Latest Offenders

Description

A rapist who strangled a woman and kept her prisoner has been handed an 18-year extended sentence.

Lee Jones, who is from Leeds, attacked the victim twice in Knutsford, Cheshire and used a knife to make threats against her family.

On the first occasion, he strangled her before motioning to a knife on the floor and making threats to her family.

Jones was arrested on February 26 last year after she managed to message family members and ask them to call the police for her.

During his police interviews, he claimed the sex he had with the victim was consensual and strangulation marks on her neck were a result of that consensual sex, but he later pleaded guilty to two counts of rape.

On March 1 this year at Chester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, as well as sexual assault by penetration, false imprisonment and causing actual bodily harm in relation to the strangulation.

On Tuesday, April 19, the 46-year-old, of Cross Flatts Street, Beeston, was jailed for 12 years and handed an extended licence of six years.

The judge also made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register, which he must remain on for the rest of his life.

Det Cons Andrew Cole, of Macclesfield CID, said: "Lee Jones subjected his victim to a horrendous level of sexual and physical abuse. Thanks to the bravery of the victim in disclosing what Jones had subjected her to, he has been brought to justice for his heinous actions.

"I am delighted that he is now behind bars, where he cannot pose a threat to society.

"Whilst the victim will never be able to forget what Jones subjected her to, I hope that the culmination of this case and the sentence that has been handed out by Chester Crown Court gives her some closure and enables her to move forward with her life."

Ch Insp Matt Lager, of Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, added: "Sexual offences, particularly rape, are horrendous crimes and this is a particularly distressing case.

"I would like to thank all the officers involved in the investigation for their hard work in gathering the required level of evidence to ensure that Lee Jones is made to face the consequences of his actions in the form of a substantial prison sentence.

"I hope that this case encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

Description

A TRAINEE teacher Googled if it was natural for him to be attracted to 14-year-old girls, a court heard.

Hector Moyes, 28, admitted he had been a bit silly to police officers after they found ten videos of the most serious Category A, involving the sexual abuse of children, on two electronic devices.

Ipswich Crown Court heard on Tuesday how officers examined an Apple MacBook and an iPhone during a search warrant executed at Moyes address in Fingringhoe Road, Langenhoe, Colchester in June 2021.

But Adam Squibbs, mitigating, told the court his clients offences between January and February of last year came during a mental breakdown.

Having seized the two electronic devices last June, police officers arrested Moyes after finding he had used the internet to access indecent images of children.

A number of indecent images depicting girls as young as ten-years-old being sexually abused were found on the MacBook.

On the iPhone, officers discovered vast swathes of pornography had been downloaded on messenger platform Kik.

Examinations of Moyes internet history showed he had Googled if it was natural for a man in his twenties to be attracted to 14-year-old girls.

Matthew Bagnall, prosecuting, highlighted this was during a period where the defendant was a trainee music teacher at a secondary school.

But Mr Squibbs said Moyes, who is a church organist, had a mental breakdown which resulted in a brief and destructive pornography addiction.

He said his client entered a mental health crisis following the death of his grandmother and the revelation his father had vascular dementia.

Sentencing him to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, Judge Emma Peters said most people dont turn to the misery of child pornography when having a breakdown.

She added by fuelling the trade of cruel and disgusting abuse of children, Moyes had lost his teaching career.

Moyes admitted possession of ten Category A videos, as well as four images and one video at Category B and eight images and three videos at Category C.

He was ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work, given a 40 day rehabilitation requirement and a sexual harm prevention order for seven years. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the same period.

Description

This is the controlling rapist who held a woman hostage for weeks and tortured her with needles. Neil Cauchi is starting a 19 year jail sentence for the horrific crimes he committed against the woman.

Over the course of nearly two months she was falsely imprisoned in a house in Salford, where he raped her and subjected her to cruel and terrifying attacks. After an argument, Cauchi, 33, tied her to a bed before he began slapping, punching and hitting her legs with a 'heavy object'. She had been tied up so long that her hands turned purple.

Knowing she had a phobia of needles, he also jabbed her legs with hypodermic needles which he had used to administer steroids. At one point he threatened to stick a needle in her eye.

While she was falsely imprisoned, Cauchi raped and sexually assaulted her. She was no longer tied up but was too scared to leave the house in Eccles due to threats he made.

The woman was eventually rescued from her ordeal. Cauchi, of no fixed address, was found guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of false imprisonment, one count of causing actual bodily harm and one count of sexual assault after a trial.

The judge said Cauchi had 'effectively tortured' his victim with the needles, and he had 'held her hostage' for weeks. He admitted witness intimidation in relation to another woman, who had accused him of 'abuse'.

Cauchi bombarded the woman with up to 200 calls a day over a seven day period telling her to retract her statement, which she later did. At his sentencing hearing Cauchi read a letter to the court, saying he was 'deeply sorry' and 'ashamed' of his behaviour.

"I am disgusted with myself," he said. "May God help me find peace." His barrister said Cauchi is now a 'quite different person' now after becoming clean of drugs.

Cauchi will serve two-thirds of his 19 year sentence in prison.

Description

A CONVICTED rapist from Chester tried to contact his victim weeks after being released from prison. Neil James Shaw, 37, previously of Blacon, was jailed for eight years and told to sign the sex offenders' register for life after being found guilty of rape in June 2018. He was released from prison in December 2021, to serve the remainder of his sentence out on licence, but within weeks he had tried to contact his victim by sending her a friend request on Facebook on February 4, Chester Crown Court heard on Thursday, April 14. That put Shaw, who had been staying in London Road, Sandbach, in breach of an indefinite restraining order which prevented him from contacting his victim. Judge Patrick Thompson jailed Shaw for 18 months, after Shaw admitted the breach. Shaw had previously been convicted by a Chester Crown Court jury of rape, common assault, putting a person in fear of violence and engaging in coercive and controlling behaviour. He had also breached a restraining order then. Shaw raped his victim by refusing to stop during consensual sex despite the victim becoming upset and telling him no and to stop. After the rape he allegedly told her: Its not rape if its your bird. After the 2018 conviction, the victim said: If people read this article and are going through what I went through, I hope it gives them the strength to come forward. People will believe you. Nobody should make you feel that low about yourself when they are in the wrong. If I have saved one person by them reading this then thats more than enough for me. At Chester Crown Court this month, a statement from the victim told of the impact at receiving the friend request on Facebook, and how she feared Shaw would subsequently visit her home. Detective Constable Kelly Birch from Chester CID said: I welcome the sentence handed to Shaw and I hope that it acts as a warning to others. Shaw was well aware of the restrictions against him yet despite this he still tried to contact his victim via Facebook, causing her further unnecessary distress and anxiety. Thankfully the victim had the courage to come forward and report the breach to police, and as a result Shaw is now back behind bars.

Description

A paedophile jailed for filming his sexual abuse of underage boys on spy cams hidden in his Princes Risborough house of horrors has been branded "calculated and vile" by police. Bernard Moore, 57, of Cannon Place, was sent down for 13 years and four months after his twisted behaviour was unmasked late last year when Australian police stumbled across the videos online. Judge Maria Lamb was last week told that the boys were encouraged to perform sexual acts on themselves, with each other and on More, who filmed the encounters and uploaded them to a Russia-based pornographic site. The boys were given beer to drink and in some of the footage appeared drunk. In other clips they were asleep while More molested them. Speaking out after he was jailed at Oxford Crown Court last week, Detective Constable Leanne Moody, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, based at Oxford police station, praised his distraught victims for their bravery. She said: "Moore was a calculated and vile individual who preyed on the most vulnerable children. The victims in this case, bravely spoke up about their abuse which has taken place over several years. If it was not for the courage of these victims, Moores offending would have continued. Moore not only sexually abused his victims, but he filmed the abuse to share with other individuals. The impact of his offending has had an enormous effect on his victims and their families. I hope the sentence will provided some closure to the victims and I thank them for their courage and strength throughout the course of this investigation.

Description

A 20-YEAR-OLD Carlisle man whose unhealthy sexual interest in children was exposed by a paedophile hunter group has admitted having a secret social media account for use with people aged under 16. Daniel Pearson suffered public humiliation as more than 75,000 watched a video of him being confronted about his offending. Aged 18 at the time, he had used a social media website to have sexualised conversations with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl, unaware that it was a volunteer decoy from a paedophile hunter group. He had to leave his home after the moments when he was first confronted by the paedophile hunters on his own doorstep was live-streamed on the Internet. Pearson was put back before Carlisle Crown Court this week to face a new allegation, that he flouted a sexual harm prevention order by failing to disclose a Snapchat account that he operated under a false name. Gerard Rogerson, prosecuting, said the defendant was convicted on August 2 last year of attempting to cause a child aged 13 to engage in sexual activity. He was given a three-year community order. This included a sexual harm prevention order, which involves the police strictly monitoring his use of any internet enabled devices and a ban on him having unsupervised contact with any child. Within an hour of him entering his guilty plea, Pearson was quizzed by police about whether he had any other social media accounts. He was also asked whether he used any aliases in his online interactions. He denied using any other social media accounts, said Mr Rogerson. Yet five months later, said the prosecutor, the defendants offender manager arranged for Pearsons mobile phone to be analysed and it was confirmed that he had an undisclosed Snapchat account. It was illegal from the moment his sexual harm prevention order was imposed. Mr Rogerson said: To summarise his interview, he admitted failing to comply with the notificiation [Sex Offender Register] requirements. He told police he was afraid to disclose the Snapchat account. The false name he used, he said, was given to him by a landlord so he could be rehoused anonymously. Mr Rogerson said that Pearson had used the Snapchat account to communicate with people aged under 16 but there was no evidence to show that this contact had been in any way sexual. Mark Shepherd, defending, said the defendants engagement with his work designed to rehabilitate him had been nothing short of tremendous. He was also attending regular counselling. He comes to this court today knowing that he had made a massive error of judgement, said the lawyer. Unusually, Pearson, who admitted breaching his court order, had not denied his sexual proclivity and wanted treatment to address this. His background included a childhood trauma, and experience of significant bullying. That provided a reason why he sought out the company of younger children and social isolation had contributed to his offending. But the defendant was now about to take up a new job. Recorder David Tempkin QC noted the defendants excellent progress with his existing three-year community order, which includes a sexual offender treatment programme. He also recognised that Pearson was keen to do the right thing. The Recorder accepted that Pearson had faced difficulties in his community, having had to repeatedly move after publicity about his offending. The Recorder imposed 16-weeks custody in a young offenders institution but he suspended the sentence for 18-months. At the original sentencing hearing, Mr Shepherd said Pearson struggled with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Description

A sex offender has been spared jail after he was caught with videos of toddlers being raped and people having sex with dogs and horses.

Zacharia Al-Kindy was caught with the illegal films and pictures, which showed girls as young as two being abused, at the home he shares with his mum.

The 28-year-old's sickening haul was kept in the 'Downloads' folder of his laptop, which he kept in his bedroom.

His lawyer claimed he began seeking out the abuse material while dealing with the deaths of his dad and a sibling.

The details emerged yesterday when Al-Kindy, of Darvel, East Ayrshire, appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court to be sentenced.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children and being in possession of "extreme pornographic" images.

Prosecutor Meghan Glancey told the court that officers from Police Scotland obtained a search warrant for Al-Kindy's home.

On January 19, 2021, they attended his home and were granted entry by his mum, while he was not in.

A search revealed 123 indecent images of children on his laptop, 84 of which were the most extreme there is.

She told Sheriff George Jamieson that the images had been downloaded between August 12, 2020, and January 16, 2021, and that his stash even included a 33-minute-long video.

He also had 6 extreme porn images showing adults engaged in sex acts with dogs and horses.

Defence solicitor advocate Simon Brown said Al-Kindy, who is known as Zach, had fully complied with social workers interviewing him ahead of sentencing.

The lawyer said: "He has insight into his offending.

"He had a very difficult upbringing, suffering the death of his father and a sibling within a very short period of time and had a significant impact upon him.

"He kept himself to himself and was isolated, and that seems to have been the beginning of the rabbit hole he went down which resulted in this behaviour."

Sheriff Jamieson slammed Al-Kindy, saying people who access indecent images of children are giving a reason for the abuse to continue.

He then placed him on the Sex Offenders' Register and a Community Payback Order for the next three years.

He was told to attend the Moving Forward, Making Changes Programme, which helps sex offenders change their ways, and banned him from having any unsupervised conduct with anyone under the age of 16.

He also told him he was only allowed to own one mobile phone and one laptop and has to surrender them to social workers and the police to check, when asked.

Description

The mother of a girl targeted by a sexual predator has thanked our specialist officers after her abuser was jailed. Twenty one year-old Harris Proctor was jailed for ten years, six custodial with a further four on licence at Chelmsford Crown Court on 12 April after admitting a string of offences. Proctor, registered sex offender, had been in contact with an 11 year-old girl and engaged her in sexual conversation including about performing sexual acts. When he was arrested in November 2019 his laptop was searched and officers found indecent images on there. The offences had come to light following a previous conviction for child sexual offences where he had engaged in sexual conversations with two underage girls online and had also been found in possession of indecent images of children. Further investigations after his second arrest established he had been back in contact with young girls following his earlier conviction, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order he had been made subject to. Proctor, of Townfield Street, Chelmsford, was later charged with inciting child sexual activity, two counts of making indecent image of a child, 10 counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sexual Offenders Register. He pleaded guilty and was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 12 April and sentenced on the same day. Following the sentencing hearing, the 11 year-olds mother said: This crime really has affected my daughter and our family. The impact it has had on her personally and socially has been very difficult to see, I can only hope she starts to recover now she knows he is in prison and she is safe. The police have been brilliant throughout the investigation and the support we as a family have received has been very good, allowing us to have the confidence to continue to court. I really want to reach out to other parents and children, if they find themselves in this situation please do make police aware. If we do not make the police aware of these individuals out there targeting our young children then they will not be apprehended and will continue to harm more children. The police worked hard and made sure we were supported at every step of the way. I am now going to concentrate on my daughter with her road to recovery and hope that she can start to get back to the beautiful little girl we knew before all this happened. I know that due to my daughters bravery, it has meant that this criminal will now be in prison away from hurting any more children in society. Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Harriet Ware, said: Harris Proctor is a dangerous individual who preyed on young girls for his own sexual gratification. DC Carole Currey and I worked hard to ensure all offences were manged together for the same court hearing. This crime has affected the victim greatly. At the age of 11 she has lost all confidence about being in public, has had to receive counselling and no longer attends school through fear of being in groups and being around other boys, she feels unsafe. This crime has also had a big impact on me, the images I have had to look at due to this defendant and what was found on his device was harrowing and something I unfortunately cannot unsee. To see how the crime has impacted the poor little 11 year old girl and the family has been saddening. His crimes have effected many young girls and their families who have been very brave to work with the police relaying evidence for the court proceedings Proctor is a danger to children in the community and I am satisfied with the sentence layed upon him, I know that the public will be safe for the time he is in prison.

Description

Paedophile hunters trapped a convicted sex offender who thought he was exchanging messages with a 13-year-old girl. He had asked the girl if he could watch her in the shower and see pictures of her in her school uniform and underwear.

Seedy and obsessed Alistair Tough had been given a "golden opportunity" in the past to tackle his sick urges but he ignored it and brazenly sent sexually-charged messages to the fake girl. He knew the risks that he was taking because he told the decoy teenager that he "could get shot for talking to her", Hull Crown Court heard.

Tough, 58, of Spring Road, Market Weighton, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child between November 17 and December 9, 2020 and failing to register his details as a sex offender on January 3 last year. Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Tough was given a one-year suspended prison sentence at Hull Crown Court in March 2019 for two offences of making indecent images of children and he had to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

He had been found in 2018 with 518 of the most serious Category A images of children, 544 in Category B and 354 in Category C, most of them movies. The latest offences were discovered after police were contacted by a paedophile hunters group to say that Tough had been having sexualised conversations on Facebook with a fake 13-year-old girl.

He sent messages to the decoy girl, who told him that she was 13, and he said that he "could get shot for talking to her". He told her: "Don't forget to delete our messages before you go to sleep."

Tough asked the girl to send him a picture of her in her pyjamas and later asked for one of her wearing underwear. He told her that he was looking for a girlfriend and asked her to send photographs of herself in her school uniform. Tough later asked her if he could watch her in the shower and asked her to send a picture in her school uniform. When the fake girl sent a picture, Tough replied: "Pretty pic." He was required to register his details as a sex offender every year but failed to do so.

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that no actual indecent images had been sent or received and Tough did not ask to meet the fake girl. He had suffered from a lot of problems since childhood and had become isolated and lonely. "His two daughters are the only members of his family who are still in contact with him, because of his offending," said Miss Scott.

"He has been living alone for a long time. 2009 is the last time that he lived with someone. He is an isolated and lonely man. He was trying to find friendship. He looked in entirely the wrong place."

Tough was in very poor health, had suffered four heart attacks and was awaiting a possible liver transplant and a heart bypass operation.

Judge John Thackray QC told Tough: "You were given a golden opportunity by the court in March 2019 to resolve the obvious and very serious issues that you have and you have gone on to commit very serious offences.

"There was no actual harm here because what you thought was a 13-year-old girl didn't exist. You thought you were communicating with a 13-year-old child. You intended sexual harm to a 13-year-old child. The offence is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."

Tough was jailed for eight months and must register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

A Southend man has been jailed after he admitted to the possession of indecent images of children.

Lionel Bryan, 43, of Hastings Road, will spend four and half years behind bars and three and a half out on licence.

He admitted to possessing indecent images of children and attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on two occasions at Basildon Crown Court earlier this month.

Already a registered sex offender, officers discovered more than 800 images on Bryan's mobile during a routine visit last year.

Acting Detective Sergeant Emma Chambers from Essex Police, said: Any person who possesses indecent images should be prepared to be brought to justice for this terrible crime.

It is not a victimless crime, there is always someone who has suffered at the hands of a perpetrator.

Bryan was a registered sex offender when he committed these offences but the court has seen fit to punish him accordingly.

Bryan remains on the Register of Sex Offenders and is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A South Shields paedophile who thought he was sending sexual chats to a young girl was in fact messaging an uncover police officer.

Christopher Bullock believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old girl on the Kik messenger app and sent over pictures of his penis and initiated a perverted game. But the 39-year-old was actually speaking to an undercover police officer who had created a fake profile in order to snare perverts.

When Bullock was arrested, his home was searched and officers found indecent images of children in his possession. Bullock appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for three counts of making indecent images and a charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.

Rachel Glover, prosecuting, said an undercover officer joined the Kik app and created a profile purporting to be that of a 13-year-old girl from London. Ms Glover said: "The profile received three messages from the defendant between June and July, 2019 where he said 'Hi gorgeous', and there was no reply. Four attempts were made on September 2, 2019, where a conversation followed. The defendant told her that he was 36, from Newcastle and worked as a delivery driver."

Ms Glover said that Bullock's messages quickly turned sexual and asked to play a game of "question and answer". She said some of questions were general, but many were sexual. "During the conversation the defendant said he would like to see her breasts and asked if she would like to meet", Ms Glover said. Bullock also sent a picture of himself, as well as of his penis.

The court heard that Bullock, of Whitehall Street, South Shields, was later arrested at his home and his electronic devices were also seized. A hard drive was examined and indecent images were found, including one in category A. The images had been downloaded between 2017 and 2019.

Gavin Doig, defending, said Bullock indicated guilty pleas early and had no previous convictions. He said: "Fortunately, it's a single conversation. It's something the defendant should never have done and is very ashamed of."

Recorder Ian Mullarkey handed Bullock a 10 month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered him to complete 55 rehabilitation activity days and a sex offender programme. He was made subject of a seven year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

Description

Pervert Christopher Price has been caught with 237 indecent images of children. The 27-year-old, of Flamborough Grove, Middleport, has admitted three counts of making indecent images of children; possessing an extreme pornographic image; and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Prosecutor Zaine Riaz told North Staffordshire Justice Centre that Staffordshire Police had received intelligence that indecent images had been accessed and uploaded on the internet from the defendant's address.

Mr Riaz said: "He was not at home. However he contacted the police to say he would be the reason they were at the address. The police returned and spoke with him. They seized his devices and he attended a voluntary interview."

Officers found 43 category A indecent images; 87 at category B; and 107 at category C. In the interview, the defendant admitted he was responsible for the indecent content found on his device. He said he would carry out a sex act when viewing the material.

Magistrates sent the case to Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court and Price will appear there on a date to be fixed. They ordered a pre-sentence report. Price's bail was extended.

Description

A TAMESIDE pensioner looks set to spend the rest of his life in prison after a campaign of sexual offences lasting 32 years.

Description

Andre Morton was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child, decades after the offending A twisted paedophile who sexually abused a nine-year-old boy when he was a teenager leaving him with lifelong damage has finally been jailed some 35 years later. Andre Morton, now 49, groomed the young boy from the age of five, before beginning to sexually abuse him years later. Morton, of Beckhill Walk, Meanwood in Leeds, was found guilty by a jury in February this year of six counts of indecent assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child. Camile Morland, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday that Morton began abusing the boy in the 1980s. The abuse spanned a period of two years, when the boy was between the ages of nine and 11, and Morton himself was 14 or 15, Leeds Live reports. She said: "He [the victim] was to say there was sexualised behaviour, and grooming behaviour that took place before the defendant was 14. It is right to say that the behaviour began when he was around the age of five, and the defendant was around the age of 11...He was frightened of him." Ms Morland said the abuse then turned sexual, and on one occasion Morton was almost caught out by a young girl as he stroked himself against the boy. She said: "She [the girl] asked what was happening and the defendant said they were getting changed. The prosecutor added that some of the counts Morton was found guilty of related to multiple incidents, of which there were at least two. She added: "The complainant didn't tell his family but a disclosure was made to his best friend at the time when they were 14. There was a period of time when nothing was said but on various occasions from 2016 onwards the complainant would... be distressed and say he had been abused." Ms Morland said the man has, since the abuse, suffered from nightmares, flashbacks and physical ailments including bleeding. She said: "He had a violent temper. He would wet himself at school and would avoid other children, staying inside at playtimes. [Later] he struggled with intimacy and authority, and would react badly and lose jobs." The court heard the victim reported Morton to police in 2016. He was arrested and interviewed in 2016 and 2018 but denied the allegations. Morton had been jailed in 1999 for six and a half years after being convicted of four offences of indecent assault against a young girl. Ms Morland told the court he also has previous convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two of which happened when he was a teenager, burglary, dishonesty and driving offences. Joanne Sheperd, mitigating, said Morton still denies the offences despite being convicted by a jury in February this year. She said he suffered in his own childhood with neglect and had attended a special school during his adolescence. Deputy Circuit Judge Clayson jailed Morton for seven-and-a-half-years in total - 35 years after he committed the offences. He told him: "The consequences of what you did to him [the victim] was immense. He has experienced frequent psychological trauma, he has suffered some fits of anger and he has nightmares and flashbacks as well as physical problems. "It really is no exaggeration to describe the harm you caused as profound and lifelong. He was clearly frightened of you and speaks of you having a violent temper. It is clear the level of harm he suffered is very severe." Morton will have to serve five years in custody before being able to apply to go before the Parole Board, who will assess if he is safe for release. If he is released before the seven-and-a-half-years is at an end, he will serve the rest of the sentence on licence. He has also been made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will have to continue to notify police of his whereabouts for the rest of his life.

Description

A Winchester man who was caught with more than 70 indecent images of teenage boys on his phone has been spared jail because his low IQ meant he wasnt able to understand what was happening. Scott Fletcher-Wells, 25, was instead handed a three-year community order by the judge, who cited his potential vulnerability in prison as a reason for sparing him a stint behind bars. Hampshire Police were first alerted to Fletcher-Wells after an indecent picture of a teenage boy was uploaded to an Instagram account dubbed Little.Gays in June 2020. After matching the phone number and IP address linked to the account with Fletcher-Wells, police visited his shared flat in Staple Gardens and found him locked in his bedroom, where officers seized an iPhone 6, Samsung phone and a USB adaptor. A search of the Samsung phone revealed three indecent images of children under Category A, eleven under Category B and 60 under Category C. The court heard the images were mostly of teenage boys but did feature the odd image of a girl. He refused to comment while being interviewed by police but did hand over the pin to the phone, where among the pornographic images they also found selfies of Fletcher-Wells and his family. The court heard from the prosecution that he was previously known to police and was cautioned for two sexual offences, which included possessing indecent images of children, between the ages of 12 and 14. He subsequently spent a lot of his teenage years in foster care, with his defence barrister, Chloe Jay, remarking that his case worker believed he was himself abused as a child - something Fletcher-Wells said he didnt have any memory of. Speaking on behalf of Fletcher-Wells, she said: He was very keen to admit what he has done and entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity. He wants to work with probation and is very alive to the fact that his behaviour must change, and that there is a lot of work to be done. Sentencing Fletcher-Wells on Wednesday, April 13, judge Susan Evans QC said she was conscious of his low IQ and the fact he attended a special educational needs school when he was younger. A psychiatric report submitted to the court also indicated it is likely he be autistic, which she said could make him potentially extremely vulnerable in custody. She added: Although you had images in your possession which fall under Category A, the number of images you had was very few, and the ages of the children involved were older than the court usually sees. I am more concerned about the fact you were cautioned when you were 14 for a similar offence, which should have been the signal that this sort of behaviour is not acceptable. What you need to understand is the children in these photographs are real, they are victims who are being harmed, exploited and emotionally damaged by the people making them. By downloading these pictures, you are the market which drives this sort of abuse. Fletcher-Wells was handed a three-year community order and told he must attend a sexual harm prevention course of the courts choosing. Hell also have to engage in 45 days of rehabilitation activity and pay a fine of 100 within 28 days. A deprivation order was made for the destruction of the phone, with Fletcher-Wells, who was allowed to remain seated during the sentencing, told he was barred from using devices including a mobile phone or computer for a period of five years, with the exclusion of work-related activity. His name has been added to the sex offenders register.