Latest Offenders

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An aspiring Rothwell Buddhist who sexually abused two women and hoarded indecent images of children has been jailed.

Harvy Tak targeted two women between 2016 and 2023, filming both of them as they performed sex acts, Leeds Crown Court heard on Friday.

The court heard that Tak's first victim was handcuffed and blindfolded and was unaware he was filming her at the time. It was also said that she had set boundaries for the consensual sexual activity, which Tak ignored, leading to him being convicted for rape following a trial.

Her Honour Judge Rayfield told Tak as she sentenced him: "She made it clear to you and you made a promise...You were not entitled to ignore the caveat she asked of you but you continued to ignore it knowing that she didn't want that. I can't be sure whether you planned to do that from the outset.

"I will give you the benefit of the doubt that it was impulsive."

The court heard the young woman did not know that Tak had filmed the sexual activity. The judge said: "She was horrified and asked you to delete it but you wouldn't, demonstrating you put your own sexual needs and desires above hers. Over the years, you oscillated between agreeing to delete it and blackmailing her, telling her you wouldn't delete it until she agreed to meet your sexual demands."

It was said that when police arrested Tak in 2023, they seized a number of devices and discovered indecent images of children at categories A, B, and C.

He was released under investigation and it was found he had targeted another young woman. He again filmed them taking part in consensual sexual activity. The judge told Tak: "While she knew you recorded the act for your own personal use, what she didn't know is you retained that until the police found it.

"She was very upset that you still had that image of such a private act in your possession and describes one occasion where you showed her an image of a five-to-eight-year-old engaging in sexual activity with an adult man and you enquired whether this was the kind of activity she would be interested in.

"You told her you had accessed images from the dark web which enabled you to hide your IP address."

The court heard police discovered more indecent images at category A, B and C when Tak was arrested.

Prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh summarised the first victim's impact statement, in which she said she had suffered from anxiety between the offences taking place and her initial report to police. She said she was "ashamed" and "felt dirty."

She added: "Because I felt so low I believed at the time that by letting him abuse me in that way I was protecting others. It made me feel I wasn't worthy. When I reported this, my anxiety increased. I was scared he would turn up at my house. At times it would cause me to shut down.

"I was afraid of bumping into him and I get seeing him in my nightmares where he was oblivious about what he did to me, which made me more anxious about sleeping. I didn't want to sleep and would go to sleep very late and wake up early to avoid it. Sometimes I crash out where I am. I started drinking more caffeine."

In her statement, the second victim said: "This has caused my to develop severe anxiety and PTSD. I find it distressing to go to where the crime occurred. The crime has overall affected every manner of my relationships and has caused me to become very paranoid and not trusting of those around me.

"I find it difficult to connect in a healthy manner and I don't let people get too close. It has affected my ability to work, especially during the proceedings in the case and has left me with no choice but to be unemployed for the near future. My anxiety makes it extremely difficult to perform in work places."

Mitigating, Jane Brady, told the court Tak has a diagnosis of autism. She said: "He was [at the time of the offending] a much younger man who was deferential to authority. He is from a strict Chinese, Buddhist family who intended him to become a Buddhist."

It was said Tak was bullied at school and "isolated" due to being from the "only non-white family in Rothwell."

Ms Brady said: "The [pre-sentence] report acknowledges he had an isolated childhood which resulted in him being ill-prepared for relationships...His feelings are of great shame and reluctance to engage in the process but he will unequivocally not offend again."

Judge Rayfield jailed Tak for eight years and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further order.

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Two women have been commended for their bravery in providing accounts that have led to a man being jailed for a string of violent and sexual offences.

Randy Ayor committed his crimes in Leicester over a period spanning several months in 2023. The victims, who are not known to one another, contacted police in 2024 to report what had happened.

The first victim told detectives she had met Ayor, now 32, in a city nightclub the year before and that in the following months he raped her on several occasions. She also said during one incident he also strangled her to the point she thought she was going to lose consciousness.

Ayor’s second victim, who met him for the first time in 2023, also reported being raped and strangled by him and that he had also exhibited controlling behaviour over her. She told police there was an occasion where he took her phone from her and began dictating where she could say and who she was allowed to socialise with.

She said he also became angry if she attempted to speak to other men and discouraged her from spending time with her family at Christmas.

Following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, Ayor, of HMP Leicester, was found guilty of:

• Four counts of raping a female aged 16 or over, one count of sexual assault on a female by penetration and one count of intentional strangulation relating to the first victim
• Two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of rape of a female aged 16 or over, one count of intentional strangulation, one count of engaging in controlling/coercive behaviour in an intimate/family relationship, one count of false imprisonment and one count of battery relating to the second victim

Yesterday (Thursday 19 June), at the same court he was jailed for a total of 25 years. He was also handed a 20-year restraining order prohibiting contact with the victims.

Detective Constable Lauren Brown was the officer in the case. She said:

“It’s apparent from the accounts given by both victims that Ayor is a dangerous individual who is prepared to use violence and controlling behaviour towards women for his own sexual gratification.

“The information they both gave as enquiries progressed and during the trial – in which they had to re-live their ordeals – was crucial in securing a conviction.

“I hope that they and the wider community can take some reassurance from the fact he is now facing the consequences of his actions by way of a prison sentence.”

Description

A former agency teaching assistant has been jailed for 20 months as part of an investigation into the possession of indecent images of children.

Keiron Pickett, 24 years, of Withington Road, Speke, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, Friday 20 June. 

In May, he pleaded guilty to the following offences and was remanded into custody ahead of today's sentencing:

• Five counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child (Categories A, B and C), none of which relate to the school
• Operating equipment beneath clothing, relating to an incident at the school in 2023
• Possession of a Class B controlled drug (cannabis), relating to cannabis seized from his home address

On Thursday 5 June at a plea hearing, a further charge of taking an indecent photo/pseudo photograph of a child was taken into consideration, in relation to the same incident at the school in 2023. Today, he was convicted and jailed for 20 months for that offence. 

He was further sentenced for the other offences, to run concurrent.

Pickett was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge.

Detective Inspector James Milligan said: “Pickett was an agency teaching assistant at Bank View School in Ganworth Road, Speke at the time of his abhorrent crimes, in the autumn term of 2023. He abused the trust placed in him by the organisation, and today justice has been served.

“We naturally understand the concern caused by such crimes, especially when they take place in an educational establishment, as two of these offences did. As soon as he was charged, Pickett was remanded into custody pending the sentencing.

“Pickett has today been dealt with by the courts following a complex investigation, but we continue to work in close partnership with all of those affected.

“If you have been affected by sexual offences of any kind, then please know that there is a lot of support available, both from ourselves and our partner organisations, so please come forward.”

Description

A 54-year-old man from Waterlooville has been jailed for a year after he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl at a pub in Lee-On-The-Solent.

On Saturday 18 March 2023 Jason Franklin Smith of London Road was in the Wyvern on Common Barn Lane, approached the victim from behind, wrapped his arms around her chest, kissed her down her neck and stated that he couldn’t wait for her 18th birthday. Later the same evening he again approached her from behind and rubbed his groin on her leg and buttocks.

On Tuesday 22 April 2025 Smith was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault at Portsmouth Crown Court. He was jailed for a year at the same court today (Friday 20 June 2025) and was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for a year and is subject to a restraining order.

Officer in the case, PC Lynsey Tallon said: “I’m pleased that the court has sent Smith to prison for these assaults that have had a significant impact on the victim causing her anxiety and stress over a long period of time. The restraining order and requirement to sign the sex offenders register will also provide reassurance to the victim and her family”.

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A “trusted” Muslim cleric who repeatedly raped a young boy whilst working as a teacher at a Bradford mosque has been handed an extended jail sentence.

Mohammed Hanif Khan will serve 13 years in prison plus a further three years on licence for a series of sex attacks on the victim more than a quarter of a century ago.

Khan, 57, of Blagden Street, Sheffield, appeared via video link from HMP Leeds for the hearing at Bradford Crown Court.

His victim was present in the public gallery to see justice done.

Sentencing Khan, His Honour Judge Christopher Smith told Khan: “You were a respected member of the teaching staff.”

He said his “outward and respectful appearance masked a devious and perverted sexual interest” in underage boys.

The judge added: “And you grossly abused the trust placed in you by colleagues and the parents of the children in your care in order to commit these terrible offences.”

He added: “You secured your victim’s silence by telling him that he would not be believed if he reported you.

“Regrettably, opportunities were missed to bring your offending to an end when other individual members of staff found you in suspicious circumstances but failed to report matters to others as they should have done so.”

Judge Smith said the extended sentence he passed reflected the danger that Khan continued to pose to the public.

He also referred to Khan’s previous conviction for “strikingly similar” behaviour at Stoke-on-Trent in 2009, for which he received 16 years’ imprisonment in 2011.

His offending in Bradford pre-dated the Stoke assaults.

Judge Smith said Khan could have brought those earlier rapes to the attention of the police when he was charged with the Stoke offences “but you chose not to do so”.

He said: “I am satisfied that you do continue to present a risk of committing such offences.”

The judge said that while he was being sentenced for the offences of more than a quarter of a century ago, “there has been further serious offending of a strikingly similar type in the intervening period”.

“You accept only limited responsibility for your actions and there is a continuing lack of genuine insight,” he said.

“Although you are now in your late 50s you may be eligible for release from the sentence I impose in your mid-60s and I am not satisfied today that ordinary licence provisions will protect the public for the appropriate length of time at that point.”

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A second man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenager transported from Romania to a Kirkcaldy flat to be forced into prostitution.

Alexandru Lache has finally been brought to justice almost six years after terrifying a vulnerable woman in a Pratt Street flat.

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An 82-year-old man who carried out multiple sex offences against three schoolgirls over a 40-year period has been jailed for 18 years.

Barrie Hall, 82, of St Andrew's Gardens, Lincoln, pleaded guilty to nine offences, including rape and sexual assault.

He targeted his first victim in the 1980s, before resuming his offending three decades later, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

"Your behaviour almost falls outside the boundaries of the English language," Recorder John Hardy KC said. "I have to face the very realistic possibility that you will die in prison."

Hall admitted raping a girl aged under 16, four charges of indecent assault against the same victim and one charge of gross indecency. He also sexually assaulted two girls under 13.

Police became involved in 2024 after a victim made disclosures.

When his home was searched, officers found a blow-up doll and a number of sex toys and sweets.

The court heard Hall had spent many years raising money for cancer charities. However, he had 12 previous convictions for indecent exposure, which ended in 1980.

Impact statements from two of the victims, who cannot be identified, were read to the court.

One said: "You have not got away with what you have done. Now it is time for your nightmare to begin."

Another victim described how she was now frightened to wear a dress or shorts.

Description

A registered sex offender with 99 previous offences has appeared in court for not informing police of his whereabouts.

Paddy Mutch, 37, was jailed in January 2024 for sexually assaulting a woman in Norwich who he had threatened with a knife.

Sentenced to 15 months at Norwich Crown Court he was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard he had been arrested on June 16 after failing to reveal where was living within three days of his release from prison. 

He had just been released after serving an 18 week sentence for similar breaches. 

Mutch pleaded guilty to failure to comply with the notification requirements.

Natasha Baker, mitigating, said he had faced a “revolving door” of short prison sentences because he had been living rough and that police were “well aware of his whereabouts”.  

She said he now had a permanent place to stay and that being sent back to prison would risk treatment needed for facial injuries suffered in a stabbing.

Magistrates told him the “onus is on you to comply with the requirements whether you think the police know where you are or not”. 

They said they had been “just persuaded” to suspend a sentence of 30 days imprisonment for six months by his need for medical treatment. 

“It’s very important that you comply from now on. If you don't, there will be no escaping jail from now on,” they warned. 

A prolific offender, Mutch has 46 previous convictions for 99 offences including thefts, burglary and shoplifting.

His sexual offence came when he visited the home of a woman he knew at 4am in June 2023 and demanded to be let in. 

Once inside he attacked her, pushing her onto the bed and trying to remove her trousers before sexually assaulting her. 

Description

A serving police officer sexually assaulted a member of the public and told her: 'I can get away with it, I'm a PC, no-one will believe you'. Albert Jardine was a PC based in Newcastle when he subjected her to "lewd and disgusting" behaviour.

A court heard he would regularly grab her and thrust against her and on one occasion threw water on her blouse to create a wet T-shirt look. The Northumbria Police officer's behaviour was reported to an inspector at the time and the professional standards department investigated but took no action and Jardine retired on medical grounds soon afterwards.

Decades later, his victim, having seen other historic cases being dealt with, plucked up the courage to report him. Jardine, now a 79-year-old great-grandfather, of Millbrook, Felling, Gateshead, was convicted of indecent assault by a jury and has now been given a suspended prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court.

Christopher Rose, prosecuting, said: "She described how he would come up behind her, grab her and hold her tight. Others spoke of him doing something like a bear hug. When he did it with her, she could feel he was aroused and he pressed himself up against her.

"He also did it from the front, pressing up against her groin and making thrusting motions as if having sex. He would often make lewd comments and jokes."

The prosecutor added: "When it was investigated at the time, one of the complaints that arose was that the defendant had thrown water at her chest so as to create a wet T-shirt effect. The complainant reported when spoken to by senior officers at the time that the defendant said 'I can get away with it, I'm a PC, no-one will believe you'. It was that impression she had that meant she didn't complain sooner."

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "The actions of Jardine have stayed with me more than 33 years. Despite trying to put it behind me. On a daily basis I see his grinning face in my mind.

"At the time I felt embarrassed and alone." She said she was left wanting answers to questions including: "Why did he treat me like that? Why did the police allow it to happen to me?

"I still feel aggrieved he treated me like he did and the police allowed me to be treated like that."

Jardine was convicted after trial of indecent assault spanning a year in the early 1990s, on the basis there were not less than two separate incidents.

Sentencing him, Judge Julie Clemitson said: "The specific offences have to be seen in the context of your general behaviour towards her, which describes as generally lewd and disgusting, beyond what could be described as acceptable, even then. She said you were quite a nice man if you sat and talked to her but had no respect for her or women generally."

The judge said the offending was reported by another police officer at the time to an inspector and the force's professional standards department investigated but it "came to nothing" and very shortly afterwards he took early retirement due to ill health.

Judge Clemitson said the woman eventually found the courage to come forward after seeing other people report historical cases. She added: "She said she just wanted you to explain yourself, she wanted an answer from you. That she didn't get because you denied it at trial and you deny it still."

She added: "The offences were committed in the context of degrading or humiliating conduct.

"You were working as a serving police officer at the time. Any member of the public was entitled to trust that you would protect them rather than harm them. Instead you violated that trust and risked damaging public trust in the police generally."

Judge Clemitson said it was likely Jardine's behaviour would add to the sense of distrust created by the misbehaviour of other police officers over the years.

She added it is "important victims of this sort of offending feel able to speak out" and that "perpetrators can't hide behind a badge" when they break their oath to protect and serve and that the public can have faith.

Jardine was sentenced to eight months suspended for 18 months and must pay £3,000 towards the cost of the prosecution, at £150 a month.

Andrew Walker, defending, said: "He is embarrassed and ashamed beyond belief after being convicted of an offence of this nature." He added: "He worked all of his life until medical retirement.

"He has not been in trouble before or since. He is a family man with two grown up children, a wife of many years and two grandchildren and a great-grandson. He plays a very important part in the lives of all of those people."

Description

A monk who sexually abused two boys at Ampleforth College has been jailed for seven years. 

Michael James Callaghan, 71, of Moortown, Leeds, also known as Father James, denied 12 counts of indecently assaulting the first victim, with four taking place when the boy was under 16, and one count of sexual assault on the second victim.  

But following a trial at Teesside Crown Court he was found guilty of all counts, and today, 19 June 2025, sentenced to seven years in prison. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, which will forbid him from any contact with the victim and from having any unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16. 

The offences took place at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, between 1994 and 2013. Callaghan targeted the first boy at Ampleforth between 1994 and 1997. He went on to indecently assault the second boy in 2013. 

The first incidents were reported to North Yorkshire Police in December 2022 and an investigation was launched by our Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team.  

Callaghan was arrested and interviewed, and despite denying any wrongdoing he was charged. 

The court heard victim impact statements from both men in which the men spoke about the impact Callaghan’s abuse had had on their lives. 

The first victim described how he felt there were two parts to the abuse he suffered at the hands of Callaghan - the sub-conscious effects from before his acknowledgement of what happened, and the devastating impact on his life since then.  

He described how he became withdrawn, stopped taking part in activities he enjoyed, and how it has affected his view of the world and impacted him both financially and mentally.   

He said: “This man knows what he has done, he knows exactly how this will have affected me. He knew what he was doing was wrong – why else would it have had to be a secret?  

He continued: “Yet, when given the opportunity to acknowledge this himself, he chose to continue the abuse by denying it. He chose to leave me, when I was already devastated myself, having to fight for the 14-year-old boy he hand-picked for his own gratification. 

The second victim said: “I looked up to him; I trusted him. And what was the response? He chose to violate my boundaries; first to groom me over a period of time, and then to sexually assault me.”  

He described how he suffers from nightmares, panic attacks, becomes startled if someone unexpectedly touches him, and still has sleepless nights to this day.  

“He chose to prey on me, in full knowledge of how very vulnerable I was. It all leads me to ask: How come? Why? And how obsessed was he with me in particular, or was I one of a larger number of victims?” he said.  

Speaking after the sentencing today, Detective Constable Alison Morris of North Yorkshire Police’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team said: “Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout and showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused.  

“I want to pay tribute to the incredible bravery of the victims, whose courage and support throughout the investigation were vital in ensuring Callaghan was brought to justice.  I hope today’s outcome brings them some sense of closure. 

“I also want to take this opportunity to reassure any other victims of sexual abuse that the passage of time is no barrier to justice. We are absolutely committed to investigating these offences, no matter when they took place, and specially trained officers are ready to listen, support you, and take action.” 

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An Exeter man has been jailed for two years and three months after being found guilty of the sexual touching of a child.

David Fuller, 64, of Church Lane, Broadclyst, Exeter, was convicted of two counts of sexual activity with a child following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of one sexual assault by penetration charge in relation to the same victim.

Fuller appeared at the same court on Wednesday 18 June for sentence. He must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and was made subject of a 10 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

During the trial, the court heard how Fuller abused the girl in 2023.

The abuse came to light when the victim showed her mother her diary stored on her phone which outlined what Fuller had done to her. 

She described how Fuller bought her gifts including jewellery to keep the abuse a secret. He then directed her to hide the gifts from her family at home. 

The matter was reported to the police and Fuller was arrested.

The arresting officer searched Fuller’s wallet and found a receipt for a recent purchase from a local jeweller.

During interview, Fuller admitted buying the victim gifts but denied any sexual contact took place.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Megan Singleton, said: “It was through the victim in this case bravely telling her mother what David Fuller did to her, and that information in turn being reported to us that we were able to bring him to justice.

“Fuller continued to deny any sexual offending took place despite overwhelming evidence against him, forcing the victim to give evidence at trial. 

“We hope the victim and her family are now able to start moving on with their lives knowing that he has been convicted and sentenced. 

“We take all allegations of sexual abuse seriously and will investigate any reports made to us, no matter when the abuse took place.”

Description

A man who raped a 15-year-old girl after following her on a street in Stirlingshire has been jailed for nine years.

Sadeq Nikzad, 29, targeted the girl in Falkirk town centre in October 2023.

Nikzad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, repeatedly requested her telephone number, uttered sexual remarks then led her into a courtyard where he raped her.

At the High Court in Livingston, Judge Morris told him it was an "extremely serious sexual offence" and said he would be deported after his sentence.

The court heard that Nikzad had entered the UK illegally two years before the attack.

Defence counsel Janice Green told the court there were language difficulties and a "cultural barrier" between Nikzad's home country where child marriage was common.

She said: "I'm not suggesting that means that he reasonably believed (the complainer) was consenting, but that there's a reason why he could have misunderstood."

Harrowing attack

Passing sentence, Judge Morris said: "I appreciate that you don't accept that you've done anything wrong, but the fact remains that you've been convicted of an extremely serious sexual offence against a child.

"I know your counsel has now explained to you that in those circumstances only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate."

Police Scotland's Det Insp Forbes Wilson said it was "a particularly harrowing attack carried out during daylight in a busy town centre".

He said: "Nikzad's heinous actions had a profound effect on his young victim and I would like to commend her strength throughout this ordeal."

After his jail term Nikzad will be supervised on license for three years.

A non-harassment order banning Nikzad from contacting or attempting to contact the victim was also granted indefinitely.

Description

A WEST Cumbrian man convicted of sexual assault must inform police if he begins a new relationship after being given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Brad Steele, 29, must also disclose his registered sex offender status with anyone he is in a relationship with, under the terms of the order.

Steele pleaded guilty to sexual assault on a female when he appeared before Workington Magistrates’ Court last month and was sentenced for the offence on Tuesday.

The defendant sexually touched a woman without consent and did not reasonably believe that she was consenting. The offence happened last year.

Steele, of Printers Court, Cockermouth, was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years.

The five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) states the defendant must provide police with the name and contact details of any female that he is in a developing relationship with.

The information must be supplied to the police offender management unit within 24 hours of any such relationship being established.

Steele must disclose his registered sex offender status and the existence of the SHPO to any person with whom he is in a non-platonic relationship with ‘as soon as is reasonably practicable’.

The defendant is also prohibited from entering any vehicle with any lone female or allowing any lone female to enter a vehicle where he is present, unless they are a member of his own family or are aware of his conviction for a sexual offence.

He must not entice or seek to entice, or allow to remain in any premises occupied by him as his residence or other premises occupied by him on a temporary basis, any lone female unless they are a member of his own family or they aware of his conviction for a sexual offence.

Steele must not enter and remain in any dwelling or other residence where a lone female is present unless the female is a member of his own family or is aware of his conviction for a sexual offence.

Magistrates also imposed a 12-month community order with 120 days of alcohol abstinence and monitoring  and complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

He was ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to his victim and was given a 12-month restraining order which bans him from contacting the victim in any way.

Description

A grieving family have praised police after the man that raped their relative – who went on to take her own life – is jailed for a decade.

Ryan Callaghan, 33, raped the woman while she slept at an address in South Tyneside.

The victim awoke and immediately ran out of the address in a state of undress and informed a friend what had happened.

Whilst fleeing, she bumped into a kind-hearted member of the public who provided her with clothing and stayed with her whilst she rang police.

Minutes later, Callaghan was arrested.

However, tragically, the following month, the victim took her own life – making reference to the attack in the note she left behind for her family.

Following an extensive and complex investigation by the Force’s Safeguarding Department, led by Detective Constable Amy Burridge, a charge of rape against Callaghan was secured in May 2023 by working closely with the CPS.

This was achieved through the support of the victim’s family, and using the victim’s evidence she was able to provide in interview after the offences took place.

In March this year, following a six-day trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Callaghan of Mowbray Road, South Shields, was found unanimously guilty by a jury of rape.

Following the guilty verdict, he was remanded into custody.

And yesterday (June 17), he appeared at the same court, where was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Callaghan will also spend the rest of his life on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

The victim’s family have shared these words which were read in court to Callaghan: “Every parent can’t bear the thought of losing a child, just to imagine that loss is horrific.

“But now for us, we have to try and get through every day with the pain of knowing that our child was raped before she went on to take her own life.

“We’re sure everyone can understand that there are no words to describe what we are going through.

“Callaghan might have gone to prison, but we are serving a life sentence in the knowledge of what he did.

“He left her completely broken as a result of his actions.”

They added: “Callaghan showed no remorse for what he did and no sadness at all at the loss of her life.

“It’s a shame everyone involved with the case didn’t get to see the woman we all know and love. She was a kind, caring, funny and bright young woman. She was loved by all who knew her and had so many friends.

“We’d like to thank the barrister and the jury for seeing through Callaghan’s lies.

“However, it is cold comfort for us all, as she is gone, and can’t ever know that she got justice.”

Following the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Amy Burridge, of Northumbria Police said: “This was an extremely distressing case due to the circumstances surrounding the report – and what tragically came after for the victim.

“After speaking with the family, it was imperative for me to be able to give the victim a voice and have her story heard in court, which it now has.

“I am absolutely delighted with the outcome of the trial, and the sentence imposed today. This case truly sends a message that we are committed to doing everything in our power to bring offenders such as Callaghan to justice.”

Det Con Burridge added: “I’d also like to take a moment to recognise and praise the victim for her bravery following the offences taking place.

“She informed a friend, and reported to police immediately, meaning we were able to quickly establish her account of what had happened, and fully take advantage of any forensic opportunities early on in the investigation.

“Even though she is tragically no longer with us, I hope her family can take some sense of closure knowing the person who caused her so much distress is now in prison and will be monitored by police for the rest of his life.”

Description

A TEENAGER who was sexually assaulted by a predator got baptised in an attempt to ‘feel clean’ again.

The incident occurred last year in Warrington, when she was sexually assaulted by then 35-year-old Emmanuel Onwubiko.

Onwubiko, of Derwent Road in Ashton, began to behave inappropriately towards the teenager, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday.

This behaviour escalated as the then 35-year-old, who is originally from Nigeria, touched her breast and later touched her bottom.

Onwubiko also grabbed the then 18-year-old’s vagina on two occasions, and asked her inappropriate sexual questions.

When it was clear that the teenager was uncomfortable, Onwubiko complained of cultural differences and said that this behaviour towards women in Nigeria would not be reported.

The victim felt ‘physically sick’ and retreated to a bathroom to hide from him, and sent a ‘running log’ of the assaults to a friend.

She later fled and went to a family member’s house and told them what was happening.

The police were called, Onwubiko was arrested, and he denied the assaults during his interview with officers.

Onwubiko pleaded not guilty to all charges and subjected his victim to a trial, where she had to recount the traumatic sexual assaults before a jury.

Despite his denial, the now 36-year-old was found guilty on all five counts of sexual assault, and he appeared back before Liverpool Crown Court for his sentencing on Friday.

The victim bravely read out a statement to the court, sharing heartbreaking details about how the assaults had impacted her, stating that it had left her feeling ‘disgusted’.

“My mental health has significantly declined due to what happened to me,” she said.

“Some days I feel as though I can't get out of bed due to feeling anxious.

“My mind is always thinking about what happened to me, and it is as though I have constant flashbacks about what happened to me. I now feel a shell of my former self.”

She also shared that the assaults left her feeling so desperate to feel clean again that she got baptised.

“I researched online and found a church that does baptisms on short notice,” she said.

“I felt so desperate to try and cleanse my body and feel as clean as possible. I was reaching out to God to try and get some help, and I thought bathing in holy water would wash away the horrible feelings I was having.”

Defending, Robert Wynn-Jones told the court that the Nigerian-national came to the UK on a student visa, which has since expired.

It was heard that the 36-year-old is hoping to apply for a post-graduate visa to remain the UK and repay a loan, as his wife and three children are being threatened with harm if it is not repaid.

“From the very beginning of that day, you behaved inappropriately towards her,” said judge Gary Woodhall.

“You demonstrated sexual attraction towards her. She was scared.”

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Woodhall referenced the 'harm' that was caused to Onwubiko when he was assaulted by the victim's father.

In a court case last year, it was heard that the victim's dad punched the 36-year-old several times to the back of his head after hearing of his daughter's assault.

Onwubiko suffered a nose bleed, two chipped teeth, and a month later, it was confirmed that he had a subdural haemorrhage.

He underwent an emergency operation which involved a hole being drilled into his brain.

The victim's father was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

On Friday, Onwubiko was sentenced to two years of immediate imprisonment, and he was ordered to sign the sex offender register for 10 years.

A 10-year restraining order was also approved to protect the victim.