January 2015

Man who downloaded indecent images of children given suspended sentence

A man who downloaded indecent images of children on his computer has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Julian Smith accessed almost 200 illegal pictures and movie clips via the internet, between October and November last year.

Leicester Crown Court was told that when the police called at his home in Great Bowden Road, Market Harborough, where he admitted the offences

He pleaded guilty to 12 counts of possessing child abuse images, relating to young girls, some engaging in sexual activity.

Smith was given a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with supervision.

He was also ordered to attend a rehabilitation programme and will have to sign on to a sex offender register for 10 years.

Victoria Rose, prosecuting, said the images were recovered from his home computer relating to 27 images in category A, the most serious level.

There were 54 indecent images in category B and 116 in category C, the least serious bracket.

Sentencing, Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: “You’re 42 and have no previous convictions, but you have admitted possessing indecent, still and moving, images of young girls.

“You acknowledge the seriousness of what you’ve done.

“It’s wrong to think the mere possession of such images is a victimless crime.

“Someone somewhere is exploiting children to obtain those images you downloaded and that’s what makes it extremely serious.

“The sentencing council guidelines say where there’s a significant prospect of rehabilitation, a community order or suspended sentence can be a proper alternative to immediate imprisonment.

“The author of your pre-sentence report concludes that a programme of rehabilitation would be productive and useful in your case, and you’ve expressed a willingness to undergo that.”

Miss Rose told the court: “Smith said, in interview, he was aware it was illegal having looked into the legislation himself.

“There’s no evidence to suggest he was sharing the images with anyone else.”

Michael Garvey, mitigating, said: “He accepts full responsibility for his actions and he knows what he’s done.

“He has a history of being bullied when he was younger.”

Smith’s computer equipment was confiscated by the court.

He was also placed on a sex offenders’ prevention order for 10 years, enabling the authorities to monitor his future computer use.

January 2015

Pensioner who sexually assaulted a child aged under 13 years old is spared jail

A pensioner who sexually assaulted a child at a community centre in Merton has avoided spending time in jail for the offence.

Cedric Daley, 79, admitted touching a girl under the age of 13 in a sexual manner at the New Horizon Centre in Pollards Hill on two separate occasions in September.

Appearing in Kingston Crown Court this morning, he was given a prison sentence of 18 months, suspended for two years.

This means if he does not re-offend, he will not go to jail.

Daley, whose registered address is in Enfield, north London, has been put on the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

He must also attend a sex offender’s programme under supervision.

January 2015

Man jailed for raping a 13 year-old after befriending her on Facebook

A Southwark man who befriended a 13 year-old girl using Facebook but then raped her has been jailed for eight years.

24 year-old Gholahun Shittu got to know the girl by having on-line conversations with her but then asked her to meet him, claiming he had money to give her.

The girl went to meet him in Dulwich with a school friend in February.

But Shittu eventually took her to a community centre on her own where he raped her.

He was arrested in May and found guilty in November, following two trials.

November 2002

Convicted sex offender jailed for six months for storing indecent images of children on a home computer

Philip Muse, of Hall Court, Brotherton, told officers about the sick pictures – totalling 354 – during a police visit to his house, Selby magistrates heard on Friday.

Presiding magistrate Janet Child told Muse: “Your sexual exploitation of children via the Internet is viewed as abhorrent by this Bench.

“By your own words, you are feeding your addiction to child pornography. Children are being abused in order to gratify your urges to view these images.

“Despite the Probation Service’s assertion you are not a risk to children in your locality, this Bench has a responsibility to protect all children.

“Even though you have previous convictions for this type of offence and your name is on the sex offenders’ register, this has not prevented you from offending.”

Mrs Child added if it had not been for his admission to the police, Muse would have been sent to Crown Court where a considerably longer sentence would have been imposed.

Prosecutor Emma Pearson said Muse had downloaded shots depicting mainly young girls in various stages of undress.

He had made a full and frank admission to the police and was co-operative when interviewed.

The court heard how the 51-year-old is on the Sexual Offenders’ Register after being convicted of taking indecent photographs of a young child.

He was sentenced to 18 months at Bradford Crown Court in May 2000.

Muse pleaded guilty to possessing indecent photographs of children between October 20 2001 and April 23 2002.

Mitigating, Linda Woods said Muse had told police about this serious lapse in his behaviour on a routine visit to his home.

She said he is most anxious to conquer his addiction and informed the police so he could get help.

Mrs Woods added: “He has suffered in his neighbourhood since press reports of his first appearance in court. His worst fears have come true but he felt the lapse outweighed the adverse effects.

“There was no physical contact with a child involved – the only danger is these images are available on the Internet and he was able to take advantage of them.

“He has lost everything but the fight to conquer his problem.”

Magistrates read an all-options pre-sentence report and a letter from Muse before reaching their decision. They also ordered the forfeiture of his computer and the destruction of images on the hard-drive.

September 2009

Convicted pervert wins appeal

MAGISTRATES were “in no way justified” in jailing an alcoholic – who gave diazepam tablet to schoolboy – for eight weeks, a court has ruled

Stephen Whitehead, 50, of Hawerby House, Immingham, admitted supplying the class C drug to the 15-year-old girl on March 14.

His sentence has now been halved after an appeal to Grimsby Crown Court after his initial appeal before Grimsby magistrates.

Police had already warned the 50-year-old he must not allow a vulnerable and “emotionally damaged” schoolboy to go to his home but he repeatedly ignored the pleas

The child had been in the care of social services since 2001 because his family was unable to care for him.

He was “emotionally damaged” and had the emotional development of a boy aged six or seven.

Eighteen months before the incident, the boy started going missing regularly, including for 24 days on one occasion. He later refused to say how he received injuries.

Whitehead had a “history of offending”, including a conviction in 1978 for having sex with a child

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC said the sentence was “excessive” and “in no way justified” after hearing it exceeded Government sentencing guidelines for the offence.

Representing Whitehead at the appeal, Richard Butters said: “He feels very aggrieved by this sentence indeed.”

He said that the maximum sentence that should be imposed for the offence was six weeks, following a trial.

Whitehead’s guilty pleas meant the sentence must be reduced by one third, he said.

The court heard Whitehead gave the girl – who cannot be named for legal reasons – one diazepam tablet after she turned up at his home “distressed”.

Responding to the appeal, Wendy Foster said: “Police went to his address after hearing a girl who was wanted on bail was there.

“When they arrived, he said that the girl had a diazepam tablet in her pocket.

“In interview, he said that she was not feeling right and he thought the tablet would calm her down.

“He said he knew it wouldn’t harm her because it was prescribed to him and he knew the effects of it.”

Mr Butters said: “He thinks, in his own mind, that he did the right thing by this girl.”

Judge Richardson QC said: “You gave a 15-year-old girl this drug, and therefore deserve a prison sentence, but two months was excessive.”

April 2009

Man ignored pleas to keep ‘vulnerable’ teenager away from his home

A TEENAGE boy repeatedly went to an Immingham man’s home – despite frequent warnings to stay away.

January 2015

January 2015

Pervert jailed for ten years for abusing a young boy over several years

Gary Moscrop, 76, retired, of Hendon Street, Brighton, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Thursday (8 January) after being found guilty of 10 offences between 1979 and 1985.

The victim, who was just seven when the attacks began, first went to police in 1987 and Moscrop was given a caution for indecent assault.

But when he again approached them in 2011, more evidence was available and Moscrop was charged with a string of serious sexual offences.

Moscrop was served with a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) severely restricting his access to children, and will be a registered sex offender for life on his release.

Detective Constable Dave Hunt of the Brighton Specialist Investigation Unit said; “The victim bravely came forward in 2011 and with his co-operation we were gradually able to develop a strong case against Moscrop, who had abused the boy at addresses in Brighton and in Hove in the late seventies and early eighties.

“The victim had previously come forward in 1987 and Moscrop was arrested and dealt with for one offence of indecent assault, receiving a police caution. Available evidence at that time did not support further action.

“However we are glad to have been able to help achieve justice for the victim.”

January 2015

Sex offender who ‘flashed’ at 13-year-old girl via ‘FaceTime’ sent to youth custody

A sex offender who ‘flashed’ at a 13-year-old girl via a ‘Face Time’ connection has been sent to youth custody for 15 months after he spurned a chance to be rehabilitated.

Aaron Kuckukcan already had a conviction for indecently exposing himself to woman in a park in Colne when he was a teenager, Burnley Crown Court was told

But the 20-year-old, who was being monitored by Lancashire Constabulary’s dangerous and sexual offenders team, moved house without telling detectives.

Kuckukcan later confessed to police that he hadn’t told them about the switch because he had moved to a home near a primary school, said prosecutor Judith McCullough.

He also failed to turn up for a number of appointments with his probation officer and was a heavy cannabis user, the court heard.

Passing sentence, Judge Beverley Lunt said: “You must be watched and tell police where you are living. Otherwise you will return to court and I will keep locking you up for longer and longer to protect the public.”

Kuckukcan, formerly of Blacko Road, Gisburn, and Derby Street, Colne, but now of no fixed address, admitted breach of a sexual offences prevention order and breach of a community order, including three years probation supervision and attendance of a sex offenders treatment programme.

Ms McCullough said the defendant had been visited by the dangerous and sexual offenders team while he was living in a bedsit in Wren Street, Burnley. But when officers returned later in the month he had left without warning.

The court heard he had been living at another house in Westmorland Street, but had not informed detectives as it was located close to a primary school.

Richard Taylor, defending, said his client was due to begin a sex offenders treatment course on January 15, which had been the purpose of his original sentence last February.

“He is still only a very young man with a lot of growing up to do,” said Mr Taylor.

The court heard there were difficulties with the defendant’s accommodation as he could could not return to Westmoreland and his mother’s address was unavailable.

January 2015

Child images were ‘repulsive’

A NEW FOREST man who collected sordid images of children has been spared an immediate prison sentence after a judge accepted he had been seeking help for his problem before his arrest.

Daniel Hicks was detained after police had been alerted by CEOP, the children exploitation and online protection centre.

Prosecutor Eleanor Fargin told Southampton Crown Court how police seized his computer and Iphone and discovered more than 500 sexual images on the former.

She said there were more than 90,000 images on the computer in total including a significant number involving babies and toddlers wearing nappies or naked.

Hicks, 29, of Stopples Lane, Hordle, pleaded guilty to eight charges of making indecent images and one of distributing one image. He received an eight-month suspended sentence incorporating an order to attend the Internet sex offenders treatment programme and two years’ supervision.

He was also banned from working with children and placed on the sex offenders register, both for ten years, and under the terms of a sex offenders prevention order, now has limited access to the Internet and cannot be left unsupervised with children.

 Passing sentence, Judge Peter Henry told Hicks: “You know how repulsive these images are. I hope you now realise what damage will have been done to those children.

“They are the real victims in this case. To read a description of the images is enough to turn a stomach.”

In mitigation, Timothy Akers said Hicks, who lost his job as a shop worker after his offending came to light, had admitted in a police interview how he had been sexually aroused looking at the images while under the influence of cannabis and cocaine.

“He got himself into a vicious cycle. He was feeling guilty after taking drugs and looking at the images which led him to consuming more drugs which ended up with him looking at more images.”

September 2010

End of living hell as child rapist jailed

‘LIFE can now finally begin,’ says a rape victim who recently saw her childhood abuser jailed.

The woman, now in her 20s, was just six years old when Gavin Paul Jones, a trusted family associate, began abusing her.

Last month, 11 years after his reign of abuse stopped, 28-year-old Jones, formerly of Heol Pen-Y-Parc, Penygawsi, but more recently of Newport, was jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Following a five-day trial, a jury sitting at Newport Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts on two charges of rape, two counts of committing gross indecency with a child, and one count of indecent assault on a female.

Now, as the father of two begins his sentence behind bars, the woman – who wishes to remain anonymous – told the Observer she can now begin to put her tormented past behind her.

“I had basically known him all my life, and we got on okay, but one day something just changed,” she explained. “It didn’t happen all the time, but he used to visit us most weekends so the fear and dread was always there.

“He used to tell me that if I told anyone it would break the family up, and that no-one would believe me. I was only six years old and I had always looked up to him so I believed him. His words were enough to scare me and keep me quiet.”

The victim, who has moved away from the area where the abuse took place but still lives in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area, said that manipulative Jones would regularly play in her bedroom, and would take advantage of the trust bestowed on him.

And though he was barely a teenager himself when the abuse began, the victim says he was fully aware of his actions.

“One time,” she recalls, “I started asking about babies, and the next time he came back with condoms, so he knew exactly what he was doing.”

She carried her burden for more than a decade, until two years ago she broke down and told an aunt, who helped her break the news to her parents.

Cruelly, her brave decision to share her horrific ordeal has cost her relationships with many of her relatives and friends, but she says she doesn’t regret speaking out for a moment.

Those closest to her, including her mother, partner and siblings, have supported her from the moment she spoke out, giving her the courage to contact police, and ultimately see predator Jones jailed.

Her mother said she wished daily her daughter had spoken out sooner, but praised her for finally finding the courage.

Looking back at what she had always thought was her daughter’s happy childhood, she said: “She put a sign on the door once saying ‘No Gavins Allowed.’

“I remember thinking it was funny at the time and thought she was going through that stage where girls hate boys and vice versa.

“I had always thought my daughter was safe, and to find out that someone had betrayed your trust in the worst possible way was just devastating.

“I didn’t protect her, but I didn’t realise I had anyone to protect her from. The only people I ever let near my kids were close family and friends.

“It must’ve been horrendous for her watching us be nice to him and wondering why we didn’t just stop it.”

Now the victim says she can finally move on with her life, safe in the knowledge that justice has been done, and that upon his eventual release, Jones will have to sign the sex offenders register for life.

“It’s hard for me to know it’s torn the family apart and I’ve lost people because of it, but it was worth it to know that the truth has come out, and that I might have protected someone else from suffering because of him.

“It hasn’t been easy but I just hope other victims can find the courage to do the same, because if these people can do it once, they can do it again and they have to be stopped.”

January 2010

Jail for man who sent indecent images of children to his brother

A MAN who took indecent images of girls as young as three and emailed them to his twin brother has been jailed for four years.

Paul Douglas Pinkett, 41, was found guilty of 11 counts of distributing indecent images of children and 19 charges of making indecent images of children.

He was charged after around 150 indecent images and movies were discovered on his computer at his then home in Salwayash near Bridport in September 2005.

Emails between that computer and Pinkett’s brother Dean’s email account also had indecent images with children as young as three attached.

In his trial at Dorchester Crown Court Pinkett denied any sexual interest in children and claimed it must have been his son Benjamin Parker, now 19, who was responsible for the images on his computer.

Mr Parker denied those allegations and the jury convicted Pinkett.

The jury also heard that Dean Pinkett committed suicide in February 2007, shortly after the allegations came to light.

Tim Shorter, mitigating, said Pinkett – who gave his latest address to the court as Honeyditches Drive, Seaton – still maintained his innocence.

Judge Christopher Harvey Clark told Pinkett: “You show no acceptance of guilt and I am entitled to conclude that your deviant sexual attraction towards small children remains strong.

“One of the most distressing factors of this case was the suggestion that was made by you that your son was responsible for this material, that really was an offensive suggestion.”

Judge Harvey Clark sentenced Pinkett to a total of four years for the offences.

The judge said: “I hope that you realise in due course that this conduct is totally reprehensible and disgusting and should never be repeated.”

Dorset Police refused to let the Echo have a picture of Pinkett.

October 2012

Allesley man downloaded child abuse pictures

AN ALLESLEY man has been told he may not be able to have unsupervised contact with his own daughter after being convicted of downloading indecent images of children.

Neil McLaren’s partner had already thrown him out of the house they shared after she discovered he was downloading the images by the time he was arrested by police who were tipped off about him by the Child Online Protection Agency.

They found 157 indecent images of children aged from around 12-18 months up to 14 or 15 years on a computer, a laptop and a mobile phone they seized from the 26-year-old’s new address of Birmingham Road.

And at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday McLaren pleaded guilty to five charges of downloading still images of children and one of downloading a moving image.

He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years, banned from working with children, and made subject to a sexual offences prevention order.

Under that order he cannot have unsupervised contact with any child under 16, including his own daughter, without the approval of social services.

Judge Alan Parker said: “Those who seek out and view depraved images involving the abuse of children feed the supply of such images, and you cared little about the plight of the victims in those images.

“You need to think about your involvement in the abuse of children. You have said there are no direct victims, but the courts take a diametrically opposed view.”

The court was told the Child Online Protection Agency had found a Facebook account in the name of Neil Ward on which indecent images of children had been downloaded.

When arrested McLaren accepted creating the account in a false name and admitted he was interested in making contact with others who had a sexual interest in children, and that he had subsequently received ‘tags’ of indecent images.

He had also looked for sites which indicated they contained indecent images of children, and had been downloading them for eight or nine months until the day before his arrest.

Prosecutor Neil Bannister said McLaren had also had Facebook conversations with a 12-year-old girl in which he claimed to be 15.

Read more: Allesley man downloaded child abuse pictures | Coventry Observer

January 2012

Pervert groomed young girl then had sex with her

A girl – who had just turned 13 years old – was groomed by a man for sex sessions on Folkestone beach, a court heard.

The schoolgirl had already engaged in “highly-charged” sex talk on the social network Internet site Facebook with the 19 year old.

And when she was later interviewed by police, the teenager admitted she hadn’t been a virgin at the time!

But Nicholas Culpan knew the girl’s age when they agreed to meet near the harbour, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Culpan, of Canterbury Road, Folkestone admitted two charges of engaging in sex with an underage girl and was given a suspended jail sentence.

Prosecutor Francesca Levett told how the two met “on Facebook” and after two days of chatting on the Internet they agreed to go to Folkestone.

She said the girl met Culpan at Folkestone Bus Station and after a hug and kissing they went to the beach area.

The two then stripped and had consensual sex. Later they made their way to tunnels where they were seen having sex again.

Miss Levett said that when she was questioned the girl “confirmed that although she was only a week past her 13th birthday she was not a virgin at the time”.

Culpan admitted he knew she was 13 at the time and said he “fancied her” – but initially denied having sex.

David Osborne, defending, said that at the time Culpan had been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after being the victim in an accidental shooting.

“He is not a bright young man and has limited maturity and ability.”

The barrister added that the girl “in her texting and on Facebook, had communicated to him in a sexually explicit way indicting she wished to engage in sexual activity when they met.”

“She appears to have been a willing participant in both these sexual encounters that took place.

“He is impulsive by nature and was simply unable to resist the sexually-charged nature of the conversation that had taken place through Facebook.

“But he is a shy, remorseful and very frightened young man. He is not a predator.”

Culpan was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to attend a sex offences programme for 104 hours.

He will also be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.

January 2015

Former Government computer expert found dead one day before sentencing for child abuse images

A FORMER government computer boffin facing jail for building up a library of sickening photos of child abuse killed himself hours before appearing in court.

Barry Kadleck, 61, who also served as a magistrate, was found dead at his North-East home the day before he was due to be at TeessideCrown Court.

He was warned to expect prison when he pleaded guilty at a hearing last month to making and possessing 4,000 indecent images of children.

The court would have heard that he was fixated on young girls aged around eight and stockpiled the harrowing photographs of children being sexually assaulted.

Court papers say that Kadleck, from Hexham, Northumberland, worked for the Government on secret IT contracts in Dubai and served as a magistrate in Newcastle.

The separated father-of-three was arrested at work last year, and told police: “I have been expecting it for some time, and it’s no more than I deserve.”

Investigations discovered thousands of images and videos on his mobile phone, laptop computer and on other storage devices around his house, the court heard.

Kadleck admitted that he had been looking at the images for the last seven years and told probation officials he was “fascinated and horrified” by them.

He was supposed to be appearing for sentence on Friday, but the court heard he was found dead at his home in what was suspected to be a suicide.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police received a report at approximately 12.30pm on Thursday expressing concern for a man at an address in Hexham.

“Officers attended and paramedics were already working on a 61-year-old man, however he was later confirmed to be dead. It is believed that there was no third party involvement and a report is being prepared for the coroner.”

Kadleck was a senior systems specialist with computer giant IBM for more 20 years and also worked in the technology team involved in the football events at the 2012 Olympics.

He worked as a volunteer driver for a Hexham-based charity and most recently worked as a senior manager with STME Ltd who describe themselves as the Middle East’s leading IT solutions provider and systems integrator.

The Northern Echo understands he was headhunted by the Government to work on the confidential contract in the Gulf, and returned to the UK five years ago.

Kadleck, whose wife lived on North Tyneside, resigned from his delivery driver job for a supermarket and as a magistrate following his arrest in March last year.

The case – being heard on Teesside because of his links to courts on Tyneside – will be listed again this Friday when it is expected to be discontinued.

January 2015

Turnford man jailed for indecent assault on young girl

An elderly man’s past came back to haunt him last week when he was jailed for sex offences against a young girl nearly forty years ago

Edward Pitcher, 74, of Galloway Close in Turnford, was jailed for a year after a jury found him guilty on Friday of four counts of indecent assault.

During the trial the court heard how the man had kissed and fondled the youngster between 1977 and 1979 when he was living in Hoddesdon.

Some of the offences even took place in a local swimming pool when he had rubbed himself against her.

The victim, who had been a schoolgirl at the time, finally spoke to Herts police in August 2013 and told them how she had been so scared “she froze” when offences were taking place.

The defendant was arrested two months later and denied the allegations that had been made by the woman.

He pleaded not guilty to four offences of indecent assault at his trial.

Before being led away from St Albans Crown Court, to begin his sentence the man was told his name will be added to the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.

Judge John Plumstead told the man he would also be made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order.

January 2015

Former teacher admits repeatedly sexually assaulting two young girls

A former Teesside teacher today admitted repeatedly sexually assaulting two young girls going back nearly 50 years.

David Farlow carried out the attacks in Stockton when the girls were aged between nine and 12.

One of the 67-year-old’s victims from 1974 sat in the public gallery at Teesside Crown Court as he entered pleas to 16 sex charges dating back to July 1, 1965.

Farlow, who now lives in Staffordshire, pleaded not guilty to raping a third girl between February 1973 and August 1975.

The judge ordered him to sign the Sex Offender’s Register before leaving court which means that he must notify police where he is living and inform authorities of his convictions.

He now faces a five-day trial starting March 23 for offences which he has denied.

Judge Howard Crowson told Farlow: “It does seem likely that there will be a trial, preparations are well in hand for that.”

Prosecutor Christine Egerton said earlier: “The pleas will be reviewed, and there will be special measures (for the complainants).”

Farlow pleaded guilty to gross indecency and indecent assault on the first girl between July and August 1965 when she was aged 12.

He admitted eight similar offences on the second girl aged between 10 and 12 and he denied five more.

Farlow faced the single charge of rape against the third girl, which he denied.

Some of the charges were described as specimen offences covering attacks which happened on more than one occasion.

He has no previous convictions.

Farlow, of St Chad House, Trafalgar Way, Lichfield, had his bail extended with conditions banning him from contacting directly or indirectly the complainants or any prosecution witnesses.

January 2015

‘Repulsive’ pervert from Cranford masturbated in front of girls aged 12 on packed commuter train

A man has been handed a suspended prison term and seven years on the sex offenders register for masturbating in front of two 12-year-old girls on a busy commuter train.

Prasan Mahanty, of Bath Road, Cranford, was caught two years after the incident on a Kent train in April 2011.

Detective Constable Andy Parkinson, of British Transport Police’s(BTP) Public Protection Unit, said: “Mahanty boarded the train at Chislehurst station and walked through the carriages to where two 12-year-old girls were sat travelling home from school. He sat opposite them, exposed himself and masturbated in full view of them.

“After realising what he was doing, the girls moved carriages and got off the train at the next station.”

Despite issuing a media appeal, carrying out house-to-house enquiries and conducting plain clothes observations with the victims, officers were unable to find Mahanty until late 2013 when he was arrested for a separate offence and recognised by detectives.

DC Parkinson said: “This was repulsive behaviour by a sex offender who sought out children on a busy train for his own gratification. Today’s sentencing, several years after the offence took place, shows that we will never give up on bringing offenders to justice.”

Mahanty admitted two counts of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years and seven years on the sex offenders register at Blackfriars Crown Court on Thursday, January 8.

His case is part of Project Guardian, a long-term initiative to reduce sexual assault and unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport in London.

The joint project between BTP, Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police focuses on increasing awareness and confidence amongst the public to report sexual offences.

Particularly those offences which are often unreported, like sexual touching, exposure, outraging public decency, lewd comments, leering and harassment.

BTP’s 61016 text number gives victims and witnesses a discreet way to report sexual offences. Offences can also be reported by calling BTP on 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always dial 999.

January 2015

Pervert Leeds engineer found guilty of abusing six-year-old girl

A Leeds engineer sexually abused a young girl as he gave her and a friend a “tour” of renovation work at a Calderdale church, a court heard.

Stephen Barraclough, 54, assaulted the six-year-old as he cleaned dirt off her after they had climbed some steps at the church last June.

The Calderdale youngster, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, gave evidence at Barraclough’s trial last month and a jury at Bradford Crown Court found him guilty of assault by penetration.

Barraclough, of Well House Road, Roundhay, was jailed for three years for the sexual offence, but he was also sentenced to an additional six months in prison after police analysis of two laptops found at his home revealed thousands of indecent images of children and a quantity of extreme pornography involving animals.

Prosecutor Andrew Dallas said Barraclough told police that he had also distributed about 20 to 30 indecent images to three or four other people.

The court heard that police found about 6,000 indecent images of youngsters on the laptops as well as nearly 500 images of extreme pornography.

As part of his sentence Barraclough, who had no previous convictions, will have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life and he is also subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order which restricts any unsupervised access to under 16s.

Jailing Barraclough, Judge Colin Burn said he accepted that the defendant had put his hand inside the girl’s underwear momentarily and that part of his hand had penetrated her genitals. The judge said a prison sentence for the offence was inevitable.

November 2013

Dad jailed for child cruelty branded ‘a liar and massive risk’ after baby’s death

THIS is the “habitual liar” branded a “massive risk to young children” having previously left his own child with a fractured skull.

Yet the authorities were not even aware that Hamid Baldelli had once again become a father. Had they been, it is likely his son Nico Maynard would be alive today.

Instead the three-month-old was found face down in his Moses basket by the man, who a High Court judge subsequently ruled had likely been responsible for harming him.

What followed, as authorities investigated Nico’s death, was a catalogue of lies including false details on the youngster’s birth certificate. His mother Jodie Maynard was implicit in the lies. Yesterday, as an inquest was held into Nico’s death to try and establish how he died, neither his mother or father were there.

The court heard through evidence from police how Mr Baldelli, 28, and Ms Maynard, 27, had told police that baby Nico was unsettled and grisly the day before he was found dead.

Although initially not treated as suspicious, inquiries by Hampshire police found that Mr Baldelli had previously been jailed for child cruelty, where a child of his – who he had in another part of the country with a different partner – was found with a fractured skull and other injuries.

A subsequent examination of Nico, who had a twin sister, found that he had previously suffered a leg fracture and had also had a fractured skull along with an associated brain injury which had been inflicted up to several days before his death on September 22, 2011.

Southampton Coroners Court heard how an examination of his sister found that she also suffered a fractured leg and was suspected to have a skull fracture which appeared to be healing.

Both Mr Baldelli and Ms Maynard were subsequently arrested on suspicion of Nico’s murder.

Neither could give any plausible explanation for how the children had come by their injuries other than suggesting that Nico had fallen off the sofa on to a carpet some two weeks before his death.

However, giving evidence at the inquest, pathologist Russell Delayney said several experts had not been able to pinpoint the exact cause of death.

He said that there were three factors involved, the skull fracture and brain injury, the fact the child was face down in the basket – a well known risk factor in sudden infant death – and the fact Nico had a chronic lung inflammation that could have contributed to his death.

He said: “It’s possible that Nico died as a result of the cumulative effects of all these three factors conspiring to cause his sudden death, although it’s not possible for me to pick out any one of these factors and say one was more significant than the others.”

Coroner Keith Wiseman read extracts from a family court hearing which was dealing with the care of the surviving twin and in doing so, examined Nico’s death in detail. In that case Mr Justice Baker found that on the balance of probabilities, a lesser burden of proof required than in the criminal courts, Mr Baldelli had inflicted the injuries to both children.

During those proceedings the court heard a probation report following Mr Baldelli’s release from prison for his previous child cruelty conviction.

In it he was described as being “a massive risk to young children” and that should he have any further children he was to informthe local authority.

The court was told that not only did the couple not do that, but they also gave a false name on the children’s birth certificate in order to evade detection.

The family court proceedings also heard evidence of Mr Baldelli’s “uncontrollable temper” and that he was a man who was “prone to bouts of anger.”

He was also described by the judge who heard evidence from him, as an “unimpressive witness” and “a habitual liar”.

In delivering his findings Mr Justice Baker described Ms Maynard as showing “an appalling failure to protect her children.”

She too was described as having repeatedly lied to those involved in the proceedings, including the court.

He added that had the couple been truthful to the authorities, then Nico might well have been alive today.

Neither parent, who had been living at Grange Road in Shirley at the time, was ever charged over Nico’s death or the injuries to his sister, after the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was not enough evidence to be sure who carried out the injuries, how they happened and the inconclusive nature of the pathology reports.

In recording an open determination Keith Wiseman said the verdict reflected the degree of uncertainty about the circumstances surrounding Nico’s death.

January 2015

Man jailed for grooming three schoolgirl’s as young as 11 years old

A man has been jailed for multiple child sex offences against three schoolgirls, including sexual activity and inciting sexual activity with a child

Oliver Sturman (19) of Newton Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Friday where he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison. He was also put on licence for a further four and a half years.

At an earlier hearing he admitted sexual activity with a 14-year-old Nottinghamshire girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and inciting sexual activity with her, after meeting her over the internet in April while on bail for numerous other child sex offences.

He had also pleaded guilty to seven offences of inciting an 11-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity, one offence of causing a child to watch a sexual act over webcam, four similar offences against a 12-year-old girl, and ten offences of taking and possessing indecent images of girls via webcam.

Sturman was also required to register as a sex offender for life, and was given a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) for 12 years, restricting access to young girls and computers.

DS Nikki Smith, who oversaw the investigation, said: “Predators like Sturman take advantage of the vulnerability and naivety of young people. He was contacting victims via facebook, and in the Nottinghamshire case, arranged to meet the victim and abused her.

“This has had a devastating impact on her, and will affect her for the rest of her life. Sturman, who himself is only 19, has preyed on several young girls to satisfy his own depraved desires.

“We would urge parents to ensure they know what their children are doing online, to discuss the risks of chatting online with people they don’t know and encourage them to tell you if they have any concerns about those contacting them.

“Offenders target children online – often hiding behind a fake identity – and it can escalate into threats and intimidation once the initial contact is made.

“Just because your child is at home, doesn’t necessarily mean they are safe from people who want to manipulate them. The internet can be a great asset and young people are often those most in tune with technology, we just need to make sure they have the right information to stay safe.”