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A disgraced ex Met cop has been found guilty of trying to molest a child. Paedophile Thomas Thorpe was found guilty at Kingston Crown Court earlier today (March 28).

He was found guilty of three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, and attempting to cause a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity. Thorpe was also found guilty of attempting to cause a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, as well as attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced at the same court on May 14. Thorpe spoke online with a person he believed was a 12-year-old girl, but was in fact an undercover police officer from West Midlands Police.

Thorpe sent sexually explicit images to the ‘girl’ over four-week period in November and December 2019. He was arrested December 6 2019 and a search of digital devices recovered from his home found indecent images of children.

The devices also had the images that he been sent to the ‘girl’. Thorpe was suspended from duty following his arrest in December 2019. He resigned from the Met in September 2022.

An accelerated misconduct hearing took place in May 2023 and found former PC Thorpe had breached the standards of professional behaviour which amounted to gross misconduct. He would have been sacked had he not already resigned.

Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain, local policing commander in South London, said: “People rightly expect police officers to uphold the highest standards and when an officer fails to meet those standards they can expect to face the consequences of their actions through the courts and our own misconduct process.

"Former PC Thorpe’s behaviour was abhorrent and he has been convicted of serious sexual offences. Prior to his conviction misconduct proceedings established that he would have been sacked had he not already left the organisation.”

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A 46-year-old man sexually assaulted a lone woman at a London Underground station and spat at a police officer. The incident happened on May 24 last year at Seven Sisters Tube station as Nathan Gordon, of Wightman Road, Hornsey, was later caught lying down on a bench in the same station after the attack.

Immediately after the incident, he was reported to a member of station staff who challenged him before he left the station. Later the same day officers were alerted to the suspect lying on a bench at the station, who was identified by staff as the same man.

Officers recognised Gordon from an incident back in March 2023 when he was arrested for a separate offence and spat at an officer while in custody.

Investigating officer DC Stephen Allen said: “Gordon’s blatant intimidation and harassment of this woman was both unnerving and sickening. Thanks to her bravery for reporting the incident immediately, despite being understandably upset, meant that officers were able to attend the location and identify and arrest Gordon within hours of the offence.

“He’s now been issued with a SHPO which will go some way to protecting women on the rail network once he is released from jail.

“We will stop at nothing to deter, pursue, arrest and bring sex offenders on the railway network to justice. Every report is important. We urge everyone to save 61016 to their phones and download the Railway Guardian before you travel so you can discreetly get in touch with us if you need us.”

Nathan Gordon pleaded guilty to sexual assault and assault of an emergency worker and was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Monday 11 March.

He was also handed a seven year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prevents him from approaching, touching or making any attempt to communicate with any lone female traveling on the railway network.

He must also leave any station immediately after leaving a train or make his way directly to the next available connecting service.

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A man who raped and strangled a woman in an alleyway behind a row of shops in Barking has been jailed. Daniel Jordan, 28, was identified using DNA and was revealed to be a known offender.

Jordan had carried out the violent and sustained attack in Barking in October 2022, and, since then, the woman has received support from a team specialising in investigating sexual offences. The woman who was attacked called police to say she had been raped and that her attacker had fled the scene.

Police immediately responded and set into motion the appropriate steps to look after the victim survivor, and gather vital evidence.

She told officers how a man had approached her and quickly began a physically and sexually violent assault in an alleyway behind a parade of shops on Longbridge Road. She described how, at one point, he had strangled her so she fell in and out of consciousness.

Detective Sergeant Charlie Yexley, who works in Met Police's east London office investigating sexual offences, said: “This was a horrendous attack and I have the utmost respect for the victim survivor, as she has worked to come to terms with the extreme violence she was subjected to.

“She has demonstrated grace and tenacity through this trial and I hope it brings some comfort that a jury unequivocally saw this man for what he is.”

Officers swiftly arrested him at his home seven days after the attack. He was charged and remanded the next day.

Jordan was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 15 to ten years’ imprisonment with an extended license period of five years, and a 30-month sentence for both the non-fatal strangulation and assault.

He will serve both sentences concurrently and will also be on the sex offenders' reregister for life. The woman has received support from a team specialising in investigating sexual offences.

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A South London man who subjected a woman to a campaign of physical and emotional abuse has been convicted. Nam Nguyen took control of the woman's life over a 10-day period in September 2023 and held her captive inside a flat in Tulse Hill.

She managed to escape after jumping from a window. She ran to a nearby care home where she was found with extensive injuries to her face and body.

She had been raped and repeatedly attacked. Officers were called and the Met launched an investigation.

Nguyen was identified as the suspect and arrested nearby a short time later. The victim spoke at length to officers about the horrific abuse she had faced, including vicious attacks, one of which resulted in a fracture to her spine.

Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander in Lambeth and Southwark, said: "It's hard to imagine the pain and suffering this woman went through and I am pleased the man responsible for these awful crimes has been brought to justice. This is some of the worst offending our detectives have ever seen and I do not underestimate the impact having to speak at length about this has had on the victim.

"We will continue to support her in any way we can. This has been an incredibly complex investigation and I hope this outcome demonstrates how the Met is committed to tackling violence against women and girls.

"We will continue to ensure dangerous and predatory men face the consequences of their actions." Nguyen will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday, May 24.

Nguyen, 26, of no fixed address, was found guilty of the following offences at Inner London Crown Court on Monday, March 18.

• False imprisonment
• Wounding with intent
• Threats to kill
• Grievous bodily harm with intent
• Rape
• Actual bodily harm
• Administering a noxious thing
• Sexual assault

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A paedophile has been jailed after raping a girl in her own bed. Garry Gibbons, 36, of Mile End, East London, was sentenced to six years and four months imprisonment for the rape of a girl aged under 18 at Snaresbroke Crown Court on Wednesday, March 13.

Gibbons had been sleeping in the living room of a home where his young victim was sleeping in a bedroom on 18 April 2023. He got up in the early hours of the morning, entered the room where she was sleeping and then got into the bed and raped her "despite her protests," police said.

His victim then fled the property to a friend's house where the police were called. Forensic samples were taken from the victims clothing that were later identified as being a match for Garry Gibbons.

Gibbons was arrested on August 31, 2023, on suspicion of rape which he denied, despite having left DNA on the victim. He was convicted on March 6, 2024.

Detective Inspector Chris Heathcote of the Mets Public Protection Unit in Tower Hamlets said: "Gibbons is a predatory offender who targeted a young girl, while she slept and despite her protests, raped her.

"He strongly denied the allegation, claiming that he hadnt gone into the room and that he had slept through the night. However, DNA testing of samples taken from the victims clothing proved otherwise."

He added: I am pleased that Garry Gibbons has been removed from the community to a place where he no longer poses a threat to women and girls.

"We understand the anxiety of reporting rape, particularly when the attacker is someone that you know. I urge anyone in that situation to get in touch, at the very least so that we can check you are okay. My thoughts are with the survivor/victim in this case. I hope she may now find a measure of closure.

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A paedophile who boasted about molesting young children was caught sharing baby abuse videos with sick predators on a fetish website. Mark Penfold, 53, of Turberville House, Brixton, was arrested in 2009 and 2015 for 'similar' indecent images offences, but the investigations were dropped ahead of his third arrest in December last year, Inner London Crown Court heard on Tuesday, March 12.

Police raced to Penfold's South London flat on December 18, 2023, after he told an undercover police officer he had abused young children. But a subsequent investigation into his claims found no evidence to back them up. Judge Ian Darling said the boasts were 'worrying' because 'it shows a specific interest', but added 'on the face of the material before me it appears more fantasy than real'.

When the dad-of-three's home was raided, police seized three mobile phones, including a Samsung which contained 361 indecent images and videos, including 122 Category A, the worst kind. The images include a video of the rape of a one-year-old baby.

Prosecutor Gregor McKinley said Penfold spoke to an undercover officer for around two weeks, sharing parental abuse fantasies and details of the child sexual abuse content he had been looking at online. He also admitted to sharing the vile content with other sick users.

"He admitted occasionally, and in a limited way, he had shared images with other like-minded people across the fetish network, and that's what gave rise to the distribution charges," Mr McKinley told the court.

"He also claimed he had taken part in illegal activities with minors, so police decided to arrest him on December 18. What Mr Penfold said has been investigated and there's nothing to suggest that this activity took place."

Penfold answered no comment under questioning, but pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images and three counts of making indecent images at Croydon Magistrates' Court on December 19 last year.

On Tuesday, Penfold was self-represented as he blamed drug addiction and childhood trauma for his deviant behaviour. Gripping his handwritten mitigation speech, he stammered about being 'deeply ashamed, sickened, and disgusted', adding 'I fully blame what I did on cocaine addiction and mental health issues'.

But Judge Darling decided only immediate custody could protect the public, noting Penfold's 'particular interest in parents abusing children' and his admission 'age was a significant exciting factor'. Judge Darling also said the 'specific naming' of alleged victims was 'worrying' even if the evidence before him suggested Penfold's abuse claims were fantastical.

"The worst images involved the penetration of the vagina and mouth of a very young child who must have been in distress. I expect you did not consider for a moment the distress those children must have been going through because your sexual interests override any thought of what was going on," said Judge Darling.

As Judge Darling sentenced Penfold to 20 months in prison, he concluded the paedophile's interests are 'an entrenched issue' and he would need the help of prison services to stop repeat offending.

Penfold was also given an eight year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and was put on the sex offender's register for 10 years.

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A 20-year-old man has been given an extended seven-year sentence and deemed a risk to the public after engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Tyrese Smith, of Grove Road, Romford, will serve a four year and eight month sentence in a young offenders’ institution, before he is subject to an extended period on licence of two years and four months.

This sentence follows his guilty pleas to all charges Essex Police secured against him, including three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

He also admitted other charges secured by the Metropolitan Police in relation to sexual communications with a child and possession of indecent images of children.

Officers from the Child Abuse Investigations Team (CAIT), along with support from the Adult Sexual Abuse Investigation Team (ASAIT) and Grays Local Investigations Team had launched enquiries after concerns were raised over reported sexual activity between Smith and a child in the Tilbury area last year.

This also followed reports Smith had breached bail conditions imposed by the Met.
Smith was arrested on November 27 last year.

He was heard to make a significant comment when fleeing the victim’s address just hours before, voicing his fear he would be jailed for his offending.

Smith answered no comment to all questions asked of him in interview, but later admitted all charges at Basildon Crown Court.

Appearing at court for sentence on Wednesday February 28, he was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and requirements as a Registered Sex Offender, which will monitor his use of electronic devices and prohibit contact with children.

An indefinite restraining order will strictly prohibit further contact with the victim.

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A Pembrokeshire social worker trawled pornographic websites, arranging to have sex with a 13-year-old girl in a hotel room and saying he would bring underwear, alcopop and lubricant.

Richard Dale Ford, 51, now of Princess Way Road, Hackney, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a string of sexual offences.

The court heard that Ford, who had worked as an adults social worker had changed his name by deed poll.

Social Care Wales confirmed to the Western Telegraph that he was known to them as Dale Richard Barker and is currently subject to an interim suspension order.

On his arrest, Ford was found to be in possession of more than 900 indecent images of children, 254 which were of the most serious class A category. Of these he had shared or distributed 19 images.

Ford used two websites to facilitate child sexual abuse. He said that he had a sexual interest in young children and "blossoming girls and young girls that need training up".

Unbeknown to him, he was talking to undercover police officers.

He said that he was looking to groom a girl of nine or 10 and asked how he could arrange "play dates" to meet and have sexual intercourse with young girls.

In conversations with who he thought was the abusive mother of a 13-year-old girl, to whom he sent 19 indecent images, Ford fantasised about sex with her daughter.

He discussed booking a hotel room and carrying out sexual acts with the child while the mother watched and even had a conversation with the teen where he discussed sexual matters.

During this second chat Ford revealed that he had sexually touched a teenage girl.

When he was arrested in September 2022 police seized devices from his home and found 910 indecent images. 254 of these were in the class A category, with 123 of them being class B and 533 class C.

Fords revelations that he had sexually abused a young girl led to a separate police investigation. Officers were able to locate his victim, a teenager, who disclosed three sexual offences that Ford had committed against her.

In all three incidents, Ford had intentionally groped or fondled her over her clothing.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court by her mother, the girl said.

I cant believe you did thisIt has changed my life.

She said that she could not use public transport without feeling anxious and scared, worrying that any man nearby will touch her and that she had lost a lot of trust. She didnt like being on her own in public at night.

Sometimes I cry at night, she said. Sometimes I have panic attacks too. How can someone be so sick in the head that they can do this? You knew I was vulnerable and you used that against me. I cant believe you did this.

In Fords defence, his counsel said that he was remorseful and had sought help, enrolling on a Safer Lives course and seeking professional help. He had pleaded guilty to all offences and had no previous convictions.

Ford was sentenced for arranging the commission of a child sexual offence, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, possession of 910 indecent images, distribution of 19 of these images, and for the three sexual offences on the teenage girl.

Judge Her Honour Catherine Richards sentenced him to a total of five years in prison. He will spend half of this in custody and the other half on licence.

He was put on the sex offenders register for life. A further hearing later this week will finalise the terms of a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order.

A spokesperson for Social Care Wales said: We can confirm that Richard Ford, who was previously known to us as Dale Richard Barker, is currently subject to an interim suspension order, which prohibits him from working in a registered social care role in Wales.

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesperson added: We are aware that an individual formerly employed by the council has been sentenced for several child sex offences.

These offences were not committed by the individual in the course of their employment with the council, and as with any investigation into child sexual abuse, the local authority cooperated with the criminal investigation, and took all steps to ensure that any children impacted by such offences are identified and supported.

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A man who raped a teenage girl in a Hove park has been jailed for 11 years.

David Berbers, 21, of Byatt Walk in Richmond upon Thames, attacked his victim – a girl under the age of 16 – in St Ann’s Well Gardens on the evening of Sunday, 25 July, 2021.

He had arranged to meet her after the pair had been communicating on social media.

After suggesting they walk through the park, he raped her before fleeing the scene, leaving her to seek help from members of the public nearby.

She was supported by medical professionals and specialist police officers, while an urgent investigation was launched.

Berbers was identified through his Instagram account and the phone number he used to contact the victim, as well as a detailed description she provided.

Urgent enquiries were carried out and he was arrested in London three days later on 28 July, 2021.

He was subsequently charged with the rape of a girl under 16 in relation to the Hove incident.

Berbers was also charged with two counts of rape and attempted rape as part of separate Metropolitan Police investigations, and possession of extreme pornography.

At Kingston Crown Court on Monday, 4 December, a jury found him guilty of three counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. He pleaded guilty to possession of extreme pornography.

At the same court on Friday (16 February), Berbers was jailed for 11 years and given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A predatory offender who targeted a sleeping woman on the London underground has been jailed. The defendant led the victim-survivor off a tube before sexually assaulting her on a street in West Ham.

The sentence comes as the Met reaffirms its commitment to tackling violence against women and girls in the capital and bringing predatory offenders to justice.

Salman Yousaf, 43 (10.03.80), of Woodgrange Road, E7, has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years, after a week-long trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court found he was guilty of sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.

On 29 April 2023 the woman was alone in the early hours on the London Underground after a night out with friends. Yousaf found her asleep in an empty carriage and sexually assaulted her in nearby Durban Road, E15.

The victim-survivor of this ordeal has pleaded for people to speak to police if they have suffered sexual assault. She said: “If anything like this happens to you do not be afraid to come forward, you will start your healing process once you see justice has been served. I am happy to know that he will be off the streets for a long time and unable to hurt anyone else.”

Dedicated Met officers found Yousaf by tracking him by CCTV from the night of the attack and pieced together his previous movements. Police found out Yousaf frequently used Forest Gate Railway Station. Using an image of Yousaf from the CCTV officers went to the station and spoke with staff and identified him leading to his arrest.

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TWO "predatory" sex offenders who filmed the vile rape of a woman in a car have been jailed.

Bujar Jashari, of Victoria Road, Southend, has been jailed for seven years for his role in the attack in Hornchurch town centre, in east London, last June.

Jashari, 34, and his co-defendant Rinor Korqa, 25, approached the 34-year-old victim when she became separated from her friends during a night out.

She was alone in a bar when two men approached her, took her to a car and drove away.

The victim, who has been praised by police for her bravery in speaking out and contacting the force, recalled being raped inside the car by one of the defendants while the other recorded the attack on his phone.

Staff who worked at a nearby bar told police officers during their enquires that both Jashari and Korqa had been spotted approaching several women before leaving with the victim.

Following the conviction, both men were branded “predatory offenders” who “would likely” still be offending if they had not been caught.

The pair were eventually traced and charged.

During a sentencing hearing on January 24, at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Jashari, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for rape.

Korqa, of Romford, east London, was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment for rape and failing to disclose his mobile phone PIN.

Both men had been convicted of rape two days earlier at the same court.

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Detectives have secured justice for a woman who was sexually abused as a child more than 40 years ago.

She came forward in March 2021 to report that she had been raped and sexually assaulting by an older man at a primary school in Islington in the mid-1980s.

The abuse lasted around two years and was carried out by a man who she identified to be Robert MacLennan.

He was working as the school's groundskeeper during the time of the abuse and lived on the site.

Officers began an investigation and MacLennan was arrested in April 2021. He admitted sexually assaulting the victim, however he denied raping her.

Detectives work to build a case against him by identifying further witnesses and gathering their accounts.

This evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service in May 2022 and he was later charged with a number of offences.

He went on trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court and was found guilty on 28 September 2023. He was sentenced at the same court on Wednesday, 24 January to 15 years' imprisonment.

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A man will now spend 4.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to the sexual assault of a teenage girl.

Andrii Melnyk, of Harvard Road, Chiswick, and born on 15/12/1993, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court today (17 January) for sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by touching. He will also be on the sexual offenders register for life.

The assault took place on 2 April at around 6am on Short Lane in Staines and involved Melnyk following the victim after they got off the same bus, grabbing her by the arm and attempting to pull her trousers down. The victim then fell over and Melynk fell on top of her, after which he sexually assaulted her.

The victim, who was only 18-years-old at the time, managed to fight him off and shout for help, before seeking assistance from a nearby taxi driver who rang the police. Melynk then fled the scene.

Melynk was identified as the perpetrator after officers trawled through the CCTV on the bus and matched him to the suspect description. By cross-referencing the oyster card used on the bus, Melynk was successfully identified as the user.

Upon searching his home address, officers found clothing matching the ones in the CCTV, as well as a pair of distinctive jeans with mud stains on the knees. He was subsequently picked out as the perpetrator in an ID parade by the victim, before being charged with the offences and remanded in custody.

Investigating Officer DC Katherine Peters, said; “This was a complex investigation that involved many different lines of enquiries including forensics, intel, witness testimonies and CCTV.

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A South London man who sexually abused a child has been jailed after the victim bravely came forward many years later. Darren Barrett, 40, of Coventry Road, Croydon, was charged with two counts of indecent assault on July 22, 2022 after a Metropolitan Police investigation which began when his victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons - broke their silence in August 2021.

A Met Police spokesperson said: "Detectives began an investigation in August 2021 after a [person] contacted the Met to report that [they] had been sexually assaulted when [they were] a child."

Barrett was convicted on both counts at Croydon Crown Court and was jailed for 18 months on one count and nine months on another, to run concurrently. Detective Constable Chamberlain, who carried out the investigation, said: "It must have been incredibly difficult for the victim to come forward and speak about what [they] went through after so many years. I hope [they] will finally have some closure.

"This investigation and conviction demonstrates that the Met will take all allegations of sexual abuse seriously and we will follow the evidence to bring offenders to justice, no matter how long ago the offences occurred." Barrett was also put on the Sex Offender's Register for 10 years.

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A manipulative rapist has been jailed after raping a woman twice in the toilets of Kings Cross railway station following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Abdifatah Mohamud, 35, of Bingfield Street, Islington, was sentenced today (12 January) at Inner London Crown Court to 11 years after he was found guilty by a jury for two counts of rape. He was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a life-long signature on the Sex Offenders Register.

The court heard how, on 12th October 2022, at around 5pm, the victim was at a local park with a group which included Mohamud. He proceeded to claim he knew the victim, giving her his nickname and began talking to her.

Later, at around 10pm, the victim returned to Kings Cross railway station and joined the same group from earlier in the day. She was approached again by Mohamud where he proceeded to coerce her into the toilets where he raped her. 

Following this, Mohamud took the victim for food to manipulate her into believing he meant no harm. However, he later proceeded to coerce her once again into the toilets, forcing her to take drugs and raping her again. After the victim began getting upset and becoming vocal, Mohamud left the scene.

The victim was found in the toilets by a cleaner who in turn informed security and a report was made to British Transport Police.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Adrienne Curzon, said: “Mohamud is a calculating offender who used coercion and manipulation in order to rape the victim. This has been an extremely frightening experience for her, and I hope this outcome goes some way to help her move on from the traumatising ordeal she was subjected to.

“We take all reports of sexual offences seriously and I hope this sends a strong message to offenders that we will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served.”