Latest Offenders Leicestershire

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A disgraced Leicestershire teacher who was jailed for grooming and abusing one of his students has been given a lifetime ban. Tony Fraine has been barred from the profession over future fears for students' safety.

Fraine, who taught at Hinckley Academy and John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre in Hinckley, was jailed in 2020 for the predatory behaviour which he committed against a 17-year-old pupil. The vile head of department had manipulated the teenager into the inappropriate relationship and coerced her into sending explicit images and messages.

He was jailed for two years. Now, the 39-year-old has been banned from ever teaching again in the UK after a disciplinary hearing by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) took place.

The hearing was told how Fraine had become a newly-appointed teacher at the school in 2005, later rising to head of the science department in 2010. It was in 2019 when the first allegations of his predatory behaviour were made.

From here, he was suspended from the school and put on trial at Leicester Crown Court. It was here where it was heard how Fraine had begun the abuse by sending his victim flattering messages which then became sexualised. He also gave her a gift of underwear, while she later sent naked images after going along with his repeated requests.

After pleading guilty to two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, he was jailed for two years. Fraine is also currently subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and is on the sex offenders register for the same period.

For the TRA panel, they felt letting Fraine return to the classroom would put children at risk and harm public confidence. There was a strong public interest consideration in respect of the protection of pupils and other children given the very serious findings relating to sexual activity with a pupil and conduct associated with grooming, they said.

The panel considered that Mr Fraines behaviour in committing the offence would be likely to affect public confidence in the teaching profession if Mr Fraine was allowed to continue teaching, given the influence that teachers may have on pupils, parents and others in the community.

Saying the need to issue the ban was in the public interest, the TRA said they had to treat the case with the utmost seriousness, believing that a lifetime ban was both proportionate and appropriate.

The seriousness of the offences including the grooming behaviour which took place over a substantial period of time was a significant factor, they said.

Concluding the report, Sarah Buxcey, from the TRA, believed Fraines actions meant he could not teach again.

The panel finds that the conduct of Mr Fraine fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession, she said. Mr Fraines offending behaviour was serious, concerning sexual activity with a pupil, which ultimately led to a sentence of imprisonment, which I agree with the panel is relevant to his ongoing suitability to teach.

I have concluded that a prohibition order is proportionate and in the public interest in order to achieve the intended aims of a prohibition order.

Fraine has 28 days to appeal the ban at the High Court.

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A man who sexually abused three children two decades ago has been jailed for 11 years.

Stuart Newbold was sentenced for nine crimes against his victims between 1997 and 2000.

All three, who are now adults, were said to have "suffered immensely" by his actions, Leicester Crown Court heard.

They contacted the police in 2018 to report the abuse that took place in North West Leicestershire.

Newbold, of Mary Close, Ibstock, near Coalville, was told he will have to serve two-thirds of his 11 year jail term.

He was also placed on a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years and his details will be held on a sex offender register for life.

Sentencing, Judge Ebrahim Mooncey said: "Three victims were all abused by you when they were very young.

"Correspondingly, you were younger too: teens, possibly just into your 20's.

"You're 39 now. The sentencing has to reflect those factors.

"The victims have been severely affected adversely by what they experienced from you."

Judge Mooncey said the female victim was aged between nine and 10. The two boys were both under 14 when they were abused.

He said he accepted the defendant suffered from mild autism as well as "certain mental issues" and experienced a difficult upbringing.

He added: "Although you had developmental difficulties, I've no doubt you knew at the time that what you'd done to these three children was wrong.

"You had the assistance of an intermediary throughout the trial. We heard from a psychologist that you may not now recall these matters.

"There is no suggestion of any new offending and I can treat you as being effectively of good character."

Newbold denied the charges against him, but was convicted at a recent trial at Leicester Crown Court of the following offences:

Four counts of inciting a boy under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency

Three counts of indecent assault on a boy under 14 years

Two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 14 years

Andreas O'Shea, mitigating, said: "We're dealing with offences that happened 20-plus years ago and there's no indication of anything inappropriate since this and there's no evidence of anything else coming to light.

"He went on to live an exemplary life."

Mr O'Shea said a psychologist assessed the defendant as having "the emotional age of a 16-year-old."

He said the defendant's wife, also diagnosed with autism, was "an innocent party" who would suffer if he was incarcerated.

The barrister said he accepted the "unsavory nature" of the offences should be marked but 20 years of "unblemished conduct since" should also be taken into account.

The defendant's mother-in-law told the judge Newbold was "an absolute gentleman" who was protective, supportive and caring towards her daughter, despite the couple both having combined learning difficulties.

Afterwards, officer in the case, Detective Constable Andy Day, said: I hope the fact that Newbold is now serving a custodial sentence will provide a degree of closure to the three victims and allow them to move on their lives.

I hope todays sentencing will also encourage anyone who has been a victim of child sexual abuse to come forward and report matters to police.

"It is never too late to speak out.

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Both men were found guilty by a jury of two counts each of raping the 13-year-old A pair of depraved paedophiles have been found guilty of raping a boy aged 13. Sick duo John Cox and Jamie Cross twice raped the teenager in 2005 before being arrested years later. The victim went through years of torment and eventually found evidence to convict the pair, one of whom admitted to the sexual activity in a Facebook message, LeicestershireLive reports . Both men were found guilty by a jury of two counts each of raping the 13-year-old. In a personal impact statement, the victim admitted: "I felt angry at what they'd done to me and my body." He described the abuse as affecting his education and sending him off the rails for several years, and said he suffered recurring nightmares with the defendants' "faces coming out of the walls and shouting at me." When messaging them on Facebook, years later, he said he felt "fear and disgust." Although both defendants denied the rapes, Cross had referred to sexual activity having taken place when the victim later engaged him in text conversations - which was evidence used in court. Sentencing the pair to substantial terms in jail, Judge Robert Brown said: "You were both in your mid-20's at the time and the complainant was 13. "The circumstances in which you abused him were a gross breach of trust by you." Judge Brown told Cox, 38, and Cross, 37, both of Simons Close, Wigston Harcourt, near Leicester: "You took advantage of him and you raped him twice." Cox raped the boy during two incidents - including when Cross also took turns and twice raped the victim. Judge Brown said: "I can't and don't attempt to begin to describe the pain and suffering he's gone through ... the pain is real, it's lasting and will never leave him." The judge said the victim was accused of lying during the trial and added: "For him it was like going through it all again. "You're both still in denial and still maintain you didn't abuse him. "The jury by their verdicts have found you guilty - and guilty you are in the way described. "It was a clear abuse of trust, you planned these encounters and took advantage of this young boy." The court heard both defendants had previous convictions relating to child pornography and were given suspended sentences in 2017. Judge Brown told the defendants: "There's no remorse, there's no previous good character, there's no mitigation apart from what I've already referred to in your character references." He said both defendants would receive "sex offenders' treatment" whilst in custody. During the trial, Richard Thatcher, prosecuting, said the boy had got to know them when they were running a first aid service, providing medical care at public events. Mr Thatcher said that when the victim became an adult: "He entrapped Cross in a conversation on Facebook. "He wanted to get them to admit what they'd done." Giving evidence in the trial caused the victim's fear and pain to resurface that he described afterwards "felt like a tornado." The complainant said the court process had proved successful and added: "I hope if anything similar happened to anyone else, I suggest they come forward." James Varley, mitigating for Cross said: "For the most part he's lived a hard working and respectable life." He said: "It was one incident. "There was a break and then a resumption; not an ongoing course of conduct as the two offences were within the same episode." He said the offences happened 14 years ago and added: "He knows he's going to spend a period of time in custody. Paul Fleming, for Cox, said that references spoke well of the defendant regarding many positive aspects of his life. He added: "The references speak of how he has been well regarded by others who know him." Cox and Cross were each jailed for 12 years. They were placed on life-time sexual harm prevention orders and will have to record all future addresses on the police sexual offenders' register. Both were "automatically barred" from ever working with children, the judge said. The defendants were also on trial accused of less serious sexual assaults upon the same victim, during the same period, but both Cox and Cross were acquitted by the jury on those counts.

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A man who claimed he had sex with a woman while he was asleep has been jailed for five years for rape.

Karl Gammon had met the victim and her friend at a bar in Loughborough in March 2016 before attacking her.

The 24-year-old, of Albert Street in Loughborough, told a trial he suffered from "sexsomnia", a form of non-insane automatism that meant he had sex with her without his knowledge or memory.

He was found guilty on 8 August after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Gammon, who was sentenced on Friday, has also been placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Leicestershire Police said DNA evidence proved he had had sex with the woman.

Det Sgt Tom Brenton, who led Leicestershire Police's investigation into the case, said the victim was still "living with the trauma" of the attack more than two years later.

"Gammon's victim has shown tremendous courage throughout the judicial process," he said.

"Not only did Gammon prey on his victim when she was vulnerable, he claimed not to have knowledge of the rape when questioned by officers and as such she was forced to relive her ordeal in court."

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A childrens activity centre instructor has been jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two young boys

Instructor Adam Craig Sills (35) pleaded guilty to sexual assaulting two schoolboys at the Govilon Activity Centre located at the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park

Prosecution told Northampton Crown court that the offences dated back to 2012. Sills finally admitted the offences in July of this year.

During the trial, the court heard that the 10-year-old boys were on a week long school trip to Wales when the abuse took place. Although Sills had pleaded guilty to abusing two boys, it was suspected he had molested others.

Sills was placed on a sexual offences prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register

He was also given an order to prevent him from working with children in the future.