Latest Offenders

Description

A former police officer has been spared jail after admitting he downloaded a video featuring children as young as nine being sexually abused.

George Voisey was branded "a disgrace" at Lewes Crown Court on Friday after he admitted downloading the Category A footage, the most serious classification for that type of material.

The 24-year-old, from Horsham, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months.

He will also be on the sex offenders' register for seven years and will have to attend 20 rehabilitation days and put in 150 hours of unpaid work.

Voisey had admitted downloading one Cat A video and two counts of downloading indecent images between 22 June and 24 October last year.

He was arrested and suspended from duty after Sussex Police were alerted to his activity by the National Crime Agency in October.

Investigators found five Category B indecent images and seven Category C indecent images of children on his mobile phone.

Voisey had downloaded the Category A video from the Telegram app and sent it to himself on Snapchat.

He was not on duty at the time of the offences and resigned from the force on 1 March this year.

Judge Stephen Mooney told Voisey:

"Up until now you were of good character and had a promising career, all of which you have thrown away.

"You have chosen to seek out images and a video of children being abused.

"Each image or video you look at is a permanent record of a child's life that has been ruined.

"Each is a child in torment and you have contributed to that.

"You are a disgrace."

Sussex Police has referred its investigation to the Independent Office of Police Conduct and will now consider misconduct proceedings against Voisey.

Description

A man who raped a woman more than 20 years ago has been jailed for six and a half years today, 10 July, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

The woman was in her early 20s when she met Amer Khan, 42, of Rotherham in 2002.

After they had known each other for around a year, Khan – also in his early 20s at the time – became verbally and physically abusive, the woman told NCA officers.

She related how Khan would sometimes pinch, slap and punch her.

Khan’s violence escalated after he pressured the woman to have sex with him during a picnic one day. The woman refused and, fearing what Khan would do, she tried to run away, however Khan caught then raped her. 

The victim recounted to officers her distress during and after the incident. She recalled crying at the time and Khan blaming her for what he had done.

Officers from Operation Stovewood - the NCA’s enquiry into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – began an investigation in 2022 after they identified the woman was a victim of rape in the course of separate enquiries.

They charged Khan in February 2024. Khan was today found guilty of one count of rape at Sheffield Crown Court, after which the judge immediately sentenced him. Once released from prison, Khan must sign the sex offenders’ register.

Senior investigator Kath Blain, from the NCA’s Operation Stovewood, said: “When the victim first met Khan he showed no signs of being violent, however after gaining the woman’s trust Khan became abusive and that behaviour quickly escalated to sexual violence.

“Specially-trained National Crime Agency investigators listened to the victim’s account and sought corroborating evidence. Our evidence and the victim’s brave testimony has resulted in Khan being convicted more than twenty years after he committed his crime.

“I urge anyone who has been raped or sexual abused, at any time in their life, to report it to the police, who are ready and waiting to help.”Help is also available by calling the free Rape Crisis support line, open 24 hours a day, on 0808 500 2222 or visiting 247SexualAbuseSupport.org.uk. 

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 43 people – including Khan – have been convicted.

Description

A depraved Scots predator has been caged after being convicted of raping two women as they slept.

Craig Dodds subjected a woman to horrific repeated sexual attacks 'several times a week' between April 2020 and April 2022.

During that time, Dodds, 25, from West Lothian, also slapped the woman on the body, issued threats of violence and repeatedly punched walls and himself on the head while blaming his actions on her.

Dodds was also convicted of raping the woman on various occasions at an address in West Lothian between September 2020 and April 2022.

He was also convicted of raping a second woman in Falkirk in 2018, Edinburgh Live reports.

While handing down a sentence of seven years and six months at the High Court in Edinburgh at the end of June, Lord Harrower told how, while living with his victim in West Lothian, he raped her several times a week while she slept.

On one occasion, the woman woke to find him engaging in sexual intercourse with her and locked herself in the bathroom and had a shower before sleeping on the sofa for the rest of the night. Despite this, Dodds continued to sexually assault his victim on several occasions.

Dodds also engaged in a course of abusive behaviour towards her including slamming doors, punching walls, directing abusive and derogatory remarks towards her and shouting at both her and a child.

On one occasions he assaulted the woman by slapping her leg to her injury.

The depraved abuser was also convicted of the rape of a second woman in Grangemouth in August 2018. On that occasion Dodds had driven her home after an evening socialising.

The woman had been drinking and woke to find Dodds having sexual intercourse with her in her own bed. Despite protesting, Dodds did not stop.

At the High Court in Edinburgh Dodds was sentenced to seven years and six months imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

The sentence was backdated to May 15, 2025, when he was remanded in custody. A non-harassment order was also imposed, preventing Dodds from contacting, approaching or communicating with either victim for an indefinite period.

Lord Harrower said: "So far as harm is concerned, I have had regard to the complainers’ evidence and to their personal statements which bear witness to the devastating psychological impact which your offending has had upon them. As regards culpability, I bear in mind that these are your first offences.

"Although you are now aged 25 and the guideline for sentencing young persons does not apply, I have taken account of your relative youth and immaturity at the time these offences were committed. Rehabilitation is an important consideration, and I bear in mind also that you have responsibilities as a father. But for all these considerations the sentence I am about to impose would have been significantly longer.

"Had I been sentencing you separately in relation to these offences, I would have sentenced you as follows. In respect of charge 1, the offence is aggravated by reason of the fact that it occurred in the victim’s own home, while she was asleep or unconscious, and therefore in a vulnerable state.

"Your culpability is mitigated by youth and immaturity more for this offence than for the others. The term of imprisonment would have been 4 years and 6 months. In respect of charge 2, I would have sentenced you to a term of imprisonment of 1 year, 3 months of which would have been attributable to the child aggravation.

"In respect of charge 3, not only was the complainer asleep at the time of your offending, but it occurred repeatedly over a lengthy period, during much of which she would have been particularly vulnerable as a result of the course of abusive behaviour you inflicted upon her.

"Your offending was further aggravated because you risked causing an unwanted pregnancy. In respect of this charge, I would have sentenced you to a term of imprisonment of 6 years, 6 months of which would have been attributable to the domestic abuse aggravation."

Description

A RAPIST has been jailed for 17 years.

Ivor Rozentals, a Latvian national, faces automatic deportation after he has served his sentence.

Rozentals, 37, of no fixed abode, Bradford, and currently in custody in HMP Leeds, was said to have “degraded” his victim, who also suffered grievous bodily harm at his hands.

He was found guilty of rape, and grievous bodily harm, by a jury following a trial.

He was said to be intoxicated “by drink or drugs or both” during his offending.

In a statement read to Bradford Crown Court on her behalf, the victim said she had experienced mood swings, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm due to Rozentals’ offending, and suffered “disturbing flashbacks”.

She described the impact as “devastating” and “far-reaching”.

Prosecutor Stephen Wood KC said the victim “indicated to the defendant in clear terms that she was not consenting to sexual activity.”

Mitigating, Abigail Langford said a determinate prison sentence would protect the public against further offences, and that “considerable work” would be carried out with Rozentals, who had had a problem with drugs, during his time in custody.

Sentencing Rozentals, who has a history of violence and abuse towards women, Assistant Judge Advocate General Tom Mitchell described the case as “massively serious” and said there was “an element of cruelty” in Rozental’s offending.

He said: “The harm that you have caused in this case” elevated the overall sentence into a more serious band."

He sentenced Rozentals to 17 years imprisonment for rape and two years for GBH, to be served concurrently, making a total jail term of 17 years.

Rozentals will serve two-thirds before he can be released and will then face automatic deportation proceedings.

He must also register as a sex offender register for life.

Description

A man who intentionally sexually touched a child under 13 sexually on at least 10 occasions has been sent to prison.

The trial heard how Nathan Halford, aged 31, from Louth was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault against a girl under the age of 13, reportedly involving sexual touching and penetration between October 2021 and July 2022. 

He was found guilty of touching the victim in a sexual manner beneath her clothing on several occasions, with two incidents involving penetration with a part of his body.

The prosecution provided sufficient evidence to assert that the acts were intentional and were carried out for sexual gratification.

Halford, also known as Nathan Parham, of Newmarket Louth, pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was found guilty at an earlier hearing.  He was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court, today (11 July) to twelve* years in prison, and one year on extended licence; he will also appear on the sex offenders register for life.

Speaking at the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Michelle Adamson, said:

In the midst of this complex and deeply painful investigation, one priority remained paramount: making sure the victim's voice was not just heard - but truly understood. From the beginning, her strength and bravery guided us, and it was our responsibility to ensure that her case was addressed with compassion and care. We didn't just work toward a resolution; we worked to build trust, to offer protection, and to deliver the support this individual so profoundly deserved. Her resilience deserves more than admiration - let this outcome stand not only as a testament to justice served, but as a promise that no victim will be left unheard or alone.

Description

A 'devious' child sex pervert who's been committing vile crimes for over 50 YEARS has been locked up again - this time for making indecent images of children.

Teesside Crown Court hear how 'remorseless' and 'devious' Raymond Coleman, previously jailed for attempted rape, has been committing sexual offences for the past five decades. Now, aged 73, the paedophile pensioner has been hauled before the courts again charged with two counts of making indecent images of children.

Gurjot Kour, prosecuting, said: "Due to the defendant's previous conviction, he is deemed as a high risk sex offender." During a police visit, Coleman handed over a mobile phone with very little activity on it.

A search of his house was then carried out and a blue Samsung was discovered under his pillow in his bedroom. There were a number of internet searches linking to child sex abuse and a thorough scan of his phone revealed two class A indecent videos and one class B indecent video.

He has 12 previous convictions for 22 offences dating between 1968 and 2015 - including indecent assault of a child under 16, attempted rape, two counts of indecently assaulting a child under 14 and in 2015 he was handed a nine-year extended sentence for two counts of facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Teesside Live previously reported how Coleman, then a regular punter in Middlesbrough’s red light district, boasted that another vice girl had supplied him with a child before. Another prostitute, who had gone with him to his home by taxi, was so sickened by his request that she reported him immediately to police.

On Thursday, July 10, the court heard how the class A videos were 15 seconds and 11 seconds long while the class B video was 23 seconds long. The children in the videos are estimated to be aged between four and 10.

Coleman, who was dressed in a grey suit jacket and walks with the aid of a stick, claimed he watches pornography a few times on his mobile phone when he is bored and said he scrolls over videos but they can play in the background.

Tom Bennett, mitigating, said Coleman, of Raithwaite Close, Guisborough, is of poor mental and physical health and outlined that these offences are not an escalation in his offending. He said: "It is a de-escalation in that there was no contact."

Coleman is said to have notified his offender manager that he will be purchasing a phone that "doesn't allow him to access internet videos of this nature". Mr Bennett said that, if imprisoned immediately, Coleman's poor health would be difficult to manage by the prison authorities.

Judge advocate Thomas Mitchell said: "You are an old man, you are in poor health. To an extent there will be a burden on the prison service. There is work to be done with you. [You] will have to do that when you are released from this sentence.

"Yet again, for over 50 years you have been committing sex offences. You are compelled to look at material like this."

Coleman was jailed for 10 months and made subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Description

Former Met officer sentenced for rape

A former Met officer has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for the rape of a woman.

Former PC Tony Watts, attached to the North Area Command Unit, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Tuesday, 12 August. He was previously found guilty and remanded in custody on Tuesday, 8 July following a trial at the same court.

The offence relates to an incident that happened between mid-January and early February in 2020 when Watts was off-duty.

The victim-survivor has been supported throughout the course of the investigation and trial by dedicated specialist officers.

Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline Haines, who leads the North Area policing team, said:

“Tony Watts has shown a complete disregard for this victim-survivor and for his duty to protect women and girls – in the vilest way.

“We are going above and beyond at the Met to rid the force of those who corrupt our integrity, and it is quite right that Watts has been held accountable for his actions.

“It would have taken a huge amount of courage and strength to speak to police, the way this victim-survivor did, and I hope this sentence provides some closure.

“My message to any other victims who may have experienced a sexual encounter they felt wasn’t right is that they can and should come forward, and we will do everything we can to support you.”

Watts was arrested following the incident being reported in May 2022.

He was bailed while further enquiries took place, before being charged with rape on Wednesday, 25 September 2024 and suspended from duty.

A misconduct hearing took place on Friday, 8 August where Watts was dismissed without notice after the Chair found he breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour in respect of Discreditable Conduct at a level of gross misconduct.

He will now be added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies, the Independent Office for Police Conduct or His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

Description

A paedophile with a nappy fetish has been jailed for a horrific sexual assault on a toddler.

Ashley Carter - who has a string of previous convictions related to his sexual fascination with nappies - carried out the attack at a hotel in Norwich.

Norwich Crown Court heard the 35-year-old filmed the incident in a bathroom at the Travelodge on Queen's Road.

The footage showed Carter, who was naked, shove a soiled nappy in the face of the child, who became distraught.

Peter Gair, prosecuting, said the assault was deemed to be sexual because of Carter's known sexual fetish involving nappies.

Carter, of no fixed address, has seven convictions for 10 previous offences, including two indecent exposures and two offences of outraging public decency, one of which involved him playing with himself while holding a nappy.

At the time of the assault, in November 2023, the child had been left at the hotel with Carter by the victim's mother.

After police were informed Carter was arrested and found to have 29 indecent images of children on his phone, including two category A, the most serious.

Carter received a 60 month prison sentence when he appeared at court earlier this month after admitting sexual assault on a child under 13 as well as the images offences.

A statement from the victim's mother- described how she felt "numb" as a result of what happened.

Rob Pollintgon, representing Carter, said there was nothing he could say to mitigate the offence apart from that the defendant entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity.

The barrister said it was an "appalling" offence and one that Carter was ashamed of and disgusted with.

Detective Constable Paul Atkinson from the Safeguarding Children Online Team (SCOLT), described Carter as a "repeat sexual offender and predator".

Carter was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 15 years and put on the sex offenders' register, also for 15 years.

He was also banned from contacting either mother or victim, directly or indirectly, for 10 years.

Description

A taxi driver has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenage girl he picked up in his car.

"Despicable" Wahid Riaz, from Nelson, had picked up the victim from Burnley, just after midnight on 23 July 2023, Lancashire Police said.

During the journey she told Riaz how old she was, but he parked at the bottom of her street, told her to hug him and began kissing her before assaulting her and dropping her off at her house.

Riaz, 52, was jailed for five years at Preston Crown Court after being found guilty of a sexual offence.

'Vomited in bathroom'

During the journey he had told the victim she looked 16 or 17 and asked her if she had been with an Asian male, a conversation she captured on a video.

When she got into her house, she "went straight into the bathroom and vomited" before she "cried herself to sleep", police said

In a statement to the court, the victim said: "Immediately after the incident, I had a deep feeling of being dirty.

"I had really long baths and showers, and I would scrub my body so much I would make it red. I was just trying to feel clean."

She said as the incident happened in summer, she was "really conscious about what I was wearing".

"I was anxious and asked myself if my clothes were too revealing or if they showed too much skin, what might happen to me, as I blamed myself and what I wore that night," she said.

Det Con Ryan Benson, who led the investigation, said: "Wahid Riaz is a despicable individual who has a sordid sexual interest in children. He used his position as a taxi driver to isolate and then engage in sexual activity with a vulnerable young girl.

"This offence has had a profound and ongoing impact on the victim.

"Her bravery is a complete contrast to the cowardice Riaz has shown throughout this process, seeking to deny his criminal conduct despite the overwhelming evidence against him."

Description

A rapist from Hereford was sentenced at court yesterday (Wednesday 9 July) to eight years in prison.

Lukasz Szwagulinski, 36, of Whitecross Road, Hereford was found guilty of four offences – two counts of rape of a female, one of sexual assault by penetration and one of sexual assault between December 2024 and January 2025.

Szwagulinski was handed a prison sentence totalling eight years when he appeared before Worcester Crown Court. He was also handed a restraining order against his victim.

DC Amy Cook, of Hereford Reactive CID, said:

DC Amy Cook, of Hereford Reactive CID, said: “We are pleased to get this result for Szwagulinski whose predatory behaviour fully warrant this custodial sentence.

“I would like to pay tribute to the bravery and resilience of his victim and hope this result shows we will always listen to anyone who has been a victim of rape or sexual abuse and prosecute where appropriate, and that it may encourage anyone who has suffered similar abuse to come forward and speak to us.

“We will always listen to you, take your concerns seriously and protect you from predators like Szwagulinski.”

Description

A man who went on the run to avoid being arrested for rape has been jailed.

Scott Salisbury attempted to flee after an investigation into accusations of raping a young girl in Coventry.

Salisbury raped the girl, who was a teenager at the time of the offences, on a number of occasions over a four year period.

The matter was reported to us after she bravely told the police her account.

The 39-year-old from Coventry became aware he'd been reported and attempted to evade capture.

Following a 10-day search, officers arrested Salisbury with the help of our Dogs and Drones units in December 2024.

Salisbury was interviewed by officers from our Rape and Serious Sexual Assault (RASSO) team, providing no comment to the questions put to him.

Our investigation involving helping the female find the right support to empower her to face Salisbury in court.

Now an adult she courageously took to the witness stand at court to provide a personal statement.

Salisbury pleaded guilty to rape and causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Salisbury, from the Tile Hill area of Coventry, was sentenced in his absence to 22 years and six months in prison at Warwick Crown Court on 3 July.

He was also given a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order against the woman for life.

She was thanked by the judge in court, who also said Salisbury's absence from court for sentencing was failing to do the one decent thing he could do.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Evie Griffiths, from the Eastern RASSO team, said: "This was a truly horrendous case, and the fact Salisbury went on the run to try and avoid facing up to what he had done speaks volumes.

"Thanks to her bravery in coming forward to tell her story, and put her trust in the police and criminal justice system, we have taken a truly dangerous sex offender off the streets.

"In the RASSO team, we investigate all reports of rape and sexual abuse, no matter how long ago they took place.

"We would encourage anyone who has suffered sex offences to come forward and tell their story."

Description

A PREDATOR sexually abused an underage girl before storing indecent images of her for his 'perverse pleasure', a court has heard.

William Booth, of Northwich, sexually abused the young girl under the age of 10 over a period of around three years up until 2020.

Chester Crown Court has heard how she told no-one what had happened until she told a therapist in the summer of last year. 

Prosecuting, Ember-Jade Wong read a statement by the now teenager about the psychological impact of the sexual abuse and of the trial process.

The statement said: "From the time of the abuse until recently I did not realise what he was doing was abuse."

The statement added: "I had a month off school because I could not cope. I started self-harming to try to cope."

At the time of the arrest, police seized a phone on which there were indecent images of the young girl, including images from a concealed camera of her getting dressed, getting undressed and going to the toilet.

There were also indecent images of another young girl as well as of an adult woman with a dog.

Booth pleaded guilty to voyeurism as well as making and possessing indecent images, but denied charges of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching.

However it took a jury of 12 men and women no longer than an hour to find him guilty following a trial for all of the other offences this year.

Mitigating, Mark Le Brocq said he has no previous convictions and he is no longer a high risk after stopping the sexual abuse several years ago.

Mr Le Brocq said: "There came a time when he asked 'do you like what I am doing?' and she said no.

"He is able to control himself and he has demonstrated this for around five years after the last one."

On Wednesday, July 9, at Chester Crown Court, the 29-year-old was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a three-year extended licence period.

Recorder Philip Grundy said he is to be subject to a restraining order, a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders register for life.

Recorder Grundy said: "I considered your manner in court to have sinister undertones."

He added: "You have a preoccupation with sex and you were seeking thrills."

Description

A sex offender breached a strict court order by speaking to three young girls - while performing an indecent act in his car.

Max Simpkins pulled up alongside them in his blue Mini Cooper and tried to engage the youngsters, aged eight and nine, in conversation. A court heard the incident in Paynes Lane, Feltwell, Norfolk, at about 5.20pm on October 23, was caught on CCTV.

The scared girls carried on walking home and told their parents, who contacted police.

The 29-year-old of Eastwood End, Wimblington, near March, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) by having unsupervised contact with a child under 18.

He was jailed for two years and six months at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (July 4).

Children 'did all the right things'

DC Sonia Kauser said: "Thankfully the CCTV footage not only showed us what Simpkins was doing, it recorded his voice and the words he used when trying to engage the girls.

"The children did all the right things and continued walking together, ignoring him, and returning home, telling their parents immediately what had happened.

"Simpkins offended out of county assuming he wouldn’t be apprehended but it shows how committed we are in managing sex offenders regardless of where the offence took place. I am pleased that he is now behind bars."

Description

A child sex offender from Sittingbourne who abused his young victim on multiple occasions has been jailed for 13 years.

Aaron Stevens, formerly of Newbridge Avenue, was convicted of 15 offences following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

Investigation

Investigators became aware of Stevens’ crimes in May 2018 after it was reported to police that he had boasted of them online.

Stevens was arrested at his home address on 27 May 2018 and, following a complex investigation by specialist detectives from Kent Police, was later charged.

Jailed

He denied all charges against him but, following a unanimous jury verdict, was found guilty of sexual assault of a child; causing a child to engage in sexual activity; attempting to communicate sexually with a child; possession and distribution of indecent images of a child and indecent exposure.

Stevens, 27, was sentenced on Tuesday 8 July 2025 and will spend an additional four years on licence.

He will be subject to notification requirements for the sex offender register for life and was also ordered to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Sergeant Fleur Hardie said:

‘The depravity of Stevens’ actions is appalling and it is right that this manipulative sexual predator is now behind bars. I am also pleased that the SHPO he has been issued will protect against future crimes being committed, restricting the offender’s behaviour to prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims.‘I would like to praise the courage of the young victim in this case and the witnesses whose evidence helped secure Stevens’ conviction and lengthy sentence. We will always strive to bring dangerous sexual offenders before the courts to face justice.’

Description

A sex offender from Stone has been convicted on a number of counts following a trial.

Shane Davis, 36, of Stone, pleaded not guilty to the offences and went on trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, where the jury deemed him guilty on five counts on Tuesday (8 July).

Davis made forceful advances on the survivors and pressured them into sexual acts against their will. He abused them between 2018 and 2023 until he was reported to us in November 2023.

Investigators worked hard to gather all of the evidence needed to secure charges against him and to support the survivors. Davis was charged with seven offences, including three counts of rape of a woman, three counts of sexual assault of a female and one count of intentional strangulation.

At the end of his trial this week, the jury deemed Davis guilty on five counts, including two counts of rape of a woman and three counts of sexual assault of a female.

Detective Inspector Lewis Haigh, from our rape and serious sexual offences unit (RASSO), said:

"The survivors in this case have shown immense bravery in coming forward and giving evidence in court. They were supported by specialist RASSO investigators, case builders and our partners including Staffordshire Women’s Aid.”

“We’re determined to take robust action against those responsible for sexual offences and violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls across Staffordshire, and this is another example of that commitment."

Davis will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 10 September 2025.