Latest Offenders

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A REGISTERED sex offender hastily deleted illegal Instagram chat from his phone as police conducted a home visit.

Benjamin Michael Perry Grant, 29, was jailed at Carlisle Crown Court for what a judge called a “series of offences” linked to past crimes.

Grant had previously been in a relationship with a woman from March to November, 2023. He was convicted of stalking her in February, 2024, and slapped with a restraining order as part of a punishment he received last April.

He had also previously been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and the terms of sex offender notification requirements for other past offences. These were imposed both to restrict his online use and keep police aware of up to date personal information.

Yet Grant was back in trouble on 5th October, 2024, when officers conducted a home visit at his address.

“His phone was checked and it transpired that four applications which were previously disclosed as being on the device were not longer present,” Estelle Chambers, prosecuting, told the court.

“Forensic analysis also shows that an Instagram conversation had been deleted from the device. The date and time of the deleted messages corresponds with the date and time of the police home visit, suggesting that the defendant deleted the messages as police arrived.”

These messages had been sent by Grant to his ex-partner, one reading: “Do not reply. Police checks.”

Ms Chambers also said: “The victim states she has been contacted by the defendant several times since the restraining order was imposed.”

Although she had told Grant to stop getting in touch, he sent her a number of voice notes. In October, Grant was seen standing within 50 metres of her address — in breach of the restraining order.

In addition, Grant had set up a new Instagram account which was not disclosed to police. After officers visited his home, Grant asked his former partner to consider withdrawing the restraining order.

Summarising the impact on the woman, the prosecutor said: “She describes the situation as deeply affecting her mental health, leading to feelings of depression and distress.”

Grant, previously of Kirkby Thore but now of no fixed address, admitted five SHPO breaches, and flouting both the restraining order and notification requirements.

Mark Shepherd, mitigating, said no threatening messages had been sent by Grant who, he added, wanted to get back into work and live a law-abiding life.

Judge Nicholas Barker imposed an immediate 15-month prison sentence. Grant was also banned from contacting his ex-partner for three years. “You wished to assert control over her, and continued to do so,” the judge observed.

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A sex offender who traded videos and pictures of “misery, debauchery and child cruelty” has been jailed for 18 months.

Among the films of children being sexually abused that John Gary Humphreys sent to his online contacts was one of the rape of a toddler aged six to 18 months old, York Crown Court heard.

Lydia Carroll, prosecuting, said the 45-year-old complained in online chats about others shutting down access to their stock of indecent images of children.

Humphreys, of Coupland Road, Selby, pleaded guilty to three charges of distributing indecent images of children and three of possessing indecent images of children.

The Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris, told Humphreys he had taken part in a “filthy trade in misery, debauchery and child cruelty.

“You were passing on through the internet the most horrendous images of children.”

Comparing Humphreys to a drug dealer, the judge said he had to be jailed to deter others thinking of “pushing” similar images by putting them on the internet “where everyone could see them".

He jailed Humphreys for 18 months and made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years. Humphreys will be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Ms Carroll said police got a tip-off that Humphreys was uploading sexual images of children to the internet and raided his home in September 2023. He tried vainly to hide a mobile phone from them.

Forensic examination of his mobile revealed he had been downloading thousands of images from the Mega Folder cloud facility and trading illegal sexual images of children via Telegram as well as sending other people links.

The folders had names often used for sexual images of children.

Forensic investigators found Humphreys had uploaded 23 videos and five pictures of the worst category of sexual images of children via Telegram as well as 25 more videos and pictures of less serious categories.

He also had his own cache of nearly 4,000 images, 997 of which - including 83 videos - were in the worst category and more than 2,500 in the least serious category. All could be easily accessed. Police found 62,000 more images which they did not categorise.

For Humphreys, Sean Smith said since his arrest, he had undertaken an initial course with Safer Lives, an organisation that rehabilitates sex offenders, as well as having monthly meetings with its representatives.

He no longer used the internet and, for family reasons, now lived in a van where it was difficult for him to access the internet.

A medical report following an assessment in November 2023 suggested he may have autism and this may have contributed to his offending, among other causes which the barrister did not identify.

The judge accepted that Humphreys had worked to rehabilitate himself and was “ordinarily a decent man”.  

Description

A Highland man who was caught in an online paedophile hunter sting has been placed on the sex offenders register.

John Floydd sent sexual messages to a volunteer decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl, instructing her to perform a solo sex act and asking for a topless photo.

Description

A child rapist who subjected his victims to “depraved and sickening” abuse has been jailed.

Wayne Traill, of Stonebridge Road, Northfleet, was convicted of 21 separate offences after repeatedly abusing multiple victims for more than a decade.

The 52-year-old targeted one of his victims during the 1990s and went on to later exploit a further two children, warning them they would not be believed if they reported his crimes.

Police officers were told of the abuse in March 2022 and Traill was arrested.

He refused to comment during interviews and initially denied any wrongdoing at court.

However, he eventually pleaded guilty shortly before a trial at Woolwich Crown Court, admitting charges including rape, attempted rape, sexual assaults and gross indecency.

On December 19, Traill was jailed for 21 years after the judge branded him “a dangerous sexual offender” who had “groomed and abused” his victims.

Upon his release from prison, Traill will be subject to an extended licence period of eight years and will be on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Detective Constable Daniel Grant, who led the investigation, said: “Traill repeatedly subjected his victims to depraved and sickening abuse, causing incalculable damage to their young lives.

“He is a predatory child sex offender who used fear and intimidation to obtain sexual gratification, and whose deplorable actions will sadly have a lasting and profound impact on those he targeted.

“The fact justice has finally been served is largely down to the incredible courage and bravery of his victims and I am grateful Traill is at least now behind bars where he can cause no further harm to other young children.”

Description

A high-risk sex offender has been locked up for his behaviour to a woman in the street.

Anthony Hooper, of Knights Green in Flint, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court for sentence on Wednesday afternoon.

The 69-year-old had been convicted after trial of sexual assault, as well as breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), both of which happened in 2024 in Flint.

Prosecutor Justin Espie told the court: "The defendant is known to be a high-risk registered sex offender with a number of previous convictions and the subject of a sexual harm prevention order."

The SHPO prohibited him from speaking to any female of any age in a manner that a reasonable person would believe to be sexual - unless that person expressly consented to being spoken to in that way.

On the day in question, Hooper touched his victim in the street, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, as well as making unusual comments.

At that stage, she was unaware Hooper was a registered sex offender.

Mr Espie said his behaviour during the offences was "concerning" and "sexualised."

In her victim personal statement, the woman said Hooper's behaviour had made her angry, adding: "Nothing about this is my fault.

"I'm very concerned about bumping into him."

She added the incident had caused her a great deal of anxiety.

Gary Harvey, defending, told the court: "The pre-sentence report doesn't do him any favours.

"I don't try to suggest there's a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

"He had the trial and was convicted - I can't go behind that."

Mr Harvey conceded Hooper's actions had amounted to a deliberate breach of his SHPO.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told the defendant: "Mr Hooper, the sexual assault had a significant impact on the victim.

"And your sexual behaviour made the victim feel extremely uneasy.

"You do not wish to take any responsibility for your actions and don't want to address any matters.

"On that basis, and in view of your record of offending, I'm satisfied that the risk you pose to females is such that there's only one sentence - one of immediate custody."

Hooper was jailed for 52 weeks in total and must pay a £187 victim surcharge.

A six-year restraining order was imposed for the victim's protection.

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Detectives have praised the bravery of a victim who recorded a rapists violent attack on her.

Timilehin Olatunji launched a sustained attack on the woman at a property in Nottingham in the early hours of 29 September 2024.

The victim was able to use an app on her mobile phone to record the audio of the assault.

She was later able to escape from the address and report what had happened to specially-trained officers.

Thirty-five-year-old Olatunji was arrested a short time later.

He was charged and later pleaded guilty to three counts of rape.

Olatunji was jailed for 10 years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday (15 January).

He was also added to the Sex Offenders' Register for life and made the subject of an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.

Passing sentence, Judge Michael Auty described the attack as 'despicable and vile' and behaviour 'beyond rational understanding'.

He told Olatunji:

"You took it upon yourself to rape her in the most brutal, sadistic and cruel way imaginable."

After the hearing, Detective Constable Emily Bucklow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

The recorded evidence of Olatunjis horrific assault made this case particularly harrowing for all the officers who worked on it.

It is one of the most upsetting things I have had to listen to in my policing career and only enhances my admiration for this victims bravery.

I would also like to commend her for the courage she showed following Olatunjis arrest and dignity during the subsequent court proceedings.

He subjected her to a violent, degrading and sustained ordeal but she has shown immense bravery to help us bring him to justice.

I hope the sentence handed down will at least provide some closure to what must have been an acutely distressing period of her life.

I also hope the sentencing of Olatunji will encourage other victims of rape and serious sexual assault to have the confidence to come forward and report offenders.

Our experienced officers are here to help the victims of appalling crimes like this.

Description

A "depraved" former prison officer who denied having a sexual attraction to children and instead insisted he abused two young girls for "a sense of danger and excitement" has been jailed for 13 years.

Russell Maitland, 37, admitted a number of offences, including raping and sexually abusing one girl and sexually assaulting a second.

A court heard the first victim was sexually assaulted between the ages of four and 12 and raped between the ages of seven and 11.

The second victim was sexually abused between the ages of four and six.

Judge Summers told Maitland: "The charges to which you have pled guilty include charges involving a horrific catalogue of sexual violence perpetrated against two girls."

The judge said he was concerned with the criminal justice social work report, which noted while Maitland accepted responsibility for the offences, he denied having a sexual attraction to children.

Judge Summers stated: "You suggest these offences were committed because of need for 'a sense of danger and excitement'. That is difficult to accept."

The judge noted that Maitland's abuse of the second girl continued despite the first victim having reported his behaviour to Police Scotland.

He stated Maitland's conduct was for his "own deviant sexual ends".

Judge Summers made reference to the victim impact statements, noting the girls "each struggle on a daily basis" due to Maitland's abuse.

The judge said: "In relation to each of these children your offending was persistent and pervasive.

"It was carried out on a number of occasions over a number of years.

"Your offending was calculated and it was predatory. It was almost unimaginably depraved. It is hard to comprehend the harm that this will have caused."

The offences took place in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, and in Aberdeen.

Maitland was handed a 16-year extended sentence at the High Court in Aberdeen on Tuesday, with 13 years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.

He was also added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was banned from contacting his victims.

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A Barnsley man jailed in his early 20s for sexual offences committed against a child is beginning another stint behind bars, after he admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl.

Description

A Huddersfield predator who claimed he was involved in a “loving” relationship with a teenage girl has been jailed.

Alexander Rowe, now 30, committed a number of sex offences against the youngster and has been put behind bars for five years.

Rowe, of Marsh, admitted having a sexual relationship with the victim when he was initially questioned by police, but denied the offences and was found guilty of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity with her following a trial at Bradford Crown Court.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the girl said she had been prescribed anti-depressants and the offending had affected her day-to-day life. She said it had been difficult to put into words how it had affected her, but it was a lot to go through at her age.

Barrister Anastasis Tasou, for Rowe, said his client maintained what he had said in his evidence that this was a “loving and reciprocal relationship” with the complainant.

Mr Tasou told the court Rowe was a man of previous good character and a great many positive testimonials had been submitted on his behalf. He said: “This is his first and likely to be his only experience of custody."

Recorder Patrick Palmer said Rowe and the victim had exchanged messages on Snapchat and he had asked the teenager to send sexual pictures of herself. He told Rowe: “You of course pleaded not guilty to these matters. You had your trial before the jury and you were convicted of these offences.

"You do not have any extra punishment because you fought the case but there cannot be any credit for a guilty plea.”

Recorder Palmer imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention on Rowe and told him he would also have to register as a sex offender with the police.

Description

A Paignton man has been jailed for 12 years after admitting a string of sexual offences against children.

Craig Short, 53, of Woodland Mews, was sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on Tuesday (January 14) and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Short’s crimes, which did not take place recently, involved a boy and a girl when they were aged between six and 15-years-old.

Short, who had previously pleaded guilty to indecency with a child, was charged with six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four counts of sexually assaulting a child.

In addition to the prison sentence, he was handed six years on extended licence, meaning he will serve the extra period in the community.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard how Short sexually abused the male victim at a variety of locations and showed the boy pornographic videos.

The second victim in the case also described how she had been sexually abused as a child by him.

Short, who initially denied any wrongdoing when questioned by police, saying that the allegations against him were made up, later admitted his guilt.

Description

A Scots charity worker sent vile sexual messages to an 11-year-old schoolgirl before attempting to meet up with her.

Crawford Robertson lured the child into chatting to him on the Snapchat app by pretending to be a teenager before he began sending her the sordid messages. Robertson, 22, told the vulnerable victim he wanted to kiss her and asked her to engage in sexual activity with him and then arranged to meet up in Edinburgh in November 2022.

The pervert turned to meet up with the youngster at the capital's Wester Hailes shopping centre but ran off when a family friend of the child's parents intervened. Robertson was later arrested by police and he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in October last year where he pleaded guilty to two sexual offences involving the child.

He admitted sending indecent communication to the youngster and attempting to meet up her with the intention of engaging in sexual activity. Robertson returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday, January 10, where Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss spared him custody and instead issued an "onerous" community payback order.

The sheriff said: "Quite clearly you have pled guilty to two serious charges which will be of concern to the public. The custody threshold has clearly been crossed but I am attaching particular weight to the fact that you have no previous convictions and also your age."

Robertson, from West Calder, West Lothian, was was placed on a social work supervision order for two years and ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work in the community. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for two years and handed strict restrictions on his computer use and his contact with any child under the age of 18.

The court was told Robertson works from home on a temporary contract processing telephone calls from the public arranging donations to charity organisations. The parents of the victim were in attendance at the sentencing hearing and afterwards described Robertson as "a dangerous predator".

The mother of the child said: "I can't believe he wasn't jailed for what he did to my little girl. He pretended to a teenager at first to win her trust before sending her disgusting sexual suggestions about what they could do together.

"She was only 11 at the time - what kind of person does that? We are just lucky that a friend of the family was there to chase him off or who knows what could have happened to her."

Robertson pleaded guilty to intentionally sending sexual communications via Snapchat to an 11 year old child for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification by offering to kiss her and inviting her to engage in sexual activity on November 1, 2022.

He also admitted to attempting to meet up with the child with the intention of engaging in unlawful sexual activity at Wester Hailes Plaza, Edinburgh, on the same date.

Description

A Swindon man has pleaded guilty to attempting a sex chat with a young girl.

Jesse Cookson, 28, admitted striking up an inappropriate conversation with a female, who claimed to be 14 years old, between 23 July and 27 July 2024.

At Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 8 January, he was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child by sending a video of his penis and a link to pornography.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.

The defendant, of The Crescent, Chiseldon, is due to return to Swindon Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on 31 January.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender at Gablecross Police Station within 72 hours.

Description

A "dangerous" paedophile who befriended young families to sexually abuse children has been jailed for 22 years.

Martin Woods, formerly of Hadleigh in Suffolk, was sentenced to the prison term and and given an extended licence period of six years that would follow his release.

The 46-year-old had abused an underage girl more than 10 years ago and has been found guilty of six offences.

Woods will serve his sentence at the same time as he serves an existing sentence he was handed in 2021 after he admitted sexually assaulting a different child.

He will remain on the sex offenders for life and is also the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Con Kate Hutson, from Suffolk Police, said: "Woods is a dangerous offender who has shown a pattern of behaviour in befriending young families in order to sexually abuse children."

Before his trial in December, Woods had been charged with

• three counts of attempted assault on a girl under 13 by penetration
• two counts of rape of a girl under 13
• one count of assault of a girl under 13 by touching

He was told he would not be eligible to be considered for release by the parole board until he had served 14 years and six months in prison.

'Great courage'

Det Con Hutson praised the "bravery" and "resilience" of Woods' victim.

"In a statement to the court, she described how difficult it was to talk about what had happened to her saying that the words were pushed in so far that she didn't know how to get them out," she added.

"She has shown great courage to report the crimes against her and in supporting the investigation throughout, culminating in her giving evidence at the trial.

"I hope that knowing Woods will serve at least 14 years and eight months before being eligible for parole will bring her some measure of closure."

Before his recent conviction, Woods was jailed in 2021 for rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 and five counts of taking or making indecent images of children.

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A man travelled from Germany to Norfolk with the intention of having sex with a young girl he met through an online children's game, a court has heard.

Michael Shablinger, 36, spent months grooming the 13-year-old victim - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - after finding her on the video game platform Roblox.

Norwich Crown Court heard Shablinger, who had told the victim he was 21, met up with her in a park in Hethersett. He spent five hours with her, until she was tracked down by her mother.

Oliver Haswell, prosecuting, said the victim has refused to say what happened between them during the hours she was missing while at the park.

But a picture of the pair kissing was later found on a "secret" phone given to her by Shablinger.

Mr Haswell said the meeting at the park followed months of "grooming", which had started in May 2023 when she was just 12.

At 11am on June 16 2024 the victim told her mother she was "going to take the dog for a walk" with a friend. 

But when she failed to return the parent got her son to look for his sister, while she tried almost 20 times over a two-hour period to call her daughter.

The mother then went out to try and look for the missing girl herself, and found her in a park with Shablinger.

The defendant, who said he had "only just met her", then left the area on a bus.

The victim then lied to her mother about what happened, prompting the concerned parent to contact police.

Once home the victim claimed she felt unwell and went to her room.

But the mother later found her daughter "hiding something in her bed", which turned out to be a "secret" mobile phone given to her by Shablinger when they met up.

Looking at the phone the woman saw part of a live chat between her daughter and the defendant in which he asked her "do you regret Sunday?" and she replied "no".

There were also messages containing requests from him for "further meetings", a picture of them kissing and telling her to "hide the phone" from her mum.

Police were contacted and given the phone. It was also found to contain conversations about the defendant seeking a passport for the victim in order that she could "leave the country to be with him".

Shablinger was arrested by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport as he tried to board a plane to Munich on June 23.

Police seized his phone and found on it indecent images and videos of unidentified children, as well as indecent images of the victim.

Mr Haswell said analysis of his phone showed he had been chatting online with the victim for "some time" prior to them meeting up.

The prosecutor said "many" sexualised images and messages were exchanged between the two of them.

Mr Haswell said Shablinger encouraged and "instructed" the victim to commit sexual acts and recorded her as she did so.

He said the victim has refused to tell police what happened when she and Shablinger met and she even sent a message to him stating "be lucky, I lied to the police".

Shablinger, who was born in Austria but lives in Germany, appeared at court on Wednesday (January 9) after he admitted meeting a child following sexual grooming.

He also admitted sexual activity with a child and six offences of possession of more than 800 indecent images of children.

Three of those offences related to pictures and videos of the victim - including five category A, the most serious - and another three to unidentified children, including 346 category A.

Imposing an extended eight-and-a half-year extended sentence, made up of four and a half years in custody and four years on licence, Recorder Paul Garlick said it was a "very serious case".

Finding Shablinger to be a dangerous offender, he said there had been "deliberate targeting and grooming of a young girl" by the defendant whose intentions were "clear and sexual".

Ed Renvoize, mitigating, said the defendant accepted "this is an extremely serious case" but deserved full credit for his pleas to the offences.

He said Shablinger "was untruthful about his age" but insisted there was "no abduction or detention" in this case.

Shablinger was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and put on the sex offenders' register, both indefinitely.

He was also banned from contacting, or attempting  to contact, the victim directly or indirectly until further order.

Description

A man in his sixties who committed a series of sexual offences on a young girl is starting a lengthy prison sentence.

Alan Wilson committed the “utterly despicable” offences, some of which he filmed, over the course of a few days last year.

Durham Crown Court heard that the 63-year-old defendant, who is of previous good character, has been assessed as posing a high risk of causing harm to children, but a lower risk to other people.

Wilson, of Hatfield Road, Newton Aycliffe, was arrested and charged with a total of 19 counts after his actions came to light.

Appearing at a plea hearing at the court, in October, he admitted all the charges on the indictment.

These were nine counts of sexual assault, seven of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child.

The images were classified as 13 in the second most serious category, B, and three in the less severe section, C.

Following the plea hearing, Wilson was granted bail, including a condition that he should not have contact with any child, pending sentence.

He appeared back before the court to be sentenced this week (w/c January 6), following the preparation of a background report on him, by the Probation Service.

Robin Turton, representing Wilson, said the defendant recognises, “he has done wrong”, but he questioned the probation report assessment of him being considered a “high risk” of causing harm to children.

Mr Turton said given the length of time the defendant would spend in prison, “it’s an area that can be worked on.”

He said that none of the offences were “sustained”, albeit it was a pattern of offending over a few days.

Recorder Dafydd Enoch KC responded that it was, “difficult to imagine a worse example” of offending of that nature.

He told Mr Turton: “At the end of the day, your client has a sexual attraction to children.”

Mr Turton conceded: “It’s bad offending. I don’t want to suggest otherwise.

“I’m not suggesting this is anything other than serious.

“He knows he’s going to get a lengthy prison term.

“As bad as the offending is, it’s not penetrative offending.”

Addressing Wilson, Recorder Enoch told him they were, “despicable offences.”

The Recorder said: “It’s of great concern a man of your age and character should allow himself to succumb to systematic grooming and sexual assault on a young girl.

“Although there is no psychiatric assessment of the complainant, I have no doubt she will experience psychological consequences as a result of what you did, even if she did not understand what you were doing to her was wrong.”

Recorder Enoch imposed prison sentences totalling 12 years on the defendant.

He told him he must serve at least two-thirds of that sentence before being entitled to be released on licence.

Wilson was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order, prohibiting contact or approaches to the complainant, for life.

He is also subject of indefinite notification requirements and registration as a sex offender.