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Description

A man who intentionally sexually touched a child under 13 sexually on at least 10 occasions has been sent to prison.

The trial heard how Nathan Halford, aged 31, from Louth was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault against a girl under the age of 13, reportedly involving sexual touching and penetration between October 2021 and July 2022.

He was found guilty of touching the victim in a sexual manner beneath her clothing on several occasions, with two incidents involving penetration with a part of his body.

The prosecution provided sufficient evidence to assert that the acts were intentional and were carried out for sexual gratification.

Halford, also known as Nathan Parham, of Newmarket Louth, pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was found guilty at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court, today (11 July) to twelve* years in prison, and one year on extended licence; he will also appear on the sex offenders register for life.

Speaking at the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Michelle Adamson, said:

In the midst of this complex and deeply painful investigation, one priority remained paramount: making sure the victim's voice was not just heard - but truly understood. From the beginning, her strength and bravery guided us, and it was our responsibility to ensure that her case was addressed with compassion and care. We didn't just work toward a resolution; we worked to build trust, to offer protection, and to deliver the support this individual so profoundly deserved. Her resilience deserves more than admiration - let this outcome stand not only as a testament to justice served, but as a promise that no victim will be left unheard or alone.

Description

A former teaching assistant has been jailed for five years and three months after he pleaded guilty to non-recent sex offences against a teenage girl.

Jonathan Bath, 42, of Parliament Close, Skegness, was convicted of 5 offences at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday (Monday 7 July).

These included 2 counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl 13-15, 2 counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl 13-15 and one count of inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

The offences came to light after a woman approached police in 2024 to report the abuse she suffered at the hands of Bath when she was a pupil at the school between 2005 and 2007.

Bath has been barred working with children and vulnerable adults and will now be subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender’s register indefinitely.

The name of the school where Bath worked, and the age of the victim cannot be published to protect their anonymity.

Detective Constable Lisa Willard condemned his actions while commending the woman who came forward to provide evidence for their bravery.

She said: “This sentencing marks the end of a long and painful journey for the survivor, who has shown immense courage in coming forward and speaking out. The man who abused them was in a position of trust—as a teaching assistant, he had a duty to protect and nurture the children in his care. Instead, he exploited that authority in the most appalling way.

“This case is a stark reminder that abuse of power, especially in environments where children should feel safe, will never be tolerated.

“Most importantly, justice has finally been served for the victim. I hope this outcome brings them some measure of closure and reinforces the message that it is never too late to speak out. We will always listen, and we will always act.

“And finally, I’d like to thank all those at Lincolnshire Police who worked on this case. Their professionalism and dedication were unparalleled and is a testament to their passion for public service.”

Description

A man who sexually abused a girl over a four-year period has been jailed for nine years.

Daniel Brundell, now of Lode Avenue Bungalows, Upwell, near Wisbech, was sentenced for sexual offences when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday, 23 June. His victim was under 13 years of age when the offending began.

The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to five offences: sexual assault, two of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and two of inciting a girl between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, when he appeared before court officials this morning.

Nine further charges, dating from 2014 to 2020 - including taking an indecent photograph of a child - were ordered to lie on file.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.

Detective Constable Charlie Walmsley said: “This sentencing reflects the serious and devastating impact these offences have on the lives of victims and their families.

“I want to commend the incredible bravery of the victim and the support from their family throughout the investigation.

“The victim has shown remarkable courage.

“We are committed to ensuring that those who commit such abhorrent crimes are held accountable, and we hope that this outcome provides some sense of justice and closure.

“Protecting the most vulnerable in our communities will always remain our highest priority.”

Description

A sex offender from Boston who was caught by paedophile hunters after he tried to groom a decoy under-age girl has been jailed for six years.

Graeme Denton, 46, will also have to serve an extended licence period of two years on his release from jail after a judge decided he posed a high risk to children.

Lincoln Crown Court was told Denton had exchanged hundreds of messages on Facebook and WhatsApp with the profile of a 12-year-old girl called ‘Tiff Jones’.

The profile was in fact being managed by an online child safety group, the court was told.

Phil Howes, prosecuting, said during the exchanges Denton offered to pay the decoy £50 for a photo of herself and encouraged a meeting at a railway station where they could have intercourse.

Mr Howes said Denton also encouraged the decoy to touch herself.

The court was told Denton was a registered sex offender who was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after he was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment at Norwich Crown Court in 2018 for similar offences.

When police arrested Denton at his Boston home in October 2024 they found a mobile phone he had not disclosed to the authorities, the court was told.

During his police interview, Denton denied intending to meet the decoy child.

Denton, of Wyberton Low Road, Boston, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, one charge of attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, two charges of attempting to incite a child aged under-13 to engage in sexual activity and one charge of attempting to arrange a sexual offence.

All six offences occurred between August 2023 and October 2024.

Stuart Lody, mitigating, stressed Mr Denton did not actually turn up for a physical meeting and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

“His offences have never actually been against a real child,” Mr Lody told the court.

“He appears to be amenable to treatment.”

Passing sentence on Monday (June 9), Judge Simon Hirst told Denton the probation service had concluded he was a ‘high risk’ to children.

“I am satisfied you do pose such a risk,” Judge Hirst added.

Description

A registered sex offender who knowingly breached orders preventing her from having any contact with children has been jailed.

Katie Birtles, 40, of Wroxall Drive in Grantham, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court earlier today (19 May) and was handed a sentence of four years and eight months in prison for the following offences:

• One count of engaging in sexual communication with a child.
• One count of arranging/facilitating commission of offence of sexual activity.
• Two counts of breaching their Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Birtles will have an extended period of two years on license following her release. 

A SHPO is an order given by the Court to a person who poses a risk of sexual harm to either the general public or to an individual person. It consists of restrictions which can include not contacting children or a specific individual, limiting internet use or prohibitions on travelling to certain areas.

Police received a report that a 40-year-old woman was intending to meet with who she thought was a 14-year-old girl at Grantham train station on Thursday 16 January. Officers attended and intercepted the meeting, and subsequently arrested Birtles.

Chat logs obtained from Birtles’ phone revealed that she was sending sexually explicit messages and grooming young girls under 16 years old over a two-week period in January. Within the messages, Birtles was actively encouraging sexual activity, offering to buy gifts such as wine and chocolates, and was making plans to meet her victims for sex.

Birtles was previously convicted of three counts of making indecent images of children in 2017, for which she was sentenced to nine months in prison. She was court ordered to comply with a 10-year SHPO, with one of the conditions preventing her from having any direct or indirect contact with children under 16 both online and offline.

Birtles was charged on 18th January and was remanded into custody. Following today’s sentence, Birtles will remain on the sex offender’s register for life and will have an indefinite SHPO with a restriction on software monitoring. 

Investigating officer DC Nicola Paradowski from the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), said: “As a team we are dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable in our society and keeping children safe from harm, working long hours to make sure dangerous offenders such as Birtles are brought to justice. I hope this sends a clear message that we will not tolerate child sexual exploitation in our county and will take robust action.

“Breaches to orders like the Sexual Harm Prevention Order will be dealt with, and action will be taken immediately, to ensure we continue to protect those at risk of most harm in our communities.”

Description

A man convicted of three rapes and multiple sexual assaults has been given an extended sentence totalling 13 years.

On March 9, 2022, Northamptonshire Police was called by a woman who reported that Luke Yates, aged 23, had raped and sexually assaulted her after coming round to fix her boiler.

During the subsequent investigation, on July 19, 2022, the Force received a second report about Yates from a 16-year-old girl.

She told officers that he had raped her during their first meeting, following contact on messaging app Snapchat.

Yates went on to be charged with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against the first victim, and one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration against the second.

Following a trial at Northampton Crown Court, Yates was found guilty on January 30, and returned to the same court on April 29 for sentencing.

There, Yates, formerly of Wallis Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, was handed an extended sentence totalling 13 years, made up of 10 years’ imprisonment and a further three on licence.

Extended sentences are used for criminals convicted of specific offences who are deemed to be dangerous.

Description

A man who engaged in sexual activity with two children has been jailed for nine years.

Jacques Nel, formerly of Chapel Lane in Luffenham, Oakham, pleaded guilty to multiple sexual offences, including sexual activity with a child and sexual assault, last December.

The 39-year-old carried out the crimes in Stamford last July, before being arrested and charged by Lincolnshire Police.

He was due to appear in court for a week-long trial before pleading guilty to the offences shortly before it began.

Nel was jailed for nine years, handed a sexual harm prevention order and given a restraining order. He must also remain on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A convicted sex offender who admitted sexually assaulting three women in Boston has been jailed for 21 months.

Andrew Lack, 57, used his job as a gardener to approach vulnerable women in Boston.

Lincoln Crown Court heard on Thursday (April 24) Lack approached one of his victims on a street in Boston and kissed her on the lips after previously offering to do her garden.

The woman insisted she did not consent to the kiss and said it made her feel sick.

A second woman described how Lack also kissed her on the cheek after engaging her in a sexual conversation outside her home in Boston on November 10, 2023.

Lack then pulled the woman towards him and kissed her on the lips.

A third woman reported being repeatedly "groped" on the bottom by Lack who also kissed the top of her head.

Lack gave no comment interviews to the police.

The court heard Lack had a previous conviction for touching a young woman on a train near Sleaford in 2014 and was jailed for 19 months in 2017 for sexually assaulting two elderly women.

Lack, 57, of Maud Street, Boston, pleaded guilty to five charges of sexual assault between 2019 and 2023.

Anna Soubry, mitigating for Lack, said he had insisted that he was "very sorry."

Miss Soubry said: "The best point I can make on behalf of this man is that he pleaded guilty, and at the first opportunity, sparing the victims giving evidence.

"He was arrested in November 2023 and has not committed any offences since."

Passing sentence Recorder Adrian Jack told Lack his previous convictions suggested he posed an ongoing risk to women.

"The problem is you have not dissimilar convictions in 2014 and 2017," Recorder Jack said.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Lack having any contact with the three victims.

Description

A man who climbed through the window of a flat and raped a woman he first met just hours earlier has been jailed.

Antanas Jancevskis and his victim had both attended a barbecue in the area of Leicester’s Glenfield Road on 17 April 2022.

That night she was taken home by two friends and went to sleep on her sofa. However that night she woke to find 35-year-old Jancevskis lying on the sofa with her, where he subsequently raped her.

When he went to the toilet, she ran from her flat and alerted a member of the public, who in turn rang police. Jancevskis was arrested by police in the early hours of 18 April.

On 19 February 2025, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court Jancevskis – of Castle Street in Boston, Lincolnshire – was found guilty of one count of rape.

Today (Thursday 20 March) at the same court, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and will be placed on the sex offender register for life.

Description

A 20-year-old man has been handed a five-year custodial sentence after attempting to rape a woman in a car park.

Police received a call just after 03:15 BST on 22 June this year from a member of the public reporting that a woman in her 20s had been attacked in Boston and was at a McDonald's in Queen Street.

Officers attended and the victim confirmed the incident had taken place in the long stay car park on George Street.

Keith Lindop, of Station Street, Boston, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted rape and a separate charge of actual bodily harm. He was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on 15 November.

'Excessively violent'

Lindop will serve his sentence in a young offenders' institution. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender's Register for life.

He was also handed a 24-week sentence for the charge of actual bodily harm, to run concurrently.

DC Sarah Oliver, the officer in charge of the case, said: "Lindop is a predatory and dangerous individual in the way that he watched and followed the victim.

"He was excessively violent during the attack. It was down to the courage and determination that the young woman showed in standing up to him that she managed to escape."

Boston Neighbourhood Policing’s Insp Ian Cotton said: "This really was excellent work from our officers, working all hours to bring this dangerous offender to justice.

"No woman should go through what this survivor did.

"Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority and there should be no hiding place for those who prey on women."

Description

A convicted double murderer who engaged in a sex chat with someone he thought was an underage girl has been sentenced to a further 22 months.

Eoin O'Toole was caught by a paedophile-hunting group when he used a smuggled mobile phone to send photographs of his genitals from North Sea Camp, an open prison near Boston.

Lincoln Crown Court heard the 58-year-old, who was serving a life sentence, bought a mobile phone from an Asda supermarket in January while on temporary licence release.

He then used it the following month to engage in sexual conversations with a Facebook user he thought was 14, the court was told.

'Pose a danger'

Tom Heath, prosecuting, said O'Toole had initially given the false name Danny Cardiff, but later confessed to his real identity and that he was in jail for murder.

Mr Heath said O'Toole engaged in increasingly sexualised conversations with the user, who was actually a decoy for the paedophile-hunting group.

During the conversations, he asked for photographs, lied about his age and spoke about having "angry sex" with his ex-girlfriend.

Prison authorities were alerted by the group on 15 February, after O'Toole sent two photographs of himself naked from the waist down.

The mobile phone was found during a search of his cell.

O'Toole was jailed for life at Sheffield Crown Court in December 1991 for the murder of his grandmother Mary Goodrich, 92, and her sister Jessie Thomas, 89, by setting fire to their home.

Originally named Ian Kentzer, O'Toole carried out the murders to cover up the theft of more than £30,000, which he stole to fund his cocaine addiction and to keep his failing video business afloat, the court heard.

It was told he had nine previous convictions for more than 20 offences, including gross indecency and sex with an underage girl in 1990.

'Worrying sign'

O'Toole, who has now been returned to closed conditions at a higher security prison, admitted two charges of conveying a listed item into prison and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

In addition to his custodial sentence, he was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Passing sentence, Judge Philip Head said he had no doubt O'Toole revealed his background as a murderer to impress the other party.

The resurgence of sexual conduct was also "a very worrying sign", he said.

"You do pose a danger to, particularly young females," the judge added.

Description

A convicted Grantham sex offender has been jailed for a further 16 months.

Stephen Cherry is already serving a 10 and a half year jail sentence after he was found guilty of sexual offences against a young girl earlier this year.

The 50-year-old, formerly of Shanklin Drive, Grantham, pleaded guilty to two further charges of sexual assault on a second adult victim when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in October.

Judge James House KC told Cherry he will have to serve his 16 month sentence consecutive to the term he is already serving.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Cherry from having any contact with the victim or going to her address.

Earlier this year Cherry was found guilty of 11 offences, including sexually assaulting a child aged under-13, sexual activity with a child and one charge of oral rape.

The victim had come forward in 2022 after learning about sexual abuse from watching a television show and receiving sex education at school.

She complained that Cherry "made her do things" and was interviewed by specially trained police officers.

Cherry will also face an extended licence period of 12 months on his release from jail after Judge House ruled he was a dangerous offender.

Description

A man who engaged in sexually activity with a patient while working as their therapist has been jailed for 18 months. Simon Robertson of Louth Road, Binbrook, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, November 7.

The 48-year-old intimately touched his victim in 2022 after he initially started helping them in 2021. He initially denied the allegations until during a fourth police interview, an audio recording of the offence was played to him.

Robertson pleaded guilty to the offence but later argued the incident was consensual. He was sentenced to 18 months, ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and was given a restraining order which prevents any contact with the victim.

DC Carla Sutton, who was in charge of the case, said: “Robertson’s actions were extremely inappropriate. The vulnerable in our society look to those in a position of power for help and support, and in this case, Robertson took advantage of his standing in an awful way.

“This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire, and I’d like to pay tribute to the bravery of the victim in this case who came forward and told their story. We will do everything we can to bring those who perpetrate such terrible crimes to justice.”

Description

A Lincolnshire pensioner who admitted raping an under-age girl was today (Friday) jailed for 13 and half years.

John Bridgewood, 71, of Church Lane, Scredington, near Sleaford, pleaded guilty to nine sexual offences including a single incident of rape and sexual activity with a child.

An impact statement from the victim, who can not be identified, was read out during a sentence hearing at Lincoln Crown Court.

She described how she continued to suffer with flashbacks and nightmares, and no longer trusted anyone.

"He took away my innocence, he asked me to keep it a secret," she added.

The court heard Bridgewood had no previous convictions and gave a ‘no comment’ interview to the police.

John McNally, mitigating for Bridgewood, said his guilty pleas had spared the victim giving evidence at court.

"He took an important step in recognising what he had done," Mr McNally told the court.

Mr McNally added: "There is his age, he is 71."

The court heard Bridgewood had also spent 20 years volunteering with the British Red Cross and had been happily married for 48 years.

"His wife does not know how she will cope," Mr McNally explained.

Passing sentence Judge James House KC said Bridgewood's previous good character was of limited weight in a case of such gravity.

Judge House stressed Bridgewood did not desist until his victim reported the abuse.

Bridgewood was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life and made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Bridgewood from having any contact with the victim.

Description

A man who was found guilty of multiple sex offences against an underage boy has been jailed for 16 years.

Christopher Cullen from Horncastle was found guilty of nine sexual charges, including the rape of a child under the age of 13, after a trial in September.

The 46-year-old sexually assaulted his victim on a number of occasions, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.