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A criminal network who conducted extreme body modifications and illegal surgeries have been jailed after Met detectives uncovered their horrendous crimes

Specialist Met officers leading a unique investigation into the extreme body modification of men have seen seven men jailed today, Thursday, 9 May for a total of 79 years after a hearing at the Old Bailey.

Met detectives launched an investigation into the illegal surgical procedures after a victim was first identified by Devon and Cornwall Police in November 2020 after it was established the offending had taken place in North London.

Marius Theodore Gustavson, 46 (7.12.77), of Haringey was identified by detectives as being the primary offender following a lengthy and complex investigation. Alongside the six other men, he was jailed for life today with a minimum tariff of 22 years for:

• Conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm
• Five counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent
• One count of making an indecent photograph of a child
• One count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child
• Possession of extreme pornographic images
• Distributing indecent pseudo images of children

The court heard how Gustavson used the internet to seek out and manipulate vulnerable people, coercing them to take part in the procedures.

Detective Inspector Amanda Greig, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “I would like to highlight the excellent work of the Met’s investigation team, who have examined thousands of hours of horrific material seized from the suspects. Their diligence and professionalism have ensured no one else will suffer at the hands of these men.

“This lengthy and complex investigation demonstrates that we are determined to protect Londoners from harm and bringing those that threaten the safety of our communities to justice.”

Following the court hearing today, DI Amanda Greig also thanked the victims for their bravery throughout the investigation. She acknowledged their immense suffering – with many victims having profound mental health issues as a result of the group's brutal actions. The victims were supported by specialist officers and signposted to support services by the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity GALOP.

Detectives worked closely with partners from a number of UK police forces, NHS, London Ambulance Service, the General Medical Council and the Midwifery Council to help identify and support victims.

They discovered that Gustavson owned and managed the website ‘Eunuchmaker.com’ where he advertised extreme body modification services, including castration and penis removal. He also owned a production company, where he would record all the illegal mutilations and upload them to his site, which captured an international audience.

Officers interviewed and obtained statements from victim-survivors, who had been assaulted between February 2017 and January 2020.

In at least three cases, the injuries inflicted on the victims were life threatening, with one victim coming close to losing his life due to blood loss.

Officers sought the expertise of Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Chris Dawson, who stated “The procedures performed in these cases have highlighted the dangers involved in 'back street surgery'.

"To become a highly qualified surgeon takes a number of years, and these procedures should not be carried out by anyone without the necessary experience or expertise as it risks serious complications such as significant bleeding, or sepsis. When performed in hospital, these procedures are performed under general anaesthesia in a sterile environment, with the surgeon wearing sterile gown and gloves.

"The consent process is a very important part of any surgical procedure, and surgeons are held to very high standards about this. It is imperative that patients are aware of the potential complications of any surgical procedure."

A search of Gustavson’s address found various items, including

• Boxes of medical needles and syringes
• Local anaesthetic packs
• Surgical tools
• A wooden chopping board and a mallet
• A body board with leg and arm restraints attached
• Disposable skin staplers
• Numerous medical procedure videos linked to Gustavson’s digital devices

As Gustavson’s pattern of offending began to unravel, detectives were able to piece together that he was not working alone

Following an interrogation of more than 120 digital devices the remaining offenders were identified by video footage, as well as phone communication with Gustavson. Ashley Williams, David Carruthers, Peter Wates, Janus Atkins, Ion Circuir were arrested at addresses in London, Scotland, Birmingham and South Wales. Stefan Scharf, a German national, was arrested whilst in transit at Heathrow Airport.

The majority of the offences occurred at Gustavson’s former home address, as well as a rented hotel room in London.

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A man who sexually assaulted multiple women in their own homes was caught by police trying to board a flight at Gatwick Airport. A masseur by trade, Yuliyan Dimov, 45, from Enfield was found guilty on Thursday, May 2, at Wood Green Crown Court of 20 different offences including sexual assault and voyeurism.

In November 2022, a woman reported that she had been sexually assaulted during a massage at her home address. Following this report, police visited other women who had appointments with him.

One woman who had reported him in 2021, but had withdrawn support for the investigation, got back in touch upon learning she was not his only victim. Dimov denied all of the allegations, but when his mobile was examined police found over 30 pictures of different women that had been taken without their knowledge when he provided the home-service.

After contacting all of Dimov’s female clients, more victims came forward. On June 15 last year Dimov was arrested at Gatwick Airport attempting to board a one-way flight back to Bulgaria - his nation of heritage.

Despite the evidence against him, he insisted the pictures were solely for professional purposes. Dimov was convicted of six counts of voyeurism, two counts of attempted voyeurism, nine counts of sexual assault, and three counts of sexual assault against a total of ten victims. He will be sentenced at Wood Green Court on Friday, June 28.

Detective Constable Abigail Butler, who was the lead investigator on the case, said: “Dimov preyed on women who trusted him and were in a vulnerable state when he assaulted them.

“The great work carried out by officers to build this case is only overshadowed by the bravery of the women who came forward. If anyone believes they have been assaulted at the hands of Dimov I urge them to get in touch - we want to help you.

“We are dedicated to protecting vulnerable women and girls in London and we will do all we can to make them feel safe.”

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A sports therapist from Hornsey was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for sexually assaulting one of his clients whilst he treated her at her home.

Jerry Okoye, 39, attended his client's home in Surrey. As he was treating her, Okoye took down his shorts and underwear, sexually touched and then penetrated the victim with his fingers by putting his hands down her pants.

The attack was notified to the police later that day by the victim's partner. The whole attack was also captured on a camera in the victim’s home which she had installed to keep an eye on her new puppy while she was out.

Okoye was arrested three days later and was subsequently charged and remanded in custody. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching at an earlier hearing.

After Okoye pleaded guilty, the victim said she had initially felt that the assault was her fault. She said: “When the police got to my house, I still felt so dirty and hated the fact that I had to stay in the same clothing. The officers were lovely to me. I just couldn’t process what had happened and it felt like such a whirlwind.

“I knew I was not responsible for anything that he did to me, but I found it hard not to blame myself. I just felt totally numb. Every time I shut my eyes, he was there in front of me and so I didn’t sleep at all.”

“I never wanted to go back to my flat, so I had to start renting it out. It was my safe haven until he destroyed this. I don’t feel safe or comfortable knowing that there are people in the world like him and you just never know who they are.”

Detective Constable Wood, who investigated the incident, said: “The fact that Okoye violated and took advantage of the victim in her own home in his position as her sports therapist is simply untenable.

"While the victim will have to live with the long-term impact for the rest of her life, I hope the fact that Okoye has been brought to justice for the offences he committed will help her to be able to move on with her life."

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A man who was arrested 24 hours after a rape offence has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of rape and of assault of a woman he only met recently before.

Michael Chand, 46, had met his victim less than a week earlier and struck up a friendship. He called the victim and told her to come to his address in Acacia Gardens, N22, On Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

At his place, the woman was asked if she found him attractive. After she did not provide the answer he wanted, he became verbally abusive and angry, telling her she was not allowed to leave the house.

He then began to hit her and threatened to be violent towards not just her but other people she knew. Chand continued to physically assault her before raping her on three separate occasions after she had repeatedly told him that she did not want to have sex.

Two days later, on Friday, August 18 2023, the woman called the police to report the rape. Following this, detectives immediately searched for Chand, who had left London. Chand returned later that day and was arrested and taken into custody before being charged.

Detective Constable Cameron Crighton, who led the investigation, said: “Chand is a sexual predator who subjected the victim in this case to horrendous sexual and physical abuse.

“The victim showed incredible bravery by coming forward to police, providing a full account of what had happened and then reliving this by giving evidence in court. She is central to this conviction and we do not underestimate the strength it has taken for her to do this.

“We take all reports of sexual assault extremely seriously and encourage anyone who has been subject to such offending to come forward and speak to us.”

Chand was sentenced to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of ten years on Wednesday, April 24, after being found guilty of three counts of rape and one count of assault following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, February 16.

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A former Metropolitan police officer has been jailed for repeatedly raping two victims over a period of almost a decade.

Cliff Mitchell, 24, from Putney, was convicted of 13 counts of rape, including six counts of raping a child under 13, kidnap and breaching a non-molestation order after a trial at Croydon Crown Court in February this year.

He was sentenced today (1 May 2024) at Croydon Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.

On 5 September 2023, Cliff Mitchell subjected one victim to a frightening and horrific ordeal when he attended her address, in breach of a court order, and violently raped her. This included placing a knife to her throat and threatening her family if she tried to get help. Prior to leaving the property, he blindfolded her and tied her wrists with cable ties before forcing her into his car at knifepoint.

The victim finally managed to escape from Mitchell’s car, and thankfully was assisted by a member of the public who drove her away from the scene. The member of the public’s actions ensured the victim’s safety until police arrived.

The victim had been raped and abused over a sustained period of years and Mitchell had used his position as a police officer to intimidate the victim. He told her that no one would believe her if she reported him to the police because of his position.

The CPS reviewed a previous allegation which had been made against Cliff Mitchell and authorised charges involving a second victim that Mitchell had raped over a period of three years when he was a youth. These offences were added to the most recent case to ensure that justice was delivered for both women.

Barbara Down, Senior Crown Prosecutor with the CPS London South Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) Team, said:

“Cliff Mitchell demonstrated an escalating pattern of dangerous violent behaviour towards women, culminating in serious emotional, sexual, and physical violence, which will undoubtedly cause the victims lasting pain and trauma.

“Not only did he inflict undue pressure on one victim, persuading her to drink alcohol against her will in order to rape her, but he also used his authority as a police officer to scare her into thinking that she couldn’t report to the police because no one would believe her over him.

“This was a gross breach of the trust placed in him as a police officer and demonstrates how far he was willing to go to avoid being held responsible for his appalling criminal behaviour.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, the CPS will ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted, and that justice is delivered for victims.”

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Two men who secretly photographed members of the public in swimming pools in London and the south west of England have been sentenced following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation into significant public voyeurism.

Adam Dennis, 38, of Ernest Fitches Way, Littlehampton, and Robert Morgan, 32, and of Bradmore Park, London were sentenced to a combined 42 months at Inner London Crown Court on 24 April.

Dennis had previously pled guilty to conspiracy to one count of voyeurism, one count of conspiracy to make indecent photographs of a child, one count of conspiracy to distribute indecent photographs of a child and one count of possessing indecent photographs of a child. He was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, to serve half and spend the remainder on licence.

Morgan had previously pled guilty to one count of voyeurism, one count of conspiracy to make indecent photographs of a child, one count of conspiracy to distribute an indecent photograph of a child, three counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, and one count of possession of a controlled drug. He received a 20 month sentence, suspended for 2 years, as well as 120 hours unpaid work and attendance to a rehab programme.

Both men are also subject to a 9 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order with the following prohibitions: 

To not share any images showing the genitals of any woman or female child via the internet or file sharing application, including (but not limited to) email and / or social media apps
To not enter any female only or mixed sex changing room area of any swimming pool or leisure centre.
To not contact each other, including via the internet or telephone. 
To not communicate in any way with any other person that he knows or has reasonable suspicion that that person has received a conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in respect of sexual offences against children under 18 years of age.
The two men came to detectives’ attention as a result of a separate investigation into an assault, which happened on board a train in March 2017, where a mobile device was seized. They were both subsequently arrested for voyeurism offences in November 2017.

Forensic examination of items seized from their addresses showed covert filming of victims using the bathroom and images of victims in changing room cubicles. Online chats showed them sharing and trading images of victims filmed covertly in swimming pool changing rooms and creating profile documents for them.

Officers have been able to trace a number of victims, some who were children at the time of the footage being captured, to inform them of the investigation. None of those who were spoken to were aware of being filmed or had given anyone permission to film them whilst they were getting changed. The investigation flagged at least 6000 potential victims and detectives have identified a number of these, however a large number of the photos are unidentifiable.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Claire Jackson-Harwood, said: “This has been a long running investigation with officers working tirelessly to ensure the victims get the justice they deserve. Dennis and Morgan’s insidious actions will have a life-long impact on the victims who were preyed upon while they innocently enjoyed a hobby.

“They have given no thought to the victims and simply acted for their own gratification. Not satisfied with just recording the images, they have worked together to go on and create profile documents and researched their victims on social media. These actions make this offending even more shocking. I hope this outcome gives the victims the closure they deserve.”

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A stalker has been jailed after harassing a woman for seven years. Shaheen Chishti, 54, of Foxglove Street, Shepherds Bush, started stalking a woman he met in 2016, sending sexually harassing emails and messages on social media.

Six years later he continued to message the victim and threatened to drown her, even contacting her mother. In December 2016 after the first lot of unwanted emails and messages, the victim reported Chishti to the police.

He was handed a police caution but continued to message her on social media and from multiple phone numbers. In September 2022 Chishti contacted the victim again after getting ahold of her personal details.

In 2023 he contacted the victim's mother and detailed sexual acts that he intended to carry out and threatened to throw the victim into water as he knew she could not swim. The victim notified the police that Chishti breached his conditions on January 23, 2023 and informed officers that he would be returning to the UK from India.

When he landed in the UK he was arrested and had two mobiles seized. He was bailed under investigation and given strict conditions not to contact the victim.

When investigating, the Met found an extensive number of messages from Chishti to the victim. There were a large number of threats to both her and her family from the past seven years.

Despite his new conditions, Chishti continued to try to communicate with the victim and was arrested on October 5, 2023. On Wednesday, April 24 he was found guilty of stalking with fear of violence and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Police Constable Helen Constantinou, one of the officers responsible for policing Hammersmith & Fulham, said: “Officers worked hard to ensure that Chishti faced justice for the persistent stalking and harassment he inflicted on his victim. We know that some stalking victims are scared to come forward to report these crimes to the police.

"However, I would encourage anyone who believes they are being stalked or harassed to report this to the police or the National Stalking Helpline. This result shows we can and will pursue those who break the law and ensure those at risk are kept safe.”

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A former school support worker from south London has been jailed for sex offences after a fast-paced investigation by the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Team.

Michael Commettant was working as a learning behaviour mentor at a school in south London but was arrested after he was circulated as wanted by detectives.

Police were looking for him after the school reported concerns about his behaviour, and on Wednesday 17 May, a day after being reported to police, Commettant was arrested and interviewed.

Two days after his arrest, he was charged with sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in a position of trust.

Officers discovered he had struck up a sexual relationship with a teenage girl, who they took immediate action to safeguard.

After being charged, a search was carried out at his home, and his digital devices were seized and examined. The team was able to determine that he had communicated with the victim via a secret email account, and had tried to hide messages sent by him, to her.

However, detectives were able to very quickly build a picture of his offending and discovered how he had groomed the teenager by examining phone records. These proved he had called the victim multiple times from a withheld number, meaning he had broken the safeguarding practices he had agreed to follow in his role at the school.

During interview, he stayed silent and instead gave a prepared statement, which denied he had ever forced the girl to commit any sexual acts.

In September 2023, he pleaded guilty to all charges and on Wednesday 17 April, at Woolwich Crown Court, he was jailed for 18 months.

Detective Constable Isa Hemphrey, who led the investigation and supported the victim and her family during the court process, said:

“I am very pleased with the decision of the court to jail this man, who committed an utterly disgraceful abuse of trust.

“This individual was entrusted to support children and instead of honouring this vital role, he chose to ignore all professional boundaries and enter into a wholly inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenager.

“His conduct was appalling and he quite rightly will never be able to work with children again.

“I am grateful to my team and to all my colleagues who worked tirelessly and professionally to give this case the time and energy it deserved. I hope that this result helps the victim and her family in their journey to recover and move on from this experience.

“Most of all, I hope that this case will encourage anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to the victim to have the confidence to speak to police and know that they have a voice.”

Upon release, Commettant, 27 (13. 06.1996) of St Lawrence Way, Lambeth, will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years. He will also be managed by officers in the Met’s Jigsaw team, who manage sexual offenders in the community and take action against them to prevent reoffending.

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A paedophile downloaded a manual on how to sexually abuse babies and accessed nearly 6,000 indecent images of children online.

Arif Azad, 21, of Newham, has been jailed after police first began to investigate the man in March 2023.

It was found that out of the nearly 6,000 indecent images, 3,500 of them were found to be in the most extreme category.

And a number of the images had been sent to him by an unknown child who he was communicating with online.

Azad pleaded guilty on October 25, 2023 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

On April 19 this year, he was sentenced at the same court to four years’ imprisonment – two for making, distributing and possessing indecent images, and another two for engaging in sexual communication with a child.

He is also subject to Sex Offender Notification Requirements for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

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A man has been jailed after kidnapping and attempting to rape a woman in a van in North London. Tyrone Allert, 37, has been described by police as a 'violent predator'.

The Met was called at around 11.40am on Sunday (July 24) to reports of a man standing at the back of a white van in Marsh Lane, Haringey, with his jeans pulled down and sounds of a woman from inside the van shouting ‘help me’. Another call to police reported that the same vehicle, driven by Allert, had collided with six vehicles at Warwick Road, N11, and had been driven at a man who narrowly escaped injury.

Multiple police units were notified and an ANPR tracker was placed on the vehicle. The victim was then located at an East London hospital. She had suffered multiple injuries consistent with beating, police found. Thankfully, they weren't life-threatening.

Allert was arrested at his home address that same day on suspicion of kidnap and assault, and taken into custody on July 26. He was charged with attempted GBH with intent, assault ABH, attempted rape, rape, kidnap, racially aggravated harassment, assault of an emergency worker, possession of an offensive weapon (a knife) and dangerous driving.

The court heard how on July 24, 2022, the 28-year-old female victim had been drinking with friends and at some point had been picked up by Allert, who, seeing that she was intoxicated, had given her more alcohol and driven around with her in the back of his van. He then repeatedly pulled over trying to have sex with the victim, attempting to 'beat her into submission'.

When he was taken into custody Allert racially abused an officer before eventually assaulting him and causing injuries that required hospital treatment. The officer has since made a full recovery, the Met says.

Victim 'clearly heard to say that she didn’t want to have sex'

Allert claimed that the victim had consented to getting into the van and to having sex with him. But, when his mobile phone was examined, officers found clips of himself verbally abusing and assaulting the victim.

The victim in the footage was clearly heard to say that she didn’t want to have sex and at one point she said ‘this is rape’. The footage also showed her attempting to escape from the van, but Allert continually pushed her back inside.

Allert appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday (April 9) where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. This would be followed by five years on extended licence for the false imprisonment and attempted rape of a woman.

He was previously convicted at the same court following trial on November 14, 2023, where he had pleaded guilty to assault (ABH), racially aggravated harassment, assault on an emergency worker, possession of an offensive weapon and dangerous driving.

Detective Constable Iain McDonald, investigating, said: “The victim-survivor in this case has been incredibly brave. Realising the danger she was in she fought tirelessly to escape Tyrone Allert who is a violent predator.”

He added: “We are dedicated to protecting women and girls, eradicating sexual violence caused largely at the hands of predatory men such as Allert, and to supporting those who are impacted by sexual assault and/or rape. The effects of sexual offences can be long lasting, but I sincerely hope that the victim can move forward with her life leaving Allert and his despicable actions behind her.”

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55-year-old Marcelino Goncalves, from Acton, was arrested and convicted after being highlighted as a high-harm offender and prolific abuser. 

He was convicted on Friday 22 March for rape, assault by beating, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stalking and controlling coercive behaviour.

Goncalves came to police attention when a member of public saw him assault a woman known to him. The victim then disclosed her long history of abuse she faced – threatening her at her home, burning her with a cigarette because she did not want to have sex with him and punching her in the face.

Goncalves even continued to target her while on remand, making 15 calls from prison, but with enhanced management within the prison system, they were able to put a stop to the harassment when it was reported.

He will be sentenced on Friday 7 June.

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A man who flashed his penis on a South London bus to 'have a look at it' has been spared jail. Caine Sparkes exposed himself in front of disgusted passengers on a 155 bus, which runs between Elephant and Castle and Tooting, on November 9 last year, apparently to check his penis rather than for others see, Inner London Crown Court heard on Tuesday (April 9).

The 41-year-old of Ouseley Road, Wandsworth, was sat on the lower deck towards the front of the double-decker bus, at around 8:30pm, when he pulled genitals over the waistband of his trousers 'on several occasions', prosecutor Alex Ng told the court.

"It was brief exposures, from the CCTV. He took it out and he had a look at himself, rather than intending for others to look at it. At some stage his left hand was inside his trousers near the private part, but there's no obvious signs he was doing anything down his trousers," said Mr Ng.

Police were called by a witness of the act, but they refused to give their details. The call and CCTV evidence was enough to secure a conviction, but a victim impact statement was not provided for Tuesday's hearing.

Just over a month after the incident, Sparkes was arrested at his supported living home on December 19. Sparkes admitted a single count of exposure at Croydon Magistrates'. He was also charged with failing to pay a bus fare, but this was not mentioned at Tuesday's hearing.

Sparkes was previously convicted of outraging public decency in 2007, and has a number of offences for low level thefts. Mr Ng said there was no raised harm or culpability, apart from the presence of others on the bus, as he called for a fine or Community Order.

The judge called Sparkes' Hestia support worker to the witness stand, who explained his life in high-level supported living where he can go and come back as he wants but must heed the rules when he is at home. Defence counsel Adrian Macho called for a specific mental health intervention to address his client's issues.

A probation worker, who authored the pre-sentence report, also said Sparkes' additional needs would be best catered for by Hestia, as he agreed with the defence about the need for specialist mental health treatment.

Judge Ian Darling told Sparkes: "You have pleaded guilty to a serious offence of exposure on the 155 bus in the mid-evening of November last year. The reason why that is a serious offence is because it happened on a bus with other members of the public, and possibly young children could have been present. That's why the court takes it so seriously."

Judge Darling said the concerns about Sparkes' mental health were being dealt with by his team in Wandsworth, and therefore the case could be dealt with by a 12-month Community Order. This also included a 12-month mental health treatment requirement and 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirement to stop Sparkes repeating his display.

"Providing you comply with the order, all will be well. If you fail to comply, without reasonable excuses, you may be brought back to court and resentenced," warned Judge Darling.

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A man who raped a woman in the grips of a medical episode then told her 'you jumped on me' in an attempt to gaslight her, has been jailed. Mark Anderson forced himself on the woman, who came round to hear him say 'be a good girl' and 'stay still', then pretended she consented to sex, Wood Green Crown Court was told.

The 42-year-old of Shafton Road, in Hackney, wore a grey Nike tracksuit with an orange tick as he was jailed for eight years on Friday (April 5), thanking the judge as he left the dock. After reacting badly to the jury's guilty verdict, after his trial in February, Anderson apologised to the court, through his barrister, at the outset of his mitigation.

After inviting the victim to his house in the summer of 2023, Anderson raped her as she slept. "She woke up to find that she had been completely undressed, and you were on top of her having vaginal sex with her. And she remembers you saying 'be a good girl' and 'stay still'," Judge Daniel Fugallo told Anderson.

"It was clear to her she was not only coming around from being asleep, but from [a medical episode]. The physical exhaustion, and the feeling like she had been hit by a bus, it was clear to her what you were doing could not be normal consensual sex."

According to Judge Fugallo, Anderson told her afterwards she had wanted to have sex and 'you jumped on me'. After 'assembling her memories', the victim concluded Anderson had raped her and bravely reported him to the police. Anderson was arrested and taken to Stoke Newington Police Station, where a small bag of cocaine was discovered during a search. He was subsequently charged with rape, common assault, and cocaine possession, but only admitted the latter.

On Friday, prosecutor Daniel Bishop said the rape should be aggravated by a common assault on the victim as he called for the highest level of culpability. Explaining the impact of Anderson's crime, the barrister said the victim still loses sleep, suffers nightmares about the rape, and has felt suicidal. He also claimed she had received threats from third-parties after reporting her rapist to the police.

"I used to be so confident and full of life," she said in an impact statement. "Now I am an empty shell. I do not have a soul. My relationships with other people have suffered. He has stolen my soul and the happy person I once was."

Calling for medium culpability, defence counsel Emma Hayfield argued the common assault was 'relatively low level' and reminded Judge Fugallo not to double count it as an aggravating feature. Ms Hayfield also said there was no evidence of any link between Anderson and those making alleged threats against the victim.

She explained Anderson, who has no previous convictions, was assessed as having 'several' Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms and a low IQ, which, she claimed, impact on his ability to empathise and recognise the emotions of others. "I say that is relevant to the assault and rape," argued Ms Hayfield.

Judge Fugallo gave him a 10-year restraining order, and handed down the eight-year sentence for rape and three months concurrent for the assault, with no separate penalty for cocaine possession.

Summarising the offence, Judge Fugallo told Anderson: "[The victim] was not conscious when you raped her, due to her being asleep and having a [medical episode]."

Anderson said 'Thank you' as he left the dock. He is entered onto the sex offenders register for life.

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A 'despicable' paedophile who groomed a child on Minecraft was twice released under investigation before he was brought to justice. Vinnie Pinkham was sentenced to seven years in prison and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday (March 28), after a multi-force investigation, led by the Met Police, spanning three years.

The 19-year-old, then of Catalina House in Eltham, first caught the attention of the Met in 2021 when the force seized his computer and put him on curfew during an indecent images investigation, which was later dropped. Shortly after the gamer got his computer back, he contacted an eight-year-old on his PlayStation while playing Minecraft, the court heard at an earlier hearing.

Pinkham, now of Restons Crescent, Greenwich, added the child on Instagram and asked them to send indecent photos in exchange for 30 worth of V-Bucks, a currency used in the game Fortnight. When horrified parents saw the images on the child's phone, they showed police, including chat logs where the child asked 'What does show butt mean?' and 'How do I get a picture of my own butt?'.

Pinkham was arrested at his Eltham address at 6.30am on November 11 2021, where police seized his Xbox and phone. Pinkham was questioned, but he lied and accused the child of 'talking inappropriately' and calling him a 'perv'. The victim later told police they were asked to take a photo of their 'rude part'. Pinkham maintained he could not remember the child's username.

Pinkham was released under investigation for the second time, but just over a year later, on December 14 2022, he struck again, posing as a seven-year-old boy to groom a six-year-old child over Snapchat. He threatened to hurt the child's parents, in return for indecent images, and sent obscene photos of himself.

When the child's family member realised what was going on, they messaged Pinkham's account, asking why he had contacted them. Instead of coming clean, Pinkham carried on his lies and told the victim's parents the messages were from an imaginary eight-year-old brother who was behaving strangely after the loss of his dad.

When Pinkham was arrested on April 13, 2023, police seized his devices and a top-up card linked to the number that had been messaging the child. When they searched his phone, they discovered hundreds of indecent images and searches for bestiality images.

MyLondon reported Pinkham's first sentencing hearing on Friday, January 12, which was adjourned because his true age, and some of his mitigation, still needed verification. At the hearing, prosecutor Allister Walker read emotional victim impact statements, including from one parent who described their feeling of guilt, and the emotional and mental effect on their household.

"It is truly hard to say how much this had an emotional and mental affect on not just [my child] but whole house and family. This horrific crime will leave emotional scars on [my child] that will not heal," they said. "I never thought anything like this would happen to one of my children. The guilt will stay with me forever for not being able to protect my [child] from this despicable predator."

Another victim's family member said: "I always thought I would be able to protect my child. Now I have not I will always blame myself... I'm always telling [them] it's not [their] fault but [they] always blame [themselves].

"[Pinkham] was old enough to get someone his own age. Why did he not get someone his own age? He's ruined so many lives for his own bitter pleasure."

On Friday (April 5), the Met Police told how it took three years, working together with Greater Manchester Police and North Wales Police, to reveal the full extent of Pinkham's crimes. The investigation required hours of interviews with Pinkham and his vulnerable victims, viewing and grading of horrific material by officers, and support for the victims and their families.

In the end, Pinkham was convicted of:

• Two counts of sexual communication with a child
• Two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity
• Three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images
• Possession of a prohibited image

Detective Constable Amy Burnell who led the investigation said: I would like to highlight the incredible work of the Mets investigation team; they viewed images of horrific material seized from the suspect and had to grade the severity of the indecency of the images for viewing in court. They did this efficiently and were able to still work professionally and with true commitment to the case.

The teams diligence and professionalism has ensured this perpetrator has been taken off the streets of London and will no longer be able to hide behind a computer screen and take advantage of vulnerable children enjoying online games and chat rooms with their friends.

Pinkham exploited childrens youthful ignorance for his personal gratification. We are committed to finding individuals who wish to cause harm to young people across London. Well do everything in our power to protect children, bringing to justice those predators who threaten their safety.

Record details

A flasher who swung his 'large' penis at women from his South London balcony claimed it was 'impossible' for a witness to hear it slapping his belly, a court heard. Joseph Mafe, 53, of Empire Square South, Bermondsey, was jailed for 10 months at Inner London Crown Court on Wednesday, March 6, after admitting two counts of exposure and breaching a suspended sentence, with the judge delivering a scathing rebuke over his repeated offending.

The drug addict was spared jail at Snaresbrook Crown Court in 2022 for multiple flashing incidents, but found himself in breach of the 23-week suspended term last autumn when he relapsed and went on a two-day 'chemsex' bender, combining alcohol with crystal meth and GBL - substances commonly used at drug-fuelled orgies.

The court heard Mafe paraded his member from his balcony on September 16, shouting 'Oi' and 'Hello' at any woman who walked by until they had the misfortune of looking up. "When they looked up he would put his hands behind his head and thrust forward until his penis touched his stomach. She described a large penis," said prosecutor Mark Gadsden.

With Mafe shouting 'yeah yeah yeah' and thrusting his organ at women and children, a witness threatened to call 999. When she later found naked Mafe still waving his penis she called the police. Mafe was arrested, charged, and pleaded guilty in the magistrates' court, then was committed to Inner London Crown Court for sentence on February 11 this year.

But on the day of the hearing, Mafe was arrested again for exactly the same behaviour. A witness heard someone saying 'Hey hey' and saw him dancing around on his balcony in a dressing gown shouting 'Yeah baby, it feels so good'. He then pulled off his gown to reveal his penis, with another cry of 'Yeah yeah it feels so good'.

"I could see his penis. I could hear his penis slapping against the rest of his body," the witness told police. When Mr Gadsden read this part of her statement to the court, Mafe shouted 'That's impossible, that's absolutely impossible'. His protests were rejected by Judge Darren Reed who allowed Mr Gadsden to continue.

After witnessing the initial naked dance, Mafe then exposed himself five more times, the court heard. "I found it quite distressing and it says more about what this incident may lead to. A lot of young girls may walk past this address. I worry they may see it," the witness added.

Defence counsel Danielle Buckett said her client's paranoid schizophrenia and drug use, combined with a lack of support by the probation service, had left him suicidal, as she called for another suspended sentence. "He said it was a cry for help and he was struggling at the time... He had been left unsupported for some months," Ms Buckett said.

Mafe addressed Judge Reed directly, telling him about alleged blackmail attempts on him, devices planted in his home, and death threats over the phone. He also claimed he had only been seen four times by South London and Maudsley NHS mental health team in 15 months, and claimed he had not seen his drug support worker for eight months.

But Judge Reed took little pity on Mafe's claims, and told him the offences were 'not caused by your previous mental health condition, but by recklessly taking drugs'.

"You told probation you had no recollection of what you had done because you had been binging on crystal meth, GBL, and alcohol for two days," Judge Reed snapped. "You detail how others have let you down but take absolutely no responsibility for your own offending. You are not a young man - you are 53 years old, with a history of these offences... It's clear to me you simply don't care about the effect your behaviour has on others, or appreciate it, and are taking no steps to stop it."

Mafe's suspended sentence was activated to run for 14 weeks consecutive to a 26-week sentence for the other two offences. It means he will serve a total sentence of 40 weeks. Mafe is also entered onto the sex offenders register for 10 years.