Latest Offenders

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A Kirklees sex offender who sexually abused a child more than three decades ago has been jailed for 20 years. 

Yusuf Kayat (54) of Dewsbury was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court today ( Wednesday February 5th) for serious sexual offending against a child in the Dewsbury and Mirfield areas between 1989 and 1992.    

Jurors today found the 54-year-old guilty of 17 offences including unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 and indecent assault on a girl under 14, at a trial which began at Leeds Crown Court in late January.  

He was also found guilty of aiding and abetting indecent assault on a girl under 16.   

Leeds Crown Court heard the victim was just 10 years old when the offences started in locations such as cars and derelict buildings.   

Investigations into Kayat’s offending began in 2021 when the victim was identified and spoken with.   

DCI Oliver Coates of Kirklees District Police, said:

“We welcome the sentencing of Yusuf Kayat for multiple serious sexual offences against a victim who was only 10 years old when he began to abuse her.   
“Kayat groomed and then committed some extremely serious sexual offences against the victim for a number of years.    
“ I want to praise her courage for supporting the police investigation into this man’s appalling offences against her, and then working with us and our partners in the CPS to bring him before a jury.   
“Thanks to her bravery, this man has now been made to pay for what he did to her and will be in prison for a number of years to come.”  
He added: “This case again demonstrates that the passage of time need not be a barrier to justice for victims and for the police and CPS to bring those responsible of such offending before the courts.   
“We continue to urge any victims of sexual abuse in Kirklees who may not have made reports to the police, for whatever reason, to contact us.   
“Specially trained officers will listen, investigate, and do what they can with partners to support you.”
 

Julia McSorley, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said:

“Yusuf Kayat used a young vulnerable child for his own sexual gratification and passed her around to others to do the same.
“Not only has he burdened the victim with the traumatic and lasting effects of his offending but by denying what he did to her, he has also forced the victim to relive the awful events she experienced during the trial. The prosecution team, in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police, was able to build a strong case to present to the jury, who found Kayat guilty.  
“My thoughts are with the victim of these appalling crimes. The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank her for the incredible courage she showed in giving evidence, which was instrumental in bringing the offender to justice. 
“The CPS remains dedicated to pursuing justice for victims of child sexual abuse and will continue to work tirelessly with law enforcement partners to hold sex offenders accountable - no matter how much time has passed since they committed their crimes.

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A Watford man has been put behind bars after failing to comply with the requirements of being on the sex offenders' register.

Francis Keeley, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 56 days' prison after he appeared at Hatfield Magistrates' Court on Monday (February 3).

Court papers state that the 51-year-old showed a "flagrant disregard for court orders", meaning that "only a custodial sentence" could be justified.

On January 21, Keeley left his address and failed to register a new address or no fixed abode status within three days, therefore breaching his requirement to register with police under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Keeley's guilty plea was taken into account when sentenced.

The force had appealed for help to trace him last week, describing him as being on recall to prison.

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Software used by the police to monitor convicted sex offenders led to the discovery that a man living near Snodland was accessing thousands of illegal images of children.

Richard Faulkner was the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which prohibited him using any device capable of accessing the internet unless it had been installed with a web monitoring program.

The SHPO had been made by the courts in January 2024, following previous convictions related to Faulkner and the access of indecent images.

Several months later, on 26 August, an alert was raised in connection to a computer Faulkner had registered with Kent Police. This showed he had again been accessing illegal material.

He was arrested days later, and searches were carried out at his home near High Street, Wouldham.

The computer was seized, along with several other devices not previously made available to police for inspection and which was another SHPO requirement.

Lies exposed

During an initial police interview Faulkner denied any wrongdoing, claiming he no longer had any sexual interest in children. He insisted he had no knowledge of how illegal images would be on his computer.

His lies were exposed when the device was later forensically examined, along with another hard drive.

Hundreds of thousands of illegal images were detected. These included more than 160 photos and videos in the most serious category, showing children suffering appalling abuse. 

Faulkner, 70, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to multiple counts relating to making indecent images of children, and for breaching the SHPO.

He also admitted failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements, having not registered a number of bank and credit cards with police.

On Tuesday 4 February 2025, Faulkner was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. This included the activation of a previous suspended sentence.

Manipulate

Sergeant Steph Kirkin said:

‘Faulkner had been the subject of strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending.'He attempted to manipulate the monitoring software placed on his computer, in attempts to disguise the fact he was frequently seeking access to disturbing and harmful images, many of which include the horrific abuse of children.‘Sexual harm prevention orders are passed by the courts to help protect children and as this case shows, we will do everything we can to ensure those who ignore them face the consequences of their actions.’

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A man was found with sick images of children and videos of upskirting. Mark Harrison of Sheil Road, Kensington, was jailed for making, taking and possessing indecent photographs of children.

Harrison was arrested after officers, in response to intelligence, executed a warrant at his home in March 2022 and seized a number of digital devices for forensic examination.

The 63-year-old pleaded guilty to six charges relating to the images, which were of category A, B and C seriousness, a further five charges of recording images under clothing without consent (upskirting) and one charge of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He was jailed for two years when he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, February 3. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Atkinson said: “We have a duty to protect our communities from harm and to deter individuals from committing these types of horrific offences and we will continue to seek to identify and convict those who engage in this behaviour.

“I hope this sentencing encourages anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to please contact us. We have a specialist team ready to treat you with respect, care and compassion and make sure that reports are properly and thoroughly investigated.

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A man who spoke sexually online with a teenage girl that was actually an undercover police officer has been sent to prison for more than two years. Craig Butcher, 43, showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down on him at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday (31 January).

Prosecutor Matthew Paul said Butcher used an online chatroom to talk to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl called Brooke but was actually an undercover cop. Judge Chris Morgan told Butcher he was satisfied that the offending “only came to an end because of your arrest”.

Butcher, who has no previous convictions and was supported in court by his fiancee, was said to have told ‘Brooke’ that his name was Simon and he was “there looking for actual sex rather than sexual chat”.

The court was told Butcher had messaged ‘Brooke’ daily between January 1 and March 12. It was also said that ‘Brooke’ had told Butcher they were a 14-year-old girl multiple times and that some conversations discussed oral sex, masturbation and sexual images.

On one occasion Butcher, of Moor Park Gardens in Leigh-on-Sea, sent a photograph of his erect penis concealed within a pair of shorts. He later told police that it was a sock when questioned about it.

The pair’s conversations paused before resuming with a suggestion that they would meet together in April. This brief plan was stopped by Butcher’s arrest by police officers.

It was said that Butcher had received a promotion at his former job and subsequently became stressed under the increased work hours and responsibilities. Butcher’s barrister, Cyrus Shroff, said the engaged offender “would be home alone, struggling mentally and crying on his way to work”. Mr Shroff added: “In those moments he began to reach out online to talk [to others] as an escape from life”.

The defence barrister told Judge Morgan there is “a realistic prospect of rehabilitation” for Butcher and suggested that a suspended sentence could be considered. But the Judge decided the public needed to be protected and sentenced him to 27 months of imprisonment for attempting to cause/incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and ten months for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. The sentences would run concurrently, resulting in a 27-month prison sentence alongside a ten-year Sexual Health Prevention Order and a ten-year notification status.

“I realise that this will have an effect on others who are entirely innocent and on you as it’s your first custodial sentence,” the Judge said. “But I have to balance that against the need to protect the public.”

“Whatever was going on, you simply desired to make contact with a child under the age of 16 in order to discuss and understand the prospect of having sex with them,” they added. “You know that what you were doing was against the law. You were making arrangements and asking if the child would meet you.

“You agreed to meet although no formal arrangements were in place. Had you not been arrested it’s plain to me that these arrangements would have been put in place.”

Butcher will serve half of his sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.

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A CREEP caught sharing hundreds of child abuse images claiming he 'loved lil teens' has been allowed back into the community after a sheriff spared him a prison term.

Mark Webster was placed on a further sexual harm prevention order - restricting his use of social media sites - when he returned to the dock last week.

The 32-year-old admitted to taking, permitting to be taken or making indecent images between April 20 and July 15, 2023.

The sex offender also admitted to a second charge of distributing or showing indecent images from April 20 to July 20, 2023 from his home in Merrick Drive, Dalmellington.

Webster claimed he was "going to sue" our Ayrshire Weekly Press reporter claiming we had "no right to be in" his hearing when he pleaded guilty on December 4 at Ayr Sheriff Court.

Not guilty pleas to further allegations, including that he had possession of extreme pornography depicting females with dogs, were accepted by prosecutors.

A procurator fiscal depute told a previous hearing: "The accused was found in possession of 759 indecent still and moving images from category A to C.

"There was also evidence on his mobile phone of file sharing, suggesting he was involved in distributing child sexual exploitation and abuse material.

"On May 22, 2023 information was received by Police Scotland giving reasonable cause to believe that the accused had possession of indecent material of children. A search warrant was granted and officers from Police Scotland attended his home address on July 20."

Police seized a Samsung mobile phone from Webster's bedroom and informed him that it would be examined.

The fiscal depute added: "An interim examination was carried out on July 21 which confirmed indecent material. On the same date, he returned to his home address and was arrested and conveyed to Kilmarnock police office.

"He made no comment during interview and replied 'nope' to caution and charge. He was released on an undertaking to appear in court."

The court heard that 340 inaccessible category A still images were discovered on Webster's device - the worst level of abuse.

Various chat threads were recovered on one application, Telegram, containing messages from the user requesting details from others to trade in indecent content.

Various acronyms were found that associated him with child sexual exploitation and abuse material.

The fiscal depute said: "Further chats on Snapchat were found and several associated the accused with child abuse material and sending media files. The content of some files is unknown having expired.

"The accused stated he liked young girls and at one point said he 'loved lil teens'."

When he returned to court with his face covered by his jacket for sentencing on January 28, defence solicitor Derek Pettigrew said: "In terms of the report, I can't stress enough his anxiety that he may be going into prison."

Addressing the dock, Sheriff Mhairi MacTaggart said: "Can you take that down from your face please?"

Mr Pettigrew continued: "Clearly some intervention is required moving forward.

"I can see no benefit to a period of incarceration but there is benefit in my lady placing him on an order. He appreciates he will need to be monitored in the community.

"Because of this offence remaining in the Dalmellington area will not be an option for him, so he will have to be somewhere else and monitoring will be necessary."

Sheriff MacTaggart said: "Mr Webster, it's a stark choice for me whether to send you to custody or the community. I have to say on balance I have to consider public protection, and consider getting you assistance to address offending in this way in the hope to prevent offending further.

"The reality is that's not something likely to be achieved by sending you to prison for the amount of time I could send you to prison. You should be in no doubt my primary concern is protecting the community, so there will be very stringent monitoring of you and I'm sentencing you to the maximum period."

He was placed on a community payback order under supervision for three years - and ordered to take part in the Moving Forward Making Changes programme which aims to address sex offenders' behaviour.

He will remain on the sex offenders register for three years.

He was also placed on a strict sexual harm prevention order restricting his internet and social media use for five years.

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A Fife paedophile is back behind bars after he flouted a 99-year internet ban by trying to arrange the sexual abuse of a pre-pubescent child.

Dangerous predator Jon Walker exchanged horrific messages with a depraved mother online, despite being banned from using social media until the 22nd century.

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Five different young women and an underage girl were pestered over a four-year period by a Nairn sex offender.

Codey Masson, who had a previous conviction for a similar type of sex offence that he committed during the same time period of August 2015 to August 2019, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court.

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Two men have been jailed for a total of 13 years in connection with several sexual offences on a teenage boy.

Adam Hastings, 28, and Reece Upton,29, appeared in Reading Crown Court where they were sentenced on Friday, January 31.

Hastings and Upton pleaded guilty on 19 November, 2024, on the second day of their trial at the same court.

This is after evading police for 11 days during a complex investigation.

Adam Hastings was jailed for nine years for five counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order

In the same hearing, Reece Upton, aged 29, of no fixed abode, was jailed for four years for one count of sexual activity with a child.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Cerys Sumpter said: This was a complex investigation where Adam Hastings and Reece Upton actively evaded police and were not located for 11 days.

They were wanted in connection with a number of sexual offences reported by the victim, a boy aged in his teens, which occurred between April and June last year.

I am satisfied that Hastings and Upton have been given custodial sentences reflecting their crime; however, no punishment can ever compare to the pain and anguish the victim had to endure.

I hope the conviction will bring them some closure on their ordeal.

This case also demonstrates that Thames Valley Police take such matters with the utmost seriousness, tirelessly pursuing offenders and doing everything in their power to ensure justice is served.

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A serial sex offender has been found guilty of creeping into a woman’s home and staring at her from the foot of her bed.

Robert Basterfield was convicted of entering a neighbour’s property and watching her while she slept.

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A man from Amesbury has been jailed for raping a woman in her own home.

Ben Churcher, 22, of Muggleton Road, Amesbury, was given a 28 month sentence on January 31 at Salisbury Crown Court.

He will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years and a restraining order prohibits him from contacting the victim for five years.

Churcher raped his victim in 2020 and she lived in silence for a year before reporting the incident to the police in 2021.

During this year, the victim thought about suicide and felt as though she couldn't talk to anyone about what had happened.

In a statement read to the court, Churcher's victim said: "I felt dirty in my own skin and couldn't handle feeling so alone anymore.

"My family suffered too - they worry about me and my future. They worry about leaving me at home."

Churcher was found guilty following a trial which concluded on November 27, 2024. This trial left his victim unable to sleep, focus and work as it brought all the trauma he caused her back.

The victim said: "I have spent years in fear that Ben would come after me due to his threats.

"I repeatedly had his friends and family call me a liar and I felt like I couldn't step outside my house most days.

"Ben spent so long telling me that no-one would ever believe me but I finally feel I now have closure and people know the truth."

Detective Constable Deborah Laycock said: "I'd like to thank the victim in this case for showing an enormous amount of bravery and fortitude throughout the process of bringing Churcher to justice.

“Anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence is urged to report it to us. We will help you and continue to put perpetrators before the courts."

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A high-risk sex offender who groomed and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl has been jailed as part of a 17 year extended sentence.

Paul Bryant, 43, bought sex toys to abuse the youngster and encouraged her to go on the contraceptive pill as part of calculating and manipulative behaviour.

Kings Lynn Crown Court was told his behaviour was part of a plan to coerce the girl into sexual activity over a number of weeks.

Marc Brown, prosecuting, said it was clear and obvious grooming and that it had included additional degradation of the girl who he had nicknamed tiny p****.

There was a significant degree of pre-planning formulated at least six weeks before the offences that constituted a clear plan for sex, he added.

Bryant, who lived in south Norfolk at the time of the offences, had denied the charges but was found guilty of assault by penetration of a child under 13 and two counts of making indecent images of children following a trial.

The search history of his phone, seized when he was arrested in March 2024, showed he had trawled for films of young girls using terms including petite sweetie and child model parties.

In a statement read in court the south Norfolk girl said she suffered flashbacks and a sense of feeling sick and disgusted.

She said she had tried to distract herself while he was abusing her by imaging hard maths sums.

Her mother added that his actions had a significant impact and she had lost her childhood innocence.

Sentencing Bryant, from Haddenham, near Ely, to an extended sentence made up of 11 years in prison and a further six years on licence, Judge Andrew Shaw told him: There is no doubt in my mind this was calculating and manipulative.

I do not recognise any mitigating features. There is simply no remorse here.

Imposing a lifetime sexual harm prevention order, he said he continued to pose a high risk to children.

Investigating officer, DC Donna Read said: I would like to commend the bravery of our victim who came forward and enabled police to secure justice against Bryant.

I hope that this lengthy sentence provides some comfort to them and allows them to begin rebuilding their lives, with him behind bars for the foreseeable future.

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A man who groomed and raped or sexually assaulted 11 children has been brought to justice after detectives in Salford uncovered his offending spanning over two decades from 2002 to 2023.

Carl Jones (aged 57) of Little Hulton has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 and a half years.

He sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court for 47 offences, which include multiple counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, oral rape of a child under the age of 13, sexual assault of a child under and over the age of 13, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and indecent assault.

Jones pleaded guilty to all charges on 9th September 2024 and was placed on the on the sex offender’s registry indefinitely.

Description

A "depraved predator" who exposed himself, chased and sexually assaulted students and schoolgirls in broad daylight in a city-centre underpass has been jailed.

Police said Robert Emmerson, a previously convicted sex offender, targeted women and girls as young as 13 in Manchester between 2023 and 2024.

The 40-year-old, from Wythenshawe, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of five sexual assaults and on seven counts of indecent exposure.

Speaking after Emmerson was jailed for four years and six months, Detective Constable Tamsyn Muller said his victims "held a genuine belief that this man was going to go on to rape them or kill them".

'Long-term psychological impact'

The court heard Emmerson targeted students heading through an underpass on Cambridge Street, under the Mancunian Way.

He was also convicted of assaulting two girls, aged 13 and 16, in the Baguley and Wythenshawe areas of the city.

Det Con Muller said Emmerson "picked [his victims] up in a bear hug-style grip before taking them to the ground and groping them over their clothing".

She said he "targeted lone women and was so brazen that he attacked them in the daytime, not caring if people passing by could hear or see him committing his crimes".

The detective said Emmerson's crimes had left a long-term psychological impact on the women and girls.

She said they "still feel like they can't relax in public, and always have to look over their shoulder".

'No regard for women'

CCTV footage showed Emmerson arriving in Manchester city centre after catching a bus from Wythenshawe.

After attacking his victims, he was seen walking round before jumping on a bus back to Wythenshawe.

Following Emmerson's arrest, an identity parade was organised, where five of his victims recognised him as their attacker.

When officers then searched his home they discovered the coat he had worn during the attacks.

They also found his details on the police database, reading that he had been arrested in 2015.

Det Con Muller said Emmerson chose to wear a t-shirt reading "nope, not today" when she was interviewing him.

"He tried to stare me out while I was asking questions and answered no comment," she added.

She described Emmerson as "a dangerous sexual predator who had no regard for women".

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A CARLISLE man who stalked and sexually assaulted a woman he hardly knew greeted her with the words “Hello Sexy,” a court heard.

The defence lawyer representing 46-year-old John Mooney at the city’s Rickergate court suggested the defendant's worrying behaviour may have been linked to the breakup of his marriage.

Mooney admitted sexual assault and stalking, as well as failing to surrender to the court on three occasions.

The trouble began in June last year after Mooney moved to a new area of Carlisle, prosecutor George Shelley.

“He then undertook a persistent course of conduct – personal advances towards the victim,” said the prosecutor, who described how the stalking behaviour continued for a month or so.

Mooney first introduced himself to the woman, who is in her thirties. “As the weeks went by, he began talking about his personal situation, which made [the woman] feel uncomfortable,” said the prosecutor. 

Mooney began asking the woman to go drinking with him and, despite her repeatedly refusing, he kept asking her. He also began asking her questions about her personal life.

“She made it clear that she didn’t wish to discuss this with Mr Mooney,” continued Mr Shelley. “She told him it was none of his business and that she wanted him to stop asking such personal questions.”

It was during this encounter that the defendant put his arm around the woman and touched her inappropriately.

The woman immediately moved away and asked him what he thought he was doing. He later sent her a letter apologising, attempting to explain his behaviour. 

The following day, he appeared outside her home, but she remained inside, hiding. Even after these events, when Mooney saw the woman, he would greet her with: “Hello Sexy.”

Mooney, now of Margaret Creighton Gardens, Carlisle, had no previous convictions, the court heard.

Sean Harkin, defending, told magistrates: “It appears to have been an isolated incident at a time when the defendant had broken up with his wife; and he was going through a bit of tough period.

“That doesn’t excuse his behaviour but it provides some context.  He wants to apologise to the victim.” Mr Harkin added that Mooney posed a low risk of reoffending.   

Concluding there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, magistrates imposed a 16-week jail term but suspended it for a year.

The sentence includes a restraining order banning any contact with the victim and Mooney was told his name will be on the Sex Offender Register for seven years.

He must pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.