Search results for Peterborough

Description

A man who performed a sexual act on himself in front of a child has been jailed.

Paulius Grabauskas, 31, was already on police bail for other offences when he approached the 14-year-old girl in Derby Drive, Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, at 9.30am on 17 July.

He took a sex toy from a bag and used it to perform a sexual act on himself in front of her.

Grabauskas had also been reported to police in April after he exposed and touched himself inappropriately in view of other passengers on a bus in Peterborough.

Then in June, Grabauskas was reported to police once again after he was seen performing an indecent act in a bush near a primary school in Orton Goldhay, Peterborough.

At Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (30 October), Grabauskas, of Eastfield Road, Peterborough, was jailed for two years and three months after admitting two counts of exposure and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was also handed a ten-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Det Sgt Angus Cashman, who investigated, said:

“Grabauskas is clearly a dangerous individual who has no control over his sexual urges.

“His crimes will have a lasting impact on all of his victims - especially the 14-year-old girl who he targeted and subjected to a disturbing act for his own sexual gratification.

“I am pleased he has now faced justice and I’m glad the sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions.”

Description

A former local councillor and cadet leader has been found guilty of rape and abusing his position to lure children into sexual activity after messaging them on social media.

Rylan Ray, 26, took advantage of his role as a detachment commander in the Army Cadet Force (ACF) to contact young people on Whatsapp to discuss duties and commitments without suspicion.

The former Peterborough city councillor would then encourage them to engage in Snapchat conversations which would become sexual.

Ray used a fake persona of a teenage girl called Chelsie to extract intimate images from teenagers. He was traced to the fake account when a phone call made from one boy to Chelsie was answered by him and another fake account was linked back to his flat via the IP address.

Photos of Chelsie, including the Snapchat icon, were found on his phone, together with intimate images from six victims that were only ever sent to the fake accounts.

He also told one 16-year-old, who he knew from the cadets and would meet up with on nights out, that as he was a Peterborough licensing officer, he could get him into clubs without ID.

The offences against 11 different victims only came to light in 2025 after two 16th birthday parties at Ray’s home, where he shared with another cadet leader. The parties were attended mostly by cadets or people linked to the cadets and resulted in parents complaining about the drinking and behaviour to the ACF.

Enquiries were made with various children who attended the parties, who then disclosed sexual messaging with Ray, who was also part of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) at Stanground Academy and Nene Park Academy schools - both in Peterborough.

Police were made aware in May 2025 and an investigation began, where some children disclosed that as well as the sexual messages, they had been sexually assaulted.

Ray, of Westgate, Peterborough, was arrested the same month and in police interview provided a prepared statement where he accepted that he “may have” become involved in conversations that were unwise in his position as cadet leader but were not, on his part, sexually motivated.

He said he was “truly shocked and disgusted” at being accused of these offences which had “ruined his career”.  He then answered no comment to all questions.

In later interviews, he accepted that he received topless images of one child and that some of the messages were sexual, but claimed he never actively encouraged this. However, he also accepted sending a photo of his genitalia to the same young boy, and also sending him pornography.

Ray was charged with a total of 25 offences and media coverage of these charges resulted in a further victim coming forward, who confided that Ray had raped him after they had met on a night out in Peterborough in 2019.

Before his trial began, Ray pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, and causing a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.

During the trial he admitted a further two offences of making indecent images of children.

He stood trial to face the other charges at Ipswich Crown Court from 5 October, and after 24 days, jurors found him guilty of 23 further offences. The charges for which he will now be sentenced for include:

• Rape a man aged 16 or over
• Engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a boy aged 13 to 15
• Five counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
• Five counts of causing a child aged 13 to 15 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity
• Three counts of sexual assault
• Three counts of causing or inciting a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity
• One count of causing or inciting a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity
• Three counts of making indecent photos of a child
  One count of possess an extreme pornographic image portraying rape

He will be sentenced at the same court on 8 January.

Detective Constable Gordon Logan, who investigated, said:

“The roles Ray held allowed him trusted access to young people, and he seized these opportunities to abuse them sexually.

“We would like to praise the bravery of the children involved in confiding in others what had happened to them. Doing so takes a lot of courage but it was so important that they did, because we then began investigating.

“Many of the victims involved felt they had no choice but to engage in the chats with Ray. In an increasingly digital world, mobile phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence and exploit their trust.

“We encourage all members of the public to be aware of adults who pay an unusual amount of attention to a child – no matter their profession. Sharing any concerns, no matter how small, can make all the difference.”

Description

A “vile sex offender” who followed a teenage girl through a station and subjected her to a prolonged sexual assault has been jailed, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Bradley Warby, 41, and of Caldecote Close in Peterborough, was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday 5 October to one year and two months’ imprisonment, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to three counts of Sexual Assault.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years, and handed a restraining order that bars him from contacting the victim.

The court heard how, on Friday 25 April, Warby was in King’s Cross railway station when he noticed a 16-year-old girl standing with her mother in a queue for coffee.

He approached them and spoke to the girl briefly before she walked away with her mother. Warby then followed them through the station, at which point the girl's mother told him that her daughter was 16.

He stopped following them, but after boarding the train to Peterborough he noticed the victim was sat by herself nearby. He beckoned for her to come over and sit with him, but she moved away.

Warby followed the girl and sat next to her, repeatedly attempting to speak to her and made sexual comments towards her.

He then repeatedly sexually assaulted her before getting off the train at Peterborough, while a concerned bystander who noticed the incident reported it to British Transport Police by texting 61016.

Detectives investigating the crime report were able to identify Warby through CCTV images, and he was arrested on 5 August. In police interview he claimed the victim had lied about the encounter.

BTP Detective Constable John Severns said:

"Bradley Warby is a vile sexual predator who singled out a teenage girl and subjected her to a horrific sexual assault.

“I hope he spends his time in prison reflecting on his criminal actions, and that his conviction grants the victim some sense of closure after what he put her through.”

Description

A convicted sex offender who shared explicit messages on social media with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl has been jailed.

Daniel Coleman, 40, contacted the account in May 2025, not knowing it was a decoy run by an online child abuse activist group.

Despite the “child” telling him she was only 13 years old numerous times during their communication, he proceeded to strike up conversations of a sexual nature before arranging to meet her.

Despite not using his real name, officers traced the IP address of the profile back to Coleman and later arrested him.

Coleman, of Bishops Road, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, breach of a sexual harm prevention order, inciting a girl aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity, and failing to comply with Sex Offenders Register requirements. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (31 July).

PC Alex Neill, who investigated, said:

“Coleman is clearly a risk to children. Protecting young people from harm is one of our top priorities and we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice." 

Description

A violent rapist who strangled his victim until she fell unconscious before attacking her has been jailed for 15 years.

Jacob Negus, 24, began speaking to the woman on a dating app and met her the following day in August 2022.

After about a month of dating, Negus became controlling, telling her to remove men from her social media accounts or he would stop seeing her.

The woman chose to end contact, but Negus later sent flowers and apologised, and the pair went on to date on-and-off for a couple of months.

In 2023, at his then home in Maxey, near Peterborough, Negus became violent.

On one occasion, he strangled the woman until she lost consciousness, leaving her with a burst blood vessel in her eye.

When she came round, she realised he was raping her.

When Negus saw she was awake, he pulled her hair, forced her to stand and strangled her again.

During the relationship, Negus also left bruises on her thighs after grabbing them, subjected her to verbal abuse and made threats to harm her.

The woman later confided in a family member and reported the abuse to police.

On Thursday, 25 June, at Cambridge Crown Court, Negus, of Leofric Close, Crowland, Lincolnshire, was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of rape, intentional strangulation and engage in coercive and controlling behaviour in an intimate relationship.

DC Frankie Enticknap said:

“This was a sustained and deeply traumatic campaign of abuse, where Negus used control, violence and intimidation against his victim.

“It takes a great deal of courage to come forward and report offences of this nature, and I would like to commend the victim for the strength she has shown throughout this investigation.

“We are committed to supporting victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse, and we will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A man who raped two women in Peterborough has been jailed for 26 years.

Wayne Lightfoot, 36, met his first victim while on a night out on 4 September 2022.

They went to the victim’s home and had consensual sex. Later that night he forced himself upon her, despite being clearly told, “no”, and that he needed to leave, he raped her.

On 26 August last year, Lightfoot went on a date with his second victim in Peterborough before going back to his house in Stanton Square, Hampton Hargate.

When they arrived, the victim changed her mind and said she wanted to leave but he violently assaulted her, took her phone away and raped her.

Following a trial, Lightfoot was found guilty at Peterborough Crown Court of four counts of rape, seven counts of sexual assault and false imprisonment.

On Friday (20 March) he was sentenced at the same court to 26 years in prison.

He was also handed an indefinite Restraining Order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A man has been jailed after creating thousands of indecent images of children, some of which were shared in WhatsApp groups with more than 20,000 members.

Andrew Moseley first became a person of interest for Derbyshire police following a referral from the National Crime Agency (NCA), whereby he had been communicating with a 14-year-old boy who had uploaded explicit images of himself to the internet.

Moseley, of Speechley Drove (correct spelling), Borough Fen, Peterborough was arrested in July 2023 at his former address in Church Gresley and his devices were seized.

During an examination of his devices, it was found that he had been participating in 36 WhatsApp group chats about the sexual abuse of children.

These chats discussed the sharing of indecent images and videos of children.

The chats had a total of 24,042 members from 141 countries across the world.

Some of the material on Moseley’s devices dated back to 2009, showing that he had been involved in discussing and inciting the sexual abuse of children and making and sharing images of abuse for 15 years.

Moseley was charged in March this year, and admitted the following offences:

• Causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• Making indecent images of children - Category A
• Making indecent images of children - Category B
• Making indecent images of category children – Category C
• Distributing a Category A indecent image of a child (x2 counts)
• Distributing three Category B images of children
• Conspiracy to distribute indecent images of children
• Possessing indecent images of children
• Possessing prohibited images of children
• Possessing images of extreme pornography
• Attempting to incite the sexual exploitation of a child
• Conspiracy to incite a child under 16 to engage in a penetrative sexual activity

The 60-year-old appeared at Derby Crown Court on Friday 27 February, and was handed a 15-year jail term by a judge. This sentence was reduced to a period of 10 years, in respect of Moseley’s guilty plea.

Moseley was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a Deprivation of Rights Order in respect of the devices that were seized from him during the police investigation.

Detective Constable, Heather Rogers, officer in the case said:

“This was an extremely complex case that it would have been impossible to unravel without the referral from the NCA and the painstaking work of our digital forensics’ colleagues, who extracted and downloaded the material from Moseley’s devices.

“The sheer magnitude and reach of Moseley’s offending – which spanned over 140 countries – is horrifying.

“While this sentence cannot undo the lasting harm that has been caused to the many child victims in this case, it does mean a massive disruption in the sharing of child sexual abuse material across Moseley’s worldwide network.

“The prevention of further such material being shared and Moseley being put safely behind bars, makes our online spaces that little bit safer.”

Detective Chief Inspector, Jim Carver, who is Derbyshire’s force lead for Child Sexual Exploitation added:

“Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a far-reaching crime that can have a life-long impact on victims and their families.

“No child should have to suffer in this way, and we take all reports of this nature extremely seriously.

“We are committed to investigating reports of CSE and will do all that we can to root out offenders and bring them to justice.

“To anyone engaging in this type of criminal activity – I hope that the details of this case prove that it is only a matter of time until you are caught.”

Description

A 55-year-old man has been jailed for 21 years after he was found guilty of five child sex offences.

Between 2015 and 2021, Mark Darren Mingard abused two children.

The offences came to light when one of the children told a friend and that friend bravely set off a chain of events which would go on to expose Mingard’s crimes and lead to his arrest.

Following an investigation, Mingard was subsequently charged with four counts of raping a child under 13 and one count of sexually assaulting a child under 13.

He was found guilty of the charges following a six-day trial which ended at Northampton Crown Court on January 19 and returned to the same court last week (February 27) where he was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Lead investigator – Detective Constable Laura Beeby, said:

“I am so proud of the children involved in this case for the courage they have shown in telling us their stories and helping us put a sexual predator behind bars.

“Although no sentence will ever erase what happened to them, I hope the conclusion of this case provides them and their families with some closure and a sense of justice.

“If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, please come forward and tell us. We will believe you and we will do everything we can to put the offender behind bars.”

Description

A rapist has been jailed for ten years for violent attacks against two women.

Jakob Ireson, 31, of Sandringham Road, Walton, Peterborough, carried out the rape in October 2023 after attending a home in the city for drinks.

He made unwanted advances towards a woman and then left but later returned and attacked her as she slept. She woke up to find him raping her.

A year later, while on police bail, officers received a 999-call reporting that Ireson had turned up at another woman’s home in March.

He had let himself into the home of his expartner, despite being subject to an 18year restraining order prohibiting him from going there.

Ireson became verbally abusive before violently attacking her - he punched her in the face several times, threw her phone at the television, and strangled her for about 30 seconds.

She later disclosed Ireson had also kicked, punched, slapped and headbutted her during the terrifying assault, leaving her with facial injuries.

On Friday, 30 January, at Cambridge Crown Court, Ireson was sentenced to eight years in prison for rape, having been found guilty on 1 August last year following a trial.

He was handed a further two years after pleading guilty to actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional strangulation, harassment by breaching a restraining order, and two counts of criminal damage.

The sentences were ordered to run consecutively.

DC Kara Halls, who investigated, said: “Ireson’s actions were violent, predatory, and showed a complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the women involved. The bravery of the victims in coming forward has ensured he is now behind bars and unable to harm anyone else. I hope this sentence provides them with some sense of justice and reassurance.

“We remain committed to supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence and bringing dangerous offenders to justice. I would urge anyone experiencing abuse, or concerned for someone else’s safety, to contact us. Help and support are always available.”

Description

A convicted sex offender who flouted a strict court order by using an internet phone has been jailed.

Saffian Liaqat, 31, was being managed in the community by specialist officers when they visited him at his home in Peterborough in August last year.

Liaqat was forbidden from using or owning any device capable of accessing the internet or storing digital images without informing police under the terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). The order also stated he must surrender any such device to police when asked to do so.

When officers arrived at his home last year, Liaqat claimed he’d lost his basic, non-internet device permitted under his conditions, but officers later found an internet phone belonging to him hidden on top of a wardrobe.  

A further search of this device revealed Liaqat had been using it to access various social media platforms. 

Liaqat, of Longthorpe, Peterborough, later pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO and was sentenced to one year in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts on Friday (23 January).

Detective Constable Claire Cummings, from the specialist management of sexual or violent offenders unit (MOSOVO), said:

“Liaqat showed a complete disregard for his sexual harm prevention order and notification requirements, which are in place to safeguard the public. These new convictions reflect the serious sexual risk of harm he poses.

 “Our specialist officers work tirelessly to monitor and manage all registered sex offenders in the community and won’t hesitate to put them back before the courts if they discover any breaches.”

Description

A registered sex offender has been jailed after he repeatedly breached a court order.

Steven Blades, 35, was arrested at his home in Manton, in Bretton, Peterborough after the team in charge of managing sex offenders discovered he was breaching the orders in place around him.

In 2022, Blade was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and Sex Offender Notification Requirements (SONR), which required him to keep police informed of any changes to his personal circumstances within three days and if he had contact with children under 18 for more than 12 hours.

In August, the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team made several attempts to visit Blade at his home in Bretton, but he was not there so they began looking into his whereabouts.

They discovered he has been in a holiday park in Yorkshire where he had been in contact with children under the age of 18, and was in breach of his SHPO.

Blade was arrested and admitted the breach and an additional breach by buying a device capable of accessing the internet and setting up an email without informing police.

At Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (29 October), Blades was jailed for one year and eight months, having pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and five counts of failing to comply with sex offenders register notifications.

DC Faye Patterson, who investigated, said:

“Blades understood that what he was doing was wrong but did it anyway.

“He also showed a clear disregard for the conditions of his court order, which are in place to protect the public, and most importantly, children.

“The role of the MOSOVO team is to ensure sex offenders are complying with court orders and are prevented from further offending. Part of that work involves regular unplanned visits to ensure this is happening and this case highlights the lengths we will take to ensure that this happens.”

Description

A paedophile has been jailed after he sexually assaulted a teenager more than 20 years ago.

David Marriott, 63, approached a 14-year-old girl from behind as she played on a slot machine in the garage of a Peterborough home back in 2003.

Marriott unclasped the victim’s bra and touched her inappropriately underneath her clothes.

The offence came to light after the victim confided in family members about what had happened, and wanted Marriott to be held accountable.

Marriott, of Rushton Avenue, Peterborough, denied the offence, claiming the allegation was “untrue” and stated that he “chooses not to speculate on why the allegation has been made”.

However, he was found guilty of committing an indecent assault on a girl under 16 following a trial at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court in June.

Marriott was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (22 August).

DC Helen Keighley, from the force’s Child Abuse Investigation and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said:

“Marriott thought he had got away with sexually assaulting a young, vulnerable girl all those years ago.

“I hope this sentence brings closure for the victim, and that it allows her to move forward with her life.

“I also hope it shows that we will always take allegations of this nature seriously, and will work to bring offenders to justice, despite how long has passed since the crime took place.”

Description

A paedophile who plotted to sexually abuse children is now in jail after being captured by undercover police officers.

Salvatore Zizzari was behind a series of sick online messages concerning plans to sexually abuse young children.

The 33-year-old started talking to another adult who he thought both shared his depraved fantasies and could make them happen. 

Unbeknownst to Zizzari, however, the person in the chatroom wasn’t who he thought but was actually an undercover police operative.

After Zizzari agreed to meet up at a pub in West Bridgford on 30 October last year, a police sting was set up to catch him red-handed.

An undercover officer secretly recorded Zizzari confirming his intentions to travel with the officer to a location and abuse her children.

Zizzari was detained and arrested shortly afterwards.

He was charged with three counts of arranging the commission of a child sex offence and four counts of making indecent photographs of children.

After denying the charges against him, a trial was arranged for Zizzari in April, which ended with a unanimous verdict from the jury, who found him guilty on all counts.

Zizzari, of Langley, Peterborough, returned to Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced today (28 August).

He was jailed for 10 years. 

Detective Constable Rich Cashmore, of the Internet Child Exploitation team based in Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“Zizzari’s plans to sexually abuse young children were both disturbing and disgusting in equal measure.

“He shared his depraved fantasies online with someone he believed could make them a reality and was a likeminded individual.

“Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and the person he was chatting to was actually an undercover police operative.

“When Zizzari then travelled to Nottingham to discuss his perverse plans further, an undercover officer met with him and secretly recorded what he said.

“That police operation gathered all the evidence needed to capture Zizzari and convince a jury of his guilt, when he inexplicably decided to deny doing anything wrong.

“Zizzari is a dangerous individual who is now rightly serving a custodial sentence, and countless children have been safeguarded as a result."

Description

A convicted sex offender who hid ten phones in his mattress has been jailed.

Muhammed Idrees, 53, was being managed in the community by specialist officers when they conducted a search of his home in Peterborough earlier this year.

Idrees was forbidden from using or owning any device capable of accessing the internet or storing digital images under the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

When officers arrived at his address in April to arrest him for an unrelated matter, Idrees produced two basic non-internet, non-camera phones, permitted under his conditions.

However, a further search of his home revealed ten phones in his mattress, three of which had internet capability and seven built-in cameras.

Idrees, of Cobden Street, Peterborough, later pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a SHPO and was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts on Monday (11 August).

PC Emily Heriot, from the specialist management of sexual or violent offenders unit (MOSOVO), said: “Idrees went to great efforts to conceal his prohibited devices, with complete disregard for his Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification requirements, which are in place to safeguard the public. These new convictions reflect the serious sexual risk of harm he poses to children.

 “Our specialist officers work tirelessly to monitor and manage all registered sex offenders in the community and won’t hesitate to put them back before the courts if they discover any breaches.”

Description

A man who raped a woman while she slept has been jailed for eight years.

Daniel Barbosa, 27, of Hinchcliffe, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, forced himself on the victim in July 2022.

As she woke up to what was happening, she repeatedly told Barbosa to stop.

But he refused to listen, and carried on with the attack, leaving the victim distraught.

After the incident, the victim fled to the bathroom in tears.

She didn’t initially report the incident, but a month later, told officers what had happened.

She also discovered Barbosa had filmed her in an intimate state without her knowledge, five months before the rape.

Following a trial in April, Barbosa was found guilty of two counts of rape and voyeurism.

On Monday, 23 June, Barbosa was sentenced to eight years in prison and barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DC Katie Housham, who investigated, said:

“Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the incredible courage of the victim in this case for coming forward and reporting what had happened. It is thanks to her bravery Barbosa’s predatory behaviour has been exposed.

“Barbosa forced himself on a woman who was asleep and could not give consent. This sentencing is a reminder that no means no, and we will always strive to bring offenders before the courts.

“I would encourage anyone who thinks they might’ve been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us on 101 or via web chat on the force website. We take all reports of sexual offences very seriously.

“We have a dedicated team of specially trained officers ready to investigate allegations promptly, fully and professionally, and a network of partnership agencies and support services to offer assistance and support.”