Latest Offenders Warrington

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A COURT has heard how a woman felt violated after waking up to find she was being sexually assaulted while asleep.

Louis Griffiths was found preying on the victim after they met just hours earlier on a night out in the town centre.

The 21-year-old was repeatedly told that there was no romantic inclination between them as she turned down his advances.

But he failed to take note and was later charged with sexual assault, to which he pleaded guilty on the day of his trial.

The case was outlined at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday, July 19, by prosecutor Kenneth Grant who informed the court how the complainant was in the town centre with friends on a night out.

They left a bar at around 3am ‘having had a good time and a few drinks’, it was said, before heading to a pizza takeaway nearby.

Here, they met the defendant, where after a chat it was decided they would head back to a pub in which Griffiths lived on Wilderspool Causeway.

The group agreed and they had more drinks and played pool when they got there.

During the hours that followed, the court heard that the defendant tried to flirt with the women, tried to kiss them and invited the victim upstairs alone with him.

He was turned down however, and it was said that that none of the women were interested in him romantically, which they made clear to him.

At around 6am, they all went upstairs to sleep in a spare room, with the victim falling asleep fully clothed and partially covered by a blanket.

She woke however feeling a wet sensation to her genital area, and when she looked down she saw the defendant with his head between her legs and her underwear removed.

She shouted ‘what are you doing’ to him, which woke up the others. Griffiths then became aggressive and smashed a mirror in the room, causing a cut to his own hand.

Before everyone left, the defendant began to cry and apologise to the victim, who reported what had happened to the police.

Griffiths was arrested on June 14 and interviewed, where he tried to cover his actions with a made-up account, which has since been abandoned after he accepted the true facts of the case.

In an impact statement, the victim said she did not want to leave home or talk to anyone after what had happened and felt ‘uncomfortable in her own skin’ and ashamed.

Thinking about it made her feel ‘upset, isolated and violated’, and she said: “I refused to go out and put myself in a situation where I got tipsy where a predator could attack me.”

“I am shocked that this man thought he had the right to assault me. I cannot imagine what could have happened had I not woken up.”

Mitigating on behalf of his client, Stephen McNally spoke of how Griffiths had a ‘lack of maturity for his age’ at the time and how his actions were ‘out of character’ for someone with no previous convictions.

It was added that he is ‘genuinely remorseful’, wishes to apologise the victim, does not drink as much as he used to, is now in a long-term relationship and has not reoffended since.

Mr McNally called for a suspended sentence, but this was rejected by recorder Richard Pratt who said: “She was asleep and extremely vulnerable when you assaulted her.

“I accept that you were 19 at the time and immature, but in my view you are, and were, old enough to understand the seriousness of your actions.”

He concluded: “It would send out completely the wrong message to the victim and the public if I imposed anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.”

Griffiths was sentenced to 12 months in prison and must abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements for the next 10 years.

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Image: https://uk-database.org/2023/07/11/kieran-keyworth-warrington/

A PAEDOPHILE who admitted committing more than 20 child sex offences charges has been allowed to walk free from court.

Kieran Keyworth was communicating with eight ‘young girls’ online, with vile discussions including graphic details about how he would engage in sexual activity with them.

The 20-year-old was also found with a sickening stash of indecent images of children (IIOC), with toddlers as young as three being sexually abused.

But because it is a ‘difficult world for someone with his conditions’, he was spared a custodial sentence by the courts.

The defendant was charged with more than 20 child sex offences, including communications, incitement to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images and distributing them.

Liverpool Crown Court heard from prosecutor Simon Mintz on Friday, July 7, how 159 IIOC were found across two of his mobile phones examined by police – images he had been collecting since the age of 13.

Officers also found ‘thousands of pages of texts and chats’ showing he had been having sexualised conversations with eight girls between the ages of 15 and 15.

Four of these were real children, while police were unable to verify if the other four child profiles were being operated by real children or if they were decoys, run by paedophile hunter groups for example.

Keyworth was first approached by police in February 2021, with officers seizing his Google Pixel phone for forensic analysis.

This revealed sickening images showing girls as young as three and aged up to 14 being sexually abused.

In total, 39 of the images were graded in category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 25 were put in category B and 72 in category C.

The defendant was released under investigation, and after this he obtained a Samsung phone, which later analysis also revealed contained 23 category C IIOC.

Moreover, in August 2020, he was found to have distributed a category B video and six category C images to other paedophiles online.

Mr Mintz spoke of how the phones had a ‘sophisticated set-up’ including the use of VPN software to mask his location, demonstrating that Keyworth had a ‘high level of knowledge’.

He was using Snapchat and WhatsApp to chat with girls under the age of 16, while his search history had ‘terms indicative of this type of offending’.

Keyworth also used Omegle, which randomly pairs people to chat, Discord, Swiper and whatshalfway.com, with the latter finding a point halfway between two locations when discussing meeting up with children for sexual activity.

To one girl, he told her what sexual activity he would like her to do to him, requested a video of her and said: “Are you down to do stuff like sex?”

To another, he made repeated and persistent requests for her to send topless photos and perform sex acts on her self and described ‘in graphic detail’ how he would like to have sex with her.

To a 14-year-old girl, he said he would ‘do her senseless’, while to a 15-year-old he requested a ‘proper ass pic’ and sent her a photo of his penis.

When discussing sexual activity between them, Keyworth said: “You’re 15, I’d get slaughtered.”

In mitigation, Jim Smith told the court: “This is a unique case with a unique defendant, calling for a unique sentence.”

He highlighted how his client, who has no previous convictions, has autistic spectrum condition coupled with severe learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as an IQ of 68 compared to the average of 100.

Mr Smith said that Keyworth would struggle in a custodial setting and that reports prepared in advance of the hearing stated that his conditions had a ‘direct causative effect to the offences’ he committed.

He added that the defendant suffered isolation during the Covid pandemic and that this was a ‘difficult world for someone with his conditions’, but referenced that he has not reoffended in the two and a half years since.

Before sentencing, recorder Ian Harris said that the ‘choice I have to make is stark’, but chose against a custodial sentence so that the defendant could get ‘support’.

“At the time you committed these offences, your learning disability impaired your ability to exercise appropriate judgement, impaired your ability to make choices and impaired your ability to understand the effects and consequences of your actions.”

Keyworth, of Parker Street in the town centre, was sentenced to a two-year community order including 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 43-day programme requirement.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order to restrict his ability to reoffend and must comply with sex offender registration and notification requirements with the police – both for the next five years.

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A Warrington paedophile who "doesn't get any attention from women" was caught by paedophile hunters.

Pervert Andrew Carter believed he was telling a '13-year-old girl' to practice kissing using fruit. The self-confessed loner also told her age is 'just a number'.

Carter was made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life at Liverpool Crown Court. He was sentenced on Friday, June 2, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The court heard that Carter first initiated contact with a decoy account run by Saving Our Children Online on the app Wink in September last year. David Birrell, prosecuting, described how, when told that he was communicating with a girl aged 13, Carter responded by saying that "age was just a number".

He then continued to send a string of often daily sexualised messages over WhatsApp over the period of nearly a month. The defendant - of Poachers Lane in Latchford, Warrington - said in one exchange: "I might fall in love with you.

"I kind of secretly hope you will fall in love with me. We will keep it a secret until you're old enough to marry me."

Carter asked her "are you naked" and told her he wanted to meet up with her at Warrington Bank Quay Station, saying he would give her money and adding "I could teach you a few things". He also instructed her to perform vile sex acts on herself and requested pictures of her in her underwear and a video of her naked, as well as sending photographs of his penis.

The sex offender told her to practice kissing with apples and oranges before being traced by members of the group, who livestreamed a confrontation with him on social media on October 22 then called the police. Under interview, Carter described himself to detectives as a "loner who didn't get any attention from women".

He confessed that he "knew it was illegal" but denied having wanted to sexually abuse the child during his planned meetup. Simeon Evans, defending, told the court that his "remorseful" client suffers from depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and added: "It seems the gravity of this has hit home and he understands how wrong it was.

"This is a man who has no previous convictions, despite a bad start in life. He leads perhaps a rather sad, lonely and pathetic life, but he has not committed any offences until now."

Carter admitted arranging a child sex offence, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting sexual communications with a child. He laughed before leaning forward and resting his head on the front of the dock after he was jailed for 33 months.

Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said: "Your intention was clear, and it involved you inciting serious sexual activity with you receiving sexual gratification by it. You knew that what you were doing was wrong.

"This court has concerns, given your reluctance to accept that you have a sexual interest in children. I cannot conclude that, presently, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation."

Carter was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

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A PAEDOPHILE was snared by waiting police officers after arranging to meet a child for sex at a McDonald’s.

Nikolas Buchholz engaged in disgusting and depraved sexual chats online with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

The 37-year-old father was in fact however talking with an undercover police officer trained to expose child-sex offenders.

He was subsequently charged with attempted sexual communications with a child and attempting to meet a child after grooming.

He was also convicted of counts of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity.

Lee Bonner, prosecuting the case at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, May 18, explained how on the first day of his trial, the defendant changed his pleas to guilty on all five charges.

The defendant was snared in an operation run by an undercover police officer posing under the guise of an account purporting to be Grace, as 13-year-old girl.

The officer was deployed online, on the social media app Kik Messenger, with the task of detecting offenders with a sexual interest in children.

The court heard how the officer registered with the username ‘lilgrace07’, and it was clear in the ‘bio’ of the profile that it was being run by a 13-year-old girl.

On April 19, 2021, the profile was messaged by the defendant, assisted in court by a Romanian interpreter, under the username ‘buddyf**k4fun’, who said he was a 34-year-old man from Warrington.

The officer told him they were a 13-year-old girl from Manchester, but despite knowing this, Buchholz began to sexualise the conversation, asking about her previous sexual activity and offering to ‘teach her’.

This continued over several days, during which time he sent her a photo of his face and the steering wheel of his BMW, and asked her to send him photos of herself.

As talk progressed over three weeks, he sent the officer photos and videos of his erect penis, asking if she liked it and encouraging her to perform sex acts on herself, calling it ‘their secret game’.

The ‘girl’ said that she was scared and that she was worried she would get into trouble if her mum found out, but the defendant said she could be his ‘secret pleasure’.

Discussion soon turned to meeting up for sex, and despite Buchholz stating he was worried about it being a trap and him going to prison, he still continued with the chats.

They arranged to meet at a McDonald’s in the Fallowfield area, and when he arrived in his silver BMW, he was met by plain clothed police officers and arrested.

The defendant’s Samsung mobile phone was seized, showing the chat history, and during an interview he said that he thought he was communicating with an adult, and that talk of a 13-year-old girl was a ‘joke’.

Defending his client, Matt Lawson said that Buchholz has no previous convictions and has not committed any further offences since.

He also spoke of the defendant’s ‘genuine expression of remorse and regret’, and while he is not living with his family at present, his wife, who was present in court, ‘remains fully supportive of him and bringing the family unit back together’.

The court was told that he works full time for Amazon, as well as an additional job on top, to provide for his family and send money home to his elderly parents, who are in poor health back in his native Romania.

Before sentencing, judge David Aubrey commented that Buchholz believed he was ‘grooming the ‘girl’’ and that sexual activity was ‘clearly intended’.

He added that this would have taken place had he not in fact been chatting with an undercover police officer.

“The fact she was 13, or so you believed, did not deter you. It encouraged you, such was your perversion,” The judge concluded.

Buchholz, of Ripley Street in Whitecross, was sentenced to 43 months in prison.

He was also made the subject of sex offender registration and notification requirements indefinitely and a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years.

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Flasher who has been banned from all children’s play areas across Warrington following his release from prison.

Dana Mustapha cannot enter or loiter in such play areas, and he is also prohibited from contacting any female in an open public space in Warrington, except any public building or premises, retail premises, sports stadia or licenced premises.

This is through a criminal behaviour order imposed onto him by Warrington Magistrates’ Court, with the order also banning him from entering Victoria Park.

This will run for four years, to restrict his ability to commit further offences, with the 34-year-old also subject to sex offender registration and notification requirements for 10 years.

It comes after Mustapha was jailed on Thursday for a series of disturbing incidents in Latchford and the town centre, involving threats and public indecency.

The 34-year-old Iraqi national, who was assisted at Warrington Magistrates’ Court by a Kurdish interpreter, was charged with three counts of exposure.

He also faced counts of threatening behaviour, assault by beating and two of harassment, one of which put the victim in fear of violence.

He pleaded not guilty to each offence but was convicted after a trial during which victims had to relive their ordeal by giving evidence.

Angela Blackmore, prosecuting the case, told the court how in September last year, a man was walking his dog along Knutsford Road in Latchford.

He became aware that the defendant was walking towards him and shouting threats including: “I’m going to f**k you up.”

The victim ignored him but Mustapha followed and continued to shout, before walking away.

A similar incident occurred involving the same complainant on September 6 outside the Co-op store on Knutsford Road, with the defendant making threats while laughing.

Mustapha, despite a number of schoolchildren being in the area, then dropped his trousers and exposed his penis, again laughing.

A further two similar harassment incidents occurred days later, one of which saw him threaten to kick the victim’s dog and cut his throat, as well as use vile homophobic insults.

The final one saw the complainant call a friend who attended and confronted the defendant, who claimed not to understand English.

He detained Mustapha until the police arrived, suffering severe bruising from being kicked, punched and almost headbutted by him after he was told the police were coming.

In an impact statement, the victim said he no longer wants to walk his dog in the area in case the defendant approaches him with further unprovoked threats.

He added that he becomes anxious and ‘thinks of worst case scenarios’ when he sees him, and on one occasion he had a panic attack.

Mustapha also exposed himself to a woman whom he asked for a cigarette from on September 6 on New Road in Latchford.

As she approached, he removed his penis from his trousers and started to perform a sex act on himself.

The court heard how the woman ‘burst out laughing’ and told him that both her dogs had a bigger penis than him, causing him to ‘run away with hurt pride’.

She added that if she saw him again she would have ‘launched him’.

A further incident occurred on the sunny afternoon of September 7 at a children’s play area in Victoria Park.

The victim was at the park with his toddler stepson when he heard a weird noise and a man singing and talking in a foreign accent.

Aware that he had been spotted, Mustapha pulled his tracksuit pants down and crouched down into a squatting position as if he was ‘having a poo’.

The witness described a look of ‘evil excitement’ on the defendant’s face as he ‘reached around as if he was aiming to grab hold of what he had passed to throw it’.

The victim left and the defendant was identified through a social media appeal, with the police contacted.

Yet another exposure occurred when Mustapha loitered outside a business in the town centre over a period of months.

He would stare at the owner and customers through the window, and on one occasion he unbuttoned his jeans and exposed himself for ‘sexual thrill’.

He also urinated in the street, in full view of the business, on two occasions, with urine going on the window and brickwork.

The owner had to upgrade CCTV and lock the door so he could not get in, as well as reduce opening hours, causing a loss of income.

In a statement, she said: “I have thought about selling the business as I no longer feel comfortable. It was once my happy place, but the stress and anxiety he has caused means I no longer enjoy my work.

“I have put my heart and soul into the business and he has destroyed it for me.”

In defence of his client, Peter Green said: “Someone with poor mental health, as this defendant has, will struggle and will cope badly in a custodial setting.

“The easy option is to sentence him to immediate custody. It would dispense justice and keep him off the streets for a few months.

“But it does nothing to address any of the issues underlying his behaviour. I would ask you to impose a suspended prison sentence along with requirements.”

This plea was rejected however by chair magistrate Anthony Graham, who concluded: “This is a serious matter, and it has passed the custody threshold. We are going to send you to custody today.”

Mustapha, of New Road in Latchford, was sentenced to 46 weeks in prison.

He attempted to barter a lower sentence with magistrates on one of the charges and was heard saying: “What have I done to deserve 48 weeks?”

The defendant was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation to the man he assaulted and handed four-year restraining orders preventing him from contacting or approaching six named people, or entering a named Latchford street.

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A teenage girl kicked a paedophile in the groin when he tried to sexually assault her.

David Jervis pinned his 15-year-old victim down on his bed and attempted to force his hands down her trousers before she bravely fought back. The 63-year-old has now been convicted of subjecting a teenager to such an attack for the second time.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that the pervert invited the schoolgirl to the stables where he kept his horses on several occasions as he sought to "systematically groom" her. Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, described how Jervis later offered to give her cash during a visit to his house, but she declined the money.

He then grabbed the teen by the thighs, lifted her up, carried her to a bedroom, threw her onto the bed and pinned her down. The convicted sex offender tried to put his hand down her trousers but she "bravely fought back", managing to escape after kicking him between the legs.

Afterwards, Jervis - of Birchall Street in Croft, Warrington - "carried on as if nothing had happened". He gave her a birthday card and designer clothing at one point and sought to convince her to return to his address before she reported him to the police, at which point he denied having committed the attack and said she had never been to his home.

The complainant tearfully read out a statement to the court highlighting the devastating impact his actions had upon her, saying he had "exploited her for his sexual fantasy". She added: "This has left a permanent psychological scar on my mind.

"It is something I'm coming to terms with. I believe this is something I will have to live with and work through for a long time.

"I was a 15-year-old child and could not have comprehended that anyone could be as manipulative as Jervis has been. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

"I was worried if he was not found guilty he would be able to do the same to somebody else. Hopefully this will mean he can't hurt anyone else."

Jervis has a total of 15 previous convictions for 47 offences, including being jailed for three years in 1998 for three counts of sexual assault against a teenage girl. Simeon Evans, defending, told the court that his client suffers from dementia - having claimed during his trial to have no member of the incident due to his condition - and "continues to assert his innocence".

He was found guilty of sexual assault by a jury. Jervis was jailed for five years and handed an additional three-year licence period.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You compelled her to have to come to court and give evidence, to relive the ordeal and be branded a liar. I am quite satisfied you were grooming her.

"It is difficult to know where you would have gone had she not resisted. You seem entirely undeterred by what you have done.

"She has clearly been severely affected and traumatised by the experience. That latent deviancy is still in you even now, as illustrated by this offence.

"I consider you are a manipulative person who sought to exploit his condition. I do conclude that you present as a dangerous offender."

Jervis was also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely. He was given a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim for eight years.

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A SICKENING child rapist told a girl as young as ten that if she didn’t perform sexual actions for him “Father Christmas wouldn’t come.”

Lee Brown, 21, was sentenced on May 3 for eight counts of sexual misconduct relating to his sexual abuse of a pair of girls aged ten and eight at the time of his offending.

Brown, of Freshwater Close, Great Sankey, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, with crying family in the dock watching as his horrifying actions were laid out.

Olivia Beesley, prosecuting, told the court how Brown, who was 15 at the time of his offending, committed “systematic, persistent, and regular abuse over the course of a year.”

In the case of both victims, Brown began his abuse by pulling down his pants, and asking them to touch his penis.

Over the course of a year he did this repeatedly, as well as encouraging them to put their mouth on his penis. He also taught them how to masturbate, and told them to do it in front him.

His abuse was singular, only abusing one of the girls at a time. He did, however, abuse both for almost a year.

The victim who was ten at the time of the offence at one point resisted his requests. When she did this, he informed her that if she didn’t do it “Father Christmas wouldn’t come.”

The victim who was eight at the time of the offence, repeatedly told Brown ‘no’ when he made requests of her, but was pressured by the 15 year old child rapist.

In a victim personal statement, both expressed a desire to see Brown face proper consequences for what he did to them.

One victim said: “I feel I have to live with this weight on my shoulders.”

Another said: “I trusted him. All I want is for people to believe me.”

The abuse was disclosed in October of 2021, with interviews taking place with the victims in November of 2021. Brown was interviewed the following month, where he admitted to the abuse which led to the eight counts to which he later pled guilty.

As well as this, he admitted to further crimes, including that this had started in reality when he was 11, and the girls were four and six.

Ms. Beesley told the court how the situation had caused ‘severe psychological harm’ to the victims.

Defending Brown, Simran Garcha told the court that he was ‘ashamed and contrite’ regarding his crimes.

In a discussion surrounding his actions and culpability, Ms. Garcha made the argument that Brown’s actions were impulsive and in part due to his ADHD diagnosis.

Judge Recorder Michael Maher, agreed in part with this argument, but did state: “There is some cunning and some guile in convincing the girl to do what he wanted them to do.”

He went on to comment specifically on the malicious nature of using the victim’s immaturity to pressure her to commit sexual acts with threat of ‘Father Christmas’ not coming.

Ms. Garcha went on to expand on the influence she believed Brown’s undiagnosed ADHD had on his offending, saying he was two years behind where he should be emotionally, and that: “At the time his actions felt almost normal.”

Judge Recorder Maher went on to summarise the case, telling Brown: “You exploited them, and you abused them.”

“You exploited the emotional connection you had with these girls. I note the way you manipulated your victim.”

He went on to further note the “unpleasant effect it has had on them.”

However, he expanded saying: “I have to consider your maturity, and your mental function.”

Judge Maher went on to say that, if Brown had been an adult at the time of his offence, and he had pled not guilty, he would have received 14 years in prison.

This was reduced greatly, however, due to his early guilty plea, and the fact he was a minor at the time of his offences.

The rapist was in total sentenced to four years and four months, 2/3 of which he must serve in prison.

All eight charges will be served concurrently, ranging from 18 to 52 months.

As well as this, he faces a sexual harm prevention order of ten years, as well as a restraining order of ten years from contacting the victims.

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A CONVICTED sex offender who previously boasted he had a ‘black belt’ in attacking women has been locked up again.

Andrew Matthews was jailed in 2021 for sexually assaulting a woman, as well as punching her and spitting on her while drunk.

The 37-year-old was told at the time that he would have time ‘to sit at Her Majesty's pleasure and contemplate what he has done’ while serving his prison sentence.

But he has now been sent back to prison for making homophobic comments with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He was charged with breaching of a restraining order and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, and he appeared to be sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, March 18.

Michael Caine, prosecuting, informed the court how the offences were committed two days earlier on Thursday, March 16.

Matthews, formerly of Orford, used threatening, disorderly, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause another person harassment, alarm or distress.

He also, ‘without reasonable excuse’, attended within 100 metres of a named Warrington street which he was prohibited from doing through a restraining order imposed by Liverpool Crown Court in July 2021.

This was imposed after Matthews was convicted of a sickening sexual assault committed against a woman, when he groped his female victim in the crotch, leaving her in pain and tears.

The defendant ‘forcibly grabbed’ his victim over her clothing’, causing her to scream and leaving her with bruising.

This came after he boasted to her about having a ‘black belt’ in attacking women.

He also choked her by grabbing her throat, punched her to the face, pushed her and spat at her five times.

Although the only physical harm caused was tenderness to the face, the woman told police how Matthew’s actions made her feel ‘depressed and upset’.

She also said she ‘felt uncomfortable in own skin’, was left anxious and suffered regular panic attacks as a result.

The crown court at the time heard how Matthews had 19 previous convictions for 24 offences, covering a ‘wide range’, but with many involving violence.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to sign the sex offender’s register for 10 years.

For these latest offences, magistrates said that they would take the defendant’s guilty pleas into account, however they said that the severity of the offences meant that only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.

This was due to him being on post-sentence supervision at the time, as well as his previous record of offending and the fact that he made homophobic comments.

Matthews, now of Brantfield Court in Padgate, was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison and ordered to pay compensation of £154.

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A REVELLER on a night out has avoided being sent to prison, despite sexually assaulting a young woman on a night out.

David Kovac grabbed the victim to the genital area and gave her unwanted kisses in the middle of a busy street in the town centre.

The 35-year-old told police that he could not remember what he had done because he was extremely intoxicated at the time.

He later admitted a charge of sexual assault however, and he appeared to be sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 16.

Stephanie Fanello, prosecuting, explained to the court how the offence was committed in October last year while the defendant was on a night out.

The defendant was on Bridge Street in the early hours of the morning when he approached a young woman who was a stranger to him.

Kovac then grabbed her to the genital area and tried kissing her. This was non-consensual, the court heard, and Kovac was repeatedly told to back off, which he failed to do.

During his police interview, during which he was shown CCTV footage of the incident, he confirmed that he did not know the woman and said that he could not remember the incident due to him being intoxicated.

He added that he was ‘raised appropriately’ and that he ‘respected women’.

The court heard an impact statement from the victim in which she said she has not been able to relax as a result of the incident.

She struggles to sleep and has not been eating properly, while she is also constantly anxious and nervous and is scared about going out again.

Defending his client, David Robb said that Kovac ‘clearly expresses remorse and regret’, adding that his behaviour was ‘out of character’.

He said that the defendant was extremely drunk and is ‘completely appalled about what took place’.

The court heard how Kovac is a single man with no children living in the UK, is working and sends a lot of his income back to his parents in Slovakia.

Before sentencing, deputy district judge Anita Price said: “This was an appalling incident.

“This offence clearly does cross the custody threshold, and you committed this offence while in drink, which makes it more serious.

“You also committed it in a location and time which adds to the seriousness of it.

“You have heard the impact it has had on this young lady, and no doubt continues to have on her.

“Were it not for your guilty plea and no previous convictions, you would have been going to custody today.”

Kovac, of Fitzherbert Street in Orford, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, including a sex offender treatment programme, and an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 60 days.

In addition, he must abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements for seven years.

The judge opted not to order compensation for the victim as to not ‘reminder her’ of what Kovac did, however he was told he must pay court costs of £120 and a victim surcharge of £154.

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A SEX offender has been described as ‘predatory and deviant’ by a judge after being responsible for covertly filming a teenager in a bathroom.

Colin Pennell, formerly of Latchford, used technology to spy on the woman and record her as she undressed, showered and used the toilet.

The 47-year-old was told that his voyeuristic actions only ceased as he was caught rather than voluntarily, and that he was reluctant to admit he was sexually motivated.

He was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Monday, March 13 after pleading guilty to a charge of voyeurism.

The court heard from prosecutor Jayne Morris who explained how the teenage victim was taking a morning shower, getting ready for the day ahead.

After getting out and while naked, she noticed a recording device in the bathroom window, leaving her ‘very angry’.

The complainant checked the device, where she uncovered a number and videos of her naked herself in the bathroom. The discovery left her ‘extremely upset’ and in tears.

Cheshire Police were informed, with an examination of the device revealing a total of 275 photos and five videos of the complainant.

All of the material was covertly photographed or filmed in the bathroom or shower showing her in varying states of nudity.

The court heard how some of the images and videos had no metadata attached, so it was unclear when the photos and videos had been taken.

Following investigations, the defendant was arrested and made no comment during his police interview.

In an impact statement, the complainant said that the offending has had a big impact on her mental health, leaving her feeling anxious and considering receiving therapy.

She has suffered from panic attacks and heart palpitations, which never happened before the offending, while she also now feels paranoid about being watched and does not want to go out anymore.

The statement added that the woman’s mental health is ‘very up and down’, while learning what had happened made her feel ‘sick, disgusted and as if her stomach had turned inside out’.

Ms Morris revealed to the court that Pennell has two previous convictions for dissimilar matters.

In defence of his client, Mark Connor said: “I accept that the case crosses the custody threshold, and that the evidence clearly suggests an established pattern of behaviour.”

He added that Pennell is ‘deeply ashamed and remorseful’ for his actions, and asked the court to consider suspending the inevitable prison sentence.

This would allow him to engage in a sex offender treatment programme outside of a custodial setting.

But this call was rejected by judge Michael Leeming, who concluded: “Your offending was not isolated, and shows a pattern of predatory and deviant sexual offending.

“You have been less than frank with probation officers, offering no explanation for your behaviour and not admitting that you were sexually motivated from the outset.

“You now accept today for the first time that you were motivated by sexual gratification.”

He added: “Had you not been caught, chances are you would have continued to act in that way and not desist voluntarily.

“In my mind, appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate imprisonment.”

Pennell, now of Snaefell Avenue in Liverpool, was sentenced to eight months in prison.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order to limit his ability to reoffend and a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim – both for a period of 10 years.

In addition, the defendant is now bound to abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements for the next decade.

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A PAEDOPHILE has been locked up after sending a disgusting sexualised photo to someone he believed to be a child.

Phillip Collins engaged in sick sex chats online and even discussed arrangements to meet up with the young girl.

However, the 42-year-old was in fact communicating with an adult posing online to catch digital child sex offenders.

He was later charged with attempted sexual communications with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Collins appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, February 21, where he was told that only immediate imprisonment was appropriate.

The court heard how the disgusting sex chats were exchanged between January 3 and January 10, 2022.

The Padgate based defendant, being an adult and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, intentionally attempted to communicate with ‘Miyah’.

He believed this person to be a girl under 16, but it was in fact an adult using a decoy profile.

The court heard how Collins encouraged the girl to perform sex acts on herself, discussed sex with her, sent flirtatious messages and sent a photo of his penis.

As the chats progressed, the defendant was charged with intentionally arranging or facilitating a meet-up which would involve the commission of a child sex offence.

Collins, of Marsh Street in Padgate, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order for a period of 10 years and ordered to abide by sex offender registration and notification requirements for the same period of time.

Description

A MONSTROUS predator has been locked up for a sickening sexual attack on a young woman as she screamed for help.

Evil sex fiend Gyulhan Hyusein was repeatedly told ‘no’ by the victim, but he cruelly ignored her and assaulted her sexually a number of times.

The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and appeared to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, February 23.

He was put behind bars for 10 years through a sentence which has been welcomed by police who branded the defendant a sexual predator and praised the victim for her bravery.

The court heard how the victim, a woman in her late teens, was walking to her partner’s home at around 3am on Sunday, October 16, last year following a night out with friends.

As the woman walked along Orford Lane, she was approached by Hyusein who put his arm around her and his hand down her back.

The victim pushed him away and told him ‘no’.

However, Hyusein continued his attack, putting his hand down her trousers and touching her inappropriately.

Once again, the woman pushed him away and told him ‘no’. She then attempted to walk away from him.

Hyusein followed the woman, and as she entered Orford Avenue he again put his hands down her trousers and touched her inappropriately.

As the woman screamed for help, he dragged her into an alleyway and pushed her against a wall, where he continued to touch the woman inappropriately with his fingers.

The victim continued to push Hyusein away and attempted to call for help, but he grabbed her phone and threw it away.

Hyusein eventually retreated and the victim sought refuge at a nearby house, while police were called to the scene.

The predator was arrested just hours after the attack after officers reviewing CCTV footage in a control room spotted him on live CCTV cameras in Warrington town centre.

Following sentencing, DC Laura Sandbach, who led the investigation, said: “Gyulhan Hyusein is a sexual predator.

“He attacked an innocent woman who was simply walking home, despite repeatedly being told to stop.

“This was an absolutely terrifying experience for the victim, and I would like to praise her for the courage and bravery that she has shown.

“While she will never be able to forget what Hyusein did to her that night, I hope the fact that he is now behind bars where he belongs will provide her with some closure.

“I would also like to thank the eagle-eyed officer who spotted Hyusein walking in Warrington town centre on live CCTV cameras as they were reviewing the footage from the attack.

“Thanks to their diligence, we were able to remove Hyusein from the streets of Warrington, and he is now facing the consequences of his actions in the form of a 10-year prison sentence.”

In addition to his custodial sentence, Hyusein, of Longford Street in Orford, has been ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

He was also handed a lifetime restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim.

DS Joe Davies added: “I would like to commend DC Sandbach for her dedication and commitment throughout this investigation.

“No-one should have to experience what Gyulhan Hyusein’s victim has gone through.

“I hope this case and the sentence that he has received encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report what has happened to them.

“We treat all reports of sexual offences extremely seriously, and any allegation will be thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim as our main priority.”

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A PREDATOR pensioner has been put behind bars after promising to bring a ‘young girl’ a McDonalds meal when they met up for sex.

Frederick Cottam believed he had arranged a sex rendezvous with a 12-year-old girl after days of vile explicit chats and sending illicit photos.

The 75-year-old great-grandad was in fact talking to a covert police officer responsible for snaring perverts demonstrating their sexual interest in children online.

This is a category in which Cottam falls, with a judge telling him he has a ‘deep-seated issue concerning his interest in underage children’.

The defendant was charged with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity and attempted sexual communications with a child, and he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, via videolink from HMP Altcourse, to be sentenced on Friday, January 27.

The court heard how the offences occurred between the end of November and start of December last year.

Cottam was speaking to someone he believed to be a 12-year-old girl named Izzy, but this decoy profile was in fact being operated by an undercover police officer tasked with identifying offenders online who have a sexual interest in children.

On November 28, at around 11am, ‘Izzy’ received a message from Cottam under the username WarBiker on the social media platform ChatIW.

She said that she was doing schoolwork, to which the defendant replied that he was ‘horny and lonely’.

When the ‘girl’ told him he should speak to an adult, the defendant asked her how good she was at keeping secrets from her parents.

Cottam asked if they could switch to Kik Messenger so they could exchange photos, to which the girl agreed, leading him to send a picture of himself.

After being sent a clothed photo of her, Cottam called the girl ‘lovely’ and commented on the size of her breasts.

He asked if she wanted to see a photo of his penis and then sent her one of him lying in bed naked, later stating he would go to Preston to meet her in person to ‘show her what sex is about’.

They arranged a date to meet up at a specific park next to the duck pond ‘where they would not be seen’, promising to bring her a McDonalds and that they would have sex.

The defendant discussed the things he would do to her and what he wanted her to do to him, but the night before he said he could no longer go due to a family illness, and they did not speak again.

The court heard that Cottam has one previous conviction from May 2018 for a similar offence of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, for which he was jailed for 12 months.

This offence saw him caught up in a ‘paedophile hunter’ sting in which he was snared grooming someone he believed to be 14-year-old girl named Ellie.

He sent explicit pictures to another decoy account and arranged to meet the supposed teenager in Newton-le-Willows.

Messages sent by the great-grandfather included ‘don’t worry about your age’, ‘let’s meet up, kiss and touch each other’s bodies’ and ‘you can’t get pregnant from me’.

He also detailed sexual acts he wanted to perform on the girl, and acts that he wanted her to perform.

When he arrived at the arranged meet-up, he was confronted by the paedophile hunters and arrested by police.

In defence of her client, who has seen all family ties cut through his offending, Bernadette Smith spoke of his expectation of a long prison sentence and how his best mitigation is his guilty plea.

“He wants intervention to try to understand and get to the crux of why it is that he is committing these offences at such a late stage in his adulthood,” she said.

The court also heard how he is assessed as posing a high risk of harm to children, but a low risk of reoffending, which judge David Aubrey commented ‘does not make much sense’

Before sentencing, he said: “These offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified for them.

“There is no doubt you have a sexual interest in children, and that appears to be deep-rooted.

“You engaged in conversations with a person who you believed was under the age of 13, and conversations took place over a period of time which illustrates your deep-rooted paedophilia.”

Cottam, of Mason Avenue in Padgate, Warrington, was sentenced to 56 months in prison

The court also ordered that he be the subject of sex offender registration and notification requirements indefinitely, as well as a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

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THIS is the face of a smiling pervert who has a history of flashing people from his bedroom window.

It was reported this week that serial flasher Christopher Barrett has been locked up after offending again by exposing his genitals.

The 65-year-old was given numerous chances and warnings by the court that if he carried on, he would end up in prison.

That is exactly where he currently is after being sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 12, after admitting two further exposure charges.

He also pleaded guilty to a count of breaching his sex offender notification and registration requirements, as well as breaching a suspended sentence.

Now, Cheshire Police has released a custody photo of a smiling Barrett.

Tanya Berridge-Burley, prosecuting, explained how the defendant exposed himself on two consecutive days in Warrington on September 20 and 21 last year.

In doing so, he intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

He also failed without reasonable excuse to comply with his sex offender registration requirements with the police by not periodically notifying them.

These conditions were imposed when he was slapped with a sentence of 20 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months by the same court in December 2020 for an offence of exposure.

His latest offending put him in breach of this sentence, which was activated as immediate custody.

He was handed the suspended sentence after he exposed himself to a dog walker while stood in his bedroom window.

The court at the time heard that the dog owner was walking her pet outside Barrett's home with her cousin when she spotted the pervert naked and pressed up against a window 'in a star shape' with his arms in the air.

Despite having been seen, he remained stood naked in the window for several minutes.

Speaking in court, the victim said she was ‘shocked, disgusted and frankly devastated’, adding that the offence affected her mental health in terms of giving her panic attacks.

Another previous conviction in March 2018 saw him video passers-by on two occasions while performing sex acts in the same window and waving to get the attention of women outside.

Before sentencing in December 2020, district judge Nicholas Sanders said: “Whatever your problem is, it has to stop.

“If you commit any other offences or fail to comply with the requirements, the starting point is that you will go to prison.”

This is exactly what magistrates decided to do, remarking that the offence was committed during the period of a suspended sentence and highlighting the defendant’s ‘appalling’ record of similar offences.

Barrett, of Mead Road in Padgate, was sentenced to 72 weeks in prison.

He is also the subject of sex offender notification requirements for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

This prohibits him from exposing his genitals and underwear in sight of public or masturbating in sight of anyone without their consent.

In addition, magistrates ordered that the defendant pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £187.

Description

A PERVERT with a history of flashing people by exposing his genitals has been locked up after offending again.

Serial flasher Christopher Barrett has previously been hauled before the courts for standing in his bedroom window while naked and waving.

The 65-year-old was given numerous chances and warnings by the court that if he carried on, he would end up in prison.

That is exactly where he currently is after being sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 12, after admitting two further exposure charges.

He also pleaded guilty to a count of breaching his sex offender notification and registration requirements, as well as breaching a suspended sentence.

Tanya Berridge-Burley, prosecuting, explained how the defendant exposed himself on two consecutive days in Warrington on September 20 and 21 last year.

In doing so, he intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

He also failed without reasonable excuse to comply with his sex offender registration requirements with the police by not periodically notifying them.

These conditions were imposed when he was slapped with a sentence of 20 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months by the same court in December 2020 for an offence of exposure.

His latest offending put him in breach of this sentence, which was activated as immediate custody.

He was handed the suspended sentence after he exposed himself to a dog walker while stood in his bedroom window.

The court at the time heard that the dog owner was walking her pet outside Barrett's home with her cousin when she spotted the pervert naked and pressed up against a window 'in a star shape' with his arms in the air.

Despite having been seen, he remained stood naked in the window for several minutes.

Speaking in court, the victim said she was ‘shocked, disgusted and frankly devastated’, adding that the offence affected her mental health in terms of giving her panic attacks.

Another previous conviction in March 2018 saw him video passers-by on two occasions while performing sex acts in the same window and waving to get the attention of women outside.

Before sentencing in December 2020, district judge Nicholas Sanders said: “Whatever your problem is, it has to stop.

“If you commit any other offences or fail to comply with the requirements, the starting point is that you will go to prison.”

This is exactly what magistrates decided to do, remarking that the offence was committed during the period of a suspended sentence and highlighting the defendant’s ‘appalling’ record of similar offences.

Barrett, of Mead Road in Padgate, was sentenced to 72 weeks in prison.

He is also the subject of sex offender notification requirements for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

This prohibits him from exposing his genitals and underwear in sight of public or masturbating in sight of anyone without their consent.

In addition, magistrates ordered that the defendant pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £187.