Latest Offenders

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A PEADOPHILE who met up with an underage girl at Machynlleth train station has been jailed for nine and a half years.

Mark Owen, 49, wept as he was told by a judge on Wednesday that he was a high risk to any girl aged under 16.

Owen met the girl at the towns railway station and kissed and cuddled her.

But Swansea Crown Court heard there was no doubt his plans involved having sexual intercourse with her and even making her pregnant.

Owen, from Caerphilly, was under licence from prison and the subject of a restraining order at the time for previous sexual offences against underage girls.

But, said Judge Peter Heywood, that did not stop him from making contact with the girl over the internet.

Her mother became annoyed to find she had exceeded her mobile telephone messages allowance for the second month running.

She examined the phone and was horrified and alarmed to discover messages her daughter and Owen had swapped.

She sent Owen a message of her own and telephoned him to tell him she would contact the police.

Judge Heywood said Owen had shared more than 1,400 messages or conversations with the girl, including 161 on 26 September 2015, the day he travelled to Machynlleth to meet her.

They included messages, from him to her, reading, I can imagine what it will be like on Saturday. Straight to the woods and well do it in the woods.

We would be at it all night. How many babies would you want, honey?

Sexual intercourse did not take place that day, added Judge Heywood, but it was clear that in the days following, Owen made more arrangements to meet up.

After his arrest he denied contacting the girl at all.

But CCTV cameras had filmed him in Machynlleth even though he had pulled up a hood and put on sunglasses.

Judge Heywood said that even while in jail on remand Owen wrote to the girl asking her to send him photographs of her.

When police spoke to him about that he again denied responsibility, but a handwriting expert could prove he had written the letter.

Owen admitted sexual activity with a girl aged under 16, breaching the terms of his licence from prison and a sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that in 2006 Owen had been made the subject of a community order for sexual activity with three girls aged under 13.

In 2009 he was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a girl aged under 16 and breaching the terms of the previous sentence, with an extended licence period of three years.

Judge Heywood said Owen was clearly a dangerous offender.

Because of the threats he had made against the Machynlleth girl she had become too afraid to leave her home even though she had been told he was in prison.

You are highly predatory and have a deviant interest in young girls, he added.

Owen was jailed for nine and a half years and told he could not even apply for parole until he had served six years and four months.

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A paedophile who got his schoolgirl victim pregnant has been jailed for eight years.

Police discovered the harrowing case while they were investigating Stephen John for child-abuse images offences.

The 29-year-old pervert first met his victim online when she was 12, and by the time she was 15 had persuaded her to meet him in Manchester .

He then abused her at his family home, causing her to become pregnant. Then, while she was pregnant, John boasted to her of having committed a sex crime against a very young child.

Sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Tony Cross QC said that in those conversations with the victim he had displayed his ‘true intent’.

The judge added of the victim: “That child suffered a miscarriage at a home, as a result of your unprotected sex.”

John, of Marshfield Street, Longsight , was jailed after admitting a string of sex crimes including distributing and making indecent images of children. He first came to the attention of police in August 2014, after sharing indecent videos of very young children with other perverts online.

Officers learnt that as well as posting the videos using Skype, John was discussing child abuse with other perpetrators. Questioned by police, John claimed he had left his laptop open at home and that others could have downloaded and distributed the images.

But, while he was on bail for those offences, John carried on downloading images of child abuse. In June last year, police found scores more images on another of his computers. And, while investigating those offences, police uncovered his offences against the schoolgirl.

Judge Cross told him: “The most serious images, some of which you distributed to other like-minded individuals, were of extremely young children, and in the estimation of the police some of these children were little more than babies.

“On June 19 you were arrested again, this time you were in possession of a different device, that demonstrates that you set out, deliberately set out, to accumulate images of the sort which were then found, at a time when were on trust, when you full well, despite your learning difficulties, that the possession of these images was considered to be a serious matter.

“Your offending does not end there, because police discovered by interrogating your computer that you had been in an unlawful liaison with a 15-year-old girl. You knew what her age was because the first tine you met her in a car park she was wearing her school uniform.”

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A pervert told who a horrified mother he "hated paedos but had become one" after confessing to molesting her daughter has been jailed for two years.

Calum Adams, 25, was caught after his nine-year-old victim told her mum he had been repeatedly assaulting her and texting her vile messages.

The girl bravely showed her mother sickening messages he had sent her.

Adams, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, first met the girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, when she was aged just four.

However, as time passed he subjected her to numerous sexual assaults.

The terrified victim kept quiet about Adams' twisted behaviour before bravely telling her mum who demanded an explanation.

He sent a text saying: "I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it."

He added "I never meant to do it ` I feel sick" and when he realised the police had been called he wrote "I shouldn't be alive, I am vile, I am a monster."

Adams admitted sexually assaulting the girl between August and October last year and has been jailed at Hamilton Sheriff Court.

He also confessed to intentionally sending his victim messages of a sexual nature.

Sheriff Thomas Millar ordered him to be kept on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Depute fiscal Michael Macintosh said: "He began texting her to ask her to let him touch her saying that she would like it.

"She showed them to her mother who confronted the accused and he made admissions to both touching the complainer and sending the messages and the matter was reported to the police.

"The messages included phrases such as 'trust me you would love it'."

The court heard Adams contacted the girl's mother by text after she confronted him.

Mr Macintosh added: "He said 'I don't blame you for feeling this way and I will go to therapy'.

"The accused added, 'I don't blame you for hating me, I hate paedos and now I have become one, I hate myself because of it'.

Sandy Morrison, defending, said: "It is clear he co-operated fully and there are no matters outstanding and he has no record.

"As a result of these offences, an address will not be provided for him by his family given the nature of the offending.

"These matters are extremely serious and a period of custody will be justifiable although he has been remanded since being arrested in October.

"He is deemed a low risk of re-offending in the future."

Warped Adams has now been disowned by his family.

heriff Millar said: "It is clear from the report that you bitterly regret getting involved in this but you realise the effect these charges can have on those involved.

"You will start to get some assistance while in custody and it will be up to you to see if you still think that the help is necessary when you are released.

"You have recognised the serious nature of the offences and are aware of the consequences of what has to happen to you."

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THIS was the shocking moment an armed paedophile tried to snatch a young schoolgirl from the street.

The girl, who cannot be named, snapped the photo as Roger Seath cornered her against a wall in Southsea.

Now as the 45-year-old pervert has been jailed, a judge praised the 14-year-old girls actions that made her would-be attacker freeze and alerted a group driving past.
The driver confronted Seath, as the terrified and tearful girl was led to safety, and police were called.

When police arrived Seath, who had threatened to spank the girl if she did not go with him, said guilty as charged.

He had followed the girl, matching her pace as she walked across the road to get away from him, prosecutor Robert Bryan said.

Sentencing Seath to 33 months in prison, judge Anne Arnold said: This was a particularly vulnerable victim a 14-year-old schoolgirl. She was certainly threatened by you with being spanked.

Because she, very fortunately, had been pre-warned by her parent, was an intelligent and alert girl with sufficient wherewithal to do exactly what shed been told to do if approached by somebody such as yourself and that was she took your photograph, freezing your approach long enough to be assisted.

After it was revealed Seath has no previous convictions, the judge added: It probably makes it all the more worrying that unpredictably youve committed this offence at this particular time in your life.

She added: You do appear to be a danger to children.

The girl had been told by her mother to take a photo of anyone who approached her or hit out if she was touched, following a previous report of schoolgirl being approached.
Mr Bryan revealed Seath had spent the seven days after arriving in Portsmouth following schoolgirls and videoing them on his iPhone.

Footage played at Portsmouth Crown Court showed Seath walking just 2ft away from two other teenage girls, saying: The smaller one is cuter through, the 14-year-old wasnt interested, I offered her 20 quid and everything.

Im going to have to go now, thats all your getting.

It was unclear if Seath had been talking on the phone to another person while recording, Mr Bryan said. Two other videos showed him discreetly filming two girls on city streets.
Investigators found he had more than 300 images of girls from a social media network.

Chat logs showed he had messaged, called and tried to video call 10 young teenagers, including bombarding one girl he found online.

Seath made 4,246 searches on his phone in seven days 600 a day with the majority related to teenage girls.

He admitted attempted abduction with intent to commit a sexual offence and having a bladed article.

David Reid, mitigating, said Seath has little memory of the incident or the time leading up to it, and had the butter knife on him as he was homeless but living in a hotel.

He does recognise this young girl would have been very scared about what he did and the public in general would be concerned about his behaviour, he said.

Seath, previously of Osborne Road, Southsea, must sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, and a lifetime order restricts his access to children. He must pay a 170 victim surcharge.

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A builder has been sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment after being convicted of attempting to meet a 12-year old girl for sex.

Danny Watson, 37, a builder, of Alderbrook Close, Crowborough, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday having been found guilty that day following a trial of arranging to meet a child aged under 16 following grooming, two counts of possession of cannabis and cocaine, and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

In August last year Watson engaged in indecent on-line contact with someone he believed to be a 12-year old girl, and eventually arranged to meet her in a Brighton street.

However the person he was in contact with was in fact an adult man, who was filming the meeting. He also informed the police, who arrived and arrested Watson.

Watson was already serving a suspended sentence, having been convicted in October the previous year to possession of indecent images of children at his address.

He had been sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, and was also a registered sex offender for seven years.

He is now a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to children and computers until further court order.

He was also banned for life from any work with children and young people.

Detective Constable Steve Smith said; "Watson was already a convicted sex offender less than a year previously, but clearly decided to take a chance at further offending.

"The sentence shows that the courts will take repeat offending of this type very seriously."

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A man has been jailed for more than 18 years for a series of sexual offences in Hampshire, including assaults on two children aged under 13. John Cooper, 57, admitted 15 offences in the Ringwood area in 2014 and 2015. Cooper, of Hurst Road, was convicted of two further offences following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January including the rape of a third female. Police said the victims' courage throughout the investigation had "stopped a "dangerous offender". Det Con Richard Chegwidden said: "These brave individuals have prevented others from coming to harm." Cooper was jailed for a total of 18 years and 9 months. His offences included sexual assaults and taking indecent photos of a child. He was found guilty by a jury of inciting girls to engage in sexual activity.

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Paul Neumann pleaded not guilty to the charges, however he was found guilty and was convicted of the offences, which were dated in October in November 2015.

The court heard how Neumann had pursued young and vulnerable women after offering them alcohol, and afterwards raped and sexually assaulted them.

Officers at Morriston CIDs specialist sexual offences unit, commended the three victims for coming forward and giving evidence for such a horrible case.

Neumann was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for rape and two counts of sexual assault.

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A 55-year-old High Wycombe man who was confronted by paedophile hunters when he attempted to meet a 14-year-old girl after grooming her online has been jailed for 18 months.

Mark Porter was sentenced at Luton Crown Court today (February 10) after a jury found him guilty in December of attempting to meet a girl online following sexual grooming, however it is likely Porter will only serve nine months of his sentence.

During the trial the jury heard that Porter contacted a young girl called Jenny Johnson over the internet, asked her to send pictures of her body and attempted to persuade her to visit his flat.

Porter sent numerous messages to the young girl, claiming he was falling in love, and that he wanted to “make love” to her.

However “Jenny” was a fake Facebook profile created by Neil and Katie Ivall - who launched a not-for profit organisation “Chris Fear” after a relative was groomed over the internet by a paedophile.

Porter was then caught up in a sting by the Ivalls at Luton Rail Station on March 25 last year.

The Ivalls were alerted to Porter by a concerned parent, who believed the High Wycombe man had attempted to contact his young daughter.

Porter denied the charges, claiming he knew Jenny was not a 14-year-old girl, but he continued his contact with her in an attempt to “unmask” those who were behind the messages.

During the sentencing, Judge Phillip Bartle said: “I was the trial judge, and the child in question was Jenny Johnson, who did not exist which is why you were convicted with an attempt to meet a child following sexual grooming.

“A Facebook profile was created by Mrs Ivall and it was she, an adult, who responded to the Facebook messages and the calls to Jenny.

“It was clear from their decision that the jury rejected your defence that you knew Jenny was not a 14-year-old girl and you continued your contact with her to unmask those who were behind this.

“She, as far as you knew, was 14-years-old and you were 54 at the time…

“There were many messages, saying you “want her, can you send me a picture of your body, not a bad one, so I know it is really you.”

During his contact with the young girl, Porter told Jenny not to tell her mum she was talking to him, as he feared being registered as a paedophile.

Judge Bartle continued: “You made arrangements to meet Jenny by meeting her outside Luton railway station, and then, as far as you were aware would drive her back to your flat where you would spend the weekend together, but when you got there you were met by the Ivalls and others. You were then arrested.”

During the sentencing it was revealed Porter committed the offence while he was serving a suspended prison sentence for a crime relating to the harassment of his ex-partner in 2014.

The court heard Porter was emotionally abusive and made his ex’s life a “misery” following the breakdown of their relationship by following her and “turn up uninvited” at places where he knew she would be.

However judge Bartle made the decision not to impose the suspended sentence due to the different nature of the crimes involved.

Porter was also slapped with a restraining order preventing him from contacting the family who approached the Ivalls, and a sexual harm prevention order.

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Two men have been jailed for eight years each for the rape of an 18-year-old girl in a hotel room.

Abdinasir Darbiye and Nurudeen Mohamed, along with one other friend, had met the victim while at a nightclub in Watford town centre on August 1, 2016.

She had been with two of her friends and at the end of the night one of the men offered to give the three girls a lift back to the Travelodge at Maylands Avenue where the girls were staying.

However once there, the girl became seperated from her friends and 22-year-old Darbiye and 23-year-old Mohamed raped her in the hotel room.

Darbiye, of Steward Holte Walk in Barnet, was found guilty at Luton Crown Court of three counts of rape and Mohamed, of High Road, north London, three counts of rape.

Both men were sentenced to eight years in prison.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Jarl Thomason, from Hertfordshire Constabularys Sexual Offences Investigation Team, said: Darbiye and Mohamed subjected their victim to a harrowing and prolonged ordeal which left her traumatised.

"I would like to thank her for her bravery in reporting the matter to police and in her assistance with the investigation.

The sentences handed to Darbiye and Mohamed by the court reflect the gravity of their offences. They now have a long time ahead of them to think about the harm they have caused this young woman.

Darbiye and Mohamed were acquitted of one count of digital penetration and the third man who it was alleged had been present at the time of the offence and was found not guilty of rape by joint enterprise.

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SERIAL sex offender has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after he was found guilty of committing sexual offences against both an adult and a child.

Simon Robertson, 51, of Coley Lane, Chilbolton, was convicted and sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday 27 January.

Robertson was convicted of one count of rape against an adult, one count of rape against a child and three counts of sexual activity with a female child.

The offences against the adult victim took place in Haringey, North London, between January 2001 and May 2003.

He was also convicted of sexual offences against a child victim in Maidenhead, Berkshire, between May 2013 and June 2014.

Robertson was found guilty by a unanimous jury following a three week trial.

Investigating officer Det Con Victoria Steele of the Thames Valley Police Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "This was a lengthy and complex investigation completed by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit and Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit in relation to serious sexual assaults on victims who were selected by Robertson due to their vulnerability.

"As a result of the abuse, the victims and their families have suffered long term, ongoing effects. The high sentence reflects the severity of the offences committed by Robertson and the danger he poses to women.

"The victims in this case had to relive the trauma of the abuse they suffered due to Robertson's not guilty plea, but the evidence they provided was compelling.

"The victims have displayed extraordinary bravery and it is a result of their courage that Robertson now faces many years in prison.

"I hope this provides them with a sense of justice and an opportunity to look positively to the future.

"Robertson is a serial sex offender who poses a real and very serious threat to women.

"He will rightly now spend a very long time in prison."

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A young girl was sexually assaulted and suffered almost 30 separate injuries after she was left with a pervert for a long weekend.

The child was brutally attacked and was covered in bruises when she was returned to her horrified mother.

The victim had wounds to her arms and legs, as well as her back, buttocks, face and head, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

There was also a bite injury which matched thug Stefan Tooles bite and finger pressure marks on the girls knees associated with a sexual assault.

Toole and his girlfriend, Shauna McEvoy-Byrne, had been allowed to look after the victim for a weekend in March 2015 but hoped to cover up her injuries by keeping her for longer, the court heard.

Toole, 22, of Deelands Road, Rubery , was jailed for four-and-a-half years having admitted child cruelty, assault and sexual assault.

McEvoy-Byrne, 20, of the same address, was convicted of child cruelty at trial.

She was handed a 26-week suspended sentence.

In a phone call, McEvoy-Byrne told the mum the girl had bruised her arm when she fell against a radiator.

But, when the handover took place, the mum said her daughter was in a dishevelled state and had a mark on her head.

Jennifer Josephs, prosecuting, said: She saw that her childs body was covered in bruises.

She was absolutely horrified and called the police.

Doctors found the girl had 29 sites of injury, the court heard.

Passing sentence, Judge Philip Parker said Toole received a police warning in 2008 after sexually assaulting a girl under 13.

It was deeply disturbing that he had committed a similar offence while in charge of a young girl, the judge said.

The judge said the injuries to the victim were consistent with being treated harshly and rough handling.

And he told McEvoy-Byrne: You were aware of those injuries and you hoped to cover them up by delaying the handover.

Charles Crinion, for Toole, said there was no evidence of any sadism and went on: The injuries were caused when he lost control of himself.

Sharon Bailey, for McEvoy-Byrne, said: He was somewhat dominating towards her.

She accepts she should have seen the obvious but didnt.

She closed her eyes to the obvious.

She did not want to accept that Toole could behave in such a way.

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A man has been jailed after grooming and then sexually abusing a young girl.

Paul Jenkins of Southampton appeared at Southampton Crown Court where he faced a four charges of child sexual abuse.

The court was told that Jenkins began abusing the girl when she was just 11 years old and the repeated abuse continued for two years.

Jenkins was found guilty of three of the four charges he faced.

The judge handed Jones a 30 month prison sentence of which he must serve half.

Jones is also required to register a sex offender for life

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Dale Wycherley locked his victims in a Barlestone flat as assaulted them A teenager who groomed and sexually abused two young girls in Barlestone has been jailed for four years. Dale Wycherley, of HMP Nottingham, encouraged his teenage victims to send indecent photographs and exchange inappropriate messages on Facebook. He arranged to meet the girls, aged 13 and 15, in Barlestone and persuaded them to buy alcohol before sexually assaulting them in a village flat. The 15-year-old girl said she had been left scared of men and had made several suicide attempts since the abuse in a victim impact statement read to Leicester Crown Court. Wycherley, 19, was sentenced to four years in jail on Friday and was ordered to spend an extended three years on licence when released. He was given a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and will be placed on the sex offenders register for life. In June last year, Wycherley arranged to meet the two girls through social media before assaulting them. The girls reported the incident to the police and Wycherley was arrested. As part of their investigations, officers seized his iPad and mobile phone and discovered indecent images of four other victims. In a victim impact statement read by prosecuting barrister Philip Gibbs, the 15-year-old girl said: I have self-harmed, maybe once a day and I have made suicide attempts because of the shame of what happened. Im scared he will hurt other girls who will go through what I am going through. I feel scared and nervous around men in general. It has taken me six months to be able to trust the support staff I live with. I find it really hard to be around men. Detective Constable Amanda Thwaites, who has worked on the case, said: The victims in the case have shown tremendous courage in coming forward and speaking about their ordeal. I know it has not been easy for them to go over what happened, but ultimately, without their support we would not have been able to bring Wycherley to justice. We are committed to tackling child sex exploitation and take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly. "It can be very difficult for people to come forward and report abuse, whether it happened a long time ago or more recently. We have a specialist team who deal with these cases and we work closely with social workers and other partner agencies to provide the best possible support and help to victims. I would urge anyone who thinks they could be a victim to come forward. Anyone that does contact us will have their report treated with the upmost sensitivity and specialist officers will be on hand to support and assist victims. Leicestershire County Council staff are part of the specialist team tackling child sexual exploitation and have offered support to the victims and family members. Ivan Ould, cabinet member for children and families, said: It takes immense bravery for victims to speak out and Id like to praise the young people in this case. Were committed to tackling CSE and our social workers work hand-in-hand with police officers to help victims feel confident about disclosing abuse and exploitation. Im pleased this support is helping to secure convictions. At an earlier hearing Wycherley pleaded guilty to:

• making Category C indecent images of a child between October 2014 and July 2015
• meeting a child following sexual grooming in June 2016
• sexual assault in June 2016 inciting a child to engage in sexual activity between January and June 2016
• making Category A, B and C indecent photographs of a child between January and June 2016
• inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in March 2016
• making indecent photographs of a child in March 2016
• inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in May 2016

Description

A sex gang leader who preyed on 15-year-old girls with his girlfriend has tracked down and jailed after fleeing Britain for Spain.

Paul Silverthorn, 36, gave one of his victims legal high '5 NEO' before stifling her screams with a ball gag and tying her to a bed, a court previously heard.

The fugitive paedophile has now been jailed for nine years after he was arrested on the holiday island of Ibiza earlier this month.

He was arrested months after his girlfriend, Leila Kassam, was also caught in Spain.

Kassam, 32, fled to the same island after admitting child sexual exploitation offences last March.

But she was captured after a local worker recognised her from a Crimewatch appeal over the summer while she was working as a farmhand and she was extradited to Britain last November.

Silverthorn, formerly of Leytonstone, east London, was jailed for nine years for sexual offences against teenage girls after being returned to the UK on a European Arrest Warrant.

He fled Britain after pleading guilty last March to two counts of unlawful sex with a 15-year-old victim, and one count each for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

He failed to appear for trial in May in relation to an offence of administering a substance for sexual purposes to a second 16-year-old victim, and was found guilty in his absence.

He was sentenced in his absence to nine years in June; receiving four years for the administration offence; four years for each of the unlawful sex offences; and six months each for the two separate indecent photo offences.

Detective believe he fled to Spain last April with his former girlfriend Kassam who was also sought in connection with the case.

She too had failed to appear for sentencing after pleading guilty at the March hearing to having unlawful sex with the same 15-year-old victim as Silverthorn; and admitting to arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

The offences, which took place between May and December 2014, involved two victims who were purposely befriended, taken to a central London address, plied with 'legal highs' and alcohol, and - in the case of the first victim - sexually abused by the couple.

The pair were found after a farm owner in Ibiza, who had hired them as farm hands over the summer months, recognised them following appeals on Crimewatch and by Crimestoppers.

Kassam was arrested in November and flown back to the UK on December 9. She was jailed at Blackfriars Crown Court for four years.

Silverthorn and Kassam received an additional six-week sentence for breaching their bail.

The pair were described as leading figures in a sex ring exploiting young girls during 'legal high' parties at a flat in Haymarket, central London.

Another member of the gang, Daniel Trinnaman of Harrow, was sentenced to two and a half years in jail after being convicted of causing a 15-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity and perverting the course of justice.

Faham Jaffer, 34, who had sex with one girl after Kassam texted her a photo with a message which read, 'Only got me a cute little 15-year-old', was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of sexual activity with a child.

Silverthorn, described by Spanish police as a Canadian national, is said to have given his victim legal high '5 NEO' before stifling her screams with a ball gag and tying her to a bed.

Det Con Rob Dewhurst, from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said after Trinnaman and Jaffer were jailed and the other two gang members went on the run: "This is a shocking case of child sexual exploitation.

"The defendants targeted young vulnerable girls, plying them with alcohol and what were then legal highs in order to facilitate their sexual abuse by a number of people.

"I commend the young victims for their courage in reporting the offences and giving evidence at trial."

Description

School technician, 44, who swapped more than 18,000 messages, naked pictures and explicit videos with an underage pupil via fake Facebook accounts is jailed for four years

A school technician swapped more than 18,000 messages, naked pictures and explicit videos with an underage pupil in what was described by a judge as 'one of the worst cases of grooming' he'd ever seen.

Matthew Ian Townsend, 44, from Penzance, Cornwall, who also ran magic lessons for children, was discovered after a pupil saw him kissing the girl at a school in west Cornwall.

Townsend pleaded guilty to inciting a girl aged under 16 to perform sexual acts, two charges of intentionally sexually touching the girl, performing a sex act in front of the girl and possessing 240 indecent pictures and 16 videos of a child.

Prosecutor Ramsay Quaife told a judge at Truro Crown Court that the school technician had set up false Facebook accounts for him and the girl and messages started to be sent and those messages were sexual in nature.

Those messages soon became pictures and videos.

'If she didn't send a message, he would not talk to her and she did not like that,' he said.

'He was even able to buy her clothing that he asked her to wear during these photographs and videos.'

Mr Quaife said the pair sent each other around 500 sexually explicit pictures.

He said that after Townsend's arrest, the girl told police that the pair had initially just been friends.

Defence barrister Steve Molloy said: 'Mr Townsend is a broken man.

'He is a family man with two small children. The background in no way excuses what he's done but he is one of the hidden victims of male domestic violence.

'What happened on this occasion is that he became friendly with the victim.

'This was someone he believed he had a connection with, although she was a schoolgirl.

'I would suggest he is not someone who is habitually attracted to teenagers.

'The defendant was not in his right mind at the time and has been greatly affected by the devastating effect on the girl.'

He added that the Probation Service judged Townsend's risk of reoffending to be low and said his client had vowed to move away from Cornwall.

Addressing the defendant, Judge Simon Carr said: 'This is one of the worst cases of grooming I have seen.

'Quite deliberately, over a period of time, you continued to raise the expectations of this young girl and got her to do increasingly more extreme sexual acts for your enjoyment.

'You continually pushed her to go further than she did before. This included masturbating in front of the screen and wearing inappropriate clothing that you bought for her.

'The pressure that you brought to bear on her was immense. The sheer number of messages shows that, let along their contents.

'At the time you were in your early 40s about 30 years older.

'You were in a position of immense responsibility and trust.

'The effect on her has been totally devastating. The suggestion that she did not see it as serious is something I utterly reject.

'She has suffered from depression and has on occasions considered taking her own life.'

He sentenced Townsend to four years in prison for inciting a girl aged under 16 to perform sexual acts.

For the other offences Townsend was sentenced to three terms of eight months in prison to run concurrently.

Townsend will remain on the Sex Offenders' Register for life and sexual harm order, to run indefinitely, was also made by the court.

This means Townsend must allow police access to his internet history and computer passwords on request and not live or stay in a premises where someone is aged under 16, unless authorised by the Family Court or Social Services.