Latest Offenders

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Mark Williamson of the Calderwood area had nearly 5000 indecent images and clips on his devices. A sick Calderwood perv who told police it looked like some children enjoyed being abused has avoided jail. Appearing for sentencing at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday, Mark Williamson was given a two-year supervision order. The 28-year-old, of Maxwellton Road , was also placed on the sex offenders register for the same duration. Court previously heard that nearly 5000 indecent images and video clips were found on devices belonging to the creep, who admitted downloading and possessing child porn between January 2012 and June last year. Fiscal depute, Paula Russell, said girls featured in images downloaded by Williamson could have been as young as four, adding that his Internet history showed searches for pre-teens. His sick predilection was uncovered after police raided a flat in Glasgow Road, Blantyre, where he was staying in June last year. Sick Williamson told police that a distinction should be drawn between teenagers and those under the age of 12, but said he had stumbled upon images while searching online for music. Ms Russell had previously told how Williamson had stressed he was not sexually aroused by them but had a persistent, morbid curiosity. She added: He said he did not enjoy seeing children in pain and could not tell from the images whether or not they were. Their faces were often covered, but possibly in some images the children appeared to be enjoying it. Williamsons defence said his client clearly has issues but had co-operated with social work so far and would continue to do so. Diarmid Bruce added: My client pleaded guilty at the first diet stage. Its a serious matter and he knows his conduct was unacceptable. Sentencing the pervert, Sheriff Thomas Miller said he was willing to go with the recommendations in the very full report he had been presented with. Williamson has also been banned from owning any device with Internet access unless it had the ability to store a search history that could not be deleted.

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A paedophile who repeatedly abused a child while involved in a charity project more than 20 years ago has been jailed. Stephen Madge, from Sevenoaks, was convicted of six counts of indecent assault at Maidstone Crown Court after targeting a teenage boy during the 1990s. Allegations of abuse were first made to Kent Police in November 2014, when it was reported that Madge, 62, had been responsible for multiple offences during his charity work. He was said to have developed an obsession with the victim, who he came into contact with in 1993 and repeatedly abused him throughout the year. Officers arrested him at his home in Bradbourne Vale Road, Sevenoaks, in May 2015 and despite denials of any wrongdoing Madge was charged with six counts of indecent assault. He pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial, where a jury unanimously found Madge guilty on all counts. He was today sentenced to six years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of a further year. Madge was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and added to the sex offenders register, both for indefinite terms. "Sex offenders like Madge wreak incalculable damage on their victims, many who will suffer in silence for years, or throughout their whole lives" - Lisa Roots. Detective Constable Lisa Roots of the Vulnerable Investigation Team said: "Sex offenders like Madge wreak incalculable damage on their victims, many who will suffer in silence for years, or throughout their whole lives. "Thankfully in this case the victim has shown extraordinary courage to come forward. "Madges lies have forced him to testify in court and endure further anguish, but I hope he can now take some comfort that justice has been served. "This case is another example of why we continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward. "We will always fully investigate all accusations of non-recent offences, no matter how long ago they were."

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Stuart Eager, 70, of Lady Lane in Swindon, was convicted by a unanimous jury verdict of three counts of indecent assault at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The court heard that Eager, who denied the allegations, had assaulted the boy on three separate occasions in 1988 at Budds Farm in Havant, where he allowed the victim to sit on his lap and steer his car around. The boy had been 11 or 12 years-old at the time.

Judge William Ashworth sentenced Eager to four years in prison with indefinite licence conditions.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Julia Nicol, who led the investigation, said: "The horrific manipulation and abuse perpetrated by Eager has had a significant impact on this young boy's life.

"He was only 11 or 12 at the time of these offences, which makes them all the more shocking and depraved.

"The boy, now a grown man, harboured this secret for decades, during which he struggled to cope with life and school, his identity, and suffered terribly with his mental health.

"His childhood was stolen from him, and his adult life was spent trying to come to terms with the trauma.

"It is only in the last couple of years that he has found the courage to come forward, and I wholeheartedly commend him for that.

"I have no doubt that there are many people out there that have suffered similar abuse, and spent decades struggling with the trauma, that have not yet found the confidence to report it to police. I would like to assure those people that they are not alone, and we are here to listen to them and support them if they wish to make an allegation."

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A music teacher has been jailed for five years.

A music teacher has been jailed for five years for plotting to sexually abuse young girls in the Philippines.

James Alexander, 42, was caught by the National Crime Agency after he sent money to known facilitators who had live-streamed child sexual abuse from Illigan City.

He was arrested on 30 June 2018 at Manchester Airport as he flew into the UK from Thailand where he lived since 2017.

NCA investigators seized his electronic devices.

Forensic analysis showed Alexander, of Beeston, Leeds, sent at least 15 money transfers to abuse facilitators between August 2017 and Jun 2018.

It also showed that Alexander - who served as a reservist in the Parachute Regiment from 1999 to 2003 – tried to arrange with abuse facilitators over Skype and WhatsApp to travel to the Philippines to abuse little girls himself.

Alexander had a discussion with one female facilitator about a 13 year-old girl, in which he said: "If I meet anyone else I would like younger".

He then asked the facilitator for pictures of her 12-year-old daughter.

It is believed indecent images of the 12-year-old were sent to him, as his recovered chat history shows he said: "nice baby…now take the other pictures I asked."

On 1 February 2018 he and the woman discussed plans for him to meet the girls in a hotel and he asked: "Are you going to bring them both with you and stay also".

He added: "You'll show them what to do."

TJamesAlexander teachinghe woman told Alexander she had other daughters aged nine, six and four.

Alexander, who taught in Leeds and Malaysia before moving to Thailand, asked for sick images of the girls aged nine and six posing in a certain way, and asked what the six-year-old would do with him.

He also explained how he would like to sexually abuse the four-year-old.

Alexander told another Filipino mother – who says she will make her daughters do anything for money – that he wants to have sex with her seven and 11-year-old girls. He directed them to pose for photographs.

NCA officers also discovered other WhatsApp messages where Alexander asked a 10-year-old to send him images of her posing, and asked if he could meet her.

There were no records of Alexander ever travelling to the Philippines.

In-country investigations into the facilitators continue but as a result of NCA intelligence, one suspect was arrested and several children safeguarded.

Alexander taught at Bromsgrove International School in Bangkok, Thailand, which dismissed him upon notification of the investigation. Safeguarding checks were made at the school and there was no evidence of Alexander offending there.

Alexander's phone contained child abuse images.

He admitted one count of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence; three counts of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of making an indecent image of a child.

Alexander, who also performed as a DJ in Thailand, was prosecuted under section 72 of the Sex Offences Act 2003 which allows British nationals to be prosecuted in the UK for offences committed abroad.

Today, at Leeds Crown Court, he was also given a five-year sexual harm prevention order which bans foreign travel, and he was made to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Hazel Stewart, NCA senior investigating officer, said: "Alexander clearly tried to manipulate and exploit the poverty of the vulnerable in order to gratify his sick sexual desires.

"He believed he could abuse Filipino children safely from his home and wanted to visit the Philippines to carry out the sexual abuse himself.

"The NCA has strong partnerships with law enforcement in the Philippines. We work together to combat this kind of offending.

"We and UK policing will never give up our pursuit of offenders who commit these horrendous crimes."

Victims or anyone with information about child sexual abuse offences should contact their local police.

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A paedophile from Penzance confessed to police that he had been "at it again" after they seized his laptop and phone.

Jason Barnes, 29, of Nicholas Parc, was imprisoned for breaching a suspended sentence imposed in October 2016 for making indecent images of children. He committed similar offences less than a year later.

Prosecutor Philip Lee spoke at Truro Crown Court about how police attended Barnes' home in August 2017 and seized a laptop and phone. When the devices were seized, Barnes told police: "I've been silly, I've been at it again." The devices were found to have more than 500 indecent photographs of children on them: 27 photographs of the most serious category A, 19 of category B and 500 of category C. Another phone was seized in August 2018, and he was also found to have made 20 indecent images of children and to have distributed three.

His internet search history contained phrases such as: "teen 12-18" and "hot boy 14".

He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years in October 2016 for previous offences involving making indecent images of children. At the time, he was ordered to undertake a rehabilitation programme for internet sexual offenders.

It took the probation service until November 2017 to make his first appointment, by which time he had already reoffended.

His defence solicitor Brian Fitzherbert argued that this delay was reason enough for Barnes' sentence to be reduced.

He said: "The reason for imposing the internet sex offenders programme is this: For Mr Barnes it had become something of an addiction. He was a man badly in need of the very effective assistance that programme can provide.

"At that stage he had not had a single appointment. It's something that hadn't happened. The first letter for the programme went out in 2017."

He went on to say: "Mr Barnes is now doing much better. He tells me that the programme was extremely useful, that it's helped him to understand the reason why this insidious material became such a large part of his life."

Mr Fitzherbert also mentioned that Barnes had been accessing help from sex offender charity Circles, and asked for credit for his client's early guilty plea.

Sentencing him at Truro Crown Court today, judge Robert Linford said: "On the 21st of October 2016 you were made the subject of a suspended sentence in respect of the making of a number of indecent images of children.

"That order had coupled with it the requirement to attend a sexual internet offenders programme. It is not acceptable that you were not made an appointment for over a year.

"The judge expects his order to be swiftly complied with, not left for over a year. I expect a written explanation from the probation service.

"While you had the deterrent of a suspended sentence, you did not have access to that programme to help with what your defence has called an addiction.

"A few months after the sentence was made you were downloading images, distributing them. You did not need a court to tell you that what you were doing was wrong, seriously wrong.

"I have seen the descriptions of the videos that you distributed. They are all illegal for you to possess, for you to watch, for you to make, certainly for you to distribute."

Judge Linford went on to say: "You are now taking steps to address what your defence has called an addiction. You have pleaded guilty as early as you could. I propose to activate on some part the suspended sentence."

For three charges relating to the possession, distribution and making of indecent images of children, Barnes pleaded guilty, and judge Linford sentenced him to a total of eighteen months imprisonment, of which he must serve at least half.

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A serial rapist could face a rare whole life sentence after he violently forced himself on a 71-year-old woman in her home. Anthony Murphy, 59, raped and molested the woman just four months after his release from prison. He had served 28 years of a life sentence following a string of violent rapes in the 1980s and 90s . Now, he may become one of the few offenders to receive a whole life jail term. After he was found guilty of rape, Judge Peter Armstrong told him: "In light of the history, there'll only be one sentence. "Obviously a life term, and the only question is whether that has to be a whole life term or a fixed (minimum) period. "From what I can see, whole life tariffs are extremely rare. But it may be that this is that sort of case," he added at Teesside Crown Court. Murphy is a Category A prisoner - the type deemed to pose the greatest threat to the public. According to the judge, it costs 10,000 per day to bring such prisoners to court accompanied by at least five prison officers. Murphy will be sentenced via video link on May 16. Rape exactly mirrored previous sex attacks He raped a 71-year-old woman on the morning of November 9 last year, days after he befriended her and her partner in Middlesbrough. Prosecutor Jo Kidd said he violently raped the woman when she rejected him, exactly mirroring his previous rapes. He came to her home, tried to kiss her, and when she pulled away, he grabbed her around the throat and tried to strangle her. He dragged the terrified woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, upstairs to a bedroom and raped her. She walked into a Middlesbrough restaurant that day holding her stomach saying: "I've been raped." 'She thought she was going to die' A restaurant worker who knew her said in a statement: "She looked like a frail old lady. She could hardly walk. "I put my arms around her and she flopped on to me. "She said it happened in her house and said she thought she was going to die." Murphy, formerly of Middlesbrough Road, South Bank, ran from officers across a field before his arrest. He denied two counts of rape and two sexual assault charges, putting the woman through a trial. 'My dying breath, I didn't do this' He insisted to the jury: "I've know I've done some horrible s***e but I didn't do this. "My dying breath, I didn't do this." Jurors did not believe him and, after almost seven-and-a-half hours' consideration, unanimously convicted him on all four counts. The jury had heard about his disturbing history during the trial. He raped three women in France in 1980 and 1982. He hit, tried to strangle the women, threatening to kill one and putting another in hospital for days. Rapist targeted, preyed on and degraded women He forced a fourth woman into a derelict van in Wales in 1991, grabbing her by the throat, threatening to kill her and forcing himself on her. For the 1991 offence, he was given a life sentence with a 10-year minimum term for rape and another serious sexual offence. According to him, he completed sex offender treatment programmes, courses in anger and alcohol control, relationship skills and attitudes to women, and four years in therapy while in prison. He agreed in court that he targeted and preyed on women decades ago, trying to hurt, punish and degrade them. He confessed he did this because he was angry at the world and at women, because they rejected him and were vulnerable. He served 28 years before his release in July last year, and ended up living in a Teesside hostel. 'Obsessed and fixated' He said he lied to the latest victim by saying he had been inside for murder. "I didn't want them to think badly of me," he told the court. He claimed the sexual encounter was consensual and even said the victim professed love for him and "fancied the hell out of me". He denied being obsessed or fixated on the woman. He denied grabbing her arms or throat causing bruises, dragging her, verbally abusing her or threatening to kill her. Murphy had told police: "I thought she was in love with me... It just didn't happen. It's a stitch-up." 'I know everything looks bad' In the witness box, he said: "I know it sounds exactly like what I've done in the past. "I know everything looks bad. But I didn't do this." After jurors rejected his account, Murphy remarked from the dock: "Can I just thank the jury, sir? Thank you." The jury could not reach a verdict on a fifth charge of attempted rape, which will be left to lie on the court file. Detective Sergeant Denise Knox from Cleveland Police said: Justice has been served today and Anthony Murphy has been found guilty of his crimes. This has been a horrendous ordeal for the victim, and I would like to commend her for her bravery for reporting this to police and for her courage throughout the trial. I hope the victim can now start to make steps to moving forward with her life. Cleveland Police always encourage victims of sexual assault and rape to report these incidents to police, no matter how much time may have passed. They will be thoroughly investigated and all support available will be provided.

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A "disgusting" paedophile with a "foot fetish" filmed himself sexually assaulting a young girl. Marco Assogna, 44, also took pictures of an intimate part of his body "on her feet" and created a dedicated file on his computer to store them in. The pervert also allowed indecent images on his computer to be accessed by other paedophiles. He now faces deportation to his native Italy after being jailed for nine years for child sex offences. Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, told Hull Crown Court police raided Assogna's home last year after his IP address featured in an investigation of users of "peer to peer platform sharing of indecent images". Assogna had not physically distributed the material, but had software which allowed the files to be accessed, the court heard, and some were. He cried into a handkerchief as he sat in the dock listening to Miss Quinney describe how had repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl. In total, across Assogna's laptop and three mobile phones that were seized, police found a total of 235 indecent pictures or films at category A - the most extreme - 52 at category B, and 147 at category C. 'Aroused by feet' Miss Quinney said when he was arrested and interviewed, Assogna "admitted he had what he described as a foot fetish, and was sexually aroused by feet". There were 24 images of the victim's feet, which also included Assogna kissing and licking them. In a harrowing victim statement, the girl's mother said Assogna's "monstrous actions" had devastated hers and her daughter's life to the point where she questioned "if we'll ever recover". She said Assogna's manipulative behaviour "makes him even more dangerous". The girl was "frightened what will happen when he comes out of prison", and had "talked of wanting to kill herself". 'We'll battle through this' The victim will need "a lot of help over the years from professionals", her mother said. She said the abuse had "turned my world upside down", but said: "With my love and the wonderful people we know we will battle through this." She also said: "I will be forever grateful to the police." Assogna, of HMP Hull, admitted five sexual assaults of a child under 13, five offences of making indecent photographs, and 27 of either possessing, making, or distributing indecent photographs. 'Deport him' "The UK Borders Act applies to him, doesn't it?" Judge Mark Bury said. "He's an Italian national. Automatic deportation provisions apply. "If the Home Office have got anything about them they will use them, and I'd like that passed on to the appropriate authorities." Richard Thompson, mitigating, said Assogna had written a letter to the court and there was also a pre-sentence report. He said: "The defendant accepts that there has to be a significant custodial sentence for these offences. He has discussed them with the author of the pre-sentence report. "That has not been a straight-forward process for him. He has perhaps expressed himself better in the letter he's written. 'He wants to be a baker' "He has a job in the prison kitchen as a baker, and says that is potentially a future career for him." Assogna would not challenge deportation, Mr Thompson said, and planned to return to his family in Italy. Jailing Assogna for nine years, Judge Bury told him: "It's clear you obtained sexual gratification from this tawdry behaviour. You are , in my view, a disgusting individual. I would approve of a Home Office decision to deport you at the end of this sentence."

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An ex-British Army officer is facing jail after he spent thousands of pounds watching children being sexually abused live on the internet.

Andrew Whiddett, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, also discussed flying out to the Philippines - where the sickening videos were filmed - to commit abuse himself, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The 70-year-old ex-lieutenant colonel, who was awarded an MBE for service in Northern Ireland, pleaded guilty to six charges relating to the sexual abuse of children at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday.

The NCA said his crimes were committed in the UK after he left the Army and finished private contractor work as head of security at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

Following his guilty pleas, the NCA said Whiddett had directed the live-streamed abuse over Skype with "known Filipino child sex abuse facilitators".

Whiddett had conversations with a woman between September and October 2016, in which he made clear he "wanted to sexually abuse a child when he visited the Philippines that October", the NCA said.

Investigators were able to prove that he made 49 payments to the woman totalling £8,584 between January 2015 and July 2017.

On November 21, 2015, Whiddett paid £31.41 to watch a nine-year-old girl abused, the NCA said.

Travel records show Whiddett flew to the Philippines capital Manila on October 21, 2016, and other messages between Whiddett and abuse facilitators were also discovered by officers.

The NCA said it had passed intelligence to Filipino counterparts who made one arrest and safeguarded six children aged between three and 14.

After Whiddett was arrested in October 2017 at Heathrow Airport he admitted in interview to sending 158 payments to the Philippines but said these were for live adult sex shows.

He declined to answer questions in another interview in March 2018.

In court on Wednesday he admitted one charge of attempting to cause or incite a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity in November 2015.

Whiddett also pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity in September 2016.

Under a further charge he admitted that in September 2016 he intentionally arranged or facilitated the commission of a child sex offence.

He will also be sentenced over guilty pleas to three charges of making indecent photographs of a child, involving a total of eight category C and three category B images.

Following the guilty pleas Judge Nicholas Ainley warned Whiddett: "You should prepare yourself for a period of imprisonment."

Judge Ainley had issued a temporary order banning the publication of photos of the defendant because his lawyers claimed it would place him in "particular peril".

But legal representations from the press made in court on Thursday saw this restriction lifted by the judge, who admitted the order was made "in error".

Whiddett, who has no previous convictions and is on bail, will be sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on May 22.

NCA senior investigating officer Gary Fennelly said: "Andrew Whiddett was directly responsible for the soul-destroying abuse of children thousands of miles away from him.

"He thought he could get away with abusing Filipino children from the comfort of his own home.

"Anyone like him should realise the NCA and UK police will never give up our pursuit of offenders who commit these horrific crimes.

"The NCA does important work with international law enforcement partners in the Philippines to combat these sorts of crimes."

An NSPCC spokesman said: "Whiddett's actions have helped to fuel a sickening industry where children are horrifically abused to order.

The effects of sexual abuse can last a lifetime and we hope that the children involved are receiving support and safeguarding to get their lives back on track.

"The internet is used as a gateway to child abuse far too frequently. The NSPCC is campaigning for providers to take greater responsibility for what's shared on their platforms and cut off this vile material at source."

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Update:South Wales Police confirmed Ian Campbell was arrested in Brighton on Wednesday night and is in police custody Police are hunting a sex offender who has been on the run for two years. Ian Campbell, 40, from Rhondda Cynon Taf , was jailed in 2016 for possessing indecent images. He was released from prison in 2017 but failed to comply with his licence conditions. He is now wanted by police for breaching his licence. Officers believe he was once in the Brighton area and might still be there. Sergeant Ben Rowe said: He has failed to comply with strict licence conditions and is a wanted man. It is concerning that somebody with his offending history is not currently being managed in the community - somebody somewhere will know where he is. Our investigations indicate that at some point he visited the Brighton area since he went on the run. He could be living and working under an alias, so, our appeal is to anybody in Brighton, and indeed the rest of the UK, to get in touch if they have seen him or if they know where he is.

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A RESPECTED solicitor who defended paedophiles in court has been jailed for more than eight years for sexual assaults on young girls and boys from a church youth group three decades ago. Evil Mike Pulsford sexually assaulted three boys and three young girls, forcing them to kiss him, touching them inappropriately and even telling one victim it happened because the then 12-year-old boy was pretty. As a solicitor, Pulsford spent decades representing a series of sex offenders in the Swindon courts, despite knowing he had abused children starting when he was just 23 years old. The 67-year-old, formerly of Corsham but who gave the courts an address in Streatham, south London, admitted 16 counts of indecent assault which happened between 1974 and 1989. Pulsford, who had worked for Chippenham law firm Jeary and Lewis before his victims came forward, was a youth club leader and volunteer with the Corsham-based church group Urban Saints for around 30 years. He was working as a clerk to the justices when he was admitted as a solicitor in 1980, becoming a deputy clerk to the North Wiltshire Magistrates a year later. The solicitor was one of the first in the country to receive rights of power to be heard in a crown court, despite not actually being a barrister. He has since defended clients including a number of convicted sex offenders and, at the time, Britains youngest drink driver. The solicitor also represented aristocrat the Earl of Cardigan when he was cleared of assaulting a man in a row over family paintings which were being sold. One victim bravely stood and faced his abuse, questioning whether Pulsford joined the Crusaders just to get to children and telling him that describing him as a man or even an animal would be a travesty. Another told the court Pulsford, who sat emotionless as his victims faced him, would even read a specific chapter from the bible, titled Love to her while they were alone together. The solicitor carried out the sick sexual assaults on youngsters while volunteering for church group the Crusaders, now known as the Urban Saints. Judge Peter Henry told Pulsford he had pretended to live by Christian values he was teaching people, but the whole time he took advantage of his position to abuse young children. The judge said: You were a sexual predator. Whilst it might be said in the 1970s and 80s the public were less atuned to the serious impact of sexual abuse on children, you would be acutely aware as a solicitor. Prosecutor Simon Wilshere told Southampton Crown Court, Hants, Pulsford had been a senior group leader with the Crusaders, where he met all his victims. The court heard Pulsford forced his victims to kiss him and even showed one youngster a horror film so he was scared enough to join the solicitor in his bed at his home in Gastard, Wiltshire, where he then sexually assaulted him. The court heard the attacks happened at Crusaders camps on the Isle of Wight, as well as some at his home in Gastard. Reading a statement to the court, one male victim, now in his 50s, said: I wonder if he was only in the Crusaders to gain potentially unlimited access to children. My childhood innocence was taken away by this evil individual. I was manipulated by an evil individual. Describing him as a person or even an animal would be a travesty. The court also heard from one of his female victims, who he groomed over a number of years, starting by driving her to a layby in his car where they would chat and ending after they had sex when she turned 16. However, when she came forward to report him in 2011 Pulsford denied it and continued his work as a solicitor, finally admitting to the offences last October. As Judge Henry jailed Pulsford for eight and eight months, he told him he will be banned from working with children for the rest of his life. Mitigating, Michael Phillips told the court Pulsford had accepted the title of paedophile but had now changed his ways. The senior investigating officer for Hampshire Police, Detective Inspector Toby Elcock, gave his reaction to the sentence. He said: Michael Pulsford was trusted as a youth group leader to protect the children in his charge, but instead abused this trust over and over again by indecently assaulting them. This was a complex investigation carried out by the Operation Marmion team, and we are pleased that the victims have now finally found justice having suffered the effects of this terrible abuse for decades. The bravery and courage they have shown during the course of this investigation is remarkable. I want to appeal to anyone who has been affected by this type of abuse to come forward and talk to us, and be reassured that you dont have to suffer in silence.

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This CCTV footage shows a savage rapist following a teenager moments before he dragged her under a footbridge and raped her in Leeds city centre. Samuel Fortes, a Portuguese national who was living in Sheffield, was wandering around Leeds city centre for hours in the early hours of Saturday, June 23. At around 3am, a 19-year-old, blonde woman was walking home from a night out with friends when the 27-year-old approached her on St Paul's Street and asked her for her number. She rejected his request and video chatted with her boyfriend as she continued to walk home. But Fortes, a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of domestic violence, did not accept the rejection and started to follow her. Leeds Crown Court heard the woman realised she was being followed and turned to ask Fortes if he had lost his friends. He pointed in the general direction of the city centre. In an attempt to try to deter him, she offered to help him find her friends and told him her friends were nearby - knowing they were not. The video footage shows the woman stopping to sit on a wall to let Fortes pass her. He initially walked past her before slowing down and pretending to urinate on a lamppost. She then continued to walk on and he ran after her to the footbridge. Off-camera, he grabbed her from behind and dragged and carried her under the flyover. At one point, her boyfriend took screenshots of him stamping on her face, but her phone was then smashed. When the video chat ended, he called the police. Under the flyover, Fortes smirked as he raped the teenager. The victim asked him why he was doing it and he responded by repeatedly punching her in the face. She feared for her life and fought back, pulling at his hair in an attempt to get him off of her. Passersby found her handbag, her keys and her smashed phone on the footbridge and disturbed the rape. One man attempted to chase Fortes as he ran off. He hid in a bush for an hour before fleeing to his home in Sheffield. The footage resumes as he left the scene, appearing to have clumps of hair coming out of his curly black hair. When he was arrested at his home, he had clumps of hair missing. Today, the survivor told her rapist in court: "I pity you." He was deemed a 'grave and immediate' risk to the general public and jailed for life with a minimum of eight years. West Yorkshire Police released the CCTV with the permission of the victim, who has the legal right to anonymity. 'I have nightmares about his face glaring back into mine as I asked him to stop' As a result of the attack, the victim needed hospital and dental treatment and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The young woman stood up in court to tell the judge presiding over the case about the affect the rape had on her. She suffered a facial fracture, which healed, but said her remaining facial injuries are 'a constant reminder of the attack'. Other physical affects of the attack included a concussion and chronic headaches, which would cause her to collapse. She said: "My head had swollen to the size of a football, a lot of my hair fell out and I completely lost all my confidence, which I am finding difficult to re-develop." She had to take pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the development of AIDs. She said: "I have experienced what I hope to be the lowest point, mentally, in my life. There were days, at the beginning of my recovery period, where I could not leave my bed and that is simply because I did not see a point in doing so. "I laid in the same position for days, questioning what I could have done differently. Questioning why I was the victim and questioning if the pain I have caused my family was worth walking back [home]. "I could not eat or sleep. I was and still am sickened by the thought that one human could do such a thing to another. "I feared falling asleep as that was the point where my thoughts were vivid. I could picture the face of Mr Fortes glaring back into mine when I asked him to stop. I often thought about the feeling that overcame me as I was under the bridge, a feeling of death, a feeling that words will never justify." She said she 'struggles to adopt a positive view' on people who have similar features as Fortes, but she 'does not intend to discriminate against people based on their differences', adding: "I feel as though my mind has been permanently altered." "I felt completely out of control, and often find myself feeling that way at times," she continued. "The act is an invasion of body and mind, and by forcibly using my body sexually, he has complete disregard for my value." "I feel little and dehumanised when I think back to the incident." She said her dad told a family member: "It is like you have been growing and protecting a flower for 19 years and all of a sudden somebody just comes and stomps on it." But she said: "I dont want people to see me as 'damaged' or 'hurt'." Speaking about the affect on her relationship with her boyfriend, she said: "It was difficult for my boyfriend to see the beginning of the attack, before Mr Fortes smashed my phone, and we often have conversations about how to move forward - this should not be." Statement from West Yorkshire Police Det Supt Jaz Khan, of the Protective Services (Crime) team, was in charge of the investigation and subsequent search for Fortes. He said: "Fortes subjected this brave woman to a horrific ordeal and I want to praise her for her bravery in helping to bring her brutal attacker to justice. She decided to speak out about her ordeal through her statement and then asking for CCTV footage to be released. "Despite being in fear for her life she bravely fought her attacker and her boyfriend had the foresight to screenshot the incident this was a key piece of evidence along with the DNA hit which helped to bring Fortes to justice. I have spoken personally to her and been amazed by her bravery." He said forensic teams searched the scene for vital clues, including a single piece of hair, which helped to quickly identify Fortes as a suspect. He continued: "Working with the victim we have decided to release the footage from the case to help illustrate that whilst this may have been a serious offence we are here to support victims and to achieve justice for them. "The footage we have released is just a small snapshot of the footage we looked through of Fortes to track his movements through Leeds and then build a case against him which led to him being jailed today." Ch Supt Steve Cotter, the district commander for Leeds, said: "We work closely in partnership with Safer Leeds to ensure Leeds is a safe place to live and work. Offences such as this are exceptionally rare. However as in this case we will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice to make communities safe and feel safe."

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A pervert that groomed what he believed was a 13 year old girl has avoided a prison sentence.

Timothy Cadwallader, 68 of London appeared at court where he admitted there counts of an adult engaging a child into sexual activity

The court was told that Cadwallader had contacted the online profile of who he believed belonged to a 13 year old girl.

Referring to himself as naughty daddy, he repeatedly told the child that he wanted to engage her into various sexual acts.

Cadwallader did have one previous conviction which dated back to 2003, when he was arrested for domestic violence towards his partner, by threatening her with a dangerous weapon.

However, the child was actually an adult member of a paedophile hunting team.

Scorpion Hunters, who carried out the sting on behalf of Protecting All Little Souls (PALS) confronted Cadwallader at his home where they questioned him on his internet activity. The police were called and Cadwallader was arrested.

The judge handed him a four month prison sentence which was suspended for 24 months.

A supervision order was put in place and a five year sexual harm prevention order was also issued.

Cadwallader was told to register as a sex offender for a period of five years.

Description

A man from Somerset has been jailed after three sexual assaults across the county.

Mark John Butcher, 36, attacked the women within the space of three months.

The man from Evercreech will face four years and seven months after committing the assaults on women in Street and Shepton Mallet.

He previously admitted three counts of sexual assault and was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court today (Friday, March 12).

After he is released from prison, hell be on licence for a further three years and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

One of the victims was grabbed by Butcher while out jogging. She was pulled to the ground but managed to fight him off and hide in a field.

At todays hearing, Judge Cook said Butcher committed serious offences which showed an escalation in violence. He said the offending was planned as Butcher lay in wait for his victims.

In the first incident on Tuesday 5 June, Butcher attacked a 24-year-old woman in Street. He pushed her against a wall and sexually assaulted her but ran off after she shouted out for him to stop.

The victim was able to give officers a detailed description including the fact the offender was wearing brightly coloured construction trousers.

From CCTV footage officers identified a man matching this description close to the scene of the incident and an image was circulated as part of a public appeal.

The second incident happened just over a month later on Thursday 19 July.

An 18-year-old woman was attacked shortly after leaving a supermarket. During the attack, Butcher grabbed the victim around the throat and pulled her backwards. She managed to force him off and run home where her mother contacted the police.

The third incident happened in Shepton Mallet, at about 7pm on Friday 31 August.

A 20-year-old woman was out jogging when she was grabbed around the throat and pulled to the ground. She fought back and managed to release Butchers grip.

As she tried to run off, he attempted to rugby-tackle her to the ground but she kicked him again and escaped.

At the end of the lane, she spotted a Peugeot car with an S prefix on the registration details of which she gave the police when she reported the incident.

In a statement given to the court, the victim described how the incident had left her paranoid and had affected her emotionally.

It read: I have started to go running again but I have changed my route and how far I run. I am very paranoid about seeing anyone, especially a man. The few days after the incident, I couldnt sleep as it was troubling me and I couldnt process what happened.

I have not wanted people to know it was me who had been assaulted. I have heard people talk about it but I cant say it was me. Ive only been able to tell my close family and friends.

How was Mark Butcher caught?

Investigating officer DC Catherine King said: As part of our enquiries we attended several local businesses to show people the public appeal and CCTV image from the first incident.

At one of the businesses a local quarry two members of staff identified the man in the image as an employee. Mark Butcher, who worked as an HGV driver, was arrested the same day.

A the time of his arrest he was wearing a black polo shirt identical to one in the CCTV image, so this was seized along with other clothing, including pairs of high vis trousers and a baseball cap. We also noticed a blue Peugeot on the driveway matching the description given by one of the victims.

A DNA sample was taken from Butcher and tests found he was a potential contributor of DNA found on the clothing of two of the victims. He was identified by the third victim in an ID procedure.

All this helped to build a compelling case against him and resulted in him admitting the offences at court.

This was a very frightening series of crimes on women in public places. Stranger attacks like this are rare but when they do happen, it understandably causes great concern.

Im pleased Butcher has now been brought to justice and will no longer be able to carry out indiscriminate attacks on innocent people.

Id also like to recognise the immense courage shown by all three of the victims. Theyve all been through a terrifying ordeal and I hope they can move forward with their lives in the knowledge their attacker is now behind bars.

Description

A St George man has been jailed for a sexual assault in the city centre after his DNA was found on the victim.

Yousef Al-Alawi, 21, of Roseberry Park appeared at Bristol Crown Court on April 10. He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault by touching.

He also admitted another count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

Al-Alawi was jailed for 12 months.

The incident happened on a set of steps which run between Bristol Cathedral and the Marriott Hotel during the early hours of July 15, 2018.

The court heard his DNA was found on his victim.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Joscella Thomason said: This was an extremely distressing ordeal for the victim and Id like praise the bravery she showed following the incident and thank her for supporting our subsequent investigation.

Al-Alawi had no choice but to admit he was responsible for the attack due to the weight of evidence against him.

I welcome the custodial sentence given to him and I hope it shows the public how seriously we treat sexual assaults of all kinds.

Anyone who doesn't want to report a rape or sexual assault to the police can call The Bridge - a Sexual Assault Referral Centre available 24/7, 365 days a year, on 0117 342 6999

The Bridge provides medical care and emotional and practical support to anyone affected by rape and sexual assault.