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A couple said to be like 'Fred and Rose West' have been found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting three young children.

Peter Griffiths was accused of using his "suggestible" wife Avril, who has a very low IQ, as bait to groom the children with alcohol and cigarettes.

During their trial, Cardiff Crown Court was told the pair "repeatedly sexually abused three young girls" between the 1970s and 1990s.

Jurors heard Peter and Avril Griffiths both raped the three girls.

One of the victims described them as being like "Fred and Rose West", the notorious English serial killers.

She told the court: "I think if you ask most families in Barry, they'd hate them."

A jury at Cardiff Crown Court took less than four hours to return unanimous verdicts finding them guilty of rape, indecent assault and taking indecent photos of a child.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins QC said: "You can both expect a considerable sentence for the offences of which you have been found guilty.

"If I am satisfied either of you is a dangerous offender, an extended sentence or even a life sentence would be appropriate."

Prosecutor Caroline Rees QC told the court the couple took one of the girls "dogging" and would "have sex with her in the back of a van while others looked on".

The court also heard one of the girls was taken on a boat in the Bristol channel where she was raped by Peter Griffiths and that Avril Griffiths also allegedly sexually assaulted the girl on the boat.

The girl later told police she had been "ripped apart physically" after suffering injuries.

The pair denied all the charges.

When he gave evidence in his own defence during the trial Peter Griffiths denied rape and sexual assault but admitted sleeping with one of the girls.

He told the court there was a foursome involving himself, his wife, the complainant and another man.

Asked why the foursome took place, he replied: Tomfoolery. Messing about. One thing led to another.

He thought she was 17 or 18 and when asked if she could have been closer to 10 he responded: "No way."

David Etherington QC asked his client if he ever took the complainant "dogging" in a van and he said that "never" happened.

One complainant alleged she was sexually abused several times on a boat but Peter Griffiths told the court he had a good memory of everything that happened on the boat because that was how he earned his living.

He said his first boat was called Unity and he used to take customers on fishing trips, charging 8 per person.

The court heard he sometimes took police officers on fishing trips, which were arranged through the South Wales Police social club.

He said he provided tea and coffee, not alcohol, and could provide equipment like fishing rods if required.

Addressing the allegation there were "sex parties" on the boat, his barrister Mr Etherington said: Im going to ask you a blunt question. Did you ever provide anything other than fishing rods and drinks, such as girls?

The defendant replied: Never".

Avril Griffiths, 61, did not give evidence in her defence. But a psychological report was presented to Cardiff Crown Court by a consultant clinical and forensic psychologist.

It stated her IQ was "extremely low". In 1972, she was assessed when she was 15 years old and was found to be someone who failed to understand "what was really being said to her" and was "terribly suggestible".

The 1972 assessment "still stands", the court was told.

Peter Griffiths, 65, from Barry Road in Barry, denied eight counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, and three counts of taking indecent photographs of a child.

He was found guilty on all counts except one charge of taking indecent photographs, which was dropped.

Avril Griffiths, 61, from the same address, denied five counts of rape, two counts of indecent assault, and three counts of taking indecent photographs of a child.

She was also found guilty on all counts except one charge of taking indecent photographs, which was dropped.

The jury took less than four hours to return unanimous verdicts.

They will be sentenced on October 18 and were remanded in custody.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins QC told the couple: You can both expect a considerable sentence for the offences of which you have been found guilty.

If I am satisfied either of you is a dangerous offender, an extended sentence or even a life sentence would be appropriate.

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Police say a convicted sex offender who went missing from Southampton has been found in Poole.

Police launched a hunt for 49-year-old Leonard Ayres, who has schizophrenia.

Officers urged the public not to approach him as they say he has no medication with him, which could "cause him to act in an unreasonable manner".

Police say Leonard has been convicted of sexual offences in the past.

He was last seen at his supervised living accommodation at 9.45pm on Sunday night.

He lives in Lordshill, Hampshire but also has links to Poole.

Leonard is managed under the multi-agency public protection arrangements.

He was convicted of sex offences in 2001, and in 2006 was convicted of sexual activity with a child, and has served sentences for the offences.

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Police say that three of the victims were pupils at Windlesham House School in Washington when Michael James Green, 74, from Adrington Close, Hove, taught there as a cricket coach.

Green was convicted at Lewes Crown Court last week of 17 indecent assaults against boys then aged between 12 and 16. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Police say nine offences were committed against four of the boys, three of whom were separately assaulted at Greens then address in Hove during the early 1980s. He was convicted of four offences against each of two of those boys, three offences against another one, and one offence against the fourth boy.

Police say the other three boys were separately assaulted while pupils at Windlesham House School. Green was convicted of four offences against one of them, three of which were committed during school trips to the cinema in Brighton and one at the school, and two offences against each of the other two boys, one of which was committed at Greens then address, the other three being committed at the school.

The court also heard that Green had been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court in February 2014 for four counts of sexual offences against four young boys.

Those 2014 convictions had resulted from an investigation by Brighton detectives into information received in 2011 that a young boy had been sexually assaulted by Green in the early 1980s.

Three further victims came forward during that first investigation.

Detective Constable Dawn Robertson, who was involved with both investigations, said: Greens 2014 sentence received considerable publicity and as a result these seven further victims came forward to us over the ensuing months.

We have great admiration for their readiness to help see justice done, and for giving evidence at Greens trial where he denied the allegations throughout and continues to do so even after conviction, as he did in 2014.

She added: Reports of this type will always be taken seriously and investigated wherever possible. Anyone who wishes to report such offences can contact the police at any time online or by calling 101, and can arrange to talk in confidence to experienced investigators.

Police emphasise that offences relate to a period starting nearly a quarter of a century ago, and that there are no current safeguarding issues in relation the sports activities involved, or to the school who co-operated fully throughout the investigation.

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A CHILD abuser who carried out multiple attacks on his seven-year-old victim has been jailed after judges at the Court of Appeal overturned his sentence. Antonio Lawrie, who worked as a sports coach in the city, had initially been handed a suspended sentence for his crimes against the youngster. Following his trial at Southampton Crown Court, a top judge said the 22-year-old should not be sent to prison as he would be taken advantage of inside. However, the Crown Prosecution Service launched an appeal, describing the original sentence of two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, as unduly lenient. He was also ordered to complete a rehabilitation activity, and put on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years. Now Lawrie faces three years behind bars following the hearing yesterday in London. Lawrie, an ex-apprentice at Hedge End-based firm My Coaching, denied all seven counts of assault by sexual touching, none of which happened in his coaching role. When My Coaching, which delivers further education programmes for teenagers, learned of the allegations, Lawrie was sacked. My Coaching were later praised for Hampshire Police for their actions. During his trial the young victim was forced to give evidence. Lawrie was reported to the police when a witness saw him with his hand under the victims dress. The court heard former Cantell School pupil Lawrie attacked the child at least 16 times during six-months of abuse. After a jury returned a guilty verdict in April, Judge Gary Burrell QC told the court that due to his complex learning difficulties Lawrie would struggle in prison. He added that it would be unjust to send Lawrie directly to custody because he would be taken advantage of physically and mentally. At the sentencing hearing in June, Jon Swain, mitigating, said: Certain sections of society will say he must be punished and locked up with the key thrown away. But they are not aware or have the knowledge of what his needs are. They know nothing about his life but make up opinions of what he has done. The solicitor general, Robert Buckland QC MP, referred his sentence to the court of appeal. He said: Lawrie carried out a campaign of sexual assault against a young girl, and I hope that she will take some comfort from the increased sentence today. Lawrie continues to pose a threat to other children, and it is therefore important that he serves an immediate custodial sentence.

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Terry Roberts, 58, sent a naked photo to what he believed was a 14-year-old boy, before attempting to meet him at Southampton Sports Centre.

But Roberts was actually talking, through an online dating app, to members of the 'paedophile hunter' group TRAP.

And when he went to the meeting, he was confronted by TRAP 'hunter' Stephen Dure.

At Southampton Crown Court on Monday, Roberts was given a 21-month prison term after evidence was provided by Mr Dure.

The court heard how Roberts, on the dating app, began messaging Dure's false account, and "within six messages", Dure had informed Roberts, of Plaitford Walk, that he was under-age.

Within 36 hours, Roberts had sent Dure's account a naked photo of himself, and asked to meet, adding "we can take it at your pace, maybe we will have a kiss", prosecuting barrister Giles Bedloe told the court.

He added: "On February 17 at 10am, Mr Roberts sent a message asking if he was still happy to meet at 3pm that day. When Mr Dure arrived, he went into a nearby pub, and identified the defendant. He then sent a message to Mr Roberts informing him he was down by the tennis courts and was confronted by Mr Dure."

Defending, Timothy Akers told the court that the probation service "hadn't given up" on Mr Roberts, who has similar convictions from 25 years ago.

He said: "The offences themselves are, of course, attempts. He took an overdose this time of his blood pressure medicine after committing these offences. I would have concerns over his mental health."

Sentencing Roberts for attempting to meet a child for sexual activity, judge Nicholas Rowland said: "You didn't know that (it was not a 14-year-old boy) and you turned up at the meeting with the intention of sexual activity."

Roberts was given a 21-month prison term.

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A Birmingham school has issued a statement after an assistant headteacher who tried to seduce a 13-year-old girl was jailed.

Andrew Shelton, who used to work at Harborne Primary School, was locked up for nearly three years.

He was caught with indecent images of children.

None of the offences related to children at the school.

Harborne Primary issued a statement on its website in a bid to reassure parents.

It said Shelton was suspended last July and sacked in January.

The statement said: "Some of you may have seen media coverage about a former assistant head teacher at this school who earlier this week was jailed in relation to child sex offences.

"I understand this might cause concern but I would like to reassure all parents and carers that police have confirmed that none of the offences relate to his former role at the school, and he was suspended from the school in July 2017 and then dismissed in January 2018.

"The safety and wellbeing of our children is our absolute priority and if any parents have concerns they can contact Mandy Hughes, Head Teacher."

The 52-year-old regularly encouraged the youngster and other children to send him explicit images.

Officers were alerted to his contact with the teenager over Skype across March and April last year.

They then searched his home in Woodman Close, Halesowen .

Shelton was found to have 93 indecent images across his computer and mobile phone; along with evidence that he had messaged other youngsters and searched for indecent images of children.

The 52-year-old admitted eight charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child, trying to incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and possessing indecent images of children.

He was jailed for two years and eight months at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday (18 September).

He no longer works as a teacher and none of the charges related to his role.

Det Sgt Rob Grace , from the forces Public Protection Unit, said: "Shelton was trying to coerce children over the internet and encourage them to send inappropriate images.

He was a role model for young people as a teacher but away from the classroom he preyed on them for his own gratification.

Safeguarding of children will always be a top priority for the force.

"Anyone who encourages child abuse by viewing or sharing paedophilic images or engages in explicit conversations involving children needs to prepare themselves for being caught and hauled before the courts."

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A TEACHER who incited people to abuse their own children for his sexual gratification has been jailed for 12 years.

Richard Clark pleaded guilty to 26 offences and asked for 54 others to be taken into consideration when he appeared at York Crown Court today (Tuesday, September 11).

Using fake digital accounts, he contacted people on Skype in the UK, the United States and Nepal and incited people to take sexual images or abuse their siblings, children or grandchildren and record it for his own gratification.

In one case he contacted a 15-year-old boy and encouraged him to carry out sexual acts on his cousins, aged one and two.

Clark, of Topcliffe Road, Sowerby, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to charges including 10 offences of arranging or facilitating child sex offences and 12 counts of inciting or causing indecent images of children.

Clark, 29, also tricked boys at a school into taking indecent images or video of themselves, whilst using fake social media accounts in which he posed as a teenage girl.

The teacher also kept a record of his victims, categorising them based on their appearance, the size of their genitalia and comments about the ways that he had abused them.

The court heard on Monday a witness statement from a parent of one of the boys in which she said he had “robbed them of their youth” and left them unable to trust male teachers.

A witness statement from the headteacher of the school where pupils were targeted said the school had employed school nurses, psychologists and counsellors to deal with the impact of Clark’s actions on students and teachers, but he feared some students would never recover from their ordeal. Others were likely to miss out on opportunities to go to high-ranking universities because of the emotional and mental ordeal they experienced prior to their exams.

Clark also pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of indecent photographs of a child and one of possession of an extreme pornographic image.

This morning, Judge Andrew Stubbs QC told Clark: "These offences reveal you to be manipulating others to abuse children like some kind of malign puppet master.

"You incited offences of familial or incestuous abuse against children. These activities have been traced worldwide."

Judge Stubbs said his crimes revealed him to be a "persistent predator", whose victims felt trapped by fear of exposure. He added: "The victim statements which have been referred to in court show how you have robbed your victims of confidence, character and potential life chances."

He handed him a sentence of 12 years, to spend a further eight years on licence. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which he will remain on for the rest of his life.

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A pervert who made sex abuse of a young girl seem like a secret game has been jailed for three years and four months.

Jack Gillett, 27, was aged 16 or 17 when he molested the victim, Maidstone Crown Court heard. She kept it a secret for many years and only reported it to the police last year.

Gillett, of Northview, Swanley, admitted one offence of oral rape of a girl under the age of 13 and four of sexual activity with a child.

Prosecutor Timothy Forster said the offences happened on four separate occasions.

He made the touching sound like a game and told her to keep it a secret, he said. At her age, she didnt understand and went along with his suggestions.

Mr Forster said when the victim said she did not like a particular act, Gillett told her she did not have to do it. The final assault happened in a closet.

When the girl finally revealed what had happened, Gillett was confronted and admitted everything, said Mr Forster. He denied attempting to stop her reporting the abuse.

A victim impact statement by the girl revealed the severe psychological harm suffered, including suicide attempts, depression and the need for counselling.

"They are abhorrent offences - that goes without saying," - Orla Daly, defending

Orla Daly, defending, said Gillett had been diagnosed with autism.

They are abhorrent offences - that goes without saying, Miss Daly told the court. The offences were committed against a child, but they are committed by a child.

He has done his best to minimise the impact on the complainant. He faces sentence for something that happened a decade ago.

Miss Daly added: It would be a lenient course not to impose an immediate custodial sentence but it is an approach recommended by the probation service and justifiable given the gap since the offending occurred, his age at the time and his autism.

He is devastated and extremely upset about his behaviour.

Judge Julian Smith said Gilletts culpability was reduced because of his age at the time of the offences. Custody would present a great challenge to him.

I accept your remorse expressed is genuine, he said. I must also have regard to the impact of your behaviour on the victim, who has suffered greatly as a result of this.

The judge said he could not accede to the submission that the sentence could be suspended, but added it could be reduced by the maximum available to me.

Gilletts name will appear indefinitely on the sex offenders register and he will be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

NSPCC spokesman Hayley Pierre said: This survivor of child sexual abuse has suffered immeasurably at Gillets hands and it has clearly taken a great deal of courage to come forward and recount her ordeal.

Thanks to her, justice has been served. And its important to stress that victims of this awful crime will always be listened to, no matter how long ago the abuse was carried out.

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A MAN has lost his job and his wife after being caught with more than 30,000 indecent images of children. Graham Kenrick, 65, had been searching for indecent images of children for 10 years or more although "he knew he was wrong", Southampton Crown Court heard. When police officers seized his hard drive and computer towers in June 2017 they found video and images depicting the abuse of children "as young as two months," the court was told. Kenrick, of Brookwood Avenue, Eastleigh, was found in possession of 879 Category A still images and 18 films; 692 Category B still images and one video and "somewhere near" 30,000 Category C still images and four videos. He was also found in possession of 15 further films of women involved in sexual activities with dogs or horses and a film of girls as young as five-year-old being raped. The court heard how Kenrick used to self-harm himself. Richard Tutt, defence, said Kenrick "was getting sexual gratification for self-harming himself" and not "for the material itself". The court heard how Kenrick, who for the past 15 years worked for a charity where disabled people made furnitures, lost his job and his wife left him after 31 years of marriage. In mitigation Mr Tutt said Kenrick did not look at all the materials and described him as "a man of previous good character" who is currently under medication, after being diagnosed with an obsessive compulsive disorder and depressive disorder. "He felt some relief when he was arrested because he had to stop and since that time he has made effort to seek help," Mr Tutt said. And added: "He can't change what he did and he is appalled by it, he has already suffered significant consequences. He has already lost a great deal." Mr Tutt said: "He was ashamed of what he had been doing and he would co-operate with the investigation. He pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. He was downloading this material knowing he was wrong to do so." Mr Tutt also said there's a low risk Kenrick will commit further sexual offences. Sentencing, Judge Peter Henry said: "The effect of what you have done is not simply looking at appalling images because behind these images there are real children. "Children who have suffered physically and have suffered or will suffer considerable psychological damages. It's because people are prepared to look at this type of material that children get abused. The only sentence that can be justified is an immediate custody sentence." Kenrick was given a total of 12 months. A Sexual Harm Prevention Orders has also been made and will be valid for 10 years. Kenrick had previously pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images, possessing a prohibited image and possessing an extreme pornographic image.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard crack cocaine addict Billy Cooper confessed to the police officer he had a sick sexual interest in children aged eight to 16.

Cooper, 36, he thought was talking with a 41-year-old woman with access to a girl aged three '"A but the woman was actually a covert operative from the South Eastern Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Now a judge, who was told Cooper had indecent images of children showing 'deliberate torture of a young child', has jailed the pervert for 44 months.

Prosecutor Unyime Davies revealed how one sick message from Cooper said: 'I know it seems bad but I'm so desperate.'

The prosecutor added: 'He asked whether the [covert officer] had access to children.'

Writing in the private conversation area of the paedophile chatroom, Cooper, of Hunts Pond Road, Park Gate, detailed his own claimed experience with a young girl.

'He asked whether this undercover officer needed a hand while babysitting,' the prosecutor added.

Cooper later made plans with the fake babysitter to meet at Tesco in Guildford on July 18 - but backed out of the arrangement claiming he had been 'called into work'.

The next day he sent messages asking about the young girl and the officer went to meet him again '"A but Cooper claimed he had 'car trouble' and backed out.

Officers raided his home two days later and seized his phone and laptop, finding 441 indecent images of children '"A with 71 at the worst grade of category A. Six extreme pornographic images involving animal sex were also found.

Just seven days after his arrest and police interview Cooper took to the paedophile website again, sending more sick messages about children.

He later admitted attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, 24 charges of making and possessing indecent images, and publishing an obscene article.

Daniel Reilly, mitigating, said Cooper potentially has post-traumatic stress disorder from a brain injury he suffered nine years ago after being punched and hitting his head on a pillar on a night out.

Judge Robert Hill imposed a sexual harm prevention order limiting Cooper's internet use for life. Cooper must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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Pervert Jason McCouaig has been jailed after he sent obscene messages to a paedophile.

The 40-year-old also sent pictures of two girls to sex offender Michael Bickerton after communicating with him online for a week last summer.

The pair engaged in 'highly sexualised conversations' and met in a North Staffordshire pub where the defendant gave him girls knickers and they indulged in their sexual fantasies.

Now McCouaig has been jailed for 10 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.

Prosecutor Paul Spratt told the court: The defendant told Bickerton he was sexually attracted to two schoolgirls. They spoke of what sexual activity they were planning to get up to.

He sent a pair of knickers to Bickerton who sent an image to the defendant of him wearing them. The defendant took pairs of knickers to a local pub where the pair engaged in conversation. They also committed a sexual act on each other, with the knickers as an aid.

The defendant asked Bickerton not to send any more images after the sex offender sent a picture of a naked child sat on his lap.

Mr Spratt added: By August 21 last year the defendant decided the conversation should cease because he knew Bickerton was planning to commit a sexual offence in Cambridgeshire. He told Bickerton to delete the conversation with him and he deleted it on his own phone.

But 49-year-old Bickerton did not delete the conversation and the defendant was arrested at work on October 11.

The court heard Bickerton, of Minshall Street, Fenton, was jailed for eight years in May after being convicted of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

McCouaig, who has since left North Staffordshire and now lives in Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article between August 14 and 22 last year.

Andrew Turnock, mitigating, said the defendant has lost his good character and is embarrassed and ashamed.

He said: His most private and dark fantasies have been exposed for all to see. He has unwisely engaged in conversation with a far more sophisticated and dangerous offender. He got in deep very quickly.

He told Bickerton to desist from sending illegal, illicit images to him. He told him to delete the whole history. The images he sent of the schoolgirls were not illegal and were not indecent. This behaviour does not fall within the remit of any of Sexual Offences Act. He accepts by his plea that this conversation was obscene.

Mr Turnock added that McCouaig has attended counselling sessions and shown high levels of shame and remorse.

Judge Paul Glenn said the offending was so serious it had to be marked with an immediate jail sentence.

He said: You engaged in highly sexualised conversation and took knickers for use in sexual activity.

You knew full well the sort of individual you were in contact with. You met Bickerton and provided him with the underwear so you could indulge in your fantasies. The messages between you were disgusting.

You are an intelligent man, with good qualifications and a good job and your own home. Frankly, your actions beggar belief.

McCouaig was ordered to pay 1,250 costs.

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A paedophile who used fake internet profiles to befriend and later blackmail underage girls has been jailed for eight years.

Shane Wakefield first came to the attention of the authorities after one of his victims, a child in Scotland, reported him to Snapchat after he threatened to publish indecent images of her unless she agreed to cooperate with his demands.

After Police Scotland were contacted by the online messaging app, officers were able to trace the offending account to 25-year-old Wakefield in Morriston, Swansea.

He was arrested in September 2015, with police later finding he was using social media platforms Kik, Snapchat and MeowChat to contact girls across the UK and abroad.

He often befriending his victims on apps before asking them for pictures, often in return for gifts like iTunes vouchers.

He then used the initial pictures as leverage to demand graphic images and videos.

Wakefield, of Cwm Arian, Swansea, was subsequently charged with a string of offences relating to eight victims.

On August 10, at Swansea Crown Court, he was found guilty of four counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, eight counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of possessing extreme pornography, three counts of possessing indecent images of a child and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

On Monday, Wakefield was sentenced to eight years imprisonment and will be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

Sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas said: The wickedness of what you did over a significant period of time to a huge number of young girls cant be underestimated.

You went online seeking out girls of your preferred age of 13-16. You started off by bribing them with vouchers to send you sexual photos including their faces, then you blackmailed them to send you sexually explicit images, and if they didnt comply with your demands you would put them on Facebook and on the internet so their friends would see.

By these utter callous means you forced them to send pictures of their genitalia and performing sexual acts on themselves. Several of them begged you and said they had self-harmed in the past and this made them want to do it again. Anyone with any sort of heart would realise the torment these girls were facing, but your response was brutal.

To put them through that shows the depravity of your nature. There has not been a hint of remorse, just denial. Maybe its for the benefit of your parents so you can make out its a horrible misunderstanding.

The simple fact is you are a committed paedophile. The harm you have caused is incalculable.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Richard Jones, of South Wales Police, said: "Shane Wakefield is a cold and controlling individual who has shown no remorse for his actions.

He deliberately set out to target young girls for his own sexual gratification and the level of depravity shown by him has left a lasting impact on everyone involved in this case.

This has been among the most harrowing cases I have dealt with in almost 20 years, and I cannot commend enough the young girls who worked with us to ensure he was brought to justice.

The impact Wakefields actions have had on the young victims is immeasurable. Many of them were driven to self-harm, both during and after his reign of abuse and they, and their families, have shown immense courage throughout the lengthy investigations and the court proceedings.

I hope todays sentencing brings them some closure and comfort as they attempt to move forward with their lives.

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A man who claimed he had sex with a woman while he was asleep has been jailed for five years for rape.

Karl Gammon had met the victim and her friend at a bar in Loughborough in March 2016 before attacking her.

The 24-year-old, of Albert Street in Loughborough, told a trial he suffered from "sexsomnia", a form of non-insane automatism that meant he had sex with her without his knowledge or memory.

He was found guilty on 8 August after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Gammon, who was sentenced on Friday, has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Leicestershire Police said DNA evidence proved he had had sex with the woman.

Det Sgt Tom Brenton, who led Leicestershire Police's investigation into the case, said the victim was still "living with the trauma" of the attack more than two years later.

"Gammon's victim has shown tremendous courage throughout the judicial process," he said.

"Not only did Gammon prey on his victim when she was vulnerable, he claimed not to have knowledge of the rape when questioned by officers and as such she was forced to relive her ordeal in court."

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A vile troll who bullied underage girls into sending him naked pictures has been spared jail because he was just 16 when he began his cruel online campaign.

Daniel Crowley, 18, of Wellesbourne, Warwickshire, threatened and manipulated five girls - aged between 12-15 - from across the UK in a year-long campaign of online abuse.

He posed as boys called 'Tom Phillips' and 'Dan' and then forced the victims into sending him naked pictures which he then used to threaten them.

Crowley was finally caught after several schools and colleges across the UK warned pupils about a social media troll targeting young girls.

He admitted four charges of controlling children and causing a child to engage in sexual activity and three offences of making indecent images of children.

Crowley initially pleaded guilty to four charges of controlling children, subjecting them to sexual exploitation. 

 But Judge Sylvia de Bertodano asked the Crown Prosecution Service to reconsider whether the sexual exploitation charges were the appropriate offences, so they were replaced by four further charges of causing children to engage in sexual activity. 

She then allowed him to vacate his pleas to the original offences, and he pleaded guilty to the new charges – after which she gave him a three-year community order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register for five years at Warwick Crown Court on Monday.

Judge de Bertodano said: 'You did what young people are very able to do very easily these days, and that is create a lot of social media accounts.

'But what you used it for was to create accounts in different names and to contact girls, and over the year or so this continued, your contact with them became very serious offences.

Judge de Bertodano said: 'You did what young people are very able to do very easily these days, and that is create a lot of social media accounts.

'But what you used it for was to create accounts in different names and to contact girls, and over the year or so this continued, your contact with them became very serious offences.

'These are really serious offences. These children were between 12 and 15, and they were desperately frightened by what you did.

'You cruelly abused them over a year-long period.

'This is the nightmare that parents of teenagers face, that their children can be exposed to this type of behaviour online - and that when we believe they are safe in their bedrooms, they are being subjected to sexual manipulation like this.

'If you were an adult, you would be looking at a sentence approaching double figures. But I have to treat you as a child.

'I have to consider what the benefit of sending you to prison today would be, and I don't think anyone would be protected in the long term if I were to do that.'

The court heard Crowley contacted the girls using fake social media accounts.

Prosecutor Daniel Wright said: 'He asked them to send images of themselves committing sexual acts, and kept them and used them to coerce the girls to send further images.

'He used various identities, sometimes encouraging them to contact other people who were also, in fact, him.

'That enabled him to exercise control over them in a bullying manner, and he also used threats of self-harm if they refused to do as he requested.'

The first girl police spoke to said Crowley contacted her in 2016 and demanded she send him pictures of her in her underwear.

When she did he ordered her to send him more and threatened to kill himself if she refused.

Crowley also sent images of a naked woman to her friends, claiming it was her, he warned her she was 'not safe,' so she sent him a naked picture.

Another of his victims was so scared of him she sent him 50 pictures of herself to him after he repeatedly used threats if she refused.

Crowley even used other fake accounts to taunt her about the naked pictures to make the victim believe the snaps were being widely circulated.

Another girl sent him images of her bare breasts, and he threatened that if she did not send more, he would show them to other people.

Mr Wright said when Crowley was arrested his phone was seized, and on it were a number of downloaded indecent images including ones showing penetrative sex acts with toddlers.

In a victim impact statement, one of the girl's mothers told Crowley: 'You have stolen the daughter I had, slowly and systematically.

'She has shut down from all she enjoyed, and she has also been self-harming because of the torment you put her through.'

Delroy Henry, defending, said: 'What he did was cruel, really cruel.

'It is a sad testament of the technological age we now live in that it was done with such ease.'