Locations
Edensor Road, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD21
Description
A dangerous Keighley sex offender has been been given a life sentence by a judge after it was discovered he was sexually abusing children.
Judge Andrew Hatton said Jonathon Warren, 33, would have to serve a minimum term of six years and eight months and would be on licence for the rest of his life after being given permission to be released by the Parole Board.
Bradford Crown Court heard on Friday that Warren was locked up for eight years when he was still a teenager in 2005 for previous sexual offending including the rape of a boy. In November last year Warren, who had been the subject of a life-long sexual offences prevention order, admitted a series of sexual abuse charges relating to two young girls who must not be identified for legal reasons.
He was arrested last October after police received information that he had been involved in the distribution of indecent images. Officers seized Warren's devices and discovered 2,086 indecent images of children. Among the images and videos were ones which showed him committing sexual acts on the two complainants, who were nine and 12-years-old at the time.
Warren admitted offences relating to his sexual abuse of the two girls and possession and distribution of indecent images and videos He also admitted assaulting an emergency worker. His barrister Abdul Shakoor said Warren himself had acknowledged that his offending was “heinous”.
Jailing him for life Judge Hatton said he was satisfied that Warren posed a significant risk of causing serious harm. He told Warren, who appeared in court via a video link from HMP Leeds: “I am also sure that that is a risk that is likely to carry on long into the future and I am satisfied that your offending is so serious that a sentence of life imprisonment is required and that’s the sentence that I impose."
The judge also made Warren subject to a new lifelong sexual harm prevention order. Detective Constable Adam Flaxington said: "I am particularly pleased that the judge has today recognised the abhorrent offending of Warren against two vulnerable girls. This sends a clear message to offenders committing these sorts of offences and I am delighted that his victims will now have justice.
"The lengths that Warren went to try and avoid detection and arrest signifies he knew he was looking at a significant sentence when caught. I would also like to thank the Digital Forensic Unit and all their work on the case. Our close work with them has again brought a positive result."