Search results for Hertfordshire

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A former Met police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman and abusing his powers to access a restricted report about his victim on police systems.

Ireland Murdock, 26, has been convicted for raping a woman in September 2021, after yesterday's trial at Inner London Crown Court.

In January 2022, four months after the rape occurred, Murdock's victim reported the crime to the police.

After the crime was reported, Murdock ran his victim's name through the police system without authorisation and was subsequently dismissed from the force for what was found to be gross misconduct in July 2022.

Chief Supt Andy Carter, the head of the unit Murdock worked in, said: "Murdock committed an absolutely atrocious offence, and caused his victim a lot of pain and fear. He betrayed everything we stand for and I am disgusted by his actions.

"We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

"I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty."

The news of his conviction follows the sentencing of former Met Officer David Carrick for 42 counts of rape in February, as well as the publication of the Casey report in March, wherein one officer said the findings showed rape is 'basically legalised' in the Metropolitan police.

A suspended Met officer is also being sentenced in Westminster today after being convicted for repeatedly stalking a woman he met while on duty.

Chief Supt Carter added of the conviction: "We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation."

Murdock will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on May 23.

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A registered sex offender who ‘stole a huge chunk’ of his victim’s life has been sentenced at Luton Crown Court to more than six years in prison.

Malcom Graham, 75, of Skegness Road, Stevenage, took advantage of his friendship with a woman, sexually assaulting her in her own home while she slept in 2018. The victim disclosed the offence to Bedfordshire Police in 2019, and an investigation was launched.

Graham was already on the Sex Offender’s Register after a sexual assault conviction in the 1980s. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Thursday February 9.

He was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison, with an extended three years and six months on license. In an impact statement from the victim shared in court, she said: "The flashbacks I had about the night it happened were unbearable.

"I would regularly have night terrors which would result in me screaming out in my sleep... That man ruined and stole a huge chunk of our lives. Although we can never forget what that monster put us through, we are working on a better life without him in it."

Detective Sergeant Amy Hawkes from Bedfordshire Police said: "This was a predatory attack by a man who posed as a friend to prey on a woman in her own home. During the investigation, Graham denied the incident was non-consensual stating, ‘she did not say no’.

"However, consent means agreeing to what's happening by choice and having the freedom and ability to make or change that choice. During the incident, some people may feel pressured, scared and they may even freeze, which makes them unable to make a free choice, and that is still a crime.

"I want to thank the victim for finding the courage to come forward and for remaining supportive of the investigation over several years. I would also like to extend my thanks to her husband for the unwavering support he has shown her.

"This case demonstrates convictions are possible for sexual assaults, no matter who the offender is, when they took place or when they were reported." Reports of sexual assault, even if non-recent, can be made to the police by calling 101 or online. Always call 999 in an emergency.

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A man has been jailed having pleaded guilty to sexual offences against children, including rape.

Colin Phillips, aged 56, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, has been jailed for 10 years for the crimes.

Mr Phillips appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, February 9, where he was given a total custody sentence of 14 years (10 years custodial and four years licence).

Additionally, he was added to the sex offenders’ register and placed under a sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Sergeant Dan Osborne, of the Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “A dangerous offender has been removed from the community and put behind bars for despicable behaviour towards children.

“I’d like to highlight the bravery of the victims and families who have supported the investigation to help bring Phillips to justice.”

Mr Phillips was arrested on Thursday, November 3, 2022, and charged with rape of a child under 13 and three counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

He was also charged with four counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of making indecent images of a child.

The offences took place between February 2022 and July 2022.

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This is the first picture of a man who subjected a woman to a terrifying sex attack after pushing his way into her home. Before she escaped the victim was threatened with being stabbed in the throat by Mohammed Ismail.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Ismail had gone to the victim's address in the early hours of July 22 this year where he 'hugged and pestered her'. He returned some hours later and after forcing his way in told her to sit on the bed and produced £100 and offered it to her saying she was "his girl," said Harinderpal Dhami, prosecuting.

He then pushed her down on the bed and tried to kiss her neck, face and lips but she managed to struggle free and tried to flee from the room but the defendant pulled her back by her hair, at which point he picked up a lock knife and threatened to stab her. "He tried to pull her on top of him and then he got on top of her. He threatened her again, threatening to stab her in the throat," said Mr Dhami.

The victim did, though, eventually manage to run out of the room and sought help from a friend. In a statement she said that she suffered flashbacks and that she had had to move as a result of what happened. In passing sentence, Judge Andrew Smith KC said: "I am sure it was clear to you from the early hours that she did not want your attentions. Despite that several hours later you pushed your way into her bedroom.

"I am entirely satisfied you would not have stopped had she not escaped." He said it had been a "sustained and plainly terrifying" attack for which there was no justification. Ismail, 35, of Aston Lane, Aston, who had previously admitted a charge of sexual assault, was jailed for two years and three months. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Robert Tolhurst, defending, said Ismail had come to the UK from Somalia without a father figure as a refugee from civil war and that he suffered from PTSD, depression and anxiety.

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Brave victim's evidence means the 'predatory sex offender' will now serve a long sentence.

A serving police officer is facing a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty of raping a girl under the age of 13 and of wiping his phone to try to pervert the course of justice. James Ford, 31, of Hertfordshire Police, was found guilty of 10 counts of sexual abuse against the same child following less than a day of deliberation by jurors at Cambridge Crown Court.

The bearded defendant, formerly of Bishop’s Stortford, was found guilty of four counts of rape, four of sexual assault and two of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity. He was also found guilty of carrying out an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice, in that he “deliberately wiped his phone by factory resetting his Samsung Mobile phone”.

The offences, which had been denied by the defendant, who served as an intervention officer, happened between 2019 and 2021. Hertfordshire Police said Ford was suspended from duties in November last year.

The judge in the case, Mr Justice Simon Bryan, remanded Ford in custody ahead of sentencing on Friday. Releasing jurors, he told them that Ford was “obviously going to have a lengthy custodial sentence – the sentence will be determined by me on Friday”.

Hertfordshire Police said that when allegations emerged, the case was independently investigated by specialist officers based within the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU) at Cambridgeshire Police. The matter was also referred to police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct, and the force’s Professional Standards Department.

Ford, a serving officer, joined the force in December 2019 and was originally based in East Hertfordshire as a uniformed response officer, Hertfordshire Police said. Detective Inspector Susie Hine, who heads the Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU) at Cambridgeshire Police, paid tribute to the “courage and bravery” of the child.

“Through the victim’s powerful testimony, the jury were left in no doubt and now a predatory sex offender is behind bars,” she said. “Cases of this nature are both disturbing and upsetting and I want to reassure the public, there is no place for an offender to hide no matter who they are.In this case it was a serving police officer who now faces the custodial consequences of his appalling actions.”

Detective Constable Mark Williamson, the officer in the case, said: “Ford has shown no remorse for his actions and it’s a credit to the victim that the jury saw beyond his lies. I would encourage victims of child abuse to reach out to police or support agencies to get the help and support they need, no matter when the offence occurred.

“Ford faces a significant prison sentence for his crimes which I hope gives a sense of justice to the victim and their family.”

Hertfordshire Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: “James Ford took advantage of a vulnerable victim in the most appalling way and his behaviour will have devastated those involved. Thankfully, due to the bravery of the victim and the due diligence of the officers investigating, he will now serve time in prison which is where he belongs. I am disgusted by his actions and he will face a fast track hearing for dismissal.”

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A man faces 16 months behind bars after he was caught masturbating in front of a woman on the London Underground, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Terence Emberson, 55, and of Church Road, Hertford, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 July, where he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent exposure and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which he was given for another exposure offence in 2020.

On Monday 15 August Emberson was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

At around 7pm on Wednesday 1 June, Emberson boarded a Victoria Line train at Tottenham Hale station and the victim noticed him staring in the direction of two other women on the carriage.

He then turned towards her and exposed his genitals, staring at her while he masturbated in front of her.

Officers quickly matched the victims account and description of the offender to Emberson, evidencing a breach of his SHPO which prohibited him from lowering or unzipping his trousers in any public place. He was later arrested at his home.

BTP Detective Constable Emma Martin, said: Im pleased to see Emberson behind bars for his sickening actions which left the victim horrified.

Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are given to protect the public, and Embersons blatant disregard of this proves his predatory mindset.

No one should be subjected to this behaviour as they travel, and we are absolutely committed to stamping it out.

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"He attempted to arrange for the most horrific abuse of vulnerable children thousands of miles away from him for his own gratification" A Northern Ireland born comedian who paid criminals to sexually abuse children has been jailed. Eamon Goodfellow, originally from Lurgan, Co Armagh, was sentenced to four years and nine months after he was convicted of paying for and directing the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines and Romania. The 50-year-old, who had been living in St Albans in Hertfordshire, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers on June 14, 2018 and all of his electronic devices seized for analysis. The NCA says a number of chat logs were recovered which showed Goodfellow discussing the abuse of children with facilitators, one of whom was based in the Philippines and the other in Romania. In a statement issued on Thursday, they added: In the chats, Goodfellow was shown to be actively seeking children under 13-years-old. When a child at the right age was identified, he would direct the facilitators to perform certain sexual acts on the children with a view to live-streaming the offending. Evidence showed that he sent payment to the facilitators to carry out the abuse. He was found guilty of two counts of attempting to cause the sexual exploitation of a child under 13 at St Albans Crown Court on 12 April following a six day trial. He was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison. Goodfellow is also subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders register for life. The Daily Mirror reported previously how video clips of the the sex offenders comedy showed him joking about another young comedian being too ugly for child-molesting Moors murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. The reported added that he was a runner-up in the 2019 New Act of the Year Final and had performed at the Edinburgh fringe. Speaking today, Martin Ludlow from the National Crime Agency said: Goodfellow made it very clear that he has sexual interest in young children in these chat logs. He attempted to arrange for the most horrific abuse of vulnerable children thousands of miles away from him for his own gratification. He was helped by facilitators whose motive is to make money. This kind of financially-driven offending is a key threat to the UK. The NCA works with international law enforcement partners to safeguard children, as well as to identify and disrupt those willing to fund and carry out this abuse. The NCA has an excellent relationship with agencies in the Philippines and actively supports the work of the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC).

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A sex offender from Hertfordshire assaulted his victim while she slept on a sofa.

The incident occurred in October 2017, when Richard Newman sexually assaulted his female victim after she had fallen asleep.

The victim later called 999 and Newman was arrested, but denied the allegations made against him.

The 51-year-old from High Street, Reed - near Royston - appeared at Luton Crown Court on Friday (June 24).

There he was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, after being found guilty of sexual assault and sexual assault by penetration.

Detective Sergeant Amy Farmer, from Hertfordshire Police's Sexual Offences Investigation Team (SOIT), said: "Newman despicably took advantage of the victim as she slept.

"She was so traumatised by what had happened, that she was initially unable to speak during her 999 call to police as she could not stop crying.

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Macaulay Brown has been sentenced to 11 years and 6 months behind bars after being found guilty of a number of sexual offences.

The 26-year-old, from Therfield near Royston, was arrested on October 18 2018, following an incident at an address in Hitchin.

The victim told officers she was awoken by Brown touching her and then raping her while he believed she was still asleep.

Another victim then came forward alleging that Brown had sexually assaulted her under similar circumstances at a house in Cambridge in December 2017.

The victim had spent the evening at her home address in Bassingbourn with a number of friends, one of them being Brown.

The victim went to bed and woke up to find Brown sexually assaulting her.

Brown denied both offences but was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of sexual assault at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday, March 16.

He appeared for sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court this morning (April 25), where he was sentenced to 11 years and 6 months in prison.

Both Hertfordshire Constabulary and Cambridgeshire Constabulary have specially trained officers who, in the event of a sexual offence, will provide practical and emotional support throughout the investigation and court process.

Survivors of sexual violence can have confidence that the police and other partner agencies will support them throughout the investigation and criminal justice process.

DC Caroline Niwaz said: I hope Brown uses his time in prison to reflect on his actions, which have understandably had a lasting impact on his victims.

I would like to commend them for their bravery in coming forward and supporting a conviction.

I hope this prison sentence gives them some sense of closure and justice.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of any form of sexual abuse to report it to police.

Please be assured that we will always treat you with the utmost sensitivity and respect.

Anyone in Hertfordshire who has experienced sexual abuse or sexual violence can contact the Herts Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for practical and emotional support.

The centre can arrange face-to-face support, sexual health referrals, and provide forensic medical examinations for those who want them.

This service is open to everyone men, women and young people, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred.

To contact Herts SARC, call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 178 4448, email, or visit Herts SARC.

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A MET Police detective has been found guilty of trying to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex when he was "on duty working from home". DC Francois Olwage, 52, travelled 75 miles to meet "Caitlin", who was actually an undercover officer after grooming the person online. Police found two condoms, a bottle of lubricant and a packet of Tadalafil erectile dysfunction tablets in his bag when they arrested him in a McDonalds in Basingstoke, Hampshire. A box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates was also found, thought to be a present for the "girl", and he was about to buy a McFlurry for her. Paedo Olwage had been on-duty and working from home when he made the journey from his home in Stevenage, Herts, in October. The Met Police counter-terrorism officer went to meet the "girl" after revealing sex acts he wanted to perform on her during two weeks of explicit messaging. The undercover officer called the girl Smile Bear on online chat forum Lycos, before they moved onto Whatsapp and called her Caitlin. Olwage, a serving police officer of 19 years, had booked a hotel room for the meeting. Winchester crown court found him guilty of three child sex offences. Met Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith said last year his arrest followed a comprehensive investigation by Hertfordshire Police. Olwage told the jury he never believed Smile Bear was a 13-year-old girl and that he thought it was an adult playing out a fantasy. The sex offender also denied any sexual interest in children. He was today found guilty of attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause/incite a girl aged 13 to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming. He admitted improperly exercising his police powers and privileges to receive the "benefit of sexual gratification" when the trial started. Judge Jane Miller QC ordered the jury to find him not guilty of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. He will be remanded in custody and sentenced this month. The Sun approached the Met Police for comment.

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Jordan Hubbock was released on licence while serving a sentence for raping three people, but cut off his electronic tag and went to ground in Essex for a month A convicted rapist from Bushey, near Watford, considered "high risk" was at large in Essex for a month after he cut off his electronic tag following his release from prison. Jordan Hubbock was put in jail after his conviction in 2014 for raping three people, one of whom was a child under the age of 16. Hubbock, 26, committed the crimes between 2011 and 2013 and was released from prison on licence in 2021 and fitted with an electronic tag to track his movements, EssexLive reports. He was also listed on the Sex Offenders' Register, requiring him to inform police of his address, telephone numbers, credit cards and social media accounts. However, shortly after his release to the Basildon area in Essex, and later Barking, Hubbock cut off his tag. Essex Police was informed that he was a "high risk" sexual offender and a manhunt was launched, which included appeals on social media. Hubbock went to ground in February last year, and it was not until March 18 that he was found by police searching an address, where he had been hiding behind a sunbed. Hubbock was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday (March 9) for breaching notification requirements. Prosecuting, Mitchell Cohen said: "He had failed to notify police that he was using an application called Kik, and he had been using that in a different name by which he was generally known. "The fourth breach relates to a credit card. "It was a determined and long-lasting attempt to evade. It caused a great deal of harm when he was declared a high-risk offender." Mr Cohen said police had located the broken electronic tag that had been dumped in a bin by Hubbock. Mitigating, Chris Harper said Hubbock had taken full responsibility for his actions and admitted his guilt, but the use of a different name was not a "deliberate attempt" to evade and was actually his mother's maiden name. He added: "He hasn't understood the requirements that he should have. That's no excuse, the obligation is on him but it does put this into context. He accepts his behaviour was wrong." Mr Harper added Hubbock was undertaking a business economics degree from the Open University whilst in prison. Judge Samantha Leigh told Hubbock: "It was a determined effort to evade detection. You were off the record for a month. You were eventually tracked by telephone data through your family." Hubbock was jailed for 30 months, however, this will run alongside his recall to prison to serve the remainder of his original sentence, which is expected to last until at least January 2027.

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A 32-year-old man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for rape whilst at a Bucks pub. Matthew Clayden, aged 32, of Norfolk Road, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty to rape and sexual assault at Amersham Crown Court on Monday (February 21). Last year, on August 27, the victim went to a pub in Aylesbury for drinks with some friends. When Clayden was alone with the victim, he kissed her, touched her breasts, and forced her to perform oral sex. He has now been put on the sex offenders register for life. Investigating officer, Detective Constable Laura Wright, based at Aylesbury police station, said: This is a suitable conviction for a serious crime committed against a vulnerable young woman, who was having some drinks with friends. The victim, in this case, has been extremely strong throughout this investigation and hopefully she and her family are happy that justice has been served against the offender.

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Prosecutors are seeking jail terms totalling 220 years for Ben David, 32, who is accused of targeting more than 30 children in a complex "web of deceit" A paedophile teacher who changed his name to cheat background checks has been accused of targeting more than 30 children. Ben David also allegedly changed the numbers on one of his two passports to worm his way into the lives of more than 30 seven and eight-year-old girls he is accused of abusing at one school alone. Prosecutors are seeking jail terms totalling 220 years for the 32-year-old pervert over the complex web of deceit said to have led to photos of youngsters ending up on dark web child sex sites. Convicted in the UK as Ben Lewis, he was given a suspended jail term in 2016, after admitting downloading indecent images of children. He then changed his name by deed poll online a 15-minute process and moved to Zaragoza and then Madrid, Spain. It is claimed he continued to reoffend after tricking the parents of three children into hiring him as their au pair. Prosecutors also allege he filmed an act which targeted one of the unsuspecting youngsters in his care. They say he acted with contempt for child dignity and the most elemental norms of respect for infancy. The Hertfordshire-born deviant is also accused of taking indecent pictures of 31 schoolgirls. He has been charged with making child abuse images, privacy offences, forgery and a crime of degrading treatment between 2016 and 2019. His trial date has not yet been confirmed.

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A former Stevenage-based police officer has been jailed after pleading guilty to corruption and making of indecent images of children.

Ben Pitelen, 45, was suspended from Hertfordshire Constabulary in July 2020 when the offences came to light, and dismissed from the force at a special hearing last September.

Pitelen - who was based with the Roads Policing Unit at Stevenage - appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court last Friday and was sentenced to 25 months in prison.

The police corruption matter relates to inappropriate sexual communication with a third party.

He joined the constabulary in 2000 and worked solely in uniform roles. He was a response constable from 2000 to 2004 when he moved to roads policing and remained until these matters came to light.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Matt Nicholls said: These are very serious offences involving an officer who has betrayed the trust placed in him in an appalling way.

"I hope the public is reassured by our continued efforts to tackle corruption in the service and bring offenders to justice.

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A FORMER Wakefield teacher has been jailed after being convicted of sexual activity with a child. Jonathan Adamson, 33, of Lockley Crescent, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, was sentenced on Monday, December 6, to seven years imprisonment. He was also put on the sex offenders register indefinitely and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He was convicted following a trial at Leeds Crown Court of four counts of sexual activity with a child and pleaded guilty at the start of the trial to one further count of sexual activity with a child. The offences occurred a number of years ago and were against one teenage girl. Adamson worked as a teacher at the time of the offences. DI Suzanne Gall, of Wakefield Child Safeguarding Unit, said: Adamson has groomed his victim and sexually assaulted her on a number of occasions. His actions were predatory and took advantage of a vulnerable victim. "I welcome the custodial sentence he has been given and hope it provides the victim with some closure after she was forced to relive the offences he committed against her at trial when he refused to accept his guilt. These offences were reported a couple of years after they occurred and I hope it demonstrates that the police and CPS can, and will, still investigate and prosecute such offences where possible.