Latest Offenders Merseyside

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A pervert who secretly filmed victims showering kept 14 devices a secret from police.

Stanley Harris was previously jailed after installing a hidden camera in his bathroom and spying on a child, a young woman and their mum.

The 72-year-old's seedy videos were discovered when he took his laptop to a computer repair shop in Bebington in 2016.

After being asked to transfer data, a technician spotted an indecent video of a child having a shower and police later found one category A image and two category C images.

Harris was locked up for 13 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), banning him from deleting his internet history and meaning he has to register any devices that can connect to the internet with police.

But Harris was hauled back to court today after police discovered 14 secret devices during a routine visit to his home on June 16 this year.

Angela Blackmore, prosecuting at Wirral Magistrates' Court, said when he was asked about any devices that could connect to the internet he handed over a mobile phone, which only had internet history available for that day.

Ms Blackmore said: "Officers asked if he had deleted the internet history and he indicated he had."

He was asked if he had any other devices, to which he replied "no", but officers saw a laptop and when asked again Harris "produced a second mobile phone".

Harris was arrested and a search of his home revealed he kept a total of 14 unregistered devices.

Harris has no other previous convictions, other than that in 2017 when he admitted two counts of downloading, one of taking and one of possessing indecent images of children, and voyeurism.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he had kept a 12-minute video of a girl having a shower and a 15-minute video of a young woman having a shower, while another adult female undressed.

Catherine Higham, defending today, said Harris has pleaded guilty to the breaches at the earliest opportunity.

She said custody would have a "detrimental impact" on Harris due to his age and health problems, which include arthritis.

Ms Higham said there had been "four years of compliance" and stressed he was not in possession of other indecent images.

Harris, of Devonshire Road, Oxton, admitted two counts of breaching the SHPO on June 16 this year.

Chair Magistrate Chamberlain, sentencing, said: "Mr Harris we believe these offences warrant an immediate custodial sentence and we believe this because you deliberately and knowingly breached your Sexual Harm Prevention Order by deleting internet history prior to the day in question and had in your possession 14 unregistered devices."

Harris was jailed for 18 weeks and ordered to pay a 128 victim surcharge.

The devices were forfeited and destroyed.

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He later told the person she disclosed it to "you f***ing rat, you're f***ing dead" A "horrible monster" raped a woman then tried to intimidate the person she disclosed the attack to. Barry Worrall entered a room when his victim was sleeping and started kissing her, before she woke up and told him to stop. But when the woman went back to sleep, she woke again to find Worrall, 36, of Gleneagles Drive, Haydock, raping her. Judge Robert Trevor-Jones today said: "She pleaded with you to stop. She attempted to struggle physically with you, but you carried on regardless." A trial at Liverpool Crown Court heard how Worrall simply walked off after the rape and smoked a cigarette. The woman disclosed the attack to a female relative, which led to a complaint being made to the police. The victim later told officers: "I told him to get off me, and he wouldn't, he was just carrying on. And all I could smell was sweat. "I was trying to get him off me but I just... I couldn't, I just could not get him off me cos he had that much force onto the top." Worrall was arrested by police, but gave a no comment interview and was released on bail. Robert Dudley, prosecuting, said the rapist then intimidated the woman's relative, who was a prosecution witness. He did this by driving past her home, rolling down the window of his car and shouting: "You f***ing rat, you're f***ing dead." When arrested again, he denied driving past her home and said he couldn't have done because he had been in a crash, which meant his car had been written off. However, detectives spoke to his insurers, who confirmed the only crash they were aware of happened after the alleged intimidation. Worrall denied the rape but was found guilty after a trial. He pleaded guilty to witness intimidation shortly before the trial began. Mr Dudley today read a statement from his rape victim, in which she described Worrall as a "horrible monster". The woman said she struggles with "daily flashbacks", has had nightmares every night since the attack and is now undergoing counselling. The victim said she was given different types of medication but none helped and what he did to her "makes me feel anxious and weak". She described how she "blacks out" a lot, little things trigger memories of the rape, she can't relax, is anxious around men and suffers from panic attacks. The court heard Worrall has 40 previous convictions, including possession of offensive weapons, criminal damage, public order offences, shoplifting, harassment and breaching court orders. Ben Jones, defending, accepted a psychiatric report didn't show any link between his client's mental health issues and the rape, but said it did identify a mental health background "some of it self-inflicted, some of it long term in origin". Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said he had to consider whether Worrall's mental health problems affected his responsibility for the rape and therefore the length of sentence he would impose. He said the psychiatric report dealt with his "long term drug use, cannabis and cocaine", referred to him being diagnosed with anxiety and depression and receiving antidepressants, which "appears to be cannabis related", but found no link between this and his attack. The judge added: "I notice of course you still maintain your innocence." He said the psychiatrist diagnosed him with "mild learning problems" and "paranoia induced by cannabis misuse", but concluded his sentence shouldn't be adjusted to reflect this. Judge Trevor-Jones said Worrall had caused his victim "very significant" psychological harm as he jailed him for seven years for the rape. Worrall, who appeared via video link from jail, showed no emotion and appeared to tell a prison officer the hearing had finished, when the link was then switched off. However, the judge then handed him a further two months in prison for the witness intimidation, to be served consecutively, and said he must sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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He had 'extremely disturbing' chats and shared child rape videos and images on WhatsApp A paedophile had sick online chats in which he fantasised about being a dad raping his own baby. Kyle Griffiths, 23, took part in "extremely distributing" conversations with other perverts on WhatsApp. And he also used the messaging service to share some of his vile collection of child rape videos. Liverpool Crown Court heard his disgusting stash included clips of babies and toddlers being raped. Police acting on information about the uploading of indecent images raided his home in Middleton Drive, Prescot, on July 6 last year. His Samsung mobile phone was seized and found to contain 47 Category A indecent images - the most serious category showing child rape - including 13 videos. Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, said these files, along with 41 Category B and 28 Category C indecent images, plus 1,616 prohibited (cartoon) images of children, were all downloaded between October 2019 and July 2020. Analysis of the phone showed Griffiths had also distributed Category A, B and C indecent images on WhatsApp. The court heard he sent a Category A video, two Category B photos and a Category C photo to one person on April 2, then on April 5 sent two Category A photos and one Category C photo to a different person. Mr Hopkins said: "I should also highlight a conversation which was sent by the defendant... I'm not going to read it out." He added: "It's extremely disturbing. It's a conversation where the defendant sets out a narrative of raping a baby as if he were the father of the baby." Mr Hopkins said: "There are other conversations which I'm not going to refer to, but I think it's fair to say that in summary the conversations with other users do talk about very young children." One Category A video showed a baby aged between four to six months being raped and another a girl aged three or four being raped. Griffiths admitted three counts of downloading, one count of possessing and three counts of distributing indecent photos of children, plus one count of possessing prohibited images of children. Jeremy Rawson, defending, said his client, who had no previous convictions, had references from his mum and stepdad, sitting in the public gallery. He said Griffiths was single, with no children and in full time work, having lost a previous job as a result of the police investigation, but gained another. Mr Rawson said a pre-sentence report showed his "regret and remorse" and full acceptance of responsibility and his "sexual motivation". He said: "I'm not going to rehearse in full the detail of the pre-sentence report, but your honour will be aware that he himself was subject to abuse of the type which he then went on to view and that's had a significant effect upon him. "He's deeply ashamed, not just for the fact that the offence has been committed, but the fact his family have undergone the indignity of a search of their premises, they had their electronic items, laptops, iPads, phones, seized and searched." Mr Rawson added: "They have taken some considerable time to come to terms with what has happened to him as a result of this. "They stand by him, your honour can see they're sat at the back of the court today in support of him, and are anxious he's dealt with appropriately." The lawyer said the report identified the substantial "immaturity" of Griffiths, who was 21 at the time, and that his remorse was "genuine". He said Griffiths was undergoing therapy with child sex abuse prevention charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation to address his issues. Mr Rawson said sentencing guidelines suggested a starting point of three years in prison. He urged the judge to reduce this because of his client's mitigation and full one third credit for his guilty plea to a sentence less than two years, which could then be suspended, so he could be rehabilitated in the community. Judge Denis Watson, QC, said he bore in mind all that he had read in the report and the references about Griffiths, "which tells me you come from a good family, that you have been successful in obtaining work and there is genuine remorse and shame". He also acknowledged that Griffiths had actively sought help and noted his age and immaturity. However, the judge said aggravating features of the case included the "extreme youth" of the children, the detail of Griffiths' conversation and the fact he distributed Category A images to two different people. Judge Watson said although there was a prospect of rehabilitation, the distribution of those images was the "dominant factor" in him deciding the only appropriate punishment was immediate custody. Griffiths started breathing heavily in the dock as he was jailed for 18 months. The judge ordered Griffiths to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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He claimed he only breached sex offender rules because he was 'running scared' A convicted rapist claimed he only breached the rules of the Sex Offenders Register because he was "running scared". Alan Badley once raped a woman in her own home and threatened to show a video of the attack to people on his estate. The then 20-year-old thug headbutted and repeatedly punched the victim during a vicious three-hour ordeal in April 2008. She only escaped when she persuaded him she was going to buy cigarettes and fled covered in blood to a neighbour's home. Badley, from Woodchurch in Birkenhead, was found guilty of rape after a trial and jailed for seven years in December 2008. The young dad - with three children to three different women - was also told to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life. Liverpool Crown Court today heard he has kept breaching its rules, including failing to notify police when he moves address. Simon Duncan, prosecuting, said the now 33-year-old told police he was living in Rice Lane, Wallasey, on September 7, 2020. But when an offender manager visited him on April 19, they "found the flat had been trashed and there was nobody present". Badley wasn't questioned about this until his arrest on June 3, when he claimed he left the flat in March and started buying cheap cars to live in. Mr Duncan said: "He told the police he had formed a relationship with another occupant at the flat who was married. He was threatened by her partner and left for a few days." Judge Gary Woodhall said: "That is consistent with what officers found at the scene, with some graffiti and the like." The court heard Badley was also arrested by police in Caernarfon, North Wales on March 19, after a call from a member of the public. Officers found him sitting in the driver's seat of a car, with the engine running, and a woman sitting in the passenger seat. They could smell alcohol and cannabis and he admitted having "a few drinks of vodka" and handed over a cannabis grinder. Badley failed a roadside breath test and later gave a reading of 40mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg. He was previously banned from the road for dangerous driving in 2003 and never took an extended retest to regain his licence. Yet Badley told police he drove to North Wales to "chill out" and after parking up, was asked to move his car. Judge Woodhall said Badley had crashed into a wall and the car was "still wedged against it when the police arrived". While on bail over that incident, and still wanted over breaching his notification requirements, Badley drove again on June 3. Police saw him at the wheel of a Ford Fiesta on false plates on the M53 and stopped the car in Birkenhead at around 8.40am. Badley later admitted failing to comply with his notification requirements, two counts of driving while disqualified, two counts of driving without insurance, fraudulently altering a vehicle registration mark, being in charge of a vehicle while above the alcohol limit, and breach of bail. The court heard his criminal record includes four previous breaches of notification requirements. One is from July 2017, when he was jailed for three years for offences which also included assault causing actual bodily harm and harassment with violence, after repeatedly beating a former partner in the North East. Durham Crown Court heard during a four-month relationship he threatened to slit her throat and persuaded her to have her pet dog put down. Badley was last convicted of breaching his notification requirements following a period of homelessness last summer. On December 14 he was handed 26 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months. The court today heard Badley's current girlfriend was sitting in the public gallery and had written a letter to the judge. Bernice Campbell, defending, said all of the offences were linked to her client's "chaotic life". She said: "He was released from prison, no fixed address, he initially met his current partner, though they did have a break in the middle, and she put him on the right tracks. "He got accommodation and unfortunately that didn't work out, and neither did the relationship at that time. "He's a man who has had a history of things that have upset his adult life, such as abuse when he was much younger, and he's at the moment currently waiting to be reviewed in regard to PTSD." Ms Campbell said Badley had abused alcohol, cannabis and heroin, but was now on methadone in prison and trying "to get on the straight and narrow", while also receiving medication for depression, anxiety and borderline personality disorder. She said the latest breach of his notification requirements wasn't deliberate and a result of him "running scared because of threats to his life". Ms Campbell added that Badley's partner was willing to support him and give him a home when he is next released from jail. The lawyer said: "She will stand by him. She sees through perhaps what many don't." Judge Woodhall adjourned the hearing just before a lunchtime break at 1pm, stating he would pass sentence after 2pm. Badley, appearing on a video link from HMP Altcourse, said: "Do I have to come back for that your honour?" "You do," the judge replied, to which Badley moaned: "What a joke." Judge Woodhall jailed him for 20 months in total, including four months of his suspended prison sentence. He also banned him from the road for two years and 10 months.

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William Adams was branded a 'predatory paedophile' by police after he was jailed for life A paedophile rapist serving a life sentence for his horrific crimes has been convicted of more sick offences. William Adams was locked up in 2007 for a sickening campaign of rape against a 12-year-old girl in Liverpool. This week he was handed a further three years for historical sex abuse in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. The case was just the latest prosecution of Adams for sex offences against children. The 54-year-old served seven years in jail for the rape of a schoolgirl in Ireland before travelling to Merseyside in 2005, just days after his release from prison. Almost as soon as he arrived in Liverpool he befriended his next victim, lavishing her with gifts and taking her family on a three week holiday to Blackpool - funded by Adams' Catholic priest lover. Liverpool Crown Court heard Adams raped his victim every night of that trip. Adams, then of Meadow Hey, Bootle, pleaded guilty to five charges of raping the girl between May and November 2005. He was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years before he could apply for parole. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Lol Forrest, of Merseyside Police, said: We feel Adams is a predatory paedophile who used his charm to gain access to a vulnerable member of society. I hope that his victim and her family can take some comfort from the fact that he will be in prison for a long time. Adams remained in jail and was transferred to Northern Ireland to face further sexual offence allegations dating back to the early 1980s. He was found guilty of historic sex offences linked to his time at a County Down training and care centre earlier this year and handed the three year term at Belfast Crown Court on Tuesday, the Belfast Telegraph and Irish News reported.

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He also wanted to rape the man's nine-year-old autistic daughter A paedophile asked a dad if he could rape his two-year-old daughter in a series of sickening messages. Matthew Parr said he also wanted to rape the man's nine-year-old daughter after being told she was autistic. The 46-year-old didn't realise he was actually speaking to an undercover police officer when he requested a description of the children and asked "would it be like a foursome?". Parr even sent the police officer a disgusting child rape video of a toddler, aged between two and three. Charlotte Atherton, prosecuting today at Liverpool Crown Court, said on March 12 last year Parr contacted the officer, who was using the name 'MancDad', on Grindr. Between March 12 2020 and June 16 2020 Parr messaged the officer, who called himself 'Lee', and said he was a dad of two, to which the paedophile replied "that sounded amazing". They exchanged details for Wickr, an online communication platform, and Parr messaged the officer under the name 'DirtyBiLabourer' and made various sexual suggestions related to the children. Ms Atherton said: "The officer said he was happy to meet like-minded individuals for what he called 'play time'." The next day Parr asked if he could perform sex acts on the children and said "do you know any others that play" before he "asked for a description of the children". Parr also asked the officer if he was "free that weekend" and "would it be like a foursome?" On April 8 Parr again asked "when he would next have his children" to which the officer replied it was "tricky" due to coronavirus restrictions. Parr continued to ask when he could see the children and said "he'd been having lots of horny talk and 'I'd love to meet'". Two days later Parr gave the officer his email address and emailed him to say he would "love to get to know the three of them". He told the officer: "Initially he just wanted to meet up and see how he goes because he didn't want to scare the children and would 'like to let them lead'". When the officer said he would "watch" Parr asked "if the officer was a cop or undercover because he was scared". Ms Atherton said he then sent the officer a video of a toddler, aged between two and three, being raped. After the officer said the children were "great about it in particular because his eldest was autistic" Parr continued to confirm he "remained interested". Ms Atherton said there was less communication between May 1 and June 16 and Parr "didn't follow up on the date given by the officer". Parr was arrested on June 23 and he admitted deleting sickening images of children, chats and mobile numbers. He claimed he had spoken with others who had "admitted to abusing their own children". Officers discovered 29 images of child rape, 70 other indecent images of children and two images of extreme pornography. Parr has two previous convictions and in 1994 was fined for soliciting for immoral purposes. James Heyworth, defending, said it was "unlikely to have materialised in a face-to-face meeting". He said while Parr didn't admit his offending in the first police interview he did admit it in a subsequent interview. Mr Heyworth said: "So many people in this sort of offending often deny any sexual interest in children. "He is clearly a man who is unwilling to admit he does, when the facts clearly demonstrate he does." Speaking about a pre-sentence report Mr Heyworth said Parr appears to be in a "type of denial about why he did this and what the underlying motivations were". In the report Parr also "continues to talk about having online sexual communication" which Parr claimed was in relation to adult sexual activity. Mr Heyworth stressed Parr didn't have "any recent relevant convictions" and "did make some attempt to contact 'Stop it Now'" but Mr Heyworth added "I accept on his behalf there is a long way to go to fully appreciate what he was doing". Parr, of Old Wargrave Road, Newton-Le-Willows, admitted; three counts of making indecent images of children, possession of indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornographic images, three counts of distributing indecent images of children and two counts of arranging the commision of a child sex offence in relation to the two fictional children. Judge Andrew Menary, QC, said the nature of the conversations will "appall and outrage all decent minded people" adding it was "truly outrageous behaviour". The judge said: "You were planning and largely hoping such a meeting could be arranged and for a time you pushed for such a meeting." Judge Menary said if a meeting had happened "I have no doubt your expectation was penetrative activity with very young children would occur". The judge said: "It seems likely you had become suspicious of 'Lee', at one point in fact asked if he was a police officer." Referring to Parr ceasing contact with the officer Judge Menary said: "I am sure at that point, not because you lost your desire to do what you earlier proposed but because you were fearful because the conversation in the end might not have been real." Parr was jailed for five years and must sign the Sex Offenders Register for life. He must also adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

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A girl said she "didn't want to be here anymore" after being sexually abused by a predatory taxi driver.

Steven Halton molested two victims - both young teenage girls - in sickening attacks around 25 years apart.

His first victim, Girl A, came forward after his second victim, Girl B, went to the police and exposed the pervert's abuse against her.

The 58-year-old denied any wrongdoing, which forced both of his victims to relive their ordeals by giving evidence in a harrowing trial.

But he was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault against Girl A and four counts of sexual activity with a child against Girl B.

Halton, of Merlewood Avenue, Southport, today told Liverpool Crown Court that he still maintains his "innocence".

Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said the factual basis upon which he would sentence Halton was "one of which I am myself sure, having heard the evidence".

The judge said Halton abused Girl A on multiple occasions, touching her breasts, bottom and genitalia over clothing, forcibly kissed her, and on multiple occasions committed sexual offences involving penetration.

He said Halton "made her life a misery" in the 1990s.

Judge Cummings said Halton then abused Girl B in the last decade, when he groomed her and kissed her "insistently and in a manner that the jury rightly found was sexual".

He said this happened on four occasions, the second of which when he also tried to undo her bra and unzip her jeans, and on the third time when he gave her a lift in his taxi, put his hand under her skirt and touched her upper leg and groin area over clothing.

Girl B's dad made a victim statement to the court in which he said finding out what his daughter had been through was "devastating".

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said the father referred to their lives being "turned upside down" and how the ordeal affected his family.

Mr Dillon said: "He feels bad that he perhaps misread his daughter's moods and had not understood them."

Judge Cummings interjected and said: "Well, parents always feel bad but for what it's worth, from my point of view he really shouldn't."

Mr Dillon summarised how Girl B explained Halton took "advantage of her" and left her suffering from "sleepless nights, bad dreams and trauma that is indescribable".

He said: "She went to counselling because she went through a stage of not wanting to be here anymore, when as she put it, she saw no purpose and was really down."

Mr Dillon said: "She was given money to keep her quiet, She says these memories will not fade, they will stick with her forever."

He said the abuse made Girl B feel "worthless and weak".

Mr Dillon said: "She still lies there sobbing into her pillow questioning why these events have impacted her life forever."

Girl A said she had struggled to live with what happened to her, which led to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence, and feared she wouldn't be believed..

The now adult woman said she also felt "guilty" that she hadn't reported the abuse sooner, because that may have prevented Girl B from being molested.

However, Mr Dillon said the blame didn't lie with Girl A and Judge Cummings said he repeated the observation he made earlier about Girl B's dad's views.

Girl A said she has problems sleeping, described being put through a trial as "unbearable", how she felt angry, and had to have counselling to rebuild her life.

The court heard Halton had a small number of previous convictions for dishonesty dating back to the period from 1985 to 1990.

Charlotte Kenny, defending, said: "Your honour will of course have noted the defendant's position. He maintains his innocence. That ultimately will be a matter for him and his reflection and hopefully there will come a point in time when there is at least an appreciation of the position and consequence.

"There is very little - and the defendant knows I'm about to say this - there is very little I can say on his behalf, he having entered into a trial."

Judge Cummings said Girl A had been "particularly vulnerable" and told Halton: "It's a serious aggravating feature of your case that there were multiple offences committed against the victim and there have been very significant lifelong ill effects on her, dealt with in the victim personal statement and dealt with also and movingly during her evidence at trial."

He jailed Halton for 15 years and told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Halton must also comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order indefinitely.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Paula Furlong said: "Halton continued to deny his offending meaning his victims were forced to endure a trial. I am pleased that he will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for his actions.

"I would like to take this opportunity to praise both of his victims for their courage and dignity throughout the whole of this investigation and hope that by seeing him sent to prison will give them some sort of closure and allow them to move on with their lives knowing he cannot harm anyone else.

"We are committed to protecting victims of sexual offences, and anyone who reports an incident to us will be safeguarded and supported throughout the investigation.

"Anyone that has been a victim of a similar sexual offence, is concerned for the safety of someone they know or suspects someone to be engaging in this criminal activity, should come forward and speak to us. We have a team of dedicated staff who will expertly and compassionately deal with your reports and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice."

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A paedophile sent sick WhatsApp messages to a boy and suggested he play a sexual "prank" on his mum.

Convicted sex offender Paul Roberts groomed the child with presents and invited him to his flat to play XBox.

While there he cuddled and kissed the boy, who also got undressed after a "water fight" involving another child.

But his twisted behaviour and the detail of the supposed prank, which is too obscene to publish, came to light after Robert's online persona "Saint" was exposed.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Roberts, 37, was hit with a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in October 2011.

That was made when the pervert received a community order for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, said Roberts, of Boardsman Lane, St Helens, first breached the SOPO by having unsupervised contact with two children in 2019.

She said Roberts had regular contact with a boy - Boy A - with the permission of that child's mum, which was therefore not a breach.

But during a safeguarding investigation, Boy A revealed two friends had unsupervised contact with Roberts, when he took them to a cinema and a park.

Ms Kenny said both of those boys' parents were unaware of Roberts' convictions and he received 16 months in jail, suspended for two years, on July 17, 2020.

However, within days of being spared jail, he started sending WhatsApp messages to Boy A, now without his mum's knowledge or consent.

This came to light when the National Crime Agency investigated someone using the online profile "Saint", which was later discovered to be Roberts.

The court heard Roberts had only produced one mobile phone when visited by an offender manager, but when NCA officers raided his home on May 7 this year, they found four mobile phones and two laptops.

Examination revealed he had used CCleaner software on February 12, 2021 to wipe data from the devices, but "artefacts" showed he had sexually explicit chats with another person online about "sexually abusing children".

Roberts also talked about a boy who he had kissed and cuddled and about having had "nice views" of him naked.

Ms Kenny said there was "some indication" this was Boy A.

The court heard WhatsApp messages recovered from Roberts' phone showed him "grooming" Boy A with affectionate terms but also asking him about sexual topics and suggesting he play a sexual "prank" on his mum.

Ms Kenny said the boy was interviewed in the presence of his mum, who was described as "gasping in shock" when she heard the sexualised comments sent by Roberts.

Boy A revealed he had been to Roberts' flat at least three times, maybe five times.

He said he had been "uncomfortable", but that Roberts had taken him to the cinema and bought him presents, including clothing, computer equipment, money and a bike, which made him feel "really happy".

He said one time when playing XBox, Roberts had cuddled him, one time he kissed him on the lips when he left his flat, and another time they had a water fight when another friend was there, after which their clothes were wet and they had to take them off to dry.

Ms Kenny said: "On one occasion he offered to buy him some condoms."

Roberts admitted three new counts of breaching his SOPO and breaching the suspended sentence imposed last July.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, accepted it was a "serious and persistent breach", but questioned whether there had been a risk of "very serious harm or distress", given his client had never been convicted of any sexual assault in the past.

He said an offender manager did not propose any alternative to immediate custody and Roberts knew he would receive a prison sentence, but said he had shown "remorse and regret".

The judge, Recorder Ian Harris, said Roberts had been "given the benefit" of a suspended sentence in July 2020, seemingly because of optimism about his views expressed in a pre-sentence report.

He said: "You have shattered any prospect of a non-custodial sentence by your subsequent actions."

The judge added: "You have a disregard for court orders and in my judgement there is a risk of very serious harm to children."

Recorder Harris imposed a new Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) - an updated version of SOPOs - for a period of 15 years.

He said Roberts' actions demonstrated "you cannot or will not stop offending in a way which in my view is dangerous to children".

The judge jailed him for three years and four months in total, which included 12 months of his previous suspended sentence.

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A man sent vile sexual messages to a 13-year-old girl and then accused her of lying when she reported him.

Barry Warner, 51, started chatting to the girl but when it became clear the messages were becoming inappropriate, the teenager drew him in just enough to ensure he incriminated herself.

Warner, of Bedford Road, Birkdale, then began to panic - first accusing the girl of lying, then saying it was just a bit of fun, and then pleading with her to delete the messages.

The girl showed the messages to her mum, who reported Warner to police.

At first Warner tried to deny everything to officers, claiming it was "bulls***" and that he thought he was chatting to the girl's mum.

But his excuses soon collapsed when it was clear from the messages he knew exactly how old the girl was.

Warner, a self-employed heating engineer, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today (Friday) to be sentenced.

Prosecutor Tom Watson said: "The messages were manipulated by the defendant to become sexual in nature, such as asking to exchange pictures.

"However the girl was astute enough to suspect he was a paedophile and gave him an opportunity to provide further evidence of this.

"She definitely had a level of awareness he was trying to draw her into sexual communications.

"She was one step ahead of him."

The court heard the incident had had a "significant impact" on the victim, leaving her anxious and causing her to lose weight and become withdrawn.

Jeremy Rawson, defending, said Warner now accepted responsibility for his actions and regretted them.

Mr Rawson said: "His mother is in long-term care at a nursing home with dementia. He is a decent man who has worked hard and assists his neighbours."

The judge, Recorder Ian Unsworth QC, told Warner: "From the outset you claimed you thought you were communicating with the girl's mother. This flies in the face of the evidence.

"You deliberately targeted a young girl - it was pre-planned, predatory sexual behaviour.

"You asked her for pictures, and offered pictures of yourself.

"She was a vulnerable, fragile child. Your motives were purely sexual and the messages were of a vile nature.

"When the game was up, you suggested she was lying, pretended it was a joke, and then pretended you didn't know the age of the victim when you knew you were dealing with a girl of 13."

Warner was jailed for 12 months, of which he must serve half and the rest on licence. He was also put on the sex offenders' register and given a restraining order, both lasting 10 years.

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A twisted sexual predator took a teenage woman's knickers as a trophy after trying to rape her.

Shakur Valentino put his hand over the mouth of the 18-year-old victim "to silence her protests" as she screamed for help only for a friend to intervene.

But after he was arrested, he was released by police and just weeks later raped a gran near London's Piccadilly Circus.

Valentino was previously jailed for 12 years, with an extended five years on licence, for raping that woman, who was in her 60s.

Today he was hit with a further five and a half years in jail, with an extended two years, for the attempted rape of his first victim.

Judge Louise Brandon said "a disturbing feature" of both cases was that he "took trophies in the form of items as a reminder of your offending".

Valentino, 23, from St Helens, denied raping the teenager, but on the day she was due to give pre-recorded evidence for a trial, admitted attempted rape.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, said: "It's an attempted rape that comes as close to the full offence as the prosecution say could be imagined."

Liverpool Crown Court heard the victim and two friends met Valentino, then 21, on a night out in St Helens in the early hours of December 9, 2018.

Mr Astbury said the woman and Valentino "were attracted to one another" and the group got a taxi back to the victim's dad's house.

At around 5.30am, the victim and Valentino went into a bedroom and had sex, but they stopped, she put on a dressing gown and left the room.

She told her friends she was "tired" and keen to get some sleep before getting up for work, but when she returned to bed, Valentino "wanted more sex".

Mr Astbury said: "She told him no as she was tired... the defendant refused to take no for an answer."

He said Valentino forced her onto her back and she "protested and told him no, she wanted to go to sleep", but he climbed on top of her.

She tried to fight him off but he was "simply too strong" and when she cried out "he placed his hand over her mouth" to "silence her protests".

Mr Astbury said she believed he raped her, but the prosecution after consulting with the victim took the "pragmatic decision" to accept he didn't.

He said a friend heard her cries and entered the room to find Valentino on top of her.

Valentino "jumped up" and the victim escaped, so frightened that she "ran from the house wearing only her dressing gown and hid behind a parked van in the street".

Her friend confronted Valentino, who accused the victim of being "mental" and left before police arrived.

Officers arrested him nearby, but he claimed any sex was consensual and the victim was "off her head" on alcohol, cocaine and ketamine.

Mr Astbury said a toxicology report refuted these claims.

He said: "Officers found the complainant's knickers hidden in his boxer shorts."

The prosecutor added: "He did accept he had deliberately taken her knickers when getting dressed, but was unable to explain why he had done that."

Mr Astbury said the woman was now receiving counselling and revealed how the attack affected "how she sees others and how it affects her in public places".

Valentino was previously convicted of assault causing actual bodily harm in 2017.

In June 2019 he admitted two counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, kidnapping and assault causing actual bodily harm, relating to an attack at around 3.30am on February 4, 2019.

Mr Astbury said Valentino pursued a cleaner walking to work through the west end of London and shouted at her.

He said Valentino grabbed her by the hair, dragged her into an alley and raped her, then threatened a homeless man who tried to intervene.

The rapist carried on but the witness raised the alarm and police arrested Valentino as he fled.

Valentino claimed that victim was a prostitute and any sex was consensual, but Mr Astbury said it was all captured on CCTV.

The footage showed him "hanging around" Piccadilly Circus for around an hour and approaching three other women.

Mr Astbury said this attack was around eight weeks after the first and it appeared Valentino had been released under investigation by police.

Judge Brandon raised Valentino taking clothing in both incidents, to which Cheryl Mottram, defending, confirmed he took the gran's leggings.

Ms Mottram suggested when police arrived the leggings were "taken more out of haste to escape than as a trophy or a trinket".

She said a psychiatric report made clear Valentino "suffered significant traumatic experiences" as a young child that impacted on his thinking.

Ms Mottram said: "There is of course the significant incident in relation to his grandmother, which caused the upheaval of the family being relocated. He had to change his name and he was initially in protective custody."

She said Valentino, who displayed "inappropriate behaviour" in school, was also "abused" by people meant to be looking after him and this was a case of "the abused becomes the abuser".

Ms Mottram said her client now accepted in the bedroom "it was almost like he had switched off to what she was saying to him".

She said he expressed "genuine remorse", his mum and siblings remain supportive, and he hoped to tackle his issues.

Judge Brandon told Valentino he made derogatory remarks about both victims after his attacks, which "disclosed your deep seated and disgraceful attitude to women and you thinking you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, when dealing with women".

The judge said having read the psychological report, she struggled to accept he was genuinely remorseful.

She said it was clear he had been affected by childhood traumas, adding: "You are a very damaged young man."

However, she said he was also "a very dangerous young man".

Judge Brandon said his behaviour was "impulsive and unpredictable", adding: "There remains a complete denial on your part that your actions on either occasion were wrong."

She said more than two years later, his first victim still struggled to sleep because of the "terrifying" attack and no longer stays over at her dad's home.

Judge Brandon said: "It is always on her mind and it continues to impact her ability to live in the way she should be able to do so."

The judge made the sentence consecutive to his existing term, meaning Valentino will have to serve almost 12 years at least behind bars, before he can apply for parole.

Description

An obsessed man who was in a sexual relationship with a schoolgirl threatened to throw acid in her face and stab her.

Michael Collins, 35, had only recently been released from prison when he started talking to the 15-year-old via Facebook last summer while she was trying to track down her biological mum.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today how Collins, of no fixed address, threatened to throw acid in the girl's face and threatened to stab her outside her school after becoming possessive over her.

A judge told 35-year-old Collins, that it was accepted by the prosecution that it was a loving and caring relationship in which you showed genuine affection for her.

The threats he made to the girl, who is from Newton-le-Willows, were hollow but his victim took them seriously, said Judge Neil Flewitt, QC.

Nicola Daley, prosecuting, said the couple began communicating a month after he was released from Hindley prison in August last year after being recalled to finish a previous sentence.

Their contact via FaceTime and their meetings, which included having sex while the girl was in her school uniform, came to light in November after she confided in a teaching mentor that she had slept with a much older man who was now behaving in an aggressive way.

The police were called and when interviewed she said they had argued earlier that day during the course of it he threatened to throw acid in her face.

Although she was concerned about threats he had made she remained in contact with him as they both wanted the relationship to continue.

She said things became difficult when he was off his head on drugs.

The girl told school staff they would drink vodka and take cocaine together and said she performed a sex act on him.

After daily contact by FaceTime, the girl said they first met at Hunts Cross station where a group of lads said she should not be with him because of her age but she claimed he was her uncle.

They had sex and the dad-of-three did not take any precautions saying he wanted her to have his baby.

Miss Daley said: That was a mutual wish.

He made threats about throwing acid and stabbing her after becoming jealous about other boys or after they had been drinking, smoking cannabis and taking cocaine.

After their relationship came to light the girl left the area, but on December 31 Collins turned up in a stolen car to see her at her new address.

When he realised a police helicopter was overhead he got out and said he would be back in a couple of minutes but did not return.

He was arrested the next day at his grandads home in Kirkby.

Miss Daley said: She is extremely torn and drawn to the defendant and in many ways wishes for the relationship to be allowed to continue.

It appears he had genuine affection for her.

Stuart Mills, defending, said that the girl had not been scared of Collins, who had maintained a loving relationship with her. It was a loving caring relationship in which both sides were happy to engage.

He has done wrong because of the age difference and he will be punished for that.

Their contact initially began after he was released from prison and was feeling lonely and isolated, said Mr Mills. He intends to move away from Merseyside when freed and make a fresh start elsewhere.

Collins had pleaded guilty to six offences involving sexual activity with a child, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was jailed for five years and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The judge also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A convicted paedophile was caught living with his new partner and her children who had no idea of his sinister past.

Despite this breach, Dylan King was sent to back to jail again for a further breach, which once again involved not telling police where he lived.

King was previously jailed last June after he 'disappeared' for seven months.

He was eventually found living a woman and her children after meeting her on a dating app.

King hadn't told the woman about his sickening past and when she found out she was 'angry and disgusted'.

The 30-year-old was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and jailed for two years and three months in 2012 for sexual activity with a child under 16 years of age.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday after the court heard he had moved without informing police within three days of his new address.

Louise Santamera, prosecuting, explained on February 22 last year King was released from prison after previously breaching the same order.

He then moved without telling police, Ms Santamera said, but King claims a Merseycare staff member said they would tell police the new address.

Ms Santamera said that due to his previous breaches it "must be abundantly clear he and he alone is responsible for attending the police station to provide these details".

Gary Lawrenson, defending, said this was not accepted and it was an "unintentional act of forgetfulness".

King has eight previous convictions, a number of which are failing to comply with notification requirements.

These arose after his 'disappearance' from Merseyside for seven months.

When he was eventually found King was living in Teesside with a woman he had met on a dating app and her children, all of whom had no idea of his sinister past.

He had mentioned to the woman he had been in trouble with the police and had served time, but didn't explain he was a registered sex offender.

A court heard he had placed the children at "serious risk" after being left alone with them "numerous" times.

There was no evidence any offence had been committed against the woman's children.

Mr Lawrenson today said: "The gist of the probation update is positive in that he is making steps to address his issues."

Mr Lawrenson said King is "trying to make some progress" in addressing his mental health issues.

He said: "I think it will be right to say in the past his response has been pretty awful so [the probation service] are quite impressed with his positive attitude in recent times."

King, of Grey Road, Walton, admitted failing to comply with his notification requirements.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, said: "Regrettably on numerous occasions you have failed to notify the police of any change of address."

The judge said it was "difficult to determine whether this was a deliberate act of an unintentional act of forgetfulness".

King was jailed for one year.

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A 'sweating' and 'fully naked' pervert ogled a group of teens from his balcony as he performed a sex act on himself.

A horrified onlooker witnessed Trevor Smith performing the sex act while looking at a group of around nine teenagers on March 18 this year.

She said she "felt physically sick" and called police, who discovered the 50-year-old sweating profusely and "out of breath" as pornography played from his mobile phone.

Chris Hopkins, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, explained the disgusted onlooker lived in an adjacent apartment block and "at about 9.50pm was alerted to a noise in the street".

Mr Hopkins said: "She looked out her window and saw a group of about nine teens, male and female, were walking along in the street.

"She then noticed this defendant hanging out of his window."

Mr Hopkins said he was "well known" by neighbours and the woman recognised him.

Smith had his hand on the window ledge and was "leaning over the window ledge looking towards the ground".

The woman saw when Smith stepped back from the balcony that he was "fully naked" with his "boxer shorts pulled down to his knees".

Mr Hopkins said Smith appeared to be performing a sex act on himself.

He said: "She was horrified and felt physically sick, especially because the group of kids walking passed and he was looking out towards them."

She said it was "disgusting" and near a busy road, adding "anybody could have seen what he was doing".

The horrified woman called police, who arrived to find Smith "wearing a towel", "out of breath" and "sweating".

They searched his bedroom and discovered a bag of cannabis and noted that on his mobile phone "pornography was visibly on display".

On June 19, 2012 Smith was handed a 12-month conditional discharge for outraging public decency.

He was handed a community order for three years in June 2016 for a similar offence which he later breached by failing to comply and for drug and drink driving, for which he was locked up for three months.

On October 24, 2019 he was handed a 26 week sentence suspended for two years after he was found "intoxicated in a lift at a train station thrusting his hips towards a cleaner's cone" which was witnessed by members of the public.

He breached this suspended sentence by committing the offence on March 18 and was remanded into custody. He will also have to serve part of the 2019 sentence that was suspended.

Mark Philips, defending, emphasised it was unlikely the group of teenagers would have seen Smith as he lived on one of the higher floors and it was late at the time of the offence.

He said: "He tells me he has looked at himself whilst in prison and realises his whole offending has been related to drug abuse."

Mr Philips said Smith has started a drug awareness course and he now wants to "start his life".

He explained Smith had completed his suspended sentence in part and carried out Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.

Smith, of Hall Street, St Helens, admitted possession of cannabis, exposure and breaching his suspended sentence order.

Judge Stuart Driver, sentencing, said the offences were aggravated because "you were focused on the group of teenagers when you committed this offence" and because of his criminal record.

The judge jailed him for 10 months.

Smith must also sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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He sent the girl a 55 second video clip of him touching himself and said, Do you want daddy, baby? A retired Cammell Lairds worker engaged in filthy online conversations with a 13-year-old girl hoping they could meet up. Colin Robinson, 75, encouraged the child to bunk off school, sent her an indecent video of himself and said he wanted to seduce her. When told she lived in Manchester, he replied: "You are now in big trouble, its just down the M57." But unknown to the Wirral grandad he was actually communicating with an undercover officer going by the name of Lucy, posing as the school girl. Liverpool Crown Court heard that he has no previous sexual convictions and is now remorseful and ashamed, but Judge Gary Woodhall told bald Robinson: "Only a custodial sentence can be justified." Robinson, of Borough Road, Seacombe, had pleaded guilty to five offences involving attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to incite a child to engage in a sexual act and attempted sexual communication. He had initially pleaded not guilty and had been due to stand trial in August but changed his pleas. Paulus Barnes, prosecuting, told how the offences took place between September 12 and 18, 2019. The undercover officer set up a decoy profile on Kik Messenger using the handle Lulu Girly Girl and also set up Gmail and Skype accounts. On September 12 that year she logged onto a free to use site called Chat To You. Mr Barnes said: "She received a private message from Aged Mariner, 66 years from Merseyside. She told him she was only 13 and he said 'Mmm that is so hot xxxYou are lovely'." She accepted a friend request from him which also displayed the name Colin Robbo and he began sexualised conversations with her. Mr Barnes said: "He wanted to seduce her. "The officer told him she was still at school but off school. He asked her to touch herself and began instructing her to masturbate herself." He made various other highly sexualised remarks and asked if he could call her. He said he had spent the weekend fishing and playing golf but had been thinking about her which had aroused him. Robinson made similar comments in other conversations and told her what he wanted to do to her and asked her to miss school but when she said she could not travel to him he became aggressive and dominating. The next day he apologised but continued telling her what he wanted to do sexually with her, said Mr Barnes. He sent her a 55-second video clip of him touching himself and said: "Do you want daddy, baby?" Robinson was identified and traced and interviewed on October 21 and confirmed he used the Chat To You site under the name Aged Mariner, but said he thought the site was for adults only. Mr Barnes said: "He said if he had been chatting to someone 13 he would have told them to find someone of their own age." He maintained he did not recall speaking to anyone aged 13 and when told he had been speaking to an undercover officer he said he had been entrapped. The court heard that he has six previous convictions for 13 offences involving dishonesty, with the last one in 1978. Judge Woodhall told Robinson: "You have expressed disgust at your behaviour and said you are ashamed. When interviewed you continued to deny sexual gratification. That is utter nonsense." He said he accepted he has health problems, has no similar convictions and that the delay in the case reaching sentence was not entirely Robinson's fault. But Judge Woodhall ruled that it was so serious there had to be an immediate jail sentence. The judge said the chat conversations "from the outset were highly sexualised". He said the grandad had encouraged her "to bunk off school" and "made reference to the fact she lived a short distance away down the motorway no doubt implying you could meet". Zahra Baqri, defending, had told the court: "My client is utterly disgusted with his actions over those few day in 2019. He accepts he is at real risk of being sentenced to immediate imprisonment but I invite you to suspend the term." She said: "He accessed dating applications on the computer in order to speak to adult women so his original use was legitimate. "He accepts he did think and knew he was talking to a 13-year-old child and continued with these communications. He accepts that." Ms Baqri pointed out that there was no real victim and no sexual activity took place between them. She said: In his probation report he speaks about feeling confusion and shame. "He had started employment at the age of 15 and worked for Cammell Lairds for 50 years. He has a strong close family including siblings, children and their offspring." She added: "He unreservedly apologises for the humiliation and upset he has caused his family. He apologies for his vile and scandalous behaviour." Robinson was jailed for two years. He was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same length of time.

Description

A fairground security guard slapped and groped the bottoms of two teenage girls in "sinister" attacks.

Former doorman Paul Long worked at a temporary funfair when it came to Birkenhead Road in Seacombe.

But the "large and physically imposing" 59-year-old preyed on two children in separate incidents on the same evening.

He slapped the bottom of a 15-year-old girl while giving her first aid, then laughed in her face and followed after her.

Liverpool Crown Court heard he then trapped a second girl, 14, on a Waltzer ride and grabbed her bottom, before squaring up to her dad when he arrived.

Long was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault after a trial, when the girls had to go through the ordeal of giving evidence and reliving the attacks.

Judge Brian Cummings, QC, today said the factual basis upon which he would sentence Long was "one I am myself sure of, having heard the evidence".

He said Long "took advantage" of the access to children he had as a funfair security guard to commit the crimes.

Judge Cummings added: "I also note that you are a large and physically imposing man."

Long, now 61, of Huddleston Close, Woodchurch, Birkenhead, struck twice on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Judge Cummings said the first girl "cut her foot quite badly getting off one of the rides" and was told to go and see Long, who she asked for a plaster.

The cut continued to bleed so she went back for a second plaster, this time alone, when she accepted Long's offer to help by putting it on her foot.

The judge said: "You then slapped her on the bottom and started laughing."

The girl walked back to a group of friends, but Long followed after her, stopping if she looked at him, and only left when she reached her friends.

Judge Cummings said: "It was rather sinister."

The second girl went on the Waltzers with her male cousin, but when they sat down in a car, Long got in and sat between them for no apparent reason.

Judge Cummings said she felt "uncomfortable" and wanted to get off, but he wouldn't let her and the ride started.

The judge told Long she was "struggling to breathe and nearly started crying", but he asked her age and when she said 14, "you expressed surprise and said you would kiss her if she were older".

The pervert asked if she wanted him to kiss her before grabbing her bottom, when her cousin saw she was crying.

Long held a safety bar down "to prevent her getting away" - during which time the judge said she was "trapped in" - but the girl managed to squeeze out and the two children ran off.

"Very upset and hyperventilating", she called her dad, who drove immediately to the fair.

Judge Cummings said: "You approached in an aggressive manner. You had the effrontery to get in his face so to speak and push him back."

The judge said "surprisingly" Long didn't face a separate charge over that "physical confrontation", but it was an aggravating feature.

He said: "It highlights, I'm afraid, your complete absence of remorse."

Judge Cummings said Long denied any wrongdoing in his police interviews and at trial.

He told him: "You said the witnesses were all lying. They weren't - you were."

David Birrell, prosecuting, said the girls described the impact of the attacks in video interviews in the autumn of 2019.

The first girl said she had "pushed it to the back of her mind".

However, she said: "I do get a bit wary when I'm walking around, when I'm on my own. I'll have people walk me home."

The second girl said the attack made her feel "crap", adding: "I don't like going out. I go out with my mum and dad, but I have only been out twice."

Long has 10 previous convictions for 13 offences, mainly for dishonesty in his youth.

He was last convicted in January 2017 of causing death by careless driving, when he had tried to help a drunk man.

Long pulled over after seeing Aso Azzizi collapsed outside The Crown pub in Birkenhead, at around 2am, on January 31, 2015.

He checked the 30-year-old was okay, who started walking off down Conway Street, and got back in his Ford Mondeo, parked on the other side of the road.

Long decided to do a U-turn, but "didn't look properly" in his mirrors to check it was safe and failed to indicate.

Renault Megane driver Kieran Platt - speeding at around 60mph in the 30mph zone - came up behind and clipped the front of the Mondeo.

The impact sent the Megane spinning to the opposite side of the road, where it hit Mr Azzizi, throwing him into metal railings.

Platt, then 21, from Prenton, admitted causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for four years.

Long received a community order with unpaid work for the lesser offence.

John Weate, defending, said that case had "a lasting effect" on Long.

He told the court his client continued to deny the sex attacks.

Mr Weate said there were "troubles" in Long's family background, which led to his offending as a youth.

He said Long then worked until 2017 without any convictions and as part of his job in the security industry, stopped many illegal activities.

The lawyer said: "He's a man who can become very emotional at times.

"He's suffered difficulties through the break-up of relationships, there's been estrangements from his children, who are now adults, albeit he has a close and loving relationship with one of his sons."

Mr Weate said despite "strain" on his current relationship of nearly a decade, his partner had remained "supportive".

He said Long was considered a "low risk of further offences" and argued it would be of benefit to society if he was rehabilitated, rather than jailed.

Judge Cumming said there was a "breach of trust" as Long's job was to ensure the safety of visitors to the fair.

He said he was "the very person that the victims in this case should have been able to turn to if sexually assaulted in the fairground, not the person committing these assaults".

The judge jailed Long for eight months, who looked at his girlfriend in the public gallery and shook his head.

Long must sign the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.