Latest Offenders

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A CHILD sex fiend who worked with kids at author Beatrix Potters former home was caught with a sickening stash of porn.

Aaron Sanders, 21, was the second instructor to be caught with hardcore child porn at the Dalguise outdoor activity centre in Perthshire once the summer home of the Peter Rabbit writer.

His depraved collection, including scenes of toddlers being raped, was uncovered when he lent his laptop computer to colleagues.

The images were described by experts as among the worst they had ever seen, Perth Sheriff Court was told yesterday.

The Dalguise centre, run by PGL Travel, is used by schools for outdoor holidays for pupils from seven to 16.

Yesterday, Sanders was placed under supervision for three years as part of a community payback order and told to attend sex offender group work sessions.

The court heard Sanders had downloaded images after using search terms including 14-year-old Russian girls and pregnant 13-year-old.

John McLaughlin, defending, claimed Sanders, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, who admitted possessing the indecent images, had been trying to search for adult porn.

He said:

These images were downloaded and deleted from his computer. He had no interest in these matters but has to accept responsibility for possession of them.

A spokesman for PGL Travel said they had followed proper procedures and added:

We take the safeguarding of children in our care extremely seriously.

In 2010, PGL team leader Mathew Faulds was jailed after being caught with child porn at Dalguise.

Sheriff Lindsay Foulis jailed Faulds, 26, from Dundee, for a year and added a further three-year period under supervision after his release.

Faulds admitted having child pornography and told police: I was into child pornography. I thought I had deleted it before I went to Dalguise.

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A PAEDOPHILES victim was left terrified to leave home after her attacker walked free for a year. Now her family is seeking a change in the law.

When Derek Hartley, 40, was jailed for 15 months in February 2008 for sex offences against teenage girls, police said he preyed on vulnerable young girls but he was released on bail just months later.

Another of his victims, who had seen Hartley, of Kelsall Road, Cheadle, in the media for the sex offences he had committed, reported her own ordeal to the police in April 2008.

But Hartley was still released on bail six months after her accusations.

Only on Thursday at his sentencing was he put back behind bars, jailed for 13 years at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to raping a child and three counts of indecent assault on a child.

He must now sign the sex offenders register for life.

The victims grandmother, who remains anonymous for legal reasons, said although police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) tried its hardest to keep Hartley jailed, its hands were tied.

She said:

"We were with her all the time and she was frightened to go out.

"If he had been remanded we would have all felt a lot better.

"Even though he was monitored he was walking the streets.

"It made it so much worse for her I dont know how she would have felt if she had seen him. Because it was an archive case he couldnt be held and we would like to see that changed.

"I feel absolute hatred for this man he is horrible. He showed no remorse in court. The family was left absolutely devastated but it has brought us closer together."

"The police and the CPS were absolutely fantastic and tried their best but were told they couldnt remand him."

A CPS spokesman confirmed Hartley was released from prison on October 4, 2008 and charged three days later.

He added: "As part of the terms of his release, Hartley was placed under strict supervision and had to comply with a number of conditions.

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RAPIST Robert Gordon is a man with a violent past who has committed more than 50 other offences.

As well as carrying out the July 1981 rape in Basingstoke's War Memorial Park, Gordon has previously served four years for the rape of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in 1982, just three years after he married his wife Michele, who is standing by him.

Gordon, of Gainsborough Road, Black Dam, Basingstoke, was convicted by a jury of rape, indecent assault and making threats to kill, relating to the July 1981 attack, following a trial in December.

During the six-day trial at Winchester Crown Court, jurors heard that a partial DNA profile, pieced together from samples collected from the victim at the time, produced only one match on the national DNA database – Gordon, who often walked in the park where the attack took place.

Jailing Gordon, below, for nine years, judge Mr Justice Hamblen described the attack as "terrifying" for the victim and said the traumatic ordeal has had a "lasting effect" on her life.

The victim, then in her 30s, had been walking her two dogs through the park when she was approached by Gordon, who asked her for directions before kicking her legs from under her, forcing her to the ground, punching her and banging her head on the ground.

He raped her at knifepoint, ignoring her pleas and cries for help and telling her he would kill her if she did not keep quiet.

Gordon pressed the knife to his victim's chest so hard that she still bears a scar from the attack.

A jury took four hours over two days to find Gordon guilty. After delivering their verdicts, they heard that Gordon has a long list of previous offences – 13 convictions for 55 offences, including burglary, theft, assault and actual bodily harm prior to 1981.

He was convicted of harassment in 2008 against his wife's best friend and was sentenced to six months imprisonment. He was convicted of harassment against the same woman in 2010 and was handed a suspended sentence.

Defending Gordon, Nick Wayne said that aside from these offences, his client had "turned his life around" since the rape, and told the judge a significant sentence would have a devastating effect on Gordon's wife and children.

Judge Hamblen sentenced Gordon to nine years for the rape, with a 12-month sentence for the indecent assault and three years for the threats to kill, to run concurrently with the nine-year sentence.

Gordon showed no emotion as he was sentenced.

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A MAN convicted of repeatedly raping a teenage girl has been jailed for 13 years.

Lorne Turner was told by a judge he had asserted that the victim was lying, but that a jury had rightly rejected his defence.

The 38-year-old of Aberdale Close, Blackburn, had been found guilty after a trial of three charges of rape.

He had admitted a single charge of sexual activity with a child.

Preston Crown Court heard that his behaviour had included him offering the girl money for sex. She had refused, but he had gone on to rape her. She had also tried to resist him, but could not stop him.

Turner had denied the rape allegations, asserting that the girl had been lying.

Mr Thomas Gilbart, defending, said

“He understands that the offences he has been convicted of can only be met with a substantial custodial sentence.

“He has never served custody in the past. He has anxiety and fear about the lengthy sentence that will be passed.”

Judge Angela Beech told Turner: “Your conduct towards the girl has had, to put it mildly, a profound effect on her.”

The judge said the girl had urged all those who have been sexually abused to speak out about it.

Turner will be on the sex offenders register for life and banned from having any unsupervised contact with any girl under sixteen.

DC Lyndsey Vaughton, who led the investigation said:

“This has been a very traumatic time for the victim. But, I am satisfied that the sentence fits the crime committed. Whilst, the trauma the victim suffered will never go away she will have some comfort in knowing her attacker is behind bars.”

Description

He had served 18 years in Australian prisons and after being released from his last sentence he was deported to the UK.

A sadistic paedophile who went on the run after being kicked out of Australia was yesterday jailed for three years.

British born Kenneth Trotter, 78, served a series of jail sentences Down Under before being sent back to the UK last year.

Now the serial sex offender has been locked up after a judge described him as an exceptionally dangerous man

Trotter had been ordered to tell police if he changed his address.

But a court was told he blatantly and flagrantly breached the order by pre-meditated and wilful acts of defiance.

At one stage officers had no idea where he was and had to launch a public appeal for help.

The pervert was branded sadistic and callous by a judge who jailed him for child sex attacks in New South Wales.

He had served 18 years in Australian prisons and after being released from his last sentence he was deported to the UK.

But last year a court heard how within a month of landing Trotter had tricked his way into a church group to meet girls.

He had pretended to have been sent from a Jobcentre to hire 14-year-olds to work as canvassers. He even tried to lure girls to live with him.

Trotter, who had set up home in Blackpool, Lancashire, had denied two breaches of the order.

Jailing him for three years at Preston Crown Court, Judge Graham Knowles QC said he had been determined to give police the slip.

He said Trotter had a long and foul history of sexual depravity in Australia, where a list of 36 offences included indecent assault and gross indecency.

And he added: You, Trotter, in my view, are an exceptionally dangerous man with nothing to lose.

A pre-sentence report by the probation service speaks of prolific sexual offending against vulnerable male children, the predatory manipulative nature of offending, your portrayal of yourself as a victim, your refusal to accept any responsibility for your behaviour, your lack of remorse, your continued denial of any sexual interest in children and a lack of victim empathy.

The court had heard how on four separate occasions he visited a mother of four in Blackpool, pretending to be canvassing for work for sewing machine repairs.

It was the same ruse which had been a feature of his offending in Australia where he had lived for more than fifty years.

He had dual nationality but his Australian citizenship was revoked when he was booted out last year.

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A SEX offender committed flagrant breaches of a restrictive order by having frequent contact with girls aged under 16. Alan Dobson, 39, was jailed for 16 months after Durham Crown Court heard that he completely ignored the Sexual Offences Prevention Order within four months of it being imposed. Dobson has previous convictions for having sex with girls under 16 when he worked in a kebab shop in 1997, and for sexual activity with a girl under 16, for which he received a suspended prison sentence, in 2005. Adrian Dent, prosecuting, said due to concerns over his behaviour, the order was sought by police and imposed by North Durham magistrates, in April. It forbade him from having unsupervised contact with any child under 16. But the court heard that while working as a pizza delivery driver he took girls for a ride in his car when making deliveries, in August. Mr Dent said he bought the girls alcoholic drinks, took them to a McDonalds takeway and to secluded woods and made suggestive comments to them. He also allowed one of them to take to the wheel of his car on a delivery run, and, when he became aware police were looking into his activities, he told the girls to cover up for him. Dobson, of Melville Street, Chester-le-Street, admitted eight counts of breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and one of sexual assault. Lorraine Mustard, mitigating, told the court: The breaches are, perhaps, not the most serious, but hes aware that taking these girls in his car when he was delivering pizzas is worrying. Miss Mustard added that the shop owner was aware of Dobsons previous convictions when he employed him. Jailing him, Judge Esmond Faulks told Dobson: You took these girls in your car, bought them alcohol, made suggestive remarks and, clearly, this was grooming them, in the hope of sexual activity. You completely ignored the order. These were flagrant breaches. The order was renewed indefinitely, while Dobson was disqualified from working with children and must register as a sex offender for the next ten years.

Description

A computer engineer has been jailed for two years for distributing indecent images of children in one of the "most serious cases" a judge has heard. Keith Gibson, 50, of Milford Cottages, Kennford had 2,300 still and moving images on his computer which he then distributed to a paedophile ring. Exeter Crown Court heard some content included the rape of a three-year-old. Gibson from Devon admitted 10 offences of making, four of distributing and two of possessing indecent images. The court heard he formed part of an internet paedophile ring which exchanged child sex fantasies and images in chat rooms with some of those involved posing as children. 'Pre-meditated' behaviour The victims included babies under six-months-old and two of the movies he distributed showed girls aged about three and 10 being raped. He was caught through an investigation by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection squad in London, the court heard. Judge Francis Gilbert QC said: "You did not care if you were talking to adults or children and you fantasised you were talking to children. "The probation report says your behaviour was pre-meditated, well planned and persistent and that you went to significant lengths to avoid detection, and you had no regard for the children who were being abused. "In my judgment this is one of the most serious cases of this type I have ever come across." Gibson ran a computer repair business where police seized equipment and found 1,682 still images and 638 movies of which just under 1,000 were in the most serious category. Formerly of Milford Cottages, Kennford, Gibson recently moved to River Drive, Cullompton, following flooding at his property over Christmas.

Description

A teaching assistant has been jailed for two years and four months after admitting a string of sex offences against children.

The youth worker, originally from Jewson Road, Norwich, was jailed for grooming a boy over the internet, child abduction and sexual assault.

The offences involved four boys in Swaffham and Norwich.

Following the case, Norfolk police urged parents to become more aware of the 'dangers of the online world' and to not be afraid to check their children's social network use.

Reuben Poll used the alias Jordan Green on social network site Facebook to chat to one 11-year-old.

The court heard how he groomed the boy by making sexual comments in private messages.

He encouraged the child to send explicit photos of himself and sent the child pornographic images.

Reuben, who volunteered at a youth club in Swaffham and worked as a teaching assistant at primary schools around Norfolk, then met up with the boy at a park in January this year.

But he was caught after the child's mother became suspicious.

William Carter, prosecuting, told Norwich Crown Court that the 11-year-old's mother noticed a change in his behaviour and discovered the messages from 'Jordan Green' when she checked her child's Facebook account dating back to early December 2012.

She took the laptop to police and Poll was arrested on January 12.

Her son told officers how Poll had 'drawn me in' through the messages in which he claimed he was 16 years old rather than 20.

He told the child: 'I want to be like your big bro and look after you.'

When Poll was arrested by police two boys, aged 12 and 15, were in his white Renault Clio without their parents' consent.

They said they were going to Poll's flat to do some decorating, but the children's parents said they were 'horrified' when told by officers, and Poll admitted two counts of abduction.

He also admitted sexual assault by touching a child at a Swaffham youth club where he volunteered. The case was dismissed by the club when reported by the boy last year as they believed Poll's denial.

Poll will now be placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Andrew Shaw, mitigating, said Poll had a very troubled upbringing and was 'damaged' and 'confused'.

He is the son of a woman described in court as 'probably Norwich's most notorious prostitute' Carmen Dye. He was taken into foster care aged eight and grew up in Dereham.

But Mr Shaw said that his attempts to get his life on track by becoming a teaching assistant were scuppered when his sister Natasha Dye died from a drugs overdose supplied to her by her mother's partner. He fell into depression and lost his primary school job.

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A former teacher and rugby coach at a Somerset school has been jailed for 10 years for child abuse.

Keith Ruby, 36, of Biddisham Lane, Axbridge, was convicted at Taunton Crown Court of 16 counts of serious sexual offences against a teenage boy.

During sentencing, Judge Graham Hume Jones, said: "You abused the trust of a young boy and the trust of his parents, and you brought shame on them."

The school has said all the necessary safeguarding checks were made on Ruby.

The judge said Ruby was regarded as an "ardent and enthusiastic" sports coach who encouraged the boy in his favourite sport.

He said: "But you did this to indulge your sexual interests with this boy. In his evidence, the boy used the phrase "hero worship" to describe his relationship with you.

"Having gained his trust you then gained the trust of his parents."

The court heard the boy's family was "duped" by Ruby who entrusted their son into his care outside school for rugby matches and an overseas trip.

'Completely distraught'

He said: "It is not hard to imagine how this boy's family feel after being duped by you.

"He worshipped and trusted you, and lied to the police to save your skin.

"Even then you met him again and abused him."

A spokesman from the school has said: "Our safeguarding procedures, both now and at the time of these incidents, are completely compliant and all necessary checks on the suitability of Keith Ruby to work with children were carried out by the school.

"However, unfortunately no vetting system can guarantee that every paedophile is identified."

Ruby will be placed on the sex offender's register for life and will never work with children again.

Det Ch Insp Richard Kelvey, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Keith Ruby is a manipulative man who insinuated himself into the lives of this victim and his family.

"He regularly sat at their dinner table and was welcomed into their lives as a trusted friend, teacher and coach to their son.

"His betrayal and abuse has left them completely distraught."

Mr Kelvey added that it took several years before the victim felt able to disclose the abuse he had suffered.

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A FORMER holiday park entertainer and photographer has been jailed following sickening sexual assaults on a girl with learning disabilities.

Tim Hankins, who also went by the stage surname Masters, had offered to look after the vulnerable girl at weekends to give her parents some respite.

But the 53-year-old was secretly abusing the girl from the age of 11 until she disclosed the abuse to a teacher at her school.

Four-times-married Hankins was arrested and denied the allegations but detectives found more than 400 different photos of children being abused on his computers.

At Portsmouth Crown Court, he was jailed for six years for the abuse and six months for the indecent photographs.

He said: Tim Hankins was in a position of trust and he completely abused that trust, knowing that the victim was vulnerable.

He is dangerous and, as far as children are concerned, he is a danger and threat to them.

Hankins, formerly of Beach Road, Hayling Island, was a well-known figure and worked for decades as a keyboardist entertaining guests at holiday parks.

He was also a photographer and had a shop in Mengham which is now closed.

Hankins pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of children and was jailed for six months.

He was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault by penetration of a female under 13. For that he was jailed for six years.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

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THE most evil of offenders thats how a detective described Basingstoke paedophile Paul Thomas, who was this week convicted of 25 counts of various sexual offences against four young girls committed over several years. Sick Thomas crimes included rape and indecent assault, and one of his victims was just eight when she was first abused. A jury found 50-year-old Thomas, of Western Way, South Ham, guilty of 25 of the 31 charges he faced during a two-month trial at Winchester Crown Court. A second man, Jerry Lee Howe, 40, of Dunnyshop Avenue, Accrington, Lancashire, was found guilty of three charges, including rape, invoving one girl. Both men had denied all charges. The trial heard the crimes spanned some 15 years, from the mid-1990s to 2010, when the first victim came forward to Hampshire Constabulary. The victims were abused separately at different times and locations. Kerry Maylin, prosecuting, said: The victims were, the Crown say, sexually abused. They were children and some of them very young. A victim told the court how Thomas gave her cash and cigarettes after sexually abusing her at the age of 14. The woman appeared in court behind a screen in the witness box, although her evidence was taken from a series of filmed police interviews. She said she only realised that she was being abused when she started to have a relationship with someone her own age, and told him about what happened. A jury of seven men and four women found Thomas, pictured, guilty of two multiple counts of rape against one girl that took place when she was aged 13 and 14. He was also convicted of two other counts of rape, 11 indecent assaults, seven counts of sexual activity with a child and three counts of inde-cency with a child. Judge Andrew Barnett, adjourning the sentencing hearing until January 29, told Thomas: Be under no illusion when the matter comes back, you must prepare yourself for a prison sentence of some considerable length. Detective Inspector Scott Clarke, from Hampshire Constabularys Major Investigation Team, led the two-year investigation which brought Thomas and Howe to justice and he praised the courage of the victims. Speaking after the convictions, Det Insp Clarke said: These men systematically abused and degraded children to the point where their victims felt their ordeal was just a part of growing up. It is down to the courage of the victims that these most evil of offenders have been brought to justice. I only hope that with the ordeal that ruined their childhoods finally over, these people can start to rebuild their lives and enjoy their first Christmas free from fear. He added the offending has now been referred to the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board. Clare Chamberlain, independent chair of the board, said: Even though the majority of these crimes appear to have taken place many years ago, we are keen to establish the facts about this case and ensure that frontline practice and management across all agencies is able to learn from and deal effectively with these complex abuse cases. Thomas, who has been remanded in custody, was found not guilty of six further counts, including an indecent assault on a boy, and Howe was found not guilty of three offences involving two girls. Two other men, Timothy Pittway, 49, and Paul Flynn, 30, both of Bath Road, Reading, were found not guilty of all child abuse charges that they faced.

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A WOMAN who was sexually abused more than two decades ago has described how the ordeal left her ashamed and traumatised. Craig Tongs victim spoke out after justice finally caught up with the sex attacker who has been jailed for nearly five years for the catalogue of crimes he committed when she was a child. His victim is now hoping that by revealing the pain she went through others who have been sexually abused will find the courage to report the crimes. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the Epworth Bells: For more than 20 years I have been too terrified, ashamed and traumatised to tell the truth about my years as an enforced sex toy for Craig Tong. His selfish and abusive actions ruined my childhood and have seriously impacted on my life. I will never be able to forget his appalling actions and the fear in which I have lived. I hope now he will feel just a fraction of the disgust and pain I have suffered. Tong, 43, of Potts Lane, Crowle, was jailed for four years and eight months at Grimsby Crown Court after admitting five counts of abuse including two offences of having sex with a girl under the age of 13. The offences were carried out in the late 1980s, but it was only when his victim plucked up the courage to tell police of her ordeal that an investigation began and Tongs crimes were revealed. The court was told his victim had originally thought people would not believe her when she told them about the abuse she had suffered. At the sentencing hearing on Monday Tong wore a dark suit and spoke only to confirm his name and address. Tong was given two 16-month prison sentences for two counts of having sex with a girl under the age of 13. He was given an additional three custodial sentences of eight months for three offences of indecent assault. All five sentences will run consecutively. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and banned from working with children. Speaking after the sentencing, Tongs victim said: I should like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the health and support workers, police and crown prosecution staff who have given me the strength, confidence and assurance to reveal the torment I was subjected to as a child. It is through their support that finally Craig Tong has been brought to court and imprisoned for his abhorrent actions. I hope that this case will be an example to other women, who in their own lives may have been in a similar situation, and encourage them to tell the truth of their ordeals.

Description

A drug-fuelled rapist who tricked his way into a vulnerable 63-year-old womans home and subjected her to a degrading attack has been jailed for five years and four months. Thomas Ullah, 22, sat hunched in the dock at Bradford Crown Court with his head in his hands as his barrister described the assault as awful, degrading and distressing. Ullah, of Fairhaven Green, Idle, Bradford, pleaded guilty to raping the woman on August 8, a fortnight after his release from a 15-month prison sentence for supplying class A drugs. Prosecutor Richard Smith said Ullahs victim, who was not known to him, was preyed on by local youths who used her Bradford home to smoke cannabis. They ate her food, took money and dossed down uninvited. Mr Smith said Ullah was not among that group but he had friends who were. The woman lived alone and suffered from depression, the court was told yesterday. She had fallen asleep after watching TV when Ullah knocked on the door at 1.15am. He had earlier exposed himself in front of CCTV cameras while out in Bradford, Mr Smith said. Ullah told his victim he was called Joe and tricked his way in by claiming that a man she knew was on his way over. He told her he had taken cocaine and M-cat and had just come out of prison. Mr Smith said Ullah dragged the woman into the hall, kicked open her bedroom door and threw her into the room. He stripped her naked and raped her on the bed, threatening: Scream bitch and youre dead. Afterwards, the woman was shaking with fear. She told the police she felt like a piece of scum. The woman had bruised arms and legs and Ullah was linked to her by DNA evidence. His barrister, Jayne Beckett, said he had taken a cocktail of drugs and alcohol. He was sickened to the core by what he had done and struggling to come to terms with it. Judge David Hatton QC said Ullahs victim was devastated and her life would never be the same. After the case, Detective Inspector Ian Lawrance, of Operation Topaz, West Yorkshire Polices rape investigation unit, said: Ullah took advantage of a vulnerable member of the community in the worst possible way. He reached the depth of depravity in his actions and I am extremely pleased to see he will now spend some considerable time behind bars. Ullahs victim, who was in court, said she was upset and devastated that the sentence was not longer.

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Former builder Paul Taylor, 60, was convicted yesterday of the murder of Sally McGrath, from Peterborough, after escaping justice for more than 30 years.

Miss McGrath, 22, was found naked except for a pair of boots and partially buried in woodland at Castor Hanglands, to the west of Peterborough, on March 1, 1980.

Taylor, of Valentine Close, Fareham, was also found guilty of three rapes, an attempted rape and a serious sexual offence.

Detectives from Cambridgeshire Police have now said they are looking into the possibility that he attacked more women during his time at large.

Today, at Chelmsford Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Owen said: ''I think it is clear there was a sexual element to the murder of Sally McGrath.

''The evidence revealed a pattern of behaviour in which you lured your victims in under the pretence of giving them a lift home.

''You then drove them to a rural or isolated area and forced yourself upon them.

''Your predatory sexual attacks took place over 30 years ago but your victims have been left scarred for life.

''I have no doubt the brutal murder of Sally McGrath followed the same pattern and resulted from her resistance to your sexual demands.''

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A TAXI driver who raped a teenage passenger in his car has been jailed for seven years.

Married Liaqat Ali, 42, was also banned from ever driving a taxi again for the sex attack on the lone girl.

He took advantage of the 16-year-old girl who got in his cab after celebrating at a birthday party with friends in Middlesbrough.

The teenager was picked up by Ali in his hackney carriage on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough on March 2 this year.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the girl assumed she would be in safe hands getting into the licensed taxi.

She was clearly drunk and had been “half asleep”, with her head against the seatbelt during the journey.

But her trust was betrayed after Ali drove her to a secluded spot in Acklam instead of taking her to her home.

She had to get out to go to the toilet but when she got back in the vehicle he forced her to perform a sex act on him.

When she eventually got home she was screaming and pulling her hair as she told her mum about her ordeal.

Interviewed by police after his arrest, Ali accepted he had picked up the teenager but denied anything had happened.

He only later admitted there had been a sexual encounter after DNA evidence linked him to the crime. Even then, he claimed there had been consensual sex.

He repeated the claim during his trial at Teesside Crown Court last month.

Giving evidence through an interpreter, Ali claimed she had started touching him.

But the jury didn’t believe his version of events and accepted that the teenager, who is now 17, had been raped. Ali denied a charge of rape but was convicted by a majority verdict.

Judge George Moorhouse jailed Ali, of Abingdon Road, Middlesbrough, for seven years at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Christine Egerton also applied for an indefinite sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

She said there was an element of breach of trust as the girl had felt she would be safe with the taxi driver.

The SOPO was granted, with a condition that Ali must not work as a taxi driver.

Judge Moorhouse told Ali: “You must never drive a taxi again. That will remain in force for the rest of your life.”

The judge said it was a very serious offence, telling the defendant: “You were in a position of trust and owed her a duty of care.

“You knew she was drunk at the time and to some extent you abducted her.”

Paul Abrahams, mitigating, said Ali was a family man of good character who had worked all his life.

His incarceration would have a massive impact on Ali’s wife and children, said Mr Abrahams.