Latest Offenders

Description

A “persistent” sexual predator tried to hide his phone under a loaf of bread to stop officers from finding hundreds of indecent images of children.

Kevin Wyeth, 37, was living in a hotel after being released from prison. He had been serving a sentence for sending sexual communications to four children.

When police visited him unannounced in March, Wyeth tried to hide his phone under a loaf of bread next to his bed. Despite his efforts, officers found the device which contained hundreds of explicit images.

Wyeth, of no fixed abode, had also had text exchanges with children believed to be under 15 years old.

The sexual predator had been subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order dating back to child sex offences from 2006.

He was arrested and charged with three counts of breaching the order and making indecent images of children.

He was also charged with a related offence for not giving police the pin code for his phone.

After pleading guilty to all counts, Recorder Hardy described Wyeth as a “persistent, repeat, recidivist offender” while sentencing him at Lewes Crown Court on October 12.

He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Sussex Police Constable Louise Blacker said: “Kevin Wyeth is a committed offender with an extensive criminal history, that shows he is a consistent danger to children.

“His persistent offending was rightly recognised at court and, alongside this custodial sentence, he will be subject to even more stringent measures to limit the harm he can cause to the public.”

Police say they believe that Wyeth may have other victims and are urging people who have been in contact with him to come forward.

Anyone who has been in contact with Wyeth is urged to contact Sussex Police online or via 101, quoting serial 428 of 27/10.

Description

A Cornish sex pest who cannot help but flash his penis in public has now brought his perverted ways to London. Stephen Jory, 42, of no fixed abode, appeared at Wood Green Crown Court where he admitted grabbing a woman's boob and telling her 'I want to f*** you' in on May 12, 2022.

He also admitted making lewd comments to a woman on March 28 this year, breaching his notification requirements as a sex offender, a breach of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) which was imposed at Portsmouth Crown Court in Hampshire in August 2013, and causing £77 worth of damage to a Devon and Cornwall Police prisoner cell in Newquay on March 21 2023.

Jory, who is currently jailed in Exeter prison, had his case transferred to London from Truro Crown Court in Cornwall after committing offences against a woman on his release from HMP Pentonville in Islington. Addressing Judge Noel Lucas KC, Jory said the offences 'happen when I'm drunk' as he asked for access to more help from the probation service.

Pest flashed female doctor at surgery

Jory first wound up in court for a sexual offence in 2013 when he was ordered not to expose himself in public again. But, he broke the terms of the SHPO by flashing his penis at a female doctor in a Cornish surgery less than a year later, landing him in prison for 18 months. The menace asked for a penis examination then walked around with his trousers down, the court heard.

Then in 2017 he appeared at Plymouth Crown Court for exposing himself and making indecent comments to a woman in the Devonshire city. At the time Judge Ian Lawrie said Jory had a 'compulsion' to expose his penis, but gave him a chance to rehabilitate by sparing him jail, according to CornwallLive.

In 2020, Jory was back in the dock again for making disgusting comments to a group of teenage girls. He boasted about his 'big penis' and told one of the terrified girls he was ‘going to sh*g her’ and he did not care how old she was, Cornwall Live reports.

Jory will appear at Wood Green Crown Court for sentence on November 9.

Description

A sailor has been jailed for six years for raping and sexually assaulting a woman on a Royal Navy ship in international waters.

James Carnegie, 33, who was a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Motorman,  was found guilty by a jury at Truro Crown Court today after he first sexually assaulted and then raped a woman.

The incident took place in 2021 while he had been working on a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel in international waters, while it was returning to Cornwall from overseas.

The victim reported that he had first sexually assaulted her and then later raped her, physically forcing himself on her when she had explicitly not consented. 

He denied the offences, and later in interview told police their interactions had been consensual - which she explicitly denied.

Along with serving six years, he will also be signed onto the sex offenders register for life.

Following his sentencing, Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Nick Williams said: 'First and foremost I would like to thank the victim for coming forward and reporting this horrendous crime, so that we could investigate and bring the offender to justice.

'I hope that the sentence given by the judge will help to bring some level of closure and also serve as reassurance to other victims of sexual offences that we fully and thoroughly investigate reports and take action.

'Carnegie brazenly denied the offences, but the jury returned a guilty verdict after their deliberation.'

District Crown Prosecutor Suzanna Butler praised the courage of Carnegie's victim.

She said: 'The victim in this case has shown immense courage in speaking out against the perpetrator of these awful crimes and supporting the prosecution.

'I am very pleased that we were able to deliver justice for the victim.

'We want every victim of sexual assault to have the confidence to come forward to report abuse, in the knowledge that support is available and that the police and CPS are committed to securing justice.'

Description

A sex offender who arranged to meet an underage child has been jailed.

Michael Taylor used social media apps such as Kik and Whatsapp to communicate with the child and even looked to book transport for the girl to travel from the West Midlands to his flat in Seaham.

Taylor was unaware that the child he was sexually communicating with was an Undercover Online Operative (UCOL) called ‘Dani’.

Officers swiftly arrested the 62-year-old and later charged him with attempt to engage in sexual communication with a child, breach of his sexual harm prevention order, breach of sexual offenders register requirements and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

A number of devices were also seized from Taylor’s address, including his mobile phone, which formed a huge part of the investigation.

Taylor, of Albert Street appeared at Durham Crown Court today (October 27) where he was sentenced to 45 months in prison.

Detective Sergeant Richard Blamires, from the Public Protection unit said: “Taylor’s offending was extremely concerning and although there was no victims in this case, it clearly shows his willingness to act on his heinous sexual desires.

“I hope today’s outcome provides the public with some comfort knowing Taylor is behind bars and demonstrates our commitment to dealing with sex offenders in our county.”

Description

A Wirral man has been jailed today, Friday 27 October, for breaching an order by possessing sexual images of children.

Andrew Davies, 52 years, of Mill Lane in Wallasey was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court this afternoon.

The court heard that in November last year, officers conducted a routine visit to Davies’ home under the Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed on him. When officers were checking his electronic devices, he admitted using social media which is a breach of his terms.

His electronic devices were seized, and detectives found 133 prohibited and distressing images of children of a sexual nature found on them.

Davies was found guilty of all 133 prohibited images found on the device and nine breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The Sex Offender Unit ensure that sex offenders living in the community are closely monitored.

Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill, from the Sex Offender Unit, said: “Davies went so far as to try and evade guilt by accusing his family members saying that they were responsible for downloading the images on to his device.

Description

A former university lecturer who came to London with a children’s book intending to sexually abuse a 6-year-old girl has been jailed. 

At the time of his trip to Stratford, 73-year-old Dr Keith Firman was on licence having served a six-year prison sentence for abusing another young girl. 

Using a chat platform under the username ‘Grandad’, Firman contacted a woman who claimed to have a six-year-old daughter. 

Firman arranged to meet with the mum in east London and discussed how he would abuse her daughter, prosecutor Deepak Kapur said. 

On May 26 this year Firman arrived in Stratford from Southampton armed with a children’s book to read to the child. 

However, the woman he had been speaking to was an undercover officer and Firman was arrested as he walked towards the house he believed the girl lived in. 

When officers checked his phone they found he had also been in conversation with another undercover officer who was posing as a 13-year-old girl in Derby. 

During this discussion he referred to himself as ‘naughty teacher’. 

When interviewed by officers Firman said he knew this was going to happen and that he shouldn’t have come. He added that he “just couldn’t help himself”. 

Defending Firman at a sentencing hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday (October 26), Lynton Orrett said his client didn’t plan to sexually abuse the six-year-old girl when he travelled to Stratford. 

“He said all he would have done is read to the child, had the child on his knee and really used that occasion as, I wouldn’t say to break the ice, but as an introduction to that child on that day. Whether anything would have come later down the line the defendant doesn’t know,” Mr Orrett said. 

Throughout his life Firman had worked as a molecular biologist, researching nanotechnology and DNA. He also lectured at the University of Portsmouth. 

Firman, of Suttones Place in Southampton, was first outed as a sex offender in 2014 when he admitted 21 counts of possessing, making and distributing sexual photos of children. He was jailed for 15 months. 

Two years later, in 2016, he was jailed for six years for three counts of indecent assault against a girl in the late 1980s and 1990s. The girl was aged between eight and 10. 

Judge Timothy Greene said: “You are an intelligent man and you knew there was a risk that this was a trap but you were so desperate to abuse that 6-year-old girl that you took that risk anyway. 

He added that Firman seemed to think this abuse was “perfectly natural”. 

Judge Greene said: “You’re not really remorseful. You think you were tricked into committing these offences.” 

He sentenced Firman to four years and four months with an extended licence period of four months. 

Judge Greene also ordered Firman to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Description

The parents of a young girl who suffered ongoing nightmares after she was sexually abused have been left "heartbroken" and "disgusted" at what happened to her – but they are relieved that she has finally got justice.

They hope that the jailing of the girl's abuser will mark "part of the road to recovery" for her after the "deeply unpleasant" incident, Hull Crown Court heard.

Craig Smith, 27, of Priory Grove, west Hull, denied sexually assaulting the girl on April 28 last year but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

The court heard that Smith intimately touched the girl after pulling down her underwear. The incident had caused serious problems for her, including nightmares and dreams that started soon afterwards.

Her family hoped that these would become less as she got older but they feared that they would not.

Smith had previous convictions, including being locked up for 15 months in 2014 for wounding and others of criminal damage, burglary and arson. He had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Defence barrister Nigel Clive said: "There's little that can be said by way of mitigation." There were "deeply unpleasant elements" to the offending but there was no significant planning and no use of alcohol or drugs. Smith was relatively lightly convicted.

"Thankfully, for all, this is not the worst offence of its type," said Mr Clive. "There are other offences which, regrettably, are far worse than this." With the passing of time, it was hoped that that the memory of the incident would "fall away" in the girl's mind.

Judge Kate Rayfield told Smith: "You thought you could get away with touching her. She still has nightmares and flashbacks to what happened."

This was an example of "just how far-reaching sexual abuse can be" and it would have to be seen what the lasting effects on the girl would be.

"You have been sentenced to custody before, although many years ago," said Judge Rayfield.

Smith was jailed for four years and he was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

After the hearing, the girl's mother said: "We would have liked longer but are happy that she has found some justice. We are so glad that that she could come to us and that we finally got something back for her." She said of Smith: "We are just disgusted."

The girl's father said: "We are heartbroken. It's hard to put it into words. We got justice for her. She can rest easy. It's part of the road to recovery for her.

"We hope that it's all done and dusted and that we can keep her happy and smiling."

Description

A paedophile who preyed on an eight-year-old girl promised her chocolate in exchange for her silence.

Terence Griffiths, from Moreton, abused the little girl over a period of one-and-a-half years, grooming and repeatedly sexually assaulting her. He told her to keep his actions a secret, and promised her chocolate in exchange for her silence - with a jar of Nutella being found in the bedroom of his home.

His vile secret was discovered when the girl told her mum the 58-year-old had been "kissing her weird", describing the act as "a full snog". She told her he had touched her breasts and private parts, and had shown her graphic videos of "ladies doing stuff to men".

After showing the girl a video of a woman performing a sex act. he told her: "I wish that was you."

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court for sentence today, October 25, after being found guilty of nine counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and one count of causing a child under 13 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity, last month. The court heard he continued to deny the offences, and had suggested the little girl "had been acting in an inappropriate sexual way."

Reading from a statement from the girl's mum, prosecutor Steven Swift said: "Before (daughter) confided in us what was happening we were a normal family going about our everyday lives. The disclosure was a complete shock and has affected every aspect of our lives, especially (daughter).

"(Daughter) frequently became upset at school and often the school would notify us at the end of the day. This would cause many sleepless nights, waiting to go back to school the following day.

"We worry about (our daughter's) future especially as a teenager when she begins to understand the full extent of what has happened to her. We worry future relationships and trust will be tainted."

David Polglase, defending, said: "(Griffiths) has various difficulties with mental health, various diagnoses that he has had and that he is awaiting. There's a neurological disorder, he has the shakes, he has COPD, he takes medication for anxiety and depression and there's a concern about a degree of risk of self harm."

Judge David Potter said: "It's quite clear to this court that (the girl) suffered significantly as a result of her disclosures. She became upset frequently, including at school, and to this day remains somewhat hesitant towards male figures.

"Your total offending was on no fewer than 30 occasions and some occasions will have included more than one type of sexual activity by you on (the girl). No doubt you are a dangerous offender."

He sentenced Griffiths, now of of David Street, Malltraeth, Bodorgan, to a total of 11 years in prison. He was also given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order, and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A child rapist who started abusing girls when he was just 12-years-old has been given a lighter prison sentence due to his ‘immaturity’ at the time of the attacks.

Mohammed Ahmed, who is now 24, repeatedly sexually assaulted two younger girls in Edinburgh. Police had been called to his former home after he told them he was considering taking his own life. Officers later discovered there had been a confrontation involving Ahmed and a victim days earlier during which he was accused of raping her.

The sex offender, from Mayfield Road in Edinburgh, denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was convicted of five offences involving two girls. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping one girl when she was aged nine in December 2010. The High Court in Edinburgh also convicted him of assaulting her by punching her, grabbing her by the hair and dragging her.

Ahmed was also found guilty of sexually assaulting and raping a second girl on various occasions between 2010 and 2014, including physical assaults during which he punched her and pulled her hair and on one occasion pushed her down stairs and throttled her after putting his arm around her neck, reports Edinburgh Live.

Judge Lord Doherty said Ahmed had a tough childhood and suffered with his mental health. He told him: "Had you been an adult at the time of all of these offences the sentence I would have passed would have been more severe. In light of your immaturity at the time of most of these offences, the sentence which I pass is an extended sentence of six years imprisonment, of which the custodial part is four years and the extension period is two years." It means Ahmed will spend four years behind bars and a further two years on licence.

Defending, Gareth Jones KC said his client continued to deny committing the offences and has not committed any further crimes since his attacks between the age of 12 and 15. But he acknowledged that ‘serious harm’ was caused and argued that given Ahmed's young age now and at the time of the offending the guidelines for sentencing young persons applied in his case.

Description

A HORRIFIC sex-offender has been jailed for repeatedly breaching orders preventing him from being around children.

Adam Blyth, 24, was sentenced in August 2014 for five different charges involving the rape of a child under the age of 14.

As part of this Blyth was served a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for 10 years, a court order which restricts the actions of someone the courts feel is at risk of causing sexual harm even upon their release from prison.

This order included restrictions around unsupervised time spent with children.

The sex-offender appeared at Liverpool Crown Court last week following two breaches of this order, in which Blyth was pictured around young children.

Prosecuting, Andrew Jebb told the court how in "the middle of 2022" Blyth had been pictured with his three-year-old son on a train, in an unsupervised visit.

Further, Blyth was pictured at a family party in Warrington on August 20 this year with his partner’s son. He was seen on CCTV alone with the child, who is also three, on various occasions, as well as arriving in the same car.

This second breach also took place while on bail after having been arrested and warned by police for the picture taken with his son.   

These were not the first breaches of the order, as Mr Jebb told the court that this pair of offences were the third occasion on which Blyth had breached his SHPO.

Blyth, of Grasmere Fold, St Helens, breached the order in 2017 and 2018.

Defending Blyth, Sarah Griffin told the court that "substance abuse made him think he could just act normally" despite the order.

She said: “He has been trying to address his substance abuse, to address his use of drugs, alcohol, and his mental health.”

Ms Griffin also reiterated that, whilst the visits were unsupervised, in both cases he was not alone with the children. This was proven by the fact that someone else took the picture of him and his son, and that the party was a large family gathering with lots of other adults nearby.

Judge Trevor Jones, presiding over the case, said:

“You are 24 now and were sentenced 10 years ago for a number of serious sexual offences when you were 14.

“The defendant accepts he was fully aware of the order when he breached it.”

Judge Jones also told the court that, in a pre-sentence report on Blyth, he was judged as being a "high risk of reoffending".

For the two counts, Blyth received terms of 22 months imprisonment

Description

A man has been jailed for rape after police officers ‘stumbled across a sex attack’.

Anthony Donald Raymond offered to give a woman a lift home in March 2022 – when he detoured to a remote location in Wiltshire and parked.

It was there that the 33-year-old, of Amesbury, forcibly removed her clothing and carried out the rape.

Police officers on routine patrol came across the incident taking place, but Raymond managed to evade them and flee the scene.

Following a week-long trial at Winchester Crown Court, the account of the victim backed up by the officers and their accompanying body-worn camera footage secured a guilty verdict.

On 20 October, he was jailed for nine years and told to register as a sex offender for life.

DC Martyn Powell of South CID said: “I would like to praise the victim in this case for having the courage and conviction to see this through a difficult 18 months and a week-long trial.

“The officers at scene who came across this incident captured key information and evidence on their body worn cameras which was able to be produced to the court in evidence.

“I hope that this sentence inspires others who have suffered sexual violence to come forward and report incidents to the police where we will endeavour to support you.”

Description

A police officer who blackmailed and threatened underage girls to send him explicit photos of themselves on Snapchat has been jailed for life.

Lewis Edwards, of Cefn Glas, Bridgend, groomed more than 200 girls online.

The 24-year-old, who had 4,500 indecent images of children, admitted 160 counts of child sexual abuse and blackmail.

The South Wales Police officer messaged 210 girls aged 10 to 16 from November 2020 until February 2023 and images of 207 of them were found on his devices.

Edwards, who refused to go to Cardiff Crown Court throughout his three-day sentencing hearing, joined the force as a police constable in January 2021 but is now barred from policing.

Handing him multiple concurrent prison sentences, including several life sentences with a minimum term of 12 years, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "It is clear that he not only gained sexual gratification from his offending but he also enjoyed the power and control he had over these young girls."

Edwards will also be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, barring him from working with children or vulnerable people and requiring him to keep his personal details logged with police.

She described his behaviour as "cruel and sadistic" and "psychologically manipulative", adding that he posed a high risk of danger to children.

"Even when his victims were crying, begging him to stop, the defendant did not stop even though he could be in no doubt about the immense harm he was causing his victims," she said.

Edwards used a profile picture of a teenage boy to trick his victims into sending explicit images, with one saying that during video calls Edwards would sit in the dark, showing only part of his face.

The young girls were told by Edwards to take nude pictures, sometimes wearing only items of their school uniform, and perform sexual acts.

When they tried to ignore his demands he threatened them and said he would share the images he already had, or said he would hurt their families.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said one 12-year-old victim was told by Edwards he could "come to her house and shoot her parents".

Edwards installed a "legitimate application" which allowed him to record images sent to him by the girls on Snapchat, without their knowledge.

In an audio recording played in court, Edwards could be heard saying "I wish I could just watch these forever" as he watched sexual videos sent to him by a 13-year-old.

In another video, a girl was audibly distressed and could be heard saying "do I have to?" and "I feel forced".

Mr Griffiths said Edwards received images from girls while on duty at least 30 times.

Among his victims were two sisters, aged 13 and 15. The younger sister sent images of her bottom and breasts and a video of her performing a sexual act.

In a victim statement, one girl said: "I was only a little girl. I feel confused, embarrassed, disgusted and I have no self esteem. I lost my innocence. I felt guilty and I still struggle to trust people."

Another victim, who was 13 when Edwards contacted her, told the court the contact began when she was about to start at a new school.

"I was vulnerable because I really wanted to make new friends. I thought I was talking to a really nice boy who liked me lots," she said.

Edwards would tell the girls stories about bad things happening in his life to "guilt trip" them, Mr Griffiths added.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke said Edwards' crimes were "significantly aggravated" by the fact he was a police officer.

She added: "There is no doubt that his actions have caused significant harm to the reputation of South Wales Police and police in general.

"But it should also be borne in mind that it was officers from South Wales Police who investigated this case."

South Wales Police said its investigation into the case began in December 2022 when the force was made aware of suspicious online banking activity linked to the downloading of indecent images of children from the dark web.

Officers linked an IP address to Edwards' address and, after his home was searched, victims were identified through Snapchat usernames, despite Edwards refusing to provide pin codes to two of his devices.

South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Daniel Richards said Edwards' crimes were "despicable".

"The public will be as shocked and sickened as we are that such appalling offences were committed by a serving police officer," he added.

"As soon as we knew the offender was a serving police officer, Edwards was suspended and sacked."

He also said that vetting of Edwards at the time of him joining the force did not indicate anything to suggest the "abhorrent offences".

Lucy Dowdall of the Crown Prosecution Service said Edwards targeted vulnerable children and "ruined their lives".

Just one victim was found by Edwards directly through his role as a police officer whom he messaged after responding to a 999 call and noting her as a "vulnerable girl" in his paperwork.

Snapchat said: "Any sexual exploitation of young people is abhorrent and illegal and our hearts go out to the victims in this case."

The company said it "works in multiple ways to detect and prevent this type of abuse" including recently adding new pop-up warnings for teenagers who may have been contacted by someone they do not know.

The NSPCC called the case "incredibly distressing" and "deeply concerning".

Description

Police released a statement today following a review into the vetting of former PC Luke Horner who was jailed for child sex crimes earlier this month.

Horner, 24, was convicted following an incident that took place while he was off-duty in Rushden, Northamptonshire, on 11 June 2023, involving the sexual assault of a teenage girl.

The Amersham police station based officer was sentenced on 6 October, at Northampton Crown Court to six years’ and four months’ imprisonment, for engaging in penetrative sex with a child aged 13-15.

Thames Valley Police DCC Ben Snuggs said: “Our thoughts remain with the young girl and her family who have been affected by Horner's criminal behaviour.

"Such behaviour has no place in policing or in society.

"We are grateful for His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) insight.

"In its report, HMICFRS highlights we could not have anticipated that Horner would end up committing such abhorrent sexual offences against a child.

"It also agreed with our decision to grant vetting clearance, and that our processes were consistent with national practice at the time."

CC Jason Hogg had chaired an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing and found it in the public interest for former PC Horner to be included in the police barred list.

A targeted review carried out by HMICFRS noted that the force could not have reasonably anticipated that PC Horner would carry out the offence.

Horner’s vetting file was reviewed and the HMICFRS agreed with the force’s decision to grant initial vetting clearance.

The HMICFRS review is also not critical of the outcome of the Counter Corruption investigation carried out into Horner following information being received by the Force in February 2022 prior to the incident on 11 June 2023.

The statement on Mr Horner comes amidst other nationwide hearings on police misconduct, with a disciplinary hearing today finding that the behaviour of two met officers amounted to gross misconduct over stop-and-search operations.

Thames Valley Police made an investment of staff in to the Central Vetting Unit in April this year.

A training course was developed alongside this to refresh staff in-line with recommendations.

The force says that as a result of the recent investment it now conducts more in-depth research on applicants, completes an increased number of vetting interviews, and has improved recording of decision making and rationale.

DCC Snuggs added: “We will review each of the HMICFRS recommendations carefully to ensure that any further changes to our processes are made. 

“We want to help build a police service the public trusts in and will continue to remove those who have no place in policing.”

Description

A 31-year-old Rotherham man has been put behind bars after raping a woman while she was asleep.

During a three-day trial, Sheffield Crown Court heard how Christopher Pearce sexually assaulted a woman, putting his hands down her trousers despite her telling him to stop, before she fell asleep.

The victim subsequently woke up to Pearce shining a light in her face. He said to her: "You were awake for that weren’t you?" before she realised that her trousers had been removed and felt some pain, the court heard.

Christopher Pearce, of Crownhill Road, Brinsworth, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault and was sentenced to 14 years in jail at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Detective Constable Katy Walker said: "The victim has shown true bravery and determination during this trial.

"Despite the overwhelming forensic evidence, Pearce refused to admit his crimes.

"We would like to thank the victim for helping us with our investigation, ensuring that Pearce paid for the truly horrific crime he committed.

"At South Yorkshire Police we take every report of rape seriously. We hope this sentence provides the relief the victim needs to attempt to move on with her life."

Description

A paedophile sexually assaulted a 12-year-old boy as he played out on his bike. The child was approached by 21-year-old Kai Huston, while he was out near his home in Salford on a summer’s afternoon.

The boy’s bike had broken and Huston offered to help, Manchester Crown Court heard. He asked the child "if I fix this for you, will you do something for me?" before sexually assaulting him.

Now Huston has been declared ‘dangerous’ and locked up. Prosecutors told how Huston had previously been arrested by police after he was found to have uploaded a category A indecent image of a child - the most serious type - on Snapchat in July 2021.

He was caught but then released under investigation. Then two years later he sexually assaulted the boy, aged 12 at the time.

The child was playing out on a residential street in Salford, on a Thursday afternoon in July. It was a school day, but he was at home because teachers were on strike, prosecutor David Toal said.

He had been riding his bike, but the chain had broken and he was trying to fix it. Huston got out of an Uber nearby.

He then 'ushered' the child to a 'more secluded location' in a nearby alleyway, and offered to help fix the bike. Huston then crouched and put his arms around the child.

He touched the boy on the 'bottom area' and his lower back. Huston told him 'don't go anywhere' and said 'if I help you with this chain, will I get something back?'

He also asked: "If I fix this for you, will you do something for me?" During the incident Huston had asked the boy how old he was, and he told him he was just 12.

The boy was 'frightened' during the assault and at one point tried to leave. As he tried to run away, Huston 'grabbed' him by his T-shirt, but he was able to break free and escape.

The police were alerted, and Huston was caught. Defending, Hugh Barton said Huston's motivations in approaching the boy had initially been 'entirely innocent'.

"This was not him out looking for someone or targeting an individual in that way," he said. Huston has been diagnosed with autism and experienced a 'desperately difficult' childhood, Mr Barton told the court.

He said Huston was a 'vulnerable figure' and 'in many ways a damaged one'. Huston, from, Salford, pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent image of a child, and sexually assaulting a child.

Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad KC declared Huston a ‘dangerous’ offender. It means he will serve two-thirds of a four year sentence in prison, before he will be monitored for an additional two years on licence.

Huston was ordered to sign the sex offender's register for life.