Latest Offenders

Description

Pervert Neil Darlington used artificial intelligence to blackmail 'children' into sending him nude photos of themselves. The 'isolated' 51-year-old downloaded images of children as young as three being raped and abused.

And in February this year his offending escalated and he engaged in sex chats with two schoolgirls online. However, he was in fact talking to undercover police officers.

He asked them to send naked pictures of themselves and when they finally relented and sent clothed pictures he used AI technology to alter the images so they were naked. He then blackmailed the 'youngsters' to send him genuine pictures of themselves with nothing on or he would send the pictures he had manipulated to people they knew.

Now Darlington has been jailed for 12 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and was placed on the sex offenders' register for the same period.

The court heard on February 14, Darlington, using an alias, chatted online with an 11-year-old girl from Norwich. He said he was 16. The conversation very quickly became sexual.

He was unaware it was an undercover officer and he sent her a picture of his private area and a video of himself performing a sex act. He persisted in asking the child for sexual images of herself. But she sent a picture of herself clothed. He altered the image using AI technology and sent her the image back of herself naked. She said, 'Oh my God, please delete that'. Darlington said, 'How many boys you know would like to see this'? She said, 'Please do not show anyone the photo. I am scared'.

He told her to take a naked selfie of herself. She told him she was at school and was going to cry. But he sent her a screenshot of a conversation of him offering to show her picture to someone else. She said, 'Why would you do this to me? I have been nice to you'.

Darlington told another girl he was 16 and then changed his age to 25. He engaged in sexualised conversation with her between February 5 and 12. He sent images of his private area and a video of himself or someone else performing a sex act.

He sought sexual images from the child. She eventually relented and sent a picture of herself clothed. Darlington again altered the picture using AI technology. She begged him not to show it to anyone. But he asked her for a naked picture of herself naked or said he would distribute the image to her family or friends.

Darlington said he was going to kill himself when he was arrested on February 22.

Police found indecent images of children at categories A, B and C and pseudo images of children on his phone. The children were aged three to 15. The images showed children as young as three being raped.

Darlington, of Mayer Avenue, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two charges of blackmail; three charges of making indecent photographs of children; making indecent pseudo images of children; two charges of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity; and two charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Robert Holt, mitigating, said Darlington had never been in trouble before. He said: "There have been a poor run of events in the last 10 years and he became isolated and did not communicate with many people. He has fallen into a vicious trap."

He said Darlington was remanded in custody over the weekend which led to him suffering an angina attack and being a high risk of a stroke. Mr Holt said: "The defendant tells me the last four days have been horrific. They have terrified him."

He said Darlington's viewing of images began in 2021 but escalated in a two-week period this year when he began to engage in chat rooms. Mr Holt added: "He accepts his responsibility for this. His remorse is genuine."

Judge Michael Maher said blackmail is 'one of the ugliest crimes and is rightly regarded by the public with loathing and contempt'. He said: "Causing a child to watch a sexual act is a precursor to you blackmailing the children for genuine sexual images. I regard the blackmail as a serious aggravating feature. In this case you sought to take advantage of the perceived vulnerability of your child victims and you used embarrassment as the leverage to secure genuine sexual images of the children for your perceived sexual gratification. Your intention was manifestly clear.

"I regard the blackmail aspect as a serious aggravating feature. This sentencing exercise should have a deterrent aspect to it. I cannot impose anything other than a sentence of immediate imprisonment."

Description

A RAPIST has been jailed for more than four years for multiple sexual offences and making indecent images of children.

An investigation into Alex Symeonides, of Westcliff Park Drive, Westcliff, was launched in October after Essex Police's specialist team received intelligence that the 20-year-old was using an internet connection to view indecent images of children.

He was arrested and during interview he admitted accessing indecent images of children.

As the investigation progressed, officers found a number of indecent images on his devices. They also discovered evidence of sexual assault offences.

Following this work Symeonides was charged with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, and he admitted all these charges at court.

Symeonides appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, 10 June where he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

Detective Constable Matthew Wright, who led the investigation, said: “Symeonides is a dangerous offender and Essex is a safer place with him behind bars.

“We are committed to protecting people from harm and will leave no stone unturned in our work to secure charges against predatory offenders.

“Our forensic and detailed work throughout this investigation revealed additional offending and with the evidence placed in front of him, Symeonides had no option but to admit his guilt.

“Essex is no place to hide for sexual offenders and those who abuse children.

“I hope this sentence helps those impacted by Symeonides’ crimes on their road to recovery.”

Alongside his jail sentence Symeonides was issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Last year, Essex Police's online investigation team made more than 600 arrests or suspect interviews for these offences and secured 424 charges – the most of any force anywhere in the UK.

In the past year the team also solved 92 per cent of the 450 investigations they carried out.

Essex Police has the third highest conviction rate for sexual offences which make it to court, while last year the force also safeguarded more than 2,500 children from sexual crimes.

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A paedophile who managed to stay out of jail said he would take his own life is he was put behind bars for breaching the sex offender register.

Ricky Johnson was known as Terence Murkin when he was given a suspended sentence last year for trying to groom a 13-year-old online. But he then breached the terms and was brought back before Leeds Crown Court this week.

The court heard that the 63-year-old had threatened suicide if he was jailed, but Judge Simon Batiste, who also dealt with him last year, locked him up. He told him: “In my judgement, you were warned by me that you must complete the requirements of the order. It was made to clear to you [what would happen if you didn’t comply], and I’m going to keep my word in that regard.”

He was handed a 21-month jail sentence, suspended for 24 months in February of last year when he was caught making sexual suggestions to a young girl online. The profile was run by a hunter group trying to catch out predators online.

As part of his sentence, he was also given 130 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation days, and ordered onto a sex offender programme. He was also put on the sex offender register and given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Prosecutor Amber Walker said during routine police checks at his home on Earl Street, Wakefield, following his conviction, they found he had opened a bank account and had not told officers, which put him in breach of the sex offender register.

It was also found that he deleted his internet search history, which he is forbidden to do under the terms of the SHPO. He admitted both breaches this week, having initially denied them.

Mitigating, Leila Taleb said he had initially accepted his wrongdoing during his police interview, but said “acting on legal advice”, then denied it, before finally seeing sense.

Judge Batiste jailed him for 21 months in total, including 12 months activated from his suspended sentence. He said that steps would be taken to ensure his welfare after making the comment about taking his own life.

Description

A sex offender spent years frequenting schools, parks, and children's parties after deceiving police about his living situation.

Lorry driver Robert Bevan, who is under a lifelong sexual harm prevention order intended to restrict his access to children, but for years went about normal family life apparently without any of the other parents he came into contact with being aware of his past.

Swansea Crown Court heard there was no suggestion he has sexually offended since his last sentence in 2011 but for years lied to the police and his offender manager about his domestic situation. Sending Bevan down a judge told him he had deliberately withheld information from the police and now the time had come to pay the price, reports WalesOnline.

Harry Dickens, prosecuting, said Bevan's sexual offending began in 2007 when he was sentenced for engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13 and continued with convictions in 2009 for engaging in sexual activity with a child, taking indecent images of chid, exposure, and outraging public decency and in 2011 for further acts of exposure and outraging public decency. The court heard the defendant is subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) designed to control his access to children and is a registered sex offender.

The barrister said around seven years ago Bevan embarked on long-term relationship with a woman he met through a dating website. During this time Bevan would do school runs, attend parks and soft play areas, and go to children's parties. The court heard that though Bevan had been managed by a sexual offender manager for some 14 years he had never once disclosed the details of his new domestic arrangements nor disclosed that he was a father. There is no suggestion of any new sexual offending since the defendant's last conviction.

The court heard the failure to abide by the terms of the SHPO came to light in April this year when police made unannounced visits to an address he had registered in Swansea. The defendant was not home but was spoken to on the phone and told officers he was only at the address infrequently due to his work as a long-distance lorry driver. Bevan was required to provide a list of places where he was "tramping" – that is places where he was sleeping overnight as part of his job – and police then searched his vehicle. The court heard officers found children's toys in the vehicle along with letters in the defendant's name which were addressed to his mother's house. When police searched his mother's property they found bedrooms with children's beds and drawers full of children's clothes.

Robert Bevan, aged 36, of St Helen's Road, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders registration scheme. He has six previous convictions for 27 offences some 22 of which are sexual offences. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.

John Allchurch, for Bevan, said after being released from his last custodial sentence the defendant had taken steps to turn his life around, successfully addressing his Class A drug addiction and training to be an advanced HGV driver. He said his client accepts he made a "massive mistake" by not notifying the police of the nature of his domestic arrangements and said he realises that when he is released from custody he will have to work with the authorities. The advocate added that Bevan's mother, father, and sister were at court to support him.

Judge Geraint Walters said Bevan had committed a "flagrant and persistent" breach of court orders which had been imposed due to the defendant's offending including his "history of disturbing exposure" offences. He said the defendant had taken a deliberate decision to withhold information from the police and would now have to pay the price. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Bevan was sentenced to two years in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Description

Female sex offender who attacked two women in nightclub toilets jailed.

Jennifer Mallee spiked her first victim's drink before leading her to a toilet cubicle where she sexually assaulted her. She attacked a second woman less than three weeks later

A woman who attacked two others in nightclub toilets just 19 days apart has been jailed for four years and three months.

Jennifer Mallee spiked her first victim's drink before leading her to a toilet cubicle where she sexually assaulted her. Less than three weeks later the 28-year-old sexual predator carried out a similar attack on another young woman who she trapped in a cubicle in another club.

The first victim only came forward three years later when she read about the second attack and posted on Facebook: "She did it to me, too." Both victims became friends and attended court together to watch Mallee be sent to jail. Judge Robert Pawson told her that had she been a male sex offender the public would expect them to receive a custodial sentence.

The first attack happened in the early hours of New Year's Day 2019, when the victim met Mallee at the DYMK club in Bournemouth, Dorset, after being dumped by her boyfriend. The woman, who was 22 at the time, said she had three rum and cokes then started feeling 'weird' and 'like a zombie'. She believes her drink was spiked.

Mallee, who was aged 23 at the time, led her to the toilet, locked the cubicle door and assaulted her. Charles Gabb, prosecuting, said: "This was a sustained incident, the victim was particularly vulnerable by way of her state. We cannot prove who it was administered the substance but for anybody who cared to see, she was seriously affected. Anybody would have noticed there was clearly something very wrong with this person."

On January 20, Mallee attacked another young woman in the toilet of Cameo nightclub, trapping her in the cubicle, with the assault lasting about 20 seconds. Mallee admitted the sexual assault and was given a 12-month community order and placed on the sex offenders' register for five years.

After reading about that incident, the first victim commented on social media 'she did it to me too'. The second victim reached out and they met up for coffee to share their experiences. She then made a complaint to Dorset Police and Mallee was charged with the first attack. She was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against the first victim.

Chetna Patel, defending, told Bournemouth Crown Court said the "very unpleasant incident" was not sustained but short, spontaneous and fuelled by alcohol. She said: "She desired to use the facilities, this is not a case where she was taken and dragged to the toilet against her will. Both of them had been willingly consuming alcohol.

"Miss Mallee has not committed any further offences in the five years since. She recognises her consumption of alcohol played a significant part and rarely drinks or indeed goes out. This was out of character. Her behaviour was isolated to that period of time." The court heard that Mallee was physically larger than her victim and knew she was intoxicated and vulnerable.

In jailing her judge Robert Pawson told Mallee: "The victim was at a low ebb and she sought out your company. I have no doubt, having heard the evidence, that night someone slipped (her) a Mickey Finn. Although there is a very strong inference you were involved in administering that, there's a lurking doubt in my mind and I resolve that in your favour. But I am sure on the evidence that you knew or perceived that she was intoxicated and very vulnerable.

"You knew the state she was in and you formed an intention to do what you did and led her to the ladies, whether she resisted or not she was going to become subservient to your will. While you had no convictions at the time, you offended similarly within less than three weeks. I see little remorse in what I have read and heard. I have to consider the public's perception if a man in your position was given a suspended sentence. The sex of the perpetrator should not be decisive in terms of sentence."

Judge Pawson also made a restraining order preventing her from contacting the two victims and a sexual harm prevention order banning her from being in a public toilet cubicle with another women. She will also have to remain on the sex offenders' register for life.

Description

A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenager and woman in the Aston and Perry Barr area of Birmingham this year.

Irtiza Abbas of Lozells Road, Birmingham pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a schoolgirl and a university student after compelling CCTV evidence showed him selecting and following his victims.

Both victims have bravely allowed us to tell their story and show CCTV in the hope that anyone else who feels they've been a victim and hasn’t come forward to do so.

On the afternoon of Tuesday 16 January, the 25-year-old hung around the area near to Aston University and followed a woman who was walking on her own.

He followed the 22-year-old along Dartmouth Middleway for a while to make sure she was definitely on her own and that there was no other person in the street and then grabbed her and assaulted her.

And on Tuesday 16 April he followed a 15-year-old schoolgirl as she walked home in the Perry Barr area.

CCTV shows him following her closely along a street and looking around to make sure he was alone.

Only when he was sure that there was no-one else around, he grabbed the girl and assaulted her.

The 15-year-old bravely rang her father who was luckily driving nearby. They drove around the area and spotted Abbas, but following a tussle, Abbas escaped and fled the scene.

Officers painstakingly pieced CCTV together linking the assaults and a suspect was identified.

Abbas was arrested from his address in Lozells on 22 April and clothing matching the description in the

CCTV was recovered. Although he didn't admit his guilt in interview, he knew the evidence against him was so compelling that he pleaded guilty at court. 

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to two years in jail.

The investigating officer, Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, said: "We strongly believe due to the nature of the offences that Abbas may have committed more offences.

"CCTV has shown him lingering on the streets and carefully selecting his victims. He would follow them to make sure they were on their own before he struck.

"Although he's pleaded guilty to two offences there's a real time line gap and we have really strong suspicions that he may have offended again and again.

"Thanks to the support of the victims and their bravery and our teams’ efforts in tracing every single piece of CCTV that we could, we've managed to take a serial offender and a potentially dangerous man, whose offences were deliberate, methodical and repeated, off the streets of Birmingham.

"If anyone feels that something similar has happened to them and that they've not come forward before, we'd ask them to reconsider. Please contact me or one of my team and we promise that we will take your account seriously."

We are committed to identifying individuals who pose the highest risk of harm to women and girls, and actively managing them to prevent or reduce offending.

We are encouraging any more victims to come forward by contacting us by calling 101 or visiting our Live Chat function on our website and quoting crime number 20/412643/24.

Victims of sexual assault receive life-time anonymity.

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A dad who discovered that his young daughter had been sent sexual messages online was living "every parent's nightmare".

The parent discovered the highly explicit messages from John Barker, 33, which had been sent to his primary-school aged child earlier this year. The victim had not known Barker before he contacted her.

After contacting police, Barker was arrested and granted bail. But as police investigated, he then went back online and contacted another 'child's' profile, and tried to get them to take part in sex acts with him online.

However, Barker was actually talking to an adult who had set up a fake profile, as part of a child protection group's efforts to catch paedophiles. Barker, who is now of no fixed address but formerly of North Lodge Terrace in Darlington, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child; inciting a child to engage in sexual activity; and two counts of making indecent photos of a child.

On Friday, he stood in the dock at Teesside Crown Court as Judge Jonathan Carroll told him: "A dad found what is every parent's nightmare - that his young daughter had engaged in sexual communication with an unknown male.

"It's the adult world's responsibility to protect and care for our children. The internet and social media is becoming the hunting ground of people like you, who see children as easy sexual targets to be exploited.

"It was abundantly clear that she was young. It is clear that you were seeking to go down exactly the same path with the second user as you did with the child victim."

Barker was jailed for 53 months. He will serve half of the sentence, before he is released on licence. He was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and he will sign the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.

Description

A "calculated and depraved" man who persuaded dozens of teenage boys to send him sexual photos by pretending to be a 12-year-old girl online has been jailed.

Ben Thompson, 23, from Bolton, had more than 1,000 indecent images and videos which he had extorted from children, Greater Manchester Police said.

In June 2020, the parents of an 11-year-old boy had reported that their son had been groomed and this led to two million photos being found on Thompson's devices.

He was given a four-year sentence.

Thompson had pretended to be a girl called Erin, using the alias Erinstewart788 and targeted teenagers in the north-west of England, as well as the North East and South West.

Detectives said when some of the teenagers refused to send photos he would threaten them, saying: "Block me and you'll regret it."

He was tracked via his fake account to an address in Lostock, Bolton where he was arrested on 12 November 2020.

'Vile threats'

Thompson admitted 28 counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communications with underage children as well possessing indecent images.

He was put on the sex offenders' register for life and will be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Sgt Matt Quayle said: “Thompson is a calculated and depraved individual who coerced teenage boys into sexual behaviour for his own perverse sexual gratification.

"When they didn’t comply, he sent them vile threats which we know had a huge impact on the young victims and their mental health."

Description

A 36-year-old man who raped a teenage girl has been jailed.

Robert Llewellyn Price from Amlwch, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, June 6th) where he was sentenced to six years and eight months for two counts of rape.  

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The victim, who was 16 at the time, reported the incidents to police in April earlier this year. 

Having twice lured her to his home, Price raped the victim on both occasions before she later told him she was worried she might be pregnant.

He told her he would “be in trouble” if she told anyone.

After the victim reported the assaults, Price fled but was later arrested on a cliffside in Amlwch and was remanded into custody.

Detective Sergeant Mark Dickson said: “This was a horrific incident for this young girl, who demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward to report Price’s crimes.

“I commend her courage in doing so, and her strength throughout the entirety of the case.

“I hope she can now focus on moving forward with her life, with the knowledge that Price is now being held accountable for these disgraceful assaults.

“I would encourage any victim of sexual abuse to come forward, safe in the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to pursue offenders.”

Description

A man who forced two girls to perform and film sex acts, before threatening to share the images online, has been jailed for 18 years.

Christopher Osborne, 38, befriended one victim, who was 15 and lived in the US, then went on to send violent messages and forced her to send videos of herself to him.

She and another girl, also in the US, reported what had happened to their local police enabling Osborne, of Melville Avenue, Doncaster, to be arrested in 2016.

He had pleaded guilty to inciting children to commit sexual acts at an earlier hearing and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday.

South Yorkshire Police said an international investigation enabled them to match his online IP address and chat group name.

Analysis of his and his victims chat logs showed Obsorne telling the girls he would post the images and videos online and would “ruin their lives” if they didn’t do as he said.

During his initial interview, Osborne admitted the offences claiming he did not believe the girls were the ages they said.

Originally, it was ruled he would be tried in the US, but in 2021 a hearing ruled that he would be charged in the UK.

Despite initially pleading guilty, he changed his plea in in October, however a special hearing in February ruled his original pleas would stand.

In addition to his jail term, he was also told he would remain on extended licence for a further five years.

He was also told he would be placed on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A "predatory" rapist cleared of attacking a teenage girl in 2006 has been jailed after evidence was obtained using new forensic techniques.

Donald Kargbo-Reffell was sentenced to 19 years at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of the rape on a 14-year-old in Bedford.

He was originally arrested 18 years ago - and forensic evidence was taken - but the techniques at the time meant there was not sufficient evidence to charge him.

The 55-year-old, from Princes Street, Bedford, was already serving a 12-year sentence for another Bedford rape in 1999 which was also solved using improved scientific techniques in 2018.

'Destroyed my mental and physical health'

The case was reopened as part of Operation Painter, a major crime unit investigation into non-recent sex offences.

Kargbo-Reffell convinced the victim to go with him to a friend’s flat, then plied her with alcohol and raped her.

The judge praised the victim for her courage and in a statement read to the court, she said: "His actions have had a massive impact on my life, he has destroyed my mental and physical health.

"Destroying my reputation, the trust I have in other people, relations with family members and partners, stealing the last part of my childhood which I should have been allowed to enjoy as a young teenager, turning into an adult", she added.

Det Supt Emma Pitts said it was a "predatory and calculated attack".

“He knew exactly what he was doing, targeting a vulnerable girl and believing that he had got away with it.

“The way we respond has really progressed in the time since this attack both in terms of improved technology and how we approach this sort of sexual abuse."

Description

A sex abuser has been locked up for 13 years after be preyed on a five-year-old girl. Benjamin Holmes, 31, was found with images on his phone after he was arrested by police.

The pictures depicted his abuse, a court heard. Holmes, of Ravensholme, Wolverhampton, was found guilty of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity at Worcester Crown Court on Thursday, June 6.

Alongside his prison sentence, he was handed a sexual harm prevention order and restraining order to protect his victim.

Det Con Louise Sutton, of Worcester CID, praised the victim for having the courage to speak to police despite her young age. She said: "We are pleased to get this lengthy sentence on behalf of the young victim who showed enormous courage to speak to us about this devious predator.

"We take sexual offences of all kinds extremely seriously and it takes a lot of bravery for those affected by these appalling crimes to report such matters. We would always encourage people who are victims of these offences to approach police.

"We will always listen and offer all the support you need to get justice for you and to help you to rebuild your lives."

Description

A 36-year-old man has been jailed for two years for multiple child sex offences.

Christopher Latimer of Meadow View Terrace, Marsham appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Monday (3 June 2024) and was sentenced to two years in prison and issued with a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Latimer had previously pleaded guilty to three charges - engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity - against one teenage boy.

Latimer denied two counts of taking indecent images of a child, which the court ordered to lie on file. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

The offences came to light in May 2021, when a friend of the victim raised concerns about messages being exchanged between Latimer and the victim.

Latimer was a leader at a scout pack which the victim attended, and worked as a caretaker at victim’s school.

Investigations revealed Latimer had been sending the boy messages for between two to three years, and in early 2021 Latimer started to share sexually explicit content including messages, pictures and videos.

Speaking after the sentencing, DC Steven Rush said: "Latimer abused a position of trust in order to build a relationship with his victim.

“He was well aware of the age of the boy he was talking to and ignored several safeguarding practices when committing these offences.

“I would like to commend the bravery of the young people who spoke up and assisted the police with their investigation. It was an incredibly difficult time for them and we could not have secured this outcome without them.

“I hope this sentence sends a message of how seriously these kinds of offences are taken and help bring some closure for the victim and his family.”

Description

A former cadets leader has been jailed for non-recent sexual offences against two young girls.

Simon Taplin was sentenced to four and a half years’ imprisonment when he appeared before Portsmouth Crown Court on 3 June.

He had previously been found guilty of two counts of indecently assaulting a girl under the age of 16, on 20 February at the same court.

Taplin, 64, of Springfied Close in Lavant, was charged with five further counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16 and was found not guilty by the jury.

An investigation was launched in September 2020, when a third-party report came into Sussex Police that a woman had been sexually abused by Taplin as a child.

His victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, met him at the cadets, with him using his position of power to abuse her.

The first incident occurred in 1996, when his victim was in her teens. Taplin continued to sexually abuse her numerous times over the next four years.

As part of the investigation, another woman bravely came forward and stated she was abused at around the same time by Taplin.

When she was a teenager, it was heard that she was abused by Taplin where he used his seniority to take advantage and sexually assault her during a cadet event.

In addition to the custodial sentence, Taplin was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Jason Berney, of the Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: “I would like to express my gratitude for the bravery of the victims who came forward and gave evidence to police and in court.

“This bravery has secured Taplin’s sentence and it means a man who abused his power to take advantage of girls is now behind bars.

“I hope that any victims of sexual abuse are encouraged to come forward to report any crime or wrongdoing. We will investigate, no matter how long ago it was.”

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A teenager from Dunfermline is under supervision and on the Register after being caught with a sick stash of child abuse images on his phone.

Calin Schreiner pled guilty to possessing indecent photos of children between November 18 2021 and July 30 2022.

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