Latest Offenders

Description

A child rapist who also committed multiple other sexual abuses of children was sentenced to 27 years in prison at court yesterday (Thursday 13 August).

Luke Simon, 42, of Redditch, was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of 22 child sexual offences that took place between in the past decade.

These were two counts of rape of a child under 13 and 20 sexual assaults on children under 13 for which he was sentenced to 27 years.

Simon (pictured) was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a restraining order was also put in place.

His offences, which were against more than one child, were brought to light in 2023 and sparked an investigation by West Mercia Police’s Protecting People Unit (PPU) which resulted in yesterday’s sentencing.

Detective Sergeant Izabela Majchrzyk from PPU said:

“We would like to pay tribute to the survivors of Simon’s vile predatory actions for their courage in coming forward and giving us the evidence that has led to this successful conviction.

“We hope today’s sentencing will help them to move on with their lives and that it encourages other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward.

“Our message to anyone who has suffered similar abuses is we will always listen to you and act where appropriate no matter how long ago the offences took place.”

Description

A Wigton man has been jailed for making and distributing indecent images of children and breaching the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.

Craig Mason, 34, of Fell View, Wigton, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on Wednesday 12 August to five years in prison.

Mason was subject to sexual offender notification requirements following convictions for indecent image offences committed between 2018 and 2024.

During a home visit by officers from Cumbria Police's MOSOVO (Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders) team, Mason told officers he did not have a mobile phone or any social media accounts. Under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, he was required to notify police of any online accounts and usernames he used.

Officers subsequently located a mobile phone in Mason's bedroom. Examination of the device uncovered several social media accounts and indecent images of children.

Mason was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.

DC Andrew Minnion, of the MOSOVO team, said:

“Mason was fully aware of the conditions of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed on him but chose to lie to officers.

“MOSOVO officers play a vital role in safeguarding communities by rigorously managing registered sex offenders, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, and holding individuals accountable for their actions.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach against anyone found to breach the terms of their requirements or committing any further offences.”

Description

A Crowborough man who advertised himself on a childcare website and sexually abused a young girl has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Andrew Evans, 40, is already serving more than 14 years for sexually abusing four children linked to two investigations in 2022. The latest sentence will run consecutively.

The court heard that in March, 2022, Evans advertised himself as a childminder on a childcare website and was contacted by a woman who hired him to stay overnight at her home and look after her two small children.

At that time Evans was on police bail while being investigated for a separate matter with conditions which included having no unsupervised contact with children.

On 20 March, 2022, he was seen in public with the children by a person who knew of his bail conditions and reported him to police.

He was arrested the next day, and subsequent checks of his mobile phone revealed indecent images of the seven-year-old girl he had been hired to care for. The victim later disclosed she had been sexually abused by Evans.

She and her family were supported by specialist officers while Evans remained in custody.

He was charged with two counts of assault by penetration of a girl under 13 and causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, without penetration.

At Lewes Crown Court on Friday, 10 July, 2026 Evans pleaded guilty to both charges.

Today (Thursday, 13 August), Evans was given a further prison term:

• Count 1 – five  years imprisonment plus one year extended licence. This is to run consecutive to his current 14yrs four months sentence which had a five year extended licence.
• Count 2 – 40 months to run concurrently.

Evans has also been issued with a restraining order, to have no contact with the victim or her family.

The father of the victim told the court:

“The hardest part is knowing that my daughter has to live with what he did to her.

As her father, I wish I could take her pain upon myself.  I cannot describe how deeply it hurts to know that I cannot change what happened or erase those memories for her.

“There is no question the man who committed these offences has not only harmed my daughter, he has changed me as a person.  I feel anger unlike anything I have ever known. It is an anger that comes from knowing that someone deliberately preyed on my little girl who should have been safe.

“Alongside that anger is heartbreak. I cannot stop thinking about what my daughter went through whilst under his care. 

The effect of his offences did not end when the abuse stopped. They continue every single day for my daughter, and they continue every single day for those of us who love her.

“This man’s actions have left permanent scars on my daughter.  They have also left lasting scars on me.  I believe I will carry the weight of his crimes for the rest of my life.”

Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde said:

“Andrew Evans is a prolific child abuser who deliberately placed himself in childcare settings in order to groom and exploit young children.

“We acted swiftly as soon as we became aware Evans had breached his bail conditions to ensure he posed no further risk to the public.

“Evans is safely behind bars and, thanks to the bravery of his victims, will no longer have access to children.

“This type of offending causes lasting damage not only to the direct victims, but also to families and communities, and it will not be tolerated.

“If you are a victim of sexual offending or have concerns about someone else, please report to us online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.”

Description

A registered sex offender has been jailed after indecent images of children and extreme pornography were found on devices belonging to him.

Frazer McDonald (pictured) was given a sexual harm prevention order in 2017 for making indecent images of children.

As part of that order, McDonald was subject to visits from Lancashire Police while living at an address in Pilling. 

In August last year, officers arrested McDonald after receiving information he was in possession of indecent images of children.

Devices were seized from him on that occasion and on subsequent visits.

Examination of those devices found child abuse images involving very young children, and extreme pornography.

McDonald was also found to have breached his sexual harm prevention order by failing to make a smartphone available for inspection and using an online name without registering it with police.

During one of the monitoring visits, he was also found in possession of crystal meth, a Class A controlled drug.

McDonald, 56, formerly of Glenfield Leisure Park, Smallwood Hey Road, Pilling, appeared at Preston Crown Court last week (August 6th) for sentence.

He had pleaded guilty to offences of making indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images of a child, possession of extreme pornography, breaching a sexual harm prevention order, failing to notify under terms of sex offender requirements and possession of crystal meth.

The judge jailed him for three years, made him subject of sex offender notification requirements and imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Adam Weaver of our Monitoring of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) West team, said:

“Frazer McDonald displayed a total disregard to the sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements.

“He was found with indecent images of children on the devices he held, and extreme pornography – images which are abhorrent and sickening.

“This was a joint investigation involving MOSOVO West and the sexual exploitation team at Lancaster, supported by digital forensics.

“As a result of that work, a high-risk individual has been taken off the streets of Lancashire and sent to prison.”

Description

A man who took indecent images of an unknowing teenage girl has been sentenced by a court.

Liam Bryan (pictured) zoomed in on intimate areas of the girl’s body and had videos and still images on his phone.

He knew the girl and the images were taken in a social setting without her being aware she was being filmed and photographed.

Our investigation began in July last year after Bryan had posted sexual remarks on a Reddit account.

Officers arrested Bryan in Accrington on September 18th and seized his phone.

When the phone was examined, the images of the girl were found.

The images were close-ups of different parts of her body when she was wearing jeans and a vest top.

When officers told the girl about the images found on Bryan’s phone, she was horrified.

Bryan, 26, of Worston Close, Accrington, appeared before Blackburn Magistrates Court this week (August 11th) after pleading guilty to making indecent images of a child.

He was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, made subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order and given a lifetime restraining order regarding his victim.

Bryan was also given an alcohol abstinence order for 60 days.

In a Victim Personal Statement read to the court, the girl said:

“Once the police went through Liam's phone, they later came to tell me Liam had actually taken photographs of me when I was not looking and focused on my bum and chest area, I felt really upset and embarrassed.

“After this day I started to process what Liam had done and as time went on my mental health took a toll.

“I didn't want to leave my bedroom for weeks. I didn't want to talk to anyone or be involved in family activities. I didn't want to be seen in public. I thought everyone was talking about me. The area where I live is a small community news travels fast.”

Detective Constable Beth Turner of the Internet Child Exploitation Team, said: “Liam Bryan’s actions caused a huge amount of distress for his teenage victim.

“Unknown to her, he had taken the indecent images, and it was such a shock to her when she learned what had happened.

“She is a teenage girl who is entitled to go about her life feeling safe and not have someone taking images which she had no idea about at the time.”

Description

Our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) and colleagues have ensured a Basildon man is jailed after he was caught trying to arrange to rape children.

Stuart Ross, 50, of Orlando Drive in Basildon, first spoke to a woman called Louise on social media on 15 November 2020.

Ross quickly turned the conversation to describing the sexual acts and abuse he wanted to act out on Louise and her two young daughters, aged four years old and four months old, and how soon he would be able to visit them.

Over the course of 11 days he exchanged dozens of messages with Louise and had phone calls confirming times and dates he would travel to her address in Yorkshire.

The two daughters were not real, and ‘Louise’ was an undercover police officer based in the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Crime Unit.

Arrested, charged, pleading not guilty

On 26 November 2020 our POLIT officers – specialists in tackling online child sex offences – arrested Ross, taking him into custody and seizing his electronics.

Searches for travel times between his and the officer’s address, as well as dozens of searches for abusive material, were found on the devices.

He was charged with attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence, and publishing an obscene article.

While he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge, after appearing at Basildon Crown Court for a three-day trial a jury found Ross guilty of attempting to arrange a child sex offence as well. He was remanded in custody and today, Thursday 13 August, was sentenced to nine years in prison, with a further two years on an extended licence, at the same court. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of his custodial sentence in prison.

He was also given a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which tightly controls what access he can have to internet-connected electronic devices, and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.

'Ross is a sexual predator'

POLIT Detective Constable Sally Keddy, the investigating officer in the case, said:

In interview he tried to claim his messages were just a fantasy. At court he pleaded not guilty. In reality, Ross is a sexual predator.

He is a danger to children and now he is spending time in prison for his offences, children are safer.

It is right that he now serves a long sentence for his abhorrent offending.

We are fully committed to ensuring those who pose a threat to vulnerable children are brought to justice, working closely with our colleagues nationwide as we did with the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Crime Unit in this case.

We work across borders to stop these crimes and protect our communities. Those committing these offences should expect to be brought to justice.

Description

A repeat sex offender who is considered "a high risk" to young females is back behind bars after his latest breach of a court order.

Ben Richardson was released on July 9 after a previous term in prison for flouting a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

But Teesside Crown Court heard that within a week he was arrested again and locked up for further breaching the order.

The court was told he was released on licence conditions, while still subject to a lifelong SHPO and registration as a sex offender.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said when his police risk manager called on a monitoring visit, on July 14, Richardson presented a mobile phone and gave the pin number.

A check revealed in the few days preceding the visit he had downloaded several applications which were no longer on the device.

The apps, many for dating sites, were last used the previous day and even in one case earlier on the day of the officer’s visit, itself.

He had also downloaded a Virtual Private Network (VPN) application and a browser, which had also been deleted, with the data of its use history also removed.

Miss Atkinson said these were all in breach of his SHPO conditions.

Richardson was arrested and interviewed and admitting downloading the apps and the VPN.

He said he obtained them with the intention of viewing pornography, but he told police he realised he had been “stupid” and so deleted them.

Miss Atkinson said it was clearly a deliberate flouting of the order less than a week after his release from prison for previous breaches.

The 27-year-old defendant of The Crescent, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, admitted the latest breach of the order.

Judge Jonathan Carroll noted the defendant’s criminal record features 13 sexual offences, including the rape, “of a very young female”.

The judge said: “The very nature of his sexual interest is directly towards young girls”.

He told Richardson’s counsel, Michele Turner, that in the circumstances he was considering passing a sentence close to the five-year maximum for the offence.

Miss Turner said while, at 27, the defendant is still a young man, the original offence for which Richardson was convicted was, “some time ago, when he was a very different individual”, with a subsequent, “significant difference in his level of maturity.”

She said that the defendant is in danger of becoming institutionalised, given the time he has spent in custody, where he finds a “supportive environment”, as he gets on well with prison officers and other inmates.

Miss Turner added that the dating apps obtained by the defendant are all adult sites, with nothing to suggest any child contact.

But the judge said the use of a VPN was indicative that the defendant was trying to circumvent any scrutiny of his use of the internet.

He said the defendant’s offending history indicates an attraction to “very young females” from inciting them to commit sexual acts escalating up to rape.

Despite being made subject of both lifelong registration as a sex offender and restrictions under the SHPO, the judge said Richardson had continued to demonstrate, “sexual desires focused on young girls”.

He told the defendant:

“You are clearly a high-risk offender”, but added that the manner and history of his breaches of the order indicate he is also “devious”.

“I’m satisfied your conduct was risking very serious harm and distress as you have shown you are someone who is willing to commit serious criminality.”

The judge said he was taking a four-and-a-half year starting point for the sentence, but would deduct one-third to mark the defendant’s early guilty plea, making a three-year sentence.

He reminded the defendant that the SHPO and registration requirement will remain in place upon his release.

Description

Martin Connelly, 45, of Unity Street, Bristol, was jailed by Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday 5 August after he was found guilty of assault by touching following a trial at the same court in June.

A man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for the non-recent sexual assault of a child.

Martin Connelly, 45, of Unity Street, Bristol, was jailed by Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday 5 August after he was found guilty of assault by touching following a trial at the same court in June.

He was sentenced to a custodial sentence of three years and four months, and he will be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the rest of his life.

The charge relates to an offence where he assaulted his victim under clothing.

The victim read a statement outlining the impact the offending had on her in court, which said:

“There are songs I can no longer listen to, films I cannot watch, and people I struggle to look at because they remind me of you. You have shrunk parts of my world, but you have not brought me down to your level.

“While this has been one of the worst experiences of my life, it has also taught me grace. It has shown me that you truly never know what someone else is carrying. A younger me would’ve never imagined I could say that I stood up and defended myself.

“You have had years to show genuine remorse and to admit responsibility, yet you continue to hide behind excuses and self-delusion. I genuinely believe you have convinced yourself that you are something other than what you are.”

DC Kimberley O’Leary, from our specialist child protection team, said:

“The complainant did not choose for this to happen, but has shown incredible strength and courage to support this investigation, in part to prevent this trauma from being experienced again.

“I thank them for the bravery and resilience they have shown throughout this process, and I hope this will empower other victims of sexual assaults to come forward, because they will be believed and supported.”

Description

Update: 12 August

A man has been jailed for 14 years after pleading guilty to 13 charges under the Sexual Offences Act, many of which involved children.

Rhys Lynn, 32, of HMP Lincoln, pleaded guilty to the offences which took place between July 2017 and April 2026.

He pleaded guilty to all 13 offences in the face of such robust and compelling evidence.  He appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 7 August where he was jailed after the judge applied an exceptional extended period of four years to the maximum custodial term of 10 years.

He is also banned from working with children or vulnerable adults and will be required to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The officer in charge of this case, DC Portia Hakes of Lincoln’s Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said:

We welcome the sentence handed down by the court. This man committed a series of serious sexual offences and has rightly been held accountable for his actions. The extended sentence recognises the ongoing risk he poses and provides additional protection for the public. I hope this outcome gives victims some reassurance that their voices will be heard and their experiences taken seriously.

6 July

A man has pleaded guilty to thirteen charges under the Sexual Offences Act, many of which involved children, during a hearing at Lincoln Crown Court on 19 June.

Rhys Lynn, 32, of HMP Lincoln, pleaded guilty to the following offences which took place between July 2017 and April 2026:

• Make 267 indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (Class A images)
• Make 102 indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (Class B images)
• Make 387 indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (Class C images)
• Possess an extreme pornographic image
• Two counts of causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Causing a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Causing a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity
• Two counts of breaching a sexual harm protection order
• Causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child aged between 13-17
• Threaten to share a photograph or film of a person in an intimate state
• Send a photograph or film to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation

Lynn has been remanded into custody and will appear at Lincoln Crown Court on 7 August 2026 for sentencing.

The officer in charge of this case, DC Portia Hakes of Lincoln’s Protecting Vulnerable People Unit, said:

“Thanks to the bravery of a child victim coming forward, we were able to secure vital evidence involving numerous vulnerable victims across the UK. Due to this evidence, this dangerous and relentless offender has been remanded into prison awaiting sentencing. We wish to thank vulnerable child victims for having the courage to speak out against individuals like this and help end the suffering to other children across the UK.”

2023-02-23

A sex offender previously jailed for getting girls to send him naked photos is back behind bars after he failed to notify the authorities he was in a new relationship with a partner who had two young children.

Rhys Lynn, 27, was jailed for 16 months after he admitted failing to notify the police of his new partner’s address and breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order on four occasions.

Lynn, formerly of Hawthorn Avenue, Cherry Willingham, and now of The Quays, Gainsborough, was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment at Lincoln Crown Court in February 2019.

In addition to his jail term, Lynn was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told to comply with sex offender notification requirements.

Those orders required Lynn to notify the authorities if he began a relationship which put him in possible contact with children or if he was staying at a new address.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Lynn started working at a chicken factory in Gainsborough and began a relationship with a woman who had two young children around a year after he was released from prison.

Caroline Bradley, prosecuting, said Lynn did not disclose his offending to the woman and on occasions would act as a babysitter for the children and stay at their address.

There were also other child visitors to the property, and Lynn also visited a friend who had a teenage daughter, Miss Bradley told the court.

Lynn was arrested after the authorities became aware of the contact.

During interview he admitted failing to disclose his new relationship to his risk offending manager and the Probation Service because he was happy.

Neil Sands, mitigating, said Lynn had been successfully co-operating with the Probation Service for a year after his release from prison before this new relationship began.

Mr Sands told the court Lynn’s best mitigation was his early guilty plea and candour with the police.

Passing sentence Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight made it clear there was no evidence of further sexual offending.

But the Judge told Lynn: “I understand the desire for happiness, but you have a history others do not.”

Lynn’s sentence hearing in 2019 was told he posed as a teenager and also threatened his victims that he would distribute images of them that he had already obtained if they did not send him even more.

That hearing was told the five girls involved, one of whom was only 12, were left badly affected by their contact with Lynn over the internet with a number of them having to undergo counselling.

One later told police that her chances of success in her A levels had been completely wrecked by him.

Lynn had set up accounts on sites such as Instagram and Snapchat using fictitious names claiming he was a teenage boy, his original sentence hearing was told.

Four of the girls sent him naked photographs of themselves and Lynn also sent sexual images of himself to them

Before being sentenced in 2019 Lynn admitted five charges of causing or inciting exploitation of a child, two charges of causing a child to watch a sexual act, a further charge of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and three charges of making a total of 1,218 indecent images of children.

Description

Abdul Nabizada was found guilty of rape at the High Court in Edinburgh on 7 July 2026.

The trial heard how the 19-year-old woman entered his vehicle in the early hours of 13 November 2021 after it appeared to be the vehicle she had booked.

Rather than taking her home safely, Nabizada, now 36, took her mobile phone from her and drove to a secluded area in Joppa where he raped her.

The victim managed to escape from the vehicle and contacted friends, who found her distressed and frightened a short time later.

CCTV footage from Queens Bay Crescent then showed Nabizada repeatedly returning to the area after the attack.

The conviction followed an extensive Police Scotland investigation.

Officers had to identify the offender despite there being no legitimate booking record linking the victim to Nabizada.

Investigators gathered and analysed evidence from multiple sources, including CCTV footage, mobile phone data and witness testimony.

This helped establish the movements of both the victim and the offender, helping to build the case presented at trial.

Forensic analysis also found Nabizada's DNA on the victim's clothing, providing further evidence to support the Crown case.

On 11 August 2026, the private hire taxi car driver was jailed for seven years at the same court.

His name has been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely and a non-harassment order was also granted.

Faye Cook, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said:

"This conviction is the result of the victim's courage in coming forward and the determined work of police officers to uncover what happened that night.

"Officers had to piece together evidence from a range of sources to identify the offender and build the case that was presented in court.

"The victim should have been able to trust that her journey home would be safe.

"Instead, she was seriously sexually assaulted by a private hire car driver who took advantage of her vulnerability and abused his position, resulting in a deeply traumatic experience.

"While stranger offending is rare, Scotland's prosecutors treat every report of sexual abuse with the utmost seriousness, recognising the profound and lasting impact these crimes have on victims and communities.

"I hope this conviction provides reassurance that reports will be thoroughly investigated and that COPFS will work with policing partners to ensure offenders are held accountable."

Description

A 74-year-old man who went to Sheffield station with a pack of Viagra to meet a 14-year-old girl has been jailed following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.   

Stephen Greaves, of Park Grange Croft, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to a total of five charges, including Attempting to Meet a Child Under 16 Following Grooming.

At Sheffield Crown Court on 31 July, he was jailed for two years and eight months and received a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Greaves turned up to Sheffield railway station on 26 July 2021 thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he had been grooming for weeks.

Instead, a paedophile hunter group intercepted him and quickly reported his intentions to BTP.

He was arrested at the station, and officers found a blister pack of Viagra on his person.

Forensic analysis of Greaves’ phone revealed hundreds of messages between him and who he thought was a teenage girl.  

Detectives also uncovered other conversations with girls he believed were underage, as well as child sex abuse materials he had saved, including two videos in the most severe category.

Before arranging the meet at Sheffield station Greaves sent a photo of his genitals on WhatsApp to who he thought was a teenage girl, plus a series of sexually explicit messages.

Following an extensive investigation led by BTP detectives, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised eight charges against Greaves.

He then pleaded guilty to five charges in total. These were: Attempting to Meet a Child Under 16 Following Grooming, Attempting to Cause or Incite a Child Under 16 to Engage in Sexual Activity, Attempting to Engage in Sexual Communication with a Child, and two counts of Making Indecent Images of Children.

BTP Detective Constable Lee Walker said:

“Stephen Greaves poses a serious danger to children and has demonstrated a clear sexual interest in them.

“He spent weeks grooming who he believed was a teenage girl, sending vile and explicit messages before travelling to the station with Viagra for what he thought would be a sexual encounter.

“Our investigation uncovered the full extent of his offending. Through the forensic examination of thousands of gigabytes of data from his phone, we unearthed abhorrent child sexual abuse material.

“Thankfully Greaves is now behind bars and no longer able to prey on children.”

Description

A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after sending sexual messages to someone he thought was a child.

26-year-old Ashley John, from Gwaun Cae Gurwen, used Snapchat to engage in chat with a profile he believed to belong to a 12-year-old girl in October 2024. In his communications, John claimed to be a 17-year-old sheep farmer from South Wales and proceeded to engage in sexual communications, including sending explicit images of himself and requesting indecent images of the child.

After initially pleading not guilty to the offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity, John changed his plea to all three offences to guilty on July 6.

John has been jailed for three years and ten months.

Detective Inspector Hannah Millership said:

“This sentence reflects the serious risk that sexual communication poses to children and their safety and well-being.

“We will continue to pursue those who seek to exploit children online and take action to protect vulnerable young people.”

Description

Kingsley Perera, registered sex offender and former children’s entertainer, jailed for hiding devices.

A former children’s entertainer and registered sex offender was jailed after lying to police about undeclared devices, only to be caught when one started “buzzing” in a kitchen drawer.

Kingsley Perera, 63, of Baywood Avenue, West Cross, Swansea, has been subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) since December 2020 following his conviction for possessing indecent images of children. The order requires him to notify police of any internet-enabled or image-storing devices.

On the morning of 5 May, police made a routine unannounced visit to his home. Perera denied having any unregistered devices. Officers then found a tablet in a bedroom (which he claimed belonged to a friend), a digital camera in the kitchen (which he said was his mother’s), and a mobile phone after hearing a “buzzing” noise from a dresser drawer.

The friend he named later told police he had no knowledge of the tablet and had not visited the property for more than a year.

Perera had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the SHPO. At Swansea Crown Court he applied to vacate those pleas, claiming the devices were not his and citing memory issues. Judge Huw Rees refused the application.

Prosecuting, Regan Walters told the court that probation officers were concerned about Perera’s “ongoing pattern of secrecy,” his lack of insight into his offending, and his refusal to take responsibility.

Perera has eight previous convictions for 23 offences. In December 2020 he was sentenced to 10 months in prison and given a 10-year SHPO after being convicted of possessing almost 4,000 indecent images of children, including more than 600 Category A images. At that trial he had denied downloading them and blamed others, including people he claimed to help through charitable work. The trial judge noted the particular concern that Perera had worked as a children’s entertainer and clown while knowing he had a sexual interest in children.

In April 2022 he received a suspended sentence for failing to notify police of a move to Port Talbot. Three months later he was jailed for 15 months after being caught with another secret phone.

Judge Rees sentenced Perera to 16 months in prison (with one-third credit for his guilty pleas). He will serve half in custody before release on licence. The SHPO remains in force.

Description

A former York man has been jailed for non-recent child sexual abuse.

54-year-old Ian Mark Wrightson of Holmes Close, Newcastle-upon-Tyne was jailed for three years and four months when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on 5 August.

Wrightson lived in York at the time of his offending when he subjected a primary school aged girl to a series of sexual assaults between 1990 and 1992.

Wrightson would entice her to his room on the pretence of playing computer games and before every game, he would abuse her for his own sexual gratification.

He originally pleaded not guilty to five offences but on 5 August, the day he was due to stand trial, he changed his plea to guilty to three counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14, and two counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14. He was jailed on the same day. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and barred from working with children.

His brave victim said: “If my story can help someone in need, I would be so grateful that I had helped in a very small way by putting it out there and possibly giving them the strength to believe they can come forward themselves. I hope it will help people like me who have been so scared to come out and say something - whether it’s historic or current to speak up.”

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Helen Hewitt, added:

“Wrightson’s cowardice in denying the offences he committed until just before the trial, forced the victim to endure the build up to the trial, reliving the horrific abuse she suffered.

“His guilty plea is a testament to the strength and courage shown by the victim and I hope the sentence passed will provide other victims of abuse the courage and confidence to come forward. North Yorkshire Police will work tirelessly to give victims of abuse a voice and achieve prosecutions against predatory offenders like Wrightson.

“The effects of sexual abuse are long-lasting and can affect all aspects of a victim’s life. I urge anyone who has been abused, no matter when it happened, to please come forward. If you don’t feel you can report to the police at the moment, there are other agencies who can help you but please do not suffer in silence.”

Description

James Scott, 32, from Greaves Lane East near Malpas, has been placed on the sex offenders register for seven years after exposing himself to two women in separate incidents.

Scott admitted two counts of exposure at Chester Magistrates’ Court. He was sentenced on 6 August by District Judge Ian Barnes to three months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. The order includes a Building Choices course, 20 days of rehabilitation activity and 100 hours of unpaid work.

The first offence occurred in Crewe in June, when Scott exposed his genitals to a hotel worker in a reception area after attempting to chat her up. He was arrested and released on conditional bail.

While still on bail, he committed a second offence in Middlewich in July. He exposed himself to a dog walker after twice crossing paths with her in a park on Sycamore Drive. He was arrested a few hours later on 8 July after police received a description of his car.

In interview, Scott claimed to Cheshire Police that he had been urinating while waiting for his girlfriend to return from work.

He will remain subject to sex offender notification requirements for seven years from the date of sentence.