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Description

A CONVICTED paedophile has been sent to prison for refereeing a children’s football game and teaching a young boy a sexual gesture.

Registered sex offender Brian Tapper, 56, from Newport was barred from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 after being jailed in 2020.

He was locked up three years ago for trying to contact 13-year-old girls online after being caught by paedophile hunters and undercover police officers.

Tapper was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) following that conviction which prevented him from having unsupervised contact with underage children.

The defendant, formerly of Pontypool, breached that condition on July 20 when he refereed a children’s football match played in the street where he lived in Newport.

Prosecutor Susan Ferrier said Tapper also taught one of the players a sexual gesture.

The defendant put his finger through a circle he’s made with his other hand, she told Cardiff Crown Court.

Tapper’s neighbours and the children’s parents were “totally unaware” that Tapper was a sex offender.

His offending only came to light when he told his probation officer he’d been a ref in the street football game.

Tapper pleaded guilty to being in breach of a SHPO.

Miss Ferrier said that, as well as being jailed for 14 months three years ago, the defendant also had multiple previous convictions for exposure which dated back to 1989.

He was also handed a suspended prison sentence in January this year for being in breach of a SHPO after he admitted using Snapchat without retaining the messaging app’s history.

Ben Waters representing Tapper said his client’s offending last month had shown “a lack of intelligence”.

He asked the court to take into account the defendant’s early guilty plea.

Judge Lucy Crowther told Tapper: “This was a very serious and persistent breach.

“It involved contact with children and you actually engaging with them on a personal level and you showed a sexual gesture.”

She jailed Tapper for 18 months for the SHPO breach and six months on top for being in breach of the suspended prison sentence she imposed earlier this year.

The defendant was told he would serve half of his two-year term in custody before being released on licence.

She imposed on him a new SHPO to last for another 10 years.

Description

A CONVICTED rapist has been jailed after he went on to sexually assault a woman in her own home.

Mark Holmes, 38, from Newport jumped on his victim, put his hand over her mouth before he carried out two sex attacks on her.

He further “humiliated” her by verbally abusing her during her ordeal.

Holmes was found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration by a jury following a trial in May.

The offences were committed in the summer of 2021.

Holmes’ previous rape conviction was in 2002 when he was a boy.

The defendant raped a 15-year-old girl on his 17th birthday and was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order at Cardiff Crown Court.

Owen Williams, prosecuting, read out the victim impact statement of the woman who was assaulted two years ago.

She said: “I feel like a stranger in my own home.

“I have been frightened to go out of my own front door.

“I live in fear day in day out.

“This has had a profound effect on my emotional wellbeing.

“What did I do to deserve this?”

Susan Ferrier representing Holmes said there was little she could say in mitigation.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: “He continues to maintain he wasn’t responsible for the offending.”

Miss Ferrier added: “There is another side to this man who is capable of being kind-hearted and caring.”

The judge, Recorder Mark Cotter KC, told Holmes: “You jumped on your victim, you overpowered her and you put your hand over her mouth.

“The fact that you have a previous conviction for an extremely serious offence, although that was committed many years ago, is troubling.”

The defendant was jailed for eight years and six months and will have to serve two-thirds of that sentence before being released on licence.

Holmes has to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A 64-YEAR-OLD Bradford man has been jailed for 12 years after a string of sexual assaults on young children.

Brian Wylie, of Clayton Road, Clayton, appeared via video link at Bradford Crown Court to be sentenced for a total of five charges, including indecent assault and gross indecency of a child under the age of 14, and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

Wylie was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in total with a three-year extended licence period.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order until further notice and must register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Prosecutor David McGonigal outlined how the 64-year-old had admitted three historic offences.

One victim was so young they didn’t know what he was asking them to do was wrong, the prosecutor told the court.

He had faced a trial on further charges, and had been found guilty in March of two counts of sexual assault of a child.

His three victims were said to have suffered long-lasting trauma as a result of the attacks, including incidents of self-harm and struggling with an eating disorder.

Judge Colin Burn said in sentencing: “The effect of your offending has been long lasting.

“They have caused significant emotional disorientation to children and therefore also trauma which is likely to be long-lasting.”

Of his first victim, the Judge said: “In cases of this type it is relatively unusual for an offender of your type to come forward in this way and to make those admissions.”

Allan Armbrister, for Wylie, referred to issues that the defendant raised when his pre-sentence report was being compiled, but he did not go into further detail.

The Judge however did refer to post traumatic stress disorder or psychological damage – and that it can be “no excuse for sexual offending of this sort” and “can be little or no mitigation for ruining the lives of others”.

West Yorkshire Police states on its policies that any person reporting historic sexual abuse to the police will be treated seriously. The matter will be thoroughly investigated and historic offences could still result in the conviction of an offender.

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A NEWPORT child rapist left his young victim "depressed, torn and broken" after assaulting her at her family home.

Frantisek Mirga, 39 and of Corporation Road, Newport, appeared before Cardiff Crown Court earlier today to be sentenced.

He had been convicted of raping a girl under the age of 16.

The offence took place on November 13, 2022.

Mirga, originally from Czechia, had been drinking vodka and was given accommodation at a friend’s house on account of his not being able to drive.

He was staying in the living room of the house.

When the victim, who was aged 15 at the time, came downstairs for a drink of water, Mirga invited her into the living room where he raped her.

Two victim impact statements were read to the court, detailing the harrowing effect Mirga's actions had had on the young girl.

The first, dated February 24, read: "I’m living in fear. Absolutely horrified for what is going to happen. I don’t trust any man. I feel completely embarrassed.

"I’m not myself. Everything is different now. One day I could be fine and then everything grows on me and negative thoughts enter my mind.

"I cry every day. When I’m alone I zone out. I’m depressed, torn and broken. I feel weak."

The victim mentioned suffering flashbacks.

"The sadness wins," she said.

"Every day is a nightmare. I’m not me anymore."

A second impact statement, dated June 3, explained how Mirga's victim "has no way of coping".

She spoke of having "so much anger and sadness" and waking up with flashbacks which terrify her.

Mirga has the following previous convictions – though none are related to the offence he was being sentenced for today:

• Handling stolen goods – June, 2015
• Public order offence – September, 2012
• Theft – October, 2002
• Illegally entering a private property – September, 2004

The first two offences listed above took place in the UK, with the final two taking place when Mirga was living in Czechia.

Mitigation on Mirga's behalf "will be pithy", his barrister explained.

The defendant's partner and sister were described as having health issues.

Mirga himself was said to be remorseful "in that he understands UK law is different to that in Czechia".

The court also heard that Mirga has two female grandchildren, both of a young age.

Judge David Morgan, summing up, said: "It was your intent all along to take advantage of your victim should the opportunity arise.

"You had already sent inappropriate messages.

"You knew your victim was 15 and that the UK age of consent is 16.

"There is a 22-year age disparity between you.

"The assault took place at the victim’s home where she is entitled to feel safe."

He said there Mirga posed a “significant risk to members of the public, young girls in particular”.

Mirga was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the charge of raping a girl under the age of 16.

He is to serve seven of those years in custody, with the three remaining years on license.

A restraining order was also put in place “until further notice”, meaning Mirga was prohibited from communicating with his victims, entering any premises occupied by her or going within 100 metres of such premises.

A sexual harm prevention order was also put in place “until further notice”.

Under this, Mirga is prohibited from living in the same household as any female under the age of 16. He is also prohibited from entering any such household without the express permission of any parent or guardian (with knowledge of his conviction) or the approval of social services.

Mirga must also register as a sex offender.

Description

A convicted sex offender tried to hug and kiss a woman in front of her young daughter as they sat in the back of a church.

Stephen Denison, who has two previous convictions for sexual assault, including one where he left a teenage schoolgirl hyperventilating in shock by groping her at a city centre bus station, spotted the female and child at the church in Fenham, one day in May this year. The 50-year-old pervert then sat next to the woman and hugged her before "forcibly pulling her" towards him and trying to kiss her, a court heard.

The terrified victim pushed the pervert away as concerned members of public, who had seen what was happening, intervened, prosecutors said. Denison, of Baxter Avenue, in Fenham, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault.

He failed to show for a subsequent hearing at Newcastle Magistrates' Court and a warrant was issued for his arrest, however, he was finally detained last month, pleaded guilty to the offence and the case was adjourned to this week for sentence. Gurjot Kaur, prosecuting, said the victim, who was unknown to Denison, and her young daughter were sat in the church one day in May this year when Denison approached them.

Miss Kaur continued: "The defendant initially hugged her. He kept trying to talk to her and offered her daughter a coin. The defendant then put his arm around her back and made an attempt to forcibly pull her towards him to try and kiss her. She pushed him away."

In a statement, the victim said she'd been left suffering from heart palpitations and having to take anti-nausea pills. She also said she had been unable to return to the church since the incident.

The court heard that Denison had 46 offences on his record, including two for sexual assault from 2021 and 2016. For the 2021 offence, which involved groping the teenage schoolgirl at Eldon Square bus station, he was jailed for 16 months and made to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.

Andy O'Hanlon, defending, said Denison wasn't "bad to the bone" but, instead, "undiagnosed" with a limited understanding. Mr O'Hanlon added: "He hasn't addressed his offending behaviour in custody.

"Probation want to keep working with him on an intensive basis. Doing something to stop him drinking so heavily would be a good start. You can lock him up for a short time but it won't address anything. Probation want to put a great deal of work into him. Until that's done, he will just wander around being a pain."

Magistrates jailed Denison for 20 weeks and told him he must also sign the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.

Description

A man has been sentenced for a string of child sex offences, which included crimes against a baby.

Rodney Morgan was jailed for 14 years at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to 15 offences.

The investigating Wiltshire Police officer said Morgan's crimes were "one of the most horrendous cases" she had dealt with in her 18 year career.

Morgan, 56, was living in Newport when he was arrested in September 2022 but had previously lived in Swindon.

Morgan was first investigated after officers from Wiltshire Police's child internet exploitation team (CIET) received intelligence he had uploaded a child abuse image online.

It was during his police interview that the full extent of his offending came to light, including that he had filmed himself raping a baby.

Det Con Justine Parsons, of Wiltshire Police, described Morgan's crimes as "truly appalling".

'Completely abhorrent'

She said: "The abuse the victim - a baby - suffered at the hands of Morgan is completely abhorrent.

"Morgan filmed himself abusing an innocent baby on multiple occasions for his own sexual gratification.

"I am glad he has been given a lengthy jail sentence so he no longer poses a threat to babies and children."

Morgan pleaded guilty to the rape of a child, three counts of sexual assault of a child by penetration, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape of a child.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent images of children relating to 8,985 images, and a count of distributing indecent images relating to 1,219 images.

The defendant further admitted two counts of taking an indecent image of a child.

Description

An elderly man has been jailed after he repeatedly abused a young girl. Paul Lee, now aged 80, targeted the girl on multiple occasions around a decade ago, when he made her pose for photographs and forced her to engage in sexual activity.

His crimes where exposed years later after the girl revealed what happened to a member of staff at her school. Lee was arrested two days later, and Nottinghamshire Police carried out a search of his home near Newark.

Officers found explicit paintings depicting abuse of the girl in an outbuilding, as well as an arrangement of adult and child-sized shop mannequins dressed in sexualised underwear. Extreme pornographic material was also recovered from electronic devices seized at the scene

Lee, formerly of Moor Lane, South Clifton, declined to comment in three separate police interviews but he later pleaded guilty to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs of a child, and possessing a prohibited image of a child. The 80 year old also admitted to possessing extreme pornography and to possessing a shotgun without a certificate after the weapon was found during the police search.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, July 3, he was jailed for seven years and 10 months. He will also serve an extended license period of four years upon his release.

Detective Constable Laura Manley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Lee is a predatory sex offender who committed some truly appalling offences against a primary school age child. As she grew older, the victim in this case realised what had happened to her was wrong and eventually found the strength to tell others.

“I know this been a very difficult and upsetting process for her and her family, so I really am full of admiration for the determination and dignity she has shown throughout the legal process. But for her bravery in coming forward, this man would have remained at-large and other children could have been put at risk as a result."

She continued: "The evidence she gave was extremely detailed and utterly damming for Lee, who really had no choice but to admit to what he had done. I am pleased he has now been handed a very significant prison sentence and hope this case serves as a warning to others about the consequences of abusing children in this way.

“We will find out; we will arrest you and we will do whatever we can to bring you to justice.”

Description

A woman who was sexually abused when she was just 10 has revealed how she has since tried to kill herself three times and suffers night terrors because of the assaults.

In an emotional victim impact statement read to Bournemouth Crown Court at the sentencing of 76-year-old John Taylor, formerly of Ashley Road, New Milton, she described multiple assaults over a two-year period.

Now a young woman, the victim said she had also self-harmed, adding: “I have attempted suicide three times because the hurt and shame often feels too much to bear.

“I can’t sleep – I suffer night terrors so bad that I cannot breathe.

“He took away my innocence and I feel my whole life is ruined. He should be locked away from children for a very long time. But I am a survivor, not a victim, and I hope my story helps others.”

She was sitting in another room during the court hearing, with her statement read out by prosecutor Tom Devlin.

The abuse by Taylor, whose address was given in court as Poole, was revealed when the victim told a relative last year what had happened to her.

Mr Devlin said that when confronted, the defendant had “freely admitted sexually abusing the girl, saying he couldn’t help himself”.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to seven charges at a previous hearing. They included sexual assault of a child under 13 and assault by penetration.

Defending, Richard Martin said his client had been “waiting for this day to come”.

Mr Martin said the defendant, who sat downcast in the dock wearing a suit and tie, should be given credit for confessing to the offences immediately when asked.

“He accepts that he had a sexual interest in the victim at that time,” he said. “He is hopeful that one day the victim will forgive him.”

Mr Martin pointed out that two of the defendant’s children were in the public gallery, saying: “The family struggle to reconcile the father they knew with the man that they know has committed these offences.

“In every other aspect of his life he has led a good life – this was an isolated occurrence.”

He added that, given the defendant’s age, he should not be classed as a “dangerous offender”.

A pre-sentence report found that Taylor had shown remorse for what he had done, but also that he did not realise the “seriousness of what he did”, the court heard.

Sentencing Taylor to 12 years in prison, with one to be served on licence, Judge William Mousley KC said there had been “grooming” leading up to the abuse.

He noted the victim’s statement “makes very plain the impact your offending has had on her”.

The judge accepted that while the abuse had caused her “severe psychological harm”, Taylor had “very little insight into the harm what you did had on her”.

The defendant will also be made subject to a sexual harm prevention order when he is eventually released.

Description

A sex offender phoned the police to confess to years of abuse against two young girls – minutes after denying the offences in a formal interview.

John Morrell, aged 73, was arrested by Nottinghamshire Police after one of his victims told a school friend about his offending.

Police were informed by a teacher and a criminal investigation was started by specialist child abuse detectives.

Morrell repeatedly abused the girls over several years and was finally arrested in March 2021.

At his initial police interview at Mansfield Police Station he denied all the allegations against him and suggested they were being made up.

Shortly after the interview had finished he left a message with detectives asking them to call him back.

He then told them that the allegations were true and later admitted to multiple offences in a second interview.

A forensic examination of his personal computer also uncovered hundreds of child sexual abuse images – some of them depicting the most serious acts of abuse.

Further examination of his internet browsing history confirmed that he had a clear sexual interest in children.

Morrell later pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and three counts of making an indecent image of a child. The indecent image offences relate to the storage of images on his computer.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (6 June), Morrell, of Milner Street, Newark, was jailed for eight years and added to the sex offenders’ register for life.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order that will closely restrict his future behaviour and access to children once he is released from prison.

Detective Constable Alan Braisby, of Nottinghamshire Police’s child abuse investigation unit, said: “Morrell was responsible for an appalling catalogue of abuse over a sustained period of time.

“When this abuse started his victims were simply too young to understand what was happening to them. As they got older they realised that what had happened was wrong and the truth was revealed.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety of children, so when cases like are reported to us we will take them seriously, we will follow the evidence and we will do whatever it takes to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

His Samsung mobile phone and tablet device were seized and examined and contained a total of 10 Category A, the most serious, pictures and videos as well as 23 category B images and 16 category C.

The court heard the members of the WhatsApp group where he shared the single, Category A video, had an "interest" in such illegal material, as well as sexual violence and bestiality and suggested "horrific" websites where it could be viewed.

Judge Julie Clemitson told the court: "He was an associate of those who had particularly gruesome interests."

Daglish, 37, of Collingwood Street, South Shields, South Tyneside, admitted one charge of distributing an indecent image, three of making indecent images and one of possessing a prohibited image, which was a cartoon.

He was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, with rehabilitation requirements and 240 hours unpaid work.

Daglish was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for the next ten years.

Judge Clemitson told him: "You came to the attention of the authorities in this country via the authorities in the US, who became aware of you sharing a category A video on WhatsApp.

"Clearly you were associating with a group of people who shared a common interest and within that group certain recommendations were made to you for suggested viewing which depicted the most horrific content of rape, sexual violence, child abuse, bestiality."

Judge Clemitson said there was no evidence Daglish viewed the "horrific" websites suggested by the group but told him the child abuse images he had on his devices depicted real victims being subjected to harm that could last them a lifetime.

The judge added: "You claim to have no sexual interest in children and that I cannot accept but hopefully it is something you will come to deal with in due course.

"You blame your actions on alcohol."

The court heard Daglish has no previous convictions and has sought to address his alcohol misuse.

Judge Clemitson said Daglish is capable of rehabilitation, is allowed "one opportunity" and told him: "The world will be a safer place for children if you do successfully address those issues."

Gavin Doig, defending, said: "This is a defendant who the probation service say they can work with and who they say can benefit from intervention.

"He is obviously extremely concerned about the outcome."

Description

A paedophile motivated by “sexual power and control”, and a “sexual attraction to children”, is starting a 28-year prison sentence.

Classed as, an offender, “of particular concern” and considered a danger to children, Trevor Cairns must serve at least two-thirds of that sentence, almost 19 years, behind bars before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard he may have to serve longer and, due to his infirmity, at the age, now, of 66, he may never enjoy his liberty again.

Cairns was convicted of a litany of “horrific” sexual offences against three children, two girls and a boy, spanning a number of decades, beginning when he, himself, was a teenager.

The court heard his offending dates from the late 1960s onwards, but it was only in 2018, when one of his victims came forward after discovering Cairns had been issued with a caution over another allegation of sexual abuse, in 1987, that the full picture of his crimes began to emerge.

When he realised he had not been Cairns' only target, the victim decided to come forward to report the actions of the man who preyed on him when he was a young boy, subjecting him to sexual abuse and raping him in the 1980s.

Cairns, of Barmston, Washington, was brought in for police questioning and gave a statement denying the offences, before being charged with multiple sexual offences.

Detectives then traced two further victims, who had gone on to lead lives away from the North East.

Both gave accounts of the abuse they suffered in their younger lives, at Cairns’ hands, and assisted police in helping to put him behind bars.

Having made blanket denials about all the allegations, it was only several days into his trial, at the court in February, as he was due to try to give evidence in his defence, that he changed pleas and admitted 13 charges.

These included five of rape, four of indecency with a child, three of indecent assault and one of buggery.

Several of the charges related to multiple offences against each of the victims.

Addressing the sentencing hearing today (Thursday May 18) the two female victims tearfully read impact statements to the court.

They variously described Cairns as, “a monster” and “an inhuman creature”, and spoke of the effect his abuse has had on their lives.

The court was told despite his late guilty pleas in mid-trial, he went back on those admissions when was interviewed by the Probation Service, preparing a report for the judge prior to sentence.

But, Cairns’ counsel, Jamie Adams, said he does, now, accept committing those offences.

“What this demonstrates is when somebody commits offences as bad as these it’s almost impossible for them to come to terms with it.

“We often see the denial when someone is guilty and they can’t admit to it or own up to it.

“We hear from the victims that he’s some sort of monster.

“One of the things that prompted the guilty pleas as late in the day as it did was Mr Cairns saying how sorry he felt.

“The whole matter can now be put to an end completely.

“He knows he’s completely alienated everyone in this world from him.

“He accepts he is likely to spend the rest of his life custody.

“There might be something there, though, that is not necessarily evil.

“And, any future risk posed by him is lessened by his infirmity.”

Judge Robert Spragg told Cairns that the probation report author’s belief was that: “You are motivated by sexual power and control and a sexual attraction to children.

“You are now 66, with health issues and in a wheelchair.

“You should never be in a position to harm children again.”

Imposing the sentence of 28 years, with at least two-thirds behind bars, Judge Spragg said upon his release Cairns will be subject to a one-year extension on his licence conditions.

The judge also made him subject to the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, notification requirements as a sex offender and restraining orders relating to each of his three victims, all for life.

Speaking after Cairns’ belated guilty pleas, Detective Constable Colin Ramshaw said: "The bravery shown by all the victims is nothing short of astounding.

“They have waited years for justice. Some have waited decades, but their abuser is now remanded into custody awaiting sentence.

"This has been one of the worst cases of prolific sexual offending I have ever seen.

“I really cannot praise the survivors enough.

“I believe they have given hope to others who have also suffered abuse and are yet to come forward.

Description

Online predator Michael Hancock tried to meet a 12-year-old at the Metrocentre and told her to pose as his niece if they saw anyone they knew.

The paedophile, who has previously worked "with youths and in hospitals", thought he was talking to a real child when he sent images of his genitals and turned the conversation sexual but, fortunately, it was actually an undercover police officer.

Newcastle Crown Court the officer had set up a profile online purporting to be an 18-year-old from Tyne and Wear, with which Hancock began to communicate in October 2021. He was soon told the girl was in fact 12 and he said he was 57.

The conversation quickly moved to Snapchat and turned sexual. Hancock sent a photograph of his legs in the bath and then his groin area. The profile replied with a message written on a child's arm saying "show me" and Hancock sent images of his penis.

Ian Cook, prosecuting, said: "He said he would buy gifts for her and she should not let her family know about the conversation and he arranged to meet her at the Metrocentre. He said if they saw anyone they knew they should say they were uncle and niece.

"He said they should be careful because if he was caught he would be called a paedo." He then went on to ask further intimate questions and discussed his sexual habits.

Mr Cook said: "He said he wanted to kiss her all night and hold her close. He arranged to meet her at the Metrocentre but was intercepted by police and arrested."

Hancock, 59, of Edinburgh Road, Jarrow, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and was sentenced to eight months suspended for two years with a four-month curfew. He will also be subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders register for the next ten years.

Judge Julie Clemitson told him: "You believed that girl to be somewhat vulnerable and in the care system, yet rather than take actions any responsible adult would have done, which was immediately desist in talking to that child and even report the profile, you instead chose to continue to chat.

"You did so in a way which has the hallmarks of a predator, frankly. You slowly, over a period of time, gained that child's trust by talking in a non-sexual way, offering to take her out and buy her gifts, then slowly but surely you introduced a sexual element to the conversation.

"You spoke about meeting at the Metrocentre and agreed a cover story should anyone ask who you were. You engaged in chat about various sexual practices and sent images of your penis to that, what you believed to be, 12-year-old child.

"It's clear you have a sexual interest in young girls, however much you protest to the probation officer that you do not. Your behaviour was predatory.

"The seriousness of this kind of offending should not be underestimated. Just because there was not a real child doesn't mean this kind of offending doesn't lead to serious consequences. Children suffer day in and day out because of online paedophiles like yourself."

Sam Faulks, defending, said: "He has been a working man who has contributed to society by his taxes and toil. He has previous good character and he cares for his elderly uncle and if he is locked up he will not have that additional assistance from his nephew."

Description

A trainspotting pervert has once again been given a jail sentence for an indecent assault he carried out against a young boy in the 1980s.

Steven Gustafson began chatting to a young teenage boy about trains at Newcastle Central Station in the early 1980s before he asked him to take a trip underneath the arches of the King Edward VII bridge. The victim was then indecently assaulted.

The vile offence only recently came to light when the now-adult victim read that Gustafson had been jailed in 2021 for a very similar offence dating back to the same time. He then reported the assault to police.

In 2021, Gustafson was jailed for four and a half years for carrying out similar sexual offences which were also committed in the 1980s. He was in his mid-20s at the time when he befriended two boys who shared an interest in trainspotting and then sexually abused them after taking them to isolated places.

Gustafson, who has been serving his prison term at HMP Northumberland, was due for release this summer, but was hauled back in front of a judge at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for the indecent assault which had recently come to light. The 65-year-old pleaded guilty to the single offence in March this year.

The court heard that the victim was a young teenage boy in the early 1980s and had first met Gustafson at Sunderland Train Station and began chatting about trains. Gustafson then offered to take the boy and his friend to Sunderland's South Docks, but he declined and instead went home.

But months after their first meeting, the boy ran into Gustafson again, this time at Newcastle Central Station.

Jane Waugh, prosecuting, said: "The victim recognised the defendant and again began chatting about trains. The defendant suggested they go over the to the King Edward VII bridge and look under the railway arches."

As the boy engaged into further conversation about trains, he realised Gustafson was "not really interested" in them. It wasn't long before Gustafson indecently assaulted the boy after putting his arms around his shoulders and asking sexual questions.

After pushing away Gustafson, the boy fled on a train and kept the assault a secret until years later when he confided to a former partner. However, the incident had a profound impact on the victim, who would regularly search for Gustafson on the internet. It was during one search that he read the defendant had been jailed for sexual offences.

Reading of his prison sentence, the victim then bravely reported what happened to him to police.

The court heard that Gustafson had nine previous convictions for 21 offences, all of which were offences committed against boys under the age of 16. All of his sexual offending took place behind the backdrop of a "railway setting", the court heard.

Peter Schofield, defending, said Gustafson had not committed any offences since 1998 and had successfully completed a sex offender treatment programme in the 1990s.

He said: "He has worked hard to change his life and plays a useful part in the community and his church. He is at a low risk of re-offending and has a firm plan to move away from this area. He is unlikely to re-offend again and has made efforts to stay offence free. There is a positive side to his general behaviour."

Sentencing Gustafson, Recorder Benjamin Nolan KC handed him a further 12-month prison sentence. He remains on the sex offender's register for life.

Description

A man who groomed and then raped a teenage girl has been jailed after his victim bravely came forward to tell police of the ordeal her attacker had subjected her to.

Richard Park, 45, had been contacting the 15-year-old girl via social media, before meeting the victim in January 2020.

While in his car in the North Tyneside area, he forced the teenager to perform a sex act on him.

The victim then contacted police to inform them of what had taken place and a full investigation was launched - in which the victim shared numerous messages with officers which Park had sent her. Following his arrest, Park denied any physical contact between himself and the victim.

He was however subsequently charged with rape of a female under 16, engaging in sexual communications with a child and child grooming. Park, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and child grooming, but not guilty to the rape charge - which he was convicted of following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

At the same court on Wednesday, May 10, he was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison.

Park was also made subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the next decade.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Karen Douglas, of Northumbria Police, said: “Park’s victim showed immense courage in coming forward to report the abuse he had put her through and we hope that his conviction helps to provide a degree of closure, enabling her to move on with her life.

“We are grateful for her and her family’s continued co-operation throughout the investigation, which has helped to put a manipulative and predatory paedophile behind bars.”

Det Con Douglas added: “Park knew his victim was underage and yet still he chose to pursue a sexual relationship with her, that is abhorrent. Not only did he groom and rape his victim, but he also then put her through the ordeal of a trial when he pleaded not guilty to the rape offence.

“Thankfully the jury saw through his lies and he is now rightfully beginning a lengthy term behind bars.”

Description

A brazen pervert sexually assaulted a "terrified" woman while his girlfriend was in the same room.

Paul Gerry, who has a past conviction for sexually assaulting a teenager, touched the victim's breasts and cupped her genitals during a gathering at a house in Newcastle, all while his partner was just metres away. A court heard that the 47-year-old's victim was considerably younger than him, although she was an adult, and was left too frightened to shout out.

The following day, Gerry sent the victim messages asking her not to say anything and offering her "£40 or £50 cash", prosecutors said. However, his predatory behaviour was reported to the police and he was arrested,

Gerry, of Hallow Drive, in Throckley, has now been jailed for 12 months after a judge deemed that he hadn't learned his lesson following his conviction in 2015 for similar offending. Recorder Thomas Moran said: "You didn't learn from your past conviction. That or you're just unable to control your sexual urges, despite the fact a great deal of work has already been done with you on your three-year community order and sex offenders' programme from 2015."

Mr Recorder Moran added: "You do present a degree of risk and the prospect of rehabilitation doesn't seem to be particularly good. The appropriate punishment can only be met by custody."

Newcastle Crown Court was told that the victim was at an address in Newcastle with Gerry and others one evening in October last year when he began secretly touching her inappropriately. Jane Waugh, prosecuting, continued: "He put his hand under her top and over her bra and felt her breasts.

"The defendant then unbuttoned her trousers and put his hands under her knickers and cupped her genitals. His girlfriend was present in the room. [The victim] was so scared, she couldn't talk or move."

The court heard that, when Gerry and the victim were later alone, he tried to kiss and hug her but she pushed him away. The following day he then sent her messages asking her not to tell anyone what had happened and offering her cash.

However, the woman later reported Gerry to the police and he was arrested. In a statement, she said: "This incident left me feeling closed in on myself emotionally and it's changed my life both physically and mentally. My mental health has deteriorated, where as before I had no issues."

Jennifer Coxon, defending, said Gerry was a carer for his elderly father and was remorseful. She added: "Mr Gerry has indicated that he's unable to make sense of what happened or why he did what he did that night. He doesn't usually drink on a regular basis and, while he hadn't consumed a large amount of alcohol, it had affected him considerably."

As well as the prison sentence, Gerry must sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years.