Search results for Chester

Description

A man "groomed" a girl and had a sexual relationship with her, leaving her with “persistent and longstanding” mental health problems.

Christopher White, from Radcliffe, began contacting his victim over the social media platform MySpace in 2006 when the girl was aged 13.

The two later began a relationship when she was 14 and he was 22.

Johnathan Savage, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court last week that White met with the girl in person in Radcliffe town centre where they drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes together, while her mother believed she was out with friends.

After the relationship became sexual, White and the girl began staying at his mother’s house, as well as in hotel rooms in Manchester. They also bought a tent so they could spend time camping out, the court heard.

Mr Savage explained that White tried to prevent the girl from developing friendships outside the relationship by sending messages to those she knew “to put her distance between her and friends".

The relationship came to an end after her 16th birthday.

White was charged with having a sexual relationship with a girl under the age of 16 after being interviewed by police in 2020 after the victim came forward.

Mr Savage added: “She felt like she had been groomed into a relationship by him, that relationship had damaged her.”

A victim impact statement read to the court by the prosecution said the victim had suffered “persistent and longstanding” damage to her mental health.

In her statement, the victim, who is now an adult, wrote that she had “spent the last 10 years in the deepest depression".

However, Mr Savage added, she felt she had been able to rebuild her life.

Colin Buckle, defending, described White as being “childlike” and “presenting like a teenager” despite now being aged 39.

"He was operating in a child like state", Mr Buckle said.

"To send him to custody now would be an unmitigated disaster for Christopher White."

Addressing White, of Redbank Road, Radcliffe, Judge Abigail Hudson said he was an “isolated and lonely man” whose employment was “a vital link between you and the outside world".

She added: “Your attraction to the victim was connected to her availability rather than her youth.

“I don’t accept that you were in any doubt of her age.”

Judge Hudson sentenced White to two years and eight months and ordered him to sign the sex offenders register.

Description

A paedophile sexually assaulted a 12-year-old boy as he played out on his bike. The child was approached by 21-year-old Kai Huston, while he was out near his home in Salford on a summer’s afternoon.

The boy’s bike had broken and Huston offered to help, Manchester Crown Court heard. He asked the child "if I fix this for you, will you do something for me?" before sexually assaulting him.

Now Huston has been declared ‘dangerous’ and locked up. Prosecutors told how Huston had previously been arrested by police after he was found to have uploaded a category A indecent image of a child - the most serious type - on Snapchat in July 2021.

He was caught but then released under investigation. Then two years later he sexually assaulted the boy, aged 12 at the time.

The child was playing out on a residential street in Salford, on a Thursday afternoon in July. It was a school day, but he was at home because teachers were on strike, prosecutor David Toal said.

He had been riding his bike, but the chain had broken and he was trying to fix it. Huston got out of an Uber nearby.

He then 'ushered' the child to a 'more secluded location' in a nearby alleyway, and offered to help fix the bike. Huston then crouched and put his arms around the child.

He touched the boy on the 'bottom area' and his lower back. Huston told him 'don't go anywhere' and said 'if I help you with this chain, will I get something back?'

He also asked: "If I fix this for you, will you do something for me?" During the incident Huston had asked the boy how old he was, and he told him he was just 12.

The boy was 'frightened' during the assault and at one point tried to leave. As he tried to run away, Huston 'grabbed' him by his T-shirt, but he was able to break free and escape.

The police were alerted, and Huston was caught. Defending, Hugh Barton said Huston's motivations in approaching the boy had initially been 'entirely innocent'.

"This was not him out looking for someone or targeting an individual in that way," he said. Huston has been diagnosed with autism and experienced a 'desperately difficult' childhood, Mr Barton told the court.

He said Huston was a 'vulnerable figure' and 'in many ways a damaged one'. Huston, from, Salford, pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent image of a child, and sexually assaulting a child.

Sentencing, Judge Alan Conrad KC declared Huston a ‘dangerous’ offender. It means he will serve two-thirds of a four year sentence in prison, before he will be monitored for an additional two years on licence.

Huston was ordered to sign the sex offender's register for life.

Description

A 'dangerous offender' who plotted to sexually abuse a 12 week-old baby at a Manchester city centre hotel has been locked up.

Mark Whalley, 71, who was also found in possession of a sickening library of child abuse images, was brought to justice after a National Crime Agency investigation was launched following intelligence received from law enforcement agencies thousands of miles away in Norway.

The NCA said Whalley was arrested before he could even get into the lift in a foyer area of the hotel during an undercover operation. No baby was at the hotel.

He told officers who swooped on him that he was at the unnamed hotel because he was having an affair, but went on to plead guilty to a raft of charges. Whalley, of Wharf Close in Manchester city centre, has now been jailed for six years and eight months.

The NCA said after receiving intelligence from Norwegian law enforcement partners, agency investigators found Whalley had discussed his sexual interest in children under 12 years of age on an encrypted online platform.

He had shared indecent images of children with other users on the site, and described the extreme abuse he wanted to engage in, said the NCA in a statement.

It was discovered Whalley used the platform to message an individual who said they had access to a baby, and discussed a meeting, said the agency.

The NCA said in a statement: "Whalley was arrested by NCA officers on suspicion of child abuse offences before he could get in the lift at the hotel. At this point, he told officers they were mistaken and attempted to pass the meeting off as an affair.

"After initially pleading guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children, he later pleaded guilty to an additional count of arranging a child sex offence.

"Whalley had arranged to abuse the baby while subject to a separate investigation in which indecent images of children had been recovered from his devices in 2021."

Whalley pleaded guilty to arranging a child sex offence; two counts of making indecent images of children; possession of extreme pornographic images and three counts of distribution of an indecent image of children. He was sentenced for all of the offences at Manchester Crown Court on 23 October 2023.

Daniel Waywell, NCA Operations Manager, said Whalley was 'a dangerous offender who had clear intentions'. "As a result of close collaboration with colleagues here in the UK and overseas, we were able to intervene and arrest him, and he will now spend years behind bars for his crimes," he said.

"The NCA works tirelessly to ensure that children are protected from sexual abuse, identifying the offenders who pose the highest risk and ensuring that they are held accountable."

Description

A warped pervert discussed sexually abusing a 'nine-year-old girl' in lurid detail - unaware he was messaging an undercover cop posing as a paedophile fixer on Grindr. Qasim Azram, 26, from Cheetham Hill, made vile comments about what he wanted to do to the child he later found out didn't exist.

He had no idea he was actually communicating with a Greater Manchester Police officer. Azram was spooked and never made it to a planned rendezvous in a Tesco car park.

When police raided his home, they seized his phone. Among the terms he had searched were 'brothels', 'dogging', 'swingers' clubs' and 'paedophile information exchange'.

As part of an investigation into people with a 'sexual interest in children' - dubbed Operation Stronghold - an officer posing as 'Lee' opened a private message on Grindr from Azram, who was using an account name 'Looking For Fun' on July 10, 2020, prosecutor David Bentley told Manchester Crown Court today (Thursday).

After 'Lee' said 'you read my profile? My kinks is a bit different and not for everyone so I get it', Azram replied that he was 'up for anything'. The officer said he was an 'active dad of 2 here looking for gen pervs who want to explore with us'.

Azram said he was 'looking to explore as well', adding: "I'm into anything, including threesomes." He asked how old the 'children' were. When he was informed they were aged two and nine, Azram asked 'do they go with men or women?', before he requested pictures of 'Lee'.

Their chat then moved into another platform, Wickr, where Azram was said to have asked: "Does your partner know, do they play with men or women?" 'Lee' replied 'yeah they both play' before adding that the older child was a 'timid lil girl'. He said he was aroused watching them play 'with perv c***s'.

The defendant was asked: "Which child you want to play with and what you want to do? Could do with sorting limits out as I don't want to hurt them. It must be fun for everyone."

The pair then arranged to meet at a Tesco in Middleton, with the defendant confirming what car he would be in and that he would be wearing black jeans and a blue denim jacket.

Azram was said to have expressed his fear that he would be caught and told 'Lee': "OK I want to play and tease them and have a bit of fun anything." The Manchester Evening News is not repeating here the sickening comments that followed.

The planned meeting never happened, the court heard. "The defendant never attempted to meet 'Lee' to carry out the sexual assaults... that he had discussed and sought to arrange," Mr Bentley added.

Officers from the sexual crime unit of Greater Manchester Police raided Azram's home on Smedley Road in Cheetham Hill and seized a number of digital storage devices, as well as Azram's Samsung mobile phone. Analysis of the phone showed an internet search history suggesting an interest 'sexually-related topics'.

Among the search terms uncovered were 'adult breastfeeding fetish' and 'paedophile information exchange'. Azram was arrested and offered no comment during a series of police interviews.

When he first appeared in court charged with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence in February 2022, Azram indicated he would plead guilty but before his sentencing hearing reversed his plea and a trial date was set for January of this year.

His defence argued Azram should have been charged with attempting to arrange of facilitate a child sex offence, but he later had a change of heart and again pleaded guilty to the original charge, only to apply for a second time to change his plea. This was refused and he was sentenced as a man who had admitted the offence before him.

Asking for a suspended prison sentence, Isabella Denn-White, defending, pointed out there was no actual child and 'no harm was caused'. Azram was diagnosed with autism aged 15 which affected his 'thinking and behaviour', said Miss Denn-White. Her client's comments were 'not nice at all', but had been prompted by 'pressure' from the undercover cop, she said.

Her client had only recently 'come out as gay' and his family, some of whom watched proceedings from the public gallery, had 'struggled to deal with it', she said.

Judge Peter Horgan said that 'whilst there's a public interest in punishing people like you' there was also a public interest in making sure they get treatment. A pre-sentence report had said the defendant would not get such treatment in prison.

Judge Horgan said there was 'some prospect of rehabilitation', adding: "I have thought long and hard and it's not without some trepidation I have decided to give you an opportunity and not to send you to custody today."

The judge handed Azram, who had one previous conviction to his name for a dissimilar matter, to 24 months in prison but he suspended the sentence for 24 months. Asram was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work; to undergo a treatment program for sex offenders; and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

He was also made the subject of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A SEX offender has been jailed for a second time after repeatedly ignoring court orders.

Graham Simister, of no fixed abode in Church Street, Northwich, was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order at Chester Crown Court on January 29, 2021.

On May 4 last year, the 56-year-old breached the conditions of this order, landing him back in front of a judge.

The case was eventually heard at Chester Magistrates Court on May 2 this year where Simister was jailed for a total of 16 weeks.

But just weeks after his release, on August 17, Simister again breached the sexual harm prevention order and failed to comply with requirements of the sex offenders' register.

Despite being banned from doing so, he used a mobile phone which prevented the search history from being stored; downloaded social media apps without informing police or the Probation Service; used user names which were not provided to police; and used a chat app which automatically deletes the content after a week.

Simister, formerly of City Road, Chester, was subsequently charged with both offences and pleaded guilty to them at court on August 19.

He returned to Chester Crown Court on Monday, September 25, where Circuit Judge Steven Everett jailed him again, this time for a total of 16 months.

An order was also made for Simister to pay a sucharge of £187 on his release.

Description

This perverted pensioner from Derbyshire tried to actively encourage someone to sexually abuse a nine-year-old girl for his own sexual gratification. Derby Crown Court heard how Robert Guy also told the person he would buy the girl a crop top as a gift and when police went to his address, officers found him looking to buy one on his iPad.

But unbeknown to the 76-year-old paedophile the person he was communicating with online was really a police officer posing as a like-minded sex offender. And these offences are not the first of a similar nature he has committed.

Jailing him for three years, Judge Shaun Smith KC said: “You have been before the courts before in connection with offending relating to young children. In 2013, that involved you looking at pictures rather than being involved in offending where you were suggesting what should be done.

“You were handed a community order and there’s a suggestion that you paid lip service to that order because against that background you could not stop being involved with young children and on this occasion you got involved with a decoy you thought was a real person that you thought was prepared to sexually-abuse a nine-year-old girl.

“You actively and willingly encouraged them, for your own sexual gratification, to assault them both physically and mentally and encouraged the degradation and humiliation of what was a very young person indeed.”

Alice Aubrey-Fletcher, prosecuting, said an alert was received by the police that an internet address linked to Guy was communicating with the decoy police officer and he was arrested. She said police recovered chat logs from his devices showing how he had a username called “Lexworth” and through it encouraged the decoy to sexually abuse a nine-year-old called Taylor.

The prosecutor said: “He thought this abuse was happening at the time and he encouraged it. There was discussion about him buying the girl a gift, he suggested a crop top and asked what size she was.

“There was then a suggestion that they meet up but the day before the police went to his address and arrested him. When they did he was using his iPad and police found him searching for crop tops on the internet.

“On three of his four devices, officers found indecent images of children including naked three and four-year-old girls.” Guy, of Fairfield Road, Chesterfield, pleaded guilty to encouraging a child to participate in sexual behaviour and possession of indecent images of children.

Denney Lau, mitigating, said his client has formed a new relationship with a woman who lives in Bulgaria. He said: “The offences are from February 2022 and he has been before the court on a number of occasions.

“It is something that has been playing on his mind and he can’t move on. Every time he comes to court he has to make a phone call to his partner saying he might never see her again.”

As well as the jail term, Judge Smith handed the defendant a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A paedophile from Derbyshire sent an underage teen money to buy underwear and then got her to send him a photograph of her wearing it.

Derby Crown Court heard how pervert Alex Green messaged the victim from his Instagram account asking to meet him in York where they could stay overnight. The convicted sex offender also messaged a different girl, aged just 11, telling her “you look sweaty, you should take a shower”.

And at the time the 39-year-old was forbidden from contacting anyone aged under 18 due to his previous similar crimes.

Jailing him for two years and four months, Recorder Adrian Reynolds said: “I am not going to give you a lecture because the position in this case is quite straightforward. You were given a chance by way of a community order on the strength of your pre-sentence report in 2021 when you were assessed as being able to be managed in the community.

“When judges give that chance they do so on the basis that, from what they read about you, there’s a realistic prospect that offenders will do their best to deal with their sexual attraction to, in your case, young girls.

“That is why there are things like sexual harm prevention orders and why you get visits from (a specialist offender management team). All of those things are there to try and deal with your risk.

“But that does not take into account what happened behind the scenes where, in your position, you have continued to contact young girls. You are paying lip service to this order and it is quite apparent to me that you have expressed a high degree of deviousness and that means you can’t be trusted.”

Eddie Leonard, prosecuting, said the order was handed to Green in 2018 as part of his punishment for sexual offences against children. She said under its terms he was forbidden from contacting anyone under the age of 18.

The prosecutor said: “This offence came to light because on March 11, 2022, the mother of an 11-year-old girl checked her phone, as she regularly did and on it found a message from this defendant’s Instagram account which were inappropriate including one saying ‘you look sweaty, you should have a shower’. She phoned him but he did not pick up so she sent him a message saying her daughter was only 11.

“On March 17, 2022, police then attended his address and recovered a Samsung mobile and on it were messages he had sent to a 15-year-old girl saying he loved her. It was clear he had also sent her money on two occasions.

“One was just under £50 for her to buy underwear and another for £30. He also requested she send him photos of herself in the underwear, which she did, and he also suggested they meet in York and stay overnight.”

Green, of Stuart Close, Tapton, Chesterfield, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, one of making an indecent image of a child and a fourth charge of sexual communication with a child. Denney Lau, mitigating, said his client, who appeared over a link from Nottingham Magistrates’ Court due to his mobility issues, “was well aware how seriously the court takes such offences”. He said: “He is very realistic about what is going to happen to him.”

As well as the jail term, Recorder Reynolds revoked the existing sexual harm prevention order and handed him a new lifetime one. The defendant will also be on the sex offender register for the next 10 years.

Description

A GMP detective convicted of 20 offences including rape and child sexual offences has today (Wednesday 13 September 2023) been jailed for 26 years.

Detective Constable Stephen Hardy (08/07/77) had been posted within GMP’s Stockport district and had been on remand following his conviction in July.

He was found guilty of committing several serious sexual offences whilst off duty at Liverpool Crown Court following a brave victim disclosure and meticulous investigation by DS Abigail Thomas and Tameside CID.

The 26 years includes an additional six years on extended licence. As Hardy has been classed as a dangerous offender, he will not be automatically released after two-thirds of his sentence. He has also been issued with a restraining order and will be on the sex offender’s register for life.

Now criminal proceedings have concluded, gross misconduct proceedings will take place.

Description

An inmate groped two prison officers while they served her food in her cell, after being locked up for sexually assaulting a nurse.

Katana Paris who identifies as a woman, assaulted the male and female staff members at HMP Forest Bank in Salford last year. The female officer was serving Paris, 27, breakfast with the help of two inmates. Paris walked towards her and touched her inappropriately.

The following day, while being served lunch by a male prison officer, she reached through the hatch in her cell door and grabbed his genitals. Paris, who was part way through serving a three-year sentence at the time for sexual assaulting a nurse, admitted two counts of sexual assault. At Manchester Crown Court, she was handed a six-month sentence to be added to her prison time.

Prosecuting, Megan Edwards said that on the day of the incident, a female prison officer was on breakfast duty at around 7.50am. "She approached the defendant's cell and unlocked the door in order to serve her breakfast," Mrs Edwards said. "She stepped out of the cell, which was unusual, as prisoners would normally remain in their cell.

"She asked the defendant to move back, but the request was ignored. The defendant then placed a hand on her hand, before sliding her fingers between her knuckles." The officer moved away and the two prisoners helping gave Paris with her breakfast. She then 'jumped up and down like she was excited', before moving over to the woman and touching her genitals.

"She did not say anything when she did this, but she was shocked and in disbelief that she deliberately touched her like that," the prosecutor added. One of the prisoners, the court heard, said to the officer: "Did she just touch your..." She he replied: "Yes, she just touched me."

Not wanting the rest of the inmates to know what happened, the prison officer continued to serve breakfast, before reporting the incident. A day later, a male custody officer was serving lunch when he went to Paris' cell. She was 'quite aggressive', the court heard. As he unlocked the hatch to her door and passed her food through, she reached her right hand out and grabbed his genitals.

"He immediately felt violated and used his body strength to push her back into her cell," Ms Edwards said. Paris has convictions for 87 offences - including sexual assault by touching. She was previously handed a 37-month sentence after pulling a nurse towards her genitals while in hospital, the court heard.

Mitigating, Rochelle Collins said her client was suffering with mental health problems and emotional regularity problems at the time. "She is extremely remorseful and tells me this happened at a time when her mental health was at its lowest," she said. "She doesn’t want to continue with these types of behaviours. There has been no further complaint whilst she has been in custody."

Sentencing, the Recorder of Manchester, Judge Nicholas Dean KC said: "Prison officers are placed in a vulnerable position - they are described as emergency workers. They are in a situation where they are vulnerable to these sorts of assaults and they deserve and require the protections of the courts when assaults such as this happen. I have read and considered a pre-sentence report, and I am not convinced you have shown any significant remorse. It seems to me you regard what you did as being rather trivial."

Paris is now at HMP Swaleside. She will be on the sex offender register for five years.

Description

Yesterday, Friday 1 September 2023, Christopher McGourlay (02/07/1960), of Waithlands Road, Rochdale, was jailed for child sexual abuse of a young girl and boy, after being found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault on a female under the age of 14, attempted rape of a girl under the age of 16 and the indecent assault of a male under the age of 14 years - in completely unrelated circumstances - by a jury at trial, on 19 July 2023.

The court heard how these abhorrent crimes, which took place in the early 1990s, had a huge impact on both victims and survivors. 

DC Elisabeth Stacey of the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Team based at Rochdale Police Station said: "McGourlay has now begun a 15-year jail sentence for these despicable crimes against these victims and survivors, when they were both young children who had no idea what was happening to them.

"I want to thank the victims and survivors for the strength and dignity they have shown throughout this case, and the bravery they have had to bring this prosecution to a conclusion.

"Although nothing will ever give them their childhoods' back, I hope that this lengthy sentence gives them the time and space to come to terms with what they have been through and begin to heal.

"As a Force, GMP are committed to investigating, locating and charging child sexual offenders, seeing prosecutions through the courts to sentencing, just like today's.

"If you, or someone you know, have been the subject of child sexual abuse, regardless of how long ago it was, then please get in touch with us. You will be listened to and you will be believed.

Description

A "dangerous" sex offender who abused a string of young victims over a period of 30 years, including a teenage boy from the Humber region, has been jailed for 24 years.

Phillip Johnson, 65, was convicted of 13 counts of sexual assault against children, including attempted buggery, and eight counts of making indecent images of children following a trial in July.

Humberside Police aided Essex Police and Kent Police in securing the charges against "dangerous offender" Johnson after a thorough investigation into his historic sexual offending.

During the course of the investigation, Johnson's devices were seized and around 2,000 indecent images of children were found, including a number of the most serious Category A images of serious child sexual abuse.

He started his campaign of abuse in the late 1980s when he sexually assaulted two young boys, aged between six and eight when the offences took place, at an address in Kent. The sick abuse continued for a period of two years.

The victims stated that the abuse stopped in the late 1980s when Johnson left their lives for a period of time, but resumed when they reached 15/16 years of age.

In 2008, Johnson moved to the Humber region, where he befriended and groomed a teenage boy before later sexually assaulting him.

Struggling with what had happened, the victim did not tell anyone about the abuse for a decade, before reporting the matter to the police.

Johnson then moved to the Colchester area of Essex where he groomed and sexually assaulted two males, one of whom kept the abuse secret for a year until a disclosure from the second boy encouraged him to come forward and speak to police.

Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Johnson was convicted of all counts on Thursday, July 27. On Wednesday, August 30, he was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment.

The judge deemed him to be a dangerous offender and ordered him to serve a minimum of 15 years before he can be considered for parole.

He will be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Lucy Percival, from Colchester CID, said: “I want to praise the courage shown by the victims in this case, who experienced a traumatic childhood due to Phillip Johnson’s actions towards them.

“The victims, now men, showed huge bravery and determination to see this process through to seek a degree of justice for what happened to them.

“Most importantly, each of their sentiments separately was to prevent this from happening to anyone else.

“There is no doubt, Johnson is a dangerous individual who showed a concerted effort to identify vulnerable children, groom them and then ultimately to sexually abuse them.

“His actions were horrific, but I am pleased he has now been held accountable for those actions which in turn will hopefully allow the victims to move forward.”

Description

A pervert dropped his pants and performed a sex act in front of a horrified schoolgirl. Martin Lawless, 67, committed the vile crime in front of the nine-year-old child as she stood outside her home with a friend.

He then rode off on his bike but was detained by members of the public days later. Serial sex offender Lawless, from Crumpsall, has been locked up for two years after admitting outraging public decency.

Manchester Crown Court heard that Lawless was on his bike on a Sunday afternoon before pulling over and approaching the children. He then exposed himself 'for a number of minutes' and started performing a sex act, at about 4.30pm on February 19.

Lawless then rode off on his bike, as the children told their parents about what they'd been subjected to. "A nine-year-old facing and witnessing what she did would certainly suffer distress," judge Elizabeth Nicholls said during Lawless's sentencing hearing.

A few weeks later, on March 12, the father of one of the children saw Lawless and members of the public detained him before the police were called to arrest him. When questioned by officers he admitted what he'd done, and claimed he'd confessed because he 'didn't wish for the children to be caused any further distress'.

Lawless has 34 previous convictions from 84 offences, 24 of which related to sexual offences, prosecutor Alison Whalley said. His latest conviction meant he was in breach of a sexual harm prevention order, which banned him from contacting or being in company with children under 16.

Defending, Eleanor Gleeson said Lawless had been on medication at the time, and had mixed tramadol with alcohol. "That clearly had an impact upon him which lowered his inhibitions, which he says caused him to do what he did that day," she said.

Jailing Lawless, the judge added: "The public need protection and the only way that protection can be manifest is by a prison sentence." Lawless, formerly of Station Road, Crumpsall, admitted outraging public decency and being in breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

An evil thug broke into a teenage student's flat as she slept and raped her at knifepoint with a blade he had taken from her kitchen. Courtney Adams, 32, climbed through the window of the property in Manchester city centre in November last year, swiped the knife and burst into her bedroom.

The depraved fiend forced the woman to hand over cash before ransacking the room and repeatedly raping his student victim after pressing the blade to her face, Manchester Evening News reports.

He then forced her to go outside with the knife at her throat and the pair headed to a nearby ATM, where he ordered her to take out as much money as she could, before marching her home and making her climb in the window.

Adams then fled the scene and the traumatised woman rang a pal and, together, they called the emergency services. Adams was arrested following a major police probe, which saw officers trawl through hours of CCTV, cell site analysis, and DNA evidence.

At Manchester Crown Court this week, Adams was branded "a dangerous man" by the judge, who jailed him for 20 years with an extended licence period of five years. The monster will serve two-thirds of the term in prison before being considered for release by the Parole Board.

In the early hours of November 29, 2022, Adams robbed a laptop, iPhone, cash and bank cards from a flat on Great Western Street, after using a crowbar to break in through the bedroom window, who quickly ran for help. After fleeing with the stolen goods, he made his way to Cavendish Place, on Wilmott Street, at around 5.30am, where he broke into the kitchen of a student flat.

The hooded and masked thug then entered the first bedroom, where he demanded cash and valuables from the teenage woman, who gave him £400. He attacked her then raped her, telling her she would have to "use her body if she did not prove she had any cash", Recorder Paul Reid KC told the court.

He forced the woman to take out a further £250 for him - the limit on her account - at a nearby cashpoint before marching her home and leaving through the fire exit with a large amount of her belongings. His victim was left with injuries to her genitals, face, and neck.

Adams, who has a lengthy criminal past, was found guilty of a string of offences, including rape, theft, fraud, and suffocation, following a trial. He has admitted full responsibility. Jailing Adams, Recorder Reid said: "You raped her in response to her perceived non-compliance and you used violence towards her to gain power over her. You are a dangerous man.

Description

A serial voyeur caught filming hundreds of men using public toilets has walked free from court after being given 'a last chance'.

Adrian Grace, from Salford, has a 'string' of previous convictions for the same offence and had been issued an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) 10 years ago following one of his voyeurism convictions.

However Manchester Crown Court heard the 54-year-old carried on regardless as he 'could not control himself'. He was caught with hundreds of videos on his phone he had recorded in public toilets.

Prosecuting, Tobias Collins described Grace as a 'known sex offender' who 'takes pictures and videos of men using the toilet without their consent'. His latest conviction follows an incident that unfolded last December 8 at Manchester Airport.

Mr Collins said Grace entered the toilets at Terminal 2 arrivals at around 11am that day with two mobile phones.

The court heard Grace positioned himself in a cubicle, waited for someone to arrive in one of the next cubicles, before placing his phone underneath the dividing wall to record his victims, the Manchester Evening News reports.

One of his victims noticed the phone and asked Grace 'are you taking pictures of me?', to which Grace replied 'no I'm not', Mr Collins said. The court heard Grace moved into a different cubicle while his victim 'searched the immediate surroundings' in a bid to find the offender.

After being unable to find Grace, the victim contacted the police, who arrested Grace at the scene and confiscated his phones. Mr Collins said officers examined the phones for evidence before finding 'hundreds of videos taken by the defendant in public places', dating between January 2019 and the day of his arrest.

Grace was arrested again at Manchester Airport on May 15 this year, at around 7.10am, for a further offence of voyeurism carried out while on bail. Mr Collins said the defendant admitted his offences to police. He said: "[Grace] explained he had gotten drunk on the evening of December 7 with a friend. He carried on drinking and was not sure how he got to the airport."

The court heard Grace told police he carried out the offences 'for his own sexual gratification' and that he 'knew what he was doing was wrong'. Mr Collins told the court Grace 'felt disgusted by himself' and that he 'could not control himself'. "This was for his own gratification and he watched the videos afterwards," he said. Mr Collins said that of the videos found on Grace's phone, 'hundreds' were shot at Manchester Airport, while a small number were filmed on trips to Romania and Belgium.

A statement from one of Grace's victims, read by Mr Collins, said: "I will now feel nervous and have to check the toilets every time I use them. I will be very wary from now on. I don't know who this person is." The victim added: "It's very disturbing that this person could have intimate photos of me which he has no right to have."

Grace admitted three offences of voyeurism at Manchester Magistrates Court on May 16, dating between January 23, 2019, and May 15 this year, before his case was moved to Manchester Crown Court. The court heard Grace had eight previous convictions following 14 offences. They included two voyeurism convictions in 2007, one in October 2013 when he was issued an ASBO related to his behaviour, and further convictions in November 2014 and May 2018. Mr Collins said 'all these cases' involved Grace entering public bathrooms and recording people.

Reflecting on Grace's criminal past, defence counsel Hannah Forsyth told His Honour Judge Field KC: "The defendant could have no complaint if your honour were minded to sentence him to custody." She explained how her client had sought counselling and psychotherapy since being released on bail at a previous court appearance, while he works two jobs and volunteers at a soup kitchen. She also handed Judge Field KC a handwritten letter from her client, which he read silently in court. The judge admitted Grace's latest offending followed 'a string of previous convictions for the same offence' and breached his ASBO.

He described Grace, of Fram Street, Salford, as a voyeur who 'does not appear to respect the privacy of fellow human beings' and someone who 'does not appear to understand the seriousness of court orders'. But the judge praised the 'positive steps' Grace had been taking since his previous court appearance, and suggested there was a 'reasonable prospect of rehabilitation' for him.

Grace, wearing a grey suit with red tie and his short hair spiked up, wept as he told the judge 'thank you' after being told he would not be going to prison today. Judge Field KC told the court there were '400 videos on the phone' and reflecting on Grace's previous convictions, he said: "There are far too many of them." "This must be regarded as your last chance," said Judge Field KC. "All of the offences that you committed were in some way using a mobile telephone to take pictures and videos of men using public toilets, all for your own gratification."

The judge added: "I have to have regard to the fact that since I released you on bail you have taken positive steps to address your offensive behaviour because, quite frankly Mr Grace, it has got to stop - and it has got to stop here." Grace replied: "I know, your honour." Judge Field KC continued: "I hope you do, because I repeat: this is your last chance." He issued Grace with a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Grace must also attend an accredited programme for sex offenders and 30 rehabilitation days. He will sign the sex offenders' register for seven years and was issued a new sexual harm prevention order banning him from airports, except for pre-arranged travel, and with restrictions on being able to use devices.

Grace was also ordered to pay costs of £510 and required to be monitored for alcohol abstinence for 60 days. As he told Grace he was free to leave, Judge Field KC said: "I sincerely hope that we never meet again, at least not in these circumstances."

Description

A comedian who has appeared on Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown has been sentenced after being found with more than 35,000 indecent images of children.

Christopher Thomas Binns, whose character is hospital DJ Ivan Brackenbury, pleaded guilty last November to five counts of making indecent images of children and one of possessing a prohibited image.

Derby Crown Court heard the 53-year-old was found to have thousands of images on multiple devices.

Binns, who has no previous convictions, was spared jail on Thursday, with Judge Shaun Smith KC handing him a suspended sentence.

Lauren Fisher, prosecuting, said 104 category A indecent images – the most serious – were found, along with 411 in category B and 34,946 in category C.

Ms Fisher also said three prohibited images were found, along with one category B and one C moving image.

However, Judge Smith warned that some of the images may have been duplicates.

Ms Fisher said all the images were downloaded between March 26 and November 21, 2020.

She said: “Between October 14 and 15, 2020 the National Crime Agency received information that the user of [the defendant’s email] had uploaded multiple category C indecent images of children.”

A warrant was executed at Binns’s address at Bole Hill, Calow, Derbyshire, and he was arrested, with 39 devices seized including a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and an iPad.

Ms Fisher said: “During the investigation, it was established that a third party of Mr Binns’s partner had been asked to sell several devices on behalf of Mr Binns.

“Those devices were also checked.”

The devices, including two hard drives, were found to also include thousands of accessible and inaccessible images, including 25,000 inaccessible category C images.

Matthew Hayes, mitigating, said Binns had not committed any other offences since this incident and referenced the impact of prescribed medication his client was taking at the time, but did not fully elaborate in court.

In an earlier statement to the comedy news website Chortle, Binns said: “Over two years ago, while under the influence of an overdose of prescription drugs for ADHD, which induced obsessive-compulsive disorder, I downloaded and deleted a very large amount of adult pornography over a short period of time.

“Within those downloads, it appears there was some child pornography which I had not sought out nor wanted.

“I have no sexual interest in children. I have taken and passed a polygraph stating I have no sexual interest in children.

“I am bitterly upset at the hurt this has caused my family, for which I take full responsibility.

“I will take my punishment for this and hope that my family are not further harmed by my actions.”

Judge Smith said Binns’s offending was “simply unacceptable” but deemed he does not pose a risk to the public, and is unlikely to re-offend.

He gave Binns a combined 10-month sentence, suspended for 15 months, made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, and ordered him to sign the sex offender register, both for 10 years.

He said: “You are sickened by what it was that you were downloading and looking at and, quite frankly, you don’t need me to tell you that you should be, because this kind of offending has real victims.

“It is right to say that had it not been for Covid, had it not been for the medication you were taking at that period of time, you would not be before the court, but the fact is that you are.

“You have returned to the law-abiding life that you were living before these offences.”

Binns’s character Ivan Brackenbury was nominated at the Edinburgh Festival for the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2007, and he has also appeared on BBC drama Spooks and Channel 4’s IT Crowd.

Following sentencing, Holly Triggs, operations manager at the National Crime Agency, said: “Tom Binns deliberately collected a huge number of indecent images of children.

“Behind each one is an abused child who has had their wellbeing, innocence and privacy violated.

“Demand for images is a major driver of child sexual abuse globally, so we at the NCA are unrelenting in our commitment to protecting children from sexual abuse and bringing serious offenders to justice.”