Latest Offenders

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A sex offender has been jailed after breaching the terms of a court order. Adam Kerley, 26, was made the subject of a sexual risk order in November 2022, shortly after he was arrested as part of another police investigation.

In addition to forbidding contact with children under the age of 16, the order also compelled Kerley to make any phones, computers or tablets available for police inspection. It also compelled him to register details of any social media accounts with officers at Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection department.

Further investigation by officers in January 2023 revealed that Kerley was in possession of an undeclared mobile phone and also had access to undeclared social media accounts. He later pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual risk order.

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Kerley also admitted to two counts of making indecent images of children after a small number of child sexual abuse images were found on his phone after his initial arrests. Two were graded as category A – showing the most serious abuse that can be perpetrated by adults against children.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday, April 23, Kerley, of Radford Road, Nottingham, was jailed for a total of 16 months. He was also made the subject of an additional sexual harm reduction order which will be used to restrict and monitor his behaviour when he is released.

Detective Constable Hannah Newbold, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Court orders of this nature are put in place to protect children from harm, which is why people who breach them in this way can expect to go to prison – as can anyone we find in possession of child sexual abuse images. People who view these images may believe they are not hurting anyone, but the reality is that real children are being subjected to appalling levels of physical and psychological harm to produce these images.

“That’s why we take this kind of offending so seriously and work hard to bring people like Kerley to justice."

Description

A twisted predator has been jailed after grooming a teenage girl from Birmingham. Vile Aaron Harvey was caged for 18 years for rape and sexual assaults on the victim.

The 35-year-old, from Rugeley, Staffs, groomed the girl over a period of two years. Harvey’s sick crimes came to light when the girl bravely spoke out, telling officers the abuse first started when she was 14.

Harvey was arrested on August 14, 2022 and taken into custody. Officers seized his iPhone where they discovered extreme pornographic videos and website searches for extreme sex.

Harvey pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, eight sexual assaults and one charge of possessing extreme pornography when he appeared at court earlier this month. He was then handed a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order as he was sent to prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, April 26.

DC Kayleigh Driscoll, from the complex child abuse investigation team, said: “Harvey was a predatory individual who groomed his victim, sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions and raped her.

"We are pleased with the sentence which send out a clear message that people who target vulnerable young people for their own sexual gratification will be taken to court, convicted and will face many years behind bars.

“I must praise her courage for speaking out and reporting Harvey’s offending. We hope her bravery encourages others subjected to sexual abuse and rape to come forward. We are here to help and listen.” The force noted "survivors of rape are protected by law and have life-long anonymity."

Description

Convicted paedophile who instructed a 14-year-old girl to carry out sex acts on video calls with him whilst he masturbated.

Ethan Rich, 24, of Cwmann, was jailed for nine years and nine months for a series of sexual offences, with an additional three years extended licence period.

Rich was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order and was on the sex offenders register for life after he was convicted in August 2020 of “strikingly similar” offences to those he was back before the court on.

Dyfed-Powys Police attended Rich’s address on August 30, with his mum answering the door. Rich – who was living in a caravan at the rear of the property – didn’t reply when asked by officers whether he had access to mobile phones.

He admitted he had a phone when his mum encouraged him to “tell the truth”, prosecutor Hannah George said.

The officers were also told he had been staying at an address in Cellan for seven or more days between May 28 and July 8 without notifying the police.

Rich was bailed and that phone was registered with the police.

In October, officers received a report that he was contacting a 14-year-old girl, Ms George said.

He was arrested at his home address, and after Rich’s previously registered phone was seized, a second phone could be heard vibrating.

Each of the phones were analysed, and it was found Rich had a WhatsApp account under the name ‘Bob Ross’ and a Snapchat account under another false name. He had also made searches for ‘how to change your display name on Snapchat’ and ‘how to sign in to Snapchat on two accounts on an iPhone’.

“The defendant was aware she was under the age of 16,” Ms George said, adding that the girl had sent Rich pictures of her in her school uniform and of her classroom.

The court heard he had also searched for ‘age of consent’, ‘young teen’, and ‘what is a paedophile’.

On his devices, Rich had seven Category A indecent images of the girl. Amongst these were recordings of five video calls between them from between October 1 and 3. In the videos, Rich was instructing the girl to carry out various sexual acts on herself while he could also be seen masturbating on the calls.

He was also charged with a further breach of his sexual harm prevention order relating to this communication with an underage girl.

Rich was arrested and initially claimed in interview that he believed the girl was 19.

He later pleaded guilty to four offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, one of breaching the sex offender notification requirements, one of possession of indecent images of a child, and five offences each of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in presence of child.

Georgia Donohue, in mitigation, admitted that it was “inevitable” that Rich would receive a very lengthy prison sentence”.

Ms Donohue said the defendant was “perhaps someone who presents as significantly younger than his chronological age” and that he had recently been diagnosed with ADHD and was receiving support for autism.

She added that Rich “struggled with his mental health”, which was “perhaps exacerbated” by his drug use.

Ms Donohue said Rich realised “he has to deal with the repercussions of his actions”, and had spent his time in custody well – getting a job as a cleaner and starting to learn French.

Sentencing Rich, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “In the past, you have made the subject of orders which led to you undergoing courses. It is clear that despite a great deal of effort being put in by the criminal justice system to get you to change your ways, you have learnt nothing – or at least nothing positive.

“Your immaturity is a source of danger to young girls as you do not learn your lesson.”

Rich will remain subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

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.

Description

A couple who believed they were meeting a naive 14-year-old girl for sex at a railway station were caught out when they were instead confronted by paedophile hunters.

Neil Tranmer and his then girlfriend Kerry Burdall, who had hoped to engage in unprotected sex sessions with the young girl and even wanted her to fall pregnant, were met instead by seven members of an online paedophile hunters group, Hull Crown Court heard.

The 'teenage girl' they had connected with on Facebook did not exist, but the couple were unaware of this and fully intended to "follow it through" after making a "deliberate decision" to meet and take advantage of her sexually, reports Hull Live.

Tranmer, 35, formerly of Clarence Road, Bridlington, but recently living in Hornsea, and Burdall, 39, of Limedane, Orchard Park estate, Hull, both admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child in Bridlington between April 13 and 19, 2021.

Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that an online protection group set up profiles of fake girls aged between 10 and 14 in a bid to catch online sexual offenders.

A fake 14 year old girl received a friend request on Facebook from Burdall and was asked, "Hi. How old are you? " The decoy character responded: "I'm 14. How old are you? " To which Burdall replied, revealing herself to be "36" accompanying her message with a photograph and sentence stating: "That's my boyfriend."

She followed with another message, questioning: "Do you want to share him? He be your boyfriend too."

When probed by the decoy about how they could share him, Burdall responded boldly: "Have sex with him."

The decoy accountholder then posted: "I am a virgin. Can I have sex at 14? " Burdall gave her approval assuring: "Yes. Would you want him to use a condom? " She told the girl they resided in Bridlington, suggesting she could tell her mother that she was visiting a friend.

The decoy girl asked if she could get pregnant and Burdall replied: "Yes." The girl asked: "Are you ok with your boyfriend having sex with me?" Burdall replied "Yes" and, when the girl asked what his name was, she replied: "Neil. You can add him on Facebook if you want to."

Further interaction ensued between the decoy and Tranmer following a friend request sent to her. Upon asking Tranmer: "Are you Kerry's boyfriend? " He confirmed: "Yes. Do you want me as your boyfriend? ".

After the decoy's prompt: "Did Kerry tell you I am 14? I have never had a boyfriend before." Messages were exchanged at the same time between Tranmer and Burdall.

The girl asked Tranmer: "Do you want me to get pregnant?" He replied: "Yes." Tranmer asked her if she wanted to see explicit pictures of him and he sent two photographs. He asked her if he could see intimate pictures of her and he asked her what colour her underwear was.

He asked explicit sexual questions. Arrangements were made for the girl to meet Tranmer and Burdall at Bridlington railway station at 1.10pm.

Tranmer and Burdall continued to send messages about sexual activity. Seven members of the paedophile hunters group went to Bridlington railway station and saw Tranmer and Burdall.

They were confronted during a live streaming encounter and the police were alerted. Burdall said: "I should not have done it. I feel guilty for what I have done."

Tranmer claimed during police interview that Burdall had made him go to the railway station to meet a 14-year-old. He claimed that he did not mean to send the decoy girl messages about sex and that they were meant for Burdall and not the girl.

Burdall denied sending any of the messages apart from giving her age and claimed that her account had been hacked and that she did not send any pictures. They both had no previous convictions.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said that Tranmer pleaded guilty. He had suffered a difficult upbringing and had problems.

Dale Brook, representing Burdall, said that she had, at the time, moved in with Tranmer and thought that the relationship was a "mutually loving" one but the nature of the offences had made her look again at it.

She thought that Tranmer wanted another girlfriend. "It may seem a naive and tall story," said Mr Brook. "Since this offending, she has settled down. She is in a relationship with a new fiancé. They have accommodation together. There has been no further offending.

"These offences were not actually carried out because it was a decoy. There is no actual victim."

Judge Richard Woolfall said: "They did actually go to the railway station to meet this child. Their intention was to follow it through. The pair of you thought at the time that it was a real child."

They arranged to have unprotected sex with the girl and this could have led to pregnancy. "She was a decoy but the pair of you believed that it was a real 14-year-old girl," said Judge Woolfall. "She said that she was a virgin but that didn't put you off."

Judge Woolfall told Burdall: "There was talk about not wearing a condom and that your boyfriend would want her to get pregnant and that, if that happened, she was to tell her mother that it was a mate's brother.

"All she had to tell her mum was that she was going to see a mate. You sent her pictures. The pair of you were texting her at this point about having sex with her. You sent photos and told her not to tell anyone or show them to anyone.

"You told her that she must not report him to the police. You arranged to meet the next day at the Bridlington train station. There was talk about what sexual positions she would want.

"The next day, you travelled and went to the train station, expecting to meet her, but you were apprehended by the group of people who had effectively set all this up and the police were called.

"This was a deliberate decision made by the pair of you. The harm is less because no actual victim existed. It still makes it a serious offence, however.

"You did both go to the railway station with the intention of meeting this child and it was obvious what was intended because you so graphically described it in those texts.

"She was encouraged and told not to report the behaviour. Pregnancy was a possibility. You each preyed on a vulnerable member of society, a child who you believed was a genuine child.

"Both of you attended at the train station expecting her to attend so that physical acts could take place."

Tranmer was jailed for two-and-a-half years and Burdall was locked up for two years and three months. They were each given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order.

Tranmer must register as a sex offender for life and Burdall must notify her details to the police for 10 years.

Description

A teenage sex offender has been jailed after he was found to have communicated with a child.

Ryan Walker, 18, was given a 14-month youth detention order at Carlisle Crown Court on Thursday.

The court heard Walker, who pleaded guilty to the offences, had engaged in sexual communication with a child and had caused a child to watch an indecent image.

He had also failed to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

Det Con Anna Ritson, from Cumbria Police, said Walker's phone was seized as part of the investigation and undeclared accounts found.

"Officers located a number of online usernames and a new passport which had not been notified to police by Walker, who was well aware of his notification requirements," she said.

“Also located were messages exchanged between Walker and a child.”

She added: "Our main priority is to protect vulnerable people from sexual harm and we work hard to monitor and manage people who are subject to such orders."

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A 55-year-old man from Beaconsfield has been sentenced to nearly a decade behind bars for sexually assaulting three people.

Richard Cunningham, of Maxwell Road, was found guilty of sexually assaulting three people by a jury on February 28, following a week-long trial at Aylesbury Crown Court.

He was also found guilty of assault by penetration and not guilty of one count of rape in relation to offences committed in Chalfont St Peter between 2015 and 2019.

Cunningham was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison on Friday, April 19.

The 55-year-old also previously pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker after her pushed a female police officer to the ground on Maxwell Road, causing a head injury that required hospital treatment.

Detective Inspector Christopher Birtles said: The three victims in this case were brave and resolute and this conviction shows their determination to see not only justice for what happened but also to prevent it from happening to anyone else.

Richard Cunningham preyed on these vulnerable victims and the sentence he received reflects the awful nature of the crimes he committed.

I hope this case shows that we will always support victims of sexual offences and do all we can to put offenders before the courts.

We also simply will not accept assaults on our dedicated and hardworking police officers while serving the public so Im glad Cunningham has also been brought to justice for this offence.

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A man who had sexual activity with an underage South Yorkshire girl in the back of a van has been jailed by a Sheffield court.

Mohammed Qasim, aged 38, of Sable Crest, Bradford, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court last week for sentencing after admitting to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in the back of a van. Police said he threatened to kill the girl, who is from Barnsley and cannot be named for legal reasons, if she told anyone.

Qasim, who told his victim he would buy her things if she kept quiet, was jailed for four years last Wednesday (April 17) following a lengthy investigation by South Yorkshire Police.

Det Cons Rosie O'Grady, who works in Barnsley's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said:

"This sentence follows meticulous work from our officers who strived to bring a child sexual offender to justice.

"Exemplary forensic work helped to secure justice but ultimately, this conviction wouldn't have been secured had it not been for the brave testimony of Qasim's vulnerable victim.

"I want to commend the girl and her family for their courage in coming forward to tell us about what happened, and I hope the passing of this sentence.”

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A PREDATOR has been branded ‘evil’ by a person he ‘systematically’ sexually abused while they were a child and he was an adult.

Graham Simcock has been handed a custodial term of almost two decades for 145 separate incidents of historic sex offences against multiple children.

The 59-year-old laughed during one horrific incident of abuse before repeating the act straight after, with victims feeling ‘powerless’ to stop him.

He admitted 28 counts of sexual offences against children at a previous hearing, including indecent assault, gross indecency and attempted rape.

Simcock appeared back before Chester Crown Court to be sentenced, with the court hearing that some of the incidents, had they been committed today, would now be classed as rape.

The victims are entitled to lifelong anonymity by court order and must not be identified.

The facts of the case were outlined by Myles Wilson, prosecuting, who explained that the defendant ‘systematically’ sexually abused multiple children in Warrington decades ago.

He was an adult at the time, with all victims bravely attending the sentencing hearing in person, along with their families.

Detailing the offending, Mr Wilson spoke of how one victim woke to find Simcock performing a sexual act on them while they were asleep.

The defendant would reassure them that it was only a dream, ask them about the dream and ask them not to tell anyone else, ‘sugarcoating’ what happened with ‘bribes of sweets and money to keep silent.

The court heard how Simcock’s behaviour ‘grew bolder’, with him pursuing his ‘fetishes’ with the victims and telling them that if they told anyone about what he was doing, they would be in ‘as much trouble as him’.

It was said that some of the acts that he would do to the victims would constitute rape had they occurred today, with the court bound to look at the offences as they would in the time period they occurred.

After one perverted and horrific incident, which left a victim in tears and caused them to run from the room, Simcock laughed, apologised and performed the same act again.

“The defendant gave them gifts in return for sexual activity,” Mr Wilson said, adding that when one victim reported the abuse to another adult, they ‘became angry and demanded evidence’.

Another reported what had happened to an adult, but they were ‘not supported’ the matter was ‘swept under the carpet’.

The defendant would show the victims pornography while touching them inappropriately and asking for the same in return.

After performing a sex act on one of the victims, the predator said it was ‘just a bit of fun’ and told them to ‘relax’.

The court heard multiple victims attempted self-harm as a result of Simcock’s abuse, which also caused other physical and mental problems.

Simcock, who has no previous convictions, was arrested in May 2022 but answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him during his police interview.

One victim, who suffers from sleepless nights and flashbacks, said it was ‘incredibly difficult’ to prepare an impact statement as they had ‘no point of reference other than the abuse’.

“When I started to understand what was happening, I felt completely powerless to stop it,” they wrote.

“Due to the stigma and shame, I tried to avoid as much as I could. I tried to raise it but I was told I was disgusting and that I better have proof.

“I felt worthless and that no one would do anything to stop it.”

Another, who also suffers from flashbacks, said in their impact statement that they are ‘destroyed mentally and physically’.

“From a young age, I always had pain and trauma. I was always told it was normal and that I had to keep the secret,” they said.

“I never questioned him in fear of being abused more. I felt dirty and disgusted. That man is evil, selfish and controlling.”

The victim added that the ‘sick’ defendant used them to ‘get his own kicks’, and that he now faces ‘justice for his historic, disgusting sexual desires’.

Mr Wilson stated that the defendant caused ‘severe psychological harm through grooming’ and highlighted a ‘significant disparity in age’ between him and the victims.

Mitigating on behalf of his client, Jonathan Duffy, defending, said: “I make it clear the defendant accepts that what he did was seriously wrong.

“He wants his victims to know that he acknowledges the harm he caused them and understands that while he apologises, he knows this will sound hollow.

“He wants them to know he is sorry. He also does not want me to say anything perceived as an excuse for what he has done.”

Mr Duffy highlighted that his client has ‘intellectual and learning difficulties’, but that he understands that the court must past a lengthy custodial sentence.

Before sentencing, judge Simon Berkson said: “There are a number of offences and multiple victims – 145 separate incidents of sexual offending against children.

“This is a case of a lengthy campaign of child sexual offending. You abused them over a period of time in a systematic fashion.”

He termed the abuse ‘persistent, horrific and cruel’, commenting that it had a ‘depraved and perverted theme’.

“You used and abused them for your own depraved sexual gratification. The matter was sadly swept under the carpet,” Judge Berkson continued.

“It is fair to say it has had a marked effect on the victims.

“It can only be hoped that by coming forward now and you entering guilty pleas that they may start to move forwards from the past and their lives will improve.”

Simcock, of Ryfields Retirement Village in Orford, was sentenced to 19 years and four months in prison, with a year on extended licence on his release.

In addition, he must sign the sex offender register for life and abide by indefinite restraining orders prohibiting him from contacting the victims, and he is also barred from working with children.

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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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A stalker has been jailed after harassing a woman for seven years. Shaheen Chishti, 54, of Foxglove Street, Shepherds Bush, started stalking a woman he met in 2016, sending sexually harassing emails and messages on social media.

Six years later he continued to message the victim and threatened to drown her, even contacting her mother. In December 2016 after the first lot of unwanted emails and messages, the victim reported Chishti to the police.

He was handed a police caution but continued to message her on social media and from multiple phone numbers. In September 2022 Chishti contacted the victim again after getting ahold of her personal details.

In 2023 he contacted the victim's mother and detailed sexual acts that he intended to carry out and threatened to throw the victim into water as he knew she could not swim. The victim notified the police that Chishti breached his conditions on January 23, 2023 and informed officers that he would be returning to the UK from India.

When he landed in the UK he was arrested and had two mobiles seized. He was bailed under investigation and given strict conditions not to contact the victim.

When investigating, the Met found an extensive number of messages from Chishti to the victim. There were a large number of threats to both her and her family from the past seven years.

Despite his new conditions, Chishti continued to try to communicate with the victim and was arrested on October 5, 2023. On Wednesday, April 24 he was found guilty of stalking with fear of violence and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Police Constable Helen Constantinou, one of the officers responsible for policing Hammersmith & Fulham, said: “Officers worked hard to ensure that Chishti faced justice for the persistent stalking and harassment he inflicted on his victim. We know that some stalking victims are scared to come forward to report these crimes to the police.

"However, I would encourage anyone who believes they are being stalked or harassed to report this to the police or the National Stalking Helpline. This result shows we can and will pursue those who break the law and ensure those at risk are kept safe.”

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A pervy coke fiend who told a woman he wanted to 'f**k her nappy' then was caught in her flat wearing her thong has been jailed for 28 months. Antony Debono used his victim's Instagram account to send obscene messages to her friend, sent her threatening sexual messages directly over WhatsApp and Facebook, and left 64 voicemails describing the disgusting things he wanted to do to her.

The 44-year-old dad appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday, November 13, after admitting stalking and cocaine possession on July 6 this year. His terrifying stalking campaign, which began in May this year, reached its climax when the tyre fitter was caught wearing his victim's grey thong and sniffing coke off her kitchen counter after police were called to her home in East London on July 4.

Creepy Debono, from Creek Road in Canvey Island, Essex, was known to the victim, who initially cut him off after finding photos of her groin on his phone. But she took the weirdo back into her home after he was made homeless in November 2022, allowing him to stay with her and her young daughter at her flat in Woodford Green in Redbridge, East London.

However, their relationship soured again after she discovered empty bottles of vodka in her daughter's bedroom and threw him out. "After that, she kept him at arm's length... She did not want anything more to do with [him]," prosecutor Sarah Gabay told the court.

On May 13, Debono began his stalking campaign, using the victim's own Instagram account to send lewd messages to her friend, including 'F**king you', 'F**king your fanny', and 'F**king your boobs', the court heard. When the victim confronted the deviant about the smutty messages, he denied it.

Then on May 15, he then sent similar messages directly to the victim over Facebook, writing 'F**king b*tch, f**king your nappy, pulling things down, licking the crack of your p*ssy, f**king your arse, f**kin your brain out, f**king you in your red thong, love...'.

She blocked his number on WhatsApp, but the weird behaviour continued and on May 16, Debono left her 64 voicemails outlining his fantasies which included 'I want to give my... a nice good f**k'.

When the victim went on holiday to Thailand from May 24 to June 5, Debono let himself into her flat and foraged through her knicker drawer, throwing her underwear all over her bedroom floor and taking photos of them.

When the victim went on another holiday to Spain, Debono returned to her flat and plundered her knicker drawer again, this time draping a pair of red pants over her bathtub. Police were called by a friend and arrived to find cocaine on the kitchen counter, pants strewn over the flat, and Debono wearing a grey thong owned by the victim.

In an impact statement read by prosecutor Ms Gabay, the victim said the messages made her feel 'disgusted and ashamed', and she felt 'stupid' because she thought Debono had changed.

"Those messages gave me anxiety, panic attacks, chest pains, and bad nightmares. This has made me fearful that he will follow through on these threats... I'm in fear he might kill me afterwards," she said.

Calling the messages 'grossly offensive', Ms Gabay said: "Very serious distress has been caused to her and she's made considerable changes to her life to avoid any contact with him."

Defence barrister Sumita Mahtab-Shaikh said her client was remorseful and is 'making a real effort' to get off alcohol and drugs. "Because of his intoxication he lacked the insight into how his behaviour impacted on his [victim]," Ms Mahtab-Shaikh said. "There seems to have been a troubled background to the relationship."

Mr Recorder Philip Brook-Smith KC told Debono the messages and voicemails were 'disturbing', 'unpleasant', and 'threatening'. "It's plain she has suffered considerably as a result of your stalking her and his made changes to her lifestyle to try to come to terms with the threats and anxiety she has experienced," he said.

Recorder Brook-Smith jailed Debono for 28 months for stalking and gave no separate penalty for drugs possession, except for the cocaine to be destroyed. He also imposed a restraining order that bans Debono from entering the London Borough of Redbridge and from making contact with the victim or her daughter.

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A former school support worker from south London has been jailed for sex offences after a fast-paced investigation by the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Michael Commettant was working as a learning behaviour mentor at a school in south London but was arrested after he was circulated as wanted by detectives.

Police were looking for him after the school reported concerns about his behaviour, and on Wednesday 17 May, a day after being reported to police, Commettant was arrested and interviewed.

Two days after his arrest, he was charged with sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.

Officers discovered he had struck up a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, who they took immediate action to safeguard.

After being charged, a search was carried out at his home, and his digital devices were seized and examined. The team was able to determine that he had communicated with the victim via a secret email account, and had tried to hide messages sent by him, to her.

However, detectives were able to very quickly build a picture of his offending and discovered how he had groomed the teenager by examining phone records. These proved he had called the victim multiple times from a withheld number, meaning he had broken the safeguarding practices he had agreed to follow in his role at the school.

During interview, he stayed silent and instead gave a prepared statement, which denied he had ever forced the girl to commit any sexual acts.

In September 2023, he pleaded guilty to all charges and on Wednesday 17 April, at Woolwich Crown Court, he was jailed for 18 months.

Detective Constable Isa Hemphrey, who led the investigation and supported the victim and her family during the court process, said:

“I am very pleased with the decision of the court to jail this man, who committed an utterly disgraceful abuse of trust.

“This individual was entrusted to support children and instead of honouring this vital role, he chose to ignore all professional boundaries and enter into a wholly inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenager.

“His conduct was appalling and he quite rightly will never be able to work with children again.

“I am grateful to my team and to all my colleagues who worked tirelessly and professionally to give this case the time and energy it deserved. I hope that this result helps the victim and her family in their journey to recover and move on from this experience.

“Most of all, I hope that this case will encourage anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to the victim to have the confidence to speak to police and know that they have a voice.”

Upon release, Commettant, 27 (13. 06.1996) of St Lawrence Way, Lambeth, will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years. He will also be managed by officers in the Met’s Jigsaw team, who manage sexual offenders in the community and take action against them to prevent reoffending.

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An Exmouth sex offender who tried to chat up a 13-year-old girl online has been jailed after being caught by a police sting operation.

Mark Watson aged 28, of Langstone Drive, was already on the sex offenders’ register and subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a suspended sentence when he used the Chat Avenue website to contact the person he thought was a schoolgirl.

In fact he was speaking to an undercover officer when he offered to meet the girl and buy her treats, and he was caught after sending a selfie which police were able to check against their files.

Watson broke the Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in three different ways. He used a false name, used Snapchat, and he communicated with someone he believed to be a child.

The order was imposed after he was caught downloading indecent images at his home in Exmouth two years ago, leading to him receiving an eight-month suspended sentence and being sent on a sex offenders’ treatment course.

Watson admitted attempted sexual communication with a child and three counts of breaching a SHPO and was jailed for two years and ten months by Judge Martin Picton at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: “You were given a suspended sentence for very similar offending and have gone on to offend again. You thought you were speaking to a 13-year-old child and your behaviour demonstrated a sexual interest in children which is obviously of deep concern.

“You did not learn the lesson from the last experience or from the course you went on. The breach of the SHPO was very serious because you breached it in a variety of ways with determination.

“You could have done very serious harm if you had got in touch with a real child as you hoped. The dangers are obvious.”

Mr Ian Graham, prosecuting, said the SHPO was imposed in January 2023 and included restrictions on Watson’s online activity intended to prevent him using chat rooms to try to meet underage girls.

 Watson contacted the undercover officer who was posing as a 13-year-old girl on February 20 this year on Chat Avenue and moved the conversation to Snapchat, which has an auto-delete function.

Miss Kelly Scrivener, defending, said Watson had tried to work with an organisation called Catch 22 to change his behaviour and has sought help from his doctor for mental health issues including depression.

Description

A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years and six months after pleading guilty to sexual activity with children.

Christian Graham Ross, of Netherfield, Milton Keynes, contacted one of the teenage girls via social media, pretending to be younger than he was.

He groomed her into what she believed was a legitimate relationship and on multiple occasions, met her at his then home address in Northampton where he would ply her with alcohol and drugs before sexually exploiting her.

The case came to light when someone told a teacher at the girl’s school, and they immediately informed Northamptonshire Police. Officers from the RISE team (Reducing Incidents of Sexual Exploitation) began an investigation which led to the subsequent arrest of Ross.

During the investigation, it transpired that Ross had also groomed a second teenage girl from the Thames Valley Police area on the internet, before meeting her and engaging in sexual activity.

Ross was subsequently charged with three counts of penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 and one count of meeting a girl under 16 following grooming. He pleaded guilty to all four offences at two separate hearings in May and June last year.

A mobile phone seized as part of the Thames Valley Police investigation and Ross was further charged with three offences of making indecent images of children. However, despite denying these offences, he was found guilty by a jury at a three-day trial.

At Amersham Crown Court last Friday (April 19), Ross was sentenced to a total of eight years and six months’ imprisonment and ordered to serve a further four years on extended licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.