Latest Offenders Leeds

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A woman who sexually abused a young boy and shared images of the incidents has been jailed following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Emily Hedigan, aged 21, of Broadlea Grove, Bramley, pleaded guilty to eight offences when she appeared at Leeds Crown Court on February 29.

She was convicted of offences of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual touching of a boy aged under 13, taking, making and distributing indecent images of a child, and possession of cocaine.

Police were alerted on January 29 this year after a person obtained Hedigan’s mobile phone and found images of the boy on it.

She was arrested and her phone was examined by expert digital forensic investigators who recovered video and still images of her sexually abusing the child on a number of occasions.

Further work by digital media investigators established that Hedigan had been sending the images to a man elsewhere in the country in exchange for money.

She admitted the offences when interviewed but claimed she had been providing the images under duress.

She was sentenced to a total of four years and eight months imprisonment at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

She will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A paedophile tried to groom a teenage girl online, asking her for photos of her genitals, sending pictures of his own and made vile sexual suggestions.

But the profile Robert Burke had singled out had been set up by a paedophile hunter group looking to catch online perverts.

The 60-year-old was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week. Prosecutor Robert Galley said Burke had contacted the Facebook profile in 2022, telling the supposed 14-year-old that she was “gorgeous”.

But “within half an hour” of making contact, he began making lewd suggestions about having sex with the girl. He requested pictures of her vagina and sent her a picture of his erect penis. He later sent images of him masturbating. He suggested she could stay with him at his home address.

He then arranged to meet the girl but was confronted by the hunter group at Pudsey Bus Station. Having been arrested, he made full admissions to police.

Burke, of Nowell Terrace, Harehills, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to arrange a child sex offence and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

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Mohammed Ali tried to meet the girl outside Leeds Town Hall after telling he wanted to have sex with her and another underage girl at the same time.

He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after being stung by an online paedophile hunter group. But his barrister, Mohammed Rafiq, told the court: “He was not aware of the age of consent. Things are different from the part of the world he comes from. The ways things operate over there is that there’s a judge who decides whether two parties are mature enough to get married.

“He was 16 when he got married and his wife was 14. He accepts what he has done is wrong.”

The court heard that 23-year-old Ali had illegally come to the UK in the autumn of 2021 seeking asylum. Just weeks later he latched onto the profile of a young girl on Facebook Messenger which was a decoy run by Predator Exposure - the online hunter group looking to snare paedophiles trawling the internet for children.

After making contact, he told her he was 18 and from Syria but was in Leeds staying at an Ibis hotel. Throughout November of 2021 he communicated with the girl, sending her photos of himself in his hotel room.

He asked her several times to meet, and turned the conversation sexual, saying he had another girl with him and that he wanted sex with both of them. He told her not to tell anyone about their communication.

They arranged to meet near Leeds Town Hall, near to the Ferris wheel on Briggate on November 20, 2021, but Ali was met by members of Predator Exposure who livestreamed the confrontation.

A large protest was being held in Leeds that day, so police were already on hand and arrested Ali. He later admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He has no previous convictions.

Mr Raffiq told the court: “He is extremely ashamed and deeply frightened about his appearance before the court. He accepts what he has done is wrong.

“I say he was a very foolish and immature young man when he committed these offences. When he was arrested he did not try to run away. To his credit, he put his hands up and pleaded guilty. He was brought up in a difficult environment with a war raging in Syria.”

He said that Ali wanted to show he was “not a menace to society but an idiot”.

Judge Richard Mansell KC questioned Ali’s claim about not knowing the age of consent, pointing to his lies about his own age and telling the girl not to tell anyone.

He told him: “These offences are too serious to be dealt with by any other way than a sentence of immediate custody. You fully intended to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl.”

He jailed him for 12 months, gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use, and put him on the sex offender register.

But he told Ali he was “liable for deportation” once he is released.

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A man has been sent to prison for five and a half years after subjecting a girl to sexual abuse almost a decade ago in Filey.

Daniel Christopher Broadmore (pictured below), 36, of Somerdale Walk, Bramley, Leeds, was sentenced at York Crown Court today (Friday 5 April 2024).

He was found guilty of all four charges relating to the girl, who was aged under 13 years, after he stood trial in January this year.

These included inciting sexual activity; indecent exposure, sexual assault and engage in a sexual act in the presence of a child.

The victim reported the matter to North Yorkshire Police in April 2021 when she was aged in her late teens.

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He was sentenced to 10 years for the rape offences with a concurrent four-year term for the other offences. He was also given a one-year extended licence period.

King was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The family were disappointed with the length of the sentence and the officer in the case, Detective Constable Oliver Hunter, submitted a request to the reviewing lawyer for the sentence to be appealed under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme.

This was assessed and supported by the Crown Prosecution and an application by the Attorney General was heard at the Court of Appeal on Friday.

Kings original sentence was quashed and a new sentence of 20 years, including a one-year extended licence, was imposed. The sex offender conditions placed on him remain unchanged.

The offences, which took place over a six-month period, came to light in December 2022 when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend.

Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit supported the victim during video-recorded interviews and carried out extensive enquiries including securing forensic evidence.

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Sick Joshua Mahoney was also found in possession of a “paedophile handbook”, a guide to avoid being caught out when downloading illegal images. Yet the 34-year-old, who was found to have more than 1,000 images and videos, continued to plead not guilty despite contacting a counsellor and confessing.

He was jailed for 28 months this week. Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Gareth Henderson-Moore said police attended Mahoney’s home address on Queen Street, Morley, on July 13, 2021, armed with a search warrant.

Intelligence had been passed to West Yorkshire Police that the IP address linked to his home was being used to download the illegal images. They arrested Mahoney and seized a Mac Book and computer hard drive.

Police found 817 category A images – depicting the most serious kind of abuse. Of them 113 were videos. There was also 430 category B images including eight videos, and 566 category C images including six videos.

In addition, they found 17 extreme pornographic images including people engaging in sexual acts with animals, and a dead baby. They also recovered the paedophile “manual”.

The court heard that Mahoney gave a no-comment interview to police, then continued to deny three counts of possessing indecent images, and one of possessing extreme pornographic images up until his trial at Leeds Crown Court had started in December last year.

However, he had bizarrely enrolled in the Safer Lives sex offending programme. Mitigating, Satpal Roth-Sharma said: “That’s his downfall in these proceedings. His saving grace is that he has admitted his wrongdoing in all of this, and admitted there is problem that needs addressing.”

She said it became an addiction and “a form of escapism perhaps” for Mahoney during lockdown.

Judge Ray Singh told Mahoney: “You stood there and uttered the words ‘not guilty’ when for two years you were admitting this to a counsellor. I have no understanding why on earth you pleaded not guilty. Some of the images have been described as being the most vile one could ever imagine.”

He put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Nathan Waddell engaged in “at least 19 conversations” over a six-week period on the messenger app, Telegram, with analysis of his devices showing he even sent videos to multiple people involved in a single chat.

He had also stored almost 1,000 images in a personal “library”, involving children as young as two being abused in the most horrific way, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Judge Simon Batiste jailed him for two years this week and told him: “The message must go out that if you distribute such vile images, then custody will follow that. Some were of very young children. It makes it more serious that you distributed them.”

Prosecutor Charlotte Noddings said the National Crime Agency alerted West Yorkshire Police in August 2022 about images being uploaded by an account that was eventually traced back to Waddell.

They arrested him three months later on November 29 at his former in Leeds, seizing an iPhone, Apple MacBook and a USB stick. On them they found 148 video and images in Category A – depicting the most serious abuse. There were also over 200 Category B and 570 Category C.

They also retrieved 600 images classed as Category Six – which are not illegal images but contain children and could indicate a sexual interest in children, Miss Noddings said.

Following his arrest, 30-year-old Waddell was candid with police, admitting what he had done. He admitted two counts of distributing indecent images, and three counts of possessing indecent images. He has no previous convictions.

Mitigating, Laurence Dilworth said Waddell, now of Rundle Place, Pocklington, East Yorkshire, had experienced mental health problems, lost his job, became withdrawn and isolated and “turned to pornography”.

He added: “He had a sexual attraction to children but has taken steps to address that by engaging with a children’s charity to prevent sexual abuse. He is ashamed of his actions and has taken steps to address his offending behaviour.”

In addition to his jail sentence, Waddell was put on the sex offender register for 10 years, and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to restrict his internet use.

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A predatory sex offender who committed a catalogue of crimes against children and vulnerable adults spanning more than three decades has been jailed following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.  

Craig Meredith, aged 50, of Middleton Road, Morley, was convicted of 38 offences following at trial at Leeds Crown Court.

He was found guilty of offences including rape, sexual assault by penetration, sexual activity in the presence of a child and sexual touching.  

The offences covered a period from 1987, when he was 14 years old, to 2019 when he raped a victim under the guise of a paranormal entity which had possessed her.  

He manipulated vulnerable young children and adults with learning disabilities and left them suffering significant trauma and long-term mental health issues.  

Today he was sentenced to 33 years – 30 years custody with a three-year extended licence. 

Detective Inspector Vikki Daniel-Thomas, of Leeds District Safeguarding, said: “The level of harm that Meredith has caused to such a large number of victims over a very long period of time is truly appalling.  

“He is clearly someone of a predatory nature who presents a very significant danger to children and vulnerable adults, and we hope it will give the victims some reassurance to know he has finally had to answer for his actions and has received a significant term of imprisonment.  

“This was a complex and challenging investigation where the diligent work of the officers in the case, Detective Constable Julie Arnott and Detective Constable Paul Ashton, has resulted in this positive outcome for the victims.  

“Serious sexual offending such as this will always attract the highest level of investigation by specialist safeguarding officers to ensure that offenders like Meredith are brought to justice.  

“We hope the successful conclusion of this case will help to give victims of other similar offences to confidence to come forward.” 

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A sailor has been jailed for six years for raping and sexually assaulting a woman on a Royal Navy ship in international waters.

James Carnegie, 33, who was a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Motorman,  was found guilty by a jury at Truro Crown Court today after he first sexually assaulted and then raped a woman.

The incident took place in 2021 while he had been working on a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel in international waters, while it was returning to Cornwall from overseas.

The victim reported that he had first sexually assaulted her and then later raped her, physically forcing himself on her when she had explicitly not consented. 

He denied the offences, and later in interview told police their interactions had been consensual - which she explicitly denied.

Along with serving six years, he will also be signed onto the sex offenders register for life.

Following his sentencing, Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nick Williams said: 'First and foremost I would like to thank the victim for coming forward and reporting this horrendous crime, so that we could investigate and bring the offender to justice.

'I hope that the sentence given by the judge will help to bring some level of closure and also serve as reassurance to other victims of sexual offences that we fully and thoroughly investigate reports and take action.

'Carnegie brazenly denied the offences, but the jury returned a guilty verdict after their deliberation.'

District Crown Prosecutor Suzanna Butler praised the courage of Carnegie's victim.

She said: 'The victim in this case has shown immense courage in speaking out against the perpetrator of these awful crimes and supporting the prosecution.

'I am very pleased that we were able to deliver justice for the victim.

'We want every victim of sexual assault to have the confidence to come forward to report abuse, in the knowledge that support is available and that the police and CPS are committed to securing justice.'

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Sick John Butler was eventually arrested for a third time and kept on remand in HMP Leeds, eventually admitting nine counts of possessing indecent images.

Leeds Crown Court heard that police were informed that vile images were being downloaded at an address at Potternewton Crescent, Chapel Allerton, in July of 2021.

Officers went to the address that was being rented by his partner and arrested Butler, seizing a laptop, memory cards, USB sticks and a Raspberry Pi computer. Analysis found nearly 3,000 abuse images, including 219 category A – the worst kind. There was also 256 category B and 2,427 category C.

They included videos and images of children as young as one. Prosecutor Ella Embleton said there was a “determined and systematic search” for images, and he had attempted to cover his tracks by using a Tor browser.

The 58-year-old denied the devices were his and said he had no sexual interest in children. Having been bailed, the officers returned to his home in August of last year after another tip-off.

They seized more devices and found another 2,331 images – 223 category A, 131 category B and 1,977 category C. He had made similar searches but again denied the offending.

Officers had to terminate his police interview early because he became aggressive. Like previously, he was bailed but officers went to his home again in May of this year and seized a laptop on which they found 21 images – three in category A, seven in B and 11 in C. He was once again “volatile and aggressive” with police.

Butler, of Sackville Street, Sheepscar, has 22 previous convictions for 77 offences, including an indecent assault on a seven-year-old in 1984 for which he was jailed for three months.

Mitigating, Giles Grant said Butler was now “engaging with shame” having finally admitted his guilty pleas. He said: “It’s a hard step and a huge step and perhaps progress for this defendant.”

Judge Ray Singh jailed him for 25 months and said: “These children were extremely young and you continued unrelentingly.”

Butler was put on the sex offender register for life and given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.

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Oliver Hough was suspended from his job after he was arrested and charged. Leeds Crown Court heard that the 30-year-old had groped a man whom he was sleeping next to following a new year’s party at a house in Hertfordshire in 2020.

The victim kept telling him to stop and continually had to push him away. Hough later apologised to the man over Snapchat and the police were not called on this occasion.

But on January 14 this year, after a night out in Leeds, a group of friends stayed at Hough’s home on Town Street, Armley.

In the middle of the night, one of the men woke to find his underwear pulled down and Hough kneeling next to the bed performing sex acts on him.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington said the victim pretended to be asleep. Hough was detained by others when it became apparent what he had done, and the police were called. He later gave a no-comment interview, but his saliva was found on the victim.

It later emerged about his previous assault three years ago. Hough admitted three counts of sexual assault and one of digital penetration.

Mitigating, Lee Marklew KC said: “He has lost his career and his work so he has already been punished. He has had the shame of having to front up to colleagues and superiors, let alone all of his family.

"He has had a considerable amount of time to think about his behaviour.”

Mr Marklew described Hough’s conduct during the first assault as a “misplaced confidence”, and he had suffered from severe depression since his arrest. He has since moved back to the midlands with his family and Mr Marklew said that had deep-seated fears, over how he will be treated in custody as a gay man.

Judge Simon Phillips KC jailed him for 43 months and placed him on the sex offender register for life. The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service website states that Hough is currently subjected to an interim suspension from his job.

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Warped David Shanks, 75, latched onto the profile, before sending pictures of his genitals and said he would “bring condoms” for the meeting with the supposed 14-year-old boy.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Shanks, of Dewsbury Road, Hunslet, made contact with the fake profile on July 18 via the social-media site for gay people, Hornet.

He sent several messages before the recipient replied, who made it clear they were only 14, but Shanks wanted him to come to Leeds for the weekend “for the gay scene”.

Having traded phone numbers, Shanks asked him if he wanted sex, told him he had contraception and had baby oil “in the fridge” and “could not wait” to meet him, prosecutor Beatrice Allsop told the court.

On August 3, police went to the railway station where they found Shanks near the entrance and arrested him. He told them he was waiting for the 14-year-old boy, but claimed he had no intention of meeting for sex, telling officers during his interview that he had planned to buy him food then put him back on the train. His claim was rejected by Judge Simon Batiste.

Appearing in court from HMP Leeds, where he has been held since his arrest, he admitted attempting to meet a child under 16 after grooming, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He has no previous convictions.

Mitigating, Michael Morley said: “He is not the first man to find himself in this position. Despite entering guilty pleas he has struggled to come to terms with the position he has landed himself in. He has never been in trouble before.

"He has worked from the ae of 16 to 74. He accepts that he does need help.”

Judge Batiste jailed him for 26 months, gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use and put him on the sex offender register for the same period.

He told Shanks: “It was not simple fantasy because you went to the railway station to meet him. It’s clear your intention was for sexual activity.”

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A man who raped a vulnerable young girl has been jailed following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Calum Stephenson, aged 20, targeted the victim, who was under 13, in June last year. 

Detectives from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit began an investigation after the girl’s mother contacted police to report the incidents. 

Stephenson was arrested and initially denied the offences but subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a girl under 13 and one count of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity. 

Today, he was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to eight years in prison with a one-year extended licence. 

He was also given a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. 

Detective Inspector Carl Morrison, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Stephenson preyed on this vulnerable young girl to sexually exploit her, and his depraved actions have understandably had a lasting traumatic impact on the victim. 

“This was a complex and challenging investigation where painstaking work by the officer in the case, DC Rall, was able to secure the vital DNA and CCTV evidence that ultimately led to Stephenson’s guilty pleas and conviction for these offences. 

“Despite her young age and the trauma she was put through, the victim has showed real bravery in coming forward initially and throughout the investigation. 

“We hope that seeing Stephenson brought to justice will provide some level of reassurance to her and her family as they continue to move on with their lives. 

“We also hope that the successful outcome of this case will give other victims of similar offences the confidence to come forward knowing they will be listened to and supported.” 

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Donat Cantrell was found guilty after a trial at Leeds Crown Court of a string of offences against the youngster who was 10 or 11 at the time. The 57-year-old is already serving a lengthy jail sentence following an armed stand-off with police Horsforth in March last year.

But he was handed a new nine-year extended sentence this week, which will only begin when his existing 10-years-and-eight-months sentence expires.

The court heard that Cantrell had groomed the youngster and bought her gifts, including a bikini. On one occasion, he invited the youngster into his motorhome on her own and closed the curtains before undressing himself.

He told her he needed to wash himself and asked her to help, before asking she remove her clothes. He then washed her touching her body, including her vagina. He masturbated himself and made her touch his genitals before performing a sex act on her. He later told her not to tell her mother and that he was “like a grandad”.

On another occasion, he invited the girl into a bathroom and made her masturbate him with the promise of £20. He then took her to a B&M store the next day and gave her the cash, telling her she “earned it”. He also showed her a pornographic video.

Cantrell, formerly of St Helena’s Caravan Park in Horsforth, was found guilty after his trial of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault of a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, assault of a child by penetration, sexual assault of a child and causing a child to watch a sexual act.

Mitigating, Rebecca Young said Cantrell has problems with drink and drugs which she said did not excuse his behaviour but “went some way to explain it”.

This was shot down by Judge Tom Bayliss KC, who said he could not understand the correlation. He told Cantrell: “You were in a position of trust with that child. You tried to corrupt the child with gifts and then with money. It’s difficult to think of a more cynical and calculated attempt to sexually abuse a child.”