Latest Offenders

Description

A Torquay man fired an air gun after losing his temper with a group of noisy men outside his house. Mike McCabe hit one man on the arm, a court heard.

He was already under police investigation for downloading child sex abuse images from the internet and sharing them with other paedophiles on Kik Messenger. The 39-year-old of Upton Road appeared at Exeter Crown Court to be sentenced for the separate crimes.

He said he was very sorry and just wanted to get on with his life. But the judge jailed him for two years and eight months.

The judge said the most serious offence in the eyes of the court involved the discharge of the air rifle. It happened in June of last year when McCabe yelled at a group of men near the coach station to turn the music down.

They heard shots and the defendant appeared armed with a BB gun, said prosecutor Zoe Kuyken. He fired towards the group and hit a man on the elbow causing a small mark.

Police arrested him and McCabe said he had drunk four pints and been smoking cannabis. He said he had only wanted to scare the group.

The defendant admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three offences of downloading indecent images, distributing images and also possession of prohibited images.

In November 2023 police received intelligence from the National Crime Agency of suspicious activity linked to the defendant's IP address. The seized McCabe's phone and found almost 500 indecent images of children on his phone, 184 extreme images and five prohibited images.

A total of 346 images were in the most serious category of abuse and further analysis revealed 73 had been distributed on Kik. McCabe told police he was under the influence of drink and cocaine.

Martin Salloway, defending, said McCabe was "alone drunk and lonely" at the time and spending too long on the internet. He distributed the images to like-minded people and was extremely remorseful. "He is keen to get on with his life," said Mr Salloway.

Recorder Simon Levene said McCabe could have had the victim's eye out by firing the air rifle. He ordered McCabe be subject to a sexual harm prevention order as part of the sentence.

Description

A man has been jailed for a number of non-recent child sex offences on the Isle of Wight.

Ryan Phillips, aged 24, was charged with the following offences, which were perpetrated against six children:

• Rape a girl under 13 between 19 August 2012 – 19 August 2015 in Shanklin
• Assault a girl under 13 by penetration between 19 August 2012 – 19 August 2015 in Shanklin
• Inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity between 6 July 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Rape a girl under 13 between 6 July 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Rape a girl under 13 between 6 July 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Rape a girl under 13 between 6 July 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Rape a girl under 13 between 1 April 2016 and 6 July 2017 in Shanklin
• Assault a boy under 13 by touching between 1 January 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity between 1 January 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity between 1 January 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Rape of a boy under 13 between 30 May 2014 and 30 May 2015 in Shanklin
• Inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity between 1 January 2011 and 12 August 2014 in Shanklin
• Inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity between 30 May 2014 and 30 May 2015 in Shanklin
• Inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity on 6 February 2014 and 6 February 2015 in Shanklin
• Engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 between 15 March 2014 and 15 March 2015 in Shanklin

The abuse was first reported to police in July 2022, before a lengthy investigation was commenced by the Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) on the Isle of Wight.

Phillips, of Melville Street in Sandown, was himself under the age of 18 when all of these offences occurred.

During the abuse, he tried to stop the victims telling anyone, by claiming they would get into trouble if they did, and that the abuse should remain ‘our little secret’.

He denied all of the charges, and the case went to trial at Portsmouth Crown Court on 17 February this year.

On 13 March, he was found guilty of all 15 counts by the jury.

Appearing at the same court for sentencing on Thursday 22 May, he was jailed for 12 years and handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge Melville commented on the ‘disastrous effect’ the offences had on the victims, and that they may never recover.

Detective Sergeant Iain Robertson, from the Isle of Wight CAIT team, said: “Reporting abuse of this nature takes an incredible amount of courage, and all of the victims in this case have shown that throughout this investigation and the subsequent court process.

“The abuse they suffered at the hands of Phillips was horrific, and through their collective bravery they have ensured he has been brought to justice.

“Rape and other sexual offences, particularly those involving children, have a devastating and long lasting impact on victims, and it can often take years for those affected to find the confidence to speak up about it.

“Offences of this nature can also be some of the most harrowing and complex for police to investigate, but this case demonstrates that justice can still be secured even years after a crime has been committed.

“I hope the outcome of this investigation can give confidence to those who have been abused and are suffering in silence that they are not alone, we will take action and we will do everything in our power to target those responsible.”

Description

A man from Bradford has been jailed for 5 years after admitting to breaching a sexual harm prevention order and making indecent photographs of a child.

Bradley Ashton-Fearnley aged 50 of Manningham Lane also known as Trevor Emmett, pleaded guilty to seven counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order at Bradford Crown Court on 21st May.

He was arrested in January of this year by officers from the Bradford District Public Protection Unit and all his devices were seized.

A number of indecent images were found on them along with communication between other people where he requested these images.

He plead guilty to all the charges and was sentenced to 5 years in jail, the sexual harm prevention order was made indefinite and he was ordered to pay £228 in costs.

Detective Constable Katie Jones of Bradford District’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team said:

“Ashton-Fearnley is a prolific offender, he has a long history of offences involving illegal images of children and has persistently breached orders put in place to prevent his offending.

“We hope that this sentence will serve as a warning to others that offences of this nature are taken very seriously by West Yorkshire Police and anybody caught facilitating the abuse of children by looking at indecent images of anybody under the age of 18 can expect to face the consequences of their actions.”

Description

A paedophile from Worcester has been sentenced at court today (Thursday 22 May) to 14 years for non-recent sexual abuse of girls under 13.

Anthony Blewitt, 65, of Selborne Road, Worcester, (pictured) was found guilty on Wednesday by a jury for nine counts of child sexual abuse between 2002 and 2015.

Today at Worcester Crown Court, Blewitt, was handed the 14-year term, of which me must serve at least two thirds and was ordered to register as a sex offender for an indefinite period.

He was convicted of the following: -

• Assault of a child under 13 by penetration – a sentence of 14 years.
• Sexual assault of a child under 13 - five years.
• Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity – eight years.
• Three counts of indecency with a child - eight years.
• Three counts of indecent assault – eight years.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE exposed himself to children in shops as part of a “warped” sexual game in which he used cards and a dice to pursue young girls with the intent of sexually abusing them.

Prosecutor Hannah George told Swansea Crown Court that 60-year-old Steven Loveridge was “a determined paedophile who has an entrenched sexual interest in children”.

On November 28 last year, Loveridge exposed his penis to a nine-year-old girl who was waiting for her mother outside the toilets at Asda in Ystalyfera.

She covered her eyes and reported the incident to her mum. This was then reported to staff and the police.

At around 3.30pm on December 8, two girls visited Home Bargains in Ystradgynlais. The defendant stood behind them and said ‘Hiya girls’. They moved as they felt “uncomfortable”, but Loveridge followed them.

Loveridge then exposed his penis and said ‘Do you want to stroke my cock?’.

The girls ran away and reported the incident to staff, and this was then reported to the police.

Loveridge was arrested walking from Ystalyfera to Ystradgynlais, and he was found with dice and coloured cards which included actions such as ‘Follow 15’, ‘Pursue 10’, ‘Stop pursuing’, ‘Girl incoming’, and ‘Hostage’.

Police recovered six laptops, tablets, computers, a video recorder, and SD cards from his home.

On these, officers found 82 Category A – the most serious – indecent images, 64 Category B images, and 323 Category C images dating back to July 2007. These included 48 Category A, 26 Category B, and 69 Category C videos.

He had also searched for the age of consent in the UK and primary school lunch and break times.

The officers also found notes and maps detailing children, their schools, their ages, and the routes they would take. He also marked out cycle routes, houses with children’s toys outside, and “escape routes” on the maps, as well as labelling a group of remote outbuildings with the word ‘hostage’.

Ms George said the defendant used the map, cards, and dice as part of a “warped” sexual game he created to target children and commit sexual offences.

Amongst the notes, he referred to some children as being “in their prime”, and police also found voice recordings including one that detailed his offending in Home Bargains in which he said “I felt like it was going to work”.

He also gave files names including ‘Operation Salad Cream’ - which detailed the movements of children and how he watched them playing hockey – and ‘Home Bargains Make It Happen’.

Loveridge, of Cyfyng Road in Ystalyfera, pleaded guilty to two offences of exposure, two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and three charges of possessing indecent images of children.

Mr Roberts, appearing for the defendant, described this as “a worrying case”.

“There’s really no mitigation coming from the facts of the case,” he said.

“His behaviour was driven by a devious sexual interest in children.”

He added the offences were committed “at a time he had some difficulties in his life” which led to his “inhibitors [being] completely absent”.

Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Loveridge to a total of six years and seven months in custody, with a further six years extended licence period.

He must register as a sex offender for life, and the judge imposed 15-year restraining orders.

Judge Richards commended the police investigation which uncovered the scale of Loveridge’s offending.

Description

The deployment of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology by Met Police officers in Southwark helped put a registered sex offender back behind bars.

LFR is an advanced technology where Met officers position a van equipped with cameras in a pre-agreed location in London.

These cameras capture live footage of people passing by and compare their faces against a database of wanted offenders. If a match is detected, the system generates an alert. An officer will then review the match and decide if they wish to speak with the individual.

On the afternoon of Friday, 10 January, a police van with LFR was operating in the Denmark Hill area, when cameras alerted officers to 73-year-old David Cheneler as being a registered sex offender. Upon being stopped by officers, he was found to be with a six-year-old girl.

Further checks confirmed he was in breach of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which prevented him from being alone with a child under the age of 14. He was also in possession of a lock knife that was hidden in the buckle of his belt. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Further enquiries from Met officers established Cheneler had picked the child up from school as a favour for her mother, which he’d also done on two previous occasions after building a relationship with them both over the course of a year.

This case is another example of how the Met’s use of LFR is protecting communities by helping officers take dangerous offenders off the streets of London.

The Met is a forerunner in using this technology as part of its commitment to make London safer by harnessing cutting-edge technology and data to identify and apprehend offenders who pose significant risks to our communities.

Description

A man who sexually abused a vulnerable child at a party 13 years ago has been sentenced, following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.

Jacek Brzozowski, 35, a Polish national of Rotherham, had sex with the 15-year-old girl during one of a number of parties held at his home at which she and her friend were raped by other men.

Brzozowski was today [21 May] sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years, at Sheffield Crown Court. He has also been placed on the Sexual Offenders Register for 10 years.

Romauld Stefan Houphouet, 37, an Ivoirian national of Sheffield, and Absolom Sigiyo, 42, a Zimbabwean national of Rotherham were previously sentenced to more than 38 years in total for rape and other offences against the girls, at Sheffield Crown Court on 3 March.

The victims told investigators they were taken to numerous parties in Rotherham where they were given alcohol and abused by the men, some of whom openly referred to them as “fresh meat”.

At one of the parties Brzozowski, then aged 22, took one of the girls up to a bedroom, where he had sex with her.Houphouet, who had raped the girl previously, found them together and became angry. He told Brzozowski to leave, and then raped the girl again in an act of revenge.

Specially trained officers from Operation Stovewood – the NCA’s investigation into historic allegations of sexual abuse in Rotherham – contacted the women, who are both now in their 20s, after identifying they were potentially victims. The women subsequently told officers about the abuse.

Senior Investigating Officer Kath Blain said: “Jacek Brzozowski lived in a house where two girls were repeatedly plied with alcohol and subjected to horrific sexual assaults at parties. He could have helped them but instead he took advantage of the situation for his own sexual gratification.“Our investigation, supported by the victim’s testimony, has ensured that Brzozowski has been held to account for his crime.

“There is no situation in which having sex with a child is legal, so I urge anyone who was sexually abused as a child – no matter how long ago, or if they believed at the time that it was consensual – to report it to police.”Sexual abuse can be reported to police in person or by calling 101. Police officers specially trained to investigate such cases are ready and waiting to help victims.

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 42 people – including Brzozowski – have been convicted

Description

A Wakefield man has been sentenced to 12 years in jail after being found guilty of the rape of a teenage girl.

Awais Hamed, aged 30, of Watson Crescent, Wakefield, was found guilty following a trial at Grimsby Crown Court of one count of rape of a female over 16 years and one count of assault by penetration against the same female victim who was a teenager at the time.

Appearing before the court again today, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

The court was told the victim had been plied with cocaine, heroin and alcohol before the offences which took place in Wakefield in December 2022.

Hamed gave his victim the money to buy drugs.

This prosecution follows a complex investigation by Wakefield District’s Child Vulnerable to Exploitation Team (CVET).  

Another man, Nadeem Hussain, 47, was jailed last year for offences committed against the same victim as part of the wider investigation.

Description

A Stirling sex offender played dumb when police searched his home, claiming not to know the password to a secret child abuse cache on his phone.

Ian Couper’s home was raided by police who examined his  phone.

Description

A prison officer who preyed on who he thought was a 13-year-old girl during his lunch breaks using a messaging app has been spared jail.

Peter Sugden, 46, began communicating with the Kik profile in June 2024, believing it belonged to a young girl from Essex.

However he was actually messaging a volunteer from an online protection team, who was managing the decoy account.

Sugden, of Falkirk, sent indecent messages and sexual remarks to the fictional teenager over the course of 16 days.

So-called paedophile hunters managing the account travelled to his home on June 27 and confronted him, and then contacted police.

Sugden was taken to Falkirk police station and made “full and frank admissions”, according to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

He confessed during interview to sending messages before he left for work, at lunchtimes and early in the evening on an almost daily basis.

Sugden’s mobile phone was examined and found to contain 12 images of child abuse, ranging from category A to C, according to prosecutors.

Sugden appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court on April 2 and admitted taking or making indecent images between March 2019 and June 2024.

He also admitted attempting to indecently communicate with a child.

He was given a three-year community payback order at the same court on Tuesday and will be subject to supervision and restrictions.

He was also added to the sex offenders register.

Helen Nisbet, procurator fiscal for Tayside, Central and Fife, said: “Peter Sugden deliberately conducted a sexualised exchange online with someone he thought to be a 13-year-old girl.

“Following his arrest, his phone was found to contain several images containing child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“Sugden has now been held accountable for his predatory and exploitative conduct, and we hope this prosecution makes clear that we will take action against those who commit this type of offending.”

The Scottish Prison Service has been contacted for comment.

Description

A former house parent at a Scarborough children’s home has been jailed for 18 months for sexually abusing a child in his care in the 1970s.

John William Laister, 83, of no fixed address, currently residing in Full Sutton Prison where he is serving an 12-year sentence for similar crimes, was jailed at York Crown Court on Tuesday 20 May 2025.

He previously pleaded guilty on 4 February 2025 to indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 years.

Laister was previously employed as a house parent at May Lodge children's home in Scarborough. In 1970, a boy resident at the home, was in bed recovering from major surgery when Laister entered his room and put his hands down the child's pyjamas and sexually assaulted him.

The victim has lived with this for over 50 years and recently found the courage to report the abuse to the police.

Description

A shopkeeper who sexually assaulted a schoolgirl when she tried to buy a vape from him in Montrose has been placed on the sex offenders register.

Salman Hssainni denied sexually assaulting and communicating indecently with the 13-year-old when she tried to buy the e-cigarette.

Description

A burglar who raped an elderly and disabled woman in her own home has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Michael Hanmore, 46, attacked his victim at an address on the Isle of Sheppey in the early hours of Saturday 7 May 2022 before stealing her car from outside. He was arrested by Kent Police officers in London the following day and later admitted being responsible for the offences.

The resident of Queenborough Road, Sheerness was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday 20 May 2025 and must serve at least 12 years in prison before being eligible for release on parole, minus the time he has already spent remanded in custody. He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the rest of his life.

Prolonged attack

Hanmores victim was woken at around 2am by the sound of someone moving in her kitchen. A short time later Hanmore burst into her bedroom and carried out a prolonged attack, which including him raping her before stamping on her arms and body whilst demanding money.

The woman then witnessed him stealing cash from within her room before he finally left the property after more than an hour inside. She later realised her mobile phone and tablet were also missing, leaving her unable to call for help until just after 9am when a visitor she was expecting arrived and was told what happened.

An investigation was carried out by Kent Police detectives who were able to use ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) technology to trace the route taken by the victims car after it was driven away from her property.

They also quickly identified Hanmore as a suspect and arrested him in Hackney, east London, on the evening of Sunday 8 May.

Analysis of his mobile phone showed it had been in the same locations as the victims car, and forensic evidence captured at the scene was also linked to him.

Hanmore pleaded guilty to charges of rape, burglary and theft of a motor vehicle prior to sentencing.

Description

A convicted sex offender told an undercover police officer he wanted her to give him oral sex, thinking she was a 12-year-old girl, a court has heard. 

Barrie Williams had been chatting online to who he thought was a young girl in Somerset but who was in fact a police officer acting as a decoy.

Norwich Crown Court heard Williams, who had previous convictions for child sex offences, made sexual remarks to the officer, talking about her giving him oral sex, and taking graphically about what it would be like to have sex with her.

Richard Paterson, prosecuting, said in the conversations, carried out on social media platforms, including SnapChat, between August 2024 and November 2024, the officer clearly stated her purported age was 12.

The prosecutor said Williams, from the Common, Botesdale, Diss, also asked her if she wanted to share some "sexy pictures" for him to wake up to.

The 35-year-old defendant also said if she was closer to home he would get a hotel room so he could stay with her.

Williams, who has three previous convictions for 24 offences, including making indecent images of children, appeared in court, sitting at Whitefriars, on Friday.

He had previously admitted attempting to incite a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and being an adult causing a child to watch sexual activity.

In addition Williams admitted attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) - imposed in June 2021 after previous offending - by contacting the child and breaching the SHPO.

Jailing Williams for 45 months Judge David Pugh said although the victim in this case was an adult decoy the defendant "posed a high risk of harm to female children".
Jude Durr, mitigating, said: "Plainly and self-evidently the appropriate sentence is immediate custody. The only question is how long."

The defendant read to the court a letter in which he said he understood he needed to be punished for his actions.

He said he had made some "foolish" decisions in the past which he was "disgusted" with and "ashamed of" and was "sorry" for.

Williams was also made the subject of an indefinite SHPO and put on the sex offenders' register, also indefinitely.

Description

An online child groomer who persuaded multiple young girls to send him indecent images and videos has been jailed.

Jack Davey, 21, from Meopham, lied about his age and met victims in order to sexually abuse them. He also convinced the girls to perform sexual acts during video calls that he recorded without their knowledge.

Davey was sentenced to three years and four months’ imprisonment when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 9 May 2025 having pleaded guilty to more than 30 separate offences. These included inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, meeting a child following sexual grooming, possessing indecent images of children and making threats to disclose private sexual images with intent to cause distress.

He must serve at least two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole and will spend an additional two years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence. Davey was also made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and will be on the sex offender register for life.

Arrested

Kent Police officers arrested Davey at his home in Harvel Road in May 2022 after being informed he had groomed a 13-year-old girl he had met online. Davey was 17 at the time but pretended he was younger in order to exchange sexual communications with the girl and to arrange to meet with her.

Following his arrest, by which point he had turned 18, the force was made aware of similar indecent contact between Davey and two other girls from other parts of Kent.

A review of the offender’s internet devices revealed that he had been messaging a large number of girls across various platforms in Kent and elsewhere in the country, and saving images and videos of them that were of a sexual nature.

Davey’s sentencing also includes further crimes committed between November 2023 and January 2024 of grooming a 14-year-old girl and multiple breaches of a previous SHPO.