Latest Offenders Cheshire

Description

A physiotherapist who carried out a sex attack on an elderly client at his clinic has been jailed. Richard Hughes, 54, assaulted his pensioner patient three times as she lay face down on a treatment table in Willaston.

Chester Crown Court the victim - who had made an appointment for help with her back problems - got up from the table and challenged Hughes before fleeing the scene. She then called 999 and reported Hughes to police.

Officers attended the clinic later that day last year and arrested Hughes on suspicion of sexual assault. Now the defendant, of Crewe Road, Willaston, has been jailed for 12 months. He had already pleased guilty to three charges of sexual assault.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Rob Bushell, of Crewe CID, said: “The victim was seeking treatment for her back problems and put her trust in Hughes to help but instead, she was subject to a terrifying ordeal.

“Hughes held no regard for how his actions would impact the victim and took advantage of her while she was in a vulnerable position, all for his own perverse sexual gratification.

“I hope that the sentence handed to Hughes provides some closure to the victim, who has shown an incredible amount of bravery throughout this investigation. I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage anyone who may have also been a victim of sexual assault to please get in touch.

“We continue to do all we can to tackle any incident of violence against women and take all reports of such crimes extremely seriously and will investigate thoroughly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

In addition to his 12-month prison sentence, Hughes was also handed a lifetime restraining order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years.

Description

A PERVERT was caught in possession of hundreds of depraved images of a sexual nature involving animals.

Police also found vile indecent images of children on electronic devices belonging to Martin Bartrop.

The 35-year-old, of Runcorn, was later charged with two counts of possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals, three counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing indecent images of children.

He admitted all of the offences before being sentenced at Chester Crown Court.

Detailing the facts of the case, prosecutor Mark Connor informed the court how in January 2021, police seized Bartrop’s Dell computer and mobile phone.

These were sent off for a forensic analysis, and this confirmed the presence of indecent images of children.

Officers found 11 photos in total, of which six were graded as category A – the most severe involving child rape.

Of the remaining five, two were categorised as category B and three as category C.

Further searches also found 525 extreme pornographic images.

These portrayed, in an ‘explicit and realistic way’, a person performing an act of intercourse with an animal.

The charge describes them as ‘grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character’.

A later search found a further eight disgusting images of this kind.

Before sentencing, judge Steven Everett confirmed that the custody threshold had been crossed, but he opted to draw back from making the jail term immediate.

Bartrop, of no fixed abode, but of Runcorn, was sentenced to 16 months in prison suspended for two years.

This will include 35 days of the Horizon sex offender rehabilitation programme, 35 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He must also sign the sex offender register for the next 10 years and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

In addition, the court approved an application for the forfeiture and destruction of the Dell computer and mobile phone seized by police during the course of the investigation.

Description

The victim of a sex offender will "never be able to forget what he did to her".

Peter Griffiths appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 25 March where he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The 52-year-old of Albemarle Avenue in Hartford, was previously found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a girl under 16 and one of inciting the same girl into sexual activity.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Joanna Barclay said: "I would like to commend the victim for the bravery and courage they have shown in coming forward and talking about what happened to them.

"Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though and while she will never be able to forget what happened to her, I hope that the fact that he is now behind bars will provide them with some closure."

In addition to his prison sentence Griffiths was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

Detective Constable Joanna Barclay added: "We treat all allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.

"Victims should never feel ashamed to talk about what they have been subjected to. They will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers, as well as from other support agencies we work alongside, and all victims of sexual offences have the right to anonymity."

Description

An Ellesmere Port man found with indecent images of children on his computers was also found to have been sexually abusing a girl for several years.

Jordan Leiper, from Rossmore Gardens, Little Sutton, previously pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court to a total of 10 charges five in relation to downloading and possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography, and five in relation to child sex offences. The defendant did not enter a plea on two further counts, which were ordered to lie on file by judge Michael Leeming.

Appearing back at court on Monday, March 25, the 27-year-old was sentenced to a total of seven years, eight months

Prosecuting, Karl Scholz said police had received information from the National Crime Agency that an address in Ellesmere Port was being used to obtain indecent images of children.

Police attended in July 2023 and, during their searches, seized six devices two of which the defendant had attempted to hide on a flat roof outside the bedroom window.

Analysis of the seized devices found hundreds of indecent videos and images of children. Of those, 243 videos and 42 images were assessed as category A the most serious category, with 51 videos and 24 images assessed as category B and 23 videos and 21 images at category C. In addition, there were 10 videos and 21 images of extreme pornography, plus four prohibited images of a child.

Judge Leeming noted the indecent material included children aged between six and 16, with some involving children performing sex acts on other children and one image involved a child in pain.

Some of that material had been obtained while Leiper was already subject to an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a sex offenders rehabilitation programme, the court heard, after Leiper had previously been sentenced for possessing indecent images in 2017.

Also found in the material caused officers concern as chat records were found of Leiper and an underage girl, the court heard.

Police interviewed the girl and found she had been groomed from the age of 12, with "frequent" sexual activity happening at that time and which included sexual intercourse when she was 15. Leiper had also sought indecent images of the girl during this time.

Mr Scholz read out a statement on behalf of the victim, who was present in court for sentencing, in which the victim said she had always struggled with her mental health, but had not understood why.

She had added: "In reality, I was being groomed and being taken advantage of for a long time."

The victim added her brain was "in a fog" and she did not have any energy to take care of herself, and she wondered what kind of adult she could have been had this not happened to her.

The judge added he did not look favourably on the defendant's pre-sentence interview with probation, where he had tried to deny the sexual offences ever took place.

Defending, Max Saffman said that was no longer the defendant's position and he accepted they had taken place, knew he had done wrong and was to be punished.

The sexual offences had taken place several years ago and he had not reoffended on that type of crime since.

Judge Leeming told Leiper: "You are a persistent sexual offender with an unhealthy interest in child pornography.

"You would have known full well that engaging in behaviour like this is not only unlawful but completely unacceptable."

He added Leiper's actions had had a "destabilising" effect on his victim.

The judge said, while the age gap between the defendant and the victim was "not enormous", it was still "significant".

Leiper must serve half of the 12-month sentence he received for the indecent images offences, and two-thirds of the six years and eight months he additionally received for the sexual offences with a child, in custody.

He was handed a new indefinite SHPO restricting his internet usage and contact with children, and handed an indefinite restraining order preventing contact with his victim.

He must sign the sex offenders register for life, and the devices seized were to be deprived.

Description

A cyber forensics expert who sold software to the police, Interpol and the FBI has been jailed after he accidentally gave his work a hard drive full of child pornography.

Iain Nash was jailed for 15 months and branded a danger to children after officers discovered a library of child pornography on his home PC.

The 46-year-old mistakenly handed in a personal hard drive with the images on and 'frantically' messaged a colleague, pleading with him to 'delete the image'.

Suspicious, the co-worker looked through the device and found vile images of youngsters being abused by paedophiles, a court heard.

Nash was then given a deadline to allow him to surrender himself to police and confess.

Officers then seized Nash's mobile phone and a total of 35 other electronic devices and found 1,123 pictures - some including a 12-month baby - plus others featuring girls aged between four and six being raped.  

Sentencing him, the judge slammed his crimes as 'truly horrific' and said: 'It is the demand for this material which stokes and incentivises the supply of it,' adding 'these were real children being raped by real men'.

When quizzed, Nash, who lives in a £540,000 house in Congleton, Cheshire, claimed he only took a sexual interest in children for a brief time in 2013 when his marriage was on the rocks. 

But officers found a poem he had written in 2006 in which he confessed his desires for underage girls.

At Chester Crown Court, Nash was jailed after he pleaded guilty to charges of possessing, making, taking and distributing indecent images of children. 

He was also made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years. His current girlfriend is standing by him.

The court heard Nash had begun working for MD5 Ltd, a Digital Forensics company who provides Virtual Forensic Computing software to law enforcement agencies.As well as Interpol and the FBI, clients also included the National Crime Agency, Homeland Security, the Australian Federal Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Prosecutor Philip Clemo said: 'The defendant's role was as a Business Development Manager, selling software to high-tech crime and law enforcement agencies and involved him visiting police stations and giving demonstrations of the software packages.

'At the beginning of January 2020, the defendant handed in his notice and worked his four week notice period which ended on February 6.

'The defendant returned the laptop and phone he had been provided with and, in accordance with standard procedure when employees left the company, these were forensically imaged and there were no issues with either device.

'The defendant had also been asked to return the external hard-drive he had upgraded his work laptop with, which he did on January 31. However, a staff member at MG5 who the external drive had been given to, was contacted by the defendant on the February 3 stating that he had provided his personal external drive in error and asked for it to be handed back.

'He stated within the message "If you've already imaged it, I'd be obliged if you would delete the image" and said he would be at the office within two hours. 

'Suspicions were raised and when the staff member viewed data from the drive, he identified video and image files indicative of indecent images of children.

'The defendant was then contacted and given a deadline to contact the police otherwise his former manager would contact them himself. The defendant did attend at Congleton Police Station on February 14, 2020, saying that two years earlier he had downloaded pictures of young girls from the internet.

'His mobile phone was seized, along with the external hard-drive he had handed in to MD5 and 27 other electronic devices seized from his address.'

The court was told images included those of a child aged 12-18 months, and images of children were located on seven devices. One file read 'hot teen girls are best 2'.'

Nash had set webpages as favourites including 'welcome to paedo paradise' and 'the best child porn site ever!!!'. 

Two documents entitled 'Dangerous Innocence.doc' and 'Lotis Gala Night.txt' were found, with the former being written by Nash, detailing the narrator's 'first sexual encounter' and attraction to female children.

A document containing altered lyrics to the 1999 hit song Mambo Number 5 by German singer Lou Bega was filed under the name 'Paedo No 5'. 

Nash was later bailed but was subsequently caught drink driving and was then convicted of weapons offences after security staff found a pen knife in his pocket as he attended court.

In mitigation, defence counsel Nicola Daley said: 'I accept this is a serious case that undoubtedly passes the custody threshold and the defendant comes to this court in trepidation and fear of that. But this is also a case of a 46-year-old man who at the time he committed these offences he had no other convictions. Though some of the images date from 2020 the majority of the dates were a lot earlier.

'They are all dates now that are multiple years away from where we are now in 2024.'

But in sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Richard Conley told Nash: 'There can be no doubt as to the gravity and the truly horrific nature of the material that was in your possession.

'These were real children being raped by real men for the sexual enjoyment and gratification of people like you. Were it not for people like you, these horrific offences would not have to be committed. It is the demand for this material which stokes and incentivises the supply of it.

'It has been suggested the offences only occurred over a short period of time, in a particular low point in your life when your marriage was joyless and in free fall and in decline. But it is also suggested more strongly you did not simply flirt with this sort of material but had a much more established and entrenched attraction to young children, girls in particular.

'I take the view that you are someone who has a serious problem you won't fully face up to. You refused to accept that you were attracted to children and I take the view that you present a danger.'

The judge added: 'I fully accept that you did not intend to return that hard drive to your employer, quite the opposite, but I do not accept that you forgot those images. 

'I suspect you spent an uncomfortable and anxious weekend on February 1 and 2, knowing exactly what was in that hard drive and worrying whether it would be discovered by your former employer.

'The fact is you were frantically seeking its return to you, knowing as I am quite sure you did, that the hard drive contained incriminating and illegal matter upon it. The fact you returned the hard drive on the Friday, seeking its return on the Monday, highlights to me the first of numerous examples of your deceitful and dishonest nature.'

Description

A 58-year-old who indecently exposed himself in front of children playing in woods has been jailed.

On Saturday (March 9), Alan Mercer asked girls to stand guard while he went to urinate.

Having then told the victims he had finished, they turned around to find Mercer with his trousers around his ankles in the area close to Lockeyer Park in Burnley.

Following CCTV enquiries, police arrested Mercer a day later.

He was charged with exposure on Monday this week and appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Mercer, formerly of Astley Street, Dukinfield, was jailed for 26 weeks and was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “We do not tolerate behaviour of this nature and we will do everything in our power to identify the offender and put them before the courts.”

Description

An Ellesmere Port paedophile who continued to download indecent images of children while on police bail has been jailed.

Mark Donaghey, 58, of Elaine Close, Great Sutton, pleaded guilty to two sets of downloading and possessing indecent images, which Chester Crown Court heard included children as young as 18 months.

Appearing at the court, sitting at Chester Magistrates Court, for sentencing on Tuesday, March 13, Donaghey received an extended prison sentence as Judge Patrick Thompson said he posed a "very high risk" to members of the public, particularly children.

Prosecuting, Nadeem Nemat said Donaghey had originally been arrested in February 2023 on suspicion of downloading indecent images, putting him in breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He gave a 'no comment' police interview and was bailed.

While on bail, Donaghey continued to acquire indecent images and was rearrested and charged.

The court heard it was accepted there was some time overlap between the two sets of indecent images cases, and they had been obtained between March 2018 and October 2023.

Computers and laptops were seized, and among them were several hard drives.

Analysis of the devices after the first arrest showed 944 indecent images of children assessed as the most serious category, category A, plus six category A videos. There were also 840 category B images and 4,907 category C images, as well as 142 prohibited images of a child. One category B image was of an 18-month-old child.

There was also evidence Donaghey had used internet search terms to seek the indecent images online.

Analysis of a second set of devices after Donaghey was rearrested showed 583 indecent images and 22 videos assessed as category A, 459 images assessed as category B, plus 914 images and two videos assessed as category C. There were also eight prohibited images of children.

Donaghey had previously been jailed for 18 months in 2002 for attempted gross indecency with a child. In 2005, he was handed an extended sentence of five years plus five years for engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child aged 13 or under, as well as outraging public decency.

A report from probation said Donaghey was a "very high risk" of serious sexual harm.

Defending, Peter Barnett said the best mitigation that could be put forward for Donaghey were his prompt guilty pleas, for which he was entitled to full credit from his sentence.

The defendant showed "self-inflicted destruction" with his behaviour.

Judge Thompson told the defendant: "It is clear to me you have a very unhealthy sexual interest in children."

Donaghey was sentenced to three years in prison for which he must serve at least two-thirds before being eligible for parole plus two years extended licence.

He was handed a new life-long SHPO and he was deprived of all the seized devices.

Description

An abstract artist who molested a schoolgirl after inviting her to his studio to see his work and plying her with cider has been jailed. 

Ralph McGaul, then 36, admitted to sexually abusing the 14-year-old on four occasions over a three-month period in 2020.

The artist took advantage of the teenager, who said she 'sometimes doesn't recognise herself anymore' after the abuse, on a picnic and at his arts studio in Bollington, near Macclesfield.

The sex offender also spoke to her about them eloping to Cornwall where he said they would go surfing and then have 'hot steamy sex' in his tent.  

After McGaul got back together with his long-term partner, he declined to see the girl anymore and when she asked why, he messaged her: 'I'm sorry for what happened and the things I have done and how I treated you. I'm ashamed of myself.'

McGaul was eventually reported to police and was arrested in February 2022.

The girl, now 18, told police how she gets 'intrusive thoughts' about McGaul which leave her feeling 'upset and disgust'. 

In a statement to police, the victim said: 'I try really hard not to think about what happened and the man who did it to me, but I often get intrusive thoughts about him and when I do, I get an overriding feeling of upset and disgust.

'It is these same feelings that leave me unable to behave normally or carry on. I am left completely deflated, experiencing feelings of dread and I withdraw into myself, away from those that I love.

'I often don't seem to have the energy for anything else, I struggle to engage with others to maintain conversations with family, friends, I can't concentrate on work, or school. 

'Because of this, I have had to take time out from school and work, unable to dictate my own routine and schedule because of what happened.'

She added: 'These events have completely changed my ability to be around people.  

'I'm normally an outgoing, bubbly, conversational person, yet often I have found myself wanting to be alone, withdraw and push people away. I sometimes don't even recognise myself anymore

'There is an overwhelming sense of disassociation from myself as an individual and everything going on around me. 

'I feel as though I have been transformed into a new person, someone who I do not always recognise, sometimes a complete stranger from the girl I once was before this all happened.

'I used to be confident and independent when out alone in public, but now I find myself thinking twice about everything I do and how people behave around me.

'Even in broad daylight I am anxious and hypervigilant of everyone. I find myself attempting to anticipate what their intentions are, predicting the worst in some cases.

'I feel estranged from the idea of safety in some cases, a feeling I never had prior to all that happened. 

'I have had multiple nightmares about the event and what he did and what he might have done if I had never spoken up.'

At Chester Crown Court, McGaul now 40, who studied art in Brighton and Barcelona was locked up for five years and four months after he was convicted of sexual assault. 

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely and was banned from contacting the girl under the terms of a restraining order.

He admitted four charges of sexual activity with a child but denied having sexual intercourse with her. He was cleared of rape and a sexual grooming offence.

The pair became close after originally meeting in December 2018, by chance whilst cycling.

Prosecutor Mr Matthew Dunford said. 'She described an occasion when the two of them had been out for a picnic and were laying down outside.

'She described that he began to spoon her and she asked him what he was doing. He said he could not help it and tried to ignore him and she felt she could not just get up and leave as she was, as she put it, "in the middle of nowhere".

'She described other occasions where the defendant had spoken to her about moving with her to Cornwall. 

'He said that after surfing they could go into their tent and have hot steamy sex. The defendant went on to say to her that he saw her as more than just a friend.

'For her part, she told him that she saw him as a really good friend. She told him that she was 14.'

The prosecutor added: 'There was an occasion in June 2020 when she had gone to his shed where he was living at the time. During the day, he had shown her how to carry out screen printing and she ended up staying for tea.

'But he gave her some cider to drink and she described how it made her feel quite dizzy. Afterwards, she describes being sat on the bed when he started to touch her and she says she did not know how to tell him to stop.

'He began taking his clothes off and not knowing how to leave the situation, she went along with it. She describes feeling like she was frozen and described that she did not know how to say no.'

'Some time after this, she describes becoming aware that the defendant had got back with his partner and she says that that made her feel confused. She messaged the defendant setting out how she felt.

'She said to start with she had blamed herself for what happened, but as time had gone by, she realised it had not been her fault. 

'The defendant replied saying he was sorry for what had happened - for the things he had done and how he had treated her. He said he was ashamed of himself.'

Police arrested McGaul in February 2022 but he gave no comment in the police interview.

His counsel Mark Ford KC, said: 'In the months leading up to when the offences took place, his relationship with his partner had broken down and the defendant was effectively disconnected from the services that previously provided stability in his life.

'Their chance meeting had profound consequences for them both. As the evidence of messages on social media make clear, the complainant was keen to accompany the defendant and without having any preconceived notion as to where the meeting was likely to lead, he found himself falling in love with the victim.

'She was an intelligent and articulate young woman.

'She was interested in all the things that the defendant was interested in, the outdoor life, music and art. 

'The defendant became utterly smitten with her as is often the case when someone's emotions are caught up in the delirium of romantic love.

'Illogical or hopeless as it may seem, people in this situation may believe their feelings are reciprocated. Mr McGaul certainly did.'

At the sentencing, the judge Mr Recorder Eric Lamb told said: 'It has been put forward on your behalf that your actions were illogical and foolish and ultimately damaging but it was based on the self delusion that there was or could be a relationship between yourself and the victim.

'She was 14 and you were 36 and as you rightly acknowledge in your course of self analysis and demonstration of remorse you were the adult and you should have known better.'

Description

A man from Crewe has been jailed after he admitted engaging in sexual activity with children.

Andrew Cork appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 1 March where he was sentenced to 11-years in prison.

The 53-year-old, of Verdin Court, Leighton, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communications with a child, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity (no penetration) and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted one count of possession of indecent images of children and three counts of making indecent images of children.

The case against Cork began in May 2022 when officers from Norfolk Police contacted Cheshire Police to report that a man had been engaging in sexual communications with a 9-year-old child in Norfolk.

The man had been using a mobile telephone number which placed him in the Crewe area.

The investigation was undertaken by the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Cheshire Police and following further enquiries officers identified Cork as the suspect.

A warrant was conducted at his home on Thursday 14 July and Cork was arrested. Several electronic devices were also seized, including a laptop and two mobile phones.

During questioning Cork admitted that he had been engaging in sexually explicit communications with the child in Norfolk, he also told officers that there were indecent images of children on his devices although he denied being sexually attracted to children.

Cork was subsequently released on bail while further enquiries were undertaken, including analysis of all his electronic devices.

During the analyses officers discovered over 300 indecent images of children and more than 60 sexually explicit videos of children. Officers also discovered that he had also been engaging in sexual communications with an 11-year-old child in Birmingham.

Cork was later charged in relation to all the offences.

Description

A man found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Crewe has been jailed for eight years.

Brandon Bentley appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February where he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register and handed an indefinite restraining order against the victim.

The 26-year-old, who at the time lived at an address in Crewe, had previously been found guilty two counts of sexual assault, attempt rape, and digital penetration.

During the trial the court heard how Bentley had asked the victim if she wanted to go out with him on the evening of Sunday 14 November 2021.

They sat in his car until the early hours of the morning before the victim became tired and asked to go home.

She got out of the car and headed towards her front door but Bentley followed her. She tried to close the door, but he pushed his way through, grabbed her and tried to kiss her.

Bentley then pushed the victim onto the bed, and as she pleaded with him to stop, he sexually assaulted her.

Before leaving the address, Bentley pushed the victim against the wall and sexually assaulted her again.

Following questioning, he was charged with attempt rape, two counts of sexual assault, and causing a female to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

Description

A man has been jailed after secretly filming women and children for his own gratification.

Ryan Beaumont appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday 23 February where he was sentenced to three years in prison for 21 offences, including upskirting, voyeurism, and taking and possessing indecent images of children. 

The 38-year-old, from Hartford, previously pleaded guilty to all charges, which involved nine child victims and 10 adult victims.

Cheshire Police were first contacted in June 2021 after Beaumont was reported for upskirting a woman while at an address working as a mobile mechanic.

He was subsequently arrested, and his electronic devices were seized and sent off for forensic examination.

During subsequent interviews, Beaumont made a full admission to his offending, even stating he would hide cameras in the bathroom and spare room at his home address to try and capture people getting changed and using the toilet.

Beaumont stated he got an adrenaline rush from obtaining footage without the victims’ knowledge. He told officers his offending had progressed to the point where he would keep his phone on record at all times and film whenever he saw an opportunity.

He was later charged with seven counts of taking category C images, one count of possessing category C images, one count of possessing category B images, eight counts of voyeurism, and four counts of upskirting.

On top of his custodial sentence, Beaumont is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

He is also banned from working with children and banned from owning a mobile phone with a camera.

Description

A PREDATOR has been hauled back to court for offences relating to his obligation to sign the sex offender register.

Harjit Singh was ordered to abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements after being jailed for more than six years back in October 2016.

The attempted rapist who also sexually assaulted other victims, now aged 53 and of Runcorn, appeared before Warrington Magistrates’ Court recently to be sentenced.

This came after he admitted at an earlier hearing to failing to comply with his notification requirements.

Details of the failure to comply were outlined to the court by Michael O’Kane, representing the prosecution, who said that the offence was committed in Runcorn in August last year.

The defendant failed without reasonable excuse to complete his annual registration.

This was mandatory after he was convicted in September 2016 of a sole count of attempted rape and two charges each of sexual assault and failure to surrender to bail.

In July 2016, Singh followed a woman with Down’s Syndrome to her home in Hounslow, London, before attempting to rape her.

After a day out, she boarded a bus in Hounslow, on which the defendant was also a passenger.

When the victim got off the bus, Singh followed her into a block of flats, and while she took the lift, he took the stairs and ambushed her as she opened her front door.

Singh forcefully pushed her inside, forced her into a bedroom and attempted to rape her.

Unable to carry out the attack, he fell asleep, which gave the victim a chance to escape and alert her neighbours to what had happened.

The police were called and Singh was arrested at the scene and charged two days later.

In October 2016, he was sentenced to six years behind bars, on top of a three-month prison sentence in relation to two counts of sexual assault on two women following an incident in April 2015 at Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London.

Singh had previously pleaded guilty to these offences but failed to appear for sentencing.

For his sex offender register offence, magistrates referenced that this is a serious offence that can only appropriately receive a custodial sentence.

They highlighted that he demonstrated a ‘wilful neglect’.

However, they took his guilty plea into account and concluded that because he was deemed to be a ‘real prospect for rehabilitation’, they could suspend the sentence.

Singh, of Allen Road in Runcorn, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £154, with his sex offender register requirements continuing.

Speaking after he was jailed for the attempted rape, DC David Fall, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “I am pleased with the sentence that has been handed down, and even more satisfied that Singh will no longer be on the streets of London, where he clearly poses a risk to the public.

“Singh is a predator who targeted a lone and vulnerable woman in broad daylight, and he displayed a sense of arrogance as he carried out his attack without fear of being caught.

“The victim has been supported throughout the investigation by specialist officers and she has shown an immense level of bravery.

“I would like to place on record the courage she has shown throughout the investigation.”

Description

A mechanic from Cheshire who created and moderated sites dedicated to child sexual abuse on the dark web has been jailed for 16 years.

Nathan Bake, 28, is one of three UK-based moderators of a site called ‘The Annex’ who were identified by the National Crime Agency, as part of an investigation targeting those behind the site.

The Annex, which is no longer active, had around 90,000 global members who used it to share and discuss some of the most extreme kinds of abuse material, involving ‘hurtcore’ and the sexual abuse of babies and toddlers.

As the head moderator, Bake was second in command of the entire site, which was run by an American man, who was sentenced to life in prison in the US in January.

Bake was responsible for managing around 30 staff members, and worked with them to enforce the site’s rules and ensure it continued to run smoothly.

Two such staff members were Kabir Garg, a psychiatrist from London, and a 48-year-old man from Eastbourne, who will be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court next week. The pair were also moderators and sat just below Bake in the site’s hierarchy. Garg was jailed for six years last year.

New users of The Annex would first be held in the ‘gateway’ where they would have to impress and gain the trust of the site’s administrators by posting a certain amount of abuse material, before being granted access to the wider site.

Bake and the other moderators would advise members on techniques to evade law enforcement detection, and encourage them to keep the site busy by sharing links to child abuse content.

In one post recovered by the NCA, Bake said: ‘Come on people, Show us what you’ve got for HAPPY HOUR. Show us the boys and girls that turn you on the most’.

NCA officers arrested Bake at his home in Runcorn in November 2022 and seized a number of devices, including laptops, phones, USBs and external hard drives. One laptop was running, with the TOR dark web browser in use and indecent images of children on the screen.

Officers gathered evidence from his devices which proved Bake was co-creator of a second child abuse site, and was also the head moderator of a directory-style page, which contained links to further abuse forums on the dark web.

Hundreds of thousands of indecent images and videos of children were also recovered from his storage devices, as was 576 page paedophile manual.

Bake pleaded guilty to 12 counts in November 2023, including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, participating in an organised crime group, possession of a paedophile manual, and distributing and making indecent images of children.

He was sentenced today at Chester Crown Court to 16 years imprisonment, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A man who filmed himself raping a sleeping girl has been jailed.

William Studley, 19, from Huxley near Chester, was sentenced to five years six months.

Studley, of Huxley Lane, was 17 when he attacked the girl at his home, where she and a friend had gone after a party.

He was cleared of one count of rape and found guilty of another at Chester Crown Court on 6 December.

Cheshire Police said the victim and a friend had arranged to stay at Studley's home after a party in April 2022.

The victim fell asleep alone in an upstairs bedroom after starting to feel unwell. She woke up to find Studley raping her, the jury was told.

The victim told him to stop and he ran out of the room, but returned and sexually assaulted her.

She reported him to the police the next day.

Officers found video footage on Studley's phone which showed him sexually assaulting the victim as she slept.

Studley admitted sexual assault after he was shown the footage, and also admitted making indecent images of children.

But he denied rape.

DS Courtney Day said: "Studley initially denied all offences put to him, claiming that the victim had consented, but was left with no option but to plead guilty when footage of the assault was recovered from his phone.

"Despite the evidence, he continued to deny the full extent of what he subjected the victim to that night.

"What Studley put the victim through is truly horrifying, but thanks to courage the victim has shown, he is now facing the consequences of his actions."

Studley was also handed a 15-year restraining order and put on the sex offenders register for life at his sentencing hearing on Friday.

Description

A paedophile admitted that he "got carried away on the internet" after being ensnared by an undercover police sting.

Aidan Cowman was also caught with a vile stash of pictures showing toddlers being raped when officers came knocking at his door. A judge today described him as being "in denial" over his offending, but allowed him to walk free from court.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday that the 66-year-old first contacted an account which had been set up by covert police officers, who were posing as a 13-year-old boy, on "gay chatroom" Chat Avenue on January 11 last year. Cowman, of Penkett Road in Liscard, Wirral, said in his opening message: "Hi, want to phone daddy while we both w***?"

He then added: "I'm 64, married. Irish, but living near Liverpool."

Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, described how Cowman was told that the teenager was at school at the time of the chat. However, he continued the perverted conversation by saying: "Are you playing with your c**k now?"

Then, on January 16, the pensioner added the supposed youngster on Snapchat. Officers asked him whether he was the "man from Chat Avenue", which Cowman confirmed before stating that he was "sat at home playing with his c**k".

He added that it was "quite an age difference", but said he "loved to swap pictures and video clips" and asked "are you interested in doing some?". A search warrant was later executed at the defendant's address on April 14.

When arrested, Cowman replied "I just got carried away on the internet". A small bag of cannabis and electronic devices were recovered from the property during the raid.

Under interview, he confessed to having been responsible for the messages and that he had indecent images stored on his phones. A total of 52 category A pictures, those depicting the most serious forms of abuse, were subsequently found on two seized mobiles.

Cowman was also found to have collected 12 photographs in category B and 101 category C images. Mr Hopkins said that some had shown children as young as two being subjected to sexual assaults.

Kyra Badman, defending, told the court that her client's relationship with his partner had been "strained" since his online activities had come to light, and that while they remain together they are currently living in separate homes. She added: "He is extremely grateful for her support.

"Upon hearing the facts of this case, anybody could reach the conclusion that only immediate custody would be appropriate in this case because of the nature of the offences. It may be that the court is able to draw back from an immediate sentence."

Cowman pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communications with a child, possession of indecent images, three counts of making indecent images and possession of cannabis. He was handed an 18-month imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

Sentencing, Recorder Peter Wright KC said: "You brought a bag with you, appreciating that the likelihood was that you would lose your liberty. You are a realist in that regard.

"You are a man who has previous convictions, but they are from a long time ago. The offences for which you appear before this court are offences of the most serious gravity."

Recorder Wright said that the indecent images contained the "abuse and defilement of children", and added: "It is almost incomprehensible how anybody could commit any such act, but equally it is incomprehensible how anybody could gain any form of sexual gratification from viewing such material. But it is clear that you did.

"You knew precisely what you were up to. You pursued your own sexual fantasies with that boy.

"You went so far as seeking to solicit images of the boy. This is conduct of the most despicable type.

"You were seeking to corrupt him to your own perversions. You have, in your own words, struggled to understand your motivation for your offending - you are in denial.

"But you are now committed to gaining access to help. You do not want to reoffend or cause further harm."

Cowman was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and complete a programme requirement, as well as a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 35 days.