Latest Offenders Bradford

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A serial child abuser who fled the country while he was on trial is now beginning a prison sentence.

Jibrhan Khan’s four young victims, who must not be identified for legal reasons, were denied justice back in February 2023 when the drug-user went on the run after his trial had started at Bradford Crown Court.

His barrister Jeremy Hill-Baker told a judge on Thursday that at the time Khan was living in shared accommodation and had been attacked by other residents after they “got wind” of his alleged offending. Mr Hill-Baker said: “Someone lent him some money and he got a flight to Pakistan. At the time he had a significant drug addiction to both heroin and crack cocaine.”

Mr Hill-Baker said his client spent five months in hospital getting psychiatric help and after getting off drugs he started to reflect on his previous conduct.

“He had begun to pray in earnest and made the decision himself, knowing that in respect of all but one of the counts the jury had failed to agree, to come home and to face the music and sort out what he had done,” said Mr Hill-Baker.

Khan, 41, flew back to this country last September and was arrested on the bench warrant and put before the court.

The court heard that Khan had been convicted in his absence by the jury of one sexual offence, but in January this year he pleaded guilty to seven other similar allegations. The non-recent abuse involving the four girls ended in 2014 and included offences of indecent assault, sexual assault and sexual assault of a girl under 13.

One of his victims described in a statement how the abuse left her with feelings of anxiety and self-loathing and she felt guilty about not disclosing the abuse sooner.

Mr Hill-Baker said Khan, formerly of Mannville Terrace, Great Horton, Bradford, wanted to give the victims justice because he knew that they felt thwarted when he fled his trial. The barrister said: “He does not instruct me to seek to excuse his behaviour and gives all the outward impression of being deeply remorseful, wanting to face the inevitable punishment and be at peace himself with what he has done and for his victims to have closure."

Jailing Khan for 12-and-a-half years, Deputy Circuit Judge Timothy Clayson said his offending had been extensive and an extended sentence as a “dangerous offender” was clearly justified. The judge imposed an extended licence period of three years on top of the defendant’s jail term.

Khan will now have to serve at least two-thirds of his 12-and-a-half year sentence before being considered for release by the Parole Board. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life with the police and must comply with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Clayson also imposed an indefinite restraining order which bans the defendant from contacting any of the complainants.

Description

A man from Bradford has been jailed for a number of child sexual offences.  

Richard Barker, 56, of Keighley Road was charged with six counts of possession of indecent images of a child, three counts of engage in sexual communications with a child and two counts of cause or incite a child aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity.

He appeared at Bradford Crown Court on 9 June 2023 where he pleaded guilty to all 11 offences.  

The charges relate to incidents he committed through playing online games with two children. He then engaged in sexual communication with them and encouraged them to send indecent images of themselves.  

After he pleaded guilty to those 11 offences, sentencing was adjourned as further disclosures were made.  

Barker was then arrested and charged in July 2024 with two counts of sexual assault and four counts of rape.  

He pleaded not guilty and went on trial at Bradford Crown Court on 4 November.  

He was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape and cleared of the other offences.  

Today (31 March) at Bradford Crown Court, Barker was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison as well as a four-year extended license period.

He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Donna Stokes of Bradford Safeguarding Team said:  

“Barker is a predatory man who purposely targeted the most vulnerable children in society to satisfy his own sexual gratification.  

“This has been a lengthy investigation over a number of years with delays due to Covid.  

“I would like to praise the bravery and courage of the victims in reporting the abuse they endured. I hope today’s sentence can give them some comfort in knowing Barker will be behind bars for a long time.  

“Bradford Safeguarding team treats all reports of sexual offences with the upmost care and sensitivity. We take all reports and investigate them thoroughly.” 

Description

A PAEDOPHILE who was caught by a civilian-operated hunter group after sending sexualised photographs and messages to a child decoy is beginning a 32-month prison sentence.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Giles Cockett, 39, of Dick Lane, Bradford, was autistic, suffering from a depressive disorder, lived a secluded lifestyle, and was estranged from his family.

However, he had a significant record of previous convictions dating back to 2018 involving similar offending.

He will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and will be subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Prosecutor Camille Morland said Cockett began speaking to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl in early August last year on a platform called Chat Hour.

In fact, the profile was a decoy operated by a civilian group known as Protecting Kids Online.

On August 2 Cockett approached the girl, engaged her in conversation and asked if she liked sex chat. She immediately told him that she was just 14.

Cockett steered the conversation towards masturbation, moved the messaging onto Kick and, over the next six days, asked her to talk to him about her private parts, told her she would look sexy in a swimming costume, talked again about masturbation, and sent photographs of himself and where he lived plus a picture of a penis.

The messaging was reported to the police and Cockett was arrested at his home.

He admitted what he had done, told officers he was autistic, and that he did not believe that masturbation was a subject that was sexual in nature.

He later pleaded guilty to attempting to incite sexual activity with a child, attempted sexual communications with a child and two counts of making indecent images of children.

The court heard that Cockett had previous convictions for attempting to communicate sexually with a child, and possession of indecent images.

For those convictions at Chester Crown Court, he received a five-year community order and later a three-year community order.

Miss Morland described his offending as “a fairly entrenched habit”.

Mitigating, Abdul Shakoor said as a result of Cockett’s autism diagnosis “his understanding of what he was doing and the consequences of what he was doing was reduced.”

He said Cockett was “very motivated” and willing to work to address his offending and mental health issues but that he lived “a secluded lifestyle” and was isolated from his family.

He said that had a bearing on his social interactions online, which had led him to begin offending again.

He said: “He recognises that when that occurs, he leans towards offending.”

Sentencing Cockett, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, to a total of 32 months imprisonment, Her Honour Judge Sophie McKone said: “Over about six days you made sexual communications with somebody you believed and no doubt hoped was a 14-year-old girl.

“It was in fact a decoy, but you did not know that, and you engaged in sexual talk with somebody who, in your mind, was 14.”

Referring to the indecent images found in Cockett’s possession Judge McKone said: “These children were real children and were really being sexually abused.

“Although you did not touch these children you are indirectly responsible for the abuse of the children in those pictures.”

She pointed out that although the decoy was not a real child Cockett had “made a full admission that you are sexually attracted to children.

“You are not an unintelligent man.

“You have expressed guilt and remorse.

“You do have a recognition that what you did was wrong.”

Description

A "dangerous" child pervert was tracked down to his home in Bradford by a paedophile hunter group after having sexually explosive chats with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Fitness instructor Mario Palumbo, of Smiddles Lane, was intrigued by a fake Facebook profile of a teenage girl, that a member of the Child Safety Online Team had set up and began messaging the account in September. Palumbo began to send sexualised messages to the decoy along with naked images of himself and described her as “absolutely adorable”.

Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday (December 19) that at the time the 33-year-old was still on prison licence after being jailed for four years at Sheffield Crown Court in 2020 for a serious offence of making threats to kill. Palumbo had also been given an extended licence period of three years in 2020 having been assessed as a dangerous offender.

Judge Sophie McKone was told that Palumbo, who had no previous convictions for sex offences, claimed he was just 26 during his sexualised chat with the decoy and he suggested the girl would have to pretend to be his daughter or niece if they went out shopping together.

Prosecutor David McGonigal said the defendant called the decoy “sexy” and “beautiful” and sent her images of lacy underwear she might want to wear. Mr McGonigal said members of the group were able to locate Palumbo’s address in Bradford and when they went to his home he tried to escape via the back door.

When he was apprehended, Palumbo told them: "I know what I’ve done is wrong. Please don’t contact the police because I’m on licence." Palumbo, who appeared in court via a video link, pleaded guilty in October to two offences relating to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

His barrister John Bottomley told the court that his tearful client was upset and ashamed of his actions and recognised that he had committed a serious offence.

Judge McKone jailed Palumbo for 40 months and also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future contact with under 16s and his use of the internet. He will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

The judge said Palumbo had hoped or believed he was contacting a 13-year-old girl and his actions demonstrated that he had a sexual interest in children.

“You were full aware that you were dealing with a child, certainly in your mind,” she told Palumbo. Judge McKone said the child did not exist but Palumbo believed that she did and in his mind he was contacting her in a sexually graphic way to satisfy his own sexual gratification.

Description

A 38-year-old man from Bradford is beginning a five-year jail sentence for child sex offences. 

At his trial at Bradford Crown Court, Daniel Pinnington told a jury that he believed the victim was “a celestial being” who was thousands of years old.

He was found guilty in July this year of 10 counts of sexual activity with a child.

Prosecutor Ian Howard told the court that when Pinnington, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, was arrested, he answered “no comment” to questions. At his trial he admitted to having sex with the child but that it had been consensual.

At trial, the court heard that Pinnington suffered from a mental health disorder for which he was prescribed medication. However, when he used illicit drugs alongside his medication it could cause psychotic symptoms.

At trial, he sacked his legal team and argued his own case maintaining a defence of insanity.

Mitigating, Vince Blake-Barnard said Pinnington acknowledged the harm he had caused to his victim and that what he had done was wrong.

Passing sentence, His Honour Judge Ahmed Nadim told Pinnington that he was an offender “of particular concern”.

He said: “In evidence you accepted that you engaged in sexual encounters with [the victim].

“You explained to the jury that at the material times you believed that [the victim] was a celestial being with an age measured in thousands of years.

“Despite your uncertain mental health … you did clearly understand the nature and quality of the act you were engaging in. You fully appreciated that that which you were doing was a serious wrong.

“In addition you deleted sexualised text messages that [were] exchanged between you and [the victim].

“You have emotionally harmed a vulnerable child."

Judge Ahmed sentenced Pinnington to a total of five years imprisonment plus a one-year extension on licence.

Pinnington was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A sick sex abuser who offered his young victim money to send him pictures of her wearing just her knickers has been jailed.

When police arrested 31-year-old Liam Bacon they examined his mobile phones and found 49 indecent images of children including one of the girl, which she had been pressured into sending him.

The teenager, who must not be identified for legal reasons, said Bacon’s offending against her had caused her serious anxiety and she still suffered “night terrors” when she tried to sleep.

Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday that the girl had been forced to give evidence through before Bacon's trial, but on the day of he pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault and making indecent images of children.

Prosecutor Gareth Henderson-Moore told the court Bacon had sexually assaulted the girl in 2022, and then went on to ask her if she wanted to make some money by doing some bikini modelling in the woods. The girl refused and thought it was “weird”, but during further exchanges Bacon offered her £15 for “naked bum” photos and £30 for images of her in her knickers.

Again the girl refused, but after Bacon began to threaten her she eventually sent him photos of “sex faces” and he paid £35 into her bank account. After more threats she sent a photograph of herself in her underwear and he later paid £30 into her account after she left him a pair of her knickers.

Bacon, of Micklemoss Drive, Queensbury, had no previous convictions for sexual offending, but he will now have to register as a sex offender with police for the rest of his life. He was jailed for 34 months and told he must also comply with a five-year restraining order which bans him from contacting the complainant and he must also comply with the terms of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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A sick sexual predator who attacked a woman while she slept has been put behind bars.

Yousef Camara, 24, struck after being allowed to stay at the property by two young women. Despite a bed being made up for him, Camara, of Broad Lane, took advantage of their kindness, going on to sexually assault one of them as they slept, Bradford Crown Court heard on Monday.

He was found guilty of assault by penetration following a trial at the court in July. Judge Jonathan Gibson said the victim, who must not be identified for legal reasons, had been particularly vulnerable at the time of the offence because she was asleep.

Barrister Paul Canfield said his client, who was assisted by an Italian interpreter, had suffered trauma in the past as a result of a friend dying and racism. He also revealed Camara had also been attacked while in custody last week.

No victim personal statement was provided for the court but Judge Gibson said the victim had been “incredibly upset” about what had happened. He jailed Camara for five years for the offence, as well as an extra two weeks in custody after he failed to turn up at a previous hearing in January.

As a result of his sentence, Camara, who will serve two-thirds of his jail term, will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and he must also comply with an indefinite restraining order which bans him from contacting the woman.

Description

A sexual predator who approached a jogger and assaulted her on a canal path has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Charles Fraser Wood, 43, of Huddersfield Road, Bradford pleaded guilty to sexual assault and exposure following the attack which took place on the morning of Tuesday 9 April 2024.

Wood admitted to touching the victim inappropriately whilst exposing himself and performing a sex act as the victim was running on the canal towpath, alongside Station Road, towards Kildwick village.

Despite being extremely shaken by the incident, the victim bravely took a photo of Wood as he fled the scene before making her way to the main road. It was there that she looked back and saw Wood continue to expose himself as he hid in some bushes.

Following the incident, the terrified woman approached a passing dog walker who called 999 and waited with the victim until officers arrived.

A man matching the description and photograph provided by the victim was captured on dash-cam footage submitted by a member of the public in response to our media appeal.

https://youtu.be/20Zu7frax90

The footage was circulated to colleagues across both North Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Police. Wood was subsequently identified by a West Yorkshire Police officer responsible for monitoring and managing registered sex offenders.

Wood was arrested two days later, and several items were seized from his home including two green jackets, a pair of grey jogging bottoms, a police baton, and a flip knife with a 3.5-inch blade.

Our officers also seized a pair of camo-colour Nike trainers from Wood’s car that had been wrapped in a large sheet of bedding.

The seized jackets matched the photograph taken by the victim and corresponded with what Wood was wearing in the dashcam footage. Additionally, the trainers matched both the description provided by the victim and the photograph she took, further connecting Wood to his crimes.

Our enquires also showed Wood’s mobile phone in the vicinity at the time of the attack and he was also positively identified as being the man in the area at the time by a witness.

Despite providing no comment during both interviews and initially maintaining his innocence, Wood eventually pleaded guilty to both offences.

He was sentenced at York Crown Court on Wednesday 24 July 2024 to two and a half years and given a three-year extended licence. 

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228.

Description

A sex offender has been sent back to prison after persistently failing to register with the police.

Prosecutor Brogan Riley told Bradford Crown Court that Daniel Maddison had been placed on the sex offender’s register for life after being convicted of sexual offences with a 13-year-old girl in 2014 when he was 18.

He was sent to a young offender institution for three years and two months and was also made the subject of a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Maddison, now 28, originally from Bradford, was released from prison on November 11 last year after breaching his SHPO.

He then did not make contact with the police to advise them of his address, which put him in further breach.

He was arrested on June 11 and, after initially giving “no comment” answers during an interview, revealed that he was living with a new partner.

He is currently in custody at HMP Doncaster.

The court heard that he had 12 previous convictions for 20 offences of which eight were for failure to comply with notification requirements. The most recent was for an indecent communication.

Miss Riley said that demonstrated that Maddison had a history of non-compliance with custodial sentences.

Mitigating, Lauren Smith said Maddison took full responsibility for the offences and apologised.

She said mental health issues including depression and anxiety had made it difficult for him to cope on being released from custody, causing him to “put his head in the sand”.

She said there had been no repetition of his previous behaviour since being released from custody, and no suggestion that children were living at his address that he was staying at.

Mr Recorder Sam Green said Maddison’s previous “horrid offending” meant that he had to notify the police of his address in order to register as a sex offender.

He said: “This clearly involved a long period of non-compliance [meaning] you have a sex offender off the police radar and at risk of committing further sexual offences.

“In my judgment this offence is seriously aggravated by your previous substantial non-compliance, which has landed you in prison previously. You got out and failed to comply with [notification requirements] again.

“Serial non-compliance cannot be overlooked.”

He sentenced Maddison to 12 months in prison.

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A man has been jailed for seven and a half years for sexually assaulting a teenage girl at a hotel in Liverpool city centre.

Andrew Peel, 48, of Pochard Close, in Bradford, was sentenced today, Monday 17 June, at Liverpool Crown Court after being found guilty of sexual assault.

The incident happened at The Premier Inn, on Gower Street, in 2022 when Peel sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl.

Peel was arrested on the same evening and subsequently charged. Despite denying the offence, he was found guilty following a six-day trial held in May this year.

Description

A convicted sex offender bought sweets for two eight-year-old girls and then offered them money to get in his car, a court has heard.

William Harrison, 63, approached the two girls at a branch of Asda in Shipley in September 2022.

Bradford Crown Court heard how, after paying for the sweets, Harrison walked the girls to his car where he showed them an explicit photo on his phone before offering them both £5 to get into the vehicle.

Harrison, of Armstrong Street, Bradford, was jailed on Thursday for four years after he admitted charges of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and child abduction.

'Troubling material'

During the hearing it was revealed he had previously been jailed nearly 20 years ago for sexual assault on a lone female at Morley railway station and further offences of exposure and outraging public decency involving teenage girls.

Passing sentence, Recorder Anthony Hawks said Harrison had “troubling” sexual material on his mobile phone and that he had used the pretext of the sweets to get the girls to accompany him to his car.

“You offered them money to get in your car," said Recorder Hawks.

"Very sensibly they refused."

After jailing Harrison, the judge also imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told the defendant that he would have to comply with a restraining order for an unlimited time.

Harrison will also be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Following the hearing, Det Insp Tom Swift of West Yorkshire Police praised the victim's "bravery", adding: “Incidents of this nature are very rare, but this was truly every parent's worst nightmare.

"Harrison is a danger to children.

“Fortunately, these girls weren’t hurt, but were clearly distressed about what happened."

Description

A CONVICTED child rapist serving a 10-year sentence in prison has been told he will not be released until 2035 after pleading guilty to further sexual assaults on another vulnerable girl, which he recorded on his mobile phone.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Andrew Bristow, 55, formerly of Bradford, enticed the girl into his flat in Calderdale, over a seven-week period where she was stripped, photographed, and sexually assaulted by him and another man, Michael Peters.

Prosecutor Joel Wootton said the girl’s mouth was covered “to stop her from screaming”. She was also assaulted in Peters’ nearby bungalow.

After abusing the girl they dressed her, gave her a sweet, and told her not to tell her parents.

The crimes only came to light more than five years ago after the duo, described as “partners in paedophilic abuse” were jailed for the earlier rape of a young girl.

Peters, who was 71 when he was jailed, has since died.

Mr Wootten said: “[The latest victim] did not tell anyone what had happened as she describes being scared and feared that she would be the one in trouble.”

The court heard that Bristow had been assessed by the probation service as “a high and imminent risk to children”.

Mitigating for Bristow, who pleaded guilty to six offences on three occasions, Michael Collins said he was “remorseful” and “sorry for what he had done”.

He added: “He really struggles to deal with recounting the facts of his offending because he is ashamed and embarrassed by it.”

He said Bristow had engaged fully with the process of rehabilitation in prison and had attended a sex offenders’ course.

Sentencing Bristow, Mr Recorder David Kelly said: “Together with the now deceased Peters you groomed and abused your young victim by sexually touching her and inciting her to engage in sexual activity with you both.

“The offending took place over a seven-week period and was predatory in nature.

“It was committed for your own sexual gratification and without the slightest concern for the long-term trauma this was bound to have caused her.

“You recorded your sexual activity, and shared it with Peters, on your mobile phone.”

Taking note of Bristow’s current sentence of ten years and eight months, which would have seen his conditional release on licence on May 17, 2026, Recorder Kelly imposed an extended custodial sentence of 11 years.

He added: “That means you will either be in prison or on licence until May 6, 2035. It also means that you will not be eligible to be released from the custodial term until you have served two-thirds of that sentence.

“You will then be on licence for the remainder of the custodial term plus the five years extension period.”

Bristow is already the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A man who had sexual activity with an underage South Yorkshire girl in the back of a van has been jailed by a Sheffield court.

Mohammed Qasim, aged 38, of Sable Crest, Bradford, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court last week for sentencing after admitting to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl in the back of a van. Police said he threatened to kill the girl, who is from Barnsley and cannot be named for legal reasons, if she told anyone.

Qasim, who told his victim he would buy her things if she kept quiet, was jailed for four years last Wednesday (April 17) following a lengthy investigation by South Yorkshire Police.

Det Cons Rosie O'Grady, who works in Barnsley's Protecting Vulnerable People (PVP) team, said:

"This sentence follows meticulous work from our officers who strived to bring a child sexual offender to justice.

"Exemplary forensic work helped to secure justice but ultimately, this conviction wouldn't have been secured had it not been for the brave testimony of Qasim's vulnerable victim.

"I want to commend the girl and her family for their courage in coming forward to tell us about what happened, and I hope the passing of this sentence.”

Description

A "cold and calculated" sex offender who pretended to be a teenage boy on social media to groom and abuse an 11-year-old girl has been jailed for more than a decade.

Abdullah Khalid Mhana, 26, lied about his age on the apps and encouraged youngsters to engage in sexual activity with him.

Mhana, of Hirst Lodge Court, Bradford, admitted 17 offences including rape, sexual assault and making indecent images of a child.

At Bradford Crown Court on Monday, he was jailed for 10-and-a-half years.

Mhana began grooming the 11 year old in 2020 and met up a year later at a Bradford park where he persuaded her to perform a sex act.

He recorded some of the acts on his mobile phone, the court heard.

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

'Deliberately sought out'

That device was subsequently seized and examined by police in 2022 when they were investigating his involvement with another underage girl.

Despite being given a formal warning to stay away from the second child, Mhana continued to have sex with the first complainant after she turned 13.

Jailing him, Recorder Andrew Dallas said Mhana had committed offences of great gravity.

This was in my judgement cold, calculating behaviour in which you deliberately sought out the sexual favours of someone who you knew to be 11 years of age."

He said when the girl tried to break off contact with the defendant he had wormed his way back into her affections.

The court heard that Mhana later persuaded the girl to go just for a drive in his car, but he then had sex with her in the vehicle.

The judge highlighted the fact that the formal warning Mhana received from the police in the summer of 2022 should have been a wake-up call for him, but he had been undeterred and continued his abuse of the child.

Recorder Dallas said he was not satisfied that Mhana had expressed genuine remorse for his offending or that he had proper empathy for the victims.

Mhana will now have to serve at least two-thirds of his prison sentence and he will then be subject to an extended licence period of two-and-a-half years.

He will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Description

A judge has praised a young girl as he jailed her abuser.

Bradford man Habib-Ur Rehman, 40, was told by Judge Colin Burn that he had abused the youngster, who must not be identified for legal reasons, in an atrocious way and the psychological damage done to her could be lifelong.

He told him: “I should say that (the complainant) showed, in my view, great bravery and fortitude in coming forward so soon after and at such a young age."

Rehman, of Ransdale Road, was found guilty by a jury of one charge of rape, two allegations of sexual activity with a child and one offence of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity following a trial at Bradford Crown Court last year.

Due to the nature of the offences Rehman was classed as “an offender of particular concern," meaning that if he is released on licence after serving two-thirds of his 14-year jail term that would be extended by a further year.

Judge Burn said the complainant had suffered severe psychological harm and that was supported by a victim impact statement. He said: “The sentences therefore in this case have to reflect the seriousness of the offending. There can, of course, be no reduction to reflect any admissions or guilty pleas for there were none in this case.”

Rehman will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.