June 2010

Man who sexually assaulted girl, eight, jailed for six years

A man who sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl has been jailed for six years.

Lee Thomas Warren, who committed the offences when he was 16 or 17, also took dozens of indecent photographs of the youngster.

Leicester Crown Court was told Warren also downloaded indecent pictures of children to his computer.

He is expected to serve half of his sentence but will then be on licence for an extended period of 13 years.

July 2006

Dad jailed over horrific images

A PERVERT has been jailed after storing more than 1,500 images of children on his family’s computer.

Jobless David Pemberton, from Marton, was sentenced to 18 months for collecting pictures and films which were described as “revolting” and “degrading” by a judge.

The 39-year-old father of four had images of children from as young as 18 months old stored on his computer at his home in Darley Road.

Some of the images of the youngsters were so indecent police investigating the case placed them at level five – the most depraved and sickening on their scale.

Pemberton pleaded guilty to nine of the 12 charges of possessing indecent images of children following his arrest in June last year.

Sentencing Pemberton, Judge Robert Brown, sitting at Preston Crown Court, said: “I’ve looked at some of the material found on your computer’s hard drive.

“It is sick, revolting and de-grading and concerns adult men abusing children, some of whom have not yet reached puberty.

“Some of the images are so serious that only a custodial sentence will suffice.”

Police raided Pemberton’s home on June 14 last year and took his computer away for analysis.

They found hundreds of images stored on the PC’s hard drive as well as images on discs with the computer.

Judge Brown added: “Whether or not you had more images that you deleted is irrelevant.

“The fact is you were in possession of these images and there is no excuse for it.”

Det Sgt Daryl Turner, of Blackpool CID, who led the investigation, said: “The judge summed up correctly in his sentencing the images which were both vile and depraved.

“A degree of sympathy has to go to his family who will undoubtedly suffer personally.

“We do deal with quite a few of these cases, but some of the images here were some of the worst I’ve seen.”

Pemberton was told that on his release he would be placed on licence for three years and would remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

An order was also made that he have no contact with children under the age of 17 and not to seek employment which would involve children.

March 2013

Drunken sex pest who molested two 14 year olds is sent to prison after being found guilty of offences

A ‘DRUNKEN predator’ who molested two teenage girls in Dorchester has been convicted of six charges of sexual activity with children.

Frank Maurice Cooper was sentenced to a total of four years and nine months in prison after being found guilty of the offences following a trial at Dorchester Crown Court.

The offences related to September 9 last year when Cooper had been drinking and met the fourteen-year-old girls who were with a group of their friends at the Borough Gardens in Dorchester.

The 35-year-old then followed the group to a play area off Maiden Castle Road, where they had planned to camp for the night.

The jury in the trial heard the girls’ claims of how Cooper had then sexually touched them on several occasions while at the play area and the police were called as a result.

Cooper denied the allegations when questioned by police and told the jury he had been play fighting with one of the girls that day and may have accidentally touched the other but had not intentionally touched them in a sexual manner.

The jury was told how Cooper, of Millfield, Chard, Somerset, had received a caution for sexual activity with a child in 1999, which related to the defendant having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl that resulted in a child being born.

Cooper was also made the subject of a child abduction warning notice in just days before the offences he was on trial for in relation to two teenage girls who were not involved in the case.

David Jenkins, mitigating, said the offences had all occurred on one day and did not involve a pattern of behaviour against the victims over a sustained period.

He added: “There were no verbal threats and there was no real physical threat, although they may have felt intimidated because of his age.”

Judge Roger Jarvis told the defendant: “Your behaviour in September of last year was quite disgraceful.

“It started off with you being a drunken pest in the Borough Gardens.

“From being a drunken pest, your behaviour progressed to that of a drunken predator.”

The judge added: “You targeted these two victims and you persisted with your intentions.

“These children would have been confused, bewildered and frightened by the actions of you, the drunken adult.”

Cooper was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and banned from working with children.

September 2013

Paedophile jailed for Hackney Downs sex attack

A paedophile who molested a 13-year-old girl on her way to school has been jailed for almost four years.

Peter Georgiades made repeated sexual advances towards the teenager on April 18 before taking her by the arm and leading her into Hackney Downs Park where he attacked her.

The 50-year-old, of Della Path, Lower Clapton, threatened her with violence if she did not co-operate in the sex assault, at around 8.30am.

CCTV

When the girl screamed for help Georgiades punched her in the face several times.

He fled when two 13-year-old boys, who heard the girl’s screams, ran to her aid. He was identified and arrested by police that afternoon.

Viewing CCTV footage detectives tracked Georgiades, who was wearing a distinctive jacket and a single leather glove, leaving his house, walking through Hackney and approaching the victim.

He was found guilty by a jury’s unanimous verdict after a two-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court last Wednesday.

Summing up, the judge described Georgiades as “disgusting” and “what every parent is terrified of”.

The seriousness of the offence was such that the judge felt normal sentencing guidelines for sexual assault were not harsh enough and the sentence was extended to 45 months’ imprisonment.

Det Con Karen Baillie said: “Residents can be safe in the knowledge that this violent and despicable man is no longer sharing the streets with them.

“Hackney is a safe place and this type of incident is thankfully quite rare. We will continue to make use of every available resource in order to remove sexual predators from the streets of Hackney.”

Eviction proceedings are under way to remove Georgiades from the area permanently.

September 2013

Jail for man had sex with under-age girls in tent and captured the acts on video

A man has been jailed for having sex with two young girls in a tent and capturing the acts on video.

Shem Jones, 30, was arrested by police after he stored the footage of the girls, both aged 14, for months on his personal computer.

He admitted two charges of having sex with an under-age girl on the day his trial was due to start at Cambridge Crown Court earlier this year.

One charge related to the Linton case and another to a third victim, also 14, who lives in north-east England.

He was sentenced yesterday in Cambridge to four years in prison for each offence, to be served concurrently.

The court heard Jones of an address in Haverfordwest, Wales, came to Cambridge on September 16, 2011, after grooming one of the girls on social networking site Qeep.net.

The girl and her friend – both from Cambridgeshire -– met Jones near Linton where he had set up a tent and bought alcohol and food.

When the first girl knelt down to go into the tent, Jones grabbed her and pulled her back, giving her a kiss on the lips, the court was told.

Jones then had sex with the girls, capturing some of the acts in a one-minute video on his mobile phone which he later downloaded onto his computer.

Ds Amerjit Singh, investigating officer in the case, told the News: “Shem Jones used social media to groom young girls who were easily manipulated in order to satisfy his deprived sexual fantasies.

“It is thanks to the bravery of the victims who came forward and gave evidence that we have had a successful conviction and there were not more victims.”

Karina Arden, mitigating, said Jones spent a total of six years at university and obtained two degrees but had become increasingly isolated.

She told the court: “He found himself in a situation where he was totally isolated, working and living without any human contact except on the internet.”

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth told him: “I will accept that you are less intelligent than your university degrees suggest.”

Jones will now be on the sex offenders’ register, and his movements monitored by police for life.

September 2013

Burnley musician asked for naked pic of 12-year-old

Musician Nicholas Waite boasted about being in a band to impress a 12-year-old girl before asking her for a naked message on Facebook, a court was told.

Waite, of Mary Towneley Fold, Burnley, was 19 when he started the relationship. The pair met three times, but there was never any sexual activity. She told him she was 14.

“Alarm bells should have been ringing because she was in school uniform,” said prosecutor Mr Martin Hackett. “But their contact continued and the messages became more flirtatious and of a sexual nature.”

Waite (who is now 21) admitted one offence of enticing someone under the age of 13 into sexual activity.

Sentencing, Judge Beverly Lunt gave Waite a six-month community order with supervision and 80 hours of community work, saying “Work in the community, instead of spending useless hours on your computer.”

She put Waite on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years but did not make a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Judge Lunt recorded not guilty verdicts on four allegations of grooming and three other charges of sexual activity were left to lie on the file.

She said: “He is not a sexual predator and this is not a grooming case. It is a case where there was the opportunity and nothing actually happened to her whatsoever”.

Mr Hackett said the offence came to light when the girl’s mother looked at her Facebook page. “It seems there had been a falling out or a tiff between the two of them. He said he was in a band to impress her, telling her ‘I didn’t mean to have a go at you before, but I am under a lot of pressure with the band and it’s only going to get worse.

‘I need a massage, a naked one from (another girl’s name) and you’”.

The court heard the pair contacted each other 26 times over six weeks. There were 844 messages, most of which had no sexual overtones or innuendo.

When interviewed by police, Waite said the girl had told him she was doing her GCSEs and was 16. “It was banter,” he said. “Nothing was meant by it.”

Mr Paul Lewis (defending) said Waite had already shown he was community minded, and had raised money for charity with his band. He said the exchanges between him and the girl had been juvenile..

He added Waite was previously of good character and had the support of his family. He stopped drinking as he did not like alcohol and had never taken drugs. He left school with good qualifications and set up his own car valeting business and wanted to have a career in music’

Judge Lunt said Waite deserved credit for his guilty plea as it spared a girl of 12 having to go to court to explain her part in what had happened.

September 2013

Wyke man admits sex with schoolgirls he met via Facebook

A 20-year-old man contacted underage schoolgirls on Facebook and had sex with them, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Thomas Lancaster was 17 and 18, but looked much younger, when he took advantage of three 14-year-old girls.

Lancaster, of St Mary’s Crescent,Wyke, Bradford, pleaded guilty to sexual activity with the teenagers.

Prosecutor Andrew Kershaw said he told the first girl he was 15 and in year nine at school.

They went to the cinema and on shopping trips but the relationship ended after the girl’s mother caught them having sex.

Lancaster met the second girl on Facebook and they knew one another’s ages, the court was told.

The relationship was finished by the girl because she found Lancaster possessive and controlling.

Lancaster also met the third girl through Facebook. He undressed her in his bedroom and “rather imposed himself on her,” Mr Kershaw said. She went home distressed and Lancaster was arrested after her mother questioned her.

Mr Kershaw said the third victim’s education was disrupted, she was socially withdrawn and she needed counselling.

Lancaster’s barrister, Sarah Barlow, said he was very immature.

Judge Colin Burn sentenced Lancaster to 21 months in a young offender institution, suspended for two years, with supervision.

He must attend the probation service’s Sex Offender Treatment Programme and register with the police as a sex offender for ten years.

Judge Burn made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning Lancaster from contacting his victims and from having unsupervised contact with girls under 16.

September 2013

Pervert jailed over abuse images

A pervert snared with more than 1,000 child abuse images including a ‘hideous’ picture of a baby being violently abused has been jailed for eight months.

Robert Oliver, 53, viewed a total of 1,185 indecent pictures online, with one at level five, the most depraved, featuring an infant gagged.

Officers from Scotland Yard’s Paedophile Unit seized Oliver’s computers and unearthed his sickening haul in a dawn raid at his home in Cambridge.

Prosecutor Peter Zinner told Southwark Crown Court the pictures also depicted children being raped.

September 2013

Pervert accountant jailed for grooming girl in police sting

An accountant who was snared grooming a 13-year-old girl in an online police sting was jailed for two years today (Tues).

Andrew Platt, 43, posed as a 13-year-old boy called Andy Jones when he texted ‘Lucy’ intimate pictures of himself during a three-month series of chat room exchanges.

The father-of-three intended to meet the girl, who was in fact an undercover officer, but backed off after reading reports about shamed school teacher Jeremy Forrest being jailed for having an affair with a pupil.

Police raided his home last October and discovered a string of almost 150 level one and two indecent images of children, aged as young as eight, on his mobile phone and computer.

September 2013

Online sex offender, 51, snared in undercover operation

UNDERCOVER police have caught a pervert for committing a sexual offence by posing as a 14-year-old schoolgirl during online “chats”.

Neil Barrett, 51, of Grindcobble Road, Rugeley, last week pleaded guilty at Stafford Crown Court to attempting to incite a child in sexual activity after committing the offence in 2008.

The undercover officer created a profile under the pseudonym “Shelly” and had several online conversations with Barrett.

The offender initially claimed he thought he was exchanging consensual explicit role play with an adult man.

But evidence showed “Shelly’s” profile depicted a child and, among the sexually explicit language he used, Barrett made constant references to her being a schoolgirl.

He used his laptop to try to persuade the undercover officer to commit sexual acts.

Celia Thorpe, reviewing lawyer for CPS Staffordshire said: “Fortunately, in this case, there was no victim because “Shelly” did not exist but Barrett’s behaviour indicates that he was prepared to exploit a child.

“Staffordshire Police has worked closely with their undercover colleagues in London and with Staffordshire CPS to bring Barrett to justice.

“There may be a misconception that one cannot be prosecuted if one never actually intends to meet up with a child I hope this conviction serves as a reminder to anyone who involves themselves in any such on line activity that it is illegal to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity even from a remote location.

“We will be applying to the court to make a Sexual Offences Prevention Order to limit any future opportunities that may arise for the defendant to commit sexual offences.” DC Ian McDonack from Staffordshire police said: “Social networks such as Facebook, MSN and other chatrooms are policed regularly by Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre undercover officers.

“Anywhere the predators will go to find children, CEOP officers will follow and actively target them.

“Any individual who thinks that they can carry out this type of crime undetected in the belief that the internet provides them with anonymity is in for a very rude awakening.

“As predators become increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet for exploiting young people, so do the techniques we use to detect them. For Barrett this has already proved to be a costly misconception.” Barrett is to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on a date yet to be announced.

September 2013

Jailed ex-councillor could have name removed from chain

THE name of convicted paedophile and former councillor Bob Bate could be removed from the chain worn by the chairman of Hazlemere Parish Council.

On ordering new links for the chain, the council decided last month that the shamed ex chairman’s name would remain etched on a gold plate for now.

But Cllr Natasha Howard reignited the issue at last night’s full council meeting.

HPC’s vice chairman said: “We need to reassess removing his name from the chain as [what he did] it is disgusting.”

The council decided it would revist the matter in six months. But Cllr Judy Weaver said: “What he did in his private life is nothing to do with this council.”

Bate – a former Wycombe District and Hazlemere Parish councillor – who was living in Dudley at time of arrest was jailed in 2012 for three years after admitting to the possession of thousands of abusive images of children and animals.

The court was told the images included pictures of children aged from six months to 16 years old.

In sentencing, Judge Simon Davis said: “I have never seen images as horrible, moving and dreadful as these.”

The former Wycombe Conservative party whip was arrested following a tip off 

April 2012

Former Cllr to appear before crown court over porn charges

A FORMER councillor will appear before a crown court judge charged with child and animal porn offences.

Robert Bate, of Moncrieffe Close, Dudley, was a Tory councillor for Wycombe District Council, in Buckinghamshire, until he resigned from his post in September last year and returned to the Dudley borough.

Appearing at Wycombe Magistrates yesterday for a committal hearing, the 62 year-old was released on bail to appear at Aylesbury Crown Court on May 15.

The ex-councillor who was also a Parish Council chairman, has been charged with 17 counts of making indecent photos of children.

He stands accused of four counts of distributing indecent images of children and one charge of possessing to show or distribute indecent photographs of children.

The ex-Conservative party whip is also charged with possessing extreme pornographic images with animals and with intentionally encouraging the commission of an either way offence.

September 2013

Bargoed rapist jailed for past crimes

A PAEDOPHILE was jailed for a total of 15 years after admitting a string of historic sexual offences including three counts of rape.

Judge Philip Richards described the crimes of Robert Paul Lancaster as an “appalling catalogue of offences” which had left each of the four victims unable to enjoy the normal confidence of human beings due to Lancaster’s “selfish, self-gratifying behaviour at their expense”.

The court heard how one victim told police they had been indecently assaulted by Lancaster on “hundreds of occasions” and said that when they asked Lancaster to admit his crimes, the defendant replied that nothing could be proved and that he would “never spend a day inside”

Lancaster, 58, of Danygraig, Bargoed, appeared via video link at Cardiff Crown Court after previously pleading guilty to three counts of rape, four counts of indecent assault and two counts of gross indecency.

Prosecutor Lucy Crowther said the offences had only come to light when one of the victims contacted the police which led to the other victims making complaints.

When Lancaster was arrested, he denied the offences and only pleaded guilty to the offences the day he was due to stand trial.

September 2013

Former Sedbury man had more than 12,000 indecent images of children

A FORMER Chepstow man was caught with almost 12,000 child porn images on his computers, a court heard.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC told Paul Holland there was no other word to describe the images, two of which were at the most serious level 5, than ‘filth.’

Holland, 45, formerly of Edmund Road, Sedbury, admitted eleven charges of making or possessing indecent images of children.

Gloucester Crown Court heard his marriage broke up as a result of his offences being discovered and he has moved to Clevedon, Somerset.

Judge Tabor, QC, said: ” Your life is frankly in a mess as a result, unsurprisingly.

“No psychologist has yet explained why men of your particular age are vulnerable to look at this type of imagery. I don’t pretend to know the answer – but what I do know is that it is terribly wrong.”

Holland was found to have 11,530 level one images, 82 level two, 13 level three, 30 level four and two level five.

He told police he had viewed the images because he was ‘curious after media publicity resulting from Operation Yew Tree’. However, further analysis of the images showed he had been viewing them for far longer than the 12 months he admitted to.

Tim Burrows, defending, said that since his arrest Holland had already gone at his own expense to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity, and was receiving therapy.

Holland was given a three year community order with a condition to attend the Thames Valley sex offender course.

He was also placed on the sex offences register for ten years and the judge made a five year sex offences prevention order barring him from contact with children under 18.

In addition his computer equipment will be destroyed and he will pay £200 costs and a £60 surcharge.

June 2013

‘I’ve got a problem’ said child abuse photo’s man

A STAFFORD man who downloaded more than a thousand pornographic images of children from the internet has been given community punishment by a judge. 

Police carried out a search raid at the home of Robert Whitlock in September 2011, Stafford Crown Court heard.

His mother opened the door, but the defendant was inside and he said straightaway: “I’ve got a good idea what this is about – I’ve got a problem.”

Mark Rees, prosecuting, said an examination of Whitlock’s computer revealed a total of 1,150 still pictures at the least serious level one. There were also seven movies and two stills at level two.

Whitlock, aged 35, of Owen Walk, Stafford, who admitted making indecent images of children, was given a three year community order with a condition of undergoing a sex offender programme. He was also ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for the next five years.

Judge John Wait told him: “All of these images involve child abuse. These children will know for the rest of their lives they have been subject of this sort of photograph – they are all over the inter- net. It is nothing short of torture – by looking at these images you are encouraging the men who abuse these children. They do it for money. I can see you are upset now.”

Anthony Potter, defending, said: “He has accepted the difficulty he has.”

October 2012

Stafford sex offender jailed for making hoax calls

A CONVICT made hoax phone calls from inside prison to Staffordshire Police’s Crimestoppers, a judge heard.

Sex offender Steven Gilbert had officers investigating totally fabricated reports of rape and sexual abuse of young children and an elderly woman.

One mother in Stafford was shocked and horrified when police turned up at her home to check out Gilbert’s false allegations.

Pat Sullivan, prosecuting, told Stafford Crown Court Gilbert made a total of eight hoax phone calls to Crimestoppers using the prisoners’ phone booth inside Dovegate jail near Uttoxeter.

At the time of the calls, September last year, Gilbert was serving a 10-year sentence for indecently assaulting an 80-year old woman and gagging another woman he tried to drag off in to bushes.

He was convicted in 2003 and released on August 7 this year having served the full 10-year tariff.

Judge Michael Cullum sent him back to jail for 16 months after branding Gilbert “a dangerous man”.

Gilbert, 29, of Izaak Walton Close, Stafford admitted a charge of causing public nuisance.

The judge told him: “You were in custody for a very long time and despite all the assistance you received, for the purposes of clear sexual gratification you committed this offence, pretending to be the abuser of a young child and pretending to report the rape of an elderly woman.

“In my judgement you are a dangerous man.” Mr Sullivan said the police were obliged to investigate the reports, which all turned out to be false.

Gilbert claimed that a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old had been sexually assaulted and a 75-year-old woman raped.

The defendant gave the names and addresses of real people. One woman was “visibly concerned” about the phoney allegations and there were concerns for the welfare of an 80-year-old woman.

Joanne Clark, defending, said Gilbert made eight phone calls over a period of 11 days and then stopped. He had spent most of his adult life in custody but since his release in August this year had not committed any further offences and had been doing charity work for Stafford Furniture Exchange.

March 2013

Sex offender died of ‘natural causes’

A STAFFORD Prison inmate who sexually abused two young boys in the 1980s died from a complication of appendicitis while serving his sentence.

Anthony Smith, 67, was jailed for nine years in August 2008 after admitting 15 sexual offences.

A Stafford inquest heard on Monday that Smith, formerly of Lexington Court, Abbey Street, Nuneaton, had been at Stafford Prison since November 2008 and suffered from a number of health issues, including constipation.

In June 2011 the former engineer underwent a hip replacement at Stafford Hospital, which appeared to have been successful.

But on July 22 he returned to hospital suffering from abdominal pain and a raised temperature.

He was diagnosed with constipation, prescribed medication to relieve the condition and discharged.

On July 25 he was still constipated, and was examined by prison GP Dr Daniel Ndukwe, who told the inquest his temperature had fallen to a normal level.

But on July 26 he was found to be “delirious” by fellow prison GP, Dr Henry Obi. “His abdomen was distended (swollen), his pulse was very quick and his colour was grey,” Dr Obi told the inquest at Stafford Crown Court.

Smith was taken to Stafford Hospital where a CT scan revealed he had necrotising fasciitis, an infection of the soft tissue. He was anaesthetised and surgery was started to remove the dead tissue from his body.

Surgery was abandoned when medics deemed his condition, which affected the area from his neck to his thighs, unsurvivable.

He was transferred to the recovery area and kept in a comfortable condition, but continued to deteriorate.

He was pronounced dead at 4.40pm that day.

A post mortem revealed Smith’s appendix was inflamed and his cause of death was given as necrotising fasciitis due to acute appendicitis.

Pathologist Dr Stephen Harris told the inquest Smith had also suffered kidney failure.

But Dr Ndukwe told the inquest he was surprised that Smith had suffered acute appendicitis.

“If he had appendicitis he would have been more obviously unwell and his fever would have got worse rather than resolved,” he added.

Dr Theresa Bentley from Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust told the inquest that appendicitis was a difficult condition to diagnose because “the position of the appendix varies from person to person and you get different symptoms.” South Staffordshire Primary Care Trust carried out a clinical review of the case, the inquest heard, and recommendations made included better communication between the Prison Service and the hospital’s accident and emergency department.

Lynn Tolley from the PCT said that information given to the department about Smith’s condition on July 22 was “incomplete”, meaning staff relied on details from Smith himself. Measures have now been put in place including the creation of a standardised clinical letter which can now be given to staff when a prisoner is transferred to hospital.

The inquest was told that Smith was in a single cell when he was taken ill, to enable him room to mobilise following his hip operation, but would have had access to a bell to call prison staff if he needed help.

Paul Cotton, from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, said the care Smith received was “equitable to what he would have expected to receive out in the community”.

A jury returned a verdict of death by natural causes.

February 2011

St John’s leader “groomed” girl

A St John Ambulance leader and full-time paramedic who enticed a 15 year old girl in to his bed was jailed for 40 months.

David Harley “groomed” the girl through internet text chat, eventually persuading her to send him a photo of her breasts, Stafford crown court heard.

Just days later, she went round to his house in Stafford, told her mother she was staying with a friend and spent the night with him.

Mr Paul Farrow, prosecuting, said the defendant and the girl drank half a bottle of vodka before engaging in sexual acts, including oral sex.

At the time, Harley was on probation by the St John Ambulance following complaints about his conduct towards one of his own girl cadets.

Mr Farrow said Harley was cadet leader in Stafford for the volunteer body, whose child protection officer had drawn up an “action plan” for him with guidelines about contact with young people. After being suspended, he was allowed back on probation.

Harley, aged 25, of Salt Road, Stafford admitted causing a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with the 15 year old and a separate offence of taking indecent photographs of a 17 year old girl.

The court heard that Harley was in a legitimate sexual relationship with the 17 year old, a St John cadet. But while it was legal for him to have sexual intercourse with her, the law now banned him from taking photos of their sexual activity.

Mr Farrow said Harley began MSN text conversations with the 15 year old in April 2008. By August that year, the conversations became sexual and she complied with his requests for a picture of her breasts. He sent her a picture of his private parts, at her request.

A few days later, he asked her to come round to his house – and to tell no-one about it. At the house she rang her mom and asked if she could stay over at a friend’s house.

“The defendant told her he loved her wanted to be with her. he spent the night with her, performing sexual acts on each other.”

The offences did not come to light until months later when the girl’s mother found the girl’s MSN messages on the computer.

When questioned by the police, Harley described the sending of the photos as “harmless fun”, but admitted that after being seen by the St John child protection officer, he knew he shouldn’t be doing it.

In a victim impact statement, the girl said she felt “ashamed and humiliated, confused and angry about what had happened to her.”

Miss Joanna Clark, defending, said Harley maintained he was not deliberately “grooming” the girl.

“She was making it clear she was sexually attracted to him, he felt flattered by her attention.

“She turned up at his address. It was his duty not to let her in and, when she tried to initiate sexual contact to end it.

“he has lost his job as a paramedic with Ambuline. It was his lifelong dream to be a paramedic. He knows he will never be able to work in that role again.”

But Judge John Maxwell said he “completely rejected” Harley’s mitigation.

“To suggest she is to blame for what happened is totally unacceptable.

Of course a girl of 15 may feel infatuated, but the age gap means that does not constitute any mitigation.

“At the time this was going on you were in a relationship with a young lady who was in the St John Ambulance, a cadet. you had agreed with this 17 year old not only would you have sex together, but that you and she would take photos of your sexual activities. The photographs were taken when she was 17 and were therefore illegal. She says she had no idea it was illegal and I am prepared to accept you had no idea.”

Along with the jail sentence, Harley was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, banned from working with children, also for life and made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order indefinitely which includes bans on him striking up friendships with under 18s or having under 18s in his house.

“He must never again work with children. The work for St John Ambulance is closed for ever,” said the judge.

September 2013

Carer had indecent images of children

A SCUNTHORPE man who is a full-time carer for his wife of 21 years admitted being in possession of indecent photographs of two children and has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Barry Kenneth Rawlinson, 51, of West Street, admitted possessing indecent photographs of two girls on September 2 last year.

John Harris, prosecuting, told North Lincolnshire Magistrates’ Court that Rawlinson had come into possession of pictures of two girls aged under 16 on his mobile phone.

The court heard when the police went round to visit Rawlinson he denied having a mobile, but an officer found it at his property.

Mr Harris said: “On interview, the defendant said he did not take the pictures but before his trial admitted being in possession of them.”

Sunny Dhinsa, mitigating, said Rawlinson was a full-time carer for his wife who had recently had a triple heart bypass and struggled to walk.

Rawlinson was given a community order for 12 months with a supervision requirement and was ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £85 costs. He was also ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

October 2009

Thug jailed over landlord attack

A MAN who attacked landlord Simon Tuplin, leaving him with injuries from which he nearly died, was jailed for a total of 39 months by a judge at Grimsby Crown Court.

Mr Tuplin, the landlord of the Red Lion pub in Barton-Upon-Humber, fell to the ground and struck his head after being punched to the jaw by Craig Hillman.

Mr Tuplin suffered a fractured skull and swelling to the brain – injuries which may result in him suffering lifelong cognitive and intellectual impairment.

Hillman, 21, of Providence Crescent, Barton, committed the offence while on bail for an affray and also while subject to a community order given for two counts of sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl.

Judge David Tremberg, speaking of the attack on Mr Tuplin, told the defendant: “This victim fell, struck his head and sustained a fracture to the skull, an injury on which he nearly died.”

He continued: “He will probably always have significant cognitive and intellectual impairments.

“His family will have to endure the consequences of what you did for a very long time.”

Hillman pleaded guilty to causing Mr Tuplin grievous bodily harm an offence for which he was jailed for two years yesterday.

Speaking after the sentencing, Mr Tuplin’s partner Vicky Salter said she was ‘disappointed’ with the result in relation to Simon’s lengthy recuperation.

The court was told on May 15 Craig Hillman and his cousin Christopher Hillman had been drinking in Barton and they went to the Red Lion.

It was Mr Tuplin’s night off and he was enjoying a drink in his own pub.

Mr Tuplin began to feel unwell at about 11.30pm. He went outside to the alleyway to be sick. Christopher Hillman later told police he and the defendant had taken their glasses out with them and they were urinating against the wall. They were confronted by Mr Tuplin who took their beer off them and poured it away.

Craig Hillman became aggressive and Mr Tuplin told him to ‘back off’ said Alex Taylor, prosecuting.

Christopher Hillman turned around and saw this defendant with his clenched right fist lash out at Mr Tuplin.

The landlord fell to the ground, “There was a crack on the concrete floor,” said Mr Taylor.

Richard Lunn, mitigating, pointed out his client had only landed one punch. He assured the court Hillman had never intended to cause his victim such a serious injury.

Mr Lunn said he accepted custody was inevitable.

And following his release he did not intend to return to the Barton-Upon-Humber area.

Hillman also admitted possessing a blade, an alternative charge to the affray.

Judge Tremberg gave him nine months for this offence.

The judge also revoked the community sentence and sentenced Hillman to six months for the sexual assaults.

All sentences are to run consecutively.