Latest Offenders

Description

A Tonbridge cleaner has been jailed after using his phone to spy on a woman showering at a gym.

The device hidden by Lee Drury was seen by the victim after she noticed a dislodged ceiling tile.

Drury had been working at the gym for just a few months, when on 19 June 2023 he secreted his iPhone in area used by customers. When the victim spotted it she took photos and alerted a manager.

Drury was challenged and although his phone matched the description given, when checked no images were found

Further offences

Police attended and he was arrested. A full forensic download of the phone showed he had accessed a camera app at the same time the victim had been in the showers.

Officers also recovered an illegal image of a child, which had been downloaded from the internet and was in the most serious category.

The investigation later led to the seizure of another phone belonging to Drury which contained further indecent images.

He was charged with multiple offences but denied any wrongdoing and was granted bail by magistrates, pending future court proceedings.

Drury went on to commit further offences and was arrested again, in August 2024, after initiating contact with a person who he believed to be a 14-year-old child.

He made several explicit requests to the child and sent pornographic content.

After a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, Drury, 35, was convicted of voyeurism and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

In relation to the online offences, he previously pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch others engaging in sexual activity and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Jailed

On 4 September 2025, Drury, of Borough Green Road, Wrotham was sentenced to four years and six months’ imprisonment. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, lasting 15 years.  

Kent Police Investigator Natalie Armstrong, of the Offender Management Unit, said:

‘Drury was a registered sex offender, who was the subject of strict measures and monitoring by our officers and staff. He has clearly been unable to adhere to these measures and restrictions and has gone on to violate what should have been a safe and private space for women.

‘His clear determination to also groom and exploit children through the internet is indicative of someone with absolutely no understanding of the gravity of his actions. He has now faced the consequences and is rightly serving a custodial sentence, ensuring the public is protected from further harm.’

Description

A former Newham Labour councillor has been found guilty of sexual assault.

Daniel Lee-Phakoe, 38, of Libra Road, Newham, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by touching by a jury at Inner London Crown Court.

The assault took place at a public house near Liverpool Street station on Friday 5 May 2023. Lee-Phakoe’s wife had arranged leaving drinks as she was moving department within the council.

During the evening, Lee-Phakoe approached the victim and carried out a series of persistent and unwelcome verbal sexual approaches, including a proposal of a sexual encounter in the bathroom. Lee-Phakoe also approached the victim’s side of the table, stood next to her and pinched her bottom with his left hand. The victim stated that Lee-Phakoe pinched her bottom at least ten times. His grip was described as firm and unrelenting. 

The victim who cannot be named for legal reasons said:

“The assault itself has left me feeling dirty, disrespected and a worthless woman who had suddenly become the focus of unwanted and disgusting sexual touching, demands for sex in a public toilet and being physically trapped in spite of attempts to move. His approach was both violating, aggressive and manipulative in assaulting me in a public place with his wife in the same bar and only a short distance away.

“This has been a horrendous experience. This sexual assault was unforgivable and I made the complaint to stop this happening to other women and to stand up to a sexual predator who has no idea or care of the impact of what he did to me.”

Lee-Phakoe left the table for a time and during that period the victim asked her friend to stand next to her in case he came back. Undeterred Lee-Phakoe approached the table again and tried to push pass the friend to get to the victim. The friend heard Lee-Phakoe persistently ask the victim to go to the toilets with him.

The friend said:

“He arrived at the table again and continued to push against me and comments towards the victim for 10 minutes or so. I said to him ‘can you please stop and calm down.’ He stopped pushing but continued to ask her to go toilets with him. After what seemed like an exceptionally long time, he finally left the table and the victim asked me to leave with her as she felt unsafe leaving on her own. I’ve known her many years and I’ve never seen her so frightened.”

Lee-Phakoe will be sentenced at a later date.

Description

A Salisbury man has been jailed for sexually abusing a child, at the retail store where he was working.

Joseph Marriott, 33, of St Andrew’s Road, Salisbury was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court  yesterday (04/09) having previously been found guilty of two counts of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He had previously admitted breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

His Honour Jason Taylor KC sentenced Marriott to 10 years custody - comprising 4 years 6 months imprisonment and 5 years 6 months on licence. He must also abide by the terms of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and register with the police indefinitely.

In addition he must pay a £228 surcharge.

The court heard how Marriott abused the child in the back room of the Salisbury store where he was employed, while her parents were shopping.

DC Billy Baker said:

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the young survivor and her family who have remained resolute and dignified throughout this ordeal; their support has been invaluable in bringing this offender to justice.”

Description

A man from Butetown has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexual offences against children.

Liton Ahmed, 47, denied six counts of sexually assaulting a girl by touching and one count of attempting to sexually assault a girl by touching.

But he was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court in April 2025.

Ahmed was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on August 26, 2025, to 18 years in prison.

Officer in the case Dc Steven Taylor said:  

“I want to commend the victims for their courage in coming forward- thanks to their reports and support, justice has been served.

"It has been a traumatic time for everyone involved and I am hopeful the outcome at court brings the victims and families some comfort which they deserve.”

Ahmed is also on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, is subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has a Restraining Order in respect of the victims until further notice.

Description

A man who collected and built a comprehensive library of indecent images of children has today (5 September) been jailed.

Sean Dempster of Welland Road in Lincoln appeared at Lincoln Crown Court where he was jailed for a total of three years.

The 31-year-old was first brought to our attention following a referral that a user of a Sony PlayStation account had uploaded a Category C indecent image of a child online.

Officers arrested Dempster on 21 May 2024 on suspicion of distributing indecent images of children and seized his mobile phone for examination. Digital media investigators found over 20,000 Category A-C indecent images of children on his phone.

Chat logs from Telegram and KIK were also found and revealed that Dempster, in addition to making indecent images of children by downloading and saving them, was also sending images and videos to other users.

Detectives also found chat logs where Dempster was causing/inciting what is believed to be children to commit sexual acts upon themselves and talking to them in a sexual manner.

Another referral from Instagram on 31 March this year was made to the force that Category A videos of children were sent in a private chat. Enquiries revealed that the account belonged to Dempster and that he had sent these images whilst he was on bail.

Dempster had also started using a new phone, which was later seized along with an iPad he tried to hide under a pillow from officers during a search of the property. He was immediately arrested for further offences and upon examining his phone and iPad, detectives found 5261 more Category A-C indecent images of children as well as 165 prohibited images of children.

Investigations revealed that Dempster had been in possession of a total of over 20,000 indecent images of children and had also distributed around 340 images of children online.

The case was taken to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) whilst Dempster was in police custody, and the 31-year-old was charged with three further offences of making indecent images of children and one charge of possession of prohibited images of children.

Dempster was remanded to custody and has remained there awaiting sentencing which has taken place today.  

He was sentenced to 30 months for distributing Category A images, which are the most serious types of indecent images of children. He was also guilty of the following and the sentences are to run concurrently:

• Distributing Category B indecent images of children, for which he was sentenced to nine months
• Distributing Category C indecent images of children, for which he was sentenced to three months
• Attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, for which he was sentenced to 24 months

He was also jailed for six months for making Category A indecent images of children and was guilty of the following. The sentences below will also run concurrently:

• Making Category B indecent images of children, for which he was sentenced to six months
• Making Category C indecent images of children, for which he was sentenced to six months
• Possession of prohibited images of children, for which he was sentenced to three months

Dempster will also be added to the Sex Offenders’ Register, has been given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and has also been given a lifetime notification requirement.

Detective Constable Nicola Paradowski and Detective Constable Laura Gavin worked the case together. They said:

“It is evident from this case that Dempster has a relentless sexual interest in young children and that he is prepared to exploit children for his own sexual gratification. The sheer volume of indecent images that Dempster possessed was incomprehensible with some of the most disgusting and disturbing images and videos we have viewed. 

“These are still and moving images of the most appalling sexual abuse committed against children who are too young to understand, let alone consent to what is happening to them.  Perpetrators of this type of crime often believe they will go unnoticed, but hopefully this investigation reassures the public that Lincolnshire Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team will relentlessly pursue anyone who engages in such heinous behaviour”.

Description

A 43-year-old man from Southampton has been jailed for ten years for two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Shane Allen, of Graham Street, who was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 3 July, was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday (2 September).

The offences, for which he has been imprisoned, took place in Hythe between Saturday 13 November 2021 and Saturday 16 July 2022.

The victim was six years of age at the time of the incidents.

As well as the time he will now spend behind bars, Allen has also been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, restraining order and notification of requirement to register with the police, in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act (2003)

Trainee Detective Constable Elliot Thorne, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team (West), said:

“I am pleased for the young victim in this case that justice has now been served for them and their family, and that Allen has now been placed behind bars for a significant period of time.

“I’d like to place on record my praise and admiration for the very young victim in this case and the courage and determination they have shown throughout, supported by their family.

“Additionally, I’d like thank everyone who has been involved in this case, helping to secure this outcome. Their support and hard work during the investigation has ensured a dangerous man is now locked away and no longer able to harm any other child.

“While I know this result won’t rid the victim and their family of the memories of what Allen did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he has now been punished for his crimes and can no longer repeat his offending.’

Directly addressing other victims of sex offences, Trainee DC Thorne, said:

“I really hope this sentence will reassure victims, both children and adults, 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, as this case hopefully again evidences.

“This case 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 for your crimes.”

Description

A man who groomed and sexually abused a vulnerable young girl over a prolonged period has been sentenced to sixteen-and-a-half-years in prison today (Friday, 5 September 2025) at Manchester Crown Court following a complex investigation.

Junedh Ahmed (11/6/1999) of Shield Close, Oldham Manchester was found guilty of 14 offences including rape of a child under the age of 13, taking incident photographs of a child, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity following a three-week trial, which concluded on 26th July 2025 with Ahmed being remanded into custody.

Ahmed must sign the sex offender registry for life and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years. He is also subject to an indefinite restraining order.

Our investigation into Ahmed began when the victim bravely disclosed the abuse to officers at Central Park Police Station. Detectives from our complex safeguarding team launched a detailed investigation, which uncovered a disturbing pattern of grooming, coercion, and sexual violence.

As part of sentencing proceedings, the girl bravely prepared a personal impact statement which was read aloud the court and included these words:

“Jay Ahmed made me lose pieces of my childhood I can never get back.

“There were times I felt like I was drowning in silence — too scared to speak, too ashamed to ask for help.

She continued to say: “It’s taken a lot of strength just to speak these words. But I’m speaking to them because I need the court — and the world — to understand what this kind of harm does.”

Her mother also provided an impact statement, which read:

“I have watched my daughter battle pain and confusion no child should ever know.

As her mother, I have fought every day to remind her she is not broken; she is strong, she is loved, and this was never her fault.

Jay Ahmed betrayed our trust, damaged a young girl's life, and many other young girls and shook our family to the core.”

A second girl was also identified as a victim in the case and in relation to her, Ahmed was found guilty of inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Investigators conducted a thorough digital analysis reviewing social media data, search history, and mobile phone downloads to build a strong evidential package.

This investigative work was conducted despite Ahmed refusing to provide the PIN code for his mobile phones. As such, he was convicted of a criminal offence under section 53 of RIPA for failing to comply with our investigation by preventing police from reviewing the data contained on his devices.

Through our investigation, we determined that offences took place between December 2020 and February 2022, during which time Ahmed gained the trust of the victim’s family and used his position to obtain unsupervised access to the child.

Ahmed proceeded to groom the girl with gifts, alcohol, and emotional manipulation, before subjecting her to repeated sexual abuse and recorded several instances on his mobile device.

Ahmed was arrested in February 2022 and again in August 2022. Cowardly, he gave no comment in both police interviews and pleaded not guilty to the charges he faced.

After a jury was presented with a package of evidence, they found Ahmed guilty

Detective Constable Emma Davidson, who led the investigation, said:

“Ahmed led a calculated and sustained campaign of abuse against a young girl. The courage she has shown — not only in coming forward to report what happened, but in going through the difficult process of a trial — has been extraordinary.

“Her strength has helped bring a dangerous offender to justice, and we hope this outcome brings her some measure of healing.

“Our complex safeguarding team was pivotal throughout this case and built strong relationships with the victims and their families throughout the investigation, as well as provided access to tailored support.

“Having co-located multiagency teams are central to our proactive approach to protecting children and preventing further harm.”

Description

A predator who sexually abused two girls has been jailed.

Prosecutor Hillary Roberts said Rocco Malnati, 51, of Blaenavon Road in Govilon, “had a dark side to him” which led to him “committing a variety of sexual acts” against two victims between 2004 and 2010.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Malnati bought the first victim “treats” including alcohol and cigarettes. Mr Roberts said the defendant abused her by performing oral sex, “repeated acts of penial penetration,” making her expose her breasts while he masturbated, and assaulting her in his car in a lay-by.

The victim said she became aware she was being taken advantage of but “didn’t know any way out of it,” Mr Roberts added.

The prosecution said Malnati masturbated in front of the second victim when she was 11 and either topless or naked, and engaged in penetrative sexual abuse when she was a teenager. She said that when she confronted him and threatened to report him, he said he would kill himself.

The offences emerged in 2022 when one victim’s partner found sexual photos of her on her phone that Malnati had her send him.

Malnati was arrested and admitted sexual contact with the victims in interview, but claimed it was after they turned 16. He denied the offences, and a trial scheduled for September last year was delayed until July this year.

Ahead of trial, he pleaded guilty to five offences of sexual activity with a child for the first victim, and engaging in a sexual act in the presence of a child and sexual activity with a child for the second.

In a statement, one victim said Malnati “took my innocence at a very young age” and “used me as a piece of meat to satisfy his deviant sexual desires.” “I will never get my childhood back,” she said. “I never feel safe. I’m always looking over my shoulder for potential threats.”

Jeffrey Jones, in mitigation, said this was Malnati’s first custody experience as he had never troubled the courts before. “He [is] a man of hitherto clean character,” he said. Mr Jones noted Malnati had engaged with probation services, done charity work, and cared for two family members, showing “a positive side” to him.

“It’s clear to everyone that’s heard [the victims’ statements] that both have been significantly traumatised and deeply affected by your actions,” said Recorder Paul Lewis KC. “No sentence I can pass can undo the harm you have caused.”

Recorder Lewis sentenced Malnati to 14 years and 10 months, comprising 12 years and 10 months in custody and two years extended licence. He must register as a sex offender for life and was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Both victims received lifelong restraining orders against him.

“I want to recognise the courage [the victims] have shown in the investigation and today,” Recorder Lewis said.

Description

A man has been jailed for counts of rape, assault, and controlling and coercive behaviour following investigations by our detectives in the Criminal Investigation Department.  

Two women courageously came forward to report instances of rape, physical violence and controlling behaviour that they endured at the hands of this man. The perpetrator was physically aggressive and forceful over a long period of time with the one victim and caused significant psychological damage.   

Luke Cartwright (09/12/2002) of Balmoral Drive, Denton, has been sentenced after a trial at Bolton Crown Court to 15 years for seven sexual offences, including rape and coercive control against two women. He was initially arrested in February 2024 after reports were made that he abused and sexually assaulted a woman on multiple occasions from May 2022 to 2023.  

The victim bravely gave testimony in court about two separate incidents in which the perpetrator raped her in her sleep, and another where he forced himself on her, abused her and physically pinned her to the bed and wardrobe.  

Whilst enduring both physical and verbal abuse, the victim also recounts times at which Cartwright behaved in a controlling manner, such as checking through her phone every night, constantly checking her whereabouts, and hitting her in retaliation during arguments regarding his behaviour.  

In July 2024, a second woman came forward against the same perpetrator, reporting that Cartwright had raped her in her friend’s bedroom where she was staying to help with childcare. Her friend’s partner had let Cartwright into the house and the two men spent the night drinking. They later went upstairs to sleep, and Cartwright found the victim.  

She slept on a mattress beside her friends’ bed, along with their son, where Cartwright, who was heavily intoxicated, lay with her, forcefully assaulted her and raped her. Upon telling her friends what he had done, officers were called and arrested him at the scene, and CSI were able to forensically recover the mattress for further evidence.   

In November 2024, Cartwright was charged with two counts of rape and a single count of assault by penetration. 

The bravery and resilience of these women meant our dedicated detectives could ensure both victims were safeguarded from further abuse and had access to the systems available to get them the support they need.  

Both victims shared their experiences through victim impact statements, which were read to the court upon sentencing, outlining the abuse and trauma they suffered. Parts of each statement is below and demonstrates the long-lasting impact coercive control and domestic abuse can have.  

Person 1:  

“The anxiety that I would feel about how he would treat me frequently caused me to physically throw up. […] 

I know that I am not to blame, but I am still so frustrated with myself for letting him treat me like this. I don’t know how could I just freeze when he hit me or accept it when he tried to control me. When I think of that, I feel like I was so weak and there is real shame that I am still trying to work through.” 

Person 2: 

“When I would finally get to sleep, I would be constantly woken up by what happened. It was not a nightmare as such, but it was like I kept going back to that day. It kept replaying in my head, like I was there again. […]  

The main feeling, I have is anger. I am angry it happened. I am angry with myself that I feel I didn’t do enough to stop it. I know I said no and I pushed him off, however, I was still trying to be nice because I was scared. I sometimes blame myself for what happened to me, which also makes me feel angry.” 

Detective Superintendent Jen Tattersall, GMP’s lead for domestic abuse, said:

“Controlling and coercive behaviour is a massive priority for GMP along with all types of violence against women and girls which includes rape.  

"This case shows a really good investigation which highlights the complexities of that type of investigation and shows how much we take priority around our response to domestic abuse.  

"Cartwright is a dangerous offender. This conviction and sentencing is a fantastic result and demonstrates GMP’s dedication towards DA. We've invested in it, created dedicated DA teams, and we are prioritising it to raise the solved outcome rate for victims of controlling and coercive behaviour. 

"Controlling and coercive behaviour (CCB) can creep up on people, they think they are in a healthy relationship, and it slowly transforms into CCB, which makes it a challenge for victims to come forward and for policing, so GMP are trying to drive forward our overall response to domestic abuse and CCB.” 

Description

A registered sex offender flouted a court order by having software on his phone which wiped his internet history.

Adrian Miles, 58, was visited by officers at his home in Cherry Court, Cambourne, on 1 February 2024.

The officers found he had installed a data cleaning app and deleted monitoring software on his phone.

He had also not informed officers about an Amazon cloud storage account.

All of this put Miles in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order handed down by Exeter Crown Court in May 2022 following a conviction for making indecent images of children. 

On Tuesday (2 September) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Miles was jailed for 20 months, having pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Paul Evans, from the force’s management of sexual and violent offenders department, said:

“Miles was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which imposed clear restrictions designed to safeguard the public. His breaches demonstrated a disregard for the legal boundaries set by the court.

“The fact he’s been jailed reflects the gravity of the offences and the importance of upholding protective measures for the safety of others." 

Description

A man has been jailed for 16 years for violent and sexual crimes in the Fife, Dundee and Moray areas between 2006 and 2024.

Stephen Whitehurst, 44, was found guilty of 13 offences, including rapes, against five women at the High Court in Dundee on Tuesday, 5 August, 2025.

He was sentenced on Friday, 5 September, 2025, at the same court, to 16 years in prison, placed on the sex offenders register and given indefinite non-harassment orders in relation to all five women.

Detective Inspector Gordon Patullo said:

“Stephen Whitehurst clearly poses a threat to women and he now faces a lengthy period behind bars for these despicable crimes.

“I commend the strength of the women in coming forward to report his offending and throughout the court process. I hope the outcome brings them some form of justice.

“Police Scotland is committed to tackling all reports of sexual crimes, regardless of when they happened. I’d urge anyone who has been a victim to report it to us. I can assure you, we will fully investigate and you will be supported by our specially trained officers and partner agencies.”

Description

A child rapist’s despicable offending was exposed when officers went through his phone.

Carl Andrews put himself on the police’s radar after uploading indecent images of children online.

When confronted with this, Andrews admitted to owning the images, but denied doing anything else.

Not buying this, officers reviewed all his devices and discovered videos of him sexually abusing young children.

Both the victims – a boy and a girl – are believed to have been targeted during 2022 by Andrews in Nottinghamshire.

Distinctive tattoos on Andrews’ hands that were visible in the videos were used by police to link him to those crimes.

More than 1,400 indecent photos and videos of children were also discovered on the sexual predator’s phone and other devices.

He would go on to be charged with a range of child sex offences.

This included rape, inciting someone to engage in sexual activity, assault by touching and three counts of making indecent images of children.

Faced with the damning evidence against him, Andrews elected to plead guilty to the six separate counts on 18 July this year.

He returned to Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Wednesday (3 September).

Andrews, of Charles Street, Arnold, was handed an extended sentence of 13 years in jail.

He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for life, made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and issued with a restraining order banning him from ever contacting his victims.

PC Laurenie Haynes, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said:

“The content we found on Carl Andrews’ devices was disgraceful and vile.

“Amongst the more than 1,400 indecent images of children were videos of Andrews himself sexually abusing and in one case raping young children.

“There are truly no words to describe how much of a heinous crime that is.

“We were able to prove it was him in the videos because of distinctive tattoos on him that were clearly visible in the clips.

“Thankfully, the evidence we gathered was sufficient to pressurise Andrews to admit what he’d done, so his victims and their families didn’t have to sit through a trial.

“Andrews is a despicable individual who belongs behind bars, so we’re pleased to see he’s now been jailed.

“Despite this, we believe there could be other victims out there, who may have been targeted by Andrews but haven’t felt able to report it yet.

“To them, we’d say please come forward. It doesn’t matter if it happened years and years ago, we will listen to you and investigate further.”

Description

A Brixham man has been jailed for seven and half years for the sexual abuse of two boys.

Graham Bartlett, 56, from Briseham Road in Brixham, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday 4 September after previously being found guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child and four counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. He had previously pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing incident images of children.

Bartlett was found not guilty of a number of other child sexual abuse charges.

During the trial, the court heard how in 2008 a then teenage boy disclosed that he had been abused by Bartlett, however no action was taken against Bartlett at this time.

Eleven years later in 2019, another adult male disclosed been sexually abused by Bartlett when he was a child, leading to the 2008 case being reopened.

On his arrest, indecent images and videos spanning Categories A, B and C were found on Bartlett’s phone.

The court heard that Bartlett had groomed the boys before the sexual offending occurred.

In interview Bartlett admitted knowing both victims but denied having any sexual interest in young boys, and any sexual activity taking place. The victims were not known to each other.

He blamed the indecent images on his phone on a cracked screen and viruses.

Bartlett appeared in court yesterday where the judge sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison. He will also sign the sex offenders register for life.

Officer in the case DC Julian Smith said: “Graham Bartlett has now been convicted of a number of sexual offences committed against children.

“Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to Bartlett having a sexual interest in young boys, he’s never had the courage to admit what he did and as a result, forced the victims to give evidence at court.

“I would like to thank all those connected to the case for remaining engaged during the court process.

“We will continue to investigate all allegations of child sexual abuse, regardless of when it was reported, and support victims every step of the way.”

Description

A man has been jailed for several years after raping a woman in Warminster.

Shaun Bundy, 41, of Pookfield Close, Nunney, Frome, appeared at Winchester Crown Court yesterday (04/09) after being found guilty of rape following a retrial.

He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment plus an extended five years on licence.

He is also required to sign on to the Sex Offender’s Register indefinitely.

On May 26, 2023, Bundy attended the home of the victim, a woman in her 30s who was known to Bundy, to collect tools.

He loaded the tools into the back of his vehicle and asked for a drink of water, which the victim agreed to.

Inside the address, Bundy has then raped the victim, before leaving and ordering her not to tell anyone.

The victim bravely reported the incident to the police shortly after and Bundy was arrested the same day at his home address.

In interview, he denied the offence, claiming he had been to the victim’s address but no sexual activity had taken place.

After Bundy’s DNA was found following a forensic examination, he was re-interviewed but continued to deny any sexual contact had taken place.

He was subsequently charged with rape and pleaded not guilty, forcing the victim to relive the experience through the court process.

He was found guilty in a re-trial following a hung jury in the first trial.

DS Toni Nugent of South CID said:

“Firstly I want to pay tribute to the victim for the incredible bravery she has shown throughout the process.

“Not only did she come forward to make the report but Bundy then forced her to go through a trial twice despite the forensic evidence.

“The victim also had the support of an independent sexual violence adviser (ISVA) – these are specially trained advisers who provide specialist support to victims who have experienced rape and sexual assault.

“An ISVA provides impartial information to the victim/survivor about their options throughout the process.

“I am pleased that after a court process lasting for more than two years for the victim, Bundy has now been jailed for his crime and will also be on the Sex Offender’s Register for life.”

Description

“It was not just about ensuring a man was convicted of a crime but also that an extremely brave child and her family were looked after during the most horrendous time”.

On Friday (29 August), Ashley Carnell, 52, of Willoughby Waterleys, Leicester, was sentenced to five years imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court after being found guilty following trial of sexual touching of a girl under 13.

Carnell was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

The investigation came following a brave disclosure by the victim, who was aged seven at the time of the offence, to her parents who contacted the police.

Detective Constable Kamran Kalia, from the force’s Child Abuse Investigation Unit, was the officer in the case.

He said:

“It was after the victim became upset and her parents realised something was wrong, that they had a gentle conversation with the victim which led to the victim bravely telling her parents about what had happened. Her parents immediately made contact with the police.

“While one of our priorities was of course to speak to the suspect, it was important we did this in the right way with the victim at the centre of our investigation. It was not just about ensuring a man was convicted of a crime but also that an extremely brave child and her family were looked after during the most horrendous time. This included ensuring we approached the victim at the right time, in the right way and with the right support available. We also worked to ensure the victim’s parents were kept fully involved and updated during a very upsetting and distressing time.

“Specialist interviews were carried out with the victim by trained officers to ensure the victim felt as comfortable and as supported as possible. An independent trained specialist advisor was also put in place to ensure the victim had a consistent point of contact to provide advice and support.

“Carnell was charged and as we progressed to court, we put measures in place so that the victim could pre-record her evidence to be presented in court, thereby ensuring that we were doing everything we could to support a young person in very difficult and distressing circumstances.

“I’m extremely grateful to the victim and her family for the bravery and co-operation they have shown throughout which has allowed us to ensure the conviction of a sexual offender."