Latest Offenders Manchester

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A PAEDOPHILE who abused children over three decades has been jailed for eight years. Alan West, 55, showed no emotion as he was sent to prison at Manchester Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to 17 sexual offences against children.

A PAEDOPHILE who abused children over three decades has been jailed for eight years.

Alan West, 55, showed no emotion as he was sent to prison at Manchester Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to 17 sexual offences against children.

His abuse began in 1974 and spanned more than 30 years. Two of his three victims, a boy and a girl, were eight and nine when West began sexually assaulting them. But now grown up, they felt compelled to speak out.

His third victim, a girl of eight, was abused in May 2007.

David Toal, prosecuting, said: "Some of the abuse occurred many years ago in the 1970s and 1980s when the defendant was in his 20s.

"However, he also admitted abuse that occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and also an incident more recently in 2007 when he was a married man."

West, of Cheadle, Stockport, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of indecent assault, three counts of gross indecency with a child and one count of sexual assault on a child under 13.

The victims' families were in court as details of his horrific abuse were read out. In a victim impact statement, part of which was read out in court. One of the victims said West's abuse had `haunted' her.

Barry Grennan, defending, said West's wife had left him and he had twice tried to take his own life after the abuse came to light.

He said West did feel `responsible' for what he had done and did have `insight' into the effect he had on his victims.

West will have to sign the sex offenders' register for life. He was also placed under a sexual offences prevention order, which stops him having unsupervised contact with children. West will be placed on licence when he is released from prison.

Judge Roger Thomas QC told West his offences had had a `devastating effect' on his victims' lives.

Det Con Claire Beach, who led the investigation, said: "West was in his 20s when his abuse started in the mid-70s, and he used the age-gap to take advantage of these defenceless children, robbing them of their innocence.

"However, the victims found the courage in adulthood to come forward and thanks to their bravery, his crimes have finally caught up with him and he is where he belongs - in jail.

"I hope the verdict demonstrates that if people are arrogant enough to think they can commit these horrific crimes and get away with it, they are wrong, and we will pursue people no matter how long in takes.

"I applaud the victims who came forward and would encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse to speak up."

Christopher Bradford, reviewing lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Working closely together with police, the CPS Service has ensured that Alan West has faced justice for the inexcusable acts he has committed."

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A man who violently raped a Manchester student with an accomplice is starting a prison sentence. Ali Majid Kadir, aged 21 of Upper Chorlton Road, Whalley Range, was found guilty of three counts of rape and has been jailed for 12 years for each count. These sentences will run concurrently. A man who violently raped a Manchester student with an accomplice is starting a prison sentence. Ali Majid Kadir, aged 21 of Upper Chorlton Road, Whalley Range, was found guilty of three counts of rape and has been jailed for 12 years for each count. These sentences will run concurrently. He has also been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for life. The victim, who was 20 at the time, had been at a friend's house in the Longsight area on Sunday 21 September 2008. She left the house and began to walk home. She spent around an hour walking around before she asked Kadir and another man for directions and they offered to help her find her way. The three of them walked around for about another hour before they led her to Alexandra Park. Kadir and the other man began drinking alcohol and smoking cannabis. The victim became uncomfortable and attempted to walk off. She was grabbed by one of the men, stripped naked and repeatedly raped. After the men left the woman got dressed and made her way onto a nearby street where she hailed a taxi which dropped her off outside the Queen of Hearts pub on Wilmslow Road. She was met by a friend who described the victim as being 'hysterical' and 'shaking vigorously'. Police were called and an investigation was launched. DNA samples taken from the victim matched that of Kadir. He was subsequently arrested and charged. Detective Constable Charlotte Nutter, of Longsight CID, said: "The victim was clearly lost and becoming upset when she came across Kadir and the other man. "He used the situation to his advantage and subjected the woman to a completely vile attack. "Understandably the victim is still haunted by what has happened but I hope today's sentence will help her move on in some small way. "I am pleased Kadir will now spend many years behind bars where he belongs." Police are still hunting Mamand Rasoulpour in connection with the attack.

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A HOMELESS man who fled from justice after having sex with a vulnerable drunken teenage schoolgirl has been locked up for four-and-half years. Laurence Joseph Stringer left his under-age victim so traumatised by her ordeal that she took an overdose of paracetamol the following day.

A HOMELESS man who fled from justice after having sex with a vulnerable drunken teenage schoolgirl has been locked up for four-and-half years.

Laurence Joseph Stringer left his under-age victim so traumatised by her ordeal that she took an overdose of paracetamol the following day.

But after being charged with having sexual activity with a child he was granted bail - and fled to the South Coast where he spent two months on the run.

The 50-year-old, who was tracked down in Surrey, was sentenced to four and half years at Manchester Crown Court after admitting what he had done.

The court heard that on August 15 last year Stringer lured the girl, who has learning difficulties, back to the tent where he lived near a canal towpath on the outskirts of Hyde.

Earlier that evening she had been boozing with friends in the town centre after an argument with her family.

Loitering

Stringer was loitering in the area and when he heard that she did not want to go home, and knowing she was drunk, he invited her to go back to the tent with him.

After fleeing from Stringer's clutches the girl slept rough outside a B&Q store.

After returning home and taking the pills she was rushed to hospital, where she told police what had happened to her.

A DNA match identified Stringer and the victim was later able to show the police his lair in the bushes.

Stringer, who has a previous conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse, was arrested on September 3 when his tent was searched.

There, officers found a scrapbook of pictures of young teenage girls around the age of 13 and 14 that had been torn from magazines.

Stringer's victim has been plagued by nightmares of her ordeal, the court heard.

Defending, Neil Usher said that although Stringer had a previous conviction for sleeping with an underage girl it was not 'something he regularly engages in'.

He added that Stringer maintained he had not raped the victim.

Sentencing, Judge Anthony Hammond told Stringer: "Force or otherwise, you had no business having intercourse with girl of that age and that's the moral situation.

"Had you been convicted of raping this girl you would be facing a dickens of a sentence. As it is it's a serious offence to have intercourse with a girl of this age. This was a girl with terrible problems in respect of personality and intellectual capacity and you took advantage of her."

Ordering Stringer to sign the sex offenders' register for life, Judge Hammond told him that when he was finally released from prison he would have said he still had to keep police informed of his movements even if though he went back to sleeping rough. was a rough sleeper.

He said: "If you live on a park bench you tell them you are living on a particular park bench and if you change it you tell them again. Otherwise, you will be in real hot water and you will be going down for a very long time."

Last month an MEN exclusive highlighted the problem of bail-jumpers. 1871 people - including at least one murderer and a number of sex offenders - are currently at large.

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A PAEDOPHILE who molested a little girl more than 20 years ago has finally been brought to justice. Convicted sex attacker Stephen Hunt, 44, indecently assaulted the youngster while he was babysitting her, a court heard. Hunt, of St Gabriel's Mews, Middleton Junction, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars at Bolton Crown Court last Thursday. He was banned from working with children for life.

A PAEDOPHILE who molested a little girl more than 20 years ago has finally been brought to justice.

Convicted sex attacker Stephen Hunt, 44, indecently assaulted the youngster while he was babysitting her, a court heard.

Hunt, of St Gabriel's Mews, Middleton Junction, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars at Bolton Crown Court last Thursday. He was banned from working with children for life.

Cries of 'scum' were heard from the public gallery as Hunt, an aircraft engineer, was led away to begin his jail term.

Judge William Morris, sentencing, said: "You have forced yourself upon this girl and subjected her to a terrible ordeal. You have abused the trust of this child's parents after they left her in your care.

"This girl has been deeply affected by this offence and it has led to significant psychological damage as a result.

"You have committed a very serious crime and this carries nothing less than a substantial custodial sentence."

The court was told that the attack took place in 1988 but the girl, now in her mid-20s, was too afraid to report it to police until last year. She cannot be named for legal reasons.

Iain Simkin, prosecuting, said: "This attack left the victim in some distress and has affected her confidence and ability to form close relationships with others ever since."

Hunt had pleaded guilty to indecent assault at a previous hearing. A pre-sentencing report presented to the court last week contained letters from the defendant's son and girlfriend, outlining his good character and caring nature.

During mitigation, Peter Cunliffe, defending, said: "While I do not want to gloss over the seriousness of this case, I would like to outline Mr Hunt's impeccable work record.

He has never been out of work and has provided good financial support to his family, especially his son, who has a young daughter.

"This is evident within the character letters submitted to the court on behalf of the defendant."

The court also heard that Hunt was convicted of indecently assaulting a woman in a taxi in 1996 and was sentenced to four months in jail.

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A LABOURER was jailed for a month and put on the sex offenders register for seven years after he slapped the bottom of an off-duty policewoman. Anthony O'Neill, 22, was stunned when he was given the sentence. His relatives are furious and say the punishment is over-the-top for, what they say, was a silly joke. They say he has lost his job and been branded "a pervert". O'Neill, pictured, ended up in trouble while he was drinking in a city centre street at 11am one day in November. He told a court he thought it would be funny to smack the woman's behind when she bent down near him. Instead, the woman officer produced a police warrant card and arrested him. O'Neill, of Goredale Avenue, Gorton, admitted sexual assault at Manchester Magistrates' Court. District Judge Paul Richardson told him: "What you did was insulting and demeaning - it was anything but funny." Jailed As well as being put on the register, he was jailed for a month but immediately released because he had already spent five weeks in custody. After he was arrested, O'Neill admitted: "I have done it before. Some women like it, others don't." Outside court, O'Neill claimed he only admitted the sex assault charge because he wanted to be released after being held for 16 hours. He is considering an appeal. He said: "I should have been sent away because it's taught me a lesson not to smack a woman's bum. But to be put on the sex offenders register is just daft." 'Drink' O'Neill's mother, Karen, said: "I think it is terrible. People will see that and wonder what on earth has he done, and think it must be very serious. Rapists and serious sex abusers get put on for that long. "He wouldn't harm anyone. Everyone can get a bit out of hand when they've had a drink." The sex offenders register was set up in 1997 and holds details of about 29,000 people convicted, cautioned or released from prison for a sexual offence against children or adults. Convicted sex offenders must register with the police within three days of their conviction or release from prison and failure to do so can result in prison. They must also inform police if they change their name or address.