Latest Offenders Birmingham

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Christopher Cooper, 36, of Portland Road, Birmingham (previously of Leamington) has been jailed after he exchanged sexually explicit communications with a teenage girl while he was subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Cooper was arrested by officers from Warwickshire Police Sex Offender Management Unit (SOMU) on the day he was released from prison where he was serving time for breaching the SHPO which was put in place when he was previously convicted of child sex offences. The SHPO prohibited him from making contact with anyone he believed to be under the age of 16.

While he was in prison detectives found evidence that he had exchanged the messages with the girl in 2022. Cooper claimed to be 18 while the victim had made clear early on in the exchanges that she was only 14.

Cooper was jailed for three years and four months at Warwick Crown Court last week having pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a SHPO and one count of inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity. He will serve a further six years on licence. If he breaches the terms of this licence he can be returned to prison.

Detective Constable Matt Collins from the SOMU said: “The sentence reflects the danger Cooper poses to children. It also demonstrates the power of the SHPOs in allowing us to monitor the behaviour of sex offenders and shows how seriously the courts treat offenders who breach them.

“This case also shows the dangers of social media and how it is important for parents to be aware of what their child is doing online.

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A dangerous offender has been jailed for four years after a string of sexual offences against women in a Warwickshire town. Paul Sanders was convicted of a series of sexual offences against women in Leamington Spa in the space of 24 hours.

Police described Sanders, 36, as a "very dangerous man" after he was sentenced. He was convicted on September 23 at Warwick Crown Court of the offences, which he carried out on April 6.

Warwickshire Police said Sanders in just 24 hours sexually assaulted a woman, attempted to sexually assault a woman and tried to force entry to a house with the intent to commit a sexual offence. The force praised the courage of the victims in the case that helped secure a conviction.

A Warwickshire Police spokesperson said: "A dangerous offender has been jailed after being convicted of a series of sexual offences against women in Leamington. On April 6 2024, Paul Sanders sexually assaulted a woman, attempted to sexually assault a woman and attempted to force entry to a house with the intent to commit a sexual offence.

"The 36-year-old was jailed for four years last week. He will serve another three years on licence following his release. He was also ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for life.

"At Warwick Crown Court last week Sanders, of no fixed abode, was jailed after pleading guilty to sexual assault, attempted sexual assault and knowingly trespassing on premises with intent to commit a relevant sexual offence."

Det Sgt James Stone-Fewings, a sexual offence investigator from Warwickshire Police, said: “The courage shown by all the victims in this case must be commended. Thanks to their continued support we have been able to ensure a very dangerous man is no longer on the streets.”

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A 'predatory' Birmingham school worker sexually abused a pupil in his office, upskirted girls and secretly recorded women.

Steven Hanna was the pastoral lead with responsibility for safeguarding children but committed the 'grossest breach of trust' over a four-year period until his arrest in 2023.

The 41-year-old groomed students with chocolates and filmed them under the table with his phone. He also covertly filmed one girl whose bra was visible after her shirt became wet.

After being arrested police recovered disturbing images on his phone which showed children as young as seven being abused. Hanna, of Glascote Grove, Shard End, admitted a string of offences and was sentenced to seven years at Birmingham Crown Court this morning, Wednesday, September 18.

A 'predatory' Birmingham school worker sexually abused a pupil in his office, upskirted girls and secretly recorded women. Steven Hanna was the pastoral lead with responsibility for safeguarding children but committed the 'grossest breach of trust' over a four-year period until his arrest in 2023.

The 41-year-old groomed students with chocolates and filmed them under the table with his phone. He also covertly filmed one girl whose bra was visible after her shirt became wet.

After being arrested police recovered disturbing images on his phone which showed children as young as seven being abused. Hanna, of Glascote Grove, Shard End, admitted a string of offences and was sentenced to seven years at Birmingham Crown Court this morning, Wednesday, September 18.

Appearing on a video link from HMP Birmingham he sat with his head in his hands as his punishment was delivered. After the case was opened earlier this week he told the court: "I just want to apologise. I'm very remorseful. I can't put into great words..."

In a statement the headteacher of the academy, which cannot be identified for legal reasons, said the whole school community would be reeling from the impact of Hanna's betrayal for a long time to come. The most serious incident occurred when Hanna invited a 12-year-old girl into his office on the pretext of signing her leavers shirt.

He pressed his penis up against her back causing the girl to demand he unlock the door otherwise she would scream. Hanna let her go but later told her not to tell anyone about the incident.

The victim reported the attack to the police and Hanna was suspended but a decision was taken that there was 'no reasonable prospect of conviction' at the time, and he was allowed to return to work. Meanwhile the girl was accused of being a liar and bullied by fellow pupils.

In a statement she said she felt 'scared, alone' and 'angry'. She added: "People liked Mr Hanna and didn't want to believe me. Before it happened I liked him.

"There was no result from reporting to the police. I felt they had all been proved right. It was easier for everyone to think I lied."

But the case was re-visited when a further accusation was made against Hanna in 2023. At that stage his phone was seized and found to contain upskirting videos as well as further indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Antonie Muller said: "It was children in school uniforms. He was filming them under the table in their skirt. The defendant was the pastoral manager.

"This meant having regular meetings with children. One part of his role, deeply ironically, was safeguarding those children."

Some of the upskirting victims recalled that Hanna offered them chocolates in his office. One victim said it was 'weird' that he would speak to her 'all day' while other teachers encouraged her to return to class.

She also described an incident where Hanna made a sexual remark about a McDonald's milkshake she was drinking. There were also three adult victims of his perverted actions.

One woman had shown him nude photos of herself on her phone, not realising Hanna was recording her at the time. Another woman, who had previously turned his advances down, was filmed under the table while a third female admitted exposing her breasts to Hanna but did not know he was recording on his phone.

She said: "I feel violated that he recorded me. It's an outrageous betrayal of trust. It has completely blown me away he has been so predatory and been convicted of such serious offences given how he presented and engaged with people."

The school headteacher stated the impact of Hanna's actions 'can't be overstated' and that the 'sense of betrayal in the school was palpable'. He revealed that it had a knock-on effect on pupil attendance and some struggled to gain qualifications while many required counselling.

The head also described how students became suspicious of other male staff and that numerous meetings and assemblies had to be held over the allegations surrounding Hanna. He stated the school's reputation had been 'severely damaged' and rebuilding it was an 'exhausting process'.

The headteacher added: "The ripples of betrayal and distrust have been far-reaching, influencing not only the school but families connected to it. The harm caused has reverberated through the lives of countless people leaving a lasting impact that will continue to be felt for years to come."

Hanna pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges relating to voyeurism, attempted voyeurism, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images and possession of extreme pornography.

Jas Mann, defending, said: "This case is extremely sad. He worked hard to achieve his status and led a thoroughly decent and positive life until he started to engage in this criminality. It is truly a fall from grace as far as he is concerned."

He stated Hanna's time in custody on remand had been 'painful'. Mr Mann continued: "He's genuinely remorseful. He is truthful (in the pre-sentence report) when he described the guilt and embarrassment of being in prison and feeling like a failure. He has been reflective and introspective."

The barrister concluded that Hanna was 'thoroughly ashamed', adding that his best mitigation was that he had the 'courage and good sense' to plead guilty. The defendant was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, restraining order and sex offender notification requirements.

Judge Heidi Kubik KC told him: "The particular factors that give rise for concern are of course the grossest breach of trust. There was evidence of some grooming and manipulation of some of the children. The sheer number of separate victims, both children and adults and the period over which your offending had clearly become an established pattern of behaviour."

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A man from Birmingham has been jailed for 21 years for rapes against a woman and historic rape and sexual abuse of two children.

Marcus Newton’s vile offending came to light after his three brave victims came forward.

The 27-year-old, from Aston, was jailed at Wolverhampton Crown Court on July 26 following a trial.

As well as being jailed for 21 years he was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

He was found guilty of two charges of raping a child under 13, one charge of sexually assaulting a child under 13 and three charges of rape.

Newton’s sexual offending was brought to light when one of his brave victims contacted us to say that he had been raped by Newton.

He told us how Newton’s actions had a massive impact on his mental health and he was having suicidal thoughts. He told us the offending took place when he was a young boy.

As a result of the first victim contacting us two more victims also came forward. One was a woman who said she had been raped by Newton back in 2018 and 2019.

Another woman also came forward to say she had been raped by him over a period of four years while she was still a child. We analysed footage on her phone which included messages and pictures sent by him to corroborate her story.

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A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenager and woman in the Aston and Perry Barr area of Birmingham this year.

Irtiza Abbas of Lozells Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a schoolgirl and a university student after compelling CCTV evidence showed him selecting and following his victims.

Both victims have bravely allowed us to tell their story and show CCTV in the hope that anyone else who feels they've been a victim and hasn’t come forward to do so.

On the afternoon of Tuesday 16 January, the 25-year-old hung around the area near to Aston University and followed a woman who was walking on her own.

He followed the 22-year-old along Dartmouth Middleway for a while to make sure she was definitely on her own and that there was no other person in the street and then grabbed her and assaulted her.

And on Tuesday 16 April he followed a 15-year-old schoolgirl as she walked home in the Perry Barr area.

CCTV shows him following her closely along a street and looking around to make sure he was alone.

Only when he was sure that there was no-one else around, he grabbed the girl and assaulted her.

The 15-year-old bravely rang her father who was luckily driving nearby. They drove around the area and spotted Abbas, but following a tussle, Abbas escaped and fled the scene.

Officers painstakingly pieced CCTV together linking the assaults and a suspect was identified.

Abbas was arrested from his address in Lozells on 22 April and clothing matching the description in the

CCTV was recovered. Although he didn't admit his guilt in interview, he knew the evidence against him was so compelling that he pleaded guilty at court. 

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to two years in jail.

The investigating officer, Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, said: "We strongly believe due to the nature of the offences that Abbas may have committed more offences.

"CCTV has shown him lingering on the streets and carefully selecting his victims. He would follow them to make sure they were on their own before he struck.

"Although he's pleaded guilty to two offences there's a real time line gap and we have really strong suspicions that he may have offended again and again.

"Thanks to the support of the victims and their bravery and our teams’ efforts in tracing every single piece of CCTV that we could, we've managed to take a serial offender and a potentially dangerous man, whose offences were deliberate, methodical and repeated, off the streets of Birmingham.

"If anyone feels that something similar has happened to them and that they've not come forward before, we'd ask them to reconsider. Please contact me or one of my team and we promise that we will take your account seriously."

We are committed to identifying individuals who pose the highest risk of harm to women and girls, and actively managing them to prevent or reduce offending.

We are encouraging any more victims to come forward by contacting us by calling 101 or visiting our Live Chat function on our website and quoting crime number 20/412643/24.

Victims of sexual assault receive life-time anonymity.

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A child sex offender who groomed a schoolgirl has been jailed. Police were so worried about Ray Trewern that officers launched an investigation without the victim making a formal complaint.

He met the 12-year-old victim online but the 35-year-old quickly arranged to see her in person. Trewern, of Park Corner, Birmingham, bought the girl gifts and took her shopping.

During one meeting, he sexually assaulted her by kissing her. West Mercia Police said "such was the concern about Trewern", that an investigation was progressed on an evidence-led basis, without the victim providing a formal complaint. He was jailed for two years and three months at Worcester Crown Court on May 16.

Trewern pleaded guilty to sexual communications with a child, meeting a female child under the age of 16 following sexual grooming, sexual assault of a female child under 13 and possession of indecent photographs of a child. He was also made the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and handed an indefinite restraining order.

Trewyn groomed the girl between October and December 2021. Following the sentencing, Det Const Tarryn Schimmel said: "Trewern’s grooming was such that his victim genuinely believed he had her best intentions at heart when in fact his deception was for his own perverse gain.

"The victim and her family have had to wait a long time to see justice being done and I commend them for their patience and dignity in waiting for this matter to finally be resolved. I hope the sentence helps put some closure on this awful time for them.”

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This is the face of a paedophile who preyed on a schoolgirl in a vile attempt to sexually abuse her as she walked to school. Predator Daniel Ralph grabbed the youngster as she made her way to school through an alleyway.

She was on her own when the 'dangerous' sex offender, 31, pounced on her from behind. He then put her in a 'chokehold' as she battled to get free.

The young girl bit Ralph's hand, forcing him to loosen his grip and run away. A court heard how the pervert even 'went equipped', wearing a jacket with unused condoms in his pocket.

Ralph has since been locked up for his terrifying ambush. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the girl was walking through the alleyway just before 7.30am on February 16 last year.

CCTV footage recorded Ralph leaving his home at 7.29am and reaching the nearby alleyway a minute later. He was donning a face covering and gloves as he walked past the girl in the opposite direction

But he then turned and grabbed her from behind. Prosecutor Dylan Wagg said the defendant 'gripped tightly' as he put one hand around the victim's neck and another around her mouth.

The girl screamed and bit his hand, with Ralph rushing home. He changed his clothes and was seen leaving his home again at 7.52am.

Ralph walked in a different direction to the alleyway, the court heard. A concerned passer-by noticed the 'distressed' schoolgirl - who had a cut lip - and called police.

The girl later told officers she had spotted Ralph 'loitering' in the alleyway as she walked to school just days before his cruel attack on her. The convict was arrested at home a few hours later.

Officers seized a number of pairs of gloves and balaclavas, a Rambo knife, a zombie knife and a black quilted jacket with unused condoms in the pocket. The court heard how Ralph previously sexually assaulted a schoolgirl in 'strikingly similar' circumstances.

He also sneaked into a woman's bedroom naked, leaving her fearing she would be raped. Stephen Hamblett, defending, said 'remorseful' Ralph had a 'number of difficulties' when he was younger - including being the victim of a sexual assault.

Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield KC described Ralph as a dangerous offender posing a 'significant risk of causing serious harm' to the public. Ralph admitted assault by beating, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and breach of sexual harm prevention order.

He was handed an extended sentence of nine years and 10 months. It means he must serve two-thirds of his jail term of five years and 10 months before being released and will be subject to an extended licence period of four years.

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A sex offender has been jailed for 14 years for abusing two girls and a woman.

Nicholas Lumsden, of Birmingham, was found guilty of committing numerous offences in Kent, including indecent assault, sexual assault and sexual activity with a child.

Police say evidence the 40-year-old had carried out historic attacks on children in Ashford surfaced while investigating allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in Dover in 2019.

Lumsden, of Selcroft Avenue, denied the charges but, following a recent trial at Maidstone Crown Court, was convicted of a string of offences, including indecent assault, sexual assault of a child and sexual activity with a child.

He was brought back before the same court on Wednesday April 17 and jailed for 14 years.

He was ordered to serve an extra five years on licence following that term and made the subject of a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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An online predator who pretended to be a 12-year-old girl to encourage other young people to share indecent images has been jailed.

We discovered Dominic Woodcock had used a fake profile on various social media channels to befriend young girls between 2021 and 2023.

He claimed to be involved in a gymnastics club and encouraged girls - mainly aged between 10 and 12 - to pursue such a career.

However, once a rapport was established Woodcock would request indecent images of the girls and threatened to expose them on social media if they refused.

After being alerted to his depraved behaviour we quickly identified and arrested Woodcock from Erdington.  We seized his phone and found concerning images and messages.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images and engaging children into sexual activity.

He was jailed for four years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court last Wednesday (3 April) and put on the sex offenders register for life.

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A city pensioner has been jailed for historic sex offences in which he abused a young boy over a period of four years. Colin Hall, 79, from Birmingham carried out the abuse in the 1980s.

Detectives investigated Hall when the survivor came forward in 2018 to speak to the force's Rape and Sexual Violence Project, a service providing support to those who have been subjected to sexual violence in Birmingham and Solihull.

Specially trained officers then started an investigation into the allegations. West Midlands Police said that Hall admitted to seven counts of indecent assaults between 1984 and 1988 at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on April 2. Following sentencing, detectives spoke of how they carried out a video interview with Hall's victim after he initially reported allegations.

The force said the details provided were crucial in securing a conviction against Hall. The victim said he met Hall when he was a young boy and he introduced him to his dogs.

They would then take the dogs for walks. He said Hall started buying him gifts and alcohol, leading him to believe Hall was a friend who treated him as an adult.

After around a year, Hall started to subject him to sexual encounters and told him to not to tell anyone or else they would get in trouble. This continued for around four years said police.

Colin Hall was jailed for 16 years at Birmingham Crown Court on April 2. Following sentencing, Detective Constable Donna Kenny, said: “Hall groomed a young boy and led him to believe they were friends, building up a strong rapport with him before manipulating him and subjecting him to several incidents of sexual abuse.

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A man has been jailed for six years for attempting to rape a woman in Salford.

34-year-old Sediq Ali from Birmingham was found guilty of attempted rape and sentenced on Monday (March 18) at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Officers were called to an address in Salford on October 30 2020, following an incident which had happened hours earlier. Ali had threatened the woman before subjecting her to an attempted rape.

Following an investigation, Ali was subsequently arrested and charged with the offence.

In addition to his sentence, he will also be required to sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a restraining order.

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A magnet fishing YouTuber has been jailed after carrying out a string of vile child sexual offences. Karl Ball used social media to groom a 14-year-old girl before giving her a 'special cake' which he performed a sex act over, the court heard.

The 35-year-old ex-soldier used sexualised language and sent various messages referring to sexual intercourse and what he would do to the child. He also sent sexually explicit photos and encouraged the victim to send naked photos of herself, although she refused to send him any explicit photos, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The CPS said that when he met the child, Ball, touched her inappropriately and sexually assaulted her before giving her what he called a "special cake." The victim ate some of the cake when she got home but found it tasted strange and when she told the defendant, he admitted what he had done.

The victim felt disgusted by this and put the cake in the bin. His offending came to light after the victims parents saw the messages on her phone and reported the matter to the police.

The police found Balls DNA on the "special cake" after remnants of it were retrieved from the bin and forensically analysed. Ball pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual assault on a female and two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. It followed a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court in May last year.

Ball, from Simmons Drive, Quinton, who ran a YouTube channel about magnet fishing, was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday, February 28. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for a decade, and a restraining order for 10 years barring him from contacting the child and her family.

Speaking after the case, Cagin Husnu, of the CPS, said: The crimes committed by Karl Ball in this case are abhorrent." He added 'the fact that his offending culminated in him giving her a special cake is simply repulsive'.

His statement continued: "No one in our society, let alone children, should be treated in such a degrading manner and it is our aim to ensure that we work collaboratively with the police to ensure that offenders are held accountable for their crimes.

It comes after Ball admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate. He was proud to show off a "loaded shotgun he had pulled out of a canal in Birmingham" to his magnet fishing mates. But his discovery backfired on him when he was reported to the police by one of them after failing to hand it in. He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work in November 2022.

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Arcadian sex attacker Albert Okyere fled to the Netherlands after raping one woman and sexually assaulting her friend

This is the first picture of a predator who raped a stranger and sexually assaulted her friend after a night out at The Arcadian. 'Dangerous' Dutch national Albert Okyere fled to his homeland after launching his horrific attack on two drunk women.

The 37-year-old fugitive was eventually extradited to the UK and has now been locked up nine years after his horrendous sex crimes. A court heard how the dad - whose partner remains 'supportive' of him - tricked the women into believing he was a 'nice stranger' who was simply offering them a lift home.

But before he dropped them home, he pulled over into a dark industrial site 'in the middle of nowhere' - with the 'true nature of his intention' said to have suddenly 'dawned' on one of the women. He then launched his cruel attack on both women before dropping them home in an attempt to 'pass off the incident as consensual'.

Okyere was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following an eight-day trial last December. The I.T. professional - of Ash-Lea Drive, Donnington, Telford - was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, February 1).

Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield KC described Okyere as a dangerous offender and handed him a 14-year extended sentence. It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of two years once released.

Okyere will also remain on the sex offenders indefinitely. Birmingham Crown Court heard how the rapist had been on a night out at The Arcadian in November 2015.

He offered his 'heavily intoxicated' victims - who had also been out that night - a lift home before driving to the scene of the crime. The sex offender was even 'grinning' as one of his 'emotionally distressed' victims was forced to give in to his sick demands.

The defendant went on to usher one of the victims outside before locking the car door behind him. He continued his onslaught, raping her as her friend remained trapped inside the vehicle.

Judge Butterfield said 'sober' Okyere was 'bigger and stronger' than his victims. Okyere - who has previous convictions for voyeurism and battery - did not show a 'shred of contrition', with his behaviour said to be 'predatory from the outset'.

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This is the face of a paedophile school worker who was described as a 'victim' due his taboo secret. Ismail Adewumi groomed and sexually attacked a 13-year-old boy at a time when his family were trying to find him a wife.

The 26-year-old from Holte Road, Sparkbrook was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting two counts of sexual activity with a boy and one count of sexual communication with a child. The victim was not a pupil at Redstone Academy in Balsall Heath where Adewumi worked in administration.

The school immediately suspended him and contacted the police when they became aware of a sick video of him on the toilet that he had sent the boy. But as Adewumi was sentenced earlier this month Birmingham Crown Court was told he was a 'victim of circumstances' himself due to the difficulties of being homosexual in his community.

Lynette McLement, defending, revealed he would not even speak to a male barrister about the case. She said: "Things could be seen to reach crisis point in 2020. It was then the need to marry him off became pressing and it was clear and apparent his mother, with other family members, took the decision to find him a wife.

"This of course was in-effect pressure brought to bear on a young man unable to talk about the reason for not wishing to do so. He had not had the ability to talk to anybody about any sexual feelings. It was something he said 'nobody did'.

"He had never had a girlfriend - he wasn't allowed. No discussion about sexual leanings. The first person he spoke to who took a light-hearted attitude and joked about sex was this young man."

Ms McLement argued Adewumi was attracted to the boy because he was male, not because of his age, adding that sexuality was a 'taboo topic' in the defendant's community. She said: "Rather than a predator this man was a victim of circumstances, as so many others are who come to the court, where their own sexual identity is denied them. This is very much that situation."

Messages between Adewumi and the boy escalated from 'banter' about the PlayStaton to 'troubling' exchanges which included a reference to phone sex. At one point he told the victim he would 'strip you in the street and tie you to a lamppost'.

Adewumi referred to the boy as 'darling' and 'babes' as well as sent inappropriate videos of himself. The grooming behaviour culminated on a night they were together when he repeatedly groped the boy during a two-hour ordeal. The victim subsequently reported the attack to someone else who informed the school.

Sadaat Rasool, headteacher at Redstone Academy, told Birmingham Live: "Suspicious behaviour was brought to our attention so we immediately followed safeguarding guidelines, suspended the employee and made appropriate contact with relevant agencies including the police and the DBS. Safeguarding in the school is of upmost importance and we ensure all staff are trained and up-to-date with how to identify and raise concerns."

Judge Roderick Henderson, sentencing Adewumi, said: "I don't at all underestimate the difficulty you found in your community but the core of this case and what makes it so serious is he was so much younger than you. You were a full adult. You knew this nine-years-younger-than-you boy was in a completely different category and you did, no doubt in the confused state you were in, exploit him and caused real damage."

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A MECHANIC has been jailed after cops caught him raping a schoolgirl in a seaside car park.

Niall O'Sullivan, 28, has now been locked up for 10 years after the horror sex attack in Brighton in May.

The monster - who was 15 years the girl's senior - was caught in the act after the youngster's pals frantically called 999.

East Sussex's Lewes Crown Court heard how O'Sullivan had groomed the 12-year-old after they met online.

The pair spoke on Snapchat and WhatsApp for months before the then-27-year-old drove from Birmingham to Brighton to meet her.

Tim Forster, prosecuting, told the court the girl was in her school uniform the first time they met.

He added: “She was clearly under 16 by a significant margin.”

The pair had met on three occasions until O'Sullivan raped her in his car.

On that horror day, the young girl had told her mum she was seeing her friends.

And while she did meet her pals, it was them who called the cops on O'Sullivan.

Police were scrambled to the car park in Brighton Marina at about 2pm on Sunday May 7.

Jailing O’Sullivan, Judge Christine Laing, said: “You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.”

The victim told police O’Sullivan became angry with her when she tried to speak with or go out with other friends.

Kevin Light, defending, said: “He knows what he did was wrong.

"He has mentioned throughout that he did not know how young she was although he admits that he knew she was under-age.”

Judge Laing, the Honorary Recorder of Brighton and Hove, said: “Sexual abuse of young children often gives them a life sentence. None of us knows the impact that it will have on (the victim) as she grows up.

“The law is there to protect children … and that’s why the sentences are as severe as they are.

“You knew full well you shouldn’t have been doing what you were doing. You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

“It would have been very obvious that she was very young and somewhat naïve.

“You didn’t even bother forking out for a hotel for this child but just had sex with her in your car. You knew full well that if you took her into a hotel, you would very likely have been challenged.”

You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

The Judge locked O'Sullivan up for nine years and four months, and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

The judge also recommended that the two friends who called the police should receive a £200 award from the High Sheriff of East Sussex.

Detective Constable Stewart Cameron, from Sussex Police, said: “This was a highly distressing case which has had a lasting impact on the vulnerable young victim.

“O’Sullivan knew what he was doing was wrong and had no choice but to plead guilty when confronted with the evidence.

“His behaviour was brazen, often taking the victim to public locations in daylight in order to commit the appalling offences.

“This case demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and to get justice for vulnerable victims. We are pleased that a dangerous sex offender is now off our streets.”