Latest Offenders

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A convicted sex offender who sexually molested a six-year-old girl over a five-year period should be locked behind bars for life, his victim’s mother has said.

Coleraine man James Moore was yesterday sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty of indecently assaulting the young girl over a five-year period. His victim, who is now 15, was just six years old when she was first abused by Moore.

The 64 year-old from Ballyness Park — who was also convicted of a sexual assault more than 30 years ago — was found guilty by a jury at Antrim Crown Court of five counts of indecent assault. The attacks took place over an unknown period between September 1999 and September 2004.

During Moore’s three-day trial his young victim gave evidence against him via video link. The girl’s mother said she is |furious that Moore has shown no remorse for what he did and that she is concerned he will be back on the streets within a few years.

“We are pleased that it is over and that he appears to have got one of the higher sentences available but we would have preferred for him never to have got out ever again. When he gets out I really hope he does not move anywhere near where my daughter lives.

“I hope she never has to see him again.

“He has not shown any remorse, he is still denying he did anything,” she said.

The girl’s mother added: “She was only six when it started.

“We found out about four years ago. When I found out what had happened to my daughter I felt very angry, guilty, sad, frustrated — just devastated. But at the time we chose not to go to the police as we felt she had been through enough.

“Over a period of time it became apparent he had other children in his care and we had concerns for their safety.

“It was a moral dilemma. We felt we had to tell police so we did in January last year.”

She said it was very difficult for her daughter to have to give evidence about what she had been through.

“The fact that he put us all through a trial makes me incredibly angry. My daughter had to go through the trauma of giving evidence. The court service, PSNI, victim support were all tremendous, but it was very difficult for her. It was also very difficult for us to have to watch her go through this.

“She was very brave. I was incredibly proud of her. She has been brave throughout all of this.

“Over the past few years we developed coping strategies. My daughter is not going to let this define her, she is a strong and mature young woman who is focused on looking forward.

“She is determined not to let what happened hold her back. I am so very proud of her outlook and her ability to move forward.”

At Antrim Crown Court yesterday Moore was sentenced to five years in jail. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and was disqualified from working with children.

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A MAN who behaved like a teenager was jailed for four years for having sex with a girl of 15.

On one occasion, 48-year-old Robert Curtis used a video camera to record their activities, Derby Crown Court heard.

They once shared alcohol and cannabis with a teenage couple before having sex in the same room, said Siward James-Moore, prosecuting.

Curtis, who is now 50, was jailed for four years and put on the sex offenders register for life. He admitted sexual activity with the 15-year-old between October 2007 and January 31, 2008.

Curtis also admitted indecently assaulting another girl four years earlier.

The offences were committed while he lived in Duffield, although his address is now in Romsey, Hampshire.

Judge John Wait said the offences were made worse because Curtis encouraged drinking and the misuse of cannabis and allowing other inappropriate behaviour from young people.

He described Curtis as an intelligent and articulate man but told him: A man who behaves sexually inappropriately to two young girls in my judgement plainly presents a real risk of further offending.

Mr James-Moore said that in the first incident, he told the girl she was looking good and squeezed her bottom. She struck him, ordered him to leave, and he did.

In the case of the second girl, she thought she was in love with him and the relationship began after she sent him a text message.

They discussed the age gap, aware that sexual activities would constitute an offence, said Mr James-Moore.

They started having sex before she reached 16 and the girl said that was her idea.

The defendant did nothing to desist from that course of action, added Mr James-Moore. On New Years Eve, police arrested Curtis, who had no previous convictions.

Laura Dawes, in mitigation, said: In some ways, he was behaving like a teenager, perhaps because of a crisis in his life.

She said he deserved credit for pleading guilty and preventing the ordeal of the girls having to give evidence and be cross-examined in court.

Miss Dawes said: Mr Curtis has expressed very real remorse. That is a remorse not focused on himself, although the consequences for him are undoubtedly significant. This is a man who has lost his way.

She said he was suffering from depression at the time and felt there was now a low risk of reoffending by Curtis.

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A RAPIST and paedophile who used live maggots during a sick attack on a woman is suing police for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

Evil Robin Frampton – also known as Robert Williams, above – is using legal aid to claim £15,000 damages even though he has a string of convictions for depraved sex acts dating back nearly 30 years.

Police arrested the 53-year-old from Hampshire for breaching the terms of the sex offenders’ register when he was visiting North Yorkshire.

Now Frampton’s lawyers say he had not committed any offence and was “humiliated”.

The case has already cost taxpayers £30,000.

Description

A man who followed a 15-year-old girl into a toilet before sexually assaulting her was jailed for a year when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court this week.

James Taylor, 39, of Sandveien, Lerwick, had previously admitted to repeatedly grabbing the girls breast and kissing her on the mouth at a party in a bedsit in the towns Union Street on 1st November last year.

During the party, Taylor had been sitting next to the girl and as the night wore on, he moved closer to her and kept placing his hand on her thigh. When she went to the toilet, he followed her in and locked the door behind them before molesting her.

When he was later detained by police, Taylor admitted touching the girl and asking her to come home with him. He said she had told him she was 17 but he later admitted that another adult present at the party had told him she was only 15.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said Taylor, who had been on remand since 25th March pending sentence, had had a difficult upbringing and was yet to come to terms with events from the past where he was a victim but that spending his first time behind bars in the last few weeks had been a serious wake-up for him.

Sheriff Graeme Napier told Taylor that he had been guilty of a very serious offence regardless of the girls age and that he had insisted on making advances towards the girl when she was clearly not interested in you. He added that there was no sense you are aware of the impact your behaviour has had.

He reduced the prison sentence from 18 months because of the guilty plea and Taylor will also be placed on the sex offenders register and added to a list of people who are deemed unsuitable for working with children.

Description

A MINISTRY of Defence police officer got his sexual kicks by filming teenage girls and children in the changing rooms of a Hampshire leisure centre.

Andrew Rayson, 32, would watch women and children swimming and then following them to changing rooms where he would use his mobile phone to record them.

In an adjoining cubicle either through a hole in the wall or putting his arm over the top he would snap his unsuspecting victims, Southampton Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Tim Dracass said Rayson got away with his perverted behaviour for more than three years until January, when he went to Romsey Rapids.

A 16-year-old girl had just removed her bikini and was drying her hair when she glanced upwards and was astounded to see an arm and a bald head appear above the wall.

She then heard two clicking noises and told her boyfriend what had happened.

Rayson was challenged by the manager in the reception area after CCTV footage had been checked, but he refused to show anything on his phone.

Rayson drove off but his registration number was noted and it was discovered to be that of a vehicle on hire to the MoD Polices divisional support group at Gosport. It had been logged out to Rayson that day.

Rayson told his partner another police officer that he had run over his mobile phone and then got a replacement.

The court heard how she later helped police retrieve the phone but its SIM card had been transferred to another model.

That and computer equipment was seized in a search of Raysons home and police found other sordid images of other people he had targeted, who were unaware they had been filmed.

Mr Dracass said some of the footage lasted a few seconds, others were up to a minute in length.

The teenage girl said in an impact statement she had been left upset, embarrassed and sick by the incident, which had affected her sleep.

The fact he was a police officer had caused her concern.

Rayson admitted ten charges of voyeurism and asked for 20 similar offences to be considered, which involved five girls under 18 and one as young as ten.

He was jailed for 20 weeks, placed on the sex offenders register for seven years and banned from working with children.

Andy Houston, defending, said: He has lost everything his job, his friends, his partner and his home. He has not spoken to or heard from his partner and has moved back to his family in Nottingham.

He needs help and wants to engage in the sex offender group programme which is the best way to protect the public from this sort of behaviour.

But passing sentence, Judge Jeremy Burford QC, said only a custodial sentence could be justified and that a community order would not be sufficient.

Description

A tattooed sex attacker has been jailed for subjecting a young woman to a violent and extremely frightening ordeal.

Elias Kajue, of Kilburn, pleaded guilty to an assault on a 23-year-old woman at Cricklewood railway station on August 31 last year.

The victim was waiting for a train at about 6am, when she was approached by Kajue in the ticket hall.

He tried to engage her in conversation, but she had asked him to leave her alone because she was tired and did not want to talk, she told police.

Kajue, 22, left but returned a few minutes later and began harassing her again.

He then pulled her to her feet and dragged her to the station subway where he forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her before being disturbed by rail passengers coming off an arriving train.

Kajue left the scene on his bike, but was clearly captured by station CCTV.

Detective Sergeant Mark Barton, investigating officer from British Transport Police, said: Kajue brazenly targeted a young woman who was waiting alone for an early morning train.

Seemingly oblivious to the fact that his crime was being recorded on station CCTV, he subjected her to a violent and extremely frightening ordeal.

Detectives began an investigation and analysed the camera footage, before issuing appeals for information. They received details from the Metropolitan Police that Kajue was a possible suspect and raided his Kilburn home where they found a red mountain bike.

As well as the bike, the victim also recalled a distinctive scripted tattoo on the inside of Kajues forearm. Police records showed he had two distinctive tattoos of Loyalty and Family on his arms, and he was subsequently positively identified by his victim in a video identification parade.

DS Barton said: The victim showed great bravery throughout our investigation and provided detailed descriptions of her attacker, including his tattoo, which we were able to cross-check with video footage and the police national computer database.

In interviews Kajue initially denied all knowledge of the attack and said he had a bad memory of the date of the offence, claiming the person on CCTV was not him.

DS Barton added: All of the evidence his tattoos and red bike in particular pointed to Kajue as being the person responsible for this assault.

It gradually became clear to him that he had little option other than to plead guilty.

He was jailed on Friday at Southwark Crown Court for sexual assault and false imprisonment. He will have to serve a minimum of three years in prison before being considered for release.

Martin Grier, head of security for First Capital Connect, explained that CCTV was a vital tool in deterring and catching criminals.

Description

FORMER MoD worker Richard Strange propped a ladder against a house to see a teenage girl he fancied but ended up climbing into her mothers bedroom instead.

It was the middle of the night and Strange was high on booze and cocaine, when he clambered through an open window after hearing music playing.

Southampton Crown Court was told that when the 29-year-old realised he had climbed into the wrong room he quickly apologised, saying: Its okay, Im going now.

He then made his way onto the landing where he woke up the girl and her younger sister who rang the police.

Prosecutor Tim Dracass said the older girl came out of her room and followed Strange, who motioned her to go downstairs.

He then told her he fancied her and leaning forward, kissed her mouth and licked her lips.

Strange then left the house and returned to his partner, Lucy Harleys home. They had a row and, after pushing her to the floor, he punched her three times in the face.

Strange, of Duttons Road, Romsey, was convicted of sexual assault but admitted battery.

Judge Jeremy Burford QC said ordinarily Strange would have gone to prison but he had served almost the equivalent of a years sentence on remand and drugs tests had been negative since the incident.

He then followed the probation reports recommendation of giving him 12 months supervision and ordering him to attend various courses run by the service including one on domestic violence.

Strange was also placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE who molested a little girl more than 20 years ago has finally been brought to justice. Convicted sex attacker Stephen Hunt, 44, indecently assaulted the youngster while he was babysitting her, a court heard. Hunt, of St Gabriel's Mews, Middleton Junction, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars at Bolton Crown Court last Thursday. He was banned from working with children for life.

A PAEDOPHILE who molested a little girl more than 20 years ago has finally been brought to justice.

Convicted sex attacker Stephen Hunt, 44, indecently assaulted the youngster while he was babysitting her, a court heard.

Hunt, of St Gabriel's Mews, Middleton Junction, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years behind bars at Bolton Crown Court last Thursday. He was banned from working with children for life.

Cries of 'scum' were heard from the public gallery as Hunt, an aircraft engineer, was led away to begin his jail term.

Judge William Morris, sentencing, said: "You have forced yourself upon this girl and subjected her to a terrible ordeal. You have abused the trust of this child's parents after they left her in your care.

"This girl has been deeply affected by this offence and it has led to significant psychological damage as a result.

"You have committed a very serious crime and this carries nothing less than a substantial custodial sentence."

The court was told that the attack took place in 1988 but the girl, now in her mid-20s, was too afraid to report it to police until last year. She cannot be named for legal reasons.

Iain Simkin, prosecuting, said: "This attack left the victim in some distress and has affected her confidence and ability to form close relationships with others ever since."

Hunt had pleaded guilty to indecent assault at a previous hearing. A pre-sentencing report presented to the court last week contained letters from the defendant's son and girlfriend, outlining his good character and caring nature.

During mitigation, Peter Cunliffe, defending, said: "While I do not want to gloss over the seriousness of this case, I would like to outline Mr Hunt's impeccable work record.

He has never been out of work and has provided good financial support to his family, especially his son, who has a young daughter.

"This is evident within the character letters submitted to the court on behalf of the defendant."

The court also heard that Hunt was convicted of indecently assaulting a woman in a taxi in 1996 and was sentenced to four months in jail.

Description

A nappy-wearing paedophile from Kings Langley has today been jailed indefinitely.

Former Oxford University scientist Andrew Lintern, 55, of Five Acres, filmed himself sexually abusing a 17-month old baby and collected 20,000 images of children described as ‘disturbing in the extreme’.

At London Southwark Crown Court Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC described some of the images recovered from his library as being of the 'most disgusting, indeed horrific kind, representing a truly awful catalogue of offending against young children'.

Handing the pervert an indeterminate sentence for public protection, Judge Rivlin said: “Taken all in all, the charges you have pleaded guilty to amount to such a great catalogue of offences involving child abuse that it is difficult to grasp the scale of your offending.

“It is just as difficult to grasp what has promoted a man like yourself to become so steeped in activities that involve the sexual exploitation of children and the literally immeasurable harm that was done to them.”

He added: “The 26 counts relate to pornographic images which you either made, or downloaded or distributed and in total amounted to a staggering number of indecent images of children, both still photographs and movies, many of them portraying the most appalling abuse of small children.'

The research chemist, who had an 'obsession with the systematic sexual abuse of children', bought himself a pack of nappies which he admitted to wearing, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Lintern, who has been married for 24 years, was found with nearly 20,000 images of children aged between five and ten stashed around his Kings Langley home. Three of the images showed Lintern abusing a toddler back in 2002.

Of the sex assault on the baby, Judge Rivlin said: “Following your arrest you confessed these crimes to the police, but apart from being evidence of what you were capable of doing to a young child they also amounted to a gross breach of trust.”

Referring to a probation report assessing Lintern's dangerousness, Judge Rivlin read: “I consider he is entrenched in his sexual offending and the risk he poses will not diminish easily.”

Ravi Dogra, defending, had accepted Lintern needed treatment.

He said: 'This man who once had a bright career an undergraduate of Oxford has lost everything as a result of his habits.'

The pedophile will serve a minimum of three and a half years before a parole board consider his suitability for release.

Judge Rivlin also ordered Lintern to enrol on a sex offender treatment programme while in jail.

Lintern was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

DS Jason Tunn, of the Metropolitan Paedophile Unit said: “The court has recognised, along with the probation service and a defence psychologist that Andrew Lintern continues to pose a serious and real risk to children.

“The sentence imposed reflects that view that he is a dangerous sexual predator.”

Description

REMORSELESS child molester Colin Raymond Taylor today begins an 18-year prison sentence for a litany of devastating sexual abuse.

The 41-year-old pervert was given the jail term as the three girls who spoke out against him were commended for their courage.

Judge Peter Armstrong told Taylor yesterday: “I take the view that you remain a danger to young girls and accordingly a substantial sentence will be necessary.

“You still continue to deny matters completely despite the overwhelming evidence against you.

“And you show absolutely no remorse whatsoever.”

He passed sentence at Teesside Crown Court for a list of 30 sex crimes against girls as young as six, some stretching back to the 1980s.

After a two-week trial last month, a jury found him guilty of 19 charges.

These included seven counts of child rape - “one of the most serious offences in the criminal calendar,” said the judge yesterday.

He was also convicted on charges of indecent or sexual assault, sexual activity with a child and actual bodily harm assault.

He denied all of the abuse, claiming it didn’t happen and accusing the complainants and their supporters of lying.

“They are to be commended for having the courage to give evidence,” added the judge.

He told Taylor: “You had a trial in which you made the three victims of your sexual abuse relive the ordeals that you put them through. Anyone sitting through that trial heard a catalogue of appalling abuse.”

The judge said Taylor video recorded some of his crimes and tried to avoid detection. When one girl complained about what he did, he physically assaulted her.

He told how one victim, now a grown adult, particularly suffered from the “indignities” imposed upon her.

It led to her becoming involved in drug addiction and prostitution, affected her ability to trust men and caused difficulties in relationships.

“It devastated her life,” said Judge Armstrong.

He praised her dignity recounting her experiences in the witness box to bring her abuser to justice.

He said Taylor also took advantage of two other girls, repeatedly touching and interfering with them.

Days after the trial, Taylor admitted 11 offences of making indecent photographs of children - 11 still and moving images found on his computer, downloaded during 2007.

Some were child abuse images involving girls as young as 10, placing them in the second most serious category in law.

The judge said Taylor’s offending in recent years showed he “still harboured distorted thinking” and had a sexual interest in underage girls.

Adrian Dent, defending, said there was little he could say in mitigation for Taylor, of Macaulay Road, Hartlepool.

He said: “Overall he understands that there will be a substantial custodial sentence, even though he has no previous convictions.

“There was a substantial gap in offending.”

He said Taylor had worked hard throughout his life, it would be his first time in prison and he would have “an extremely difficult time” there.

Mr Dent added that Taylor was a young man at the time of some of his crimes. The judge said this was no excuse.

Taylor was banned from working with children indefinitely.

He also received an indefinite sexual offences prevention order banning contact with under-18s or his victims, having photographs of children, camera or video equipment or accessing the internet.

Detective Constable Zoe McCarthy said today: “The sexual abuse of children ruins lives, and the sexual abuse committed against the victims of Colin Taylor has had a devastating effect upon them.

“The substantial sentence today reflects the seriousness of the offences committed.

“Sexual offences against children, no matter how many years ago, will be thoroughly investigated by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit of Cleveland Police.

“The families of the two teenage victims have stated that they are very pleased Taylor has been brought to justice and the girls are now trying to rebuild their lives.

“Taylor’s other victim, who is now an adult, has spoken of how the abuse has changed her life forever causing her great emotional suffering which she is now trying to overcome.”

Description

Released September 2015

A 38-year-old Halesowen man who carried out a string of sickening sex attacks on a schoolgirl has been jailed for 14 years.

Judge Nicholas Webb told William Lee the damage he had done to his young victim was impossible to calculate and said reports indicated he posed a risk to young children.

Sentencing Lee at Wolverhampton Crown Court this morning, the judge told him: "You imposed your will on this girl and you selfishly exploited her for your own gratification."

Lee, of Crimmond Road, had been found guilty by a jury on majority verdicts at the end of his trial on five charges of rape.

He was further convicted on two charges of sexual assault, sexual activity with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual activity in the presence of a child.

The Judge further ordered Lee to register as a Sex Offender for life and he barred him from ever working with children.

He said it was clear Lee still refused to accept responsibility for his actions but added: "I think you can be managed by a long determinate sentence and the ancillary orders."

Samantha Powis, defending, said Lee was a man of previous good character and she presented 23 references on his behalf to the court.

The Judge told Lee he had committed a number of "grave" offences but added that the references showed there was a different side to his character.

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HE BUILT up his reputation as a photographer by working with some of the most famous names in the world.

Erik Russell started taking pictures as a child and his career ranged from taking shoots for global magazines to snapping Olympic sailing medallist Ben Ainslie as he met local schoolchildren.

But beneath this guise is one of the countys most vile paedophiles who enjoys watching youngsters subjected to torture and horrific sexual abuse.

Today, as he prepares to be jailed for the sickening crimes, which he has managed to keep a secret in the town where he lives, the Daily Echo can reveal the true horror of what he did.

Russell, who lives with his partner in Lymington, was uncovered by detectives from Hampshire polices Child Abuse Investigation Unit.

He was arrested in his home by officers who swooped and seized his computers and photographic equipment during an undercover operation on October 19, 2006.

His computer records showed he had paid to access a number of websites which contained graphic images and videos of children mainly girls from toddlers to teens.

It took detectives weeks to plough through the thousands of horrific images and videos.

Eventually detectives concluded that he was responsible for making and possessing a staggering 32,832 photos. Also found were 1,699 videos of the same horrific abuse.

Police used new guidelines to rank the scale of the abuse with one being the weakest and five the most sickening and Russells disgusting catalogue included the very worst kind.

A further 42,122 pictures were found on his computer that could not be categorised. Likewise, 512 videos were not given a ranking because officers could not be sure they showed children.

Russell was eventually charged with 20 specimen counts of making indecent images and videos (downloading and saving). He was also charged with two further offences of possessing indecent images of a child.

Denying the charges, he stood trial for five days at Portsmouth Crown Court, where a jury took just 50 minutes to unanimously find him guilty.

Following conviction, Russell was released on conditional bail to be sentenced today.

Until now he has managed to keep his depraved behaviour a secret in the tight-knit community of Lymington, where he moved in 2005 following the acrimonious breakdown of his marriage.

Description

A pervert primary school teacher has been jailed for three years for indecently assaulting girls at his school, all aged just eight and nine years old.

At the time of the offences, he put one of his young victims in the dunces corner after the school disbelieved her claims of abuse, a court heard.

Bearded Graham Nichols, 62, indecently assaulted five girls at St Annes Catholic Primary in Keighley, where he taught from the 1970s to 1980.

Prosecutor Judith Naylor yesterday told Bradford Crown Court that two of the girls had complained about his behaviour at the time but the headmistress, a Sister Eugenie, did not believe them and Nichols placed one of them at the dunces table.

Nichols, of Storr Hill, Wyke, Bradford, had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to ten charges of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child.

He was told by Judge James Stewart QC: You abused your position as a teacher, a position of trust. You were looking after these children who were entitled to look up to you. When one complained, you denied it and had her put in the dunces corner.

A further offence of indecent assault was taken into consideration after another woman came forward, following publicity in the Telegraph & Argus, to say she had been abused by Nichols at St Columbas School in Bradford.

Mrs Naylor said Nichols indecently touched the girls as they stood next to him for reading or to have their work marked.

On one occasion he asked one girl to stay behind at lunchtime. He took her to the book corner, asked her to lie on the floor and expose herself and committed a sex act in front of her.

Nichols left St Annes and became a supply teacher in the Bradford area. The offences came to light many years later when one of the victims was taking a child protection course as she trained to be a nursery nurse and thought about what had happened to her.

When he was arrested Nichols, who had no previous convictions, made admissions to police and said he had committed the offences out of curiosity as his knowledge of girls was very limited.

Michael Reeves, representing Nichols, said he was not a predatory paedophile and was suffering from a personality disorder at the time of the offences.

Judge Stewart said the offences were not the most serious, though the act of gross indecency was nasty.

He ordered that Nichols register as a sex offender indefinitely and made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to stop him having unsupervised contact with children under 16.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Stephen Hanson, of West Yorkshire Polices Child and Public Protection Unit, said: Primary school years are supposed to be the happiest of a persons life, but these women have been traumatised by the actions of Nichols.

We would like to commend the bravery of the ladies who have come forward to help us bring Nichols to justice.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds was asked for a comment by the T&A, but did not respond.

Description

A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for a string of disturbing sexual assaults, which included touching womens buttocks in public.

Desislav Branimov Ivanov, whose address was given as Grampian Prison, appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday. At an earlier hearing his address was given simply as Shetlands North Mainland.

Ivanov had previously pleaded guilty to eight charges of intentionally or recklessly sexually touching a number of women and a child between May and August this year. Sentencing was deferred at the time for background reports.

This week the court heard a narration of the charges from procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie, who said that Ivanov had engaged in a course of conduct redolent of a most unusual form of sexual fetishism.

Mr MacKenzie said that Ivanov appeared to achieve sexual gratification from surreptitiously touching unsuspecting females on the buttocks and from visually recording the contact on mobile phones.

Police examining material on two mobile phones and a laptop belonging to Ivanov found over 7,000 videos of concern over a period of three years, the fiscal said, adding that only a handful were taken in Shetland. The majority were taken abroad and fell outside of the jurisdiction of the court, Mr MacKenzie said.

Police first became involved after a woman was sexually assaulted on two separate occasions at the Brae Co-op supermarket. On 7th August Ivanov rubbed his hand across her buttocks, the charge states.

There was a distinct sense of disbelief, Mr MacKenzie said, and when the woman later reported the incident to her husband she was visually distressed.

At the same supermarket later that month Ivanov dropped his hat next to the same womans feet. As he crouched to retrieve his hat he then pressed his face against her buttocks while filming himself.

A member of staff and another shopper were alerted by her screams, Mr MacKenzie said, and police were informed. Officers seized CCTV footage of both incidents.

The fiscal added that there was no suggestion that the accused was following the complainer and that her twice ending up in the supermarket at the same time as him seems to have just been a coincidence.

After being identified in CCTV footage Ivanov was detained and interviewed by police, though he answered no comment to most questions. Police seized two mobile phones and a laptop and an initial search turned up 209 videos of concern.

Three of those videos were identified as having taken place in Shetland leading to a further three charges being brought against Ivanov, who was by then taken into custody where he remained after being refused bail.

This gave police more time to begin an onerous investigation which would eventually turn up over 7,000 videos of concern, Mr MacKenzie said.

Disturbing

Eight charges were eventually brought against Ivanov, including one involving touching a child aged between 13 and 16 on the buttocks. In another incident Ivanov was said to have placed his hand on the buttocks of a woman on a bus.

Mr MacKenzie said that the charges amounted to a disturbing course of conduct which was achieved with no concern for the distress that its caused the complainers.

In mitigation defence agent Tommy Allan said that Ivanovs behaviour was clearly very bizarre.

I dont have an explanation for it, he added.

In some of the cases its extremely fleeting, Mr Allan said, adding that the incidents did not progress towards groping or fondling and that some of the victims arent even aware of it. Nonetheless, his client had to accept that it caused distress to the complainers who were conscious of what had happened.

Ivanov appears to have some kind of compulsion, the defence agent added, noting that he had previously received psychological attention for an amphetamine addiction.

By way of punishment his client, whose parents live in Bulgaria, actually favoured the option of deportation Mr Allan said, also noting that Ivanov had already spent the equivalent of a six-month jail term in custody.

Sheriff Philip Mann said that if taken in isolation Ivanovs offences probably did not merit a custodial sentence for a first-time offender, but the total number of offences led him to favour a custodial sentence.

He said: When one considers that there are eight charges in total it paints a very disturbing picture of a course of offending which it is clear causes great distress and anxiety to those who are aware that they have been targeted in this way.

He sentenced Ivanov to two months in custody for each of the seven charges involving adult females and a further six months for the offence involving a child, running to a total of 20 months.

The time in prison will be backdated to when Ivanov first entered custody in August. The sheriff also granted a Crown motion for forfeiture of the two mobile phones and the laptop seized as part of the police investigation.

As for Ivanovs desire to be deported, that was a matter for the Home Office, Sheriff Mann said.

Description

A MAN who downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children from the internet has walked free from court.

Paul Brentnall, from Mossbank, was caught after his estranged wife found the images on his computer after he moved out of their house in Wiltshire.

And when the 46-year-old was arrested at his new home in Shetland officers found he had been at it again.

Lynne Henderson, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court this week that in November or December 2006 the defendant left his wife when they lived in Moormead Road, Wroughton.

She said he left a personal computer and a laptop and his wife asked a family friend to look at them because of what she found.

The family friend stopped quickly after finding indecent pictures on the machines and they were handed over to the police. Officers found 372 of the images on the computers, including 24 in the worst two categories.

Miss Henderson said Wiltshire officers flew to Shetland in November last year and with the permission of the islands sheriff arrested Brentnall.

When they questioned him he assured them there would be no more similar pictures on his new computer.

But when it was searched it was found to contain 32 more indecent images of children including two in the worst two categories. He told police he could not fathom how they got there and said he had erasing software on the new computer.

Brentnall pleaded guilty to one count of possessing and three of making indecent images of children. The court heard that though he admitted a further count of possession and making of similar images they took place in Scotland, and could only be prosecuted there.

Michael Cullum, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Much of the material had been sent to him by people he was communicating with over the internet, the court was told.

Mr Cullum said his client suffered from sleep apnoea and had to sleep with a mask because of the condition. He said his client was keen to accept help for what he had done and was being supported by his new partner.

Judge William Hart imposed a community order and told him to be under supervision for 18 months, do 120 hours of unpaid work and pay 250 costs. He will have to register as a sex offender for five years.