Latest Offenders

Description

A convicted sex offender who sent a sexually explicit message to an eight-year-old girl online has been jailed.

Toby Wright added the youngster on Snapchat before sending her a message saying ‘you’re cute’. She immediately responded asking him to leave her alone and stating her age. He then responded saying he liked ‘little girls’.

The girl told her parents and gave them her phone but Wright continued sending videos including one showing him performing a sex act.

Wright had previously been sentenced for meeting a child following grooming. The messages with the eight-year-old came to light while he was serving a prison sentence for that offence after the girl’s parents called police, and he was interviewed in prison.

The 27-year-old, of Belgrave Street, Derby, was subsequently charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child; causing a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity;  possessing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child and distributing an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child.

He admitted the offences and appeared at Derby Crown Court for sentence on 13 October when he was jailed for five years and four months, with an extended licence period of four years and eight months.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and a restraining order preventing him from having any contact with the victim. A destruction order for his phone was also imposed.

Detective Constable Heather Rogers, who led the investigation, said:

“Wright is clearly a very dangerous individual whose persistent behaviour in seeking sexual gratification from children is utterly appalling.

“The fact he committed this offence despite having served a prison sentence for a previous offence involving children shows he has clearly not seen the error of his ways.

“We know that Wright also uses the name Luke as well as other aliases and we suspect that he may have spoken to more children online so we would encourage anyone who thinks they or their children have been contacted by him, to come forward and speak to us.”

Description

A 53-year-old man has been sent back to prison after he admitted to breaching the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

John Willoughby, previously of Towcester, was issued with a SHPO in 2012 after he was convicted of sexual offences involving a child under 16.

The SHPO was issued with certain conditions he was required to abide by, including not deleting any internet search history.

However, in April this year, Willoughby was found to be talking to an adult online about his sexual interest in children.

What he didn’t realise however, was that the profile he was communicating with was actually a police officer.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of breaching his SHPO.

Willoughby pleaded guilty to both charges at an earlier hearing at Northampton Crown Court before returning to the same court last month (October 15) where he was sentenced to one year and four months in prison.

Lead investigator – Detective Constable Jon Brawn from Force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said:

“John Willoughby’s online conversations were extremely concerning as well as a blatant breach of the order put in place to protect the public from him.

“I am pleased that he was caught out and brought to justice, and I hope this case demonstrates the proactivity of our teams to ensure we safeguard the children in this county and put any offenders behind bars.”

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A convicted rapist threatened to kill a man just hours after being released from prison.

Jason O’Dell, who had just served a nine-year sentence for rape, turned up at a family member’s home in Longstanton at about 5.30pm on 17 February this year.

After the victim showed him into the kitchen, O’Dell asked for money to help him “get back on his feet”.

The victim refused, citing abusive letters he had received from O’Dell while he was in prison.

This enraged O’Dell, who shouted, “you are disrespecting me, who do you think you are?”.

He then grabbed a six-inch knife from a block and pinned the victim against the worktop, threatening to “end him.”

The victim, fearing for his life, pleaded with O’Dell to put the knife down and offered to talk about money.

O’Dell refused and pressed the knife harder into the victim’s side, repeating his threats.

A struggle between the two ensued, during which the victim managed to wrestle the knife from O’Dell’s grip.

The victim managed to shout out to another household member to call the police and managed to get O’Dell out of this home.

O’Dell was arrested a few hours later in Cambridge and was recalled to prison.

He initially denied the charges but later pleaded guilty to threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a private place and making threats to kill.

O’Dell was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday (30 October) to three years and ten months in prison.

DC Samuel Andrews, who investigated, said:

“O’Dell’s actions caused considerable fear and distress for the victim, in his own home.

“O’Dell is clearly a dangerous individual who has a history of offending and I hope the fact he’s back behind bars provides reassurance to those affected by crimes.”

Description

Fawaz Alsamaou, 33, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has been jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in Cathays, Cardiff.

The woman was walking from the city centre during the early hours of Sunday, May 12, 2024 when she became aware of a man walking behind her.

She was then sexually assaulted under the railway bridge close to Senghenydd Hall.

Extensive enquiries were conducted and Alsamaou was identified as a suspect following a CCTV appeal for information on BBC Crimewatch.

In a Victim Personal Statement to the court, the woman, now aged 24, described the impact of the crime.

“The attack that happened on me has had a lasting effect on me to this day and I still think about it every day. Now I feel that I am looking over my shoulder more and always thinking the worst. I don’t feel safe going anywhere by myself and still I don’t feel safe now when it is dark outside.

“I want the male responsible for the attack to serve justice. Not only so I can have closure from the incident but to ensure that this doesn’t happen to any other females in the future.”

Alsamaou was convicted and sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court today to three years and one month in prison for the sexual assault and 16 months concurrent for intentional strangulation.

Detective Sergeant Alex Lloyd, from South Wales Police, said:

“Everyone has the right to feel safe, any time of day, wherever they are, and South Wales Police does everything possible to ensure people feel safe when going about their everyday business.

“We hope today’s sentencing gives the victim the closure that she has been seeking.

“Stranger incidents like that are very unusual, but when they do happen, we use all available policing methods, including media appeals for information, to bring offenders to justice.

“We would like to acknowledge the bravery of the victim in speaking out and thank BBC Crimewatch for their assistance.”

Description

A 20-year-old man who manipulated children into sending him intimate images and videos of themselves has been sentenced.

Tyler Allen, who was aged 17 and 18 when he committed the offences, threatened to kill and rape one of the girls when she refused to do what he demanded.

Following an investigation by Gloucestershire Police's Child Exploitation Team he was charged with 10 offences which related to five girls.

On 9 July this year Allen, of Vicarage Court in Brockworth, pleaded guilty to six counts of causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two charges of causing a child to watch a sexual act and two charges of engaging in sexual communication with a child. 

Allen was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 30 October) to 22 months detention in a young offenders' institution and he was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

The court was told that Allen's offending followed a common pattern of him manipulating conversations with girls online to become sexual in nature.

He would then ask the children to send him naked photos and videos of themselves, including of them masturbating, and he would respond with images of his penis and videos of him masturbating.

The court was told that when he was met with resistance from the girls, he used emotional manipulation by saying he loved them or that he would harm himself if they did not comply.

Allen was aged 17 in 2023 when he was speaking online to a girl whom he knew was aged 12. They had met on an online platform and then communicated over SnapChat and text.

He asked her to send him images and videos, and Allen said that he wanted to buy her a train ticket for her 13th birthday so that they could meet in person. The girl made an excuse to not meet him, and he then threatened to rape and kill her. 

Police were informed and Allen was arrested and his digital devices were seized for examination and an investigation began. He provided no comment in interview.

With one 15-year-old girl he demanded images and then threatened to post them on social media platforms if she did not supply more. The court heard how she was really scared and so she sent Allen more images.

Other charges relate to online contact with children aged between 12 and 15.

Allen was rearrested and it was found that he had breached his bail conditions which prohibited him from having unsupervised contact with anyone aged under 18.

In his mitigation, Allen's defence barrister said that he was introverted and that he was not looking for young girls online but he was on the platforms for friendship. 

It was said that he accepted what he had done and that he regrets it, and Allen accepted that he would have harmed the girls by the pressure he put upon them. 

In sentencing Allen, Judge Rupert Lowe spoke to him and said Allen’s offending "does suggest you are a young man with a very serious ongoing problem and a very significant lack of control in the way you behave, with little knowledge of what your problem is".

Judge Lowe added:

"I have to sentence you today for 10 offences involving sexual communications with girls between 12 and 15 years old, which involved inciting them to take sexualised photos and videos of themselves masturbating, or revealing their private parts, and in which you sent images of yourself doing the same sort of things, including ejaculating.

"During the course of communications you used emotional manipulation in that if they seemed to not want to do what you wanted, by telling them you loved them, and that you would not love them if they did not do X, Y and Z.

"Then using threats if that appeared to you to be more effective. To harm themselves or them if they did not do what you asked, even including threats to rape and kill the first of these victims.

"I am not suggesting you ever would, but that is a very nasty threat to make to a 12-year-old girl.

"You also threatened to distribute some of the images which you had obtained from these girls. In one case in particular, using that as a lever to get her to send more indecent images of herself."

Investigating officer, Police Staff Investigator Amber Jones said:

"Allen cruelly manipulated and exploited children for his own sexual gratification.

"I welcome the Sexual Harm Prevention Order which has been granted which puts in place certain things which Allen is prohibited from doing, such as preventing contact with anyone aged under 16 and puts restrictions on the use of electronic devices.

"The victims in this case have shown great courage in coming forward, especially as what he did to them is an exceptionally difficult topic for people of any age to talk about.

"Our team works very hard behind the scenes in order to put perpetrators who pose a risk to children before the court and I would encourage anyone who has been subjected to similar abuse to please come forward and report this to the police."

Description

A man has been jailed for three years for a child sex offence in Havant.

Police were called at 7.38pm on Tuesday 1 July with reports that a man had been sending sexually explicit messages online to someone he believed to be a child.

Officers attended Middle Park Way in Havant and arrested 39-year-old Lee Comley, of Middle Park Way, who was subsequently charged with arranging / facilitating the commission of offence of sexual activity with child / cause / incite child to engage – penetration.

Comley pleaded guilty and appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday 31 October), where he has been sentenced to three years imprisonment.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Havant Inspector Neal Harvey said:

“I am pleased with today’s result and I hope it sends a clear message about the seriousness with which we treat these offences.

“Comley is dangerous individual, and whilst luckily the child he believed he was communicating with in this instance wasn’t real, it is clear that the intent was there and that he could have caused real harm if not caught.

“We are committed to ensuring that anyone who intends to cause harm to children faces justice for their horrendous actions, and we will pursue offenders relentlessly.”

Description

The actions of two witnesses who reported separate rape disclosures made by different women have led to the man responsible being jailed for more than 17 years.

Adam Shellard was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court after being convicted in August for a total of 10 offences.

Today’s (Friday 31 October) outcome follows a complex and sensitive police investigation which has taken five years to conclude.

Since 2020, specialist detectives have been working tirelessly to gather vital evidence relating to a string of sexual offences committed by the 27-year-old.

This first began after both victim’s confided in two separate people about the abuse they had endured.

Following these disclosures, in July and October of that year, those admissions were reported to police.

Detective Constable Chris Sherwin and Anna Pulsford, from the force’s dedicated rape and serious sexual offences investigation team, were assigned as the officers in the case.

Initial contact was made with the victims to offer support and discuss their options regarding the progression of the case.

Over the course of the next 18 months, DC Sherwin and DC Pulsford worked closely with the women as they undertook the difficult process of reliving the trauma inflicted upon them.

It was established Shellard, of Bosworth Road, Measham, had committed these offences over a five-year period.

During that time, one of the women was subjected to repeated acts of rape, sexual assault, coercion, physical violence, and threatening behaviour.

The second victim was raped multiple times over the course of just over a month.

Due to the strength of the case and the detailed accounts provided by the victims, Shellard was charged in March 2022 with 10 offences.

Six offences – three counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of coercive and controlling behaviour – were against the first woman.

And three counts of rape were against the second woman.

During the investigation, officers also uncovered additional offences involving a person connected to one of the victims. Shellard was subsequently charged with one count of racially aggravated fear or provocation of violence.

Following a trial in August this year, he was found guilty of all crime and was sentenced today to a total of 17 years and seven months.

DC Sherwin said:

“The two women disclosed what Shellard had done to someone they knew, and it was these two people who initially came reported to police. I want to truly thank them for coming forward and alerting police to the horrendous crimes being committed by Shellard.

“The victims in this case have shown so much strength during what has been an extremely difficult and long process. They have wait five years to get justice and their determination to see this through to the end has meant that a dangerous sex offender is now behind bars.

“This case really highlights the importance of the people around us having the courage to make a stance and speak up when. If someone you know is a victim of a crime, don’t stay silent. What you know could be the key to protecting someone’s life or ensuring those who cause the most harm in our communities are held accountable.”

Description

A judge described a paedophile making sexual advances to what he thought was a 14-year-old boy as “gratuitous self-indulgence”. 

James Brooking, 30, was actually speaking to an undercover officer on the social media platform Fabguys on 3 July when he asked the decoy for their mobile phone number.

Once they had exchanged numbers, Brooking began asking the ‘boy’ for inappropriate photos of himself and turned the conversation sexual.

Brooking also said he wanted to see the ‘boy’ in his school uniform, to meet up and also sent inappropriate photos of himself. 

The contact between Brooking and the undercover officer ended on 10 July and Brooking was arrested on 14 July at an address with a child he had failed to tell police about. 

Brooking was convicted in 2014 of child sex offences and given specific requirements to alert police of new online usernames and to notify police if he was staying at an address for 12 hours or more where a child lived.

Brooking had failed to notify officers of any of this.  

On Friday (24 October), at Cambridge Crown Court, Brooking, of Upwood Road, Ramsey, was jailed for eight years having pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child, cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity, arrange facilitate the commission of a child sex offence and four counts of failing to comply with sex offender register notification requirements.

Judge Andrew Hurst described Brooking’s offending as “highly sexualised” and “gratuitous self-indulgence”.

He also said Brooking was “out of control” with his urges, had “learnt nothing” from his previous conviction and did not have “the courage or conviction to acknowledge” he had an interest in children.” 

PC Emily Heriot, who investigated, said:

"Brooking displayed a disguised compliance to his requirements but the truth has caught up with him. 

“We will do everything we can do to put those who intend to harm children in front of the courts so they can face justice.”

Description

Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been sentenced to prison for sexual offences.

Omar Mehmoul, aged 36, of Gwynne Close, Windsor, appeared at Reading Crown Court yesterday (30/10) and was sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment.

He was found guilty by a jury on 23 July 2025 at the same court of sexual assault of a female aged over 13 by penetration.

Mehmoul was acquitted of rape.

At around 3am on 21 April 2024, the victim left a nightclub in Windsor with friends. Whilst walking through an alleyway, she became separated from the group and went to a nearby car park. She reported that an unknown man approached her and sexually assaulted her. She managed to break free and the man, later identified as Mehmoul, fled the scene.

Mehmoul was arrested the same day and charged with the offences on the 17 July 2024.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable William Holbrook, said:

“I want to commend the victim for her bravery in reporting this crime and engaging with Thames Valley Police throughout what has been an emotionally challenging process.

“The actions of Mehmoul were deplorable. He knowingly committed an offence, demonstrating a deceitful intent.

“We are committed to supporting victims every step of the way and doing everything we can to secure justice.

“This case highlights our determination to hold offenders accountable and to protect women and girls from harm.

“By removing perpetrators from our communities, we help prevent further offences and reinforce our commitment to public safety.”

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A 33-year-old man from Bursledon has been sentenced to six life sentences, with a minimum term of 16 years, for four counts of rape of a boy aged under 13, and two counts of rape of a girl aged under 13.

Kieran Bond, of Oak Road, who was found guilty following a trial at Southampton Crown Court in July, was sentenced at the same court on Monday (29 September).

The offences took place between 2018 and 2021. As well as the time Bond will now serve in prison, he has also been made subject to the sex offenders register and restraining orders.

Detective Sergeant Heather Tack, of the Child Abuse Investigation Team, said:

“I’d like to place on record my praise and admiration for the very young victims in this case and the courage and determination they have shown throughout, supported by their family members.

“While I know this result won’t rid the victims and their family members of the memories of what Bond did, I truly hope it allows them to move forward, safe in the knowledge that he is now being punished for his crimes and can no longer repeat his offending.”

The victims in this case have been supported by the Child Abuse Team, including the officer in charge DC Dawn Capper, who work tirelessly to secure justice for these victims and safeguard other children.

Directly addressing other victims of sex offences, Detective Sergeant Tack, said:

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This case should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice for your crimes, no matter when they took place.”

Description

A man who raped a child under the age of 13 has been jailed for 10 years.

Terry Smith of Scoggins Way, Heckington, was found guilty of the offence when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, 24 October.

The 40-year-old committed the crime in the Lincoln area between 2019 and 2021.

Smith had denied the charge but was found guilty and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The sentence brings a lengthy investigation to a close and Mhairi Boulton, Proecting Vulnerable Persons West Hub Manager, has paid tribute to the victim and their family.

“Smith committed a vile crime that has no place in our community or our society at large. No child deserves to go through such an ordeal,” she said.

“The wait for justice has been a long one and we’d like to thank the victim and family at the heart of this investigation for their patience, understanding and bravery.

“While the road to recovery may be a long one, we hope that this sentence, at least in some small way, helps bring a sense of closure.”

Description

A man who committed multiple sexual offences in Kirklees more than 50 years ago has been jailed. 

Graham Ramsden, aged 69, of Kirk Close, Dewsbury, was sentenced to 11 years and two years on licence at Leeds Crown Court today ( Thursday 30 October) after being convicted of committing ten indecent assaults in the 1970s.

The 69-year-old had previously been found guilty by a jury of eight counts of Indecent assault contrary to section 14(1) of the sexual offences act 1956.

Jurors also found he had committed two offences of indecency with a child contrary to section 1(1) of the indecency with children act 1960.  

The offending took place between the years 1970 and 1977 in the Kirklees area starting when the victim was a very young child.  It was reported to Kirklees child safeguarding detectives in 2020.

Following a complex and lengthy investigation Ramsden was summonsed to appear before Leeds Magistrates Court.

Detective Constable Paul Campbell of the Kirklees District Child Safeguarding Unit, said:

“Ramsden’s sentencing today is another clear demonstration that the passage of time can be no barrier to justice, no matter how many years ago criminal activity took place.

“He has been brought to justice thanks to the bravery and determination of his victim, who has made him answer for the crimes he committed when she was a very young child.

“Thanks to her courage Ramsden has had to answer for the serious sexual abuse he subjected her to and is now behind bars.”

He added:

“We continue to urge victims of sexual offending whether recent or, as in this case, many years ago to come forward and contact us.

“We remain dedicated to recording these offences, investigating and doing all we can to seek justice with the needs of the victim at the heart of our investigations.” 

Description

A registered sex offender has been jailed after he repeatedly breached a court order.

Steven Blades, 35, was arrested at his home in Manton, in Bretton, Peterborough after the team in charge of managing sex offenders discovered he was breaching the orders in place around him.

In 2022, Blade was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and Sex Offender Notification Requirements (SONR), which required him to keep police informed of any changes to his personal circumstances within three days and if he had contact with children under 18 for more than 12 hours.

In August, the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders (MOSOVO) team made several attempts to visit Blade at his home in Bretton, but he was not there so they began looking into his whereabouts.

They discovered he has been in a holiday park in Yorkshire where he had been in contact with children under the age of 18, and was in breach of his SHPO.

Blade was arrested and admitted the breach and an additional breach by buying a device capable of accessing the internet and setting up an email without informing police.

At Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (29 October), Blades was jailed for one year and eight months, having pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and five counts of failing to comply with sex offenders register notifications.

DC Faye Patterson, who investigated, said:

“Blades understood that what he was doing was wrong but did it anyway.

“He also showed a clear disregard for the conditions of his court order, which are in place to protect the public, and most importantly, children.

“The role of the MOSOVO team is to ensure sex offenders are complying with court orders and are prevented from further offending. Part of that work involves regular unplanned visits to ensure this is happening and this case highlights the lengths we will take to ensure that this happens.”

Description

A man has been jailed for over six years for sexual offences in Lanarkshire.

Regan McClinton, 21, sexually assaulted two young girls in the Blantyre area on Saturday, 22 April, 2023.

He appeared at Kilmarnock High Court on Thursday, 30 October, 2025, where he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison with a two-year extended sentence.

He was previously found guilty on Wednesday, 10 September, 2025.

McClinton has been added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and lifelong non-harassment orders imposed in respect of his victims.

Detective Inspector Lorraine Wilson said: “McClinton’s abhorrent actions have caused significant harm to his victims, and he has now been held to account.

"We hope this outcome brings them some degree of reassurance.

"We remain committed to investigating reports of sexual abuse and ensuring that responsible face the consequences of their actions.

"We would encourage anyone who is a victim of sexual assault to report it. They will be treated with sensitivity and supported by specially trained officers."

Description

A registered sex offender has been jailed after police discovered him sleeping in a van with an underage girl.

Brandon Slater – who has an interim Sexual Risk Order – was outstanding for a court warrant, therefore police made enquiries to locate him.

At about 11.30pm on 5 September, officers from the Specialist Enforcement Unit (SEU) attended Chesswood Road in Worthing, where a Ford Transit van was discovered.

Despite repeated calls to make himself known and exit the vehicle, Slater refused.

Officers therefore began to force their way into the van, at which point Slater opened the rear doors, jumped down and sprinted away from the scene.

But his efforts were short-lived, as SEU officers equipped with Tasers and a Police Dog detained him within a matter of seconds.

Slater, 19, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with two counts of breaching a Sexual Risk Order.

Specifically, the order prohibits him from contacting any female under the age of 18.

Slater pleaded guilty to both offences at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on 14 October, where he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment.

Sergeant Tom Mills, of the Specialist Enforcement Unit, said:

“This case demonstrates that our officers are multi-skilled to respond to a variety of incidents and in this instance, they helped to remove a registered sex offender from the streets.

“He was found to be in the company of a 17-year-old girl – who was not aware of his interim order – and she was given the appropriate safeguarding advice.”