Latest Offenders

Description

A rapist who subjected his wife to decades of abuse before trying to murder her has been jailed for 27 years.

Trevor Smith, 61, of South Brink, Wisbech, habitually raped, beat and controlled the victim throughout their 40-year relationship.

Officers were called to their home in the early hours of 22 January last year.

They discovered the victim had up to 20 puncture wounds to her neck and arms after being stabbed by Smith in an unprovoked attack.

Smith had approached her from behind in the kitchen, grabbed her by her T-shirt and attacked her with a knife.

The victim had managed to block Smith trying to slash her throat and three family members, who had heard her screams, managed to pull him off.

As they pinned him to the ground waiting for police to arrive, Smith could be heard saying he was “trying to finish her off”.

While the victim was being treated for her injuries, she said Smith had been raping her, usually weekly, for years.

When their now adult children were young, he would order her into a caravan where he would sexually assault her.

He would say, “you know it won’t take long, just get it done then you can get back to them.”

Due to Smith’s controlling behaviour, the victim never sought medical help for her injuries and was sometimes in pain for weeks.

In a bid to stop the victim and their children leaving the home, he would bolt the door closed and if they went out, he followed them.

Smith controlled all the finances, barred the victim from owning her own phone and any money they had was spent on him, leaving the victim sometimes relying on food parcels.

Following a trial last September, Smith was found guilty of attempted murder, six counts of rape, attempted rape, three counts of assault by penetration, two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault by beating and two counts of child cruelty.

He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on 12 June where he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said:

“Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the woman at the heart of this case who was subjected to the most appalling abuse for so many years, yet she has shown incredible strength in supporting the investigation all the way through.

“Smith arrogantly thought he would always get away with carrying out this cruel, monstrous behaviour for so long. I welcome this sentence, and I hope this case sends a clear message to those who commit violent and sexual offences - we will do all we can to bring them before the courts.

“It can be hard for victims to know what to do when incidents happen behind closed doors, but I must stress there is help and support available.

“I would encourage anyone who thinks they might’ve been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us on 101 or via web chat on the force website. We take all reports of sexual offences very seriously.

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers ready to investigate allegations promptly, fully and professionally, and a network of partnership agencies and support services to offer assistance and support.”

Description

A paedophile who groomed, exploited, and coerced two teenage girls into sex work in the early 2000s has been sentenced to 13 years in prison today (Wednesday 25th June 2025) at Manchester Crown Court.

Christopher Oates (28/11/1979) of Tannock Road, Stockport, has been brought to justice after he subjected vulnerable girls to a campaign of violence and sexual abuse twenty years ago.

He groomed one of the survivors from when she was 14 years old. He provided her with a false sense of security, paid her compliments, and pretended to be her boyfriend.

The court heard how this relationship progressed, as Oates plied her with drugs, gifts, and affection, using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.

When she began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged the teenage girl down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: You do as I say, youre mine now, commanding her to go to her spot.

While Oates had frequently been abusive towards her, this incident was the catalyst for change.

She confided in her mother and support services and found the strength to move forward with her life, while courageously supporting our police investigation.

In a victim impact statement, that was read out in court, she said: One of the hardest pills to swallow has always been how, how can one human being make another do something so extreme.

To have to read letters I wrote idolising this man, professing my love for him, and telling everybody that would listen he was my boyfriend is heartbreaking. The trust I remember feeling, the love and how special I must have felt at a time when I felt completely alone in the world is what Ive had to accept is the how I would have done anything, and you used that for your own sick advantage.

You groomed me, you put a gun to my head, and not only did you abuse me, but you let other men too. The fear, the pain and confusion I felt I cant begin to put into words. And the impact of this?

Even now I struggle to trust my own judgements 20 years later; I cant make simple decisions without feeling wrong, overwhelmed, and panicked. I still dont trust me.

Detectives investigating this case were able to identify a second victim, who was 17 years old when Oates coerced her into sex work.

This girl only knew Oates by the nickname Nails due to his long fingernails. It was through this recollection and viewing images of Oates at the time, along with similar victim accounts, that we were able to identify Oates as the offender.

The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money. One night, he organised for them to have sex in a room with a man while being recorded on video.

Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol and pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him, but they declined and managed to escape.

The second victim in this case also provided an impact statement, which stated: I was bullied and manipulated and the person responsible for this was Christopher Oates.

At the time when the exploitation was happening, I felt ashamed, embarrassed, and pressured by Oates. I felt absolutely vile during and after the incident involving the video camera and also when I stood on street corners, I felt scared about who would be in the next car that stopped, and I was terrified.

Since this time, I have regularly had to pass the location of where this happened when travelling on the train, and I have had to look away and look out the other side, so I did not need to see it.

Operation Green Jacket

This case formed one of 15 live investigations running under Operation Green Jacket, led by our Child Sexual Exploitation Major Incident Team, dedicated to securing long-awaited justice for victims of non-recent child sexual abuse in Manchester.

Since Operation Green Jacket was launched in 2019, we have arrested 73 suspects and conducted over 1,300 interviews.

Identifying, tracing, and pursuing our suspect

Oates is the first offender to be sentenced following a long and complex investigation. Our enquiries commenced in November 2012 when a warrant was executed at his property in relation to drug offences.

Oates was not present, and three days later he flew from Heathrow to Bangkok. However, his mobile device was seized, and digital examinations revealed it contained 130 indecent images of children alongside searches for related content.

In 2021, detectives investigating Operation Green Jacket wanted to speak with Oates. His passport records indicated he remained in Thailand. Through extensive enquiries, the investigation team was able to establish that Oates had been living in the Dominican Republic and returning to the UK intermittently before moving back.

In November 2023, Oates was arrested at an address in Stockport where he was cultivating cannabis and in possession of a significant quantity. He also had a passport with his photo and a false name, as well as a matching driving licence and bank card. Oates had travelled using this documentation on at least five occasions.

Officers seized his tablet containing indecent images of children and evidence that Oates was sending sexualised messages to a child through social media.

In April 2024, on what would have been the first day of trial, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication. He also pleaded to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.

Oates was remanded into custody. On 5th September 2024, he was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 15 years old and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13 17 years to prostitution.

In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences.

Today (25/06/2025) he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.

Description

A paedophile who asked a 13-year-old girl to call him “daddy” has been jailed for more than four years.

Mickey Boots, 28, of London Road, Yaxley, began speaking to the victim from Lancashire on 18 March 2023 when he added her on Snapchat.

They also spoke on Whatsapp, with Boots claiming he was 17 and the girl repeatedly telling him she was 13.

Boots encouraged her to touch herself and asked to see inappropriate images of her.

He also sent her some inappropriate photos in return and asked her to save his number in her phone as “daddy”.

Boots called her while touching himself and the conversations ended on 21 March 2023.

The victim reported Boots to Lancashire Police and Cambridgeshire officers attended his home to arrest him and seize devices.

In interview, Boots became agitated and accused officers of “antagonising” him when phone recordings of him speaking to the victim were played. 

On Monday (23 June), at Peterborough Crown Court, Boots was jailed for four-and-a-half years, having pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communications with a child and cause/incite a girl to engage in sexual activity.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Description

A Stirling creep who secretly photographed a teenage girl as she bent over her schoolbag had been engaging in sickening chats with other perverts.

Gerard Deery had three images of the girl – who was known to him but not related – plus one of her friend, hidden in a locked folder on his phone.

Description

A "predatory paedophile" sent sexualised messages to who he thought were teenage girls and asked them if they could do "naked stuff".

He was described as having an "appalling" record for paedophilic offences, including indecent assaulting and inciting children into sexual activity.

David Taylor, 43, of Barry, was reported to the police by a "vigilante paedophile hunting group" after he had spoken to two decoys who he believed were 15 and 14-year-old girls respectively. As a result of this, he was in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which had been imposed by the courts.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard the first conversation was with a decoy named "Frankie" who told the defendant she was a 14-year-old.

Taylor did not use his real name, and used a social media tagline of "TheDude123".

During the conversation, the defendant attempted to groom "Frankie", asked her about sex and sent her links to pornographic websites.

He told "Frankie" he was there to "educate her", gave descriptions of masturbation, told the decoy he was masturbating, and asked her to open her legs and "rub" between them.

Prosecutor Alex Greenwood said Taylor told the decoy to touch her vagina, asked about her underwear and asked her to send pictures of her "rubbing herself".

The defendant began communication with the second decoy on April 27, who he believed to be a 15-year-old girl named "Lily",

The conversation was similar in nature to that of the first decoy, with Taylor asked "Lily" if she wanted to "get naked", asked her if she wanted to see him naked and made reference to masturbation

He made requests for images and asked "Lily" if she wanted to meet up with him, asking "Do you want to do naked stuff at mine?".

The defendant described being "sexually aroused" and said he was masturbating during their conversation..

Taylor, of Thompson Street, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to arranging/facilitating a child sexual offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause/incite a child to engage in sexual activity, breaching sex offender notification requirements, and attempting to meet a girl under 16 by grooming.

Mr Greenwood said the defendant has a "significant and appalling record" of seven convictions. These include; indecently assaulting a female under 14 and gross indecency with a child under 16 in 2005, breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2007, further breaches of the SOPO in 2010, multiple offences of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in 2013, breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in 2018 and further breaches of the SHPO in 2024.

In mitigation, Peter Donnison said his client had been making efforts to earn qualifications while in prison, but he was finding it difficult to find employment when released because of his previous convictions.

It was also said the defendant suffered a head injury as a child and has been diagnosed with arrested hydrocephalus.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said Taylor's sexual attraction to children was so strong he "struggled to pass them in the street".

The judge added: "You are a predatory paedophile who uses children on the internet to gratify your own powerful and long standing sexual urges."

Taylor was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of five years.

He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A Camborne sex offender has been jailed for six years after being convicted of the abuse of two young boys. 

Kevin Matthew Blake, 41, of Rosewarne Wollas Cottages, Camborne, was previously convicted by a jury of four counts of assault of a boy under 13 by touching.

Blake appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence on Thursday, June 26. He was also made subject of a 20-year sexual harm prevention order.

During the proceedings, the court heard how Blake’s offending came to light in 2023 when concerns were raised that he had repeatedly declined to undertake a DBS check.

An investigation was launched in relation to two identified male victims, who both told officers they were touched sexually by Blake, the second victim saying it happened to him on several occasions.

During interview following his arrest, Blake denied any offending every took place.

Blake had previously been on the Sex Offenders’ Register but was not subject to it at the time of the start of the investigation.

Officer in the case DC Emily Distin from the Public Protection Unit, said: “Kevin Blake only had the courage to admit what he has done following his conviction, so I am happy that he has finally been brought to justice for his horrific crimes.

“I would like to thank the young victims and their parents for bravely supporting this investigation and allowing us to ensure Blake will spend a number of years behind bars.

“We take all allegations of child sexual abuse extremely seriously and urge any victims to either contact us on 101 or via our website, or by calling 999 if a child is in immediate danger.

“We will thoroughly investigate all reports made to us.”

Description

A Qatari national who travelled to the UK for heart treatment has been jailed for seven years for sexually assaulting a woman at a leading London hospital. He will be deported after completing his sentence.

Nasser Al-Gherainiq, 27, a camel herder from a conservative Bedouin tribe in Qatar, dragged the woman into a toilet cubicle at the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea and sexually assaulted her for five minutes, a court heard.

The assault took place on 23 August 2023, just one month after Al-Gherainiq arrived in Britain for treatment for a rare heart condition.

“Immature and Inexperienced Adolescent,” Court Told

At Southwark Crown Court, Al-Gherainiq denied two counts of attempted rape, claiming his behaviour stemmed from a lack of exposure to women due to his strict cultural upbringing.

His defence barrister, Jane Bickerstaff KC, told the court:

“Until July 2023, he had never left Qatar. The only woman he would have had meaningful contact with was his mother.

His limited visits to Doha and preference for the desert meant he had no experience of urban life or modern societal norms.”

Ms Bickerstaff described him as having the emotional maturity of an adolescent, saying:

“He completely failed to understand her true feelings.”

Despite these arguments, jurors convicted Al-Gherainiq of two counts of attempted rape, in addition to charges of sexual assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, which he had previously admitted.

Sentencing and Deportation

Judge Hiddleston sentenced Al-Gherainiq to seven years in prison, noting the traumatic impact on the victim. The sentence will be reduced by 415 days already served on remand. The judge also ordered that Al-Gherainiq be deported to Qatar after completing his sentence.

The Royal Brompton Hospital, world-renowned for cardiac care, declined to comment on the incident but confirmed that security procedures have been reviewed.

Description

A Fife paedophile has admitted downloading footage of children as young as one being sexually abused.

Luke Ramage from Lochgelly pled guilty to downloading indecent images and videos of children over an six-month period.

Description

A man has been jailed for eight years after being found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a woman and assaulting another, causing actual bodily harm, in autumn 2024.

Mihai Marian (Mike Marian), aged 43, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday (20 June) following his trial at Stafford Crown Court last month. Along with this prison sentence, he has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

At the trial, jurors heard how Marian had met one of the victims through an online dating app. During one encounter with the victim, he stubbed out cigarettes on her back against her will.

Marian was then pursued by Leicestershire Police after he raped and sexually assaulted a different woman in October of the same year.

He was found guilty of the offences on 29 May and handed an eight-year prison sentence for rape, four years for the sexual assault, to be served concurrently, and six months imprisonment for the actual bodily harm, also to be served concurrently.

PC Steven Franklin, who was the officer in charge of the case, said:

“This was a horrifying case in which Marian showed no remorse and refused to admit his guilt.

“Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies and rightly convicted him for his offences.  

“I commend the bravery of the victims for coming forward and thank Leicestershire Police for their work in assisting us in this case.”

Description

A paedophile who groomed a girl online for years while using a fake profile then abused her in person is starting a lengthy jail term.

In May this year, Shabaz Hussain was found guilty of 12 child sex offences including five counts of engaging sexual activity with a child. He was sentenced on Tuesday to nine years' imprisonment at Teesside Crown Court.

His offending also included sexual communication with a child and arranging/facilitating commission of a child sex offence and three counts of possessing indecent images of children. A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said examination of his devices showed that Hussain, of Woodlands Road in Middlesbrough, had groomed a female child online over a number of years from when she was 12.

In order to gain the child’s trust, Hussain had also created a fake female child profile. "This profile was also used to communicate with the child reinforcing trust in Hussain and it was used to exploit and manipulate the victim," said a police spokesperson.

"The online grooming would eventually lead to Hussain arranging to travel and meet the child when she was 15 years old in order to engage in sexual activity with her under false pretence." The sentencing followed a lengthy investigation by Cleveland Police’s specialist POLIT team (Paedophile Online Investigation Team).

It came after a referral was made to them regarding Hussain communicating online with a child. Speaking after the sentencing, officer in the case, POLIT PC Evans heeded a warning to others about dangers online and also praised the victims' bravery.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the victims for their bravery in speaking to police and for supporting our enquiries which inevitably meant they had to relive their experiences with Hussain as we gathered information and evidence," said PC Evans.

“Hussain’s deceit in concealing his true identity while online and then when meeting the victims in person shows the danger he poses and I’m relieved he will now spend time in prison, with further restrictions on his freedoms after he is released. I hope the victims and their families can now begin to rebuild their lives.

“Cases like this illustrate the need for everyone to be aware of the dangers of speaking with people online. They may not be who they seem and we’d always urge extreme caution, especially when youngsters are engaging with people they don’t actually know.”

Description

The British paedophile charged in connection with organising a "mock wedding" to a child in Disneyland Paris is Jacky Jhaj, who was found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-olds in 2016, the BBC understands.

Jhaj, 39, has been charged in connection with organising the fake ceremony on Saturday, in which a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl was due to feature as his bride.

He was arrested when police were called on Saturday morning by an actor who said he had been hired by Jhaj to play the father of the bride.

The BBC has previously investigated how Jhaj was able to hire hundreds of children to act as his fawning fans at a fake film premiere in London's Leicester Square in 2023.

Some of the children, who had been hired from casting agencies, were as young as six.

Teenage girls told the BBC that they had been asked to scream for him and try to touch him, without being told his real identity by the agencies.

Then in June last year, Jhaj was seen giving gifts to children outside dance auditions for another production - he was recognised by a parent who had seen the BBC article.

Two months later, and following the BBC's further investigation, Jhaj was filmed posing naked in front of a mocked-up BBC News lorry in London which had been set on fire.

For the mock wedding at Disneyland Paris, which was to be filmed by Jhaj's team, around 100 French extras had been recruited to take part.

The BBC understands that he appeared in front of a judge in Meaux, north-east of Paris, on Monday and was charged with fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and identity theft and placed in pretrial detention.

Preliminary findings also stated that he had allegedly been "made-up professionally so that his face appeared totally different from his own", according to the French prosecutor.

Jhaj has been on the sex offenders register since 2016 and has spent time in prison. He is subject to restrictions on his freedoms under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Since he was released from prison, he has repeatedly staged productions involving children or young people.

BBC News can reveal that some videos of these productions were uploaded to a YouTube account styled as an official performer's channel.

The account received more than six million views and had over 12 million subscribers.

A video on a different channel included secretly filmed footage of one of the 15-year-old victims he was convicted of sexually exploiting.

Her family has told the BBC that Jhaj "destroyed" her life and said it's unacceptable that YouTube allowed the video to be watched for entertainment for four years.

Videos of the productions remained on YouTube for years until last September, when the BBC alerted Google, which owns the platform.

It told the BBC at the time that it takes users' safety seriously, but offered no explanation as to how an account featuring a man with almost no profile or success had 12 million subscribers, or why the videos were not removed.

Over the past two years, the BBC has spoken to videographers, production assistants and technicians who worked on some of the events before they discovered Jhaj's real identity.

Their records show that the cost of hiring casts and venues has run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The cost of hiring the area in front of the Odeon cinema in London's Leicester Square, which hosts red carpet events for major Hollywood premieres, would have run into tens of thousands of pounds.

French outlet BFMTV reported that the fake wedding at Disneyland may have cost organisers more than €130,000 (£110,000).

It remains unclear how these elaborate productions have been funded.

The French prosecutor said the Ukrainian girl arrived in France two days before the Disneyland event – but had not been a victim of either physical or sexual violence and had not been "forced to play the role" of a bride.

The prosecutor's statement also said that Disneyland Paris had been "deceived" and that the organiser had used a fake Latvian ID to hire the venue. Disneyland Paris can be rented by members of the public outside opening hours.

In a statement, the UK's Metropolitan Police said:

"A 39-year-old man is wanted by the Met Police for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a breach of a Sex Offenders' Register notification requirement.

"We are aware the man has been arrested in France for other matters and officers are in contact with the French authorities."

Description

Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been jailed for two rapes, an assault by penetration and drug-dealing in Wantage. 

Dylan Sims, aged 21, of St Marys, Wantage, was sentenced to nine years and six months’ imprisonment, with a further three years and six months on an extended license, at Oxford Crown Court today (24/6).

A jury unanimously found Sims guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration at the same court on 8 May this year, after a seven-day trial. The jury also unanimously found Sims not guilty of a third count of rape.

Sims pleaded guilty to one count each of being concerned in supplying a controlled drug of classes A and B, namely cocaine and cannabis, and supplying a controlled drug of class A to another, namely cocaine, at the same court in May last year.

In October 2022, a 17-year-old girl and a woman told police about Sims’ sexual offences and cocaine and cannabis dealing, all of which was committed in Wantage from 2021 to 2022.

Sims was arrested on 14 October 2022, and charged on 22 February last year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Jennifer Gibbons said: "I am pleased with the sentence given out to Dylan Sims, one that fits his abhorrent crimes.

“Sims has never shown any remorse for his actions; he lied in his police interviews and denied the offences, even when faced with overwhelming evidence.

“Sims later changed his account at court – admitting drug offences but denying rape.

“Thankfully, the jury was able to see through this and after only four hours deliberation, found him guilty of two rapes and a sexual assault by penetration.

“I would like to thank both victims for their courage coming to police, as well as all the witnesses who came forward and supported the investigation.

“I hope this conviction gives those who have been affected by sexual offending the confidence to stand up and know they will be listened to. This conviction highlights not only our commitment to tackling these crimes, but also our commitment to support violence against women and girls, as well as all victims of sexual violence.”

Description

A man who described himself as Cheshire’s very own Kardashian has been pleaded guilty to fraud and theft.

Jack Watkin, 26, formerly of Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge funded his fantasy Instagram influencer lifestyle by defrauding businesses and individuals to a total value of more than £200,000.

Watkin appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 24 June where he pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud by false representation.

He has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced for the fraud and indecent images offences on Wednesday 3 September at Chester Crown Court.

The court heard how Watkin used the lure of designer handbag brand Hermes as a ruse to trick people into giving him the money he needed to afford his extravagant lifestyle.

The sought-after handbags can’t be purchased over the counter. You must be invited to buy a Hermes handbag which makes it a lucrative investment as the resale value can be much higher than the original price.

The victims were told by Watkin that he had the contacts that could give them access to the handbags and that they could split the profits made on resale. They handed over their money in good faith, but when no bag or sign of any money from the investment opportunity arose, they would begin to ask for their money back, but he always had excuses.

He duped one woman into handing over thousands thinking she was investing in the much sought after luxury handbag when she was in fact paying his bills at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

She, like the others never received the handbags or their share in the profits of their resale.

The investigation was launched after the woman who inadvertently paid for his luxury hotel bill contacted the Metropolitan Police back in 2022 when she became suspicious of Watkin’s continued excuses.

The case was subsequently referred to Cheshire Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit, who launched a full investigation.

Their enquiries unearthed a string of victims and a breath-taking amount of luxury goods, and hotel bills that Watkin's afforded by swindling his six victims.

During the investigation detectives also found indecent images on his mobile phone for which he was found guilty at a previous hearing for possession of indecent images, extreme pornography and prohibited images.

Description

William Woods was found guilty of 57 offences at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 24  June, including inciting children under the age of 14 to commit an act of gross indecency, incite boys aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempted rape.

In addition, he was found not guilty of one count of sexual assault and one count of neglect.

The 67-year-old of Lawton Street, Congleton, has been remanded in custody and is to be sentenced for his crimes on Friday 15 August.

During the course of his eight-week trial, it was heard that between 1976 and 2006, Woods had sexually abused eight children across the Northwich and Crewe areas of Cheshire.

Woods was football coach over the course of his offending and used his connections with family friends to build a position of trust and influence over the children, isolating them from their loved ones before sexually abusing them.

Woods also encouraged the young people to abuse one another, bringing multiple children together at his home to act out his warped sexual fantasisies.

Alongside his campaign of sexual abuse against these children, Woods was also physically abusive, with the court hearing how he had locked one of his victims in a cupboard for a prolonged period and burnt them with cigarettes and a pan that was being used for cooking.

In 2018, officers from Cheshire Police were approached by one of Woods’ victims. Subsequent enquiries into this victim’s case resulted in officers uncovering seven more victims, all of whom had been sexually and physically abused by Woods between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Woods was interviewed on several occasions throughout the entire investigation before being formally arrested in 2022, outright denying any abuse - going so far as to tell interviewing officers that he had never even met several of the victims and that the ones he had previously met were lying about being abused.

The 67-year-old would be charged with 59 offences in January 2024.

Police Constable Emma Hughes, who oversaw the investigation, said:

"While on the outside William Woods looked to be a respectable member of the community; a coach of the local youth football team who had a good relationship with the children of family friends, he is, in reality, a malignant and opportunistic sexual predator who has already served a six-year sentence for sexual offences against young people in his care prior to our investigation into him in 2018.

“Being taken on holidays and camping trips are meant to be experiences that children should look back on with positive memories, but instead, Woods used the trust instilled in him to abuse the young people in his care, isolate them from their families and force them to act out his warped sexual fantasies over a period of 30 years.

“Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, Woods refused to accept any responsibility for his own horrific actions. However, their abuser has now, at long last, been served justice and I hope that today marks the end of a very turbulent chapter in their lives that will allow them to find some sense of closure and begin to heal.

"Today's result is the culmination of over seven years policework and working alongside Woods' eight victims in bringing almost three decades of horrific abuse to a conclusion.

“Coming forward to disclose offences of this nature takes a huge amount of bravery. So, I would like to take this opportunity to commend each of the victims in this case whose evidence was vital in helping us build a case against William Woods, as I know it will not have been easy for them or their families to process.

“I would like to stress that, as this case has shown today, we take all reports of historic sexual abuse extremely seriously and we thoroughly investigate every report we receive, placing the victim's needs at the heart of the case, regardless of how long ago the offence occurred.”

Description

A convicted sex offender who had already been jailed for two years after intimately touching a girl and taking explicit pictures of her has been told: "You remain a dangerous sexual offender."

Thomas Edeson had been locked up in 2021 because of his worrying sexual interest in young girls but he later breached a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and fell foul of the police again. He had previously kept images for his own sexual gratification. But he was eventually trapped after three years when internet crime investigators tracked him down after disturbing information came to light, Hull Crown Court heard.

Thomas Edeson, 26, of Franklin Street, Hull, admitted new offences of disclosing private photographs between January 1 and February 2 last year and breaching his sexual harm prevention order between June 1, 2023 and February 2 last year.

Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that Edeson had been jailed for two years and given the ten-year sexual harm prevention order in August 2021 for offences of sexually touching a young girl and two offences of making indecent images of her between May and August, 2018. He had been cleared at a trial earlier this year of more serious sexual offences.

Edeson posted sexualised images on the internet and when he was challenged about this, he said: "I don't need anybody's permission to post photos." He was in breach of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order by doing this.

"It was a deliberate breach," said Mr Masson. "The images were circulated widely and publicly." Edeson had deleted messages but this was in breach of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order concerning the retention of his internet history for police checking.

Judge Alexander Menary said: "It was a deliberate breach. It was something he knew he ought not to do." Edeson had said at the time: "I do what I want." Judge Menary told Edeson: "You remain a dangerous sexual offender."

Dale Brook, mitigating, said that Edeson admitted both of the new offences. During police interview, he admitted deleting messages and posting sexualised images. "That was wholly and utterly unacceptable behaviour," said Mr Brook.

Edeson had previously apologised for this. It had been a surprise that the sexual harm prevention order terms were wider than thought and included deleting messages rather than just relating to the use of internet browsers and the deletion of search histories.

"It's at the wider margins of what would be expected to be covered by that," said Mr Brook. An aggravating feature was Edeson's previous convictions.

Edeson had earlier spent 10 months and two days in custody on remand before bring given bail and put on a curfew. "He has done the equivalent of a two-year sentence," said Mr Brook. "He will have to engage with probation and be monitored by probation."

Edeson was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence. He will continue to be subject to the sexual harm prevention order and he will have to continue to register as a sex offender.

The previous hearing in August 2021 was told that the National Crime Agency received a tip-off in April of that year that a Google Photos user had uploaded four images taken by him of a young girl. The most serious picture showed sexual touching of her but the others were less graphic and involved moving her clothes to expose her.

Police investigated and found large amounts of electronic devices at his home as well as a large amount of unwashed children's underwear.

Messages had been sent to a woman and they involved sexual conversations about the girl.

There was the "strong inference" that it would be something to do with sex, the court heard that day.

Edeson admitted in a message in June 2021 that he had dreamed the previous night about having sex with the girl. There seemed to be plans in the pipeline to recruit the girl for further sexual activity, the court was told that day.

Edeson had, at the time, been having a sexual interest in pre-pubescent girls for some years. The girl was left confused, scared and worried by what happened.