Latest Offenders

Description

This paedophile admitted to police he had downloaded sick abuse images of children as young as three as he had a sexual interest in juveniles.

Simon Cutts made the admission after being stopped in his car when he failed to answer the door to his home when officers went knocking.

At first, the 26-year-old denied he even had a mobile phone on which the vile video and photos were later discovered. But detectives found it in his car and analysed it.

On the device were both moving and still pornographic images of little boys and little girls. Handing him a three-year community order, Judge Julie Warburton said: “People like you create a market for children to be abused. It is not a victimless crime because further images cause further children to be abused.

“I have read the pre-sentence report and your letter to me and the background involving the stress you were dealing with at the time. But that doesn't even begin to excuse your behaviour.

“You admitted these matters and were candid with the police as to why you did this.” Rawaid Javed, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court, said police received information that an account linked to Cutts had been downloading the images and videos through the Kik messaging and chat app.

He said on November 3, 2022, they went to his home in Cox's Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, but there was no answer. The prosecutor said: “They then saw the defendant leave his address, get in a car and so they stopped him.

“He refused to get out of the car and denied having a mobile phone but it was searched and one was found.

“That was examined and was found to contain seven (of the most serious) category A images of both boys and girls aged three to 12; 11 category B images of videos of girls and boys aged three to 14 and seven images and videos of category C which were boys aged seven to 10. They had been downloaded between July and October 2022.

“The defendant was arrested and interviewed and made full admissions.” Cutts pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children and has no previous convictions of any kind.

Lauren Manuel, mitigating, said he denied having a mobile phone when he was in his car as he “panicked” having seen the officers. She said: “He fully admitted not only having the images but also, and this is very rare in these cases, that he admitted to having a sexual motivation towards children.”

As part of the community order, the judge ordered the defendant to attend a 43-day programme designed to steer child sex offenders away from that type of offending. She also ordered him to attend 30 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service.

Description

Mohammed Ali tried to meet the girl outside Leeds Town Hall after telling he wanted to have sex with her and another underage girl at the same time.

He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week after being stung by an online paedophile hunter group. But his barrister, Mohammed Rafiq, told the court: “He was not aware of the age of consent. Things are different from the part of the world he comes from. The ways things operate over there is that there’s a judge who decides whether two parties are mature enough to get married.

“He was 16 when he got married and his wife was 14. He accepts what he has done is wrong.”

The court heard that 23-year-old Ali had illegally come to the UK in the autumn of 2021 seeking asylum. Just weeks later he latched onto the profile of a young girl on Facebook Messenger which was a decoy run by Predator Exposure - the online hunter group looking to snare paedophiles trawling the internet for children.

After making contact, he told her he was 18 and from Syria but was in Leeds staying at an Ibis hotel. Throughout November of 2021 he communicated with the girl, sending her photos of himself in his hotel room.

He asked her several times to meet, and turned the conversation sexual, saying he had another girl with him and that he wanted sex with both of them. He told her not to tell anyone about their communication.

They arranged to meet near Leeds Town Hall, near to the Ferris wheel on Briggate on November 20, 2021, but Ali was met by members of Predator Exposure who livestreamed the confrontation.

A large protest was being held in Leeds that day, so police were already on hand and arrested Ali. He later admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He has no previous convictions.

Mr Raffiq told the court: “He is extremely ashamed and deeply frightened about his appearance before the court. He accepts what he has done is wrong.

“I say he was a very foolish and immature young man when he committed these offences. When he was arrested he did not try to run away. To his credit, he put his hands up and pleaded guilty. He was brought up in a difficult environment with a war raging in Syria.”

He said that Ali wanted to show he was “not a menace to society but an idiot”.

Judge Richard Mansell KC questioned Ali’s claim about not knowing the age of consent, pointing to his lies about his own age and telling the girl not to tell anyone.

He told him: “These offences are too serious to be dealt with by any other way than a sentence of immediate custody. You fully intended to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl.”

He jailed him for 12 months, gave him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to curb his internet use, and put him on the sex offender register.

But he told Ali he was “liable for deportation” once he is released.

Description

A Southampton paedophile who spends his benefits money on gaming was caught with more than 800 indecent images of children on his phones.

Thomas Mills, 39, was caught when police visited his home address and seized two mobile phones, Southampton Crown Court heard.

On the devices, an iPhone and a black mobile phone, officers found 195 Category A indecent images – the most severe kind – as well as 266 of Category B and 345 of Category C.

Ten of these were videos and depicted children as young as four being abused.

The court heard how Mills, who committed the offences in Southampton, is not able to work and is on benefits, which he spends on gaming.

Judge Nicholas Rowland said these are “serious offences” and told Mills that children are abused “for the gratification of people like you looking at images on the screen”.

The judge said Mills lives a “restricted life, spending [his] time in front of the screen".

“I am not sure that is a good thing for you to be doing Thomas Mills," he added.

Mills, who is currently living in West Bridgford, Nottingham, was arrested but answered no comment to all questions when interviewed.

Prosecutor, Helen Easterbrook said the offences relate to the downloading of images which he had in his possession for over a year on one device and six and a half months on the other.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme pornography.

But in the pre-sentence report prepared by the probation service, it says he “denies any sexual interest in children”.

Mitigating, Grace McConnell said her client has “mental health difficulties” and suffers from agoraphobia and germaphobia and is “on benefits as he is not able to work”.

She added: “With hindsight, he can see the inevitable harm that has been caused to those children.

“He is an individual of previous good character. He has never been seen before the court before.”

Mills, who wore a facemask throughout his sentencing hearing, claims he was abused as a child.

But Ms Easterbrook said: “There are no records within Hampshire Police in that he reported the abuse that he relied on," but accepted that this could have been reported elsewhere.

She also told the court that no medical evidence had been provided to demonstrate his mental health difficulties.

Mills was sentenced to nine months in prison but suspended for 18 months.

He must complete up to 40 rehabilitation activity requirement days and pay a £1,000 fine, with 28 days imprisonment in default if he fails to pay.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years and notification requirements for ten years.

The judge ordered the deprivation of the two seized devices.

Description

A “dangerous” man who subjected a woman to a degrading and humiliating sexual assault has been jailed for 15 years.

Leon Walmsley carried out the attack within just a few months of his release from prison in August 2022, with a judge telling the 25-year-old he was “disturbed” by the escalation in his offending.

His victim suffered multiple bruises to her head and body, as well as severe psychological harm, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Walmsley, of Hertford Place, Ramsgate, admitted a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm but denied assault by penetration, only to be convicted by a jury.

The court heard that having struck his victim repeatedly with an item, causing it to break, he then used it to sexually assault her.

At his sentencing hearing on April 5, a victim impact statement described how the woman had been left "terrified and paranoid" by her ordeal.

Jailing Walmsley, Recorder David Elvin KC told him he was considered a "dangerous" offender in law and would have to serve at least two-thirds of his prison term before being considered for release.

Once freed, he will then have a further three years added to any licence period.

Recorder Elvin said Walmsley, who had been offending since he was 18 and twice recalled to prison while on licence for a previous conviction, had not only shown an "inability and unwillingness to learn from his past" but also demonstrated "a failure to realise he has serious issues".

Recorder Elvin's observations of how Walmsley had presented himself at trial and to the author of his pre-sentence report were just as scathing.

Describing him as "deceitful" and a significant risk to the public, he said: "At the end of the interview you asked the author whether you had 'said the right things', suggesting your account may not have reflected your true feelings but what you believed would create a good impression.

"You gave evidence in a very calm, very controlled and very polite manner, seeking to gain favour with the jury."

On his release from prison, Walmsley will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements.

Description

A lone pervert who attempted to make a “porn movie” using a neighbour’s Ring doorbell camera has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

Depraved Neil Beattie was spotted with his trousers round this ankles, performing a solo sex act while staring directly at the woman’s front door.

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The detective who led a harrowing rape investigation in Whitby has praised a teenage girl whose courage ensured her attacker has been jailed for 12 years.

Dwayne Anthony Rhoden (pictured below), 34, from Union Street, Middlesbrough, was sentenced at York Crown Court today (Wednesday 17 April 2024).

Following a trial in January, Rhoden was found guilty of nine offences including:

• Five counts of rape
• Two counts of sexual assault by penetration
• Sexual assault
• False imprisonment

He pleaded guilty to a 10th offence of failing to comply with change of address notifications as a Registered Sex Offender.

As well as the prison sentence which includes an extended three years on licence, Rhoden was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Background to the investigation

The incident happened at an address in Whitby from around 11pm on Sunday 13 August 2023 to just after midnight on Monday 14 August 2023.

At 12.53am, a 999 call was made to North Yorkshire Police by a friend of the victim.

The girl was then put on the phone and she gave the first account of her terrifying ordeal to the Force Control Room.

An investigation was launched led by Detective Constable Matthew Edwards from the Scarborough and Ryedale Safeguarding Investigation Team.

He was able to establish that Rhoden had lured the teenager to a bedsit he was staying in after meeting her in town around 30 minutes before.

The teenager was eventually able to leave the address after about an hour. She contacted friends who helped her to alert the police.

Rhoden was arrested at the bedsit at 2.42am and was taken into custody for questioning.

He was subsequently charged with the 10 offences.

Description

A police officer who exposed his erect penis to a Tinder date stalked another woman he met online whilst working in a Met Police safeguarding unit. Thomas Hartill, a former detective constable attached to the North West Command Unit, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking at Highbury Magistrates' Court on Thursday, March 14, two months after he was found guilty of sexual misconduct at a Met Police tribunal.

The 37-year-old, of Station Road, Harpenden, previously worked as an actor and director, starring in West End productions, including As You Like It, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Intruder. After joining the Met Police, the thespian worked directly with female victims of stalking and abuse in a safeguarding unit.

On Thursday, prosecutor Martin Edwards told the court how Hartill met a female teacher on a dating app in July last year, while he was still a serving officer. After dating the woman - nine years his junior - for some weeks, she dumped him.

But rather than accept the relationship was over, Hartill repeatedly messaged her and even swapped phones after she blocked his number, the court heard. Hartill then stalked her, appearing at a bus stop on her way home from work on July 30 last year, and then again on September 7, Mr Edwards said.

"I'm incredibly anxious and nervous about him. Especially as there was a six week break away," the victim wrote in her impact statement. "His behaviour is making me feel nervous. The persistent messaging is distracting and concerning... I am on edge and nervous all the time. It makes me feel incredibly unsafe."

Defence counsel James O'Donnell said Hartill had expressed remorse as he called for an all options report from the probation service. Chair Amanda Gibbons gave Hartill bail on the condition he makes no contact with his victim. Hartill stammered 'I have no reason to' as Ms Gibbons warned him any breach of the condition could land him in prison.

Hartill's criminal conviction comes after he resigned from the Met Police in January 2024, ahead of a misconduct hearing the same month. The tribunal heard how his victim appeared upset and told a friend 'I think I was sexually assaulted last night' after her date with Hartill.

Like with Hartill's stalking victim, the pair met on a dating app, in this case Tinder, then agreed to meet up. The victim said they kissed on a bench, but she refused to engage in sexual activity when Hartill placed her hand on his penis. Despite her objections, he did it again. Later when they went for a drive in her car, she said Hartill exposed his erect penis and said 'Go on' without her consent.

She also told the panel 'Hartill kept bringing the conversation around to the sexual side of a relationship while she wanted a long-term relationship'. In his defence, Hartill accused the victim of sending bikini photos and a nude. However, the panel said Hartill 'probably' accessed the bikini photos from Facebook, and he could not prove the identity of the naked woman as her face was cropped.

The panel was satisfied with the victim's evidence that Hartill placed her hand on his penis twice, without consent, and exposed himself in the car. They also heard evidence of the impact on the victim, who said she would now 'freeze' if she heard a police siren and had started therapy to help her cope with Hartill's behaviour.

In its ruling, the panel concluded Hartill's behaviour was repeated, deliberate, and he was seeking sexual gratification. Had Hartill not already resigned, the panel found he was guilty of gross misconduct and would have been sacked anyway.

On Friday, March 15, a Met Police spokesperson confirmed 'former DC Hartill did work in a safeguarding unit, therefore would have come into contact with victims of stalking offences'.

Chief Superintendent Sara Leach, leading the Met’s North West Policing Command, said: "There is no excuse for the actions of this officer. In his former role as a police officer he would have been aware of the devastating consequences of stalking, therefore this makes his offending all the more disappointing.

"PC Hartill has been dismissed from the Met and he has been added to a barred list, held by the College of Policing, which means he cannot be employed by a police force again." After his conviction on Thursday, Hartill will be sentenced at the same court in April.

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A MAN from Cheshire has been jailed after he admitted sexually abusing young boys online.

Nicholas Hatton appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, April 16, where he was sentenced to 18-years in prison.

The 34-year-old, of West Street, Crewe, had earlier pleaded guilty to –

Six counts of causing/inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity 

Two counts of causing/inciting the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13-17

One count of possession of indecent images of children

Three counts of making indecent images of children (A, B, and C)

Three counts of taking indecent images of children (A, B, C)

One count of possession of prohibited images of children

In addition to his prison sentence Hatton was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

The investigation into Hatton initially began in 2021 when officers from Cheshire Police received intelligence from a social media company in relation to his online activity.

A warrant was conducted at Hatton’s home in Crewe where a number electronic devices were seized and sent for analysis.

During examination of the devices officers recovered over 12,000 indecent images of children, more than 750 indecent videos and 1,050 prohibited images.

Following the discovery, Hatton was rearrested in June 2022. During questioning he denied all knowledge of who the children in the images were. He was subsequently released on conditional bail.

Thanks to the help of the Cheshire Police Victim Identification Officer, detectives were able to identify two of the four victims in the case – both of whom were teenage boys in America.

The victims confirmed that they had been in contact with Hatton for several years and that he had enticed them into engaging in online sexual activity.

One of the victims was 12 when the offences began. He told officers that he had been groomed by Hatton throughout his childhood, stating that he had been coerced into sexually abusing a two-year-old family member on camera.

As a result of his admissions, the teenager has since been convicted of rape and sexual assault in America and sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Hatton was subsequently charged in connection with the offences and later pleaded guilty to all of the charges.

Description

A physiotherapist who carried out a sex attack on an elderly client at his clinic has been jailed. Richard Hughes, 54, assaulted his pensioner patient three times as she lay face down on a treatment table in Willaston.

Chester Crown Court the victim - who had made an appointment for help with her back problems - got up from the table and challenged Hughes before fleeing the scene. She then called 999 and reported Hughes to police.

Officers attended the clinic later that day last year and arrested Hughes on suspicion of sexual assault. Now the defendant, of Crewe Road, Willaston, has been jailed for 12 months. He had already pleased guilty to three charges of sexual assault.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Rob Bushell, of Crewe CID, said: “The victim was seeking treatment for her back problems and put her trust in Hughes to help but instead, she was subject to a terrifying ordeal.

“Hughes held no regard for how his actions would impact the victim and took advantage of her while she was in a vulnerable position, all for his own perverse sexual gratification.

“I hope that the sentence handed to Hughes provides some closure to the victim, who has shown an incredible amount of bravery throughout this investigation. I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage anyone who may have also been a victim of sexual assault to please get in touch.

“We continue to do all we can to tackle any incident of violence against women and take all reports of such crimes extremely seriously and will investigate thoroughly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”

In addition to his 12-month prison sentence, Hughes was also handed a lifetime restraining order and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years.

Description

A CONVICTED sex offender has been jailed for a second time after being caught with an unapproved Facebook account.

Joshua De Banks, who was first convicted in 2019 for swapping sexually explicit messages with a teen boy, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (April 16) charged with three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

It was discovered that the 25-year-old, who was released from a two-year prison term for similar breaches in January this year, had a second unapproved Facebook account and had altered a safety app installed on his phone by police.

The defendant, who was using an approved alias on Facebook called ‘Zack Fields’ after an application to amend his SHPO was approved in 2022, said he had made a second account as he was locked out of the first.

Sentencing De Banks to 16 months imprisonment, Judge Michael Gledhill said: “You got away pretty lightly on this occasion.

“If you carry on like this you will spend the rest of your life in prison. You’ve got to get your act together.”

De Banks, formerly of Field Avenue, Oxford, was first made subject to SHPO in 2019 after asking a 15-year-old boy to engage in sex acts.

The victim was ‘so traumatised’ he later took an overdose of paracetamol.

In May 2022, he received a two-year jail term for multiple breaches of the SHPO by using library computers and using a friend’s phone to access WhatsApp and his emails.

De Banks had also acquired a smartphone, which was eventually found beneath his oven, that he had not registered with police.

In September 2022, he applied to amend the SHPO so he could use an alias – Zack Fields – which the courts and police approved.

Upon his release in January, he was handed his phone back with the safety software installed.

However, within a few weeks, De Banks’s mother reported to police the second Facebook account.

The third breach was using his phone after the software had been altered.

Defending De Banks, now of Hughendon Road, High Wycombe, barrister Henry Dickson said upon his client’s release he was in Newcastle and homeless.

He returned to ‘alcohol abuse’ before the breaches occurred.

He said: “He accepts entirely that this is his responsibility.

“Whatever the circumstances, how sad or difficult they may be, he accepts he has failed to comply with the order.”

It was added that De Banks, who has been on suicide watch in prison, does not know how the safety software was altered.

Description

A paedophile carried out years of sexual abuse against a girl which began when she was just six years old. As a result of the abuse, she tried to take her own life on two occasions.

David Devlin, 45, of Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, took advantage of his victim and told her not to report his sexual deviancy or he would be sent to prison. The abuse culminated with the defendant forcing the victim to perform a sex act on him and sexually assaulting her.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard hundreds of texts passed between Devlin and his victim, which was described by prosecutors as being "more like boyfriend and girlfriend". Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant described the texts as "grooming" behaviour, which sought to normalise his sexual behaviour in the victim's mind.

The victim first told her family and school about the sexual abuse in 2022 and Devlin was arrested. A search of his home led to a laptop being seized which was found to contain an indecent image of a child. An image of bestiality was also discovered on the defendant's phone.

Devlin, of Station Road, denied the allegations but he was found guilty of six counts of sexual assault of a child, one count of assault by penetration of a child, two counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, possession of an indecent image and possession of an extreme image. The court heard he was of a previous good character.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Joshua Scouller, the victim said: "When I first told school and family about what was happening, I closed myself off from friends, family and the outside world. I wouldn't leave my room and go outside with friends. I wouldn't do normal things like eat or drink. I would stay in my room and not want to leave. I would get up in the night with nightmares and flashbacks...

"I am scared of people now, I know what people are capable of. I feel I am constantly depressed and have felt like this for the last two years. I feel numb and angry to the outside world and sad when I am alone. At times I haven't felt like getting out of bed, I don't go on my phone or fall asleep, I lie there thinking about everything that's happened with Dave and cry... One day I was really struggling with it all and I decided to kill myself." The victim said she took an overdose of tablets and later told a school counsellor what she had done, and was taken to hospital. She also attempted to take her own life on a second occasion, and harmed herself with knives and lighters.

In mitigation, it was said Devlin still maintains his innocence and claimed the victim was after compensation. As a result of his convictions he has lost his job and accepts he has "let people down". Sentencing, Judge Porter-Bryant said the defendant is a "high risk of serious harm to female children" and used "grooming and manipulation" to sexually abuse his victim.

Devlin was sentenced to eight years and six months imprisonment, with an extended licence period of two years and six months, after being found to be a dangerous offender. He will serve two thirds of the custodial sentence before he will be eligible for parole. The defendant was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements, and will be made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order at a later hearing.

Description

A grandad was deemed too drunk to be sentenced after sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a train.

Raymond Beckett was so intoxicated that he fell over on the steps outside Liverpool Crown Court as he was due to learn his fate over the vile incident. He harassed the youngster as she made her way home from Liverpool city centre, touching her inappropriately before asking her: "Don't you like being touched?"

The same court heard yesterday that the 17-year-old victim had been waiting to board a train at Central Station with a friend at around 9pm when she noticed the convicted sex offender, who she said "made her feel uncomfortable" and "smelled very strongly of alcohol". Zahra Baqri, prosecuting, described how Beckett then walked behind the girls before approaching them.

The 64-year-old first spoke to the the teen's friend, who "began looking at her phone in an effort to discourage him from communicating with them". He reacted by asking the complainant: "What is wrong with her?"

Beckett, of Sharples Crescent in Crosby, went on to touch her right arm with his hand and added "be careful" while "looking directly at her breasts". She then zipped up her coat after being "made more uncomfortable" by his actions.

At this stage, a Merseyrail worker approached him and said: "So, are you back then?"

Security staff meanwhile "advised the young girls to go to the opposite end of the platform" and enter via a carriage towards the front of the train. But the defendant boarded the service and made his way into the same carriage and sat down next to them.

Beckett then touched her to the shoulder and rubbed her thigh. He went on to grab her hand "tightly" and kiss it, only letting go when she began to have a panic attack.

But her friend told her that her dad would be picking them up from Sandhills Station in a "rouse intended to get the defendant to move away from them". Beckett continued to touch the girl's shoulder however, and she told him: "Don't touch me, I don't like people touching me."

He replied "don't you like being touched?" before his "mood changed" and he began repeating: "I don't want to speak to you. F*** off."

Beckett also called the victim's friend a "p***k" and "tried to block them from the doors" when they got up to leave the train. As they got off, he took the other girl's water bottle and "threw it all over her hands".

He was subsequently identified via CCTV footage and in an identity parade. Under interview, Beckett "denied presence" and said he "didn't use the train that day", but "could not remember what he was doing".

The pervert added that he had spent six weeks in hospital shortly before the incident after suffering a brain injury which affected his memory. He conceded having had an "alcohol dependency", but said it "does not change his behaviour and merely makes him fall over".

Beckett's criminal record shows six previous convictions for six offences. This includes an entry for indecent assault of a female under 14 in 1996.

In a statement which was read out to the court on her behalf, the complainant said: "I had to throw away the clothes I wore that day. The thought of wearing them gave me shivers and reminded me of what happened.

"I get nightmares where I imagine him touching my thigh again. In these dreams, I can't escape and I wake up crying.

"When I go to Liverpool Central, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when the train pulls up at the station. I feel constantly on edge and look around constantly."

Beckett was due to appear before the court for sentencing on Friday last week. However, he was seen lying down on the steps outside the court on Derby Square beforehand having apparently fallen over on his way into the building.

The defendant, wearing a black suit over a white shirt and black tie, then continued to stumble around as he was helped inside by a relative and security staff. The hearing could not ultimately proceed "due to the level of the defendant's intoxication", and Beckett was remanded into custody over the weekend.

Peter White, defending, told the court on Monday: "It appears that alcohol is the root of the problem here. Mr Beckett accepts that he has been a functioning alcoholic for a number of years.

"He has a bottle of brandy most days, on top of other alcohol. It would appear that, when he is not at that level of intoxication, he is able to avoid causing trouble.

"This gentleman describes his daily life as coming into the city centre, having a drink, watching the buskers and going home. Mr Beckett has had one other custodial sentence.

"It was almost 30 years ago. I think he has had one court appearance since for non-payment of a railway fare.

"He has been an alcoholic for a number of years, and he recognises that. The first 48 hours he has had sober in a long time has been this weekend."

Beckett admitted two counts of sexual assault. Wearing a grey prison issue tracksuit in the dock, he was jailed for nine months.

Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: "You plainly were significant affected by drink as you were most days, as you were addicted to alcohol. You approached her and her friend and began to pester them.

"In your drunken mind, this all seemed perfectly innocent - but she must have been terrified. She must have feared that she going to be the victim of a much more serious incident.

"You have a limited record of recently previous convictions. Your life is chaotic because of your problems and challenges with drink."

Beckett was also handed a five-year sexual harm prevention order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Description

A sex offender called a "danger to women" kidnapped his former partner at knifepoint and threatened to "shiv" her and her brother if she tried to escape.

Connor Owen, 30, entered into a relationship with Toni Roberts in April last year and in the early weeks everything seemed prosperous. However, Owen, who has significant mental health issues including schizophrenia, stopped taking his medication in late May despite both the Probation Service and his then partner urging him to continue his dosage.

Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Monday, April 15 that Ms Roberts, who has two children - aged seven and nine - from a previous relationship, decided the pair did not have a future together. However, Arthur Gibson, prosecuting, told the court Owen - a registered sex offender who previously had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl - was not prepared to accept it.

The court heard in early October 2023 he invited her around to his grandparents' home where he lived and grabbed her by the neck and forced a sobbing Ms Roberts into the garden by knifepoint. Ms Roberts only managed to escape the house and back to her own home via taxi when Owen's nan realised something was up.

Owen continued to bombard Ms Roberts with texts and calls which she continued to respond to in a hope of keeping the peace. However, matters came to a head on October 25 last year when Ms Roberts went to the cinema with her two children. She was dropped off at the cinema and then picked up and taken home by her brother Anthony Dennis.

Mr Gibson told the court that the two were outside the front of her house chatting and having a vape when a taxi pulled up. Ms Roberts recalled her brother saying "get back in the taxi lad" before the defendant emerged. She ran back into the house and locked the door while Mr Dennis spoke to the "irate" Owen.

Mr Dennis decided the best way to cool off the defendant was for his sister to speak to him to which she agreed. However, Mr Gibson said "this turned out to be a terrible mistake", with the defendant pulling out a knife, holding it to her back and forcing her to walk down the road away from her house.

Owen told the terrified mum-of-two to "shut up or I will shiv you". He added "by the time the police get here you will be dead". Mr Dennis called the police and followed after the pair in his car. After pulling up alongside the defendant and his sister, Ms Roberts managed to dive into the back seat of the car.

The defendant then ran around towards the open driver's window with the knife, but Mr Dennis managed to pull away, knocking Owen to the ground with his wing mirror. The brother and sister fled back to her house where they locked the door. The defendant ran back to the house and started kicking the front door. Perplexed neighbours came out to see the commotion, including one man who attempted to stop Owen from kicking the door.

He was forced to back off after Owen said "f*** off or stab you". Ms Roberts, Mr Dennis and her terrified children hunkered down inside the house until Owen fled the scene. He was arrested at his grandparents' address at around 9.15pm and told the police he would cooperate.

The knife was recovered and Owen was taken to Belle Vale custody suite where he answered no comment to police questions. Due to his previous sexual offences convictions - where he received a sentence of nine years plus four on extended licence - Owen was returned to prison. However, Mr Gibson said he continued to terrorise his former partner by sending her a letter on November 17 last year while he was behind bars.

In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Gibson, Ms Roberts said: "My life and my kids' lives could have been taken away in a blink of an eye...my life will never be the same." She added: "I have been looking over my shoulder in case he has come back to get us.

"I am scared of every Delta taxi that I see. I have had nightmares since, I can't sleep properly, relax or eat a meal. My family could have been three members down. My children say 'is the bad man coming back?' I am scared of the future and know he is capable of the worst."

The court heard Owen has a history of violence, including previous convictions for section 47 assault and assaulting a police officer. He also received a custodial sentence in February 2012 for possession of crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply. However, he received a significant prison sentence on February 2014 for sexual assault and rape of a teenager. He received a further consecutive sentence while in prison in April 2017 for possession of a mobile phone.

Appearing before the court on November 24 last year, Owen entered guilty pleas to threatening with a weapon in a private place; assault occasioning actual bodily harm; kidnap; and two counts of threatening with an article with blade/point in a public place. In mitigation, Sarah Holt, defending, said: "Nothing I am about to say is intended to justify or diminish his acts.

"He apologises to Ms Roberts, regrets his behaviour and fully recognises how frightening this would have been for her." She added there was minimal physical harm, but accepted the "considerable" emotional and psychological harm that the victim would have experienced.

She added it was her submission that the kidnapping was at the lower end of the kidnapping cases that could be heard at crown court. Ms Holt told the court her client had a "damaged childhood which has impacted his adult life" and his best mitigation was his guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity.

In his sentencing remarks, His Honour Judge David Aubrey KC said in his view the offending must be viewed against a background of an abusive relationship after Ms Roberts made the decision to leave for the welfare of herself and her children. He told Owen that the "perceived rejection simmered in your mind and you were unable to accept the relationship was over".

He arrived at her house due to "jealousy and possessiveness", said Judge Aubrey, and Mr Dennis' attempts to calm the defendant by asking his sister to speak with him was like "a red rag to a bull". He said Ms Roberts' victim impact statement showed she and her children were "traumatised, shaking and crying" by the experience. He added the statement speaks of her "anxiety, stress and alarm" about living in constant fear.

Judge Aubrey told Owen that he recognised he suffered from anxiety, unstable personality disorder and schizophrenia and accepted a doctor's recommendation that he was "labouring under the symptoms of his illnesses". He said if Owen had continued to take his medication "it may be a small part of your culpability would have been reduced". However, he added Owen was "determined not to take his medication", despite medical advice and pleas from Ms Roberts.

The judge said: "You are a possessive and jealous man. In 2014 you were found to be dangerous to women, You remain to be dangerous to women and are a significant risk to members of the public." Owen, of Ermine Crescent, Everton, was sentenced to six years, eight months and an extended licence of four years, four months.

Owen, who wore a grey Berghaus top and sported black hair and beard, also received an indefinite restraining order not to contact Ms Roberts in any way.

Description

A fish restaurant manager sent a series of "disgusting and repugnant" pictures and videos to a fake 12-year-old girl after they exchanged intimate and explicit messages on social media platforms Kick and Snapchat.

Mark Collinson used the false name "Fandango" and he jokingly admitted to the decoy girl that he was a "bad man" for talking to her and that he "could get in loads of trouble" for it. He asked her to keep quiet about their X-rated conversations because it was "our secret" and he later sent her a message with a Valentine's Day heart on it, Hull Crown Court heard.

Collinson, 41, of North Cave, admitted attempting to cause a child to watch sexual activity during communication between January 25 and February 22, 2022.

Annabelle Coakley, prosecuting, said that Collinson used the false name "Fandango" and he sent a message on the Kick social media site to an undercover decoy, who was posing as a 12-year-old girl. She accepted Collinson's invitation to chat and he also added her on Snapchat.

They began communicating and Collinson sent a number of explicit images of himself, including committing a sex act. "The communication from the defendant was sexual in nature," said Miss Coakley.

The fake girl told Collinson that she was aged 12 and he laughingly replied: "12?!!" before making references to watching pornography and asked her explicit questions. On a couple of occasions, he asked the girl if she was still in school.

He sent a revealing video of himself and asked her if he should "lose" the boxer shorts that he was wearing. He sent a video of himself committing a sex act. "You need a spanking," he said.

Collinson sent intimate images of himself and he told the decoy girl that she was as "cute as f***". He told her: "I'm a bad man for talking to you lol. Could get in loads of trouble. It's our secret."

Collinson sent a further explicit video of himself, filmed while he was watching pornography. He later sent further images of himself and explicit messages. He asked her a picture and asked her what underwear she had on.

On February 14, 2022, Collinson sent her an image of a heart and the message "Happy Valentine's Day". The conversations continued until February 22, 2022. He was arrested on May 7 of that year at his home.

He claimed during police interview that he believed that the decoy was an adult and that he had done nothing wrong. He had no previous convictions.

Ben Hammersley, mitigating, said that Collinson had shown regret and shame and he had difficulty expressing what had happened. He pleaded guilty, acted out of character and struggled to accept what he had done.

"There has been no police involvement in the two-and-a-half years since then," said Mr Hammersley. "He is quite rightly disgusted by his behaviour.

"There is no other word for it. It's disgusting and repugnant." Collinson had worked all his life and he was a restaurant manager in Hull.

Recorder Paul Reid told Collinson: "For some time, you have an unnatural and unlawful sexual interest in children. Kick is well known to be used by children as a social media platform.

"The decoy was posing as a 12-year-old. You invited her to chat and you did so over a period of about a month. This was both on Kick and Snapchat. You went on in the conversation to talk about pornography and sex."

Collinson was given a 14-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work and 30 days' rehabilitation. He was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and he must register as a sex offender for 10 years. He was ordered to pay £425 costs.

Description

A former Shetland primary school teacher has been jailed for 30 months after molesting six of his pupils in their classroom more than a decade ago.

Stephen Tait was also added to the sex offenders register for life following a trial that convicted the 41-year-old of six charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour.