Latest Offenders

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A teenager who tied up and 'bound' a boy on vile YouTube videos was caught out by a school after the headteacher recognised the victim as one of their pupils.

Romeo Smalley has been jailed after sexually assaulting the boy having posted two videos of him online while he was restrained, Manchester Evening News reports.

The 20-year-old's barrister tried to claim that it was a 'game that young people play', but Smalley, who was 18 at the time of the offence, admitted his actions were sexually motivated, at Manchester Crown Court.

The two videos lasted a little over six minutes and just over five minutes. In one the boy was tied up with tape and was seen trying to escape. Officers also found 'other videos of concern', which he was not prosecuted for.

Smalley can be heard asking viewers to 'like and subscribe' in one video. A judge said it was clear that he was 'sexually aroused' in one of the clips.

Prosecutor Peter Wilson said Smalley had an interest in 'restraint' and 'bondage'. The 20-year-old from Oldham said he was 'aroused by the thought of people being tied up', rather than being interested in children sexually.

The abuse happened after he gave the boy a mobile phone so they could message each other on Snapchat. In one video he said he would be paid money if he completed the 'activity'. The boy said he 'didn't like' being tied up.

The court heard how the boy was told not to tell his parents. Smalley was arrested and denied sexually assaulting him. He claimed it was the boy's idea to film the videos and that the child had suggested posting them on YouTube 'for a laugh'.The boy said Smalley 'never did anything funny'.

"What you did was very serious," Smalley was told by Judge Tom Gilbart. "You have taken advantage of a much younger person.

"You sexually assaulted him on two occasions. There was evidence of grooming and manipulation in what you did."

The boy's mother said the crime had affected him 'hugely'. "Romeo was devious in how he did this," she said. "He [the victim] thought it was him that had done something wrong." Defending, Howard Bernstein claimed it was part of a 'game'.

"This was a game that young people play," he said. He said Smalley's sexual motivation 'raised it from an innocuous game to a sexual offence'.

Mr Bernstein said Smalley, who has no previous convictions, has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and is 'lacking in maturity'. He said Smalley has been in custody for the past eight months.

"He has been bullied in prison, he is finding prison extremely difficult," he said. Smalley, of Longfellow Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

He was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, and ordered to sign the sex offender register for life.

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An Angus predator caught by a hunter group at Arbroath bus station as he waited to meet a schoolgirl from Glasgow has been placed on supervision.

Mark Falzon thought he had been grooming a 13-year-old but was actually being set up by the online paedophile hunters.

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Previous name Jamie Waller.

Abigail Waller returned to the dock just three years after she was jailed for child sex offences under birth name Jamie. The 29-year-old, who now likes to be called 'Abi', breached court-imposed conditions by messaging three schoolgirls on Facebook - using her wife's phone.

Jurors heard that using a fake profile with photos of an 'attractive' young man, Waller told the 13 and 14 year old girls that they were 'so pretty' and 'really beautiful'. Waller, who now has long dark hair in a pony tail and wore a pink floral dress during his trial, tried to argue her wife of nine years Lucy Waller was behind the messages.

Now, the sex predator - formerly a disability care worker - has been jailed again, this time for three and a half years. In court, 'she' and 'her' pronouns were used by barristers and the judge when referring to Waller.

However, Mrs Waller - who appeared as a prosecution witness and gave evidence against her spouse - referred to Waller as 'Jamie', used the pronoun 'he', but also referred to her as: "Abi, as she is now". Waller, from Gosport, was jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for

five years in 2020 after admitting a string of 'serious' child sex offences. The offences included blackmailing a 13 year old girl into sending Waller sexual photos of herself, and having the child call Waller 'sir' or 'daddy'. 

At court in 2020 Waller was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order [SHPO], banning any contact with children under 18 and the use of devices connected to the internet unless Waller informed police about them.

The following year, while in prison, the paedophile 'started identifying as a woman'. In May 2022, Waller was released from jail half-way through the sentence and was taken back by wife Mrs Waller at their home in Gosport. But within three months, Waller had started her 'grooming process' again.

At his trial, prosecutor Tim Dracass told jurors at the same court where Waller had been previously convicted that the paedophile breached the order in August 2022 by messaging three girls on Facebook, two of whom were 14 and one of whom was 13. Waller used his wife's second phone, a Samsung in a pink case, while she was out at work and used a Facebook profile under the name of Jake Smith, it was heard.

Waller told the girls 'you are really beautiful', said they were 'so pretty', sent a love heart emoji, and claimed to be aged 14. Waller was caught by police on August 4, 2022, when officers visited the house for a separate reason and discovered Waller hiding the Samsung in her lap.

Opening the three-day trial, Mr Dracass told jurors of Waller's gender change and that she was 'previously Jamie Kevin Harold Waller'. Mr Dracass said: "The defendant is Abigail Waller, that's how the defendant wishes to be known and currently identifies. She has been charged in that name. She was previously known by a different name, her birth name, Jamie Waller."

Giving evidence against Waller, Mrs Waller said: "I've decided to divorce [Waller]." She said her Samsung was a secondary phone which she mainly used as an alarm clock, but that it was connected to the internet and had Facebook on it.

The phone had three Facebook accounts linked to it - Lucy Waller, Jamie Waller, and Jake Smith. Mrs Waller said when she left for work at 7.30am on August 4 she left the phone upstairs - not on the sofa where it was found in Waller's lap. Mrs Waller told jurors: "I've never done anything with it [the Jake Smith profile]... I've never used it."

Defendant Waller gave evidence and was asked her name. She told jurors: "Jamie Kevin Harold Waller, but I prefer Abi. I started [identifying as a female] around 2021, the end of September 2021. I identify as a female. I'm waiting to [be seen by] a gender identity clinic."

Waller has been serving time at men's prisons - HMP The Verne on Isle of Portland, Dorset, and HMP Winchester. Giving evidence, Waller claimed she 'didn't send messages' to the young girls, 'didn't recognise them', and suggested her wife was behind a plot to frame her to 'set me up'.

Waller said: "The only person who I know had access to [the phone] was my wife, Lucy. We were arguing quite a lot, there were difficulties. As far as I was aware, we were still together. I believe [Mrs Waller sent the messages] to maybe get me in trouble, to get me put back in."

Waller added: "She knows that I have been in trouble for it before in the past. I believe she was actually in another relationship with another, current boyfriend that she is with at this time and she wanted me out of the way without telling me."

Waller also claimed she is no longer aroused by children. "I had a sexual interest in young girls, not anymore", she said. "I've done offending behaviour courses whilst I was inside."

Waller was convicted by a jury of four counts of breaching a SHPO. Mr Dracass said: "This was the start of something that could have resembled the circumstances of the previous conviction. Had the police not intercepted this phone when they did so, the crown submits it may well have been that there was a risk that serious harm could have taken place."

At the sentencing hearing, Ellie Fargin, defending, asked the judge to consider how Waller will cope in prison as an inmate who identifies as female. She said: "We ask you to bear in mind the conditions in prison and the issues Ms Waller will face in prison due to her ADHD and autism and because of her gender identity matter which she is awaiting treatment for."

Judge Michael Bowes KC jailed Waller for three and a half years, saying that her messages were a 'pre-cursor to what Waller had in mind'. Sentencing Waller, Judge Bowes KC said: "You have a serious record for offences involving children. "Looking at your previous convictions... There is a very unpleasant background of seeking to blackmail children."

Judge Bowes KC highlighted the fact Waller re-offended three months after being released from prison. He continued: "The messages themselves would appear to be fairly innocuous, but I am satisfied they were part of a grooming process.

"[The messages] were to gain their trust, with a view to take matters further and that's part of the gravity of these offences. At your trial, you denied matters, seeking to blame your wife, but the jury convicted you."

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A paedophile who carried out rapes against young girls and women over a period of nearly four decades has been locked up for more than 20 years. Brian Guest, aged 65 from Walsall, carried out his offending over a span of 37 years.

He was finally brought to justice after a complaint was made against him in October 2022. Several victims bravely came forward and reported him for rape and sexual assaults, which took place in a number of different settings.

An investigation was carried out by West Midlands Police and Guest was arrested, charged and went on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court. There, he was found guilty of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault against his victims, which included children, in June last year.

On Tuesday, January 23, at Stafford Crown Court, Guest was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Det Sgt Nadia Cooper, from West Midlands Police's investigations team, said: "This was an appalling sequence of abuse in which Brian Guest abused his victims.

"Thanks to their bravery, we were able to build a case to bring him to justice and hopefully grant them some measure of closure. We would urge anyone who knows or thinks they were a victim of sexual abuse in the past to contact us and tell us your story.

"In doing so you could secure justice for yourself and others, as well as potentially protecting current or future victims."

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A creepy passenger who stared at a woman and her children while fondling himself on the bus to Cullompton has been sent to prison - a year after being convicted of an almost identical offence. Nikolay Nikolov was on his way home from some unpaid work ordered by the court when he sat himself close to a family on the top deck.

The 23-year-old Bulgarian was soon staring at the woman's breasts before shifting his perverted gaze to her three-year-old daughter. The woman told him to stop and moved seats but Nikolov followed them and carried on acting strangely.

The children told the woman that the man had exposed himself and CCTV later revealed he spent much of the journey between Exeter and Cullompton rubbing his crotch and masturbating.

Nikolov admitted outraging public decency when he appeared at court. The offence also put him breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed by the courts in 2022 for touching himself while staring at teenage girls on a bus.

Nikolov, of Fore Street, Cullompton, has now been jailed for 16 months. The judge said he had not learned his lesson from his previous sentence and was still a risk to the public.

The offence happened in September after Nikolov had completed a session of unpaid work and boarded at Exeter Bus Station. The woman, two children aged three and seven and her 13-year-old nephew, were upstairs on the back seat.

Nikolov sat in the row in front of them - ignoring many empty seats, said prosecutor Ms Hollie Gilbery. He started staring at the woman, trying to look down her top, and at the younger child. When she told him to stop he said he was sorry but 30 seconds was at it again.

The woman moved with the children to a different part of the bus but Nikolov crossed the aisle to get closer. He resumed his staring at the child and the woman went downstairs to tell the driver.

While she did that the older children noticed his exposed penis. CCTV revealed he had been fondling for a significant proportion of the journey. The woman called police who recognised the description and arrested him at his home.

He initially told police he had been masturbating on the bus but denied he was aroused by the other passengers.

Nikolov was banned from sitting next to females on public transport at the time because of his previous behaviour. He has breached his SHPO twice before and been punished with more unpaid work.

Mr Brian Fitzherbert said he had not been able to complete rehabilitation work with probation previously because of his lack of English. But he said his English language skills were not much improved. He is sorry for his behaviour and wants to stop.

Judge David Evans said Nikolov was not a good prospect for rehabilitation at the moment and his risk could not be managed in the community. The defendant will serve half of his sentence in prison and be subject to a SHPO for seven years.

The order bans him from following and sitting next to females on public transport.

Description

A stalker sexually assaulted a woman in a hostel by groping her breast after he had repeatedly sent sexually explicit messages to her over a number of days. He later claimed he had no memory of the assault as he had taken £50 worth of cocaine and drunk 20 pints.

Clinton Davies, 55, carried out the assault against his victim at the hostel in Cardiff when he called her into his room on the pretense that he needed her help. Once she did so, he unzipped her hoodie and groped her breast over clothing.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the victim had told the defendant she didn't want this to happen and wanted to leave. There was a knock at the door from a concerned man, but Davies told him "Go away, I'm busy".

Fortunately, the man entered the room and the victim was able to escape. The witness described the defendant breathing heavily, the belt on his trousers was undone and there was a sealed condom packet on the table. Davies turned to the man and said "This is going to cause trouble". When he was asked what he had done, he changed the subject.

Prosecutor Harry Baker said the defendant had got hold of her number and had been incessantly contacting her for days through calls, texts and voicemails. She had told him to stop contacting her but he carried on and left crude and sexually explicit messages. On one occasion he called her 20 times in one day.

The victim said she was worried he was going to persist in contacting her. She added: "Since the incident, it has left me distressed, upset, has affected my mental health and has left me feeling suicidal... I'm scared when I hear people knocking at my door, I'm on edge and I suffer from panic attacks."

Davies, originally from South Africa, was arrested and interviewed, claiming he had not touched the victim but had little recollection of the incident because he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol. He later pleaded guilty to sexual assault and stalking. The court heard he had previous convictions for exposing himself in the USA and repeated offences of harassment. He is in breach of a suspended sentence.

In mitigation, Andrew Davies said his client had not touched the victim's naked breast, and he does not remember doing it. He said the defendant had previously done work in the community, and had carried out work in food banks.

Recorder Caroline Rees KC sentenced Davies to a total of 32 weeks imprisonment. She also made him subject to a restraining order for five years and sex offender notification requirements for seven years.

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Aiden Rollin had been "extremely sexually preoccupied" and forced himself on young girls to "quell and satisfy" his desires.

Rollin, from Beccles Road, Bradwell, near Great Yarmouth, appeared at Norwich Crown Court for sentencing having been convicted of nine sexual offences against four young victims between September 2017 and March 2020.

The court heard in an attack against one of the victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, he "covered her mouth and nose" with his hand before raping her and then attempting to sexually assault her.

Before Rollin was jailed for nine years on Friday, the court heard statements from three of his victims, one of whom described Rollin as a "monster" and a "demon" and hoped he "rotted in jail".

The victim, who was 15 at the time, said he had "destroyed", manipulated and broke me".

She said what Rollin did to her made her feel as if "I wanted to tear every single bit of skin off and tear my eyes out.

"I wanted to rip my heart out so I couldn't feel the pain.

She said: "Now you're going down for it because you're a monster."

The victim said he "became my demon", was everything she feared but now hoped he "rotted in jail".

Another victim, who was raped in August 2019, said she felt "haunted for life" by what Rollin had done to her and just wanted the nightmares and flashbacks to end.

Before jailing Rollin, Judge Andrew Shaw said it was "difficult to express how sad it was to read the impact of your behaviour on such young women".

Marc Brown, representing Rollin, said the defendant was "very young" when some of the offending occurred.

Mr Brown said Rollin was "still a young man" and an "immature man" who committed "the bulk of the offending" before he turned 18

Rollin was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and also put on the sex offenders register for life.

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A man who used a young girl for his own sexual gratification, repeatedly raping her, remains in denial despite being convicted at trial recently.

Jamie Michael Shields was today (Monday, January 22) sentenced to a term of 18 years’ imprisonment for what a judge described as, “a multiplicity” of, “extremely serious offending.”

The 28-year-old defendant was initially charged with three counts of rape, offences he denied at a plea hearing at Durham Crown Court, last March.

A trial in the case was fixed for October, but a further two rape offences were added to the charge sheet and the trial was put back to December.

Following a three-day hearing, in the week before Christmas, Shields, of South View, Evenwood, was convicted on all five counts and remanded in custody pending sentence.

Claire Anderson, prosecuting, read an impact statement to the sentencing hearing provided for the court by the victim’s mother.

She said her daughter found the whole ordeal traumatic, causing her mental health difficulties, for which she has sought help from a specialist agency.

It has led to her daughter being in “a low mood”, missing a lot of schooling and becoming “increasingly distressed”, leading to behavioural issues.

She is now said to also have trust issues with men.

The court heard it had left her mother feeling as if the life of her once “happy little girl” was “in ruins”.

Miss Anderson said the defendant has four convictions for four offences, but all were of a dissimilar nature.

She added that an aggravating feature of the offences was Shields having told the victim not to say anything about his actions or she would get into trouble.

Derek Duffy, representing Shields, told the court: ”There’s very little that can be said on his behalf.

“He does not accept that this has taken place.”

Judge James Adkin told Shields: “You were convicted on abundant evidence of a number of offences.

“You used her (the victim) for your own sexual gratification.”

Judge Adkin said there has been some “significant impact” on the “vulnerable victim”.

He told Shields: “There was a multiplicity of offences all aggravating the criminality.

“It’s extremely serious offending.”

Imposing the 18-year sentence Judge Adkin told the defendant he must serve at least two-thirds before he will be eligible for release on parole.

He made Shields subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and registration as a sex offender, both to run for life.

A restraining order also prohibits him from contacting or approaching the victim, also for life.

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A man sneaked into a woman's house in the dead of night and raped her in her bed, a court has heard. The victim said her attacker seemed to "believe he was entitled to my body" and she said her home now feels like a "crime scene".

Ian Wright, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court the rape occurred in June last year after the victim had gone to bed at around 11pm. After listening to the radio for a while the woman fell asleep only to wake some time later to find Edwards in her room. The court heard the woman, who is in her 60s, "froze in terror" as the intruder got into bed beside her. The 42-year-old defendant then raped the woman, telling her: "I am going to shoot my load".

The court heard the victim subsequently confided in a friend about what had happened and the matter was reported to police. When arrested the defendant said he had "nothing to worry about" as the sex had been consensual and in his interview he again claimed the woman had consented.

In a statement read to the court the victim described the huge psychological impact of the offence. She said Edwards "believed he was entitled to my body" and the attack had triggered her post-traumatic stress disorder and left her worried that any male she sees could be a rapist. The woman said she struggles to sleep and sees her attacker's face whenever she goes to bed and she said her house is now a "crime scene" and "will never feel homely again".

Matthew Edwards, of Penrallt Street, Machynlleth, Powys, had previously pleaded guilty to rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has convictions from Gwynedd Magistrates' Court for harassment in 2004 and for common assault – kicking and spitting in the face of an ex-partner – in 2005 and convictions for battery from Montgomery Magistrates' Court in 2011. In 2023 he was convicted of stalking at Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion Magistrates' Court.

Ian Ibrahim, for Edwards, said the defendant "deeply regrets" what he did. He said his client had worked in a variety of jobs over the years including gardening, construction, and factory work and he said the custodial sentence he was now facing would be by far the longest he has served. The barrister said Edwards lives in a small community where everybody knows each other and his conviction has resulted in an "astronomical" social fall.

Judge Geraint Walters said it was clear from the defendant's antecedent record that he had "something of an obsessional personality". He said he had read a letter the defendant had written to the court and he accepted his remorse was genuine. With a 10% discount for his guilty plea Edwards was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.

Description

He was sentenced to 10 years for the rape offences with a concurrent four-year term for the other offences. He was also given a one-year extended licence period.

King was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life.

The family were disappointed with the length of the sentence and the officer in the case, Detective Constable Oliver Hunter, submitted a request to the reviewing lawyer for the sentence to be appealed under the Unduly Lenient Sentences scheme.

This was assessed and supported by the Crown Prosecution and an application by the Attorney General was heard at the Court of Appeal on Friday.

Kings original sentence was quashed and a new sentence of 20 years, including a one-year extended licence, was imposed. The sex offender conditions placed on him remain unchanged.

The offences, which took place over a six-month period, came to light in December 2022 when the victim disclosed the abuse to a friend.

Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit supported the victim during video-recorded interviews and carried out extensive enquiries including securing forensic evidence.

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A man from Swindon has pleaded guilty to being a ‘Global Moderator’ on a dark website dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse content.

Saunders Custody ImageBrett Saunders, 50, came to the attention of the National Crime Agency as part of an investigation into the hidden site, which had over 2,000 members and is only accessible using Tor.

The NCA focused on a moderator with the username ‘Wetty’, who was heavily involved in running the site. Wetty took responsibility for enforcing the site’s rules and responding to user enquiries, providing advice around personal security and how to evade law enforcement detection.

Saunders was identified as the man behind the account and further enquiries revealed he had previous convictions relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

NCA officers arrested Saunders at his home in Freshbrook in August 2022. A number of his devices were seized, including his laptop which he had hidden under a sofa cushion, and a phone and hard drive found by special search officers concealed in an air vent.

The website was open on his laptop and Saunders was logged into his account. When interviewed, he confirmed to officers that he held the rank of Global Moderator and had himself uploaded indecent images of children to the site.

He also admitted he had a sexual interest in children, particularly girls aged 8-12.

Investigators recovered data relating to his account, including over 3,000 posts made by him and private messages he sent to other users, which evidenced that his contribution was key to ensuring the site continued to function.

These also made it clear that Saunders had quickly risen through the ranks due to his commitment and encouragement of others to discuss and distribute images and videos of child sexual abuse.

When congratulated by another user on his promotion to Global Moderator he said:

“Thank you… I must say it came as a bit of a shock to me! Not sure what I did to deserve the honor, but whatever it was I will try to keep doing it to the best of my abilities!”

The site was run on a points-based system where users gained ‘reputation points’ for adhering to the rules and sharing abuse material. It had an initial guest portal, where new users had to gain at least 10 reputation points before they were admitted entry to the main site.

Saunders was in charge of running the guest portal and was responsible for issuing or deducting reputation points, as well as ultimately deciding who would be allowed through.

Saunders uploaded a total of 115 images and videos of abuse to the site. He posted two such images of a young girl as part of a discussion around the legalisation of pre-teen marriage, along with the caption:

“If only it were possible. I would wish for it if I found a magic lamp….and for her to stay about this age (10-12) forever (and me my age)!!”

A further 65,000 files relating to indecent images of children were recovered from his devices.

In the days after his arrest, Saunders was charged by Wiltshire Police for breaching the sexual harm prevention order that had been placed on him by the force when he was released from prison for his previous offending.

He was remanded in custody and later sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the breach.

Last year, he was charged with a further nine counts, including arranging/facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, distributing and making indecent images of children in categories A-C, and possessing a prohibited image of a child.

On Friday (19 January) at Swindon Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to all nine counts. He will be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on 5 March 2024.

Description

A man has been jailed for more than 13 years for a string of sexual offences against children.

Timothy Hayes of Sutton-on-Sea, Mablethorpe was convicted of 10 offences, including six counts of rape of a child and various forms of assault against a child, when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in November.

The 50-year-old had pleaded guilty to his crimes when he appeared before court officials last year.

And on Friday, 19 January, Hayes was sentenced to 13 years and four months behind bars at the same court.

He was placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and was also given a Sexual Harm Protection Order indefinitely.

Description

A 62-year-old man has been jailed for non-recent child sex offences that took place in Daventry.

Kevin Marriott, previously of Coalville, Leicestershire, sexually assaulted a girl under six at an address in Daventry a number of years ago.

Following the offence, he told her not to tell anyone.

However in 2021, the woman in question bravely contacted police to tell them what had happened to her as a child.

An investigation was launched and Marriott was charged with one count of indecent assault on a girl under 16, and one count of assaulting a girl under 16 by penetration.   

After pleading not guilty to the offences and taking the case to a three-day trial at Northampton Crown Court last November, Marriott was found unanimously guilty by the jury.

He returned to the same court last week (January 15) where he was sentenced to seven years - six years to serve in prison and one on licence. He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

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A MAN was caught with vile videos of young girls being raped just weeks after he was given a suspended prison sentence for assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Paedophile Lee Griffiths, 38, from Blaina was jailed after Newport Crown Court heard he had watched child abuse films on a cracked iPad.

The victims were aged between eight and 12 and he had sent a message to a contact online that he wanted “dirtier” material.

The defendant had also told that person: “Jail time would be worth it”.

Speaking about one of the movies, prosecutor Christopher Evans said: “There was pain visible on the face of one girl.”

Griffiths pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He had five category A images – the most serious kind – and these included three videos and two photographs.

There were three category B images, one video and two photographs, and two category C images with both being films.

Griffiths also admitted being in breach of a suspended jail sentence by committing the offences.

The defendant had been handed a prison sentence of eight weeks, suspended for two years, in March 2022 after he was convicted of the battery of an ex-partner.

He had no previous convictions for any sex offences.

Paul Hewitt representing Griffiths said: “There is no evidence of him search for the images – he was sent them.

“The defendant can work with probation on a sex offender programme.

“He is someone who can be rehabilitated.”

Judge Carl Harrison told Griffiths: “You had images of children being raped and you are also in breach of a suspended sentence.

“Only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

He sent him to prison for 58 weeks.

The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until 2034.

Griffiths will have to pay a £156 victim surcharge following his release.

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A Swindon man molested a teenage boy while managing a restaurant.

61-year-old Carl Brown was running Jack’s, in Victoria Road, Old Town, when he sexually assaulted the youngster at the establishment in 2022.

The defendant was found guilty at his trial at Swindon Magistrates’ Court in September 2023, before returning for sentencing on 4 January this year.

At a previous hearing, prosecutor Asha Seenauth said he grabbed the boy’s penis and put his finger into his bottom over his clothing.

Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, which includes 30 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was told to pay £300 compensation to the victim, and pay £620 costs and a £95 surcharge.

Brown, of Highworth Road, must register as a sex offender for five years.