Latest Offenders

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Paedophile Keith Hollinshead has been locked up for 10 years after sexually abusing a young boy. The 65-year-old carried out the offences more than three decades ago.

But his seedy offending only came to light when the victim went to Staffordshire Police in 2018 after confiding in his wife. The OAP was convicted of six serious child-sex offences following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The court heard that the abuse lasted for five years.

Read: Dad-of-three hurled fearsome knife on roof in bid to avoid arrest

Sentencing Hollinshead, of Water Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Recorder Anthony Warner said: "What started with stroking his hair, his arms and his legs moved to touching his genitals under his clothing. He described your hand 'like a crab' moving down."

The victim realised the horrors of the offending when later attending sex education lessons at school. It has left him feeling suicidal.

Recorder Warner told Hollinshead: "I cannot say that there's no risk, or future risk, of you committing another serious offence. He said nothing to anyone for many years. He finally spoke to his wife in 2018. The police were called.

"While he was giving his evidence in court the pain he had suffered, and still suffers, was palpable. Even now there's rarely a day when he doesn't think of what you did. He said he felt worthless and it became a downward spiral. He has attempted to end his life.

"It left him feeling dirty making him want to scrub his skin clean. His wife has started to enable him to feel that he should be loved."

Police have welcomed the conviction and sentence.

Detective Constable Diane Sproston said: “I want to pay tribute to the victim and the tremendous courage and bravery he has showed in bringing this case to the courts. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to bring those responsible for these heinous crimes to justice, whilst ensuring the victims are given the support they need.”

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A ROMAN Catholic priest has been jailed for sexual offences against a teenage boy he met in church.

Father Anthony White has been convicted of two counts of indecent assault and one of buggery against the boy.

The offences happened in the early 1990s at an address where White was living in Horsham while he was an assistant priest at St John's Church.

The 64-year-old was sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for the sexual assault.

White, now of Cross-In-Hand, Heathfield, was also given five years for each offence of indecent assault, to run concurrently.

He will serve two thirds of his sentence in prison. 

 Detective Constable Yvonne Daddow said: "White got to know the boy when he and his family attended the church.

“He gradually gained their confidence and the boy started to visit the priest's address in Horsham on the pretext of doing some jobs around the house.

“However on the first occasion White plied the boy with drink and then raped him. On further occasions he also committed sexual assaults on the teenager.

"The victim kept these terrible experience to himself for nearly 30 years and they have had a very serious impact on his mental health and wellbeing all that time.

“Only when watching a TV documentary about unrelated cases of misconduct by priests did he feel able to come forward and disclose what had happened to him.”

He has been supported by specially trained officers and officers have had full co-operation from church authorities throughout the investigation, police said.

“I would like to thank the witnesses for their time in coming forward to support the police in this investigation,” Detective Constable Daddow added.

"We will always investigate such cases and provide support to victims, seeking justice wherever possible no matter how long ago the events are said to have happened."

The prosecution followed an investigation by detectives from the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit after a report was received by police for the first time in 2020. 

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A CHURCH has expressed its great shock after a member of its congregation was sentenced for downloading almost 5,000 child porn pictures.

Andrew Loring, of Hurst Road, Twyford, was spared jail after being convicted of three counts of making indecent images between 2017 and 2019.

The 45-year-old also worked with children having attained a number of leadership roles within the Hurst Scouts group.

Following his sentencing last month, St Marys Twyford released a statement.

A spokesperson said: News of Mr Lorings arrest, and the crimes he has admitted to, has come as a great shock to many in our community. He was a longstanding volunteer and member of the congregation at St Marys Twyford, a regular volunteer at Woodley Park Run, and has held a variety of leadership roles within the Scouts.

Mr Loring was immediately suspended from volunteering at St Marys Twyford on 22 November 2019.

There can be no excuse for his actions and his betrayal of trust. His is not a victimless crime, a fact the judge reminded Mr Loring of during sentencing.

Young and innocent lives are forever damaged by downloading indecent images. Many others are affected, too: the young people who looked up to him left questioning what to believe; staff and leaders left to pick up the pieces; a congregation bewildered by the actions of someone they called a friend.

In the view of the judge, Mr Loring has, since his arrest, demonstrated a willingness to address the root causes of his actions and has a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. We hope that this is indeed the case.

Today, we are shocked, saddened, and experiencing feelings that don't have words for. We offer all of this to God and pray for a world where children are safe from online abuse."

According to a court file, the 45-year-old downloaded:

- 971 Category A images (the most severe)

- 999 Category B images

- 2,623 Category C images

Appearing at Reading Crown Court on May 26, the 45-year-old was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months.

The Chronicle contacted Scouts for comment following news of Lorings sentence.

A spokesperson for the organisation confirmed Loring will never be allowed to work with Scouts again.

They said: We are aware of the court proceedings involving Andrew Loring.

The safety of young people in our care is our number one priority. In November 2019 Loring provided us with information that led to him being suspended from the Scouts. He has not volunteered with us since that date.

The statutory agencies have confirmed that there were no Scout victims involved in this case.

Following Lorings admission of guilt we will now take action to permanently exclude him from ever volunteering with Scouting again.

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A rapist who carried out a string of sexual assaults on a young girl has been jailed.

Luke Riley, 36, subjected the girl to more than two years of appalling sexual abuse.

The long list of offences took place in the Mansfield area at a time when the child was still of primary school age.

In total Riley, of Mansfield, had 11 separate child sex charges brought against him but always denied doing anything wrong.

Rileys lies meant that the girl was forced to relive her horrifying ordeal all over again in court as part of a week-long trial in April of this year.

In a victim impact statement read out in Nottingham Crown Court, the girl revealed how Rileys wicked actions had ruined her childhood and had caused her to self-harm in the years that followed.

Following the trial, a jury found Riley guilty of 11 child sex offences, including two counts of rape of a child under the age of 13.

Riley then appeared before Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing today (10 June), where he was jailed for 18 years.

Detective Sergeant James Primrose, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: Riley subjected a vulnerable young girl to more than two years of horrifying sexual abuse, the likes of which nobody should ever have to go through.

Put simply, his actions were completely unforgivable and just pure evil.

At no point has Riley shown any level of remorse or contrition for his horrendous behaviour and actually forced the girl to relive everything that happened to her all over again by lying about what he did in court.

I can only imagine how difficult and upsetting an ordeal this must have been for the victim but I hope that the knowledge that her abuser will now be behind bars for a very long time will serve as some form of comfort for her.

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A MAN from Middlewich who sexually assaulted a disabled woman on a train has been hauled back to court after breaching requirements of the sex offenders register. David Baden Kemp, of Manor Fields, failed to comply with notification requirements which make it necessary for him, by law, to sign the register. The 60-year-old appeared in Crewe Magistrates Court on Tuesday, June 7, to be sentenced for the offence. He was originally jailed for six months on September 7, 2016, after sexually assaulting a disabled woman on a train near Sandbach. The Guardian previously reported how Kemp and his victim boarded the same train at Sandbach Station on June 12, 2015. He then approached the victim in an empty carriage and asked her to move so he could sit next to her. When she refused, he tried to engage her in conversation. Again, she refused. Kemp then dropped to his knees in front of her and began running his hand up her leg. She immediately reported the incident to the train guard, and Kemp was met and arrested by British Transport Police at the next station. As well as the six-month prison sentence for this offence, Kemp was placed on the register for six years - expiring in September 2022. Crewe Magistrates Court has now fined him 120 for failing to sign on. He must also pay 85 in court costs and a 34 victim surcharge. His guilty plea was taken into account.

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A former teaching assistant has been jailed for the sexual assault of a child under 13 Essex Police officers from the child abuse investigation teams (CAIT) arrested 25-year-old Michael Pena-Briggs shortly after an offence was reported to the force in March 2019. Following a complex investigation he was charged in October 2019 with sexual assault of a child under 13. Pena-Briggs, of The Grove in Cambridge, faced his first trial for the offence at Chelmsford Crown Court in May 2021 but was met with a hung jury. The retrial began last month where he was found guilty. It took less than 2 hours for the jury to reach the verdict. At the same court on Monday he was jailed for four years. He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life. Investigating officer for the case, Detective Sergeant Stuart Pryke, said: Offences of this kind will always be shocking and disturbing, particularly when that person is in a position of trust. This will undoubtedly be difficult news for the local community but please be assured that our teams and partners have safeguarded and supported all those involved in the investigation. The victim and their family have shown incredible strength and courage throughout this lengthy and complex case. Everything we do and all the hard work is for them, to make sure that they get the justice they deserve." The victims family have said: This has been a long journey but the police and the CPS have been unrelenting in their pursuit of justice. We are especially grateful to DS Pryke of Essex Police for his commitment and dedication, and to CARA, the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, for their ongoing support. We hope that by achieving this significant result, other victims and their families will have the confidence to come forward and work with the police so that more offenders can be apprehended and more children protected.

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A SEX offender who distributed indecent images of children from his 900,000 home in Kilmacolm told how he 'fantasises' about young female members of his own family. William Robertson, 66 who was caught with photos of girls aged between four and 15 years revealed his sordid thoughts to another pervert in a flurry of online messages. Robertson also wrote on the Kik messenger app that he was 'into schoolgirls', a hearing at Greenock Sheriff Court was told. Cybercrime police swooped on his plush home as part of an intelligence-led sting operation on May 4 last year. Officers found 66 indecent images of female children on Robertson's laptop computer and iPhone spanning the three most serious categories. During the raid, the 66-year-old said to his wife: "I'm not part of a ring or anything like that." Prosecutor Laura Wilcox told the court how police were acting on information about indecent images 'connected to the accused' being 'uploaded to the internet'. Fiscal depute Miss Wilcox said: "Child exploitation and abuse material was recovered. "All of the images were accessible to the user. "The accused said he fantasizes about young female members of his own family." Robertson pleaded guilty to charges of, on various occasions, taking or permitting to be taken or making and possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children between August 1 2018 and May 3 2021. He also admitted to, on various occasions between February 1 and May 4 last year, distributing or showing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. Robertson committed the offences at a house on Kilmacolm's West Glen Road and elsewhere. He is currently on bail at a different address. His plea of not guilty to a charge of covertly filming female children entering a school was accepted by prosecutors. Sheriff Linda Smith deferred sentence on Robertson until June 29 for a background report and electronic tagging assessment to be carried out. The sheriff immediately placed him on the Sex Offenders Register, with the length of his inclusion to be determined at his next hearing.

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A man snared by online paedophile hunters posing as 12 and 13 year old girls has been jailed.

Paul White, 55, had been having sexualised communication with what he believed were giris, aged 12 and 13, but in fact were members of a group known as Innocent Voices.

Norwich Crown Court heard White had been communicating with them after setting up fake profiles on social media.

Duncan O'Donnell, prosecuting, said that between October 2021 and March this year White had been engaged in "sexualised chat" with the pair, asking them if they had boyfriends and if their breasts had developed yet.

He requested they send pictures and asked whether they wanted to see him - although never met up with them.

But White was then contacted by an adult decoy who said she was an adult woman who he met with at a pub in Upwell on March 13 this year.

He was then confronted by paedophile hunters who had passed on details to the police.

White had been in possession of an internet-enabled mobile phone which was in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed on him after previously being convicted for sexual offences in 2017.

White, of Dovecote Road, Upwell, near Wisbech appeared at court on Thursday (June 9) to be sentenced after having previously admitted four offences, including two charges of sexual communications with what he believed was a girl under-16.

He also admitted breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed in 2017 by attempting to communicate with under-16s and possessing a mobile phone without informing police.

Jailing him for 40 months Judge Katharine Moore said the spell of offending was "deeply concerning".

Judge Moore said White was a "dangerous offender" who was assessed as being a "high risk of causing serious sexual harm" to children.

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said White, who deserved credit for plea, lost his father, who he described as his best friend, about 12 months ago which hit him "very hard".

He said that White needed help to "rewire his brain".

White was ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for 10 years while the case was adjourned until July 7 when a new sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) will be made.

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Stephen Jones, of Sunderland, was subject to restrictions after he was caught by paedophile hunters, including being banned from deleting internet devices A sex offender has been jailed for deleting the history on his phone. Stephen Jones was given a chance to stay out of prison in 2020 when he was caught by paedophile hunters attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. As part of his sentence for that offence he got a sexual harm prevention order and one of the terms of it was a ban on deleting his internet history. On May 11 this year, police went to his home to check up on him and asked to examine his devices. The 55-year-old, of Gladstone Street, Sunderland, handed over a phone, saying they would not find anything on it. When told there should be something on it, as he was banned from erasing it, he said: "You won't find anything, I wiped it. I like to wipe my phone." He was arrested and replied "S*** I'm going to prison." As well as the conviction from 2020, he was also in court in September last year of failing to comply with his sex offender notification requirements after failing to notify a change of address. And in November he was convicted of a similar breach. For the latest offence, he pleaded guilty to breaching his sexual harm prevention order and was jailed for 18 months. Judge Christopher Prince, at Newcastle Crown Court, told him: "You have got a concerning record in recent times. You are a high risk of sexual offences against children."

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Sick predator Robert Moors, 36, attempted to groom girls as young as eight using social media video app TikTok before moving the conversation to Whatsapp where he asked one about her underwear A creepy predator has been thrown in jail for four years after it emerged he was grooming girls as young as eight via social media app TikTok. Robert Moors, 36, used the China-owned video app to ask one of his two of his victims what underwear she as wearing. The 12-year-old admitted that they were Frozen-themed, and the sick man then asked her to perform sexual acts, Oxford Crown Court heard. And he even dared the girl to tell her brother to expose his genitals for five seconds. Things took an even more sinister turn when the man, who went under the name Goldeneye0073, moved the conversation to WhatsApp. A second victim, who was ten when she was contacted on TikTok by Moors, was asked what she was wearing. He suggested she remove her underwear. The vile messages were discovered when the second girl approached her father 'shaking and crying' and showed him the social media conversation. Moors was arrested two days later, on December 21 last year, and his mobile phone was seized. When it was searched by police experts, the phone was found to contain 95 child sex abuse videos in the worst category, which includes depictions of child rape. There were 75 videos in category B and 65 in category C. The children in the videos were aged between six and 11. He was interviewed twice and answered no comment to all questions asked. Jailing him for four years, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: "You opened TikTok, you browsed through the material that was openly on view and you selected two girls who happened to be eight and 10-years-old. "You spoke to them directly and you asked them to do sexual things, albeit not the most serious sexual things but we are talking about girls under 10. "Why were you doing it? For your own sexual gratification. Gareth James, mitigating, described the case as a troubling one and acknowledged the custody threshold had been passed. His client had no previous convictions and entered his guilty pleas at the first opportunity. Moors pleaded guilty to inciting a girl under-13 to engage in sexual activity and possession of indecent images of children. He will be on the sex offender register for life and was made subject to a seven-year sexual harm prevention order designed to limit his unfettered access to children and the internet.

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A Leeds man has been jailed for two years after he was caught grooming what he thought to be a 13-year-old girl - which was actually a decoy set up by Predator Exposure. Predator Exposure seeks to expose sex offenders who target children online. Group members set up 'decoy' social media profiles pretending to be of a child and then engage in online conversations. Bilal Ahmed, 25, contacted an account set up by a member of the group in March 2020, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told Leeds Crown Court on Tuesday (June 7). "One of their group uploaded a profile of a child named Melanie aged 13 years", the prosecutor said. "The defendant contacted Melanie through her Facebook account on March 22. "There were a series of conversations. "Ultimately the defendant blocked Melanie because he wasn't getting answers." The chat that did take place was "sexually explicit on occasions", the prosecutor said. He added: "The defendant displayed grooming type behaviour wanting to meet Melanie. "He said: 'Would you let me hold your neck and kiss your lips slowly." Police officers seized Ahmed's mobile phone and the chat was uncovered. He was arrested in February 2021 and answered no comment to questions, before being released under investigation. In December 2021, Ahmed was also arrested after turning up at the place of work of a woman who he had previously been warned about harassing. On December 21, he turned up at her place of work. At the end of her shift, wary Ahmed was "lurking", the woman asked a colleague to accompany her to leave the building, Leeds Crown Court was told. Ahmed "wanted to speak" to the woman and "would not take no for an answer". The victim was worried for her safety as Ahmed attempted to grab her handbag, the court heard. CCTV footage showed Ahmed pushing the woman and punching the man, the court was told. This caused an injury to the male victim's face. Ahmed refused to leave the area until police arrived. Ahmed, of Norwood Terrace, Leeds, pleaded guilty to one count of affray, one count of attempting to communicate sexually with a child and offences of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. In mitigation, Khadim Al Hassan said Ahmed had long standing psychological issues and was bullied at school. He began to use cannabis and alcohol from the age of 11 or 12, the court was told. Ahmed has depression and anxiety and his "head was all over the place", the court heard. "This was a very difficult time for him", Mr Al Hassan said. "Custody has been very difficult for him. "He is somebody the probation service could help. "He has shown genuine remorse." Sentencing Ahmed, Judge Tom Bayliss QC told Ahmed he was "grooming" who he thought to be the girl. "The aim on your part was to meet her, but you were caught", the Judge continued. "There was a degree of planning on your part, grooming behaviour for some time. "There has to be an immediate custodial sentence." Ahmed was jailed for two years. He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 10 years and must sign a sex offender notification for 10 years. Ahmed was also given a restraining order against the female victim of the affray.

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A MAN has been jailed for raping a woman. Police said Isaac Amponsah was found unanimously guilty by a jury of oral rape at a property in Worthing in November 2018. At Hove Crown Court, the 41-year-old was sentenced to four years in prison and handed a restraining order preventing him from any future contact with the victim. Amponsah, of Strand Parade, Goring, will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life. Investigating Officer Amber Evans said: I hope the outcome of this case will provide reassurance to the public that reports of sexual offences are investigated diligently and tirelessly. I also hope it will give other victims of sexual offences the confidence to make a report to the police. The victim in this case has shown incredible bravery, not only in reporting this matter but in supporting the investigation and prosecution over an extended period of time. She gave evidence in court and should be proud of the key part she played in bringing Amponsah to justice. Hopefully the conviction and sentence will offer some level of comfort to the victim and will prevent Amponsah from committing any such crime in the future. Importantly, once he is released from prison, he will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely, affording long-term protection to other women.

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A man who raped a woman on a footbridge could have his jail sentence increased. John Horne was sentenced to nine years in prison for raping the 22-year-old on the footbridge near Fareham Train Station in Hampshire, in March. The case has now been referred to the Attorney General's office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme. It may then be referred to the Court of Appeal which has the power to increase sentences. Horne, who was 39 at the time of the attack, admitted charges of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in what was described as a "prolonged" assault at Portsmouth Crown Court in May. Horne was told he was considered a dangerous offender so would serve at least two-thirds of his sentence behind bars. A statement from the victim, read to the court at the time, said she had been a "smiley" character before the attack, but now suffered with daily anxiety and feared she would "never be my normal self again". At his sentencing Judge Richard Shepherd told Horne he had "terrorised" his victim and robbed her of what should have been a "carefree and safe young adulthood". A spokesperson from the Attorney General's Office confirmed it had received a request for the sentence to be looked at under the ULS scheme, which deals with complaints about sentences considered to be unreasonably low. Law Officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision, the spokesperson said.

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A BT worker has been jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to possessing more than 124,000 indecent images of children. Ashok Rana, 41, of Langley Green, Crawley, was handed the immediate custodial sentence at Hove Crown Court. The court heard that due to the large number of indecent images, police officers had to stop categorising them. Indecent images of children are classified as either Category A, Category B or Category C, with Category A the most serious. The court was told that Rana had 201 Category A images, with 76 moving images, 68 Category B images, 27 of them moving images, and in excess of 124,000 Category C images. He had pleaded guilty to the offences at an earlier hearing. The court was told that Rana cannot help himself and was unable to control himself when it came to possessing indecent images, with many of them of children as young as three years old. In jailing Rana, a manager with telecoms firm BT, the Recorder, Ms Sarah Elliott, said she had read the case with care. I have looked at this case [and] it is a tragic one, she said, telling Rana that this type of offence puts children at risk. She added: While these offences are reprehensible in all other respects you are a decent member of society with a supportive family, who ought to be making his mark in a positive way. Ranas sister sat in the public gallery throughout the hearing and broke down in tears when sentence was passed. Rana also admitted he was in breach of a four-month sentence, suspended for two years, previously imposed by Lewes Crown Court. He was also in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and the court was told that Rana used six devices without the required monitoring software. Ms Elliott jailed Rana for 12 months for possessing the Category A images, eight months for breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order and activated the suspended sentence for two months, with all sentences to run consecutively. She also jailed him for eight months for possessing the Category B images and four months for possessing the Category C images, to run concurrently. Rana was told he will spend half of the 22 months in custody, and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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A Scarborough sex offender and prolific criminal has been jailed yet again after CCTV cameras captured him sexually touching an under-age girl in the street and kissing her teenage friend. Nathan Collinson, 33, was stood outside a house on a named street in Scarborough when he shouted the two girls over as they passed by, York Crown Court heard. He touched one of them intimately and kissed both victims, said prosecutor Rob Stephenson. Collinson was arrested after being identified on CCTV and bailed, but the brazen criminal then burgled a guest room at the Grand Hotel in Scarborough while the occupiers were asleep. The sexual offences occurred at night in October 2020 when the two girls were shouted (over) by (Collinson) who was stood outside an address on (the named street), said Mr Stephenson. The (victims) both approached him and he kissed each of them, added the prosecutor. Collinson touched one of them on an intimate area over her clothing and kissed her again. He then kissed the other girl and walked with both victims to the corner of the street where there was more kissing and hugging and embracing. Everything was captured on CCTV, said Mr Stephenson. The girls eventually walked away but were followed by Collinson, who went inside a house briefly with the two victims, although nothing untoward occurred inside the property. The victims were interviewed by police following the gathering of CCTV evidence and Collinson was arrested about a month after the offences. He was identified by both victims but remained silent in police interview. Collinson was still on bail for the sexual offences when he sneaked inside the Grand Hotel on St Nicholas Cliff and was trying door handles at various guest rooms. He finally found an open door to a room where a couple were sleeping. (The male victim) woke to find the defendant inside his room, which was in darkness, said Mr Stephenson. The defendant had taken 40 from his wallet in his coat pocket. He then threw down the coat and made off. Police were called out to the hotel and viewed CCTV footage which showed Collinson trying the door handles of several rooms before entering (the victims room) twice in quick succession. Officers were told there was a man who had been at the hotel who was not a guest. Police found him hiding in an unoccupied room in the hotel and arrested him. He initially told police he couldnt remember if he committed the offence. Collinson, of no fixed address, ultimately admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child, burglary and a separate offence of possessing cannabis. He appeared for sentence on Tuesday June 7. The court heard he had a previous conviction from 2012 for sexually assaulting a woman, which resulted in a six-week prison sentence. He then breached his notification requirements over the next six years. He had 43 previous convictions for 83 offences dating back nearly 20 years. They included numerous thefts and burglaries. His solicitor advocate David Camidge said that Collinson, a father-of-one, had drug and alcohol problems stemming from a very difficult upbringing. He added that Collinson was otherwise a hard-working man. Judge Sean Morris told Collinson: Im afraid men of your age need to understand you dont start kissing and groping young girls. You were released on bail and went and burgled a hotel room where a couple were staying, and you disturbed them. "It must have been a frightening event and you were in that hotel trying the doors, trying to steal. "You are a prolific offender. Collinson was jailed for two years and made subject to a six-year sexual-harm prevention order. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.