Latest Offenders

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A 34-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young woman on a train between Birmingham and Manchester

Kristaps Berzins, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to sexual assault at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court

The court heard that despite  the woman wearing headphones, he attempted to engage her in conversation making personal and inappropriate comments.

Berzins remarks became increasingly aggressive eventually escalating to him sexually assaulting the woman.

When Berzins went to the toilet the woman quickly moved to another seat and reported what had happened to a member of train staff who alerted British Transport Police.

He was jailed for seven months and issued with a five year Sexual Harm Prevention order which forbids him from sitting next to or across from, approaching, touching or communicating with any lone female on public transport.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for seven years and pay compensation of £300.

Description

A man who flashed his penis on a South London bus to 'have a look at it' has been spared jail. Caine Sparkes exposed himself in front of disgusted passengers on a 155 bus, which runs between Elephant and Castle and Tooting, on November 9 last year, apparently to check his penis rather than for others see, Inner London Crown Court heard on Tuesday (April 9).

The 41-year-old of Ouseley Road, Wandsworth, was sat on the lower deck towards the front of the double-decker bus, at around 8:30pm, when he pulled genitals over the waistband of his trousers 'on several occasions', prosecutor Alex Ng told the court.

"It was brief exposures, from the CCTV. He took it out and he had a look at himself, rather than intending for others to look at it. At some stage his left hand was inside his trousers near the private part, but there's no obvious signs he was doing anything down his trousers," said Mr Ng.

Police were called by a witness of the act, but they refused to give their details. The call and CCTV evidence was enough to secure a conviction, but a victim impact statement was not provided for Tuesday's hearing.

Just over a month after the incident, Sparkes was arrested at his supported living home on December 19. Sparkes admitted a single count of exposure at Croydon Magistrates'. He was also charged with failing to pay a bus fare, but this was not mentioned at Tuesday's hearing.

Sparkes was previously convicted of outraging public decency in 2007, and has a number of offences for low level thefts. Mr Ng said there was no raised harm or culpability, apart from the presence of others on the bus, as he called for a fine or Community Order.

The judge called Sparkes' Hestia support worker to the witness stand, who explained his life in high-level supported living where he can go and come back as he wants but must heed the rules when he is at home. Defence counsel Adrian Macho called for a specific mental health intervention to address his client's issues.

A probation worker, who authored the pre-sentence report, also said Sparkes' additional needs would be best catered for by Hestia, as he agreed with the defence about the need for specialist mental health treatment.

Judge Ian Darling told Sparkes: "You have pleaded guilty to a serious offence of exposure on the 155 bus in the mid-evening of November last year. The reason why that is a serious offence is because it happened on a bus with other members of the public, and possibly young children could have been present. That's why the court takes it so seriously."

Judge Darling said the concerns about Sparkes' mental health were being dealt with by his team in Wandsworth, and therefore the case could be dealt with by a 12-month Community Order. This also included a 12-month mental health treatment requirement and 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirement to stop Sparkes repeating his display.

"Providing you comply with the order, all will be well. If you fail to comply, without reasonable excuses, you may be brought back to court and resentenced," warned Judge Darling.

Description

A "dangerous predator" has been jailed for eight years for historic sexual assaults on two girls

Kevin Gleeson from Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, was convicted after the victims told police about abuse that happened two decades ago.

Gleeson, 67, denied all twelve charges but was found guilty after a trial at Northampton Crown Court.

Northamptonshire Police has praised the "courage" of the women who came forward

The court heard how the victims told the police in August 2020 that Gleeson had abused them when they were children.

The force's Protecting Vulnerable People department began an investigation which found Gleeson had assaulted one of the children several times and then attacked the other during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Gleeson, from Straws Close in Irthlingborough, was charged with 11 counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, and one count of gross indecency with a girl under 14.

He was found guilty on all charges last November and remanded in custody.

On 29 February 2024, he appeared before the same court and was told he would serve a total of eight years in prison.

'Abhorrent' abuse

Det Con Abigail Kennedy, who led the investigation, said: "Kevin Gleeson's repeated abuse of two young children was abhorrent, and I am very glad that he has received a significant prison sentence which reflects the severity of his offending.

"The passage of time may have left Gleeson feeling he had got away with what he did, but thanks to the courage of the two survivors who came forward to report him he has now been proven in court to be both a dangerous sexual predator and a liar."
Gleeson will also appear on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

Police have snared a rapist - after the sex beast confessed his crimes to a priest. Rapist Peter Rogerson wrote a partial confession in a note handed to Father Michael White at Sacred Heart Church, in Tamworth, and Staffordshire Police were called in.

A jury last year convicted the 58-year-old of 24 serious sexual offences involving three victims - including 10 rapes.

Now Rogerson has been handed a 34-year extended jail sentence - including at least 18 years in custody before he can be considered for parole. He refused to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court for his sentencing hearing.

Prosecutor Ben Douglas-Jones KC said: "This was a truly sickening campaign of rapes and other very serious sexual offences."

The court heard moving statements read by the victims who spoke of the devastating impact the abuse has had on them.

One said: "I will never forget how much damage he caused." A second said she feels 'such a failure'.

Carl Templar-Vasey, mitigating, said Rogerson, of Halford Crescent Tamworth, has since admitted five of the offences.

Judge Sally Hancox has handed Rogerson an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and put him on the Sex Offenders' Register for life. He must serve two-thirds of his 28-year custodial sentence before he can even be considered for parole.

Judge Hancox said: "Your offending can only be described as dreadful. I find you do fulfil the criteria and are a dangerous offender."

The judge commended the officer in charge of the case - Detective Constable Alex Goldman - for her hard work and high level of diligence and said she will be put forward for a High Sheriff's Award.

Description

A "cold and calculated" sex offender who pretended to be a teenage boy on social media to groom and abuse an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for more than a decade.

Abdullah Khalid Mhana, 26, lied about his age on the apps and encouraged youngsters to engage in sexual activity with him.

Mhana, of Hirst Lodge Court, Bradford, admitted 17 offences including rape, sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

At Bradford Crown Court on Monday, he was jailed for 10-and-a-half years.

Mhana began grooming the 11 year old in 2020 and met up a year later at a Bradford park where he persuaded her to perform a sex act.

He recorded some of the acts on his mobile phone, the court heard.

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

'Deliberately sought out'

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

Jailing him, Recorder Andrew Dallas said Mhana had committed offences of great gravity.

This was in my judgement cold, calculating behaviour in which you deliberately sought out the sexual favours of someone who you knew to be 11 years of age."

He said when the girl tried to break off contact with the defendant he had wormed his way back into her affections.

The court heard that Mhana later persuaded the girl to go just for a drive in his car, but he then had sex with her in the vehicle.

The judge highlighted the fact that the formal warning Mhana received from the police in the summer of 2022 should have been a wake-up call for him, but he had been undeterred and continued his abuse of the child.

Recorder Dallas said he was not satisfied that Mhana had expressed genuine remorse for his offending or that he had proper empathy for the victims.

Mhana will now have to serve at least two-thirds of his prison sentence and he will then be subject to an extended licence period of two-and-a-half years.

He will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Description

A convicted paedophile sexually assaulted a young boy despite being barred from having contact with children. Following his arrest, he told his supervising officer "Sorry, this is the only one".

Robert Evans, 58, of Cardiff, carried out horrendous sexual acts against his victim, which started when he was just eight years old. The victim described his memories of the abuse being "burned onto his mind".

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard Evans was subject to a lifelong sex offender notification requirements, after he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment in 1998. He was convicted of buggery of a boy under 16, gross indecency, rape of a boy under 16, and indecent assault of a boy under 16. These offences were carried out against six victims.

Despite being barred from having contact with children under 18 years old, Evans came into contact with his victim and sexually abused him on a number of occasions. The abuse came to light after the victim told his mother, and was interviewed by police.

The victim told police Evans had asked him to perform a sex act on him. He said he was scared and did as the defendant instructed. He said Evans touched him and tried to rape him. He also described being orally raped by the defendant. A few weeks after that, Evans showed the victim pornography and again sexually assaulted him.

At the time of the offences, the victim said he had not received sex education, and it was only later he realised what Evans did to him was wrong. Describing the impact the abuse had on him, the victim described it as being "burned on his mind". He added: "I do not like being touched and became violent when being touched by partners growing up. It has deprived me of getting to know people or have relationships. It has created a barrier, has ruined friendships and relationships. I want to put it to the back of my mind and bury it."

Evans was arrested and upon being taken to custody, he saw his sex offender supervising officer. He said to the officer: "Sorry, this is the only one." The defendant told the officer he thought he could "trust himself" and would "go guilty". He added: "I knew this was coming, I have been waiting for this day for a long time now."

The defendant went on to make further admissions in his police interview, and spoke about incidents which the victim had not previously mentioned but denied being a "violent person". He admitted performing oral sex upon the victim and "simulated sex" with him, but denied other offences. Evans admitted masturbating when he showed pornography to the victim and said there were also a number of incidents when he sexually assaulted the victim by touching. The defendant said: "I can't give you an exact figure, I can't remember."

Evans, of Mill Road, Ely, later pleaded guilty to rape of a child, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and breach of sex offenders' notification requirements.

In mitigation, Dan Jones said his client had not sought to minimise his offences, and has expressed cooperation to work with the probation service. He said the defendant had expressed remorse and apologised. Evans has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and high blood pressure, and Mr Jones argued the defendant could be dealt with by a determinate prison sentence, rather than an extended sentence on account of dangerousness.

Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said: "You groomed this young boy. You were to admit you were coaxing (the victim) but that is the wrong word. What you were doing in fact was sexually abusing him and exploiting him. You were the adult and all he did or was prepared to do was due to your malign influence on him... Your sexual interest in male children is a long term interest and has continued well into your middle age. Although you admitted your (previous) offending, that did not stop you from returning to abusing a young child."

Evans was sentenced to 12 years and eight months imprisonment, with an extended licence period of eight years. He will serve two thirds of the sentence before he will be eligible for parole. The defendant was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A rapist pretended to help a woman home before pocketing her keys and returning the same night to attack her. The victim was in no condition to consent.

Gareth Druce, 33, of Blaenau Ffestiniog, observed and followed the victim, who had become ill after drinking. Another man was helping her to walk home, but was struggling to keep her on her feet.

A sentencing hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court on Monday heard the defendant offered to help but upon entering the victim's home, he took her keys. After initially leaving with the other man, he returned later that night and raped the victim in her home.

CCTV footage showed Druce returning to the victim's home alone, a key piece of evidence which led to his conviction. Footage also showed the defendant's behaviour in the hours leading up to the incident, when he had been observing and following lone women.

It was also discovered he had carried out a sexual assault on another woman two months before the rape. Druce, of Church Street, was found guilty of rape following a seven-day trial. He also pleaded guilty to the sexual assault charge.

Recorder I Jones sentenced the defendant to 12 years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years, after being found to be a dangerous offender. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and two restraining orders.

Following the hearing, Ceri Ellis-Jones of the CPS said: There could be no suggestion that the victim would have been in any position to give her consent to sexual activity. The defendant deliberately targeted the victim who was vulnerable and, under the pretence of helping her, was able to enter her property.

The police built a strong case against the defendant utilising the CCTV and digital enquiries. By working together, we were able to secure a conviction for the victim."

Description

Distraught relatives of a vulnerable and disabled elderly woman were left 'deeply distressed' after a male district nurse was caught on camera sexually assaulting her in her own home.

The incident, which occurred in 2022, was caught entirely on a CCTV camera installed by the victim's family after they became concerned for her safety.

Robert Neill, 62, of Wrexham, North Wales, has now been jailed for 14 years for admitting sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a woman with a mental disorder.

Neill, who was formerly employed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, was also given a further four years extended on licence when he appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday, North Wales Police added.

His offences became known after a family member reviewed the footage and witnessed Neill sexually assaulting her.

The police were informed, and he was arrested the following day, before being charged last July.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jane Burns, said: 'This is a truly shocking case against a vulnerable and disabled victim who was violated by Neill in her own home.

'He abused his position of trust and has caused deep distress to the victim and her family, who I commend for their bravery and dignity throughout this investigation.

'I hope today's sentence provides them an opportunity for some closure knowing he is being held accountable for this disgraceful crime.'

Carol Shillabeer, Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, described the offences as 'an abuse of trust.'

She said: 'These offences are truly appalling, and an abuse of trust by the healthcare professional.

'I am so sorry for the significant distress the patient and her family have experienced as a result of his actions.

'As soon as we were made aware of the staff member's arrest he was immediately suspended from work and referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

'We have fully supported and worked closely with the police on their investigation. A nurse is clearly in a position of trust and while events such as these are incredibly rare, we have reviewed our processes and implemented some changes.

'Now that all the information is available to us, we will consider if there are any further measures we can take to help prevent anything like this happening again.

'We will continue to work closely with both the patient and her family and do all we can to continue to support them.'

Description

"Depraved” child predator Bradley Anderson, 28, appeared at Southampton Crown Court where he was jailed for five years and told to serve an extra four years on licence for his warped crimes.

The court heard how Anderson, of Clarendon Road, Southampton, was arrested in August 2022 as part of a police investigation into the creation and possession of indecent images of children. Analysis of a laptop and two phones connected to Anderson revealed 22 Category A images, which are the most serious, 10 Category B images and 40 Category C images. Two prohibited images were also found, as well as 253 images classed as extreme.

Messages were also found on one of Anderson’s phones, which he had attempted to hide from officers behind a toilet in his house, which suggested that he was attempting to arrange the sexual abuse of young children.

Anderson was charged with arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sexual offence, three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of prohibited images of a child and possession of extreme pornography.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him at a hearing in March. As well as his five year sentence and four year extended license period, he has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last indefinitely.

He pleaded guilty to all the charges against him at a hearing in March. As well as his five year sentence and four year extended license period, he has also been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last indefinitely.

Description

A man has been sent to prison for five and a half years after subjecting a girl to sexual abuse almost a decade ago in Filey.

Daniel Christopher Broadmore (pictured below), 36, of Somerdale Walk, Bramley, Leeds, was sentenced at York Crown Court today (Friday 5 April 2024).

He was found guilty of all four charges relating to the girl, who was aged under 13 years, after he stood trial in January this year.

These included inciting sexual activity; indecent exposure, sexual assault and engage in a sexual act in the presence of a child.

The victim reported the matter to North Yorkshire Police in April 2021 when she was aged in her late teens.

Description

A man who raped a woman in the grips of a medical episode then told her 'you jumped on me' in an attempt to gaslight her, has been jailed. Mark Anderson forced himself on the woman, who came round to hear him say 'be a good girl' and 'stay still', then pretended she consented to sex, Wood Green Crown Court was told.

The 42-year-old of Shafton Road, in Hackney, wore a grey Nike tracksuit with an orange tick as he was jailed for eight years on Friday (April 5), thanking the judge as he left the dock. After reacting badly to the jury's guilty verdict, after his trial in February, Anderson apologised to the court, through his barrister, at the outset of his mitigation.

After inviting the victim to his house in the summer of 2023, Anderson raped her as she slept. "She woke up to find that she had been completely undressed, and you were on top of her having vaginal sex with her. And she remembers you saying 'be a good girl' and 'stay still'," Judge Daniel Fugallo told Anderson.

"It was clear to her she was not only coming around from being asleep, but from [a medical episode]. The physical exhaustion, and the feeling like she had been hit by a bus, it was clear to her what you were doing could not be normal consensual sex."

According to Judge Fugallo, Anderson told her afterwards she had wanted to have sex and 'you jumped on me'. After 'assembling her memories', the victim concluded Anderson had raped her and bravely reported him to the police. Anderson was arrested and taken to Stoke Newington Police Station, where a small bag of cocaine was discovered during a search. He was subsequently charged with rape, common assault, and cocaine possession, but only admitted the latter.

On Friday, prosecutor Daniel Bishop said the rape should be aggravated by a common assault on the victim as he called for the highest level of culpability. Explaining the impact of Anderson's crime, the barrister said the victim still loses sleep, suffers nightmares about the rape, and has felt suicidal. He also claimed she had received threats from third-parties after reporting her rapist to the police.

"I used to be so confident and full of life," she said in an impact statement. "Now I am an empty shell. I do not have a soul. My relationships with other people have suffered. He has stolen my soul and the happy person I once was."

Calling for medium culpability, defence counsel Emma Hayfield argued the common assault was 'relatively low level' and reminded Judge Fugallo not to double count it as an aggravating feature. Ms Hayfield also said there was no evidence of any link between Anderson and those making alleged threats against the victim.

She explained Anderson, who has no previous convictions, was assessed as having 'several' Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms and a low IQ, which, she claimed, impact on his ability to empathise and recognise the emotions of others. "I say that is relevant to the assault and rape," argued Ms Hayfield.

Judge Fugallo gave him a 10-year restraining order, and handed down the eight-year sentence for rape and three months concurrent for the assault, with no separate penalty for cocaine possession.

Summarising the offence, Judge Fugallo told Anderson: "[The victim] was not conscious when you raped her, due to her being asleep and having a [medical episode]."

Anderson said 'Thank you' as he left the dock. He is entered onto the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A 'despicable' paedophile who groomed a child on Minecraft was twice released under investigation before he was brought to justice. Vinnie Pinkham was sentenced to seven years in prison and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday (March 28), after a multi-force investigation, led by the Met Police, spanning three years.

The 19-year-old, then of Catalina House in Eltham, first caught the attention of the Met in 2021 when the force seized his computer and put him on curfew during an indecent images investigation, which was later dropped. Shortly after the gamer got his computer back, he contacted an eight-year-old on his PlayStation while playing Minecraft, the court heard at an earlier hearing.

Pinkham, now of Restons Crescent, Greenwich, added the child on Instagram and asked them to send indecent photos in exchange for 30 worth of V-Bucks, a currency used in the game Fortnight. When horrified parents saw the images on the child's phone, they showed police, including chat logs where the child asked 'What does show butt mean?' and 'How do I get a picture of my own butt?'.

Pinkham was arrested at his Eltham address at 6.30am on November 11 2021, where police seized his Xbox and phone. Pinkham was questioned, but he lied and accused the child of 'talking inappropriately' and calling him a 'perv'. The victim later told police they were asked to take a photo of their 'rude part'. Pinkham maintained he could not remember the child's username.

Pinkham was released under investigation for the second time, but just over a year later, on December 14 2022, he struck again, posing as a seven-year-old boy to groom a six-year-old child over Snapchat. He threatened to hurt the child's parents, in return for indecent images, and sent obscene photos of himself.

When the child's family member realised what was going on, they messaged Pinkham's account, asking why he had contacted them. Instead of coming clean, Pinkham carried on his lies and told the victim's parents the messages were from an imaginary eight-year-old brother who was behaving strangely after the loss of his dad.

When Pinkham was arrested on April 13, 2023, police seized his devices and a top-up card linked to the number that had been messaging the child. When they searched his phone, they discovered hundreds of indecent images and searches for bestiality images.

MyLondon reported Pinkham's first sentencing hearing on Friday, January 12, which was adjourned because his true age, and some of his mitigation, still needed verification. At the hearing, prosecutor Allister Walker read emotional victim impact statements, including from one parent who described their feeling of guilt, and the emotional and mental effect on their household.

"It is truly hard to say how much this had an emotional and mental affect on not just [my child] but whole house and family. This horrific crime will leave emotional scars on [my child] that will not heal," they said. "I never thought anything like this would happen to one of my children. The guilt will stay with me forever for not being able to protect my [child] from this despicable predator."

Another victim's family member said: "I always thought I would be able to protect my child. Now I have not I will always blame myself... I'm always telling [them] it's not [their] fault but [they] always blame [themselves].

"[Pinkham] was old enough to get someone his own age. Why did he not get someone his own age? He's ruined so many lives for his own bitter pleasure."

On Friday (April 5), the Met Police told how it took three years, working together with Greater Manchester Police and North Wales Police, to reveal the full extent of Pinkham's crimes. The investigation required hours of interviews with Pinkham and his vulnerable victims, viewing and grading of horrific material by officers, and support for the victims and their families.

In the end, Pinkham was convicted of:

• Two counts of sexual communication with a child
• Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images
• Possession of a prohibited image

Detective Constable Amy Burnell who led the investigation said: I would like to highlight the incredible work of the Mets investigation team; they viewed images of horrific material seized from the suspect and had to grade the severity of the indecency of the images for viewing in court. They did this efficiently and were able to still work professionally and with true commitment to the case.

The teams diligence and professionalism has ensured this perpetrator has been taken off the streets of London and will no longer be able to hide behind a computer screen and take advantage of vulnerable children enjoying online games and chat rooms with their friends.

Pinkham exploited childrens youthful ignorance for his personal gratification. We are committed to finding individuals who wish to cause harm to young people across London. Well do everything in our power to protect children, bringing to justice those predators who threaten their safety.

Description

A 28-year-old man convicted of multiple rapes and sexual assaults in the Borders has today (Thursday) been jailed for ten years.

Luke Thomson, who gave an address in Galashiels, committed the offences at various locations in the region going back several years.

In addition to the prison sentence, he has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and banned from contacting any of his five victims.

One was aged just 14 when she met him ten years ago. The woman - who we're not naming - has described Thomson as a "monster".

Reacting to the sentence at the High Court in Glasgow, she told Greatest Hits Radio: "Not long enough as far as I’m concerned, but I’m relieved it’s all over.

"There are no words to say how much I have suffered over the years since it happened. From dealing with the immediate aftermath of it and leaving school when I was 15, to the excrutiating mental toll that haunts me daily.

"This paedophile took the life I should have had away from me. And he did the same to others too. He is dangerous, he is vile and he shows absolutely no remorse for the destruction he has caused."

The terrified youngster revealed she was too afraid to report Thomson and that he was only stopped after police contacted her when other victims came forward to raise the alarm.

"It unfortunately didn't come as a shock to find out that there were more victims," she said. "I knew if somebody was capable of doing what he did to me, to someone as young as I was back then, then he would absolutely do it again.

"I would say to anybody going through this right now, even though it's the hardest thing I've ever done, every single person involved - the police, the court, the staff at the court, and so many more people - they all care, and they're unbelievably supportive.”

And, she added: "I hope, from here on, I can say it gets better."

Description

A SUPERMARKET worker downloaded hundreds of sick images including videos of child sex abuse, a court has heard.

James Baines appeared in court for sentencing on Thursday after admitting five counts of possessing indecent images.

Police raided Baines’s address in King Stephen Road last year and seized a Samsung mobile phone which was found to have 255 category A images, 138 category B images, and 63 category C images.

Further searches found a Google Drive folder on Baines’s laptop contained three category A videos and two category C images.

Category A images are classified as being the most serious as they depict penetration of a child whilst they are in pain or distress.

Baines first appeared at the magistrates' court where he admitted three charges of making an indecent photograph of a child and two charges of possessing an indecent photograph of a child.

The case was then transferred to the crown court so a greater sentenced could be passed.

Lucy Sweetland, prosecuting, told Ipswich Crown Court that Baines said to officers he was “not shocked” when they had turned up at his address to execute a search warrant.

Baines had said the images were initially sent to him by other internet users in an online chat group but he “willingly accepted the images and continued to access the chatroom”, Miss Sweetland said.

The court heard how most of the images were of children around the age of six, with one image depicting a child as young as four months.

Miss Sweetland continued: “Another image shows a child distressed and crying during the abuse.”

Frank O’Toole, mitigating, said Baines, 24, had no previous convictions and was working full-time in a supermarket.

He added: “He is not trying to blame anyone else and he is not saying he was bamboozled or taken advantage of because of his age – he doesn’t know why he did it.

“The difficulty he has had from early adulthood was that he lost his hair and became very, very self-conscious because of that – he had decided to go to university but abandoned that idea because he felt his peer group wouldn’t relate to him.

“He self-imposed a personality that removed him from the normal exchanges he would have had with that group - to an extent, he was isolated."

Judge David Pugh sentenced Baines to an eight-month prison term suspended for two years, ordered him to complete 30 days of rehab activity requirements, and imposed a £340 payment for costs.

Baines has also been placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

Description

A paedophile who groomed a teenage boy to take part in sexual acts with his own brother has been jailed.

Leon Richardson, of Mill Road, Cambridge, began speaking to the schoolboy through social media on 10 October.

The teenager replied to Richardson and the messages started off innocent, but after a few days became sexual.

Richardson, 22, sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself to the boy and asked him to do the same, to which the boy obliged.

He also persuaded the boy to take part in sexual acts with his own brother, who was younger than him. These acts were recorded and sent to Richardson.

Richardson went on to request to meet the teenager under the guise of teaching him to play the guitar.

The sexual messages continued for a few months, until 29 December, but were found after the boy’s parents checked his phone after he had become withdrawn and secretive with the device.

After realising the conversations had been discovered Richardson visited Parkside Police Station, in Cambridge, and admitted the offences.

In police interview Richardson again admitted the crimes and said he wanted help.

At Cambridge Crown Court on 29 January, Richardson admitted charges including:

• Engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Causing or inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Causing a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity 

He was sentenced at the same court today (4 April) where he was handed five years and four months in prison, with an extra three years on licence

Richardson was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), to monitor future offending, which was ordered to run indefinitely. He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.