Latest Offenders Stafford

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Connor Behan has been convicted of a string of sexual offences following a seven-day trial at Chester Crown Court. 

On Wednesday 18 December, Behan was found guilty by unanimous verdict of counts of multiple rapes of a girl under 13, multiple sexual assaults by touching of a child under 13, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child on multiple occasions.

He was found not guilty of an additional count of sexual assault by touching of a child under 13.

The 33-year-old of Heath Avenue, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, has since been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced on Friday 31 January.

Cheshire Police launched an investigation into the abuse in October 2022, following a disclosure made by the victim to a teacher at her school.

The jury heard how Behan had sexually assaulted the victim on multiple occasions, starting in May 2019, when the victim was just seven years old.

As part of the investigation, a seminal detection dog was deployed which found traces of Behan’s semen on a blanket owned by the victim.

Behan was immediately arrested and subsequently charged.

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A man has been sentenced to 10 years after he admitted raping a woman in Stafford.

Abiola Raji, 32, of Stafford, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 23 January) after he pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to raping a woman.

At about 8pm on Sunday 21 April last year, a woman was walking near to the Vine Hotel on Salters Street when she was approached by Raji and attacked.

We carried out urgent enquiries to track him down and support the survivor as soon as it was reported later the same night.

We issued an appeal for information and looked over CCTV from the scene, leading to Raji’s arrest on 1 May the same year.

Officers worked hard to gather all the evidence available to take Raji to court, where he eventually pleaded guilty to the offence.

He was sentenced to six years and eight months imprisonment, with an extended license period of thee years and four months. He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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A man has been jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty of multiple child sexual offences.

Stephen Prestidge, 58, of Burton-on-Trent, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment last Friday (13 December) after being found guilty at the same court on Tuesday 10 December. 

He was found guilty of four counts of assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, three counts of causing/inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of sexual assault on a female. 

Prestidge has also been put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The offences took place in Staffordshire. 

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A child sex offender from Burton-on-Trent has been jailed for nine years after the survivor bravery came forward.

Liam Stephen Wood, 19, of Burton, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing/inciting a female child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of making indecent photographs of a child at an earlier court hearing.

On Thursday (7 November) at Stafford Crown Court, he was jailed for nine years, with a five-year extended license period, put on the Sex Offenders Register for life, issued with a restraining order against the victim for the next decade and subject to a 15-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

He was arrested in May 2024 after the survivor, a girl, bravely came forward and told someone about what Wood had done.

Officers from our child protection team (CPT) launched an investigation and managed to secure the charges against Wood, despite him denying his crimes on interview.

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A sex offender who committed a series of historic sex offences in Staffordshire dating back decades has been convicted. Dean Hearson, of Brown Edge, a village in the county, was put on trial charged with 15 counts of indecent assault on a male and four counts of indecency with a child.

The offences were reported to Staffordshire Police in 2018, but dated back to the 1990s and early 2000s. Once reported the Staffordshire force’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team launched an investigation.

The 55-year-old was found guilty of the 19 charges at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Wednesday (October 16). He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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A child sex offender from Staffordshire has been convicted on 25 counts following a trial in court.

Nicholas McCabe, 57, of Ipstones, Staffordshire, was found guilty by a jury following a nine-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court today (Thursday 29 August).

He was convicted on:

• Eight counts of the rape of a girl under 16
• Four counts of the rape of a woman
• Eight counts of the indecent assault of a girl under 16
• Three counts of sexual assault on a female 13 and over
• Two counts of sexual assault on a female

The court heard how McCabe inflicted a campaign of abuse on the survivors between the 1990s and 2000s in Staffordshire.

When one of them bravely came forward and told us what happened in July 2020, we started work to compile all of the evidence possible to take McCabe to court. More survivors then came forward to support the investigation.

McCabe was questioned in custody and denied the offences.

Investigative Officer Janine Shropshire and Detective Constable Diane Sproston from our rape and serious sexual offences unit (RASSO) worked tirelessly to support the survivors and managed to secure 25 charges against McCabe in 2022.

Our evidence was substantial, leading to a jury finding McCabe guilty on all 25 counts in court.

He will be sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 11 October 2024.

Detective Constable Diane Sproston and Investigative Officer Janine Shropshire said: We would like to recognise the courage the survivors in this case have shown in coming forward and helping us gather the evidence needed to convict McCabe of the heinous crimes he committed.

Without their bravery and resilience, this result would not have been possible.

While this result does not repair the immeasurable trauma that has been caused to the survivors, we hope it gives them a sense of closure that McCabes lies did not work and he will now face justice for what he did.

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A child sex offender has been jailed for eight years after he was found guilty of his crimes in court.

Andrew Lucas, aged 56, of Shareshill, south Staffordshire, abused the survivor a number of years ago before the survivor bravely came forward and told people what happened.

We brought Lucas in for questioning, where he denied all of the reports.

Specialist officers worked to support the survivor as much as possible whilst evidence to support the case was gathered, leading to a number of charges being secured against Lucas.

In an earlier hearing at Stafford Crown Court, a jury found Lucas guilty of ten non-recent child sexual offences, including:

• Six counts of indecent assault of a boy
• Four counts of gross indecency with a boy

At Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (14 June), Lucas was sentenced to eight years behind bars.

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A sex offender who abused multiple survivors in Staffordshire has been jailed for 14 years.

Michael Lee Price, 22, of Burton-on-Trent, appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court today (Friday 14 June) and was sentenced after he was found guilty of ten offences at an earlier hearing, including:

• Two counts of rape of a girl
• Three counts of sexual assault of a girl
• One count of sexual assault of a boy
• One count of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
• One count of causing a child to watch a sexual activity
• One count of possessing extreme pornographic images
• One count of making an incident photograph of a child
• Price also pleaded guilty to criminal damage.

In July 2022, one of the survivors bravely came forward and told an adult what happened to her. She told them that Price had raped and sexually assaulted her.

After we started work to investigate Price for his crimes, more survivors came forward and gave their own accounts.

He was arrested, questioned in custody and charged with a number of sexual offences. He continued to deny his crimes until a jury at Stafford Crown Court found him guilty back in April this year.

Today, he was sentenced to 14 years behind bars with an extended license period of three years. He was also put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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Pervert Neil Darlington used artificial intelligence to blackmail 'children' into sending him nude photos of themselves. The 'isolated' 51-year-old downloaded images of children as young as three being raped and abused.

And in February this year his offending escalated and he engaged in sex chats with two schoolgirls online. However, he was in fact talking to undercover police officers.

He asked them to send naked pictures of themselves and when they finally relented and sent clothed pictures he used AI technology to alter the images so they were naked. He then blackmailed the 'youngsters' to send him genuine pictures of themselves with nothing on or he would send the pictures he had manipulated to people they knew.

Now Darlington has been jailed for 12 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. He was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and was placed on the sex offenders' register for the same period.

The court heard on February 14, Darlington, using an alias, chatted online with an 11-year-old girl from Norwich. He said he was 16. The conversation very quickly became sexual.

He was unaware it was an undercover officer and he sent her a picture of his private area and a video of himself performing a sex act. He persisted in asking the child for sexual images of herself. But she sent a picture of herself clothed. He altered the image using AI technology and sent her the image back of herself naked. She said, 'Oh my God, please delete that'. Darlington said, 'How many boys you know would like to see this'? She said, 'Please do not show anyone the photo. I am scared'.

He told her to take a naked selfie of herself. She told him she was at school and was going to cry. But he sent her a screenshot of a conversation of him offering to show her picture to someone else. She said, 'Why would you do this to me? I have been nice to you'.

Darlington told another girl he was 16 and then changed his age to 25. He engaged in sexualised conversation with her between February 5 and 12. He sent images of his private area and a video of himself or someone else performing a sex act.

He sought sexual images from the child. She eventually relented and sent a picture of herself clothed. Darlington again altered the picture using AI technology. She begged him not to show it to anyone. But he asked her for a naked picture of herself naked or said he would distribute the image to her family or friends.

Darlington said he was going to kill himself when he was arrested on February 22.

Police found indecent images of children at categories A, B and C and pseudo images of children on his phone. The children were aged three to 15. The images showed children as young as three being raped.

Darlington, of Mayer Avenue, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to two charges of blackmail; three charges of making indecent photographs of children; making indecent pseudo images of children; two charges of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity; and two charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Robert Holt, mitigating, said Darlington had never been in trouble before. He said: "There have been a poor run of events in the last 10 years and he became isolated and did not communicate with many people. He has fallen into a vicious trap."

He said Darlington was remanded in custody over the weekend which led to him suffering an angina attack and being a high risk of a stroke. Mr Holt said: "The defendant tells me the last four days have been horrific. They have terrified him."

He said Darlington's viewing of images began in 2021 but escalated in a two-week period this year when he began to engage in chat rooms. Mr Holt added: "He accepts his responsibility for this. His remorse is genuine."

Judge Michael Maher said blackmail is 'one of the ugliest crimes and is rightly regarded by the public with loathing and contempt'. He said: "Causing a child to watch a sexual act is a precursor to you blackmailing the children for genuine sexual images. I regard the blackmail as a serious aggravating feature. In this case you sought to take advantage of the perceived vulnerability of your child victims and you used embarrassment as the leverage to secure genuine sexual images of the children for your perceived sexual gratification. Your intention was manifestly clear.

"I regard the blackmail aspect as a serious aggravating feature. This sentencing exercise should have a deterrent aspect to it. I cannot impose anything other than a sentence of immediate imprisonment."

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A man has been jailed for 31 years after being found guilty of 29 sexual offences.

Brian Lines, 84, of Leek, was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of one year, at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Tuesday (21 May) after he was found guilty by a jury following a trial earlier this month.

He was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was found guilty of three counts of the rape of a female under 16, three counts of the rape of a female over 16 years or over, attempted rape of a female under 16, 16 counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years, four counts of sexual assault, assault of a girl under 13 by touching and sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15.

The offences took place in Staffordshire between 1970 and 2009. They were reported in August 2021 and Lines was arrested shortly afterwards. Following an investigation by our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, he was charged in January 2023.

DC Annie Blairs, of our Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team, said: “The sentence was only possible thanks to the sheer determination and bravery of Lines’ victims. Despite denying the offences, a jury saw through his lies and he will now spend the rest of his life in prison.

“The impact on the victims is significant and long lasting and I hope this sentence provides some comfort in knowing they did the right thing in reporting his heinous crimes to us.

“We are committed to investigating those who carry out sexual offences, bringing them before the courts so that they can face justice, while supporting victims.”

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A twisted predator has been jailed after grooming a teenage girl from Birmingham. Vile Aaron Harvey was caged for 18 years for rape and sexual assaults on the victim.

The 35-year-old, from Rugeley, Staffs, groomed the girl over a period of two years. Harvey’s sick crimes came to light when the girl bravely spoke out, telling officers the abuse first started when she was 14.

Harvey was arrested on August 14, 2022 and taken into custody. Officers seized his iPhone where they discovered extreme pornographic videos and website searches for extreme sex.

Harvey pleaded guilty to one charge of rape, eight sexual assaults and one charge of possessing extreme pornography when he appeared at court earlier this month. He was then handed a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order as he was sent to prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, April 26.

DC Kayleigh Driscoll, from the complex child abuse investigation team, said: “Harvey was a predatory individual who groomed his victim, sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions and raped her.

"We are pleased with the sentence which send out a clear message that people who target vulnerable young people for their own sexual gratification will be taken to court, convicted and will face many years behind bars.

“I must praise her courage for speaking out and reporting Harvey’s offending. We hope her bravery encourages others subjected to sexual abuse and rape to come forward. We are here to help and listen.” The force noted "survivors of rape are protected by law and have life-long anonymity."

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A man has been jailed for 10 years after admitting sexual offences involving children at a nursery in Burton-on-Trent.

Craig Ordish, 39, of Burton-on-Trent, who worked at the Co-operative Childcare Burton nursery, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, with an extended license period of three years, today (Friday 19 April) at Stafford Crown Court. 

He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault a girl under 13 by touching at a hearing on 19 November 2023 and then pleaded guilty to cause/incite a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, five counts of making indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and possession of extreme pornographic images on 19 January 2024.

Ordish was given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

He was arrested in October 2023 after being reported to us. He was charged with the offences and remanded.

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A great-grandad drove for two hours to Leeds to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, but was confronted by a paedophile hunter group.

Pervert pensioner Malcolm Allwood spent months grooming the "girl" online, telling her he wanted to take her to his caravan and back to his home.

The 77-year-old then drove from his home in Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire to meet the youngster at McDonald's in Hunslet, where he was intercepted by members of the Yorkshire Predator Hunters, who had set up the decoy profile of the girl. They then livestreamed the confrontation.

He appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication. Prosecuting the case, Emily Hassell said that Allwood contacted the fake profile online in December 2022, with the supposed girl telling him she was just 13.

He told her that he "loved her photo" and asked if she was single. Over the months he bombarded her with messages and would tell her that that she was "gorgeous". He sent photos of himself with his top off and asked her for photos.

He would repeatedly ask her what she was wearing in bed and quizzed her about sex education she had in school. He said he would massage her and take her away in his caravan or take her abroad. Then in April 2023 he suggested they meet for food, and that she should stay at his address. On April 21 last year he travelled the 85 miles from his home on Calais Road, Burton-on-Trent, to meet her at the McDonald's. Having been detained by the hunter group, he was then arrested but gave a no-comment interview to officers.

Mitigating, Stuart Field said that Allwood has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity. He said: "He is not able to explain how this all arose. Thankfully, it was not a 13-year-old girl."

Judge Tahir Khan KC gave him a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 40 rehabilitation days, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.

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A child sex offender in Staffordshire has been locked up for more than two decades.

Robert Mold, aged 63, of Bridgtown, Cannock, was arrested in July 2020 after the survivors bravely came forward and told us what he had done.

The offences happened between 2016 and 2017.

Once the survivors came forward, we started work to gather evidence and take Mold to court. He was questioned by detectives in custody and charged with the offences despite originally denying what happened.

On 26 February, Mold was sentenced to 24-years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child and six counts of sexual assault of a child.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Detective Sergeant Sophie Boden, from our Child Protection and Exploitation Team said: Id like to recognise the immense courage and bravery that the survivors have shown throughout this investigation.

Mold is a truly dangerous man who has inflicted an immeasurable deal of anguish on the victims.

Officers and staff from our Child Protection and Exploitation Team (CPET) have worked tirelessly to secure this conviction, support the victims and put a dangerous sex offender behind bars for a very long time.

I hope this serves as an example to any survivors of rape and sexual assault that they will be listened to, no matter how recent the offences may have been. We want to relentlessly pursue sex offenders, put them before the courts and deliver the toughest punishment possible.

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A man has been jailed for 19 years after pleading guilty to a series of child sexual offences.

Richard Griffiths, 33, from Stafford, admitted four counts of raping a girl under 13, two counts of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity, taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13.

He also pleaded guilty to sexual penetration by a person with a living animal.

Four other charges will lie on file, the court said.

Griffiths was placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Staffordshire Police said his crimes were reported to the force in November.

Det Sgt Sophie Boden, from the force’s child protection and exploitation team, described Griffiths as "truly a dangerous man" adding that the sentence would protect the community from him.