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A woman raped by a "brutish and violent" thug while pregnant went on to suffer a miscarriage soon after.

The woman was repeatedly raped by Faran Abbas during a nine month long campaign of abuse which left her feeling scared, broken and unable to recognise herself in the mirror. Preston Crown Court today heard that Abbas attempted to use his religious background to justify his behaviour but that was rubbished by a judge who told him: "There is no excuse, nor could there ever be."

The victim had only known Abbas, 28, for a few months but after an initial good impression, he soon began to "treat her life as his own, her body as his own". In a powerful victim impact statement read to the court, the woman revealed the extent of the impact caused by Abbas' evil action. He, meanwhile, has since remarried a "new, young wife".

In a trial at Preston Crown Court, Abbas, of Church Street, Accrington, was found guilty of five counts of rape and two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour. Each of those rape charges accounted for more than one incident and the jury took just one hour to make a decision.

That trial heard that the woman kept a heartbreaking diary in which she wrote: "He took and took from me until I no longer existed." She said Abbas repeatedly raped her during the eight month ordeal and that members of his family turned a blind eye, while her own family saw her go from a "bright, bubbly, confident young lady to a woman they hardly recognised".

Abbas returned to the court to be sentenced today as David Traynor, prosecuting, summarised the victim's impact statement. He said she had been left suffering from nightmares and insomnias, had lost friends and her career and was constantly scared of being attacked and kidnapped.

It continued: "I feel I'm a stranger in my on reflection. I don't recognise myself in the mirror. I do want to believe the broken person staring back is me. I have lost everything [...] because of what he did to me."

Defending, David Ellis accepted the was no credit available after what he described as an exceedingly fair trial. Arguing against a life sentence, he offered the small mitigation that this wasn't a "campaign" in the legal sense that it wasn't multiple victims. Mr Ellis described Abbas as "a creation of his upbringing and his own heritage" and that he had five character references from people who supported him, including one from his "new, young wife".

Sentencing, Judge Simon Medland QC said: "You behaved in a brutish and violent way. You treated her as someone whose opinions were not worth listening to, who could be treated with the utmost contempt and indeed on many occasions with cruelty.

"You sought, in my view, to subvert the peaceful and respectable religion of Islam to use that as an excuse for your conduct. Islam is no excuse for your conduct. There is no excuse, nor could there ever be. The impact on your victim is very significant indeed."

"Over a period of nine months, I am quite sure you behaved in a violent and brutal way to a woman who did not deserve any such treatment. Treating her life as your own and her body as your own."

Ruling out a whole life term, Judge Medland handed Abbas an 18 year sentence. He also ruled that Abbas should be classified as a dangerous offender. That means that he will only be released if a parole board approves it and that he can only apply for parole two thirds of the way through the sentence.

He will also spend an additional two years on licence after the full term and will be subject to notification requirements for the rest of his life.

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Police have issued an appeal to find a wanted sex offender. Paul Chapman failed to comply with his probation licence, cops have said.

The 58-year-old also reportedly breached sex offender notification requirements. Chapman is from the Dudley area and a warrant is out for his arrest.

Anyone who sees him or has information on his whereabouts is asked to call 999 immediately.

A spokesperson for Dudley police said on Twitter: "Do you know where Paul Chapman is? The 58-year-old from Dudley is wanted on a warrant for failing to comply with his probation licence & breaching sex offender notification requirements.

"If you have any information please call 999 quoting 20/183619/22."

Cops shared an image of Chapman alongside the statement. It showed him with a grey beard and blue eyes.

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A self-professed paedophile who blackmailed dozens of girls as young as 12 into becoming his 'sex slaves' today pleaded guilty to his crimes.

Jordan Croft, 26, of West Sussex, forced his victims to perform sexual and degrading acts on themselves and other children as part of his depraved desires.

Croft was caught after he was linked to 20 different online profiles in which he would intimidate victims aged between 12 and 22 before coercing them into his 'contract of sexual slavery'.

Once online Croft would weave his web of deceit, conning victims into believing he was a teenage boy so he could befriend them before confessing he was a much older 'catfish' who was 'into girls aged 12-14'.

He would then demand his 26 different victims to send him increasingly graphic child sexual abuse images and videos on demand.

On just one messaging platform he contacted more than 5,000 people, and would label the abuse the children sent him with a list of their social media followings, in addition to their names and ages.

Croft's stash was even designed to cover his traces, with all content uploaded to a USB device he owned being programmed to ensure activity was deleted once plugged into a computer.

He today pleaded guilty to 65 counts which include inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail, intentionally causing the sexual exploitation of a child.

Croft will appear before Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, November 10.

One of Croft's rules was that all victims must speak to him on Telegram, an encrypted platform, and send him any photographs or videos he requested.

He would first ask for a naked 'custom pic' that he would decide on, and use that to leverage increasingly depraved and graphic content.

Croft would request images and videos were sent in a very short timeframe, further dominating them by forcing them to ask permission to go to the toilet and inform him when they would be busy, so he didn't think they were ignoring him.

Numerous police forces had filed reports of online abuse connected to Croft.

Once they identified him as the paedophile behind multiple usernames, they arrested him in September 2019, seizing two mobile phones and a USB stick.

The messaging applications were on an encrypted side of both phones where Croft collected the vile material from his child victims.

Even more content was discovered on the USB stick which was programmed to ensure all traces of activity were deleted after it was plugged into the computer.

Croft's charges include multiple counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail, making unwarranted demands for indecent images of children, intentionally causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child.

He was also charged with making more than 900 indecent images of children in categories A-C. Category A images are the most obscene, with a minimum of six years imprisonment for making them.

Martin Ludlow, senior investigating officer at the National Crime Agency, who led the investigation, said: 'Jordan Croft is a prolific offender who has caused heart-breaking suffering to many victims and their families.

'The sexual depravity he consistently displayed during this abuse of both young female children and adults is horrific.

'Like many offenders Croft thrived on the power he was able to exert over the victims. He sought the feeling of control and obtained it by deceit and abuse.

'He showed no compassion for the victims, pushing them to breaking point and issuing threats, even when they begged him to stop.

'I commend these young women who have shown such bravery in speaking out against him.

'Croft is an example of an adult sexual offender who deploys plausible online profiles to hide their real identity and exploit children.

'We know children are increasingly sharing personal material on social media sites, but I urge them be aware of the hurt and long term damage manipulative offenders like Croft cause, and to think carefully about who they may be communicating with online.

'The NCA will continue to pursue the most serious offenders, including those who believe they can hide behind the anonymity of the internet to abuse children. Like Croft they will be brought to justice.'

Heather Wilkinson of the CPS said: 'Croft admitted to sexually abusing 26 people and actively sought victims as young as 12 to sexually abuse and exert power over.

'Although he attempted to hide his activity through private networks, evidence uncovered against him included age filters he set on a phone app and the controlling rules he shared.

'This guilty plea means the victims of his abuse will now not be forced to re-live their trauma through a trial.

'Our Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit has specialist prosecutors to enable us to bring offenders like Croft to justice, helping stop online abuse and extortion, and its devastating impact on victims.'

Croft today pleaded guilty to all 65 counts at Lewes Crown Court and is due back at court for sentencing on 10 November.

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A paedophile piano teacher was found with tens of thousands of pictures and videos of child sexual abuse, including horrific videos that he had captured of his own students. Ben Thomas, 30, taught piano lessons to children as young as eight and captured "upskirting" videos of the youngsters during lessons.

His horrifying crimes were discovered when the mum of his eight-year-old student found "innapropriate" messages between her child and Thomas, who had asked the child to send him videos of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also asked the eight-year-old to dance naked for him.

Thomas, of Westbourne Grove, Hessle, has been jailed for two years, after pleading guilty to taking indecent photographs and videos of children, and of possessing indecent photographs and videos of children. Analysis of his phone and other devices found a shocking 26,461 images and 445 videos in Categories A, B and C.

A total of 1,625 of these were of the most serious category, which includes the penetrative sexual activity of children. Victims in the images that were found on Thomas' devices were as young as three years old, Grimsby Crown Court heard on Friday (August 5).

A total of 16 of Thomas' students were victims of his crimes, with 64 videos taken of the children between June and July last year. The paedophile would teach the students at a North Lincolnshire school, as well as in his own home and their homes, GrimsbyLive reports.

During his lessons, Thomas would ask the girls to lean over the piano in order to examine the instrument's "inner works", at which point he would secretly film them on his mobile phone. The court heard that none of the children were aware of what was happening.

Prosecuting, Nigel Clive QC told the court that Thomas was finally caught when the mother of one of the victims discovered inappropriate WhatsApp messages between him and her daughter, who was just eight years old at the time. The court heard that the girl's piano lessons were supposed to last for half-an-hour, but over time they became "longer and longer".

Thomas would contact the girl via WhatsApp and send pictures and videos of his cats, he also asked her to send him a video of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also filmed the girl playing with his cats at his home and, in the video, he asked her to perform several gymnastics moves such as the crab and splits.

When the mother found the messages, she contacted Thomas and told him that his messages were innapropriate and that he should stop contacting her daughter, which he did. The mother then contacted Humberside Police.

Thomas was arrested and officers seized his mobile phone and laptop, which was found to have tens of thousands of images and videos "systematically stored". He was initially interviewed by police on August 11 last year, during which he provided the codes to unlock his devices.

He was then bailed pending the analysis of his devices. When he was re-interviewed by police on December 21, he answered "no comment" to officers' questions. But the disgusting content on Thomas' devices helped to secure a conviction.

The impact of Thomas' horrific actions was heard in court, when parents of the girl's that he taught read their victim statements. One parent said: "For someone that age she is not trusting of people. She was such a confident girl but now she won't wear a skirt or a dress, even during the summer."

Another said that their daughter is "less trusting of teachers and men". They added: "She is more suspicious of everyone and feels misled by this defendant. She is shocked that someone would take advantage."

Mitigating, Alexander Leach QC said: "It was a descent into a world of internet porn that led to indecent images of children and culminated in the production of the indecent images of children. The most serious aggravating factors are the abuse of trust, the fact that the children were known to the defendant and the number of children. There was a profound abuse of trust and a damage to the confidence of these children."

Mr Leach told the court that Thomas had "unfettered access" to internet porn and unregulated file sharing platforms from the age of 11. He said: "This was a course of conduct that was put in place from a very young age. He has taken exceptional steps to rehabilitation, he has engaged with therapy."

Sentencing, Recorder Kelly addressed Thomas: "The fallout does not simply remain with you recording images of them. Some of the parents have expressed how guilty they feel by allowing them to be in your presence. But it is not their fault, it is your fault alone. You fooled them into thinking you were trustworthy.

"You lost your employment, your fiancée called off your engagement, but these risks must have occurred to you as being a consequence of how you were acting. You have lost your good name and also the possibility of forming an adult relationship. The impact of the offending will live with you for your adult life, but you only have yourself to blame.

"The children don't seem real to you. The abuse these children suffered to enable these images to be made are real. For every image you downloaded, a child had to be sexually abused. You and people like you fuel the need for children to be sexually abused."

Thomas was also handed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will prohibit him from using any device which accesses the internet. He also cannot delete any messages on any electronic device, live with any female under the age of 16 or have any contact with any female under the age of 16. He is also required to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Officer in the case Detective Constable Becky McInnis from Humberside Police's Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: "The actions of Ben Thomas cannot be described as anything other than deceitful. He abused his position of trust preying on some of the most vulnerable members of our society who looked up to and trusted him.

"I am pleased he is now being punished for his unforgiveable actions. I’d like to commend the bravery and the courage of his victims and their families throughout the entirety of the investigation and court proceedings.

"I hope the outcome will provide them with some comfort in knowing that, by having the courage and strength to come forward, they have undoubtedly prevented others falling victim to the actions of this man."

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This is the face of a predator who has been locked up for 17 years for child sex offences.

Kieron Jackson, from Salford, was put behind bars on at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday (August 2), police said. The 33-year-old was first reported to officers by a 'concerned party' who alleged that he had had sexual contact with a child.

An investigation was launched and a judge has now jailed Jackson for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Police said the child now has the 'justice they deserve'.

Officers posted about Jackson, of Holm Court, on the Greater Manchester Police Salford Facebook page. In full, the post said: "#LOCKEDUP | A Salford man has been jailed for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Kieron Jackson, 33, of Holm Court, Salford was jailed at Bolton Crown Court on 2 August 2022, for sexual offences against children.

"Jackson was reported to GMP on 8 June 2020 by a concerned party who alleged hed had sexual contact with a child."

Investigating SIO, DC Paula Birchby, said: "I am extremely pleased for the child and her family, who now have the justice they deserve. The hard work of everyone involved in the case meant that Jackson was convicted and that a lengthy sentence has been issued.

"The police and courts have shown that this terrible abuse will not be tolerated."

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A judge has praised the courage of the victims of a serial stalker and rapist in giving evidence against an offender branded a danger to society.

Lord Richardson made the remarks as he handed former squaddie Ian Ewart Ramsay, 49, a 13 year sentence for an appalling campaign of abuse against nine terrified women. The High Court in Edinburgh had heard how Ramsay obsessively pursued women during a six-year crime spree and used blackmail to get a woman to continue to have sex with him.

Ramsay, who served in the first Gulf War, physically assaulted the women, stalked them and raped four of his victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Ramsay, of Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, had denied a string of charges during his trial.

He originally faced a total of 47 charges, but the jury was only asked to return verdicts on 21 charges. He was acquitted of one rape, three assaults and a stalking allegation following a trial last May.

Sentence had been deferred for the court to obtain reports on Ramsays background. The case called again on Friday and the court heard how Ramsay still expresses no remorse for his offences. Passing sentence, Lord Richardson told Ramsay that hed be supervised and be under licence for three years following his release from custody.

He said: The offences to which you have been convicted of show that you engaged in a course of behaviour that can only be described as a campaign of abuse against these women. You refused to take no for an answer.

"It is clear to me from both from the evidence that I have heard and from the Victim Impact Statements which I have read that you made the lives of these women traumatic and utterly intolerable. They are to be commended for coming forward to give evidence against you.

During proceedings, the court heard from one woman who was raped by Ramsay in hotels. She said: "He is so manipulative. He is evil. He is a horrible, horrible person and is a danger to society."

The 51-year-old manager met Ramsay, whom she knew as Ewart, through an online dating site and he told her he was a farmer and was previously in the Army. She said: "We would meet in various restaurants and hotels in Glasgow and occasionally the Borders."

But the woman said he became possessive and controlling. She told the court: "It was non-stop harassment. A number of times I tried to break off with him but he would not have it. It was horrendous. It was the worst experience of my life."

She said that Ramsay stole her phone and took images from it to blackmail her with. She added: "It was terrible. I couldn't get rid of him. At one stage I was even contemplating suicide it was that bad. I would need to go along with him and meet up with him in various hotels and I just did not want to be there."

Prosecutor Kath Harper asked her if she had wanted to have sex with him on these occasions and she replied: "No. I thought it was the only way I could manage the situation because he had these images."

She said Ramsay had taken intimate images and videos of sex from her phone and threatened to send them to her boss, family and friends. She added: "I was absolutely traumatised. It was horrendous."

She said Ramsay was "unhinged" and added: "He just would not take 'no' for an answer." The woman said that during a confrontation at a spa hotel in Renfrewshire he head butted her in the face, leaving her bleeding.

She said she made her way to the reception and added: "I was terrified. He was roaming the grounds looking for me." Staff at the reception contacted police.

Ramsay was found guilty of raping the woman on various occasions between January 1 and December 31 in 2014. He was also convicted of stalking her by repeatedly calling and sending her messages, making threats to disclose intimate images of her and accessing her phone and downloading the images without her permission. He was also convicted of assaulting her by headbutting her.

Ramsay went on to rape a second woman at an address in Jedburgh while she was asleep or intoxicated on occasion between January 2016 and December the following year and bombarded her with calls and messages and threatened to distribute intimate images of her. Another woman was raped by him at a house near Kelso while she was asleep or intoxicated between November 2016 and January 2017 on two occasion.

The fourth rape victim was subjected to sex attacks by him in Jedburgh in 2019. She was also physically assaulted by him. She said she was subjected to blackmail by him. Ramsay admitted he had images of the woman which he claimed they had taken together but denied using them to threaten her.

He continued to commit stalking offences against women into 2020 and even perpetrated the abuse when he was freed under court bail orders. Ramsay, who was previously jailed for theft and assault, was remanded in custody for the preparation of a background report.

On Friday, defence advocate Ronnie Renucci QC asked Lord Richardson to be as lenient as possible with his client. He said: He has been a valuable member of society in the past. He served in the army and he has served in the first Gulf War.

Since being discharged from the army, he has been almost continuous employment. Hes not an unintelligent man. He accepts that if he does not address his offending, he spend the rest of his life in and out of prison.

However, Lord Richardson told Ramsay, who has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register, that jail was the only sentence available to him.

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Parents have expressed outrage at the sentence handed to a teenager who possessed images showing the rape and torture of young children.

Dillan Waters, 18, of Horbury, Wakefield, who lives just 100 metres from a nursery, admitted six counts of possessing indecent images of children and one of distributing the images when he appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court last month.

But he avoided a prison sentence despite downloading and sharing images of child sexual abuse including some in Category A, which are the most serious. The images covered all levels of indecency including the most severe showing the rape and torture of young children.

He was handed a community order of 150 hours of unpaid work. A five-year sexual harm prevention order was imposed to limit his internet activity and he was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.

Jodie Heaton said: "We don't want him living here and he shouldn't be living here, everyone on this cul-de-sac has small children. I have five aged 13, 10, nine, seven and 10 months and my neighbours have kids younger than 10, and there are at least 15 kids just on this street not to mention the kids at the nursery.

"I've only just started letting my children play on the front on their bikes if I'm out doing the garden but I won't even let them do that now. The street is usually full of kids playing but since this has come out it's been deathly silent, no kids have been out playing.

"It's disgusting really that he's been allowed to live here with his grandmother. It's so wrong and at only 18 with all the vile images he must have had I think he's only going to get worse as he gets older."

And Jade Leather who lives opposite him said: "As a parent of two young children, (one is autistic and due to this - doesn't like being clothed and is often spotted naked around the house) this absolutely terrifies me. The fear of not knowing if someone who lives on the same street, opposite your house is spying on your children is horrific.

"This offender has been found guilty of possessing and distributing horrific things in relation to young children. I don't understand how any legal body can find community service and a measly fine a fit punishment for that?

"How is he allowed to return home, to a street full of young children, with a nursery less than 30 seconds from his doorstep? Why is he allowed more rights, than our innocent children are?

"Every child has the right to play safely on their street or in their own garden and home. This street is in uproar over it. No kids are out playing.

"Parents are hurrying their children inside when bringing them home. It's not normal. All while he gets to parade around, living life as normal. It's not right and something needs to be done about it, however, if we try do something and force him out we will be the ones that end up in trouble with the authorities. It's so backwards - it needs to change!"

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A rapist who carried out "vile and persistent" sexual abuse of a child over a period of years has been caged for 24 years.

Majid Rafizadeh perpetrated a "campaign of rapes" against a child over a period of around six years during a "sinister process" of grooming. The 46-year-old continues to deny the offences, despite being found guilty by a jury of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a trial in May.

On Thursday, Rafizadeh, of Fenham, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for the four counts. He required a Farsi-Persian interpreter throughout proceedings.

Judge Tim Gittins said Rafizadeh carried out "vile and persistent sexual abuse" of the child and also carried out "random and repeated violence" against the victim. He said Rafizadeh also "began a sinister process of grooming" while undertaking a "campaign of rapes" at a time when he was addicted to opium. The court was told that Rafizadeh's crimes finally came to light when the victim grew older and reported the abuse to police.

Susan Hirst, defending, said Rafizadeh continues to deny the offences and said he had no previous convictions prior to his trial. She said Rafizadeh was born and raised in Iran and was a "productive member of society there" after setting up a small business selling car parts. She said: "He then became involved in political demonstrations against the government and had to flee the country. He arrived in the UK in 2000 and has always had a strong work ethic."

Ms Hirst added: "Once in the UK he found employment working on construction sites before training as a gas engineer. In recent years he was running his own company." The court was told that Rafizadeh had also suffered from depression and was "very vulnerable in his own right".

Judge Gittins jailed Rafizadeh for 24 years and made him subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will also be on the sex offender's register for life. A restraining order was also imposed.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Nicola Wade, said the victim had shown exceptional courage speaking out against Rafizadeh and hopes it will help encourage other victims of abuse to speak out. She said: "This man is a predatory paedophile who has taken advantage of the victim and left them emotionally broken. They have suffered at the hands of this vile man but has been so brave throughout this investigation. I hope this sentence can bring some form of closure but also give others the confidence to come forward and report abuse of any form to police."

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A SEX offender was filmed on his doorstep by civilian paedophile hunters as he labelled his relentless online pursuit of a 13-year-old girl as just a bit of fun.

Denis Turner, 29, thought he was engaged in a six-week-long sex chat with a young girl.

In fact he was talking to a member of the Child Online Safety Team, who had set up a decoy social media profile to snare paedophiles.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Turner asked the decoy if she would be a bad girl and repeatedly warned her not to tell her parents about their conversation.

Gary Rutter, prosecuting, said: He would regularly ask her if her parents knew she was talking to him and would suggest on numerous occasions that she delete the inbox so she didnt get told off.

Questions about her school, her brothers and her sisters were interspersed with requests for her to play with herself.

He said: I bet you have a little bum, adding: If I were there, would you let me slap your bum?.

Turner also sent pictures of his penis to the decoy.

The paedophile hunters visited Turner at his Colchester home following the conversation, which unfolded from June to July 2019.

The confrontation was filmed and posted on Facebook, with Turner saying it was just a bit of fun.

Turner, now of Ibstock Close, Dagenham, was arrested and later admitted one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The case faced significant delay, in part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and he appeared for sentence on Thursday.

Peter Clark, mitigating, said Turner had endured difficulties in life, but added they did not excuse his offending.

He said his client cares for his 72-year-old father who is awaiting open heart surgery.

Mr Clark said Turner had remained out of trouble in the three years since the offence, adding: This is a case where there is a prospect of rehabilitation.

Judge Mary Loram QC said: Your pursuit of sexual conversation with a child was relentless.

Your focus was purely on getting sexual images from her, sending her sexual images of yourself and trying to get her to masturbate.

You paid no heed at all to the clear evidence and repeated protestations of total sexual naivety from the child.

The judge said Turner had been on and on at the decoy for weeks, adding there was inevitably an element of grooming involved.

She added: You tried to get her to conceal evidence, significantly by suggesting it was her who would get into trouble if she didnt do so.

That was manipulative and would have been very frightening to a real 13-year-old girl.

The court heard Turner told the author of a pre-sentence report he had no sexual interest in a 13-year-old girl.

I reject that, thats obviously not true, said Judge Loram.

What you have had is a less than happy upbringing.

However, I do not see the link between that sadly all too common in this court and your sexual incitement of a 13-year-old girl.

She said the real mitigation in his case is the three-year gap between the offending and sentence.

You have not re-offended in that time and I accept, without question, the delay in sentence will have had its impact on you and will have created a lot of stress, she said.

Turner was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.

He will remain the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.