Latest Offenders

Description

A serial sex offender deemed to have "psychopathic traits" has been given a life sentence after he was assessed as posing a high risk to the public. John Bermingham, 55, was convicted of subjecting three victims to abuse during their childhoods in Edinburgh, following a trial earlier this year. He was previously jailed for 12 years in 2002 for carrying out sex attacks on a teenager and an 11-year-old girl. On his release he was jailed twice for breaching court-imposed orders. He was acquitted of attempting to abduct two young girls at Hallglen, Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, following a trial in 2018. After his arrest he was found to have sweets, sleeping pills and condoms in his possession. Following his latest conviction, the trial judge, Lord Fairley, called for a full risk assessment report to be prepared on the former boxer and career criminal.

High risk

Dr John Baird, a former consultant forensic psychiatrist at the State Hospital at Carstairs, concluded that Bermingham was a high risk. Advocate depute Lisa Gillespie QC asked him if he was in any doubt about that he replied: "I have to say I am not." Dr Baird added: "He has got, I would suggest, quite a number of psychopathic traits." He told the High Court in Edinburgh he had come to the inevitable conclusion that Bermingham's risk could only be managed when he was confined in a closed prison. Dr Baird added: "He appears to believe that he was the subject of sustained police harassment and successive miscarriages of justice." Lord Fairley imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction which he said was necessary to protect the public from harm. The judge told Bermingham: "I am quite satisfied that you do, as Dr Baird concluded, meet the threshold for psychopathy."

Indeterminate sentence

He ordered him to serve a minimum of four years imprisonment under the indeterminate sentence but emphasised that was the period to be served before the Parole Board could consider his case. He told Bermingham: "It certainly does not signify you are likely to be released at the end of that period or that you will ever be released. That is, as I have said, for others to decide." Bermingham's latest convictions were for three charges of indecent conduct towards two girls who were subjected to repeated sexual acts by him from the ages of eight and 14 at addresses in Pilton and Muirhouse in Edinburgh in 1999. He was also convicted of a further indecency offence against a boy, aged 13 or 14. Bermingham, who denied the charges, was also found guilty of assaulting an adult woman. She was punched on the head and body on various occasions between 1999 and 2001 at addresses in Edinburgh He was told that he would be on the sex offenders register indefinitely following the sentencing.

Description

A paedophile has been sent to prison for 20 months for getting high on cocaine and having group sex with an Alsatian.

Trans woman Claire Goodier - who was previously known as John and convicted of child abuse images as a man in the past - admitted the offence in an earlier hearing.

Goodier, 60, was described as 'manipulative' and 'deceitful' by a probation officer at the Chester Crown Court sentencing today.

The pervert was listed under a male name but with a note added to be addressed in the hearing as Claire.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order is under her new name, but it is not clear whether she will serve time in men's or women's prison.

Judge Steven Everett called the crime in taking part in the dog act with other adults as 'despicable' 'disgusting' and 'depraved' as he jailed the pervert for 20 months.

Goodier has twice been convicted of possessing indecent images of children, back in 2006 and 2009, with the judge admitting the defendant had been 'astonishingly lucky' to avoid previous spells behind bars after receiving suspended sentences.

Paulinus Barnes, prosecuting at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday, December 22, said the police had called to Goodier's home on July 19, 2019, to carry out a routine check due to being on the sex offenders register for life, reported the Northwich Guardian.

Officers took a laptop which contained evidence Goodier had searched the internet for bestiality content and when a full analysis of the equipment was finally completed some two years later, it emerged hidden folders contained 31 indecent images of a sex act with an Alsatian breed of dog.

Mr Barnes said: 'She admitted possession of the images.

'She said she had fantasised about it for a number of years and after talking about it with people in Northwich, was put in touch with others in Bournemouth.

'She travelled down there in December 2018 and took part in the sex act with other people and the Alsatian dog.'

On arrest on June 17 this year, police also found another pen drive in a handbag containing the same images and 3.5 grammes of cocaine.

When the sex act was committed between December 15 and 16, 2018, Goodier had also been in breach of a suspended sentence order, which had been imposed in May of that year for failing to adhere to the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

Simon Mills, defending, said his client had always been 'frank and honest' with the probation service and although accepting the behaviour had been depraved and disgusting, called on the Judge to consider another suspended sentence.

He said: 'This incident took place some three years ago. 'The picture now is one of sporadic offending.

'This is not a case where the offending is getting more and more serious.

'She will do everything asked of her by the court and there are tentative signs of improvement in her attitude and approach.'

Goodier had also failed to comply with the terms of the sexual harm prevention order in November of last year, when she was 13 days late, blaming being in isolation due to Covid guidelines.

Judge Everett told Goodier he did agree with the probation service assessing her as being a low risk of re-offending as he sent her to prison.

He said: 'You are a long, long way from changing your life.

'You deceitfully took part in a cocaine-fuelled incident with other persons.

'Since the terrible offence took place you kept the images unashamedly for your own sexual gratification.

'In the middle of all this, you failed to comply with the terms of an order, which some might say is a minor breach, but it's not for the first time.

'Your record is appalling and it could be said you were astonishingly lucky not to go to prison previously.

'A message must go out that if you commit such disgusting behaviour then you must go to prison.'

Goodier sobbed after learning of the 20 months sentence, ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and order to sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

Description

A primary school deputy head teacher and her partner have been jailed for dozens of child sexual abuse offences, including nine counts of rape. Julie Morris, 44, the safeguarding lead at a school in Wigan, and David Morris filmed themselves abusing and raping a girl under the age of 13. The teacher was jailed for 13 years and four months. Her 52-year-old partner, of St Helens, admitted 34 offences at a previous hearing and was jailed for 16 years. Julie Morris, of Hindley, worked at St George's Central C of E Primary School in Wigan but the charges are not related to her employment. Liverpool Crown Court heard the videos showed Julie Morris giggling as the abuse took place. Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary, said: "Every now and again you see cases, the circumstances of which are almost beyond belief. This is one of those cases. "It demonstrates that human depravity really knows no depths."

'Disgusting and depraved'

The Crown Prosecution Service said it was one of the most horrific cases they have had to deal with. "It truly appears like both of them were equally involved," district crown prosecutor Damion Lloyd said. "They've formed this horrendous sexual interest in children and they've acted out their most unpleasant fantasies on the victim. "It feels like the relationship between them is just a self-feeding cycle where they have effectively driven each other on to worse and worse acts." In his 20 years of prosecuting, he said it was the "pinnacle" of the most "disgusting and depraved types of acts that people can discuss and do". Prosecutor John Wyn Williams said the couple met on dating app Plenty of Fish in 2016 after both had separated from their partners and the relationship "quickly became intensely sexual". "The communication between them became graphic and depraved which led to some of their sexual fantasies becoming a reality," he said. Mr Wyn Williams said the couple's "sordid secret" was revealed when police found a conversation about sexual abuse of children involving David Morris in a phone seized during a search warrant. He was arrested but cautioned and released and a number of devices were seized, which showed the recordings of rape and sexual abuse, the court heard. Mr Wyn Williams said both defendants were arrested the following day as they appeared to be trying to evade police. "They were on their way to the Lake District in a camper van with £10,000 in their possession," he said. As well as videos and images on David Morris's phone, officers trawled through 175,000 pages of messages between the couple, revealing sexually explicit communications, which spanned three years. The pair also set up a group chat with the victim in which they would talk about how they would abuse her, the court heard. In a statement, Wigan Council said it had sought reassurances from police that there was no evidence any children at the school were harmed. "We fully understand the school community will be appalled. "These are despicable offences and behaviour, especially from someone in a position of trust." Det Ch Insp Bev Hyland of Merseyside Police said the "deplorable" offences had had a "devastating impact on the victims and their families", adding that the couple were "fully aware of their actions" when committing them. The pair were both given indefinite sexual harm prevention orders and must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

The charges:

Julie Morris admitted two counts of rape, nine of inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. She also admitted three counts of taking indecent images of a child, one of engaging in sexual communication with a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child. David Morris admitted seven counts of rape, 13 counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He also pleaded guilty to taking indecent images, of categories A, B and C, possessing and distributing indecent images and two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child. He also admitted three counts of voyeurism, possession of an extreme pornographic image and possession of a prohibited image of a child.

Description

A former security guard took an indecent photo of a young girl and sent it to fellow paedophiles, a court has heard.

Graham Thomas also downloaded more than 1,200 films and pictures of children and babies being sexually abused, and engaged in online chats about his sexual fantasies with kids.

Sending him to prison, a judge described the images - some of which showed children as young as 18 months - as "vile" and "simply stomach-churning".

Craig Jones, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that Thomas was arrested in November 2020 when police executed a search warrant at the Pembrokeshire house he shared with his mother. The 58-year-old's laptops, phones, and tablet devices were seized, and a preliminary examination revealed the presence of indecent material.

A full search of the machines uncovered a total of 1,244 indecent images and videos, including 298 Category A images which show the most serious kinds of abuse including rape, as well as 10 extreme pornographic images. Some of the children in the pictures and videos were estimated to be aged as young as 18 months. Four of the Category C images found on Thomas' devices were photographs he had taken.

Officers also found online chats where the defendant had discussed his child sex fantasies with like-minded individuals, and discovered he had shared a small number of indecent images with other paedophiles.

Mr Jones said one of the images distributed by the defendant was a "tribute style" photograph which involved an indecent picture of a young girl where you could see up her skirt - this picture was displayed on a laptop screen, and the defendant had then placed his erect penis next to the screen and taken a photograph of it.

Graham Thomas, formerly of Hakin, Milford Haven, but now of Colley Court, Monkton, Pembroke, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of Categories A, B and C, distributing indecent images, taking indecent images, and possession of extreme pornographic images when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has previous convictions "of some antiquity" for offences including drink-driving and battery.

John Allchurch, for Thomas, said the defendant understood the offences he had committed were not "victimless", and said he was genuinely remorseful for what he had done. He said his client had worked as a security guard at an oil refinery and had spent a lot of time alone - this led him to develop an interest in online pornography which then led to more extreme material.

He said following his arrest Thomas effectively had "lost his family, lost his friends, lost his house, and lost his standing in the community".

Judge Paul Thomas QC told the defendant that for a period of five or six years he had been involved in viewing "vile" and "simply stomach-churning" material on the internet. He said the children in the images found on Thomas devices were real children somewhere in the world being horribly abused so that people like the defendant could get sexual gratification by masturbating to the pictures and videos.

Following the sentencing guidelines and with the required one-third discount for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced the defendant to 28 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Thomas will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

Description

A 'MANIPULATIVE' man who sexually assaulted five women when they were children in sickening attacks spanning almost three decades has been jailed for 14 years. Following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court, Christopher Symes was found guilty by a jury on November 10 of eight counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and one count of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity. The 58-year-old, of Lorne Road, Dorchester, had already pleaded guilty to six other charges, including three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of sexual assault and one count of taking indecent photographs of a child. All of the offences took place between 1984 to 2012. One of Symes victims made a disclosure to police in December 2017, claiming she had been sexually abused by the defendant, with the offending first occurring when she was aged around nine or ten years old. Following enquiries by officers, further victims were identified and spoken to, who also reported being abused by the defendant as children. Symes was arrested and his phone was seized for examination. On it were found a number of indecent images of one of his victims. The court heard that five women in total, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had come forward accusing Symes of abusing them as children. At the sentencing hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court which took place today (December 21) Judge Robert Pawson said Symes was 'manipulative' and 'unrepentant' and that he 'targeted vulnerable girls' in his 'systematic abuse'. He said: "All five women suffered at the time, and some have for decades afterwards. "You take your victim as you find them." Victim personal statements from all five women were read out to the court at a previous hearing on Friday, December 17, where they expressed the lifelong trauma they had suffered following Symes' abuse. The brave women expressed how they felt Symes was in a position of trust which he 'completely violated'. One woman said the he 'stole her innocence'. The judge again reassured victims during today's sentencing that they should not be left feeling any blame after many expressed that they felt guilty in their victim personal statement for not speaking out sooner to stop Symes from offending the other victims after them. He said: "None of them [the victims] has anything to blame themselves for. They were children. It is not their fault that you abused them. "In court, the five women had to relive the abuse you perpetrated on them as children." Judge Pawson sentenced Symes to a 17-year sentence, comprising of a 14-year custodial sentence and three-year extension. The judge said his sentence was being extended because he was deemed to pose a significant risk of harm to female children in a pre-sentence report. Judge Pawson also issued Symes a restraining order. He said: "You are to have no contact by any means whatsoever with any of the named five victims and that is indefinite." Symes has also been put on the sex offenders register for life. 'I hope this case encourages others to have the strength to come forward' Detective Constable Georgina Boast, of Dorset Polices Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: I want to praise the victims in this case for having the courage to come forward to support this investigation and help secure the conviction of Christopher Symes for his despicable offending. Thanks to their evidence, we have secured the conviction of a serial offender who abused several victims over a number of years. "Symes is now facing a significant term in jail and I hope this case encourages others to have the strength to come forward in the knowledge that they will be supported and with our help we can bring sexual abusers to justice.

Description

An aspiring toy shop owner sent a sexual picture of himself wearing Cookie Monster pyjama bottoms to an undercover police officer he thought was a 12-year-old girl.

David Parry, 39, of Boston Avenue, Runcorn, is now behind bars after being snared in an online sting operating in the East Midlands and engaging in sexual communication with elements of grooming.

Parry, who was planning to open a toy shop before facing justice today at Chester Crown Court, exchanged messages with fictional schoolgirl persona Zoe via Kik Messenger between October 8 and October 20 last year.

Matthew Dunford, prosecuting, said Zoe was really an undercover police officer who told Parry she was 12 years old.

Parry's messages quickly became sexualised.

When Zoe asked why he used the profile name UKDaddyDom, cyber pervert Parry said he liked to be dominant when Im with a girl, I like to play the daddy role.

The next day he sent a sexual picture of himself wearing pyjama bottoms.

On October 13 he said was feeling very horny and asked her to send him a sexual picture of herself, assuring her I wont tell anyone.

He also sent the girl a video of himself performing a sex act.

On November 10 last year, officers from Cheshire Police arrested Parry at home in Runcorn and seized two laptops and a mobile phone.

UKDaddyDom denied having indecent pictures but a forensic trawl uncovered abuse images featuring girls aged between five and 13 years old.

These consisted of: 48 of the most serious kind in Category A, 30 Category B, and 132 Category C, totalling 210.

Digital clues showed he had shared two Category A images on November 25, 2012.

Parry claimed he spoke with people online who appeared to be under 18 years of age but said you never know.

At North Cheshire Magistrates Court in Warrington on November 23, Parry pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, causing a child under 13 to watch sexual activity, possessing 210 indecent images of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, distributing an indecent image, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Mr Dunford said Parry had seven previous convictions for 16 offences, although none for sex offences.

Parry served a prison sentence after he was jailed in August 2000 for attempted robbery and having an imitation firearm with intent.

His most recent previous conviction was in 2008.

Paul Wood, defending, pleaded mitigation for Parrys prompt guilty pleas and a significant delay in bringing the case to court.

He noted the abuse images were not recent and clustered from 2010-12.

Mr Wood urged the court to consider a suspended sentence as the best way to serve the public interest by rehabilitating Parry.

He argued the distribution offence could be treated as an aggravating feature of other charges due to the small number of images.

Mr Wood said: One of the best things I can say is, hes very sorry, he knows hes got to change his ways.

This case has absolutely turned his world upside down.

In terms of mental health, hes very vulnerable in my submission and hes found it remarkably difficult with these proceedings hanging over his head.

He conceded Parry had expressed some minimisation with regard to his attraction to young girls in conference with the probation service and had tried to blame booze and drugs for looking at abuse images.

Parry also had a business.

Mr Wood said: The defendant has a business.

Its just to make it abundantly clear its reasonable for the defendant to conduct that business.

Judge Michael Leeming, presiding, told the court Parry had applied to open a toy shop in Halton.

He said Parrys offences spanned a decade and were too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.

During his summing-up, he said Parrys offending had involved sending a sexual picture of himself wearing pyjamas, Cookie Monster pyjama bottoms.

Judge Leeming sentenced Parry to three years and two months in prison and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to run indefinitely, and placed him on the sex offenders register, also to run indefinitely.

Sending him down he said Parrys guilty pleas showed he accepted he contributed to the demand and victimisation of vulnerable children who are subjected to abuse, and warned him: Its important for you to understand these arent victimless offences.

The judge said the attempted sexual communication charges showed an escalation, although he noted there was no real child victim in relation to those counts.

He said the defendants attempts to minimise his crimes left him not satisfied theres a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Considering the representations on Parrys behalf and a pre-sentence report, Judge Leeming said: The author presents you as medium risk of serious harm.

Its felt you can be managed in the community as you have made lifestyle changes to remain offence-free.

For example, contacting your GP to assist with regard to depression, youve abstained from alcohol, and youve applied to open a toy shop in Halton and expressed a willingness to engage with probation.

A post on Parry's social media business page yesterday said it would be shut today due to "appointments".

Description

A young woman has told how a terrifying sexual assault by a man who had been 'lurking' near to Norwich's nightclubs has left her 'scarred'.

Florenc Xhaferrllari, 28, attacked the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as she left Mantra nightclub on Prince of Wales Road in Norwich at about 4am.

Norwich Crown Court heard the victim, then 18, had been walking back to her car at Mountergate car park, near Rose Lane, when she was attacked.

Duncan O'Donnell, prosecuting, said after leaving to go home the victim "became aware that a man was following her".

He said: "As she turned around, having heard a man running behind her, she saw Florenc Xhaferrllari running up to her."

Mr O'Donnell said the victim "tried to ignore him".

After she refused a cigarette, Mr O'Donnell said Xhaferrllari "grabbed her roughly".

She told him not to touch her which "angered him" and he "grabbed her more roughly".

Mr O'Donnell said she began screaming and "tried to kick him in the genitals".

The defendant told the victim "just have sex with me" before grabbing her again and forcing her to the floor.

The court heard he put his hand over her mouth as the victim screamed "help me, someone help".

Mr O'Donnell said she screamed for help about 20 times but Xhaferrllari put his hand over her mouth and then sexually assaulted her.

The victim, who feared she was going to be raped, continued to scream out for help with those who heard her cries calling police.

She managed to bite his hand and he released his grip and as the victim continued to scream he "got up and ran off".

Before he was arrested at a taxi rank in the city, Xhaferrllari saw the victim who managed to get back to her car and he gave her a smile and a thumbs up.

After being arrested the defendant was to tell police "I feel good, but bad for what I did".

He said he was very drunk and would have to say to his wife "I did something wrong last night".

Xhaferrllari, from Kensington Place, off City Road, Norwich, appeared in court for sentence on Monday (December 20) having previously admitted assault by penetration on July 20, 2016.

Mr O'Donnell said after being initially being arrested Xhaferrllari "skipped police bail" and went to Albania, Italy, Germany and Hungary.

A European arrest warrant was issued in 2017 and he was arrested earlier this year before he admitted the offence.

Before Xhaferrllari was sentenced the victim read out an emotional impact statement which described the severe psychological harm she had suffered.

She said she has been left "scarred" because of what he did to her as her family have.

She said: "What he did will affect me for life."

The victim said it has changed the way she feels about men and how she was an object to be used and that is all she was.

The victim also described feeling let down when he fled and feared she would not get justice.

Sentencing Xhaferrllari to a total of five years in prison Judge Anthony Bate said Xhaferrllari had "targeted a lone young woman" as she walked home.

Judge Bate said it had been a "sustained and violent assault" by the defendant who had been "lurking" on Prince of Wales Road and who decided to commit a serious sexual assault on the victim.

Xhaferrllari was also made the subject of an indefinite restraining order banning him from contacting the victim again.

Judge Bate said the defendant, who was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, faces deportation back to his native Albania.

Matthew McNiff, mitigating, said the defendant, who was 23 at the time of the offence, had no previous convictions adding his client was anxious to offer unqualified apologies to the victim.

Description

A pensioner who was a respected member of the local community sexually abused a young girl and downloaded vile images, a court has heard.

Paul Davis groomed his victim with gifts of sweets and subjected her to sexual assaults. The 74-year-old also masturbated in front of a child at Swansea's main leisure centre.

When the offending was reported to police and officers checked his phone and other devices they found more than 1,200 child abuse images - some featuring girls as young as four - along with a haul of photographs showing bestiality.

Sending Davis to prison, a judge told him while he was a man of "standing and status" in the local community, his family, friends and colleagues could not possibly of conceived of what he was really like.

Nicola Powell, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that the offending came to light when the primary school-aged girl made disclosures to her parents about "embarrassing" things Davis had done to her. She said Davis touched her under and over her underwear, often giving her sweets as he did so. Police were contacted and an investigation launched, and officers then learned of an incident in Swansea 's LC leisure centre where the defendant had masturbated in the presence of a child while "smiling" at her.

The court heard that as part of their investigation officers seized and examined Davis' electronic devices and found more than 1,250 indecent images including 208 films and photographs classed as Category A showing the most extreme kinds of sexual abuse of children as young as four. Police also found 56 prohibited images - typically cartoon-type images showing sexual abuse - and 173 extreme pornographic images including photos of women having sex with horses and dogs.

The mother of the girl the pensioner sexually assaulted read a statement to the court in which she described the impact the abuse had on her daughter. She said she questioned her ability as a mother as she had not spotted what was happening to her child but said she was "in awe of my little daughter" for having the strength to report it.

Judge Paul Thomas QC told the woman that paedophiles such as Davis were devious individuals and she not should reproach herself for a moment, adding: "Tell your daughter I think she is very brave."

Davis, formerly of Upper Killay in Swansea but now of Heatherslade Road, Southgate, Gower, had previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child under 13, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, possession of indecent images of Categories A, B and C, possession of prohibited images, and possession of extreme pornographic images when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Jon Anders, for Davis, said that before the offending the defendant had led an "industrious, hard-working, and decent life". He said since his arrest Davis has referred himself to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity which works to prevent child sexual abuse.

Judge Thomas said Davis had groomed his young victim with gifts of sweets, something he described as "classic paedophile behaviour".

He told the defendant he was a "committed paedophile" adding: "In the community you are a man of standing and status but you were living a lie. Your family, friends and work colleagues could not possibly have conceived of the man you really were."

The judge said he had read the letter which Davis had written to him, and it showed the defendant does not properly understand or accept the harm he has caused, and "is a man who is self-pitying rather than remorseful".

With discounts for his guilty pleas Davis was sentenced to a total of four years and nine months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order to control his access to young girls for the same length of time.

Description

Darren Friday bought a phone from Cash Converters to speak to who he believed was a 13-year-old girl A convicted paedophile was jailed once again after being caught chatting up and arranging to meet with a 13-year-old girl. Darren Friday, 53, received 14 months in prison in August 2018 and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed on him for ten years. But despite this the a dad-of-two began chatting with who he believed was a child, but was in fact an undercover police officer. A judge in Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, December 13, jailed Friday for three years and told him the case was aggravated by his previous conviction. The judge said he had breached the SHPO by having two mobile phones, and another aggravating fact was that he had used one of them to commit sexual offences. The judge ordered Friday to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. Steven Ball, prosecuting, told the court that Friday, using the handle Darren68, began communicating with the girl via the online Kik Messenger chatroom on September 17 last year. He established straight away that she was 13 and he claimed to be 35. He started asking her to send him photographs of her in her underwear and naked and went on to ask for videos of her naked. Mr Ball said he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her and in other conversations directed how he wanted her to pose for photographs. He also asked if she was a virgin and said he wanted to be her first. Friday progressed to referring to them meeting up and asked the girl, who purported to live in Somerset, for the name of some local hotels and he again asked for more photographs of her. In their last online chat his tone changed and he began asking why she had not been available to chat to him and on November 28 he sent her a 10 telephone credit and "told her he loved her". Mr Ball told the court: "He telephoned her and that was the first time they had directly spoken. The defendant told her she had a sexy voice and there was a discussion about the possibility of meeting up sooner rather than later." His sex offender manager went to visit him on November 25 and asked if he had any electronic devices which he denied but when police went to his home to arrest him they found he had two mobile phones. One of them, a Samsung, was unregistered and he had bought it from Cash Converters the previous month. When interviewed he made no comment. Friday, of Webb Street, Wavertree, pleaded guilty to six offences including attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity; attempted sexual communication with a child; attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Kate Morley, defending, said: "He is a man of few words, he offers no excuses. "There is clearly a fundamental issue, a disturbing interest in young females." He only has the convictions for which he was jailed in 2018 and during that period in prison he did not participate in a rehabilitation course because "he was embarrassed and it was a very short course". Miss Morley said that he lived alone and was somewhat isolated. He suffers from arthritis and curvature of the spine and walks with a cane as he has mobility issues. She added: "He knows he has done wrong and is going to be punished. He has difficulty explaining his behaviour but for what it is worth he is sorry." The offences for which he was jailed previously involved him chatting online with two girls aged 13 and 14, who actually did not exist and were fake profiles set up by a paedophile hunting group. During those chats he made similar comments and requests as in the new offences.

Description

19-YEAR-OLD IS CHARGED FOLLOWING SEXUAL ASSAULT OF SCHOOL GIRL AND SECOND OFFENCE IN SOUTHAMPTON

Hampshire and IoW News

Officers have charged a man after a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Wimpson Lane in Southampton at 7.30am on Tuesday 14th December.

Jack Stott, 19, of Orion Close, Southampton, has been charged with two counts sexual assault.

The second count relates to an incident in Shirley Road, Southampton, on December 1, 2021.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Southampton Magistrates' Court this morning (December 18).

The victims both continue to be supported by specialist officers.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of sexual assault after a 12-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Wimpson Lane at 7.30am on Tuesday 14 December.

It was reported a man unknown to her approached her and her friend and sexually assaulted her.

Police appealed for information, witnesses and dash cam footage and for anyone who can assist to get in touch with detectives.

Hampshire police previously said;

"We urge anyone who was in the area of Wimpson Lane or Romsey Road between 7.20am and 7.40am on Tuesday morning to get in touch with us.

Today, as part of our enquiries, we have arrested a 19-year-old man from Southampton on suspicion of sexual assault.

He remains in police custody at this time.

The girl continues to be supported by specialist officers."

As we previously reported Hampshire police released further details in the Manhunt for a pervert who sexually assaulted a 12-Year-Old girl whilst she was walking along Whimpson Lane in Millbrook with her 13-Year-Old friend on Tuesday morning.

The attack on the girl has left parents horrified and many are ensuring their children currently do not walk to school on their own. Additional safety measures have been put in place today by both the local schools and police.

Police have told us the suspect has been described as white with a stocky build and below average height, wearing an orange hi-vis jacket, dark blue working men's trousers and working boots.

Detectives said that that the man was on foot, walking from Romsey Road into Wimpson Lane and he walked back from Wimpson Lane into Romsey Road. This was between 7.20am and 7.40am.

The girl who was assaulted, who is 12-years-old, is being supported by specialist officers.

Her friend, a 13-year-old girl who was with her at the time, acted quickly and called the police.

Officers then deployed to the area immediately and carried out thorough area search to try and locate the offender.

Police then sent out teams to carry out house to house enquiries in the area and scope CCTV opportunities.

Officers have also alerted schools in the area about the incident.

Detective Sergeant Jamie Wiseman said: "This is very worrying incident and our absolutely priority is to identify this man.

"Whilst we have increased patrols in the area and are carrying out enquiries, we want to ask anyone who was in Wimpson Lane yesterday morning around this time who saw a man matching this description, to get in contact with us.

"We know that the man was on foot, walking from Romsey Road into Wimpson Lane and he walked back from Wimpson Lane into Romsey Road. This was between 7.20am and 7.40am.

"We are specifically keen to hear from anyone who was driving along Wimpson Lane at this time with dash cam footage to come forward, you may have captured valuable footage that will help us identify this man.

"Anyone with information must contact us as soon as possible. This is a priority for us"

Description

Monkey dust user Steven Dunn bit and spat at a police officer - before smearing poo in his cell.

The 45-year-old was arrested for breaching the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders' Register.

But he then pulled out a collapsible walking stick and when an officer restrained him he bit his hand and spat at him. He then urinated and defecated in his police cell before smearing the poo on the walls.

Now Dunn has been jailed for 65 weeks at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

The defendant has been on the Sex Offenders' Register ever since being jailed for sexual assault in 2019 and is supposed to tell the police of any change of address.

But he became homeless and was eventually found in Hanley at 1pm on October 8.

Prosecutor Ian Ball said: "He ran, turned and brandished a collapsible walking stick. He raised it over his head and lunged forward to threaten the officer.

"The officer restrained him. He was tearful. The officer sought to reassure him. He put his hand on his shoulder to help him get in the vehicle. He bit the officer on the hand. The officer pulled back. The defendant spat at the uniform and the ground.

"The officer was using a thick glove so his skin was not broken."

The court heard the defendant then banged his head on the side of the car and spat at the officer. The vehicle cost £100 to clean. The clean-up bill for the police cell incident was £65.

The defendant - who has 27 previous convictions for 68 offences - had taken monkey dust earlier in the day.

Description

A paedophile who asked an undercover police officer if her children were "available" for sexual abuse has been jailed.

Benjamin Knight, of Wisp Hill Croft in Grassington, North asked an undercover police officer if her children were "available" for sexual abuse has been jailed., quizzed the officer who pretended to have three children during an online sting.

Bradford Crown Court heard the forklift driver hoped to have his own family to "train" and suggested meeting up.

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years after admitting a series of offences.

Knight, who was jailed for 18 months in 2018 for making indecent images of children, was arrested at his home in August after police found two phones hidden under his bed.

The devices were later found to contain more than 3,000 indecent images and more than 300 extreme pornographic images.

The 41-year-old pleaded guilty to possession and distribution charges in relation to the images and will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Barrister Rahdia Karaa, for Knight, said he had never intended to meet up with the fictitious family.

Judge Neil Davey QC said Knight's sexual interest in children had escalated since his jail sentence and he had spoken in detail about what he wanted to do to the children.

He said the phones hidden under Knight's bed were kept secret from the police in flagrant breach of a previously imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Knight also pleaded guilty to three charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence.

Description

A man from London has been convicted of possessing over 800 indecent images of children, after he admitted owning stun guns and pepper spray.

A former BBC producer has been found guilty of possessing indecent images of children following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Victor Melleney, 76, who previously worked on programmes such as Panorama and Question time, also pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to four counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

He was arrested by NCA officers at his Kensington flat in October 2018. The weapons – three tasers and a pepper spray – were recovered following a search of the flat and his Porsche.

Officers also seized Melleney's laptop and iPad from this address.

An external hard drive, which he initially attempted to hide in his pocket, was recovered at his house close by in Holland Park.

His devices contained over 800 images and videos of child sexual abuse (categories A-C) and he had downloaded four different Peer 2 Peer file sharing applications onto them.

Analysis showed that the keywords he used to search for the material included "PTHC" (Pre Teen Hard Core), "Preteen" and "11 yo".

In March 2019, NCA officers executed a warrant at another of Melleney's properties in West Wittering, Chichester, as intelligence showed that he had also accessed child abuse material from the address in the month prior to his arrest.

Today at Kingston Crown Court, Melleney was found guilty of possessing indecent images of children.

He will be sentenced for this, along with the prohibited weapons offences, on 14 January 2022 at the same court.

Martin Ludlow, Operations Manager at the National Crime Agency, said: "Melleney had a significant collection of child abuse material, which he had sought out from with other like-minded individuals using the internet.

"It's really important not to forget that behind every sexual abuse image is a child whose life has been cruelly torn apart by an abuser, with men like Melleney fuelling the demand for such material.

"Protecting children and targeting those who pose a sexual threat to them remains our top priority."

Description

A man from Southport has been jailed for 17 years for raping a toddler and sexually assaulting another child.

Ryan Hawkins, 29, was identified by NCA investigators as username 'bigladuk6' who had been discussing the sexual abuse of children with other paedophiles online.

In September 2021 he shared a graphic sexual image of a baby and told another user about his plans to abuse a young girl the following week.

Hawkins was arrested by NCA officers eight days later and his phone was seized.

Two identical videos of Hawkins raping a female toddler were recovered from the device, along with four graphic sexual images of baby.

When interviewed, he admitted to sexually abusing the toddler on two separate occasions and to sexually assaulting a young boy.

He was charged with the rape and assault of a girl under 13, sexual assault of a male under 13, two counts of making indecent images of a child (IIOC) and one of distributing IIOC.

Hawkins pleaded guilty to all the charges on 16 November 2021 at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was sentenced today [17/12/2021] at the same court to 17 years in prison.

NCA operations manager Phil Eccles said: "Ryan Hawkins' crimes are absolutely horrific.

"The fact he openly discussed the abuse with strangers on the internet shows his callous nature and the fact he had no regard for the profound impact this would have on his victims.

"He is an example of the highest risk and most dangerous sexual offenders targeted by the NCA and it is only right he is behind bars where no longer poses a threat to children."

Description

A sex offender who attacked six lone women has been given a life sentence. Joshua Victorin, 25, who approached his victims from behind, carried out four of the attacks within four hours. The offences between 23 December and 4 January happened days after his release from prison, where he had been serving a sentence for three sex attacks and other crimes. At Inner London Crown Court, he was told he must spend at least eight years and eight months in jail. Victorin pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted rape and four charges of sexual assault.

'Most people's nightmare'

Victorin, who was living in a probation hostel in Walworth, disguised himself in dark clothing, a hooded top and a face mask to carry out the attacks across south London. At an earlier hearing, prosecutor Claire Harden-Frost said: "These offences can be seen as part of a campaign to rape and sexually assault women walking alone in the streets of London. "This, frankly is most people's nightmare in this situation." Victorin first struck on the evening of 23 December, when he followed a woman as she got off a bus in Peckham. He pulled down her jogging bottoms, causing her to fall to the floor, before fleeing when the woman's screams alerted a passer-by.

'Hyperventilating'

On New Year's Eve, he tried to rape a second woman in Elephant and Castle, pulling down her trousers and dragging her by her ankles to the doorway of a London South Bank University building, but was disturbed by a security guard who heard her "hysterical" screams. On 4 January, Victorin carried out four similar sexual assaults on separate women, between 11:00 and 14:15 GMT. One victim described how he was "panting" as he grabbed her hips, while another was said to be so distressed she was "hyperventilating" when he groped her thighs. Victorin was identified after detectives theorised the attacker might be on some kind of curfew because of the timing of the offences and tracked him down to his hostel. He has seven previous convictions for 14 offences dating back to 2014. While serving a sentence for unlawful wounding and possession of an offensive weapon, he sexually assaulted two prison guards and was jailed for a year, having also sexually assaulted a female police officer in March last year. He was released halfway through his sentence in August, but recalled to prison after being charged with possession of cannabis and outraging public decency - by having consensual sex in a park in front of people, including children - and was then freed under licence in December. Stephen Akinsanya, defending, said his client's "indication of remorse is genuine". Describing Victorin as a "prolific offender", Metropolitan Police Det Sgt Chloe Angris said: "It is possible that there might be other women who were assaulted by him, and I would urge them to contact us."