Latest Offenders

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A former Police Scotland officer has been jailed for seven years after subjecting a woman to constant abuse that included having sex with her without her consent.

Christopher Wylie, 47, also offered another man sexual intercourse with the victim in exchange for drugs.

Wylie throttled the woman and lunged at her while he was in possession of a knife during abusive conduct that spanned 20 months.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh said the conduct directed towards the victim was "appalling, sustained and humiliating".

Judge Michael O'Grady KC told Wylie: "Such behaviour is bound to attract a significant period of imprisonment."

Wylie was earlier convicted of engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive towards and to the danger of the woman's life between April 2019 and December 2021 at a Highland hamlet and elsewhere.

During it he grabbed the victim's mobile phone from her and read her messages and continually called and messaged her.

Wylie also threatened to harm himself and sent her photographs of self-inflicted harm.

He hid the woman's car keys and phone and would get her to send him photos to prove where she was.

During the abuse Wylie lunged at the woman and struggled with her while he had a knife, resulting in her falling to the floor.

He also seized the woman by the neck and squeezed, restricting her breathing, and covered her mouth and nose with his hands.

Wylie, who joined the police in 2009, had sex with the woman without her consent and offered another man intercourse with her in return for drugs.

He denied the offences at an earlier trial at the High Court in Inverness but was found guilty by jury.

Police Scotland Det Con Emma Ellis said: “I hope this sentence provides some measure of closure for his victim.

"Sexual abuse has no place in our communities and we would encourage anyone who is experiencing abuse, or know someone who is, to get in touch."

Defence counsel Brian McConnachie KC said Wylie maintained his position throughout although the jurors clearly rejected his account.

Mr McConnachie said Wylie was to all intents and purposes a first offender but was abusing alcohol at the time of the offending.

The defence counsel added that Wylie was assessed as posing a low level of risk of further offending.

He said that during his time in custody he has been transferred from Inverness jail to prison in Dumfries and that his work as a police officer meant that "his period in custody will be more difficult for him than an ordinary person".

Mr McConnachie said: "He fully accepts only one sentence is available and that is a custodial sentence."

Wylie has also been placed on the sex offenders register.

Description

A perverted sex offender who forced a young girl to endure a serious ordeal of the "grossest" abuse has been jailed after a jury "saw through" his lies with "no difficulty".

Gary Phelan pretended that the girl had made up "wicked lies" against him but she had told the truth and she had suffered nightmares and "heartbreaking" problems, Hull Crown Court heard. Phelan, 40, of Cogan Street, off Hessle Road, west Hull, denied sexually assaulting the girl but he was convicted by a jury in April. He had been on bail during the trial but he was remanded in custody after his conviction.

The girl's mother said in a victim statement that her daughter started having nightmares because of what happened and, some nights, she would have between one and three nightmares. "It was heartbreaking to see her like this," she said. The girl could be "so angry at times" and did not know how to deal with this.

"My ears have heard so many heart wrenching things, it has turned our world upside down." She added that she would never forgive Phelan for what he had done.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said: "There is very little that can be said after a trial in terms of mitigation, if anything at all." Phelan had no previous convictions and he had worked in the past to the best of his limited ability. He had a good work ethic but he had suffered personal difficulties.

Judge Graham Robinson said that Phelan had claimed that the girl had "made up her wicked lies" but this was not true. The offences came to light through another person, not the girl herself.

Phelan "grossly abused" the trust of the girl. "You stood your trial," said Judge Robinson. "Had you pleaded guilty at the earliest available opportunity, on the basis of the clearest of evidence, which the jury had no difficulty accepting, I would have been able to reduce your sentence by one third.

"You didn't. You ran your trial and the jury saw through your lies so there is no discount for a guilty plea. You have never been in trouble before. That counts in your favour. You have worked hard throughout your life despite your difficulties."

Phelan was jailed for four years. He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for life.

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A shameless paedophile who sexually abused schoolboys in a cupboard has refused to apologise for his sickening crimes.

Richard Gaines was back at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, May 14, after a seventh victim bravely stepped forward and reported him to police after reading newspaper articles about his offending - MyLondon reports.

In 2019, the 79-year-old former geography teacher at St Martin's Preparatory School, in Northwood, North West London, was convicted and jailed for five years and two months for a string of offences against six boys dating back to the 1970s.

The predator's modus operandi was to offer sex education, show them porn mags, then take them into a storage cupboard where he would sexually abuse them.

On Tuesday, the court also heard about allegations of 'recent internet offences', but there was no update on the police investigation. Outside the courthouse, a reporter from one of our sister titles, MyLondon asked Gaines if he wanted to explain the so-called 'circumstances' at the time of the abuse.

However instead of apologising he repeatedly refused to explain or say anything to his victims, and then called the reporter a "really rather persistent little so-and-so'.

Prosecutor Edmund Fowler told the court the latest victim broke their silence after reading about the case, recognising the 'almost identical' abuse. The victim recalled being asked to look at pornography in the cupboard, along with younger and smaller boys, before Gaines abused them for around 30 minutes on two occasions between 1973 and 1977, the court heard.

Mr Fowler said it left the victim so traumatised and racked with guilt that they struggled to make friends and felt they could only work in solitary jobs. At a pre-trial hearing, Gaines admitted two counts of gross indecency with the child, bringing his total number of convictions for the historic abuse to nine, and his known victims to seven.

Mr Fowler explained the maximum penalty for the specific offence at the time, in the 1970s, was two years, but these days it would fall under laws against sexual activity with a child, which could earn a sentence of around six years. The prosecutor argued Gaines fell into the highest level of culpability under current laws due to the grooming, abuse of trust, and disparity in age.

'Fun for all'

Gaines - who still "shows very little remorse" - accused his victim of looking for a payout and even described his sickening abuse as "fun for all" during an interview with a probation officer. Defence counsel Richard Davies interpreted his 'very little remorse' as 'some remorse' as he called for a suspended sentence and a doorstep curfew.

The barrister said his client had already served a sentence, and argued, accounting for the legal principles of totality and concurrency, the jail term in 2019 would not have been much longer for an identical offence.

Mr Davies said: "The real point I can put forward in mitigation, is the fact he has served a prison sentence previously for other boys in the same circumstances."

Mr Davies also said Gaines was needed at home to care for his sick wife and had suffered from cancer himself. He added: "This is someone who could be dealt with in the community, but monitored to make sure it does not happen again in his life.

'Repulsive observation'

Sparing him custody, Judge John Robins said his "hands are tied" by the previous conviction and five-year sentence Gaines served from 2019. The judge concluded his sentence would "not have been much longer" had the latest offence been added to the indictment before the previous judge, and therefore it did not warrant another immediate jail term.

Judge Johnson told Gaines: "Your pre-sentence report shows very little remorse, and your perversion was demonstrated when you described your offending as 'fun for all'.

"Your remark that this man came forward for compensation is a repulsive observation... Having said those things, in many ways, my hands are tied by what has happened to you since this offending."

"I have to sentence you as the facts are and the law is before me, and it gives me no pleasure that you will not be returning to prison. The victim may be disappointed in this, but he will appreciate the law.

"I was appalled to see in your license report that it is alleged you were still committing internet offences when police visited you... Those alleged offences took place relatively recently."

Suspending his 18-month sentence for two years, the judge added: "I cannot think of a worse case of this type of offending, taking into account the ages of the victims and the abuse of trust... I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of yourself for this offending."

Gaines was also ordered to complete the Horizon sex offenders programme and to do 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirement. He will also pay costs of £1,000. The court also heard a civil action is apparently underway, which may allow victims to receive compensation. Legal firm Irwin Mitchell previously said it had been instructed by one victim to help them access specialist support.

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A sex offender has been jailed for nearly 20 years after subjecting two children to vile abuse.

Samuel Anifaloba sexually abused the children separately at an address in Rainham between 2004 and 2006.

The offences were reported to police on April 30, 2018, and he was arrested on June 25 of the same year.

Anifaloba, of no fixed address, was charged and later found guilty of rape and six other sexual offences involving a child, following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

The 49-year-old was jailed for 17 years at the same court yesterday (May 14).

His Honour Judge Branston described Anifaloba as a selfish and self-centred man and added him to the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A man from South Wales who travelled to Swindon to meet with a child has been jailed for multiple sexual offences.

Matthew Pritchard, from Bettws in Newport, was arrested in January 2024 after travelling to Swindon to meet what he believed was a girl aged under 13.

Instead, Pritchard was met by police officers who had been working with the undercover Online Investigations Team at the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Appearing before Swindon Crown Court on May 13, 34-year-old Pritchard pleaded guilty to five sexual offences and one charge of animal cruelty.

These include arranging a child sex offence, two counts of causing a child under 16 to look at an image of sexual activity, attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The sex offender was sentenced to four years in prison and concurrent sentences.

“Pritchard set out in January with the intention of meeting a young girl to sexually abuse. He clearly poses a high risk to children," said Detective Inspector David Wells, who led the team.

“Law enforcement agencies are constantly across the internet working to identify anyone looking to abuse or exploit children. Pritchard’s arrest was part of this ongoing work.”

Pritchard’s dog that he abused has now been happily rehomed.

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A predatory paedophile who silenced his victim for 25 years by using threats of suicide as a warped form of 'moral blackmail' is finally behind bars.

Mechanical engineer Howard Grieve attacked the girl around 1999 in Poynton, Cheshire when she was a minor and he 44, but then vowed to kill himself if she went to police saying: 'I won't be here anymore.'

The woman eventually plucked up the courage to go to the authorities more than two decades on, but Grieve falsely accused her of faking the attack. 

She was then left destitute and frozen out by relatives, and had to 'rebuild' her life both emotionally and financially, the court heard.

Despite suffering severe financial hardship, PTSD and other mental health issues including anxiety and depression, the victim gave a statement to police and bravely endured cross-examination in court to help convict her tormentor of one charge of indecent assault.

It emerged Grieve assaulted the victim in her home following a night out at the pub. 

At Chester Crown Court, Grieve, now 69, and of Enfield, Herts, was jailed for four years after Judge Steven Everett branded him a 'selfish man'

The judge said: 'He was forever blackmailing her, threatening to commit self-harm, and suicide, whilst at the same time really controlling her. There was a lot of moral blackmailing going on and his behaviour destroyed her life, destroyed her teenage years and adult years and she suffered with complex PTSD and other mental health issues, anxiety and depression.

'She was seeking support, seeking therapy, there was self-harm, she regularly suffered from panic attacks, insomnia, stress, feelings of isolation, difficulties with relationships. She talks about how he pretended to be the victim. When she gathered the courage to make the complaint, he made false allegations against her.

'Financially that caused problems and she had to rebuild her life financially. The effects on her have been significant, there has been significant psychological harm. One can only hope that she will get some sort of closure. This is something she may well live with for the rest of her life.

'I do not wish to understate the huge effects it had on her. She is worried that he will track her down.'

The judge told Grieve: 'Your selfish desires have had a huge effect and you have ruined her life. It is clear to me that you have absolutely no understanding or empathy - it is all about you.

'You destroyed her teenage years and her adult life, giving her all sorts of mental health issues that she would have not have suffered otherwise.

'Her personal statements made truly awful reading. They are the longest and most detailed I've ever seen. They talk about the complex PTSD that she is suffering and other mental health issues including anxiety, depression, support, therapy, issues of self-harm, fatigue, and insomnia.

'She suffered stress, isolation and relationship difficulties.

'Right at the end when she had the courage to tell police you told a pack of lies about her. You wanted her to be prosecuted as some sort of smoke screen to prevent you from being prosecuted. But you were prosecuted and she had the courage to stand up to cross-examination. That would have made this so much worse for her.

'I saw you sitting in the dock rather smugly, thinking that you had pulled the wool over the jury's eyes. Well, they saw through you and rightly so. Even now she is worried that you will track her down.

'The very fact that she was not able to tell anyone for 25 years shows the psychological harm that she suffered. Because she has suffered so much psychological harm I am satisfied that she has suffered severe psychological harm.'

Earlier, Prosecutor Simon Parry said: 'The complainant's mother was at home clearly unaware of what was going on. In the aftermath the defendant told her that if she said anything "I won't be here anymore."'

Grieve's barrister, Justin Hugheston-Roberts, said his client continued to maintain his innocence and added: 'He will not cope with custody well. He is a man who has to face up to what happened at a point decades ago.'

Grieve was also made subject of a lifetime restraining order and will sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He will be barred from ever working with children under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A CHRISTCHURCH man who raped and sexually assaulted a child has been jailed for five years.

Darren Marsh (22) of The Strete, committed the offences against the youngster, aged under 13, in New Milton last April.

He was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to rape and two counts of sexual assault.

On his release he will serve a 12-month extended period on licence and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and banned from contacting the victim.

Speaking after the case, detective constable Dawn Capper, of the child abuse investigation team, said: I am so pleased for the young victim that justice has now been served for them and their family, and that Marsh has now been placed behind bars, where he belongs.

While I know this result wont rid them of the memories of what Marsh did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward with their life, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm any other children.

She added: I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents.

We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.

I would also like to thank everyone else who assisted in getting this conviction.

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A "lonely" pensioner who exposed himself to two teenagers after following them home in a New Forest park claims he was “tricked”.

Brian Curtis indecently exposed himself to the two boys having followed them from a park in Blackfield.

Southampton Crown Court heard how in May last year, the boys, aged 11 and 13, had been in the park with their friends playing and hanging around.

As the group of friends began to leave, they spotted the then-86-year-old walking nearby, and approached him and asked him to take a selfie.

As the group were leaving, Curtis asked the boys if he should follow them – with one replying no but another jokingly saying yes, prosecutor Keely Harvey told the court.

He followed them and once they realised this, the court heard the boys started to “panic a little”.

They then stopped an unknown lady in the street who told them to take a different route.

After some time of not seeing him, they then returned to see if the man was still there. Curtis then told them to “put the cameras away”.

After this, the court heard the man “unzipped his trousers and showed his penis”, then telling the boys “you have to do the same”.

Ms Harvey said: “They were both very young, 11 and 13, and they walked away again and Mr Curtis followed still.

“When they asked him why he was following them he said it was on his way back home.”

The boys then approached another lady walking by and warned her of what had happened.

Curtis allegedly claimed to her that "the boys offered to show their penis if he showed his first", Ms Harvey said.

The police were called after this, and the court was told how Curtis claimed he had “been tricked”.

Mitigating, Audrey Archer, told the court the now 87-year-old “wishes to stress to the court that the boys had approached him and wanted photos with him".

She continued: "He made no attempt to approach them first.

“He crossed boundaries that day and behaved in a way that was entirely inappropriate.”

Ms Archer said that in her discussions with Curtis, who lives on his own at Hampton Lane in Blackfield, has always been “quite frank and candid” and what happened to him had an effect on him.

However Judge Brian Forster KC said: “Whatever occurred in the conversation there can be no justification for what you did. Children are children. Adults have to own the responsibility.”

He added: “Your behaviour was shocking. Your behaviour must not be repeated.”

Curtis was handed a 15-month imprisonment sentence suspended for two years and will be required to register on the sex offenders’ list for 10 years as well as carry out 45 days of rehabilitation.

He was also given a two-year exclusion banning him from returning to return to the park.

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A sex offender who served a lengthy prison sentence for repeatedly raping a young girl is now back behind bars for similar historic offences on a boy.

John Patrick Harrop, then 25, and from Darlington, received an indefinite prison sentence for public protection at Teesside Crown Court, in 2012, after admitting six specimen counts of rape and two of sexual assault on a girl under 13.

The judge passing sentence branded him as posing “a very high risk of sexual and emotional harm” to young vulnerable males and females.

That sentence was subsequently varied on appeal to one of ten years, with eight years’ extended licence period.

Durham Crown Court was told he was released from that sentence at the mid-point in the custodial element, and subsequently performed well under probation licence supervision with his risk factor to children lowered to “medium”, as he was said to have since been “re-integrated” into the community.

But, following a further complaint, made in 2021, about Harrop’s past sexual conduct, this time from someone who was a young boy at the time of the abuse, the defendant faced further charges, this time which he denied.

After a three-day trial at the court early last month, the now 37-year-old defendant, of Woodbine Road, Pity Me, Durham, was convicted on unanimous guilty verdicts of three counts of rape and two of sexual assault.

An impact statement was read to yesterday's (Monday May 13) sentencing hearing by his latest victim.

He told the court he felt that the defendant “took my childhood away”, adding: “As I grew older I realised what happened to me was so wrong, without speaking up about it.”

Robin Patton, prosecuting, said there has been no further offending by the defendant, who has undertaken courses under the direction of the Probation Service.

Jonathan Walker, for Harrop, said the offences for which the defendant was previously convicted have “many of the hallmarks” of the offences before the court now.

“They are ugly, horrible offences, but, arguably, not as grave as the offences for which he was convicted in 2012.”

Mr Walker described them as, “relics of the past”, since when the defendant has spent a lengthy period of incarceration.

“He was as close to having been a model ex-prisoner as can be imagined and his behaviour since his release has seen a complete lack of any offences.

“He impressed all of those with a professional obligation to look after him.

“These offences presented themselves in 2021 and he’s now to be separately sentenced for something which was part of the same pattern of sex offending.

“He’s served a lengthy period of imprisonment and this type of warped behaviour won’t be repeated.”

Recorder Tony Hawks said he accepted there was something of “an overlap” in the offences for which the defendant has spent a long time locked up and those for which he is before the court now.

But he said the complainant in this case made no disclosure at the time and the offending only came to light in relatively recent years.

Recorder Hawks said he noted from the probation documents before the court that the defendant continues to deny these offences and so he will receive no discount on his sentence, despite having committed no further offences in recent years.

He noted, however, that the defendant is no longer considered “a dangerous offender”, although he would be sentencing him as, “an offender of particular concern”.

As such, Harrop must serve two-thirds of the eight-year sentence imposed by Recorder Hawks before being eligible for release on parole.

He told the defendant: “If you admitted these offences when you admitted the others you would not be in the position you are in now.”

Harrop will also be subject to lifetime notification requirements as a sex offender.

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A 64-year-old who committed a sexual assault at a Glenrothes soft play centre has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

John McDowell, of Tofthill, Glenrothes, carried out the attack at Jumpin Jacks in the towns Fullerton Road on June 30 last year.

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A Metropolitan Police officer granted anonymity at a misconduct hearing despite being a convicted sex offender has finally been named and shamed.

PC Alex Law, 43, was pictured for the first time after his brave victim - who was under the age of 10 - came forward to speak of her two decades of fear and shame.

Law, then 15, twice indecently assaulted the girl who had been out playing in woods near his hometown of Hexham, Northumberland - 20 miles west of Newcastle - in 1996.

Law then secured a job with the Met any years later and hid his dark secret.

But in December 2022, the victim finally decided she had suffered in silence for too long and reported him to Northumbria Police.

Controversially, Law was allowed to remain anonymous at a Scotland Yard misconduct hearing on April 25 – three days after being sentenced to two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Newcastle Crown Court.

Known only as Officer A, the force said he had pleaded guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting a female under the age of 14. Law was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

In an interview, the victim told The Journal newspaper in Newcastle: “He’s ruined my life. I could have been somebody so different.”

While Law got on with his life as a respected custody officer in London, hers spiralled downwards and she struggled to cope.

She said: “Growing up I felt like I was a weirdo, I felt dirty.

“He made me hate myself. I have made some not great life choices and been in some violent relationships because of him.”

The woman claimed Law sent her a picture of himself in his Met uniform, which encouraged her to come forward and speak up about “monster Alex” to protect other women.

Law, of Cedar Drive in Dartford, Kent and attached to Met Detention, was dismissed without notice by Assistant Commissioner Pippa Mills.

Law apologised and recognised it would be unlikely he would ever have been a police officer if the circumstances were known at the time.

Northumbria Police Detective Constable Phil Trotter, who led the investigation, said on Tuesday: “This conviction was only possible because of the bravery shown by the victim.

“She found the courage to speak out and trusted that our officers would listen and fully investigate what happened.

“I hope her brave actions act as an inspiration to other victims, who may feel it is too late to report historic abuse.

“It is never too late to come forward, and as a Force, we are committed to supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.”

Met Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox added: “I am grateful to Northumbria Police for their investigation.

“He is now serving a prison sentence and has rightly been swiftly dismissed from the Met.

“We remain committed to ensuring those who are not fit to police are removed from the organisation.”

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Yesterday, Monday 13 May 2024, Stephen Newmarch (12/08/1966) of Broomfield Close in Bolton was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment after being found guilty of 15 sexual offences against two victims following re-trial at Manchester Crown Court in March 2024. The victims, now in their 30’s, gave evidence at his trial.

He will be on the Sex Offender's Register for life as well as being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

This case arose after victims came forward to police in 2020, stating that Newmarch had been responsible for sexually abusing them in early 2000's, whilst he was an Educational Welfare Officer and a foster carer in Bury.

The court heard how one of the men made a statement to the police regarding a holiday he had been on with Newmarch and others when he was 14 years old. Newmarch had inappropriately touched him and when reported to other adults on the trip, he passed it off as “play fighting”.

Both of the victims reported being foster children in the care of Newmarch when sexual abuse occurred.

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A MAN has been jailed for 28 years for being found guilty of 57 counts of historic child sexual abuse - including in Herefordshire.

Gary Bennett, 61, of Shenstone Close, Bromsgrove will serve a minimum of 18 years after being sentenced at Worcester Crown Court.

His abuse took place over a nine-year period from 1995 and 2004 across many different areas including Leominster, Bridgnorth, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Habberley and London.

There were seven victims in total six male and one female all of whom were children or teenagers when the abuse took place. The offences he committed included rape, attempted rape, buggery and indecency with a child.

The abuse was first reported to police in May 2018 and an investigation was launched immediately.

Inspector Julie Taylor, who led the investigation, said: This has been a long and complex case and Im pleased that Bennetts victims have finally been able to see him face justice.

The abuse he put them through is absolutely sickening and is something which will affect them for the rest of their lives.

I dont underestimate the immense courage it took for the victims to come forward, and Id like to commend them on their conduct throughout. Despite many delays in court proceedings, they have remained patient, dignified and determined.

Id encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault, whether as an adult or child, and whether recent or not, to get in touch with us. You will be taken seriously and you will be listened to.

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A paedophile who gave a boy Pot Noodles laced with drugs before sexually abusing him as part of a sickening campaign of assault and rape has been jailed for almost three decades.

Raymond Hawthorne subjected the boy and another male youngster to horrifying abuse over the course of a decade in the 1980s and 1990s, lavishing one of the children with trainers and a bike as he exploited him for his twisted desires.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the now 60-year-old 'preyed upon, groomed and sexual assaulted' his victims in the Birkenhead area; one recalled being aged as young as five when the abuse started before descending into rape.

His other victim described being given Pot Noodles during visits to Hawthorne's house, then 'remembering nothing' before waking up naked and realising he had been assaulted.

Robert Dudley, prosecuting, described how the pervert would put his hands down one victim's trousers and perform sex acts upon him. The behaviour continued for years and ultimately 'escalated' to him raping the boy on two occasions.

In a statement which was read out to the court on his behalf, the first victim said: 'It is only in the last four to five years that I have found a little peace and tried to put the past behind me.'

Hawthorne was said to have taken the second child on trips away to Blackpool and theme parks and 'bought him extravagant gifts' such as clothing, training shoes and even a bicycle, as well as plying him with alcohol and drugs. 

The now three-time convicted sex offender then 'smacked his bottom' and forced his hands into the child's underwear, sexually assaulting him.

Hawthorne, who was later said to have attempted to 'bribe' him with cash, denied his crimes when finally confronted decades later and claimed the allegations had been 'fabricated for compensation'.

The second complainant said that Hawthorne's actions had resulted in an 'indescribable impact' upon him. 

He added in his statement: 'I'm still finding it all difficult to process, the fact that justice has finally been done. I desperately want to start living. I want my life back, I want me back.

'He cannot harm any more children. This gives me hope for the future. I realise the past cannot be change. But my future can.'

Hawthorne, formerly of Crescent Road in Bolton, has a total of 23 previous convictions for 77 offences ranging from assault to prostitution offences involving boys as young as 12 as well as indecent assault.

The defendant represented himself in court on Monday, having last week sacked the counsel that represented him at trial. 

From the witness box, he stated that there had been 'no evidence whatsoever of any drug' being found in the Pot Noodles and reported that the complainant merely said the snack had 'tasted funny'.

Hawthorne also told the court that it's 'rubbish' that he had committed any sexual offences. 

He said: 'Being convicted of historical offences requires no evidence, just someone saying "he did that to me" and they are going to be believed. 

'I say I've not committed any sexual crime apart from selling sex. I just ask your honour to give me hope of a crime free lifestyle.'

Hawthorne was found guilty of two counts of rape, 10 charges of indecent assault and two offences of gross indecency with a child by a jury. 

He was jailed for 27 years, a term of which he must serve at least two thirds before becoming eligible for release, and handed an additional eight years on licence.

Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, Hawthorne showed no reaction as he was locked up and instead sat making notes with a pen and paper. He was also told to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'Your abuse of these two young children was the beginning of a lifelong obsession involving the abuse and exploitation of young boys. 

'I am perfectly satisfied that you are sexually interested in young boys and will use them sexually.

'You have continued to maintain your innocence. You maintain a complete lack of sexual motivation for any of your offending.

'All of this shows that you continue to have a complete lack of any insight into your own offending and deviant motivations. There is a complete lack of remorse... you continue to minimise your behaviour.

'You present as utterly unable to understand the harm you have caused to children by your actions. You have sought to blame everyone other than yourself.'

Following sentencing, Detective Constable Lauren Blackmore from Merseyside Police's rape and serious sexual offences team said: 'This result was only possible thanks to the sheer determination and bravery of his victims.

'Despite Hawthorne denying the offences, a jury saw through his lies and he will now spend a considerable amount of time in prison.'

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A sexual predator who abused vulnerable females has been jailed for 29 years after being categorised as a "dangerous offender."

Roy Foster, 63, raped two young girls and tried to rape another. He abducted his fourth victim by tempting her away with the offer of choosing a toy.

Teesside Crown Court has heard that Foster abducted the girl with the intention of committing a sexual offence. On Monday, Foster appeared in court, via video link from Durham prison, wearing a white shirt and a grey pullover.

Ian West, prosecuting, told the court that Foster had four victims - and each girl was vulnerable. He indecently assaulted his first victim and later raped her.

The attacks happened over 30 years ago and in a statement, the victim said: "For years and years, I've kept what happened a secret from my family and friends. It has eaten me alive from the inside out. He's been able to go about his life as he wanted to."

The woman reported Foster to the police in March 2023. The court heard that years later, Foster tried to rape his second young victim, after "plying her with alcohol" when he was drunk himself. "It would seem she was specifically targeted," Mr West said, "because he could rely on her not to resist."

Foster raped his third victim twice. The Middlesbrough court heard that Foster supplied her with drink and drugs. In court, she stood up to speak of her "anger, frustration and sadness" over what Foster did to her.

He targeted his fourth victim by offering her the chance of choosing a toy, if she came with him. The child went with Foster but a member of the public intervened.

Children's toys in bedroom

Mr West said that when police searched Foster's home, they found children's' toys in one of the bedrooms. "He had no children or grandchildren of that age," Mr West said. Foster, of Low Grange Avenue in Billingham, was convicted of all eight offences by a jury, after a trial in January.

He was found guilty of sexual activity with a child; three counts of child rape; sexual assault; abducting a child with the intent to commit a sexual offence; and two counts of attempted rape. Foster appeared to close his eyes for periods of time as the court heard mitigation from Paul Cleasby.

Mr Cleasby said that "there was no evidence that one of Foster's victims was affected by the alcohol he gave her. Alcohol wasn't used to facilitate this offence - it can't be said to have diminished her capabilities. Nothing I say is intended to diminish the seriousness of the offences against her."

Foster's barrister told the court that his client "collected bric-a-brac of all descriptions" rather than just toys for young children. He said that a psychiatric report had found that Foster is of "extremely low intelligence and has a learning disability".

"It's hard to understand if he knew the impact of his offending on others," Mr Cleasby added.

'Sense of sexual entitlement'

Judge Jonathan Carroll told Foster that, "in their different ways, all of your victims had some degree of vulnerability and in one way or another, all of them suffered at your hands. Despite your intellectual limitations, you had sufficient intellect to modify your grooming.

"You still don't recognise your criminal offending. You still continue to display, even at your stage in life, a sense of sexual entitlement."

The judge told Foster that he qualified for an extended sentence because he is a "dangerous offender." Foster was handed a 32-year sentence, made up of a 29-year prison term and a three-year period on extended licence, in the community. He will serve two-thirds of the 29-years before he is eligible for release. He must sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

After the sentencing, Detective Constable James Limon said: “This case was a collaborative effort by Stockton CID, the Complex Exploitation Team and the Domestic Abuse Unit. Roy Foster is a dangerous sexual predator who targeted and abused vulnerable females, both adult and children, over the last 40 years.

“His youngest victim managed to escape harm thanks to the quick-thinking actions of a member of the public. Had that not occurred, Roy Foster would have likely committed further offences against that child.