Latest Offenders

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A paedophile caught with a vile collection of 12,587 images of child abuse was jailed for 15 months.

Daniel Gunson, 45, of Hollybank, Moore, was locked up on Friday at Chester Crown Court having previously pleaded not guilty to six offences of possessing and making indecent images, possessing prohibited images and having extreme pornography involving animals.

‘Deviant’ Gunson was caught after police seized digital devices including a laptop, an external hard drive and a Samsung phone.

Officers trawling the files uncovered a hoard of imagery of sexual abuse of children from babies to older teens.

Sarah Badrawy, prosecuting, said the pictures and videos covered the range of seriousness from the worst in Category A through to Category C.

Judge Patrick Thompson detailed the imagery further, stressing that the public ‘should know the sort of material people are viewing’.

He went onto describe examples of photographs and videos, including clips of infants in visible pain and distress undergoing sexual abuse in ordeals lasting nearly two hours.

Police confirmed more than 12,500 child abuse images from 30,000 images discovered, with a further 138,524 files that were not examined.

There were 2,951 items in Category A, 3,244 in Category B and 6,392 in Category C.

In addition, his search history was littered with terms and recurrent themes relating to still and moving images of offences against children.

Gunson was arrested in 2015 but claimed innocence via a prepared statement after a series of no comment interviews.

The matter was due to go to trial this September but the defendant change his plea in April.

The court heard that a previous partner of Gunson had broken up with him in 1996 after discovering him looking at indecent images, but he claimed he had no idea how they ended up on his computer.

Gunson, in a grey suit, purple shirt and thick black-rimmed glasses, stood blank-faced for the duration of the hearing.

Elderly family members covered their mouths as His Honour Patrick Thompson listed the offences and told Gunson the only place he could go was prison.

Simon Parry, defending, said his client had no previous convictions and had received an indication he would be given a 20%-25% discount for his guilty please from another judge.

He petitioned Judge Thompson for a suspended sentence to enable Gunson so that he could undergo a sexual offenders treatment programme, which would not be available to him in prison.

He added that a probation report had assessed the defendant as being of ‘low risk’ of reconviction, a claim rubbished as ‘utterly astonishing’ by the judge.

Judge Thompson imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order on Gunson and ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders’ register, also for 10 years.

Sentencing him, he said: “You entered a defence statement claiming you knew nothing of this material that it somehow appeared on your computer.

“You said you had obtained your computer from someone else and it was their responsibility.

“That wasn’t the case at all.

“You were the person who had downloaded it and you were the person with a deviant interest in material of this kind, material of children being raped, from babies to teenage children.

“You seem to have an interest in all of that.”

He added: “If it wasn’t for people like you with this deviant interest, these children would not be getting raped so I’m afraid you bear responsibility.”

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A shamed Birmingham soldier who planned to meet an underage girl for sex has been jailed for two years after he was caught by a self-styled paedophile hater.

Craftsman Sam Dallow, 25, thought he was sending explicit messages to a girl of 14.

But, after a meeting was arranged, he was confronted in a railway station car park by campaigner Shane Brannigan.

The footage was broadcast online and details of the messages were handed to police.

Dallow, of 6th Battalion The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was jailed for two years and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

He had previously admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

Sentencing Dallow, the judge said although he had only been communicating with a persona, his conduct had been persistent and demonstrated a reckless, predatory behaviour towards children.

He was snared by Mr Brannigan, who runs a Facebook page called Shaneannigans Nonce Haters Association, and his team at an arranged meet-up location at Andover railway station in Hampshire on April 11.

Video of the encounter showed Dallow being confronted in a car and claiming he was waiting for a friend called Emma.

He gave his name as Sam and confirmed he was from Birmingham.

Dallow was then shown an image and admitted sending it was a mistake, before more exchanges were read to him and a police officer arrived at the scene.

After the sentencing hearing, childrens charity the NSPCC branded him disgusting and called on social media firms to work harder to make accounts safer for children.

A spokesman said: Although the target of his disgusting advances was fictitious, Dallows grooming behaviour is a stark reminder of the risks children and young people face online.

Parents and carers have a key role to play and must talk to their children about online safety.

The NSPCCs Net Aware website offers tips on how to start these conversations and offers a simple guide to the most popular social networks, apps and games.

Meanwhile social media platforms can do more to protect children by making sure they provide safer accounts which offer default privacy settings and mechanisms to guard against grooming.

The Army said previously it would consider what action to take against Dallow after sentencing.

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A COACH driver who'd been banned from working with children filmed up schoolgirls' skirts with a hidden camera for two years. Andrew Whatmough, of Wood Park in Ludgershall, worked as a coach driver for Parnhams Coaches, based in Ludgershall. The 35-year-old had worked for the company, which holds contracts with both Wiltshire and Hampshire Council to provide school run services, on and off for about ten years. Salisbury Crown Court heard on Friday (June 2) that between September 2013 and September 2015 Whatmough had installed a hidden camera on his coach and was filming schoolgirls. Despite having no previous convictions, Whatmough received a letter from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in 2014 which banned him from working with children, but he was already employed by Parnham Coaches. Defending, Berenice Mulvanny did not clarify what led to the DBS involvement but referred to "an unpleasant action from 1997". Prosecuting, Dawn Hyland said Whatmough's offending came to light when, without his knowledge, his mother lent his Play Station console to his step-brother. When his step-brother used the console he found "a number of films" that had been made by the defendant, and he found further films on a USB stick Whatmough had lent him "on an earlier occasion". Ms Hyland said the hidden camera, located near the steps of the coach, had captured "up-skirt films" of schoolgirls under the age of 16, "showing their underwear and on occasions their genitals as well can be seen". About 20 girls, who are kept anonymous due to the nature of the crime, have been identified by police using facial recognition software on stills from Whatmough's films, and from their school uniforms. However, Judge Andrew Barnett told the court: "It is accepted that there were more girls than this affected on these counts". Judge Barnett said he had read victim impact statements which he described as "very distressing". He said: "All say they were horrified to discover what had happened, as getting on the school bus they thought they were quite safe." One girl said: "I feel more cautious wearing skirts and dresses" and Ms Hyland said many of the girls had been "embarrassed" to find out they'd been filmed. Police seized two phones from Whatmough during their investigations and uncovered more than 1,500 images of children (114 in the most serious bracket, category A, 135 in category B and 1,263 in category C). In his first interview in January Whatmough "fully admitted" possessing the indecent images and making movie clips. He told police he was "in a dark place and didn't know how to get out" and that he "didn't have any sexual interest in young children". Whatmough said he'd record on the camera for his whole shift and then "cut out the parts he didn't want" but he knew it was wrong and apologised for his actions. He pleaded guilty to eleven counts of outraging public decency by covertly filming someone under the age of 16, two counts of possessing indecent images and one count of engaging in barred activity. Ms Mulvanny said "despite this" Whatmough was a man of good character with no previous convictions and that he'd pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. His family were supporting him in court and a letter from his father was handed to the judge as well as a letter from Whatmough himself. Ms Mulvanny said in the letter, his father Steve Whatmough said the defendant was "prepared to take whatever was coming to him". She said Whatmough had brought a bag to court "anticipating that this would be the outcome" and said he was "thoroughly ashamed of his behaviour". Sentencing, Judge Barnett said: "For two years while you were working as a coach driver you installed a device in your coach which enabled you to film those entering your coach, effectively from the feet upwards and you obtained a number of unpleasant, indecent and disgusting pictures which invaded their privacy and abused their trust. "They, and the larger public, must be truly outraged by your behaviour. "You received a letter in 2014 from the Barring Agency that, for various reasons to do with your background, told you you were barred from working with children, yet you ignored that letter and continued to do so". Judge Barnett added: "I would be failing in my duty to society if I suspended the sentence and I cannot and I will not do so". He sentenced Whatmough to 14 months in prison for the charges of outraging public decency, 8 months for possessing indecent images and four months for working while barred, to be served concurrently. He also made a sexual harm prevention order to last ten years.

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A Southam father has avoided jail after pleading guilty to possessing 385 indecent images of children, with some as young as five.

Christopher Brown, 28, of Ploughman’s Holt, Southam, was caught after an exchange of texts with a 14-year-old girl led to the police discovering hundreds of indecent images of girls on his phone.

But despite a conviction last year for exposing himself while shouting at women passing his home, Brown was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for two years after his guilty plea to three charges of possessing indecent images at Warwick Crown Court.

He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work, to take part in a sex offender programme, and to register as a sex offender for ten years.

Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said that in July last year texts sent to a 14-year-old girl were traced to Brown’s phone, which was seized by the police.

Although there was no charge arising from the texts ‘because there was no co-operation,’ a number of indecent images of children were later found on his phone.

The court heard Brown had entered his pleas on the basis that he had not set out to search for the material, but had started receiving it through a social media group which shared adult pornography.

Although Brown said he had only been in the group for about two weeks, Mr Wallace pointed out that the images were ‘still something he has deliberately had to save.’

He added that in January last year Brown was in court for offences of exposure after he stood at the window of his home while shouting at passing women to get their attention.

He was given a 10-week suspended sentence for those offences, and in August was ordered to serve five weeks of that after failing to comply with supervision requirements.

Kate Hatton, defending, said: “He initially went onto the site with the view that he would be able to develop relationships.

“He then ventured into part of the site which contained pornography. He didn’t think at that point that he would be receiving anything other than adult pornography, but he was sent large amounts of material, some of which was child porn.

“He should have had no further involvement, but sadly he did, and he continued to view the material over the course of several weeks.”

Sentencing him, Recorder Kevin Hegarty QC told Brown: “Why you went on to keep those images, albeit for a relatively short period, is not really explained in the pre-sentence report, and you have not as yet faced up to what you interest was in those images.

“One would have thought the fact that you are a father of a young child would have made it plain to you how desperately wicked the creation of these images is.”

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A man caught with sexually-explicit images of children after police were tipped off by a paedophile hunter will serve an extra two weeks in jail for wasting court time. David John Clarkson, of Yorke Drive, Newark, chatted with teenage girls online and persuaded one of them to meet him before taking indecent photographs of her wearing lingerie. The 49-year-old also swapped explicit images with another girl and shared pictures with a woman he met on a swingers website. Clarkson was jailed for 4 years at Nottingham Crown Court in October last year, after admitting a string of offences. Clarkson tried to have his sentence cut at the Court of Appeal, in London, arguing it was too tough. But he instead found himself with an extra two weeks jail time, after top judges ruled against him. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said remarks made to a probation officer showed he continues to have little insight into the pernicious nature of his activity and he continues to blame others. Dismissing his appeal, the judge said: It cannot be arguable that the sentence was manifestly excessive. Sitting with Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice Warby, she ordered Clarkson to serve an extra two weeks behind bars as punishment for wasting judicial time. She said: The court has but one means of discouraging unmeritorious applications, which waste precious time and resources, and that is by using the powers to make a loss of time order. We make a loss of time order in this case of 14 days. At his sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court, the prosecutor, Mr Kevin Jones, said Clarkson told police he blamed his actions on the girls parents for not properly monitoring their internet usage. Clarkson met his victims on Facebook or on an adult introduction website. He encouraged them to move on to a messenger service that was unregulated. 'She found him creepy and weird' Mr Jones said police tracked his first victim, a 15-year-old girl, to Derby. She used Facebook and said random people would add themselves to her account, he said. One such person was David Clarkson. He collected her in Derby. When she met him, he wasnt what she expected. The photo was noticeably different to the reality. She found him creepy and weird and said it didnt feel right, but she travelled back with him (to Newark) in his car. He produced clothing in packages, which he said was in her size. It was a baby-doll outfit. She got fully undressed and put on the outfit. He produced a camera from nowhere and commenced taking pictures. Mr Jones said in an online chat Clarkson called a second under-age girl a hot little number. He said Clarkson was aware of the girls ages. He exchanged sexually-explicit messages and pictures with a second underage victim. Mr Jones said Clarkson told a third girl, who sent him sexually-explicit photographs and one of her performing a sex act on herself, he was going to jail because she was 14. He said maybe he should get a ferry to France a reference to a high-profile case in which a school teacher absconded abroad with an under-age girl. Clarkson sent the third girl a sexually-explicit picture of the first victim. Paedophile hunter He contacted someone he believed to have been a 13-year-old called Jodie and sent a near-naked picture of the third victim. Jodie, however, was the male paedophile hunter, who reported Clarkson to the police, said Mr Jones. Clarkson pleaded guilty to 15 charges relating to the possession and distribution of indecent images, inciting sexual activity and the sexual exploitation of minors, as well as inciting sexual activity over a webcam. A female co-accused, who Clarkson met on a swingers website and went on to have a relationship with, admitted possession of five indecent images of under-age girls. Clarkson told her to destroy computer equipment following his arrest. Clarkson must sign on the sex offenders register for life. His co-accused must sign for five years and was sentenced to a three-year community order.

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A man has been jailed for 11 years after admitting grooming an 11-year-old girl and making indecent images of children.

Alastair Hodge, 28, of Condor Boulevard, Shortstown, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court today (Thursday) after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and two separate charges of causing and inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Hodge was arrested after the victim’s parent discovered messages of a sexual nature sent by him to the child, in which he groomed her and encouraged her to send him indecent images of herself.

Officers from Bedfordshire Police then executed a search warrant at Hodge’s home and seized a number of phones and computer devices. Digital forensics officers carried out examinations on the items and found multiple indecent images of several children.

Investigation Officer Amanda Dickson, from the Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT), said: “Hodge’s computer devices contained images from the most severe category of child sexual abuse and there is no doubt that he is a dangerous sexual predator, so I am pleased he has received such a lengthy sentence for these sickening crimes.

“He took advantage of a young girl, grooming her via messaging apps and intentionally inciting her to engage in sexual activity, as well as encouraging her to send indecent images of herself to him which he added to his sickening collection.

“Online child sex abuse is not victimless – it causes severe harm to the children involved and is likely to have a lasting impact on them. We absolutely will not tolerate this and we are committed to tackling those responsible and bringing them to justice so that they cannot inflict their abuse on anyone else.”

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A MANIPULATIVE paedophile groomed a teenage girl by giving her cannabis before going on to have sex with her.

Preston Crown Court heard how Sean Devitt, of no fixed address but who formerly lived in Burnley and Blackburn, was already serving a six-year prison sentence for sexual offences involving another under-age girl when the latest charges came to light.

Prosecutor Lisa Worsley said the teenage victim, who was at that point in a relationship with Devitt, saw footage on his SD card of a child getting undressed and realised she was a victim of abuse herself.

Miss Worsley said the grooming started when Devitt, now 34, would give the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, cannabis.

The court heard that on one occasion after they had both smoked cannabis the pair kissed.

The following week a full sexual relationship started despite Devitt being 26-years-old and knowing his victim was a lot younger.

Miss Worsley said Devitt would meet the girl after school and walk her to a furniture store where they would occasionally have sex upstairs.

The court heard the victims mother became suspicious of the relationship which resulted in constant arguments that eventually forced the victim to move out of her family home.

Miss Worsley said that on one occasion Devitt filmed himself having sex with the girl, with her consent, and that the relationship had briefly ended when she discovered he had a sexually transmitted disease.

The relationship did eventually come to an end when the victim found the video of the child.

Miss Worsley said at that point Devitt phoned his mother from prison and attempted to get her to threaten the victim if she didnt withdraw her complaints to the police.

In a victim impact statement read out by Miss Worsley the victim spoke of how Devitt had ruined her life.

Miss Worsley said: She says Sean Devitt controlled her. He cut her off from her family.

She regards him as clever and someone who manipulated what she did.

She finds it really difficult to trust people now, particularly men. She feels like theyre all paedophiles and is concerned she wont ever have a relationship.

Devitt pleaded guilty to 13 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one of making phone call from prison with intent to pervert the course of justice.

Defending Simon Gurney said his client realised the impact his offending has had on his victim.

Describing Devitts offending as serious Judge Andrew Woolman imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and banned him from contacting the victim.

He was jailed for five years at a hearing yesterday.

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A Moray man has admitted sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl while she tried to sleep.

The teenager lay motionless on a sofa while Stephen Gwilliam carried out the attack.

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A diver from Shetland has been found guilty of raping a drunken woman more than seven years ago in Greyfriars Churchyard in Edinburgh. Cy Sullivan, 26, who the court heard left his victim naked from the waist down and terrified and confused in the cemetery, was caught after his DNA was taken in October 2015 when he assaulted a bouncer. His 42-year-old victim said: What has happened to me is a living nightmare. In evidence, she described how she travelled from her home in the Highlands to attend a conference in Edinburgh and decided to visit the grave of Greyfriars Bobby. The woman said she had at least eight glasses of wine and a police officer who saw her hours later at 5am described her as intoxicated. At the High Court in Glasgow Sullivan denied rape and claimed he had consensual sex with the woman. But after deliberating for two days the jury convicted Sullivan of raping the woman in the graveyard on November 27, 2009, when she was intoxicated and incapable of giving consent. The court heard that the woman was spotted by two police officers. She was standing at railings inside the graveyard and appeared under the influence of alcohol. She was taken to Gayfield police station and then examined by doctors and a DNA sample was taken. The victim was asked by prosecutor Ian Wallace: Do you remember leaving Greyfriars pub. She sobbed as she replied: No. I remember coming round in the graveyard and there was a police lady. I was frozen and I was disorientated. I tried for some time to find my way out. It was like something happened and I had just come round. It was awful. I just felt awful, embarrassed. I had no clothing on my bottom half. The woman told the jurors that she had no memory of what happened after she left the pub until the police found her. She was asked if she had any recollection of anyone having sex with her and replied: No. Mr Wallace then said: Did you want to have sex with anyone that night. The victim replied: Definitely not. The court heard that at the time there was no match to the DNA found on her body, but in October 2015 there was a hit on the database after Sullivan was arrested and charged with assault and his DNA was taken. Sullivan told the court he had bought the woman a drink and then had sex with her. He claimed that she appeared fine to him and not drunk. He appeared in court with crutches and a wheelchair and told the jury he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two weeks ago. His defence counsel David Nicolson said: Just after Christmas he had trouble with his right eye and with his balance. On 12th May a diagnosis was made. He was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. Judge Rita Rae remanded Sullivan in custody and placed him on the sex offenders register. She told him: Rape is one of the most serious charges we have to deal with in these courts and has long-lasting effects on women. I am reading an impact statement from the victim and she says: What happened to me in a living nightmare. It was obvious when she gave evidence she is still suffering. Lady Rae deferred sentence until next month for background reports.

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A rape victim has said her "dreams disappeared" after being violently attacked and raped in Guildford in October.

On Friday (May 19), Avan Mogridge, of Church Street in Stamford, was sentenced to 18 years for raping and threatening to kill an 18-year-old woman in Guildford in October 2016.

Mogridge dragged the victim to a woodland copse where he raped, sexually assaulted and threatened to kill her.

He was sentenced to 18 years behind bars, 14 of which custodial with four years on licence.

In a statement read out in court, the victim spoke of the impact the violent attack has had on her life.

The victim said the day she was raped changed her life so much that she is now scared to leave her home, does not sleep and is frightened for her future.

The statement said: I used to be a bubbly and confident girl and enthusiastic about life and living it.

I had dreams for my future and dreams to achieve my dreams.

"I am now traumatised, scared, drained and frightened. What sort of life is this? Its not. Its an existence.

I havent been able to work and I loved my job.

I used to love my life, my friends and family, my work, my independence, my hopes and dreams.

But all that changed. One day in October, because of one person.

My life turned upside down and my dreams disappeared.

Following the sentencing of Mogridge, Detective Constable Tim Faltermeyer said: I hope that the victim can somehow find the strength to get on with the rest of her life knowing that justice has been served.

This was a horrifying and traumatising hour-long attack on an innocent young woman and I would like to commend her for the sheer bravery she has shown throughout the court process.

I would also like to thank the couple who witnessed and intervened and called police that morning, without them who knows how long the attack could have lasted.

I hope this reassures anybody who may have been a victim of sexual assault or rape that we take reports extremely seriously and specialist officers will always investigate fully and sensitively.

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A paedophile has been handed a two-year jail sentence for grooming a girl he believed was 12.

Craig Hall, of High Road in Sandy, was jailed at Luton Crown Court yesterday after being found guilty of three counts of attempting to incite a child under the age of 13 to engage in a sexual act.

The pervert struck up an online conversation with someone he believed to be 12 years old, and sent her sexually explicit messages as well as trying to persuade her to carry out a sexual act on him in exchange for money.

But Hall was shocked to find he was being duped and was in fact talking to a 17-year-old teenager – who reported him to Bedfordshire Police.

Investigating officer Nicky Owen, from the Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team at the force, said: “Hall believed she was only 12 years old, and thinking she was of such a young age spurred him on even more in his attempts to engage in sexual activity.

“Behaviour such as this is completely unacceptable and it’s only right and proper that we thoroughly investigate sexual predators such as Hall, in order to ensure that they are made to pay the price for their actions.”

The convicted paedophile has also been placed on the Sex Offender Register for 10 years and has received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A predatory rapist has been jailed for 10 years for raping or sexually assaulting four women at homes across Fife. Neil Ireland, 39, from Methil, was convicted of three offences of rape and three of sexual assault last month. He was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh. He raped one woman while she was in bed with her baby daughter. He committed his crimes between 2008 and 2015 in Cupar, Leven and Methil. No remorse A judge told him: "It was, in my opinion, correctly stated by the Crown at your trial that you were a predator who befriended and exploited vulnerable women by taking advantage of them sexually, not caring whether they consented to what you did to them." Lord Uist said: "Moreover, it was clear to me you considered you were entitled to act as you did and you have shown no remorse or regret." The judge said a background report prepared on Ireland revealed that he used denial, minimisation and blame and portrayed himself as the victim. Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson said Ireland was a first offender who had demonstrated in the past that he had "an excellent work ethic". He said Ireland intended to co-operate with the authorities while serving his prison sentence and would take part in offender programmes. Ireland will be on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

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A SCOUT leader has been jailed for four years after committing sex offences involving two schoolgirls, in one case at a Scout camp.

Sentencing Peter Gavin at Leeds Crown Court yesterday, Judge James Spencer QC said he had undergone the relevant safeguarding training to be in his position of trust with the Scout group concerned and therefore knew it was wrong to take advantage of their naivety.

“You knew as well as anybody else it was illegal to do what you did and I am quite sure you only did it for your own sexual gratification.”

Mark McKone, prosecuting, said in early 2015 the girls began to have online contact with Gavin, and there came a point when he realised who he was in contact with and continued to speak to them privately.

An “online relationship” then developed between him and one of the girls, although she was only 14 at the time. He told police later he realised she had a “crush” on him.

During the course of this contact they discussed sex and the defendant sent her an indecent picture of himself and she sent him some pictures of her naked breasts, said Mr McKone.

She described a break-up between them prior to a Scout camp in May last year where Gavin, 24, committed offences involving the second girl.

The second girl was also only 14 and he persuaded her to meet him late one night at a toilet block that he knew could be locked from the inside.

Once he had locked them in he kissed her, undressed her, touched her sexually and persuaded her to perform a sex act on him before they returned to their respective tents.

Mr McKone said it was clear from what Gavin later said in police interview that he knew that girl was upset by what had happened in their sexual encounter because he accepted he had apologised to her.

John Ozyer, representing Gavin, said texts between him and the second girl showed he had apologised more than once for what had happened that night.

“He accepts he was in a position of trust and clearly abused that trust.”

Since then he had voluntarily attended the Safer Lives programme.

Gavin, of Chats Wood Fold, Oakenshaw, Bradford, admitted one offence of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Judge Spencer said there had to be a jail sentence since he had encouraged the first girl to secretly have an “online” relationship with him rather than steer her away from such contact, then when that was petering out he had groomed the second girl and taken advantage of her.

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TWO Northwich detectives thought they were going to die when a sex offender they were transporting on the M62 launched a horrific attack like a caged animal. Christopher Hartley, 44, from Fartown in Huddersfield, was arrested by Cheshire Police on September 7, 2016, on suspicion of possession of indecent images. On Tuesday, Leeds Crown Court heard that he was being taken to Cheshire for questioning when, near to Scammonden, he suddenly attacked DC Victoria Shelton as she was driving at 70mph in the fast lane, trying to crash the car. He used the handcuffs he was wearing to hit her and also pushed her head against the window making it impossible for her to see as she struggled to control the Vauxhall Corsa. She told the court she remembered him punching her and trying to gouge her eyes out all the while he was screaming and shouting like a madman. Duncan Ritchie, prosecuting, said her colleague, DC David MacFarlane, who was in the back seat with Hartley, was desperately trying to restrain him. DC Shelton managed to steer across three lanes of busy traffic and bring the car to a halt on the hard shoulder before Hartley, a convicted sex offender, turned his attentions to DC MacFarlane. He climbed on top of him screaming and growling and using his teeth began to gnaw on his right arm, the court was told. As DC Shelton climbed over to help him, Hartley turned and spat a piece of her colleagues flesh into her face before calming down. Both officers spent months off work as a result of their injuries and DC Shelton is still having counselling. In court, DC Shelton said she thought they were all going to die and she would never see her three daughters again. She said in the days after the incident she had whiplash injuries and suffered nightmares. I can only see the evil face that tried to kill me coming towards me like a caged animal, she said. It was the worst day of my life and I thought it would be the last day of my life. She said she had begged Hartley for her life during the attack but he only hit me harder. He came very close to his goal, it doesnt bear thinking about what could have happened it could have been pure carnage, she said. DC MacFarlane had to have surgery on his arm and has been left with an unsightly scar. He also had to undergo HIV tests because a self-testing kit was found at Hartleys home and it was three months before he found out he was in the clear. Following his arrest, Hartley admitted to officers they would find indecent images in his possession. Police later discovered 2,135 indecent still images and 282 movies. Hartley was jailed for 14 years after he admitted two offences of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent, one of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, seven of possessing indecent images, one of possessing extreme pornography and breaching the Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Judge James Spencer QC said when Hartley attacked DC Shelton as she was driving in the fast lane it was 'a mercy there was not some catastrophe'. He said: You behaved like an animal, you bit his arm so severely that you had blood on your face and skin in your mouth which you spat at the female officer and tried to gouge her eyes out. You were intent on causing serious harm to both of them. John Boumphrey representing Hartley that he had written letters to the officer apologising for his out of character 'moment of madness'. Hartley had a previous conviction for indecent assault in 1997 and possessing and distributing indecent images in 2012. Cheshire Police Ass Ch Con Nick Bailey said: "Police officers work extremely hard to protect the public on a daily basis and they do not deserve to be assaulted as they carry out their duties. "The sentence handed to Hartley today reflects the severity of this horrific attack and the trauma caused to the officers involved. "At the time of the incident both officers genuinely feared for their lives, and they are still recovering from what happened that day, both physically and emotionally. "Both of the officers have since returned to work and they are being supported through this difficult and traumatic time. "I would like to pass my sincere thanks to West Yorkshire Police for conducting this investigation and for assisting the officers when the incident occurred." Ch Insp Simon Meegan paid tribute to the detectives. He said: This was a horrendous assault that could have resulted in serious injury or worse to both the detectives involved and the travelling public. "I would like to pay tribute to the determination and resilience of the officers involved in the days and months following the attack, and Hartleys sentence rightly reflects the severity of the incident." DS Zaheer Abbas, from Kirklees CID, said: "We welcome the sentence handed down to Hartley today; his actions on the day he was arrested were despicable and our colleagues from Cheshire police suffered serious injuries as a result. "Police officers do a difficult and dangerous job and it is completely unacceptable for any level of violence used against them as they are trying to do their job and keep our communities safe."

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A SEXUAL predator pictured holding a new-born baby in his arms is back behind bars after failing to tell the tot's mum of his previous convictions.

Curtis Ferguson, who had recently met the baby's mother, spent three years in prison after preying on children in Warminster, where he lived, while still a teenager.

Shortly after his release from prison in July 2016, the former St Augustine’s Catholic College pupil moved to Windsor Road in Bournemouth.

He then met the young mum, who was heavily pregnant.

She gave birth to a son in August.

A court heard Ferguson, now 26, then started visiting her home almost daily, sometimes letting himself in and even picking up the baby without permission.

Over the course of several months, the defendant became so well-known to the new mum that she considered asking him to babysit for her.

However, in February of this year, she learned of the defendant's previous convictions after a friend shared a news story about him on Facebook.

Ferguson admitted two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Prosecuting at Bournemouth Crown Court, Stuart Ellacott said Ferguson had described the baby as "good-looking" and "beautiful".

In 2009, Ferguson admitted sexually assaulting a female child under 13 and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was sentenced to a community order.

Four years later, in July 2013, Ferguson was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a male under the age of 16 and five counts of inciting a male under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

All charges relate to one victim, a boy abused by the defendant as part of a 'dares' game. Two years after the abuse, Ferguson allegedly made "threats of blackmail" and assaulted the same child again.

He was sentenced to three years in prison and served the full sentence after breaching a notification requirement when he was released midway through the term.

Mitigating for Ferguson, Robert Grey said the defendant could only be sentenced for breaching the terms of his sexual harm prevention order.

Ferguson rejected a suggestion made in a pre-sentence report that he "may have been grooming this child", Mr Grey added.

Sentencing Ferguson to 16 months in prison, Judge Jonathan Fuller QC told the defendant: "You were never left alone with her son but you were no doubt moving towards that position because you were ingratiating yourself and friendship with the family was increasing."

Judge Fuller said Ferguson is "still a young man", but is "heavily convicted for sexual offending".

"Offending in this case was deliberate and it was over a prolonged period of time," he said.

"I do not sentence you on the basis you were grooming the child, but you were opening yourself to the possibility of access to a young and vulnerable child.

"As the author of your pre-sentence report makes clear, your sexual predilections are wide-ranging and you are in the highest category for risk both in terms of reoffending and of causing harm to children."