December 2014

Pontefract man who groomed and sexually abused girl, 13, is jailed

THE mother of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused by a 48-year-old man has spoken of her family’s heartache.

Leeds Crown Court heard Mark Holdsworth plied the schoolgirl with alcohol and gave her money before subjecting her to what a judge called “a disgraceful catalogue of abuse.”

Holdsworth, of Tanshelf Drive, Pontefract, was jailed for nine-years-and-nine-months after admitting seven charges of sexual activity with a child.

The victim’s mother, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said after the sentencing hearing: “I hope he rots in hell because of what he has done.

“No doubt he will come out after his sentence and can start living his life again. But can she? Will she get over this? It’s heartbreaking.

“He has stolen everything. She was a child, a little girl.

“It’s been an absolute nightmare. It’s affected her mentally and it’s affected us mentally as a family.

She told how her daughter had been transformed from a “lovely, outgoing young woman” into a withdrawn and angry teenager.

The mother added: “She’s like a ticking time bomb at the moment. She’s angry at everybody and everything.

“Before this came out there were slight changes. We just thought she was changing from being a nice girl into a teenager. She’s become very withdrawn.”

Leeds Crown Court heard how the girl, who is unrelated to her abuser, was being groomed by Holdsworth.

Prosecutor Nicholas Askins said: “He would let her drink alcohol and get her drunk, then tell her she was attractive. He would make her feel guilty, as if she owed him something.”

In mitigation, the court was told that Holdsworth had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and had shown remorse for his actions.

Jailing Holdsworth, Judge James Spencer QC, told him: “She was 13 years old and you groomed her for your own sexual pleasure. You would give her compliments and make her feel like she had to repay you – and that was for you to abuse her.

“All in all, this was a disgraceful catalogue of abuse to this poor girl, and I am not surprised it is having its impact upon her.”

December 2014

‘Dangerous, predatory paedophile’ jailed for child sex assaults

A “dangerous and predatory paedophile” has been jailed for 18 years for committing a series of historical sexual offences against children.

John Toms, 65, of Oldford, Frome, was sentenced at Taunton Crown Court after admitting 22 charges including rape, gross indecency and indecent assault.

He was arrested in July after a member of the public saw him trying to take photos of a girl near him on a bus.

The charges relate to incidents against four children in the 1980s and 1990s.

During a subsequent search of his house, officers found indecent images of children on his computer.

Det Con Jon Hooper said the victims were all from the east Somerset area and were around six-years-old when the abuse started.

“John Toms admitted during police interviews that he was sexually attracted to young children and was in possession of indecent images,” he added.

“Toms is clearly a dangerous and predatory paedophile and we believe there may be more victims who have not yet been located.

“The judge said Toms had “an extreme and perverted interest in young girls” and said he had “caused untold damage to his victims”.

December 2014

Oxfordshire children’s home manager found guilty of abusing five young boys under his care

A 72-year-old man was today (Friday) convicted of 15 counts of indecent assault on boys between February 1976 and March 1983.

Rodney Smallman, of Erica Close, Banbury, was found guilty by a jury at Oxford Crown Court following a two-week trial.

The conviction relates to five victims, all of whom were boys under the age of 16 at the time of the offences.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Smallman ran a children’s home in Oxfordshire and lived in a separate building on the site.

During the trial, the court heard how Smallman would regularly abuse young boys in the home and touch them sexually.

This happened over an extended period and many of the victims said the abuse only stopped when they left the home.

The 72-year-old would ask young boys to line up naked outside his bedroom for up to 15 minutes at a time while he watched them through a crack in the door.

One of the victims told police about the abuse in 2012 and following an investigation by the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, more victims were identified.

Smallman was arrested in February 2013 and denied the allegations. He was first charged in August 2013.

Investigating officer, Det Con Joanne Waddington from Banbury Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: “This has been an extensive investigation into the behaviour of a predatory paedophile who abused his position in the worst way imaginable.

“Smallman took advantage of his role as the head of a children’s home and abused the most vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification.

These were children that were placed at the home for their own protection and when he took advantage of that, they felt they had no one to tell who would believe them.

This is something they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

“I want to thank the victims for their bravery in coming forward to report these offences. It is because of their courage that Smallman has been convicted at court today.

“If you have been a victim of sexual abuse or know someone who has, then please contact police.

It doesn’t matter how long ago the abuse happened, we will listen and we will do everything to help bring these offenders to justice.”

Smallman will be sentenced on January 12.

1. Smallman is now a ‘Bird expert’ who visits museums and school settings to talk about and show his owls and other birds

December 2014

Care home manager jailed for posting child abuse images on Facebook

A care home manager has been jailed for posting depraved images of child abuse on Facebook and other chat websites.

Kevin Birkett distributed movies showing girls as young as six being forced to take part in sex acts with adults on websites where they could be seen by anyone who logged onto them.

He was jailed after a Judge told him that children using the chat sites could have come across what he described as depraved images.

Birkett, 38, has lost his job as manager of a care home for adults with learning difficulties in Teignmouth and has been forced to move out of the home where he lived in the town with his wife and three children.

He claimed he had no sexual interest in children and posted the material on the web to try and trap others who may respond to it.

Birkett, of Great Western Close, Paignton, admitted four counts of distributing indecent images and five of making them.

He was jailed for 16 months by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

The Judge told him: “It does not reduce the seriousness of what you did that you say you did not this for a sexual motivation.

“Whatever the motive, to distribute such dreadful images without any restriction in the internet by Facebook meant they were available to anyone, including children.

“You did it over three years and that is very, very serious criminal conduct. They included movies of girls aged six to ten being compelled to have oral sex with adult men.

“These were appallingly depraved pictures and you put them on the internet where anyone who happened upon them could look at them.

“You sent them when you were having sexual chats without knowing who the other parties were. You admit you knew it was illegal and very serious.

“You are not unintelligent. You were the manager of a care home. You have lost that job and there is no question of you ever going back.”

Sean Brunton, prosecuting, said the images covered all categories of seriousness and had been posted onto external websites including Facebook and chat sites.

Lee Bremridge, defending, said Birkett hds lost his job and contact with his three young children as a result of the case.

He said he entered his plea on the basis that he had no sexual motivation in downloading or distributing the images.

December 2014

Cobridge sex offender who assaulted schoolgirl sentenced for breach of prevention order

SEX offender Michael Horn has been sentenced to a three-year community order for breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) five times.

The 22-year-old, of Waterloo Road, Cobridge, was handed a 10-year SOPO in 2012 after he sexually assaulted a schoolgirl he groomed on the internet.

Horn pretended to be a 16-year-old to get to know his victim, who was 15 at the time, before arranging to meet the teenager in Sheffield.

But the defendant breached his order five times after he admitted accessing the internet, which he was prevented from doing.

Judge David Fletcher said: “You need to learn to control your urges because if you don’t, you will be spending longer and longer and longer in prison.”

December 2014

Man assaulted girl while in the same car as her mother

An Llandysul man who had the nerve to sexually assault an eight year-old girl while travelling in the same car as her mother was jailed for four years on Friday.

Swansea crown court heard the mother was unaware of what was happening and only discovered the truth years later.

82 year-old William Bryant, of Pencader Road, Pontwelly, denied the accusation but was convicted by a jury following a trial.

The jury heard the offending went back more than 30 years but the girl did not reveal the truth until she was an adult suffering psychological difficulties.

Bryant had been born in Pencader but left to live in the Hull area. He returned in the 1970s to take over the family’s blacksmith business and later retired to Llandysul.

His barrister, Frank Phillips, said Bryant’s offending had had a devastating effect on his family and on the local community where he lived.

He said Bryant would find prison very difficult to cope with and urged Judge Christopher Vosper to consider a suspended sentence or a community order.

Judge Vosper said that at the time the offence was committed the maximum sentence was only five years, but it was now 15 years.

Judge Vosper said there could be no alternative to an immediate jail sentence.

He said he took into account Bryant’s age and good character, and the fact that he had not offended again.

But he also had to abide by sentencing guidelines laid down by the government.

Bryant was also banned from working with children and ordered to register with the police as a sex offender indefinitely.

December 2014

Childhood sex assault victim comes face to face with his abuser in court as offender is jailed for six and half years

A man who was repeatedly sexually abused as a child wept in court today as he faced his abuser after keeping silent for 25 years.

The voice of the victim, who is now 39, crackled with emotion as he told Leicester Crown Court how the abuse by teacher Ronald Eyre wrecked his life.

The man read out his own victim impact statement before Eyre, 73, a former teacher at Catmose College, in Oakham, Rutland, was jailed for six and a half years.

Eyres, of Manchester Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, pleaded guilty to five charges of indecent assault on two boys under the age of 14 in the 1980s.

The victim, who was the subject of three of the charges, said: “This man raped the innocence of my childhood.

“Over 25 years ago I was the victim of sexual abuse and remainedsilent for a quarter of a century.

“I finally broke my silence this year.”

He said he went to the police after being inspired by a quote from American poet Maya Angelou.

He said: “It said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you feel.’

Prosecutor Sarah Knight said that Eyre targeted both victims and invited them back, on separate occasions, to his house in Oakham for extra tuition

One victim was abused twice but the man who read out his victim impact statement was repeatedly abused over two years.

That victim also told the court: “I’m fortunate to have received excellent support from trained professionals and it has liberated me from my suffering.

“I knew I had to face my abuse and my abuser head on.”

He said he had suffered post traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks and even considered suicide.

He said: “I do not hate my abuser. I pity him for what he has done.”

Judge Simon Hammond told the victim: “I want to pay tribute to your courage and dignity.

“Your victim impact statement has been very moving and very well put together.”

Jonathon Dee, defending, said his client was a man of previous good character who felt ashamed and disgusted by what he had done.

He said: “When he was arrested he was very frank with the police about his thoughts and urges.”

Judge Simon Hammond told Eyre that what he had done was wicked.

He told him: “You targeted, groomed and exploited these vulnerable young boys for your own sexual gratification.”

Eyre is to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

After the case, detective constable Jamie Carr, the investigating officer, said: “Eyre abused his position of trust and used his victims’ young ages and vulnerability to carry out his crimes.

“This abuse has had an overwhelming effect on them. Both victims showed tremendous courage in coming forward and reporting this man.

“Hopefully they and their families are able to start new chapters in their lives knowing that Eyre is finally held accountable for his actions.”

After the case, the victim who spoke in court, released the following statement:

“Today marks the beginning of the end of an ordeal that has cast a dark shadow over my life for over 25 years.

“Ronald Eyre posed as a trusted authority figure – a senior teacher – in Rutland for many years. But he grossly abused that trust in committing these abhorrent crimes in this case against me and another victim.

“I am saddened that he feigned innocence to the end in relation to several offences; but relieved that justice has prevailed. I am satisfied that the sentence passed today by the courts is appropriate.

“Sexual abuse strips you of personal dignity and causes deep long term psychological suffering.

“I urge anyone who has, or is now suffering abuse, to inform the police straightaway. Don’t suffer in silence as I did for 25 years. It doesn’t matter how long ago the abuse took place. Leicestershire Police’s handling of my case has been excellent, and it has taken only nine months to progress from my reporting the abuse to securing convictions at Crown Court.

“I want to thank everyone so much who has helped me get through all of this; without them could not have begun to rebuild. I am now able to start a new life chapter with my family.”

The other victim released the following statement:

“I would like to thank Leicestershire Police for their initial contact with me regarding these non-recent matters and also thank the other victim for bringing to police attention the activities of Eyre.

“Eyre actively targeted and groomed me for sexual exploitation due to my incumbent family difficulties and took advantage of a young adult further to his position of trust. This has led to a substantial confusion regarding my personal sexual orientation which was only subsequently assisted through personal contacts at my local ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association’ (LGBT), psychiatrists and person friends who helped and assisted me to ‘come-to-terms’ with what has transpired in my early childhood and teenage years.

“The abuse I suffered from Eyre is a significant contributory factor to the long-term depression I have suffered culminating in stays in hospital and attempts to harm myself. I have also issues pertaining to trust of other adults and find it difficult to function in social events and trusting fellow adults – leading to a detrimental impact upon my career.

“To me – he remains a high risk offender as he targeted vulnerable people and engaged in committing sexual offences over many years.

“I would actively encourage any other victims to come forward and raise complaints to the Police. I would humbly encourage parents and other people in positions of trust to talk with family members regarding his activity.

“I would wish to publically thank and acknowledge the assistance of DC Jamie Carr, Sammy McIlroy and other excellent members of Leicestershire Police in addition to the Crown Prosecution Service who have been of outstanding professional conduct during the course of this investigation.”

December 2014

A SEX offender from Kidderminster who indecently assaulted a young boy has been jailed for five years

Alan Page, 55, of Burcher Green in Kidderminster, was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Friday, December 19 having been found guilty of five indecent assaults and for inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency at an earlier hearing.

Page committed the offences between July 1, 1996, and October 1, 1996 in Stourport-on-Severn, all involving a boy who was 12 years old at the time.

DC Kirsty Hickling, the investigating officer, said: “We take allegations of this nature very seriously, regardless of when they occurred. I hope the sentencing indicates this and West Mercia Police’s priority of protecting people from harm and bringing offenders to justice.”

The victim, Tom Leavesley, who is now 31, has waived his right to anonymity.

Mr Leavesley said: “The last 12 months, from my initial interview with the police through to the trial and sentencing today, have been incredibly painful and stressful for me and my family. Whilst I am relieved this formality is finally over, my personal recovery from this crime continues.

“I’d particularly like to thank DC Kirsty Hickling from West Mercia Police. She handled the investigation sensitively and with compassion. I’d also like to thank the West Mercia Sexual Abuse Support Centre who have supported me throughout the justice process.

“The volunteers at both Worcester and Hereford Crown Court were also fantastic and are unsung heroes in my eyes. Attending court is a daunting process but they made it more bearable by keeping me informed throughout the trial and making sure I was in the right place at the right time.

“I’m determined to turn the negative events from my childhood into something more positive and fulfilling. I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in August to raise money for an abuse survivors charity and will be taking part in various other charity events in 2015 and beyond which I’m incredibly excited about and looking forward to.”

Mr Leavesley’s donation page is mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/tomsurvivors

December 2014

Leeds cruise ship musician jailed after being caught with child abuse images for third time

A CRUISE ship musician has been jailed after being caught downloading child abuse images for the third time.

Guitarist Howard Ellis, 60, was arrested by West Yorkshire Police officers when his ship came into port at Southampton after they discovered he had been accessing the illegal images from his home in Leeds.

Leeds Crown Court heard Ellis has two previous convictions for downloading abusive images of children dating back to 2010.

Ellis, of Priesthorpe Lane, Farsley, was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to 11 offences of making indecent images of children.

Alisha Kaye, prosecuting, said West Yorkshire officers received information that illegal images had been accessed from an internet provider address linked to Ellis’s then home in Kippax.

Miss Kaye said Ellis was a musician on a cruise liner and was away at the time the offences came to light in July this year.

Officers went to the south coast to arrest Ellis as he returned from working on board a Mediterranean cruise.

Three lap top computers, four hard drives and a mobile phone was seized and found to contain 625 images and movies of children being sexually abused.

Three of the movies were at level A – the most serious category of offending.

Some of the images featured children as young as seven being abused.

Ellis was interviewed about the images and admitted responsibility for the offences.

He said he was the sole owner of the devices that had been seized and no one else had access to the images.

Ellis admitted similar offences in January and March of 2010.

At that time he was made the subject of a community order and a sexual offences prevention order.

Kama Melly, mitigating, described Ellis as “a lonely and desperate man.”

She said Ellis was anxious to receive treatment to address his offending.

Miss Melly said Ellis had lost his job and home as a result of the convictions and was now living in a caravan.

She added that Ellis had not distributed or shared the images with anyone else and he had deleted many of them after they had been viewed.

The barrister said Ellis had managed to make good progress when he was supervised in the community before lapsing and committing the offences again.

Miss Melly said: “He accepts full responsibility and that is the best mitigation to these offences.”

Jailing Ellis, Judge James Spencer, QC, said: “You are 60 years of age and you have been in trouble twice before for having images of children which were indecent and now you have been found downloading them again.”

December 2014

East Lancs babysitter who molested seven-year-old child after making her watch pornography jailed for six years

A COLNE man who molested a seven-year-old girl after making her watch pornography has been jailed by a judge for six years at Burnley Crown Court.

Prosecutors said that the young victim initially kept quiet about the abuse by Martin Alcock, now 34, but later told her grandmother she ‘had a big secret’.

The young girl told her grandmother that Alcock, while babysitting her, had asked her if she wanted to be his girlfriend, jurors were told.

And when her grandmother pressed her further, she wrote a note indicating she had been sexually assaulted by the man.

Alcock, of Burran Meadow, denied sexual assault by penetration and two offences of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

But he was convicted of the offences after a trial and jailed for six years by Judge Andrew Woolman – who also ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

Prosecutor Jacob Dyer said that the girl was molested while Alcock watched adult pornography, which had been fed into his television via a laptop computer. The defendant asked if the girl wanted to be his girlfriend but she told him to leave her alone, he told the court.

Alcock later told the girl not to repeat what had happened to anyone, added Mr Dyer.

The defendant was later arrested and told police it was possible that the girl may have inadvertently seen ‘pop-up’ adverts of a sexual nature, through the TV, by accident.

He admitted that he watched porn via his laptop but that the images, which he would have immediately clicked away, may have flashed up on the screen during conventional programming He also flatly denied molesting the girl.

Mr Dyer told the jury that the sexual activity charges were intended to represent a number of occasions, where Alcock had forced the girl to watch porn, during 2012.

He added the defendant would be guilty of the offence if the prosecution could prove that he had obtained sexual gratification from the offences, and his behaviour had been intentional.

December 2014

Sevenoaks man convicted of child sexual abuse

A Sevenoaks man who sexually abused a teenage boy and took photographs of the evidence has been jailed for four years.

Paul Judges, 49, formerly of Caxton Close, Hartley, was arrested in May 2014 for offences dating back to the previous December.

While on remand in prison, officers searched his computer and found a number of indecent images of children including several of his victim in various states of undress.

He admitted charges of sexual activity with a child, and of possessing and making indecent images of children, and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on December 16.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Donna Read said: “Paul Judges is a depraved individual who has demonstrated he is unsafe for children to be around.

“I hope this sentencing brings some closure to those affected by his crimes, who have shown tremendous courage in coming forward and supporting this prosecution.”

June 2008

Quarrier’s beast found guilty of child abuse

THE former head of a children’s home who avoided justice because of a legal blunder has been found guilty of abusing a girl in his care.

James Crawford last week became the eighth Quarrier’s worker to be convicted of abuse.

The 61-year-old, from Paisley, was a house father at one of the charity homes in the 1970s and preyed on a vulnerable teenage girl.

Three years ago, he walked free because a legal phrase was not included in his indictment.

But after a retrial at Greenock Sheriff Court, a jury last week convicted the father of four of going into a teenager’s bedroom and fondling her.

Five women originally made allegations and the jury found him not guilty of four other charges and not proven on a fifth.

Crawford and his first wife Dorothy had been in charge of 22 teenagers at the home in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire.

He will be sentenced next month.

Quarrier’s chief executive Dr Phil Robinson said: “Our sympathy is with the victim of this person.”

David Whelan, a victim of another abuser, called it “the tip of the iceberg”.

Search ‘Quarrier’ on our database for all other related convictions

December 2014

Sexual predator met 14-year-old online and conned her into sending explicit pictures to him

A sexual predator lied to a teenage girl about his age before convincing her to take her clothes off on a webcam.

James Harrisson has now been jailed for five years after he was caught out by his victim’s mother.

He told the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, that he was 19 years old. He was actually 28 – twice her age.

Harrisson then convinced and coaxed her into sending him naked and explicit pictures of herself and to use Skype to send live video to him.

He never appeared on camera to her and lied about his life and where he was living.

Messages were found where he told her what positions to put herself in and how to perform sex acts for his sexual pleasure.

The girl lives in England and got to know Harrisson via Facebook.

Her mother had noticed her daughter’s behaviour had changed towards the end of 2013 and on Boxing Day, at a family party, overheard her daughter say she had a 19-year-old boyfriend.

When she confronted her daughter, the girl told her mother: “Jamie said you would be like this”.

She was told to block Harrisson, from Skelmuir Road in Splott, Cardiff, on the site and not speak to him.

Her mother continued checking her daughter’s Facebook and read a message “Jamie Bennett” had sent her.

“She was shocked and horrified,” said prosecutor David Pugh.

He called the girl his “princess” and in the chat history, the mother read hundreds of pages of messages where Harrisson told the girl he wanted to have sex with her and for her to have his children.

She also found a message where Harrisson asked her daughter to engage in sex acts on camera.

One message from him read: “Why have you gone?”

When the girl replied she had covered the camera because her mother had walked in, Harrisson told her she was a “good girl”.

On one occasion she wrote him a letter telling him about problems she had in her life and how she had self-harmed but he continued to speak to her – something the prosecution said was an aggravating factor because she was a vulnerable child.

Mr Pugh said: “When she objected to some of his requests, he chided her or threatened her and said he would ignore her if she did not do as he asked. He went on to ask her to adopt explicit positions.”

The girl said she was often driven to tears by his requests but said he made her feel loved so she carried on.

Marian Lewis, defending Harrisson, said her client had never offended before and this girl was his only victim.

“He did not circulate any of the images and nothing physical happened between them,” she said.

She said he is the breadwinner for his family, who will now lose their home.

“The effect on them will be devastating. They will have to come to terms with the type of offender he is.

“He has repeatedly expressed his remorse and shame for what he has done. He is horrified by what he has done and does not understand why he behaved in this way,” said Mrs Lewis.

Judge Eleri Rees told Harrisson that the ongoing psychological effect his actions have had on the girl was just one of a number of aggravating factors.

She told him the messages he sent her were “sexualised and appalling”.

Harrisson admitted four offences of inciting a child to engage in pornography and three of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

December 2014

75 Year old child rapist will probably die behind bars after judge hands down 20 year sentence

A “DISGUSTING and violent” serial child rapist looks set to die in prison after he was jailed for 20 years.

Malcolm Carney, 75, leaned on his wooden walking stick in the dock as Bradford’s top judge told him: “One wonders if you will ever enjoy another day of freedom.

“You, at long last, will have to pay for the terrible things you did to those girls.”

Carney, of Langlands Road, Cottingley, Bingley, was yesterday convicted by a jury at Bradford Crown Court of 24 sexual offences, spanning 15 years.

The unanimous guilty verdicts included eight allegations of rape and 16 of indecent assault, dating back to the 1980s.

Carney’s wife and daughter, who were there throughout the trial, were visibly upset when he was convicted.

His two victims, now middle aged women, had at last got justice, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC said.

Carney’s barrister, Rebecca Young, said he was in very poor health.

The retired Continental coach driver, who was remanded into custody during the five day trial, suffers from angina and attended court in a wheelchair before he was locked up.

“He is likely to see out his days in prison,” Miss Young said.

During the trial, the jury heard that the two women victims finally resolved to go to the police last year.

They revealed how Carney physically abused them, by beating them with his belt, and sexually abused them on numerous occasions.

One told how he sexually molested her on her wedding day, groping her down her bridal dress and offering her £2,000 not to go ahead with the ceremony.

Carney denied any wrong doing, accusing the women from the witness box of telling lies and saying they had made up stories about other men sexually abusing them.

In her victim personal statement, one of the victims said Carney had robbed her of her childhood.

His despicable crimes left her feeling ashamed and dirty and she still suffered panic attacks when she saw him in the supermarket.

The second woman described his crimes as “unforgivable and downright sickening”.

Judge Thomas said the women’s brave and powerful evidence was proof of the lasting harm child sex abusers did to their victims.

But he told Carney he had caused the women real, deep and irreparable damage.

“The damage that you have done by your own nasty, selfish, disgusting and violent conduct is there to be seen,” Judge Thomas said.

He als ordered Carney to sign on the sex offender register for an indefinite period

December 2014

Exmouth youth football coach admits inciting schoolgirls to send indecent images

A youth sports coach who tried to persuade a 14-year-old to send him explicit pictures was caught when the girl’s suspicious mother checked her computer.

Danny Gould, 20, who was a coach with Exmouth Amateurs, was sent a picture of the schoolgirl in a bikini but she refused his requests for more explicit shots.

Police found he had been in touch with another 13-year-old girl who had also turned down his request for images.

Gould has now been forced to give up his youth work at the football club and has been made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order which restricts his contact with anyone under 16.

He was spared jail after a judge at Exeter Crown Court ruled he was immature and naïve rather than an internet predator.

Gould, of Brimpenny Road, Exmouth, admitted two offences of inciting girls under 16 to send indecent images and was jailed for 16 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to receive 12 months supervision and pay £250 costs.

Judge Jonathan Fuller told him: “It would be wrong to describe you as an internet predator. You are an immature man who committed a very serious error of judgment.

“Fortunately the images which you sought never materialised so you are only charged with incitement and to that extent greater harm was avoided.”

Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said police were called in last year when the mother of a 14-year-old girl became alarmed about her online chats with Gould.

He contacted her via social media but then moved their conversation to the more secure platform of Whatsapp, where he began asking for photographs.

She sent him about 15 but they showed her in nothing more revealing that a bikini, prompting him to ask her to remove more items of clothing. She reminded him of her age and he told her he would wait for her.

Police found other chat logs with a 13-year-old girl from Gould which asked her to flash her legs and breasts.

When she told him her age he replied ‘what’s wrong with that? No-one will know, you are still sexy.’ He went on to send other sexualised messages.

The defence gave the judge a sheaf of testimonials, including one from the chairman of Exmouth Amateurs, and others from parents of children he coached

December 2014

Flasher who exposed himself to girls in Leicester while ‘licking his lips’ could be deported

A flasher who indecently exposed himself to two women and two teenage girls has been jailed for four months.

The four separate incidents happened within 15 minutes, in the Braunstone area of Leicester, which left the victims reeling in shock.

Marius Blaga (30), of Fosse Road South, in the city, was arrested soon afterwards, Leicester Crown Court was told.

He pleaded guilty to four counts of exposure, on October 30.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said that at 3.30pm a 16-year-old schoolgirl had just got off the bus from school, with her 17-year-old sister, when a blue Renault Clio pulled alongside.

When the defendant wound the window down asking for directions to the city centre, she pointed the way and then realised he was exposing himself and behaving lewdly.

Her response was: “Oh my God.”

She told her elder sister, who noticed he was “licking his lips like he wanted the girls to see him,” said Miss Rose.

The elder girl did not see his lower half, but the sisters noted his registration number and immediately reported the matter to the police, as did the other complainants.

The next victim, a woman, had a similar experience, in a nearby road.

A 17-year-old girl then encountered the defendant as he lewdly exposed himself in his car, whilst asking for directions.

Miss Rose said: “She was extremely shocked and reported it because she was worried it would happen to someone else – which it did.”

A woman encountered a similar situation minutes later, at 3.45pm.

Judge Simon Hammond said: “Indecent exposure is a very unpleasant experience for females, particularly the two schoolgirls, and it can be very upsetting.”

He said Blaga would have to enlist on a sex offenders’ register for seven years, unless he was deported, which was a matter for the Home Office.

Philip Gibbs, mitigating, said: “He’s an industrious person and came here from Romania to do better economically.

“He had two jobs and was sending money back home to his mother in Romania.

“He was separated from loved ones and found he was isolated and lonely.

“It led to sexual frustration and what happened was over a very short period of 15 minutes.

“He drove about and he disgraced himself.

“He’s deeply ashamed about what he’s had to admit to doing.

“The victims appear to have been relatively robust.

“He may now face deportation.”

December 2014

Couple are jailed for sexually abusing girls

A MARRIED couple will be separated for the first time in 34 years as they start prison sentences for depraved sex offences against two young girls.

Donald and Suzanne Barnes, aged 57 and 55 respectively, of The Cullerns in Highworth, were jailed at Swindon Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Tim Mousley sentenced Donald to five years’ and Suzanne to four years’ imprisonment, with the latter’s sentence reduced due to her particular vulnerability.

The culprits had pleaded not guilty to four counts of indecency with a child and two of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

But they were found guilty at a trial for the abuse, carried out between August 2000 and August 2005 on two girls aged between 11 and 15 at the time.

Each charge related to multiple incidents and Judge Mousley said the offences were committed many, many times.

“These were acts of extreme depravity and not once did you appear to query whether what you were doing was appropriate,” the judge said.

“These were vulnerable, young girls and they will bear the emotional scars that you have caused them for many, many years, perhaps the rest of their lives.

“The impact of your actions spread beyond these girls, in affecting their loved ones and your entire family.

“You have expressed no remorse for what you did, which means I am unable to reduce the sentence in any way.

“There are a number of mitigating factors. Firstly, you have no previous convictions. Secondly, you are both in your mid-50s.

“There are also several references and many people have spoken highly of you. You have both been hardworking people and neither of you are clearly in the best of health.”

In mitigation for the couple, Leanne Evans for Donald Barnes and Charles Row for Suzanne Barnes, drew attention to the poor health of their clients.

Suzanne Barnes had a full hip replacement at the start of this month and has developed a blood clot which needs daily attention, as well as a number of other ailments, including epilepsy, depression and arthritis.

Donald Barnes requires an entirely new knee, according toGreat Western Hospital, and also suffers with arthritis and depression.

Each of them were described as being slow learners, with mild cognitive impairments.

Prosecutor Colin Meeke did not go into detail on the offences in question, but did say: “It is clear the events have troubled them [the victims] greatly and left an impact upon their lives.”

Sister of murdered Anne Dunwell appeals to end ’50-year nightmare’

Anne Dunwell, whose murder remains unsolved, photographed above with her older sister Irene

The case of Anne Dunwell is one of the county’s oldest unsolved murders. Yet half a century on, her sister still believes that her killer can be found. 

Anne Dunwell, 13, was sexually assaulted, strangled and left naked at the foot of a manure heap in Maltby, Rotherham, on 6 May 1964.

The killer has never been identified and it remains South Yorkshire’s oldest unsolved murder case.

Just before the May Day bank holiday in 1964, Anne Dunwell went on a shopping trip with her grandmother, who bought her a new, pale blue coat with a Peter Pan collar.

The 13-year-old got to wear it a few days later when she set off from her home in Whiston, near Rotherham, to visit her aunt seven miles away in Bramley.

Victim … Anne Dunwell

She had been planning to stay for a few days, but knowing her grandfather was working a night shift the teenager decided to go back to keep her grandmother company.

Anne had moved in with her grandparents following the death of her mother a few years earlier and witnesses remembered seeing a young girl standing near the bus stop shortly after 9.15pm on the evening of May 6.

No one quite knows what happened next, except Anne, who spent most weekends with her father in Sheffield, never got on the bus. The following morning her naked body was discovered at the foot of a pile of manure near a winding country road between the villages of Carr and Slade Hooton.

Anne, a pupil of Wickersley Secondary Modern, had been sexually assaulted and strangled by her own stockings. A few days later her new coat, along with her cotton dress, was recovered by frogmen from the bottom of Utley Reservoir, six miles from where her body had been dumped.

In the days after the grim discovery Det Chief Supt Clifford Lodge, who believed Anne may have accepted a lift from a passing car, described her killer as a “menace to children”. As more than 70 officers were searching nearby fields for clues, he also issued an appeal to “courting couples” who might have used the secluded lane that night, assuring any information would be treated with “absolute discretion”.

The officers never did find Anne’s wicker shopping basket or the headscarf printed with a distinctive vintage car design. Despite some early leads they also never tracked down her killer. The case is now the oldest unsolved murder on the books of South Yorkshire Police and on the 50th anniversary of her death, her older sister, Irene Hall, still believes that someone, somewhere knows who killed Anne.

“My father always wanted to know who could do such a thing before he passed away, but he never got to know,” says the 68-year-old, who now lives in Worcestershire. “I’d like to see the killer brought to justice too, but I’m not getting any younger. If I don’t, then the burden will fall to my children.

“Generations come and go, but Anne will never be forgotten. My family and I have been robbed of watching Anne grow up, get married and have children. We are only left with the memories of a happy young girl who did not deserve to be taken from us at such a young age and the question: `Why? Why did this have to happen to Anne?’

“People often speak about time being a healer. But I can honestly say after 50 years have passed that time does not heal. You learn to live with the pain and heartache but it never goes away. Each and every day, I think about Anne and ask the question,`What did happen on that terrible night?’ But somebody does know.”

The case, which has regularly featured on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme, was the subject of a major review a decade ago. Back then, Detective Superintendent Ernie Roper said he believed Anne knew her killer and that it was likely he already had a criminal record.

It was a high profile appeal, which resulted in a number of new inquiries and saw a large number of men eliminated from the inquiry. However, police are still waiting for that vital piece of evidence which may lead to Anne’s killer and the unsolved murder has been a source of frustration for the force. Over the years, as new breakthroughs have been made in forensic testing, Anne’s family have prayed that science might unlock the mystery, but each time their hopes have been dashed.

“At the moment there is nothing else we can do forensically,” says Detective Superintendent Richard Fewkes, of South Yorkshire Police. “However, the tragic murder of Anne Dunwell, albeit 50 years ago, should never be forgotten.

“The case has been reviewed on a number of occasions in the past and new lines of enquiry identified. Sadly these did not lead to the identification of Anne’s killer. However, we have not given up and other cold cases have proved that the passage of time is not necessarily a barrier to solving these historic crimes.”

While investigating cold cases is a painstaking business, lacking the cliffhangers and twists of a TV drama, there have been some notable successes in recent years which have brought at least some closure for victims and their families.

Cases like that of Joan Harrison, whose death had baffled detectives for 35 years. While it was once thought the 26-year-old prostitute, who was found dead in a derelict garage in Preston had been the victim of the Yorkshire Ripper, three years ago advances in forensic testing showed DNA found at the scene matched that of Christopher Smith from Leeds who had died in 2008 at the age of 60.

A DNA swab had been taken after Smith, who was suffering from a terminal illness, was arrested for drink driving. He died less than a week later without admitting the murder, but he did leave a note which read: “I would like to put the record straight. I can’t go on with the guilt… I am truly sorry for all the pain I have caused… Please believe me when I say I am sorry.”

South Yorkshire Police also recorded a cold case success when Simon Murcott was jailed in 2011 for raping a Rotherham woman almost 26 years earlier.

No charges had ever been brought during the original investigation, but DNA evidence stored since the rape in 1985 was later used to arrest Murcott in Merseyside. At the time, he was one of a dozen cold cases successfully investigated by a team of scientists and specialist police officers in South Yorkshire.

“The one thing to say is that we don’t forget these crimes, however old they are,” adds Det Supt Fewkes. “These cases are often complex and even if there is good DNA evidence they still require an immense amount of detailed investigation.

“However, we realise that for every unsolved crime there is a victim and a family struggling to move on. The case of Anne Dunwell is one of those and if anyone comes forward with new information then rest assured, it will be thoroughly investigated.”

Over the years, as leads have turned into dead ends and possible suspects have been eliminated, Anne’s sister Irene has quietly tried to get on with her life. It hasn’t been easy and as every birthday and anniversary passes, the need for answers hasn’t diminished. In an ideal world, there would be a conviction, but even just to know a name would give the family some comfort.

“We are truly grateful to all of those who have already helped the police, but I appeal to those who, for their own reasons, have kept information to themselves for so long,” says Irene. “Anyone who knows anything about the death of Anne, however small or trivial they think it may be, please contact the police.

“It is possible that the person responsible may now be dead but did they admit what they had done? Please if anyone can help us finally get justice for Anne, have the courage to make that call to the police. We can only hope that one day Anne’s murderer will be identified, giving us closure on a 50-year nightmare and allowing Anne to finally be at peace.”

Anyone with information should contact South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

2012 - Falconer now aged 36 is Placed on sex offenders register and is living in Lanark

2008 – John Falconer was released after serving four years of his prison sentence.

December 2004

Pervert who sexually abused young girl over ten year period is finally jailed

A Netherburn man found guilty of the systematic sexual abuse of a child over a ten year period has been given a 12 year extended sentence at Glasgow high court.

The extended sentence was made up of seven years (imprisonment) with five years extended sentence (released on license for five years)

The court heard that parcel delivery company worker John Falconer, aged 26 of Netherburn, sexually abused the young girl almost everyday over a ten year period, beginning when the child was just five years old, and continuing until she reached the age of fifteen.

Falconer who also volunteered as a cadet leader for the Lanark cadets was found guilty of a series of charges which included rape and sexual assault of a child. 

December 2014

D-Day veteran, 90, guilty of historic sex abuse becomes oldest person in Britain to be jailed

A 90-year-old D-Day veteran has become the oldest person ever to be jailed in the UK.

Albert Barrow, a former lance corporal, sexually abused two young victims over many years, a court heard.

After being arrested he told a probation officer he did not believe what he had done was serious, and said: ‘It happens all the time.’

Southampton Crown Court heard how his actions ‘ruined’ the lives of the victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

A picture of his Second World War medals was held up in court as Barrow’s barrister pleaded with the judge not to send him to prison.

But the judge ignored the plea and jailed Barrow, from Totton, Hampshire, for four years.

After hearing the sentence the father turned to a dock officer and said: ‘But I won’t be alive all that long.’

The historical offences were revealed after police were called to an incident between him and one of his victims earlier this year.

Carolyn Branford-Wood, prosecuting, said the defendant abused the victims on a regular basis.

One victim said in a statement: ‘I was scared. I did not like it, I did not want it and I wanted it to stop.’

‘He has ruined my life and for the past years I have had to live with this… It does not stop and it has ruined my relationships with men.’

In total, Barrow admitted 14 charges of indecent assault, which covered multiple offences. Initially, he had only admitted six charges.

Defence barrister John Lofthouse asked his client be spared prison. He said when Barrow was asked by police why he committed the offences, he told them: ‘I don’t know. I was abused as a child myself by my mother.’

Following his arrest, Barrow attended a police station voluntarily for an interview and said: ‘I’m guilty.’

Mr Lofthouse said this belied a man who wanted to ‘get things off his chest’, was ‘frank’ and sorry for what he had done.

However, the judge pointed out there were ‘concerning things’ that Barrow had told probation officers in a pre-sentence report.

Judge Nicholas Rowland said: ‘There are some unappealing sentiments expressed by this defendant about one of his victims.

‘At one point it is reported that he [Barrow] remarks that he doesn’t see it [indecent assault] as a serious matter as it “goes on all the time”.’

Mr Lofthouse agreed what was said was ‘appalling’ and said his client was an ‘ill-tuned bell’ who was ‘stuffy in his attitudes’.

But he insisted his client was remorseful and suggested that since committing the offences Barrow had had ‘the sword of Damocles’ hanging over his head.

The court heard Mr Lofthouse had submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice asking how many people aged 90 or over were in prison in the UK. This revealed there were just five.

He added Barrow had a war record and held up pictures of all the medals he had won to the court.

Judge Rowland ignored Mr Lofthouse’s pleas, noting that had the defendant been caught at the time of his offending and admitted the charges he would have faced at least 14 years behind bars.

Judge Rowland added: ‘The effect on your victims has been immense.

‘In their impact statements they have written of the long-term consequences for them – there were all sorts of problems that manifested from the abuse that you perpetuated.’

Upon hearing his sentence, Barrow, who had walked into court with the aid of a walking frame, appeared stunned.

As dock officers came to lead him away to the cells, Barrow asked them to confirm how long he had got in prison and one of them told him ‘four years’.

He replied: ‘But I won’t be alive all that long.’

In 2010, wheelchair-bound Thomas Burton, 88, became the previous oldest person to be jailed in the UK after he admitted abusing two sisters.

Burton, from Middleton, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was jailed for 16 months for molesting the sisters more than 40 years ago.