Latest Offenders

Description

A MAN who downloaded more than 8,000 images of child abuse images including of a baby girl being sexually assaulted begged a judge not to jail him.

Pervert Alexander Davies, 26, repeatedly downloaded images on three phones - and even continued after being arrested and released.

At Portsmouth Crown Court he asked a judge for mercy and 'one last chance to do good' while reading out a letter from prison over a videolink in court.

But a judge ruled the case was too serious and jailed him for 16 months after he admitted two charges of distributing child abuse images, 12 possession charges and one of having extreme pornography.

The court heard how police raided Davies's home and found two mobile phones containing indecent images and videos of children - with the defendant trying to hide one phone under his bed.

When arrested Davies, of Magennis Close, Gosport, denied wrongdoing and 'suggested that his father was due to be released from prison and that he was set up,' prosecutor Simon Foster said.

A third phone was handed back to him by police after his arrest as it was clean - but he downloaded more images.

'He took the phone that was returned to the family on the basis that it contained no images, and he continued precisely the same activity as before and distributed images,' Mr Foster said.

Messages uncovered on the third phone revealed Davies swapped messages with other perverts 'indicating a wilfulness to exchange images'.

Analysis revealed Davies had 507 category A images, 322 category B and 7,945 rated in the less serious category C.

Jailing Davies, Recorder Michael Bowes QC said one image showed 'an extremely graphic assault on a baby less than one year old' and added in others 'there's restraint and discernible pain or distress'.

Reading his letter before he was jailed, Davies said: 'I can see what I've done is wrong. I wish I could turn the clock back.'

He added: 'Jail has taught me that life is priceless and so is freedom. Where my freedom has been taken away and my life has been changes it's made me think

'Please your honour, can you give me one last chance to do good.'

All three phones must be destroyed. Davies, who has no previous convictions, must sign the sex offenders' register for a decade and an order restricts his internet use for the same period.

Daniel Reilly, mitigating, said: 'Whilst he is 26 years of age, he is a very young 26-year-old.

'He struggled significantly in both primary and secondary education and has severe learning difficulties.'

An educational psychologist's report found Davies was only 0.3 per cent above others of his age in literacy and numerical ability - and is in the bottom two per cent for his spelling, Mr Reilly said outlining the defendant's learning difficulties.

Recorder Bowes described the case as 'a serious and quite complex matter' and that the defendant displayed a 'lack of maturity'.

Description

A Convicted sex offender has been jailed after breaching a sexual harm prevention order

Kyle Michael bone, 26 of Basingstoke appeared at Winchester Crown Court where he was sentenced for:

- Breaching sexual harm prevention order

- Criminal damage to property

The court was told that Bone had served a previous prison sentence in 2014 for sexual activity with a female child.

Today, the judge sentenced Bone to 16 months imprisonment.

Description

A 'CREEPY' night club bottom pincher from Andover threatened door staff with a baseball bat after being identified and thrown out. Stuart Blackwell, aged 58, was more than twice the age of his victim, who he assaulted inside Caesar's Palace club in Bideford, Devon, after trying to pick her up with cheesy chat-up lines. She brushed off his attentions and was standing with friends when he walked past her and slapped and squeezed her bottom. The assault was caught on CCTV and showed her jumping away in shock. He continued pestering her until she alerted door staff who threw him out, only for him to come back half an hour later armed with the baseball bat. He was seen on CCTV in a crowded area just outside the club holding up the bat before being grabbed by four bouncers and held until police arrived. Blackwell moved to the centre of Bideford after being released from a 26-month sentence for sexually assaulting a teenaged girl in 2015 when he was living in Launcelot Close. His assault left the girl frightened to go out on her own. She made a victim statement which said:"He was a total stranger and the fact he was so much older than me makes it even creepier." Blackwell, now of St Lawrence Rd South, Towcester, admitted sexual assault and having an offensive weapon in a public place and was jailed for nine weeks, suspended for a year and sent on a sex offenders course by Judge Peter Johnson at Exeter Crown Court. He told him:"This was extremely upsetting to the victim and had a permanent effect on her. The contact was short lived but it was sexual contact nonetheless. "It is an aggravating feature that the offence with the baseball bat outside the club was in a crowd of people and created a substantial risk of serious disorder." Herc Ashworth, prosecuting, said the incident happened late at night in December and started when Blackwell approached the woman in the smoking area. He said:"The defendant told her 'I'd recognise an arse like that anywhere. You'd be welcome at my place any time'." The woman laughed it off but was talking with friends when he came pas and slapped and squeezed her bottom while smirking at her. She alerted door staff after he carried on pestering her and he was thrown out. He came back with the bat but was disarmed by four door staff and arrested by police. He later claimed he had planned to batter the doormen. Ian Graham, defending, said Blackwell did not understand why he had been thrown out and returned to challenge the door staff. He took the bat for his own protection. He said Blackwell has moved away from Devon to be closer to his family and is currently living on benefits while addressing mental health issues.

Description

A teacher ended his career in disgrace after being caught with 117 child porn videos and over 20,000 photos.

James Cullen's downfall was revealed in court where he admitted taking the material off the internet over three years at his home in Lewis Crescent, Annesley.

Using a hearing loop to help follow the case, he was sent to prison for ten months after admitting downloading indecent images. City magistrates imposed a five-year sexual harm prevention order to stop a repeat.

When he initially faced court, a deputy district judge said "although he was a teacher at the time, this was not committed as part of that employment".

Daniel Pietryka, prosecuting, told Nottingham Magistrates' Court the downloads were dated between January 2014 and December 2017.

Police officers seized electrical equipment and found 12 videos in Category B, the second level of seriousness .

They then discovered 95 videos from the third level and 20,182 still photographs.

Mr Pietryka told the court: "He initially denied the matters in question, blaming the internet.

"He said he made local searches for nudists and naturalists and these images would appear. He accepted downloading images for his sexual gratification."

Sean Conway, mitigating, urged the magistrates to follow a recommendation from a probation officer, which would have seen the 55-year-old attend a course to prevent further offences.

"The offences were caused by literally 12 links, clicking 12 times and accessing a large number. That is what happened.

"I am not for a second trying to minimise it but that is the truth. He accepts he has done wrong," said Mr Conway.

He resigned from his teaching job before action was taken against him. He also accepted the General Teaching Council would "strike him from the register".

Since then, Cullen has paid for training as an HGV driver and is now doing that job.

"There is a level of remorse and a willingness to get to the root cause and find why he finds himself before the court.

"There is a massive taboo to things like this and I don't seek to minimise that taboo," said Mr Conway who pointed out Cullen had never been in trouble before.

He is currently having hospital treatment and is due to have stitches removed after surgery.

Mr Conway urged the magistrates not to impose "the ultimate sanction" of prison so Cullen can keep working.

After being jailed, an appeal was launched against the sentence and this will be heard at the crown court by a judge and two magistrates. A bail application was made for Cullen while awaiting this hearing.

But it was rejected by magistrate Peter Dexter, who sat with a colleague.

"We have considered this carefully and bail will be refused due to the seriousness of the offending," said Mr Dexter. The case was initially adjourned to await a report from a probation officer.

Description

A WOMAN says she has been through the most 'horrendous experience of her life' – but feels relieved after historical charges against a predator who abused her when she was a child were found to be proved.

The lady, now in her 30s but who was aged between four and nine years old when the regular indecent assaults took place, told The News she was 'relieved' but 'numb' following the verdicts at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Hayling Island child-exploiter Raymond Hawker, of Castlemans Lane, was found to have committed the lewd acts by a unanimous jury following a trial in his absence.

He was deemed not fit to take the stand due to mental health issues after facing five charges of indecent assault on a female under the age of 10 years and one charge of inciting a girl under 14 years to commit an act of gross indecency.

Hawker, 78, will be sentenced on March 8 where he is set to avoid jail and instead faces the prospect of a supervision order, depending on medical assessments.

Speaking to The News after the case the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she doesn't 'care what happens to him now', before adding: 'Whatever punishment he receives will be minimal'.

After waiting more than two years for the case to be brought before the court due to postponements as assessments over Hawker took place, the victim said: 'I haven't been able to look past the trial so I'm now just getting my head around it all. Hopefully I can start living rather than hiding away.'

Speaking of the punishment Hawker is likely to receive, she continued: 'Part of me is gutted he won't go to prison because of all he put me through.

'Ideally he should be sent to jail but he's told so many lies about me and my family I just want people to know the truth and put an end to the rumours.

'He's never taken responsibility for what he did. He's made it so much worse for me by going down the mental health route resulting in the two previous court cases having to be postponed.

'I don't accept his mental health issues should have resulted in him being totally cleared of responsibility for what he did. He didn't have any issues at the start of the trial. But at the end of the day both he and his family know what he did and they will have to live with that for the rest of their lives.'

The woman, who has had counselling for depression and post traumatic stress disorder, revealed she was so angry about Hawker's horrific exploitation of her when she was a child that she confronted him in 2017.

'Ray admitted to me what he did,' she said. 'I went to his house and knocked on his door and he just said "sorry it was a long time ago". I had the conversation recorded but it couldn't be used in court.'

The woman, who kept the painful memories to herself for 30 years until she built up the courage to tell the police, revealed her torment when confessing to her family. 'I just wrote a letter, I couldn't say the words,' she said.

As a child she admitted she could not bring herself to tell anyone after Hawker had manipulated her into silence by insisting it was 'our little secret'.

She said going through the judicial system had been daunting – admitting she was 'not sure if it was worth it' before deciding she had to exorcise ghosts from the past and prevent Hawker from committing further offences. 'I didn't want to go to the police but felt guilt over his granddaughter and the children next door,' she revealed.

Finally taking the stand in court was a nerve-wracking experience – especially with the entire case resting on her evidence. Only Hawker's wife Barbara appeared for the defence.

Despite questions over whether she was making the whole thing up under cross-examination from defence barrister Sarah Jones, the woman presented a compelling case under fierce interrogation.

'It was the most horrendous thing in my life,' she admitted. 'To just be slated by the barrister and having someone say you made it up made me so angry. To have to listen to glowing references on Ray while I had nothing of a similar nature and was torn apart was tough to take.'

Despite her ordeal, a family member said the prosecuting barrister Mary Aspinall-Miles described the victim as 'one of the strongest ladies she has come across' and someone 'who stuck to her guns and gave as good as she got'.

With the court case over and the woman vindicated, she added: 'I hope it will give me some closure so I can move on with my life.'

Description

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in a young offenders institution for a string of offences including sexual activity with an underage girl. Tom Baker, 20, of Tamworth, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a girl under 16 and two counts of taking a child without authority. He also admitted possessing indecent images and a bladed article. He was sentenced earlier this month at Birmingham Crown Court where he was handed a sexual harm prevention order. In addition, he was told to hand over a mobile telephone and kitchen knife and will pay a victim surcharge of 170. Baker faced a total of ten charges at the court case which concluded at a sentencing hearing on 8 February. He changed some of his pleas from not guilty to guilty during the court case.

Description

A paedophile former teacher once jailed for secretly filming children undressing has walked free from court after downloading and distributing indecent images. Simon Whitfield, 58, had just been released from prison when a tip-off from Canadian authorities led police to his home in Highgate, Beverley, on October 19, 2017, Hull Crown Court heard. Phillip Evans, prosecuting, said Whitfield was the only one living in the house, which was searched by police and resulted in the seizure of his Acer laptop. Analysis showed he had downloaded six indecent photographs between September 17 and October 1, 2015, and had also used Skype to distribute two category C images on the latter date. Child abuse 'chats' Mr Evans said the offences were committed against "a background of conversations on what are called chat logs of a highly prurient nature involving the abuse of nine-year-old children". He had appeared under the name Simon Knowles when he was jailed for four and a half years at York Crown Court on April 25, 2013 for similar offences, as well as 11 counts of voyeurism. The voyeurism related to him filming children getting changed for PE at a school in West Yorkshire - using tiny spy cameras hidden in a pen and a shirt button. He accidentally caught his own face on camera. He was on licence, and subject to a sexual offences prevention order indefinitely, at the time he committed his latest offences. Charity support Whitfield was supported at court by a member of the Christian Jacob's Well charity, who had written one of his references, his barrister Nigel Clive said. Whitfield worked four hours a week as a volunteer for the charity. "This defendant is ashamed he is once again before the court," Mr Clive said. "This defendant says he took a lot from the sexual offenders work he undertook in prison, but when he was released he found adjusting to being back in society with a label such as he did, difficult. He found himself in a dark place." Since being caught, Whitfield had installed a programme on his computer which alerts The Lucy Faithfull Foundation of "suspicious" internet activity and the charity then alerts police, Mr Clive said. Judge explains sentence Sentencing Whitfield, Judge Simon Jack told him his latest crimes were "committed not long after you were released from serving a substantial prison sentence for similar offences. "If you had been caught and dealt with at that point you could certainly have expected an immediate prison sentence. "But I have to look at the overall picture, and the overall picture is that after going off the rails to some extent after your release from prison, you must have seen the error of your ways, and despite downloading indecent images, and in a couple of cases distributing them, you took steps to ensure you would not do it again, and there's no evidence to say you have done it again since the end of 2015. "And for that reason it seems to me that I can avoid doing what would otherwise be inevitable in sending you straight back to prison." Whitfield was sentenced to a two-year community order, which includes attendance on the Horizon programme and 20 days rehabilitation. He was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, replacing the previous order, and must already register as a sex offender for life. Whitfield, who "has a pension", the court heard, was also ordered to pay the 500 costs of the prosecution. He offered to pay this immediately but was given 28 days. The judge told him: "I hope this is the last time you are in court. You should be aware if there is any lapse on your part you will be back and the likelihood is you will go back to prison again."

Description

A man has been jailed for nine years for sexual offences against a child in Buckinghamshire in the 1970s. Denis Mauger, 75, of Chapel Lane, Chilton, subjected his victim to a number of indecent assaults between 1971 and 1980 when his victim was aged between six and 15 years. He was convicted on January 22 by unanimous verdict of six counts of indecent assault against a female child and sentenced today (Friday) at Aylesbury Crown Court. The offences were reported to Thames Valley Police in 2017 and Mauger was charged in July 2018. Investigating officer Detective Constable Collette Parker, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit based at Aylesbury, said: I would like to thank the victim for her courage, bravery and determination throughout the investigation, through to the trial. It has been an extremely traumatic time for her and I hope that the unanimous guilty verdicts and the sentence given, brings her some closure. I would also like to thank prosecuting counsel Kim Preston for her work in securing this conviction. This sentence reflects the hard work that is carried out by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit in bringing these offenders to justice and I would encourage anybody who has been a victim of childhood sexual abuse to report it to the police.

Description

An Ardrossan man is facing jail for grooming what he thought was a 12-year-old girl after being stung by an online group targeting paedophiles. Garry Allmark, 46, was brought to justice with the help of a group known as the Scotland Anti Predator Alliance (SAPA). Operatives from the group snared Allmark online while he was living at a flat in Glasgow Street with his wife and eight-year-old son. They then arranged to meet him and confronted him over the vile messages he had sent to one of their decoys during a meeting at Harvie's. As well as sending a picture of a male penis, Allmark sent what he thought was a youngster pictures of women performing sex acts on themselves. He sent the 'child' so many messages SAPA operatives gave police 410 pages of print outs showing his texts. The details emerged this week when Allmark, who now lives in Burns Street, Irvine, appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court for a pre-trial hearing. He struck a deal with prosecutors which saw him pleading guilty to one charge in exchange for another being dropped. He admitted a charge under Section 23 and 24(1) of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 by attempting to have sexual communication with a young child, and sending sexual pictures and videos to what he thought was an underage girl. The charge that was dropped stated he had tried to meet what he thought was an underage girl with the intention of having a sexual encounter with her. Procurator Fiscal Depute Jo Cunningham explained: "Between March 30, 2018, and May 5, 2018, the accused had been in communication with a person whom he assumed was a child under the age of 13. "The communication he had was, in fact, with the Scottish Anti Predator Alliance. "Following their contact with the accused, the Alliance contacted police and they provided them with hard copies of messages which had been exchanged between the accused and the 'child'. "Police, on receipt of the evidence, arrested the accused." Allmark was taken to Saltcoats Police Office where he was interviewed, confirming to police officers that "he had been in conversation with a female whom he believed to be 12 years of age." Miss Cunningham explained: "The majority were not all of a sexual nature however, when taken together, appear to be an attempt by the accused to groom the 12-year-old, and there were items of a sexual nature within them. "In addition to sending personal images to the 'child', he also sent her a photo of a male penis and images of a nude female masturbating. "When he engaged with the child it appears he also sent a number of images of himself to her." Allmark, who was assisted in court by a sign language interpreter, nodded during his police interview to confirm he'd had sexual conversations with the 'child' and that he knew it was illegal, but insisted he was "not a paedophile." Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane placed Allmark on the Sex Offenders' Register, called for background reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing and adjourned the case until next month for that to be done.

Description

A sex offender found guilty of raping and abusing children has been jailed for 23 years.

David Hayes went on the run for more than two years before being arrested in Spain where he was working as an English teacher.

The former press officer at Bangor City Football Club had denied 12 charges including child rape, sexually assaulting children aged 10 or under, and inciting them to engage in sexual acts.

But Hayes, who tried to evade justice by fleeing abroad, was found guilty by a jury in February

Hayes, of Bridge Street in Llanrwst , carried out the abuse over a three-year period.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said he remains a "high risk to children".

At Mold Crown Court on Tuesday, he sentenced Hayes to three concurrent extended sentences of 15 years for two rapes and an oral rape.

He was given a consecutive extended term of eight years for another serious sexual assault. He is also given an extended licence of two years in total meaning he will serve 23 years in jail, plus two years on licence.

The extended element of the sentence, given because of his danger to children, means he must serve at least two-thirds of the term before being eligible for parole, although Judge Rowlands says it may well be he serves his entire sentence of 23 years before he is released.

Normally a convict would be eligible for parole on licence after serving half their sentence.

Judge Rowlands described Hayes as "a pretty inadequate individual with a distorted view of life", saying the offences against two young children were of the "most appalling depravity".

Hayes was once one of Europol's most wanted people and North Wales Police issued a number of appeals for sightings of him, including an item on Crimewatch.

An NSPCC Cymru/Wales spokesperson said: Hayes tried to evade justice for the appalling crimes he committed against children and the long jail term imposed reflects the danger he poses.

He forced his young victims to relive in court the abuse they suffered at his hands and they must be commended for their bravery at speaking out and helping to put Hayes behind bars where he cannot hurt others.

While justice has finally caught up with Hayes, it is important that the survivors of his abuse receive the support they need to help rebuild their lives.

Description

A taxi driver who raped a female passenger who he believed had fallen asleep has been jailed. Ferham Khan, aged 29, from Derby Road, Southampton was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Southampton Crown Court after being found guilty of raping a woman in September 2017. Khans victim had been enjoying a night out with her friends and at the end of the evening called for a taxi so she could get home. The court heard how Khan had picked up the woman from Broadway in Winchester at around 1am on Saturday, September 30 2017. On the journey home, Khan preyed on the woman, believing she had fallen asleep he pulled over in an unknown location and proceeded to sexually assault her and orally rape her. The woman was so scared that she froze, and when Khan thought she had passed out through having too much to drink, he had the audacity to call the police and complain that he had an unconscious woman in his car and that he wanted her removed. As soon as police and paramedics turned up, the woman was able to disclose her ordeal. Khan was immediately arrested and his taxi seized for forensic examination. When questioned by officers, Khan said it was an accident, saying that the woman had fallen on him whilst he had his trousers unbuttoned. Later he admitted that was a lie, saying he was concerned his wife would find out he had had a sexual encounter with another woman. He went on to say the whole situation was consensual, claiming the victim had started touching him first and even suggesting that she did it for a cheaper fayre. The jury found Khan guilty by unanimous verdict. The judge sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment. In a quote, the victim explained the impact the events of that night has had on her life: On that night, I did as any young woman would. I went out with friends and I took a taxi home. What happened in the taxi destroyed me. That man shattered my world into tiny pieces. The pain and suffering I have endured because of what he did to me has left me broken. I dont know who I am anymore. This man had stripped me of my identity. At the moment I am simply surviving, I take each day as it comes and pray that one day I will feel like me again and be able to start living. Police Staff Investigator Joanne Parr-Daniels said: The bravery and strength we have seen in this woman is commendable. Khan turned her life upside down that night 17 months ago. We are so impressed with her courage. No matter how traumatic this has been for her and continues to be, she has supported this protracted and a complex investigation of rape. Without her would not have been able to get Khan to face justice for what he did. I hope now this sentence means she will be able to move forward with her life.

Description

Reportedly living in Blackpool

A pervert unwittingly sent footage of himself performing a sex act to an undercover police officer, wrongly thinking he was talking to a 13-year-old girl.

Jack Burton, 24, from Rochdale, chatted on Kik messenger and Skype asking the 'teenager' what she does at sleepovers and if she sleeps naked, a court heard.

He later sent a video of himself performing a sex act.

Burton believed he was in conversation with a young teenager, but it was in fact an undercover police officer.

Burton, of Hanover Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to look at images of sexual activity.

The prosecution argued that the case exhibited grooming behaviour. Burton's defence team said he has since been on a rehabilitation course and no longer uses Kik or Skype.

Manchester Magistrates' Court heard on Tuesday how the defendant contacted the 'girl' in January last year and asked if she had 'ever been drunk, what she does at sleepovers and if she sleeps naked'.

This then spiralled and he sent a video of himself performing a sex act on February 2.

Burton's defence lawyer, Andrew Davidson, in mitigation argued that the defendant has no previous convictions. 

He said: "He has been on a rehabilitation course to analyse the issues which led to this event. He has completed that successfully. He hasn't accessed these messaging services subsequently."

Mr Davidson added: "It is important to emphasise that those (guideline) sentences are for an actual victim. There was no actual victim."

The probation team were granted a week's adjournment to prepare a full pre-sentence report. 

Burton, who was released on unconditional bail, will appear again before magistrates on Tuesday, February 19.

Description

A dangerous paedophile has admitted he would have raped an eight-year-old girl if he had not been interrupted by a school caretaker. John Baker, 41, who has 13 aliases and wore a wig for his appearance at Hull Crown Court on Thursday, was jailed for five years in 1998 for indecently assaulting the girl after taking her off a school premises in Bradford. The self-employed removals firm boss was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely, which included a prohibition on him using the internet at home. But after Bakers lodger reported him for accessing the internet at home, he admitted doing so in the early hours while his partner was asleep. Police found 363 images at category A - the most serious - 235 at category B, and 342 at category C. There were also 16 prohibited images, although no detail was given of what these were. Baker told the probation service one image was of an eight-month old baby, but it was not clear if this related to earlier offences. Claire Holmes, prosecuting, said Baker had used a website which "showed images from all over the world of people of all ages having sex. He saw adults but also saw a number of child sites where he saw young children performing sexual acts." Baker admitted "getting excited" but denied getting sexual gratification from the images. He continued viewing them because they continued to excite him, he said. Baker claimed he had been doing this for three to four months, but Miss Holmes said evidence suggested it had gone on longer. Baker also admitted using computer programmes to conceal his internet usage. List of aliases Other names used by Baker included "Sam Turner". On January 14 last year, Baker, accompanied by his partner, gave his name as Sam Turner when visiting another sex offender in Hull Prison. He also failed to give details of his other names when attending Osborne Street police station in November 17, 2017, to complete the sex offender registration form. Baker, of De Grey Street, west Hull, admitted three offences of making indecent photographs, possessing a prohibited image, breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), and failing to comply with his notification requirements as a sex offender. He said he kept changing his name to protect his removals business, which was launched eight years ago. His 62 previous offences included the indecent assault, possessing indecent photographs and pseudo photographs, and failing to comply with notification requirements. Caretaker 'saved girl' Describing the circumstances of the assault on the eight-year-old, Judge Mark Bury said: "You had entered a school premises and you led her away. You were to admit to the probation service that had you not been interrupted by the caretaker you would have raped her." Referring to a pre-sentence report, the judge told Baker's barrister, Stephen Robinson: "He's regarded as a high risk of serious harm to children and a very high risk of further offending."

Description

WILTSHIRE'S most prolific paedophile received six life sentences today for more than 100 vile crimes against children as young as two. Peter Daniels, aged 70, glared and shrugged from the dock of Salisbury Crown Court as he received the life-long jail term. Judge Richard Parkes described the pervert as "an expert in grooming". Daniels, previously of Eyres Drive in Alderbury but now of HMP Isle of Wight, was sentenced for 78 offences of child sexual abuse against 22 young victims aged between just two and 15-years-old, after admitting the charges in December. The children were abused by the 70-year-old over a 10-year period. Despite receiving six life sentences and numerous other lengthy jail terms Daniels will only be required to serve a minimum of nine years behind bars before his case can go before a parole board. The court heard that Daniels gained access to his victims, who are all from Salisbury, by befriending their families (who were often vulnerable) and grooming not only the children involved, but their parents. Victim statements from parents of Daniels' young victims said they felt blame for "failing to protect" their children. But Judge Parkes told the 12 families who attended today's hearing: "It is a warm and human impulse to like and to trust others. "[Daniels] was widely known and liked. He seemed a very kind, helpful and decent person. "They [the victims' parents] have no reason whatsoever to blame themselves for failing to realise he has a very dark side." He was previously jailed for 12 years in October 2017, after admitting 12 offences, including rape, against the first two young victims to come forward. Detective Sergeant Eirin Martin of Salisbury CID told the Journal that after Daniels' first two victims came forward, hard drives were uncovered at his home containing hundreds of thousands of indecent images of children - 4,000 of which he had created himself, documenting his abuse over the past 10 years, and a further 600,000 internet downloads. The images, a combination of still photographs and videos, were crucial evidence in bringing the scale of Daniels' offending to light. The abuse took place in Daniels' home in Alderbury, where he lived alone, and a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Claire Booth said in the footage "a small number of the victims were asleep, but for the most part they were awake and fully aware of what was happening". Ms Booth described Daniels as being like an uncle to his victims. "[He was like] a loving, caring uncle, who looked after them, treated them with kindness and love, treated them to days out and gifts, and made them feel special," she said ahead of today's sentencing. But she said he had two different personas, and this was in part what made his attempts at grooming and manipulation so successful. "The Mr Daniels in the police interview appeared to be a calculating, cold man," she added. "He seemed to have very little appreciation for how his offending could have in any way impacted on these children, and on their emotional and physical wellbeing." DS Martin said: "This investigation is the biggest child sexual exploitation investigation that Wiltshire Police has ever undertaken and involved more than 25 specialist officers from across our county. "The investigation involved interviewing of over 30 children, witness statements and examination of a large amount of digital media and exhibits." And she praised the victims involved for their bravery, and for preventing further children from falling prey to the paedophile. "Daniels is a predatory offender who was actively offending at the time of his arrest, and who I have no doubt would have gone on to offend if it had not been for the bravery of the victims coming forward and telling us what has happened to them," she said.

Description

A prowling paedophile who groomed and groped a vulnerable child has been jailed for five years.

David Joll befriended the vulnerable 12-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, before touching his bottom over his trousers twice.

The 58-year-old pervert, who is in a relationship with another sex offender currently serving time in jail, was branded a 'true paedophile' by a judge who refused to show him leniency.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Joll, of Northern Parade, Hilsea, has a string of convictions for assaults on boys and having child abuse pictures.

His most recent convictions, including just last year, were for indecent images – with his lawyer claiming viewing these stopped him from going out abusing boys.

Judge Roger Hetherington rejected the last-ditch bid for freedom from his defence – pointing out Joll had meant to be completing a sex offender treatment when he was preying on the boy who was playing truant from school.

Joll had taken the boy to his home a day after the abuse and even given him his mobile number, having already groomed him by giving him cash and non-alcoholic drinks.

Probation assessed him and found he has a problem with alcohol and said he poses a very high risk of further sexual offending, the court heard.

Addressing Joll, judge Roger Hetherington said: 'Turning to your previous convictions, these show that you are a true paedophile in the worst sense of that word who has committed a number of serious contact offences against young boys – true it is that the last of those was in 2004, 2003 but there were a number of them and they were plainly very significant offences.

'Who is to know that if things hadn't been brought to a halt in relation to this boy, something far worse than what you had in fact been convicted of doing to him might not have occurred.'

He added: 'Your have a partner that you wish to resume a life with who is himself a convicted sexual offender serving a custodial sentence for historic sex offences and you are assessed as posting a very high risk of sexual offending posing a high risk of harm to children.

'It's my judgment that you do fulfil the criteria of dangerousness.'

The judge found Joll is dangerous, finding that could – but did not – lead to him receiving an extended term on licence.

In a statement read by prosecutor Matthew Lawson the boy said: 'I feel sick about all of this, I feel better he is in prison as he can't get out of prison – I want him in prison.'

Joll, who had been held on remand, had denied touching the boy but was found guilty by a jury.

Judge Hetherington increased the sentence due to Joll's previous convictions and said there was no mitigation for his actions.

A sexual harm prevention order was imposed for 10 years restricting Joll's contact with children. He must sign the sex offenders' register for the same period.