Latest Offenders Sheffield

Description

A man nicknamed “Killer” and his two younger brothers have been convicted 18 years after they sexually abused four children and a woman in Sheffield, following a National Crime Agency investigation.

The men were found guilty of a series of sexual offences – including rapes – many of which were committed by eldest brother Amar Ilyas, 41, of Sheffield. Known as “Killer” to the victims, Amar Ilyas bit one victim and used a gun and threats of gang rape to coerce others he abused. He was convicted in September 2025, but this can only be reported now, after the trial of his brothers concluded today, Monday 9 March.

Kamran Ilyas, 38, and Kamar Ilyas, 39, both of Sheffield were found guilty of a total of five sexual offences against one of the girls that their brother had raped.

The men’s convictions are the result of enquiries by Operation Stovewood - a team of specially-trained officers dedicated to investigating non-familial child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

In 2018, Operation Stovewood officers contacted a woman from Rotherham who they identified was possibly a victim of child sexual abuse. The woman – now in her 30s – subsequently related how she been groomed and raped by Kamar, and then sexually abused by Amar and Kamran Ilyas, between 2004 and 2008, at locations across Sheffield.

Kamar Ilyas began phoning the woman in 2004, when she was 12 and he was between 17 and 18 years old. Kamar Ilyas then encouraged the child to meet him at locations around Sheffield, where he sexually abused and raped her.

Kamar Ilyas introduced the girl to his brother, Amar Ilyas, who subsequently raped the girl on a weekly basis for three years, in parks, houses and his car. Amar Ilyas gave the girl perfume and jewellery but the woman recalled being frightened of him and that he might harm her family. She said that on one occasion Amar Ilyas gave her a cigarette laced with crack cocaine before raping her. Another time Amar Ilyas showed the girl a handgun he kept in his car, before taking her into a wooded area and raping her.

During the period she was being repeatedly raped by Amar Ilyas, the girl was also sexually abused by Kamran Ilyas – who was around 17 years old at the time – at a flat and a playground in Sheffield.

While investigating the three men’s offences against this woman, Operation Stovewood officers identified a further four women who had been sexually abused by Amar Ilyas.

A woman who officers approached as a possible witness told them that Amar Ilyas had tried to rape her when she was around 13 years old. The woman, now in her 30s, said she was staying over at a friend’s house one night when she woke up to find “Killer” raping. When the girl tried to push Amar Ilyas off her, he told her to be quiet and continued his assault, only stopping only when another man entered the room.

A third woman who officers also approached as a possible witness told them that she met Amar Ilyas when she was around 13 years old and he was around 18 years old. Amar Ilyas visited the girl when she was alone at her home in Sheffield. Initially the meetings were friendly, passing without incident, but Amar Ilyas encouraged the girl to drink and take drugs.

Then during one visit, Amar Ilyas raped the girl. On a subsequent visit, he raped her a second time in her bedroom, after which he then further indecently assaulted her.

The fourth woman was around 18 or 19 years old when Amar Ilyas raped her after seeing her out alone in Sheffield.

Amar Ilyas was with a group of men when he stopped the woman as she walked near a park one evening in 2004. The woman, not wanting to speak with Amar Ilyas, told him that she needed to catch a bus but he told her he would drive her instead. Amar Ilyas then took the woman down an alleyway, out of sight of the other men. He asked the woman to perform a sex act and when she refused he threatened her that she would be forced to carry out sex acts on his friends. The woman felt she had no choice, as Amar Ilyas then raped her.

A fifth victim identified by Operation Stovewood was raped by Amar Ilyas after being introduced to him by Kamran Ilyas. She was 16 at the time and Amar Ilyas was around 20 years old.

Kamran Ilyas met the girl at a shopping centre and drove her to a park where Amar Ilyas was waiting in a car. Kamar Ilyas told the girl to get into the car, to be driven home by his brother. When the girl got into Amar Ilyas’s car, he bit her face then raped her. At one point during the horrific attack, Amar Ilyas grabbed a spanner from the car floor and threatened to hit the girl with it if she did not stop crying.

All three men were arrested in June 2020 by Operation Stovewood officers, and subsequently charged in March 2023.

Amar Ilyas was released on unconditional court bail during which time he travelled abroad to Pakistan. He failed to appear for his trial and was instead tried in his absence.

On 24 September, following two-week trial, Amar Ilyas was convicted of all 20 sexual offences against him and a charge of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear.

National Crime Agency Senior Investigating Officer Alan Hastings said:

“Amar, Kamar and Kamran Ilyas remorselessly terrorised vulnerable girls from Rotherham and Sheffield.

“Amar Ilyas’ victims were terrified of him and he mercilessly played on their fear to get them alone, sexually abuse them and ensure their silence afterwards.

“Our investigation found Amar Ilyas targeted his victims opportunistically or groomed them extensively. In one case Amar Ilyas subjected a child to three years of relentless torment and rape. Her suffering was compounded by the sexual abuse his brothers also committed against her.

“Despite the horrendous abuse all five women have suffered, they have shown great courage and absolute determination to see the perpetrators face justice, which our investigation has ensured for them all.”Kamran and Kamar Ilyas have been remanded in custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 22 June, when they will be sentenced.

Sheffield Crown Court has issued a warrant for Amar Ilyas’s arrest. Officers from Operation Stovewood and the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre are carrying out proactive enquiries to locate and arrest Amar Ilyas.

Martin McRobb, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

“The brothers Kamar Ilyas and Kamran Ilyas groomed a young and vulnerable girl with alcohol and drugs. They took her to a variety of locations in the Sheffield area in order to feed their vile sexual appetite by raping and sexually abusing her. As a result, they caused the victim serious and lifelong harm.

"These defendants have now been held accountable for their horrific and appalling crimes. I want to once again recognise this woman for her immense courage in coming forward and for remaining supportive of a complex investigation and lengthy legal process. Her determination and strength in seeing this case through has been crucial in bringing these offenders to justice.

“The CPS will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to pursue perpetrators of child sexual abuse and secure justice for victims, no matter how many years have passed."

The NCA's Operation Stovewood remains the single biggest investigation of its kind, looking at allegations of abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. To date 52 people – including the Ilyas brothers – have been convicted and received custodial sentences totalling more than 1,500 years.

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A man who raped a woman after pretending to be a taxi driver has been jailed.

The woman had been out with a friend in Sheffield in spring 2025 but decided to go home, leaving her friend out.

As she walked out of the club, she got into what she thought was a taxi, with the driver Shabir Sultani telling her he was a taxi driver and would take her home.

During the journey Sultani offered her vodka which she refused before taking her back to her home address.

When they arrived at her home in Chesterfield, he then followed her to her front door, forcing his way into the property.

Despite her telling him repeatedly she wanted him to leave Sultani continued to kiss the woman before raping her.

The woman managed to get him off her by kicking him.

Sultani was identified using CCTV footage and automatic number plate recognition of his car.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with rape and sexual assault.

The 27-year-old of Sturton Road, Sheffield, denied the charges but was found guilty after a trial at Derby Crown Court in November.

He appeared at the same court for sentence on 3 February where he was jailed for 13 years with an extension of seven years for dangerousness.

He has also been handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, given a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the woman, and was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Detective Staff Investigator Beth Waite, who led the investigation, said:

“Sultani clearly preyed on this woman on this occasion, pretending to be a taxi driver and offering to take her home.

“Despite her repeatedly saying she wasn’t interested and asking him to leave her alone, he continued to force himself upon her, ultimately raping her.

“I’d like to commend her bravery in coming forward and reporting this incident, and her support for the police investigation and subsequent prosecution.

“This incident will undoubtedly have a long-lasting impact on her but her courage has ensured that we were able to bring the perpetrator to justice.

“I hope that knowing he is now behind bars will allow her some form of peace.

“I’d encourage anyone who has been a victim of rape or a sexual assault of any kind to please come forward and report it to us. We will listen without judgement and support you throughout.”

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The bravery of a victim asking a member of the public for help, has resulted in a man being sentenced for rape of a child.

The court heard how the victim was subjected to this abhorrent act by a stranger, Ammar Moqbal, after being given alcohol while at a party. The victim left the party and bravely approached a member of the public asking for help.

A report was made to the police and Moqbal was promptly arrested and later charged with rape of a child aged 13/14/15.

He attended Sheffield Crown Court where he denied the offences, pleading not guilty, however he was later found guilty by a jury in October 2025.

Yesterday (3 March) Moqbal, 32, of Exter Driver, Sheffield, was handed a nine-year sentence at the same court.

During court, the victims brave account was shared:

"What happened to me that night has affected each and every part of my life.

"That night I was with my friends and could have never known what was about to happen. I found myself in a situation I could not control and as a child could not see a way out of.

"Whilst trying to work through what had happened, I lost the normality of just being in school. I couldn’t concentrate on my work or studies, as there was not enough head space for me to deal with the trauma I suffered, as well as what others were saying to me. 

"The confidence and naivety I had at the time of the incident, has been taken from me, and now I will always struggle to do what most people would not think twice about.  This can be as simple as leaving my home and going somewhere new. 

"I think the best way to describe my state of mind now, is similar to suffering a bereavement. It's like I am grieving for the life I feel I have lost. I feel like it’s a constant struggle to move my life forward due to the barriers I face now.

"I worry that one day these all of these things will overcome me, what happened will overcome me. I can't and will not allow this to happen.

"I will not let those who harmed me win, that time is done.

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A man and woman have been jailed for a combined total of 14 years after a rape near Lincoln.

Jonathan Stocks and Kimberly Jowle, both of Lydgate Lane in Sheffield, were convicted and sentenced at the conclusion of a five-day trial at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, 19 December.

Stocks, 48, was convicted of rape and sentenced to nine years in jail.

Jowle, 38, was found guilty of rape - via joint enterprise* - and two counts of sexual assault relating to the same incident, which took place back in 2023 at Fiskerton, Lincoln, and was sentenced to five years in prison.

The result will see the pair face a total combined jail time of 14 years.

Detective Constable Warwick Taylor praised the victim for their strength throughout the investigation and says without them, Stocks and Jowle would not have been brought to justice.

He said:

“Ultimately, this was a harrowing ordeal for the victim who has supported the investigation every step of the way and has been the embodiment of strength and determination throughout.

“They will have to live with the impact of this crime for the rest of their lives, but I hope these sentences give them some sense of closure.

“Stocks and Jowle committed a horrendous crime and have been quite rightly punished their behaviour.

“This result shows that those who commit this type of crime will be brought to justice and these sentences should serve as a deterrent to those who think that this is acceptable.”

Description

The man pictured is 41-year-old Bo Yang and he is a violent rapist.

At just after 11pm on 15th April of this year he attended the victim’s address in Burnley and engaged her in conversation.

Following a disagreement about money, Yang took a knife from his right pocket, forced the victim next to a bed and used the knife to tear her clothes. Yang then took out a metal bar from the bag he was carrying and used it to savagely beat the victim. It was then that he raped and sexually assaulted her.

Not content with having committed the violent, sexual attack, Yang then removed rope and tape from his bag and tied the victim up – placing tape around her head. He then used the knife to slash her.

Yang then took items from the victim’s purse, including her bank cards and money. He used her facial recognition on the victim’s phone in an attempt to transfer money into his bank account.

The victim managed to run from the property when Yang had his back turned and sought help from neighbours who rang the police at 3.46am – bringing to an end her five-hour ordeal.

Yang was identified as a result of CCTV and forensic enquiries, including from fingerprints recovered from the tape he had placed around the victim’s face.

In what is thought to be a first is Lancashire, our officers also managed to recover data from 'We Chat' which is the Chinese version of WhatsApp. This evidence proved vital in this case.

Yang, of Winn Grove, Sheffield, was arrested and later charged with two counts of rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, robbery and possession of a bladed article.

Following a trial at Preston Crown Court, Yang was today (12th December) found guilty on all counts. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at the same court on 6th February.

DC Jodie Nolan, from our Burnley Rape And Serious Sexual Offence Team, said:

“Yang is an extremely violent sexual predator who exposed his victim to a sustained and horrific ordeal.

“I would like to thank the jury for their considered verdicts and the investigation team, including DC Asad Mirdad, for obtaining the vital evidence which helped secure this conviction.”

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A registered sex offender has been jailed for 20 years for the "sickening" attempted rape of a teenage girl, according to South Yorkshire Police.

Ben Johnson, 38, of no fixed address, wore a balaclava as he exposed himself to the girl, sexually assaulted her, and attempted to rape her in Tongue Gutter Woods in Sheffield on 27 June 2024.

The girl punched Johnson, escaped, and reported the attack to police the same day.

She provided a description of her attacker and later identified Johnson in a controlled ID process.

After his arrest, Johnson gave a prepared statement denying the offenses and did not comment during two interviews.

Following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court in July, he was found guilty of attempted rape of a girl under 16, two counts of sexual assault, and one count of exposure. He was sentenced at the same court on Monday and given an indefinite restraining order barring contact with the victim.

Det Con Kevin Sibley, who led the investigation, praised the victim's

"incredible courage throughout her ordeal."

"She was able to provide a strong positive ID of her attacker, which helped prove Johnson was responsible for this sickening crime," he said. "I commend her for her remarkable bravery."

Sibley added he was "pleased with the lengthy sentence," noting, "A dangerous man is now behind bars where he belongs."

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A man who groomed and raped two young girls in Rotherham in the early 2000s has been jailed for 19 years today, 4 September.

A trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard how Obaidullah Omari, 46, from Sheffield, targeted the two, who were aged between 13 and 14 at the time of their abuse.

The offences, which occurred between 2003 and 2004, were investigated by officers from the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, which is looking into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

Omari, in his 20s at the time, gave the girls alcohol and drugs before abusing them.

Omari raped the first girl multiple times at two different locations – his house in Eastwood and in his car – and raped the second girl on one occasion.

Both victims came forward to Operation Stovewood more than 20 years after the abuse took place, providing their accounts to officers who then went on to arrest Omari in 2019.

Following a two-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Omari was found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault.

Following the sentencing today, NCA senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said:

“Today Omari begins an appropriately substantial prison sentence for the sexual offences he committed against two girls more than 20 years ago.

“The victims demonstrated immense courage both in reporting Omari’s crimes and in giving evidence against him. I’m pleased that Operation Stovewood has been able to secure justice for the women and I hope Omari’s conviction helps them move forward with their lives.

“I encourage victims of child sexual abuse to report it to police, no matter how long ago the offending took place.”

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A “trusted” Muslim cleric who repeatedly raped a young boy whilst working as a teacher at a Bradford mosque has been handed an extended jail sentence.

Mohammed Hanif Khan will serve 13 years in prison plus a further three years on licence for a series of sex attacks on the victim more than a quarter of a century ago.

Khan, 57, of Blagden Street, Sheffield, appeared via video link from HMP Leeds for the hearing at Bradford Crown Court.

His victim was present in the public gallery to see justice done.

Sentencing Khan, His Honour Judge Christopher Smith told Khan: “You were a respected member of the teaching staff.”

He said his “outward and respectful appearance masked a devious and perverted sexual interest” in underage boys.

The judge added: “And you grossly abused the trust placed in you by colleagues and the parents of the children in your care in order to commit these terrible offences.”

He added: “You secured your victim’s silence by telling him that he would not be believed if he reported you.

“Regrettably, opportunities were missed to bring your offending to an end when other individual members of staff found you in suspicious circumstances but failed to report matters to others as they should have done so.”

Judge Smith said the extended sentence he passed reflected the danger that Khan continued to pose to the public.

He also referred to Khan’s previous conviction for “strikingly similar” behaviour at Stoke-on-Trent in 2009, for which he received 16 years’ imprisonment in 2011.

His offending in Bradford pre-dated the Stoke assaults.

Judge Smith said Khan could have brought those earlier rapes to the attention of the police when he was charged with the Stoke offences “but you chose not to do so”.

He said: “I am satisfied that you do continue to present a risk of committing such offences.”

The judge said that while he was being sentenced for the offences of more than a quarter of a century ago, “there has been further serious offending of a strikingly similar type in the intervening period”.

“You accept only limited responsibility for your actions and there is a continuing lack of genuine insight,” he said.

“Although you are now in your late 50s you may be eligible for release from the sentence I impose in your mid-60s and I am not satisfied today that ordinary licence provisions will protect the public for the appropriate length of time at that point.”

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Neil Hamilton sought to deny responsibility for the sexual assault, but jurors found him guilty of one count of assault by penetration at the conclusion of his Sheffield Crown Court trial.

In a statement read during Hamilton’s sentencing hearing, the man he targeted said: “After the incident I stopped eating, and didn’t think life was worth living.”

“I’ve been trying to regain some sense of masculinity,” the complainant said.

He described how the attack, which occurred on January 27, 2025, resulted in him “spiralling into using drugs” over the course of a 10-week period, and was sent back to that dark place during the course of Hamilton’s trial.

The complainant added: “Neil will be released from prison one day, however I will have to live with this for the rest of my life.”

A hearing held on June 10, 2025 heard how the complainant was heavily intoxicated when Hamilton, aged 58, assaulted him.

Sending Hamilton to begin a seven-year prison sentence, Judge Rachael Harrison told him: “Having heard the evidence, I’m sure that you waited until he was in that state before you sexually assaulted him, while he was face down.”

“I’ve read the victim personal statement, it’s clear that what you did to him had a profound effect on him.”

Hamilton, of Granville Road, Norfolk Park, Sheffield, was acquitted of one count of rape at the conclusion of the same trial.

Matthew Burdon, prosecuting, told the court that Hamilton has a criminal record of 19 previous offences from 10 convictions.

Among the previous convictions is an entry for indecent assault dating back to 2002, in which Hamilton preyed upon another intoxicated male who was unconscious when the assault began.

Mr Burdon said Hamilton was initially sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for the offence, but this was reduced to a three-year community order on appeal.

Defending, Dermot Hughes said both parties were voluntarily intoxicated when the latest offending was carried out.

He continued by telling the court that Hamilton was in the process of being transported back to Doncaster prison in a van when it was involved in a collision.

Hamilton, suggested Mr Hughes, suffered a back injury in the crash, and has been in “constant pain” since.

“His father is very elderly and very frail, and has not been able to make contact with the defendant…his greatest fear now is not only his father’s continued deterioration, but that his father may reach a terminal point without the defendant being able to provide him with any support,” added Mr Hughes.

Sending Hamilton to begin his prison sentence, Judge Harrison told him: “Your victim was particularly vulnerable due to personal circumstances.

“Whilst he was intoxicated, I am satisfied you waited until he was in a position where he could not defend himself.”

In addition to his prison sentence, of which he is likely to serve two-thirds behind bars, Hamilton was also ordered to remain on the sex offenders’ register for a period of 10 years.

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A 39-year-old man has been jailed after pleading guilty to a total of 12 sex offences, including bestiality.

Graham Marshall coerced his partner Paige Reaney, 33, into acting out his "perverted" sexual fantasies, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Marshall, of no fixed abode, was jailed on Monday for five and a half years, with an extended licence period of four years.

At the same hearing, Reaney, formerly of Bowman Drive, Sheffield, was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting bestiality and animal cruelty offences.

Marshall was also placed on the sexual offenders register for life, while Reaney was told to carry out 30 requirement activity days and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Meanwhile, Marshall and Reaney were both banned from keeping animals.

Judge Jeremy Richardson KC told the court the offending first came to light in August 2021 when police had seized devices from the couple's home after receiving information about the possession of illegal images of children.

The devices contained bestiality content which had been carried out by both defendants over a three-year period and involved their pet dog.

Marshall's devices also contained voyeuristic material and indecent images of children and he had also taken an indecent image of a child, the court was told.

When Reaney was arrested in January 2023, she told officers she had been forced to sexually abuse their dog as part of Marshall's "fantasy", and in a later interview, she told officers he had previously sent her sexual images of dogs.

Reaney denied knowledge of Marshall's other offences.

Judge Richardson accepted Reaney had been "under a level of coercion", but said she "went along with what happened" and had "played your role to the full".

'Worst example'

The judge told Marshall he had "wallowed in a swamp of sexual depravity" and would likely reoffend.

"You were the author and director of this appalling sexual depravity," he said.

"You have deeply ingrained harmful sexual perversions within your character which embrace serious criminal conduct."

Marshall had previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting, counselling or procuring intercourse with an animal, three counts of possession of an extreme pornographic image and seven counts of making indecent photographs of children.

He had also pleaded guilty to one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child and one count of voyeurism relating to a camera installed in a toilet.

The court heard in mitigation that Marshall had been sexually and physically abused as a child and exposed to bestiality.

Since the couple's abuse of their dog had come to light, he had been ostracized by his family and was living in a tent in the woods.

Judge Richardson told the defendants their offending was "perhaps the worst example of a case of its kind that I've ever come across" in 45 years.

Description

Depraved paedophile raped a girl before using explicit images she had previously sent him to pressure her into meeting him again - where he raped her twice more.

Sick Kevin Cox had been handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in May 2019 after he was convicted of voyeurism and possessing indecent images. But when ViSOR (Violent Sexual Offender Registrar) officers checked his devices on January 25, 2023, as part of routine management of a high-risk sex offender, they discovered a catalogue of horrific evidence.

A total of 39 indecent images of children were found - most of which were Category A, reserved for the most explicit and most harmful images. Officers also found the 29-year-old had been sending sexually explicit pictures and messages to a 14-year-old girl online.

When they dug even deeper, they also revealed a conversation Cox, of Mowbray Street, Sheffield, had been having with a girl, during which she mentioned he had raped her several times between December 2017 and December 2018 when she was 15 years old.

South Yorkshire Police says when they spoke to the girl, she told them Cox had added her on social media and he raped her when they met up in person. A force spokesman said: "Cox then used explicit photos which he had coerced her into sending him to pressure her into meeting him again, and he raped her on two further occasions."

When interviewed by police in March 2023 and April 2024, about the messages he had sent to the 14-year-old girl, he gave no comment. When they interviewed him about the rape allegations on April 26, 2023, he claimed he had had consensual sex and believed the girl had been 16.

He initially pleaded not guilty to the sexual conversations he had with the 14-year-old, but on September 26, 2024 admitted to the counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child. The next day he also changed his plea to guilty for the counts of making indecent photographs/ pseudo-photographs of a child.

But he denied the five counts of rape and cruelly forced his victim to endure a three-day trial trial at Sheffield Crown Court before a jury saw through his lies and found him guilty on all counts on November 21, 2024.

He was jailed for 14 years and given a lifetime SHPO for his vile crimes, as well as a lifetime restraining order against the girl he raped.

DC Amy Shore, of the Protecting Vulnerable People Team, said: “Cox is a depraved sex offender who caused untold pain for his victims, and I am thankful that he will spend more than a decade behind bars for his string of crimes.

“His lifetime SHPO ensures that officers can continue to monitor his online behaviour when he is released, and the restraining order provides further protection for the victim to whom he caused so much harm.

“I would like to pay tribute to the strength and bravery of Cox’s victims in providing evidence of his abuse, and I hope that this lengthy sentence provides them with a sense of closure.

“Although no sentence could ever undo the pain that Cox has inflicted, I hope these two women are able to move on with their lives”.

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Remorseless Rotherham man 'sexually molested' teen at party after believing he got away with first assault.

42-year-old Colin Shearer carried out the majority of the sex assaults against the complainant, a teenage girl, during the course of a party they both attended.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Shearer first sexually assaulted the complainant three months earlier, in a separate incident.

Sending Shearer to prison, The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, said Shearer took the chance to sexually molest the complainant at the party, after believing he had got away with the first incident.

Referring to the party, during which Shearer sexually assaulted the complainant five times, Judge Richardson continued: You took advantage of a vulnerable girl. It was repeated. At the time, although she was not inebriated, she was affected by alcohol which she had consumed at the party. During a hearing held on November 26, 2024, Judge Richardson suggested the effects of the alcohol, along with her age, had rendered the complainant vulnerable.

Shearer, of Wesley Avenue, Aston, Rotherham, sought to deny any wrongdoing but his account was rejected by jurors, who found him guilty of six counts of sexual assault at the conclusion of a trial in the same court.

Jailing him for 20 months, Judge Richardson told Shearer he may be in a different position had he admitted to his crimes, because forcing a trial meant he had forfeited what would have been potent mitigation.

Description

Cowardly Musabwe Murama, aged 37, refused to acknowledge his guilt, forcing the young woman he abused as a teenage girl to give evidence in court and endure the ordeal of a trial. 

In a statement read to Sheffield Crown Court on the complainant’s behalf, she revealed the continuing psychological impact of Murama’s abuse, and the way in which it has drastically changed her personality.

“Before this happened, I used to be very loud, I was confident and outspoken…I became quiet, it affected how I speak to people.”

“I didn’t have any confidence, so I didn’t want to talk…I didn’t want to do anything because my mood was so low, I just felt so filthy,” the complainant said. 

She detailed how, prior to Murama carrying out the abuse, she enjoyed and felt really engaged with school; but afterwards, she became withdrawn and did not perform as well as she could have during her exams. 

Although Murama’s heinous crimes have resulted in the complainant deviating from her chosen career path and taking a break from education, she said she is now looking to the future, and hopes to attend college and university. 

“I want to build a life with someone and have kids and a house, I just want to be okay,” she said. 

Jurors found Murama, of Walling Close, Wincobank, Sheffield, guilty of one count of attempted rape and four counts of sexual assault at the conclusion of a trial at the same court. 

During a hearing held on September 19, 2024, Murama’s barrister, Kieran Galvin, acknowledged there was ‘very little to say’ in terms of mitigation, but told the court that Murama is someone who, prior to committing these offences, had a clean criminal record, and thus, had previously been of ‘good character’. 

“He was highly regarded,” said Mr Galvin.

He asked the judge, Recorder David Brooke KC, to bear in mind the principle of totality in mind. 

Totality consists of two elements, with the first being to pass a just and proportionate sentence which reflects all of the defendant’s offending behaviour, while the other requires a judge to avoid arriving at such a sentence by simply adding together what may have been the appropriate length for a single offence. 

“Please keep the sentence as short as you can, commensurate with your public duty,” added Mr Galvin. 

Recorder Brooke jailed Murama for eight years, and told him: “I dread to think of the terror she must have had, thinking of what you were going to do.”

Referring to the complainant’s composure in court, Recorder Brooke continued: “She was a very compelling witness…she is still feeling the effects of what you did, despite the fact it was years ago…that’s why it is so serious.”

He also said he regarded there to have been a ‘grooming aspect’ to Murama’s criminality. 

As he sent Murama to begin his prison sentence, Recorder Brooke told him he must remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely. 

Recorder Brooke also praised the complainant and her family for the ‘dignity with which they have conducted’ themselves throughout proceedings. 

Description

An illegal immigrant who subjected a teenage girl to two episodes of sexual abuse and rape during the course of one night is now likely to be deported after serving time for his crimes, a Sheffield judge has said.

As she jailed Dilbirin Cheikhe for eight-and-a-half years, Recorder Taryn Turner told the 22-year-old that he must serve two-thirds of his sentence behind bars, and is likely to be deported upon his release.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Cheikhe, of Musgrave Road, Shirecliffe, Sheffield, attacked the girl shortly after meeting her for the first time, ignoring her pleas for him to stop.

Louise Reevell, prosecuting, told a hearing held on June 21, 2024 that the girl, who was under the age of 18 at the time of the offences, sobbed loudly during the first attack, and Cheikhe’s response was to ‘put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet’.  

In a statement read to the court, the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she had been deprived of some of her precious ‘teenage years’ because they had been ‘taken up’ by what Cheikhe had done to her. 

In addition to her feeling it necessary to leave education as a consequence of the abuse, the girl said she had felt ‘unable to leave the house,’ with her bedroom being the only place she felt ‘safe’.

She also described as suffering from anxiety, along with derealisation and depersonalisation, which is defined by the NHS as having ‘the feeling of being outside yourself and observing your actions, feelings or thoughts from a distance’.

The girl described derealisation and depersonalisation as the ‘worst feeling in the world’ because it prevents you from living your life. 

Following the unanimous guilty verdicts which led to Cheikhe’s conviction, the complainant said she was now looking forward to ‘moving on’ with her life. 

Cheikhe was convicted of two counts of rape and four accounts of sexual assault in March 2024, at the conclusion of a trial at the same court. 

Defending, Kevin Jones told the court: “He, at the time, was an inexperienced young man, both in life and relationships.”

Mr Jones said despite denying the offences and ‘being convicted after trial’ he ‘does appear to have shown some remorse for the way in which he behaved’. 

Mr Jones said he did not agree with the suggestion in the pre-sentence report which suggested that Cheikhe posed a high risk of committing further sexual offences. 

Given Cheikhe’s lack of previous convictions, such a conclusion can only have been reached through his conviction for these offences, claimed Mr Jones, suggesting the same could therefore be said for anyone in Cheikhe’s position. 

Sending Cheikhe to prison, Recorder Turner said she judged there to be a ‘degree of planning’ to the sexual abuse he subjected the girl to. 

“What happened that night will remain with her for a long time,” Recorder Turner said. 

She told the court that Cheikhe arrived in this country as an illegal immigrant in February 2020, and was learning English at the time of the offences. 

She said she was satisfied, however, that he knew enough English to understand the meaning of ‘no’ and ‘yes’. 

Recorder Turner told Cheikhe that he will be required to sign on to the sex offenders’ register for life, and granted a restraining order, which will remain in place until further order of the court and prohibits him from contacting the girl. 

Description

A Sheffield man who bit a 13-year-old girl in intimate areas, before going on to send her messages in which he effectively ‘asked her to have sex with him’ is beginning a prison sentence today. 

Geoffrey Hurt claimed he had entered into a ‘play fight’ with the girl, and denied ever sending her messages; but jurors rejected his account when they found him guilty of three sex offences at the conclusion of a Sheffield Crown Court trial. 

Sending him to prison today (June 6, 2024), Judge David Dixon told 38-year-old Hurt: “A man who is interested in biting young girls in a sexual way, as the jury found you had, is clearly a worry.”

He added: “The jury accepted it wasn’t a play fight.”

The court heard how during the course of the incident, Hurt, of Batemoor Place, Batemoor, Sheffield, bit the girl on two different intimate areas of her body.

Judge Dixon said it was ‘difficult to understand’ what ‘kink’ and ‘fetish’ Hurt had.

He continued: “After being involved in sexual biting, you then sent messages that were beyond flirtatious, they were simply inappropriate. 

“You were asking if she could send photos, and therefore you were soliciting images,” continued Judge Dixon. 

Judge Dixon also detailed how Hurt sent her a message, which further proved his ‘attraction’ to one of the intimate areas he had bitten, before branding her a ‘tease’. 

“You asked her if she would ever go with an older man…while you said you didn’t mean you, you clearly did. You had a sexual interest in her, that’s what this has all been about.”

“Those messages, those inappropriate sexual remarks, you were in effect asking her to have sex with you. While that’s not what was explicitly said, that’s clearly the implication you were putting forward.” 

Judge Dixon said Hurt had sought to blame others and claimed the allegations had arisen out of ‘fabrications’. 

Hurt also claimed not to have visited web links with sexual activity involving children, the court heard.

“Given the timing of some of those activities, on your own account of what happened that simply couldn’t be true. 

“It’s you that searched those materials, it’s you that has the sexual interest in children.”

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, chose not to submit a victim personal statement to the court, prosecutor, Andrew Petterson, told the court. 

Jurors convicted Hurt of two counts of an offender aged 18 or over engaging in non penetrative sexual activity with girl aged 13 to 15, and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child. 

Hurt was also accused of allegations relating to a second girl, but jurors acquitted him of the sexual offences he faced in relation to her. 

Judge Dixon noted Hunt has a previous conviction for sexual assault dating back 12 years, which he said he regarded as an aggravating factor. 

Defending, Camille Morland said Hurt accepts that he ‘crossed some boundaries’ in relation to the complainant.

Ms Morland continued: “He’s someone who’s had somewhat of a complex background. He was in the army very early, and he’s somebody who has crossed boundaries before with his previous conviction for sexual assault on an adult female.”

Suggesting Hurt would ‘benefit’ from being kept in the community, instead of a custodial sentence, Ms Morland continued: “He’s someone who would benefit from rehabilitation work to tackle why he has crossed these boundaries.”

Ms Morland told the court that Hurt is in a relationship with a woman, without children, who resides in Hampshire, and his intention is to join her there. 

Sending Hurt to begin a 18-month prison sentence, Judge Dixon told him: “You have an unhealthy interest in young girls.” 

Judge Dixon said that Hurt’s continued denials, in addition to his ‘lies to the jury,’ had led him to believe Hurt does not have a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. 

He said that, coupled with the seriousness of his offending, meant that only a custodial sentence could be justified. 

Hurt was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, a condition of which prohibits contact with girls under the age of 18. He was also told he must register as a sex offender. 

Judge Dixon also granted restraining orders, which prohibit him from contacting both accusers for a period of 10 years.