Latest Offenders

Description

A 70-year-old man who carried out an "appalling catalogue" of sexual abuse against boys over three decades has been jailed.

Keith Lockwood, of Park Lane in Keighley, was described as a serial child abuser by detectives.

His offending took place in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s across the Kirklees district.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Lockwood had committed sexual offences, including gross indecency with a child and indecent assault, against seven boys aged under 16.

He was jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of 23 non recent sexual offences committed over a 30-year period.

The pensioner is currently on the Sex Offenders register and will remain so for life.

DC Gilly Hodds, who investigated the case, said: "Lockwood was found guilty by a unanimous guilty verdict of an appalling catalogue of offending against victims who were young and vulnerable.

"He forced those victims to relive the dreadful offences he committed against them by putting them through the ordeal of a trial, and I am pleased for them that the jurors saw through his attempts to evade answering for what he has done."

She added: "Victims in this case demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward and supporting both the police and CPS in taking action against a man who has been a serial abuser of children whilst in a position of trust."

Description

A sexual predator who attacked two women on Metrolink trams has been branded as posing a 'risk to females'. Tahir Ali, 37, groped a student after sitting next to her, and weeks later pressed his body against the bottom of a 16-year-old girl for his own sexual pleasure, in front of her mother.

University student Ali has been banned from using trams indefinitely after targeting his victims who were complete strangers, and had boarded trams at Exchange Square on the Rochdale and Oldham line. Manchester Crown Court heard that he has an 'appalling' criminal history, and has six previous offences of sexual assault on his record.

His lawyer said Ali's deviant behaviour is a 'compulsion' which he has been 'unable to resist'. Remorseless Ali, from Oldham, forced his victims to give evidence in court after he refused to admit his crimes. He was sentenced to three years in prison after being found guilty.

Prosecuting, Nick Ross told how Ali’s first victim noticed that he was staring at her while she waited to board a tram at Exchange Square on November 14 last year. When she got on the tram, Ali sat behind her but then moved to sit directly next to her.

Ali then began to move his hands up and down her leg ‘in a sexual manner’, Mr Ross said. He got up when the woman asked him to stop.

Weeks later, Ali boarded another Rochdale bound tram at Exchange Square, on December 22 last year. His 16-year-old victim was with her mother on the busy tram when she noticed a man pressing against her bottom.

When she turned around she saw that Ali’s penis was erect. Ali left the tram at Failsworth, where the girl’s mother shouted at him. He proceeded to board another tram heading back into the city centre.

“It is horrifying that you sexually assaulted a 16-year-old victim as her own mother was present in the tram carriage,” Judge Tom Gilbart told Ali. “You were travelling on the Metrolink system for the purposes of sexual gratification.”

Ali’s first victim said his behaviour was ‘disgusting’. In a statement read to the court, she said: “I don’t feel comfortable sitting on my own on the tram. I was scared at the time that he would follow me home.”

The 16-year-old said: “I felt like I couldn’t do anything to stop the male touching me. I felt like the male had power over me. I don’t want to see this male on the tram again. He is a risk to females. I want him to know that he can’t get away with what he has done to me.”

Mr Ross said of Ali, who was caught out on Metrolink CCTV cameras: “The Crown suggests he is a persistent sexual predator.” His previous sexual assaults include attacks on a woman in a shop and in a library.

When he was interviewed by a probation officer prior to sentencing, Ali continued to ‘completely deny’ his wrongdoing and claimed he’d been ‘set up’.

Defending, David Morton said Ali was enrolled in the first year of a business and finance university course prior to his incarceration. He said of Ali’s behaviour: “These are compulsions that he has been hitherto unable to resist.”
A sexual harm prevention order was imposed indefinitely, to prevent Ali from using the Metrolink system. Ali, of Kelverlow Street, Oldham, was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Description

A REGISTERED sex offender was snared by artificial intelligence as he flouted a strict court order by viewing perverted internet images of children.

Thomas Young, 34, had appeared at Carlisle Crown Court a decade ago when he was sentenced for inciting a girl aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

As part of the punishment, Young was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO). This imposed tough curbs on his online use for an indefinite period.

Young was twice brought back to court for breaching the SOPO, once in 2023 and then again in early February when he received a suspended prison sentence.

But within days of being spared jail, Young flouted the order once more.

“Police were first alerted on March 15 of this year by e-safe global software installed on the defendant’s phone,” prosecutor Brendan Burke told the city’s crown court.

“That software captures and screenshots any activity which the artificial intelligence detects to be of a suspicious or concerning nature.”

On that date, two indecent category C images were logged. Three days later, a further four were detected along with one image classed in category A — the most serious — involving a girl aged 12 to 14 years.

All images had been accessed via the Telegram platform. And Mr Burke said analysis showed that from February 11 — just days after his last crown court appearance — and March 18, Young had installed and then uninstalled the Telegram application a dozen times.

This was a flagrant breach of the SOPO, which was designed to make all such data available for scrutiny, and display internet history.

In addition, Young was found to have flouted sex offender notification requirements by failing to disclose two online usernames which had been active around the turn of this year.

When brought to court Young admitted making indecent photographs of a child, breaching the SOPO and twice flouting the notification requirements.

The category A image, said Mr Burke, had been captured by Young from a video of two hours, 31 minutes’ duration.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith, mitigating, said of Young: “He can provide no real explanation as to why he finds himself in the position that he does.”

Young had been “lonely” and taken cocaine which, he suggested, may have altered his judgement and failed to impress upon him the consequences of his actions.

Judge Nicholas Barker jailed Young, latterly of Warwick Square, Carlisle, for 18 months. New strict court orders placing restrictions on him, and an obligation to regularly provide police with personal information, were imposed for 10 years.

“You knew that by doing those actions you were likely putting yourself, not just at risk, but of receiving an immediate custodial sentence,” Judge Barker told Young.

Description

A mum says she and her son were left prisoners in their own home after a 'monster' stole her son's childhood and threatened them in their own home. Dale Barker, 33, has been jailed for six years and nine months after he admitted sexually assaulting a child and possession of a knife.

But as Barker, of Cotton Tree Lane, Colne, begins his prison sentence, the mum and son are left trying to rebuild their lives which they say have been completely destroyed by their abuser. Barker befriended the mum when they met in a shop where he was working, but after a few weeks the woman noticed 'strange behaviour'.

"He kept buying gifts and things for my son and being overly pally", she said.

"It was grooming, but when I said I didn't want this anymore it went really, really wrong. I asked him to leave but he wouldn't go.

"He assaulted me in front of my son, but that charge was later dropped. It went into a whole spiral of awful things - knife threats, arson threats, everything."

As a result of the threats, the family home was safeguarded by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the family was given a priority to move home. As Barker remained on bail, the mother said she became hypervigilant, locking doors and gates and using a tracker on her son's phone.

Both mum and son suffered serious mental health problems and the son became suicidal and stopped attending school.

"I am constantly ill through stress and hypervigilance and my symptoms have manifested physically over the last 16 months", the mother said. She no longer feels comfortable around strangers and has lost her business due to the difficulties she has faced.

"Barker has destroyed our family. He has taken away my son's childhood which he will never get back and has to carry this for the rest of his life.

"He has attempted to take his own life and continues not to cope on a daily basis. My mental health is at crisis point.

"This has been the most difficult time of my life not only for the crimes he committed against me but for the hatred I hold against him for sexually assaulting my son. Barker has been able to freely live his life and I am incensed by this, that we have been treated like the criminal and have not had adequate protection from the courts. My son and I have been on the brink of mental collapse."

Judge Sara Dodd, sentencing, said Barker was a dangerous offender who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. In addition to the jail term, she imposed an extended licence period of three years and three months to protect the public.

The mother said: "The day he was sentenced was the hardest day of my life. I went through so many different emotions - relief, shock, fear. I honestly think he is a psychopath.

"I'd known him a few weeks and he was trying to get his feet under the table. My son has had to be so brave and grown up but I think the bravery and resilience he has shown has saved so many potential victims.

"Now Barker is behind bars he is able to go out with his friends without looking over his shoulder all the time. There is still a long way to go, and he will have to carry this forever, but it is a start to try to move forwards."

In addition to the prison sentence, Barker has been handed a 12-year sexual harm prevention order and made the subject of notification requirements - also known as the sex offenders register - indefinitely. Judge Dodd also made an indefinite restraining order to protect the family.

Description

A former Fife Tory councillor found guilty of two sex attacks against children in Glenrothes has been put on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Michael Green’s first victim told a trial he massaged her legs, put his hand under her shorts and touched her as she watched X Factor on TV, when she was aged ten.

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Description

A man has been jailed after he was convicted of a number of offences including sexual assault by strangulation and possession of indecent images.

Mark Wilson, aged 32, of Gaul Road, March, Cambridgeshire was jailed for three years following a hearing at Norwich Crown Court on Friday 10 May 2024.

He was also made subject to restraining orders against his two victims and issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

Wilson had previously admitted to two counts of sexual assault by strangulation, one count of sexual assault, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.

Between September 2016 and the end of 2017 in Thetford Wilson twice strangled a teenage girl, on one occasion to the point where she lost consciousness and kept passing out.

He also attempted to indecently touch another girl.

An investigation was launched and his devices, a mobile phone and a laptop, were seized.

Analysis revealed they contained category A, B, and C videos and still images which were indecent. 

In a statement read to the court one of Wilson’s victims described how she was still feeling the effects of the trauma she had experienced.

She detailed how she could not sleep, had become depressed, and continue to struggle with the emotional aftermath.

In her statement she described his “seemingly blasé attitude to when it came to committing sexual offences against young women”, adding: “The nightmare of what you did remains fresh in my mind.”

Description

A dad downloaded thousands of sick sexual images of children and stashed them on laptops and hard-drives in his family home.

Martin Mannion, of Springhill Court, Wavertree, amassed his "catalogued library of images" between November 2022 and March 2023. He was caught when police carried out an investigation into those using file-sharing software to make and distribute images of child sex abuse. One IP address, which was used to access a folder containing 4,461 indecent images of children, was traced to a Virgin Media account belonging to Mannion, 61.

Officers attended Mannion's house shortly after 9am, on June 29 2023, while his 11-year-old son was at school. They seized two laptops and two external hard-drives, found to contain thousands of items of child pornography.

In total, officers found 28 images and 30 videos of the most serious category A, four images and six videos category B, and 6,004 images and 54 videos category C. The images were kept in a number of folders on each of his devices, including one marked with his initials, and another called "photos to keep".

Mannion pleaded guilty to the possession of 6,058 of indecent images of children, and three counts of making indecent images of children (categories A, B and C). He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, May 10, for sentence.

Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said: "The content of these videos are sadly typical of the type of abuse that this court sees. In each of these videos, in each of these images, there is an abused child somewhere in the world. In terms of victim impact, it's a global trade."

Trevor Parry-Jones, defending, said: "During the time between his arrest and thereafter it has been extremely sobering for him and very difficult. It's of course not only difficult for him, but for his immediate family and his son. His wish, his hope, is that he can soon regain the trust of his family, in particular his wife and his son."

He added: "Having worked 40 years of employment for his family, for his son and his wife, he then went off the rails, and one can only look at his personal circumstances to see perhaps an explanation, an understanding that something changed for him.

"This is a man crying out for assistance. He needs it. He lost his employment as a result of his arrest, and many would say so he should. It had an effect on his wife and son. He gained two alternative places in employment and he lost those again because of the proceedings." He said Mannion, who has no previous convictions, had to rely on his brother for financial support as a result.

Judge Mark Ainsworth said: "It needs to be emphasised this is not a victimless crime. Far from it. Behind each and every photograph is a child being sexually abused. We may never know who they are, we may never know where they are, but the images show children being sexually abused, and plainly that's a matter that the public and indeed the courts find abhorrent, and rightly so. The assumption must be made that if it were not for people like yourself, there would be no marketplace for these images."

He sentenced Mannion to a total of 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He also ordered him to complete two rehabilitation courses and 160 hours of unpaid work, and made a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Description

A serial sex offender from Cupar caught with an unauthorised mobile phone days after being convicted for possessing child abuse images for the second time has been jailed.

David Adamson was told he was lucky to have dodged a prison sentence in 2021 after admitting possessing indecent images.

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Description

A Cleckheaton man who sexually abused children over three decades has been jailed after being found guilty of more than 30 sexual offences.  

George Thorley (74) of Moorbottom in Cleckheaton was sentenced to 27 years at Leeds Crown Court on May 8 for committing 32 sexual offences, including rape, between the 1970s and 1990’s in locations across England.

The 74-year-old was described as posing a genuine danger to children by detectives who welcomed his conviction for offending in Durham, London and West Yorkshire.  

He was jailed for one offence of rape, multiple indecent assaults and other serious sexual offences and will also have to register on the sexual offences register for life.  

Leeds Crown Court heard that Thorley had committed offences against seven child victims, both boys and girls, with the first offence taking place in 1973 and the last occurring in 1995.  

The matters came to police attention after three of the victims, one each from West Yorkshire, London and Durham, came forward independently of each other to their respective police forces over a 12-month period, with the West Yorkshire report being made in 2021.  

These reports led to police enquires being launched in all three police force areas, resulting in seven victims being identified in total; two in West Yorkshire, four in the London area and one in Durham.  

Due to the suspect living in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire Police took primacy for the investigation.  

Thorley was arrested in March 2021 and eventually charged with multiple sexual offences in 2022.

Description

A Doncaster man who raped a woman, before falsely imprisoning her and subjecting her to a campaign of violent abuse has been jailed for over nine years.

David Flatters, 22, waited for his victim to fall asleep before raping her, and later issued a series of chilling threats in a desperate bid to keep his violent behaviour a secret.

He told her he would "send people round to her family's house" and that he was going to "watch her take her last breath" after Flatters' brutal attacks left her with a catalogue of horrific injuries.

She suffered bruises, bleeding to the head, a black eye and cuts to her face - and on one occasion, Flatters lured his victim to the woods, beat her with sticks and stood on the back of her neck while she was face down in the dirt and unable to breathe.

Investigation Officer Rowan Bradbury, who works for Doncaster's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said:

"Flatters' offending was savage, calculated and wicked as he subjected his victim to vile abuse both physically and mentally.

"She was understandably terrified of him and I want to praise her courage and fortitude in coming forward to tell us about the abuse she had endured at his hands.

"It can't have been easy for her and I can't imagine the terror she must have endured but it was her testimony that helped secure a lengthy custodial sentence for Flatters."

Flatters was arrested by officers and brought into custody before being charged with multiple offences.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, false imprisonment, strangulation, common assault, intimidation and escaping from lawful custody. 

Flatters was sentenced to a total of nine years and five months in jail during a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court last Wednesday (1 May).

He must then spend an additional two years on licence, with Flatters also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for an indefinite period.

The terms of the SHPO mean that Flatters, of Cranbrook Road, Wheatley, must also inform the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) whenever he enters into a new relationship with another person.

Description

A PERVERT has been jailed following the reveal of disgusting sexual crimes he committed over 50 years ago.

Leslie Ruddick, 69, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court last Friday, September 29, for historical sexual abuse allegations.

Ruddick committed the acts between November 23, 1971, and November 22, 1978.

The 69-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of ‘indecent assault on a woman’, which was the charge at the time.

This was changed in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and Ruddick’s offences would carry a far harsher sentence with today’s sentencing guidelines, with it being stated these charges would carry a maximum sentence of between 14 years and life in prison depending on the charge.

Whilst these charges may still have carried a larger sentence, the prosecution told the court that – due to a clerical error in the charge – each charge would carry a maximum of just two years.

The prosecution went on to describe how, on multiple occasions in Liverpool between 1971 and 1978, when he was between the ages of 18 and 25, Ruddick climbed into bed and used his fingers to penetrate a girl when she was between the age of seven and 12.

In a powerful victim statement, read out by the victim in person, the court heard how it had taken her ‘most her life to get this point where she could stand up to the abuse he did.’

She said: “He stole my innocence.

“I was made to feel like it was my fault, and I was called a liar. I took to self-harming, I even tore my hair out.

“I have carried the burdens of someone else’s actions for years.

“He must have thought that little girl would not have a voice, but that girl is a woman now.”

The legal principle of totality, which states ‘when sentencing an offender for more than one offence, to impose a total sentence which reflects the overall criminality and is just and proportionate’, generally dissuades judges from giving consecutive sentences to multiple offences.

The prosecution, however, argued that, due to the maximum of just two years per charge, consecutive sentences was necessary to reflect the seriousness of Ruddick’s offending.

Defending Ruddick, Jim Smith, however, argued that concurrent sentences, meaning they would run alongside one another, was suitable for this case.

They pointed to Ruddick’s successful professional and personal career since as the signs of him having changed in character and pointed to the early guilty plea as an admission of guilt and sign of remorse.

This is despite the fact that Ruddick, of Irons Lane Chester, claimed he did not recall the offences.

They went on to state that the Chester man was not of good health.

Judge Atherton, presiding over the case, said: “You took an opportunity to sexually assault [the victim] when she should have been safe.

“There were severe consequences for her wellbeing.

“It was explained eloquently in her victim personal statement how it has taken nearly her whole life that she has felt strong enough to speak up about this.

“Throughout her life she felt she was not good enough. She has been called a liar. She has been made to feel she was at fault.

“You are the father of three successful adults.

“Throughout the time you were successfully building a life, your victim was suffering throughout all those years.”

Of the four charges, two were separate to denote penetration, whilst two covered ‘indecent assault’ without penetration.

For the two charges alleging penetration, Ruddick received one year each. For the other two charges, the Chester man received six months each.

This total of three years was then reduced to two years, with the defendant receiving a full 1/3 credit due to his early guilty plea.

Despite this falling under the threshold where suspended sentences are typically allowed, Judge Atherton stated that ‘an immediate custodial sentence is necessary’.

A minimum of half of the two year sentence will be served in prison, and Ruddick will be subject to notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A voyeur who recorded women in toilet cubicles for his own sexual gratification has been jailed.

Pawanjit Singh, also known as Robbie, snuck into female toilets and hid in cubicles before using his mobile phone to secretly record his victims as they used the toilet next to him.

He captured 26 clips and six images of numerous women in several different pubs in the North East in September 2020.

In May 2021, the 35-year-old was caught by a woman as he was in the act of recording her in the female toilets at Washington Service Station.

The woman confronted him, and subsequently contacted police.

The investigation progressed when police accessed Singhs mobile phone and, after interrogating the device, uncovered the voyeuristic content.

Singh was charged with 27 offences of voyeurism and appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates court in April where he pleaded guilty to all counts.

Last Thursday (May 2), Singh of Henry Street, Shiney Row, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and was sentenced to one year in prison.

He will spend ten years on the Sex Offenders Register, was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and was ordered to have his devices destroyed.

Talking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Kate Bain, of Northumbria Police, said: We would like to thank the woman who turned out to be Singhs last victim after she witnessed and challenged his offending meaning the scale of his depravity was uncovered.

Singh secretly filmed women in what should have been a totally private space, without their knowledge or consent. He showed no respect for these women whatsoever and saw them only as tools for his own sexual gratification.

Description

A South London paedophile gripped a copy of George Orwell's 1984 after he admitted asking an undercover police officer to perform oral sex on him - believing they were a 13-year-old girl. Alex Parsons appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (May 10) where he confessed to four child sex offences after a sting by the Metropolitan Police in February this year.

The 37-year-old from Parish Gate Drive, Sidcup, held his head in his hands before entering court, then stood in the dock wearing a grey plaid suit and thick glasses he pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity, and one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The court heard he communicated with an undercover cop - posing as a 13-year-old child called Chloe - between February 20 and 22 this year, during which time he sent 'messages of a sexual nature'.

The perverted bookworm also sent a photo of his genitals and a sexual video and he asked her to perform a sex act on him, the court was told.

Orwell's novel 1984 is a book that features the Thought Police, a secret police force acting for Oceania, a fictional superstate which controls almost every aspect of the characters' lives.

Thought Police are tasked with finding and punishing thoughtcrimes (personal and political thoughts not approved by the regime), often working undercover to lure out criminals.

On Friday, defence counsel Mark Stevens said his client was of previous good character had already signed notification requirements for sex offenders. Parsons was previously granted bail by the magistrates, who ordered that he be monitored on a curfew between 10pm and 5am and is only allowed a single mobile phone.

Judge Charlotte Welsh ordered an 'all options' pre-sentence report, and granted Parsons conditional bail ahead of his sentence on July 12. Parsons said 'Thank you very much' as he left the dock, then later walked out the courthouse holding a copy of the dystopian novel.

Description

A criminal network who conducted extreme body modifications and illegal surgeries have been jailed after Met detectives uncovered their horrendous crimes

Specialist Met officers leading a unique investigation into the extreme body modification of men have seen seven men jailed today, Thursday, 9 May for a total of 79 years after a hearing at the Old Bailey.

Met detectives launched an investigation into the illegal surgical procedures after a victim was first identified by Devon and Cornwall Police in November 2020 after it was established the offending had taken place in North London.

Marius Theodore Gustavson, 46 (7.12.77), of Haringey was identified by detectives as being the primary offender following a lengthy and complex investigation. Alongside the six other men, he was jailed for life today with a minimum tariff of 22 years for:

• Conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm
• Five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent
• One count of making an indecent photograph of a child
• One count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
• Possession of extreme pornographic images
• Distributing indecent pseudo images of children

The court heard how Gustavson used the internet to seek out and manipulate vulnerable people, coercing them to take part in the procedures.

Detective Inspector Amanda Greig, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “I would like to highlight the excellent work of the Met’s investigation team, who have examined thousands of hours of horrific material seized from the suspects. Their diligence and professionalism have ensured no one else will suffer at the hands of these men.

“This lengthy and complex investigation demonstrates that we are determined to protect Londoners from harm and bringing those that threaten the safety of our communities to justice.”

Following the court hearing today, DI Amanda Greig also thanked the victims for their bravery throughout the investigation. She acknowledged their immense suffering – with many victims having profound mental health issues as a result of the group's brutal actions. The victims were supported by specialist officers and signposted to support services by the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity GALOP.

Detectives worked closely with partners from a number of UK police forces, NHS, London Ambulance Service, the General Medical Council and the Midwifery Council to help identify and support victims.

They discovered that Gustavson owned and managed the website ‘Eunuchmaker.com’ where he advertised extreme body modification services, including castration and penis removal. He also owned a production company, where he would record all the illegal mutilations and upload them to his site, which captured an international audience.

Officers interviewed and obtained statements from victim-survivors, who had been assaulted between February 2017 and January 2020.

In at least three cases, the injuries inflicted on the victims were life threatening, with one victim coming close to losing his life due to blood loss.

Officers sought the expertise of Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Chris Dawson, who stated “The procedures performed in these cases have highlighted the dangers involved in 'back street surgery'.

"To become a highly qualified surgeon takes a number of years, and these procedures should not be carried out by anyone without the necessary experience or expertise as it risks serious complications such as significant bleeding, or sepsis. When performed in hospital, these procedures are performed under general anaesthesia in a sterile environment, with the surgeon wearing sterile gown and gloves.

"The consent process is a very important part of any surgical procedure, and surgeons are held to very high standards about this. It is imperative that patients are aware of the potential complications of any surgical procedure."

A search of Gustavson’s address found various items, including

• Boxes of medical needles and syringes
• Local anaesthetic packs
• Surgical tools
• A wooden chopping board and a mallet
• A body board with leg and arm restraints attached
• Disposable skin staplers
• Numerous medical procedure videos linked to Gustavson’s digital devices

As Gustavson’s pattern of offending began to unravel, detectives were able to piece together that he was not working alone

Following an interrogation of more than 120 digital devices the remaining offenders were identified by video footage, as well as phone communication with Gustavson. Ashley Williams, David Carruthers, Peter Wates, Janus Atkins, Ion Circuir were arrested at addresses in London, Scotland, Birmingham and South Wales. Stefan Scharf, a German national, was arrested whilst in transit at Heathrow Airport.

The majority of the offences occurred at Gustavson’s former home address, as well as a rented hotel room in London.

Description

A Littlehampton man who assaulted two women has been jailed after an incredible display of bravery by female police officers.

On 2 September, 2023, police received a report of a woman having been sexually assaulted while walking alone through Littlehampton town centre at night.

She was followed and grabbed by an unknown man, who sexually assaulted her, pushed her to the ground and fled the scene.

CCTV footage showed the man loitering in the town centre for around an hour, before following her into a residential area.

Despite a search of the area by police, he could not be located.

The suspect was also captured on CCTV following other women around the town centre.

Suspecting the man posed an ongoing risk to other women, police deployed plain clothes officers to try to catch him.

Police officers, in plain clothes, were deployed to Littlehampton town centre.

In the early hours of Sunday, 1 October, CCTV showed one of the officers – a woman in her 20s - being followed by a man who matched the description of the suspect.

He tailed her for over 30 minutes through the town centre, along the seafront and into the residential Harsfold Road.

Wearing a face covering, he chased after her, grabbed and assaulted her.

He tried to flee the scene but officers nearby who were involved in the operation intercepted and arrested him.

He was identified as 44-year-old Mark Stankus, of High Street in Littlehampton, and subsequently charged with sexual assault and causing actual bodily harm.

Stankus pleaded guilty to all charges and, Porstmouth Crown Court on Friday, 19 April, he was jailed for eight years, given a restraining order and became a registered sex offender for life.