefully there will come a point in time when there is at least an appreciation of the position and consequence.

"There is very little - and the defendant knows I'm about to say this - there is very little I can say on his behalf, he having entered into a trial."

Judge Cummings said Girl A had been "particularly vulnerable" and told Halton: "It's a serious aggravating feature of your case that there were multiple offences committed against the victim and there have been very significant lifelong ill effects on her, dealt with in the victim personal statement and dealt with also and movingly during her evidence at trial."

He jailed Halton for 15 years and told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Halton must also comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order indefinitely.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Paula Furlong said: "Halton continued to deny his offending meaning his victims were forced to endure a trial. I am pleased that he will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for his actions.

"I would like to take this opportunity to praise both of his victims for their courage and dignity throughout the whole of this investigation and hope that by seeing him sent to prison will give them some sort of closure and allow them to move on with their lives knowing he cannot harm anyone else.

"We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.

"Anyone that has been a victim of a similar sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us. We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice."

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A paedophile sent sick WhatsApp messages to a boy and suggested he play a sexual "prank" on his mum.

Convicted sex offender Paul Roberts groomed the child with presents and invited him to his flat to play XBox.

While there he cuddled and kissed the boy, who also got undressed after a "water fight" involving another child.

But his twisted behaviour and the detail of the supposed prank, which is too obscene to publish, came to light after Robert's online persona "Saint" was exposed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Roberts, 37, was hit with a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in October 2011.

That was made when the pervert received a community order for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, said Roberts, of Boardsman Lane, St Helens, first breached the SOPO by having unsupervised contact with two children in 2019.

She said Roberts had regular contact with a boy - Boy A - with the permission of that child's mum, which was therefore not a breach.

But during a safeguarding investigation, Boy A revealed two friends had unsupervised contact with Roberts, when he took them to a cinema and a park.

Ms Kenny said both of those boys' parents were unaware of Roberts' convictions and he received 16 months in jail, suspended for two years, on July 17, 2020.

However, within days of being spared jail, he started sending WhatsApp messages to Boy A, now without his mum's knowledge or consent.

This came to light when the National Crime Agency investigated someone using the online profile "Saint", which was later discovered to be Roberts.

The court heard Roberts had only produced one mobile phone when visited by an offender manager, but when NCA officers raided his home on May 7 this year, they found four mobile phones and two laptops.

Examination revealed he had used CCleaner software on February 12, 2021 to wipe data from the devices, but "artefacts" showed he had sexually explicit chats with another person online about "sexually abusing children".

Roberts also talked about a boy who he had kissed and cuddled and about having had "nice views" of him naked.

Ms Kenny said there was "some indication" this was Boy A.

The court heard WhatsApp messages recovered from Roberts' phone showed him "grooming" Boy A with affectionate terms but also asking him about sexual topics and suggesting he play a sexual "prank" on his mum.

Ms Kenny said the boy was interviewed in the presence of his mum, who was described as "gasping in shock" when she heard the sexualised comments sent by Roberts.

Boy A revealed he had been to Roberts' flat at least three times, maybe five times.

He said he had been "uncomfortable", but that Roberts had taken him to the cinema and bought him presents, including clothing, computer equipment, money and a bike, which made him feel "really happy".

He said one time when playing XBox, Roberts had cuddled him, one time he kissed him on the lips when he left his flat, and another time they had a water fight when another friend was there, after which their clothes were wet and they had to take them off to dry.

Ms Kenny said: "On one occasion he offered to buy him some condoms."

Roberts admitted three new counts of breaching his SOPO and breaching the suspended sentence imposed last July.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, accepted it was a "serious and persistent breach", but questioned whether there had been a risk of "very serious harm or distress", given his client had never been convicted of any sexual assault in the past.

He said an offender manager did not propose any alternative to immediate custody and Roberts knew he would receive a prison sentence, but said he had shown "remorse and regret".

The judge, Recorder Ian Harris, said Roberts had been "given the benefit" of a suspended sentence in July 2020, seemingly because of optimism about his views expressed in a pre-sentence report.

He said: "You have shattered any prospect of a non-custodial sentence by your subsequent actions."

The judge added: "You have a disregard for court orders and in my judgement there is a risk of very serious harm to children."

Recorder Harris imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) - an updated version of SOPOs - for a period of 15 years.

He said Roberts' actions demonstrated "you cannot or will not stop offending in a way which in my view is dangerous to children".

The judge jailed him for three years and four months in total, which included 12 months of his previous suspended sentence.

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A LONER who engaged in sexual conversations with undercover police officers believing them to be young girls has been jailed for 28 months. Mohamed Adia, who lived at home with his elderly mother after his father was murdered in 2002, turned to chat rooms where he befriended 13-year-old Lucy and 12-year-old Ria. But Bolton Crown Court heard that the schoolgirls were fictional characters created by police in chat rooms. Over a two-month period from September 2019 51-year-old Adia asked the girls for photographs in their school uniforms and requested one take pictures at her school. On other occasions he described in detail how Ria could perform a sex act upon herself and demanded, the next day, that she tell him about it. Adia, of Quebec Street, Bolton, also wanted to know about their underwear and discussed arranging a meeting to have sex. Julian Goode, prosecuting, told how police first encountered Adia, who was using the name Salim, when they created a profile for Lucy on Kik messenger and he added her to Skype. He was made aware of Lucys age chat became increasingly sexualised and, at one stage told her, Im always horny. The court heard that Adia regularly told the girls to delete their conversations and not tell anyone about them. In November 2019 he stopped sending messages and on January he was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and two of of attempting to have a sexual conversation with a child. Colin Buckle, defending told Judge Graeme Smith that after Adias siblings married , his own hopes of finding a partner floundered as he wanted to remain with his parents and he has been caring for his widowed mother after the death of his father. He describes himself as isolated, said Mr Buckle, who added that Adia turned to the internet. He expressed his sexual urges in the most inappropriate way, he said. Judge Smith sentenced Adia to a 28 months in prison. He will be placed on the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. Judge Smith described Adias conduct as stupid. He said: You got carried away and lived in a fantasy world. However, what is clear is that, although it was a fantasy world in the sense that you were actually communicating, not with real children, but with undercover police officers, what you were suggesting had a very real dimension to it. It is clear you thought you were communicating with two girls aged 13 and 12 and you suggested a number of sexual acts to them. Sentences for paedophiles caught by vigilantes or undercover police have increased since a Court of Appeal decision in April which stated that, where a defendant sets out to sexually abuse a child, but the child happens to be an adult posing as a child, then the starting point for sentencing should be set by considering the harm that the defendant intended to cause.

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A Derbyshire child rapist refused to leave his cell at Derby Crown Court after being found guilty by a jury of a number of horrific sex attacks on an underage girl.

Judge Shaun Smith QC said sentencing James Herring in his absence was the first time he'd had to do it in 40 years working in the legal system.

A trial heard how the 51-year-old, of Chesterfield, groomed then raped the girl when she was under the age of consent "becoming her tormentor and abuser".

And on one occasion he even raped her as she fell asleep from drinking too much alcohol.

Jailing him for 20 years, Judge Shaun Smith QC said: "Until she met you she'd had a miserable life.

"You knew that and you took advantage becoming her tormentor and abuser.

"When you first raped her she was in such pain and distress she slept with a teddy bear between her legs.

"The consequence of what you did to her were laid bare when she gave her evidence.

"She ended up in prison, she took drugs and I have no doubt that happened because of the abuse she suffered at your hands.

"You gained her trust and you sexually abused her."

Herring, of Lewisham Court, Barrow Hill, was found guilty of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault on a second female victim.

Denying all of the charges meant that they had to face their abuser and give evidence against him in court.

He has previous convictions for indecent assault of a male and burglary dating back to the 1980s.

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A man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy in his own home on Christmas Day has been jailed for four years.

Kieran Seery , 31, of Dowry Street, Accrington, was sentenced today (June 8) at Burnley Crown Court. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which lasts 15 years.

It follows a trial last month which found Seery guilty of sexual assault.

The incident occurred in the early hours of December 25 2019, after Seery had attended a Christmas Eve gathering at the victims address and was later told he could stay the night.

The boy was asleep when he was woken by Seery, who attacked him before fleeing the address at around 8am.

He was arrested two days later in the Greater Manchester area following a public appeal for help locating him.

Det Sgt Helen Mercer, of Blackburn Police, said: Seery carried out a horrific and predatory attack on a young boy, and he deserves nothing less than the sentence he has received today.

Since the incident he has shown a complete lack of remorse and has consistently denied his guilt, forcing the victim to go through the further ordeal of a trial.

I cannot overstate the impact this incident has had on the young victim. He went to bed excited about Christmas Day and was woken in the early hours of the morning being subjected to a horrendous sexual attack. No child should feel unsafe in their own home, and no doubt the boy will carry the mental scars from this for a very long time.

He must be commended for his bravery in reporting what happened to him and I hope todays verdict gives him a sense of closure and enables him to start moving forward with his life.

We also hope todays verdict shows that at Lancashire Police we take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously. Anybody who has been victim of this type of crime is urged to report it to us as soon as possible, safe in the knowledge they will be treated sensitively and professionally.

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Thomas Hancock sexually assaulted one girl and told the other he dreamed of having sex with her at school.

"A lot of people call him a monster. I have no words to describe what he is."

These are the words of a schoolgirl who fell prey to a teacher who admitted sexually assaulting a pupil at his school and propositioning another.

Thomas Hancock nurtured friendly relationships with the complainants, aged 17 and 16, Bristol Crown Court heard.

But the trusted teacher revealed he had feelings for both before he groped one and sent the other lewd footage of himself.

Hancock, 29, of Beyon Close in Cam, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual assault (on multiple occasions), in a position of trust, on the 17-year-old.

He pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child to look at sexual activity, and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, in a position of trust, on the 16-year-old.

Judge Michael Cullum jailed him for 16 months.

He told Hancock: "Both young women have been deeply affected and have altered the course of their lives.

"Teachers are supposed to do that in a positive way, not a negative way."

The judge handed Hancock a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order designed to stop him re-offending.

Stephen Dent, prosecuting via video link, said that at the time Hancock had taught at the school for six years.

He had retained contact with the 17-year-old and became flirtatious with her, the court heard.

Mr Dent said: "He grabbed her bottom without consent and she was shocked.

"He said to her they needed to talk, but not in school."

Mr Dent said they arranged to meet and did so.

He told the court: "She went to his car. He said he had feelings for her but nothing could happen.

"She was confused and upset."

The court heard on another meeting the teacher grabbed her and kissed her - and though she knew it was wrong she felt trapped.

Mr Dent said: "She felt the defendant had control over her.

"He became obsessed with her.

"He asked her to wear skirts and clothes he liked."

Hancock kissed the girl and grabbed her bottom several times, Mr Dent said, telling her he would "like to bend her over a table".

On one occasion he put her hand inside his trousers and touch him between his legs on his pants.

When she told Hancock contact had to stop it did so, the court heard, but she made no formal complaint until she became aware of a second victim.

That second complainant, aged 16, told police she exchanged messages with Hancock which became flirtatious and extremely sexual.

She took a photo of if Snapchat message, the court heard.

She described how Hancock sent her a photo of his private parts and videos of him committing a sex act on himself.

He would also contact her in the early hours, tell her his fiance was asleep, and would talk of dreams about her and how he wanted to have sex with her at school.

In one loaded question he asked her: "How would you convince me to give you the grades you need?"

The older girl stated that her ability to concentrate on school work suffered as a result, and though she managed to get into university her work there "fell apart".

She said: "Before Mr Hancock I was never like this."

The younger girl said Hancock knew she was vulnerable and she suffered panic attacks as a result of his actions.

She said: "A lot of people call him a monster.

"I have no words to describe what he is.

"I blame myself for letting him message me.

"I feel heartbroken for his fiance, his family and my family.

"It left me with even less confidence than before."

Matthew Comer, defending said his client had lost his career, relationship and home as a result of his actions and had suffered with his mental health.

Mr Comer said: "He fully appreciates the enormity of what he has done.

"He fully appreciates the seriousness of the situation he has put himself in.

"He fully appreciates he grossly breached the trust people ought to have in their teacher."

DC Nina Wilson said: "Thomas Hancock was a teacher who abused his position and the trust the children in his care had in him.

"The victims have displayed enormous courage in reporting this matter to the police and their strength in speaking out about what they have been through has meant that other potential victims will not have to suffer the same ordeal.

"Hancock's depraved behaviour has caused a significant amount of emotional harm to them both and we're continuing to offer support to them.

"However I hope that today's result will encourage other victims to come forward and report sexual offences to the police."

Description

Steven Thomas Scott had more than 5,000 indecent images of youngsters on various hard drives, a court heard.

These ranged from category A - the most serious type - to category C images at the lower end of the spectrum.

The 39-year-old of Chiltern Green also had almost 300 prohibited images of children - a mix of photos and videos.

Scott was identified by police during an investigation into users of a file-sharing network, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court, he was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, a single count of distributing indecent photographs and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He previously pleaded guilty to the offences which happened between April and December 2019.

Defending, Ed Warren, argued that his client had mental health issues.

At sentencing, Judge Peter Henry described the images as both disturbing and revolting.

However, he said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Scott was jailed for nine months, suspended for two years.

He must complete 43 sessions on an accredited sexual offender group work programme and 60 rehabilitation activity days.

Scott was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months.

Description

A Forres man has escaped a jail sentence for trying to lure young girls into sending him indecent photographs of themselves.

Kevin Johnston (48) was snared by a paedophile hunting group which had posed as under-age teenagers on the internet.

Johnston sent them videos of himself carrying out a sex act both while he was in work and at home.

At Inverness Sheriff Court today Johnston was sentence to 225 hours of unpaid work.

Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald also placed him on the sex offender's register and put him under the supervision of social workers for the next three years.

She told him: "I could send you to jail which this merits, but you will not get any help.

"Your intention was clear, you wanted sexual relations with young girls.

"Had they been children, the consequences would have been devastating and lifelong."

The Sheriff criticised Johnston for continuing to minimise and deny his attraction to pre-pubescent girls.

Sheriff Macdonald added: "I have heard you have lost everything, your job and your family. But you only have yourself to blame."

Defence solicitor Grant Daglish told the court that his client has been assessed as being at a low risk of offending again.

The solicitor added that Johnston had now got a new job in Inverness.

Sheriff Macdonald asked Mr Daglish if Johnston had offered any explanation for his behaviour.

Mr Daglish replied: "He is at a loss as to why he did it.

"He advises me that ages did not occur to him.

"Perhaps it was boredom and low mental health."

At a previous hearing, Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the targeted under-age teenagers were actually decoys from the "Hunting Online Predators Everyday", known as 'HOPE.'

The court heard that police raided his former home in Califer Road and seized phones and a computer.

It was then discovered that Johnston had also contacted other targeted.

These might have been real teenagers. However, they could not be traced.

Johnston, who has since moved away from Forres, admitted communicating sexually with children or people he believed to be children between March 25, 2020 and July 4, 2020.

Fiscal depute Robert Weir said that the decoys made it clear on chat and dating websites how old they were pretending to be and did not initiate sexual communications.

Mr Weir said Johnston tried to persuade the girls to send him 'naughty pictures'.

One of his user names was 'hornyhighlander', but he also used 'cantsleepmale.'

In one instance with an unidentified girl, Mr Weir said: "he continued to send sexual messages for three months trying to get a response."

Description

A "cynical and highly manipulative" former Hampshire teacher has been jailed after committing a number of sexual offences against two teenage boys. Julius Edwards, formerly of Queens Road, Farnborough, "exploited" the vulnerability of his victims, one of whom described him as a "puppet master". Edwards, 49, "sought out teenage boys online, looking for the vulnerable", encouraging them to exchange explicit sexual messages and images with him. He then persuaded the victims, aged 13 and 14 at the time, to meet him in person and engage in sexual acts, leaving them "devastated by the trauma". Edwards was a science teacher, but these victims were not his students. He taught at the Dove House School in Basingstoke at the time of his arrest. The "predatory paedophile" committed the sexual offences against the boys between March and April in 2020, and was convicted of 18 offences in April this year. These included: - three counts of sexual activity with a boy under 16; - nine counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy under 16; - one count of sexual assault by penetration; - three counts of attempting to engage in penetrative sexual activity with a boy under 16; and - two counts of failure to comply with a notice to provide a key. Edwards pleaded guilty to one count of attempted sexual communication with a child at an earlier hearing, bringing the total number of offences to 19. A sentencing hearing at Kingston Crown Court on Friday (June 4) heard how Edwards presented himself as "a caring adult", but then groomed and sexually abused the victims. Judge Peter Lodder said Edwards "exploited" the second victim's vulnerabilities. He encouraged him to talk about sex, exchange intimate images, and persuaded the boy to meet him. Addressing Edwards, Judge Lodder added: "On 8th or 9th April, you picked him up in your car, took him to a wooded area north of Guildford, and there pressed him into intimacy."

'I cry more now than ever before', the first victim said

Edwards "boasted" that he had "done these things with other lads", including the first victim. Sexual messages and pictures were exchanged between Edwards and the first victim, before he picked him up and drove him to a remote location for sexual activity. A statement from the first victim read aloud in court said: "I was a really happy child until he took that from me. I have felt a sadness ever since. I cry more now than ever before. "Since it happened, every time I go outside I feel nervous and anxious. I can't trust anyone. I can't trust teachers at my school because I know he [Edwards] is a teacher." The statement added: "He made me talk about my sex life as a 13-year-old to so many different people and my parents. This has been ultra embarrassing and upsetting." The court heard how Edwards "bragged" about a third boy, called 'Liam', who was in fact an undercover police officer pretending to be an underage child, aged 13. Edwards approached 'Liam' using the name 'don't be shy' online, and continued "in exactly the same way" as with the other two victims and "repeatedly" asked to meet. On June 15, 2020, after his arrest, Edwards was asked to provide PIN codes to allow police to access his mobile devices, however he refused to do so. He additionally submitted an application to change his name by deed poll while in prison awaiting trial, in an attempt to "try to conceal his true identity", the judge said. He then made an application to change his passport with that new name. However, the Passport Office was "suspicious" and it came to the attention of the officer involved in the case. Addressing Edwards, Judge Lodder added: "Clearly this was an attempt to avoid the consequences of restrictions that would be imposed as a result of your offending. "It is activity which is entirely consistent with the picture you present of a cynical and highly manipulative offender." Edwards' defence counsel said he has commenced counselling and psychiatric engagement within prison, adding: "He has been using his education to assist those prisoners who are unable to read or write". Judge Lodder sentenced Edwards to 14 years in prison, with an extended license term of four years, and granted a restraining order in relation to the two victims. He was also given a Sexual Harm Protection Order (SHPO) and ordered to pay a victim surcharge. Detective Constable Mike Stanley, who investigated the case, said: "I hope that the sentence handed out today demonstrates our commitment to carrying out a full and thorough investigation to ensure that offenders are brought to justice. "The tireless work of the team involved in this investigation, including the Guildford Safeguarding Investigation Unit and the Digital Forensics Team, has ensured that Edwards is behind bars where he belongs."

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A DETERMINED paedophile who embarked on the relentless pursuit of vile and disgusting indecent images of children has been jailed for four years and four months.

Alexander Allport possessed and distributed hundreds of images at category A, B and C, including movies of babies being raped, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Allport, 37, of Canterbury Crescent, Halifax, shared the “disgusting and horrific” pictures with like-minded perverts on internet chat sites.

He was told by Judge Jonathan Rose: “Your behaviour is incomprehensible to any decent member of society.”

Allport was first arrested in May, 2017, when police officers acting on information went to his home and seized a memory stick and computers, prosecutor Ayesha Smart said.

Investigators found 114 category A movies and 300 category A images; 130 category B movies and 295 category B images; and 8 category C movies and 1,035 category C images.

They featured children aged between one and 14, the court was told.

Allport was distributing the images in a chatroom with 43 members. He shared 21 of them, some at category A, among 18 people, Miss Smart said.

He told the police he began downloading the images in 2016. He was then released under investigation.

On February 3 this year, the police returned to his home and seized three phones and a computer hard drive containing 10 category B images, 83 category C images and 752 prohibited images of children, comprising cartoons and 3D images.

Allport told the police that following his first arrest he had paid an American company for therapy to tackle his sexual attraction to children.

He was again released and he appeared in court in April.

On May 5, he was caught with 39 category A indecent images; 33 at category B and 60 at category C.

He was using a website to chat to boys and girls and taking to other paedophiles.

Allport was then remanded in custody and sentenced on a video link to Leeds Prison.

He pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children in 2017 and two further sets of offences of making indecent images of children.

Allport’s barrister, Charles Blatchford, said he had been frank with the police from the outset.

The group therapy sessions had stopped him offending for 18 months but then he ran out of money to pay for them.

Mr Blatchford conceded that immediate custody was inevitable and pointed to Allport’s lack of any offending until 2016.

Judge Rose said that Allport “embarked on the relentless pursuit of paedophilic images of children being debased and violated.”

He was a determined paedophile who engaged with like-minded perverts to share “disgusting and horrific images.”

Allport was jailed for a total of four years and four months. He must register as a sex offender indefinitely and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made, also for an indefinite period.

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A man sent vile sexual messages to a 13-year-old girl and then accused her of lying when she reported him.

Barry Warner, 51, started chatting to the girl but when it became clear the messages were becoming inappropriate, the teenager drew him in just enough to ensure he incriminated herself.

Warner, of Bedford Road, Birkdale, then began to panic - first accusing the girl of lying, then saying it was just a bit of fun, and then pleading with her to delete the messages.

The girl showed the messages to her mum, who reported Warner to police.

At first Warner tried to deny everything to officers, claiming it was "bulls***" and that he thought he was chatting to the girl's mum.

But his excuses soon collapsed when it was clear from the messages he knew exactly how old the girl was.

Warner, a self-employed heating engineer, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Friday) to be sentenced.

Prosecutor Tom Watson said: "The messages were manipulated by the defendant to become sexual in nature, such as asking to exchange pictures.

"However the girl was astute enough to suspect he was a paedophile and gave him an opportunity to provide further evidence of this.

"She definitely had a level of awareness he was trying to draw her into sexual communications.

"She was one step ahead of him."

The court heard the incident had had a "significant impact" on the victim, leaving her anxious and causing her to lose weight and become withdrawn.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, said Warner now accepted responsibility for his actions and regretted them.

Mr Rawson said: "His mother is in long-term care at a nursing home with dementia. He is a decent man who has worked hard and assists his neighbours."

The judge, Recorder Ian Unsworth QC, told Warner: "From the outset you claimed you thought you were communicating with the girl's mother. This flies in the face of the evidence.

"You deliberately targeted a young girl - it was pre-planned, predatory sexual behaviour.

"You asked her for pictures, and offered pictures of yourself.

"She was a vulnerable, fragile child. Your motives were purely sexual and the messages were of a vile nature.

"When the game was up, you suggested she was lying, pretended it was a joke, and then pretended you didn't know the age of the victim when you knew you were dealing with a girl of 13."

Warner was jailed for 12 months, of which he must serve half and the rest on licence. He was also put on the sex offenders' register and given a restraining order, both lasting 10 years.

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A twisted sexual predator took a teenage woman's knickers as a trophy after trying to rape her.

Shakur Valentino put his hand over the mouth of the 18-year-old victim "to silence her protests" as she screamed for help only for a friend to intervene.

But after he was arrested, he was released by police and just weeks later raped a gran near London's Piccadilly Circus.

Valentino was previously jailed for 12 years, with an extended five years on licence, for raping that woman, who was in her 60s.

Today he was hit with a further five and a half years in jail, with an extended two years, for the attempted rape of his first victim.

Judge Louise Brandon said "a disturbing feature" of both cases was that he "took trophies in the form of items as a reminder of your offending".

Valentino, 23, from St Helens, denied raping the teenager, but on the day she was due to give pre-recorded evidence for a trial, admitted attempted rape.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, said: "It's an attempted rape that comes as close to the full offence as the prosecution say could be imagined."

Liverpool Crown Court heard the victim and two friends met Valentino, then 21, on a night out in St Helens in the early hours of December 9, 2018.

Mr Astbury said the woman and Valentino "were attracted to one another" and the group got a taxi back to the victim's dad's house.

At around 5.30am, the victim and Valentino went into a bedroom and had sex, but they stopped, she put on a dressing gown and left the room.

She told her friends she was "tired" and keen to get some sleep before getting up for work, but when she returned to bed, Valentino "wanted more sex".

Mr Astbury said: "She told him no as she was tired... the defendant refused to take no for an answer."

He said Valentino forced her onto her back and she "protested and told him no, she wanted to go to sleep", but he climbed on top of her.

She tried to fight him off but he was "simply too strong" and when she cried out "he placed his hand over her mouth" to "silence her protests".

Mr Astbury said she believed he raped her, but the prosecution after consulting with the victim took the "pragmatic decision" to accept he didn't.

He said a friend heard her cries and entered the room to find Valentino on top of her.

Valentino "jumped up" and the victim escaped, so frightened that she "ran from the house wearing only her dressing gown and hid behind a parked van in the street".

Her friend confronted Valentino, who accused the victim of being "mental" and left before police arrived.

Officers arrested him nearby, but he claimed any sex was consensual and the victim was "off her head" on alcohol, cocaine and ketamine.

Mr Astbury said a toxicology report refuted these claims.

He said: "Officers found the complainant's knickers hidden in his boxer shorts."

The prosecutor added: "He did accept he had deliberately taken her knickers when getting dressed, but was unable to explain why he had done that."

Mr Astbury said the woman was now receiving counselling and revealed how the attack affected "how she sees others and how it affects her in public places".

Valentino was previously convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm in 2017.

In June 2019 he admitted two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and assault causing actual bodily harm, relating to an attack at around 3.30am on February 4, 2019.

Mr Astbury said Valentino pursued a cleaner walking to work through the west end of London and shouted at her.

He said Valentino grabbed her by the hair, dragged her into an alley and raped her, then threatened a homeless man who tried to intervene.

The rapist carried on but the witness raised the alarm and police arrested Valentino as he fled.

Valentino claimed that victim was a prostitute and any sex was consensual, but Mr Astbury said it was all captured on CCTV.

The footage showed him "hanging around" Piccadilly Circus for around an hour and approaching three other women.

Mr Astbury said this attack was around eight weeks after the first and it appeared Valentino had been released under investigation by police.

Judge Brandon raised Valentino taking clothing in both incidents, to which Cheryl Mottram, defending, confirmed he took the gran's leggings.

Ms Mottram suggested when police arrived the leggings were "taken more out of haste to escape than as a trophy or a trinket".

She said a psychiatric report made clear Valentino "suffered significant traumatic experiences" as a young child that impacted on his thinking.

Ms Mottram said: "There is of course the significant incident in relation to his grandmother, which caused the upheaval of the family being relocated. He had to change his name and he was initially in protective custody."

She said Valentino, who displayed "inappropriate behaviour" in school, was also "abused" by people meant to be looking after him and this was a case of "the abused becomes the abuser".

Ms Mottram said her client now accepted in the bedroom "it was almost like he had switched off to what she was saying to him".

She said he expressed "genuine remorse", his mum and siblings remain supportive, and he hoped to tackle his issues.

Judge Brandon told Valentino he made derogatory remarks about both victims after his attacks, which "disclosed your deep seated and disgraceful attitude to women and you thinking you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, when dealing with women".

The judge said having read the psychological report, she struggled to accept he was genuinely remorseful.

She said it was clear he had been affected by childhood traumas, adding: "You are a very damaged young man."

However, she said he was also "a very dangerous young man".

Judge Brandon said his behaviour was "impulsive and unpredictable", adding: "There remains a complete denial on your part that your actions on either occasion were wrong."

She said more than two years later, his first victim still struggled to sleep because of the "terrifying" attack and no longer stays over at her dad's home.

Judge Brandon said: "It is always on her mind and it continues to impact her ability to live in the way she should be able to do so."

The judge made the sentence consecutive to his existing term, meaning Valentino will have to serve almost 12 years at least behind bars, before he can apply for parole.