Latest Offenders

Description

A convicted sex offender was found to have 21,000 indecent photos and videos of children. They were discovered on devices Connor Stephens hid from police teams during routine monitoring of his behaviour.

The 21-year-old was the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order but was found to have breached it in November 2023. Lincolnshire Police said two of Stephens’ devices had been hidden from MOSOVO managers (management of sex offenders and violent offenders) and were found to contain explicit material.

Stephens then alleged he had been sexually assaulted in an unconnected incident. Lincolnshire Police said further investigation and CCTV evidence found the claim to be untrue.

Stephens, who had previously lived at multiple addresses in the Boston area, pleaded guilty to three breaches of a sexual harm prevention order as well as possession of child sexual abuse material, prohibited material and extreme pornography. At Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, July 11 he was also sentenced for perverting the course of justice and breaching a suspended sentence order.

He was sentenced to five years in prison, given five years extended licence and handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Lincolnshire Police said the case involved work across a number of police teams and hailed the "brilliant" team effort.

DS Nicola Stafford said: “MOSOVO worked to manage Stephens in line with his SHPO and a digital media investigator within POLIT (Paedophile Online Investigation Team) conducted both cloud extractions, essentially evidencing 1000s of indecent images. DFU (Digital Forensics Unit) went above and beyond to ensure that urgent device downloads and uploads were done within a tight timeframe for court.

“Prison intelligence officers assisted the officer in charge, so Stephens could be interviewed about the offences whilst he was on remand. It really was a brilliant example of an interdepartmental effort, spanning several months from November 2023 to now.”

Description

Man from St Leonards who preyed on young girls using an online messaging app has been jailed.

Anthony Everton, 35, contacted girls aged between 13 and 15 via Snapchat while posing to be a child himself.

Exchanging phone numbers with the girls, he would then request they send him sexually explicit images before threatening to send those images to their families.

Everton would call and text the victims to engage in sexual conversations. If they tried to stop speaking with him, he would make threats to kill them or burn their houses down.

After receiving reports from parents who had intervened in the activity, police arrested Everton in April 2023. He was released on bail with strict conditions while enquiries, including analysis of his digital devices, continued. 

Despite Everton’s attempts to destroy his mobile phone when he was arrested, police found evidence of indecent images and videos on it, including a large number of explicit images of a girl that Everton had sent to her relatives via social media.

In September 2023 while this investigation was ongoing, police began receiving multiple reports of a man masturbating in the front window of an address in St John’s Road, St Leonards. The man was in full view of the public and a nearby children’s playground.

Police identified the address as that of Anthony Everton and he was further arrested.

Everton was subsequently charged with 12 offences – one count of outraging public decency; seven counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child; and four counts relating to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

He was found guilty at Brighton Crown Court on 19 March, 2024. At Hove Crown Court on Friday (19 July), he was handed an 11-year sentence consisting of six years in prison and a further five years on extended licence.

He was also issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Description

A Worthing sex offender has been jailed after attempting to conceal indecent images of children, police have said.

Lewis Peters, 31, was arrested at his home address in Worthing on June 3, following an intelligence-led operation by Sussex Police’s Online Child Abuse Team (OCAT).

“A Worthing sex offender has been jailed for possession of indecent images of children,” a police statement read.

"Peters attempted to conceal a small memory card which featured 250 category A indecent images and videos of children.

“His phone was examined, which was found to contain 32 Category A, 74 Category B and 12 Category C images.”

Police said Peters was already subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which he was handed in April 2023. Being in possession of these images put him in breach of this order, police said.

A spokesperson added: “The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent photo of a child, four counts of breaching a SHPO and possession of extreme pornographic images, when he appeared before Hove Crown Court on July 5.

“He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on July 16.”

Investigator Maisie Upjohn, of Worthing OCAT, said possessing and downloading indecent images of children is an ‘extremely serious offence’ – reflected in the ‘significant custodial sentence given to him at court’.

She added: “Lewis Peters appears to be determined to continue offending despite the SHPO given to him after conviction for other offences in April 2023.

"Somewhere in the world there is a poor victim from each of the images and videos that Peters had.

"This case shows that we will relentlessly pursue offenders to stop them from causing further harm to children."

Description

A Doncaster man who bragged about how “easy” it was to groom children online has been jailed after a police swoop.

An investigation by South Yorkshire Police’s specialist Internet Sexual Offences Team (ISOT) has seen sick Mark Foster jailed for over seven years.

Foster, 44, of Osborne Road, was arrested after officers executed two warrants at his home address leading to the seizure of his devices.

These devices were then submitted for forensic analysis, leading to the discovery of hundreds of illegal images of children and messages showing him talking to underage children on the internet.

In one online exchange, Foster was caught talking about how he thought he had been able to keep his crimes a secret and spoke of how easy it was to groom children online.

Detective Constable Sam Brown, who was the officer in charge of this case, said: "Internet sex offenders like Foster largely operate in their shadows.

"They think they are untouchable but what they don't know is ISOT are working quietly in the background and under the radar to build cases against these criminals and bring them to justice.

"The officers who work within ISOT are highly skilled at their job and they are committed to protecting children from depraved online predators like Foster."

Foster pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including causing or inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, distributing an indecent photograph of a child and six counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.

He was jailed for four years and two months, with a three-year extended sentence due to the nature of the offence, at Sheffield Crown Court last Monday (15 July).

DC Brown said: "We are pleased an extended sentence has been served to Foster which reflects the severity of his offending and the efforts of ISOT to pull together the evidence needed which meant he had no choice but to plead guilty to his crimes.

"Foster's child victims have been offered support and safeguarding referrals and I want to thank them and their families for the support they have shown our investigation.

"We take all reports of sexual abuse towards children seriously and if you have been a victim or you know someone who has been a victim of, please come forward and report it to police.

"We are here to listen and we will always treat you with sensitivity and compassion."

Foster was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

Description

A man from Leighton Buzzard, who was branded a dangerous offender, has been jailed for sexually abusing a child over a five-year period.

Peter Cutler, 62, will now spend the next 14 years in prison, plus an additional seven years on licence, after pleading guilty to 22 offences relating to child sexual abuse.

The abuse spanned over five years, until the child, who is now a teenager, opened up to a trusted adult. Together they reported it to police and were able to work with specialist officers.

Subsequently, Cutler was arrested, however whilst he was out on police bail, he admitted to family members that he had sexually abused a child. When he was asked to explain himself, he claimed he didn’t know what he was doing.

Cutler, of Heath Road, Leighton Buzzard, was sentenced on Thursday (18 July) after pleading guilty to the following:

• Seven counts of assaulting a child by penetration
• Six counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child
• Five counts of sexual assault of a child
• Two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child,
• Two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act 

He will serve 14 years in prison, with an extended licence period of seven years on his release, due to his dangerousness.

Cutler will also have to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Restraining Order, with notification requirements for life.

Description

A man sexually assaulted and raped his partner while she was asleep, a court has heard. Daniel Blight even stopped during the assault to take a sick selfie photo.

The victim only realised the full extent of what had happened when she checked CCTV footage from her house. Blight has been jailed for seven years and the victim, Sarah Jones, has waived her legal anonymity to talk about what happened to her in her own home, a place she says she should have felt safe.

Swansea Crown Court heard the attack took place at Miss Jones' home in Aberdare in August 2022 while she and Blight were spending the evening together. After Miss Jones fell asleep on the sofa in the living room the defendant took the opportunity to sexually assault and rape her, taking an intimate selfie of himself as he did so. The court heard when Miss Jones awoke she was unaware of what had happened and the couple went to bed. Later that night she caught sight of the selfie on her boyfriend's phone and realised something was not right.

The next day after Blight had gone to work Miss Jones checked footage from the Hive CCTV camera in her living room - although trained on the inside of the front door, the camera also covered the sofa. It was then the 39-year-old coffee shop worker saw her boyfriend and assaulted had raped her while she was asleep. Talking after the sentencing she said: "I couldn't believe what I was watching. This was somebody I trusted. I was asleep in my own home. I should have been safe. It was such a massive abuse of trust. He was my partner and he claimed to love me."

Miss Jones said she phoned Blight to confront him about what happened, and he at first claimed she had been awake during the incident, then that he thought she was awake, and then finally admitted he knew she was asleep. Miss Jones ended the relationship but said the pair kept in touch over the following months while she encouraged Blight to have counselling as he "clearly had issues with sex". She said the pair briefly resuming their relationship at the end of 2022 but following another incident of an intimate nature the victim ended the relationship for good and reported the earlier assault to the police.

Daniel Blight, aged 37, of Buckingham Road, Bonymaen, Swansea, pleaded not guilty and at trial at Swansea Crown Court claimed he believed he had implied consent for sex with his partner. The jury convicted him of two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of rape. The defendant has one previous conviction for 13 offences of possession of indecent images from 2012 for which he was given a community order.

In mitigation barrister David Leathley said the defendant was "slavishly in a state of devotion" in regards to Miss Jones who was "the divinity he was worshiping". He said in his client's mind what he did on the night in question was "an act of worship" towards his partner. The barrister described the case as "truly bizarre" and said his client had been a "crass idiot" to act in the way he did.

Judge Huw Rees said a pre-sentence report on the defendant explored his "preoccupation" with sex which was a "predominant factor" in his life.. Blight was sentenced to seven years in prison comprising seven years for rape and four years for each of the sexual assaults all to run concurrently. He will serve two-thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and was made the subject of a 1o-year restraining order banning him from contacting his former partner either directly or indirectly.

Miss Jones said the rape at the hands of someone she trusted has had a massive impact on her life. "If I'm honest I'm still trying to fully process what happened. It has affected my trust in everyone, and I feel so anxious and vulnerable. I used to be very sociable and enjoyed going out with friends, now I tend to avoid mixing with people. I'm worried about what the future may hold. How can I have trust in a future relationship? Invite someone into my house again?

"Waiting for the trial made my anxiety worse. I believe he [Blight] thought I would be too embarrassed to go through with the trial, too embarrassed to have the CCTV footage shown to a room of strangers. What he did to me can't be undone but if I can stop him doing it to anyone else I have to do it. What happened will stay with me for a long time - perhaps for the rest of my life. Hopefully with the conviction I can begin to move on."

Speaking after the sentencing South Wales Police detective constable Elizabeth Picton said: "Daniel Blight preyed upon his victim when they were completely helpless, but was crucially caught on camera in critical evidence for his conviction. At South Wales Police we relentlessly pursue the perpetrators of sexual offences and ensure that the victims receive justice. It takes great bravery for a victim to report a sexual offence, and this behaviour will never be tolerated."

Description

A sex offender who attempted to groom three teenage boys has been jailed for three years.

John Paul Card, 76, admitted breaching a previous sexual harm prevention order on three separate occasions and approaching the boys to start “unsettling” conversations.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Card was convicted of offences of sexual touching and sexual activity with a child in 2011 and had subsequently been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order restricting his contact with boys under 18.

In February this year, Card approached a 16-year-old boy at the Old Cattle Market bus station in Ipswich and asked if he would mow his lawn.

John Card has been sentenced to three years in jail (Image: Suffolk Police)

He took down the phone number of the 16-year-old who agreed and Card later messaged him to say he would visit the boy at the pub he worked at, which unnerved the boy because he had never told him he worked at a pub.

Card messaged the boy on several occasions asking him to mow the lawn but after the boy Googled the sex offender’s name he contacted the police.

In 2023, Card pursued a 15-year-old boy who had spread leaflets about his fundraising plans for a school trip to Ecuador.

The leaflet only asked for a £1 donation to a GoFundMe page, but Card turned up at the boy’s address with £40 in cash.

The boy personally thanked him and Card later posted him a letter offering more money and said he would like to help him fundraise for other projects.

A victim impact statement from the boy’s mother was read out in court: “My son was subject to persistent pestering by Mr Card in what should have been a positive and rewarding endeavour.

“The harassment has taken a toll on his emotional wellbeing and the incident left him feeling unsettled and wary of future interactions with strangers.”

On top of this breach, which he was arrested and bailed for, he approached a 17-year-old boy at a bus stop in 2022 and sat “uncomfortably close” and left the boy concerned.

This boy also Googled the defendant's name then reported him and Card was arrested and bailed for this offence.

Judge Richard Kelly said during these conversations Card used subtle but calculated probes into boundaries and sexual preferences, which left the boys “shaken”.

He sentenced Card, of Jervis Close, Holbrook, to three years in prison.

Card was also given a suspended sentenced in 2020 for similar offences and this was partially activated concurrent to the three years.

Description

A man from Brownhills has been jailed for 15 years for inciting boys on the internet to engage in sexual activity and for distributing vile and depraved indecent images of children.

David Brown, 59, had already pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He had pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. However, he was found guilty following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March and was jailed on Monday (15 July) at Birmingham Crown Court.

As well as being given a 15-year prison sentence, Brown was placed on the sex offender register for life and will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order For Life.

We received intelligence to suggest Brown was using the internet at his home to share indecent images of children and on 17 October, 2018 officers from our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team attended Brown’s home and seized his digital devices.

Brown’s computers were forensically examined and found to contain 175 indecent images of children as well as internet search terms relating to the sexual abuse of children.

A vast quantity of online conversations were also retrieved with a considerable amount concentrating on the horrifying and systematic sexual abuse of children both in the UK and abroad. In one, he had instructed a man in Africa to carry out abuse in exchange for payment.

Description

A child rapist made his victim watch indecent videos at a young age before embarking on a years-long campaign of abuse. Andrew Bate has been locked up for 21 years and must serve an extra five years on licence.

Bate, of Libson Close, Warrington, was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against the child - including rape; sexual assault; engaging in sexual activity with a child; and sexual touching.

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim told how the offences developed over a number of years, initially beginning when they were forced to watch indecent videos.

Following an initial incident, the abuse escalated. Bate raped and sexually assault the child on multiple occasions. The victim said they pretended to sleep to stop him. No matter what they did, he continued.

Bate's offending came to light in January 2023 when the victim reported him. He denied every allegation. Detective Constable Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

"Bate is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification. He showed no regard for the victim and even when faced with all the evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against. Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

"Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury have seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions. I hope that the sentence handed to Bate will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”

Bate was ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life. DC Lucchesi added: "Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

Description

Two men who drugged, raped and murdered a young father-of-four have been jailed for life.

Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan spiked Calum Simpsons drink with Etizolam and bound his wrists with rope at a flat in Methil, Fife, before filming their "depraved" attack on a mobile phone.

Mr Simpson, 24, whose youngest child was born just 11 days previously, later died from intoxication caused by the combination of the class C drug and alcohol.

Brister, 28, who also admitted attacking two police officers, was told he will serve a minimum of 23 years, while Allan, 21, received a 19-year sentence after both were earlier found guilty of sexual assault, rape and murder.

Sentencing at the High Court in Dundee, judge Lord Harrower told the pair they had caused "terrible devastation to Mr Simpsons family.

He said: "There are so many milestones in the childrens lives that their father will no longer be able to share for reasons that cannot adequately be explained to them.

"No sentence of this court can alleviate the familys grief and anguish."

The court heard the pair had been attempting to recruit a man to make up a threesome using the dating app Grindr, but their efforts had failed.

Mr Simpson had been with a friend before accompanying him to the flat on 3 November 2021.

His friend had later departed, leaving Mr Simpson alone with Brister and Allan.

Brister, who had won more than 20,000 gambling, had purchased 1,000 tablets of Etizolam, also known as "street valium," which he claimed he thought were diazepam.

The court was told the sedative was up to 10 times stronger than regular valium.

Brister had previously spiked the drink of one woman and placed tablets in the mouth of another without her consent.

Mr Simpson was rendered unconscious by the combination of the tablets and alcohol.

Allan claimed Mr Simpson had been conscious and consenting when he was tied up by the pair, but acknowledged they had continued their attack after he passed out.

The pair filmed several videos of their assault on a mobile phone, which were later deleted but officers from Police Scotlands specialist cybercrime unit were able to retrieve the footage.

During the earlier trial, Brister told the court: "I won't dispute the fact that Calum passed out and we carried on. I didn't spike that boy, but yes, I gave him drugs.

"We raped him and continued to have sex. It is what it is, disgusting. It should never have happened. I am not going to make excuses."

Allan, meanwhile, said he was disgusted that the videos were taken, but said he "did not know he was doing something wrong at the time.

After their attack, the pair left Mr Simpson unconscious before going to sleep. In the morning they found him cold and rigid.

However, before contacting the emergency services, the pair first concealed what remained of their drugs in a safe and handed it to a neighbour.

Ambulance personnel were called at 12:03 and confirmed Mr Simpson had died.

'Wicked recklessness'

During the trial, Brister said he suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder, and received anti-psychotic medication.

Allan said he was diagnosed with an attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car accident when he was three.

In addition to their sentences, both men were placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

During sentencing, Lord Harrower said: "Whether or not you intended to kill Calum Simpson, you each revealed yourselves to be completely indifferent as to whether he lived or died.

"As a result, the jury would have been entitled to conclude that you displayed such a degree of wicked recklessness that what you did amounted to murder."

Lord Harrower excluded the jury from further service for life due to the evidence seen.

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: "The depraved and predatory actions of Dylan Brister and Cameron Allan have robbed a family of their loving son, father, partner, nephew and grandson.

They showed a blatant disregard for their victims safety and life by spiking his drink with drugs before subjecting him to the most harrowing sexual abuse."

Description

A 28-year-old man has been jailed after exposing himself on a train in Preston.

Kane Hargreaves, of Elizabeth Street, Burnley was found guilty of two counts of exposure at Preston Crown Court on Friday 28 June.

He was sentenced to nine months in prison, and must pay a £187 victim surcharge.

The court heard how, on Wednesday 10 April this year, Hargreaves was staring and exposing himself  to a 21-year-old woman sat a few seats away on the 2.44pm Preston to Bradford interchange train. The woman moved away and told rail staff before reporting it to British Transport Police.

A second incident occurred on Monday 22 April onboard the 1.44pm Preston to Accrington train when Hargreaves again exposed himself, this time to a 17-year-old woman.

Investigating officer DC Ella Harvey said:  "We will stop at nothing to deter, pursue, arrest and bring sex offenders on the railway network to justice.

Description

A Bedford man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two children two decades apart.

Brian Watts, 79, was in his 40s when he sexually abused a young boy in the early 1990s, after inviting him over to his home to play on his games console.

The victim kept the abuse to himself for a long time but decided to report it to police in 2020 after realising how much it was affecting his mental health.

Another victim had disclosed that Watts had been sexually abusing her since she was six or seven. She was a teenager when she disclosed this to a trusted adult in 2019, who then reported it to the police.

An investigation was launched by Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team and Watts was arrested and interviewed but denied sexually abusing either child.

After an 11-day trial at Luton Crown Court, Watts of Kimble Drive, Bedford, was jailed on Friday (19 July) for 13 years after being found guilty of the following:

• Four counts of indecent assault of a male
• Four counts of indecency with a child
• Three counts of sexual assault of a child
• He will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on his release

In an impact statement, each victim described how the abuse has had a huge impact on their lives.

“I’ve carried this secret, the shame, sadness and anger with myself for too long and I don’t know the person I could have been if this hadn’t happened.”

“It’s hard to explain but I still struggle with physical touch from anyone. I am just not comfortable in my own skin, and this is because of him and what he did to me.”

Description

A 'manipulative' man blackmailed two young women into having sex with him.

Joshua Bromage preyed on his victims, one as young as 17, on Instagram, threatening to expose intimate images of the women unless they sent him more images.

Bromage has been jailed for 14 years and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life after being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Judge Peter Henry said the 30-year-old had cynically manipulated his victims into complying with his demands.

Bromage, of Holybourne Road in Havant, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of rape.

The court heard how in April 2021, a 17-year-old girl in Southampton reported that she had been forced to have sex with Bromage and that she had been blackmailed over Instagram by an unknown person to send indecent images and videos.

This person was later identified as Bromage.

Bromage was arrested and an examination of his phone found category C indecent images of children, as well as images of the victim.

It also revealed a series of text conversations in which Bromage demanded explicit images of the victim, threatening to release intimate photos of her online if she didn’t comply.

In November 2023, while the initial police investigation was ongoing, a 22-year-old woman, from Southampton, came forward to police.

The 22-year-old reported that she had also been raped by Bromage and blackmailed by an unknown person, again later identified to be Bromage, via Instagram.

The woman told officers how she had been blackmailed into sending indecent images and videos of herself, with the perpetrator again threatening to release other indecent images of her if she did not meet his demands.

Bromage further manipulated the victim by telling her that he was receiving similar threats, and that the blackmailer was requesting images and videos of the two engaging in sexual acts.

Following a thorough and complex investigation, Bromage was charged with four counts of rape, which he pleaded guilty to.

Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, who led the investigation, said: “Bromage’s actions were incredibly manipulative, calculated and controlling and the impact he has had on his two young victims is immeasurable.

“I hope that this sentence reassures other victims that they will be listened to when reporting incidents of this nature to the police.”

Description

The former director of a Norfolk crane hire company is on the run after fleeing the country weeks before he was found guilty of multiple child sex offences, it can be revealed.

Oliver Arnold, 49, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after being convicted following a trial in his absence last week.

The former boss of Norwich-based Quinto Cranes fled to France earlier this year, before his trial began, and is believed to still be there.

A warrant has been issued for his arrest and he will also face charges of absconding on bail, once he is caught and brought back to the UK.

Arnold, who was in charge of Quinto when it went into administration in 2022, was convicted last week of three counts of penetrative sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

He was also found guilty of one offence of non-penetrative activity with a child and sexual communication with a child - both against the same victim.

Arnold, formerly of Swaffham Road, Wendling, near Dereham, had denied all five offences, which took place against the same victim in Norfolk between August and December 2022.

But jurors at King's Lynn Crown Court took just minutes to reach their guilty verdicts last week.

Judge Andrew Shaw told them Arnold had fled to France and was still believed to be there.

Police say Arnold - who did not attend his pre-trial review in May - entered the country via Calais in the early hours of May 9.

Quinto Crane and Plant, which was based on Anson Road, near Norwich Airport, operated from eight locations including Ipswich and Chelmsford.

It was acquired by Arnold in 2014 and went into administration in April 2022, with the loss of 50 jobs.

The firm, which has sites across East Anglia, was founded in 1966 but its roots go back to the late 1950s, to the Norwich-based Pointer Group.

Speaking to this newspaper in 2014 when he acquired Quinto, Arnold said: There will be a few changes but it will carry on as Quinto and I will be looking to take on new staff and expand.

"It needs some investment to move the business forward. The important thing is that the jobs are secure.

'It is a massive investment for us but the business has a fantastic reputation and a successful name."

At the time, the company boasted an annual turnover of 7m, but Mr Arnold said he was confident it would hit 10m by the following year.

Its name - from the Latin quintus, or fifth - reflects the fact that the original company comprised of five locations - Peterborough, King's Lynn, Norwich, Ipswich, and Chelmsford - and five directors.

Andrew Thompson appeared for the prosecution during the trial which took place in Lynn from Tuesday, July 9 to Thursday, July 11.

OH HOW THE MIGHTY FALLS

A former Quinto employee described Arnold as a "show off" who was not well liked by many who worked for him.

The worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said "not many of us liked him (Arnold)" when he took over the company as he was a "show off and jack the lad and didn't really have much care".

He said former staff were aware he had been charged and were "all waiting for this day so he gets his comeuppance".

The worker said: "Oh, how the mighty falls."

He said he was "not surprised" Arnold had gone on the run, insisting he was "not even man enough to admit what he's done and has had to do a runner".

The worker added that he wanted to see Arnold "get what he deserves" and hoped police were able to catch up with him.

Description

A 25-year-old man from New Milton has been jailed for seven and a half years for the rape and sexual assault of a child under 13.

Jack William Fry, of Gore Road was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday, July 17). The offences, for which he had previously pleaded guilty and has now been imprisoned, took place in March 2024.

Upon his release from prison, Fry will also serve a 12-month extended period of supervision and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable David Sloan, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “I am so pleased for the young victim in this case that justice has now been served for them and their family, and that Fry has now been placed behind bars, where he belongs.

“I’d also like to place on record my praise for the young victim in this case and the courage and determination they have shown throughout.

“Additionally, I’d like thank everyone who has been involved in this case, helping to secure today’s outcome.

“Their support and hard work has ensured a conviction within two weeks of the report being made to us, and sentencing within four months.

“While I know this result won’t rid the victim and family of the memories of what Fry did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he can no longer harm any other children.

“I also hope this sentence will reassure other victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.

“I would also like to thank everyone else who assisted in getting this conviction and sentencing.”