Latest Offenders SA

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A Salisbury man has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple sexual offences dating back as far as 1994.

Michael Colin Bell (known as Colin Bell), 72, of Pinewood Way, Bemerton Heath, was sentenced on June 8 at Salisbury Crown Court for two counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of gross indecency.

The offences span several decades, with some dating back over 30 years.

During the sentencing hearing, powerful victim impact statements were read aloud in court. One victim described the lasting trauma:

"Trying to explain how this has affected me is the hardest thing I've ever done because there is no way to explain what this has done to me, all I can do is try and describe what is my life now.

"There is not a day I don't think about what happened to me. If I am not busy, I have flashbacks and I am back to being abused, like it is still happening to me. I still feel like he owns me and I am his trophy. I wake up at night sometimes and see the darkness in the corner of the room. I can't move and am frozen. I want to move, but can't.

"I hate the feeling of people touching me and this has massively affected my relationships. I have to sleep with a pillow between my legs as the feeling of my legs touching makes me feel sick.

"I hate the feeling of my own skin."

A second victim said:

"The abuse happened over a number of years.

"The person who did this to me was a trusted family friend — someone I was told I could count on, someone who was meant to protect me. Instead, he betrayed that trust in the most painful way.

"I spent years questioning myself. I asked if what happened was normal. I wondered if I had done something to deserve it. That kind of self-doubt and shame doesn’t disappear just because time passes — it settles in your bones. As a child, I didn’t have the words to make sense of what was happening. That confusion — that feeling of being lost inside your own life — stayed with me for years."

Another victim said:

"As a direct result of what I experienced, I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and severe anxiety. I now suffer from frequent panic attacks, which have affected both my personal life and my ability to work. 

"There are times when I cannot relax, even in the safety of my own home. Memories intrude unexpectedly-triggered by sounds, smells, or even certain words.

"These flashbacks make it incredibly difficult to find peace, and I live in fear of when the next one will strike."

The case was first reported in 2022.

Investigating officer Sergeant Myles Scott, who worked on the case for four years, said:

“I am really glad that Colin Bell has finally been held to account for the abhorrent actions he chose to commit against children. This case shows that if you commit offences, they will eventually catch up with you — no matter your age or how long ago they occurred.

“I want to thank the victims for their strength and courage throughout this investigation. Their support was vital, and I hope this sentence helps them begin to rebuild their lives.

“I also hope this outcome reassures other victims that they will be believed, and that justice can be pursued regardless of how much time has passed.”

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An asylum seeker from Syria who raped a 12-year old girl after offering her vape and crisps while he worked illegally at a supermarket in Birmingham, could face deportation under a change in the law.

Mohammed Wahid Mohammed who's 22 and who lived in Walsall, told the victim it was "not safe on the streets" and gave her a vape and crisps, before raping her.

It happened on the 24th September last year at Villa Supermarket in Handsworth.

"The victim had been helping a homeless woman"

The girl, who had left her home earlier that day, ended up in Birmingham city centre around 8.30pm that night.

Andrew Wallace, prosecuting, told the court the victim had been helping a homeless woman despite having only "a couple of pounds on her".

He said "She bought the lady a cup of tea. The homeless lady then walked her down Villa Road to Villa Supermarket.

"As soon as the defendant saw her he said: 'You look really young. You look really cold do you want to come into the shop? It's warm in there, I'll get you something to eat and drink".

"He knew she was far away from home"

He continued: "He knew she was far away from home, there was discussion about that.

"Ironically, he told her it wasn't safe on the streets. He coaxed her into the shop under the pretence of being concerned. Really he only had sex in mind."

Birmingham Crown Court heard Mohammed promised the girl some food and told her to take a vape, crisps and fizzy drink from the shelves.

He then said he was going to get a "new drink" from a storeroom out of the back, but led her to an upstairs bedroom where he had been sleeping, and attacked her.

Mohammed was sentenced to 12 years in prison after admitting two counts of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13, and being found guilty of three counts of rape by a jury.

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A man who raped and strangled a woman in Andover has been jailed.

Martin Collins, aged 46, was found guilty by a jury at Winchester Crown Court of two counts of intentional strangulation and one count of rape against a woman who was known to him.

The offences took place between 1 July 2023 and 1 August 2023, and Collins was also found guilty of criminal damage to a tumble dryer at an address in Andover, which took place during this same period.

The trial began on Monday 9 June this year, with the jury returning their verdicts on Friday 13 June.

Collins, of Netton Close in Bishopstone, Wiltshire, was sentenced that same afternoon. His Honour Judge Dugdale jailed him for seven years and issued a 20 year restraining order.

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A teaching assistant may have abused "well over 81" children with special educational needs and disabilities, it can now be revealed.

Daniel Clarke, of Bloxwich near Walsall, has been jailed for seven years and six months, after pleading guilty to sexual offences against six vulnerable children.

But a major investigation is under way by West Midlands Police, who believe he could be one of the most prolific sex offenders of recent times.

Clarke, 28 and of Signal Grove, can now be named after the BBC successfully challenged an order, at Wolverhampton Crown Court, withholding his identity from the public.

During the sentencing, the court heard the mother of one victim had paid Clarke £3,500 for work as a personal assistant for her child, but had been left feeling like she had been "paying him to abuse her son", who has contemplated suicide.

Her boy was one of the "particularly vulnerable" children, all of whom had additional needs and disabilities, that Clarke, "abused his position of trust" against, the court heard.

On withholding his identity, Judge Michael Chambers KC had initially sided with police, who had asked for the order because of fears publication of their wider investigation could prejudice future jurors.

But after further submissions by the BBC, he decided to lift the restriction in its entirety, agreeing future proceedings were neither pending or imminent.

'Significant psychological harm'

At a hearing in February, Clarke pleaded guilty to offences including making indecent photographs of a child, assaulting children by touching, and inciting children to engage in sexual activity with no penetration.

Prosecuting barrister Daniel Oscroft said the defendant had worked as a teaching assistant at a school in Solihull and, separately, as a personal assistant to several children.

Many of the details shared during a two-day sentencing hearing are too graphic to publish.

Sentencing Clarke, Judge Chambers said: "Those who have special educational needs are vulnerable and require protection and support.

"Both they and their close relatives are entitled to expect such protection and support from persons such as yourself, who are entrusted to look after them.

"What you did constitutes a gross breach of trust and will have caused significant psychological harm to those concerned."

The investigation into Clarke began in October last year, when police received reports he had been in an inappropriate relationship with a child, the court heard.

Inquiries revealed he had abused children by taking them back to his home, where he suggested they play "truth or dare games".

The court heard two victims were dared to take off their clothes, before being stood back to back naked and exposed to pornography.

"He told them not to talk about what had happened to anybody else," Mr Oscroft said.

The court was told that as part of his personal assistant role, Clarke would take children out for day trips and record them in public toilets using a portable camera.

Officers were later said to have discovered a large number of devices from the defendant's address, including phones, laptops, "spy cameras", internal CCTV type equipment and storage devices like hard drives and USB sticks.

He was said to have made a list of his victims, some of which dated back to 2016, the court heard.

'A friend I undoubtedly trusted'

During police interviews, Clarke was said to have denied any sexual interest in children, telling officers he was interested in the anatomy of young children and how they grow.

Mr Oscroft said the crown rejected this, and read out an impact statement from a victim's mother, who also worked at the same school.

She said her "worst nightmare as a parent has become my reality", with the offending significantly impacting her "confident Jack the Lad" child's character and wellbeing.

"I thought there was some mistake," she said. "He was a friend I undoubtedly trusted. The aftermath will haunt me every single day."

The parent who had paid £3,500 to Clarke, said her son had even asked her to "buy him a casket".

"He has ruined my son's childhood and exposed him to harmful things nobody should ever encounter," she said.

"My heart aches so badly for what he has done to my little boy."

'I can't hurt anyone further'

Defending barrister Katie Goodman said Clarke had previously been of good character and was "deeply ashamed and deeply remorseful".

"He accepts there is nothing he can do or say to fix any of the harm and there is no just or satisfactory explanation for his offending behaviour," she said.

"He had expressed that he is grateful of his remand [in custody] stating, 'I can't hurt anyone further'."

Speaking on behalf of police, Mr Oscroft said Clarke would almost certainly be charged with further offences, possibly more than 81 victims.

But, a "complex and sensitive investigation" may continue for another year before charges are brought, he said.

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A dangerous paedophile who sexually abused a schoolgirl and filmed sick videos of his attacks has been locked up.

Harpreet Khasria made 'disturbing' internet searches including for 'young', 'school girl' and 'putting people in a deep sleep' by giving them 'pills or chloroform'.

The 36-year-old even recorded some of his horrific sex attacks for his 'own sexual gratification'.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how one victim told police in December 2023 that she had been sexually assaulted by Khasria.

Images and videos discovered by police on Khasria's iPhone revealed he had filmed some of the abuse.

He also made recordings of a second girl, prosecutor Andrew Baker said.

Internet searches indicated Khasria had looked online for "how to behosh a person medicine" - with 'behosh' said to be a Hindi word for unconscious.

Mr Baker added: "There was a clear interest in sexual activity with children, judging by his searches."

The paedophile - who was assisted in court by a Punjabi interpreter - has no previous convictions in the UK but has overstayed his visa.

Holly Kilbey, defending, had initially asked for the sentence hearing to be adjourned for a psychiatric report.

But Judge Michael Chambers KC said any mental health issues would not 'reduce culpability' and refused the request.

Prosecutor Mr Baker also told the court there was no evidence of any psychiatric problems.

Ms Kilbey said Khasria 'is likely and will inevitably find the custodial environment incredibly difficult' due to his lack of English.

His wife suffered a miscarriage while six months pregnant in 2023, which had a 'profound impact' on Khasria.

It led to the defendant taking sleeping tablets, drinking alcohol and a decline in his mental health, Ms Kilbey said.

She added: "He regarded the whole world as an enemy and was trying to deal with these feeling of loss.

"This may have been the spark of a downward spiral."

Judge Chambers told Ms Kilbey he did not 'fully follow' how the 'tragic' miscarriage could 'explain or excuse' Khasria's offending.

Ms Kilbey went on to tell the court it was 'background information', adding: "It does not excuse it."

Khasria, of Sandwell Street, Walsall, admitted 10 counts of sexual assault and five counts of voyeurism committed between September and November 2023.

Sentencing, Judge Chambers deemed Khasria to be a dangerous offender and passed an extended sentence of 17 years.

This means that Khasria must serve at least two-thirds of a 13-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of four years.

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A predator who prowled online chatrooms sent explicit images to a ‘girl’ before arranging for them to have sex.

Darren Warner struck up a conversation with 13-year-old ‘Maisie’, who was a police officer posing as a teen.

The pair quickly moved from an online chat forum to Kik, where the girl revealed her age to Warner.

Plans were made for them to meet “in a public park or car park in Southampton” to have sex at the end of May 2024 but the plug was pulled by Warner, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Lucy Taylor said: “Communication between the defendant and the ‘girl’ including them agreeing to have sex, with Warner asking what she would wear and where it would happen.

“The pair also spoke about having different kinds of sex together.

“A discussion was had about them meeting at the end of May, but Warner said his car had broken down so he could no longer meet.”

The court heard how the 49-year-old sent two explicit images to the ‘girl’ and encouraged her to carry out sexual acts on herself.

Warner was arrested by police on June 1, 2024, two days after he was due to meet the ‘girl’ for sex.

Mitigating, Keely Harvey said the severity of his actions hit home months before he was charged.

“Mr Warner contacted two organisations to help rehabilitate him in September 2024, three months before he was charged”, she said.

“He had that sudden realisation that it was wrong, and he stopped himself.

“He is determined to make sure this never happens again and has demonstrated that he can be rehabilitated.”

Warner, of Fairfield Road, Salisbury, pleaded guilty to a charge of arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child involving penetration, intentionally causing a child to look at an image of a person engaging in sexual activity, and a charge of attempted to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted a charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Judge Nigel Peters KC described Warner’s approach as “exceptional” as he “accepted the behaviour was wrong”.

“I have never come across a case where a defendant has paid, more than £700, for some rehabilitation prior to being charged."

Warner was handed a two-year sentence suspended for two years.

He must complete 26 sessions with probation and five rehabilitation activity days, pay £150 costs and is on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

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A man has been jailed for almost 20 years for multiple sexual offences against a child.

Gabriel Philip Chirwa, 38, of Holders Road, Amesbury, was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment, plus four years on extended licence, for four counts of rape and multiple other sexual offences.

The incidents were reported in August 2022, when the victim told her mother about the abuse, which took place over a two-year period.

Speaking after the sentencing, Det Con Fiona Rawlings of Wiltshire Police's Child Abuse Investigation Team said: "Chirwa is an incredibly dangerous offender who has shown absolutely no remorse despite the horrendous abuse he inflicted on a young girl.

She praised the victim for her bravery, adding that she appreciated "the toll" that the abuse, investigation and court process had on her.

"Hopefully today's sentencing can bring an element of closure and she can look to move forward," she said.

In her personal statement, the victim said: "He had made me completely disgusted with myself, I was so young. I ask myself, 'why me?'.

"You [Chirwa] never cared. I hope you will care when I am free to live the life that you can't."

After the incidents were reported, Chirwa was arrested, and following an investigation, was charged with the following offences:

• Four counts of rape
• Two counts of sexual assault by penetration
• One count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity

He denied the offences, requiring a trial by jury at Winchester Crown Court in December last year.

Chirwa will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, which will forbid him from any contact with the victim and from having any unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16.

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A man has been jailed after attempting to kidnap two women in Walsall earlier this year.

On 28 February, a woman in her 20’s, was walking on Scarborough Road in the early hours of the morning when she was grabbed from behind by a man.

The man tried to get the woman into his car but she resisted his force.

During the struggle she was punched in the face and received swelling and bruising. She managed to break free and ran to the nearest home for help.

Four days later, on 2 March, a 17-year-old girl was walking along Hawes Road shortly before 11pm when she was approached by a man in a vehicle who attempted to coax her into it.

When she refused he got out of the vehicle then punched and kicked her and sexually assaulted her. She managed to escape and run to a nearby home for help. The girl alerted police by activating her emergency call feature on her mobile phone.

Both victims sustained facial and head injuries.

Officers obtained CCTV footage from both incidents which showed a black Audi pulling up beside both women.

We then linked this vehicle to Rambo Baeram, aged 25 and he was subsequently arrested.

During interview, he claimed he didn’t own the vehicle at the time of the offences and said he was at home sleeping.

However, both victims took part in an ID parade and identified Baeram as their attacker.

Baeram of Forrester Street, Walsall was then charged with two counts of attempt kidnap, two counts of assault and one count of sexual assault.

He was found guilty by a jury at an earlier trial and was sentenced to five years in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 15 November.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Sergeant Carrie Stimpson from our Public Protection Unit said: “Baeram had no relationship to either of the victims - they were strangers, attacked on the streets when they should feel safe.

“These incidents were deeply concerning and we worked extremely hard to bring Baeram to justice.

“The women have been very brave throughout the whole process and were even forced to sit through a trial.

“I commend them for their courage.”

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Walsall man who won an award before being jailed for sex offences

This is the face of a man from Walsall and a former chauffeur for the mayor of Birmingham who is starting a jail term of nine years for child sex offences.

Kenneth Bond, aged 56 of Sycamore Road, was awarded the Royal Human Society Testimonial last year after persuading a woman who was standing in the road brandishing an eight-inch knife to give the weapon up.

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A probationary police officer has been jailed for 42 months for sexually assaulting a woman after a night out.

PC James Barrett-Barnett, 25, had already been dismissed by Bedfordshire Police following a misconduct hearing.

After a night out with friends, he had got into bed with a woman and sexually assaulted her.

He admitted his actions but claimed it had been consensual, however he was convicted in April at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Barrett-Barnett of Walsall Road in Walsall was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

Following his conviction, a hearing in July found he had committed gross misconduct and he was sacked.

In his misconduct ruling, the chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, Nick Dean, wrote: "There is little doubt in the public’s eye that he has damaged the reputation of the police service and bought discredit to it."

Det Ch Supt Zara Brown, who drives the force’s response to violence against women and girls, said Barrett-Barnett was a probationary officer for a short time and had just completed his initial training when he committed the offences.

"There is no place in society for violence against women, and especially within policing, as it betrays the trust and confidence the public should have in us as a service.

"We will continue to take robust action against anyone who acts in this way.”

She "highly commended" the victim for showing "great bravery by reporting what happened to her, as well as giving evidence during the trial".

"We will never accept this sort of behaviour, consent is paramount and no will always mean no.

"It is never too late to report anything that has happened to you, and we have specialist teams who will work closely with you and will believe you," she added.

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Regan Mann was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court on September 16.

The 20-year-old was also handed a restraining order forbidding him from contacting his victims.

He previously pleaded guilty to two charges of rape and one charge of abduction.

Mann, of First Avenue, had contacted a girl, who was under the age of 13, on Snapchat, before arranging to meet her on March 19.

The girl thought he was aged 14 or 15 but in reality, he was 19 years old.

She took along a friend of a similar age and Mann took both of them to his home in Brownhills.

DC Lucy Simpson, from the Complex Child Abuse Investigation Team at West Midlands Police, said: "Mann took advantage of his young victim, groomed her online and then arranged to meet up with her.

"She thought he was 14 or 15 but in reality he was 19. Despite knowing she was underage, he didn’t care.

"We are pleased with the sentence. This sends out a clear message that people who behave in this appalling way will be caught, convicted and will spend many years behind bars.

"The two girls have been very brave in providing evidence which has helped to successfully convict Mann. We hope their bravery encourages other people subjected to sexual abuse to come forward."

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A Wiltshire couple groomed a young woman before she was raped in their hot tub.

James Owen, 55 and his partner Ellen Rea, formerly Ellen Oades, 52, jointly preyed on an 18-year-old in Salisbury between January and February 2021.

Winchester Crown Court heard that Owen – a personal trainer – first sexually assaulted the teenager under the guise of training sessions.

A jury was told that over a number of weeks, the evil duo exchanged text messages outlining their intentions to abuse the woman.

On 6 February 2021, they invited their victim to their home for dinner – where they plied her with alcohol and persuaded her to join them in a hot tub.

It was there that the woman was raped by Owen and sexually assaulted by Rea.

At the conclusion of a nine-day trial today (Friday), Owen was convicted of rape, two counts of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

Rea was found guilty of sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault.

Owen was sentenced to eight years in custody and Rea was sentenced to two years.

Detective Constable Martyn Powell said: “James Owen and Ellen Rea conspired to abuse the trust of a young woman.

“Their horrendous actions were fuelled by their own selfish desires, without for a moment considering the long-lasting consequences that this abuse would have on their victim.

“I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the young woman who worked with us to help bring these two offenders to justice and hope that she is able to find some solace in the lengthy custodial sentences that have been handed down today.”

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A man from Brownhills has been jailed for 15 years for inciting boys on the internet to engage in sexual activity and for distributing vile and depraved indecent images of children.

David Brown, 59, had already pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He had pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. However, he was found guilty following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March and was jailed on Monday (15 July) at Birmingham Crown Court.

As well as being given a 15-year prison sentence, Brown was placed on the sex offender register for life and will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order For Life.

We received intelligence to suggest Brown was using the internet at his home to share indecent images of children and on 17 October, 2018 officers from our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team attended Brown’s home and seized his digital devices.

Brown’s computers were forensically examined and found to contain 175 indecent images of children as well as internet search terms relating to the sexual abuse of children.

A vast quantity of online conversations were also retrieved with a considerable amount concentrating on the horrifying and systematic sexual abuse of children both in the UK and abroad. In one, he had instructed a man in Africa to carry out abuse in exchange for payment.

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A 74-year-old man who tried to meet up with a 14-year-old boy with a view to abusing him has been jailed for two and a half years after a National Crime Agency investigation.

NCA officers started an investigation into John Harrison, from Tipton in the West Midlands, after they identified he was exchanging indecent images of children on a social media platform.

He was arrested in February 2021 and had a number of devices seized before being released on bail.

While the NCA investigation was ongoing, new intelligence showed that Harrison was offending again, this time engaging with a 14-year-old boy on the same social media platform.

Officers found messages suggesting he was attempting to arrange sexual activity with the child. Indecent images of children in categories A to C were also discovered on his devices. Investigators found 482 Category A images, 960 Category B images and 2330 Category C images.

Harrison was arrested again and charged with offences including making indecent images of children, possession of prohibited or extreme images and arranging sexual activity with a child.

He pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court in March 2023. He was sentenced at the same court yesterday (26 June) to 30 months imprisonment.

Harrison was already on the sex offenders register after being convicted in 2014 for making and possessing indecent images of children.

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A PAEDOPHILE who thought his poor health allowed him not to comply with a court order has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Colin Boon, of Ashmore Close in Whiteparish, failed to register as a sex offender last year without reasonable excuse.

The 65-year-old was stung by online paedophile hunters at his previous home in Salisbury in 2018.

During his sentencing at Swindon Crown Court in 2021, it transpired that Boon had collected hundreds of child sex abuse images since 2006 and stored them on 26 devices.

The vile collection featured children estimated to be as young as 12 months.

As part of Boon's sentence, he was ordered to register as a sex offender and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

But Boon did not comply with this order and failed to complete his annual registration.

Boon pleaded not guilty to the offence but the court said he had tried to avoid the requirements and "suggested his health allowed him not to comply with a court order".

The blind paedophile sentenced to 18 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Salisbury Crown Court on Thursday, June 20.

Boon must also pay £350 court costs and a £154 surcharge.