Latest Offenders

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Police have issued a plea to find a beer-bellied convicted child sex offender who they say may befriend a family so he can offend has gone missing.

Registered sex offender John Archer Barnett, 62, was jailed for four years after being convicted in 2003 for indecently assaulting an eight-year-old boy.

Kent Police said Barnett, also known as John Owen, was last seen by his landlord on April 14 in Dover and he is now believed to be travelling around the UK.

He left the area after social services intervened following concerns from officers involved in his management that he was becoming too close to a family with children.

A police spokesman said: ''He has failed to notify police of his new address and is now wanted for breach of the notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.''

Barnett has visited areas including London, Blackpool, Brighton, Scarborough, Dartford and Bournemouth and police in Hampshire believe he may be spotted travelling through the county.

The police spokesman added: ''Barnett is considered to pose a risk to children and may befriend a family in order to offend.''

Barnett may have shaved his head and his beard off to disguise his appearance. He is described as white, about 5ft 8in tall, with a beer belly and grey, receding hair and a beard.

He has eagle tattoos on both arms and may be wearing a hearing aid. He is a smoker and drinks whiskey. He also has an eczema-type skin condition which is visible on both forearms and hands.

Police also said he suffered a stroke and one side of his face droops slightly.

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A pensioner who repeatedly sexually abused a young girl - telling her it was a "special secret" - has been jailed for six years.

Roy Humphreys, 69, corrupted his victim so badly she thought it was her fault, a court heard.

Humphreys, of Broadway, Gillingham, shook his head in the dock as he was handed six years' jail and an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for life, banning him from ever working with children.

Humphreys, who previously worked as a steward at Gillingham FC on match days, denied the abuse throughout a trial.

But he was convicted by a 10-2 majority on three charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one of sexual assault. He was acquitted of three other charges.

Judge Philip Statman praised the young victim's bravery in giving harrowing evidence in which she was able to describe Humphreys' private parts.

She said the pensioner would climb on top of her, kiss her and touch her private parts.

"you have not shown one shred of remorse…"

– judge philip statman

The judge told Humphreys the abuse had "a profound effect on her", adding: "Nothing will ever be the same again."

"As you stand before this court today you have not shown one shred of remorse," he added.

"She was a very young girl, not aware of the illegality of your acts towards her.

"Then there was the issue of the 'special secret' you and she had, which she eventually divulged."

Nina Ellin, prosecuting, previously told the trial the victim's behaviour had become sexualised as a result of grooming.

Miss Ellin told the jury: "She said she should have stopped him.

"She said everything was her fault, adding: 'I was supposed to say no.'"

Humphreys followed the hearing closely from the dock, at one point asking the judge to speak louder.

Roy Humprheys has been jailed for six years at Maidstone Crown Court.

Danny Moore, defending, said it would be hard for Humphreys in the three years he is due to remain in prison.

He said: "It is a fact that it's much more difficult for a man of that age in custody."

But he added: "It's not easy to identify mitigation. It was a vulnerable victim and the damage was obvious."

Description

Two brothers from Telford have been found guilty of a string of sexual offences against young girls.

Ahdel Ali, 24, and Mubarek Ali, 29, both of Regent Street, Wellington, were also convicted of controlling child prostitution and trafficking girls.

Between them, the pair were convicted of 25 out of 26 charges and are due to be sentenced at a later date.

Stafford Crown Court heard the offences took place in the Telford area between March 2008 and December 2009.

The jury heard the brothers had sexually abused, trafficked, prostituted or tried to prostitute four Telford teenagers.

Ahdel Ali was also found guilty of raping a girl as young as 13.

One teenager was sold as a prostitute by Mubarek Ali when she was four months pregnant.

'Systematically groomed'
The court was told one of the other victims was regularly sold for sex to workers at two Telford restaurants and a Wellington fish and chip shop, as well as to associates of the two brothers.

Giving evidence, the 19-year-old said that from age 16 she had been taken to have sex with men up to four times a week.

Det Ch Insp Neil Jamieson, of West Mercia Police, said: "Ahdel Ali and Mubarek Ali targeted these girls because of the vulnerability and then systematically groomed them in such a way that eventually they could exploit them sexually for their own gain and gratification."

Harry Ireland, chief prosecutor with the West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, thanked the victims for their "courage" in giving evidence during the trial.

"I hope the verdicts provide some comfort for them and their families, and help them rebuild their lives," he added.

Ahdel Ali was found guilty of one charge of rape, 11 charges of sexual activity with a child, three charges of controlling child prostitution, one of inciting child prostitution, an allegation of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and meeting a child after grooming.

He was cleared on one charge of inciting child prostitution.

Mubarek Ali was convicted of four charges of controlling child prostitution, two of trafficking in the UK for sexual exploitation and a charge of causing child prostitution.

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A WIRRAL mum whose teenage daughter was raped has spoken of the nightmare her family are still living through. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told of the heart-wrenching moment she was told her little girl had been sexually assaulted by middle-aged David Cookson. Cookson, 48, from Liscard Road, Wallasey, was jailed for 12 years at Liverpool Crown Court on June 26. He had pleaded guilty to five rape offences and 11 of making indecent photographs involving 170 images and videos. The court also heard how Cookson had videoed himself having sex with the young girl who was 12 years old at the time. The offences came to light in March when she confided to a member of staff at her school. The girls mother says she still cannot believe what has happened. She said: I remember social services turning up on my doorstep to tell me and it just felt like a fist going right through my chest and ripping my heart out it didnt seem real. I couldnt get it off my mind and kept asking why? I couldnt understand how someone could do this to a little girl and hurt her in such a way. "I know I am not the victim but as her mother I feel her pain and anger. When interviewed by police, Cookson admitted having sexual intercourse with the girl on eight occasions. The court heard he has previous convictions but not for similar offences. Paul Wood, defending, said Cookson accepted the activity should never have occurred and takes responsibility for it. "He has good victim empathy," he added. But the girls mum said she now fears for her daughters future and worries about how she will come to terms with her ordeal. She said: I do worry all the time about how this is going to affect her later in life and how she will form a loving relationship and be able to trust anyone? "She wont sleep with the bedroom light off and neither will I its like were still living this horrible nightmare. Now the woman is hoping to look into setting up a support group for other parents of sexually abused children. She added: There is nothing out there where parents can go and share their stories and get advice from others in a similar situation. I need to be strong for my daughter but it is very hard. I am so proud of her for having the courage to come forward and tell someone what had happened she has effectively saved other children from going through the same thing. Other relatives outside the court last Tuesday expressed disappointment with Cooksons sentence calling it "totally inadequate".

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HE WAS given a community award for his work with young people but now disgraced former youth club leader John Wiltshire is facing a prison sentence after he admitted a series of sex crimes against a young girl.

Last week, 64-year-old Wiltshire was warned he faces a substantial custodial sentence after he pleaded guilty to 10 offences, including sexual activity with a child under 16-years-old The sexual activity took place over a two-and-a-half year period. Wiltshire has also admitted making more than 6,000 indecent images of children.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court on June 25, Wiltshire admitted five charges of sexual activity with a child, one count of taking indecent photographs of children, and four counts of making indecent images of children.

Wiltshire confessed to making more than 6,000 indecent images of children, which were found on a computer, laptop and USB memory stick.

Wiltshire was a founder member of the Whitchurch Youth Project, set up in September 2005 for young people in the town.

In 2008, he was given a community award for his work with the youth initiative and the Chill 2 This club that he ran, which is for 10 to 14-year-olds.

In the past, the club has had around 60 to 100 members attending each week.

Wiltshire, of Evingar Road, Whitchurch, was presented with his community award by the then Mayor of Whitchurch, Councillor Steve Robbins.

Wiltshire resigned from his position of leading the youth club on April 5 this year, and since then a new leader has been appointed.

In April, Keith Watts, Whitchurch borough councillor and chairman of the Whitchurch Youth Project, told The Gazette that parents of children at Chill 2 This had been sent a letter informing them of Wiltshires resignation and telling them the club would still function as normal under new leadership.

In court, Wiltshire also denied one charge of sexual assault and two counts of sexual activity with a child pleas that were accepted by the prosecution.

Wiltshires sentencing has been adjourned until Friday, July 13, while pre-sentence reports are prepared.

He has been remanded in custody until his next appearance.

Referring to what would happen to Wiltshire, Judge Jane Miller told the court: Clearly, it is going to be a substantial custodial sentence. The question is how long.

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A HAMPSHIRE paedophile who abused homeless boys in a Mumbai orphanage is back in the UK.

Allan Waters, 63, a retired Naval officer from Portchester, was deported after serving a six-year jail term in India.

He was met a Heathrow by police from Scotland Yard and made to sign the sex offenders register.

Waters, a highly respected Lieutenant Commander formerly of Cador Drive, was found guilty in 2006 of carrying out child abuse at the Anchorage shelter in Mumbai.

He was freed in 2008 by judges at the Indian High Court, who cited lack of evidence provided by the prosecution.

But that decision was quashed by the countrys Supreme Court, which ordered Waters to serve the rest of his six-year jail term and pay damages and fines imposed.

Waters was arrested at New Yorks John F Kennedy International Airport in 2003 on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant and was extradited to face charges in India following a complaint from a 15-year-old boy about repeated sexual and physical abuse.

Four other boys also made similar complaints.

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“WE just sat there, sitting and cuddling each other because we were really scared”.

That was how children described the horror of hearing their mother being attacked and subsequently raped in the bedroom next to theirs.

Daniel Wardrop subjected the young woman to a harrowing ordeal that lasted more than two hours, threatening to harm the children if she did not do as he asked.

Southampton Crown Court heard how the attack began when Wardrop, who was 19 at the time, came to the Southampton home in the early hours of March 17.

He began making advances and then became violent when his victim did not respond and tried to call police.

It also emerged in court that Hampshire police are now being investigated for how they handled that call.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission – the watchdog for police forces – will look at how the call was dealt with and the decision not to deploy officers.

Prosecutor Robert Pawson said Wardrop snatched the phone from her while he put his other hand around her throat so she could not speak to the operator.

When the police rang back Wardrop told his victim to say everything was fine, or else he would kill her.

The court heard how he followed her around the flat, not letting her out of his sight before eventually raping her, telling her: “I am going to make your kids suffer if you don’t”.

She later told police officers she was physically shaking with fear at what was going to happen to her.

Mr Pawson also read from statements given by her children.

One described seeing parts of the attack while another spoke of being in tears and hearing her mother cry. “She shouted: ‘Don’t,” the youngster said.

Wardrop eventually left after making her promise she would not tell anyone, but the woman broke down and phoned her dad. He described her as “hysterical”.

as she told him what had happened and he called the police.

Wardrop was subsequently arrested and statements taken from friends described how he had bragged about the attack in the hours afterwards.

Wardrop, now aged 20, of no fixed abode, admitted one count of rape.

In a victim impact statement the woman said she had been unable to go upstairs since the attack and had been sleeping with her children in the lounge as a result. She had also taken the handle off the door to the bedroom where she was raped so no one could go in.

In sentencing Wardrop to eight years in prison and classifying him as a dangerous offender with an extended four-year licence, Judge Gary Burrell QC said: “This was a deplorable rape of a young woman in her own home with her children present. There is no room in my judgement for mercy in your case."

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A CATHOLIC priest with “an unhealthy interest in adolescent boys” was locked up for five years.

Father Peter Hooper, the parish priest at St Luke's the Physician, in Bebington, was caught performing a sex act on an underage boy in the diocesan house where he lived.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to 10  counts of sexual activity with a child. At yesterday’s sentencing hearing he was  supported at Liverpool Crown Court by more than a dozen parishioners  and two priests.

Robert Jansen, prosecuting, told the court a social gathering at the diocesan house, in Church Road, Bebington, was winding down when Hooper was caught out.

He said: "There was a gentleman called Matthew Howard, who at the time was living at this defendant's address, and had been for some years.

"As the social gathering was coming to an end...Mr Howard had cause to walk past the kitchen window and look inside.”

The lawyer said Mr Howard saw the boy and the priest perform a sex act on  each other.

He added:  "Whilst looking through the window it seems the defendant saw Mr Howard who simply shook his head in disbelief at what he had seen going on. It seems afterwards Mr Howard asked the defendant what he was playing at.

"The defendant replied to Mr Howard ‘I don't know what to do. I've been seduced by a 15-year-old boy’."

Mr Jansen said Hooper was arrested and admitted carrying out sex acts on the boy though he said they did not have full sex – this was accepted.

He told detectives the boy made sexual advances, wanted to explore sexually from an early age and was 'manipulative'.

He said he felt “mentally raped” by the teenager.

The boy, who cannot be named, was interviewed and said he met Hooper through a band he was in  made up entirely of priests.

The pair grew close after he told Hooper, a trained counsellor, about  problems he was facing  in his life.

He said at one stage he went to hug the priest who then kissed him on the cheek and then moved to kiss him on the mouth.

The sexual contact followed in the boy's family home and then later at the diocese house.

He described Hooper as a “father figure” adding: “I don’t hate Father Hooper. Part of me wants to forgive him.”

Gerald Pachter defending, said his client accepted “100% responsibility” for what happened adding: “He feels great shame at the damage he has caused the church.”

He said: “Through me he wishes to express his full sincere and profound apologies for his criminal behaviour.

“He admits he is homosexual. Since his twenties he has tried to repress it because of his faith but he has failed.”

Mr Pachter added: “He is very well thought of. That is clear from the turn out today and the many references from clergymen, parishioners and friends.”

He said Hooper was now the subject of daily verbal abuse by fellow prisoners and had been attacked in the prison chapel.

But Judge David Aubrey QC said: "You have betrayed your religion, you have betrayed your church, you have betrayed your parishioners.

"More significantly you have betrayed your victim who was just 14 and 15 years of age and vulnerable and in truth he was in your care while in your home and you were in his.

"You have also betrayed his mother. They are both devout Roman Catholics who are now in consequence of that which you have done challenging the church.

"In my judgement you have an unhealthy interest in adolescent boys as this case has demonstrated.

"You have failed in your responsibilities and duties as a Catholic priest. You have abused and failed everybody who has placed their trust in you.

"You knew when you crossed the boundary. You wished to cross the boundary. Your actions were a gross breach of trust.

"You have fallen from grace and lost your ministry. The offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is justified for them."

He jailed Hooper for five years – of which he must serve half less 37 days spent on remand.

Judge Aubrey ordered him to sign on the sex offenders register, made a sexual offences prevention order and banned him from working with children.

Bespectacled Hooper, wearing a red polo shirt and grey jumper, signalled to supporters as he was taken to jail.

After the sentencing The Rt Rev. Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, said: “I wish to express today both the sorrow and the horror felt within the Catholic community at these offences and the betrayal of trust involved.

“There can be no place in the priesthood for those who harm the young.”

Hooper was appointed priest at St Luke’s in 2006 after leaving St Werburgh’s, in Chester. 

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A teacher has been jailed for 18 months after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

Nicholas Esteve was a teacher at East Sussex County Council-run Hailsham Community College when he assaulted the girl, who was not a pupil at the school.

The 36-year-old, of Rotunda Road, Eastbourne, was caught after the mother of his victim contacted police because she was concerned about Esteves behaviour.

He was questioned by specialist child protection officers before being charged with sexual assault and inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.

Esteve appeared at Lewes Crown Court where he was convicted of both charges and jailed.

The crimes happened in Eastbourne in April last year.

Esteve was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years on his release and was served with an indefinite Sex Offender Prevention Order (SOPO).

Ban from working with children

The court order bans him from contacting the victim or any person under 16 without the agreement of a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult, who has been informed of his offending history, except for inadvertent unavoidable passing contact in public.

Esteve is also banned from trying to work with any organisation that might have under 16s involved.

Detective Constable Amy Green said:

We always encourage parents, and children, to come to us with concerns about inappropriate behaviour, and we are glad that this mother did so.

Her daughter also showed great courage in facing up to the ordeal of giving evidence in court.

A spokesman for East Sussex County Council said Esteve was suspended when the victim contacted police and was sacked after an investigation.

He said:

As soon as these allegations came to light both the college and the county council acted swiftly.

It should be made clear that the charges he faced were not in any way connected with his work at Hailsham Community College or any pupils from the college.

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'It would be cruel to send you to jail': What lenient judge told sex offender who stalked schoolgirls A JUDGE took pity on a sex offender and decided sending him to prison would be utterly cruel. Andrew Jackson, 48, twice stalked schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 and attacked a disabled woman he claimed was a prostitute. But Judge Jeremy Richardson QC allowed him to walk free, saying it would border on cruelty to jail him because he suffers from Asperger syndrome. He told Jackson: You deserve to be sent to prison. But sending someone like you to prison would be utterly cruel. You are very much to be pitied. You have never had a full sexual relationship. It must be very frustrating. He added: I have a public duty, but it would be quiet wrong to impose a cruel punishment. "Quite frankly you could not cope in prison. I have no doubt your life would be a misery. Hull crown court heard Jackson had already been spoken to twice by police for stalking children in playgrounds and wooded areas in the seaside town of Bridlington, East Yorks. He showed one girl aged 13 a picture of his privates. Police said he sexually questioned two 14-year-old girls before asking: Are you legal? He then molested a 21-year-old woman in a park. The womans friend heard her screams and dragged Jackson off her. Judge Richardson said he had aggravated matters by falsely claiming the woman had prostituted herself to him for 20. Martin Sharpe, prosecuting, said police in Bridlington were so concerned about Jackson they wanted a Sexual Offences Prevention Order imposed on him to keep him out of childrens playgrounds. Patrick Palmer, defending, said Jackson had an IQ of 75, lived at home with his parents, did not work and had suffered all his life from an undiagnosed condition. Jackson, of Bridlington, pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault by touching, knowing that the woman did not consent. Judge Richardson sentenced the pest to a two-year community order with a supervision requirement in the hope that it might alter his behaviour. He also imposed a 10-year sexual offences prevention order on him and put him on the sex offenders register for five years. The judge told Jackson: Young girls have to be protected in your area. You have to learn to control yourself. I regard sexual offences as a very serious crime. Usually the men involved deserve to be sent to prison. It would not be right here. It would be bordering on cruelty. However, if you harass any more girls, you will end up in jail.

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A Hampshire paedophile jailed for 25 years for sex offences spanning more than 50 years has died in prison aged 83.

Ronald Dean was convicted of 25 counts including rape, indecent assault and perverting the course of justice.

Dean was pronounced dead at Albany Prison, on the Isle of Wight.

A Prison Service spokesman said Dean was believed to have died from natural causes.

He was pronounced dead in the prison healthcare wing.

The spokesman added that the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will cary out an investigation.

Dean was jailed at Southampton Crown Court for 25 years after being convicted of 24 sex allegations that involved seven youngsters aged three to 16 years old.

Jurors heard how he bribed his victims with gifts, sweets, money and even alcohol to satisfy his insatiable lust and ensure their silence.

One girl was so badly traumatised by her ordeal she took an overdose.

Dean repeatedly abused another girl and a third was told not to tell anyone anything how he had defiled her, not even when he was dead.

However, his sordid past eventually came to light when one victim had the courage to tell a nurse at school who in turn informed the police.

Dean, a great-grand- father, of Fryern Close, Chandlers Ford, was convicted after a three-week trial of all 24 sex charges levelled against him as well as one of attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to persuade one victim to drop her allegations.

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A Southampton man who regulary sexually abused two girls has been locked up for 20 years.

Simon Haddon was convicted of nine counts of indecent assault, indecency with a child, and three specimen charges of rape against one of them.

This was a dreadful and systematic sexual abuse of a very high order, Judge Derwin Hope told the 51-year-old.

Her impact statement speaks not only of the physical pain you caused her over the years but also the psychological damage you have done to her and how you robbed her of her childhood.

It is said you seemed to be trying to paint yourself as the victim in this case. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Haddon, of Bluebell Road, Bassett, was also convicted of five charges of indecent assault on the other girl.

He was arrested after one victim told her mother.

She in turn informed the girls boyfriend and he spoke to her mother who called in the police.

Haddon, who denied the allegations, was also banned from working with children and under the terms of a sexual offences prevention order cannot be left alone wth a girl, both for indefinite periods.

After the case Detective Constable Wendy Rogers said: I would like to commend the strength of the victims and witnesses in this case, who together have ensured that this individual has been made to answer for his crimes.

I would also like to thank the Independent Sexual Violence Advisers from Southampton Rape Crisis for their assistance and support.

The Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVA) team spokesperson Tracey Stovold added: It takes an enormous amount of courage for victims to come forward and report these types of offences and they often do so not just to see justice being done but in the interests of protecting others.

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A WOMAN who suffered horrific sexual abuse at the hands of her older brother over a period of nine years has spoken out after he was jailed for four years.

Nicky Allan, 38, was at Salisbury Crown Court on Tuesday to see Shaun Christopher Allan, 44, admit one count of rape and seven of indecent assault against her, starting when she was just seven or eight years old.

Ms Allan, who waived her right to anonymity to talk to the Journal, said: I just wanted to be heard. I felt nobody had heard my side of the story. It should never have happened and I wanted justice to be done, and finally it has.

The court heard she was adopted by Allans parents when she was five or six and living in her home country of Canada.

The family then moved to Tidworth Road in Ludgershall.

Prosecuting, Rosaleen Collins said Ms Allans first memory of abuse was when she was about seven or eight and her adopted brother was about 14 or 15. He would indecently assault her in her bedroom when their mother was out.

There were years of abuse in that manner and he took the opportunity whenever he had the chance, said Ms Collins.

She was not sleeping at night worrying that he would come in and it was affecting her concen tration at school.

Ms Allan married and left home when she was 18, divorcing two years later and moving back to Canada, where she still lives.

She reported the abuse to police when she heard that Allan had pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults against children between 2001 and 2008, for which he was handed a four-year sentence in May 2010.

Sentencing Allan, Recorder Geoffrey Mercer said Ms Allan had suffered continuous humiliation and distress at your hands from this repeated sexual abuse.

Allans sentence will follow on from the four years three months he is already serving and his name will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Ms Allan said: On Monday, even just hearing his name made me fall apart so Im relieved that he actually admitted it. I am happy with the sentence. I can finally get closure, go back to Canada and live my life again.

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A COUPLE lured vulnerable girls to their home, got them drunk and gave them drugs before sexually abusing them.

At Bolton Crown Court yesterday, a jury unanimously found 28-year-old Kieran Huelin guilty of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and sexual activity with a child.

They also unanimously found Huelins girlfriend, 26-year-old Laura Crank, had engaged in sexual activity in the presence of a child, incited a child to engage in sexual activity and had sexual activity with a child. Crank was in the dock but as she has a learning disability, Judge Timothy Clayson found she was not fit to enter a plea or stand trial.

The court heard the couple, of Longfieldu Road, Daubhill, invited vulnerable children to their home, gave them drugs and alcohol, and sexually abused them.

In 2009, a 13-year-old girl went to Huelins flat, in Brookhouse Avenue, Farnworth, after falling out with her mother.

Crank and Huelin gave her seven or eight cans of lager and amphetamines.

They made the girl sleep on a mattress on the living room floor with them, before forcing her to watch them having sex.

When the teenager tried to turn her head away, Crank took hold of her head so she was still watching.

Huelin had sex with the girl later in the evening when she gave in to their requests. Gary Woodhall, prosecuting, told the court: They encouraged young, probably vulnerable, teenagers to come to their flat. They supplied alcohol and drugs to underage children.

In that unusual and highly inappropriate environment they were able to take sexual advantage of vulnerable young girls.

Huelin denied the charges but was found guilty.

The jury also found Crank committed another offence with a 15-yearold girl, who went round to the flat with a different group of friends on a separate occasion.

The couple will be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on May 31. Huelin was remanded in custody and Crank was released on unconditional bail.

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TWO Shetland teenagers were placed on the sex offenders register at Lerwick Sheriff Court over their inappropriate behaviour towards young girls. Sixteen year old James Leaper, of 14 Maidenfield, Mossbank, pled guilty to making verbal and written sexual comments to an 11 year old girl between 1 July and 21 October last year at Lerwicks Harbour Street and elsewhere. He also admitted offering to supply the same girl with cannabis on 1 or 2 September last year. Defence agent Tommy Allan said Leaper was immature and lacked self esteem and had tried to make up for it by trying to impress people with acts of bravado. Mr Allan added that even though he had been encouraged to act this way, it was blindingly obvious his actions were inappropriate. Despite this he posed no underlying risk to young people. His agent said Leaper had been excluded from school as a result of the offences, but had been co-operating with various agencies to help him with his personal issues and continuing his education to find employment. Sheriff Philip Mann told Leaper he was old enough to understand his actions were entirely wrong and inappropriate, and warned that such behaviour could have a long lasting effect on young females. Sentencing him to 240 hours community service and a one year supervised community payback order, the sheriff added: Offering to supply an 11 year old is serious in the extreme. I shudder to think what might have happened if she had accepted that offer. The sheriff also handed a nine month supervised community payback order without unpaid work to 17 year old Declan Harrison-Ames, of New Craigielea, Seafield Road, Lerwick. The teenager pled guilty to sexually assaulting three girls aged 13 and 14 by touching them sexually, and making sexual comments to one of the 14 year olds. The offences took place on Lerwicks Commercial Street and Viking Bus Station between 20 December and 14 January. However the court heard that Harrison-Ames suffered from a condition that substantially mitigated his actions, and that the offences had not been overtly sexual. Both men must remain on the sex offenders register for the length of their community payback orders.