Search results for London

Record details

Rolf Harris faces spending the rest of his life behind bars after he was jailed for five years and nine months for a string of sex crimes involving four girls.

The 84-year-old entertainer, a family favourite for decades, was finally unmasked as a prolific paedophile with his conviction for 12 indecent assaults on Monday.

Today, at London's Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Sweeney told the shamed performer he had shown no remorse, and his reputation was now in ruins.

Harris was unanimously found guilty of molesting four girls - one woman who was just seven or eight and was groped when she asked for his autograph, and another two who fell prey as young teenagers.

The veteran presenter, who charmed television audiences for decades, was also convicted of a catalogue of abuse against his daughter's then-best friend, whom prosecutors said Harris groomed from the age of 13 and used like ''his little toy''.

The accusations dated back to between 1968 and 1986, and the girls were targeted between the ages of seven or eight and 19.

Record details

A Catholic friar who admitted making hundreds and possessing thousands of indecent images of children walked out of court today with a suspended sentence.

Father Timothy Gardner, 42, of Sutton, was caught with more than 500 pictures of children and more than 5,000 prohibited images downloaded onto his computer in August last year. He also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of making indecent images of children.

Gardner had taught religious education at Maria Fidelis Catholic School in Euston, and had also been based at St Dominic’s Priory in Gospel Oak.

After admitting to the charges at a hearing earlier this month, Gardner was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years at Southwark Crown Court today.

He was also given a five year sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Keith Braithwaite, of the Met's Paedophile Command, said: "Every indecent image accessed by Timothy Gardner was a real child, a vulnerable victim of crime.

"His selfish and abhorrent actions have contributed significantly to the destruction of these vulnerable victim's childhoods. The MPS Paedophile Unit will identify and bring those that possess and distribute these images to justice."

Record details

A roller skating star who performed in front of millions at the London Olympics opening ceremony has been jailed after having sex with a 14-year-old fan in a car park.

Nathan Wright, described by a judge as a 'role model for young people', was first contacted by the schoolgirl through YouTube after she had seen one of his skating clips.

The pair then began to message each other regularly, with the teenage victim 'flattered' by Wright's interest in her.

Edna Leonard, prosecuting, said it was clear from the start of their contact that the girl was only 14.

Derby Crown Court was told Wright, 26, of Tooting, London, went on to persuade the teenager to carry out a sex act on a webcam before he filmed himself performing a sex act and sent a recording to her.

Miss Leonard told the hearing they went on to meet at a rolling skating event, where Wright was approached by a number of fans wanting to be photographed with him.

She said the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was among them and the pair slipped away to perform sex acts on each other.

The court heard they met again at an event at Rollerworld in Derby on October 21 last year. Wright had told the teenager to wear clothes that could easily be removed.

Wright persuaded the schoolgirl to slip away from a group of adults and they had sex in a car park.

Recorder Paul Mann QC, sentencing, told Wright, who also took part in the Paralympic Games opening ceremony: 'You are known as an accomplished roller-skater and have your profile on the internet.

'You have, through your skating, the opportunity to become a role model for young people.

'There must be young people who have followed you who feel let down by the offences you have committed.'

Wright, who admitted sexual grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child, was jailed for five years.

He was also told he could not use the internet to contact anyone under 16 and was put on the sex offenders' register.

The court heard that he had previously been jailed for four-and-a-half years for a rape he committed when he was 18.

Jonathan Straw, defending, said the girl was a willing partner in their meetings and had sexual experience before meeting him.

He added: 'Before the text friendship developed, however inappropriately, there was genuine feeling on both sides. This is not a case where she was pressured.

'Unfortunately, the very rapid, almost explosive use of social networking among young people can give rise to this sort of difficulties.'

Record details

An 18-year-old man has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of eight years, for raping an 11-year-old girl in Jubilee Park, Enfield, north London, in November.

Opemipo Jaji, from Edmonton, denied the attack, which occurred as the girl walked home from school after getting off a bus.

Jaji had prior convictions for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl a year earlier and for making indecent images of children.

During sentencing, Mr Justice Singh called Jaji "manipulative and a liar." He considered a lesser sentence, such as a determinate term with an extension, but concluded: "However, in all the circumstances of this case, I do not believe that the public would be adequately protected from you if you were the subject of any sentence other than a life sentence."

BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw noted outside court that Jaji showed remorse only after his April guilty verdict. The judge added: "I approach the degree of your apparent remorse with some caution. I had the opportunity to observe you when you gave evidence at your trial. It is clear to me that you are well capable of lying and of manipulating others around you to suit your own interests."

Jaji, who had been on the same bus after visiting probation, followed the girl. Feeling threatened, she crossed the road three times and ran, but he grabbed her, forced a glove into her mouth, and raped her in a secluded park area during a three-hour ordeal.

The girl testified via videolink. Mr Justice Singh told Jaji he had "left her with terrible emotional scars," adding: "One can only hope that, with the courage that she has already shown in giving evidence at this trial, and with the support of her family and friends, she can begin the process of recovery."

Six months before the rape, Jaji received an 18-month supervision order for making indecent images. A year prior, he sexually assaulted and robbed a 12-year-old on a housing estate, receiving a 10-month detention and training order, which he breached.

Record details

A PR cameraman has been sentenced to prison and prohibited from approaching a glamour model from Camden for 12 years following his conviction for secretly recording her during sexual activity.

Naushad Faruk, aged 33 and also known as Johnny Na$h, who appeared as the "Ladies Man" on the BBC3 reality series Boom Town, received a three-and-a-half-year jail term for voyeurism after filming the woman without her knowledge or consent.

The court dismissed his assertion that she had agreed to the recording as a means to advance her modeling career.

In the proceedings, the 26-year-old model, known for her frequent appearances in prominent men's magazines, broke down in tears while describing how Faruk—a PR cameraman she initially encountered through work—developed an intense obsession with her. He showered her with presents, including a purebred Chihuahua, and repeatedly expressed desires to marry and be intimate with her.

Prosecutor Jonathan Loades explained: "He persistently pressured her for sex, but she declined."

The model became aware of his fixation when he got a tattoo of her face on his arm. Testifying from behind a protective screen, she said: "I was terrified. Why would you go to have a tattoo done unless you were completely obsessed?"

She recounted that when she attempted to end their association, Faruk informed her the dog was registered under his name and threatened to reclaim it unless she complied with his sexual demands.

In tears, she told the jury: "When he gave the puppy to me, I obviously became her mother...She was my baby. I was horrified to find out she wasn’t in my name and I realised he had a hook on me. I was so in love with her, he knew I couldn’t be away from her.

“This happened quite a few times and it was very traumatic and I got very depressed.”

Mr. Loades informed the jury that, driven to desperation by the ongoing harassment, she eventually negotiated an agreement allowing him to perform a sex act on her.

Jurors viewed a 40-minute video from the summer of 2012, depicting Faruk positioning the hidden camera, the model's arrival, and the subsequent sexual encounter.

Mr. Loades noted: "She was unaware of the camera and had she been asked, she would have said ‘no’."

He further described how, after the event, Faruk persisted in bothering her, prompting her to sever all ties. Shortly thereafter, he forwarded her a YouTube link to the unauthorized footage, accompanied by the message: “No one has seen this yet. What happens next is up to you.”

Faruk was imprisoned for three and a half years after a guilty verdict on one count of voyeurism involving the model, spanning August 1 to September 30, 2012.

He was additionally found guilty on two other voyeurism counts for using concealed cameras to film another model and an escort without their permission between 2013 and 2014.

Faruk was acquitted of two fraud charges concerning an alleged fabricated photoshoot for Loaded magazine, which he had contested.

He was convicted on two counts of perverting the course of justice for posting the real and professional names of two key victims on Twitter, in violation of a court anonymity order.

In addition to his sentence, Faruk received a 12-year restraining order preventing contact with the victims and was required to register as a sex offender.

Detective Constable Rob Jones, the investigating officer, stated post-trial: “This case shows that if someone threatens to release ‘revenge porn’ into the public domain they will be dealt with robustly, not only by the police but also by the courts as is demonstrated by this sentence.”

“The women involved have been extremely traumatised and felt extreme fear throughout,” he continued.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Packer of Camden police remarked: “The filming of women engaging in sexual acts is extremely disturbing when you consider that they had no idea they were being secretly filmed.”

Record details

A tattooed sex attacker has been jailed for subjecting a young woman to a violent and extremely frightening ordeal.

Elias Kajue, of Kilburn, pleaded guilty to an assault on a 23-year-old woman at Cricklewood railway station on August 31 last year.

The victim was waiting for a train at about 6am, when she was approached by Kajue in the ticket hall.

He tried to engage her in conversation, but she had asked him to leave her alone because she was tired and did not want to talk, she told police.

Kajue, 22, left but returned a few minutes later and began harassing her again.

He then pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the station subway where he forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her before being disturbed by rail passengers coming off an arriving train.

Kajue left the scene on his bike, but was clearly captured by station CCTV.

Detective Sergeant Mark Barton, investigating officer from British Transport Police, said: Kajue brazenly targeted a young woman who was waiting alone for an early morning train.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that his crime was being recorded on station CCTV, he subjected her to a violent and extremely frightening ordeal.

Detectives began an investigation and analysed the camera footage, before issuing appeals for information. They received details from the Metropolitan Police that Kajue was a possible suspect and raided his Kilburn home where they found a red mountain bike.

As well as the bike, the victim also recalled a distinctive scripted tattoo on the inside of Kajues forearm. Police records showed he had two distinctive tattoos of Loyalty and Family on his arms, and he was subsequently positively identified by his victim in a video identification parade.

DS Barton said: The victim showed great bravery throughout our investigation and provided detailed descriptions of her attacker, including his tattoo, which we were able to cross-check with video footage and the police national computer database.

In interviews Kajue initially denied all knowledge of the attack and said he had a bad memory of the date of the offence, claiming the person on CCTV was not him.

DS Barton added: All of the evidence his tattoos and red bike in particular pointed to Kajue as being the person responsible for this assault.

It gradually became clear to him that he had little option other than to plead guilty.

He was jailed on Friday at Southwark Crown Court for sexual assault and false imprisonment. He will have to serve a minimum of three years in prison before being considered for release.

Martin Grier, head of security for First Capital Connect, explained that CCTV was a vital tool in deterring and catching criminals.

Record details

A paedophile who avoided jail for committing a series of sexual assaults on children has now been resentenced to 18 months behind bars.

Michael Porter, 38, of Okehampton Close, North Finchley, was resentenced by the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after the Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, judged the original sentence to be "unduly lenient".

Porter carried out his attacks between 1986 and 2000, groping boys as they slept in bed and taking advantage of children as he baby-sat them. Some were unaware they had been abused, including an 18-month-old baby and a three-year-old boy.

In August, Porter was given a three-year community rehabilitation order at Bristol Crown Court after admitting 25 charges of gross indecency and indecent assault.

Judge Thomas Crowther QC decided that "complex" issues in his childhood made his actions "understandable".

He was handed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order, banning him from unsupervised contact with children under 18 and living or sleeping at an address where there are children.

The verdict sparked a public outcry and led Baroness Scotland to refer the case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

Referring to the original sentence after jailing Porter on Wednesday, Lord Justice Gage said: "The judge took a course which he recognised as lenient and he described the case as exceptional.

"We can understand the judge's reasons for doing so. We recognise that the offender has made considerable efforts to ensure he doesn't commit any offences of this type again.

"But we have to recognise that these were serious offences committed on a number of young children and adolescents over a long time. These offences required an element of punishment as well as an element of mercy. They must be marked with a custodial sentence."

Porter handed himself in to police in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, last October, after one victim went to leaders of the Portishead Jehovah's Witness church, where he was a member.

Porter's sentencing follows the early release of another convicted paedophile in the borough.

Andrew Josephs, who used to live in Edgware Way, Edgware, was released early from his sentence, police confirmed last week.

As part of his parole, he has been banned from entering the borough of Harrow, but it is believed the restriction does not extend to the borough of Barnet.

A spokesman for Barnet police said: "The probation service in partnership with the Public Protection Unit at Barnet Police are monitoring Mr Jospehs.

"He is on probation having been released from prison."

Josephs, who used to teach Jewish studies at a Harrow school, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison last March. He was found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court of four counts of indecent assault on one boy, and two of committing sexual activity with a second child.

Record details

Jonathan King (Kenneth King) still believes he has done nothing wrong

Former music impresario Jonathan King has been jailed for seven years for sexual abuse. King, charged under his real name Kenneth King, was found guilty of four indecent assaults and two serious sexual offences against boys aged 14 and 15, committed in the 1980s.

He will have to sign the sex offenders' register for life and will be barred from working with children.

"You used your fame and success to attract adolescent and impressionable boys" Judge David Paget.

King, who denied all the charges, continues to protest his innocence on his website.

His lawyers said they had already lodged an appeal to the High Court.

Judge David Paget told a pale and shaken King: "This was a serious breach of trust.

"You used your fame and success to attract adolescent and impressionable boys."

The 56-year-old former television presenter, who lives in Bayswater, west London, was convicted on 27 September.

But reporting restrictions were not lifted until Wednesday because other allegations were being dealt with.

Other allegations

A second trial collapsed on Tuesday, partly because a complainant was unsure of the dates involved.

The prosecution, after a meeting with detectives, decided not to continue with further charges.

"What he really gave them was his company, the company and interest of a celebrity" David Jeremy QC Prosecuting.

King was first questioned and charged last year after the initial allegations but more complainants came forward following the publicity.

He said "thousands" of youngsters had been in his home over the years as part of his market research into teenagers' musical tastes.

The court heard that his "method" involved luring teenage boys back to his home before showing them pictures of naked women and assaulting them.

A search of his home by police revealed some of these photos, as well as several hundred photos of teenage boys which were not indecent.

Boys' gifts

King had met boys who were on holidays or day trips to London, often accosting them on the street either on foot or in his car.

He offered lifts in his Rolls Royce, giving them signed t-shirts and records after attacks.

David Jeremy QC, prosecuting, told the jury: "What he really gave them was his company, the company and interest of a celebrity.

"King also gave evidence and mocked them - I am happy to say the jury saw through King's deceit" DI Brian Marjoram Surrey Police.

"It is not hard to imagine how these young men would have felt flattered and excited by the attention of such a person."

Celebrities who gave evidence as to King's character included lyricist Sir Tim Rice, former Radio One DJ Simon Bates, and Wheel of Fortune hostess Jenny Powell.

But questioned by Mr Jeremy, it soon became obvious that they did not realise the full extent of the accusations.

First fame

The former music impresario is well-known for a lengthy career in music as a performer, songwriter, TV presenter and record executive.

"You can't prove you didn't do something 18, 25 or 32 years ago" Jonathan King.

Pre-recorded statement
In a pre-recorded statement released through his website, King said it was "unfair" allegations could be made after so many years.

He said: "It is incredibly unfair that people can go back numerous years, in my case as far as 32 years but it can be 40 or 50 years.

'Victims mocked by King'

"You can't prove you didn't do something 18, 25 or 32 years ago.

"It is simply their word against mine. They say it happened, I say it didn't."

Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Detective Inspector Brian Marjoram of Surrey Police, said: "He put these victims through a very harrowing time in court. They were accused of fantasising and distorting the truth.

"King also gave evidence and mocked them - I am happy to say the jury saw through King's deceit."

King is now in Belmarsh prison in south east London, awaiting transfer to another jail.