Latest Offenders Yorkshire

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A RYEDALE sex offender who had a vast hoard of more than 330,000 sexual images of children - and distributed some of them online - has been jailed.

Stephen George Garside’s collection of videos and pictures included some featuring children as young as two, said Brooke Morrison, prosecuting.

He had printed off some of the images off and made a photo album of them.

Garside had been downloading sexual images of children for 12 years by the time police put a stop to his crimes.

Officers arrested him at his place of work and searched his work locker and his home near Malton.

After pleading guilty to a series of online sex charges, Garside claimed to a probation officer that he was interested in adult pornography and never looked for sexual images of children online, York Crown Court heard.

But deputy circuit judge Deborah Sherwin dismissed that claim.

“It is clear to me you have held an interest in child pornography for many years,” she said. “This was sexually motivated by the need to satisfy your needs, you not having experienced a sexual relationship in your adult life.”

She jailed Garside for 18 months. She also put him on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) indefinitely.

The order will restrict his use of the internet and enable police to monitor what he does online.

Garside, 58, of Saxon Drive, Rillington, near Malton, pleaded guilty to six charges of making indecent images of children by downloading them, one of distributing a small number of images from the least serious category, one of having extreme pornography and one of having prohibited images of children.

He represented himself and when asked by the judge if he wanted to give any mitigation, declined.

Ms Morrison said police went to Garside’s home and place of work on July 7, 2020. They found him at work and searched him. They also searched his work locker and his home and seized a number of internet devices and related items.

Forensic checks revealed that between them, the seized devices and items contained 333,337 videos and pictures, all but 115 of them were of children. There were 373 videos of which all but one were of children. There were 94 sexual videos of children of the most serious category, 51 of the middle category and 219 of the least serious category. There were seven prohibited videos of children and one sexually extreme video.

There were 321 sexual pictures of children of the most serious category, 606 of the middle category and 332,237 of the least serious category, 114 sexually extreme pictures and 59 prohibited pictures of children.

The earliest material was dated 2008 and dates on other material showed he had continued to download material up until his arrest 12 years later.

On two occasions, he had used “torrent” software to distribute a very small number of the images of the least category online.

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A man has been jailed for a “humiliating and degrading” sex attack on a young woman at a property in Harrogate.

Andrew Reekie, 33, left the woman “haunted” and an emotional wreck following the “absolutely disgusting” assault, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Shaun Dodds said the victim tried to kick Reekie off her during the assault and told him to “get off”. She was crying afterwards and told a friend what had happened.

Reekie told her she “wouldn’t dare ring the police” but she plucked up the courage to do so.

Reekie, of Bramham Drive, Jennyfields, was brought in for questioning two months after the attack but refused to answer police questions.

He was charged with sexual assault but denied the offence, only to plead guilty on the day of trial in January. He appeared for sentence yesterday.

The court heard he had previous convictions for serious violence, public disorder, acquisitive crime, possessing an offensive weapon, robbery, criminal damage and breaching court orders.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that “life as I knew it came to an abrupt and sudden halt” following the sex attack. She added:

“I was paralysed (with fear) and completely helpless.”

She said she was “powerless” to stop Reekie and she had felt an inexplicable but “overwhelming shame” since the incident, adding:

“I felt completely alone and unable to trust anyone.

“The sound of his voice will (continue) to play in my head. It was like a knife in my guts.”

Nightmares and shame

She said that after the attack she “couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep or socialise”.

She had nightmares of other women being sexually assaulted and she was “more and more anxious that it was going to happen to somebody else”.

She said that even reporting the attack only “intensified the shame” and she developed serious mental-health problems.

It had affected her work and she had felt “traumatised” about the prospect of giving evidence in court.

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A man who raped and sexually assaulted a woman as she slept, immediately tried to cover his tracks by washing his clothing on his return home, a court heard.

Stephen Durward committed the offences on a woman in the early hours of a night in 2019, but, following the report of the crime soon afterwards, police traced him to his home address shortly after 3am.

Durham Crown Court was told the defendant was arrested for suspected rape and the officers asked for the clothing he had been wearing for forensic examination.

He told them they were in his bedroom, but those garments that were retrieved were neatly folded and appeared not to have been worn.

The court heard that Durward then conceded the clothes that he had most recently been wearing had just been washed.

He went on to be charged with offences of rape and sexual assault, which he denied, claiming both were consensual acts, but, following a trial at Teesside Crown Court, he was convicted of each of the offences by the jury, on January 12.

The 38-year-old defendant, of Sherwood Road, Thornaby, was remanded in custody to Durham Prison, from where he appeared by video link at todays (Tuesday February 14) sentencing hearing at the nearby crown court.

Defendant Stephen Durward, jailed for 90-months for rape and sexual assault

Rebecca Brown, for the prosecution, read the victims impact statement to the court, in which she said she felt, physically sick and disgusted at Durwards actions.

She said it resulted in her having recurring nightmares and it led her to having to take, significant time away from work, before leaving the job due to a breakdown.

In the statement she outlined: Not a day goes by without thinking about what happened.

She said that her anxiety reached the point where she took an overdose last year as she could not, see a way out, and she feels that the offences, changed my life.

Miss Brown asked the court to consider the imposition of a restraining order for the protection of the victim.

Stephen Littlewood, for Durward, presented a number of character references to the court on his behalf.

He told the hearing: It appears these offences were completely out of character for someone who has led a productive and kind-hearted way of life and who has been an otherwise productive member of society.

I think it can be considered as a one-off for Mr Durward.

He has touched many peoples lives in a positive way and there will be a loss to those in his close family of not having him around.

Mr Littlewood also spoke of the significant delay in the case reaching a conclusion through the courts, given that the offences date from July 2019, which was not the fault of the defendant.

Recorder Paul Reid, who presided over last months trial, agreed and said the delays were, a matter of great regret, affecting both defendants and complainants in such cases.

In the light of his conviction the Recorder said the defendants remarks to police and his actions in immediately washing his clothing were cynical, due to the nature of the investigation.

He said it was clear from the victim statement that Durwards actions on a vulnerable victim, given that she was asleep, have, shattered her life.

Recorder Reid added that despite the many positive sides to the defendants character that the court was told about, only an immediate lengthy sentence can be justified.

Imposing a 90-month (seven-and-a-half years) prison sentence for the principal offence of rape, with 50 months to run concurrently for the sexual assault, the Recorder also made Durward subject to both registration as a sex offender and a restraining order, prohibiting him from contacting or approaching his victim, both to run indefinitely.

Speaking after today's sentencing hearing, Detective Inspector Lou Sproson, from Stockton CID, said: This horrendous incident had a huge impact on the victim, who was raped and sexually assaulted by someone she had trusted.

"Thankfully, he is now behind bars for a significant length of time, where he cannot harm anyone else.

Anyone who reports that they have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse can expect to be treated with sensitivity and by specially trained officers, with support available to those wish to access it.

"We will carry out a thorough investigation and those who carry out appalling offences like these will be brought to justice.

Anyone who has been a victim of rape of sexual abuse is encouraged to report the incident to police, by calling 101.

Alternatively, victims can contact Teesside Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) for help and support, regardless of whether or not the offence has been reported to police.

SARC provides 24-hour crisis intervention and a range of options, working in partnership with local specialist services, such as Barnados, A Way Out and Arch.

It can also access support on behalf of victims.

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A ‘sexual predator’ who persistently abused a nine-year-old girl in her own bed has been jailed.

David Howie, 52, has been handed a six and a half year sentence today after he was found guilty at a trial of sexual assault on a child under 13, and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The court heard how the girl, who was aged between nine and 13 at the time, was ‘relieved’ when she could finally report the ’persistent’ abuse to her grandmother.

The incidents took place between the Blackburn and Scarborough areas, with some incidents taking place in the girl's bed.

Prosecutor Kristian Cavanagh said: “She felt relief at being able to tell her Grandma.

“She knew what was happening wasn’t right but she was scared and the years were tough.

“She has struggled to concentrate in school. The court proceedings were hard but she is glad she was believed by the jury.

“She is hopeful for the future.”

Mr Kavanagh said between 2016 and 2020, Howie slept in the girl's bed a number of times when he would touch her legs, bottom and vagina.

She once stayed at his home where he also touched her inappropriately.

Between 2018 and 2020, Howie and the girl would have video calls where he asked her to show him her pubic hair and asked her to perform provocative dances.

Howie also told her ‘not to tell her mum she had seen his willy’.

The girl's mother told police about how she could not believe the allegations her daughter was making and is upset Howie had 'stolen her daughter's innocence'.

Mitigating, Matthew Moore-Taylor said Howie had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and he would struggle to access the necessary treatment in hospital.

Mr Moore-Taylor added Howie also struggles with mental health issues and he has already lost a lot since the prosecution.

Mr Moore-Taylor said: “He has reached a terminus in his life.

“He is already suffering the consequences. He has lost what gave his life value. He had a family, a child.

“He lost his work, he lost his home and will lose his liberty.”

Judge Heather Lloyd said she did not believe Howie felt any remorse or insight into what he did.

She said: “You were well loved. You stayed in the girl's family home and in same bed as the girl.

“Unbeknownst to the risk of the family, you were a man who became a sexual predator.

“You took advantage of the opportunity you had to sexually abuse a girl in her own home.”

Howie, now of Bridlington, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was jailed for six years and six months in a hearing at Preston Crown Court.

DC Jo Billington, of Lancashire Police's East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences team (RASSO), said: “David Howie has taken advantage of this young girl to satisfy his own perverted sexual desires and by doing so has effectively stolen her innocence.

"I would like to commend her for having the courage to both come forward and disclose what happened to her and for going through the court process which has meant reliving her abuse.

“I hope this conviction and sentence will give others who may have suffered similar abuse the courage to speak up in the knowledge that we will believe them, we will investigate professionally and sensitively, and we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

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A teenage rapist has been jailed for seven and a half years for forcing himself on a girl in York.

Police have praised the girl for her “incredible courage” in coming forward and giving evidence against Brandon Hewlett.

York Crown Court heard the crimes happened some years ago when Hewlett was a teenager.

Hewlett, now aged 21, of Edinburgh Street, Goole, East Yorkshire, denied four charges of rape and an online sex offence. The jury convicted him of three of the rapes and the online offence.

They were unable to agree on the fourth rape charge and he was formally acquitted of it after the CPS decided not to retry him on it.

Recorder Tahir Khan read a personal statement from the girl in which she described the effect of Hewlett’s crimes on her.

He told Hewlett: “I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that there was psychological harm done to her as a result of what you did.”

He jailed Hewlett for seven and a half years.

Hewlett will be on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Had Hewlett been older at the time of the rapes, he would have been jailed for 10 years, said the judge.

DS Mike Hewitt, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “The victim in this case showed incredible courage to stand up to Hewlett, and with the support of her family and friends she was able to provide evidence against him.

“Her strength and bravery saw him convicted of the horrendous crimes he committed against her – and will also prevent others becoming victims of Hewlett’s depraved behaviour.”

Hewlett had no convictions before he was convicted at the end of his trial in November. He was then remanded in custody.

Julian Goode, for Hewlett, said he had found life behind bars hard and had been assaulted on two separate occasions.

“He is the author of his own demise,” said the defence barrister.

He handed in a document as part of his mitigation, the contents of which he did not make public and which was read by the judge.

The defence barrister said that since Hewlett had been remanded, the defendant’s partner had had problems.

She had health difficulties and Hewlett had been her help and looked after her.

Since November, she had found life looking after herself increasingly hard.

North Yorkshire Police said anyone who believed they had been raped or sexually assaulted could contact them online, by phone or in person.

If the person felt unable to talk to police, the force’s website has details of organisations to whom they could speak in confidence and get support, advice and medical help.

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Phillip Bargh served 14 years of his life sentence despite committing a string of sex offences.

A sexual predator released from jail 14 years into a life sentence for kidnapping a girl has been locked up again - for sexually assaulting a child.

Phillip Bargh attacked the 13-year-old girl in "broad daylight" in a skate park after prowling around looking for a "suitable victim" just three years after his release from prison.

When he was sentenced for life, Bargh, now 45, was branded a "very serious threat to the public, particularly young girls" by a judge.

The kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence, which occurred in 2005, saw Bargh tell the nine-year-old to remove her clothing at knifepoint. He eventually let her go.

For the latest offence in the skate park in Goole, Humberside, Bargh has been jailed for one year. However, because he has been returned to prison after breaching his life licence, it will be for the Parole Board to decide when he can be released. The public were "already protected" by this life licence, said Judge McKone. Bargh must register as a sex offender for 10 years, reports Hull Live.

Sentencing Bargh, Judge McKone said: "It was no coincidence that you were in that park on that warm summer evening, having driven there in your car. You were hanging around that park, knowing that there was a good chance that children would be there."

The sexual assault of the girl was "momentary" but it was against a child and he knew that she was a child. "You have been for many years and, in my view, you remain, a sexual predator who has a sexual interest in children and, in particular, sexual offending in public," said Judge McKone.

"Your behaviour has had an effect on her. She was very scared at the time, so scared that she went to somebody she didn't know and made a complaint so that you could be stopped.

"Three years after coming out of prison, you were beginning your journey to way more serious offending. You were committing offences that you thought you could get away with in broad daylight by touching the girl.

"I am satisfied that you planned what you were doing. You drove to the park. You waited for a suitable victim to come past and, when you saw that suitable victim, you assaulted her."

The defendant denied sexually assaulting the teenage girl on July 11 last year, but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

Hull Crown Court was told the girl and a female friend were walking through the skate park at about 5.30pm when Bargh went up to the 13-year-old and sexually assaulted her.

David Godfrey, prosecuting, said the girl and her friend were both "perplexed" and started to panic. They were seen by an 18-year-old woman, who asked them what was going on. They were upset and told her what had happened. The 18-year-old told her father, who confronted Bargh and asked him: "What were you doing?"

Bargh ran off to his car, but the police were called and the father followed Bargh's car in his van. Bargh's driving became erratic and he drove down a one-way street. The father parked his van to block Bargh in.

Bargh abandoned the car and ran off, but he was arrested that evening. He made no comment to all questions during interview. "He didn't provide any account as to what had gone on," said Mr Godfrey.

The incident was filmed on CCTV and it was "compelling evidence" against him. Bargh told police that he admitted it was him in the footage, but claimed that he did not touch the girl or, if he did, it was accidental.

"It's clear that this was much more than an accident, much more than a misunderstanding," said Mr Godfrey.

"The touching was sexual."

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A judge wants to know how dangerous a paedophile is before he sentences him for sexually assaulting a woman on her own in the countryside.

It is the second time Nathan McCracken has been convicted of such an attack. He also has a previous conviction for a sexual crime against a child.

In 2020, he was jailed for driving up to a 16-year-old girl walking on her own in the countryside in Ryedale, getting out of his car, grabbing her from behind and sexually assaulting her.

He had been on parole at the time having been released partway through a prison sentence passed in April 2019 for attempting to incite a child to commit sexual acts.

McCracken initially denied sexually assaulting the woman east of York and maintained his denials up to the day he was due to stand trial at York Crown Court But after she attended court to give evidence against him, he changed his plea.

McCracken, 29, of Commercial Street, Norton, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Simon Hickey to sexually assaulting the woman and two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) made in August 2020.

The same judge had made the order when sentencing McCracken for the sexual attack on the girl in an attempt to stop him committing more offences. It included a clause banning him from approaching any lone woman in public. McCracken admitted breaching the clause.

The judge said he remembered the details of the offences for which he had sentenced McCracken in 2020.

He ordered probation officers to prepare a report on McCracken.

"I want to know if the probation service has any view of whether he is dangerous," he said.

The judge told the sex offender. "I also want to hear from the young lady (the latest victim). No doubt it has had a great effect on her. People are entitled to go about in North Yorkshire and not be molested by people like you."

Prosecuting, Simon Reevell said the second breach of the SHPO related to a computer. The SHPO had a condition that every time McCracken obtained a device by which he could access the internet he had to tell police about it within three days. But he had not done so.

The computer was not used by the defendant before police got their hands on it and examined it.

McCracken was remanded in custody. He will return to York Crown Court on February 7 to learn his punishment.

McCracken faced a second charge of sexual assault which he had previously denied. Following discussions between his barrister Michael Forrest and Mr Reevell, the prosecution decided not to try him on it alone and it was left on file, meaning it will appear on his police record but is not a criminal conviction.

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A MAN has been jailed for seven years after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young child.

His offending was described as predatory. 

Steven Abbott, 45, from Scholes, Cleckheaton, was sentenced to seven years in prison and made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Leeds Crown Court today (Friday, December 16).

He was convicted of six sexual offences, including sexual assault and sexual touching.

The 45-year-old was found guilty by a jury in July this year.

Following his release from prison, he will be required to sign on the sexual offences register.

DC Alexis Stansfield, who led the investigation, welcomed the sentencing of Abbott for his "predatory sexual offences". 

She said: “He has put the young victim and her family through a dreadful ordeal, compounded by then denying his guilt to the very end and making them go through the added experience of a trial.

“We hope seeing justice being done will bring some comfort to the victim and her family.

“All reports of sexual offences are thoroughly investigated by specialist detectives and we continue to encourage victims to come forwards to allow us and partner agencies to provide support and seek justice for them.”

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A child sex offender has been jailed after pleading guilty to 14 offences committed against three child victims between 2001 and 2019.

Stuart Alexander, 56, was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in prison at Bradford Crown Court yesterday (Monday, December 12). He pleaded guilty to 14 non-recent indecent assault offences against three child victims.

Alexander, previously from Elland, was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). An investigation into the offences began back in August 2019 and was conducted by Calderdale child safeguarding detectives when a report was made relating to one of the child victims.

The investigation into the offences was led by DC Katy Wilson of the Calderdale District Safeguarding Unit, who praised the bravery of the victims. In an official statement released by West Yorkshire Police, DC Wilson said: "Stuart Alexander abused the trust of these children who were in no position to defend themselves in the most abhorrent way, and the sentence he received reflects the seriousness of his actions.

"I want to praise the bravery of his victims who wanted to see justice done and who have supported our prosecution throughout. I hope they can have some sense of closure from seeing Alexander answer for his crimes and receive a significant custodial sentence.

“We would encourage any victims of unreported sexual offences in Calderdale District, whether recent or historic, to contact the police. I can promise victims that all reports with be thoroughly and sensitively investigated by specially trained officers."

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A 50-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for two years and nine months for offering drugs and money to a teenage schoolboy in return for sexual activity.

Martin Brett was abusing cocaine and alcohol when he sent a series of messages to the child with the clear intention of abusing him, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Brett, of Rye Street, Keighley, made some attempt to dispose of evidence on his phone when the police were alerted by the concerned mother of another boy.

He made no comment when questioned by the police but went on to plead guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with the same boy.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett told the court that Brett began messaging the child on Facebook. At first it was just general chat but then the boy began to find some of the messages ‘weird.’ He had told the defendant his age and did not respond when he began asking him questions about his penis.

When the mother of a friend found out what was going on, the police were contacted.

Brett’s barrister, Abigail Langford, said the offences were some time ago and there was a long delay in bringing the case to court.

She said Brett had a degree of understanding and remorse. He had problems with his mental health and had been using alcohol and cocaine at the time.

There was no actual sexual contact with the boy and Brett had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

But Recorder David Gordon said it was clearly Brett’s intention to engage in sexual activity with the boy.

There was grooming behaviour and the offer of cannabis and money. Another aggravating feature was the disparity of age between Brett and the teenager. He had also made some attempt to dispose of evidence on his phone.

Recorder Gordon said the matter was reported to the police by the concerned mother who had heard what was going on. That had put a stop to things.

Although Brett had difficulties with depression and anxiety, the doctor’s report did not state that he was suffering from any psychiatric illness. He had abused cocaine and other substances in the past.

Brett was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he must sign on the sex offender register, also indefinitely.

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A paedophile who called himself Captain Filth has been spared prison after downloading over a thousand sickening images of children.

Andrew Wells, 59, from Harrogate, downloaded and viewed images of children as young as two years of age, York Crown Court heard.

Barrister Harry Crowson, for the prosecution, said police swooped on Wellss home on April 13 after receiving intelligence about illegal activities on his computer devices.

Wells, of Rutland Road, was at work at the time where he was subsequently arrested. He handed over his mobile phone to police who seized several more electronic devices from Wellss home including an iPad, desktop computer, a memory card and hard drive on which they found 1,413 indecent images of children.

Of those repugnant images, 173 were rated Category A the worst kind of such material.

Mr Crowson said Wells had been downloading the depraved material for at least five years, between August 2015 and 2020.

On the iPad, police found the KIK app on which Wells had communicated with other paedophiles. His username on the app was Captain Filth. The messenger app was linked to an email account entitled No Good Boy.

Police found multiple conversations Wells had had with others which involved fantasy of the most vivid sort which was too heinous to be articulated in court.

It appears that the KIK chats (involved) him and another egging one another on and gaining sexual satisfaction from their conversations, added Mr Crowson.

Wells told his equally depraved interlocutor that he had pictures he could share with him at another time.

When the other man told him he would like pictures of 16-year-olds, Wells told him that 16 (was) a bit old for me.

During the debauched online chats, Wells, who told the man he was living in the Netherlands, sent what appeared to be one single indecent image, accompanied by unprintable remarks about the child in question, but the prosecution said that many other images may have been deleted.

There were further chilling conversations with others on Skype in which Wells and his interlocutors appeared to come to a mutual agreement that they would delete the spicier photos.

Mr Crowson said there was an incalculable number of other images that were deleted and couldnt be recovered in the Skype chat logs as Wells and the others had tried to cover each others tracks.

Wells had used encrypted-chat and cleaning software, as well as two private-network apps, to hide or delete the depraved material.

The private-network apps hid the identity and location of the user visiting the illicit sites, hence Wellss claim that he was from Holland.

Tech-savvy Wells also used an app designed to hide user passwords on external hard drives, enabling the user to upload images and then lock them, so nobody (else) could gain access.

However, Mr Crowson said police had the technical tools to break through this lock.

Wells appeared for sentence on Thursday, December 8 after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of distributing an indecent image.

Defence barrister Sean Smith said Wells had spectacularly lost his good character but claimed his offending over the five years had been sporadic rather than persistent.

Since his arrest, he had completed a rehabilitation programme voluntarily and references from his employer spoke of how he was valued within the work community and the good he did for others in that business.

Judge Sean Morris said it would have been easy to sentence Wells with anger (and) emotion after reading the sickening online chats, but this had to be tempered with the fact that Wells had only been charged with distributing one indecent image.

He noted that, after having sunk to this, Wells had taken steps to address his deplorable behaviour and helped to care for his elderly mother, which meant he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence.

Wells was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence and placed on the sex-offenders register for 10 years.

He was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation-activity days. He was also made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order to curb his online activities.

Description

A convicted sex offender was caught deleting his internet history on his mobile phone within hours of getting it back from police.

Serial offender Ronald Harcourt was jailed in 2019 for more than two years after he was caught with a tablet computer hidden in a wash house.

He had been given an extended ten-year sentence in 2014 after it was revealed he was part of a worldwide ring exchanging child abuse images.

Harcourt, who shared indecent images with other paedophiles, had a collection of almost 4,000 images on his phone.

As a result of his latest offence, the 60-year-old, who was recalled on licence following his arrest, was sentenced to another eight months in prison.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said the defendant had deleted the browser history on his mobile phone shortly after getting it back.

Harcourt, of Raithwaite House, Helmsley Drive, Guisborough, pleaded guilty to breaching his sexual harm prevention order following his arrest on May 5 last year.

Simon Walker, mitigating, told the court that it could not be ascertained what he had deleted but reminded the judge of the short period of time his client had been in possession of his mobile phone.

Judge Jonathan Carroll said: “Having deleted your search history on the same day you received it back there was very little time for you to have committed any further offending.

“It still leaves the question what it was that you were so keen to erase.”

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Far-right extremist Simon Sheppard had previously denied the Holocaust happened.

A notorious far-right extremist who made sick jokes about Jews being exterminated during the "Holohoax" set himself up as an eccentric "mad scientist" in a cynical bid to entice girls into having sex for a so-called "sexperiment".

Simon Sheppard pretended to be a psychologist when he approached girls in Bridlington and gave them a card inviting them to take part in the bizarre bogus sexual experiment. The 65-year-old, who has strong links to Hull, has now been jailed for three years and nine months.

Sheppard, of Promenade, Bridlington, had been convicted by a jury on February 18 after a trial at Hull Crown Court of eight offences involving attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and inciting the sexual exploitation of children in Bridlington.

Recorder Tahir Khan KC told a sentencing hearing at Bradford Crown Court that a 21-year-old woman went with a friend to Bridlington on July 17 last year. Sheppard approached them, made conversation and asked them how they were and if they wanted to go on an adventure.

"You were claiming to be a scientist who had degrees and was conducting an experiment," said Recorder Khan. "You were saying you were accredited."

They declined the offer of going for a walk and having a drink. "He was holding himself out to be a psychologist," added Recorder Khan.

Three weeks later, on August 12 last year, two 15-year-old twin girls were at Bridlington pier when Sheppard approached them and handed them a card and encouraged them to go with him. "The girls were confused and thought that the invitation that you were extending was creepy and they began to leave," said Recorder Khan. "You got up and started to follow them. They ran and later told their mother what had happened."

On August 21 last year, two girls were at the fairground at Bridlington pier when Sheppard - "wearing a suit" - handed one of them a card, which she took. "You disappeared quickly from the direction you had come," said Recorder Khan. "You were encouraging these young girls to participate in a so-called experiment but they had the good sense not to."

On August 31 last year, Sheppard approached two 14-year-old girls who were sitting on a wall eating ice creams and "came very close to them" before handing them cards. He told them: "Just read it." The invitation was for them to have sex for £150. The police became involved and investigated Sheppard's activities.

"You persisted in claiming that you were a psychology expert and you weren't doing anything wrong," said Recorder Khan. "The police found no evidence that you were, or are, a psychologist, nor could they find any scientific publication connected to you on a website. You were passing yourself off as a scientist.

"You passed yourself off as a scientist and approached girls in the hope that they would participate in penetrative sexual activity in exchange for money. You blamed the victims for what happened."

Gareth Henderson-Moore, mitigating, said that there was no evidence that Sheppard had a specific interest in children and he has no previous convictions for sexual offences. "There were no images recovered from any device," said Mr Henderson-Moore.

"There have been no previous markers of any kind to indicate concerns about children and he says that he does not have any interest in children. He has been rather broad in the people that he has targeted in this enterprise and there are statements from adults also who were targeted in the same way.

"The offending has arisen as a result of his wilful disregard for the age of the persons he approached rather than a particular targeted interest in minors."

The offences were very unpleasant. Sheppard had vulnerabilities and had a marginalised childhood and adolescence. "He considers himself to something of a mad scientist and it is perhaps that which has led him into trouble on more than one occasion," said Mr Henderson-Moore.

"He has spent a considerable amount of time on remand. He was convicted in February and has waited in excess of nine months to know his fate. That has been nine months of anxiety. He continues to be vulnerable in a custodial environment and reports that he has difficulties with other prisoners."

In addition to his jail sentence, Sheppard was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for life.

History of racism and Holocaust denial

Sheppard had been jailed for nine months at York Crown Court in June 2018 after being convicted by a jury of using racially aggravated words to a Sky engineer. He had "barracked" the man while he was working on a satellite dish at a neighbour's flat in June 2017.

Sheppard, then living in Selby, was also given a five-year criminal behaviour order. He had told the court that he was not happy that a black man had been given a flat in his block of flats and denied intending the neighbour to overhear racist abuse. It had been claimed that Sheppard regularly used a racist word when he saw the neighbour.

In 2008, Sheppard claimed asylum in the United States under freedom of speech laws after failing to turn up at court towards the end of a seven-week trial at Leeds Crown Court, where he was accused of publishing racially aggravated material. He was convicted in his absence of a series of charges relating to possessing, publishing and distributing racially inflammatory material.

He failed in his asylum application and was deported back to this country after being detained at a Los Angeles airport. He was later jailed for four years and 10 months but the sentence was eventually cut by a year after an appeal.

The material was anti-Semitic and racist, with what police described as "despicable references to the Holocaust". Police said at the time: "You have to remember that there are people in our community who lived through the Holocaust. They don't deserve to have their experiences treated in this way."

Sheppard claimed that he was not breaking the law because he used an internet server that was based in the United States, but a judge ruled that the prosecution could go ahead. Sheppard claimed that he was being persecuted because of his right-wing views.

The police investigation began after a complaint in 2004 about a leaflet called "Tales of the Holohoax", which had been pushed through the door of a synagogue in Blackpool. It was traced back to a post office box in Hull registered to Sheppard. One leaflet found by police suggested that the Auschwitz concentration camp was a holiday camp provided by the Nazis and that Jews from all over Europe went there to enjoy a free holiday.

In 2000, a trial at Hull Crown Court was told that Sheppard, then aged 43 and living in Westbourne Avenue, west Hull, had claimed that there was "nothing wrong with being racist". He had been found with election leaflets parodying the deaths of the Jews in the Holocaust.

The police were called in after complaints from members of the public. He declined to offer pleas and not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.

Sheppard and a youth delivered the two-sided leaflets to homes in the Avenues area of Hull ahead of the European elections. There was reference to the "country being spoiled by millions of immigrants from the Third World" and he suggested that white people, black people, Asian people and Jewish people should be segregated by "selective breeding".

Sheppard had been found with 153 leaflets. The youth had another 248. The prosecution told the court: "He told the police there was nothing wrong with being racist and he was campaigning on behalf of the British National Party."

He was convicted by the jury of publishing and possessing threatening, abusive or insulting leaflets.

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John Forsyth from Heckmondwike was sentenced to 26 years at Leeds Crown Court today (Nov 24), for six sexual offences, including rape, committed against two young boys between 2005 and 2006.

The 53-year-old, who was already a registered sex offender, was jailed for two offences of raping a child under 13, two offences of sexual activity with a child under 13, attempted rape and sexual assault.

The offences were committed against two victims in West Yorkshire.

They came to light in early 2020 when both victims separately approached police over a two month period to advise of the abuse they had suffered.

A full investigation was launched by the Kirklees Child Safeguarding Unit, resulting in Forsyth later being arrested and charged.

Forsyth was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court on Monday, September 26, following a trial and will have to serve two thirds of his sentence before he can apply for parole.

DC Amy Green, of Kirklees Police, who led the investigation, said: “John Forsyth clearly poses a significant danger to young children and we welcome the strong sentence handed down by the court today.

“The appalling offences he committed against his then young victims has affected them both deeply throughout their lives and starkly illustrates the dreadful impact this awful offending has.

“Both myself and prosecution barrister Kitty Colley would personally like to thank them both for reporting this. It has taken a lot of courage to disclose such horrific abuse, and we recognise that men can find it very difficult to report being victims of offences of this nature.

“At times it was uncomfortable for them, particularly given a lengthy court process affected by Covid-19, and they both just wanted justice and closure. We have that now."

She added: “Forsyth’s conviction, and that of other sex offenders for non-recent crimes, again illustrates that the passage of time is no barrier to justice.

“We continue to urge all victims of unreported sexual assault to come forwards, no matter when the offending took place. We will always listen and do all we can to investigate, provide support, and seek justice for you.”

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He is an East Yorkshire farmer who presented himself as a charitable fundraiser who made regular trips to Nepal to help impoverished communities.

A pillar of his community, Ian Banks raised thousands of pounds to help build a hospital in the Himalayas and regularly took gifts from locals, including on one trip 100 knitted teddies, for Nepalese children.

But this week Banks has been exposed as a sex offender who used his connections in Nepal to become involved in child sexual exploitation. At Hull Crown Court, he admitted charges connected to the sexual abuse of children.

The court heard Banks had initially been arrested in 2019 and it was suspected at the time that he had been involved in "significantly more serious" matters, but these were not pursued against him.

But on the day he was due to face trial on lesser charges this week, Banks admitted sexual abuse charges relating to his activities in Nepal. One of the charges involved the abuse of babies and toddlers.

Although he was not involved in the actual sexual abuse of "incredibly small children" by his activities, he was still helping to fuel the sick trade, the court heard.

Retired farmer Banks, of Dunnington, near Driffield, also admitted attempting to cause or incite the sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old boy in May 2014 by asking him to be involved in pornography through sending an indecent image of his body.

He also admitted two offences of making an indecent image of a child, one in the most serious Category A and the other in Category C, on March 5, 2019. Banks had pleaded guilty on the day of a scheduled trial before magistrates.

James Holding, prosecuting, said that Banks had regularly visited Nepal and had a number of Nepalese business cards. He was arrested at his home on March 5, 2019 and his phone was searched. He was taken into police custody but made no comment.

Chat logs were found on Facebook in which he had asked for naked pictures to be sent to him. He had said that it would be "totally their secret". He was sent a Category A image.

There was a further chat and a Category C image was sent. The activities of Banks had caused the sexual exploitation of a child, said Mr Holding. Pictures of children aged one, two and three years old were involved but Banks seemed to think that they were, in his word, "funny".

Ian Phillip, mitigating, said that Banks was arrested in 2019 and it was suspected at the time that he had been involved in other "significantly more serious" matters, but these were not pursued against him.

The images were recovered from numerous chat logs. "It was not suggested that he had been seeking out these images online," said Mr Phillip. "Nevertheless, he was sent them. They are at the less serious end of the scale of offences that appear at this court."

Banks had been on bail for 13 months, with a curfew. He was of previous good character and had been assessed as being at a low risk of re-offending. "There is no suggestion that, since his arrest in 2019, there have been any concerns whatever," said Mr Phillip.

Judge Sophie McKone told Banks: "These are very young children but they are not contact offences."

A 17-year-old boy was involved in the attempted sexual exploitation offence and "incredibly small children" were featured in the indecent images offences.

"I accept that you didn't ask for these images but you kept them," said Judge McKone. "You asked for indecent photos of somebody who was 17 and that's illegal. That person was a child and that should not have happened.

"The courts do take very seriously the possession of indecent images of children. There may be only three images but the children are real children and they are actually being abused. Although you have not touched a child yourself, you do contribute to the abuse of children in some way by retaining those images."

Judge McKone said there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in his case. Banks was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence, 30 days' rehabilitation and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years. A computer will be forfeited.