January 2015

Lecherous music teacher jailed for indecently touching three young female pupils in the 1970s

A “lecherous” music tutor has been jailed for molesting three girls while giving them private lessons at his home in Huddersfield in the 1970s.

Neil Garland, now 71, was at the time a music teacher at Huddersfield High School but the offences occurred when he saw students privately at his home in Linthwaite.

Catherine Duffy, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court today the first complainant was 13 or 14 and remembered when she was having a clarinet lessons with Garland he would put his hands on her abdomen telling her she was not breathing correctly.

She was preparing for her Grade six examination when they were sitting on the sofa on one occasion and he put his arm around her and started to massage her breasts over clothing.

He told her: “Don’t worry, it’s not that I want to have sex with you, I can do that with my wife. It’s just that I was thinking it would be nice for the two of us to be closer together.”

She moved away and did not feel able to tell anybody about it at that time.

The second complainant described how she was aged 13 or 14 and was having an oboe lesson with Garland and was lying on the floor doing breathing exercises when he put his hand on her breast over her clothing.

She said she felt very frightened and never told anybody until seen by the police when the recent inquiry began.

Miss Duffy said the third victim was aged 13 to 15 when during a flute lesson at Garland’s home he sat next to her on the sofa when he put one hand round her shoulder and the other on her breast.

She said she felt scared and frightened particularly as she had to wait until the lesson was over to be collected by her father.

In a victim impact statement she said she began to hate music and wanted to stop playing.

She said: “My parents couldn’t understand why my attitude changed.”

She said it affected her confidence and relationships and she wished she had spoken up sooner.

Stephen Crossley, representing Garland, said he now acknowledged his behaviour was unacceptable.

“There was no justification for it and that it represented a breach of trust of these children and their parents,” said Mr Crossley.

He said Garland had described to a probation officer that looking back now he saw his actions as “arrogant, selfish, weak, greedy, stupid and lecherous.”

Having had time to reflect on his behaviour he also appreciated the impact on his victims and was very sorry for it.

There had been no further offending since and Mr Crossley suggested a prison sentence could be suspended

Garland, 71 of Cowlersley Lane, Linthwaite, admitted three charges of indecent assault – which at the time carried a maximum sentence of only two years.

Jailing him for six months and ordering him to register as a sex offender for seven years, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said he had taken account of his age. Although the offences were many years ago he said they involved a gross breach of trust.

He told Garland: “These girls were vulnerable adolescents who did not complain of it for perfectly understandable reasons, for very many years. It often does have and has in this case has had significant psychological affect on your victims.”

“You must understand that however long ago it was consequences will follow when victims gain the courage to complain about what happened to them. It is impossible to deal with it without an immediate custodial sentence.”

January 2015

Child rape pair have jail terms increased

AN EVIL couple who subjected a six-year-old girl to horrific sexual abuse have had their sentences increased by nine years.

Alex Bryan, 35, of no fixed address, was initially sentenced to 12 years for raping and abusing the girl at a flat in Benfleet, but had his sentence increased to 19 years with a five-year extended licence by the court of appeal yesterday.

The girl’s mum, (We have chosen not to name in order to protect the child) had her sentence increased from five-and-a half years to eight years in jail.

The move comes after an appeal lodged by Solicitor General Robert Buckland who said the terms were unduly lenient.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “All cases which involve the sexual assault of a child are shocking, but the fact these offences were carried out by adults in collusion with each other, make it particularly so.

“The male offender was a manipulative lead player in these offences and I feel the renewed sentence of 19 years’ imprisonment with a five-year extended licence period handed to him today now reflects that.

“The woman knew what was happening and not only played a role in the abuse – she was fully responsible for the cruelty which the child suffered.”

Bryan was found guilty of child cruelty, sexual assault of a child, two counts of rape and sexual assault by Judge Owen Jones at Basildon Crown Court on October 24, 2014.

The child’s 36-year-old mum, who helped the man to rape her daughter, admitted child cruelty and three counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

The authorities were alerted to the abuse after a social services tip-off.

They visited the child’s home and found it was filthy.

There were no sheets on her bed and she slept on a dirty and stained pillow. The victim’s hair was matted and crawling with lice and there was adult pornography stashed under her bed.

Further investigations and interviews with the little girl revealed she was being sexually abused by Bryan, who was a friend of her mother.

In interview, the victim said Bryan told her “her mother would die” if she told anyone about the sexual abuse.

The victim was removed from the flat by social services and placed with a foster family.

January 2015

Father Jailed For Neglecting his one yr old daughter before she died

A dad from South East London who neglected his one year old daughter before she died has been jailed for two and a half years.

Amani Mohamed was found with 70 separate fractures to her body at her home in Abbey Wood in February 2013. She was unresponsive when she was found and she was declared dead in hospital less than half an hour later.

Her father Shidane Omar Mohamed, 44, (pictured) has been given a two and a half year jail sentence for child neglect and and her mother, Kafiyu Dahir Tabarak, 36, has given a two year suspended sentence and told to adhere to a curfew between the hours of 9pm and 6am.

During the trial the court heard the London Ambulance Service were called to an address in Bracondale Road in Abbey Wood, SE2 at 1.20pm on 5 February 2013 by the girl’s father.

Amani, aged 13 months, was not responsive and was transported to a south London hospital but pronounced dead there at 1.47pm.

A post-mortem examination was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital and revealed that the child suffered 70 separate fractures on her body. A doctor examining the young child found injuries to her ribs, legs, arms and shoulder.

Both parents were arrested but refused to answer any questions about their child’s injuries during interview.

Subsequent enquiries revealed that the mother had taken the child to see a doctor but had never mentioned the injuries. This was despite speaking to friends about the child suffering from pain when she tried to move her arm or shoulder.

The man and woman were charged on 6 January 2014.

Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, who led the investigation said: “This has been a very distressing investigation for all concerned.

“Thirteen month old Amani would have looked to her parents for love and care; instead they abused the privilege of being parents to this little girl by inflicting seventy separate injuries over a period of two to four weeks.

“The level of abuse suffered by this toddler was incomprehensible; even more so given that the abuse was inflicted by either one or both of her parents.”

January 2015

Bradford abuser jailed for ten years after tricking youngsters into his bedroom during hide and seek game

A CHILD abuser from Bradford who raped a boy and girl and sexually abused two other boys has been jailed for more than ten years.

Gareth Smith played a hide-and-seek game called Freeze to trick his victims into his bedroom before sexually abusing them, a court heard yesterday.

His four victims were aged between ten and 13 years at the time of the abuse, which took place between April 2009 and October 2011, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester was told.

The mother of one of the victims he abused said Smith, who was aged between 14 and 17 when he carried out the attacks, had destroyed her family.

Smith, 20, of Seldon Street, Canterbury, Bradford, was jailed for ten years and two months by Judge John Potter, who told him: “This sexual abuse goes far, far beyond sexual experimentation between young people.

“You were the dominant and domineering figure in this activity. You were older, by a number of years, than your victims.

“You orchestrated for a purpose of no other reason than your own sexual gratification.”

He added: “The victim impact statements speak graphically of the harm caused to victims and their families.”

A statement from the girl’s mum was read out in court. In it she said her daughter no longer trusts anyone and had changed from a “quiet, nice girl” into an “argumentative child.”

Prosecutor Matthew Bean added: “The mum said it has destroyed her family.”

Meanwhile, the court heard that one of the male victims was “very stressed” by the abuse and had become unsociable because of a “fear of making friends” in case it happened again.

Describing the sequence of offending, Mr Bean said: “Things got weirder and weirder.”

On one occasion, Smith put a sock around a boy’s eyes before sexually assaulting him.

Mr Bean said one of the other youngsters “felt disgusted” by what happened. He was also scared to go out, could not sleep, and was angry at what had happened.

Th court heard that Smith sometimes punched one of his victims to “ensure compliance”.

When he was arrested, Smith told police that his victims were lying. However, he pleaded guilty on September 18 last year to 16 charges, shortly before he was due to stand trial.

Smith, who had no previous convictions, winked and smiled at family members in the public gallery as he entered and left the dock.

Charles Blatchford, defending, said his client was now in a stable relationship with his fiancee and that his behaviour would not be repeated as it was “just a phase of his life”. He also spoke of Smith’s remorse and mentioned letters supporting Smith’s character from his local community.

Detective Constable Helen Riley, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: “I would like to thank the victims in this case for their co-operation, they have shown courage and bravery throughout and should be proud of themselves for coming forward.

“I hope the lengthy sentence given to Smith today will give them some closure and allow them to move on with their lives.”

January 2015

Child sex offender jailed after second conviction

A MAN who continued to have sex with an under-age girl – despite her telling him her true age – has been jailed.

Shaun Curbison already had a conviction from 2012 for sexual activity with a child when he began a relationship with the teenage victim.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old went camping with the complainant and also had sex with her at his home.

The girl initially told Curbison she was 16, but later admitted she was in fact 15. However the relationship continued, prosecutor Rod Turton said.

Police discovered Curbison’s activities and arrested him in August last year.

Joe Hedworth, mitigating, said the girl gave her consent to sex and approached Curbison over the internet to begin the relationship.

He said: “When the complainant disclosed her true age she stayed at the defendant’s two nights and the pair had sex on three occasions.”

Mr Hedworth said now “in the cold light of day” Curbison bore full responsibility for what had happened and realised he should have ended the relationship immediately when he became aware the complainant was 15.

He said: “He is greatly ashamed by his actions and is extremely anxious to convey that there will be no repetition of this kind of behaviour in the future.”

The barrister said 24-year-old Curbinson, of Neale Street, Tantobie, Stanley, County Durham, had endured an awful childhood and also described how he had been “terrified” during his nine month spell on remand in custody.

Judge Peter Bowers disagreed with an assertion from Mr Hedworth that there was not a significant disparity between defendant and complainant’s ages.

He told Curbison: “At the time you embarked upon this relationship you were on a suspended sentence and you were also on a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

“And yet you did not regard that as a serious warning about your behaviour towards teenage girls.”

He added: “You ought to have known better.”

Curbison, who admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child and three breaches of his SOPO, was jailed for three years, nine months and will be enrolled on a sex offender treatment programme.

The judge said Curbison was already on the sex offenders register and his SOPO would continue indefinitely.

January 2015

Perverted 80-year-old caged for child sex offences

An 80-year-old Sandwich man has been caged for 14 years after being found guilty of child sex offences which took place over a decade.

Robin Cheesewright, of St Bart’s Road, was jailed when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court. The 80-year-old pervert will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register and remain on there indefinitely.

A jury found him guilty of seven charges of child sex abuse in November. The offences relate to incidents which took place during the 1980s and 1990s.

He first abused his victim when she was just seven years old and scared her into silence by saying nobody would ever believe her. When Cheesewright was arrested by police officers, he denied the allegations.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Martin Williams said: “Cheesewright carried out many years of monstrous sexual abuse on a victim who was scared into silence from the beginning and too young to fight back at the time it happened.

“I commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward and I hope the sentence given to Cheesewright should demonstrate that it is never too late to report incidents of child abuse.”

January 2015

Man jailed for possessing child abuse images

A MAN has been jailed after police found child abuse images on his computer.

A court heard today how Andrew Winch was fully co-operative with officers when he was arrested and admitted what he had been doing.

Winch, 56, of Beardsley Drive, Chelmsford, admitted ten charges of making indecent images of children when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Judge Patrick O’Brien jailed him for a total of four months.

The court heard police armed with a search warrant found the images when they raided Winch’s home on June 26 last year.

Checks revealed there were a total of 249 images and 51 film clips at Level A – the most serious – 201 images at B and 18 film clips and 1,252 images at Level C and 31 film clips, prosecutor Mark Lakin said.

The court heard Winch was taking steps to deal with his problem

January 2015

Operation Goliath: Pensioner pleads guilty to string of child sex offences

A one-time musician for Hinckley’s Concordia Theatre has admitted a string of child sex offences.

Stewart Morris, who played in the orchestra, was arrested as part of Operation Goliath – the major investigation into possible underage sex crimes linked to the Stockwell Head venue.

Morris, 65, formerly of Hinckley but now living in Tamworth, appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to 12 counts of making and possessing more than 1,000 indecent images of children aged under 13.

The charges relate to both still and video images at levels A, B and C – of which level A is the most serious – over a time period of August 19 to November 1 2013.

The total number of category A images were 157, at category B there were 149 and in category C he admitted more than 1,000.

A police spokesman said most of the images related to children aged between five and 13.

The case was committed to Leicester Crown Court for sentencing on Friday February 6 as the level of offence is too high for magistrates to deal with.

Morris and a 59-year-old man were arrested last February during the Leicestershire Police Force probe into alleged child sex offences.

Detective Inspector Richard Hiom, who led the operation, said: “Operation Goliath was an investigation into a number of people who we suspected had a sexual interest in children.

“Those people were all, in some way, connected to the Concordia Theatre. There were no offences carried out at the theatre itself.”

The police and Leicestershire County Council took the unprecedented move of restricting child performance licences for the theatre when concerns first arose and it was felt the venue’s leadership were not taking child safeguarding seriously.

After working with the authority and the police this ban was lifted, a number of personnel were changed and safeguarding policies strengthened.

January 2015

Crawley paedophile jailed for sex offences against young girl

A Crawley man has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for sexual offences against a little girl.

Kevin Stevens, 49, of Deerswood Road, Crawley, was found guilty on Tuesday (January 20) after a seven-day trial at Lewes Crown Court of two counts of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity and two counts of engaging in sexual activity with the girl.

Stevens was also served with a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO) to last until further notice, restricting his access to children, and will be a registered sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Danni Flude of the West Sussex Safeguarding Investigation Unit said; “Stevens gained the confidence of the little girl over a period of time and then committed the offences, taking despicable advantage of her age and vulnerability. Fortunately she eventually disclosed to her family, who immediately reported it to us.

“Although now older, she still had to be brave to give evidence against Stevens in court, and this was crucial in helping secure his conviction. It further shows that we will always take such allegations seriously and will try to help victims achieve justice whenever possible.”

January 2015

Son’s anger after paedophile dad from Anglesey escapes jail for sex offences

A son has slammed a judge’s decision not to jail his paedophile father.

David Geoffrey Williams, from Anglesey, was convicted of eight historic sex offences but escaped jail at Mold Crown Court yesterday.

Judge David Hale sentenced Williams, 73, to 16 months in prison but suspended it for two years.

Williams’ son Paul said the sentence means his father will feel like he got away with it.

Paul, 37, felt crushed in court when the judge suspended the sentence.

He said: “(My dad) was in the pub on Wednesday night. That’s not justice.

“This whole saga has torn my family apart but he is allowed to continue his life.

“I really lost faith in the justice system, until then everything had gone well.

“I felt satisfied when he was convicted, after so many denials.”

Williams, a retired egg wholesaler who lives at Llanbedrgoch, was also made to sign the sex offenders register for seven years for his crimes on underage girls which took place in the 1970s.

Paul discovered his father’s crimes in 2012.

“At first I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I took about two weeks to mull it over and I went back to my Dad.

“I told him I thought there was some truth in it but he denied it. I had to go to the police.”

Paul continued: “Finding out he was a paedophile soured my whole relationship with him.

“All the nice memories I had of him teaching my how to drive, they mean nothing now.

“I do not want to speak to him any more.

“I wouldn’t mind so much if he had admitted it and faced the consequences.

“But throughout the whole ordeal he denied it and insulted them (the victims).

“He should be in jail for what he has done.”

Paul is concerned his father will continue to play an active role at Benllech Rugby Club.

He said: “I know I’ll see him there but I don’t want to see him ever again and I don’t want my son to know him.

“My son is only 10 and I have to explain why he can’t see grandad.”

January 2015

Paedophile pensioner and pillar of Beaworthy community jailed for child rape images

A FORMER pub landlord has been jailed after police found sickening images of child rape on his computer.

Pensioner Gerald Bolton was a pillar of the community in the North Devon village where he lived but his apparently respectable life as a churchgoer and charity helper hid a dark secret.

He was addicted to watching internet images and movies showing children as young as 18 months screaming in pain and distress as they were abused.

Bolton became so dependent on the images that he took them with him on two memory sticks when he went on holiday to Cyprus.

His home was raided while he was away and police found so many images on his computers they gave up counting when they reached 17,000 even though these less than a thirtieth of the total.

His arrest led to him being shunned by some neighbours even though he was described a being “part of the weft and weave of the village” by his local vicar in Ashwater, near Beaworthy.

Bolton had provided a temporary home for the village pub when it burned down 15 years ago and also gave land to the local football club for their pitch and changing rooms.

He was a father and grandfather who had never been in any kind of trouble until he was flagged up by an investigation into abuse images by police in Wiltshire.

Bolton, aged 70, of Fairchild, Ashwater, admitted 12 offences of making or possessing indecent or prohibited images of children and four of possessing extreme pornography and two firearms charges.

He was jailed for 20 months by Recorder Mr Rufus Taylor at Exeter Crown Court. He told him: “Fortunately the court has been spared having to view the images but they are described in a schedule.

“There is a description of one of the items. I will not describe what is happening to the girl but she is aged about 18 months to two years and the effect on her is evident.

“Her face is not shown but she is clearly heard crying and screaming for her mother and is in great distress and discomfort. That, I am afraid, is the reality of your offending.

“I have considered suspending this sentence. I recognise that you require rehabilitation and it is a very difficult balance. However, having considered in particular the number of images in particular, I cannot do so.”

Emily Pitts, for the prosecution, said Bolton was traced through his internet address after using peer to peer software to receive images from another user, who was being investigated by police in Wiltshire.

She said his home was raided while he was on holiday in Cyprus in autumn 2013 and 29 computer related items seized and examined. He was found with two more memory sticks when he was arrested on his return.

He made no comment about the images but told police ammunition found in a safe was left over from his days as a licensed gun user and which he had never got round to surrendering.

Miss Pitts said images or movies were found on 11 pieces of equipment of which only four were examined in detail.

She said: “There were a very large number of images of which only 2.7 per cent were analysed and listed by officers and 13.6 per cent of movies. There were terabytes of storage on the equipment.

“Police also found a number of search terms which had been used including ‘mum and daughter sex’. Bookmarks had saved some child abuse sites.

“The items on the memory sticks had been deleted but were recovered by police and contained images he had taken on holiday with him to Cyprus.

“He was asked if he had a sexual interest in children and answered ‘not as such’.”

She said there were 795 images and 39 movies at the most serious category A, which effectively covers child rape; 1,108 stills and 29 moves at category B, showing less serious abuse; and 15,304 stills and 22 movies at category C, which shows child nudity.

Christopher Andrews, fro the defence, said Bolton has now acknowledged there was a sexual motive and is therefore suitable for a sex offenders’ treatment programme, which he could only receive with a suspended sentence.

He said: “He has played an active part in village life to the extent he started a pub in his own home when the local pub burned down. In one sense it has made it more difficult for him being part of the community.

“His reputation and standing have been utterly destroyed and every day he has to go out and face people who know what he has done. He has received some support but there are people who have turned their back on him.

“He is ashamed, embarrassed and remorseful. He got involved in this initially through curiosity and it turned into an addiction. He lost his way and lived a fantasy life through his computer.”

He passed the Judge references from Rev Jane Lucas and Bolton’s wife Susan, who has been married to him for 26 years.

The vicar’s letter said he was “part of the weft and weave of the parish for the past 25 years”. His wife said he was a “good and kind man who was always willing to help others regardless of the cost to himself”

January 2015

Goole engineer groomed schoolgirl, 14, on Facebook

AN ENGINEER who groomed a 14-year-old girl after sending her hundreds of messages on Facebook has been jailed.

Richard Carroll, 38, fooled the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, into falling in love with him and invited her to his home for sex when he knew his hairdresser girlfriend was at work.

After a five-day trial at Hull Crown Court, he was convicted by a jury of engaging in sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16.

Sentencing Carroll, who runs his family central heating business in Goole, Judge David Tremberg told him: “You groomed the girl.

“In my judgment there was significant emotional harm.

“The offence was carefully planned.

“She was a schoolgirl and you knew it.”

Carroll, who was engaged to his girlfriend of five years at the time, met the teenager when she was just 13 years old and they quickly began flirting with one another.

He invited her to feel his muscles, telling her he was “not an old man” and told her how good looking he thought she was.

In court Carroll, of Fontayne Street, Goole, protested: “I did not touch, kiss or sexually touch her.”

However, he admitted contacting her on Facebook, where he saw pictures of her in school uniform and admitted his messages became “more risky” over time.

“As time went on the messages did get a bit more risky,” he said.

“She started saying, ‘I love you’.

“At first I said don’t be daft. Stupidly, I did say it back a couple of times.”

He allowed the teenager to get drunk on vodka and cola.

When she was 14 years old, Carroll deliberately took his partner to work after inviting the schoolgirl to his home for sex, asking her to wear “leather leggings”.

Giving evidence, the girl said she had told Carroll she was only 13 years old when they first met.

“I thought I totally loved him and would do anything for him,” she said.

“I did not tell my mum because she would go to the police.

“I did not want any adult to find out about it.”

Within three months of meeting, Carroll was sending the girl hundreds of Facebook messages and they had even discussed eloping.

“We got real close on Facebook,” said the girl.

“I messaged him but did not end with XXX in case someone saw it.

“In the morning, if I did not text, he would say I had told someone, then he would say, ‘I can’t talk to you, you are too young’.

“I would leave it for a few hours and message again and he would be fine.”

But in court, Carroll accused her of being a “fantasist”.

He said: “Fair enough, I should not have texted her with things I wanted to do to her but she has got into in her head things had gone on which had not.”

Defending, Edward Bindloss said Carroll’s family business, set up by his father, faced ruin as customers had already begun cancelling orders and he would never be able to work in Goole again.

He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and given a sexual offences prevention order. He must sign the sex offenders register for life.

January 2015

Paedophile babysitter made two girls aged just 5 and 9 years old pose for horrific child abuse pictures

A ‘manipulative’ paedophile babysitter befriended his two victims, aged five and nine, with treats and trips before making them pose for horrific child abuse pictures.

Paul Scally has been remanded in custody and is facing a lengthy jail sentence after being convicted over the abuse of the two girls, daughters of a supposedly close friend.

A court heard how Scally looked after the girls, with one of them describing him as her “pal”, telling police he would “take her places”.

But the 34-year-old’s deception was found out when one of the girls told of the “systematic” abuse.

Police then raided Scally’s home the following day and discovered a pair of one of the girls’ pants in his home and horrific indecent images of both of them on his computer.

Despite the “overwhelming” evidence against him, Scally denied the allegations, forcing the girls’ traumatised parents to go through the ordeal of seeing the images of their children during the trial.

They wept in court as a jury delivered the guilty verdicts.

Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson told Dundee Sheriff Court: “The evidence in this case overwhelmingly proves that he is a manipulative person who abused the trust of a family who treated him as one of their own.

“He’s a person with a sexual interest in young girls. He would like you to believe the occasions where he took the girls places were well intended and generous.

“The Crown submits there was a far more sinister reason why he was doing this. He told the older girl that if she told anybody he would do something to her.

“He has not put forward a defence in this case that is remotely plausible in the face of a mountain of evidence against him.

“There are a series of, what would have to be remarkable, coincidences for his story to be true. The pictures of the girls found on his hard drive. Is that a co-incidence?

“The pants are found in his home the day after the girl told police. Is that a coincidence?

“You may choose to believe he is the unluckiest man in Fife. Or you may choose to accept that all the pieces of the puzzle fit together to prove that Paul Scally is sexually attracted to young girls and he systematically acted as charged towards these girls.”

Scally, of Southfield Avenue, Lochgelly, denied an indictment alleging two charges under the sexual offences act, one of possessing indecent images of children and one of taking or making indecent images of children.

But a jury of nine women and six men took an hour and 45 minutes to find him guilty of all the charges.

The offences took place between March 2009 and October 2012 at addresses in Lochgelly and Cardenden, Fife.

Sheriff Elizabeth Munro deferred sentence for social work background reports and remanded Scally in custody meantime.

She said: “I am required to get background reports before I sentence you. Your bail will be revoked. I don’t think it is appropriate for you to remain at liberty.”

Nicholls was was detained for an indefinite period under the Mental Health Act

October 2012

Man guilty of child abduction

A north Wales man who dragged an 11-year-old girl screaming from her home has been found guilty of kidnapping.

Charles Kenneth Nicholls grabbed the girl after breaking down the door of her house in Rhosnesni near Wrexham.

The 41-year-old from Mold was stopped by the girl’s mother who heard her screams and prevented him from taking her away.

At a hearing on Thursday, a jury at Chester Crown Court convicted him of kidnapping and affray and he was remanded in custody to a psychiatric unit.

At the time of the incident last April, Nicholls, who is unemployed, was detained by two men, including former Manchester United and Wrexham goalkeeper Dave Gaskell, until police arrived.

The prosecution suggested that the defendant tried to kidnap the youngster because she looked similar to a barmaid he had become obsessed with.

The court was told that during the drama Nicholls was heard to shout at the girl that he loved her.

The young kidnap victim and her sister, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were praised by Judge Dafydd Hughes.

He told the 11-year-old she was incredibly brave and told her sibling that she had done well to telephone the police alerting them to the situation and looking after her younger brother.

A second psychiatric report will be conducted on Nicholls and a hospital order under the Mental Health Act has been proposed by one doctor.

January 2015

Predatory paedophile jailed for seven years

A ‘dangerous and predatory’ paedophile is off the streets after police investigating indecent images discovered a youngster he had abused in his home in Preston.

Karl Smith, 37, will have to prove he no longer poses a danger to children before he is allowed out of prison at the end of his seven year and eight month sentence.

Officers from Lancashire police received intelligence Smith’s IP address had been used to upload indecent images of children to his home computer.

A laptop, PC, digital camera and SD card were seized during a raid at his home in New Hall Lane on June 19 last year.

The equipment was taken away for analysis and when searched was found to contain images of a young girl being abused by Smith.

However when officers returned to the address five days later to quiz Smith they discovered the child in the images was also at the property.

Smith was arrested and went on to admit engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, sexual assault on a female aged under 13 and sexual assault of a male under 13.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “Karl Smith is clearly a dangerous and predatory offender and the sentence imposed on him today reflects the depravity of what he has done.”

Once he is released from prison, Smith will be on a five year extended licence period.

He has also been handed a lifetime sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) and has been barred from working with children.

January 2015

Paedophile from Northampton who raped boy sentenced to 18 years in jail

A 59-year-old man from Northampton who indecently assaulted and raped a boy has been given a jail sentence of 18 years.

James McLachlan, of Mushroom Field Road, Ecton Brook, was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday after he was convicted of the historical charges.

McLachlan was found guilty of the offences after a trial last year.

Judge Lynn Tayton, sentencing, said the victim had suffered severe psychological harm as a result.

Judge Tayton sentenced McLachlan to 18 years in jail.

McLachlan will serve half his sentence in jail before being released on licence.

He will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

January 2015

JAILED: Illegal immigrant repeatedly molested vulnerable 13 year old girl

AN ILLEGAL immigrant who repeatedly molested a vulnerable teenager ‘used her shamefully’, a court heard.

Married father Zia Maroof Khail, 29, groomed his victim into have sex with him when she was just 13.

A judge was told how the youngster, from Blackburn, thought she and the defendant, who is from Afghanistan, were ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’ and that they were in love.

He was abusive towards her if she refused his advances, Preston Crown Court heard.

Maroof Khail, who claimed he was not aware of the ‘cultural norms’ in the UK, was given an 11-year extended sentence after being found guilty of four counts of sexual activity with a child. He will also face deportation when he is released from jail.

Judge Graham Knowles told the defendant: “I am clear that you were abusing her. She was a child. You groomed her and you used her shamefully.”

Prosecutors said the affair started when Maroof Khail, who is more than twice as old as his victim, winked at the girl in a park.

Maroof Khail, formerly of Holland Street, Blackburn, kept on approaching the youngster as she took a regular path to a relative’s home.

The first time they spoke, the paedophile stopped the girl in an alley, told her he loved her and gave her a note with his mobile number on it.

The youngster tore up the piece of paper. However she was able to remember the number, which led to them chatting on social media. Mark Lamberty, prosecuting, said Maroof Khail began following the child each week on her routine visits.

He said: “Then as part of her day, when the girl was going to school, she would visit the defendant at his home twice a week.

“She says that he was abusive to her if she refused to cooperate in sexual conduct.”

Maroof Khail also forced the teenager to have sex with him in an alleyway and at her home.

The victim’s mother, who made a statement for the court, said her daughter had been left traumatised.

Mr Lamberty said: “The mother indicates that she is angry about the whole situation. Her daughter has low self-esteem and tends to self harm.”

The allegations came to the police’s attention when the girl made a complaint about other men who she said had abused her, the court heard.

Officers said they eventually tracked Maroof Khail down after his DNA, which was found in her underwear, was matched on a database at Colnbrook Immigration Centre, at Heathrow Airport, where he was waiting to be deported.

Simon Mintz, defending, said his client’s jail term would be ‘harder to bear’ because of his lack of English. He said: “But bear it he must.”

Judge Knowles ordered Maroof Khail to spend eight years behind bars, with the remaining three years of his sentence to be spent on licence. He was made subject to notification requirements, a sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

The judge, who said the deportation would be dealt with by the appropriate authorities, said: “Finding grown men attractive or interesting is a part of growing up for teenage girls.

“They are entitled to be left alone with their thoughts, not groomed by men who want underage sex.”

Speaking after the hearing DC Madeleine Barrientos, said: “The length of the sentence passed shows the gravity of the offences on this extremely vulnerable girl. T “She is still struggling, but she has lots of support and help.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “We do not comment on individual cases. Foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them — we have removed more than 22,000 since 2010.”

January 2015

Grandad who downloaded more than 8,000 indecent images of children spared jail

A pensioner who downloaded more than 8,000 indecent images of children onto his computers was spared jail.

Bruce McIntyre’s home in Belle Vue Road, Gateacre, was raided by police on June 27, 2013.

Liverpool Crown Court heard officers received intelligence that he had accessed a child pornography website.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, said the 66-year-old confirmed that he knew why they were there and what they would find on his laptop, hard drive and four memory sticks.

The grandad also admitted that he had another laptop on a ship containing sick images, which was recovered by Kent Police.

Mr Jones said: “He said he started by downloading adult pornography and then out of curiosity downloaded child pornography.”

Police found 681 Category A photographs – the most serious category – 1,576 Category B photographs, and 6,136 Category C photographs.

In total this added up to 8,393 images, including more than 30 movies.

However, there was no evidence that he had distributed any of this material to others.

McIntyre, who had no previous convictions, admitted three counts of making (downloading) indecent photographs of children and one count of possessing indecent photographs of children between November 2, 2006 and June 25, 2013.

David McLachlan, defending, said his client pleaded guilty at the earliest available opportunity.

Judge Clement Goldstone, QC, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, said McIntyre downloaded the images for his own “perverted sexual gratification”.

He said: “You may have persuaded yourself that there was nothing wrong in looking at photographs of children in these situations. All I can say is God forbid your daughters had ever found themselves, or perhaps your grandchildren, in that position.

“Maybe if you had thought about that first you would not have gone down this road.”

The judge said that apart from these offences, McIntyre had led an “honest, blameless and industrious” life and retained the support of his family.

He said: “You owe them a lot. It is very, very difficult to rebuild a good name. You had one, you lost it, and you had better build it up and earn the respect of those who are near and dear to you.”

Recorder Goldstone sentenced McIntyre to eight months in jail suspended for two years, a two-year supervision order and to attend a sex offenders programme.

He also made him subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Protection Order and told him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for the next decade.

January 2015

Nairn man jailed for possessing indecent images of children

A Nairn man who admitted possessing child pornography on his computers has been jailed for 15 months at Inverness Sheriff Court.

Richard Paton, 44, now of Glasgow, pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children between 6 July and 29 November 2012.

Ten photographs and 76 video clips were found on devices he owned, but none at the highest level.

Sheriff David Sutherland said Paton had committed a serious offence.