Search results for Lancashire

Description

A man who sexually assaulted a woman, attempted to derail the investigation into his offending from inside prison. 

Liam Hall (pictured) was remanded to HMP Preston in June last year after being charged with assaulting the woman in Bacup.

While on remand, he was further interviewed by police officers about sexual offences against the same victim.

Just half an hour after being interviewed, Hall contacted his mum Amanda Hall by prison phone.

He informed her of what had been put to him in interview and directed her to speak to witnesses in the case.

During subsequent phone calls over the following days, Hall and Amanda Hall discussed the witnesses, with Hall encouraging her to get them to withdraw their statements.

Amanda Hall also advised her son to ‘Lie his back out on the stand, the court will never prove you are lying’.

She was found to have made phone calls to two witnesses.

Enquiries also showed that Liam Hall sent multiple emails to the victim on a prisoner service email account, asking her to drop the charges.

Liam Hall, 29, of no fixed address, and Amanda Hall, 53, of Peel Lane, Heywood, appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence today (10th July).

Both had been found guilty by a jury after a trial in May of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Liam Hall was further found guilty of sexual assault by penetration, assault causing actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.

He was jailed for five years, placed on the sex offenders register and made subject of a 10-year restraining order regarding his victim.

Amanda Hall was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 140 hours community service.

Detective Constable Dan Healey of our East division Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, said:

“Liam Hall assaulted and sexually assaulted his victim, then deliberately set about trying to interfere with the investigation into his offending.

“From inside prison where he had been remanded by the court, Hall plotted with his mum to contact witnesses and get them to withdraw their statements.

“What they did strikes at the heart of the justice system.
“The victim of Liam Hall’s offending showed a huge deal of bravery in reporting the offences and then giving evidence at the trial.

“Violence against women and girls will not be tolerated by Lancashire Police.

“If you have been a victim, please report it. You will be supported and we will thoroughly investigate in a bid to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A man has been given a 14-year sentence for attempting to rape a teenager. 

Florin Panainte (pictured) attacked the girl at an address in Morecambe in October last year.

She told family members what had happened and Panainte was arrested the same day in Morecambe.

Panainte, 38, of no fixed address, was found guilty by a jury after a trial at Preston Crown Court of attempted rape.

Returning to the dock for sentence on 26th June, he was given a 14-year sentence comprising of nine years imprisonment and a five-year extended licence period.

He was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 20 years and a 20-year restraining order.

Detective Constable Sam Ripley of the Child Protection Team at Lancaster CID, said:

“This was an abhorrent sexual offence committed against a teenage girl.

“He tried to rape her and only the girl’s bravery stopped the attack.

“I welcome the prison sentence and extended licence which the judge imposed on Florin Panainte.

“If you have been the victim of a sexual assault, please report it. You will be supported and we will investigate thoroughly to bring the offender to justice.

“Violence against women and girls will not be tolerated by Lancashire Police.”

Description

A man who videoed himself sexually assaulting a young girl and had hundreds of indecent images of other children on a laptop and phone, has been jailed for 14 years. 

Lancashire Police launched an investigation after a USB containing videos of Kiefer Garner assaulting the girl was discovered.

The USB also had naked pictures of his victim and another girl.

When Garner (pictured) was arrested in Blackburn, officers seized a laptop and mobile phone from his home.

A total of 519 indecent images were found on the USB, laptop and mobile, with 92 of those deemed Category A – the most serious category.

On the USB, there were also several screen recordings from Snapchat in which Garner used a different name on the profile and had an image of a young adult male – not an image of himself.

The screen recordings showed Garner engaging in conversations with young females and exchanging images.

Garner, 35, of no fixed address, appeared for sentence at Preston Crown Court Sessions House last week (15th June) after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to charges of assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration, assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, and making indecent photographs of a child.

He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with an eight-year extended licence period.

Garner was made subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders register for life.

Det Con Cathryn Whitworth of Lancashire Police, said:

“Kiefer Garner is a very dangerous individual and I welcome the lengthy sentence imposed on him by the judge.

“Garner has an abhorrent interest in young girls, as shown by his guilty pleas to these offences.

“If you have been a victim of sexual assault or you know someone who has, please report it to Lancashire Police.

“We will support you and investigation thoroughly in a bid to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A man has been jailed for 13 years for sexually assaulting two children.   

Lee Lomas, 47, (pictured) raped one of the girls and incited sexual activity with the other.

Both of his victims were under the age of 13 when Lomas preyed on them.

He was arrested in Blackpool in May 2025 after the victims had disclosed to their parents what had happened.

Lomas, of no fixed address, appeared for sentence at Preston Crown Court last Friday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to rape of a child under the age of 13, inciting sexual activity with a child under 13, and possession of indecent images of children.

He was jailed for a total of 13 years, made subject of a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was put on the sex offenders register for life.

Det Con Jon Porter of West Division CID, said:

“Lee Lomas committed abhorrent offences against two young victims and will now serve a lengthy sentence of imprisonment.

“The children were very brave in telling their parents what had happened and the offences were reported to us.

“If you have been a victim of sexual assaults or know someone who has been, please report it to Lancashire Police.

“We will support you and investigate thoroughly in order to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A former village butcher has been jailed for indecently assaulting two girls more than 50 years ago. 

John Priestley committed his offences in the early 1970s, when he was the local butcher in Croston.

Priestley’s offending was reported to us in 2022, by one of his now his now adult victims, who was aged 11 when he first assaulted her.

Police enquiries identified Priestley’s second victim, who was 13 when he first assaulted her.

We launched an investigation and Priestley was interviewed. During the interview, Priestley denied any wrongdoing whatsoever.

Following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, Priestley, 83, of Glamis Road, Leyland, was summonsed to court, where he pleaded not guilty, putting both of his victims through the ordeal of a trial.

A jury at Preston Crown Court saw through Priestley’s lies and unanimously found him guilty of seven charges of indecent assault after a trial in April.

On Monday (15th June), he appeared back in the dock at Preston Crown Court, where Judge Phillip Parry sentenced Priestley (pictured) to three-and-a-half years imprisonment.

In a Victim Impact Statement, one of the victims said:

“This abuse has affected me throughout my whole life. What he did to me enters my head almost every day and has done for the past 50 years. I have suffered emotionally since the abuse began.”

She continued: 

“One of the worst things about this abuse is the way it affected my ability to bring up my children and how it has affected my relationship with my husband. I made decisions about the children that I wouldn't have made if I had never been abused.

“I am a victim of John Priestley and as a result my husband, my children and my 

Grandchildren are also victims. I can never put the abuse out of my head.”

Det Con Will Hogan, of Lancashire Police said: 

“Priestley’s victims have had to live for more than 50 years with the harrowing effects of the crimes he committed, before they had the courage to report them. They now have justice after conducting themselves with such strength throughout this process.

“Priestley used his good standing as a village businessman to make himself seem like a good person – he is not. He pretended to be a member of the local community, someone who was known around the village as a decent person, all while he was sexually abusing young girls.

“Priestley is 83 and will spend a considerable time in custody and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the rest of his life.

“I hope Priestley’s victims feel some sense of justice, knowing he has finally been sentenced for his crimes.”

“If you’ve been a victim of any sexual offence, at any time, please report it to Lancashire Police.

“We will listen to you, support you and investigate appropriately, no matter how long ago it happened.”

Description

The man pictured is Michele Scappatacci. He is a paedophile who last week was jailed for his crimes.

In November 2025, we received a report that Scappattacci had sexually assaulted and incited a young girl to engage in sexual activity with him, over the course of around four years.

An investigation commenced, and we found that Scappatacci had sexually assaulted his victim a number of times, and took pictures of her whilst doing so.

When we examined Scappatacci’s phone, we found an app, disguised to look like a calculator, and protected with a pin. Upon examination, we found 888 indecent images and videos, including images and videos of Scappatacci committing his crimes.

He was arrested and following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, charged with:

• three counts of raping a child 
• two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity 
• four counts of sexual assault on a child 
• two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act 
• three counts of making indecent photographs of a child 
• three counts of taking an indecent photograph of a child 
• possessing a prohibited image of a child 
• possessing an extreme pornographic image

Scappatacci ,58, formerly of Lancaster Drive, Clitheroe, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court. He appeared back in the dock on 4th June, where he was sentenced to 18 years in prison, with a further eight years on extended license.

DC Marriam Fatima, of East Child Protection said:

“I must begin with talking about the victim. Despite her young age, she has shown an incredible sense of strength in what must have been an incredibly distressing time. I don’t doubt that it is because she had the courage to tell someone what had happened to her, that Scappatacci has been brought to justice.

“Scappatacci’s behaviour was nothing short of disgustingly paedophilic. He sexually abused a young girl for his own sordid interests. I welcome the considerable sentence handed down to him.

“Nothing will change what Scappatacci did to his victim, nothing will allow her to reclaim those years of her life. I can only hope that she can begin to rebuild her young life knowing that he has been brought to justice.

“If you are reading this and are a victim of any sexual offence. Please know that we want to help you – we will listen to what you tell us, we will investigate appropriately, and we will do all we can to get you justice.”

Description

A 70-year-old man from Accrington man has been given a life sentence for raping and sexually assaulting two vulnerable women. 

Shah Nawaz (pictured) targeted his victims after befriending them.

The women didn’t know one another and were preyed upon by Nawaz on different occasions.

Nawaz had a history of sexual offending, with him jailed in 1982 for rape and then for sexual offences in 1988 – both his victims in those cases being teenagers.

When sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday (10th June), Nawaz was described by Judge Robert Altham as being an ‘extremely dangerous, predatory sexual offender.'

The judge passed a life sentence, with Nawaz ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years and 362 days in prison before he is eligible to apply for parole.

One of his victims was a woman in her 20s who had learning difficulties, Nawaz raping and sexually assaulting her in his car.

The second victim was aged in her 40s and she too had learning difficulties.

Nawaz, formerly of Gloucester Avenue, Accrington, committed offences against her at his home and where she lived.

Initially, Nawaz denied the offences and was due to go on trial at Burnley Crown Court.

His two victims both gave evidence and were cross-examined, after which Nawaz pleaded guilty to six charges of rape, six charges of sexual assault and two charges of assault by penetration.

DC David Richardson of the East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, said:

“The victims have been incredibly brave in coming forward and going through the investigation and court process.

“Nawaz’s offending has spanned five decades, and the sentence imposed by the judge will ensure that he cannot target vulnerable people in Accrington again.

“If you have been a victim of crime, please report it to us by contacting 101 and we will support you and investigate.”

Description

Rab MacDonald Jailed for Historic Child Sexual Abuse

A 75-year-old man from Parbold has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a young girl in the 1990s.

Rab MacDonald, of Broadmead, Parbold, was convicted of seven counts of indecent assault at Preston Crown Court on 20 April following a trial. He had been charged with 12 counts after the victim reported the offences to police in 2023. The abuse occurred mainly in the Parbold and Skelmersdale area.

MacDonald was sentenced to seven years’ custody on 8 June.

Sgt Rebecca Pugh of Skelmersdale Police said:

“MacDonald has been brought to justice for the terrible acts he committed against a young girl some years ago.

“She has had to live with what he did to her for a long time, and even after she had the courage to report him, he still made her relive that experience through a trial.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the victim, and how she has conducted herself through proceedings.

"I thank her for her courage in coming forward and telling us about MacDonald and his crimes - I don’t doubt that her support has helped us bring him to justice.

"I hope she can now begin to move forward with her life knowing MacDonald has been brought to justice.

“If you are a victim of any sexual offence reading this today, I want you to know that we will listen to what you have to say, we will investigate appropriately, and we will do all we can to get you justice.”

Description

Police have launched an appeal to trace a man wanted for breaching his sex offender licence conditions.

Luke Clark, 31, who is wanted on recall to prison, is around 5' 6, stocky, is bald and has dark short facial hair.

Clark has a sleeve tattoo in dark ink on his left arm, with a skeleton tattoo on his left hand.

He has links to Accrington, Blackburn and Burnley.

For any sightings of Clark or information as to where he might be please email [email protected] or call 01245 353246.

Description

A former high school teacher took more than a million upskirt images of pupils using secret cameras hidden in pens.

Sexual predator Mathew Gilkes also used fake social media accounts to pose as a teenager to groom and manipulate girls to send him indecent images and videos of themselves.

Gilkes’ prolific offending was unmasked when he was caught taking pictures of children at a leisure centre in Chorley in August 2024.

A trace of his vehicle leaving the car park led to him being identified and arrested.

A search of his home and workplace uncovered more than 80 devices including mobile devices, computers and laptops – including a school issue laptop - , spy pens, handheld cameras and memory cards containing thousands of indecent images of children.

Many of the images Gilkes had taken were of pupils at his school where he worked as an ICT teacher using cameras disguised as pens and tiny cube cameras.

As well as taking images Gilkes also posed online as a teenge boy talking to a large number of underage girls, grooming them and pressurising them to send images to him.

Gilkes, 47, formerly of Harrison Road, Chorley, who taught at a high school in Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty in November last year to 42 charges including operate equipment beneath clothing of another without consent, commonly known as upskirting, engaging in sexual communication with a child, indecent images of children offences and cause / incite a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

He appeared at Preston Crown Court this week where he was jailed for 16 years with an additional five year licence.

He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Det Con Holly McClave and Det Con Rachel Phillips, of our South Exploitation Team, helped bring Gilkes to justice.

DC McClave said:

“Mathew Gilkes is a highly dangerous man who has shown persistent predatory behaviour towards young girls who he has taking advantage of, groomed and exploited for his own sexual gratification.

“The victims in this case have shown incredible bravery in speaking about what happened to them and I commend them for their courage. I hope this sentence gives them some sense that justice has been done.

“We will continue to target those who exploit and abuse young people, we will listen to victims, and we will do all we can to put offenders before the courts, as we have done here.”

Description

A man from Morecambe has been jailed for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and having thousands of indecent images downloaded on his phone. 

Lee Ramsay (pictured) was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in January 2024.

In July and October last year, Ramsay was visited by his offender manager and both times the mobile phone he was using at the time was seized.

When the phones were examined, more than 3,000 indecent images were found – many of which featured children - of which 1,159 were of the most serious Category A images.

His phones were found to have browsers which had a built-in private search facility which meant browser information wasn’t kept.

Software had been installed which featured a VPN and enabled him to hide or disguise his identity online.

Ramsay’s SHPO prevented him from having those on his phone, and he was also prohibited from using any form of video/audio streams unless he had pre-notified police and been authorised to do so.

But he was found to have used a live streaming service on the phones without authorisation.

Ramsay, 41, formerly of Parliament Street, Morecambe, appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence on 1st May having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to six indecent images offences and eight offences of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

He was jailed for a total of four years and four months.

PC Sam Wilkinson of the Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders team at Lancaster Police, said:

“Ramsay was found with thousands of disgusting images on his phones and breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order by having various forms of software on his phone.

“He disregarded the order imposed on him by the court but was caught out by our team making unannounced visits to monitor his behaviour.

“I welcome the prison sentence handed out, it shows that possession of indecent images and breaching orders put in place by the court, will not be tolerated.”

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 months after sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who entered his Nelson shop to buy chocolate.

Naeem Akram, 36, formerly of Chapel House Road, locked the door of Chapel House Grocers and assaulted the teenager as she made her way home from school in November 2023.

She escaped, returned home and reported the incident to police. Akram was arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to sexual assault.

He was sentenced yesterday (Wednesday, May 6) at Preston Crown Court.

In a victim personal statement, the girl said the assault had “completely changed her life” and left her scared and needing counselling.

Detective Constable Heather Kerr, of the police’s child protection team, said:

“Akram preyed on a vulnerable teenager for his own sexual gratification, and his actions have had a profound effect on his victim.

“She has shown a great deal of bravery by coming forward and reporting what happened to her and in going through the criminal justice process – that is never easy.

“We take all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, we will listen to victims, and we will thoroughly investigate them in order to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A former Dudley councillor has been jailed for 32 months after admitting four sexual offences involving children in an online police sting.

Adrian Hughes, 36, of Marsh Lane, Preston, was caught by officers who posed as two girls – “Lucy”, 13, and “Molly”, 12 – on the platforms IB and Kick between May and June 2025.

Despite no real victims, Recorder A Siddiqi told Preston Crown Court on April 24: “You thought you were messaging 12 and 13-year-olds, you could have done a great deal of harm. Unacceptable does not capture how appalling your behaviour was; immediate custody was inevitable.”

Hughes, a Labour councillor in Dudley from 2022 to 2024, pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a girl under 13 into non-penetrative sexual activity, the same offence with a girl aged 13–15, and attempting sexual communication with a child in both age groups.

He contacted “Lucy” first, asked for pictures, complimented her “amazing body” and sent explicit messages. He then messaged “Molly”, asked her to remove her hoodie, briefly broke off contact after noting she was “too young”, but later sent images of himself in underwear and of his genitals.

He was arrested on 23 June 2025.

Defence lawyer Georgia Faulke said Hughes was previously of good character and the offences occurred over a short period while he was suffering mental health difficulties, isolation and self-medicating with cocaine, cannabis and alcohol. He has since stopped taking drugs and dramatically reduced his drinking.

“It was a period of isolation, he wanted support from someone, someone to talk to,” Miss Faulke told the court. “It stems from mental health difficulties he was going through at the time.”

Recorder Siddiqi imposed 32 months’ imprisonment for the incitement offence and concurrent terms of 12, 15 and 12 months for the others. She noted as aggravating that Hughes had deleted some chats to conceal evidence.

He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and indefinite notification requirements.

Description

A predatory paedophile who sexually abused two young girls has been jailed for 26 years.

Michael Hines, 82, of Coates Avenue, Barnoldswick has been convicted of multiple sexual offences following a trial at Burnley Crown Court last year.

Hines was convicted of multiple offences including rape of a girl under 13 and assaulting a girl under 13 by touching. Hines carried out his sexual abuse in the Barnoldswick area in the early 2000s.

He was sentenced on Friday 27th March to a total of 26 years in custody.

In a victim personal statement, one of the victims said:

“It is hard to explain how deeply this has damaged me, because the effects have touched every part of who I am. What happened to me didn’t just end when the abuse stopped. It has changed the entire course of my life. Emotionally and mentally, I have been left carrying pain that was never mine to carry.”

Detective Constable Hannah Tofalos of Lancashire Police’s East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Department said:

“Michael Hines is a dangerous paedophile who preyed on his vulnerable victims and subjected them to abhorrent abuse, the seriousness of which is reflected in his lengthy custodial sentence.

“I want to commend the victims who have shown immense bravery in coming forward to report these crimes and throughout the court process. While no sentence can ever undo the trauma caused, we hope this result offers them a sense of justice as they continue on with their recovery.

“Lancashire Constabulary remain committed to bringing the perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice, regardless of how long ago the offences took place. I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward safe in the knowledge that they will be treated sensitively and professionally.”

Description

A man has been jailed for 12 years for raping and sexually assaulting a child and sexually assaulting another child.

Liam Hailwood raped and sexually assaulted a girl at a property in Blackpool.

He sexually assaulted another girl at a property in Leyland.

At Preston Crown Court last week (26th March), Hailwood, 33, formerly of Hornchurch Drive, Chorley, appeared for sentence after being found guilty, following a trial, of 16 charges including rape of a female child under 13, attempted rape of a female child under 13, assault by penetration of a female child under 13 sexual assault of a female child under 13, sexual assault of a female child aged 13 or over, causing a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and causing a female child aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed for 12 years, with an additional year on licence. He’ll have to serve a minimum of two thirds of this sentence.

Hailwood has been given a lifelong restraining order to protect the victims. He will also be subject to lifelong notification requirements and will have a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed until further notice.

In a victim personal statement, one of the victims said:

“Emotionally, I live with feelings of failure, worthlessness, and shame. I blame myself, fear abandonment, and often feel broken inside. This offence has left permanent scars. My ability to feel safe, trust others, and live freely has been destroyed.”

The other victim said: 

“I feel that my childhood was taken from me, and at times I find myself making childlike decisions in adulthood as a way to seek comfort. I believe this is because I did not experience a normal childhood, and I continue to feel resentment about this loss.”

DC Sophie Llewellyn of Lancashire Police’s Child Protection Team said:

“Hailwood exploited two children and violated their most basic sense of safety, abusing them with devastating consequences. His actions caused lasting damage, and the court has rightly recognised this with a significant custodial sentence.

“The incredible bravery of the victims in coming forward has ensured this dangerous offender is off our streets and held accountable for his actions. While no sentence can ever undo the trauma caused, we hope this result offers them a sense of justice as they continue on with their recovery.”