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Record details

A former Worcester councillor has been sentenced to nine years after being found guilty of rape and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm on Thursday (5 November).

Shawaz Ditta, 31, of Bath Road, Worcester was dealt with at Worcester Crown Court for the offences that took place in 2022.

Ditta's survivor reported his offending to police in early 2023 and an investigation was launched by West Mercia Police's Protecting People Unit (PPU).

The woman told officers how he had assaulted her several times by throwing metal tongs at her head and by burning a knife on the hob and pressing it against her leg. She reported to us that he had raped her too.

HHJ Andrew Lockhart sentenced Ditta (pictured) to nine years for rape on Thursday. Concurrent sentences of two years and six months were imposed respectively for the two assaults, making it a total sentence of nine years.

A 10-year restraining order was also granted to protect the victim, he was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £288.

Charges of controlling and coercive behaviour, along with a further offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, were ordered to lie on file.

Detective Constable Lydia Burrows of West Mercia Police's PPU South said:

"Ditta is a violent sexual predator who belongs behind bars.

"His conviction will hopefully give his survivor some closure and the opportunity to move forward with her life now.

"Ditta was formerly a city councillor, so this result shows that nobody is above the law, regardless of status in society.

"We would like to commend the survivor for having the courage to come forward and report this to police and hope it will encourage others to do the same.

"We will always take you seriously and treat you with empathy and respect as we seek to get justice against the perpetrators of such awful offences."

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A child sexual abuser from Worcester has been sentenced to four years in prison for non-recent offences.

Liam Bunton, 35, of Ransom Avenue, Worcester, was convicted of two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a teenage girl when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Friday (21 August).

Bunton (pictured) was sentenced to four years in prison for each offence to run concurrently, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £170, ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register indefinitely, and handed a restraining order against his victim until 2038.

Bunton’s offences occurred in the past decade and began when he started contacting his victim via Snapchat.

The offences were reported to West Mercia Police last year and an investigation was started by officers.

When interviewed, Bunton have ‘no comment’ responses but he was charged in December and sentenced at court on Friday.

Detective Sergeant Callum Godwin, of Reactive CID, said:

“We are pleased to get a custodial term for Bunton who preyed on an underage girl, after initially contacting her on Snapchat.

“We hope this result shows predators like him will be brought to justice for their offences, even if they are non-recent ones.

“We also hope this court result will encourage others to come forward and report sexual offences, not matter when they occurred.

“We will always listen to you, take you seriously and take action where appropriate.”

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A paedophile who contacted a teenage girl on Snapchat asking for sexual pictures of her was sent to prison for three years and eight months at Worcester Crown Court on Monday (27 July).

Jude Maruska, 23, of Lingmell Court, Worcester, was already subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for similar offences which he breached several times to contact his victim.

Maruska was convicted of two counts of breaching an SHPO for which he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for each to run concurrently and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228, and one count of causing/inciting a girl 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity (non-penetration) for which he was sentenced to six months in prison consecutively. His mobile phone was also confiscated.

He was already subject to an SHPO which was issued to him in August 2024 when he was given a suspended sentence after also being found guilty of requesting indecent images from children on social media.

For breaching the SHPO his suspended sentence was activated, adding another 18 months consecutively to his term and bringing the total to 44 months imprisonment (three years and eight months).

The terms of the order meant Maruska was prohibited from using any application that does not retain its usage or history on his phone. However, officers from West Mercia Police’s Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) found he had used Snapchat and it had been installed on his phone, during a routine visit last month.

They analysed the content and discovered he had been offending again between May and June by contacting a teenage girl on Snapchat and asking her to send him sexual images.

On Monday 22 June, detectives from South Worcestershire CID charged him with the offences, and Maruska admitted them, adding there was a second girl he also contacted.

Detective Inspector Colin Berry from the MOSOVO team said:

“We are pleased to get a custodial sentence for Maruska who continued to offend, breaching the terms of his SHPO and despite being on suspended sentence.

“We hope this result shows our work to manage offenders is effective in monitoring their behaviour and that we will not hesitate in bringing them back before the courts to face justice if they do re-offend.”

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A child rapist from Worcester has been sentenced to a total of 22 years and three months in prison at Worcester Crown Court today (Friday 17 July).

Philip Lakey, 63, of Ombersley Road, Worcester pleaded not guilty at his original hearing but was found guilty at trial by jury at the same court on Wednesday 15 April of multiple sexual offences against one victim.

He was further ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life, will be subject to a 25 year sexual harm prevention order and received a restraining order to protect the victim.

Today he was sentenced for the following offences which took place between 2019 and 2022:

• Four counts of rape of a child under 13 years
• Two counts of assault a child under 13 by touching
• Four counts of penetrative sexual activity with a child
• Two counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a child

Detective Constable Philippa Stevens, who investigated the case, said:

“We are pleased to get this long sentence for Lakey whose disgusting actions have had a terrible impact upon his victim.

“We hope this will feel like some sense of some justice for the victim, and I would like to thank them for trusting the judicial process.

“We also hope this court result will encourage other victims of rape or sexual assault or those who know of such crimes to come forward and speak to us so we can attempt to bring their attackers to justice too.

“We will always listen to you and act where appropriate to bring predators like Lakey before the courts with the aim of securing justice and long custodial sentences as in this case.”

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A sex offender pounced on a female receptionist and winked at her as he walked away after the attack, a court heard.

Adam Malinski, 48, of Lear Close, Worcester, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman following a trial.

At his sentencing at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Monday (September 22), prosecutor Liz Blacklock said the incident occurred in November last year.

The court heard the victim—who cannot be named for legal reasons—opened the office door for Malinski, who entered, sat down, and stared at her.

Reading the victim's statement, Ms. Blacklock said: "He started asking me questions. What are you doing after work?

"I told him I was going Christmas shopping with my boyfriend."

The woman then opened the door for him to leave, but Malinski lingered in the doorway, acted as if trying to kiss her, touched her arms, and groped her.

"This contact was very much unwanted," the victim said in her statement. "It was about 15 seconds but it felt like a lifetime."

Malinski then winked and waved as he departed.

Sam Lamsdale, defending, said her client could not remember the incident but was sorry, noting: "At the time of the offence he was drinking very heavily.

"He did complete an alcohol treatment programme and he has significantly reduced his alcohol abuse."

Malinski received an 18-month community order including 30 rehabilitation activity days. He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the victim, £620 costs, and a £114 victim surcharge.

Bench chairman Brent Robinson told Malinski he would be placed on the sex offenders' register.

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A child rapist from Worcester has been handed an 18-year sentence at court for a series of serious sexual offences against children.

Paul Davies, 45, was convicted at Worcester Crown Court on Friday 8 August of two counts of rape of a girl, two counts of assault a girl by penetration.

Davies was sentenced to 18 years for one count of rape and 18 for the other, to run concurrently.

He was handed a further term of 15 years for each of the sexual assault convictions, also to run concurrently.

Davies was further ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely, handed a restraining order against contacting his victim and pay a victim surcharge of £120.

Three further charges of making an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child were ordered to lie on file.

DC Harriet Adams-Evans, of the Protecting Vulnerable People team, said:

“We are pleased to get this long sentence for Davies whose disgusting actions have had an awful impact upon his victim.

“This has brought some justice for the victim, and I would like to thank her trusting the judicial process.

“We hope this court result will encourage other victims of rape or sexual assault or those who know of such crimes to come forward and speak to us so we can attempt to bring their attackers to justice too.

“We will always listen to you and act where appropriate to bring predators like Davies before the courts with the aim of securing justice and long custodial sentences as in this case.”

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A paedophile from Worcester has been sentenced at court today (Thursday 22 May) to 14 years for non-recent sexual abuse of girls under 13.

Anthony Blewitt, 65, of Selborne Road, Worcester, (pictured) was found guilty on Wednesday by a jury for nine counts of child sexual abuse between 2002 and 2015.

Today at Worcester Crown Court, Blewitt, was handed the 14-year term, of which me must serve at least two thirds and was ordered to register as a sex offender for an indefinite period.

He was convicted of the following: -

• Assault of a child under 13 by penetration – a sentence of 14 years.
• Sexual assault of a child under 13 - five years.
• Causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity – eight years.
• Three counts of indecency with a child - eight years.
• Three counts of indecent assault – eight years.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

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Ian Cockbill, aged 59, of Wichenford, Worcester appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday (22 January) after pleading guilty to publishing an obscene article and making an indecent photograph or pseudo/photograph of a child.

Cockbill has been placed on the sex offenders register, and has been handed a sexual harm prevention order, both for 10 years.

Cockbill was arrested in December 2023, following a investigation by West Mercia Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET). A category B indecent image of a child was found on his phone, along with evidence of a conversation in which he discussed his intention to commit a sexual act on a five-year-old child. The offences took place in April and June 2023.

Detective Constable Giuseppe Saladino from OCSET said “This was a sickening case, where Cockbill demonstrated a desire to sexually abuse and harm a very young child.

“Offenders like Cockbill have no place in our communities and we will continue to root out those intent on causing harm, and bring them to justice before the courts”

Record details

Richard Leighfield, aged 53 of Home Meadow, Worcester was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court today. (23 January)

In December, he pleaded guilty to attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life and has been handed a sexual harm prevention order.

Leighfield was arrested in August 2024, after he instigated sexual conversations with an online child profile purporting to be a 13 year old girl.  During these conversations, which took place between 30th July and 20th August, he gave instructions to the ‘girl’ to carry out sexual acts on herself and encouraged her to watch and engage in a sexual act.

At the time of his arrest indecent images, which he had made, were found hidden on his phone. These include one Category A - the highest category, eight Category B and ten Category C photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

Detective Constable Giuseppe Saladino from West Mercia Police’s Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team (OCSET) said “Leighfield demonstrated predatory behaviour towards children and was responsible for making horrific images.

"Fortunately his behaviour was intercepted by an online child profile, but this is no way lessens the seriousness of his offences.

"We will continue to work diligently to protect children and young people from harm, by bringing predators like Leighfield to justice.”

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A man who admitted raping a 10-year-old child after grooming her into believing they were in a legitimate relationship has been jailed for six years.

Ryan Sutton, aged 24, met the girl on the messaging app Snapchat in March 2023, sharing messages and images.

Their contact then moved onto texting, phone calls and FaceTime video chats, leading the girl to believe Sutton was her boyfriend and was in love with her.

On April 23, 2023, Sutton travelled from his home in Worcestershire to meet the girl in Finedon.

They were later found together in woodland, prompting Sutton to run off. He was later arrested while trying to leave the area by car.

An investigation was launched by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) at Northamptonshire Police, amid concerns that Sutton had had sexual contact with the girl.

Condoms had been found in his bag at the time of his arrest, but the victim had not indicated any sexual abuse – it would take almost three months for her to bravely reveal to officers that Sutton had in fact raped and sexually assaulted her, disclosures which were backed up by forensic evidence.

Sutton went on to be charged with rape of a girl under 13, assault of a girl under 13 by touching, assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and being an adult meeting a girl under 16 following grooming.

On February 22, 2024, Sutton, of Astwood Road, Worcester, entered guilty pleas to the charges at court.

On Thursday, December 19, he appeared at Northampton Crown Court for sentencing, where he was jailed for six years, with a further year to be served on extended licence.

Sutton was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

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A CONVICTED sex offender has been in court for twice breaking the terms of a court order but cannot complete unpaid work as a punishment because of a health condition.

Raimundo Soares Pinto, 47, of Brewery Walk in Worcester admitted breaching a sexual offences prevention order at a previous hearing.

He appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Friday (July 5) for breaching the order, made on February 2, 2022.

He admitted breaching the SOPO  in Worcester on October 24 last year, entering the guilty plea on March 14.

By entering a guilty plea, he accepted that 'without reasonable excuse' he downloaded a VPN called Fox Speed to his mobile phone which he was prohibited from doing by a sexual offences prevention order.

He also admitted, on the same date, that he without reasonable excuse, did something, namely downloaded a VPN called Opera Browser to his Lenovo laptop, which he was were prohibited from doing by a sexual offences prevention order made on February 14, 2022.

Pinto was handed a community order which will run until July 4, 2026. As part of the order he must complete rehabilitation activity for up to a maximum of 40 days.

He was deemed 'unsuitable for unpaid work' due to health issues.

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A serial abuser has been jailed for nine years for serious sexual offences committed in Perthshire.

Clifford Hodgkins, 42, abused a woman over the course of 19 months between September 2020 and January 2022 at locations in Blairgowrie.

He was convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this year of rape, physical and sexual assaults and abusive behaviour, including brandishing a screwdriver at his victim.

He was sentenced to nine years in prison with a further three years' supervision and placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

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A Worcester man has today (10 October 2023) been sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder and sexual assault.

Anthony Roberts, 56, of Amber Heights in Worcester was handed the sentence this afternoon at Worcester Crown Court.

He will serve a minimum term of 19 years and 3 months.

During the early hours of Sunday 7 May 2023 Roberts sexually assaulted a 71-year-old woman on Kleve Walk in Worcester, before stabbing her multiple times and leaving her for dead on the riverside path.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Lougher said: “This was an incredibly violent attack on an innocent woman, which shocked the local community to the core.

“Thankfully, the victim survived but her road to mental and physical recovery will be a long one.  The outcome could have been very different.

“I’d like to commend her on the courage she has shown in helping us to bring her attacker to justice. 

“I have no doubt that the mental impact of this attack will haunt the victim for the rest of her life, but I hope that today’s sentence will allow her to begin to move forwards.

“I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank the team involved in bringing Roberts to justice. He was located and arrested extremely quickly and charged within 24 hours of the attack. 

“I hope this case shows that we take violence incredibly seriously and won’t hesitate to take action against perpetrators.”

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A Worcester man has been jailed after he was found guilty of sexual offences against children.

Michal Friga, aged 42, of Wylds Lane, committed the offences between March 2020 and March 2021 and was convicted in August by a jury at Worcester Crown Court.

Yesterday (Wednesday 30 August) he was sentenced to nine years.

His conviction follows a complex investigation run by acting Detective Sergeant Gemma Leighton from South Worcestershire’s Protecting Vulnerable People department.

Friga was jailed for one count of sexual assault by penetration for which he received seven years custody and two further counts of sexual assault by touching for which he received a further two years custody.

He will also be required to sign the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and has been made subject of a sexual harm prevention order, also in place for an indefinite period.

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A PERVERT who possessed more than 200,000 indecent images of children was relieved to walk free from Worcester Crown Court. 

Alan Ford, of Sunnyside Road, Worcester, had arrived at Worcester Crown Court knowing there was a risk he would go to prison. 

Ford had previously admitted three counts of making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child; one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child and a further count of possession of an extreme pornographic image which portrayed a person performing a sexual act with a dog.

At his sentencing prosecutor Amrisha Parathalingam reminded the court of the 65-year-old's offending which took place between April 12, 2004, and April 8, 2021. 

Police found 792 still and 202 moving category A indecent images of children - the highest level identified within the sentencing guidelines.

Ford also downloaded 1,827 still and 123 moving category B images and 211,748 still and 1,592 moving category C images.

Ford's advocate, at an earlier hearing, had argued some of the images would have been duplicates so the actual number would be fewer, offering that as part of the basis of his guilty plea.

Sentencing him Recorder John Benson KC told Ford he would be jailed for a year but suspended it for two years. 

Ford was told he would have to complete 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days, which will be used to address his offending. 

Ford was also told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. 

The judge warned Ford if he committed another crime in the next two years, or breached his suspended sentence conditions, the jail sentence would likely be activated. 

The defendant was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to prevent further offending. 

And Ford was also ordered to pay court costs of £455 and victim surcharge. 

Mark Thompson defended Ford during the hearing on Friday afternoon, (June 2).