Latest Offenders

Description

A repeat sex offender has been jailed for indecently exposing himself in a store in Devizes.

On 31 May, Philip Harding, 72, of the Lye, Seend, was seen inside a charity shop in the Brittox exposing and then pleasuring himself in the presence of the victim and his young daughter.

Following enquiries, Harding was identified and arrested with the offence.

He was subsequently charged with indecent exposure, to which he pleaded guilty.

At a hearing on Friday (18/07), he was jailed for 12 months.

A sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) was also imposed for 10 years, which will place restrictions upon Harding.

Local Crime Investigator Shonna O’Harney, based in the Volume Crime Team, said:

“Harding is a prolific offender and we are aware of the community concern around him.

“Indecent exposure is a serious offence with potentially significant impacts upon victims.

“We have also seen that it can also lead to more serious contact sexual offences and violence.

“I’m pleased that the courts have recognised the severity of Harding’s offending and imposed a custodial sentence, plus a SHPO to protect the public.

“I’d also like to thank the victim for coming forward and reporting the incident to us. Support from the community is absolutely vital to allow us to investigate these types of offences.”

Description

A man who made and distributed thousands of indecent images of children has been jailed for four and a half years.

John Carver, aged 38, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at King's Lynn Crown Court on Friday 18 July having previously admitted 8 counts of distributing indecent images of a child, 2 counts of making indecent images of a child and 7 counts of blackmail. He also admitted failing to comply with Sex Offender Register notification requirements.

The court heard how in January 2024 Carver, a registered sex offender, disappeared from the approved premises in Northamptonshire where he was supposed to be staying.  

To avoid capture, he spent the next year moving from hotel to hotel usually only staying in each one for a day or two, using different alias to avoid detection. To fund this lifestyle he sold incident images of children on the internet using various social media and storage platforms.

A complex and detailed investigation was launched to track his transactions and on the 8th of January 2025 intelligence showed Carver was on a bus to Norwich. Police were at Norwich Bus Station when he arrived and arrested him.

Following his arrest, analysis of Carver's mobile phone showed he had joined multiple groups online, offering photographs of very young children and  babies. He had set up a large number online payment accounts through which he had received thousands of pounds for the indecent material.  In some cases he also blackmailed buyers, asking them for money or he would report them to police. 

Carver was sentenced to four and a half years imprisonment and a further four and a half years on extended licence.  He remains on the Sex Offenders Register for life and his Sexual Harm Prevention Order remains indefinite.

Following sentencing Detective Constable Aaron Alley said,

"Carver is an extremely dangerous individual who demonstrated a chilling disregard for the children depicted in the images he was sharing. 

“He believed he could evade justice.  But thanks to the tireless work of officers he was left with no choice but to plead guilty after a catalogue of evidence was gathered against him.

“Every single indecent image and video shared online represents a real child somewhere in the world enduring unimaginable abuse.

“We remain absolutely committed to protecting children from harm, relentlessly pursuing those who exploit them, and ensuring they are brought before the courts.”

2025-04-07

A registered sex offender made thousands of pounds selling indecent images of children to people who he then tried to blackmail, prosecutors claim.

John Carver, 37, is accused of 17 offences including demanding money with menaces by threatening to track people down and call police.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard it was alleged he sold indecent images between September 2024 and January 2025 to online users of the Telegram app including in Norfolk. 

Josephine Jones, prosecuting, said he had swapped devices to cover his tracks. 

Carver, who is from Northampton, entered no plea to seven counts of blackmail and eight counts of distributing 5,272 indecent child images and videos, many category A - the most serious.  

He is also charged with possessing category A images and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements by not telling police his whereabouts. 

He was remanded into custody until a hearing at Norwich Crown Court on May 2. 

Description

A County Durham sex offender who threatened his victim and other witnesses with violence has been jailed for 13 years.

Ian Maughan deliberately drew out proceedings in the case, even remaining silent when the charges were initially put to him, at a plea hearing at Durham Crown Court in March last year.

But following a series of hearings since, including an aborted trial in late July last year, he finally admitted all seven counts he was facing, the final five after the start of his rearranged trial at the court last month.

The 65-year-old defendant, formerly of Consett, appeared back before the court on Friday (July 18) by video link from Durham Prison, for his sentencing hearing.

He was facing sentence for sexual assaults, threatening a person with an offensive weapon, possessing an offensive weapon, a baseball bat, stalking involving serious alarm and making threats to kill.

The court was read statements by two of his victims who outlined the deep psychological effect his offending has had on them, one of whom has been undergoing counselling for the last 18 months and still suffers nightmares.

She said the defendant told her no-one would believe her and she felt like he was transferring the blame to her.

Jennifer Coxon, for Maughan, said there had been no previous pattern of sexually obsessive behaviour by the defendant.

She said while he does have past convictions, the last was in 2001 and he has never previously been in custody.

Miss Coxon said the offences took place after the death of the defendant's wife and following another family bereavement.

"He's realistic and understands he will receive a lengthy custodial sentence.

"But it's identified that his behaviour was extremely out of character for him."

Miss Coxon said at the time he committed the offences he was suffering with a fluctuating adjustment disorder and depressive symptoms accounting for some of his erratic behaviour.

"He doesn't put that forward as an excuse.

"He's well aware of his behaviour and how awful it would have been at the time," added Miss Coxon.

Judge Jo Kidd said he was responsible for "horrible offences" against his victims.

"You are a deeply manipulative and controlling individual," she told him.

She said he made repeated threats to try to exert control over his victims, who have been left seriously affected psychologically by his offending.

The judge imposed sentences totalling 13 years of which the defendant must serve at least two-thirds, eight years and eight months, behind bars.

When he is released he will also be subject of licence supervision for the remainder of the 13 years.

He will also be subject to notification as a sex offender for life.

Restraining orders, also for life, prohibit him from ever approaching or trying to contact his victims.

Description

A 'psychopath' rapist has been given a rare life sentence after the judge was nearly moved to tears by a rape-survivor's heart-breaking victim impact statement.

Musaddaq Hoque, 37, will serve a minimum of 14 years and eight months after he was convicted of five counts of rape against two women after a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court last month.

Judge Ross Cohen looked visibly emotional as one of Hoque's victims bravely stood up in court to face her abuser, who appeared via video link from prison. "I was not just violated. I was broken in a way that can't be undone. The fear, the helplessness, the shame, all still live with me," she said, "I am no longer able to trust people. I am afraid of letting someone in who will destroy me again."

"It took away something from me that can never be returned. I hope the court understands this was not just a moment but a life sentence. You are a psychopath. A Jekyll and Hyde who can change your personality with the flick of a switch. Hopefully you will learn putting your hands on a woman should not cross your mind."

The other victim-survivor described Hoque's 'repeated emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse' which left her 'walking on eggshells' and still suffering flashbacks and panic attacks.

Calling out Hoque's targeting of a vulnerable divorced woman and her £30,000 savings, Judge Cohen said: "As a Bengali man you knew the value of her gold she had been given as a dowry."

Hoque, formerly of St Luke's Road in Notting Hill, has been in prison since 2021 when he was remanded ahead of a separate trial at Southwark Crown Court. MyLondon previously reported how the thug was given a 10 year extended sentence for terrorising a victim for 15 years, burning her with a cigarette and threatening her with acid. Two juries failed to reach a verdict on a count of oral rape.

In June this year Hoque returned to court, where two more women gave evidence against him. This time jurors saw through his lies, convicting him on the rape counts, as well as GBH, threats to kill, and controlling and coercive behaviour.

Hoque's previous offences include battering and harassing another female partner, working as a drug dealer in 2011, deliberately running over a cyclist in 2014, assaulting another female partner in 2018, and then the convictions that saw him sentenced in 2023.

This track record left Judge Cohen with little option but to engage a Section 285 life sentence, having considered the seriousness of the crimes, the nature of his previous, the level of danger, and whether there were any alternatives. The judge was particularly concerned that Hoque had raped and abused both women while serving a suspended sentence for attacking a former partner in 2018.

During the trial, jurors heard how Hoque would make threats to: stamp on the pregnant women's stomachs, throw them down the stairs, and perform coat hanger abortions. In one particularly disturbing incident, Hoque poked a kitchen knife into the victim's pregnant stomach and told her he would cut the baby out. Terrified he would do it, she grabbed the knife and sliced her hand open.

On Hoque's previous, the judge said: "Using violence. Threatening violence. Or being abusive or controlling towards women. You seek to demand control and subjugate women with such means. You threaten extreme violence with threats to women with fire, acid, and weapons," adding in relation to one former girlfriend: "You threatened to put a gun down her throat."

Judge Cohen said Hoque had been a danger to women for more than 13 years, and would continue to do so while he maintained his innocence. "All you have demonstrated towards them is callous indifference. You have no insight into your offending and repeatedly lied to the jury," he added. Judge Cohen concluded an extended sentence was not a suitable alternative to a life sentence in this case.

The sentence means Hoque will not go before the parole board until he has complete the minimum sentence. Only then will the board decide if he is ready for release, and any crime committed on license will see him immediately returned to prison for life.

Description

An officer has praised the courage of three victims who bravely came forward to report non-recent abuse as two men have today been jailed.

In November 2022, police received a report from a man about how he had been sexually assaulted more than 30 years ago when he was a child.

Two more victims came forward to report non-recent abuse and an investigation was subsequently launched by Stockton CID.

Colin Smith, now 75, was soon arrested and charged with buggery and three counts of indecent assault in relation to all three victims. Kevin Danks, now 61, was also arrested and charged with indecent assault against one of the victims.

They appeared in court and pleaded guilty to the offences during the start of their trial.

On Friday 18th July, Smith and Danks appeared at Teesside Crown Court for sentencing. Smith was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison whilst Danks was sentenced to 5 years and six months in prison.

Investigating officer, DC Rusby said:

“Despite the passage of time, justice has caught up with Smith and Danks who both face long prison sentences thanks to the courage and bravery of the victims.

“Whilst no prison sentence can ever undo the pain and trauma inflicted on the victims, I hope it will go some way to help them gain closure and move forward with their lives.

“For those who believe they can prey on vulnerable children, I want to make it clear that we will relentlessly pursue you and you will be brought before the courts.

“I hope this sentencing reassures anyone who has suffered abuse, no matter how long ago it may have happened, that we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A paedophile who targeted two children online has been jailed for more than a decade.

Northumbria Police’s POLIT department – a dedicated team working to protect vulnerable children – acted on intelligence and arrested Joshua MacFarlane in January 2024.

He was subsequently charged with a series of offences and in April 2025 at Newcastle Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual communications with a child, two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act and six counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act.

He also pleaded guilty to meeting another child following sexual grooming, causing a child to watch a sexual act, sexual activity with a child, paying for sexual services of a child, three counts of distributing indecent images of a child and one count of making indecent photographs of a child.

MacFarlane, 20, of Coquet Avenue, South Shields, was also sentenced for multiple breaches of an interim Sexual Risk Order.

He appeared before the same court on Wednesday where he was sentenced to 10 years and four months behind bars, with a further four years to be spent on licence.

MacFarlane will also remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Elizabeth Biggins, of Northumbria Police said:

"First and foremost, I’d like to praise the victims for their bravery.

MacFarlane is a dangerous predator who is now facing a long spell behind bars, and this outcome was only made possible by the incredibly bravery of his survivors.

We would like to take this opportunity to urge all victims of sexual abuse to come forward, no matter how much time has passed.

Our message to survivors is clear – we are here to support you and we will do everything we can to bring those responsible to justice."

Description

A 72-year-old man from Myton-on-Swale near York has been jailed for multiple child sex offences dating back to the 1980s.

Rodney Abbott, of Moor Lane, was sentenced to 18 years and 8 months at York Crown Court on Friday 18 July 2025 where he was also issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order until further order, a restraining order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely.

He has been remanded in custody since pleading guilty on 12 May 2025 to six offences of raping a girl under 16, six offences of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14 years, three offences of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 years, and one offence of inciting a girl under fourteen years of age to commit an act of gross indecency.

The victim was assaulted from the age of five and into her teens, describing her childhood as “a constant stream of sexual assaults”.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Mike Cope said:

“Mr Abbott took every opportunity to abuse the victim. She was young, helpless and without any means to escape the things that were done to her. Her childhood was miserable. It is impossible to imagine how scared and isolated she must have felt.

"In the time that I have spent with the victim, I have come to admire her for her bravery, she has had the courage to tell the police about the abuse she has suffered. She has somehow found the strength to carry on and create a good life for her and a loving home for her children.

"Nothing will take away the victim’s pain, but I hope that the sentencing can offer some sort of closure for her.

"I hope that this case shows survivors of abuse that the police are here for you, irrespective as to when that abuse occurred. It is never too late to tell us; we are here, and we will listen.

"We are committed to bringing those responsible for such horrific abuse to justice - don’t suffer in silence.”

Description

A man has been jailed for a year and banned from UK tanning salons after police found upskirting videos on his phone.

Thomas Hampton, 33, from Mexborough, was arrested after a woman in a salon reported someone trying to film her while she was using a sunbed.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of operating equipment beneath clothing of another without consent and observing a person doing a private act and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday.

Det Insp Lucy Garside, of South Yorkshire Police, said Hampton was a "dangerous individual who has a preoccupation with filming and following lone women in public".

Officers said Hampton was found to be using the room next door to the woman on the sunbed when he tried to film her.

After his arrest, police discovered dozens of self-recorded videos and photos of women in public, including upskirting videos.

Det Insp Garside said: "He regularly recorded women without their consent, concealing the fact that he was filming."

She said the victim whose actions led to Hampton's arrest had undergone "a frightening experience in a place she should feel safe and I know it has affected her greatly".

Hampton was also banned from owning any device capable of taking photos without notifying police and banned from entering any unisex changing areas and tanning salons in the UK, as part of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting for seven years.

Description

A SEX offender who was challenged by a woman after he walked into a house he was banned from reacted angrily, spitting into her face. 

The violent behaviour on January 9 of 32-year-old Carlisle man Leighton Lewis and his decision to flout his sexual harm prevention order led to his arrest and a remand in custody, the city’s crown court heard.

The defendant, of Lediard Avenue, Carlisle, admitted two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order, a common assault, and the theft of a mobile phone.

Prosecutor Matthew Hopkins outlined the offending.

He explained that Lewis was given the sexual harm prevention order in June of 2024 after he was convicted of attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity.

The defendant was charged after he fell for an online sting, sending lewd sexual images to a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. She was actually an adult decoy, working for a paedophile hunter group.

Lewis later blamed his sordid behaviour on being “off his head” on cocaine.

Mr Hopkins described how Lewis agreed to meet a woman for a meal in Workington on January 8, and at the end of the evening he was drunk. Going into the property from which he was banned, he challenged a woman who was there.

He verbally abused her, prompting the woman to tell him to leave and point out that his presence at the property was a breach of his sexual harm prevention order because there were children in the house.

“The defendant ignored this and said he would hit her,” said Mr Hopkins. Lewis then pinned the woman on to the sofa, straddled her with his knees, and spat in her face.

When she then tried to call the police, he grabbed her mobile phone, and asked her: “Do you think I’m scared?” As he left the property, Lewis took another phone that was in the property and left with it.

He returned to the address at 2am, banging on the door and again being verbally abusive.

When police arrested the defendant at his home in Carlisle, they found he had a tablet device which he had not declared to the police, as required by his court order.

Marion Weir, defending, said Lewis had felt as though the woman had interfered with his personal life, though he accepted this did not give him the right to behave as he had.

He had spent the equivalent of a 12-month sentence on remand.

Referring to the undeclared tablet, Miss Weir said it was given to Lewis by his father and not declaring it was an “oversight.”

“There was nothing untoward found on the tablet,” she added.

Judge Michael Fanning pointed out that the failure to declare the tablet was a serious offence because it meant police were unable to fit it with monitoring software and keep track of what it was being used for.

The judge then referred to the assault: “You straddled her and spat in her face, one of the worst forms of common assault,” said Judge Fanning, adding that this was the "most gross form of common assault.

The offending had to be marked be marked by custody. He jailed the defendant for 18 months.

Description

James Wadhawan has been jailed for sexual offences involving a teenage girl in Lancing.

Wadhawan, 35, of Penalverne Crescent in Penzance, was issued with a Child Abduction Warning Notice (CAWN) in January, 2024, following reports of inappropriate contact with teenager.

On Saturday, 9 March, 2024, police received a report of Wadhawan having been seen with the victim in Lancing.

Officers engaged with the girl and her family, while Wadhawan was arrested later that evening. He was released on bail with strict conditions while further enquiries were carried out.

On Wednesday, 13 March, 2024, Wadhawan was found again with the girl on a bridge in Lancing and arrested.

He was charged with two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 and one count of child abduction, and remanded in custody.

Wadhawan pleaded guilty to all charges at Lewes Crown Court on 12 May and, at Hove Trial Centre on Tuesday (1 July), was jailed for 10 years, given an indefinite restraining order against the victim and will be a registered sex offender for life.

Detective Chief Inspector Mehdi Fallahi said:

“James Wadhawan is a predatory offender who targeted a young girl for his own vile gratification”.

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the victim and her family for their bravery and unwavering commitment throughout the investigation, which played a vital role in putting a dangerous man behind bars. I would also like to commend Investigator Sophie Williams on her diligent investigation.

“Sussex Police remains committed to protecting women and girls, which includes close work with our partners to ensure young people are safe from grooming and exploitation."

Description

A dog walker who raped a dementia suffering pensioner in her own home in a shocking attack is facing years behind bars.

Married grandfather Paul Woodmass hunted down the elderly stranger after chatting to her while they walked their pets a few weeks earlier.

As police spoke to the vulnerable victim hours later, Woodmass turned up outside her house, refused to give his name to police until he was arrested and was found to be in possession of a packet of condoms. He had denied rape despite his saliva being found inside her underwear.

After jurors at Newcastle Crown Court unanimously convicted the 66-year-old, of Linnel Drive, Lemington, Newcastle, of rape, Assistant Judge Advocate General Andrew Smith said: "It's inevitably going to be a long prison sentence."

The judge called on the probation service to assess Woodmass' dangerousness before he is sentenced in September, adding: "I'm sure he went away and obtained some condoms and came back because he was forensically aware and realised by that stage he could do what he wanted to with that lady. For that reason, I want a risk assessment."

During the trial jurors were told the complainant has dementia, which affects her memory but does not make her delusional. It was just after 3pm one afternoon that the pensioner called her son and said someone had been in her house and raped her.

The son and his wife rushed to her home, where she repeated the claim, saying someone had had sex with her and she didn't want it. Lee Fish, prosecuting, said: "The individual who had been in her house was this defendant, Paul Woodmass. It's possible she had met him while walking her dog, however she didn't know him.

"There can be no doubt he had been in her house because he admitted as much when interviewed by the police. He also chose to return to the area where she lived after the police had been called by her son.

"The prosecution case is this defendant deliberately targeted (her) because of her obvious vulnerability. For reasons that only he can really explain, he chose to go to her home even though he barely knew her.

"The prosecution case is that he had sex with her in her own home when she was not consenting and he couldn't possibly have believed she was. There is no suggestion she consented to sexual activity. Therefore, you may feel one of the crucial issues for you to decide is whether this defendant had sex with her that afternoon."

Jurors were told that earlier that afternoon, Woodmass had gone to a nearby house asking for the victim but he had gone to the wrong address. A neighbour then heard the complainant talking to a man - prosecutors say likely Woodmass - around 1.30pm and between 2pm and 2.30pm another neighbour saw a man with two small dogs walking down the pensioner's driveway. It was just after 3pm that the woman rang her son reporting that she had been raped.

Mr Fish said: "He must have spent at least half an hour in her house, it's possible he was there for longer. Not long after this defendant was seen walking down her drive, she was on the phone saying she had been raped by a strange man in her house.

"She said there had been a man there who left two dogs outside and had sex with her. She told him she didn't want it."

The court heard police arrived at the woman's home around 3.30pm. While she was struggling to recall certain details, she gave some details of what had happened.

Police spoke to neighbours and had identified the man with the two dogs as Woodmass after he was caught on ring doorbell footage. Mr Fish said later that day, police were still with the pensioner when "bizarrely, the defendant came to them". As an officer spoke to the pensioner, they saw Woodmass at the bottom of her driveway.

Mr Fish said: "The police officer ran straight outside, perhaps in disbelief the person they were looking for was at the bottom of the drive. The prosecution's case is the defendant's behaviour was immediately suspicious. He refused to give his name, saying he would only provide information if he was accused of committing a crime, a rather odd thing to say, you may think, members of the jury."

After being arrested, Woodmass said he had gone to the woman's home "to have a cup of tea". When he was searched, he was found to be in possession of a packet of condoms.

Mr Fish said: "He said he had found them in the street. He said he had no use for them because he was an old man. He referred to the complainant as "a bit senile".

The prosecutor said: "The prosecution say you may wish to ask why he returned later with condoms in his pocket and refused to give his name to police if he had just been for a cup of tea."

When interviewed by police, Woodmass denied having sex with her and said he had met her on a dog walk. He said he had taken up her offer of a cup of tea but when he got there, they just chatted.

Mr Fish said it's accepted the victim has memory problems and was inconsistent about where in the house the alleged rape happened. But he added: "There can be no doubt he was in her house, she barely knew him and shortly after he left she reported being raped. Later on, he returned with condoms in his pocket."

He added that Woodmass' saliva was found on the inside of the pensioner's underwear, which "is not consistent with having a cup of tea and giving her a hug".

Jurors were told about a previous incident with another woman Woodmass met while dog walking in 2021. She said they got talking, had a shared interest in music and he offered to share some of his music with her. When he attended her house with a device with some music on it, the woman said he asked her for a hug and she agreed but during the "prolonged" embrace, he kissed her twice on the neck, which she said she was not happy about.

The woman said he then turned up at her home another day out of the blue in a drunken state. She said he told her he had not had sex with his wife for 20 years and that he "needed intimacy". She told him he was making her feel uncomfortable and she believed he was asking for sex. She said he asked for a hug and she closed the door and locked it.

The woman said she got a family member to call him and they left a message telling him to leave her alone and she never saw him again. She reported her concerns to the police.

Woodmass was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on September 26.

Description

A “PREDATORY” rapist who attacked a highly vulnerable woman at night in the playground of a Bradford park has been sentenced to 12 years in jail.

A judge ruled that 35-year-old Ifzal Hussain posed a significant danger to the public and also imposed an extended licence period of six years.

Judge Christopher Smith said Hussain, formerly of Lynfield Drive, Bradford, would have to serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year sentence before the Parole Board would consider whether it was safe to release him.

The judge said he had no hesitation in concluding that Hussain posed a significant risk of causing serious harm due to the “predatory” nature of his crime.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Hussain, who had no previous convictions, had first met the woman in May last year when he got into the back of a taxi with her and sexually assaulted her.

Five months later the woman, who must not be identified for legal reasons, was waiting alone at a bus stop at night when Hussain went by in a friend’s car.

“You were emboldened, in my judgement, by how there had been no consequences for your behaviour in May,” the judge told Hussain.

“No sooner was your friend’s car out of sight than you decided to retrace your steps on foot to make for the bus stop.

“I’m satisfied that your journey towards the bus stop was a deliberate series of steps you took to once again see your victim.”

The judge said the woman had followed Hussain into the park where in the dark he raped her against the children’s play equipment.

Hussain was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday of rape and sexual assault charges in relation to the two separate incidents, and Judge Smith said he was entirely satisfied that the complainant had suffered severe psychological harm.

“I’m satisfied that you specifically targeted someone you knew to be particularly vulnerable when you raped her,” he told Hussain.

The judge noted that such an offence would also have had a “profoundly unsettling” effect on the community as a whole when they learned that a serious sexual offence had been committed in a park near their homes.

Hussain will now have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life.

Description

A man who indecently assaulted a young girl in the 1980s has been brought to justice following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Richard Brown, aged 60, of Kelmscott Avenue, Manston, was convicted of two counts of indecent assault against the victim after being found guilty by unanimous jury verdicts following a trial at Leeds Crown Court, which concluded on June 18.

The victim came forward in 2022 to disclose the abuse after hearing Brown was being investigated by the police on suspicion of possession of indecent images. The images investigation was not able to progress to charge.

Specialist officers at Leeds District Safeguarding Unit obtained a detailed account with the victim in a video recorded interview as part of a comprehensive investigation into the offences. Brown was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of indecent assault against a girl aged under 14.

The victim was granted special measures for the trial, which meant her video interview was considered as her main evidence and screens were used in the courtroom to keep her out of view of the offender and the public gallery.

Today, Brown was sentenced to two years and four months in prison and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order preventing any unsupervised contact with a female child under 16.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register and the victim was granted an indefinite Restraining Order banning Brown from having any contact with her.  

Detective Inspector Thomas Crosfill, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said:

“The victim in this case has had to live for many years with the knowledge of what Brown did to her as a child and the traumatic impact that has had on her life.

“When she was ready to come forward and disclose what had happened, specialist safeguarding officers were able to give her all the support necessary to give a detailed account and obtain the best evidence possible to secure these convictions against Brown.

“We hope it will give her some degree of comfort to know that he has now had to answer for his actions and been held criminally responsible for the harm he caused.

“We will always treat any reports of offences of this nature very seriously and do everything we can to get justice for victims and protect others from harm.

“We hope the successful outcome of this case will help other victims of similar offences to have the confidence to come forward, knowing they will be supported throughout the investigation and the court process.” 

Description

A child rapist from Birmingham has been jailed for 25 years.

Andrew Speers, 53, was found guilty of multiple offences including raping a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Speers was arrested in July last year after police raided his home address and a substantial amount of child sexual abuse material was recovered from his digital devices.

Following an investigation, police discovered he had also raped a child.

Speers, of Bell Court, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children but denied multiple offences of raping a child.

He was found guilty following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in March.

He was sentenced to 25 years at the same court on July 10.

Speers will remain on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said:

"This was a truly horrendous case, but thankfully due to the bravery of the victim coming forward, we were able to ensure Speers has now been jailed.

"We would encourage anyone who has suffered sex offences to come forward and tell their story.

"We know reporting rape, sexual assault or another sexual crime like indecent exposure or upskirting can be daunting.

"We're here to support you whether you're ready to report it to us or if you'd prefer to talk to someone else.

"If you want to talk it through before deciding whether to report to us, you can talk to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service (ISVA) or another support service."

Description

A man has been jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of non-recent sex offences against four girls under 16.

Ben Cairns, 44, of St Mary’s Way, Old Leake, Boston, was convicted of seven offences at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 11 July 2025.

These included six counts of sexual assault of a child under 13 and one count of assault a child under 13 by penetration.

The offences took place between 2014 and 2020.

Cairns was also given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

Sergeant Cherry Miller said:

“This sentencing marks the end of a long journey for the survivors, who have shown immense courage in coming forward and throughout the process, which has taken a very long time to get to this sentencing. The children have shown incredible strength and determination to report him to the police and support the investigation.

“Ben Cairns would be a free man if it was not for their bravery in giving their evidence and confronting their abuser. Cairns is a sexual predator who gained the trust of the victims and their families. He abused the trust placed in him to commit the most heinous of crimes, preying on their vulnerability.

“Thanks to these brave children and the support of their families, justice has finally been served. I hope this outcome brings them some measure of closure.”