Latest Offenders

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A dangerous offender from Bradford has been locked up for 22 years after he was found guilty of 22 offences including rape and threats to kill.

Dale Osborne, 43, was convicted by a jury on February 13 of nine rapes, six actual bodily harm offences, one attempted rape, one sexual assault, three threats to kill and two false imprisonments. The offences related to three victims and took place between 2002 and 2014.

Appearing before Bradford Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday (July 13), Osborne, of Deanwood Court, was jailed for 22 years. He must serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence before he can be considered for release.

A further Dangerous Offender provision was also made which means he must remain on licence for a further seven years after the 22-year custodial period ends. Osborne was also issued with a lifetime restraining order preventing him from contacting his three victims directly or indirectly.

He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register. Detective Inspector Ian Cottrell of Bradford Safeguarding Team said: "Osborne is a danger to women and we welcome the significant sentence handed down to Osborne today.

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A drunk man filmed himself raping and sexually assaulting a woman while she was passed out through a combination of medication and alcohol. Derby Crown Court heard how the victim repeatedly said no to Janis Vizulins when he tried to have sex with her before she fell asleep but, after she did, he decided to abuse her anyway.

The 33-year-old's victim only realised days later what had happened to her when she saw he had recorded it on her mobile phone. The distraught woman called a friend in tears and was persuaded to contact the police.

Jailing the defendant, of Grosvenor Street, Allenton, for four-and-a-half years, Recorder Graham Huston said: “This was humiliation, she was not aware of what was going on, she was in a particularly vulnerable state because of the effects of the medication. I am not suggesting in any way you plied her with alcohol and medication.

“There was initial consent given for some form of sexual activity between you but there came a time when you continued to assault and rape her without her consent and knowledge and that behaviour goes somewhat beyond what is acceptable.

“By your guilty pleas you rightly have shown regret and remorse and the enormity of your behaviour became clear to you when you realised what you had truly done.”

Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said the rape took place at an address in Derby in January of this year. He said both parties had been drinking and went to the property where some consensual sexual activity happened.

The prosecutor said: “There came a time when he wanted more and she repeatedly said ‘no’ and asked him to stop requesting but she fell asleep and when in drink he ignored her.

“Days later, when she viewed the video, she contacted her friend on the telephone, she was crying, asking her friend to come round. She said (on the night in question) she had taken some medication and did not consent to that act and so they both went to the police.”

Mr Singh said Vizulins was arrested and at first denied that he had raped her. But he later pleaded guilty to rape and assault by penetration.

He has three previous convictions but nothing relating to sexual activity. Steve Gisnell, mitigating, said his client had provided him with three character references which “spoke of a very different person” to the one who carried out the sexual offences. He said: “He has taken responsibility for what he has done, alcohol had been taken by both parties and he believes that impaired his decision.

“If he had been a sober man with his wits about him this would not have happened. He knows of the dangers of becoming inebriated to such a stage that he carried out this unlawful act. He knows it was an awful offence.”

As well as the jail term, Recorder Huston handed Vizulins a 10-year restraining order not to contact the victim and placed him on the sex offender register for life.

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A "predatory" kickboxing coach has been jailed for an extra four years for sexual offences against children.

David Prosser, 64, was already serving a 24-and-a-half year sentence following convictions in 1997, 2009 and 2019 for grooming and abusing his students.

He was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court in London on Thursday for abusing five boys under 16 between 1989 and 1996.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) praised the "strength and bravery" of the victims.

Prosser is from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, but committed the majority of his offences while living in London between 1980 and 2000.

Most of his victims were targeted after attending one of his makeshift clubs in pubs, community centres and schools.

He would then single out a would-be victim, praise their skills, and then offer them one-to-one tuition at his home.

Prosser would then groom them with alcohol, cash, cigarettes, drugs and gifts before abusing them.

The five victims from the fresh case were students at his club.

'A lot of courage'

Prosser was handed the extra jail term after pleading guilty to a count of indecent assault on a male person and indecency with a child.

He further admitted seven counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16 and four counts of gross indecency with a boy under 14.

Melissa Garner, senior crown prosecutor with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit at the CPS North London, said: "This case demonstrates the CPS do not hesitate to prosecute perpetrators of sexual abuse where there is sufficient evidence regardless of how long ago the crimes were committed.

"It takes a lot of courage to come forward as an adult to report what happened to you as child."

She continued: "The victims have shown a great deal of strength and bravery in reporting these crimes and supporting the prosecution and I would like to thank them for their resilience.

"I sincerely hope that this sentence will now provide a sense that Prosser has been brought to justice for his crimes against them."

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A former assistant headteacher has been jailed for child sex offences in Cornwall.

75 year old Terence Burke - who now lives in Swindon -abused two teenagers in the early 2000s while he was the safeguarding lead at Falmouth School.

He's been sentenced to 18 years in prison this afternoon at Truro Crown Court and also placed on the sex offender's register.

The two women involved in the case have only been identified as Child A and Child B - 10 years of his sentence relate to offences committed against Child B, and the other 8 for offences against Child A.

In one of the victim's impact statements, she said 'No one should ever have to go through what he did to me.'

The judge noted in his summing up 'It is clear you abused your position... cont given your role as the safeguarding lead at the school, it is hard to think of a more serious breach of trust.'

Devon and Cornwall Police's investigative officer Detective Constable Isabelle Woodall said: “I am delighted by today’s outcome and sentence which I sincerely hope will bring a sense of justice to the victims.

“These were appalling offences committed against some of the vulnerable schoolgirls that Mr Burke, as assistant head teacher and safeguarding lead at Falmouth School, was tasked to protect, and constitutes a gross breach of trust.

“Today’s result is a testament to the bravery of the victims and witnesses who assisted with the investigation and attended court to give evidence.

“Whilst nothing will change the impact of this man’s offences on our victims, It is my hope that they will now be able to put these awful events behind them and move on with their lives.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Burke exploited his position of trust as an assistant head teacher to sexually abuse pupils who had been placed in his care. These crimes can have a devastating and long-term impact on the victims, and the women in this case have shown immense bravery in coming forward and reporting what happened.

“We hope that they are now getting all the support that they need, and they can find some comfort following Burke’s sentencing today. It is so important that anyone who has experienced sexual abuse knows who they can speak to and is confident they will be listened to.”

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A dangerous sex offender has been returned to jail after he breached a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

Karl Townsend, 49, was released from prison in March and was living in Emscote Road, Warwick. He had served a 10-year extended sentence for sexual assault on an adult woman.

Upon his release he was made subject to a SOPO that, amongst other things, prohibited him from ‘loitering in any place’.

On 10 June, Townsend's monitoring tag showed him leaving his home and walking into Leamington where he spent time in Victoria Park and the Pump Room Gardens.

Within 35 minutes Townsend was arrested in Warwick New Road, Leamington.

On arrest it was clear he had put on a dark coloured hairpiece during this time, it is thought to disguise himself.

Appearing at Warwick Crown Court last week he was jailed for 28 months.

Detective Chief Inspector Karl Faulkner from Warwickshire Police said: “Townsend is an extremely dangerous man and as soon as he was released from prison in March, he was under close supervision to ensure he was unable to cause any harm.

“SOPOs are extremely powerful tools that allow us to control the behaviour of dangerous offenders, preventing them from committing further criminal acts. As soon as we became aware Townsend had breached, he was arrested, put before the courts, and jailed.”

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A member of staff at a primary school was found in possession of indecent images of children including the most serious category. The man was said to have been "immediately removed from the school" after the offences came to light.

Steven Jones, 51, an employee of Ynyshir Primary School in Porth, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children. These included 109 category A images, 150 category B images and 75 category C images. It's not suggested any pupils from the school were depicted in the images.

The defendant, of The Philog, Whitchurch, Cardiff, was arrested on September 26 last year and later admitted the offences. He was sentenced at Newport Crown Court on Wednesday to 12 months imprisonment and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Following the hearing, parents at Ynyshir Primary School were written to by headteacher Paula Phillips, who said: "It is with great regret that I wish to inform you that a member of teaching staff from our school has pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing indecent images of children. Sentencing took place today at Newport Crown Court.

"Now that the criminal process has concluded, the school and its governing body, in partnership with key council services, will undertake internal disciplinary processes to consider suitability for employment and any necessary referrals to the relevant professional bodies, as deemed appropriate."

In a statement, a spokesman for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council on behalf of the school, said: "This incident has shocked and appalled our school and wider community. Whilst we are advised that these images did not include children from our school, these crimes have undoubtedly impacted on many, and we hope that the sentence imposed will help those affected. As soon as professionals were made aware of these serious allegations and police intervention, the staff member was immediately removed from the school.

“We would like to thank South Wales Police for their work in helping to keep our children and communities safe. As a school we will continue to work with our partners and families to ensure that our learners remain safe and protected, which is our absolute priority.”

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A 29-YEAR-old man is starting his third prison sentence after he was caught again with a secret collection of distressing child abuse images and videos.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Jamie Wardle’s latest offending was the third time he had been convicted of offences relating to his possession of indecent images of children and he had also breached the terms of his existing sexual harm prevention order.

Wardle, of Sycamore Drive, Brighouse, had previously been jailed for 16 months at Leeds Crown Court in 2016 and in 2021 he had been given a 14-month prison term at Bradford Crown Court.

Wardle, who was said to be on the autistic spectrum, was subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order which restricted his use of internet-enabled devices, but when police officers carried out a routine monitoring visit in December last year they discovered he had been using a mobile phone which he hadn’t disclosed.

During a search of his home, the officers found a USB memory stick hidden in a pillowcase and the device was later found to contain more than 200 still and moving images of child abuse.

Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said the material had been sorted into named folders and the images had been obtained over an 18-month period between May 2021 and November last year.

He said the children involved were aged between two and 16 and many of the images showed children crying and visibly distressed.

Wardle pleaded guilty to three charges relating to his possession of the indecent images and also admitted breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

The court heard that Wardle had already been remanded in custody for about eight months and Judge Colin Burn was urged to consider a sentence which would involve more focused work with the defendant by the probation service.

Barrister Derek Duffy, for Wardle, said his client now accepted he had an obsession and he wanted to change.

Mr Duffy asked for an opportunity for Wardle to get his obsession under control and break the cycle, but Judge Burn said it was his third batch of similar offending and he couldn’t deal with him in any other way than an immediate custodial sentence.

The judge concluded that Wardle posed a significant risk of serious harm in the future and imposed an extended licence period of two years on top of his three-year jail sentence.

Wardle will still be subject to the indefinite sexual harm prevention order and he will have to register as a sex offender for life with the police.

Judge Burn said the offences were not “victimless crimes” adding: ”These crimes very much have real victims.

“It’s a case where the primary consideration of the court for the purposes of sentence has to be to reflect the need to try to prevent young victims being abused in that way.”

He said Wardle had gone to some lengths to obtain the images and hide them from the police and he had been providing a market, as he had in the past, for those people who caused so much misery to real children.

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A vile Paisley carer has been jailed for two years after he sexually abused a disabled man he was supposed to be looking after.

Alexander Elliott also targeted one of his girlfriend's relatives and a 15-year-old girl. The 34-year-old was sentenced for the crimes carried out between 2018 and 2021 at Paisley Sheriff Court.

He was also place on the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years. Elliot denied any wrong doing, however, he was convicted by jury earlier this year following a trial, the Daily Record reports.

The court heard that the carer preyed upon his girlfriend's relative in 2019. He contacted the woman and sent her a message "of a lewd, sexual and indecent nature".

He then targeted a disabled man he cared for repeatedly in January 2018 and January 2021. The court heard the victim was in a wheelchair and needed help with various tasks at his home in the Renfrewshire town.

He struggled to wash himself so Elliott had to assist with showering him, while the man was sitting on a seat within the shower. The court heard that, on various occasions, he made "inappropriate and sexual comments towards" the man.

Claims that he had also directed water from the shower towards the man's privates, and made a sexual remark, were deleted from the charge by the jury when they convicted him. He then went on to sexually assault a 15-year-old girl between May and June 2021.

He removed bed covers, touched her body, and rubbed himself against her sexually and also sent her sexual messages. The jury ruled it was "for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming" her and that the messages were "of a lewd, sexual and indecent nature".

Defence solicitor Gemma Elder had asked for Elliott, who had been remanded in custody since being convicted, to be spared prison. She said the first offender suffered from sciatica and had been left unable to work, but could do unpaid work as an alternative to prison.

She asked for him to be dealt with by a "high-tariff" Community Payback Order which would have seen him given the maximum number of hours of unpaid work and maximum period of supervision.

And she said he could also have been placed on a Restriction of Liberty Order - which would have seen him fitted with an electronic tag and having to abide by a daily home curfew - "for a significant period of time".

Sentencing Sheriff Hugh McGinty said: "You were convicted of sending indecent and sexually suggestive messages to one of your girlfriend's relatives. You were a carer for your victim, who required a significant amount of assistance due to his disability and you directed sexual comments to him while you were washing him.

"You sexually abused a girl when she was 15 years old and thereafter communicated sexually with her. The common denominator is that all of your victims were highly vulnerable and you were, unfortunately for them, in a position of trust as far as you were concerned. I form the view that the only appropriate sentence is one of imprisonment."

Sheriff McGinty ruled the offences were too serious and backdated his jail term to last month, when he was found guilty by the jury.

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A MAN who repeatedly sexually abused a girl in North Wales, and was involved in arranging for other people to also abuse her, has been handed a life sentence.

Michael Stewart, 41, of no fixed abode, was jailed at Mold Crown Court today (July 13), where he was ordered to serve a minimum term of 16 years.

Co-defendant Matthew Penny, 44, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment; he will be eligible for release on licence after 13 years, and will serve a further six years on licence afterwards.

Stewart admitted the charges of sexual abuse made against him, while Penny was found guilty after trial.

Prosecuting, Anna Pope told the court that the girl, who cannot be named, was systemically abused by Stewart from the age of about 10.

A number of particularly graphic and violent videos and photos of the abuse would be distributed onto others by Stewart.

As well as raping the girl herself, Stewart directed the sexual abuse of her by other men throughout North Wales, on the condition that the abuse be filmed and a copy be sent to him.

The majority of the other men involved have yet to be found, but Penny was identified and convicted from two meetings he had with girl in Conwy and Prestatyn.

At those meetings the girl was raped by both Stewart and Penny.

Police attended Stewarts home address on Anglesey last year to execute a search warrant after reports of two Kik accounts, linked to his IP address, which had uploaded footage of child sex abuse.

Stewart was arrested, and while on his way to custody, said he had been forced by another man known as Rich to send indecent images to others, and that if he didnt, he would be revealed as a paedophile.

Further examinations of material seized from his devices found videos of multiple rapes and sexual abuse of the girl, as well as covertly-filmed explicit footage, and evidence of him distributing the material to others.

When Penny was later identified, photos of the girl were recovered from his phone, while his number was found to have been saved in Stewarts contacts list as Rich.

Stewart was already a convicted sex offender, having made and distributed indecent images of another child, while Penny had no previous convictions.

The girl said she felt she had no choice but to comply and felt threatened, and did not previously report the abuse for fear of what would happen to her.

She believed she had been abused by four or five other men, as well as Stewart and Penny.

Stewart also posed as Rich on Instagram to contact her directly, sending her messages threatening to report her to police or tell her friends unless she sent sexual messages to him.

He also used another fake online profile, posing as an 18-year-old rugby player, in a bid to obtain more indecent images of her, and through which he also directed her to meet other men for sex.

Penny was identified after becoming involved in an online conversation, under the name Rhyl Jack, with an undercover officer.

He told the officer he had a sexual interest in children, and was currently sexually active with a girl.

The undercover officer and Penny made arrangements to meet, and after the IP address linked to the account was found to be under his wifes name at their Prestatyn address.

Penny was arrested in December 2022.

In a statement, the girl said she bottled up inside the abuse for so many years.

Things will never be the same again, she said, adding that she has felt unbearable guilt.

Defending Stewart, Simon Rogers said that this was his first contact offence, and that while he was assessed as being of high risk of harm to children, he was at low risk of further generic offending.

He urged the court to draw back from a life sentence, saying that this is not an exceptional case in which such a sentence should be passed.

Representing Penny, Simon Killeen asked for the sentence not to be extensive, and for the court to stop short of finding him a dangerous offender.

Sentencing, Judge Timothy Petts also imposed a lifetime restraining order, prohibiting both defendants from ever contacting the girl again.

They are also banned for life from working with children or vulnerable adults, and must adhere to sex offenders register notification requirements indefinitely.

An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was issued to Penny.

Judge Petts also paid tribute to those involved in the investigation which led to both defendants convictions.

He said: This is a case of virtually indescribable suffering.

To Stewart, who sat throughout the entirety of the sentencing with his head face-down on a desk in custody, Judge Petts told him he had treated the girl in an utterly horrific way.

Judge Petts added to him: You have not demonstrated, in my view, any remorse, beyond the fact of entering your guilty pleas.

You have accepted no responsibility for what you did. You have maintained your story, which I dont accept, that you were blackmailed.

This is one of those exceptional occasions where the last resort of a life sentence is thoroughly merited.

Judge Petts told Penny that, though he was involved to a much lesser extent than Stewart, he had caused the girl severe psychological harm nonetheless.

The fact that he had no previous convictions was, Judge Petts said, of little weight compared to the enormity of what you did.

He told him: She was already an incredibly damaged and traumatised child when you raped her.

You are yet to have demonstrated that you are a sex offender with a predilection for children.

Even after the rapes here, you were looking for potential new victims on the Internet, as evidenced by your conversations with the undercover officer.

Judge Petts also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all devices recovered containing the abuse, while both defendants will pay a statutory surcharge following their releases.

Description

A high-risk sex offender who attacked women and children for more than three decades - and blamed one child for "seducing" him - has been handed a life sentence.

Kevin Scott was convicted of 10 offences, including violent assaults, rape, indecent communication and sexual activity with an older child he met online, abduction, and domestic abuse.

The 54-year-old's catalogue of crimes occurred between 1985 and 2021 in the West Lothian, Clackmannanshire, and Dumfries and Galloway areas.

He was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Lady Haldane said the crimes against his child victims were "particularly disturbing".

The court heard Scott continues to deny any wrongdoing.

Referring to one young victim, Lady Haldane said to Scott: "You, of course, did not consider what happened between you to be abuse, as you regarded yourself as in a relationship with [the victim], although she was only a child at the time, and vulnerable in a number of respects.

"Indeed, you blamed her for seducing you.

"You are unable to recognise your grooming and abusive behaviour for what it really was, and this pattern emerges in your attitude to your other offending."

The judge imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction and ordered he must serve a six-and-a-half year prison sentence before being eligible to seek parole to be released on licence.

Scott has also been added to the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

A Criminal Justice Social Work report concluded that Scott was a "high risk" to intimate partners and children.

Lady Haldane said: "Your profile is one of psychopathy driven by a traumatic childhood and anxiety.

"You demonstrate no insight into your behaviours or their effect on others."

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A man has been sentenced for a string of child sex offences, which included crimes against a baby.

Rodney Morgan was jailed for 14 years at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to 15 offences.

The investigating Wiltshire Police officer said Morgan's crimes were "one of the most horrendous cases" she had dealt with in her 18 year career.

Morgan, 56, was living in Newport when he was arrested in September 2022 but had previously lived in Swindon.

Morgan was first investigated after officers from Wiltshire Police's child internet exploitation team (CIET) received intelligence he had uploaded a child abuse image online.

It was during his police interview that the full extent of his offending came to light, including that he had filmed himself raping a baby.

Det Con Justine Parsons, of Wiltshire Police, described Morgan's crimes as "truly appalling".

'Completely abhorrent'

She said: "The abuse the victim - a baby - suffered at the hands of Morgan is completely abhorrent.

"Morgan filmed himself abusing an innocent baby on multiple occasions for his own sexual gratification.

"I am glad he has been given a lengthy jail sentence so he no longer poses a threat to babies and children."

Morgan pleaded guilty to the rape of a child, three counts of sexual assault of a child by penetration, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape of a child.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent images of children relating to 8,985 images, and a count of distributing indecent images relating to 1,219 images.

The defendant further admitted two counts of taking an indecent image of a child.

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Police have released the mugshot of a man jailed for stalking and raping a teenage girl in Nottingham. Shane Nash, who was not known to the victim, admitted to carrying out the attack in Top Valley on January 29.

The 39-year-old stalked the victim after she had dropped a friend off at a bus stop. He followed her into an alleyway before dragging her into nearby bushes, tying up her hands and mouth.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said it had "changed my life forever", with a judge describing the rape as "one of the gravest offences that anyone could commit".

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, July 12, Nash, of Boniface Gardens, Bestwood, was given a life sentence, of which he will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison. He was also added to the sex offenders' register for life.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, the girl said: "I was doing a nice thing walking her [her friend] to the bus stop. My life was TikTok videos, Snapchat and hanging out with friends. After he raped me my mind went blank, I couldn't believe what had happened, it didn't feel real. He threatened to kill me and I thought if I stayed still he wouldn't.

"I kept asking myself did that really happen? I couldn't process it in my head. When I'm on my own I get the feeling I'm not safe. I just want to be normal again. I have trouble sleeping sometimes and have bad dreams.

"When I can't sleep I replay what happened that evening. On the times I have been out I have the feeling that someone is behind me. My family have been amazing, they don't want me to go out because of what happened to me. I hope he never walks the streets again.

"I think why did he pick me? What did I do to make him do this to me? This is something I have to live through."

Detective Inspector Craig Hall, who led the investigation for Nottinghamshire Police, said it was a "horrific crime that shocked and appalled the local community". He said: "The victim in this case was simply walking home as she was grabbed and attacked.

“She is traumatised by what happened and this is likely to have a lasting impact upon her and her family. She has shown remarkable courage and dignity throughout the legal process and my thoughts are very much with her today.

“Nash’s behaviour, by contrast, has been appalling throughout. He has shown absolutely no remorse for what he did and continued to [initially] deny the offence even when presented with incontrovertible evidence of his guilt."

Matt Evans, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “Shane Nash subjected a young girl to a terrifying ordeal barely minutes from her home. The violent and merciless nature of the attack is reflected in today’s significant jail sentence.

“The survivor in this case has suffered severe trauma and has a long journey of recovery ahead of her.”

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A Wiltshire man who was caught by paedophile hunters has escaped a prison term.

46-year-old Gary Edge was convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

It came after Wiltshire Police received information that between March and May last year, the defendant had been conversing with what he believed to be an underage girl.

The girl – an adult decoy set up by a group of paedophile hunters – had informed Edge that she was only 14, but he continued trying to engage her in a sexual conversation.

At Salisbury Crown Court last Monday (3 July), the defendant was sentenced to an eight-month prison sentence – suspended for two years.

He must also comply with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement, attend 20 rehabilitation activity days and pay a court surcharge of £156.

Edge, of Swaledale Road, Warminster, was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

DS Sam Hopkinson from CID said: “I’m pleased that Edge has been sentenced and has been given a lengthy sexual harm prevention order and must be on the Sex Offender’s Register for the next decade.

“Wiltshire Police is completely committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and those who seek to do them harm.

“While there was fortunately no victim in this case, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who has suffered a sexual offence to please come forward and speak to us as soon as you can.

“Our specially trained officers will treat you with sensitivity and compassion.

“I would also urge anyone who has concerns that a child they know may be being abused or exploited, to report this to us.”

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A 73-year-old former youth leader has today been jailed for more than ten years for historic sexual offences against two young boys. Paul James Vaughan's crimes go back over 45 years.

Vaughan, of Emlyn Grove, Rhyl, was sentenced at Mold Crown Court after being charged with a number of offences dating from 1977 to 1984, during his time as a youth leader in Rhyl. He admitted five counts of indecent assault against two boys and two counts of indecency with a child.

Vaughan was sentenced to a total of ten years and six months imprisonment and must register as a sex offender for life. He was also indefinitely banned from working with children and adults.

Detective Constable Gemma Smith, investigating officer, said: “Paul Vaughan is a dangerous sexual predator, who used his position of trust to abuse young boys left in his care. Child sexual abuse is extremely damaging and has a devastating effect on those children involved whose suffering continues throughout their adult lives.

“I commend the bravery of the victims who have spoken out after almost 40 years. They have showed courage and strength.

"I hope they can now focus on moving forward with their lives with the knowledge that their abuser is now being held accountable for his crimes." She urged others to come forward.

She said: "I would encourage any other victims of historical sexual abuse to come forward safe in the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to pursue offenders and protect the most vulnerable in our society.”

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Image: https://uk-database.org/2023/07/11/kieran-keyworth-warrington/

A PAEDOPHILE who admitted committing more than 20 child sex offences charges has been allowed to walk free from court.

Kieran Keyworth was communicating with eight ‘young girls’ online, with vile discussions including graphic details about how he would engage in sexual activity with them.

The 20-year-old was also found with a sickening stash of indecent images of children (IIOC), with toddlers as young as three being sexually abused.

But because it is a ‘difficult world for someone with his conditions’, he was spared a custodial sentence by the courts.

The defendant was charged with more than 20 child sex offences, including communications, incitement to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images and distributing them.

Liverpool Crown Court heard from prosecutor Simon Mintz on Friday, July 7, how 159 IIOC were found across two of his mobile phones examined by police – images he had been collecting since the age of 13.

Officers also found ‘thousands of pages of texts and chats’ showing he had been having sexualised conversations with eight girls between the ages of 15 and 15.

Four of these were real children, while police were unable to verify if the other four child profiles were being operated by real children or if they were decoys, run by paedophile hunter groups for example.

Keyworth was first approached by police in February 2021, with officers seizing his Google Pixel phone for forensic analysis.

This revealed sickening images showing girls as young as three and aged up to 14 being sexually abused.

In total, 39 of the images were graded in category A – the most severe category involving child rape – while 25 were put in category B and 72 in category C.

The defendant was released under investigation, and after this he obtained a Samsung phone, which later analysis also revealed contained 23 category C IIOC.

Moreover, in August 2020, he was found to have distributed a category B video and six category C images to other paedophiles online.

Mr Mintz spoke of how the phones had a ‘sophisticated set-up’ including the use of VPN software to mask his location, demonstrating that Keyworth had a ‘high level of knowledge’.

He was using Snapchat and WhatsApp to chat with girls under the age of 16, while his search history had ‘terms indicative of this type of offending’.

Keyworth also used Omegle, which randomly pairs people to chat, Discord, Swiper and whatshalfway.com, with the latter finding a point halfway between two locations when discussing meeting up with children for sexual activity.

To one girl, he told her what sexual activity he would like her to do to him, requested a video of her and said: “Are you down to do stuff like sex?”

To another, he made repeated and persistent requests for her to send topless photos and perform sex acts on her self and described ‘in graphic detail’ how he would like to have sex with her.

To a 14-year-old girl, he said he would ‘do her senseless’, while to a 15-year-old he requested a ‘proper ass pic’ and sent her a photo of his penis.

When discussing sexual activity between them, Keyworth said: “You’re 15, I’d get slaughtered.”

In mitigation, Jim Smith told the court: “This is a unique case with a unique defendant, calling for a unique sentence.”

He highlighted how his client, who has no previous convictions, has autistic spectrum condition coupled with severe learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as an IQ of 68 compared to the average of 100.

Mr Smith said that Keyworth would struggle in a custodial setting and that reports prepared in advance of the hearing stated that his conditions had a ‘direct causative effect to the offences’ he committed.

He added that the defendant suffered isolation during the Covid pandemic and that this was a ‘difficult world for someone with his conditions’, but referenced that he has not reoffended in the two and a half years since.

Before sentencing, recorder Ian Harris said that the ‘choice I have to make is stark’, but chose against a custodial sentence so that the defendant could get ‘support’.

“At the time you committed these offences, your learning disability impaired your ability to exercise appropriate judgement, impaired your ability to make choices and impaired your ability to understand the effects and consequences of your actions.”

Keyworth, of Parker Street in the town centre, was sentenced to a two-year community order including 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 43-day programme requirement.

He was also handed a sexual harm prevention order to restrict his ability to reoffend and must comply with sex offender registration and notification requirements with the police – both for the next five years.