Latest Offenders

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A Pulborough man who raped and sexually assaulted multiple boys and young men has been jailed.

Ian Elliott, 71, of North Heath near Pulborough, was accused of committing 92 offences against six victims in West Sussex between 1999 and 2021.

Elliott would earn the trust of his victims – who were as young as 16 – and their families.

As a well-known member of the community, Elliott was also the chairman of the local sports association and was involved in local social clubs.

He would then give his victims drugs and alcohol with the intention of stupefying or overpowering them, before subjecting them to rapes and serious sexual assaults.

Many of the attacks were filmed by Elliott himself. Footage was discovered by investigating officers, despite Elliott’s attempts to destroy it, which was used in evidence against him.

He was arrested in September, 2022 and his victims were given specialist support while the investigation continued.

In November, 2022, Elliott was charged and remanded in custody. He was charged with 92 separate offences, including 13 rapes, three attempted rapes, 13 sexual assaults and 20 counts of voyeurism.

At Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, 2 November, 2023, Elliott pleaded guilty to 11 counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, 17 counts of voyeurism, eight sexual assaults, four counts of possession of Class A, B and C drugs, one count of causing actual bodily harm and one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The guilty pleas related to four victims, aged between 16 and 28 at the time of the offences.

An additional 38 charges will lie on file, and 11 were not put forward by the Crown Prosecution Service but are covered by the sentencing powers given through the other convictions.

At Hove Crown Court on Thursday (22 February), Elliott was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with an additional five years to be spent on licence.

He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be a registered sex offender for life.

Passing sentence, HHJ Gold said Elliott had an 'innate sense of superiority' over his victims and had shown 'not a trace of empathy'. 

HHJ Gold listed Elliott's significant degree of planning, use of intoxicants, betrayal of trust, recording of the offending and attempts to destroy the evidence as aggravating factors, concluding Elliott passed the threshold for dangerousness.

In a statement given to Sussex Police, one of Elliott's victims said: “Mr Elliott is now in prison because a couple of brave men decided to speak up. If I’ve learned one thing from this case, it’s to go with your instincts and don’t be afraid to speak up if you think abuse is happening.

"Whatever the outcome or however long the outcome takes, don’t let your abuser win. Pick up the phone and report them to the police or at the very least don’t keep it to yourself and tell someone.”

Detective Constable Victoria Ashworth Kirkby, of the Sussex Police’s Complex Abuse Unit, said: “I cannot commend each of these victims enough for the incredible courage and determination they have shown.

“They deserve immense credit for their strength and resilience, which was crucial in achieving this conviction. I would like to thank them for their support and perseverance throughout this investigation.

“Elliott has been convicted for his crimes but we believe he may have more victims. If you believe you or someone you know may be a victim, please report to us online or via 101, quoting Operation Ridge. You will be believed and supported and we will investigate.

“You can also report offences to Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111 or via their website www.crimestoppers-uk.org.”

Detective Superintendent Miles Ockwell, head of Sussex Police’s Safeguarding Investigations Units, said: “Today’s sentence means that Ian Elliott will spend a significant amount of the rest of his life in prison.

"This is the only appropriate outcome given the multiple lives he has ruined as a result of his relentless campaign of sexual abuse, hidden behind the façade of a trustworthy pillar of his local community.

"I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the bravery of Elliott’s victims who came forward to help us bring him to justice. They will live with the effects of the horrendous abuse they have suffered for the rest of their lives.

"Today, Elliott had the chance to show genuine remorse to his victims in court. Instead, through his Counsel, despite saying that he acknowledges the harm he has done he sought to pass the blame from himself onto them. Elliott is not sorry for what he did – he is just sorry that he got caught.

"Despite a wide-ranging, complex police investigation, we cannot be sure that there are not other unidentified victims of abuse perpetrated by Elliott and I would encourage anyone who does think that they have been a victim to contact police.”

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Alistair Taylor, aged 28, of Pageant Drive, Telford, was sentenced to eight years in prison after taking advantage of the 15-year-old girl, telling her that he was "sex addict" and that if she did not let him fulfil his wishes, he would "cut himself".

Shrewsbury Crown Court was told how these offences were committed in 2014 and 2015, but Taylor has since gone on to receive multiple convictions for child sex offences, including possession of indecent images and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity on Facebook.

Notes which Taylor had written were also discovered, depicting his warped fantasies about certain children and how he wanted to sexually abuse them. And the court was told how Taylor was once expelled from Telford College for punching a lecturer after taking a weapon onto the campus.

For those reasons, Judge Anthony Lowe decided Taylor was a "dangerous" offender who posed a significant risk to the public, and increased his sentence.

The court was told how Taylor first met the girl when she was 14, about to turn 15, and he was 18 in Telford town centre. They began messaging and Taylor asked her out two weeks later. When they were in front of his friends, he got her to tell them she was his cousin.

They began a relationship and Taylor first had sex with the girl in a field near a lake in Telford. She was 15 at the time and he had picked her up from school.

"He started to kiss her and she said she felt uncomfortable," said Nigel Stelling, prosecuting. "He said, 'It's fine, no-one can see us'.

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A paedophile tricked a 13-year-old girl into getting into his car before driving her to a hospital car park and raping her. After the horrifying attack he laughed at her and said: "I bet you won't meet up with anyone else anytime soon".

Rhodri Llyr Griffiths, 28, raped and sexually assaulted his young victim after driving her to Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, last year. The attack left the victim traumatised and she attempted to take her own life just months afterwards.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the victim was contacted on Snapchat by an account in the name of 'James Davies' while she was at home alone. She did not know the person but accepted the friend request. Upon doing so she received sexualised messages with the person offering her up to £750 to perform oral sex on her, which she refused.

The man behind the account asked her to send a picture of herself. She did so and told him she was 13 years old. When she asked the man: "How do I know you're not a serial killer?" he sent a video of a man which he purported was himself. He asked the victim if she wanted anything and she told him she wanted a bottle of vodka to take to a party.

Prosecutor Owen Williams said the victim arranged to meet up with the man that night after he attended an Asda store to purchase the vodka and she gave him her address. Upon arriving at a grassy area near her home the man sent a photo of his car to the victim who came out in her pyjamas to meet him.

She got into the passenger-side door of his car and seconds later realised the man in the driver's seat was not the man she had seen in the video but the defendant. She was confused at first and asked if she had got into the wrong car but Griffiths responded: "It's fine, it's fine". She told him to stop the car and let her out but he responded by passing her the vodka bottle and said: "Have this". The car doors were locked and when asked by the victim where they were going he said: "We're going for a drive."

Upon arriving at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr Griffiths parked up and told the victim to get into the back seat. She didn't want to but feared the defendant would kill her if she didn't. As he got into the back seat Griffths was smiling and began using his tongue to kiss the victim who tried to resist but she became frozen with fear. He then told her to turn around on her knees and he sexually assaulted her with his fingers causing her pain and discomfort.

The victim began to cry and Griffiths moved her onto her back before performing oral sex upon her. He then undid his trousers and put a condom on. The victim told him: "No" and tried to turn around but he screamed at her to turn back. He then raped her as she repeatedly told him to stop and get off her. He also touched her breasts with his hands and mouth. Once he had finished he got into the driver's seat and drove off leaving the victim on the back seat.

As he drove her back to her house Griffiths laughed and said: "I bet you won't meet up with anyone else anytime soon." He dropped her off outside her home and passed her the bottle of vodka. The victim ran into her home, deleted the James Davies account from Snapchat, and spoke to her friend about what had happened. Days later she broke down in tears and told her mother what had happened.

The police were called and Griffiths, of Highland Gardens, Neath Abbey, Neath  Port Talbot, was arrested the next day. In his interview the defendant claimed the sexual contact between him and the victim was consensual and denied having sexual intercourse with her. The defendant later pleaded guilty to rape, assault by penetration, sexual assault, and sexual communication with a child. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In a victim personal statement the victim's mother said: "It's a parent's worst nightmare. Lying in bed that night feeling sick to my stomach hoping what she had told me was not true. It was like my brain couldn't process that happening. How can someone do something so awful and how could it happen to my daughter? Our whole lives have changed and I'm heartbroken for my daughter. I feel massive guilt I didn't protect her or keep her safe. The thought of her going through that and I wasn't there to help her eats away at me every day."

The victim's mother said the effect on her daughter has been "horrific" with her scrubbing her skin red raw in the shower and refusing to eat or drink. She said she was no longer able to work as her daughter felt unable to attend school and her daughter had taken an overdose months after the incident in an attempt to take her own life.

The mother added: "I keep wishing it happened to me so I could take her pain away... I keep thinking: 'What if she does something one day to end her life like she's been suggesting and I'm not there to stop her?' Her mental health has been awful and she's asked when she's going to feel her normal self again and can't take the pain she feels every day. I'm constantly worried about her and what she's going to do.

"I've had an emotional breakdown myself constantly worrying and watching over her and to make sure she doesn't succeed in her plan. No mother should have on their mind their child wants to die and the thought of what would happen if she did succeed. My life would be over as well as hers."

In her statement the victim said: "I feel like my life and childhood has been destroyed. I have never hated my body as much as I do now. I have spent hours in the shower scrubbing my skin until it's red raw. When I look in the mirror or close my eyes I see him laughing.... All I want to do is sleep the day away. I will never feel happy again. Even school is too much for me...

"I can't look at another male without feeling uncomfortable, I will never trust another male again. When I see a man with glasses or a red car I panic. I don't feel safe leaving home. I wake up with gut-wrenching fear and terror. All I can think is: 'Why did I wake up? Why can't this all be a dream? Why did this happen to me?' No matter how much counselling and therapy I'll have when I am ready I'll never be the same girl again....

"I thought it would have been easier if he killed me as I wouldn't have to live every day and feel this way. I feel crippled with guilt.... He's ruined my life. My life has changed completely. I don't want to do anything anymore. I want to stay in my bedroom by myself. Life will always be a constant battle but I pray I will find some peace in my head and feel myself again but I know it will take a long time."

In mitigation Nigel Fryer said his client was remorseful for his behaviour but this was rejected by Judge Daniel Williams. He referred to the defendant's guilty pleas and of his previous good character.

Sentencing, Judge Williams said: "You were clearly enjoying what you were putting her through... I don't accept for a moment you have any regret or remorse for what you did. You have a mild form of autism but that doesn't impact your culpability with what you did. You said you had never had any sexual experience until your now-pregnant partner with whom you formed a relationship and you felt as though you'd missed out.

"You pose a high risk of serious harm to female children in the form of sexual violence... You planned this and intended to use alcohol to facilitate the offence. You have caused severe psychological harm in a prolonged incident."

Griffiths was sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment with an extended licence period of five years. He will serve two-thirds of the custodial sentence before he will be considered for parole. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and to a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order for 15 years.

Following the hearing Gwent Police detective constable Georgia Dunne, the officer in the case, said: “We’d like to thank the victim and witnesses for coming forward and reporting the incident to the police. They have shown tremendous bravery and resilience throughout the investigation and the subsequent court process. Rhodri Griffiths is a dangerous man, and we welcome the sentence provided by the courts and hope that he uses this time to reflect on his actions.”

Detective chief inspector Matthew Sedgebeer, the senior investigating officer, said: “The behaviour displayed by Rhodri Griffiths suggests that there could be more victims who may not have come forward. We hope this outcome shows anyone who is a victim of sexual assault that they will be listened to, believed, and respected. We take all allegations very seriously and if a report is made to us we investigate it thoroughly. We want to reassure anyone considering doing so that there is a whole range of support out there not only from Gwent Police but from partner agencies who can help you through the entire process.”

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A successful businessman caught with more than 1,700 child abuse images today avoided jail after a judge heard he needs to care for his cancer-stricken wife.

Steven Bowden claimed he viewed the explicit photos while he was under a lot of 'distress' at the time due to his spouse Heather's diagnosis with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

While being investigated by police and in a moment of 'pure panic' the businessman - who owns a bespoke joinery company - destroyed a computer hard drive and dumped it in a river, a court was told.

But the 60 year old avoided jail after a judge highlighted how his wife - who has 'stood by him' - 'needs' him due to her health condition.

Prosecutor Rod Blain told Southampton Crown Court that Bowden's £900,000 home in Hythe in the New Forest was searched by police in July 2022.

But after officers visited his office in Salisbury, he removed a hard drive, smashed it and threw it in a nearby river.

James Bull, mitigating, described the destruction of the hard drive as an 'impulsive' moment.

He added: "It was a state of pure panic - it was not done as calculated as one might expect."

Bowden claimed to have gained access to the child porn after he was sorting the 'estate' of a deceased family member.

Mr Bull said: "The desktop tower that was in his possession - he received from a family member.

"He received the computer and also the content on the computer.

"He accepts at the time he should have informed the police about the content.

"Instead, he viewed the content and did not take that course of action."

Bowden was found with 1,734 indecent images of children - 145 of which were Category A, the most serious kind.

Mr Bull told the court he is a 'successful businessman' who co-owns a 'bespoke joinery company' with his son but that in 2022 his wife had received her diagnosis.

"Mr Bowden was experiencing a significant amount of emotional and psychological distress at the time," he said.

He added: "[This is] something that he did once and he accepts that it's the biggest mistake he has ever made."

Bowden pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and one charge of perverting the court of justice.

Judge Christopher Parker said 'the destruction of the hard drive is a very serious matter' but highlighted the case's mitigating features - in particular in 'regard' to his wife'.

He said: "She has stood by you - notwithstanding the nature of your offending - but she needs you because of her health condition."

The judge handed Bowden an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He will also have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 in prosecution costs, and complete rehabilitation activity requirements.

Bowden was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order to last for the next 10 years.

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GWENT Police have released the custody picture of a paedophile caught defying sex offender register terms.

Dewi Mortimer broke the law by not telling his supervising officer of numerous nights he had spent away from home.

The defendant stayed at the Premier Inn hotel in Caerphilly with a girlfriend 20 times.

Mortimer also breached a sex offences prevention order by deleting the internet history on his mobile phone after searching for dating sites.

He admitted both charges.

The 27-year-old was locked up for 14 months at Cardiff Crown Court.

Mortimer, formerly of Blackwood, now of Bradford Street, Caerphilly was jailed in 2020 for grooming a 15-year-old schoolgirl and sending a lewd picture of himself to her on Snapchat.

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A MAN who made indecent images of a child has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register.

Ryan Tinkler, 30, pleaded guilty to making 12 Category C indecent images of a child when he appeared before Workington Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Tinkler, of Valley View, Little Clifton, Workington, committed the offence between June 2022 and February 2023.

Magistrates ordered the defendant to complete a 30-day sexual offender programme and 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed with a number of conditions which include making any device with access to the internet available to police upon request, not using any online service that conceals, falsifies, or disguises the IP address and not deleting any internet browsing history records.

Tinkler is required to register with the police as a sex offender for the next five years.

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A paedophile who abused two young girls and paid almost 5,000 for adults to abuse other children around the world has been jailed.

Nathan Lovell, 33, has been locked up for 15 years at Cambridge Crown Court

When officers arrested him, indecent images of children were discovered on his phone, including 1226 category C images or videos, 18 category B images or videos and 14 category A the most severe.

Officers also discovered screen recordings where Lovell was taking part in online conversations directing and paying for children to be abused by other adults.

In one of the recordings Lovell could be seen on the front-facing camera. In another of the conversations, he promised a puppy as payment to an adult about to abuse a young girl.

Officers carried out further enquiries with social media companies, which revealed further instances of Lovell paying for child sex abuse online. In total, he spent about 4,800 in this way.

Lovell, of Opportune Road, Wisbech, was charged with 18 counts in total, including:

• Four counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13 by touching
• Three counts of making indecent images or videos of children
• 11 counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13

He pleaded guilty to the three indecent image charges at his first court hearing but denied the others.

However, after an eight-day trial at Cambridge Crown Court in December, jurors found him guilty by unanimous verdict on all 15 other charges.

Lovell was sentenced at the same court on Monday (19 February) where he was handed a total of 15 years in prison, with an extended four years on licence.

Passing sentence, Judge Mark Bishop said Lovell posed a significant risk to children and there was an unpredictability to his future behaviour.

A restraining order prohibiting Lovell from contacting the two sexual assault victims was also put in place for 25 years, together with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same timeframe to monitor any future offending. He must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DC Ollie Plant, from the forces Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said: Our thoughts are with the two young girls targeted by Lovell in the most horrific of ways, and his other victims who were targeted online.

We are pleased he has now been brought to justice and hope the sentence gives his victims and their families some closure from this traumatic period in their lives.

What Lovell did in paying other adults to abuse children across the world will no doubt be shocking to many. A child is victimised when an indecent image is taken and every time it is viewed or shared.

Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we have specially trained officers who are there to support victims and bring offenders to justice.

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A man described by police as a "perverted criminal" has been jailed for two years after admitting he sexually assaulted a child.

Phillip Budrey, 64, from Adlard Grove in Humberston was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on Monday.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to sexual assault by touching a child under 13.

Humberside Police praised the victim and her family for coming forward.

Det Con Nichola Oakley said: "Budrey is a perverted criminal who targeted a vulnerable young child and sexually assaulted her.

"He is now facing time behind bars and I hope he takes the opportunity to reflect on his depraved actions and the impact that they have had on the young child and their family."

Budrey was also entered onto the sex offenders register for 10 years and issued with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

The force said it hoped the sentence would act as a warning to anyone else considering committing these types of offences.

Det Con Oakley said the force would "do everything in its power" to put offenders before the courts.

She added: "If you are the victim of a sexual assault, please be reassured that we are here for you. We will listen and we will support you."

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A paedophile was caught after a camera he had hidden in toilets at an Air Training Corps (ATC) centre was found.

The police investigation that followed saw Andrew Thompson, 32, from Great Sankey, Warrington, admit to sexually abusing several boys.

He also amassed thousands of images of children, some taken at a school he worked in as a teaching assistant.

Thompson was jailed for eight years at Chester Crown Court on Monday, after pleading guilty to 33 offences.

In July 2022 a member of staff at the ATC centre at which Thompson volunteered discovered the hidden camera.

'Sexual predator'

Police forensics experts found thousands of images of children on it, as well as footage of the man installing the device.

The man was identified as Thompson, of Rossall Road in Great Sankey, Warrington.

He was arrested on 23 December 2022, and police found other electronic devices that contained a number of images of children. These included images taken by Thompson at the ATC centre and the school.

Officers spoke to a number of children known to Thompson, some of whom revealed he had sexually assaulted them. Thompson was re-arrested and charged in September, 2023.

In court he pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexually assaulting a child under 13, 19 counts of voyeurism, two counts of making (downloading) indecent images of children, two counts of creating indecent images, and one count of possessing indecent images.

On top of his prison sentence, Thompson was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life, is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and was handed restraining orders prohibiting him from contacting his victims.

Cheshire Police Det Insp Simon Mills, from Cheshire Police, described Thompson as a "sexual predator".

He said: "He abused his position and it's clear that he had no regards for his victims, his only concern was to fulfil his own sexual gratification."

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A 35-year-old man from Eastleigh has been jailed for seven years for historic child sex offences.

Nathan Anthony Savory, of Chamberlayne Road, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court last Friday (16 February), having been found guilty on four counts on Friday 8 December 2023.

As well as the time he will now spend behind bars seven years for one count and 54 months concurrent for the other three - Savory will also be subject to a restraining order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The offences, for which he has now been imprisoned, took place in Eastleigh between Wednesday 16 March 2011 and Saturday 16 March 2013.

At the time of the first incident, the victim was just 13 years of age.

Savorys crimes came to light when the victim, then 23, reported the incidents to police in 2021.

She had wanted to report the offences many years earlier, but Savory had made threats towards her.

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A predatory sex offender who raped two women after tricking them to gain their confidence has been jailed.

Ansaf Saeedy was described by a judge as an ‘opportunist’ who preyed upon the two victims and did not care if they consented to his advances or not.

The 21-year-old then refused to admit his offending or show any remorse – forcing his victims to go through the further ordeal of a crown court trial.

Saeedy, of Alfreton Road, Nottingham, was jailed for nine years after being convicted of two counts of rape at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (16 February).

The first victim was targeted by Saeedy in the early hours of 26 May 2021 when he approached her in Nottingham city centre.

Saeedy, who was riding a scooter, started talking to the woman and invited her to party.

He bought the victim alcohol from a shop before they went to a flat. There were no other people inside the property but Saeedy plied the woman with more alcohol.

He raped her after suggesting that she lied down on his bed.

Saeedy claimed repeatedly that he had not had sex with his victim, and continued to lie about what happened even when damning forensic evidence proved he was not telling the truth.

On 27 August 2022, the second victim had agreed to meet with Saeedy and go for some food.

He tricked his way into her flat before raping her.

Detectives carried out a meticulous investigation into both incidents while supporting the victims and their families.

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A Southampton man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison in connection with sexual offences against three young victims in the city.

Simon Parker, 36, of Parry Road, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (16 February) after a jury found him guilty of seven offences – two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of assault of a child and one count of sexual communications with a child.

The court heard how Parker committed the offences against three girls who were aged between 11 and 14.

He was arrested when the girls involved told police what had happened and was subsequently charged with a number of child sex offences, which he denied. The case went to trial and a jury found him guilty of seven offences on Monday 12 February.

He has now been sentenced to 16 years in prison, and has been ordered to register as a sex offender, as well as receiving a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both of which will be in place for the rest of his life.

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A man from Sussex who was the assistant moderator of a site dedicated to child sexual abuse on the dark web has been jailed for five years and four months.

Martin Yates, 48, from Eastbourne, was a staff member of a site called The Annex. He was identified by the National Crime Agency as part of an investigation targeting those who ran it.

The Annex, which is no longer active, had around 90,000 global members who used it to share and discuss some of the most extreme kinds of abuse material, involving hurtcore and the sexual abuse of babies and toddlers.

Yates held the rank of assistant moderator between January and September 2020, sitting just below head moderator Nathan Bake who was jailed for 16 years last week.

The Annex was run by an American man, who was sentenced to life in prison in the US in January. Kabir Garg, a psychiatrist from London, was further down the chain and sentenced to six years in prison last summer.

Like Bake, Yates played a key role in ensuring the site continued to run smoothly. He was responsible for enforcing the rules by promoting or dropping other users, provided access to private and exclusive sections of the site and advised on security measures. He also passed on training to others about the role that he himself had received.

However, Yates was less careful around his own personal security. His username on the site was yates704 and in chat logs recovered by the NCA, he also told other users first name, his age and that he lived in Eastbourne.

yates704 was also found on HACKFORUMS.NET, a clear website forum dedicated to discussion relating to hacker culture and cyber security.

Investigators found 6,000 private messages between yates704 and other users of The Annex. The conversations varied from fantasy roleplay involving the sexual abuse of children, as well as more official conversations around the moderation of the site, advice on how to post indecent images of children and techniques to evade law enforcement.

NCA officers identified Yates using these details and the email addresses associated to him and he was arrested at his home in Eastbourne in July 2022.

When interviewed, Yates made full admissions to being the controller of his moderator account, that he was a staff member on The Annex and that he had shared child abuse material as part of his role.

He was charged and pleaded guilty to six counts at Hastings Magistrates Court in November last year, including one of arranging or facilitating the sexual abuse of children, four of making and distributing indecent images of children, and one of possession of prohibited images of children.

Yates was sentenced today at Lewes Crown Court to five years and four months imprisonment, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and give a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Jen Cruickshank, Senior Investigating Officer from the National Crime Agency, said: The Annex simply wouldnt have been able to run without people like Martin Yates. He played a pivotal role in maintaining its upkeep and ensuring users from across the globe could continue accessing its horrific content, without coming to the attention of law enforcement.

Sites such as these directly and openly encourage users to commit sexual offences against children, and those who run or access them assume they are protected by anonymity.

However, the NCA has the determination and technical capability to target those who pose a sexual risk to children and use the dark web to try and hide themselves.

We continue to work closely with international partners to ensure offenders like Yates are identified and brought to justice.

The NCA worked with a number of international partners to target this group of moderators.

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A man has been jailed for 19 years after pleading guilty to a series of child sexual offences.

Richard Griffiths, 33, from Stafford, admitted four counts of raping a girl under 13, two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13.

He also pleaded guilty to sexual penetration by a person with a living animal.

Four other charges will lie on file, the court said.

Griffiths was placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Staffordshire Police said his crimes were reported to the force in November.

Det Sgt Sophie Boden, from the force’s child protection and exploitation team, described Griffiths as "truly a dangerous man" adding that the sentence would protect the community from him.

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A man who raped a teenage girl in a Hove park has been jailed for 11 years.

David Berbers, 21, of Byatt Walk in Richmond upon Thames, attacked his victim – a girl under the age of 16 – in St Ann’s Well Gardens on the evening of Sunday, 25 July, 2021.

He had arranged to meet her after the pair had been communicating on social media.

After suggesting they walk through the park, he raped her before fleeing the scene, leaving her to seek help from members of the public nearby.

She was supported by medical professionals and specialist police officers, while an urgent investigation was launched.

Berbers was identified through his Instagram account and the phone number he used to contact the victim, as well as a detailed description she provided.

Urgent enquiries were carried out and he was arrested in London three days later on 28 July, 2021.

He was subsequently charged with the rape of a girl under 16 in relation to the Hove incident.

Berbers was also charged with two counts of rape and attempted rape as part of separate Metropolitan Police investigations, and possession of extreme pornography.

At Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 4 December, a jury found him guilty of three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. He pleaded guilty to possession of extreme pornography.

At the same court on Friday (16 February), Berbers was jailed for 11 years and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.