Latest Offenders

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THE fall from grace of an ex-Radio 1 presenter is now complete as he is jailed for 12 years for grotesque child sex offences. Mark Page paid money to sexually exploit vulnerable Filipino children for his own depraved sexual gratification. The 63-year-old pervert even haggled over the price when he was arranging to have sex with a teenage boy and a 12-year-old girl. Teesside Crown Court heard how he signed up to an online dating agency, Filipino Cupid, before engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a young girl and offering to pay them to perform sex acts. Page then travelled to the Philippines with the intention of fulfilling his sexual fantasies of sexual abusing young girls and a teenage boy. Judge Paul Watson QC told the defendant that he was a serial sexual offender over a three-year period. He said: The offence for which you have been convicted involve the grotesque sexual abuse of young children for your own sexual gratification. You took advantage of their poverty and deprivation in an under-developed country where children are routinely forces through deprivation into acts of prostitution. Your sole purpose was to engage children, as young as 12, in vile sexual activity to satisfy your perverted appetites. "It did not matter to you that you were robbing them of the innocence of their childhoods, it did not matter to you what long-term trauma and emotional damage you were leading them to. "You obviously delighted in their humiliation and the satisfaction of your own corrupt sexual desires. This was, in my view, the very embodiment of depravity and only a substantial custodial sentence can be justified. The judge told Page that if his offences had occurred in this country he would have been facing charges of rape where sexual activity took place. The defendant was found guilty of four charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence between August 2016, and April 2019. He was cleared of a fifth charge. Hiding behind his charity work and radio businesses, Page made regular visits to the Far East but also took full advantage of Skype calls to fulfil his depraved sexual behaviour by paying children to perform sex acts online. He used a number of aliases to set up dating website profiles and Skype accounts in an attempt to mask his true identity, the jurors heard during the trial. Page shared a number of messages with a woman called LovelyZamora7 while he was making arrangements for children to be sent to his hotel when he travelled to the Philippines. In a series of explicit messages before his arrival and after he stayed at a hotel in the Makati area, Page asked the girl to arrange for him to have sex with a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. Jo Kidd, prosecuting, said payments made from Pages credit card showed the cash had been sent to an account based in the Philippines. Records from Western Union showed how Page made 164 payments to individuals in the Far East, including Thailand and Philippines, over a number of years. The jury heard there was a number of messages between Page and the girl where they are discussing how much it would cost to meet up. Several hours later, there was another message from Page simply saying thanks babe. Throughout the trial Page, of Snowdrop Close, Stockton, maintained that his online accounts had been hacked as someone tried to frame him for the sex crimes. He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

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A sex predator who raped a young woman after the victim said he molested her in a hot tub was warned on Thursday he faces a lengthy jail sentence.

Paul Woods, 53, followed the 22-year-old into a house and attacked her as she lay on a bed pretending to sleep.

The distraught woman fled after she was subjected to the rape ordeal wearing only a towel, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

Woods, of Preston Crescent, Prestonpans, East Lothian, had denied assaulting and raping the woman in September 2019, but was found guilty of the crime by a majority verdict of the jury.

During the attack he moved the woman on to her back and tapped her on the face before raping her. Woods later told police that he thought she was asleep.

A judge agreed to continue his bail for the preparation of a background report on the first offender ahead of sentencing.

But Lord Tyre told Woods: "You should be aware it is extremely unlikely that I am going to do anything other than pass a substantial custodial sentence when you come back for sentencing."

The judge placed him on the sex offenders' register and told jurors at his trial that it was a "serious" case.

The court heard that the woman and Woods had been drinking and shared a hot tub with others at a house in an East Lothian town.

But the woman, who was wearing a swimsuit, said that he had touched her in the tub, leaving her shocked. She left and went into the house from the garden, saying she was going to bed.

Woods followed her into the house and she thought that if she pretended she was sleeping he would leave her alone.

After the assault on her the woman grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her and ran out. She was seen shaking and crying. She was still crying and wrapped in the towel when she was later seen by a police officer.

Woods was linked to the attack on the woman by DNA evidence that was recovered after the rape of the woman.

Advocate depute Derick Nelson told jurors that when all the pieces of evidence were put together they were left with "a compelling, overwhelming case against Paul Woods".

During an interview with police Woods had denied any sexual wrongdoing, the court heard.

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A dangerous, violent rapist who 'degraded' his victim and forced her to have sex with others in a horrific campaign of abuse has been jailed for 18 years. Philip Daly's sickening abuse against his victim included forcing her to have sex with himself and another man while she was blindfolded and bound. He also beat her following horrific bouts of rage and cut her communication from her family and friends, and stole her money. His victim says her life 'is a constant black cloud' and that she would never get over what Daly did to her. "He cannot be helped. He is not remorseful for his actions," she said. "I will never really get over this ordeal and in time, somebody else is likely to be hurt by him." Sickening abuse Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Daly, 42, carried out the sickening physical, mental and sexual abuse over a number of years. He isolated her from her family and friends, smashing her phone and ripping up her passport, and stopped her from spending money by taking her cards away. He also beat her a number of times, throwing her against a chest of drawers and attacking her with a walking stick when she refused to send him money. He even helped to set up a cash for crash and made her make a personal injury claim so he could take the money from her. As details of his abuse was laid bare, the court also heard of harrowing instances in which he raped her alongside friends, which she felt she could not refuse for fear of further beatings. On one occasion, the court was told that Daly had bound her hands and blindfolded her before forcing her to have intercourse with himself and another man. The woman was left fearing for her life and she was transformed from a 'bright and bubbly' woman to one who lost weight and began suffering from seizures and nightmares, the court heard. 'He degraded her' Prosecuting, Ms Vanessa Thomson said: "He belittled her, he controlled her movements and he took her financial independence from her. More significantly, there were regular bouts of violence towards her, to the point where she would seek immediate help from those closest to her. "Daly not only abused her with his fists and his feet but he would degrade and humiliate her sexually by forcing her to engage in sexual activity with his friends. The force used was mental rather than physical on these occasions. But she knew that to not do as she was told would result in a further beating." He also stopped her from going to the police, the court heard, and made her lie about where she had received the bruises from. In a powerful victim impact statement, read out in court, the woman said she 'lives in fear' of Daly and that he had destroyed a part of her life. "I always feel like I need to look over my shoulder," she said. "He cannot be helped. He is not remorseful for his actions. I will never really get over this ordeal and in time, somebody else is likely to be hurt by him. "My life is a constant black cloud and I am not sure how I continue to go forward without these thoughts in my mind. I regularly have nightmares about the traumatic events that he put me through, upon waking up from these nightmares I'm in a state of panic and a sense of having to be on high alert in case he's there". Daly was found guilty of all 16 offences at trial in October 2021, namely eight counts of actual bodily harm, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour, two counts of rape and five counts of cause/incite to engage in penetrative sexual activity. Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Clarke QC cited that a psychiatric report during his time in custody showed that Daly had no understanding to the extent he had harmed the victim. He said: At trial you claimed you were not guilty, and a report shows you appear not to understand what has happened, or to the extent that you have harmed the victim. You took total control over her life which enabled you to commit the serious offences for which you have been convicted. This was a campaign over many years of violence, control and rape, against an extremely vulnerable woman. I hope in due course she can start to move on from this, but it will take many years before she can even start to make anything like a recovery from these awful events. 'He is a dangerous and very manipulative man' Mr William Staunton, defending, submitted a letter from Daly to the judge, in which he claimed Daly was trying to express his remorse and that he had attended anger management courses. He added: This is a man who has never been to prison before and understands that a custodial sentence is inevitable. He expresses his remorse to her and realises he has caused the victim pain, hurt and suffering. He fully regrets his actions and accepts it was all his doing and responsibility. This is a man who is capable of change he is in a fit and clear state of mind, given what appear to already be positive steps to prove himself." Daly, of Trafford, was handed an 18 year custodial sentence, however, for which he must serve 12 before being eligible for parole. He will also spend a further five on license. Detective Constable Charlotte Morgan, of GMPs Complex Safeguarding Hub, said,: "Daly's sustained and deplorable campaign of domestic abuse, left the victim feeling like her life would never be the same again with nowhere to turn to. He is clearly a dangerous and very manipulative man and I am pleased that he is facing justice for what he has done. I would very much like to thank the victim for her bravery and cooperation throughout this investigation. "I'd like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who is suffering abuse to please get in touch with the police or another support service. You may feel like you can't escape but we can help you to make a fresh start, there are lots of wonderful local services who can help with living arrangements, finances and counselling so please dont suffer any longer."

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A paedophile claimed he sent a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl explicit photos and sexual messages as an escape from the stress of his dad dying from cancer. Alex McDonald, 20, first messaged Amber on February 9 last year, asking on Kik if she wanted a tribute a type of sex act someone films and sends on. Despite Amber saying she was 13, McDonald carried on sending pictures and videos of his penis and lied that he was 16, saying: Is that bad, or are you fine with it? When she told him its up to you, he said: I mean, Im fine with it just making sure youre not scared. Liverpool Crown Court heard McDonald sent more nude photos, along with others clearly showing his face, and encouraged her to perform a sex act before the messages stopped on March 19. Police went to his home in Walton, where he lived with his parents, a week later and his mum identified him from one of the selfies. Officers seized his two iPhones and a tower computer, before he attended a voluntary police interview on September 20. He gave a prepared statement, in which he admitted talking to Amber and accepted his actions were unlawful and he knew she was 13. McDonald said he was ashamed before answering no comment to all further questions. He was jailed for 20 months after pleading guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity, and attempting to cause a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. Defending, David Birrell told the court: He was at a low ebb in his life at the time he committed these offences. He was at home, essentially isolating, caring for his terminally ill father. His father has stage four cancer, which has spread throughout his body and, frankly, he has not long left. Hes lived beyond the prognosis he was given, which was 12 months, and the defendant was struggling emotionally and turned to alcohol. He sought to escape I suppose online and it was against that background that he committed these offences. Mr Birrell told the court McDonalds mum had written a letter saying he is a decent person and calling his behaviour a one-off. He said the author of a pre-sentence report believed McDonalds dads cancer may very well have contributed to this offending and suggested his risk could be managed in the community with a sex offender treatment programme. But Judge Anil Murray told McDonald that in his chats with Amber, you made it clear you werent bothered about her being 13. He also observed McDonald said he didnt remember the conversations, denied having any sexual interest in children and said he didnt think the chats were illegal at the time. The judge added: Youre now in a relationship with someone. I note you havent told her about this case. He went on: Im not convinced youre a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. You continue to say you cant remember what you did. You say you cant remember the conversations. You say you have no sexual interest in children. All of those contentions seem very unlikely to me. McDonald was also ordered to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

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Police have been given more power to monitor a sex offender's internet use.

Caernarfon Magistrates heard it was "imperative" to protect the public.

Geraint Rowlands, 61, of Cleveland Avenue, Tywyn, had already been convicted of possessing indecent images in 2017 and received a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

But today he pleaded guilty at Caernarfon Magistrates Court to breaching that order after showing an interest in six apps and websites. These were Chaturbate, Google Hangouts, MeWe, Trillian, Flickr and Discord between March 2, 2020 and June 18, 2021.

Police lawyer Gareth Preston then applied to the bench for the SHPO to be varied so police could add risk management monitoring software to his devices, if they wish.

It was "imperative" that they did so, he added.

Magistrates chairman Julie Eddows granted the application.

The prosecutor Nicola Williams told the court that last year the police had received information that an allegedly indecent image had been uploaded to the internet from a device. The device was linked to the defendant's address.

So on June 17 last year officers arrived at Rowlands' home to check his devices. Analysts later found a number of searches and keywords indicating a sexual interest in children on his mobile phone and laptop.

The searcher had used the persona "Carol" - something which Rowlands had done previously, the court heard.

The prosecutor told magistrates: "Despite previous rehabilitative efforts provided to the defendant the offending continued."

After his guilty pleas to breaches of the order, she applied for the case to be committed to Crown Court for sentencing.

Magistrates chairman Ms Eddows said the bench's sentencing powers were insufficient in this case and agreed to grant that application.

She adjourned the case for a sentencing hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court on April 1 and extended Rowlands' unconditional bail.

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A South Yorkshire sex offender who deliberately breached a court order designed to prevent him from committing more sexual offences has been put behind bars. As she jailed defendant Daniel Bartlett for 26 months, Judge Rachael Harrison told him his offending amounted to a deliberate and concerted, planned decision to breach his court order. Sheffield Crown Court heard during a March 9 hearing how Bartlett, 41, from Doncaster, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, in August 2020 for sexually communicating with a 12-year-old child. Bartlett was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), the purpose of which is to protect the public from sexual harm. As part of the order, Bartlett was required to adhere to a number of conditions including one which stipulated he must hand over any device he owns with access to the internet, when requested to do so by the police. Prosecuting barrister, Stuart Bell, said Bartlett was visited by a police officer on May 11 last year, who asked him to provide her with his internet-enabled devices. Bartlett said he only had one such device, a mobile telephone, which promptly turned itself off immediately after he gave it to the officer, the court heard. He was visited by the police again on September 16 last year, handed over one mobile phone and said he did not have any others. Bartlett was arrested just over two months later on November 17 on suspicion of breaching the SHPO, and was found to own five internet-enabled mobile phones. Judge Harrison said Bartlett had been using the devices to connect with others for sexual activity, and continued by saying she found it particularly concerning that he had been communicating with two women with children, one of whom had a 15-month-old baby. Bartlett, of Bainbridge Road in Balby, Doncaster pleaded guilty to charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with notification requirements at an earlier hearing. In mitigation, Edward Moss said Bartletts life as he knew it has just basically come to an end as a result of his offending. Judge Harrison reactivated four months of his suspended sentence from August 2020, and handed him another 22 months for his other offences, bringing his total sentence to 26 months.

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A man has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing two young girls in the 90s.

Alex Henney, from County Kenagh, Ireland, subjected two girls to multiple sexual assaults between 1995 and 1997.

Henny, who resided in Luton at the time of the incidents, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Friday (4 March), after being found guilty of three counts of indecent assault of a child.

Bedfordshire Polices Protecting Vulnerable Persons (PVP) unit carried out an investigation after a disclosure was made to police in 2018.

Following extensive enquires, Henney was extradited from Ireland to the UK for trial.

PC Benjamin Robertson, from the PVP unit, who lead the investigation, said: There is a huge focus in policing to bring to justice anyone involved in violence and abuse against women and girls.

Henneys victims have shown true courage and strength of character throughout the investigation and I commend their bravery in speaking up.

This hasnt been easy for either of the victims and their families to deal with.

Child sexual abuse is a most horrendous experience; it not only ruins their young years, but stays with them through into adulthood. We will never tolerate this type of crime in our county and will do all we can to support victims and put these perpetrators behind bars.

If anything has happened to you, no matter how long ago, it is never too late to come forward and tell us. We will do everything we can to get justice for you, and we have a number of specially trained officers who are here to support you.

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A rapist who filmed himself attacking one of his victims as she wept has been jailed for six years and three months. Peter Renton, 39, preyed on two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between April 2019 and June 2021. The attacks took place at addresses in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Musselburgh, East Lothian. At the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lady Scott described Renton as "intimidating, violent and controlling". She told him: "Your conduct showed behaviour which was designed to intimidate your victims - it included the filming of the assaults. "I am satisfied that you present a serious risk of harm to women and I am satisfied that in order to protect the public I must impose an extended sentence." The judge ordered that Renton must be supervised by the authorities for four years following his release from custody. Filmed on phone Renton had pleaded guilty to assault and rape charges in January this year. The court heard he met his first victim in mid-2018. He carried out five attacks on her at his home in Musselburgh and at an address in Aberdeen. In May 2020, Renton punched one of his victims at the flat in Musselburgh then ordered her into the bedroom. He grabbed her phone and used it to film himself raping the crying victim. She went to police in June 2020, but Renton moved on to another victim he had met on Facebook. This woman was then abused at her home in Broomhouse, Edinburgh. Renton was finally held by police in July 2021.

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A 42-year-old pervert told police he was a paedophile hunter after he was caught with dozens of indecent images of children, a court heard. Ian Manderfield told police he was sending out indecent images of children in order to "snare" paedophile hunters - but they were all his own images. Manderfield even tried to escape from police after he was detained at his home. He appeared at Stafford Crown Court, where he admitted eight charges relating to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. The court was told police went to his home, but he escaped and ran about 300m before being detained. His mobile was seized, but it later transpired it was not his personal phone, which had been hidden at home. One message sent by Manderfield told someone he was getting sexual pleasure from looking at children. He told police he was a paedophile hunter and was using the images to track paedophiles and was sending material to four other people via WhatsApp. The court was told Manderfield "had not buried his head in the sand" and was taking steps to address his behaviour, for which he has apologised. He is getting help through the Lucy Faithful Foundation, which works to prevent child sexual abuse, and his new partner is standing by him. Jailing him for 46 months, Judge Jonathan Gosling told Manderfield: "You were sending messages to multiple users. You pretended this was to catch an online paedophiles which is a ridiculous lie which you have now abandoned. "There were 37 images and videos Category A of children as young as two - and images and videos of torture and mutilation. I have dealt with many of these cases, but even I was surprised at the exceptional depravity. "You know the danger you have caused. You did that by indulging your own perverted mind." Manderfield will also sign the sex offenders register for life and was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Manderfield's charges in full Manderfield, of North Street, Cannock, admitted distributing 22 Category C images of children and making 34 photographs and videos of children, which were also Category C. He also admitted making 37 photographs and videos of children and distributing two images of children, which were all Category B. A third charge he pleaded guilty to was making 37 photographs and videos of children and distributing 24 images of children, which were all Category A - the most serious category. Manderfield admitted possession of six extreme pornographic images, which were grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character and portrayed in an explicit and realistic way a people performing acts of intercourse or oral sex with animals. He pleaded guilty to another charge of possession of three extreme pornographic images which were grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character and portrayed in an explicit and realistic way acts which threatened people's lives. His final charge was publishing a series of messages of an obscene sexual nature about, and including, photographs of children.

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A paedophile who abused a young girl in Wakefield has been convicted and jailed.

Ronald Clayton, of Barnsley Road in Flockton, abused a young girl between 2010 and 2012.

His victim bravely came forward and reported him to police in 2017 and an investigation by Kirklees District Safeguarding Unit was carried out.

Clayton denied the offences but was charged with assault by penetration three years later in August 2020.

Earlier this week, the 71-year-old was found guilty following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

He has been jailed for seven years with a further year on licence and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Following his sentence, Det Cons Gilly Hodds, who led the investigation for West Yorkshire Police, said: "The victim has shown much strength and courage throughout the investigation and I would like to thank her for coming forward and reporting Clayton's offences to our officers.

"I hope the sentence he has received will give her some closure and allow her to move forwards with her life.

"I also hope it will encourage other victims to come forward and report offences to our safeguarding teams, who work closely with partners to provide support for victims and investigate all reports thoroughly."

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A CONVICTED paedophile has pleaded guilty to further sexual offences against a young girl. Melvin Miller, 46 and originally from St Helens, was jailed in April 2020 for 17 years after pleading guilty to 35 sexual offences against two girls. While he was in prison, one of the girls he abused told an adult about other rapes that she was subjected to by the defendant on a regular basis. Police made further investigations and found a video on the hard drive of Millers computer that showed him raping her. The evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service and authorisation was given for Miller to be charged with further offences Today (March 8, 2022) at Liverpool Crown Court, Miller pleaded guilty to offences of rape, attempted rape and taking indecent images of a child. He will be sentenced at a later date. In a statement Senior Crown Prosecutor Mairead Neeson, a specialist lawyer with CPS Mersey Cheshires Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) unit, said: The video evidence of the abuse of this very young girl found on the hard drive of Melvins Millers computer was harrowing and revealed the level of depravity he had inflicted upon her. This young girl could not possibly have understood what she was being forced into she was just a means to an end for Miller. "The feelings and emotions of this young child meant nothing to him. She now has to find a way forward in her life, having suffered such trauma. She was unable to disclose the full extent of the abuse she had suffered when Miller was prosecuted in 2020, given her tender years and the inherent difficulty that exists for very young children to voice matters of such an intimate nature. "This often happens. It is not unusual for children to deny the abuse they have suffered or be silent as to what has happened. "It often takes years for victims of sexual abuse to vocalise what has happened to them. She has been exceptionally brave in coming forward despite still being a very young child. The Crown Prosecution Service works hard to support the victims of child sexual abuse and their families and help them through the criminal justice system. Time is no barrier to a prosecution. "We will listen to victims, no matter how long ago the offending took place.

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Austin Rickerby, of Blyth, admitted sexual communication with a child and indecent images offences A married dad who paid a schoolgirl to meet him and asked for a photograph of her feet had vile child abuse images on his devices. Austin Rickerby had joined a website using the moniker "mystical gentleman' looking to meet adults for sex but one person he communicated with turned out to be just 14. Undeterred, he continued to communicate sexually with her and met her three times although no sexual activity is said to have taken place. When police examined various devices seized from his home in Blyth, Northumberland, they found he had downloaded dozens of indecent images and appeared to have catalogued them according to the ages of those featured. Newcastle Crown Court heard the offences came to light after police had welfare concerns for the 14-year-old. She had joined the website and one of the men she had communicated with was the profile being run by Rickerby. The girl had initially purported to be 18 but then went on to say she was 16 and then 14 at different stages. Police went to Rickerby's home in August 2018 and indecent images of children aged between 6 and 17 were found on various devices. He had also carried out Google searches for "pre teen cartoons" and "you tube paedo", the court heard. A WhatsApp conversation with the victim was also recovered, in which he indicated "it made no difference to him if she was 14 or 15" and she said she was 14. Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said: "He continued to communicate with her and received a number of pictures from her and had a sexual conversation. "He asked if she would participate in a foot fetish. He asked for a picture of her feet. "He met her three times." Rickerby pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child, three counts of making indecent images of a child, possessing extreme pornography and possessing prohibited images. The court heard there were 70 of the most serious, category A images, 23 category B, 93 category C, 15 extreme pornography images and 23 prohibited images. Rickerby claimed to police he had ordered adult DVDs from a newspaper and later realised some contained indecent images and said he intended to hand them in to police but they arrested him before he had chance. He also claimed he was "interested in animation" and had looked at the cartoon material without realising they were illegal. The court heard the illegal material was found on multiple devices, including his work laptop and his wife's computer. The indecent images were in folders marked "5-6" and "8-12" and Mr Adlington said: "This was consistent with the estimated ages of the children, the clear inference is he has catalogued them and used a name corresponding with the age of the children being abused." Rickerby, 43, of John Street, Blyth, was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months with a three month curfew and 500 costs. He will be subject to sex offender registration for 10 years and a sexual harm prevention order for five years. Recorder Carl Gumsley told him: "You have a good job, a family, a child, no issues with money or substances and it would be difficult for many people to understand what on earth led you to get involved in these matters.

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Police seized his computers and found he had been searching the internet for depraved videos and images showing the sexual abuse of girls, some as young as three years old Facebook helped police track down an Exmouth paedophile who downloaded images of child sex abuse. The internet giant reported suspicious activity on the account of Neil Rhodes and Devon and Cornwall Police arrested him. They seized his computers and found he had been searching the internet for depraved videos and images showing the sexual abuse of girls, some as young as three years old. They also uncovered an online chat relationship he was having with a teenage girl in which he persuaded her to send him naked photos of herself. Exeter Crown Court was told the girl broke off contact when she discovered he had been lying to her and was in a steady relationship with a woman his own age. The 34-year-old, of Chamberlain Road, was spared jail and given a 12-month suspended sentence for two offences. He admitted making indecent photos of children and engaging in sexual communication with a child. Prosecutor Mr Garth Richardson said a referral was made to police by Facebook about indecent images of children from the internet that could be traced to the defendant's IP address. Police searched his home address on April 30, 2019 and seized several devices. Indecent images were found on a number of machines. They included the rape and abuse of children by adults in the most serious category. The age range of the child victims was between three and 15. Analysis of search terms used on the devices showed Rhodes had a sexual interest in children. One photo album on his phone had been disguised as a calculator app. Messages showed Rhodes had been in communication with a girl since she was 14. They had never met but used Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facetime and texts to stay in touch until she was 19. They shared sexual images of one another. The girl said in a statement he would ask her for sexual images and videos in every conversation. She considered the pair to be in a relationship and said she had not been forced into anything. But she had been vulnerable when he first contacted her. He had appeared caring but she realised by the end 'all he wanted was sexual photos and videos'. Mr Warren Robinson, in mitigation, said the offences had happened some time ago and Rhodes had referred himself to organisations who could help him understand his behaviour. Judge Timothy Rose said his actions had been 'profoundly disturbing' but he accepted Rhodes now understood that and was sorry. "It took place over a three year period and over the same period of time you commenced some form of online relationship with a real person came to know," said the judge. "You were twice her age and should never have been doing it in the first place." Rhodes was jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years. He must sign the sex offender register for 10 years and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his use of the internet for the same period. He must do the Horizon sex offender programme for 40 days and 30 days rehabilitation with probation.

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A paedophile has been locked up after making plans to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old so he could carry out his sick schoolgirl fantasy.

Mark Ure, 42, had no idea he was speaking to an undercover police officer and even checked that she could skip school to see him for sex.

The Woodford man was also caught communicating with three other police decoys, who he believed to be 12 or 13, and searched for an Airbnb close to one of them.

On Tuesday (March 8) a judge ruled he posed a significant risk to teenage girls and handed him an extended sentence, with four years and 10 months in prison and an extra three years and two months on licence.

Northampton Crown Court heard Ure, of Long Row, was snared last year as part of a West Midlands Police operation called Project Atari, committing his offences between August and October.

Prosecuting, Micaila Williams said he thought he was speaking to girls named Olivia, Emma, Lily and Rhea, each aged 12 or 13, over Kik messenger or WhatsApp.

'Olivia' told him she was 13-years-old but the chats soon turned sexual. He spoke about holding her to keep her warm and said he wouldn't be able to trust himself.

He told her: "Every man has a schoolgirl fantasy."

Ure told the police decoy that she would make his "wildest dreams come true", spoke about explicit acts he wanted to do with her, sent lewd files of himself and incited her to perform a sex act.

He also said he would "teach her new things" and requested pictures of her.

Ms Williams said: "He said she was going to get him into trouble."

Ure, who was once jailed for producing cannabis, then spoke to her about meeting up and engaging in sexual activity and the pair had a phone call where it was confirmed they would be together in the next few days.

Ms Williams said that he checked she could get the Thursday off school to meet up.

She said: "There was no meeting, but the intention was to carry out what he described."

In chats with other girls he told one he would have asked her out if he wasn't older and early stage discussions were held about the logistics of meeting up. In one chat he used the username 'Rustynuts42'.

He talked about forcing people into sexual activity against their will and searched for an Airbnb stay close to a location he believed one girl was residing at.

When one girl said she was worried about pictures of her being leaked he told her: "You also forget how much trouble I can get into."

Mitigating, Liam Muir said Ure was not simply sorry he had been caught.

He said: "He has show genuine remorse and genuine disgust at what he has done."

Ure admitted eight child sex offences and Her Honour Judge Adrienne Lucking QC ruled he posed a significant risk of serious harm.

She said: "He has a deeply entrenched sexual interest in very, very young teenage girls."

Judge Lucking QC told Ure he must serve at least two-thirds of prison sentence of four years and 10 months behind bars before he can be considered for parole.

Once he is released he will serve the remainder on licence, plus an additional three years and two months, and faces being returned to prison if he breaches strict conditions.

Ure will also be on the register for sex offenders indefinitely and be made to follow an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.