October 2014

Man who sexually abused 7 year old girl jailed for 3 years & 4 months

A 39-year-old man who sexually abused a seven-year-old girl was today (Mon) jailed for three years four months.

Lee Proctor twice abused the child and afterwards asked her if it could be “their little secret”.

But she immediately told her mother and she called the police.

Jailing him Judge David Aubrey, QC,  said that the only explanation for his behaviour was an “unhealthy interest towards the victim.”

39-year-old Proctor, of Brookhouse Road, Ormskirk, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and sexual activity with a child. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and the judge made an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Henry Riding, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that the offences happened between July and September last year.

The girl told how the offences took place on two separate occasions and after the second incident she complained to her mum. The court heard that her mother said the little girl’s personality had changed since the offences.

Michael Hagerty, defending, said that Proctor, who has no previous sexual convictions, said that the offences occurred on the same night. “He acted wholly out of character and wishes to apologise.”

October 2014

Chatham man jailed for attempted murder after he tried to strangle a 14-year-old girl to death

A Chatham man has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of the attempted murder of a 14-year-old girl.

The schoolgirl was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital with injuries consistent with being strangled.

Father-of-three Darren Ford, 43, of Oaks Dene, Walderslade was arrested by Kent Police on 24 June 2013 after he tried to strangle the schoolgirl to death.

Ford claimed he had found her with rope tied around her neck, but medical staff became suspicious and alerted police.

The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was left with her eyes bulging, her face blue and pinpoint bleeding in the whites of her eyes.

Ford was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

He was convicted by a jury and sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday 14 October)

During his trial, Ford told the jury he had no recollection of the attack, and claimed he had the rope because he intended to take his own life.

Ford said he took the rope and did not know what happened next.

“I remember standing over the girl with the rope round her neck,” he said, “My hands were on each end of the rope and I was facing her. She was blue.”

Prosecutor Richard Scott told the jury that the Royal Mail and Asda worker had a “clear and settled intention” to kill at the time, but as that intention passed he then “constructed a false account of events”.

His victim, who spent two days in hospital recovering after the attack, told police how she was kicking her legs as she felt the rope tighten around her neck.

Investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Ed Scott of Kent Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: ‘This was a complex case.

‘I would like to pay tribute to the victim, who endured a horrendous experience.

‘Despite her trauma and physical injuries, she has made a significant recovery and bravely worked with detectives and medical staff to produce vital evidence that led to Ford’s arrest.

‘My thoughts are with her and her family as she attempts to rebuild her life.’

October 2014

Darren Ford of Walderslade denies attempted murder of teenage girl

A man accused of trying to strangle a teenage girl with a piece of rope has gone on trial.

Father-of-three Darren Ford denies attempted murder and an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard today that his victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was left with her eyes bulging, her face blue and pinpoint bleeding in the whites of her eyes

October 2014

Former nurse blamed drink for downloading pictures of child abuse

AN ex-nurse who looked at internet child abuse for 18 months blamed his perverted behaviour on drink, a court was told.

Edward Allen, aged 47, who had previously worked in the profession for 20 years, was found to be in possession of almost 250 disgusting images of youngsters when police raided his then home on Ash in Oswaldtwistle, eight months ago, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The hearing was told the defendant told police the pictures included children as young as eight.

The defendant, now of Newton Road, Lowton, Leigh, had admitted three counts of possessing an indecent image of a child and had been committed for sentence by Blackburn magistrates.

He was given a three year community order with three years’ supervision and an internet sex offenders programme, was ordered to sign the sexual offences register for five years and received a five-year sexual offences prevention order. He had no previous convictions.

He admitted being in possession of and viewing indecent images and blamed a problem he had with alcohol.

James Heyworth, defending Allen, said :” He had been, for most of his life, alcohol dependent. Since May, he has been clean of alcohol and still attends Alcoholics Anonymous.”

The barrister said Allen had been a nurse for 20 years and then ran a gardening business.

October 2014

Man jailed for child sexual exploitation in Barnsley 

A 47-year-old man has been jailed for sexual offences against a 15-year-old girl in Barnsley. 

James Kenneth Stewart, of Station Road in Royston, pleaded guilty to causing/inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16, and grooming a child under 16.

He also pleaded guilty to breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Stewart was jailed for six-and-a-half years and will spend a further three-and-a-half years on licence, where he will be closely monitored.

The offences relate to the grooming of a 15-year-old girl, whom Stewart befriended in October 2013.

Telling the girl he was 19 when he first made contact, Stewart began regularly texting and calling her. He gradually changed his age, getting older each time over the course of their exchange.

What followed were nine months of contact, which progressed to Stewart meeting the girl and inciting her to engage in sexual activity.

The girl bravely chose to come forward to police in July this year and Stewart was arrested and remanded into custody.

The victim’s phone was seized, along with three phones belonging to Stewart, so that messages could be analysed.

Detective Inspector John Fitzgibbons said: “To gain this teenage victim’s trust, Stewart lied and manipulated her over the course of nine months.

“He pretended to be someone he wasn’t, using fake names and ages to establish contact with her for the sole purpose of sexual exploitation.

“He also bought her alcohol and cigarettes as part of his plan to exploit and manipulate her.

“This case highlights the risks of speaking to strangers online or over the phone and I would urge teenagers to be cautious when talking to anyone they don’t know.

October 2014

A CHILD rapist has been taken on as an apprentice to celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver

David Mason, 24, was given a four-year sentence after a sex attack on a 12-year-old girl.

He has been put on the sex offenders register indefinitely and banned from being near young girls without permission.

But Mason has been chosen ahead of thousands of applicants desperate to join trainees working for the star at his central London restaurant, Fifteen.

And the paedophile bragged on Facebook he was “top of the pile where I belong” after posing for a snap with Jamie, 39.

Former pals of Mason, from Feltham, Surrey, are outraged.

One said: “It’s disgusting that a lad who raped a 12-year-old girl can be gifted the kind of opportunity that honest, hard-working youngsters across the country are crying out for.

“I know he served his time but everyone is sickened he’s got a golden opportunity ahead of people who haven’t committed a horrible crime, and the way he is showing off on Facebook.”

Mason was sent to a young offender institution in 2010 after the 2009 attack when he was 19.

He initially claimed the sex was consensual but admitted rape of a child under 13 after she told friends he forced her.

A court heard the assault took place after they played a computer game together. He “pushed her down” and raped her after she rejected his advances.

His defence barrister claimed Mason was not aware of the consequences of his actions.

But Judge Richard McGregor Johnson said: “The law exists to protect young and vulnerable children and she was both of those things, as you well knew.

“You knew very well that having sex with such a young girl was wrong.”

But a spokesman for Jamie last night defended Mason.

He said: “He was completely honest about his past when he applied for the course and we decided that, as he’d served his sentence, he should be allowed a place on the programme.

“He has, so far, been an excellent student.”

When approached last week, Mason said: “I do not want to discuss it.”

David Mason poses with Jamie Oliver

October 2014

Child abuse images secret of school campaigner

A CAMPAIGNER at the heart of a protest to save an under-threat school has been convicted of possessing child abuse images.

Terry Tweed, 65, pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining indecent images of children over five years.

Tweed, a former Craigmillar community councillor who has been a high-profile local activist for years, will be sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court next month.

He was a vocal opponent of plans to shut down Castlebrae High School, which had been slated for closure amid dwindling rolls and was often quoted in the media.

Police discovered the illegal images of children at his home in Duddingston Row, Craigmillar, and he admitted to offences spanning a period between December 2008 and December last year.

Today, former colleagues and community leaders branded Tweed’s actions “unspeakable” and “unbelievable”.

Paul Nolan, a long-standing community councillor in the area, told of his “disgust”.

“He was a very active guy in the community,” said Mr Nolan. “He was on everything and then all of a sudden he just vanished.

“The community is shocked and disgusted at these crimes of depravity, which are unspeakable and unbelievable.

“I think questions have to be asked about where these offences were committed and whether any of the machines belonging to a community group were involved in this.”

Tweed had been widely respected for supporting many local activities and projects over a number of years.

As well as holding the post of secretary at Craigmillar Community Council, he was a senior member at PARC Craigmillar – the body spearheading a huge regeneration drive – and a supporter of the Save the Brae campaign which successfully rescued Castlebrae Community High from closure.

Michael Bridgman, councillor for Craigmillar, said: “I’m completely stunned by this revelation. You just don’t know what people do behind their own closed doors.”

PARC bosses confirmed Tweed resigned from the organisation at the end of last month, and Mr Nolan warned the conviction would come as a further “body blow” to residents after criminal charges were recently brought against two members of staff at Castlebrae High for unrelated matters.

Mr Nolan said: “[Tweed] was one of the leading campaigners during the Save the Brae campaign and he was a community councillor.

“How on earth is the city council going to take us seriously in future if one of the leading representatives turns out to be such a character? There needs to be an inquiry into how people like Tweed can rise to such prominence.”

It is understood Tweed was appointed as a company officer at PARC Craigmillar in January 2010. Director Eric Adair said: “[Terrence Tweed] is no longer a director at PARC Craigmillar. He resigned on September 29.”

Tweed declined to comment.

October 2014

Child abuse images man found guilty

A 62-year-old man has been found guilty of a dozen offences of compiling a collection of indecent images of children on his computer.

Peter Evans was convicted of eight charges of making indecent pictures of children and a further four charges of possession of similar images.

He was cleared of two other offences by a jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court following a four-day trial.

Evans had denied all 14 charges and had claimed that he was involved in research because he wanted to expose child pornography through a television programme.

Judge Peter Barrie adjourned sentence for reports until November 10 and Evans, of Ludlow Road, Church Stretton, was allowed bail.

The court heard that Evans had been looking at indecent images of children on his computer just hours before the police raided his home in January last year.

Evans denied it was for his own gratification and claimed to be compiling images for a Powerpoint presentation which he was going to show to Channel 4 television bosses and the police.

He had told the court he would not subscribe to any sites but would repeatedly view them to see how long it would be before they were taken down.

He bookmarked the sites on his computer so he could find them, the court was told.

The jury had previously been told police found 83 indecent images of children in a folder that had been tucked away with adult pornographic images on his hard drive.

The pictures had been created between January 2011 and January 2012.

Police also found evidence of images that had been deleted by Evans with a further 130 indecent pictures he had got rid of by clearing out his internet cache, the court was told.

Detective Constable Jason Cook, of the hi-tech crime unit at West Mercia Police said of those 130, 95 had been created in a 10-minute period just hours before police arrived turned up at his home.

The officer told the jury that Evans had used terms such as “pre-teen”, “paedo” and “very young” to access the images through Google.

Evans had admitted searching for images in the early hours or late evening.

October 2014

Convicted paedophile caught viewing an image on a library computer of a naked girl, aged about 10

A convicted sex offender used a computer at Norwich’s Millennium Library to access indecent images, a court heard.

Ian Sparrow, 50, was spotted by a member of staff viewing an image on a library computer of a naked girl, aged about 10.

Martin Ivory, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said the image made the member of staff “feel violated and physically sick” and she alerted her manager about what she had seen on March 27 this year and police were called.

However, Sparrow managed to slip away from the scene and, because he had used a library card with false details, was unable to be traced.

But when Sparrow returned to the library in May, he was recognised by staff and arrested.

Mr Ivory said Sparrow had been convicted in 2011 of downloading indecent images of children and as part of his punishment was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) to keep checks on his internet use.

Sparrow, of Brewers Court, Norwich, admitted breaching his sexual offences prevention order.

Danielle O’Donovan, mitigating, said: “This is a technical breach. The Crown are not in a position to prove exactly what it was that was seen.”

However, she said Sparrow accepted that he needed help.

Judge Katharine Moore, who described the offence as a “calculated deceit”, ordered that he attend the Thames Valley sex offenders treatment programme and imposed a 
36-month community order, with supervision. Sparrow is already on the sex offender’s register and had further restrictions added to his SOPO. He is also banned from working with children.

Speaking after the case, a Norfolk County Council spokesman said: “We regularly check and update our filtering software in libraries to try to ensure that people who use our libraries are not exposed to indecent or upsetting images. We try to make our filtering system as rigorous as possible without it being restrictive and we would encourage library users to report anything they see that may be unsuitable to a member of library staff.”

October

Pervert who had unprotected sex with a “vulnerable” under-age girl has been jailed for five years

Philip Dally, 46, exchanged more than 10,000 on-line messages with the “naive” girl, a court heard today.

Dally, of Lower Leigh Road, Pontypool, “groomed” the girl and bought her a “cheap” £25 engagement ring, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

The girl had to take a pregnancy test to which he reacted “offensively”, the court was told.

He also asked her to delete information which would show her age, the court heard.

He later claimed that he thought the girl was 17 and suggested she had instigated the contact, the court heard.

But Cardiff Judge Tom Crowther rejected this account saying this was the “eternal lament of a paedophile”.

Dally later pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual activity with a girl under 16.

Jailing him for five years today Judge Crowther said: “You knew what you were doing.

“You knew what you were doing was wrong.”

The girl started to self harm and had trouble sleeping following the contact, prosecutor John Probert told the court.

Defence barrister, Ruth Smith, said she could only offer “limited mitigation” in the case.

However, she stressed that her client had pleaded guilty to the sexual offences.

She added he was previously of good character and had had a productive life and always remained in employment.

Judge Crowther ordered him to serve half his prison sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.

Judge Crowther also imposed a sexual offences prevention order which will restrict Dally’s contacts with children.

October 2014

Child abuse images land Chester chef in prison

A CHEF has been jailed for almost two years after police found 148 indecent images of children on his computer.

Graeme Anthony-Meaney, of Upton Grange, Chester, was caught after officers received an email containing screenshots and logs of his Facebook and Skype activity.

The 29-year-old admitted possessing the images and one video, and also pleaded guilty to distributing four images to “like-minded” people over the internet.

At Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, Anthony-Meaney was sentenced to 18 months for four of the eight charges, and 12 months for the remainder, to run concurrently.

Judge Elgan Edwards, the Recorder of Chester, also added three months for a breach of bail conditions meaning Anthony-Meaney will spend 21 months behind bars.

The judge said: “You’ve got yourself into a great deal of trouble.

“You’ve never been to prison before but the time has come when you will have a taste of it. If you carry on looking at this kind of filth then you will go to prison again.

“Don’t be wasting your life on things that you would be better off leaving well alone. If you do it again the prison term will be longer.”

The court heard that Cheshire Police had received an email including screen shots and call logs on June 17 last year.

They immediately arrested Anthony-Meaney and seized his computer, which was found to contain a video, 21 images at the most serious category A level, 29 category B photos and 98 category C pictures. All images contained images of young boys, some as young as five or six.

Christopher Hunt, defending, told the court the distribution charges only related to one category B photo and three at category C, and his client – who had worked all his life as a chef – was genuinely remorseful.

He said: “He made full admissions to the police during interview and he was in tears for most of that time. He was in a very distressed state. There’s genuine remorse on behalf of this defendant.”

It emerged that Anthony-Meaney received a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years, in 2007 for similar offences.

He recently breached his bail conditions as he neglected to inform police he had been evicted from his Chester home and was staying with a friend in Liverpool.

Anthony-Meaney’s Facebook page states he studied at West Cheshire College and has worked most recently at the Fishpool Inn in Northwich. Previously he claims to have worked at Rossett Hall Hotel in Wrexham, Netherton Hall in Frodsham and Abode Hotels in Chester.

October 2014

A ROYAL Wootton Bassett man charged with making and possessing hundreds of indecent images and videos of children could face prison next month.

Tony Gammon, 28, of The Rosary, stood charged with seven counts of making and possessing indecent images and movies at Swindon Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

It is said that in a period between 2011 and 2012, Gammon made indecent photographs of children, some of which involved penetration and were of the most serious category.

He is also accused of being in possession of a total of 459 indecent images or movies of children between 2007 and 2012, 161 of which were in the highest category and involved penetration.

A further 259 prohibited images of children were said to have been found in his possession in December 2012.

Gammon was unable to enter a plea at the the hearing at Swindon Magistrates Court as the matters were too serious for the magistrates to sentence, and has been summonsed to Swindon Crown Court on November 14 for an early guilty plea.

He has now been released on bail with the conditions that he is not to have any unsupervised contact with any children under the age of 16.

Kate Prince, prosecuting, said aggravating factors in the case included the length of some of the movies said to have been found on Gammon’s computer.

“These are matters which include the use of category A material, which is said to have been accessed by Mr Gammon over a period of five months,” she said.

“In respect of the images we can break those down into categories easily, but some of the movies are long and include category A material, of which there are six, lasting between 18 minutes and 51 minutes in length.

“Given the aggravating factors, with searches clearly made and items stored in folders, this would take matters outside the sentencing guidelines.”

Chair of the bench Mary Holland released Gammon on bail ahead of a hearing at Swindon Crown Court.

She said: “These matters are so serious they cannot be dealt with in this court. You will appear at Swindon Crown Court on November 14. If you fail to appear on that date you are committing an offence and will be arrested.

“We are releasing you on conditional bail not to have any unsupervised contact with a child under 16 years of age.

“We are ordering probation to prepare a report about you for the judge in November, when you will expect to be sentenced.”

October 2014

Shamed scout leader caught with e-book about sex with young girls during camping trip

A pervert scout leader was caught with a book on his Kindle detailing sex with pre-pubescent girls.

A shocked colleague who spotted the material grabbed the e-reader as they were packing up following a camping trip.

But John Cockcroft tried to wrestle it back.

The 47-year-old father-of-two begged the colleague not to take the matter further, a court heard.

But the police were called to the camp at Dunham Massey in June last year and they seized the Kindle and a laptop.

They found an e-book on the Kindle about sex with pre-teen and pre-pubescent girls.

Cockcroft, a scout group assistant who joined the Timperley Scout Group in 2011, at first denied wrongdoing and likened the book to Nabakov’s acclaimed title Lolita, about a professor who is obsessed with a 12-year-old girl.

But police went on to find numerous indecent images of children on his laptop and a second laptop they also seized.

Officers also recovered a message sent from the second laptop to an online forum for paedophiles, detailing the sender’s view that child pornography is acceptable and that they craved sexual activity with underage girls.

They even found two encrypted files but Cockroft repeatedly refused to provide passwords so they were never cracked.

Cockroft, of Regent Road, Lostock, Bolton, was handed a three-year community order when he appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday.

He pleaded guilty to twelve counts of making indecent images, two of possession of prohibited images and one of failure to comply with a court order to reveal the passwords.

After the hearing, Det Con Barry Conway said: “I want to stress that we have no evidence to suggest that any physical abuse or contact offending has taken place. Nevertheless, the seriousness of downloading and possessing indecent images of children cannot be understated. By no means is the viewing of this material a victimless crime.

“It is people like Cockcroft who download and view child pornography that creates the market for those who abuse children and seek to profit by selling these awful images.

“What this case shows is there are people living in Manchester who appear to be respectable who, behind that veneer, are downloading indecent images of children.”

October 2014

Pervert ‘who lived in fantasy world’ & could not stop looking at indecent images of children

A FORMER RAF corporal has been jailed for a second time, after his “inability” to stop taking pictures of youngsters in the street and looking at indecent images of children.

Shaun McCandless, 50, was jailed for 15 months after he admitted three breaches of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order imposed in 2007 and possessing indecent images of children.

Grimsby Crown Court heard McCandless, of Binbrook, had been living at an address on Grimsby’s Grange estate when the original offences took place.

He “lived in a fantasy world” and police had found children’s underwear during a search of his home.

Neil Coxon, prosecuting, told the court McCandless’ predilection for young girls had come to light in March 2003 when he was convicted of making and possessing indecent images of children and jailed for four months.

However, no Sexual Offences Prevention Order was made and, in June 2007, Humberside Police successfully applied to Grimsby And Cleethorpes Magistrates’ Court for one to be imposed, after “concerns” about his behaviour.

The order was designed to prevent further offending and included banning him from:

1. Owning or accessing a computer or smart phone for anything other than employment or training.

2. Taking pictures, videos or digital recordings of females under the age of 16.

3. Inviting girls under the age of 16 into his home.

4. Deleting his internet history.

They had visited his then-home on the Grange estate earlier that year, and found pornographic films featuring young teenage girls.

They also discovered 122 photographs, the majority of which had been taken covertly, of children playing in the street on the estate.

But on July 15 this year, a police risk assessment officer was passing the address and found a group of children, all under the age of 14, playing in his garden.

The children were removed and officers spoke to him, returning the following day to search the house.

Mr Coxon told the court the officers found some children’s shoes and underwear – although there was no suggestion of any physical activity with any child – a mobile phone and a laptop.

Mr Coxon said: “Because of concerns relating to children in the area and concerns about his safety, he was advised to move, which he did.”

However, when officers attended his new address in Binbrook, on August 5 they discovered two more smart phones. On one were pictures of two children playing in the village.

Forensic analysis of all the devices uncovered an indecent image of an eight-year-old, pictures of three to 12-year-olds in swimwear, 10 to 14-year-olds in pyjamas and internet searches for children and sexual activity.

McCandless had also installed software to prevent pictures from being accessed and to permanently delete his internet history as far back as 2012.

Mitigating, Katya Saudek said McCandless was “crying out for help” and wanted to stop his behaviour.

She told the court he “lived in a fantasy world” and that at no point had he sought to engage in sexual activity with a child.

She also said he suffered from depression and that he had the support of his family, including his son, but feared he would not get the help he needed in prison.

However, Judge David Tremberg said it was his public duty to jail McCandless who he said was “either unable or unwilling to comply with the order” that had been put in place to help curb his offending.

He also imposed a new Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which will remain in place indefinitely.

October 2014

Ten years prison for Torquay man who groomed and sexually abused child aged under 13 years old

A Torquay man who groomed a young girl for sexual abuse has been jailed for ten years.

Glen Aris, 56, raped and sexually assaulted his victim and then bought her silence with pizza and ice cream

A judge at Exeter Crown Court praised the courage of his victim, who is now an adult, for coming forward and telling police what happened to her.

Aris pleaded guilty to causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; sexual assault: rape; and assault by penetration.

Prosecutor Thomas Bradnock said the abuse took place over several months.

“He was making her feel special at the time and rewarded her with pizza and ice cream. She now knows it was sexual grooming.”

When arrested Aris admitted what he had done but said he never forced the girl to do anything.

Judge Simon Carr said it was clear the case involved ‘extensive grooming’.

He said it was ‘disturbing’ that Aris thought a child could give her consent to sexual activity.

“The effects on her will have been devastating. It is perfectly clear to me the effects are very real and I expect will be with her for three rest of her life.”

But he said it took some courage for Aris, of Willow Avenue, to admit his crimes and spared his victim having to give evidence at trial.

“It also removed from the minds of anybody that this abuse actually happened.”

He added: “She has shown enormous courage in coming forward and now the sentence is passed she can move on.”

October 2014

Rotherham youth group volunteer guilty of abusing four boys

A Rotherham youth group volunteer who abused four boys over the course of 17 years has been found guilty of 43 sexual offences.

Darren Swift, who is now of Lawrence Road, Telford, Shropshire, carried out his campaign of abuse between 1980 and 1997 while working at various local sporting clubs and youth groups in Rotherham.

He was found guilty by a jury at Doncaster Crown Court of 26 counts of indecent assault, 12 counts of indecency and five counts of buggery following a two-week trial.

One count of buggery was discarded during the trial.

The charges relate to four boys who were aged between eight and 14 when the abuse took place.

Detective Constable Ian Hampshire who lead the investigation said: “Each victim was subjected to years of abuse by this man who was a trusted member of the local community.

“He held several positions of trust for various community groups, where he met and effectively groomed these vulnerable young boys for sexual purposes.

“I am pleased with the verdict reached today and I pay tribute to the victims who had the courage to come forward and disclose their ordeal.

“It is difficult to comprehend the strength it will have taken each victim to report this abuse to police years after it took place.

“Because Swift continually denied his guilt, each victim was forced to relive their traumatic experience in front of a jury, which is further testament to their strength of character.

“I hope that for the victims, this marks the conclusion of years of torment for them and their families.

“The force remains committed to tackling child sexual exploitation and take any reports of sexual abuse, historic or current, very seriously.”

Swift has been remanded into custody and will be sentenced next year.

October 2014

Rotherham child sex offender jailed for sex offences against under-age girl

A man who admitted carrying out sexual offences against a 15-year-old girl in Rotherham has been jailed for seven years and eight months.

Gareth Ball, 35, of Rotherview Road, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with a child under 16 at a previous hearing.

Ball was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Thursday and has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Police said he had supplied the victim with alcohol before “engaging in sexual activity” with her in August last year.

Det Con Carla Dodsworth, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “This man took advantage of the trust of a young girl.

“I feel that the sentence he has received reflects the seriousness of the offence and I hope it will enable the girl and her family to try and move forward.

“We worked closely with the family to provide support alongside the Children’s Independent Sexual Violence Advocate from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre and Social Care.”

October 2014

Plymouth teen locked up for sex offences against girls

A TEENAGER has been locked up for almost four years for sexual offences against two under-age girls.

Riki Leeds, aged 18, was sent to a young offender institution for three years and nine months.

Leeds, of Honicknowle Lane, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in February.

He also admitted sexual activity with another girl.

The incidents are said to have involved a girl aged 12 and another aged 14.

Leeds had originally been charged with rape but the prosecution accepted his not guilty pleas.

Llewellyn Sellick, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said that one of the girls had complained about Leeds when her mother became suspicious. She then contacted police.

He added that Leeds had at first denied any sexual activity with the girls.

Ali Rafati, for Leeds, told Plymouth Crown Court that he came from a “supportive and tightly-knit” family.

But he added he had “lost his way” over the last few years.

The court heard that he had previous convictions including for violence and possession of an offensive weapon.

But he has no convictions for sexual offences.

Mr Rafati said that he had only just turned 18 at the time of the offences.

The court heard Leeds had been in custody since March.

February 2003

A TEACHER who downloaded child abuse images to a computer at his home has escaped a jail sentence.

William Paul Hogan, 49, admitted two charges of downloading indecent photographs of children between July 2001 and August 2002.

Bootle magistrates heard his wife had tipped off police about her husband’s activity.

Now living at Ballantrae Road, Allerton, Hogan’s family home address was not disclosed in court to protect his wife and two daughters.

Magistrates heard that last August 26 police were tipped off that he had been accessing child porn on the internet.

His lap top computer was later found to contain more than 400 indecent images of children.

He admitted downloading the photographs and told detectives he too had been abused as a child.

Hogan resigned as head of maths at Campion High school, Everton, weeks later. Defence solicitor Tony Nelson presented a report to magistrates including a supportive character reference from his wife and teaching colleagues.

He said: “When children have been abused it comes back to them sometimes when they are 30 or perhaps when they are 50.

“The manifestation of that abuse has come back with this man drinking alone at home at night and looking at indecent images of children.”

“He is a middle-aged man consumed with shame and remorse.”

Mr Nelson said Hogan had only viewed “level 1″ images featuring erotic poses but no sexual activity and had no intention of using the photographs commercially.

Hogan, who has no previous convictions, received a three-year community rehabilitation order with pounds 250 court costs.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Stuart Smith, Liverpool’s assistant director of education, said: “We are glad this matter is resolved and that there are rigorous procedures in place to protect children.”

November 2012

Jail for father who sent ‘disgusting’ online messages to under-age girls

A man who targeted under-age girls using an on-line chat site has been jailed for 10 months at Perth Sheriff Court.

Daniel Titley (20), from Telford in Shropshire, wept in the dock as Sheriff Robert McCreadie labelled his actions ”disgusting” and ordered he be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The court heard that Titley, a father-of-one, pretended to be a friend of one of the three young girls to make initial contact on MSN Messenger.

He was soon sending the friends, all from Perthshire, sexually-explicit requests and exposed himself to one using a webcam, before performing a sex act.

At an earlier appearance (link) he admitted three charges of behaving in a lewd, indecent and libidinous manner towards the girls — all then aged under 16 — between June 1 and September 1 2010, but sentence was deferred for background reports.

At that time depute fiscal Alan Kempton said Titley had been fully aware of the girls’ ages and revealed that when told by one she was just 13, he replied: ”Wow, that’s young.”

The episode came to an end when teachers discovered what was happening and called the police. Forensic analysis was carried out on the telephones and computers owned by Titley and the complainers and he was subsequently arrested at the home he shared with his mother and stepfather.

Solicitor Cheryl Clarke, acting for Titley, said: ”His position regarding these offences is that he has been inherently stupid. He expressed that part of the reason matters carried on was because of a degree of flattery.”

However, the sheriff refused to accept any explanation, saying: ”You knowingly preyed on these young girls to gratify your own needs. The nature and content of these messages was disgusting and may have an effect on your victims’ future development.”

He added: ”Given the awful nature of this offence I can only deal with it by means of a custodial sentence.”

He sentenced Titley to 10 months’ imprisonment, following which he will undertake a five-year period on licence.

He also placed Titley on the sex offenders register for a decade, and ordered he be made subject to a five-year sexual offences prevention order, which will prohibit him from having any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, prevent him from working with anyone under the age of 18, ban him from entering online chat rooms, using any similar messaging service or a webcam, require him to allow police access to any computerised devices and prevent him from contacting the complainers.

October 2014

Wallsend man is jailed for 18 years for repeated rapes of young girl

A man who raped a young girl repeatedly has been jailed for 18 years.

Owen Collins, of Charlotte Street, Wallsend, was sentenced after a jury found him guilty of numerous sexual offences, including raping a child under the age of 13, causing a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault of a child under the age of 13.

Newcastle Crown Court heard his victim was attacked between 2008 and 2011, and was repeatedly threatened with violence if she resisted.

The conviction came three years after Collins, 28, was found guilty of child cruelty in relation to the same girl, for holding her hand on a radiator until it burned and blistered because she told him he looked like scruffy TV character Compo.

The new offences came to light in late 2012 when the girl complained about further mistreatment from the defendant to her family.

Judge Deborah Sherwin, sentencing, said: “These are serious allegations. You repeated violated this girl over a three-year period.

“Over time she began to suffer from eczema, her hair fell out and she wet the bed.”

She added: “This is as bad a case of abuse as one could get and the offences are set against the background of her very young age, that it was carried out over a prolonged period and that violence was used against her.”Katherine Dunn, prosecuting, said a victim statement from the girl made it “clear these offences have had a devastating effect on her and her family”.

Collins will be subject to a lifelong sexual offences prevention order once released, with conditions including a ban on unsupervised contact with under-16s and no contact the victim and her family.

He will also be registered on the sex offenders register for life.

Following the sentencing, a family member of the victim told the Chronicle the youngster had been in therapy for four years and was “finding it very difficult to get on with her life”.

She added: “We are all physically drained and worn out by the whole thing.”