Latest Offenders

Description

A 50-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed for two years and nine months for offering drugs and money to a teenage schoolboy in return for sexual activity.

Martin Brett was abusing cocaine and alcohol when he sent a series of messages to the child with the clear intention of abusing him, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Brett, of Rye Street, Keighley, made some attempt to dispose of evidence on his phone when the police were alerted by the concerned mother of another boy.

He made no comment when questioned by the police but went on to plead guilty to causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with the same boy.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett told the court that Brett began messaging the child on Facebook. At first it was just general chat but then the boy began to find some of the messages ‘weird.’ He had told the defendant his age and did not respond when he began asking him questions about his penis.

When the mother of a friend found out what was going on, the police were contacted.

Brett’s barrister, Abigail Langford, said the offences were some time ago and there was a long delay in bringing the case to court.

She said Brett had a degree of understanding and remorse. He had problems with his mental health and had been using alcohol and cocaine at the time.

There was no actual sexual contact with the boy and Brett had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

But Recorder David Gordon said it was clearly Brett’s intention to engage in sexual activity with the boy.

There was grooming behaviour and the offer of cannabis and money. Another aggravating feature was the disparity of age between Brett and the teenager. He had also made some attempt to dispose of evidence on his phone.

Recorder Gordon said the matter was reported to the police by the concerned mother who had heard what was going on. That had put a stop to things.

Although Brett had difficulties with depression and anxiety, the doctor’s report did not state that he was suffering from any psychiatric illness. He had abused cocaine and other substances in the past.

Brett was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and he must sign on the sex offender register, also indefinitely.

Description

A paedophile who called himself Captain Filth has been spared prison after downloading over a thousand sickening images of children.

Andrew Wells, 59, from Harrogate, downloaded and viewed images of children as young as two years of age, York Crown Court heard.

Barrister Harry Crowson, for the prosecution, said police swooped on Wellss home on April 13 after receiving intelligence about illegal activities on his computer devices.

Wells, of Rutland Road, was at work at the time where he was subsequently arrested. He handed over his mobile phone to police who seized several more electronic devices from Wellss home including an iPad, desktop computer, a memory card and hard drive on which they found 1,413 indecent images of children.

Of those repugnant images, 173 were rated Category A the worst kind of such material.

Mr Crowson said Wells had been downloading the depraved material for at least five years, between August 2015 and 2020.

On the iPad, police found the KIK app on which Wells had communicated with other paedophiles. His username on the app was Captain Filth. The messenger app was linked to an email account entitled No Good Boy.

Police found multiple conversations Wells had had with others which involved fantasy of the most vivid sort which was too heinous to be articulated in court.

It appears that the KIK chats (involved) him and another egging one another on and gaining sexual satisfaction from their conversations, added Mr Crowson.

Wells told his equally depraved interlocutor that he had pictures he could share with him at another time.

When the other man told him he would like pictures of 16-year-olds, Wells told him that 16 (was) a bit old for me.

During the debauched online chats, Wells, who told the man he was living in the Netherlands, sent what appeared to be one single indecent image, accompanied by unprintable remarks about the child in question, but the prosecution said that many other images may have been deleted.

There were further chilling conversations with others on Skype in which Wells and his interlocutors appeared to come to a mutual agreement that they would delete the spicier photos.

Mr Crowson said there was an incalculable number of other images that were deleted and couldnt be recovered in the Skype chat logs as Wells and the others had tried to cover each others tracks.

Wells had used encrypted-chat and cleaning software, as well as two private-network apps, to hide or delete the depraved material.

The private-network apps hid the identity and location of the user visiting the illicit sites, hence Wellss claim that he was from Holland.

Tech-savvy Wells also used an app designed to hide user passwords on external hard drives, enabling the user to upload images and then lock them, so nobody (else) could gain access.

However, Mr Crowson said police had the technical tools to break through this lock.

Wells appeared for sentence on Thursday, December 8 after admitting three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of distributing an indecent image.

Defence barrister Sean Smith said Wells had spectacularly lost his good character but claimed his offending over the five years had been sporadic rather than persistent.

Since his arrest, he had completed a rehabilitation programme voluntarily and references from his employer spoke of how he was valued within the work community and the good he did for others in that business.

Judge Sean Morris said it would have been easy to sentence Wells with anger (and) emotion after reading the sickening online chats, but this had to be tempered with the fact that Wells had only been charged with distributing one indecent image.

He noted that, after having sunk to this, Wells had taken steps to address his deplorable behaviour and helped to care for his elderly mother, which meant he could suspend the inevitable jail sentence.

Wells was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence and placed on the sex-offenders register for 10 years.

He was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 40 rehabilitation-activity days. He was also made subject to a sexual-harm prevention order to curb his online activities.

Description

A man convicted of sexually abusing three children thanks to work by our specialist detectives has been jailed for more than 30 years.

Graham Carson, 68, assaulted the children between 2011 and 2014, telling one of them ‘wish you were 16’ while telling another it would be ‘their secret’.

The offences came to light when they were reported to us in August 2020 and the victims have been supported by specialist officers.

One of the children told our officers that since the assaults they had started to suffer nightmares and experiences trouble sleeping at night.

Carson, of The Drive, Clacton, had denied 18 offences including multiple counts of rape, but was convicted on 30 September following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

At the same court on Thursday 8 December he was sentenced to 32 years in jail, which is made up of an initial 26-year sentence and a six-year extension as he was ruled by the judge to be a “dangerous offender”.

An unimaginable ordeal

Investigating officer Detective Constable Reuben Brame said:

“The three victims in this case have been through an unimaginable ordeal at the hands of Graham Carson and have demonstrated incredible strength in reporting what happened to them.

“The impact of Carson’s abuse cannot be overstated and those affected live with the memory of what’s happened to them every day.

“I am pleased our work has been able put him behind bars and while no sentence will ever undo his crimes, I hope it will help his victims move forward.

“If you have been a victim of a sexual crime, I want you to know that you can come forward and have the confidence that you will be believed, and the offence investigated.

“We have a range of specially trained detectives and staff who investigate sexual offences and support those involved.

“We use new measures to better protect victims and work closely with the CPS to improve the chance of a case going to trial.

“And we work with partners to ensure victims can get ongoing support.

“If you’ve been a victim of a sexual offence, call us.”

No victim or survivor is alone

Support is there for anyone affected by rape and sexual abuse, and no victim or survivor is alone. Synergy Essex provides specialist support for victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse of all ages and all genders across Essex, Thurrock and Southend.

Synergy Essex is a partnership of rape and sexual abuse centres in Essex:

• CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse),
• SERICC Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service
• Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis (SOS Rape Crisis).

Synergy Essex is independent from the police and provides support for victims and survivors throughout their journey.

Victims and survivors can self-refer, or be referred by a parent, partner, friend or professional and can access specialist emotional support, counselling and advocacy.

For victims and survivors who report to the police, Synergy Essex provides an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) service, providing support throughout the criminal justice process.

Description

An electrician who distributed videos of himself raping a young girl on the internet has been jailed for almost 16 years.

Thomas Gwilliam-Carter, 39, from Leominster, was identified by National Crime Agency investigators after child abuse images he’d posted were found on devices belonging to a U.S. suspect arrested by the FBI.

Chat logs showed that Gwilliam-Carter, using the online pseudonym ‘keepedging247’, told other paedophiles on the Wickr platform that he planned to drug a child to make raping her easier. He then went on to share videos of the abuse and later admitted that he had drugged the child with Phenergan, a mild sedative.

Gwilliam-Carter was arrested by NCA officers at his home address on 1 October this year, and his mobile phone was seized.

This was forensically examined and found to contain 3,651 indecent images of children (IIOC) in categories A-C (A being the most severe), some of which showed babies being raped. The child he’d raped has been safeguarded.

Gwilliam-Carter pleaded guilty to one count of rape of a child under 13, three counts of making IIOC and five counts of distributing IIOC at Worcester Crown Court on 7 November.

He was sentenced at the same court today (8 December).

NCA operations manager Phil Eccles said: “Gwilliam-Carter inflicted the most terrible abuse on a young girl and distributed videos he’d made of it online, all for his and other paedophiles’ pleasure.

“Child sexual abuse is a global threat and this case highlights why the NCA’s close cooperation with international partners is so vital in tackling it.

“We also work tirelessly to protect those affected by child sexual abuse and disrupt offenders who pose a sexual threat to children, ensuring they face justice.”

Description

A Manchester man has been jailed for 12 months after being caught in possession of an indecent image of children and four counts of sexual communications with a child under the age of 16 years.

Paul Michael Buckley aged 50 of Church Street was initially arrested on Monday 5 December 2022 and charged on Tuesday 6 December 2022, for the offences he carried out between June and August this year and in March 2021.

He also recorded himself following a schoolgirl for several minutes, at a close distance and in interview had openly admitted this was something that he has done.

The investigation was led by the Sex Offender Management Unit and District Intelligence Unit (DIU). Sergeant Richard Anderton said: “We are pleased that Paul Buckley is now off the streets and no longer a danger to girls in the area.

“We strongly urge anyone who is subject to this kind of attention to contact GMP and let us know. It’s important to us that the streets of Manchester and surrounding districts are safe for everyone, and we are committed to getting sex offenders arrested and charged for their crimes.

Description

A teenager who got a primary school-aged girl to perform sex acts on him has been jailed for five years.

The girl – now a young woman – spoke of the ‘sense of dread’ she felt on ‘each and every occasion’ she was invited into Jake Nolan’s bedroom to endure what she later realised were sickening sex assaults.

Having given evidence at Nolan’s trial in October, the woman – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – spoke of the devastating impact the now 26-year-old’s abuse has had upon her.

Prosecutor Mark Seymour suggested that the impact on the victim could amount to ‘extreme psychological harm’, putting the offending in the most serious category in the sentencing guidelines given to judges.

“If the level of harm in terms of psychological impact that is obviously writ large in the statement doesn’t constitute extreme harm it is really quite hard to see what would – short, actually, a complainant ending her own life,” the barrister said.

Sending him to prison for five years for rape of a child under-13 and causing or inciting a child under-13 to engage in sexual activity, Judge Maria Lamb told Nolan: “The impact which you have had upon your victim has been devastating. It is clear – quite wrongly – that she blamed herself for what had been done to her.

“She has no reason to reproach herself at all.

"She was a child at the time these things were perpetrated against her by you.”

Judge Lamb described the victim’s impact statement as ‘heartbreaking’.

Had Nolan been an adult when he carried out the abuse and not a child in his early teens, he would have faced a prison sentence around twice as long as the one he actually received.

John Carmichael, mitigating, reminded the judge of his client’s difficult upbringing. Noting that the offences had been committed while Nolan was drunk or under the influence of alcohol, he said: “One asks oneself the question what on earth is he doing with the alcohol? Where was the control from the family?”

Nolan’s older brother had been jailed for sexual offending of his own, the court heard. Mr Carmichael said his client had grown up with a ‘lack of role models’.

The defendant’s education had been disrupted, he had ‘intellectual difficulties’ and he had not worked for a number of years.

Nolan, of Grange Beck, Didcot, will be on the sex offender register for life and will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. 

Description

Michael Hewitt, 19, had failed to start a relationship with the girl so he set up a fake social media account in March 2020 and contacted the victim – immediately asking for sex.

The victim, who was 15 at the time, did not respond. However, Hewitt persisted and the victim began to reply. Over time, he tricked her into starting an online relationship with the fictional soldier who claimed to be serving in Afghanistan. 

After messaging for several weeks, and after constant requests, the victim sent him intimate photos and videos.

Hewitt then began mentioning himself in messages sent by his alias to the victim.

On 12 May, Hewitt sent an email to the victim from another fake account, claiming to be the father of his alias. The message claimed the “soldier” had died in Afghanistan and that his dying wish was for the victim to start a relationship with Hewitt.

The victim’s mother became concerned about the relationship after not seeing any British military deaths reported in the news and contacted police.

Officers visited Hewitt to speak to him about his friendship with the soldier. He denied knowledge of the man and the investigation continued.

He was later arrested by East Cambridgeshire officers, his electronic devices seized and the IP address at his home linked to messages supposedly sent by the fake soldier and the soldier’s father.

Hewitt, of Swaffham Prior, Cambridge, denied two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, but was found guilty by a jury at Cambridge Crown Court.

On Friday (2 December) at Peterborough Crown Court he was jailed for 18 months. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years.

PC Guy Spencer said: “Hewitt went to great lengths to complete this deception and take advantage of the victim.

“She fully believed Hewitt’s alias was real and the online relationship was genuine. To deceive someone and then abuse that trust is awful. 

“I hope that Hewitt spends his 18 months in custody considering the impact his actions have had on the victim and her family.

“Finally, I would like to thank the victim for her courage in giving evidence and her patience for what has been a long investigation.”

Description

A sick paedophile who entered into a relationship with a 15-year-old girl while knowing how old she was has been jailed.

Andrew Burrows, 38, from Castleford, has been jailed for more than eight years after being found guilty of a catalogue of sexual offences Burrows was found guilty by a jury at Leeds Crown Court of four counts of sexual activity with a child following a trial in September.

He has now been jailed for eight years and six months.

Jurors heard how Burrows had entered into a sexual relationship with his 15-year-old victim in the Kirklees area in 2017, knowing she was under the age of consent. She later reported the offences to West Yorkshire Police and they were investigated by the Kirklees Child Safeguarding Unit.

DC Carole Haste, who led the investigation said following Burrows' sentencing: "We welcome the sentencing of Burrows who took advantage of a young, impressionable victim who he knew to be under the age of consent. The victim gave her evidence in court and remained calm, dignified and articulate. I hope seeing Burrows brought to justice can now give her some closure and allow her to move on with her life.

"All reports of sexual offending made to West Yorkshire Police are fully investigated by specialist officers with the needs of the victim at the heart of every investigation."

Description

A CONVICTED sex offender has been hauled in front of the courts after creating accounts on Plenty of Fish, Kik and Badoo.

Patryk Orlowski appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for failing to comply with a court order.

The 40-year-old of Salerno Road, Southampton, previously admitted to creating online usernames on multiple websites in breach of notification requirements imposed on him in 2020.

On the dating app Plenty of Fish he had created the username “PATSOTON123”, whilst on the messaging app Kik he went by “PATKUAS82”.

The court heard how he also set up accounts on the on dating sites BBW Cupid and Badoo. 

 He was convicted in 2020 of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child using chat applications.

Having pleaded guilty at the time, Orlowski was ordered to sign the sex offenders register, meaning he must notify police of any new usernames created.

But after breaching that this year, he pleaded guilty to five charges of failing to comply.

Orlowski was released on bail and is due to appear at the same court for sentencing on February 2 next year. 

A pre-sentence report has been ordered. 

Description

A sex offender who gave a woman “zombie” drug Black Mamba before groping her breasts in the street has been jailed.

Mohammed Khalid Hussain, 35, preyed on the woman after spotting her outside a hotel in a city centre.

He offered her a cannabis spliff which was laced with Black Mamba.

Within minutes the victim became “stupefied” and Hussain grabbed her breasts.

Hussain carried out the attack outside the Fownes Hotel in Worcester on June 25 2020 during a Covid-19 lockdown.

A passerby witnessed the assault and dragged Hussain off the woman. He was arrested after the woman reported him to police.

Hussain denied sexual assault but was found guilty following a trial at Worcester Crown Court.

He was cleared of administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity.

Hussain, of Worcester, was jailed for 11 months and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years when he appeared at court on Wednesday (7/12).

He was also handed a restraining order banning him from contacting the victim for five years.

Detective Constable Pete Ryland, of West Mercia Police, said: “Hussain approached the victim and offered her a spliff, unbeknownst to her it was Mamba.

“She subsequently suffered a ‘Mamba’ attack whereby she was physically stupefied.

“Hussain then purposely, and for his own gratification, touched the victim’s breasts.

“The attack was witnessed and he was physically pulled away from the victim.

“She describes the impact of the sexual assault as psychologically long lasting and she is still coming to terms with what Hussain did to her.

“With the support of agencies and counselling she is hoping to put this behind her.

“The victim in this case showed courage in coming forward and resilience throughout the trial.”

Description

A retired Wiltshire police officer has admitted offences relating to indecent images of children.

Robert Gabbott, 64, also known as Bob, pleaded guilty to collecting and distributing hundreds of vile child abuse images when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court.

The married defendant, of Elizabeth Close, Melksham, was told to register as a sex offender within 72 hours of the hearing in late November.

The case was deemed too serious to be dealt with by magistrates, with the case sent to Swindon Crown Court. He will be sentenced in January 2023.

Gabbott – who is also a member of Wiltshire Freemasons and helped out marshal at the Melksham vaccination centre – accepted two charges of distributing indecent images of a child in categories A and B.

He also accepted three charges of making (collecting) indecent images of a child – including 200 in category A, 199 in category B and 457 in category C.

Category A images – which can be moving or still – involve penetrative sexual activity, category B involve non-penetrative sexual activity and category C includes images not falling within categories A or B.

The offences were dated between 18 September 2021 and 14 January 2022.

Gabbott was released on unconditional bail until sentencing.

Description

A paedophile caught viewing child sex abuse images was spared jail because of his own past as a victim.

Anthony Lowe, who has been prosecuted for possessing child sex abuse before, was handed a suspended sentence rather than being sent straight to prison.

The 51-year-old former prison warden had downloaded 85 category A images (penetration, bestiality or sadism), 19 category B and 46 category C images when he was busted on October 28 last year.

Judge Benjamin Nolan told him: ‘The most obvious way of dealing with you would be to send you immediately to prison.

‘However, I’ve read your psychiatric report which indicates that you have your demons as a result of being abused as a child.’

He came to this decision after Lowe’s defence lawyer also told Teesside Crown Court how her client had become ‘isolated and depressed’ during lockdown.

His partner was working in a care home and Lowe was left on his own for long periods of time.

‘This was a momentary relapse,’ the attorney said.

The court also heard how Lowe ‘has chronic PTSD after witnessing a work colleague die and an inmate committing suicide’.

His partner has now rearranged her working hours so she can be at home with him on the weekends.

Lowe, from Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, was handed a 12-month prison term, suspended for two-years.

He was ordered to attend an accredited sex offender treatment programme and 60 rehabilitation days.

He will also sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Description

A paedophile from Forest Gate has been found guilty of sexually assaulting girls aged under 13 at a swimming pool where he was an instructor.

Emmanuel Brown, 60, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault by touching on December 5 after a trial at Wood Green Crown Court.

The court heard how Brown ran lessons at the swimming pool in Northumberland Park and had done so since 1995.

Police received separate reports in June and July 2020 from girls, aged under 13 at the time of the assaults, who were taught by Brown.

This was followed by a third girl who also alleged that Brown sexually assaulted her during their lessons.

The abuse of the girls took place between 2010 and 2019.

Brown will be sentenced at the same court in February.

Det Con Andri Andreou, of the North Area Command Unit, called Brown "a dangerous sexual predator" who "poses a significant risk to young children".

Brown used his position of trust to carry out sustained sexual assaults on these three girls his behaviour is utterly deplorable."

The detective urged anyone else who may have been abused by Brown to speak to police.

Anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse or who has information about such offences is asked to call police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.

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A serial sex offender branded a “real and imminent danger” has been caged for sexually assaulting a woman in Dundee.

Remorseless Ian King forced himself on his victim at a premises in the city’s Lyon Street in November, last year.

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A sex offender breached a court order when he befriended a mum at a foodbank and posed for a selfie with her 11-year-old daughter.

David Scott, known as Ritchie, previously admitted to asking underage teenagers to send him naked pictures and served two years in prison following the offence in 2017.