July 2014

Rotherham brothers had images of child abuse

Two ‘lonely and isolated’ brothers have been sent on an intensive three-year sex offenders’ course after they downloaded over a million pornographic images between them.

Robert and John Sanderson, aged 41 and 45, were found to have hundreds of thousands of pornographic images and videos which included legal adult porn, indecent images of children, extreme pornography and images of bestiality, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Neither of the brothers had ever had a relationship with anybody else and they lived ‘in their own little world’, the court was told.

John Sanderson was a ‘hoarder’ who had been downloading porn from the internet for around eight years.

His brother was a convicted sex offender who was being monitored by police.

The court heard the huge hoard was discovered when officers attended the brothers’ home in Dearne View, Goldthorpe, Rotherham, to make checks on Robert.

They found a naturist video on his computer featuring naked children and he was arrested.

When officers went upstairs to John Sanderson’s room he handed over a number of discs telling the police they contained legal images.

But the first image they opened was an indecent image of a child and he was arrested too.

Judge Peter Kelson QC said sending them on the ‘highly successful’ three year Northumbria Group Programme was the best course of action for society and it could ‘cure them’ of their ‘illegal addiction’.

July 2014

NAAFI worker had child abuse images on warship in Plymouth

A NAAFI worker has been convicted of having child abuse images on board a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.

Civilian Shaun Sparrow, aged 28, broke down in tears after a jury found him guilty of having indecent images on HMS Illustrious in Plymouth Sound.

Police found 28 images on his hard drive, laptop computer and mobile phone, Plymouth Crown Court heard.

Recorder Francis Abbott adjourned sentence for a probation report, but said he would not be sending him to prison.

Sparrow, of Ashington in Northumberland, had denied five counts of possessing and one count of making indecent pictures of children in October and November 2011.

He claimed that he never knowingly downloaded the images and was not aware they were on his devices until police informed him.

Sparrow said he was homosexual and had looked at legitimate adult pornography.

But the jury took an hour and a half to convict him on all six charges by unanimous verdicts.

Sparrow showed little reaction as the foreman announced the decision.

But he sobbed in the dock as the judge and barristers discussed the case after the jury left.

Recorder Abbott said: “I am prepared to tell you now I am not considering sending you to prison for these offences.”

The court heard four of the images were in Category A, the most extreme; one was in Category B and 23 were in Category C.

Sailors on board the Portsmouth-based warship told the court how they shared each other’s hard drives to watch the latest films and television programmes.

One said Sparrow lent him his hard drive but he could not connect it to his computer.

A colleague later picked up the hard drive – only to discover a film of underage boys performing an indecent act.

Sparrow told the court he was suspended when the images were discovered and left the NAAFI when his pay was stopped. He said was now working at an AA call centre in Newcastle.

The judge released Sparrow on bail until a date to be fixed for a probation report. He must sign the Sex Offenders Register immediately.

July 2014

Slough care worker who ‘grossly abused’ position of trust is jailed for having sexual relations with teenager

A CARE worker at a children’s home in Slough who ‘grossly abused’ his position of trust has been jailed for 18 months for having sexual relations with a teenager

Shaun Hinks, 45, of Ship Leonard Street, Portsmouth, was jailed at Reading Crown Court and was ordered to sign onto the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

He was charged with seven counts of sexual activity with a teenager, and one count of taking an indecent photograph of a child, relating to incidents involving a girl under the age of 18 between May 26 and May 30, 2013.

The incidents took place at Mallards in Slough, and also during a short stay at a hotel in Portsmouth where Hinks had arranged to meet his victim.

Hinks pleaded guilty to five of the seven sexual activity charges on July 16, but not guilty to two of the other charges, as well as the charge of taking an indecent photograph of the victim.

These three charges will lie on file.

Detective constable Luke Simms, investigating officer, said: “Hinks took advantage of a young girl in care by grossly abusing his position of trust.

Although the victim may have felt she was consenting at the time of the incidents, she was clearly vulnerable and was being systematically groomed by Hinks. “He would have been fully aware that the victim was under 18 and that given his position of trust and duty of care, it was a serious criminal offence and entirely inappropriate to engage in sexual activity with her.

“His behaviour was completely unacceptable and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of what took place. “I appreciate this has been a difficult case for the victim to face given she trusted Hinks so I would like to thank her for her co-operation throughout our investigation.”

Hinks was suspended from working at Mallards during the police’s investigation and has since been dismissed from his role. 

July 2014

Woman who encouraged a schoolgirl to prostitute herself has been jailed for 32 months.

Joanne Burr, 32, told the 15 year old to “close her eyes and think of the money” as she engaged in a sex show with the youngster for 73 year old pervert Roy Spencer.

Preston Crown Court heard Burr, of Chapel Street, Coppull, was in financial difficulties and dependant on cocaine when the youngster confided in her she had allowed Spencer to use her as a sex object in a hotel in Chorley as she was desperate for cash.

But rather than helping the youngster, Burr encouraged her to phone Spencer and offer to perform for him at her home. Spencer agreed and £200 was transferred to Burr’s bank account.

Spencer, 73, (pictured below) of no fixed address, was jailed for eight years at Preston Crown Court last week for his part in the sickening abuse of the schoolgirl.

The court heard the victim had a controlling boyfriend and needed £140 to pay off a drugs debt.

Following her ordeal she was admitted to hospital as a result of her trauma and remained as an inpatient until she was able to access the support and help she needed.

Burr pleaded guilty to sexual assault on the basis it was not her idea to perform the sex show.

But Judge Heather Lloyd, sentencing, said: “Even so, you did not take the role of the sensible adult and say no.

“You prepared for it, you allowed your home to be used, you had your own costumes and (accessories).

“I accept that any woman who sells herself for sex is likely to be in a place of desperation but if you as an adult decide to prostitute yourself for money, as you did that night and have done subsequently, then that is your prerogative but do not include a child.

“The sad and simple fact is you used her in order to gain money and you were not thinking of her welfare.”

Click this link for sentencing of Spencer

July 2014

Man who sexually abused & raped girls as young as 10 yrs old is jailed for 19 years

A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for 19 years for using two young girls as “sexual playthings” and directing them to pose for indecent photographs.

Paul Wilkinson, 41, of Broadstone Way, Holme Wood, Bradford, raped a ten-year-old girl, attempted to rape her and sexually assaulted her.

He was also found guilty by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of attempting to rape a second girl aged ten and sexually assaulting her.

Wilkinson had amassed a huge stash of child abuse images and took perverted photos of both his victims.

His “terribly criminality” came to light when the police raided his home and seized his computer with more than 12,000 indecent photos of children on it.

Further child sexual abuse pictures and movies were found on his phone.

Yesterday, Wilkinson sat in the dock with his arms folded as Judge Neil Davey QC said he had been found guilty of a catalogue of offences against two young girls.

He must sign on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order bans him from having any unsupervised contact with girls under 16.

Judge Davey told Wilkinson: “You treated these girls as sexual playthings.”

He undressed his first victim when she was aged nine or ten, showed her a pornographic movie, tried to have sex with her and then raped her.

When she was 11, he directed her to pose for him while he took indecent photos of her.

The jury was shown indecent pictures he took of the second girl that he added to his hoard of child abuse images.

Wilkinson’s barrister, Tina Landale, said he had lost his family, his home and all his possessions.

He was put in care when a young child and had led a lonely life.

After the case, Detective Constable John Higgins, of West Yorkshire Police’s Abusive Images Unit, said: “The investigation into Wilkinson began when indecent images were found on his computer but this escalated when victims came forward to make allegations of serious sexual abuse against him.

“The lengthy term of imprisonment passed down today reflects the severity of these offences.

“We would like to thank the victims and their families for coming forward and we hope it will help to give them some closure.

“We also hope it will encourage other victims of sexual abuse to engage with West Yorkshire Police and our specially trained officers, who will investigate all offences sensitively and thoroughly, with the aim of securing convictions against offenders.”

July 2014

Deal mother seduced boy of 14 for drunken sex but spared jail at Canterbury Crown Court

A Deal mother-of-two seduced a 14-year-old schoolboy 30 years her junior after a drunken night out.

Divorced Karen Ackland’s illicit tryst was rumbled after the boy’s older brother heard moaning noises coming from a bedroom.

The 44-year-old former sailor was heard demanding her teenage lover spit into her mouth during their noisy sex session.

Then – while she was having sex – she was heard to say: “I can’t believe I’m doing this with a 15-year-old!”

But Canterbury Crown Court heard the victim was only 14 at the time of the romp last year.

Ackland, of Cavell Square, managed to avoid an immediate jail sentence after she admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child.

Speaking after the sentence, the victim’s mother said: “I think women should have as long sentences as men. It’s exactly the same sexual act.

“It shouldn’t be any different for men and women and if she had been a man I think she would have had a jail sentence.”

Ackland changed her pleas to guilty just minutes before a trial was due to start when the schoolboy was expected to have been called to give evidence.

Her barrister Dominic Webber asked the judge what the maximum sentence was likely to be if she entered guilty pleas.

After a few minutes, Ackland returned from a cigarette break and admitted the offences. She was given a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for a year.

July 2014

Pensioner jailed for historic sex offences against young girls

A 70-year-old man has been sentenced to five years and one month in prison for historic sexual offences.

Terrance O’Donnell, of Mawfa Walk in Gleadless, Sheffield, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Crown Court to six counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape of a child.

The offences date back to the 1970s, when O’Donnell abused two young girls in South Yorkshire.

The victims reported the historic abuse to police in October 2012 and O’Donnell was arrested. Following a lengthy investigation, O’Donnell was charged in January 2014.

July 2014

Child sex offences, guilty plea

A man from Ipswich has pleaded guilty to 19 child sex offences in Suffolk and the north-west of England.

Brian Callaghan was arrested at his home in September 2012 following several allegations of historical sexual assaults in Suffolk and Lancashire from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The 78-year-old retired man from Waterford Road was charged with offences in December 2013.

At Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, July 30, he pleaded guilty to two counts of administering a drug with intent to have sex; six counts of inciting indecency with children; six counts of sexual assault; three counts of child rape; two counts of committing gross indecency with children and one count of cruelty to a child.

Senior Investigating Officer, Ds Darren Bruce, said: “The case against Brian Callaghan highlights the continued determination by Suffolk Police to identify and prosecute those people responsible for committing sexual offences, no matter when they occurred.

These crimes were abhorrent. We wonder if he has ever stopped to think about the damage he has done to the children while he sought sexual gratification or how their lives will probably be scarred for ever.

We here at Suffolk Police are fully committed to investigating of all aspects of child abuse and sexual assault. Dedicated officers are specially trained to undertake difficult and emotive investigations on a daily basis. Working with all professionals within the field of child protection, we are making a difference promoting the welfare of children to protect them from harmful people.”

He was remanded on court bail prior to his sentencing which will take place at the end of the trial of his co-defendant.

The trial of 54-year-old unemployed Diane Foster from Downside Close in Ipswich is due to take place at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, October 6.

She was charged with four counts of committing gross indecency with children; one count of aiding and abetting rape and one count of cruelty to a child.

July 2014

Grandad’s sordid affair led to child abuse images arrest

A MARRIED Wigan man’s secret affair with a woman he met via an internet swingers site came to light after he sent her child abuse images.

A court heard that grandfather John Riley and the woman began a sexual relationship and exchanged hundreds of text messages.

These included “sending each other numerous photographs to each other of a sexual nature,” said Harry Pepper, prosecuting. The photographs they sent of each other involved sexual poses and engaging in sexual acts.

“She was in love with him and did not want him to be married,” he added.

When their phones were examined by police the messages totalled more than 2,000 pages.

She had contacted the police after Riley sent her six indecent images of children, including one in the most serious category, said Mr Pepper.

When arrested and interviewed in March last year 50-year-old Riley, a delivery driver, admitted exchanging messages with the woman he had met via a swingers website.

He also admitted searching the internet and looking for pre-teen models, girls about 18 and generally “mooching” around the internet.

Riley, of Beechwood Crescent, Orrell, pleaded guilty to possessing an indecent photograph of a child and five of distributing an indecent image, in all three categories of seriousness.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Riley’s wife, Julie, is standing by him as are the couple’s two daughters.

Barbara Webster, defending, said in mitigation, that because of the offences he has only been able to see his baby granddaughter once or twice.

The offences had happened as long ago as 2012 but it was only this year he appeared in court.

The judge, Recorder Richard Pratt, QC, imposed a community sentence and ordered him to attend the stringent Northumbria sex offenders course for three years and to pay £500 prosecution costs.

“You are very lucky that the family you have are prepared to forgive this utterly disgraceful behaviour you involved yourself in,” he said.

The judge also ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years and imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his internet use.

July 2014

Facebook pervert ordered to sign on sex offenders list

A MAN who tried to lure schoolgirls into sending him explicit photographs has been ordered to sign on the sex offenders register. 

Luke Beard, age 29, was sent on a sex offenders’ treatment course last week after he admitted trying to coax three 13-year-old Devon girls into taking indecent images of themselves. 

He was not ordered to sign on the register at the original hearing at Exeter Crown Court because of a legal mix up over whether it could be imposed without a jail term.

The case was brought back before Judge Phillip Wassall after prosecutor Mr Joss Ticehurst said he had checked the law and registration should have been imposed automatically.

Judge Wassall ordered Beard to sign on as soon as possible.

Beard, of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, admitted three offences of inciting a child to make an indecent image and was ordered to take part in a sex offenders treatment programme as part of a three year community order.

During that case the court heard how he set up bogus Facebook accounts in which he posed as a sixth former and made contact with 13-year-old girls who he asked to send him ‘cheeky’ pictures.

He was caught when the mother of one of the girls became suspicious about her daughter’s Facebook conversations and reported Beard to the police. None of the girls actually sent him any images.

At the time Beard was living in Ilfracombe and working as a barman and shop assistant. He has since returned to his family home in Southend.

August 2014

A THUG who thought of himself ‘as God’ has been told he faces a lengthy for a sickening 14-year campaign of violent abuse against his wife and a child.

Twisted Thomas Thomson could be locked up for up to five years for subjecting his wife and a child to a series of brutal beatings between 1996 and 2010.

The violence the brutality doled out on the victims was so severe he even stood accused of a samurai sword attack on the child — then aged just 11.

Thomson, who lives in Renfrew, told his wife’s relatives ‘he was God’ and was so controlling over her he even ruled over what she ate when they went out for food.

The reign of terror ended in 2010, and in 2013 he landed in the dock over his antics.

At a trial held at Paisley Sheriff Court last week, a jury found Thomson guilty of 14-year campaign of abuse.

During his trial the court heard how Thomson, who now lives in Renfrew, attacked the pair at a house in Linwood.

Between June 15, 1996 and August 31, 2010, at various homes they lived in Thomson attacked his wife.

He would often punch and slap her on the head, kick her on the body, push her to the ground and drag her along the floor, grab her by the throat and throttle her and grab her by the hair.

In one shameful assault, during 2006, he threatened his wife before grabbing her and pushing her against a wall of their home in Linwood’s Wilson Avenue.

Armed with a knife, the 39-year-old pushed it against her throat and threatened to stab her.

And over an eight year period, between 2002 and 2010, Thomson also beat the child from the age of eight to 16.

The child was punched and slapped time and time again by Thomson, who is originally from Glasgow.

The jury rejected claims Thomson had also grabbed the child by the hair, smacked its head off walls and hit it with different objects.

They also cleared him of brandishing a samurai sword at the child and trying to hit the youngster with the deadly blade.

But they found him guilty of two assault charges in relation to his wife, and a series of assaults on the youngster.

During the trial the court heard from Thomson’s wife’s cousin and best friend, Amanda O’Brien.

The 34-year-old said the pair were as close as sisters could be, saying they were the first person the other would turn to if they had a problem.

She said she watched as her friend and Thomson went from being a ‘normal young couple’ to a pair who had serious problems.

She said: “He was totally gone – telling me he was god and stuff like that.

“I don’t think Tommy was in a right mental state at that point.

“He was like the big brother I never had – I don’t know what happened to him.”

The mother-of-three said that was about five years ago, in 2009.

And she told the court that, over the course of her relationship with Thomson, her friend changed from being a ‘bubbly, really confident and dead understanding’ person who always looked good to a quiet person who didn’t care about how she looked.

Thomson’s wife walked out on him in 2010, turning up at O’Brien’s home with children.

During the trial Gordon Ritchie, defending, made a no case to answer submission on charges that Thomson had pulled a knife on his wife and tried to attack the child with a samurai sword.

Sheriff Seith Ireland ruled there was enough evidence to convict Thomson of both.

The jury found him guilty of the knife attack, battering his wife and repeatedly attacking the child, but cleared him of the sword attack.

After Thomson’s conviction Sheriff Ireland called for reports on the thug, who received his first conviction when he was just 11

August 2014

Man jailed over nephew abuse

A Co Armagh man branded by a judge as a “sexual predator” has been jailed for five years for the “repeated and persistent” sexual abuse of his young nephew

Thomas Francis Donaghy, 77 (pictured above) of O’Callaghan Road, Silverbridge, was found guilty in June this year by a unanimous jury verdict of eight counts of gross indecency and eight counts of indecent assault on Micheal Donaghy.

The offences spanned a four year period over three decades ago – when the victim was aged ten – as he slept in his uncle’s bed.

During a sentencing hearing, prosecution lawyer Geraldine McCullough told Newry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, that Micheal Donaghy had been shunned by his father, mother, brother and sister since he first told them about the allegations.

“However, he has the continued support of his wife Sinead and children throughout these proceedings. The defendant still denies these offences and has shown no remorse.”

Ms McCullough added that the aggravating features in the case were that the sexual abuse took place at night when the Donaghy family were in bed; the breach of trust by an uncle on his nephew; and that no remorse had been shown.

Thomas Donaghy’s defence barrister John Kearney QC said: “He hails from a country area. He has lost everything that was important to him.

“He has lost his good name and his reputation. He wants to move back to the area where he lives upon his release from prison.”

Outlining the facts of the case, Judge Stephen Fowler QC said Micheal Donaghy would stay at his grandparents’ family farmhouse in Silverbridge where his uncle also lived.

The judge said the victim had to sleep in his uncle’s double bed as there was no other bedrooms available.

“Micheal Donaghy told the jury that he would go to bed in his T-shirt and pants,” the judge said, adding that a sexual act was then performed on the child, who was then made repeat the act on his uncle.

“This abuse was repeated and sustained which started when Micheal was ten until he was 14 years of age. He was being manipulated by the defendant for his own selfish sexual gratification.”

The court heard that on one occasion, the defendant got on top of his nephew and carried out a degrading sexual act on him.

The judge said that the defendant had “had deliberately set about grooming and sexually abusing Micheal for his own sexual purpose” from an early age which had caused the victim a “significant degree of harm which, in my view, was substantial”.

The court was also told that when Micheal Donaghy decided to tell his parents and his brother and sister about the abuse, “they didn’t believe him and he was left feeling angry”.

Judge Fowler QC said that it wasn’t until Micheal Donaghy’s children reached the age that he was when he was abused that he “felt compelled to report the matters to the police”.

His uncle was later arrested by the PSNI and during interview, denied sexually abusing his nephew.

The defendant accused his nephew of making up the allegations saying Micheal Donaghy had found out he had left his land to another nephew.

“These matters were placed before the jury,” said Judge Fowler QC, “and it was the cornerstone of the defendant’s defence and which the jury duly rejected.”

Branding the defendant a “sexual predator”, the judge added: “This was sexual abuse carried out against a child who was vulnerable because of his age and who was in the formative years of his life.

“This abuse happened in his grandparents’ home where he should have felt safe and where he should have been safe. The abuse was a serious breach of trust. The defendant was in a position of trust and told his victim that it would be their secret.

“The defendant has expressed no remorse and has given no insight into his conduct.”

The judge stated that the starting point for sentence was four years, but added that “this case merits an uplifting” because of the aggravating features.

“This case involved significant planning and that’s evident by the fact that the defendant kept this quiet from his parents when he was abusing the victim in a small farmhouse.

“The duration of this offending which took place over four years from 1981-1985. There was a significant age differential: he was in his mid-40s and his victim was a child of ten when the offending began.”

Judge Fowler QC added: “I am satisfied that this defendant poses a medium risk of sexual reoffending and there is a need to protect the public from serious harm from this defendant and that harm could be further sexual offending.”

Donaghy was jailed for five years concurrent on each of the eight counts of indecent assault. He received concurrent two-year prison terms for the eight counts of gross indecency.

The judge also banned him from working with children and ordered Donaghy to be subject to a Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order for five years.

Additionally, the defendant must also notify police within three days of his release of an address he plans to live at, any change of address, and also any plans to travel abroad for more than three days.

Speaking outside Laganside court complex on Friday following sentencing, Micheal Donaghy said he was “relieved” that his uncle had finally been jailed.

“There are no winners in all of this,” saId the 44-year-old.

“It is just a relief that it is finally all over and I don’t have to come back to court.”

Asked about how his family had shunned him since he went to the police, Mr Donaghy replied: “I just have to move on with my life.”

He added: “I hope other victims out there in a similar position to me will now come forward and speak out because there is help available.

“I want to thank prosecution counsel Geraldine McCullough, the Public Prosecution Service, the PSNI, Nexus, Victim Support for all the support they gave me throughout this case.

“I also want to thank my close neighbours and friends for standing by me, for believing in me and for all their support and help.”

July 2014

JAILED: Man with HIV who sexually abused 14-year-old girl

A BOURNEMOUTH man with HIV who sexually abused a 14-year-old girl has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Shaun Dallison’s “abhorrent” crimes were uncovered in May this year after text messages from the 37-year-old were discovered on his victim’s phone, Bournemouth Crown Court was told.

The prosecution said Dallison supplied the teenager with cannabis and vodka during his four-month reign of abuse, which began in December last year.

Sadie Rizzo, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said the victim, who did not contract the virus, was put at risk by Dallison’s actions.

Miss Rizzo said: “The fact that Mr Dallison is HIV positive and engaged in sexual intercourse, despite the use of condoms, I respectfully submit places her at risk.”

She told the court the teenager still had feelings for Dallison and the relationship had left her “confused and troubled”.

Referring to a statement written by the victim’s mother, Miss Rizzo said: “She is angry and worried about her daughter’s mental health as a result of this abuse. The victim in this case appears to blame herself.

“She does not feel that she is a victim.

“She says she still has feelings for the defendant. She is a very confused and troubled young lady as a result of this offending.”

Chris Gair, mitigating, said Dallison was remorseful for his actions.

“He told me he deserved to have the key thrown away,” Mr Gair told the court.

Dallison, of Argyll Road, Bournemouth, admitted five counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child and one count of supplying cannabis.

Passing sentence Judge John Hallow said: “I accept that a condom was used but the fact is she [the victim] had to suffer the risk of contracting the condition and also the indignity and anxiety of subsequent testing.”

Speaking directly to Dallison he added: “Frankly the one point in your mitigation is the fact that you made a frank admission to the police at the earliest opportunity and you pleaded guilty as soon as you could. That I accept takes courage. Not many people in your position charged with this type of abhorrent offence would have done that.”

Judge Hallow told Dallison he would have faced a 12-year prison term but due to his guilty plea his total sentence would be reduced to eight years. Dallison will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence. He will also be made to sign the sex offenders’ register.

August 2014

Stourbridge man jailed for string of historic sex attacks on schoolboy

A STOURBRIDGE man has been jailed for 40 months for carrying out a string of sex attacks on a schoolboy in the 90s.

John Birchall, aged 66, admitted seven charges of indecent assault and was told by Judge Martin Walsh that the attacks had caused great suffering to his victim.

He said Birchall, of Farm Road, had expressed his relief when he was finally arrested by police and added: “The victim has continued to struggle with the consequences of the abuse.”

The judge told Birchall, who was also ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, it was to his credit he had been immediately honest with the police.

He said Birchall had fully accepted his guilt for the offences, which were committed between 1992 and 1997 and it was clear he was full of remorse for his actions.

Birchall was also banned by the judge at Wolverhampton Crown Court from ever working with children.

August 2014

FORMER taxi driver jailed for child rape

A man has been jailed for 12 years for raping two girls in Guernsey during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Former taxi driver Neil Hastie, 65, had been found guilty of three historical counts of rape and three of indecent assault against under-age girls.

The two victims were 11 and 13 years old at the time of the offences.

The 65-year-old, known for his involvement in table tennis and other sports such as water polo, had denied the charges, claiming the two women, unknown to one another, had lied about having sex with him when they were under 16.

The first woman to make a complaint, now 43, had been just 11 in the summer of 1981 when Hastie groomed her by taking her out on motorbike rides and buying her drinks and ice-creams.

The girl was raped three times by Hastie – the first time on a cliff path, the second at his home and the third at a building site he was working at.

She told the court she had found the courage to speak out when her daughter turned 11.

‘It is not something I can keep as a sordid secret any more,’ she told Jurats.

Sentencing Hastie in Guernsey’s Royal Court Judge Russell Finch said the defendant “lacked any sense of remorse” and his actions were “simply evil”.

Hastie was also given a five month extended sentence to be served on his release from prison.

August 2014

Former Olympic coach who sexually abused schoolgirl avoids jail because he has cancer

Darrell Bunn, pictured in 1998

A former Olympic coach who sexually abused a schoolgirl has avoided a jail sentence – because he is dying of cancer.

Darrell Bunn was also head of PE at a Birmingham school and worked at city athletics club Birchfield Harriers.

Birmingham Crown Court heard the 64-year-old, who abused the “vulnerable” girl in the late 1980s, had “progressive and ultimately incurable cancer”.

Bunn, of Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, admitted nine charges of indecent assault and two of child abduction.

Judge Stuart Rafferty handed him a two-year suspended sentence and told him: “Had you been a well man you would have gone down.

“For many years you and the victim both carried a secret that, for her, proved to be unbearable.”

But the judge said Bunn’s health was of great concern and he accepted the shamed coach was not a Jimmy Savile-style sexual predator.

Alistair Redford, prosecuting, said the offences took place in 1988 and 1989, when Bunn was in his late 30s.

“This particular conduct continued throughout as a consensual relationship,” he said.

Mr Redford said the two-year relationship began when the girl was 15 and progressed to the pair having full sex.

He said it appeared the victim, now 41, may have told friends about it ten years ago but she did not report it to the police until last July.

Bunn, who used to work at Northfield’s Colmers Farm School, was also ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years.

Kristina Montgomery, defending, said: “He had an emotional tie with this girl, feelings for her that were not borne simply out of sexual desire, albeit he acknowledges that was wrong.”

She went on: “He admitted his guilt from the first contact with the police with a back drop of advancing age and considerable ill health.”

She said that included “progressive and ultimately incurable cancer”.

Miss Montgomery concluded: “He is a man who has given so much of his time voluntarily and services as an employee to his country through his coaching of young people in sport.

“It has been a devastating blow.”

Bunn has trained star athletes including Olympic gold medal winning heptathlete Denise Lewis, although there is no suggestion the West Bromwich-born star had any connection to the offences.

He also formerly held the post of national coach for heptathlon and has travelled to Olympic, Commonwealth and European events.

British Athletics confirmed before Bunn’s sentencing that his licence to coach had been suspended.

August 2014

Bicknacre man used Facebook for trading child abuse material with other paedophiles

A man has claimed he fell into an online Facebook paedophile ring which led to him hoarding thousands of child sex abuse pictures and movies that included toddlers and ones of children and animals.

John Hanning, of Lyndhurst Drive, Bicknacre, used his stash of more than 8,600 images and films in sickening “trades” for ones he preferred, Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Thursday (July 31).

And among the 61-year-old’s depraved stockpile was a picture of a naked 13-year-old girl who had written obscene messages on her legs in reference to Hanning after they chatted online.

The haul was found after police became aware of his activities and raided his cousin’s home in February last year.

Richard Stevens, prosecuting, said: “He started looking at images six years ago as he was bored.

“He joined a Facebook group when a male approached him online to talk about sexual interests. He asserted he was never interested in children before, but it was introduced to him.” 

Hanning, who was of previous good character, downloaded 8,418 indecent images and 162 indecent movies of children between June 2008 and February last year, along with 162 pictures of people having sex with animals.

He also distributed 73 of the obscene images.

Sarah Read, mitigating, said: “These offences were committed at a time when he lacked employment, he had limited social interaction and it was borne out of loneliness and solitude – but that does not justify the severity of these offences.

“He knows he faces a considerable sentence.”

Judge Patricia Lynch jailed Hanning for five years.

He was also made to pay £120 costs.

August 2014

Family’s relief as paedophile is jailed

A FATHER has spoken out after the man who groomed his then 14-year-old daughter, was jailed for three years.

William Charles Brown was found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The 55-year-old from Oldbury Road in Nuneaton, was sentenced at Coventry Crown Court.

The victim’s father said: “He has put our family through hell, he has took my daughter’s childhood away.

“My daughter’s undergoing counselling because of this.

“He is a vile liar and I hope that now people will see him for what he is, a paedophile.”

Brown, a mobile mechanic, pleaded guilty to the four charges, and has been put on the sex offenders’ register for life

August 2014

Government IT expert is caught with child abuse stash… but why did Downing Street keep it secret for six months?

A former Cabinet Office digital expert is facing jail after being caught with a stash of nearly 400 child abuse images.

Sebastian Crump amassed depraved images of child abuse while working as digital communications manager advising the Government on its own website.

Now questions are being asked about why it took six months to emerge that a government official had been arrested over child abuse images allegations.

Police discovered indecent images were being streamed from Mr Crump’s home computer IP address in April last year.

But incredibly last November – while he was still being investigated – he received a promotion at the Cabinet Office, where he had previously worked in internal communications.

When Crump, 39, was arrested in January this year Scotland Yard did not publicise the arrest. He was only named when he was charged last month, but even then the Metropolitan Police did not reveal his role at the Cabinet Office.

Details can only now be revealed after he pleaded guilty to four charges of making and distributing indecent images of children.

Yesterday Crump – who has spent a decade working in technology and communications for Government offices, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Central Office of Information – insisted: ‘I’m not a paedophile.’

The case has reignited a row over secret arrests by police involving government officials accused of child porn offences.

Lib Dem MP John Hemming said: ‘When they sat on the case for such a long time and then hid the fact that he is a senior civil servant, it causes great concern.

‘It does raise serious questions and alarm bells are ringing loudly.’ The Cabinet Secretary has already been asked to investigate the handling of a separate arrest of one of David Cameron’s closest aides.

Patrick Rock, deputy director of the No 10 policy unit, was arrested on suspicion of hoarding images of naked children in February.

The National Crime Agency refused to confirm or deny Mr Rock had been held or the existence of any inquiry, which was finally revealed by this newspaper.

Mr Rock was brought in to Downing Street as deputy head of policy in 2011, and was involved in drawing up Government policy on tackling online child abuse images.

Although Sebastian Crump’s work did not involve any child protection issues, the Mail can reveal he landed a government job after working as a children’s charity website manager.

 Civil servant: Crump worked as a Whitehall communications manager

The IT expert worked for Action for Children, which helps support vulnerable and neglected children, between 1998 and 1999.

Last year while he was under investigation, he shared a picture on his Facebook page urging 11-year-old children to be safe on the internet.

City of Westminster Magistrates Court heard that Crump hoarded nearly 400 indecent images of children, 82 of which were classed as the most extreme.

At his £800,000 terraced home in Wandsworth, South London, police found 375 images and video files involving child and animal abuse.

The court heard that Crump’s marriage had collapsed following his arrest. He pleaded guilty on Thursday to three counts of making an indecent image of a child and one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child.

But yesterday Crump insisted he was not a paedophile.

Dressed in purple trousers, with dark glasses and a straw cowboy hat covering his frizzy ginger hair, the keen musician, who is part of the British Humanists Association Choir, emerged from his home in Southfields, South London.

He insisted ‘I’m not a paedophile’, before sprinting off.

Crump is on bail ahead of sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on August 28. A Cabinet Office spokesman said Crump was suspended in January and quit in March.

August 2014

Man snared in sting by online crime fighter Stinson Hunter

A man who fell foul of a sting operation by online crime fighter Stinson Hunter has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Craig Smith, 26, began communicating with the ‘‘pervert hunter’’ who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, on a dating social network.

At Coventry Crown Court, Smith, of Gadby Street, Nuneaton, pleaded guilty to intending to meet a child following sexual grooming. Smith and Hunter – who was using the username LucyM18 – began messaging one another last year.

LucyM18 sent Smith a message, saying: ‘‘I’m only 13 but it’s cool, I only want to chat’’.

The conversation continued and then LucyM18 asked: ‘‘Can I see your private photos?’’, Smith replied: ‘‘Yeah, but I don’t think you should see my pic as it’s a bit naughty’’.

He then sent LucyM18 a picture of his penis.

When LucyM18 announced that she was a virgin and was frightened about having sex, Smith wrote: ‘You never know, you might enjoy it.’’

He later wrote: ‘I would love to show you how it’s done, we would have lots of fun.’

At 10pm on September 3, Smith cycled to the address provided by Stinson Hunter. He expected to meet ‘‘Lucy’’ who had said her parents were out.

When he arrived, he was confronted by Hunter and another man, who captured the meeting on video.

In mitigation, Graeme Simpson said: 

“This circumstance arose, and he acted foolishly and naively.

“He is 26 and has never troubled the courts before. His difficulty appears to be in controlling his impulses.”

Judge Richard Griffith-Jones sentenced Smith to an 18 month suspended prison sentence suspended for two years and told to enrol in a sexual offenders treatment programme. He will also be on the sex offences register for a decade.

Sentencing, Judge Griffith-Jones said: “If you had got your way, you could have damaged a young girl in the long term.

“This sentence is an opportunity for your to mend your ways and to improve yourself. If you do not take it, you will go to jail for a long time.”

For the Stinson Hunter website and chat log involving this offender click this link