Latest Offenders

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A paedophile from Arlesey has been jailed after being found to have possessed and distributed indecent images of children.

Registered sex offender Terence Thatcher, 56, of Bury Mead, was arrested in February this year after Bedfordshire Police carried out a warrant at his home address.

Officers seized a mobile phone containing more than 1,100 indecent images of children, along with two prohibited and five extremely pornographic images.

There was also evidence of chat streams that showed Thatcher had shared these images with other users.

Part of Thatcher’s sexual harm prevention order when he was released from prison in 2019 was that he needed to notify his offender manager that he had a new phone, which he had not done.

On investigation, the phone was also logged into various social media accounts that he had not sought permission to use, resulting in a further breach of the conditions of his order.

Investigation Officer Emma Shipton from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Viewing, possessing and distributing indecent images of children is by no means a victimless crime.

“It causes and propagates real harm to the children concerned, as they are abused and exploited in such a vile and appalling way, and people like Thatcher share this disgusting abuse online for other individuals to view.”

Thatcher was sentenced on Friday, May 19 to a total of two years and eight months in prison, with an additional three years on licence, after pleading guilty to making, distributing and possessing indent images of children, possessing prohibited and pornographic images and for breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

He has also been handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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Victims of a bed-hopping sexual predator who walked free after targeting five women have spoken of their horror.

Steven Puttock crept into two of his victims’ bedrooms and assaulted them while they slept as he carried out a series of vile sex attacks over a 14-month period.

But last week a sheriff told the 25-year-old, from Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire, that jailing him wouldn’t help him or his victims.

He was instead sentenced to a “top-end community disposal” and ordered to pay each of the women £500 compensation.

One victim, who was assaulted in her own home after Puttock crept into her bed, told the Record: “We’re the victims, not him.

“To pay us £500 for what he has done to us all doesn’t cut it.

“He’s free to get on with his life but we’re going to be affected by this for the rest of ours.”

The electrician admitted assaulting the five women at houses in Cumbernauld and Kilsyth between January 2020 and March the following year, with one victim being targeted on three occasions and another twice.

Airdire Sheriff Court heard they were all considered friends and “like family” to him.

Puttock had a girlfriend at the time and apologised via text and Facebook messages to two of the women, using exactly the same words to both.

Sheriff Joseph Hughes said the pervert told a psychologist his offending “would likely have escalated to a more serious level” if he had continued down the same path.

He was assessed as at a medium risk of re-offending, but the sheriff told the first offender: “A custodial sentence will not in itself assist you in addressing your offending.

“Sentencing you to a modest period in prison will not help either the victims or society at large.”

Puttock was sentenced to three years of supervision, 300 hours unpaid work and a 12-month electronic tagging order .

Five-year non-harassment orders were made for each victim and his name will be on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

One victim, who was groped in her bed in January 2020, said: “He thought he could randomly sneak into other people’s beds and cause this massive impact on their lives and he gets community service?

“I moved house after this. I kept having nightmares thinking people were in my room.

“Why is he allowed to be in the community when he is a danger to the community?

“Litter picking and painting fences? How is that going to stop him from reoffending?

“I don’t see how he’s not going to be a danger to women after this? I don’t care about his money.”

Another victim told how Puttock was like “a brother” to her when he crept into her bed and put his hands inside her clothing in November 2020.

She said: “He knew exactly what he was doing and his intentions.

“It happened so quickly. The next day I was distraught. I knew if I told my mum and dad they would erupt.”

The victim said she didn’t go to police until a year later because she was worried about the impact on her family.

She said: “I could barely cope. I would check car parks to make sure his car wasn’t there.

“He then messaged me and said he was sorry for everything he had done.

“This sentence makes us think ‘is that it?’ You would have expected more for five victims.

“I only hope this will change how he treats women in the future because I don’t want anyone else to go through this.”

A third victim told how brazen Puttock put his hand down her trousers on two occasions in a room full of her family and friends in October 2020.

She said: “It made me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. He’s just a horrible, horrible human. I can’t explain the anger.

“He thought he got away with it the first time so could do it again.”

Defence agent Ross Brown said Puttock had been abusing alcohol and cocaine at the time of the offences.

He said Puttock was in “highly-skilled employment” and had found a new relationship.

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A judge hit out at the evil of young women being sent unsolicited ‘d*** pics’ as she dealt with a man guilty of vile sex chats with what he thought were underage girls.

William Sykes, 54, greeted the younger of the two ‘decoy’ social media accounts – allegedly belonging to a 12-year-old girl – with the words ‘hi sexy’ and sent an older ‘girl’, who was apparently 14, a picture of his appendage in late 2020.

Learning of the filthy photography prompted the judge hearing the case, Recorder Samantha Presland, to ponder out loud: “Do you think that mobile phones having cameras on them is a curse?”

She added, sarcastically, that an ‘unsolicited d*** pic’ of the type sent by the defendant was what every woman wanted to see.

Later, she said it was ‘purely luck no one was on the receiving end of this’, as the 'girls' were in fact adult 'paedophile hunters'. 

The type of material the defendant was sending and inviting ‘kills’ young women’s self-esteem and makes them feel like ‘objects’, she added.

Sentencing, Recorder Presland said: “It’s a very, very serious offence, Mr Sykes. I cannot understate that.”

Prosecutor Matthew Knight said Sykes met the older ‘girl’ on a web app before moving the conversation on to WhatsApp.

“The conversation included what certainly to an adult would appear to be references to content of a sexual nature and it culminates, in short, in Mr Sykes sending a picture of his penis to the decoy,” he said.

In the messages, Sykes described the girl as ‘very pretty’ and seemed to acknowledge that he ‘may get into trouble’ by sending and asking for explicit material.

The ‘girl’ was, in fact, a grown-up working with so-called paedophile hunter group The Ghosts.

A second group, called Elite Solo Decoys, was responsible for the second decoy account with which Sykes exchanged messages. The girl – claiming to be a 12-year-old – was called ‘sexy’ by the defendant.

Sykes, a long-term alcoholic with learning difficulties, was confronted by the ‘hunters’ in a video that was live-streamed.

Mr Knight conceded of the defendant’s behaviour in the video: “Mr Sykes presents with some difficulties in understanding what is being said.”

He was arrested and, when he appeared before the magistrates’ court in March, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted sexual communication with a child.

Mitigating, Bethan Chichester said her client had been drinking up to 24 cans of strong alcohol a day at the time of the offending. He had since managed to cut down his daily consumption to five or six cans.

He was given 12 months’ imprisonment suspended for a year and a half and must abide by a 10 year sexual harm prevention order. Sykes, of Blackbird Leys Road, Oxford, will be on the sex offender register for a decade.

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A violent stalker has admitted sexually assaulting two women in Perth city centre.

Creepy Barrie Cameron forced himself on his first victim as she walked home after a night out with friends.

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A Dundee paedophile with a side-line in drug-dealing has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.

Police raided Reece Boyle’s home following a tip-off he had been accessing obscene child abuse material.

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A violent sex offender has been jailed for 15 years, following a GMP investigation into a two-year campaign of abuse.

James Scanlon (25/01/76) of Sedburgh Close, Sale was sentenced today (Friday 26 May 2023) at Minshull Street Crown Court, after being found guilty of offences including rape, sexual assault, and actual bodily harm.

The jury was told that the abuse culminated in June 2022, when Scanlon held the victim against her will and subjected her to a serious and prolonged sex attack.

Detective Constable Jacob Corrigan, of GMP’s Trafford district, said: “Firstly, my thoughts are with the victim of this horrific incident. She has suffered tremendously at the hands of Scanlan. The victim will continue to receive support from specialist services and, owing to this, she has been able to begin the recovery process.

“Sexual violence will not be tolerated in our communities, and we will continue to support those who suffer. Of that’s you, please talk to us. We can help you; we can give you the support you need, we can work with you to achieve justice and remove dangerous individuals from our communities. You are not alone.”

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A dad-of-two who kissed a young man with autism in a Wetherspoons toilet cubicle without consent was jailed for sexual assault today. Stephen Freer, 45, of Parciau in Mynytho, Gwynedd approached his victim at the pub chain's Pen Cob site in Pwllheli last March.

Prosecutor, Simon Mintz, said the young man in his 20s was out for a meal with his family and had been to the toilets at the pub three times during his visit. Freer, who was also there on every occasion cracked a joke that the pair must have "synchronised bladders".

The court heard how Freer stood in the doorway of a cubicle whilst the victim washed his hands during the third trip to the toilets. Freer, 45, then beckoned him into the cubicle before kissing him on the lips.

Mr Mintz said the victim was "too frightened to resist" and scared of what would happen if he didn't respond the way the dad-of-two wanted. A family member noticed the victim was "in a state of shock" after leaving the toilets alongside Freer.

Freer claimed the young man had just been sick, complaining to him about an "upset tummy". But the victim's relatives confronted the defendant, said Mr Mintz, who continued denied anything else happened in the toilets.

The victim only revealed to his family what really happened once they left the pub. The police were then informed.

Freer was arrested and at first continued to deny anything happened between the men but later admitted to the kiss but claimed to have "reasonable belief" it was consensual.

The victim's sister, through a victim impact statement, said her brother blamed himself for the incident. She went on to say that he is "reluctant to go out" and remains "anxious and distrustful" when in social situations.

Elen Owen, defending told the court her client had "no idea" of the victim's autism. She argued that this case did not involve a "significant degree of planning" of Freer's part, claiming that he was already in the toilets when the complainant arrived the third time, adding it was a "chance encounter" at the time the assault took place.

Freer accepted, through Ms Owen, that he'd been drinking "enough to loosen his inhibitions" that day. The barrister said that, in the sober light of day he accepted what he did was wrong.

She said: "He is not a danger to other people and has learnt his lesson. He will not repeat these out-of-character actions again."

Recorder Wyn Lloyd-Jones said he "would not be doing his job properly" if he did not send Freer straight to prison for his eight month sentence for what must have been a "frightening" experience for the victim. He told Freer that he'd also need to register as a sex offender for the next decade.

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RAF chiefs have housed a child rapist on a military family estate despite his guilty pleas to a series of sickening offences.

Air chiefs claim red tape stops them instantly kicking out disgraced serviceman Glenn Poyner. 

Instead the 35-year-old paedophile has been given a property near a primary school at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire.

He was apparently moved to the estate from a block housing unattached male colleagues because of threats made against him.

Terrified parents living at the base fear for their youngsters, who had been able to play outside in safety.

Poyner admitted multiple counts of raping a 13-year-old among other child sex crimes at a court hearing earlier this month. Among his victims was the relative of a colleague.

He is not due to be sentenced until August and senior officers have not yet discharged him from the forces.

Families expected him to be kicked out on the day of his guilty pleas but the officers have only just started to fill in the paperwork.

Until all the red tape has been cleared, the plan is for Poyner to be housed at the base, the Mail has learned.

Furious Benson residents accuse RAF chiefs of prioritising the paedophile's welfare over the safety of their children.

Poyner holds the rank of air specialist – a gender-neutral title recently introduced by top brass. He will be paid by the RAF until the discharge process is completed.

One mother said: 'I am petrified that this monster will use his last months of freedom to strike again.

'Where's the protection? There are children everywhere here, playing happily outside. I can't rest for a second.

'He should be behind bars. It is a disgrace the air chiefs still haven't kicked him out of the RAF.'

At Telford Magistrates' Court on May 12 Poyner admitted four counts of rape, an indecent assault and other sexual activities with children between 2018 and 2021.

He was stationed at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire, a UK centre for pilot training. He later moved to RAF Benson.

At the hearing, prosecutor Mark Connor told the judge: 'The defendant has entered guilty pleas which adequately reflect the offending behaviour over a number of years.

'The prosecution accepts those pleas with regard to the court's overall sentencing powers.'

Judge Peter Barrie granted Poyner bail ahead of a sentencing hearing scheduled for August 11, when he is expected to be jailed.

The judge also ordered a psychiatric assessment to consider the sex offender's threat to the public.

While Poyner was given a curfew and must wear a tracking tag, service families insist they should be spared the worry of him living nearby.

His property is being monitored by RAF Police, who have stepped up patrols of the estate following complaints from parents.

RAF Benson, near Wallingford, is a support helicopter main operating base.

The failure by chiefs to manage Poyner's case – and to prioritise the concerns of service families – is the latest in a string of embarrassing failures by RAF bosses.

It follows the shocking treatment of female personnel by pilots, including multiple claims of sexual assault, in the Red Arrows display team.

The head of the RAF, Sir Mike Wigston, has also faced criticism over a chronic shortage of frontline pilots and a recruitment policy that appeared to discriminate against white male applicants.

The RAF said: 'We are aware that a service person residing at RAF Benson pleaded guilty to a number of serious sexual offences.

'The RAF is unable to comment on individual cases, not offer comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.'

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A middle-aged man who masturbated in front of two women on a London service train has been jailed. Dean Benjamin, 41, targeted his first victim shortly after 5pm on March 3 on a train to Nottingham before approaching a second woman in the first-class carriage.

The first victim noticed Benjamin staring at her while leaning on the luggage rack. Moments later, she looked back up and saw that he had placed his hands down the front of his trousers and was clearly masturbating.

She was able to text British Transport Police using its 61016 service and told a passing ticket inspector who moved her away and sat her in the first-class carriage. A short while later, Benjamin made his way to the first-class carriage and began masturbating while staring at a second woman as she worked on her laptop.

A ticket inspector was informed and an off-duty police officer who was travelling on the service apprehended Benjamin until the train arrived at Kettering station. He was removed and immediately taken into custody.

He later pleaded guilty to outraging public decency and has now been jailed for a total of 26 months. Benjamin, of Stockingstone Road, Luton, had also been in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order when he committed the offences.

DC Mohit Behl, investigating officer in the case, said: “Benjamin is quite simply a disgusting individual who targeted two lone women for his own sexual gratification.

“I hope his prison sentence serves as a stark warning to sexual offenders – we will do everything in our power to put your behind bars, without exception. If you experience or witness repulsive behaviour such as this on the rail network, I urge you to report it to us either by texting 61016 as the victim did in this instance, or by calling 0800 40 50 40.

“Nothing is too small or too trivial to report, and we will always take you seriously.”

Description

A Birmingham paedophile dad has been jailed for seven and a half years for a sick string of online child sex offences. His catalogue of crimes included attempting to arrange the rape of a child under the age of 13.

Damien Lucas, 36, of New Street, Leominster was found with hundreds of horrific images and videos showing children being raped or tortured that he'd also shared. He was put behind bars for 92 months at Hereford Crown Court on Tuesday(May 23).

Lucas pleaded guilty to eight child sex offence charges dating between June 2021 and February this year. The unemployed dad-of-three had lived in Chelmsley Wood before moving to Leominster in 2021.

Detective Inspector Matt McNelis of West Mercia Police said: "Damien Lucas pleaded guilty to having hundreds of images including 199 Category A images.

"Each of these depicts the rape and or torture of a child, the possession and sharing of these images and videos re-victimises each child in perpetuity and we continue to work with partners, including Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Family Matters, to stamp out this vile trade in human misery.

“The strength of this seven year sentence sends a strident message to online child sex offenders across the country. The possession, making and distribution of indecent images of children and the grooming of children to provide opportunities to commit contact offences are abhorrent crimes that we are fighting hard to prevent every day."

Lucas pleaded guilty to these eight charges with Category A the most severe as "they involve penetrative sexual activity":

• Attempting to arrange or facilitate the rape of a child under 13 on October 26 last year
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 in 2021, relating to 114 Category A images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 2021 relating to 58 Category B images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on June 23 2021 relating to 270 Category C images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 85 Category A images
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 101 Category B images
• Distributing an indecent photog or pseudo-photo of a child on October 26 last year relating to a Category B image
• Making indecent photos or pseudo-photos of a child on February 28 this year relating to 279 Category C images

The judge also ordered that Lucas he put under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and be on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Description

A crystal meth smoking paedophile priest who fantasised about sacrificing babies to Satan has been jailed for four years after a judge said he was a danger to children.

Rev David Renshaw, from Worthing, boasted he was a “sadistic b******” who corrupted young boys.

A judge told the 63-year-old vicar his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions showed he remains a danger to the public.

“You are still unable to accept your criminality and sexual interest in children,” Judge Christine Henson KC said.

A jury at Hove took less than 30 minutes to convict Renshaw of all eight counts of possessing indecent, extreme and illegal images of children and animals.

“Perhaps incarceration will help you realise you need treatment,” the judge told him.

As a serving vicar, Renshaw, who had more than 22,000 illegal images on his computers, was a high risk to children.

The age, vulnerability and clear pain and distress caused to the children in the images and videos were aggravating factors in his four year sentence, the judge told Renshaw.

The time and effort it would have taken to amass such a large collection showed his level of commitment, the judge said.

“It showed you were involved in a network of sharing indecent images of children,” she said.

Renshaw, a vicar since 1985, sat motionless in an interview suite as he was sentenced by video from HMP Lewes.

He will spend half of the four year sentence in custody before he is eligible for release on licence.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning Renshaw from unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 years will apply when he leaves prison.

He will also be required to be on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely and pay £4,200 costs.

In his defence, Sarah Day said the vicar had lost everything.

“These convictions bring to a close the life he has previously known,” Ms Day said.

“He has lost his home and his vocation.”

The cleric remained on a Church of England safe list for two years after National Crime Agency police traced his online activity.

Renshaw was still on the list days after his conviction in February this year.

A jury found him guilty of having more than 22,000 indecent images and videos of children and animals.

Renshaw, who attempted suicide after the guilty verdict, said he had few limits and could sink really low.

He told other paedophiles online: “I’m a sadistic b******.

“Through and f****** through.”

Renshaw was made priest in charge of Christ Church Worthing in December 2019.

He was on long term sick leave and in hospital when police raided his home on August 11, 2020.

He was also cautioned by police for possession of Class A and B drugs in May 2021.

Police found rotting dead animals, used needles and drug pipes when they raided his parish home.

The RSPCA seized severely malnourished dogs, cats and chickens after the police raid.

Police traced his online activity to a computer at his three bed semi.

Hove Crown Court heard it would have taken months to download all the images and video found on the hard drive.

The Church of England vicar tried to claim he would not have had time to download all the images and video, telling police: “Sermons don’t write themselves.”

Police found backups of his online and message app conversations with other perverts.

Renshaw asked one other user to offer his three-year-old to Satan.

Other sick chats involved sacrificing babies to the devil.

After his crimes were discovered, Renshaw tried to frame his own sons, telling police they had access to his computers.

In statements read to the court, his sons said they were saddened and disappointed their own father named them as potential suspects.

The jury heard graphic descriptions of horrific child sex abuse videos police found on the drive.

Police also found dozens of porn DVDs when they searched his house.

Renshaw initially denied, then admitted he sent social media and chat messages to other paedophiles discussing extreme child abuse.

Renshaw, a former chaplain in a youth offender unit, wrote: “I love corrupting boys with drugs.”

In the witness box, Renshaw said he used crystal meth when he was lonely and bored.

The jury did not believe his explanations for his online activity and returned eight verdicts in less than 25 minutes.

Jurors were offered counselling after listening to graphic descriptions of the downloads.

They found him guilty of three counts of possessing indecent images of children; three counts of making indecent images of children; possessing prohibited images of children; and possessing extreme pornographic images portraying acts of intercourse with animals, namely dogs and horses.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant David Rose, said: “Throughout this investigation, Renshaw has sought to blame anyone but himself.

“He has failed to accept or take any responsibility for his actions, which I am certain the local parish he represented would be appalled by.

“The search of his address was one of the most revolting tasks our officers will ever have to endure.

“As well as malnourished living animals, there was also a dead rotting kitten and a dead rotting rat on the floor, in addition to used needles and other drug paraphernalia lying around.

“It was a deeply unpleasant scene to search.

“It was also a particularly harrowing experience for the officer who had to sift through and grade each image, something that will stay with him for the rest of his life.”

The Diocese of Chichester said Renshaw was suspended immediately after police searched his address and he has not been in active ministry since.

Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, said the diocese cooperated closely with Sussex Police throughout this investigation.

“Mr Renshaw’s appalling offences involved the possession of thousands of obscene images,” a church spokesman said.

“Following his conviction, further action will now be taken against him under the Clergy Discipline Measure.”

Renshaw was sentenced to four years, two years, one year, four years, two years, one year and two terms of three months each to run concurrently for the eight changes.

Description

Sex offender Bryan Hill has been jailed after a phone call to his mum proved he had flouted a court order. The 39-year-old was convicted in 2017 of a child grooming offence which led to him being made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

But he breached the order by failing to inform police of a new phone he had. A 'keen-eyed' officer checking up on him discovered he had a secret mobile.

Despite denying that he had used the phone, records showed he had rang his mother only that morning. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard he also breached the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register by using a new user name which had not been notified to the police.

Now Hill, who has breached the SHPO on two previous occasions, has been jailed for two years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor John Oates said the SHPO was made in 2017 after Hill was convicted of a child grooming offence.

Mr Oates said: "Police attended Star Accommodation in Hanley on March 6 this year. The defendant declared a mobile phone the officers already knew about.

"But when they searched the house they found a Samsung smartphone which had not been declared. He denied using it but it was found he had been using it that very morning.

"The SHPO requires him to inform the police of any device he has.

"It was also found he had been using a new user name BH9644010. That had not been notified. He had not told the police he was using that name, which was a breach of the notification requirements."

Hill, of Marsh Street North, Hanley, pleaded guilty to breaching a SHPO and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders' register.

Steve Hennessy, mitigating, conceded it was a concern that Hill was back in court for a further breach. He said the officer was 'extremely keen-eyed' to notice the charger plugged in was for a different mobile to the one Hill declared.

He said the Samsung was not well hidden. Mr Hennessy said: "It had been used that morning to call his mother.

"He is motivated by boredom and loneliness. He has now learned his lesson. He has had quite a conversation with his mother who said any further returns to prison and she will never speak to him again. He promises there will be no breaches in the future."

Judge David Fletcher said: "This is the third time you have breached this order.

"When you are released on licence that is the time to really prove to those who are interested in your progress that you really mean what you have said."

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A Devon man has been jailed for raping a woman in a field. Jack Frankum asked the woman for a lift home from an agricultural event.

When she stopped to urinate in the remote location he sexually assaulted and then raped her. The 28-year-old, from Cheriton Bishop, denied the offence but was found guilty at the end of a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

He has been sentenced to eight years in prison. The victim said memories of her ordeal were like a "horrible shadow" following her.

Frankum will serve two thirds of the eight years in prison, with the remainder on licence.

The offences took place one evening in August 2019. The court heard how the victim had pleaded with him to stop. She described how, after the offences, Frankum had acted like nothing had happened and tried to make small talk and unrelated conversation. In police interviews she said the ordeal had left her feeling worthless and frightened of Frankum.

She said: "I find it hard to put into words how strongly I feel about this. I hate him and the mark he had left upon me."

Ms Virginia Cornwall, defending, said it had not been a planned assault and he was a man of previous good character.

Judge Anna Richardson said friends of Frankum had described him as polite and courteous and a valued member of the community.

Following the sentencing the police case officer, DC Craig Ferguson, said: “This has been a very lengthy and detailed police investigation, which has seen some delays in the courts whilst we awaited trial.

“I wish to acknowledge the courage and fortitude of the victim in remaining committed to this case, and her path to justice throughout this investigation and the delay that we have seen.

“I also wish to pay personal tribute to the victim, and her absolute strength in attending court to give her evidence at the trial.

“I acknowledge that this was incredibly difficult for her given what Frankum had done. It is only through the victim’s strength throughout this process that we have seen this result, and I hope that she can now move forward in her life with her family in the knowledge that she has seen some justice for what he did to her.

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Abdulahi Mohamed Mohamud, 38, of Surrey, was today sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment and two years' extended licence at Kingston Crown Court for the kidnap and rape of a vulnerable young woman.

In the early hours on 25 January 2022 Mohamud was driving around Soho when he spotted a young, intoxicated woman who had become separated from her friends and was lost in central London, semi-conscious and slumped in a doorway. Mohamud stopped his car, kidnapped the semi-conscious woman and put her in his car.  He then violently raped her before dropping her off on the street miles away from where he had taken her.

A delivery driver noticed that she was scared and in distress and assisted her to call home and arranged for a taxi to take her home.

The police used the automatic number plate recognition to identify the offender and he was arrested on 28 January 2023. He denied the offence claiming that the victim had made up the allegation because he refused to drive her home and claimed “any interaction” was initiated by the victim and it was all consensual.

At trial on 26 October 2022 the jury saw through his perverse lies and unanimously convicted him of rape and kidnap.

Lola Adesiyan, Senior Crown Prosecutor from the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit in London South said: “Mohamud is clearly a very devious and dangerous individual. This lengthy sentence means that other women are now protected from danger at the hands of this sexual predator.

“The ordeal he put the victim through was terrible. He took advantage of her incapacitation not to assist her but to rape her. From CCTV it is obvious that he saw her in a vulnerable condition and used this vulnerability to get her into his car where he carried out a violent attack.

“It’s thanks to the courage of the victim that we were able to put this dangerous man before a jury who found him guilty. We were determined to achieve justice for her, and I hope that this sentence will give her some closure following her terrible ordeal.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will not hesitate to prosecute rape and serious sexual offences where there is the evidence to do so and bring offenders to justice.”

Description

A rapist took advantage of a woman as she slept in a hotel room and she woke up to find him having sex with her without consent. He later claimed he had drunk alcohol for the first time the night before due to his religion.

Umer Sajjad, 24, raped a woman at the Village Hotel in Cardiff in 2019 while she was asleep having drunk a large amount of alcohol. When she woke up the victim found the defendant having sex with her and when she asked him what he was doing he stopped and apologised.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Sajjad had been on a night out in Cardiff city centre on October 6 before returning to the hotel room with the victim. It was agreed the defendant could sleep on the floor but in the morning he got into the bed and took advantage of the victim while she was asleep.

Sajjad claimed he'd drunk alcohol for the first time on that night due to his religion and had not drunk much but believed this may have disinhibited him. While in bed with the victim he pulled items of her clothing down and penetrated her vagina without consent.

In his sentencing remarks Recorder Dyfed Thomas said: "She was asleep, could not have consented, and did not consent." Upon being confronted by the victim after she woke up the defendant stopped and she went to the bathroom.. The victim later told a friend about what had happened and the police were called.

Sajjad, of Gillott Road, Birmingham, was arrested and denied the offence but he was found guilty of rape by a jury following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court this year. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In a victim personal statement read out to the court the victim said: "The day I was raped destroyed me in so many ways and I don't think I will ever understand... He ruined my life by lying and pretending I would have consented. How could I when I was asleep? He's ruined my life and my children's lives as they will never get the old me back. I'll never understand why he did this to me....

"He violated me in the worst way possible... I still cry as though it happened yesterday. I felt violated and will never forget what happened no matter how much support I get.... I feel like I died inside after being raped. Every day is a constant struggle but I owe it to myself and my family to come out the other end now justice has been served."

Defence barrister Stephen Tettey said his client lacked maturity after choosing to "engage" with the victim in her level of intoxication. He said the defendant was of previous good character and there had been no further incidents since this offence.

Recorder Thomas said: "You committed this offence by taking advantage of a young woman while she was asleep and may have been feeling the effects of the night before with substances and drink having been consumed. She was clearly asleep...

"There is no-one to blame for this offence but you. You took advantage of a young woman as she slept and raped her.... You simply saw an opportunity to take advantage for your own selfish sexual gratification."

Sajjad was sentenced to six years and six months imprisonment and will serve two-thirds of the sentence before he will be released on licence. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.