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A man from Loughborough who admitted being “sexually attracted to babies and toddlers” has been jailed for 25 years, after he paid for the abuse of young children in Asia.

National Crime Agency investigators identified that Ian Wynter, 59, targeted financially vulnerable individuals in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia. He would give them explicit direction and pay them to live stream themselves carrying out the abuse.

Wynter was arrested by the NCA in January 2020 after flying into Gatwick Airport from Shanghai, China, where he had been living and working.

Officers seized a number of electronic devices, including phones, a laptop and an external hard drive from him at the airport, as well as from his UK home in Loughborough.

They recovered thousands of online chat logs which showed Wynter speaking with offenders based all over the world.

In the chats, Wynter describes himself as a “paedophile” who is “sexually attracted to babies and toddlers”. As well as discussing raping them among other horrific ‘fantasies’, he also advised others on how to carry out abuse without getting caught.

While on a trip to Thailand in 2020, he engaged in an online conversation with another paedophile about potentially finding a local child to abuse.

The chat logs and financial records showed that Wynter had paid a man in the Philippines to abuse a two-year-old boy for him via video call, on multiple occasions in 2019. Video recordings of these calls made by Wynter show him directing the abuse throughout, as well as requesting specific sexual acts in the chat box.

Additional messages show the man telling Wynter he is in financial difficulty and needs money for “milk and diapers”. Wynter later passed on the contact details of the Filipino facilitator to another online user, who he said was willing to pay “$125 up front for a show”.

The facilitator has since been sentenced to 15 years in prison in the Philippines and local authorities safeguarded the child.

Wynter also paid another male facilitator in Indonesia for several video calls of him abusing two-year-old boy in 2018. In this case, the man said the money would help pay for his diploma.

17,000 indecent images of children (6,000 in category A) were stored across Wynter’s devices, many of which he had also shared online. Within these was a naked image of a child that he had taken himself.

In June this year, Wynter pleaded guilty to 13 charges including multiple counts of encouraging the sexual assault & rape of a child under 13 and the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

He was sentenced today (09/11/2022) at Leicester Crown Court to 25 years in prison.

He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register.

Tony Smith from the National Crime Agency said:

“Ian Wynter is a prolific sexual offender who caused very young children to suffer the most horrendous abuse at the hands of willing facilitators, giving them specific direction and financial reward.

“Wynter spoke with thousands of other predators online with whom he openly discussed his horrific sexual fantasies, and offered advice on carrying out abuse while avoiding detection.

“This case is a key example of how predatory sexual offenders are using online platforms to target vulnerable children overseas, as well as to connect with other like-minded individuals. Wynter’s sentence reflects the gravity of his worldwide offending and our commitment to bring him to justice.

“The NCA works with law enforcement partners across the globe to ensure we are identifying and disrupting offenders, and safeguarding children, wherever they are.”

Bethany Raine, CPS Specialist Prosecutor, said:

“Wynter demonstrated sickening depravity by paying adults to sexually abuse children in video calls and exploiting innocent children in other parts of the world.

“This conviction sends a clear message that the CPS, working alongside the NCA and international partners, will work to bring to justice those who sexually abuse and exploit children, wherever that abuse takes place.

“Working with our international partners we have also been able to help the Filipino courts jail one of the abusers Wynter encouraged in his appalling search for sexual gratification.”

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A man who preyed on a sleeping woman on the Night Tube stroking her leg has been jailed for a year after being found guilty of sexual assault.

Michal Piczak, 31, will spend one year in jail and a decade on the sex offenders register after a woman awoke on the Night Tube to discover him stroking her.

The attack came in the early hours of September 29 2019, the victim was travelling home on-board a Victoria line night service when she fell asleep.

As the Tube approached Walthamstow Central Underground station she awoke to Piczak stroking her legs and kicked out to get him away from her.

Pointing out Piczak to station staff she shouted: “Stop him, he’s been touching me”.

A British Transport Police officer at the station rushed to the scene and Piczak was promptly arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.

CCTV footage captures Piczak’s actions as he reached over the Tube’s aisle to touch the sleeping victim before moving next to her and stroking her legs.

Detective Constable Ibrar Ahmed, investigating officer in the case, said: “Piczak is a sordid sex offender who targeted a lone woman as she slept and subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault.

“His jail term sends out a clear message to anyone who exhibits this type of behaviour on the railway – we will catch you and bring you to justice without exception.”

Piczak of Station Road, Walthamstow, appeared at Inner London Crown Court on 28 October where he pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

A jury found him guilty at trial and he was sentenced by a judge to one-year imprisonment, and to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

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Police found a sickening stash of child abuse images at the home of an IT expert working for a firm providing services to the UK Government.

They discovered the vile collection when they seized for than 30 devices from the loft at Hugh Macpherson's Barrhead house.

Now fears have been raised that the 37-year-old had access to sensitive information while his employer carried out work for the state, the Daily Record reports.

Macpherson worked for Glasgow-based Iomart designing data storage systems at the time and pled guilty to possessing indecent images of children and bestiality between June 2018 and March 2021, including some in the most extreme category.

Yesterday at Paisley Sheriff Court, he was placed on a Community Payback Order and on the sex offenders register for three years.

Sheriff Eoin McGinty ordered him to be supervised by social workers and attend a programme which helps reform sex offenders.

One source close to the case said: "Given how skilled he is with IT and the level of expertise he has, it's actually incredible they found anything at all. You'd have thought that he'd have made sure to cover his tracks properly. We think he completely forgot they were there.

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A man and a woman from Southampton and Swanmore have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison for the false imprisonment of a man in Waterlooville.

Sean David Perry, 37, of St Marys Road, Southampton, and Caprice Martine Buddle, 25, of Brook Close, Swanmore, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (4 November) for sentencing. Perry pleaded guilty to the charges against him on the first day of his trial, while Buddle was found guilty by a jury in May.

Perry was sentenced to 17 years in prison for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud, assault by penetration and causing actual bodily harm.

Buddle was sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy to rob, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit fraud and possession of a Class A drug.

The court heard how the victim, a man in his 30s, started talking to Buddle online in the spring of 2019. The victim met up with Buddle in person a number of times.

On May 5, Buddle lured the victim to an address on Thrush Walk in Waterlooville, where he was later confronted by two men who spent hours physically, verbally and sexually abusing him.

During this time, the victim was hit with a stool, kicked, and forced to drink cleaning fluid. He was made to hand over his phone, wallet, bank cards and pin numbers.

The jury heard how the victim was then blindfolded, put into the back of a vehicle and driven around for some time before being left at the side of a road. Recognising where he was, he was able to run home and call police.

Based on initial information, officers were able to locate Buddle at an address in Havant, where they arrested her that day.

Perry was arrested several days later and a lengthy and complex investigation involving DNA, CCTV, phone and bank card analysis, led to the pair being charged. They pleaded not guilty, however a jury found them guilty of all offences after less than an hour and a half of deliberation.

A 26-year-old man from London, 38-year-old man from Fareham and 27-year-old man from Winchester were also arrested in connection with this incident and have since been released from police custody with no further action being taken against them.

Detective Constable Emily Dummer, of Hampshire Constabularys Eastern Operation Amberstone team, said: The victim in this case was subjected to a harrowing and traumatic ordeal which lasted over several hours. While nothing will ever be able to take that away, I am pleased that Perry and Buddle will now face the consequences of their despicable actions and spend a significant amount of time in prison for what they have done.

I would like to commend the victims incredible courage throughout the investigation and court process, without which we would not have been able to secure this outcome. As a result of his bravery, Perry and Buddle are now in a place where they will not be able to inflict such horrific abuse to anyone else.

We hope that this sentence sends a strong message to the public that we will do all in our power to protect and support victims of abuse, while relentlessly pursuing offenders.

For advice about how to keep yourself safe when communicating with people online and via social media, visit the Get Safe Online website: https://www.getsafeonline.org/

If you have experienced anything similar or become the victim of such a crime, please get in touch with us via 101 or online. Always call 999 in an emergency.

If you do not feel comfortable speaking to us, there are other independent support agencies out there that can help.

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Craig Slezas, 33, was caged on Tuesday after being convicted of sexually assaulting four women during an eight year long campaign of offending.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how three of his victims were subjected to rape.

Slezas, of Castle Street, Crail, had denied a string of charges during a trial. However, he was convicted of a total of 11 other offences committed between January 2008 and January 2016.

Making reference to a report detailing Slezas’s background, Lord Arthurson said: “You have not demonstrated any insight into your offending nor have you shown any remorse to the complainers. During your interview you engaged in what could be best described as victim blaming.

“The only appropriate disposal in this case is the imposition of a significant custodial sentence. I am very concerned about the risk you pose to the public and especially to women.”

Slezas had faced a total of 24 charges but several were withdrawn by the Crown. He was acquitted of two offences following the jury's verdict last month - sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports.

One of the women told the court of how she felt disgusted by the behaviour of Slezas, who worked as a greenkeeper at the Fairmont Hotel’s course in St Andrews.

Describing how he raped her, the woman told the court that Slezas ignored her requests not to have sex whilst at a house in Fife.

She told prosecutor Peter Ferguson KC: “I told him I wasn’t in the mood. He kept on trying but I said I wasn’t interested. I just froze He asked me why I was crying. I just cried.”

One of Slezas’ victims was a teenage girl who he molested in a car in St Andrews when she was aged 14. He went on to have unlawful under age sex with the girl at Craigtoun Park, in a vehicle parked at a layby near Dairsie and at a beach.

Slezas later shouted and swore at her and sexually assaulted and raped her at a house in Ansthruther on two occasions.

He also abducted another woman at a house in Crail when he locked the door preventing her from leaving, and assaulted her by seizing her by the body and grabbing her bag. He subjected her to a further assault and rape at a house in Cupar.

Slezas committed a further rape on another woman at a house in Fort William in the Highlands in January 2014. His final crime was committed in January 2016 when he abducted a woman in a car in Methil as he shouted and acted aggressively, refusing to stop and driving erratically resulting in her hitting the dashboard.

Slezas observed court proceedings via video link. Defence advocate Neil Murray KC said Slezas was “effectively” the sole carer for his mother.

Mr Murray also told the court that his client had learning difficulties. He added: “He does not seek to produce any sort of explanation for his behaviour. The lack of serious insight maybe the result of his intellectual difficulties.”

Lord Arthurson also placed Slezas on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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 A PERVERTED Penrith man who sexually assaulted two schoolgirls was prosecuted after one of his victims secretly recorded his offending. 

When police began to investigate 56-year-old John Lawrence Kernan because of his most recent abuse, another victim came forward and disclosed that the defendant also sexually assaulted her when she was a child.

Kernan was himself 16-years-old when he committed that earlier offence. 

The defendant, of Scaws Drive, Penrith, pleaded guilty to four offences: one historical count of gross indecency with a child; and three more recent sexual assaults on a different schoolgirl. Both victims were under 13.  

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined the background to the case.

He said that the offences came to light when the victim of the most recent sexual abuse told her mother that she had recorded an incident involving Kernan, when he claimed that what did was just 'playfighting'.

But the girl was deeply 'uncomfortable' with what happened and so decided to gather evidence by covertly recording her next encounter with Kernan, using her iPad.

She then asked her mother to look at the video she had recorded. “I showed my mum and said look at this video,” the girl told police. When her mother saw the video, what it showed left her feeling “sick to the stomach.”

The girl said she had previously spoken to only one other person about what happened – a friend at school. The victim said she had not known how to tell Kernan to stop the abuse but said: “I knew what was going on.”

The prosecutor then read to the court from a victim impact statement which was made by the child's mother.

The woman said that both she and her daughter had suffered 'significant emotional and psychological impacts' as a result of Kernan's abuse.

"She describes her daughter has having gone through a roller coaster of emotions and trauma," said Mr Rogerson.  The woman said he was heart-breaking to see her child - formerly happy-go-lucky - change so much.

The girl now suffered regular breakdowns, and her sleep was haunted by nightmares.

The woman and her daughter felt vulnerable when they went to Carlisle, fearful that they might see Kernan.

They avoided certain areas because of their fear of seeing him. "He took advantage of an innocent child for his own needs," the woman said.

She added that the abuse had a devastating impact and that the images she had seen on her daughter’s video recording played over and over in her head, leaving her unable to sleep and causing her mental health to spiral.

When he was interviewed by the police, Kernan claimed he had done nothing wrong, but conceded that it 'looked bad.' The court heard that in conversations with members of his family, the defendant had made incriminating admissions.

He told a relative that he had ruined his life. Mr Rogerson added that Kernan was a man of previous good character.

Mark Shepherd, mitigating, said the defendant had himself been exposed as a child to inappropriate sexual material in the form of pornography. “He regrets clearly what he has done and is remorseful,” said the lawyer.

Mr Shepherd said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

But Judge Richard Archer noted that the defendant appeared to have learned little during the intervening years between his first offence – which involved inappropriate sexual contact on three occasions with the victim - and the more recent offences.

While it would be possible to suspend the sentence he would impose, said the judge, there should be an element of deterrence in sentences for such sexual offending against children who are aged under 13.

Referring to that deterrent element, the judge said this means sending a message to future offenders and to the public at large that those who commit such offences against young children will be appropriately punished.

Addressing Kernan directly, the judge said: “For that reason, I regret to say to you that I have concluded that appropriate punishment in your case can only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence.”

Judge Archer jailed the defendant for 16 months.

Kernan will be on the Sex Offender Register for a decade, and he will also be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order which will bar him from having unsupervised contact with any child or staying at any home where a child is resident.

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A masked sex offender performed a sex act near a girl, 10 as she sat in her mum's car. The youngster had just been picked up from school and was waiting while her mum popped into the shops.

Gwion Griffiths, 32, appeared to be "waving" at the girl from a flat window in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, last December as he carried out the act. Griffiths, who had earlier pleaded guilty to exposure was jailed today Caernarfon Magistrates for 24 weeks a a danger to the public.

Prosecutor Sion ap Mihangel said the girl, who cannot be named to protect her identity, had been collected from school and driven to Dolgellau town centre. The girl was sitting on a booster seat on the front passenger seat while her mother left her for "five minutes or so" to pop to the shops, Mr ap Mihangel said. 

The girl saw Griffiths in a flat across the road from a shop. She noticed a Christmas tree and a male who "appeared to be waving at her".

But, the prosecutor said: "He was wearing a mask and a jumper" and was snaked from the waist down. She could see he was shaking his p**** or "p" as the girl put it. In other words he was performing a sex act, the prosecutor said.

The court heard the mother came back to the car and the girl told her "to just drive". "She had her hands up to her face as if she was blocking her vision.

"She told her mum she had seen a man in a window. He was holding his w**** and swinging it around," the prosecutor told the court. The court heard the woman and her husband discussed the incident and decided to tell the police.

Griffiths was traced and initially denied the offence of exposure. But he admitted his guilt shortly before his trial, meaning that his victim did not have to give evidence.

In fact, Mr ap Mihangel said the girl had been "totally unaware" that there was a possibility that she may have had to testify, with her parents revealing she had tried to blank out the entire incident. The prosecution had been told that a late guilty plea was likely.

Today the court also heard that Griffiths had moved from another Gwynedd town following a conviction in March last year for an almost identical offence. He received an eight-month jail term, suspended for 24 months, for that crime.

Carla Forfar, defending Griffiths, said the latest offence in Dolgellau had been "a chance matter". "He was in his flat. He had not sought out his victim. He has seen a chance and has overcome his inhibitions," she said.

He had been "playing with his p**** and would appear" to have performed a sex act. She said Griffiths, of Smithfield Street, Dolgellau, is isolated and the sort of person who stays in his flat most of the time.

Over the summer he managed to hold down a job in the hospitality industry. But he would very much like to get help. "He's not without saving," she added.

Earlier, the defence solicitor had argued that Griffiths had been "crying out for some help" and applied for an adjournment for a psychiatric assessment to be carried out. But the magistrates rejected that application.

Magistrates chairman Sarah Foskett imposed the immediate prison term, saying: "The reason it's not suspended is the risk and danger to the public." She told Griffiths his name would be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register, and he would have to register with the police, for the seven years.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next five years. On his release from prison he must pay a £128 surcharge.

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A sex offender who was twice caught with sickening images of children has been warned that he is now a "marked man" because of his "perverted" behaviour.

He narrowly avoided being sent to prison, even though he later assaulted a policeman after becoming aggressive towards him and had a knife with him, Hull Crown Court heard. Norman Winduss, 34, of Boothferry Road, Hull, denied six offences of making indecent pictures of children and another of possessing an extreme pornographic image but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

He admitted later offences of assaulting a police officer as an emergency worker and possessing a spring-lock knife as an offensive weapon. Recorder Anthony Hawks said that police found indecent images of children, including in the most serious Category A, during a search after going to the home of Winduss in January 2020.

More indecent images were discovered during a second visit in December 2020 after it was found that he had access to a second phone. There were "far more" Category A images in the second raid than the first one.

"What makes your position worse is that you would not accept your guilt and insisted on having a jury trial," said Recorder Hawks. "That was your right." Winduss had been convicted by the jury on the "plainest possible evidence".

Police searched the home of Winduss in June this year. He had "no business" having the offensive weapon. "You became aggressive and assaulted a police officer, who was simply carrying out his duties," said Recorder Hawks.

"The police are entitled to go about their lawful business searching premises and the like without being harassed and assaulted by people like you. You have been in some trouble with the police in the past.

"There is some light at the end of the tunnel because the probation officers think that you may be developing some insight into your perverted behaviour. You are lucky that she takes the view that you can be safely managed in the community.

"You are now a marked man. If you do anything like this again, you are going to go to prison for a significant length of time."

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A former labourer who posed as young girls to two self-styled paedophile hunters was caught and confronted live on Facebook.

Father-of-one Regan Lee sent a picture of his genitals to one decoy, posing as a 13-year-old girl named Blossom, as well as talking to another purporting to be a 12-year-old girl named Sophie.

Lee was later confronted by the vigilante group, which was streamed live on Facebook. The 25-year-old, who was 24 at the time, was arrested in Sutton-in-Ashfield and bailed, but then went on the run for several months before being caught by police.

Lee, of Manor Court Road, Bolsover, has previously lived in Chesterfield. He later said that he did not have a sexual interest in children, but that excuse was later dismissed as "ridiculous" by a judge, who went on to give him a two-and-a-half-year jail term.

Derby Crown Court heard that on Friday, November 4, Lee first sent a message to 'Blossom' saying "Hi" on April 23, and early in the conversation, she said she was 13 and from Northampton. After asking for photos of her face and body, to which he responded "wow, just wow", Lee said he found it "cute" when the decoy said she was "shy" and that "if you were older, I would kiss you".

The conversation continued over days to the point where Lee asked for sexual photographs, and sent one of his own genitals. These requests were refused by the decoy, to which Lee responded "no one is in the house with you so no one will know". During the conversation, he also attempted to incite the decoy to masturbate.

Lee messaged 'Sophie' on April 24, again starting the conversation with "Hi". The conversations were similar in nature to those with Blossom, prosecutors said, before he was confronted by the group a few days later and said to the vigilantes that while he didn't groom children, he was "disgusted with himself".

Lee, who has a young daughter, gave no comment in a police interview but later pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, and another of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of cannabis which was found upon arrest, but not guilty to a count of assaulting an emergency worker, for which the prosecution offered no evidence.

Chris Brewin, mitigating, said: "There is some suggestion of trauma, with a fractured family background. A series of events were behind the commission of these offences. He was last in prison in 2017 and he decided he would try and make a new life for himself. He got work as a labourer but his motorbike was stolen, so he lost his job and was evicted. He found himself at the YMCA.

"He is ashamed. He describes his own behaviour as quite horrific. I can only express his willingness to engage with the probation service. If it has to be an immediate prison sentence he will serve it and do his best to avoid getting into any trouble of any kind again."

Sentencing Lee, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said that it would have been "inappropriate" to suspend the prison sentence handed down due to the nature of the offences. He said: "What you said about not having a sexual interest in young girls is ridiculous and I can only assume it is your sense of shame that makes you hide from what you have done."

Lee was handed a sentence of two years and three months for the count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, with a concurrent 12-month sentence for the other two counts. He was also given a consecutive three-month sentence for going on the run, meaning his total sentence was two-and-a-half years in prison.

He will serve half in custody, and the rest on licence, but is the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offender register for the next 10 years. The items he used to communicate with the decoys are also to be destroyed.

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A Swindon man has been jailed for more than three years after he pleaded guilty to multiple offences relating to indecent images of children.

Adrian Weston, 37, of Haydon End, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on November 4 and pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, distributing an indecent photo of a child, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and possession of extreme pornographic image.
 
He was jailed for 42 months and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
 
Back in the summer of 2021, we received information relating to Weston and indecent images of children. He was arrested and over 300 ‘Category A’ indecent images of children were found on his devices. Category A refers to those depicting the most serious child abuse.
 
Whilst released under investigation, Weston engaged with an undercover police officer online who he believed to be an adult male who had an 11-year-old step-daughter. Weston encouraged him to record himself sexually assaulting his step-daughter whilst she slept and to then send him the footage.
 
Detective Constable Justine Parsons, from Wiltshire Police’s Child Internet Exploitation Team, said: “When officers attended Weston’s address on the second occasion, he attempted to delay opening the door to officers so he could swap the SIM card on his phone and destroy evidence.
 
“We hope this case highlights the work carried out by our team to identify offenders who access these images and ensure they are put before the courts.”

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A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for raping a woman in Portsmouth City Centre last summer.

Daniel Booth, who was 18 at the time he committed the offence but is now 20, was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Monday 7 November).

In addition to his prison sentence, of which he will be required to serve at least two thirds in custody, he will also have to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Booth, of Beresford Road, pleaded not guilty to the rape, which took place on June 29 2021, but was found guilty by a jury following a trial at the same court in June 2022.

The jury heard how the victim, a woman in her 20s, reported to police that she had been separated from her friends shortly after 11pm following a night out in Portsmouth. She reported waking up in what officers later determined to be Hippodrome House Car Park in the early hours of June 30th with no recollection of what had happened to her.

She was located by members of the public who found her in the car park and helped her to contact her friends and ensured that she got home.

An investigation was launched, led by Hampshire Constabulary’s specialist Operation Amberstone team, and extensive CCTV enquiries led to the arrest of Booth.

Further CCTV, forensic and mobile phone analysis subsequently led to him being charged with one count of rape.

An examination of Booth’s mobile phone by police showed that prior to his arrest, he had been doing web searches on Google about rape including how someone can be convicted of rape and what evidence police need to charge someone with rape. He also visited the CPS website on how the Crown Prosecution Service prosecute rape.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman involved said that what happened to her will be a nightmare that she will forever have to live with.

Sentencing Booth, Judge Timothy Mousley KC commended the bravery of the victim after Booth had put her through a trial by pleading not guilty as he “did not have the courage to admit the obvious”.

Judge Mousley also commended the actions of the young man who found the victim and made sure she got to a place of safety while looking after her and ensuring she was eventually reunited with her friends.

He told Booth: “She could not have anticipated what happened to her that night and was incapable of protecting herself from you. You took complete advantage of her. You carried her to the place where you violently raped her and abandoned her, you left her in the cold and wet.”

Operation Amberstone Detective Constable Nick Sandford-Smith, who led the investigation, said: “This was a truly terrible and predatory crime that has understandably had a significant impact on the woman involved.

“The courage it takes to come forward and speak to us about incidents of this nature should not be underestimated and I would like to take this opportunity to commend this young woman for the bravery she has shown.

“The fact that Booth is now in prison is testament to her courage in speaking out and assisting police with this investigation.

“The Operation Amberstone team works tirelessly to target perpetrators of rape, and provide specialist support to survivors who have been affected.

“I hope that this sentence goes some way to helping the woman involved gain closure and begin to move forward with her life. We want our communities, and survivors of abuse, to know that we stand with them and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Portsmouth Detective Chief Inspector Dal Andrews said: “No-one in our community should ever be in a position where they do not feel safe walking the streets. For someone to be targeted in this way is abhorrent and will never be tolerated by police.

“First and foremost I would like to say thank you to the woman involved for her courage in telling us what happened and assisting so bravely with the investigation.

“I would also like to commend the actions of the members of the public who stopped to help her and made sure she got home safely.

“We continue with our dedicated patrols at times when our pubs and clubs are at their busiest. A key focus of our officers, together with our partners including pubs and clubs, is to identify vulnerable people and safeguard them, as well as targeting and calling out perpetrators, arresting and using dispersal powers where necessary.

“We work very hard in Portsmouth to tackle sexual offences in partnership with organisations that support survivors. We want you to have the confidence to come forward and talk to us if something has happened to you, or somebody you know.”

We encourage anyone who has been affected by sexual abuse to report this to police on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress or you feel that you’re in danger.

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A grinning paedophile policeman snared in a sting by his former colleagues has refused to discuss his offending as he nervously awaits sentencing for his crimes.

Ex-cop Christopher Little (39) entered guilty pleas to nine charges at Belfast Crown Court last month — including attempting to have sex with a child — and was released on bail pending sentence this month.

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George Constantin was handed jail sentence eight years ago for sexually abusing 14-year-old.

A child rapist on the run was found living in Liverpool and now faces extradition.

Police discovered that George Constantin had been stay at an address on Altcar Avenue in Toxteth when he was arrested last week. He appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, November 5, after being detained by officers.

The court heard that the 29-year-old had been wanted on a European Arrest Warrant from Romania to serve an outstanding sentence for rape and robbery. According to a wanted listing on the Romanian police website, Constantin - who did not oppose extradition and was remanded into custody - was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for sexual offences against a 14-year-old child in 2014.

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A predatory sex offender has been branded a "monster" after he targeted a young girl and did "horrendous" things to her that would cause lasting harm to her in the future.

James Andrew brazenly took advantage of the youngster and then tried to blame TikTok, the internet and her new mobile phone for any knowledge that she might have about sexual matters, Hull Crown Court heard. Andrew, 39, formerly of Goole, denied four offences, including three of sexual assault and another of assault by penetration, in October 2019 but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

Judge Mark Bury said that, on two occasions, Andrew intimately touched and kissed the girl. Andrew exposed himself and made her touch him before he intimately touched her again. "You told her as you were leaving that you were sorry and shouldn't have done it," said Judge Bury. "She said nothing about what you had done for a year. You denied doing anything wrong and you deflected blame."

Andrew had claimed that the girl gained any knowledge of sexual matters from TikTok and the internet after she had recently been given a mobile phone. "The fact that you were searching for other people to blame does you no credit," said Judge Bury.

"It's impossible to tell what harm this is going to do to her. What you did has long-lasting and very real implications. You told her to keep it a secret."

A woman who knew the girl said in a statement that the offences had "broken" the girl and those who knew her. Andrew was a "monster" who had done "these horrendous things to her". She added that she had not regarded Andrew as a monster at the time.

"You never truly know what someone is capable of until it's too late," she said. The girl now struggled to trust people.

"He has taken her innocence and that's something you can never change," said the woman. "It's so hard to see the pain in her eyes every day." The girl faced a daily "trauma" because of her ordeal.

Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that there were two separate incidents of sexual behaviour towards the girl. Andrew had suffered problems while remanded in custody after being convicted of the offences.

Andrew, recently of King Street, Thorne, near Doncaster, was jailed for six years and was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Record details

A convicted rapist with derogatory attitudes about females preyed on a lone woman and subjected her to a terrifying ordeal in her own home.

Ian Maclean forced his way into his victim's house after first establishing she was on her own before throttling her. The victim later said she thought the intruder was going to rape her, and she said he seemed to enjoy how scared she was. Swansea Crown Court heard Maclean has more than 120 previous offences on his record including assaults, burglaries, and a "particularly horrific" rape of a young woman who he dragged from her bed after breaking into her house.

Handing down an extended sentence, a judge told the 49-year-old he had no doubt he should be considered a dangerous offender, and he said it may be that Maclean had been motivated by his desire to regain dominance over women after a period in prison.

 The court heard that on March 31 year last Maclean was acquitted of rape following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. Later that night he burgled a woman's flat and ransacked the property, helped himself to some of his victim's alcohol, and rearranged her underwear in a dresser drawer.

Then on the morning of April 5 he left his parent's house in Llanelli and caught a train to Swansea.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, said at around 2pm a woman working in her garden became away of being watched through the hedge - thinking it may have been a neighbour she called out but Maclean replied: "I'm not lurking, I'm looking for my father, Kevin". The court heard the woman told him he had the wrong address and Maclean tried to engage her in small talk before leaving.

Later that afternoon the woman was in her house when she became aware of a man standing outside her front door - through the glass she recognised him as the same male who had been watching her earlier. The court heard Maclean opened the door and walked into her house - the woman told him he couldn't come in but he pushed past her. The homeowner tried to force him back out but he pushed her aside.

The prosecutor said the frightened woman tried to remain calm and talk to the man in an attempt to get him to leave, and when he asked for a cigarette paper she suggested he could have a smoke and a cup of tea outside. Maclean replied: "I don't want a cup of tea. That's not what I want". The court heard the woman thought the intruder was going to try to rape her, and that "he appeared to enjoy the fact he was frightening her".

The woman was able to grab her phone and flee the property with Maclean in pursuit - he chased her though the garden before catching her by the garden gate and grabbing her around the throat. The woman called out to a neighbour for help and managed to poke her assailant in the eyes causing him to lose his balance. Maclean then "calmly walked away" and the police were alerted. The defendant was located a short distance away where he became "obstructive and abusive" towards officers and had to be restrained.

In his subsequent interview Maclean said he had purchased alcohol and had gone for a walk. He denied going into the woman's house or assaulting her, and said he had been the one who was scared by her shouting and running around. He said he had walked away before sitting in a chair in a nearby garden and falling asleep.

In a statement from the victim of the Llanelli burglary she said she had been left feeling unsafe in her own home, and now locks the bedroom door at night and sleeps in her clothes in case she has to flee.

In her statement the victim of the Swansea incident said she had felt "absolutely terrified" during the ordeal, and now suffers with anxiety, has trouble sleeping, and suffers flashback where she sees Maclean's face and smells the alcohol on his breath. She said she felt "violated" at having the intruder in her house, and the experience had totally changed the way she lived her life.

Ian David Maclean, of no fixed abode, had previously been found guilty of burglary at trial in regard to the Llanelli matter and had pleaded guilty to affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) in regard to the Swansea offending when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 44 previous convictions for 127 offences including an ABH on a partner who he kicked and punched in the face and a battery on a partner who he had throttled. He also has convictions for six burglaries of houses in Carmarthen, Llanelli and Neath, as well as for thefts and public order matters. In 1994 he was sentenced to eight years in prison and put on the sex offenders register for life after what the Parole Board described as "a particularly horrific rape" of a young woman - this had seen him braking into her house, dragging his victim from her bed, and raping her vaginally and anally while shouting: "I want you to suffer, b****. I hope you get f****** pregnant."

Lloyd Jenkins, for Maclean, said it was accepted the defendant had committed "appalling offences" which would have significant and long-term impacts on his victims. He said Maclean had told him that he struggled to cope in the community and feels he only has "stability, security and structure" in prison, and that as he approached the age of 50 he realises that "enough is enough" and he has to change.

Judge Huw Rees said hours after being acquitted of rape at Swansea Crown Court, Maclean had burgled a woman's flat in Llanelli and then, days later, travelled to Swansea where he had subjected another woman to a terrifying ordeal in her own home. He said having established that the woman lived alone he had forced his way into her home, and that in his view the defendant's intention had been "to harm that woman either physically or sexually or both".

He said reports into Maclean had identified he has extreme anger issues, derogatory attitudes towards women, a history of carrying out "revenge-type attacks on females", and has consistently failed to engage with probation, has moved around the UK frequently, and has repeatedly failed to comply with the requirements of the the sex offender register. The report had also identified Maclean has a history of targeting vulnerable woman for relationships, and also had a history of accessing student accommodation both in Wales and as far afield as Durham claiming to be campus security.

The judge said there were sinister aspects to the offending before the court, and it may have been motivated by Maclean's desire to "regain dominance" over women after spending months on remand awaiting his rape trial. The judge said he had no doubt the defendant should rightly be categorised as a dangerous offender in the meaning of the legislation.

Maclean was given an extended sentence of eight years and eight months comprising six years and eight months in prison followed by a two-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.