Latest Offenders

Description

A foot fetishist and serial sex offender breached a court order just a month after being released from prison.

Luke Merry, 30, was jailed for 18 months in 2019 after Leeds Crown Court heard he how he had committed two charges of sexual assault on a child under 13 and one offence of voyeurism at a Vue cinema.

He had also previously been convicted of outraging public decency by sitting under a desk that was being used by a female and performing a sex act and performing a sex act while looking at images of women's feet.

On Tuesday, Sheffield Crown Court heard how Merry, of Lakeside Boulevard, Lakeside, Doncaster, was released from his last sentence in December last year and subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which he breached in January. Prosecutor Richard Sheldon said it was then that he "disclosed he had a laptop and produced a phone and gaming computer.

"In February 2024, he failed to notify the police with a change of address and accepted a conditional caution and agreed to take a polygraph test. The police visited him to check the internet enabled devices and he handed over a number. He was asked about hard drives as the officers could see them in a drawer."

Officers, the court heard, recorded Merry having 17 internet enabled devices. Only three of those were registered. A phone was also found to have Snapchat on, with a username of lukemerry93 on the application. There was also 366 items - including emails - in a deleted folder on the phone. Merry was prohibited from deleting any internet history.

Cheryl Dudley, mitigating, told the court "a lot of information" had been handed to the court, including a psychiatric report and pre-sentence report. She said the probation service required Merry to have a formal assessment for autism and he had been recalled to prison and then remanded into custody since April this year.

Ms Dudley added: "There is room for rehabilitation and the opportunity for rehabilitation that could be grasped...There are factors that support the conclusion that he has autism." The court heard Merry had admitted failing to comply with notification requirements, breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and deleting internet history.

His Honour Judge Reeds KC jailed Merry for 14 months and told him: "You were not long out of prison when you breached your Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements.

"You were cautioned in February 2024 about being in breach of those requirements. That was a warning but you nevertheless continued to ignore the requirements of that order. You knew what you must not do. It was written down for you and you did it any way."

Description

Nigel Reeson, 58, began sexually assaulting the young girl in 1994, with the abuse taking place on regular occasions until the early 2000s.

Cambs police said Reeson sexually touched the girl on multiple occasions, including one instance when he got into a bath with her.

In 2010, Reeson sexually assaulted another girl at her home.

A force spokesperson explained: “Last year the victims reported what had happened and Reeson was arrested at his home in Abbots Drive, Crowland, near Peterborough.

“He admitted six counts of indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 14, inciting a girl under 16 years of age to commit an act of gross indecency and assaulting a girl by touching.”

On Friday, July 26, at Cambridge Crown Court he was jailed for three years and eight months.

DC Anna-Mae Dawson commented: “Reeson subjected the first victim to a prolonged period of awful abuse, before assaulting another girl.

“I’d like to commend the victims for the strength they showed in reporting what had happened. Once again, this case shows that time is not a barrier to bringing perpetrators of abuse to justice. If you’ve been a victim of abuse, I’d encourage you to report what happened.”

Description

A former secondary school teacher who admitted downloading hundreds of indecent photos and videos of children performing sex acts has been handed a suspended sentence.

Joshua Pope, of Lancaster Gardens, Plymouth, pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on June 11 to three charges - namely making indecent photos of children of category A, B and C, with A being the most serious and depraved.

The prosecutor told Plymouth Crown Court today how police received information that a Dropbox account linked to 26-year-old Pope was associated with images of child sexual abuse. On March 8, 2023 police attended his home, Pope was arrested and a number of electronic devices were seized including an Apple iPhone, a second iPhone, a hard drive and an Apple Mac Pro with a damaged screen.

The court was told investigators found 276 images of Category A - with 210 being moving images. They also found 214 Category B images, of which 127 were moving and 296 Category C with 25 moving images. Police found images were downloaded over a period of many years up until March 5, 2023.

During police interview Pope claimed he had "stumbled" onto the photos "by accident" and then had immediately deleted them, but over the last two years he had begun to click on links he knew he could find indecent images of children. Pope insisted to police he had "no sexual interest in children" and the images had been downloaded "out of boredom and loneliness" and that he had "felt desensitised to it". He also accepted he had downloaded more vile material just a week before his arrest.

At his second police interview on November 30, 2023 following further investigation he accepted the accounts were his and while he did not think he had stored any of the images he accepted they were on his account.

The court heard the 27-year-old had no previous convictions or cautions to his name and was effectively of good character.

In mitigation, his advocate Ed Bailey said the knock on the door by the police had been an "wake up call" and that his clients "obsession for searching for indecent images of children had got way out of control, especially during the isolation of the pandemic". He said that Pope felt "relieved that he had been finally been caught and his secret was out in the open" and that he had been "able to deal with his sense of shame upon his family finding out".

Mr Bailey said that Pope had "immediately lost his job which was a decent one as a secondary school teacher". Mr Bailey said his client took voluntary steps, paying for six month's one-to-one therapy an engaged with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Stop It Now organisation in an attempt to address his underlying predilection in viewing "this type of material".

Mr Bailey said while his client has denied a sexual interest in children, he said the judge would recognise this as a "familiar feature with offenders of this nature" and he would be working on this.

He said Pope had now secured new employment as a "self-employed journalist and copywriter".

Judge Peter Johnson told Pope the reason some of the types of imagery he was found in possession of was read out - such as children being sexually penetrated - was for the 26-year-old to appreciate "exactly what it is you have been doing".

He told Pope: "You have been a party to the sexual abuse of children by creating the demand which leads to these children being abused. It causes them long term harm, not only physical for screamingly obvious reasons but also psychological. It affects their mental health massively. It affects their ability to form relationships. In short, the damage is enduring and is generally permanent".

Judge Johnson KC told Pope any doubts he had about this damage would be "dispelled" over the next two years as he participated in an accredited programme.

Taking into account the aggravating and mitigating factors and the sentencing guidelines, Judge Johnson noted how Pope had lost his job as a schoolteacher which he had spent some time training for, adding that there was "no doubt the public would say 'quite right too'."

He handed Pope a eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years, saying there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. He ordered him to be under a supervision requirement for two years and attend an accredited sex offender programme lasting 42 days which would require him to look "deep inside your soul" and take steps to ensure he never became involved in this offence again.

He also ordered Pope to complete up to 15 Rehabilitation Acrtivity Requirement days and carry out 100 hours unpaid work. Judge Johnson also approved an application for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting 10 years and said Pope would be informed by the Disclosure and Barring Service that he would be barred from working in future with children and vulnerable adults.

Description

Two men have been sentenced as part of a long-running investigation into the sexual abuse and trafficking of girls in West Yorkshire.

Ebrahim Pandor was jailed for six years for trafficking a girl when she was aged 13.

Another man, Amjad Hussain, was jailed for 10 years in his absence for raping the same girl when she was 18. West Yorkshire Police said efforts to locate Hussain were continuing.

The sentences meant 28 men in total had been jailed as part of Operation Tourway, police said.

The operation has been investigating the sexual abuse and trafficking of eight females in north Kirklees between 1999 and 2012.

Pandor, 44, of Highdale Road and Hussain, 45, of Lee Street, Ravensthorpe were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court earlier.

Police said as part of the operation, jail terms totalling almost 400 years had been given out to the 28 men.

The force said during trials, jurors had "heard repeated stories about how vulnerable victims were targeted and groomed by their abusers who treated them almost as commodities".

Speaking about Hussain, Det Ch Insp Oliver Coates said: “Clearly it is a matter of regret that Hussain was sentenced in his absence today and inquiries do continue to locate this convicted sex offender.

“Officers have been working with partner agencies to locate him and are keeping an open mind as to his whereabouts."

Description

A woman cried "I love yous all" as she was locked up for sexually abusing a teenage girl. Lucy Wilding targeted her victim over the course of several months after grooming her on Snapchat.

This included sending her a "manipulative" video, in which she asked the youngster to "be her girlfriend" by spelling these words out in love hearts. The 20-year-old then engaged in sex acts with the teenager on dozens of occasions.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Monday, that Wilding was aged 18 when she initially met the complainant in Liverpool city centre in early 2023. The two thereafter began exchanging messages over Snapchat and began meeting up with one another in the spring.

Steven Ball, prosecuting, described how this progressed to the 14-year-old girl staying overnight at the then 19-year-old defendant's home, sleeping in the same bed together. This led to Wilding, of Southey Street in Bootle, touching the teen sexually on at least 20 occasions, with the victim reciprocating these acts on at least four occasions.

She was said to have known the victim's age "from the outset", but "would tell other people that she was 17 so they would not get into trouble". The sex offender also sent the girl a "quite manipulative" video on one occasion in a clip showing balloons and love hearts spelling out words on the floor "asking her to be her girlfriend".

The child's mum became aware of their relationship during the summer of 2023 and warned Wilding to cease her contact. But the mother informed the police around a month later when she continued to contact her daughter "using fake social media accounts".

Under interview, she claimed that she "thought she was 16". But messages recovered from her phone showed that Wilding, who has no previous convictions, had sent messages to the girl's mum "apologising for the stress and drama caused" and "acknowledging she knew it was wrong, but also reassuring her that she would wait until she was 16".

Stuart Nolan, defending, told the court: "These are very serious matters, and the court will be concerned with them. She is a woman of hitherto good character.

"She still works at a company in Merseyside, Makro. They are aware of the circumstances of this hearing. The indications are that she is well liked there, and she intends to work there as soon as she possibly can.

"She is clearly well thought of by her family and friends. She has previously required the assistance of medical practitioners for anxiety and depression. She understands the gravity of what went on. This is a young woman who is obviously terrified at the prospect of jail."

Wilding, who appeared to be in tears at times during the hearing, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child and two charges of inciting sexual activity with a child. Wearing a navy blue suit and tie over a white shirt in the dock, she was jailed for 18 months.

Sentencing, Judge Katherine Pierpoint said: "She was a child. While you yourself were relatively young, you were an adult. You should have stopped and you should not have carried on seeing her, but you did.

"She stayed over on many, many occasions at your address. During this period of time, you engaged in sexual activity with her. Unlike her, you were aware that it was wrong. You knew full well that she was underage.

"You have never been before the courts before. It is a great shame to find a woman such as you, who has a number of positive attributes, in the dock in a crown court facing serious sexual allegations.

"I take into account your lack of maturity, but this was not just a one off incident. This was a number of times with a number of offences over a number of months.

"The number of people supporting you today shows you are well viewed by those who care for you and love you and someone who, at the start of your adult life, does have a positive future ahead of you. You are someone who, in the past, has struggled with your mental health.

"The fact is that you, as an adult, should have controlled your behaviour and you failed to do so. Anybody involved in sexual activity with a child will be viewed gravely by these courts.

"The law is in place to protect minors, sometimes from their own actions. You, as an adult, knew it was wrong. In this case, you do present a risk to the public. In this case, in my judgement, appropriate punishment can only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence."

Wilding was also handed a sexual harm prevention order, a notification requirement and a restraining order - all lasting 10 years. She turned to the public gallery and said "I love yous all" to her sobbing supporters as she was led down to the cells.

Description

 A JUDGE described this man as a “significant risk” to young boys in the community as she jailed him for sexually assaulting a 17-year-old on a bus.

Matthew Gilbert, 39, of Water Street in Pembroke Dock, was jailed for 16 months after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

“You knew that this was clearly wrong,” said Judge Catherine Richards, sentencing Gilbert.

“You are a significant risk in the community to young boys.” 

 Prosecutor Craig Jones told Swansea Crown Court that Gilbert boarded a bus at Pembroke Dock on the morning of September 28 last year.

He headed to the back of the bus, where a 17-year-old was sat. The teenager put his feet up –indicating he wanted to be left alone – but Gilbert sat opposite him, before immediately starting to talk to him.

Gilbert asked the teenager how much money it would take for him to do a sexual act with a man, before then moving closer to him.

“The defendant covers the aisle position and hems him in,” Mr Jones said.

He asked the teenager his age, to which he said he was 15. Gilbert replied that was fine and offered him £40 to do a sexual act with him. He then upped this to £100, Mr Jones said.

Gilbert moved next to the teenager and put his hand on his thigh, before kissing him on the cheek. He then asked him to get off the bus at Johnston with him and “find a public toilet”, Mr Jones said. 

 When the bus stopped, Gilbert got off, but the teenager remained on the bus and the police were called.

The defendant was arrested that day whilst visiting his mum in hospital. He told officers: “Since mum has been in here I’ve been doing stupid things again.” 

 The court heard that he had a previous conviction from October 2023 for exposure, where he was seen masturbating behind a glazed front door in Pembroke Dock, whilst he was also convicted for malicious communications in June after making unwanted sexual comments in phone calls to the fire station.

Ryan Bowen, in mitigation, said: “He acknowledges his convictions are recent and for offences of a sexual nature.

“He has led the majority of his life without appearing before the court.

“Plainly this is someone with underlying issues.

“He’s deemed to possess a lower cognitive function.

“His sexual preoccupation appears to be exacerbated by boredom and a lack of routine.”

The defendant was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. 

Description

A former professional footballer who admitted the serious sexual assault of a child and possession of thousands of indecent images of children has been jailed for four years.

Ian Heddle, 61, originally from Dunfermline, was charged after being caught with more than 270,000 indecent photos and videos.

A police investigation led to him being further charged with the sexual assault of a child, believed to be aged about eight, in Thailand.

Heddle was a midfielder for a number of Scottish clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including St Johnstone and Dunfermline Athletic.

The High Court in Glasgow previously heard he was arrested at Edinburgh Airport last year as he prepared to fly to his home in Thailand.

He had been linked to the viewing and uploading of child abuse material from the web at a property he used in Scotland when was not in the Far East.

Judge John McCormick noted that Heddle, who was staying in Dunfermline at the time of his arrest, was a first offender but said he was satisfied an extended sentence had to be imposed.

As well as the jail term, Heddle will be supervised for a further two years on his release and will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Heddle's KC, Brian McConnachie, had told the judge that his client had a "willingness to seek treatment".

The advocate added an organisation Heddle had been dealing with described him as "wrapped in guilt and shame" at what he had done.

Mr McConnachie said: "He acknowledges the significant adverse impact on the child involved."

After Heddle was sentenced, Det Insp Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit said: “Heddle’s behaviour was deplorable with no thought to the young child he sexually assaulted or the victims depicted in the images and videos he was viewing.

“His sentencing sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of these offences will be brought to justice.”

Description

A paedophile sexually abused a young girl and took intimate pictures of her, a court has heard. The abuse happened at a number of locations around Neath and Port Talbot including on one occasion in a vehicle on Aberavon seafront.

Swansea Crown Court heard the abuse came to light when the young victim made disclosures to a teacher, but defendant John Charles denied the allegations against him right until the first day of his trial, claiming they had all been made up. A judge said he had no doubt that if the youngster had not courageously spoken up in school, the sexual assaults would have continued for years.

Ashanti-Jade Walton, prosecuting, said the complainant in the case had a lesson in school about relationships, sexual consent, and puberty, and at the end of the class the teacher asked the pupils to write down any questions they may have on a piece of paper. The court heard the girl made disclosures to the teacher about being "touched", and as a result the head of personal care at the school spoke to her. Police were then notified and an investigation was launched.

The court heard it emerged Charles had sexually assaulted the girl on multiple occasions over a period of more than two years, often calling her "sexy" and beautiful" while doing it. The abuse happened at a number of locations in Neath and Port Talbot including, on one occasion, in the defendant's vehicle while it was parked at Aberavon seafront. Charles also took intimate pictures of the child. When the 65-year-old was arrested and questioned he denied all the allegations saying the youngster was making them up and acting out of spite.

In a statement read to the court, the young victim set out the impact Charles' offending has had on her. She described how she felt "lonely and lost" and found it difficult to concentrate at school and how her grades suffered as a result. She said she suffers with flashbacks she cannot control, and she feels she has "lost the life" she had before the abuse. She said she was worried that nobody would believe the allegations, and said she now wants to focus on the future and train in education and social care in order to "help girls who need help" just like teachers and social workers helped her.

John Victor Charles, of Villiers Street, Briton Ferry, had previously pleaded guilty on the first day of trial to multiple counts of sexual assault and to possession of indecent images of a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

David Singh, for Charles, said at the age of 65 the defendant had lost his good name. He said the defendant had been diagnosed with prostate cancer shortly after the allegations were first made, and said Charles was realistic about the outcome that awaited him and knew that a lengthy custodial sentence was inevitable.

Judge Geraint Walters said Charles' offending against the girl had been "persistent, repeated, and relentless". He said in the experience of the courts, offending of the type in the case often had life-long impacts on its victims and that was the "wickedness" of such behaviour. He said but for the school lesson and the "courageous" disclosures made to the teacher, he had no doubt that Charles would have continued abusing the young girl for many years more. With a 10 per cent discount for his guilty pleas, Charles was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will serve two thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Charles will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to control his access to children.

Description

A sex offender who spent five years on the run after being charged with indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl has been found guilty of the offence.

Shahid Hussain, who fled the country in 2018, was arrested in Bulgaria in 2023 and extradited back to the UK to stand trial.

Jurors at Sheffield Crown Court found the 48-year-old guilty of indecent assault after hearing he had forced his victim to perform a sex act in 2003.

Hussain, formerly of Rotherham, has been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 16 August.

Hussain was investigated as part of Operation Stovewood, the National Crime Agency's (NCA) inquiry into non-familial child sexual abuse and exploitation which took place in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

'Coward'

NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Stuart Cobb, said: “Hussain carried out a vile attack on a vulnerable young girl and when he knew he was going to be held to account, he took the coward’s route by going on the run.

“We have always been determined to put Hussain before the courts. Finally, 21 years after carrying out his crime, he has faced justice."

Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Hussain had "targeted a child and subjected her to a horrendous sexual assault" before trying to "evade the law" by leaving the country.

He added: “I hope this conviction sends a clear message: sex offenders who flee abroad will not escape justice. We will continue to work collaboratively with international partners to ensure perpetrators are returned to face the full force of the law."

Description

A man from Devizes has been jailed for 28 months in prison for child sex offences after he was identified as responsible for sending sexual messages to someone he believed to be a 12-year-old female child on a social media platform.

Alan Wiltshire, 65, was sentenced on Friday (26/07) at Winchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Wiltshire had previously admitted three counts of making indecent images of children and sentenced by Salisbury Magistrates on April 14 to 17 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months and made subject to the Sex Offenders Register and Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 5 years.

His most recent offence placed him in breach of his suspended custodial sentence.

Wiltshire was sentenced to 14 months for inciting sexual activity, 7 months (to run concurrently) for sexual messages, 12 months (to run consecutively) for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and two months (to run consecutively) for breaching his Suspended Sentence Order.

He was also issued a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting for 10 years.

Description

Harley King, aged 19 from Newcastle and and Ben Jennings, aged 20, from Cramlington, in Northumberland were just 17 and 18 respectively when they attacked the woman in 2022.

Following a trial in June, King was found guilty of three offences two charges of raping a woman aged 16 and over and one charge of voyeurism or recording a private act. Jennings was convicted of two charges of rape of a woman aged 16 and over, and one sexual assault charge of a female aged 16.

Description

A paedophile has been found guilty of 43 historic sex offences against children as young as three. Clinton Royle was arrested after a complaint was made in 2019.

Officers then seized children’s clothing, hard drives, and digital storage devices were from his home. Cheshire Police’s digital forensic unit discovered encrypted and password protected files containing thousands of child abuse images.

The files also contained recordings of Royle’s offending. His victim was aged between child eight and 12 years at the time. Further investigations were conducted, and officers were able to identify other child victims aged between three and 12 years.

Chester Crown Court heard Royle confirmed he was present in the videos and images with the children, he denied the offence claiming that his actions and the images were not of a sexual nature. Despite his denials, he was charged with the offences in April 2023.

Royle, 62, of Elm Drive, Crewe, was convicted following a 11-day trial. He was found guilty of 28 counts of assaulting a girl under 13, two counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child, three counts of possessing indecent photographs of children, three counts of making indecent photographs of child, and seven counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He has been remanded in custody until he is sentenced on September 27. 

Description

A serial sex offender who targeted two women – and raped one of them – faces a long prison sentence after being convicted by a jury of the "traumatic" offences.

David Beck tried to pretend that the victims were lying about what happened but his claims were condemned as "absolute and utter nonsense" and they were "not plausible" at all, Hull Crown Court heard.

Beck, 30, of Nornabell Street, off Holderness Road, east Hull, denied 10 sexual offences but he was convicted by a jury of six of them after more than eight hours of deliberations, spanning two days, following a nine-day trial.

They involved two offences of rape and two offences of assault by penetration against one woman and one offence of sexual assault and another of assault by penetration against the other woman.

The two rape convictions were both unanimous but three of the other convictions were either by majority verdicts of 10 to two or, in one case, by 11 to one. He was cleared of four offences, with three of them, including two of assault by penetration, involving the rape victim. The other involved a charge of sexual assault on the other woman.

Beck was convicted after a retrial. An earlier trial last year had to be abandoned after additional late evidence emerged.

Richard Butters, prosecuting, said that Beck sexually assaulted both women. "The defendant would say that these two women are liars from start to finish," said Mr Butters.

The rape victim had said: "It's so hard to talk about. It's so painful." Mr Butters asked the jury whether, if the woman was lying, she would allow herself to suffer the stress of the court process. "Would she put herself through the torture that she experienced in this trial?" he asked.

The ordeal had been "traumatic" for her. "This defendant has ruined her life and violated her and she is feeling it today," said Mr Butters.

The second woman had said: "I have got nothing to gain by lying. He did sexually assault me." Mr Butters said: "She felt violated." The woman had told the court that what Beck did was "not right".

It was claimed by the defence that the women and all the prosecution witnesses were lying to the court and were "part of a conspiracy", said Mr Butters. He said of the defence claims: "Everybody is a liar. Everybody is in this conspiracy together. It's not plausible."

Beck claimed that a man had "manipulated" the rape victim into lying. "That's absolute and utter nonsense," said Mr Butters. "His explanations are utterly ridiculous."

During Beck's defence evidence, his barrister, Michael Forrest, asked him whether the sexual allegations against him over the rape victim were true. Beck replied: "It didn't happen, no." He claimed of the two rape allegations: "That's not true."

When asked about how he felt when he was told about the other sexual allegations involving the rape victim, Beck replied: "It was just disgusting to hear. I felt physically ill. I still feel physically ill to this day. I was terrified and scared."

Beck claimed that he had been attacked as a result of the allegations. "I was physically beaten up on the doorstep," he claimed. "I remember being on the floor trying to protect myself. I had to run. I managed to get myself to my mum's property."

Beck claimed, when asked about the allegations involving the sexual assault victim: "That didn't happen. I wouldn't do something like that to a woman, especially without consent."

He repeatedly replied: "That didn't happen" when other allegations were put to him. After the first of the guilty verdicts were announced, Beck cried and wailed and put his head in his hands.

He had been on bail during the trial but, after the convictions, he was remanded in custody. Sentence was adjourned until September for an assessment by the probation service on the danger that he poses to others in the future. He faces a lengthy prison sentence.

Description

A former Taekwondo world champion and coach who had a sexual interest in boys has been jailed for six years and ten months.

Glen Edwards, 32, of Acrefair, Wrexham, denied 14 counts alleging sexual activity with a child, sexual communication with a child and causing a child to watch sexual acts. But he was found guilty of twelve charges on what the judge called “quite overwhelming evidence.”

Sentencing him on Monday, July 29, Judge Niclas Parry at Mold crown court said there were eight victims “in awe of your remarkable achievements” in sport. Judge Parry said Edwards showed “no remorse whatsoever” for what he’d done.

“Rather bizarrely you claim only to have been targeted for prosecution because of your gender,” the judge remarked. Edwards was an “accomplished athlete" but the judge said: “You are now professionally ruined." Edwards must register as a sex offender for life.

The paedophile had been bailed for a pre-sentence report. But he appeared on a video link from Berwyn jail at Wrexham today. His counsel Jemma Gordon explained that his convictions had meant his home address was no longer available to him.

A female juror was tearful at the end of his trial. The judge had told the jury :”You have had to listen to some harrowing evidence. It’s had an impact on some of you. I am extremely sorry for any distress that was understandably caused.”

During the case, prosecuting barrister Simon Rogers had said Edwards “groomed” young boys and that he didn’t have “any boundaries.” “No doubt the defendant was charming, no doubt he was charismatic, but sadly the truth was he had a sexual interest in them,” Mr Rogers declared.

Edwards accepted a sexual conversation with an underage boy but it had been a “joke”, he claimed in evidence. Judge Parry had told the jury in his summing up :”Someone has lied to you.”

He added: ”Mr Edwards is charged with sexual offences against numerous complainants. The defendant claims they have lied to you.”

However, Edwards had pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with an underage boy in a car. Boys said they were sent pictures of Edwards’s groin, and one received a video of the naked defendant in a shower. A boy claimed that the defendant had discussed sexual matters and sought pictures.

Another youngster said Edwards had asked him a lewd personal question. The defendant had said “hi sexy” in a message and put kisses. Edwards insisted he wasn’t communicating “sexually.”

But he was described as “suggestive” by another of his victims. The defendant had admitted child porn allegations.

Description

THIS is the face of a sex offender who sent a picture of his penis to who he thought was a 14-year-old boy and encouraged the ‘boy’ to masturbate.

Andrew Gold, 41, of no fixed abode, was described “devious and manipulative” as he was jailed by Judge Catherine Richards at Swansea Crown Court.

Gold had faced a trial over allegations of attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He was found guilty of both charges on July 2.

The defendant was sentenced to five years, made up of three years in custody and a further two years extended licence period.

“I’m sure there is a serious risk to young boys,” Judge Richards said as she sentenced Gold.

The court heard that Gold, previously of Tenby, contacted who he thought was a 14-year-old boy named Ryan – but was actually as decoy account – between June and September last year.

“Your conversation soon turned sexual,” Judge Richards said, summarising the evidence heard at trial.

The contact began on a dating app, before swiftly moving on to Snapchat. Gold sent ‘Ryan’ a picture of his penis and asked him to send pictures of himself. He also described sexual acts to ‘Ryan’ that he said he planned do with him, and encouraged ‘Ryan’ to masturbate.

Judge Richards described Gold’s behaviour as “devious and manipulative offending”, as he specifically chose to move the conversation on to Snapchat due to the disappearing messages feature, as well as the subsequent deletion of Gold’s Snapchat account.

“Your actions were determined and calculated,” Judge Richards said.

Prosecutor Georgia Donohue told the court that Gold had relevant previous convictions.

“This was an online offence,” said Dyfed Thomas, in mitigation.

“I accept there was some discussion about meeting. It didn’t really develop.”

Referring to Gold’s offending, Mr Thomas admitted: “There is limited mitigation here”.

Mr Thomas said measures put in place through the imposition of a sexual harm prevention order and the defendant registering as a sex offender would reduce the danger Gold posed to the public, and that he would benefit from taking part in the Horizon programme.

Gold was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life, and was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.