Latest Offenders

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A man has been sentenced following a detailed investigation from our dedicated Criminal Investigation Department into four years’ worth of offences.

Mobarak Almutairi (30/05/2006) of Whitworth Street West, Manchester was sentenced to three years and eight months at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday 16 September. Almutairi pleaded guilty to 20 counts of sexual offences, including sexual assault, outraging public decency and indecent image offences.

Earlier this year, in February 2025, Almutairi was arrested after he followed three young girls into a shop on Market Street where he inappropriately touched and sexually assaulted one of them.

Following this report, our officers were able to track Almutairi down using CCTV footage, arrest him and seized his electronic devices. Officers discovered not only a recording the offender took of the above offence, but thousands of indecent images of children made predominantly by Almutairi. Just under 4,000 indecent images were recovered from his devices, unveiling a history of sexual abuse against children both within and outside of the UK.

Our dedicated officers carefully sifted through this evidence to identify each of the children, some as young as eight-years-old, and ensure each of them and their families received protection and support.

In addition to his sentencing, Almutairi now has a lifetime order on the sex offender’s register list and has been issued with a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Emily Morton, of our Criminal Investigation Department said:

“Child protection is our utmost priority, and ensuring the victims identified in this case were fully supported was the first and most important task under this investigation.

“The level of offending and disregard for these children shows just how dangerous an offender Almutairi, and the streets are much safer with him in prison.

“We investigate all reports of sexual assault thoroughly and work relentlessly to bring perpetrators to justice, while providing the right care and support for all victims and survivors of these crimes.”

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A 45-year-old man has been jailed for nine years after sexually assaulting a woman while she was vulnerable.

James Murray, from Weston-super-Mare, has been jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to four counts of sexual assault, one count of perverting the course of justice and careless driving.

On Friday (17 October), Bristol Crown Court was told how paramedics were called to a property in Weston-super-Mare where a woman was in distress.

Following further enquires, the victim disclosed that Murray had sexually assaulted her when she was not in a state to give consent.

The court was told how Murray had filmed the abuse on his phone for his own gratification.

After being remanded to prison, Murray reached out to the victim and sent her multiple letters in an attempt to dissuade her from pursuing a prosecution and asked her to disengage with police.

The court was also told how, in a separate incident, Murray had been driving carelessly and nearly collided with two pedestrians after crashing into a fence next to them and then leaving before police arrived.

Officer in the case, DC Jordan Prince, said:

“I have to commend the victim who has shown exceptional bravery throughout the investigation and court process. She showed tremendous courage to speak out against Murray and support our enquiries.

“Murray committed vile acts against the victim when she was in a vulnerable state and has shown no remorse for his actions. Enquiries led to the police locating the videos of abuse leaving Murray with no choice but to plead guilty.

“We, along with the victim, hope that other would-be victims of sexual offences hear about this case and have the courage to come forward and seek their own justice.”

During the sentence, His Honour Judge Burgess KC described the events as both ‘distressing’ and difficult to comprehend, and his treatment of the victim was ‘degrading’.

He told Murray he showed ‘absolutely no respect for her or her feelings’ and used the victim as an ‘inanimate thing’ for his own ‘perverted gratification’.

Alongside the prison sentence, Murray will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life, preventing him from working with vulnerable children or adults in the future.

Additionally, he was issued a 15-year restraining order and nine points on his provisional licence.

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Essex Police worked closely with officers from a force in the Midlands to ensure a dangerous online offender was jailed.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Matthew Wright said:

Our online investigation team worked with our colleagues from West Mercia after we were made aware of reports of online offences involving a child.

The safety of children is of paramount importance and an investigation was launched to quickly ensure all the evidence could be gathered and the suspect arrested.

Posed as a photographer

On Friday October 17 at Chelmsford Crown Court, Marc Yeomans was jailed for more than 14 years and ordered serve a further five on licence.

Posing as a photographer Essex-based Yeomans contacted a child, who lives in the West Midlands, through Instagram and asked him to send inappropriate images (including nude images) to him as part of an “opportunity to work as a model for a magazine”.

His offending came to light when the victim’s father contacted police after discovering messages from Yeomans on his son’s phone.

Between August and November 2019 Yeomans used the social media site to initiate a conversation with the child and repeatedly asked for images.

Following a detailed investigation Yeomans was arrested, and devices were seized from his work, car and later his house.

When interviewed he denied the allegations and said he had committed no offences and had not secretly communicated with a child.

Multiple charges

However further offending was discovered and 50-year-old Yeomans was further arrested and charged with the following offences:

• Attempting to cause or incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Attempting to possess an indecent photograph of a child
• Engaged in sexual communications with a child
• Two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity
• One count of attempting to cause or incite a child under 16 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child
• Six counts of making indecent photographs of a child (1 Category A, 4 Category B and 9 Category C)

Yeomans, formerly of Orchard Place, Clacton-on Sea, had denied all the charges, but ahead of his trial date on Monday 1 September he plead guilty to 12 of them and three charges - engaged in sexual communications with a child and the charges of attempted sexual communication with a child – were left to lie on file.

He was jailed for a total of 14 years and five months, with an extended five years on licence.

He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention and will be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Following the sentencing Det Con Wright, from our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT), added:

Yeomans preyed on a vulnerable child by pretending to be a photographer.

His father spotted what had happened after being concerned about his son’s behaviour and contacted police.

Social media is part of all our lives now, it’s worth checking your child’s privacy settings for each app and making sure they do not interact with people they do not know in real life.

We have lots of information on our website to help children stay safe online.

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An Aberdeen double rapist has been sentenced to a lifelong restriction order after being branded by a judge as violent, predatory and depraved.

John Middleton, aged 27, had burst into tears following a jury finding him guilty at the High Court in Aberdeen on May 24 last year and had to be removed from court, shouting and swearing at the jurors and calling them rats.

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A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after being found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of three child victims.

32-year-old Joshua Jones, from Cwmavon, pleaded not guilty to all charges put to him.

After trial at Swansea Crown Court, Jones was found guilty of rape of a boy under 13, five counts of assault of a boy under 13 by touching, and causing a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity. His youngest victim was between five and six years old when Jones’ offending took place.

Jones has been handed a 23-year extended sentence, comprising 19 years in custody and four years on licence.

He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Samantha Lewis said:

“Joshua Jones callously took advantage of three boys in the most sickening of ways. He took advantage of the power that he had over them due to their very young age, and robbed them of the innocent years of their childhood.

“What he has done is absolutely reprehensible. This was no isolated incident; this was a number of occasions where Jones perpetrated horrendous crimes upon his child victims.

“He is rightfully going to be locked up in prison for a significant period of time.”

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A Plymouth man has been jailed for 26 years after sexually assaulting women, including those he lured into his teeth-whitening salon with offers of free treatment.

Ricky Stubberfield, 31, messaged popular young women on Instagram to offer them free treatments in exchange for promoting his business on their platforms.

But when the trusting victims attended his Essex Smiles franchise on Mutley Plain they were instead subjected to lewd remarks and forceful sexual assaults.

Stubberfield, of Walnut Gardens, Plympton, abused three women who answered his social media offer and two other regular female customers at the salon between 2022 and 2024.

However Plymouth Crown Court heard that his sexual offending actually began many years before. He had abused three other females at various locations including at a concert between 2013 and 2022.

During a trial in June, Stubberfield was convicted of 23 offences - eight counts of rape, nine counts of sexual assault, four counts of digital penetration, indecent exposure and making an indecent image of a child.

They were unable to reach a majority verdict on three further charges of rape, digital penetration and sexual assault.

At Plymouth Crown Court today, 21 October, Stubberfield was jailed for 26 years, plus an additional six years in licence. He will also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Stubberfield first came to the attention of police in February 2022 when a 16-year-old girl reported that he had sexually abused her on two occasions that month.

On one night he had raped her in the disabled toilet during a concert at Plymouth Pavilions and later in the back of his van on Plymouth Hoe.

On the second occasion the victim was at a house with a friend and Stubberfield. Throughout the night he carried out a torrent of multiple rapes and other sexual offences against her while telling her to ‘be quiet’.

Some of the offences were captured during a FaceTime call to her friend after Stubberfield brazenly pulled her out of view to sexually assault her and forced her to commit a sexual act upon him.

Unbeknown to Stubberfield his actions were reflected in a nearby cooker hood and seen by the caller who shouted out to stop him. She had also recorded the call and provided this to police.

The court heard that in 2024 a woman reported that she had been abused by Stubberfield at Essex Smiles.

Operation Highrock was then launched by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Project Gemstone, a specialist sexual offences investigation team in Plymouth.

After a third report in 2024, Stubberfield was arrested and charged with multiple offences. A report in the local media prompted other victims to come forward. Some believed they were the only one and Stubberfield’s sexualised behaviour had often been dismissed by those who knew him as it being ‘Just Ricky’.

The investigation uncovered the shocking extent of Stubberfield’s offending. Between 2022 and 2024 he had abused five women, all in their 20s, at the teeth whitening and tanning salon.

Four victims were sexually touched while receiving teeth whitening treatments, three from his social media offers. He also exposed himself to a fifth victim.

In all cases Stubberfield made inappropriate sexual remarks as a precursor and asked details about their sex lives.

Once in the treatment chair with a mouth guard in, he took advantage and sexually assaulted them, asked for photos and made repeated forceful sexual advances. One woman described feeling trapped while another told police she froze in fear of what may happen next.

The fifth woman was accompanied by her toddler when she went to buy a product from the salon. Stubberfield asked her out on a date which she declined. He then showed her a picture of his genitals before pulling down his trousers to expose himself. She left the shop and, unbelievably, he called a few minutes later to ask her out again.

In 2013 Stubberfield sexually assaulted a woman he met on a dating site, forcing himself upon her before she was able to get away.

Another victim encountered Stubberfield in 2021 where he raped her twice before asking her is she ‘fancied a Nando’s’. She described him as always being ‘forceful in his sexual nature’.

In July 2024 he was further arrested while on remand in prison. Stubberfield consistently denied any wrongdoing and on one occasion he even asked interviewing officers if they found one of his victims attractive.

He was charged and found guilty of the 23 offences against eight females during the June trial. His victims were aged between 16 and 27 at the time of the offences – all younger than Stubberfield.

HHJ Judge Linford said to Stubberfield on sentencing: “Your behaviour was utterly remorseless predation.” He described the offending as ‘part of your personality’ which was ‘very worrying’ and stated Stubberfield posed a ‘very high risk of harm’ to the public.

Detective Inspector Marcus Hodges, senior investigating officer, said:

“I welcome the sentence given today to a man who preyed on young women for over a decade.

“My utmost thanks and praise are with the victims who not only had the courage to report the offences, but to support the police investigation and give evidence in court.

“Their strength and bravery is admirable, and I sincerely hope that they may find some closure and be able to start moving forward with their lives following this outcome.

“I also hope it may encourage others and give them the confidence to report crimes and know that they will be taken seriously.

“My thanks also go to the detectives who investigated this incredibly complex case diligently and thoroughly, resulting in a compelling case which resulted in a guilty verdict.”

Description

A man who began sexually abusing a woman when she was only around five years old has been jailed.

The crimes carried out by Barrymore James began in around 1990 and continued until approximately 1998 – sometimes happening two or three times a week.

His actions were brought to the attention of police in 2021 when his victim – who is now an adult – came forward to report what had happened. She said James had stopped abusing her when she was around 13 years old.

Speaking to officers from our Child Abuse Investigation Unit’s (CAIU) non-recent team, she recalled occasions where James had made her smoke crack cocaine and heroin before carrying out the abuse. She also said there were several occasions where he made her look at pornographic material.

James was interviewed about the allegations and dismissed the victim’s claims. However he was subsequently charged with a string of sexual offences.

On 22 July, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court, the 65-year-old was found guilty of:

• 12 counts of indecent assault
• Two counts of sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years
• Two counts of indecency with a child

Today (Monday 20 October) at the same court, James – of no fixed abode – was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment.

Detective Constable Katie Harris, from the non-recent team, said:

“The crimes carried out by James have had a lasting impact on the victim, who showed a lot of strength and courage in re-living the abuse in front of a jury.

“Thankfully the account she was able to provide was key in ensuring James was found guilty of all counts, meaning he’s now serving time in prison.

“It’s never too late to report sexual abuse and I hope today’s outcome has provided a degree of closure to the victim and allows her to move on as best she can.”

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A high-risk sex offender with a long history of targeting lone females resumed offending after moving to Carlisle and changing his name.

The case of 42-year-old Grant Huddart, formerly Grant Percival, whose victims have included children, has drawn criticism from national campaigners calling for stricter controls on sex offenders.

A News & Star investigation revealed that Cumbria Constabulary is supervising dozens of convicted sex offenders who have changed their names, allowing paedophiles like Huddart to restart lives without others easily discovering their past.

At Carlisle Crown Court, prosecutor Georgia Kennedy-Curnow detailed Huddart's February offense. He arrived in the city after serving time for sexually assaulting a young Kendal woman in June 2024, where he gained her sympathy by claiming to be suicidal.

In Carlisle, the victim—a young bar worker—was not assaulted, but Huddart's actions mirrored his prior crime. On February 23, while she collected glasses, he stared at her and asked: "Excuse me – can I ask you a question?" Then: “Would you care if I killed myself?”

Concerned, she offered tea. He asked if she hated him, if he was good-looking, and said he wanted to kill himself. He called her beautiful, adding: “I’d really like to say what I’d like to do you.” She declined. Before leaving, he requested a cuddle; she alerted police.

The court heard Huddart's 25 prior offenses, including breaches of sexual harm prevention orders and sex crimes:

• 2003: Indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl walking home from school.
• 2004: Sexually assaulting another 14-year-old in an alleyway.
• 2011: Offering a 14-year-old money for sex.
• 2011: Fixating on a female bus driver, staying aboard five hours and recording her.
• 2012: Sending a malicious or menacing message.
• 2014: Approaching a 13-year-old, claiming suicidality, and asking for hugs.
• 2018: Grooming an online female he believed was 15.
• 2024: Assaulting a 20-year-old in Kendal, lying about being a grieving father whose 18-month-old daughter died.

Defending, Clare Thomas said Huddart accepted responsibility, despite a probation officer's view otherwise. “He was consuming alcohol for the first time in a number of months,” she noted. He progressed in Lancashire supported housing but moved to Carlisle's John Street hostel when it ended. Local authorities deem him too "high risk" for accommodation in the next 12 months.

His sexual harm prevention order, barring approaches to lone females, left him feeling hopeless and lonely, Thomas said. Verbal abuse followed local press coverage of his 2024 case; he sought a Carlisle ban for a fresh start elsewhere.

Judge Michael Fanning addressed Huddart's complaints about press coverage and orders increasing isolation: “But your past interactions with women demonstrate that you seem to be incapable of forming a relationship in an appropriate way at all."

“So far as the reporting is concerned, the public, and in particular females who are vulnerable and who are alone, are entitled to know that you pose a risk to them.”

The judge said press reporting on his "predilections and location" is justified; anonymity would enable more offending. He jailed Huddart for 18 months.

A new indefinite sexual harm prevention order prohibits approaching female strangers, except inadvertently, for goods/services, or in therapy.

A News & Star FOI request showed Cumbria Police supervising 48 sex offenders who changed names in the last five years, costing as little as £15. Numbers rose: 15 in 2023, 12 in 2024, four so far this year.

In December 2024, 932 sex offenders were supervised in the community; by July 2025, it was 939—up from under 800 in 2020-2021. Most stem from convictions; others from civil orders like sexual risk orders.

Emily Konstantas of The Safeguarding Alliance welcomed government plans but urged more:

"The ability for registered sex offenders to change their names without proper monitoring remains an open loophole, one that has been exploited, is being exploited, and will continue to be until it is fully closed.

"It enables offenders to evade vital checks and places vulnerable children and adults at significant risk.

"While we welcome the Government’s recognition of this issue through the Crime and Policing Bill, the proposed reforms do not go far enough.

"Legislative change must be robust, enforceable, and capable of addressing both future and past exploitation of this loophole. 

"When someone sexually abuses a child or an adult, the victim’s rights must take precedence. Survivors cannot erase their trauma with a simple name change, and neither should an offender be able to erase their identity or their past to avoid accountability.

"We need a joined-up, mandatory system that ensures any name change by a registered offender is immediately flagged and shared across all relevant agencies. Anything less continues to fail the very people this system is meant to protect.

"We will continue to campaign for Della’s Law [an abuse survivor] as long as this loophole remains a risk." 

Labour MP Sarah Champion said:

"Across the country sex offenders are changing their names to avoid detection or to frustrate the justice system. This legal loophole makes us all more vulnerable and needs to be closed.

"Successive Ministers have recognised the threat of sex offenders changing their name, but the solutions they offer require the abuser to do the right thing - which seldom happens."

The Crime and Policing Bill requires sex offenders to notify police of name changes a week in advance; police can refuse if needed for public protection.

For details on reforms—and why they won't apply to all offenders—see the government's Crime and Policing Bill summary.

England and Wales have over 70,000 registered sex offenders in the community, up 52% from 2014.

Della's Law, partly enacted, aims to prevent registered sex offenders from changing names to evade detection.

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A trans child rapist bombarded a probation officer with threatening phone calls from jail, vowing to knife "a load of men", a court heard.

Marcia Walker, 51, made the calls from Frankland Prison—a top-security men's jail in Durham—where she is held as too dangerous for a women's facility. Inmates there include Soham killer Ian Huntley, ex-cop Wayne Couzens, and Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield.

She left four voicemails threatening to "get a knife", adding to her history of threats: placing a nail bomb under a governor's car and having him shot; using an intercom to claim a bomb would detonate in the staff car park; sending a letter claiming she had bombed Theresa May as Home Secretary; attacking a prison guard; and threatening to kill another when her razors were confiscated, preventing shaving.

Walker, previously Mark Walker and jailed for 13 years in 2003 for raping two girls (one aged four), is legally female but barred from women's prisons due to her sex conviction.

She admitted sending a communication threatening death or serious harm and was jailed for nine months by Teesside JPs.

Walker is segregated at Frankland, with male prisoners locked in cells for 45 minutes while she washes and eats alone.

A source previously told The Sun:

“There is a lot of anger at the jail but it’s a Catch-22 situation.

“She has to be treated as a woman but cannot be moved to a female prison because she poses a risk. And, as she’s legally a woman, she must be kept apart from male inmates.”

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A registered sex offender, who had been released from prison weeks earlier, has been jailed after sending explicit messages to an undercover cop.

In February and March 2025, Scott Hemingway sent explicit messages to two ‘underage girls’ who he believed to be aged 14 and 12.

What Hemingway didn’t realise was that he was actually speaking to an undercover police officer.

The 39-year-old had been released from prison just four months earlier, after being convicted of a similar offence in December 2021.

He was arrested in March and charged and remanded into custody for the following:

• Attempt to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Attempt to cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity - offender 18 or over - penetration
• Arrange / facilitate the commission of a child sex offence x2
• Adult attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child x2
• Sex offenders register - fail to comply with notification of a change
• Breach of Sexual Harm Prevention Order

Hemingway, of no fixed address, appeared at Derby Crown Court on 26 September and admitted the charges against him.

He was jailed for 13 years, handed a further, indefinite SHPO, and fined.

DS Richard Foster said:

“Scott Hemingway is a dangerous criminal who, despite already being caught and only just being released from prison, was unable to stop offending.

“We actively target high risk individuals like Hemingway, and we will continue to do so to keep our communities safe.”

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A former housemaster at a school in East Sussex has been jailed for 20 years after being convicted of a string of serious sexual offences against children.

Raymond Langley, 76, of Clarendon Road in Hove, was the housemaster/bursar at the now-closed Tylehurst School in Forest Row during the 1970s.

In 2021, an investigation was launched after a man reported being sexually abused at the school in 1979.

Enquiries identified two victims both now men in their 50s and 60s who were subjected to abuse between 1977 and 1979.

One victim reported how Langley would shower with the students and invite some to sleep in his room to avoid bullies.

Langley would sexually abuse the victim, then a teenager, repeatedly during these interactions.

The second victim reported being sexually abused in a similar way by Langley, including being shown pornographic material by Langley in his room before being abused.

Both victims were given specialist support when the offences were disclosed, and a thorough investigation was launched.

In June, 2024, Langley was charged with four counts of buggery of a boy under 16, four counts of indecent sexual assault and eight counts of indecency with a child.

A jury took just two hours of deliberation to find him guilty of all charges at Lewes Crown Court on 22 September, 2025.

At the same court on Friday (10 October), Langley was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Recorder Ms Q Whitaker described Langley as a coward who preyed on vulnerable boys and forced the victims to give evidence in court despite not taking the stand himself. She commended the victims bravery in reporting and supporting the court process.

Detective Constable Jo Gledhill said:

Raymond Langley targeted vulnerable young boys who sought his help, abusing their trust in the most despicable ways.

Both of these victims have carried the trauma of his crimes throughout their lives, and the bravery they have shown in reporting to the police cannot be overstated.

I would like to thank both of them for coming to us, supporting this investigation and giving the evidence at court that has brought a predator to justice."

Detective Inspector Steve Shimmons said:

This outcome should send a message to victims and offenders that no matter how long ago offences took place, we will take action.

"I reiterate our thanks to the victims in this investigation for their resolve and support, and commend DC Gledhill and the investigative team for their diligent work.

"It is never too late to report if you are a victim, please report to police online, via 101 or by dialling 999 in an emergency.

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A 37-year-old man has been jailed for 16 years after being found guilty of raping and assaulting  a woman.

John Dawson from Ernest Street in Crewe appeared at Chester Crown Court on 16 October to be sentenced after being found guilty of two rapes, intentional strangulation and assault, two counts of threatening to send an intimate photo or video, and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour.

The investigation began following an allegation of rape at a hotel in Crewe.

Further investigation led to officers uncovering Dawson controlling the woman financially by taking money from her account, having access to her social media accounts and messaging apps, and isolating her from friends and family.

He would also call her derogatory names and had assaulted her. Dawson was charged with the offences, which he denied, but was found guilty following a trial in July 2025.

A second man was found not guilty of rape during the trial.

DC Katherine Isherwood-Smith said:

“Dawson’s behaviour towards this woman was criminal and abhorrent. Dawson was deemed so dangerous to women that the courts jailed him for a substantial period.

“No one should ever be subjected to such degrading, manipulative and arrogant behaviour, and I hope seeing this man behind bars for a considerable time encourages others to come forward who may be suffering abuse. And I hope it goes as a warning to those who inflict such horrific acts that society does not tolerate violence or abuse against anyone.”

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Cory Jones, a 19-year-old of Rees Street, Treorchy, has been sentenced today to a total of eight years for committing 69 sexual or related offences against minors.

The offences occurred throughout 2024, when Jones was aged 17 and 18, and involved 37 victims, ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old.

The charges against Jones included:

• Sexual communications with a child
• Causing a child to watch a sex act
• Causing a child to engage in sexual activity
• Causing/inciting penetration of vagina
• Sharing intimate photographs without consent
• Blackmail
• Distributing indecent images
• Possession of images

Jones will also be subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Inspector Stuart Prendiville expressed the gravity of Jones's actions, stating:

“Corey Jones deliberately targeted young women on social media, lying about his age and employing manipulative, deceptive tactics. His exploitation of vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification is a stark reminder of the dangers that exist online.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. It is our hope that the conviction and sentence handed down today will provide some measure of comfort and justice to those affected.

“Let this serve as a warning that such predatory behaviour will not be tolerated, and that we must remain vigilant in protecting our children."

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A man has been sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for a sexual assault and assault in Portsmouth.

Philip Rooney, 48, appeared at Winchester Crown Court today (Friday 17 October) in relation to two incidents which took place on Monday 21 July.

On Monday 21 July, Rooney approached a 16 year-old girl on Milton Lane in Portsmouth and touched her inappropriately over her clothing.

The girl then ran home and told her parents what had happened, who went out to look for Rooney.

On finding him, Rooney attempted to flee and was detained by the father whilst the police were called.

Rooney began head-butting the father repeatedly, causing him to sustain a bloody nose.

He escaped, but was subsequently identified by an officer and arrested the following day.

Rooney was found guilty by a jury at Winchester Crown Court on 15 September of sexual assault and assault by beating.

He appeared again at the same court today, where he was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment.

Detective Constable Amy Thatcher from the Eastern Criminal Investigations Department said:

“I am pleased with today’s sentence and to see Rooney face justice for his actions.

“I understand that coming forward to police to report can feel difficult and scary, but we have specialist teams who will support you.

“We are here to listen to anyone who has been the victim of a sexual assault and we promise to take every report incredibly seriously and investigate robustly.”

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A man has been jailed for life today for offences including attempted murder and rape in Portsmouth.

Benjamin Coates, 42, of Eagle Avenue in Waterlooville was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court today (Friday 17 October) after he was found guilty of a number of offences committed against a woman in her 30s in Portsmouth between April and December 2024.

On 8 December 2024, Coates assaulted the woman, breaking her ribs, and then continued to assault her over a three-day period until 11 December, when police were called after a member of the public heard the woman screaming.

On police attendance, it was discovered that Coates had thrown the woman through a window, breaking her legs, and repeatedly kicked her in the face.

An investigation was launched by the Eastern Criminal Investigation Department and it was found that over the course of eight months, Coates had subjected the woman to repeated physical, sexual and emotional abuse and made threats to the woman’s family.

Coates was found guilty by a jury on 8 July 2025 of the following offences:

• Attempted murder
• Five counts of rape
• Intentional strangulation
• Controlling coercive behaviour
• Threatening to share intimate images
• Threats to kill

He has been sentenced to serve life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years. If released, he will remain on licence for the rest of his life.

Detective Sergeant Lucia Davies of the Eastern Criminal Investigations Department said:

“Benjamin Coates has received the only sentence appropriate for the unimaginable devastation and pain he has caused; a life behind bars.

“The depravity of the offences he has committed against the victim and her family are beyond words and I am glad that this dangerous man will not be able to subject any one else to this horrific behaviour.

“I cannot commend the victim enough for her bravery and courage in supporting us to bring this man to justice. I can’t begin to imagine the effect this has had on her both mentally and physically, but she has been integral to getting the result we did today. We couldn’t have done it without her unwavering strength.

“I know that no sentence will ever turn back time and undo the damage Coates has done, but I hope that knowing he will never be free will eventually help her begin her journey to rebuilding her life.

“I understand that coming forward and reporting to us can feel impossibly difficult and scary, but to anyone who is in an abusive relationship of any kind, I promise you that if you bring this to us, you will be listened to, you will be heard and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice.”