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A judge wants to know how dangerous a paedophile is before he sentences him for sexually assaulting a woman on her own in the countryside.

It is the second time Nathan McCracken has been convicted of such an attack. He also has a previous conviction for a sexual crime against a child.

In 2020, he was jailed for driving up to a 16-year-old girl walking on her own in the countryside in Ryedale, getting out of his car, grabbing her from behind and sexually assaulting her.

He had been on parole at the time having been released partway through a prison sentence passed in April 2019 for attempting to incite a child to commit sexual acts.

McCracken initially denied sexually assaulting the woman east of York and maintained his denials up to the day he was due to stand trial at York Crown Court But after she attended court to give evidence against him, he changed his plea.

McCracken, 29, of Commercial Street, Norton, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Simon Hickey to sexually assaulting the woman and two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) made in August 2020.

The same judge had made the order when sentencing McCracken for the sexual attack on the girl in an attempt to stop him committing more offences. It included a clause banning him from approaching any lone woman in public. McCracken admitted breaching the clause.

The judge said he remembered the details of the offences for which he had sentenced McCracken in 2020.

He ordered probation officers to prepare a report on McCracken.

"I want to know if the probation service has any view of whether he is dangerous," he said.

The judge told the sex offender. "I also want to hear from the young lady (the latest victim). No doubt it has had a great effect on her. People are entitled to go about in North Yorkshire and not be molested by people like you."

Prosecuting, Simon Reevell said the second breach of the SHPO related to a computer. The SHPO had a condition that every time McCracken obtained a device by which he could access the internet he had to tell police about it within three days. But he had not done so.

The computer was not used by the defendant before police got their hands on it and examined it.

McCracken was remanded in custody. He will return to York Crown Court on February 7 to learn his punishment.

McCracken faced a second charge of sexual assault which he had previously denied. Following discussions between his barrister Michael Forrest and Mr Reevell, the prosecution decided not to try him on it alone and it was left on file, meaning it will appear on his police record but is not a criminal conviction.

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A 55-year-old man from Latvia has been jailed for sexually assaulting 2 young girls on the Isle of Wight back in 2011, more than 4 years after his victims reported their ordeal to Police.

Sergeis Jakobovskis, formally of Batchelor’s Barn Road in Andover, first appeared before the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court back in August 2020. He stood accused of 2 counts of sexual assault on a girl under 13 and 1 count of sexual assault on a female aged 16 or over.

It’s said that Jakobovskis intentionally touched the 2 girls, the youngest of which was just 8 years old. The matters only came to light when the victims, both now adult women, courageously reported the crimes to Police in 2018.

The case was sent up to the Isle of Wight Crown Court where it was heard for the first time in February 2021 – with an interpreter present. A plea and trial preparation hearing followed in April 2021, followed by another hearing in June. The trial got underway in February of last year but was halted in March, followed by a further case management hearing in early October.

It was later in October 2022 that Jakobovskis was found guilty of all 3 charges against him and he was remanded in custody.

The 55-year-old, who has been in the United Kingdom for over 11 years, was initially due to be sentenced on 12th December but it was only today (Tuesday) that he was finally sent down.

Appearing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court earlier today, Judge Mousley handed Sergeis Jakobovskis an immediate prison sentence of 4 years and ordered him to sign as a registered sex offender. He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He was sentenced to 6 months in prison for sexual assault and 4 years in prison for each of the 2 counts of assaulting a girl under the age of 13 by touching. Each sentence will be served concurrently totalling a 4-year prison term.

DC Dave Widger of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has said:

“Finding the confidence to report sexual abuse takes an incredible amount of bravery on behalf of the victim. I want to commend these two young women for their courage and patience throughout this investigation.

“For any victim, going through the criminal justice process is effectively being made to relive the trauma of what happened to you. I am so pleased that both victims got some very hard earned justice.

“Protecting children is a duty we take extremely seriously as police officers, and we will do everything in our power to bring child sex offenders like Jakobovskis to justice.”

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A convicted sex offender went on a burgling spree across Lancashire's Fylde coast, stealing jewellery, electronics and a Mercedes.

Zachary Jackson, 27, took a woman's wedding jewellery and piled up items at another house, ready for a return trip, Preston Crown Court heard. He has now been jailed for three years and three months.

During the first break-in, in June 2022, the householders returned from holiday to find their home in Westbourne Road, Lancaster, had been ransacked.

£500 in cash, and around £7,000 of sentimental jewellery had been taken, Stephen Parker, prosecuting, told the court on Friday (December 23). The homeowner said as a result of the burglary she no longer felt safe in her home and was unable to sleep at night.

"This has caused significant loss t her and her family - not only monetary but sentimental value", Recorder Michelle Brown, sentencing, said.

In September 2022, Jackson, from Blackpool, struck again, targeting a home in Mains Lane, Poulton-le-Fylde. The householders returned to the bungalow at 10.30am on September 3 to discover the gate was open and their Mercedes was missing from the drive. They went inside and found the bedroom had been ransacked with draws pulled out and a wardrobe left open.

A laptop had been taken, along with cash and jewellery including watches and bracelets - valued at around £10,000. Jackson, of Bold Street, was later stopped in the Mercedes, with another person and was arrested.

On October 1, a woman who lived alone at a house in School Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, returned from a friend's house at 9am and discovered she had been burgled. Bookcases had been moved in the living room and the TV cabinet was open. The living room and bedroom were a mess, with items being rummaged through and a Dyson hairdryer had been stolen. An enamel Japanese box had been opened and the contents strewn across the floor, Mr Parker said.

The woman was upset but thought this was 'her time' but a few days later, Murphy returned. On October 5 the woman arrived home at 9am and found a blue Ikea bag had been filled with items, a Bose speaker had been taken and items had been piled up, as if the burglar planned to return for them.

"These incidents have spooked me and I now feel on edge entering my property", she said. A few days later, a man was asleep at his home in Lanefield Drive, Thornton-Cleveleys, and heard a noise. He went back to sleep but when he woke he discovered a vintage electric guitar and a number of other items had been stolen.

CCTV and mobile phone data enquiries led police to an address in Bond Street, where it appeared Jackson had been living. Jackson, who has a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order after being convicted of a sex attack in 2014, had told the police he was homeless but items such as his passport and other documents showed he had been living at the address.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of dwelling house burglary, taking a vehicle without consent and reach of a sexual harm prevention order. He wrote a letter to the court explaining that at the time of the burglaries he was homeless and in the grips of an addiction to class A drugs. He apologised to his victims and said he has worked to tackle his issues while on remand in prison.

Recorder Brown said: "This was a targeted spree of dwelling house burglaries. One was at night and another was a repeat victim."

She jailed Jackson for three years to run concurrently for each of the burglaries with a further two months concurrent for taking the vehicle without consent. In addition, Jackson will serve three months for breach of a sexual harm prevention order by failing to notify the police of his address.

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Alexander Breslin sent the victim sexual messages, including a sordid video of himself performing a sex act, and got her to engage in sexual activity

A pervert is behind bars after he groomed a 14-year-old girl online then met up with her outside her school.

Alexander Breslin sent the youngster sexual messages, including a sordid video of himself performing a sex act, and got her to engage in sexual activity on Facetime, which he recorded. A court heard that the 22-year-old also discussed BDSM with the victim before he arranged to meet up with her outside her school.

Prosecutors said the pair "hugged and kissed" during the meeting before Breslin returned to his home in Northumberland. However, his lurid behaviour soon came to light after the girl confessed to her cousins that she'd met the pervert and her mother was informed.

Newcastle Crown Court was told her mum waited until her daughter was asleep before looking through her phone, and later her iPod, and found the messages, which had been sent over three-month period in 2019. The police were called and Breslin was arrested.

Now, Breslin, of Shepherd's Coate Drive, in Morpeth, has been jailed for 33 months after he pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming, engaging in sexual activity with a child, causing a child to watch an image of sexual activity, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child and possessing an indecent photograph of a child.

Sue Hirst, prosecuting, said Breslin and the victim started sending messages to each other after meeting in an online chat forum, where both had profiles stating their correct ages. The messages started out "normal" but Breslin soon asked if she wanted to "date" and the tone of their conversations turned sexual.

Although the girl's parents were aware she was talking to an older man, they had no idea of the sexual contact between them as she was doing it secretly on an iPod. Ms Hirst continued: "As the weeks passed, the complainant began to feel something had changed between her and the defendant. On September 23, she said they shouldn't be together. The defendant said he wanted her to meet him before breaking contact."

Ms Hirst added: "They arranged for his parents to drop him off at 3pm outside the complainant's school. He said he would wait outside the gate. He turned up as planned and they walked the route she usually takes home but stopped for a while and sat on a bench. They had a normal conversation then they hugged and kissed and she went back to her home."

The court heard that it was the following day that Breslin sent the victim a video of him performing a sex act and recorded her engaging in sexual activity as they spoke on Facetime. The following weekend, the girl confessed to her cousins that she'd met up with Breslin and her mother was informed.

Ms Hirst said: "Her mother waited until her daughter had gone to sleep then looked through the content of her mobile phone and was shocked by the sexual messages sent from the defendant to her daughter. The next morning, she spoke to [the victim] and examined the content of her iPod and found files on that device of indecent images of [the victim]."

In a statement, the victim said she'd been left feeling "isolated from both her peers and her family" and had become a "very anxious person".

Kate Barnes, defending, said Breslin had initially sought solace and support from the teenager before things turned sexual. She added: "It is a combination of his social isolation and mental ill health. There is a history of depression and self-harm. He has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder."

Breslin was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for the same period.

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The evil paedophile also served time for separately abusing a seven-year-old boy

A Galway man found guilty of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in the 1980s is back on the streets after serving time in prison for his crimes.

Anthony Spellman, who had lived in the UK before his conviction, is expected to have returned to the UK after he was freed from Midlands Prison just before Christmas.

Spellman was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in the 1980s.

Spellman was found guilty in Galway Circuit Court in 2020 of 20 counts of indecent assault for sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy between June 1984 and January 1986.

During the trial for those offences, the jury had not been informed that at that time he was convicted and serving prison time for abusing a seven-year-old boy.

It also emerged in court hearings that Anthony Spellman had received a Risk of Sexual Harm Order from South Cheshire Magistrates Court for sending explicit messages to a 15-year-old boy that expired in 2014.

The judge sentenced Spellman to a total of 16 months on counts one to 18, and another 16 months on each of counts 19 and 20.

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A high-risk sex offender who preyed on underage girls broke his court order when he bought an internet-enabled television using a benefit payment.

Jason Davidson was caught out when police turned up at his home unannounced and discovered the smart TV in the property at Waterloo Place, Inverness.

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A convicted sex offender disguised his car with fake number plates before going out and masturbating in front of a jogger on a busy main road, a court has heard. Darryl Price opened the door of the parked car and pleasured himself as the lone female passed by on the pavement before getting out of the vehicle and following her. He then jumped back into the car and sped off, and became involved in a high-speed chase with police as he tried to get away.

Swansea Crown Court heard Price has a previous conviction for exposure in similar circumstances when he masturbated in front of a group of teenager girls from a van. Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said on the evening of March 18 this year a female jogger on Margam Road in Port Talbot saw a black Ford Fiesta parked at the side of the road a little way in the distance - the car was facing her, and the passenger door was open

As the jogger approached the vehicle she saw a "smirking" man sat in the passenger seat with his trousers pulled down and his penis in his hand. The court heard Price gestured towards his penis and told her to "put your hand on this" - the woman responded by telling him to f*** ***. The woman continued on her way but Price got out of the Fiesta and began to follow her before turning around, getting back into the car, and speeding off - almost colliding with a passing car as he did so. The incident was reported to police, and the woman was able to give a partial number plate.

The court heard that a short time later an officer on vehicle patrol in Port Talbot spotted a car matching the description of the suspected Ford, and signalled for it to stop. Price responded by speeding away, and the officer gave chase. The prosecutor said the defendant raced through the town at speeds touching 80mph, overtaking numerous cars as he did so and at one point speeding over a zebra crossing on the wrong side of the road. The officer ended the pursuit as Price sped along the A48 dual carriageway towards the M4 junction.

The court heard the PC had been able to note the full number plate of the fleeing car, and checks showed the registration number displayed on the Fiesta actually belonged to a Peugeot registered to a woman living in Bridgend. Officers then set about checking the details of local sex offenders, and the offender manager in charge of Price said the defendant had mentioned to him in passing a few months earlier that he had access to cloned plates.

The Fiesta was subsequently found outside a garage in Cefn Cribwr, and when officers searched it they found a receipt for a McDonald's meal which had been purchased shortly before the Margam exposure - when CCTV from the burger joint's drive-thru was checked it showed Price at the wheel of the car. The fake number plates were found a few days later on farmland near South Cornelly, and tests found the defendant's fingerprints on them. The prosecutor said an examination of automatic number plate recognition cameras from around Port Talbot showed the Fiesta - which actually belonged to Price's mother - was displaying its correct plates shortly before the offence, and it was reasonable to assume Price had fitted the plates that evening in order to carry out the offence and avoid detection.

The court heard Price was arrested on March 25 after police spotted him walking through Pyle - he ran away from the officers through nearby gardens but was chased and caught. Darryl Ashley Price, 29, of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to exposure, dangerous driving, and fraudulent use of a car registration mark when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He has previous convictions including for inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent - for which he was sentenced to six years in prison in 2017 - drug-driving, and drugs and weapons offences. In 2018 he was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison for exposure after he had masturbated in front of a group of teenage girls from the driver's seat of a van in Port Talbot, and had asked them if they "wanted any". He was out of prison on licence for the GBH at the time of the Margam offence, and has since been recalled to prison to serve the rest of that sentence.

Rhodri Chudleigh, for Price, said the defendant had been living with his mother at the time of the incident, and had been using her car. He said his client had three children with three different partners, and was a plasterer by trade. He said Price recognised that his daily use of cannabis was a contributory factor in his offending, and said while in prison he had completed a number of courses including one on thinking skills

Judge Huw Rees described what happened on Margam Road as a "disgraceful incident" which had caused distress to the woman, and he told Price that in doing what he had done he had demeaned his victim and demeaned himself. With a one third discount for his guilty plea to exposure the defendant was sentenced to six months in prison and with a one quarter discount for the plea to the dangerous driving offence to nine months in prison to run consecutively.

He was also sentenced to six months for the number plate offence to run concurrently with the other matters making an overall sentence of 15 months in prison. Price will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also banned from driving for a total of 31 months. Price will be on the sex offenders register for the next seven years.

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A former priest who abused young boys for almost 20 years has been handed a suspended sentence after he breached a court order.

Disgraced cleric Daniel Gerard Curran was handed a three-month jail term, suspended for three years, today (Thursday) after previously pleading guilty to breaching his lifelong sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

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A man who was jailed for sex offences has been returned to prison after giving sweets to children in County Durham.

Kenneth Pybus, aged 75, is banned from having unsupervised contact with children following a conviction in 2019 for carrying out child sexual offences.

Durham Crown Court heard how Pybus had been handed a five year sentence for the crimes by Norwich Crown Court in November 2019. He was later released from prison on licence in February 2022, when he moved to Sacriston and was monitored by police.

However, the court heard how Pybus had begun speaking to children in the area and giving them sweets and dog treats so as to "establish relationships."

When police became aware, he was arrested and recalled to prison.

Pybus pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and was handed a 14 month sentence.

In sentencing, Recorder Edward Legard described Pybus' behaviour as "classic grooming techniques".

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AN NHS surgeon who worked at University Hospital Southampton has been convicted of possessing "revolting and abhorrent" images of child sexual abuse.

Plastic surgeon Mansoor Khan was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) he was found to have 106 images - mostly of boys aged between five and seven - on his mobile phone and a hard drive.

Interviewed by NCA investigators the 54-year-old, who also worked at Salisbury District Hospital, admitted receiving the images from a contact on Snapchat.

But he claimed to have acted out of curiosity and had no intention of promoting, sharing or storing them.

The surgeon, who specialises in reconstructive surgery, breast surgery, body contouring and "facial rejuvenation", was charged with three offences of making and possessing indecent images of a child between December 10, 2020, and August 24, 2021.

They included 31 category A images - ranked the most serious.

He denied the offences but was convicted at Salisbury Crown Court following a five-day trial and is due to be sentenced on February 24 next year.

The court heard that Khan used encrypted sites to message others and repeatedly accessed child pornography using his mobile phone.

"By downloading these images he demonstrated a sexual interest in children and helped fuel the sickening demand for this kind of material.

"He denied ever taking screenshots of images on his phone, but our investigation showed this simply wasn’t true.

"The NCA continues to pursue offenders like Khan, to bring them to justice and protect victims of online child sexual abuse."

During the trial Charles Gabb, prosecuting, said Khan gave in to sexual temptation "many times over".

Referring to the category A images he added: "They are of the most revolting and abhorrent kind. They are just awful. You can rarely, if ever, expunge it from your memory."

Khan spent many years pretending to be a pillar of society but was nursing a "deep and sordid secret", the court heard.

Mr Gabb said: "In the privacy of those moments where he and his phone were together he thought he would never, ever be caught."

Khan, of Ridgeway Road, Salisbury, worked at University Hospital Southampton until October last year and has now been dismissed by Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

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A taxi driver who planned to collect a 13-year-old girl from school for sex has been jailed.

Naveed Ansari, 46, of Beckside Road, Bradford, exchanged sexual messages with a decoy profile set up by a group of paedophile hunters.

The cabbie sent the 'teenager' a picture of his genitals and arranged to meet her in Leeds.

He was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Bradford Crown Court on Friday after admitting three child sex offences.

Prosecutor Richard Walters told the court Ansari was repeatedly told the girl was only 13 during conversations on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

The married taxi driver, who initially claimed to be aged 20, said he would treat the girl "like a princess" and promised to buy her presents.

"He suggested he would buy her a dress and a bra and he showed her images of a teddy bear he had bought for her," Mr Walters said.

Ansari encouraged the 'girl' to perform sex acts on herself and told her she must keep their conversations secret or they would both get in trouble.

He suggested picking her up from school in his cab and said "no-one would be suspicious because people would think he was just a taxi driver," the prosecutor told the court.

Ansari arranged to meet the girl for the first time in Richmond Hill, Leeds, on 23 October last year.

When he arrived he was confronted by members of the Net Justice online predator hunting group, who detained him until police arrived to arrest him.

Police found Viagra tablets, condoms and a receipt for the playsuit, which he had bought the previous night, in his car. They also discovered indecent and extreme pornographic images on his mobile phone, the court heard.

Ansari pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

'Denial of responsibility'

Katherine Robinson, in mitigation, said Ansari had found it very hard to accept what he had done.

Ansari had lost his family, his reputation and his job as a result of his actions, the barrister added.

Recorder Tahir Khan KC told Ansari the only sentence that could be justified was immediate imprisonment.

The judge added: "I'm satisfied this wasn't just talk. You wanted to meet this 13-year-old child, as you believed her to be.

"You had come prepared. A black playsuit for a 13 to 14-year-old girl was found in the car."

The judge added Ansari, despite his guilty pleas, continued to "deny responsibility" for his crimes.

Ansari will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which prohibits contact with girls aged under 16.

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Michael James told the boy he had recorded the attack and 'if he ever told anyone then people would hate him and think he was dirty', the court heard

A paedophile filmed himself sexually abusing a 10-year-old then threatened to release the footage if the boy told anyone. Michael James from Merthyr Tydfil attacked three boys and raped two of them.

James, now 66, terrorised the children in the 1990s and 2000s. In one case he threatened to kill a 15-year-old boy if he revealed the abuse, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Andrew Davies said one of the victims was aged around 10 when he was attacked. The pervert asked to "play wrestling" before groping his thighs and then his private parts. He said "let me see" but the boy "knew something was wrong" and managed to flee, the court heard.

A few weeks later James trapped the boy and left him "shaking and scared" as he pulled him onto the floor and took down the child's trousers.

The boy was struggling and saying: "What are you doing?" James put his hand over the boy's mouth to stop him talking and positioned his knees atop the child before penetrating him. The boy was in pain and afterwards realised he was bleeding.

"The defendant sat him down and pointed to a camera on the mantelpiece," said Mr Davies. "He told him he had recorded what happened and if he ever told anyone then people would hate him and think he was dirty."

James attacked another boy after grooming him with alcohol and cigarettes. On one occasion, he put his tongue into the child's ear "in the guise of whispering", said the prosecutor.

On a later occasion James told the boy he was gay and "confused". Mr Davies told the court: "He started begging the child to kiss him. The child refused but the defendant began kissing him. The child again said no and asked what he was doing. The defendant then said, 'Come with me.'"

James grabbed the boy's wrist, led him into a bedroom and raped him. He was holding the boy's shoulder and at one point grabbed him by the throat. The boy was saying "no" and that he would tell people. It was only when the child said "you raped me" that James stopped.

The victim later told police: "I remember him putting his hand over my mouth and he grabbed hard. He said he was going to kill me if I told anybody. I think that's why I was scared."

He made a report to police years after the abuse. In his victim statement he said: "It hurts to even write his name on paper, never mind speak it. My mind flipped the day this happened. Did I do something wrong? Was I in the wrong place?

"I hid. I would not go out. I put up a wall so tall that I was lost as a person. I had a mixture of anger and hate towards my life that my mother could not work out. I failed all my GCSEs because of him."

The victim said he later put all his emotions into his work and got a degree, but added: "Really I was running away. No qualification or degree could take the pain away."

He told how the rape impacted his romantic relationships. "I couldn't love like a normal person. There's no trust, just nerves. I'm still unable to connect with another person on an intimate level."

One of the boys was targeted in the early '90s and the other in the late '00s. James, formerly of Galon Uchaf, was sentenced in court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to rape, buggery and indecent assault. He appeared via a video link from prison in the Isle of Wight, where he already is serving a 14-year jail term imposed in 2021 for sexual offences, including rape, against a third boy under the age of 16.

Andrew Taylor, mitigating, said his client is in "very, very poor health", adding that diabetes has affected his eyesight and he is also dealing with heart and hip problems. James has lost 10kg since May due to his medication and is in "constant pain", the barrister added.

Mr Taylor continued: "When released, given his age and myriad health problems, there would be no realistic prospect, even if he was inclined, of him coming into contact with children."

The barrister said that his client is remorseful and that HMP Albany has a "regrettable" lack of courses available for sex offenders. "He has been asking why he can't attend courses, why he can't deal with his offending... For 20 months he has had no visits. He is very much isolated on the Isle of Wight."

The judge, Recorder Greg Bull KC, recalled presiding over last year's trial over the sexual offences against the third victim. "One thing that struck me at the time was that you had no remorse at all," he told James on Wednesday. "You are a dangerous offender. Members of the public, especially young boys, would be at risk of harm should I not pass an extended sentence."

He imposed an extended sentence of six years in custody and four on licence, which will be added to the sentence already being served. "When it comes to the extra six years, you will have to serve at least two thirds of those six years in custody before you can apply for parole," the judge added. "I want to make it clear I would have passed a higher sentence were it not for the fact you are currently serving such a substantial sentence."

James will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

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A lewd paedophile took Lego Star Wars sets and a toilet brush to a sordid meetup at a Costa Coffee.

Mark Edwards, 50, brought the gifts and a sex toy, among other troubling items, to the coffee shop - where he had hoped to meet with the parents of a seven-year-old boy, whom he planned to rape. A court heard the convicted sex offender used the pseudonym Daddy4Young on an online fetish forum as he sought out young victims to abuse.

But the paedophile was subject to a sting set up by Merseyside Police. Officers created a profile on a sex fetish and sadomasochism website and posted in a group on the chatroom saying he was "curious about kinks".

Edwards, going under the username "Daddy4Young", contacted the decoy saying he was "interested in talking to a fellow paedophile" and was particularly interested in children aged between seven and 13.

And he was arrested at the coffee shop in Edge Hill, Liverpool, after travelling more than 80 miles from his home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.

Online, Edwards went on to discuss having sex with the fictional child, saying he would bring him Lego and wanted to have "nake time" with the youngster, reports Liverpool Echo.

When he was detained on August 19, the bemused pervert asked "how did you know it was me?". Two Star Wars Lego sets, tealights, a sex toy, a bat, shoe laces, a box of Deep Heat and a toilet brush were found during a search of his car.

His mobile phone was seized and was found to have a browser which wipes the user's internet history installed. Edwards also had a stash of 59 indecent images of children stored on the device.

A separate operation by West Midlands Police had seen a second undercover profile set up on the same site, posing as the father of a 12-year-old boy. Edwards began chatting with the officer on August 8, confessing that he wanted a "young boy to be his willing sex slave and torture boy".

The twisted predator spoke about "whipping" his son and again discussed meeting up and having sex with the child. He has one previous set of convictions from 2016 for making and possessing indecent images of children.

On this occasion, Edwards was given a community order and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. This banned him from deleting his internet history or installing software which allowed him to conceal his online activities.

But after the latest offences, Edwards was jailed for eight years and handed an extended four-year licence period at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

He admitted two counts of arranging a child sex offence, encouraging sexual activity with a child, three charges of making indecent images, possession of indecent images and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Sentencing, Recorder David Knifton KC said: "It is apparent that you are sexually attracted to children, particularly children between the ages of five and 13 years. These offences were part of a well-established pattern of sexual offending, behaviour against children which has now escalated to the stage of attempted contact with a child.

"You show little insight into what is regarded as significantly distorted thinking and behaviour and the appalling consequences which it could have led to. You pose a high risk of serious harm to children.

"It is clear that you were intent on meeting with other like-minded paedophiles with a view to committing the most serious sex offences, including rape against young children, with little or no regard to the consequences for any potential victims. You are clearly a dangerous offender."

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A MANIPULATIVE sexual offender has been sent back to prison.

Adrian Thomas, 29, of Magdalene Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Swansea Crown Court on December 21 where he was sent to prison for further breaches of a sexual harm prevention order.

Thomas had been made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order in 2017 after he was convicted of meeting a 16-year-old girl after sexually grooming her online. He received a 16-month prison sentence for the offence.

He appeared before the court today after admitting four counts of breaching the order. Mr Jones, prosecuting, told the court how police went to Thomas house on October 24 and he answered the door but wouldnt let him in, stating he had tested positive for covid.

Mr Jones said: They asked to see the test and could see it was clearly negative. Thomas is said to have told officers he was confused and let them in.

They had a look at his mobile phone which he had been in possession of since April and police were aware of this and saw he had WhatsApp with messages only from the October.

When he was asked why there was no messages on WhatsApp between him and his mother prior to October, he told officers that they had fallen out which was contradicted by the call log on his phone and his mothers statement to police.

Officers also found that he had three social media accounts which were not under his name or a police approved name and that he had not made officers aware of his use of the social media accounts which was part of his conditions under the order.

He had accounts on TikTok and Discord with the username ADECFC92 and on Twitch under ADEYYTG.

He had also been found to have been in contact with a 16-year-old girl on the device and had told her he was 21 and asked if she had a boyfriend or girlfriend.

When interviewed, he said he was confused about the username part of the order and didnt think he had done anything wrong and then answered no comment.

Mr Griffiths, defending, told the court how his client had entered guilty pleas at the first opportunity at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court. He said how Thomas had asked for a pre-sentence report to be completed and that it was a damning read.

His Honour Judge P H Thomas KC who handed him a sentence previously for breaching the order - called Thomas a manipulative and undeterrable man and said that there was no chance of rehabilitation. He told him how he had lied to police and that he wasnt a very good liar.

Judge Thomas said: If you come before the court again, the next sentence will be higher. It is up to you if you want to spend the majority of the next two decades in prison or if you want to do something to sort this out.

Thomas who appeared via video link from Swansea Magistrates Court - was jailed for two years and the sexual harm prevention order remains in force until 2027.

Record details

A man who murdered a pregnant woman and three children in Derbyshire will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was sentenced to a whole life prison term.

Damien Bendall pleaded guilty to murdering his then partner Terri Harris, her 11-year-old daughter Lacey Bennett, her 13-year-old son John Paul Bennett, and Lacey's 11-year-old friend Connie Gent.

He previously denied the murders but changed his pleas when he appeared at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday, where he also admitted raping Lacey.

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said the sexual offence was committed "in the grossest breach of trust" as the 11-year-old's life ebbed away.

He said "just punishment" required that Bendall be kept in prison for the rest of his life in relation to each count of murder, and he also imposed another whole life order for the rape.

Lacey and John Paul were Ms Harris's children from a previous relationship, and Connie had been at the house in Killamarsh, near Sheffield, for a sleepover.

Connie was only due to stay for one night, but managed to get permission from her mother, fatefully extending her stay by another night - coinciding with the attacks, the court heard.

Bendall, 32, is believed to have gone around the family home looking for his victims individually, and then attacking them in different rooms in order to kill them, the court was told.

He murdered the four victims at the house he shared with Ms Harris, 35, in what prosecutor Louis Mably KC told the court were "brutal, vicious and cruel attacks" on a "defenceless" woman and three children.

Mr Mably said Bendall attacked them with a claw hammer which he used to hit them over the head and on the upper body.

"Their skulls were smashed in" and "it was perfectly clear none of the victims stood a chance," Mr Mably added.

He continued: "One of the dreadful facts about this case is that during the attacks, the defendant raped 11-year-old Lacey."

Ms Harris and the three children were found dead in Chandos Crescent on 19 September last year.

After Bendall killed them, he took John Paul's games console, then went to Sheffield in a taxi, and there he exchanged the device for drugs, said Mr Mably.

Bendall would later tell police he had consumed "three to four bags of cocaine and then blacked out".

In an interview with officers at Ripley police station after he was arrested, Bendall told them: "I used the hammer."

He added: "Bet you don't usually get four murders in Killamarsh do you - well, five (murders), because my missus was having a baby."

Mr Mably said: "On the night of Saturday September 17, 2021, stretching into the early hours of September 19, the defendant brutally and viciously murdered his then partner, Terri Harris, who is aged 35 - and was in the early stages of pregnancy.

"He also murdered Terri's two children, by a previous partner, her 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter Lacey, and he murdered Connie Gent, also aged 11.

"She was a friend of Lacey's who just happened that evening to be staying at Lacey's house for a sleepover."

John and Lacey's father, Jason Bennett, said that the murder had "destroyed" him and that life now seemed "pointless".

In a victim impact statement, he said: "It's like my heart has been shattered into a billion pieces never to be repaired. I'm a shadow of my former self, I am nothing... I have lots of love around me but the love I crave off my beautiful kids, I can't have that, that's a hole that can never be filled."

Connie's father Charles Gent said no sentence would ever be sufficient justice for his daughter's death adding: "The man who carried out the crimes can only be described as truly evil and should never be free from incarceration, just like the families of the victims in this case will never be free from their life sentence as a result of the shocking and abhorrent crimes he committed on a defenceless woman and children."

After sentencing, Andrew Baxter from the CPS said: "It is hard to put into words the scale of Damien Bendall's barbaric and horrifying actions. He went through the house looking for the victims until he had killed them all, raping one of the children in the attack.

"What he did left two families utterly devastated by grief and a community in bewilderment and shock."

Earlier, Mr Mably told the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, that prosecutors were seeking a whole life term for Bendall, given the gravity of the offences.