Latest Offenders Hull

Description

A heavy-drinking pervert who was caught by online paedophile hunters on two separate occasions was suddenly confronted at Hull railway station after he arrived there to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Lee Whitelam, who had regularly been drinking two or three litres of cider a day, thought that the non-existent girl was travelling up from Gloucester to meet him for sex. But he got a nasty shock when he was detained by the online safety group and the encounter was live-streamed on Facebook.

He pleaded with the paedophile hunters not to alert the police, having already been duped with a fake 13-year-old girl during a previous incident, Hull Crown Court heard. Whitelam, 40, of Harley Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

Eleanor Mitten, prosecuting, said that the earlier incident happened after an online child protection group set up the profile of a fake 13-year-old girl. She was contacted by Whitelam in May 2022 and the messages quickly became sexual.

The non-existent girl sent a clothed picture supposedly of herself and Whitelam replied: "Nice body you have – and assets." He asked her for more pictures and he told her: "Shame you're 13 because would love to get naughty with you."

Whitelam repeatedly suggested meeting and asked whether she was willing to have sex. "The defendant spoke about what he would do if she came round," said Miss Mitten. Whitelam continued to make references to sexual activity.

The second set of offences happened from January 27 this year when Whitelam sent a friend request to a decoy profile of a 14-year-old girl, which was also set up by an online vigilante group. She accepted and messages were exchanged.

She said that she was 14 and he at first sent non-sexual pictures, but he later sent an explicit picture of himself and asked her: "Can I join you and keep you warm, babe?" Whitelam joked about "naughty pics lol".

Arrangements were made for her to visit him in Hull from where she was supposedly living in Gloucester. "He told her that she could stay with him," said Miss Mitten. He said that he would buy beer or cider for her visit and he made references to them having sex. He told her: "A couple of ciders may help you, lol."

Arrangements for her to travel to Hull were made on February 3 and Whitelam told the fake girl: "Just don't say nothing because I don't want to go to jail, lol."

They were due to meet at Hull railway station at 1.45pm and Whitelam sent pictures of himself to the girl so that she would know what he looked like. The online protection team detained him at a Costa Coffee shop in the station and they walked him out of the area.

Whitelam claimed that he was just going to take the girl shopping. "The incident was live-streamed on Facebook," said Miss Mitten. Whitelam denied having any sexual interest in children and he pleaded with the four members of the online group not to telephone the police as he had a suspended prison sentence.

His backpack was removed and two bags of cannabis were found inside it. During police interview, he made no comment to all questions.

Whitelam was in breach of three suspended sentences, including one of 14 months suspended and another of four months suspended. They had been imposed in November 2021 for possessing a knife and threatening behaviour. He also breached a 10-month suspended sentence made in 2020 for arson.

Description

A convicted sex offender who lived in a tent in woods got himself in hot water after he repeatedly failed to register his details with the police – because it was too far to walk.

Daniel Waddington was desperate to "remove" himself from society completely and lived "four miles from anywhere else". But he often could not be bothered "to tell the police where he was actually living".

He claimed that the reason that he sometimes did not go to the police station was because it was an hour to walk there and an hour to walk back, Hull Crown Court heard. Waddington, 29, of Lansdowne Road, Bridlington, admitted failing to comply with his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender and breaching a community order.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said that Waddington had been convicted in March 2021 of three offences of making indecent images of children and he had been given a three-year community order, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 90-day sex offender treatment programme.

Waddington had been given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and had been ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. The offences involved him searching for "jailbait teens" and "school girls", as well as "young teen porn".

Waddington was homeless at the time of his conviction, but he had to tell police every seven days where he was living and where he could be found. He failed to do so on February 15 and 22 last year and, after that, his compliance was "sporadic" and he failed to notify his details on March 21 and 28 last year.

Waddington again failed to do so on April 10. He later told police that he understood the requirements but he had been homeless and this made it difficult to attend because he did not have transport and it was a long way for him to walk from where he was living, especially as he had a bad knee at the time.

Waddington admitted that he had received text messages from the police, but he had ignored them. He had breached the community order three times, missing appointments on August 22 and on September 12 and 18. "He has failed to attend since," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

His overall compliance was "poor" and he had shown a lack of motivation, despite attempts by the probation service to be flexible. Waddington had attended only 86 of 140 appointments.

Harry Bradford, mitigating, said that the breaches were accepted by Waddington and they had been like a "Damocles sword" hanging over him. At the time, Waddington was homeless and suffering problems.

"He had removed himself from society as far as he could to get away," said Mr Bradford. "He lived in a wooded area in a tent four miles from anywhere else.

"To walk to the police station was an hour there and an hour back. Essentially, he buried his head in the sand. He was turning down support from professionals and he had removed himself as far as he could from society.

"Inch by inch, he has clawed his way back into society as best he can. He has stable accommodation for the first time in a long time. The person who did those breaches is not the same person who sits at the back of court.

"He had terrible compliance previously. He is trying to get his life back together. He is in a position to be engaging more with the probation service."

Waddington was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence and 15 days' rehabilitation. The sexual harm prevention order and the notification requirements will continue. Judge Tahir Khan KC told Waddington: "You haven't knuckled down and done the work you should have done."

Description

Three men who raped a woman who thought she had got into a registered taxi will be sentenced in April.

The woman got into a car after a night out with friends in Hull city centre on 30 July.

Bakhtullah Safi and Habibullah Ahmadzai, both 18 and of Wellsted Street, Hull were found guilty of rape at Hull Crown Court.

Kehan Safi, 26, of Wellington Lane, Hull, pleaded guilty to rape at an earlier hearing.

CCTV footage showed the woman walking along Ferensway when she entered the car and travelled off in the direction of Hull Royal Infirmary.

During the course of the journey, Ahmadzai, Bakhtullah Safi and Kehan Safi, carried out their attack before requesting a 20 taxi fare.

The woman refused to pay and fled to safety.

Sexual predators

Det Con Ashley Webster from Humberside Police said the defendants had shown "no remorse" for their actions.

They are what I can only describe as sexual predators who subjected a lone woman who had just been on a night out with friends, to a horrific and utterly traumatising ordeal.

"This was a truly disturbing case and Im pleased these men are now behind bars and are being punished for this horrific attack."

The gang will be sentenced at Hull Crown Court on 2 April.

Description

A convicted sex offender who left the United Kingdom and went abroad later returned illegally to this country in an inflatable boat along with 50 other people, including his wife and children.

The boat was intercepted as it entered UK territorial waters and he ended up being brought from Kent to Hull to live in a hotel. Fingerprint checks revealed his previous conviction, Hull Crown Court heard.

Talib Rasul, 47, of Beverley Road, Hull, admitted attempting to enter the United Kingdom without a valid entry clearance on May 17.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that Rasul, an Iraqi national, was arrested after trying to enter the UK along with 50 others on an inflatable boat that set off from the French coast.

It was intercepted by the UK authorities before it reached this country's territorial waters. He was taken to a holding facility in Kent and was transferred to a hotel in Hull.

During interview on July 4, he made no comment to questions. Checks on him revealed that he had previously entered the UK before October 2003. He had been convicted of a sexual offence, indecent assault, in February 2005. The offence was committed in October 2003.

"It was suspected that the defendant must have left the UK of his own volition some time after his conviction," said Mr Hammersley.

"During this time, he was not known to the Home Office and there was no record of entry clearance so the defendant must have been here illegally."

The 50 others on the boat included members of Rasul's family. "He wasn't driving the boat," said Mr Hammersley.

"There is no evidence of him engaging in criminal activity or attempting to do so. He was clearly making a genuine asylum claim."

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that, at the time, Rasul immediately raised an asylum claim and that was still ongoing. "He is an asylum seeker," said Mr Shipley.

"A trial was listed. I made it clear that it would never have been a trial. Bail was granted, with a reporting condition, on August 14. He has been reporting to Clough Road police station every day since then.

"He isn't a flight risk. He is here with his wife of 17 years. He lives here with his four children."

Judge Megan Rhys told Rasul: "You were on an inflatable boat which contained 51 people. That boat was intercepted as it entered United Kingdom territorial waters. You were one of the 51 people who were on board.

"Fingerprint checks showed that you had previously entered the United Kingdom without clearance. It's of note that you were the only person on that boat who has been prosecuted.

"You came here with your wife and children. An asylum application was made shortly after you arrived and, as a result of that application, arrangements have been made leading to you and your family being housed in temporary accommodation in Hull."

Rasul spent six weeks in custody on remand before he was given bail. "An immediate custodial sentence would have a harmful impact on your wife and children," said Judge Rhys.

Rasul was given a six-month suspended prison sentence but with no requirements.

Description

A "predator" who followed a teenage girl along a quiet country road has been described as a "dangerous man" by the victim's family.

Convicted sex offender Barrie Hill started following the girl in his camper van when he spotted her walking alone after midnight. He subjected the girl to a shocking and frightening ordeal when she realised to her horror that he was repeatedly driving up and down. She claimed that he stopped his van, got out and shone a torch into her face.

Speaking after Hill was jailed at Hull Crown Court, the girl's stepfather – who came to her rescue and confronted Hill – said: "We are all pleased that he was jailed. He's a dangerous man off the streets."

Hill, 57, of Swanland, denied breaching a sexual harm prevention order by following, harassing and intimidating a female, but he was convicted by a jury after a trial. He was branded a "true predator" by the prosecution.

The court heard how the girl had "sneaked out" of her Holderness home after an argument with family members. The first thing that they knew about it was when she telephoned them in sheer terror.

She saw a van driving up the road and it stopped in front of her and pulled into a lay-by. The converted camper van, driven by Hill, went up and down the road five times, the court was told.

The girl claimed that Hill got out of the van and followed her after she tried to escape into a field. He went into the field after her and he shone a torch in her face as tried to retreat further away.

Hill denied that he was following the girl or that he shone a torch in her face. During cross-examination, the defence asked the girl: "The driver of the van says that he did not get out of the van and shine a torch in your face. Is he telling the truth about that?" She replied: "No."

The girl's stepfather told the jury that she called at about midnight. He answered the phone and it immediately became obvious that she was in distress.

She told him: "Help me, help me. I am being followed." The man told the court: "I leapt out of bed." He asked her: "Where are you? Where are you?"

She was a mile away. "I started running downstairs," he said. "I ran out of the door and jumped in the car."

The stepfather said that he told the girl: "I am on my way. I won't be long. Stay there." He added: "I saw some headlights in the distance facing me." The girl, who was still on the phone, told him: "That's the van."

'I know what you're doing'

The stepfather told the jury: "I was very angry. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know how many people were in the van. I pulled directly across the road, so I was right next to his driver's door."

He confronted the man and said: "I know what you are doing." The man did not respond. "He looked shocked and surprised that he had been approached by me and quite shocked, I would think."

The stepfather followed the van, which had driven away, in order to get its registration number. The stepfather shouted at Hill: "I know what you are doing. I know what you are up to."

The stepfather said that Hill told him: "I'm lost. My sat-nav's not working." The next morning, the stepfather spoke to the police. Hill was later arrested.

Convicted sex offender

The court heard that Hill had previous convictions for indecent assault, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a convicted sex offender. The sexual harm prevention order, given at Caernarfon Crown Court in 2017, followed a series of incidents in North Wales, in which he left women upset and shaken by making crude and inappropriate sexual comments.

He had been ordered not to approach any lone women and not to offer her a lift in his vehicle, or to give or offer any woman a massage. A judge had told him: "You are more than a pest. You are potentially a predatory individual unable to stop yourself behaving inappropriately towards young females."

Hill was later jailed for 26 weeks for breaching the order. At another hearing before Caernarfon Crown Court in October 2018, he was locked up for one year for further breaches.

Following the guilty verdict at Hull Crown Court, Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said that Hill was the carer for his mother, who was suffering from a serious illness. He was registered disabled and would find prison difficult.

He had been on bail during the trial. No mitigation was offered for the offence because he had fought a trial. Hill was jailed for four years.

Following sentencing the girl's stepfather told Hull Live that, had Hill's motives been entirely innocent, he would have asked the girl if she was all right. Instead, he had said nothing to her during the terrifying incident.

The stepfather said he believed that the encounter could have ended up a lot worse than it did. And he questioned why, in view of Hill's history of sexual offending and breaching court orders, he had been on bail during the trial.

Description

A convicted sex offender who had twice been spared prison in just eight months completely ignored the chances that he was given and soon started sending highly sexualised messages to a decoy 12-year-old girl.

Heavy drinker Brian Greenaway thought that he was talking to a real girl and he sent explicit pictures of himself to her. He even warned her that she ought to be careful who she chatted to online because she was young, Hull Crown Court heard.

Greenaway, 58, of Spring Bank West, Hull, admitted attempting to engage in sexual contact with a child, attempting to invite a child to engage in sexual activity and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that a member of an online anti-child abuse group became aware of communications by Greenaway with a decoy 12-year-old girl on Facebook and then WhatsApp between September 1 and 4 last year.

Greenaway used his correct name and said that he was 57. His profile contained details about him and it included his date of birth and his home city. These correctly matched Greenaway's actual details.

He sent a clothed picture of himself, saying "That's me" and he warned the fake girl: "Just be careful who you chat with on here." He told her "You're young" and asked if she had a boyfriend.

Greenaway contacted her again and said: "Hi, it's Brian". The conversations became more sexualised and he started using more graphic language. He told her where to find an intimate part of her body, but he asked her to delete the messages, saying it was "because I'm an adult and you're a minor".

He sent a picture of his private parts to the decoy girl and he asked her for an intimate picture of herself. He also sent a video of himself committing a sex act and he talked about sexual matters.

He was arrested on September 6 and his phone was seized. He had convictions for 80 previous offences, including indecently assaulting a girl and gross indecency with a girl.

He also had convictions for failing to register his details as a sex offender in 2003 and 2005 and engaging in sexual communication with a child in West Park in January last year, when he was given a suspended six-month prison sentence and ordered to register as a sex offender for seven years.

He was back in court in August last year for breaching the order, but it was allowed to continue. The latest offences were in breach of that order.

'Lonely and naive'

Hannah Turner, mitigating, said that the offences took place over a short period of time spanning seven days and Greenaway admitted that there was a "disparity of age" between him and the fake girl. He had a worrying list of previous convictions, but he was lonely, naive and perhaps vulnerable at the time.

He had shown significant remorse for his actions. "He has readily acknowledged that he has a problem with alcohol," said Miss Turner.

Judge Mark Bury told Greenaway: "You contacted who you thought was a 12-year-old girl. Before very long, the conversation became more sinister and sexual. You knew what you were doing because you asked her to delete your conversations.

"There was no actual harm done to any child because there wasn't one. It was a decoy. I can't ignore your intention. You knew full well that you were talking to a 12-year-old girl and you were instructing her to carry out sexual acts for your own sexual gratification.

"This wasn't just once but a number of times, albeit over a short period of time. The time now has come where you have to serve a prison sentence.

"You haven't complied with the suspended sentence order. You have reoffended. You fully believed that it was a real 12-year-old. You were sending to her pornographic pictures."

Greenaway, who was already in custody on remand, was jailed for two years and four months. The sentence included a consecutive six months after the suspended sentence from last year was activated. The phone will be forfeited.

Approached children in West Park

At a previous hearing in August, the court heard that Greenaway landed himself in hot water after going to probation service meetings while "under the influence of alcohol" and drinking while he was there. He was also "making sexual innuendos to people" and it "could not be more ironic" that he was doing that in view of why he was actually there, the court heard that day.

Greenaway had originally been spared prison for making completely inappropriate sexually charged comments to children in West Park, Hull. He had admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child at the park in 2020.

Greenaway had been brought back before the court in August when he admitted breaching the order. He either failed to attend the Horizon sex offender programme or had been drinking before doing so. He attended while under the influence of alcohol and then drank while he was there.

Description

Undercover police trapped a pervert who was looking for "friends with benefits" when he started having explicit X-rated online conversations with a decoy 12-year-old girl.

Michal Warchol could not stop thinking about the girl and he bombarded her with messages calling her "babe", "beautiful" and "hot" in a bid to lure her into having sex with him, Hull Crown Court heard.

Warchol, 26, of the Orchard Park estate, Hull, admitted attempting to communicate sexually with a child and attempting to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Richard Butters, prosecuting, said that undercover police set up a online profile in the name of a 12-year-old girl supposedly living in Hull. On January 6, 2022, Warchol made contact with the non-existent girl.

"He introduced himself as a 24-year-old from the Orchard Park area," said Mr Butters. Warchol said that he was looking for "friends with benefits" and he gave her his mobile phone number.

Online conversations took place between January 6 and February 7, 2022. "It was lengthy and sexual," said Mr Butters. On January 17, 2022, Warchol told the fake girl that he could not stop thinking about her and wanted to talk to her.

"The defendant kept engaging in conversations where he called her 'sexy' and used the words 'babe', 'beautiful' and 'hot'," said Mr Butters. "He used those words throughout the month to January 26." Warchol told the decoy girl: "We'll take you somewhere nice and hoping to get lucky on the end."

He later confirmed to her that he meant that they would go out for drinks and, if she wanted, he would have sex with her. He sent intimate selfie pictures of himself with explicit captions.

Warchol, who is Polish, had convictions for 13 previous offences but nothing for similar matters. The most recent was in 2020.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, mitigating, said that Warchol acted out of character. "He is remorseful and apologises for his offending," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

"At the time, he was living rather a chaotic lifestyle." He was now seeking further work.

Judge Tahir Khan KC told Warchol: "Your lack of relevant convictions and early guilty plea enable me to punish you in the community. Even if I sent you to prison, you would be coming out at some point.

"My ultimate job is the protection of the public." Judge Khan said that he believed that this would best be achieved by rehabilitation work on Warchol.

"If you are in breach of the order and it's a substantial breach, not just a technical breach, I would expect to impose, whatever judge deals with you, an 18-month sentence," said Judge Khan.

Warchol was given 200 hours' unpaid work, a 43-day sex offender treatment programme and 15 days' rehabilitation. He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for five years.

"Breach that and you will be in serious trouble," said Judge Khan. "If you breach that, you know what happens. You go to prison." He added: "You can go. Don't come back."

Description

A man who sexually assaulted a lone woman after she left a nightclub in Hull has been sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

Shko Khdri, aged 28, of Walliker Street in Hull was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on Tuesday, March 12. He'd previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault at a hearing in December last year.

The court heard the victim was walking on Carr Lane when she was approached by Khdri who sexually assaulted her. As she tried to flee, Khdri proceeded to violently sexually assault her.

A struggle ensued and the woman fled to Paragon Street where she thankfully sought safety with a member of the public. Following the attack, officers began to conduct extensive lines of enquiry.

They recovered CCTV footage which captured the assault and a clear image of Khdri. A public appeal to locate Khdri was circulated and as a result, he was arrested three days later at his place of work.

Description

A serial sex offender who targeted two young children has been jailed for 13-and-a-half years.

Jonathan Parry left the victims feeling "exploited and broken" by his "depraved activities", but he knew that what he had done was "abhorrent". He was trapped by messages that he sent to another man, in effect boasting about what he had done.

That man reported what he had been told to the police and handed over the damning messages exchanged between them, Hull Crown Court heard. Parry, 29, of Somerscales Street, off Beverley Road, Hull, admitted 18 offences, including four of attempted rape, five of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six of making indecent images of children and others of sexual assault, assault by penetration and possessing prohibited images of children.

Simon Reevell, prosecuting, said that the offences came to light after Parry was in contact online with a man and told him about his behaviour. The other man ended the conversation, but on a later occasion Parry again mentioned sexual abuse to a child.

The man reported the matter to police and investigations by the National Crime Agency led to Parry. He was arrested and his laptop and phone were seized. Thousands of indecent images of children were found, including in the most serious Category A.

One of the victims later said that they were glad when told that Parry was going to be arrested because it meant that he could not harm them or anyone else. They felt that nobody should have to experience the sort of pain that they had suffered. "[The victim] feels that the memories will never go away and that it's something that [they] will have to learn to live with," said Mr Reevell.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that Parry pleaded guilty at a very early stage and it meant that the victims did not have to come to court and go through the ordeal of being cross-examined during a trial. "He has not tried to challenge anything and he accepts what he has done," said Mr Godfrey. "He has not tried to wriggle and change the narrative of what he did. He knows that what he did was abhorrent.

"Ultimately, he doesn't have any justification for it. He knows that. He wants to say sorry. He knows that he can't turn back the clock and undo all the damage that he has caused.

"He acknowledges that what he did was very, very wrong and will have a lasting effect upon the victims. He knows that he is somebody who needs to be punished . . . he has shown willingness to talk about why he did what he did."

Parry had no previous convictions. Recorder Taryn Turner said that Parry committed a "raft of serious sexual offences". "What happened is quite appalling and disgraceful behaviour," said Recorder Turner. Parry committed a series of "depraved activities".

"What you did was appalling and you at least had the decency to come clean eventually with the court," said Recorder Turner. "There is a very clear concern about you. It's clear to me that you enjoyed what you did to these [children]."

Parry was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order. He will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Following the conviction, Helen Shackleton, of Humberside Police, thanked the victims for their bravery during the investigation. She added: “Whilst it won’t take away the pain and suffering caused, the lengthy sentence here today means that Parry will be behind bars for a very long time, and unable to hurt anyone else."

Description

A 23-year-old woman who took indecent photos of a child and sent them to her boyfriend has been jailed following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Toni Andrews, from Hull, was also found to be in possession of more than 800 illegal images and videos, including hundreds showing child sexual abuse.

She was identified after the conviction of her then-boyfriend, Thomas Edeson, 24, of Franklin Street, Hull, who was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in August 2021 for sexually assaulting a young girl and taking indecent images of her.

The NCA’s investigation into Edeson began in May 2021 with a referral from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which was notified by Google of his attempt to upload child sexual abuse images to the internet.

After examining his electronic devices, officers discovered sexual images of a child which appeared to have been taken by Andrews and sent to Edeson.

Andrews was arrested in connection in December 2021.

In interview she admitted to taking and sending one of the photos to Edeson, but denied knowing about his sexual interest in children.

Examination of Andrews’ electronic devices, which were seized from her home when she was arrested, revealed almost 100 indecent images of children in categories A-C, over 500 prohibited images of children and over 200 showing extreme pornography.

As part of the investigation into Andrews’ offending, Edeson was produced from prison and interviewed by NCA officers.

He told them that Andrews had supplied him with sexual images of a child as well as children’s underwear, which officers recovered from his home when he was arrested.

At Hull Crown Court today [22 November], a judge sentenced Andrews to 16 months in prison and ordered her to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

She had pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges at an earlier court hearing, including taking indecent photographs of a child, possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography.

Description

A scheming sexual predator targeted a schoolgirl by promising her "the world", including them having "matching cars" and living in a big posh house together.

Ryan Smith called her "hot", "fit" and "perfect" and he spoke of the "amazing things" that they would do together – including "incredible date nights" – but the promises turned into a nightmare for her, Hull Crown Court heard. Smith, 30, formerly of Hull, admitted meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual activity with a child, sexual communication with a child and making indecent images of a child.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said that an investigation began after it was discovered that a girl had been kissing Smith and had gone to meet him. Sexual messages had been exchanged between them. The girl said that they had kissed and cuddled and that they sent pictures to each other.

Smith made no comment to all police questions during interview, but a large number of messages were found that had been exchanged between him and the girl. There were intimate and sexual "grooming" conversations between them.

He encouraged the girl to send explicit pictures of herself to him. He sent her a picture with "I love you" written on an intimate part of his body.

The girl said he had promised her "the world" and he claimed that he was planning "amazing things" that they would do together. However, she added: "I wasn't allowed to tell anyone . . . he didn't want anyone to know."

Her school work had been "made pure hell" because of the problems caused. "My life became unbearable," she said.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that the majority of the contact between Smith and the girl was "by electronic means", but he had now moved to Wales. He had no previous convictions.

"It has been a difficult and shameful thing for him to acknowledge," said Mr Godfrey. "He is the author of his own misfortune."

Smith was now working full-time. "He has not put this young person through the ordeal of a trial. He had that moment of clarity because of that shame," Mr Godfrey added.

"He has made efforts to move on. There were some very unpleasant images that were shared.

"There was talk of kissing and such like and that was the sexual activity that was undertaken by the victim and the defendant. There was talk of having cars and having a house, but not imminent penetrative sexual activity."

Judge John Thackray KC told Smith: "You groomed your young victim. She was no doubt impressionable and no doubt flattered by the messages and communications that you gave her.

"You are 100 per cent to blame for this offending. Your victim was a young girl who bears no responsibility whatsoever for what took place.

"It's clear that your offending has had a profound effect upon this young girl and will continue to do so for many years. She may never fully recover from your offending and may always have trust issues."

Smith was jailed for two-and-a-half years. He was given a five-year sexual harm prevention order and an indefinite restraining order. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

The parents of a young girl who suffered ongoing nightmares after she was sexually abused have been left "heartbroken" and "disgusted" at what happened to her – but they are relieved that she has finally got justice.

They hope that the jailing of the girl's abuser will mark "part of the road to recovery" for her after the "deeply unpleasant" incident, Hull Crown Court heard.

Craig Smith, 27, of Priory Grove, west Hull, denied sexually assaulting the girl on April 28 last year but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

The court heard that Smith intimately touched the girl after pulling down her underwear. The incident had caused serious problems for her, including nightmares and dreams that started soon afterwards.

Her family hoped that these would become less as she got older but they feared that they would not.

Smith had previous convictions, including being locked up for 15 months in 2014 for wounding and others of criminal damage, burglary and arson. He had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

Defence barrister Nigel Clive said: "There's little that can be said by way of mitigation." There were "deeply unpleasant elements" to the offending but there was no significant planning and no use of alcohol or drugs. Smith was relatively lightly convicted.

"Thankfully, for all, this is not the worst offence of its type," said Mr Clive. "There are other offences which, regrettably, are far worse than this." With the passing of time, it was hoped that that the memory of the incident would "fall away" in the girl's mind.

Judge Kate Rayfield told Smith: "You thought you could get away with touching her. She still has nightmares and flashbacks to what happened."

This was an example of "just how far-reaching sexual abuse can be" and it would have to be seen what the lasting effects on the girl would be.

"You have been sentenced to custody before, although many years ago," said Judge Rayfield.

Smith was jailed for four years and he was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

After the hearing, the girl's mother said: "We would have liked longer but are happy that she has found some justice. We are so glad that that she could come to us and that we finally got something back for her." She said of Smith: "We are just disgusted."

The girl's father said: "We are heartbroken. It's hard to put it into words. We got justice for her. She can rest easy. It's part of the road to recovery for her.

"We hope that it's all done and dusted and that we can keep her happy and smiling."

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A former Lib Dem politician has been jailed after having sex with an underage boy and making indecent images of children.

Ryan Langley, 34, of Hessle Road, Hull, admitted causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a teenage boy between January 2019 and April 2021.

He also admitted distributing indecent images of children and three offences of making indecent images of children.

Hull Crown Court heard Langley appeared to "rejoice" when he found out the boy's real age and instead of being "shocked and appalled" carried on with his crime.

It was "very much a fall from grace" for the former councillor who aspired to win a "frontline" role at Westminster, the court heard.

Dale Brook, prosecuting, said the parents of the teenage boy found sexual messages on his mobile phone and he admitted that he had met some adult men for sex, one of whom was Langley.

They met on a website with the boy telling him he was 16. Langley told the court he thought the lad was 18, but it turned out he was actually 14.

When the boy admitted his real age, Langley told him he was "the youngest" he ever "had" and continued to send messages.

The pair carried on swapping photos and videos with Langley talking about having more sexual contact with the boy. Langley was arrested with his phone and laptops seized by police.

WhatsApp messages revealed highly sexualised messages with males aged over 18, during which Langley acknowledged having had sex with the boy, who he had thought was 16.

Images of the youngster were shared and he boasted of wanting more sexual contact with him before he turned 16.

Langley distributed several photographs and videos of his sexual contact with other boys under the age of 16, including with one aged 15, Hull Live reports.

Detectives found other indecent images of children, including 62 Category A, 44 Category B and 75 Category C.

Ayman Khokhar, mitigating, said Langley had no previous convictions but the offences showed he had betrayed others' trust.

Mr Khokhar, describing his client as a talented local councillor, said: "He will be living with the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.

"He does not seek anything other than an immediate custodial sentence. He wishes to reflect on what he has done."

Mr Khokhar added Langley had been paid "very little" as a councillor but did the job because he wanted to help others.

He said: "He has lost what looked like a promising career. He has served his local community for a number of years. Despite mental health difficulties, he threw himself into local politics and had aspirations eventually to go to Westminster.

"He knows that, now, is an impossibility and that he has no future in frontline politics."

Mr Khokhar continued: "His career is over. He has let himself down and he feels that he has let down those close to him."

Judge John Thackray KC said Langley initially thought he was having sexual activity with a boy above the legal age of 16 but he found out he was really only 14.

The judge added: "Against that background, rather than being shocked and appalled, you seemed to rejoice in the activity that had taken place and you demonstrated corrupt behaviour and a level of depravity by exchanging sexual images of the child and discussing future sexual activity."

Langley's behaviour was made worse by his distribution and possession of indecent images of children. Judge Thackray said: "This has been very much a fall from grace for you."

He was jailed for three years and given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He must also register as a sex offender for life.

Langley stood down from his councillor role at the local elections in May.

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The owner of The Vintage Store clothes business has been convicted of sexually assaulting a young woman after intimately touching her and telling her: "This is what you want."

Philip Waltham made local and national headlines last year when he revealed that he was previously homeless and had sold copies of the Big Issue in London for three years in the 1990s to escape from his drug-taking past. He went on to set up a popular multi-million pound chain of clothes stores.

He kissed a woman on the lips "full on" and touched her in what seemed to be "sexually motivated" advances towards her, Hull Crown Court heard. Waltham, 46, of Ella Street, Hull, denied three offences of sexual assault against the woman last year, but he was convicted by a jury after a trial. He also denied intimidating another woman, who was a witness in the case this year, and he was cleared of that charge.

Recorder Simon Jackson KC said that the woman claimed that Waltham kissed her on the lips "full on". The prosecution claimed that the kiss was "sexually motivated", but Waltham denied that it happened.

The woman also claimed that Waltham grabbed her jacket and pulled her back towards him before putting his hand on her waist under her jacket. She claimed that he touched her on her hips and told her: "This is what you want." She claimed that he moved his hand towards her bottom.

The woman also claimed that he grabbed her hand and placed it on his private parts when he was seemingly aroused. She had "no romantic or sexual interest" in Waltham, said Recorder Jackson.

The prosecution had claimed that Waltham made "indirect threats" to another woman after an investigation was launched into the sexual assaults. He was said to have asked the second woman: "Do you think I did it?"

Waltham claimed that he was not trying to influence the second woman in any way. He agreed during a police interview that he had spoken to her, but he denied talking about the case.

Recorder Jackson said that Waltham told the jury during his defence evidence that he was in the "fashion business" and was the owner of The Vintage Store, originally based in Hull, but also with stores in places including Sheffield, Liverpool and Newcastle. There was a "huge warehouse" at the former Topshop premises in the St Stephen's shopping centre, Hull.

Waltham claimed that the allegations of sexual assaults by the woman were false and were "lies". He claimed that there had been no physical contact between them.

After the verdicts from the jury, sentence was adjourned for reports and Waltham was allowed bail until the next hearing. An updated victim impact statement will be requested. Waltham was not ordered to register as a sex offender, but he will have to do so at the next hearing.

In an interview published on Hull Live in January last year, Waltham revealed that he sold the Big Issue for three years after running away from his Hull home as a teenager to escape his drug addiction.

He said: "The Big Issue helped me put money in my back pocket and feed myself. They taught me how to respect myself. They taught me how to budget my money and how important a roof was.

"I had to have money to buy Big Issues so I could sell Big Issues and that taught me how to budget. The thing that has saved my life is selling second-hand clothes and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Big Issue."

After three years as a Big Issue vendor in Clerkenwell and Hampstead, London, Waltham opened a market stall in Camden. He said of his sustainable clothes business: "We fight fast fashion. We save clothing from landfills, we go to big factories and take clothing.

"Last year, we saved around 600 tonnes of clothing and then repurposed them to sell on." His firm, Bulk Vintage Wholesale, was turning over more than £9m a year, it was reported at the time of the interview last year.

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A convicted sex offender who brazenly refused to register his details – because it would mean being "labelled as a paedophile" – was later caught with a large stash of crack cocaine ready for selling on the streets.

Drug addict James Fox hurriedly tried to make a run for it when he was spotted and chased by the police – and he threw a bag of cocaine away. It landed on the ground and split open, spilling a large amount of white powder on the street, Hull Crown Court heard.

Fox, 28, of Hull, admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, offering to supply crack cocaine and three offences of failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. Nick Peacock, prosecuting, said that Fox had been convicted at Hull Magistrates' Court of sexual assault and he had been ordered on October 16, 2020 to register as a sex offender, including notifying any change of address within three days.

Checks were made on May 19 last year at the home of his mother, which Fox had registered as his address, but she said that he had not lived there since January last year. He was circulated as wanted and financial checks revealed that he had failed to register a bank account that he was using on the day that he had been sentenced.

He failed to attend at Clough Road police station, Hull, on October 16 last year for his mandatory annual registration as a sex offender. On June 26 this year, police identified Fox as he drove a Ford Focus in Hull. They attempted to pull the car over but Fox failed to stop and he was pursued.

He was eventually pulled in and, while he was standing outside the car, he tried to run off and threw a bag, which burst open when it hit the ground, spilling a large amount of white powder – cocaine – on the street.

"This was swept up and seized," said Mr Peacock. "It was a relatively large amount of cocaine, 14 or 15g." It would have had a street value of about £1,500.

Two mobile phones were seized. One of them had a drugs message on it reading: "Got some nice pure if anyone needs it. It's James."

Fox later told police that he would never register as a sex offender because this would mean him being "labelled as a paedophile". The police would have to arrest him again because he would not comply.

He had convictions for seven previous offences, including possessing drugs, but not for supplying them. Richard Butters, mitigating, said that Fox had pleaded guilty at an early stage. "This defendant was, at the time, and had been for about three years, a crack cocaine addict," said Mr Butters.

"He was addicted to crack cocaine. He was completely off the rails. While he was taking crack cocaine, he was completely out of control. He was massively in debt.

"He was homeless at the time. He had nothing. He was dealing crack cocaine to pay off debts, to pay for food, to pay for drink and to live. He was not doing this for any form of wealth or power. He was doing it to live.

"He says that it was a blessing that he got caught. It slowed him down. He is now clean of any form of drug. He has been a fool, he knows that. He knows what life can be without crack cocaine.

"He has lost everything. He had a girlfriend prior to taking crack cocaine. She has left. His family and friends have disowned him.

"Prior to crack cocaine, he had a business in partnership with a friend of his, gardening and landscape. That went to pot when he started to take crack cocaine because he couldn't concentrate on his business."

Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC told Fox: "Trafficking in controlled drugs fuels all sorts of other criminal behaviour. It ruins lives. You were operating a supply line for Class A controlled drugs from your own mobile phone. You expected significant financial advantage from that illicit controlled drug."

Fox was jailed for three years and four months. The phone seized will be forfeited.