Latest Offenders

Description

A paedophile subjected a young boy to years of sickening sexual abuse. The victim suffered in silence for more than two decades until he heard that his abuser had been convicted of online child sex offences, and he decided to go to the police to report what had happened to him as a youngster.

Gary Fisher has now been handed a 20-year extended sentence as a dangerous offender for the abuse his carried out on his young victim in the 1990s, abuse which the victim said had stolen his innocence.

Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that Fisher carried out a campaign of sexual offending on his victim which began when the boy was aged under 10, and which continued for years. The offending included the attempted rape of the child. The court heard the boy would cry and say "no" while being abused but the defendant continued anyway, often placing a piece of material over the child's head during the attacks.

The prosecutor said the offending went unreported until earlier this year when the victim learned that Fisher had been convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child, an offence which had seen the 62-year-old asking what he believed to be a 12-year-old boy he met online for pictures of his penis. The boy was actually a decoy account being run by the the police. The court heard Fisher has already been given a suspended sentence for the communication offence.

In an impact statement, which was read to court, the victim said the years of abuse had destroyed his life. He said he had lived with the secret of what had happened for 20 years, shutting out the world around him and battling to keep the demons at bay. He said he had not sought counselling because he did not want to relive the memories of the abuse, and he said it was impossible to know what kind of person he would have been had the defendant not done what he did to him.

Gary Fisher, whose address in court was given as the Twelve Knights pub and hotel in Margam, Port Talbot, had previously pleaded guilty to 11 counts of indecent assault of a child, attempted buggery of a child and attempted rape of a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. Stewart John, for Fisher, said the defendant had indicated his willingness to seek help while serving the inevitable lengthy custodial sentence he was facing.

Judge Geraint Walters told Fisher that effects of abuse on the scale he subjected his victim to lasted a lifetime, and said his victim "Will take those memories with him to his last breath". The judge said he could not better the three words the victim had used in his statement to the court of "stole my innocence" to describe what happened.

The judge said as a matter of law he could not exceed the maximum sentence which would have been applicable for the offences at the time they were committed, even if the modern equivalent of those offences carried a greater maximum. He said the conviction from earlier this year showed that more than 20 years after the sexual abuse of his victim, Fisher was still seeking to engage with children in sexual way - he said in those circumstances he could come to no other conclusion than that the defendant posed a risk of causing serious harm by the commission of further specified offending.

With a one-quarter discount for his guilty pleas, Fisher was sentenced to a 20-year extended sentence as a dangerous offender comprising 15 years in custody following by an extended five-year licence period. The defendant can apply for release after serving two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence but it will be up to the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.

Description

Jason Sweeney, 25 of Chelmsford Avenue, Southend has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison, after demonstrating multiple instances of predatory behaviour and repeatedly breaching a court order placed on him that was secured by Essex Police MOSOVO (Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders).

Sweeney first came to the attention of Essex Police in 2020, when he had caused concerns around his behaviour towards children and vulnerable adults. Essex Police had issued Sweeney with a Child Abduction Notice, an early intervention tool to prevent predatory behaviour from an adult.

Officers had also secured a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on Sweeney and following a routine check on 28 August 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of six counts of breaching this as well as two counts of not complying with his sexual offender notification requirements, which had also been imposed on him. Following his arrest, investigating officers identified evidence of sexual offences which had been committed against children by Sweeney.

He was charged with eight offences relating to the breaches whilst MOSOVO continued to investigate the further offences including engaging in sexual communication with a child and meeting a girl under 16-years following grooming.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for the breaches. Just two weeks after being released from prison on license in February 2021, Sweeney continued to demonstrate dangerous and predatory behaviour. Essex Police’s MOSOVO conducted a risk assessment and found that Sweeney had come out of prison, and almost immediately began to groom a young female victim. He was arrested again and charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order. Sweeney was recalled to prison where served the rest of his original sentence and then remained in custody on remand. 

Last Friday (30 September 2022), Sweeney appeared at Basildon Crown Court and was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment. Sweeney has been subjected to a Sexual Offender Notification for life and issued with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A sex predator who molested and raped an underage teenage girl after her school friend had been in contact with him through a website was jailed on Thursday, September 1.

James McAllister left his victim in pain after an initial encounter when she said he knew she was 13 years old but then later subjected her to a rape at a flat in Edinburgh.

One attack happened at a flat in Gilmerton.

A sex predator who molested and raped an underage teenage girl after her school friend had been in contact with him through a website was jailed on Thursday, September 1.

James McAllister left his victim in pain after an initial encounter when she said he knew she was 13 years old but then later subjected her to a rape at a flat in Edinburgh.

The woman, now aged 33, told the High Court in Edinburgh that if someone was looking her at the time of the offences they would have seen "a child".

She said that the abuse inflicted on her by the older man had left her crying, shaking, upset and feeling dirty.

McAllister, 44, of Newtoft Street, in Edinburgh had denied subjecting her to indecent conduct at a car park in Newtongrange, in Midlothian, between August 22 in 2002 and August 21 in 2004.

He also denied assaulting and raping her at a flat in the Gilmerton area of Edinburgh between the same dates. He was found guilty of both offences.

The woman said that in early years at high school her friend had accessed a website which she described as being like the dating website Plenty of Fish. She told her she had been speaking to a man called James.

She said a meeting had been arranged for her and her friend with the man and her friend had indicated they were both 18.

"She had asked if I would go along with her to meet James in Dalkeith," she said.

She said they dressed and put make-up on to try to look older, but added the attempt failed. She said they hid in bushes at the library in the Midlothian town and waited for James to arrive in his car.

The woman said she told her friend they would need to disclose that they were not 18 because they did not look old enough to be that age.

She said her friend contacted McAllister and told him they were really 13. She said: "The reply was 'it's fine come over to the car'."

She said McAllister drove off with them in the car. She told the court: "I thought we were going in the car just to drive about."

The woman said they were driven to an area with no other cars about and her friend left the vehicle. She said: "There was a discussion about who was getting picked to stay in the car."

She said she was petrified and added: "I didn't think my friend was going to be leaving me in the car with someone I didn't know."

She said McAllister started kissing and put his tongue in her mouth. She said it was "disgusting" and "tasted like cigarettes".

McAllister began touching her and got her to touch him and carried out a sex act, leaving her feeling sore. She said he asked her to carry out a sex act on him but she did not known what she was doing.

Advocate depute Stewart Ronnie asked the woman: "As far as you were concerned he knew you were 13?". She replied: "Yes."

Her friend returned and they were driven back to the library and left there while McAllister drove off.

She said that after McAllister had contacted her again and told her he liked her and that she was pretty. He said he would buy her drink and let her watch TV music channels. He also bought her top ups for her phone.

"I was young.. I was offered alcohol. I didn't have stuff like music videos at home, " she said. She and her friend met him again by the library and were driven to an address in the Gilmerton area.

She said McAllister gave her Bacardi breezers before he asked her to follow him to a bedroom and told her to take her clothes off.

She said he stripped off and performed a sex act on her but his beard left her with "a burning sensation". She said he began raping her but she said it was sore and asked him to stop.

The woman said: "He said it was fine, that was what was meant to happen. It was meant to be sore. At that point he kept pushing it in."

She said she eventually managed to get up from the bed and picked up her clothes, but was in "searing pain".

Afterwards she got back in the car with her friend but when they reached the Eskbank roundabout, which was the first place she recognised, she asked him to stop. They got out of the car but she burst out crying uncontrollably.

She said she and her friend later printed off some pictures of her attacker and stuck them up in Dalkeith calling him a paedophile. She gave a statement to police in 2018.

After McAllister was found guilty of the sex offences the trial judge, Lord Weir, told him he been convicted of serious charges.

The court heard that although McAllister has previous convictions he has never served a jail sentence.

The judge adjourned the case for the preparation of a background report and McAllister, who was on bail during his trial was remanded in custody.

He was placed on the sex offender's register 

Description

A MAN has been jailed after he was caught pleasuring himself in front of passengers and children on a station platform.

Man jailed for pleasuring himself in front of passengers on station platfor

Oliver Shoesmith jailed for pleasuring himself at Portchester station

A MAN has been jailed after he was caught pleasuring himself in front of passengers and children on a station platform.

Oliver Shoesmith got off a train at Portchester station and started approaching women waiting on the platform.

The 40-year-old helped a woman carry a pushchair up the station steps while he carried a bag across the front of his body, covering his groin area.

A member of staff spotted Shoesmith unzipping his trousers and pleasuring himself while the woman with the pushchair stood with her young child on the opposite platform.

The incident on August 17 was reported to British Transport Police, and control room operators assisted officers on the ground to quickly locate and arrest Shoesmith at the station.

He was also found to be in possession of a small amount of cannabis.

Appearing at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on August 18, Shoesmith admitted one charge of outraging public decency and one count of possessing a Class B substance.

Shoesmith, of High Street, Aldershot, was sentenced to two years in jail and handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) at Portsmouth Crown Court.

He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

BTP Detective Constable Phil James, said: Shoesmiths actions prove that he is a threat to women and girls, and Im pleased to see him swiftly put behind bars after this repulsive incident.

I hope his sentence serves as a clear reminder that there is absolutely no place for this behaviour on the railway and we are committed to stamping it out and bringing offenders to justice.

If you experience or witness a sexual offence on the network, I urge you to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency always dial 999.

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

Description

A ‘sexual predator’ has today been sent to jail with life in prison (Thursday 6 October 2022) for raping two teenage girls.

Faizan Dogar (22/01/2003) of Bolton Road, Bury, pleaded guilty to 12 offences, including five counts of rape, and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court.

He also previously pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual communication with a child, three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of possession of indecent images.

Detective Constable Nathan Lilley, of Bury CID, said: “Dogar is a calculating sexual predator who has subjected two young girls to horrific attacks.

“He is a fantasist with an unhealthy interest in the abuse of woman and young girls.

“Both victims continue to be supported by specialist GMP officers and showed extreme bravery in providing evidence against Dogar.

“He is a dangerous individual and it’s a relief that he is off the streets and behind bars.”

Dogar contacted his first victim via Facebook and Snapchat in August 2021, and they agreed to meet.

Later that evening, the victim told Dogar she needed to go home but he became aggressive and put her in a headlock while also fondling her.

Dogar threatened to choke the girl until she was unconscious if she didn’t do what he said, and then raped her.

Officers later identified Dogar on CCTV with the victim and found clothes he was wearing at his house when he was arrested.

Officers seized his mobile phone containing indecent images during a search of his house and evidence linking him to the victim.

In May 2022, Dogar approached his second victim via Snapchat and, after discussing gaming, they agreed to meet, and he raped her.

Officers linked a mobile phone number used to contact the victim to Dogar and arrested him, later charging him with the 12 offences following the investigation by detectives from GMP’s Bury and Salford districts.

Description

A postgraduate student who raped and assaulted a woman has been jailed for nine years.

Dayan Garcia, 31, of Mariners Court, Plymouth, was jailed at Exeter Crown Court for two counts of rape and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The jury heard how the victim "feared for her life" during the attack in the early hours in April.

Garcia also taught at the University of Plymouth, the court heard.

He was a PhD student at the university's department of architecture and built environment.

The jury heard how the victim had been out with friends when she found herself separated from them.

The victim then met Garcia at some point in the night at Mambo nightclub and agreed to go back to his address at around 02:00 BST.

'Significantly traumatising offences'

Once back at the house, Garcia struck the victim twice to the head after she refused his advances towards her, causing facial injuries. Garcia then proceeded to rape her.

The victim managed to flee with the offender's phone, and get to safety.

The bravery of the victim was recognised in court for both coming forward to report the "significantly traumatising offences" and for providing detailed accounts of what happened.

Garcia was jailed for nine years by Recorder Mr Richard Stead, who put him on the sex offenders register for life and told him any future work would be vetted by the Declaration and Barring Service.

The judge said: "You were a young man with a life full of promise ahead of you before you threw it all away by your violent conduct that night."

Mr Lee Bremridge, defending, said Garcia's brilliant academic career prospects had been destroyed by his behaviour over just three and a half hours.

Description

A MAN has been jailed for more than seven years for the repeated sexual abuse of a young girl over many months.

Detectives have praised the victim and her family for their “bravery”, which led to Jamie Hollingsworth being put behind bars.

Hollingsworth, aged 37, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday, October 4, after being found guilty at an earlier trial of causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The defendant, of Turbary Park Avenue, Bournemouth, was sentenced to seven years and nine months in prison, as well as being made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period and was also placed on the sex offender’s register for life.

The charges related to the repeated abuse of a young girl over a nine-month period. 

Hollingsworth was arrested on Thursday, February 11, after the victim made disclosures to her family and they reported the matter to police. 

 Detective Constable Jo Shewbridge, of Dorset Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT), said: “I want to praise the young victim in this case and her family for having the courage to come forward and for the support they have given throughout the investigation and court process.

“Through their bravery, Jamie Hollingsworth has been forced to face the consequences of his abusive behaviour.

"I hope this might inspire others who have been the victims of sexual offences to come forward in the knowledge that they will be supported and we will do all we can to bring offenders to justice.” 

Description

Jordan Leigh Courtney was previously found guilty of making and distributing indecent images in 2016.

A Yorkshire sex offender has been jailed for the possession and distribution of indecent images of children.

Jordan Leigh Courtney, from Skipton, was sentenced to four years in prison with an extended licence of two years at York Crown Court. He also breached a sexual harm prevention order, and has now been made subject to an indefinite one.

Courtney, 25, was found guilty in 2016 of making and distributing indecent images of children. He was stopped from possessing any device that accessed the internet after that.

After that Courtney had to register weekly at a police station so the police could monitor his whereabouts. When he attended an offender management meeting in April 2022, it was found Courtney had deleted data from his phone.

The phone was seized and analysed by North Yorkshire Police - they found many indecent images of children. Some of these were classed as extreme category A images.

Because he breached his sexual harm prevention order, Courtney was sent back to prison in June 2022.

Police searched Courtney's former address on Cawder Road and another undeclared phone he had while he was in prison. Video footage and more disturbing category A images were found and as soon as Courtney was released from prison he was arrested again.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching his sexual harm prevention order, six charges of making indecent images of children, four charges of possessing prohibited and extreme images and two charges of distributing category A images.

Detective Constable Tom Sutcliffe from the force’s Online Abuse and Exploitation said: “Courtney showed utter disregard for the restrictions placed upon him by being in possession of these images. He has repeated ignored the courts and has gone on to amass and share the most disturbing content. Those who obtain and distribute child abuse material directly contribute to the sexual exploitation of children, because the children involved are continually re-victimised every time the images are viewed.

“Thanks to the expertise of North Yorkshire Police’s Digital Forensic Unit and the dedication of the investigating officers, Courtney could not deny the charges put against him, and the evidence they uncovered has put him where he deserves to be - behind bars.

“This sentence should send a clear message that we can and will track down anyone involved in downloading or distributing indecent images of children and will use our expertise to uncover the digital evidence that will lead to a conviction.

“We are currently working with agencies around the world to attempt to identify and safeguard the children in the images that Courtney had gathered and shared.”

Description

A paedophile has been jailed for a string of vile acts of sex abuse against animals and children after police discovered video footage of him abusing his dog.

Douglas Moore, 34, was convicted of 24 counts of multiple sex offences, including having intercourse with an animal, at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last Wednesday after Met Police found 'sickening video' of him physically and sexually abusing a dog.

Analysis of his electronic devices revealed Moore also tried to set up meetings to abuse dogs and children and searched for opportunities to swap and share material with other abusers. There was no evidence the attempted meetings came to fruition.

He was also found with cannabis and to be writing obscene articles online.

Moore is now banned from owning animals and will be on the sex offenders register for life.

While investigating another offence last year, Met police discovered footage of a dog being subjected to physical and sexual abuse. 

The video was so distressing that senior officers had to be called in and a warrant was sought to rescue the animal, as well as arrest the offender.

Moore, of Manchester, was taken into custody at his Stockport home on November 8 2021, on suspicion of bestiality, possession of extreme pornography and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The dog was dicovered at the property and removed. Officers also seized cannabis from the scene and a number of devices, including his mobile phone and computer.

By analysing his phone and computer, specialists revealed Moore had been committing abhorrent sex acts on the dog for a long period of time and used the dark web to view even more extreme content of animals and humans.

Moore had also gone to great lengths to erase chat logs and website histories to conceal his gross offending.

The evidence against Moore was so extensive he had no option but to plead guilty, officials allege.

The paedophile was convicted for intercourse with an animal, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, and oral sex with a dead or alive animal.

He was further convicted for possession of an extreme pornographic image or images portraying an act of intercourse, and intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence of intercourse with an animal.

He was also convicted of child sex offences including making indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and attempting to arrange the commission of child sex offences.

Lastly, he was convicted for possession of a controlled Class B drug - cannabis or cannabis resin - and publishing an obscene online article.

PC Pete Howes, from the Online Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Command, said: 'Upon discovery of the original video we took immediate and decisive action to identify Moore and save the dog.

'I am happy to say the dog is now safe and well and being cared for.

'The scale of evidence compiled meant Moore was left with no option but to plead guilty. I'm pleased he is now in jail where he belongs.

'It is no exaggeration to say that this investigation may well have spared more animals, and humans, from coming to incredibly serious harm.'

Description

A drunken and aggressive sex pest forced himself on a shocked 17-year-old girl and made "unwanted sexual advances" to her - including leaving a blood-stained palm print on her T-shirt after he smashed a bottle of wine.

Heavy drinker Ashley Wilcock turned nasty when the girl asked him to stop what he was doing and he kissed her and intimately touched her during a frightening and "unsavoury" confrontation lasting 30 to 45 minutes. He seemed to have a "problem with women" and broke the wrist of a woman after becoming involved in a later fight between two women, Hull Crown Court heard.

Wilcock, 25, from Goole, admitted sexually assaulting the girl on June 13, 2018. A charge of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence was dropped.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said that Wilcock sent a text message to the girl saying that he would be passing her home in Goole and asking her if she wanted to share a cigarette with him. He had been drinking and he went into her home. He was "coming on" to her and she asked him to leave but he became argumentative and challenged her.

In his aggressive state, Wilcock smashed a bottle of wine and cut his hand after picking up pieces of broken glass. He tried to kiss the girl on her neck, leaving a mark, and touched the top of her thighs and her chest over her clothes, leaving a blood-stained hand print on her T-shirt.

The incident lasted 30 to 45 minutes. "She kept asking the defendant to leave and that he should stop making advances towards her," said Mr Evans.

"The defendant would follow her, refusing to leave the property and coming back in. She attempted to use her mobile phone to contact the police. The defendant took it from her and threw it on a nearby chair.

"The defendant eventually left by climbing over a rear garden and leaving the property. This was clearly a prolonged and sustained incident." Wilcock went to the girl's workplace the next day and apologised.

Wilcock has, since the incident, been convicted of assaulting a policeman, causing criminal damage to a girlfriend's light and, in November 2019, a violence offence involving breaking the wrist of a woman after getting involved in a fight involving two women.

Nick Peacock, mitigating, said: "It was an unsavoury incident, no doubt about it, very unsavoury. He fully accepts it. This all happened four years ago now.

"It happened at a time when this young man clearly had a problem with alcohol, although he appears to be dealing with it now. Alcohol was the problem and, if he can deal with that, there will be no issues.

"He has cut down greatly. He barely drinks and he barely goes out." Wilcock's girlfriend was due to have a baby shortly and he had been working for two years.

Judge Mark Bury told Wilcock: "You made unwanted sexual advances to her. You were not just making advances, you were aggressive and you were drunk. She tried for three-quarters of an hour to avoid you by going out into the garden.

"In your favour, you did try to apologise the next day when you had sobered up." The incident and some of Wilcock's later convictions seemed to show that he "may have a problem with women".

Wilcock, recently of Margaret Road, Fairfield, Barnsley, was given a one-year suspended prison sentence, a sex offender programme, 55 days' rehabilitation and an alcohol abstinence requirement. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Description

A child rapist subject to notification requirements failed to sign on at a police station because it was "a bit difficult" to travel from Barry to Cardiff. He had previously breached court orders numerous times.

David Riseborough, 37, also known as Dafydd Riseborough, was convicted of two counts of raping a child under 13, indecent assault and gross indecency with a child in 2008. He was sentenced to five-years imprisonment and was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for life, preventing him from having contact with girls under 16.

Upon his release from prison, he was was told he would have to abide by the requirements but he continually breached the orders. His last conviction saw him sentenced to 56 months imprisonment for burglary and an order breach, of which he served half in prison and the rest on licence.

 A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Riseborough was required to attend Cardiff Bay police station on May 15 per the notification requirements. But two days before he was due to attend, he messaged his supervising officer asking if he could attend a day early, but he failed to turn up the following day and thereafter.

Prosecutor Thomas Stanway said the defendant remained at large for month until he was arrested on June 13 in Hansen Street. During his police interview, he admitted he failed to sign on and missed his probation appointment. He said he was in Barry but it was "a bit difficult in getting back to Cardiff to sign on".

Riseborough, of Hollybush Estate, Whitchurch, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements. The court heard this was his ninth breach of the order and 14 of his 22 previous convictions were for sexual offences. As a result of the latest offence, he was recalled to prison for the burglary offence and will serve the remainder of his sentence.

In mitigation, the court heard the defendant had made "minimal effort" to contact his supervising officer. It was said he wished to apologise to the court and understands the "precarious position" he has put himself in.

Sentencing, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: "You know better than anyone what your notification requirements are for and you breached them. The reasons for you breaching them are far from satisfactory."

Risborough was sentenced to a total of 20 months imprisonment. He will serve this sentence consecutively with the sentence for the robbery offence.

Description

A Huddersfield man has been jailed for 17 years after being found guilty of historic sexual offences against a child.

Timothy Bird, 44, was found guilty in August of non-recent offences which included attempted rape, sexual assault and inciting a young child to engage in sexual activity. The offences took place between 2008 and 2009, reports West Yorkshire Police.

The female victim was a small child at the time and reported the offences as an older teenager, leading to an investigation by child safeguarding detectives at Kirklees Police.

Timothy Bird was arrested in 2020 following this investigation. He was then jailed earlier today (October 5, 2022). DC Suzanne Clark, who led enquiries in the case, said: "Bird richly deserves his sentence for committing very serious sexual offences against a young victim who was very much at his mercy.

"Her courage in coming forward years later and reporting what he did allowed detectives to fully investigate this case and bring this devious and predatory man to justice.

"We continue to urge anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to contact us.

"No matter how long ago the offending took place, police will always investigate, always listen, and do all we can to achieve justice for victims.”

Description

The court heard how the incident occurred on August 5, 2020, after the victim had been out with friends at Tribeca bar on Sackville Street, Manchester and they stayed chatting until 6am. 

The victim, who is in her 20s, had logged onto the Uber app at the end of a night out to get her back to her home.

She ordered an Uber as her friends believed she would be safer inside a cab, after she was raped by a stranger in 2019.

But when Mahamud arrived to pick her up to take her to her apartment on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, he forced himself on the woman.

He refused to let her out of his taxi and instead subjected her to a 12 mile terror trip to his own home whilst he repeatedly molested her at the wheel.

The victim, who has since moved away from the UK, later told police: 'What happened to me in 2019 changed the way I lived my life on a regular basis in that I no longer felt safe to walk home alone.

'I put my trust in a company like Uber who I thought would keep me safe from harm, but this man did the opposite of that.

'Now I don't feel safe walking and I don't feel safe getting taxis. He has completely broken my trust in what should be a safe method for everyone to get where they're going.

'I feel like it's basically taken away my freedom of choice as I am always relying on the fact that someone else is available to come home with me, I don't feel safe going anywhere alone anymore.

'I now only used three Ubers a week to get around, whereas I used to book one a day. Whenever drivers do something unexpected, even something innocent, it still scares me.'

Mark Kellet, prosecuting, said that in 2019 the complainant was the victim of a violent rape by a stranger as she walked home through the city centre.

He told the court: 'That offence has nothing to do with the defendant in this case but it was present in the mind of the complainant's friend who enjoined her not to walk home but to book an Uber for her safety - serving to illustrate the trust placed in taxi drivers.

'And it was present in the mind of the complainant during the defendant's offending and afterwards, as she feared she was going to be raped again - such that the previous offence is, it is submitted, relevant to the harm which he caused to her.'

Speaking about the incident, Mr Kellett said: 'Whilst driving, he (Mahamud) began to make conversation with her and started talking about his girlfriend, saying she wouldn't have sex with him and this naturally made the complainant feel uncomfortable.

'But whilst thinking she would be home in a few minutes, she humoured the defendant by saying such a state of affairs was regrettable.

'The defendant stopped the car near to where the complainant lived but then told her she was lovely, asked her for her telephone number, and demanded a kiss.'

Mr Kellett told the court that Mahamud grabbed the victim by the the shirt and pulled her towards him, removing both their Covid-masks before kissing her on the lips.

He said Mahamud then asked her to come back to his house. He told the court: 'She replied by telling him that she needed to go home but he ignored her and wouldn't take no for an answer. 

'Instead, he began to drive, making no effort to take her home. She tried to open the rear passenger door but it had evidently been locked.

'She felt unsafe being driven to an unknown location against her will and used her phone to send messages and images to her friend repeatedly expressing her fear, she was being taken against her will, that she couldn't get out of the car because it had been locked, that the defendant was sexually touching her.

'She said she needed help and that she feared being raped again.

'The friend called police whilst the complainant was still in the car and during that call he disclosed "She was attacked last year as well and it is bringing all that up". 

The court heard the victim used her phone to take pictures and video of Mahamud, including some clips in which he can be seen sexually assaulting her. In one video, she is heard asking Mahamud to let her out.

Mahamud was heard replying: 'You enjoy and then I drop you' before eventually pulling over and getting to open the passenger door. She managed to slip passed him and sought help from a passer-by.

Mahamud was later arrested but initially denied any incident took place until shown the video footage but claimed any sexual activity was instigated by his passenger.

The court heard his wife was currently six months pregnant with their child and she had been unaware of the charges against him until the day of his sentencing.

His lawyer Mark Fireman said in mitigation: 'He had misjudged the situation entirely.'

Sentencing Mahamud, Judge Angela Nield said: 'Those who use taxi services like Uber are entitled to feel safe in their cabs and this was a clear abuse of trust.

'Whilst it is clear the defendant could not have known about the victim's history it is clear her previous trauma has magnified this incident significantly. If it wasn't for the victim's accompanying videos and images we might not be here today.

'What happened to her strikes against the principle that many women hold in that in order to keep themselves safe they must take a taxi home rather than walk. One does not bear to think about the anguish and fear she suffered during the period she was in that car.'

Mahamud was also ordered to sign the Sex Offender Register and was made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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 A SUSPENDED jail sentence has been handed to a train passenger who exposed himself to two 17-year-old students.

Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard a disturbing account of the journey during which 33-year-old Liam Cairns behaved appallingly while drunk as he travelled on the Carlisle-bound Northern Rail train from Newcastle.

It happened on February 18.

Cairns pleaded guilty to exposure, being drunk and disorderly, and four counts of assault, including two against police officers.

The court heard that two students – a male and a female – first became aware of Cairns shortly after the train left Newcastle because he was sitting in the seat immediately behind them.

The defendant was being verbally abusive towards a group of men who were sitting opposite him, shouting and swearing at them. They eventually moved away to another seat.

A short time later, Cairns moved to the seat opposite the two students, who heard him say that he would kill 'him', though it was unclear whom this was reference to. Cairns then touched the male student’s stomach.

The female student immediately protested about this and Cairns responded by 'lightly' slapping her face with the back of his hand. Shouting and slurring his speech, Cairns then exposed himself.

He was arrested when the train arrived at Carlisle’s Citadel Railway Station, and this was when he assaulted two police officers. Cairns told police he had no recollection of the events due to being drunk.

But he did apologise for his behaviour.

He blamed his drinking that day on the anniversary of a child’s death. The court heard that Cairns, of Bairstow Street, Blackpool, had 40 offences on his criminal record, including a previous exposure.

Magistrates imposed a 12-week jail term, suspended for a year.

They said the sentence was justified because the offending was drink-fuelled, there was a similar past offence on Cairns’ record, and his teenage victims had been “physically trapped” when the defendant exposed himself.

The sentence includes up to 25 days of rehabilitation and 150 hours of unpaid work. Magistrates also ruled that Cairns will be on the Sex Offender Register for the next seven years.

He must pay £200 compensation to the female student and to one of the two police officers he assaulted. 

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A grandad who confessed he was attracted to children after asking a man posing online as a schoolgirl to strip naked for him has been locked up. Married man Kenneth Rock was duped into thinking he was sending 'highly sexualised' messages to a 13-year-old girl but he was actually talking to a man hunting for criminals.

The 71-year-old told her she was 'cute' before boasting about kissing another teenager at a social club. The convicted fraudster also had a 'long-standing habit' of scouring the internet for vile child sex abuse pictures and was caught with a secret stash in his Black Country home.

But the paedophile blamed his sick offending on his 'sexless' marriage after telling police he had been 'bored' at home. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how a man from an online child protection group was running a decoy account pretending to be a schoolgirl on social media platform Twoo. 

Rock made contact with the profile in December 2020, with the girl telling him she was 13 and the defendant replying "wow you look good". He asked if she had a boyfriend before telling her she looked 'cute' in her profile picture and requesting more photographs.

Prosecutor Jamie Scott said: "[Rock said] he doubted her mother would allow them to meet because he would be perceived, in his own words, as a pervert." The sex offender said he would teach the girl how to kiss and that it would be their 'secret' before asking about sex education and whether he could be her teacher.

He claimed he kissed other girls of a similar age, including a 14-year-old girl at his local social club. The defendant, of Hinchliffe Avenue Coseley, went on to say he wanted her to wear shorter skirts and continued to ask for photographs, including in her uniform.

Rock also made lewd comments and said he wanted to be the 'first guy'. The court heard how the convict told the girl he wanted to meet but Coronavirus restrictions at the time meant he could not travel.

Rock cancelled a meeting the pair had arranged as he was living in a Tier 3 area during the pandemic but continued with his sexualised comments.

He said he could not stop thinking about them being together and suggested picking the girl from her school. Rock - who has a 20-year-old conviction for benefit fraud - messaged the girl over a three-month period.

He was caught when the child protection group conducted 'impressive amateur detective work' and confronted Rock at his then-home in Parry Road, Wolverhampton, on November 11 last year. His wife answered the door before Rock admitted his offending, the court heard on September 29.

Mr Scott added: "He admitted he had been talking to the girl. He admitted that it was wrong for him to do and he admitted that he was attracted to children."

Police arrested the sex offender, who then claimed he only messaged the girl because he was 'bored' and denied having any intention to meet up with her. Officers searched his home and discovered a mobile with Twoo messages, along with a PC tower in a garage shed which contained 476 indecent images within a folder called "Ken's pics".

They later discovered he had been searching for child pornography - featuring children as young as two - for seven years from 2013 until just two months before his arrest, Mr Scott said. Simon Hans, defending, said Rock has been impotent since 2017.

His wife has kicked him out of the family home but the estranged couple is still in contact and could reconcile. Rock has lost most of his friends, while his children and grandchildren have 'walked away' from him.

Mr Hans added: "He appears to have turned towards this type of conduct as a result of the fact that his marriage became sexless. It first became sexless because his wife was no longer interested.

Rock admitted attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, attempting to cause or incite a girl aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity and three counts of making indecent photographs of children.

Sentencing, Judge Barry Berlin said Rock's messages were 'highly sexualised' and jailed the defendant for 16 months for his 'awful offending'.