Latest Offenders Yorkshire

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Britton started offending in 2014 and was arrested in September 2022. There was a suppression order on his name until he pled guilty in September 2023.

Adam Robert Corden Britton (born c. 1970) is a British-born Australian crocodile expert and zoosadist who in September 2023 was charged with 60 offences relating to sexual abuse and torture of animals and possession of child abuse material. He has pled guilty to the charges. 

He had searched for dogs on the website Gumtree Australia, claiming to rehome them, and telling their former owners that they were thriving in his care, when in fact he had already sexually abused and killed them. He is known to have sexually abused 42 dogs, of which 39 died.

As of 25 September 2023, Britton faces 60 charges, which relate to using child abuse material as well as bestiality, to which he has pled guilty.

Sentencing was supposed to occur in December 2023, but was postponed to February 2024, and subsequently postponed again to May 2024. In May 2024, sentencing was postponed for a third time due to the presiding judge's scheduling conflicts for 11 July 2024. His sentencing was postponed once more until 8 August 2024. Britton was finally sentenced on 8 August 2024 to 10 years and five months in prison, with a non-parole period of six years. His sentence was backdated to his arrest in April 2022. He was also banned from purchasing animals and having them on his property. Judge Grant stated that his conduct "… involved a degree of depravity and reprehensibility which falls entirely outside any ordinary human conception and comprehension."

In a letter written from prison and read by his lawyer Britton stated he took "full responsibility for the demeaning crimes" acted upon the dogs. He also stated "I deeply regret the pain and trauma that I caused innocent families and consequently to my family, friends and members of the community affected."

"I let you all down. I'm truly sorry. I now acknowledge that I've been fighting a rare paraphilic disorder for much of my life. And that shame and fear prevented me from seeking the proper help I needed." Britton wrote that he would seek "long-term treatment."

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A prominent and "highly thought of" farmer from the Pocklington area has been branded "horrible" and "vile" after he repeatedly sexually assaulted a girl, causing her "repeated nightmares".

Peter Fletcher took advantage of the girl on a number of occasions but he later tried to pretend that the accusations against him were "total lies" and that they had been "made up" by people because they were out to "ruin" him.

He also targeted two other children for nasty cruelty that left them suffering serious long-term problems and feeling that he had stolen their childhoods from them, Hull Crown Court heard.

Fletcher, 57, of Seaton Ross, near Melbourne and west of Market Weighton, denied an offence of sexual assault but he was convicted by a jury on a majority verdict of 10 to two after a retrial. He was cleared of three other offences of sexual assault.

He was also convicted of six offences of child cruelty, involving two girls and a boy. The jury returned majority verdicts of 11 to one for those offences.

The girl said in a statement that she had been diagnosed with depression after her ordeal. "I wanted to die in my sleep," she said.

"I find it hard to communicate the pain that Mr Fletcher has inflicted. I find it hard to trust men in general." She had suffered "repeated nightmares".

Another girl, who was targeted for cruelty, said: "I remember being very scared of him. He was very unpredictable. I never knew what mood he was going to be in. I felt like I had no way out.

"We were petrified of him and the threats he made. I would describe Peter as a bully. I will never forget the trauma he has caused. He stole my childhood from me."

A boy who suffered cruelty from Fletcher condemned him as a "horrible man" and said: "I went off the rails. One of the things that I can't forgive Mr Fletcher for is that he stole my childhood.

"Still today, I struggle to sleep. He is a vile individual. I will never be able to forgive Mr Fletcher for the things he has done."

Paul Williams, mitigating, said that Fletcher was capable of being a different person. "He is not a danger to children generally," said Mr Williams.

Fletcher's health had declined and he would find a prison sentence that much harder. "Any sentence of custody will have a real impact," said Mr Williams. Fletcher had convictions for two previous offences, including assault.

Judge Mark Bury told Fletcher: "They have all struggled, all three of them, with their mental health. They find it difficult to let people in and they push people away.

"All three, I hope, will obtain some closure from today. They can hold their heads up knowing that they have come to court to tell complete strangers their story and they can have the comfort of the fact that those strangers have believed their story."

Judge Bury said that Fletcher had given evidence during his trial and he had claimed that the children were lying about him and that it was "all about money" as far as he was concerned.

At an earlier hearing in August, Judge Bury told Fletcher: "You have been convicted by the jury on what I regard as strong evidence. You are a working man who is highly thought of in the farming community in the Pocklington area."

During the trial, Fletcher spoke of his work as a farmer and agricultural contractor, making reference to "200 acres of land and 200-head of cattle". When he was asked by the prosecution whether he sexually assaulted the girl by repeatedly groping or slapping her bottom, he replied: "Certainly not" and "Not at all."

He claimed that the other incidents did not happen. "I wouldn't do it," he claimed. "They are just accusations." He claimed that those who had made allegations against him were just trying to "ruin" him and he denied any claims of cruelty to children. "No, it wouldn't happen," he claimed. "I suggest it didn't happen. It's made up. It just didn't happen. Total lies. Anybody can make lies up.

"It's to put me in prison. They are jealous of what I have done for myself. I keep my head down. I run my own business. They are out to ruin me."

He denied that people who knew or suspected what had been going on had previously called him a "paedo" at the time and he denied that anything sexual took place. He denied being sexually attracted to the girl and making sexualised comments to her, although he admitted that he thought she was a "nice girl".

Fletcher was jailed for six years and he was given a ten-year restraining order.

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A man who made covert explicit videos of teenage girls and women has been jailed for three years.

Luke Greenfield, 25, of Trinity Lane, Beverley, claimed the recordings were consensual, but was later charged with 18 counts of voyeurism.

He was also charged with three counts of having sex with a female under 16, two counts of making indecent images and two counts of taking indecent images.

Greenfield pleaded guilty to the charges shortly before his trial had been due to start.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and handed a five-year restraining order at Hull Crown Court on Thursday.

'Inexcusable crime'

Police launched an investigation last year after a woman reported that Greenfield had made an explicit video of them without her consent, and when she confronted him, "he’d threatened to publish it online".

Officers later found a camera and other electronic devices, along with more than 30 explicit videos of 27 girls and women on a mobile phone.

The victims had been filmed at Greenfield's home and place of work, Humberside Police said.

Officers identified two teenage girls and several of the women, who said they had no idea Greenfield had taken explicit videos of them.

Det Con Daniel Radford, who led the investigation, said: “It is without a doubt that Greenfield is a dangerous sexual offender who manipulated women and girls for his own predatory desires.

“Highly calculated, Greenfield lured the women and girls to his home and made false promises to them about future plans and endeavours, when really he had an ulterior motive.

“Whilst I am pleased he eventually admitted to his inexcusable crime, sparing the victims the upset of a trial, Greenfield showed no remorse for his unforgiveable actions throughout the entirety of the investigation."

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Two men have been sentenced as part of a long-running investigation into the sexual abuse and trafficking of girls in West Yorkshire.

Ebrahim Pandor was jailed for six years for trafficking a girl when she was aged 13.

Another man, Amjad Hussain, was jailed for 10 years in his absence for raping the same girl when she was 18. West Yorkshire Police said efforts to locate Hussain were continuing.

The sentences meant 28 men in total had been jailed as part of Operation Tourway, police said.

The operation has been investigating the sexual abuse and trafficking of eight females in north Kirklees between 1999 and 2012.

Pandor, 44, of Highdale Road and Hussain, 45, of Lee Street, Ravensthorpe were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court earlier.

Police said as part of the operation, jail terms totalling almost 400 years had been given out to the 28 men.

The force said during trials, jurors had "heard repeated stories about how vulnerable victims were targeted and groomed by their abusers who treated them almost as commodities".

Speaking about Hussain, Det Ch Insp Oliver Coates said: “Clearly it is a matter of regret that Hussain was sentenced in his absence today and inquiries do continue to locate this convicted sex offender.

“Officers have been working with partner agencies to locate him and are keeping an open mind as to his whereabouts."

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Simon Pritchett needed to go and 'get some fresh air' at the coast instead of sitting in his room looking at images involving child abuse, Hull Crown Court heard.

Pritchett, 46, of Withernsea, East Yorkshire admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and another of possessing extreme pornography, involving animals.

Ben Hammersley, prosecuting, said that police were alerted about images on the internet, including Snapchat, in February 2022 and they went to Pritchett's home. 

They seized his mobile phone, laptop and a computer and hard drive.

'All four were found to have illicit images in varying numbers,' said Mr Hammersley.

There were 157 images of children in the most serious Category A, 82 in Category B and 91 in Category C. There were also images of bestiality.

Pritchett originally denied distributing the images and he had been due to face a trial on August 27 but that charge was dropped. 

He claimed that he was sent images by a stranger but closed them and sent them back, telling the person on Snapchat to 'f*** off'.

He later denied knowledge of the indecent images and having a look at them and claimed that he had been sent links but that, when he realised that they involved children, he deleted them.

He admitted having an interest in bestiality.

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Pritchett pleaded guilty and he was willing to comply with a community order.

He had no previous convictions.

Judge Mark Bury told Pritchett: 'I suggest you get out more. 

'What you have been doing over an 18-month period is downloading and retaining indecent images of children and extreme pornography images.

'You have no history of contact sexual offending. There is no suggestion that you are a risk of it.

'You must understand that the seriousness of this offending is that each image that you have possession of represents an image of an abuse of a child. 

'Okay, you didn't take the photograph of the abuse and you, even less, were not the abuser but if there wasn't market for this sort of offending, then fewer children would be abused in the first place. That's why it's serious.'

Pritchett was prepared to admit that he had an interest in bestiality. 

'You need to stop doing that as well,' said Judge Bury. 

Pritchett lived in a coastal area and there were plenty of things that he could do to 'get some fresh air and meet people' rather than 'sit in your room and access images like this'.

Pritchett was given 30 days' rehabilitation and a five-year sexual harm prevention order. 

A deprivation order was made for his computer equipment.

'It's very important that you put behind you this offending,' said Judge Bury. 

'If there is any repetition of it, next time it won't be a community order, it will be a prison sentence.'

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A convicted UK paedo who served five years for his disgusting crime is currently touring Ireland in a camper van - and is heading for the west of Ireland.

The English man informed Garda in Ireland upon his arrival in the country that he would be travelling the country in a camper van for three months and is set to leave the east of the country with his intended next stops set to be around the Wild Atlantic Way including a possible stop in Galway.

56-year-old Neil Wood was sentenced in 2019 to five years in prison for engaging in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16. Wood, from Knaresborough, was also given a 15 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and was then also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely after his 3 June 2019 sentencing.

The convicted paedo landed in Ireland in June 2024, and, according to a source, informed Gardai in Bray of his intention to stay for three months in Ireland. Wood was also reported as travelling the south west of the Ireland, before heading to the west.

Wood is obliged to sign in with local Gardai at every location he visits, with Gardai furnished with details on the make, colour and registration of the camper van in which Neil Wood is travelling the country. Failure to register with Gardai as he travels will lead to his arrest. It's also known that Wood will be arrested should he make advances to young girls.

Speaking in June 2019 about the sentence handed to Wood, investigating officer Detective Constable Rebecca Prentice of Harrogate CID said: "Neil Wood has caused the victim and their family unimaginable distress and upset.

"The sentence handed to him reflects the seriousness of the offence he committed against an innocent child. I’m also pleased that the court saw fit to place him on the sex offenders register and impose a sexual harm prevention order on him, reflecting the severity of his offence."

"I would like to take this opportunity to also thank the victim for coming forward and showing incredible bravery throughout both the investigation and trial. I hope the result provides the victim and family with some sense of closure, allowing them to move on to more positive times.

"Finally I hope that this result reassures and provides confidence to anyone who may have been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward and report it to police.

"It doesn’t matter when the abuse happened, whether it’s happening now or occurred decades ago. Even if it is not possible to put an offender before the courts, it’s important that you are offered the support and advice that is available."

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A Calderdale warehouseman who preyed on a young girl has finally been jailed.

Martin Gorman, now 54, committed his crimes more than two decades ago, but he only pleaded guilty midway through his own evidence to a crown court jury at a second trial earlier this year. Gorman’s first trial had to be “aborted” in 2023 due to disclosure issues and Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday that the woman had to then undergo pre-trial cross examination procedures for a second time.

The second trial got underway in April, but Gorman, of Springfield Road, Elland, changed his pleas to guilty and finally admitted two offences of sexual intercourse with a child under 13. The woman - who says she is a survivor - was at court for Gorman’s sentence hearing and described in her powerful victim impact statements how she had fought to be heard for years and the abuse had left “a massive scar."

She said Gorman had taken her childhood from her and she needed to get justice. In a statement read by prosecutor Jayne Beckett the woman, who must not be identified, said she felt she had been heard for the first time in her life and hoped the sentencing would bring her closure.

She said she had been in a daze for the last four years and now wanted to heal and move on with her life. The court heard that Gorman had told a pre-sentence report author that he regretted his offending and was ashamed of his actions.

Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC sentenced Gorman to a total of 14 years and three months in jail and added an additional one-year licence period due to the nature of his crimes. He said the woman had described the abuse as “horrific” and she had lived with the consequences for many years.

The judge said the woman “plucked up the courage” to go to the police in 2020 and their investigation began. Recorder Iqbal said the psychology impact on her had been severe. Gorman will have to serve almost a decade behind bars being considered for release by the Parole Board and he will now have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Commenting after the sentencing, Detective Constable Jo Hamilton of Calderdale’s Child Protection Unit, who led the investigation for West Yorkshire Police, said: “This case just goes to show how important it is to report sexual offending to us, regardless of how much time has passed, as we will do all we can to get justice.

“It took immense courage for the survivor to come forward and report the terrible sexual abuse that she suffered as a child. She has shown great strength and bravery throughout this process, and I hope the sentencing helps her get some closure on the awful events of her childhood.

"I welcome the custodial sentence handed to Gorman today and hope it will give anyone who has been subjected to sexual offending the confidence to report it to us. We take all reports seriously and have dedicated specialist safeguarding teams who will be able to offer support throughout the investigation.”

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A serial sex offender has been jailed for 11-and-a-half years after he targeted two young girls during separate incidents of sexual abuse and caused them serious emotional damage.

James Staves let his "sexual interest" in children "overwhelm" him during the "grave" offences and the victims were caused "profound and long-lasting" pain and anguish, Hull Crown Court heard.

Staves, 66, formerly of Dalwood Close, Bransholme, Hull, but recently of Southwood Avenue, Cottingham, admitted raping a girl under 13 as well as two offences of sexually assaulting another girl under 13 and another offence of inciting her to engage in sexual activity.

Graham O'Sullivan, prosecuting, said that Staves sexually abused one of the girls and raped her after taking off her clothes and kissing her on her neck and face.

Staves left the second girl scared after he touched her intimately. He asked her: "Do you want me to stop, then?" and she replied: "Yes, I don't like it."

Staves tried to stop the girl reporting what had happened to her but she did so anyway. He was arrested but, during police interview, he made no comment to all questions.

David Godfrey, mitigating, said that there were "concerning aspects" in a pre-sentence report about Staves. "He did express to me genuine shame at what he had done and bitter regret at his actions," said Mr Godfrey.

They were "grave" offences because of the shattering effect of them and the pain caused. "With these sorts of offences, defendants do often chance their hand and have a trial," said Mr Godfrey.

"He fell on his sword quite late in the day but he wants to say sorry." Staves suffered from medical difficulties and he had problems with his mobility and heart. He suffered a stroke in 2019 and this had a significant effect on him.

"Custody is going to be extremely hard for him," said Mr Godfrey. "He hasn't been in that environment before. He acknowledges that he is the author of his downfall through his own actions.

"He knows that what he did was wrong. He is working through the process of that now. He is sorry." Staves had no previous convictions.

Judge Alexander Menary said that the rape had a "profound and long-lasting effect" on the victim and she had to cope with being wrongly accused of telling "horrific lies" against Staves.

There were "serious echoes" of what happened to her in the later offences against the second girl. "You let your sexual interest in children overwhelm you again," said Judge Menary.

The second girl was forced to pre-record evidence that would have been used in a scheduled trial. "That is to your shame," said Judge Menary. A trial was not, in the end, needed after Staves pleaded guilty.

"You are going to be a much older man by the time you are released," said Judge Menary.

Staves will be on extended licence of one year after his release from prison. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

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A RAPIST has been jailed for eight years at Bradford Crown Court.

Luke Fox, 37, of Mornington Road, Bingley, pleaded guilty on the third day of his trial to rape, strangulation, battery, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).

The court heard that Fox had previous convictions for violent conduct and harassment and had served time in prison, but Judge Nadim said: “You appear to have learned little from that experience.”

Judge Ahmed Nadim treated the rape as the lead offence, which was aggravated by the charges of strangulation, battery, and ABH, and sentenced Fox to a total of eight years in prison.

He told Fox, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, that the victim was scarred by his actions and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“You will serve two-thirds of the sentence that I have passed upon you in custody whereafter you will be released on licence,” he said.

Fox will be added to the sex offender’s register for life.

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A 39 year old man has been jailed for 18 years after he spiked a woman’s drink, dragged her to his hotel room and raped her.

Following a British Transport Police Investigation dubbed Operation Milkwort, Siyabonga Dunga, of Sweet Street, Holbeck, Leeds, was found guilty of committing an offence with the intention of committing a sexual offence, rape, kidnap and administering a substance with intent by a jury at Leeds Crown Court on Friday 19 April.

He was jailed for 18 years today, Thursday 13 June and must sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

The court heard how, in the early hours of Saturday 21 January 2023, Dunga gave the woman a drink at the Back Room Bar in Leeds and shortly afterwards she became disorientated and confused.

On the pretence of coming to her aid, Dunga helped the woman outside to get some air and in a bid to separate her from her friend, asked the friend to go back into the club telling her the woman had left her phone inside.

In fact, he had the woman’s phone in his pocket.

While the friend was inside looking for the phone Dunga took the woman, who could not walk unaided, back to a nearby hotel.

CCTV from the hotel shows the woman collapse and become unresponsive while Dunga dragged her back to his room where he carried out the rape.

Investigating officer DC Andy Jones said: “Dunga is a dangerous and calculating sexual predator who is thankfully now off the streets.

“By her own admission the woman has been left a shell of her former self. Her last memory is of being in the club and saying to her friend she wanted to go home before waking up in a hotel room with Dunga.

“I commend her bravery and strength throughout the investigation – she has supported us every step of the way despite struggling with the trauma which she still endures. She remained insistent that this should not happen to anyone else.

“The events of that night continue to haunt her and it is hoped that now Dunga is behind bars where he belongs it will help in some small way to her getting her life back.

“We take all reports of sexual offences seriously and I hope this sends a strong message to offenders that we will do everything in our power to ensure that justice is served.”

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Steven Kerley, 36, of Park View, Brierley, in Barnsley, has been sent to prison for a series of offences including sexual assault.

Officers responded to a report of a sexual assault of a 25-year-old woman in Barnsley on 2 May 2021.

An investigation was immediately launched, and a scene established at the location of the assault, attended by CSI. House to house and CCTV enquiries were also carried out.

In addition, officers put safeguarding measures in place to ensure the wellbeing of the victim.

Officers arrested Kerley on 5 May 2021, and he was bailed pending further enquiries. Kerley was charged with assault by penetration on 10 August 2022.

Kerley was convicted of sexual assault by penetration, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and engaging in coercive/controlling behaviour, at Sheffield Crown Court court on 24 April, and was found not guilty of six other counts.

He was handed an extended sentence of 21 years comprising of 18 years imprisonment and an extension period of 3 years at the same court on Friday 7 June.

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An online sexual predator who thought that he was exchanging messages with a young girl aged under 16 was later found with more than 1,600 indecent images of children on his phone.

Daniel O'Connell believed that he was chatting with a real girl when he became involved in sexualised conversations on Snapchat – but really it was an undercover police officer who was working covertly to identify possible sexual offenders. The haul of indecent images that was discovered included 466 in the most serious category, Hull Crown Court heard.

O'Connell, 26, of Hull Road, Withernsea, originally denied attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, for the purposes of sexual gratification, via online chat between March 28 and April 10, 2021 and three offences of making indecent images of children between January 1, 2019 and April 22, 2021.

The case had been adjourned on September 28 last year for a trial that was due to be held on May 7. Defence barrister Benjamin Donnell told the court at the original hearing that O'Connell denied the offences at that time because he claimed that the IP address that had been linked to his device had seemingly been "cloned" by someone else.

But at a resumed hearing on April 30, arranged ahead of the scheduled trial, the court was told that O'Connell was now pleading guilty to the charges and he was abandoning the cloning claims. He accepted the full prosecution case and he now did not want to take the case to trial.

The court heard that O'Connell was in communication with a decoy 12-year-old girl whose profile on Snapchat had been set up by undercover police in a bid to catch possible online sexual predators.

Messages were exchanged between the fake girl and O'Connell. He believed that he was chatting online with a real girl. The conversations became sexual and O'Connell asked the fake girl to send him a picture of her chest.

No suggestions of a meeting between them were made and nothing of that type was arranged. The conversations came to an end and O'Connell was later arrested.

Police found indecent images of children on his phone. They included 466 in the most serious Category A, 384 in Category B and 791 in Category C – a total of 1,641 images. The pictures were said to have been inaccessible because they had been deleted previously.

O'Connell, a carer, had no previous convictions. Mr Donnell was not asked to provide any mitigation after the judge indicated that he intended to impose a suspended prison sentence.

O'Connell was given credit of 15 per cent for his late pleas of guilty, which was less than he would have been given for early pleas. He lost some credit because the case had originally been listed for trial.

O'Connell was given a 66-week suspended prison sentence, 31 days of a sex offender treatment programme and 20 days' rehabilitation. He was given a six-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years. The images on the phone will be erased.

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A 70-year-old man who carried out an "appalling catalogue" of sexual abuse against boys over three decades has been jailed.

Keith Lockwood, of Park Lane in Keighley, was described as a serial child abuser by detectives.

His offending took place in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s across the Kirklees district.

Leeds Crown Court heard that Lockwood had committed sexual offences, including gross indecency with a child and indecent assault, against seven boys aged under 16.

He was jailed for 23 years after being found guilty of 23 non recent sexual offences committed over a 30-year period.

The pensioner is currently on the Sex Offenders register and will remain so for life.

DC Gilly Hodds, who investigated the case, said: "Lockwood was found guilty by a unanimous guilty verdict of an appalling catalogue of offending against victims who were young and vulnerable.

"He forced those victims to relive the dreadful offences he committed against them by putting them through the ordeal of a trial, and I am pleased for them that the jurors saw through his attempts to evade answering for what he has done."

She added: "Victims in this case demonstrated exceptional bravery in coming forward and supporting both the police and CPS in taking action against a man who has been a serial abuser of children whilst in a position of trust."

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A Cleckheaton man who sexually abused children over three decades has been jailed after being found guilty of more than 30 sexual offences.  

George Thorley (74) of Moorbottom in Cleckheaton was sentenced to 27 years at Leeds Crown Court on May 8 for committing 32 sexual offences, including rape, between the 1970s and 1990’s in locations across England.

The 74-year-old was described as posing a genuine danger to children by detectives who welcomed his conviction for offending in Durham, London and West Yorkshire.  

He was jailed for one offence of rape, multiple indecent assaults and other serious sexual offences and will also have to register on the sexual offences register for life.  

Leeds Crown Court heard that Thorley had committed offences against seven child victims, both boys and girls, with the first offence taking place in 1973 and the last occurring in 1995.  

The matters came to police attention after three of the victims, one each from West Yorkshire, London and Durham, came forward independently of each other to their respective police forces over a 12-month period, with the West Yorkshire report being made in 2021.  

These reports led to police enquires being launched in all three police force areas, resulting in seven victims being identified in total; two in West Yorkshire, four in the London area and one in Durham.  

Due to the suspect living in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire Police took primacy for the investigation.  

Thorley was arrested in March 2021 and eventually charged with multiple sexual offences in 2022.

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Former Next warehouse worker Barry Lester had no clue that the teenage profile was run by a hunter group, using the internet to catch out predators. The 31-year-old contacted the profile on the chat app, MeetMe in October 2021, before asking for her number so they could swap their conversation to WhatsApp, Leeds Crown Court heard.

She told him from the outset that she was just 14, but he turned the conversation sexual, asking if she knew “how sex worked” and talked about having sex in the bath. He sent her explicit pictures of himself and told her he wanted sex with her in a hotel room.

He told her he was sterile so did not need to use contraception, prosecutor Ashleigh Metcalfe said. Lester, of Whitmore Street, South Elmsall, arranged to meet her in Newcastle and on October 28, 2021, made the journey north. However, he was met by the hunter group at Newcastle Central Station. He was then arrested at that location. Lester gave a no-comment interview to police.

He later admitted a charge of facilitating a child sex offence, and a charge of breaching the sex offender register rules by failing to notify the authorities of a new bank card he had obtained. He has one previous conviction but for an unrelated matter.

Mitigating, Peter Malone said: “At the time he was at the lowest point ever. He was in a bad relationship. There was the issue of Covid and he was restricted to live with that person. It was the start of severe depression.

“It’s something that he deeply regrets. He is ashamed to have behaved in that manner. It’s quite clear it’s something that should not have happened.”

He said that Malone had been homeless for a spell, and had worked at the Next distribution centre in West Yorkshire, but was now working in a vape shop.

Judge Tahir Khan KC told Lester: “You travelled to Newcastle expecting to meet this girl. It’s clear to me that had it not been for the fact she did not exist, you intended to carry out a child sex offence.

“It’s so serious that only an immediate sentence of custody can be justified.”

He jailed Lester for two years, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use.