Latest Offenders Devon

Description

A 57-year-old Devon man who arranged to sexually abuse a child has been jailed for five and a half years thanks to a police sting operation.

James Pidgeon, of Crest Hill, Buckfastleigh, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, as well as the distribution of indecent photographs of children and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which places restrictions on a person's access to the internet.

Pidgeon was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Tuesday, 3 October, to the jail term with an extended five years on license. He was also given an indefinite SHPO and forfeiture of digital devices order.

Exeter Crown Court heard how Pidgeon, a registered sex offender with prior convictions for possession and making indecent images of children, was already subject to an SHPO.

Despite the prevention order, he continued to commit online offences relating to children.

Following work carried out by the Devon and Cornwall Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team, Pidgeon was identified by investigators and an investigation was launched.

Meanwhile, a sting operation by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) revealed that Pidgeon was engaged in online conversations with someone he believed had access to a child. In fact, the person was a NEROCU police officer.

Transcripts of their online conversations showed that Pidgeon had bragged about how he had been a paedophile for more than 30 years and sent multiple indecent images and videos of children being sexually abused, some of which featured babies being abused.

Within these transcripts, Pidgeon talked of his desire to rape children, with his sexual preferences being female toddlers, and that the purpose of the meeting was to gain access to a child that he could rape.

They arranged to meet up on Torquay seafront where officers swooped in and made their arrest.

Pidgeon was remanded into custody in July this year and was charged with arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, distribution of indecent images of children and breach of a sexual harm prevention order.

Investigating Officer Detective Constable Sophie House said: “Despite being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, this did not deter Pidgeon from continuing to commit online offences relating to children.

Description

A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison after he raped two women earlier this year.

Lewis Stewart, of no fixed abode, Torbay, was found guilty of three counts of rape at his trial and pleaded guilty to possession of drugs and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Last week, he was sentenced to life at Exeter Crown Court, where Judge Climie told him he would serve a minimum of 18 years.

The court heard during the trial that Stewart had been on a night out in Torquay Town Centre on 21 January when he targeted two vulnerable women - he was captured on CCTV following and watching them.

He got in a taxi with them back to an address where he subjected them to rape, boasting about his actions to them the following day.

On arrest officers seized Stewart’s phone, where they found a photo of one of the victims in a vulnerable state. He was also in possession of drugs with evidence of dealing found on the phone.

Following a nine-day trial a jury unanimously found him guilty of three counts of rape.

Investigating officer, DS Parsons said: “Stewart presents a real risk to the public and this is reflected in the sentence he has been given by the courts.

“His crimes have had a detrimental effect on his victims and their families, and I praise their bravery and courage to come forward and report what happened to them.

“To repeat the words of the sentencing judge, ‘Stewart is a highly sophisticated and manipulative offender which is evident in his controlling and coercive behaviour towards the opposite sex’.

“I hope the outcome will help the victims find an element of closure and that it sends a clear message that offences of this type will be investigated, and offenders bought to justice.”

Superintendent Nicky Seager said: “As the Force Lead for Rape and Sexual Offences I am incredibly proud of this latest sentencing result clearly demonstrating that Devon and Cornwall Police are committed to protecting our communities and providing victims with a quality service and support.

“This very serious case is an example of a suspect focused investigation where Lewis Stewart’s actions were subject to scrutiny and not the victims who stood trial. The success demonstrates an effective prosecution team ethos by police colleagues working closely with CPS South West dedicated Lawyers.

“I want to reassure any victims of this horrendous crime type that we are working jointly to transform and improve the way we respond to and investigate rape.

“This investigation is evident that relatively swift justice can be achieved and will shape the criminal justice landscape for more victims of these heinous crimes."

Mark Major of the CPS said: “I welcome the conviction of Lewis Stewart who committed appalling offences against vulnerable females.

“I would like to commend and thank the victims for their strength in coming forward to support this prosecution and in telling what happened them."

Description

A sex predator was caught and arrested on the M5 after police traced his car. Nicholas Ashby, 41, sexually assaulted a woman and attempted to rape another woman as they walked home.

The first incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, September 25 2022, when the victim was walking home alone after a night out with friends. As she walked along Bear Street, near the entrance of Barnstaple Cemetery, she noticed a car pull into a lay-by ahead of her, reports Devon Live.

Once she had passed the vehicle, she was approached by an unknown man who sexually assaulted her and put his arm across her neck causing her to momentarily pass out. When she woke, the offender returned to his vehicle.

The woman hid behind a nearby vehicle; fearful that the offender would return. It was here that the victim instinctively noted down as much detail as she could of the man and his car on her phone - an act which was commended in court.

Once at home, the police were alerted, and an investigation was launched by Barnstaple CID, while a Sexual Offences Liaison Officer was allocated to support the victim. Immediate enquiries were carried out to identify the suspect based on information the victim had given and a public media appeal was issued.

The following week, in the early hours of Sunday 2 October 2022, a woman was attacked on Beaufort Walk while walking home. The victim had been on her phone to a friend when her battery suddenly died. A short time after, she was approached from behind by a man who threatened her with a craft knife, telling her that if she made a sound, he would hurt her. Ashby pinned her to the floor, marking her with the blade and continued to attack her before running from the scene.

The victim managed to get to her home address and alert police. Specially trained officers and an ambulance crew attended.

Both cases were linked, and detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team progressed fast-track enquiries. CCTV analysis of both incidents identified a black Mercedes E class estate which was seen driving through and around the area on both nights of the attacks.

Officers received information from the forensics team stating that the DNA taken from Nicholas Ashby matched the profile to that of the DNA identified on the victim’s clothing and his arrest was sought.

His car was tracked to the M5 where traffic officers were waiting for him. Ashby was arrested on January 5 while out driving in his car and even though he provided ‘no comment’ during police interviews, he was charged and remanded for both attacks.

Footage released by Devon and Cornwall Police, which you can watch at the top of this article, shows the moment Ashby was pulled over and arrested by police. The video shows Ashby exiting his car, when a police officer says: "Okay, just to let you know, okay, you're under arrest on suspicion of rape, okay?".

The footage then shows a handcuffed Ashby being put into the back of a police car.

Ashby had previously pleaded guilty in May 2023 to the sexual assault of a woman in Barnstaple in September 2022 and the attempted rape of another woman in Barnstaple in October 2022.

With an overwhelmingly strong case presented by the prosecution team, Nicholas Ashby pleaded guilty in May 2023. Ashby was told he would serve a minimum of seven years and 11 months.

Description

A CHILD abuser who persuaded primary age schoolgirls to dance naked for him has been jailed for the second time.

David Milton plied the victims with alcohol and told one that his sexual touching was ‘a special game’ when she was visiting his home at Newton Abbot.

The former lorry driver is already serving a 16 year sentence for abusing two other young girls in and 1970s and 1980s and has now been jailed again for abusing two more at around the same time.

One was so innocent that she only realised that what he had done to her was wrong when she went to sex education lessons at secondary school. She told police that she would have reported Milton earlier but had mistakenly been told that he had died in the 1990s.

She wrote a victim personal statement which said she had experienced a lifetime of suffering as a result of Milton’s actions.

She said: 'There are scar that never heal. They keep being scratched again and cause more anguish and pain.

'He thought he had a right to use us as playthings to satisfy his warped desires.'

Milton, aged 83, formerly of Howards Way, Newton Abbot, admitted indecently assaulting against one girl four times and another girl once. All the offences took place in the late 1970s.

He was jailed for six years with a two year extended licence by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court. He is already on the sex offenders’ register for life.

The judge told him: 'You grossly abused your position and grossly exploited the victims’ youth and innocence by assaulting them in the ways they have described. It took a great deal of courage for them to speak out.

'I have heard their personal statements and they give a vivid insight into the long term and very significant harm you have caused. They have had to live with it all their lives while you simply got on with life unaffected.

'That disparity is a real injustice and no sentence I pass can undo that injustice.'

The judge told him the sentence would have been even longer but for his old age, ill health and the long sentence he is already serving.

Miss Heather Hope, prosecuting, said the two new victims came forward in 2021. One told police she was abused while visiting Milton’s house in the 1970s.

He gave her and other girls who were there alcohol and encouraged them to be ‘giggly and hyper’ and to dance naked. He also touched her sexually in different ways when they were alone and took her into his bed when his wife was out working nights at a holiday camp.

He told her the abuse was ‘their little game’ to encourage her not to tell anyone. The other girl told police she only went to Milton’s home once but he took her into his bed where he put his hand inside her underwear and asked ‘do you like that?’.

Mr Herc Ashworth, defending, said Milton disputed the suggestion that he gave the girls alcohol. He said Milton had led a blameless life other than for a short period in the 1970s. He is now in poor health, which will make his prison sentence more difficult to endure.

In the previous case in 2017, Milton denied any sexual contact with two other girls but was found guilty by a jury. One of those victims gave evidence that she was so young and innocent when he abused her that she only realised the seriousness of his actions when she went to sex education lessons at school.

All the offences were committed when Milton was living in an estate near Newton Abbot in the 1970s and 1980s. The prosecution described him as having ‘an insatiable appetite for young children and no inhibitions at all’.

They said he brainwashed the victims and assaulted one of the girls while babysitting. He bullied the girls into keeping his abuse secret by telling them they would be taken into care if they told anyone what he was doing.

He received a 16 year sentence of which 15 years was a prison sentence with an additional year’s extended licence.

Description

A retired teacher has been jailed for sexually assaulting boys at the prestigious Salisbury Cathedral School and another boarding school. Piers Le Cheminant was convicted of 10 indecent assaults against nine boys over a 21-year period.

The 77-year-old targeted boys at Oakwood boarding school in Chichester, West Sussex, until one of the pupils made a complaint against him, Winchester Crown Court was told. He was then able to take up a position at the Wiltshire school, where his offending continued.

Le Cheminant, of Newton Abbot, Devon, would call boys to the front of the class and grope their buttocks while their classmates watched, the court was told. He would also watch the boys shower after they had played sport and took some of his victims somewhere private, where he would grope them and smack their buttocks.

Judge Timothy Mousley KC said the defendant had shown a “lack of remorse” for his crimes, which happened between 1965 and 1986.

He said: “One of the children was only eight years old when you started to abuse him. Each of these boys was particularly vulnerable and you took advantage of that.

“The harm was severe in some cases and you breached the trust which others expected of you. You have left them with appalling memories of their time at school.”

As well as being jailed for nine years, Le Cheminant was given a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register.

Salisbury Cathedral School dates back more than 900 years and is located beneath the spire of the famous cathedral. Founded in 1091 by St Osmund, bishop of Salisbury and nephew of William the Conqueror, it is one of the world’s oldest educational establishments.

Description

A Sidmouth man who ran a paedophile internet chat group has been jailed after police were tipped off by the FBI in America.

Nicholas Craig, aged 37, of All Saints Road, used four online aliases to hide his identity and posed as a 15-year-old boy from Slovakia when he acted as administrator of a Kik chat group called teenpixunder18.

The group was infiltrated by an FBI agent who discovered that it was being used as a front to exchange child abuse images and movies and for adults to share child sex fantasies. Police arrested Craig in February last year as a result of information from the FBI about the Kik chatroom.

Craig was found with the middle section of an anatomically accurate child sex doll when police searched his home. They found more than 1,000 images and movies on his computer, phone and a memory stick.

Officers also discovered that he had been using Twitter, Telegram or Instagram to contact children as young as 10 and engaging them in sexual chat.

Craig admitted three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, one of distributing and 15 of making or possessing indecent images of children.

He was jailed for three years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court. He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention order which will restrict his access to children and the internet for 10 years, and put on the sex offenders’ register for the same period of time.

The judge told him: ”It is quite clear that you have a sexual interest in children and was acting on it. Still to this day, you underestimate and minimise the harm caused by your offences.

“The most significant aggravating feature is your role as administrator of a group which was sharing indecent images of children.”

Mr William Parkhill, defending, said Craig got involved in the chat groups while living on his own and isolated from normal human contact during the Covid lockdowns.

He said: “He entered the rabbit hole of the online indecent images community and has to accept that he travelled a fair way down that rabbit hole.”

Description

A Devon man has been jailed for raping a woman in a field. Jack Frankum asked the woman for a lift home from an agricultural event.

When she stopped to urinate in the remote location he sexually assaulted and then raped her. The 28-year-old, from Cheriton Bishop, denied the offence but was found guilty at the end of a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

He has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The victim said memories of her ordeal were like a "horrible shadow" following her.

Frankum will serve two thirds of the eight years in prison, with the remainder on licence.

The offences took place one evening in August 2019. The court heard how the victim had pleaded with him to stop. She described how, after the offences, Frankum had acted like nothing had happened and tried to make small talk and unrelated conversation. In police interviews she said the ordeal had left her feeling worthless and frightened of Frankum.

She said: "I find it hard to put into words how strongly I feel about this. I hate him and the mark he had left upon me."

Ms Virginia Cornwall, defending, said it had not been a planned assault and he was a man of previous good character.

Judge Anna Richardson said friends of Frankum had described him as polite and courteous and a valued member of the community.

Following the sentencing the police case officer, DC Craig Ferguson, said: “This has been a very lengthy and detailed police investigation, which has seen some delays in the courts whilst we awaited trial.

“I wish to acknowledge the courage and fortitude of the victim in remaining committed to this case, and her path to justice throughout this investigation and the delay that we have seen.

“I also wish to pay personal tribute to the victim, and her absolute strength in attending court to give her evidence at the trial.

“I acknowledge that this was incredibly difficult for her given what Frankum had done. It is only through the victim’s strength throughout this process that we have seen this result, and I hope that she can now move forward in her life with her family in the knowledge that she has seen some justice for what he did to her.

Description

A CORNWALL man has been sentenced for a string of sex offences including attempted sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent images of children.

Lee Sharp, aged 39, formerly of Liskeard, has been jailed for a total of six sex offences after appearing at Truro Crown Court on Wednesday, May 10.

Sharp was sentenced on one count of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, one count of attempted sexual communication with a child, one count of incitement to view sexual material, and three counts of making indecent images of children.

The offences took place over the course of two years, between September 2020 and November 2022. 

Sharp pleaded guilty to all of the offences.

During his sentencing, Sharp was handed down a sentence of 52 months imprisonment and made to pay a victim surcharge.

According to the Sentencing Council, the maximum sentence for sexual communication with a child ranges is two years custody, with the maximum sentence for breaching a sexual harm prevention order being five years custody. 

The maximum sentence for the possession of indecent images of children is five years custody.

Description

A 66-year-old Cullompton man has been jailed for raping a child more than 20 years ago. Keith Barons, a retired housing association manager, gave the girl alcohol before subjecting her to a terrifying ordeal.

He was aged in his early 40s at the time and the child 12 or 13 years old, Exeter Crown Court was told. She lived with the trauma of what he did to her for years before going to the police in 2019.

When questioned Barons denied doing anything wrong and claimed she was making up the story. But just before the case was due to go to trial he confessed and now says he is ashamed and sorry for what he did.

The judge said the actions of the former Sanctuary Housing manager had been "wicked" and that he had repeatedly lied when confronted with the truth. Recorder Don Tait also praised the courage of the victim who read a statement in court describing the psychological price she has had to pay.

"What you did to that young girl has had an awful effect on her life," he told the defendant. "She had the courage to read her own victim statement and what a huge amount of courage that must have taken for her. When she told you she would never forgive you she looked you in the eye."

Barons, of Court Drive admitted rape of a child and indecent assault and was jailed for 13 years.

Prosecutor Miss Heather Hope said the rape happened after he gave the girl vodka. She could remember feeling "groggy" and freezing in terror while Barons undressed and raped her. On another occasion Barons groped the child by touching her breast.

In her statement the victim said not a day had past since where thoughts of what happened resurfaced. When she did go to the police her "tortuous journey" was made worse by delays caused by his denials and the barristers strike.

Mr Simon Burns, defending, said Barons would regret his actions for the rest of his life. He read a letter in which he apologised. The defendant is hard-working family man with no previous convictions. The court was read positive references from friends.

Recorder Tait said Barons had denied and then tried to plea bargain his way out of responsibility. "You may express remorse now but for years you lied and lied. She was the one who had to suffer. She has had a long wait to see justice being done and I'm sorry the system let her down to that extent.

"No one listening to her personal statement could not be moved by it. In my experienced you are one of the bravest young women I've heard. You suffered for many many years for what this man did to you and finally had the courage to go to the police.

"Thank you for having the strength and courage to read your victim statement." 

Description

Philip Rendle groomed the boys by giving them alcohol and allowing them to drive his car.

A 60-year-old man has been jailed for sexually assaulting two boys during a camping trip more than 20 years ago. Philip Rendle plied the boys with drink before committing the offences at Brean Sands in Burnham-on-Sea.

He gained the trust of the boys' families before making the trip and groomed the children, aged 13 and 14 at the time, by giving them money to play in amusement arcades. But he had a dark past that included a police caution for molesting a Boy Scout a decade earlier.

Rendle, now living in Devon, was convicted of three offences of indecent assault, one by penetration. He has been locked up for nine years.

Taunton Crown Court was told one of the boys woke up to find Rendle molesting him.

In a victim personal statement he said the assault had caused psychological trauma and he had never got over the impact. He said his childhood was ruined and as the years went by he suffered while trying to bottle up what had happened.

The second victim experienced similar psychological difficulties. His life suffered and he had tried but failed to forget what happened.

Ms Emily Cook, defending, said Rendle had previously sought psychological help for his behaviour. He now finds it difficult to get work and suffers with depression.

Judge Paul Cook said the children were particularly vulnerable. They were given drink and were a long way from home.

Rendle, of Ashburn Close, Ashburton, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to monitor his behaviour in future and told to sign the Sex offender Register.

Detective Constable Philip Hockey said: “The two victims have shown great courage throughout the investigation and the subsequent judicial process.

“It takes bravery to speak out about such a traumatic and violating experience, especially one which they had locked away from their families for more than twenty years.

“I hope this is some kind of justice for them both, provides some closure and assists them to move forward positively with their lives. I hope they can also find some peace knowing they no longer have to keep this secret hidden.

“It is never too late to speak out about something that has happened to you. This case shows that everyone will be listened too, the matter investigated thoroughly no matter how much time has passed and there is support available for you.

“If you have been affected by this inquiry then please don’t hesitate to contact police via the non-emergency 101 number."

Description

A former soldier from Okehampton has been jailed for 14 and a half years for multiple historic sex offences against children. Stuart Hood, from Okehampton, sexually abused a boy and two teenage girls.

His offending started when he was a teenager himself in the 1970s and continued when he was a young adult. The prosecution in his trial described Hood as a bully capable of 'deviant sexual behaviour' who enjoyed assaulting his physically weaker victims. He chased one with a horse whip and stripped another naked.

Hood, aged 59, was found guilty of 11 offences of indecent assault and indecency with a child during a trial in January. He returned to Exeter Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced.

The trial heard how all three victims had, at one point or another over the years, told different people what had happened to them when children. The offences finally came to light until 2018 when the male victim went to police.

One victim said in a statement that his childhood had been made a misery by Hood's behaviour. "He is a sick, perverse and a sadistic liar,' he said. "I trust the sentence reflects the immeasurable harm he's caused me."

A second victim said she hoped that by coming forward people who have suffered abuse in their own lives will have the courage to go to police and not carry the shame of what happened with them.

The defendant told his trial the victims were lying. A number of character references were read to the court saying he was a hard-working married man.

Joss Ticehurst, defending, said Hood had committed the offences many years ago and since them had become a valued member of the community and devoted family man. He was a teenager himself when committing most of the crimes.

Judge Anna Richardson said: "People are not necessarily one thing or another. I accept you have been a good family man and a valued member of the local community. That does not change the fact to your victims you were a dangerous and violent abuser."

Hood will serve at least two thirds of his sentence in jail before he is considered for release.

Description

A perverted pensioner masqueraded as a teenager online while trying to communicate with children. Gary Chivers from Dawlish used chat platforms to strike up conversations with what he thought were girls aged as young as 10.

The 71-year-old told the 'girls' he was 15 and tried to persuade them to send him sexual pictures. It turned out he was actually speaking to a paedophile hunter group who arrived at his address and called police.

Chivers has a history of committing similar offences and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at the time. A judge at Exeter Crown Court branded him a danger to children and sent him back to jail for five and a half years with an extended licence period of 18 months.

Chivers made contact with five different profiles of young girls while using the OK Live platform. In each case he quickly turned the chat sexual, sending graphic photos of his penis and making suggestions about masturbation.

He pestered them for videos, tried to call the 'girls'' and told them he was a teenager or in his twenties. He was caught when he replied to a request from one of the profiles for his photo and address.

He was arrested on August 18 and police discovered evidence of his behaviour on a number of devices. The defendant admitted multiple offences of attempted sexual communication with children and attempting to incite sexual activity with a child.

Chivers was jailed in Reading back in 2015 for offences of inciting children to sexual activity and distributing indecent images of children. He given a SHPO to monitor his activity.

Mr Dan Pawson-Pounds, defending, said Chivers was leading an isolated life at the time of his latest offences.

Judge David Evans said the parole board will assess when he is suitable for release. He said Chivers, of Plantation Terrace, had displayed a clear pattern of behaviour and an extended sentence with licence conditions was needed.

Description

A paedophile targeted teenagers in chatrooms and shared sexual fantasies and pictures with another pervert, a court heard. Mark Stevenson, 37, struck up conversations with what he thought were girls aged 12 and 13 and asked if they wanted to have sex with him.

He did not know the people he was chatting to online were undercover police officers looking to catch paedophiles. But even after his arrest he continued to offend, asking one decoy if she was a virgin and sending videos of himself masturbating.

Stevenson, of Pilton Causeway, Barnstaple, was described in court as a lonely man who led a solitary life. He said he was not motivated by a sexual interest in children but admitted multiple offences, including distributing indecent pictures of children and attempting to engage in sexual communication with children.

The judge said: "The offences represent a series of offences that demonstrate you have a clear sexual interest in young children and those in their early teens. It is quite clear you were seeking out various contacts with those in their early teens and were quickly made aware the children concerned, in each case decoys or similar, made their age known to you but you did not desist."

Stevenson was jailed for 21 months.

Prosecutor Ms Victoria Bastock said Stevenson was arrested after a visit by police to his home address in November 2020. They seized a number of devices and found messages dating back to November 2017.

They showed Stevenson in enthusiastic communication with another paedophile sharing fantasies about rape and sex with children. He also shared indecent images of children aged between five and 16.

Stevenson also joined a teen chatroom and started talking to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl. He followed this up with messages to other decoys on Kik Messenger, Skype and WhatsApp. In each case the conversation was sexual and Stevenson would make lewd suggestions and ask if they wanted boyfriends. He also asked for photos.

Stevenson was released under investigation but committed almost identical offences in July 2021. He joined the UK Teen Friends chatroom and direct messaged a 12-year-old decoy, sending her an indecent video of himself and saying he wanted to see the child naked.

Mr Jason Beal, defending, said Stevenson endured a difficult lockdown, family bereavement and was a good candidate for rehabilitation.

Judge Peter Johnson said Stevenson had minimised his crimes by suggesting he was sharing in the fantasies of others.

The defendant admitted distributing indecent photos of children; making indecent photos of children; four offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with children and two of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

He must sign the sex offender register for 10 years and was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period. 

Description

A child sex offender who stabbed and seriously injured two police officers in a 'savage' and drunken attack after they found him drinking at wheel of car has been jailed for 20 years.

Jon Ross, 62, stabbed and slashed at PCs Darren Brimacombe and Timothy Willett after they responded to a disturbance at a home in Dartmoor.

Ross burst from his parked car launched a 'frenzied' attacked the officers with a knife after they found him in Princetown, Devon, in the early hours of July 9, 2021.

PC Brimacombe suffered a serious arm injury and cuts to his head and face while PC Willett sustained serious injuries to his arm and fingers.

Both officers needed hospital treatment and have undergone surgery as part of their recoveries. Neither officer has come back to frontline duties as a result of the incident, and both are looking for other roles within the force.

Ross of Burrator Avenue, admitted to two counts of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, with intent. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of affray and assault on a previous occasion.

He was sentenced to 12 years for these offences.

He had previously been found guilty of four historic sexual offences against a child in a trial that concluded in April, for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The total 20 year sentence will be served consecutively and was handed down by Judge Simon Carr at Truro Crown Court yesterday.

Ross must serve two-thirds of that before he will become eligible to be released on licence and will be on the Sex Offender's Register for life.

Judge Carr praised the victim of the sexual offences and said: 'Your victim gathered the courage to approach the police to report what had happened to her.'

Referring to the serious assault on the officers, he said: 'Frenzied is a term overused by the court but not in this case.

'Armed with a knife, you stabbed out repeatedly causing permanent injury to both. The psychological damage has been immense. You went on to attack two other officers.'

The court heard how police were called to reports of a disturbance at a property late on July 8, 2021.

Officers were told Ross had been drinking alcohol, had taken his car keys and left the address and that the caller was unsure of his state of mind.

PCs Brimacombe and Willett, who knew Ross from previous community work, searched the area and located his vehicle.

They found him in the driver's seat and drinking from a bottle.

Both officers calmly spoke to Ross despite him being verbally abusive and aggressive towards them.

Without warning, Ross swung at and narrowly missed PC Willett with a knife.

He then exploded out of the open car door and attacked PC Brimacombe, repeatedly stabbing him as they grappled on the ground.

The officer suffered lacerations to his scalp and face — nearly having the end of his nose cut off.

Ross stabbed PC Brimacombe in the arm, causing a significant arterial bleed.

PC Willett then struggled with Ross and pulled him off his injured colleague.

He was stabbed in his forearm and sustained finger injuries as he wrestled the blade from Ross's grasp.

PC Willett deployed his Taser to subdue Ross, allowing PC Brimacombe to apply handcuffs and detain him.

Both officers then activated emergency buttons on their radios to request immediate help.

PC Brimacombe's arm was bleeding so heavily, a police-issue tourniquet had to be applied to the wound.

Ross was later found to be twice over the legal limit of alcohol to drive a vehicle.

Devon and Cornwall Police released shocking images of the scene, with the blessing of PCs Brimacombe and Willett, to highlight the dangers faced by officers.

Detective Constable Craig Ferguson said after the sentencing hearing: 'We are pleased with the outcome in what has been a lengthy and detailed police investigation.

'Jon Ross employed an extreme and savage level of violence, with a bladed weapon, to severely injure the two police officers.

'The officers were on duty and in uniform when they attended to try and help him. They knew him personally from previous dealings where they had successfully helped him.

'The officers sought to speak with him and tried to help, but he responded by repeatedly stabbing them in a sustained attack.

'As a result, Jon Ross has been imprisoned for a lengthy period of time, meaning that a significant risk has now been removed from our local community.

'I have worked as a police officer for the past 18 years and can say that this assault is without doubt the worst incident of its kind that I have dealt with.

'The officers conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism, both before and after this terrible ordeal, and we have concluded that their approach and conduct throughout was of a very high standard.

'There was nothing that they could do to plan for or avoid the extreme level of violence that Jon Ross had in mind.'

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Parker added: 'I would like to praise the courage shown by the sexual assault victim.

'This is an important reminder that such reports will always be taken seriously by the police and justice will be sought and we would always encourage victims to come forward.'

He added: 'The assault on the officers reflects the dangers and challenges police face on a daily basis, despite this force area being one of the safest places to live in the country.

'They understand risk comes with the nature of policing but being assaulted on duty should never be condoned or seen as 'part of the job'.

'Devon and Cornwall Police will always seek to pursue and prosecute those who behave in this way.

'This incident could all too easily have resulted in a more tragic conclusion.

'I would like to take the opportunity to praise the bravery of PCs Brimacombe and Willett and acknowledge the actions taken by their colleagues and other emergency service workers who came to their aid, whose actions and professionalism under difficult circumstances played a huge part in preventing an even worse outcome.'

Description

A HEATWAVE peeping tom has been jailed for spying on a 17-year-old girl as she slept on her bed naked at 6.30 in the morning.

The horrified teenager woke up to hear the sound of a camera phone snapping and saw a figure peering through a narrow gap in the blinds that covered her ground floor window.

She called her mother who shouted at prowler Kristoffer Roberts, pictured, causing him to flee. He was identified from doorbell video footage and his fingerprints were found on a beer bottle he dropped at the scene.

Roberts was already a registered sex offender, having previously been jailed in 2014 for using a phone to take 657 ‘upskirt’ pictures or videos of unsuspecting women.

He went on to attack his girlfriend so violently while high on drink and drugs that she was left traumatised and unable to carry on her training as a nurse.

Roberts, aged 29, previously of Drum Way, Heathfield, Newton Abbot, but now of Abelia Close, Paignton, admitted voyeurism, strangulation and battery.

He was jailed for a total of 22 months and put on the sex offenders’ register for a further seven years by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: ‘The victim of your voyeurism was a 17-year-old girl lying in her own bed asleep and naked because of the temperature. She became aware of someone standing by the window and of a clicking noise being made by a mobile phone taking photographs.’

Miss Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said the girl’s mother called police during a spell of very hot weather in August 2020 to report that a prowler had been taking pictures of her daughter through a small gap in the blinds.

He was identified through CCTV footage and arrested wearing the same baseball cap. He also dropped a beer bottle at the scene with his fingerprints on it.

Miss Payne said Roberts put his partner’s neck in an arm lock and strangled her three times with increasing force after she told him to leave her home in Torquay because he was drunk.

She was so badly affected by the ordeal and by his behaviour during their relationship that she failed nursing exams and is now appealing to be allowed to continue her degree.

Mr Martin Salloway, defending, said Roberts’s problems arose from his abuse of alcohol and drugs to mask the psychological effects of a violent and unhappy childhood. He is now addressing all these issues in custody and is truly sorry for the harm he has caused.