Latest Offenders

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked away by the courts after he was found to be in possession of a sickening stash of photos.

The photos found on a laptop belonging to Keith Secker involved children being sexually abused.

The 46-year-old was later charged with three counts of making indecent images of children (IIOC), one of possessing IIOC and one of breaching a suspended sentence order.

He indicated guilty pleas to all charges before the magistrates’ court, with the case committed to Chester Crown Court for sentence.

The court heard from Karl Scholz, prosecuting the case, how the matters came to a head in February last year.

Police seized Secker’s laptop in Runcorn and submitted it for a forensic examination, with the results confirming the presence of child sex abuse images.

In total, 83 IIOC were discovered, with examples from each of the three categories such images are graded.

Of the 83, 37 were classified as category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 29 were category B and 17 were category C.

Before sentencing, judge Simon Berkson remarked that the only appropriate sentence he could impose was one of immediate custody.

This was due to the severity of the offences and due to the defendant already being made subject to a suspended sentence order at the time the offences were committed.

Secker, of East Lane in Runcorn, was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment and ordered to sign the sex offender register for the next 10 years.

It was also ordered that he pay a statutory surcharge to fund victim services of £187, while a further order was approved to deprive the defendant of his laptop seized during the police investigation.

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A convicted sex offender who knew he was not allowed any contact with girls under the age of 16 let a young child sit on his knee at a church.

Derby Crown Court heard how Richard Clarke chased a second young victim around the same place of worship and spoke to a third one in a local cafe knowing full well he was forbidden from doing so by a court order.

The 70-year-old, of Matlock, was jailed for 30 months in 2014 for possessing sick child abuse images of underage girls. Now he has two years to stay out of trouble or risk being returned back behind bars for another stint.

Handing him a 16-month prison term, suspended for two years, Judge Martin Hurst said: “When I read this case last night I thought ‘this man is going to go to prison’ because he’s had contact with three different children, two at the church and one at the cafe. I don’t accept for one minute your claim that she’s (the first victim) climbed on your knee.

“You know you are not allowed to have any contact and you knew you were not allowed to chase (the third victim) around the church to do up her shoelaces. This would have led to your head being near her groin area and you have come close to committing a touching offence which, if you had committed one, would unquestionably have led to an immediate prison sentence.

“You make sure you have nothing to do with young children and you go to that church just to worship.” Annabel Lenton, prosecuting, said all three offences happened during April and May of 2023.

She said the first one took place when he was spotted with a young girl sitting on his knee at the church and when it was noticed the girl was removed. The prosecutor said: “In interview, he said the girl had climbed onto his knee.

“The second offence happened when a 13-year-old girl was in a cafe in Matlock with some friends and as she left the defendant said hello to her. She returned home and told her parents.

“The third offence happened at the same church (as the first one) when he was seen chasing a young girl around as her shoelaces were undone. He caught up with her and tied her laces and he later said he did this as he did not want her to trip over.”

Miss Lenton said Clarke, of Dimple Road, was jailed for 30 months in 2014 for a number of counts of possessing indecent images of children. She said as part of that punishment he was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offender register, also for 10 years.

The defendant pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the order. Sam Lowne, mitigating, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity when he appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court.

He said: “Speaking plainly, from the conversation I had with Mr Clarke, it does appear that over the years, since the order was imposed, an element of complacency has crept in.”

Clarke’s order will remain in place and he will remain on the sex offender register.

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A convicted sex offender who had twice been spared prison in just eight months completely ignored the chances that he was given and soon started sending highly sexualised messages to a decoy 12-year-old girl.

Heavy drinker Brian Greenaway thought that he was talking to a real girl and he sent explicit pictures of himself to her. He even warned her that she ought to be careful who she chatted to online because she was young, Hull Crown Court heard.

Greenaway, 58, of Spring Bank West, Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual contact with a child, attempting to invite a child to engage in sexual activity and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that a member of an online anti-child abuse group became aware of communications by Greenaway with a decoy 12-year-old girl on Facebook and then WhatsApp between September 1 and 4 last year.

Greenaway used his correct name and said that he was 57. His profile contained details about him and it included his date of birth and his home city. These correctly matched Greenaway's actual details.

He sent a clothed picture of himself, saying "That's me" and he warned the fake girl: "Just be careful who you chat with on here." He told her "You're young" and asked if she had a boyfriend.

Greenaway contacted her again and said: "Hi, it's Brian". The conversations became more sexualised and he started using more graphic language. He told her where to find an intimate part of her body, but he asked her to delete the messages, saying it was "because I'm an adult and you're a minor".

He sent a picture of his private parts to the decoy girl and he asked her for an intimate picture of herself. He also sent a video of himself committing a sex act and he talked about sexual matters.

He was arrested on September 6 and his phone was seized. He had convictions for 80 previous offences, including indecently assaulting a girl and gross indecency with a girl.

He also had convictions for failing to register his details as a sex offender in 2003 and 2005 and engaging in sexual communication with a child in West Park in January last year, when he was given a suspended six-month prison sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years.

He was back in court in August last year for breaching the order, but it was allowed to continue. The latest offences were in breach of that order.

'Lonely and naive'

Hannah Turner, mitigating, said that the offences took place over a short period of time spanning seven days and Greenaway admitted that there was a "disparity of age" between him and the fake girl. He had a worrying list of previous convictions, but he was lonely, naive and perhaps vulnerable at the time.

He had shown significant remorse for his actions. "He has readily acknowledged that he has a problem with alcohol," said Miss Turner.

Judge Mark Bury told Greenaway: "You contacted who you thought was a 12-year-old girl. Before very long, the conversation became more sinister and sexual. You knew what you were doing because you asked her to delete your conversations.

"There was no actual harm done to any child because there wasn't one. It was a decoy. I can't ignore your intention. You knew full well that you were talking to a 12-year-old girl and you were instructing her to carry out sexual acts for your own sexual gratification.

"This wasn't just once but a number of times, albeit over a short period of time. The time now has come where you have to serve a prison sentence.

"You haven't complied with the suspended sentence order. You have reoffended. You fully believed that it was a real 12-year-old. You were sending to her pornographic pictures."

Greenaway, who was already in custody on remand, was jailed for two years and four months. The sentence included a consecutive six months after the suspended sentence from last year was activated. The phone will be forfeited.

Approached children in West Park

At a previous hearing in August, the court heard that Greenaway landed himself in hot water after going to probation service meetings while "under the influence of alcohol" and drinking while he was there. He was also "making sexual innuendos to people" and it "could not be more ironic" that he was doing that in view of why he was actually there, the court heard that day.

Greenaway had originally been spared prison for making completely inappropriate sexually charged comments to children in West Park, Hull. He had admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child at the park in 2020.

Greenaway had been brought back before the court in August when he admitted breaching the order. He either failed to attend the Horizon sex offender programme or had been drinking before doing so. He attended while under the influence of alcohol and then drank while he was there.

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A paedophile former social worker has been jailed for abusing boys who were in his care.

At North Somerset Courthouse, 73-year-old Raymond Poyner was sentenced on Friday 5 January for sexual abuse he carried out on two boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

The two men, who are now both in their 50s, said their memories of the abuse they were subjected to will never ‘go away’.

Poyner, from Weston-super-Mare, worked as a residential social worker in the 1970s in Cornwall where he groomed and sexually assaulted a boy in his care at a children’s care home.

When informed by police that Poyner had pleaded guilty shortly before a trial was due to begin, the man who was abused broke down in tears.

In a victim statement, prepared for the sentencing hearing, he said: “Since my childhood, what Poyner did to me sticks in my mind, it consumes a lot of my thinking and the way I view my life.

“I still have no trust in anyone, and even after all this time, I find it difficult to form relationships. I just cannot allow anyone to get close to me; I cannot take people into my confidence.

“Now Poyner has been sentenced there is some closure to this episode. Having said that, I don’t think I will ever put behind me the thoughts of what Poyner put me through.”

Poyner subsequently moved to the Axbridge area where in the 1980s he indecently assaulted a second boy.

The man who was abused approximately 40 years ago says the sexual abuse committed against him continues to affect his professional and personal lives, despite his wife’s love and support.

He said in a victim personal statement: “My whole life has been centred around what Poyner put me through. I have little trust in those in authority, this view is jaded by the fact Poyner was a social worker, a position of authority.

“I have always felt somewhat of an outsider, and found it difficult to form relationships.

“A lot of people think I am an extrovert, and have self-confidence. However, this is a disguise, and I am still a terrified teenage boy inside.”

He added that what Poyner did will ‘stay with me for the rest of my life’.

Poyner pleaded guilty in October to two counts of indecent assault on a male person.

Poyner also pleaded guilty to a third charge of possession of indecent photos of children relating to three images and one video he was found to have in January 2021.

He was sentenced at North Somerset Courthouse to a total of five years and one month in prison. Poyner remains subject to a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and barred from ever working with children.

The judge, Recorder Jaron Crooknorth, stated Poyner was a predatory offender who abused a position of trust to groom young boys.

DC Mike Tarling said: “Raymond Poyner sexually abused two children the best part of 50 years ago but the impact of his crimes continues to be felt by those two men.

“Both have shown incredible strength and courage to report what happened. Without that, Poyner would never have been brought before the courts again. Poyner was convicted of a similar offence in the 1980s involving a different child and his clear predatory behaviour led to him more recently being made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

“We hope the conclusion of these proceedings after several years of investigation and court hearings helps both men to move forward with their lives, with the ongoing support of their families and friends. But we should not pretend it wipes away the pain they continue to experience.”

DC Tarling added: “Investigating non-recent sexual abuse is among the most challenging enquiries we face, but cases like this show abusers can be brought to justice no matter how much time has passed.

“We urge anyone who have been abused to report what happened to us, no matter when it happened.

“You will be believed, your report will be taken seriously and we will focus on bringing the perpetrator to justice.”

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A serial rapist who targeted a woman as she slept tried to challenge his lengthy jail term.

Callen Chandler-Jones took advantage of the woman, who cannot be identified, leaving her "completely broken" and feeling as though she had been "treated like an object" in her own words.

Chandler-Jones, 31, was handed an extended sentence at Liverpool Crown Court in April, where a judge heard how he raped his "extremely vulnerable" victim while she was asleep on at least 11 occasions over the space of several years. Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, described how the woman became suspicious and began leaving her phone under her pillow recording when she was sleeping.

When she later confronted Chandler-Jones, he apologised and said that he had been having "irresistible urges". He later made "partial admissions" to the attacks, which occurred at an address in Merseyside.

Chandler-Jones was jailed for 20 years, with an extended licence period of eight years, after admitting two counts of rape. The court heard the second count encompassed a number of different occasions.

That sentence means that Chandler-Jones must serve at least two thirds of his jail term before becoming eligible for parole, and will only be released early if a Parole Board are convinced he is safe to live in the community.

However the pervert launched an appeal against his sentence, claiming the judge had no right to impose such a long prison term.

A judgment handed down by the Court of Appeal after a hearing in the Royal Courts of Justice revealed that Chandler-Jones lodged two grounds of appeal. According to Lady Justice Whipple, Chandler-Jones argued "it was manifestly excessive given the facts of the case and the overall criminality involved".

He also argued imposing an extended sentence was unnecessary given the length of the custodial sentence. However Justice Whipple wrote: "The index offences are very severe. Their repeated nature makes it reasonable to go above the upper limit of that category by some margin.

"This sentence was for a series of rapes (at least 11) over a lengthy period, committed despite [the complainant] asking the applicant to stop and expressing her deep upset at what was occurring. These rapes were committed while she was asleep and unable to resist."

In regard to the extended sentence, she wrote: "The judge had good reason to impose an extended sentence in this case. The applicant plainly does present a real danger to the public."

Back in April. the victim bravely read out a statement to the court, in which she outlined the devastating impact of his assaults. She tearfully said: "I don't know how to put my feelings into words.

"This has completely broken me as a person. I am doing all I can to put the pieces back together. The hardest thing to get my head around was why he would want to cause me such distress time and time again. My confidence and my heart and soul was completely stripped from me.

"He treated me like an object to give pleasure. It broke my heart. I really struggle to understand how he could disregard me and my body. I want to ensure he never hurts anyone ever again.

"I refuse to be hurt by him anymore. I completely lost who I was."

Heroin and crack cocaine addict Chandler-Jones has a total of 19 previous convictions, including for assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Judge David Swinnerton, who passed the original sentence, said: "You raped her in circumstances where she was exceptionally vulnerable. You used her like an object.

"You ignored her humanity completely and completely disregarded her as a human being. You treated her as a sexual play thing to do with what you wanted."

Chandler-Jones was also given a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the complainant indefinitely. He must sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A REGISTERED sex offender has been brought back before a court after he failed to notify police he had been using an online dating app.

William Kirkbride, 59, is required to notify police of any names or aliases he uses within three days under the terms of a 10-year sex offender notification requirement.

He was jailed for 21 months in June 2022 for facilitating a child sex offence and was released on licence on August 10 last year.

Kirkbride had used the gay dating site, Grindr, between August 28 and September 11 and had not notified police, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the defendant was spoken to by the police officer who had examined his mobile phone.

He admitted using Grindr and accepted he hadn’t told his offender manager the username.

Ms Fee said it was a deliberate failure to comply with the requirement.

Kirkbride, of Queen Street, Whitehaven, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register.

John Cooper, defending, said: “On release, there is no restriction on him being allowed to use the app. He is allowed to use it but has to tell police all his details – his passwords and usernames.

“He has been in conversation with a probation officer and said he was using that app. There has been no attempt to hide it.

“There is monitoring software on his phone so it would have been discovered.”

The court heard a decision had been made not to recall Kirkbride to prison. He remains on licence until October 9 this year.

A probation officer said Kirkbride had been compliant and had engaged with several partnership agencies including a GP and mental health services. Citizens Advice were also involved to assist with the sale of Kirkbride’s property.

Magistrates imposed a nine-week curfew, to run daily from 6pm until 6am. Kirkbride was ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

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A pensioner who volunteered at an attraction popular with families has been caught with hundreds of child abuse images. David Donkin, who had helped out at Foxfield Railway, near Blythe Bridge, since 1966, viewed sickening photos of children as young as three being exploited over a six-year period.

But it came to an end when police visited his home in December 2022 and seized his electronic devices. They were found to contain a total of 2,430 indecent images of youngsters at categories A to C and 295 prohibited images of children.

Now 79-year-old Donkin, who has undertaken a lot of work through the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse, has been sentenced to a two-year community order at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. As part of the order he must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 20 days and 80 hours unpaid work.

Prosecutor Salek Ahmed said police from Operation Safenet attended at Donkin's Blurton home on December 14, 2022, after receiving intelligence that the occupant had uploaded a category C image of a child.

Mr Ahmed said items including a computer tower and a mobile phone were seized and analysed. They were found to contain:

• 239 still indecent images of children and 39 moving images at category A, the most serious;
• 234 still images and 43 movies at category B;
• 1,858 still images and 17 movies at category C;
• 265 prohibited still images of a child and 30 prohibited moving images of a child.

Mr Ahmed said Donkin made full and frank admissions in his police interview. He added that some of the children in the images were as young as three or four and the offending spanned six years, from 2016 to 2022.

Donkin, of Waterside Drive, Blurton, pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent photographs of a child and one charge of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Stuart Muldoon, mitigating, said when the police seized Donkin's devices officers provided him with the details of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. Mr Muldoon said: "He started engaging and did not replace the items seized by the police. For almost a year he was involved with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

"At the moment he has no devices that can access the internet. The offending has a lot of stigma."

He said Donkin, who worked at Creda, has been involved with the steam railway since 1966. But he has been suspended as a result of the police investigation. Mr Muldoon said: "There is no suggestion there has been any contact with children. He is hopeful he will be able to go back there.

"He is very proud of his achievements in his paid working life and his voluntary working life. He is ashamed, guilt ridden and upset that he is before the courts.

"He accepts he became desensitised to what he was looking at and became addicted to pornography."

Recorder Julian Taylor said: "You are 79 and of previous good character. These are real children. These disgraceful, horrible images are exploitation of children. Some were as young as three or four."

Donkin was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and was placed on the sex offenders' register for the same period.

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Mark Warcup targeted the boys, were both under 12, in 2020 but continued to deny any wrongdoing while providing a “ludicrous story”, before he eventually confessed. The boys had already given their recorded evidence in preparation for the trial which was due to start in September last year.

The 45-year-old has now been jailed for more than four years at Leeds Crown Court. Prosecutor Christopher Rose said he showed the first boy videos of men having sex on his phone, made the youngster touch his penis and would try to pull the boy’s underwear down.

The second victim said that the defendant had tried to force the boy to touch Warcup’s penis through his jeans. Further details cannot be disclosed to help protect the identity of his victims.

Victim impact statements were read out for the boys, with one saying he regularly felt suicidal, and said of Warcup: “It makes me want to kill him.”

Warcup, of Colenso Gardens, Holbeck, eventually admitted engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of sexual assault of child under, and two of causing/inciting child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted two counts of possessing indecent images of children after more than 130 images were found on his phone after he was arrested. This included two category A images – the most serious – and 129 category C.

Mitigating, Stephen Uttley said there had been no further offending from Warcup and there was no suggestion of any other victims. He said that Warcup himself suffered an “appalling” childhood, and was subjected to sexual and physical abuse.

He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has previously attempted suicide. He said Warcup was also drinking heavily at the time of his offending, had a gambling addiction but had become involved in the church.

The court was also told Warcup had learning difficulties. He has no previous convictions but a caution for making indecent images of children.

Judge Tom Bayliss KC told him: “It involved the sexual abuse of two very young boys. Your attitude was to abuse them. You had an opportunity to admit your wrongdoing, and you are not even admitting it now to the probation officer.

"It was only in September 2023, three years after, that you pleaded guilty when it was listed for trial. You came up with a ludicrous story and denied any form of wrongdoing.

"It was highly-manipulative behaviour and grooming behaviour in my judgement. You have intellectual difficulties and have a low IQ. But you, of all people who suffered abuse, should have realised what you were doing.

"You created opportunities to sexually abuse them. It was calculated and manipulative behaviour.”

He jailed Warcup for 51 months, put him on the sex offender register for life, and also made him subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Description

A takeaway chef faces the prospect of time behind bars after being found guilty by a jury of chatting up young girls on social media before going on to touch them inappropriately. Rajon Ahmed, 40, also sent pictures of himself naked and suggested he meet one of the girls for sex.

Ahmed, from St Ives, has been on trial this week at Truro Crown Court and was after a short period of jury deliberation found guilty of sexual communications with a child, two sexual activity with a child charges and sexual assault. He was found not guilty of a second sexual assault charge.

Ahmed was bailed ahead of sentencing in February under the condition that he surrender his passport. Judge David Evans warned him that custody is the most likely outcome.

By convicting Ahmed the jury rubbished his account that he chatted to the girls thinking they were 18 and that no sexual activity took place. Judge Evans commented on how Ahmed took the matter to trial despite the overwhelming evidence again him.Prosecuting the case, Brian Fitzherbert said that Ahmed was well aware of the ages of the two girls, who were 16 and 13 at the time.

Mr Fitzherbert opened the case by outlining the now proven allegations made by the first victim. He said that at first conversation was friendly and normal before Ahmed asked the girl how old she was. She replied that she was 13, to which Ahmed replied "you don't look 13".

Ahmed followed her on Instagram and they began to message before the conversation moved to Snapchat. Mr Fitzherbert said: "He began to offer her cigarettes and cannabis and asked if she wanted to see his penis. She said no but he sent a picture anyway and did this three or four times. The images were of him naked saying he wished she was with him."

Ahmed asked to meet the girl and have sex with him. They met twice and on the second occasion Ahmed hugged her and as she pulled away he kissed her on the mouth and grabbed and squeezed her breast.

The second, older, victim says that Ahmed was "lovely and friendly" at first. He connected with her on Snapchat and began to comment on her Instagram posts saying "sexy" and "gorgeous". He offered her cigarettes and on one occasion, hugged her and as she moved away touched and squeezed her breast.

The jury heard how a third young girl says Ahmed also communicated with her, although no sexual offending took place.

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A horrified home owner was arrested in his own home in front of his wife for offences committed by a paedophile living in his annex. Police were actually after sex offender Peter Quinton, 31, who later suggested to police the homeowner may have had something to do with it.

Quinton, formerly of Bodmin but more recently of Gloucester, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

Prosecuting the case, Ryan Murray said that on July 27, 2021, police executed a warrant at an address in Bodmin following intelligence from an online paedophile investigation team that linked the IP address to child pornography being accessed online. Mr Murray described how police initially arrested the property owner before realising Quinton was living in an annex.

Quinton provided devices and on a laptop found five Category A images, one Category B and two Category C. All were stills and depicted children aged between one and seven. Quinton was also found to have made searches relating to child abuse images and made file names relating to toddlers and babies. The homeowner said that had he realised Quinton was a sex offender he'd never have allowed him to live there.

Quinton largely remained quiet during interview but suggested the homeowner may have had something to do with the accessing of the sick material. The court heard how Quinton had been convicted of similar offences in 2015 and given a non-custodial sentence.

Representing Quinton, Nicholas Wragg said that he had been in a stable relationship and stable employment for many years. Mr Wragg added that Quinton suffered abuse as a child which had a "profound effect" on him and also witnessed domestic abuse. All of this is said to have "distorted his thinking later in life". He has also been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) which causes impulsive behaviour.

Sentencing Quinton, Recorder John Trevaskis said it's sadly a fact of life that those who commit crimes involving abuse are often the victims of abuse themselves. He added that as a result Quinton developed an unhealthy interest in sexual activity with children, and although he hadn't actively abused any children himself, the interests of people such as Quinton result in children being raped and abused all over the world.

Recorder Trevaskis said that in Quinton's case there is considerable mitigation, despite his "deeply intrenched and inappropriate interest in indecent images of children". Recorder Trevaskis noted Quinton's family support and that of his wife, and deeming him "a realistic prospect of rehabilitation" sentenced him to a two-year community order, with 300 hours unpaid work and a rehabilitation requirement to address his offending. Quinton was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

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A former Army cadet instructor, who ruined the lives of five young boys by sexually abusing them, was jailed for almost 30 years on Friday.

A judge told 63-year-old Stephen Finnigan: You were a determined predator. You abused your position of trust and responsibility and power over each of these boys. Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said that as he denied all the allegations and was convicted after a trial, he 'forced each of the victims concerned to attend court and be branded liars'.

Jailing him for a total of 29 years six months with an extended one year licence, the judge said that Finnigan had groomed the boys with cigarettes and beer and caused them severe psychological damage.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Finnigan, of Longfield Road, Litherland, Liverpool, committed the offences over a 12 year period in the 1980s and early 1990s with some overlap but mainly in succession.

He was an army cadet instructor and colour sergeant and was based at both Grace Road in Walton Vale and Browns Lane, Netherton when the offences occurred. Four of the victims were cadets and the fifth was the son of a friend. They ranged in age from eight to 14, explained Trevor Parry-Jones, prosecuting.

Finnigan also took cadets to Altcar firing range and camping trips in Royden Park on the Wirral where he sexually assaulted one of the victims. The boy was so traumatised that he slept outside the tent all night and got hypothermia.

Mr Parry-Jones said that the Army Cadets were seen as a means of instilling interest and pride in boys and was a potential route into the regular army. Sadly that could not be said to have been in the mind of the defendant who by his convictions seemed to have used the Army Cadets as a means of providing him with a source of boys whom he could groom and thereafter abuse," he said.

Those boys did not gain the security that they should have enjoyed and as was revealed in their evidence they suffered considerably both as a direct result of the assaults but also in their emotional development.

He said that many of the victims came from poor families and the defendant was popular as he provided cigarettes and beer which he also took to a flat where boys gathered.

One victim went to the police after reading about the Jimmy Saville abuse and left a message but did not follow it up. He effectively buried it as did the second victim, who was aged about 12, when Finnigan began assaulting him culminating in buggery. His life effectively collapsed, he resorted to drugs, said Mr Parry-Jones.

The third victim who was assaulted at Royden Park eventually told police what had happened after seeing an article in the local media about Finnigan receiving a medal for 'exceptional service' to the Army Cadets.

The next cadet victim, who Finnigan attempted to have anal sex with, read his own graphic impact statement to the court on Friday, in which he told how his life had spiralled out of control and led to him committing various offences and being imprisoned. It was only when his solicitor encouraged him to tell her about his past, convinced there was something in his background, that the details emerged and the police were informed.

Merseyside Police then began to investigate and were able to trace the previous reports made and re-interview the victims, said Mr Parry-Jones.

The court heard that the fifth victims family had regarded the defendant almost as an uncle. His family life was poor and Finnigan gave him the attention he craved and groomed him. He told his dad about the abuse but he severely beat him and social services intervention failed to result in a police investigation.

Two other impact statements were read to the judge in which those victims also told how they had been left haunted by his attacks.

The court was told that Finnigan only has one previous offence but this was in 2012 for assaulting a cadet by setting fire to his hair as he believed it was too long and this led to the end of his Army Cadet involvement.

He had been convicted of 29 offences involving indecent assault, indecency with a child and an offence which would now be charged as rape. Finnigan, who appeared via video link, continues to maintain his innocence. He had claimed they had conspired together to get him into trouble.

He repeatedly shook his head during the proceedings and smiled when sentenced. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A Chesterfield rapist who left a woman suffering nightmares and anxiety has been jailed.

Rys Turner’s vile actions were uncovered after the woman came forward and told officers of the rape after he assaulted her in March 2023.

In a statement read out at court, she explained the devastating impact that the crimes had on her. She said: ”I’ve been taking sleeping tablets because my thoughts keep me awake at night and I don’t want to fall to sleep and have anymore nightmares about everything.

“I don’t think my life will ever be the same after this.

“I just want to be left alone, I don’t want to see anyone and I don’t want to speak to anyone either.

“I’m so closed off from the outside world it’s affecting my anxiety even more.

“Sleeping is still a massive struggle, the nightmares put me right back in those traumatic moments, they feel so real I’m waking up in a panic.”

The 26-year-old, of Littlemoor, Newbold, appeared at Derby Crown Court on 15 December when he was jailed for six years after admitting rape.

He was also handed a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the victim for 16 years and was ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

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A SHOCKED mother sat in a Carlisle court listening to a harrowing account of how her son had secretly viewed sickening child rape videos.

Former Broughton Moor man Ben Robinson-Brown viewed videos of children aged four, five and eight as they were raped and boasted to a contact of watching footage of a ten-year-old girl being gang-raped, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

As Judge Nicholas Barker passed sentence, he told the defendant his mother's face as she heard those distressing details showed her “disbelief and disgust”.

Robinson-Brown, formerly of Broughton Moor, Maryport, but now living at Wreay, near Carlisle, admitted five offences.

Three related to him downloading 29 indecent child images, 15 of them Category A, the most serious kind; one was possessing extreme pornography, and there was one count of distributing a Category C indecent child image.

Prosecutor Brendan Burke outlined the facts.

He said police acting on intelligence raided the defendant’s home and seized three devices, a laptop, an iPhone and an iPad. The illegal images included three videos, one just under a minute long and two just over a minute.

They showed men raping girls aged four, five and eight. All three victims were clearly distressed, said Mr Burke.

Another video showed sex between people and dogs. Mr Burke then outlined the evidence of how the defendant chatted online with a person, posing initially as a 14-year-old girl and then later discussing gang raping an 11-year-old.

The defendant also sent the contact a sexual image of a 10-year-old girl. The prosecutor said: “He tells [the contact] that he’s in the business of renting out eight to 15-year-old females and he is looking to trade in indecent images.

“He tries and fails to boast that he’s seen a 10-year-old female being gang raped – something he’d seen in a video.”

Marion Weir, defending, said Robinson-Brown had done much “soul searching” since his offending came to light.

The barrister said: “He’s an intelligent young man who in many ways is more mature than his 23 years. These offences were 18 months ago, and he says the person who committed these offences is very different to the person who appears in court.”

The defendant’s background included the pandemic and the death of his great grandmother, a person he regarded as his best friend.

“There’s nothing which can excuse the offending,” said the barrister. “He is disgusted by his behaviour and disappointed in himself; and distraught at the impact that this has had on those he loves.”

Robinson-Brown’s prosecution had led to the loss of friendships and a career opportunity with the RAF, she said. He felt genuine remorse, said Miss Weir.

Judge Nicholas Barker noted that the defendant, in his pre-sentence report interview, suggested he did nothing more than take part in perverted role play.

But the evidence – including the distressing videos of young children being raped - demonstrated a “significant sexual interest in very young children,” observed the judge.

Judge Barker remarked on how he had watched the face of a woman sitting in the court’s public gallery, whom he believed to be the defendant’s mother, as Mr Burke outlined the facts of the case.

The judge said: “[Her face] depicted, in my view, two strong emotions: one was disgust and the other was disbelief: disgust at what was being described and disbelief that you had done this – and that is an entirely understandable response because the material were involved with is simply disgusting and depraved.”

The judge noted the defendant had a background included substance abuse, debts and bereavement but he said an appropriate jail term would involve a four-and-a-half-month spell in custody but no meaningful rehabilitation.

Instead, he imposed a three-year community order, with 10 rehabilitation activity days, and a sexual offender treatment programme.

The defendant must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and he will be on the Sex Offender Register for five years.

The judge told the defendant: “You must address your sexual tendencies which you displayed by downloading these perverted images and communicating in that depraved way.”

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A man from Litherland has been sentenced to 29 years and six months for 29 counts of historical sexual offences against five children.

Stephen Finnigan, 63, of Longfield Road was sentenced today, Friday 5th January, for multiple counts of indecent assault, gross indecency and other sexual offences following a two-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Detectives carried out the investigation after receiving a report in 2014 of sex offences against a child which spanned a several-year period. Further victims also came forward, which led to a charge in 2022.

The crimes were historic dating back to the last century, where the offender breached a position of trust, as an instructor in the army cadets.

Merseyside Police wish to make it clear that the army cadets have co-operated fully throughout this operation and their assistance was invaluable.

Detective Constable Claire McDonald said: “The predatory behaviour displayed by Finnigan is utterly appalling and he will now spend years in prison for his depraved actions.

“His victims have showed immense courage and bravery to report the deplorable offences that Finnigan committed.

“Finnigan continued to deny the offences, which meant his victims had to endure a trial when they had to relive the horrific experiences.

“As you can imagine for victims of such an appalling crime, the impact on them is significant and long-lasting. I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing by reporting Finnigan’s heinous crime to us.

“I want to stress that time is no barrier to reporting offences and Merseyside Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm, regardless of when the offences occurred.

“If you have experienced any form of sexual abuse, or know of a child being abused, please come forward and report this to police.

“We take all such reports extremely seriously and if you can find the courage to come forward and speak to us we have specially trained officers who will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.”

A spokesperson for the army cadets said: “The Cadet organisation has cooperated fully with Merseyside Police throughout the investigation and has clear safeguarding measures and procedures in place to ensure the protection and support of all cadets and adult volunteers, through security screening, rigorous disclosure checks and regular safeguarding training.”

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A man who plied a child with alcohol before sexually assaulting her has been jailed.

Colin Shaw, 51, gave his 15-year-old victim multiple cans of beer before touching her inappropriately and attacking her inside his home in Rotherham.

He put his hand up her top and inside her bra leaving his teenage victim traumatised, and the morning after Shaw encouraged her to stay silent and downplay what had happened to her.

Detective Constable Charlotte Adamson, from our Major Crime Unit, said: "Shaw took advantage of his young victim by plying her with alcohol before subjecting her to a sickening assault.

"To make matters worse, Shaw then encouraged her to downplay what had happened before touching her inappropriately once again.

"I cannot imagine how terrified she must have been after such a traumatic ordeal and I want to commend the bravery of the victim for showing courage beyond her years in reporting this to us.

"It's thanks to her bravery that this dangerous sex offender is now behind bars and I hope his imprisonment will bring his victim and their family some comfort."

Shaw, previously of the Worksop area, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault and not guilty of another following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

He was jailed for three years and four months at the same court on 22 December 2023 and has been placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.