Latest Offenders Yorkshire

Description

Two men who conspired to groom and sexually abuse a child in Kirklees have been jailed for offences described as depraved by detectives.

Jeremy Mason (39) from Manchester and Owen Daley (22) from Oxford were branded a danger to children following their sentencing at Leeds Crown Court today (August 19).

Kirklees District child protection officers welcome the sentencing of the two men who pleaded guilty to offending including an attempt by Mason to meet and sexually abuse the male victim while sharing the footage with Daley.

Mason was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to 14 offences including causing/inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child.

Daley was sentenced to six years after pleading guilty to 12 offences including causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child. 

Both were given lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and will have to sign on the sex offenders register for life.

Their offending came to police attention in late December after officers were contacted by a friend of the victim on the night he was supposed to meet Mason at an Air BNB in Huddersfield.

The victim failed to attend however and was located in the town centre by the friend who made the report.

Officers from the Kirklees Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) began to investigate and traced back online and phone communications from the two men to the victim

Mason was identified, traced, located and arrested within 24 hours while Daley was located within a month following telecommunication enquires.

As investigations progressed officers uncovered that the victim has first been contacted by a currently unidentified man who had passed the victim’s details on to Owen and Daley

They then recovered months of contact between the victim and the two men in which they sent him sexual imagery and had made preparations for Mason to meet and sexually assault him.

DS Ben Howley of the Kirklees POLIT team, who led the investigation said: “We welcome the sentences given to Mason and Daley for offences and further planned offending which can frankly be described as depraved.
“It is pure good fortune that Mason did not come into contact with the young victim on the night he arranged a meeting.
“The victim continues to receive specialist safeguarding care and I wish to pay tribute to him and his family for supporting the prosecution.  
“Their courage has helped us and CPS colleagues put these men, who pose an absolute danger to children, behind bars.”

Description

A former Harrogate headteacher has been found guilty of making indecent images of children.

Matthew Shillito, 42, pleaded not guilty to making 20 Category B images and 3,829 Category C images between December 3, 2012 and December 31, 2015.

Shillito was appointed headteacher of Western Primary School in 2019.

He was previously headteacher across the Goldsborough Sicklinghall Federation of schools.

None of the offences related to his employment.

Shillito appeared before York Magistrates Court this morning, where District Judge Adrian Lower found him guilty on both charges.

He said the evidence showed Shillito had a corrosive, addictive interest in child pornography.

During the case, making was defined as knowingly accessing a site that contained an indecent image.

The court was told that there was no evidence that Mr Shillito downloaded the material onto his laptop.

The prosecution opened proceedings at Harrogate Magistrates Court last month and said the indecent images were found on the cache in Shillitos computer, which could have only have got there had he accessed sites with those images.

Philip Morris, prosecuting, said there were indicative terms found on Shillitos laptop which showed intent to access the images.

Police arrested Shillito and seized two computers at his address on January 4, 2020.

Officers recovered a Dell laptop and a MacBook Pro, which contained a back up from an iPad mini which was not found.

Giving evidence to the court last month, Zoe Warboys, a digital forensic investigation officer at North Yorkshire Police, said that while the defendant may not have been aware of the cache, he could have only got them by accessing the material.

A Russian website named in court was frequently accessed on the Dell laptop, which Ms Warboys told the court was a site which contained indecent images of children.

The site is public and allows users to upload albums of images which others can view.

The court heard how the site was frequently visited on February 26, 2011.

Mr Morris told the court that Shillito visited some of the pages which were indicative of possibly including indecent images 30 times.

Shillito repeatedly denied both charges throughout the case.

This morning, District Judge Lower adjourned sentencing Shillito until September 7. He bailed Shillito but warned him all sentencing options would be considered including jail.

Description

A paedophile piano teacher was found with tens of thousands of pictures and videos of child sexual abuse, including horrific videos that he had captured of his own students. Ben Thomas, 30, taught piano lessons to children as young as eight and captured "upskirting" videos of the youngsters during lessons.

His horrifying crimes were discovered when the mum of his eight-year-old student found "innapropriate" messages between her child and Thomas, who had asked the child to send him videos of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also asked the eight-year-old to dance naked for him.

Thomas, of Westbourne Grove, Hessle, has been jailed for two years, after pleading guilty to taking indecent photographs and videos of children, and of possessing indecent photographs and videos of children. Analysis of his phone and other devices found a shocking 26,461 images and 445 videos in Categories A, B and C.

A total of 1,625 of these were of the most serious category, which includes the penetrative sexual activity of children. Victims in the images that were found on Thomas' devices were as young as three years old, Grimsby Crown Court heard on Friday (August 5).

A total of 16 of Thomas' students were victims of his crimes, with 64 videos taken of the children between June and July last year. The paedophile would teach the students at a North Lincolnshire school, as well as in his own home and their homes, GrimsbyLive reports.

During his lessons, Thomas would ask the girls to lean over the piano in order to examine the instrument's "inner works", at which point he would secretly film them on his mobile phone. The court heard that none of the children were aware of what was happening.

Prosecuting, Nigel Clive QC told the court that Thomas was finally caught when the mother of one of the victims discovered inappropriate WhatsApp messages between him and her daughter, who was just eight years old at the time. The court heard that the girl's piano lessons were supposed to last for half-an-hour, but over time they became "longer and longer".

Thomas would contact the girl via WhatsApp and send pictures and videos of his cats, he also asked her to send him a video of her "blowing him a kiss". He had also filmed the girl playing with his cats at his home and, in the video, he asked her to perform several gymnastics moves such as the crab and splits.

When the mother found the messages, she contacted Thomas and told him that his messages were innapropriate and that he should stop contacting her daughter, which he did. The mother then contacted Humberside Police.

Thomas was arrested and officers seized his mobile phone and laptop, which was found to have tens of thousands of images and videos "systematically stored". He was initially interviewed by police on August 11 last year, during which he provided the codes to unlock his devices.

He was then bailed pending the analysis of his devices. When he was re-interviewed by police on December 21, he answered "no comment" to officers' questions. But the disgusting content on Thomas' devices helped to secure a conviction.

The impact of Thomas' horrific actions was heard in court, when parents of the girl's that he taught read their victim statements. One parent said: "For someone that age she is not trusting of people. She was such a confident girl but now she won't wear a skirt or a dress, even during the summer."

Another said that their daughter is "less trusting of teachers and men". They added: "She is more suspicious of everyone and feels misled by this defendant. She is shocked that someone would take advantage."

Mitigating, Alexander Leach QC said: "It was a descent into a world of internet porn that led to indecent images of children and culminated in the production of the indecent images of children. The most serious aggravating factors are the abuse of trust, the fact that the children were known to the defendant and the number of children. There was a profound abuse of trust and a damage to the confidence of these children."

Mr Leach told the court that Thomas had "unfettered access" to internet porn and unregulated file sharing platforms from the age of 11. He said: "This was a course of conduct that was put in place from a very young age. He has taken exceptional steps to rehabilitation, he has engaged with therapy."

Sentencing, Recorder Kelly addressed Thomas: "The fallout does not simply remain with you recording images of them. Some of the parents have expressed how guilty they feel by allowing them to be in your presence. But it is not their fault, it is your fault alone. You fooled them into thinking you were trustworthy.

"You lost your employment, your fiancée called off your engagement, but these risks must have occurred to you as being a consequence of how you were acting. You have lost your good name and also the possibility of forming an adult relationship. The impact of the offending will live with you for your adult life, but you only have yourself to blame.

"The children don't seem real to you. The abuse these children suffered to enable these images to be made are real. For every image you downloaded, a child had to be sexually abused. You and people like you fuel the need for children to be sexually abused."

Thomas was also handed a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will prohibit him from using any device which accesses the internet. He also cannot delete any messages on any electronic device, live with any female under the age of 16 or have any contact with any female under the age of 16. He is also required to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Officer in the case Detective Constable Becky McInnis from Humberside Police's Protecting Vulnerable People Unit said: "The actions of Ben Thomas cannot be described as anything other than deceitful. He abused his position of trust preying on some of the most vulnerable members of our society who looked up to and trusted him.

"I am pleased he is now being punished for his unforgiveable actions. I’d like to commend the bravery and the courage of his victims and their families throughout the entirety of the investigation and court proceedings.

"I hope the outcome will provide them with some comfort in knowing that, by having the courage and strength to come forward, they have undoubtedly prevented others falling victim to the actions of this man."

Description

A sleazy sex offender sent a 15-year-old girl a suggestive picture of himself relaxing in the bath - with bubbles covering up his private parts in a brazen bid to tempt her.

Manipulative and devious Ben Green hoped that the girl would be sufficiently interested in seeing even more of him that she would ask for him to wash away more and more of the bubbles in later pictures. He also made it very clear to the teenager that there was an intimate picture of him that she could access if she wanted, Hull Crown Court heard.

Green, 32, of Eleanor Avenue, Bridlington, admitted sexual communication with a child between May 1 and July 29, 2020. Andrew Stranex, prosecuting, said that the 15-year-old girl was a friend of a female that Green knew. Visits were made over a significant period of time.

Problems later arose between the two females. Green began communicating with the girl on social media and it "strayed into sexualised chat" over a lengthy period.

"He began to speak to her in a more sexualised way towards her," said Mr Stranex. Green sent the girl a picture of him in a bath, with his private parts covered by bubble bath - she was invited to say whether he should show more of himself.

He also made it clear that an intimate naked picture of him was available for her to view on a site where he knew that she could see if she wanted. "He knew that she was able to access it," said Mr Stranex.

Matters came to light in July 2020 when the girl was with her aunt and became upset. The teenager told her aunt what had happened.

Green was trapped when text messages pretending to be from the girl were sent to him. They confirmed the sort of conversations that he was willing to engage in with the girl and that he was interested in young people and in developing a relationship with someone young.

Green had no previous convictions. No mitigation was requested for him after the judge indicated the sentence that he had in mind.

Recorder Anthony Hawks told Green: "You are not, in my judgement, a man of good character because men of good character do not involve themselves in sexual communications with young girls. You chose to engage in sexualised conversations with her, making available pictures of you.

"What you think you were doing in what you were sending that 15-year-old girl is beyond imagination, other than it shows you have a sexual interest in young girls. Recorder Hawks said that, if Green were jailed, it would be for a short period of time and "it would achieve nothing".

He said that his role was to impose a sentence that would "ensure that this sort of behaviour never happens again". Green was given 30 days' rehabilitation and a probation service sex offenders' programme.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. Recorder Hawks warned Green that he faced being jailed if he committed further offences or did not cooperate with the requirements of the order.

Description

A judge has jailed a Keighley man for 12 years for rape offences committed against a vulnerable teenage girl who was groomed and plied with alcohol by a number of men more than a decade ago.

Usman Sultan, 30, became the latest defendant to be jailed following two trials at Bradford Crown Court, but the court heard on Friday (July 1) that he was still protesting his innocence. Barrister John Batchelor, for Sultan, said his client maintained that he had been wrongly identified as the perpetrator of these very serious offences.

But last year Sultan, of Lawkholme Lane, Keighley, was found guilty by a jury of three charges of rape committed against the complainant, who must not be identified for legal reasons, when he was aged 16 or 17. Judge Andrew Hatton, who had already jailed other defendants in the case, described how some of the rape offences were committed against the complainant while other men laughed or gave encouragement to Sultan.

He said the complainant had been an extremely troubled and tormented young woman and her victim impact statement made harrowing reading. Seven other men have already received jail terms totalling nearly 80 years for their abuse of the same complainant and Judge Hatton said the teenager was regularly plied with alcohol.

The judge said she had suffered severe psychological harm as a result of the offending which included elements of degradation and humiliation. Because of Sultans age at the time of the offending Judge Hatton reduced what would have been a 15-year jail term to 12 years and he said Sultan would have to serve at least eight years before being considered for release.

Sultan will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life. In March Amjad Hussain, 35, of Keighley, who was convicted of three counts of rape, was jailed for 12 years. And in February six other men received jail sentences totalling 66 years.

They were:

- Nazir Khan, 30, of Keighley, has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape and an extended 8-year licence period for each count. He is already on the sex offenders register

- Kamran Hussain, 29, of Keighley has been jailed for five years after being convicted of rape and ordered to register on the sex offenders list for life

- Omar Safdar, 30, of Oldham, has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

- Imran Sabir, 42, of Keighley has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of two counts of rape.

- Hassan Basharat, 32, of Keighley has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of three counts of rape.

- Barber Hussain, 36, of Bradford has been jailed for 13 years after being convicted of seven counts of rape.

All the charges relate to offending which happened around Keighley between 2008 and 2009 against one victim who was a child at the time. She came forward to police as an adult and reported the abuse she had suffered which led to an investigation being launched.

Speaking after the sentencing in February, the victim at the centre of the investigation said: "The driving force for me to keep going through all of this was so that it prevents it from happening to other people, and also it might help other people come forward."

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Weekes, of Bradford District Police said: "We welcome the sentences that have been handed down to these men. Cases such as these are incredibly sensitive and complex and it often takes years of painstaking investigation to bring them before the courts.

"I would like to take this opportunity to praise the victim for coming forward and reporting these offences to the police, for her patience whilst the criminal investigation has been ongoing and her courage in giving evidence in court. The abuse she endured robbed her of her childhood and I hope seeing all of these men sent to prison today for these horrendous offences she was subjected to will allow her to start to look forward to the future.

"If anyone has suffered abuse, or has concerns about someone who may be suffering abuse, I would urge them to come forward and speak to the police. We will listen to you and investigate all offences and also ensure you have access to any help or support you need.

"I hope this sends a clear message that, regardless of how long ago these offences may have happened, we will pursue every avenue to get justice."

Description

A paedophile who subjected a girl to two years of 'grossly' abusing her also threatened to rape her after saying she was his 'ideal woman.

Leonard Roberts "grotesquely" subjected her to numerous different types of abuse during "totally outrageous" behaviour, HullLive reports. When his victim revealed what she had gone through, Roberts told police that "he was a piece of s*** and deserved to die", Hull Crown Court heard.

Roberts, of Gypsey Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, admitted 11 sexual offences, including two of sexual assault, four of sexual activity with a child and others of penetrative sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to watch a sex act.

Charlotte Baines, prosecuting, said that on April 26, the girl revealed to members of her family details of the sexual abuse that she had suffered from Roberts over the previous two years. Roberts told police: "Whatever she said, I have done it." He repeated this five or six times.

The girl said that the abuse had "got worse over time" and he repeatedly sexually and intimately touched her. "This made her feel very, very uncomfortable," said Miss Baines. Roberts committed a sex act in front of the girl and watched pornography in her presence. "He made threats of sexual violence towards her and threatened to rape her," said Miss Baines. "He told her that she was his ideal woman."

Roberts, 41, told the girl: "You deserve to be raped." The girl felt scared. When Roberts was arrested, he told police that "he was a piece of s*** and deserved to die" and that he was "in desperate need of love, affection and stimulation".

The girl said in a statement that it had been very difficult to cope with what had happened. "I have been trying to hide what he did for so long," she said.

"He told me that he was doing what he did to me because he fell in love with me. It has affected my mood. I have lost interest in all the things I liked doing. I am depressed all the time. I feel happy that it is over. I wish this had never happened."

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Roberts had never challenged the girl's account of what happened. "This behaviour is unexplainable and it's disgraceful," said Miss Scott. "He is deeply sorry for his actions and for what he has done and he knows how much he has hurt her. He is truly, truly remorseful.

"He appreciates that he needs serious help. He feels that he doesn't even deserve the help that he has been offered. He wishes that, if he could turn back the clock, he would never have these thoughts."

Roberts had no previous convictions and had previously worked as a factory worker before up that job to become a full-time carer for his parents. Judge Mark Bury told Roberts that he behaved "grotesquely" towards the girl. "You grossly abused her over a two-year period," said the judge.

"You threatened to rape her. On one occasion, you said she deserved to be raped. Can you imagine how that would make a young girl feel? It's grossly inappropriate. She wants you to know how much you have hurt her. This went on regularly many times over two years. There were many types of abuse. There was verbal abuse that you uttered towards her, really horrible things that you said to her. You were told to stop but you carried on.

"It's clear to me that you are ashamed of your behaviour. There is great remorse, as well there might be for these totally outrageous acts of sexual abuse."

Roberts was jailed for eight years and will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

Robert Humble was jailed for a second time in 2021 after police found out he had files named naughty boys on his laptop. An elderly paedophile has been handed a fine for failing to inform authorities about a gold credit card. Robert Humble was sent to prison for two years and six months in 2019 for causing or inciting a male under 16 to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images of children and possessing illegal images. The 72-year-old, was jailed again in 2021 after police found out he had files named naughty boys on his laptop. Humble appeared back in court on Friday May 13 for sentencing for failing to comply with Sex Offender Register notifications. According to Teesside Live, he admitted not telling police about his new Visa Gold Credit card despite a requirement to do so as part of being on the register. Teesside Magistrates Court heard how police attended Humbles home in Beaufort Close, Guisborough, on January 18 this year to speak the pensioner about unrelated alleged offences. Prosecutor Saba Shan told the court that during a police interview the officers found the credit card and asked Humble if he had notified the authorities, to which he replied Im sure I have. However it was later confirmed that it had not been registered, which Humble accepted. Helen Sabiston, mitigating, said it has been an oversight by Humble, who suffers from Parkinsons disease, and the first time he had breached notification requirements. However the court was told Humble had twice previously breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in 2021. On that occasion his computer was checked as part of the order. Two files were found in the recycling bin which were named naughty boys and naughty boys 2. The court was told how Humble said he deleted them to avoid being the old me and being a sexual predator. Humble was fined 80 by magistrates for the breach of notification requirement over the credit card. He was also told to pay 119 in costs and a victim surcharge.

Description

A CONVICTED child sex offender has been jailed again for a string of offences.

Michael Fletcher-Flint who was imprisoned for two years in 2018 after a court heard how he used dating app Grindr to send explicit pictures to a 12-year-old boy who was in fact a decoy was sentenced on Tuesday at Sheffield Crown Court for four offences.

The 52-year-old, of Bonet Lane, Brinsworth, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child and one each of sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in a sexual activity.

The offences were all committed in the Barnsley area between 2007 and 2009.

Fletcher-Flint (pictured) was jailed for 15 months and will also have to sign on the sex offenders register for ten years.

In 2018, he pleaded guilty to counts of attempting to engage a child in sexual communications, attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and possession of a bladed article.

Description

A Harrogate paedophile is facing a long prison sentence for the systematic sexual abuse of a young girl.

Neil Michael Stubbs, 26, was convicted of 13 separate offences this week following a four-day trial at York Crown Court.

The jury heard that Stubbs, of Kingsley Park Road, Starbeck, groomed and sexually abused the youngster over a prolonged period.

They found him guilty of all 13 charges, including one count of attempted rape of a child under 13 years of age, two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault, possessing indecent images and several counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said that some of the offences including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault and causing a child to engage in sexual activity were specimen counts, meaning they happened on multiple occasions.

He said that Stubbs would perform lewd acts on himself in front of the girl and got her to perform sexual acts on him on at least six occasions.

Stubbs also pestered her to send him naked photos of herself, added Mr Newcombe.

Following his arrest, police seized Stubbss phone on which they found indecent images of children, including some naked photos of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Some of the other images were rated Category A the worst kind of such material.

Mr Newcombe said it showed that Stubbs had an unhealthy obsession with children.

The jury returned their verdicts yesterday (Thursday, April 28). Judge Sean Morris, the Recorder of York, adjourned sentence to August 15.

Description

Craig Richardson had already been jailed last year for targeting what he thought was a young girl online, but after his release he once again tried to meet young girls around Christmas.

Both the girls he thought he was meeting were actually paedophile hunters, groups set up online to snare paedophiles and report them to the police.

One of the groups confronted him at Castleford Bus Station as he attempted to meet a young girl who didn't exist.

Just before Christmas in 2021, he started a chat with a 'girl' going by the name of Nicky. She told him she was underage from the start of their conversation, prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told Leeds Crown Court.He asked for a photo of her, but then quickly began making sexual suggestions, including asking her for pictures of her on the toilet.

He arranged to meet her on January 3 but was confronted by members of Fighting Against the Evil, who livestreamed the sting before the police arrived.

Richardson, of School Street, Castleford, gave no comments during his police interview.

However, the 36-year-old had already been communicating with 13-year-old 'Lucy', a fake decoy profile posted by hunter group Hunted and Confronted UK.

Again he made sexual suggestions and asked her to send photographs. He was confronted by the group before being taken away by the police, but he also refused to comment during that interview.

The court was told Richardson has eight previous convictions for 12 offences. This included attempting to incite a child into sexual activity in 2017, and again in 2021 when he was jailed or 18 months and given a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Held on remand at HMP Leeds, he appeared at Leeds Crown Court via video link on Friday, where he admitted nine new charges relating to grooming youngsters over the internet, including counts of attempting to incite a child into sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual activity and breach of the sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Mitigating for Richardson, Jane Cooper said: "There's not a great deal for me to say. In terms of his personal mitigation, this is a defendant with learning difficulties. He is an isolated individual who became more isolated from his previous conviction."

Judge Tom Bayliss QC deemed that Richardson posed a serious risk of causing harm to children.

He said: "You went to Castleford Bus Station and I'm quite sure with the object of putting into practice what you were trying to arrange."

He gave him an eight-year sentence with an extended four-year licence period. He also gave him a SHPO of indeterminate length, limiting his internet use.

Description

A man has been given an extended 23-year-sentence after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences in Kirklees.

Adnan Afzal (35) who lived in the Dewsbury area was sentenced for six sexual offences including rape at Leeds Crown Court on Friday (April 22).

The 34-year old was sentenced for rape, attempted rape, and sexual assaults on his victim which took place between 2017 and 2019 in the Kirklees area.

One of the sexual assaults took place when the victim was a young teenager.

He was jailed for 17 years with an extended licence period of six years making for a 23 year term in total.

Afzal was arrested in by officers from the Kirklees Police Child Safeguarding Team in 2019 after the offences were first reported by the victim and her family.

He was found guilty of all six offences by a jury following a four day trial at Leeds Crown Court.

DC Samantha Smith of the Kirklees Child Safeguarding Team, said: I want to praise the courage of the victim in this case in coming forwards and reporting the offending Afzal subjected her to.

We welcome the sentence he has received which reflects the very serious nature of his sentencing and his refusal to admit his crimes against his victim and put her and her family through the ordeal of a trial.

Victims of sexual offences will always be listened to and we will do all we can with partners to support them, investigate reported offences, and seek justice for them.

Description

A Catholic priest has been locked up after being found guilty of sexually abusing six boys in his care. Father Patrick Smythe was locked up for seven and a half years after a jury reached unanimous guilty verdicts after a trial at Leeds Crown Court. Jurors heard how Smythe, 79, preyed on three of his victims during swimming trips to the former Leeds International Pool.Smythe also targeted boys in his care while on a retreat at a hostel in North Yorkshire. A judge who sentenced Smythe told the pensioner he had told a "pack of lies" to the court during the trial.Judge Simon Batiste said: "The offences involved six different complainants who were at the time of the offences aged between 12 and 16. "You are a Catholic priest. "During the trial you denied any criminal wrongdoing whatsoever. "You took an oath on the Bible - the book that you have purported to have used to preach from for many years - and then told a series of falsehoods and lies that the jury have seen through. "In short, your account in relation to these matters is a pack of lies." Smythe, 79, of Manor Square, Otley, was found guilty of six counts of indecent assault and one of attempted indecent assault. The offences were committed around four decades ago. Three of the victims provided statements to court describing the lifelong suffering the abuse had caused them. One described how it led to him abusing alcohol from an early age. He said: "I never felt able to discuss the issue with my family because of the shame and anxiety and fear it caused me to feel. "I hope that as a result of the trial, after 45 years, I can finally move on with my life in a more positive direction." Another victim described Smythe as "a beast". He said: "He used the church to get within touching distance of young boys." A third victim said the abuse caused him to lose faith in the Catholic church and that he feared he would never see Smythe be brought to justice. He said: "I told myself that if he was never judged in this life then he will get his judgement before God when he meets his maker." Smythe showed no emotion as he sat in the court dock during the hearing. In addition to the prison sentence, he was told he must go on the sex offender register for life. Susannah Proctor, mitigating for Smythe, said: "He has given his life to the church. The church are his family. "I have no doubt that from today the church will withdraw that support for him. "That is something of his own making." Judge Batiste paid tribute to the victims as he imposed the sentence upon Smythe. He said: "For some of these boys it is evident that the impact of your abuse was significant and has lived with them until the present day. "I pay tribute to the six victims in this case who have shown great bravery and fortitude to give evidence against you." After the case, Detective Inspector Vicky Alexander, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: Smythe abused his position of trust to systematically exploit the victims as children over a number of years. His actions will have had a lasting impact on the victims lives, and we commend the considerable courage they have shown by coming forward as adults to report the offences and support the prosecution that has seen him brought to justice. We will always treat sexual offences of this nature very seriously and we have specialist safeguarding officers who will support victims throughout the investigation and court process. This was a lengthy and complex investigation which saw safeguarding officers from Leeds and Wakefield painstakingly building up a detailed evidential picture which has resulted in Smythe being convicted. We hope it will provide some degree of comfort to the victims to know that he has now had to answer for his actions.

Description

A paedophile thought that he was having "naughty chat" online with a 12-year-old girl and had a series of "graphic and explicit" conversations about sex with her but really it was a decoy girl and he was trapped.

Perverted sex offender Luke Alder later tried to talk his way out of trouble by pretending that he was actually only trying to catch other sexual predators through his sexualised messages. He was caught with stashes of sickening child pornography that involved children as young as two, Hull Crown Court heard.

Alder, 30, of Eastgate, Goole, admitted attempting to cause a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to communicate sexually with her between August 14 and 21, 2020.

He also admitted three offences of making indecent images of children and another of possessing prohibited images of children on September 15 last year.

Stephen Robinson, prosecuting, said that police were alerted by the regional organised crime unit that Alder had been having sexual conversations with a decoy internet profile of a 12-year-old girl on a children's chat account. He asked the fake girl if she had ever had a boyfriend and told her that he would be her boyfriend.

He asked her intimate questions and asked her for a photograph. The decoy sent a picture of her in pyjamas but Alder told her to take them off and asked for a picture of her topless.

On another day, Alder quickly asked the girl if she wanted "naughty chat" and whether she might become pregnant if they had sex. He made sexual suggestions and asked her to send a picture.

Alder was arrested on September 15 last year and police found 19 indecent images of children and two videos in the most serious Category A on his computer equipment, 18 images in Category B and eight in Category C as well as 38 prohibited images of children.

"Some of the images showed children in pain or distress," said Mr Robinson. Some of the children were aged as young as two years old, with others aged up to 15.

During police interview, Alder claimed that he was trying to catch other sexual predators by having sexual conversations online. Charlotte Baines, mitigating, said that no actual contact with a child took place because of the sexual communication.

"This was a decoy but he was engaging with the decoy as though he was speaking to a 12-year-old girl," said Miss Baines.

Alder had no previous convictions and had suffered problems over the years. Judge Sophie McKone said that Alder was not communicating with a real child but he began a conversation with someone that he "very much hoped to be 12" and the conversations were "graphic and explicit" including talk about sex.

"It's very clear that what you intended was some form of sexual communication with this child," said Judge McKone. He clearly had a "sexual interest in children" despite what he had claimed to the probation service. The indecent images showed real children.

"They really are being abused, some child somewhere is being abused," said Judge McKone. "You have contributed to the abuse of that child because, wherever there is a market out there that you feed into, children will continue to be abused. You intended penetrative sexual activity."

Alder was jailed for three years and he was given a sexual harm prevention order for life. He will have to register as a sex offender for life.

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A CHEF who tried for three years to evade justice for sexually assaulting a woman has been jailed. Mustafa Akgol forced his way into a womans home and sexually assaulted her, York Crown Court heard. A jury heard they were strangers to each other. After police had identified him as the attacker and he was charged, Akgol went on the run and had to be arrested on a bench warrant. The woman had to give evidence against him twice as he denied committing any sexual offence. But the second jury to try his case convicted him of sexual assault and today he is serving a three-year prison sentence. He will be on the sex offenders register and disbarred from working with vulnerable people and children, both for the rest of his life. Judge Simon Hickey told him: A young, vulnerable woman in her own room was assaulted by you, forcing your way in. Akgol, 45, of Redbarn Drive, Osbaldwick, denied sexual assault. He followed court proceedings with the help of a Turkish interpreter. The woman told the juries she was at home on the evening of January 14, 2019. She heard a noise on the stairs and went to her door. A stranger was standing there. Before she could do anything he put his foot in the door and forced his way into the flat. She retreated backwards to her bed where he sexually assaulted her. Throughout he only said Ssssh, the court heard. Later the same evening he returned, making it clear that he wanted her to perform a sex act on him. She told him to leave and he did. I was shaking like a leaf, she said. Forensic scientists found Akgols DNA on the womans bra, as well as unknown DNA, York Crown Court heard, and the woman picked him out of a police ID procedure following his arrest. Akgol stood trial for the first time in November, but legal problems meant the case had to be abandoned before the jury was asked to consider its verdicts. After the first set of jurors was discharged, Akgol went on the run but was later arrested. He stood trial again in February. In the witness box he denied going to the womans bedsit, and said he had spent the evening at another flat in the same building. He falsely claimed the faces the police chose to go alongside his in the ID procedure were of a different ethnic group to his. But police showed the jury the 12 photos that had been used. He also claimed he hadnt understood the questions in the police interview. But, the jury heard, a Turkish interpreter had sat next to him translating the questions for him.

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A computer support technician was found with sickening images of child abuse and bestiality after a major investigation into "extremely disturbing" online messages.

IT expert Jeffrey Birkett now realised that real children were involved in the abuse and it was "beginning to dawn" on him just how troubling and disturbing it was. He slipped into looking at the images after he became isolated during lockdown but the evidence against him was "robust", Hull Crown Court heard.

Birkett, 47, of The Oval, Pocklington, admitted possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography on August 21, 2020. Stephen Welch, prosecuting, said that the National Crime Agency intercepted messages that were "extremely disturbing" and contained indecent material.

"An investigation was launched into who had actually been dispatching these messages," said Mr Welch. They were later traced to Birkett's Pocklington home but no charges had been brought in relation to that matter. His computer equipment was, however, seized.

Two Category C indecent images of children were found as well as 10 extreme pornography bestiality images and 40 videos. David Godfrey, mitigating, said that the offences were troubling and disturbing and it was something that Birkett needed help to tackle.

"He readily appreciates that his behaviour has brought considerable shame on him and those around him," said Mr Godfrey. "He recognises that for every child, there is a victim. There is some difficulty of thinking. He is somebody who is finding it very difficult to articulate why he did what he did."

The evidence that the investigators found was "robust" and he had pleaded guilty. Birkett worked in the IT industry and had been married for six-and-a-half years, as well as being previously married.

He became isolated during lockdown and was "really struggling" at the time. He had no previous convictions. Judge Michael Slater told Birkett: "I accept that it's beginning to dawn on you how serious these matters are. It's clear to me that you are both contrite and extremely apprehensive of today's proceedings and so you should be."

Birkett was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence, 150 hours' unpaid work and 30 days' rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and must register as a sex offender for 10 years. His computer equipment will be forfeited.

"Should you breach it in any way, you will be brought before me and you will have a hard job persuading me not to send you immediately to prison," said Judge Slater. "You are treading a tight rope here, should you have any feelings or desires to commit any similar offences in the future, and you have been suitably warned."