Search results for Sheffield

Description

An elderly sex-offender who was caught wearing a mini-skirt with no pants has been jailed after he repeatedly breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Sheffield Crown Court heard on March 11 how Colin Norfolk, aged 67, of Richmond Road, Sheffield, had been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after he had accumulated repeated convictions for indecent exposure. James Baird, prosecuting, said the SHPO prohibited Norfolk from wearing clothing that facilitated the indecent exposure of his genitals in a public place. But Mr Baird added that between February and September, 2020, police had struggled to locate and monitor Norfolk at his flat and when he had been seen he was obstructive so a camera was installed outside his home to capture his movements. Mr Baird said: He was seen on the camera and he was arrested leaving the flat wearing a coat, a hat and a short, floral mini-skirt that came just above his knees and flip-flops. When he was taken into custody it was found he was not wearing underwear. The SHPO also prohibited Norfolk from possessing devices capable of securing images without authorisation and that such devices should be available for inspection and he should co-operate with police. Mr Baird said police had initially attended Norfolks home on October 18, 2020, and when he failed to answer the door the camera later showed him leaving the property which proved he had been present during the visit, according to Mr Baird. The court heard that on November 17, 2020, Norfolk was then captured on the camera wearing the clothing the mini-skirt which could have facilitated an indecent exposure. Officers subsequently searched Norfolks flat and six mobile phones were seized and only one of them had actually been registered with the police. Mr Baird said police also tried to execute a search warrant at Norfolks flat but he refused to answer the door and after they had started to force entry he told them he would have answered but he was getting changed. Norfolk, who has previous convictions including SHPO breaches, pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching his SHPO by failing to make himself available to police, by wearing clothing designed to facilitate indecent exposure, by possessing undeclared phones, and by failing to answer his door to police. Ian West, defending, said: He instructs me he had an epiphany in mid-December, 2020, and he decided he had to change his ways. This sort of behaviour. The dressing and being obstructive to the police was clearly not to his benefit and matters had got totally out of hand. Mr West added that Norfolk is no longer wearing dresses or other female clothes not even in his own home. Judge Rachael Harrison told Norfolk: Taking the four counts together you exhibited, in my view, a persistent breach. She added: You treat this as some sort of game. It is not. Your position is seriously aggravated by your previous convictions. Judge Harrison sentenced Norfolk to 24 months of custody and he was given a further eight weeks of custody relating to the activation of a previously imposed suspended prison sentence.

Description

A TWENTY-YEAR-OLD man arranged to meet an underage girl for sex, having spent months grooming her in online messaging, a court heard. Dave Hirchfield travelled from his home in Sheffield for the liaison with the girl in her home town in County Durham, on Wednesday February 9. Durham Crown Court heard that that several months earlier the girls mother discovered her daughter was exchanging messages on the internet with a man called Dave Hirchfield. Elizabeth Muir, prosecuting, said although the conversations were not sexual and there was no talk of a meeting, at that stage, she blocked him on her daughters phone, but did not take it further. But on February 9 the girl told her mother she was going out to a nearby shopping centre. Miss Muir said some time later her mother tried to ring her, but her daughters phone was switched off. But a second phone, of which the mother knew nothing, was found in her bedroom containing more sexualised messages with the same man, discussing plans to meet. Miss Muir said police were contacted and the girl was considered, a high-risk missing person. By 7.35pm that day she was spotted at the roadside and when spoken to, she seemed anxious. She told police said she had fallen over while running and walked into a lamppost, accounting for a bruised knee and marks on her coat. The girl was taken to a police station where her mother was waiting. Hirchfield was located not far away and when approached by police claimed to be, Bob from Dublin, and asked the way to a bus station. He was challenged as to his true identity and arrested. Miss Muir told the court the girl was spoken to by police that evening and the following day, and refused to give a statement, but from the messaging it was clear sexual contact was planned. It also emerged that Hirchfield wanted her to return to Sheffield to stay the night with him, but she made excuses why she could not go, as her mother would be suspicious and she had a hospital appointment the following day. Miss Muir said during their rendezvous Hirchfield had kissed the girl and touched her sexually, while he also performed a sex act on himself in her presence. In a further message he asked if she would be waiting for him for four years for when he comes out of prison. Hirchfield, of St Elizabeth Close, Sheffield, admitted engaging in sexual communication with a child, meeting a child following sexual grooming, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and sexual assault. In a victim statement read to the court, the girls mother said she found it "heart-breaking" that her daughter could not talk about it with her and she felt it had affected her daughters previous bubbly personality. Ian West, in mitigation, said the defendant, of previous good character, had a difficult upbringing and has had a harsh introduction to the world of adult punishment while on remand in custody for the last month. Judge Ray Singh said despite being blocked from messaging the girl, in October, the defendant had not left it there and resumed communication, making concerted attempts to meet her, with the aim of having sexual contact. Imposing a 26-month sentence in a young offenders institution, the judge also made Hirchfield subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and registration as a sex offender, both for ten years.

Description

Sheffield Crown Court heard on March 3 how Jake Proverbs, aged 21, of Wainwright Crescent, near Richmond, Sheffield, claimed he had consensual sex with the girl in a park and that he had believed she was aged 17.

Nicola Quinney, prosecuting, said the offence came to light after the youngster, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had made a separate complaint against another person of a sexual offence but a forensically-analysed swab produced a DNA match to Proverbs.

Ms Quinney said Proverbs told police the sexual contact had been consensual after he had met the youngster in a park and he had believed she was 17 years old but the court heard consent concerning such offences against youngsters is not an issue.

Recorder Andrew Smith MBE told Proverbs: She appeared to you to be tipsy, not drunk. You had smoked cannabis yourself and you had sex with her.

He added: Whatever your difficulties - and you do have difficulties - you are culpable and blameworthy. You should have known she was a 12-year-old girl.

Proverbs, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to rape of a child aged under 13 after the incident on May 19, 2019.

He also admitted dangerous driving from April 1, 2021, after he sparked a police pursuit while riding a motorcycle in the Manor area of Sheffield.

Ms Quinney said officers in a police helicopter had become concerned about Proverbs driving and alerted colleagues on the ground.

Proverbs drove the wrong way down a one-way system into traffic, drove down City Road at speed, and drove on a footpath in a park before discarding the bike in a garden.

Recorder Smith told Proverbs: It involved a police pursuit and you knew you should have stopped and you immediately admitted to police how stupid you had been.

Rukshanda Japeen Hussain, defending, said regarding the rape the issue of consent does not come into play because the youngster was 12-years-old and she added that he thought she was 17-years-old.

Ms Hussain said at the time of this offence Proverbs was an immature 18-year-old with mental health issues.

She added Proverbs does not appear to be predatory and he had been in an isolated sexual incident where he genuinely believed the youngster was 17 years old and no evidence other than the forensic match was provided.

The court heard Proverbs also suffers with post-traumatic stress disorder after he had been stabbed in an unrelated incident.

Proverbs was also found to be in breach of a suspended prison sentence which had previously been imposed for possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Recorder Smith acknowledged there had been an unacceptable delay in bring the rape matter due to problems with the forensic analysis.

He sentenced Proverbs to five years of imprisonment including four years of custody with a one-year custodial extension on licence due to the nature of the offending.

The defendant was placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.

Proverbs was also banned from driving for 30 months.

Description

A Sheffield man who indecently assaulted a young girl over a number of years starting from when she was just four years old has been found guilty following a trial.

Norman Copeland, 53, of no fixed abode, subjected his victim to a series of sickening attacks over a period of six years.

Yesterday (20 January), Copeland was found guilty of two counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14, and two counts of gross indecency with a girl under 14, by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court.

T/Detective Sergeant Susannah Taylor, from Sheffield's Protecting Vulnerable People team, said: "Copeland's vile abuse began when this victim was just a little girl of four years old, and carried on for a six-year period between 1990 and 1996.

"I would like to praise the victim for her tremendous bravery in coming forward and telling us what happened to her all those years ago. Her courage has resulted in a sex offender finally facing the consequences of his despicable actions."

T/DS Taylor added: "While nothing can heal the mental scars caused by this ordeal, I do hope that today's result brings some closure and will allow the victim, who is now a grown woman, an opportunity to begin moving forward with the rest of her life.

"I also hope that this result demonstrates our determination to secure justice for victims of sexual offences, even many years later. If you have been suffering in silence following historic sexual abuse, please report it to us. We will listen and we will work incredibly hard to take action and seek the justice you deserve."

Copeland will be sentenced on 22 February 2022.

Description

Wesley Hedge admitted six counts of indecent assault against a girl he met in the 1970s and was sent to prison for five years A former Salvation Army cadet leader has been jailed over a series of historic sex assaults on a teenager. Wesley Hedge admitted six counts of indecent assault against a girl he had met and groomed in the 1970s. Sheffield Crown Court heard the 71-year-old would touch the teenagers breasts and get her to touch his genitals as well as carry out other sex acts. During a sentencing hearing, his victims impact statement revealed she had not realised she was being groomed at the time and felt she was in love with Hedge. Prosecutor Ian Goldsack told the court that Hedge invited the underage girl to his home while his wife was out and also got her to put his hand on his lap while she sat next to him on a coach trip. Hedge, of Dunkeld Road, Sheffield, was sentenced to five years in prison.

Description

Sheffield Crown Court heard on October 26 how Joshua Fearnley, aged 29, of Pollard Road, Southey Green, Sheffield, breached a court order relating to the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and he assaulted her during a time before and after he had raped her.

Fearnley also assaulted another woman and damaged her home while he was on bail waiting for the original offences to be resolved, according to the court.

Judge Rachael Harrison, who sentenced Fearnley to 10 years of custody, told him: “No sentence I pass on you will undo the damage you have done to your victims.
Joshua Fearnley, aged 29, of Pollard Road, Southey Green, Sheffield, who was found guilty of rape and assault and was sentenced to 10 years of custody
"They may view the sentences I pass as not doing justice to the harm you have done.”

Fearnley was found guilty of rape and he also pleaded guilty to breaching a court order in relation to the same victim and to two counts of assault by beating which happened at separate times before and after the rape.

Amanda Johnson, prosecuting, said there had been violence before the rape outside a nightclub and there was violence after the rape outside a hospital during an attempt to stop his victim reporting the offending.
Judge Harrison told Fearnley: “You prevented her from going into hospital to protect yourself. You knew you had raped her.”

The complainant stated she has been left struggling with anxiety and sleep and all her relationships with others have been affected.
James Manning, defending, said there had been consensual sex before the rape and the offence had been committed under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Fearnley was also found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm concerning a second woman and he admitted causng criminal damage at her home during this incident in January.

Judge Harrison said Fearnley had kicked, punched and slapped this woman and pulled her by her hair and damaged her property.
This complainant stated: “I have nightmares about the night this happened. I have visions of him coming back. I am on new medication in relation to night terrors and paranoia.”

Judge Harrison sentenced Fearnley to ten years of custody and ordered that he be made subject to the Sex Offenders Register.

Description

Age at conviction could not be found. A paedophile sandwich maker has been locked up for having sex with a teen schoolgirl and later chatting up her friend on Instagram. Predatory Ryan Peet had been working at a Subway shop in 2018 when he met his first victim and added her to Snapchat. Sheffield Crown Court heard pervert Peet must have known her age having seen her wearing her school uniform on a number of occasions - but that did nothing to deter him. Prosecutor Ian West told the court that Peet treated the underage girl to a McDonalds in Rotherham and later had sex with her in his Doncaster flat. On one occasion he took her to the zoo the following day. The court heard they had sex on 10 occasions including when he would meet her at a petrol station and take her to a secluded area near a driving range. Peets offending came to light when his victims family became aware of the relationship between the pair and a formal complaint was made to the police. Mr West also told the court that he and his first victim stopped meeting and communicating when he turned his attention to her friend and began messaging her on Instagram. She refused to send explicit pictures despite Peet asking her to do so. Peet was also arrested in January 2021 when police raided his home and seized a mobile phone and a laptop. During a forensic search of the phone detectives found 441 indecent images of children. Peet, of Rosedale Close, Sheffield, admitted sexual activity with a child, sexual communication with a child and three counts of making indecent images. Enter your postcode to see crimes reported in your area The Recorder Jonathan Sandiford told Peet that he had acted in a predatory fashion and preyed on young girls because it made him feel powerful and in control. He said: In my judgment there are similarities in the way in which you groomed your first victim. There are similarities with that behaviour or at least the purpose of that behaviour. The common feature that occurs is they were all children, they were all under the age of 16 and some of them were under 13 years of age. You targeted them for your own sexual gratification. Peet was handed a nine-year extended sentence - made up of a six-year custodial sentence and a three-year licence period.

Description

His actions were called "nothing short of horrific" A Sheffield paedophile has been jailed for his sick attacks on a child. Kevin Yeardley pleaded guilty to six offences, including sexual activity with a child under 16, sexual assault of a child under 13 and causing a child to engage in sexual activity. The 64-year-old's offences were described as "nothing short of horrific" by investigating officers from South Yorkshire Police. His offences were committed between 1999 and 2005 to one victim. Yeardley pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison at Sheffield Crown Court on September 28. He has also been placed on the sex offenders register. Temporary Detective Sergeant Susi Taylor said: This mans actions were nothing short of horrific, he has rightly been served a substantial custodial sentence for his crimes. The distress his actions have caused will no doubt have a long-term impact; those involved are being supported by specialist services to help them attempt to come to terms with what has happened. It is absolutely vital that any victim of child sexual abuse feels they can speak out and seek help. I want to reassure the public that South Yorkshire Police is committed to investigating all reports and we have specially trained officers and partner agencies who can offer support and advice. In some cases, it takes a relative, family member, friend or loved one to take those first steps so my message is to everyone, if you have concerns, speak to us. Your actions could help safeguard or protect someone who is vulnerable, and they could also bring offenders to justice. If you would like to speak out to someone, you can call 101 for support and advice today.

Description

A bio-medical scientist from Sheffield has been jailed for three years for attempting to sexually abuse children online by engaging them in explicit conversations.

Paul Bower, AKA 'Paulguy10', was identified as part of a covert National Crime Agency investigation targeting offenders who used the internet to forge a sexual relationship with children, then manipulated them into sending indecent images.

Evidence showed he entered into sexualised conversations with who he believed to be two 13-year-old girls online, and then sent a photo of his erect penis.

However, Bower had in fact been talking to undercover NCA officers.

The 33-year-old, who worked at a local hospital, was arrested in October 2019 after investigators tracked him down as the man behind the online moniker.

Officers seized a number of digital devices from his home and when analysed, they discovered nearly 350 indecent images of children (IIOC).

Bowers was charged with making IIOC, two counts of attempting to incite a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and two counts of attempting to cause a child under 13 to look at an image of sexual activity.

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced this week at Sheffield Crown Court to three years in prison.

He was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender register for life.

Neil Baxter, Operations manager at the National Crime Agency, said: "Sexual predators like Bower prey on vulnerable young children and abuse them for their own sick gratification.

"Offenders often hide behind online profiles in an attempt to mask their identities. As we have seen with this case, these people are not protected.

"Identifying and disrupting individuals with a sexual interest in children is an absolute priority for the NCA.

"This time, we know it was our officers Bower was speaking to, but next time could have been a different story. He also had a significant collection of indecent images of children on his devices.

"The amount of distress and trauma this abuse can cause young people is immeasurable. It is only right that Bower is jailed for his crimes where he no longer poses a risk to children."

Description

An "outstanding" primary school headteacher caught sexting and arranging to meet someone he thought was a 14 year old boy was this afternoon (Friday) jailed for four and a half years at Lincoln Crown Court.

James Shawley, who was head of St Bartholomew's Primary School at West Pinchbeck, near Spalding, from 2016 until being suspended following his arrest in December 2019, was caught in a sting operation when he contacted a covert police officer posing as a 14 year old.

Shawley denied four charges but was found guilty by a jury earlier today at the end of a three day trial.

He was placed on the sex offenders register for life and barred from working with children for life. Shawley was also given a 15 year sexual harm prevention order.

Shawley was described in court as an outstanding headteacher who had raised standards at St Bartholomew's as well as two other schools where he was previously assistant head.

The court heard that he continued to be paid his salary while he was suspended and that only ended today when he was found guilty.

As well as teaching he was a qualified FA coach and was coach of Spalding Under 11s. He previously coached Bourne Town Juniors.

Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight, passing sentence, said she regarded Shawley's defence case as "wholly implausible".

She said that as a headteacher and football coach Shawley knew more than most people the importance of protecting children.

The judge told him "You have lost your good character, your career and your hobby. That is all down to you. Your life when you come out of prison will be very different."

Marion Smullen, in mitigation, said the contact was with a fictitious boy rather than an actual 14 year old.

"The defendant has been an outstanding teacher for the 22 years he has been in the profession.

"He was assistant head at two schools then became head at St Bartholomew's. On every single occasion he bought those schools up to being outstanding.

"His other passion is football and coaching football. By this conviction he has lost his career and his passion in life. He won't be able to do either again."

She said Shawley sold his home to privately fund his defence case and is currently living with his mother.

During trial the jury was told that Shawley sent sexually explicit messages to the "boy" before arranging to meet him at a cinema in Huntingdon with the intention of having sex with him.

Shawley told the jury that he clicked on the "boy's" profile on a dating site thinking it was someone over 18.

He admitted that during chat the "boy" said that he was 14.

Shawley said "I thought he was an adult pretending to be younger. I didn't believe he was 14. I didn't believe anybody of 14 on an adult app would declare their age so soon in the conversation.

"I thought it was a wind-up.

Shawley (45), formerly of Hereward Street, Bourne, and now living in Sheffield, denied two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and further charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child and attempting to facilitate or arrange a child sex offence. The charges related to dates between December 8 and 23, 2019.

The jury deliberated for just over 90 minutes before returning guilty verdicts on each charge.

Detective Inspector Paul Coleman has welcomed the sentence.

He said I am really pleased that this has been brought to a successful conclusion, especially given the impact that this has had on the school and the local community. I would like to sincerely thank the officers involved in this case whose sheer diligence has led to todays result.

In this case, thankfully, no children were harmed by Shawleys actions. However child exploitation and online grooming does affect children in our county, with devastating consequences.

Description

A "repeat offender" has been jailed for taking pictures up a schoolgirl's skirt on a Surrey train a year after he was in court for a similar offence.

Leon Chan was travelling on a train from Ewell to Ashtead on October 1, 2020, at around 3pm - the same time as a 17-year-old girl in school uniform was on the train.

Chan, 26, sat near her and stared at her before following her when she left her seat and moved to stand at the train door.

He was holding his phone camera and pointing it towards her. CCTV showed the light on his camera appearing to flash.

Chan then stood next to her and placed his bag on the floor. He crouched down and began rummaging through the bag with one hand, and holding his phone camera towards the victim's legs with his other hand.

The girl then moved away and he followed her, crouching down again and holding his phone towards her. She turned around and caught him pointing his camera up her skirt.

Chan left the train at Ashtead before quickly reboarding and continuing his journey. He was later identified by local officers in Sheffield, where he lives, and was arrested.

Appearing at Sheffield Crown Court on March 9, Chan was jailed for 20 months. The court heard that he'd been issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a suspended prison sentence in 2019 following another upskirting incident in London.

Chan, of Burngreave Road, Sheffield, was convicted of outraging public decency at Southwark Crown Court in November 2019 when he was found to be videoing females at the Topshop branch in Oxford Circus.

The SHPO prevented Mr Chan from possessing any device capable of capturing or storing photographs or moving images unless he satisfied certain conditions. He was also prohibited from filming any female without her express consent.

In relation to the Surrey offence he was found guilty of recording an image under clothing to observe another without consent, and breaching the SHPO. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and a new SHPO was issued.

Detective Constable Amina Khoyratee, of British Transport Police, said: "Upskirting is a truly horrendous invasion of privacy and I would like to make it absolutely clear that we will always take these reports seriously.

"Chan is a repeat offender who has shown no remorse throughout our investigation, so it's lucky he'll now have plenty of time on his hands in prison where he can reflect on his predatory behaviour.

"This is relatively new legislation, having only been introduced in 2019, but the bespoke powers make it much easier for us to charge suspects for this invasive and disgusting form of sexual offending.

Description

After noticing a woman he believed looked 'vulnerable', Matthew Jowitt, 18, began to follow her as she walked through Woodseats at just after 9.15am on May 14 this year.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how when the woman reached Smithy Wood Road - which is located less than 50 metres from Jowitt's home in Cartmell Road - he forced his hands down her trousers and sexually assaulted her.

"You followed her, touched her and sexually assaulted her, laughing at her when she asked you to stop," Judge Rachael Harrison told Jowitt.

Jowitt continued to follow the woman, who is autistic and suffers from learning difficulties, as she attempted to walk away.

Richard Thyne, prosecuting, said: "When she reached Ulverston Road, he pushed her down a bank and dragged her into some woods."

Jowitt subsequently raped the woman twice, before fleeing the scene.

CCTV obtained from the area showed Jowitt following, and sexually assaulting, the woman; but there was no CCTV of the area he raped her in.

Jowitt's DNA was also found on the woman's knickers, the court heard.

He was arrested at Morrisons, his workplace, two days later and responded to the arrest by saying: "I don't f****** need this, I'm on a final warning."

In a gut-wrenching statement, Jowitt's victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the attack had affected 'every aspect' of her life.

"[After this happened] I spent many days in bed. I didn't want to get up or do anything. And now, months later, I'm tearful most days, and my mum has to force me to get up, have a shower, and accompany me out of the house," said the woman, adding that she is now afraid to be outside on her own, even in her own garden.

Jowitt pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration at an earlier hearing.

During an interview for his pre-sentence report, Jowitt said he had also thought about committing sexual offences a week before this incident.

Mr Thyne said Jowitt was hauled before Sheffield Crown Court just five months before carrying out this shocking set of crimes for an incident in which he attacked a lone woman, while exposing himself, and jumped on top of her and attempted to pull her leggings down.

She fought back, at which point Jowitt ran off, but he was stopped by members of the public who witnessed the incident, which was committed on October 22 last year.

Jowitt pleaded guilty to an offence of assault with intent to commit a sexual offence in connection with this incident.

He was 17-years-old at the time of conviction, and was sentenced to a 12-month referral order.

James Gould, defending, said: "He has personal difficulties...that he has had from a very young age...difficulties that include ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)."

Mr Gould said: "The defendant has expressed in the pre-sentence report, set against his personal and pyschological problems, what I would submit is genuine remorse."

Judge Harrison jailed Jowitt for eight years, and also imposed an extended license period of an additional four years due to the 'significant risk of danger' he poses to members of the public.

She told Jowitt: "You admit that you noticed your victim and thought she was vulnerable. Thinking that, you specifically targetted her."

"You have shown inappropriate sexual behaviour towards others since the age of five. Despite the work that was done with you with the referral order, you threw away that opportunity to address your problems," added Judge Harrison.

The extended license period Jowitt has been sentenced to means he must serve two-thirds of his sentence, instead of the normal one-half, before he can be considered for release by the parole board.

Description

A sex offender caught with nearly 1,200 indecent images of children aged as young as five was today spared jail following what a judge described as an ‘unjust delay’ by police in Sheffield.

Toni Prince, of Infirmary Road, Upperthorpe, downloaded 1,191 indecent images of children, including some of children being raped.

Police also found an ‘extremely unsettling' handwritten table in her bedside drawer, which contained words including ‘rape’ and ‘torture’, when they raided the 55-year-old’s home.

Prince, whose legal forename is Anthony but who identifies as a woman and goes by the name Toni, admitted her crimes after being arrested on June 14, 2016.

Sentencing her today, Judge Peter Kelson QC described it as a 'very serious case’ and voiced his concerns over the delay in bringing her to justice, which he said police accepted was ‘entirely’ their fault.

“When there has been, as there clearly has been here, an unjust delay which is not in any way, shape or form your fault, I’m bound by the law to take it into account, and I do so,” he told the defendant.

He sentenced Prince to six months imprisonment, suspended for one year, meaning she will not be jailed unless she commits a further offence during the next 12 months.

She was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and given a 34-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Prince had previously admitted making indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images of children, and possessing extreme pornographic images. In legal terms ‘making’ images can refer to downloading them, which is what she had done.

In total, she downloaded 108 images classed as category A, which is the most serious; 90 falling into category B; and 993 category C ones.

She also downloaded 53 images of ‘extreme pornography’ and 337 prohibited images of children, which the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) defines as ‘non-photographic’ images including ‘cartoons, manga and drawings’. 

The court heard how South Yorkshire Police first submitted a file to the CPS on August 5, 2016 but officers were asked to provide details of the content found on the devices seized from Prince’s home.

Despite being chased by the CPS, it was another two years before police eventually resubmitted the file with this additional evidence on August 15, 2018, and Prince eventually appeared in court for the first time on April 16 this year.

Ian Goldsack, defending, told how Prince had been a victim of childhood abuse.

He said she had made ‘significant’ strides since being arrested, by voluntarily attending many hours of counselling in an attempt to address the problems which led to her accessing child pornography.

Judge Kelson read a statement from the counsellor who had seen Prince, who described her as the ‘most vulnerable client we have worked with in terms of the effect of her early trauma on her mental and physical health’ but added that she was also the most ‘committed’ to addressing her problems.

Mr Goldsack told how the University of Sheffield, where Prince was studying for a PhD, had been informed of the investigation following Prince’s arrest. When the university asked police for an update last year, he said it was wrongly informed that no charges were being brought and it passed this information on to Prince.

Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said the delay was ‘down to negligence to put it bluntly’ on the part of those investigating.

Description

This CCTV footage shows a savage rapist following a teenager moments before he dragged her under a footbridge and raped her in Leeds city centre. Samuel Fortes, a Portuguese national who was living in Sheffield, was wandering around Leeds city centre for hours in the early hours of Saturday, June 23. At around 3am, a 19-year-old, blonde woman was walking home from a night out with friends when the 27-year-old approached her on St Paul's Street and asked her for her number. She rejected his request and video chatted with her boyfriend as she continued to walk home. But Fortes, a paranoid schizophrenic with a history of domestic violence, did not accept the rejection and started to follow her. Leeds Crown Court heard the woman realised she was being followed and turned to ask Fortes if he had lost his friends. He pointed in the general direction of the city centre. In an attempt to try to deter him, she offered to help him find her friends and told him her friends were nearby - knowing they were not. The video footage shows the woman stopping to sit on a wall to let Fortes pass her. He initially walked past her before slowing down and pretending to urinate on a lamppost. She then continued to walk on and he ran after her to the footbridge. Off-camera, he grabbed her from behind and dragged and carried her under the flyover. At one point, her boyfriend took screenshots of him stamping on her face, but her phone was then smashed. When the video chat ended, he called the police. Under the flyover, Fortes smirked as he raped the teenager. The victim asked him why he was doing it and he responded by repeatedly punching her in the face. She feared for her life and fought back, pulling at his hair in an attempt to get him off of her. Passersby found her handbag, her keys and her smashed phone on the footbridge and disturbed the rape. One man attempted to chase Fortes as he ran off. He hid in a bush for an hour before fleeing to his home in Sheffield. The footage resumes as he left the scene, appearing to have clumps of hair coming out of his curly black hair. When he was arrested at his home, he had clumps of hair missing. Today, the survivor told her rapist in court: "I pity you." He was deemed a 'grave and immediate' risk to the general public and jailed for life with a minimum of eight years. West Yorkshire Police released the CCTV with the permission of the victim, who has the legal right to anonymity. 'I have nightmares about his face glaring back into mine as I asked him to stop' As a result of the attack, the victim needed hospital and dental treatment and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The young woman stood up in court to tell the judge presiding over the case about the affect the rape had on her. She suffered a facial fracture, which healed, but said her remaining facial injuries are 'a constant reminder of the attack'. Other physical affects of the attack included a concussion and chronic headaches, which would cause her to collapse. She said: "My head had swollen to the size of a football, a lot of my hair fell out and I completely lost all my confidence, which I am finding difficult to re-develop." She had to take pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent the development of AIDs. She said: "I have experienced what I hope to be the lowest point, mentally, in my life. There were days, at the beginning of my recovery period, where I could not leave my bed and that is simply because I did not see a point in doing so. "I laid in the same position for days, questioning what I could have done differently. Questioning why I was the victim and questioning if the pain I have caused my family was worth walking back [home]. "I could not eat or sleep. I was and still am sickened by the thought that one human could do such a thing to another. "I feared falling asleep as that was the point where my thoughts were vivid. I could picture the face of Mr Fortes glaring back into mine when I asked him to stop. I often thought about the feeling that overcame me as I was under the bridge, a feeling of death, a feeling that words will never justify." She said she 'struggles to adopt a positive view' on people who have similar features as Fortes, but she 'does not intend to discriminate against people based on their differences', adding: "I feel as though my mind has been permanently altered." "I felt completely out of control, and often find myself feeling that way at times," she continued. "The act is an invasion of body and mind, and by forcibly using my body sexually, he has complete disregard for my value." "I feel little and dehumanised when I think back to the incident." She said her dad told a family member: "It is like you have been growing and protecting a flower for 19 years and all of a sudden somebody just comes and stomps on it." But she said: "I dont want people to see me as 'damaged' or 'hurt'." Speaking about the affect on her relationship with her boyfriend, she said: "It was difficult for my boyfriend to see the beginning of the attack, before Mr Fortes smashed my phone, and we often have conversations about how to move forward - this should not be." Statement from West Yorkshire Police Det Supt Jaz Khan, of the Protective Services (Crime) team, was in charge of the investigation and subsequent search for Fortes. He said: "Fortes subjected this brave woman to a horrific ordeal and I want to praise her for her bravery in helping to bring her brutal attacker to justice. She decided to speak out about her ordeal through her statement and then asking for CCTV footage to be released. "Despite being in fear for her life she bravely fought her attacker and her boyfriend had the foresight to screenshot the incident this was a key piece of evidence along with the DNA hit which helped to bring Fortes to justice. I have spoken personally to her and been amazed by her bravery." He said forensic teams searched the scene for vital clues, including a single piece of hair, which helped to quickly identify Fortes as a suspect. He continued: "Working with the victim we have decided to release the footage from the case to help illustrate that whilst this may have been a serious offence we are here to support victims and to achieve justice for them. "The footage we have released is just a small snapshot of the footage we looked through of Fortes to track his movements through Leeds and then build a case against him which led to him being jailed today." Ch Supt Steve Cotter, the district commander for Leeds, said: "We work closely in partnership with Safer Leeds to ensure Leeds is a safe place to live and work. Offences such as this are exceptionally rare. However as in this case we will work tirelessly to bring offenders to justice to make communities safe and feel safe."