Latest Offenders

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A 27-year-old former teacher who worked at a primary school in Potters Bar has been jailed for six years in relation to inciting children to send indecent images of themselves to him via social media.

Nicholas Taylor, of Barnet, was sentenced at a St Albans court today (Wednesday March 22) after earlier pleading guilty to a series of internet-related offences.

The sentence follows a long investigation by Hertfordshire Constabularys Joint Child Protection & Investigation Team into the offences committed by Taylor.

Between October 2014 and October 2015, while working as a teacher, he incited girls to engage in sexual activity and was involved in the making and distribution of indecent photographs of children.

Under the alias Jackson_Law2002, he had made contact with a number of children through a chat group on Instagram. After befriending them initially, he then bullied and manipulated them into sending him indecent images of themselves.

The children were aged between 10 and 15 at the time of the offences and attended the same school or were involved in a Girl Guiding group in London.

Officers identified all of the children involved and contacted each victim and their family directly to investigate Taylor and provide specialist support.

The investigation revealed no evidence of offences relating to direct physical contact with children.

Detective Inspector Chris Treadwell said: This was a long and complex investigation which involved the examination of more than 30 different phones, computers and other devices owned by Nicholas Taylor.

Taylor went online to contact children for his own sexual gratification. Using a false identity he bullied and manipulated them into sending him images with despicable threats and intimidation. He also deceived his colleagues and fellow volunteers.

I would like to thank the victims and their families for their support during this investigation.

Clearly it has been a harrowing experience for them, but I hope this sentence brings some sort of closure on this difficult chapter in their lives.

Taylor admitted six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of making indecent photographs of a child, and one count of distributing indecent photographs of a child. He was given a six year custodial sentence by a judge sitting at St Albans Magistrates Court today.

Advice for children and young people about going online safely is available on Hertfordshire Constabularys website here

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A pervert has been jailed after being caught with child abuse images during a visit to the Lake District.

Craig Johnson, from Manor Chare, Newcastle, was arrested by police while on an overnight stay in Keswick last summer.

Using a police warrant, officers raided the address where Johnson was staying on July 6 and found sick images of child abuse on his electronic devices.

The 29-year-old has now been jailed after pleading guilty to possessing child sex abuse images.

Johnson admitted possessing indecent images of children and three counts of making indecent images of children.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing an extreme pornographic image involving sexual activity by a person with a horse.

A judge at Carlisle Crown Court sentenced Johnson to two-and-a-half years in prison on Friday.

Johnson has also been placed on the sexual offenders’ register indefinitely and received a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective inspector Jenny Beattie, of Cumbria Police, said: “I am pleased that Johnson has been brought before the courts to answer for his actions.

“Every indecent image of child means that somewhere a child has been a victim of abuse.

“There is no excuse for accessing or sharing these type of images and we will continue to work hard to bring those that do so to justice in order to protect children.”

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A man who threatened, slapped and strangled a woman during a horrific sex attack has been jailed.

Nyasha Malvern Makunike, 26, of no fixed address, subjected his victim to the brutal attack in August 2016.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard his victim walked into a shop in Bury with her two young children in a distressed state.

She asked the shopkeeper to call police after she was violently raped by an attacker in the early hours of the previous day.

During a police interview the woman said she was strangled during the sickening attack.

Makunike also threatened the woman and slapped her.

He was found guilty of two counts of rape, actual bodily harm, sexual assault and nine other counts of assault and harassment.

Makunike will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Con Dave Looby, of GMP’s Bury borough, said: “Makunike subjected his victim to what can only be described as a brutal attack which left her terrified and fearing for her life.

“The courage that she has shown in coming forward and helping police take this dangerous man off the streets of Bury is nothing short of tremendous.

“I hope the sentence passed here today will bring her some comfort knowing that her attacker has been brought to justice.”

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A Carlisle dad-of-three has been jailed for three years after admitting having sex with a teenage girl.

Jack Stanley Mitchell, 27, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court today after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Peter Davies heard Mitchell's criminal conduct occurred over a period of several months early last year.

But, while Mitchell had eventually admitted his wrongdoing when brought to court, he had "persistently failed" to admit the offences when questioned by police.

Sentencing him, Judge Davies told the married father-of-three: "There must be custody."

Mitchell, of Abbey Street, was ordered to sign the sex offender' register and will be barred from working with children or vulnerable adults - indefinitely in both cases.

Mitchell was also made subject to the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

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A former dinner lady who was spared prison after being found guilty of sexual activity with a child has now been jailed after her original sentence was overturned. Terri Spragg, 35, of Bettesworth Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, was found guilty of seven counts of sexual activity with a child under 16 in December. She originally received a 15-month sentence, suspended for two years. The Court of Appeal has now jailed her for three years. Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP described the original sentence as "unduly lenient" and referred the case to the Court of Appeal. Messages on phone He said Spragg engaged in a series of sexual activities with the victim between 12 August and 1 November 2014, when he was 14. The mother-of-four was caught after the victim's sister discovered messages on his phone, he added. Speaking after the hearing on Thursday, the solicitor general said: "Gaining a child's trust and abusing it in this way is unacceptable. "The original sentence failed to take proper account of the seriousness of the offence and the impact it has had on the victim and his family. "I hope the court's decision to impose an immediate prison sentence sends a clear message to society that such offences will not be tolerated."

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A 64-YEAR-OLD man who drove a barely teenage girl to an isolated wooded area and defiled her has been jailed for 13 years.

Tariq Syed threatened his 13-year-old victim to ensure her silence before offering her mother 15,000 for the family to return to their native Romania.

Judge David Hatton QC said Syed had groomed and terrified his victim during the ordeal, which took place in September 2014.

Father-of-five Syed, of Pemberton Drive, Little Horton, Bradford, had denied charges of rape and perverting the course of justice, but a jury at Bradford Crown Court took less than two hours to find him guilty yesterday.

He was cleared of a charge of causing the girls mother actual bodily harm by attacking her with a knife at the Bradford takeaway where she worked.

During the trial, prosecutor Sharon Beattie said that Syed had befriended the girls family, giving her phones, clothes, and a computer tablet.

Her mother became suspicious but Syed told her he wanted to help as the family were not well off.

The woman confronted the child, telling her she knew the old man, as they called Syed, had collected her from school.

The police were informed when the girl revealed that Syed had forced her to have sex with him.

She was screaming but he said if she did not let him do it, he would kill her and bury her there, Miss Beattie said.

The jury heard that Syeds semen was found on the inside of the girls school trousers after the incident, and Dr Mark Dale said forensic results were in-keeping with the view he had engaged in some kind of sexual activity with her.

Syed told the police the girls mother would do anything for money and blamed her for putting her up to inventing the rape allegation.

He said his semen had already been on the trousers before he gave them to the girl, and asserted he had taken her for an abortion at a clinic in Leeds on the day the rape took place.

Ordering him to register as a sex offender for life, Judge Hatton told Syed: You took a girl barely into her thirteenth year to an isolated location. You defiled her.

You had targeted her for that specific purpose. This offence was a consequence of grooming.

You issued threats of what would become of her unless she kept her silence. You terrified her.

You intimidated her mother by threatening her and offering a significant sum of money to return to Romania to get her and your victim out of the way, anticipating you would thereby get away with it. Well, you have not got away with it.

West Yorkshire Police said the sentencing of Syed had marked a successful conclusion to a lengthy investigation which saw two detectives fly out to Romania in their pursuit of justice.

A spokesman said that when the rape was reported the subsequent investigation was immediately picked up by the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit.

Enquiries quickly established Syed as a suspect and he was arrested a short time later, but he denied the offence and was bailed pending further enquiries.

Syed was arrested again the following month after the victim's family claimed he had offered them money to return to Romania.

He was bailed with conditions not to approach the family and later charged with both offences.

But, just as the trial was due to get underway at court in August last year, the victim and her family returned to Romania unexpectedly.

Concerned that proceedings may not go ahead if the victim and her mother refused to attend court, Detective Constable Charlotte Grose and Detective Sergeant Amanda Middleton flew out to the country to make sure arrangements were in place for them to give evidence via a video link.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Howard, said: "This case shows the determination and the desire of our detectives to get justice for the victim and her family.

"Syed was an evil man who thought that by throwing money at the family he would get them to drop the case against him.

"We are delighted at the sentence he has received and hope it will give the victim and her family some closure.

"We also hope it will encourage others to report sexual offences to the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, whose specially trained officers will investigate every report sensitively and thoroughly with the aim of bringing perpetrators to justice."

Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshires Police and Crime Commissioner, added: "I would like to commend the bravery shown by the victim and their family in coming forward to report Syed.

"His crimes were absolutely deplorable and his actions following arrest even more so.

"Tackling child sexual abuse is an absolute priority, as proven by the tireless and dedicated work of West Yorkshire Police in this case.

"I would urge anyone who feels they may have been a victim to come forward and report it to the police. You will be listened to and support will be provided."

Speaking after the sentence, a spokesman for the NSPCC said: Syeds sickening actions will have had a damaging effect on his young victim and her family.

These were calculated attacks involving a disturbing level of grooming on a vulnerable child, and Syeds lack of remorse, coupled with his attempts to evade justice, are deeply shocking.

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Michael Hudson, 55, dressed the youngsters up in sexy clothing and got them to pose for indecent photos at his home in Kirkham, a court heart.

One of the girls said she felt like Madonna when Hudson groomed her and took pictures of her posing and dancing for the camera.

The girls - now in their 30s and 40s - described Hudson as a fun guy who would take them out on day trips and treat them to sweets and pocket money.

But Preston Crown Court heard between 1985 and 1997, Hudson preyed on the little girls so he could sexually abuse them.

He plied them with booze and amyl nitrate, or poppers, to relax them and enable sexual activity.

They each also described being given a pill, which he told them was like Ecstasy and would relax them.

The father-of-two pleaded guilty to indecent assault, administering a drug to enable sexual intercourse, making indecent images and rape.

The court heard the predatory sex beast manipulated situations where he could indecently assault the girls, showing them pornography to normalise sexualise activity.

He even assaulted one of the girls in a lift on a trip to the crisp factory where he worked, while she was visiting with a group of children, the court heard.

Mr Justice Fraser, sentencing, said: Such a trip should have been something a child that age could look forward to and enjoy.

As it is you used it as a further opportunity to abuse her.

Their victim impact statements make harrowing reading. You have caused both these ladies significant harm.

Hudsons first victim - who was a teenager when she was abused by Hudson in the 1980s - said she had lost everything as a result of what had happened to her.

She said: It feels like my life has never begun and at the same time it feels like it is over.

His other victim - who was aged between eight and 11 years old when she was assaulted and raped by Hudson, said she has struggled to form adult relationships and is overprotective of her own children as a result of the abuse she endured.

Mr Justice Fraser said: You engineered situations where you could take advantage of them being in your company to abuse them.

You were a grown adult male when you committed these offences.

The judge gave Hudson, of Queens Crescent, Kirkham, credit for his guilty plea and put him on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

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Guy Brigdale messaged the youngster on Facebook and attempted to get her to take and send indecent pictures A man has been jailed for three years and put on the sex-offenders register for life after contacting a young girl on social media and trying to get her to send him sexually explicit photographs. Swansea Crown Court heard that 26-year-old Guy Brigdale messaged the youngster on Facebook and attempted to get her to take and send indecent pictures. However a family member of the victim saw some of the messages he had sent on the girl's phone - and then pretended to be her, and carried on the exchanges with the defendant. Police were later contacted, and Brigdale arrested at an address in Swansea. Brigdale, of Heol y Cae, Pontarddulais had previously pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl under-16 to send him photographs when he appeared in the dock today for sentencing. The Pontarddulais address is not the address where the offending took place. Stuart John, for Brigdale, said his client accepted he had "issues", and wanted help in addressing them. Judge Keith Thomas said he had read a probation report into the defendant and it was clear he had "a particular sexual interest" in such matters and intended to arrange to meet the girl, who cannot be named to protect her identity. The judge told him: "You were grooming her and you would have committed more serious offences if given the opportunity." Brigdale was sentenced to three years in prison, and put on the sex offenders register for life. He was also made the subject of Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bans him from having unauthorised contact with under-16s, and from deleting his search histories on internet devices.

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A PEADOPHILE who met up with an underage girl at Machynlleth train station has been jailed for nine and a half years.

Mark Owen, 49, wept as he was told by a judge on Wednesday that he was a high risk to any girl aged under 16.

Owen met the girl at the towns railway station and kissed and cuddled her.

But Swansea Crown Court heard there was no doubt his plans involved having sexual intercourse with her and even making her pregnant.

Owen, from Caerphilly, was under licence from prison and the subject of a restraining order at the time for previous sexual offences against underage girls.

But, said Judge Peter Heywood, that did not stop him from making contact with the girl over the internet.

Her mother became annoyed to find she had exceeded her mobile telephone messages allowance for the second month running.

She examined the phone and was horrified and alarmed to discover messages her daughter and Owen had swapped.

She sent Owen a message of her own and telephoned him to tell him she would contact the police.

Judge Heywood said Owen had shared more than 1,400 messages or conversations with the girl, including 161 on 26 September 2015, the day he travelled to Machynlleth to meet her.

They included messages, from him to her, reading, I can imagine what it will be like on Saturday. Straight to the woods and well do it in the woods.

We would be at it all night. How many babies would you want, honey?

Sexual intercourse did not take place that day, added Judge Heywood, but it was clear that in the days following, Owen made more arrangements to meet up.

After his arrest he denied contacting the girl at all.

But CCTV cameras had filmed him in Machynlleth even though he had pulled up a hood and put on sunglasses.

Judge Heywood said that even while in jail on remand Owen wrote to the girl asking her to send him photographs of her.

When police spoke to him about that he again denied responsibility, but a handwriting expert could prove he had written the letter.

Owen admitted sexual activity with a girl aged under 16, breaching the terms of his licence from prison and a sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that in 2006 Owen had been made the subject of a community order for sexual activity with three girls aged under 13.

In 2009 he was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a girl aged under 16 and breaching the terms of the previous sentence, with an extended licence period of three years.

Judge Heywood said Owen was clearly a dangerous offender.

Because of the threats he had made against the Machynlleth girl she had become too afraid to leave her home even though she had been told he was in prison.

You are highly predatory and have a deviant interest in young girls, he added.

Owen was jailed for nine and a half years and told he could not even apply for parole until he had served six years and four months.

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A paedophile who got his schoolgirl victim pregnant has been jailed for eight years.

Police discovered the harrowing case while they were investigating Stephen John for child-abuse images offences.

The 29-year-old pervert first met his victim online when she was 12, and by the time she was 15 had persuaded her to meet him in Manchester .

He then abused her at his family home, causing her to become pregnant. Then, while she was pregnant, John boasted to her of having committed a sex crime against a very young child.

Sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Tony Cross QC said that in those conversations with the victim he had displayed his ‘true intent’.

The judge added of the victim: “That child suffered a miscarriage at a home, as a result of your unprotected sex.”

John, of Marshfield Street, Longsight , was jailed after admitting a string of sex crimes including distributing and making indecent images of children. He first came to the attention of police in August 2014, after sharing indecent videos of very young children with other perverts online.

Officers learnt that as well as posting the videos using Skype, John was discussing child abuse with other perpetrators. Questioned by police, John claimed he had left his laptop open at home and that others could have downloaded and distributed the images.

But, while he was on bail for those offences, John carried on downloading images of child abuse. In June last year, police found scores more images on another of his computers. And, while investigating those offences, police uncovered his offences against the schoolgirl.

Judge Cross told him: “The most serious images, some of which you distributed to other like-minded individuals, were of extremely young children, and in the estimation of the police some of these children were little more than babies.

“On June 19 you were arrested again, this time you were in possession of a different device, that demonstrates that you set out, deliberately set out, to accumulate images of the sort which were then found, at a time when were on trust, when you full well, despite your learning difficulties, that the possession of these images was considered to be a serious matter.

“Your offending does not end there, because police discovered by interrogating your computer that you had been in an unlawful liaison with a 15-year-old girl. You knew what her age was because the first tine you met her in a car park she was wearing her school uniform.”

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A pervert told who a horrified mother he "hated paedos but had become one" after confessing to molesting her daughter has been jailed for two years.

Calum Adams, 25, was caught after his nine-year-old victim told her mum he had been repeatedly assaulting her and texting her vile messages.

The girl bravely showed her mother sickening messages he had sent her.

Adams, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, first met the girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, when she was aged just four.

However, as time passed he subjected her to numerous sexual assaults.

The terrified victim kept quiet about Adams' twisted behaviour before bravely telling her mum who demanded an explanation.

He sent a text saying: "I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it."

He added "I never meant to do it ` I feel sick" and when he realised the police had been called he wrote "I shouldn't be alive, I am vile, I am a monster."

Adams admitted sexually assaulting the girl between August and October last year and has been jailed at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He also confessed to intentionally sending his victim messages of a sexual nature.

Sheriff Thomas Millar ordered him to be kept on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Depute fiscal Michael Macintosh said: "He began texting her to ask her to let him touch her saying that she would like it.

"She showed them to her mother who confronted the accused and he made admissions to both touching the complainer and sending the messages and the matter was reported to the police.

"The messages included phrases such as 'trust me you would love it'."

The court heard Adams contacted the girl's mother by text after she confronted him.

Mr Macintosh added: "He said 'I don't blame you for feeling this way and I will go to therapy'.

"The accused added, 'I don't blame you for hating me, I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it'.

Sandy Morrison, defending, said: "It is clear he co-operated fully and there are no matters outstanding and he has no record.

"As a result of these offences, an address will not be provided for him by his family given the nature of the offending.

"These matters are extremely serious and a period of custody will be justifiable although he has been remanded since being arrested in October.

"He is deemed a low risk of re-offending in the future."

Warped Adams has now been disowned by his family.

heriff Millar said: "It is clear from the report that you bitterly regret getting involved in this but you realise the effect these charges can have on those involved.

"You will start to get some assistance while in custody and it will be up to you to see if you still think that the help is necessary when you are released.

"You have recognised the serious nature of the offences and are aware of the consequences of what has to happen to you."

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THIS was the shocking moment an armed paedophile tried to snatch a young schoolgirl from the street.

The girl, who cannot be named, snapped the photo as Roger Seath cornered her against a wall in Southsea.

Now as the 45-year-old pervert has been jailed, a judge praised the 14-year-old girls actions that made her would-be attacker freeze and alerted a group driving past.
The driver confronted Seath, as the terrified and tearful girl was led to safety, and police were called.

When police arrived Seath, who had threatened to spank the girl if she did not go with him, said guilty as charged.

He had followed the girl, matching her pace as she walked across the road to get away from him, prosecutor Robert Bryan said.

Sentencing Seath to 33 months in prison, judge Anne Arnold said: This was a particularly vulnerable victim a 14-year-old schoolgirl. She was certainly threatened by you with being spanked.

Because she, very fortunately, had been pre-warned by her parent, was an intelligent and alert girl with sufficient wherewithal to do exactly what shed been told to do if approached by somebody such as yourself and that was she took your photograph, freezing your approach long enough to be assisted.

After it was revealed Seath has no previous convictions, the judge added: It probably makes it all the more worrying that unpredictably youve committed this offence at this particular time in your life.

She added: You do appear to be a danger to children.

The girl had been told by her mother to take a photo of anyone who approached her or hit out if she was touched, following a previous report of schoolgirl being approached.
Mr Bryan revealed Seath had spent the seven days after arriving in Portsmouth following schoolgirls and videoing them on his iPhone.

Footage played at Portsmouth Crown Court showed Seath walking just 2ft away from two other teenage girls, saying: The smaller one is cuter through, the 14-year-old wasnt interested, I offered her 20 quid and everything.

Im going to have to go now, thats all your getting.

It was unclear if Seath had been talking on the phone to another person while recording, Mr Bryan said. Two other videos showed him discreetly filming two girls on city streets.
Investigators found he had more than 300 images of girls from a social media network.

Chat logs showed he had messaged, called and tried to video call 10 young teenagers, including bombarding one girl he found online.

Seath made 4,246 searches on his phone in seven days 600 a day with the majority related to teenage girls.

He admitted attempted abduction with intent to commit a sexual offence and having a bladed article.

David Reid, mitigating, said Seath has little memory of the incident or the time leading up to it, and had the butter knife on him as he was homeless but living in a hotel.

He does recognise this young girl would have been very scared about what he did and the public in general would be concerned about his behaviour, he said.

Seath, previously of Osborne Road, Southsea, must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, and a lifetime order restricts his access to children. He must pay a 170 victim surcharge.

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A builder has been sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment after being convicted of attempting to meet a 12-year old girl for sex.

Danny Watson, 37, a builder, of Alderbrook Close, Crowborough, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday having been found guilty that day following a trial of arranging to meet a child aged under 16 following grooming, two counts of possession of cannabis and cocaine, and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

In August last year Watson engaged in indecent on-line contact with someone he believed to be a 12-year old girl, and eventually arranged to meet her in a Brighton street.

However the person he was in contact with was in fact an adult man, who was filming the meeting. He also informed the police, who arrived and arrested Watson.

Watson was already serving a suspended sentence, having been convicted in October the previous year to possession of indecent images of children at his address.

He had been sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, and was also a registered sex offender for seven years.

He is now a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to children and computers until further court order.

He was also banned for life from any work with children and young people.

Detective Constable Steve Smith said; "Watson was already a convicted sex offender less than a year previously, but clearly decided to take a chance at further offending.

"The sentence shows that the courts will take repeat offending of this type very seriously."

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A man has been jailed for more than 18 years for a series of sexual offences in Hampshire, including assaults on two children aged under 13. John Cooper, 57, admitted 15 offences in the Ringwood area in 2014 and 2015. Cooper, of Hurst Road, was convicted of two further offences following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January including the rape of a third female. Police said the victims' courage throughout the investigation had "stopped a "dangerous offender". Det Con Richard Chegwidden said: "These brave individuals have prevented others from coming to harm." Cooper was jailed for a total of 18 years and 9 months. His offences included sexual assaults and taking indecent photos of a child. He was found guilty by a jury of inciting girls to engage in sexual activity.

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Paul Neumann pleaded not guilty to the charges, however he was found guilty and was convicted of the offences, which were dated in October in November 2015.

The court heard how Neumann had pursued young and vulnerable women after offering them alcohol, and afterwards raped and sexually assaulted them.

Officers at Morriston CIDs specialist sexual offences unit, commended the three victims for coming forward and giving evidence for such a horrible case.

Neumann was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for rape and two counts of sexual assault.