Latest Offenders

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A grieving family have praised police after the man that raped their relative – who went on to take her own life – is jailed for a decade.

Ryan Callaghan, 33, raped the woman while she slept at an address in South Tyneside.

The victim awoke and immediately ran out of the address in a state of undress and informed a friend what had happened.

Whilst fleeing, she bumped into a kind-hearted member of the public who provided her with clothing and stayed with her whilst she rang police.

Minutes later, Callaghan was arrested.

However, tragically, the following month, the victim took her own life – making reference to the attack in the note she left behind for her family.

Following an extensive and complex investigation by the Force’s Safeguarding Department, led by Detective Constable Amy Burridge, a charge of rape against Callaghan was secured in May 2023 by working closely with the CPS.

This was achieved through the support of the victim’s family, and using the victim’s evidence she was able to provide in interview after the offences took place.

In March this year, following a six-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Callaghan of Mowbray Road, South Shields, was found unanimously guilty by a jury of rape.

Following the guilty verdict, he was remanded into custody.

And yesterday (June 17), he appeared at the same court, where was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Callaghan will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

The victim’s family have shared these words which were read in court to Callaghan: “Every parent can’t bear the thought of losing a child, just to imagine that loss is horrific.

“But now for us, we have to try and get through every day with the pain of knowing that our child was raped before she went on to take her own life.

“We’re sure everyone can understand that there are no words to describe what we are going through.

“Callaghan might have gone to prison, but we are serving a life sentence in the knowledge of what he did.

“He left her completely broken as a result of his actions.”

They added: “Callaghan showed no remorse for what he did and no sadness at all at the loss of her life.

“It’s a shame everyone involved with the case didn’t get to see the woman we all know and love. She was a kind, caring, funny and bright young woman. She was loved by all who knew her and had so many friends.

“We’d like to thank the barrister and the jury for seeing through Callaghan’s lies.

“However, it is cold comfort for us all, as she is gone, and can’t ever know that she got justice.”

Following the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Amy Burridge, of Northumbria Police said: “This was an extremely distressing case due to the circumstances surrounding the report – and what tragically came after for the victim.

“After speaking with the family, it was imperative for me to be able to give the victim a voice and have her story heard in court, which it now has.

“I am absolutely delighted with the outcome of the trial, and the sentence imposed today. This case truly sends a message that we are committed to doing everything in our power to bring offenders such as Callaghan to justice.”

Det Con Burridge added: “I’d also like to take a moment to recognise and praise the victim for her bravery following the offences taking place.

“She informed a friend, and reported to police immediately, meaning we were able to quickly establish her account of what had happened, and fully take advantage of any forensic opportunities early on in the investigation.

“Even though she is tragically no longer with us, I hope her family can take some sense of closure knowing the person who caused her so much distress is now in prison and will be monitored by police for the rest of his life.”

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A TEENAGER who was sexually assaulted by a predator got baptised in an attempt to ‘feel clean’ again.

The incident occurred last year in Warrington, when she was sexually assaulted by then 35-year-old Emmanuel Onwubiko.

Onwubiko, of Derwent Road in Ashton, began to behave inappropriately towards the teenager, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday.

This behaviour escalated as the then 35-year-old, who is originally from Nigeria, touched her breast and later touched her bottom.

Onwubiko also grabbed the then 18-year-old’s vagina on two occasions, and asked her inappropriate sexual questions.

When it was clear that the teenager was uncomfortable, Onwubiko complained of cultural differences and said that this behaviour towards women in Nigeria would not be reported.

The victim felt ‘physically sick’ and retreated to a bathroom to hide from him, and sent a ‘running log’ of the assaults to a friend.

She later fled and went to a family member’s house and told them what was happening.

The police were called, Onwubiko was arrested, and he denied the assaults during his interview with officers.

Onwubiko pleaded not guilty to all charges and subjected his victim to a trial, where she had to recount the traumatic sexual assaults before a jury.

Despite his denial, the now 36-year-old was found guilty on all five counts of sexual assault, and he appeared back before Liverpool Crown Court for his sentencing on Friday.

The victim bravely read out a statement to the court, sharing heartbreaking details about how the assaults had impacted her, stating that it had left her feeling ‘disgusted’.

“My mental health has significantly declined due to what happened to me,” she said.

“Some days I feel as though I can't get out of bed due to feeling anxious.

“My mind is always thinking about what happened to me, and it is as though I have constant flashbacks about what happened to me. I now feel a shell of my former self.”

She also shared that the assaults left her feeling so desperate to feel clean again that she got baptised.

“I researched online and found a church that does baptisms on short notice,” she said.

“I felt so desperate to try and cleanse my body and feel as clean as possible. I was reaching out to God to try and get some help, and I thought bathing in holy water would wash away the horrible feelings I was having.”

Defending, Robert Wynn-Jones told the court that the Nigerian-national came to the UK on a student visa, which has since expired.

It was heard that the 36-year-old is hoping to apply for a post-graduate visa to remain the UK and repay a loan, as his wife and three children are being threatened with harm if it is not repaid.

“From the very beginning of that day, you behaved inappropriately towards her,” said judge Gary Woodhall.

“You demonstrated sexual attraction towards her. She was scared.”

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Woodhall referenced the 'harm' that was caused to Onwubiko when he was assaulted by the victim's father.

In a court case last year, it was heard that the victim's dad punched the 36-year-old several times to the back of his head after hearing of his daughter's assault.

Onwubiko suffered a nose bleed, two chipped teeth, and a month later, it was confirmed that he had a subdural haemorrhage.

He underwent an emergency operation which involved a hole being drilled into his brain.

The victim's father was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

On Friday, Onwubiko was sentenced to two years of immediate imprisonment, and he was ordered to sign the sex offender register for 10 years.

A 10-year restraining order was also approved to protect the victim.

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A REGISTERED sex offender breached a court order by removing monitoring software which allows police to track online use on electronic devices.

Matthew Ferguson, 42, was handed a 45-month prison sentence in 2021 after he was caught sending messages to what he thought was a 12-year-old girl.

Ferguson had written explicit text messages, made graphic suggestions and sent a crude image of himself. He was actually communicating with members of a vigilante group.

He admitted charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempted sexual communication.

Ferguson, previously of Workington and now of London Road, Carlisle, was jailed by a judge who heard the defendant had a low IQ which was deemed to be on the cusp of a learning disability.

As part of his punishment, Ferguson was made subject to the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO); and further ordered to comply with sex offender notification requirements. These were imposed in a bid to prevent further online reoffending and keep police informed of his personal information.

But Ferguson was sentenced again, at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court today (tues). He had previously admitted three SHPO breaches, and failing to comply with the notification requirements.

These came to light when an offender manager conducted a home visit on May 16 this year.

Analysis of a mobile phone showed police online monitoring software which had previously been installed was not present. An expert concluded this absence was caused by the actions of the device user. “It cannot be done accidentally or remotely,” said prosecutor Diane Jackson.

The court was also given details of three other offences.

During the course of several days in early May, Ferguson had deleted WhatsApp messages which formed part of his online history; failed to declare a YouTube user name to police; and used a Dropbox cloud storage facility.

“I would submit they are deliberate breaches,” said Mrs Jackson of Ferguson’s latest offending.

Defence solicitor Katie Scattergood, mitigating, said Ferguson had entered his guilty pleas at the earliest possible opportunity. “Alongside that he did make full admissions during his police interview,” she said.

Ferguson’s offending was committed because he did not have a physical copy of the SHPO, against a background of limited intellectual functioning.

Miss Scattergood said he now had a copy, adding: “He is aware of the obligations upon him. He doesn’t seek to minimise his offending. He knows he has breached his order, hence his guilty pleas.”

Magistrates heard he had not committed any other offences since those for which he was punished at the crown court.

He had previously been recalled to serve the balance of that sentence, and as a result had not completed any work offered by the probation service.

“He wants the opportunity to engage fully with the (SHPO) order and the police, and hopes to remain in the community,” said Miss Scattergood.

Magistrates suspended an eight-month sentence for two years.

Ferguson must complete a sexual offending course under probation service direction, and additional rehabilitation work.

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A man filmed a sleeping woman in a state of undress before sexually assaulting her at a property in Rosyth, a court has heard.

Joshua Adams also secretly recorded footage of a fully clothed 15-year-old girl at another address in the town.

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A 24-year-old man from Lewisham has been given a one year and four month prison sentence after sexually assaulting six women on board trains in London.

Following a British Transport Police investigation, Zevenor Gordon from Glenton Road, Lewisham pleaded guilty to six counts of Sexual Assault at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday 5 June.

He was handed a 16 month prison sentence, a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and must sign the Sex Offenders register for the next 10 years.

The SHPO prevents him from approaching, gesturing, or making any action that can cause harassment, alarm or distress or be intimidating to a woman or girl in a public place or on public transport and cannot enter any female public toilets.  

On six separate occasions from December 2023 to March 2024 Gordon sexually assaulted six women

On Saturday 9 December 2023, a 27-year-old woman was travelling to Dalston Junction when Gordon attempted to engage her in conversation before sexually assaulting her.

Days later on Thursday 14 December Gordon followed a woman in her fifties when she got off the tube at Dalston Junction before sexually assaulting her and jumping back on the tube.

On Wednesday 7 February 2024 Gordon sexually assaulted a woman in her mid-twenties on the platform at Baker Street station.

On Monday 26 February a 32-year-old woman was walking through London Bridge station when she too was sexually assaulted by Gordon.

On Monday 11 March a young girl in her school uniform was sexually assaulted by Gordon as she boarded the tube at Cutty Sark station.

Just two days later he sexually assaulted another woman in her early twenties at Cutty Sark station while was waiting on the platform to board the tube.

Gordon was arrested at his home following positive ID checks by officers.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Gemma Lee said

away after each sexual assault thanks to our fast acting officers we were able to ID him and bring him to justice.

“It is testament to the six victims who supported this case and by reporting their crimes that helped to build the picture of Gordons predatory behaviour.

"The Sexual Harm Prevention Order should act as a warning to others that we take all reports of sexual offences and unwanted sexual behaviour seriously and will support victims throughout our investigations.”

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An engineer who lost his job when he was arrested on suspicion of being a paedophile has avoided jail after being convicted by a jury.

Michael Insch sent an indecent video of himself to a female decoy he believed was a 13-year-old girl.

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A man in his 40s pulled his trousers down and pleasured himself near a children's play area in a popular park, a court has heard. Police then found Daniel Thyer had been "grooming" a young boy with gifts of vapes and energy drinks.

Sending the defendant to prison, a judge at Swansea Crown Court said he had engaged in "predatory sexual behaviour" with the child. Georgia Donohue, prosecuting, told the court that on February 26 this year a woman walking through Swansea's Morriston Park saw a man sitting on a grass bank near a children's play area with his trousers around his ankles.

She said the man was seen holding his mobile phone with one hand and masturbating with the other. The court heard there were no children in the play area at the time but the woman did see two teenage boys cycling near the defendant.

The barrister said the woman was "disgusted" at Thyer's behaviour and called the police. Officers arrived at the park and arrested the 41-year-old defendant who said he was there to meet somebody, and he said he had been "adjusting his trousers". 

The court heard that when officers examined the defendant's phone they found he had been in contact with a boy and in messages between the two had talked about masturbation.

Officers identified and located the child and spoke to him, and the boy disclosed a series of incidents when Thyer had put his hands down his trousers, pushed his erect penis into him from behind over his clothes, and had touched his bottom. The child also said the defendant had given him vapes, money and energy drinks.

In a victim statement read to the court by the prosecutor, the defendant said he now suffers with sleepless nights and feels "uncomfortable" around grown men, and he said he "keeps himself to himself" at school.

Daniel James Thyer - also known as Daniel David - of Brangwyn Close, Morriston, had previously pleaded guilty to exposure, four counts of sexual activity with a child, and one count of sexual activity with a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Charlotte Surley, for Thyer, said the defendant had learning difficulties and a pre-sentence report outlined that he may have an "emotional congruence" with children.

Judge Huw Rees said there was "clear evidence of grooming behaviour" in the offending and said the defendant had engaged in "predatory sexual behaviour".

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Thyer was sentenced to 12 months in prison. He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be a registered sex offender for the same length of time.

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A convicted sex offender sought out the services of an escort and ended up behind bars. Matthew Bushell had only recently been released from prison when he was caught breaching restrictions that are designed to prevent him from committing crimes of a sexual nature.

Having been quickly rumbled by the police, he then confessed to his attempts to cover his tracks as he "thought he could get away with it". Back in jail, he now "understands that he needs to try to stop getting into trouble".

Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Tuesday, that Bushell is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order as a result of a conviction for sexual assault in 2014. This prevents the 52-year-old from deleting his internet history, amongst a number of other terms restricting his online activities.

Ben Stanley, prosecuting, described how Merseyside Police paid a visit to the defendant's then home on Cobden Road in Southport on June 3 last year, shortly after his release from an earlier spell in jail, in order to ensure his compliance with the order. While Bushell handed over his mobile phone and a tablet computer upon request, it was subsequently discovered that he had wiped the browsing history of both devices earlier the same day.

When questioned on the matter, he claimed that he "didn't want prison staff to see his browsing history while he was in prison". The PC however pointed out that these electronics were not available to him when he was locked up, at which stage he "admitted that he must have deleted it while intoxicated".

Investigations thereafter discovered that Bushell had wiped the internet history from his phone on 356 previous occasions, as well as 125 times from the tablet computer. It was further established that he had searched for terms relating to online sex chats, pornographic websites and escort page Viva Street.

Following his arrest, Bushell confessed under interview that he "was doing stuff he shouldn't have" and had deleted his browsing history as he was "scared and thought he could get away with it". His criminal record shows a total of nine previous convictions for 19 offences, including flouting the terms of the same order in 2016 and 2021.

Bushell has since been recalled on licence in relation to a 16-month sentence he received in July 2024 for seven counts of breaching his SHPO, and is not due to be released until November this year. Desmond Lennon, defending, told the court: "He had material on those devices which he accepts that he should not have had.

"He readily accepts that conduct. He hopes that he would have perhaps moved on from it, but, at the moment, it seems that he is unable to do so. He has had significant issues with alcohol abuse.

"He understands that he does need to try to stop getting himself into trouble in terms of his interests and to stop getting himself in breach of this order. He is in his 50s, and he really does need to move on if he possibly can."

Bushell admitted one count of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. Appearing via video link to HMP Risley wearing a grey t-shirt two days after his birthday, he was jailed for a further eight months.

Sentencing, Recorder Mark Ainsworth said: "This order has been in place, in one form or another, since May 2014. There is no doubt that you were aware of the requirements. It became clear that the search history on these devices had been deleted, which, of course, was a breach of the order.

"You accepted that you were doing stuff that you should not have been doing and deleted your history, and you did that because you were scared of the consequences and thought you could get away with it. The real problem, in this case, is the fact that this is not the first time that you have been before the court for such breaches."

16 Dec 2021 - Liverpool Echo

Groped women and sucked their fingers in his home.

A sex attacker placed adverts for topless women to clean his home.

Matthew Bushell, 48, is banned from advertising for women to contact him as a result of past sex attacks.

The pervert lured two female victims to his home under false pretences then molested them in 2013.

Courts have heard about his "unhealthy obsession" with sex and history of using sex workers and escorts.

But last December he flouted the ban by placing 32 ads for what he called "consensual sexual entertainment".

Bushell was convicted of two sexual assaults in May 2014 after putting adverts on Gumtree for female cleaners.

Explaining the "context" to his latest offence, Simon Duncan, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court one woman met him at Southport train station in June 2013.

Mr Duncan said Bushell took her to his home in Cobden Road, Southport, where "he grabbed her, kissed her and sucked her fingers", so she left and called police.

Officers went to his house the next day and found another woman, there "under the pretence of a job interview".

She didn't make any criminal allegations, but then a second female victim came forward, who had also responded to a Gumtree advert.

She went to Bushell's house that April, but when she arrived, he asked her if she would clean topless for cash.

Mr Duncan said he "put his hand down her pants and touched her breasts and offered her money to stay the night".

Bushell was sentenced to a hospital order and hit with an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

He was released from hospital in February 2015 and then monitored by Merseyside Police's sex offender unit.

Mr Duncan said "suspicions were building" for officers in October 2020, when they examined his electronic devices and found search terms "of concern", but no evidence of any offences.

However, in February this year, police discovered he had placed ads on the website Viva Street under the username "CoolBoy47" asking women if they wanted "horny fun".

Mr Duncan said: "He was inviting females to call, text or WhatsApp at any time."

He said Bushell placed 32 adverts for women on Viva Street between December 10 and 16 "inviting them to engage in sex work, some advertising for topless cleaning services, and others offered payment for sexual services".

Mr Duncan said: "He has a history of using sex workers and strangely on occasions reporting his dissatisfaction with their services to the police."

He added: "He was interviewed on March 29, 2021. He admitted that he created the Viva Street account with a view to some 'consensual sexual entertainment'."

Bushell admitted placing the adverts and said he received "a fair few responses" but only chatted to them on the phone and then stopped because he feared it would be discovered.

He admitted breaching his SOPO.

Bushell was previously convicted of breaching the order in February 2018, when he was spared jail after placing ads for female house cleaners.

Mr Duncan said he was later convicted of harassment against a female doctor, who had once treated him, by sending her "abusive and insulting messages" and calls.

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A father and son have been sentenced after they were both fond guilty of a string of sexual assaults against young girls in Shropshire.

Hugh Hughes, of Lion Lane in Clee Hull, Ludlow was given an 18-year custodial sentence on Thursday (June 12) at Shrewsbury Crown Court. He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

The 72-year-old was found guilty in April 2025 of the following offences:

• Six counts of sexual assault against a female child under the age of 13
• 12 counts of indecent assault on a child under 14
• One count of sexual assault against a female

The offences took place between 1987 and 2021 and involved a number of victims.

On Thursday (June 12) Lyle Huges, also of Lion Lane in Clee Hull, Ludlow was given an 18-month community order, and told he must complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

The 23-year-old will also be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

He was found guilty of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault on a child in April 2025. The offences took place between 2014 and 2021.

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An online sex offender from Arbroath used a “Mr Bean” Facebook profile to engage in smutty chats with female teenagers.

Social media creep Norman Mathieson thought both teenagers he was talking to were 15.

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A janitor has been placed on the sex offenders register for filming two children having sex on the grounds of a Dundee secondary school.

Graeme Strachan admitted recording the youngsters – aged 13 and 14 – on his mobile phone before sharing the footage with friends.

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A serially-convicted paedophile has lost an appeal against his latest prison sentence.

Former teacher Michael Costin, who molested a string of boys across two decades, insisted he received no sexual gratification from his crimes and only abused his victims for their own benefit.

The sex offender’s victims spoke out at a two-day sentencing hearing last July, describing the decades of torment they had suffered because of his abuse.

One aided police from beyond the grave, having died but left behind a letter detailing Costin’s crimes and their impact.

Costin, then 59, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court last year to 15 years in prison, after being convicted of 22 offences of indecent assault.

The crimes began in the 1980s, when he served as a young scout leader at St Augustine’s Church in Rush Green, Romford.

He continued abusing children in the 1990s in Sussex, where he worked as a teacher in Ipswich and volunteered as a scout leader in Kirton.

He performed sex acts on boys aged 11 to 15 and “encouraged some boys to engage in sexual activity with each other”.

Judge Alex Gordon described the crimes as “repeated, brazen, manipulative and abusive offending”.

One victim said Costin had created an environment where such offending was “normalised”.

The now 60-year-old paedophile, known to victims as Mick, was already serving an indeterminate prison sentence for public protection before the latest charges, having racked up a catalogue of prior child sex convictions.

He was first convicted of abusing scouts in Sussex in 1996 and jailed for two years.

After his release, he relocated to Abingdon in Oxfordshire where, in 2007, he began abusing a 13-year-old boy. Over time, the boy’s girlfriend was also introduced into the abuse. Costin plied them both with drugs and booze and molested them, a court later heard.

By the time he was brought to justice for his Abingdon crimes, Costin had returned to Romford and become chairman of Millwall Rugby Club on the Isle of Dogs, despite already being a convicted child molester.

When he was prosecuted for the Oxfordshire crimes, he also faced prosecution for molesting a 17-year-old boy in a vehicle outside the east London rugby club.

It was after these convictions that he received his indeterminate sentence.

Appealing against his latest sentence, Costin argued the lengthy investigation into the most recent charges had affected his prospects of parole from that existing indeterminate sentence.

He had been eligible for parole since 2015, if a parole board could be persuaded he was safe to release.

But after the new investigation began in 2017, he was “returned to closed conditions” in prison, which “blocked any progress as regards his release on temporary license or for a period of testing prior to release into the community”.

Barrister Sarah Morris said there were then “unjustified delays” in bringing Costin to trial.

But prosector Walton Hornsby countered that while the first complainant came forward in 2017, others followed in 2021 and 2022, with police ultimately investigating “a large number of offences”.

Three High Court judges – Lord Justice Fraser, Mr Justice Hilliard and Mr Justice Constable – upheld the 15-year sentence, saying Costin was at least partly to blame for the delays.

“The appellant did not admit some of the offences until a very late stage in the proceedings and continued to deny others,” they wrote.

“Had the appellant admitted the offending at the beginning of the investigative process, no doubt he would have been sentenced far earlier in time than he was.”

They added that while it was possible he might have received parole, that was “entirely hypothetical" and “speculation”.

Even if he had, they said, he would have been released “in ignorance of the true scale of [his] offending”, given he now has 22 further convictions for offences he had never admitted in custody, despite rehabilitation courses encouraging him to admit and express remorse for all his crimes.

Instead, he denied offences which jurors later convicted him of and “was still claiming he had not received sexual gratification for himself from the offending, but had been seeking to enable the victims to receive pleasure for themselves”.

“Had these factors been known about by the parole board… they would have been bound to have had a considerable impact upon the assessment of risk that he presented,” the judges wrote.

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A pervert must now sign on the sex offenders register after he messaged “two girls” on Snapchat with pictures of his genitals.

Michael Wells, from Gillingham, thought he was chatting to two schoolgirls, aged 13 and 14, when he sent the sexual messages on the social communication app.

The 35-year-old, not only sent them both images of his erect penis, he also sent one of them a video of himself masturbating after he started talking to what he thought was 14-year-old girl called Molly and a 13-year-old called Maisie.

However, what the pervert didn’t know was that he was messaging two decoys who were, in fact, undercover police officers.

Wells, of Littlebourne Avenue, Gillingham, was arrested and later charged with four offences.

These were two counts attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.

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He admitted all the offences when he appeared in the dock at Medway Magistrates’ Court on June 6.

Victoria Aked, prosecuting, said: “They were decoy officers and he sent images them of his penis to both girls.

“He was masturbating in one video he sent, but he’s of previous good character.”

Magistrates decided a pre-sentencing report was needed to be completed on Wells before he was sentenced, but told him now that he’d admitted the offences, he was convicted of them.

As a result, he would need to sign on at Medway Police Station within three days as part of the notification requirements of sex offenders.

Such offenders are required to register with the police and provide them with certain personal details, including name, address, date of birth, and passport details, so they can be managed in the community.

They must also notify the police of any changes to this information, and for some offences, they are required to notify the police of any travel plans.

Wells was granted bail until he is sentenced, which will be at the same court on August 4.

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A Highland crofter has been convicted of sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl with a gun as he made her lie naked on the floor at a property in Fife.

John Spence’s wicked crime was part of a litany of physical, emotional and sexual abuse directed towards two girls at various addresses in Fife and Sutherland spanning about 15 years.

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A man from Wolverhampton has been jailed for 12 years for child sexual abuse dating back to the 1970s.

John Harris, aged 64, was convicted of a series of nine offences after his victim was able to help our investigators compile a case against him.

She came to us at a time when she felt ready to talk about the abuse she'd suffered as a child. And with the support of our specialist team of detectives she helped bring Harris before the courts, and yesterday he was jailed for 12 years.

Harris was convicted at Wolverhampton Crown Court of eight counts of rape and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13, with the offences dating back to 1976. In addition to the jail term he has also been put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Inspector Emma Jobson, from our dedicated non-recent rape and serious sexual offences team, said: "All our cases start with the person who suffered the abuse, and it was this woman's strength and fortitude which has meant Harris has now been convicted of crimes carried out many, many years ago.

"Despite the passing of time, we have the commitment and expertise to help identify and then trace crucial evidence which has seen this perpetrator being successfully prosecuted.

"In this case, as with many others which date back years, the laws and legislation which were in force at the time have to be adhered to.

"But that does not prevent us from being able to develop an investigation which sees offenders convicted years after the abuse."