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Description

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.”

Description

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.

Description

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”.

Description

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.  

Description

A Sheffield child sex offender who bragged about being too clever for the police has now been jailed.

Luke Whitfield was arrested by officers after they received information about him and they went on to analyse his digital devices. The police found they contained more than 100 indecent images of children.

South Yorkshire Police also say the 34-year-old man had shown another man evidence of conversations with underage girls and a number of photos of young children. Chats also showed he had arranged to meet one underage child.

The police say he laughed and asked "how old do you think they are?". He also said he had "downloaded multiple photos and videos".

Whitfield, who was previously of Grimesthorpe Road in Sheffield, showed another man a video, telling him it was "our little secret", before he boasted of being "too clever for the police". During questioning by officers, he claimed he had been "set up" and he denied arranging to meet an underage child despite the evidence on his phone.

He then pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and 13 counts of attempting to incite or engage in sexual communication with a child.

Whitfield was jailed for five years and nine months at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday, March 14. He has also been subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

Description

Phillip Grove, aged 70 from Sheffield who lived in Taunton at the time of the incidents, was jailed at Taunton Crown Court on Friday 23 February after being found guilty of 15 charges linked to non-recent sexual offences, including rape.

During a trial at the same court, which is currently residing at North Somerset Courthouse, a jury found Grove guilty of two counts of rape, 10 counts of indecency with a child and three counts of indecent assault.

They heard how, in the 1990s while in the volunteer position of Chief Petty Officer at a Sea Cadet group, he raped one of the victims, sexually assaulted another and was indecent in front of two other victims. The incidents happened over a span of six years.

In September 2020, one of the victims reported what had happened to her and the other children to police and an investigation into Grove was launched.

On Friday, he was jailed for 22 years, one year of which will be spent on extended licence. The judge also granted a life-long Sexual Harm Prevention Order and instructed Grove to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

He was also barred from working with children.

Description

A paedophile teacher has been jailed after raping 12-year-old schoolgirl in a hotel and spending 500 on her in a toy shop.

Simon Murch, from Sheffield, met his victim online after she told him she was aged 18, when in fact she was aged 12, a court heard.

The 55-year-old asked her to send explicit photos and they arranged to meet at The Tollgate Hotel in Blurton, Stoke-on-Trent.

Prosecutors say he would have known instantly that the girl was underage when he picked her up in his car a short distance from her home.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard she stayed in the car while he booked the room before they went inside and engaged in sexual activity. He then indulged her with 500 worth of toys at Smyths.

Murch was arrested after the girl reported his actions to another schoolteacher. He has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years with an extended licence period of one year.

Prosecutor Tim Harrington told the court the defendant contacted his victim on WhatsApp last year after their communication began on a website.

He said: 'He asked if she wanted him to be her sugar daddy. She told him she was 18 and doing her A-levels. He asked her to send pictures of her private area. She sent videos of herself performing a sex act.

'They arranged to meet in Stoke-on-Trent. He booked a room at The Tollgate Hotel. At that stage he may not have known her true age.'

Mr Harrington continued: 'He asked if she was on the pill. He picked her up in his car a short distance from her house.

'As soon as they met he would have known she was underage. He went in to book the room on his own. She stayed in the car. He did not want to cause alarm to anybody. It would have been plain to anybody she would have been underage. There is an element of significant planning.

'They went into the hotel. He took off her clothes. They had full intercourse. After they had full sex he took her to Smyths toy shop where he spent 500 on her.'

The court heard the victim told a teacher that she had a sugar daddy. Her parents and the police were then informed.

Murch, of Parkside Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to rape of a child under 13.

Alisdair Williamson KC, mitigating, said Murch's mum had died shortly before his offending and his sister had taken her own life. Mr Williamson said: 'He was in a state of emotional turmoil.'

He said the victim represented herself to be aged 18 at all times. Mr Williamson added: 'She continued to represent herself as 18 after the hotel and he believed her to be 18.

'When he went to the toy shop after with the victim he was told that was to buy presents for the victim's younger sister.

'It is devastating for the victim. It has ruined his life as well. He has learned a salutary lesson and will respond properly to the courses that may be available to him in custody.

'His life is in ashes. He must rebuild himself. He apologises to the victim and her family, through me.'

Judge Graeme Smith said: 'Because of problems in your relationship with your partner you began communicating with adult females over the internet, exchanging photos and images and meeting some for sex. One was this victim.

'You asked if she wanted you to be her sugar daddy. You sent her money and you exchanged pornographic images with her.

'It would have been plain when you met her that she was significantly younger than 18. You simply carried on. As a teacher you should have been alert to the risks. When you met her it was plain she was not an adult.'

Murch must serve two-thirds of the custodial sentence before he can be considered for release by the parole board. He was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Speaking after the case, Detective Constable Jordan Kirkland, from Staffordshire Police's Child Protection and Exploitation Team (CPET), said: 'I'd like to commend the survivor in this case and her family for their immense bravery in coming forward and telling us what Murch did.

'We are committed to working with our partners to robustly target those engaged in child sexual abuse and supporting survivors as much as possible.

'I want this case to serve as a reminder to anyone who may be a victim of sexual abuse, no matter how recent, that getting in touch with us is the first step to securing justice. Specialist officers can speak to you in confidence and stop those responsible.'

Description

A Sheffield man has been jailed for eight and a half years after raping a 12-year-old girl in a local park.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how 21-year-old Lewis Stacey deceived the young girl over Snapchat messages by using a false name and convincing her he was 15-years-old.

The victim initially met Stacey in June 2022, and during the meeting he raped her twice. Stacey then arranged to meet the girl again in a park in July 2022, where he led her into some bushes and raped her again.

Detective Constable Jason Earl, officer in the case, said: The young victim very bravely came forward and reported to the police what Stacey had done to her.

Upon his arrest, Stacey initially denied having ever met the victim and only entered a guilty plea when forensic evidence proved he was responsible for the offences.

This incident has had a profound effect on the victim and I would like to praise her for the tremendous courage and dignity she has shown throughout the investigation and court proceedings.

I am pleased that Stacey is behind bars where he can do no further harm, and I hope this sentencing allows the victim to attempt to move forward with her life.

South Yorkshire Police takes all reports of rape extremely seriously and will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice.

Stacey, of Richmond Hall Road, appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on 6 October 2023, where he pleaded guilty to four counts of rape of a child under 13.

On Thursday 8 February he was sentenced to eight and half years in prison, given a fifteen year restraining order restricting him from contacting the victim, and handed and given an eight and half years sexual harm prevention order starting upon his release from prison.

Description

A 23-year-old man has been jailed after climbing through a bedroom window late at night and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl while she slept.

Bohuslav Horvath used a ladder to climb through the upstairs window of a house in Darnall, in Sheffield, and then crept into the next bedroom, where the young girl was sleeping.

When she woke up and found Horvath assaulting her, he fled to the other room and jumped out of the open window.

It was initially thought the 12-year-old had a bad nightmare, but his fingerprints were later discovered on the bedroom windowsill.

PC Fiona Busfield said: "This case is truly the stuff of nightmares and I would like to commend the young victim and her family for their bravery and dignity during this investigation.

"After Horvath fled, the girl went downstairs at around midnight to tell her mother, who was still up, what had happened. After searching the house and finding no sign of the offender, they concluded it must have been a terrible dream.

"However, when the young victim continued to show signs of distress the next day, a report was made to the police. On arrival, we found a ladder lying on the grass in the back garden and later confirmed this had been used to climb into the first floor of the house.

"Our SOCO (scenes of crime officer) carried out a number of enquiries and discovered two fingerprints, which we quickly matched to Horvath. He was promptly arrested. In interview, he admitted using the ladder to climb into the house but denied touching the young girl. We knew this was untrue and despite it being 'one word against another', the evidence on board ensured this dangerous predator had no choice but to plead guilty."

Horvath of Basford Street, Sheffield, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by touching and burglary in relation to the attack on 15 May last year.

He has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and has been subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, a restraining order and will be on the sex offenders' register for life.

Description

A Sheffield man has been found guilty of two child sex offences.

Nathan Walker, 35, previously of Sicey Avenue in the Firth Park area of the city, was found guilty of sexual offences against a schoolgirl following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court last week.

The first offence happened when his victim was just 14 years old and she was left to feel "disgusted" by what happened to her.

PC Elisabeth Slack, investigating, said: "Walker's offending was sinister and manipulative. He took advantage of a young girl who was so terrified she felt that she had to suffer in silence and couldn't speak out about what happened. 

"No child should be subjected to the abuse she suffered at such a young age, and I want to commend her bravery and courage in coming forward and telling us about the traumatic events inflicted on her by Walker.

"We are pleased a guilty verdict has been returned and we hope the sentence he receives reflects the severity of the crimes he has committed."

Following a trial, a jury found Walker guilty of two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child at Sheffield Crown Court last Monday (9 October).

He was found not guilty on another count of engaging in sexual activity with a child. Walker has been remanded into custody and is due to appear before Sheffield Crown Court on 1 December for sentencing.

Description

A self-confessed "monster" who raped a woman at knifepoint only admitted his crimes once his victims had already given evidence in a sex abuse trial.

David Gillespie, 71, finally entered guilty pleas on the third day of his trial in September, and on Friday, was jailed for 14 years.

Gillespie, of Convent Walk, Sheffield, was arrested back in 2020 and maintained his denials until the prosecution were allowed to put evidence of his appalling previous convictions before the jury.

Bradford Crown Court heard on Friday that in the mid 1980s he hit a woman with a bottle before subjecting her to a knifepoint rape and Recorder Simon Kealey KC also referred to other assaults on Gillespie’s record which he committed against other women over the subsequent years.

Gillespie eventually pleaded guilty to charges of buggery, assault and three indecent assaults relating to his two victims, who must not be identified for legal reasons.

The court heard that the non-recent offending led to the victims having to leave the area in order to escape Gillespie’s abuse and violence.

In their victim impact statements, read by prosecutor David McGonigal, the women described how they suffered anxiety and nightmares as a result of the abuse and both said they spent years “looking over their shoulders” in case he was there.

One victim said: ”I’m angry he made me go through this (in court) only to plead guilty afterwards.”

Barrister Katy Rafter, for Gillespie, said her client had reflected on the victims’ evidence to the jury and the next morning he told her he accepted that he had been “a monster” when in drink as a younger man and couldn’t dispute what they had described. She said Gillespie had been in the grip of alcohol and gambling addictions at the time and he was now deeply ashamed of himself.

Ms Rafter said due to his age and ill-health it was highly likely that Gillespie would never be released from prison.

Passing sentence Recorder Kealey referred to the violence meted by Gillespie including punching and kicking and even putting a wire round one complainant’s neck. He said: “She was often left bruised, battered and humiliated by you."

The judge said the offending had caused panic attacks and anxiety for both complainants and added: ”What you have done to both of them has been long-lasting and severe. You accept that you were at that time a monster in drink and that at least presents to your victims, who are listening to this, a very small element of remorse.”

Gillespie will have to serve two-thirds of his 14-year sentence before being released and he will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

He must also comply with a restraining order which bans any contact with the two complainants.