Search results for Southampton

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A 19-year-old man from Southampton has been jailed after admitting to causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and two counts of having sexual communications with a child.

Jayden Jack Robert Smith, of Blendworth Lane, admitted to the offences when he appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Tuesday 5 February – on the second day of his trial.

He was sentenced to two years and nine months when he appeared at the same court earlier today (Friday 11 April).

As well as the time he will now spend behind bars, Smith will have to sign the sex offenders register for life, and will be subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a five-year restraining order.

He is also subject to a deprivation order, which covers two mobile phones and a dash cam.

The sentencing follows an incident involving a child on Wednesday 3 July last year. During the incident, Smith followed the young victim in his car and subsequently isolated him in a wooded area in Botley, before then asking the child to expose himself.

Following the guilty plea, two other charges relating to the incident - attempt to cause/incite a boy under age of 13 to engage in sexual activity of a non-penetrative nature and attempt kidnap with the intent to commit any relevant sexual offence - were subsequently dropped.

The sentencing also follows another incident in which he admitted to sending sexual communications to a second child, also in July 2024, and inciting him to perform a sexual act. This young victim was from another county.

After his guilty pleas, Smith was remanded in custody ahead of today’s hearing.

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A pensioner has been found guilty of sexually assaulting his pet dog after a neighbour saw him abusing the animal through a gap in his curtains.

Terence Bennett, 67, was arrested after the passer-by was alerted to 'sickening' cries of pain from the canine, Portsmouth Magistrates' Court heard.

The 'anxious' Staffordshire bull-terrier and rottweiler cross called Ali was revealed to have suffered injuries and was given to the RSPCA.

Bennett denied doing anything with the dog claiming he had been 'brushing' the animal.

He said that the injuries had been caused by bones the pet had been eating.

However, he was found guilty of one charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.

The court heard Bennett had owned the nine year old dog for somewhere between five and eight years.

Opening the case, prosecutor Laura Jenking-Rees said that Kelly Nelson was walking home from the shops with food for her children in Gosport in October 2021 when she heard the 'sickening' sound of an animal in pain.

Ms Jenking-Rees said Ms Nelson had heard a "loud, distressed animal" that she described as "horrible" as if "the animal was in pain".

Ms Jenking-Rees then described what the neighbour could see when she looked into Mr Bennett's home.

She said: "She went home and spoke to a neighbour who advised her to report it to the RSPCA, they told her to call the police.

"The defendant was arrested and his dog was seized, the RSPCA officer described Ali as very nervous and anxious and as being one of the fattest dogs she had ever seen.

"The defendant was interviewed under caution, he denied all the allegations, attributing it to a grudge his neighbours had.

"There are a number of aspects to this offence that show unnecessary suffering has been caused when the court considers the eye witness and veterinary evidence."

Ms Nelson, who lives a few streets away, told the court it was 'obvious' to her what Mr Bennett was doing and that Ali's cries were 'chilling'.

Ms Nelson said: "I heard an animal in pain, it wasn't normal, I have got a dog and if I was to here a cry like that I would be straight outside."

"It was chilling, an awful noise."

When asked by Ms Jenking-Rees what she could see, Ms Nelson said: "It was obvious what he was doing, put it that way."

In his defence, Mr Bennett insisted he would never have sexual activity with his dog and that the rear injuries may have been caused by her eating bones.

He said: "I swear on my mother's life, I would not do that sort of thing.

"I certainly was not doing that, I was brushing her maybe.

"I think it is disgusting. I swear the injuries were not by me, she has been eating a lot of bones."

He also claimed that Ali was an anxious dog because she had been bitten by a previous owner.

Mr Bennett was found guilty by District Judge David Robinson who said it was a 'serious offence'.

The pensioner will be sentenced in June.

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A man who sexually assaulted a woman and stole her underwear has avoided a prison sentence.

Sean Raven, 26, "violated" his victim's body, the woman said, and made "lewd" comments towards her.

Prosecuting, David Fosler told Southampton Magistrates’ Court that Raven touched her inappropriately over her clothing which made her feel “shocked and uncomfortable”.

In a separate incident, he said to her: "I want to see what underwear you are wearing."

This "again made her uncomfortable," Mr Fosler said.

The court heard how Raven also stole the woman’s underwear from her car.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Fosler, the woman said: “I told him there is help out there he can get.

“Sean took advantage of my understanding nature, and it is only now I realise his actions are dangerous.

“He violated my body by touching me and invading my personal space, and making lewd comments towards me.”

Mitigating, Oliver O’Connor said Raven did not take advantage of the woman, rather, “misunderstood" due to his autism.

He said: “Mr Raven has quite severe autism and work needs to be done so we can make sure this behaviour does not happen again.”

Raven, of Adey Close, Southampton, pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual assault, theft from a motor vehicle and assault by beating.

Deputy District Judge Paul Booty told Raven he is “very lucky” because the touching was done over the woman’s clothing.

“Otherwise, you could be facing a prison sentence," he said.

Raven was handed a two-year community order and must complete up to 45 rehabilitation activity requirements and 100 hours of unpaid work.

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A man has been jailed for possessing indecent images of children, thanks in part to the work of one of our ‘Digi Dogs’.

Timothy O'Keefe, 58, of May Close in Southampton, appeared at Winchester Crown Court on Friday 17 January after pleading guilty to possessing more than 700 indecent images of children.

The offences took place between June 2022 and June 2024, while O’Keefe was living in Portsmouth and Andover.

Following an investigation by the Internet Child Abuse Team in July 2022, officers searched O’Keefe’s address in Arundel Street, Portsmouth.

A laptop belonging to him was located after it had been thrown into a neighbour’s garden, so officers deployed PD Dizzie, who is a Digital Data Detection Dog.

These dogs are trained to sniff out electronic devices and items like phones and sim cards, and on this occasion PD Dizzie located a USB stick which belonged to O’Keefe and had many indecent images of children on it.

O’Keefe was handed a two year prison sentence for the offences.

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A man who sent a “live action” video of himself to someone he thought was a child has walked free from court.

Richard Still, 36, sent explicit images and videos of himself with a profile on Snapchat, that he thought belonged to a 12-year-old girl.

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A man has been jailed for more than three years after he was convicted of sexually assaulting seven different women.

Jason Larry Colbourne, 56, of High Street, Stockbridge, was found guilty in September of this year of eight counts of sexual assault by touching.

This relates to offences between March 2023 and October 2023 which happened in the Winchester and Andover areas.

Colbourne appeared at Winchester Crown Court today (15/11/24), where he was handed a three and a half year prison sentence.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and all seven victims were given restraining orders against him.

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A man has been jailed for more than three years after he was convicted of sexually assaulting seven different women.

Jason Larry Colbourne, 56, of High Street, Stockbridge, was found guilty in September of this year of eight counts of sexual assault by touching.

This relates to offences between March 2023 and October 2023 which happened in the Winchester and Andover areas.

Colbourne appeared at Winchester Crown Court today (15/11/24), where he was handed a three and a half year prison sentence.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and all seven victims were given restraining orders against him.

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James Thomas Hearn, of Bracken Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (October 17) where he was sentenced to four years in a Young Offenders Institution.

The teenager previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, one multiple incident count of sexual activity with a child under 13 and one multiple incident count of sexual assault of a child under 13 at a hearing on September 12.

The court heard how police received a report on November 10, 2022, that Hearn, who was 16 at the time, was having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl. 

Hearn then targeted a 13-year-old girl on social media in December last year. The court explained how he met with the young girl in the early hours of December, 14, 2023, at Redbridge train station, where he sexually assaulted her.  A short time later, he sexually assaulted her a second time close to his home address. The victim told her mum what had happened to her, and together they reported it to police.

Hearn began sending the victim threatening messages a couple of months later in March 2024.

Police Staff Investigator Rebecca Stevens and Detective Constable Gemma Boyle, of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Western Child Abuse Investigation Team, who led the investigations, said: “What happened to these girls at the hands of Hearn is far beyond what most of us will ever be able to comprehend, and we thank them sincerely for coming forward and reporting what happened to the police.

“Their courage and bravery means that Hearn will now spend time in prison for his abhorrent crimes, which these girls must live with for the rest of their lives. Nothing can ever take away what happened to them, but we do hope that this sentence goes some way to helping them move forward with their lives. 

“We also hope that the news of this sentence helps others who have suffered similar abuse to find the confidence to come forward and speak to the police knowing their voices will be heard and that there is support available.” 

Hearn was sentenced to four years in a Young Offenders Institution, given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.  

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A Southampton man has been jailed for 25 years for historic sexual offences committed against four children in Merseyside.

Graham Goodchild, 82, of Firtree Way, denied the offences but following a trial was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on June 11.

Yesterday he was jailed for 17 counts of sexual assault and an attempted sexual assault.

The offences against the four male victims occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s, during which time he was working as a Night Superintendent at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

The majority of the sexual assaults occurred within parks, the homes of the victims or at Goodchild’s home in Merseyside, with one victim being abused at the hospital.

As well as a prison sentence, Goodchild will be required to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.

Detective Constable Jason Banks, who led the investigation, said: “Goodchild is clearly a predator and used his position of trust to carry out appalling and despicable offences against young children.

"The level of offending in this case and the acts he subjected his victims to were truly horrific.

“I’d like to thank the victims for their immense courage and strength they’ve shown throughout this investigation. This sentencing result has only been made possible thanks to their bravery.”

Specially Trained Officer, Jill Burnett, who supported the victims throughout the investigation, added: “I hope this also encourages others who might have been subjected to instances of historical abuse to come forward because no time is a barrier to reporting offences.

"They will get the support and advice they need to help them come to terms with their ordeal, and if they so wish, put their abuser before the courts."

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A Southampton man has been jailed for rape and coercive and controlling behaviour towards a woman in her 30s.

Luke Ross Cromar, 30, of Bramley Crescent, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday (6 September), where he was sentenced to nine years in prison.

We were called in January this year by the victim, who reported that Cromar had been mentally and physically abusive towards her on many occasions since the summer of 2022.

During this period, incidents included Cromar monitoring the victim’s whereabouts by setting up a smart speaker inside her home, assaulting and threatening her, causing her to fear violence. She was also forced to have sex with Cromar, for fear of violence and assault if she did not do so.

An investigation by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Western Operation Amberstone team, which specialises in rape and serious sexual assault, led to the arrest and charge of Cromar.

He pleaded not guilty to charges of vaginal rape, oral rape, assault by penetration and coercive and controlling behaviour, however a jury found him guilty of all counts following a trial at Southampton Crown Court.

He has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for these charges, with an additional year for breaching an existing suspended sentence.

Detective Constable Marie Leather, who led the investigation, said: “Cromar’s prolonged period of abuse, violence and coercive and controlling behaviour, which spanned two years in total, has understandably had a severe impact on the victim, which will stay with her forever.

“While nothing can take that away, I hope that this sentence goes some way into helping her move forward with her life, knowing that Cromar is now behind bars.

“Coercive and controlling behaviour is an act or pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim. This controlling behaviour is often designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday behaviour.

“I am so grateful to the victim and commend her courage in coming forward and reporting what had been happening to her. Her bravery throughout the investigation and criminal justice process has helped us put Cromar in jail for what he has done.

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A man has been jailed for the rape of a woman at a house in Southampton earlier this year.

Thomas Antony Drew, 26, of Golden Grove, appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 5 September) where he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order with strict conditions for seven years, and will have a restraining order, meaning he will not be able to make contact with the victim for 15 years.

The woman involved, who is in her 30s, reported to police that in the early hours of Tuesday 27 February she was with Drew at a house in Southampton when he forced himself upon her and raped her.

An investigation was launched by Southampton’s Amberstone unit, which specialises in reports of rape and serious sexual assault, and Drew was arrested and subsequently charged.

At a Southampton Crown Court hearing in July he pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said that Drew had abused her trust in the most devastating way imaginable, and that what happened to her had impacted both her mental and physical health.

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A victim has been praised by police after a "dangerous and predatory" paedophile was jailed. 

Detective Constable Dawn Capper paid tribute to the girl's courage after sex offender Jason Mcauley was jailed for 18 months at Southampton Crown Court. 

The court was told how the child reported the sexual nature of messages she was receiving from the 45-year-old to her friends and school. 

He was arrested and when officers examined his phone, they found three Category C indecent images of a toddler.

Mcauley, of Ventnor Court, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and making indecent photographs of a child and was sentenced on Monday. 

Det Con Capper, of Southampton’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, led the investigation into the offending which took place in early 2023.

She said: “One of our jobs in the specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team is to target those who attempt to exploit and abuse children sexually.

“I would like to say thank you to the victim in this case for coming forward and reporting Mcauley’s crimes. It’s not an easy thing to do, but their courage has ensured that a dangerous and predatory man will now face the consequences of his actions in prison.

“We always take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“Anyone who has any concerns at all about child abuse can contact us at any time – we recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there are support services available that can help you if you are a victim of abuse.”

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Benjamin Hassell, 70, was found guilty of indecent assault during a trial after previously pleading guilty to seven charges of making indecent images of a child. The trial heard how in 1987, when the victim was just six years old, Hassell sexually assaulted her at an address in Southampton.

The victim came forward to speak to police to report what had happened to her in 2020, and an investigation was launched. Officers seized a number of electronic devices from Hassell, including a laptop, a digital storage device and an SD card. An examination of these devices revealed more than 2,000 indecent images of children.

Hassell, of Clarendon Road, Southampton, had previously pleaded not guilty to the indecent assault charge, however was found guilty of the offence by a jury. He was jailed for seven years and 10 months.

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A warped paedophile has been locked up for 16 years for the horrific sexual abuse of a young girl.

Scruffy Stephen Cooper, 61, of The Drove, Blackfield, inflicted misery on a girl aged four to six during a two-year period of torment in Basingstoke from March 2021 to March 2023.

Sick Cooper was convicted of four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, sexual assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Cooper denied the offences but the predator was found guilty following a trial at Winchester Crown Court before being jailed for 16 years at Salisbury Crown Court.

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A Southampton man has been jailed after he was caught sending sexual communications to an undercover police officer, who he believed was a child.

Christopher Jay Swaine, 41, of Foundry Lane, appeared at Southampton Crown Court last week where he was sentenced to three years and ten months in prison.

Swaine was identified by police via covert conversations with two fictional 12-year-old girls, with the final messages culminating on Christmas Eve, 2021.

He was arrested and, following an examination of his mobile phones, charged with two offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and two charges of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He admitted all offences at court in April.

As well as his prison sentence, Swaine will also be on the sex offenders’ register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order.