Latest Offenders Chester

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The court heard how the incident occurred on August 5, 2020, after the victim had been out with friends at Tribeca bar on Sackville Street, Manchester and they stayed chatting until 6am. 

The victim, who is in her 20s, had logged onto the Uber app at the end of a night out to get her back to her home.

She ordered an Uber as her friends believed she would be safer inside a cab, after she was raped by a stranger in 2019.

But when Mahamud arrived to pick her up to take her to her apartment on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, he forced himself on the woman.

He refused to let her out of his taxi and instead subjected her to a 12 mile terror trip to his own home whilst he repeatedly molested her at the wheel.

The victim, who has since moved away from the UK, later told police: 'What happened to me in 2019 changed the way I lived my life on a regular basis in that I no longer felt safe to walk home alone.

'I put my trust in a company like Uber who I thought would keep me safe from harm, but this man did the opposite of that.

'Now I don't feel safe walking and I don't feel safe getting taxis. He has completely broken my trust in what should be a safe method for everyone to get where they're going.

'I feel like it's basically taken away my freedom of choice as I am always relying on the fact that someone else is available to come home with me, I don't feel safe going anywhere alone anymore.

'I now only used three Ubers a week to get around, whereas I used to book one a day. Whenever drivers do something unexpected, even something innocent, it still scares me.'

Mark Kellet, prosecuting, said that in 2019 the complainant was the victim of a violent rape by a stranger as she walked home through the city centre.

He told the court: 'That offence has nothing to do with the defendant in this case but it was present in the mind of the complainant's friend who enjoined her not to walk home but to book an Uber for her safety - serving to illustrate the trust placed in taxi drivers.

'And it was present in the mind of the complainant during the defendant's offending and afterwards, as she feared she was going to be raped again - such that the previous offence is, it is submitted, relevant to the harm which he caused to her.'

Speaking about the incident, Mr Kellett said: 'Whilst driving, he (Mahamud) began to make conversation with her and started talking about his girlfriend, saying she wouldn't have sex with him and this naturally made the complainant feel uncomfortable.

'But whilst thinking she would be home in a few minutes, she humoured the defendant by saying such a state of affairs was regrettable.

'The defendant stopped the car near to where the complainant lived but then told her she was lovely, asked her for her telephone number, and demanded a kiss.'

Mr Kellett told the court that Mahamud grabbed the victim by the the shirt and pulled her towards him, removing both their Covid-masks before kissing her on the lips.

He said Mahamud then asked her to come back to his house. He told the court: 'She replied by telling him that she needed to go home but he ignored her and wouldn't take no for an answer. 

'Instead, he began to drive, making no effort to take her home. She tried to open the rear passenger door but it had evidently been locked.

'She felt unsafe being driven to an unknown location against her will and used her phone to send messages and images to her friend repeatedly expressing her fear, she was being taken against her will, that she couldn't get out of the car because it had been locked, that the defendant was sexually touching her.

'She said she needed help and that she feared being raped again.

'The friend called police whilst the complainant was still in the car and during that call he disclosed "She was attacked last year as well and it is bringing all that up". 

The court heard the victim used her phone to take pictures and video of Mahamud, including some clips in which he can be seen sexually assaulting her. In one video, she is heard asking Mahamud to let her out.

Mahamud was heard replying: 'You enjoy and then I drop you' before eventually pulling over and getting to open the passenger door. She managed to slip passed him and sought help from a passer-by.

Mahamud was later arrested but initially denied any incident took place until shown the video footage but claimed any sexual activity was instigated by his passenger.

The court heard his wife was currently six months pregnant with their child and she had been unaware of the charges against him until the day of his sentencing.

His lawyer Mark Fireman said in mitigation: 'He had misjudged the situation entirely.'

Sentencing Mahamud, Judge Angela Nield said: 'Those who use taxi services like Uber are entitled to feel safe in their cabs and this was a clear abuse of trust.

'Whilst it is clear the defendant could not have known about the victim's history it is clear her previous trauma has magnified this incident significantly. If it wasn't for the victim's accompanying videos and images we might not be here today.

'What happened to her strikes against the principle that many women hold in that in order to keep themselves safe they must take a taxi home rather than walk. One does not bear to think about the anguish and fear she suffered during the period she was in that car.'

Mahamud was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register and was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A teacher from Oldham has been jailed for a decade after being found guilty of a series of non-recent sexual assaults on students.

Christopher Pickup (76), Underwood Way, Shaw was today (2 September), sentenced to 10 years after being found guilty at trial of 37 counts of sexual assault against 19 victims.

The offences occurred whilst he was a teacher at two primary schools in Oldham between the years 1971 and 1983.

Detective Constables Craig Rice and Natalie Sykes, of Oldhams Non-Recent Sexual Offences Team, said: Experiencing sexual abuse at any stage in life can have a devastating and long lasting impact on an individuals life, but to experience it as a child by someone who you respect and trust is unfathomable. This investigation demonstrates our ongoing and determined commitment to ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice.

We would like commend and thank the victims for the courage, strength and dignity they have all demonstrated in coming forward to the police and supporting an investigation into Christopher Pickup. We hope that the unanimous guilty verdicts by an independent jury and todays sentencing offers closure to them knowing that he is finally facing the consequences of his actions.

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A FORMER Tesco Haddington worker has been the target of an undercover police sting after he was caught sending indecent images of himself to people he believed were young schoolgirls.

Stephen Bennett, 63, contacted two online accounts which had been set up in the name of the children by police officers who were operating in a bid to catch online paedophiles.

Bennett began the contact by sending sexual messages to the children before his behaviour soon escalated and he sent images of his erect penis to the accounts.

But instead of him contacting children as Bennett believed, he was in fact in communication with two undercover police officers.

Following the contact, police officers raided Bennetts former home at Aberlady Road in Haddington in September last year.

It is believed that Bennett was working at the Tesco supermarket within the town at the time of his offending.

He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year to admit two charges of attempting to indecently communicate with two children aged 12 years old between December 2020 and September last year.

Bennett was back in the dock for sentencing last Wednesday and avoided a custodial sentence; he was instead handed a community payback order as a direct alternative.

Sheriff John Cook placed Bennett on the sex offenders' register for three years, as well as imposing a supervision requirement for the same length of time.

Bennett was also ordered to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work in the community and issued with a conduct requirement, meaning he will have his mobile phone use and internet history monitored on a regular basis.

The court was told that Bennett had split up from his partner following his arrest and had since moved to an address in Leeswood in Wales.

Sheriff Cook said that the court order would be transferred to the authorities in Wales.

Bennett pleaded guilty to two offences of attempting to communicate with 12-year-old girls, who were in fact undercover police officers, by sending them written sexual communication and repeatedly sending images of his erect penis between December 19, 2020, and September 6 last year.

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A Portsmouth man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for a string of online sexual abuse offences.

Travis Koffi Alden, 24, of St Faiths Road, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 25 August) having pleaded guilty to 39 counts of online sexual abuse offences involving ten victims across the country and internationally, all aged between 9 and 13 at the time the offences took place.

The court heard how police were first made aware of the case when a report was made in August 2019 to officers in Wales that an 11-year-old girl had been receiving sexually explicit messages. An investigation was launched and the mobile phone sending the messages was found to belong to Alden, who lived in Portsmouth. Officers from the Internet Child Abuse Team (ICAT)  arrested him and seized his mobile phone and laptop for examination, which revealed a number of further victims.

Between these devices, officers discovered hundreds of indecent images, which included the most serious, category A images.

Alden was charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, causing a child to watch a sexual act, taking/making indecent images of children (category A, B and C), distributing indecent images of children (category A) and possessing extreme pornography.

He has now been sentenced to ten years in prison with a five year extended licence, a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and has had to forfeit his devices.

Detective Constable Stephen Hill of Hampshire Constabulary’s ICAT team, who led the investigation, said: “Behind every indecent image or message of or to a child is a vulnerable victim and these crimes are among the most appalling that we investigate.

“This was a long and complex investigation requiring a great deal of effort to identify numerous victims across the United Kingdom and beyond and seek justice for them.

“Alden preyed on young girls on various chat sites, encouraging them to engage in sexualised conversations or acts. The impact that such abuse has on these young victims is immeasurable and we are pleased that we have been able to support them and bring Alden to justice.

“Tacking online abuse of this nature and supporting children online is a priority for us and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

Anyone who has any concerns about child abuse should contact Hampshire Constabulary on 101 or via our online reporting tool.

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For more than 30 years evil Ronald Castree thought he'd got away with murder. He'd stood by as Stefan Kiszko, an innocent and vulnerable man, was jailed for a crime he didn't commit.

And when even that horrendous miscarriage of justice was eventually overturned, arrogant Castree sat back and carried on living a lie. But advances in DNA technology would eventually mean his terrible past would catch up with him.

Lesley Molseed was just 11-years-old when, on October 5, 1975, wearing a a blue coat, pleated skirt and stripey Bay City Rollers socks, she was sent to the shop close to her home in Turf Hill, Rochdale to buy a loaf of bread for her mum. Known as 'Lel' to her family, Lesley had learning difficulties and attended a nearby special school, while a congenital heart condition meant she was small for her age.

Tragically she never made it home. Castree, thought to have been on the way to visit his wife and new born son in hospital, snatched her off street in his taxi. Her body was found three days later face down on moorland between Oldham and Ripponden, around 40 yards off the A672.

She had been stabbed 12 times and sexually assaulted. Her death sent shockwaves through the community and sparked a huge manhunt, led by West Yorkshire Police.

Soon, the finger of suspicion fell on Stefan Kiszko, a 23-year-old man with learning difficulties. He lived near Lesley and, in the minds of detectives, was the kind of man who might fit the profile of the killer.

A timid and teetotal tax clerk and church-goer, Mr Kiszko was arrested after three girls told police he had indecently exposed himself to them just days before Lesley was found dead. It was the start of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in UK history.

Mr Kiszko had never been in trouble with police before. But his unusual hobby of noting down number plates - he had jotted down the number of one car which had been seen near the crime scene - roused further suspicion of this 'odd' man.

After two days of relentless questioning by West Yorkshire detectives with no solicitor present to help him, Mr Kiszko, who had the mental age of a 12-year-old, 'confessed' to Lesley's murder. He had been told he could go home if he did.

He later claimed he had been bullied into making the confession. On Christmas Eve 1975 he was charged with Lesley's murder.

He was convicted after a trial at Leeds Crown Court in which his defence team, led by David Waddington QC, who would later become Home Secretary under Margaret Thatcher, made a string of mistakes. Mr Waddington pursued a diminished responsibility defence which wasn't authorised by Mr Kiszko, who maintained his innocence throughout and said he had never even met Lesley.

The defence also failed to call key witnesses and failed to call for an adjournment when thousands of pages of additional material were submitted on the first morning of the trial. Meanwhile evidence was also suppressed by police and not disclosed to the defence or the jury.

On July 21, 1976, after five hours and 32 minutes deliberation, the jury found Mr Kiszko guilty of murder by a majority of 10 to two. He was given a life sentence and went on to serve 16 years in prison, during which time he was repeatedly attacked by other inmates who saw him as a convicted sex offender.

On one occasion he needed 17 stitches for a head wound and he went on to develop schizophrenia. But throughout his incarceration, Mr Kiszko's remarkable mother Charlotte protested his innocence and fought for his release.

Her campaign was to be successful, although it took 16 long and lonely years before her son walked free. It was, according to Tory MP Anthony Beaumont-Dark, 'the worst miscarriage of all time'.

In March 1991, a police investigation into the original trial began, which discovered errors in the case. Evidence which might have established Mr Kiszko's innocence at the outset was uncovered.

It was established that Mr Kiszko could not have been the killer as he was infertile. Semen discovered on Lesley's clothing had contained heads of sperm. The girls who had told the trial that Mr Kiszko had exposed himself to them finally admitted they had lied.

In February 1992 Mr Kiszko was cleared and released from prison. Speaking after his release, he said he was enjoying 'sleeping in in the mornings' and catching up with friends.

He was told he would receive 500,000 in compensation for the time he had spent in prison and revealed he wanted to visit Australia and America and 'have a good time'. In an interview with theManchester Evening News at the time Mrs Kiszko spoke of her unstinting belief in her son's innocence.

"When you are 100 per cent sure your son is innocent you fight to the very end," she said. "It is the only thing that has kept me going.

Looking back on the years she said: "There was prejudice against us because we were foreign. Ever since Stefan was taken away I have felt sick when I have seen children murdered.

"There have been many since he went away, but some murderers have been walking the streets again, while my Stefan has been held in jail. Where is the justice in that?"

But tragically none of Mr Kiszko's dreams came to pass. He died the following year of a massive heart attack aged just 41.

He had received an interim compensation payment but not the full sum. Four months later his mother died and the pair are buried together in Rochdale Cemetery.

In 1994, a surviving senior West Yorkshire officer, who worked on the original investigation, along with a retired forensic scientist, were charged with perverting the course of justice by allegedly suppressing evidence relating to the results of tests on semen taken from the victim's body and from the accused. The case did not reach a jury after it was challenged by defence barristers who argued that the passage of time had made a fair trial impossible.

And it was to be another 12 years before justice finally caught up with the real killer, Ronald Castree. The father-of-three, who by this time ran a comic book shop on the outskirts of Rochdale town centre, was said to be a vain, abusive and arrogant bully, a serial philanderer.

In spite of the many mistakes made by police in the original investigation, the one thing they did do right was preserve evidence from the murder scene. A forensic scientist had used Sellotape on Lesley's underwear and acquired enough material for a DNA profile to eventually be done. It was to prove of little use at the time, but would be crucial more than 30 years later.

In October 2005 Castree was arrested after a sex worker, who said she met him in a hotel room, made a complaint of sexual assault. Even no though charges were ever brought against him, Castree's DNA was taken and placed in a national database.

It turned out to be a direct match to the DNA taken from Lesley's underwear. Police then knew they'd finally found the killer.

On Bonfire Night 2006, Castree was arrested at his home in Brandon Crescent, in Shaw, Oldham, on suspicion of murdering Lesley Molseed. As he was taken into police custody he was alleged to have told one police officer 'I've been expecting this for years,' something he later denied saying.

At the trial it emerged that Lesley was not the only vulnerable, young schoolgirl that Castree attacked in the mid-1970s. He also sexually assaulted a nine-year-old who he abducted in his taxi in Rochdale, the court heard.

Castree was convicted of the offence and fined, but not sent to jail. It was less than a year after Lesley's death, but detectives never questioned Castree because, by that point, Stefan Kiszko was already in jail.

Alongside the DNA match it was to prove to be a crucial part of the evidence that finally brought Castree to justice. On November 12, 2007 a jury at Bradford Crown Court convicted Castree of murder by a majority of 10 to two, coincidentally exactly the same majority as in Stefan's case.

In tears in the dock, Castree claimed he was the victim of a second miscarriage of justice. But the judge, Mr Justice Openshaw, cut him off telling him: "No, you have had your say; your past has now caught up with you."

Castree was sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr Justice Openshaw recommended that he serve at least 30 years before being considered for parole. By that time he would be 84-years-old.

As he was taken from the dock Castree called out, 'I did not do it'. Mr Kiszko's aunt Anne, the last surviving member of the family, said: "God knows how many other lives Castree has ruined. You are not telling me he's only done one murder in 32 years. If you are capable of doing such a despicable act then you just don't stop."

In a statement outside court Lesley's mother April said: "We are relieved that after so long our quest for justice for Lesley is now over."

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A Royton man used his knowledge as a computer repair technician to download images of children being sexually abused, a court has heard. Kevin Lane of Wendlebury Green pleaded guilty to making indecent photographs of a child and downloading images of children over several years. The 53-year-old appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (August 4), where he was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment suspended for 24 months, placed on the sex offender register for 10 years and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for 10 years. Lane was also given a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement. An internal inquiry by Lanes employers is meanwhile set for next week and will result in his dismissal. In mitigation, defence barrister Richard Orme said Lane had no previous convictions and had taken full responsibility for his actions and expressed genuine remorse. Mr Orme also called on Judge Hilary Manley to consider the effect of Lanes incarceration on his son who has severe medical issues. Judge Manley acknowledged Mr Ormes points in mitigation and discussed the sentencing guidelines with prosecutor John Kennerly. Turning to Lane, Judge Manley said: Over several years you downloaded images of children being sexually abused. Some of those images were of very young children. As a result of your work as a computer repair man you knew exactly what you were doing and the steps to take to cover your tracks. She added: Having been caught you lied and lied again. You couldnt bring yourself to own up to what you did and then finally pleaded guilty at trial before being convicted by a jury. Judge Manley however said she accepted Lane had expressed remorse, all be it late in the day and acknowledged he had no previous convictions. Addressing Lane while passing sentence, Judge Manley said: If you fail in any way to adhere to what the probation service set out for you to do over the next two years you will be back before me and regardless of the effect on your son, I will have no choice but to act on the suspended sentence.

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This is the face of a predator who has been locked up for 17 years for child sex offences.

Kieron Jackson, from Salford, was put behind bars on at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday (August 2), police said. The 33-year-old was first reported to officers by a 'concerned party' who alleged that he had had sexual contact with a child.

An investigation was launched and a judge has now jailed Jackson for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Police said the child now has the 'justice they deserve'.

Officers posted about Jackson, of Holm Court, on the Greater Manchester Police Salford Facebook page. In full, the post said: "#LOCKEDUP | A Salford man has been jailed for 17 years for sexual offences against children. Kieron Jackson, 33, of Holm Court, Salford was jailed at Bolton Crown Court on 2 August 2022, for sexual offences against children.

"Jackson was reported to GMP on 8 June 2020 by a concerned party who alleged hed had sexual contact with a child."

Investigating SIO, DC Paula Birchby, said: "I am extremely pleased for the child and her family, who now have the justice they deserve. The hard work of everyone involved in the case meant that Jackson was convicted and that a lengthy sentence has been issued.

"The police and courts have shown that this terrible abuse will not be tolerated."

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A pervert shared vile images of children on WhatsApp and Kik and had fantasy chats with other paedophiles about abusing children - months after molesting a girl. Nigel Gardiner, 42, was found with 239 indecent images of children on his phone after police executed a search warrant.

Some of the horrendous images depicted children as young as three-months-old being sexually abused, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. Further analysis of his phone showed he had shared some of the images with contacts on messaging apps and had fantasy discussions about what he wanted to do to the children.

Following the discovery of the images, he was found to have sexually assaulted a young girl.

Gardiner initially pleaded guilty to eight offences of possessing and distributing indecent images and further offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his former partner. He later pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child after they had already been cross examined during a Section 28 hearing.

Today (July 29) he was jailed for eight-and-a-half years and put onto the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Prosecuting, Geoff Whelan said police received information that Gardiner possessed indecent images and carried out a search warrant at his house in Heywood. He wasnt present at the time, but they later found him at his place of work where they seized his phone and analysed it, and he subsequently admitted possession of the images.

Police recovered 83 category A images - said to be the worst type, 51 category B images and 70 category C images, as well as extreme pornographic images and prohibited images of children.

The age of the children depicted in the images ranged from six to 17-years-old, Mr Whelan said. Some of the images were sent to 41 contacts on Kik and three contacts on WhatsApp.

After discovery of the images, it came to light that he had sexually abused a girl. The court also heard that he had headbutted his ex-partner and bitten her following two separate arguments.

Gardiner was said to have previous convictions, including for an offence of battery. Mitigating, Betsy Hindle said that her client struggled with drug and alcohol addiction and said he previously couldnt remember a time when he was clean.

He believes drugs led him to do what he did, she said. There is sincere remorse and he takes full responsibility. The presentence report indicates a lack of ability to deal with personal circumstances.

Sentencing, Recorder Mark Rhind QC said: Some time after the sexual assault, you engaged in discussions which have been described as fantasy with other perverted men relating to the sexual abuse of children.

You sent a picture of a child to them and discussed what they might do and what you might do. The sexual assault was not some sort of drunk incident which you do not remember, this was you acting on your sexual attraction to children.

If you had any remorse for what you did, you would have admitted it far sooner.

Gardiner, of Tonge Street, was jailed for eight-and-a-half years, made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

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A mum has spoken of her pain after her young daughter was groomed and sexually assaulted.

Gary Cook, 37, from Oldham, was sentenced to five years at Minshull Street Crown Court after being convicted of sexual assault - following the incident in March last year.

The girl informed her father of Cook's behaviour after he removed part of her clothing and sexually assaulted her. He also installed an app on a device used by the girl so he could monitor her.

Following sentence, the victim's mother told the Manchester Evening News that Cook had 'taken her daughter's innocence away' as she said her family had been left with a lifetime of trauma.

"My daughter is completely changed, it's absolutely devastating," she said. "The whole time he was on bail was unbearable. Now everything has changed for her.

"The whole thing has been incredibly upsetting for her. I just have total anger. I can’t believe it. He has taken my daughter’s innocence away from her. She is getting a bit older now and it is becoming more obvious what he did to her."

Cook, of no fixed abode, was given a five-year sentence and will serve half in custody before being released on licence. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

The victim's mother added: "I don’t think any sentence would have been enough. I feel like five years would have been adequate if it was the full amount but we found out he will only serve half of the sentence which is a kick in the teeth for us.

"We are concerned that he will only serve about half his sentence. It is such a serious offence. It has been a life-changing experience. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives."

Cook was also made subject of a restraining order not to contact the victim for ten years, and will also be required to sign the sex offender's register.

He is also banned from contacting any children under the age of 16 for 10 years or use any device capable of using the internet to contact children.

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A predator raped two 12-year-old girls after meeting them on Snapchat and plying them with booze and drugs. Solomon Asemota, 30, initially began by grooming the girls online.

He raped one girl during a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, then raped both girls in his car on another occasion, Manchester Crown Court heard. When they asked how old he was, and if he was 18 or 19, he told them: “I can be”. The rapist, who was 27 time at the time, admitted that he never told them his age.

Asemota, of Longsight, pleaded guilty to seven offences of rape and was jailed today for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year. 

Prosecuting, Simon Blakebrough said police were called on January 9, 2020 when one of the girls was reported missing. After further calls they tracked down one of the girls to a house in Cheetham Hill, and she was told to come home.

One of the girls did, and told police that the other girl was at ‘Prince’s house’. The officers asked her where the house was, and escorted her there. They found the other victim in bed with a man, who was later arrested.

There was no scientific evidence linking him to the sexual acts with the girls and no further action was taken, the prosecutor said. Though forensic evidence later linked Asemota to the girls.

The girls were spoken to and ‘Prince’ was identified as Asemota. He was arrested and after arriving at the police station he was told of the allegation and responded: “I’m shocked at the ages, I didn’t know they were that young.”

“He was interviewed and admitted meeting [them] on Snapchat,” Mr Blakeborough said. “He said he was sent some pictures of them and thought they were 16 or 17 but ‘looked young’. He added that they 'couldn't be as young as 12'.

“He said they asked him how old he was and whether he was 18 or 19, and he answered: “I could be”. He accepts he never told them his real age, which was 27.”

He met the first victim and had sex with her after playing a game of ‘Truth or Dare’, the prosecutor said. He also admitted having sex with the girls in the back of his car, and admitted engaging in sexual acts on one in front of the other.

Asemota admitted to the police that one of the girls was drunk and said he ‘always kept vodka in his car’. He also said after one encounter he dropped a girl off at her friend’s house, and was approached by the friend's mum who banged on the car window and 'forcefully informed him he had a child in the car.

When asked why he thought she said that, he said: “Maybe she was not 18 or she was just angry”.

On January 9, he said one of the girls had been kicked out and so he took them both to his aunt's house where they smoked cannabis. He said he then took them to friends house in Cheetham Hill and had sex with one of them after suggesting his friend to have sex with the other. He admitted not wearing a condom.

Analysis of his mobile phone also showed he had taken intimate videos of the girls.

In victim impact statements, one of the girls, now 15, outlined her troubled home life at the time and said she felt like she couldn’t tell anyone what was happening as she was scared. She said she didn’t know what to do and didn’t want to report it due to the fear of repercussions.

The other girl, now 14, said she cries herself to sleep, has flashbacks and has trouble trusting people - especially men. “I feel like I’m to blame, but I know I am not,” she said.

A specialist nurse who supports children who are sexually exploited said both girls had experienced ‘significant trauma’ and said they felt a sense of ‘guilt and shame’. “The impact upon them will be sustained and life long,” they added.

Mitigating, Michael Johnson said Asemota was candid in his police interview and made ‘significant admissions’. “This is a man who’s never been to prison before, it will inevitably be painful. He is entirely the author of his own misfortune,” he said.

Jailing him for 10 years with an extended licence period of a year, Judge Rachel Smith said: “Both victims were highly vulnerable and highly susceptible to exploitation. Your relationship with each of the girls was predatory and opportunistic.

“You exploited each of them for your own gratification. You spent sufficient time with them to know what they were like, and there is evidence of grooming, providing them with company, transport, food, and later alcohol and drugs.”

She added that a pre-sentence report concluded that he was a high risk of causing serious harm to children and that he had adjusted his behaviour to appear younger in an effort to ‘indulge’ the grooming.

Asemota, of Queens Grove, Longsight, was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years and must sign onto the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A paedophile turned up at a crematorium to meet an 11-year-old girl for sex. Nicholas Tarbard was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys, and a condom as he waited for the child.

A court was told he thought he had been talking to three girls aged 11, 12, and 13 on social media. Tarbard had several conversations with each of them, many of a sexual nature, and he had requested inappropriate images of them. He had even sent indecent images of himself during the conversations.

But he had actually been snared by paedophile hunters. On Sunday July 18th 2021, Tarbard had arranged to meet up with who he thought to be the youngest girl, aged 11, at Macclesfield Crematorium. However, unbeknown to Tarbard, he had actually been speaking online to three adults acting as decoys.

As he was was waiting at the Crematorium he was confronted by the decoys who then called police. Tarbard, 35, of no fixed address, appeared at Chester Crown Court where he was sentenced to four years imprisonment and four years on licence after pleading guilty to four counts of attempting to engage sexual communication with child, attempt to arrange to facilitate child sex offence at an earlier hearing.

In a statement Cheshire Constabulary said: "When officers arrived at scene, they searched Tarbard who was in possession of a hunting knife, a screwdriver, two pairs of scissors, sex toys and a condom. During questioning, he answered no comment to everything posed to him by officers, even when shown messages that he had sent to the three different decoys.

"He was arrested and subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence and possession of a bladed article in a public place. As well as being sentenced, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order also for an indefinite period."

Detective Constable Jamie Roberts, who led the investigation, said: Tarbard is an extremely dangerous individual who was intent on sexually assaulting young girls. Thanks to the work of the decoys, we were able to arrest and question Tarbard. Although he answered no comment to all of our questions, the evidence against him was damning.

I would like to thank the courts who have helped keep Tarbard off our streets with the sentence that was handed down to him today. Tarbard was talking to decoys but these could have easily been innocent children. I hope this case acts as a reminder for all parents and guardians to warn their children about the dangers of communicating with people online and to ensure that they are using the internet safely.

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A paedophile brought to justice four decades after his sick abuse was accused of robbing his victim of her childhood.

Jeffrey Phillips was given five-and-a-half years imprisonment at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, as reported by the Oxford Mail at the weekend.

Sending him down, Judge Nigel Daly told the now 71-year-old: You indecently assaulted this child, you did it repeatedly.

Welcoming the lengthy sentence, DC Nicola Fullerton of Thames Valleys child abuse investigation unit said of Phillips: His offending has had a huge impact on the victims life.

"He robbed her of her childhood innocence, causing significant emotional and psychological distress, and it is testament to her courage that he is now facing time in prison.

I hope that this case demonstrates to other people who may have been the victim of such offending that it is never too late to come forward and talk to the police.

We will listen to you, investigate and do everything that we can to ensure criminals like Phillips are brought to justice.

Now living in Greater Manchester, the assaults took place when Phillips lived in Abingdon in the 1970s. His abuse began when his victim was still a young girl and, after a few years, resumed briefly when she was in her early teens.

Phillips will be on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

Description

Michael Pick, of Holland Road, Old Whittington, approached both girls in separate incidents while they were with out with their friends.

In April 2021, Pick approached a girl and invited her to his house for a cigarette. The girl waited outside and as she lit the cigarette he had given her, he sexually assaulted her.

She pushed him away but then he grabbed her by her waist and tried to kiss her, but she managed to push him away again and run back to her friends.

They reported what had happened to police and Pick was arrested. He denied the offence during interview and was bailed.

On Saturday 4 June 2022, while on bail, the 21-year-old approached a different teenage girl who was sat with friends at a park just off Albert Avenue in New Whittington.

He commented on the appearance of the girl and her friend, said that he wanted to have sex with them and showed them a knife he had in his bag.

Pick then crawled over to the victim, pushed her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. One of her friends pushed him off. As they were walking away, he approached the victim again and sexually assaulted her for a second time.

The group reported what happened to passing patrol officers, and Pick was seen in the area but ran off from the officer.

He was arrested later the same day at his home address, charged and remanded.

Pick was convicted at Derby Crown Court of two counts of sexual assault of a teenage girl, possession of a knife and inciting an under-age girl to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed following the hearing on Friday 7 July for 50 months with an extended post-release licence period of 24 months.

Pick was handed five-year restraining orders in respect of both victims and is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A police dog handler who throttled and punched a woman while trying to rape her in her home has been jailed. Greater Manchester Police officer Ernesto Ceraldi attacked the woman after meeting her in a Rossendale pub in April, Preston Crown Court heard. She tried to escape but he chased her while naked and continued attacking her until a neighbour intervened. Admitting attempted rape and assault, the 44-year-old was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. The court heard Ceraldi, who has since resigned from the force, met the woman on 1 April and was invited back to her home, where they drank wine and he showed her photographs of his police dog. 'Who can I trust?' Prosecuting, David Traynor QC said the woman described how Ceraldi's attitude "changed all of a sudden" and he demanded she perform a sex act and grabbed her hair. He said Ceraldi, of no fixed address, pushed her against a wall, causing a picture to fall and smash, and put his hand around her throat, adding: "The pressure was horrific, she nearly stopped breathing." He said the naked officer repeatedly punched the woman and then pursued her as she tried to escape, but a neighbour heard her screaming and came to help her. Ceraldi then went back inside, where police found him sleeping naked on the sofa, with his leg through the arm of a jacket. In a statement, the woman said as Ceraldi had been a police officer, she "should have been able to trust him without a shadow of a doubt". "If I cannot trust a police officer with 21 years of service, who can I trust?" she said. She added that while her injuries had healed, she did not know "if the mental effects ever will". "I can no longer go out and return home after dark on my own," she said. "Someone must come into the house with me to put me at ease." 'Genuine fear' Julian King, defending, said Ceraldi, who had a wife and two adult children, had been commended for his work at the 2008 Uefa Cup final and in the Salford riots in 2011. He said the dog handler's "isolated" actions were "out of character" and had been aggravated by "the substantial consumption of alcohol". Sentencing Ceraldi, Judge Simon Medland QC said the former officer's actions had been "aggressive and coercive and violent" and he had used his job to "fill the victim with confidence". "It terrified the victim and she was in genuine fear for her life," he said. However, he added that he believed Ceraldi had shown genuine remorse and said a "very significant" feature of the case was that he pleaded guilty at a plea and trial preparation hearing, having previously denied the offences. Ceraldi was also told he would be subject to sexual offence notification requirements for the rest of his life and handed a restraining order.

Description

Later sexual abuse by notorious Rochdale grooming gang leader and paedophile Shabir Ahmed could have been prevented if earlier offending behaviour and the threat he posed to children had been properly addressed, a damning report has found.

Almost three years after being commissioned, a review into allegations of historic child sexual exploitation has found that children in Oldham were being exploited and let down by services which tried and failed to protect them.

The review, commissioned by Oldham Council in 2019 and written by experts Malcolm Newsam and Gary Ridgway, looked at the way authorities have dealt with child sexual exploitation in Oldham between 2011 and 2014, and one specific case dating back to 2005.

Among its damning findings, the review has uncovered that Shabir Ahmed worked as a welfare officer in Oldham unchecked for a year despite being accused of serious child sexual abuse.

Ahmeds links to Oldham and the council had been investigated as part of the review, which has uncovered serious failures in how authorities dealt with the predator.

The report has found that there was a significant allegation of child sexual abuse made to police in 2005 against Ahmed whilst he was working at Oldham Council.

This occurred three years before he was arrested in relation to the widespread grooming and gang rape in Rochdale, which also saw abused girls let down by police and social services.

Known as Daddy by his victims, he was found guilty of two rapes, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and was sentenced to 19 years imprisonment.

In June 2012 he was found guilty of a further 30 rape charges and was jailed for an additional 22 years, adding three years to his overall prison term.

Ahmed, now 69, worked at Oldham Council between 1988 and 2006, and was employed as a welfare rights officer seconded to the Oldham Pakistani Community Centre.

This role would have meant he would potentially have had contact with a range of vulnerable adults and their children.

The review team state they believe there were serious failings in how both the council and Greater Manchester Police investigated concerns in respect of Ahmed while allegations of child sexual assault were being levelled at him during his employment as a welfare officer.

The full details of his case have not been made public due to concerns about jigsaw identification of his victims.

However a summary of the case included within the report finds that as early as 2005, GMP was notified of a serious allegation of child sexual abuse perpetrated by Ahmed.

The victim, now an adult, also alerted police that Ahmed had also potentially had contact with a young child who lived outside of Oldham.

A crime report was not submitted on the back of this information which GMP said was in line with its working practices at the time. However, the review team says the National Crime Recording Standard in place at the time required a crime to be recorded.

GMP also failed to inform the local authority responsible for the child, and also did not notify Oldham Council which was then Ahmeds employer.

As a result of the disclosure that he potentially presented a serious risk to children, Newsam and Ridgway say a full assessment should have been undertaken to assess the risks he posed to any other children he may have come into contact with.

But instead insufficient enquiries were made into whether his role gave him access to vulnerable adults and children.

If this had happened it may have potentially avoided the tragic abuse of other children, the report states.

In February 2008, Ahmed was arrested for sexual assault on a child, and that July was also arrested on suspicion of abducting two other children.

However the review states that neither of the two children made a complaint, and consequently no crime was recorded and no further action taken.

When queried by the review team, Oldham Council was unable to find any record of being notified of these allegations by Greater Manchester Police.

And there is no evidence that GMP had notified the council about the allegations, so that it could investigate the risks he may have posed to children he could have been involved with through his job.

Oldham Council were also not involved in subsequent strategy discussions between GMP and Rochdale Council about Ahmed, and both the 2008 and 2005 allegations.

Even after Ahmed was charged with sexual assault at the end of September 2008, no action was taken by Oldham council to undertake a safeguarding assessment, or liaise with the police force.

He would not be jailed for his prolific sexual offending until 2012.

In 2011 he was charged with the rape of the child in 2005, and remanded in custody.

Oldham Council was notified by the probation service, and given the profound child sexual abuse, this shouldve been a further opportunity to initiate a full assessment of [Ahmeds] circumstances but there is no evidence of this having occurred.

GMP requested copies of files about Ahmed and his family, which informed Oldham Council about the child that lived outside of the borough that could have potentially been put at risk.

This significant information should have prompted the authority to begin a multi-agency strategy discussion to assess the threats presented to any other children. However the review states that the council has never been able to locate any record to explain why this never occurred.

The following year another young woman bravely revealed she had also been abused by Ahmed, and GMP notified Oldham Council of the allegations.

The abuse occurred while he was employed as a welfare rights officer, but it is not known whether he had been involved with her family in a professional capacity.

However the report states that childrens social care inexplicably closed the case within a few days without undertaking any assessment.

The authority has been unable to locate anything further on this child and the review finds there is no evidence of an assessment of her allegations or her vulnerability.

The review team have been informed that the case was discontinued by Greater Manchester Police on the basis that there was no realistic prospect of conviction, the report states.

Neither Greater Manchester Police nor Oldham council was able to provide the review team with any assurance that the childs allegations and vulnerability were appropriately dealt with.

The review team conclude that there were serious multiple failures by both Greater Manchester Police and Oldham council to follow the procedures in place to investigate the threat [Ahmed] presented to children.

If these procedures had been followed, his offending behaviour could have been addressed at an earlier stage and potentially the abuse of his subsequent victims may have been prevented.

Further findings

The review also finds that a number of working Oldham taxi drivers had been accused of rape or sexual offences against children but kept their licences.

Two drivers who were alleged to have assaulted girls should have had their licences revoked by the council, and several known offenders had been granted or had their taxi licences renewed by councillors.

Following the Rotherham scandal, in 2014 Oldham council reviewed all the cases where licence holders had been accused of sexual offences.

There were originally five drivers identified who had serious criminal convictions, but only one of these was taken to the licensing panel and had his licence revoked.

One of the remaining four went on to commit a sexual assault on a young female passenger in 2015. He had been convicted of an indecent assault on a woman in a shopping centre, and received a conditional discharge.

He was convicted in 2017 of the later assault, and the judge in the case queried why a licence had been granted given his previous conviction, which triggered a formal complaint to the council.

Following this the councils chief executive Carolyn Wilkins ordered officers to undertake a review of all licensed drivers, which were around 1,300 people.

The report listed nine drivers, where one had been convicted of offences against children.

Of these nine, six licences were revoked or ended.

One driver had been questioned by police in relation to two separate alleged sexual assaults, three years apart, on two young female passengers.

There were also concerning details of the offence by another driver. It was alleged that a victim was a customer who had been sexually assaulted in his taxi and subsequently raped.

The Crown Prosecution Service had taken no further action, but this was the only detail that was supplied to the licensing panel.

He raised the matter formally with the-then chief constable of GMP, Ian Hopkins, in 2018 but did not get a response.

GMP has now confirmed it has commissioned a review of the content, application, and senior ownership of the forces policies on disclosure around taxi drivers.

Cover up?

Large portions of the report are dedicated to establishing whether authorities, the police, council and political leaders, covered up the activity of grooming gangs in the borough.

The review team conclude they find no evidence of a widespread cover up of sexual exploitation, and the review finds no evidence that senior managers or councillors sought to cover up the potential exploitation of children by local taxi services.

And the team were provided with no evidence, either through interviews or documentary review, to suggest that there was widespread exploitation of children in residential settings in Oldham.

An official statement released by GMP stated that they only had two pieces of intelligence about potential CSE, and neither of these were substantiated.

This was based on the response of a police sergeant who was asked to provide information in relation to the media enquiry.

The review team says that there was no doubt that during this same period there were legitimate concerns by the council and police that high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders could be capitalised on by a far-right agenda and lead to the victimisation of the Pakistani community.

However it is clear from all the evidence we have seen that the council and its partners in no way avoided addressing this, and in fact saw successful disruption and prosecution as the route to winning the confidence of all communities in Oldham, they write.

There is significant evidence that the council did everything possible to publicise the threat of child sexual exploitation.

Reports went to council committees, bi-annual meetings were held with the leader, chief executive, cabinet members and the opposition leader to discuss safeguarding issues, and the council introduced a training module on CSE for councillors to attend.

This included the roll-out of performances of a play, Somebodys Sister, Somebodys Daughter, about sexual exploitation which was shown to more than 3,000 Oldham pupils across all the boroughs schools.

Then-council leader Jim McMahon wrote on his blog in 2014 that anyone who shies away from accepting that in Rotherham, Oxford, Rochdale, and here in Oldham and that this particular form of abuse is predominantly Pakistani men targeting white girls is not helping the victims and nor is it helping the Asian community at large.

He said that despite court cases being jumped on by far-right campaigners that was in fact more of a reason to act.

If we dont tackle wrongdoing, we give more oxygen to those who seek to gain politically by accusing those in authority of cover-ups and failures, he wrote.

The review team say they believe this clearly refutes suggestion that Mr McMahon was intending to protect perpetrators from the Pakistani community, but rather wanted to tackle it head on.

What the authorities say

In response to the report, Greater Manchester leaders have apologised for the failings by both police and child protection services.

Oldham council leader Amanda Chadderton said: We fully accept the findings of this independent report.

It highlights clear failings, where our services at the time were not good enough to protect vulnerable young people suffering the most awful abuse. For that I am deeply sorry.

I can never fully understand what those girls went through, and I also know that an apology now will never make up for what has happened in the past.

I do hope, however, to offer some reassurance that, as a council, we havent stood still since the time period the review refers to.

We have learned from reports carried out in other towns and cities across the country, and from changes in national guidance, and have changed the way we do things as a result.

The way we work has already moved on immeasurably.

That said, we are not complacent. We can and will improve further, wherever we need to.

Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Stephen Watson said: The safeguarding arrangements that were in place in GMP during the time period covered by the review were not good enough to protect children from sexual abuse.

I want to offer my sincere apologies to everyone affected by the events considered in the report. Our actions fell far short of the help that they had every right to expect and were unacceptable.

I am sorry for the hurt and on-going trauma they have suffered because of what happened to them.