June 2014

Paedophile spotted in London by off-duty Bradford police officer is back in prison

A CONVICTED paedophile’s plot to evade the law by hiding in London under a new name was foiled by an eagle-eyed Bradford police officer enjoying a break in the capital.

Detective Sergeant Linda Christie spotted Michael McAuliffe purely by chance as she strolled in Leicester Square.

McAuliffe, 50, of Norfolk Square, Haworth, is a closely monitored sex offender after he was convicted of possession of child pornography.

He is registered with West Yorkshire Police and legally bound to notify them of any change of address.

Now he is behind bars for multiple new child porn offences after his plan to change his name to Ashley Peters and go under the radar in London was thwarted.

Det Sgt Christie was walking off her evening meal in Leicester Square when she saw a man handing out leaflets for a business.

When she took a second glance, she recognised the man as McAuliffe, who she knew had previously lived in London.

After his re-arrest, McAuliffe’s home was searched and the police unearthed a stash of thousands of revolting photos and movies of children, some at Level 5, the most serious.

Yesterday, McAuliffe pleaded guilty to 23 offences.

They included failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders’ register by changing his name and address without permission in November last year.

He also pleaded guilty to 17 charges of making thousands of indecent photos and movies of children and four offences of distributing indecent photos of children.

McAuliffe appeared by video link from Leeds Prison and immediately told the court clerk he was pleading guilty to all the charges.

The case was adjourned until July 21 for the preparation of a probation report.

Judge Jonathan Rose said the question of how much danger McAuliffe poses to the public must be addressed.

He remanded McAuliffe in custody and said the only issue was the length of the prison sentence he must serve.

Judge Rose said that as the porn stash included images at the most serious level, a police officer must bring a laptop computer to the sentencing hearing so the judge hearing the case can view them.

June 2014

No jail for dealer who giggled throughout child abuse images probe

A DRUG DEALER who was caught with child abuse images stored on his computer has again been spared jail after failing to turn up to do unpaid work.

Lewis Brown, who giggled through his police interview about the vile images, was ordered to do a total of 300 hours of unpaid work for the two sets of offences.

And after his last breach, which he blamed on insomnia, a judge warned him ‘you will know what will happen if you are foolish enough to breach the order again’.

However the 21-year-old again failed to turn up to do the work leading to the probation service starting breach proceedings against him.

But once he realised he was he realised he was at risk of being jailed he started to turn up and has now completed all 300 hours he was told to do.

Alex Daymond, defending, said he was still under supervision and if the suspended sentence was activated he would serve a very short period behind bars.

Judge Tim Mousley QC said: “It seems the threat of breach proceedings brought you to your senses and you began to comply again. I am not going to activate it.

“I have to add to the punishment which will be a curfew for two months from today from 8pm in the evening to 6am in the morning.

“If you breach that and you come back to the court and there are any further breaches of this order, notwithstanding the progress you have made, you are looking to go to prison.”

Brown, of Upham Road, Old Walcot, was put on four month jail term, suspended for a year, in July 2012 after he admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

During the drugs raid on his home on April 14, 2011, officers found search terms on his computer indicated what he had downloaded from the internet.

And in February last year he admitted making an indecent image of a child in 2010 and two counts of possessing extreme pornography in 2010 and 2011.

He was put on a six month suspended sentence, told to do 100 hours of unpaid work and register as a sex offender for five years.

Earlier this year the cafe worker admitted failing to comply with the terms of the order saying he was suffering from insomnia.

Although a judge told him to get medical evidence he said he couldn’t stretch to the £40 his doctor asked for, but regardless Judge Douglas Field imposed a curfew.

He said “I am going to reserve any further breach to myself and you will know what will happen if you are foolish enough to breach the order again in the future.”

Both sets of offences stem from a drug search at his home where police were startled to see the history on his computer showing he had searched for extreme pornography.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing officers seized the machine and a memory stick, and on the storage device found two films had been saved by him.

One was an 11-and-a-half minute movie, at the more serious end of the scale of depravity, involving two young girl aged between eight and ten years old.

The other was a six minute 48 second clip of extreme pornography involving an adult woman and an animal.

She said a further 139 images of extreme pornography were found on the computer.

She said “Your Honour will see in interview the defendant made no comment, but his conduct in interview was somewhat peculiar.

“Interrupting questions before they could be asked to shout ‘no comment’ over them. Appearing to find it amusing.”

Andrew Hobson, defending, said: “I make it perfectly clear from the outset that while Lewis Brown giggled during the police interview, he does not find these proceedings or the offence to which he pleaded guilty, remotely funny.”

December 2012

Sentence delayed for man who downloaded sexual images of children

A JUDGE has put off passing sentence on a 20-year-old who downloaded sexual images of children, so a psychiatric report can be prepared on him.

Lewis Brown, of Upham Road, Old Walcot, admitted making indecent images of children as well as having extreme pornography on his computer.

But after hearing how the 20-year-old ‘giggled’ as he was being questioned about the matter by police, his lawyer asked for time for a mental health assessment.

The case was adjourned to January 25 and Brown was released on bail until then.

June 2014

Sutton woman given suspended prison sentence for secret lesbian sex affair with under-age girl

A Sutton daughter of an Army squadron commander, has been given a suspended prison sentence for having a secret sexual fling with an under-age former girl cadet.

Amy Martin-Brown (21) was handed a 15-month prison-sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting three counts of abuse at Nottingham Crown Court.

Martin-Brown, who now lives on Aldgate Close in Bulwell, pleaded guilty to intentionally sexually touching a girl, aged 14 and later 15, between 1st January and 13th June last year. The girl cannot be named for legal reasons.

It was said that she met the girl at Eastwood Army Cadets, which was run by her father.

“There wasn’t an abuse of trust,” said Tina Dempster (prosecuting). “Martin-Brown wasn’t there in any official capacity.

“But she used to attend sessions and help out periodically because of her family’s involvement. Their relationship started after the girl left the cadets.”

The court was told that the girl was suffering from depression, and Martin-Brown offered to help.

“It became apparent that the girl was struggling with certain mental-health matters in her private life, and at about Christmas time, Martin-Brown asked her out,” said Miss Dempster.

“The relationship was consensual, and the girl knew that Martin-Brown was gay.”

It was a “true and honest friendship” that developed into a sexual affair, lasting five-to-six months, the court was told.

The sexual activity took place at Martin-Brown’s home in Sutton, where she lived at the time with her parents.

Martin-Brown later admitted she knew the girl was under-age. She had even baked a cake to celebrate her 15th birthday.

The relationship came to an end on Thursday 13th June when the girls’ parents found out and reported it to the police, the court heard.

The court heard that, since the two had broken up, the girl had received treatment for her mental-health problems, and her parents felt she now seemed happier.

But a statement by the girl, which was read to the court, said: “It’s difficult to say what impact the relationship had on me because I was already depressed.

“I recognise that what happened was wrong because of our ages. But I knew what was happening, and was never forced to do anything I didn’t want to do.”

Judge John Pini QC told Martin-Brown: “Whatever feelings you had, you were 20 years old and she was just a child. You should have known that what you were doing was totally inappropriate.”

As well as the suspended prison-sentence, Martin-Brown was placed under a supervision order for two years and banned from working with children.

June 2014

Man in monkey suit found guilty of biting baby

A man who bit a child while wearing a gorilla suit has been found guilty of assault, after a jury rejected his claim that it was all monkey business.

Waiter Brett Bennett put on the gorilla “onesie” and was playing an animal game with the 18-month-old baby when he bit the boy on the cheek.

He was found guilty of causing actual bodily harm after a doctor told Exeter Crown Court that force would have been needed to cause the red mark which was left on the child’s cheek.

Bennett donned his bizarre outfit to entertain the baby, and claimed he was pretending to nibble his ear when the child moved suddenly and his teeth slipped onto his face.

The jury rejected his version after hearing from the child’s mother how she heard the boy screaming and found him on the floor.

She only noticed the mark a few minutes later when she was at a café, but Bennett told her it looked like a rash before telling her the bite was accidental.

Bennett, of Tor Church Road, Torquay, denied causing actual bodily harm but was found guilty and his sentence adjourned for a pre-sentence report. During the two-day case the prosecution say the bite was deliberate, and Bennett says it was an unfortunate accident.

Torbay Hospital paediatrician Dr Rachel Nicholls told how she found a distinct bite mark, which she said indicated the use of force and the closing of the jaw.

Bennett said he was visiting the mother of the child and was trying to cheer him up because he was whingeing and grumpy after waking from a sleep. He said: “I thought I would clown around in a gorilla onesie. I was messing around doing monkey noises and trying to entertain the child.

I was messing around and generally having a laugh. “We were giggling around and I was nibbling at his ear, pretending to put my teeth around it. I was trying to cheer him up.

Something made him move suddenly and I accidentally bit his face. “It was a completely freak accident. It took just a split second to happen. I never intended to bite the boy.”

June 2014

Online paedophile jailed after being caught in the act

A prolific and predatory paedophile who was caught in the act when police carried out an early morning raid on his home has been jailed for five years.

Aaron Honey targeted children across the world and got them to send him indecent images of themselves after contacting them online via mobile phone apps and computer game chat facilities.

And when police went to arrest him at his home in Clover Hill, Coulsdon, last July, officers discovered he had his mobile phone connected to his computer and was downloading indecent pictures.

Honey pleaded guilty to a total of 24 offences involving seven victims when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court yesterday.

Surrey Police began investigating him after being contacted by the mother of an 11-year-old boy.

She told them her son had been communicating with a person called Aaron on his games console and Facebook.

During their conversations the boy was asked to send naked pictures.

After detectives arrested Honey they found 368 indecent images on his phone, as well as chat logs and contacts.

And during their investigation they discovered Honey had used instant chat mobile phone apps Kik Messenger and WhatsApp to groom children into sending indecent photos of themselves.

He also preyed on other youngsters via online chat facilities on games including Call of Duty and FIFA Football.

He also shared images with a network of other paedophiles he was in contact with online.

Officers traced and interviewed a number of victims Honey had communicated with and then pressured into sending him photos.

In two cases where young girls refused, Honey blackmailed them into it by threatening to distribute other images of them on the internet or on fake Facebook accounts.

The 21-year-old was bailed by police but rearrested last September and remanded in custody after officers discovered he had been continuing to contact children while on bail.

At court yesterday he admitted seven counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity involving seven victims, two counts of blackmail, one count of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography.

He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of distributing indecent photos of a child, five counts of making indecent photos of a child, one count of possessing prohibited images of a child and one count of possessing extreme pornography.

The court concluded that Honey was a dangerous offender and made him the subject of an extended sentence.

He was given a five year prison term with an extended licence period of four years.

This means he will not be eligible for release until three quarters of the five year sentence has been served and only if the parole board consider he is no longer dangerous.

He was also made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) which has a number of conditions prohibiting Honey from having contact with children under 16 and limiting any usage of the internet.

March 2010

Man sent to prison for raping 14-year-old girl

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to raping a 14-year-old girl.

Scott Ascroft, 39, of Bannister Drive in Leyland, was sentenced to five years and four months at Preston Crown Court for the attack in September 2009.

Det Insp Marc Nasser called it an “horrendous offence” and said: “He subjected his victim to a prolonged sexual attack and showed no remorse whatsoever during the police investigation.

“Ascroft repeatedly denied the allegations during numerous police interviews, despite forensic evidence, and only admitted his guilt during court proceedings.

“This is a further example of Ascroft’s complete disregard for his actions and his child victim.

“This was a despicable and traumatic attack on an innocent and vulnerable young girl and I do hope that this sentence will help to bring some closure to her and her family.”

Ascroft was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

June 2014

Pervert jailed for 14 years for historic sexual abuse of four girls aged between six and 10

A pervert has been jailed for 14 years after abusing four Oxford girls aged between six and 10.

Danny Prin, 37, abused the children between 1993 and 1995.

He was convicted and sentenced at Oxford Crown Court yesterday.

Prin, of Kennet Road, Bicester was convicted of 10 counts of indecent assault, six of indecency with children and four of rape relating to the four victims.

After being charged on November 7 last year, he pleaded guilty to one count of indecent assault, and a jury unanimously agreed that he was guilty of the other counts. He was acquitted of one other count.

Investigating officer Det Con Matthew Hodgetts said:”Recent high-profile trials of celebrities obscure the fact that the victims of historic abuse of children are often ordinary people, and that, in the main, the offenders are also not in the public eye.

“In this case, the crimes occurred 20 years ago, but it would be wrong just to leave events in the past.

“As the victims gave evidence it became apparent that what happened has continued to affect them.

“I hope that the fact that a jury has believed them will help them move forward with their lives.

“To others who are suffering in silence, this case shows that it is never too late to come forward to seek justice.”

June 2014

Mum’s fury as pervert walks free from court

Simon Kenneth Pickles, 19, was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting four charges of sexual activity with a child under 16 and two charges of sexual activity with a child under 13.

The offences took place in Macclesfield in 2012 and relate to two girls.

Pickles, formerly from Macclesfield but now living in Congleton, was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).

He was also put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

The mother of one of the victims has complained to the Attorney General against the sentence. She said: “Our family has endured 28 months of hell.

“Pickles tore my family apart and destroyed any faith I ever held in the justice system.  I am so angry, not only at Pickles and the fact that he has basically got away with what he did, but also angry beyond measure at a justice system that allows victims to suffer while perpetrators are set free.

“My little girl’s life is in tatters because of him and he is now laughing because the British justice system is geared towards the perpetrator of a crime and not the victim. I wanted to see him taken into custody. I was shocked to see him walk free from court.

“I have complained to the Attorney General and want to see a tougher sentence. My daughter still has nightmares and finds it difficult to trust people. The impact Pickles has had on our lives is devastating.”

Pickles denied all the offences but changed his plea to guilty on the day of the trial at Chester Crown Court.

The Attorney General has 28 days to review a sentence and decide whether or not to send it to the Court of Appeal.

June 2014

Former scout leader jailed for child sex offences against children

A former scout leader who admitted five charges of indecently assaulting three boys in the 1980s has been jailed.

John Pycock, 73, sexually abused the boys, aged eight to 11, while he was a scout leader in Billinghay, Lincolnshire.

Lincoln Crown Court heard how he invited the boys to his house while his wife was at work and abused them.

He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said the abuse took place between 1987 and 1990 when Pycock invited the boys to his home while his wife was working night shifts as a nurse.

The offences only came to light last year after one of his victims met Pycock at a social event and afterwards made a complaint to police.

Judge Sean Morris said it was “a monstrous breach of trust”.

He told Pycock, of Fiskerton, near Lincoln: “You have pleaded guilty to a catalogue of offending against young boys. You have completely devastated lives.”

“Your victims have been deeply affected by this and it is affecting them even now,” he added.

June 2014

Crawley sex offender jailed for 20 years for rapes of girls as young as six

A sexual offender has been jailed for 20 years after raping children as young as six.

Adam Warren was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Monday for a total of 20 years for a series of sexual offences against two girls who were seven and six at the time the offending began.

One girl was the victim of a rape, four sexual assaults, an attempted sexual assault and an offence of incitement to engage in sexual activity over a four year period while the other girl was subjected to five rapes and one sexual assault over three years.

The 35-year-old, of Warnham Road in Crawley, was convicted on May 19 after a re-trial.

Detective Constable Nathalie Bundy of the West Sussex Child Protection Team said; “This outcome is due to the immeasurable courage shown by the victims in coming forward to the police and giving evidence at two trials, as a jury was unable to agree on verdicts at the first trial last year.

“This sends another message that we will always take such reports seriously and will seek to achieve justice for victims, however long ago the offences are said to have happened.”

June 2014

Alvaston pensioner jailed for sexually abusing two boys

A PENSIONER who sexually abused two boys has been jailed for five years.

Michael Crawford, 69, of Barrett Street, Alvaston, was convicted of three counts of sexual assault against the boys who were six and 13/14 at the time they were abused.

The crimes took place almost 30 years ago in Allenton and only came to light when the two victims came forward in adult life.

DC Jackie Vallack and DC Sean Lambert, who carried out the two-year investigation, praised the bravery and determination of the two victims who came forward.

DC Lambert said: “It takes a great deal of courage to report these types of offences but I want to reassure victims that their allegations will be taken seriously and investigated.

“This case proves that successful prosecutions are possible and that the perpetrators of these crimes can be brought to justice.”

Crawford was handed a Sexual Offender Prevention Order restricting him from having unsupervised contact with boys under 16 years of age and was placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

June 2014

Darts player jailed for 16 years for raping vulnerable girl

A PROFESSIONAL darts player has been jailed for 16 years for the rape and indecent assault of a schoolgirl.

Judge George Moorhouse said Tony “The Viper” Eccles had “systematically” abused a vulnerable girl.

Eccles, 44, of Northgate, Hartlepool, was found guilty after a two-week trial of five charges of rape and five of indecent assault.

The court heard how the abuse started when the girl was 11 and lasted until she was 16.

The assaults escalated from sexual touching to rape, with one assault taking place in bushes.

The victim revealed how Eccles would give her CDs and cigarettes – and threatened that she would go to the “dirty girls’ school” if she told anyone about the abuse.

Passing sentence, Judge George Moorhouse said: “This was systematic, serious abuse over a number of years.

“It has clearly had an adverse affect on the victim – psychological scars that she will have with her for the rest of her life.”

At the start of the hearing at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday (June 26), Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, told the judge that supporters of the defendant had threatened the victim with violence on-line and said they would reveal her identity, which is protected by law.

Mr Dodds said: “Police are aware of these offences and I would advise those responsible to desist from such activity.”

Jim Withyman, mitigating, said his client was a skilled and well-regarded darts player.

He said: “Essentially these offences have come to lead this defendant to be estranged from his family.

“He has been prescribed anti-depressants and he has been living alone waiting for the result of this trial.”

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Caroline Mead, from Cleveland Police, said she hoped the conviction would encourage other victims of abuse to come forward.

She added: “I am delighted with the sentence passed today – this man systematically abused a child from the age of 11 until she was 16 and I hope this sends out a message to anyone who has carried out such abuse that we will catch up with you and you can look forward to a lengthy custodial sentence.”

Eccles, who previously lived in Middlesbrough’s South Bank, reached the quarter finals of the British Darts Organisation world championships earlier this year, only to announce he was then retiring.

He has won more than a dozen major tournaments in the sport

June 2014

Man jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting 18 sexual offences, including indecently assaulting a teenage boy

Sean Edward Dougherty, 46, was sentenced in Guernsey’s Royal Court.

He had admitted the assault, which took place in 2005, five counts of making indecent images of children and 12 of possessing indecent images and videos

Dougherty will be subject to strict conditions for five-years after his release.

These include not owning a computer with permission and not having contact with any children without the permission.

More than 29,000 illegal images and videos were found on various hard-drives and devices during a search of Dougherty’s flat in September 2012.

Crown Advocate Fiona Russell, prosecuting, said the victim of the assault had not approached police until 2012 and said the incident had a serious impact on his life as an adult.

Defence Advocate David Domaille said Dougherty was a socially withdrawn person and had expressed extreme remorse at his behaviour.

Judge Russell Finch said the acts could only be described as deplorable and the sentence had to reflect the distaste of the public surrounding cases of this nature.

June 2014

Droitwich youth worker jailed for child sex offences

A DROITWICH youth worker has been jailed three years and four months for child sex offences.

Phillip Poke, 23, of St Richards Gardens, was found guilty of ‘grooming’ a 13-year-old boy for sex at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday (June 25).

The court heard between June 2012 and January 2013 Poke had built up a relationship with the boy and had spoken in a sexually explicit ways online before meeting him in person and engaging in sexual acts.

DC Sarah Wood, who investigated the case, said: “We will continue to take crimes of this nature very seriously and believe the sentencing sends a very clear message.

“This offender was in a position of trust and he abused the position to build up an inappropriate relationship with a teenager.

“We will continue to do all we can to protect children and young people who are at risk.”

June 2014

Colwyn Bay pensioner jailed for sexually abusing two boys

The secret perverted past of a pensioner caught up with him when he was locked up for six years for child sex offences.

It was more than 30 years ago that Bryan Jones, now 66, sexually assaulted two little boys.

He suggested playing strip jack poker and then indulged in sexual acts with them when they were naked. The offences occurred in the late 70s and early 80s.

Mold Crown Court heard his victims challenged him about 15 years ago about what he had done to them as children.

He admitted what he had done, said he could not explain it and apologised to them.

Earlier this year the victims felt able to tell the police – and when he was arrested he made full admissions.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said  Jones, of Penn Court, Llysfaen near Colwyn Bay, committed very serious offences when he took advantage of his young victims.

What he had done had a profound effect on them and they had struggled to come to terms with it, he said.

Judge Rowlands told Jones, who had no previous convictions: “You got away with your behaviour for many years. I am afraid at 67 you are going to have to face the consequences of what you then did.”

His guilty pleas were important, said the judge, who warned that if he had been convicted after trial then he would have received a nine year sentence.

The defendant had admitted 20 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency at the local magistrates’ court where they were described as “deeply unpleasant allegations”.

Prosecuting barrister Matthew Dunford told how when Jones suggested the boys play strip jack poker, one of them remembered praying that it would not happen, but it did.

The other recalled how he was told to fantasise about a super model while the defendant performed a sexual act upon him. He had suffered flashbacks.

Simon Mintz, defending, said that the defendant was an isolated and lonely man.

He had made full confessions and was clearly remorseful.  Jones was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

The judge also made a life-time sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) which bans him from contacting the victims.

He is also banned from living in the same house as a child and must not have any unsupervised contact with children.

DI Kelly Isaacs  of Amethyst Team (North Wales Police Dedicated Sexual Offences Team) said: “It’s important the public know that North Wales Police and its partner agencies offer specialist support to victims of sexual offences.  Bryan Jones admitted his accountability for the offences he committed.

“Sex offenders should be clear that there are no excuses for the destructive impact their actions have on their victims.”

Amethyst Team provide specialist services to support victims and encourage anyone who has been the victim of a sexual offence to come forward. 

Reporting a sexual offence is about empowering victims and ensuring they have access to specialist support they may require. 

If a victim does not feel ready to report to the Police then services can be accessed through the confidential Amethyst SARC Helpline on 0808 156 3658

June 2014

Shamed Coventry junior football coach jailed for sex tourism abuse of young boys

A junior football coach from Coventry has been jailed after a court heard he led a sordid double life as a sex tourist in Egypt.

Alan Rattigan, 64, of Avon Street, Stoke, was sentenced to four and a half years for child sex offences.

He had been involved in local sport for 23 years becoming a popular and respected children’s football coach. His latest position was coaching a Coventry club’s under-15s side.

A judge said Rattigan had a darker side to his character which led him to travel abroad to abuse young boys.

The crown court at Leamington was told there was no suggestion of any abuse in this country.

A judge heard Rattigan filmed himself abusing two young boys and when police raided his Coventry home they found he had even framed a ‘‘deeply sick’’ photo of himself and a boy and hung it on his bedroom wall.

Rattigan, who was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life, had pleaded guilty to three charges of causing two Egyptian boys to engage in sexual activity during a period in 2004 by getting them to perform sex acts with each other and one of the boys to do the same to him.

He also admitted two similar offences which took place two years later, including getting one boy to have sex with the other boy, and one offence of sexual activity with a child by having sex with one of the boys.

In addition he pleaded guilty to eight charges of taking indecent photographs and movies of children and seven of making hundreds of indecent images of children by downloading them.

Prosecutor Alex Warren said that in February last year the police received information which led to them executing a search warrant at Rattigan’s home and arresting him.

They seized computers, storage media, a camcorder and tapes and photographic prints which made it ‘‘immediately apparent he had a sexual interest in young boys’’.

Mr Warren said: “The six camcorder tapes had indecent movies of children, and the defendant also featured in them. Most, if not all appeared to have occurred in Egypt.

“The digital media also contained indecent images of children, both ones created by the defendant and ones he had downloaded from the internet.”

Mr Warren said that when Rattigan was interviewed, he told the police he worked as a children’s football coach and was attracted by young male bodies, with a fetish for them wrestling.

Rattigan said he had first visited Egypt in 2000 and had visited many times since then, and in 2004 he had been introduced to the boys after being offered the opportunity to have sex with them for money.

Judge Richard Griffith-Jones commented: “He is effectively a sex tourist, using the economic disparity between here in the West and other parts of the world for his sexual desires.”

He said in his opinion one victim was nine or 10 years and the other about 12 or 13.

David Murray, defending, said: “He has had some difficulty reconciling the harm which clearly would have been done by his offending behaviour.

‘‘But he has understood, when being pressed by the author of the pre-sentence report, that the two victims were vulnerable by reason of their age and financial hardship in their own country.’’

Rattigan has been a coach with a Coventry football club’s under-15s, but Mr Murray stressed: “In 23 years playing sport and coaching for a longer period there is no suggestion of any such activity in this country at all.’’

Jailing Rattigan, Judge Griffith-Jones told him: “You have led a life which has drawn popularity and admiration from those around you.

“In truth there has been a darker side to your character; one with a perverse and damaging distorted sexual perspective.’’

June 2014

Bradford oil worker jailed in Kazakhstan for child abuse offences

A Bradford-raised oil worker, who is a son of a University of Bradford professor, has been jailed for eight years in Kazakhstan for child abuse images offences.

A court in the Central Asian country heard that Peter Baruch – who is married and has two children aged under five years – paid between £40 and £60 for a 12-year-old girl to pose naked and in underwear in his hotel room in Uralsk, north-western Kazakhstan.

Kazakh police said they found more than 600 photographs of the girl – and pictures of teenage girls – on the 38-year-old’s computer.

Baruch, an engineering consultant for Zhaikmunai oil company in Atyrau and Uralsk since 2009, was also accused of corrupting at least one under-age child in Uralsk, the court heard.

Baruch was a pupil at Rhodesway Upper school in Bradford from 1989 to 1994. He was born and brought up in Clayton.

Kazakh media reported that Baruch gave a partial guilty plea during his trial, explaining that the girls were taped for himself. He is said to have met them online.

Baruch was initially arrested earlier this year. He was charged with corruption of minors and production and distribution of child pornography, and engaging minors in pornographic events.

The court was told that police raided his room after the girl’s mother became suspicious of money she brought home and read text messages on her phone.

It was also said that Baruch tried to destroy his computer when he noticed the police team.

Police also said that the girls on Baruch’s pictures were aged between 12 and 17 and students of schools in Uralsk and Atyrau.

In mitigation, Baruch’s lawyer Khamid Khodzhanazarov said his client was sure the girl was over 15 years old.

Mr Khodzhanazarov previously told East2West News: “He made friends with her on-line, her date of birth was put there as October 22, 1998.

“I have saved the screenshots of her page and they are attached to the criminal case file.

“In reality, she is younger, her date of birth is October 22, 2001. My client had no idea she was so young.”

The laws under which he was charged relate to children aged below 15, according to Kazakh media reports.

Last month, Kazakh media outlet Tengri News reported that Baruch’s parents had sent a letter to the Prosecutor’s Office of Uralsk, requesting a pardon for their son. Prosecutor Aidyn Rashidov said his parents asked the office to consider their son’s family circumstances and his two children.

Baruch’s father, Dr John Baruch, an expert in astronomy and technology at Bradford University, did not want to comment when contacted by the Telegraph & Argus yesterday.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We can confirm the detention of a British national in Kazakhstan on Friday 7 February 2014. Consular officials are in contact with the Kazakh authorities and are providing assistance to the British national.”

June 2014

Exeter barman jailed for exposing himself to schoolgirls on-line

A barman has been jailed after he exchanged sex selfies with three schoolgirls on Skype.

James Bingham groomed the girls after meeting them in person or in on-line chat rooms and persuaded two of them to perform sex acts for him in front of their webcams.

The 19-year-old also exposed himself to all of the victims, including one girl who he knew was aged just 13, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Bingham was found with a hundred of child abuse images on his computer when police raided the home where he lived with his grandparents in Exeter.

Detectives recovered Skype chat logs from his two laptops which showed he started asking for sexually explicit images shortly after making contact with the girls, who were aged 13 or 15.

The youngest girl was the only one to turn down his pleas for webcam sex shows and she later told police she found his messages ‘creepy’.

He had told some of the girls he was the same age as them when in fact he was up to five years older.

Bingham, of Haytor Drive, Exeter, who worked at a pub in Longdown, admitted four offences of inciting a child to pornography, two of causing children to watch a sexual act, seven of making or distributing indecent images and one of breaching the terms of the sex offenders’ register.

He was jailed for two and a half years by Judge Erik Salomonsen, who told him:”It is clear to me there was no emotion or affection. You were doing this simply for sexual gratification.

“These offences involved three separate girls and you clearly have a sexual interest in young girls. It was abusive conduct on your part.”

Miss Bathsheba Cassel, prosecuting, said Bingham met one girl in person and then started text and Skype chats and the others on the internet.

In every case he turned the conversation to sex. He told the 15-year-old he was their age and performed sex acts in front of his webcam before asking them to do the same for him in Skype video calls.

Miss Cassel said the 13-year-old refused and later told police:”His calls and texts started to become creepy”.

Detectives also recovered 112 indecent images or movies from his computers, including more than 20 in the most serious category.

Bingham failed to notify the police after admitting his offences at an earlier hearing at which he was ordered to sign on the sex offenders’ register.

Mr James Calderbank, defending, said Bingham’s offending should not be compared to those who exploit girls and make money by distributing obscene material on the internet.

He said:”There was no significant degree of planning. It was a boy on his computer in a chat room. It is more akin to selfies and he was 17 at the time.”

He said he had admitted everything as soon as police raided his grandfather’s home where he lived.

He said Bingham had struggled at school but worked at a Coop shop and the Lamb Inn where he was also studying for an NVQ.

June 2014

Dundee man admits having child abuse videos on home computer

A Dundee 31-year-old who downloaded almost 60 hours of child abuse videos will be sentenced next month.

Pawel Stefanowski was caught with hundreds of obscene images and clips of children as young as nine, when police raided his Fullarton Street home in September.

Fiscal depute Trina Sinclair told Dundee Sheriff Court that officers were eventually admitted entry to his home after Stefanowski instructed his distressed wife over the phone from Aberdeen to let them in.

Two laptops and three hard drives were retrieved and a number of files were found.

Stefanowski admitted between January 22 and September 8 last year at his home address, taking or permitting to be taken or made indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.

He also admitted distributing or showing photographs or pseudo photographs of children.

Sheriff Elizabeth Munro deferred sentence on Stefanowski until July 31

June 2014

Pensioner in possession of almost 1,500 extreme bestiality porn images spared jail

A 71-year-old man who admitted possessing almost 1,500 extreme pornographic images of bestiality has been spared jail so that he can get treatment.

Police found the haul on the computer of Alfred Edge when they visited his home in Attlee Crescent, Bilston on January 16 last year, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told yesterday.

Mr Mark Rees, prosecuting, said: “There were still and moving images of acts of bestiality. When questioned about them, the defendant made no comment.”

Edge, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing 1,460 extreme pornographic images of people involved in sexual acts with animals, and also to possessing a further 27 moving images of the same nature.

Mr Jasvir Mann, defending, told the court: “He feels absolute disgrace over these proceedings. He is thoroughly ashamed. He made a serious mistake but even at his age he has the wish and the ability to change.”

And he added: “He does not have a computer any more and has no intention of ever having one again.”

Edge was given a three year community order by the court that will include attendance at a community sex offender programme and only allow him to live at an address approved by his supervising officer.

Judge John Wait told him during his sentencing: “I do not regard it as being in the public interest to send you to prison at the public expense. It will be far better for you to be required to go on a programme that will address this kind of offending.

“This is a vile crime.”