Latest Offenders

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Police discovered over 2,000 disturbing images or videos of children on a man's mobile phone following a tip-off from the National Crime Agency.

The collection included 1,638 pictures and 404 videos totalling 2,042 with 653 of them falling into the most severe category, Hull Crown Court was informed.

Jay Fleming, 26, from Bridlington, pleaded guilty to three charges of creating indecent images of children between April 2021 and March of the previous year. Prosecutor Michael Masson revealed Fleming was apprehended in Bridlington due to information provided by the National Crime Agency.

It was suspected that indecent images of children had been shared via Snapchat. Images were located on a mobile phone, including 382 picture files and 271 videos in the gravest Category A, as well as 614 images and 99 videos in Category B, and 642 images and 34 videos in Category C.

However, Snapchat had not been installed on the phone. Fleming made complete and candid admissions during his police interview, reports Hull Live. Emily Hassell, defending, stated there was no evidence to suggest that Fleming had tried to contact or had contacted children directly. He had no prior convictions and was assessed as having a low risk of reoffending.

Judge Tahir Khan KC admonished Fleming in court, declaring: "You accessed from the internet indecent images of children. Found on your device were a large number of Category A images and also Category A videos. Category B and Category C images were also found on your device as well.

"If you had not pleaded guilty to these offences, I would have sent you to prison for 18 months but you had the good sense to admit what you did.

"That makes a difference to a sentence of custody that I can suspend and a sentence of custody that would require you to go down those steps. I have a duty to protect the public, and children in particular, given the nature of the offending."

Subsequently, Fleming was handed down a one-year suspended prison term, coupled with a rehabilitation requirement lasting 30 days. Additionally, he is subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be listed as a sex offender for a decade.

Description

A convicted rapist will be almost 90 years old before he can be considered for release from prison after a he was put behind bars for 27 years.

Skipton man Charles David Pratt, now 71, was convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of a catalogue of serious sexual offences against three female complainants who must not be identified for legal reasons.

Judge Ahmed Nadim highlighted the courage shown by Pratt’s victims in reporting his historical sexual abuse of them. The judge told Pratt: “They are deserving of the gratitude of this court and society as a whole for the courage they showed in reporting you to the authorities and bringing you to justice and in the process reliving the most painful of memories."

The court heard that Pratt, of Keighley Road, Skipton, committed offences of rape against the two women and a girl often when he was under the influence of alcohol. Judge Nadim said Pratt had also used violence to overcome any resistance his victims may have offered to his sexual demands.

He said: “In short Charles Pratt you are a violent and callous man. In order to meet your perverted sexual needs you do not recognise or respect any societal or moral boundaries. As a result of your conduct three lives have been blighted. The damage you have inflicted upon each of your victims is immeasurable."

Pratt, who had no previous convictions, was found guilty by the jury of several rape offences and other sexual allegations. Judge Nadim explained that Pratt would have to serve at least two-thirds of his 27-year jail sentence behind bars before his case could be considered by the Parole Board.

He explained: “This means you will serve at least 18 years imprisonment before that reference to the Parole Board can take place."

Pratt was also classed as “an offender of particular concern” which means he had an extra 12-month licence period added onto his sentence. He will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Description

A dangerous rapist has been handed an extended jail sentence following a raft of offences.

Connor Tabner, presently residing at HMP Berwyn but formerly of Prestatyn, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday for sentence.

The 23-year-old had been convicted previously of a number of offences - three of a sexual nature including rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told the court that Tabner had a number of violent offences against women on his criminal record.

The court heard that when Tabner as found guilty by a Jury of the sexual offences, he subjected jurors to a tirade of foul abuse from the dock.

It took two prison officers to get him out of the courtroom.

Judge Simon Mills said it had been the worst outburst from a defendant in the dock he'd heard, short of actual violence.

Philip Clemo, defending, told the court: "He wishes to express remorse for those actions. What he did was highly inappropriate.

"He apologises profusely for the outburst at the end of the trial."

Mr Clemo said it was conceded his client would be facing a lengthy period of time behind bars for his crimes.

"The fact remains," he continued, "one day he will be out of prison and he ill still be - relatively speaking - a young man.

"What will neither help him nor others is for any hope for a productive life to be snuffed out.

"Prior to the events leading up to his arrest, he had everything set up so he could set up a business and run it.

"He does have realistic ambitions to be a decent member of society.

"The issue here is if Your Honour concludes he is a dangerous offender.

"I say he is perhaps more a 'damaged' young man than truly dangerous.

"But that doesn't mean punishment isn't richly deserved for that which the Jury found him guilty of.

"There's some measure of hope in his recognition that he needs to address his behaviour."

Judge Mills told the court he had concluded Tabner is indeed "a dangerous offender," and that a standard determinate sentence would not provide sufficient protection to the public.

As such, taking rape as the lead offence, the Judge handed down an extended sentence of 15 years - 12 of which are custodial in nature, with three years extended licence.

Tabner must serve at least two-thirds (eight years) of the custodial term before he can be considered for release on licence by the parole board.

But should the parole board disagree, he may have to serve the full 12 years behind bars.

Tabner's sentence also incorporated concurrent prison terms for a number of other offences, including: assault occasioning actual bodily harm, strangulation and controlling/coercive behaviour.

He will be subject to the notification provisions as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Description

A man who threatened to kill a member of the public and exposed his genitals has been jailed for two years and three months and put on the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

Angelo Fichele, 44, of Welland Road in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, was reported to be topless brandishing what was thought to be a knife and frightening people, said police.

He also damaged four cars, indecently exposed himself to members of the public and threatened to kill a woman who was nearby.

He admitted making threats to kill, indecent exposure, five counts of criminal damage and assault causing grievous bodily harm in Cambridge Crown Court on 2 August.

'Erratic behaviour'

Police said officers received calls about Fichele's "erratic behaviour" on 19 January. He was then arrested and taken into custody, where police said he engaged in a dirty protest.

He was charged and remanded to appear in court the following day where he was granted bail.

On 17 March Fichele was arrested again after he attacked a man in Peveril Road, Dogsthorpe, with what was believed to be a " sharpened spoon", which caused slash wounds to the man’s face.

Det Con Jenny Hargreaves said: “These were really frightening incidents for members of the public who witnessed Fichele’s erratic behaviour.

“I would like to thank those who provided statements in support of our investigation, as a result of this evidence we have been able to put Fichele before the courts and he will now be spending time in prison.”

Description

A primary school headteacher has been caught with category A images of child sex abuse and extreme animal porn on his mobile phone.

Ian McDonald, who has since quit as head of Bishop Martin School in Skelmersdale, was given a community punishment and put on the sex offenders register by a Preston Crown Court judge after admitting to downloading seven films that fall into the most serious class of abuse.

The father of one also pleaded guilty to making 14 category B images and three category C images plus possessing 10 extreme porn films involving humans having intercourse with animals.

The hearing was told they had been downloaded from the popular messaging app Kik.

Former colleagues today expressed disgust, shock and anger that someone in such a position of responsibility with children should be involved in such crimes. They also questioned whether he might be guilty of other child sex offences that have not so far emerged.

McDonald, 46, formerly of Skelmersdale and now living in St Helens after the breakdown of his marriage, had appeared at Preston Magistrates Court in June to admit to the offences and was subsequently sentenced at the citys Crown Court last month to a three-year community order, which included completing 30 days of rehabilitation activities and the forfeiture and destruction of his mobile.

He was also made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign onto the sex offenders register for the same amount of time.

A one-time colleague, who asked not to be identified, said that the first suggestion that anything was amiss at the school came in March last year when McDonald was in work as usual but then suddenly left at an uncharacteristically early hour.

Thereafter all the schools locks were changed to prevent him, as the keyholder, from getting back in.

His school computer was seized, although this was later returned with the message that there was no evidence of its having been used for improper purposes.

McDonald was suspended by the board of governors and in September 2023 it was announced, without explanation, that he was no longer the headteacher of Bishop Martin and any references to him on the school website or literature were expunged.

The school has since become an academy and has a new headteacher.

The ex-colleague said: When it all came to light in June this year everyone was absolutely gobsmacked.

"No-one thought of him as the type of person who would do this the worst possible child abuse images and animal porn. He was very dedicated to his job and prided himself on Christian values which made this all the more shocking and sickening to learn.

"Here was this man in such a position of power over children doing this. Since we found out about it, we cant help asking was it just images? and racking our brains as to whether there were any opportunities for him when he was alone with children. Have we missed something? Will something else come out?

Bishop Martin School, on Birkrig, Skelmersdale, has been contacted for a comment but has so far not responded.

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A disgraced Fife paramedic and university lecturer was arrested at a graduation dinner by police executing a child sexual abuse material warrant.

Keith Cameron’s careers and marriage are now in tatters after he admitted hoarding twisted photographs of naked girls, some as young as five.

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Description

Britton started offending in 2014 and was arrested in September 2022. There was a suppression order on his name until he pled guilty in September 2023.

Adam Robert Corden Britton (born c. 1970) is a British-born Australian crocodile expert and zoosadist who in September 2023 was charged with 60 offences relating to sexual abuse and torture of animals and possession of child abuse material. He has pled guilty to the charges. 

He had searched for dogs on the website Gumtree Australia, claiming to rehome them, and telling their former owners that they were thriving in his care, when in fact he had already sexually abused and killed them. He is known to have sexually abused 42 dogs, of which 39 died.

As of 25 September 2023, Britton faces 60 charges, which relate to using child abuse material as well as bestiality, to which he has pled guilty.

Sentencing was supposed to occur in December 2023, but was postponed to February 2024, and subsequently postponed again to May 2024. In May 2024, sentencing was postponed for a third time due to the presiding judge's scheduling conflicts for 11 July 2024. His sentencing was postponed once more until 8 August 2024. Britton was finally sentenced on 8 August 2024 to 10 years and five months in prison, with a non-parole period of six years. His sentence was backdated to his arrest in April 2022. He was also banned from purchasing animals and having them on his property. Judge Grant stated that his conduct "… involved a degree of depravity and reprehensibility which falls entirely outside any ordinary human conception and comprehension."

In a letter written from prison and read by his lawyer Britton stated he took "full responsibility for the demeaning crimes" acted upon the dogs. He also stated "I deeply regret the pain and trauma that I caused innocent families and consequently to my family, friends and members of the community affected."

"I let you all down. I'm truly sorry. I now acknowledge that I've been fighting a rare paraphilic disorder for much of my life. And that shame and fear prevented me from seeking the proper help I needed." Britton wrote that he would seek "long-term treatment."

Description

A PERVERT arranged to meet up with a ’13-year-old girl’ for sexual activity – but he was shocked when he found out who actually turned up at his home.

George Brusby was in fact having sick sex chats online with an adult member of a paedophile hunter group pretending to be a vulnerable teenage child.

The 26-year-old was confronted by the group and ended up being live-streamed online before being arrested and taken away in a police van.

He has now been locked up after admitting charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He was sentenced yesterday, Tuesday, at Liverpool Crown Court, despite turning up almost three hours late after claiming he missed his train due to suffering from a panic attack.

Opening the case, prosecutor Carmel Wilde spoke of how his offending came to light in chats with an adult from a paedophile hunter group named Elusive Child Protection Unit.

Members try to identify adults who talk to children online for sexual gratification, the court heard, with a group member operating a decoy profile on a dating site called Jaomo.

The adult purported to be a 13-year-old girl named Abbie, whose profile claimed to be 22 to meet age restrictions, but she made it clear from the outset in messages that she was in fact aged 13.

On January 7, 2023, ‘Abbie’ received a message from the defendant which read: “Hi there beautiful, can I just say you look absolutely stunning.”

There was a gap in chats, with the decoy engaged in other discussions with online child sex offenders, but she replied with ‘hiya’ on January 21.

Conversations continued on a daily basis in February, with Abbie making it clear early that she was only 13 years of age, with Brusby undeterred, telling her that he was former military, aged 25 and from Warrington.

They exchanged phone numbers so that chats could continue on WhatsApp, and by February 15, the pair exchanged photos, one of which was of his penis saying she could ‘play with it’.

When Brusby asked the ‘girl’ if she liked what she saw, she said she did not know him yet, to which he replied: “I promise I’m not a bad person.”

The court heard how Brusby had a setting applied which meant that messages auto-deleted, but the decoy was saving them by screenshotting them.

By February 23, discussions turned to meeting up at Brusby’s Warrington home, suggested by him, with a date set for February 26 as he was ‘babysitting’ on the days prior.

He said she could ‘hold her first d**k’, and on the day of the meet-up he sent her his address, asking her to message him when she had got in a taxi from the train station.

However, the decoy had informed other paedophile hunters, the founders of the Elusive Child Protection Unit, of the meet-up, who attended the defendant’s home address to confront him.

The confrontation and interrogation was live-streamed online, before police arrived, arrested the defendant and placed him in the back of a police van.

Brusby was interviewed by police and initially said he was ‘fed up of fake accounts being made up’, and then claimed that he thought he was talking to an adult.

The interview then had a short break, and when they resumed, the defendant answered ‘no comment’ to questions put to him.

Brusby was represented by Mark Pritchard, defending, who highlighted how his client should be afforded full credit for his guilty pleas, and the fact that the ‘child’ was not real.

“There is real remorse from this defendant and an insight into his offending,” the barrister said, adding that Brusby has no previous convictions.

It was said that he spent time in the armed forces but was ‘rudderless’ afterwards and found it difficult to form relationships or find employment, leading to him consuming a significant amount of alcohol.

The court also heard that the defendant received threats following the paedophile hunter group streaming his interrogation on social media.

“The defendant is the author of his own misfortune, but the criminal justice system does not rely on vigilantism, and no one should be subjected to shame and bear baiting, and bullying for 47 minutes,” Mr Pritchard said.

He urged the court to suspend the sentence so that Brusby could get assistance with his rehabilitation, but this was rejected by judge Katherine Pierpoint.

She said: “It is a great shame to find someone like you before the court facing such serious matters, having never been in trouble before.

“You told the author of your pre-sentence report that you do not have a sexual interest in children, but in my judgement, you clearly have a sexual interest in children.

“Such behaviour has a devastating and long-lasting impact on children, and the fact that no real child was harmed in this case is a matter of chance rather than design.

“You made arrangements to meet a person you thought was a child. This was not hopeful, but actual that came to fruition.

“The only reason you did not meet up was because this was a decoy.”

Brusby, of Cavendish Close in Old Hall, was sentenced to 27 months immediate imprisonment.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order, both for the next 10 years.

Description

A Fife paedophile who says he works in “freelance digital forensics” was caught with more than 140 indecent images of children.

David Gordon, of Redcroft Place, Leuchars, seemingly used encrypting software and a specific network to access abuse material online anonymously.

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A 59-year-old man has been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys in Fife and is now behind bars.

Robert Brown targeted one of the children from when they were aged nine and the other from the age of 14.

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Description

A registered sex offender who pretended to be a teenage girl to trick a boy into sharing sexually explicit messages has been given an extended sentence of nine years.

In spring 2021, the victim began chatting to someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl via Snapchat, messaging and chatting via online gaming for weeks before the pair arranged to meet in Cheshire.

When the girl didn’t show up, the boy got a phone call from a man claiming to be her older brother Josh, raising the suspicions of a family member who had gone with the boy.

On the boy’s phone they then found sexually explicit messages and images from the girl, as well as conversations with Josh, and the matter was reported to police.

All the messages were traced to Joshua Neves, a 26-year-old registered sex offender living near Kettering, and Northamptonshire Police’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Unit (OCAIU) took over the investigation.

Officers went on to confirm that not only had Neves been breaking the terms of a previously-imposed Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by using Snapchat accounts, but he had also been grooming the boy into sharing sexual messages, images and videos.

Neves went on to be charged with causing or inciting a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - no penetration, engaging in sexual communication with a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, three counts of making indecent images and videos of a child (one count each of Category A, B and C), and breaching the SHPO.

On April 8, 2024, Neves, of Dawkins Court, Broughton, appeared before Northampton Crown Court where he admitted all the offences, and on Monday, August 5, he returned to the same court for sentence.

Neves was given an extended sentence – used for criminals convicted of specific offences who are deemed to be dangerous – made up of four years’ imprisonment with an extension of five years on licence. He was also ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge.

Speaking afterwards, investigating officer PC Charlotte Carden of the OCAIU said: “The bravery of the survivor in supporting our investigation is remarkable, and I am so pleased that we now have a robust custodial sentence which reflects the harm Joshua Neves caused.

“He went to great lengths to groom this boy in order to sexually abuse him, convincing him that he was in a relationship with a girl his own age to coerce him into sharing photos and videos he would otherwise never have sent.

“Neves was an adult who took sexual advantage of a child, abusing his trust and exploiting him emotionally for his own sexual gratification.

“The fact the offending was carried out online does not lessen the harm and distress he caused and I hope this outcome helps the victim survivor to continue to recover and move forward positively.

“This case also demonstrates the need for parents and guardians to have open and ongoing conversations with their children about who they are talking to online – without this family’s vigilance Neves would no doubt have continued his abuse.

“Northamptonshire Police takes all forms of sexual abuse very seriously and we will do all we can to secure justice for survivors.”

Description

A man who collated a sick online library of child abuse victims on his home PC over a period of eight years was finally exposed after he was caught leering over a picture of a 17-year-old girl on the social media platform X.

Craig Adams, 34, secretly kept hundreds of indecent images of children being abused on his computer for his own perverted pleasure, including images of a baby and images of bestiality. But he was eventually reported to police due to ''suspicious activity'' on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, when he received a picture of another internet user's girlfriend when she was 17.

In direct messages on X the other man said: “You must like jailbait” to which Adams replied that he wanted to ''see it all", followed by disgusting suggestions. The user then messaged back saying: “Sent.''

Officers raided Adams' home in Davenham Way, Middlewich, Cheshire in June last year, seized his PC and mobile phone and found to 683 still images of children, 137 of which were in highest category A, 102 in category B and 444 in category C.

He also had 45 “disgusting” images which “portrayed, in an explicit and realistic way" acts of bestiality. The sexually exploited and abused children, both male and female, were aged up to 12-years-old, and included babies. All had been gathered by Adams between March 2015 and 15th June 2023.

At Chester Crown Court, Adams whose girlfriend is standing by him, pleaded guilty to four offences related to making or possessing indecent images and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was sentenced to 10 months in prison suspended for two years with requirements he complete 35 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours of unpaid work. He faced up to three years jail under sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutor Thomas McLoughlin said: “On June 14, officers attended the defendant’s address having been passed intelligence that his Twitter account had been used to share indecent images of children.

“His address was searched and a number of items were seized, a Samsung Galaxy mobile phone and a Vimeo 8 mobile phone. There was a full download taken on both devices. Details show data being present from April 2015.

“By way of overview, there was the presence of both males and females up to 12 years of age and a baby. The extreme pornography included bestiality matters. The defendant was subsequently interviewed but gave no comment.''

In mitigation, defence counsel Mark Connor said: “The defendant has the support of his long-term partner and father and his mother. His partner is here today but the defendant did not want her to come into the court.

“In my submissions, Mr Adams has had a significant period of time since this arrest to reflect on his offending behaviour and consider what he has done and the pattern of offending that he has got himself into.

''He is very fearful of receiving a custodial sentence. He is an intelligent man who has thought long and hard about his criminal behaviour and how it developed and it has to be conceded developed over a significant period of time. He was refreshingly frank in an interview with the probation officer and did not seek to minimise or justify his conduct.

“He accepted that it was morally unacceptable and harmful and that ultimately it was to satisfy his own sexual gratification. It is not often in these types of cases that defendants are so forthright and frank about their own shameful behaviour.''

Adams was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and made to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

Judge Simon Berkson said: “You have a partner and a good job nevertheless, between 2015 and 2023, a substantial period of time, you downloaded on your computer 683 indecent images of children. Each one of these images displayed some sort of abuse committed to a child for you to happily look at whenever you wanted to over those years.

“You also had a substantial number of images of extreme pornography, of people engaging in sexual activity with animals. These are serious offences and there were a number of different victims, children suffering abuse for you to look at.

“One of those children has been described as a baby. You also had on that computer a way of cleaning up things on that computer. But the mitigating factors are that you have never been in trouble in your life. You are in a good job and you have a steady relationship. Both your partner and your father speak highly of you.''

Description

A PAEDOPHILE said to a 15-year-old schoolgirl that he was going to have sex with her and told her to meet him near a Morrisons supermarket.

Osman Mohamed lied to his victim he was the same age as her before sexually assaulting her by touching her bottom after he had been drinking.

The 36-year-old defendant went up to the girl, a stranger, in the Bargoed area of Caerphilly after he had taken a train there from Cardiff.

Christopher Evans, prosecuting, said the victim no longer feels safe in the area where she lives.

Mohamed was found guilty by a jury following a trial of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault.

He had denied the offences which took place on the summer bank holiday of 2021 on Monday, August 30.

Mohamed, of Taff Embankment, Grangetown, Cardiff had a previous conviction for drink driving.

Harry Baker representing the defendant asked for the inevitable prison sentence “to be kept as short as possible”.

Sentencing Mohamed at Cardiff Crown Court, the judge, Recorder Caroline Rees KC told him: “You drank alcohol and the victim assessed you to be drunk.

“You approached the victim who was just 15 who was with her friend and you hugged her.

“You touched her to the area of her bottom over her clothing.

“She told you she was only 15, you said you were 15, although she very quickly assessed that you were talking rubbish and that you were obviously older.

“The police were called a short time later and you were detained in Bargoed.”

Recorder Rees added: “You continue to deny your responsibility for the offences and that remains your position today.

“It follows that you demonstrate no insight or remorse for the behaviour of which the jury were sure you were guilty of.”

Mohamed, who followed proceedings with the help of an Arabic translator, was jailed for 15 months.

He will serve half of that time in custody and any time spent in custody will count towards his sentence.

The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years although he was told he faces the prospect of being deported from the UK.

Description

A university graduate was found in possession of indecent images after police pulled him over in Newcastle.

Joshua Tilley was stopped by police after "suspicious" online activity had been flagged up to them, and his mobile phone was seized. Following an examination, 11 indecent images in category C were discovered on the phone and he was arrested.

This week, Tilley, of West Bridgford, Nottingham, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court facing a charge of making indecent images. He pleaded guilty to the offence, which was committed on or about May 13, 2022.

The court heard that police were on duty in Newcastle when Tilley's vehicle was stopped. Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said: "They stopped a vehicle which was occupied by the defendant. His mobile phone was seized and examined and a number of images were found. [A total of] 11 category C images involving children were found."

The court heard Tilley had no previous convictions. Michael Gibson, defending, said: "He came to police [attention] due to some suspicious activity on the web. There was a file with 11 pictures on his phone, the last time that file was accessed was in 2020.

"He had graduated with a first degree and was studying in Edinburgh, he was bored and was chatting to a female [online] and she told him she was 16-years-old. The [chat] was transferred to Snapchat and she sent him some images. He never requested them."

Magistrates fined Tilley £666 and ordered him to pay a surcharge of £266 and costs of £85. He will also be on the sex offenders' registers for five years.

Description

A Northumberland man has been jailed for carrying out sexual offences against two underage girls and possessing child sexual abuse images.

Callum Hall chatted to one underage girl on social media and "pressured" her into sending him naked pictures of herself. He then coerced the girl into having sex with him and made comments saying he would show people her pictures if she didn't comply.

Hall committed offences against a second underage girl as well, and led her into woods before gripping her neck and asking her to perform a sexual act on him. The 21-year-old was also found to be in possession of indecent images of children and extreme pornography - some images he had depicted babies being abused.

On Friday, Hall, of Newlyn Drive, Cramlington, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court to be sentenced for causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of making indecent images, three counts of sexual activity with a child, and breach of a sexual risk order. The offences were committed when Hall was under the age of 18, but was significantly older than the victims.

The court heard that Hall met one of the girls on Snapchat, and "pressured" her to send him naked pictures and videos of herself - which she did. Glenn Gatland, prosecuting, said: "The defendant was pressuring her to send pictures of herself. She complied for him [and sent pictures] on a live Snapchat feed."

What the girl didn't know, was that Hall had used software to save the pictures and videos and then told her to meet him for sex, otherwise he would "show people". The court was told that the girl then met Hall on three occasions and they had sex.

During separate offending, Hall struck up a conversation with a second girl and "encouraged her to walk into the woods". Mr Gatland said: "He put his hands around her neck."

Mr Gatland said that while in the woods, the girl fell over and cut her hand, with some of her blood staining Hall's shirt. He then asked the girl to carry out a sexual act on him as "compensation" - which ultimately did not happen.

The court was told that between 2017 and 2022, Hall was also in possession of indecent images of children. He had 67 category A images, which included babies being sexually abused. He also had 78 category B, and 63 category C images. He had also used "key words" to search online for child sexual abuse images and also had extreme pornography in his collection.

At one stage, Hall was made subject of a sexual risk order - which involved certain prohibitions. But he breached that order when he struck up a conversation with a teenage girl on Snapchat in 2022. His breach came to light when the girl's mother saw his messages and reported it.

Shaun Routledge, defending, said Hall demonstrates a level of immaturity and "didn't have much of a start in life". He said: "He has difficulties that seem to be [related to] ADHD and autism. He has high levels of anxiety and poor decision making."

Mr Routledge said that despite the age gap between Hall and his victims, he was "operating nearer their age than his actual age" and lives in an "isolated world". He added Hall was "extremely remorseful" and that a pre-sentence report advised he would be "extremely vulnerable" in a prison environment.

Sentencing Hall, Recorder Mark McKone KC said his sexual offending was "persistent" and jailed him for 26 months. He was made subject of a 10 year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for 10 years.