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Carlisle child sex offender jailed for hiding phones and social media accounts

A CHILD sex offender from Carlisle who concealed phones and social media accounts from police has blamed his latest offending on “isolation” caused by his past crimes.

Allan Smith, 38, of Hawick Street, was placed on the Sex Offender Register in 2017 after grooming a 15-year-old girl online and sexually abusing her.

He was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court for six new breaches: three of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and three of Sex Offender Register rules.

Prosecutor Adam Quine told the court Smith failed to notify police of five social media accounts he was using, concealed two mobile phones, did not disclose usernames for online accounts, failed to declare several bank cards, and did not reveal he had stayed at a property in Penrith where a child was living.

The breaches followed Smith’s original 2017 offences, when, aged 27, he contacted the 15-year-old girl via Facebook, accepted her friend request, and sent messages requesting photographs of her in underwear and without, before asking for sex. In 2024 he was also prosecuted for exposure after being seen performing a sex act in a neighbour’s front garden.

When questioned by police, Smith falsely claimed he did not use the internet and had no social media accounts.

Defence barrister Marion Weir said Smith was “at a loss” to explain his behaviour but cited the impact of his registered-offender status. 

“His accommodation has been set on fire, his doors glued, and his windows broken,” she said. “He seems to revert back to his old behaviour almost like a comfort blanket.

“He has lost his grandparents this has led to a feeling of isolation and a lack of emotional support. He recognises that if he continues on this path, it will become a revolving door at HMP Durham.”

Weir added that Smith planned to move to another part of Cumbria where his past was less well known and “knows he has to change his behaviour.” She confirmed there were no underlying sexual offences linked to the breaches.

Judge Michael Fanning described the 2017 case as grooming a 15-year-old girl followed by a serious contact sexual offence, and noted the more recent offence of sending a female a picture of his genitals to cause alarm and distress.

The judge accepted the child at the Penrith property was a boy and had not been at risk.

Smith was jailed for two years, plus a further eight weeks for the activation of a suspended sentence. He previously lived at Stonegarth, Carlisle.

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Sexual Abuse Survivor Speaks Out Against 'Golden Boy' Restaurant Manager Jailed for Child Rape

A sexual abuse survivor has described years of ordeal at the hands of Richard Tung, a respected restaurant manager dubbed the “golden boy” of his local community.

Tung, 42, of Penisa’r Waun, Gwynedd, ran Fu’s Restaurant in Caernarfon, Wales. He was jailed for 12 years last month after a jury convicted him of seven sexual offences against a boy, including two counts of raping a child under 13. He was also found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and one count of indecent assault.

Tung is no longer connected to the restaurant and the offences were not linked to his work there.

The victim, now in his 20s and granted lifelong anonymity, told NorthWalesLive he was groomed by a man everyone trusted.

“He would play games, he would let me use his mobile phone, everyone thought he was a lovely guy. They thought he could do no wrong so he was trusted,” the survivor said.

“I did not know it was wrong – until it suddenly came to me that ‘this is not normal’. I tried to fight him off but he was bigger than me, stronger than me.”

He added: “He was a ‘golden boy’, everyone loved him, it would be my word against his.”

The victim said he clearly remembers confronting his abuser: “I told him ‘this is the last time you are doing this to me’ and it was the last time.”

For a decade he blamed himself. “From 14 to 24 I blamed myself. I thought it was my fault, it damaged me so much – anxiety, PTSD, depression, struggling to sleep. I was in and out of counselling therapy.”

He first disclosed the abuse at 19 to an ex-boyfriend, then to his sister at 21. “She believed me, she was there for me but I did not want to go to the police,” he said. In his mid-20s he told his current partner and the rest of his family. He reported the crimes to police in 2022.

Tung denied everything at trial but was convicted earlier this year. “He denied everything, but I remembered everything,” the survivor said.

Through extensive therapy the man no longer blames himself. “It is not my fault and knowing that has healed me. Now there is justice – I finally know he has not got away with it.

“My other motivation was to protect others. I needed to say something because no-one suspected he could do this. If I did nothing he could do it to others.”

In his victim personal statement read at Nottingham Crown Court, he described the lasting impact:

“My life has been significantly impacted because of the abuse. I’m still very vigilant because I’m scared of potential danger. It’s so tiring because I’m scanning people all the time to see if I’m safe.

“I don’t like being alone. I’m scared of being left at home at night and I run from room to room because I’m scared someone is going to hurt me. My anxiety is still present and I overthink things a lot.”

Of the trial itself he said: “Having to reopen everything and relive memories was uncomfortable. I hate seeing his face as it makes my skin crawl, but in court I made sure I looked at him.

“The whole trial was so emotionally draining and stressful. The worst week of my life. Waiting for the verdict was so much because I wanted someone to validate my abuse – I wasn’t crazy.”

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A rapist has received a nine-year prison sentence and given a restraining order to protect the woman he attacked.

Bibak Singh, aged 37 of Stonebridge Park, Bristol, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 8 May. He must serve a minimum of two-thirds of his sentence in prison before he can be eligible for parole.

He was found guilty of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour during a six-day trial at the same court in March.

The jury heard how Singh raped and emotionally manipulated the woman.

In a personal statement prepared for the court, she said:

“I feel as if I am living a life sentence because of what was done to me.

“What he has done to me has permanently changed who I am and how I live my life.

“By going through the police investigation and court, I hope I have shown how strong and resilient I can be after being put down and mistreated. I hope this shows others in my situation that you can be believed and that behaviour like this is not acceptable in any situation.”

Alongside the jail sentence, Singh was added to the Sex Offender’s Register and a restraining order granted for Singh not to have any contact with the victim.

Officer in the case, DS Matthew Beavis, said:

“The victim has shown remarkable strength and resilience throughout both the investigation and the court process.

“She has made clear her hope that others will feel empowered to come forward and stand up to those who seek to control and repress them.

“This was a deeply disturbing offence. Singh’s actions were calculated and sustained, and the victim has been left to live with the longterm effects of his manipulation, violence and control.

“This case underlines the importance of empowering victims, and I hope it gives others the confidence to speak out and seek justice.”

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A man has been jailed for sex offences including outraging public decency on a Warrington to Widnes bus.

James Taylor, 24, from Penny Lane, Liverpool appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on 15 May to be sentenced after pleading guilty to three counts of outraging public decency, two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child, three counts of making indecent images of children, and one count of possession of indecent images.

He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Taylor came to police attention following an investigation into reports that a man had been masturbating in full view of two teenage boys in Widnes on 8 May 2024. The suspect was seen to get off the 110 bus and a CCTV trawl identified the suspect, but not his identity.

A witness appeal and then a CCTV appeal were issued to the media and posted on social media to find the identity of the suspect. Taylor commented on his own CCTV media appeal to say he’d not seen anyone acting suspiciously on the bus which he regularly gets on.

He was subsequently identified through the partial logo on his work’s fleece, and his identity confirmed, leading to his arrest on 29 May 2025. He had his phones seized on which officers discovered he had been filming himself in public masturbating and describing his crimes to an unidentified man in messages as ‘risky w**ks’.

He also told the man he’d been caught in the act a few times, including by children, and asked if that could get him in trouble.

Officers discovered numerous videos of him masturbating in unknown public areas and at his workplace in Warrington. Three videos showed him on a bus: two on 17 April 2019, one on 14 June 2019, and one on 28 June 2019.

They also discovered an indecent image of child, and he was further arrested for this on 18 December 2024.

More digital devices were seized including two phones, a laptop and memory cards.  They were interrogated resulting in the discovery of 36 indecent images dated from between 17 February 2019 and 19 December 2024. There were four category A images, 11 category B images and 21 category C images.

DC Phil Jackson said:

“Taylor asked the unidentified man in his messages if he could get into trouble if he’d been seen carrying out a sexual act, especially in front of children. I think he has his answer now – all 27 months of it.

“Everyone should be able to get on a bus or go about their business without having to risk the ordeal of having to witness his perverted behaviour. Our investigation led to us uncovering the level of his worrying, and clearly illegal behaviour, which is why it’s vital you report this type of crime to police.”

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A man from Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed for more than a decade after he raped and controlled a woman.

Steve Lloyd, 41, of Packmoor, Stoke-on-Trent, has been jailed for 11-and-a-half-years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (Monday 18 May) after he was found guilty of one count of the rape of a woman and one count of engaging in controlling and or coercive behaviour.

The offences took place over a number of years until the survivor bravely came forwarded and reported what happened.

Now, because of the strength of the survivor and the evidence we were able to present in court, Lloyd has been imprisoned.

As part of his sentencing, he was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and served with a 15-year restraining order.

Detective Constable Diane Sproston and Investigative Officer Janine Shropshire worked on the case. Speaking following the sentencing, IO Shropshire said:

“I’m pleased that we have been able to build all of the evidence needed to secure this outcome today.

“I must recognise the tremendous courage of the survivor in coming forward and supporting this investigation, which has resulted in another sex offender being imprisoned.

“We are determined to seek the toughest possible punishment in court for those responsible for these types of offences and to support survivors as much as possible.”

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A man has been sentenced following convictions for serious sexual offences involving children.

Marc Gothorp, aged 45, of Carram Way, Lincoln, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on 15/05/2026 after pleading guilty to multiple offences. 

These were:

• Three counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of the rape of a child under 13 between 22/10/2025 and 28/10/2025.
• Making indecent images of children (Categories A, B and C) between 06/09/2020 and 04/11/2025, comprising 1,870 category A, 1,316 category B and 592 category C images
• Distributing Category A indecent images of children between 25/03/2025 and 02/11/2025, comprising 21 images.

Gothorp was arrested by officers from Lincolnshire Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) on 05/11/2025.

At sentencing, the court determined that Gothorp meets the statutory criteria for classification as a dangerous offender.

He was sentenced to a custodial sentence of 10 years imprisonment and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

This investigation was conducted jointly by Lincolnshire Police POLIT and the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU).

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A 52-year-old predator who carried out a series of horror sex attacks on an eight-year-old child and two other young victims has been jailed for 24 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Mark Crosbie, a self-employed painter and decorator from Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, preyed on his vulnerable victim at a home in Loanhead, Midlothian, between 2004 and 2006. He also targeted two further victims between 1994 and 2004.

He was arrested after one victim, now an adult, reported the abuse. Crosbie denied all allegations but was found guilty of four charges by a jury after a four-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year.

At sentencing on Friday, May 15, police intervened after members of Crosbie’s family shouted abuse at the victims’ supporters. Three women were forcibly removed, one shouting: “are you f***ing joking me? - we know the truth”.

Defence agent Kenneth Woodburn said his client maintained his innocence but “does respect the authority of the court and respects he was found guilty in this matter”. He asked for a community disposal of unpaid work and supervision.

Sheriff Graeme Watson rejected the plea, describing the charges as “very serious” and noting Crosbie showed “no remorse or insight into the offending”.

The sheriff told him: “I have heard first hand the effect your offending has had on these individuals, these victims. I consider that there is a high level of culpability. These were offences against children and occurred in secret.

“Again I consider the level of harm is high. This has had a profound impact on [one victim] and will have for the foreseeable future. This is offending against three victims over a number of years.

“I have concluded that no method of disposal other than custody is appropriate.”

Sheriff Watson also imposed three non-harassment orders banning Crosbie from contacting two victims for five years and the third for 10 years.

Crosbie was convicted of using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a child aged 8-10 at Loanhead between 2004 and 2006; two similar charges against children aged 10 and 13 between 1994 and 2004; and disorderly conduct by making sexualised comments and staring at the breasts of an 18-year-old woman between 2001 and 2002.

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A 20-year-old pervert has been jailed after trying to meet an underage girl for sex and inciting her to perform sexual acts during vile online chats.

Louis Morrison, of Halton Lodge Avenue in Runcorn, was reported to police and charged with engaging in sexual communications with a child, arranging the commission of a child sex offence, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch sexual activity, and two counts of possessing indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty and appeared at Chester Crown Court for sentence.

Prosecutor Peter Hussey told the court the offences took place in the second half of 2024. Morrison intentionally communicated with the girl for sexual gratification, calling her “baby” and “gorgeous”, telling her he “loved her very much” and that he wanted to have sex with her. He sent her lingerie and other gifts, photos of himself performing sexual acts, and incited her to perform sexual acts on herself while arranging to meet for sex.

Police found 41 indecent images of children on his phones, four in the most serious Category A.

Judge Simon Berkson ruled the offending too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence. He jailed Morrison for four years in a young offender institution.

Morrison must sign the sex offenders register for life, abide by a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, forfeit his mobile phones, and is banned from contacting the victim for nine years.

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A man who sexually assaulted a woman and isolated her from her friends and family has been jailed for 12 years.

Carl Hughes, of Barry Street, Latchford, Warrington, was sentenced on Thursday 14 May after appearing at Chester Crown Court.

The 58-year-old had been found guilty of four counts of assault by penetration plus one count of controlling and coercive behaviour.

On top of the 12-year custodial sentence, Hughes must sign the Sex Offender Register and is also subject to a restraining order.

In June 2022, Cheshire Police received reports of sexual abuse committed by Hughes. The female victim, who was known to Hughes, stated he would frequently turn up at her address and sexually assault her, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

The victim also stated that he displayed controlling behaviour, such as isolating her from friends and family, calling her names, putting her down, telling her what to wear and even attempted to stop her from running a charity race.

When Hughes was first arrested in June 2022, his mobile devices were seized, and these showed he had sent abusive messages aimed towards the victim and her family.

Hughes was charged with multiple offences and despite his denials, he was found guilty of assault by penetration and controlling and coercive behaviour in February 2026.

Detective Constable Cameron Mackay said:

“Hughes has quite rightly been handed a substantial custodial sentence which reflects the severity of his crimes.

“I would like to highlight the bravery of the victim in this case for speaking about what happened to her and hope the conclusion of this court process will provide her with some closure.

“Hughes thought he could treat the victim however he wanted, trying to control her and subject her to sexual abuse. He even then attempted to deny the offences and subjected her to the stress of a trial.

“No one should ever have to be treated this way and Hughes is now behind bars after he was found guilty.

“If anyone wishes to report any similar offences, please contact us by calling 101 or you can report information to us through our website. We take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly.”

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Detectives have praised the bravery of a victim in coming forward and helping to secure the conviction of her rape attacker.

The 20-year-old woman was subjected to a sexual attack during the early hours of Sunday 6 July 2025 on Bournemouth seafront in the area of Undercliff Drive.

The victim was walking along the seafront shortly before 1am when she saw a group of men sat on a bench. 

One of the group, 19-year-old Mohammed Abdullah from the West Drayton area in Middlesex, approached her and offered to give her a lift on his e-bike.

They came to a stop a short time later in the area of the East Cliff Zig-Zag, where witnesses reported seeing the defendant carrying his victim in his arms towards some portable toilets.

Abdullah sexually assaulted her before taking her inside one of the toilets, locking the door and raping her.

He then rode off on his e-bike, leaving the victim at the scene.

A short time later she flagged down a member of the public and used their phone to contact her mother, who then phoned the police.

Abdullah – a Syrian national who gave his self-defined ethnicity as Arab – was identified through enquiries by detectives and was subsequently arrested and charged with rape and assault by penetration.

On Friday 15 May 2026 he was convicted following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court. He will return to court to be sentenced on Friday 3 July 2026. 

Detective Inspector Shaun Inkpen, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), said:

“First and foremost I want to praise the victim for the courage she has shown, initially to come forward and report these serious sexual offences and then for her support and resilience throughout the investigation and justice process. This has been crucial in holding her attacker to account for his despicable actions that night.

“I hope the bravery she has shown gives other victims of rape and sexual offences the strength to come forward in the knowledge that they will be supported and we will do everything we can to identify and prosecute perpetrators for such serious crimes.

“Mohammed Abdullah preyed upon a vulnerable victim as she walked alone that night and subjected her to a horrific sexual attack. He has rightly been found guilty of committing two serious sexual assaults.

“Finally, I would like to thank my team who carried out a detailed investigation and The Crown Prosecution Service, Wessex RASSO Unit, for their valuable support and assistance throughout the justice process.

“I acknowledge incidents such as this have a significant impact on the local community, but would also like to take this opportunity to urge people not to speculate or share information online unless it can be verified and is from a trusted source.”

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A detective who led enquiries into a horrific incident where a vulnerable woman narrowly escaped being raped has paid tribute to the victim as her attacker was jailed on Friday 15 May.

The offence happened last October in Middlesbrough after Nallathamby Selvaratnam, aged 56, appeared to befriend the vulnerable woman in the town centre.

But when they were both at his flat afterwards he suddenly demanded sex and when she refused, he dragged her around tearing at her clothes and pursuing her while threatening her with a hammer.

The woman managed to run from the house barefoot and partially clothed to seek help. 

Officers immediately put safeguarding measures in place for the woman and Selvaratnam was arrested that evening.

And officer in the case Detective Constable Nancie Mitton from Middlesbrough CID offered the victim further support from our specialist local agencies while she continued her investigation; Selvaratnam was subsequently charged with attempted rape and remanded to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

He denied his actions and was further remanded until a trial at Teesside Crown Court where the jury found him guilty.

He received a sentence of 11 years with five years extended licence.

DC Mitton paid tribute to the woman’s bravery in reporting her horrific ordeal and for supporting the investigation right until its conclusion. She said:

“This was an absolutely horrifying thing to have gone through and this lady must have been completely terrified during and after the incident.

“She has shown incredible bravery, strength and dignity throughout and I can’t praise her highly enough.  I hope that today’s result will allow her some closure, and I wish her all the very best as she continues to rebuild her life.

“Selvaratnam is a violent and dangerous individual and I’m sure the victim shares my relief that he’ll now spend a significant amount of time in prison. 

“I am concerned, though, that there may be other people out there who have suffered at his hands, and I urge them urge them to come forward to police in complete confidence so we can seek justice for them as well.

“Finally, I’d remind anyone who is victim of rape or any form of sexual offences that there’s help available from our excellent local agencies and even if they don’t want to report to police, help is available from these organisations.”

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A former high school teacher took more than a million upskirt images of pupils using secret cameras hidden in pens.

Sexual predator Mathew Gilkes also used fake social media accounts to pose as a teenager to groom and manipulate girls to send him indecent images and videos of themselves.

Gilkes’ prolific offending was unmasked when he was caught taking pictures of children at a leisure centre in Chorley in August 2024.

A trace of his vehicle leaving the car park led to him being identified and arrested.

A search of his home and workplace uncovered more than 80 devices including mobile devices, computers and laptops – including a school issue laptop - , spy pens, handheld cameras and memory cards containing thousands of indecent images of children.

Many of the images Gilkes had taken were of pupils at his school where he worked as an ICT teacher using cameras disguised as pens and tiny cube cameras.

As well as taking images Gilkes also posed online as a teenge boy talking to a large number of underage girls, grooming them and pressurising them to send images to him.

Gilkes, 47, formerly of Harrison Road, Chorley, who taught at a high school in Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty in November last year to 42 charges including operate equipment beneath clothing of another without consent, commonly known as upskirting, engaging in sexual communication with a child, indecent images of children offences and cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

He appeared at Preston Crown Court this week where he was jailed for 16 years with an additional five year licence.

He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Det Con Holly McClave and Det Con Rachel Phillips, of our South Exploitation Team, helped bring Gilkes to justice.

DC McClave said:

“Mathew Gilkes is a highly dangerous man who has shown persistent predatory behaviour towards young girls who he has taking advantage of, groomed and exploited for his own sexual gratification.

“The victims in this case have shown incredible bravery in speaking about what happened to them and I commend them for their courage. I hope this sentence gives them some sense that justice has been done.

“We will continue to target those who exploit and abuse young people, we will listen to victims, and we will do all we can to put offenders before the courts, as we have done here.”

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A predatory paedophile who raped and sexually abused a young girl has been jailed for 18 years and 9 months.

James Nisbet-Ronson carried out his sexual abuse in the Morecambe area in the early 2000s over a 12 year period.

The victim was a young girl when the abuse started, which included rape and other sexual offences.

In addition to the sexual abuse of the victim as a child, the defendant also took photographs of the abuse.

Nisbet-Ronson, 35, of Sefton Drive, Lancaster was convicted of multiple sexual offences after pleading guilty to 11 charges, covering:

• Rape of a child
• Causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Making indecent images of a child

He was sentenced on Wednesday 6th May at Preston Crown Court to a total of 18 years and 9 months in custody.

In a victim personal statement, the victim said:

“Although the abuse physically ended some years ago now, it continues to torment me psychologically, which has had a devastating impact on my mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

“This impact still reaches into every part of my life, especially my ability to trust and form new relationships. What happened to me stole a sense of safety that should never have been taken and rebuilding that foundation has been one of the hardest parts of my healing.

“It is important to me that he is held accountable accordingly, to ensure no other child is left unprotected, and so that the harm he caused is formally recognised and condemned.”

Detective Sergeant Emma Johnson of Lancashire Police said:

“James Nisbet-Ronson is a dangerous paedophile who deliberately targeted a vulnerable victim and subjected them to deeply distressing abuse. The seriousness of his offending is reflected in the substantial custodial sentence handed down.

“I would like to pay tribute to the victim, who has demonstrated exceptional courage and bravery in reporting these offences and throughout the legal process. While no sentence can undo the harm caused, we hope this outcome provides some measure of justice as they continue their recovery.

“Lancashire Constabulary remains committed to ensuring those responsible for sexual abuse are held accountable, regardless of when the offences took place. We encourage anyone who has experienced a sexual offence to come forward, knowing they will be supported and treated with sensitivity and professionalism throughout.”

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A sex offender was exposed by an undercover police officer after sending explicit messages to a young girl.

Neil Wilson sent the officer sexually explicit messages after they met on an online chatroom.

Despite being told that she was 13, he went on to request explicit photos of her too.

Nottinghamshire Police were alerted to the 46-year-old’s behaviour and arrested him at his home address on 14 December 2023.

His devices were then examined, and explicit messages sent to an actual young girl were exposed.

Indecent images of children were also uncovered.

This included 25 ‘Category A’ images - the most severe classification of indecent images of children.

Six images classed as ‘Category B’ and 80 labelled as ‘Category C’ were also found.

Wilson, formally of Osmaston Walk, Mansfield, went on to plead guilty to inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and possession of extreme pornographic images.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photos of a child.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (8 May), he was jailed for a total of 15 years – an eight-year jail sentence with an added seven-year extended license.

Wilson was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Detective Constable Oliver Pemberton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“Wilson’s actions were completely disgraceful, and it was thanks to the fantastic work of officers that he was exposed.

“Keeping children safe from harm means keeping them safe from people like Wilson who attempt to prey on them online where they think nobody can see what they are doing.

“I’d like to take this time to praise the strength of the victim throughout the investigation and lengthy court process.

"I hope this result helps give the victim and their family some closure and also serves as a warning to others about the consequences of such depraved behaviour.”

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On Thursday 14 May 2026 at Manchester Crown Court, Dean Clarke (13/01/2001), of Cannon Hussey Court, Salford, has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexual communication with a child and sexual activity with a child.

Clarke’s offences came to light on Friday 21 October 2022 when a report was made to police by the victim’s mother that a 21-year-old man was communicating with her 13-year-old daughter via an online video and messaging platform.

The victim’s mother had discovered the messages from Clarke sent to her daughter on a personal laptop used at home. Some of the messages implied they had had a sexual relationship as they also talked about pregnancy tests. 

An investigation was immediately launched and officers arrested Clarke that same day. He was taken into custody for interview, where he denied all offences. Clarke’s mobile phone was also seized to be examined for evidence. He was released under bail conditions while enquiries continued. 

Evidence retrieved from Clarke’s mobile phone provided evidence that he was communicating with the victim in a sexual manner. Communications were consistent between Clarke and the victim between August and October 2022.  

The messages also suggested that Clarke had a relationship with the victim that was of a sexual nature. Photographs found also showed the victim and Clarke hugging, and on one occasion, the victim kissing Clarke’s cheek.  

After mobile phone and other digital evidence had been reviewed, Clarke was arrested again. During interviews Clarke continued to deny all offences and said his accounts had been hacked. Regarding the conversations found on his phone between himself and the victim; Clarke either said he could not recall or remember, and that he would not send messages of that nature.

On the first day of trial in March 2026, Clarke pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual communication with a child. 

On Thursday 14 May, Clarke was sentenced to five years in prison. He has been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order. Clarke has also been issued with a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

In a statement read in court, the victim’s mother spoke of how her daughter has been affected by the abuse, and of how it has impacted her life and education.  

Her mother said:

“She [the victim] explicitly said to me that she does not want to talk about it and does not want anyone to know about it. She was suffering with severe depression and anxiety at the time.  

“She did not attend school for four years. It is hard to put into words the impact this has had on her as she approaches her adult life. The loss of her education is by far the biggest impact on her in my opinion. 

She continued:

“The abuse [the victim] suffered has completely changed her as a person. She used to be quite fun and outgoing. She is not anymore. She is quite withdrawn now. She has trust issues. She cannot trust anyone. She struggles to build relationships.”  

The victim’s mother also spoke of how the abuse negatively affected her daughter's eating and sleeping habits. She added:

“She has isolated herself emotionally. She will not speak to me about it. I respect her views on this and hope she can move on with her life.” 

Detective Constable Robert Webster from GMP Salford’s Child Protection Investigation Unit, said:

“I’d like to thank the brave victim for sitting through interviews and helping us build a case against Clarke.  

“We understand it must have been very painful for her to revisit the abuse she was subjected to in order to help us with the investigation.”