Latest Offenders

Description

A repeat sex offender believes the police officer responsible for supervising him in the community is his only friend, a court heard.

Jamie Morrison, 33, told the probation officer who compiled his pre-sentence report that the constable in Thames Valley Police’s public protection unit was his ‘only friend’ – and felt he had ‘let him down’ by committing more child sex offences.

The tragic admission was evidence of the man’s ‘social isolation’, his barrister Kellie Enever told Oxford Crown Court.

Imposing an extended sentence of 46 months’ imprisonment and a further 14 months on licence, Judge Ian Pringle KC said: “You’ve got to understand, Mr Morrison, that you’ve got to cease doing these things, if for no other reason [than] you’ll let the person down who was supervising you and who you regard as your friend.”

Police were tipped off last April that Morrison had been looking at indecent images of children.

Officers visited him at home on April 11, when they found that the tip-off was true and he had been accessing and distributing the illegal material.

He was also found to have been in touch with what he thought was a nine-year-old girl.

In fact, the ‘child’ was a Denmark-based adult pretending to be a girl online.

Morrison, of Luther Street, Oxford, pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to breaching his sexual harm prevention order, making and distributing indecent images, and attempted sexual communication with a child.

He has numerous previous convictions for looking at indecent images of children online.

On Friday (January 27), Judge Pringle – who jailed him himself in 2017 – described his criminal record as ‘unenviable’.

“I have come to the conclusion you are a danger and an extended sentence in court case is appropriate,” the judge said.

The total length of Morrison’s sentence is five years, comprising a 46 month immediate jail term followed by an extended 14 months on licence and under the supervision of the probation service.

He will serve two-thirds of the jail term behind bars before being eligible for release.

However, he is liable to be recalled at any time, meaning he could serve the full five year sentence in prison.

Mitigating, Kellie Enever said her client had a low IQ and found social interaction difficult.

He had said: “My emotions don’t seem as strong as other people’s.”

At the age of 15 to 16, he was said to have found it easier to talk to eight to nine year olds rather than his peers. Ms Enever told the judge: “That correlates with the cognitive detail you have of this defendant and his IQ and verbal reasoning.”

Description

A SEX offender who failed to declare email addresses to police has been spared jail – after his defence solicitor said he would be at risk of "considerable harm" in prison.

Ian Jackson, 37, of Main Street, Egremont, is required to notify police of any names or aliases he uses, as part of a sexual harm prevention order that was put in place in 2016.

But a number of usernames were found after police inspected his laptop in November last year, Workington Magistrates’ Court was told.

Prosecutor Pamela Fee told the court that Jackson was a registered sex offender, who was currently being managed in the community.

During police interview, Jackson stated he had not used some of the email addresses for some time. He said he had recently used one of the usernames for his betting account.

Jackson agreed his sexual harm prevention order had been in place since 2016 and he was fully aware of this.

He agreed his offender manager had explained the terms of this order and had gone through them on a number of occasions.

Jackson was asked about any email addresses he used and he said he needed a separate email address for Universal Credit. 

The defendant had also used his father’s email address and was asked why he had done this. Jackson said he couldn’t remember as it was a long time ago.

He was asked if he had a betting account and said he had a Coral account but wasn’t sure what the login was.

Jackson said a lot of the accounts hadn’t been used in years.

He was told he had an obligation to notify police of any accounts used. He said he didn’t mean to keep the information from police.

Ms Fee said Jackson had left his previous employment at David Wood Baking Ltd at Lillyhall and hadn’t informed police for a month. He had then sent a text to inform police he was on Universal Credit.

She said police also had concerns as he had refused to take part in a polygraph test.

Ms Fee described the offence as a 'deliberate refusal' to comply with the order.

She said: “It isn’t a minor breach. There are a number of email accounts not provided to police. Clearly, the defendant has kept these for a period of time.

“It’s a substantial period where contact could have been made or offending behaviour could have taken place.”

Chris Toms, defending, said: “When interviewed by police, there were no denials. He handed over his device when requested.”

Mr Toms said one of the email addresses was for The Outward Bound Trust, which he had not worked for since his conviction in 2016. Another was for the betting site, Coral.

He said Jackson had used his father’s account and didn’t realise this constituted using an identity.

Mr Toms said: “This is a man who is vulnerable. He will be vulnerable in prison. Considerable harm could be done to him if he is sent to prison.

“These orders pull you out of society. He is by trade a chef. Many establishments employ young people. He can no longer carry out his trade.

“If he goes to custody, he will come out a complete mess and will be more at risk of offending than he is now.”

Jackson pleaded to failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders’ register between March 2016 and November 2022, at a hearing earlier this month.

Passing sentence on Monday, magistrates said there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation”.

Jackson was sentenced to 36 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months. He must also complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Description

A married paedophile who groomed what he believed to be a young girl told her to say she was his niece when they met to avoid arousing suspicion.

Daniel Smart engaged in a series of highly sexual conversations with someone he believe to be a 13-year-old child but who was actually an undercover police officer. During the communications Smart told the female he wanted to take her virginity, tried to get her to perform a series of sex acts, and discussed her travelling to see him in Swansea so they could have sex in his car.

When arrested Smart said he was addicted to chatting online, and descried the conversations he had with what he believed to be a child as "verbal porn". Sending the defendant to prison, a judge told the father that though he may find it difficult to accept the fact, the reality is he has a sexual interest in children.

James Hartson, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court in July last year Smart began communicating with what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl online, discussing her age and school and joking he was old enough to be her father but "he wouldn't tell if she wouldn't". Smart then asked the teenager to start chatting with him on Skype in case his wife had access to his WhatsApp account.

The court heard that over the following couple of days Smart engaged in a series of sexual conversations in which he detailed the sexual activity he wanted to do with the child, telling her he wanted to be "her first" and describing how she was making him "horny". He also assured her she would not get pregnant as he had had "the snip". During the conversations the defendant also encouraged the girl to perform sex acts on herself. The court heard 45-year-old Smart also suggested the girl take a "sicky" from school and travel to Swansea so they could have sex in his car, telling her she should pretend to be his niece if anybody raised any questions about them being together.

The defendant was subsequently arrested at his home address, and made admissions to officers about his activities. He said he believed he had "a bit of an addiction" to chatting online, and he described what had happened as "verbal porn" but he said he should have stopped when he found out the age of the person he was talking to. He denied having any sexual attraction to young people.

Daniel Smart, now of Gelyn-y-Cler, Barry, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity - one penetrative activity and one none-penetrative activity - when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Andrew Evans, for Smart, said he defendant remains "at something of a loss" to explain what happened, and has engaged the services of a private counsellor to help him understand the triggers for his behaviour. The advocate said the offending had already had a significant impact on Smart - including the ending of his marriage - and that once released from any custodial sentence he will have to "rebuild his life".

Judge Paul Hobson noted Smart was a father and was in good employment, and he told the defendant that though he may find it difficult to accept it, the fact was he has a sexual attraction to children. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas and in accordance with the sentencing guidelines Smart was sentenced to 28 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

Description

A police force has found a convicted sex offender who failed to turn up to court to be sentenced.

James Atkinson, of St George's Road, St Annes, near Blackpool, was convicted of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault.

Lancashire Police said the 57-year-old was found on Friday in Cumbria.

He had been due to be sentenced at York Crown Court earlier this month, but did not appear.

Lancashire Police thanked the public for sharing an appeal to locate him.

Description

A dangerous offender who raped a 75-year-old woman and sexually assaulted a vulnerable 61-year-old, has been given an extended prison sentence.

Neil McEvoy, 57, of Grimshaw Street, Preston city centre, was also before the court for a sustained assault which left a man with facial injuries.

McEvoy pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to rape, causing sexual activity without consent and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He was given an extended sentence of 20 years, comprising a 15-year custodial term and a five-year licence extension.

When passing sentence, Judge Andrew Jefferies KC, described McEvoy as dangerous and noted the lack of remorse shown by him he had tried to minimise his responsibility.

The first offence which McEvoy was sentenced for, occurred in July 2020 at his flat in Grimshaw Street.

McEvoy was drinking with his victim and another man. Later in the evening McEvoy began punching the victim.

The attack lasted on-and-off for around 90 minutes, with McEvoy kicking, slapping and pinning the man against the wall.

While under investigation for that assault, McEvoy committed the offence against a 61-year-old woman who was particularly vulnerable in November 2020.

She had been shopping in Preston city centre and was sat on a bench near to McEvoys flat. He beckoned her to go the flat where two other people were drinking with McEvoy.

When the other two left the flat, McEvoy carried out a sexual offence against the woman.

Knowing he was under investigation for that offence and the earlier assault, McEvoy raped a 75-year-old woman in May 2022.

She had visited two pubs in Preston and was making her way home when McEvoy someone she had never met before approached her on the street and struck up a conversation.

He offered to walk her home and the victim described McEvoy as pleasant and he just made me trust him.

At her flat they chatted but McEvoys mood changed, with the court told he went from gentle to violent and he raped her the attack only stopped when the victim managed to hit him with a hammer.

She rang 999 after McEvoy left the flat and he was arrested nearby.

DC Stephen Rotherham of Lancashire Polices south division rape investigation team, said: Im very pleased that Neil McEvoy is off the streets and I welcome the lengthy prison sentence imposed by Judge Jefferies.

Id like to thank the work of the response officers who assisted the investigations into these offences, the work of the Independent Sexual Violence Advocates for supporting the victims and the dedication of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Lancashire Police are committed to investigating all reports of rape and sexual offences, all reports will be treated with trust and sensitivity.

Description

A music teacher who groomed and abused an underage girl 60 years younger than him has been jailed.

Retired head of department Martin Fisher engaged in sexual activity with the girl from the age of 15 and she said he "destroyed" her teenage years.

Now the 80-year-old, never in trouble before, has been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for having sexual activity with a child. Judge Penny Moreland told him: "You began grooming her and you began to abuse her when she was 15. This was an abusive relationship.

"You have done incalculable harm to her. She says you destroyed her teenage years."

The court heard they engaged in sexual activity before she was 16 and he had sex after she reached that age. At the time, the girl said what was happening made her feel "really grown up" and widower Fisher spoke of them getting married.

At one point police were involved after a report of concern for what was going on but she denied anything sexual was happening as "she cared for him and wanted to protect him". However she went on to disclose what happened to her after reaching adulthood after realising how young she had been when it first began.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "I wish to say this has been extremely difficult for me to deal with. I started having suicidal thoughts and it was a massive relief when he pleaded guilty.

"He should not be around children. He destroyed my teenage years for his benefit."

Fisher, of Cornhill-on-Tweed, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to eleven charges of sexual activity with a child and was jailed for six years. He must also sign the sex offenders register for life, was given an indefinite restraining order and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Sue Hirst, defending, said: "He accepts full responsibility for his actions in respect of these offences and he deeply regrets the hurt he has caused to her. He is now 80 years of age and finds it difficult to understand how he placed himself in this position, having lived a respectable, law-abiding life for more than seven decades.

"It was wholly inappropriate what took place but he was not pressuring her into things or being unpleasant about it. It's clear she cared very much for him as well.

"He cared very much about her and even spoke about their relationship being public. He understands how wrong his actions were."

Miss Hirst added: "He had been a husband and a father and he worked for many years as a teacher and was a head of department in several schools. He provided details of the schools he worked at to the police and there have been no further issues.

"Music was still very important to him and after taking early retirement he provided singing lessons to people in schools and on a private basis."

Description

A man who believed he was sending sexually explicit messages to a 13-year-old girl has been jailed after an undercover police investigation.

Bartosz Zaczek sent the "distressing and disturbing" messages before trying to meet the recipient, who was actually an undercover police officer.

He arrived to be met by officers, who promptly arrested him last May.

The 23-year-old, of St Annes, Lancashire, has been jailed for four years and two months.

Zacek sent messages and photographs over a month and also encouraged his supposed target to get her "12-year-old cousin" to meet him, Preston Crown Court heard.

In June, he told his boss he was running an errand but instead travelled to meet the recipient in Blackburn, where officers were waiting for him.

Det Con Nicola Long, of Lancashire Police, said: "The chat transcript makes for some distressing and disturbing reading so I am satisfied with the sentence Zaczek has been given, which reflects the danger he presents to teenage girls."

Zaczek pleaded guilty to a range of offences including attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

An order has also made for his phone to be destroyed and he will be monitored by authorities after his jail term.

Det Con Long said: "The public may not see the undercover work that goes on, but it is always going on.

"If anybody has concerns about an individual, I would always encourage them to contact the police in the first instance."

Description

A 21-year-old man from North West London has been jailed after he posed as a child to send young girls sexually explicit pictures.

Anthony Lonsdale, from Wembley, used fake profiles on social media platforms Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp to groom his targets.

He even met up with the young girls while dressed as either a schoolboy or schoolgirl.

Lonsdale once travelled to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire dressed as a schoolgirl to meet a young girl.

He managed to convince the girl's mother to let him stay over for the night, claiming he had no money to get home.

Lonsdale used the pseudonym 'Tia' to communicate with his targets before encouraging them to add an 'older brother' called 'Sam'.

He then used the 'Sam' profile to convince the young girl they were in a relationship, sending sexual images in the process.

Further investigations by police helped them identify two other girls from Nottinghamshire who Lonsdale had contacted.

Lonsdale once met a girl at Mcdonald's disguised as a female friend and tried to get in touch with her younger sister.

When he was blocked, Lonsdale used his other fake accounts to tell the girl he was suicidal and may die.

Police arrested Lonsdale in March 2022 after he was found posing as a schoolboy to try and enrol at a school near Ilkeston in Derbyshire.

While he was on bail, police found evidence relating to more offences on a mobile phone.

Lonsdale was having multiple conversations with teenage girls, and the device also held a number of nude photos.

Lonsdale pleaded guilty to eight counts of grooming and possession of sexually explicit images of children and received a seven-year prison sentence.

A Sexual Harm Prevention Order and five-year restraining order were also put in place to prevent Lonsdale from getting in touch with his victims again.

Detective Sergeant Sophie Draycott of the Child Exploitation Investigation Unit said: “The lengths to which Lonsdale went to by creating several fake personas on social media, to build trust with the victims and even attempting to enroll at the same school as one of the teenagers is unbelievable.

“Behaviour such as this is intolerable, and I would like to recognise the courage of the young girls who worked with us as part of our investigation. As a result, Lonsdale is now facing the consequences of his actions.

“Keeping children and young people safe, both online and in the community, is one of our top priorities and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect them from harm.

"If you are worried or concerned about online child abuse, or for the safety or wellbeing of a child, you can report it to us and there are different ways you can get in touch. Even if you’re not 100 percent sure, please report your concerns. Your information could help our trained officers and staff protect the child."

If you suspect someone is in immediate danger, call 999 now. If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergency SMS service.

Description

A sexual predator who committed offences against multiple different women over a 24-year period has been jailed.

Steven Fergusson, 39, was found guilty of a series of serious sexual offences against nine different women in Renfrewshire between 1995 and 2019.

The beast was jailed for seven years at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, January 23.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark McLennan said: “We welcome the conviction of Steven Fergusson. He is clearly a dangerous individual and it is due to the courage of the women involved in this case that he will now face the consequences of his abhorrent behaviour.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone who has or is being subjected to any form of abuse or harm to get in touch with the police and report it.

“We treat all reports seriously and with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity , no matter when the offence took place. Time is no barrier to justice, as this case demonstrates.

Description

A serial sex-offender who was trapped online by paedophile hunters told police that he was glad he had been caught because he needed help.

Mark Best, aged 57, of Baslow Road, at Totley, Sheffield, who has convictions for sex offences, had sexual conversations with two online decoy profiles which had been set up by paedophile hunters and he tried to arrange to meet one of them before he was caught by police, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing.

Prosecuting barrister David Webster told the hearing on January 25: “The defendant’s activities came to light as a group of volunteers were setting-up online decoys to attract the attention of those with certain proclivities. He made contact with two decoys believing them to be children.”

Mr Webster added that Best engaged in sexual conversations with the first decoy who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl and he discussed his genitals, spanking, cuddling, unzipping his trousers, oral sex, sexual intercourse and that he could go to prison for being involved in this kind of communication.

Best also discussed masturbating and he tried to arrange to meet this decoy at a McDonald’s restaurant at a retail park in Chesterfield but he changed his mind, according to Mr Webster, and he told the decoy she should be with people her own age.

However, Mr Webster added that the defendant contacted the decoy again and said he had felt bad about not meeting her and asked if they could still meet up.

Mr Webster also said that another paedophile hunter group volunteer set-up another decoy as a 12-year-old girl from Derby and Best contacted them and became involved in further sexual conversations.

The paedophile group also set-up an adult, mature decoy and when the defendant turned up for a meeting he was arrested by police and said he was glad to have been caught and could not understand what he had been doing and that he needed help.

Best pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to arrange or facilitate a child sex offence with a decoy between April and October 2022, and to one count of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order from between April, 2022, and October, 2022, by using the internet to attempt to communicate with a child.

The court heard Best already has convictions including offences of non-penetrative touching of a female, breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Defence barrister Joy Merriam said: “He admits he has a problem and he is attracted to young girls. He said he wants help in prison and the probation officer has said that his sentencing plan should involve that kind of work.”

The judge – Recorder Abdul Iqbal KC – sentenced Best to 48 months of custody and because he was deemed to be dangerous he must serve two-thirds of that term before he can be released and he will also have to serve an extended three years on licence at the end of the four year-term. Best has also been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last until 2031.

Description

Ian Featherstone, who lives in Bushby, groomed the teenage girl for sex while working at a boarding school and was given only a suspended sentence at court

The schoolgirl victim of a sex offender teacher from Leicester has revealed how he stole her innocence in a heartbreaking statement describing the impact of his crimes. Ian Featherstone groomed the teenager for sex while working at a private boarding school, a court heard.

She was a pupil at Abbotsholme School, near Ashbourne, in the Derbyshire Dales, when the 44-year-old struck up an inappropriate relationship with her. Starting with text messages, the exchanges turned to sexualised chat before escalating further to sharing intimate photographs and eventually sex.

Featherstone pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust when he appeared before a judge at Derby Crown Court. He was a married father-of-two when the offences took place, but has since lost his job and is now living with his parents in Pulford Drive, Bushby, reports Derbyshire Live.

The teenager revealed to the court how the sexual abuse she suffered at Featherstone's hands had affected her life. "I didn’t realise what was happening, what he was doing, until someone told me that what he did was not normal," she said.

"It felt right because I finally thought I had found someone who wanted me. However, this never explained why I felt on edge and scared around him.

"I tried ignoring the sexual comments he made, but he always said more. This increased my fear, and I was always questioning if I could trust him. However, I did trust him, and that cost me everything."

The court heard how the Featherstone told the girl not to save his contact details. Instead, she had them on a piece of paper she kept with her phone, so his wife of 14 years did not find out about the relationship. He would also only communicate with her on a social media platform to avoid detection.

"I lost my innocence," added the girl. "I never understood this concept until he did what he did. I have had to grieve that I have lost what it meant to be a teenager. I have had to leave school behind as the weight of pain was too heavy for me to carry on anyone.

"I was always crying, breaking down and having to get picked up every day from school. He pushed my mental health to the limits. This completely destroyed me.

“I self-harmed to cope and even wrote suicide notes. I didn’t want to carry on anymore. The guilt, pain, sadness, and the constant abuse became too much."

The girl turned to Featherstone during the hearing and addressed him directly. "No amount of tears could explain the pain," she told him. "You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my confidence, and my own voice.

"You have no idea how worthless you made me feel. Always being too scared to say no, or not to do as you wanted. This always scared me." She added: "I knew in the end you would always have your way, no matter if I said no. This lives with me, it will never leave."

Featherstone was sentenced to 12 months in prison, but suspended for two years. An electronically monitored curfew will confine him to his home address between 7pm and 5am.

The defendant was ordered to attend a 45-day sex offender awareness programme, as well as 55 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work and was placed on the sex offenders register for a period of 10 years.

Speaking at the conclusion of the case, Detective Constable Sarah Parkin commended the victim's bravery in speaking out against her abuser and helping to bring him to justice.

"Mitigation in court tried to explain away Featherstone's offending, and even tried to paint him as the victim, but he is clearly a sexual predator who preyed on someone who should have been safe in his care," she said.

"I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward and reporting this matter to the police," she added. "Anyone who is reading this and may have been the victim of sexual assault or abuse, please do speak to someone. There is help available. If you do feel able to contact the police we will always listen, investigate, and support you through the process."

Description

THIS is the face of a smiling pervert who has a history of flashing people from his bedroom window.

It was reported this week that serial flasher Christopher Barrett has been locked up after offending again by exposing his genitals.

The 65-year-old was given numerous chances and warnings by the court that if he carried on, he would end up in prison.

That is exactly where he currently is after being sentenced at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 12, after admitting two further exposure charges.

He also pleaded guilty to a count of breaching his sex offender notification and registration requirements, as well as breaching a suspended sentence.

Now, Cheshire Police has released a custody photo of a smiling Barrett.

Tanya Berridge-Burley, prosecuting, explained how the defendant exposed himself on two consecutive days in Warrington on September 20 and 21 last year.

In doing so, he intentionally exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them and be caused alarm or distress.

He also failed without reasonable excuse to comply with his sex offender registration requirements with the police by not periodically notifying them.

These conditions were imposed when he was slapped with a sentence of 20 weeks in prison suspended for 24 months by the same court in December 2020 for an offence of exposure.

His latest offending put him in breach of this sentence, which was activated as immediate custody.

He was handed the suspended sentence after he exposed himself to a dog walker while stood in his bedroom window.

The court at the time heard that the dog owner was walking her pet outside Barrett's home with her cousin when she spotted the pervert naked and pressed up against a window 'in a star shape' with his arms in the air.

Despite having been seen, he remained stood naked in the window for several minutes.

Speaking in court, the victim said she was ‘shocked, disgusted and frankly devastated’, adding that the offence affected her mental health in terms of giving her panic attacks.

Another previous conviction in March 2018 saw him video passers-by on two occasions while performing sex acts in the same window and waving to get the attention of women outside.

Before sentencing in December 2020, district judge Nicholas Sanders said: “Whatever your problem is, it has to stop.

“If you commit any other offences or fail to comply with the requirements, the starting point is that you will go to prison.”

This is exactly what magistrates decided to do, remarking that the offence was committed during the period of a suspended sentence and highlighting the defendant’s ‘appalling’ record of similar offences.

Barrett, of Mead Road in Padgate, was sentenced to 72 weeks in prison.

He is also the subject of sex offender notification requirements for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

This prohibits him from exposing his genitals and underwear in sight of public or masturbating in sight of anyone without their consent.

In addition, magistrates ordered that the defendant pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £120 and a surcharge to fund victim services of £187.

Description

A sex offender who groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl has been put behind bars.

Thomas Timson, 36, took advantage of a schoolgirl by befriending her and buying her presents.

He paid the girl compliments to win her confidence before abusing her on multiple occasions between October 2019 and April 2020.

Timson, of Kirton, near Newark, was jailed for three years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (January 20).

He was convicted after a trial on four counts of engaging a girl in sexual activity.

Detective Sergeant James Robinson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Timson’s behaviour was manipulative and predatory. He knew exactly what he was doing when he chose to befriend a young, vulnerable girl.

“His actions were completely reprehensible and caused the child unimaginable emotional damage.

“I’d like to mention the bravery of the child in this case in speaking to officers and helping expose Timson for his appalling crimes.

“By lying about his abuse this case went to trial and put the victim through even more pain.

“I’m pleased that the jury saw through his lies and he is now serving a custodial sentence for his actions.”

Timson met the girl after being introduced to her in July 2019 and was fully aware of her age.

After gaining her confidence, Timson began buying the girl clothes as well as transferring money into her bank account and taking her on shopping trips and to restaurants.

During police interviews, the girl said Timson was throwing money at her.

He asked her to send sexually explicit pictures of herself and sent her inappropriate messages before engaging the girl in sexual activity.

Description

A terrified woman was forced to have sex with a violent and unstable thug to save the life of a man she was out on a first date with.

The victim was walking home from Sunderland city centre with her date and making plans to meet him again when they were targeted by Sean Robinson without warning.

Newcastle Crown Court heard Robinson kicked the man in the face and then subjected him to a 'severe' beating before leaving him unconscious and bleeding on the ground.

The woman, in her 20s, was then told by Robinson: 'If you come and have sex with me I will not kill him.'

Prosecutor Jane Waugh told the court in a desperate bid to save the man's life the courageous victim had endured the sickening ordeal.

Miss Waugh told the court: 'She had witnessed the horrific violence and knew what he was capable of. She decided, in order to save his life and protect herself from the defendant's unpredictable violence, she would have to agree to have sex with him so he would leave [the man] alone.'

The court heard Robinson, who was then 17, forced the victim to lie on an old coat he found near some bushes and raped her.

Miss Waugh added: 'She was crying through this whole attack. The defendant told her, "If you stop I will go and kill him you know".

'She continued to cry as he raped her. The defendant said, "Shut up and stop being a baby".'

Judge Stephen Earl said Robinson is 'dangerous' and sentenced him to five years behind bars with an extended three-year licence period, with sex offender registration and a restraining order to protect the victims for life.

The judge said it was an 'abominable' attack with 'catastrophic' consequences for the victims and told him: 'You told her, "Come and have sex with me and I will not kill him", knowing, of course, you had meted out a severe beating to [the man] at that point, she has seen and knew what you were capable of at that time.

'In order to protect herself and reasonably to protect the life of her new friend, she decided to go along with your suggestion that she have sex with you.

'It was not consensual sex, it was not penetration she gave willingly to.

'Throughout the attack you were telling her off for crying, saying if you had to stop because she was under enthusiastic about this awful assault you had the option to go back and mete out further punishment to the man.'

The court heard the attack started when the couple were walking home together after their first date in the summer of 2021, when they heard shouting behind them as they approached a bypass near the University metro station.

Miss Waugh said: 'Unprovoked and without warning the defendant launched himself at the man and punched him a number of times.

'He tried to get away, he didn't want to fight and made that very clear, he was saying, "Mate, I don't want to fight".'

Miss Waugh said as the man tried to get away, Robinson chased him, caught him, punched him to the ground then started kicking him.

Eventually, the violence was halted and the couple managed to run off across a metro bridge.

By this point, the man was 'exhausted and bleeding' and the woman was 'almost carrying him' in a desperate attempt to get away.

But Miss Waugh added: 'Next thing they were aware of was the defendant had caught up with them and began attacking the man again, kicking him in the head when he was down.'

The court heard it was a brutal kick to the face that knocked the man unconscious before the woman was raped.

After the attack, Robinson told the woman he would leave her alone if she agreed to come to his house.

Fortunately, she was able to make a call to her parents, who alerted the police and drove to the scene to save her.

Robinson was still in the area, where the victim had waited with the unconscious man after the attack, when her parents arrived.

The victim's father warned Robinson 'I'm going to f****** kill you' and there were punches thrown before the rapist ran off and was later caught by the police.

It was only when he got to the hospital that the man who was attacked during the date found out about the rape.

Both victims suffered psychological and physical injury.

In a victim statement, the woman said the time since the attack has been the 'worst of my life' and added that she has felt 'stuck reliving the traumatic experience over and over again, becoming a prisoner in my own head'.

The woman said her ordeal, which 'cannot be summarised by words alone' has been worsened by court delays and the fact Robinson initially denied raping her.

She said: 'On the day I was told he pleaded guilty to raping me I just wanted to cry and cry. For the first time in what seemed like forever there were tears of relief not sadness.'

The woman said she and her family will never be the same after the 'pain and grief' that has been caused but added: 'My only consolation is he will receive a lengthy custodial sentence, in which time we can rebuild our lives to resemble what we once knew'.

Robinson, 18, admitted assault and rape.

Lorraine Mustard, defending, said Robinson understands the trauma he caused that day, is remorseful for it and added: 'He accepts he's ruined their lives.'

Miss Mustard said Robinson had a difficult childhood and spent time in the care system but has 'hope' for a better future.

'I wish I could have helped her'
The man said in his victim statement the date of the attack should have been a memorable one as it was his first meeting with the woman and they had planned to see each other again.

But he added: 'This date is etched into my memory for all the wrong reasons.

'While walking home we were brutally attacked without reason.

'I tried to defend myself and [the woman] the best I could but the male overpowered me.

'The last memory I have of this is waking up dazed and seeing a male standing over me and a look of terror on her face.

'At the time I didn't know what had happened but have since found out she was raped.

'The feeling of guilt has persisted. I forever wish I could have helped her.'

Description

A Wester Ross joiner who sexually assaulted a child and pestered other women for sex is facing a “substantial” prison sentence, a sheriff has warned him.

Joseph Stewart, 23, attacked a 14-year-old girl in her bed by touching her body through her clothing, undressing his lower half and trying to get the teenager to touch his penis.