Latest Offenders

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Australian sitcom actor Robert Hughes will be freed from jail and deported to the UK after serving a sentence for child sexual abuse. Hughes found fame for his lead role in Australian TV show Hey Dad! which aired in more than 20 countries from 1987. In 2014 he was convicted of a string of child sexual offences - which he denied - against girls in the 1980s and 1990s. The 73-year-old was granted parole by Australian authorities on Thursday. Having renounced his Australian citizenship, the British national will be deported to the UK, where he will live with his wife, upon his release from prison. Hughes has been eligible for parole for more than two years but has twice been denied freedom over concerns about his risk to the community. He and his family deny his crimes but, since his last bid for parole, have promised he will seek psychological treatment when released and that he will have no unsupervised contact with children. UK authorities, who have been informed of his impending release and deportation, have also since confirmed he will be monitored. That - and a psychological assessment that Hughes has a below average risk of offending - was enough to satisfy parole authorities his risk to the community could be managed. He will be released no later than 14 June. 'Systemic, predatory behaviour' Hughes's 2014 trial heard evidence of sexual misconduct which had spanned 20 years. He was convicted of 10 child sexual assault offences against girls aged between seven and 15. He abused his position of trust and exploited the naivety and youth of the children, Judge Peter Zahra said in sentencing at the time. ''The offender engaged in a systematic pattern of sexual abuse upon young girls over a number of years,'' he said. ''His conduct was brazen... he engaged in predatory behaviour.'' On Thursday, parole judge David Frearson acknowledged the decision would be hard for the actor's victims. "It is clear that the profound and deleterious effects on the victims continue to this day and will probably be lifelong consequences," he said. "It must be particularly galling for the victims to observe the offender's continued and obstinate denials in the face of compelling and overwhelming evidence from multiple witnesses." Hey Dad! was hugely popular in Australia and ran for eight seasons until 1994.

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A young girl was pressured and bullied into committing degrading sex acts with a predatory 17-year-old who had already taken advantage of another teenage girl three weeks earlier.

She had been left scared that nobody would believe her if she told anyone what Callum Hilton did to her. She kept quiet about what happened for 10 years before finally speaking up, Hull Crown Court heard.

Hilton, now 30, of Hull, admitted causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity on June 21, 2009. Richard Butters, prosecuting, said that Hilton was aged 17 at the time and the girl was 14, with no sexual experience of any sort before the incident.

Hilton kissed her and asked her to commit a sex act on him. Because of her naivety, she did not know how to do that and Hilton showed her and told her: "You do it just like that." He encouraged her to touch him intimately.

"She was of an age where she didn't have a clue what was going on," said Mr Butters. The girl did what Hilton asked.

"She kept all of this to herself for many years," said Mr Butters. It was not until 10 years later, in June 2019, that the girl spoke to a friend and her mother about what happened and the police were alerted.

The victim later said: "I had not had any sexual experience and I had not received any sex education. I didn't even realise it was wrong. I wanted to report what happened to me so many times but I was so scared that I would not be believed.

"It has affected my confidence and self-esteem. I have always tried to block out what happened but had to constantly think about it over the last couple of years. I feel so relieved that it is finally over and I can move on and rebuild my life."

Hilton had a previous conviction for an offence of unlawful sex with another girl, aged 13, committed in 2009 three weeks before this matter. The girl consented to what happened on that occasion but it was illegal because of her age. He had been locked up for six months.

Hilton had been recalled to prison until December on another matter. Richard Thompson, mitigating, said that Hilton was 17 at the time of the sexual matter but had since committed other different offences regularly over the years and was serving the balance of a prison sentence imposed in March 2020.

"He has been in custody for getting on for a over a year now," said Mr Thompson. "He was recalled for breaching his licence conditions. His earliest date of release is December this year."

Hilton was jailed for five months and will have to register as a sex offender for seven years.

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A paedophile who kept more than 10,000 images of child sex abuse has walked free from court.

Andrew Lomax, who worked as a carer for 30 years, stored more than 1,600 videos of child rape in his disturbing collection across a number of devices.

The youngest victim among the child abuse images was an 18-month-old baby girl.

The 45-year-old kept 3,188 videos of children being sexually abused and 8,052 indecent images of children, and in total had 11,240 of the vile images.

Chris Hopkins, prosecuting today at Liverpool Crown Court, explained police acted on "intelligence received" about internet use in a property in Woodchurch, where Lomax was living at the time.

On October 21 last year police went to the address and Lomax said he "knew why police were there" and confessed to having indecent images on his computer.

Lomax told police in an interview they would find "images of toddlers up to the age of about 14 or 15" and admitted he had a sexual interest in children.

Mr Hopkins explained 1,694 of the child rape images were videos and he also had 1,494 videos of other types of child sex abuse.

Lomax stored 2,000 indecent images of children on a computer tower, the earliest of which was created on September 30, 2019 and the most recent was created on June 16 last year.

He kept 1,300 indecent images of children on an Acer Laptop and had 151 prohibited images of children as well as 42 indecent images on a HP laptop, on which the earliest creation date was April 2015.

Lomax stored another 679 prohibited images of children on an external hard drive, on which the earliest creation date was January 2013.

Mr Hopkins explained one of the sex abuse videos involved a baby girl aged 18 months old.

Lomax is of former good character.

Jim Smith, defending, said Lomax had made "frank admissions" and "expressed remorse".

He said Lomax had been a carer for 30 years with the "most vulnerable in society including dementia sufferers" but left the role after his offences came to light.

Mr Smith said: "To his benefit your honour he has acknowledged not only his wrongdoing and criminality but tried to explain and certainly been frank and honest in relation to his offending behaviour."

He said Lomax's relationship had broken down and he "retreated into addictive online voyeurism" and into the "markedly criminal world".

Mr Smith said Lomax was "deeply sorry" and has been working with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation to address his "unhealthy addiction".

He said: "He is trying to do everything he can to rehabilitate himself from this addiction from which he became subservient to for a significant period of time."

Mr Smith said Lomax had suffered anxiety and depression and was an "extremely lonely individual".

Lomax, of Needham Road, Kensington, admitted possession of extreme pornographic images, possession of indecent photographs, three counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said: "In order for all these images to be created real children, including babies, have been subjected to the most appalling and damaging abuse, all for the benefit, if that's the word, of you and others like you.

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Kristoffer Cook was messaging the 15-year-old on the social media app despite being subjected to a sexual harm prevention order A sex offender has been jailed after police found out he'd been sending sexual messages to a teenage girl on Snapchat. Pervert Kristoffer Cook was messaging the child on the social media app despite being subjected to a sexual harm prevention order after serving a prison sentence for attempting to incite a child into sexual activity. The 29-year-old had lied to police telling them he did not own any device which could access the internet, but eventually came clean. Cook, of Fulwell Road, Peterlee, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Tuesday, via link from HMP Durham, to be sentenced for breaching a sexual harm prevention order, failing to comply with notification requirements, and sexual communication with a child. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing. Michael Cahill, prosecuting, said in January this year, Cook - a convicted sex offender - was assigned a police manager who would carry out regular meetings with him. On January 13, the police officer discussed his sexual harm prevention order with him and Cook said he did not own any device which could access the internet. But that was a lie, the court heard. Mr Cahill said: "On February 28, police received information that the defendant had a Snapchat address. That day, police attended the defendant's parents' address where he was living and asked if he had access to the internet. He produced two basic mobile phones which did not have the internet. The police then cautioned and arrested him. The defendant then became upset and produced an LG mobile phone from the sofa and said he used it to access Snapchat and that he'd let himself down." The LG phone was later analysed and it was discovered that Cook had been messaging an underage girl on the app. Mr Cahill said Cook asked the girl's age and "asked if she had a bra on and if he could see her bra". Cook later told the girl "I want you". Cook later admitted purchasing the mobile phone and not telling the police about it and the court heard he had two previous convictions for five offences. In May 2018, he received a suspended sentence for attempting to incite a child into sexual activity. Then, in July 2020, he was jailed for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The sexual harm prevention order that he is subjected to lasts until 2028, the court heard. Mark Styles, defending, said Cook has a learning disability and had a childhood that a probation report described as "grim". He said: "It's clear the defendant really has deficient social skills and had found himself terribly isolated in the community. He has never been in a meaningful relationship and is a vulnerable individual. He is apologetic and feels he has let himself down, he needs some help." He added: "There was potential for more to occur, but it didn't. It was rather limited what took place in the conversation." Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said it was a "very serious breach". He said: "It's clear you wanted more sexual communication with a child and your previous convictions do you no favours. It's not the first time you have done these sort of things." Cook was jailed for 20 months.

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A former city councillor has been found in possession of over 100 indecent photos of children. Abdul-Majid Rahman was jailed for three years and eight months at Newport Crown Court on Tuesday, May 31 after pleading guilty to possessing and sharing indecent images of children at an address on Corporation Road, Newport.

Rahman, 34, of Marine Terrace in Porthcawl, pleaded guilty to distributing 12 category A indecent photographs of children between November 2020 and May 2021, as well as to sharing one category B indecent image of a child on March 1, 2021.

He also pleaded guilty to a further three charges of possessing 30 category A indecent images of children and five category B indecent images of children, both between 2005 and 2021, and 67 category C indecent photographs of children between 2009 and 2021.

Rahman is a former Labour councillor on Newport City Council, representing the Victoria ward from 2012 until he resigned in October of last year. At the time, a council spokesperson confirmed Rahman "resigned for personal reasons on Wednesday October 13 with immediate effect". No further details were given at the time, and a by-election was later held in December to fill his seat.

As well as being jailed, Rahman will have to register as a sex offender for life. He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

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Police on the Isle of Wight have jailed two child sex offenders. Paul Allen, 38, of Hinton Road in Newport was jailed today (May 31) for 16 years following an investigation led by the Isle of Wight Investigations Team, with support from officers of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).

Allen was arrested by police on September 27, 2021 on suspicion of arranging the commission of a child sex offence. He had been speaking on a number of online platforms with a person who he believed to be a child, and agreed to meet this person at Newport Recreation Ground.

The individual he had been speaking with was in fact a police officer, and Allen was met by police at the recreation ground where he was arrested. He was subsequently charged with arranging the commission of a child sex offence, and possession of cannabis, both of which he pleaded guilty to during a hearing at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court the following morning.

A few days later, on October 3, police received a report that Allen had sexually abused a teenage boy over the summer. Police were told that the 14-year-old child had met Allen over the dating app Grindr in March 2021, and the pair communicated over Whatsapp where Allen shared explicit images of himself.

The pair met in person and the boy was abused by Allen, including an incident in June where Allen seriously sexually assaulted the boy in woodland in the Carisbrooke area. Allen was arrested again, before he was charged with further offences and remanded in custody.

During this time, police continued to examine data on Allens phone while he was on remand, where they discovered he had previously messaged other children via WhatsApp, Snapchat, Grindr and Kik. He had also sent indecent images of children, and enquiries established he had also abused another teenage boy between 2014 and 2016.

Other messages on the phone indicated that Allen had tried to sell cannabis to people around the Newport area. Allen was again charged with further offences.

Appearing at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 25 April 2022, Allen admitted the following:

- 2 counts of meeting a boy under 16 following grooming

- 6 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child

- 4 counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy aged 13-15

- 3 counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child

- 2 counts of arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence

- Causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity

- Offering to supply cannabis

Appearing at the same court today (Tuesday 31 May), he was sentenced to 16 years in prison with an extended licence period of six years. In a similar operation to target child sex abusers, and running concurrent to the investigation into Allen, officers arrested 46-year-old Paul Elvins, formerly of St Johns Road in Sandown.

Elvins, like Allen, struck up a conversation online with someone he believed to be a child. On November 2, 2021, Elvins was arrested and subsequently charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging/facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

He was remanded in custody whilst Isle of Wight officers conducted further enquiries and continued to interrogate his digital devices. Elvins was charged in January this year with 19 further offences:

- 16 counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child

- One count of attempting to cause/incite the sexual exploitation of a child aged 13-17

- 2 counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child

He admitted all of the offences in court and on 6 May this year he was jailed for four years and eight months.

Chief Inspector Alex Charge: These investigations uncovered an appalling catalogue of child sex offences. I am grateful to all of the detectives and officers who worked incredibly hard to establish the full extent of the offending by these men, both in the lead up to and following their arrests.

Allen and Elvins are dangerous men who pose a risk to children, and I hope the public remain reassured that officers on the Island are making every effort, and utilising every tactic available to them to identify perpetrators of this type of abuse, bring them to justice, and safeguard the children who have been harmed. We will continue to target these offenders as a priority, and we encourage anyone who has been impacted by this kind of abuse to please get in touch with police so that our specially trained officers can listen to you, protect you, and provide you with the support you need.

Not everyone has the confidence to speak to police. We recognise this and want those who arent comfortable talking to police to know that there are other support agencies out there that can help you.

Detective Inspector James Oxley, of SEROCU, said: These convictions send out a clear message to those who use the internet to attempt to abuse children - every effort will be made to ensure you face the consequences of your actions. The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit worked closely in collaboration with Hampshire Constabulary on these cases as part of our commitment to make our communities safer, to ensure Allen and Elvins were no longer able to pose a danger to children and were brought to court to face justice.

Tracy Kent, Deputy CEO of Hampton Trust, said: Hampton Trust Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) play an important role in providing specialist tailored support to victims and survivors of sexual violence, irrespective of whether they have reported to the police. ISVAs provide impartial information to the victim/survivor about all their options, such as reporting to the police, accessing Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services, and specialist support such as pre-trial therapy and sexual violence counselling.

This service is free to all IOW residents of any age, gender and sexuality.

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A soldier has been kicked out of the Army after he had 'rough sex' with a woman and performed a sex act on her which he knew she 'absolutely hated'. Sapper Thomas Herrington, who was accused of pulling the woman around his bedroom by her hair and tying her to his bed with a dressing gown belt, said he had asked about her 'pain threshold'.

It was alleged he violently raped the woman when he was 18 years old, after he told a court martial she 'liked rough, kinky sex'. It was claimed the Army engineer targeted the woman while she was 'out cold' from drinking vodka at a party.

A military court dismissed two charges of rape. However, he was convicted of sexual assault by penetration after the woman told the court he horrified her by putting his thumb in her bottom. The woman told police: "It felt really malicious. He knew I didn't like it and he was talking like he was proud. That was really violating because of how much I hate that."

Spr Herrington claimed the woman liked being 'roughly-handled', that she previously sent him naked selfies on Snapchat and she sent him sexualised messages before the party. The soldier, now aged 20, said they had sex in the weeks prior to that night, claimed she had 'enjoyed' passionate sex that night and was 'stunned and confused' by the allegations.

But Spr Herrington, formerly of 1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment, has now been dismissed, as a judge told him boundaries during sex must be respected. Sentencing him, Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor said: "It was an unwarranted and unwanted action that meant she consequently fled the room.

"Rough interactions has its own inherent danger. Boundaries must be respected - you knew because she had told you she agreed to rough sex but that did not include anal activity. It was abhorrent to her. This was a boundary you should have respected."

Spr Herrington's lawyer, James Hay, told the court a 'lengthy and onerous' community order would allow him to address his 'catastrophic error of judgement'. In a victim statement read to the court, the woman said that since the incident 'I am struggling to cope with the guilt and shame that I am left feeling'.

As well as being dismissed, the soldier, who recently failed a drugs test, was handed a three year community order, and 240 days of unpaid work. He will be on the sex offender register for five years. During the four day trial at Bulford Military Court, Wilts, a board heard the woman 'drank so much she passed out on one of the beds' at the party, before Spr Herrington was seen 'cradling' her and carrying her to his bedroom.

She claimed he gained pleasure out of her 'struggling', dragged her by the hair when she tried to escape, and pinned her down by his dressing gown belt in an attack so violent she said she thought he'd kill her. She said she eventually managed to 'wriggle away', escape the room without any clothes on, and return to the party crying 'I couldn't stop him, I couldn't move, I told him to stop'.

The woman described the alleged attack as 'the most unconsensual experience of my life'. Spr Herrington told the court sex that night had been consensual after the pair struck up a sexual relationship.

He said: "We had spoken about interests and liked rough, kinky sex. She said she liked choking, hair pulling, the odd bit of spanking and being roughly-handled." Spr Herrington said the woman was not drunk but 'happy and giddy' during their first sexual encounter that night.

Later, while at the party, the woman appeared to fall asleep and Spr Herrington carried her back to his room. He said: "I locked the door because we were going to have coitus, I didn't lock the door because I was going to have sex with an unconscious woman.

"I said 'are you OK?' and she said 'I'm fine'. I wanted to make sure she was responsive and that she was OK. I told her if you don't want to do this just tell me to stop.

"We had spoken about how I tend to get a bit more rough when drinking and I didn't know her pain threshold so I wanted to make sure she was OK. She was enjoying it, she was moaning."

Spr Herrington said suddenly the woman 'jolted forward', got up, and ran out of the room naked. He told the hearing he was 'completely stunned' and 'didn't know what I had done wrong'.

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A Worthing pensioner, who sexually abused a 'very young girl', will spend four years in jail. Sussex Police said Michael Lamb, 76, has been found guilty of sexual assault by touching on a child under the age of 13, and causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity. Investigating officer Detective Constable Cheyne Garrett said: The victim showed huge courage to come forward and report [this] which took place when she was a very young girl. The victim first approached officers in January 2020, police said. Lamb, of Melrose Avenue, Worthing, was arrested and was later charged. He stood trial at Lewes Crown Court earlier this year where a jury found him guilty of all charges, and he was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on May 5. Police confirmed that Lamb was imprisoned for four years and was put on the sex offenders register. The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which forbids him from having unsupervised contact with children. This also prevents Lamb from residing or working with children and young people, or approaching or talking with children. DC Garrett added: Lamb denied the offences and has caused trauma to the victim and her family by making them go through a criminal trial. This case demonstrates that we take historic sexual abuse very seriously. The victim received support from specialist officers throughout the process. We were determined to get justice for the victim, and following a thorough investigation we are pleased with the jurys verdict.

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A man who was found to be in possession of thousands of images and hundreds of indecent videos including prohibited images of a child and extreme pornography has appeared before court.

Neil Copnell, 51, of Rosebery Street, Rotherham appeared before Sheffield Crown Court last week (24 May) for sentencing after pleading guilty to seven offences of making and possessing indecent images of various categories.

On 20 May 2021 officers attended Copnells home and arrested him. Following his arrest, officers and the specialised Digital Forensics Team carried out searches of his devices.

The searches revealed images and videos dating back from 2004 until 2021. Over 16,000 indecent images were found and 353 videos involving children as young as four years old.

Copnell was charged with making category A, B, C images, possession of prohibited images, possession of extreme image, and possession of B and C videos. He pleaded guilty to all charges on 22 April 2022.

Detective Constable Emma Blackburn from the Rotherham Protecting Vulnerable People Team said: The images and videos that Copnell had in his possession were extreme, graphic and sickening.

Those with images and videos in their possession often believe they are not harming anyone but behind each photograph and video is a victim.

We are committed to protecting victims and vulnerable people, but also ensuring that those like Copnell are put before the courts to ensure there is no risk to members of our community and monitoring can take place.

Copnell was sentenced to a two year community order, 43 days sex offender rehabilitation programme, 100 hours unpaid work and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.

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A 'MONSTER who sexually abused a young girl has been jailed 13 years. George Smith, 65, was handed the term with a four-year extended licence after he was found guilty of four sex offences. Smith, of Salmons Road, Odiham, took advantage of the victim, a girl under the age of 13, last year. The family of Smiths victim were at Winchester Crown Court to watch the abuser being sent to prison on Friday (May 27). Sentencing, Judge Andrew Barnett said that Smith's behaviour was not only shocking but quite unforgivable, adding that he carried out deviant and perverted behaviour towards that little girl. Smith pleaded not guilty to the offences but was convicted by a jury of rape of a child under 13, two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 and causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. In a victim impact statement, the mother said: Georges evil intentions and actions towards [the victim] are impossible to explain to anyone." She said that her daughters innocence has been taken away from her, the mother continued: Her braveness in speaking out against George means that that monster will no longer be able to hurt anymore girls. In mitigation, Adrienne Knight said that Smiths wife will be affected by his prison sentence as he is the sole earner. She continued: His health means he may never come out, certainly his health has deteriorated in recent years. It is going to make going to prison more onerous, I think, it is going to be more difficult for him because of his health. Ms Knight said that Smith was a landscaper gardener who was hard working and employed a number of people over the years. She added: When he comes out of prison that business will be gone, he will in effect be left with very little. Smith was found not guilty of possessing a prohibited image and an indecent image of a child his work computer, but in sentencing, Judge Barnett said: On that computer were a number of images some touching upon the concerning subject of young girls, it seems to me that is a pointer as to what was going on in your warped mind. The judge told Smith that he believed he posed a danger to the public which resulted in the extended licence. Smith was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order.

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A SHOP worker has been jailed after she groomed a teenager into having sex with her. Ellee Nicoll bought the girl presents, gave her money, called her pretty and paid other compliments before they declared their love for each other and engaged in sexual activity. It was heard the now 25-year-old Walcot woman cultivated the relationship, engaging in months of sexting with the teen, and decided to watch a lesbian film with her to normalise what [she] wanted to happen. It was not until the girls mother became concerned at how close the pair were and told the teenager what grooming may look like that the penny dropped, leading to her feeling sick about what had happened. Sentencing her to immediate prison, Judge Jason Taylor QC said that alarm bells should have been ringing loud and clear in your mind, but you were seemingly tone death. He acknowledged the victims mental health struggles and said that Nicoll must have realised what her grooming meant to her. She was jailed for two years and two months. Opening the case at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday (May 26), prosecutor Andrew Houston said that Nicoll, who works at a Swindon Co-Op, initially became friends with the girl, and that the victim looked up to her like a big sister. But the relationship quickly changed, he said, with the victim making the first move to turn the conversation to sexting, and also sending her pictures of her naked and in underwear. It was claimed that Nicoll sent pictures back, although this was disputed by the defence. As time went on, messages recovered showed heavy sexual flirtation between the two, and associates of the defendant realised that the pair were touchy feely and that they would smack each other on the bottom. Mr Houston said that Nicolls mother had warned her to stay away from the schoolgirl, but she ignored the warnings. Events came to a head one night where the girls mother offered Nicoll a place to stay when she had a family disagreement, and not realising the closeness of the girls, said they could share a bed. He told the court that they watched a lesbian film in bed, they then agreed to do stuff to each other. In the following days, Nicoll described it as the best night of her life, and the victim said she had no regrets. Mitigating, Gareth James said the offending was out of character and that it has had a devastating effect on her already. She does seem to be a defendant who can properly and accurately be described as a vulnerable defendant herself and perhaps immature, and perhaps didnt think through the consequences of her actions, having effectively fallen for feelings she shouldnt have had, Mr James said. He added that it has had a significant adverse impact on his clients mental health and she is voluntarily working to address this. He pleaded with Judge Taylor to impose a suspended sentence. He said: Given the undoubted effect already upon Miss Nicoll and her concerns for her future problems and the work she has already undertaken on a voluntary basis, [this] demonstrates very clearly there is a significant prospect of rehabilitation. Sentencing, Judge Taylor acknowledged that Nicoll did not set out to groom the girl, but that grooming occurred nonetheless. When she sent you naked images of herself, the appropriate thing to do was gently say it is not appropriate. You didnt. You had become so desensitised from her age it didnt give you pause for thought in the cold hard light of day. No regrets for [the victim] turned to embarrassment, and by the time she was interviewed by police, she felt sick. Sometimes teenagers just need to be protected from themselves. Judge Taylor continued: Whilst female offending of this type is more unusual, it is no less serious. There is still a child victim who will be affected by what you did. Experience of the courts has shown this time and time again. For that reason, even if the sentence had been within the range of being suspendable, I would have reluctantly said appropriate punishment could only be achieved by immediate imprisonment. Having pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child and sexual communication with a child, Nicoll, of Concord Walk, Walcot, was jailed for two years and two months. A sexual harm prevention order was made for 10 years, as was a restraining order preventing her from contacting the victim.

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A paedophile who subjected a girl to two years of 'grossly' abusing her also threatened to rape her after saying she was his 'ideal woman.

Leonard Roberts "grotesquely" subjected her to numerous different types of abuse during "totally outrageous" behaviour, HullLive reports. When his victim revealed what she had gone through, Roberts told police that "he was a piece of s*** and deserved to die", Hull Crown Court heard.

Roberts, of Gypsey Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire, admitted 11 sexual offences, including two of sexual assault, four of sexual activity with a child and others of penetrative sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing a child to watch a sex act.

Charlotte Baines, prosecuting, said that on April 26, the girl revealed to members of her family details of the sexual abuse that she had suffered from Roberts over the previous two years. Roberts told police: "Whatever she said, I have done it." He repeated this five or six times.

The girl said that the abuse had "got worse over time" and he repeatedly sexually and intimately touched her. "This made her feel very, very uncomfortable," said Miss Baines. Roberts committed a sex act in front of the girl and watched pornography in her presence. "He made threats of sexual violence towards her and threatened to rape her," said Miss Baines. "He told her that she was his ideal woman."

Roberts, 41, told the girl: "You deserve to be raped." The girl felt scared. When Roberts was arrested, he told police that "he was a piece of s*** and deserved to die" and that he was "in desperate need of love, affection and stimulation".

The girl said in a statement that it had been very difficult to cope with what had happened. "I have been trying to hide what he did for so long," she said.

"He told me that he was doing what he did to me because he fell in love with me. It has affected my mood. I have lost interest in all the things I liked doing. I am depressed all the time. I feel happy that it is over. I wish this had never happened."

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said that Roberts had never challenged the girl's account of what happened. "This behaviour is unexplainable and it's disgraceful," said Miss Scott. "He is deeply sorry for his actions and for what he has done and he knows how much he has hurt her. He is truly, truly remorseful.

"He appreciates that he needs serious help. He feels that he doesn't even deserve the help that he has been offered. He wishes that, if he could turn back the clock, he would never have these thoughts."

Roberts had no previous convictions and had previously worked as a factory worker before up that job to become a full-time carer for his parents. Judge Mark Bury told Roberts that he behaved "grotesquely" towards the girl. "You grossly abused her over a two-year period," said the judge.

"You threatened to rape her. On one occasion, you said she deserved to be raped. Can you imagine how that would make a young girl feel? It's grossly inappropriate. She wants you to know how much you have hurt her. This went on regularly many times over two years. There were many types of abuse. There was verbal abuse that you uttered towards her, really horrible things that you said to her. You were told to stop but you carried on.

"It's clear to me that you are ashamed of your behaviour. There is great remorse, as well there might be for these totally outrageous acts of sexual abuse."

Roberts was jailed for eight years and will have to register as a sex offender for life.

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A pervert with previous for having indecent images of children made suspicious searches on secret devices he failed to tell police about.

David Carey was subject to strict restrictions on his internet activity after being caught with child abuse images in 2017. As a result of that conviction, he was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which included a condition he had to notify police about any internet enabled device he was using.

But he breached that order seven times in December last year by using computers at Whitley Bay Library without telling police. He came to the attention of staff when he asked about some children's audio books and told them he was using their computers as the police were involved with him and had removed his devices.

A further breach was revealed on December 14 when police responded to a 999 call by him. He was found by a PC sitting on a bench and as the officer approached him she noticed him putting a pink iPod in his pocket.

A search of his home revealed another iPod and neither of them had been registered with police. Jemima Stephenson, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court: "There was a search history on both devices indicating he may have been trying to access child pornography. The searches included 'extreme incest', 'eight-year-old young' and 'extreme young'."

The court heard Carey, 39, of Langdale Close, Longbenton, North Tyneside has 14 previous convictions. In April 2017 he was convicted of 13 offences relating to indecent or prohibited images of children and in December last year - days before the latest offences - he was convicted of breaching the sexual harm prevention order after refusing to provide a passcode for a phone.

For the latest offences, he pleaded guilty to two breaches of the sexual harm prevention order and was sentenced to 18 months suspended for two years and must do a sex offenders treatment programme. Judge Penny Moreland told him: "I'm not sure if you have grasped, when you search for indecent images, you are looking for pictures of real children who are the victims of sexual abuse in order for you to gain pleasure from it."

Joe Culley, defending, said Carey had completed a sex offenders treatment programme as part of his sentence in 2017. He added that his mother died last year, which had a "profound effect" on him.

Mr Culley said: "He lives an extremely isolated existence and a persecuted existence. Those who live near him know of his offending history and his home has been targeted and he has sought to move away. He has family in other areas who have disowned him. He has a referral for an autism assessment."