Latest Offenders

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A man who raped a teenage girl after following her off a bus has been jailed for nine years.

Michael Murray, 29, attacked the girl in Stapleton Road in the Easton area of Bristol on 9 January.

He pleaded guilty to rape and a separate charge of common assault when he appeared via video-link at Bristol Crown Court on 7 April.

Murray, of no fixed address, will serve nine years in jail and six years on an extended licence.

Avon and Somerset Police said his victim gave a detailed description of her attacker so they were able to track him down on CCTV footage in the area at the time of the assault.

Murray was handed a concurrent four-month prison sentence for the common assault on a second victim, who he hit with a cigarette lighter after she rebuffed his advances.

He was also given an indefinite restraining orders in relation to both victims and he will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Det Sgt Stuart Toms said Murray posed "a significant risk to women and in particular, to teenage girls and it's reassuring to know he will now be locked up for a lengthy period of time".

"Sexual assaults by strangers are rare in Avon and Somerset but when they do happen we do everything we can to identify offenders and bring them to justice," he said.

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A PROLIFIC sex offender from Somerford has died four months after being put behind bars.

Peter Bennett, who was 80, had been in Winchester Prison when he fell ill and later died at the citys Royal Hampshire County Hospital on 15th March, the opening of an inquest heard.

Hampshire Coroners Court was told the post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be sepsis, cellulitis and prostate cancer.

The hearing was adjourned and a full inquest is to be held on 3rd August.

As reported in the A&T, the pensioner, of Edward Road, was sent down for five years and 10 months in early December last year at Bournemouth Crown Court by Judge Alastair Malcolm who branded him an adept groomer.

The judge decided to jail him, despite being told Bennett had cancer, because he noted the defendant had committed sex offences stretching back more than five decades and already been ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

His latest offence involved him chatting to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl online and encouraging her to have sexual contact with her pet dog and a horse.

But unknown to Bennett, he was actually talking to a paedophile hunter from the vigilante group Stop which subsequently called in another vigilante group to challenge him on his doorstep.

When that happened the group posted a video of the encounter on Facebook which was seen more than 100,000 times.

Bennett was arrested and police also uncovered extreme porn on devices he owned.

He was charged with attempting to incite or cause a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexualised activity, attempting to communicate with a child in sexualised terms and possessing extreme pornography.

Bennett pleaded guilty to all three matters when he appeared before Judge Malcolm.

At his sentencing, prosecutor Sadie Rizzo said Bennetts offending began in 1963 when he indecently assaulted a female under 14, which resulted in Bennett being locked up.

He reoffended against a female under 16 eight years later and was found in possession of obscene articles, but escaped with a suspended sentence.

The defendants most serious offence, Ms Rizzo outlined, was an incident in 1972 when he grabbed an 18-year-old girl, drove her to a secluded spot and got her to perform sexual acts another offence which landed him in prison.

Bennett also had convictions for indecent exposure in 1969 and in the 1980s, and in 2006 appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court after he was found to have made and distributed more than 340 indecent images of children 68 of which were at the most serious level.

Judge Malcolm said they were serious offences that were exacerbated by the fact he had a long history of offending against children who are underage.

Judge Malcom also told Bennett: You have been a danger to children under 16 for very many years; your first offence was in the 1960s and you have targeted children decade by decade since that time.

As far as you were concerned there was a 12-year-old and you were getting sexual gratification by grooming her and trying to get her to commit offences of bestiality.

You are quite clearly an adept groomer, the judge added.

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A fugitive Travelex manager has been jailed after stealing 70,000 from a Tesco bureau-de-change and fleeing to America while on bail for abusing a child.

David Aspden, 33, had been arrested in December 2018 for abusing a 12-year-old boy. But while on bail the former secretary at a junior football club managed to get a shift at the Travelex booth at Tesco in Middleton, near Rochdale on Christmas Eve.

After sending a colleague home early, Aspden, of Preston, Lancashire, filled up Tesco bags for life with cash, then vanished with the money on a flight out of Manchester on Boxing Day.

Aspden spent five months in the US where he squandered the stolen cash before returning to Britain on board a cruise ship. It is believed none of the money he took has been recovered.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Aspden, of Preston, Lancs was jailed for 14 months after he admitted theft by employee. The sentence will run consecutively to a five year stretch imposed in June last year after he admitted inciting a 12 year old boy to to engage in sexual activity with him.

Aspden who was secretary of a junior football club had originally been arrested in 2018 after the lad went to police and told how he had been asked to carry out a sex act on him during a caravan holiday in Cumbria.

He was bailed to face court but in December 2018 he used the opportunity of working alone on Christmas Eve at Travelex booth at Tesco in Middleton, near Rochdale to plot his escape.

Prosecutor Miss Lisa Boocock said: 'The defendant worked as a manager at a Travelex bureau-de-change inside a Tesco store in Middleton.

'He started training in December and took up the post on 7th December 2018, and had a week of training. He was a manager looking after cash in the stores safe. He then started work and indicated he wanted to work on Christmas Eve.

'He sent his co-worker home early and was working alone in the store. There is CCTV footage and the incident happened over a protracted period of time. Over about twenty minutes the defendant filled several bags for life with money from the shop.

'He also went shopping around the store, returned to pick the bags up and then left with them. Around 70,000 was in the bags. He went home and booked a flight for December 26. He flew to the United States and spent just over five months travelling around the country and using the money. The theft was not discovered until December 27 and colleagues asked questions.

'This caused anxiety among staff, which was perhaps exacerbated because it happened over Christmas when the store was closed. The defendant returned to the UK via cruise ship in May 31 2019 and was arrested by police.

'He accepted guilt and said he took the money. He said he had disposed of around 30,000 and spent the rest in the USA. He was in a position of trust and responsibility, and he breached that trust. He was working alone in possession of large amounts of money.'

In mitigation defence lawyer Lucy Wright said: 'The defendant accepts the high degree of trust that he breached but in light of the CCTV evidence, it was not a sophisticated offence. He has in effect videoed himself offending.

'In a sense, he was evading justice by going to the USA but he returned from America when he knew he would be arrested on arrival in the UK and this proves he is genuinely remorseful. If he had simply decided to stay in America, justice would have been delayed.

'He didnt come back because he ran out of money. He came back because he realised he needed to come back to own up and face justice. He was on bail for the other offence at the time of this matter. Since then he has been told he has a diagnosis of psychotic episodes, anxiety and depression- although no written evidence of this has been provided.

'He says the offence happened when he was feeling extremely low and struggling to keep on top of his mental health problems.

'Before his first offence, he was a man of good character who spent much of his time living purposefully and he struggles to reconcile how he has got himself into this position. His father is currently very unwell in hospital and the defendant thinks he may not see him again if he is given a custodial sentence. His mother needs assistance and is self-isolating, and he is unable to support her through this.'

Passing sentence, Judge Mark Savill told Aspden: 'You volunteered to work on Christmas Eve when there was lot of money in the safe. None of your co-workers were working at the time of the offence and you thought you could perhaps remain undetected.

'It was a brazen offence. You helped yourself and filled bags with 70,000 cash and foreign currency. You then left the store and left the country. You took some of that money with you and spent about five months travelling America then returned to the UK on a cruise ship.

'You upset your co-workers and some of them thought they would end up being blamed. But upon arrest, you were interviewed and accepted your guilt. You were subject to police inquiries when you committed this offence and you breached a high degree of trust and responsibility.

'You caused concern among your co-workers and went on the run before returning to the UK in some style. I am willing to accept that prison is unpleasant for you given the current public health crisis and the fact your parents are not in good health.

'However, there is no excuse for what you were doing at all. This is not a similar offence to when a single parent find themselves in in significant debt and steals from their employer to feed their family, This is not that at all. You stole a significant amount of money, went on the run and spent it.'

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A teenager dubbed "paedo Jack" is facing prison after admitting a string of terrifying sex offences against teenage girls.

Jack Walker, 19, has appeared at Hull Crown Court charged with four offences of sexual activity with a child, one offence of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two offences of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Walker, of Fort Terrace, Bridlington, appeared via video link from Hull Prison where he has been remanded since August, ready for his sentencing hearing - which will take place on Friday.

As his crimes were laid out before the court, Walker regularly shook his head before pleading guilty to all seven charges, which revolved around grooming underage children.

Charlotte Baines, prosecuting, told the court the charges related to a 14-year-old girl, who at one point Walker had asked to move to Bradford with him.

She told the court that Walker had been warned by both his mum and Humberside Police to stay away from the girl.

Throughout his offending, Walker was placed under child abduction warning notices, which are used to disrupt contact between vulnerable children and an adult where there are concerns that the child may be at risk of harm including sexual exploitation.

Miss Baines said: The girl said she had been involved in a group of males for sexual contact and she said she felt sick and disgusted in herself, but felt normal when she did it. She said she felt pressured.

The girl later told officers she had often taken drugs when around Walker.

Miss Baines said that one night after smoking together, Walker had sat her on his knee and touched her [the girl]".

She told the court: "He didnt ask if he could, he just did it. He tried getting her to go upstairs with him, saying 'come on, you know you want to do it'.

She told police she had messaged him telling her how old she was and he sent her indecent pictures and asked her to do the same.

"He sent her messages about taking her virginity and making sure it wouldnt hurt. He tried to convince her to have sex with him on two or three occasions.

The court heard that after locking himself and the girl in a beach hut, Walker said her body was perfect before telling her "not to tell anyone about what he said".

Miss Baines added: He said I will get into trouble - you dont want that do you?. One friend of the girl said that everyone knew him as 'paedo Jack'."

Other charges against Walker related to another 14-year-old girl.

Miss Baines told the court that the girl had said many people around the ages of 14 and 15 would often be round at Walkers flat.

She told the court: The girl said she could often hear Walker and his girlfriend having sex and this would make her uncomfortable and she would turn the music up. She was asked to join them a few times and knew what had been meant by that.

She described how she would keep an eye on him as she knew he had ADHD, bipolar and anger issues.

Hull Crown Court heard that Walker had sex with the young girl an estimated ten times, including in a disused building, which was witnessed by a teenage boy who said he felt that he had been coerced into watching.

Miss Baines said the boy knew that it was not right that Walker was having sex with underage girls.

She told the court: He recalled a time when he had seen the defendant and one of the girls and went to speak to them and Walker had said, Im s******* this one now.

He went with them to an abandoned building and the defendant had sex with the girl. The defendant told him to sit down on a log and watch. He said he didnt want to get stabbed as the defendant had a screwdriver in his pocket.

The girl said, Does he have to watch? and the defendant had said Let him stay. He said he was scared of him and by talking to police after he said it felt like a betrayal."

Walker was first interviewed by police in June last year and said there had been no messages between him and the first girl.

The court heard that during his second interview with officers in August last year, Walker said he "did not understand what consent means", although he later pleaded guilty to all seven charges.

Paul Genney, mitigating for Walker, told how he lives with a learning disability and a low IQ and a pre-sentence report and psychological report had been issued.

Mr Genney outlined details of Walkers traumatic childhood which included living in a violent home.

He said: Hes damaged, basically. Whether he is beyond the point of redemption, it is difficult to know. He has been tearful and crying while in prison and misses, in his words his 'mummy and his Lego'.

Hes obviously something of a child himself. Hes damaged by his upbringing."

Mr Genney said Walker was not a manipulative or sophisticated", but instead, someone in need of help and treatment".

He added: Hes got the sophistication of a 14-year-old himself, with very little empathy. We cant penalise him for being unintelligent.

Talking about Walkers time in custody so far, Mr Genney said: He is vulnerable and tearful and is finding it to be the most traumatic experience. Hopefully someone, somewhere can offer him some sort of course or help that could help increase his sense of empathy or sensitivity.

Walker will be sentenced by Judge John Thackray on Friday, April 3.

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A convicted sex offender has been jailed for failing to tell police he had an Amazon Fire TV Stick and a secret Barclays account.

Steven Woodcock also had 47 indecent child images on his laptop and installed special software to delete and 'scrub' the internet history, a court heard.

The 44-year-old, who was being managed in the community under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), was visited by police last year as part of a routine check.

The SHPO prohibited him from using any internet-capable device unless it had the capacity to display and retain the internet history and had to be made available on request for inspection by police.

Prosecutor Emma Kehoe told Preston Crown Court how Woodcock admitted visiting a library in Morecambe 'up to six times a week' to use the internet.

She said officers were 'concerned about their regular visits' and made enquiries with the library.

The National Crime Agency later confirmed that the defendant's email account had been used to upload two 'indicative images' of seven-year-old girls to Instagram, however the images were 'not in themselves unlawful'.

Police then executed a search warrant at Woodcock's home on Clarendon Road West, Morecambe, and asked him if he had any internet-capable devices.

Ms Kehoe said Woodcock had a Kindle in his bedroom and an Amazon Fire TV Stick in a drawer which breached the SHPO.

Officers also found a Halifax bank card and a Barclays savings account which he had never declared.

His laptop contained one category A indecent image of a child - the most serious - and 46 category C images.

Woodcock pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO and possessing indecent images.

Defence barrister Chris Evans said there were a 'relatively low number of images' and his client had been 'candid in terms of what he has done'.

He told the court that Woodcock had 'engaged well with the probation service' following his last conviction in 2016, deserved credit for his early guilty plea and 'remains motivated to seek help'.

Judge Simon Medland QC said they were 'deliberate and persistent breaches' of the SHPO and jailed Woodcock for two years.

Sentencing, he said: "You have been dealt with on several previous occasions for the possession of unlawful indecent images of children.

"These are real images of real children who are really being abused and that abuse will almost inevitably stay with them for the rest of their lives.

"The internet being what it is, it's quite easy to imagine that those disgusting images will be more of less forever available to people who view them for satisfaction of a perverted sexual interest.

"You had also loaded a cleaning facility to scrub the internet history and confound any investigation.

"You have, over a significant period of time, quite deliberately breached these orders that were made to try to protect children from your predations.

"Even though there were no contact offences here, these were offences where you were looking at unlawful sexual images of children."

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A judge has described how the sexual assault of a young girl at a house where she had been staying is something no parent should have to endure.

Norwich Crown Court heard the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had been staying at a house where Jeremy Simeons, 50, had been present when she was sexually assaulted.

Lori Tucker, prosecuting, said the victim was to later tell her parents that Simeons had “hurt her”.

Police were contacted and Simeons was arrested at work on October 12 last year.

When interviewed Simeons initally denied the allegations and told officers he had given her a cuddle and had taken her to the toilet.

The court heard that Simeons had been “unwilling or unable to recollect precisely what happened”.

Simeons, of Medeswell Close, Brundall, appeared at court on Wednesday (May 20) having previously admitted sexually assaulting a female victim, under the age of 13, on October 11 last year.

Before he was sentenced, the court heard extracts of a statement from the victim’s mother who revealed she was “devastated” to find out what her daughter told her.

Sentencing Simeons to two years in prison, Judge Anthony Bate said: “This is something no parent should have to endure.”

Juge Bate said Simeons had been a man of “previous exemplary character” but was now a broken man.

He also insisted the defendant’s claims to not recall what happened were likely from a “sense of shame to what you did to that young girl that night”.

Simeons was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and also ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, accepted the victim was vulnerable due to her age and said there had been an “abuse of trust”.

Mr Oliver said his guilty plea expressed remorse for something which had ruined his own career and left it in tatters.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Richard Wallis said: “These offences can often leave a mark on their victim for the rest of their lives and it’s only because the girl was brave enough to speak up and tell her parents what had happened that the perpetrator was brought to justice. We hope the court case will help to bring some closure for the victim and her family.”

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A sex offender exposed himself to an underage girl, then claimed he did it because he suffered from erectile dysfunction.

Ian Maiden, 48, groomed and sent sexual messages to the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi told how Maiden exposed himself: “He had his trousers down around his knees and was playing with his genitals.”

She described the sexual messages sent by Maiden to the schoolgirl.

She said: “He has called her beautiful and said he was jealous when she mentioned other boys.

“He told her in one message that she had the best bum she had ever seen and wouldn’t mind being pinned down by her.”

The girl’s mother found the messages on her daughter’s phone, including a photograph of Maiden’s private parts.

The mum took screenshots and reported the matter to the police back in December 2017.

In police interview, Maiden denied he was performing a sex act in front of the girl, and claimed he was fondling touching his genitals because as he had erectile disfunction.

“He said he didn’t do it for sexual reasons, he did it because he was bored,” said Miss Wadoodi at Teesside Crown Court

Maiden, formerly of Hartlepool, now of Blenheim Road, Doncaster, later admitted sexual activity in the presence of a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child, his first conviction.

Stephen Constantine, defending, said: “He is somewhat at a loss to explain why he behaved as he did.

“There is grooming-type behaviour.

“Clearly you’re dealing with a man of good character, married with children himself.

“There have been consequences as far as his family are concerned. They are no longer a family because of Mr Maiden’s behaviour.

“He’s obtained any help he could to reduce any risk of this ever happening again.

“There is work that can be done and he has expressed the willingness and desire to engage with it.”

He added there had been a delay of more than two years in the case as Maiden was interviewed two days after the offence but not charged until two years later.

Judge Paul Watson QC told Maiden: “You, and the victim’s family, have had to wait a considerable period of time - far too long - for this matter to end up here today.

“You did all you could, and so I take into account very much the delay in this case.”

Sexual activity in the presence of a child carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

But under sentencing guidelines, unemployed Maiden’s offence would see him jailed for just four months, of which he would serve two.

“That clearly wouldn’t provide any time whatsoever for any sexual offender treatment programme of any sort,” added the judge.

“You’d be released fairly soon from that sentence.

“You are not considered a danger to the public.

“It seems to me to be better for the public that you receive the benefit of a sex offender treatment programme.”

A one-to-one programme was part of a four-month jail term suspended for two years given to Maiden, with 25 days’ rehabilitation activity.

He was given a sexual harm prevention order banning unsupervised contact or communication with under-16s and governing his use of the internet, devices and social media, and will be on the sex offenders’ register, all for 10 years.

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A pervert calling himself a “sugar daddy of alcohol” during sleazy communications with what he thought was a child was snared in a police sting.

Nathan Glover began chatting to a profile on dating app Badoo, with the other person initially advertising themselves as being 18.

However, when he was told they were 14, that didn’t put him off as it should have done.

The chat moved onto chat app Kik and became sexual, with Glover sending images of his genitals to the decoy profile, which was being run by police.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 27-year-old made sexual suggestions and asked for swimwear pictures of her.

He also offered to buy the “child” alcohol and asked what he would get in return.

Glover, of Talbot Road, South Shields, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to have sexual communication with a child.

Prosecutor Nicholas Lane said a police employee had set up a profile on adult site Badoo in July last year and Glover made contact the same day.

Mr Lane said: "There was some general chatting and the undercover operator made it known they were a 14-year-old child, though had signed up to the account as an 18-year-old.

"The defendant replied 'thought you looked very young to be 18'.

"The conversation continued, during which the defendant offered to buy alcohol for the person he believed was 14.

"He referred to himself as a sugar daddy of alcohol."

The court heard Glover asked what he would get in return for alcohol and the conversation was then transferred onto the Kik app and "quickly turned sexual".

Mr Lane said: "He asked for pictures of her wearing a swimsuit. The officer disclosed that the person was a virgin and he replied he thought it was sexy he could teach them."

Mr Lane said Glover sent a graphic picture with sexual suggestions before he was confronted by the police.

He told officers the conversation had "turned flirty and sexual" and confessed he knew it was wrong.

Glenn Gatland, defending, said Glover was a "socially isolated man" with a depressive illness who was mostly on his own except for the company of his cat.

Mr Gatland said: "He didn't go in there to look for an underage person."

Mr Gatland said Glover had talked about "cats and dogs" with the teen before the conversation turned sexual.

Judge Amanda Rippon sentenced Glover to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation and programme requirements.

Glover must sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for seven years.

The judge told him: "You were told the officer was 14 and you continued in conversation with that person, no doubt you believed that person was 14."

She added: "You did think you were inviting a 14-year-old girl to have sex with you."

Judge Rippon said Glover has never been in trouble before, has been assessed as a "low risk" of committing contact offences, is genuinely remorseful and that his significant depression was linked to the commission of the offences.

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A former Guildford GP who sexually assaulted 15 patients, including a 12-year-old girl, has failed to get his conviction overturned.

Alan Tutin groped women and girls over a 23-year period between 1981 and 2004, with most of those offences having been committed at the Merrow Park Practice, where he had been a GP since 1980.

The 71-year-old was convicted of 15 counts of sexual assault in December 2018 following a trial and jailed for 10 years and six months at the Old Bailey in May 2019.

An appeal against his conviction was dismissed at the Court of Appeal after a hearing on Tuesday (March 17).

Defendants are entitled to appeal convictions and sentences handed down at Crown Courts.

Tutins trial previously heard how he groped his victims in an immature, Benny Hill fashion using reasoning of breast or vaginal examinations, which were said to be either unnecessary or carried out in an inappropriate way for sexual gratification.

The sex offender, of Crittenden Road in Tonbridge, Kent, had originally been charged with 28 counts of sexual assault, but was acquitted of eight.

The jury was also unable to agree verdicts on the remaining five charges, with a subsequent trial in May 2019 at Blackfriars Crown Court finding him not guilty of three of them.

Allegations were first made against Tutin in 2000 when he was put on trial at the Old Bailey, charged with indecently assaulting three women and two children.

He was acquitted of assaulting one of the children and the other charges were dropped. A year later he was acquitted by a General Medical Council (GMC) tribunal of eight counts of sexually assaulting patients.

In 2009, he was struck off after a separate GMC panel found him guilty of sexually assaulting five women, including molesting one of his colleagues at his home, telling another woman to strip for an eye test, and groping a patients breasts while examining her internally.

The investigation, that resulted in Tutins conviction, began in March 2014, with the GP being arrested in July of the same year.

A number of complainants came forward after being contacted by police, and Tutin was eventually charged with 28 counts of sexual assault involving 25 complainants.

At his sentencing hearing, one of Tutins victims said: My initial response was a sense of being abused, violated and feeling dirty, and wanting a shower.

"I was only young so was upset and confused by what he did. I trusted him as a doctor and was brought up to respect authority and do as I was told, which is what I did."

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A DEGANWY man, whod changed his name to hide his vile past, had child porn once again including a video of a six months old baby being horrifically tortured, a judge said.

Owain Jones, 34, of Vardre Avenue, whod set up a weed control business, was jailed for three years after he admitted distributing an indecent image and possession of child porn.

Caernarfon crown court heard 516 indecent images were recovered by officers including original filth not on the police database.

Prosecuting barrister Sion ap Mihangel said: "The defendant admitted he was sexually aroused by indecent images of children.

In 2007 he received a suspended sentence because of indecent images.

Jo Maxwell, defending, said Jones had changed his name and was keen to seek help for his behaviour.

Judge Timothy Petts said in April 2018 police had seized computer equipment and found images of child abuse some described in court in hideous detail so the full nature of his depravity could be seen.

Images had been graphic and disgusting.

A ten-year sexual harm prevention order was made and Jones must register as a sex offender indefinitely.

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Leeds Crown Court heard there was no other evidence other than 21-year-old Jacob Daniel's admissions that he had sexually assaulted a boy and a girl.

Prosecutor, Philip Standfast, said Daniel, of Partridge Crescent, Thornhill Dewsbury, contacted police in March 2019.

Mr Standfast said Daniel told officers what he had done and "that he should not get away with it."

Daniel admitted one charge of sexual assault on a girl and one charge of sexual activity with a girl.

He also admitted one charge of sexual assault on a boy and sexual activity with a boy.

The offences took place in West Yorkshire 2018 and the children, who were both aged under 10.

The court heard how in February 2019 the girl told her mother that Daniel had kissed her and the mother called police, who interviewed Daniel.

The court heard Daniel admitted kissing the girl and was made the subject of a caution.

The following month Daniel called police and said he had committed the offences.

Mr Standfast said: "The defendant came forward and voluntarily admitted offences that had not been disclosed by either of the two children involved."

The court heard Daniel has previous convictions for possessing an offensive weapon and battery.

Kitty Colley, mitigating, said Daniel is an "immature and naive" man who had abused alcohol and cannabis.

"Miss Colley said Daniel had gone to police voluntarily, adding: "The most astonishing feature is that, but for that approach by the defendant, nobody would have known about these offences."

Miss Colley said: "He felt very bad about it and disgusted with himself. He has expressed genuine remorse."

Jailing Daniel for three years, Judge Simon Phillips QC told him: "It is on the strength of your voluntary admissions that this indictment is brought before the court and that is an indication of not only cooperation, but also remorse and contrition."

Judge Phillips said he had read a letter from a psychiatrist who saw Daniel in April 2019 in connection with an anxiety disorder due to cannabis use.

Judge Phillips said: "At the time of the offending you were using alcohol and drugs on a regular basis and to a significant extent and it appears is likely to have brought on an exacerbated your mental health issues."

Judge Phillips said Daniels' name will be the sex offender register indefinitely.

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A SEX offender breached rules banning him from using Facebook when he logged onto the social media site and searched for his previous victim.

Josh De-Banks was banned from using the social media platform without the prior knowledge of police as part of a sexual harm prevention order.

The order was made after De-Banks admitted sending sexually explicit pictures to a young boy in 2019.

But the 21-year-old was later jailed for breaching the order after making contact with the same boy.

He was later released in Southampton.

But Southampton Crown Court heard that soon after his release, De-Banks was caught in possession of a mobile phone.

When police checked the phone they found De-Banks had been using Facebook.

On further inspection, officers found searches for the profiles of eight people, including the victim who was sent the explicit messages and members of his family.

Mitigating, Richard Tutt said De-Banks, who had been recalled back to prison on licence for his previous breach, had gained enhanced prisoner status while in custody and was studying a course in law.

He said De-Banks had a difficult upbringing, having been in care from the age of four, and at the time of his original offence was "coming to terms" with his background.

De-Banks, whose address was listed as Vanguard Road in Southampton, where he was at the time of his breach, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

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A man has been jailed for 32 years after being found guilty of raping a child.

Treva Thrower, 45 (11.08.77) of Beckenham was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, 12 September.

He was found guilty at the same court on Wednesday, 25 May of nine counts including raping a child under 13, sexual assault of a child under 13 and intentionally causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences took place at the female victim’s home address in Bromley between 2014 and 2018. Thrower also took photos of the victim and threatened to upload them onto the internet if she told anyone what was happening.

He also physically assaulted her if she resisted him.

The victim disclosed the abuse at school in 2019 and officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime team launched an investigation.

Thrower went on the run before handing himself into police, having deleted all the contents of his mobile phone.

Detective Constable Tracey Brocklesby, who led the investigation, said: “This prison term reflects the horror this child went through at the hands of Thrower.

“Throughout his trial he provided no account to the court and was both disruptive and manipulative throughout the proceedings, causing unnecessary distress to this very brave victim.

“I hope this sends out a clear message to those who inflict such harm – we will do everything in power to identify you and bring you to justice.”

Thrower will also be subject to the Registered Sex Offender requirements for life and was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

Request: Current age and location SOBBING and humiliated, I watched as my GP scanned my body and told me: Well, you look healthy to me." I'd just spent the last ten minutes pouring my heart out, explaining how I'd been trapped in a hellish cycle of starving myself then binging and purging on repeat - all in the wake of sickening sex abuse. I was 16 years old and it had taken me months to pluck up the courage to seek help after spiralling into the depths of an eating disorder after my favourite teacher groped me in my classroom and tried to make me follow him into the stationary cupboard. Despite me reporting it to the school, they'd taken his side and the other kids had caught wind of it and began calling me names in the corridors. But my doctor told me I didn't tick the 'physical box criteria' - my BMI was normal, I wasn't skeletal and my periods hadn't stopped. Humiliated, I left the surgery and an already toxic pattern of thinking and behaving became even darker. Across the UK, around 1.6 million people are battling eating disorders, with anorexia having the highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders - and studies show those suffering with eating disorders are likely to be victims of sexual trauma. 'My world collapsed when I turned 12' I was always one of those children described as good eaters - I was never fussy throughout my childhood and was never over or underweight. I was a happy child - up until the age of 12 when my whole world collapsed after a teacher at my school sexually abused me. One day in year eight, I needed split pins so my teacher told me to go to a classroom down the hall to fetch them. I entered the empty room to find one of my favourite teachers sat behind his desk. Shay Pather, also known as Shayen, was the 'cool', young teacher at Kings Langley School- at just 27 years old, he was popular with the students. He always called me his A-star student and made a huge fuss over me - but despite enjoying his classes, I never had a 'teen crush' on him - to me he was just my teacher, an adult. After seeing me walk into the classroom, he rolled his chair away from his desk and beckoned me over, pretending to be interested in my work. As I stood in front of him, showing him my model, he suddenly reached out and yanked my tie - knotting it. This was a game the kids played at school - we called it 'peanutting' - the aim was to leave the person with the tightest knot. Confused by his strange behaviour, I let out a nervous laugh but as I turned away to sort my tie, he grasped my upper arms pulled me down onto his lap. Still in his grip, he pushed my hair to the side and pushed his lips hard onto the back of my neck. Paralysed with fear, my eyes fixed on the closed classroom door, I froze as he molested me. I couldn't understand why someone I had trusted, whose job was to keep me safe, was doing this. Confused, panicked and in a state of shock, I scrambled from his grip and bolted for the door. He edged around the desks, grabbing at my waist and trying to block my escape. As I frantically tried to get out of the classroom, he ordered me to go into the walk-in cupboard, where I would be able to find the split pins - but my gut told me not to. I pushed past him and ran down the hall with tears streaming down my face and my shirt untucked. He ordered me to go into the walk-in cupboard Hana Carter I ran as fast as I could to my head of year's office, and as I looked out the window I saw him scrambling up the stairs after me. Branded a 'slut' I told the head of year what had happened, then I went home - confused, violated and exhausted from crying. Mum took me back to the school that evening for an emergency meeting with my headteacher. As I sat in front of the headteacher it became immediately apparent that he didn't believe me. The head asked my mum why I wasn't 'more upset', to which she replied: "I've just spent the last hour calming her down so that she can be here to talk to you." Pather was arrested, and the days that followed were a blur of police interviews, sleepless nights and inconsolable counselling sessions. During the investigation he was suspended from school and his absence and whispers of the assault spread like wildfire through the hallways. But to my horror, as no one saw the incident and it was his word against mine - the police decided to let him go. Suddenly, my abuser was free to roam my school and return to teaching. He stayed at the school until I left in year 11 and was banned from teaching me or speaking to me. But as I walked to my tech lessons, he would often smirk at me or try to start a conversation, making little jokes as I blanked him. I was branded a liar, an attention seeker and worst of all a sl*t by the other kids. As every school year ended, I would be relieved that one wave of kids who knew my name and my story was leaving to be replaced by a fresh slate of more. I considered moving school but I didn't want to leave my friends and be the new girl elsewhere, so I stood my ground. But my private pain only worsened as time went on. 'I'd binge on junk then make myself sick' I felt like I'd lost myself - and we hit the early 2000s super-skinny became the new thing and Kate Moss was queen. I wanted to be like the happy women in the magazines, I thought that would make me feel confident again. My self-esteem had been shot to pieces and I'd convinced myself I was fat, despite only being a size 8. I began skipping meals and within a few months, I was completely controlled by obsessive thoughts around food and weight. I would starve myself for weeks on end before giving in to hunger and devouring everything in sight. During these frantic binges, I'd go to the shops and buy bags of crisps, packs of biscuits, ready-made sandwiches, pastries, sweets, chocolate - you name it. In the privacy of my bedroom, I'd eat it all in one sitting and wouldn't stop until I felt physically sick. Then I'd sneak to the bathroom, shove my fingers down my throat and make myself throw up until there was nothing left. This went on for months, and my parents soon realised there was something wrong when I made constant excuses to avoid mealtimes. The happy young girl I once was became withdrawn, angry and secretive and they couldn't understand why. All I thought about was food, the ways to avoid it and how many calories everything had in it. If anything got in the way of my strict plan, I became incredibly anxious and even aggressive. I'd sneak to the bathroom, shove my fingers down my throat and make myself throw up Hana Carter I came up with ways to hide or get rid of food without my parents realising... I would do anything I could to avoid eating. I single-handedly ruined one Christmas eve with my family by refusing to eat pizza. Id used every excuse in the book not to eat dinner with them that evening, but dad wasnt having any of it. He finally lost his patience when he caught me taking the cheese off my slices and hiding it in a piece of kitchen roll. I couldnt tell him that my heart was pounding and I wanted to burst into tears just looking at the food on my plate. I used to look in the mirror and just hold onto the 'fat' and squeeze myself so hard it would hurt - and I would only allow myself to eat the equivalent of a six-year-old's allowance. 'I was too scared to ask for help' This hell went on for most of my teenage years and even spilled into my twenties. I would try to pull myself out of it and eat normally, but then Id spiral back into my old ways, becoming extremely anxious by food and eating - it was a constant cycle. But I never asked for help, the experience with the GP when I was 16 made me feel that I didn't deserve it. I was physically harming myself by starving myself and was exercising control over food as a way to cope with trauma. But because I wasnt critically underweight I was pushed to the side, left to get worse. Eating disorders are more than someones size. They are a mental illness and should be treated as such. Catching it early could save lives - rather than turning people away because their BMI isnt deemed low enough. 'He's abused another underage girl' At 26, I would be lying if I said I had a completely normal relationship with food and that I loved my body, but Im working on it. In 2014, nearly a decade after I was violated by Pather, my biggest fear came true - he had done it again. It was as if someone had picked me up and planted me straight back in that classroom in 2006 - I felt sick to my stomach. Furious that history had been allowed to repeat itself, I wrote a letter to the school. I told them how had they have taken me seriously and treated me with the respect and care I deserved, the monster that ruined my school years wouldn't have been able to destroy another girls' life. To my surprise, I got a call from the police several days later to tell me that the school had forwarded my letter to them and asked me to provide a statement to help with the case. On October 20, 2014, Shayen Pather pleaded guilty at St Albans Crown Court to the charge of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust. He was sentenced to just nine months and was put on the sex offenders' register for 10 years - which will be up in four years. But despite never getting my own personal justice and it not being the longest jail sentence, when I heard the news that he had been put behind bars, I broke down in tears. After what happened to me, as I watched him arrogantly swan around the school, my biggest fear was that he would ruin more young girl's lives. The news that he would never set foot in a classroom again gave me a rush of relief - a sensation I'd been yearning after for nine years. After it got out that he had been jailed, the rumour mill sprung to life, but this time I was on the receiving end of kind messages from people Id gone to school with, apologising for not believing me. There are times where I wonder how different my teenage years would have been had that day in 2005 not happened - and maybe how different I'd be as a person now. But I refuse to live in the past and obsess over the 'what ifs'. What happened to me and the knock on effect was traumatic, but I'm so proud of my 12-year-old self and the strength that she mustered - it's something I still carry with me today.

Description

A MAN has received a sentence of 180 hours of unpaid work for attempting to groom a 15-year-old girl who was in care. Part of Ellis Birnies sentence was also for threatening a woman with a knife and possessing a knife or multitool in a public place. The 25-year-old, of Sandveien, was said to have a number of complex needs by defence agent Tommy Allan in Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday. Birnie admitted making indecent video communications with the girl between 15 August and 4 September last year and with trying to arrange a meeting with her with a view to having sex. He also admitted brandishing a knife at a woman and threatening to stab her partner on 31 January, whilst having been bailed on 15 January. Sheriff Ian Cruickshank sentenced Birnie to two years supervision with 80 hours community payback for the grooming offence and 100 hours for threatening and abusive behaviour, as an alternative to custody. He was put on the sex offenders register at an earlier hearing.