Latest Offenders Oxfordshire

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Police have released an image of a homeless sex offender jailed for breaching court orders.

Steve James, of no fixed abode, failed to inform police of his whereabouts in breach of a court order to do so every seven days.

James, 30, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Monday, October 13.

He pleaded guilty to the breach.

James was first convicted in 2017 and placed on the sex offenders register.

He then breached his order four times in 2020 and in 2021, he was convicted for using violence to enter a property in Botley Road where there was someone present who opposed his entry.

In 2022, he failed to comply with notification requirements before the breaches in December last year.

His charges also put him in breach of a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, issued on October 30, 2023.

In 2024, he was jailed for 36 weeks for a further breach.

On the most recent occasion, the court heard he found himself homeless on May 4, and would have had to notify police of this on May 11.

However he didn't do that and was next found outside a pub in Margate, Kent, on June 6.

The court heard he admitted the offence in police interview.

In mitigation, it was heard that James had become an 'avid reader' in custody and had ambitions to become a personal trainer.

James was jailed for 12 months.

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An image of sex offender David King, 63, of The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford, has been released after he was jailed for 22 months at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, October 3.

King pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with notification requirements and one count of breaching a sexual offences prevention order. He was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.

In 2021, he was jailed for 16 months for similar breaches.

King was previously sentenced to a decade in prison in 2010 at Reading Crown Court for nine rapes, plus another five years in 2011 for raping a six-year-old girl in the 1970s.

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Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a man has been jailed in connection with non-recent child sex offences in Oxfordshire.

David Kuca, aged 80, of New Road in Didcot, was found guilty by a jury of three counts of indecent assault on a girl, two counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of causing a child to watch a sexual act and two counts of making indecent photographs of children.

During a trial in May which lasted for 16 days at Oxford Crown Court, the jury heard how Kuca had sexually abused two young children in South Oxfordshire on numerous occasions between 1995 and 2001 and 2013 and 2017. Kuca was arrested on 5 December 2022 and indecent images of children were found on computers which were seized from him. He was charged with numerous child sex offences on 5 March 2024, following a comprehensive police investigation.

The jury found him guilty on 21 May this year and he returned to the same court on Tuesday (2/9), where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, comprising of 11 years in custody with a one year extension on licence. He has also been served with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last for 15 years, and an indefinite restraining order in relation to the two victims.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Sophie Holliss, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said:

“I sincerely hope that this sentence brings some closure to the two victims involved in this case, following an extremely complex and lengthy investigation.

“I would like to thank both the victims and witnesses in this case who have shown immense bravery, not only in coming forward to report what happened to them, but also throughout the court process where they were required to give evidence.

“Nothing can change what they have been through, but I hope that the victims in this case are now able to begin moving forward with their lives and heal from what has happened.

“I hope that this case shows that we will take all reports of sexual abuse seriously, no matter when it happened or how much time has passed. I would encourage any victim of a sexual offence to contact Thames Valley Police with the confidence that they will be listened to, and that we will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.”

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Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been convicted of rape and other sexual offences.

Darren Brassington was found guilty of two counts of rape of a female and one count of assault by penetration following a trial at Oxford Crown Court which concluded on Thursday (28/8).

The 47-year-old of Queens Road, Carterton, has since been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday 29 October where he will be sentenced.

During the trial, the court heard how Brassington violently raped and sexually abused the victim who he had groomed and coerced through fear of violence.

He was arrested on Sunday 16 February this year and charged on Tuesday 18 February.

Despite pleading not guilty, the jury found Brassington guilty on all counts following a 7-day trial.

Following the verdict, Detective Sergeant Matt Richardson from the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit said: “Brassington was found guilty today by unanimous verdict for two counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault be penetration at Oxford Crown Court.

“On Friday 14 February 2025, he violently raped and sexually abused the victim, a young woman who he had groomed and coerced through fear of violence into having contact with him only a month prior.

“Brassington will be held on remand until sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday 29 October 2025.

“The victim in this case has been incredibly brave, without her support I have no doubt that Brassington would have continued to pose a risk to any female who had the misfortune of coming into contact with him. I am very grateful for her unwavering support throughout this case.”

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Police have released an image of an offender who has been jailed for multiple breaches of a sexual harm prevention order. 

Benjamin Robinson, 52, of Ock Street, Abingdon, pleaded guilty to three breaches ahead of his sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday, August 5. 

The court heard he downloaded an app called Kik, deleted the history of chats on a Kik account and used an alias while using the internet, namely 'ukdad73', between May 19 and June 23. 

He was jailed for two years and a sexual harm prevention order was imposed.

He will also be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and there was a deprivation order for his iPhone. 

Robinson was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £187.

An existing community order was revoked. 

The sexual harm prevention order he breached was imposed in 2023 when it was heard was caught chatting to ‘children’ using the same social media usernames that saw him hauled before the courts in 2019.

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Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been jailed for two rapes, an assault by penetration and drug-dealing in Wantage. 

Dylan Sims, aged 21, of St Marys, Wantage, was sentenced to nine years and six months’ imprisonment, with a further three years and six months on an extended license, at Oxford Crown Court today (24/6).

A jury unanimously found Sims guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration at the same court on 8 May this year, after a seven-day trial. The jury also unanimously found Sims not guilty of a third count of rape.

Sims pleaded guilty to one count each of being concerned in supplying a controlled drug of classes A and B, namely cocaine and cannabis, and supplying a controlled drug of class A to another, namely cocaine, at the same court in May last year.

In October 2022, a 17-year-old girl and a woman told police about Sims’ sexual offences and cocaine and cannabis dealing, all of which was committed in Wantage from 2021 to 2022.

Sims was arrested on 14 October 2022, and charged on 22 February last year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Jennifer Gibbons said: "I am pleased with the sentence given out to Dylan Sims, one that fits his abhorrent crimes.

“Sims has never shown any remorse for his actions; he lied in his police interviews and denied the offences, even when faced with overwhelming evidence.

“Sims later changed his account at court – admitting drug offences but denying rape.

“Thankfully, the jury was able to see through this and after only four hours deliberation, found him guilty of two rapes and a sexual assault by penetration.

“I would like to thank both victims for their courage coming to police, as well as all the witnesses who came forward and supported the investigation.

“I hope this conviction gives those who have been affected by sexual offending the confidence to stand up and know they will be listened to. This conviction highlights not only our commitment to tackling these crimes, but also our commitment to support violence against women and girls, as well as all victims of sexual violence.”

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Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a man has been jailed for sexual offences in West Oxfordshire.

Lee Butcher, aged 27, of Barrington Close, Witney, was convicted of a count each of knowingly/recklessly trespassing on a premises with intent to commit a sexual offence and sexual assault on a female, following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Butcher initially pleaded not guilty to the offences, but changed his plea to guilty on day three of the trial on Monday (9/6).

He was subsequently sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and he will be required to comply with notification requirements as a registered sex offender.

In the early morning of 10 August 2024, Butcher entered the victim’s home address via a kitchen window in West Oxfordshire.

He then went upstairs to the victim’s bedroom and sexually assaulted her, before leaving.

He was arrested and charged on the same day.

Investigating officer Detective Constable George Hill said: “Butcher made his way into an address via a downstairs window before going on to sexually assault his victim in a place she should have felt safe.

“There is absolutely no excuse for his behaviour, and I am pleased he eventually changed his plea to guilty and has now been sentenced to prison as a result.

“This kind of abuse is never acceptable and I hope that this custodial sentence shows that we listen and investigate fully, taking every action possible to safeguard victims.

“I would encourage any victims of assault and abuse to come forward and report this. You will be listened to and supported and we will seek to put offenders before the courts.”

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Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a man has been jailed for sexual offences against a girl in Bicester.

Stephen Berry, aged 65, of no fixed abode, was jailed for nineteen and a half years at Oxford Crown Court.

He pleaded guilty to eight counts of rape, one count of indecency with a child and one count of indecent assault against one victim, a girl.

The court heard that other offences against two other children would lie on file.

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A former assistant head teacher has been jailed for more than two years after she sexually assaulted a pupil.

Catherine Pearl, from Abingdon, had been working at Didcot Girls' School whilst the victim was a pupil at the school.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a girl as an adult abusing a position of trust in November last year.

Pearl was sentenced to two years and four months in prison during the hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.

The offences were reported to Thames Valley Police in 2023, and Pearl was charged in October 2024.

Investigating officer Det Con Sarah Tibble paid tribute to the victim, who she said had shown "such bravery" in coming forward to report the offences and "put her trust in Thames Valley Police to bring Catherine Pearl to justice".

"If you are a victim, or have any suspicions about a crime no matter when it took place, please contact Thames Valley Police," she added.

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A man has been jailed for more than four years for child sexual offences. 

Andrew Grant, of Queen Street, Bampton, was sentenced to 54 months for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, being an adult attempting to meet a girl following grooming, arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child and driving without third party insurance.

Grant, 58, was sentenced during a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, November 29. 

Grant was accused of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a girl under the age of 16 – namely 14 - in Eynsham between November 22, 2022 and February 18, 2023.

Between the same dates, he was accused of trying to meet the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at Oxford Train Station after a period of grooming.

Grant was also charged with arranging/facilitating commission of offence of a sexual activity with a child in Eynsham between the same dates.

His driving offences took place on February 18 last year in Park End Street, at Oxford Train Station in a Nissan X Trail.

As well as being jailed, he was given six penalty points on his driving licence for the driving offence. 

Grant was also given a sexual harm prevention order and put on the sex offender register, both indefinitely. 

He was also barred indefinitely from working with children and vulnerable people. 

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An Oxfordshire man has been jailed after he pleaded guilty to multiple online child sexual offences. 

Jamie Standen, aged 34, of Roundhead Drive, Thame, was sentenced to six years in prison at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, (Thursday, July 11).

At the same court on May 29, Standen pleaded guilty to: six counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; two counts of attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity; and two counts of possession of incident photographs of children. 

The guilty pleas and jail sentence came following an investigation by Thames Valley Police officers. 

A further hearing will take place at the same court on July 26 in relation to a sexual harm prevention order.

A police said in October 2021 and November 2022, Standen engaged in online communications with several children he believed to be 12-13 years old.

Standen also sent sexually explicit photographs to one child and encouraged others to engage in sexual penetrative acts.

However, Standen was in fact communicating with undercover police officers.

The investigation also uncovered a hidden folder on his mobile phone that contained indecent images of children.

Standen was arrested on the January 31, 2022 and was charged by postal requisition on May 25 earlier this year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Chloe Thompson, of Abingdon CID, said: “I am pleased that Standen pleaded guilty to the offences and that he has been sentenced to jail.

“Standen has never shown any remorse for his offending and even posted letters to himself, implicating the involvement of a third party in an attempt to frustrate the police investigation.

“He continued to deny the allegations following his arrest, all the way until the first day of trial, where, faced with overwhelming evidence, he entered guilty pleas.

“Our fight against online child sexual abuse will never stop; I hope this conviction highlights not only our commitment to tackling these crimes but also to protect all children and tracking down anyone who seeks to harm them.”

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Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a man has been jailed for two years and ten months after he was convicted of child sex offences in Burford.

Stephen Painter, aged 67, of Frethern Close, Burford, pleaded guilty to a count each of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming and attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order, following a hearing at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 19 March.

Appearing at Oxford Crown Court on the same day, Painter was jailed.

Between 3 and 25 February this year, Painter communicated in a sexual manner with a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl and was making arrangements to meet with her.

He was, in fact, talking to an adult member of the public, who gathered evidence, confronted him at his home address, and contacted police.

Painter was arrested on 25 February and charged the following day.

Detective Sergeant Mark Personius of Cherwell & West Oxfordshire CID, said: “Painter was already a registered sex offender, having previously been convicted of a similar offence.

“I am happy that this matter has been resolved so quickly and that Painter has been sent to prison.

“He poses a significant risk to children, and I hope that the community feels safer now that Painter is behind bars where he belongs.”

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A FORMER school bus driver in Witney has been jailed after raping a 14-year-old girl and encouraging a 13-year-old girl to send him naked photographs.

Peter Gibbs, 60, was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court of three counts of historic child sex abuse which happened in the early 2000s – two counts of indecent assault and one count of rape – after being found guilty at trial.

Over two decades later, Gibbs, pleaded guilty to one count each of sexual communication with a child and making indecent images of a child after six naked photographs were found of the teen on his device in 2022.

Sentencing Gibbs, of Briary Lane, Carterton, to eight years and seven months imprisonment, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “You ought to be thoroughly disgusted with yourself.”

During the sentencing, it was heard that the historic counts were first reported to police in August 2001 after the victim made a report, telling her GP she had been raped.

It was heard the assaults had happened in his car as well as on a bus where he worked as a driver.

However, the Crown Prosecution Service dismissed the case.

Gibbs was not charged at the time but was arrested again in February 2021 when a school reported that Gibbs, who was the authority’s bus driver at the time, had been messaging a 15-year-old student.

In May 2022, Gibbs pleaded guilty to the counts relating to that incident and the victim in the latest trial, who is now an adult, was contacted again by police and the case was reopened.

A victim impact statement written by the woman and teen were read out in court.

The first wrote: “Peter Gibbs ruined my life. After it happened, I couldn’t go back to school. I was extremely embarrassed. I felt my parents were disappointed in me.

“What he did to me affects me on a day-to-day basis.”

The teen wrote: “He was a person employed to keep children safe yet he made as a child feel unsafe.

“I feel like I can’t enjoy myself like my friends do because of what he has done to me.”

Defending Gibbs, his barrister explained that the defendant has not been ‘eating, drinking or taking medication’ in custody and has been placed on ‘a particular watch’.

He said: “He is very, very sorry for what he’s done and he’s remorseful for his actions.

"The man has fully, completely and totally come to his senses and has expressed his great sorrow and shame to his partner.”

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A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for eight years after threatening to kill himself if a 14-year-old girl did not send him naked photographs.

Ashley Bourton was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (February 23) for three counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, five counts of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual communication and one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The 25-year-old was caught by four different online child activist groups who pretended to be young girls to catch predators.

They were: Justice For Kids, No More Secrets, Innocence From The Shadows, and Secrets and Lies Confronted.

Bourton was caught messaging the fake accounts videos of him masturbating, believe the accounts to be 13 to 15 year old girls.

Judge Michael Gledhill sentenced Bourton, of Wigod Way, Wallingford, to five years imprisonment plus a three year extended term due to the defendant being classified as a ‘dangerous’ and ‘high risk offender’.

Opening the case, prosecutor Steven Attridge said Bourton had been caught messaging the fake accounts on various platforms, including online chatrooms and WhatsApp in May last year.

He messaged ‘Lucy Jane’, who he thought was a 13-year-old girl, on Facebook using his account ‘Playboy25’, asking her for naked photos.

 Another account, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl named ‘Carrie’, was run by an East Midlands Specialist Unit and Bourton was caught messaging her saying: “If I was you dad and you saw me d*** would you ask to use it?”

An account run by ‘Secrets and Lies Confronted’, pretending to be a 14-year-old girl called Freya, caught Bourton threatening to commit suicide if the teenager did not send naked photographs.

Upon arrest on May 22, officers also found search terms on the defendant’s phone indicating he had been looking for indecent images of children.

Bourton was previously jailed in April 2021 for sexually assaulting a six-year-old old and several other child sex offences.

Defending Bourton, barrister Gordana Austen said the 25-year-old suffered from physical and mental difficulties. 

 She said he is on the autism spectrum and suffers from anxiety and depression.

“He lives a very isolated and lonely life,” she said. “He says he tries to date and communicate with adults but they ignore him which is why he finds it easier to communicate with children.”

Sentencing Bourton, Judge Gledhill said: “You are a very high risk offender according to both the probation officer and your own psychiatrist and I’ve come to the conclusion that you are, what is known in law, as dangerous.”

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A CONVICTED sex offender has avoided jail for a second time after being caught living with a 17-month-old baby despite a court order.

Aaron Kitney, 34, was first jailed in 2019 for having sex with a 15-year-old which he claimed was a ‘consensual’ relationship at the time.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child and was jailed for eight years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He was released on licence in March 2022.

Kitney later moved in with a 21-year-old mum who had a 17-month-old boy. Kitney was obliged to tell the mum and the local childcare services about living with a child under 16 but failed to do so.

He was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (February 22) for breaching the order.

Sentencing him to a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “No one thinks you have an inappropriate interest in young male children but it was covered in the SHPO.

“If you had just told the mother and the child support services about the SHPO the likelihood is they would have said, ‘He isn’t interested in a young 17-month-old boy, let’s gets in touch with your solicitor and vary the order’.

“But you brought this all on yourself.”

The court heard that Kitney, of Gaveston Road, Didcot, had told the mum-of-one about his previous convictions but had not informed her of the conditions of his SHPO.

After hearing about her new partner, the mum’s own parents became concerned and researched Kitney.

Upon finding out about his previous convictions, her parents called the police and he has been in custody for about six months.

Kitney did have other accommodation at the time, after living homeless in a tent for about four months, but upon arrest, most of his items including clothes were found at her home.

Defending Kitney, barrister Gordana Austen said that Kitney worked as a groundworker six days a week and as a cleaning five days a week in the evenings.

“So he did try to keep himself busy,” she said.

Concluding the case, Judge Gledhill said: “It’s your own stupid fault. Just keep yourself to yourself. Learn a lesson and don’t come back before this court again.”

Judge Gledhill didn’t order ‘trail monitoring’ as it thought it would be ‘over the top’ and there were no orders for unpaid work as the judge wants Kitney to focus on his own work.

He will, however, need to complete 55 rehabilitation activity days.