Latest Offenders

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A transgender woman who exposed himself to children in a Lancaster park has been jailed for 28 months.

Laura Mart, 35, of Game Street, Great Harwood, appeared at Preston Sessions House, where she was charged with one count of indecent exposure and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

The incident took place on July 18 while Mart was walking in Williamson Park on Wyresdale Road. A child playing on the monkey bars spotted Mart holding his penis and wiggling it toward her. The child immediately informed her friends and father.

At the time, Mart was under a lifelong sexual harm prevention order, which prohibited him from being within 10 meters of any public place where children were likely to be present.

Mart has a prior history of similar offenses, including four convictions for exposure and an indecency charge from 2017.

During the hearing, Judge Andrew Jeffries noted the repetitive nature of his offending and considered imposing an extended license period, but explained that this was not possible under the guidelines for these specific offenses.

He stated: “There is a real risk posed here to the public.

"If I had the power for an extended licence, I would have taken it, but it is not such an offence.”

In mitigation, Rebecca Holmes argued that Mart had not visited the park with the intent to offend but "couldn’t control the urge she had there."

Ms. Holmes added that while being transgender provided no excuse for the crime, it presented significant personal challenges.

She said: “She is transgender and identifies as a woman.

"There is no excuse for this offence, and it is a complex thing to deal with, and they have to wake up feeling they are in the wrong body.

“There is a clear path of offending, and since her last offence she has suppressed her libido, and it is to her credit she takes this and makes efforts to improve her behaviour.

“It demonstrates she is willing to comply with any intervention whilst in custody, which I do submit is a positive for her, and there can be improvements in her offending.”

In sentencing, Judge Jeffries described Mart's frankness with the probation service as a double-edged sword: while it was refreshing that she acknowledged his issues, it also highlighted the ongoing danger he posed.

Mart received a 28-month prison sentence and a lifelong notification requirement.

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A sex offender has been jailed for offences against children that took place almost 20 years apart.

Christopher Atherton (02/07/1978), of Milnthorpe Way, Manchester, was jailed for 13 years at Manchester Minshull Street Court this week (1/9/25) following an earlier trial.

His offences against two girls in the Trafford area dated back to the early 2000s.

He was found guilty of sexual assault of a child under 13 and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity relating to an incident in 2019.

Atherton was also found guilty of three charges – two of indecent assault and sexual assault - dating back to between 2001 and 2004 when his female victim was aged under 16.

Detective Constable Steve Matthias, of our Trafford Child Protection Unit, said:

“Atherton put his victims through two ordeals, firstly by carrying out this horrific abuse and then compounding that by denying his criminality and making them testify at his trial.

“The judge deemed him to be a significant risk of causing serious harm in the future and a danger to girls, and ordered that he remains on Sex Offender Register for life.

“I would like to commend the victims for coming forward to report his crimes and for giving evidence at his trial – that cannot have been easy.

“We want to reassure all victims and survivors that they will be supported regardless of how long has passed since the abuse took place and we will investigate all allegations.”

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A man has been jailed for ten years for rape and a domestic-related offence against a woman in Cronton.

Joshua Chesters, 35, of Cronton Road, in Cronton, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today (Thursday 4 September) after he was found guilty of rape and controlling and coercive behaviour.

In February of this year, Chesters raped a woman inside an address in Cronton.

The victim sustained multiple injuries and reported the incident to police once Chesters left the property the following day.

He was arrested and subsequently charged with the offences.

As well as a prison sentence, Chesters is also subjected to a 12-year restraining order and placed on the Sex Offender Register for life.

Detective Constable Tomas Bath said:

“This was an appalling case of sexual violence and I hope this sentencing brings the victim some comfort.

“Despite this woman’s horrific experience, she bravely contacted police to report what happened.

"I hope this sentencing helps others come forward and shows what will happen to their perpetrators.”

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A man who was arrested within minutes of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping has today been convicted of a series of offences.

Hadush Kebatu was arrested after we received reports of a man behaving inappropriately towards a teenage girl in High Road at 5.20pm on Tuesday 8 July.

As a result of the work of officers in the hours after the arrest, separate offences which took place on Monday 7 July were then reported for the first time and an investigation was launched.

Overnight, the 41-year-old, with an address in High Road, Epping, was charged.

He denied all offences during preliminary hearings and a three-day trial was held in Chelmsford and Colchester Magistrates’ Courts which finished today, Thursday 4 September.

The court heard that on 7 July Kebatu tried to kiss the teenage girl on a bench whilst also asking her to kiss him. He also made numerous sexually explicit comments.

The following afternoon, on 8 July, Kebatu encountered the same girl and again tried to kiss her before sexually assaulting her. He also made further sexually explicit comments despite being told the girl’s age and the fact that she was wearing her school uniform.

Shortly before this interaction, Kebatu had sexually assaulted and attempted to kiss an adult woman who had offered to help him create a CV to find work.

When she then saw Kebatu also interacting inappropriately with the teenage girl, she called 999 and he was quickly arrested.
Today, District Judge Christopher Williams found Kebatu guilty of:

• Two counts of sexual assault
• One count of attempted sexual assault
• One count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity
• One count of harassment without violence

Kebatu will be sentenced at a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on 23 September.

District Judge Williams warned Kebatu he would be facing an immediate custodial sentence.

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A 57-year-old man who fled abroad after being accused of sexual offences has now been convicted.

James Clacher, who was reported missing from Bellshill in May, 2022, was returned to Scotland to face trial after he had been traced in Spain in May, 2024, and arrested on an international warrant.

He has now been convicted of the serious sexual assault of two women in August, 2019 and September, 2020.

Detective Inspector Bruce Fyfe said:

“It's difficult to comprehend the distress and suffering Clacher caused the women in this case. I hope this conviction brings them some form of comfort. He will now face the consequences of his actions.

“Following the missing person report, extensive enquiries were carried out to establish his whereabouts.

“As the investigation into the missing person and sexual offences progressed, it became clear he had left the country to evade justice after faking his own death.

“We worked closely with our international law enforcement colleagues, including the National Crime Agency and Spanish Police and the perpetrator was subject to extraditions proceedings.

“This conviction demonstrates our commitment to thoroughly investigating serious offences and pursuing those who seek to avoid prosecution, no matter where they go.

“If anyone is experiencing or has experienced any type of sexual abuse, we have detectives dedicated to investigating such offences. Please report it and be assured you will be fully supported and listened to."

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A man who groomed and raped two young girls in Rotherham in the early 2000s has been jailed for 19 years today, 4 September.

A trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard how Obaidullah Omari, 46, from Sheffield, targeted the two, who were aged between 13 and 14 at the time of their abuse.

The offences, which occurred between 2003 and 2004, were investigated by officers from the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood, which is looking into child sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

Omari, in his 20s at the time, gave the girls alcohol and drugs before abusing them.

Omari raped the first girl multiple times at two different locations – his house in Eastwood and in his car – and raped the second girl on one occasion.

Both victims came forward to Operation Stovewood more than 20 years after the abuse took place, providing their accounts to officers who then went on to arrest Omari in 2019.

Following a two-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court, Omari was found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault.

Following the sentencing today, NCA senior investigating officer Alan Hastings said:

“Today Omari begins an appropriately substantial prison sentence for the sexual offences he committed against two girls more than 20 years ago.

“The victims demonstrated immense courage both in reporting Omari’s crimes and in giving evidence against him. I’m pleased that Operation Stovewood has been able to secure justice for the women and I hope Omari’s conviction helps them move forward with their lives.

“I encourage victims of child sexual abuse to report it to police, no matter how long ago the offending took place.”

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A man sexually groomed a schoolgirl and got her pregnant, a court has heard. Liam Peat then lied about not knowing the real age of the child, a lie he maintained until the first day of trial when his young victim turned up at court to give evidence against him.

Swansea Crown Court heard that what the defendant did made the complainant feel "worthless" to the point she no longer wanted to be around, but she said that while she would have to "live with the horror" of what happened she was not going to let it take over her life.

Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, told the court that when Peat began chatting to the girl on Snapchat she was aged 13 and he was 19. He said the pair began to meet in secret and the child started "confiding" in the defendant about matters in her life, establishing a level of trust.

The court heard that as matters progressed, communications became sexual, with Peat asking for intimate pictures and sending her a video of himself masturbating. He would tell the girl to delete messages between them.

The prosecutor said the defendant and complainant had sexual intercourse on a number of occasions when the girl was aged 14 and 15, with protection rarely used. He said it was the prosecution case that Peat "groomed and manipulated" the girl.

The court heard the offending culminated in the child becoming pregnant and telling her mother. Police were notified, and Peat attended a voluntary interview, answering "no comment" to all questions.

The prosecutor said that at the time, the girl did not feel strong enough to make a formal complaint and no further action was taken, but in April 2023 she contacted police to pursue it.

Peat was arrested and in interview gave a prepared statement accepting sexual activity took place on a number of occasions but saying it was always consensual and that the girl had told him she was in college, leading him to believe she was of corresponding age.

In a statement read to the court, the complainant said what the defendant did has had a "massive effect" on her life. She said Peat made her feel "worthless" to the point she no longer wanted to be around, but while she would have to "live with the horror" of what he did she was not going to let it take over her life.

Liam Peat, 25, of Heol y Graig, Crynant, Neath, pleaded guilty on the day of trial to two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child. He has no previous convictions but two cautions for battery from incidents on nights out.

Matt Murphy, for Peat, said the defendant accepted immediate custody was the only sentence possible. He said the offending occurred when his client was an immature young man with "difficulties" including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said when Peat had been, to all intents and purposes, a man, he sexually groomed a child after "inveigling" himself into her life. He said while there was now "some regret" from the defendant, it would carry more weight if not so late, when the complainant had come to court prepared for cross-examination.

With a 10 per cent discount for his guilty pleas, Peat was sentenced to 45 months in prison. He will serve up to half in custody before release on licence.

The defendant will be a registered sex offender for life and was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed after pleading guilty to indecently exposing himself in public.

50-year-old Scott Thomas, from Baglan, flashed his genitals and backside towards passers-by as he walked along Dunraven Street, Aberavon at around 7am on Friday, July 18.

Thomas immediately admitted the offence upon arrest.

He has been sentenced to 26 weeks in prison. He will be required to register with the police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for a period of seven years.

PC Rachael Travers said:

“Scott Thomas’s actions were completely unacceptable and will have caused alarm to those who saw him in Dunraven Street, especially at that time of morning.

“He will have known the likely consequences of what he was doing. Those consequences are now a reality for him.”

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Update

Received a further eight years for multiple indecent assaults and sexual assaults against six other children between 1989 and 2018.    

Davies, who was initially jailed in 2021, was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

2021-09-18

A Calderdale man has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences against young children.

John Davies, 58, from Sowerby Bridge was branded as a danger to children by Kirklees safeguarding detectives following his sentencing at Leeds Crown Court yesterday (Friday).

Davies was found guilty of three sexual assaults and two sexual touching offences following his trial in June.

The offending took place in Calderdale and Huddersfield areas against four girls between 2014 and 2020.

He will be placed on the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

The 58-year-olds abuse first came to police attention in 2020 after one of his victims disclosed what had happened to her.

An immediate investigation was launched which resulted in Davies arrest shortly afterwards, with further enquiries made by both Calderdale and Kirklees specialist detectives.

At his sentencing, Davies was described by the judge as a dangerous offender who posed a high risk of serious harm to very young children.

Detective Constable Yvonne Brear, of the Kirklees Child Safeguarding Unit, who led the enquiry, with assistance from Detective Constable Ameira Blight, said: John Davies abused the trust of others and took advantage of young victims in a truly dreadful way.

It is no exaggeration to say he poses a real danger to children and we welcome the substantial sentence handed down to him today.

He chose to compound the suffering of his victims and their families by taking the case to trial, and that has been reflected in the sentence imposed.

West Yorkshire Police is committed to investigating all reports of child sexual offending with the needs of victims at the heart of every investigation.

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A Bedford man has been jailed for grooming a girl into sexual activity in exchange for money and drugs.

Robert Brookes, 37, gave the victim cocaine and cannabis on a regular basis before offering to pay her cash if she engaged in sexual activity with him. 

He also befriended a friend of the victim over social media and attempted to groom her in the same way.

Brookes came to our attention when a relative of the victim saw the messages that he had sent to her.

After a lengthy investigation, Brookes was found guilty of two counts of causing/inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, two counts of supplying a Class A drug and two counts of offering to supply cocaine.

He was sentenced today (Wednesday) at Luton Crown Court to six years and three months.

Detective Constable David Widdicombe from our Protecting Vulnerable People team said:

“Brookes is a vile individual who took advantage of a young girl in the worst possible way, so I am pleased he has received a custodial sentence.

“The victim was very brave telling us what happened, and I hope she is now able to move on from this chapter in her life.

“Combatting violence against women and girls is a huge focus in policing. We are working tirelessly to put abusers behind bars and this case should serve as a warning to other perpetrators that we will do whatever it takes to bring a case to court and get justice for victims.

“Sadly, we are seeing an increase in reports of grooming – these predators build a relationship with the victim either in person or online to gain their trust before taking advantage of them.

“Grooming can happen both in person and online, often by a stranger, but it can also be someone your child knows. It can be difficult to tell if your child is being groomed – the signs aren't always obvious and may be hidden  - therefore we are encouraging parents or carers to familiarise themselves with some of the signs to look out for and to talk to their children and let them know they can come to you if something happens to them that doesn’t feel right.”

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A sex offender has been locked up thanks to determined police work – and help from facial recognition technology.

Alexander Dale, 31, grabbed the 11-year-old girl and pushed her to the floor while she was walking her dog in Cyncoed, Cardiff, last year.

Two days earlier, on October 23, 2024, Dale approached a 15-year-old girl on a bus travelling from Barry and showed her explicit messages on his phone.

Detectives sourced CCTV from the bus and, using Retrospective Facial Recognition, Dale was quickly identified as the suspect.

He was arrested, charged and remanded within a week.

Retrospective Facial Recognition technology compares still images of faces of unknown subjects against a reference image database.

Further enquires confirmed Dale had used a mobile phone app, linked to his e-mail address, to buy his bus ticket.

He pleaded guilty to sexual assault and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Today, he was sentenced at Newport Crown Court to 23 months in prison and is also subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Emma Partridge said:

“Both victims have been incredibly brave to share what happened to them and support the investigation.

“Dale’s actions continue to have a huge impact on their day to day lives including feeling vulnerable on public transport and walking alone.

“I hope today’s sentencing brings the girls some comfort and allows them to regain their confidence to move forward.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe, wherever they are, and South Wales Police does everything possible to keep communities safe and ensure people feel safe when going about their everyday business.

“Stranger incidents like that are very unusual, but when they do happen, we use all available technology and traditional policing methods to bring offenders to justice."

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A man has been jailed after he sent a string of explicit messages to an underage teenage girl and began a sexual relationship with her.

Kaylam Prince was arrested in July 2024 after the messages, which included requests for the victim to send naked images of herself, were uncovered.

The 28-year-old was charged and remanded and initially denied the charges against him before pleading guilty to sexual communication with a child, and two counts of sexual activity with a child.

Prince, of Gloucester Road, Stonegravels, Chesterfield, was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment during a hearing at Derby Crown Court on Friday 29 August.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which imposes restrictions on Prince’s internet usage and his access to children under the age of 16.

A restraining order was also granted to specifically protect the victim in the case.

Both orders remain active for a period of 5 years.

Officer in the case, PC Eloise Cooper, said:

“Kaylam Prince knowingly began a sexual relationship with a child who was well below the age of consent.

“He encouraged her to send sexual images of herself and incited her into engaging in sexual activity.

“Throughout this case the victim, who is still a young girl, has shown real courage when speaking with officers and has provided key evidence which has helped to secure this conviction.

“Her family have also been extremely supportive of the investigation and have ensured that we have been able to do everything our power to ensure that Kaylam Prince is brought to justice.”

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A man from Basingstoke has been jailed for more than five years after he pleaded guilty to child sex offences.

Nicholas Muncey, 38, of Hatch Warren Lane, was charged with:

• Engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 x 2
• Engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15 x 3
• Causing / inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity x 2

Winchester Crown Court heard the offences took place in the Basingstoke area between 2007 and 2008.

Muncey pleaded guilty and was jailed for five years and eight months at Winchester Crown Court on Friday 29 August.

Detective Constable Mike Cole, from Basingstoke CID, said:

“I really hope this sentence will reassure victims that they will be listened to when reporting similar incidents to us.

“We encourage other victims to come forward and speak to us. We take reports of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“This case should also be a very clear message to other offenders out there that we will always work tirelessly to ensure you are brought to justice.”

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A 39-year-old man from Barry has been sentenced to eight years in prison, with an extended six years on licence, for seven offences including engaging in sexual activity with a child, sexual assault by touching and sexual assault by penetration.

Sean Newington pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on August 29.

Detective Constable Mohammad Munir from South Wales Police said:

“I want to commend the victims for their courage in coming forward- thanks their reports and support justice has been served. It has been a traumatic time for everyone involved and I am hopeful the outcome at court brings the victims and families some comfort which they deserve.”

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A man has been found guilty of raping an 18-year-old girl in his Birmingham flat hours after meeting her on the 'Roomies' website.

A jury also convicted Mirza Begg of strangling and threatening the victim with a knife at his address in Coventry Road, Small Heath.

The 33-year-old denied full sexual intercourse, claiming he was diabetic and could not maintain an erection without medication, and said other sexual contact was consensual.

But following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, the jury found him guilty of rape, two charges of assault by penetration, strangulation, making threats with an offensive weapon, and assault by beating.

Begg was remanded into custody ahead of sentencing on December 5.

Judge Simon Drew KC ordered a pre-sentence report to assess if he was a 'dangerous' offender.

He said:

"On the face of it he targeted and exploited a vulnerable young woman

"It raises issues as to whether he poses a risk to other members of the public going forward."

Begg responded to the teenager's Roomies post on March 17 last year, offering free accommodation, which made her suspect a 'scam'; he sent a video of the property.

He picked her up at 9pm and took her to his flat, then left briefly to return a car.

Upon returning, he asked her to join him in the bedroom, rolled a spliff, and told her to get in bed.

Begg started touching her; when she said she felt uncomfortable, he told her to 'shhh' and laughed.

He proceeded to rape and sexually assault her as she repeatedly said 'no' and tried to fight him off.

Begg also slapped her and threatened her with a knife.

Afterward, the victim texted a friend: 'he fell asleep, I just got raped'; the friend reported it to police.

Begg was arrested at 4:30am that morning.