Latest Offenders

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A HEREFORD sex offender has been jailed for seven years for sexually assaulting a "defenceless young woman over a sustained period of time".

Roy Millist, who is 71 years old and from Hereford, was sentenced at Worcester Crown Court to seven years in prison following his conviction for three counts of sexual assault by means of penetration.

Millist was found guilty in October of offences he committed between 2018 and 2021. His conviction followed a lengthy and thorough investigation by a team of detectives based in Hereford.

As well as the seven years in prison, Millist has been handed a lifetime restraining order in relation to the victim.

Detective Constable Emma O’Hare said: “Millist committed these terrible crimes against a defenceless young woman over a sustained period of time.

“While I welcome the verdict, I must pay true tribute is paid to the victim and her family who have shown immense courage and bravery in telling the police about his crimes and allowing us to bring him to justice.

"My hope is that the conviction and this substantial prison sentence will bring some measure of comfort to those whose lives are irrevocably damaged by his predatory and sickening actions.

“This sentence should serve as a strong that abuse will be forgotten or ignored over time. Survivors are strong, determined and have our full support and our investigations will uncover the truth and give them the justice they deserve."

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A man jailed for amassing almost 60,000 indecent images of children in 2015 is back behind bars following the discovery of further illicit photos.

Mark Flack appeared at Durham Crown Court by video link from the city’s nearby prison, where he is on remand, after his arrest following police visits to his home, in Horden, in October and, again, in December.

The 57-year-old defendant, of Fifth Street, admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent images of a child, offences dating between November 7, 2016, and the day of the first police raid in October, last year.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said the latest charges relate to 260 indecent images, four in the most serious category, found on devices seized in that first police visit to his home.

The court heard the defendant has also already admitted six breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) put in place following his 2015 conviction, at Ipswich Crown Court, when he received a 21-month prison sentence.

That case involved a total of 58,493 indecent child images which were found on various electronic devices removed by police from Flack's former home, in Red Lodge, Suffolk, in October 2014.

But sentence in the latest case has been delayed as police returned to his address in Horden, in December, and recovered a computer hard drive, the contents of which are yet to be examined.

Mr Baker told the hearing: “Further work is being done by police in relation to that hard drive.

“The question will be as to the creation dates of any further images found on that seized hard drive.”

Robert Mochrie, for Flack, said: “It seems a device was missed in that inquiry (in October) and its been used again.

“He’s pleaded guilty to the latest charge. He has only one previous conviction for which he went straight to prison in 2015.”

Mr Mochrie said his client has, therefore, never had the benefit of any probation intervention to address his behaviour.

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A WHITEHAVEN man has been jailed for nine years and put on the Sex Offender Register for life after a jury convicted him child rape. 

Gary Griffiths, 51, had previously admitted two sex offences against the same vicitm but denied three further allegations: raping the schoolgirl, attempting to rape her, and engaging in sexual activity with a child.

After a trial at Carlisle Crown Court, a jury delivered unanimous guilty verdicts for all three of the charges he denied.

Sentencing the defendant today, Recorder Neil Usher told Griffiths that he will be eligible for release after serving six years. The defendant, of Rudds Court, Whitehaven, showed no emotion as he was taken away to begin serving his sentence.  

Before the trial got underway, the defendant had already pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and a count of sexual activity with a child. The victim was of primary school age.

After the case concluded, Detective Constable Gail Penman said “I would urge anyone who has been subject to offences of this nature to come forward.

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Dean Newland has 19 previous convictions.

A man has been jailed after assaulting and threatening staff at a Wetherspoons while drunk.

Dean Newland, 33, of HMP Altcourse but formerly of no fixed address, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates court on Wednesday.

He appeared before the courts on three counts of assault for an incident in the Richard John Blackler branch of JD Wetherspoon on Great Charlotte Street, Liverpool city centre - as well as one count of failing to comply with sex offenders register notification requirements.

Yvonne Dobson, prosecuting, said that on October 10 at around 11.45pm, the victims were both at work in the Wetherspoon pub. A female member of staff noticed Newland standing near a group of men in the pub and asking them for money, so she approached and asked him to leave the premises.

He then became aggressive and demanded a drink, and when she refused, Newland sat at a nearby table which had a half-finished drink on it, the Liverpool Echo reports.

She tried to remove the glass from the table, as “he was acting in a very aggressive and threatening manner” so she was concerned, the court was told. She asked her colleagues for assistance, at which point a male colleague approached and also attempted to get Newland to leave. He continued behaving aggressively towards the Wetherspoons staff, and threatened the female member of staff, claiming his sister would “assault her”.

Newland then assaulted her, pushing her in the chest area. Ms Dobson said: “The defendant poured the half pint over the floor and raised the glass as if he was going to throw it. He continued making threats, and then leaned over, touching her left breast area. She felt instant pain at this point.

"He continued to be aggressive until police arrived at the scene and arrested him.” Amy Butler, defending, said Newland had been remanded in custody since October 12, and had positively used alcohol addiction recovery programmes while in prison.

She said: “Mr Newland does not try to minimise his behaviour on that day but alcohol is his problem, he is an alcoholic.

"He is a different person from what happened on the 12th of October. He has completed a 12-step program and has begun a mentoring program.” The court was told Newland has failed to comply with notification requirements six times, and this offence took place while he was subject to two suspended sentences for previous sexual offences.

In sentencing, Judge James Hatton said: “The big problem in this case Mr Newland is your record of convictions. You have been put on trust by the court and you have continued to commit offences. I know that it is difficult for you because of your personal circumstances, but you know what your responsibilities are.”

Judge Hatton activated two previous suspended sentences, of eight weeks and 12 weeks each, both previously given for breaching the sexual offences notification order. For the latest breach of a notification order, he was sentenced to a further 16 weeks, to be served consecutively. For the three cases of assault relating to the incident in Wetherspoons, he was handed four weeks each, to be served concurrently.

In total, he was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment. A community order was also imposed, stating Newland cannot have alcohol of any kind on his person in Liverpool city centre for two years.

She said: “Mr Newland does not try to minimise his behaviour on that day but alcohol is his problem, he is an alcoholic.

"He is a different person from what happened on the 12th of October.

“He has completed a 12-step program and has begun a mentoring program.” The court was told Newland has failed to comply with notification requirements six times, and this offence took place while he was subject to two suspended sentences for previous sexual offences.

In sentencing, Judge James Hatton said: “The big problem in this case Mr Newland is your record of convictions. You have been put on trust by the court and you have continued to commit offences.

“I know that it is difficult for you because of your personal circumstances, but you know what your responsibilities are.”

Judge Hatton activated two previous suspended sentences, of eight weeks and 12 weeks each, both previously given for breaching the sexual offences notification order.

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An NHS worker who travelled to Southampton to have sex with a teenage boy fainted when he was met by police, a court heard.

Robin Hains was arrested during a police sting in Shirley.

The 47-year-old had travelled along the south coast, from Bognor Regis, in the hope of abusing a 13-year-old.

According to police, he used an online messaging platform to brag about his plans to another man in March last year.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and making indecent images of children.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Colin Haynes, of SEROCU, said: “Hains travelled a significant distance expecting to carry out sexual abuse against a child.

“Upon meeting police officers instead of the child, he had travelled expecting to see for sexual activity to take place, Hains fainted, demonstrating how shocked he was to have been ‘found out’ for his offending.

“Through his professional life, he would have been aware of what constitutes an offence of this nature and will now have time in prison to reflect upon this.

“SEROCU officers continue to work tirelessly to protect children and to bring those who commit offences against them before the courts to be held accountable for their actions.”

Hains, who worked at the urology department of University Hospitals Sussex, was jailed for three years and two months.

The defendant, of St Mary’s Close, Lavant, Chichester, must register as a sex offender for ten years and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same time.

Anyone concerned about their thoughts or behaviour towards children or those of someone else can seek help and support via the Stop it Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900.

Further support is available from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

Victims of sexual offences or anyone who has information about them should contact police by calling the non-emergency number 101 or 999 in an emergency.

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A married grandfather who joked he would be "done for baby snatching" during a sex chat with what he thought was a child has been jailed.

Kevin Wintrip thought he was chatting to a 14-year-old girl on an app and moved the conversation over to Whatsapp. Newcastle Crown Court heard a member of vigilante group Child Online Safety Team was behind the fake child profile and alerted the police.

Prosecutor Rachael Glover told the court Wintrip claimed his name was Colin during the chats and added: "She stated more than once she was 14. The defendant began to send her messages of a sexual nature.

"He was commenting on her looks, saying she was pretty and he would be done for baby snatching." Miss Glover said Wintrip encouraged the child to perform sex acts on herself during the illegal exchange in July 2020.

Wintrip, 66, of Ivy Street, Amble, Northumberland, denied attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to have sexual communication with a child but was found guilty by a jury after a trial.

Judge Robert Spragg has now jailed him for three-and-a-half years. The judge told him: "The messages were clearly of a sexual nature.

"On a number of occasions she said she was too young and reiterated her age to you. It was very clear from what you said to her, despite your denials at trial, you believed you were in contact with a 14-year-old girl. You talked about her being at school, being too old for her and being done for baby snatching."

The court heard Wintrip, who retired from his engineering job as a result of the proceedings, claimed he believed he was talking to an adult who was "part of fantasy role play". He handed in character references, which described him as a "caring, kind, gentle, very good husband, father and grandfather".

Jessica Slaughter, defending, said Wintrip has a good work ethic and is a "family man with support from a wide circle". Miss Slaughter added: "He is a low risk of re-offending. This is his first and last time before this court."

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A perverted pensioner masqueraded as a teenager online while trying to communicate with children. Gary Chivers from Dawlish used chat platforms to strike up conversations with what he thought were girls aged as young as 10.

The 71-year-old told the 'girls' he was 15 and tried to persuade them to send him sexual pictures. It turned out he was actually speaking to a paedophile hunter group who arrived at his address and called police.

Chivers has a history of committing similar offences and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at the time. A judge at Exeter Crown Court branded him a danger to children and sent him back to jail for five and a half years with an extended licence period of 18 months.

Chivers made contact with five different profiles of young girls while using the OK Live platform. In each case he quickly turned the chat sexual, sending graphic photos of his penis and making suggestions about masturbation.

He pestered them for videos, tried to call the 'girls'' and told them he was a teenager or in his twenties. He was caught when he replied to a request from one of the profiles for his photo and address.

He was arrested on August 18 and police discovered evidence of his behaviour on a number of devices. The defendant admitted multiple offences of attempted sexual communication with children and attempting to incite sexual activity with a child.

Chivers was jailed in Reading back in 2015 for offences of inciting children to sexual activity and distributing indecent images of children. He given a SHPO to monitor his activity.

Mr Dan Pawson-Pounds, defending, said Chivers was leading an isolated life at the time of his latest offences.

Judge David Evans said the parole board will assess when he is suitable for release. He said Chivers, of Plantation Terrace, had displayed a clear pattern of behaviour and an extended sentence with licence conditions was needed.

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A ‘selfish’ skate park rapist has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Jay Spinks’ decision to carry on despite his then 15-year-old victim making clear she did not want to have sex with the 20-year-old in September 2020 was labelled a ‘selfish act’ by the judge who jailed him on Wednesday.

Judge Maria Lamb told Spinks, now 22: “It was all about self-gratification and although [your victim] was prepared to accept a certain amount of intimacy between you, she made it quite clear that she was not consenting to sexual intercourse with you.”

The Bicester man was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court last year of raping the girl in a skate park in his hometown on September 4, 2020.

The pair had been intimate on the evening of the sexual assault, the jury heard.

However, she had made it clear she did not want to have sex with him.

Spinks was said to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time.

In a victim impact statement summarised to the court by prosecutor Ian Hope, the woman said she had suffered flashbacks to the incident.

Her GCSE exam results had suffered and she had ‘pushed away male contact’, she said.

Mr Hope said the girl had sought help for post-traumatic stress disorder and feelings of anxiety.

Jailing him for four-and-a-half years, Judge Lamb said: “Whatever the situation back in 2020, when you were I think rather out of control drinking, taking drugs, getting yourself into criminal offending albeit not of a like nature, you have now moved on and I hope put that time behind you.

“Of course, for your victim the effects are still having an impact and are likely to be so for time without limit in the future.”

Mitigating, James Hay described 2020 as a ‘dark period’ in his client’s life ‘with a downward spiral of poor decision making due to associating with a negative peer group and increasing substance misuse’.

With the help of addiction charity Turning Point he had addressed the drug addiction that followed his substance misuse, the barrister said.

“He knows he will inevitably receive an immediate custodial sentence of some length,” Mr Hay told the judge.

Spinks’ thoughts were not for himself but his parents, he added.

Character references were said to paint a picture of the rapist as a ‘grounded and pleasant young man’.

Spinks, of Woodfield, Bicester, will serve two-thirds of his jail sentence in custody before his automatic release.

He remains on the sex offender register for life.

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A Fife paedophile groomed a nine-year-old girl from North Yorkshire after meeting her on TikTok.

Pervert Dale Henderson – already on the Sex Offenders Register following four previous, similar offences – was caught when the girl’s mother inspected her phone.

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A perverted medical science graduate who raped a very young boy when he was a teenager himself is starting a 12-year prison sentence.

Daniyal Hussain, now aged 22, denied what he had done and tried to claim the allegations were made up.

But a Teesside Crown Court jury found him unanimously guilty of five counts of the rape of a child and three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, in November, of last year. On Thursday the pervert appeared at the same court for sentencing - where he was placed on the Sex Offender's Register for Life.

The hearing was told that Hussain gave the little boy an iPad to watch as he attacked him, promised him a mobile phone, and told him the abuse was "our little secret". He also slapped his victim across the face a number of times.

During the trial, prosecutor Aisha Wadoodi confronted Hussain about the notes he had made on his mobile phone - which the Crown said admitted his guilt. He had sent texts to his mother claiming he had "demons" and that he would get help.

"I'm so sorry. I've failed everyone", one message read. Another note on his phone, read: "There is nothing that I can say ever that will make everything better. Not in a million years. I have failed my family."

Victim's 'family ruined'

On Thursday, Teesside Crown Court heard that Hussain had just graduated with a medical science degree and that he is an "intelligent young man who comes from a decent hardworking family". But the court was told that the little boy has been left deeply affected by the abuse.

A packed public gallery sat in silence as a statement by the youngster's mother was read out: "My son has suffered a horrible and devastating ordeal. I feel that the bond between us has been damaged. My son does not like to be touched and I cannot kiss him on the cheek.

"He frequently breaks down in tears. My family has been ruined. My son's childhood has been stolen."

The mother went onto say that her son has a number of "triggers" that remind him of the abuse including smells.

'Peculiar character'

Timothy Jacobs, defending Hussain, said his client is a "peculiar character with features of naivety and also features of maturity. He still has a degree of growing up to do.

He said: "He attended college and managed to graduate with a medical science degree whilst the investigation and court proceedings were hanging over him. He is a young man who can do well and has potential in the future."

Mr Jacobs said that Hussain acted as an interpreter for his grandfather at hospital appointments, and that it is likely that he will not see his grandfather again, given the man's ill health.

Hussain turned away from the public gallery as he stood to hear his sentence from Judge Anthony Hawks. The judge told him: "Tragically, you are an intelligent young man who comes from a decent, hard-working family. The offences were accompanied by violence; threats not to disclose and grooming.

"When you were confronted, you admitted what you had done. At your trial, you denied everything. The whole trial must have been very distressing for the boy, his mother and his family.

"Not surprisingly, the boy has been severely affected. He recoils from physical contact. He is emotionally detached from his mother.

"He exhibits mental health issues including angry outbursts. What the long term effect will be, nobody knows."

Hussain, of Thackeray Grove in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, was handed a 12-year prison term. He will serve 11-years in custody and the final year out in the community, on licence.

He will be eligible to apply for parole after he has served eight years. An indefinite restraining order was made, prohibiting Hussain from contacting his victim or the youngster's parents.

'Brazen performance'

After the sentencing, Cleveland Police said that specialist officers from their Child Abuse and Vulnerable Adult Unit (CAVA) had supported the child and his family throughout the investigation and the court process.

Detective Constable Rebecca Lisle said: “This was a very distressing case with a child victim and their family who, in giving their evidence, had to relive the trauma they had already endured. I hope this result will go some way to help them as they try to come to terms with what they have gone through.”

Chief Inspector Deb Fenny added: “Despite knowing full well what he had done, Hussain persisted in lying and twisting evidence to make it seem as if he was innocent.

“I am pleased that the jury saw through his brazen performance in court, and I hope that today’s sentence will go some way to helping the victim and his family come to terms with their ordeal.

“Finally I would urge anyone who has experienced such abuse - or who wants to report on behalf of somebody else - to get in touch with Cleveland Police. We will listen to you, we will believe you and we will support you while working with our partner agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.”

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Phillip Bargh served 14 years of his life sentence despite committing a string of sex offences.

A sexual predator released from jail 14 years into a life sentence for kidnapping a girl has been locked up again - for sexually assaulting a child.

Phillip Bargh attacked the 13-year-old girl in "broad daylight" in a skate park after prowling around looking for a "suitable victim" just three years after his release from prison.

When he was sentenced for life, Bargh, now 45, was branded a "very serious threat to the public, particularly young girls" by a judge.

The kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence, which occurred in 2005, saw Bargh tell the nine-year-old to remove her clothing at knifepoint. He eventually let her go.

For the latest offence in the skate park in Goole, Humberside, Bargh has been jailed for one year. However, because he has been returned to prison after breaching his life licence, it will be for the Parole Board to decide when he can be released. The public were "already protected" by this life licence, said Judge McKone. Bargh must register as a sex offender for 10 years, reports Hull Live.

Sentencing Bargh, Judge McKone said: "It was no coincidence that you were in that park on that warm summer evening, having driven there in your car. You were hanging around that park, knowing that there was a good chance that children would be there."

The sexual assault of the girl was "momentary" but it was against a child and he knew that she was a child. "You have been for many years and, in my view, you remain, a sexual predator who has a sexual interest in children and, in particular, sexual offending in public," said Judge McKone.

"Your behaviour has had an effect on her. She was very scared at the time, so scared that she went to somebody she didn't know and made a complaint so that you could be stopped.

"Three years after coming out of prison, you were beginning your journey to way more serious offending. You were committing offences that you thought you could get away with in broad daylight by touching the girl.

"I am satisfied that you planned what you were doing. You drove to the park. You waited for a suitable victim to come past and, when you saw that suitable victim, you assaulted her."

The defendant denied sexually assaulting the teenage girl on July 11 last year, but he was convicted by a jury after a trial.

Hull Crown Court was told the girl and a female friend were walking through the skate park at about 5.30pm when Bargh went up to the 13-year-old and sexually assaulted her.

David Godfrey, prosecuting, said the girl and her friend were both "perplexed" and started to panic. They were seen by an 18-year-old woman, who asked them what was going on. They were upset and told her what had happened. The 18-year-old told her father, who confronted Bargh and asked him: "What were you doing?"

Bargh ran off to his car, but the police were called and the father followed Bargh's car in his van. Bargh's driving became erratic and he drove down a one-way street. The father parked his van to block Bargh in.

Bargh abandoned the car and ran off, but he was arrested that evening. He made no comment to all questions during interview. "He didn't provide any account as to what had gone on," said Mr Godfrey.

The incident was filmed on CCTV and it was "compelling evidence" against him. Bargh told police that he admitted it was him in the footage, but claimed that he did not touch the girl or, if he did, it was accidental.

"It's clear that this was much more than an accident, much more than a misunderstanding," said Mr Godfrey.

"The touching was sexual."

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A paedophile who repeatedly raped a young boy over a number of years has been given a life sentence following an investigation by specialist safeguarding officers in Leeds.

Mark Hutchinson-Schofield, aged 55, of Lovell Park Hill, Leeds, was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Crown Court this week.

The offences came to light in July last year when the victim told a teacher who alerted the police.

Hutchinson-Schofield was arrested but denied the offences in his police interview and called the victim a liar.

Officers from Leeds District Safeguarding Unit liaised with Crown Prosecution Service and were able to have him charged and remanded in custody immediately on the basis of the initial evidence, prior to the victim be able to give a full account.

He was also charged with offences related to breaching sex offender conditions, which he pleaded guilty to at the start of the trial.

Today at Leeds Crown Court, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.

Detective Inspector Mark Tester, of Leeds District Safeguarding Unit, said: “Hutchinson-Schofield was responsible for an appalling and sustained catalogue of abuse against this vulnerable child that has had a devastating traumatic effect on the victim’s young life.

“He systematically sexually exploited the victim for his own gratification in circumstances that were a complete betrayal of trust.

“This was a challenging investigation where the officer in the case, Detective Constable Nicki Vincent, supported the victim at every stage to comprehensively capture all the evidence that has helped to secure these convictions against Hutchinson-Schofield.

“The victim was able to give his evidence to the court under special measures that allowed his account to be video recorded in advance of the trial to reduce the impact of the court process on him.

“We hope the significant sentence that Hutchinson-Schofield has now received will provide some reassurance to the victim and his family as well as to the wider community.

“Our specialist safeguarding officers will continue to do everything they can to secure convictions against predatory offenders like this to get justice for victims and protect others from harm.”

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A Wellingborough man has been imprisoned on the Falkland Islands after he admitted sexually abusing children there. Officials obtained an extradition order to return Ryan Martin Elstow to the island to face justice.

However, the former RAF serviceman voluntarily travelled the 8,000 miles to the British overseas territory and pleaded guilty to a number of offences against children. His lawyer said his actions displayed "rank indifference" to his victims' suffering.

Elstow, 35, is believed to have returned to Northamptonshire in recent years to start a new life. However, following an investigation by the Royal Falkland Islands Police, he was charged last year with eight counts of 'sexual activity with a child', contrary to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

In April last year, officials formerly requested the UK extradite Elstow so he could stand trial. But he voluntarily returned to the Falklands and appeared in the islands' only magistrate's court where he pleaded guilty to seven of the offences, denying the eighth related charge.

Senior Magistrate Malcolm Simmons found him guilty of that offence in November. Elstow was sentenced in the same court last Wednesday, January 11, to a total of seven years imprisonment

Speaking at the sentencing, Elstow's lawyer, James Ross, admitted his client's behaviour displayed "rank indifference to the suffering of others", according to Penguin News. However, in mitigation, Mr Ross said said Elstow had pleaded guilty to seven of the counts, had volunteered to appear in court and had "experienced real trauma" while serving with the RAF in Afghanistan.

A spokesperson from the Falkland Islands Prosecution Service told NorthantsLive: "The defendant will serve his sentence in His Majestys Prison Stanley and is likely to be deported to the United Kingdom at the conclusion of the sentence." The islands' prison population is in single figures.

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A MAN who was previously found with hundreds of indecent images of children has been jailed after breaching a court order by signing up to a messaging app which deletes its history.

Jordan Williamson, of Mount Pleasant Road in Davenham, was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order in June of last year, after he was found with a total of 718 indecent images of children.

The 30-year-old also had in his possession 457 extreme pornographic images portraying various sex acts with animals.

Appearing in Chester Magistrates’ Court on December 1, Williamson pleaded guilty to subscribing to Wickr Me, an instant messaging app which deletes its history after six hours, something he was prohibited from doing by the sexual harm prevention order.

By signing up to Wickr – under the username ‘chavlad’ – Williamson did not comply with requirements of the sex offender register, which states he should have notified police before subscribing to the application.

On January 5, 2023, Williamson appeared at Chester Crown Court to be sentenced for these offences.

Judge Simon Berkson jailed Williamson for 21 months and ordered for him to be deprived of his mobile phone.

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A paedophile who sexually groomed and manipulated an underage teenage girl has been jailed.

Huw Davies, 32, of Pontypridd, Wales, manipulated his victim until she became "infatuated" with him as well as filming them having sex.

The 32-year-old's calculated methods of grooming the girl began with complimenting her on her appearance and encouraging her to talk to him about issues she faced, WalesOnline reported.

He would even go as far as to pick her up in his car as he constructed a relationship where the victim saw him as a "big brother figure".

However, things took a dark turn after he forced the victim to have sex with him at his parents' home when she was a young teenager, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard.

The victim said they had slept together several times when she was underage as she began to develop romantic feelings for Davies.

She said: "I was in love with the person who was abusing me." He told her to keep the relationship a secret because of her age.

The relationship between Davies and the victim ended when she was 17 and in 2021, she watched a documentary about paedophile businessman Jeffrey Epstein and subsequently confronted Davies, who made excuses for his behaviour.

She later contacted the police as the defendant attended a voluntary interview where he denied any sexual contact with the victim but was arrested after videos of the pair having sex were discovered.

Davies later pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual activity with a child but was found not guilty of two counts of rape.

She added: "When he wanted sex with me I felt confused by it all and scared. I didn't understand what was going on and I remember feeling really confused about the dynamic changing in our relationship.

"Things got too much for me and would make me feel guilty for wanted to end things... I started to feel like a sex object.

"I felt that's all he ever wanted. I got older and more wiser to what was happening. I started to see he was manipulating me and groomed me for one purpose."

In mitigation David Leathley said his client Davies was regarded as an "honourable man" but those who knew him and described him as "intelligent and hard working".

He said the defendant has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes bones and his joints to dislocate easily, adding that Davies' dad reckons he "wouldn't last a year" in prison.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You saw [the victim] as someone you could groom and sexually abuse. You made her think you were indispensable. She was as she described brainwashed by you."

On top of a sentence of six years and nine months imprisonment, Davies was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, sex offender notification requirements, and a restraining order.