Latest Offenders

Description

A PAEDOPHILE who was caught with more than 100 indecent images of children on his devices has walked free from court.

Cheshire Police issued a search warrant for an address in Widnes, home of Paul Dixon, following intelligence relating to an ‘online user engaging in conversation about sexual abuse of a child’.

Prosecuting, Alex Farrow said that Dixon’s home, on Guernsey Road, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8, was searched by officers and several devices were recovered for further investigation.

“Devices were found to contain indecent images of children, including 62 category A pictures, 50 category B pictures and 90 category C pictures.”

Along with that, a further 56 extreme pornographic images were found, totalling to 102 indecent images.

Mr Farrow described the 59-year-old as a man of ‘previous good character’.

Defending, Peter Green said Dixon had faced “significant punishment” already from the fact his offending led to him losing his job.

“That has had a significant impact on him and his wife as well,” he said, adding that his wife is “standing by him” and came to show her support in court.

Concluding, chair of the bench Ian Johnston addressed the defendant, saying: “You have committed multiple offences. You are not going to jail today but not by much.”

He handed Dixon a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 24 months and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as well as take part in 30 rehabilitation requirement days.

The defendant will also sign on to notification requirements for seven years and will be subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Description

A pervert who sent a photograph of his genitals to a teenage girl has been locked up for his sickening behaviour.

Lewis Hart also sent sexualised images to his landlord six months later during a campaign of harassment while he was on police bail.

The 36-year-old sent several messages to the woman telling her that he found her attractive, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Jon Harley, prosecuting, said Hart told the teenager that he wanted to ‘get it out of his system’ when he sent her the sexually explicit images last May.

He said the defendant sent a WhatsApp message to the woman while he was intoxicated and the harassment had left the victim feeling physically sick.

Hart, of Blackmore Close, Guisborough, pleaded guilty to sending sexual communication to a child, sent a photograph or video to cause alarm, distress or humiliation, and cause harassment without violence.

John Nixon, mitigating, said the father had become ‘low and desperate’ when he committed the offences.

“It doesn’t excuse what happened but does show that it was out of character and is something that he bitterly regrets indeed,” he added.

“There is a very good prospect of rehabilitation and little likelihood of further offences being committed. He still plays a role in the life of his biological children and there is hope for the future.”

Judge Timothy Stead jailed Hart for a total of 16 months.

He said: “It is understood that you and your family had been having a difficult time and your own mental health has not always been good.

“The difficulty in this case lies in the most serious offence in this case, sexual communication with a child, is an offence committed against a 14-year-old.

“You sent six images to her and are undoubtedly of a sexual nature and most people would find them troubling and disgusting.”

Hart was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register for ten years and was made subject of a ten-year restraining order.

Description

A 'twisted' English teacher who admitted receiving a sex act from a 16-year-old student in a cupboard at school after class was spared jail today.

David Howard, 47, wooed the teenager with a Valentine's Day card and a love letter declaring he was 'besotted' with his victim, who branded him a 'predator' today.

Howard joked that they could get caught by the cleaner when they secretly met in the cupboard at the end of the school day, Woolwich Crown Court was told.

He sent her cards, letters, mini-discs and books, including a paperback by notorious sexual libertine and sex criminal Marquis de Sade. They also met out of school and spent long periods speaking on the phone.

'I fear I have become besotted by you', he told her. 

The court heard that he was single, then aged 24, and in his first teaching job at Crown Woods School, Eltham - since renamed Leigh Stationers Academy. 

Howard, of Lewes, now married with a child, pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in sexual activity, while in a position of trust, in 2002.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months, plus thirty days of a Probation Service-ordered rehabilitation activity requirement and must sign the sex offenders register for seven years.

He was seen in the company of the girl, then 16 and still wearing her uniform, in the Blackheath area of south-east London.

She told the court she later reported him to the deputy headmaster and another teacher at the time, but nothing happened.

Prosecutor Matthew Dalton said the now 38-year-old victim first reported Howard - who quit teaching for the legal profession - in 2021 and gave a video-recorded statement to police on August 27 that year.

'I received a Valentine's Day card when I was sixteen years-old,' she told officers.

The card was posted to her family home and was followed by a hand-written A4 letter in which Howard wrote: 'I fear I have become besotted by you.'

'The author was her teacher, who also got on the same train as her when she travelled to school,' said Mr Dalton. 

'They also spent time together outside school.'

The victim told police she performed a sex act on him in a cupboard 'at the end of the corridor, on the top floor.'

She spent so long on the house phone with Howard her mother asked: 'Who are all these calls to,' and said: 'That's the big phone bill.'

She also once visited Howard's flat, but there is no suggestion any sexual activity took place there.

Over ten years later, in 2013 she sent him a letter saying she was now aware he 'groomed and abused' her, but Howard did not reply.

Judge Charlotte Welsh told Howard: 'You chose to use that girl to make you feel better, which was an extremely cruel thing to do. She was not equipped to deal with your sexual advances.

'It was highly selfish behaviour, a twisted immoral attempt at courtship that was criminal.

'I accept your remorse is genuine, but that is cold comfort to the victim. There is a genuine prospect of rehabilitation and I accept your understanding that what you did was so wrong.' 

The victim attended the hearing and read aloud her impact statement, a few metres from Howard. 

'Predators like him are able to identify vulnerable children like me,' she said.

'The grooming was so powerful that for a decade I was convinced it was a consenting relationship.

'What happened was a badly kept secret. The Deputy Head saw us together, I told another teacher and they did nothing, allowing him to continue to sexually abuse me.'

'I was anxious, agoraphobic, isolated and afraid and fearful in public,' she told the packed courtroom.

'I have nightmares of David Howard chasing and attacking me.

'I have been driven to pour boiling water on my wrists to reduce stress and moved to a home near a railway level crossing, with the intention of ending my life.

'I hope all the teachers feel one tenth of my guilt and shame for not reporting. He told me he was in a relationship with another pupil and I believe he abused others.'

Mr Dalton added: 'Howard was flirty with her in the classroom and she describes him as popular and as the "cool teacher" and he would have been twenty-four years-old at the time.

'She says that she had a crush on him and would lie to her parents about where she was when she was with Howard.'

The victim recalled the light-hearted way Howard dealt with the stock cupboard act. 'There was a joke about getting caught by the cleaner as it was the end of the school day.'

Howard's lawyer James Martin told the court his client is now seeing a counsellor, but Judge Welsh noted this only began when he was arrested.

'This was many, many years ago and you are passing sentence on someone who is a different human being,' said the lawyer.

'He is now married with a child and this was his first job and he was immature and teaching children not much younger than himself.

'He accepts it was morally unacceptable and was not aware it was criminal and does not accept that he groomed her.

'What took place in the cupboard was slightly before her exams and it was never a full sexual relationship, just that one off incident in the cupboard as distressing as that may be.

'There were very personal circumstances at the time that I would rather not get into in open court,' said Mr Martin. 'He has dealt with a substantial amount of residual guilt for what he has done.

'Some time ago he wrote a letter of remorse and apology to the victim and that letter is in the hands of the Crown Prosecution Service and available if she wants to read it.

'He will have to find a new career now and at his age that in itself is a significant punishment. He moved away from the teaching profession to engage in the world of law.'

Judge Welsh told first-time offender Howard: 'By its nature it was abusive at all times. You sent her a Valentine's Day card and told her you were besotted.

'You spent time together outside of the school, not even surreptitiously and others knew what was going on.

'It took her many years to understand that what you did to her was abuse and I cannot give justice as to how it has impacted her life.

'The people who should have stepped in to stop what was going on did nothing and she is still plainly suffering anxiety and clearly not managing it.

'You tell me you saw your involvement as a genuine relationship, but it was a warped view given that she was a schoolgirl and you were a schoolteacher.

'I am told you acknowledge this now and are disgusted by what you did then.'

The Judge ruled Howard's behaviour did not amount to grooming, adding: 'It must have been a stressful environment in a large London comprehensive and you had a crisis of confidence and mental health difficulties.

'You quit teaching as you were unable to cope'.

Description

A 32-year-old “prowler” sexually assaulted three schoolgirls and exposed himself to other groups of people during a short spell of offending in Derby city centre.

Derby Crown Court heard how Muftah Mohammed walked up to each of his three young victims and grabbed their backsides or breasts before moving on.

The defendant, who lives in the city centre, walked into a bank and dropped his trousers exposing himself to the staff and customers there. Now he has been jailed for his “disgusting” offending but is likely to be back on the streets within days as he has served most of that time in jail on remand.

Jailing him for 15 months, Recorder Mary Prior KC said: “None of your victims should have been subjected to any kind of sexual assault in the middle of the day in Derby city centre. Each of them was left suffering upset and distress and will have been impacted in their ability to do what young 16-year-old girls should be able to do, which is to walk around without fear of being attacked by a complete stranger.”

Steve Gosnell, prosecuting, said all of the incidents took place on the afternoon of May 24 when the city centre was busy with shoppers. He said Mohammed first walked into the foyer of a bank on east Street, dropped his trousers and exposed himself to the workers and customers in there before walking out.

The prosecutor said: “This was prowling behaviour if I can put it that way. This is not a case where he was standing in a doorway waiting for people, he was approaching groups. He walked around the city centre and cathedral area approaching groups of people including school girls in their uniforms.

“He slapped one 16-year-old to her bum and said to her ‘touch my ****’ then moved on. He approached a second 16-year-old, walked straight up to her and grabbed her left breast and then walked away.

“He then headed straight to a third group of schoolgirls, approached another 16-year-old, stroked his hand across her breasts and tried to pull at her shirt.

“After that he exposed himself to the group and said ‘have a look at this, do you want some?’.” Mr Gosnell said none of the three girls he touched wanted to give victim impact statements but members of the group of girls he exposed himself to said they felt “disgusted and discomforted” by what they saw.

Mohammed, of Chapel Street, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecent exposure. He has 11 previous court appearances for 22 offences, but nothing of a sexual nature and was assisted at this week’s hearing by a North African Arabic interpreter.

Lesley Pidcock, mitigating, said her client had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs on the day of the offences and has mental health issues. She said: “He is sorry, he is remorseful and he does regret his actions.

“Let’s put it plainly, it was not normal behaviour in inverted commas, and it is clear he has not behaved in this way before.”

As well as the jail term, the judge ordered the defendant to sign on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. As he has already served the equivalent of a 14-month sentence on remand, Mohammed is likely to be released in the next month where he will serve the remainder of the sentence on licence in the UK due to his immigration status.

Description

A father had a so-called "paedophile manual" which contained a detailed step-by-step guide on how to find, groom, and have sex with children from the age of two, a court has heard.

One of the tips in the 170-page book for men who want access to children is to target single mothers who "lack self-confidence" and would welcome a new relationship.

Swansea Crown Court heard Jason Church was also found to have downloaded more than 39,000 pictures and videos of children and babies as young as two months old being sexually abused. Sending the 40-year-old to prison a judge said he was of the view that the defendant posed "a risk and a danger to children".

Ashanti-Jade Walton, prosecuting, told the court that at at 7.15am on August 23, 2023, police officers and forensic investigators executed a search warrant at the defendant's family home in Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire in response to intelligence which showed that indecent images had been downloaded by a device linked to the property. She said the officers explained the purpose of their visit to Church and he told them the material they were looking for was on his device. An initial examination of a Samsung phone showed the presence of indecent images and the defendant was arrested and taken into custody. The court heard that a welfare check was then carried out on the defendant's wife as she was noted to be "in shock" at what had happened.

The prosecutor said a detailed examination of the seized phone and its SD memory card revealed more than 39,000 pictures and film clips of children being sexually abused including 2,688 Category A images showing the most serious kinds of abuse. The court heard some of the images showed the attempted rape of a baby girl aged between two and four months.

Miss Walton said investigators also uncovered a 170-page book stored on the phone called How to Practice Child Love which gave detailed step-by-step advice and instructions on how adults can find, groom, and have sex with children from the age of two years upwards. The court heard how the book said "there were no good arguments" against adults having sex with children and it boasted that it was based on "advanced child psychology and research". The court heard that among the tips the book offered men wanting to find children for sex was to get a pet, as "you will be a kid magnet", and to target single mothers who "suffer from a lack of self-confidence" and are desperate for a relationship.

In his police interview the defendant accepted downloading indecent images.

Jason Rhydian Church, now of Llangrannog, Llandysul, Ceredigion, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images and to possession of a "paedophile manual" – contrary to s69 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 – when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Regan Walters, for Church, said the defendant had cooperated with police who came to his address and had already sought help from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity which works to prevent child sexual abuse. He said the defendant knew he should not have been searching for and downloading the kind of material found on his device and said it was unfortunate that he "chose to bypass that understanding". The barrister said that while in no way intended to be an excuse for Church's behaviour his client had been suffering from depression since 2019 something which "informed his consumption of alcohol" – a situation which spiralled during the Covid pandemic. He added that as a result of his offending his client had lost his managerial job with a timber frame business, which had been a "devastating loss" for him.

Judge Huw Rees said viewing material of the kind found on Church's phone would be a "harrowing experience for right-thinking people" but for the defendant was "a source of a base, crude sexual preoccupation". The judge said the children shown in the images on Church's device were real children being sexually abused and exploited "to satisfy the degenerate and lustful demands" of people like the defendant and he said in his view Church posed "a risk and a danger to children".

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Church was sentenced to 22 months in prison comprising 16 months for possession of indecent images and six months for possession of the paedophile manual to run consecutively. The defendant will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Church will be a registered sex offender for 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

Description

Kent Police has a team of officers dedicated to checking the conduct of registered sex offenders, to ensure they are complying with any conditions imposed by a court following a conviction.

Paul Webster was issued with a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) following his conviction on 1 September 2017 at Maidstone Crown Court, for making indecent images of children.

The SHPO had several prohibitions around his use of the internet, alongside a requirement to allow officers to inspect his computers and other devices.

Inspection 

On Wednesday 14 February 2024, two officers visited Webster’s home and asked him to present any phones or computers in his possession for inspection. He gave the constables a phone that was not enabled for the internet and claimed he had no other devices.

A search of the premises found two internet enabled phones, one under a pillow, 11 USB sticks and an SD card. One of the phones contained indecent images of children including some in the most serious category, and a browser that did not retain internet history.

Webster’s actions were evidence of multiple breaches of his SHPO. Officers also found he had acquired a bank card without notifying the police, in contravention of his sex offender notification requirements.

Investigators charged Webster, of Railway Street, Chatham, with making indecent images of a child, failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Sentenced

Webster pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and, on Friday 20 December 2024, the 56 year old was jailed for three years and nine months.

Description

A Coventry man who groomed what he believed to be two teenage girls has been jailed. Ahmed Kajee was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court.

Police arrested 55-year-old Kajee in Coventry in February. He believed that he was speaking to 13 and 14-year-old girls, who were found to be decoys from Saving Childrens Futures.

Kajee pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He also admitted to inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, Warwick Crown Court said.

Kajee, from Coventry, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on Wednesday, December 18. He will spend two years in jail.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “It is illegal for anyone to have, share, or make sexual images or videos of people under 18. We will decide whether to take action depending on things like evidence of exploitation or grooming.

“Children can become victims of abuse on the internet through online games, social networking sites, and apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. To help protect children while they are online, encourage them to talk to you about how they use the internet and show you what they do.

“Have an agreement in place and set boundaries for their internet use, such as when and where they can use their devices and for how long. Check age ratings that come with games, apps, films, and social networks to confirm whether they are suitable.

“Activate parental controls on your home network and all devices, including mobile phones and game consoles, and safe settings can also be activated on sites such as Google and YouTube. Make sure they are aware of the risks of sharing images online and that you both know how to remove content should you need to.”

Description

A "dangerous" convicted sex offender got a nasty shock when a 12-year-old schoolgirl that he was exchanging explicit and highly sexualised online messages with turned out to be an undercover police officer trying to trap paedophiles.

Perverted predator Connor Smith had already been jailed in the past for seven years but, after he was released from prison, it did not "deter" him that the decoy girl was only 12, Hull Crown Court heard.

Smith, 43, of Eastfield Road, Market Weighton, admitted attempting engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity between July and August.

Judge Alexander Menary told the court that Smith had been jailed at Hull Crown Court for seven years in July 2018 for two offences of sexual activity with a child. He had been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

The offences, from 2016, involved him befriending and forming a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl and having sex with her on a number of occasions when she should have been at school.

Smith served a significant period of that prison sentence but he was twice released on licence. He had been recalled to prison because of other concerns from the probation service.

After he was released, he began communicating with someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl but who was really an undercover police officer. "The fact that she was a 12-year-old girl did not deter you," said Judge Menary.

Smith encouraged the decoy girl to commit sexual acts. He had a worrying interest in children but he had not acknowledged this. The probation service regarded him as posing a risk of serious harm to children through further offences.

Billy Torbett, mitigating, said that Smith pleaded guilty at an early stage. "There is no denying that his behaviour is, quite simply, unacceptable," said Mr Torbett.

"He is ashamed of himself, as he should, quite frankly, be. He is remorseful for his offending."

Smith had kept out of trouble for a time after his release from prison but he "ruined that" by committing the offences. He was realistic about facing a prison sentence again.

Smith, who was already in custody, was jailed for four years after being branded a "dangerous" offender. He will be on extended licence of five years after his release from prison.

He must register as a sex offender for life and the indefinite sexual harm prevention order will continue.

Description

A “high-risk” self-confessed paedophile from Dundee who victimised a girl on TikTok has been jailed “to bring home the seriousness” of his predatory offending.

Raheel Bajwa, 20, bombarded the girl with images and videos on apps like TikTok and Snapchat for more than a year from an address in Dundee.

Description

A VIOLENT sex offender has been jailed for nine years after orchestrating a series of fire attacks on homes of potential witnesses in his upcoming court case.

Josh Neil, 25, hired two men from Aberdeen to terrorise a family while behind bars, demanding that they set fire to the doors of addresses in Penicuik, Midlothian with promise of payment if they provided video footage as proof.

Four separate attacks were carried out in the town, with two of them endangering the lives of young children present in the homes.

Stephen Barry and Ty Hyland, both from Aberdeen, were part of a gang that struck after the mum made physical and sexual accusations against a man.

As previously reported by the Press and Journal, Neil admitted acting with others while he was in Peterhead’s HMP Grampian and Barlinnie Prison, in Glasgow, to wilfully set fire to two homes in Penicuik in November 2022 and May 2023.

He further pled guilty to disorderly conduct in November 2022 while acting with others when an accelerant was poured over the door of a house.

Neil is currently serving a sentence for a conviction of serious abuse against a woman, with his earliest possible release date being December 2027.

However, on Friday he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh to another nine years for offences related to the fire attacks.

His nine-year jail term will be served following his present stint behind bars.

Detective sergeant Narelle Allan said: “Josh Neil will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.

“I hope his conviction and sentencing will bring justice to all involved, who have shown great strength in reporting what happened to them.”

Description

A known sex offender has been jailed after he sexually exploited a 15-year-old girl.

Craig Coney, 37, of no fixed abode in Devizes, groomed and treated the girl as if he was in a relationship with her for more than six months.

Coney was found guilty of five counts of penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 15 years on no fewer than 13 occasions at a trial.

On December 20, 2024, at Salisbury Crown Court he was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

He is also subject to the requirements of being a registered sex offender and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which prohibits him from contacting the victim and having any unsupervised contact with any females under 16.

Description

An Ebbw Vale man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of more than 10 sexual offences against children.

Colin Morris, 48, pled guilty to all offences, including three counts of rape of a child under 13, two counts of attempt rape, one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent images of children and three counts of distributing indecent images of children.

He was today (Monday 23 December) sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years at Newport Crown Court.

This proactive investigation was launched by our cybercrime team in April when we received intelligence that Morris had accessed indecent images of children online.

We then conducted a warrant at his property in Ebbw Vale and seized digital devices. Examination of these devices led us to identify further offences, including the rape of two children.

Description

A man sexually assaulted a girl in the back of his car after messaging her under a false name and driving her towards the moors.

Waseem Ullah, 28, picked the girl up after she was reported missing to police on June of this year.

He then drove her around Bolton before driving towards the moors in Darwen where he sexually assaulted her in the back of his car. 

Police say that Ullah had spoken to an underaged girl on social media, saying he would pay her to “chill” with him, £20 for an hour, £40 for two. 

The victim said she was underage and didn’t want to meet up with him, but he persisted and said, "see me sometimes and I pay u and u can get stuff with it".

Ullah then started sending sexually explicit messages and asked for explicit photographs of herself from the girl.

This was reported to police in May 2022 after the victim's mother found the messages and Ullah was arrested.

He was bailed but broke restrictions by committing further crimes.

Police say that this was when he used a false name on social media to arrange a meeting with the girl who went missing in June before sexually assaulting her near Darwen.

Specialist officers spoke to the girl who told them what happened and how she had met Ullah.

The officers then identified that the contact number the victim provided of the suspect was registered to Ullah, of Mobberley Road, Breightmet.

He was then spotted driving in Bolton on June 9 and seen emptying and cleaning his car.

Ullah was arrested, charged and remanded.

He at first denied his crimes but eventually pleaded guilty to causing a female 13 or over to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

Ullah also admitted to two counts of sexual assault, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and breach of court bail conditions.

Brought before Bolton Crown Court, Ullah was jailed for six years with a four-year extension.

PC Becky Greenwood, of the Bolton Complex Safeguarding Team, said: “Waseem Ullah showed no remorse for his behaviour and denied his criminality until he was faced with indisputable evidence.

"He was persistent in his attempts to exploit the survivors in this case, and I am pleased that we were able to secure the evidence to send him to prison for a long time.”

She added: “I would like to thank the girls who spoke to us and bravely disclosed Ullah’s depraved behaviour. 

“We know that this sentence goes no way to make up for what Ullah subjected them to, but we hope they can draw some comfort from the fact he is now behind bars.”

Description

A registered sex offender who began sexual chats with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy has been jailed. Aaron Batchelor, 29, sent messages to the boy who was actually an undercover police officer.

Batchelor, of Wootton Avenue, Fletton, Peterborough, sent messages on Snapchat and WhatsApp between June 5 and July 3 of this year. He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (December 20).

He admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and three counts of breaching, and two attempted breaches, of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A Doncaster paedophile has been jailed for four years after being pleading guilty to child sexual offences.

Harvey Cooper was apprehended on Monday 23 October after communicating with who he thought was a 12-year-old boy online and through social media.

Cooper had even gone as far as buying them a train ticket to they could meet.

Officers were waiting at Doncaster train station to arrest Cooper when he was arrived to meet the child.

Following his arrest, officers searched his address and seized 25 electronic devices.

PC Steph Armitage, of South Yorkshire Polices Internet Sexual Offences Team (ISOT) said: As the digital world continues to expand, with access to the internet at pretty much everyones fingertips and new social media platforms being introduced, this is a growing area of criminality that carries a large amount of risk, as the victims are the most vulnerable members of our communities children.

For obvious reasons, many of our investigations happen behind the scenes as we look to take some of South Yorkshires most dangerous predators, like Cooper, off our streets. We will continue to work tirelessly to keep children safe.

Appearing at court on Friday 22 December, Cooper, formerly of East Lane, was sentenced to four years for arranging / facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He was also sentenced to 12 months for engaging in sexual communication with a child and two years for arranging to meet a boy under 16 years of age following grooming. Both of these sentences will run concurrently.

Cooper is also subject to a ten year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), a barring order and a victim surcharge.