Latest Offenders

Description

AN Ellesmere Port child rapist who took indecent pictures of his victim and also continued to be an online predator while on police bail has received an extended prison sentence.

Derek Smith appeared at Chester Crown Court on Friday, June 23, where he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus five years extended licence.

The 42-year-old was earlier found guilty of 24 counts, including the possession and taking of indecent images of children, engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a child aged 13 to 17 to engage in sexual activity and multiple counts of rape.

The investigation initially began following a report from the National Crime Agency (NCA) which made Cheshire Police aware that a 'category C' indecent image of a child had been uploaded to the internet.

Detectives were able to successfully identify the address of the user who had uploaded the image and on Tuesday, July 27 last year, Smith was arrested, and searches were conducted at two addresses linked to him in Chester and Ellesmere Port.

Officers recovered numerous electronic devices during the warrants, two of which were later found to contain 231 indecent images and videos of children.

Of the images found, 43 were of category A, 74 were of category B, and 114 were of category C.

Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) discovered that 26 of the images recovered were first generation images of a young girl, taken by Smith on his own device.

On Friday, September 9, Smith was charged with nine offences and was released on conditional bail for the case to be heard at court. However, he was not deterred by this and continued his predatory online activity.

Smith, who went by the name 'Degsi' on a dating app, engaged in several sexualised conversations with three young girls, aged 13 and 14. He requested inappropriate images of them and encouraged them to commit sexual acts upon themselves.

However, unbeknown to Smith, he was speaking to three adults acting as child ‘decoys’.

In a bid to identify Smith, the decoys arranged a meeting on Wednesday, October 5, using a decoy profile of an adult woman.

Smith was waiting at Cheshire Oaks when he was confronted by the decoys and swiftly arrested by officers.

During questioning, he answered no comment to everything posed to him by officers, even when shown messages that he had sent to the three different decoys.

A further seven sexual charges were secured against Smith, and he was remanded into custody.

As detectives were working to bring the extent of his crimes to light, the victim pictured in the indecent images (recovered from Smith’s devices), felt able to disclose her abuse at the hands of Smith.

While he was still on remand, Smith was arrested again and subsequently charged with eight more offences, including multiple counts of rape and sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 17.

Smith pleaded not guilty to all offences. However, after listening to the extensive evidence gathered against him, a jury found him guilty on all charges on Wednesday, May 17 this year.

Detective Constables Louise Murphy and Abi Axon, from Cheshire Constabulary’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, attended Smith’s sentencing and said: “The long list of offences Smith subjected the victim to is nothing short of horrific.

“He has shown no consideration for the victim at any stage, refusing to admit to the extremely serious sexual offences he committed and making the victim give evidence at court.

“Being subjected to the court process can be a stressful experience for victims in cases involving sexual offences, particularly when they are so young.

“We would like to praise the victim for the bravery shown in disclosing what Smith subjected her to and how she conducted herself whilst the trial was ongoing.

“On top of this, he also possessed more than 230 indecent images of children for his own sexual gratification – behind each of these images there is a child being sexually abused.

“We hope the fact that Smith is now behind bars, where he can no longer sexually exploit young girls, gives the victim and her family some closure.

“However, they will continue to receive the help and support they need to move forward with their lives.”

In addition to the custodial sentence Smith was ordered to sign the sexual offenders’ register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life.

Detective Sergeant Dave Walton, of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, said: “Sexual abuse is an unforgivable crime, and this is a particularly distressing case.

“I would like to thank the officers involved in this complex investigation for all their hard work in unravelling the extent of Smith’s offending and gathering the required level of evidence to secure convictions for all 24 offences.

“Smith’s attempts to engage with children online highlights the need for parents and guardians to warn their children of the dangers of communicating with people via social media, to check that they are using those applications safely and to keep an eye out for any warning signs of sexual exploitation.

“I hope that Derek Smith’s convictions and sentencing encourages anyone who has been subjected to similar offending to report it to the police.

“They should feel confident that they will receive the help and support they need from our specialist officers and other support agencies we work alongside.

“All victims will be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, and any allegations will be taken extremely seriously and thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and the needs of the victim as our main priority.”

Description

Abuse suffered by a boy more than 40 years ago was discovered after his abuser discussed it with prison workers while in jail for other sexual offences, a court has heard.

Barry Harmer, 55, had been serving an extended 15 year sentence after being convicted of indecent assaults and the rape of a girl when he opened up to a key worker in 2015 about previous offending as part of a course aimed to help rehabilitate him.

Norwich Crown Court heard the conversation was "disclosed to police" with Harmer initially stating he would be "happy to speak to them" although he later "refused to engage with police when they saw him in prison".

Stephen Spence, prosecuting, said the victim had not wanted to speak to police back in 2015 but in 2021 contacted police and was interviewed.

Harmer, currently of HMP Bure, near Coltishall, appeared at court having previously admitted four counts of indecent assault on a male and one offence of indecency with a child.

The offences occurred in Norfolk against one male victim between July 1982 and July 1987.

Mr Spence said Harmer began the offending when he was 14, and the victim was 11 and carried on until the defendant was 18 or 19.

Mr Spence said the abuse had "a huge and long-lasting effect upon" the victim and "his mental state".

Imposing an extended 10-year sentence, made up of five years and four months in prison and four years and eight months on extended licence, Judge Andrew Shaw said Harmer "systematically and persistently" abused the victim and was "clearly extremely dangerous".

Azza Brown, mitigating, said the court is "dealing with a person who was a child" himself at the start of the offending.

She said he had been living in an "abusive" and "emotionally neglected" household without support and was himself vulnerable.

Harmer has already been put on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

Speaking after sentence, Detective Constable Victoria McDowell said: "I would like to commend Harmer’s victim, who has been extremely brave throughout this investigation.

“This sentence ensures a dangerous man is kept in prison and I hope the result provides his victim with some closure.”

Description

A man dubbed 'Britain's worst flasher', who has clocked up 170 offences during his vile 51-year campaign of exposing himself, has been jailed - again. 

Prolific offender Paul Smith, 65, has been in and out of court since 1972 when he just a 14-year-old schoolboy for repeatedly flashing his genitals at passers-by.

The pervert's sickening acts have seen him exposing himself to lone women at bus stops and young children in their gardens, as he tried to hide his identity by wearing disguises. 

Smith has been repeatedly jailed, with judges having imposed court orders and making him complete sex therapy programmes in attempts to curb his warped behaviour. One judge even branded the menace a 'one-man public nuisance' who will 'end up dying in prison'.

In one incident vigilantes left Smith with multiple fractures following a revenge beating after he travelled 50 miles from his home in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, to flash at children including a seven-year old girl.

During various court appearances he could offer no explanation for his behaviour other than 'compulsive attention-seeking' or a 'reaction to stress scenarios.' He also warned he will never be able to stop and told police he 'wanted to be noticed'.

Smith was arrested again last April after he targeted the stationary bus full of revellers in Manchester city centre only two days after he was given a suspended sentence in Bradford, West Yorkshire for flashing at lone women and children at bus stops in nearby Halifax.

In the latest matter he was foiled by a bus driver, who spotted him gesturing for his passengers to look in his direction while waving his penis around for two minutes on a busy street. When arrested Smith told police: 'I was just running for the bus.'

At Manchester Crown Court, Smith was jailed for 25 months after he admitted outraging public decency. He will remain subject of a lifetime sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and must sign the Sex Offender Register.

Smith was just 14 when he was first convicted of exposing himself and after clocking up similar offences first went to jail in 1998 for 45 months for exposing himself to two children in Bolton.

He started taking his bicycle on trains to target victims outside his hometown but in 2010 he was jailed for six years and was issued with his first SHPO at Liverpool and was banned from making similar journeys.

In 2014 Smith was jailed for four years after getting the train to Bradford to flash at more victims only to be chased and assaulted by a vigilante gang who left him with fractured ribs and a broken collar bone, pelvis and wrist.

In 2016 he was held again by police after breaching a new ban on wearing disguises to sport a snood, a hat, and sunglasses, before acting indecently at a bus stop in the Northern Quarter in Manchester. 

Then in 2020 he was sent back to jail after undercover police officers saw him dropping his trousers in front of female commuters whilst loitering at Piccadilly Bus Station during the morning rush hour.

Last April 21 Smith was sentenced to two years jail suspended for two years after eight more flashing offences at bus stops in Halifax including one incident in front of two screaming 10-year-old children near a school. 

At the time a judge called him a 'one-man public nuisance' and told him: 'You've been sent to prison over and over again. You've had sex therapy, but you keep on doing it. I've now read a psychiatric report that suggests you need some serious anti-depressant medication. 

'In my view you'll end up dying in prison - well if that's what you want, no one can stop you.'

Speaking of Smith's latest offence, prosecutor Alex Beevers told the defendant had been standing on the side of Lever Street, Manchester at 6.10pm on Sunday, April 23. 

It was here the 65-year-old spotted by the driver of the 135 bus, which had been taking passengers from Bury to Manchester city centre, facing the vehicle. 

'He was wearing a hooded top and a blue surgical mask and was waving his penis with his hand,' Mr Beevers told the court.  

'He was gesturing towards the bus passengers to look in his direction. 

'The incident lasted just over two minutes before the driver called the police. 

'The defendant fled on foot towards the city centre but was caught a short time later. When arrested he told them "I was just running for a bus".

'He was interviewed the next day and gave no comment. 

'He has a staggering amount of offences on his record, many of which are for similar offences of exposure in very busy, public places.'

In mitigation, defence lawyer Jane Greenhalgh said: 'Mr Smith simply cannot stop himself offending in this fashion. 

'It is a frustrating case because it is clear that the defendant cannot effect any sense of self control over his actions. He tells me this is his reaction to stressful scenarios. He has had a lifelong struggle with this behaviour.

'He has fully accepted the impact of his offending and did not seek to minimise it at any point. 

'He is unemployed and has been caring for his father for a number of years.'

In sentencing, Judge Eliot Knopf told Smith: 'My options of dealing with you are extremely limited. 

'You are an intelligent man who realises the impact of your actions but are unable to stop yourself.

'It is clear from a report there s no mental health issue present in your case. 

'One just hopes that when you are released from custody that you are able to manage yourself in a situation that doesn't end up with you appearing in these courts.'

Description

A man sexually assaulted a sleeping woman who had taken pity on him and allowed him to stay at her home.

Tony Potter was kindly invited to stay at the woman's home after she believed him to be struggling with his mental health. But after a night of drinking, the woman woke up from sleeping after feeling pain and realised she was being sexually assaulted.

After Potter refused to stop the attack, the woman was forced to strike him in the face with a fork. She then accused him of raping her, but Potter laughed it off and "made light of things".

Potter, 41, denied the offence but was later found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration following a trial. On Monday, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced.

The court heard that Potter, of Lobley Hill Road, Gateshead, put something on social media which made the woman believe he was struggling with his mental health and was "in a bad place". The woman then reached out and offered to meet up.

Liam O'Brien, prosecuting, said: "They spent several hours socialising together at a house. On one evening both parties consumed alcohol and Valium and then went to sleep."

In the morning, the woman was suddenly woken by a "painful sensation" and realised Potter was sexually assaulting her. Mr O'Brien continued: "She sought to get him off but he wouldn't let go. In desperation, she noticed a Pot Noodle cup with a fork nearby. She took hold of it and struck the defendant in the face. She then accused the defendant of raping her.

"He treated matters as if they were a joke and told her she was a heavy sleeper and he had been biting her to try and wake her up but it hadn't worked. He sought to make light of things."

Potter later left the woman's home and she reported the incident to police. In a statement, she said the sex assault left her suffering from flashbacks and struggled to sleep.

The court was told Potter had 29 previous convictions for 61 offences, including an attempted robbery in 2018 where he tried to take a person's car while fleeing from police after attacking a man in Newcastle Central Library. He had no previous convictions for sex offences.

Peter Schofield, defending, said that following the sex offence, Potter moved away from the North East and attended a 12-step programme in order to deal with his alcohol and drug misuse issues. He said: "He has gained qualifications as a forklift truck driver and passed his full driving test.

"He has obtained work in the Blackburn area for a delivery firm in an attempt to put the past behind him." Mr Schofield added that Potter had not committed any offences since 2020.

Sentencing Potter, Judge Penny Moreland jailed him for seven years and imposed a 10 year restraining order. He will also be on the sex offender's register for life.

Description

A group of eagle-eyed street pastors have been praised after they tracked a convicted Kettering sex offender who was following a lone woman.

James Sills was spotted on CCTV tailing the female and keeping pace with her in the early hours of the morning, something he was banned from doing by a court order.

But volunteers from Kettering Street Pastors, who were patrolling the area, kept tabs on his actions so he knew he was being watched and he turned around.

On Friday (June 23) the 36-year-old was locked up and police said the volunteers’ work may have prevented a sexual assault from taking place.

Northampton Crown Court heard Sills, of London Road, was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order in 2016 and banned from following women. He has convictions for 17 offences, including stalking and sexual assault.

Prosecutor Quiana Fitzpatrick said that in April he was seen sat on a town centre bench at 2am, pretending to be on a phone.

Sills then saw a lone woman and walked behind her before following her.

Ms Fitzpatrick said: "He is described as clearly checking her out. She walked across the road and down the street.

"At this point he moved to the opposite side of the road, keeping pace with her.”

By now he had been identified by CCTV operators and those from the PT Alpha first aid team. Street pastor volunteers followed to make sure the woman was okay, while making sure they didn’t risk a confrontation.

The court heard Sills then turned around but was later spotted by police following two young females by walking ‘very fast’ behind them.

He was arrested and admitted two charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Mitigating, Emma Fielding said Sills had written a letter to Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane while at HMP Peterborough on remand, detailing his reflections on his offending.

She said he would lose his flat if he spent six months in custody and wants to initially carry out voluntary work at a food bank when he is released from prison.

She said: "He wants to work and get back into paid employment.”

Sills was handed a suspended sentence in 2022 for another court order breach and it had to be activated it unless it would be unjust to do so.

But Judge Crane said: "I find nothing unjust in this case.”

Sills was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison and will serve half in custody before being released on licence.

Detective Sergeant Oliver McNally from Northamptonshire Police said: “The street pastors' work and eagle-eyed observations were excellent and they have most likely prevented a very serious sexual assault taking place on a female that night.

"It's brilliant work and without the team's support we could not have achieved what we did in this case.”

A Kettering Street Pastors spokesman added: “Our aim is to help ensure that everyone has a great night out and gets safely home, and we’re pleased our volunteers could help in this case.

“We’re delighted to be part of a great collective team alongside police, CCTV, PT Alpha first aiders and venue door staff – all working together to keep our community safe.”

Description

A paedophile who plied a schoolgirl with cannabis and repeatedly sexually abused her after meeting on Snapchat has been jailed.

Faisal Khan, 20, met up with the girl ‘nearly every day’ and had an ‘intense sexual relationship’ with her, Manchester Crown Court previously heard.

The pair initially met on Snapchat via one of the girl’s friends. Khan complimented her and told her she was ‘pretty’, before meeting up with her in person and giving her cannabis.

He would tell her to meet him in a nearby park because he was ‘clearly concerned her mum would find out’, prosecutor Ben Lawrence said.

They shared more than 3,000 messages on the social media platform and Khan 'made her feel special'. He told the schoolgirl that he loved her and they shared kisses and heart emojis on Snapchat. He also provided her with cannabis, alcohol and nitrus oxide balloons.

The victim described not knowing whether he was her boyfriend or not but that the relationship had turned from something “cute” to “sour”.

At one stage he suggested they could spend time in a hotel room together, and said he would 'f*** her hard'. "He knew full well she was a schoolgirl," Mr Lawrence said.

Prosecutors said that he would have known she was still at school because she told him about incidents in her education, and even picked her up from school.

On one occasion the girl went to Khan's home and they had sex while his father was asleep in another room in the house.

And on another occasion, he picked up the girl and her younger brother, giving them both alcohol and drugs to ‘stop the brother from snitching’.

The court heard that during one incident when she became jealous of him picking another girl up in his car, she called him a ‘paedophile’ and in response he slapped her.

In a message to her, he said: “...so you can stay with me and no one gets caught.”

The police became involved after a teacher at the girl's school noticed a 'sexual image' on her phone.

At trial, Khan denied having any sexual contact with the girl. He admitted he'd met up with her three times, but said at most he had kissed her on the cheek. He told police the girl had never mentioned being at school and claimed he thought she was in college.

In April this year, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, he was convicted of three counts of having sexual activity with a child and another count of supplying her with cannabis.

A number of messages from Khan to the girl were read to the court, including: “I’ll come give you the spliff. We’ll go on a little drive, we'll do our stuff.”

Another read: “We can do what we want, weed, drinks, everything, all on me baby, do what you want with me because I know you wanna do stuff proper together.” It was also said that he told her he was 17, when he was actually 19 at the time.

In sentencing, Judge Timothy Smith said the victim described meeting Khan on an ‘almost daily basis’, and said he took her out in ‘different cars’.

“On occasions you would collect her from school in your car. You would also collect her brother, and he would help her sneak in and out,” Judge Smith said.

“You gave him alcohol and cannabis in part to keep him on side so he would not tell others of your relationship.”

The judge said Khan showed an ‘unwillingness’ to accept responsibility, adding that he ‘lied to the police, the jury and in his interview with a probation officer’.

He said the victim was unable to recognise if situations were unsafe, and said she had limited understanding of intimate relationship dynamics. “She describes how you made her feel ‘special’, in her words ‘by an older boy giving her love’,” he said.

“I am entirely satisfied you knew the relationship was wrong but you persisted in it for your sexual needs.”

Khan, of Milne Street, Oldham, was jailed for four years and ten months. He was also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, and handed a restraining order, banning him from contacting the girl indefinitely.

He was also placed onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Description

A FORTY-year-old man from Carlisle has been jailed for an assault on a schoolgirl which involved him grabbing her by the throat.

The teenage victim was so upset by the violence of Jacek Kuliga that she suffered nightmares and her trust in adults was destroyed, the city’s crown court heard. The defendant had denied wrongdoing.

But he was convicted after a trial. The court heard that he denied a second offence of voyeurism but was found guilty of that also. This involved the use of a hidden camera with a motion sensor.

The camera captured "intimate" images of a woman.

The court heard that the actual bodily harm assault happened on January 25, 2021, and it was the first time Kuliga had ever been in trouble with the police. The background was an argument between the defendant and the girl.

The defendant then began a “prolonged attack” on the teenager, during which he grabbed her by the throat with sufficient force to cause bruising. She had eventually managed to get away.

“She must have been terrified,” observed Recorder Tony Hawks.

The judge commented on the negative effect of the offending on the two victims – the girl, and a woman who was the victim of the defendant’s voyeurism. The woman had developed mental health problems.

The girl who was assaulted had also suffered significantly. “Since this offence, she has suffered nightmares,” said the judge. The girl also felt uncomfortable going out and had been unable to sleep.

Her schooling was also impacted.

In an earlier hearing, another judge said of the voyeurism offence that such behaviour represented a “total and utter objectification” of women. Recorder Samantha Presland said it was exasperating that people have access to “amazing technology” but then used it for such “base things.”

Recorder Hawks jailed the defendant, of Broadoaks Grange, Carlisle, for a total of three and a half years. Kuliga will be on the Sex Offender Register for seven years as a result of the voyeurism offence.

Defence lawyer Jeff Smith told the court that Kuliga had been in the UK for eight years and that he wanted to return to work but background reports made it clear that he continues to deny the two offences.

He claimed he was assaulted - a version of events rejected by the jury. 

Description

A convicted sex offender who was found with 25 category A images and used search terms including “children in swimwear” on his computer has been jailed for more than two years. 

Specialist officers trained in dealing with sexual offenders were carrying out a routine inspection at 56-year-old Lee Williams’ home in St Neots in April 2021 when they discovered the searches and images. 

They were unable to access Willams’ spare mobile phone and computer as he gave incorrect password details and claimed he hadn’t set the computer up yet. 

As a result, the devices were seized and sent to the forensics team, which discovered child abuse images, 25 of which were category A, the most serious. 

Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and three counts of making indecent images of children. 

He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court last week (June 22). 

Detective Constable Decca Riondino said: “Specially trained officers will continue to monitor and engage with registered sex offenders in the community and conducting device inspections is an important part of our work. 

“Williams was subject to a sexual harm prevention order and demonstrated a blatant disregard for it. 

“We work with partner agencies to protect the public and bring offenders and reoffenders to justice.” 

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through Sarah’s Law. 

Anyone who looks out for the welfare of a child can make an enquiry. This can include parents, carers, guardians, extended family, friends and neighbours. 

Description

A "narcissistic misogynist" indecently assaulted a preschool-aged girl by kissing her with his tongue and told her the abuse was "our secret". The victim said the incident had affected her throughout her life.

Frank Williams, 78, of Abercwmboi, near Aberdare, was described as a "difficult man" by his own barrister after being convicted of indecent assault following a trial. A sentencing judge said there was "0% prospect of rehabilitation" in his case and his pre-sentence report was "full of misogyny and bile".

Addressing a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court Judge Shoman Khan said: "You sexualised a little girl... who thought what you were doing was normal. [The victim's statement] is compelling and the lifelong consequences for her are all too predictable."

The court heard Williams put on music while abusing his victim in the 1990s. He pulled her towards him before kissing her while using his tongue. He told her not to tell anyone and that it was something between them and "our secret". The victim felt "scared" and did not know why he had kissed her but she did what he told her.

In a victim personal statement, she said the abuse had "affected her whole life" and she has received counselling. She said she had suffered nightmares, had no confidence, felt shame, and had mental health issues. As a result of the incident she has struggled to build relationships and has difficulty with trust.

Judge Khan commended the victim's "bravery" in speaking out later in life and said these were words he "could not forget". Addressing the defendant the judge said: "If you had any decency or humility you may have reflected on those words she said in the trial. You may have thought about whether you're the route cause of her difficulty."

In mitigation defence barrister Stephen Thomas acknowledged his client, of Bronallt Terrace, was a "difficult man" with "fixed views on life and society", which he attributed to his generation. He said the defendant was a man of previous good character it was an isolated incident and there had been a period of decades since the offence.

Williams was sentenced to two years imprisonment and will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released. He was made subject to an indefinite restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A 'friendless' paedophile, who was originally caught by the mother of a young girl he was sexting online, has appeared back in court after failing to comply with strict rules about his internet usage.

Raymond Attwood, 40, was jailed a decade ago after the mother pretended to be her daughter online, uncovered Attwood's identity and reported him to the police. He served a two-year-sentence for sending the 12-year-old explicit sexual messages detailing what he wanted to do.

Previously, the court heard how Attwood lived an isolate life and had "no actual friends and no actual social life".

On Friday, his new barrister Victoria Lamballe, told Teesside Crown Court that every time Attwood tried to make friends, "he's bullied and ridiculed and this causes him to retreat further into himself. The only contact he has is with his elderly mother."

When police made a surprise visit to Attwood's Middlesbrough home on May 25, and told him they were going to check that he had not been using any internet-enabled devices that he hadn't declared to them - Attwood immediately handed them a mobile phone stuffed down the side of his settee.

Under the terms of his sexual harm prevention order - imposed in 2013 - Attwood must keep to strict rules about his online use, which is monitored by police. He must also declare any new devices and bank cards he has.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, told the court that he hadn't declared the mobile phone and checks made on it showed that he had been using it for a year. "He had downloaded Snapchat, which automatically deletes messages, so this is a further breach" Mr Soppitt said, "and his username "Ray38" had nine female names in his contacts."

Attwood, previously of Saltburn but now of Wicklow Street in central Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the two breaches of his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. He has broken his court order twice before - in 2013 and 2022.

Judge Paul Watson KC said that a report on Attwood from the probation service, "suggests he still presents a risk to young girls." Attwood was jailed for 16-months. He will be eligible for release after he has served half of his sentence.

Description

A pervert who was found in possession of images of a man having sex with a corpse told a 13-year-old boy to send him sexual videos. He was also found to have distributed indecent images.

Paul Meechan, 56, of Cardiff, was arrested by police after he was found to have been speaking to a teenager and incited him to engage in sexual activity. His electronic devices were seized and when examined revealed a number of disgusting images depicting child abuse and necrophilia.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard the defendant possessed an image of a person having sex with a corpse and children as young as seven-months-old being abused. Meechan, of Llanfair Road, Pontcanna, later pleaded guilty to possession of category A, B, and C images, possession of extreme and prohibited images, distribution of category A and B images, sexual communication with a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

In mitigation, the court heard the defendant entered guilty pleas at the earliest opportunity and had referred himself to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity dedicated to preventing child sex abuse. He was using drugs at the time of the offences but had sought to abstain from those substances.

Sentencing, Judge Wayne Beard said: "These images can only produce revulsion in right thinking people... Part of what went on here was your involvement in drugs. you sought to minimise the offences by saying you received no sexual gratification from the images but were interested in them because they were illegal."

Meechan was sentenced to a total of two years and eight months imprisonment. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A prolific sexual predator who committed a catalogue of depraved offences against children and young women has received a 30-year prison sentence.

Jay Stephen Perren, formerly known as Stephen Jardine, a self-confessed “evil monster” with a sexual interest in children, has left a series of victims traumatised by his devious and sustained offending.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Perren filmed many of his crimes and logged the offending footage and images into computer memory card folders compiled under the names of the victims and their home locations, as far away as South Wales.

In some cases, the victims were unaware of the offending until police called to reveal what had taken place to them, while it is thought they were sleeping or heavily intoxicated by the defendant.

The 34-year-old former pub DJ, previously of Stockton, but living most recently on bail in Nottingham, admitted 25 offences.

They included five counts of rape, including on a child under 12-months-old, sexual assault of a child under 13, two counts of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography, three counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, three counts of making indecent images of a child, six counts of taking indecent images of a child and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

These offences were committed over a number of years and documented in 33,000 images and videos which were stored in 140 folders on an SD card.

Paul Reid, prosecuting, said Perren has served three past prison sentences for sexual offences, one after inquiries into the latest convictions were already under way.

He read a succession of statements from Perren’s victims, with one choosing to address the court herself, and all spoke of the ongoing trauma and psychological damage caused by the defendant.

Several stated they could no longer trust men or were fearful in the presence of men.

Victoria Lamballe, in mitigation, said her client made relatively early admissions, sparing his victims from the prospect of having to appear at trial and give evidence at court.

She said much of the offending was committed when the defendant was in his early 20s and she added that he now has far more insight into the harm he has caused.

Judge Paul Watson KC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, described Perren’s offending as, “depraved and deplorable” and said many of his victim’s lives have been “profoundly affected” by his activities.

In passing an extended determinate sentence of 30 years, it means Perren must serve at least two-thirds, 20 years, behind bars before being eligible for release on licence by the Parole Board, but he may have to spend all three decades behind bars.

Upon his release and at the end of the 30 years he will still besubject to five years’ extended licence period.

He will be subject to lifetime restrictions under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and notification as a sex offender until he dies.

Indefinite restraining orders were also imposed, relating to all of his victims.

Speaking after the case, the officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Dave Medd, of Cleveland Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), said: “Perren is a serial offender and a real danger to women and children.

“He committed unforgivable crimes against his victims and subjected them to horrendous ordeals.

“Perren was devious and manipulative, not only in hiding his crimes, but grooming vulnerable victims, recording his abuse of them and then storing these images on a memory card for his own depraved pleasure.

“This has been an extremely complex investigation.

“Myself, DC Nikki Meakin, DC Steve Rookes and Senior Digital Forensic Investigator Connor Spence have worked on this investigation for two-and-a-half-years alongside our supervisor, Detective Sergeant Ian Boyes.

“When Perren was arrested in November 2020, he initially handed over a, ‘clean phone’, but we noticed he was charging another phone under his pillow. “This phone contained an SD card, which in turn contained the history of his offending.

“This led us to discover that Perren was digitally documenting the crimes he had committed against his victims in folders which were stored under the victim’s name or the location of where they lived (towns and cities across the UK).

“This assisted us in the identification of the victims, and we could start building a case against him.

“One particularly disturbing image hid Perren’s face but we proved it was him based on the cuff of a distinctive jacket he was wearing.

“We found an exact replica of the jacket on eBay, the only one being sold in the UK at that time, and following this, we managed to match it to a photograph of him wearing it on a trip he took seven days after the offence.

“This was one of the many ways we proved that Perren was guilty of his crimes.

“However, it is the victims that have been central to the success of this investigation.

“They have co-operated at great emotional cost and carried themselves with courage and dignity throughout the whole process.

“Due to their age at the time, many of the victims didn’t realise they had been subjected to a crime until we visited them, and this has been incredibly distressing for them to come to terms with.

“On behalf of the team, we would like to thank all of our victims and witnesses in this case.

“Without their strength and determination, we would have been unable to achieve such a positive outcome.”

Det Con Medd said credit should also be given to Claire Brinton, from the Crown Prosecution Service, who went, “above and beyond” to help the investigation team during the charging process.

“She was always available on the phone to offer advice and to listen to our concerns over specific charges.

“Her professionalism and willing approach to the case really helped at the charging stage.

“Hopefully now Perren has been sentenced, the victims will finally be given some form of closure, and they can now attempt to move on with their lives.”

Ms Brinton, a Specialist Prosecutor with Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS’s) North East Rape and Serious Sexual Assault (RASSO) Unit, said: “The success of this case against Jay Stephen Perren is testament to the close working relationship between the CPS and Cleveland Police from the very beginning of this investigation.

“I would like to highlight the exemplary work of the police digital forensic team, who scoured through huge volumes of distressing material to identify Perren’s victims, and to directly link him to the hours of offending recorded within.

Description

Paedophile who pretended to be a 17-year-old boy to groom and a rape a teenage girl has been released by police. 

Robin Cook, 52, pretended to be a teenage boy named Robbie to groom a 13-year-old online, encouraging her to send intimate photographs.

After two years of online grooming, he revealed his identity before raping the girl several times across numerous years in Theale.

Cook, of Malwood Place, Havant, was sentenced to 10 years in jail at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (June 22) by Judge Edward Burgess.

The court that Cook found the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on the live-streaming service, Twitch, in 2016 when he was about 46-years-old.

He started talking to her on various social media sites using the alias of ‘Robbie’, leading the girl to believe he was her ‘online best friend’.

The pair did not video call for the first few years with Cook claiming he was ‘insecure’. However, he persuaded the girl to send him intimate photos as she considered them to be in a relationship.

On one occasion, when the girl was 14, she asked to meet Cook at a beach in Portsmouth where her family was going on holiday.

She looked for him at the time but to no avail. Her friend then messaged to tell her ‘Robbie’ had taken photographs of her at the beach.

When asked why ‘Robbie’ did not stay and meet her, Cook claimed he ‘had to go’.

Eventually, Cook revealed his true identity to the girl via a video call. The girl described to police the ‘deep, emotional reaction’ she had to seeing an adult male instead of a 17-year-old ‘Robbie’.

Cook immediately drove to the victim’s house before proceeding to rape her. The girl told police she was still in ‘a great deal of confusion’ at the time.

The defendant proceeded to rape the victim over several years, driving her to hotels, his own home and ‘unknown locations’ – all while she was under the age of 16. He also bought her sex toys and clothing.

In a victim impact statement read out in the court, the girl said: “What took place affected my life significantly. It’s caused me to be suspicious of older males and very distrusting of people in general.

“My self confidence was severely damaged. At times I should have been at school, having fun with my friends, I was being driven around and abused.

“Mr Cook took everything from me. I was merely a child at the time. It forced me to grow up quickly to deal with what was happening.

“I feel embarrassed about being taken advantage of.”

In a message to Cook, the victim said: “What you did to me was so abhorrent and terrible, I would not wish it on my worst enemy.”

Defending Cook, his barrister Felicia Dawy said Cook was struggling to find a ‘meaningful attachment’ at the time.

She said: “He was somebody who had been single and described himself as being depressed.

“He was separated from his wife but was still living with her. He found it difficult to form any meaningful attachments.

“He accepts, in the guise of Robbie, he formed an attachment [with the girl]. Whilst he completely accepts he is in the position because of his own wrongdoing, he had dealt with care and love his [own family].”

Sentencing, Judge Burgess said: “You created an online persona, Robbie, complete with photographs of an attractive young teenage boy.

“There can be no doubt this was a planned and calculated serious of acts by you whose purpose was to ensnare a teenage girl and it reveals your predatory sexual nature.

“You successfully manipulated [the victim] into a situation which she felt powerless to escape. You imposed yourself on her sexually on multiple occasions.

“This was a cynical, selfish, systematic abuse of a vulnerable teenage girl.”

Cook will serve two thirds of his sentence before being released on licence. He will be on the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A 'serial sex offender' who sexually assaulted children and women across West London has been jailed.

Edgar Junior made 'sexual suggestions' to a 14-year-old girl aboard a bus in Uxbridge, and told one woman on another bus that he wanted to have sex with her.

The 47-year-old, of Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, also harassed and made sexual advances to a woman at her workplace before trying to kiss her teenage relative.

Junior, who spat in the face of a police officer when he was arrested, was jailed for two years and one month at Isleworth Crown Court last Wednesday (June 17).

The court heard that Junior committed an 'escalating pattern of behaviour' against two women and two teenage girls over a number of months in 2019.

On February 11 last year at around 4.30pm, a 14-year-old girl was aboard the top deck of a route 427 bus from Uxbridge when she was approached by Junior, who sat down in front of her and immediately began to make sexual suggestions.

The teenager attempted to ignore him but he continued in his advances and when he attempted to touch her she threatened to call police. The verbal suggestions continued until she became frightened and left the bus.

On April 28 later that year a 26-year-old woman was travelling alone aboard a route 427 from Uxbridge when Junior boarded the bus and walked toward her while touching himself.

He sat in the seat in front of her and began to shout loudly that he wanted to have sex with her. When the bus stopped, the victim got off.

Between June 12 and July 22 Junior harassed a 26-year-old woman at her place of work and made repeated, graphic, sexual suggestions and advances towards her and her teenage relative, who would visit her at work.

Around July 10, Junior approached the teenage girl as she was loading a car and tried to kiss her.

On July 22 the sexual suggestions and intimidating behaviour turned to threats of violence against the 26-year-old woman and teenage girl so, in fear for their safety, they called police.

Junior was arrested on the same day and during arrest he spat in the face of a police officer. When interviewed he denied all allegations and was remanded in custody.

He was eventually charged with a number of sexual, public order and assault offences. In the months that followed he appeared at a variety of hearings making a number of applications to change pleas, until, on June 17 he appeared at Isleworth Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to all offences.

Junior was jailed for a total of two years and one month. He was also served with a restraining order in relation to the 26-year-old woman and her relative.

Detective Sergeant Ian Beattie, who led the investigation, said after the sentencing: "Junior displayed an escalating pattern of behaviour against two women and two children over a period of months.

"Id like to praise the victims for their courage in contacting the police and for supporting our investigation throughout. Their actions have helped to put a serial offender behind bars where he is unable to cause harm to anyone else.

"I hope that their bravery inspires other victims of violence and sexual abuse to come forward. Contacting the police can be an extremely daunting thing to do, but please be assured, you will be met with specialist support and compassion."

What did Junior plead guilty to?

Junior pleaded guilty to the following offences at Isleworth Crown Court last Wednesday (June 17):

• Sexual communications with a child
• Sexual communications with a child
• Attempted sexual assault
• Section 4 public order
• Common assault
• Assault on an emergency worker

Description

A pervert former soldier was caught after offering to share child abuse videos involving babies with an undercover police officer. Jonathan Mathias also threatened to post pictures of what appeared to be 14-year-girl on Facebook unless she performed a sexual act.

The 41-year-old, of Honeywood, Newcastle-under-Lyme, was arrested at his parents' house in Porthcawl on September 29 last year while his wife was present. When he was out of earshot from his family, he admitted to officers he knew why they were there but claimed he was 'just messing about'.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard the undercover officer created a profile on the Kik messaging app and began speaking to the defendant who asked him to 'trade pictures'. He sent pictures of a young girl being abused and a picture of children's underwear and claimed he had abused a young girl, WalesOnline reports.

The police obtained a warrant as a result of this and arrested Mathias who initially made no reply. A Samsung phone was seized and when examined was found to contain 39 indecent images of children and seven extreme pornographic images as well as 66 videos of child abuse and nine videos of extreme pornography.

Prosecutor Clare Wilks told the court there were a number of 'small children' depicted in the videos – the youngest of which was just a baby. Among the chats on Mathias' phone was a conversation with someone claiming to be a 14-year-old girl in which he threatened to post photos of her on Facebook unless she performed oral sex upon her brother. The defendant had also visited websites related to bestiality.

Dad Mathias pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of indecent images and possession of extreme images. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation Tim Petrides said his client had been a member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers and had served tours of Iraq and Northern Ireland as well as being a member of the prison service. He said the defendant had been diagnosed with PTSD and felt "shame, remorse, and acceptance of harm" as a result of his offending.

Judge Wayne Beard sentenced Mathias to two years and four months imprisonment. He also made him subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.