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A twisted sex offender who targeted three lone victims in three days has been jailed after a transport police investigation.

The incidents occurred in March on-board trains in Essex.

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 15, the first victim was travelling on a London to Southend service when Izat Ullah, of Queens Road, Hull, approached and sat opposite her.

During the journey the 25-year-old began touching himself over his trousers and as the victim got up to leave he blocked her path, grabbed her and threw her back into the seat.

He then put his hand on the victims upper torso and attempted to kiss her before she managed to break free and run into another carriage.

Officers arrested Ullah at Southend Victoria station and conveyed him to custody for questioning.

In interview Ullah refused to speak but laughed throughout.

At just after 8am on Wednesday, March 16 he was released on conditional police bail stating he could not use the railway network in England or Wales.

Later that day, at around 8.30pm, Ullah was again on a train in Essex and approached the second victim, an 18-year-old woman who was on her way home.

As he was sat opposite her, he exposed himself before placing his hand in his trousers and began masturbating.

He then leant over and tried to touch the victim who said, dont touch me, to which Ullah replied, Im sorry, Im sorry.

The victim then moved away from him and as she did so he touched her inappropriately.

Just hours later, in the early hours of Thursday March 17, Ullah approached the third victim on a service travelling to Southend.

Throughout the journey he continuality stared at her and when she alighted at Southend East station he followed her until she got in a taxi outside the station.

He was arrested outside a childrens nursery the same morning for failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register.

Ullah appeared at Hull Crown Court on July 1 where he admitted to three counts of sexual assault, one count of exposure and failing to comply with the sexual offence register requirements.

A judge at the same court sentenced him to 16 months imprisonment on July 20.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Constable, Lucy King, said: Ullah is a twisted offender who prowled the railway targeting lone victims for his own sexual gratification.

He is clearly a danger to women and their right to travel safely and without fear. Im pleased we were able to quickly arrest Ullah and put him before the courts.

I would like to thank the three victims who bravely reported his actions and supported our investigation. No one should be subjected to this abhorrent behaviour on the railway.

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A Derbyshire dad-of-two took his "flirtatious" behaviour too far when he sexually assaulted a colleague at the factory where they worked together. Derby Crown Court heard how Stuart Smith told the victim "I would do anything to get alone with you" before grabbing their hand and forcing it against his groin.

The 43-year-old then told them not to tell anyone "as we will both get into trouble". Handing him a three-month jail term, suspended for two years, Recorder Jason Macadam said: "Let's make no odds about it, you have worked in this industry for a long time, but it has never been acceptable to do what you did. In the old days you might have been quite rightly punched in the face and told where to go by some victim who might react that way.

"But all will be shocked and outraged and unchecked, your attitude would pose a sexual threat and it needs addressing."

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting said at the time of the offending Smith and the victim worked together at Loscoe Chilled Foods Ltd, in Heanor Road, Heanor, which calls itself one of the UKs largest manufacturers of meat products. She said the defendant became "flirtatious" with the complainant, telling them how attractive they looked and on one occasion pulling the victim towards himself and giving them a hug.

The prosecutor said: "(The victim) complained to their manager about his flirtatious behaviour. On one day he asked them to borrow a fob to gain access to a room telling them 'I will do anything to get alone with you' and they challenged him.

"He followed (the victim) out of the office asking if they were naughty, grabbing their hand and putting it against his (private parts). He then grabbed it himself and said 'look at this' then later saying 'you are not going to tell anyone are you because both of us will get into trouble'."

Mrs Bradley said the victim reported what had happened to their manager and an investigation began. She read out a victim impact statement in which the complainant told how they "felt sick and distressed and uncomfortable".

Smith, of Pear Tree Avenue, Ripley and who has no previous convictions of any kind, pleaded guilty to sexual assault against the victim, whose identity is protected by law. Sonal Ahya, mitigating, said her client has a partner of 16 years and they have two young children together.

She said at the time of the offence he was going through "a particularly difficult time in his life". Miss Ahya said: "In his pre-sentence report he tells how it was 'a factory thing' and 'banter'.

"His work is old school and (he) displayed attitudes that were incredibly outdated. He lost his job for 24 years because of this arrest and these proceedings."

As part of the suspended sentence, Recorder Macadam ordered Smith to attend a 43-day accredited program to address his offending. He also ordered him to attend 55 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service, to pay 250 prosecution costs and placed him on the sex offender register for seven years.

Derbyshire Live has contacted Loscoe Chilled Foods Ltd and is awaiting a response.

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Myles Allan, 44, snapped two images and two video clips of the womans thighs while she sat at her desk in an office in West Lothian.

Allan - who had a short stint in charge of Berwick Rangers - claimed he had taken the pictures accidentally by brushing his hand against his phone in July 2019.

But he was found guilty of a voyeurism charge following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year and sentence had been deferred

Allan, from Dunfermline, returned to the dock to hear Sheriff Graham Primrose QC state that he had committed a serious offence within the workplace.

The sheriff said: You were found guilty after trial of the offence of voyeurism.

I noted during the trial the complainer herself stated she did not consider there to be a sexual element to the offence.

Instead she considered against the background of you being reprimanded about your performance that day that the taking of the images were designed to humiliate her rather than to provide you with sexual gratification

Allan was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and a supervision order for nine months and also ordered to pay his victim 400 in compensation.

Allan started his football management career at Burntisland Shipyard and Dundonald before moving on to Sauchie and Rosyth Juniors.

He then joined Berwick Rangers as a first team scout in 2016 and was later promoted to first team coach.

After leaving the Shielfield Park outfit Allan, a married father-of-two, was appointed to the coaching staff team at Jeanfield Swifts womens team in March 2019.

During the trial, the football coach admitted taking the pictures following an argument between him and his boss but said he had immediately deleted them.

He was caught out after copies of the images were uploaded from his phone to his work laptop through the iCloud function.

He was then sacked from the firm soon after and after handing back his computer equipment a ex-colleague subsequently found the images stored within a folder on the laptop.

Allans former manager, who cannot be identified, told the court she was made aware of the images and had felt disgusted and humiliated on viewing them.

She said: They [the images] were taken of the top of my thighs when I was wearing a dress. My legs are under my desk and showing my underwear.

When my colleague showed me I was shocked and I was in disbelief it was there. I felt disgusted, humiliated and very angry.

How could he think it was as acceptable to do that? I felt physically sick at what I should do.

I trusted him and I felt betrayed.

After contacting her husband the woman called in the police and Allan was subsequently arrested and charged.

Allan was found guilty of operating equipment beneath the clothing of a woman with the intention or enabling himself or others to observe her genitals, buttocks or underwear and did position a mobile phone and take two photos and two videos showing the legs and underwear of the woman at a premises in West Lothian on July 16, 2019.

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A man from Surrey who raped two women he met after targeting them on the dating site Tinder has been jailed for 12 years.

Prince Darkwa, 26, of Yeomans Lane, Blackwater, Camberley, was found guilty of two counts of rape against two different women at Guildford Crown Court on 17 May following an eight-day trial. He was found not guilty of a third charge of rape against a third woman.

The court heard how Darkwa met both women on online dating apps in October 2021.

He was arrested on 6 October 2021 when one of the victims came forward to report that Darkwa had raped her at her home after they had met on Tinder. Within minutes of meeting up with Darkwa, the victim expressed concerns about his behaviour in a number of text messages to one of her friends.

Darkwa was interviewed and released from custody the next day.

On 5 November 2021 police received another report of rape in which the second victim alleged that she'd been out for dinner with Darkwa on 18 October 2021. The court heard he insisted on accompanying her home where they both began drinking.

The victim said that the next thing she remembered was waking up with Darkwa smiling at her and stroking her face. She was bleeding and was in a lot of pain.

The victim said she had initially been reluctant to come forward because she had been unconscious when Darkwa forced himself on her and so had doubted her own belief of what had happened.

Detective Constable Alastair Bagshaw from the Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT), who investigated the offences, said: Darkwa is a sexual predator who deliberately targeted women on dating sites with the sole purpose of meeting up with them for sex.

"Whether or not they consented to this was irrelevant to him.

"The prison sentence he has received today will ensure that he will be behind bars and will not be able to do this to anyone else. I hope that this will also give him time to reflect on his attitude towards women and his perceived entitlement when it comes to sexual activity.

Both women expressed reservations about coming forward and reporting this to police but they must be commended for having the courage and strength to speak out and ensure that Darkwa was brought to justice for his vile and predatory behaviour.

I would also like to thank the team of officers who worked on this case it was a fast-moving and intensive investigation but our determination has paid off by the fact that Darkwa has now been brought to justice for his offending.

"I would encourage anyone who has been subjected to a sexual offence to report it to the police it will be taken seriously, it will be investigated thoroughly and every possible effort will be made to bring the offender to justice where possible.

Detective Inspector Mark Butterworth from the SOIT, who oversaw the investigation, said: I would like to pay tribute to both victims and the witnesses involved in this case who were brave enough to come forward and give evidence, which meant re-living the ordeal they had endured as a result of the Darkwas actions.

Darkwa used the internet to meet his victims before he raped them. They were alone and when they first reported the incidents to us, the defendants identity was not known to them. The team worked quickly to identify the suspect and link the cases together. We then worked in conjunction with the CPS to ensure that he was remanded in custody to protect the public from further offences while the investigation was progressed.

I would also like to thank all those involved in the investigation for their hard work and dedication. Bringing together such a complex case within six months is a huge achievement, and without this co-ordinated teamwork, this would not have been possible.

I hope that Darkwas conviction sends a clear message that we will always do everything we can to ensure allegations of rape are investigated thoroughly and that we will leave no stone unturned to get to the truth and bring offenders to justice, as well as demonstrating to potential offenders that the internet does not provide you with an opportunity to evade detection and ultimately imprisonment.

Sally Lakin from the Crown Prosecution Service said: This is a truly appalling case, where the defendant demonstrated a horrifying pattern of entitlement. Darkwa is a sexual predator, who manipulated the situation to intimidate and control his victims in order to rape them.

"It wasnt that Darkwa didnt know his victims werent consenting, to the contrary, he was left in no doubt that the sex was not consensual, even asking one of his victims if he would get a visit from the police. He simply did not care.

I commend the bravery of the victims in reporting and supporting the prosecutions case which meant Darkwa was found guilty and sentenced today for his abhorrent crimes. I hope they can take some comfort from todays sentencing.

I want to encourage victims to please report these crimes; you will be taken seriously and where our legal test is met, we wont hesitate to prosecute.

Darkwa was sentenced to six years imprisonment (to run concurrently) for the offence committed on 5th October 2021. He was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with an extended license period of four years under the Dangerous Offender Provisions for the offence committed on 18th October 2021.

It means he will have to satisfy a parole board before being eligible for release.

Darkwa was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Restraining Order against both victims for an indefinite period and will have to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A predator raped two 12-year-old girls after meeting them on Snapchat and plying them with booze and drugs. Solomon Asemota, 30, initially began by grooming the girls online.

He raped one girl during a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, then raped both girls in his car on another occasion, Manchester Crown Court heard. When they asked how old he was, and if he was 18 or 19, he told them: “I can be”. The rapist, who was 27 time at the time, admitted that he never told them his age.

Asemota, of Longsight, pleaded guilty to seven offences of rape and was jailed today for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year. 

Prosecuting, Simon Blakebrough said police were called on January 9, 2020 when one of the girls was reported missing. After further calls they tracked down one of the girls to a house in Cheetham Hill, and she was told to come home.

One of the girls did, and told police that the other girl was at ‘Prince’s house’. The officers asked her where the house was, and escorted her there. They found the other victim in bed with a man, who was later arrested.

There was no scientific evidence linking him to the sexual acts with the girls and no further action was taken, the prosecutor said. Though forensic evidence later linked Asemota to the girls.

The girls were spoken to and ‘Prince’ was identified as Asemota. He was arrested and after arriving at the police station he was told of the allegation and responded: “I’m shocked at the ages, I didn’t know they were that young.”

“He was interviewed and admitted meeting [them] on Snapchat,” Mr Blakeborough said. “He said he was sent some pictures of them and thought they were 16 or 17 but ‘looked young’. He added that they 'couldn't be as young as 12'.

“He said they asked him how old he was and whether he was 18 or 19, and he answered: “I could be”. He accepts he never told them his real age, which was 27.”

He met the first victim and had sex with her after playing a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, the prosecutor said. He also admitted having sex with the girls in the back of his car, and admitted engaging in sexual acts on one in front of the other.

Asemota admitted to the police that one of the girls was drunk and said he ‘always kept vodka in his car’. He also said after one encounter he dropped a girl off at her friend’s house, and was approached by the friend's mum who banged on the car window and 'forcefully informed him he had a child in the car.

When asked why he thought she said that, he said: “Maybe she was not 18 or she was just angry”.

On January 9, he said one of the girls had been kicked out and so he took them both to his aunt's house where they smoked cannabis. He said he then took them to friends house in Cheetham Hill and had sex with one of them after suggesting his friend to have sex with the other. He admitted not wearing a condom.

Analysis of his mobile phone also showed he had taken intimate videos of the girls.

In victim impact statements, one of the girls, now 15, outlined her troubled home life at the time and said she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone what was happening as she was scared. She said she didn’t know what to do and didn’t want to report it due to the fear of repercussions.

The other girl, now 14, said she cries herself to sleep, has flashbacks and has trouble trusting people - especially men. “I feel like I’m to blame, but I know I am not,” she said.

A specialist nurse who supports children who are sexually exploited said both girls had experienced ‘significant trauma’ and said they felt a sense of ‘guilt and shame’. “The impact upon them will be sustained and life long,” they added.

Mitigating, Michael Johnson said Asemota was candid in his police interview and made ‘significant admissions’. “This is a man who’s never been to prison before, it will inevitably be painful. He is entirely the author of his own misfortune,” he said.

Jailing him for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year, Judge Rachel Smith said: “Both victims were highly vulnerable and highly susceptible to exploitation. Your relationship with each of the girls was predatory and opportunistic.

“You exploited each of them for your own gratification. You spent sufficient time with them to know what they were like, and there is evidence of grooming, providing them with company, transport, food, and later alcohol and drugs.”

She added that a pre-sentence report concluded that he was a high risk of causing serious harm to children and that he had adjusted his behaviour to appear younger in an effort to ‘indulge’ the grooming.

Asemota, of Queens Grove, Longsight, was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A married taxi driver deliberately got a teenage girl drunk before having sex with her at a house in Birmingham. As a result of the incident the victim had attempted suicide.

Mohammed Zubair, 58, of Crowther Road, Erdington, who had previously admitted sexual activity with a child, was jailed for six years. He was also put on the sex offender register for life.

Sarah Allen, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said: "She recalls that he was talking inappropriately about sex life with his partner, making sex videos and about other underage girls. It was all highly inappropriate sexualised conversation that should not have been taking place."

Miss Allen said the 14-year-old had been on a sofa and that she became so unwell that she was sick. "It was during that time he took the opportunity to take advantage of her," she added.

Miss Allen said the girl was "conscious and was able to understand what was going on." Miss Allen said Zubair then had sex with the teenager and that it was her first sexual experience. A couple of days later she told a friend what had happened.

She said that it had had a detrimental effect on the victim's mental health who had counselling. In passing sentence Judge Richard Bond said: "Although you are a gentleman who does not drink alcohol yourself I have no doubt you were fully aware of what the effects of drinking alcohol would have been on such a young girl.

"The incident has had a real effect upon your victim who has talked about wanting to go to hell and feeling disgusted by what you did. You targeted a particularly vulnerable girl.

"You ensured she would comply with your urges by ensuring that she was drunk and having seen that she had been sick you took complete advantage over her. You were made aware on at least one occasion that she said no during the incident."

Jonathan Barker, defending, said Zubair had no previous relevant convictions and that his last conviction was in 2014 which related to his work as a taxi driver. He said he suffered from ill health and went on "The offence was out of character. The defendant regrets his behaviour and is remorseful."

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A paedophile turned up at a crematorium to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex. Nicholas Tarbard was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys, and a condom as he waited for the child.

A court was told he thought he had been talking to three girls aged 11, 12, and 13 on social media. Tarbard had several conversations with each of them, many of a sexual nature, and he had requested inappropriate images of them. He had even sent indecent images of himself during the conversations.

But he had actually been snared by paedophile hunters. On Sunday July 18th 2021, Tarbard had arranged to meet up with who he thought to be the youngest girl, aged 11, at Macclesfield Crematorium. However, unbeknown to Tarbard, he had actually been speaking online to three adults acting as decoys.

As he was was waiting at the Crematorium he was confronted by the decoys who then called police. Tarbard, 35, of no fixed address, appeared at Chester Crown Court where he was sentenced to four years imprisonment and four years on licence after pleading guilty to four counts of attempting to engage sexual communication with child, attempt to arrange to facilitate child sex offence at an earlier hearing.

In a statement Cheshire Constabulary said: "When officers arrived at scene, they searched Tarbard who was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys and a condom. During questioning, he answered no comment to everything posed to him by officers, even when shown messages that he had sent to the three different decoys.

"He was arrested and subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possession of a bladed article in a public place. As well as being sentenced, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order also for an indefinite period."

Detective Constable Jamie Roberts, who led the investigation, said: Tarbard is an extremely dangerous individual who was intent on sexually assaulting young girls. Thanks to the work of the decoys, we were able to arrest and question Tarbard. Although he answered no comment to all of our questions, the evidence against him was damning.

I would like to thank the courts who have helped keep Tarbard off our streets with the sentence that was handed down to him today. Tarbard was talking to decoys but these could have easily been innocent children. I hope this case acts as a reminder for all parents and guardians to warn their children about the dangers of communicating with people online and to ensure that they are using the internet safely.

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AN SEX offender was jailed after a court how he sexually assaulted a particularly vulnerable victim at his home.

Robert Denny (pictured), of Bondfield Crescent, Wombwell, will serve 14 months in jail for preying on a girl who visited his house in July 2020.

Judge David Dixon told Sheffield Crown Court the victim had gone to Dennys house with her friends for what she thought it was going to be a celebratory event.

The judge added the victim had been wearing loose-fitting clothing because she had a fake tan on and Denny (37), seen an opportunity.

The judge said: You took advantage of her.

You preyed on this woman by touching her inappropriately.

You were squeezing her bottom in an inappropriate way.

You then took it further and picked her up and touched her bottom with two hands, and then ran your hand up to her breasts.

She was particularly vulnerable.

Judge Dixon said the ordeal had had a huge impact on the victim.

Denny was convicted of three counts of sexual assault.

He was sentenced to 12 months for one offence, a further two months for the second and a concurrent sentence of one month for the third.

Judge Dixon also issued a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order banning Denny from contacting the victim.

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A paedophile from Cambridgeshire has been sentenced after he messaged girls under the age of 16 until he was caught by a decoy when four 'children' turned out to be adults. The 45-year-old had previously been convicted for making indecent images of children and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Neil Higgins, of no fixed address from Peterborough, was caught by police through a decoy after the paedophile believed he had been messaging four young girls on messaging apps between September 17 and October 13 2020. In his messages to the 'young girls' Higgins had requested photos of them in their underwear, asked to meet up with them and asked them to perform sexual acts on themselves.

Higgins was previously convicted in 2014 for making indecent images of children and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years. He came off the register in September 2019 but offended again just a year later.

On October 13, Higgins was linked to the decoy messages after those he had spoken to called the police. Further investigations revealed Higgins had messaged approximately 200 other people, 11 of these indicating they were under the age of 16.

Of the 15 'children' Higgins messaged, the 11 above plus the four decoys, officers established that he caused or incited two of them to engage in sexual activity. He asked 12 profiles for pictures, and told 13 of the profiles that they were ‘sexy’.

At the time of the offences, a search was carried out at his home in Peterborough where numerous items were seized, including a small amount of cannabis. In a police interview, Higgins admitted to sending the messages but stated he never intended to do any of the things he talked about in them – such as meeting the ‘girls’ in person or having sex with them.

Higgins claimed people who wanted to do that were ‘sick in the head’ and said he was not like that. He also told officers he was in a ‘dark place mentally’ which had driven him to offend again.

He was subsequently charged with possessing cannabis, four counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. On May 4 at Cambridge Crown Court admitted to the offences.

On Tuesday, July 19 Higgins was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court. Judge Sean Enright told him he had shown a ‘determined and sustained effort to meet young girls for sex’ and had also shown no remorse for his crimes.

He was handed four years and six months in prison, with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to run indefinitely and monitor any future offending. Mark Escott, from the force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), said: “We will do all we can to bring those to justice who use the internet in this way - to groom and try to meet children under 16. Higgins’ behaviour was shocking and inappropriate.

“Phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust. I would urge parents to speak to their children about online safety and consider exactly who they are communicating with.

“Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe.”

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A MAN who "poses a risk to children" had more than 23,000 indecent images.

Officers raided Ross McNaughton's home seizing a tablet, computer, laptops and a camera.

Forensic examinations took place which revealed he had thousands of files showing youngsters being abused.

Of the photos, 608 were deemed category A - the most serious.

Meanwhile, 969 were considered category B, and 21,426 were category C.

However, a forensic examiner found no evidence they had been distributed.

McNaughton told police that no one else used the tablet and that he was sexually aroused by the images.

PC Sarah Tickner from the Internet Child Abuse Team led the investigation.

She said: McNaughton had an extremely large collection of indecent images stored on one of his devices and some children depicted were babies.

"He clearly poses a risk to children."

The defendant of Kings Road, Basingstoke, admitted three charges of possessing indecent images of children and to breaching a sexual risk order.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: The ease with which McNaughton appears to have amassed this enormous collection of indecent images shows the disturbing accessibility of this kind of content online.

Children continue to be put unacceptably at risk by the online world. The Government must prioritise the Online Safety Bill and deliver this crucial piece of legislation without further delay to ensure tech firms stop preventable harm to children.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court this week he was jailed for 30 months.

PC Tickner added: "I am glad to see that he is now behind bars. He will have strict conditions imposed upon him when he is released from prison.

I hope this investigation highlights our commitment to keeping children in our community safe and that we will do everything we can to ensure offenders are put before the courts.