Latest Offenders

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A CONVICTED sex offender failed to comply with a court order because he didn’t want to miss a shift as a pizza delivery driver.

Dominic Middleton, 28, was previously jailed at Carlisle Crown Court in 2016 after he admitted one charge of sexual activity with a child.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday that Middleton, who has since moved to Essex, was subjected to notification requirements for life as part of that sentence.

It means he is required to inform police within three days if he changes any personal details such as his name or address, or opens a new bank account.

Entering the dock with a large Puma holdall, Middleton admitted one charge of failing to comply with notification requirements for sex offenders.

Lucy Osborn, mitigating, said Middleton, of Windmill Court, Colchester, was unable to get to the police station in time to register new personal details because he had to catch an early bus to get to work.

She said: “He accepted he was a day late and explained he was working as a motorcycle delivery driver for Domino's, working very long shifts from 11am to 11pm.

“He would take the S1 bus, a university route – but because it was the summer holidays, he could not get a bus until 9.20am which would get him to work in time for 11am.

“He asked his boss if he could start later but was refused this – his employer stated if he was late attending, it would be referred to HR and he would be dropped from a number of shifts.

“He felt he had no option but to go to work.”

Ms Osborn said: “He felt he was in an impossible position between not wanting to damage his employment prospects and not being entirely forthcoming about the reasons why he wanted time off work.”

District Judge Christopher Williams said breaches of a sexual harm prevention order or notification requirement are serious because “it means someone is at risk of sexual harm”.

Judge Williams imposed a six-week prison sentence, suspended for one year, and ordered Middleton to pay £299 in costs.

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A "disgusting" postman who abused his position to grope multiple women, with one of his victims killing themselves, has been jailed for six and a half years.

Michael Stewart, 63, targeted several women when he was making deliveries in Northumberland, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Two of his five victims have since died, with Judge Robert Spragg saying one of them had taken their own life as a "direct result" of Stewart's actions and Royal Mail's failure to respond to complaints about him.

One of his victims told the BBC Royal Mail took no appropriate action against Stewart. The firm has since apologised and said it had made changes.

Stewart, of Windsor Terrace in Amble, was found guilty of 12 offences including sexual assault, exposure and harassment.

In a statement read to the court, the family of one of his victims said: "We blame Stewart's offending against [the woman] for her mental state and eventual suicide."

'Severe psychological harm'

The woman's mother said their lives had been "destroyed" by her death, which she said was also contributed to by Royal Mail's failure to take action against Stewart.

Judge Robert Spragg said while there were numerous factors involved in a suicide, he was "satisfied" the woman's death was a "direct result" of what Stewart did.

"Had you not behaved in this manner towards her, it is clear she would not have suffered the severe psychological harm she did leading to the loss of her life," the judge told Stewart.

The judge also said Royal Mail's inadequate response contributed to her distress.

Another victim said she felt guilt, anger and sadness that "two of his victims took their own lives".

She said Stewart went from a "nice guy who delivered the post" and "who had kind a word and cheeky smile" to someone she "had to hide from because I was scared".

The woman said she was "disgusted" by Stewart, a grandfather who had worked for Royal Mail for 22 years, and he had "tainted lives".

The court heard the woman complained to the Royal Mail that he sexually assaulted her but, after initially being moved, he was soon put back on her round.

'Hid in plain sight'

The other woman, who has since died, said she had "trusted" Stewart as a "Royal Mail person" and he "took advantage of his position".

She said he ogled her chest like a "kid in a sweetshop" before putting his foot inside her front door to prevent it being closed and grabbing her breast.

Judge Spragg said it was an "appalling catalogue of abuse" against lone women for Stewart's own "sexual gratification".

He said Stewart was popular and "hid in plain sight behind a facade of respectability" and his victims were often afraid to report him due to his status.

When they did, they were "not listened to properly", Judge Spragg added.

'He was not bothered'

One of his victims, whose identity cannot be revealed, told the BBC Stewart was initially "really nice and friendly" and "always had a joke".

But one day, when handing her a package, he walked into her home and grabbed her breast, she said.

She said she told him to "get off" but he was "not even bothered by what he'd done", adding: "He said that I wanted it. I didn't.

"I didn't encourage it.

"That's the bit that upsets me."

The woman said she complained to Royal Mail but they failed to inform police and just "swept it under a rock".

She is now seeking compensation from Royal Mail.

'Abused position of trust'

Det Con Anthony Gourley said Stewart was a "calculating predator" who "abused his position and subjected his victims to horrific ordeals".

Praising the victims for their courage in coming forward, he said it was tragic two of them had not lived to see justice served.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "These crimes were abhorrent and had significant, and in cases tragic, consequences for the victims.

"Stewart abused his position of trust.

"We would like to publicly apologise to the victims, their families and to others who were targeted."

The firm said protection of other people was of the "utmost priority" and it had followed the recommendations of an independent review.

"We implemented changes across the organisation," the spokesperson said, "including a multi-year campaign on sexual harassment and culture in the workplace, new internal reporting tools and clearer codes of conduct and expected behaviours."

A restraining order banning Stewart from contacting his three surviving victims was also made to last indefinitely.

Full inquests are yet to take place.

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A man from Chippenham has been sentenced to four years in prison for raping a teenager.

Ethan Baily, 20, of Hill Rise, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday February 14 after being found guilty by trial in October 2024.

Baily will also be on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was issued a lifetime restraining order from the victim.

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A former police officer has been jailed for sending "inappropriate" and "sexualised" messages to a vulnerable woman whose case he was investigating.

Stuart Trentham, 41, was a South Yorkshire Police officer based in Doncaster when a woman reported that sexual images of her had been posted on the internet without her consent.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that Trentham was in charge of the investigation and lied to the victim, telling her that a suspect was being interviewed when in fact the case had been closed.

The prosecution said the defendant's behaviour became increasingly inappropriate, and started to deteriorate when he began to sign his messages to the victim with a kiss.

Prosecutor Joseph Bell said Trentham then told the woman he "liked a bit of meat" and that there is "nothing worse than a flat, boney butt".

Mr Bell said the woman blocked the defendant but decided to unblock him as she thought he might still have legitimate information about the investigation she wrongly believed was ongoing.

The court heard Trentham later sent the woman a picture of him in police uniform with the message "working hard" accompanied by winking and kissing emojis.

Mr Bell said said the woman had trusted Trentham when he investigated the sexual images but said in her victim personal statement: "I have now come to the painful realisation that I was simply a target for exploitation by him."

Jailing him for nine months, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said Trentham committed a crime that has "undermined" public trust in the police.

Judge Richardson said the defendant began sending WhatsApp messages which started off as "personal", progressed to being "inappropriate" and then to being "sexualised".

Judge Richardson said he was concerned that this kind of offending could result in vulnerable women not coming forward to report crimes.

He told Trentham: "I take no pleasure in sending a former police officer to prison for nine months.

"You have brought this on yourself. It is a terrible day for you.

"I hope this sentence restores some confidence the public repose in the police."

David James, defending, said his client wanted to apologise to the woman and to his former colleagues in the police.

Trentham had pleaded guilty to one count of wilful misconduct at an earlier hearing.

In response to the sentencing, Trentham's former force released a statement saying criminality and poor standards are not tolerated.

Ch Cons Lauren Poultney said: "Members of the public have the right to a police workforce which reflects the true values of policing at all times, and that is especially crucial when they are reporting a crime to us.

“The victim showed great courage coming forward and reporting Trentham’s criminal behaviour. I know this can be particularly difficult to do when the offender is a police officer.

“Ensuring that our officers uphold the force’s standards and culture is an utmost priority for me, and when misconduct and criminality is identified the perpetrators will be dealt with robustly.”

Description

A man from London was sentenced on Friday 14 February to 12 years imprisonment and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, following an investigation into child sex offences in Portsmouth.

William Brown (48) of Beatrice Close in Hillingdon, London appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday for sentencing, following his conviction at the same court on Thursday 19 December 2024 where he pleaded guilty to:

• Rape of a boy under 13
• Two counts of cause/incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Two counts of assault a boy under 13 by touching
• Grooming

The Eastern Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT East) launched an investigation into Brown, after reports were received that he had groomed an 11 year-old boy Portsmouth in September 2023 and sexually abused a 7 year-old boy Port Solent in 2020.

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A Flintshire man has been jailed for 16 years for sexually assaulting three girls.

Adam Griffiths, of no fixed abode, carried out the offences over a seven-year period.

Appearing at Mold Crown Court today, Monday, February 17th, he was jailed after being found guilty by a jury at Mold Crown Court in January.

He was handed three consecutive sentences totalling 16 years in prison, as well as a year of additional licence.

He will be registered as a sex offender indefinitely and was issued restraining orders to protect the victims and their families for the next 10 years.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison after committing online sexual offences against three girls aged between eight and 14.

Edward Durlik, 41 (08/01/1983), of Woking created multiple fake online profiles to gain his victims’ trust. He posed intermittently as an 11-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy, and a 13-year-old girl, and even used photos of a child known to him to support the fake online persona he was portraying.

When speaking to one of his victims, Durlik devised a points game where he would challenge her to send him photos throughout the day. Each photo would be scored, with lower points for normal, everyday images, and higher points for more sexually graphic images and videos. If the victim stopped communicating with him, Durlik would use guilt and blame to force her to send more images.

Police became aware of the messages when a victim’s father found sexualised messages, images, and videos on his daughter’s phone. Durlik was identified through phone work and arrested in June 2023 on suspicion of inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

A forensic examination of his phone discovered 1,055 indecent images of children, 258 of which were Category A images, the most serious, as well as 296 Category B images and 501 Category C images. It was also established that 471 indecent images/movies had been distributed to 39 separate users online.

Durlik was charged on 29 April 2024 with the following offences:

• Five counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity (covering 11 separate occasions)
• One count of causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in penetrative sexual activity (covering more than two occasions)
• One count of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity (covering two separate occasions)
• Two counts of causing a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity (covering more than five occasions)
• Two counts of encouraging the distribution of indecent images (covering eight separate occasions)
• Two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Three counts of making an indecent photo/pseudo photo of a child
• Three counts of distributing an indecent photo/pseudo photo of a child

During sentencing on Friday, 14 February at Guildford Crown Court, His Honour Judge Sellers described Durlik as “dangerous” due to the sustained nature of the offending, significant planning, and manipulative behaviour he employed, and deemed that he should serve a further three-year period of extended licence. He was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Deprivation Order, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Description

A re-offending paedophile who breached a sexual harm prevention order by indecently exposed himself to two young girls has been jailed.

Peter Melville, 60, of Highland Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to 46 months in custody at Swindon Crown Court last Friday (14/02).

Melville pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order following an incident of indecent exposure in Covingham last year.

At around 2pm on September 3, 2024, the victims, aged 12 at the time, were approached by Melville who said he was sexually attracted to them before unzipping his trousers and attempting to expose himself.

We conducted CCTV and doorbell enquiries to identify the offender, who was formerly known as Raymond Casson with more than 10 previous convictions for sexual offences.

Firearms officers stopped and arrested Melville near the M4 in Swindon at 6.30pm and he remained in custody.

In a statement read to the court, one victim, who previously didn't feel scared at all, said Melville's actions left her feeling unsafe and afraid to go out by herself.

She said: "He looked like an innocent, normal man when he walked past - I didn’t think he was going to do something like that.

"I was crying and feeling terrified for a while. It was only when the police arrived I started to calm down because I knew
they were going to help and he wouldn’t come back."

Another victim described how she banged and kicked a house door in an attempt to scare off Melville after he approached her.

Description

A man has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for breaking the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order while staying in Wiltshire.

Jason King, 32, of North Ferriby, North Humberside, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on February 14 after pleading guilty to numerous offences.

Between November 2023 and May 2024, King made and distributed indecent images and videos of children including some of the most serious category A.

After serving his custodial sentence King will continue to be on licence for a further two and half year and will subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Detective Constable Anthony Swift, of the Child Internet Exploitation Team said: "King was convicted of multiple distribution and making indecent images of children. While staying overnight in Chicklade he has engaged in sexual communications with a child which is a breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. These are court orders put in place to protect the public from sexual harm.

"We will continue to manage these orders robustly and undertake more work that goes unreported.

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A meticulous Met Police investigation has today ensured that a dangerous sex offender has been given a 21-year sentence.

Keith Edun, 47 (12. 11.1976) of Strathmore Road, Croydon appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, 14 February, where he was jailed for encouraging the rape and sexual assault of a baby, distribution of indecent images of children, two counts of making indecent images of children and perverting the course of justice.

Detective Constable Phill Govett, investigating officer for the case said:

“Keith Edun has proven himself to be a dangerous sexual offender and a clear risk to children.

“Edun went to great lengths to hide his offending, even deleting a messaging app from his phone before answering the front door to officers ready to search his address.

“This complex investigation has consisted of meticulous enquiries and digital forensic examination of the disturbing material that Edun held on his phone. The fact that Edun will now be behind bars for a long time, means he cannot harm any more vulnerable children.”

An investigation was launched by detectives specialising in tackling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in 2021. Police were informed that indecent images of children had been posted on the social media app ‘Kik’.

The account was linked to Edun’s address in Croydon and a warrant was executed in September 2021. Electrical devices were seized and officers downloaded data showing that Edun had been downloading and then deleting ‘Kik’ in an attempt to hide his online activity.

A separate investigation by another force led to the conviction of a male for the rape of a baby which occurred in March 2020. Upon examination of that male’s devices the investigating officers located online communication with Edun’s Kik account during which Edun had encouraged the male to commit the rape.

Edun was charged in October 2023 and was remanded into custody.

He appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, 14 February where he was sentenced to 13 years in custody with an extended licence period of eight years following his assessment as a dangerous offender. He was also issued with a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The judge said that the evidence shows a determined and committed sexual interest in children, especially babies, over an extended period and that Edun poses a significant risk of harm to children.

DC Govett added “This investigation is an example of the dedication of the Met’s Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Command to keep vulnerable children safe across the UK. Despite Edun not being physically present at the rape, this sentencing shows that those who encourage such offences online are just as culpable for the harm caused.”

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A Torquay man has been jailed for a total of 17 years plus one on extended licence for raping a child and other sexual offences.

Michael Dickinson, 67, of Abbey Road, Torquay, will also have to sign on to the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and was given a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Dickinson pleaded to guilty to two charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and was convicted of two charges of rape of a child under 13 following a trial in December. He was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday 13 February.

Detective Constable James Kelly, who led the investigation said:

 “The sentenced passed by the judge today is to be welcomed.

“Praise is due to the young victim for the bravery they have shown in reporting this to us and for remaining engaged with the investigation and prosecution of this case, all the way through to its conclusion. Also, for her family who have undoubtedly helped and supported her through this process.

“Devon & Cornwall Police is clear in its approach to reports of this nature – we will listen, and you will be heard.

“We will always actively investigate any such crime and seek to bring those responsible to justice for the victims, who we would urge to come forward and report offences to us.”

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A sex offender who raped a woman while she slept has been locked up.

James Spedding and the victim, who were known to each other, had been drinking together on the evening of 15 March 2022.

In the early hours of the following morning she awoke to discover Spedding lying on top of her.

The victim, who was vulnerable and unable to consent to sex, told family members who reported it to police.

Spedding, aged 26, of Mansfield, was arrested a short time later and the victim was interviewed and supported by specialist officers.

He denied rape but was found guilty after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court in November last year.

On Thursday (13 February) he was given a seven-year custodial sentence which he will begin in a secure hospital.

He was also given a 10-year restraining order and must register with police under the Sexual Offences Act indefinitely.

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A former Tory councillor ‘wanted to sexually abuse’ a teen boy, a court heard.

William Horley pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 12 February.

The 47-year-old defendant, who was a parish councillor for Chiseldon and Lawn in recent years, spoke to a profile on Grindr – which had been set up by a paedophile hunter.

Between 12 and 19 March 2024, he spoke about the sexual activity he would have with the boy and the sexual acts he wanted to carry out. He also sent the profile a nude photo of himself.

Horley, of Orchard Road, Marlborough, was sentenced to an 18-month community order with the requirement to carry out 40 days of rehabilitation activity. He was also fined £3,000.

The defendant was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.

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A sex offender who was found by officers in a child’s bed after gaining the trust of the victim’s family has been jailed.

Jake Booth of Pembury Grove in Tonbridge was already banned from communicating with children when he met the teenage girl online and started living in her home.

The 22-year-old created an internet chat group for motorbike enthusiasts and used the forum to contact the child.

From there, their conversations moved to Snapchat and Booth made arrangements to meet the girl and her parents.

After gaining the confidence of the family, he convinced them they were simply close friends so he was allowed to stay in their home.

But, unbeknown to the family, Booth was the subject of a sexual harm prevention order following previous convictions for making indecent images of children in 2022.

This 10-year order included strict measures to protect children and meant he was prohibited from having any unsupervised contact or communication with anyone under 16.

On April 11, 2024, Booth was arrested and found in the child’s bed by officers.

He was charged with 14 offences relating to breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements.

Booth pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and on January 31 and he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Description

A sex offender from North Somerset has been sentenced to four years in prison, with a further four years to be served on licence, following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Bex McCullgh, 25, from Backwell, was arrested in October 2024 after travelling from her home to Bristol to meet who she thought was a young boy. Instead, she was arrested by officers from the SWROCU, charged, and remanded in custody.

She pleaded guilty at Bristol Crown Court on Monday (10 February) to arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

The judge handed McCullgh an extended sentence of eight years, comprising four years custody and four years on extended licence. She will have to serve a minimum of two-thirds of her sentence before applying for release.

McCullgh was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and added to the Sex Offender Register both indefinitely.