Search results for Hartlepool

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Hartlepool lorry driver jailed for nine years over plans to watch girl, 10, being raped

Christopher Lumley, 38, of Hartlepool, has been jailed for nine years after arranging to video-call and watch a 10-year-old girl being raped by her grandfather.

Teesside Crown Court heard Lumley was already under investigation after the FBI identified chats with another child sex offender in the USA. Cleveland Police were alerted by the National Crime Agency in March. When officers arrived at his home he said he knew why they had come and that he had “messed up”.

Investigators found more than 700 “extremely disturbing” indecent images of children, including babies and toddlers, on his phone. Around 370 were in the most serious category. He had distributed about 540 images online, including 252 in the highest category, and had discussed raping children aged from zero to 12.

Released on bail, Lumley returned online, downloaded and shared hundreds more images, and contacted a man called Tony on a Russian website used by child sex abusers. Tony was an undercover officer posing as a grandfather who had been abusing his granddaughter for two years, beginning when she was eight. Lumley arranged a video call to watch the girl being raped and sent the officer bondage-related images to give him “ideas”.

He was arrested again in August. Officers found he had made more than 3,000 visits to the site and held a further 1,180 indecent images of children, of which about 250 had been distributed.

Lumley admitted arranging the commission of a child sex offence and making and distributing indecent images of children.

Judge Deborah Sherwin described it as “particularly worrying” that he committed further, more serious offences while on bail. She said his collection contained images of the “most serious depravity that can be imagined” and were “some of the worst” to come before the court. Any “right-minded” person would find his actions “disgusting”.

Lumley must sign the sex offender register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

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“I am relieved that finally I have been strong enough to speak out, and I have been believed.”

An abuser who raped and assaulted a woman leaving her feeling “fearful and worthless” has been jailed for 17 years.

Mark Stephenson repeatedly raped the woman over several years when he was heavily under the influence of drink and drugs.

The 36-year-old also tried to control the woman’s life by restricting her access to friends, monitoring her phone and social media use, abused her both physically and verbally, damaged her house, and monitored what she could say to her family.

Stephenson, formerly of Blackhall Colliery, was arrested after the woman bravely told police what had happened.

He was charged with a number of offences, including rape and engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, which he denied.

However, following an eight-day trial, a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape, one of engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, and child neglect.

He also admitted harassment by breaching a restraining order after sending the woman text messages and phone calls, which was in breach of a restraining order that had been previously imposed to prevent him from contacting her.

Stephenson appeared at Durham Crown Court on Monday, August 10, where he was jailed for 17 years and handed a restraining order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for 15 years.

In a victim impact statement which was read out in court, the woman said she was relieved she had spoken out and been believed.

“Speaking out about what has happened to me has been one of the hardest things I have ever had to do,” she said.

“I am now starting the long process of finding myself again, finding who I am, finding what I want for me, and rebuilding my life. Mark has taken everything from me – I will never be the same person because of him. My life has changed forever.

“He made me feel worthless, and made me feel like he was the only person who would ever want me or love me. I felt trapped, that was my life, and there was no other way.

“The violence and sexual violence that I experienced have left emotional scars that I will never be able to repair. I have experienced a life of abuse – I am scared to move on, scared to create a new life, and scared to trust someone new.”

Investigative Officer Rebecca Carey, from Durham Constabulary’s East Safeguarding Team, led the investigation. She said:

“First and foremost, I want to commend the woman for having the bravery to come forward and disclose what had been happening to police.

“It takes a great deal of courage to speak out against an abuser. But by standing up to Stephenson and having her voice heard, she has helped to take a dangerous and violent man off the streets, who poses a clear risk to women and girls.

“I hope that she is able to take some form of closure from this outcome and is able to move forward with rebuilding her life.”

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On 11th August 2025, officers from the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders unit were on a routine visit to Woolley when they found that his phone had a social media app with deleted messages.

His phone was seized for forensic examination, which resulted in six victims who were found to have been contacted by Woolley.

He was charged with eight breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and six counts of sexual communication with a child under 16 years.

Today (Tuesday 31st March), Woolley was sentenced to 28 months in prison at Teesside Crown Court.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Carl Middleton, said:

“Regular checks on those who are subject to sex offender notification requirements mean that we can protect the public by identifying any further offences which may have been committed to bring offenders to justice. I am pleased that other potential victims have now been safeguarded from Woolley’s persistent offending.”

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A brave woman who stood up to her abuser has seen him jailed for 17 years.

Robert Tempest repeatedly raped and sexually abused the woman when she was a young girl.

Tempest told the girl to keep the abuse “a secret” and if she told her family about it, they would hate her.

His offending came to light years later when the girl, now a young woman, bravely told a family member who called the police.

An investigation was launched, and the 52-year-old was arrested.

Tempest, of Blackhall Colliery, was later charged with four counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

He admitted one charge of rape, but denied the other offences.

He went on trial at Durham Crown Court earlier this year where a jury found him unanimously guilty on all counts.

Tempest was remanded in custody to appear back at Teesside Crown Court on Friday (February 6) where he was jailed for 17 years.

He was also issued with an indefinite restraining order to protect the woman, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and must sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

In a victim impact statement, the woman described how Tempest’s abuse had affected her.

“I don’t have any happy memories from my childhood – I don’t remember much before I was 7. All my memories are filled with the sexual abuse I suffered by Robert Tempest,” she said.

“I was at school when I realised what he had done to me was wrong. I remember learning about sex education and I seemed to know more than my peers.

“He always told me it was a secret and if my family knew, they would hate me. I believed him.

“During the investigation it brought a lot of memories back. After I first told my friend I felt a massive relief, like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

“My family were so supportive and still are. They don’t hate me – Rob was wrong. They love me and have been there for me even on the darkest days where I questioned if I had the strength to give evidence and bring it all back up again; it was like having to relive my worst nightmare over and over.

“Now, I finally fell like I can start to move forward with my life. I still think about what Rob did to me every single day, it haunts me. I feel like I’m constantly living in a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.

“At least now my family know and I don’t have to lock my feelings inside anymore – I know they will always be there to support me.”

Detective Constable Emma North, who led the investigation, said:

“Tempest is a dangerous predator who used a young girl for his own sexual gratification.

“I am pleased he is now behind bars and has been brought to justice for his despicable crimes.

“The young woman in this case has shown incredible bravery in coming forward to police and helping us to bring her abuser to justice.

“By standing up to Tempest and having her voice heard, she has helped to take a dangerous man off the streets.

“I only hope this sentence provides her with some closure and allows her to move on with her life and put the abuse behind her.”

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A convicted sex offender who stole more than £1,500 from the bar where he worked—including £600 raised for charity—has been jailed.

Brian Donnelly, 38, failed to disclose his prior conviction for downloading child sex abuse images when hired as bar manager at The 9 Anchors pub in Seaton Carew, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Albany Kidd said Donnelly began taking cash home after shifts but spent it, adding: “He was the sole person to have a key to the safe and that was a high degree of trust.”

Donnelly had received an eight-month suspended prison sentence in June last year. He pleaded guilty to stealing £1,575 on September 1.

Mitigating, Nick Ayres said his client struggled with alcohol, was addressing it via probation, and pleaded guilty early. “This started out because the defendant was taking cash home because there was no safe and I think he regretted that,” he added. “He wasn’t paid by his employers, he would say, so he stupidly spent this cash as he had rent arrears mounting up.”

Judge Advocate Tom Mitchell activated the suspended sentence, stating: “I do understand that alcoholism is a terrible disease but it doesn’t often reduce people to the position that you are in – there is an element of choice that goes with it.

“You committed an imprisonable offence shortly into an order which was suspended. It would have been explained to you the consequences of breaching a suspended sentence order – it always is.

“I can’t make a liar out of judges who tell you that – if someone breaches a suspended sentence then I have to imprison them because the law says I must do so.”

Donnelly, of Borrowdale Street, Hartlepool, was jailed for 14 months.

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A 22-year-old man who engaged in sexual activity with a child has been jailed for six years.

Michael Cooper, from Hartlepool, groomed his victim over social media with a fake name before engaging in sexual activity with her and becoming aggressive, threatening to grab her hair and choke her. 

He knew that she was under 16, telling her that he would get into trouble if she told anyone about what he was doing.  He even asked her to prove that she was under 16 by asking her to send a birth certificate to him to prove her age.

He appeared before Teesside Crown Court charged with 16 offences of sexual activity with a child and grooming, before he was sentenced to six years in prison, issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and put on the sex offenders’ register.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Sarah Blades, of Hartlepool CID said:

“The victim in this case was incredibly brave to come forward and report Cooper, despite his threats to her.  Thankfully she did, and was able to provide us with the information needed to build a case of evidence to put before the court, safeguarding other potential victims.

“Support is available for anyone who has experienced or is currently experiencing abuse, you are not alone. No one should ever suffer in silence, and Cooper’s sentence demonstrates that when victims come forward, their voices are heard.”

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Lewis Cooper, 25, from Hartlepool, was added to the sex offenders’ register in 2023 after his conviction for possessing indecent images of children.

This required him to notify police of any plans to travel abroad. However, in May this year, UK Border Force informed authorities of his return from a two-week trip to Jakarta, surprising police.

Prosecutor Nicci Horton told Teesside Crown Court that the Indonesian capital is a destination “of concern” due to risks to children from traveling British sex offenders. When visited at home, Cooper repeatedly denied having a passport until confronted with proof. Photos on his phone showed him with a young woman and children.

Cooper pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to comply with notification requirements. He had also used online aliases and deleted an Instagram account without informing police.

Defense lawyer Michael Cahill cited a “lack of understanding” of the rules, noting Cooper’s role as carer for his stepfather and arguing that his “underlying issues” from the prior offense could be better addressed in the community than in prison.

But Recorder Nathan Adams stated: “The notification requirements were clear.” He called the Jakarta trip “particularly concerning.” Cooper, of Straker Street, was jailed for 24 months.

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A "dangerous" sex attacker has been jailed by a judge who branded him a significant risk of very serious harm to women. Jack Bell, 22, left two victims with lasting psychological trauma after targeting them as they walked alone in Northallerton. He was later convicted of two stalking offenses against lone women in Hartlepool.

At Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Jonathan Carroll described Bell as a "dangerous" offender with an "utterly distorted view of women" and "sexual entitlement" over them.

In the first assault, Bell grabbed a woman between the legs as she moved aside to let him pass, then fled. While under investigation, he committed the second attack. The victim had noticed him following her the previous day. The next evening, he followed her again into an alleyway, tried to engage her, then sexually assaulted her, attempted a headlock, grabbed her throat, and tried to force her to the ground. Fearing he was reaching for a weapon, she resisted. "The defendant then looked at her, smiled at her then spat on the floor," said prosecutor Paul Cleasby. "The defendant then said to his victim, 'you f***ing weirdo' before he ran from the scene."

The first victim said the experience was "awful" and remains traumatizing, affecting her mental health, relationships, and self-worth: "He took what he wanted, without permission, and I now have to deal with the repercussions on my self-worth and confidence all because of his actions." She added it has "completely changed me as a person."

The second victim, diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, said: "My mental health is at its absolute lowest. I have flashbacks and see his face when I'm trying to sleep. When I look back to that day I remember thinking he was going to kill me. It's ruined my life. I don't know if I will ever be the same again."

Since the assaults, Bell served 16 weeks for stalking in Hartlepool. Bell, of Balmoral Road, Rossmere, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to two sexual assault counts. Defense lawyer Jonathan Walker said Bell was "deeply sorry" and showed remorse as an "immature young man" confronting "concerning" traits.

The judge noted a "pattern of stalking lone women" for sexual offending. Of the first victim: "still living and reliving that moment over and over again." Of the second: "Having done it once and having been arrested on it... you clearly had developed a taste for this behaviour." He highlighted Bell's post-assault smile, spit, and insult as showing distorted views. Unless Bell changes, "you are and are likely to remain for the foreseeable future, a very significant risk of very serious harm."

Bell received an extended sentence: four years in prison plus two years on extended license, with an indefinite restraining order.

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A rapist who attacked a teenage girl after offering her a lift home from a party has been jailed for 11 years.

Rhys Conn, 33, took the 17-year-old victim to his house and ignored her pleas for him to stop as raped her, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The victim said she "could not believe someone would do something so evil".

Conn, from Blackhall Colliery, near Hartlepool, had denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of six offences including two counts of rape and three of sexual assault.

Prosecutor Jane Waugh said he got the victim into his van "by fraud" and took her to his house instead of hers, which was akin to an abduction.

Ms Waugh said Conn "stalked" the victim over the course of the night and told her to "shut up" when she asked him to stop attacking her.

Philip Morley, for Conn, disputed the prosecution's claims and said it was not a "true case of abduction" as the victim had "willingly" got out of the van and gone into the rapist's home.

'Very dark place'

In a statement read to the court, the victim said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and had been too afraid to leave her home in the aftermath.

She said it took her a long time to understand that she was not to blame for what happened, adding: "I cannot believe someone would do something so evil to me."

Judge Carolyn Scott said Conn's actions were "disgraceful" and the girl's pleas for him to stop had had "absolutely no effect" on the rapist.

Having been taken to Conn's house instead of her own, the teenager was "scared" and "completely out of her depth and unable to get herself out of the situation", the judge said.

The attack had had a "significant" impact on the victim and left her in a "very dark place", the judge said, adding she would "have to live with what you did to her for the rest of her life".

On the issue of whether it was an abduction in legal terms, which could have increased the sentence, Judge Scott said there was no doubt the girl had wanted to go home but "abduction envisages a different and more serious scenario", such as someone being bundled into a van and taken away.

A restraining order banning Conn from contacting the victim or making any reference to her on social media was also made and he must sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

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Jonathan Wright, 35, was issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after he was jailed for three years in 2019 for sexual activity with a male.

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A "misogynistic bully" who threatened to share intimate images of a woman he had raped has been jailed for 15 years.

Jordan Wagstaffe, 26, also beat his victim's dog with a baseball bat and threatened her children until she relented to his demands for sex, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The woman said Wagstaffe, of Richmond Street in Hartlepool, was a "dangerous" man, while Judge Jonathan Carroll said he posed a "high risk" to women.

Wagstaffe admitted threatening to publish sexual images of her and was found guilty of six other offences including multiple rapes.

Judge Carroll said Wagstaffe's actions were a "truly shocking example" of a "bullying male".

'Distorted' sexist

Wagtsaffe used "psychological torture", violence, which included striking her with the baseball bat, and deeply offensive insults to "grind down" her resistance to him, the judge said.

The rapist had shown a misogynistic sense of "absolute sexual entitlement" fuelled by his general attitudes towards women, Judge Carroll added.

In a statement read to the court, the woman said she was "devastated" by the impact Wagstaffe had had on her, adding he deserved imprisonment.

The judge said Wagstaffe was of low intelligence and, until he tackled his issues with alcohol and "distorted" and entrenched sexist beliefs, he would remain a "high risk" to the public and women in particular.

Having been deemed a dangerous offender, Wagstaffe will also have to serve a further three years on extended licence upon his eventual release from prison.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for life and abide by a restraining order, which includes a ban from entering his victim's home town, until he dies.

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A teenager who sexually abused three young girls will spend longer locked up after his sentence was increased.

Dominic Legg, of Hartlepool, carried out a series of sexual assaults and rapes on his victims over a four-year period leaving them suffering from the traumatic effects of his abuse, Teesside Crown Court heard in November.

The 19-year-old was sentenced to five years and nine months at a young offenders’ institute but will now spend eight years in custody after a Court of Appeal challenge.

Detective Inspector Lou Sproson from Hartlepool CID said: “I am pleased that Legg’s sentence has been increased to reflect the nature and severity of his offending. This is welcomed by the officers who investigated the case and by the victims and their families.

His victims ranged in age from under ten to 15 years old and took place when he was underage, with the abuse starting when he was around 12.

In victim impact statements, the three young victims and their families outlined the devastating effect that Legg’s sexual abuse had on them.

One wrote: “What Dominic Legg did to me physically and mentally broke me. This has had a massive impact on my life and I will hate myself forever for not doing anything sooner.

“I was a vulnerable little girl.”

Another victim wrote: “I have had to go through therapy because of what happened to me. I could not even speak the words of what Dominic did to me.

“I fear every day that it will happen to me again and find it hard to adjust to normal life.”

He was found guilty of 13 charges against the three victims including counts of rape, sexual assault, and engaging in sexual activity with a child after trial.

Legg, of Harrow Street, will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life and he was also given indefinite restraining orders preventing him from contacting the victims.

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Paul Sild, aged 34, from Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to more than 20 offences of sexual assault, possession of indecent images and extreme pornography.

Sild was arrested and charged by Hartlepool CID officers in June, after a number of women came forward to report incidents which had taken place on residential streets in the town in May.

Officers found that Sild had approached women who were unknown to him in the street and used a syringe to squirt them with a substance, which was found to contain traces of his DNA. He had filmed these assaults on his mobile phone, which he carried in a hollowed-out book to conceal it.

Following his arrest, officers found evidence of further sexual assaults which had not been reported to police, along with indecent images of children and extreme pornography on his mobile phone.

Sild received four-and-a-half years in prison, with an 18-month extended licence.

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A Hartlepool teenager has been jailed for committing sexual offences, including rape, which he committed on three victims over a long period of time.

Dominic Legg, 19, was convicted earlier this year of 13 sexual offences including four counts of rape and yesterday at Teesside Crown Court he was sentenced to five years and nine months in a young offenders’ institution.

He will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life and he was also given indefinite restraining orders preventing him from contacting the victims.

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A convicted child sex offender is back behind bars after he downloaded images of abuse on a mobile phone he was barred from possessing.

Gavin Thornton was caught with the sickening child abuse images and videos when specialist police officers carried out an impromptu search of his home.

The 44-year-old was caught with more than 7,000 indecent images of children with more than 600 in the worst legal category.

Cole Cockburn, prosecuting, said the defendant was caught with images in September 2022 and again earlier this year when police searched his home.

He said: “In September 2022, police searched his home and discovered a number of electrical devices, including a laptop and a smartphone, which there then analysed.

“The images featured children as young as four subjected to various forms of sexual abuse.”

The court heard how the defendant was released on bail but continued to download child sexual abuse images.

He was convicted of similar offences in January this year and was given a suspended prison sentence.

Mr Cockburn said the defendant was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and notification requirement order as the result of the earlier conviction.

The court heard how Thornton had failed to register a new smart phone and a number of aliases he was using to contact people online.

Thornton, formerly of Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to breaching his SHPO, breaching the conditions of his notification requirement order, six charges of making indecent images of children and one of distributing an indecent image of a child.

Nigel Soppitt, mitigating, said his client had spent ten months in custody since his arrest which is the equivalent of a 20-month prison sentence.

He added: “In the short time from the order being imposed and his offending, he had engaged enthusiastically with the probation service and there were no problems at all in that respect.

“He is a man who plainly wants to avoid this compulsion he has.”

Judge Jonathan Carroll locked the convicted sex offender up for a total of two years and eight months for all offences after he activated his previous suspended sentence for the 'high risk' offender.

“You have already had two sets of previous offences, all of a similar type,” he said.

“When the police officer attended your home, you had two opportunities to make a clean breast of the situation, you were still committing offences.

“It is clear to me that you are at a level of risk which cannot be safely managed in the community.”