Latest Offenders

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Former Walsall Council leader Sean Coughlan has pleaded guilty to two child sex offences. The 65-year-old admitted one count relating to sexual communication and one count relating to attempted sexual activity with a child under 16 between August and December 2021 when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday. Coughlan spoke to change his plea to guilty from not guilty. There was no application for bail. A trial had been due to be held on July 18. However now the veteran politician has pleaded guilty he will be sentenced in four weeks. Coughlan, of Martin Drive, Short Heath, Willenhall, was remanded in custody until then. Coughlan was the elected representative for the Willenhall South ward but resigned in December following his arrest after being caught in an internet sting. Self-styled paedophile hunters confronted Coughlan and posted a 30-minute video of them questioning the Labour politician on social media. He was then arrested and charged by West Midlands Police and spent Christmas behind bars after being kept in custody. A spokesman for Walsall Council said at the time: The council received Councillor Sean Coughlans written notice of resignation from his office as a councillor. His resignation was formally and immediately accepted. He is no longer a Walsall MBC councillor. He was first elected in 1995 and has successfully defended the seat on a number of occasions, the latest being in May this year. During his career he rose to become deputy leader and then leader of both his party and Walsall Council, which he was in charge of between 2016 and 2018. He stepped down as leader of the Walsall Labour Group in 2019. It is understood that Councillor Coughlan was also suspended from the Labour Party following his arrest.

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A former Countdown contestant who encouraged the abuse of a child in the US has been jailed for 12 years. Craig Chittenden, 33, of Willington, County Durham, persuaded a woman to abuse her daughter as he watched. He was caught after arranging a visit online to abuse a child in the UK, but was snared by an undercover officer. When police visited his home, they found almost 1,000 indecent images. At Durham Crown Court, he admitted seven sex offences. Chittenden, of Hall Lane Estate, appeared on the Channel 4 show as a 22-year-old student in 2010, and enjoyed a winning streak before he was beaten in the semi-final. 'Emotionless and detached' Police in Durham were alerted by FBI special agents in Dallas, Texas, that he had been exchanging messages with a suspect who had been abusing her child while he watched. She has also been jailed. Chittenden pleaded guilty to a charge of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, inciting the sexual exploitation of girl under 13, possessing extreme pornography, distributing indecent photographs and three counts of making indecent photographs. Prosecutor Jane Waugh said Chittenden shared 24 indecent images of children during a conversation with another paedophile in February 2020, where he discussed the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young child. She said when arrested and interviewed by detectives, he dismissed the discussions as "fantasy and escapism". 'Fallen down a rabbit hole' The court heard that when police visited his home they found almost 1,000 abuse images and over four hours of video footage, as well as extreme animal pornography. Multiple devices were seized and examined which revealed Chittenden had been making contact with paedophiles in the US and inciting sexual acts on young children. Chittenden described a planned visit to the south of England to abuse a child as a "fantasy" and that he had "fallen down a rabbit hole" into new areas of abuse. Sentencing, Judge Ray Singh said Chittenden had "remained emotionless and detached". "There was a clear interest in sadistic torture, extreme violence and sexual offences towards children," he said. "In my view you are a dangerous offender." Det Con Georgina Lewis from Durham Police said: "Chittenden is a sexual predator who tried to hide his crimes online and encourage like-minded individuals in the USA to carry out sex acts on children. "This was a complex investigation but thanks to the collaborative investigative efforts between Texas police and ourselves he was left with no option but to plead guilty."

Description

A local historian has been jailed for nine years after he undressed and raped a drunken and sleepy teenage girl after a party.

Shane Jessop took advantage of the teenager after she 'passed out' on a sofa and he led her upstairs to a bedroom, where he took all her clothes off and kissed her before raping her.

The girl had been left very upset and said that the 'horrendous' incident would 'haunt' her forever, Hull Crown Court heard.

Jessop, 49, from Hull, admitted attacking the girl in September 2021.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said the teenage girl was at a party in Hull and Jessop had bought alcoholic drinks for the gathering.

The court heard the victim had been placed on a sofa after becoming sick and had passed out. She woke after 11pm to find Jessop on top of her.

Jessop had carried her victim upstairs and undressed her before the rape.

Jessop stopped after three to five minutes but only when he heard another girl about, the court heard, at which point the victim got dressed.

The court heard how police were alerted and he later told them: 'My life is over, isn't it?'

The girl later said that the incident was 'horrendous' and she had since suffered anxiety, including finding it difficult to breathe as though she was 'under water trying to get back'.

She suffered from flashbacks and often lost focus.

'I haven't been out of the house really since the incident,' she said

in a statement to the court. 'I spend a lot of my time in bed.

'I know this has affected my mum and dad a lot. I suffer a lot with anxiety.

'I just sit and cry until I can't cry any more. I get upset often for no reason.

'My mum worries about me constantly. This will haunt me forever.'

Jessop denied charges of sexual assault against the same victim and another girl on the same day.

He also denied perverting the course of justice between October 1 and 10 by asking another girl to contact the two teenagers to suggest that they withdraw their allegations in exchange for money. Police confirmed Jessop had tried to pay off the victim via a third party before his first appearance in court, but those three charges were not pursued by the prosecution.

Jessop had previously denied all the offences and had been due to face trial in April but he later changed his pleas to guilty for rape and sexual assault.

Nigel Clive, mitigating, said that Jessop wanted to apologise for his actions.

The offences happened at an unhappy time in his life because of personal matters and he turned to drinking. He had been drinking at the time of the rape.

'His baser desires turned to criminality,' said Mr Clive. 'He bitterly apologises. If he could turn back time, he would.'

Jessop realised that the victim and her family would suffer terribly.

'His actions have let everybody down terribly,' said Mr Clive.

'He bought alcohol with no intention of committing offending.

'He found his victim drunk and what happened there was terrible but he did not provide alcohol in order to abuse people.'

Jessop had no previous convictions.

He had gained a degree in local history and had worked in museums and libraries.

'He led ordinarily a very quiet life,' said Mr Clive.

Judge Mark Bury told Jessop: 'The effect of this offending has been severe as far as she is concerned.

'She feels betrayed by your actions. Her levels of anxiety have been raised significantly.

'She now suffers flashbacks, breakdowns and crying fits. The whole family have had to suffer along with her.

'You took advantage of a drunk young lady who was simply incapable of consenting and incapable of protecting herself and you were aware of that position.

'She was, in those circumstances, particularly vulnerable.'

Jessop was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Jessop describes himself on his LinkedIn account as a customer advisor based in Hull since November 2016.

Before that, he was a museum heritage assistant between September 2011 and November 2016.

He says: 'A proud family person, I consider myself as an articulate, educated and confident individual whose greatest strengths include historical research, writing, communication, inclusive participation, problem solving and social engagement.

'I pride myself on the ability to not only develop new skills but to harness and adapt my current abilities towards any vocational setting.'

Jessop studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in local and regional history at the University of Hull between 2008 and 2014.

He also studied at Hull College, has been a senior steward with Unison and was previously a volunteer tour guide on the Arctic Corsair, Hull's last remaining sidewinder trawler.

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A SEX offender who attacked a woman with learning difficulties has been convicted of rape after an attack on a different victim in her own home. Luis Calado was unanimously convicted of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration in Worcester at the city's crown court on Friday. The Crown will need to consider whether to pursue a trial in relation to a second count of rape which the jury could not reach a verdict upon. The 28-year-old also falls to be sentenced for a sexual assault on a different complainant who had learning difficulties after he was convicted after trial last December, a conviction the jury had been told about in the course of the second trial. Those sexual assaults (sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration) happened on the same day in July 2018. Calado showed little emotion in the dock but sobbing could be heard from the public gallery when the guilty verdict on the rape and sex assault came in shortly after 4pm on Friday. The jury had been deliberating for five hours and 18 minutes. The sentence will now take place on Wednesday, March 2 subject to any decision by the prosecution. The attacks took place on August 10 last year. During a tense exchange, Mr Nelson spoke of Calados attempts to call and text the defendant after the attack. You knew by this stage your number was up and she was going to go to the police because you had raped her said Mr Nelson. Absolutely not replied Calado from the witness box. Mr Nelson asked why Calado was trying to call her at 2.30am. Calado replied: I didnt know she had blocked my number. Mr Nelson put it to Calado that he was perpetually trying to ring and text her but Calado said: I dont agree with that. Thats very incorrect. The prosecutor referred to the previous sexual assault and said: You have a propensity to sexually assault women. Calado replied: Absolutely not Mr Nelson. In his closing speech Mr Nelson described the alleged rapes as taking place following 'a chance encounter' between the complainant and the defendant. "I suggest to you that he knew, there and then, that she was vulnerable" he said. Mr Nelson suggested there was 'an obvious, underlying vulnerability' and that he 'changed the tempo, knowing there was a vulnerability' "He moved to get what he wanted which was sex whether she was going to consent to it or not" he said. Mr Nelson said the complainant had become 'a sitting duck'. "He stepped into that type of physical contact within 30 minutes or so" he said. The prosecutor said she had withdrawn consent. That didnt bother Mr Calado at all. Sex was on his mind and he was going to get it, come what may. Mr Calado totally ignored her protestations. He made no effort to establish whether she wanted what he was doing, made no effort to ascertain whether she was consenting. He was more interested or entirely interested in his own gratification. He is, the prosecution say, a man with a propensity to behave in this way towards women. In those moments she doubtless felt utterly powerless. Calado was remanded in custody ahead of his sentence hearing.

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The face of a Bucks sex pest who was jailed after asking "anyone want BJ?" on a swingers messaging app has been revealed. Police have released the mugshot of sex offender Stephen Owen, 60, after he was locked up for three years and two months on Friday 11 February. At his sentencing hearing at Amersham Law Courts, Owen, from Kidlington, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. The court heard how Owen was slapped with the 10-year order after he was convicted of producing indecent images of children - but he then proceeded to breach the order the day after he was given it. The court order banned Owen from downloading private messaging apps without the police's permission and prohibited him from using fake names on the internet. While based in Bucks, Owen breached the order when he downloaded the app Fab Swingers - used for hookups and sexual communications - and posted a message asking "anyone want BJ?" After meeting a man for a sexual encounter, the court heard that Owen asked the man if he wanted to see sexual images of children. The man declined and called the police over to his concerns about Owen's proposition. The court heard how between June 6, 2021 and October 2, 2021, Owen breached the order multiple times by downloading and using private chat features on apps including Whatsapp, Tinder, Snapchat and Badoo. At the same time as his offending, Owen was taking part in a rehabilitation programme that was supposed to be educating him on the wrongs of sexual crime. Judge Catherine Tulk was unimpressed that Owen had started offending so soon after she had given him the sexual harm prevention order, sentencing him to 22 months in prison as well as triggering a 16-month suspended sentence he was serving from his previous conviction. Judge Tulk said: What is really troubling me is that his probation report is really positive. He was a star worker. But all the time he was doing that he was offending. While on the face of it he was complying with it, when one looks at it its clear it was not genuine.

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A depraved man with a dirty nappy fetish who detailed his plans to rape a baby to an undercover police officer has received a 14-year sentence. Lee Haughtons vile sexual fantasies were laid bare at his sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on February 11, during which Judge David Dixon described his behaviour as abhorrent and depraved. In an opening note submitted to the court, prosecution barrister Andrew Bailey described how Haughton, of Wood Street, South Hiendley, Barnsley met an undercover police officer purporting to be a single mother in an online chatroom called fab swingers in June last year. Mr Bailey said that despite Haughton immediately revealing he was into role-playing; age-play and diapers; he was initially cautious and asked the officer, who was using the pseudonym Louise, to prove she was real and not from the police. She sent him a picture of herself, as requested, and as the conversation progressed, Haughton told her he had always been turned on by incest, the court was told. Louise told Haughton she shared his interests, adding her two daughters, neither of whom are real, were currently aged four and four-months-old. Despite his concerns about being caught by the police, Haughton expressed his desire to abuse her baby, which he described as the ultimate and something that had not previously been accessible to him. Mr Bailey said the pair agreed to meet in person at a caf at Meadowhall on June 27, and upon arrival, Haughton told the officer he had got there early because he was eager and had also wanted to check the area for police officers or similar. During the meeting, Haughton formulated a plan for abusing Louises children, and said he really likes nappies and had always been into watersports. Haughton then told her he had previously stolen dirty nappies from a supermarket bin, and described how he would smell the nappies and pleasure Haughton then told her he had previously stolen dirty nappies from a supermarket bin, and described how he would smell the nappies and pleasure himself. He was caught and arrested by police three days later, as he travelled to a location he believed to be Louises house, carrying a bag containing sex toys. Mr Bailey said the undercover officers conduct was part of Operation Resolve, a police initative aimed at making the internet safer for children. Haughton was targeted after 19 indecent images of children were found on his mobile phones and computers, following a raid of his property in November 2020. Forensic examination of Haughtons devices also showed he had downloaded around 20 videos from a website called Incestflix, depicting men and women role-playing various incestuous sexual fantasies. Despite initially claiming in police interview that his behaviour was part of an elaborate plan to entrap Louise and give the authorities her address, he eventually accepted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to charges of: conspiring to engage/facilitate in the commission of a child sex offence; making indecent photographs/pseudo photographs of a child and possessing prohibitied images of a child at an earlier hearing. Judge Dixon described Haughton as a dangerous offender and handed him an extended sentence of 14 years, six years of which must be served in prison. He said he was in no doubt Haughton would have completed the crimes against the baby. Haughton was also put on the sex offenders register for life and made the subject of a life-long sexual harm prevention order. Judge Dixon commended the undercover officer for her role in exposing Haughtons criminality, stating that her conduct was exemplorary and deserved recognition because she had to live the role, which was too horrible to contemplate. Speaking after the hearing, A/Detective Sergeant Dave Devey, from the force's Crime Services department, said: "Haughton is a depraved sex offender who appeared to be obsessed with the idea of abusing young children for his sexual pleasure. I am pleased he is now behind bars where he belongs. "This significant sentence should also serve as a warning to other sick individuals who think they can hide in the shadows online. We are determined to make the internet a safer place for children in our communities - and we are proactively pursuing online offenders like Haughton every single day. We will find you, and you will face the consequences of your sickening actions." DCI Andy Howard, from the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, added: "I am pleased with the significant prison sentence handed by the court to such a dangerous offender. "We will continue to identify and pursue those that use the internet to prey on the vulnerable within the communities of the Yorkshire and Humber Region and across the country."

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A DEPRAVED Newport man who admitted to a number of child sex abuse offences has been jailed. Keaton Martin, of Clifford Street, appeared before a judge for sentencing at the Isle of Wight Crown Court. Martin, 24, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. The offences took place between June 15 and July 9, 2020. Martin also admitted three counts of making indecent images of a child, on July 13, 2020 one Category A, seven Category B, and four Category C. The judge, Recorder Malcolm Gibney, handed Martin three years in custody and placed him on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

Description

A teen found with images of girls aged three or four being sexually abused had been downloading child abuse pictures since he was 13.

Ryan Cham was found with 878 indecent images of children when police raided his parents home in Noctorum and seized electronic devices from him last year.

Later analysis revealed that Cham, now 19, had first downloaded indecent images in October 2016, when he was just 13.

However, Carmel Wilde, prosecuting, said Cham later told police his offending had mainly escalated during the pandemic when he was isolated and spent far more time online.

Police eventually raided his familys home in February last year after tracing his details to an indecent image uploaded to the Discord app.

Ms Wilde said an analysis revealed that some of the images showed girls as young as three or four being raped.

She added that 150 of the images fell into the most serious Category A, with 287 in Category B and 441 in Category C.

Cham had also pleaded guilty to possessing two images which were extreme pornography.

Quentin Neal, defending, said Cham had already sought support to try to address his offending and had accepted responsibility for the offences early by pleading guilty to making and possessing indecent images of children.

He also pointed to Chams lack of maturity when he started offending.

Mr Neal said: It was an early guilty plea, there were admissions made at the police station stage.

Your honour has referred to the defendants lack of maturity, he was between 13 and 18 when these offences were committed.

Mr Neal said a combination of factors made Chams one of those very exceptional cases where a community order was appropriate as opposed to a prison sentence.

The judge, Recorder Eric Lamb, said character references submitted by Chams family and friends revealed the shock many of them felt once his offending became clear.

Recorder Lam said: It comes as a shock to those who know you and love you that you have behaved in the way that you did by downloading disgusting images of children suffering abuse.

Your loved ones are at a loss to explain your conduct and it becomes more concerning and unusual when I read the character references that have been uploaded on your behalf.

Recorder Lam said he felt Chams was a case where a community order would be the most effective way to protect the public in the future and that Cham had taken clear steps towards getting support to stop him reoffending.

He added that a pre sentence report had assessed his risk of reoffending as low if he was given the correct support.

Cham, of Saughall, was made the subject of a community order for 30 months.

That order will see him take part in an intensive course aimed at stopping reoffending among those convicted of a sexual offence.

He must undertake 35 rehabilitation days and pay a 500 fine.

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A RETIRED Army Sergeant Major has been jailed after police found a high number of indecent images of children on his devices. Dave Richards, of High Street in Cefn Mawr, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday. The 63-year-old was convicted earlier this year of making indecent images of children at categories A, B and C over a period of 12 years. Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, said the National Crime Agency was made aware of a social media account linked to Richards uploading an indecent image to the internet. When officers attended his home in April last year, he directed them to a laptop in his living room, as well as to another he'd smashed and left in a bin bag in his basement. In all, three laptops were seized and they showed internet activity regarding child sexual abuse sites and other material such as images. Judge Rhys Rowlands said there had been so many images on the devices that police stopped the categorisation process. Of those indecent images categorised, there were 242 still images and 26 videos at category A, 215 still images and 10 videos at category B and 721 still images and eight videos at category C. More than 110,000 further images were present and were not fully examined, but there was sexual activity depicted in a sample of them. Henry Hills, defending, told the court: "He has exhibited genuine remorse and has been receiving ongoing therapy. "He's a man with an impressive work record , 24 years of service in the British Army, reaching the rank of Sergeant Major. "After that he worked as a telecommunications engineer for 22 years and retired around a year ago. "He has always been a committed family man. "He has referred himself to psychotherapy to address his sex addiction. He says he has turned his life around." Judge Rowlands branded the defendant's behaviour as "perverted," telling him: "This is a matter which I have considered with care. "But here, the scale of your offending - the number of images and the length of time you have been accessing them - it simply isn't possible to draw back and suspend what is an inevitable custodial sentence. "This is far too serious and it's very far from being on the cusp of custody." For the category A images, the Judge handed down a 10 month jail term - designed to reflect his overall criminality. Therefore no separate penalty was imposed for the other two offences. Richards must register as a sex offender for ten years and has been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.

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Paul Hannah, 37, and Robert Aitman, 35, had previously been cellmates before ending up in separate prisons. Two convicted Scots paedophiles exchanged sick letters from behind bars discussing how they could rape and murder children. Paul Hannah, 37, and Robert Aitman, 35, had previously been cellmates before ending up in separate prisons and the duo were subject to strict Sexual Offences Prevention Orders (SOPO) due to earlier crimes. However, during almost seven months in 2020, they flouted it by repeatedly secretly writing to one another. At the High Court in Glasgow today some of what was penned - much too graphic to explain in detail - was read during a hearing. It included Hannah discussing harming a child and then arranging to "snuff a kid" out and "disposing" of the body while he also urged Aitman to try and convince a judge his fellow pervert was "not a danger". Aitman meantime spoke of "going online to talk with people with kids" and how he missed being Hannah's "co-pilot". The pair both pled guilty to breaching the SOPO the terms of which included an order not to contact other sex offenders. A judge heard how Hannah claimed the first covid lockdown had left him feeling "isolated" and that was why he wrote the letters to Aitman. They were remanded in custody pending sentencing next month. Hannah had originally been jailed in 2017 for having indecent images of children. He was then hit with the SOPO a year later. Aitman - also known as McNab - was given the same order in 2020. He also had convictions for child porn and other related offences, which had seen him locked up. Hannah latterly ended up in Glasgow's Barlinnie prison with Aitman in Low Moss in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. Prosecutor Adrian Stalker told how staff at Low Moss became aware in late 2020 that Aitman had letters detailing sexual offences. A total of five addressed to Aitman and signed by Hannah were seized. A further five were then found in Hannah's Barlinnie cell, which had been sent by Aitman. They were written and sent between May 25, 2020 and December 5, 2020. In the first read by Mr Stalker, it included Hannah asking if Aitman was "still up for getting together" when they get out. Aitman replied stating he had spoken to "a couple of women" and that they would apparently have his children. He went on: "Why don't you look into moving into Paisley or somewhere near, so you are not living too far away from me. "We could go online to try and talk to people with kids. I miss being your co-pilot." Hannah went on to state to Aitman: "You need to try and convince the judge you are not a danger." He also mentioned both having been in the press and that the "best thing" would be to "move away" and "change your name". The letters went on to describe and discuss children. This included Hannah writing about getting rid of any "evidence". He said: "I've had discussions with a few guys...and they have no issue with snuffing a kid and disposing of them. How do you feel about that?" Hannah's lawyer Sean Templeton said the pervert was now "thoroughly ashamed" at what was written. The advocate added: "The date in May 2020 was during the first lockdown. "His position is that he felt isolated, alone at that time and essentially reached out (to Aitman). This is his explanation." John Brannigan, defending Aitman, said it was accepted the "terms of the letters are of grave concern". Lord Beckett deferred sentencing for reports until next month.

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An Axminster man has been found guilty of abusing a three-year-old girl after the child became one of the youngest witnesses to give evidence at a criminal trial.

The brave little girl was videotaped as she told the police about how Robert Grimshaw had come into her room in the middle of the night and touched her private parts.

He had turned up at her parents home in Devon after an argument with his girlfriend and was meant to be spending the night in another room.

The three-year-old used body maps to show specially trained police officers what he had done to her.

She did not have to appear in person at Exeter Crown Court for Grimshaws trial because her cross examination was also recorded in advance and shown to the jury.

Grimshaw, aged 29, of Foxhills, Axminster, denied two counts of sexual assault but was found guilty. He will be sentenced after probation reports are prepared.

During the case, Mr Peter Coombe, prosecuting, said the assaults happened on the night of January 9, 2020, when Grimshaw turned up at the parents home in East Devon uninvited and was allowed to stay the night.

The little girl woke her mother in the middle of the night to ask her to take off a Toy Story video which Grimshaw had put on as he touched her. She did not reveal the abuse at that stage.

She told her mother the next day and then gave her video recorded interview to the police a few days later. She told them she no longer watches Toy Story because it reminds her of that night.

Her parents gave evidence that she was so disturbed by the assault that they had to re-arrange her room before she could sleep in it again and that she set up trip wires to stop intruders getting to her bed.

The girls pyjamas were sent for forensic examination and scientists found Grimshaws DNA on the inside.

He claimed he had picked up the pyjamas when they were left outside her room and he denied carrying out any assaults. He was convicted unanimously.

Judge David Evans told him he had been convicted on overwhelming evidence and would be sentenced in March.

An updated report on how the girl is still being affected by the abuse will be prepared for that hearing. She has been unable to receive counselling pending the court case but it will start immediately.

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Joseph Brian Parkin was given a suspended sentence last June for contacting 13 and 14-year-old girls and leaving them messages, which put him in breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). But when he was handed the sentence, he was already in further communication with two more youngsters after they saw his message on the bus and contacted him. The 23-year-old then met up with the girls on several occasions and made sexual comments towards them, Leeds Crown Court was told. The defendant then began following the two teenagers. One of the girls older sister then confronted Parkin in the street as he followed them, and he rode off on his bike. Police were contacted and Parkin refused to comment during an interview. Parkin, of William Prince Grove, Belle Vue, eventually pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and two counts of breach of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). He has nine previous convictions which include sexual assault of a girl under 13, causing a child to watch a sexual act, sexual communication with a child, sending indecent communications, and several breaches of his SHPO, which he was given in 2017. Mitigating, Satpal Roth-Sharma said that Parkin suffered from Asperger's Syndrome and accepted his latest bout of behaviour. She said he was placed into care he was 12, and had spent the last seven months being held on remand in which had reflected on his life. She said: "His interest in teen girls is a result of feeling isolated and having never held down a proper adult relationship. "He accepts he made poor decisions linked to his Asperger's and his maturity. "He has thought long and hard about his behaviour and is showing regret and remorse." Judge Andrew Stubbs QC told him: "I appreciate the difficulties you have had, I'm aware of your autism and your place on the spectrum. "You are dangerous because you can't stop yourself contacting young girls for sexual purposes. "I can't take the risk of allowing you your liberty." Parkin, who sat shaking his head as the judge spoke to him, was handed a three-year jail term, made up of 20 months for his latest offences, as well as the 16 months from the suspended sentence last year.

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A sex offender has admitted exposing her penis, using a sex toy and masturbating in public.

Chloe Thompson committed the "grossly offensive" acts in daylight and in front of members of the public, a court heard.

At one point, three children saw her exposing herself and thrusting her hips in the window of her home.

Thompson had been due to be tried at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning but changed her plea to guilty just before the trial was due to begin.

Her latest offences were committed on August 13 last year in Cromer Street and Wellesley Road, in the Borough Road area of Middlesbrough.

A couple saw her performing a sex act on herself in a back alleyway of Wellesley Road at about 3.45pm that day.

Liz McGowan, prosecuting, said "the defendant was moving forwards and backwards against a wheelie bin" before being seen using a sex toy on herself.

At the time she was wearing "an ill-fitting black wig, a ra-ra skirt and a midriff-length top", the court heard.

"She was shouted at by the witnesses and ran away," said Ms McGowan.

Former soldier Thompson was also seen exposing herself on Cromer Street where she lived at the time of the offending.

Ms McGowan said a witness described seeing "a male on the street", "wearing women's clothing" and seeing that person "lifting and playing with their penis".

Ms McGowan said another witness described seeing "a male" standing in the forecourt area of a house "leaning over the garden gate, thrusting their hips forwards and backwards looking at the group as if he wanted them to notice him".

The thrusting continued for about a minute, the court heard, and Thompson was then seen walking back towards the house, apparently performing a sex act on herself.

On the same day, a woman was passing with her granddaughters in the car, who were aged 10,11 and 14 at the time.

As they passed the house, "one of the grandchildren shouts, 'Look at that lady'," said Ms McGowan.

The grandmother said she saw "a male standing in the window exposing his bum making thrusting movements with his hips".

Ms McGowan said: "The offences were carried out in daylight and in front of children who were passing. They were grossly offensive."

The court heard 42-year-old Thompson has 17 convictions for 22 offences and was still under a suspended sentence order at the time of the latest crimes.

Previously convicted as Andrew McNab, the defendant had been put on the sex offenders' register and made subject to notification requirements in 2011 for sexually assaulting an underage girl.

But she was hauled back before courts in May last year for breaching her notification requirements for the 11th time.

Andrew McGloin, defending, said Ms Thompson is "an individual who feels, at this point in her life, very optimistic and hopeful for the future".

He told the court she is originally from Glasgow and came to the Teesside area in 2011 to find work.

She worked in asbestos removal for a time.

Mr McGloin said Thompson plans to attend a gender clinic which may lead to her undergoing gender reassignment surgery.

"About two and a half years ago she expressed a wish to change her gender and, following that decision, has changed her name to Chloe Thompson," he explained.

"It's been a very emotional journey for her and she has, at times suffered with mental health problems which have been exacerbated with periods of homelessness."

The court heard she has recently undertaken courses for working in the wind turbine industry.

"She's very optimistic she will be able to gain employment in an industry she is very interested in," said Mr McGloin.

Thompson has also served in the armed forces, he explained, and was hoping to join the Army Reserve force.

"She is disappointed she has placed herself in this position in regards the distress she will have caused to members of the public on these occasions," he added.

Thompson, now of Borough Road in Middlesbrough, admitted three charges;

- Committing a public nuisance by indecent exposing herself while exposing her penis to members of the public while performing a sex act upon herself

- Committing an act outraging public decency by performing a sex act on herself in a public place in view of other members of the public, and

- Outraging public decency by behaving in an indecent manner, by using a sex toy on herself.

She will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on March 15.

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A former junior football coach who was previously jailed for sexually assaulting boys has been found guilty of raping a teenage boy. Michael Coleman, 79, attacked the 15-year-old in the mid-1970s after he joined the team he managed in Bolton, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said. He also indecently assaulted the boy in a changing room and at his flat. Coleman, who received a seven-year term in 2018, was sentenced to a further eight years at Bolton Crown Court. GMP said Coleman, of HMP Forest Bank, approached the boy in the showers after he had been at the club for about four months and sexually assaulted him. He went on to take the teenager out drinking in Bolton and on one occasion, took the boy back to his flat on the pretence of buying him some food and then indecently assaulted him. 'Harrowing' A police spokesman said after another night out, Coleman raped the boy at the flat, before driving him home. The attacks were reported after Coleman was jailed for seven years in 2018 for three counts of sexual assault against boys aged 12 and 13 in the 1980s. That case was the result of a nationwide investigation into non-recent sexual abuse in sport, which saw GMP and other police forces work with the NSPCC, the Football Association and local councils to identify offenders. Speaking after Coleman was sentenced on Tuesday, a GMP spokesman said it had been "a harrowing investigation". He said he could not imagine "the psychological effect" the abuse had had on the complainant, "not only as a young man, but throughout his life, but I hope that the verdict brings some form of closure and a sense of justice being served". He added that the boy "should have been able to trust Coleman as a local football coach, but was instead let down by him in the most horrendous way".

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A delivery driver was caught by paedophile hunters who trapped him at work which then led to a bust up. Walter Ripley believed he was sharing sex messages with a 14-year-old schoolgirl called 'Poppy' on WhatsApp. But he was talking to a "decoy" from a group calling itself Undercover and Expose. The judge criticised the three year delay that it has taken to bring the pervert to justice after he was caught by the group in February 2019. Prosecutor Sophie Shotton said the delay was caused by "staffing problems", Ripley being "released under investigation" and then the pandemic. Now the 33-year-old has been jailed for three years after admitting four charges of trying to groom someone he thought was a child with a view to having sex and sharing images. Maidstone Crown Court heard how the offences came to light because of the "online child abuse activity group" called Undercover and Expose. Judge Philip Statman told Ripley: "This group has individuals who are prepared to go online and act as decoys. One of them called "Poppy" chatted with you on WhatsApp. "She told you from the outset she was aged 14. You were responsible, in graphic terms, of then telling the decoy what it was you would like to do to her - although you made no attempts to meet her. Despite that Ripley, of Orchard View, Teynham, sent her a disgusting image andvideos of himself saying he wanted to have sex with her. Judge Statman continued:"You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald. Members of this group confronted you at your work address. There was some form of disturbance and the police were called. "It is shocking that individuals such as you can go into chatrooms and speak in this way to individuals." "You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald..." The court heard how Ripley - described as an "isolated and lonely individual" - had "a terrible upbringing" with both parents in trouble with the law and his father was jailed. The driver - who was sacked after being confronted by the paedophile hunters - will now remain on the Sex Offender's Register indefinitely and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.