Latest Offenders Cambridgeshire

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Liam Dennis, 25, from Orchard Drive in Wisbech, has been jailed for five years for rape and sexual assault after forcing himself on a woman following a night of drinking.

He was found guilty after a trial at Leeds Crown Court for the 2021 offence, which occurred while he was a 21-year-old university student in Leeds. Dennis denied the charges and had no previous convictions.

Judge Robin Mairs sentenced him on Monday, February 16, with a £190 victim surcharge.

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A church volunteer who sent more than 8,000 pages of inappropriate messages to a teenage girl and took part in sexual activity with her has been jailed.

Nam Vu, 28, groomed the girl who he knew from a church in Cambridge - but it wasn’t long before her parents became suspicious.

They discovered deleted screenshots on her phone of a sexually explicit nature, and a WhatsApp chat between the pair but all messages had been deleted.

On speaking to their daughter the girl denied any hint of a sexual relationship and said she was just friends with Vu, of Linclare Place, Eaton Ford, St Neots.

However more evidence then came to light, including a handwritten note from the girl found in a book, which detailed sexual activity between them.

The girl then confided in police what had happened to her, saying that Vu had made sexual remarks to her in the messages and encouraged her to take part in sexual activity, as well as touched her inappropriately.

Vu was arrested and interviewed but answered no comment to all questions asked by officers.

His phone was seized and analysed where it was discovered that in six weeks during 2024, there were more than 8,000 messages between Vu and the teenager – most of them sexual in nature.

'Putting my entire life on the line'

The messages highlighted how Vu began grooming the girl, offered to buy her clothes and complimented her.

On multiple occasions throughout the chat Vu acknowledged the girl was under 16, added that she could ‘ruin him’, said how he could go to jail and how he was ‘putting his entire life on the line’.

Vu continued to deny any wrongdoing however, at Cambridge Crown Court in December, eventually pleaded guilty to six offences including:

• Engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with girl under 13-15
• Inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity

Vu was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (19 February) where he was handed a total of three years and four months in prison.

He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), with strict conditions to monitor any future offending and contact with children.

Vu was also given a restraining order, to run indefinitely, preventing him from contacting his victim in any way.

'Never able to truly see the danger'

Detective Constable Lara Wycherley, of the force’s Child Abuse Investigations and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said:

“Vu engaged in highly sexualised communication with the victim in this case, whilst acknowledging her age and that he was in a position of trust.

“He groomed a vulnerable child for his own gain and his behaviour was utterly disgusting. I would like to praise the parents in this case who realised something wasn’t quite right, and urge other parents and carers to speak to their children about exactly who they are communicating with.

“The magnitude of the effect of Vu’s behaviour cannot be underestimated. In a victim impact statement given to the judge, the teenager told how the persistent nature of the abuse meant she was never able to truly see the danger she was in.

“She added that Vu repeatedly told her to keep quiet and conditioned her to believe that his crimes were her fault.

"Also of importance, she told how the abuse had made her lose all trust in men, changed her perspective on people in a direction that isn’t pleasant, stripped her from her childhood innocence and left an irreparable scar.

“We will do everything in our power to protect children from predators like Vu and, as this case demonstrates, bring them to justice for their actions.”

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A convicted sex offender who shared explicit messages with what he thought were children on social media has been jailed.

Christopher Bradshaw, 32, contacted an account in May, not knowing it was a decoy run by an online child abuse activist group.

Despite the “child” telling him she was only 13 years old and still at school, he proceeded to strike up conversations of a sexual nature before sharing his number and moving the conversations to WhatsApp.

He also contacted another decoy account around the same time, with the “child” explaining she was only 14. Again, Bradshaw continued his explicit conversations and shared his number so they could exchange messages on WhatsApp.

Despite not using his real name, officers traced the phone number shared with the decoy accounts back to Bradshaw and later arrested him.

Bradshaw, from March, pleaded guilty to inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He was sentenced to six years in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday (23 December).

Detective Sergeant Rob Hutchings, from the management of sexual or violent offenders unit (MOSOVO), said:

“Bradshaw is clearly a risk to children. Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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A man who repeatedly raped a child over an eight year period has been jailed for 20 years.

Christopher Rudd, aged 34, of Wisbech was sentenced at King's Lynn Crown Court today (Monday 17 November) following a week-long trial in August where a jury found guilty unanimously of 12 counts of raping a child, 2 counts of assault (ABH) and one of causing fear of violence.

The court heard how the offences took place in the King's Lynn area and came to light in January 2025 when the girl told her family what had been happening. The court heard that in addition to the sexual assaults the child had been choked, kicked and punched by Rudd and one occasion her fingers were fractured.

At today's hearing Rudd was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and a further four years on licence. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and indefinite retraining order.

As Recorder Rouse KC handed down the sentence in court he described Rudd as a "manipulative predator void of empathy" whose offending was "exceptional in its gravity".

In a statement read in court the victim said:

"I have been hurting everyday, for as long as I can remember, and there's no way to stop the hurting, or to feel anything else.

"(Rudd) abused me in so many ways. No amount of healing will ever change that, and I'll never get my childhood back even if I tried.

"Despite all this, despite everything I've gone through and endured, I am in a better place now.

"I finally don't have to live in fear, and I finally have the freedom to truly be myself and figure out who I really am behind all the trauma. I'm finally free, and I have my whole future ahead of me".

In her statement the victim's mother referred to Rudd as a 'monster' and said "Since finding out what happened, I have asked myself over and over how to help my daughter recover from something no child should ever endure. 

"I am doing everything I can to help my daughter heal. But healing is a long road - and I know I will be walking it with her for years to come".

Following sentencing Detective Constable Stuart Sansbury praised the victim for her bravery.

"From the outset of this investigation, the victim has demonstrated steadfast courage and it is testament to her that justice has been served.

"She has experienced a terrible amount of trauma and I truly hope today's result helps her begin a new chapter in her life, where she can be safe and thrive.

"I also hope that today’s sentence sends a clear message to others who harm, or seek to harm children and vulnerable people.

"Norfolk Constabulary takes reports of abuse extremely seriously and if this has happened to you or someone you know, then please come forward and report it to us, no matter when it happened. You will be given help and support by our dedicated teams."

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A paedophile who drove into the path of oncoming traffic on the morning of a first court appearance has been jailed for more than three years.

Luke Jarrett, 26, was spotted by officers driving a green Jeep Cherokee on the A47, from Thorney Toll towards Wisbech, at about 9am on 22 September.

Concerns had been raised for his welfare that morning after he had been due to attend Cambridge Magistrates’ Court to face charges relating to illicit images of children.

Jarrett approached the South Brink roundabout and joined the A47 where he failed to stop and accelerated aggressively, moving into the middle of the road.

He reached speeds of 64 mph in a 50-mph limit and recklessly overtook vehicles by moving into the path of oncoming traffic.

As Jarrett approached the Elme Hall roundabout, he swerved into the path of a police car to stop it overtaking but the officers made tactical contact with the Jeep to stop it.

Jarrett was on bail at the time after being charged with illicit images of children offences following an investigation which began in July 2024, after he had uploaded an indecent photograph of a child to the internet.

When officers arrested him for this in September 2024, they seized his electronic devices and found:

• 703 indecent images of children and 771 videos 
• 638 extreme pornographic images
• 288 indecent photographs of a child that had been distributed

On Wednesday (5 November), at Peterborough Crown Court, Jarrett, of Lords Lane, Wisbech, was jailed for three years and four months, having pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and one count of distribute an indecent image of a child.

He also admitted three counts of make an indecent image of a child, two further counts of distribute an indecent photograph of a child and possess an extreme pornographic image, all for which he received no separate penalty. 

Jarrett was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and banned from driving for five years and four months.

DC Simon Law, who investigated, said:

“Creating indecent images and then sharing them may not be a physical offence, but it still harms the child victims.

“Jarrett clearly did not want to face justice for these crimes, which may lie behind his reckless and dangerous driving that endangered innocent members of the public on the day of his first court appearance.”

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A man who distributed sexual images of children has been jailed for two years and four months.

Mark Barnes, 43, was found with various mobile phones when police visited his home in of Wallers Close, Great Chishill, near Royston, on January 11, 2024.  

This breached a court order from January 2014 when he was registered as a sex offender.

The phones and tablets revealed he had distributed 14 category A (the most severe), five category B and 25 category C, indecent photographs of children between July 2022 and March 2023.

He had also made more than 2,000 indecent photographs of children: 628 category A images, 496 category B and 1163 category C.

He claimed he was borrowing one phone from his neighbour, but police found another phone containing sexual images in a suitcase under a bed.

Barnes appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday (4 November) and admitted making and distributing indecent photographs of children, failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register and breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

He was jailed and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), banning him from owning any device on which he can access the internet.

He was also barred from using any remote storage devices, including cloud storage and will have mandatory notification requirements indefinitely.

All the devices recovered by the police have been destroyed.

DC Andrew McKeane said:

“Barnes was fully aware his actions were in breach of his SHPO but he chose to ignore it.

“He showed a blatant disregard for the law and lied about owning the phones and tablets to protect himself.”

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A convicted rapist threatened to kill a man just hours after being released from prison.

Jason O’Dell, who had just served a nine-year sentence for rape, turned up at a family member’s home in Longstanton at about 5.30pm on 17 February this year.

After the victim showed him into the kitchen, O’Dell asked for money to help him “get back on his feet”.

The victim refused, citing abusive letters he had received from O’Dell while he was in prison.

This enraged O’Dell, who shouted, “you are disrespecting me, who do you think you are?”.

He then grabbed a six-inch knife from a block and pinned the victim against the worktop, threatening to “end him.”

The victim, fearing for his life, pleaded with O’Dell to put the knife down and offered to talk about money.

O’Dell refused and pressed the knife harder into the victim’s side, repeating his threats.

A struggle between the two ensued, during which the victim managed to wrestle the knife from O’Dell’s grip.

The victim managed to shout out to another household member to call the police and managed to get O’Dell out of this home.

O’Dell was arrested a few hours later in Cambridge and was recalled to prison.

He initially denied the charges but later pleaded guilty to threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a private place and making threats to kill.

O’Dell was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday (30 October) to three years and ten months in prison.

DC Samuel Andrews, who investigated, said:

“O’Dell’s actions caused considerable fear and distress for the victim, in his own home.

“O’Dell is clearly a dangerous individual who has a history of offending and I hope the fact he’s back behind bars provides reassurance to those affected by crimes.”

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A judge described a paedophile making sexual advances to what he thought was a 14-year-old boy as “gratuitous self-indulgence”. 

James Brooking, 30, was actually speaking to an undercover officer on the social media platform Fabguys on 3 July when he asked the decoy for their mobile phone number.

Once they had exchanged numbers, Brooking began asking the ‘boy’ for inappropriate photos of himself and turned the conversation sexual.

Brooking also said he wanted to see the ‘boy’ in his school uniform, to meet up and also sent inappropriate photos of himself. 

The contact between Brooking and the undercover officer ended on 10 July and Brooking was arrested on 14 July at an address with a child he had failed to tell police about. 

Brooking was convicted in 2014 of child sex offences and given specific requirements to alert police of new online usernames and to notify police if he was staying at an address for 12 hours or more where a child lived.

Brooking had failed to notify officers of any of this.  

On Friday (24 October), at Cambridge Crown Court, Brooking, of Upwood Road, Ramsey, was jailed for eight years having pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, arrange facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and four counts of failing to comply with sex offender register notification requirements.

Judge Andrew Hurst described Brooking’s offending as “highly sexualised” and “gratuitous self-indulgence”.

He also said Brooking was “out of control” with his urges, had “learnt nothing” from his previous conviction and did not have “the courage or conviction to acknowledge” he had an interest in children.” 

PC Emily Heriot, who investigated, said:

"Brooking displayed a disguised compliance to his requirements but the truth has caught up with him. 

“We will do everything we can do to put those who intend to harm children in front of the courts so they can face justice.”

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A registered sex offender flouted a court order by having software on his phone which wiped his internet history.

Adrian Miles, 58, was visited by officers at his home in Cherry Court, Cambourne, on 1 February 2024.

The officers found he had installed a data cleaning app and deleted monitoring software on his phone.

He had also not informed officers about an Amazon cloud storage account.

All of this put Miles in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order handed down by Exeter Crown Court in May 2022 following a conviction for making indecent images of children. 

On Tuesday (2 September) at Huntingdon Law Courts, Miles was jailed for 20 months, having pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Paul Evans, from the force’s management of sexual and violent offenders department, said:

“Miles was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which imposed clear restrictions designed to safeguard the public. His breaches demonstrated a disregard for the legal boundaries set by the court.

“The fact he’s been jailed reflects the gravity of the offences and the importance of upholding protective measures for the safety of others." 

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A sex offender breached a strict court order by speaking to three young girls - while performing an indecent act in his car.

Max Simpkins pulled up alongside them in his blue Mini Cooper and tried to engage the youngsters, aged eight and nine, in conversation. A court heard the incident in Paynes Lane, Feltwell, Norfolk, at about 5.20pm on October 23, was caught on CCTV.

The scared girls carried on walking home and told their parents, who contacted police.

The 29-year-old of Eastwood End, Wimblington, near March, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) by having unsupervised contact with a child under 18.

He was jailed for two years and six months at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (July 4).

Children 'did all the right things'

DC Sonia Kauser said: "Thankfully the CCTV footage not only showed us what Simpkins was doing, it recorded his voice and the words he used when trying to engage the girls.

"The children did all the right things and continued walking together, ignoring him, and returning home, telling their parents immediately what had happened.

"Simpkins offended out of county assuming he wouldn’t be apprehended but it shows how committed we are in managing sex offenders regardless of where the offence took place. I am pleased that he is now behind bars."

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A sex offender was arrested by police after he attempted to meet and abuse a six-year-old girl.

Michael Clarey, 59, went online specifically to try to find a child to abuse on 6 February and used a false name to cover his tracks.

He admitted to being a paedophile who had previously abused children and began exchanging messages with someone who sent him a photo of a six-year-old girl, taken at random from a blog post.

Clarey believed he was talking to the girl’s parent – although police believe it was an online activist group.

He asked if he could sexually abuse the girl and said he would take her for a meal and shopping first in Cambridge or Norwich.

However, here the conversation ended, and it was not discovered until police officers paid Clarey an unannounced visit on 25 February.

Clarey was living under restrictions placed on him by a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) imposed by a court in 2021, but officers discovered he had flouted this by hiding devices, including one behind a TV. It was this device which contained the incriminating messages.

Clarey, of New Close Road, Little Thetford, near Ely, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday, 27 June, and was jailed for five years and three months after admitting attempting to arrange / facilitate commission of a child sex offence.

He must serve a further five years extended sentence upon release under the management of the Probation Service. Any breaches could result in him being recalled to prison.

Clarey also admitted five counts of making indecent photographs/pseudo photographs of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child and 14 breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), for which he received no separate penalty.

DC Andrew McKeane said: “Clarey was never going to meet the girl whose photo was sent to him online but the intent to commit despicable sexual offences was clear.

“The girl in the photos, which were taken some years ago, had no link to anyone involved and is a victim in this case. We have spoken to her parents in Berkshire and they were understandably shocked and upset.

“Clarey has a complete disregard for the law and is a danger to children. He was aware what his SHPO restricted him from doing, but he chose to ignore it.”

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A rapist who subjected his wife to decades of abuse before trying to murder her has been jailed for 27 years.

Trevor Smith, 61, of South Brink, Wisbech, habitually raped, beat and controlled the victim throughout their 40-year relationship.

Officers were called to their home in the early hours of 22 January last year.

They discovered the victim had up to 20 puncture wounds to her neck and arms after being stabbed by Smith in an unprovoked attack.

Smith had approached her from behind in the kitchen, grabbed her by her T-shirt and attacked her with a knife.

The victim had managed to block Smith trying to slash her throat and three family members, who had heard her screams, managed to pull him off.

As they pinned him to the ground waiting for police to arrive, Smith could be heard saying he was “trying to finish her off”.

While the victim was being treated for her injuries, she said Smith had been raping her, usually weekly, for years.

When their now adult children were young, he would order her into a caravan where he would sexually assault her.

He would say, “you know it won’t take long, just get it done then you can get back to them.”

Due to Smith’s controlling behaviour, the victim never sought medical help for her injuries and was sometimes in pain for weeks.

In a bid to stop the victim and their children leaving the home, he would bolt the door closed and if they went out, he followed them.

Smith controlled all the finances, barred the victim from owning her own phone and any money they had was spent on him, leaving the victim sometimes relying on food parcels.

Following a trial last September, Smith was found guilty of attempted murder, six counts of rape, attempted rape, three counts of assault by penetration, two counts of controlling and coercive behaviour, assault by beating and two counts of child cruelty.

He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on 12 June where he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

DC Chris Herring, who investigated, said:

“Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to the woman at the heart of this case who was subjected to the most appalling abuse for so many years, yet she has shown incredible strength in supporting the investigation all the way through.

“Smith arrogantly thought he would always get away with carrying out this cruel, monstrous behaviour for so long. I welcome this sentence, and I hope this case sends a clear message to those who commit violent and sexual offences - we will do all we can to bring them before the courts.

“It can be hard for victims to know what to do when incidents happen behind closed doors, but I must stress there is help and support available.

“I would encourage anyone who thinks they might’ve been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us on 101 or via web chat on the force website. We take all reports of sexual offences very seriously.

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers ready to investigate allegations promptly, fully and professionally, and a network of partnership agencies and support services to offer assistance and support.”

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A high-risk sex offender who groomed and sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl has been jailed as part of a 17 year extended sentence.

Paul Bryant, 43, bought sex toys to abuse the youngster and encouraged her to go on the contraceptive pill as part of calculating and manipulative behaviour.

Kings Lynn Crown Court was told his behaviour was part of a plan to coerce the girl into sexual activity over a number of weeks.

Marc Brown, prosecuting, said it was clear and obvious grooming and that it had included additional degradation of the girl who he had nicknamed tiny p****.

There was a significant degree of pre-planning formulated at least six weeks before the offences that constituted a clear plan for sex, he added.

Bryant, who lived in south Norfolk at the time of the offences, had denied the charges but was found guilty of assault by penetration of a child under 13 and two counts of making indecent images of children following a trial.

The search history of his phone, seized when he was arrested in March 2024, showed he had trawled for films of young girls using terms including petite sweetie and child model parties.

In a statement read in court the south Norfolk girl said she suffered flashbacks and a sense of feeling sick and disgusted.

She said she had tried to distract herself while he was abusing her by imaging hard maths sums.

Her mother added that his actions had a significant impact and she had lost her childhood innocence.

Sentencing Bryant, from Haddenham, near Ely, to an extended sentence made up of 11 years in prison and a further six years on licence, Judge Andrew Shaw told him: There is no doubt in my mind this was calculating and manipulative.

I do not recognise any mitigating features. There is simply no remorse here.

Imposing a lifetime sexual harm prevention order, he said he continued to pose a high risk to children.

Investigating officer, DC Donna Read said: I would like to commend the bravery of our victim who came forward and enabled police to secure justice against Bryant.

I hope that this lengthy sentence provides some comfort to them and allows them to begin rebuilding their lives, with him behind bars for the foreseeable future.

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A sex offender has been hounded out of Stoke-on-Trent. Warren Potts has now started a new life in Cambridgeshire after leaving The Potteries.

It comes after the 52-year-old's past - when he was jailed for 15 years in 2011 for a string of serious sexual offences - became known in the Stoke-on-Trent community where he lived. It followed Potts failing to inform police that he had gone on holiday to Spain and not registering his new passport within three days of receiving it.

Now Potts - who is on the Sex Offenders' Register for life - has pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with his notification requirements. He has been handed an 18-month community order with a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a £249 court bill.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard police were informed that Potts had travelled to Alicante in September.

Prosecutor Suzanne Swindail said: "The information was checked with passport officers and he was issued with a passport on July 18. On September 13 he travelled to Alicante from Birmingham. He had not registered his passport within three days of receiving it. He had not notified the police of travel. He must notify them at least seven days before leaving the country."

In his police interview Potts said failing to register the passport was a mistake. He had it for two months and forgot to register it.

Karen Wright, mitigating, said Potts and his partner went on holiday to celebrate his birthday. The couple hope to marry next month and Potts cares for his partner.

Miss Wright added: "On his return he was made aware he should have notified the police. He and his partner have moved to Cambridgeshire. When these issues came to light the neighbours got hold of it and they were put under horrendous scrutiny. They were harassed and had an awful lot of issues."

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A paedophile who walked into a Sawtry home and sexually assaulted a young girl has been jailed.

Christopher Woods, 39, was captured on CCTV trying door handles in the early hours of 23 April last year.

Woods, who was carrying a pint glass, managed to get into the back garden of the victim’s home before entering the property.

The victim had awoken and decided to go downstairs where Wood spoke to her and then assaulted her.

Video doorbell footage captured him entering the garden and leaving roughly 40 minutes later.

The following day the girl told her mother and she contacted police.

When officers attended, they found the pint glass in the garden. Forensic tests revealed Woods’ fingerprints, and he was arrested.

Woods, of Garner Court, Huntingdon, denied assaulting a girl under 13 by touching and breaching an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was found guilty of both counts following a trial at Peterborough Crown Court last month.

Yesterday (11 December) at the same court he was jailed for four years and six months.