Latest Offenders Essex

Description

Matthew Millen caught a train to Southampton so he could have sex with a young girl called Grace.

The 44-year-old had even planned to make a video recording.

However, Grace was in fact an undercover police officer and Millen was arrested at McDonald's in Westquay Shopping Centre.

Millen of Hall Park Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex was convicted of attempting to pay for the sexual services of a child following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

In December he was jailed for just three years.

But earlier this year, the former Bank of England cyber-security expert had his case referred to the Attorney General under the Unduly Lenient Scheme.

Upon review, the Court of Appeal has now increased his sentence to seven years imprisonment.

After a joint hearing at the Court of Appeal concerning three other paedophiles as well as Millen, the new Attorney General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP, said: I was shocked and appalled by the wicked intentions of these men and it was only thanks to the vigilance of the police and others that their criminality did not extend further. I welcome the decisions of the Court of Appeal in what is a landmark case for the court."

A jury had found him unanimously guilty after being presented with "compelling evidence".

He had argued he was a paedophile hunter and had been trying to catch Grace's father.

Millen will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A paedophile couple who sexually abused an eight-year-old girl on a video call and fantasised about kidnapping another child have been jailed.

Robert Stanley, 36, and his girlfriend Danielle Schofield, 34, were caught following an investigation from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

In August 2019, the couple had a video call in which Schofield sexually abused an eight-year-old girl.

Stanley took screenshots of the abuse for his gratification after he encouraged and incited Schofield.

The pair admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, taking indecent images of children and distributing indecent images of children.

Stanley, of Tilbury, Essex, was jailed for four-and-a-half years and Schofield, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for three years and four months at Bradford Crown Court on Friday.

NCA detectives began an investigation last April after receiving intelligence Stanley had accessed three Category A - the most serious - child abuse videos.

Officers arrested unemployed Stanley at Schofields home in Dewsbury, on 23 April last year.

He was released on conditional bail while the investigation continued.

Forensic examination of Stanleys mobile phone showed he had sent Schofield a Category B indecent image of a child on 6 May, 2019.

She was subsequently arrested on 20 May 2020. Schofield was also released on conditional bail while the NCAs investigation continued.

Officers uncovered disturbing chats between the pair in which they talked about child abuse, discussed alleged previous abuse of the girl and plotted future abuse.

There was evidence that Stanley had four Category B images on his phone including two screenshots he took of the video call where Schofield abused the eight-year-old girl.

Officers identified and safeguarded the youngster, the NCA said.

On 30 September, 2020, NCA officers arrested Stanley and Schofield for serious child sexual offences.

Jacque Beer, NCA regional head of investigations said: These were sickening crimes where Stanley and Schofield had disturbing conversations about their fantasies.

The couple were also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life and were made subject to sexual harm prevention orders.

Description

A 29-year-old man from Essex who raped a woman as she slept has finally been locked up.

Marti Reynolds, of Baardwyk Avenue, Canvey Island, Essex, was found guilty of the offence which took place in the seaside town of Bournemouth, Dorset.

The terrible crime happened when Reynolds had been out on a night out in 2017 with a fellow student in the town centre.

His victim returned to her address that night and invited Reynolds to stay over as a friend. She woke to discover Reynolds raping her and proceeded to get away and leave.

The following Friday, she told police what had happened and Reynolds was arrested the same day.

Reynolds was convicted of the offence on Wednesday, December 9 last year following a trial at Salisbury Crown Court.

He was found not guilty of a second rape charge involving a different woman. At Bournemouth Crown Court last Friday (March 5), he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment.

Detective Constable Christopher Panther, of Dorset Police, said: "Marti Reynolds targeted his victim as she slept and at no point had she given consent.

"She was taken advantage of by someone she believed she trusted.

"I would like to thank her for coming forward to report this offence and for the courage she has shown in standing up to Reynolds to say what he did to her was wrong and supporting the court process.

"I hope this case will again demonstrate that Dorset Police takes these offences extremely seriously.

"We will always listen to and support anyone who reports matters to us and offenders will be held accountable for the crimes they commit."

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual assault, and you want to report directly to the police please call 101 and ask to be put in contact with a specially-trained police officer.

Description

A pervert hacked into nearly 600 Snapchat accounts to force women and girls into sending him "intimate images" by threatening to expose existing photos to their friends and family.

Akash Sondhi, 27, targeted 573 girls and women aged between 16 and 25 between 2015 and 2020.

His victims were from from across the UK, including seven on Merseyside, as well as other countries including Australia, Hong Kong, and Romania.

After hacking into their accounts, Sondhi threatened to expose existing images to his victim's friends and family he found in their contacts list unless they sent him more "intimate photos".

His address in Hedingham Road, Chafford Hundred was raided by officers from Essex Police's Cyber Crime Unit on March 19 last year after several victims reported him.

A number of his victims have since been identified but others have still not been traced.

Sondhi admitted a total of 65 offences at Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday, January 5 including hacking, blackmail, and voyeurism.

Sondhi was sentenced to 11 years in prison, a five year Serious Crime Prevention Order, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Detective Sergeant Ian Collins, from the Essex Police Cyber Crime Unit said: This is an excellent result for the 573 victims in this case and the Essex Cyber Team.

The sentence Akash Sondhi has received today reflects how much distress he caused to his victims.

He targeted with no remorse purporting to be a friend on social media after hacking accounts, then once he got access to their intimate pictures he would attempt to blackmail them around disclosure of the images to friends and family demanding more images and videos of his own choice putting the victims through an ordeal causing extreme distress and embarrassment.

Since his remand and now this sentence we have manged to stop this vile offender form targeting more victims.

This is a wakeup call for anyone committing this type of crime we will catch you and bring you to justice, and you can go to prison for the distress caused to the victims.

I urge anyone using social media not to store intimate images of themselves to secure and protect your data and make sure you dont become a victim.

Dont share passwords even if you think its a trusted friend that asks you for them it might not be, its chat in a text

DS Collins added: We have received assistance from forces across the country in supporting victims and gathering information and I want to say particular thank you to Avon and Somerset Police, West Mercia Police, North Yorkshire Police, Merseyside Police and Police Scotland.

I also want to pay tribute to the professionalism, dedication, and tenacity of Detective Constable Arran Holmes whose commitment to this case has ensured Sondhi will be behind bars for a significant amount of time and unable to target anyone else.

Description

A man who sexually abused four girls has been jailed for 16 years.

James Paffey was convicted of 26 crimes following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The offences came to light in September 2019, after one of the victims bravely came forward to police.

And within three days, Paffey, of no fixed address in the Clacton area, was arrested and charged with three offences.

Essex Police continued their investigation and a three further girls came forward to report he had sexually assaulted them too.

In total, he was charged with eight counts of rape, nine counts of sexual assault, six counts of assault by penetration, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Paffey, 38, denied all the charges and stood trial on October 26.

He was convicted by a jury on Thursday (November 12) and was jailed yesterday for 16 years and given a four year extended licence. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in jail before being eligible to request parole.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

In a statement to the court, the guardian of one of the victims said: “My sadness for all the girls is around how they have lost their chance at a normal childhood because of what he has done.

“The innocence of childhood has been taken away from them by his actions and can never be recovered. They have not had the opportunity to grow up like regular children.”

Detective Inspector Lisa Norcott said: “Paffey is a dangerous offender who committed the most horrific of crimes against four young girls.

“They have shown immense bravery by having the courage to tell us what happened so we could make sure he was brought to justice, and seeing the case through to trial.

“Paffey could have pleaded guilty. Instead, he subjected them to not only the most horrendous crimes but also to recounting what happened to them in court.

“However his attempts to prolong justice failed.

“I would like to thank the victims’ families for the immense support they have given them and the bravery and respect that they showed in court.

“Lastly I would like to thank DC Rachel Evemy and investigating officer Lisa Berrett-West, who have worked tirelessly on this distressing case to ensure that Paffey faced the consequences of the heinous crimes that he committed.”

Description

A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed after sexually assaulting a girl under 13 twice and trying to incite a teenage boy into sexual activity. Wayne Daykin, was locked up on Friday at Basildon Crown Court for three years. The 26-year-old of Queens Road, Southend admitted five counts relating to incidents that happened in south Essex in April 2019. Daykin would take the boy aside and attempted to get him to expose himself and asked if he could touch him sexually. The teenage boy would refuse Daykins demands but he would continue to repeat them, and demand the same thing through messages to him on Instagram. The boy was left feeling scared and eventually shared his account with his family and police officers. The sexual assault of the girl took place on two occasions when Daykin forcibly undressed and exposed her. On both occasions the girl quickly re-dressed herself but was left shaken by the incidents. Daykin was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Friday. Mitigating, Mike Warren said Daykin was regretful for his actions. He said: He is fully understanding of the harm he caused to these people. Judge Andrew Hurst told Daykin: These children were at an extremely impressionable age. You preyed upon them sexually, there is no other word for it. It was for your gratification. Judge Hurst jailed Daykin for three years and made him subject to a sex offenders notification requirement indefinitely.

Description

Music tutor David Brown was jailed for 11 years and one month, with an extended licence period of three years, for a string of sex offences against boys as young as seven at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday.

The 40-year-old was described as a “vile excuse for a man” by a victim’s mother and assessed as presenting a significant risk of causing serious harm by further offending.

Brown, formerly of Duke Street, Hintlesham, near Ipswich, had already admitted 20 offences against nine boys, including six counts of sexually assaulting three boys under 13, four of recording the abuse, six of voyeurism, three of making indecent photographs and one of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Judge David Pugh said Brown, more recently of Elthorne Park, Clacton-on-sea, “acted as a predator” by deliberately grooming boys in order to abuse them for sexual gratification.

Prosecutor Claire Matthews had described how the scale of offending was uncovered after one of the boys confided in his mother.

When arrested in January 2019, Brown tried to accuse her of fabricating the allegations in retaliation for an unrequited “obsession”.

Police uncovered 1,831 indecent images and movies of children on Brown’s laptop, including a video and images of him sexually abusing three boys and footage from secret cameras installed in toilets used by other boys.

Each victim’s image was cropped by investigators and had to be presented to their parents for identification.

Forensic analysis also recovered online chatroom messages sent by Brown under the guise of a 14-year-old girl, encouraging young boys to send indecent images and engage in sexual activity.

The court heard statements from parents of the boys Brown abused, expressing their anger, shock and disgust, and describing the various nightmares, flashbacks and trauma still suffered by his young victims.

One described Brown as a “dangerous and vile excuse of man, who saw prime pickings in the innocence of children”.

Joanne Eley, mitigating, said Brown had entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity at crown court last month following the service of a wealth of evidence.

She added: “The offences were committed at a time when – as the defendant states – he was at a loss to explain why he did what he did.”

Miss Eley said Brown had since spoken frankly to the probation service and did not deny being sexually attracted to children.

She said Brown had sent a letter to Judge Pugh, expressing sorrow and remorse, and “wishing he could turn back the clock to right his wrongs”.

Brown will have to go before the parole board before being considered for release from jail, and once free, must sign the sex offenders’ register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

Judge Pugh publicly recognised the work of Detective Constable Elizabeth Smy by recommending her for a chief constable’s commendation for her work on a complex and sensitive case.

After the sentencing, Det Con Liz Smy thanked officers and the safeguarding team for their dedication and professionalism, and paid tribute to the victims’ families for their courage in supporting the investigation.

Description

A CARER has been locked up for 12 years after sexually abusing a vulnerable man he was caring for.

Vile Mohammed Bari carried out a sustained campaign of abuse while he was working as a carer for his victim in south Essex.

The 22-year-old secured the job in 2016 to care for a 65-year-old man who was suffering from depression and dementia.

On at least two occasions Bari forced the vulnerable man to perform degrading sex acts on him.

Bari, of Lewes Road, Southend, consistently abused the man in his own home.

His victim eventually told another carer about what was happening in July 2017, and Bari was suspended, and later charged with sexual activity with a person suffering from a mental disorder.

Following a trial at Basildon Crown Court earlier this year, a jury convicted Bari by majority verdict of two counts, and acquitted him of one other.

His victim has since died.

Bari appeared by video link at Chelmsford Crown court today where he was lambasted by Judge Samantha Cohen.

She said: You stayed overnight in his home. You had authority over him as a parent would over a child.

Your employment placed you in a position of trust. You abused that trust in the most grotesque fashion.

You said what you were doing would help him relax.

You made him promise not to tell anyone about it. Fortunately, he did tell someone, another carer.

He made a tape recording of him explaining what it was you had done. His stress and fear are manifested in that recording.

Having heard it and seen his victim statement I am satisfied you sexually assaulted him on many occasions. The jury convicted you on two occasions, but I am satisfied it was many more than that.

Your victim was relieved that you were not going to come back. He died in May 2019. You were not responsible for his death, but you were responsible for the despair and fear which occurred in the immediate aftermath of your offending.

Your offending is hard to comprehend. You did not, and do not suffer from any mental illness.

Judge Cohen said that Bari had denied performing sex acts on himself while his victim was in the same room during the trial, but has now admitted to that.

Despite the conviction, the court heard that Bari does not accept the verdicts of the jury.

Judge Cohen added: It is very hard to say that you are remorseful when you keep changing your story. You have refused to accept what you have done despite the overwhelming evidence.

It makes it quite impossible to understand why you did this. Perhaps you were sexually attracted to him, or attracted to having total power over him in such invasive fashion. They are repeated offences that took place over many months.

Bari was given 12 years detention and will serve at least two years on licence following his release.

Description

A second-year PhD student studying astrophysics at the University of Hull walked free from court despite having more than 1,800 indecent images and videos of children and discussing abusing children on online chat rooms.

Hull Crown Court heard that Alexander Hamilton, 35, had been caught out when police identified him uploading an indecent image on to one of those chat rooms from his parents' house in Essex.

The court heard Hamilton initially denied having any knowledge of it when police visited him in Hull in March 2018, but admitted responsibility when they said they would have to carry out a warrant at his parents' address too.

A number of devices were eventually recovered from both his and his parents' addresses, the court heard, showing Hamilton had been in possession of 1,817 indecent images, including 62 videos, over an eight-year period.

Those included 554 'Category A' images, the worst category, defined as "involving penetrative sexual activity" or "sexual activity with an animal or sadism" in the Crown Prosecution Service's sexual offences guidelines.

Police also recovered an online discussion with another individual about abusing a five-year-old and seven or eight-year-old children.

Hamilton never committed any physical abuse himself, the court heard.

Prosecuting, Richard Woolfall told the court Hamilton said he had been "struggling for a number of years" and would regularly delete all the images before being lured back on to the chat rooms by his "urges".

"He was more interested in the discussions about abuse of children rather than the images," Mr Woolfall said.

"He said he preferred category B and C images, those of Category A showing distress sickened him, and at that point he would stop and delete everything."

He said Hamilton admitted he would masturbate when viewing the images and accepted that he needed help.

"He accepted that he had urges, but he never acted on those urges," Mr Woolfall said.

"He did not sexually abuse any children himself but did discuss abuse in the chat rooms.

"Such exchanges were fantasy, but once it moved to a degree of torture or a pair of very young children he would leave."

But it was those urges, Mr Woolfall said, that eventually led to his downfall.

"He had uploaded images and he knew he might have been caught, but his mindset was such that he did not think rationally," he said.

"It was a compulsion he had."

Mitigating for Hamilton, Timothy Clark said: "There has been an unusual level of honesty in accepting that he has a problem.

"Since the police came into his life in March 2018, he has had to have conversations with family members and those involved in his education on matters that must have been really difficult for his family to hear.

"He committed no contact offences and has been deemed very unlikely to commit such an offence.

"He has no previous convictions and has been extremely successful to a high level of education.

"And he has shown remorse, telling police he needed help and accepting responsibility."

He also said he had suffered with mental health problems which were "linked to his offending".

He added that Hamilton's studies were "on hold" and that it would be for the university to decide if he could continue with his course.

Sentencing Hamilton, Judge Bury said: "You are a highly intelligent man, you do not need me to tell you the seriousness of your position.

"You have, over a long period, accessed a large number of indecent images of children - over 550 of the most serious category.

"Each image of a child represents an instance of abuse of that child. That is why these offences are serious.

"Because people like yourself look at images like these, there is a market for them, which is why children continue to be abused."

But despite Hamilton's offending "clearly crossing the custody threshold", Judge Bury said he would suspend his sentence.

"You have no previous convictions and your attitude, one of self-loathing and a desire to right yourself, is such that you may be amenable to counselling and treatment to prevent you from reoffending," he said.

"But any repetition, particularly during the terms of suspension, and it's custody next time, do you understand that?"

"Yes," Hamilton said, looking up for the first time in the hearing.

For the possession of the indecent images, Judge Bury sentenced Hamilton to a total of eight months, suspended for eighteen months.

He will also be required to attend up to 20 rehabilitation activity days.

But Judge Bury did not include a curfew in the requirements after Mr Clark made a request on behalf of Hamilton's parents, who said his mental health is often at its worst when alone in the evenings.

Description

A father has hit out at online paedophile hunters for being a pain in the bottom after his son pleaded guilty to a sex offence.

Robert Beedle, son of Great Dunmow town councillor David Beedle, was snared after chatting to who he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

However, he was actually messaging a "decoy" manned by members of the online paedophile hunter group Defending the Innocent.

This morning (Wednesday, December 19), Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard how the 39-year-old sex offender had been messaging the decoy for over a year in a forum and then exchanged WhatsApp messages with her.

They discussed having sexual activity and they also talked about booking a hotel room so they could spend time together.

Beedle, of the Broadway, Dunmow, pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

During the short hearing, it was revealed how Beedle's confrontation with the paedophile hunting group was posted online on April 26.

Having been told he will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 16, Beedle left the building in the company of his father.

Following the hearing, Cllr Beedle criticised online paedophile hunting groups.

"The only thing to comment on is the fact that these so-called paedophile hunters are a pain in the bottom, he said.

Of course its an issue [posting the video online] because everybody is not aware of the facts.

Some of the things we will probably never know about.

He added that his son had also held his hands up and he hoped people would be kind in their reactions.

Description

A "predator" who forced a 16-year-old to the ground and attacked her while she was walking home has been jailed.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been in a bar in Rayleigh on the night of January 5 when she got in to a conversation with 20 year-old Bradley Boyd.

During the evening Boyd had made advances towards the victim which she rebuffed.

She left the bar at around 3am with her friends, before leaving them and walking with Boyd along Eastwood Road at the junction of High Street where the victim told Boyd she would make the rest of the journey home on her own.

Shortly after they parted, she began walking down an alleyway near to M&S when a man approached her from behind, forced her to the ground, and assaulted her.

He ran off when her phone rang.

The victim identified her attacker as wearing the same distinctive black Adidas jacket that Boyd was wearing and had the same build.

Boyd, of Woodside Avenue, Benfleet, was arrested at 7.25am on Saturday, January 6, and charged with assault be penetration.

Following a six day trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he was found not guilty of assault by penetration but guilty of actual bodily harm on Monday, July 9.

He has been sentenced to 40 months in prison.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Leon Pezzuolo said: “Bradley Boyd assault on the victim was sexually motivated and his advances had been rebuffed by her several times during the evening.

“He had been told to leave her alone several times but refused to, attacking her as she went home.

“His actions were totally unacceptable and he acted in a predatory fashion.

“This was a very serious case which was emphasised by the fact the judge went beyond the guidelines when considering Boyd’s sentence.”

Description

A man jailed for abusing boys in Britain was hired by a Paris school A paedophile teacher who worked at English private schools before he was jailed found work at a new school after his release and immediately started preying on a young boy again. Julien Bertrand, 37, from Nanterre in western Paris but educated in England, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2006 after he was found guilty of sex offences against two boys aged 14 and 16 who were pupils at schools in Essex and Somerset between 2000 and 2005. The boys were subjected to prolonged emotional blackmail by Bertrand, who threatened to kill himself unless they fulfilled his ultimate desire. He pretended to load a gun to force one of the boys to have sex with him, and showered one victim with gifts worth up to 5,000. However, The Sunday Times can reveal that Bertrand simply moved to France after being released from prison, found work as a music teacher and once again preyed on a boy he taught. In 2011, after leaving prison, Bertrand who is on the UK sex offenders register and is barred from working with children got a job as a teacher at the exclusive Victor Hugo School, one of the best-known international schools in Paris with fees of up to 24,000 (21,100) a year. He began grooming a 14-year-old boy, sending him explicit texts including many that said I love you. The boys father complained to the school, which dismissed Bertrand in 2013. Yet in 2014 he had jointly set up a private school called Kingsworth International, also in Paris, where he is also a shareholder and became a deputy head. Asked why Bertrand had been employed despite his conviction, Kingsworths head teacher, Stephen Jankowski, said the paedophile had lied about his past. Parents at the school, which is for pupils aged 3-18 and include many British families, were sent a letter saying the school had discovered Bertrands UK criminal record and dismissed him, but no details were given. Bertrand left the school last month. Jankowski said Bertrand had passed the required background checks, adding that the welfare of the children is the schools priority and that it acted immediately when it learnt of his previous conviction. Sonia Notarianni, an American mother involved in the parent teachers association at Kingsworth primary school, said: We were told there were parents who were very upset and have left the school because of this, but that was because he was apparently an amazing teacher. We [wrongly] understood that as a young man of 24 he had an affair with a 16-year-old girl or something. They have no checks on parents volunteering in the school or anything. When I volunteered to help out at my childrens old school in Florida, I had to have a full background search. Victor Hugo Schools president, Bernard DeleSalle, said he was horrified to discover a devil at his institution, and accused Bertrand of having tricked them. He said: To discover a devil in the middle of angels is not easy, especially when he is well disguised. We are not infallible. Thank God, Bertrand is the only devil we have met. If he had gone into another school we would have found out and . . . ruined his plans, but because he created his own structure in direct competition to our establishment, we could not have publicly denigrated him without risking legal action. The school said it had been unaware he had spent time in England. References to Bertrand on Kingsworths Facebook site, which included details of his involvement in a skiing trip this year, have been removed. Frances education ministry acknowledged a problem with identifying paedophile teachers. A new law was put forward in 2016 to allow better communication between the justice and education departments, but it has not happened yet, it said. Bertrand could not be contacted at the address given as his home on the Kingsworth shareholder register, and the school refused to pass on a request for comment. He is free to teach elsewhere. The head of the Somerset school at which Bertrand abused a pupil said: As a citizen of this country as much as the head of a reasonably distinguished school, I find it extraordinary that the systems for safeguarding children do not appear to be joined up in a better way. It is very worrying indeed. On request, the Home Office can conduct criminal record checks for those who have lived in Britain and want to work with children overseas.

Description

Paul Mountain, 26, was sentenced to five years and three months at the conclusion of his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court A Great Baddow "menace" jailed for the rape of a 15-year-old girl and the sexual touching of a 14-year-old was on bail for grooming a vulnerable teen when he was arrested, a court heard. Paul Mountain, 26, was sentenced to five years and three months at the conclusion of his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday (February 27). Mountain, formerly of Park View Crescent, was arrested by Essex Police after raping a girl, on June 1, 2013 and sexually touching another girl on three occasions between July and September 2013. Neither victims can be named for legal reasons. Mountain was found guilty by a majority jury for rape, and unanimously on the three counts of touching, which the jury found to have a sexual element. Prosecutor Emma Nash spoke of the rape victim's particular vulnerabilities, and claimed that Mountain was well aware of them. The court heard that Mountain, who has ADHD and is on anti-depressants, was on bail for another sex crime at the time of his arrest and has only recently completed a custodial sentence for grooming and sexually abusing another 14-year-old girl. Defence counsel Jacqueline Carey said: "Mr Mountain is actually extremely vulnerable himself. He gets on better with young people than with people his own age. "He cuts a rather forlorn character. He hoped for a career in biking. There's a concern for his well-being in custody. He's not been placed on a sexual offences course or rehabilitated. "He's someone with not a positive outlook but he does have the support of his mum and step-dad." Sentencing Mountain for rape, Judge Emma Peters said: "You were a grownup and she was a child. As well as that, she was a vulnerable child. "It is clear you are in a category of low intelligence, and have a number of psychological problems. It is also clear you are a man with vulnerabilities, but at times you are manipulative when you want to get your own way. "You took her for a walk, you knew what you were doing. When you sat opposite her you produced a condom and said 'let's have sex'. "She didn't want to have sex, she told you she didn't want to do that. She is more damaged now than she was before she met you." Commenting on the sexual touching charges, Judge Peters added: "You came into contact through friends. At no point did she ever tell you she wanted more from you than to be a friend. "To find herself receiving unwanted attention would be very upsetting for her." A sexual harm prevention order was already in place against Mountain, who will remain on the sex offender's register for life. "You have been a menace to young girls, young girls whose innocence you have taken away. I very much hope that you will be rehabilitated so that when when you're released you can start to associate with women of an appropriate age," said Judge Peters. "If you keep coming back to young girls, it will come back to you. For the rest of your days you will have to register with the police. Young girls will be safe from you." Commenting on the fact the case took more than three years to reach trial, she said: "I make no criticism of Essex Police. But this particular team in this particular case took far too long. You should have come to court much earlier." Mountain was sentenced to four years and nine months for rape, and six months for each count of sexual touching, to run consecutively to each other, but concurrently to the rape sentence. He will serve 31 months in custody before being released on licence.

Description

Convicted sex offender Manfredi was sentenced to two years in prison after he admitted he was intending to download child abuse images of young girls.

Manfredi, 30, who was staying at a hostel in Chelmsford, was sentenced on August 30 at Chelmsford Crown Court following three breaches of a sexual harm prevention order.

He had been previously convicted for downloading 665 indecent images of children in October, 2016 after police discovered Manfredi searched for websites containing pre-teen pornography.

Description

A MAN has been jailed for 11 years eight months for sex offences which happened between 1998 and 2003. Keith Noble, 53, of Flint Street, Grays, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, October 24, where he pleaded guilty to three offences of indecent assault. He previously admitted offences of attempted rape and indecent assault back in June. The offences involved two female victims who were juveniles when they were committed. Officers initially arrested Noble in 2002 following an allegation of a sexual offence, however following a full investigation there was insufficient evidence to proceed and no charges were brought. In October 2014 an allegation was made that Noble had accessed indecent images of children. He was arrested and released on bail while investigations continued before being charged with 14 offences which he admitted at his first court appearance in October 2015. These were offences of making indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images, distribution of indecent images and recording a person doing a private act. During the course of the investigation officers discovered evidence of covert filming and distribution of the images. The victim was identified and later disclosed other offences for which Noble was responsible. As a result of this disclosure officers contacted the victim who made the allegations in 2002 who agreed to speak to officers again. On February 5, 2016, Noble was charged with attempted rape, and four counts of indecent assault. At the hearing on Monday, October 24, he was jailed for all 19 offences and given a 12 month licence period to be served upon release. Pc James Smith from Harlow CID said: "I am pleased Noble has admitted he is guilty to all of the charges brought against him and that the victim who contacted us in 2002 has finally been able to see justice done for the offences he committed against her. "This case shows that matters are never closed and where new evidence comes to light officers will seek to ensure wherever possible charges are brought and perpetrators of sex offences are held accountable for the abuse they have carried out. "I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sex offence, however long ago it happened, and who has not reported it to police to have the faith and confidence to do so.