Latest Offenders Birmingham

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This is the first picture of a city paedophile who 'tried to meet a seven-year-old child for sex'. Richard Davies has been jailed after sending a series of indecent images of children.

The 42-year-old, from Erdington, spent weeks chatting online to a person he believed was a fellow sex offender. He sent explicit and graphic messages which described his sexual interest in kids.

He communicated on various social media platforms and tried to set up a meeting where he would have sex with a young girl. Police said this included the possibility of meeting at a car park in Sutton Coldfield.

He also sent a series of indecent images of children ranging from category A - the most extreme type of abuse - to class B and CC, police said. The force said they had identified and arrested Davies in January 2021.

The investigation was carried out by West Midlands Police along with the assistance of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Davies answered no comment in interview and denied he had a sexual interest in children or that he had arranged to meet a child.

He pleaded not guilty to the offences between September 2020 and January 2021, but was convicted by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court on April 18. He was sentenced to seven-years and six-months in prison. He will also be on the Sex Offenders Register and is banned from working with children as well as being subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Lisa Jackson, form the force's Priority and Vulnerabilities Team, said: "This was an excellent piece of work by all the officers involved, putting away a highly dangerous offender. The messages Davies sent were some of the most horrific we have encountered and included a number of appalling images of child abuse.

"Davies tried to claim he was not guilty throughout the case, but we were able to put together a strong case to secure a conviction."

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A Snapchat groomer who used the social media app to abduct a vulnerable schoolgirl has been jailed.

Brandon Mason, 19, admitted child abduction and making 55 indecent images of his victim.

A judge said he "groomed" the girl to send him sexualised images and encouraged her to run away from her home in Flintshire, north Wales.

Mason, of Austrey Grove, Birmingham, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

On Tuesday, Caernarfon Crown Court heard Mason made contact with the pre-teen schoolgirl - who cannot be named - over the popular smartphone app Snapchat.

After convincing her to meet him, they both caught a train and made a 100-mile trip together from north Wales to Birmingham. They were found when police stopped a bus in the English city in September 2022.

Patrick Williamson, defending, said Mason had no previous convictions, but did have a "sad and depressing" history involving mental health issues.

Judge Nicola Saffman told Mason: "You got into her head so much, she being an extremely vulnerable child. You manipulated her."

She said it had taken many months to start to repair the damage done to the girl. The victim was "enthralled" by Mason, the judge said, and didn't disclose to police everything which occurred.

The judge said Mason incited the victim to take indecent images and had even encouraged her to harm herself.

Mason was handed restraining and sexual harm prevention orders, which will last indefinitely.

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A sex offender caught out trying to sexually groom a 13-year-old girl over the internet was slammed by a judge for reusing to admit he was attracted to children. Steven Ogilvie struck up a conversation with a young profile on the Chat Avenue site and talked about being naked in the shower as well as going to a nudist beach.

But in fact he was talking to an undercover police officer. The 55-year-old, from Chester Road North, Sutton Coldfield, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child but was spared a prison sentence, partly because it happened in 2018 and he had not repeated the behaviour since. At Birmingham Crown Court he was sentenced to a three-year community order.

Ogilvie had told probation officers he was not attracted to children and had not intended to speak to a child. But Judge Richard Bond told him: "I totally reject what you say, of course you are attracted to children what else were you doing?

"Adults mainly go onto such websites for one reason alone; to attain some form of sexual satisfaction talking to underage children. You probably can't even admit to yourself you are attracted to children but when you hear the circumstances of this case you clearly are."

Ogilvie had started talking to the decoy profile on January 9, 2018. Oliver Wellings, prosecuting, said of the Chat Avenue website: "It is a chat facility for teenagers looking for online conversations. It is not just the target audience but also predatory paedophiles who congregate on such sites."

Ogilvie began asking the 'girl' about her background before he switched the topic to dating and 'phone sex'. He made jokes about being old enough to be her father before suggesting they should shower naked together and go to a nudist beach.

Mr Wellings added: "It would appear at that point, by this stage it had been going on for some days, the defendant got cold feet and became concerned. He began asking her for photos trying to establish whether she was real."

He told the court Ogilvie had previously been caught out by so-called paedophile-hunters for almost identical behaviour before the offence was created in law. Ben Close, defending, emphasised the latest offence spanned three days and happened five years ago. He said: "It is encouraging to see in the pre-sentence report he has remained faithful to his plea.

"He describes a challenging time in his life involving a separation, loneliness, mental health difficulties. The picture painted is an all-too-familiar one of someone who spent too much time at home on their computer seeking an outlet and falling back into abusing the internet in the way he did."

Ogilvie must be assed for a sexual offenders' treatment programme, complete 60 days of rehabilitation activity and adhere to police notification requirements for five years. Judge Bond told him: "It is you who turns the conversation away from innocuous matters. It becomes highly sexualised at your instigation.

"When you say you are not attracted to children, why are you talking about being in the shower with a 13-year-old girl? That's because that's what you wanted in your dreams."

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50-year-old Corey Anderson was sentenced on Friday, March 10, at Ipswich Crown Court to six years and 10 months in prison.

Anderson first met the victim online in 2018 and continued to communicate with her online until the summer of 2020 when he arranged to meet her.

She was aged 15 at the time.

He met the victim in Suffolk before taking her back to his home address in the West Midlands.

Police located Anderson and the victim in a vehicle after the teenager had been reported missing by her family who had raised concerns that she was with Anderson.

He was arrested, brought back to Suffolk and taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and subsequently charged.

At a hearing in February, Anderson was found guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child, meeting a child following a sexual grooming, sexual communication with a child and child abduction.

 
In addition to his sentence, Anderson, of Castle Street in Tipton, was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Sam Chandler said: “The defendant in this case poses a significant risk to children.

“Throughout the trial he insisted his motivations were purely honourable, in that he was concerned for the welfare of the child to whom he was not related.

"However, the evidence in this case proved that he had been in communication with the vulnerable child since she was 12 years old and that he had groomed her over a three-year period, before abducting her and sexually assaulting her at his home, all for his own sexual gratification.

“The sentence sends a clear message to other potential perpetrators of child sex abuse; this kind of offending will not be tolerated, and Suffolk Constabulary will investigate all such matters carefully and thoroughly in order to bring these perpetrators to justice and to protect the most vulnerable within our society.

 
“The victim in this case and her family have shown immense courage and strength in telling their story, engaging with the police investigation and the ensuing trial and I hope in time the victim can heal from the harm that was inflicted upon her at such a young age.

“The sentence today reinforces why we do this job, to protect the vulnerable.”

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A convicted sex offender arranged to meet a 14-year-old boy at a train station in Birmingham after sending him naked photos. But the teenager turned out to be a "decoy" created by a paedophile hunters group.

Joshua Purser, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said a member of a paedophile vigilante group set up a fake profile on a gay dating app of a 14-year-old boy and on September 24 last year the decoy started to receive messages from Simon Burrin. In the first exchange the 'teenager' told the defendant his age and that he was "checking the app out" but the defendant responded by asking him for his phone number and saying his name was Simon.

The conversations then moved on to Whatsapp with Burrin sending naked pictures of himself to the decoy. During the conversations the defendant said he would like to undress the teenager and suggested they could meet and stay at a hotel in Winchester.

A convicted sex offender arranged to meet a 14-year-old boy at a train station in Birmingham after sending him naked photos. But the teenager turned out to be a "decoy" created by a paedophile hunters group.

Joshua Purser, prosecuting at Birmingham Crown Court, said a member of a paedophile vigilante group set up a fake profile on a gay dating app of a 14-year-old boy and on September 24 last year the decoy started to receive messages from Simon Burrin. In the first exchange the 'teenager' told the defendant his age and that he was "checking the app out" but the defendant responded by asking him for his phone number and saying his name was Simon.

The conversations then moved on to Whatsapp with Burrin sending naked pictures of himself to the decoy. During the conversations the defendant said he would like to undress the teenager and suggested they could meet and stay at a hotel in Winchester.

Burrin was interviewed and said that it was "wrong to speak to kids again" and that he needed help. The court heard that he had a number of previous convictions and in June 2020 was sentenced to two years and four months after he had allowed a 14-year-old boy, he had met on a gay dating site, to stay with him.

Burrin, 42, of Court Lane, Erdington, who had previously admitted attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child and breach of a sexual harm prevention order, was jailed for four years and eight months.

Judge Simon Drew KC said: "It seems to me that your principle purpose of making contact with that child was to engage in sexual activity." He described his behaviour as "extremely dangerous" and extended the period he would remain on licence by four years.

Amrisha Parathalingam, defending, said: "He wants to address this sort of behaviour. His biggest problem is the internet."

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A dangerous pervert who sexually assaulted a woman in a ladies' toilet claimed he was in there because he identified as female.

Ian Bullock, 39, subjected his victim to a 'vile' attack after loitering in the toilets at busy Birmingham New Street station.

The woman, who was on her way to work last March, said she thought it was odd when she spotted Bullock in the loo – but assumed he worked at the station because of a high-visibility jacket he was wearing.

As she washed her hands, Bullock made a 'beeline for her', British Transport Police said. He bent down next to her as if he was going to pick something up before launching the 'pre-meditated' attack.

The woman challenged Bullock who afterwards 'casually' walked out of the toilets before sitting down and removing the high-vis jacket he had been wearing. She carried on watching him as he put on a beanie hat in an attempt to disguise himself – before reporting what had happened to station staff.

BTP officers were called and officers arrested Bullock. When interviewed, Bullock tried to claim the reason he was in the toilets was he now identified as female, police said. Sources last night suggested it was an 'off the cuff remark' and stressed Bullock was treated as a man throughout proceedings.

He was convicted of sexual assault at Birmingham and Solihull Magistrates' Court in December. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to sign the sex offender's register for ten years. He also was handed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which bars him from entering or loitering outside women's toilets, and wearing any type of high-vis jacket other than for a lawful employment purpose.

Detective Inspector Ian Wright said: 'Bullock is a dangerous individual who deliberately changed his clothing in order to loiter in the female toilets undetected and launch this vile, pre-meditated assault on the victim in a space she had every right to feel safe in.

'I would like to commend the bravery of the victim, who faced with an unimaginably awful situation and reported what had happened – meaning officers were able to arrive quickly and arrest him at the scene.

'Bullock deserves every day of the prison sentence he's been handed.'

Controversy over sex offenders identifying as female has grown following the conviction of transgender rapist Isla Bryson, who was initially placed in a women's prison after being convicted of two attacks.

Bryson was taken to Cornton Vale prison – Scotland's only all-women jail – before being moved to a men's prison following public outcry.

The issue was raised in the Commons yesterday by Alba Party MP Neale Hanvey. Mr Hanvey said the case and others have 'illustrated the danger and naivety of self-ID'. He added that latest figures for England and Wales show that 97 of the 230 transgender prisoners in England and Wales are being held for sexual offences.

The Government said transgender women held in women's prisons in England and Wales have committed no assaults or sexual assaults since reforms were introduced in 2019. In October 2022, further reforms required that transgender prisoners with male genitalia should no longer be held in women's jails.

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A 40 year-old man has been sent to prison for 21 years with two years on licence after he was convicted of multiple sexual offences at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday 31 January.

Mark Turner from Corbett Road, Hollywood, Birmingham, was charged with:

• Gross indecency with a girl under 16
• Indecent assault of a female under 14
• Cause/incite a child to engage in sexual activity by penetration
• Sexual assault of a child

The charges relate to child sex offences against three victims, two of whom were discovered following the initial report which was made to detectives in 2018.

Detective Constable Fiona Millership said: The verdict and the sentence handed down to Turner will I hope offer some solace and comfort to those he hurt.

Tuner is a predator of children and once our investigation was under way, we uncovered more victims who, between 2001 and 2004, he also abused and sexually assaulted.

Not only should the sentence of 23 years serve as a warning to those sexually abusing children but my hope is that it reassures other victims and survivors that they can trust us to find them justice. If you have been abused, sexually assaulted, raped or exploited, talk to us and let us help you.

If you feel you are a victim of any sexual offence you can report it to us via West Mercia's Victim Advice Line on 0800 952 3000 or visit www.victimadviceline.org.uk. This is a free, independent and confidential support service. In an emergency always dial 999.

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A DANGEROUS sex offender who abused two young girls in the 1980s and 90s has been jailed.

Raymond Higgins, of Old Forest Way in Shard End, was found guilty of eight offences of indecently assaulting the girls for over eight years.

The 71-year-old was jailed for 14 years at Coventry Crown Court and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

He was arrested and questioned in 2019 after the women he abused came forward and reported him to the police.

West Midlands Police say in interview, he denied being responsible for any of the assaults, accusing the two victims of colluding to cause him problems.

The force added Higgins was deemed a dangerous offender by the court.

DC Sunita Sharma, from the Public Protection Unit at Coventry, said: “These were a series of appalling assaults on two young girls.

“Higgins denied any responsibility when questioned by officers and we welcome his conviction.

“These kind of offences are taken extremely seriously, no matter how long ago they took place.”

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A convicted sex offender staged an £8,000 burglary in a bedsit while the victim was in hospital. Jordan Chalmers, of no fixed address, raided the home in Tyseley in September.

The 26-year-old, who was wanted for recall to prison, pocketed cash and "high-value items" after discovering it was empty. Forensic officers were called after the victim returned from hospital to discover someone had gained entry to his room.

Despite there being no witnesses, forensic officers lifted a fingerprint from a toolbox.

The print was matched to Chalmers, who also took a number of knives from the room. He was detained on October 20 after failing to stop for traffic officers.

Chalmers initially denied the charge. But he pleaded guilty following further evidence in court and was jailed for 20 months.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "A man has been jailed for stealing around £8,000-worth of items from a property in Tyseley. Jordan Chalmers committed the burglary in September this year and was jailed for 20 months at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday December 16 2022."

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Maxime Owona smashed his way into a woman's home, before pinning her down, threatening her and then raping her.

A ‘despicable’ rapist who pinned a woman down and threatened to rape her after smashing his way into her Warwickshire home has been jailed. Maxime Owona broke into the woman’s home in the Tile Hill area of Coventry in April this year, first smashing a window, and forced himself onto the woman, after he awoke her in bed.

The 33-year-old, who knew the woman, pinned her down and threatened her, making her fear for her safety, unless she agreed to his demands. He then raped her.

But after the sickening attack described by police as a ‘horrific ordeal’ the woman managed to alert a relative whole Owona was still in her home. They called the police and the attacker was arrested at the home shortly afterwards.

 DC Evie Griffiths, from West Midlands Police ’s public protection unit, said: "This was a traumatic ordeal for the woman who was left fearing for her safety in the place she should feel most safe - her home. She managed to contact a relative who alerted us to the attack.

“And we were able to swiftly arrest Owona - who initially gave us a false name. This was a despicable crime and he's now been put behind bars for a long time.”

Owona of no fixed address, was convicted of rape and trespass following a trial at Warwick Crown Court. He was put behind bars for 15 years last Monday (November 28). He will also be on the sex offender's register for life and also given a restraining order not to contact the woman.

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A brutal "predator" has been jailed for raping a woman who awoke naked in a strange flat to find him sexually assaulting her. The victim had no memory of anything between leaving a pub where Steven Walker, 43, was believed to have approached her and the moment she woke up.

He was arrested at his flat in Quinton Lane, Birmingham, after the woman's friends encouraged her to report her ordeal to police. The West Midlands force also obtained CCTV showing him leading her out of the pub on a Saturday night in November 2019.

Walker admitted having sex with the victim through the night after he was detained, the force said.

At Birmingham Crown Court last month, he was jailed for nine years and six months for three counts of rape. He will also be placed on the sex offender register for life.

West Midlands Police said it was "really pleased to see that justice has been served against a dangerous predator who took advantage of a woman in a vulnerable condition who was not in a position to give consent". 

At Birmingham Crown Court last month, he was jailed for nine years and six months for three counts of rape. He will also be placed on the sex offender register for life.

West Midlands Police said it was "really pleased to see that justice has been served against a dangerous predator who took advantage of a woman in a vulnerable condition who was not in a position to give consent". 

"The woman has said she can now move on with her life knowing she helped prevent this happening to anyone else. We work hard at West Midlands Police to ensure women and girls can feel safe when they are out on a night out.

"This includes working with agencies to ensure people can get home safely or by working with night time venues, where staff are informed of what signs to look out for. We will always believe victims and would urge anyone who is a victim of this type of crime to have the courage to come forward.

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A convicted rapist has left a young woman ‘grieving the freedom’ she felt before he violated her.

Luke Sargent had already been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl in Rushall on Christmas Day of 2011. He was sentenced to six years in prison with a three-year extended licence, but in the early hours of 8 June the 31-year-old struck again.

CCTV shows he had spent some time following groups of women before targeting her in Selly Oak. He grabbed a 20-year-old woman as she made her way home and dragged her into a property which was being renovated. He threatened to slit her throat before violently raping her.

Investigating officer DC Andy Carnall said: “It is testament to the young woman that she bravely reported what had happened to her.

“She convinced her attacker she would keep quiet for £20 hoping the note would contain his DNA, and remembered as much detail as she could, enabling her to pick him out on an ID parade.”

Sargent was arrested after being spotted by officers making enquiries with builders at the renovation site. He matched the description the woman had given and was taken into custody. Doorbell footage was also recovered which revealed an audio recording of a man threatening to slit the woman’s throat. 

 At trial the jury heard a very emotional impact statement. She said: “I’ve since looked back at pictures of my friends and I out having fun the same night before I was attacked, and I just want to scream out to younger me to run, that she’s in danger, to go find safety, as she has no idea what she’s about to endure.

“I was just trying to walk home.”

Sargent, from Cadnam Close in Birmingham, was jailed for 18 years with a minimum term of 12 years before he will be eligible to apply for parole and will remain on licence for life. He will also remain on the sex offender’s register for life.

DC Carnall added: “This is a significant sentence which reflects the danger Sargent poses. I commend the young woman for her tenacity and bravery during the investigation and trial.”

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A perverted shopper was chased around a Tesco store after taking pictures of children in the toy aisle. A fuming mum ran after Dean Wood after noticing he had been taking snaps of her two young children.

He even tried to flee before being stopped by other members of the public, a court has heard. Indecent images and videos of youngsters were found on convicted sex offender's phone.

The mother noticed the 46-year-old, who appeared "dodgy and on-edge", holding his phone close to his chest and not looking at toys at around 2.30pm on February 12. He was around 4ft from the children, aged three and six, and seemed to be taking pictures of them, said Phillip Vollans, prosecuting.

Wood moved away to the Health and Beauty section and the mum decided to follow him and believed he may have been taking photos of other children, BirminghamLive reports. Mr Vollans said the woman called her husband, who was outside, and they confronted Wood, demanding: "Excuse me why are you taking photos of my kids?"

Mr Vollans said Wood was defensive and denied having taken pictures, but tried to flee the Sutton Coldfield branch when the family said they were going to contact store security. Police officers sent to the scene found he had been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order in October 2011 after a conviction for a series of sexual offences.

In breach of the order, Wood twice refused to give the pin number for his phone and he was also found to have another phone at his home along with a Toshiba laptop. Mr Vollans said indecent images, both moving and still, were found on the phone he had used at Tesco.

Wood had admitted four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and three charges of possessing indecent images. He was jailed for four years and two months. Passing sentence, Judge John Butterfield told him he had taken pictures in Tesco "for sexual purposes".

He went on: "Your behaviour was serious and distressing for the parents who effectively had to chase you through the supermarket and grab the phone off you facing the knowledge their children had been photographed on a phone by a sex offender." Charles Blatchford, defending, said there had not been any physical contact with the children.

He said there had been some deception regarding the phone and laptop found at his home but he had been in regular contact with his offender manager. Mr Blatchford said Wood had a 78-year-old mother to whom he had given regular assistance over mobility issues and that, after going on the straight and narrow for some time during lockdown, his "bad habits had come back".

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A sick paedophile who preyed on a teenager with learning difficulties and convinced her to have sex with him was caught after the youngster revealed all to her mum. Pervert Sam Collier persuaded the 'vulnerable' 14-year-old to skip going home after school and instead spend time with him at the Birmingham hostel where he lived.

Her worried mother raised the alarm when she failed to return home, with police discovering her in Collier's flat the next day. But the youngster only revealed she had been with the 28-year-old after her concerned mum spotted 'marks'.

It came just weeks after Collier was arrested when paedophile hunters duped him into thinking he was meeting up with a different schoolgirl for sex. Now vile predator Collier has been locked up after a judge branded him a 'dangerous offender'.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how a member of a so-called paedophile hunting group was 'clearly' posing online as a 14-year-old. The schoolgirl 'repeated' her age throughout conversations with him on Facebook Messenger from December 27, 2018, and January 3, 2019.

Prosecutor Ben Williams said: "The messages were turned into a sexual direction by the defendant, really from the outset. He also lied about his age, insisting he was only 15. The messages involved the defendant quickly beginning to press her to send him intimate pictures. She did nothing to encourage the defendant's messages."

Collier sent her explicit pictures before planning to meet in Kings Heath for sex, where he was met by members of the paedophile hunting group.

The paedophile was arrested but was released on bail and started speaking to a real girl on Facebook. Their conversations moved to texts and WhatsApp, with the girl making it clear she was 14. She was 'extremely vulnerable', with a reading age of eight, and needed extra help at school, Mr Williams said.

The young victim also had a history of self-harm, which she referred to in her conversations with Collier. Mr Williams added: "The defendant must have known she had mental health issues and [was] vulnerable."

The pair arranged to meet in Wolverhampton about a fortnight later but the child's mother stopped her from leaving the house. Three days later she failed to come back home from school, with her mum identifying Collier from messages on her tablet.

Police then discovered the girl at Collier's flat - which was within a Handsworth hostel - the next morning. Her mum spotted 'marks' on her neck and body, with the girl revealing she was taken to Collier's home.

Mr Williams said: "It was the defendant who arranged to meet her after school with the specific reason given that her mother would not be there." Callum Church, defending, said Collier has had a 'chaotic existence' since childhood and does not speak to any of his family members.

He understands he 'needs a new life', Mr Church added. The court was told how Collier had previous convictions dating back to when he was a youth, including burglary, battery and breach of a court order.

Sentencing, Judge Rhona Campbell said the convict was 'desperate' for his conversations with the real girl to become 'sexual'. She added: "She was an extremely vulnerable girl. Her mental health was of such fragility that she had been accessing the children and adolescent mental health services."

Collier admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and committing an offence with the intention of committing a relevant sexual offence. The judge said he was 'dangerous' and handed him an extended sentence of 13 years on October 13.

It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 10-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of three years once released. Collier, from Bolton, Lancashire, was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.

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A twisted Birmingham Uber driver sexually assaulted a teenage student after 'trapping' her in his car during a nine-minute terror journey. The 19-year-old victim was on her way to work when she was molested by the father-of-three, who had persuaded her to sit in the front seat.

Deeq Mursal, 38, had picked up the young woman at 5.40am on December 9 2018 to take her to her early shift at a hotel. She had wanted to get in the back of his taxi but the defendant instructed her to get in the front, in breach of his training.

She thought nothing of it at the time and agreed, Birmingham Crown Court was told. But over the next nine minutes she was sexually assaulted by the perverted Uber driver, before he eventually dropped her near her work - out of sight of CCTV.

Mursal, of Cromwell Street, Nechells, has now been jailed for two years after after previously being found guilty of sexual assault. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

In passing sentence, Judge Paul Farrer QC said he believed the attack was planned from the moment he picked the victim up. "I have no doubt that even at this early stage you had decided you were going to assault her," he said.

"You pulled away and almost immediately placed your hand on her inner leg and ran it up her inner thigh-to her groin, despite her repeated protests."

The judge said Mursal continued to sexually assault her during the nine minute journey and that he had taken a "circuitous" route to the destination. He had also deliberately driven in the wrong direction.

The court was told the defendant at one point asked the victim to go to a hotel with him. He had also grabbed her hand and tried to get her to touch him, but she managed to pull away.

The judge continued: "As this was taking place it was dark and there were no other people and cars about and as the victim told the jury, no one knew where she was. In those circumstances she was understandably terrified.

"None the less she stood up to you and you eventually dropped her off but you did so a short distance away from the hotel, no doubt to evade being captured on CCTV. This was a sustained attack upon a young vulnerable woman who trusted you to transport her safely to her place of work."

Referring to her victim impact statement he said: "As a result of your behaviour she has changed her behaviour and no longer uses taxis when she is alone. You targeted a loan woman in the early hours of the morning in circumstances in which she was effectively trapped in your taxi."

Simon Hanns, defending, said Mursal was of good character and had previously fled Somalia because of persecution. He still maintained his innocence and so could not get any credit for remorse.

He said he had a wife and three children, including one who was severely disabled. He had also lost his job as an Uber driver.